Erik ten Hag - Manchester United manager

Should ETH be kept on or fired by INEOS


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Van Piorsing

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We won but not because we dominated Wolves, it was against the run of play!
Sometimes team that scores wins. A fullback making assist to central defender is not bad sign, certainly against run of play.

Our attacking players gave Wolves a day off. Ten Hag should definitely hold responsible underperformers. Bench awaits on some of them, if it continues.
 

The Mitcher

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What the feck are you talking about? Deserving time? We literally came third last season, won the LC and made it to the FA Cup Final.
People say he needs more time to get players in to get his style implemented. He's gotten the players he wanted (even if they weren't always first choice) and he's had two pre-seasons, and we're nowhere near his best Ajax teams. This season is going to be make it or break it for him. Van Gaal got top 4 in his first season, won a trophy in his second but got sacked because of the shit football and finishing 5th. At United we cannot afford failure, we need constant improvement. But it's not really been a perfect upward projectary under him. If we have more games like this during the season he deserves to walk.
 

RetroStu

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I'd love to know what the positives were he saw, and actually thats a little worrying thing to say for me, media talk or not.
 

Andycoleno9

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No way that he will play with this midfield in big games. And that raises question; if this is not a midfield to play in biggest games then why he decided to spend big amount of transfer budget on Mount?
 

The Mitcher

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Sometimes team that scores wins. A fullback making assist to central defender is not bad sign, certainly against run of play.

Our attacking players gave Wolves a day off. Ten Hag should definitely hold responsible underperformers. Bench awaits on some of them, if it continues.
The whole team bar AWB and Onana made them look like world beaters mate. We're lucky they can't finish otherwise that would have been a brighton last year.
 

Oranges038

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Just saw this on the YouTube, Sir Alex thinks he's doing a fantastic job.

Great to see him on TV and looking well.

Also he makes a great point about players being able to handle the expectation of playing for Utd, that they should have expectations of themselves.

 
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Robbie Boy

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People say he needs more time to get players in to get his style implemented. He's gotten the players he wanted (even if they weren't always first choice) and he's had two pre-seasons, and we're nowhere near his best Ajax teams. This season is going to be make it or break it for him. Van Gaal got top 4 in his first season, won a trophy in his second but got sacked because of the shit football and finishing 5th. At United we cannot afford failure, we need constant improvement. But it's not really been a perfect upward projectary under him. If we have more games like this during the season he deserves to walk.
Our managers before him were utter fecking wank and got plenty of time. It's absolutely mental to even have that thought trail after a relatively successful first season. We were poor tonight but calm the feck down.
 

meamth

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It was a dreadful performance, but take a breather for the whiners.

This is the side that won against all top 6 last season and also shown that they can play top level football when in form. Go to sleep!
 

Alcio77

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He does not matter how many players we need to chase man city.
Today we started with 5 players he brought in, but the level of the football we played was still not quality. No sign of improvements.
If we will still play like this in October, he will under fire
 

The Mitcher

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To be fair, he's not interested in controlling possession. United had the lowest average possession figures of any of the 'big 6' last season and that will continue this season. We should judge him on what he is actually trying to do, which is create a potent transition side. Liverpool under Klopp is the blueprint, rather than City under Guardiola.

I think we are fairly well-organised, but the big issue is the gaping holes in the squad and lack of quality in the first team - both issues largely caused by United's continued ineptitude in the transfer market (I am yet to see any signs that Murtough et al really have any idea what they are doing).

Ten Hag does indeed deserve time, but United is not a good platform from which to build a title-challenge anymore.
Is transition side a football hipster euphemism for counter attacking football? Because Burnley used to be a counter attacking side under Dyche, but no one called them a transition team. Also, Liverpool at their best under Klopp dominated teams, they didn't just sit back and counter.
 

Infra-red

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No way that he will play with this midfield in big games. And that raises question; if this is not a midfield to play in biggest games then why he decided to spend big amount of transfer budget on Mount?
The Mount signing looked strange at the time and was pretty unpopular on here. It looks even stranger now that we haven't followed it up with a midfielder to play alongside Casemiro. With Fred going, that must now be a priority (together with a #9 or backup #6, if possible).
 

The Mitcher

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Our managers before him were utter fecking wank and got plenty of time. It's absolutely mental to even have that thought trail after a relatively successful first season. We were poor tonight but calm the feck down.
I am perfectly calm, it's one game, but a game that we've seen all too often from him.
 

the_cliff

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Does anyone have the distance covered stats ?

As in distance covered per player ?

And total distance ?
 

Hugh Jass

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It was amazing the wolves players flying through the middle with ball and we couldnt even keep up. They looked like they were doped up they were so quick.
 

