Erik ten Hag - Manchester United manager

[SungSam7]

I am very disappointed that he possibly will get the sack after a season with that many injuries, off the pitch problems and players out of form or not performing at a certain level. He needs to get another 6 months at least to see what he can do with a healthy squad + new recruitments. Just mental we are going back to square one.

How, he's been paid handsomely to make decisions. Every decision he's made has been torture to watch. The transfers have been a disaster and again, set the club back. He's persistent on Antony instead of trying someone new until it was way too late.
I don't care if Amad was absolutely woeful in the end, but he didn't even attempt to give him minutes until it was decided European football was out of reach.

Then the persistent terrible tactics that the players clearly couldn't work with, he didn't even try to adapt. Gave Rashford way too many chances also.

Good riddance.

 

[gaffs]

As if the club are happy that it's been leaked the day before a cup final but this is what happens when you start reaching out to candidates. United ideally would've waited but Chelsea parting ways with Poch changed everything. I bet any amount of money these same people who are moaning about the club actively looking for a new coach while we still have one would be the first knock the club for sitting on their hands while some of our main targets are hired by other clubs.

Agree with this. Have to consider that Xavi is also stepping down.

Lets just say that Bayern, Chelsea and Barca hire three of our potential managerial candidates in the coming days, everyone would be complaining we didn't get our replacement lined up early enough.

 

[Unam333]

We are getting rid of a badly underperforming manager. I don’t get why people would want him to stick around to see more of the same crap.

Under performing due to a plethora of injuries, off the pitch problems and off the boil players.

 

[Big Ben Foster]

Under performing due to a plethora of injuries, off the pitch problems and off the boil players.

And suicidal tactics, but don't let that get in the way of the narrative you've presented

 

[The Hilton]

I can understand why the decision was made, I'll even support it if we get a decent replacement in and the new regime look like they have a plan.

How it's been handled though is a horribly classless move by the club, reminiscent of our treatment of LVG when he left. That was undoubtedly the right decision (I'm torn about this one), but the club showed a horrible lack of professionalism in how it was handled, and it looks like that lack of professionalism still plagues us. It's that kind of thing that's holding us back, more than any managerial appointment, it's yet another example of the rot that's set in at the club at high (and really all) levels.

 

[Unam333]

And suicidal tactics, but don't let that get in the way of the narrative you've presented

Well, let's see if we as a team will improve our team performance and results next season and give him at least the first 3 months with a full squad, fit players he selected and believes who can adapt to those specific tactics and set up. I for one am very curious.

 

[gaffs]

We are getting rid of a badly underperforming manager. I don’t get why people would want him to stick around to see more of the same crap.

Totally agree. Regardless of injuries, I dont think anyone can make a case for him getting the very best out of what we have - which is quite often still better than the resources that our opponents have.

The injuries of late have been bad, but people are making excuses for him as if we have had Casemiro and Evans at center backs all season. We are getting walked through early in the season - remember Wolves, Forest and Spurs? Our midfield was non existent.

And how do we know the injuries are not down to his training methods?

 

[frostbite]

Under performing due to a plethora of injuries, off the pitch problems and off the boil players.

His boy Antony did not have many injuries. And we paid top dollar for him. Yes, the player that ETH calls "unstoppable Antony". ETH knows him well because he also managed him at Ajax.

ETH also finished bottom in a very easy Champions League group. Not because of injuries but because of his other boy Onana, we also paid top dollar for Onana, and ETH also managed him before.

 

[gaffs]

I can understand why the decision was made, I'll even support it if we get a decent replacement in and the new regime look like they have a plan.

How it's been handled though is a horribly classless move by the club, reminiscent of our treatment of LVG when he left. That was undoubtedly the right decision (I'm torn about this one), but the club showed a horrible lack of professionalism in how it was handled, and it looks like that lack of professionalism still plagues us. It's that kind of thing that's holding us back, more than any managerial appointment, it's yet another example of the rot that's set in at the club at high (and really all) levels.

I agree. It is bad this has come out. Rumour is that INEOS informed "the club" / The Glazers last week and it has leaked after that.

Lets remember, the same thing happened pre the 2013 FA Cup final. New broke that City were going to replace Roberto Mancini. So its not just MUFC that cant keep news in.

 

[Bastian]

Actually thought he was done when he started taking shots at Ineos . Even if they were really undecided at the time, you don't talk about your employers like that.

