After Ten Hag’s sacking by Man Utd, it’s not only about who replaces him but how much time they will be given
It is not just about the finances. Erik ten Hag benefited from more than half a billion pounds in new signings.
It is not just about refereeing decisions. The manager was running out of excuses as Manchester United lurched to new lows.
And it is not just about who owns the club. The Glazers relinquished control of club operations to Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The self-proclaimed “strengthened football leadership team” installed by INEOS sacked Ten Hag less than four months after activating a costly contract extension.
It was the consequence of dithering rather than decisiveness, having undermined Ten Hag in the summer.
Even before the FA Cup final, potential replacements started to be sounded out.
Beating Manchester City unexpectedly at Wembley seemed to complicate matters.
It was another piece of silverware to follow the League Cup in his first season. But surely it could not mask Ten Hag presiding over United’s worst-ever Premier League season?
As Manchester City staged a title parade, United continued an inquest into why they finished 31 points behind their neighbours.
The decision dragged on, leaving Ten Hag’s fate up for public debate for a couple of weeks before Sir Jim’s INEOS crew kept him on.
Publicly they acknowledged “areas for improvement” but called him their “best partner”.
They really wanted it to work out.
But hanging over this miserable start to the season – no wins from three games in Europe and only three victories from nine in the Premier League – was the precariousness of his position in the summer.
This is not an era for the patience or perseverance that saw Sir Alex Ferguson given seven years before winning the league for the first time in 1993.
None of Sir Alex Ferguson’s successors have come close to his success. Pic: PA
Now it is the shadow of Sir Alex and his success looming large over his successors.
It is not just a Ten Hag problem that the Premier League trophy has spent 11 years away from Old Trafford.
He was the fifth permanent manager to attempt to bring it back and flop dismally.
What United lack is a coherent strategy that INEOS claims to be implementing.
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They have only been in place since February, accelerating appointments from a sporting director attracted from Newcastle (Dan Ashworth) and a CEO (Omar Berrada) convinced to defect from City.
Everything has been reviewed, from the stadium infrastructure to spend on matchday staff food.
There is a fallen empire to restore. One that has crumbled since the days of Sir Alex winning 13 Premier League titles.
The men in the squad cannot use Ten Hag’s premature exit as an excuse. But around them there is only chaos, rather than stability in the quest for a vision on and off the pitch.
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It is not only about who replaces the Dutchman but how much time they will be given to restore United’s standing.
And it is not about whether the funds are available to spend on players, but whether transformative players even want to join.
Muddling through the Erik ten Hag decision adds to the sense of disarray.
And there is a worst-ever Premier League start to turnaround – quickly.
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