Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24

Status
Not open for further replies.
Azhar88 said:
One thing has puzzled me for years about modern football and its this: why do the managers/assistants medical people etc. seem to sit on what look to me like car seats? Does anyone know?

I once did a tour of the stadium and had a good look, they really are seats normally found in cars!

On the tour it was explained that most clubs do play little games to gain an advantage with the whole home/away facilities. Smaller more cramped for the visitors, no heating, cold showers - that sort of thing.

Oh, I think I have realised myself my answer to my previous question: they are car seats, heated ones, to keep the muscles warm for the subs would be advantageous.
Click to expand...

I love this sort of stuff, it's fascinating.

On the Ajax stadium tour, they said they put the coat hooks in the away dressing room really high up the wall to make the players feel small.

They also provide a whiteboard for lineup/tactics and some magnets, except the whiteboard doesn't have metal beneath the surface, so the magnets don't even stick.

They could've just not provided magnets, but providing them for a facility where they won't work is proper dastardly stuff.
 
OnlyTwoDaSilvas said:
I love this sort of stuff, it's fascinating.

On the Ajax stadium tour, they said they put the coat hooks in the away dressing room really high up the wall to make the players feel small.

They also provide a whiteboard for lineup/tactics and some magnets, except the whiteboard doesn't have metal beneath the surface, so the magnets don't even stick.

They could've just not provided magnets, but providing them for a facility where they won't work is proper dastardly stuff.
Click to expand...
The high coathooks also make people stretch to maybe cause injury too :lol:
 
DJ_21 said:
Don’t get me wrong his attention to detail is probably one of the best… but don’t you think sometimes you can overthink it? Like how does swapping dug outs effect the way we perform or improve us?
Click to expand...

If you know the expression ‘marginal gains’, it was the strategy used ie. by Sky/Ineos in cycling when Brad Wiggins and Chris Froom dominated. The principle is about chasing wee marginal advantages at practically every factor involved in preparing and performing. Never ask if it is a big effect - if something has an advantage of 0.001 - do it.
 
Revaulx said:
Ole fans. Jose fans. Ronaldo fans. A triple alliance who will set aside their differences to celebrate ETH’s first defeat :(
Click to expand...

I have supported Ole and Jose while they were managers here and i am strongly looking forward to ETH. Only "fans" with agendas will celebrate defeat for any player or staff of this club and there are quite alot roaming around.
 
OpenIntrovert said:
I have supported Ole and Jose while they were managers here and i am strongly looking forward to ETH. Only "fans" with agendas will celebrate defeat for any player or staff of this club and there are quite alot roaming around.
Click to expand...

With you on this. Happy for the style of play he has brought thus far. The trick is to be able to stick to this when things get tough in competitive matches and not revert to the previous style of play. Come on United!
 
Marcus said:
With you on this. Happy for the style of play he has brought thus far. The trick is to be able to stick to this when things get tough in competitive matches and not revert to the previous style of play. Come on United!
Click to expand...
Don’t think ten Hag changes his style… a lot of people was saying he only has 1 style of play. That’s why he gave away a game against benfica in the champions league when they was winning he was still very much attacking which left them wide open at the back and they conceded. Think this needs to change to be honest. When winning near the end by 1 goal don’t be to expansive, could cost us a few times. Think his style of play though similar to pep should see us 3/4 goals up in most games.
 
Looking at the top 4 predictions thread there are zero expectations on him to perform so I guess that’s good for him. Most people expecting us to finish the same as last season which was probably the worst Utd I’ve seen in my living memory. I can’t see how he doesn’t improve massively on that if he’s as good as we hope.
 
Zippycup said:
Yet his winning % is only slightly lower that SAF and Mourinho.

I don't belive Ole was the right man for the job but let's not rewrite history.
The problem has never been the manager. It's always been those above him.
Click to expand...
Please, let's not absolve any one set, including the managers. Ole was shite - barring a short purple patch.
 
TrustInJanuzaj said:
Looking at the top 4 predictions thread there are zero expectations on him to perform so I guess that’s good for him. Most people expecting us to finish the same as last season which was probably the worst Utd I’ve seen in my living memory. I can’t see how he doesn’t improve massively on that if he’s as good as we hope.
Click to expand...

We were 11 points behind 5th, he could improve and still finish 6th.
 
Idxomer said:
We were 11 points behind 5th, he could improve and still finish 6th.
Click to expand...
We were absolutely shocking last season. Not a single player performed anywhere near the standard. Any manager worth his salary will see massive change and improvement.
 
Regulus Arcturus Black said:
feck me you lot with an Ole username really are a special bunch. :lol:
Click to expand...
I just don't think he was shite and I don't like seeing a club legend castigated on here. If he was shite then he wouldn't have finished 2nd and 3rd. A shite manager would have had us falling down the league.
 
