Life after ETH — the next United manager

If we sack ten Hag who would you want as manager?

  • Massimiliano Allegri

    Votes: 24 1.7%
  • Rúben Amorim

    Votes: 290 21.1%
  • Michael Carrick

    Votes: 33 2.4%
  • Roberto de Zerbi

    Votes: 18 1.3%
  • Thomas Frank

    Votes: 70 5.1%
  • Sebastian Hoeneß

    Votes: 59 4.3%
  • Eddie Howe

    Votes: 6 0.4%
  • Simone Inzaghi

    Votes: 66 4.8%
  • Andoni Iraola

    Votes: 36 2.6%
  • Thiago Motta

    Votes: 8 0.6%
  • Julian Nagelsmann

    Votes: 255 18.5%
  • Graham Potter

    Votes: 26 1.9%
  • Ruud van Nistelrooy

    Votes: 30 2.2%
  • Marco Silva

    Votes: 8 0.6%
  • Xabi Alonso

    Votes: 217 15.8%
  • Xavi

    Votes: 58 4.2%
  • Kieran McKenna

    Votes: 81 5.9%
  • Unai Emery

    Votes: 90 6.5%
  • Fabian Hürzeler

    Votes: 1 0.1%

  • Total voters
    1,376
Ole treated his players how they'd like and it faltered fast. Jose treated his abominably and did much better.

Anyway, it's not about being a 'name' or 'setting the team up well', it's about results.

Potter has absolutely nothing on file to suggest he can get results United would want.



Slot has not managed another top-six club into the ground. Hopefully, he will, but even if he did, Liverpool would never be so stupid as to hire a dangerously tarnished coach as Potter.

Otherwise, he'd have been a serious contender for replacing Klopp, no?

As for Maresca, sure, he is a risk, but not a proven failure like Potter.

Could you honestly see Chelsea rehire Potter if it went wrong with Maresca?



Christ, mate, don't give them ideas.

Ineos hiring their mates to manage us and what will be their squad fills me with a nameless dread, and it should do you, too.

Hopefully, they're a lot smarter than this.

Hopefully.
"Did much better" is a fair stretch and needs a boat load of context.

But I think the point was the status of the manager is almost irrelevant. Players have the power now, you can't just kick one out the club anymore. That fear factor has gone.

Ability over status is what matters.
 
I wonder what the poll was like when Ten Hag was appointed? Was he the redcafe favourite then?

Overwhelming favourite, as has been shown. I firmly believed he is the guy. He was the hottest prospect back then, while the main alternatives for a while were Pochettino and Rodgers. Luis Enrique also emerged as candidate, but didn't pan out. And he isn't pulling up trees at PSG either.

Hiring Ten Hag wasn't a mistake. Persisting with him after everything is.
 
Sounds most likely. Inzaghi would be my first choice. But I’d be happy to bring in Tuchel during the international break, if he’ll accept a short term contract and lay down some terms, if you get us top 4 and a decent cup run then you can lead the team next season.

I'd be interested to see how Tuchel does at United
 
Yes, went for Tuchel myself, albeit belatedly.

If Ashworth genuinely believes Potter is up to the task of managing us, i.e. making us a serious force again, I hope to highest heaven he's got his resignation letter at the ready.



Just what this club needs:

A manager who 'looked good' but won nothing at a club who have since surpassed him, and is considered not responsible for his own failure at another.



What does 'quite well' actually mean here?

For me consistently in the top four for now, with a view to challenging the PL before 2030 anything sooner is unrealistic in my book.

Plenty here advocate for McKenna he’s as much a risk and I reckon Tuchel is just a storm waiting to happen like a Mourinho type toxic storm.
 

Overwhelming favourite, as has been shown. I firmly believed he is the guy. He was the hottest prospect back then, while the main alternatives for a while were Pochettino and Rodgers. Luis Enrique also emerged as candidate, but didn't pan out. And he isn't pulling up trees at PSG either.

