Next permanent manager | Poll updated

[Adnan]

I should point out that it's much easier to instill your style of play in the Eredevisie which isn't of the highest quality than in the PL which is very unforgiving if you aren't a Pep/Klopp level manager who needs time but guarantees results and trophies in the end. There were many times where Pochettino's teams displayed moments of control in the PL and the CL. During Spurs' peak period only Liverpool had better pressing stats than Spurs who were also very good at playing out the back with Alderweireld and Vertonghen. Dembele gave them a lot of control in midfield and Eriksen at his peak was very good at dictating the tempo of a game. There's also nothing wrong with showing a small pragmatic edge in some games depending on the dynamics, Pep's idea of ultra attacking football cost him a CL title against Tuchel who decided to be pragmatic and won the CL now I don't know about you but I'd rather win the big prize than die on only one philosophy knowing I could have done things a little differently to get a better result. The same philosophy cost ETH a place in a CL final in 2019 against Pochettino who approached the game differently but ultimately got the result but unfortunately lost to an in form Liverpool team. While ETH's idea of football is indeed a good one going from the Dutch League to the PL is an almighty step up no matter how people try to sugarcoat things compared to Pochettino who'd be coming off the experience of managing a big club, already existing PL experience, stints from 3 different countries and the experience of winning trophies with PSG which can only give him the hunger to want to win more. Also worth noting that ETH will come with a promising philosophy but unlike Klopp/Pep won't have the assurance of unprecedented success, they're both risky appointments with the same upsides and downsides.

I should also point out that it's extremely difficult to exert zonal, positional control in a vertical axis in the Champions League against some of the best teams in the world, whilst being hampered financially in comparison. You then have to rely on developing players, and having a play-style that will help you bridge the gap against the biggest clubs in Europe. And he did that with aplomb playing a brand of football that was both attractive as well as flexible in dealing with the ever changing circumstances in-game. But you can only do so much when you have several players in your team who have very little experience in closing games out which I'll come to later.

I never said there was anything wrong with being pragmatic and ten Hag isn't Pep as far as being wedded to a particular way of playing the game. ETH is actually even more vertical in his approach and isn't wedded to the Juego de Posicion (positional play) principles. ETH has even setup to counter attack in the past due to being realistic about the hand he's been dealt with in comparison to the biggest clubs in Europe, which speaks volumes about him being pragmatic if needs arise. It's not me twisting things but your own naivety and ignorance in making the comparison with Pep, which doesn't make sense, when put to scrutiny. Because ETH is his own man and has combined different football cultures to tweak his approach.

Playing out from the back and having players who dictate the game isn't anything special or to write home about. There's plenty of managers who play out from the back and have players who can dictate games. But can they do all that whilst dominating both offensive and defensive transitions against the best teams in Europe in a compact high block, compact mid block or compact low block? EtH does all this which proves he's pragmatic and realistic due to the hand he's dealt with in comparison to teams from England and other major European leagues. But what's even more special about him is he does the above whilst maintaining a strong zonal and positional game, which provides top level structural play.

I don't know about you or Pochettino's Mother Ama-donut, but I'd like to see a head Coach appointed who has the ability to coach a broad spectrum of skills from back to front with and with out the ball in a imposing manner, whilst also being realistic and flexible in his approach to the game. And ten Hag as he's demonstrated in the Champions league has shown the ability to coach a brand of football that is imposing in a compact high block or lethal on the turn over in a low or mid block with out sacrificing his core principles and morphing into Sam Allardyce.

What cost Ajax a place in the UCL final against Spurs after being 3-0 up on aggregate with 35 minutes to go, was a lack of experience and know how in how to see out a game. Both Blind and de Ligt were vulnerable against the high ball and Spurs brought on Llorente as the target man and were playing direct to him and he caused both Ajax's home grown players problems and it was his knock down that fell to Lucas Moura that won it deep into injury time. Ajax at the time were defending in a low block and ten Hag's options were limited because the players he brought on (Lisandro Magallán) is currently on loan in the Belgian league at 28 years old and Veltman is at Brighton. EtH didn't have the finances of Spurs because if Ajax did have those finances, then Eriksen, Vertonghen and Alderweireld who were players that benefitted Pochettino and were developed by Ajax, would've been options for ten Hag.

