Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24

Status
Not open for further replies.
Who are they going for then? The list is being whittled away, apparently. They clearly don’t think EtH is the man, so who is?
They might well keep Ten Hag. But I see them going for other managers before considering Southgate that's for sure.
 
The optimist in me is inclined to see this as a good thing long term. Sir Jim needs to learn a few humbling lessons. You can’t run a club like MU like a typing pool. I suspect his line of chat with Tuchel was cringey. Can he hang on to Ten Hag, is the question? Southgate, now that would be like a new Father Ted episode.
 
I will say this. I am 100% Ten Hag out, but the way they have flirted with other managers and been non committal on Ten Hag’s future is fecking chickenshit. It reeks of corporate bureaucracy, decisions made in a boardroom with fecking PowerPoint presentations from a goddamn management consultant. Grow some balls Ratcliffe, stop being such a douchebag.
The concerns with Tuchel were reported. If everything is baseless speculation to you just stop reading their tweets until you see an announcement on the website?
 
Let's assume just for the sake of argument that there's no such thing as end of season review at all, and no interviews with potential managers are happening. If that was the case, ineos look incredibly weak by allowing the press to run wild with all kinds of speculation. So I think it's much probable that they are indeed just unsure what to do right now, hence no official statements from the club just yet. Which makes EtH look like an absolute lame duck right now, I just don't see how he will enter the new season and even pre season without some sort of confidence statement like a new contract from the upper management.
 
Genuinely surprised to see Poch ruled out as I thought he was the obvious candidate. I guess Frank or de Zerbi then. Frank seems more like a yes man.

The consistent theme emerging is that INEOS want to build up the club around their own infrastructure and long term tactical outlook and not around the thoughts of any individual manager who might come through. This is undoubtedly correct in principle but what is that tactical outlook? If it is Gareth Southgate's boring basic b*tch cautionball then we might as well burn the next ten years right now. I thought ETH had the right ideas personally but obviously INEOS don't.
 
Last edited:
I still think it's crazy people in this thread say "he's not going to be replaced by someone that's better than him at this point so might as well stick it out" - so matter of factly about a manager that finished 8th.

Even if you rate him, surely one can see that's not really a clear cut thing (and I'm being diplomatic).
 
In out in out in out….. that’s been my guess of Ten Haag’s future these last few months.

I’m predicting they will stick with him for now until they get their ducks in a row upstairs with Berrada, Ashcroft & Wilcox settling into their new roles. I think they’ll then give him to around Christmas time to show them he can work within their new structure and visa versa and critically, that results and performances improve with less injuries to key players and the impact of any early INEOS signings.

It also allows the likes of Southgate (oh god) and any other more suitable managerial candidates to potentially become available as it’s slim pickings right now.

The communication piece in this whole matter to date has been very poor by INEOS one way or another. This isn’t Nice FC, it’s MUFC where speculation is rife on a daily basis if you don’t manage the global media appropriately.
 
The concerns with Tuchel were reported. If everything is baseless speculation to you just stop reading their tweets until you see an announcement on the website?
I’m not reading tweets. You know nothing, I know nothing. And yes, your speculation is baseless. That’s not unique to you, everyone is guessing.

My only comment is how badly they’ve cocked it up.
 
It feels like we are shopping around for an interim manager that can work with what we have until our footballing structure is in place and our footballing plan properly formulated and we can have the right people then drawing up a shortlist and interviewing managers who then match the agreed structure.

Yeah you could well be right, can't see any way we are going to appoint someone under the radar. Very likely we end up keeping him by default as no one fits what type of manager they want
 
None of those are guaranteed to be better than a manager that’s won two cups in two years, and had one good season and one bad in the league.

Also, crucially… none of those have a history of recuitment. And we don’t have a recruitment team in place. Also… they’ll all mostly be happy to leave wherever they are and join United at any point in the next year.

Why appoint them now.

Not a single manager in the world is guaranteed of anything, not even pip!




It's so clear what's happening now (for me at least).

They want a manager who can be held accountable but whom won't expect them to held accountable on their side. Someone who can accept the top down status quo without any healthy challenge. No manager worth their salt will accept that, which explains an admiration for Southgate.

First time ever that I actually agree with you. :lol:

I also think they've asked Eric to do the same and he's probably drawn a line somewhere. You don't go from wanting and basically demanding that amount of control to becoming a lap dog especially if you don't really need the money.

I bet TT said something like call me when you realise no decent manager is going to sign up to be the doormat
 
Sorry to burst your bubble mate. But;

Zidane - Bald guy
Tuchel - Combover
De Zerbi - Receding Widows Peak

Southgate has an odd hairline that’s both receding and remaining luxurious.

