Rank our post-SAF managers

Jose
Van Gaal
Ten Hag
Ole
Moyes

gotta go with the “winning” managers first as trophies are everything however I was tempted to put Ole ahead of ETH because I do think we had more highs under him - Paris and various finals and wins vs big teams. ETH may have won a cup but he regularly gets spanked by the better teams, especially away. Also Ole had that magical first few months.

Jose was the best by far, which is only natural considering he’s the best manager of that lot
 
Moyes by far the worst. That much is clear. He still had great players, even if some of them were coming to the end of their peak, and he fecked it all up.
 
Mike Smalling said:
Moyes by far the worst. That much is clear. He still had great players, even if some of them were coming to the end of their peak, and he fecked it all up.
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None of them were good after Moyes, it was a very overrated squad.
 
Robbie Boy said:
Jose was the best and Moyes was the worst. The rest can go anywhere, really.
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I used to think the same, but as time passes I'm more and more inclined to accept the opinion that Mourinho wasn't our clear number 1.

Mourinho wins the PPG and trophy (albeit minor) count. This would put him in the number one spot on most lists (including mine). But it has to be said that he had the worst transfer record overall (in my opinion) and arguably the worst personality. He was so miserable it's a miracle it took him so long to lose the dressing room. I think this proves that as long as you get results you can be a dickhead. But good luck when you start losing!
 
Scandi Red said:
I used to think the same, but as time passes I'm more and more inclined to accept the opinion that Mourinho wasn't our clear number 1.

Mourinho wins the PPG and trophy (albeit minor) count. This would put him in the number one spot on most lists (including mine). But it has to be said that he had the worst transfer record overall (in my opinion) and arguably the worst personality. He was so miserable it's a miracle it took him so long to lose the dressing room. I think this proves that as long as youget results you can be a dickhead. But good luck when you start losing!
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They were all varying degrees of shite. But Mourinho was by far the most unlikeable. It was a really grim time to be a United fan when he was in charge. So there’s no way he should top any list of “best managers”.
 
Jose
Ole & Van Gaal
ETH
Moyes (Because he inherited a title winning team and took it miles down)

But as far as worst individual season that accolade is going to ETHs current season which is by far the worst.

ETH was second on this list after last season but this season has been so disgraceful that if it continues he'll be the worst by the end of the season should he actually survive that long.

That said obviously ETH was already more successful than Ole but we had more "highs" in terms of performances under Ole. Sadly though we won nothing.
 
1. Jose - he’s toxic as feck, the football wasn’t always great but he brought in a trophy winning mentality. 3 finals in his tenure is good.

2. Ole - now this might be controversial due to lack of trophies, but the most fun I’ve had watching the team was during Ole’s tenure. A few semi final runs and unlucky loss in the Europa final.

3. LVG - boring as feck football but FA Cup and juanfield rank highly

4. ETH - he’s got all the negatives from the previous managers with the personality of a sponge. Could easily be bottom but has got a trophy

5. Moyes - he massively underestimated the size of the club, he made that clear in pre season and it worried me right away
 
By the way, why are we already ranking Ten Hag? He's not been sacked yet. If he got sacked tomorrow then I would also rank him below Jose, Ole and possibly also Van Gaal (they are neck and neck as far as I'm concerned). But if he manages to turn the season around, play better football, get top 4 and keep his job? Well then he's back in the discussion again.
 
Scandi Red said:
I used to think the same, but as time passes I'm more and more inclined to accept the opinion that Mourinho wasn't our clear number 1.

Mourinho wins the PPG and trophy (albeit minor) count. This would put him in the number one spot on most lists (including mine). But it has to be said that he had the worst transfer record overall (in my opinion) and arguably the worst personality. He was so miserable it's a miracle it took him so long to lose the dressing room. I think this proves that as long as you get results you can be a dickhead. But good luck when you start losing!
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I can't stand Mourinho and I didn't enjoy a fair chunk of his tenure. But, he won 2 trophies and got us our best points total post-Fergie.

People can have their personal preference for who they preferred the most, but Jose was the best, and realistically, it felt at one point like we might go somewhere under him.

I probably preferred Ole's spell because it was all messy, disjointed fun especially during a grimm COVID time. I never really felt we looked like a serious team but he's a likeable guy and it was fun at times. The only thing that ruined it was the Ole mentalists on here.
 
Robbie Boy said:
Jose was the best and Moyes was the worst. The rest can go anywhere, really.
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This is correct.

I've never really thought about it but it's pretty crazy that I'd probably rank Ole as 2nd best. That's how bad our appointments have been.
 
1. Jose, first year or two and a trophy or two. Shame he has some weird ability to self implode inside 3 years and creat utter toxicity

2. ETH, based on first season, Casamiro and Erikson controlled games, Rashford was reborn and on fire, we won a trophy and got to FA cup final and finished third. A great first season.
Hes had no luck in 2023, the injuries have been obscene. Loosing Mainoo who was flying pre season even before the first game, Casamiro, Licha and Erikson huge long term misses. Injuries aside hes fallen into the United manager way as pressure told, mis management of tactics and selection. Im still on the fence if he needs to stay or go.

