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.
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The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now
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Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
'The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting up a Generation for Failure'
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Results:
5pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600 metres
Winner: Dasan Da, Saeed Al Mazrooei (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Saabah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Mukaram, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: MH Tawag, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) | Dh70,000 | 1,400m
Winner: RB Inferno, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Juthoor, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Fixtures
50-over match
UAE v Lancashire, starts at 10am
Champion County match
MCC v Surrey, four-day match, starting on Sunday, March 24, play starts at 10am
Both matches are at ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City. Admission is free.
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
- 1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
- 2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
- 3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
- 4th ODI, Sunday, April 16
Squads:
- UAE: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
- Zimbabwe: Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
World Cup warm up matches
May 24 Pakistan v Afghanistan, Bristol; Sri Lanka v South Africa, Cardiff
May 25 England v Australia, Southampton; India v New Zealand, The Oval
May 26 South Africa v West Indies, Bristol; Pakistan v Bangladesh, Cardiff
May 27 Australia v Sri Lanka, Southampton; England v Afghanistan, The Oval
May 28 West Indies v New Zealand, Bristol; Bangladesh v India, Cardiff
RESULT
Fifth ODI, at Headingley
England 351/9
Pakistan 297
England win by 54 runs (win series 4-0)
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
