Banning journalists, delusional boasts and dropping points every week: Erik ten Hag's Man Utd exit is proving anything but dignified

United fans are not enjoying the show, as they made quite clear by booing their team off the pitch at full-time while also voicing their displeasure at the manager's substitutions. They are not enjoying the results either, and nor should they be.

Saturday was the fifth time in which United have failed to win in the Premier League in their last six matches. Even when they do win, such as beating Sheffield United 4-2 in midweek or sneaking past Coventry on penalties in last weekend's FA Cup semi-final, it is only after putting their fans through the ringer.

But rather than admit his side's failures, Ten Hag has developed a worrying habit of making delusional statements and clamping down on those who criticise his team too heavily.

The manager's response to the analysis of the nervy FA Cup win over Coventry summed up the bunker mentality he has developed in recent weeks. He had been asked in the press conference immediately after that game if his players were embarrassed with the way they had qualified for the final, having thrown away a 3-0 lead and survived an embarrassing defeat in added time of extra-time thanks to the tightest of offside calls.

The Dutchman had tried to turn the narrative around by insisting reaching back-to-back finals was "a great achievement" but he had also admitted that he had "mixed feelings" after the game and that the late collapse "shouldn't have happened".

A few days later, when previewing the game against Sheffield United, he was asked again about the Coventry game and decided to go on a rant about the media reaction to his side's performance, which he slammed as "embarrassing" and "a disgrace". Rather than attempt to move on and focus on the next match, he decided to get into in a petty squabble with the media.

The squabble did not end there, however. It soon emerged that Ten Hag had asked the club's media team to not invite questions from three newspapers who had published critical articles after the game and suggested that he should be sacked.

The ban on questions from The Sun, The Mirror and the Manchester Evening News continued in Friday's press conference ahead of the Burnley game, although the outlets were allowed into the room. That was not the case in December, when The Mirror, the MEN, ESPN and Sky were prohibited from attending a press conference for publishing negative stories without seeking a response from United.

The club had previously banned reporters from The Times from a press conference for reporting that United were looking at alternatives to Ten Hag, even though the story had not been written by reporters who regularly cover the club.

Sir Alex Ferguson was infamous for banning journalists who had published stories he did not like, and it was wrong then just as it is now. The media should be able to write what they like, within legal limits, without fear of being barred from the premises. After all, this is the United Kingdom, where freedom of expression and freedom of the press is guaranteed.

Ferguson sought control in every form, including with the media. The Scot went to far more extreme methods than Ten Hag, refusing to speak to the BBC for years and also refusing to hold post-match press conferences apart from on special occasions.

Ferguson, however, mostly escaped scrutiny for his treatment of the media because his teams were so successful. Indeed, it was sometimes interpreted as a sign of his strength and power. But Ten Hag's media clampdown, given the results he is getting and the position United are in, demonstrates a lack of control.

It is fine for Ten Hag to disagree with media narratives about the club and he is far from the only manager to be at odds with the press. His predecessors David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were all the subject of negative coverage, but none of them - not even Mourinho - resorted to banning reporters or silencing them.

It is up to Ten Hag to turn the results around and change that narrative. Cracking down on critical voices makes him look like a manager that is not just losing control, but also the plot.

So too do his long ling of baffling declarations, which make him look delusional. He has repeatedly dismissed criticism of the number of shots his side concede and did so again after the draw with Burnley, who had 16 attempts.

"Every team gives up opportunities. But, when it is up to us, it is weird. We created loads of chances as well. We are creating loads of chances by playing good football," he said.

He did lament the fact that his side keep giving away late goals. Zeki Amdouni's penalty was the 18th goal United have conceded beyond the 80th minute this season in all competitions, and six of those have been within the last month. Perhaps the two things are related; if United conceded fewer shots and had more control of games, they would surely give away fewer goals.

There have been many more examples of Ten Hag saying things that make little sense. He has referred to United's defeat by Arsenal in September on numerous occasions, saying it could have been a turning point had his side not been denied a penalty and a goal for offside. He also decried "small margins" after the defeat at Manchester City, when it was clear that the gap between the two rivals was so large it could only be measured in miles.

Ultimately, it is Ten Hag's results, not his post-match interviews or treatment of journalists, which will dictate whether or not he remains in charge at Old Trafford for a third year. And this season, they have been abysmal.

United have almost no chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season, having finished bottom of their group last year in a hugely disappointing showing. And the only point of interest in their remaining Premier League games is whether they finish ahead of Newcastle and qualify for the Europa League, or have to settle for the ignominy of playing in the Europa Conference League next season.

Ten Hag, meanwhile, is one more defeat away from breaking the club's record for the most losses in a Premier League season. He is also in danger of presiding over their lowest finish in the league since Moyes' miserable tenure. However, he could still end the campaign on a high by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final, although that feels unlikely given the contrasting states of form of the two clubs.

It is still not completely clear whether United's new overlords INEOS plan on sacking Ten Hag in the summer or seeing how he gets on under a proper new structure and in a campaign when his squad is not obliterated by injuries. Yet the Dutchman is not doing himself any favours by acting in this way.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has demonstrated in just a few months that he cares a lot about image and perception. He and his trusted colleague Sir Dave Brailsford preach about the need to create a 'best in class' culture. But right now, the club looks like an authoritarian, failed state, with Ten Hag its beleaguered leader living out his final days in charge.