Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24

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Anyone else feel that we love defending with a straight line of players and it never works?
When we are defending set pieces we also love defending with a straight line of players and all balls cleared surely go to the opposition
We also seem to love doing the straight line across thing at the other end of the pitch too. But we’ve been like that for several years now. Boggles the mind
 
I was hoping for some rumours about him today but get the feeling he will get the season, regardless of how bad we are. So frustrating watching our hopes of CL football pan out like this when I quick change could….could, give us a chance.
 
There's also an argument to say we'd have been more successful keeping Mourinho and weeding out problem players in the squad.

I get what you're saying by the way, for me champions league football is non negotiable. However if we did sack Ten Hag I can't think of any other managers who wouldn't be a potentially big risk. Maybe Enrique as he favours a structured possession style, but generally speaking all De Zerbi, Nagelsmann etc. look very open and can be potentially disastrous in the United hot seat too.

Unfortunately every single manager out there is a risk. Sometimes it just doesn't work.
 
I was hoping for some rumours about him today but get the feeling he will get the season, regardless of how bad we are. So frustrating watching our hopes of CL football pan out like this when I quick change could….could, give us a chance.

The change wouldn't exactly be quick, and is also not guaranteed to improve things with a caretaker. What options do we even have for a caretaker?
 
Why? So we're then scrambling around looking for an interim again in October and then starting the process of identifying a new permanent manager. Why not just skip the interim and start that process now?

There's an argument to be made we would have fared better over the last 6 years if we'd have been proactive and replaced Jose and Ole during the summer instead of waiting until mid season to sack them.

Exactly. It's unfortunately too late to push for top 5 as we've waited too long before doing something like with all the previous ones. Hopefully if the next one doesn't make it our new execs will be more proactive.
 
The ETH we all clamoured for would have had the team running laps today, good tactician or not. Now, he is coming up with postgame soundbites that we would mock for years to come.
 
I was hoping for some rumours about him today but get the feeling he will get the season, regardless of how bad we are. So frustrating watching our hopes of CL football pan out like this when I quick change could….could, give us a chance.

What I have been saying. He basically is going to have a free pass for all of this season and most likely next one as well. He’s going to talk his way out of trouble. There isn’t another manager in the league from whom so little would be expected.
 
Take yesterday as an example, there is not many managers in the world who would have Lindelof/Varane/AWB/Rashford/Bruno/McTom playing in a dominant possession style which many on the Cafe are hoping for.

Add to that it was the first game after an international break, and it was a recipe for disaster.

EtH was also to blame, but I'm not sure what would make the biggest difference, a new manager or new players...United probably need both.


A new manager would absolutely make a difference. As shite as our squad is it’s still better than injury ravaged Brentford.

We have a shit team excuse only goes so far. When you’re getting outscored by Luton Town that excuse doesn’t fly anymore.
 
I've been heated for sure, 6 months ago I felt the criticism was certainly premature. Unsure about outright calling people 12year olds, it was a long time ago.

Im not going to argue against any criticism now, of course.

I understand this totally. I think we all get heated because we all care so much. It is so frustrating and no matter what we believe, I don’t think there is any easy solution unfortunately.
 
What’s with the style of play. Hoofing the ball up the field is League one tactics.
We got the Dutch Big Sam.
 
A new manager would absolutely make a difference. As shite as our squad is it’s still better than injury ravaged Brentford.

We have a shit team excuse only goes so far. When you’re getting outscored by Luton Town that excuse doesn’t fly anymore.

Yeah I can’t disagree…but post SAF no manager has gotten the squad (multiple squads) to give a shit beyond a 12-18 month spell.

It’s a sodding mystery to me.
 
Yeah I can’t disagree…but post SAF no manager has gotten the squad (multiple squads) to give a shit beyond a 12-18 month spell.

It’s a sodding mystery to me.

Yea its fecking weird every time when I think the team is looking good and ready to take the next step everything unravels.
 
A new manager would absolutely make a difference. As shite as our squad is it’s still better than injury ravaged Brentford.

We have a shit team excuse only goes so far. When you’re getting outscored by Luton Town that excuse doesn’t fly anymore.
But we were without our left back yesterday.
 
If he stays, we will immediately lose out on three big managers. Then come December/summer we might have to actually be considering Southgate/Potter.
 
Yes ofcourse he would sanction extending Rashford. ETH wasnt the one who negotiated the deal with Rashford though. You think ETH should have said ''no thanks'' when he was asked if the club should extend Rashford his contract? Rashford was his best player last year. I dont think ETH was even asked. Ofcourse Rashford was going to get an extention after last year as a youth product and with his PR value.

It would have been more of as sackable offense if ETH said that Rashford should be let go on a free and told the club that they should sign a 100m replacement left winger for him instead.

