He did elevate them and then lost it all, the team unravelled. I can't see the brilliance behind that. I like Poch for the style Spurs played two years ago but I also feel I'm not unreasonable saying he isn't the messiah some believe he is. I find what Ole is doing far more endearing and meaningful, especially for Manchester United fans.
Would you sack or keep Ole? (Poll reopened)
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
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All fair points and I largely agree. However, if I were to pick a club/coach to buck the trend it would be United/Ole. Teams have always had cycles, this is nothing new. One of Fergie's gifts was recognising when to regenerate which is why he was so successful over such a long period. Not comparing Ole to Fergie in anyway but Ole is smart guy, is from the same school of thought, and he'll know this. My personal view is that the key to successful regeneration in the 'modern era' of crazy transfer fees is to have a strong academy and this is one of our strengths - if there is anyone who is going to tap into this potential it is Ole.
As I said previously - he lifted Spurs up, and send them crashing back to the ground again. Not my idea of a good manager
I saw LVG get to the semi finals through 1 great game against Spain and some utterly tumescent drawn matches and penalty shootouts in a summer tournament that had little to do with a league season. He got United playing the worst stuff I’ve ever seen from the club.
I'm Ole in even if we finish 7th now.
The style he wants to implement is a play style that suits us as a club going forward. Pochettino may well have done decent at Spurs but for me Ole has the right ideas for our club and his football will be much better once he gets all the tools he desires.
The only blemish against him is his time at Cardiff. But if you think about it, that was likely due to his inexperience as a manager thinking he could make players who were suited to play under the like of Neil Warnock play a progressive play style. Ole has reportedly said that he messed up with rotations at Cardiff which is quite important in a high press in defensive transition. People do learn from their mistakes and not in a million years would I take Pochettino over Ole right now because I believe Ole is a better man manager for our club and his football is high risk which will be more enjoyable to watch in comparison to Poch.
The style he wants to implement is a play style that suits us as a club going forward. Pochettino may well have done decent at Spurs but for me Ole has the right ideas for our club and his football will be much better once he gets all the tools he desires.
The only blemish against him is his time at Cardiff. But if you think about it, that was likely due to his inexperience as a manager thinking he could make players who were suited to play under the like of Neil Warnock play a progressive play style. Ole has reportedly said that he messed up with rotations at Cardiff which is quite important in a high press in defensive transition. People do learn from their mistakes and not in a million years would I take Pochettino over Ole right now because I believe Ole is a better man manager for our club and his football is high risk which will be more enjoyable to watch in comparison to Poch.
I love that plan; fire the manager that have turned everything around. Year after year with shit wasn’t enough for you; no, let’s shake it up again.
I would not invest my money with you, that’s for sure.
I am always reminded of these lines from Shakespeare when people talk about Ole's failure with Cardiff as if it means he is not capable of being a top manager:
How he comes o'er us with our wilder days,
Not measuring what use we made of them.
I think that the spell at Cardiff is why he is succeeding now. An old teacher of mine once said that he learned more from his mistakes than his successes, and I think the same applies to Ole.
How he comes o'er us with our wilder days,
Not measuring what use we made of them.
I think that the spell at Cardiff is why he is succeeding now. An old teacher of mine once said that he learned more from his mistakes than his successes, and I think the same applies to Ole.
I wanted him gone ASAP before but I'm now of the opinion that I'd wait to see what happens to the end of the season. If he gets CL, he gets to keep going for another year.
People might say I'm not backing the manager, yada, yada but big clubs should demand results. No CL, especially with the addition of Bruno and the huge amount of luck he's had with the league being subpar bar Liverpool, and he needs to be replaced.
People might say I'm not backing the manager, yada, yada but big clubs should demand results. No CL, especially with the addition of Bruno and the huge amount of luck he's had with the league being subpar bar Liverpool, and he needs to be replaced.
Just seen the death stare he gave Maguire at the drinks break after we conceded the first goal
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Don't think it was aimed at Harry more the team in general.
Just want to share my story.
We had an United forum in my country. It's kinda small with probably a few hundreds frequent members but we're all there for a long time and actually know each other quite well, of course online mostly. So it's all friendly, civilized and nice. Felt like a family somewhat.
