We all know the football hasn't been great recently and that there are major concerns as to how he sets his team out and how he influences games with subs etc. However, I'd like to take the discussion away from that if we can as that's been discussed elsewhere.
What I'd like to discuss is getting behind Ten Hag.
It looks like the knifes are certainly out for him at present. Leaks everywhere, journos banned, body language of players not great. The list goes on. All of this played out very much in the open too thanks to the constant stream of stories we get in the media. Social media being a particular driver as any narratives/messages can be hugely amplified in no time.
To clarify I'm not comparing Ten Hag to SAF in terms of ability at all but it would have been interesting to see what we'd be reading had social media been about in the late 80s when SAF was trying to weed out certain factions within the club and make it a much more professional outfit. What tales to undermine the manager would be have read then. Especially when results were worse - much, much worse. We were actually threatened with relegation for a while in 1990 if you recall.
Getting things right may well get messy and it may well be that Ten Hag isn't the right man for the job. There's no shame in that. But, whilst he's manager and keeps trying to set standards then I'll be backing him. It's not like these players don't have a history of turning on a manager when things aren't exactly to their liking.
I know it won't happen but I'd happily see us finish in the bottom half of the table if ETH decided to just select players who will run and will follow instruction of what he wants. At least he fails on his own terms then even though finishing 13th, but seeing patterns of play and partnerships, wouldn't be a failure as such in my eyes.
I've said it before (often) but I think it's also worth saying again to close. It doesn't get any better for these players. They won't get a club as big as United and they won't get more money for their 'efforts' elsewhere either. They should realise how lucky they are and play for the fans. The fans are there much longer than a manager and they'd do well to remember that. Proper fans never turn on a player who gives a 100%, even if they're not really good enough. The issue for someone like Sancho now though is that even if Ten Hag is fired he's lost a lot of the trust of the fans. They need to earn it again. And quick.
I'm getting behind Ten Hag
posted on 5/12/23
ETH has a bunch of players that are happy to collect a huge pay check and turn up here and there, they’re not interested to be the best and win honours.
There was an interview from Matic where he spoke about how some players would always turn up late for training, this was during Jose’s time too. Clearly a discipline issue with the players at this club, they know whatever happens, they’ll still get paid and if they want a new contract, just try hard for a few months and it’ll be on a plate for them because the people running the club are a bunch of buffoons.
Sacking the manager isn’t gonna do nothing until the bad eggs are removed from the club, just like what Arsenal did, but that’s unlikely to happen with the current owners and their yes men in charge of making the footballing decisions. It’s more about protecting the value of their assets for them.
posted on 5/12/23
Saturday wasn’t good, and Rashford’s lack of effort was really disappointing. That being said, it was the third away game in 6 days. Away to Everton, their first game after points deduction. Away to Gala, really tough game and crowd. Then the fiasco of a cancelled flight and coach trip to Sid James’s Park. I’m not happy about the performance, but I get it. The press are just being their usual anti united sh!t stirring caaants. SAF would use these things to galvanise and instil the siege mentality, but the players back then weren’t mentality midgets.
I back ETH.
posted on 5/12/23
It could just be both the players and manager are crap
posted on 5/12/23
ETH is a coward. He should just play the system, not the players, and drop the senior players for youth if they can't adapt. but like most managers that come to United, they get cold feet and give up on their philosophy because they are too afraid to lose their job and then do it in the end anyway. He said he wouldn't play the way he did at Ajax, despite that being exactly what he was brought in to do, and the fans want. Look at Klopp and Ange.
As Big Ange says:
The amount of time I hear managers saying 'I would like to play this way but I don't have the players...' I just think: 'Just so it mate!'
Grow some fecking balls Eric!
posted on 5/12/23
The loss of Martinez has been the biggest impact on our form this year imo. He is the fighter in our side and drags the others along with him. That can not be underestimated.
Look how we missed Cantona and then Keane in the SAF years……
posted on 6/12/23
comment by Garnacho cheese (U5318)
posted 1 hour, 31 minutes ago
ETH is a coward. He should just play the system, not the players, and drop the senior players for youth if they can't adapt. but like most managers that come to United, they get cold feet and give up on their philosophy because they are too afraid to lose their job and then do it in the end anyway. He said he wouldn't play the way he did at Ajax, despite that being exactly what he was brought in to do, and the fans want. Look at Klopp and Ange.
As Big Ange says:
The amount of time I hear managers saying 'I would like to play this way but I don't have the players...' I just think: 'Just so it mate!'
Grow some fecking balls Eric!
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This. I'm willing to sack every manager until one gets some balls. ETH either gets small balls or facking leave. I do not want Glazers, players, excuses. Its difficult but thats why it is important to get one that counts.
posted on 6/12/23
comment by bongopalin (U10119)
posted 1 hour ago
The loss of Martinez has been the biggest impact on our form this year imo. He is the fighter in our side and drags the others along with him. That can not be underestimated.
Look how we missed Cantona and then Keane in the SAF years……
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This after we lose to a team with one of the most disastrous injury records this season. We are now blaming it on Martinez now Shaw is back.
posted on 6/12/23
We also have had a disastrous injury situation, plus of course it depends on who is injured.
I'm not making excuses for the Newcastle game, we were poor pretty much all over the pitch, with Rashford the worst, but it was one game, away to a good team.
The Everton games was different. Are we going to want ETH praised when we win, castigated when we lose?
Injuries can affect every team.
posted on 6/12/23
comment by manusince52 (U9692)
posted 3 minutes ago
We also have had a disastrous injury situation, plus of course it depends on who is injured.
I'm not making excuses for the Newcastle game, we were poor pretty much all over the pitch, with Rashford the worst, but it was one game, away to a good team.
The Everton games was different. Are we going to want ETH praised when we win, castigated when we lose?
Injuries can affect every team.
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Tell me about it...currently 9 with three suspended...the least we've had this season is about 6
posted on 6/12/23
comment by manusince52 (U9692)
posted 1 hour ago
We also have had a disastrous injury situation, plus of course it depends on who is injured.
I'm not making excuses for the Newcastle game, we were poor pretty much all over the pitch, with Rashford the worst, but it was one game, away to a good team.
The Everton games was different. Are we going to want ETH praised when we win, castigated when we lose?
Injuries can affect every team.
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The result against Everton, after a fortunate first half, unfortunately seems to be the 'blip', and how we were against Newcastle was normal for us.
Yes, injuries have an effect, but losing is one thing, losing without effort is another.
The table doesn't lie - we beat teams in the bottom half, but as soon as we play a decent one, we struggle. That is where we are at.
I have said before that ETH isn't giving me a feeling that he can turn it around, but of course I hope he does. By doing so well last year, he almost made a rod for his back - only natural to expect improvement, but we have gone downhill.
But it is so hard to get the right manager, and who knows if he is currently out there right now.
But we have been getting the wrong manager so many times now..............