Leftback99

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This is quite frankly disgraceful. Made one of the main relegation candidates who sacked their manager 5 days ago look like prime Barca. In our own backyard.

It did feel that bad watching it.

Its time for performances to start catching up with results.
 

Eddy_JukeZ

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To be fair, he's not interested in controlling possession. United had the lowest average possession figures of any of the 'big 6' last season and that will continue this season. We should judge him on what he is actually trying to do, which is create a potent transition side. Liverpool under Klopp is the blueprint, rather than City under Guardiola.

I think we are fairly well-organised, but the big issue is the gaping holes in the squad and lack of quality in the first team - both issues largely caused by United's continued ineptitude in the transfer market (I am yet to see any signs that Murtough et al really have any idea what they are doing).

Ten Hag does indeed deserve time, but United is not a good platform from which to build a title-challenge anymore.
Liverpool under Klopp after a few seasons were very good at keeping the ball and pinning teams back while being exceptional in transitions.

I hope we get to that level as well.
 

BarstoolProphet

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A bit worried about the lack of athletism and physicality in EtH's team. Don't think you can pass your way around teams over a season in the Premier League. Our biggest weakness in midfield last year was Eriksen's mobility defensively and he choses to remove Eriksen's offensive output for Mount who doesnt seem to bring anything to the table so far.
 

Van Piorsing

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I like ETH but the people giving excuses for these performances always mention that he needs backing. If it's taken us 400 mill worth of spending to get to the position we are in now, playing the football we're playing now then we may as well fold the club, to reach City we'd need to spend 3bill at the current trajectory....

How much do you think we need to spend to challenge for the title and play good football ?

Cos I watched Chelsea yesterday play better, Brighton play better, hell even Spurs played better and they got rid of Kane !

I'm not ETH out but he needs to fix this asap, that performance against anyone other than relegation fodder and we're getting embarrassed.
SAF times are gone. City will never stop spending, Chelsea will beat them to it, and Liverpool and Arsenal are ready to spend more than us.

Klopp is rebuilding his team, twice in a row, while we're just making attempt to finally rebuild it after 2013, the right way. If it's going to be Ten Hag or any other manager who'll spend more than him, it will be another attempt, one of many.

If academy drops some good pack of players in next 5 to 7 years, it's incredible luck, even with solid academy standards.
 

Robbie Boy

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I am perfectly calm, it's one game, but a game that we've seen all too often from him.
You're not really calm mate if you're already questioning "how much time he gets/needs". He inherited a shit-show, and all things considered, last season was a success.

Yes, we've had poor games under him and even utterly horrendous ones. But, we also had some really good periods of form, especially after the WC. These things take time, and he clearly deserves time after last season. The Caf's new 'bestest team ever' - Arsenal - have a manager who looked absolutely clueless for years before he got it together.
 

Infra-red

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Is transition side a football hipster euphemism for counter attacking football? Because Burnley used to be a counter attacking side under Dyche, but no one called them a transition team. Also, Liverpool at their best under Klopp dominated teams, they didn't just sit back and counter.
Largely, yes. Although I'd argue that the difference between being a "transition team" and being Burnley under Dyche is that the former works on hitting teams on the break with pinpoint passing and clever movement, while the latter focusses on lumping it long to a big man. Fergie favoured 'transition football'. Liverpool did indeed change their style somewhat following the departure of assistant manager Zeljko Buvac in 2018 (and his replacement with possession-based coach Pepijn Lijnders).
 

The Mitcher

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You're not really calm mate if you're already questioning "how much time he gets/needs". He inherited a shit-show, and all things considered, last season was a success.

Yes, we've had poor games under him and even utterly horrendous ones. But, we also had some really good periods of form, especially after the WC. These things take time, and he clearly deserves time after last season. The Caf's new 'bestest team ever' - Arsenal - have a manager who looked absolutely clueless for years before he got it together.
He's had a full season and we've ahd the same issues since before his time here. I can question what I want and not be hysterical like some people on here.
 

Telsim

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To be fair, he's not interested in controlling possession. United had the lowest average possession figures of any of the 'big 6' last season and that will continue this season. We should judge him on what he is actually trying to do, which is create a potent transition side. Liverpool under Klopp is the blueprint, rather than City under Guardiola.

I think we are fairly well-organised, but the big issue is the gaping holes in the squad and lack of quality in the first team - both issues largely caused by United's continued ineptitude in the transfer market (I am yet to see any signs that Murtough et al really have any idea what they are doing).

