Mark Langdon: Manchester United misery should not be a shock

If someone shows you who they are then believe them.

It sounds like the kind of message you might see in a girls' WhatsApp group after one of the ladies has been let down by the latest bad boy on the scene, followed by a "u ok hun?" from the support network, but it also rings true for Manchester United. 

United have not been a major scalp for the best part of a decade and yet there is still a root-and-branch investigation every time they lose. Tottenham destroyed United's ten men on Sunday and the topsy-turvy nature of Thursday's 3-3 draw at Porto just further highlighted the chaos of a club that is a total mess on the pitch.

It can be hard to forget the domination the club enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson, but the aura of his legendary reign went years ago and football has moved on, much as it did when Liverpool went from all-conquering in the 1980s to a 30-year wait to win the league again.

In the past decade, United's average points tally of 68.5 would not normally be enough to qualify for the Champions League and four times in that period they have finished sixth or lower. Forget that they are called Manchester United. Forget the Fergie titles and the Class of 92. This is basically a Europa League side and, shock, horror, that standard of team will regularly disappoint.

The betting markets have known United's status for a while. Bournemouth were favourites to beat United last season and some bookmakers had Crystal Palace as odds-on shots for that humiliation last May when the Selhurst Park hosts ran out dominant 4-0 winners.

This season United were underdogs at Brighton, only a shade of odds-on for the visit to Southampton and Liverpool were odds-on favourites to win at Old Trafford, duly obliging by a 3-0 margin. United were only marginally seen as more likely to win on their return to Selhurst and were outsiders at Porto - the same Porto who lost their opening Europa League clash to ten-man Bodo/Glimt of Norway.

Never mind Norway, there's surely no way Ten Hag can ride out this storm, although he does have this crazy habit of just about doing enough when it seems the end is nigh. The FA Cup final win over Manchester City, the last-gasp equaliser on Thursday and, who knows, maybe United will beat Aston Villa on Sunday to prolong the inevitable for another few months.

You could argue it would be better for United to lose heavily at Villa for the long-term benefits of getting rid of a manager who started his tenure with a defeat at home to Brighton and 4-0 loss at Brentford to set the tone for a weirdly miserable stint despite winning two domestic cups. 

However, there won't be a grand queue forming at Old Trafford to replace Ten Hag when his time is eventually up.

The two favourites in the betting - Ruud van Nistelrooy and Gareth Southgate - don't inspire confidence that a revival is around the corner and the other runners quoted at under 33-1 are Thomas Tuchel, Kieran McKenna, Graham Potter, Thomas Frank and Max Allegri.

There are some good, bad and ugly gaffers in that list, and Tuchel is the standout of the seven. However, he reportedly turned down United in the summer and it is difficult to see which realistic candidate is capable of turning chief executive Omar Berrada's aim of winning the Premier League by 2028 into a reality.

It's a bold four-year plan, but United have shown us who they are Omar. It's time to believe them.

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