Then came the appointment of Mourinho. Soon enough, the forum was flooded with new members. They usually didn't know much about football but kinda nice so fine. It's ok for the first year and a half. Then came the time of bad results, the signing of Sanchez and the Sevilla match. The forum suddenly got divided into two factions fighting each other mercilessly, lot of f word. Pro Mourinho and anti Mourinho of course. Most of the new members were in the pro Mourinho faction. Us the old members the anti. We eventually got tired of this, and we hate the toxic atmosphere at the time so most left.
Then Mourinho was sacked, we the old members got back to the forum. Most of those new members just disappeared. The ones left were still trying to defend Mourinho at all cost. Their main tactic was just playing dumb or driving the conversation away if their argument was wrong. If they couldn't then the f word again. It annoyed us old members too much that most left again.
Last year I checked and the forum was dead. It just no longer existed.
I think there are a couple of things that Ole has managed that are underated.
1. Fitness, when he first came in and during last summer, Ole talked alot about fitness of the players and how Man Utd were going to be the fittest team in the league this time around. This was used as a weapon to bash him, hence the PE teacher jibes etc. But it reallyis paying off now, your team has looked fitter than very other team you've playd since lock down and it has a massive eeffect, you guys just dont seem to stop anymore, where as at this point of the seaosn last year, you looked shattered and it showed in the results
2. I can not think of another manager who has been through the slump that you experienced from March 2019 to December 2019and has firstly survived (another thing to bash him with at the time being treated differently because he was a club legend etc) and secondly and more importantly turned it around so well. The atmosphere in your dressing room must have been one of utter despondency, compare that to now where you look one of the most unted and together teams in the league. He held it together when the pressure must have been absolutely immense.
1. Fitness, when he first came in and during last summer, Ole talked alot about fitness of the players and how Man Utd were going to be the fittest team in the league this time around. This was used as a weapon to bash him, hence the PE teacher jibes etc. But it reallyis paying off now, your team has looked fitter than very other team you've playd since lock down and it has a massive eeffect, you guys just dont seem to stop anymore, where as at this point of the seaosn last year, you looked shattered and it showed in the results
2. I can not think of another manager who has been through the slump that you experienced from March 2019 to December 2019and has firstly survived (another thing to bash him with at the time being treated differently because he was a club legend etc) and secondly and more importantly turned it around so well. The atmosphere in your dressing room must have been one of utter despondency, compare that to now where you look one of the most unted and together teams in the league. He held it together when the pressure must have been absolutely immense.
It absolutely was, he waited for him to finish messing with his socks to have a go at him directly. I thought it was a great moment though, like a stern father telling him off. Ole was extremely vocal in this match.
I'm meeting Ole for Tea and Crumpets on Wednesday, i'll ask him then
You have to be utterly moronic to replace Ole after this season.
I am glad people are changing their minds and are now seeing the improvements that he has made since he came in, though I must admit some question marks started to appear after that loss to Burnley. Many of our players have improved under his coaching, he has bought players with the right attitude and mentality, and is blooding our brightest youth players too. There really isn't much more he could have done.
The key thing for me is identifying the players that wanted to play for United and had the leadership qualities the squad desperately needed. Many of our signings over the past 6 or so years have lacked this and it has shown on the pitch. He has shipped out as many players as he could and I am sure he will continue to do so. We have bought well with Maguire, AWB, James and Bruno.
Things are certainly looking up, and is we can secure CL for next season and maybe add an FA Cup or EL (or both) then this has to qualify for a success considering where we were at the start of the season. Keeping Pogba and Bruno fit next year is key for us, as is adding in 1 or 2 new starters to the team to drive us on further. Exciting times.
The key thing for me is identifying the players that wanted to play for United and had the leadership qualities the squad desperately needed. Many of our signings over the past 6 or so years have lacked this and it has shown on the pitch. He has shipped out as many players as he could and I am sure he will continue to do so. We have bought well with Maguire, AWB, James and Bruno.
Things are certainly looking up, and is we can secure CL for next season and maybe add an FA Cup or EL (or both) then this has to qualify for a success considering where we were at the start of the season. Keeping Pogba and Bruno fit next year is key for us, as is adding in 1 or 2 new starters to the team to drive us on further. Exciting times.
I think we all underestimate what Ole has done since taking the managers job.
Like them or loathe them LVG and Jose were pretty consistent in their views of our squad. The difference was they were buying likes of schweinsteiger and to a degree matic as quick fixes.
Ole came in and with the stock he shifted it could and maybe should have been a lot worse for us in terms of league position.
I always stuck up for Ole as his words seemed to mean something to me. I could almost see the frustration in his eyes having to play a certain way due, imo, to players he had at hand.
