A former military police officer followed Erik ten Hag into the press conference room on Wednesday evening. It had been another criminal performance by Manchester United.
The club's latest managerial spiral has shades of Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, with a dash of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ten Hag's has been particularly sudden.
Ten Hag does not consider himself one of Van Gaal's disciples but he sounded as delusional as his compatriot in the wake of the Manchester derby, claiming United were "on the way up".
Seventy-two hours later, Ten Hag was no longer in denial. He mentioned the word 'responsibility' five times and admitted United's performances are "below the standards" after a second successive 3-0 thumping at Old Trafford.
The dressing room unrest is reminiscent of Mourinho's final months and United's defending is as porous as the final weeks of Solskjaer's tenure. United lost more games than they had when Solskjaer filmed his exit interview two years ago.
And now for the possible winter of discontent. Five of United's next six matches are away from Old Trafford. Not necessarily a negative, given they have lost five of their ten fixtures at Old Trafford this season.
Yet United's away form under Ten Hag is dire: 12 defeats in the Premier League and European competitions and only ten wins out of a possible 23 in the league.
It is also worth noting the destinations United are due at over a 39-day period from next week: Copenhagen, Everton, Istanbul, Newcastle and Liverpool. It is a treacherous period.
The Parken Stadium in Copenhagen is an atmospheric ground and United have no respite after the November internationals. There were soulless surrenders under David Moyes, Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick at Goodison Park, Galatasaray's fans will welcome United back to 'Hell' and three days later it is St James' Park at 8pm on a Saturday. United have won one of their five games against Newcastle since they were taken over.
Then there are consecutive midweek matches against Chelsea and Bayern Munich at Old Trafford before a daunting return to Anfield, where Liverpool have won by an aggregate scoreline of 11-0 in their last two home strolls against United.
United have not won at Anfield since January 2016. Their record at Liverpool since then reads played eight, won none, drawn three, lost five, scored one and conceded 18.
The fixture falls on December 17. Mourinho's last stand at Anfield was on December 16. He was driven out of Carrington for the last time on the morning of the 18th.
United are out of the only competition they have won in the last six years, out of a title challenge without entering it and in danger of going out of the Champions League. The game's not up for Ten Hag just yet but he is approaching the endgame.
Mourinho went in December and Moyes and Van Gaal should have gone that month. Van Gaal presided over a winless December that featured four straight defeats. His stay of execution was five months and Moyes's four months. Solskjaer was dismissed on November 21.
Ten Hag has had unprecedented backing in the transfer market and enviable autonomy with recruitment. He has seen off Cristiano Ronaldo and David de Gea while Jadon Sancho is forgotten, if not gone, at United.
This is Ten Hag's team and the squad is littered with players hothoused in the Eredivisie. United have not completed their squad rebuild and already a new rebuild is required. What coach would trigger the €20million option to buy Sofyan Amrabat, start Antony and have Mason Mount in midfield?
While the consensus is that Ten Hag is likely past the point of no return to make United a genuinely credible force again and boos are soundtracking every home game, United have to hold their nerve. Many matchgoers remain supportive and the majority have not turned against a manager who restored discipline to the dressing room and authority to the manager's role.
And where do United go from here? Pillage Brighton for Roberto de Zerbi and he could end up like Graham Potter at Chelsea, another mess of a club. Unlike with past managerial dismissals, there is not a clear candidate to come in and United daren't go down the interim route.
Rangnick was great for those of us who assembled for his press conferences at Carrington but not for the team. Rangnick has been perplexed by United's recruitment strategy since he had his consultancy contract shredded at Ten Hag's behest before it became active.
It would be a travesty if certain players outlived another United manager. Anthony Martial has survived Van Gaal, Mourinho, Solskjaer, Rangnick and Michael Carrick's fortnight as caretaker. Martial, out of contract next year, has to go before Ten Hag.
Sancho, too. Yes, Ten Hag is too loyal to Antony and erred with some of his attacking selections in the first weeks of the campaign. Lest we forget Sancho's training form vexed Gareth Southgate during the European Championship. No player can get away with undermining the Manchester United manager so brazenly.
Personnel changes are required above Ten Hag. While the interminable strategic review continues, it would be senseless to scapegoat the manager when he is another victim of United's stagnation under the Glazers.
United supporters have lost faith in the decision-makers. John Murtough, the football director, got it right in appointing Ten Hag but got it wrong in empowering the manager with recruitment.
Richard Arnold, the chief executive, was only last week of the opinion United are making "good progress". Arnold has been at United since 2007 while Murtough is approaching his 10th anniversary at the club.
Whatever happens to United's football structure amid impending investment from the Ineos Group, an objective specialist has to oversee recruitment. The predilection for talents developed in the Netherlands and the convenient connection with Ten Hag's agent, Kees Vos has to end.
Some of the signings have been criminal.