Erik ten Hag | 2024/25 | Sacked

[JPRouve]

Di Maria, Falcao, Ibrahimovic, Pogba, Ronaldo, Sancho, Varane, Casemiro? If that aren't big names, then I don't know how you define that term?!

You made my point. You named 8 players that have been signed across 8 years. I kind of knew that it was where you were going to go and that's the fallacy, those players where signed alongside a plethora of players that weren't big names and especially around young players. Did the club sign big name players when the opportunity arised? Yes, but the strategy has never been to build a squad of big names and we never had a squad full of big names.

And by inflexible, I meant inflexible, the character trait. Which can show itself in different situations.

 

[Reiver]

This season is another write off already. Thanks Erik.

 

[TheReligion]

Feck me, the standards at this club are on the floor.

Why because of what Gary Neville says on Sky?!

 

[Theo88]

If i was performing half as shit as he has in my job role, i would have been allowed half as much time to turn things around as he has.

We're 14th. Let that sink in. Closer to the relegation zone than top 4.

After the worst campaign in modern times, we have the worst start to the season in modern times. We're actually getting worse.

If he stays on, i hope things do improve but what we're seeing should give us 0 confidence this could materialise. Twente and Porto made us look like fools.

 

[Oranges038]

I would rather listen to Trump than to this guy.

I say install Trump as manager.

Make Utd great again.

 

[astracrazy]

I really think EtH is just trying to call INEOS bluff now

With whole the "well we speak every day" "we made a relationship in the summer" "no one indicated different" "wait an see at the end of the season" "it will click one day"

The guy pretty knows the games up

 

[No Love]

This season is another write off already. Thanks Erik.

Erik has it in him to navigate this squad of players through a 31 match winning streak. The league is not done yet.

 

[TsuWave]

Manchester United in crisis, manager gets two draws - “sense of relief. he keeps the wolves at bay”

I can’t believe what I’m reading. These were supposed to be the data driven football people.

 

[astracrazy]

If i was performing half as shit as he has in my job role, i would have been allowed have as much time to turn things around as he has.

We're 14th. Let that sink in. Closer to the relegation zone than top 4.

After the worst campaign in modern times, we have the worst start to the season in modern times. We're actually getting worse.

If he stays on, i hope things do improve but what we're seeing should give us 0 confidence this could materialise. Twente and Porto made us look like fools.

I watched as many goals in the spurs game as we have scored in 7 league games ourselves.

Our form and play is appalling

 

[mythz]

So not getting sacked. Absolutely fecking ridiculous.

Clearly the club don't care about results or success at all. Time to stop pretending they do

We are not a bit club anymore

 

[LawCharltonBest]

I feel like I’m in some alternate timeline where a draw with Porto in the Europa league and a draw with Aston Villa that leaves us in 14th are somehow deemed to be good results?

Yep me too.

When he sealed the draw I just knew it meant he was definitely staying too. It’s like they can’t sack him unless it’s on a defeat at the right time

Yes in isolation a draw away to Villa is acceptable. But in the position we are in, it is an awful result. And he played for it from the start just to save himself, rather than going for a win that the team needed

It’s absolutely mental how he keeps managing to do the absolute bare minimum to keep his head above water

 

[NZT-One]

You made my point. You named 8 players that have been signed across 8 years. I kind of knew that it was where you were going to go and that's the fallacy, those players where signed alongside a plethora of players that weren't big names and especially around young players. Did the club sign big name players when the opportunity arised? Yes, but the strategy has never been to build a squad of big names and we never had a squad full of big names.

But I never said that I called it an assembly of Big names and big hopes but without the necessary workrate and mentality. I think thats a fairly good description. But lets leave it at that.

 

[spwd]

He decides a new type of player for a new game all the time, and that rhythm really throws development of certain players out of the window.

One game Garnacho is on the bench, then he's on the right, then he's on the left.
One game Zirkzee is starting, then he shows signs of being good for our general play, then he's on the bench, circle starts over
One game Maino has a set role, then he is deployed in a more attacking role, then he's a central midfielder again who also needs to sit a bit back

It just goes on an on, and he makes substitutions because he's desperate to try anything. So when he subs 3 players at a time and throw in players of different types it resets the team. The rhythm of this is completely shit for any player really. Start - stop - start - stop.

Don't forget that he kept playying Rashford when he was absolute shite and the moment he actually starts playing a little better he's on the bench the next game and then gets subbed in the next. He's fecking clueless.

 

[Woodzy]

fecking hell. We have won TWO games in seven, Neville of all people should know the sort of standards we require at the club.

It’s sickening that some pundits refuse to get off the fence when sacking a manager is part of the discussion.

 

[dwd]

It’s weird how some people like Neville view not sacking the manager as more of a win than winning games. Bloody mental actually.

 

[Fallon d'Floor]

I feel like I’m in some alternate timeline where a draw with Porto in the Europa league and a draw with Aston Villa that leaves us in 14th are somehow deemed to be good results?

