Who is going to be responsible for transfers then? We currently don't have a director of football (we have Murtough I guess but he's out the door soon) and we don't have a head of recruitment in place. If the decision is to keep him this summer then he probably needs to be given a new contract anyway because if we can't judge him properly currently because the structure above him isn't good then I don't see how that changes next season.
Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24
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In some areas yes, in some areas no.
I'd say we're marginally better but not by too much.
How would a structure above stop him from playing hoof football with a disconnected midfield deploying McT in the Fellaini role.
Two season in charge, 400 mil spent. We should be waaaaaaaay better than we are. Results can be forgiven in one season but style of football doesn't offer optimism for next season.
Yep, I agree one place difference shouldn't matter but if history in PL and Manchester United manager sackings go, 2 things emerge:
1. 3 consecutive losses together with outrageous bad play in others, even wins, is enough to get any manager sacked. Arteta was an exception but he did show some light in other games. This is what currently keeps ETH afloat.
2. No CL qualification is usually enough to get fired at United.
I don't know if INEOS has the stomach to go through a Chelsea scenario where it don't matter where it ends. But when we was gunning for top 4, then to end P7 9 games later would mean a dramatic drop in form and results. Even with the huge injury list, they will want some head to roll. Maybe you're right and P7 is still enough to keep him but in my evaluation we could end even worse, with both Chelsea, West Ham and Newcastle to jump us. Then there is the last game, wich is Brighton away, it could just mean the proverbial drop if we lose there. In theory, we could still end p10. That we are actually P6 with 30 played, is some kind of miracle and should speak for ETH somewhat. (Even if I can see many believing otherwise, but take a look at @BenitoSTARR take down of the top 6 clubs and their injuries.)
We all know throwing money at problems is no certainty though.
400 million spent yes but I think reasonably well aside from Antony and possibly Casemiro depending on how much we get back.
I'm happy with the purchases of Mount, Onana, Martinez, Hojlund.
Absolutely. Our fanbase are the meekest around. Thankfully it's stopped, but people being called 'glory hunters' when Ole was being criticised always made me laugh. We've made poor appointments since Fergie, and yet, elements of our fanbase have treated them like dieties and become absolutely entrenched in the notion that 'they're the one'
We have had some decent spells here and there post-Fergie, but for the most part, it's been a shit fest. I wouldn't touch any of our previous managers with a barge pole, nor would any serious team. That says it all.
Very valid points. I don't know the answer to that? I'd hope someone at INEOS could sort that out. I just can't see anyone replacing him this summer though. Who really is available for the long term? Weighing it up, do we keep him for one more season, hope for improvements or run out his contract without paying compensation? Or have we got someone already in mind to take over? I have a feeling he will still be here for the first game of next season.
How can you say we’ve been a mod table team for a decade when we’ve finished 2nd a couple of times, 3rd. Never lower than 6th have we?
what has pleased you about the Mount signing?
could the 55m or whatever have been spent better?
I don't know, someone like Nagelsmann might be available along with the likes of De Zerbi or even Tuchel. The reality is whoever we appoint unless it's Klopp or Guardiola is going to be a gamble, I keep seeing people say no one is available but by that logic no one is going to be available for years because there's no manager around that is anywhere their level.
I think there is an argument that next year is going to be shit anyway so we might as well just let him deal with it and hope that the people above him are settled in by next summer, there is merit to that and I suspect INEOS might think the same thing, but I can't see how the results and performances are going to significantly change so at best he's a placeholder for whichever punt they decide to take for our next manager in 2025. However, if they are truly of the view that his failings are largely due to the structure above him then I don't see how that opinion can be changed next season because the structure above him still will be a mess this summer.
Very sensible signing for us. Ticks many boxes but unfortunately just had bad luck with injuries this season.
Think we did well to get him ahead of Liverpool/Arsenal.
Will also fit into pretty much any style if we change manager.
It's easy to talk in hindsight about a transfer but at the time I think we spent the money well and still do.
Oh Ten Hag is horribly out of his depth, no doubt about that.
He needs to go period, but the next manager is going to fail aswell, unless it's an all time great like Ancelotti or Guardiola, which are both not gonna happen.
Do you really believe that Southgate or Potter can handle these players?
Bruno has completely regressed since Ole's last season. Onana had a horrible start to his United career, he has been better lately, but still hasn't established himself as a huge plus.
Mount and Shaw are always injured. Sancho has been gone since the start of the season, because he is a lazy mofo.
Antony had like 2 good games this season and like 5 good games last season.....the lad cost 90 million....he's not a damn academy product like Forson for whom it's normal to have a few good games and then disappear. I expect a 90 million pound player to deliver like Grealish or Saka.
Casemiro and Varane are mercenaries on their last legs, their effort has not been high enough, plus they're injured quite often. It looks like they just don't care anymore. They got their medals from Madrid, they're just making some nice money here until they're off to the Saudi League or retirement.
The only players who are tearing themselves apart for the shirt are the young guns like Mainoo, Hojlund, Garnacho, probably Amad.
