'A loss can be a win'
Erik ten Hag | 2024/25 | Votes can now be changed
- Thread starter Cheimoon
- Start date
They should actually say ‘the plan’ is not working and that maybe it’s time to devise another one, or three.
He might be bald but he's not Professor X to be fair. He will be ignorant to the thoughts and discussions on his position that may or may not be taking place above his pay grade. If/when it is decided he's going it's likely he'll only know a matter of hours before the rest of us.
He isn't dumb enough to not realise his position is shaky to say the least. He's just putting on a brave face for the cameras.
It astounds me how people still take answers at press conferences at face value
While he's not doing a great job, I feel the media have been unfairly relentless on his case.
Every fecking week he's asked about his job credentials. There is no rest.
He isn't the only manager that has fecked up at United.
Every fecking week he's asked about his job credentials. There is no rest.
He isn't the only manager that has fecked up at United.
I see this said a lot but, why not? It's the only chance he has to communicate with fans. Somebody with a bit more intelligence would use the opportunity to get people on side. He's there answering the questions anyway, so why not use his time more productively?
He's the only coach I know that is continuously abrasive in his answers. You'd think he'd want the fans in his corner but he just winds up more and more people.
Personally never cared about press conferences, before or after matches. Because there's nothing a manager or a player can say that matters when they actually play. Who cares what has been said if the team loses, draws or wins? It doesn't change the result of the match.
Only care about press conferences before matches, because of FPL(injury news) and that's about it.
That just about sums up how this entire season will probably go.
Why not? Managers don't say it how it is for very obvious reasons.
Managers that tend to be frank and give an honest assessment don't last very much in the job. Managing yourself carefully among the media in both good and bad times is essential to the role. No one should be bothered about what is said unless they are talking about injuries (for the case of the fixture), or slagging off players or slagging off owners (this gives a red flag that the harmony isn't there).
Finding him abrasive is subjective. There are pockets of fans who will hate him from 90% of the possible answers he could give.
You will probably find that many "tunnel visioned pessimists" as you call them will expect a few wins here and there from a team built with hundreds of millions against dross like Brentford at home. Hardly a proper way to judge the mood.
But I'm sure you know that but wanted to sound a bit clever. That's ok.
No, I'm referring to all the posts saying we will not win tomorrow. I think you're trying to argue something else. That doesn't make you sound a bit clever and that's not ok.
He's not good at it though. Of course he can't just burn everything through his answers, but there's more than one way to combine realism with optimism.
But Ten Hag just isn't a charismatic public speaker with strong oneliners (apart from that one about dynasties coming and going I suppose), so by now everyone should know what to expect.
He's doing a bloody good job at pissig off every United fan out there with his statements that's for sure. Quite a feat when "managing himself carefully"
The results are shit. So whatever he says will piss people off at the moment.
If the results were there those same people would post "
love it" at everything he said.The results are shit. So whatever he says will piss people off at the moment.
If the results were there those same people would post "
I don't disagree but he certainly doesn't help himself as some of the things he says sound like pure WUMs. Thing is I don't think he is wumming. I think he means these things. Which makes it even worse
Over 50% also thought we'd beat Spurs. Many still haven't caught up with just how bad we are.
It's not remotely positive. Just like it was a banker that we were going to get a late equaliser against Porto. That wasn't positive either. I can see him scraping a few wins before the international break, which will most certainly prolong this nightmare.
You get the point. Neither was Churchill, Genghis Khan, Hitler, the Pope, etc…
There has been so much banging on about how if Ten Hag were sacked, Southgate will be hired to replace him. Let me be clear, I wouldn’t want Southgate either, but:
Southgate with England: P 102 W61 D24 L17 59.8%
Ten Hag: P 125 W69 D22 L34 55.2%
Southgate with England: P 102 W61 D24 L17 59.8%
Ten Hag: P 125 W69 D22 L34 55.2%
Are you for real
Ok..
Most important discussion in this thread
Perhaps things just get lost in translation?I’m been fecking kind here and it doesn’t happen very often. Actually I was being a tad sarcastic.
“You’re a good man, Jonny Evans.”
Perhaps but then I do recall this thread also being quite sure we'd lose to Porto and Villa.
Similarities between LVG and ETH:
Both Dutch.
Both shite for United.
DIfferences between LVG and ETH:
LVG had a genuinely impressive resume at the top level. His arrogance was at least based on past glories. ETH has nothing of the sort. His arrogance is based on feck all.
