Would you take Ralf Rangnick as manager?

[croadyman]

Every manager in football knows United is a commercial first football second franchise operation. You will get hung out to dry if you happen to need a world class defensive midfielder or central defender and there are no bargains available. Oc you'd want full control.

It seems nobody wants to come to Disneyland and play the role of Mickey Mouse.

Yeah he probably got told from Klopp "Ralf just stay away from that place it's a joke of an organisation from top to bottom"

 

[arthurka]

Yeah he probably got told from Klopp "Ralf just stay away from that place it's a joke of an organisation from top to bottom"

It's still such a big job it will stroke everyone's ego. If someone gets this right ect ect.

 

[sebsheep]

I expect Nagelsmann, who is fantastic, to be with us for a few years. I don't see it going horribly wrong and I wouldn't want to swap him for anyone.
That doesn't negate the fact that the average managerial spell for us is about two years and a bit and so we are always in need for excellent candidates. Even managers who do brilliant move on at some point. There's cycles.

Ten Hag, due to his style of football, record at Ajax, and past affiliation with the club, is a top candidate to manage us whenever we would need someone. Apart from that, I like him, I also have a soft spot for Arsenal, I wouldn't begrudge Arsenal if they got him. It would also stylistically be a great fit and a potentially great match for both.

The other top clubs, please get someone else.
Utd can have Pochettino for all I care, Juve can have Zidane, or vice versa, Barca can have Xavi, City can have, I don't know, Lopetegui, Luis Enrique, Pirlo, or Tito Vilanova's ghost, thank you very much.

Mate...

 

[glazed]

It's still such a big job it will stroke everyone's ego. If someone gets this right ect ect.

We have become the graveyard of reputations. Only mercenaries (LVG), chancers (Ole) and has-beens (Jose) would take the job without proper guarantees of budget, tenure and control. Obviously Woodward cannot give these.

 

[arthurka]

We have become the graveyard of reputations. Only mercenaries (LVG), chancers (Ole) and has-beens (Jose) would take the job without proper guarantees of budget, tenure and control. Obviously Woodward cannot give these.

Not sure we have offered it to anyone else to be honest.

 

[tomaldinho1]

We have become the graveyard of reputations. Only mercenaries (LVG), chancers (Ole) and has-beens (Jose) would take the job without proper guarantees of budget, tenure and control. Obviously Woodward cannot give these.

conversely I think there's a tiny % of managers who wouldn't be interested (Pep & Klopp for obvious reasons, Tuchel, Flick, Zidane for geographic ones) but otherwise we could basically go and pluck any PL manager from any club if we wanted.

If you are manager assessing United you have top players across all positions and a board who sanction huge signings every year, it's a risk but then it's also a great opportunity because of the issues we've had. Let's say you're a manager and go to City when Pep leaves - you win 1 PL in 2 seasons and maybe pick up a domestic cup, it's great but the bar is set high and you might even be moved on if a highly rated manage is available, come to United and do that and you're an immediate legend.

 

[glazed]

Not sure we have offered it to anyone else to be honest.

Yeah because it will end badly when said manager inevitably refuses to be a human shield for the Glazers.

conversely I think there's a tiny % of managers who wouldn't be interested (Pep & Klopp for obvious reasons, Tuchel, Flick, Zidane for geographic ones) but otherwise we could basically go and pluck any PL manager from any club if we wanted.

That's exactly what we did with Moyes. Didn't work then and won't work now with Rodgers. In order to win big silverware you can't be a mediocre coach and you need proper backing.

 

[Bastian]

May as well poll this too.

Starting to think I'd prefer him to any other candidate as he comes in immediately and modernises the club. Ten Hag would need a functional structure around him anyway, whereas Rangnick is a club builder, which is frankly what we need now. He'd be an insurance policy as he'd not come in without the guarantee that he can really influence the club's long-term vision and start building towards that. An actual cultural reset.

 

[tomaldinho1]

May as well poll this too.

Starting to think I'd prefer him to any other candidate as he comes in immediately and modernises the club. Ten Hag would need a functional structure around him anyway, whereas Rangnick is a club builder, which is frankly what we need now. He'd be an insurance policy as he'd not come in without the guarantee that he can really influence the club's long-term vision and start building towards that. An actual cultural reset.

I feel like more people need to read @Hansi Fick post on here. We aren’t hiring a DoF, we need a coach and Ragnick is not that. We don’t need a club builder, we don’t need to pretend we’re in some dire situation and need to buy 5-6 players - we’re absolutely brimming with quality and depth and need someone who can come in, put a system in place and coach it to a high level. That’s all. No rebuild, no doom and despair, just not another unqualified coach who deems his time better spent away from the training pitch.

