Erik ten Hag - Manchester United manager

[JPRouve]

In the season with the worst injuries under LVG, the squad had 39 injuries.

This season under ETH, the squad had 60 injuries.

Is that how you measure whether things were worse or not? Has an example Varane registers at least 3 injuries and Shaw 2 but both of them missed less games than Valencia and Shaw who missed more games in 15-16 but only register 2 combined injuries? Also for roughly 4 months we had anywhere between 10 and 14 first team players out while having a very shallow team unlike our current one.

Even if you were to conclude that this year was worse, it's by a fine margin because the 15-16 team largely had long term injuries to important players and we had a shallow team that had to rely on the likes of McNair, a young Lingard and eventually Rashford.

 

[SuperiorXI]

1 year extension, easiest decision in the world.

 

[stevoc]

Yep that is the million dollar question, I cant answer that either. I have said it few times, any competent manager should get a team defensively solid against lower PL teams. I agree he has made mistakes.

The only reason I would keep him is due to the options available, I feel are not that great.

Say Alonso, Nagglesman or the like were available, yes get rid but when the options are Poch, Southgate, Tuchel, Di Zerbi.

Fair enough I understand that, but if you have a guy in plance that the club may not have any faith in. Then they have to make a change even if it's a sideways short term move.

The one thing I dont understand is why is it that every manager that comes with a philosophy but can never implement it at United. We get worse as a team with every manager.

Well I would say that both Van Gaal and Jose successfully implemented their respective styles of play. For the most part it wasn't great to watch but they definitely go the team playing how they wanted.

Solskjaer had us playing counter attacking and to be fair we were one of the best around at that for a time. The wheels came off when he tried to change things up in 2021 for a multitude of reasons, not least that we tried to do it with a 37 year old striker playing every game. Who couldn't run and may or many not have been (probably was) stirring shit behind the scenes. Ten Hag's style or least the one he tried to implement this season was just stupid. I doubt it wold have worked with any personnel to any great degree.

 

[Sarni]

Why do we have to be the only club linked with that muppet

We are the only English club that might be looking for a new manager.

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

We are the only English club that might be looking for a new manager.

I don't believe he was ever linked to Liverpool prior to them getting Slotted.

 

[Robbie Boy]

We are the only English club that might be looking for a new manager.

Why weren't Liverpool or Chelsea linked?

 

[Juicy Juiced]

That journo who is fishing for clicks should be banned. Moron.

 

[mu4c_20le]

I don't believe he was ever linked to Liverpool prior to them getting Slotted.

He said English club

 

[Carl]

Mourinho and Van Gaal were top managers at the time - it would be silly to suggest otherwise.

No they weren't. Both were on a very clear decline. Neither were at the top of their game or even close to it. It would be silly to suggest they were.

 

[flameinthesun]

You can see elements in any team with another team. Its still football. But that 2019 Ajax team was completely different to this united side. They had Frankie De Jong who built up from the back but could also drop into the CB's. Who do we have? Eriksen? They had creative forwards and not the direct Rashford, Garnacho type forwards. They had a passing Donny as a 10 and not the more direct Bruno. And on and on. This team cant play that way and they dont. Its a million miles off that Ajax team in regards to style and tactics.

Playing with a lone deep midfielder is not "still football", its something that Ten Hag has implemented at Ajax. Go and watch the 2019 Ajax side and you will see the same massive gap in midfield. The difference is that instead of Casemiro picking up the ball it was De Jong and Schone was very good at dropping into the gap at the right time. In that team Blind plays exactly the same as Martinez in terms of aggression and stepping into the midfield gap both with the ball and to get the ball. The same issues we are facing at United was highlighted by the Dutch analysts regarding that Ajax team.
Where we have a bigger issue is that in Casemiro and the CBs not named Martinez we have players who just aren't suited for that style.

 

[RedRocket9908]

We are the only English club that might be looking for a new manager.

What about Brighton?

 

[JPRouve]

Playing with a lone deep midfielder is not "still football", its something that Ten Hag has implemented at Ajax. Go and watch the 2019 Ajax side and you will see the same massive gap in midfield. The difference is that instead of Casemiro picking up the ball it was De Jong and Schone was very good at dropping into the gap at the right time. In that team Blind plays exactly the same as Martinez in terms of aggression and stepping into the midfield gap both with the ball and to get the ball. The same issues we are facing at United was highlighted by the Dutch analysts regarding that Ajax team.
Where we have a bigger issue is that in Casemiro and the CBs not named Martinez we have players who just aren't suited for that style.

What you described are two completely different setups. Neither Schone nor De Jong would overload in the final third and leave the midfield, in fact you described the exact opposite, De Jong often acting as a third CB and Schone was also not playing as an attacking box to box.

