Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24

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Bobski said:
I just find it difficult to have faith in a manager who enthusiastically drove the team into destination fecked and stuck with those tactics until that Arsenal home game despite it being blindingly obvious it had to be changed. He came into this season thinking ageing Casemiro who ended last season terribly, Bruno and Mount was a workable midfield.

In some ways the injuries have been a boon for him because it has shifted focus from his inexcusable tactics.
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JPRouve said:
I have zero trust in him and likely won't for a long time but I do believe that the flaws he exposed are manageable. He is just one of many head coaches that can't be left without supervision, you don't trust them with transfer suggestions, you don't trust them with the way they may manage players' fitness or the way they manage schedules. But that's what DOFs are supposed to do, be hands-on when needed or take a step back if that's the best course of action. For the same club you don't manage Guardiola/Klopp the way you would manage De Zerbi or Marco Rose.
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That's where I'm at and sort of why I'm really not too 'fussed' atm if he goes or stays, even though I was fully out a month or so ago.

This season's tactics and commitment to his self sabotaging approach has undone all the good work of last season. However, these last 4 games has also shown that he is (in someway) a winner, he can get our team to win games (even if it's from a low standard of attritional football simply because of the quality of our players), we can be progressive and he is a capable coach with now 2 years of PL experience under his belt. I'd imagine we had all thought he would build during last summer to make us a more sturdier outfit that controlled games through possession rather than the pressing/counter pressing and deep line we had that was quite successful. If the change of tactics has come from above, then it shows there's clearly some synergy and it can work to 'manage' him.

On the one hand, I would love to have a De Zerbi/Amorin come in and we'd start playing really dominating football but I'd worry about a weak underbelly (the likes De Zerbi/Ange have shown this season) if there's not much of a plan B or rather an inability to manage a strong defensive base also. The logical change would be Tuchel but I fear it's almost a side and up step, where it would be still be quite attritional football because of his pragmatism/our squad makeup and a gamble but you cannot deny his results in the CL. There's probably some emotional attachment to ETH as I do feel he does 'get' the club and despite his ludicrous failings this season, it was evident he was able to recognise the youth talent in Mainoo/Amad in pre-season (i.e commitment to do the right thing for the club) and based on the tactics it wasn't this suicidal 4-1-5 we've seen so much this season.

If INEOS can manage ETH to build from the 22-23 style, then we have a 'good' chance of being a 'good' top 4 club, which is almost as good as what other coaches can offer but perhaps without that maverick ability they possess (the same way we thought we saw ETH at Ajax) that could launch us into another level. I'm glad I'm not making the decision because I don't think it's as straight forward and there's a lot of some justifiable emotional elements that can work for/against you with a managerial change.
 
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Mercurial said:
This has always been how you qualify vs Pep in a cup since Barca days too. Destructive high octane countering football, ideally with a high but not suicidal line and fast counters, fast defenders and tons off destructive mid workhorses to block their playmaking ability. It's common knowledge in 2024. I'm very surprised EtH abandoned his suicidal principals to do it. Makes me all the more perplexed why we didn't harden the mid much sooner to get a top 4.
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and Eric will learn. I am just lost of words for people looking down on Eric because we had 27% possession against city (but Real Madrid and Ancelotti can do it).
 
We might as well keep Ten Hag if Frank is the pick, that would be a mental appointment. I'll say it again, Tuchel is the only choice if we want to be competitive next season.
 
Blood Mage said:
We might as well keep Ten Hag if Frank is the pick, that would be a mental appointment. I'll say it again, Tuchel is the only choice if we want to be competitive next season.
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Competitive in what? He's just managed to come third in a two team league after signing the best striker on the planet and a centre half this place was clamouring for all summer.
 
Dobba said:
Competitive in what? He's just managed to come third in a two team league after signing the best striker on the planet and a centre half this place was clamouring for all summer.
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Haaland went to Bayern? I wasn't made aware... Good for us, I guess.
 
Anecdotally from what I've seen, a good amount of the United supporters that want this guy to say still cite comical and/pr non-applicable talking points like:

- "player power"
- "these players let down other managers"
- "lost the dressing room"
- "we've sacked managers before"

not sacking him for fear of backlash from people like that would be hilarious since these guys are supposed to be data driven experts
 
RoyH1 said:
He's getting both the Pulitzer and the British Press Award for this bit of groundbreaking news.
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To be fair to him, it's just a throwaway line in his article about Frank and Pochettino. It's Unitedzone's post in Twitter that made it look like some headline.
 
