Manchester United have made a total mess of this. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is likely to leave, and that, no longer is the issue.
The issue is how long this has taken to get here, and the timing it has taken to get reach this decision.
The Times reported last night that United held an emergency board meeting to discuss Solskjaer’s future. His departure looks inevitable, with The MEN claiming he will be sacked.
But United did not want this decision to come now. The board had hoped United would beat Watford, and they could have the weekend off, with the team free to prepare for the Villarreal game with a little positivity.
Instead United lost 4-1 against Watford, were totally humiliated by the scoreline, and now the club are scrambling to make a decision.
Rarely is there a good time to change manager mid-season, but United have just let one pass by.
The final international break of the campaign has just gone, with Solskjaer surviving a two-week gap after the defeat against City.
Solskjaer should never have been in charge for the Watford fixture. That’s the devastating aspect of the loss on Saturday.
Now United’s preparations for the Champions League away game against Villarreal on Tuesday have been totally thrown into disarray.
United are now damned if they do sack Solskjaer before this crucial game, and damned if they don’t, to let this sorry state of results carry on.
How did United get here?
United refused to acknowledge how deep the problems with Solskjaer’s management ran after the 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool. That was already the final straw for some supporters.
The 2-0 loss to City seemed to underline the problems. And yet, United bemusingly dug in.
Nobody can make a decision, with Ed Woodward and the Glazers not wanting to admit defeat over Solskjaer.
There may also be trouble finding and agreeing upon a replacement for the United post. But at this stage, it has become clear the bar for improving on Solskjaer is not set particularly high.
Arranging a financial agreement with a potential replacement before the squad fly out to Villarreal is not going to be straightforward. United need to make a long-term decision and not just another stop gap – although they may have to settle for the latter.
It’s a total mess, and Ed Woodward and the Glazers have shown once again just how inept they are.
Fan reaction
There was a common theme of frustration among supporters on social media over the situation…
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