ETH: "We need new players and quality players. We will try and convince them to join." | Mirror: ETH believes FDJ will join Utd over Chelsea

[The United]

I don’t think we’ve signed one of his initial targets - Timber, Antony and FdJ. He already had to compromise on CB, and basically he was told he has to keep Ronaldo. So we blaming him for FdJ, but when we can’t even get the likes of Rabiot, could we even get anyone else?

Well, that's what I am talking about. If you can't get your initial targets, go for similar ones. We don't. The reason why is not very clear. Maybe he didn't give the club more targets earlier? Out of all those initial targets, only FDJ MIGHT improve us. The rest would be gambles, and we absolutely do not need players like Timber, just like how we didn't need Martinez given our limited budget and holes in the squad.


Sticking with FDJ after all the Barcelona mess was ridiculous after a month, let alone wasting the whole summer for it.

 

[mu4c_20le]

Sure would have been nice to have a scouting department. These next 2 weeks we have to unearth gems that are low profile enough to want to come while also being talented enough to improve us. It's almost impossible even with good scouting. We're definitely going to get fleeced.

Are you drunk? We already have the targets identified and are working towards them. One game doesn't blow up the plan.

 

[frostbite]

I don’t think we’ve signed one of his initial targets - Timber, Antony and FdJ. He already had to compromise on CB, and basically he was told he has to keep Ronaldo. So we blaming him for FdJ, but when we can’t even get the likes of Rabiot, could we even get anyone else?

All three are Ajax players and they are not very enthusiastic to come here. Instead we got two Dutch players that did not really improve our main deficiencies. That's five players, all from Dutch league, all because of ETH. Coincidence?

 

[Greck]

Are you drunk? We already have the targets identified and are working towards them. One game doesn't blow up the plan.

Your brain must suffer from low processing power to need this post explained. Rabiot and Arnautovic are the opposite of ideal targets. The fact we've already panic bid after one game and panic withdrawn because of fan backlash doesn't mesh with some well crafted masterplan.

 

[Edy2]

This is where we've screwed ourselves leaving it till late. Those traits don't mesh with joining us in our current state.

And ambition and determination, to join in the current state

Yeah probably unlikely to turn up anyone decent.

 

[sullydnl]

Well, that's what I am talking about. If you can't get your initial targets, go for similar ones. We don't. The reason why is not very clear. Maybe he didn't give the club more targets earlier? Out of all those initial targets, only FDJ MIGHT improve us. The rest would be gambles, and we absolutely do not need players like Timber, just like how we didn't need Martinez given our limited budget and holes in the squad.

I don't think that's true at all.

Today our single biggest problem in defence was our inability to play from the back and deal with the opposition press. Literally the two things you'd target Timber and Martinez to help with. If Martinez isn't in that defence, they look even less equipped to manage it.

Beyond that, Lindelof is already injured and Varane is still just returning to full fitness. Underlining the second reason that CB signing was needed.

If we were going to make, say, five main signings this summer then one of them being a ball-playing CB makes complete sense. The problem is when you don't secure any of the rest of those core signings.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

It’s so mental. And the fecking leisurely pace of it all. As if we’re the only club to whom the actual start of the season doesn’t apply. Let’s bookmark the 6 points dropped so far and see how much they cost us at the end of the season.

It's probably already cost us in the fact that anyone we want to buy now can probably demand a higher salary after seeing our on pitch performance.

 

[pocco]

Problem was pre-season was pretty good on the whole and yet again they fooled a manager into thinking he might not have as big a problem as he was led to believe. The end of last season people just put down to them freewheeling to the end.

They fooled you if you believe that. Some fans got way too carried away with pre season, largely based off beating Liverpool who played about 33 players in 90 minutes and were CLEARLY nowhere near their level.

The only positives from pre season were performances of Savage and Iqbal, plus Sancho looked lively. I said at the time I didn't see this big change in Rashford and here we are.

 

[Eckers99]

He’s trying to improve the whole squad and I’m sure he realises that midfield was, and is, the priority. He’s also trying to get a forward. He got Eriksen which gives more options in the attacking midfield areas but was also trying to get a RF. That just leaves RB which I think is also being looked at. Again, we can’t conclude that he recruited wrongly because he is still working on it.

Are you suggesting he's trying to improve the whole squad by prioritising the small number of positions that we're already (relatively) secure, despite having a limited budget and enormous deficiencies in other key areas? When last season ended would you have prioritised a CB and LB? Would you feck.

It's easier to conclude that the entire recruitment team - Ten Hag included - have completely botched this window. The proof is in the utterly lopsided squad and continued reliance upon shite like Dalot, Fred and McTominay.

I'm more likely to believe that the board lured EtH by giving him carte blanche over signings, thus making the exact same mistakes they've repeatedly made under previous managers. Because they can't make sensible football decisions. We know this because they've been fecking up the basics for 10 years or more.

