Erik ten Hag - Manchester United manager

[Big Ben Foster]

so beating City by "only 1 goal" is now a stick to beat ETH with Arsenal couldn't do it when their first title in decades was on the line, Real Madrid barely did it in CL

Not at all, that was a response to claims like "we dismantled the best team in the world in the final", which obviously isn't true.

That's a consistent bad faith tactic from the "ETH in" side: make a hyperbolic argument in his favor, and when somebody refutes it with a more grounded take, claim that it's being used as a criticism

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Of course mate on the bold. I am just saying we would support him at the start and hope for the best. If he underperforms I would of course raise concerns , etc...

Yeah no I’m not specifically directing my rant at you Didn’t mean for it to come off that way

Just a realization I’ve recently had I think

 

[henrysquire]

Decision made, move on and support the team.

 

[united for life]

Good decision.

yes, he needs to improve tactically especially his in game management. It sometimes gets frustrating. Hopefully the new owners will help with signings as well. But i eventually wanted him to stay because:

1- we can not keep changing managers every 2 years. Absolutely ruining us. Better to give him more time to rebuild.
2- the players seem to be behind him. Rare after 2 years at united!! the dressing room is not toxic.
3- he is promoting players from the academy. Garnacho, mainoo and kambawala. Good, we need that.
4- he won 2 trophies in 2 years.
5- he had an injured squad all year. It’s a good argument for him.
6- he is starting to tell the media to f off. Especially when overhyping young players. He’s protecting them.

hope this works!

 

[roonster09]

We scraped past Liverpool, we scraped past Coventry and beat City by 1 goal after they threw one in their own net and we desperately fought to hold onto the lead at the end.

I dare you to say any of the above is untrue...

It is untrue. Your arguments on cup games are one sided.

How did Liverpool score goals against us? Scrappy goal, deflected goals.

City? Onana butter fingers.

Coventry? Pathetic penalty, huge deflection.

 

[Yorkeontop]

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-erik-ten-hag-regardless-of-cup-final-outcome

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...manchester-united-manager-after-season-review

And I trusted The Guardian.

 

[Fridge chutney]

So you're...creating ideas in your head and getting annoyed by them? Alright then, normal.

 

[r0663664]

I think contract renewal should done as slowly as possible, target January to complete extension if we are doing well in the league and Europa games. If we suck, I don't think he deserves any extension. Why would we extend a manager who finish 8th that plays awful football? Winning FA cup doesn't deserve an extension. ETH should be given Christmas to see if he deserves a extension.

 

[JonIrenicus]

Absolutely the right decision. Replacing ETH with someone like Tuchel or Pochettino would have been self-destructive to say the least. ETH needs another season with proper management behind him.

 

[Keanes Magic Hat]

I think contract renewal should done as slowly as possible, target January to complete extension if we are doing well in the league and Europa games. If we suck, I don't think he deserves any extension. Why would we extend a manager who finish 8th that plays awful football? Winning FA cup doesn't deserve an extension. ETH should be given Christmas to see if he deserves a extension.

Agree with this and hopefully Southgate isn't looking for a job xmas time

 

[Keanes Magic Hat]

Good decision.

yes, he needs to improve tactically especially his in game management. It sometimes gets frustrating. Hopefully the new owners will help with signings as well. But i eventually wanted him to stay because:

1- we can not keep changing managers every 2 years. Absolutely ruining us. Better to give him more time to rebuild.
2- the players seem to be behind him. Rare after 2 years at united!! the dressing room is not toxic.
3- he is promoting players from the academy. Garnacho, mainoo and kambawala. Good, we need that.
4- he won 2 trophies in 2 years.
5- he had an injured squad all year. It’s a good argument for him.
6- he is starting to tell the media to f off. Especially when overhyping young players. He’s protecting them.

hope this works!

He can't leave us as open as he did last year and have us played off the park by the likes of Palace a d Bournemouth

 

[Pyro19]

We're fecked

 

[Borys]

I am genuinely shocked with this decision. I did not see it hapenning at all.

It smells like all alternative options collapsed and for now we said fair enough, you get another chance. Still I don't think he'll last another season here.

 

[Wumminator]

I am genuinely shocked with this decision. I did not see it hapenning at all.

