Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24

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The best thing to do would be not renewing contracts when it isn't necessary. Bosman has cause problems there, as though it panics clubs into this. The wages we pay are ridiculous. Is that because it is all we can offer at the moment. I can understand when signing new players, but who thought it was a good idea to pay Jones what he gets, we can't even sell him to BUPA for medical research.

Agreed, some of the renewals are just hilariously bad decision. Now that everything is already done, I'm not sure how club can just payout all the contracts, it's just not possible.
 
Agreed, some of the renewals are just hilariously bad decision. Now that everything is already done, I'm not sure how club can just payout all the contracts, it's just not possible.
It's the wages owed to the players that is preventing it. If they were on less money it might have been possible. If they were on less money they might all be motivated to actually achieve something, then you have earned a payrise.
 
What I am saying is, people like Jones, should be paid off to leave, it can be negotiated to be less etc if he wants to play elsewhere still.

It makes no sense having him.

Also, no doubt, it can be some kind of tax write off or other loss which the business always incorporates into it's yearly budgets anyhow.

Unless we are struggling to register players because of squad size limit, I don't know how paying off full contract would help the club.
 
It's the wages owed to the players that is preventing it. If they were on less money it might have been possible. If they were on less money they might all be motivated to actually achieve something, then you have earned a payrise.

Exactly. Players have good wages, so it's near impossible to pay them off unless we are talking about just one player where club might take the hit.
 
Exactly. Players have good wages, so it's near impossible to pay them off unless we are talking about just one player where club might take the hit.
It might as @golden_blunder has hinted we have to decide which player to get the most and bite the bullet to get rid of one by paying off, then have to keep others, even though we would rather get rid.
 
I think it will depend on who we buy too. We’ve already lost 5-6 with contracts expiring. Take Jones for example, there are allegedly 3 teams sniffing around his situation. I think he would go quite quickly if we bring in another defender
 
its a tricky one....

I'm sure he'd like to have the luxury of time as all managers would, to give the youngsters a go, Garner for Mctom straight swap for starters please?! Mejbri, Diallo, Pellestri given meaningful minutes in their preferred positions.
He's also got to try and accommodate the new players, fringe seniors, come think of it, actually everyone needs a chance to fit into/learn his system,

With the added weight of expectation at United especially after the last decade near enough coupled with the fact the whole football world is waiting to see if ETH is in fact is the real deal, may temper his approach along with him assessing the whole squad on the fly... feck me, his head must be spinning right now with all the conundrums flying around. the more I think about it, he really does need to be the Messiah :nervous: Jesus indeed!

But by all accounts didn't he have slow starts at Utrecht and Ajax, but both those above him and the fans gave him a chance...
...oh shit I forgot the players, they need to buy into his philosophy first and foremost. for this all to work and everyone got their just desserts in the end... proof is in the pudding they say!


So between Murtough and Arnold we hopefully have higher ups now that will use data and not dice to make football decisions and be able to share Ten Hags vision and reflect it onto the Glazers in turn giving Erik some breathing space to think about football firstly then secondly think about football and finally thirdly...yeah you guessed it football!e

Buckle in boys n girls there's a new ride at the "Amusement Park" - A massive FECK YOU!! to Woody Dud-picker... forever in my nightmares!


"You may say I'm a dreamer... but I'm not the only one!"

Keep the faith!:devil:
 
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It's probably all just press nonsense, but him just being linked to an endless stream of Ajax/ex-Ajax players in a bit uninspiring.

If true though it probably says more about the incompetence of our scouting network, it shouldn't have to be on Ten Hag to identify all the targets. We should have a robust list already.
 
Maybe because we don't have endless cash reserves to pay all the players contract upfront to release them.

It's not even realistic, it's amazing how people just come up with some fantasy world scenario and then moan about club not following it.

This thing about buying out people's contracts is just bizarre, it is just awful financial management.