Plausible.

 

[Unam333]

His boy Antony did not have many injuries. And we paid top dollar for him. Yes, the player that ETH calls "unstoppable Antony". ETH knows him well because he also managed him at Ajax.

ETH also finished bottom in a very easy Champions League group. Not because of injuries but because of his other boy Onana, we also paid top dollar for Onana, and ETH also managed him before.

Onana is doing quite ok right now. He had difficulties settling in. Football players are not robots who perform consistently whenever and wherever. If you go to a new workplace you also need time settling in.

People make mistakes. Mourinho signed Lukaku, didn't work out for United even though he knows him well.

High profile signings sometimes flop, there's always a risk. Sometimes you pay for potential, there's a risk in that. Torres at Chelsea, Sanchez at United, Hazard at Real, Lukaku to United, Shevchenko to Chelsea, Kezman to Chelsea, Alves to Middlesbrough, Depay to United, Veron to United all flopped. Even though a few are considered worldclass at their former clubs.

 

[gaffs]

Where is the pragmatism from ETH?

We have issues at the back, the first thing we should be doing it working on a way to ensure that the recent makeshift back four are not being left exposed. He doesn't seem to have changed anything in midfield to provide additional cover. He is playing exactly the same way as he did earlier on in the season and we were wide open then.

I remember when we had Lindelof playing at LB. Far from optimal. But rather than having Lindelof concentrate on what he is good at, he had him bombing forward and coming into the midfield and the attack. I remember us getting counted several times because Lindelof was way out of his position.

We have had issues at left back. We brought in Reguilón on loan, who was doing an ok job. ETH sends him back to Spurs, only for Shaw to break down 5 mins later.

For me, this is why he should be sacked. Teams are going to get injuries, but it is upto managers to get the best of what we have got.

I don't ever recall ETH coming out and saying that regardless of injuries, we have enough to go win these games. He has been in self preservation mode for a while now. Every question Neville asked him in the Overlap interview, came back to injuries. How does that look to those players who are coming in to play games? You are telling the world that we are going to be inferior because of the absence. While this may be true, how about coming out and backing your players to come in and do a job? How about making sure your team know to cover for potential weaknesses in the back four?

 

[manichester]

How long before the sieve leaks the identity if his successor, and how many days will everyone know before the ditheres in charge of the club make annou

 

[frostbite]

Onana is doing quite ok right now. He had difficulties settling in. Football players are not robots who perform consistently whenever and wherever. If you go to a new workplace you also need time settling in.

People make mistakes. Mourinho signed Lukaku, didn't work out for United even though he knows him well.

High profile signings sometimes flop, there's always a risk. Sometimes you pay for potential, there's a risk in that. Torres at Chelsea, Sanchez at United, Hazard at Real, Lukaku to United, Shevchenko to Chelsea, Kezman to Chelsea, Alves to Middlesbrough, Depay to United, Veron to United all flopped. Even though a few are considered worldclass at their former clubs.

People who make mistakes are getting fired for them. Like ETH. Who made all kinds of mistakes, by far the worst manager post-SAF. It is not one thing or two, it is dozens of mistakes, 400 million mistakes, 7-0 mistakes, 8th position mistakes, 4th in CL mistakes, all types of mistakes. It is not one thing or two things, ETH broke a lot of negative records.

 

[golden_blunder]

Under performing due to a plethora of injuries, off the pitch problems and off the boil players.

Excuses

 

[Unam333]

People who make mistakes are getting fired for them. Like ETH. Who made all kinds of mistakes, by far the worst manager post-SAF. It is not one thing or two, it is dozens of mistakes, 400 million mistakes, 7-0 mistakes, 8th position mistakes, 4th in CL mistakes, all types of mistakes. It is not one thing or two things, ETH broke a lot of negative records.

Fair enough.
As mentioned earlier, let's see if we'll see the real Ten Hag team when every player is fit + new recruitments + a proper board that doesn't have a scattergun transfer approach.

 

[edgecutter]

I'll never understand how he lasted this long. He should have went after the Champions League debacle.

 

[Samid]

That's pretty much all stolen from mine and @Samid 's now locked thread.

Why was that thread locked? Pathetic.

 

[Berbaclass]

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[Laurencio]

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I guess that was not the most glowing performance review ever then?

