Man Utd's latest ticket price hike after disastrous season is an insult to fans
And just for effect, news of the increases came on a day when the fixtures for the next Premier League season were published - a day that should be about hope and optimism and about wiping the slate clean. Increasingly, Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group are becoming the embodiment of people who know how to make billions out of business but are clueless when it comes to winning the hearts of minds of a football club's fanbase.
Perhaps they are not overly interested in hearts and minds, perhaps they really are only interested in money. After all, it will take many, many more years - possibly decades - of underachievement on the field of play before United loses its allure as one of sport's most iconic institutions.
That might be a hard notion for rival supporters to stomach but that is fact. United could probably double ticket prices and still sell Old Trafford out.
The crowd's demographic would be different - there would be a lot of tourists around - but they would still fill the stadium. And they would probably fill a new one seating 100,000.
But these ticket prices are not particularly jaw-dropping in scale, to be honest. The Manchester United Fans' Advisory Board even said: 'We are relieved that the club was persuaded to limit the increases to the same percentage rise as recent seasons and we are pleased they froze prices for our youngest fans.'
But that same group had called for a ticket-price freeze that they 'felt was justified due to the current circumstances.' And that is the point.
After the season United had - ending in the dismal Europa League final defeat - asking fans to pay more for the privilege of watching a strictly mediocre team almost smacks of having a laugh at the supporters' expense. It smacks of doing it because they know they can.
It is common for clubs, for ticket pricing purposes, to categorise games, but on the evidence of their performances at Old Trafford last season, is ANY game involving this United side a Category A match? But there are six Category A games at Old Trafford next season - against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur - and tickets for those fixtures range from £59 to £97.
No matter what your take on the scale of the increases - and United are certainly not the only club to do this - it is the fact the increases come against a backdrop of players under-performing hugely for hugely over-inflated salaries. It comes against a backdrop of the Glazers having taken out millions and millions in dividends over the period of their ownership.
And it is simply hard to believe that, as a nod towards United's fantastic support, the club and Sir Jim and INEOS could not have stood a season in which ticket prices remained the same. Actually, scrap that.
It is not hard to believe. It is easy. Because these people know a lot about business but little about being a football fan.
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Sky has slashed the price of its bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
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