I'm inclined to give EtH a pass and to push the blame towards the recruitment team's lack of confidence in targeting the right players and their inability to tell EtH to stick to coaching. Let's be honest here, they don't deserve the benefit of the doubt and we're making all the same old mistakes, despite seeing a few new faces. Because it's the same morons fecking the same things up.

 

[The United]

I don't think that's true at all.

Today our single biggest problem in defence was our inability to play from the back and deal with the opposition press. Literally the two things you'd target Timber and Martinez to help with. If Martinez isn't in that defence, they look even less equipped to manage it.

Beyond that, Lindelof is already injured and Varane is still just returning to full fitness. Underlining the second reason that CB signing was needed.

If we were going to make, say, five main signings this summer then one of them being a ball-playing CB makes complete sense. The problem is when you don't secure any of the rest of those core signings.

Well, OK. Signing those would help that issue, right? But it did not. It actually added another obvious weakness at the back.


You know why we will never be good at playing from the back? Because of DDG, not because of we needed a smaller ball playing CB.

 

[Sarni]

Yeah but we cannot sign any players before De Jong.

 

[mu4c_20le]

Your brain must suffer from low processing power to need this post explained. Rabiot and Arnautovic are the opposite of ideal targets. The fact we've already panic bid after one game and panic withdrawn because of fan backlash doesn't mesh with some well crafted masterplan.

Are you one of those idiots that think Rabiot is the same or worse than Mctominay?

 

[RDCR07]

He made the same mistake Mou did. Mou desperately needed a central defender the year we signed Fred for €50m+. EtH desperately needed a midfielder when he signed Martinez for €50m+

 

[DickDastardly]

What you need to do Erik, is stop playing Harry Maguire you bald feck.

And if you play that squareheaded lump of flesh ever again and give him the armband we deserve to lose every fecking game.

Get your head out of your ass and see what every sane person sees.

Our captain is a gashing hole of blood leaking all over the ocean and the sharks and vultures smell that.
They smell his shitness.
You can smell his hesitation and cowardice through the television.

He instills cowardice and poor performance in all our players. It's plain to see.

You can see the pain in our players eyes when they see that square head leading them out to slaughter.
They know he'll feck up time and time again.

GET HIM OUT OF THE CLUB!

 

[Greck]

Are you one of those idiots that think Rabiot is the same or worse than Mctominay?

What the hell is this guy on about? You just go around attributing random opinions to everyone?

 

[sullydnl]

Well, OK. Signing those would help that issue, right? But it did not. It actually added another obvious weakness at the back.


You know why we will never be good at playing from the back? Because of DDG, not because of we needed a smaller ball playing CB.

Yes, De Gea is absolutely a crippling problem too. And our midfield. And our attack. None of them are up to playing that type of football.

So if you want to get there you have to start replacing them, piece by piece. If you do that while working on playing the way you want to play then eventually the balance tips and things get better. But until that balance tips, the players you throw in are going to struggle.

Which is why we needed a lot more signings.

 

[Alemar]

Yeah but we cannot sign any players before De Jong.

Why can’t we? We need 5-6 more players now, including de Jong, and they can be bought in any order, it doesn’t matter.

 

[mu4c_20le]

What the hell is this guy on about? You just go around attributing random opinions to everyone?

If you can read properly, it's a question. I need to know if you are one of those before we go any further.

 

[OrcaFat]

Are you suggesting he's trying to improve the whole squad by prioritising the small number of positions that we're already (relatively) secure, despite having a limited budget and enormous deficiencies in other key areas? When last season ended would you have prioritised a CB and LB? Would you feck.

It's easier to conclude that the entire recruitment team - Ten Hag included - have completely botched this window. The proof is in the utterly lopsided squad and continued reliance upon shite like Dalot, Fred and McTominay.

I'm more likely to believe that the board lured EtH by giving him carte blanche over signings, thus making the exact same mistakes they've repeatedly made under previous managers. Because they can't make sensible football decisions. We know this because they've been fecking up the basics for 10 years or more.

I'm inclined to give EtH a pass and to push the blame towards the recruitment team's lack of confidence in targeting the right players and their inability to tell EtH to stick to coaching. Let's be honest here, they don't deserve the benefit of the doubt and we're making all the same old mistakes, despite seeing a few new faces. Because it's the same morons fecking the same things up.

Too early to say…

 

[frostbite]

Why can’t we? We need 5-6 more players now, including de Jong, and they can be bought in any order, it doesn’t matter.

How much do they cost?

 

[steffyr2]

Gary Neville said we only have 40m in the back compared to 300m


I don't think the money is there mate, nor the willingness to raise it.