 

[Big Ben Foster]

I guess that was not the most glowing performance review ever then?

"Room for improvement"

 

[gaffs]

Fair enough.
As mentioned earlier, let's see if we'll see the real Ten Hag team when every player is fit + new recruitments + a proper board that doesn't have a scattergun transfer approach.

You won't get the chance to. He is getting sacked.

You can't just judge a manager when everything is going his way. He has to be equally judged during move adverse times - Ten Hag has failed at that.

 

[frostbite]

Fair enough.
As mentioned earlier, let's see if we'll see the real Ten Hag team when every player is fit + new recruitments + a proper board that doesn't have a scattergun transfer approach.

Ask the opposite question. Did ETH get many things right? Did he prove to be world-class in some aspects of football management? Is he leaving us better than what we were two years ago? I'd say no. He failed in everything!

The squad needs one or two central defenders, one or more defensive midfielders, a top striker, a right wing (or perhaps Amad can do the job, we don't know because ETH did not use him, he prefered his boy Antony). And we probably need a left back and a goalkeeper too. The goal of course is to challenge for the championship and the CL, not just top-4. And the squad is worse than before, after spending 400 million! We don't even have a core, we only have some youngsters that may become great in a few years.

But did he get right the way of playing? Of course not, we are a mess there too, a chaotic way of playing. The next manager will have to start over.

Did he get the training right? We don't know, but the fact is that we had a ton of injuries in training. It is reasonable to assume that many of these injuries happened because ETH is not good at training either. After all, he is bad in everything else, too.


There is a simple reason that ETH broke so many negative records: he is not a good manager.

 

[Berbaclass]

Actually don't think he knows.

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[red_de_pologne]

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[Big Ben Foster]

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Yeah, that's a load of shit.

To a fault, we are the most patient and forgiving fanbase in European football.

 

[Ayush_reddevil]

Anyone who still gives the injury excuses should be made to rewatch the Brentford game

We started this team

Dalot
Varane
Lindelof
AWB
Mainoo
Mctominay
Rashford
Bruno
Garnacho
Hojlund

Maguire,Lisandro,Antony,Casemiro and mount came on as subs

By all accounts that is over 80% of my team fit and that is one of the worst performances I have ever seen from a United team. Brentford finished the league 16th and they absolutely battered us . They had 31 shots on goal and xg of 3.29. That game basically finished any hope for me that this guy can ever be good enough for us

 

[Canucantona20]

Actually don't think he knows.

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Surely, He must know.

 

[sparx99]

That's my only concern about him. He would be my top choice, but he has been there during some of our most chaotic periods, worked under Rangnick, and there were rumours then of players not having a great deal of respect for him or his methods. Will he have lost the dressing room before he even arrives?!

Who knows? But as an assistant manager or coach he’s implementing other people’s philosophy. Getting buy in to his methods is a completely different thing and he would be coming in with a somewhat proven track record.

He was highly regarded before we even brought him in a youth team coach so people in football clearly respect him.

 

[Berbaclass]

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[Aretak]

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"Erik, you're a useless bald tosser and we're firing you. Good luck against City tomorrow by the way. Win it for us."

 

[Laurencio]

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So basically LVG all over again. We sure are consistent in how we treat Dutch managers.

 

[SoCross]

I remember us going toe-to-toe with Barca at the Nou Camp and outplaying them at home just last year. Sigh what happened. Really thought he would be the coach to bring us back to where we ought to be.

 

[tjb]

Yeah, that's a load of shit.

To a fault, we are the most patient and forgiving fanbase in European football.

We're the only club who seemingly is not allowed to sack managers. If we do, we should expect Fergie like dominance or else what's the point.

Honestly, some of our fans are the most defeatist set of individuals you will see. They literally argued for ETH to stay as " there's no one else who can do it", " the players will take out the next manager", "lets sack everyone and put the structure in place before the manager". This is after finishing 8th with one of, if not, the most expensive squad in Europe. Every year we stay further away from the top is a risk. We lose money, we lose fans and we lose our reputation. Wasting that away for a manager who has already proven that he doesn't have the capacity over trying to give them as much chance as possible to fail is exactly how businesses fail. Why would you risk your immediate future on a person you know and has proven to you that they can't do the job. It's all good saying you want all the players gone without realizing keeping the manager is also wasting their careers. No player, particularly none of the best players, want to play at a club that's unserious enough to actually hurt their careers. Hate him or love him, us keeping ETH past December directly impacted Rashford's Euro 2024 chances. It's also not the first time, with players like Di Maria, our managers directly impacted their careers and reputation.

