Erik ten Hag has officially become the fifth permanent manager to attempt to replicate Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary Manchester United spell.
But with the iconic Scot watching on in the Old Trafford crowd, the Dutchman got his tenure off to the worst possible start, losing 2-1 at home to Brighton on Sunday. And it has now come to light that Ten Hag opted to neglect Ferguson’s tried and trusted tactic - giving his players a half-time rollicking.
Fergie’s ‘hairdryer treatment’ became synonymous during United’s era of dominance in English football, with dressing room tales becoming the stuff of legends. And had he been in the home changing rooms on Sunday, it’s likely the 2022 vintage of Red Devils would have come back out with red ears.
After a positive pre-season under Ten Hag, the optimism surrounding his new charges evaporated in the space of 45 minutes, after a desperate showing saw the Seagulls take a two-goal lead into the break. The well-drilled visitors looked a cut above their more illustrious hosts and more than warranted their position of strength.
United were sloppy in possession and slow out of it, with the midfield trio of Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay and Fred losing the ball 25 times between them. The home faithful, who had been so full of hope before kick-off, roundly booed off their team after yet another miserable showing.
But rather than berate his players, Ten Hag delivered a quiet and reserved message to his under-performing stars, according to the Sun. The report suggests that rather than berate his players for mistakes, he urged for them to be forgotten, with an approach described as “softly, softly”.
Ten Hag conceded that United did improve after the break, thanks in part to the introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo, but that wasn’t enough to avoid an opening-day reversal. His approach is one that has been received positively by United’s players throughout the summer, although that didn’t translate into a positive performance.
And while he remained a calm figure in front of his players, Ten Hag was forced to admit he was less than pleased by his side’s display. “Definitely a setback, a real disappointment," he told Sky Sports.
"But we have to deal with it. I knew from the start it would not be easy, it's a process and it takes time but we should have done better."
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And while he accepted there was an improvement he added: “I’m not satisfied, totally not. Because we lose and it's not necessary. We should have done things better. It's not easy to construct it, to build it, to develop it, this takes time."
One of Ferguson’s most trusted lieutenants, Roy Keane, hit out at what he saw as spin coming out of the club, claiming it was simply more of the same from his old side. "You talk about pre-season, I saw a lot of PR nonsense coming out of Manchester United during the games, and I still saw the same problems. It's the same characters, same personalities, especially in midfield,” he told Sky Sports in his post-match verdict.
