The Manchester United Club Thread **Sponsored by Comedy Central**

[Benofacter]

Yeah he is gone, the look on his face and Radcliffe's face at the FA SL, both new the game was up for Ten Hag.

Only the FA Cup Final win has a chance of saving him. Part of me is even happy with not having any European football next season just so we can have a major reset and less football to concentrate on our league form.

 

[fez]

Yeah, hes done regardless of FA Cup. We are well capable of beating anyone on our day but we are far far more likely to be on the wrong end of that against even the worst of teams. Last night was a prime example. Leaking far far too many goals and the players simply don't put in the effort. They have little pride or fight when it comes to the day to day aspect of their jobs. They can raise themselves for the right occasion if conditions are right but most of the time we just fold.

Yes with a proper defence this season we would probably be competing for top 4 easily still but thats more of a reflection of the poor competition around there than anything.

Fundamentally EtH hasn't been able to affect the trajectory of our season and time and time again we have sunk to new lows. Our departure from the CL was an embarrassment. Our league form has been horrible at times and our xP speaks for itself. We have been outplayed and out-created routinely this year. Grasping at the straw of the FA cup final is silly and is of no consequence IMO when it comes to EtHs future.

 

[adam cool dude]

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.

 

[fez]

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.

I think the issue is the manager and the club culture. I think an exceptional manager would be able to mitigate the club issues and so far we haven't had that. Honestly, EtH is the first manager we have had that genuinely excited me and gave me hope we might have a long term, up and coming elite manager. The rest of our managers were "whats available".

 

[Converge]

Surely you only have to look at the pattern over the last ten years to see that the manager really isn't the issue.

This is my thought process predominantly too. Though ETH has been very suspect this season regardless of injuries in terms of what he’s said and his management of games.

Unfortunately we’re stuck with some of the players for a long time yet.

 

[adam cool dude]

This is my thought process predominantly too. Though ETH has been very suspect this season regardless of injuries in terms of what he’s said and his management of games.

Unfortunately we’re stuck with some of the players for a long time yet.

I think he has been in the "Just send it" phase since January tbh.

The initial injury plan was hoping to resolve itself by Jan and now has all gone **** up since then and really gotten worse.

Martinez, Shaw, Malacia, Mount, Martial have basically not really played this season.

We are resting our entire attacking threat on a 20 year old unproven striker.

Realistically when you look at it we are fighting for positions 4-6th. Spurs have had zero cup football to play this season so have only had to focus on the league and Villa are going to have to sell players in the summer because they have spent too much.

Newcastle and Chelsea are also having really bad seasons. If we finish 6th and win the FA Cup (Pigs might fly) then it would have been a good season all things considered.

 

[Benofacter]

im getting Van Gaal vibes now, he went even after the FA Cup win.

 

[Robbo]

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.

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.

 

[adam cool dude]

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.

Isn't Ajax evidence enough of what he can do in terms of building and rebuilding plus a style of play? They fell of a cliff since he left. He even said publically he cannot play that way because of the players he has.

This isn't some Big Sam thing where you get some ramshackle group to play together to stay up. At the pointy end of the table recruitment is paramount. Fact is our player base is playing to its level and that level is Europa League quality.

 

[Thekwango]

Fact is our player base is playing to its level and that level is Europa League quality.

I like your optimism - despite our league position I’d put our main player base about championship level, on a good day

 

[fez]

Isn't Ajax evidence enough of what he can do in terms of building and rebuilding plus a style of play? They fell of a cliff since he left. He even said publically he cannot play that way because of the players he has.

This isn't some Big Sam thing where you get some ramshackle group to play together to stay up. At the pointy end of the table recruitment is paramount. Fact is our player base is playing to its level and that level is Europa League quality.

It was somewhat of a symbiotic relationship at Ajax. All the players there are conditioned to play in a given way and they are a selling club. They lost their manager, VdS and Overmars in a fairly short period along with years of selling their best players. Say what you want about Antony but he was decent for Ajax. We took Martinez from them.

They lost:

Kudus
Timber
Alvarez
Haller
Gravenberch
Tagliafico
Blind
Onana
Mazraowi
Ocampos
Antony
Martinez

Thats quite a list of players to lose over the last 2 seasons along with your manager, CEO and director of football.

And good managers get the best out of their players. If he can't play that way he needs to adapt. Every statistic about us suggests he is doing a torrid job right now. Its not like he is operating at 80% because he doesn't have quite the players he wants. Hes not even hitting 50% IMO.

 

[Converge]

The players aren’t hitting anywhere near 50% either though, in fairness, barring maybe Bruno. I don’t think anyone could really corral these players into producing anything meaningful lately.