Ten Haag in his time here proved to be a poor tactician, poor man manager and poor with the press. Yet some people here will tell you that they feel sorry for him and what he had to go through. Yet don't feel sorry for players like Hojlund who have to feed off scraps, score, yet still have their reputation questioned based on the tactics the team employs. As a club, we're here because of how unserious we've been at supervising our managers. We let them run wild with signings and support every complaint they have until it gets too late. We don't assess their performance until midway into the first season, and have excuses for them for us to justify our hire, rather than to ensure they get performances from the team. We've sucked because we don't hold managers accountable early enough, and 10 years in, so many people still can't see that.

 

[Pickle85]

We don't assess their performance until midway into the first season, and have excuses for them for us to justify our hire, rather than to ensure they get performances from the team. We've sucked because we don't hold managers accountable early enough, and 10 years in, so many people still can't see that.

How early do you think we should assess them FFS?! One game in? Five?! I'd say it's not I reasonable to give managers at LEAST half a season before judging...

 

[Rafa20]

I can understand why the decision was made, I'll even support it if we get a decent replacement in and the new regime look like they have a plan.

How it's been handled though is a horribly classless move by the club, reminiscent of our treatment of LVG when he left. That was undoubtedly the right decision (I'm torn about this one), but the club showed a horrible lack of professionalism in how it was handled, and it looks like that lack of professionalism still plagues us. It's that kind of thing that's holding us back, more than any managerial appointment, it's yet another example of the rot that's set in at the club at high (and really all) levels.

I don't think the treatment from the new owners that much terrible. Even with the bad results the owners largely supportive. They showed patience by ignoring media and supporters' high criticism.

 

[frostbite]

"Erik, you're a useless bald tosser and we're firing you. Good luck against City tomorrow by the way. Win it for us."

He wants to win this because it will help him to find a new job. I don't think that many will want to hire the worst manager we had post-SAF. Ole still doesn't have a job and he never finished 8th.

 

[hobbers]

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Except he wouldnt be facing the same pitfalls because he (hopefully) wouldnt have overworked the squad to death and he wouldnt have saddled the club with Antony and Mount where key futureproof signings were required. And he wouldnt play a god awful system that leads to hideous football and losing 3-0 to Bournemouth, 4-0 to Palace, conceding 25 shots against fecking Fulham and Luton.

But sure the clown behind this twitter account can make out that ETH faced universal problems of all managers rather than those of his own making, if it helps him feel cleverer than other twitter tacticos.

 

[tjb]

How early do you think we should assess them FFS?! One game in? Five?! I'd say it's not I reasonable to give managers at LEAST half a season before judging...

Immediately...from the first game. Instead of blaming Maguire and every player, signing last minute panic buys to cover up poor tactical performances. Preseason should be enough time to come prepared tactically. Doesn't mean it needs to be perfect, but we should be able to see a good playing pattern. The manager needs to come in proving to us that he deserves the job. Not us trying to sell the "new messiah" to every media outlet like we always do. There should be pressure from the off, and its the managers job to prove to fans and the club alike that they deserve the opportunity to be here with good football. This way we can trust them even in tough times later down the line.

 

[Pickle85]

Immediately...from the first game. Instead of blaming Maguire and every player, signing last minute panic buys to cover up poor tactical performances. Preseason should be enough time to come prepared tactically. Doesn't mean it needs to be perfect, but we should be able to see a good playing pattern. The manager needs to come in proving to us that he deserves the job. Not us trying to sell the "new messiah" to every media outlet like we always do. There should be pressure from the off, and its the managers job to prove to fans and the club alike that they deserve the opportunity to be here with good football. This way we can trust them even in tough times later down the line.

But I think there always is scrutiny, from the first game. But most people also recognise that it can take a while to instil a style or play and change attitudes. It's not as easy as coming in and everything instantly changing. Pep took a season, Klopp did. Fergie did. But you seem to think they get half a season and if they're not pulling up trees, they're gone?

Edit: the notion that preseason should be enough, particularly with the job whoever takes us over has on their hands, is nonsense.