Erik ten Hag | Currently unemployed

Thought it was interesting that the Athletic podcast went through the current Utd squad and assessed what players in the squad would suit ETH style of football.

It is apparent that he might have to compromise his vision for awhile while he is stuck with players he doesnt necessarily want on long contracts. De Gea was the example, a great traditional keeper, but not known a modern style keeper in keeping with ETH football.

Question marks over Wan Bissaka future. Utd being stuck with Maguire who is uncomfortable with a high pressing game. They thought lindelof would do well under ETH.

Lack of top quality holding midfielder called out. Fred and Mctominay would have a future under ETH, as former has done well under RR and the latter could do well with some proper coaching as he carries out instructions really well. Pogba, Matic, Mata and Lingaard were all presumed as leaving the club so ignored.

Interestingly, question marks as to whether Bruno would fit in with ETH style. Though like with De Gea and Maguire, a player ETH may have to compromise his vision on for awhile.
Also they though Van Der Beek would be back as a regular player. Whether ETH would try to fit VDB and Bruno together was a unknown.

Elanga, Sancho and Rashford were thought of as having promising futures under ETH. A lack of a left footed, left side winger was called out. Martial and Greenwood were not mentioned at all.

Upfront, obvious that Ronaldo wont fit ETH style, but again he may have to compromise for a season if Ronaldo doesnt find a new club this summer. Cavani was seen as definitely leaving this summer.

They thought a CB, Centre Mid, Striker were absolutely key signings this summer and a left footed left winger a nice to add if possible.
 
DJ_21 said:
Doesn’t really matter though does it if you get 81 points or 74 points, Solskjær still finished runners up aswell and played a lot better football then Jose, yes it wasn’t always pretty under Solskjær but he had us playing some good football at times. I’d take a 74 point 2nd place finish and enjoyable football then an 81 point 2nd place finish and horrible football to watch. There both the same outcome you don’t get anything for 2nd place finishes.
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We were 4-0 FC during the opening spell of that second season under Mourinho and played some of the best football in the post Fergie era.
 
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TrustInJanuzaj said:
I’d take better football over trophies every day of the week and a Sunday. It’s just an entertainment where I want to watch my team giving it thier all and playing well. The 1 day of euphoria over a trophy doesn’t negate the other 364 days of the year playing crap football. Mourinho was the antithesis of everything this club should be!
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Same here. I genuinely have no idea why on earth anyone cares more about trophies than entertainment. If you care more about trophies then just check at the end of the season and celebrate if we have won something. 95% of your time watching your team is not going to be them winning a trophy so if I can't enjoy the journey, what fun is the destination.

Said this when England were limping their way to the Euros final. I would rather go out earlier and play exciting football than watch us play tumescent trash with one of the most exciting England squads we have had in years.
 
United in sin said:
We were 4-0 FC during the opening spell of that season and played some of the best football in the post Fergie era.
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He talked like we played tiki taka pressing dominant football under Ole :lol: . We also had tons of stinkers under Ole especially vs low block teams but he is too busy gobbling Ole balls to notice.
 
United in sin said:
We were 4-0 FC during the opening spell of that season and played some of the best football in the post Fergie era.
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Yeah, we played the best football we had in years in the first few months of Oles reign until he started getting his ideas across :lol:

I think it was a combination of really happy players, a good vibe around the club (heightened by Mourinhos sacking) and there still be a semblance of Mourinhos tactical coaching existing in the team. Who knows eh.
 
DJ_21 said:
So let me get this right you’d choose bad football and a trophy here and there for entertaining football? Btw entertaining football means trophy’s will eventually come.
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Wrong. And we had entertaining games under Ole, I wouldn't say we played entertaining football.
 
glazed said:
I feel no embarrassment to state the obvious. We are run by people who have cared little for football performance and results as long as the money kept rolling in. And we signed Ronaldo for the name. I will let others judge whether you know what you are talking about. For me fans who can't see the big picture are very much at the heart of the problem.
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HERE, HERE!

You're calling it like it is. Ronaldo's signing represented the club's lack of vision and focus on commercial gain. It did nothing for the club and it hardly comes as a surprise for those who carefully considered the possible ripple effects of signing a greedy player like Ronaldo who needs to play in a specific system geared to bring the best out of him at the expense of others. I couldn't care less about his goals in the CL. Looking at the big picture he set us back.

