Latest news with #SirDaveBrailsford
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Marginal gains? More like major shambles… Sir Dave Brailsford presided over Man Utd's worst season for half a century
IT turns out Manchester United wasn't the right place for 'marginal gains' man Sir Dave Brailsford. Had Brailsford been the 'bloody great whopping gains man', then perhaps it might have been, because United aren't failing by fine margins. Last season they failed to win the title by 42 points, gaining exactly half as many as champions Liverpool. They failed to qualify for Europe this year. And, for years now, their player recruitment has failed to make any footballing or economic sense. When Sir Jim Ratcliffe took over United's footballing arm in December 2023, Brailsford — as Ineos director of sport — assumed a hands-on role at Old Trafford. Brailsford was the billionaire's eyes and ears, his most trusted lieutenant, and it was hoped his philosophy of 'marginal gains' — which made him so successful in cycling — would translate to football. Yet just 18 months later, Brailsford relinquishes his day-to-day duties at the club with United further away than ever from where they want to be. Brailsford had forged his reputation in cycling on those 'marginal gains' — think of everything that goes into riding a bike, improve them all by one per cent, add them up and you have a significant increase in performance. Which is all well and good when it comes to the singular act of cycling. 5 5 Not so much when it comes to the very many more moving parts that make up a massively underachieving football club. Back at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where his Team GB cyclists racked up eight gold medals, Brailsford was widely regarded as the finest mind in sport. By 2012, when Britain won another eight golds in the London velodrome, and Brailsford's Team Sky had taken their stranglehold on the Tour de France Yellow Jersey, it was 'arise Sir Dave'. But a lot of effluent had passed under the bridge between that high watermark and Brailsford's arrival at Old Trafford more than a decade later. By then, his reputation had taken a battering — there had been allegations about the contents of a jiffy bag, the employment of 'Therapeutic Use Exemptions' for banned drugs, as well as accusations of bullying under Brailsford's watch from some of his most successful cyclists. While clearly a brilliant man in many ways, Brailsford was damaged goods by the time he rocked up at United. And those who have tried to bring ideas from other sports into football have tended to fail — World Cup-winning rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward's spell at Southampton being a prime example. Brailsford — who is 61 but only celebrated his 15th birthday last year, due to him being born on February 29 — played a key part in Ratcliffe's Old Trafford 'politburo'. He was instrumental in the Carrington training ground refurbishment and staff job cuts, as well as in the appointment of Ruben Amorim as manager. 5 Brailsford led 'Mission 21' to deliver United's 21st league title, which forms part of 'Project 150' to mark the club's 150th anniversary in 2028 — because these people always have to have a 'mission' and they always have to have a 'project'. But the idea of United being crowned champions within three years looks pie in the sky after what was comfortably the club's worst season for half a century. Brailsford has come and gone, Dan Ashworth — one of the most well-regarded administrators in football — has been and gone within five months. The same period of time he served on gardening leave after Ratcliffe poached him from Newcastle. Former Manchester City bigwig Omar Berrada remains in post as chief executive after winning his power struggle with Ashworth, while Jason Wilcox has been promoted from 'technical director' to 'director of football'. At least, for the time being. Brailsford remains on United's board but is expected to devote more time to the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team, as well as Ratcliffe's other football club, Nice. His time at United has been a curious one but rather than marginal gains, he presided over a major shambles. 5
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Sir Dave Brailsford was an architect of Man Utd's ‘disaster' season but his legacy is still salvageable
Fifteenth in the final league table. Their joint-fewest points since the club's most recent relegation more than a half-century ago. No European football next season for the first time in more than a decade. A 'disaster' of a campaign, all in all, as the team's head coach himself freely admits. But there will at least be a fancy new hydration point in the revamped canteen at the training ground next season. Advertisement Marginal gains, indeed. Sir Dave Brailsford is stepping back from his role at Manchester United following yet another reshuffle of Old Trafford's leadership team under co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. And perhaps it should be no surprise that the high priest of high performance in UK sport will be taking on diminished responsibilities following the club's lowest top-flight finish since they ended up second-bottom in 1974. Yet Brailsford's withdrawal from United duties is being described as a natural evolution by sources within Ratcliffe's INEOS empire, who asked to remain anonymous to protect their positions. They portray it as his work embedding a new management structure at United over the past 18 months now being complete. The 61-year-old will return to his wider portfolio at INEOS Sport, including his true passion of cycling, increasing his level of support to the latter's INEOS Grenadiers team. He will still be involved in United's affairs and keeps his seat on the club's board of directors. Brailsford had been less of a presence around United's Carrington training complex of late in any case, although that was at least partly because he suffered a broken leg on a skiing holiday earlier this year and has spent time recovering at his home in Monaco. But even before that unfortunate accident, there had been scepticism among figures who know Brailsford over whether his day-to-day involvement with United would last beyond the end of the season. Initial impressions of Brailsford among club staff were positive. He did most of the talking when he and Ratcliffe addressed employees for the first time in January last year, speaking frankly about the club's underperformance and future challenges. One of Brailsford's first presentations to the players left such an impression on forward Marcus Rashford that — days after missing training following a night out in Belfast — he requested a one-on-one meeting. Brailsford then had further individual chats with every squad member. Advertisement Yet amid a whirlwind start, which involved shaking as many hands around Carrington as possible in the days following the agreement of Ratcliffe's share purchase, some were left with the impression he was attempting too much, too soon and spreading himself too thinly as a result. Other interactions with United personnel were less impressive than that first meeting — one reference to sacrificing lavish Monaco for rainy Manchester went down poorly — or betrayed the sense that, by Brailsford's own admission, when he watches football, he is 'watching in black and white'. Clearly, his established reputation for delivering best-in-class, elite processes has not been immediately reflected in the team's results. And even away from the pitch, focusing purely on decisions taken by United's