3. Ole, magic first few months. Then lost his way and the dressing room.

4. LVG - first time ive fallen asleep at Old Trafford, his football was a hard watch. Never ever again.

5. Moyes. Not much to say, wasnt backed in the transfer market. Looked out of his depth from day 1.
 
Rista said:
I've never really thought about it but it's pretty crazy that I'd probably rank Ole as 2nd best
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I think this will go in waves. When we play boring football and can't score people realise just how important goals are (duh). And when we have absolutely no control or plan then people might start to think that Van Gaal was kind of underrated.

I'm a simple "goals, goals, goals" type of guy so I will never rate Van Gaal over Ole. I did like Van Gaal's personality though. Proper nutter!
 
Scandi Red said:
By the way, why are we already ranking Ten Hag? He's not been sacked yet. If he got sacked tomorrow then I would also rank him below Jose, Ole and possibly also Van Gaal (they are neck and neck as far as I'm concerned). But if he manages to turn the season around, play better football, get top 4 and keep his job? Well then he's back in the discussion again.
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Yup. If he somehow gets us CL football two seasons in a row (plus a domestic cup) then he’s top of the list.
 
Mourinho
LvG
OGS
Moyes

EtH not being ranked as he's the current manager.
 
I think I would have it as:

Mourinho
Ole
LvG
Moyes
EtH

Ole and LvG can be swapped, as can Moyes and EtH. Mourinho comfortably at top despite having been a failure.
 
Cant believe will type this but shows how bad they were

LvG - regardless of our opinion when it comes to his style he is only one where we actually played how he wanted, shit or not.
Jose - toxic cnut who was selling games to prove his point but we won something under him
EtH- just like those above him, no balls to do whats needed difference is he had best chance for it out of them all.
Moyes - Never good enough, shit but he had few months of damage
Ole- Won feck all and biggest waster in post SAF period, wasted money and time, assembled most dislikeable bunch of pricks and left heavy uncoached and unfit team at the end.
 
Back when this thread was made I thought Ole was our worst manager post SAF. Little did I know that Ralf and Ten Hag will easily overtake him for that spot. Maybe even miss his days a little bit. How ridiculous is that ?
 
Scandi Red said:
I used to think the same, but as time passes I'm more and more inclined to accept the opinion that Mourinho wasn't our clear number 1.

Mourinho wins the PPG and trophy (albeit minor) count. This would put him in the number one spot on most lists (including mine). But it has to be said that he had the worst transfer record overall (in my opinion) and arguably the worst personality. He was so miserable it's a miracle it took him so long to lose the dressing room. I think this proves that as long as you get results you can be a dickhead. But good luck when you start losing!
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Worst transfer record easily belongs to Ten Hag. Pretty much all his signings are on course of becoming a failure except Martinez who has the jury still out on him.
 
ETH had a lot of promise, 72% win ratio last season, reacted well seeing the Ole/Rangnick team lose the first two games, got a trophy after 5 years and two finals, was close with Arsenal and City but no Casemiro and overused squad we slipped back. It's been a disaster for him since, his player management, training and recruitment and plans have stuck him like quick sand with stats below Neville at Valencia.

Jose
LVG
Ole

Moyes and ETH. Job swallowed them up

I do feel ETH will be a success elsewhere, his second Ajax team is what really impressed. Right man at the wrong club, said that from the start.
 
Mourinho (most competitive side)
Ole (most entertaining football)
Moyes (wasn't long enough to do damage)
LVG (terrible football, terrible transfers)
Ten Hag (worst football, terrible transfers)
 
Mourinho

Rangnick - putting him 2nd for his post match interviews

Ten Hag - terrible football, terrible transfers, only ahead of Ole because he got a trophy

Ole - entertaining football but has alot to answer for, he let the likes of lingard, rashford and pogba stink the place out with their unprofessional behaviour, it became acceptable under him. Then added sancho to the mix.

LVG - by far the most boring football, only ahead of moyes because he got a trophy.

Moyes
 
Jose - best of a bad bunch
Ole - most enjoyable time until the failure to win attainable trophies that Jose would have probably won
EtH - only slightly above LVG, alphabetically mainly
LVG - the worst for transfers and truly dreadful football
Moyes - why make wholesale changes to the champions?!
Rangnick - the most ridiculous appointment
 
1. Carrick.

Rest are not worth mentioning. Ole had couple promising games runs but eventually we returned to mediocrity or even worse with him.
 
jose was both the best and worst. Like a manchild, who, although correct on some points, behaved like a feckin child. He needed an open handed slap in the face.
 
Partridge said:
jose was both the best and worst. Like a manchild, who, although correct on some points, behaved like a feckin child. He needed an open handed slap in the face.
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His worst (the third season) was easily better than this season or Ole’s fourth season. And his two best seasons were better than anything we had under any manager albeit nowhere good enough of what we should aspire.
 