 

[croadyman]

May as well poll this too.

Starting to think I'd prefer him to any other candidate as he comes in immediately and modernises the club. Ten Hag would need a functional structure around him anyway, whereas Rangnick is a club builder, which is frankly what we need now. He'd be an insurance policy as he'd not come in without the guarantee that he can really influence the club's long-term vision and start building towards that. An actual cultural reset.

Problem is those clowns don't want someone who is looking to modernise the structure of the club and expose their failings

 

[Bastian]

I feel like more people need to read @Hansi Fick post on here. We aren’t hiring a DoF, we need a coach and Ragnick is not that. We don’t need a club builder, we don’t need to pretend we’re in some dire situation and need to buy 5-6 players - we’re absolutely brimming with quality and depth and need someone who can come in, put a system in place and coach it to a high level. That’s all. No rebuild, no doom and despair, just not another unqualified coach who deems his time better spent away from the training pitch.

Needing a DoF is not about needing 5-6 players. It's about ensuring that there's a long-term vision in place independent of who the head coach is at a given time, it's an insurance for a competent succession planning which is obvious to everyone is not in place. So I disagree, we need someone in who can professionalise the club, not the empty rhetoric of stabilising the club with going back to our roots.

I'd worry a bit about ten Hag (who is my first choice eventually) coming in if the structure that's been put in place is - as I suspect - devoid of decision making authority with it just being the board and the owners doing things on a whim. He's used to being a coach at a club where the setup is flawless, with best in class people making footballing decisions for footballing reasons.

 

[tomaldinho1]

Needing a DoF is not about needing 5-6 players. It's about ensuring that there's a long-term vision in place independent of who the head coach is at a given time, it's an insurance for a competent succession planning which is obvious to everyone is not in place. So I disagree, we need someone in who can professionalise the club, not the empty rhetoric of stabilising the club with going back to our roots.

I'd worry a bit about ten Hag (who is my first choice eventually) coming in if the structure that's been put in place is - as I suspect - devoid of decision making authority with it just being the board and the owners doing things on a whim. He's used to being a coach at a club where the setup is flawless, with best in class people making footballing decisions for footballing reasons.

The issue here is the OP is about Ragnick as manager, if it was Ragnick replacing Murtough it would make more sense. My point re 5-6 players is everything is in place, in my opinion, for a coach to do well. There's nothing stopping Ten Haag coming in and doing well if we continue with the level of investment in the team as we have done under all post SAF managers, the board don't do things on a whim (which in Ole's case is a bit of an issue) and I agree the nostalgia side of the club (and the fact SAF still has so much influence) is hopefully now dying with Ole on the chopping block.

Better question should be, would you take a Hennes graduate rather than Ragnick, they produce the best coaches and have a production line of managers who tend to favour offensive pressing.

 

[Govi87]

To be honest, for me, his cv is wildly underwhelming. And if you are bringing him in to modernise the club, it just won't happen with the Glazers in charge. They will only put people in positions of power that they trust implicitly.

 

[MrMarcello]

I'd like to see the Glazers change tune but it ain't happening. But just imagine if they did split the club into two separate tiers - operations and sporting. Then you have Arnold run the operations side that focuses on numbers, commercial, branding, etc. Give him the title of VP, CBO/DO - chief business officer (or chief brand officer) and director of operations. Then hire van der Sar as the CEO over the whole fecking thing who will then hire Ralf (or lure Overmars or someone with a clue) in a CSO/DOF role (chief sporting officer). Now, the two tiers report to van der Sar who falls under the leprechaun looking fecks that use the club as an ATM. The club can then begin a transition to modern sporting club structure and establish a philosophy while using a manager in a coaching capacity leaving recruiting and whatnot to the proper areas.

Surely, the Glazers are smart enough to figure this out. They run the Bucs this way. Which makes me think Woodward was glory hungry and ego tripping in his role and possibly blocked any modernization attempt. Anything that might strip him away from being the face of the upper management.

Note: I have no clue if the first paragraph would even work in structure and performance.

 

[Bastian]

The issue here is the OP is about Ragnick as manager, if it was Ragnick replacing Murtough it would make more sense. My point re 5-6 players is everything is in place, in my opinion, for a coach to do well. There's nothing stopping Ten Haag coming in and doing well if we continue with the level of investment in the team as we have done under all post SAF managers, the board don't do things on a whim (which in Ole's case is a bit of an issue) and I agree the nostalgia side of the club (and the fact SAF still has so much influence) is hopefully now dying with Ole on the chopping block.

