GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred shared some conflicting feelings about the big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers this week, praising the franchise's competitive spirit in one breath before addressing the financial disparity they have created in the next.

Players elsewhere around the league don't seem nearly as conflicted.

"Teams spending money is never bad for baseball and never bad for players. Ever. In any situation," Athletics slugger Brent Rooker said.

If Manfred is looking to find some sympathy from MLB's rank-and-file regarding his worry over the sport's financial health, it's probably not going to come from the guys on the field.

MLB is the only major professional sport in America that doesn't have a salary cap, though there are luxury tax penalties for passing certain spending thresholds. Last season, the Dodgers had a $353 million luxury tax payroll and had to pay a $103 million tax. The Athletics had the lowest luxury tax payroll at just under $84 million.

Los Angeles' spending didn't slow this offseason. The Dodgers signed two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million deal and made sizable investments in players like Teoscar Hernández, Michael Conforto, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates and Roki Sasaki.

That came one year after the organization splurged on more than $1 billion in commitments to Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Los Angeles' spending has dwarfed all but a few franchises. Opposing players might be envious of those fat paychecks, but it's hard to find them complaining.

Even Manfred -- who said he has received emails from fans worried about competitive balance -- can't fault the Dodgers' approach.

"The Dodgers have gone out and done everything possible, always within the rules that currently exist, to put the best possible team on the field, and that's a great thing for the game," Manfred said Tuesday. "That type of competitive spirit is what people want to see."

Walker Buehler threw the final pitch of the 2024 season, recording the last out for the Dodgers in their World Series-clinching Game 5 victory. He signed a one-year, $21.05 million with the Boston Red Sox during the winter, but the right-hander isn't about to talk smack about his former employer.

"Teams spending money is never bad for baseball and never bad for players. Ever. In any situation."

Athletics slugger Brent Rooker

The 30-year-old knows exactly why players are flocking to Chavez Ravine.

"I don't think it's odd," he said. "It's a first-class organization and obviously coming off a huge World Series and, I think on top of that, you layer in that on a team right now where there's probably four or five Hall of Famers, I think it's an attractive place to play."

That doesn't mean there isn't some awe from players about the formidable roster that the Dodgers have built thanks to their deep pockets.

"I worked out with some guys that ended up signing with the Dodgers and was like, at a certain point, 'I didn't know they had room on the 40-man [roster],'" Red Sox pitcher Patrick Sandoval said.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are one of the teams trying to keep pace with the Dodgers in the National League West. They signed ace right-hander Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million in December, but they are still projected to have a payroll that will be roughly half the size of the Dodgers.

"I don't think it's unfair at all," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "They're within the rules. They're doing what they have to do to get the best players on the field. When I was a kid, it was the Yankees, remember? George Steinbrenner was going crazy with his spending, and it yielded world championships. That's what we're all chasing."

Lovullo makes a good point about the Yankees. Baseball has had a long history of financial disparity, particularly since free agency started in the 1970s.

Even so, there haven't been many dynasties over the past 40 years. The Dodgers are trying to become the first team to win back-to-back World Series titles since Steinbrenner's Yankees had a three-peat from 1998 to 2000.

Third baseman Max Muncy is in his eighth season with the Dodgers and says a big payroll certainly helps to build a talented roster, but it doesn't mean much once the season starts. He points to 2023, when the Diamondbacks swept the Dodgers out of the postseason in the NL Division Series despite having a much smaller payroll.

"This sport is really tough," Muncy said. "It doesn't matter what kind of roster that you have. Time after time, teams have shown that you get into the playoffs and anything can happen."

TAMPA, Fla. -- The New York Yankees and manager Aaron Boone have agreed on a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2027 season, the team announced Thursday, on the eve of the club's Grapefruit League opener.

A major leaguer for 12 seasons, Boone is entering his eighth year as Yankees manager. He is one of three managers in franchise history to lead the Yankees to the postseason in six of his first seven years, joining Casey Stengel and Joe Torre. His .599 career win percentage ranks 10th all time and second among active managers behind Los Angeles Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts. He ranks seventh on the Yankees' all-time wins list.

The Yankees rebounded from an 82-win campaign without a playoff berth in 2023 to win the American League pennant last season for the organization's first trip to the World Series since 2009. Soon thereafter, the Yankees exercised the club option on Boone's contract for the 2025 season, and owner Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman communicated their desire to extend Boone's deal.