The squad Moyes inherited was over the hill. The fact Alex won the league was a minor miracle which he knew he would not be able to recreate. People act like Moyes dismantled the place when, in fact, he made cosmetic changes at best and then Van Gaal came in and took a wrecking ball to the squad.

You would think Rene and Mick were some kind of footballing masterminds he way people go on. The only football mastermind was Alex, which is why the fall was so dramatic. There was a severe lack of infrastructure as Ferguson was capable of doing so much and this was only truly exposed when he left.

But the true kiss of death was having Woodward in charge, a man I would not trust to run a corner shop.

Frankly, the club hung Moyes out to dry and used him as a convenient scapegoat for deep rooted issues that come all the way from the top and the asset-raping owners.

One thing Alex should take more of the criticism for is for covering for the owners for so long and also for causing the exit of the previous supportive ownership over a racehorse.
 
LawmanMan said:
The squad Moyes inherited was over the hill. The fact Alex won the league was a minor miracle which he knew he would not be able to recreate. People act like Moyes dismantled the place when, in fact, he made cosmetic changes at best and then Van Gaal came in and took a wrecking ball to the squad.

You would think Rene and Mick were some kind of footballing masterminds he way people go on. The only football mastermind was Alex, which is why the fall was so dramatic. There was a severe lack of infrastructure as Ferguson was capable of doing so much and this was only truly exposed when he left.

But the true kiss of death was having Woodward in charge, a man I would not trust to run a corner shop.
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The excuse Moyes gets is weird. No one expected him to win the title but the squad wasn't that bad to finish 7th. He was awful and our worst manager post SAF.
 
AshRK said:
The excuse Moyes gets is weird. No one expected him to win the title but the squad wasn't that bad to finish 7th. He was awful and our worst manager post SAF.
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The squad was deeply flawed with too many crocks and over the hill players. That’s why LVG tried to overhaul things to the degree he did. The owners had been asset-stripping the club for years and allowing standards to erode and, like is often the case, the lack of investment led to a sudden and painful demise.
 
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Fortitude said:
What's clear is we've had a host of awful managers from the moment Fergie retired.
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Nope. Blaming very good managers for organisational failures. They all know the score of what it is like. Moyes is literally one of the best league managers over the past several seasons while Mourinho won a trophy for Roma. LVG’s pedigree is excellent. Sometimes you have to accept the issue is not the manager.
 
LawmanMan said:
The squad Moyes inherited was over the hill. The fact Alex won the league was a minor miracle which he knew he would not be able to recreate. People act like Moyes dismantled the place when, in fact, he made cosmetic changes at best and then Van Gaal came in and took a wrecking ball to the squad.

You would think Rene and Mick were some kind of footballing masterminds he way people go on. The only football mastermind was Alex, which is why the fall was so dramatic. There was a severe lack of infrastructure as Ferguson was capable of doing so much and this was only truly exposed when he left.

But the true kiss of death was having Woodward in charge, a man I would not trust to run a corner shop.

Frankly, the club hung Moyes out to dry and used him as a convenient scapegoat for deep rooted issues that come all the way from the top and the asset-raping owners.

One thing Alex should take more of the criticism for is for covering for the owners for so long and also for causing the exit of the previous supportive ownership over a racehorse.
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No one expected Moyes to keep that squad challenging for title. He had that squad heading toward bottom half table if given more chances. No one stopping Moyes to use the fund to improve that squad. He himself admitted he dithered and having Woodward didn't help either. Rene and Mick Phelan might not be the masterminds, but they could do the waterboys job good enough, evidently Phelan under Ole was part of the team get top 3 two times in a row and an EL final.

There is several level of failure and acceptable non achieving. Moyes simply failed and no excuses can counter argue that. Just like now ETH even with excuses like injuries, a mess of structure at the club doesn't explain why this season is rivaling Moyes' season at its worst.

SAF is not flawless. He did make some huge mistake, but his legacy still leaves our managers with plenty blessings. I meant people talk as if our managers have transfer budget of Luton, zero attraction to players. In reality, the financial prowess, and the remnant of attraction belongs to SAF legacy. You think Varane, Casemiro signed for ETH, Ole due to their CV, or Manchester United (the prestige that associated with SAF's successes)?
 
ti vu said:
No one expected Moyes to keep that squad challenging for title. He had that squad heading toward bottom half table if given more chances. No one stopping Moyes to use the fund to improve that squad. He himself admitted he dithered and having Woodward didn't help either. Rene and Mick Phelan might not be the masterminds, but they could do the waterboys job good enough, evidently Phelan under Ole was part of the team get top 3 two times in a row and an EL final.

There is several level of failure and acceptable non achieving. Moyes simply failed and no excuses can counter argue that. Just like now ETH even with excuses like injuries, a mess of structure at the club doesn't explain why this season is rivaling Moyes' season at its worst.
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Nope. Simply cowardice and weak management from the board. Sir Bobby called them out for it, as did Scholes. Sir Matt Busby was no doubt turning in his grave at the outrageously rapid complete abandonment of the club’s principles and tradition.

Doesn’t help when you have snakes like Ryan Giggs on the coaching staff mind.
 
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