Erik ten Hag - Manchester United manager

GazTheLegend

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No, we need both. Did you see the drop of quality in defence without Martinez? It is suicidal not to fix that. Two top class centrebacks are a minimum.
Martinez really was sensational while he was on. City didn't lay a glove on us. Second he went off it was one way traffic and they pierced our defence like it was butter multiple times.
 

Woziak

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Giving him 1/4 of the season is pointless. A new manager would have a better change if he had preseason with them.
so, Either keep him or don’t.
Exactly either back him or sack him, but if your backing him you have to go buy 6 or 7 players for him and keep him away from transfers.
 

Judas

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Martinez really was sensational while he was on. City didn't lay a glove on us. Second he went off it was one way traffic and they pierced our defence like it was butter multiple times.
We've got to get a similar type of center back (or two) because sadly I'm not sure we can rely on him. The difference is mad.
 

GazTheLegend

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We've got to get a similar type of center back (or two) because sadly I'm not sure we can rely on him. The difference is mad.
Yeah. In as much as Ten Hag was wrong to spunk our entire budget on Antony, it goes a bit under the radar how good a signing Martinez was for that price too.

This is a huge summer for us. There's some genuine world class potential in some areas of the pitch, two teenagers scoring in the final against let's face it the greatest side in world football right now says as much. But if we don't sort centre back out and up front we are in for another painful year, no matter who the manager is.
 

Daengophile

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The way I understand things is:

We almost have the full football management team in place.

They will review the season and make decisions - and whoever is coach, he will be mandated to work with new parameters - especially on hiring

A football ethos will be adopted across the club regarding playing styles and coaching

The new management team will conduct the sale and hiring of new players

It will take at least 2 full years to get the first team up to speed

Is there any benefit in swapping EtH out at this stage?

Does it make sense to have him complete his remaining time and see how he works with the new regime?
 

stevoc

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Martial has been injured most of the season
Hojlund started the season with a back injury, then a hamstring injury and then an unknown muscle injury missing around 2 months in total
According to Transfermarkt he's missed 8 games through illness and injury. Martial was available for 4 of those, either on the bench or starting.
 

doubleohseven

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It was still after he won, no? :lol:
Atkinson was sacked a season and a half later, which would have been his fifth season. In that time, Atkinson had failed to sustain a title charge and the players usually spent more time boozing than training.

LvG offered to resign halfway through the 15-16 campaign. This prompted Woodward to pursue other options, which included Mourinho.

Sacking EtH would be for the 8th place finish and ECL campaign (which he qualified for), overlooking the mitigating circumstances and his winning trophies in the first two seasons.

The poll on here is shifting massively after that game
If that was a fresh poll it seems about right.
Fans are fickle, and even I am having doubts over my vote to sack him.
It makes sense to reconsider sacking EtH as yesterday proved he can win trophies against the very best.

According to Transfermarkt he's missed 8 games through illness and injury. Martial was available for 4 of those, either on the bench or starting.
Martial is never available, including the rare occasions he is fully fit.
 

Flanders Devil

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But you've also proved the point that there WAS no structure above him. It was a fecking circus. That's why I'm willing to see how he fares with INEOS calling it. He might even decide he doesn't want to stay if they are overruling
I was going to say a very similar thing. Personally I am 50/50, but the logic should be: INEOS sets the desired footballing strategy and player recruitment/retention strategy...then it's a negotiation between that leadership group and ETH to determine a) is he willing to implement the strategy and b) can he implement the strategy.
I think any 'no' from either party should be a walk away.
 

Dominos

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He already told us himself that we would not be playing like Ajax do here and the goal was a world class transition style - in fact to be the best at it.

instead most of the season, no idea what that was. It was neither one or the other
But that's the problem isn't it... I'm sure he's said that because he feels the squad isn't suited to keeping possession of a football. So we end up with a rushed, messy style where we're constantly trying to force an early killer pass even when it's not on.

We have to write off these first 2 years as a complete waste of time and start again.
 

glazed

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Im talking about one off matches against city. Different tactics fir different teams

Besides people forget that ole got second with that tactic. People are obsessed with “modern” tactics
When was the last time someone finished in top two with that tactic? When was the last time someone won the EPL or the UCL? You see the problem? Fooball has moved on and we haven't. Now we are sacking ETH for moving on too quickly for the squad he has.
 

Tincanalley

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This season was an anomaly for injuries, not only in quantity, but also in terms of longevity. Whilst other terms might have numerically matched our injury record, none matched the length of games missed as a result of them.

For this reason, the drop from 3rd to 8th must factor in the above as a major cause. It must, and for that reason, along with the instability of ownership decisions looming overhead, EtH perhaps ought to be afforded the chance to develop the squad he's building with the right infrastructure behind him.

I fear that a hasty sack could come back to impact us.
Yes. Add to this the experience of having so many injuries. Would a new incumbent have the same problems - perhaps ETH and his team are best placed to address it. Some thing needs fixing in the fitness department.
I would be far happier seeing Ten Hag given one more season than say Tuchel coming in. Kieran McKenna has all the makings of another nearly good appointment.
 