Truth be told I'm not 100% certain he will take us to the promised land, simply due to inexperience. But if his 3 year tenure has us there or there about I can see a few managers who are at the top of their game being interested in us.
For what it's worth I hope it is Ole and we see another SAF like long term tenure.
Like them or loathe them LVG and Jose were pretty consistent in their views of our squad. The difference was they were buying likes of schweinsteiger and to a degree matic as quick fixes.
Ole came in and with the stock he shifted it could and maybe should have been a lot worse for us in terms of league position.
I always stuck up for Ole as his words seemed to mean something to me. I could almost see the frustration in his eyes having to play a certain way due, imo, to players he had at hand.
Truth be told I'm not 100% certain he will take us to the promised land, simply due to inexperience. But if his 3 year tenure has us there or there about I can see a few managers who are at the top of their game being interested in us.
For what it's worth I hope it is Ole and we see another SAF like long term tenure.
That look... The look my mum would give me if I f'd up.
I'm still not totally convinced but am more in support of him now than I was
- I'd like to see him more reactive with his subs, I think it was possibly against Tottenham when we restarted and we weren't great yet he made no subs until too late in the 2nd half, especially as he had the likes of Pogba, who changed the game when he came on, available. Had he got him on earlier we could possibly have won. Whether he was being overly careful with him as he'd been out so long im not sure
-Id like to see him be ruthless with contract renewals. I'm thinking of JLingz especially here, I know it won't entirely be Ole's decision but he must be consulted on it but I'll be less than impressed if I see JLingz with a new contract. Matic earn his but Ole has given JLingz plenty of chances to earn a new contract and he hasn't taken them. Giving him a new one wouldn't be a sign of serious intent to challenge. Yes you need squad players but they need to be capable of doing a job if called on. He isn't. Thanks for the FA Cup goal Jesse but its time to move on.
-Possibly look at dropping De Gea for a game or 2. Romero is solid as a back up however know people are very split on this. I guess it depends why DDG is so poor at times as to whether dropping him would work, that is down to Ole and his coaches to decide. I've marked the thread about him to read when I have the time as think it'll be quite interesting, obviously we can only speculate whereas Ole and Co are the ones working with him. I have noticed the recent omission of JLingz which is a positive, was he too keen to persist with him before, possibly.
Couple of things that have impressed me lately:
-we are exciting to watch again. The defence/ De Gea are dodgy which needs some work however if we can outscore everyone its less of a concern. Its also very exciting to watch us freely scoring. We do need to not rely on that every game as there will be some games we can't/ the forwards will be off form/ some injuries so id like to see both ends solid we tend to have one or the other. If we can keep scoring like this I bet the atmosphere in OT will be incredible when fans return.
-One thing I have noticed especially during the days when Ole was really struggling are the lack of reports about him losing the dressing room or even hints of it, whereas with the previous 3 managers, perhaps least with LVG, you constantly had hints they were losing the dressing room. With Ole i didn't notice any. He also seems to have the perceived "tricky" personnel eg Martial and Pogba, onside. Obviously questions remain over Pogba's long term club however I'd like him to stay. All the players look to be enjoying themselves, even Martial is smiling! I think Bruno has been a big help, especially his friendship that seems to be developing with Martial. It's nice to see these relationships among the players and a better team cohesion which Ole has helped achieve by removing the rotten apples. Sanchez will be a tricky one for him to sort due to the wages. I'm not saying Pogba and Martial are tricky just using them as an example as they tended to be the names coming up
-As The Boy said above our fitness is better, something especially noted after lockdown where there'd possibly be excuses if we weren't fully fit.
I do need to see him get Champions League, if other teams had been strong I'd possibly give him a pass due to the rebuild but everyone else apart from City and Liverpool have struggled so he should really be achieving it, especially as it will help attract targets and possibly entice people like Pogba to stay.
