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I think those points are fair, but none of it relates to performances on the pitch, and that's where the main issues are.

If we assume he's done the man management part well, then it makes the on-pitch stuff look even worse.

We had one good spell last season, I think it was end of January to March sort of time, where we looked a proper team. Since then we added some players he wanted, and have taken a huge step backwards.

I have a feeling Ashworth & co are going to want Potter...
 
In fairness, the entire structure of the club is being changed by INEOS. Quite soon we'll have an entirely new setup in place.
 
Mekrel said:
Antony is brain dead, even if he was provoked, you don't have to react in that crass way. I wouldn't be sticking my head above the parapet if I were Antony, especially when it isn't an exaggeration to suggest he's possibly one of the worst signings of the PL era.
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And to top it off, he's currently under investigation for domestic abuse. Ok, not necessarily guilty, but not a good look.
 
adam cool dude said:
I think ETH will still be here come the new season. This season has been a cluster bum with injuries and the starting eleven has been chopped and changed like crazy.

Who are you going to get in that is better?

Surely you only have to look at the pattern over the last ten years to see that the manager really isn't the issue.
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I think we've gone over this enough times lately, but it's worth remembering that while it's true the players are an issue, and so is the club structure, that doesn't mean the manager isn't also a problem.

I'm all for a manager being given time, but he's got to evidence something, anything, and there's just nothing here.
 
robfosters said:
It must be nice though for you guys to support the most dynamic and entertaining team in the premier league
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He sounds increasingly like a man about to be sacked.

Even if we gave him the benefit of the doubt with injuries, and his largely questionable signings, I just haven't warmed to him at all, seems a pretty weird guy.
 
I think it's good they are prepared to listen to offers for most of the players, it sends out a strong message that enough is enough and times will be changing.

I'd be happy enough to see a more youth focused squad next season, just while all of the new executive staff settle in, then summer 2025 is when the money can be spent again.

That said, missing out on Champions League isn't going to help matters, so top 4/5 will be the target I suspect.

I don't think this has any bearing on ETH's position, we know the players have to shoulder a lot of the blame as well. There are a lot of noises coming out of Holland that Ajax want ETH back as manager.

The big question is does ETH deserve backing? I really don't think so. They'd have to give him a new contract before starting next season or he's got zero authority and it'll be a complete disaster, guaranteed.
 
Shamikebab said:
We'd be relegated if we did that.

Looks like we've got a new temporary CEO, Blanc is joining us from INEOS until Berrada takes over in the summer.
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Sounds sensible, I think Blanc was going on the board initially.

He's got more than enough experience to make any decisions prior to July 13th when Berrada starts.
 
They've allowed Neville to interview ETH for Sky, prior to the Palace game on Monday night. Doesn't say an awful lot really...

I'm not sure this would have been allowed if INEOS had already decided to boot him, that'll probably happen when we lose a few more league games and then lose the FA Cup final.

Interesting though.

 
Neville has been speaking quite a bit about this interview and saying how ‘assured’ ETH was. He’s also done a big Overlap interview with Onana.

This is obviously some sort of charm offensive from the club, using Neville and Sky. It’s not that surprising, but performances will still have to improve somewhat, I’m so tired of the excuses.
 
So the current consensus from fairly decent sources regarding ETH is -

Manchester United have no intention of sacking manager Erik ten Hag before the FA Cup final, despite calls from former players of the club to make an immediate change.

Telegraph Sport understands that United do not plan to sack Ten Hag before the FA Cup final against Manchester City on May 25.

That may give the Dutchman some hope he can somehow cling on to his job with an unlikely victory at Wembley, although the Palace defeat means that is far from certain.

Old Trafford insiders insist that a final decision on Ten Hag’s future will not be taken until the end of the season, after the FA Cup final, even though a number of players believe his fate is effectively sealed.

Ten Hag’s communication with his squad is said to have caused issues this season, with some sources believing he is lacking in motivational skills and empathy.
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Given we may well lose all of our remaining games this season, it doesn't sound particularly likely that he'll end up staying - nor should he.

But there is this...

www.telegraph.co.uk

Gareth Southgate boost as Man Utd target long-term success over short-term gain if Ten Hag is sacked

Exclusive: Club will not prioritise proven trophy winner which increases chance of England manager becoming favourite to succeed Dutchman
www.telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk

Please no...
 
ETH spent most of his post match press conference talking about injuries - it's getting quite boring now.

Yes it's been bad on that front, but other teams have had extensive injury problems and managed to maintain some sort of playing style.

Whatever happens, that needs to be addressed.

Rooney said on Sky that he thinks quite a few of the injured players can probably play and are just protecting themselves. He seemed pretty sure about it too, so has probably heard something. Wouldn't surprise me.
 
booyaka said:
No surprise - Been decent but need to look to a long term CB pairing....

Varane set to leave on free
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Good news really. His injury problems will only get worse and he’s a bit past it now.

Been a decent player for us but he hasn’t played enough, which isn’t exactly a surprise…

Also:

www.telegraph.co.uk

Thomas Frank a strong contender to be next Manchester United head coach if Erik ten Hag is sacked

Exclusive: Frank’s work at Brentford has impressed people at Old Trafford and he has a relationship with United co-owners Ineos
www.telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk

Not sure how reliable this is, but I wouldn’t object…
 
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A brief recap of our season -
  • Our worst ever Premier League season
  • Conceded a club record amount of goals
  • Ended with a negative goal difference
  • Dumped out of a relatively easy Champions League group, early on
  • Performances on the pitch have been utterly dire in 90% of games - I don't think many will disagree with this
I think most people would agree we appear to be one of the worst coached teams in the league. Ten Hag was supposed to build on last season, and he's done the exact opposite. We're going backwards at an alarming rate.

The only real mitigation is injuries - which have been bad - but he made no effort to adapt the team. Strangely enough he's done that in the last couple of games and things have improved a bit - but far too late.

While we finished 8th, the reality is we should have been much lower - the stats bear this out. The players ETH has signed have taken the club backwards, too (admittedly shouldn't have been down to him, but it was).

An unlikely FA cup victory wouldn't really change the above, although the Europa League would be preferable to nothing.

We're at a precipice now - what will INEOS do? Ten Hag's contract expires after next season. So they've either got to give him a new one this summer and decide to stick with him, or bring in their own man. They've aggressively reshaped the senior management level at the club, I very much doubt the manager will be safe. Other managers are now becoming available, chiefly Tuchel, so it's not like there isn't anyone out there.

Finances do seem to be playing a significant role as well, will they just stick with ETH and write off next season? There was talk of minimal spending until 2025/26.

Interesting times ahead, my great fear is we stick with ETH and end up sacking him in November when he can't turn things around. I am not convinced by him at all.
 
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