Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24

[M Bison]

Going pragmatic is absolutely the worst you can do. It hides the problems for short term gain, a gain that will not bring trophies or anything good. Being stubborn is what will give him a better look at who can hack it in the system he wants to implement that will be used in future seasons. Otherwise we'll be stuck in a loop where he'll try to teach the players his system only in preseason.

Unless you're saying he should just scrap the style he wants completely forever. In which case, why even hire him?

I'm saying utilise a playing style that fits the players we have, if he wants to change the playing style, evolve it over time and bring new players in to support that evolution. What we are attempting to do will see us relegated.

 

[Hugh Jass]

We basically gifted them a two goal handicap with DeGeas mistakes. It was downhill from there.

 

[In Rainbows]

True but he has turned a bad team into a much worse team.....

A much worse team 2 games in with only bringing in 3 reinforcements compared to losing 7. A much worse team because the style he wants long term is making the players look worse due to lack of ability.

 

[Castia]

The players are taking absolutely nothing onboard again.

They don’t wanna run, can barely put 2 passes together, zero chemistry the list is endless.

Do yourself a father Erik and get the feck out whilst you can

 

[Cassidy]

And is getting critique because he's already lost the two of them to mid table teams and is taking on Liverpool next.

3 games 3 losses with this mentally weak group is game over.

He’ll turn it around because he is a good manager. These are the times he’ll find out who in the squad he can rely on and who he cant.

 

[OrcaFat]

I think the players are underperforming and this will tend to suggest a selection issue but they’re all as bad as each other just now.

I think it’s probably fair to say that he is making some mistakes but I believe he will adapt and his coaching will start yielding better results.

He is not shy to say we need better players and I suppose the current players won’t like that but the ones with the ability and the right character will rise to the challenge.

I’m happy to give him two years. If they all buy into his project they can get some wins and kick on.

 

[Big Ben Foster]

Meh. Paddy Power love their PR stunts.

 

[rpitchfo]

"This team is good enough to beat Brighton and Brentford which we didn't do so we have to question ourselves."

I'm now officially very worried. I can only respond to what i see him do and what i hear him say. The lack of respect in this statement based on the last 6 months ( at a minimum) is terrifying.

 

[hellhunter]

And is getting critique because he's already lost the two of them to mid table teams and is taking on Liverpool next.

3 games 3 losses with this mentally weak group is game over.

This has to be a worry, yeah. When Ole and Rangnick started to fail, things failed really really badly. Surely a lot of reasons for it, but this group of players, at least the last year, doesn't have the mentality to dig themselves out of a whole

 

[InspiRED]

I’ve got high hopes for ETH still. I liked the way in his post match pressers he was not defensive sr all and just spoke it like it is.

I think he made a mistake with Martinez selection today but he is obviously playing him because he wants to totally dominate possession. However with a weak ass midfield and De Geas non confidence with ball st his feet we were always like to concede corners and free kicks and get dominated due to height advantage. He does need to learn how to make side more physical and quickly. Funnily enough RR also pointed this out.

Back the manager, should be Utd behind the manager and against the glazers with their inept ownership.

 

[The Mitcher]

He did not assemble this squad.
He has not been given many alternatives.
We lost 7 first team players this summer and signed 3

Excuses. He also has had time to assess them and find a system that suits them while a transition is made. He hasn't. He could play any of the reserve players who give a shit, yet he doesn't. He CHOSEvto give these players a clean slate rather than be ruthless, it's a logical decision, but he kept players that SHOULD NOT be here.

 

[cj_sparky]

Worry for him.

He could quite easily go the way of Frank de Boer.

He needs to figure out this group tactically and quick. Over reliance on players who got chance after chance under Ole, won't serve him well either. He needs help and quick, fresh recruits with real character and fight would be a start.

Hopefully he turns things around quick, but realistically it will take time... a long time. I don't envy him.

 

[Jairdinho]

I’d call Graham Potter today and tell him use our scouting network and come up with a plan this season and you’ll get the keys to the kingdom next year.

Ten Hag is simply not gonna work with inept transfer dealings. The eredivisie is not competitive and saying that he did great in the UCL doesnt change that.First off he had a really talented squad and could walk the eredivisie so had ages to prepare.

 

[In Rainbows]

I'm saying utilise a playing style that fits the players we have, if he wants to change the playing style, evolve it over time and bring new players in to support that evolution. What we are attempting to do will see us relegated.

So you want to go back to pragmatic football. We saw Ragnick do this and it didn't work. Ole, last season used this style of play and it didn't work. It's time to set up the future, painful as it is. We'll get a much more honest look at who can hack it under the new system because we can't literally get rid of every player. And the honest look involves something more than 2 matches.