Cashman reiterated the franchise's stance last week, declaring there would be a "feeding frenzy" among other clubs interested in hiring Boone if he were let go. He highlighted Boone's temperament managing in the New York market as a strength and signaled an extension was coming.

"I've been working through that, and Hal Steinbrenner has been working through that, with Aaron Boone," Cashman said. "Hopefully at some point, sooner than later we'll be able to officially cement something, but obviously I haven't gotten there yet. But just give us time."

They needed until Thursday.

Ireland's Jack Conan has predicted the team's back row will be under a "huge amount of pressure" to fill the void left by Caelan Doris' injury when they face Wales in the Six Nations on Saturday (14:15 GMT).

Simon Easterby's side have won their opening two games of the championship against England and Scotland, but they have been forced into changes for this weekend's trip to Cardiff with captain Doris and Ronan Kelleher both ruled out.

Doris, who has played in every one of Ireland's Test matches since the 2021 Six Nations, will miss out because of a knee injury sustained in training.

"How do you fill that role? It's very difficult," said Conan.

"He's played 42 in a row which is a testament to how professional he is, how durable he is, how consistent he's been as a player.

"There'll be a huge amount of pressure on the entirety of the back row, whoever is on the bench and the lads that are starting, to keep on pushing from where he left off because he's been unbelievable."

Conan, a 2021 British and Irish Lion, has performed well off the bench in the opening two games and will fill the jersey vacated by his Leinster team-mate Doris.

"We get on very well. We compete hard against each other and I think we've spurred each other on to be at a really good level," said the 32-year-old.

"He's someone who sets the standard for the rest of the back row and without him we're going to have to push on and make sure we're at that level."

Wales will be under the charge of interim head coach Matt Sherratt for the first time, having lost their past 14 Tests, a run dating back to the 2023 World Cup.

"I've no doubt it's been unbelievably tough for the Welsh lads," said Conan.

"They'll be galvanised by a new coach coming in, everything that's gone on the last few weeks.

"They're a nation that gets behind Welsh rugby incredibly well, and playing over there with the roof closed is going to be special."

Dan Sheehan will captain Ireland against Wales in Saturday's Six Nations game in Cardiff.

The hooker will lead the team for the first time with regular skipper Caelan Doris ruled out because of a knee injury.

Sheehan, 26, came off the bench in Ireland's wins over England and Scotland but replaces the injured Ronan Kelleher in a team showing seven changes from the win at Murrayfield.

Alongside Sheehan in the front row is Leinster tight-head prop Thomas Clarkson, who will make his first start after earning his debut in November, while loose-head prop Jack Boyle is set for his Test debut off the bench.

Jack Conan replaces Doris at number eight, while Joe McCarthy returns to the second row after recovering from the head injury that ruled him out of the first two games.

In the backline, Mack Hansen returns to the wing after missing the Scotland game while Garry Ringrose is named to start alongside Robbie Henshaw in midfield, with Bundee Aki dropping to the bench.

Jamie Osborne will make his Six Nations debut at full-back, replacing Hugo Keenan, with Sam Prendergast retained at fly-half after impressing in his away debut against Scotland.

Gus McCarthy and Cian Prendergast - Sam's brother - are also set to make their Six Nations debuts off the bench.

Ireland interim boss Simon Easterby says he has had no contact from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) about replacing Warren Gatland as head coach.

Wales parted ways with Gatland last week, and while Matt Sherratt has taken interim charge, Easterby is thought to be one of the WRU's top targets.

However, Easterby - who lives in Wales and formerly captained and coached Scarlets - dismissed "speculation" around his future.

"I didn't really know that I had been linked, but of course there's been speculation and that's all it is: speculation," Easterby said after naming his team to face Wales in Saturday's Six Nations gam in Cardiff.

"I'm not in control of that. I love what I do here. I've been in this position with the team for a long time and I'm very fortunate with the people I get to work with, both management and players, and for me that's a dream job.

"Speculation is exactly that, it's speculation and it's not something I can control."

Former Ireland international Easterby began his coaching career with Scarlets before joining the Irish backroom team in 2014.