I said at the time that Ajax going out would hand Liverpool the UCL title and Spurs surrendering meekly to Liverpool is exactly what happened. Klopp wasn't handicapped like EtH and had players like Van Dijk and Matip who could comfortably handle players like Harry Kane or Llorente both on the ground and in the air.

Also you bring up Klopp and Pep as coaches who had the pleasure of having the assurance of unprecedented success before they arrived in England. And I agree both were/are excellent coaches but that doesn't mean we should hold ten Hag's nationality against him because he was born in the Netherlands and not Spain or Germany who both have league competitions and finances that allow a coach to better develop at a higher level potentially due to the finances and the quality of league. It's a very narrow minded way of looking at things.

 

[andersj]

I like Adnan. He has a lot of insight and makes several good points. He has probably made a bit more sceptical about Pochettino. But I’m not quite sure I understand what he means when he say Pochettino dont know how to play a possession-based style.

There has been a few mentions of that Real Madrid-game. But what about the CL-final against Liverpool? They had 63 % possession against that Liverpool-team. 140 touches in the final third to Liverpools 120. 30 touches in the penalty area to Liverpools 20.

They also had 59 and 52 percent possession against Ajax. I get that you could argue we should consider the resources. But it was a midfield of Wanayama, Sissoko and Dele Alli. Looking at there teams, I‘m not sure there was much of a difference in favour of Spurs. If any at all. Considering what a few of those players did prior and after Pochettino, I think they, similar to the Ajax-players, benefited greatly from playing in a well-drilled side.

And regarding resources, very few give a mention of that in favour of Pochettino. Spurs had a wage budget of £179 mill in 18/19. Liverpool had a budget of £310 mill. During Pochettinos time there, Spurs wages was ranging from £101 mill to £179 mill. Arsenal from £192 mill to £232 mill in the same period. Liverpool from £166 mill to £310 mill.

 

[RkkMan]

ETH dismantling Juve and Real Madrid in their backyards is arguably a good indication of how he is able to transfer and impose his style to a higher level. He won't be an instant success as we would need to build a side suitable for him but l would rather take my chances with him than someone whose limit I already know.

What does it say about ETH that despite his dominance he bottled a 3-0 lead to that limited manager that very same season thus bottling the semi final tie altogether?

 

[Amadaeus]

I like Adnan. He has a lot of insight and makes several good points. He has probably made a bit more sceptical about Pochettino. But I’m not quite sure I understand what he means when he say Pochettino dont know how to play a possession-based style.

There has been a few mentions of that Real Madrid-game. But what about the CL-final against Liverpool? They had 63 % possession against that Liverpool-team. 140 touches in the final third to Liverpools 120. 30 touches in the penalty area to Liverpools 20.

They also had 59 and 52 percent possession against Ajax. I get that you could argue they should consider the resources. But it was a midfield of Wanayama, Sissoko and Dele Alli. Looking at there teams, I‘m not sure there was much of a difference in favour of Spurs. If any at all. Considering what a few of those players did prior and after Pochettino, I think they, similar to the Ajax-players, benefited greatly from playing in a well-drilled side.

That is not allowed on here, only misinformation please. We need to gaslight the entire forum to think Pochettino is a defensive, non possession based manager

 

[Greck]

That is not allowed on here, only misinformation please. We need to gaslight the entire forum to think Pochettino is a defensive, non possession based manager

Didn't he also boss Juve and eventually lose that game because he refused to defend the result? Famous "Spurs have officially departed thread". I'm not sure where the pragmatic thing comes from. There's a solid career of excellent performances in the CL going toe to toe against many good managers. His attacking philosophy isn't just alive but also solid as well.

 

[Nou_Camp99]

Erik Ten Hag's Red and White army!!

 

[stefan92]

And I agree both were/are excellent coaches but that doesn't mean we should hold ten Hag's nationality against him because he was born in the Netherlands and not Spain or Germany who both have league competitions and finances that allow a coach to better develop at a higher level potentially due to the finances and the quality of league. It's a very narrow minded way of looking at things.