Poch has a thicket. He’ll probably have thick jet black hair in his coffin.

Point being ‘Bald Guy’ is just odd as a qualifier. Why refer to him like that?
In the Spanish speaking community, many of us call him “el calvo”, never in an insulting way. El calvo translates to bald guy.

Other nicknames we have for him in the Spanish speaking United community are: Ten Shin Han (the DBZ character you may know as Tien), diez brujas (rough translation of Ten Hag into Spanish), and hentai (I never use that one, find it offensive).
 
My guess is ETH staying, I am ETH out camp but this has been drag out. With managers wanting to sort out their next career move, most would not wait for United. I guess we will stick to United and if ETH continues to suck then he will be sack by Christmas with a new man appointment. Hopefully, there are few managers that available then.
 
Do we know who's actually making the decision on the manager? Have Berrada and Ashworth started working yet or is it just Wilcox along with the Ineos boys?

I'd hope that if the actual football people aren't in place, the non-football people would keep their noses out of it. That's how we got the last decade of mediocrity under the Glazers.

Anyways, my pick now that Tuchel isn't an option would be either Poch or just stick with EtH for another season.
 
Do we know who's actually making the decision on the manager? Have Berrada and Ashworth started working yet or is it just Wilcox along with the Ineos boys?

I'd hope that if the actual football people aren't in place, the non-football people would keep their noses out of it. That's how we got the last decade of mediocrity under the Glazers.

Anyways, my pick now that Tuchel isn't an option would be either Poch or just stick with EtH for another season.
Both Berrada and Ashworth haven't started yet.

This is why I'm ETH in.

Give Ten Hag another season while we finalize all the backroom staff pieces since it looks like we're picking up people left and right for new roles. Once Berrada, Wilcox and Ashworth are all settled in nicely they'll be able to start a blueprint for how they want to take the club forward. Such changes won't be possible over the term of 2-3 months. The current state of the club and where they want it to be will take careful planning and you don't want to rush such changes.

Just my 2c.
 
What I am liking about all this is that it seems there are no leaks. I am sure everything has been decided behind the scenes but no one is feeding the media as before and they are losing their minds.
 
We’ve basically picked a DOF who has so little clout at this level and will only convince managers like Howe, Southgate and Potter to work under him.

We were probably very serious about McKenna and he ultimately swerved us because it sounded like a recipe for failure to him. While Tuchel basically said feck that I’m not dancing to the tune of brexiteers fc

ETH obviously won’t fit in this arrangement either and now we’re fecked because that bridge is burned and the other options, RDZ, Xavi etc are not pushovers.
 
We’ve basically picked a DOF who has so little clout at this level and will only convince managers like Howe, Southgate and Potter to work under him.

We were probably very serious about McKenna and he ultimately swerved us because it sounded like a recipe for failure to him. While Tuchel basically said feck that I’m not dancing to the tune of brexiteers fc

ETH obviously won’t fit in this arrangement either and now we’re fecked because that bridge is burned and the other options, RDZ, Xavi etc are not pushovers.

Dan Ashworth isn’t even working at the club yet. He’s also one of the most respected figures in all of football.
 
We’ve basically picked a DOF who has so little clout at this level and will only convince managers like Howe, Southgate and Potter to work under him.

We were probably very serious about McKenna and he ultimately swerved us because it sounded like a recipe for failure to him. While Tuchel basically said feck that I’m not dancing to the tune of brexiteers fc

ETH obviously won’t fit in this arrangement either and now we’re fecked because that bridge is burned and the other options, RDZ, Xavi etc are not pushovers.
I thought Ashworth was rated very highly? There's a reason Newcastle are putting up a fight over him, no?
 
I don't feel sorry for him at all. Think he's lucky to not have already been sacked honestly and he's making huge amounts of money either way. At the end of the day sure he's being left in the dark currently, but he'll either get to manage one of the biggest clubs in the world or get paid handsomely to NOT manage us anymore. And quite frankly his image isn't really being harmed either as many in the public seem to think he's been hard done either way.

That being said, the fact that we still don't know either way is a fecking damning. I know the poster earlier gave a great longform post on his own experience having to turn around a much smaller company, but I'm not looking for us to be instantly turned around or want INEOS to be "rushing decisions". But they've known they would be taking over since last fall, and have been running the footballing side of the club since January. That's more than enough time to be keeping a running analysis of the job a manager is doing and whether or not it's up to par with what they are looking for. This stupid cover of "oh they need to now review the season" is a load of crap for not being able to firmly make a decision either way and not being able to come to an agreement on a manager to lead us forward while also following all of the directives of the upper management.