sporting leadership, there are already several blots on INEOS's copybook. Brailsford was part of the botched process which led to manager Erik ten Hag having his job security undermined, his contract extended and his employment ultimately terminated all in the space of five months, although he was far from the defining voice in that debate. He was more influential in the decision to target, pursue and eventually appoint Dan Ashworth as sporting director, having collaborated with him during the latter's time at the Football Association. Ashworth's swift demise — again, after just five months — might have damaged Brailsford's standing but if anything it increased his level of responsibility, creating a vacancy within United's hierarchy that he, chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox, two more INEOS choices, needed to fill. Even then, not all of Brailsford's instincts and ideas were acted upon. He had reservations over United's habit of touring far-flung destinations in pre-season and prioritised player recovery over the commercial benefits of packed schedules. The fact head coach Ruben Amorim and his players have just got back from Malaysia and Hong Kong after United's first post-season tour in 39 years, ahead of spending a chunk of pre-season in the United States, shows where priorities ultimately lie. Advertisement There was also the mixed response to his launch of 'Mission 21' and 'Mission 1', initiatives to win United's 21st and first Premier League and Women's Super League titles respectively, ideally dovetailing with 'Project 150', the club's 150th anniversary in 2028. While some at Carrington note the arbitrariness of those targets, or understandably scoff at suggestions to print T-shirts and banners bearing those slogans, part of their purpose was to shake the club from a stupor, having not won the Premier League since 2013. Brailsford noted an inertia about United during his first few months in Manchester, a lack of purpose and motivation. It is not an uncommon complaint — something even Amorim has echoed when he said United as a club were in need of a 'shock' while nosediving towards the relegation zone in December — and, ultimately, one that Brailsford's blue-sky thinking has not fully resolved. But ask Ratcliffe and he would chiefly describe Brailsford's purpose at United as improving elite performance — best illustrated by the £50million redevelopment of the men's training building at Carrington, announced last summer, which is scheduled to open in time for the players' return in early August from that trip to the States. Easy quips about hydration stations aside, Brailsford's impact on United is only likely to be felt on this wider, overarching scale and over the longer term. One of his priorities in the early days under Ratcliffe was to make key, high-ranking appointments quickly, to create a sense of momentum. But as he now retreats into the shadows, his chief legacy may be in how the executive team he helped put in place now fare. Ashworth's appointment was clearly a mistake, wherever the blame for it may lie. Berrada led on the identification and securing of Amorim as Ten Hag's November successor, but the jury is most definitely out on whether he will be a success. And to coincide with Brailsford stepping back, Wilcox takes on the title of director of football — a position he last held for little more than a year at Southampton, largely while they were in the second-tier Championship. Advertisement Wilcox has fulfilled many of the duties typical of the role while serving as technical director, and is highly regarded after his six years as youth academy director at Manchester City, but this summer will be his greatest test yet. There can be no doubt that he and Berrada are the key figures in United's football operations now, a structure Brailsford helped build. And from now on, the gains need to be more than marginal.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Sir Dave Brailsford's new direction in Man Utd shakeup
Sir Dave Brailsford will reduce his day-to-day involvement with Manchester United to focus on his role as Ineos' director of sport, though he will remain a director at United. Brailsford, a long-time ally of co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has been instrumental in the overhaul at Old Trafford since Ratcliffe took a stake in the club. Manchester United believes it now has a new leadership structure, including Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox, and Marc Armstrong, to lead the club forward after Brailsford oversaw a transitional phase, including revamping the Carrington training ground. Brailsford, former performance director of British Cycling, aimed to help Man Utd to their 21st league title, but the team finished 15th, their lowest in 50 years, and failed to qualify for Europe. During Brailsford's tenure, several high-ranking figures have departed from Old Trafford, including John Murtough, Dan Ashworth, Patrick Stewart, and Cliff Baty.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Sir Dave Brailsford set for reduced role at Manchester United after reshuffle
Sir Dave Brailsford is set to reduce his role at Manchester United under a reshuffle being planned by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the PA news agency understands. Brailsford has played a major part since Ratcliffe secured his stake in United in February 2024, stepping down as team principal of the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team to take charge of footballing operations at Old Trafford and investing considerable time and energy in driving change at the club. But after a season in which United finished 15th, their worst Premier League finish, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham, Ratcliffe is planning a shake-up which will see Brailsford return to his role as director of sport for the wider Ineos group, as first reported by The Times. Under the plans, former Tour de France winner and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas is set to take on a leadership role with the Grenadiers when he retires as a rider at the end of the year. Brailsford, 61, has overseen a major overhaul of United's operations, including a £50million redevelopment of the Carrington training ground. Ratcliffe has scaled back some of Ineos's sporting commitments, terminating its sponsorship of the New Zealand rugby team and ending his bid to win the America's Cup. However, Ratcliffe remains committed to the cycling team, who no longer hold the dominant position they did when winning the Tour de France in seven out of eight editions between 2012 and 2019. Thomas, 39, has said he will retire after the Tour of Britain in September.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Sir Dave Brailsford 'to reduce Man United role amid major Sir Jim Ratcliffe reshuffle'
Sir Dave Brailsford will reportedly see his role at Manchester United reduced as part of a major reshuffle overseen by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The former British Cycling supremo was brought into Man United 's hierarchy by Ratcliffe and Ineos following their investment in the club. Brailsford had been heavily involved in United's strategy as they seek a first top flight title since 2013. Earlier this year, Brailsford had unveiled the 'Mission 21' plan, which has been focused on delivering United's 21st English league title. According to the Times, Brailsford's role is now set to be reduced as part of a shake-up by Ratcliffe. The report claims Brailsford will now revert to his previous position as director of sport for Ineos.
