In what sense was it meaningless. We’re already out of title race and way off the pace for top 4. So I think we’d be mad to not take winning the Europa league as a route to the Champions League seriously.
Erik ten Hag | 2024/25
- Thread starter Cheimoon
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran are here to talk about a frustrating 2 points dropped at Crystal Palace. They then discuss the regeneration of Old Trafford. Finally, Nik is joined by special guest Michael Statham from the Football Oranje podcast - who gives us a more in depth look at our EL opposition FC Twente, and then runs through the (many) Dutch connections currently at United.
His in game management is comparable to Ole's at this point. Absolutely dogcrap.
Sure it must have been said multiple times - but only reason he is not being sacked is because he's the 5th-6th manager in the last decade. If this was 2 years ago, he would have been a gonner long time ago.
Sure it must have been said multiple times - but only reason he is not being sacked is because he's the 5th-6th manager in the last decade. If this was 2 years ago, he would have been a gonner long time ago.
I don't think so; the players are going by his instructions... which is the problem.
Second halves are worse than the first because the opposition manager takes stock and adapts, leaving our manager in the wilderness more often than not.
He rarely tweaks anything for the better or reacts well to the opposition switching things up. It's like he has a set script for the match, and that is problematic.
Edit: I see @Sarni has beat me to the punch.
Don't disagree with any of that. Unfortunately like Moyes and Ole, Ten Hag is showing all the symptoms of someone out of their depth. Neither LVG or Mourinho were similarly out of their depth. It just didn't work with them.
So it is critical that the next appointment has to be the right one. City, the Gooners and even Liverpool are away in the distance.
Who, I don't know. But he is out there somewhere.
Do I have confidence we will find him.... not at all sure.
"Meaningless game" apparently, I guess that was the attitude the players had and why we got the post match comments from Eriksen on the dressing room feeling that FC Twente "wanted it more".
Whilst the Europa League shouldn't be seen as a priority in comparison to the league. It is a competition along with the likes of the League Cup and FA Cup we have a chance of winning. It will take a miracle and multiple collapses for us to get anywhere near winning the league and you could argue top 4 all together.
No game should be considered "Meaningless" at ANY club.
Whilst the Europa League shouldn't be seen as a priority in comparison to the league. It is a competition along with the likes of the League Cup and FA Cup we have a chance of winning. It will take a miracle and multiple collapses for us to get anywhere near winning the league and you could argue top 4 all together.
No game should be considered "Meaningless" at ANY club.
The reason I say he's lost the dressing is that the players aren't stupid..they can see what's he's trying to get them to do and how it doesn't work and instead of mixing things up he just seems to double down. Watching last night, zirkzee and rashford were making run after fruitless run and the pass was just nit made. And then the movement just stopped. We had instances in the second half of players just stood next to each other outside twentes penalty area.
After a rocky start to the season, we are now 4 games unbeaten and one goal conceded.
80 shots on goal and conceded 25 shots on our goal. That wasn't happening last season, regardless of opposition.
In my opinion, the performances are there and results will follow. Need to get wins in the next 3 games though to change the narrative.
80 shots on goal and conceded 25 shots on our goal. That wasn't happening last season, regardless of opposition.
In my opinion, the performances are there and results will follow. Need to get wins in the next 3 games though to change the narrative.
Yeah as others have said I don't think he has lost the dressing room.
Which makes the rubbish performances and results even worse really.
Which makes the rubbish performances and results even worse really.
We’ve had a bizarrely easy run of matches (and still can’t win)
Let’s see what you’re saying in 5 games time
I had a lot of sympathy for last season but personally I think we have a good team now. The only real miss currently is Shaw. We need these players to start playing as a team and to start showing that they are being coached to play a particular way. There is little of that on show.
Its a weird one because I don't think the players dislike him or that hes lost the dressing room. Rashford looked on it last night. The players were working pretty hard. We are just a bit directionless IMO.
There’s no need to rewrite history. The recent game was nothing like the 0-5, that was the ultimate piss take. The 0-3 was just us being shit at finishing coupled with some truly awful mistakes to give them 2 goals.