I think they’ve mostly downed tools since the bad patch at the end of last season and saw it was much the same this season after a few games, figured ETH would go the way of the rest of the managers (which he will and they know it, seeing as they’ve got previous) and haven’t given it their all or trusted in him for the better part of the season as a result. Hence the lack of following instructions - whatever the hell they are. There’s my guess work done

 

[mid_gen]

I don't really see the point in replacing ETH at the moment. Even if we got Klopp or Guardiola or Alonso, we'd still be gash next season.

I'd keep ETH until we get all the rest of the backroom staff in place and let them have time to make a considered decision.

If we'd managed to keep Martinez and Varane fit we'd probably be top 4, which is fair considering the squad.

I simply don't see what we gain from ejecting ETH right now and rushing another replacement in. Just be patient, blood a few more youngsters, get rid of some dead wood in the summer, and sign a top class manager that's aligned with the rest of the operation.

 

[scoobyrichuk]

I don't really see the point in replacing ETH at the moment. Even if we got Klopp or Guardiola or Alonso, we'd still be gash next season.

I'd keep ETH until we get all the rest of the backroom staff in place and let them have time to make a considered decision.

If we'd managed to keep Martinez and Varane fit we'd probably be top 4, which is fair considering the squad.

I simply don't see what we gain from ejecting ETH right now and rushing another replacement in. Just be patient, blood a few more youngsters, get rid of some dead wood in the summer, and sign a top class manager that's aligned with the rest of the operation.

Seems likely, we're an awful team and this has been a terrible season but just replacing ETH isn't going to fix the issues. Our lack of defensive stability has ruined us this season, I miss Martinez so much! Hopefully we will clear out some of the most useless players this summer and make some decent signings, replacing the manager and hoping for the best is likely to see another repeat of recent years.

 

[adam cool dude]

Most of the back room staff will be coming in this summer too so helping ETH to get what he wants would be far more beneficial than dumping him and getting another manager in with someone else's players.

It is the whole gutter media which twist everything.

 

[Calpol]

Lots of defence for ten Hag it seems. I sort of get it but....
Antony 3/10 - just no (other than the pass vs Liverpool a fortnight ago)
Onana 5/10 - first season but he's cost us a lot of points and the CL group stage
Mount 2/10 - injured and no-one other than ten Hag knows where he fits
Martinez 6/10 - 50% injured or he's be an 8
Casemiro 5/10 albeit he wanted DeJong
Malacia 5/10 on the basis he is young
Amrabat - 3/10
Sabitzer - 5/10
Weghorst - 4/10

Johnny Evans is arguably ten Hags best signing when you evaluate expectation vs performance. Mainoo is the other plus point. Maguire and McTominay have arguably been key to preserving any degree of respectability - can't believe that's the case.

Presumably signings he has an input on and a veto - thats what he told us. On that basis he has not invested the clubs funds wisely.
Tactically I just haven't seen enough. Our best performance this season in terms of coherence was arguably vs Crystal Palace 2nd 11 in the EFL. Ironically that was a team with Martial, Hannibal, Pellistri starting. A slightly fortunate win vs Liverpool in the FA Cup is that only other highlight. Injuries he can't control so that is a degree of mitigation but when you weigh it all up I think he's really on borrowed time.

 

[adam cool dude]

Antony I give you but the jury is out on a lot of the others. Onana has been all media twisted. He has been far superior to DDG and since January he has been fantastic Sheffield United aside.

As with the others. Everyone has been terrible because the season has just been rubbish full stop. I think it is difficult to guage any of them really.

We need a fresh reset with injuries coming back. Get rid of some dead wood and bring some fresh flesh in with a decent pre season.

 

[Calpol]

Onana has been all media twisted. He has been far superior to DDG and since January he has been fantastic Sheffield United aside.

I'd be interested to see if anyone else thinks this. I'm prepared to give him a pass as it's his first season and DDG wasn't exactly convincing in his first season. However he was a callow 21 yo who won the league the next season. I still am left with concerns about Onana's agility and reactions. He is a 28yo and should be at his peak. DDG saved us a lot of points in a lot of seasons and whilst I agree a more progressive keeper was required, Onana has underwhelmed. To say he's been better than prime Dave is a bold claim and not one I can support at this point.

 

[Shamikebab]

Well he hasn't been better than prime Dave, but we didn't have prime Dave.

 

[MarcLister]

Lots of defence for ten Hag it seems. I sort of get it but....
Antony 3/10 - just no (other than the pass vs Liverpool a fortnight ago)
Onana 5/10 - first season but he's cost us a lot of points and the CL group stage
Mount 2/10 - injured and no-one other than ten Hag knows where he fits
Martinez 6/10 - 50% injured or he's be an 8
Casemiro 5/10 albeit he wanted DeJong
Malacia 5/10 on the basis he is young
Amrabat - 3/10
Sabitzer - 5/10
Weghorst - 4/10

What would you score Hojlund? 6/10? Slow start, scored a few goals but injured recently and still getting back to form?