Hiring Ten Hag wasn't a mistake. Persisting with him after everything is.
This…he was the hottest prospect at that moment, his Ajax team where playing some great football, with maybe just a few more quality players they would have made that CL final and possibly won it. It really is a shame it hasn’t worked out at united for him but it’s just life/football. For the sake of more headaches anger, sadness, it’s time to go
 
Considering the circumstances you mention (turmoil (Boehly/Ineos), chaotic recruitment, few weeks into a season) are alive and well at United, it shows your endorsement of Potter is truly misinformed.

You got one thing right. Potter did indeed fail at Chelsea.
You've made your dislike of Potter clear, and that's no problem. I don't think he's the answer either. But saying that Boehly and Ineos turmoil is the same is just wrong. What Ineos turmoil? And what chaotic recruitment? This summers recruitment was not chaotic whatsoever. Everyone agrees that Potter failed at Chelsea, but that doesn't mean he would fail here. I think there are better candidates out there, don't get me wrong, but saying that he would fail here because he failed at Chelsea under the same circumstances is just not true. The circumstances are not the same.
 
I voted Amorim. Young manager and a different outlook on tactics. 3-4-3, perhaps a new outlook on style of play is what we need.
 
I’m still Ireola or Stuttgart manager. However, I feel the Stuttgart man may be early into a contract and not looking to move. Ireola is one of least paid in the PL so his contract should be easy to buy out - if he’d be interested.
Tuchel gives me Mourinho vibes. Amourin is way too expensive. Alonso would never coach United.
 
I'd be interested to see how Tuchel does at United
I think he’d demand respect. He’d make us solid. Question is would he opt for a back 4 or a back 3? As he’s known to play both. I really think with De Ligt, Martinez and eventually Yoro then we’re set up for a back 3.
 
Of the poll options, Nagelsmann, Alonso and probably Emery won't join us at this point in time. Ashworth won't hire Howe since they didn't work well together at Newcastle. Ruud might be ok for a few games as we look for a proper manager (like what Carrick did when Ole was fired), but he's almost certainly not ready for the Utd job.

Otherwise, I think I'd take anybody else in the poll ahead of ETH at the moment, with Amorim and Inzaghi probably being the two I'd be most excited about (admittedly perhaps only because I don't know much about them). However they are two that are perhaps least likely to leave their current club mid-season.
 
Ole treated his players how they'd like and it faltered fast. Jose treated his abominably and did much better.

Anyway, it's not about being a 'name' or 'setting the team up well', it's about results.

Potter has absolutely nothing on file to suggest he can get results United would want.



Slot has not managed another top-six club into the ground. Hopefully, he will, but even if he did, Liverpool would never be so stupid as to hire a dangerously tarnished coach as Potter.

Otherwise, he'd have been a serious contender for replacing Klopp, no?

As for Maresca, sure, he is a risk, but not a proven failure like Potter.

Could you honestly see Chelsea rehire Potter if it went wrong with Maresca?



Christ, mate, don't give them ideas.

Ineos hiring their mates to manage us and what will be their squad fills me with a nameless dread, and it should do you, too.

Hopefully, they're a lot smarter than this.

Hopefully.
Oh okay, I think I get you now. You just want a manager who has never failed at anything ever, is a big name so that players don't "blank" him (because that's definitely a thing that happens), and has no affiliation - however tenuous - with anyone at the club.

Does them being a realistic hire count? Because if so, then the logical conclusion is probably to keep Ten Hag.
 
I like a few of the names on the list, but I think the likes of Alonso, Inzaghi and Emery are probably unattainable at this time.

I voted for the Stuttgart manager Hoeness, with Amorim a close second, although like most on here I just feel we desperately need a change so I'd take most on that list.
 
I don’t know because the United job is the biggest and hardest, but I think he’s now in a phase of his career where he’s genuinely ready for a big job.