* It incentives our deadwood players to be stubborn and see out their contracts, knowing they'll probably get a big pay off and a move to another a club if they sit it out.
* It doesn't mean we even get a replacement. If we pay off Phil Jones' entire contract, it doesn't free up our wage budget to spend on someone else. We've spent those wages up front.
* It eats into our cash reserves, which makes it harder to organise deals this summer because we have less liquidity. We're better off paying him in instalments as more income comes in through the season.
* There's a chance he'll leave anyway. If he leaves in January on a free, we paid 4 to 6 months salary we could have avoided paying if we just let him go.
 
This thing about buying out people's contracts is just bizarre, it is just awful financial management.

* It incentives our deadwood players to be stubborn and see out their contracts, knowing they'll probably get a big pay off and a move to another a club if they sit it out.
* It doesn't mean we even get a replacement. If we pay off Phil Jones' entire contract, it doesn't free up our wage budget to spend on someone else. We've spent those wages up front.
* It eats into our cash reserves, which makes it harder to organise deals this summer because we have less liquidity. We're better off paying him in instalments as more income comes in through the season.
* There's a chance he'll leave anyway. If he leaves in January on a free, we paid 4 to 6 months salary we could have avoided paying if we just let him go.

Exactly, you have put that in much better way.
 
lets say we start the season like we finished the last and end up in 12th end of october having won less than a third of our games...will the caf still be focused on the long term plan? personally, i think hes on a hiding to nothing as hes expected to be the second coming of pep but with a fraction of his budget and a pretty toxic dressing room, where not much will have changed. deckchairs may have been rearranged above him, but the glazers are still in charge and their attitude / approach soils most things.
If they were to sack him in october after all the talk of long term project, new way of doing things, etc then Arnold Murtough would be the biggest laughing stock ever. Even more than Woodward. That wont happen. He will at least get 2 full seasons.
 
This thing about buying out people's contracts is just bizarre, it is just awful financial management.

* It incentives our deadwood players to be stubborn and see out their contracts, knowing they'll probably get a big pay off and a move to another a club if they sit it out.
* It doesn't mean we even get a replacement. If we pay off Phil Jones' entire contract, it doesn't free up our wage budget to spend on someone else. We've spent those wages up front.
* It eats into our cash reserves, which makes it harder to organise deals this summer because we have less liquidity. We're better off paying him in instalments as more income comes in through the season.
* There's a chance he'll leave anyway. If he leaves in January on a free, we paid 4 to 6 months salary we could have avoided paying if we just let him go.
We could offer half their contract upfront and say this gives you a lump sum and you can sign for someone else straight away. The club gains half the salary not being paid and the player gains enormously. Win WIN
 
Assume we end up buying FDJ, Eriksen, Antony and one of timber or Martinez....

How will we set up in Midfield....having FDJ, Eriksen and Bruno is too open right?

Front 3 of Antony, Ronaldo and Sancho sounds good to be honest with a proper midfield behind them
 
Just me slightly concerned that our response to Ragnick saying we lack physicality is to seemingly go out and buy Martinez for CB and De Jong/Eriksen in CM? I get it’s a totally different style but even though his spell was a disaster he was absolutely bang on about us off the ball and our complete lack of intensity.
 
Just me slightly concerned that our response to Rangnick saying we lack physicality is to seemingly go out and buy Martinez for CB and De Jong/Eriksen in CM? I get it’s a totally different style but even though his spell was a disaster he was absolutely bang on about us off the ball and our complete lack of intensity.
The players you mention do not lack intensity
 
Just me slightly concerned that our response to Rangnick saying we lack physicality is to seemingly go out and buy Martinez for CB and De Jong/Eriksen in CM? I get it’s a totally different style but even though his spell was a disaster he was absolutely bang on about us off the ball and our complete lack of intensity.
Do agree but then it’s also partly an issue of conditioning. Players like Fred, Bruno, Rashford, McTominay, Varane etc. (whatever you think of their quality) should definitely be able to play high intensity football if they’re fit enough.
 