And Ten Hag already said that he has no intention to play like he did with Ajax.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

What about Brighton?

Leicester?

 

[RedRocket9908]

Leicester?

They are getting Steve Cooper arnt they?

 

[Plant0x84]

No you dont. At some point a manager has to come in who is competent enough to consistently improve the team, the football and the results. Like Arteta or Klopp did.

Look again, Arsenal fans were rabidly calling for him to be sacked after a couple of weak seasons. He had Kronkes son on his side and the rest is history. Maybe there is a lesson there?

 

[Cypriot]

Football audience? I hope you're not referring to social media... I look at it a different way. I define a top manager by manager who's at the top of their game, just like in any profession.

Van Gaal - Netherlands coach before he joined us and Bayern Munich (treble winner by the way), before that.
Mourinho - Chelsea before us, Real Madrid before that - no explanations needed there.

Successful managers are very hard to come by. I agree that they were not at their best years when we signed them, but that doesn't make them 'not a top manager'. The fact that both were able to win us a trophy with the shit show that is our club hierarchy shows just that. Just my opinion anyway.

No they weren't. Both were on a very clear decline. Neither were at the top of their game or even close to it. It would be silly to suggest they were.

I'll quote my second post since I assume you didn't read it.

Actually, when both LVG & Jose were appointed, people were extremely excited, two huge names who had the potential to bring United back to where we belonged. The 'past it' view only appeared once they had failed at United. I think you're looking in hindsight - and you're right, in hindsight they were past it, and have not done much since - but at the time of appointment they were not.

 

[the_cliff]

Look again, Arsenal fans were rabidly calling for him to be sacked after a couple of weak seasons. He had Kronkes son on his side and the rest is history. Maybe there is a lesson there?

We're not Arsenal though. No manager would nor deserve to survive 2 back to back seasons in 8th as a United manager. No United manager in the prem era has survived one 8th placed finish never mind 2 like Arteta has.

 

[JPRouve]

Look again, Arsenal fans were rabidly calling for him to be sacked after a couple of weak seasons. He had Kronkes son on his side and the rest is history. Maybe there is a lesson there?

That young managers that show improvement are worth a gamble?

 

[UnofficialDevil]

Mourinho and Van Gaal were top managers at the time - it would be silly to suggest otherwise.

No they were not.
Van gaal was playing a very weird defensive 352 in the world cup before joining us and never worked again after we sacked him
Mourinho was sacked and on a decline before joining us and has been rubbish everywhere since then
They were both past it and on a decline when we appointed them

 

[JPRouve]

No they were not.
Van gaal was playing a very weird 352 in the world cup before joining us and worked absolutely nowhere after we sacked him
Mourinho was sacked and on a decline before joining us and has been rubbish everywhere since then
They were both past it and on a decline

Due to last minutes injuries, otherwise he used a 433 for the entirety of his tenure and they were very good. Though, he wasn't a top manager.

 

[Berbaclass]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[mu4c_20le]

Look again, Arsenal fans were rabidly calling for him to be sacked after a couple of weak seasons. He had Kronkes son on his side and the rest is history. Maybe there is a lesson there?

Should've kept Ole and got him better players ?

 

[UnofficialDevil]

Due to last minutes injuries, otherwise he used a 433 for the entirety of his tenure and they were very good. Though, he wasn't a top manager.

No, I remember clearly the 5-3-2 setup that he utilised with his Holland side in the World Cup, I remember us trying to figure out how we could use that system with our squad.

 

[Marcelinho87]

Why do we have to be the only club linked with that muppet

Because the fanbase is nuts and lap any old shit up.

 

[JPRouve]

No, I remember clearly the 5-3-2 setup that he utilised with his Holland side in the World Cup, I remember us trying to figure out how we could use that system with our squad.

He moved to 5-3-2 after the injuries to Strootman and Van der Vaart. With both his setup was 433, it's the setup that he used for nearly every qualifiers games.

 

[hobbers]

Everyone moans now but there's a sizeable portion who would start worshipping Southgate as soon as he's in the door here. Especially if he wins the euros. Or does the sorts of things we no longer take for granted, like not conceding 25 shots against Fulham and Luton, or throwing 3-0 leads at Wembley to Coventry. Or getting more than 4 points in a CL group. Those sorts of things.

 

[JPRouve]

Everyone moans now but there's a sizeable portion who would start worshipping Southgate as soon as he's in the door here. Especially if he wins the euros.

You just know that they preordered posters and mugs of our dear Gazza.

 

[Red the Bear]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Probably bull but if true it may be beat for all parties for ashworth to take up gardening in full.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

They are getting Steve Cooper arnt they?

No idea. They didn't have one this morning. David Moyes was being linked.

