Erik ten Hag | 2024/25

[amolbhatia50k]

Football isn't about bossing games for 90 minutes. Even our greatest sides had trouble with midtable fodder from time to time. Only modern day City can do that which created the warped impression that every team needs to do that. We created plenty of chances and just didn't finish them. On a different day, we score 2 and everyone looks to the positives.

- This isn’t about bossing for 90 minutes but about bossing the first 45 minutes and completely losing momentum and ideas on the second 45 minutes when we needed a goal.
- Let’s not kid ourselves, plenty of teams including Arsenal, Liverpool etc win games with solid second halves after very good first halves. You don’t give up after a first half wasted chances. On that note, which team created the better chances after the 40th minute yesterday?
- Ah my favourite argument. Excusing our consistently poor away results using from time to time SAF results. This one never gets old. Let’s lose 6-1 next week too because of that one time SAF did. Maybe we’re just a greatest hits of the worst SAF days and that’s a good thing.

 

[mu4c_20le]

@ArmaDino think you quoted the wrong person, I didn't mention ten hag the one below me did. I still don't believe those are bogeys, sometimes some managers do better against certain styles.

 

[Zumbi]

We always had bogey teams. Palace and Birghton amongst others have been hard to beat for quiete a while now Even the greatest of United sides had bogey teams back in the day. Boro, Blackburn, Wolves, Aston Villa and a couple of other I'm forgetting as well.

We’ve always had bogey teams, but it’s easy to conflate that concept with us just not being very good over the past few seasons. It’s not just Palace we’ve underperformed against, it’s lots of teams.

Brighton have been far more of a bogey team for us than Palace.

Palace have been poor so far this season and that’s a weak excuse for us failing to get a better result against them.

 

[mu4c_20le]

We’ve always had bogey teams, but it’s easy to conflate that concept with us just not being very good over the past few seasons. It’s not just Palace we’ve underperformed against, it’s lots of teams.

Brighton have been far more of a bogey team for us than Palace.

Palace have been poor so far this season and that’s a weak excuse for us failing to get a better result against them.

Is it still a bogey team if it only started with one manager?

19 Jan 2019	Manchester United v Brighton and Hove Albion	W	2-1	Premier League
10 Nov 2019	Manchester United v Brighton and Hove Albion	W	3-1	Premier League
30 Jun 2020	Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United	W	0-3	Premier League
26 Sep 2020	Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United	W	2-3	Premier League
30 Sep 2020	Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United	W	0-3	League Cup
04 Apr 2021	Manchester United v Brighton and Hove Albion	W	2-1	Premier League
15 Feb 2022	Manchester United v Brighton and Hove Albion	W	2-0	Premier League
07 May 2022	Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United	L	4-0	Premier League
07 Aug 2022	Manchester United v Brighton and Hove Albion	L	1-2	Premier League
23 Apr 2023	Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United	W	0-0	FA Cup
04 May 2023	Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United	L	1-0	Premier League
16 Sep 2023	Manchester United v Brighton and Hove Albion	L	1-3	Premier League
19 May 2024	Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United	W	0-2	Premier League
24 Aug 2024	Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United	L	2-1	Premier League

 

[Zumbi]

Anything to bash Ten Hag, eh?

Might as well look up our record against Blackburn during the 2004-2007 season for comparison. Beat us twice home and away in 2004/2005.

Or Boro around the same time frame. Drew us at OT and hammered us 4-1 at Riverside.

Or Aston Villa under O'Neil where they would beat us home and away and make extremely hard to beat.

We can also go to Athletic Madrid who used to lose to Real and almost always Barca.

I can go on and on, however the notion of bogey team being a myth is just laughable.

You’re so close to the point.

In those years we were a relatively successful side - always competing at the top of the table and actually winning the league. So in that context yes, we had a few bogey teams, because they were teams we were expected to beat yet had a few uncharacteristically bad results against them.

The context is just not the same under Ten Hag - we finished eighth last year. If we’re only finishing eighth then obviously we’re getting quite a lot of poor results against quite a lot of teams. That doesn’t necessarily make them bogey teams, because such results are not uncharacteristic. It’s more a symptom of us frequently underperforming against a variety of teams.

Can you see the difference between these examples?

Is it a surprise that the manager we’re performing worse under is getting bashed more than one we did well under?

 

[oreon]

Games like this happen. We were unlucky to win. I'm not going to criticize ETH over this one. But reality is we have 7 points in our first 5 games. That is not good. Lets see how October goes. But we need to keep pace with the top teams. If by end of October we are looking at a double digit gap between us and leaders, then fire ETH. No one expects us to challenge but we can't be out of the title race before Christmas like last season. That is not progress.