simonhch said:
He was speaking sense after the Cup Final yesterday too. And he's not just a journalist, he's a huge Man Utd fan. He said everything yesterday to ESPN that he's just said there, but also pointed out that for all those saying he should stay after winning the FA Cup, "is this really the style of football and approach that you think is good enough for Man Utd?". United won the game with 27% possession, they played the second half with all their players in their own half, desperately defending in backs to wall stuff. Is that repeatable? Is that the sort of thing you want to see United doing? United should be dominating games, or at least trying too. Playing on the front foot. Fact is that United have had their worst league campaign in something like 34 years, and yes you can point to injuries, but the tactical decisions, and the way the team has been set up is almost independent of injuries. There was just a sense of chaos, of no-one knowing what they were supposed to be doing, and United suffered a record number of defeats. Now they've won the FA Cup, but they've done it by essentially playing park the bus football and hardly getting out of their own half. It's a nice victory for the club today, but it's not a brand of football or a basis on which you can build a winning team moving forwards. So I don't think there's any sense from people in the know, that anyone feels Ten Hag is the man to carry the club forwards.

Those are his words paraphrased. And I have to agree with all of it.
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'Talking sense' :lol:
 
None of the ones mentioned fill me with delight tbh. I would rather try another unknown like Amorim, as Frank, Di Zerbi (obviously), Tuchel or Poch have never come close to winning the league. At least with Amorin there would be major anticipation for the season to start, at least.
 
Remember that time when people were wanting to replace Ten Hag because we finished 8th with a negative GD, got spanked in CL and he supported his mate that was fired for sexual harassment - but then he won a game and everything was good again?
Good times.
 
GreatDane said:
Remember that time when people were wanting to replace Ten Hag because we finished 8th with a negative GD, got spanked in CL and he supported his mate that was fired for sexual harassment - but then he won a game and everything was good again?
Good times.
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Well, the vast majority still want him sacked. It's ok to be happy about winning the FA Cup, though.
 
this gotta be one of the most knee-jerky moments in caf history

most of the forum appeared to be hag out a few days ago, and now half the forum is going to battle for him
 
Tarrou said:
this gotta be one of the most knee-jerky moments in caf history

most of the forum appeared to be hag out a few days ago, and now half the forum is going to battle for him
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Yeah, that's not happing though is it? And, there'll be no battle. If he's getting sacked - which he most likely is - then I would imagine it'll be announced within the next couple of days.
 
GreatDane said:
I was thrilled about it, great day - I just dont understand how do many can look past the rest of the season.
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But the majority don't? I don't understand why people take RedCafe polls so seriously. The liklihood is that he's getting sacked, and it'll likely happen within the next few days.
 
The way I see it, there's very little in it for INEOS to keep him.
  • If they keep him and it works out, they'll be called geniuses and United DNA for having faith in the manager.
  • If they sack him and it works out, they'll be called ruthless but competent.
  • If they sack him and it fails, the fanbase will say that the new manager/structure needs more time to implement change and reap the rewards.
  • If they keep him and it fails, they'll be called clueless, Glazers 2.0, and OUTEOS will trend.
Unless they're beyond sure that it's going to work out next season and they give him full backing, I don't see why bother keeping him. They've already failed at the full backing by not putting out a statement supporting him yet anyway.

Then there's also the question of what success means for next season:
  • Top 4 + Cup like last year?
  • CL qualification via top 4/5 or EL win?
  • Anything better than 8th + more dominant performances?
 
I've been pretty much on the fence over this and remain so. There are a lot of good reasons to sack ETH, and then there are a few factors that make you think that giving him another year with INEOS is worth a shot.

Ultimately, I have to trust INEOS to make the right decision. We've tried replacing managers before and we know that's not enough. The most important thing is to build the new structure and believe that the new people will do a job good - and that includes deciding who the manager is. If they don't do a good job, it won't matter who the manager is. We'll continue to struggle.
 
I think he should go but I'm ambivalent about it all tbh. The potential successor list doesn't fill me with any great amount of joy.
 
Robbie Boy said:
Yeah, that's not happing though is it? And, there'll be no battle. If he's getting sacked - which he most likely is - then I would imagine it'll be announced within the next couple of days.
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what's not happening? I know he's getting sacked I'm talking about sentiment on the forum changing

few days ago the posters in favour of keeping him were few and far between, and now there's fookin loads
 
I'm betting that if they keep him we'll be dead in the water by November.

Tuchel and Mckenna likely won't be available anymore. Even Poch might have found a job by then, and they will start flirting with Southgate
 
Tarrou said:
what's not happening? I know he's getting sacked I'm talking about sentiment on the forum changing

few days ago the posters in favour of keeping him were few and far between, and now there's fookin loads
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I'm not seeing that? It feels the exact same barring one or two saying they're maybe on the fence now. I think some feel a bit sorry for him as he has had a rough ride from the media all week, especially after yesterday's win. The hysteria seems to be coming from the "OMG why hasn't he been sacked yet" brigade.

I also think some have concerns over the list of potential successors. Each to their own, but none are really exciting me.
 
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