As long as it doesn't all fall apart, if Ole is replaced I think his time here will ultimately be remembered fondly, I'd love for him to win a trophy or two at least. Obviously I'd love to win the PL and CL again with him but if he does end up getting replaced I'd love to see him walk away with a trophy such as the FA Cup/ Europa. He also seems humble enough to learn from his mistakes and I'd like to think as he obviously loves the club he would be looking back at any performances that were poor and seeing where he/ we could do things differently
I wouldn't replace him unless results turn incredibly poor again, I'd love if he can continue turning things around. At present the biggest comparison will be Chelsea and Arsenal as they've gone for a similar approach with their managers
- I'd like to see him more reactive with his subs, I think it was possibly against Tottenham when we restarted and we weren't great yet he made no subs until too late in the 2nd half, especially as he had the likes of Pogba, who changed the game when he came on, available. Had he got him on earlier we could possibly have won. Whether he was being overly careful with him as he'd been out so long im not sure
-Id like to see him be ruthless with contract renewals. I'm thinking of JLingz especially here, I know it won't entirely be Ole's decision but he must be consulted on it but I'll be less than impressed if I see JLingz with a new contract. Matic earn his but Ole has given JLingz plenty of chances to earn a new contract and he hasn't taken them. Giving him a new one wouldn't be a sign of serious intent to challenge. Yes you need squad players but they need to be capable of doing a job if called on. He isn't. Thanks for the FA Cup goal Jesse but its time to move on.
-Possibly look at dropping De Gea for a game or 2. Romero is solid as a back up however know people are very split on this. I guess it depends why DDG is so poor at times as to whether dropping him would work, that is down to Ole and his coaches to decide. I've marked the thread about him to read when I have the time as think it'll be quite interesting, obviously we can only speculate whereas Ole and Co are the ones working with him. I have noticed the recent omission of JLingz which is a positive, was he too keen to persist with him before, possibly.
Couple of things that have impressed me lately:
-we are exciting to watch again. The defence/ De Gea are dodgy which needs some work however if we can outscore everyone its less of a concern. Its also very exciting to watch us freely scoring. We do need to not rely on that every game as there will be some games we can't/ the forwards will be off form/ some injuries so id like to see both ends solid we tend to have one or the other. If we can keep scoring like this I bet the atmosphere in OT will be incredible when fans return.
-One thing I have noticed especially during the days when Ole was really struggling are the lack of reports about him losing the dressing room or even hints of it, whereas with the previous 3 managers, perhaps least with LVG, you constantly had hints they were losing the dressing room. With Ole i didn't notice any. He also seems to have the perceived "tricky" personnel eg Martial and Pogba, onside. Obviously questions remain over Pogba's long term club however I'd like him to stay. All the players look to be enjoying themselves, even Martial is smiling! I think Bruno has been a big help, especially his friendship that seems to be developing with Martial. It's nice to see these relationships among the players and a better team cohesion which Ole has helped achieve by removing the rotten apples. Sanchez will be a tricky one for him to sort due to the wages. I'm not saying Pogba and Martial are tricky just using them as an example as they tended to be the names coming up
-As The Boy said above our fitness is better, something especially noted after lockdown where there'd possibly be excuses if we weren't fully fit.
I do need to see him get Champions League, if other teams had been strong I'd possibly give him a pass due to the rebuild but everyone else apart from City and Liverpool have struggled so he should really be achieving it, especially as it will help attract targets and possibly entice people like Pogba to stay.
As long as it doesn't all fall apart, if Ole is replaced I think his time here will ultimately be remembered fondly, I'd love for him to win a trophy or two at least. Obviously I'd love to win the PL and CL again with him but if he does end up getting replaced I'd love to see him walk away with a trophy such as the FA Cup/ Europa. He also seems humble enough to learn from his mistakes and I'd like to think as he obviously loves the club he would be looking back at any performances that were poor and seeing where he/ we could do things differently
I wouldn't replace him unless results turn incredibly poor again, I'd love if he can continue turning things around. At present the biggest comparison will be Chelsea and Arsenal as they've gone for a similar approach with their managers
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Sorry for the long post. But I can't believe we are still having this discussion at this moment and that people would still want him out! Good people, let me take you back to December 2018...
Ole inherited a team which was down in the dumps. The team was in shambles, and we had a lot of deadweights who didn't give a feck about the club one bit. We were all over the place if you remember, and the overall environment within the dressing room and club was toxic and depressing. We had lost our 3rd manager in 5.5 years when he stepped in. Among Moyes, LvG, and Mourinho - Ole probably had the hardest job. He had to erase all the nonsense that happened over the last few seasons and completely rebuild and restructure the team from scratch.
