The Guardian - Manchester United to sack Erik ten Hag after the FA Cup Final

[WPMUFC]

Coincidence is likely to just be that, a coincidence. Playing the hypothetical game though, what was the biggest rumour this week? Chelsea moving for McKenna or more broadly, McKenna wanting a big job.


In the space of a few days we've gone from speculation about ETH job being on a knife edge to "100% he's sacked" and normal publications like The Guardian running with this new story.


I think if I was playing the "most likely" scenario, INEOS decided to take a punt on McKenna when it became known in those agent circles he was not sticking with Ipswich even though he'd probably increase his stocks with a semi-decent PL run. The Chelsea stuff seemingly throwing even more panic into the decision making.


I think, if I was to guess, it's going to be McKenna just based on what has happened this week. I think Tuchel may have been the "interim" favourite before this, but there's just something about the McKenna rumours and how this has played out. I could be dead wrong, but there's just a feeling.

 

[Thom Merrilin]

His success is wildly overblown. Of course he did well but it's more the fact they were so shit for so long that makes him look so good.

He was never great in finals and if it wasn't for the London Cowboys, they'd easily be sitting on 1 CL and 1 league in 9 years in the reign of one of their greatest managers.

It might be overblown by some but he's clearly still been a success. I'd even say that them being poor for so long gives him more credibility. Whoever gets us competing for the league and champions league again will be called a hero.

Anyways, I know that it's not the norm for managers to have success long term at one club anymore. Klopp shows that it's still possible though.

 

[frostbite]

My conclusion is that we are still relevant! Which is a good thing! All this publicity just because we are Man Utd.


(And we finished 8th. This should not happen again. If the manager is failing, sack him early. )

 

[spwd]

This just dropped. Who knows if it is true?

Let's hope so. I think he's ideal for the next couple of years while we're sorting out the "Structure".

 

[The Hilton]

how would you go about preventing Poch or another managers agent from leaking the story?

If we're approaching managers that are unprofessional enough to leak the story, then we're making bad decisions. But even then, the club could easily have dressed it up as putting out feelers rather than a definite sacking.

 

[The Hilton]

how? Bind and Gag all members of staff and put them in the basement at Carrington? you can't stop people from talking for feck sake

Yes you absolutely can, if someone unreliable becomes privy to such sensitive information then something has gone wrong. It's completely unprofessional for this to come out when and how it has.

 

[The Brown Bull]

Start a gofundme for him then. We are not a charity, the man is a millionaire and comes from a family of millionaires.

Some of you really love simping for this club's failed managerial appointments.

We are not a charity? You could have fooled me given the wages we have shovelling out to sub par players for the last 10 years.
I'm not convinced by ETH but the club were when they hired him.Have they backed him? Have the players done their bit? Has he been hamstrung by injuries?
We simply cannot continue sacking managers even couple of seasons.
His treatment this week has been appalling.

 

[spwd]

It’s a club that is run very differently to United in the way that they have more of a coach than a manager, a coach who does not have much say in player recruitment for instance. It allows them to chop and change managers often without having to go back to square one to find a new style and a new squad to fit that style.

And that's what we're aiming for instead of the manager being put on a pedestal and can do no wrong.

 

[The Brown Bull]

This, the virtue signaling “but think about a poor man soon to be unemployed” is sickening

Bollockspiel.Its got nothing to do with money.It stinks.

 

[Andersonson]

News breaking a day before the final is as classless as you get it. Yes it was bound to happen, but show a bit of fecking class. Fergie must be fuming. Classless pricks

 

[Rightnr]

We are not a charity? You could have fooled me given the wages we have shovelling out to sub par players for the last 10 years.
I'm not convinced by ETH but the club were when they hired him.Have they backed him? Have the players done their bit? Has he been hamstrung by injuries?
We simply cannot continue sacking managers even couple of seasons.
His treatment this week has been appalling.

I wish someone would treat me this poorly. I'd even do it on a discount - 5m and you can humiliate me in the Guardian for 2 days.

 

[Judas]

We are not a charity? You could have fooled me given the wages we have shovelling out to sub par players for the last 10 years.
I'm not convinced by ETH but the club were when they hired him.Have they backed him? Have the players done their bit? Has he been hamstrung by injuries?
We simply cannot continue sacking managers even couple of seasons.
His treatment this week has been appalling.