LVG was a character, he had charisma in spades (whether his brand of charisma was your cup of tea or not). ETH is about as appealing as a flaccid cock wrapped in a wet blanket.
LVG had hair.
(And so forth).
I disagree, when it's been this bad for so long, you have to have some self awareness. Say something more meaningful that will get fans on side and also have the opposite effect of what the journalists want. He's playing into their hands with what he says, whilst winding supporters up who clearly aren't going to agree with what he's saying and his assessment of things.
I understand trying to be positive or whatever he's trying to do, but when it's so bad, he just has to be honest about things. But therein lies the problem, as it now seems to be more about him rather than the team. And he's the one making it that way.
There's a middle ground though that he's never found. He's come off as delusional for a long time, and you've hinted at this when you said you don't get why people "still" read into these things. There's another approach that he could have taken, one that doesn't offend the intelligence of fans. Last season he got people's backs up when he was asked why fans aren't happy and he said because they listen to the media. Do you recognise how that antagonised people? It's basically saying that fans can't form their own opinions based on what they're seeing.
No matter what you say, he's a PR disaster. Absolutely nobody buys what he's saying, so he's just digging his own hole.
You're right there, he's not charismatic.
We knew the ilk of manager we are getting though. When the chips are down I feel it's easy to look like a clown irrespective. When you're doing well it's also difficult to look bad. Ten hag was saying rude things in press conferences at Ajax and the caf was lapping it up at the time, saying they need a manager like that to set the players and the media straight. Of course that's only nice when the team is playing well. It's easy to dislike all the same when the team is shite.
Not comparable. How many games did England play when they were not the favorite. They’re some really bad international teams in there.
I'm already crying to be fair
Is it though? I think it’s the natural reaction, but look down the fixture list and most of the matches are against decent teams. Sure, you’ve got Malta, North Macedonia and Scotland, but there is also Brazil, Belgium, Italy, Spain, France… the only real minnows were in qualifying for the World Cup. Nations League has changed it so you’re playing the top teams consistently.
Most important post in the thread
It’s truly outstanding. Outstandingly bad.
Are you a baldie?
Apologies if I worded anything arseways, was in my shop and replying then got it busy so I was rushing! ha.
Regarding my question. Firstly, for longevity and success, it needs to be the right manager. I'm not saying than Ten Hag is the right manager - I'm not saying that he's not. I'm merely saying by sticking with a manager at United might have a long term benefit. It's such a stressful and hard job and not many managers in the world are able to actually do it. At United, only TWO managers have had massive success. But they had a long period of success. It was different eras - but the owners gamble on the two paid off. They stuck through a tragedy, Matt Busby rebuilt a team. Busby left, it took years for the right man to come - which is Sir Alex - and he was maybe a goal away from getting sacked. They gambled by keeping him and it paid off.
The one thing none of us know is what it's like behind the scenes. For all we know, the owners are confident Ten Hag is the right man because everything could be perfect......until it comes to match day. If the biggest problem is the players mentality - you can't put all that blame on the manager. Those players there now need to settle their nerves and drive on and who knows, with work they do behind the scenes - maybe that's what can happen. It's like if you work for a builder - you have your training done, you have the right tools and knowledge and then it comes to doing a big job and you're on a serious time frame to finish it and you mess it up....would you blame yourself or your boss? My point being, if a new manager comes in and here's the thing, the training might not be as good as Ten Hag, then match day comes along and their mentality is still bad.....then what? The thing is, none of us can say for sure that the training and behind the scenes work is bad. Benni McCharthy said this in an interview this week. Everything was perfect until matchday.
No.
I have many flaws with regard to appearance, but I have a full head of hair.
Not bragging or anything, but I do.
That said, I would trade all the hairs on my head for true managerial greatness.
(Probably.)
You don’t spend your summer interviewing multiple managers if you think you’ve already got the right man, it’s just illogical
Let me ask you something, do you keep a manager who’s regressing the team because you’re afraid that you might hire another crappy one? Again illogical
I understand that but they came to the conclusion that there wasn't anyone out there that was better and/or wanted the job.
I wasn't saying that. I'm not even trying to defend Ten Hag here but I know it looks that way.
Basically my entire argument here is perhaps the single biggest issue is the players mentality - and I don't think it's fair to put all of that problem on whoever the manager is.
Now, I hope we get a great win tomorrow and United put on an outstanding performance so I don't look like too much of an idiot
Exactly. Which is why I hope we lose most of ours matches coming up so we can be rid of him once and for all. Short term pain = long term gain.