Now let's recall how things had fallen apart since 2013:
Moyes - replacing Fergie would've been one fo the toughest jobs in football and Moyes capitulated. He inherited a champion team which was on high after Fergie's last season. But unfortunately, Moyes had no idea how to make that team work and how to win games. He was an extremely mediocre manager and also didn't get it right transfer-wise. He made us lose confidence in ourselves and was the starting point of the gradual decline. He finished 7th and 22pts behind City (1st)
LvG - had the most freedom among all the managers and perhaps damaged us the most. LvG spent a whopping £276m on 14 players and literally got rid of almost all important players from Fergie's era. The only 3 players still surviving form Lvg's era are Shaw, Martial, and Romero. He wanted to completely change United into his own "philosophy" and ended up playing an extremely dull, unimaginative, and negative football. For me, and I'm sure for a lot of us, it was painful to watch - I hated that team and that style of play. Not sure how someone compared him to Ole as he finish 4th once (17pts behind the winners) and 5th in his second. Mind you, in the second season we were 15pts adrift of Leicester and scoring a mere 49 goals, and outscored by 9 teams in the whole league, with a goal difference was 14! His 2 seasons destabilised the team.
Mourinho - when he came in we knew what we were getting. He inherited a lacklustre team which had a very confused philosophy. He wanted to rebuild it in his own way. He tried playing attacking football, and our form somewhat improved. We won the Europa in his first season, and got to 2nd in his second year. Also note, despite that success we were 24pts behind Chelsea in his first season, and 19pts behind City in his second season. By the time he left, we were destroyed completely. Mourinho never focused on rebuilding. He wanted quick success, and was quick to change players, publicly criticise them, etc. etc. None of the players seemed to know how to win. The team was depressed, down in the dumps.
In comes Ole with the most difficult job - fixing what is broken, shattered if you will, and rebuilding from scratch. He understood where the problem was, and focused on fixing it long term rather than quick fixes (which he easily could have done). He wanted to build a solid foundation. He got some solid transfers in, rather than buying random players at will. Most importantly, he had to get rid of all the deadweights which had piled up over the past few seasons. If you recall, Ole had an amazing run till Mar'18 where the lack of fitness of our players started to show and we fell down the ladder quite quickly. If we were to divide Ole's tenure in to a few parts, here is what it would look like:
i) Getting the confidence back
ii) clearing off the debris and deadweight from the mess left by Mourinho, LvG, and Moyes.
ii) Bringing back the philosophy and a distinct playing style
iv) Rebuilding with the right players (AWB, Maguire, Bruno)
This is where we are now.
Sorry for the boring history lesson, but I think we tend to forget the past quite easily. We forget where we were and where we are currently.
We need to ask ourselves 3 basic questions:
- Does Ole know what he is doing? YES (his transfers and playing style shows that he does)
- Does he understand the club? YES (He knows it from the core)
- Is he taking the team forward? YES
- Does he give me confidence? YES!
So, I don't really quite understand what the argument is all about. The question is quite daft and redundant at this moment.
Ole inherited a team which was down in the dumps. The team was in shambles, and we had a lot of deadweights who didn't give a feck about the club one bit. We were all over the place if you remember, and the overall environment within the dressing room and club was toxic and depressing. We had lost our 3rd manager in 5.5 years when he stepped in. Among Moyes, LvG, and Mourinho - Ole probably had the hardest job. He had to erase all the nonsense that happened over the last few seasons and completely rebuild and restructure the team from scratch.
Now let's recall how things had fallen apart since 2013:
Moyes - replacing Fergie would've been one fo the toughest jobs in football and Moyes capitulated. He inherited a champion team which was on high after Fergie's last season. But unfortunately, Moyes had no idea how to make that team work and how to win games. He was an extremely mediocre manager and also didn't get it right transfer-wise. He made us lose confidence in ourselves and was the starting point of the gradual decline. He finished 7th and 22pts behind City (1st)
LvG - had the most freedom among all the managers and perhaps damaged us the most. LvG spent a whopping £276m on 14 players and literally got rid of almost all important players from Fergie's era. The only 3 players still surviving form Lvg's era are Shaw, Martial, and Romero. He wanted to completely change United into his own "philosophy" and ended up playing an extremely dull, unimaginative, and negative football. For me, and I'm sure for a lot of us, it was painful to watch - I hated that team and that style of play. Not sure how someone compared him to Ole as he finish 4th once (17pts behind the winners) and 5th in his second. Mind you, in the second season we were 15pts adrift of Leicester and scoring a mere 49 goals, and outscored by 9 teams in the whole league, with a goal difference was 14! His 2 seasons destabilised the team.