No you don't let players go on a free, you sell them. Or keep them, but there can't be some middle ground where people are saying "Oh he can't play properly because he has Rashford and Bruno" when he's responsible for those players being mainstays in the team. Either accept blame with the players, or sell them off for others that can be more effective.
 
I think the new structure has to make everyone accountable, including players and footballing operations or it doesnt work
You're in for a big surprise if you think a new management structure will lead to a turnaround next season. It will take at least 3 summers.
 
It breaks my brain to think that some United fans still want this guy to manage us.

We have been shocking since just before the league cup final. There's been no improvement, no patterns of play emerging, no mentality change.

In fact we've actually regressed!

2 years is enough time to judge him now and he is just not the person to take us forward.
 
What other top club would tolerate 6th in the league with 11 losses?
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, City, PSG the manager would be long gone.

It's the same attitude our fans have with players as well. Always needing to give everyone "time" when often it's clear as day incompetence. There's a reason we fall into the same cycle repeatedly while a club like Madrid won't hesitate to sack a manager after a few months if they can see it isn't working.
 
I honestly dont understand why Sir Jim is dragging this out instead of just getting rid of this clown, we are 6th while playing awful Football with no chance of finishing any higher.

Surely Sir Jim cant be happy to see the club he has invested £1.3bn in playing such embarrasing Football.

I can only imagine there’s some form of not qualifying for a CL place clause in place and once it’s mathematical for us not being able to get a CL place they’ll fire ETH, I don’t for a second believe Ratcliffe and his team haven’t seen how horrendous we are on the pitch or how every pundit and reporter has publicly trashed how bad we are.

There was lots of reports the other week of how Ineos want to change things from a manager to a head coach which pretty much says things are going to change and most likely moving ETH on, Ratcliffe spoke about how the clubs identity and on pitch style will be decided by the football structure so the head coaches job will simply be to coach that style and pick the best 11 based on training and performing in that style.

Right now I’d happily have a structure of Ratcliffe, Berrada, Blanc, Brailsford, Ashworth, a Technical Director and bring Kieran McKenna in as head coach then surround McKenna with progressive coaches who can really improve our players in the designated style implemented by the footballing structure and then tell the players that no one is bigger than the hierarchy and if they don’t show improvements they’ll be moved on regardless of name or stature.
 
I previously preached patience but it's hard to defend what we're seeing at this stage of the season. Yesterday I felt that Brentford were just the latest team that clearly had our number and were playing us off the pitch after 10 mins or so. I counted on the management seeing this and tweaking the system so that we'd come out in the second half and turn it around, or at least try something different. But nothing happened. Again. It was genuinely baffling. If he has a plan, it's almost impossible to see and his post-match comments rarely offer much insight. I don't know what the new structure will bring but it's difficult to maintain faith in ETH with the way we're playing this season. Another season? Hmmmm.....I dislike the turnover in managers, especially with some of the names mentioned, but we're honestly so hard to watch most games that I'm not sure I could take it. Serious question -- what is he showing that warrants another season? I'm clutching at straws here....the cup? the youth? Is something happening we're not recognizing on the pitch that will reap rewards in due course? ETH has a hard time explaining anything and what he's trying to impose so we can only surmise from the way we play....and that evidence is pretty damning.
 
People say this every time and it's never true (as far as simple improvement of performances and results, I'm not speaking about title challenge)
Because of FFP it takes at least 3 years to rotate a squad no matter who takes charge or who runs the club.
 
We should just bin him and get some caretaker for the next few games ..
Maybe it will be interesting..
I don't expect us to win 1 game .. Liverpool, Arsenal will hammer us ..
We might win 1 -2 games.. but I am sure we will not win a single game comfortably
 
I believe what De Zerbi is doing at Brighton is far more impressive than what ten Hag accomplished at Ajax when you consider the limited resources available to De Zerbi and injuries to Brighton this season. Ten Hag is finished imo, many backed him (including myself) and wanted him to succeed but yesterday’s effort was so dismal and one of many pathetic displays this season. Yes he’s had injuries but the fact the players still appear clueless is a major indictment of ten Hag. De Zerbi in a set up with Berrada and Ashworth could be the perfect solution moving forward.
 
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We had about the same tactics and line-up as against Liverpool, yet the performance was completely different. We didn‘t win our duels and turned over the ball constantly. We did not have any creativity or purpose in our attacks.

It‘s the performance that is to blame, not the tactics.

Our base level needs to go up to be able to get through off-games like this. It‘s Ten Hag‘s job to get them to stop turning over the ball so much and keep our composure after grabbing a lead.

A few more performances like this and Ten Hag will not be here next season.

This off game is us, the pool game was the odd one out not this one.
 
Won a trophy, got us 3rd.

Developed Dalot, Garnacho, Mainoo, Højlund, Martinez.

Has been desperately unlucky this season with injury, incompetence in our football structure and has made do with that.