We can, we should, and we will, especially when they deliver what Ten Hag did.

 

[Big Ben Foster]

We are not a charity? You could have fooled me given the wages we have shovelling out to sub par players for the last 10 years.
I'm not convinced by ETH but the club were when they hired him.Have they backed him? Have the players done their bit? Has he been hamstrung by injuries?
We simply cannot continue sacking managers even couple of seasons.
His treatment this week has been appalling.

We absolutely can and we will. Every club sacks underperforming managers. It's a perfectly normal part of the game.

 

[glazed]

For that story to have any credence we would have our next manager in mind and given assurances the individual would be on board.
This article is still talking about Southgate FFS!
The Guardian have rolled the dice to get in first to grab the headlines and while I think it will happen this rag knows no more than any other out there.

I was broadly in favour of keeping ETH but I also knew there was zero chance of that happening. Guardian won't have printed this without a source inside the top of the club. For both those reasons I'm sure it's true.

 

[TsuWave]

So they suddenly got information about sacking. Day before final. Why do I have hard time to believe that. Not only that, lets pretend it is true. You can’t wait after the final? There is time and place for everything. I don’t like that behaviour. Club needs to protect itself from this kind of stuff.

“Yeah, let me not report the news (likely a scoop) because United is playing in a final, and as a journalist that’s top of my pyramid of concerns - followed by making sure we report news in a manner that makes United fans feel good about our behaviour.”

I understand bans if what they’re reporting is completely made-up/baseless, but if you start banning journalists for simply reporting the news We’ll soon see the validity of said reporting, but it’s worth mentioning United has had plenty opportunity to deny it - which they haven’t.

 

[glazed]

So they suddenly got information about sacking. Day before final. Why do I have hard time to believe that. Not only that, lets pretend it is true. You can’t wait after the final? There is time and place for everything. I don’t like that behaviour. Club needs to protect itself from this kind of stuff.

I think it possible that the news will give the players a bounce and increase our small chance of winning. And the club will have wanted to avoid the LVG situation of it coming as a surprise after the Cup Final. End of day no rational person can think ETH was going to survive, even if they wanted him to. So ETH and the players already knew all this - it just brings a helpful clarity.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

This just dropped. Who knows if it is true?

McKenna to Chelsea then

 

[laughtersassassin]

News breaking a day before the final is as classless as you get it. Yes it was bound to happen, but show a bit of fecking class. Fergie must be fuming. Classless pricks

You really think the club/Ineos leaked it? Of course not. So it's not classless it's just unfortunate but inevitable when they have to be discussing with new managers already so we can be prepared

 

[Bright_Eyes]

How about we look at the most successful clubs and dynasties in the English game? How about we look at the current best 3 teams in the country and the fact that they have the longest serving managers?

You're right about the other stuff imo but could those 3 teams have long lasting managers because they've been performing well/meeting targets rather than the other way around?

 

[Infestissumam]

This just dropped. Who knows if it is true?

it was widely reported (also by Bild themselves IIRC) that the negotiations collapsed because Tuchel wanted an extension of a year or two, whereas Bayern just wanted him to stay on his current contract until 2025. So I doubt it.

Plus it's Falk, so I'll call bollocks either way.

 

[Theonas]

Could those teams have long lasting managers because they've been performing well/meeting targets rather than the other way around? I don't think any of those teams would keep ETH after what we've seen so far.

I am not defending EtH here just to be clear. I think he can have no complaints and the decision to let him go is anything but harsh. My post was in response to someone who cited Real Madrid and the way they view the role of manager as a model of success. I was pointing out that there are other examples of success that don't do it the Real Madrid do, not to mention that Real have to be viewed within their own environment and history which can't be replicated in the English game. I am not personally for binary options, I think every situation and every club calls for different approaches.

I think Arsenal and Liverpool were definitely right to stick by their managers after underwhelming starts. But I also think City were right to let go of Pelligrini and Mancini when they did and that we failed to act decisively with a couple of manager over the past decade. There is no one approach that is always right is my point.

 

[Erics_Collar]

Get Wazza In

 

[dabronxolivera]

Not that I believe the original story, but this doesn't disprove the original right? First one is INEOS making the decision to sack him, doesn't mean they told him

Laurie is ETH's mouthpiece. He's doing his last stand in the press

 

[AbusementPark]

Get Wazza In

Would he turn down Plymouth to come to us though?

