It wasn't even a freekick to begin with. So that makes the whole ordeal even more telling
Erik ten Hag | Currently unemployed
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It wasn't even a freekick to begin with. So that makes the whole ordeal even more telling
I don't know much about Ten Hag but his age and the fact he has never managed a team outside the Dutch League by this stage of his career is worrying enough regardless of the result tonight.
Considering the budget Ajax have over the rest of the Dutch League they should be dominating it so it's difficult to judge him on anything other than the games in Europe.
Losing at home to Benfica just seems very underwhelming
Considering the budget Ajax have over the rest of the Dutch League they should be dominating it so it's difficult to judge him on anything other than the games in Europe.
Losing at home to Benfica just seems very underwhelming
This.
I've mentioned it before here. I don't think Dutch managers are suited for the PL based on the evidence of their performances on English shores going back to the 90s. The ideas just don't resonate in this climate. I can see Ten Hag flourishing in Spain or Germany as a step up
Age hardly matters does it? As in it's the years in actual management that count and he's several behind someone like Poch. So still a relatively young manager career-wise.
Saw an extended Highlights of Ajax vs Benfica.
Benfica didn't touch the ball the whole first half and even after that snatched a goal in the 77th minute.
Ajax were deserved to win that game, and they were all over Benfica. They created tons of dangerous chances but didn't manage to score.
When you see them play it just captivating. I only saw highlights of the game and had a "Wow" feeling after that. If we won't bring ETH and do a major overhaul in our squad I'll be so mad at our football club.
Benfica didn't touch the ball the whole first half and even after that snatched a goal in the 77th minute.
Ajax were deserved to win that game, and they were all over Benfica. They created tons of dangerous chances but didn't manage to score.
When you see them play it just captivating. I only saw highlights of the game and had a "Wow" feeling after that. If we won't bring ETH and do a major overhaul in our squad I'll be so mad at our football club.
The important thing is buy better than Van Gaal whose transfers were awful
See above. It’s not ‘about’ anything. I was asking a genuine question.
Also obviously I missed the bit where not being some sort of football obsessed nerd who is across every league in Europe means my opinion on the team I support is invalid. Apologies.
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Poch's time has gone just like jose's time had gone when we signed him.
What he did half a decade back is irrelevent and mind you whatever he did wasn't all that great either.
What he did half a decade back is irrelevent and mind you whatever he did wasn't all that great either.
He’s a massive ajax fan and ten hag enthusiast so can’t expect a honest assessment.
Given the hype around him, its a poor result regardless of individual mistakes.
Got knocked out by feckin Benfica 
We should get him asap though.
We should get him asap though.
.
I'm going to watch the game tonight but I've heard the same from Arsenal and Liverpool supporting friends.
Seen the teams Pep gets knocked out by?Got knocked out by feckin Benfica
We should get him asap though.
We should focus on the football rather than stray results.
It doesn't but when you get people labelling him a young up and coming manager when he is not then it fits matter.
I just think if he was good enough he should have tried to do it on a bigger stage by this point of his career.
It just seems a massive gamble to think he will be what we need a massive gamble that's based on nothing really.
You just can't say Klopp worked when Klopp was in a far more difficult situation in Germany.
It's not a dig at Ten Hag. I still want him.
But I am training to laugh at losses. It helps.
Plus the adaptability/plan b critiques, whilst probably legitimate, aren't a problem for us right now. First and foremost we need someone in who can get us playing modern football. Something we haven't had for over a decade.
He can always learn to be more adaptable to specific games/phases of a game, too. Even Pep learnt that sometimes counter attacking is more beneficial.
Weirdly I feel our game tonight went similarly.
Not sure why perpetual 4th place challengers United would care about hiring a "bottler" anyway (applies to ETH & Pochettino).
Frankly, at this point I'd settle for anyone who can teach our useless players how to reliably pass the ball to a red shirt - that would be a significant improvement on what we have generally witnessed for most of the last five years.
ETH absolutely has to be on our shortlist.
To be fair, PSG also dominated over two legs and could be counted as unlucky. Also the first Madrid goal was arguably a foul on the keeper.
I have never watched a full game of Ajax so have no opinion on the manager.