We could offer half their contract upfront and say this gives you a lump sum and you can sign for someone else straight away. The club gains half the salary not being paid and the player gains enormously. Win WIN

That doesn't solve any of those issues, it just reduces how bad the financial impact is. Still doesn't make it remotely desirable.
 
We're a mess.




Basically a article saying nothing = we are a mess.


The very first line he says we 10 days to go to buy players then goes into talking about other clubs who don't need anywhere near the same surgery we need.



The article and "we are a mess" part would make sense if he wrote it in 2 weeks time and wee actually haven't done anything at all.
 
People also thought Tuanzebe looked better than what we had. Usually it doesn't work out. But people will remember Mount and not the dozens that failed.
Tuanzebe never really got a go after that PSG game. He was great in that one. I remember him outpacing Mbappe.

I'll never understand why Ole never gave him and Donny a go.
 
Basically a article saying nothing = we are a mess.


The very first line he says we 10 days to go to buy players then goes into talking about other clubs who don't need anywhere near the same surgery we need.



The article and "we are a mess" part would make sense if he wrote it in 2 weeks time and wee actually haven't done anything at all.
I'm specifically referring to this section

United favoured a one-at-a-time strategy in previous windows and may struggle to execute deals concurrently this summer. They are effectively starting from scratch, going off Ten Hag's shortlist and disregarding most of the recommendations from the scouting department, in the process of being revamped again.
 
The players you mention do not lack intensity
De Jong bottom 3 percentile for pressing bottom 8 for tackles and bottom 10 for interceptions.

Eriksen bottom 11 percentile for pressing bottom 23 for tackles and bottom 8 for interceptions.

Martinez seems to be exceptional on the ball and a good front-foot defender in fairness - but he’s very small and doesn’t look especially quick when I’ve seen him - so he’s going to have to be insanely gifted at reading the game to handle the EPL.

Again, I get it’s a different system where we dominate the ball and press high smothering opponents but we were proper shit off the ball last year - we literally went large spells of games not even looking like winning the ball back - and there’s no way this profile was what RR had in mind which is likely why he’s gone. ETH is going to have to be one hell of a coach.

I’m also concerned who we’re targeting isn’t coming from scouts - it’s coming from ETH. Every single one of these has links to him or Ajax. We were supposed to be moving to a model where the manager doesn’t have total control over targets - where the huge recruitment team would actually be involved in the process. This is the exact same stuff we’ve done before. What Berbaclass has posted above about starting from scratch with ETHs list is very concerning. It’s the exact model we were told we were moving away from.
 
Young players who are ready for a top PL midfield are a bit of an exception, and the chances are neither are physically ready. I haven't seen much from either to suggest they are ready for that, have you?

Mason Mount had achieved a lot more, including taking the absolute piss in the Eredivisie aged 18.
I definitely think Hannibal has it physically and technically. Garner too. I think they're both better than Mctominay for instance.
 
The more I learn about Ten Haag the worse the feeling I get. He's gonna end like all the previous managers inevitably...
 
Ten Hag relied on Overmars to identify players for him at Ajax didn't he? I hope we don't indulge him too much if identifying players isn't one of his strengths.
 
I'm specifically referring to this section


They've moved on 2 leading scouts, hag most defo has given them his recommendations, we don't know what is true or not based on what he saying there except the Hag list.
 
I definitely think Hannibal has it physically and technically. Garner too. I think they're both better than Mctominay for instance.

Hannibal has the technicality, I think he'll get eaten alive in the PL physically right now.

I don't think Garner is good enough for United but I hope I'm wrong.

Either way, if we go into the season relying on these two: we're fecked.

Hopefully they can be eased in gently and given time to prove themselves.
 
Ten Hag relied on Overmars to identify players for him at Ajax didn't he? I hope we don't indulge him too much if identifying players isn't one of his strengths.
To start with, taking over a fragmented team like ours, it's pretty reasonable to go after some guys you know to help transition everyone over. Especially when these players tick every box that we need, and are among the best possible options for what we need. Like De Jong, he is literally the dream midfield signing for us IMO. Would be him and Tchouameni if I could hand pick any 2 in Europe. Antony is a left footed right winger who is highly rated and who Ten Hag has managed before. For wingers, that's a big deal a manager going after a previous player, as it's hit and miss and they can be inconsistent. So that would say a lot for these players.