 

[Andersonson]

You really think the club/Ineos leaked it? Of course not. So it's not classless it's just unfortunate but inevitable when they have to be discussing with new managers already so we can be prepared

The leak came from the club, of course it did. Anything else is far fetched. They should've managed to kept it inside the club until after the game. It's on them. They're running the it.

 

[Wibble]

Assuming it is correct, why are people assuming it was a club sanctioned leak? More likely they are furious that it was leaked just before the cup final.

 

[Judas]

The leak came from the club, of course it did. Anything else is far fetched. They should've managed to kept it inside the club until after the game. It's on them. They're running the it.

Why is it far fetched? We’ve clearly been talking to agents of managers, so the idea he’s a goner is clearly known by many outside the club.

 

[Acheron]

He lasted waaay more than he should but the timing for these news couldn't be any better.

 

[Offside]

Assuming it is correct, why are people assuming it was a club sanctioned leak?

Desperation to criticise the new regime?

 

[Andersonson]

Why is it far fetched? We’ve clearly been talking to agents of managers, so the idea he’s a goner is clearly known by many outside the club.

Then they haven't conducted the search for a new manager very good, have they? It's their responsibility to ensure stuff like this doesn't come out. It hurt us as a club and make us look like idiots. If this was Liverpool or City we would mock them and call them amateurs.

I get it, ETH has to go, but for feck sake, we look like complete morons trying to run the biggest club on earth. Standards should apply to everyone, not just the manager

 

[Marcus]

Assuming it is correct, why are people assuming it was a club sanctioned leak? More likely they are furious that it was leaked just before the cup final.

I agree. It benefits no one except 115 charges to leak this news now. I wouldn't be surprised if this is part of a psychological warfare operation to further weaken United.

 

[Yagami]

He lasted waaay more than he should but the timing for these news couldn't be any better.

Why?

 

[Judas]

I don't think this news coming out makes much difference to what happens on the pitch tomorrow.

 

[Ace Krampus]

I agree. It benefits no one except 115 charges to leak this news now. I wouldn't be surprised if this is part of a psychological warfare operation to further weaken United.

Could benefit us. Win one for the gipper, dead cat bounce type of situation. Hey, all we know is, if we played it straight up we'd get played off the pitch.

 

[Insanity]

Assuming it is correct, why are people assuming it was a club sanctioned leak? More likely they are furious that it was leaked just before the cup final.

True. The club gains nothing by leaking this a day before an important cup final.

My assumption is still that this Guardian journalist has taken a calculated guess because we have been forced to sound out a couple of managers after Chelsea sacked Pochettino. The club had little option given that there is a limited pool of managers to choose from and both Chelsea and us are likely to go for the same options. In addition, Milan also sacked Pioili and Juventus are still looking for a manager.

 

[NK86]

News breaking a day before the final is as classless as you get it. Yes it was bound to happen, but show a bit of fecking class. Fergie must be fuming. Classless pricks

“Classless”, “pricks”. Who are you referring to here?

 

[Leftback99]

To those who believe everything is a 'leak' or a 'brief' from within the club.

How would you have approached multiple in demand managers this week without it being known you were potentially in the market?

Or would you not have approached any and let them go elsewhere?

Instead go for whoever is left over after Chelsea, Brighton etc get their first choice, out of 'respect' to the failing Ten Hag?

 

[Judas]

To those who believe everything is a 'leak' or a 'brief' from within the club.

How would you have approached multiple in demand managers this week without it being known you were potentially in the market?

Or would you not have approached any and let them go elsewhere?

Instead go for whoever is left over after Chelsea, Brighton etc get their first choice, out of 'respect' to the failing Ten Hag?

Exactly, it's so basic and obvious. But you have simple minded folk just wanting to get angry, throw tantrums and insults at the club.

Say we'd waited a few days or so after the cup final, not spoken to any other managers until we'd officially let Ten Hag go, these same people would be going ballistic that we haven't planned well enough and it's a circus blah blah blah.

 

[Florida Man]

Maybe it’s one of the Glazers. I’m onto them.

 

[Red the Bear]

Just hope it doesn't affect our performance in the final.