Ten Hag was managing Bayern's reserves, I am quite sure he could have stayed in Germany and worked his way up through the divisions here. It's not like he could only work in the Netherlands due to being Dutch. So while I agree on your point regarding his nationality I actually think you are looking at it a bit narrow minded yourself.

 

[Adnan]

Ten Hag was managing Bayern's reserves, I am quite sure he could have stayed in Germany and worked his way up through the divisions here. It's not like he could only work in the Netherlands due to being Dutch. So while I agree on your point regarding his nationality I actually think you are looking at it a bit narrow minded yourself.

It was a general point about Dutch managers being disadvantaged when it comes to managers in major European leagues. Take Gallardo for instance in Argentina, he coaches a very structured style of football but isn't a option because he's deemed to be unproven. Dutch managers will have to go the Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV route rather than the Dortmund, Bayern, and RB Leipzig route, normally.

Pochettino for instance only ended up in the EPL because the head of development for Southampton spotted a opportunity to hire him after going to scout young Coutinho.

 

[DJ_21]

Nobody knows what to expect from ETH has he has never managed in a tough league before or should I say the premier league but neither did guardiola before he went to city or klopp before he went to Liverpool… but people was confident they’d be a success just because of there name and status… ETH is probably going to be the next talented manager after guardiola and klopp and he deserves a chance to show what he can do at a top club. It will be exciting to see what he can do with us and where he can take us… his style of football is so good and he loves scoring goals even at 5-0 he demands more goals from his team..: that is the sort of mentality we should be looking for. We’re man United and we deserve to get back to being the best football club in Europe and winning the big trophies again… it starts by taking a gamble on this up and coming manager.

 

[stefan92]

It was a general point about Dutch managers being disadvantaged when it comes to managers in major European leagues. Take Gallardo for instance in Argentina, he coaches a very structured style of football but isn't a option because he's deemed to be unproven. Dutch managers will have to go the Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV route rather than the Dortmund, Bayern, and RB Leipzig route, normally.

But he already was in Germany and therefore definitely had the chance to work here, look at Jos Luhukay (currently managing Venlo) for example - not the same level obviously, but he worked his way up to the Bundesliga as a Dutch coach, completely through German clubs.

If someone sees ten Hag as unproven because he went to Utrecht and Ajax instead of Kiel and Dortmund (randomly chosen clubs as examples for that level) that is justified, albeit a bit stupid as especially the CL performances are a neutral proving ground.

 

[Wolf1992]

To be fair, this Madrid side is gash. I'd even fancy us against them. As far as the matches with City went, I watched them both. PSG were thoroughly dominated. Results don't always tell the whole truth. I also want to say that back before we appointed Ole, Poch would have been the perfect choice. But right now, just like Mourinho - it is a little too late and there are much better choices for us out there.

And the Dortmund side that ETH dominated this season in the UCL was gash also, they lost also to Sporting CP.

Neither the Juve and Real he knocked years ago were great either.

Easy logic

 

[ManchesterManchester]

Nobody knows what to expect from ETH has he has never managed in a tough league before or should I say the premier league but neither did guardiola before he went to city or klopp before he went to Liverpool… but people was confident they’d be a success just because of there name and status… ETH is probably going to be the next talented manager after guardiola and klopp and he deserves a chance to show what he can do at a top club. It will be exciting to see what he can do with us and where he can take us… his style of football is so good and he loves scoring goals even at 5-0 he demands more goals from his team..: that is the sort of mentality we should be looking for. We’re man United and we deserve to get back to being the best football club in Europe and winning the big trophies again… it starts by taking a gamble on this up and coming manager.

This, none of the current bunch of well known managers out there can beat Guardiola or Klopp. We have to take a risk to find the next great manager, ETH is clearly the cream of the crop right now in terms of managers with potential. I really hope we go all out for him and not a cushy easy choice who is already on their way down.

 

[Adnan]

But he already was in Germany and therefore definitely had the chance to work here, look at Jos Luhukay (currently managing Venlo) for example - not the same level obviously, but he worked his way up to the Bundesliga as a Dutch coach, completely through German clubs.

If someone sees ten Hag as unproven because he went to Utrecht and Ajax instead of Kiel and Dortmund (randomly chosen clubs as examples for that level) that is justified, albeit a bit stupid as especially the CL performances are a neutral proving ground.

