Let's be honest, ETH has started badly. That doesn't mean he can't turn things around, but so far his decision-making has been strange. I have defended all of our managers because I felt they were fighting a losing battle without the required support from the club, however, we need to be real sometimes about what the manager can and cannot control and so far ETH hasn't covered himself in glory.
1) The signings have been, let's be honest, quite frankly bizarre. None of them realistically improve our best XI (and that's saying something!) and none of them are in any of the key positions we drastically needed to improve. On the one hand, I understand that the management team might have missed some of ETHs other top targets but why spend nearly £60m on a 5ft 9" CB when we already have four internationals in this position and gaping holes elsewhere in the team? It makes no sense.
2) How has he dealt with the Ronaldo situation? Despite all of the strong words, he's done exactly what every other manager has done....bottled it and put him straight back into the side. Now, again, I love Ronaldo. I am slightly younger and grew up watching him and Rooney develop together at OT and become legends of the game....but his behaviour recently has been unacceptable. Leaving the Derby when not selected to start, leaving pre-season games early, not going on tour, the petulance when subbed...I could go on...IF this had been any other player this forum would have melted down. You can't be seen to be allowing some players to behave badly with no consequences.
3) The squad is still ridiculously bloated and there are a number of senior players hanging around who I guarantee won't start more than 5 or 6 league games...so why are they here!? I get ETH doesn't directly deal in transfers but be forceful! Make it clear you won't use them, so we might as well get something for them, anything. Put the pressure on the management team to act! If I had taken over this job in July, I'd be giving the Board a list of players who wouldn't be considered for selection and telling them - these lads will be the PLs' most expensive training ground dummies if you don't get them out by whatever means necessary!
4) Has ETH ever watched us play, prior to taking over? A brief skim through this forum and taking the time to watch some of our games last season should have been more than enough for ETH to know that playing penalty-box tika-taka with DDG, McTominay and Fred is absolute suicide. Again, I get he wanted FDJ but why does that stop us going out and making another signing in CM? We needed two or three anyway! Why have we seen absolutely no mention at all of signing a new GK? Why have we allowed a good (if unspectacular) GK to leave the club on loan? There's one thing sticking to your principles and believing in your coaching skills but you've got to be realistic! Pep didn't try to coach Hart...he was gone. No chances, no 'if's', 'but's' or 'maybe's'....just "this lad can't do what I want, end of conversation".
5) It concerns me that ETH thinks he can fix this with 'discipline', i.e. by getting the players to run in training on their day off. This isn't a discipline issue, this is a 'you can't polish a turd' issue. How is getting DDG to run 13K going to help him stop chucking the ball in his own net or passing it to opposition players? How is it going to help Fred and McTominay play on the half-turn and make progressive passes? I have said it before...you can't punish a fish because it can't climb a tree!