How much did Brentford's team cost?
Right now, we buy 2 world class players (and pay $1B for them) when we would do better with 12 PL standard players. The 2 world class players just get lost in a sea of bad technique, bad passes, bad strategy. We could sell the PL standard players quickly.

We just need to get over our delusions of grandeur and get back to doing the work involved in being successful.

 

[Alemar]

How much do they cost?

That’s irrelevant, we need them regardless of their cost - otherwise the club has a chance to get relegated. And 8-10 players need to be disposed of, as well

 

[The United]

Yes, De Gea is absolutely a crippling problem too. And our midfield. And our attack. None of them are up to playing that type of football.

So if you want to get there you have to start replacing them, piece by piece. If you do that while working on playing the way you want to play then eventually the balance tips and things get better. But until that balance tips, the players you throw in are going to struggle.

Which is why we needed a lot more signings.

We did, of course. But we had to prioritize better and we didn't. That I take issue with. It is on both him and the club.

The deepest midfield area needs any sort of decent player. Signing one would help us a lot more than signing a smaller CB to play better from the back (fun fact: not better at all so far, we had to kick out long). The squad is not at a stage where we can add a CB and admire his passing skills. We should be building our squad to be functional in all areas first.

 

[Beans]

Sounds like we need levers.

 

[Stabra]

What would the new team look like with all the names that ETH wanted or that were very present as rumours?

DG
?? - Timber - Martinez - Malacia
Rabiot - De Jong
Antony - Eriksen - Sancho
Arnautovic(Kalajdzic)

Isn't Sancho somehow too little as the only Englishman? Most Premier League clubs have an English core around which they are built? Or does that not matter?

 

[FiiiiveTenHaaags]

Gonna take a few windows I'm afraid,but he's not wrong.

De Gea
Dalot
Maguire
McTomminy
Fred
Rashford
Bruno
Sancho

All got to go

Nah, Sancho has a lot of promise, Bruno has definitely gone cold but the whole team has been shit in that time, I think he could flourish in a more stable environment. I’d personally give him this season. Fred is a good squad player to have, a regular for Brazil who does a job. Dalot is a decent backup RB, probably on OK wages as well. De Gea’s having a shocker and might not be suited to this system but on his day he’s still one of the best keepers. The rest can feck right off for sure.

At this stage nothing more than a total clearout will suffice. That means going with the young lads and potentially struggling badly for 2/3 seasons but if we don't, we can forget about winning trophies anytime soon

Yeah I agree, I’d love it if we did some drastic stuff. There’s a part of me though that worries it would destroy the confidence and development of Garner, Garnacho, Zidane etc if we throw them into this shit show.

Hm, when Jose blamed players "he was throwing them under the bus". Now, it doesn't look like that, isn't it?

Jose was more toxic. ETH isn’t really throwing people under the bus he’s more just saying we need quality. I vividly remember Jose gesturing to the crowd about Rashford and countless other incidents. I actually rated Jose but he was undeniably toxic and out of touch.

Great stuff from that idiot Murtough. Now everyone knows we’re absolutely desperate. What a mess that has been created here.

This isn’t really on Murtough. They brought in a coach and wanted to back him with the players he wished for. Keep in mind the agreement with Barca for FDJ was done early. I don’t think this is on Murtough particularly.

We can’t blame ETH for the shit were in. We have to be patient, ETH is a top manager.

I agree he needs to be backed and given time but he does seem a bit out of his depth. Eriksen at false 9 was questionable in the first match and the lack of height today likewise. I think the Prem is way tougher than he expected and he might well adjust with time - I just worry the results will get bad to a point he doesn’t get the time he needs.

I honestly wouldn’t mind if we just got some reliable Premier League players in. Other top teams seem to be good at bringing in players from the likes of Brighton, Brentford etc. I would honestly settle for some hard working, reliable players where you know what you’re gonna get every week.
Yes, that won’t help us win leagues but it will help us tighten the feck up and gain some consistency.

Yeah I’m bang on this. Boring but reliable signings for under 20m. Even just players from lower Champions League standard teams who aren’t glamorous but would be affordable upgrades. Some veteran leadership and experience would be nice too.

We should’ve got conte. Shaw, Maguire, Varane, Wan Bissaka and another CB of his choosing would be solid and barely let goals in.
Plus he’s a winner, we’d have got Richarlison and a combative DM and glided to 4th

Yeah he might have been OK but it wouldn’t be building for the long term. He’s a 3 season coach who then melts down like previous era Jose was.

Sounds like we need levers.

Was thinking this earlier. feck knows what though. Sell the film rights to Phil Jones? Let some Arab business sponsor the training ground?

 

[arthurka]

Anyone still think this bunch of wankers will get top 4.

 

[Tap]

Seriously anyone blaming ETH for all this should feck off

Jose and Ralf were saying the same things and everyone said they should feck off.