 

[FerociousCorgis]

feck me the only way to go worse from eth is Southgate.

 

[RedIan]

In SAF first season we finished 11th, his second season we finished just above relegation. Third season we finished 6th.
4th season we won the league And then went onto dominate the league for many years to come Winning countless trophies along the way.

ETH deserves another season. Two trophies won in two years after 6 years of sod all. Stick with Erik.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

No but he wasn't making top 4 or even higher with that many injuries. He did get 3rd last season, and didn't have this amount of injuries.

Am I misunderstanding? I thought you were speaking about the coming year.

 

[JPRouve]

In SAF first season we finished 11th, his second season we finished just above relegation. Third season we finished 6th.
4th season we won the league And then went onto dominate the league for many years to come Winning countless trophies along the way.

ETH deserves another season. Two trophies won in two years after 6 years of sod all. Stick with Erik.

In his first season he took the team from 19th to 11th, during his second season he took the team to 2nd.

 

[Leftback99]

In SAF first season we finished 11th, his second season we finished just above relegation. Third season we finished 6th.
4th season we won the league And then went onto dominate the league for many years to come Winning countless trophies along the way.

ETH deserves another season. Two trophies won in two years after 6 years of sod all. Stick with Erik.

Yep after hearing this for the 1000th time I'm convinced anyone can be SAF, all it takes is time.

 

[flameinthesun]

What you described are two completely different setups. Neither Schone nor De Jong would overload in the final third and leave the midfield, in fact you described the exact opposite, De Jong often acting as a third CB and Schone was also not playing as an attacking box to box.

And Ten Hag already said that he has no intention to play like he did with Ajax.

Not sure what point you're making. De Jong would drop between the CBs to pick up the ball as I said, Schone would push up as an 8 next to Van De Beek and then drop into the gap in the midfield to provide an option to De Jong and the CBs if needed. Van de Beek would also drop from time to time into that gap but you'd often see Schone doing it. I made no reference to what they do in the attacking third... In games you would often see the ball being circulated between the CBs, De Jong and Onana with Schone and Van De Beek not in sight. Hence a gap in the midfield that we have seen this season at United. Again you can watch full Ajax matches from that season on youtube and as I've said Ten Hag was being called out for that gap in midfield by dutch pundits when he was at Ajax.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

In SAF first season we finished 11th, his second season we finished just above relegation. Third season we finished 6th.
4th season we won the league And then went onto dominate the league for many years to come Winning countless trophies along the way.

ETH deserves another season. Two trophies won in two years after 6 years of sod all. Stick with Erik.

Wish we’d just threadban anyone referring to SAF as a reference to anything. For starters he’s the GOAT manager and the exception of all exceptions, and either way it was 40 years ago in a completely different footballing landscape.

 

[Wilt]

Yep after hearing this for the 1000th time I'm convinced anyone can be SAF, all it takes is time.

 

[JPRouve]

Not sure what point you're making. De Jong would drop between the CBs to pick up the ball as I said, Schone would push up as an 8 next to Van De Beek and then drop into the gap in the midfield to provide an option to De Jong and the CBs if needed. Van de Beek would also drop from time to time into that gap but you'd often see Schone doing it. I made no reference to what they do in the attacking third... In games you would often see the ball being circulated between the CBs, De Jong and Onana with Schone and Van De Beek not in sight. Hence a gap in the midfield that we have seen this season at United. Again you can watch full Ajax matches from that season on youtube and as I've said Ten Hag was being called out for that gap in midfield by dutch pundits when he was at Ajax.

Exactly. Those are two completely different setups. You tried to draw conclusions about the setup we used this season based on a totally different setup that didn't by design engage midfielders in the final third and leave an empty midfield. The difference is that those are two completely different setups.

 

[FujiVice]

In SAF first season we finished 11th, his second season we finished just above relegation. Third season we finished 6th.
4th season we won the league And then went onto dominate the league for many years to come Winning countless trophies along the way.

ETH deserves another season. Two trophies won in two years after 6 years of sod all. Stick with Erik.

Its not the same game anymore. English clubs were banned from Europe, and the prize money of league positions and European qualification arent near as much. If you finish 8th in the league, in the modern game you are probably getting the sack.

Also from 86-90, who exactly was available to replace Fergie? All the top managers were in work. Fergie survived because of circumstance and the time period. Not because we "gave him time."

 

[JPRouve]

Its not the same game anymore. English clubs were banned from Europe, and the prize money of league positions and European qualification arent near as much. If you finish 8th in the league, in the modern game you are probably getting the sack.

Also from 86-90, who exactly was available to replace Fergie? All the top managers were in work. Fergie survived because of circumstance and the time period. Not because we "gave him time."

And because he took a team from relegation battle to second in 18 months.