I don't know who Jos Luhukay is and as far ten Hag is concerned, he probably didn't want to stay as Bayern reserve team manager and got a offer from a club in his native homeland who offered him the head coach's role.

There are exceptions, not saying there isn't, but Michels, Cruyff, LVG, Koeman, GVB, Cocu, Bosz, Slot, ten Hag etc have all gone through the same process. Bosz did arrive at Ajax having managed Maccabi in Israel but all of the big names had to manage one of the big 3 in their native homeland before making the next step.

 

[Hansi Fick]

Can our Dutch posters give us a take on this Mike Verweij fellow? Is he to be taken serious?
Or is he the Dutch Christian Falk? Probably harsh but he sure sounds like a bit of a clown from the tweets that keep being posted here.

@KirkDuyt @VanDeBank @BrilliantOrange @Eendracht maakt macht

 

[KirkDuyt]

Can our Dutch posters give us a take on this Mike Verweij fellow? Is he to be taken serious?
Or is he the Dutch Christian Falk? Probably harsh but he sure sounds like a bit of a clown from the tweets that keep being posted here.

@KirkDuyt @VanDeBank @BrilliantOrange @Eendracht maakt macht

He is the "Ajax wat her" for our countries biggest news paper. Biggest mind you, not best. DE telegraaf is no daily mail and I'm sure he gets his intel somewhere, but they're a bit sensationalist.

 

[Chairman Steve]

I was under the impression that Mike Verweij was as good as it got for specifically Ajax news and not so for the rest of Holland.

 

[Adnan]

Can our Dutch posters give us a take on this Mike Verweij fellow? Is he to be taken serious?
Or is he the Dutch Christian Falk? Probably harsh but he sure sounds like a bit of a clown from the tweets that keep being posted here.

@KirkDuyt @VanDeBank @BrilliantOrange @Eendracht maakt macht

I can't speak for the Dutch posters, but from what I know about him, he's one of the best sources for Ajax news and is considered Tier 1 for the club.

 

[VanDeBank]

Can our Dutch posters give us a take on this Mike Verweij fellow? Is he to be taken serious?
Or is he the Dutch Christian Falk? Probably harsh but he sure sounds like a bit of a clown from the tweets that keep being posted here.

@KirkDuyt @VanDeBank @BrilliantOrange @Eendracht maakt macht

Verweij is in direct contact with the suits at Ajax. He's super reliable when it comes to them.

 

[Caesar2290]

I wish you would use paragraphs so it be easier to reply @RkkMan, but let's dissect what you said.

The manner in which Klopp won trophies in Germany spectacularly trounces anything ETH has done. There was a point BVB were on the verge of bankruptcy and had to operate on a very shoe string budget but Klopp's brilliance kept them afloat up until a point they could compete against a Bayern team that had an overwhelmingly bigger budget and reputation. All of those players you've mentioned thrived under Klopp were made into world class players either as academy players or cheap signings nothing compared to Bayern who were spending big money on Mario Gomez, Robben, Ribery and the likes. ETH has never had to work under such difficulties. While Ajax are a selling club they've always remained the most financially stable and successful club in the Dutch League with a very organized football structure better equipped to handle personnel changes. Klopp's team did decline a bit after all the sales as would most teams plus Bayern with their riches had

First of all BVB almost went bankrupt in the late 90's, a whole 10 years before Klopp was appointed. Ironically it was Bayern who loaned them the money to stay operational. When Klopp took over Dortmund was a midtable club pushing for the top. He improved on them significantly with shrewed buys and amazing coaching. My point was that every single player Klopp had at his disposal on an individual level were better than the players ETH had.

For example: Lewandowski since he left Dortmund has been posting FIFA like stats with insane goalscoring that would rival peak Messi and CR. Gundogan for all his injuries became an integral part of the dominant City sides that refuses to let it's grip go over the PL. Hummels, Reus all had decent careers, but not out of ordinary. Where if we were to compare the men ETH had, only De Ligt and De Jong had a decent career, yet everyone else failed to even remotely close recapture their Ajax form.(Donny says hi)

What does this tell you? That ETH has an insane coaching ability that makes his players play above the sum of their parts.