Dalot has been excellent too this season, but it's just not enough. It's the same stuff that's going on since SAF retired.
What's the excuse for our highest paid player Rashford to behave like a 19 year old spoiled teenager? Not giving a damn on the pitch, prioritizing partying and being in the media for all the wrong reasons?
Yep, the squads had a massive turnover since the Ralf era 2 years ago and yet we've gone backwards.
your point might be valid in the fullness of time. I think a good Summer of building might involve Rashford/McTominay/Ericksen moving on and a player like Mount will be more important then.
the issue is that when he's been fit he's largely been a sub. At the beginning of the season, we needed some starters. 55m should have fixed issues with the squad rather than giving more depth.
you only need to look at how Liverpool completely refreshed their midfield - what has Rice done to that Arsenal midfield
Compared to this seasons performances/strategy/tactics/results, which have been our worst in the Premier League era. I'd be open to taking any current top 10-12 PL manager bar Moyes for a year.
We've been that bad, we don't have much to lose. It's actually surprising we're still in the top half of the table.
Often a reason why video or audio clips are so much more useful than quotes via text. It's a nothing statement, which written down makes it sound like a man who is so confident that he must have had assurances from SJR.
I still think he might stay on cost grounds.
The big question is which manager has the playing style and structure which fits how INEOS are wanting us to play
No idea.
For me, style of play/patterns etc of play are just buzz words for people who want to be able to see predictable football.
In terms of squad building.
What you really need are intelligent, motivated, technically competent footballers, a lot of which need to be quick, mobile and strong, so they can cover ground better and play quick 1 and 2 touch football. Want to press high, your rest defence and midfield need to be quick to recover if the press gets beaten. On the ball in tight areas you need intelligent movement and excellent technical ability.
But the players also need to flexible and capable of adapting to different approaches and ways of playing, or being able to play multiple positions in rotation. Who will take responsibility out on the pitch and aren't always expecting someone else to do it. Take that Chelsea winner, the other night, players pointing at Palmer, none of them went until it was too late.
When you have that, you can find a manager that is capable of tweaking little bit here and there to get them performing as a team.
This squad is just too full of slow, unintelligent, technically poor one dimensional players. It also lacks balance, the players around the pitch don't compliment each other, there's no real combinations or relationships that are built up, where players understand each other and are in tune on the pitch. Passing is erratic, a lot of them aren't very good passers anyway and it seems like they actually don't know what the other player is going to do half the time. Sometimes it clicks, but not often enough.
Yes, a lot of this can be blamed on ETH, he's supposed to get them working together, understanding each other and helping to build these relationships. But I'll always go back to the players, Bruno/Rashford been at the club 4 years together - no understanding other than clipping it over the top for a through ball. There's many more examples of players who been at the club a long time and still have no on field combinations or partnerships that actually look like they will ever work.
ETH will probably go in the summer and maybe deservedly so, but this squad isn't winning Man Utd any serious trophies under any manager.
Where are you putting McTominay and Maguire just out of interest,also you might want to add injuries permitting to after Martinez
Inzaghi seems happy at Inter but would be my second choice after Nagelsmann. I suspect Amorim has probably already got deal in place to take over Klopp.
Depends if you're trying to bend it so suit your narrative.
Ajax didnt have quick defenders. No quicker than ours anyway
Yeah fair enough not a midtable team but I wouldn’t call us a top 4 side either. This would be the 6th time in 11 we’d be missing a CL spot.
Lads, we're Spurs
Even if that were true that's reason enough to sack him after 2 years and £450m spent.
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I don't think we're better than under Rangnick at anything. And that's saying something.
Even if that were true that's reason enough to sack him after 2 years and £450m spent.
Yep we have a cult of manager problem. It made sense when Fergie was the manager, and it was understandable for a few years post Fergie. But we have to realize there's no Fergie mk2 coming, none of these guys are going to transform into Fergie if only we give them enough time.
Manchester United shouldn't wait around giving manager 2-3-4 years to show us something, anything.
All I see every time I look at him is that scoreline last March. How can so many of his defenders on here just brush that off. All he had to do was shut it down at 4-0 but no he gambled. I was fully behind him right up until that moment and turned in a flash. Only winning one of the two big trophies might make me feel different but don't believe he is the man to do it.
We're empirically worse.
Finally someone said what I was thinking too
We were rubbish under Rangnick due to players downing tools. The club was in such a toxic state during that period.
We're rubbish now by design. I have trouble understanding how anyone can support a manager who has taken us to where we are now due to his own incompetence, as opposed to the players throwing him under the bus
6th place and just an FA Cup Final when LVG was sacked for 5th and winning it. Jeez INEOS please get some standards and don't fall for Erik's BS about turning this around
Do be so disingenuous.
The way we play is by design. And we're rubbish. Therefore, rubbish by design
6th time in 11 missing out sounds harsh and worse than I thought! What a shit decade
What about those managers who are in that tier under Klopp and Guardiola such as
Nagelsmann
Inzaghi
Amorim
Tuchel
Enrique
Flick
Motta
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