Erik ten Hag - Manchester United manager

[Alex99]

By the start of next season we'll likely only have about 5-6 senior players who finished the 21-22 season. How much more gutting can realistically be done?

Unfortunately we're likely to need to clear out a fair number of the signings we've made since then.

Eriksen and Casemiro are well past it. Evans similar. Antony has had two seasons of looking nowhere near good enough, and I'm not sure any manager is going to change that. There's massive question marks over Mount and Onana. Even Hojlund fits into that bracket, although he's got youth on his side.

That leaves Martinez, who has his own injury concerns, and Malacia, who looks like he's only ever going to be a back-up (if he can stay fit).

 

[LawCharltonBest]

New day not sacked. I have not read his quotes after the match. But I guess he blamed the injuries, excuses always.

Done with this manager.

Ten Hag out!

He said it is difficult for him because of injuries

The fact some people still try to defend him is just insane to me.

Our worst season in decades and some still would give him next season.

Standards have never been lower.

Standards are very low. Seen so many who seem satisfied with the performance yesterday

I feel like we can lose narrowly to Newcastle, so long as we don't get demolished, people will be happy with that too.

Ten Hag or not, standards need to be much higher next season surely

 

[Jeffthered]

I think he's gone. Yesterday was so very abject, in many ways. Manchester United cannot be managed by this man. He's been found out this season, simple. A dreadful man-manager; an ineffective coach; extremely poor in the transfer market; and uninspirational. Our squad are better, maybe not by much, but we are a little better than how we have performed this season.

And that's on him.

(West Ham got a v good manager btw, a shrewd move.. where were we????)

 

[VP89]

I think he's gone. Yesterday was so very abject, in many ways. Manchester United cannot be managed by this man. He's been found out this season, simple. A dreadful man-manager; an ineffective coach; extremely poor in the transfer market; and uninspirational. Our squad are better, maybe not by much, but we are a little better than how we have performed this season.

And that's on him.

(West Ham got a v good manager btw, a shrewd move.. where were we????)

I think he's going to be out the door after the final. If we win there may be a few days before we announce it.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

It's obviously better than us getting beat 4 or 5 nil but yesterday was still almost as depressing.

We lose at home to Arsenal without creating even a half chance all game and it's seen as a decent performance and result. That's where we are now, that yesterday can be considered a decent day all in all. Standards and expectations are now at absolute rock bottom.

 

[Telsim]

You guys need to chill. It’s obvious nothing is going to happen before the fa cup final. And you all are just stressing over speculation if he will be sacked or not. Have some patience and wait.

He will be sacked in the days following the final, but not before. I'm stressing over the very likely prospect that Gareth Southgate will be his replacement.

 

[dwd]

Got the club chasing about season ticket renewal deadline by Friday. It's such an amazing time to be a United fan at the moment

 

[SAF is the GOAT]

Basically, he's blaming the medical team, that's what I "hear"

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[AndyMUFC]

Ideally I’d get rid of him, but if we do keep him it should be on the conditions that he has little to do with identifying the players we sign in the summer and is gone quickly next season if we see the same problems as this.

But yeah ideally, it should be the end after the final. The injuries aren’t a good enough excuse for just how poor performances have been against everyone in the league.

 

[LordSpud]

Goldbridge is saying in his polls are 80% Ten Hag in, surely that's bollocks?

Will be oppo fans having the craic

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

According to understat.com we've actually outperformed our expected points in the PL this season by 11 points and should be sitting 15th with 43 points based on chances created and conceded.
We have also outperformed goals conceded by 15 goals this season and should be have conceded 71 goals in the league alone based on chances conceded. Onana and inefficient oppo strikers has given us many points this season.

Some stats and ETH:

Defenses in the PL this season:
#16 - Manchester United : 70,51 expected goals conceded.
#17 - Burnley : : 74,14 expected goals conceded.
#18 - West Ham : : 75,59 expected goals conceded.
#19 - Sheffield United : 82,51 expected goals conceded.
#20 - Luton : : 90,53 expected goals conceded.

Top 3:
#1 - Arsenal : 31,12 expected goals conceded.
#2 - City : 35,19 expected goals conceded.
#3 - Liverpool : 43,95 expected goals conceded.

Expected points in the PL this season:
#15 - Manchester United : 42,87 expected points.
#16 - West Ham : 41,12 expected points.
#17 - Wolves : 39,78 expected points.
#18 - Burnley : 32,72 expected points.
#19 - Luton : 30,22 expected points.
#20 - Sheffield United : 28,42 expected points.

Top 3:
#1 - Arsenal : 79,11 expected points.
#2 - City : 78,28 expected points.
#3 - Liverpool : 73,07 expected points.