How did people not see something like this coming? We'd just won the FA Cup final, it seems most of the matchgoing fans are still behind him, the players clearly still wanted him.

There was always a chance this could happen and I'm hoping it goes well next year. If we just have a fit Rashford, Shaw and Martinez we'll be ten times better. Two new signings on top of that and we're golden.

 

[Godfather]

Last season he's delivered the worst football post Fergie. The vast majority of our players have underperformed under him. Worst PL league position ever and some utterly embarrassing results especially against the Scousers. Guy can't organize a midfield to save his life. Spent a shit ton of money on absolute dross. Yet we are in contract negotiations for an extension and have to endure another season under him. Great.

 

[Wumminator]

Last season he's delivered the worst football since Fergie. The vast majority of our players have underperformed under him. Worst league position since Fergie and some utterly embarrassing results especially against the Scousers. Guy can't organize a midfield to save his life. Spent a shit ton of money on absolute dross. Yet we are in contract negotiations for an extension and have to endure another season under him. Great.

Is there NO positives you can see?

 

[Godfather]

Is there NO positives you can see?

With that decision? No. I wanted him out since our CL outing. Although I'm curious how our summer will go now. I guess he again will have some say which is a horrendous thought in itself.
I hope he proves me wrong though and we will suddenly start to look like a team that knows what it's doing.

EDIT: Thinking of it, there's one positive: no fecking Gareth Southgate. The most unimaginative candidate ever. I'd rather have another ten shitty seasons under EtH than that guy. Don't think anyone else but these INEOS clowns would have even considered someone like that for us

 

[Amar__]

This will be like Mourinho's last season. You know everyone is unhappy, owners were pathethic and passive like always to make a simple decision to sack him, two months into a new season manager and his team will be unhappy too and we will be looking for a replacement for next few months until eventually everything goes to hell and we replace him with caretaker such is Rooney, Carrick, etc.

 

[Sarni]

Well, it was an unlikely scenario but ultimately not an impossible one.

However, contrary to popular opinion, this squad is a good base to build on, and considering we'll sign at least 4 players, 3rd or 4th is definitely achievable next season. Not likely that we can compete with City and Arsenal, but none of the other teams are light years ahead of us.

There's a lot of reasons to be optimistic, and 6th-8th with shit performances won't fly again next season...unless the performances and underlying stats are good, and we are somehow very unlucky.

Yet it happened and I’ve basically stuck by it all year.

There are already several mitigating factors why I think this upcoming season is a write off and we won’t be able to assess ETH completely based on its outcome, which I also think is the reason why INEOS want to give him a new deal and assure him of his future.

Firstly, you want to see how he will perform with the new structure but that structure isn’t even in place yet and won’t be functional before season starts. We are largely going into Summer transfer window without all appointments being finalized which will delay our business and may lead to fewer transfers or even wrong transfers.

This brings me to the second issue ie he’s apparently not going to be picking players anymore which will make it more difficult for him to get the best out of any new acquisitions at least initially - this should also give him more time to bed them in and assess how/if to use these players.

Lastly, I am not feeling very confident about the shape of our current squad: quality and ability to stay fit. We have already seen that the quality of our play is predicated on having full squad or close to it healthy, and that replacements are inadequate. There are too many issues to fix to get to a place where this is addressed to expect it all to happen in one Summer. Then there’s of course tactics issue, where he clearly wants us to play a certain way that will require significant player turnover.

I think what we are doing here is making a mid/long term commitment to ETH and we have to be willing to invest time into his vision. Whatever happens in 24-25 is therefore going to still have a huge asterisk over it and it won’t be until later on that we will be able to sit and have a honest review of his performance. If anything now is the time to let things grow and collect rewards when the time comes (or pull the trigger if there’s no improvement then).

 

[dinostar77]

I thought this would happen. Berrada isn't in.Ashworth isn't in. Disrupted preseason for all clubs with players at Euros.

Reading between the lines the more worrying conclusion is that Southgate was the preferred replacement and he isn't available this summer.

Unfortunately as ETH is staying, that means Antony probably is as well.