My initial point was directed at the multiple of posts I've seen in this very thread saying ETH deserves better or similar but yeah it's something we both agree on.

As for the bolded, that's where I think we may differ on. Considering the options available, I'm ambivalent about whether ETH goes because I don't think it's a straightforward easy decision and that's where INEOS are probably at now, hence the managerial reviews. I think the last month where ETH abandoned his suicidal 4-2-4 (with probably some influence from above), got some 'solid' results and winning the FA Cup (with a good performance no less), threw a spanner in the works from what I thought was an untenable position before i.e full sack worthy. It probably showed to them, he's not unworkable, has some redeeming qualities and I know this will be disputed, is somewhat of a 'winner', which I think is an underrated aspect not seen in the other choices (bar Tuchel, who is now seemingly out of contention).

For INEOS, who have recruited a team of decision makers, I can understand why they don't want too abrasive personalities and want someone, who can work 'under' them. So if you look at the choices, between Frank/Soutgate (shudders), Poch (now also not in contention apparently), the only remaining worthy candidate and my personal choice if I had to decide would be RDZ. I would love for us to start playing in a dominating fashion the way RDZ set up his teams but do you sack a manager (+ pay compensation), who has shown he can get results (22-23 season, League and FA Cup), risk alienating some of the fanbase when there is already goodwill because of the 'strong' finish to the season and gamble big with a fresh era? This is also after only having been in the job for 6 months where a couple of the key decision makers have not officially started yet or have been in/around the club for any meaningful timeline. From a footballing perspective on and off the pitch, it's not clear cut at all if you take all these factors into account.

For me, it's easy to see why they want to take as much time as they can.
 
Last edited:
Nah man, this is how it is supposed to work from now on. Take Ajax as an example, or Barça.

Who we can appoint as manager will be partially dependent on the said outlined playstyle.
I agree who we appoint should be determined by what style we want him to play and if he can do it, but:

1. Any manager cannot play any style. Most managers have predominant style that they are comfortable with and they can't just up and change it. Defensive and counter-attacking coaches are especially struggling with high-press style we seem to want to play

2. INEOS reportedly having talks with managers of completely different profiles: Poch, Tuchel, De Zerbi, and Southgate, makes it very suspicious that they are emphasizing playing style
 
This is precisely the reason we have been so far below standards since SAF retired.

Leadership vacuum. Nobody has full authority. Also, I don’t think anyone knows 100% what the actual direction of the footballing side of the operation is going to be. I think that includes Sir Jim and the Glazers. Scary thought considering this is how we landed in 8th with a negative goal difference. ETH left to his own devices is a good way to remain mediocre.


With all due respect mate, no one in the Caf, including you, knows what the feck is going on.

We have no idea why Tuchel wasn’t a match. Money? Contract length? Control of transfers? Coaching staff issues? Philosophy differences? Punitive contract clauses if we don’t make the CL?

Nobody. fecking. Knows.

Everything is just speculation.

I will say this. I am 100% Ten Hag out, but the way they have flirted with other managers and been non committal on Ten Hag’s future is fecking chickenshit. It reeks of corporate bureaucracy, decisions made in a boardroom with fecking PowerPoint presentations from a goddamn management consultant. Grow some balls Ratcliffe, stop being such a douchebag.

No sympathy for him. The way EtH treated DDG (that has given to the CLub more than EtH ever be) left a sour taste also.

It's all just business. He'll get massive compensation if the Club decide to let him go.
 
If ETH stays how does he have any credibility with the players?

No more so than the club would have with ETH after the way this whole thing has played out. Even if the internal review is still ongoing, the fact that credible journos have reported that SJR met with Tuchel, would have a devastating effect on ETH's morale, almost to where he may not even want to stay on.
 
No more so than the club would have with ETH after the way this whole thing has played out. Even if the internal review is still ongoing, the fact that credible journos have reported that SJR met with Tuchel, would have a devastating effect on ETH's morale, almost to where he may not even want to stay on.
What’s wrong with meeting other people? City was meeting with Pep Guardiola when Pellegrini was still in charge. Liverpool met Klopp in advance when Brendan Rodgers was still managing.

Big clubs and owners talk to potential people all the time. Whether they go through with the decision or not is their decision. The manager is just an employee and has little say in that.
 
What’s wrong with meeting other people? City was meeting with Pep Guardiola when Pellegrini was still in charge. Liverpool met Klopp in advance when Brendan Rodgers was still managing.

Big clubs and owners talk to potential people all the time. Whether they go through with the decision or not is their decision. The manager is just an employee and has little say in that.

The difference here is if ETH stays, the relationship would remain tenuous at best because he would know him staying was a consolation because the likes of Tuchel weren’t interested.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.