Surprise, surprise, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is once again under pressure, and the vultures are circling overhead as INEOS decide whether or not to pull the plug and end his tenure.
And we’ve been here before. Towards the back end of last season, it was reported that the Dutchman was essentially a dead man walking, and his sacking was imminent.
However, a tactical dismantling of Pep Guardiola and his henchmen — the reigning four-time Premier League champions who struggle to fill up their stadium — in the FA Cup final meant the reign of Ten Hag would continue.
Now, after losses to Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, and Brighton, and draws against Crystal Palace and FC Twente, calls for his head are once again dominating the headlines.
So, what should INEOS do? Well, there are two cliches that should be pencilled in Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s notebook for when he decides what to do with the former Ajax boss.
Rome wasn’t built in a day
Not many people will remember this, but Sir Alex Ferguson was in the exact same position in his early years at Manchester United. His second and third seasons were horrific, and it was only in his fourth season that it started to look like he was getting a handle of things.
In those early days, Ferguson had the same issues that Ten Hag is experiencing now. Player discipline was an issue, they disagreed with his instructions, and his tactics were criticised.
But, Ferguson was given time to turn things around by then chairman Martin Edwards. In the end, he is now remembered as the greatest manager in the history of English football, with 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups and two Uefa Champions League wins.
In Ten Hag’s first two seasons, he’s already managed to win two trophies, an FA Cup and a League Cup.
The definition of insanity
Since Ferguson retired in 2013, United have had a tough time. That’s no secret. Since then, whenever a manager has struggled, the club have panicked and simply cut their ties and moved in a different direction.
The constant sacking has not helped. Every new manager comes in and has to get the players on his side. That takes time. Constantly firing managers will only create more instability, and the next thing you know, the club will have matched Liverpool’s run of 30 years without winning a league title.
Once Louis van Gaal started to get a grip of things, he was fired. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired because he hit a bumpy patch after two very encouraging seasons.
Sacking managers has proven countless times that it doesn’t work and it just sets the club back a few years. Doing it again will just be foolish.
INEOS should do the right thing and give Ten Hag more time to achieve his vision. If players are unhappy over his tactics or management style, they should be shown the door, like Cristiano Ronaldo.
The problem, though, will be dealing with the masses on social media platforms like X and TikTok.
Unfortunately, there is a pandemic of people who don’t understand football having an opinion on the game.
* Lunga Biyela is a freelance digital journalist at Sport.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of or Independent Media.
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