Better question should be, would you take a Hennes graduate rather than Ragnick, they produce the best coaches and have a production line of managers who tend to favour offensive pressing.

That's implied really, in wanting him here. He won't come here without assurances of influence, so he's not an interim manager who'd be happy to come in until the summer and then moving on. So if he arrives, it's to do the work he's known for. I'd trust him more to hire the next manager than the current board and owners, and I'd rather have him in now coaching the side until summer than to see valuable development time wasted by Ole for individual players and the team as a collective.

The level of investment is just one aspect, how money is spent is a far more nuanced issue. Did it make sense to spend 80m on Maguire if we want to play a high line defense, with pressing in the final third (Ole hinted at this)? Does it make sense to buy AWB for 45m when we're playing out from the back with no bona fide wingers, requiring the full backs to provide the width? Does it make sense to spend 40m on VDB when there doesn't seem to be a role for him at the club? Does it make sense to tie Pogba down to an enormous contract for 4-5 years when we've not found a role for him to succeed in? Does it make sense to sign Sancho for 73m when we're trying him (allegedly) as a wing back in Ole's damage-limitation tactic?

Again, there is no vision.

 

[tomaldinho1]

That's implied really, in wanting him here. He won't come here without assurances of influence, so he's not an interim manager who'd be happy to come in until the summer and then moving on. So if he arrives, it's to do the work he's known for. I'd trust him more to hire the next manager than the current board and owners, and I'd rather have him in now coaching the side until summer than to see valuable development time wasted by Ole for individual players and the team as a collective.

The level of investment is just one aspect, how money is spent is a far more nuanced issue. Did it make sense to spend 80m on Maguire if we want to play a high line defense, with pressing in the final third (Ole hinted at this)? Does it make sense to buy AWB for 45m when we're playing out from the back with no bona fide wingers, requiring the full backs to provide the width? Does it make sense to spend 40m on VDB when there doesn't seem to be a role for him at the club? Does it make sense to tie Pogba down to an enormous contract for 4-5 years when we've not found a role for him to succeed in? Does it make sense to sign Sancho for 73m when we're trying him (allegedly) as a wing back in Ole's damage-limitation tactic?

Again, there is no vision.

I don't disagree with any of that bar Ragnick not being right. I have no doubt he could change things for the better structurally but he won't be allowed and so, as a coach alone, I don't see the appeal.

 

[Hansi Fick]

Mate...

I apologize.

 

[croadyman]

I don't disagree with any of that bar Ragnick not being right. I have no doubt he could change things for the better structurally but he won't be allowed and so, as a coach alone, I don't see the appeal.

Yeah everything you read about him is positive but sadly for a cowardly board like ours he wants far too much control for them

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

as a care taker 100 percent id take him.

 

[Danillaco]

Greedy.

I wish we were like that.

 

[croadyman]

as a care taker 100 percent id take him.

Yeah same here but wrote off any hope of us appointing one now, genuinely think if there was any serious interest in doing that then would have heard something more concrete from the Utd journos on it and we haven't

 

[MUFC OK]

This might as well be “would you take Johan cryuff as interim manager”. God bless him but such an appointment is an impossibility at this point. We have Ole - the sooner we accept this, however absurd, the better for our metal well-being.

 

[macheda14]

Every manager in football knows United is a commercial first football second franchise operation. You will get hung out to dry if you happen to need a world class defensive midfielder or central defender and there are no bargains available. Oc you'd want full control.

It seems nobody wants to come to Disneyland and play the role of Mickey Mouse.

What?! It's as if people don't realise that we have 4 of the top 10 most expensive signings in the premier league. More than any other club. We spend money, a lot of it, poorly, but a lot of it. Ole has spent more than any other manager since he's been here.

 

[MUFC OK]

What?! It's as if people don't realise that we have 4 of the top 10 most expensive signings in the premier league. More than any other club. We spend money, a lot of it, poorly, but a lot of it. Ole has spent more than any other manager since he's been here.

Ole has let the fans down so, so badly. I don’t think this has been said enough.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Yeah same here but wrote off any hope of us appointing one now, genuinely think if there was any serious interest in doing that then would have heard something more concrete from the Utd journos on it and we haven't

I don't know. He seems the most likely and best candidate for a care taker role if they do pull the trigger on Ole's reign. Because even if he does well he has a medical issue that stops him being a longterm manager IIRC.

