pretty sure the club approached him, he's not been living a life in preparation for getting a job in england.
Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24
- Thread starter sewey89
- Start date
- Status
Right but the season is over now and we have a new manager in who could potentially be our best manager in almost a decade. The constant negativity around here is tiresome. A bit of optimism and getting behind the new manager wouldn't hurt us.
Fergie really was bad, and it was always funny hearing folk say "only Scots can understand him". Half of the time we couldn't either.
I am positive but frustrated we haven't been able to agree a deal before window opens
Anyone see that piece Espn did last week where Marcotti and Laurens were criticising his unveiling? They slagged off everything from his walk to him getting a photograph in front of the Holy trinity statue.
It was such shit piece of journalism.
I always suspected Laurens was an idiot but Marcotti went down in my estimation.
It was such shit piece of journalism.
I always suspected Laurens was an idiot but Marcotti went down in my estimation.
How good will it be after 2 months when you take the job?
I’d be publishing poetry books in Dutch before the winter transfer window.
His English is more than fine, also he will have assistants to help him.
Pep's English is not good either but he communicates well.
First 5 months he should be fine cause he will only have to use words like 'pass' 'quick', 'run you bastards' !
He can speak Esperanto for all I care.
What a great post. Guy hasnt even started and you're writing about being quite likely of him being sacked.
So we stay negative despite ETH already working hard? Not a great attitude, as I find so many positives already.
Ffs some of the folks on here. He hasnt even had chance to do one training session and already is being written off. So negative. Go and support another team!
Let's get real. Sancho is the only talent on the team that doesn't look like a bad fit on paper. We were never going to look like an ETH team in the first year. The entire team imo doesn't fit the idea of control and tiki taka. Even the decent names like De Gea, Bruno, Rashford. We might end up playing some weird hybrid between LVG's and Ole's football till we get the right profile of players or the ones we currently have show they can adapt.
Last edited:
I think we will press but initially we will rely more on creating quick attacks when we win the ball, instead of holding on to the ball and keeping possession. That style (I'm assuming based on nothing really) would be easier to implement, as it relies on stamina and instincts, developing passing patterns as a team takes a lot of time, but I'm expecting us to gradually move to that style. Quick attacks would also suit Ronaldo, and he's our best goal scorer so it would be wise to play to his strengths, at least till we're able to develop patterns and create chances with possession football.
Okay but we need experience playing that system for the patterns to come. We're supposed to be bad at it when we first start. We will implement controlled possession football from day one. It just won't look good at first. Plus hell to the no we shouldn't have to play one way to pander to anyone. They can buy in or leave. Accommodating a forward who doesn't like to get involved in buildup play in a system that is 99% buildup play is enough of a task as it is.
I hope his strategy is working.
Actually, it was no easy feat spending almost 1 billion (the highest in the world) and the squad is still so shit that we basically need to upgrade in every position. Since Ronaldo and Rooney time, we didn't even have a single world class player out of the 1 billion we had spent. Meanwhile, most of the players signed by City or Liverpool suddenly transformed to top players. The mismanagement of Man Utd was unbelievable.
Now with ETH leading the recruitment the one thing I hope the most is that he can improve us drastically in this department. I don't really trust Murtough especially after Rangnick appointment and how last season turned out.
Throwing money around like we used to do before is not going to work. Pray that ETH knows what is required to rebuild the club.
Now with ETH leading the recruitment the one thing I hope the most is that he can improve us drastically in this department. I don't really trust Murtough especially after Rangnick appointment and how last season turned out.
Throwing money around like we used to do before is not going to work. Pray that ETH knows what is required to rebuild the club.
If the fans and press think he is going to turn us into league contenders in 6 months you need your heads examining.
Have you not learnt anything over the passed 5/6 years?
We need to be realistic, things will probably be a mixture of good and bad. He needs time to get his plans in place and get a team that he wants/can use effectively.
Have you not learnt anything over the passed 5/6 years?
We need to be realistic, things will probably be a mixture of good and bad. He needs time to get his plans in place and get a team that he wants/can use effectively.
So much whining even before his first preseason game. ffs.
Yeah I knew someone is going to misinterpret it like this.
As much as we want it to happen, ETH is not going to get a free hand to develop and implement an entirely new system at the expense of results, he will have to do that in phases, and it's going to take more than one season, it's going to take a different set of players, it'll be suicidal on his part if he thinks he can polish turds. The fact that quick counter attacks will suit Ronaldo is a byproduct of the idea, not the primary factor. I don't see how we can continue with Ronaldo beyond next season, by that time, we'll hopefully have players who can play the way ETH wants them to, and we'd also have done what we could to get the best out of Ronaldo.
Change the way you play or leave is as stupid idea because neither are we selling Ronaldo, nor can we sell a lot of players in the same window, because we won't be able to replace them. I understand the anger and frustration built in us, but ETH will have short term milestones and he's going to have to be very smart with the rebuild.
I had a dream we lost our opening game 2 - 1 to Arsenal. Hope this helps.
Yeah I saw that clip. They're both intelligent enough to know why the club put that video together of him touring Old Trafford and meeting staff.
It's good PR and sets the mood for his arrival. And fans appreciate that kind of content.
Football didn’t start in 1992, and we’ve certainly seen worse seasons pre-PL era than the one we just endured. I mean 6th is disappointing, but it’s not relegation or anywhere near it.
Let’s look toward a brighter future under ETH.
