Could life at Manchester United get any more dispiriting?
They have just lost 3-0 at home to "little" Bournemouth, as described by Cherries owner Bill Foley, for the second season running, a result that means they will spend Christmas 13th in the table. It is the first time they have been in the bottom half at this stage since the pre-Premier League days.
Their fans – who booed Ruben Amorim's team off at the final whistle – are so upset at the imposition of a ticket price rise to a flat £66 with no concessions that they are joining forces with fellow supporters at bitter rivals Liverpool to protest when the two sides meet at Anfield on 5 January.