Olecurls99 said:
I just don't think he was shite and I don't like seeing a club legend castigated on here. If he was shite then he wouldn't have finished 2nd and 3rd. A shite manager would have had us falling down the league.
Click to expand...

Ignore them. These guys are too impatient and expect instant success. I wont be surprised if they turn on ETH the moment he gets his first negative result.
 
Ole was massively out of his depth as our manager, that's objective fact. Bruno Fernandes came here and had an astonishing purple patch, which made Ole's tenure look more flattering than it actually was. Add to that the sudden rise of Mason Greenwood which he also benefitted from.

It doesn't change the fact that he's still a legend for what he did as a player and an all round top bloke, but we should all be relieved that he was sacked.
 
Regulus Arcturus Black said:
Sensitive? He was shite, the only sensitive ones are those still suggesting he wasn’t.

I’m just elated we finally put a stop the most ridiculous experiment in football where a side thought a bloke managing in Norway and not pulling up trees there would be able to challenge Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
Click to expand...
Olecurls99 said:
So we moved on to a bloke not pulling up trees in Holland. Hurray
Click to expand...

Not gonna go into a debate, but blimey this childish revisionism has got to stop.

Solskjær took a team that never won the league in a hundred years to win two leagues in a row, and the double at that. Then he rebuilt the team with youths into a new league winning force, and had the team outplaying Sevilla and Zenith Leningrad. How is that not pulling up trees in Norway?

And Ten Hag winning the league four times on the trot when Ajax hadn’t won the league for years, and crushing teams like Real Madrid, Juventus and Dortmund in the CL while also changing half the team on the way, how is that ‘not pulling up trees in the Netherlands’?

You can only pull up those trees that are in front of you, which somebody at Barca and Dortmund also thought about when they hired a reserves coach and a Coach with one mid-table place in BL as their best ‘results’. But regardless, what Solskjær
did at Molde, was as good as anyone could expect any coach to do, Klopp or not, and likewise with Ten Hag at Ajax and Utrecht.

You’re acting like kids bragging about toy guns when you’re trying to turn reasonable truth upside down to win a useless argument.
 
Grande said:
Not gonna go into a debate, but blimey this childish revisionism has got to stop.

Solskjær took a team that never won the league in a hundred years to win two leagues in a row, and the double at that. Then he rebuilt the team with youths into a new league winning force, and had the team outplaying Sevilla and Zenith Leningrad. How is that not pulling up trees in Norway?

And Ten Hag winning the league four times on the trot when Ajax hadn’t won the league for years, and crushing teams like Real Madrid, Juventus and Dortmund in the CL while also changing half the team on the way, how is that ‘not pulling up trees in the Netherlands’?

You can only pull up those trees that are in front of you, which somebody at Barca and Dortmund also thought about when they hired a reserves coach and a Coach with one mid-table place in BL as their best ‘results’. But regardless, what Solskjær
did at Molde, was as good as anyone could expect any coach to do, Klopp or not, and likewise with Ten Hag at Ajax and Utrecht.

You’re acting like kids bragging about toy guns when you’re trying to turn reasonable truth upside down to win a useless argument.
Click to expand...
I was playing down Ten Hag's achievements ironically. I think he's done great work
 
Grande said:
If you know the expression ‘marginal gains’, it was the strategy used ie. by Sky/Ineos in cycling when Brad Wiggins and Chris Froom dominated. The principle is about chasing wee marginal advantages at practically every factor involved in preparing and performing. Never ask if it is a big effect - if something has an advantage of 0.001 - do it.
Click to expand...
I’d argue the blood bags had a bigger effect than 0.001 to be honest.
 
Grande said:
Solskjær took a team that never won the league in a hundred years to win two leagues in a row, and the double at that. Then he rebuilt the team with youths into a new league winning force, and had the team outplaying Sevilla and Zenith Leningrad. How is that not pulling up trees in Norway?
Click to expand...

Oh come on man, nothing childish about it, it’s just true.

No doubt Ole had an excellent start in Norway, but that was years before he got the United gig. 2011 and 2012 were an excellent start to his managerial career, but they happened 6 years before he got the United gig. And absolutely no-one can describe his 2013-2018 as “pulling up trees”.

After those first two years, he finished 6th in his third season in 2013 on just 44 points, winning 12 & losing 10 games. At this point the similarities with his United time began, with every season after that featuring a period where the team form turned to utter shite, right up until he got the United job 7 years after his impressive start in Norway that was a distant memory.

He successor won the league the following season whilst Ole had the Cardiff debacle2014.

Then he returned in 2015, and the EL game you speak of were within weeks of his return, the previous manager putting them in a good position in the EL group with a win vs. Fenerbache away and a point at home to Ajax picking up 4 points here. Ole himself would only pick up 1 point from the return games against those sides.

He then finished 6th in his first full season back in 2016, meaning successive 6th placed finishes managing in the Tippeligaen for Ole.