Mourinho - when he came in we knew what we were getting. He inherited a lacklustre team which had a very confused philosophy. He wanted to rebuild it in his own way. He tried playing attacking football, and our form somewhat improved. We won the Europa in his first season, and got to 2nd in his second year. Also note, despite that success we were 24pts behind Chelsea in his first season, and 19pts behind City in his second season. By the time he left, we were destroyed completely. Mourinho never focused on rebuilding. He wanted quick success, and was quick to change players, publicly criticise them, etc. etc. None of the players seemed to know how to win. The team was depressed, down in the dumps.
In comes Ole with the most difficult job - fixing what is broken, shattered if you will, and rebuilding from scratch. He understood where the problem was, and focused on fixing it long term rather than quick fixes (which he easily could have done). He wanted to build a solid foundation. He got some solid transfers in, rather than buying random players at will. Most importantly, he had to get rid of all the deadweights which had piled up over the past few seasons. If you recall, Ole had an amazing run till Mar'18 where the lack of fitness of our players started to show and we fell down the ladder quite quickly. If we were to divide Ole's tenure in to a few parts, here is what it would look like:
i) Getting the confidence back
ii) clearing off the debris and deadweight from the mess left by Mourinho, LvG, and Moyes.
ii) Bringing back the philosophy and a distinct playing style
iv) Rebuilding with the right players (AWB, Maguire, Bruno)
This is where we are now.
Sorry for the boring history lesson, but I think we tend to forget the past quite easily. We forget where we were and where we are currently.
We need to ask ourselves 3 basic questions:
- Does Ole know what he is doing? YES (his transfers and playing style shows that he does)
- Does he understand the club? YES (He knows it from the core)
- Is he taking the team forward? YES
- Does he give me confidence? YES!
So, I don't really quite understand what the argument is all about. The question is quite daft and redundant at this moment.
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Lets face it Ole is miles off the level of Klopp or Guardiola. However saying that he matches or is even better than them in a lot of managerial aspects. His man management and ability to keep his team happy is second to none. Even before he was hired full time I was very dubious how such an experienced manager was the right man for the job. However now Im thinking its actually possible. It has to be possible. Because I think changing manager and then that manager getting his players and his system again takes time - 2 years? 3 years? We just cant afford that.
Ole just needs to get the right people around him. I am hoping thats McKenna, Carrick and Phelan. If they can make up for his weaknesses and Ole is willing to realize he needs help then I see no reason why he needs to be a tactical genius. CEO's and top managers dont know everything. Heck they know jack sht about a lot of stuff. But they are brilliant leaders and rely on the team around them. Thats how it can work. Ole already has the key ingredients - the team want to play for him. They are happy. They are motivated. Thats huge. Football is a simple game. Put players in the right position. Keep then happy and motivated and then let them get on with it. Behind the scenes the coaches and everyone can work on the tactics and training together.
Also - Woodward and the management team and everyone needs to support him and give him the right tools. Like getting rid of the deadwood. We need to be ruthless. This is not just down to Ole. We are not going anywhere if we keep persisting in giving long contracts and high wages to useless players that just stick around for years and years. Matic and Mata are the latest prime examples of this. I just hope everyone is working right now in getting rid of Jones, Lingard et al. Also the scouting team as well needs to step up. We need to find a few gems. the 20/30 mill players that turn into 100 mill players. All our good players either came from the academy or were obvious signings for a lot of money. The Scousers have managed to to this with ruthless efficiency.
Ole just needs to get the right people around him. I am hoping thats McKenna, Carrick and Phelan. If they can make up for his weaknesses and Ole is willing to realize he needs help then I see no reason why he needs to be a tactical genius. CEO's and top managers dont know everything. Heck they know jack sht about a lot of stuff. But they are brilliant leaders and rely on the team around them. Thats how it can work. Ole already has the key ingredients - the team want to play for him. They are happy. They are motivated. Thats huge. Football is a simple game. Put players in the right position. Keep then happy and motivated and then let them get on with it. Behind the scenes the coaches and everyone can work on the tactics and training together.
Also - Woodward and the management team and everyone needs to support him and give him the right tools. Like getting rid of the deadwood. We need to be ruthless. This is not just down to Ole. We are not going anywhere if we keep persisting in giving long contracts and high wages to useless players that just stick around for years and years. Matic and Mata are the latest prime examples of this. I just hope everyone is working right now in getting rid of Jones, Lingard et al. Also the scouting team as well needs to step up. We need to find a few gems. the 20/30 mill players that turn into 100 mill players. All our good players either came from the academy or were obvious signings for a lot of money. The Scousers have managed to to this with ruthless efficiency.