Are we to trust the same inept group of people who rubber stamped his move? Ten Hag is right in making demands and getting rid of Ronaldo should be one of his primary objectives
 
TrustInJanuzaj said:
Ironically it was many of the Mourinho fans who caused a massive rift in our fanbase originally and were willing to sell their souls for a tin pot. I want to win, but I want to win playing the ethos of what makes this club great and unique. Attacking football, youth, a strong togetherness. If any of those things are missing just for the sake of a league cup, it’s absolutely not worth it, just as Jose showed.
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There is also a divide between the older united fans and the newer ones. I have seen and agonised over consistent mid table mediocracy ... Basically a cup team. But we were exciting to watch like under Big Ron.
It isn't always about silverware for me after going through the peaks and valleys.

Exciting attacking football; players playing for one another... is all I ask for.
 
JPRouve said:
What is out of touch is to not realize that Klopp commented as a rival club manager and took a cheap shot at United, the rinory being that he is the manager of Liverpool a club that has been and still is one of the most commercially oriented club in the world which is why despite relatively little success they have remained one of the wealthiest. Secondly LVG comments are based on what exactly, too commercial compared to whom? His previous club is the one that has the highest commercial revenues in the world.

And calling Ronaldo more of a brand than a football player is insulting for him and embarrassing for you. It's one thing to say that he is at the twilight of his career or not a good fit for ten Hag but it's an other to suggest that Ronaldo isn't a proper football player in 2022.
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Aren't all football clubs commercial there is no club in the world that is only relying on gate receipts and season tickets for revenue. I think what LVG and Klopp meant by their quotes is that United's direction was and it is a quote in one of the earnings calls " Footballing actions on the pitch is not related to the revenue generated by the club", we can sell anything as long as we are a "Brand" . And they have capitalized on that specific approach. No 'football' manager would want to work in such a setup.
 
mctrials23 said:
Yeah, we played the best football we had in years in the first few months of Oles reign until he started getting his ideas across :lol:

I think it was a combination of really happy players, a good vibe around the club (heightened by Mourinhos sacking) and there still be a semblance of Mourinhos tactical coaching existing in the team. Who knows eh.
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I didn't clarify but I was referring to Mourinho's second season. I wholly agree with your post
 
TrustInJanuzaj said:
Ironically it was many of the Mourinho fans who caused a massive rift in our fanbase originally and were willing to sell their souls for a tin pot. I want to win, but I want to win playing the ethos of what makes this club great and unique. Attacking football, youth, a strong togetherness. If any of those things are missing just for the sake of a league cup, it’s absolutely not worth it, just as Jose showed.
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My biggest concern is the fan base currently, if the first season doesn't immediately bear fruit they'll be on his back calling him a failure and false-prophet.

ETH is an appointment made for a rooting endeavor, it will take some time and possibly some low points in the first season. I'm not expecting silverware next season - I'm expecting us to compete on some level and look like a club with a developing style and end-goal in mind not a finished product.
 
Velvet Revolver said:
Aren't all football clubs commercial there is no club in the world that is only relying on gate receipts and season tickets for revenue. I think what LVG and Klopp meant by their quotes is that United's direction was and it is a quote in one of the earnings calls " Footballing actions on the pitch is not related to the revenue generated by the club", we can sell anything as long as we are a "Brand" . And they have capitalized on that specific approach. No 'football' manager would want to work in such a setup.
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No, not all football clubs are commercial most aren't, that only applies to top clubs in top competitions. The context of the bold part is important, it was a conference call with investors and the question was about whether qualifying for the CL would increase the chances of getting new commercial deals that summer, that question was adressed to Arnold(CFO) if I remember correctly and answered by Woodward.
 
GaryLifo said:
Reckon we could all come up with a Ten Hag silly story.

Sources close to Ten Hag claim he impressed John Murtough by putting Darren Fletcher into a half-Nelson arm bar headlock during the interview. Apparently it was part of his answer to a question about how he plans to deal with Ronaldo when he's dropped from the first team next season.
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Ten Hag simply walked into Mordor, wasn't even difficult.
 
Bubz27 said:
Wrong. And we had entertaining games under Ole, I wouldn't say we played entertaining football.
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Consistent entertaining football will lead to winning things. A clear style of play is what we need.
 
JPRouve said:
No, not all football clubs are commercial most aren't, that only applies to top clubs in top competitions. The context of the bold part is important, it was a conference call with investors and the question was about whether qualifying for the CL would increase the chances of getting new commercial deals that summer, that question was adressed to Arnold(CFO) if I remember correctly and answered by Woodward.
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All clubs are commercial. If they get revenue they are commercial. The way each club is run however is different. Regardless of who addressed who in the conference all, it was and is quite evident what the club's approach was in the past decade. it was $ over football.
 