And if you apply context, it's even worse.

We were 2-0 up (mainly thanks to Diogo Costa) and went in 2-2 at HT before actually falling behind. Clawed a late goal back. That's 2 points dropped from a commanding position. Not a point gained.

Today's 0-0 was a dire affair between both teams. There's little difference between 7 points and 8 points.

He needed to take 4 points from these two games to warrant any positive spin on things. He didn't. And probably won't be sacked either.

 

[pocco]

If it's true that there's any sort of meeting tonight, tomorrow or Tuesday to discuss this situation, then I'll say he's 100% gone. Because they've been here before, reviewed his position after a terrible season and decided to stick. Could you imagine how utterly clueless they'll look if, a few months later, they review yet another terrible start and decide to stick again. It's almost funny to think how inept they would look.

As for his demeanor and comments after the game, it just boils my piss listening to the guy.

First of all, given he wants to pretend everything is fine and INEOS are in agreement, he's making them look fecking stupid by association. Surely they're not on the same level of delusion as he makes out?

The way he parked the bus today in self preservation mode, putting his needs above the team and the fans, is utterly ridiculous. He does this every time there's a hint of him being in trouble, it's no coincidence. And then if we pull it off he's grinning like he thinks it's good enough and everyone will be happy. It's even worse when you have idiots saying "it'll buy him more time", adding to the ridiculous notion that one result (if you can even call it that) is good enough.

If he's still here by midweek then it's time to lock this thread, because it is what it is, he's a below average PL coach and there's nothing left to discuss. And following that, the Ineos thread needs to be where the anger is aimed because, at this stage, it's all on them. Ten Hag is pretty useless, but they're the ones keeping him about.

The results are in now, the evidence is there for all to see. We will absolutely never do anything of note under him. We'd need about 10+ better coaches coaches to leave the league and 7 clubs who perform better than us to absolutely capitulate, whilst we spend another £600m, for us to ever win a league with him.

 

[TheReligion]

Manchester United in crisis, manager gets two draws - “sense of relief. he keeps the wolves at bay”

I can’t believe what I’m reading. These were supposed to be the data driven football people.

Who is? Gary Neville?

 

[JPRouve]

But I never said that I called it an assembly of Big names and big hopes but without the necessary workrate and mentality. I think thats a fairly good description. But lets leave it at that.

An assembly of big names means that the team is by design largely built around big names otherwise you said nothing. A team that has at the most 2 or 3 big names isn't an assembly of big names, if you have 10 or 15 then it makes sense. Here you listed 8 players across 8 years and the majority didn't even play together, we never built an assembly of big names.

And it's also dubious to consider the signing of two young talents like Sancho and Pogba as big name signings. Those are normal signings of the best prospects by a big club.

 

[Fallon d'Floor]

fecking hell. We have won TWO games in seven, Neville of all people should know the sort of standards we require at the club.

It’s sickening that some pundits refuse to get off the fence when sacking a manager is part of the discussion.

Neville seems to have some bizarre logic. It seems to stem from his own experience at Valencia. Yet he doesn't let that stop him and his mates from sacking multiple Salford managers when they're not in the hunt for promotion. They really want to get to The Championship.

 

[TsuWave]

But I never said that I called it an assembly of Big names and big hopes but without the necessary workrate and mentality. I think thats a fairly good description. But lets leave it at that.

This makes no sense

 

[pocco]

Without a contingency plan, I hope that doesn't happen. Not because ETH isn't deserving it but because I don't see anything to be gained in pissing away 18 million in fees and the decision makers losing face for rectifying a mistake done only 2 month ago. When the right candidate is available, of course, go for it and get it over with. But when that candidate isn't available then there is no point in switching just for the sake of it. Especially taking into consideration how badly the last interim scenarios went for the club - both for different reasons of course.

Problem is, this season is heading into disaster territory under this coach. It's almost neglectful to allow him to continue.

I'm at the stage where I hope the Glazers step in and tell Ineos to get rid of this fecker.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

Why are people reacting to Neville as if he works for the club or is anyway involved in the decision to stick or twist?

 

[Kaos]

Hate to bring this up, but would have the Qataris been so seemingly relaxed with this mediocrity and dramatic fall in standards?

 

[Revan]

It’s weird how some people like Neville view not sacking the manager as more of a win than winning games. Bloody mental actually.

To be fair, Neville has been a clown for over 11 years while talking about United managers. If we decided to do the exact opposite of what Neville said during these years, it would have been an actually well run club. It is very hard for someone to be always wrong, but Neville’s record in TV speaks for itself.

 

[pcaming]

Anyone who actually thought he could turn it around is delusional.

 

[Blood Mage]

I would have him sacked tomorrow or the day after. With the international break, it’s a good time to do it.

But I get the feeling that the club are going to avoid making that call and hang on to him. You usually hear noises that the sack is coming and I don’t hear them in the media right now.

We probably can't afford to do it. In which case we're fecked.