Expected egoals scored in the PL this season:
#12 - Manchester United : 57,83 expected goals scored.

#1 - Liverpool : 87,23 expected goals scored.
#2 - City : 84,53 expected goals scored.
#3 - Arsenal : 81,18 expected goals scored.

None of the other post Fergie manager have been anywhere close to having numbers like this. Not even remotely close.

Comparing him to other post Fergie managers:

Our expected points per game since the metric was introduced in the 14/15 season:

LVG
14/15 - 1,66 xPts/90
15/16 - 1,49 xPts/90
Sacked
Total in his reign: 1,58 xPts/90

Mourinho
16/17 - 1,87 xPts/90
17/18 - 1,64 xPts/90
18/19 (GW1-17) - 1,41 xPts/90
Sacked
Total in his reign: 1,69 xPts/90

Ole
18/19 (GW18-38) - 1,81 xPts/90
19/20 - 1,87 xPts/90
20/21 - 1,73 xPts/90
21/22 (GW1-12) - 1,30 xPts/90
Sacked
Total in his reign: 1,74 xPts/90

Ragnick
21/22 (GW13-38) - 1,50 xPts/90

ETH
22/23 - 1,75 xPts/90
23/24 - 1,19 xPts/90 ......over 36 games.
Total in his reign: 1,48 xPts/90

Defensive numbers since the expected goals against were introduced:

LVG
14/15 - 1,05 xGA/90
15/16 - 1,04 xGA/90
Sacked
Total in his reign: 1,04 xGA/90

Mourinho
16/17 - 0,83 xGA/90
17/18 - 1,15 xGA/90
18/19 (GW1-17) - 1,56 xGA/90
Sacked
Total in his reign: 1,09 xGA/90

Ole
18/19 (GW18-38) - 1,23 xGA/90
19/20 - 1,00 xGA/90
20/21 - 1,10 xGA/90
21/22 (GW1-12) - 1,76 xGA/90
Sacked
Total in his reign: 1,16 xGA/90

Ragnick
21/22 (GW13-38) - 1,38 xGA/90

ETH
22/23 - 1,32 xGA/90
23/24 - 1,96 xGA/90 !!!!
Total in his reign: 1,63 xGA/90 !!!

Ole and ETH has exact equal expected goals scored per 90 stats while in charge (1,75 xG/90), the difference is that since ETH took over we have consistantly become worse at finishing (goals vs. expected goals). Since 14/15 season here's our stats for finishing:
14/15 - overperformance by 14%
15/16 - overperformance by 8%
16/17 - underperformance by 6%
17/18 - overperformance by 15%
18/19 - underperformance by 5%
19/20 - on par
20/21 - overperformance by 16%
21/22 - on par
Average 6% overperformance

Under ETH
22/23 - underperformance by 19%
23/24 - underperformance by 10%
Average 15% underperformance.

What are they doing on the training field?

Looking at the these numbers it's actually mindblowing that he still has a job here.

Good post thanks for those stats, highlights what we are seeing on the pitch.

 

[DJ_21]

There's a longer list of games where the result could have gone the opponent's way. We've scored multiple 90+ minute goals this season. It works both ways.

Onana got away with taking out a Wolves defender on the opening night of the season. That could have been a 1-1 draw. Wolves deserved to win that game.

Fulham could have gotten a draw at Craven Cottage had it not been for a Leno howler in the 91st minute. We won that game 1-0.

Bournemouth could have beaten us if we weren't awarded a controversial penalty. They were the better team.

Our xPts for the season is 42.87! We're lucky to be on 54 points.

I know it works both ways. That was my point. When someone was saying we should be on less points we also could have been on more if we hanged onto some leads.

 

[LARulz]

Basically, he's blaming the medical team, that's what I "hear"

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When was he referring to specifically for his full squad availability?

 

[LordSpud]

The fact some people still try to defend him is just insane to me.

Our worst season in decades and some still would give him next season.

Standards have never been lower.

Let's say the players manage to stay fit next season. Ten Hag able to field his Best XI. Could be amazing.

The injuries killed us this season without a doubt.

 

[lsd]

The goal difference between ourselves and Arsenal is now 65 goals. That is absolutely pathetic. I am shocked at how people are taking this mediocrity Ten Hag has delivered

 

[Born2Lose]

Basically, he's blaming the medical team, that's what I "hear"

Tweet

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If you give me all the tools I want, then I can do the job.

 

[Roboc7]

By the start of next season we'll likely only have about 5-6 senior players who finished the 21-22 season. How much more gutting can realistically be done?