Velvet Revolver said:
Aren't all football clubs commercial there is no club in the world that is only relying on gate receipts and season tickets for revenue. I think what LVG and Klopp meant by their quotes is that United's direction was and it is a quote in one of the earnings calls " Footballing actions on the pitch is not related to the revenue generated by the club", we can sell anything as long as we are a "Brand" . And they have capitalized on that specific approach. No 'football' manager would want to work in such a setup.
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Exactly. Although I would argue that some clubs have not had commercial restrictions because of the way they have been funded. Madrid and Barca got back door state funding. Chelsea (till now) Man City, PSG and (now) Newcastle are sports washing ventures.

Liverpool is commercial, yes. What's different about us is our gigantic fanbase meant there was a huge disconnect between revenue and sporting success in the short and medium term. But the medium term clock chimed midnight when Liverpool and City panned us - that's what has changed. That well is run dry.
 
Velvet Revolver said:
All clubs are commercial. If they get revenue they are commercial. The way each club is run however is different. Regardless of who addressed who in the conference all, it was and is quite evident what the club's approach was in the past decade. it was $ over football.
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By commercial we are talking about the idea that making profit is the goal which isn't the case for the vast majority of Football clubs. We are not talking about the basic idea of engaging in commerce.

And the second sentence makes no sense, he was asked about a question that requires facts not feelings and it was in the context of an investor meeting, you expect him to lie about the short term connection between new sponsor deals and immediate on-field performances?
 
glazed said:
This is breathtakingly out of touch.

Klopp made it clear that he considered Liverpool a 'Football First' club whereas we were not - hence Disneyland.
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JPRouve said:
What is out of touch is to not realize that Klopp commented as a rival club manager and took a cheap shot at United...
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Just for clarity's sake, Klopp never compared United to Disneyland (or a "Disneyland for adults", more precisely): the (stupid, embarrassing, laughable) comparison was made by Woodward - Klopp merely quoted the latter in his biography.
 
Chesterlestreet said:
Just for clarity's sake, Klopp never compared United to Disneyland (or a "Disneyland for adults", more precisely): the (stupid, embarrassing, laughable) comparison was made by Woodward - Klopp merely quoted the latter in his biography.
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Yeah. Woodward allegedly talked about how important entertainment was for fans and they want to be entertained, he then described Old Trafford as a Disneyland for adults.
 
JPRouve said:
By commercial we are talking about the idea that making profit is the goal which isn't the case for the vast majority of Football clubs. We are not talking about the basic idea of engaging in commerce.

And the second sentence makes no sense, he was asked about a question that requires facts not feelings and it was in the context of an investor meeting, you expect him to lie about the short term connection between new sponsor deals and immediate on-field performances?
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The second sentence is what makes the difference between how 'Commercial' we are vs Liverpool or other clubs. I am not sure why this is not making sense to you? Woodward and the glazers clearly defined a model to make sure we make money regardless of win or loss on the pitch. It is quite evident in how we have been run in the last 10 years. The structure in place, the players we have signed, the lack of a plan or progression.

Comparing that to a Liverpool or Chelsea or City, you can clearly see why any top manager would not want to join us based on the outlandish business model.
 
Velvet Revolver said:
The second sentence is what makes the difference between how 'Commercial' we are vs Liverpool or other clubs. I am not sure why this is not making sense to you? Woodward and the glazers clearly defined a model to make sure we make money regardless of win or loss on the pitch. It is quite evident in how we have been run in the last 10 years. The structure in place, the players we have signed, the lack of a plan or progression.

Comparing that to a Liverpool or Chelsea or City, you can clearly see why any top manager would not want to join us based on the outlandish business model.
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It makes no sense because it's senseless. Commercial deals are for the most part mid to long term contracts, the prospect of new commercial deals isn't affected by being in the CL during a particular season and that applies to everyone. And it's not even as if we could make a case were United rely more on commercial deals than others because they don't, they are in the same ballpark than the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid and far behind Bayern who are easily the most commercial club in the world and generates the most money from it. United don't have a different business model and it's far from outlandish.
 
I've never understood why the notion of United seeking to maximise profits is such a problem for so many of our fans. A lot of our past success would not have been possible if we were not an organisation that knew how to monetise it's own brand.
 