The Yorkshire-born 49-year-old has stepped up to lead the team this year while head coach Andy Farrell is seconded with the British and Irish Lions.

"Right now, this is my only focus and whatever happens in the future... in a year's time you could lose your job and we know in sport it's fairly fluid around people moving from thing to thing," added Easterby.

"Whatever's gone on, I've had no contact from the WRU, so for me it's all guns blazing towards Cardiff on Saturday and making sure me and the other coaches prepare the team in the right way. Whatever speculation goes on outside of that is outside of my control."

BOSTON -- What makes Team USA a team -- and not just a collection of All-Stars -- is having Jaccob Slavin on the roster.

That's not conjecture. That's what Team USA coach Mike Sullivan said when asked what the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman means to the men's national team at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Practically everything about Team USA is a spectacle. The way they win is a spectacle. Their personalities are spectacles upon spectacles. Even hearing the song "Free Bird" after each goal is a spectacle; the reaction it draws from Team USA's fans comes with the expectation that a bald eagle is going to soar throughout the arena to the backdrop of fireworks.

And while Slavin is the antithesis of that spectacle, what he does for the team is one of the main reasons the spectacle exists in the first place. Goals and those who score those goals receive the bulk of the attention. Goal prevention is not always guaranteed acclaim.

But this is what defines Slavin. It's also what could help America sit atop the hockey world with another win over Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+).

"He's so underrated and he's honestly one of my favorite players to watch," Team USA defenseman Jake Sanderson said. "He just flies under the radar and makes great plays. He's so solid defensively and such a great skater. It's the sort of attribute I want in my game someday."

LEADING INTO THE TOURNAMENT, a big talking point was what Team USA's defensive structure would look like. While Connor Hellebuyck was long believed to be the starting goalie, there was a thought that whoever would be in front of America's goalies was going to give opponents fits.

The U.S. created a defensive corps featuring Brock Faber, Adam Fox, Charlie McAvoy, Zach Werenski, Noah Hanifin and Sanderson. Those six skaters are part of a larger wave of puck-moving defensemen who've helped define the NHL's newest glamour position.

It's a group that initially included the reigning Norris Trophy winner, Quinn Hughes, who was ruled out because of an injury.

But that also comes with the caveat that the rise of those puck-moving defensemen has led to defensive-minded defensemen receiving less attention.

Or to view it another way: The NHL's affinity for two-way quarterbacks has come at the cost of those shutdown defensemen. And if his Team USA teammates are quarterbacks for what they do in the offensive zone, that in turn makes Slavin a shutdown cornerback.

"Jaccob's a guy that, in my mind, is one of the best defenders and one of the best defending defensemen in the league," Sullivan said. "His size, his mobility, his reach, his ability to read plays, he closes on people, how strong he is in the battle areas. I don't know if there's a defenseman in the league who defends the rush more aggressively or better than Jaccob does."

MANY THINGS HAVE CONTRIBUTED to why Team USA has looked like the most consistently complete team throughout the 4 Nations tournament. One of those is a restrictive defensive structure that, if all else fails, can rely on Hellebuyck, one of the greatest goaltenders America has ever produced, to contain the situation.

Actually getting to that point against Team USA has been rare for opponents. Finland scored only once, as did Canada. The U.S. won both of those games, which made Monday's 2-1 loss to Sweden irrelevant because it had already qualified for the title game.

The most surprising part of Sweden's two goals? Slavin was on the ice for both.

Before that, he had logged more than 45 combined 5-on-5 and short-handed minutes without a goal being scored. He leads Team USA's skaters with an average ice time of 21:31 per game, while anchoring a penalty kill that hasn't allowed a power-play goal against.

"He's super tough to play against. I'm a D and I don't go against him a lot," Sweden and Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. "The way he is in the way, the way he breaks pucks up and is such a great skater."

Much of what Slavin does is in the details, but there are times when it becomes large enough for all to see. That was the case in the win over Canada, when Colorado Avalanche superstar center and reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon was speeding in for a zone entry, as he has done so often in his NHL career.

Just when it appeared MacKinnon found an opening, Slavin was right there -- forcing one of the game's most dangerous players to rethink his approach.

"Yeah, he's incredible defensively and does a lot of little things that are hard to notice," said Hanifin, who was teammates with Slavin for three seasons in Carolina. "Just his stick. He breaks up so many plays that are hard to break up.

