Johnny Phillips:
There were more than a few shades of the Alex Ferguson era at Manchester United when several journalists and news organisations were banned from Erik ten Hag’s Tuesday press conference this week, ahead of the Old Trafford clash with Chelsea the following day. Barring reporters from attending press conferences was a common theme of Ferguson’s reign at the club, with just about every broadcaster and newspaper being issued with a ban of sorts during Ferguson’s 26 seasons at the helm.
Ten Hag’s ban sprang from reports that he had “lost” half the dressing room, with United’s communications director Andrew Ward stepping forward to deliver the punishment. The crux of it was that United, and Ten Hag specifically, were not given the opportunity to address claims of a broken dressing room before they were made public.
There have been various incidents involving players from the squad this season that have bubbled under for some time, but none of it has been helped by some chastening defeats along the way, particularly in Europe. Despite a significant summer transfer spend, Ten Hag’s side have lost 10 matches in all competitions so far this season.
With several senior players reported to have become disillusioned with the quality of some of the summer signings, matters threatened to get out of control for the club’s PR department this week with media talk suggesting Ten Hag’s command of the dressing room was dwindling due to a combination of tactics, training methods and communication with his players.
United deny all this, of course, and so a rather tense build up to Wednesday’s match against Chelsea ensued. The truth is usually found somewhere in the middle. When rumours of dressing room disputes emerge there is often an agenda at the forefront of any revelations and, while it suits some quarters to suggest Ten Hag retains total control over playing affairs it is also the case that others want to make things awkward for the Dutchman.