To be clear, I'm not comparing Klopp to ETH. As of right now, Klopp is head and shoulders above ETH. What I am saying is that BVB player per player had a much better squad than the 2019 Ajax team.

By the way Onana, Daley Blind, Tagliafico, Haller, Antony, Tadic, Mazaroui are amongst the names I've honestly listed off the top of my head that are well known names with some attracting interest from the biggest clubs in Europe he's assembled a solid Ajax team without extravagant sums but they aren't completely unknown players.

You do realize that most of these players have actually flopped elsewhere before Ajax picked them up on the cheap and turned into the current world beaters. Take Blind for example: deemed extra at our own club. Tadic was a Soton flop. So was Haller at West Ham.(sidenote: ETH has been working with him since the Utrecht days)

As for Onana and Mazraoui no major teams toched them until their contracts expired. Good players, but hardly worthy of World XI.

Only Tagliafico is actually decent, but very inconsistent, hence why he has more of the bench in the past couple of seasons. You can also add Granvenberch to this list, but just like Tagliafico, he's also been very inconsistent and as of the recent match, he's been benched as well.

Every single player at Ajax(with small exceptions) are either unproven academy graduates or major league flops that suddenly turned into CL level players. If that doesn't prove the coaching talent ETH has, I don't know what will.

The thing with ETH is that his team is performing above the performance of the players at his disposal. Which is an insane feat that only Pep could replicate up until recently, and even then he need an almost brand new first XI to pull it off. The fact that ETH can do this with his limited squad on an international level is an insane coaching feat.

Can he replicate this at a club like United? I don't know. I don't know his level. The signs are there, but it's a risk. Where as with someone as say Poch for example: we already know what we're getting.

On Sir Alex you forgot the point where he had a European Cup to his name proving he could win outside Scotland, beating Real Madrid in the process and while you can question whether the Scottish League was a super league then you can't question that it was of higher quality than the current Dutch League which is the only place ETH has achieved success or the fact that having Aberdeen outperforming the two biggest teams in Scotland at the time is much more impressive than dominating with the richest and most successful team in the Netherlands

Tbf, I'm not comparing Sir Alex to ETH. There are similarities between the 2 mostly down to their mentality and their ability to make players perform way above the sum of their parts.

But let's put things into context. Sir Alex won the equivalent of the Europa League with Aberdeen. A very impressive feat, but let's remember that this was a B tier competition. Bosz reached the final with the same Ajax team only to be stopped by Mourinho.

My point is that if Sir Alex was managing in Scotland these days, a lot of people would prefer Poch ahead of him because he was managing in an easier league. The fact that Scotland's league, was better at the time is irrelevant, because it was never viewed as top tier even back then. Better, sure. But still a B tier league at it's best.

 

[George The Best]

ETH all day for me. He plays exciting football, would get Donny firing and have a bigger attraction to get new players than Poch. If the rumours are true that the current players want Poch, that tells me they are scared of what someone else might do. Give ETH a 2 year contract and back him in the transfer market. Just my opinion.

 

[Terranova]

Verweij is in direct contact with the suits at Ajax. He's super reliable when it comes to them.

He used to be. His contact is not at Ajax anymore

 

[Adnan]

I wish you would use paragraphs so it be easier to reply @RkkMan, but let's dissect what you said.


First of all BVB almost went bankrupt in the late 90's, a whole 10 years before Klopp was appointed. Ironically it was Bayern who loaned them the money to stay operational. When Klopp took over Dortmund was a midtable club pushing for the top. He improved on them significantly with shrewed buys and amazing coaching. My point was that every single player Klopp had at his disposal on an individual level were better than the players ETH had.

For example: Lewandowski since he left Dortmund has been posting FIFA like stats with insane goalscoring that would rival peak Messi and CR. Gundogan for all his injuries became an integral part of the dominant City sides that refuses to let it's grip go over the PL. Hummels, Reus all had decent careers, but not out of ordinary. Where if we were to compare the men ETH had, only De Ligt and De Jong had a decent career, yet everyone else failed to even remotely close recapture their Ajax form.(Donny says hi)

What does this tell you? That ETH has an insane coaching ability that makes his players play above the sum of their parts.