You're right about the bolded part because he actually did manage a team outside the Netherlands. He managed the Bayern Reserves when Pep was manager there.
Aparently he learned a lot and set their biggest win percentage record which to this day stands at 67%.
For what it's worth him and Naglessman were the leading candidates for Bayern. Spurs wanted to get him, but Overmars convinced him to stay.
And Barca were very interested before they found out he has a 25 million release clause in his contract and opted for Xavi instead.
And now he is linked with us as a leading candidate. To say that no big teams are interested is disingenious.
As for the young and up and coming: he only started managing top teams as recently as 2015. Hence the tag "young". He managed Utrecht were he overachieved and he managed Ajax where he did the same. Before that he managed Bayern reserves and got promotion for Go Ahead Eagles.
So every single place he has managed he was succeess which cannot be said about our other candidate.
I wouldn't call a 3-1 loss a dominating performance for the losing team. Poch wasn't unlucky, he just bottled the second leg.
Difference is Benfica scored with the only chance of the game and were camped in their 18 yard box for the entire match. this was exactly like Chelsea vs Barca back in 2012.
I didn't know this sort of thinking was allowed.
His style of football at Spurs wasn't as great as made out.
They were arguably the best non Pep side I've ever seen when it came to forcing opposition mistakes but I always felt aesthetically his football was pretty meh.
Smirked when they asked about about the United links. Said it was bs about the learning English thing
No wonder he's desperate to talk to us when he can't even beat an average Benfica side.
Pep hasn't won it once since being at Barca and has been knocked out by Lyon amongst other clubs. We'd take him in a heartbeat.
You can't judge managers on such things. One thing I will say about Poch, Ten Hag and Enrique....none of them are as good as Pep and Klopp so just come to terms with that now. We have to appoint somebody though.
Poch has a lot of backing in the UK media that you know will be gunning for Ten Hag if things start slowly especially as his English isn’t perfect and he isn’t that charismatic. On the other hand I don’t mind Poch but he’d be coming on on a low note after his PSG stint. Pros and cons.
I knew he managed Bayern reserves and deliberately did not count that.
Ole managed United Reserves under Fergie did that qualify him?
Our options do seem poorer than the media have you believe
I hate Simeone's style but he is a winner and gets his teams to fight for everything.
If we want to succeed then he would be my choice and tonight won't have hurt his cause
Diego Simeone's Red Army!!!
Let’s be honest - whoever gets appointed will be hounded. The press attention is through the fecking looking glass. Jake Humphrey makes any United defeat sound like a moral outrage. There was a great article by Ronay recently on how us being average is it’s very own media industry.
Tuchel for me. He has the charisma to handle the job and is at the top of his game right now.
Obviously didn't see the match - assuming no United supporters did...but purely on the stats it seems to be a freak smash and grab from Benfica?
Obviously didn't see the match - assuming no United supporters did...but purely on the stats it seems to be a freak smash and grab from Benfica?
I'm now googling Benfica's manager
Which side though? The last good Tottenham team was the one that finished third when Leicester won it. After that it got old fast. Poch is a good manager but part of me thinks with him we’re 4 years too late. Just like with Jose and LvG before him.
I’m for something different
100% this.
It was, it was a set piece goal.Obviously didn't see the match - assuming no United supporters did...but purely on the stats it seems to be a freak smash and grab from Benfica?
I agree the biggest issue with Poch is not even coaching credentials but rather the mentality of his respective teams. Doesn't seem to have the cutting edge to be a determined winner.
Rio and Scholes made the astute point tonight that the most important element of the next United manager is to bring an aura of fear ensuring that the players are diligent and disciplined in training which will manifest in games. The fact there's leaks in the press of Poch being a preferred choice amongst the squad is a bad sign given how weak willed the team is.
An 'arm around the shoulder' manager should definitely be a distant idea given the first 11. Rather someone who'll turn up with a tracksuit, whistle and cones because the players are running the show at the moment. Dressing room can only be described as a circus. I don't think Poch does anything to shift this dynamic.
Goalkeeper screwed up.
I think them going out might improve our chances of getting him, if they'd gone on a run to the final or something other major clubs would be after him too
that's assuming we're after him of course, but I think we are
that's assuming we're after him of course, but I think we are