Roy Keane has made an excellent point in slamming INEOS over the recent decision to hold a Manchester United board meeting in London.
On Tuesday, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester United‘s executive board members met in Knightsbridge, London, to discuss the future of the Old Trafford club.
The meeting was part of a regularly scheduled routine where the club’s powerbrokers, such as CEO Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth, and co-owner Ratcliffe and Joel Glazer, sat down for six hours to discuss the club.
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Although those at the club have insisted that the meeting was planned long before Erik ten Hag’s poor run of form at the helm of the club’s team, many have speculated that it would be the meeting that helped decide his fate as manager.
However, Roy Keane, speaking on the latest episode of Stick to Football, has launched a passionate rant surrounding the meeting, declaring that INEOS should have decided to hold it in a more secretive place than the middle of West London.
“I don’t know (on whether Ten Hag will last until the end of the year),” he said. “I’m sure clubs have board meetings all the time, I’m sure they’re constantly discussing the manager, recruitment and staff.
“But to me, United was always about good people and good characters, and people who could play for Man United and deal with it, but I don’t see that now. I don’t recognise this team, I don’t recognise the club.
“A couple of months ago everyone was saying, ‘they’ve got new people coming on board, they’ll have all the answers’, more money on recruitment and United have gone backwards.”
Keane continued, “They’re chopping and changing and getting rid of everyone in the background which is fine, there’s a business side to it, we know that.
“But when we’re discussing Man United it’s more like a business than a football club. Football clubs are about people and good people who turn up and put a shift in and who are good, honest people.
“We all work in sport and in different environments and it’s about working with good people, and what I see at Man United, stepping back a bit, and it might be a bit harsh, I’m not sure I’m seeing proper footballing people who are making the right decisions for the club.”
“It’s more of a business having these board meetings and everyone seems to know about these board meetings, why can’t they have these board meetings without anyone knowing about them or where they are? You can’t tell me they can’t find a nice little hotel in the lakes or somewhere?
“I’m serious. Why do we know all this information? Why is this public knowledge? You see all these people at the match, all lined up, and (Sir Alex) Ferguson, and you wonder if it’s ever going to change?”
Keane makes an excellent point. Considering the turbulence surrounding the club and the dire situation the team find themselves in, this only adds increased pressure and coverage on the side and Ten Hag.
The drama surrounding the club has not changed much since Ratcliffe and his INEOS team took over the sporting operations. In terms of optics, it would make much more sense for the executives to meet in a more secluded location.
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