 

[Coops73]

This might as well be “would you take Johan cryuff as interim manager”. God bless him but such an appointment is an impossibility at this point. We have Ole - the sooner we accept this, however absurd, the better for our metal well-being.

Replace Ole with Lemmy and this might just work.

 

[Bestietom]

I think most who would take the job as manager would want a guarantee of funds to improve the team.
Anyone who thinks that what we have will go on and win the Premiership or Champions League is living in Cuckoo land.
The club is in a state where we cannot get rid of the deadwood, and won't play the players we brought in.
We need big changes and not just a new manager.

 

[Bazi]

The Glazers are not hiring Rangnick. He's far too inconvenient with his ideas and demands.

 

[JPRouve]

I think most who would take the job as manager would want a guarantee of funds to improve the team.
Anyone who thinks that what we have will go on and win the Premiership or Champions League is living in Cuckoo land.
The club is in a state where we cannot get rid of the deadwood, and won't play the players we brought in.
We need big changes and not just a new manager.

I don't think that I agree with that and I actually think that it is one of the traps this club and this ownership have fallen into.

Every managers has had money to spend, more money than any club not named City or PSG which is plenty enough, so it's a nonissue. Secondly there isn't a need to for big changes, it's the opposite we need to start focusing on what we have and how to fix and maximize it instead of continuously thinking that big nonsensical expenditures are the solution. A couple of center/defensive midfielders that have the appropriate profiles would change this team dynamic.

 

[glazed]

What?! It's as if people don't realise that we have 4 of the top 10 most expensive signings in the premier league. More than any other club. We spend money, a lot of it, poorly, but a lot of it. Ole has spent more than any other manager since he's been here.

It's not how much we spend it's the criteria we use for spending. Once you work out why we paid for Ronaldo who was nice to have but not for the DM we desperately needed then we will be on the same page.

 

[macheda14]

It's not how much we spend it's the criteria we use for spending. Once you work out why we paid for Ronaldo who was nice to have but not for the DM we desperately needed then we will be on the same page.

There was no way that Ole was getting another 80 million+ player this window. We had a bigger transfer window than any other club in the league. If anything we should have prioritised a DM over Sancho. Ronaldo was obviously not in our plans but was an extra fee sanctioned and did not inhibit our ability to get a world class DM in. Every manager and his dog knows that if they come here they will get far more backing than pretty much every other club in the league bar perhaps City, PSG and Chelsea. Even then, we have outspent them multiple times. There are so many other things to criticise the club for. The reality is we've had a poor structure in place giving managers carte blanche therefore building a squad of players of different skillsets.

 

[#07]

That's implied really, in wanting him here. He won't come here without assurances of influence, so he's not an interim manager who'd be happy to come in until the summer and then moving on. So if he arrives, it's to do the work he's known for. I'd trust him more to hire the next manager than the current board and owners, and I'd rather have him in now coaching the side until summer than to see valuable development time wasted by Ole for individual players and the team as a collective.

The level of investment is just one aspect, how money is spent is a far more nuanced issue. Did it make sense to spend 80m on Maguire if we want to play a high line defense, with pressing in the final third (Ole hinted at this)? Does it make sense to buy AWB for 45m when we're playing out from the back with no bona fide wingers, requiring the full backs to provide the width? Does it make sense to spend 40m on VDB when there doesn't seem to be a role for him at the club? Does it make sense to tie Pogba down to an enormous contract for 4-5 years when we've not found a role for him to succeed in? Does it make sense to sign Sancho for 73m when we're trying him (allegedly) as a wing back in Ole's damage-limitation tactic?

Again, there is no vision.

Agree with all of this, which is why I want Rangnick.

I believe, in all honesty, that with Rangnick we could spend half the money we currently spend and get significantly better. Just by scouting and securing players that suit each other rather than just our current approach.

Since Sir Alex a lot of our transfer strategy seems to have come down to: 'Who can we get?' Not 'Who should we get?' Even last summer when we got Van de Beek, Pellistri, Amad, Telles and Cavani. None of it screamed: There's a plan here and these are the obvious jigsaw pieces to fit it. We just went out and added some names to our squad that were attainable.

People say things have improved under Ole but I'm not sure we're much further on from where we were under LVG. We were all excited when we got Falcao and Di Maria but, again, there was no clear idea about what we would do with these players. Or how in God's name they would respond to Van Gaal and his robotic positional play. We're just adding expensive ingredients to our kitchen cupboard but there doesn't seem to be an idea of what we wanna cook.