The overreaction on here is amazing to see. We drew a home game in the group stages of the EL…it was a dull game that we should have won but we didn’t. I couldn’t give a hoot about EL games as long as we progress, I care about league games. We need to put a run together now in the league but drawing to Twente in a boring game means jack shit.
Didn't realise that. But clearly he was telling the truth.
And I have said before that I am sure most players when they come to OT seem to have the misplaced view that they have made it.
None of them have even remotely made it.
Roy Keane didn't think he had made it. He now had to bust every thing to prove his worth.
Same for all of Sir Alex players. You either performed or you were shown the door.
That is the attitude of professionals. Do your job or good bye.
That is why he was so successful.
Ten hag seems incapable of changing things up mid game, he has his plan going into the game but seems unable to adapt if/when the opposition offer something unexpected. He looks so lost, I think the job is simply to big for him. With or without injuries most managers would be adaptable enough to get results from the players available they find a way, ten hag is either too rigid in his approach or too limited to play any other way.
It's not even a meaningless game. You need to finish top 8 to avoid having to play another playoffs round in February, and this was one of the easiest games we are going to have in the competition. We know we are horrible away from home so I'm not even confident of getting a win at Plzen or Steaua, let alone Fenerbahce and Porto
Prior to yesterday I thought it was going to be impossible for us to not finish top 24 and advance but I don't see it as unlikely anymore either. It would be quite some achievement for Ten Hag to fail to have us progress in the new formula, with a draw as easy as this one.
People really believe that? That we simply lacked finishing but went toe to toe with Liverpool otherwise?
It may have been a meaningless game if it wasn't for the fact that we've been appalling in Europe for so many games in a row. It's clearly not an isolated one off bad result. We were hopeless last season too and this just continues the trend. I don't know how anyone can just simply shrug at this.
I have very rarely disagreed more. The club makes plenty of money. It has to learn to spend it a lot more wisely. That is hardly the fault of the fans is it.
Hindsight is wonderful but think we messed up sticking with his when it was publicised that the club met with Tuchel. The cup final day was weird too, all the pundits and journalists were discussing his impending sacking. This has impacted both him and the players. He knows he's done and has checked out, the players have done the same. This will get worse the longer it goes on.
Not getting a clinical forward or two is going to harm us time after time. We are relying on players who have had one or two season of 20+ goals between them. We have potential but all of our top teams have had that deadly finisher to take us to a next level.
We dont have that.
The performances (mostly) have been better (low bar cos its still mostly boring) but weve missed some real absolute chances. Weve also made some stupid mistakes (like last night). However we are still set up where dont overwhelm teams especially in the final part of the game.
ETH subs seem to make us worse and lose all control of the game.
This in a first season could be excusable because you could say, he cant sign so many players. But now, the majority of the players are his, and we arent missing a whole batch of players either.
Last season we struggled to score goals (and our gd was shocking). But we didnt address that at all, which was ludicrous and its showing as much.
I can see him going and Ruud becoming interim for the rest of the season.
We dont have that.
The performances (mostly) have been better (low bar cos its still mostly boring) but weve missed some real absolute chances. Weve also made some stupid mistakes (like last night). However we are still set up where dont overwhelm teams especially in the final part of the game.
ETH subs seem to make us worse and lose all control of the game.
This in a first season could be excusable because you could say, he cant sign so many players. But now, the majority of the players are his, and we arent missing a whole batch of players either.
Last season we struggled to score goals (and our gd was shocking). But we didnt address that at all, which was ludicrous and its showing as much.
I can see him going and Ruud becoming interim for the rest of the season.
Yep and all correctly predicted by everyone with a shred of common sense in May/June. Even if he wasnt as bad a motivator/tactician/coach as he is, there was never any coming back from that. Pep or Klopp wouldnt survive that level of public undermining.
We had a decent transfer window. Why would the manager and the players, feck it off?
You know full well that that's not why people are on his case.
Or perhaps you don't? I've long suspected the only way people can back ten Hag is through some sort of MIB style memory wipe so maybe you really have forgotten last season.
