Manchester United’s last three permanent managers lost their jobs on October 28, November 22 and December 18. Erik ten Hag, dismissed on Monday, had been in position for two years and four months. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lasted two years and 11 months, Jose Mourinho two years and six months. Before Mourinho, Louis van Gaal was in the role for two years.
There’s an unedifying symmetry here. United and their fans do back their managers strongly, they give them time, but there comes a point when the situation – for the club and most fans – becomes untenable. United are 14th in the Premier League after nine games with four wins in the last 14 games. It’s nowhere near good enough, just as it wasn’t in November 1986. That’s when Ron Atkinson lost his job, replaced by Sir Alex Ferguson who stayed for 23 years.
This football season started, like most do, with optimism. Fans were encouraged by the new signings, by the new decision makers and the high of beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final had lasted all summer. As ever, United fans hoped for a brighter future and have idealised versions of what every new signing will be – and they hope that at the least they’ll be an upgrade on the players replaced. When they struggle to live up to those levels, the disappointment is palpable. It only gets worse when fans look across to see how well their main rivals are doing.
In numerous polls over the summer, the overwhelming majority of supporters wanted Ten Hag to continue as manager into this season, but that backing for the Dutchman soon dissipated with defeats: from the fans, officials and the players. Ten Hag put the most positive spin on events because if he didn’t believe in his plan, then who would? Before the Brentford game at Old Trafford two weeks ago, I asked him: “What makes you think that you can still succeed at Manchester United? What have you seen that the critics are missing?”
“We also must climb a mountain, but this is top football,” he replied. “You must face challenges. Sometimes it goes up, sometimes it goes down but I am sure we will make it a success as we did in the last two seasons. We are in the right direction and underneath I see good things. I see good patterns and I see the good stats that confirm we are in a good direction but of course the league table is not lying. We are where we are and that is not good enough.”
He made valid points, but even after the FA Cup success and peak of Ten Hag’s United tenure, there were doubts. I spoke to half a dozen players after the FA Cup final. Not one said he should be sacked; not one said that things could go on as they were. One said that United simply can’t let teams in the relegation places come to Old Trafford, dominate, cut through the midfield and create numerous chances.
But some of that is also on the players, just as some of the blame for Ten Hag losing his job should be on them. It’s not the Dutchman’s fault that half his team missed chances in the first half at West Ham on Sunday, but then when United are 14th as they are now, the manager must take the bulk of the responsibility.
The wins that breed confidence have been scant, the defeats and lack of goals a major issue. Ten Hag seldom varied from his principles and beliefs – his process. His compatriot Louis van Gaal was the same. Van Gaal later said that he didn’t have the players capable of executing his ideas. Ten Hag may say similar and the reality is that United seem miles off challenging for a title - but he was heavily indulged and enjoyed a power in the transfer market that subsequent United managers are unlikely to have under a new structure. United have continued to spend – nay squander – hundreds of millions on new players who don’t perform as hoped.
Managing United is difficult with numerous problems to be faced every day under extreme media and fan scrutiny. At times Ten Hag was the only person from the club to speak publicly and he did so in a calm and measured manner. He wasn’t a showman for the cameras, more a football obsessive who was trying to get things right using methods that had served him well elsewhere.
Ten Hag was well supported by fans and his employers and by this season, many of the players had been brought in by him, but not all the players were convinced. They didn’t try to undermine him; they just weren’t convinced. Before the recent away game at Crystal Palace, United did a simulation game before the match. This is normal and one United team had to play as Palace – who defeated United twice last season - so the players would be better prepared for the threats to follow.
Ten Hag picked out what he wanted to see happen when the ball came into the middle under Palace possession, but several players disagreed with his tactics. This was no mutiny, they didn’t always agree with Ferguson either, but it showed that not all of them were always aligned with what their manager wanted.
Ironically, United played some of their best football in the first half at Palace, just as the team had played well way at Brighton in the first half and at West Ham on Sunday. The second half performances dipped and United didn’t win any of those games. Goals are a massive issue: United have scored eight in nine league games.
Ultimately, that’s not good enough and the team aren’t just 12 points off the top of the league a quarter of the way into the season, but they’re well short of what Ten Hag’s men managed in his first season.
United took time to get going under their new manager but after the 6-3 October 2022 derby defeat at Manchester City, United won seven and drew two of the next nine games until a loss at Aston Villa. After that November game in Birmingham, United won nine games on the bounce – the final one against City in January 2023. February 2023 was Ten Hag’s best month, with six wins and two draws from eight games – and the wins included a first trophy since 2017 and two games against Barcelona, which saw United prevail.
Ten Hag did seem the man who would make Manchester United great again. He looked back at that time as an example of what his team could be, but injuries hit hard and continue to do so.
Alas, it wasn’t to be, and as with so many of the previous managers, Ten Hag met his fate a few months into the new season. He’s a good man, a good coach and he’ll be back, proud of the results at United and of his career as a manager. He never gave up, was never angling for his job, but he’ll wish that things had worked out differently, as did his fellow post-Ferguson predecessors.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
THREE
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Results
2.30pm: Expo 2020 Dubai – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Barakka, Ray Dawson (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
3.05pm: Now Or Never – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: One Idea, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.40pm: This Is Our Time – Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Perfect Balance, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Visit Expo 2020 – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Kaheall, Richard Mullen, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.50pm: The World In One Place – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1.900m; Winner: Castlebar, Adrie de Vries, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm: Vision – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Al Wasl Plaza – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Jadwal, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
UAE%20PREMIERSHIP
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Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
Rating: 3/5
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
GRAN%20TURISMO
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UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