A lot is going to have to be done, we have 15 players out of contact by summer 2026 and you probably wouldn’t want to renew more than 2 or 3 of them. That’s not even including the players out on loan and the likes of Onana, Mount, Antony and Rashford who all have big question marks against them.

The squad has to be gutted to move forward or you renew the players we know aren’t good enough on terms that make the impossible to get rid of.

 

[AltiUn]

Basically, he's blaming the medical team, that's what I "hear"

Tweet

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Tends to happen when you have a lot of injury prone players on your books, even after Ten Hag we really need to remedy this because we've just got so many useless sicknotes in the squad.

 

[Unam333]

Let's say the players manage to stay fit next season. Ten Hag able to field his Best XI. Could be amazing.

The injuries killed us this season without a doubt.

Worst injury crisis I have seen as a United fan. Ten Hag needs a chance to play his preferred XI next season. No coach would get consistent wins and performances out of this injury ravaged squad. We can't be blind to the results and performance, because there are shocking and they are there for all to see, but we can't be blind to the absolute injury nightmare we are in.

 

[e.cantona]

He'll be a great option for City after Pep $$$

 

[Fallon d'Floor]

I know it works both ways. That was my point. When someone was saying we should be on less points we also could have been on more if we hanged onto some leads.

We should be on less points though. Our xPTS is 11 points less than the current 54 points that we're on.

We should probably have drawn that game vs Chelsea, but should have been beaten comfortably by Brentford, Liverpool and Bournemouth during that 4 game run. We ended up taking 3 points from 12 instead of what should have been 1 point from 12.

This has been a disastrous season. We could easily be on 20+ defeats by now.

 

[UnofficialDevil]

Adam Stott now runs that Forever Utd TV

Ah, I thought that’s who you meant, didn’t realise he left.

 

[Rightnr]

Basically, he's blaming the medical team, that's what I "hear"

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Someone should put him out of his misery and send him back to Ajax's world class medical team.

 

[Von Mistelroum]

He said it is difficult for him because of injuries


Standards are very low. Seen so many who seem satisfied with the performance yesterday

I feel like we can lose narrowly to Newcastle, so long as we don't get demolished, people will be happy with that too.

Ten Hag or not, standards need to be much higher next season surely

I feel like even an absolute tonking from Newcastle will see many fans defending him and falling back on the excuses all over again.

Let's say the players manage to stay fit next season. Ten Hag able to field his Best XI. Could be amazing.

The injuries killed us this season without a doubt.

His 'best 11' will include Rashford, Antony, Casemiro, Mount....amazing.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Yesterday he brought up players attitude, has he only just noticed that some have a rotten attitude. Was he talking about the performances or about what Rooney was hinting at that some don't want to actually play and are making out their injuries are worse than they are?

 

[Nogbadthebad]

Tactics have been awful this year. Can't blame anyone else for that.

Injuries have forced us into some unfortunate situations, an evens/casemiro defence for instance. But then he puts erikson in front of them, making the entire spine of the team a group of older, immobile players and expecting Mainoo to compensate for all 3 with inevitable results. ten hag took our injury crisis and found a way to make it worse.

But my biggest concern with him is not even on the pitch. Its recruitment. He is obsessed with people he has worked with before. Paying over the odds for them is not down to him, but choosing them at all is. And most are not, and never will be good enough. And that is why I don't think he should be here.

 

[crossy1686]

Yesterday he brought up players attitude, has he only just noticed that some have a rotten attitude. Was he talking about the performances or about what Rooney was hinting at that some don't want to actually play and are making out their injuries are worse than they are?

It sounded like he was referring to application on the pitch, not that players are faking injury to not play

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Someone should put him out of his misery and send him back to Ajax's world class medical team.

He is not wrong about the injuries in that department, but why are we getting these injuries, are some feigned injuries. I do wonder with some of them. Dalot is rarely injured, but I bet he is carrying knocks sometimes. Do we have a load of Louis Saha's on our hands who won't play unless 100%, or do some not want to show their heads above the parapets?

 

[Red Regista]

The same crap every week.

'I am such a poor fellow, all of my good players are injured, I cannot deliver with all those injuries....' bla bla bla.

Shut up you bastard! You've spent 300 million in the transfer market and bought players who are either so crap they won't even make Forest's first eleven, or injury prone like hell.
100% self inflicted.

Antony - crap
Amrabat - crap
Casemiro - crap
Weghorst - crap
Reguilon - crap/ injury prone
Malacia - injury prone
Mount - injury prone
Licha - injury prone
Onana - allright, but not worth the fee

Other than Hojlund, none of his transfers worked out.
Yet he is crying about injuries.
Even when the majority were fit we were crap.
He's just a sorry mofo, trying to find excuses for his poor performance as the manager.