 

[elmo]

Silva is tenacious, fit, young, and strong in the tackle. All the things Mata is not. Size is not the issue, the ability and know-how / will to do it is the issue. Same as Greenwood, he's not lacking in the strength or stamina to go and win the ball, he's just hopelessly bad at it.

You see, this is where actual coaching needs to happen, unlike what's happening at our club.

 

[glazed]

There was no way that Ole was getting another 80 million+ player this window.... Ronaldo was obviously not in our plans but was an extra fee sanctioned and did not inhibit our ability to get a world class DM in.

Take a step back and ask yourself in what world that makes sense? We buy Sancho instead of a DM. Then we have no more budget, except for Ronaldo. Still no DM. Then our season goes to shit because...no DM. It's almost like someone who doesn't care about football is making these decisions...

 

[macheda14]

Take a step back and ask yourself in what world that makes sense? We buy Sancho instead of a DM. Then we have no more budget, except for Ronaldo. Still no DM. Then our season goes to shit because...no DM. It's almost like someone who doesn't care about football is making these decisions...

It’s almost like Ole made that decision. Ronaldo was bought for 15 million with obviously high wages, but he didn’t impact our ability to sign a world class DM. Maybe he impacted our ability to go spend another 20-30 million on a DM who wouldn’t have been of the quality we needed. The purchase of Sancho stopped us from buying a DM. No owner in the league is sanctioning two 80 million pound players apart from at City.

Im sorry so your point is no manager wants to come here because our owners wouldn’t sanction a transfer outlay of close to 200 million? Pretty much every manager would jump at the chance to use our transfer budget. The issue is the 5 of the best managers in the world are now currently in a job. Klopp, Tuchel, Guardiola, Simeone and Conte. The last of which wanted to come here as has been reported by many a journalist.

The fact that Conte wanted to come goes in direct opposition to your point.

The only one who supports your point is Zidane, but it’s been again well documented (by his biographer) that he doesn’t want to manage in England, would only manage Juve Real and Marseille and specifically is waiting for the French NT.

 

[glazed]

It’s almost like Ole made that decision. Ronaldo was bought for 15 million with obviously high wages, but he didn’t impact our ability to sign a world class DM.

Yes that's right - because our transfer policies are made with commercial branding in mind, and therefore he was an acceptable purchase that didn't count in the transfer budget. But once you are in the realm of deciding your players like that, you end up with a mess instead of a team. Especially if your manager goes along with it because he is so weak and just happy to be there.

The fact that Conte wanted to come goes in direct opposition to your point.

But the Glazers didn't want Conte because he would kick up a fuss about the terrible way the club is run. That speaks directly to my point. Conte would have wanted guarantees that he was never going to get. Any top manager would. That's why we will end up with Bodger.

 

[gajender]

Yes that's right - because our transfer policies are made with commercial branding in mind, and therefore he was an acceptable purchase that didn't count in the transfer budget. But once you are in the realm of deciding your players like that, you end up with a mess instead of a team. Especially if your manager goes along with it because he is so weak and just happy to be there.



But the Glazers didn't want Conte because he would kick up a fuss about the terrible way the club is run. That speaks directly to my point. Conte would have wanted guarantees that he was never going to get. Any top manager would. That's why we will end up with Bodger.

Stop spouting nonsense, yes you are right Maguire , Wan Bissaka , Bailly , Lindelof , Fred , Matic , Shaw have such great commercial appeal not to forget other gems like Van Der Beek , Amad and Co.

 

[croadyman]

The Glazers are not hiring Rangnick. He's far too inconvenient with his ideas and demands.

Yeah sadly think you are absolutely spot on

 

[glazed]

Stop spouting nonsense, yes you are right Maguire , Wan Bissaka , Bailly , Lindelof , Fred , Matic , Shaw have such great commercial appeal not to forget other gems like Van Der Beek , Amad and Co.

Look at the age profile. We like to buy younger players so that they retain their capital asset value, which helps with the share price. Shaw was a teenager when he signed. That's how we operate. Young for asset value. Old on a free. Don't buy players at the peak

 

[gajender]

Look at the age profile. We like to buy younger players so that they retain their capital asset value, which helps with the share price. Shaw was a teenager when he signed. That's how we operate.

How about Maguire , Fred , Matic.
Our recruitment age profile composition is not much different from other Clubs it's just that we have invested our resources poorly there is no need for any deeper analysis .