With the trend moving away from hiring ‘winners’, Silva is both young and experienced with multiple clubs and we can see he plays good football.

Personally, I like Iraola’s football the most of the newer coaches but Silva does have more experience, and that mix might help him deal with the United job.
Agree with this about Silva. I remember watching his Hull side play us in the cup and we just got away with it but his style left an impression on me.

He didn’t do too great at Everton but a few have fallen there in recent times and as you said he has more experience now. Looks like a straight talking no nonsense type of guy too who will demand effort - his Fulham team work hard.

My number one choice would be Potter although if he has the inner strength to deal with our lot would be the biggest hurdle. If no Potter I would certainly get behind Silva , he would give us a structure and performance level that we desperately need.
 
Agree with this about Silva. I remember watching his Hull side play us in the cup and we just got away with it but his style left an impression on me.

He didn’t do too great at Everton but a few have fallen there in recent times and as you said he has more experience now. Looks like a straight talking no nonsense type of guy too who will demand effort - his Fulham team work hard.

My number one choice would be Potter although if he has the inner strength to deal with our lot would be the biggest hurdle. If no Potter I would certainly get behind Silva , he would give us a structure and performance level that we desperately need.

Silva is my first choice. I really rate him and he got some much needed experience. Both good and bad experience. He got some personality as well.

Iraola is interesting. Would be happy with that.

Potter could be great, but I am unsure if he can handle the pressure.
 
Marco Silva is still my believed “ineos” top target. It makes sense to negotiate a manager hire on an international break with the opposing clubs having enough time to replace him.

As for the manager himself.. his team seem to be a reflection of his personality. Nonsense and very direct. Which I believe is how we should be building this squad to challenge in the future.
 
I guess the job of Ashworth is to make sure the new manager's style is compatible with the squad we have. We cannot afford to buy 4-5 new players.
 
I guess the job of Ashworth is to make sure the new manager's style is compatible with the squad we have. We cannot afford to buy 4-5 new players.

I sincerely hope not. Locking ourselves into a predetermined "style" is a massive contributory factor to our current problems.

A manager needs to be allowed to come in and find it out what works and what doesn't. That's how teams, mangers and individual players improve
 
I guess the job of Ashworth is to make sure the new manager's style is compatible with the squad we have. We cannot afford to buy 4-5 new players.

The current squad has a pretty good mix of players to be fair. We have one striker who can lead the line on his own, one who is very good at linking play, a variety of wingers, everything from highly specialised midfielders to more all arounders, and a defence with players who can play both a very high line and a very deep line. All in all it's a very versatile squad for a pragmatic manager to manage.

If Ten Hag took a step back and realised he doesn't always have to play the same way and the same players, maybe he would see that we have the foundations for a team that is capable of being both unpredictable and equipped to handle a wide variety of game situations.
 
I voted Amorim. Young manager and a different outlook on tactics. 3-4-3, perhaps a new outlook on style of play is what we need.
While the 3-4-3 point to him as something diffefent, all signs point that Amorim can be Ten Hag 2.0. When his team is in the buildup phase, he uses the 3-1-6 formation(Casemiro as a single pivot anyone), and he let's his fullbacks bomb very high up the pitch. His pressing shape is very similar to ETH and as a result, more quality teams slash right through the middle with ease. And to make things even more eerie similar, just like ETH he has a high release clause(30 million vs ETH's 20 million)

It's easy to implement tactics like these in Portugal or the Netherlands, because the quality of the league outside the big 3 is rubbish, so you don't get punished enough. In the PL it's a different story as Ten Hag has shown us.

Here is a quick rundown on his tactics. Starts at 25:38.

 
I’m not too worried about who the next manager will be, it will be a good appointment. Unless, of course, it’s GFS.
 
I sincerely hope not. Locking ourselves into a predetermined "style" is a massive contributory factor to our current problems.

