Erik Ten Hag

Manchester United chat
User avatar
swampash
Legend
Posts: 2901
Joined: 10 years ago

One game into the new season and I really feel for Ten Hag. He's been sold pup. He's not going to get the support or funds he was probably promised and will be left trying to dig out results from a squad that is fatally flawed.
Fuck the Glazers
Legend
Posts: 9900
Joined: 10 years ago

swampash wrote: 1 year ago One game into the new season and I really feel for Ten Hag. He's been sold pup. He's not going to get the support or funds he was probably promised and will be left trying to dig out results from a squad that is fatally flawed.
The good thing is the fans back him 100% and want to see his project bare fruit. He hasn't been in the job long enough to turn anyone against him so right now the focus is fully on Arnold & the Glazers. No doubt as the season goes on they'll deflect criticism on to him, his subs, question his plan etc in order to save their own skin. But right now it's glaring.
User avatar
bman2
Legend
Posts: 4592
Joined: 10 years ago

Sid wrote: 1 year ago
swampash wrote: 1 year ago One game into the new season and I really feel for Ten Hag. He's been sold pup. He's not going to get the support or funds he was probably promised and will be left trying to dig out results from a squad that is fatally flawed.
The good thing is the fans back him 100% and want to see his project bare fruit. He hasn't been in the job long enough to turn anyone against him so right now the focus is fully on Arnold & the Glazers. No doubt as the season goes on they'll deflect criticism on to him, his subs, question his plan etc in order to save their own skin. But right now it's glaring.
I have serious doubts about him. Obviously his transfer list is a disaster. But his tactics on Sunday were totally shit too, totally outplayed by Potter. Realistically, he’s a guy in his 50s yet this is his first big job. Always a punt.
User avatar
dozer
Legend
Posts: 3922
Joined: 10 years ago

bman2 wrote: 1 year ago
Sid wrote: 1 year ago
swampash wrote: 1 year ago One game into the new season and I really feel for Ten Hag. He's been sold pup. He's not going to get the support or funds he was probably promised and will be left trying to dig out results from a squad that is fatally flawed.
The good thing is the fans back him 100% and want to see his project bare fruit. He hasn't been in the job long enough to turn anyone against him so right now the focus is fully on Arnold & the Glazers. No doubt as the season goes on they'll deflect criticism on to him, his subs, question his plan etc in order to save their own skin. But right now it's glaring.
I have serious doubts about him. Obviously his transfer list is a disaster. But his tactics on Sunday were totally shit too, totally outplayed by Potter. Realistically, he’s a guy in his 50s yet this is his first big job. Always a punt.
True. The only reason fans wanted him is because of his very thin connection to Guardiola. Its a gamble, so let's see. We've tried experienced managers before with little success.
User avatar
JoelfuckingGlazer
Legend
Posts: 4026
Joined: 10 years ago

Behave. Every appointment is a risk and he'll be on a learning curve. But he's had Ajax punching above their weight in the Champions League. He's clearly a very good coach albeit a couple of decisions on Sunday and links to Rabiot and Arnautoivc have you scratching your head, as does our protracted chase of De Jong.

But as for the Brighton game; look no further than the players and abject lack of business in the summer. The only 2 players to emerge with any credit were his 2 new buys. He's trying to build a fundamentally broken club, with players who aren't good enough, who lack character and who are completely fragile. A CB pairing who haven't played a minute together, even in a friendly with no recognised striker and McFred in midfield. What did we expect? I watched our pre season games and the style of play was markedly different to last season. None of it was on display on Sunday; within the first 30 secs, we gave the ball away at the back and conceded a shot on goal, then our arses started to fall out. Then twice in the next 5 mins Fred gave away the ball when we were trying to play out, our arses properly went and players reverted to type. It'll take a lot of time and coaching to change things, but Hag can't even start to be judged until he's built a proper squad.

The biggest frustration for me is the wasted half season under Ragnick. Fair fucks to Hag for being his own man, but Ralfs spell should have been used to get ahead of a proper transition plan. Hag will want to form his own views, but some very basic and fundamental messages should have been locked in:

McFred will see you fail before you even start. Whatever you do, replace these as a priority and for the love of God don't play Fred as a 6; opponents talk openly about him being the pressing trap

Maguire can't play in a high line

De Gea can't play out.

Look at the names Ralf wanted to bring in; Diaz, Alvarez, Gvardiol, Laimer. Exactly the sorts we needed.

Even with proper backing this is a huge job that will take 2-3 years minimum. And with the sort of backing he's getting, we're fucked.

Back Hag. See beyond the players. All eyes and efforts on the Glazers.
User avatar
bman2
Legend
Posts: 4592
Joined: 10 years ago

I'm not making any definitive judgments after one game. But you have to be realistic: nothing worked tactically.

1. No defensive organisation, total shambles at the back.
2. The keeper, the CBs, and the midfielders all looked totally lost trying to play it out from the back, which is supposed to be foundational to TH's tactics.
3. The effort to play Eriksen as a false 9 in the first half was a total failure.
4. The only player who looked like he knew where he was supposed to be positionally was Dalot. The only occasions when we had numbers came from Dalot, in defence as well as in attack.
5. Potter responded to TH's changes very effectively. TH could not respond to Potter's adjustments.
6. TH's subs, especially in terms of timing, were bizarre and counterproductive.
7. The whole side offered no resistance out of possession.

So it was just one game. But he literally got everything wrong and looked totally lost.
User avatar
JoelfuckingGlazer
Legend
Posts: 4026
Joined: 10 years ago

Yeah it wasn't a great debut and he'll need to learn and adapt quickly. I just think he's inherited a complete mess.

Potter is an outstanding coach. He's perhaps the one we should have gone for. He'll be at a bigger club soon.
User avatar
JoelfuckingGlazer
Legend
Posts: 4026
Joined: 10 years ago

What I would also say though, is I remember Peps first season at City. He set about implementing a very different way of playing and started with a MUCH better squad than we've got, and it looked very alien to them for months. Early season they had their arse handed to then a couple of times and looked as open as we did at the weekend. The difference is, Pep was backed properly to overhaul his squad.
User avatar
bman2
Legend
Posts: 4592
Joined: 10 years ago

Yeah I’m not saying he’s going to fail on the back of one defeat. I’m just saying the loss to Brighton was his failure as well as the players’ and the clubs. It wasn’t a good start by him personally, it can’t all be blamed on the shitness around him.
Fuck the Glazers
Legend
Posts: 9900
Joined: 10 years ago

Thing is in the current climate and after a decade of neglect, any criticism of the manager just takes the attention away from the Glazers. They want us focussing on him and specifically his failures so they can shift the blame. This always happens as the season gets going and managers inevitably make mistakes. It's a cycle. We must see the bigger picture.

Even if Hag is shit (some are guilty of thinking he was perfect, faultless), whose fault is that? The Glazers. He'll be yet another unsuitable manager.
Post Reply