Here Manchester United go again, taking the Two Ronnies route to hiring a new boss | Jonathan Wilson

Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival feels like yet another appointment that would have been better made a few years ago Magnusson: And your time starts ... now! What is paleontology? Smithers: Yes, absolutely correct. Magnusson: What’s the name of the directory that lists members of th

Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival feels like yet another appointment that would have been better made a few years ago Magnusson: And your time starts ... now! What is paleontology?

Smithers: Yes, absolutely correct. Magnusson: What’s the name of the directory that lists members of the peerage? Smithers: A study of old fossils.

Magnusson: Correct. Who are Len Murray and Sir Geoffrey Howe? Smithers: Burke’s.

Magnusson: Correct. What is the difference between a donkey and an ass? Smithers: One’s a trade union leader, the other’s a member of the Cabinet … One of the Two Ronnies’ most celebrated sketches involves a Mastermind contestant whose specialist subject is answering the previous question.

History repeats itself: the first time as comedy, the second time as Manchester United, who seem continually to be answering not the question of who would be the best available manager now, but who might have been the best available manager a few years ago. Continue reading...