Excuses. He also has had time to assess them and find a system that suits them while a transition is made. He hasn't. He could play any of the reserve players who give a shit, yet he doesn't. He CHOSEvto give these players a clean slate rather than be ruthless, it's a logical decision, but he kept players that SHOULD NOT be here.

Find a system that suits them involves an assessment longer than 2 matches. If you were to base it on last season, you already know what Ralf and Ole tried with them didn't work either. So what system can any management team use that will suit these lot if you have already ruled out at least 2/3 systems?

 

[Escobar]

If we sack him, the club should just quit completely

 

[UpWithRivers]

The manager is 2 games into the job

So? Whats the rules here. You can only say positive things until what 6 months in? 8 months? What is it?

 

[spiriticon]

If he doesn't have the balls to drop half of the first team for the younger or fringe players, he'll absolutely struggle.

The so-called first team is mentally broken.

 

[mu4c_20le]

If we sack him, the club should just quit completely

Have we ever started a season when 3 straight losses?

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

i’ll believe what he says when he actually starts dropping players. it’s all guff until there are actions. it’s the same culprits time and time again and they’re allowed to keep their place time and time again.

drop who though? He already changed Shaw and Martinez. We have a suitable replacement for Bruno in Van deBeek, beyond that what even are his options other than the u21s?

 

[Cassidy]

Excuses. He also has had time to assess them and find a system that suits them while a transition is made. He hasn't. He could play any of the reserve players who give a shit, yet he doesn't. He CHOSEvto give these players a clean slate rather than be ruthless, it's a logical decision, but he kept players that SHOULD NOT be here.

There is no system that suits them. They are shot mentally. Its not the system that beat us, it was weak mentality after an individual error

 

[jasT1981]

 

[The Mitcher]

drop who though? He already changed Shaw and Martinez. We have a suitable replacement for Bruno in Van deBeek, beyond that what even are his options other than the u21s?

DvB is AWFUL, how can you look at his past two seasons and last preason and say he's good enough? He's another that's got to go.

 

[Cassidy]

So? Whats the rules here. You can only say positive things until what 6 months in? 8 months? What is it?

I think its silly to blame the manager for player making individual errors and not showing mental fortitude. I also think its silly to expect the manager to be able to fix that 2 games in

 

[R'hllor]

Are people really calling for him to be sacked, there is huge gap between calling for his head and having a go at him for different things like clean slate shit, this or that etc.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Players with no bottle

 

[hellhunter]

Are people really calling for him to be sacked, there is huge gap between calling for his head and having a go at him for different things like clean slate shit, this or that etc.

Don't think anyone is calling for the sack. But people are worried how quickly things can spiral out of control.

Any piece of mental resilience will be shot if we get hammered by Liverpool, and then you're looking at potentially four losses out of four

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

I think its silly to blame the manager for player making individual errors and not showing mental fortitude. I also think its silly to expect the manager to be able to fix that 2 games in

Pretty much this. It's shameful it even has to be spelt out

 

[Champ]

Takes a certain someone to turn a mediocre team into an awful team.

ETH has done that in the space of a few months.

It's a test of nerve now to see if both fans and board back him long enough to get it right.

 

[Castia]

Doesn’t matter who’s in charge does it.

These players aren’t carrying out a gameplan regardless.

 

[SirScholes]

You're missing the big picture. Even if we had won today, having Dalot as the starting RB would be madness. It's a terrible choice by ETH, it's really that simple. Dalot being a regular RB will be detrimental on the short and long term

He’s someone to replace but saying it’s criminal a youth player went on loan is stupid
he has a shit squad to deal with

 

[rimaldo]

drop who though? He already changed Shaw and Martinez. We have a suitable replacement for Bruno in Van deBeek, beyond that what even are his options other than the u21s?

if the 11/12 players that play week in week out are the best trainers and the best on show then he has no choice but to play some u21s. what has rashford done for 2 seasons now? what has maguire shown when we have a million center backs at the club? the midfield gets overrun every week any way, chuck garner or savage or iqbal in and give them a run of games. just do something. if you didn’t know who was on the sideline you could have been watching an ole or ralf team. it’s clear these players just don’t have it. he needs to do something different.

 

[PedroMendez]

The players don't play with intensity. Even the best teams in the world get frequently in trouble when they refuse to put in the work. Everything else follows. Thats one of the few constants regardless of who is the manager. If EtH can't change that, he is gone in a few weeks.