 

[Laurencio]

How much do they cost?

Nothing compared to the cost of missing out on CL football for the second year running and becoming a club that can't attract top talent anymore.

 

[bosnian_red]

But how did the club alone let him down? By not being able to sign FDJ and refusing to sign that striker? The ones that linked with us were hardly elite or good upcoming players and it was very late at this point. Not to mention that he pinned all his hopes on a player who never wanted to leave his club all summer while refusing to go for other similar players. Then, his comment about how he would train the current squad if he could not get the right player.


He has a big slice of the blame for this transfer mess himself.

Its not and should not be his job to take on the entire recruitment strategy. The club is failing him just by having that. And we don't know a fraction of what is actually happening behind the scenes. All we know is that we are one of the lowest spenders in the premier league after having a 0 goal difference season.

 

[Gurtej]

I will back the manager!! Not all managers can be bad …. It’s a bloody rotten culture and the only way I see out is to sell man utd!!

But boy, passing on Conte and than getting rid of Ralf looking much and much worse!!

 

[RedRonaldo]

Total mess in transer market
Total disaster in opening 2 games
Total naive in our game plan/subs

So far he has been a 0/10 for us, but still early days though. He should be given at least a full season and full backing to judge.

I hope people realise Rangnick might not be a fraud afterall. We have ETH now after a well prepared preseasons + some new recruitments of his wish, and we are in even deeper mess than before.

 

[croadyman]

Sounds like we need levers.

Yeah most of this squad needs to go through the trapdoor and not be seen ever again

 

[The United]

Its not and should not be his job to take on the entire recruitment strategy. The club is failing him just by having that. And we don't know a fraction of what is actually happening behind the scenes. All we know is that we are one of the lowest spenders in the premier league after having a 0 goal difference season.

Of course, it is his job to get involved with the transfers at this club and this summer's transfers. As I said, his input and approval of transfers apparently did not help with the whole thing. Not that the club couldn't do better such as having a proper structure for player transfer (even having to say no to ETH's targets). But it appears that the club did everything they could to get his 'initial targets,' but cases like the player does not want to come (FDJ, Timber), the fee is too high or the club is unwilling to sell (Antony), and the player has a shady background (whatever that striker's name is), presenting an alternative players to FDJ at this late cannot be blamed entirely on the club.

 

[ti vu]

Thanks feck. Project turd polishing is scrapped.

 

[Blood Mage]

It's so obvious that the businessmen wankers who run this club decided to gamble on Ten Hag waving a magic wand over some of our shite to save money and now it's backfired in predictable fashion.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

It's so obvious that the businessmen wankers who run this club decided to gamble on Ten Hag waving a magic wand over some of our shite to save money and now it's backfired in predictable fashion.

Yup. They disregarded RR shitting on this squad and continued to believe the 2nd placed team they assembled can be revived and improved. Then again who can argue with the collective wisdom and expertise in club administration possessed by Murtough and Fletcher.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

You can see that the majority of the squad now have full blown imposter syndrome. Not the correct terminology because they are all imposters as far as players fit for this club.

Seeing Bruno, Maguire, Rashford, McTominay, Fred and Shaw last season it's fecking obvious they all fully realise how out of their own depth they are here. They're fundamentally not good enough, not mentally strong enough, and dont want it enough. They cant stand up to their opponents on the pitch or to the scrutiny off it. All mental midgets and frail as feck. And it's rubbed off on Sancho and De Gea as well.

That's what Ralf saw as well and that's why he said we need 10+ players. Because these lot are all done here. They wont turn it around, there's no way back for them. They dont have it in them.

That's the thing. For a team that has collapsed like ours you have to accept that this is the level of these players enough. We can't spend about 5 years trying to fix them. But that's too much effort and money, and also admittance of failings for this club.

Ralf was a poor manager but he saw how shockingly bad this team was at the absolute basics of modern football and knew they had turned into an untouchable team in terms of progressive football.

 

[The_Midfielder]

Total mess in transer market
Total disaster in opening 2 games
Total naive in our game plan/subs

So far he has been a 0/10 for us, but still early days though. He should be given at least a full season and full backing to judge.

I hope people realise Rangnick might not be a fraud afterall. We have ETH now after a well prepared preseasons + some new recruitments of his wish, and we are in even deeper mess than before.

Total mess in pre season.. You all are forgetting Ronaldo didn't even play a minute in pre season but here he is.. Starting because we have no CF

 

[Newtonius]

It would help you Erik if you didn't start the same players that stunk the place up under Ole and Ralf, isn't he a guy who is supposed to pick based on merit? Nevermind the team selection either he takes his new signing off to leave Maguire on the pitch. McTominay had the performance he did and he comes on ahead of Donny, Shaw was shit at Brighton as well, like what is going on?