"He's a great skater; he's always gapping up and limiting an opponent's time and space. He's one of the best in the game at it."

TEAM USA AND Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger said that he always knew that Slavin was underrated, but actually playing with him at the 4 Nations gave him a greater appreciation for what he does.

"He takes away stuff before it ever happens," Oettinger said. "It never has time to develop, and he just reads the game so well and is so smart. I'm sure those goalies in Carolina love playing for him."

Slavin does have an offensive presence. He has had seven seasons of more than 30 points, and is flirting with what would be an eighth season, with 20 points through 56 games this NHL season. In total, he's had 292 points in 721 career games. For comparison, Hughes has scored 392 points in just 412 games.

But another detail that speaks to Slavin's effectiveness is how he's low-risk for penalties, despite consistently playing in high-risk situations (for copious minutes) on a nightly basis.

The 30-year-old Slavin is averaging more than 22 minutes per game for his career, yet he has accrued only 94 total penalty minutes in those 721 games. Another comparison: Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk finished second in the NHL with 134 penalty minutes last season.

Sullivan explained that Team USA wanted to build the sort of well-rounded team that could thrive in whatever situation was presented.

By adding Slavin to its roster, Team USA has done more than thrive in all situations at the 4 Nations Face-Off. And now, he has put them in position to win it all.

"He's been a big part of our group's ability to be stingy defensively," Sullivan said. "He's a huge part of our penalty kill. He helps us at our net front. Those are the types of skill sets or complementary skill sets we were looking for when we were putting this group together.

"He may not be the guy that ends up on the scoring sheet or on ['SportsCenter'], he's just the guy that helps you win."

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said Kylian Mbappé has the potential to reach the same level as club great Cristiano Ronaldo after he scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Manchester City on Wednesday that took the Champions League holders into the round of 16.

Ronaldo is Madrid's all-time leading scorer with 451 goals in 438 games for the 15-times Champions League winners.

"He has the quality to reach his numbers, but he has to work, because Cristiano set the bar very high, but he is so excited to play here, he can reach Cristiano's level," Ancelotti told a news conference.

"Everyone was waiting for this hat trick from him and it has finally arrived. But Mbappé is not the only one, we have many players who make a difference. And they make a difference with their collective work above their individual quality which is remarkable."

Mbappé, who scored 256 goals in 308 appearances over six years at Paris Saint-Germain, said he did not care about being the top scorer if it did not lead to silverware.

"I was the Champions League's top scorer last year, but did I win it? No," Mbappe told reporters.

"I don't care about being the leading scorer, in my career, I have scored many goals. If with these goals we win titles I will sign with my blood. If I can score 50, all the better, but all I want is to win titles," he added.

Ancelotti lamented that his side had to go through the pain of the knockout round but said that they were to blame after a slow start to the campaign that caused them to finish outside the top eight in the league standings

The holders will face Bayer Leverkusen or city rivals Atlético Madrid, depending on Friday's draw, as they seek a record-extending 16th title.

"It's not positive at all having to go through the knock-out because we had to play 10 games to get to the last 16," Ancelotti said.

"We're not coming out of a difficult period, we're entering one because this is when the real season starts. There is no way to stop, to rest. But on an emotional level, sure, this tie has been good for us. Let's keep rolling."

Mbappe said he would prefer to play local rivals Atlético in the next round.

"For me it is better to play against Atlético because we don't have to travel, because we travel a lot. They would be two very difficult games but one without traveling."

Vinícius Júnior had the last laugh in his fd with Manchester City fans with a pointed post on X after Real Madrid knocked Pep Guardiola's side out of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Ahead of the first leg at Etihad Stadium in the playoff clash, City fans had unveiled a banner that showed Rodri kissing the Ballon d'Or trophy with Oasis lyric "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" written alongside it.

The banner was in reference to Rodri beating the Madrid forward to the prestigious individual award conferred by France Football in October last year. The snub saw Vinícius and the entire Madrid delegation skip the ceremony in Paris.

Following Madrid's 3-1 win at the Bernabéu that saw them go through to the round of 16, Vinícius posted "Okat, okay, okay" on X accompanied with a crying emoji.

Okay okay okay!!!!!!!

