It took just 11 months for some Manchester United fans to turn against minority co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
And doubters among the Old Trafford faithful will no doubt become even more frustrated when they find out what could have happened under the Qatari government, which had plans to radically transform the club in just THREE DAYS.
Due to fan pressure and rising costs, the majority shareholder of the Glazer family announced that they were open to selling United in November 2022.
And Qatari billionaire banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani joined the race to buy Britain's biggest football club.
After months of speculation, Sheikh Jassim's latest bid for full control was rejected by the Glazers in favor of Britain's richest man, Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe's own offer of £1.2 billion for a 27.7 percent stake was accepted, and the 72-year-old, a lifelong fan, was effectively given the keys and took control of all operations.
But things don't go to plan with sporting director Dan Ashworth leaving the club after just five months in his role in the latest in a series of PR disasters.
Nearly twelve months later, the 'new' United lurches from horror show to another under the leadership of Ratcliffe and his Ineos officers.
Ahead of Sunday's derby against Man City, they sit a lowly 13th in the Premier League.
After fifteen games they are sixteen points behind Liverpool, who beat them 3-0 at Old Trafford.
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But the Mail has now given a behind-the-scenes look at what could have happened at M16 if the Qataris had been allowed to buy the club outright.
Plans for a unified rebirth, fueled by vast wealth and some of the best sporting and financial minds on the planet, had already been carefully laid out.
The strategy for 'Project Ruby' included the Qatari's promise to announce the takeover on day one.
The cancellation of ALL the club's debts would take place on the second day.
And United would be taken off the New York Stock Exchange and no longer accountable to distant stakeholders.
On day three, Sheikh Jassim would unveil plans for a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium.
That's it: a clear breakthrough in three days to change the history of the club and the current situation.
As for Old Trafford, there would be no attempt to take taxpayers' money, or any confusion over whether this would be a renovation or a rebuild.
Ratcliffe reportedly lobbied for the government's 'Levelling Up' plan to give the north of England a venue to rival Wembley.
And the iconic ground continues to rot, hampered by an embarrassingly leaky roof and dead RATS under the seats.
Under Sheikh Jassim this would have been a simpler process.
A senior adviser to the Qatari group told the Mail: “The beautiful thing would have been in full motion by now.
“A stadium for a football club, paid for by a football club and no one else. And as for the staff Ratcliffe is laying off, we would have hired people.”
None of the above will provide comfort to the United fans – and the legion of staff – who wanted Sheikh Jassim's bid to succeed.
Populous, the designers responsible for many of the 2022 World Cup venues, had already drawn up plans, which were shared with bidders for United.
Now it can be revealed that serious consideration was given to an 'adaptable' stadium, with a capacity of between 90,000 and 100,000.
Leading commercial property company JLL, based in Manchester city centre, had already been signed up to work on the project.
And a separate fund was planned for the women's team, which would have had its own training center in Manchester.
Leading commercial property company JLL, based in Manchester city centre, had already been signed to work on the project.
Rather than being sacked, Sir Alex Ferguson should be nurtured and invited to an advisory board.
Others, including Class of '92 members David Beckham and Gary Neville, also lined up to add their input.
But the opposite has happened.
Ratcliffe's hated cost-cutting campaign has led to 250 redundancies and increased ticket prices to £66 for children and pensioners.
He has even turned into the grinch and replaced the staff's £100 Christmas bonus with a £40 M&S voucher in his latest money-saving measure.
Fans have already protested outside Old Trafford, begging to stop being “exploited”.
But it may not be the end of the story.
The adviser told the Mail: “Sheikh Jassim is still a rich man.
“He is still a United fan. He is not going to rush into trying another Premier League club.
'If the opportunity to buy the whole of Manchester United arises again at some point in the future, it is difficult to see there not being a strong interest in it. The plans are still there.”
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