In 2017, yes he did well against Zenit but once again failed to win his league.

In 2018, he failed to win the league again.

Then he got the fecking United gig.

How the feck is that comparable to ETH? How was Ole “pulling up trees”, he didn’t even win a fecking single title in his second spell. His final title with them was in 2012 man.
ETH won titles in 2019, 2021 & 2022 before getting the gig in 2022. He has the record for fastest ever manager to 100 wins in the league, he took Ajax to within seconds of a CL final just 3 years ago, his team was ripped apart and yet he still managed to rebuild and have them winning successive titles.

If we had taken a punt on Ole in 2012 - 13, I would’ve understood the idea that he was looking great Norway and might be something special, it could’ve been worth the chance.
But the following 6 years showed that there was nothing special about him whatsoever as a manager, and expecting him to compete with Klopp and Guardiola was beyond stupid.
 
Last edited:
Ole did what he was hired to do - get us back in the top four - sadly he stayed a bit too long and the arse fell out of it all and his achievements were tarnished - he should have been a short term appointment, to hand over to a coach capable of taking us to the next level.

The loss to Villareal in the Europa League Final should have been the end of the road. Ultimately he wasn't what we needed in the long-term but he still brought us some good times along the way, sadly they were punctuated by terrible moments of abject despair.
 
OnlyTwoDaSilvas said:
I love this sort of stuff, it's fascinating.

On the Ajax stadium tour, they said they put the coat hooks in the away dressing room really high up the wall to make the players feel small.

They also provide a whiteboard for lineup/tactics and some magnets, except the whiteboard doesn't have metal beneath the surface, so the magnets don't even stick.

They could've just not provided magnets, but providing them for a facility where they won't work is proper dastardly stuff.
Click to expand...

For some reason, that’s really tickled me, especially the magnets! :lol: Thanks for giving me a chuckle…
 
DJ_21 said:
Don’t think ten Hag changes his style… a lot of people was saying he only has 1 style of play. That’s why he gave away a game against benfica in the champions league when they was winning he was still very much attacking which left them wide open at the back and they conceded. Think this needs to change to be honest. When winning near the end by 1 goal don’t be to expansive, could cost us a few times. Think his style of play though similar to pep should see us 3/4 goals up in most games.
Click to expand...

I feel like the addition of someone canny like McClaren means he’s got another winner alongside him with experience to rein him in or close the game down if needs be…I doubt he’d make the same mistakes again but agree he’s style of play should see more goals and chances created…cannot wait!
 
Azhar88 said:
One thing has puzzled me for years about modern football and its this: why do the managers/assistants medical people etc. seem to sit on what look to me like car seats? Does anyone know?

I once did a tour of the stadium and had a good look, they really are seats normally found in cars!

On the tour it was explained that most clubs do play little games to gain an advantage with the whole home/away facilities. Smaller more cramped for the visitors, no heating, cold showers - that sort of thing.

Oh, I think I have realised myself my answer to my previous question: they are car seats, heated ones, to keep the muscles warm for the subs would be advantageous.
Click to expand...
What I also find puzzling is Utds manager and subs dug out is quite low down as the ground goes deeper once you come off the pitch. I find it must be hard to analyse the game from such a low position. I know it’s not feasible for a manager to be too high up either as they need to be pitch side at times but when I went on a tour, it didn’t feel the best position.
 
Pickle85 said:
That poster seems to enjoy a devil's advocate stance. Have you read their thoughts in the Scott McTom thread?!
Click to expand...
What did I say about Scotty?
Pickle85 said:
That poster seems to enjoy a devil's advocate stance. Have you read their thoughts in the Scott McTom thread?!
Click to expand...
There's nothing contrarion about saying that although Ole wasn't good enough, he wasn't shite. Anyway onwards and upwards with Erik.
 
Olecurls99 said:
What did I say about Scotty?

There's nothing contrarion about saying that although Ole wasn't good enough, he wasn't shite. Anyway onwards and upwards with Erik.
Click to expand...
Sorry, you're right, twas about scotty in the van de beek thread.
 
Chief123 said:
What I also find puzzling is Utds manager and subs dug out is quite low down as the ground goes deeper once you come off the pitch. I find it must be hard to analyse the game from such a low position. I know it’s not feasible for a manager to be too high up either as they need to be pitch side at times but when I went on a tour, it didn’t feel the best position.
Click to expand...
I've often wondered this. As a spectator, I don't like a seat right by the pitch, so why does the manager ? I know they like to get up and shout at the players sometimes, but I remember Roy Keane once saying you could rarely hear anything they manager said (and this was Fergie!). Does all that wild gesticulation achieve anything ? Maybe Ancelloti with his "having a Sunday afternoon stroll" demeanor is onto something !

I would have thought a position several rows up would give a much better view for the big decisions like who to sub and when and things to discuss at half time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cheimoon
Status
Not open for further replies.