To be clear, I'm not comparing Klopp to ETH. As of right now, Klopp is head and shoulders above ETH. What I am saying is that BVB player per player had a much better squad than the 2019 Ajax team.


You do realize that most of these players have actually flopped elsewhere before Ajax picked them up on the cheap and turned into the current world beaters. Take Blind for example: deemed extra at our own club. Tadic was a Soton flop. So was Haller at West Ham.(sidenote: ETH has been working with him since the Utrecht days)

As for Onana and Mazraoui no major teams toched them until their contracts expired. Good players, but hardly worthy of World XI.

Only Tagliafico is actually decent, but very inconsistent, hence why he has more of the bench in the past couple of seasons. You can also add Granvenberch to this list, but just like Tagliafico, he's also been very inconsistent and as of the recent match, he's been benched as well.

Every single player at Ajax(with small exceptions) are either unproven academy graduates or major league flops that suddenly turned into CL level players. If that doesn't prove the coaching talent ETH has, I don't know what will.

The thing with ETH is that his team is performing above the performance of the players at his disposal. Which is an insane feat that only Pep could replicate up until recently, and even then he need an almost brand new first XI to pull it off. The fact that ETH can do this with his limited squad on an international level is an insane coaching feat.

Can he replicate this at a club like United? I don't know. I don't know his level. The signs are there, but it's a risk. Where as with someone as say Poch for example: we already know what we're getting.


Tbf, I'm not comparing Sir Alex to ETH. There are similarities between the 2 mostly down to their mentality and their ability to make players perform way above the sum of their parts.

But let's put things into context. Sir Alex won the equivalent of the Europa League with Aberdeen. A very impressive feat, but let's remember that this was a B tier competition. Bosz reached the final with the same Ajax team only to be stopped by Mourinho.

My point is that if Sir Alex was managing in Scotland these days, a lot of people would prefer Poch ahead of him because he was managing in an easier league. The fact that Scotland's league, was better at the time is irrelevant, because it was never viewed as top tier even back then. Better, sure. But still a B tier league at it's best.

I agree with what you're saying mate. But I'd like to add my two pence (cents) to Klopp's achievements in Germany which were impressive but were against a Louis Van Gaal led Bayern and then a Bayern in transition in the 2011/12 season led by the returning Jupp Heynckes. And Bayern under Heynckes destroyed the competition in the 2012/13 season when they won the league by 25 points ahead of Klopp's Dortmund.

Klopp can definitely be beaten at Liverpool and I believe ten Hag has the potential to do it. Poch could potentially do it, too, but in both cases it's about getting the recruitment right, which Liverpool have in their favour with Klopp and the recruitment department being on the same page.

I hope it's ten Hag, but whether it's ten Hag or Poch, streamlining the recruitment will be key to success. Klopp isn't that great and would struggle against us if we got our recruitment right and bought players for a particular footballing blueprint. With us being crap it's made certain managers look better than they're in my opinion and has created a paranoia amongst some fans about Klopp being unbeatable.

 

[stefan92]

I agree with what you're saying mate. But I'd like to add my two pence (cents) to Klopp's achievements in Germany which were impressive but were against a Louis Van Gaal led Bayern and then a Bayern in transition in the 2011/12 season led by the returning Jupp Heynckes. And Bayern under Heynckes destroyed the competition in the 2012/13 season when they won the league by 25 points ahead of Klopp's Dortmund.

Bayern Munich however reached the CL finals in 2010, 2012 and 2013 (won only the last one), so they were absolutely no pushovers at the time, but the most dominant and constant force in the CL (in those four years no other club reached more than one CL final, Bayern made three and were quite unlucky to only win one, though I'm not sure what would have happened in 2011/12 had they won in 2011). Klopp won his leagues titles 2011 and 2012, right in the middle of this era. He didn't just beat some second-tier club, he beat the best club team in Europe - twice.

This is often overlooked for some reason, but surely should be considered. Maybe this is caused by lack of success LVG had with United? But he definitely improved Bayern to a completely different level, while his system was later refined and further improved by Heynckes, until Dortmund could no longer keep up with them.

