During Manchester United's embarrassing defeat to Tottenham on Sunday, Sky Sports cameras focused on the posh seats in one of Old Trafford's stands. There, seated together, were the lads—more specifically, the Ineos Brains Trust, all employed by minority shareholder and billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe. These executives, supposedly the elite in football club leadership, administration, finance, player recruitment, and analytics, seemed to be competing to look more gravely concerned by the unfolding events on the pitch. Dressed in matching suits and red ties, they sat alone with their thoughts, each likely concluding, 'This fiasco isn't my fault.' It seems inevitable that these Brailsford Hive Mind members will soon subject each other and their boss to endless PowerPoint presentations, ultimately deciding to appoint a manager whose only experience led to Middlesbrough's relegation from the Premier League. However, this decision hasn't yet reached the current head coach.
Erik ten Hag, who orchestrated a team performance so poor that the only player hinting support was Tottenham's Timo Werner, insisted that he and those in charge of his future are 'all in this together.' His plea for 'some time' sounded unconvincing, especially after the 3-0 defeat, one of the worst in his two-and-a-half years at the club. His usual excuse of 'injuries' seemed absurd, given that only Luke Shaw is currently sidelined, while Spurs were missing Son Heung-min.
Gary Neville added to the post-match commentary, describing United's first-half performance as 'disgusting' and suggesting that Christian Eriksen's questioning of the players' professionalism carries more weight than his own. In other news, Tottenham issued a statement condemning 'abhorrent homophobic chanting' from their away support at Old Trafford, stating it was 'unacceptable and hugely offensive.' The Proud Lilywhites, Spurs' LGBTQ+ fan group, received significant backlash from those who dismissed the issue as 'woke nonsense' and 'just banter.'
Join Michael Butler at 8pm BST for live coverage of Bournemouth vs. Southampton. Meanwhile, José Mourinho protested a disallowed Fenerbahce goal in Turkey by placing a laptop in front of a TV camera to demonstrate the offside decision's inaccuracy, earning a booking for his efforts.