Vini Jr. (@vinijr) February 19, 2025

The Brazi international made a key contribution in the first-leg of the tie, setting up Jude Bellingham's last-gasp winner at the Etihad to give the reigning champions a 2-1 lead going into the clash at the Bernabéu.

"I saw it [the banner]. But when opposition fans do things, it always gives me more strength to play a great game, and here I did that," Vinícius told Movistar after last week's game. "They know our history and everything we've done in this competition."

Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's 27.7% purchase of a minority stake in Manchester United -- a deal that gave Britain's richest person control of football operations at the Premier League's most successful club -- but it has been a turbulent 12 months for the club since his arrival. Erik ten Hag ended last season by winning the FA Cup and was rewarded with a new contract as manager only to be fired four months later, while over 250 job cuts -- and the prospect of more -- have left morale at rock bottom within Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe's Ineos Group has made changes behind the scenes, hiring and firing senior staff, but on the pitch, new head coach Ruben Amorim has endured a nightmarish start that has even prompted the former Sporting CP coach to say that relegation is a possibility for the 20-time title winners. United are also struggling to comply with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR), which threatens a summer of low spending in the transfer market.

So with the first year under Ineos proving to be tough for United, Mark Ogden and Rob Dawson have assessed the group's impact so far -- and whether the club can look forward to a brighter future.

(Editor's note: The grades are assessing the gap between expectations when Ineos arrived in town a year ago, complete with big ideas and ambitious plans, and the reality of where Man United find themselves right now.)

On-pitch success: Is the team winning games? Trophies? Competitive in general?

Ogden: A quick look at the Premier League table gives you an instant answer. United are on course for their worst-ever Premier League season -- by some distance -- and the team, under both Ruben Amorim and his predecessor Erik ten Hag, has set all kinds of unwanted records in terms of results. Amorim has already broken records dating back over a century in relation to his team's woeful record at Old Trafford.

In isolation, United have had some good results under Ineos, including last season's FA Cup final win against champions Manchester City. They have also won at City in the league season, drawn at Liverpool and beat Arsenal on penalties in the FA Cup after a third-round draw at the Emirates. But United haven't built on those results, and there have been no signs of prolonged progress under either manager.

Many seasoned United watchers reckon things haven't been this bad since the early 1970s, when the club was relegated. It's hard to argue that those old-timers are wrong.

Dawson: It's been an unmitigated disaster. The FA Cup was won in May, but Ineos can't take much credit for it because it wasn't able to make meaningful on-pitch decisions before the summer. It's what has happened since that's raised eyebrows.

Ineos dithered over the decision to keep Erik ten Hag. And then, having chosen to stick with him, gave him influence over more than 200 million in new signings that included two of his former players: defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. It was investment made to suit Ten Hag's 4-3-3 system, but a matter of months later, he was gone and replaced with Ruben Amorim, who insists upon a completely different tactical setup with three at the back. At best, it's muddled thinking; at worst, it's mismanagement.

United won't get relegated because four teams -- Southampton, Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers -- are in demonstrably worse shape. Defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Feb. 16 left Amorim's team 15th in the table, just two points above West Ham. United have never finished in the bottom half in the Premier League era.

The situation Amorim has inherited is so dire that you can't begin to judge him. If it turns out the Portuguese coach isn't up to the job, Ineos will be faced with making another managerial change and building a squad that needs a different profile of player. United are in a hole, and they haven't got the time or the money to be chasing their tail.

GRADES:
- Ogden: D
- Dawson: F

Club finances

Ogden: United are doing nothing to put a positive spin on the bleak financial reality at the club. They announced losses of 113m in the most recent annual accounts last September and have repeatedly stated that they have no financial headroom in terms of PSR. Within those accounts, United also revealed outstanding transfer payments of 319m -- a common issue at clubs throughout football due to fees being paid over the course of a player's contract -- and an overall debt of 714m.

This is why, people at the club would argue, Ineos has overseen drastic job cuts at all levels in the past 12 months, with more likely to come. It is also why United were encouraging offers for homegrown players Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo during the January window, as any fee for those would be classed as pure profit on the balance sheet.