 

[Adnan]

Bayern Munich however reached the CL finals in 2010, 2012 and 2013 (won only the last one), so they were absolutely no pushovers at the time, but the most dominant and constant force in the CL (in those four years no other club reached more than one CL final, Bayern made three and were quite unlucky to only win one, though I'm not sure what would have happened in 2011/12 had they won in 2011). Klopp won his leagues titles 2011 and 2012, right in the middle of this era. He didn't just beat some second-tier club, he beat the best club team in Europe - twice.

This is often overlooked for some reason, but surely should be considered. Maybe this is caused by lack of success LVG had with United? But he definitely improved Bayern to a completely different level, while his system was later refined and further improved by Heynckes, until Dortmund could no longer keep up with them.

LVG was a great coach and is the reason why I've learned so much about the game since watching his Ajax team play in the 90s. It was his Ajax team from the 90s that made me look deeper into the game. And there's no doubt that LVG had the potential to lay the foundations for zone control via positional play which would later help Heynckes and Guardiola at Bayern with a few tweaks of their own. But LVG was a little past it when understanding the changes in the game when it came to applying a coordinated pressing game. And Klopp took advantage of that imo, and you have to be a very good coach to take advantage of that.

We should've knocked LVGs Bayern out of Europe the year he got to the final with Bayern IMO. But Rafael was silly to get himself sent off and that aided Bayern to beat us.

 

[Crick]

One thing that really grinds my gears about the UK football press is the bias they show towards the Premier League and how superior they think it is. Poch and Rogers are the automatic/best choice because they have managed in England. The best 5 managers in the last 25 years, Fergie, Wenger, Mourinho, Pep and Klopp all came from outside and rewrote the rulebook for how to manage in the Premier League. They brought in new ideas, training methods and a desire to overturn the current established champion, generally breaking records for points and goals.

Poch and Rodgers will go close as they have done before but they won't win the League or the Champions League. So what's the point in going for Poch or Rogers except for securing the Glazers annual dividend via the top 4 cup? We have to take a risk and take a chance on something new to shake up Pep and Klopp. It has to be Ten Hag or Enrique.

 

[Amadaeus]

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Seems like real Madrid is stepping up their pursuit of Pochettino and his close relationship with mbappe could mean mbappe joins them as well. Reminds me of the time when we missed out on klopp. Even though I understand that he is still in contract, we should be more proactive when a top manager might be available.

 

[CM]

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Seems like real Madrid is stepping up their pursuit of Pochettino and his close relationship with mbappe could mean mbappe joins them as well. Reminds me of the time when we missed out on klopp. Even though I understand that he is still in contract, we should be more proactive when a top manager might be available.

Not really a comparison though, is it? Klopp had won multiple league titles with an unfancied team and impressed in Europe. Poch had a couple of good seasons with Spurs a few years ago.

And let's be honest, there's another candidate out there right now who is head and shoulders above Pochettino, and very attainable. That's the fella we should be worried about missing out on.

 

[AneRu]

What does it say about ETH that despite his dominance he bottled a 3-0 lead to that limited manager that very same season thus bottling the semi final tie altogether?

Any manager can have a bad day, even Fergie once lost 5-0 to the likes of Vialli and Ajax's fantastic run had to end somewhere.

 

[wise_old_man]

What does it say about ETH that despite his dominance he bottled a 3-0 lead to that limited manager that very same season thus bottling the semi final tie altogether?

What does it say about Tuchel (A Champions League winner) that despite his overwhelming advantage (His PSG won 2-0 at Old Trafford) he bottled that in his homeground against a United side full of youngsters, managed by a tactically-naive Ole?

 

[bond19821982]

Poch can goto Real. Thanks, hope Real do us a favor and hire him.

 

[Mwooyo]

I think this is pretty simple...whoever does better in the champions league is the one we go for. By doing better I dont mean only wining/going further...I mean style of play, tactics, gives young talent a chance in the huge games etc.

 

[BrilliantOrange]

Can our Dutch posters give us a take on this Mike Verweij fellow? Is he to be taken serious?
Or is he the Dutch Christian Falk? Probably harsh but he sure sounds like a bit of a clown from the tweets that keep being posted here.