 

[Fallon d'Floor]

Worst injury crisis I have seen as a United fan. Ten Hag needs a chance to play his preferred XI next season. No coach would get consistent wins and performances out of this injury ravaged squad. We can't be blind to the results and performance, because there are shocking and they are there for all to see, but we can't be blind to the absolute injury nightmare we are in.

We saw what we played like with a largely fit squad at the start of the season though. We also saw how we performed away from home vs the top 10 last season. We've witnessed ten Hag has struggle vs the best coaches in the league across both seasons. The evidence is right in front of you.

Even when Shaw and Lisandro came back into the side in January, the team was still disjointed and conceded multiple goals while facing lots of shots on our goal.

The Wolves game at the start of the season was the biggest indicator of what was to come this season.

Our starting XI was Onana, Shaw, Lisandro, Varane, Dalot, Casemiro, Garnacho, Mount, Bruno, Antony and Rashford. Højlund was the only potential starter missing. They cut through us like a hot knife through butter.

 

[crossy1686]

He is not wrong about the injuries in that department, but why are we getting these injuries, are some feigned injuries. I do wonder with some of them. Dalot is rarely injured, but I bet he is carrying knocks sometimes. Do we have a load of Louis Saha's on our hands who won't play unless 100%, or do some not want to show their heads above the parapets?

Best case the players are genuinely injured, or it could be that the players are 'protecting themselves' from major injury due to Ten Hag's inability to rotate his first 11 so they're taking themselves out of the selection process to recover from minor issues. Worst case they're avoiding playing because they don't want to get hammered.

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

If players like Harry Maguire and Bruno who rarely miss games start picking up muscular injuries more than once during the course of a season, it’s probably training related or overuse due to lack of squad rotation. I don’t think our medical team is much to write about and suffers from the same neglect that’s typical of everything under glazer ownership but I don’t think the manager is helping himself with his stubbornness either.

 

[Lay]

I do wonder who is to blame for the injuries. They have one game per week but most can't seem to handle it. Seems strange

 

[VP89]

I do wonder who is to blame for the injuries. They have one game per week but most can't seem to handle it. Seems strange

Certainly some failure lies on the medical staff. Casemiro got a second opinion in Brazil on his hamstring and they found he was injured

 

[stevoc]

Unfortunately we're likely to need to clear out a fair number of the signings we've made since then.

Eriksen and Casemiro are well past it. Evans similar. Antony has had two seasons of looking nowhere near good enough, and I'm not sure any manager is going to change that. There's massive question marks over Mount and Onana. Even Hojlund fits into that bracket, although he's got youth on his side.

That leaves Martinez, who has his own injury concerns, and Malacia, who looks like he's only ever going to be a back-up (if he can stay fit).

I'd largely agree mate if Ten Hag goes I wouldn't be surprised if ineos decide to basically draw a line under his tenure and clear out most if not all of his signings.

Hojlund is the only one who I think is safe.

 

[stevoc]

A lot is going to have to be done, we have 15 players out of contact by summer 2026 and you probably wouldn’t want to renew more than 2 or 3 of them. That’s not even including the players out on loan and the likes of Onana, Mount, Antony and Rashford who all have big question marks against them.

The squad has to be gutted to move forward or you renew the players we know aren’t good enough on terms that make the impossible to get rid of.

True but there's only so much you can do in one or two summers. It's fine in theory to say we need 10-15 new players. But for the quality we need they'll all cost at least £30-70m each.

Then we have to factor in possible stopgap signings if we can't attract the right profile of player this summer with no CL football to offer.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Let's say the players manage to stay fit next season. Ten Hag able to field his Best XI. Could be amazing.

The injuries killed us this season without a doubt.

I truly don't get some of you

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

The goal difference between ourselves and Arsenal is now 65 goals. That is absolutely pathetic. I am shocked at how people are taking this mediocrity Ten Hag has delivered

The collective fanbase will look back on this season 1 day and realize just how shit it truly was

And also laugh remembering ETH was defended vehemently by portions of the fanbase for our worst season in the Premier League era

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

The injury argument is so tired when even our most fit teams we put out had the exact same issues defensively as our injury ravaged ones.

Quite funny to see some of the main culprits in here still going to bat for him after I debated several back in February that agreed with me that post UCL exit (when I was raging that he should be sacked every day) they wanted to see how the next couple of months went. Well they went about as bad as they could go and yet it still didn’t change people’s minds somehow.

 

[RedSky]

I truly don't get some of you

It's utterly bizarre. The rot set in way before this season anyway. 50 League Games since the League Cup Win and our win percentage is 48% with a GD of -2. Just utterly abysmal.