 

[Red_Aaron]

I've been somewhat ambivalent to the decision but glad it's sorted either way

Player ins and outs is a far bigger concern for this summer than the coach imho

 

[Lu Tze]

On balance, I think this is probably the wrong call. I have liked elements of ETH's tenure and he has a resilient personality.

The most important factor this year will be whether he can demonstrate tactical flexibility and move away from the suicidal open midfield which has led to some absolutely abject football in the last year. If he can, he might just keep his job.

 

[Micky Targaryen]

I was in the ETH out camp, but now that the decision has been made, I can live with giving ETH one more season to redeem himself.

Pros of keeping ETH: It's not Southgate.

 

[JinnerJamie]

A decision is made!

Like it or not, at least the club can focus on next season now.

Get the signings right, focus on improving our play and go all out for top 4 and EL.

Failure to qualify for the CL and he should and will go.

 

[Kag]

Wasn’t overly bothered what happened to Ten Hag, so I’m not unhappy with the call. The club was, and probably still is, unmanageable (I said as much when he signed on) and the players are largely shite, so whoever is in the seat is going to have a hard time.

There’s no one out there I look at and think it wouldn’t end in tears, so happy to go again and hope that Ten Hag can get it right.

 

[AdamColeBebe]

Don't really see the point in this doom and gloom in here now. The decision has been made. Nothing you can do about it. Be positive.

 

[YikesSchmeics]

Decision made, move on and support the team.

This is so true. So many get hung up on the club not having their favourite manager, or not starting / signing their favourite player, that they forget the most important thing, support the team.

 

[ROFLUTION]

Pros: It’s not Southgate + EtH has made lesser players better players either by developing them or just playing them (Dalot, Wan Bissaka, Garnacho, Mainoo).

Cons: We could really need a reboot to boost morale and for players to prove themselves. Casemiro and Rashford would be the first ones out the door in this scenario if I was at INEOS.

A year more is fine considering the alternatives, at least we ended on a high.

 

[DJ_21]

Absolutely the right decision. Replacing ETH with someone like Tuchel or Pochettino would have been self-destructive to say the least. ETH needs another season with proper management behind him.

100%. Also what goes in his favour is the fact the players still like him and are still playing for him. It isn’t a toxic changing room.

 

[Bondi77]

So what was all the fuss about??
We all knew it was a load of old shite that he was going to get sacked after winning the FA Cup.....didn't we

 

[saik]

They've made the correct decision imo, and if they give him the right players in the build up phase I believe he will get the team playing the way he wants the team to play which is to dominate the game in all phases of play.

You can't play that way if three of your most prominent ball players (Martinez, Shaw and Mainoo) are not available for a significant part of the season. Mainoo isn't someone that many people thought was going to feature much this season but it was clear to see that ten Hag was entrusting him to play a important role in the build up phase. You don't sign players like Onana, Martinez and also promote a youngster with the skilset of Mainoo to then ask them to play in transition. You only resort to playing in transition if the build up capabilities of your own team become weak against the threat of the opponent's high pressure tactics. And with the injuries United had at the start of the season, it was clear that our build up capabilities were weak against teams who were adept at applying a well coordinated press.

So ten Hag clearly adapted and looked to go direct with the press and counter press as a defensive mechanism high up the pitch. It didn't work effectively but for me it would've been cowardly to resort to type and sit back in a double pivot because that is a strategy that may help us get a few points in the short term but won't help us in the mid to long-term as far as implementing a proactive game style with and without the ball.


I'm not sure how the likes of Thomas Frank became options after what's been reported in the media about INEOS wanting to implement a possession based play-style. Frank and Brentford have been signing players for a direct high intensity pressing game with players with physicality in advanced areas. It's no surprise that Chelsea went with Maresca, because Maresca is a coach who wants to play out from the back and adheres to the positional play principles. And with Chelsea having spent huge amounts of money on players like Caicedo who was statistically one of the very best in the league at evading the press in the build up phase and also signing Enzo Fernandez who is a player that is very capable on the ball dropping deeper, it made zero sense to keep Pochettino or hire Frank.

Erik ten Hag is absolutely a coach who wants his team to dominate the game in all phases of play. Give him the players that are missing in midfield and at CB, and I believe we will see his vision come to the fore. If it doesn't then we can move on from him.