The big question about Ineos, though, is whether it is simply dealing with a problem that the Glazer family (the majority owners) ignored for years and is attempting to put United on a sound financial footing, or if it's clearing the decks and reducing staffing levels to reduce its own costs and make United a less expensive club to run. The message from Ineos has been that all financial decisions, including the most painful ones, have been taken with the ultimate objective of making the team better and successful again. However, for a club that was ranked fourth in Deloitte's 2025 Football Money League in terms of revenue generated -- United banked 770.6m, behind only Real Madrid, Man City and Paris Saint-Germain -- it's hard to see how Ineos is making the numbers stack up.

Dawson: This is Ineos' big problem. United have lost more than 300m over the past three years and their costs remain high. In a recent letter to fans, they warned there was a danger they could fall foul of PSR, which could lead to big fines or points deductions. Only United know how close they are to their PSR limit, because the numbers submitted to the league are different from those disclosed in statements to the New York Stock Exchange. But as one source told ESPN, the club is facing "a challenging long-term financial picture."

Ratcliffe has invested around 240m since his arrival -- part of which is being used to redevelop Carrington, the club's training facility -- but it's a drop in the ocean. There's a feeling within Ineos that supporters do not fully understand just how bad things are and that there is a scenario -- as unthinkable as it sounds -- in which United could go bust if drastic cost-cutting measures aren't implemented.

GRADES:
- Ogden: F
- Dawson: C (it's not all Ineos' fault)

Let's look at the squad: Is it getting better or worse?

Ogden: United ended the 2024 summer window with a 101m net spend having traded players in and out after winning the FA Cup, but the squad is still nowhere near having the depth or quality expected at a club of its stature. United have two unproven, and frankly not good enough, young forwards in Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee whose transfer fees cost a combined 100m. Defensively, there is a lack of quality at full-back, no central defender who can bring the ball forward and no world-class midfielder.

Very few United players would get in teams above them in the Premier League table -- an indictment of the club's woeful recent recruitment -- but Ineos has now had two full windows to improve the squad and has failed to do so. The squad is no better than when Ineos arrived; if anything, it's worse.

Dawson: More than 200m has been spent on signing new players since the takeover, and you could argue the squad is no better. In fact, plenty of fans would agree it's worse. The jury is still out on summer signings De Ligt, Mazraoui, Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro and Zirkzee. The same can be said for Patrick Dorgu, January's one significant arrival. In terms of outgoings, United have Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa), Antony (Real Betis), Jadon Sancho (Chelsea) and Tyrell Malacia (PSV Eindhoven) -- with a combined market value of more than 200m -- playing for other clubs on loan.

United have struggled to score goals since Ten Hag's time in charge, but in January both Rashford and Antony were allowed to leave without replacements coming in. United have scored 28 goals in 25 league games this season with only Ipswich, Southampton, Leicester and Everton scoring fewer.

The injury list is getting longer, too, after Amad Diallo, Mainoo and Ugarte all picked up problems last week. Still, the state of the squad was summed up at Spurs when Amorim was able to name only one substitute over the age of 19. That was Victor Lindelöf, who hasn't played in the league for more than two months and is set to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.

GRADES:
- Ogden: D
- Dawson: D

Moves made with senior management

Ogden: The jury is out on this one because virtually all of the senior executives pre-Ineos were cleared out by the new regime.

The Glazers oversaw a decade of drift and decline by promoting from within, resulting in the likes of Ed Woodward (executive vice chairman), Richard Arnold (CEO), John Murtough (football director) and Darren Fletcher (technical director) assuming consequential roles and not meeting expectations. Ineos has since hired Omar Berrada (CEO), Jason Wilcox (technical director) and Dan Ashworth (sporting director), but former Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion sporting director Ashworth was fired after less than five months in the job. Ashworth failed to impress Ineos boss Ratcliffe, but he was expected to perform a role that was different from his previous experience working with more autonomy at Newcastle, so Ratcliffe and Ineos cannot escape blame for that failed appointment.

Sir Dave Brailsford, the Ineos director of sport, has an influential role behind the scenes at United, and they now have a coherent leadership structure tasked with plotting a course forward.

Dawson: It's probably the one area where Ineos has made some kind of progress. Ratcliffe identified very early that the club's structure wasn't set up for success, and he has tried to fix it.

Berrada is a clever appointment as CEO after helping Manchester City to become the dominant force in English football. He has an astute business mind, knows football and has contacts across Europe -- really the perfect candidate to lead a rebuild.