Ten Hag does indeed deserve time, but United is not a good platform from which to build a title-challenge anymore.
Indeed, transitional football can be very effective and versatile, but is also extremely demanding. At the highest level, it requires perfect team cohesion and understanding, extreme quality, precision, and fitness. If you don't have these things, however, it very quickly falls apart to what we saw today - uncontrolled chaos. Or becomes ordinary, dull counter-attacking football against top sides.

This is why I really don't like it, and hated hearing this is what he wants. It could take years to build and you need excellent recruitment. Which is not something we are known for. And right now, I can't say this has changed.

But I'm willing to wait. There really isn't any other coach available anyway.
 

Robbie Boy

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He's had a full season and we've ahd the same issues since before his time here. I can question what I want and not be hysterical like some people on here.
Concerns are grand but blatantly ignoring any good he's done is just agenda driven nonsense. Also, your initial post that I quoted reeked of hysterics.
 

Van Piorsing

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The whole team bar AWB and Onana made them look like world beaters mate. We're lucky they can't finish otherwise that would have been a brighton last year.
This is the hidden strength of the squad... in players that were hopeless couple years ago. Bissaka & Sancho. Today it was enough to beat Wolves, while rest of the players stand there, like some drunk happy uncle on the beach.

Even Licha wasn't fast in his judgement, today. Bucket of cold water on all of them. Buy a new hairdryer, invite Roy Keane to the dressing room. Something needs to definitely happen, these players can do better.
 

Marwood

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Keep saying in this thread that all managers live and die by their recruitment. Doesn't matter how good a coach they are if that bit isn't right.

I'm a bit worried the recruitment mistakes are starting to stack up.
 

dubplate warrior

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85 points is a proper title challenge and we have not managed that since Sir Alex Ferguson left. Best we've done is 81. Sounds more like wishful thinking than an expectation. I think we are very far from that. We don't have the squad for it. Even Arsenal didn't get 85 last season.

To be honest, I don't expect much more than last season in terms of points. I just expect it to be done in a more convincing manner - scoring a lot more and fixing last season's horrific GD. I don't believe for a second we will once again make 75 points if we put out the same performances as last season. The quality of the league has increased.
After today it does feel like wishful thinking mate. Mount and Bruno doesn't work, we need a midfielder to keep the ball better. We should really take the money for Mctominay and go for Amrabat or a similar midfielder.

I think we almost have too many direct players. There still aren't enough players that slow the game down and keep the ball well. It doesn't help that we don't have a player up top who can hold the ball up and bring others into the game. Let's hope Rasmus makes an impact.
 

The Mitcher

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This is the hidden strength of the squad... in players that were hopeless couple years ago. Bissaka & Sancho. Today it was enough to beat Wolves, while rest of the players stand there, like some drunk happy uncle on the beach.

Even Licha wasn't fast in his judgement, today. Bucket of cold water on all of them. Buy a new hairdryer, invite Roy Keane to the dressing room. Something needs to definitely happen, these players can do better.
Sancho is and always will be hopeless for United. He didn't actually do an awful lot tonight apart from be better than Garnacho. AWB was carrying our attack on his own and has never been hopeless imo. There is no hidden strength, stop coping. We have better players than Wolves and SHOULD be beating them, but not in such a diabolical manner. We were lucky.
 

Oranges038

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Is transition side a football hipster euphemism for counter attacking football? Because Burnley used to be a counter attacking side under Dyche, but no one called them a transition team. Also, Liverpool at their best under Klopp dominated teams, they didn't just sit back and counter.
Yes.
 

The Mitcher

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Concerns are grand but blatantly ignoring any good he's done is just agenda driven nonsense. Also, your initial post that I quoted reeked of hysterics.
What good has he done apart from getting rid of terrible players and winning a trophy? The football has been mediocre most of the time during his spell here, and he was brought here not only to win things but to get us playing good football. We've seen glimpses of that, nothing more.
 

Robbie Boy

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What good has he done apart from getting rid of terrible players and winning a trophy? The football has been mediocre most of the time during his spell here, and he was brought here not only to win things but to get us playing good football. We've seen glimpses of that, nothing more.
So he's done nothing good during his tenure here? Gotcha. I assumed you had an agenda.
 

Van Piorsing

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Sancho is and always will be hopeless for United. He didn't actually do an awful lot tonight apart from be better than Garnacho. AWB was carrying our attack on his own and has never been hopeless imo. There is no hidden strength, stop coping. We have better players than Wolves and SHOULD be beating them, but not in such a diabolical manner. We were lucky.
Last season we weren't lucky. I can cope with that for a change, instead of trying to state obvious, that we played shit, which is just boring to say, after obviously bad match.

There is hidden strength. If you can't see it how much Sancho was charging at defenders today, then whatever.