 

[CarbonStoolBites]

ETH got baptized today, Martinez was too, welcome to the Premier League fellas, you’re not in Kansas anymore.

We need a Declan Rice way more than a Frankie De Jong. You don’t go chasing a FDJ (as a cute and as tidy he may be) all summer when rebuilding a dysfunctional team.

We can’t play out of the back with people like Dalot, Maguire or De Gea, De Jong won’t change that.
Hell, we wouldn’t be able to play out of the back with prime Barcelona players right now, every team and their grandma will be pressing us, Brighton and Brentford were pressing us with three fecking players in our box, no one does that to Man City or Liverpool, because teams fear them.
Every team on the planet would struggle to play out of the back when there’s 3 rival players storming on you in your own box.
We completely need to throw the play out of the back at all costs mindset to the bin for now, it won’t work.

I’m fully behind the manager, but I think its fair to criticize and point to mistakes, we have a thread that’s called “SAF’s biggest mistakes”, there’s an obvious difference between criticism and being a literal child and wanting the manager sacked at this point.

There’s obviously significant changes that need to be made, and quickly.
Perhaps a three at the back setup will help Martinez to gel in quicker and will solidify us a bit for awhile, will also mean that Varane will start.
Maybe try Martinez as a holding midfielder.
I wouldn’t be against benching De Gea for Heaton.
Not sure if a panic buying spree ala Arsenal after that 8-2 in 2011 is what we need either.

Rashford gets the hate and the criticism but my god Sancho has been a crap signing.
A 75m player whose on stupid wages needs to take responsibility and act like one of the creators if not the main creator in the team, instead he hides on the right flank and does absolutely nothing, such a timid player, horrific signing thus far.
He needs to be dropped for the Liverpool match, Robertson will have him for lunch.

I think the one positive I’ll take from today’s match is that Malacia is now our starting left back.
Lets see how they react.
This season was never going to be smooth sailing, its a horrible start but I fully trust the manager to find the solutions.

I’d call Graham Potter today and tell him use our scouting network and come up with a plan this season and you’ll get the keys to the kingdom next year.

Ten Hag is simply not gonna work with inept transfer dealings. The eredivisie is not competitive and saying that he did great in the UCL doesnt change that.First off he had a really talented squad and could walk the eredivisie so had ages to prepare.

Right, Potter is the messiah because he did well with Brighton, okie.
Then we sack him when be shits his pants and get Frank in. Maybe we’ll wheel out good ol Carrick when Frank gets the sack.
Plan.

 

[hellhunter]

The players don't play with intensity. Even the best teams in the world get frequently in trouble when they refuse to put in the work. Everything else follows. Thats one of the few constants regardless of who is the manager. If EtH can't change that, he is gone in a few weeks.

This is certainly a good point, but isn't it also the managers job to get them to play with that intensity? Call it motivation or whatever, but a geriatric Ronaldo aside, every one of them can run. It's also the coach's job to make sure they do

 

[The Mitcher]

There is no system that suits them. They are shot mentally. Its not the system that beat us, it was weak mentality after an individual error

And it's HIS job as MANAGER to instill confidence and belief. He's had a few months now, they are worse than they were under Ralph.

 

[cyberman]

And it's HIS job as MANAGER to instill confidencevand belief. He's had a few months now, they are worse than they were under Ralph.

When you say two months you mean two games right?

 

[Will Singh]

He’s had 6 weeks with the team and had done feck all, Ralf was thrown into the deep end and everyone laughed at him for telling the world we need a new team…

 

[UpWithRivers]

I think its silly to blame the manager for player making individual errors and not showing mental fortitude. I also think its silly to expect the manager to be able to fix that 2 games in

Well firstly no one blamed the manager for players making individual mistakes so I dont know what you are on about and secondly if you are saying that the only issue is player mistakes then I disagree and dont know which game you just watched

 

[RoadTrip]

Yes and no. Change that isn't given expression through results is pure naivety. Fans talk the talk when it comes to change. A new manager, a modern playing style, new players and even a new board are great measures of change. However, if the totality of all that 'change' leaves us outside the top four or top six, it is not the sort of 'change' that will be tolerated for very long. Football fans what change and assume that the results will follow as a matter of course. That may be the case, but it may not. Ultimately, results are the evidence of 'change'.

Better to change and fail, than to continue on our current path.

 

[kouroux]

He’s someone to replace but saying it’s criminal a youth player went on loan is stupid
he has a shit squad to deal with

Not to me when the alternative is Dalot, one of the worst footballers who's ever played for Man Utd. Easy fo'sheezy decision