 

[r0663664]

I would be more gracious in my comments if I saw the kitchen sink thrown. The team has no energy in the last 15 mins to try to get something. If we push men forward trying to score, I would be at least know there is an effort. The way ETH plays, it was like we are leading comfortable winning and keeping the ball. Keep go back to Netherlands and stay there. Don't ever come near to United.

 

[Tony247]

7 points in 5 matches..wow! High probability of 7 points in 7 matches if this continues...

 

[DSG]

Results aside, I'd say we are looking a lot better. If Zirkzee can finish and Ugarte can hold the ring we should be decent. The main difference is the defence though. Martinez and De Ligt are both really good CDs and hopefully Yoro will be as well. If we can rotate enough to avoid injury then it could get very interesting.

It's only even going to be a fight for fourth place though. That's the best we can hope for.

Gross. That last line. The best we can hope for… it’s been an 11 year decline. Seriously. There are children, Man United supporters, who weren’t alive when we won our last title. It just kills me that our mentality is acceptance of mediocrity.

I agree we looked better. False dawn or the start of something promising?

 

[Leethal]

How many more years are you willing to wait? It's been two in case you lost count.

Is two a lot in football terms? We needed a complete and full top to bottom reset. Two years from now (since our overhaul in structure) - sure, perhaps a barely reasonable comment.

Jesus fin Christ. Entitled.

 

[Leethal]

Gross. That last line. The best we can hope for… it’s been an 11 year decline. Seriously. There are children, Man United supporters, who weren’t alive when we won our last title. It just kills me that our mentality is acceptance of mediocrity.

I agree we looked better. False dawn or the start of something promising?

Children - which by judging by the comments on this forum makes up a large majority. Jumped on board when we were successful and expect that to be the norm. Constantly throwing their toys out the pram and having little tantrums; as evidenced in this train wreck of a thread.

Nobody accepts mediocrity - it’s more so that fans with a modicum of maturity accept that change doesn’t happen over night. We needed a total reset, and got one. Things look far better at the moment, irrespective of the results. If it doesn’t work for ten hag, so be it. We’re in a a far, far better place for succession.

I despise the modern football fan base. That includes the majority of you lot. Absolutely, entitled little brats.

 

[Insanity]

Solid away point earned against a rival for a top half finish. If we continue on the current trajectory a top 8 position is within grasp, which should be considered progress.

 

[DSG]

Children - which by judging by the comments on this forum makes up a large majority. Jumped on board when we were successful and expect that to be the norm. Constantly throwing their toys out the pram and having little tantrums; as evidenced in this train wreck of a thread.

Nobody accepts mediocrity - it’s more so that fans with a modicum of maturity accept that change doesn’t happen over night. We needed a total reset, and got one. Things look far better at the moment, irrespective of the results. If it doesn’t work for ten hag, so be it. We’re in a a far, far better place for succession.

I despise the modern football fan base. That includes the majority of you lot. Absolutely, entitled little brats.

Ah, the Top Red post. I’ve probably been a supporter longer than you. I feel I have just as much of a stake in the club as you do. Bayern, Real, Barca, Juventus…. They are great clubs because nothing is bigger than the club. No manager, no player. SAF dragged us to this tier one level. Revenues, stadium size, supporter base all indicate we should be much better. History. You can allow for mediocrity, I cannot. Real Madrid has won 15 CL titles. If they are in 2nd or 3rd in the league and complaining, does that make them entitled little brats? I think not.

 

[Big Ben Foster]

I understand the frustration, but we are literally facing one of our bogey teams. We still ended up looking like the better side at their ground, and if not for Henderson, we would've left with all 3 points.

While I'm far from thrilled, it's not the disaster some of the posters are trying to paint this.

With that being said, ETH needs to work on his subs and get to know his players more. It's clear as day, that Rashford and Hojlund don't work together as they are both more like finishers rather than creators. And for the love of God Erik, drop Bruno already and move Eriksen up the pitch while he is enjoying some good form.

Aside from that, not a bad showing, however could be better.

This narrative comes up every time our attackers spend the whole game shooting straight at the keeper.

Henderson didn't make any saves you wouldn't have expected an average PL-level keeper to make.

 

[Jim Beam]

Am really not sure why many of you bang constantly week in, week out regarding him. Once he is gone (and he will probably be gone after this season) you have a pretty much solid team and more importantly one which is oriented on pressing and attacking with numbers.

Obviously, it does't work that well in terms of results, but next guy can tweak few things and go on. I think he will be gone after this season but decision to hire him was the right one. No more nonsense with LVG and putting fully opposite in Mourinho. In the long run I prefer this, being 8th, 6th or 15 on the table.