That is highly unlikely. All managers since and including Moyes had to achieve CL qualification, or they were gone - it was like paragraph 1, part (a) on their contract. Now some people have suggested ETHs lawyers/representatives might have managed to amend this, because of the state of the club last season, but I bet he has to get into the CL for season 24/25 or he will be history. He will not get 'a few seasons' like you suggest. One plus though, I think by 2024/25 England will have the top-5 not the top-4 going into the main European tournament although I bet Newcastle will be right up there, by then, too.
It is so difficult to be a manager these days: I was getting into an argument earlier this week about this (which I decided to pull away from) because I suggested that Ralf Rangnick had done some decent things to start with e.g when he clamped down on the negative body language he saw from the players, when he first got the job. Somebody suggested his methodology soon became one of 'throwing the players under a bus' which never works. But did he do it publicly? Or was it behind the scenes and then leaked by some fed up player(s)? I can't recall.
I suppose we are seeing ETH walk a fine line this week, he hasn't publicly shamed Ronaldo for his 'The King Plays' tweet - but he could have, because basically it was leaking team selection! and don't get me started on the leaving the game early issue, which was just disgraceful - an abdication of professional responsibility and it just screamed pure selfishness. Yet some people will still defend CR7, even though he wants to leave!
As it turns out Ralf Rangnick hadn't been half as strict with the lads as I had hoped and wanted him to be, because I read this the other week after ETH got started: no alcohol during game weeks and more fish and vegetables and from the club chef & no personal dieticians.
See: https://www.sportbible.com/football...g-match-weeks-and-overhauls-the-menu-20220707
This seems pretty basic stuff to me - especially the alcohol issue so why didn't RR bring it in, or even Ole?
This brings me to what can happen if you go the other way and try to become too 'pally' with the team - well we only have to look at Ole's tenure to see that doesn't work either. When Ole was the caretaker manager, he couldn't stop winning which suggests the lads really, really wanted him to get the job full-time. And he did. The problem was, once he got the proper managers job, the wheels started to come off. So had the players busted a gut to get him into post because they actually wanted it for him, because of his legendary status? Or did they get him into the top job with that winning spell* because they realised once he was the manager, their lives would be a bit easier.....?
I am going with the second of these.
Footballers are people too and most will prefer an easier life to a harder one even whilst being paid silly money. It is exceptional management that can reverse this human characteristic to motivate the players to actually win games and win trophies. Sometimes that involves being a bit of a nasty boss - it worked for Mourinho, briefly and when Sir Alex was being most successful, he had no qualms about selling players still at the top of their game, if they crossed him.
What sort of boss is ETH going to be? Well early indications would suggest a modern type (think Klopp/Guardiola) who will combine a rigid set of strict rules to practically force the players to develop team spirit: meals together, fines for lateness, no smartphones etc. but will then shield them from criticism to build a sort of to 'fortress attitude' as personified by Maximus in Gladiator: "Whatever comes out of these gates, we have a better chance of survival if we work together. Do you understand? We stay together, we survive." It might just work - but not if Ronaldo stays.
However, I was just a bit disappointed that only a few weeks after starting and even before his first match at Old Trafford, Alex Ferguson and Bryan Robson were given roles at the club (a new role for Robson/more involvement for Sir Alex) and I just hope ETH doesn't see this as an attempt to micro-manage him, whilst he is just beginning to micro-manage the team. It could fcuk everything up, before its even got started...
*Solskjaer won his first eight matches in temporary charge, 10 of his first 11 and 14 out of 19 in all before being appointed permanently. From there, things went awry as United won only twice in the remainder of the season before starting the new campaign with three wins in the first 11 games.
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