There’s more but I’m out with the family and having a shit.

See above there is more and I’ll add to this tonight.

He chose Antony in the absence of other available options. He was asking for a striker, didnt get one. So went for something else. He didn’t decide the fee our negotiation incompetence did.

Mount will be a quality signing.

Onana is an excellent GK for playing out.

Malacia back up left back but a fighter

Casemiro great in both boxes aerially and a fighter but old.

It took Arsenal time. So it also will take us time to get the squad right.

We will get there and I believe with Ten Hag.

The Brentford game 100% but a combination of things especially injury have made this season tactically a nightmare for any coach to fix.

Do you think we have had the players available this season to be comfortable top 4?

If so please name them.

I understand the worry I just think we’re being a bit too expectant over what we can actually achieve right now with this squad.
He is not "my man".
I've been critical of him a lot, and also I've stated a few times that I expect him to be sacked at the end of the season, unless he gets the FA cup win.

But I'm always trying to look objectively at the bigger picture. At this point I'm convinced that a bunch of our starters are much bigger issue than the manager.

There is no manager in the world who can make a team built around Bruno and Rashford consistent and dominant. The only solution with them is to revert to defensive low block football, relying on long through ball counter attacks. This works to an extend. But when they have a bad game, we're fecked even with this setup.

Yesterday we actually had more possession than Brentford and we completed more passes. If I decide to bother with that, I can screenshot and pinpoint at least 20 moments in the game where we were one accurate pass or one 1vs1 second ball recovery away from transitioning to deadly attack where we outnumber their defenders.
We have so many games this season where we win 1 out of 10 second or even first balls. And in absolutely every game, Bruno who is supposed to link the team together, picks the wrong pass. Instead of finding free man on the wing, he tries to lash the ball onto somebody who is surrounded by 3 defenders.

There is a reason why we instantly improve our possession when even dead legs Eriksen comes on. He knows when to pick the simple pass, he knows how to keep the game ticking. Bruno always looks for the surprise ball.

Also, the moment Rashford gets the ball and sticks his eyes to the ground, just mindlessly running towards a defender, I know our attack is fecked.
I seriously thought after the Brentford match that the ETH cult was going to disband and the Caf members were going to come out and say that for the good of the football club, Ten Hag needed to go.

Blown away by what seems to be the exact opposite. They seem to have rallied around each other.

‘It must make them tired to defend the guy when he’s clearly broken. The job is way too big for him. He’s a mediocre manager and he’s not capable to challenge for titles. Watching us trying to attack the Brentford defense was pure torture. I can’t understand how anyone in their right mind would want him coaching young gems like Garnacho and Mainoo. He might ruin them. Sad.
 
What other top club would tolerate 6th in the league with 11 losses?
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, City, PSG the manager would be long gone.
None. We are the softest “big” team when it comes to giving massively underperforming managers more time than their work warrants.
 
I seriously thought after the Brentford match that the ETH cult was going to disband and the Caf members were going to come out and say that for the good of the football club, Ten Hag needed to go.

Blown away by what seems to be the exact opposite. They seem to have rallied around each other.

‘It must make them tired to defend the guy when he’s clearly broken. The job is way too big for him. He’s a mediocre manager and he’s not capable to challenge for titles. Watching us trying to attack the Brentford defense was pure torture. I can’t understand how anyone in their right mind would want him coaching young gems like Garnacho and Mainoo. He might ruin them. Sad.
He’s coached them both and they’ve been good under his tutelage.
 
For a control freak, he has no control over this team.
He was meant to instil fairness in terms of performances. But we keep seeing players in poor form and worse, lazy players keep starting.
I’m still Ten Hag in but that’s because I’m clueless at this point. The performances are just too poor.
 
I was hoping for some rumours about him today but get the feeling he will get the season, regardless of how bad we are. So frustrating watching our hopes of CL football pan out like this when I quick change could….could, give us a chance.
There’s zero chance he gets sacked between now and the end of the season
 
There’s zero chance he gets sacked between now and the end of the season

If there's any brains in the club strategy room we'd do what Bayern did and announce a parting of the ways in the summer.

That in itself would give all the players a massive lift. Knowing there's a countdown on how much longer they have to suffer playing HagBall ™
 
You're in for a big surprise if you think a new management structure will lead to a turnaround next season. It will take at least 3 summers.

Right now we need a manager who provides structure and proper direction to the squad. Most sound minded supporters know the larger structural and recruitment issues will take several windows to repair.
 
If there's any brains in the club strategy room we'd do what Bayern did and announce a parting of the ways in the summer.

That in itself would give all the players a massive lift. Knowing there's a countdown on how much longer they have to suffer playing HagBall ™

Bayern can do that because they have already begun searching for a replacement. We don’t even have our CEO and DOF in place.
 
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