It was roughly half an hour post the FA Cup final's final whistle when I had my encounter with Sir Jim Ratcliffe. He was still in the royal box at Wembley, relishing the victory over Manchester City. I managed to maneuver past security to get close enough to shout at him. To his credit, he approached and shook my hand, though he remained silent when I urged him: “Don’t sack Ten Hag!” That was my stance then, and it remains unchanged, despite the club's dismal start to the season. It might have been more logical to address this immediately after the win against Manchester City, but an end-of-season review, which flirted with other potential candidates, concluded with Erik ten Hag being affirmed as Ineos's choice. And that should have sealed the deal. At least for this season. After all, Ten Hag makes sense. United has had a series of unsuitable managers since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement. They either didn’t truly “understand” the club (David Moyes/Louis van Gaal), or they were too polarizing (José Mourinho), or they lacked coaching skills (Ole), or they were too candid for their own good (Ralf Rangnick). Ten Hag did “understand” the club, Old Trafford embraced him, he can coach, and he’s been honest without being harsh. With a squad in mid-overhaul, he has secured two cups in two years, and he has maintained his composure during the protracted takeover talks and Sir Jim's arrival. Since then, Ineos has assembled a team of backroom footballing experts—where once we had just Ed Woodward, a financial man who gauged success by shirt sales and ad deals. It was this new brain trust that endorsed Ten Hag just three months ago, only to sack him now. Like many season ticket holders, I have witnessed some dreadful games this term. I had anticipated seeing a few more as the “process” of change continued, and we awaited some of our players' return from injury. It has been agonizing—but better to commit to the long haul than seek more quick fixes. Instead, seemingly on the heels of a dubious VAR decision that cost us the game against West Ham, Ineos has reverted to full Woodward mode. Again. All generals require a bit of luck, and Ten Hag's appears to have run out on 25 May. If Ineos retained him because they genuinely believed in him, they should have supported him through this challenging period—and done so publicly. If they kept him but didn’t truly believe in him, they should have had the courage to let him go in the summer. They are either incompetent or cowardly. Or both. Ten Hag deserved better.
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