It's not forever going to be former players, but it's entirely reasonable this summer.
 
This is just daft, how can the club know what kind of players Ten Hag can work with until they actually start working with him? How do they know which players he things are good enough and which aren't? How do they know what personalities ETH wants in his dressing room and who he wants to get rid of? This is doubly true when there are more problem positions than we can afford to sort out in a single transfer window. That doesn't mean ETH has been left to pick our targets, it simply means he is an important part of the conversation.
That's part of the due diligence any club should do before hiring a manager. You don't hire a manager before knowing their preferred style of play and the types of players they'd like to work with.
 
That's part of the due diligence any club should do before hiring a manager. You don't hire a manager before knowing their preferred style of play and the types of players they'd like to work with.

The difference in the level of detail you go into before and after an actual appointment will be enormous.
 
Hannibal has the technicality, I think he'll get eaten alive in the PL physically right now.

I don't think Garner is good enough for United but I hope I'm wrong.

Either way, if we go into the season relying on these two: we're fecked.

Hopefully they can be eased in gently and given time to prove themselves.
Yeah I'd give them all the cup games. That could be up to 20 games. And hopefully they start putting pressure on the starters by the end of the season.
 
We didnt even appoint ETH til April, so im not sure what that has to do with anything.

City did appoint him till a year later too, unless you think we decided to appoint ETH in April and got the deal done that quickly.
What I am saying is once we knew he was the choice, we could have been prepping for what he needs for the summer, by all accounts though that is what we did do (according to reports)
Timber, Anthony and De Jong we're all names linked with United in April and Antony and Timber were prominently linked before he ETH signed, as players ETH would be bringing with him
 
City did appoint him till a year later too, unless you think we decided to appoint ETH in April and got the deal done that quickly.
What I am saying is once we knew he was the choice, we could have been prepping for what he needs for the summer, by all accounts though that is what we did do (according to reports)
Timber, Anthony and De Jong we're all names linked with United in April and Antony and Timber were prominently linked before he ETH signed, as players ETH would be bringing with him

Can you show me where De Jong was linked to United in April?

Timber and Antony being linked is nothing new, oh lets just like 2 of his ex players, its easy journalism.

Finally, even though we appointed him, he was clearly concentrated on winning the title with Ajax, so he was not looking at the United team and what he needs.

United were not aware of this Barca issue and wanting to sell until quite recently.

Initially, when a manager is appointed, he wants to first get his backroom staff correct, then look at players leaving and additions to the squad.
 
City did appoint him till a year later too, unless you think we decided to appoint ETH in April and got the deal done that quickly.
What I am saying is once we knew he was the choice, we could have been prepping for what he needs for the summer, by all accounts though that is what we did do (according to reports)
Timber, Anthony and De Jong we're all names linked with United in April and Antony and Timber were prominently linked before he ETH signed, as players ETH would be bringing with him

No I don't think we appointed ETH much earlier than was publicly announced. In your second sentence you say we did what we should have done, so you'll have to clarify what the issue is here.
 
No I don't think we appointed ETH much earlier than was publicly announced. In your second sentence you say we did what we should have done, so you'll have to clarify what the issue is here.

Where did I say there was an issue?
I simply replied to your post with an example of a club preparing the squad for the intended manager before their appointment, which you seemed to suggest was not possible
 
Where did I say there was an issue?
I simply replied to your post with an example of a club preparing the squad for the intended manager before their appointment, which you seemed to suggest was not possible

If they fully expect said manager to turn up, then yes they can indeed plan for his arrival. But do you have any reason at all to think we knew about ETH coming before we interviewed and appointed him?

Though for what its worth, most of the players Pep used most often in his title winning season came after he was appointed. The whole preparation thing is well overblown.
 
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