@KirkDuyt @VanDeBank @BrilliantOrange @Eendracht maakt macht

He is as big of a cnut as they come and works for one of the shittiest newspapers in The Netherlands (De Telegraaf).

I would never take his opinion serious by default, but when it comes to Ajax scoops or Ajax news, he seems to always be properly informed. De Telegraaf as a whole do however have the tendency to blow everything out of proportion. Lets say they hear that there was an innocent argument at the training between Timber and Martinez, they would write down: 'Rift between local lads and South American clique threathens Ajax towards the end of the season'.

 

[Hansi Fick]

He is the "Ajax wat her" for our countries biggest news paper. Biggest mind you, not best. DE telegraaf is no daily mail and I'm sure he gets his intel somewhere, but they're a bit sensationalist.

I can't speak for the Dutch posters, but from what I know about him, he's one of the best sources for Ajax news and is considered Tier 1 for the club.

Verweij is in direct contact with the suits at Ajax. He's super reliable when it comes to them.

He used to be. His contact is not at Ajax anymore

He is as big of a cnut as they come and works for one of the shittiest newspapers in The Netherlands (De Telegraaf).

I would never take his opinion serious by default, but when it comes to Ajax scoops or Ajax news, he seems to always be properly informed. De Telegraaf as a whole do however have the tendency to blow everything out of proportion. Lets say they hear that there was an innocent argument at the training between Timber and Martinez, they would write down: 'Rift between local lads and South American clique threathens Ajax towards the end of the season'.

Bedankt!

 

[Drz]

I am for ETH, like the fact that he has overseen the build-up of two competitive teams with a pleasant style of play. Players also seem to be closer to their best versions under his management than away (DeJong, De Light, Donny, Ziyech...).
But also been thinking lately that Poch would be an easier pill to swallow if he wins the CL even with this PSG squad.

 

[Gavinb33]

Does anyone know what the consensus is on Naglesman in Germany?

Could anyone see ETH to Bayern and then Naglesman coming to us with Ralf or is that just my brain trying to join dots together

 

[Hansi Fick]

Does anyone know what the consensus is on Naglesman in Germany?

Could anyone see ETH to Bayern and then Naglesman coming to us with Ralf or is that just my brain trying to join dots together

It would require a massive, improbable, unexpected downturn of his time at Bayern for Nagelsmann to be available any time soon or for Bayern to be in the need to go after Ten Hag. Nagelsmann is doing fine and is a good fit at Bayern, who also payed a massive transfer fee to get him.

 

[Gavinb33]

It would require a massive, improbable, unexpected downturn of his time at Bayern for Nagelsmann to be available any time soon or for Bayern to be in the need to go after Ten Hag. Nagelsmann is doing fine and is a good fit at Bayern, who also payed a massive transfer fee to get him.

Thanks as I said probably just my brain trying to join dots together in some way.

 

[stefan92]

It would require a massive, improbable, unexpected downturn of his time at Bayern for Nagelsmann to be available any time soon or for Bayern to be in the need to go after Ten Hag. Nagelsmann is doing fine and is a good fit at Bayern, who also payed a massive transfer fee to get him.

Agree with this. It might be in a few years that ETH follows Nagelsmann at Bayern, but not any time soon. More likely Bayern could be ETH's next job after United instead.

 

[Wilt]

If Utd get top 4 or make CL final ….expect the board to offer the job to RR.

edit: so it’s unlikely to be Ralf

 

[AneRu]

If Utd get top 4 or make CL final ….expect the board to offer the job to RR.

edit: so it’s unlikely to be Ralf

Which wouldn't be disastrous, I don't think Ralf has had enough pull to bring in his preferred coaches due to the temporary nature of his brief so if he has a longer tenure he will bring in better coaches. Another thing is that the team is visibly improving in terms of application as it's weaknesses are slowly but surely being eradicated on the training ground and bold selection choices.

What I like about Ralf is that he has strong opinions on how we have conducted ourselves on recruitment. Ideally I would prefer him to Murtough as Sporting Director but we know that's not happening so keeping him as permanent manager in this transitional period won't be disastrous because he will be able to build a team more effectively and efficiently than anyone we have in the building or the prospective managers being touted. We aren't winning any major title in the next two years either way so I don't see the harm in keeping him.