The Manchester United blame game involves the present and the past amid latest crisis

Erik ten Hag is remaining dignified in defeat. He entered the hushed press conference room at the Community Stadium and addressed the assembly with a "good evening".

There was nothing good about Ten Hag's evening. Long-time United supporters likened the debacle at Brentford to Frank O'Farrell's last sorry stand - a 5-0 humiliation at Crystal Palace in 1972. Before full-time, Sir Matt Busby had approached the Scotland manager Tommy Docherty in the directors' lounge about succeeding O'Farrell. Docherty did.

United have shipped at least four goals in seven of their last 33 Premier League fixtures and their next opponents, Liverpool, inflicted an aggregate evisceration of 9-0 last season.

Also read: Dressing room row erupted between United players before Brentford debacle

Liverpool loomed ominously before the mauling by Brentford. Defeat to the Champions League finalists would mean the last two Ajax managers who have managed in the Premier League have played seven and lost seven.

At full-time on Saturday, a handful of intrepid players approached the away end and were greeted with V-signs, middle fingers and outstretched arms. Some fans politely applauded. For Diogo Dalot, it completed a galling hat-trick; he struck an identical pose in front of the away end at Everton in 2019 and Brighton in May. Both scorelines read 4-0.

Bookmakers wasted little time in dubbing Ten Hag "Ten Games". The first press release detailing his shortened odds to become the first top-flight manager to be sacked dropped into inboxes at half-time at Brentford. A cheap publicity stunt that capitalised on the morbid curiosity of United's demise.

Frank de Boer, the "worst manager in the history of the Premier League" in the withering words of Jose