Poll: Erik ten Hag Sack Watch & Next Manchester United Manager? Sacked. Ruben Amorim appointed.

[Robbo]

Our main issue has undoubtedly been finishing yes. We are massively underperforming in that area.

Didn't say anything about being happy with ETH either, again I ask what is the plan? Sacking him with no plan is utter stupidity. We need a better option to actually go with next. Is van Nistelrooy a better manager? Unlikely. Is getting Tuchel in for a few years before he implodes worth it? Probably not. If the manager they decide we want isn't available until the summer is it really worth going over 3/4 of the season with an interim? Last time that was an utter disaster. It's just not as simple as Do bad > Sack manager > Problem fixed. If the highly paid football experts we've appointed think it's not a good move now then I'm happy to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I know it's not that simple, but there comes a point where it's inevitable. He isn't able to get a tune out of the players, despite his best efforts. Defensively, offensively, and in midfield we look the worst coached team in the league. That isn't acceptable. Our strongest XI is capable of giving anyone a game if the players are well coached and motivated, at the moment they can't even do the basics right.

I don't think RvN is really going to be a solution either, I have a feeling Ashworth would look at someone like Potter instead...

 

[Robbo]

*snip*

We've been over all this before, obviously I profoundly disagree - let's see what happens.

 

[Robbo]

I would have thought there would be some news by now.

You know what the media are like surrounding United..

International break may have to have something to do with it (grasping at straws here)

The meeting only just finished. Nobody knows what's been decided (if anything).

So we just have to wait. I'm sure Ornstein or someone will get fed a story either way...

 

[Robbo]

There's still nothing in the way of an update really. Just that "Ten Hag expects to remain in charge" but nothing beyond that... of course he will expect that unless he's told otherwise.

 

[Robbo]

Well unless they sack him there won't be an announcement, why would there be? So either they're still finalising their replacement plan or it's not happening.

There won't be an official announcement, no, but the press will get a quiet briefing. The entire footballing world is currently discussing INEOS and Ten Hag.

We already know they don't really rate him as they were keen to get rid in the summer. Based on that alone, I'm not sure why they'd want to prolong this misery really...

If they genuinely believe he's the best fit then they need to brief that and be prepared to weather this storm again when we next lose a game, probably in 10 days time.

 

[Robbo]

They're not going to release a briefing that they're not sacking someone after every game.

Well this wouldn't be after every game, a briefing now would be to say "I know we're now at the second international break, and this is our worst ever start to a season following the disastrous campaign last year - but Ten Hag is our man."

 

[Robbo]

Actually Fergie had a similar start to his third season in the 88/89 season with 2 draws, 2 wins and 3 losses and finished 11th.

Premier League season. Unfortunately I think SAF's legacy has caused lasting damage, too many people think giving a manager time will equal success, when that's so rarely the case. Ten Hag isn't 1% the manager SAF was, it's insulting to even compare them!

 

[Robbo]

What is the difference between Premier League or the old division one? None. Everyone was calling for Fergies head but the people behind the scenes knew what he was trying to achieve.

Well it's irrelevant either way, surely. It's not clear to anyone what ETH is trying to achieve. I don't think even he knows.

Arteta went 8th, 8th, 5th. That is recent. Everyone was laughing at him. I am not saying that ETH is the man but judging after 7 league games seems a little knee jerk. We have a good run of fixtures all the way till 3rd of December when we face Arsenal. I would wait until then tbh.

Arteta had some difficult moments, but generally there was clear progression and improvement. If Arsenal kept signing players and getting worse, he'd have been gone.

And please, I am not judging him after 7 games, but the 2 entire previous seasons, it's frankly ludicrous to frame any of this as "knee jerk"

 

[Robbo]

I think the Glazers would have sacked ETH and gone straight for Tuchel. I am hoping INEOS and Ashworth have a smarter plan in mind…

Potter would not surprise me, and I don’t think it can be Southgate. I actually like Thomas Frank and think he would be a very interesting appointment.

Apparently they’d been in contact with the Stuttgart manager, Sebastian Hoeneß, but he didn't want to move yet.

I'm sure plans are being made that we aren't privy to, top 4 will be viewed as critical this season and ETH is miles away from that at the moment. It'll be tough for any manager but as it stands we've got no chance.

 

[Robbo]

Having a pop at the media now. I didn't realise us being 14th was a "fairytale"

https://twitter.com/x/status/1847254233692639493

More like a nightmare.

 

[Robbo]

Thank the lord.

Good luck to him elsewhere but that was just terrible.

 

[Robbo]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1850866361209180238

Just to round the thread off. Not sure about RvN really.

Who's next? Quite a bit of talk about Xavi lately...

Potter not particularly exciting.

 

[Robbo]

Just watch ashworth go for Howe

I think Howe's hit his ceiling at Newcastle.

 

[Robbo]

Never nice to see a manager sacked. Players will still be the same though.

I am sure where ever he goes he will do well though.

I think he'll end up back at Ajax.

 

[Robbo]

Doesn't fill you with confidence that they know what they're doing does it?

Joking aside, I think they have fumbled the manager situation, but Dan Ashworth is not some clueless idiot, I can't believe he will mess things up like the previous regime.

Nothing would surprise me though

I don't think there's an appetite to keep RvN on, they've already made it clear he's interim until a replacement is found.

Options -

• Ruben Amorim - not likely to leave mid season
• Southgate - we'll gloss over that one
• Xavi - could be interesting, his wife posted a picture of him with his son in a Man Utd kit the other day...
• Thomas Frank - would be a very interesting appointment
• McKenna - doubt it
• Potter - might be a good fit under Ashworth but would be risky

 

[Robbo]

A top manager can turn a squad's fortunes around with coaching and a handful of signings. Look at Villa under Emery. Look at what Nuno has done with Forest more recently. Flick has managed to turn the Barcelona ship around of late, a club also in a bit of a mess.

Managers can change things, they can raise the level of players. Our strongest XI is capable of far better, and can give anyone a game outside of the top 3 or so. Instead it looks like relegation fodder.

 

[Robbo]

Delusion here. The players are not good enough. Signin half decent in the eredivisie was never gonna cut it and even a hybrid of Klopp and Pep can’t wave a magic wand and get a tune out of these garbage players.

I don't agree the squad is garbage.

 

[Robbo]

I take it Nagelsmann is a no, as he’s committed to Germany for the World Cup?

There's suddenly a lot of chat about him, but I doubt he'd want to leave... although maybe he's bored, the World Cup is quite far away.

 

[Robbo]

On the contrary, does United still have the pulling power for prime managers?

Depends on what you'd define as a 'prime' manager? There aren't many really, most of them will be a gamble to some extent.

I think most of them would want a crack at the job.

 

[Robbo]

Come on now, look at this list.

Goalkeepers aren’t great. Even if Onana had been making a couple of saves.

The defence is a mix of players who you’ve tried to get rid of or are rejects from other clubs because they aren’t good enough. Of injury prone to the hills that they are a waste of time.

MF is very much the same, Bruno aside and the FW aren’t great, garnacho looks good and hojlund has been set up to fail.

Without going into loads of detail (although I can if you want), I think you can put out a couple of very good starting XI's there.

Onana has been fine, he's a decent keeper.

I think they need to see if Ugarte-Mainoo-Bruno works in midfield, Ugarte would be doing a lot of heavy lifting though.