You should care about the EL cause we ain't getting back into the CL in any other way.
Right now, there is cause for concern
His in game management is very much roll the dice and hope. Throw players on and just hope they make a difference.
Sometimes it pays off, most of the time it doesnt.
He never seems to change the game or shape or approach with his changes. It is almost like there isn't a plan b at all.
Don't think he will be in post after the Villa game. Interested to see who they go for next.
I don't think he's 'lost the dressing room'. I think those days are over since the likes of Pogba and the gang left. Now it's just a case of the players don't know how to execute his vision on the pitch because it involves them being in two places at once. When they do it doesn't go to plan (like yesterday) they simply run out of ideas and become disillusioned with the system/plan. When you're fighting a losing battle and the manager doesn't have the ability to change the game you know how it's going to go from half time, plan A, and more of plan A if plan A doesn't work. Then you've got the added delight of the manager digging you out at full time by saying you didn't stick to the 'principles'. Cheers boss.
Another truly bad performance how many more before it becomes untenable if at all . getting sick of it. Now watching Blackpool under Steve Bruce is a better watch 3 wins on the spin and the Football is better a new manager bounce is all it took and time for united to look at this before the season is done if it’s not already done.
What’s saving him is that nobody can unanimously agree on an answer to the question “who should replace him?”
Anyone suggesting De Zerbi is making me legitimately angry. And the Southgate rumours are terrifying.
You made something up in the first line then fully leaned into it.
1 win in 9 in Europe and you assume we'll progress in the EL... hah.
Major problem is that our famous, never ending "rebuilding" (i hate that word) is basically over.
Only way in bringing new players is taking a hit and selling players which are bought in Erik's era for big money.
So, this is a team (more or less) which need to fight for titles in near future.
Only way in bringing new players is taking a hit and selling players which are bought in Erik's era for big money.
So, this is a team (more or less) which need to fight for titles in near future.
It's all a bit meh...not totally shit, not very good, just meh. That is not acceptable after three seasons.
Next big beating we get and he'll be out with Ruud taking over as interim manager.
Next big beating we get and he'll be out with Ruud taking over as interim manager.
Yes, if we don't get at least 5 points from Spurs, Villa and Porto - i'll change my mind.
Results have to come quickly - but I think they will
At least 5 points? Setting a high bar there
You think that's being ruthless?
Frank De Boer lasted 5 games at Palace despite amassing a lot of trophies at Ajax. Our fans have zero idea what being ruthless with managers actually looks like. Pretty much every post-Fergie manager has gotten far too much time.
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Haven't made anything up, the match has been described as "Meaningless" by people in here.
I'll accept I may not have worded the first sentence that well, but Eriksen isn't the first to say an opposition team "wanted it more" after a poor result. It has to be an attitude or mindset with some in the squad that shouldn't be accepted.
It's almost like progressing in a competition is not predicated on getting results in individual games. Who cares about results as long as we make it through the groups.
It was the same last year, just brush it off if you lost to Galatasaray or Copenhagen, nothing to worry about, these are one off games only.
Well the majority of these players have a history of shrugging their shoulders and letting a season implode, so that shouldn't come as a surprise. Regarding the manager, he's stubborn and has returned to the club this season having read about his bosses speaking to other managers. He has also seen them replace his backroom staff. I don't think that's going to be a great motivation for him.
Are they? I think almost everyone is rightly annoyed that we’ve been shite yet again. Anyone saying it’s meaningless is doing their best to cover Ten Hag and isn’t worth listening to.
In regards to what Eriksen said, I very much doubt he actually meant that, but it’s say something along those lines or suggest the system doesn’t work. No one wants to hear excuses after last season so this is the go to line whenever we don’t win. It was the same under Ole. How many times did they wheel Maguire out to say “it’s not good enough, we have to improve”?
Ten Hag came out and said “we kept them alive”, Eriksen’s message was only inline with what the manager wants us to believe is the issue.
I love how some just choose to brush off last night's result, and our generally shite results to-date this season.