Because he does a lot of off the record stuff and he protects his sources. You don’t stay well connected if you print everything your sources tell you. He’s usually the last to come out with stuff but he always has the most details because he doesn’t need to break stories to be the best connected United journalist.
Andy Mitten: The players aren't responding to the manager
- Thread starter Bastian
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
I'd tend to agree.
If it was clearly obvious that the players were following his tactical instructions to the letter and it wasn't working, then you could say, you know what it's not working. Time to go.
You can blame a lot on the manager, but there's too many individuals who just don't do basic parts of their jobs properly on the pitch, not tracking runners, not tracking back, poor positioning, not pressing properly, half arsing tackles, bad passing, poor finishing etc etc etc. That's on the manager for playing them and keeping them on the pitch of course, but once you step out there as Roy would say "just do your job".
The only that looks like he has downed tools is Rashford, but he has always been a bit sulky and a confidence player so hard to use that as "evidence". Casemiro is just getting his flaws exposed massively (we saw glimpses of it even last year) and Bruno is just being Bruno at a larger extent - meaning he has always been perhaps the worst player to have on your team when things are not going well.
Because every time anything slightly negative is said about those players all their mates in the press come out in their defence, blaming others etc.
I don't think he got rid of Ronaldo. If it was on the owners hand, Ronaldo would have still be here. He just gave an interview where he accused them too.
I think we saw that ETH wanted to get rid of Maguire and Sancho in the summer. They are still here.
Maybe they need grommets ? Ever think of that?
I don’t even think for a moment that the players have downed tools on the manager. It’s just that morale currently is extremely low and everyone turns to pieces when the team goes a goal down. We have serial winners like Varane and Casemiro which is why i am baffled why such things are happening
Not sure plasticine dogs are the answer.
No one is disputing that, it's his phrasing which is poor.
Did he say that exact line? If so it's obviously hyperbole. Some players sure, Rashford springs to mind. But I don't think Mount Hojlund Amrabat Varane Dalot and a host of others are not listening to him. That doesn't show on the pitch either.
Which is the point we need to remember. Mitten and others get caught up in over exaggeration all too often.
It’s just the same boom bust cycle. The players would do it for the next mug they bring in.
The manager needs to bring in his own players, unfortunately for ETH there’s been too much shite from the Dutch league or he hasn’t been able to get his first choices from the clowns upstairs. The whole club is a recipe for a non-successful team.
The manager needs to bring in his own players, unfortunately for ETH there’s been too much shite from the Dutch league or he hasn’t been able to get his first choices from the clowns upstairs. The whole club is a recipe for a non-successful team.
He dropped ronaldo like a sack of potatoes and disciplined him. Of course ten hag got him out, it was very well played by Ten Hag to be fair. Ronaldo just imploded and it handed the club a reason to let go.
Ten hag and the club almost sold Maguire by the way, it was him that rejected West Ham, not the club.
I’m times of crisis it won’t be hard to access information via dissenting voices trying to exonerate themselves and apportion blame at someone else’s feet. Players will want to get their take across, especially those who feel they aren’t in favour. Their motive would be obvious and some will actively hope the manager gets canned because they’re in a dog eat dog scenario of him staying means them eventually being sold.
You’ll have also have scenarios where performing players, or those who really are trying, want to turn the spotlight on those who they think are phoning it in.
It’s a win-win for those reporting on the team at the moment; they can also add their own lick of embellishment amidst the chaos and have it taken as gospel.
Paranoia and mental fatigue can run really high in times like these, and the media are there for every drop of it. Like birds feeding off the debris in the crocodile’s open mouth.
You’ll have also have scenarios where performing players, or those who really are trying, want to turn the spotlight on those who they think are phoning it in.
It’s a win-win for those reporting on the team at the moment; they can also add their own lick of embellishment amidst the chaos and have it taken as gospel.
Paranoia and mental fatigue can run really high in times like these, and the media are there for every drop of it. Like birds feeding off the debris in the crocodile’s open mouth.
Unless he means as in literally leaving Ten Hag on read in WhatsApp, I'm not sure how he can "know for a fact" that the players aren't responding to him?
Andy Mitten knows absolutely nothing about anything.
You do realize those players are the ones already not starting right? ETH isn't stupid, he see's which ones apply themselves in training and respond or not.
It's going to be the likes of Sancho, Maguire, McT. E.g players he wants gone because they won't adapt to his methods.
It's going to be the likes of Sancho, Maguire, McT. E.g players he wants gone because they won't adapt to his methods.
Not quite true, and even if it was why would you then assume it was them leaking inside stories?
Seems like quite the leap to suggest that.
If anyone actually listens to what he said, you will realise it's a pretty meaningless throw away comment which fans are now overanalysing and making Mount Everest from an ant hill
Mitten is not trying to suggest that there is some mutiny or players giving up or anything like that
Mitten is not trying to suggest that there is some mutiny or players giving up or anything like that
Mitten also was saying up until recently that the mood at the squad and the support the manager has among everyone at the club has always been great and was nothing like in prior years post Sir Alex. So the "not responding to the manager" can mean loads of things. Either he is losing them, or just an observation that the tactics aren't working so "the players clearly aren't responding to what he's trying to implement", or focusing on the few players we know actually aren't with the manager like Sancho, or something else... It's a bit vague.
But ultimately, I don't really have that much sympathy for Ten Hag in situations like that. That will happen at big clubs where some players don't like you or don't agree with you. It's up to you to find a way to get it to work, get them performing or stop playing those players. It's not like we've seen drastic selection changes among this losing run. If players are questioning dumb tactical moves like "why do you keep playing Casemiro alone in there when he is clearly struggling there", it is a fair question. If they are asking "why is Garnacho not starting more", it's a fair question. If they are asking "why does Amrabat keep playing at left back when he is very far out of his depth there", it is a fair question. I get why he tried it, but he has to change it.
