Absolutely delighted that UTD have finally confirmed ETH is staying. Long time in coming, but at least they came to the correct decision at the end, in my opinion.
Sure, the league was terrible this season, and it you focus on the 8th position, then it is easy to simply say ETH lead Utd to their worst league position in PL. But, stats can often be used to fit one agenda or another. League position is also heavily dependent on the performance of other clubs. With no real improvement in performances, Utd could have potentially been challenging Spurs for 5th, especially had it not been for the car crash against Chelsea in the final moments. Utd also finished with more points than they did the season before ETH took over. Despite having more injuries this year than I can ever remember in the PL.
The question I ask is: Have Man Utd progressed since ETH took charge. In my opinion, they have. Massively. Look at the players who have left the club since ETH took charge. Pogba, Lingard, Matic, Mata, Cavani, Phil Jones. Martial about to follow. Look at players that have come in. Some of the players that have come in have shown real promise, like Martinez and Hojlund. Casemiro was great last season, sure, disappointing in his injury plagued season this year. I like Onana, despite some shockers, but I think he will come good when his defence is settled, and he looks to have really good character. We'll see with Mount, but injury free he was a very solid player, so hopefully he can shake of his issues. The biggest issue was the arrival of Antony, and the fee was ridiculous. Yet, had he come for a low fee, I'd actually be fairly comfortable we'd have a good squad player, a player who could potentially grow with less limelight around him, and is capable of moments of magic. Yes, he isn't a player who has shown he can be pivotal to Man Utd, but I much prefer him to someone like Dan James, who pretty much avoided any scrutiny from the press when he was at the club. But then, we bought him for less than £20 million, in a season we also bought Maguire for £80 million.
When ETH took over, I wasn't demanding instant success. I was very prepared to take some low times, recognizing there could be ups and downs along the road, and realising this journey could take quite a few years. As long as I felt United and ETH were showing signs of building something. I think most Man Utd fans are more encouraged with the team we have now, than the team we had 2 years ago? There are signs a foundation is being built, with several really promising players. It is even clearer what positions need to be strengthened, and with a more stable ownership, you'd hope they'll be better at addressing these areas with a strategy, not adhoc signings hoping to magically solve all the problems. ETH has had 2 years at the club, knows it extremely well now, inside and out. His experience will be vital in working with the new ownership and sharing his views on where things are still weak, and the new ownership will be vital to him in identifying suitable players, with good personalities and getting them for well negotiated fees.
At least another season for ETH was critical for me. This time next year, hopefully INEOS are more settled. Hopefully ETH has a season with much fewer injuries. And, if Utd are still poor, then INEOS can review the manager situation quietly behind the scenes back end of season, and then make a change if they think there is a good replacement out there. However, as I think ETH is a very good manager, I hope that next season is much better, and Utd fans can continue to support their club, be proud of the progress they are making and be proud that the Club supported the manager after the tougher period, when all media seemed to demand he got sacked.
Time to relax, enjoy the Euros, and look forward to next season