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By far the best manager we have had since Ferguson - compare this team to the crap we had when he took over about 1.5 years ago...the guy has worked miracles.
Fitness wise, I think the likes of Klopp, Pep, Hassenhutl, Frank and even Arteta are getting their teams to those levels. Alot of managers who like to play the pressing football want the fittest teams.
The second point is a brilliant one, how often have we seen months of terrible results and the manager loses the dressing room. This season alone, Unai Emry, Poch all looked like they were losing the dressing room.
Credit to Ole for not losing the dressing room, it shows the players had belief in him as the manager, which is now showing with the team spirit.
Absolutely agree, but compared to this point of the season last year it's a huge change for the better. I think the main reason you guys fell of a cliff at the end of last season was the players just couldn't keep up and were shattered. This season you're just getting stronger and stronger in the run in.
Agreed, we spent alot of energy when Ole came in and had a run of games where we were probably playing on adrenaline, after the PSG game it all came crashing down.
It was a key thing for Ole, getting the fittest team in the league and getting rid of players who do not want to play for the club.
We are not only looking better, we have a likeable team, giving youth a chance and how some of them have shined.
I think Ole should be judged after next season.
He will have a squad to his preferences (hopefully the situation with RW will be solved this summer). If there will be no consistency to our performances and if we don't get top 4 comfortably with this team then there will be no excuses and we should rightfully look for the upgrade for managerial position. Also, I hope there will be no player overworking like he did with Rashford.
Also, the transfers should be conducted smarter and by that I mean no more splashing ungodly amounts of cash for average/just good defenders (Maguire) and big sums for unfinished products (as much as I like AWB he costed too much considering how flawed is his offensive part of game).
Will Ole become a league winning manager? I doubt it but I also thought that he won't be in the club to see the end of this season so hey, maybe he's gonna prove me otherwise.
He will have a squad to his preferences (hopefully the situation with RW will be solved this summer). If there will be no consistency to our performances and if we don't get top 4 comfortably with this team then there will be no excuses and we should rightfully look for the upgrade for managerial position. Also, I hope there will be no player overworking like he did with Rashford.
Also, the transfers should be conducted smarter and by that I mean no more splashing ungodly amounts of cash for average/just good defenders (Maguire) and big sums for unfinished products (as much as I like AWB he costed too much considering how flawed is his offensive part of game).
Will Ole become a league winning manager? I doubt it but I also thought that he won't be in the club to see the end of this season so hey, maybe he's gonna prove me otherwise.
He has made us immensely fun to watch and most - if not all - of our young players have really developed quite a lot in the last one year or so ofcourse the clearest examples of it being Martial and Rashford.
GTFI, I was Ole in when he wasn't doing well.
Luck or by design, we are seeing less and less of rancorous behavior from the players and the fans. There is a happy feel about the place, the players look up to it and are genuinely liked by supporters again. We are playing well and with a purpose. There is an identity to this team and looks like each player has brought into the idea and knows what he needs to do. There are still important decisions ahead of us. Letting go of squad players and adding a couple of first team players next season is a must. OGS is still no Klopp or Guardiola and he will compete with those two again. But he's talking all the right stuff, doing all the right things and perhaps for the first time since Fergie, there's a belief that the manager does what is best for the club instead of having to prove himself. It's clear that we are trending upwards. We may or may not challenge next season, but if we continue to make the right choices, I think OGS should be in the job. Difficult to predict the future but he has given himself another season at least.
Luck or by design, we are seeing less and less of rancorous behavior from the players and the fans. There is a happy feel about the place, the players look up to it and are genuinely liked by supporters again. We are playing well and with a purpose. There is an identity to this team and looks like each player has brought into the idea and knows what he needs to do. There are still important decisions ahead of us. Letting go of squad players and adding a couple of first team players next season is a must. OGS is still no Klopp or Guardiola and he will compete with those two again. But he's talking all the right stuff, doing all the right things and perhaps for the first time since Fergie, there's a belief that the manager does what is best for the club instead of having to prove himself. It's clear that we are trending upwards. We may or may not challenge next season, but if we continue to make the right choices, I think OGS should be in the job. Difficult to predict the future but he has given himself another season at least.