But ultimately, I don't really have that much sympathy for Ten Hag in situations like that. That will happen at big clubs where some players don't like you or don't agree with you. It's up to you to find a way to get it to work, get them performing or stop playing those players. It's not like we've seen drastic selection changes among this losing run. If players are questioning dumb tactical moves like "why do you keep playing Casemiro alone in there when he is clearly struggling there", it is a fair question. If they are asking "why is Garnacho not starting more", it's a fair question. If they are asking "why does Amrabat keep playing at left back when he is very far out of his depth there", it is a fair question. I get why he tried it, but he has to change it.
People keep talking about downing tools, but I would moreso say that it's people not carrying out specific instructions from the manager. They are just playing the game the way they want to, instead of contributing to the overall plan, and that's how we end up with glaring deficiencies at times.
Either Ten Hag is clueless or incapable of making his instructions clear to the players or the players are just crap, too. It's not because of conspiracy, otherwise he would have just benched the players not responding.
Think rashford wasn’t happy Kane didn’t come and probably just feels like he’s wasting time with us. Send him off to PsG if that’s the case. This is solely my assumption, his body language, his selfish playing, not sure he fits in this system
This is why getting rid of players is as important as getting new ones. Ones who aren't getting a look in and not in the manager's plan will just spread shit
Maybe because they’re paid big money and have higher standards which should be met?
Per year.
Room and board (but they should clean their own quarters). 15k in spending money (cigs, beers, hookers).
Seems about right for what they actually offer on the pitch.
Another chapter where players no longer feel upto it and throw in the towel. Rinse repeat. I'd rather get relegated and bin off these wankers than another 5 seasons treading water with the same shite.
Assuming it's true, if he starts dropping Rashford I have a feeling it'll get worse. I don't know much about who's influential in the dressing room, but I'm pretty sure losing the English group is going to be problematic. Sancho is already done, and Maguire surely is unhappy.
Baseless nonsense.
He might be over instructing them at this point, or there may be people who play nice but behind doors go to athletic reporters and talk crap…
Well they aren’t performing, how dare they think they’re entitled to keep playing. What a stupid mentality some of these players have.. as if they have a birth right to being played. Let’s sell them all to Psg plz
It seems no coincidence that since the Sancho incident that the results have been terrible. I worry about that one, I'm not sure all the players have the manager's backing on that decision.
I’ve thought something similar for a while, there was a suggestion that he was holding out on signing the new contract until he got assurances over the new ownership, I wonder if he was told that the takeover was imminent and there would be massive financial injections into the club, and he’s now realising that it’s just more years of the glazers.. I mean we couldn’t even sign a defender we spent months chasing..
Listening at the time, it was said with a more of a concerned tone - rather than being completely alarmist.
The transcript:
Mitten: “I can’t understand why the players are not responding to the manger”
Irving: “D’you think they’re not responding to the manger then?”
Mitten: “I know they’re not responding to the manger. I speak to people. I see it with my own eyes”
The transcript:
Mitten: “I can’t understand why the players are not responding to the manger”
Irving: “D’you think they’re not responding to the manger then?”
Mitten: “I know they’re not responding to the manger. I speak to people. I see it with my own eyes”
The not responding to the manager bit was set in motion by CR7's behavior. Storming off the pitch, the Piers interview etc. The other players would've looked up to him and taken his behavior as model, which makes the Sancho situation and any subsequent dressing room discontent far less surprising. EtH is light years away from peak Fergie in terms of how to deal with this sort of thing, so we are where we are.
I dont buy a lot of the BS with Mitten. His output journalistic output is vague esoteric pieces of days gone by, away day fan culture and 'The Utd way' with a few morsels of upto date stuff.
He's more soundbite than substance I'm afraid.
That's the risk you get when you sign players with the wrong mentality. In their minds it'll always be someone else's fault, and when the results aren't there, it's easier to have the manager gone than look at themselves.
That's why when you look at the players ETH signed in his first year, the common thing was the mental strength. We need to push a lot of players out to change this at the club.
He's also engineered the headline for himself there
We are knee deep in leaks and backroom shenanigans territory now. At this rate ETH won’t last until Christmas and the cycle moves on to the next unfortunate fecker.
I did wonder, what could be the only more annoying thing with our start, all the player problems, injuries, media scrutiny, mocking from other fans etc.
Yep, Mitten with his "insider" expertise.
I'm absolutely flabbergasted that he reckons our terrible start is players not responding to the manager.
Sounds like some goon fan who has 1 stock cliche whenever the team lose.
"lost the dressing room"
Yep, Mitten with his "insider" expertise.
I'm absolutely flabbergasted that he reckons our terrible start is players not responding to the manager.
Sounds like some goon fan who has 1 stock cliche whenever the team lose.
"lost the dressing room"
Yes. And that shouldn't be on the "manager".
I don't doubt for a second that we do have players who don't "respond to the manager". But this should be dealt with by Murtough, our supposed "director of football".
He should a) tell those players to shape up or feck off or b) sack ETH with immediate effect.
Depending on how he regards ETH.
He won't, though, because he doesn't have a plan, a clue or even basic authority over the "manager".
Thanks, was going to ask what exactly it was he said.
I wonder who the "people" are, this is a very vague term.
I like Mitten, but if he honestly felt he could stand by this statement then why didn't he include it in any of his recent Athletic articles?