A manager needs to be allowed to come in and find it out what works and what doesn't. That's how teams, mangers and individual players improve
Not sure what you mean by the first line. It's the exact opposite, with each manager we've had being massively different to the previous one and therefore wanting completely different players that is a huge factor in how bad things have been over the last decade. It led to us having to basically rebuild the squad every time a new manager came in.

Locking ourselves into this current style is certainly a problem, as the manager was here before the new organisation so may be playing a style nothing like what they want and (more importantly) the current style, or at least it's implementation, is terrible.

However INEOS do need to decide what style they want to play and from this point forward all the managers we bring in should suit that. Now obviously each manager will have differences and it'll be up to them to implement the specifics, but the general style of play should remain similar. That will enable easy transition between managers and will mean that the majority of players we have are suited to each manager.
 
After what I've seen today, cast a vote for Marco Silva. His Fulham team is playing very, very well, and I think the style would translate well to what our players offer.
 
Maybe ETH has finally faced the reality that after 7 EPL games in his third season that after this weekend his team could be as low as 14th or 15th, that’s relegation form, he’s gone no need for any more debate on whether he stays or leaves, so let’s start a thread for new Interim coach or new full time Coach?
 
Maybe ETH has finally faced the reality that after 7 EPL games in his third season that after this weekend his team could be as low as 14th or 15th, that’s relegation form, he’s gone no need for any more debate on whether he stays or leaves, so let’s start a thread for new Interim coach or new full time Coach?
We're not going to be in one of those 'Too big a team to go down' scenarios are we? :nervous: :nervous:
 
While the 3-4-3 point to him as something diffefent, all signs point that Amorim can be Ten Hag 2.0. When his team is in the buildup phase, he uses the 3-1-6 formation(Casemiro as a single pivot anyone), and he let's his fullbacks bomb very high up the pitch. His pressing shape is very similar to ETH and as a result, more quality teams slash right through the middle with ease. And to make things even more eerie similar, just like ETH he has a high release clause(30 million vs ETH's 20 million)

It's easy to implement tactics like these in Portugal or the Netherlands, because the quality of the league outside the big 3 is rubbish, so you don't get punished enough. In the PL it's a different story as Ten Hag has shown us.

Here is a quick rundown on his tactics. Starts at 25:38.


feck’s sake. That’s not encouraging.
We're not going to be in one of thoese 'Too big a team to go down' scenarios are we? :nervous: :nervous:
It could happen at this rate.
 
It’s time for change. It’s time for Andre Villas-Boas.
 
No Southgate, the current second favourite to be our next permanent manager, is a rather questionable omission from the poll.
 
It’s time for change. It’s time for Andre Villas-Boas.
You know that's who ETH reminds me of most. He was a similarly inept idiot who kept playing a high line with a CB combination from Terry, Ivanovic, Cahill etc. That Chelsea team kept getting caught out time and again.

We are similar where we play with a slow midfield and defense, where the midfielders are too high and the defense is deeper than it should be.

The only difference between the situations is that Chelsea were quick to realise their mistake and gave Villas-boas his marching orders whereas we gave the keys of the Kingdom to ETH and allowed him to fill the squad with mediocrity worth gbp 600m+.
 
I think there is a non-zero.chance we could convince Pep sometime in the next couple of years. His time at City seems to coming to an end, City may be sactioned by the FA, and his old boss (?) is running United. If Pep does leave City what would he do? He's won everything at the club level and reviving United would be an incredible accomplishment for him (or anyone) after so many managers have failed so miserably.

Sure, this may be wishful thinking of a desperate supporter. And while I don't think this likely, crazier things have happened.
 
I wonder what the poll was like when Ten Hag was appointed? Was he the redcafe favourite then?
I think he was the out and out favorite. He said all the right things, his Ajax played a style that would dovetail with the United "style", he was young, he was a serious football head.

And he broke our hearts!