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It is not just about the finances. Erik ten Hag benefited from more than half a billion pounds in new signings. 

It is not just about refereeing decisions. The manager was running out of excuses as Manchester United lurched to new lows.

And it is not just about who owns the club. The Glazers relinquished control of club operations to Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

The self-proclaimed “strengthened football leadership team” installed by INEOS sacked Ten Hag less than four months after activating a costly contract extension.

It was the consequence of dithering rather than decisiveness, having undermined Ten Hag in the summer.

Even before the FA Cup final, potential replacements started to be sounded out.

Beating Manchester City unexpectedly at Wembley seemed to complicate matters.

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It was another piece of silverware to follow the League Cup in his first season. But surely it could not mask Ten Hag presiding over United’s worst-ever Premier League season?

As Manchester City staged a title parade, United continued an inquest into why they finished 31 points behind their neighbours.

Erik ten Hag celebrates after his Manchester United side won the FA Cup. Pic: PA
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The Dutchman got extra time when he unexpectedly won the FA Cup. Pic: PA

The decision dragged on, leaving Ten Hag’s fate up for public debate for a couple of weeks before Sir Jim’s INEOS crew kept him on.

Publicly they acknowledged “areas for improvement” but called him their “best partner”.

They really wanted it to work out.

But hanging over this miserable start to the season – no wins from three games in Europe and only three victories from nine in the Premier League – was the precariousness of his position in the summer.

This is not an era for the patience or perseverance that saw Sir Alex Ferguson given seven years before winning the league for the first time in 1993.

Sir Alex Ferguson pictured earlier this month. Pic: PA
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None of Sir Alex Ferguson’s successors have come close to his success. Pic: PA

Now it is the shadow of Sir Alex and his success looming large over his successors.

It is not just a Ten Hag problem that the Premier League trophy has spent 11 years away from Old Trafford.

He was the fifth permanent manager to attempt to bring it back and flop dismally.

What United lack is a coherent strategy that INEOS claims to be implementing.

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Who is favourite to be next Man Utd manager?

They have only been in place since February, accelerating appointments from a sporting director attracted from Newcastle (Dan Ashworth) and a CEO (Omar Berrada) convinced to defect from City.

Everything has been reviewed, from the stadium infrastructure to spend on matchday staff food.

There is a fallen empire to restore. One that has crumbled since the days of Sir Alex winning 13 Premier League titles.

The men in the squad cannot use Ten Hag’s premature exit as an excuse. But around them there is only chaos, rather than stability in the quest for a vision on and off the pitch.

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It is not only about who replaces the Dutchman but how much time they will be given to restore United’s standing.

And it is not about whether the funds are available to spend on players, but whether transformative players even want to join.

Muddling through the Erik ten Hag decision adds to the sense of disarray.

And there is a worst-ever Premier League start to turnaround – quickly.

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Police search for missing sisters last seen three days ago near Aberdeen river

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Police search for missing sisters last seen three days ago near Aberdeen river

Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.

Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.

The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.

Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
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Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland

Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
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Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland

Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.

Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”

Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.

The Huszti sisters. Pic: Police Scotland
Image:
CCTV of the sisters. Pic: Police Scotland

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The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.

Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.

The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.

Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.

CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”

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Britain’s gas storage levels ‘concerningly low’ after cold snap, says owner of British Gas

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Britain's gas storage levels 'concerningly low' after cold snap, says owner of British Gas

Britain’s gas storage levels are “concerningly low” with less than a week of demand in store, the operator of the country’s largest gas storage site said on Friday.

Plunging temperatures and high demand for gas-fired power stations are the main factors behind the low levels, Centrica said.

The UK is heavily reliant on gas for its home heating and also uses a significant amount for electricity generation.

As of the 9th of January 2025, UK storage sites are 26% lower than last year’s inventory at the same time, leaving them around half full,” Centrica said.

“This means the UK has less than a week of gas demand in store.”

The firm’s Rough gas storage site, a depleted field off England’s east coast, makes up around half of the country’s gas storage capacity.

Gas storage was already lower than usual heading into December as a result of the early onset of winter.

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Combined with stubbornly high gas prices, this has meant it has been more difficult to top up storage over Christmas.

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UK’s first taxpayer-funded injection room to open in radical move to tackle drugs epidemic

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UK's first taxpayer-funded injection room to open in radical move to tackle drugs epidemic

Glasgow has been a city crying out for solutions to a devastating drugs epidemic that is ravaging people hooked on deadly narcotics. 

We have spent time with vulnerable addicts in recent months and witnessed first-hand the dirty, dangerous street corners and back alleys where they would inject their £10 heroin hit, not knowing – or, in many cases, not caring – whether that would be the moment they die.

“Dying would be better than this life,” one man told me.

It was a grim insight into the daily reality of life in the capital of Europe’s drug death crisis.

Scotland has a stubborn addiction to substances spanning generations. Politicians of all persuasions have failed to properly get a grip of the emergency.

But there is a new concept in town.

From Monday, a taxpayer-funded unit is allowing addicts to bring their own heroin and cocaine and inject it while NHS medical teams supervise.

A dirty needle thrown less than 100 metres from the new injection centre
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A dirty needle thrown less than 100 metres from the new injection centre

It may be a UK-first but it is a regular feature in some other major European cities that have claimed high success rates in saving lives.

Glasgow has looked on with envy at these other models.

One supermarket car park less than a hundred metres from this new facility is a perfect illustration of the problem. An area littered with dirty needles and paraphernalia. A minefield where one wrong step risks contracting a nasty disease.

Drugs paraphernalia in a supermarket car park in Glasgow, near the new facility
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Drugs paraphernalia in a supermarket car park in Glasgow, near the new facility

It is estimated hundreds of users inject heroin in public places in Glasgow every week. HIV has been rife.

The new building, which will be open from 9am until 9pm 365 days a year, includes bays where clean needles are provided as part of a persuasive tactic to lure addicts indoors in a controlled environment.

There is a welcome area where people will check in before being invited into one of eight bays. The room is clinical, covered in mirrors, with a row of small medical bins.

Clean needles are provided to lure addicts to inject in a controlled environment
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Clean needles are provided to lure addicts to inject in a controlled environment

One of the eight bays users can inject in
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There are eight bays users can inject in

We were shown the aftercare area where users will relax after their hit in the company of housing and social workers.

The idea is controversial and not cheap – £2.3m has been ring-fenced every year.

The aftercare area
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The aftercare area

Read more: ‘Dying would be better than my £1,000 a month heroin addiction’

Authorities in the city first floated a ‘safer drug consumption room’ in 2016. It failed to get off the ground as the UK Home Office under the Conservatives said they would not allow people to break the law to feed habits.

The usual wrangle between Edinburgh and London continued for years with Downing Street suggesting Scotland could, if it wanted, use its discretion to allow these injecting rooms to go ahead.

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The stalemate ended when Scotland’s most senior prosecutor issued a landmark decision that it would not be in the public interest to arrest those using such a facility.

One expert has told me this new concept is unlikely to lead to an overall reduction in deaths across Scotland. Another described it as an expensive vanity project. Supporters clearly disagree.

The question is what does success look like?

The big test will be if there is a spike in crime around the building and how it will work alongside law enforcement given drug dealers know exactly where to find their clients now.

It is not disputed this is a radical approach – and other cities across Britain will be watching closely.

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