A sensible post amongst a sea of moaning. But some people just want to cherry pick stats to moan further.

Yes if we give him another several hundred million pounds worth of players and he still keeps us mid table we can get rid of him

Way to complete ignore the point of that post. Good job.

The extension is a misguided attempt of showing support to a manager they have openly undermined. A good way to double down on their own mistake and ensure the pay-off will be bigger when the inevitable happens.

Or just maybe.... with all the restructuring going on, they are going to change his role from that of manager to a head coach and alter his contract according to that(with a lot of other clauses in there)? Just a thought. Interesting that people are so confident about something that they know nothing about.

Hope. Ha, ha, ha... This is embarrassing, and very, very bad news. On a number of levels.

This is the man that paid £80m+ for Antony.

And he stays. Unreal. Unreal.

He didn't. Fair enough he wanted Antony but Murtough, Arnold and co. paid that amount, not him. And they're gone already.

This is nuts.

I assume any new contract puts him as "Head Coach" or similar, rather than "Manager" ... (as any external hire would've been)... He must've aced his interview because his body of work as "Manager" is not compelling.

It will be a different dynamic next season, with the new structure. Nowhere to hide. I fear we'll be looking for a new Head Coach before long.

My assumption was the same regarding negotiating a new contract. Restructure his role and alter the contract to indicate whatever his new responsibilities will be.

It's 100% wishful thinking and the fact City's keeper decided to gift us a goal after we scraped a win on pens against Coventry.

So nothing about how we went into half time with a deserved 2-0 lead. We only won because they gifted us a goal. Interesting.

Oh I remember when arsenal were a million miles away from being one of the best teams in the country and we mocked them for trying to paper the cracks with domestic trophies.

Ten Hags job was to move us closer to City, not to move us significantly further behind and paper the cracks by scraping past Coventry city on pens and having such bad tactics he has to throw Bruno at centre back and pray for a player he ignored all season to win it for him.

Oh so you're one of those guys. Gotcha. Assume you are talking about Amad being ignored all season? It's not like he was injured until Jan and had to get match fit or anything. He was ignored all season alright.


The moaning by some people is genuinely hilarious. Truly lost the plot over a manager staying.

 

[Toshey]

He needs a massive summer.
New CF, DM, CB, LB and RB are a must.

Should be doable!

 

[Wumminator]

I hope some people take time to reflect on their own thought processes and supporting of this club after this decision. If you're so aghast at what has happened, you have been influenced by the media too much. We know that there is a load of nonsense posted every year and yet so many people continue to swallow it. Stop believing everything you read, wait until something is on the BBC and you'll be fine.

 

[RoyH1]

Woke up to the news and I must admit I’m disappointed. We finished 8th. Eight. I thought that Ineos would be more ambitious than this but I suppose I’ll have to wait and see.

 

[manichester]

Dithering management does no one any good, they should have backed him as soon as the cup final was over instead of all this speculation. New employees will think twice before joining Jimmy's Brexit Band (Southgate lurking)

 

[VP89]

I don't watch trash like Goldbridge but it all makes sense where your level of football knowledge comes from now.

But youl follow up on posts from Simon Jordan, checks out.

 

[FireballXL5]

Another year of shit football. Great.

 

[dogwithabone]

Correct decision. You sense he has to hit the ground running though and I hope INEOS have been very specific in what they demand from him. A clear identity has to emerge, much more possession and control of games and Onana cannot continue to be peppered with 25 shots a game. Oh, and the medical department needs an overhaul - we have players missing entire seasons, not just odd games.

 

[led_scholes]

I m ETH out. However, I can see why Ineos would give him another year. Their structure is not in place yet, so it may be better for the long term to burn another season with ETH.

 

[Amsterdam Devil]

This will be like Mourinho's last season. You know everyone is unhappy, owners were pathethic and passive like always to make a simple decision to sack him, two months into a new season manager and his team will be unhappy too and we will be looking for a replacement for next few months until eventually everything goes to hell and we replace him with caretaker such is Rooney, Carrick, etc.

although I wanted him out, I don’t think everybody is unhappy. The players always seemed to work hard for him last season and seemed to appreciate him. The staff seemed to really like him as well.