Bilbo said:
I've never understood why the notion of United seeking to maximise profits is such a problem for so many of our fans. A lot of our past success would not have been possible if we were not an organisation that knew how to monetise it's own brand.
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It's the difference between short term and long term profit maximisation. If you have a gigantic worldwide fan base you can keep making money for a decade or two as long as you make top four. But to go beyond that, to compete with clubs that do not have commercial restrictions - that makes no financial sense. The whole European Super League proposal was predicated on the admission that big club finance worked best without football competition interfering. When it failed Woodward's game was up.

Unfortunately even the modest top four finish strategy has a limited shelf life and we have reached it. Football First and richer clubs have now pushed us out of the top six so going forward we need to copy one of those other models if we are to keep sending the cheques to Florida. We can't do what City does so we are copying the Liverpool blueprint.
 
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DJ_21 said:
So let me get this right you’d choose bad football and a trophy here and there for entertaining football? Btw entertaining football means trophy’s will eventually come. Playing bad football means you may win a trophy with a bit of luck. People pay loads of money which they’ve earned through hard work to watch united at old Trafford to be entertained. It’s always been about entertainment with united, we’re not Burnley. With entertaining football comes results and trophies. Fans won’t be bothered losing games or finals by giving it there all and attacking. People moan when we lose when we’ve not even bothered trying. 11 men behind the ball and hoping to snatch a goal.
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I am saying when both play bad football, I will choose the one with trophies. Isnt this clear?

Why are you still acting like Ole's team was playing good football lol? Look at how bad we played and why he's sacked ffs. We were playing garbage , stop acting like we were playing good football please
 
Krasey said:
I am saying when both play bad football, I will choose the one with trophies. Isnt this clear?

Why are you still acting like Ole's team was playing good football lol? Look at how bad we played and why he's sacked ffs. We were playing garbage , stop acting like we were playing good football please
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Just gonna end this here… it’s fair to say they both played good football at TIMES and both played bad football also. I was all for ole being sacked just because he didn’t have the tactical knowledge about him. When the season restarted with no fans in stadiums we played some of the best football under ole. It was just mourinho man management and attitude that I didn’t like. Don’t forget Solskjær had to rebuild the squad from what mourinho left with… I’m not favouring one over the other because they was both useless. Hopefully ten Hag comes in and does miles better then everyone else and succeeds.
 
mctrials23 said:
Come back and ask me in 3 years when he still hasn't got a remotely top job. I'm sure you will still be telling us that its all just a misunderstanding and that hes really a good manager ;)
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I said that his league performance was better than LVG and Mourinho. Whether he gets another top job or not, there are quite a lot of reasons for that to happen or not, including his own desire to get another job. I assume he doesn't have financial need to work at this point.
 
Jackal981 said:
Remind me how close to the title were we when Ole finished 2nd?

Jose finished closer than whatever Ole has achieved in his stint. Plus he won some trophies and did not say trophies are for ego bullcrap.
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The points total under Jose was our best since SAF but we were never close to the title, not one bit. Ole was top of the league in the middle of the season. Yes, we finished on less points but we were definitely more in a title race than ever since SAF's retirement.
 
Can someone point me in the direction of the Ten Hag thread? Feel done with reading about of Ole and Mourinho.
 
I was listening to a podcast the other day. One of thee tactical analysis bloggers on it said Ajax press more intensely and longer than Liverpool after losing the ball. The stats in the CL also back up that claim. That's insane.
 
Tom Van Persie said:
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These things make me a bit skeptical, I don't really buy into the narrative that a manager like ten Hag isn't what the players want. From memory our core players have been coached by prime Mourinho, Jorge Jesus, Conte, Lucescu, Simeone, SAF or Van Gaal. I have little doubt that they are perfectly fine with a more intense manager and training sessions since that's where most of them thrived.
 
Adisa said:
I was listening to a podcast the other day. One of thee tactical analysis bloggers on it said Ajax press more intensely and longer than Liverpool after losing the ball. The stats in the CL also back up that claim. That's insane.
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He might be the one to finally solve our fitness issues
 
Adisa said:
I was listening to a podcast the other day. One of thee tactical analysis bloggers on it said Ajax press more intensely and longer than Liverpool after losing the ball. The stats in the CL also back up that claim. That's insane.
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Not really. Its honestly more insane if Liverpool press more than Ajax. There is generally a correlation between the quality and skill of a player and their workrate. Its also easier to train workrate and fitness than it is skill. Thats what makes City and Liverpool so amazing at the moment. They have both highly technical and skilled players who also leave everything on the pitch game after game. Our current players are the opposite. Well, outside their own minds anyway.
 
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