I knew there would be people on here predicting failure for ETH. The same people would have wanted to get rid of Fergie after 6 months. We must be patient, get behind the team
There will still be many of the players from last season - Maguire, Shaw, Sancho, Rashford, Bruno etc - they haven't become shite overnight. Confidence is about 60% factor in a footballer, I'd suggest. If ETH can re-install that lost confidence, his job is half done. But PLEASE guys, be patient
There will still be many of the players from last season - Maguire, Shaw, Sancho, Rashford, Bruno etc - they haven't become shite overnight. Confidence is about 60% factor in a footballer, I'd suggest. If ETH can re-install that lost confidence, his job is half done. But PLEASE guys, be patient
I agree with this, I'm quietly optimistic that some of the players will surprise us under a functional coaching setup.
I've always believed that even though we have a lot of talented players we don't see it because most of them haven't been able to sustain high levels of performances with any kind of consistency, they've looked clueless and devoid of confidence. I'm still hoping there's some character in them and the major reason for their poor showing was the lack of quality coaching, tactics and game plan.
Hope ETH can make some players useful squad players at the very least.
It would be even funnier if that's what I actually said but carry on.
I promise you there isn’t a single person in the world who thinks this.
Ajax fan here, new to the forum. I'm very interested to see how ten Hag will do it at Manchester United. If you look at his 2018/19 team and how he made that work, i think you can see his plans at United. If you manage to get Frenky de Jong and a passing defender i think you have the base of the team ready. Bruno is a much better version of Schone if you play him next to Frenky and they can both send van de Beek on his way. If he plays Bruno on 10 then maybe you need a new midfielder. Personally i think Ten Hag was never a fan of vd Beek. He actually benched him for a while at Ajax but i think he was told to play him so Ajax could make some good money on him.
If Man United manages to get Eriksen, Frenky de Jong and a passing defender and then built on that i think its the way to go. Personally im a huge fan of Timber and Martinez but i think they are too small for the Premier League plus it will be risky for then Hag to buy so many Ajax players.
If Manchester United manages to sell some players for decent money then there are more options ofcourse but as i understood it the above players are realistic and something to build on the next years.
If Man United manages to get Eriksen, Frenky de Jong and a passing defender and then built on that i think its the way to go. Personally im a huge fan of Timber and Martinez but i think they are too small for the Premier League plus it will be risky for then Hag to buy so many Ajax players.
If Manchester United manages to sell some players for decent money then there are more options ofcourse but as i understood it the above players are realistic and something to build on the next years.
Quite an interesting podcast featuring ex-staff and players.
Sancho would have an advantage if we moved over to the Bundesliga but that is not going to happen so he needs to come back fitter, stronger and grow a set if he is going to do anything in the Premier League.
You don't know our fans very well clearly. Even the press are writing similar articles.
Building starts from day 1. It's also foolish to ask ETH to play quicker transition counterattacking for one season if it's not a part of his philosophy. Every match you don't practice possession tiki taka is stagnation. You can't just shelf his philosophy till he has his ideal players. Weeding out who is or isn't suitable for the system is a part of the process and we can only do that by playing the system.
This would be like asking Pep to play like Jose. System managers play their system where ever they go. He's going to use his possession style come hell or high water. We might even finish 7th but the earlier we start practicing the sooner the dividends will come.
We're not just going to waste a season playing counters so any player can look good. The rationale he should even accommodate players who have no bearing on his ability to implement his system is why people even want these players to go somewhere else. We don't expect to win anything major, we can't afford to lose progress for a season with no notable expectations. Lastly telling players to change the way you play or leave is not a stupid idea, it's basic sense, it's called buying in and is a feature of every managerial regime change. Look at his own comments on Ronaldo before he came. It's silly thinking we can one day implement a highly technical possession system by binning it for a year. That's putting plans on the backburner rather than an actual plan of action. The road to tiki taka starts from day 1 of preseason.
Last edited:
ETH would be foolish if he tries to implement his final vision from day 1, that's not how things work, Pep needed City to lay the groundwork in terms of the coaching staff and buying the right players before he arrived, Klopp took time, this same place was calling him a fraud in his first season, it did not click for him for a long time, at ManUtd, ETH will not be given that much time, he will be expected to make top 4 next season, especially if the club ends up spending near 200m this summer (which they'll have to).
There is always a middle ground between Pep and Jose, there are aspects, offensive patterns, defensive shape, pressing triggers, transitions, some of those things are easier to implement, some of them aren't. ETH will not be changing his style, he will be implementing it gradually, in phases, possession football requires more time to implement, he can easily work on pressing and defensive shapes till he thinks he has the right players to play possession football. You make do with what you have, that's not "leaving the way you play", it's making the best of what you have WHILE gradually moving towards how you want the team to play. Again, there's a middle ground between transitioning quickly in attack and "binning it completely". You're being too impractical. I hope ETH does not go that route, if he does, then I hope and pray that the board are onboard with this plan, because the fans will lose patience after the 1st international break and knowing the board, they'll terminate him if he doesn't make top4.
Just looking at players in the squad, with many players leaving as a free agent that will be in the biggest part replaced by academy players
ETH needs time, important is not expecting more than a 6/8th place in the first season, it has to rubuild everything from zero.
We should hire @glazed , he's an expert in nutrition I've read
Only for losing weight sadly.
I'm not saying it's likely but if Leicester can go from 14th to Champions and Chelsea can go from 10th to Champions both in the last 6 years then nothing is impossible. A good start, an injury crisis for Liverpool and City and you never know.
- Status