noodlehair
"It's like..."
A fair assessment.
I don't think ETH takes any credit from this though. Every manager should be able to implement a face saving plan B to shut up shop and avoid damage. The fact most of the goals came from counter attacks is evidence that he should take some blame for the scoreline by allowing them to continually pour forward. In any game you have to earn the right to play, we didnt have that licence at 3-0 down with how it was going.
I'd be shocked if one of them wasn't Luke Shaw.
To be fair most of the goals were more down to our players just not bothering to defend or do their jobs properly than they were being countered.
There was one where Rashford just walked out to block a cross. Another where Shaw pretty much angrily kicked the ball into his own net. Another where Shaw was there but just didn't bother to run (well, jog) with the player behind him. At another point Fernandes ran over and kicked someone, then when they just carried on with the ball he literally stopped and sulked off.
I have honestly never seen anything so collectively pathetic and when you have people behaving like that it's not really going to matter what tactics or plan b you have. It's like trying to feed a toddler peas instead of carrots when they are busy throwing a tantrum because they've sh*t in their nappy.
ETH does ultimately take responsibility for results, but atm I'm more baffled how he has squeezed a good and resilient looking football team out of a group of players who are capable of such an embarrassing and staggering lack of professionalism...because that kind of performance doesn't come from it being an off day or from nothing. It comes from having to deal with people who don't think or react like grown adults and would therefore be an extremely challenging group of people to manage.
I think we're only going to find out what ETH is capable of doing about it the next time we end up in a difficult/borderline lost cause situation against a good side, because it's easy to hide a poor attitude when no one's back is against a wall and/or the opposition aren't out for blood.
I'm obviously still hopeful the progress this season will continue under ETH, but for me the players have lost all trust. If any single one of them is off it attitude wise even for a minute in any game going forwards, ETH is well within his rights to haul them off and never play them again, and actually it'd arguably be weak management if he did anything less, and what a farcical situation that is to put your manager in to begin with.