I guess you don't really watch internationals, do you? haha
Keep hearing how Ole isn’t Pep or Klopp or Poch or not even as good a manager as Jose. Funny then how his record looks against all but Klopp... Not saying he’ll achieve as much, mind. Just a bit amused that despite the body of work so far with a much inferior team, people seem convinced he’s no match for those whose noses he’s bloodying regularly...
I still feel like he’s not a top class manager who can compete with City/Liverpool & bring us to the top of English & European football again. Niggling doubt that Bruno has changed everything with not much managerial input. As we did have some awful performance with no pattern of play established & we were getting worse until Bruno’s arrival. Of course counter point could be he needed Bruno for his style of play & deserves credit for fitting him in well- which he does.
Overall I’m not convinced he’s the best manager we could get, but he does deserve credit for the upturn in form recently (However the game against Bournemouth worried me as seemed to be no structure to our play...)
If they replaced him I’d understand it but also if he gets another season (which is likely) I’ll obviously get behind him all the way, And just hope we look a consistent outfit next year pushing top 2, not top 6 & long runs in Europe.
Overall I’m not convinced he’s the best manager we could get, but he does deserve credit for the upturn in form recently (However the game against Bournemouth worried me as seemed to be no structure to our play...)
If they replaced him I’d understand it but also if he gets another season (which is likely) I’ll obviously get behind him all the way, And just hope we look a consistent outfit next year pushing top 2, not top 6 & long runs in Europe.
Very happy to change my vote to "trust with the rebuild".
The squad seems happy, we are playing some good stuff and I'm actually excited to watch us again.
Transfer wise he's been almost flawless. Got rid of Lukaku, tried his best with Sanchez, seems that Lingard will be next for the chop given his recent lack of gametime.
People could say the turnaround was all down to Bruno, but more than half the battle is getting the right players in, which I think he's done. Add Sancho in the summer and we start looking like a proper team. Probably too early for a real title challenge but we should get within 10-15 points or so of the winners rather than 30 points.
The squad seems happy, we are playing some good stuff and I'm actually excited to watch us again.
Transfer wise he's been almost flawless. Got rid of Lukaku, tried his best with Sanchez, seems that Lingard will be next for the chop given his recent lack of gametime.
People could say the turnaround was all down to Bruno, but more than half the battle is getting the right players in, which I think he's done. Add Sancho in the summer and we start looking like a proper team. Probably too early for a real title challenge but we should get within 10-15 points or so of the winners rather than 30 points.
Cracking post.
Come on pal. That is like saying Klopp was not a top manager until he got van Dijk. Every manager needs quality and key players in order to compete at the top.
In order to compete with Liverpool and City we need at least a comparable set of players/squad to them. There's no way Guardiola or Klopp is competing for the title with the squad Ole started the season with.
From the start until about 2.14, Inside full back on the left and wide full back on the right. Rotating front three.
Matic pulled to wings to receive the ball.
Never in doubt
Ole, the smiling Don - permanento
Ole, the smiling Don - permanento
I find it funny that some want to sack/get rid of Ole because there is better alternatives out there and then suggesting Pochettino. The man has no merits and would be a gamble to hire on his own.
Because of course, both Pep and Klopp took over, bought absolutely nobody and converted no-hopers into serial winners without any change, leave alone upgrade, of personnel. The same way as Fergie did with United previously. And Jose did with Chelsea. And... I trust you get the drift...
I remember when people were worried that Ole was “too nice” to have the job based on his comments and overall demeanour to the media. He has shown though he’s ruthless behind the scenes. Lukaku, Rojo, Sanchez and Smalling already out the door with Lingard, Jones and Pereira to follow. That’s the type of squad overhaul fans were demanding and it’s more than likely he’ll continue that this summer.
Not really for you to decide when the evidence shows otherwise. They won the Europa league, finished 3rd and 6pts ahead of us. As a team they were better.
What a ridiculous argument in reality, you're just cherry picking random fixtures to suit your confirmation bias.
There's no use in talking of individuals, its a team game and they were the better sum of the parts than we were at the back end of last season and start of this. There was less work for "Super Frank" to do than Ole.
He replaced Hazards goals with Abraham's who has already a few years experience in the Championship. It's a head start on say Greenwood's isn't it? Added Pulisic and had Willian's experience as well.
No doubt we've some very talented individuals, reality is Ole had nothing close to a team at that point, nor at the start of the season. Their mentality was in the dumps and he had to address the defence and change us from a defensive set up to attack minded.
It's a whole different mind set now in every sense of the word lets be perfectly honest.
I gathered that when I looked at his tag but I do try
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