The Mitcher

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When was the last time someone finished in top two with that tactic? When was the last time someone won the EPL or the UCL? You see the problem? Fooball has moved on and we haven't. Now we are sacking ETH for moving on too quickly for the squad he has.
Ole came second only three years ago, mate. Leicester won the league in 2015/16 doing that. However, ETH hss not progressed the team from counter-attacking football in the slighest. His first season was basically oleball, this season was a suicidal "transition" style that was ultimately all about counter attacks. He is getting sacked for a bad style of play and awful results.
 

stevoc

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Exactly, both this and the Mitten poll likely had a lot of oppo fans voting on them.
Yep I don't see the value of twitter polls in general. But add football rivalry into the mix and I've no idea how anyone expects to gauge opinion to any degree of accuracy.

Oh damn, vastly different to the results on here, even if you include the cup final swing I’d think
There's a lot more opposition fans on social media to be fair.
 

Tincanalley

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Way too many trolls or clueless muppets in here. Enjoy your open top parade in the rain.
 

YSB99

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Finding it amazing just how many want to keep him, 8th in the league with a negative goal difference, bottom of our CL group, League cup went out 3-0 at home to Newcastle, and in the FA cup if we’re being completely honest we got a lot of luck along the way,

We’ve been getting beat by 3s and 4s to Bournemouth and Palace and conceding 20 shots a week

Injuries or no injuries it’s not acceptable, no other big club in Europe would stand for it and we shouldn’t either, he’s given us a few highs but a lot more lows. Thanks and goodbye Erik
 

Buster15

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Well.. he did win something in both his seasons. He meets the requirement of not winning nothing. He didnt win the CL or the League but nobody was expecting him to win those titles.
How is not winning nothing a requirement...
 

GreatDane

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It's suddenly become a very difficult decision the owners have to make. Do they sack him? Who do they hire, if they do? How long can they delay?

I don't know what the right answer is anymore. Would have been nice to have someone like Ashworth handle this.
It should not be difficult.
Even though we are all happy about yesterday, one win does not negate the season which has been one of our worst ever. 19 loses, negative GD in the league, 8th place, second most shots against us ect ect.
Injuries do not excuse his stubborn poor tactics.
 

Tincanalley

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I can't fathom the thought process sometimes of some posts, imagine being spiteful your team won a trophy but it may marginally increase the chances of the manager staying!
There is a name for that lot. This place is like a fresh cowshit for a fly swarm
 

Foolsgold21

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Keeping him would be like giving Ole the job permanently after Paris.

Unbelievable day yesterday, and I’ll always like him for it - but sadly not the answer moving forward.
 

Salford_Red83

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Right, a season in a very competitive league where he essentially had on average the majority of his defence injured for most games. We had no left back for 80% of the season. We had zero consistency at CB, being forced to use something mad like 25 different combinations. At one point Dalot was our only fit fullback for about 4 weeks.
We got Reguilon as an emergency loan for him, and he never played him, choosing instead to play Amrabat there, and eventually AwB. He could have also shuffled it round ever now and then to play Dalot at LB but he didn't.

There was also an opportunity to play some youth/reserves in defence, because eventually
there wasn't really anything to lose, but he didn't.

He could have also stopped playing the suicidal midfield "formation" whilst we had our defensive injury crisis. But he didn't.

Yes, injuries have been a problem this season but there were things he could have done to mitigate that, he could have been more pragmatic. But he wasn't. So here we are.
 

King7Eric

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Yep. There’s a lot of us who this paragraph applies to perfectly.
I would hope most sensible people would have this view. Yesterday was fantastic, but it doesn't detract from what was a disastrous league campaign.

But whichever way it ends, whether he stays or goes, and whoever replaces him, the support of the fanbase for the team and manager should be absolute. This tribalism that develops over managers/owners is not something I can understand.
 

stevoc

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Could you name 5 of them Five out of those easy ten? Five realistic options? And sure, whoever you name could potentially be a better fit
It'd be easier to name the managers that aren't realistic options. We currently pay Ten Hag £9m per year, for that salary we can get virtually any manager bar a few.

but is that worth swapping out a manager who came out of his first bad year in his career, still won a FA Cup and had to deal with a freak situation regarding injuries?
Yes, injuries aren't the main reason we've struggled this season.

We shouldn't underestimate just how bad we've been this season. Worst season in decades.
 

doubleohseven

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... injuries aren't the main reason we've struggled this season.
They really are.

Roberto Martinez beat City in the FA Cup, it proves nothing. Even Steve Bruce almost beat Arsenal under Arteta.
Martinez's Wigan did not beat Pep's city (Mancini, was it?) in the cup final, and were relegated. You are thinking of Wigan beating city in 2018. But, unlike ten Hag's United, they did not proceed to win the competition.

Steve Bruce almost doing something to Arsenal once is further proof of nothing.

Ole came second only three years ago, mate....ETH hss not progressed the team from counter-attacking football in the slighest. His first season was basically oleball, this season was a suicidal "transition" style that was ultimately all about counter attacks.
Ole finished a distant second with Liverpool immersed in an injury crisis and therefore predisposed.

As for ten Hag's supposedly 'suicidal' tactics, it's landed him two more managerial honours at our club than the sainted Ole, whose own expensively assembled reign saw us win nothing.

Don't get me wrong, I love Ole as much as the next Red, but he should not have been applied as a full-time manager. Even his interim gig petered out.
 

TsuWave

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Would be insane to keep him. A case of hearts trumping heads, in my opinion, but it wouldn’t be the first time at this club