‘Enough is enough’ - Man Utd supporters group planning anti-Glazer and Sir Jim Ratcliffe protest and claim owners have turned club into a ‘laughing stock’

The 1958 Group, a prominent voice in the anti-ownership movement at Old Trafford, has confirmed plans for a significant demonstration on February 1. While specific details of the route and logistics are yet to be fully released, the expectation is that in excess of 6,000 fans will participate in the action before kick-off against Fulham.

The timing of the protest underscores the depth of the feeling among the match-going fanbase. It comes just days after Michael Carrick steered United to a morale-boosting derby victory over Manchester City in his first game in charge, a result that lifted the side to fifth in the Premier League table. In previous years, a win of such magnitude might have quelled dissent, but the 1958 Group are adamant that on-pitch results cannot paper over the cracks of the club's structural issues. Having cancelled a proposed march in August, the group is now "ploughing ahead" with their plans, signalling that the brief feel-good factor generated by Carrick’s management will not distract from the wider battle for the club’s soul.

The protest marks a significant shift in rhetoric regarding Ratcliffe. When the British billionaire first acquired a minority stake and took control of football operations, many supporters viewed him as a potential saviour who could dilute the influence of the Glazer family. However, that optimism has curdled into bitter resentment. The 1958 Group now views Ratcliffe not as a liberator, but as an enabler of the status quo.

"Jim Ratcliffe chose to get into bed with the Glazers and is helping to keep them in charge," a spokesperson for the group stated in a scathing assessment. The group’s statement did not hold back, attacking Ratcliffe’s competency and image, later adding: "For many, you come across as a clown, fumbling from one disaster to another, hopelessly out of your depth at one of the world's greatest football institutions," the spokesperson added. "We will not be silent. We will not be complicit. Jim Ratcliffe, you have chosen your side, and it is not ours. You are no saviour."

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Central to the supporters' anger is the perilous financial state of the club. The 1958 Group highlighted that United is currently burdened with around £1.1 billion in debt, a figure that includes significant outstanding transfer payments. This "debt mountain" is seen as the direct result of 21 years of "mismanagement and financial greed" under the Glazer ownership model - one they argue Ratcliffe is now propping up.

Compounding the frustration is the lack of visible progress on infrastructure. In March, Ratcliffe unveiled "grand plans" for a regeneration of Old Trafford or a potential new stadium, promising a world-class venue befitting the club's stature. However, months later, there has been "no significant progress" on the project. The 1958 Group mocked these stalled ambitions, stating: "We were promised best in class, but for us the club is a laughing stock resembling a circus, and that includes the new stadium design."

The upcoming protest is the latest chapter in a long-running saga of resistance against the American ownership. The "Enough is enough" slogan adopted by the group reflects two decades of accumulated frustration. The 1958 Group argues that the systemic issues at United are too severe to be ignored, regardless of who sits in the dugout or the occasional victory against local rivals.

"Twenty-one years of a debt mountain, mismanagement and financial greed is 21 years too long," the spokesperson declared. By targeting Ratcliffe alongside the Glazers, the fans are sending a clear message: partial ownership is not enough, and anyone sharing power with the Glazers is deemed part of the problem. As Carrick attempts to salvage the season on the pitch, the battle off it looks set to intensify ahead of the home match against Fulham.