 

[VP89]

We are 14th in the league after 7 games, on 8 points, with a -3 GD, i think there is only 1 side doing the exaggerating...

Anyone happy with a mid table United shouldn't belong here, the standard of fans these days is a joke, I remember many wanted Fergie sacked for performing poorly but defending this current side is beyond belief

We have posters saying we are in a relegation fight whilst also 6 points off a CL spot. Yeah, I think it's clear which side is exaggerating.

 

[Fallon d'Floor]

Why are people reacting to Neville as if he works for the club or is anyway involved in the decision to stick or twist?

The only worry is that he knows Ashworth quite well and is one of Sky's most high profile pundits. This could essentially be an INEOS brief. But hopefully it's just an opinion piece. The no United fan wants to see the manager sacked part is tone deaf.

 

[RedDevil@84]

2 weeks of media speculating and inventing stories of what is happening and what would/could/should happen at United. This place is gonna lose their heads reading all those speculations.

 

[LawCharltonBest]

Why are people reacting to Neville as if he works for the club or is anyway involved in the decision to stick or twist?

Not that he’s involved in the decision, but he does work with them on the stadium and redevelopment doesn’t he?

It’s also frustrating because he’s obviously going to be correct and we have to put up with months more of Ten Hags stupid fecking face

 

[justsomebloke]

Without a contingency plan, I hope that doesn't happen. Not because ETH isn't deserving it but because I don't see anything to be gained in pissing away 18 million in fees and the decision makers losing face for rectifying a mistake done only 2 month ago. When the right candidate is available, of course, go for it and get it over with. But when that candidate isn't available then there is no point in switching just for the sake of it. Especially taking into consideration how badly the last interim scenarios went for the club - both for different reasons of course.

That logic simply doesn't hold. There is a point at which performance and results reach a level which simply isn't sustainable anymore. When that happens, a change must take place - not "for the sake of it", but because continuing with someone who demonstrably is not capable of delivering and who you no longer think is going to get to that point is self-evidently irrational and counterproductive. If management still have confidence that EtH will turn this around and deliver successful football, then that's fine, they should stick with him (and I'll hope they're seeing something I'm not). But if not, going on with him until "the right candidate is available", whatever the feck that is, is the height of bad judgment.

The cost and uncertainties of change is not a good enough reason to continue with something that you know isn't good enough and isn't going to work out. What does it say to the players, the football world at large and the fans if you do that? Who are you then, as a club? "Yeah, we knew that project was dead, but we didn't really know how to fix it, so we just let it slide until a solution turned up"? Do you seriously think decision makers won't "lose face" if they do that? Pretending not to have made a mistake that is obvious to everyone else is the surest way to lose face, and ensure that your face stays lost for a loooong time.

Also, I assume there actually is a contingency plan. If not, given the circumstances, it's the most stunning oversight this club is guilty of this century, which would be saying something.

 

[leontas]

Still no sack rumours? If he's not sacked by tomorrow I'm going to be very disappointed in INEOS and the new exec team. They don't seem to be any different than the previous regime. Just dithering on key decisions and allowing the standards at this club to continue to decline.

 

[TsuWave]

Who is? Gary Neville?

The “proper footballing structure”.

You seem confused, so to clarify - Neville’s comments seem to echo sentiment by other journos that Ten Hag has done enough for a stay of execution. I then commented that these were supposed to be the data driven football guys (this - evidently - being dependent on said sentiment being accurate).

 

[KiD MoYeS]

Neville has publicly stated that he will never call for a manager to be sacked countless times yet people lose their mind everytime he sticks to his word.

 

[spwd]

Aye, but if we engage with your analogy, it's not sinking, it's rudderless, and lifeboats are often rudderless by design.

It's not sinking? You've got to be joking? It's fecking sank already and the lifeboats have sunk too. We're in 14th and what, 5 points off the bottom 3 with everything getting worse. If he continues we will be in the bottom 3 before the Jan transfer window!

 

[AneRu]

At this moment Ten Hag,is no longer our biggest problem,he has already failed and this is his level, Ineos, their ineptitude, indecisiveness and basement level standards, are. And that is more worrying and you can see why they have a terrible record in sports management. I dread the day they actually achieve complete ownership, if ever they are that ambitious. Utter shambles they are presiding over.

 

[siw2007]

We probably can't afford to do it. In which case we're fecked.

There are mixed reports on that. But if it does cost round £15m to do so then I can understand why they are reluctant. It’s just sucks for United supporters either way.

 

[spwd]

Because I still believe hes a good coach and can turn things around. I am not arguing that he shouldnt be sacked at all but I want him to be given some time. Lets see how the next few games go if hes not sacked tomorrow.

He's had over 2 years already ffs! If the structure etc was so bad then how the feck has he finished 3rd and won 2 cups? You can't have it both ways.

 

[No Love]

“We will get there, and we trust the players, and one day it will click.”

Genuine quote from ten Hag today.