Ashworth also seemed like a smart hire as director of football given his longtime friendship with Brailsford, but it quickly turned into an embarrassment. Ratcliffe should have made sure his team and Ashworth were completely aligned on key issues -- such as possible managerial candidates -- before spending so much time and money appointing him from Newcastle. Having to sack Ashworth so quickly suggests Ratcliffe didn't do his homework, which doesn't bode well for the rest of his decision-making.

GRADES:
- Ogden: D
- Dawson: C

Fan relations

Ogden: The optics of the Ineos era so far have been really bad. Beyond issues with cost-cutting and infrastructure that have caused embarrassment, fans have felt the tangible effects of the new regime.

Ticket prices have gone up, despite the woeful football and results, a decision that Ratcliffe justified by saying it shouldn't cost more to watch Fulham than Manchester United -- a remark that went down badly with fans. They directed derogatory chants toward Ratcliffe during the recent game at Fulham, so in a year, he has achieved the remarkable feat of becoming as unpopular as the Glazers.

Dawson: The message from Ineos at every turn has been that each decision -- popular or not -- has been taken to benefit the men's first team. In short, it's prepared to do anything and everything to make the club more competitive on the pitch.

It probably felt like an easy PR win considering how things had been under the Glazers, with former executive vice chairman Ed Woodward never able to forget his infamous quote: "Playing performance doesn't really have a meaningful impact on what we can do on the commercial side of the business." But by being so clear about its reasoning, Ineos has opened a debate about what a football club is.

It's true that many supporters only want to see United win the Premier League and Champions League, not caring how they get there. But there are other fans who believe a football club should stand for more: that ticket prices should always be affordable, particularly for children and teenagers; that there should be a thriving women's team; that there should be a charitable foundation to improve lives in Manchester; that former players who had careers during a time of more modest salaries should be supported.

Fans already feel like they are being forced to pay the price for poor decision-making by the Glazers, and many believe it's being continued by Ratcliffe. There has already been scattered discontent aimed at Ratcliffe and Ineos, and there's a larger protest planned ahead of the Arsenal game on March 9. There's real concern among season-ticket holders that they will be hit with a major price hike ahead of next season.

GRADES:
- Ogden: F
- Dawson: D

How does the future look?

Ogden: Right now, the future doesn't look great at all, but perhaps Ineos is making the tough, unpopular decisions to clear the way for progress. Sometimes you have to rip off the bandage, and Ineos is certainly doing that.

We shouldn't forget that Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, had plenty of early missteps at Anfield including clashes with fans over ticket prices, clumsy handling of managerial changes and recruitment mistakes including Mario Balotelli and Christian Benteke. Nobody remembers those mistakes now, largely because Jürgen Klopp was an inspired managerial appointment and the club's recruitment team worked in tandem with him to turn Liverpool into world-beaters again.

United desperately need clear leadership and a strategic plan to move forward, and they had neither under the Glazers, so Ineos might just be in the first, chaotic stages of getting it right. But that's the positive outlook. The flip side is that the new decision-makers aren't as smart as some of them believe themselves to be, and football is a much tougher business to crack than anything they have worked in before.

Much will depend on the summer. If Ineos clears out the deadwood and makes smart signings, then Amorim could be the coach to put United back on top. Amorim needs Ineos to deliver if he is to deliver for them.

Dawson: It's easy to be very pessimistic about the future. Clubs need money to be competitive, and United are openly saying there isn't any. On top of that, Ratcliffe and Ineos want to build a new stadium at a possible cost of 2 billion, though there has been little concrete information about how they plan to pay for it. The danger is that if the club foots the bill, there will be an even smaller budget to reshape the squad. Amorim has already said that funds for next summer will depend on whether United can get players out.

In the short term, the biggest worry is Amorim. It's not yet clear whether he's the right man for the job. He has been dealt a tough hand, and he has been fighting fire after fire since his arrival in November. If it turns out he was the wrong appointment, it will be a huge setback for Ratcliffe and Ineos.

The hope is that Amorim's appointment works out, high earners like Rashford and Casemiro leave in the summer, some money is freed up to reinvest and, next season, United begin to take small steps forward. It's not certain by any means, and most fans are in the position of wanting to see it to believe it.