The unbroadcastable Erik ten Hag footage that showed he had stopped being a Man United manager
One of Erik ten Hag's problems at Old Trafford was perception. He had long stopped talking like you expect of a Manchester United manager.
For a while, he could do little wrong in this regard. For most of his first season, he was note perfect. His English could be halting and a little unstructured, but the message came across clearly.
Ten Hag was the strong man United had been looking for. He was a disciplinarian, no-nonsense in approach, and made the office of the manager the most important in the building again.
In hindsight, that was the bit that came easily. It was when Ten Hag had to move the job forward that it became difficult. In a gig that calls for ambition, he couldn't portray it often enough. He found it difficult to explain his philosophy and then, in a bid to defend his own stuttering record, he made mediocrity sound acceptable.
ALSO READ: Ruben Amorim agrees to become next United manager
ALSO READ: 'No excuses' - Why Manchester United sacked Erik ten Hag
There were too many excuses, too many diversions from the reality that he was in charge of a team going backwards, and too many promises of jam tomorrow.
He became fiercely defensive of his record in winning two trophies - and with some justification - but he was also blinded by the silverware. There were great days and memorable achievements, but in between, he was serving up a diet of drudgery. After finishing eighth in last season's Premier League and bottom of a routine Champions League group, this season, United are 14th domestically and 21st in the new-look Europa League.
And in the modern era, it can't just be about winning trophies. Sir Jim Ratcliffe didn't pay £1.25bn to own a quarter of United for a Carabao Cup success every now and again. A