The Warm-Up: Welcome Mauricio Pochettino

Can Mauricio Pochettino deem himself hard done by after the events of the last week? Well, perhaps. Did he deserve to be sacked? Probably not. Is he sacked? Absolutely definitely.

But does his sacking offer up an opportunity? Absolutely. The managerial merry-go-round is all about supply and demand. The demand for elite-level managers is fairly high at the moment with Bayern in the market, and Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid ready to enter it at any given time.

However, of those four, Manchester United make most sense as his next destination.

Arsenal are Arsenal and Pochettino, being a loyal kind of guy, has previously said he would not manage the Ashburton mob considering his Seven Sisters' allegiances lie firmly at the Tottenham end. Bayern are a step into the unknown considering the 47-year-old has never managed in the Bundesliga and the job is a poison chalice of sorts given the impossibly high standards Pep Guardiola set there. Real Madrid is - and most likely always will be - a toxic club given the sense of entitlement that engulfs the Bernabeu.

That leaves Manchester United; a rip-roaring shambles of a club. Yet, they would make a fairly decent destination for Pochettino: they have already began the process of rooting out the deadwood, blooding youngsters and have a decent-ish spine - think David de Gea, Harry Maguire, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford. They are a dysfunctional shambles but surely the role of manager is to bring function and thus reduce the sham.

Tottenham were a complete, broken sham when the Argentine assumed the role in the stead of the Gilleted One Tim Sherwood. The potential there remains huge and if Pochettino is capable of doing anything it is unlocking potential.

There the Warm-Up is calling it: #WelcomePoch

On the subject of Manchester United they were lucky to get away with a 3-3 draw against Chris Wilder's superb Sheffield United outfit at Bramall Lane. In an era when it is en vogue to lob money at any problem, Wilder and his side are bucking the trend with a team carefully put together on a relative shoestring that through rigorous coaching is a side that represents more than the sum of its parts.

Social media has it faults. Utterly guff stuff. However, despite it being an absolute pit of iniquity, it prevails; it remains a going concern. Therefore, it must have some redeeming feature(s).

Now, having observed the Pochettino leaving Tottenham saga - Poch-ixt if you will - through the prism of the social medias those redeeming features were laid bare.

The Warm-Up is not ashamed to say that it has spent the lion's share of its time since Tuesday stalking the living daylights out of the social media profiles of every last cat who has played for Mo Po to see if they tweeted out a gushing, sycophantic PR proof read - and probably written - declaration of thanks to the Argentine.

If not, they have clearly and completely snaked and sharked Poch - looking at you Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen. Sharkin' 'ell. Snakes. 100 per cent conclusive evidence.

The Warm-Up will tell you who definitely sent a fawning message and that was one Harry Kane. In other news, Harry Edward Kane covered the most ground in Jose Mourinho's first game as Tottenham boss in a 3-2 win at West Ham. Harry Kane, what a snake! Top snake! Don't be fooled by the fact that Kane spent two hours at Pochettino's house last week.

When a piece of technology is so toilet it is making liberal* snowflake* Gary Lineker turn the twitterspere blue with language befitting of some gammon** that the Warm-Up can't and won't repeat, then well, said technology is utter tosh.

In episode 9999999 of VAR being tosh Raheem Sterling was confirmed offside by his backside or armpit or fingernail or something.

Now, the 'VAR isn't the devil' crew will tell you that VAR merely confirmed the offside decision rather than gave it. However, that in itself is evidence that VAR is impacting the way officials officiate as there is no way that the assistant referee could tell with the naked eye with any certainty that Sterling was offside. No way.

That suggests that official are officiating in anticipation of the VAR review. If that turns out to be an unintended consequence of VAR then the game is gone.

*definite sarcasm

**not a sniff of sarcasm

Dutch football taking a united stand against racism.

Next step, just call off the whole weekend of football to hit these racist clowns where it hurts.

Erik ten Hag lost Frenkie de Jong in the close season. The player who made his effervescent Ajax side tick. Or perhaps not. Perhaps it is Ajax boss Ten Hag who is the integral cog in this well-oiled machine for his Ajax side continue to play exceptional football.

Here they are this weekend doing the business.

...and conspiracy theory alley.

Look at big Jose's face when Roy Keane says: "Just go and get Kane."

He didn't know then, did he?