The inevitable has happened: Erik ten Hag has officially been sacked as Manchester United managerafter 128 gamesat the helm.
After a run of poor results and their worst start to a league campaign ever – a record he’d already broken the previous season – the Dutch head coach has been relieved of his duties after just two and a half years in charge.
The decision comes after the Red Devils’ 2-1 loss against West Ham on Sunday evening, in which a controversial penalty awarded after VAR saw them narrowly miss out on a point – a moment that meant just one win in eight games and now looks to have been the bell toll for ten Hag.
While the official position from the club states that the 54-year-old has vacated the role, for all intents and purposes, this is clearly a sacking.
Confirming the news on the club website, Man United wrote: “Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Erik was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
“We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited.”
He leaves the club with them sitting 14th in the Premier League after picking up just 40 points from 27 league games in 2024 thus far, not to mention having won just one of his last 11 European matches and having spent £475 million on player signings. All told he won 72, drew 20 and lost 36.
On the other hand, he won two trophies in two years after lifting both the EFL and FA Cup, which proved to be a crucial lifeline until now. Nevertheless, they’ve just never been quite the same since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson and suffered some severe losses to the likes of Liverpool, Man City, Spurs and more.
ADVERTISEMENT
31.8% – Only David Moyes (32.4%, 11/34) lost a higher percentage of his Premier League games as Manchester United manager than Erik ten Hag (31.8%, 27/85). Departure. pic.twitter.com/cFavWHNNhZ
Other candidates that were reportedly interviewed in the summer before ten Hag was eventually given an albeit ill-advised new contract included Brentford’s Thomas Frank and former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi. Gareth Southgate has also been linked with the job in the past.
With club legend and fellow Dutchman international van Nistelrooy set to take over in the interim, Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS Group will now start their search for a replacement once again.
So, where do United stand now and who would you try and go for as ten Hag’s successor, Reds? You can watch his final words in charge down below.
Featured Images — Manchester United/Sky Sports(via Screenshot)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
28th October 2024 
