22 Apr 2024 13:40:03
Does Rashford have some sort of guarantees in his contract that he can’t be dropped? how can anyone play that badly and never get dropped for dropping 0/ 10 performances weekly, would never see that at other clubs. Also Amad has done so much more in his cameo appearances this season than Antony and Rashford how does he not get a chance to start matches especially after scoring arguably the biggest goal of our season?
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22 Apr 2024 15:19:15
If 22.
I'd be surprised if he is guaranteed starts in his contract but I've really no idea to be honest.
It's a situation that even has the most ardent rashford fans scratching their head.
I usually side with any manager on their team choices because only they know what they are trying to achieve but when it comes to continuous poor contribution over an extended period it becomes indefensible.
All we can do is hope the penny drops soon.
23 Apr 2024 18:12:15
When Eth takes other players off who are trying and leaves Rashford on it must be very demotivating to those staying on the pitch, who know they will have to cover more ground to allow Rash to swan around.
21 Apr 2024 18:57:04
I actually feel embarrassed to win that and gutted for Coventry. One Hag out. Along with A LOT of players.
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22 Apr 2024 12:26:23
Embarrassed to win after being 3-0 up? I don't recall Chelsea being embarrassed the other day after 2 ropey penalties and 8+ minutes added at the end from no-where. Get a grip.
22 Apr 2024 14:22:47
Yes, embarrassed to win after letting a three goal lead go against a Championship side and needing penalties to get over the line.
What have Chelsea got to do with it?
My grip is awesome.
22 Apr 2024 15:47:28
I don't recall ever a premiership team being embarrased to win, certainly not a semi-final. It's not like they are non-league is it. I explained what chelsea have to do with it as an example. What don't you understand or do I need to add pictures? Or is it now we must feel great inner shame for anything Manchester united whatever happens? Coventry had flukey deflection and a questionable penalty given to cause chaos.
Even Lee Dixon said the offside goal should have been given due to "the benefit of doubt". Maybe you should write him a nice letter agreeing with his opinion and sharing your embarressment.
23 Apr 2024 08:00:45
Deflections and dodgy penalties are part and parcel of the game and can be put in the irrelevant basket. Regardless we got away with yet another implosion.
23 Apr 2024 13:15:31
A picture might be nice, yes, as you seem to struggle with writing.
Mentioning that Chelsea weren't embarrassed is just whataboutery. What about Chelsea? They weren't embarrassed. So what? Maybe they should have been. Completely irrelevant.
And yes, I agree with Lee Dixon because I'm not blinded by tribalism. Offside by a toenail is ridiculous whether for or against us. I think writing him a letter might be a bit over the top though. I'll just DM him.
Much love.
21 Apr 2024 17:36:52
Game. Management. They just have no clue. On the bench or pitch.
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21 Apr 2024 19:02:00
Have to agree. I really don't see the point - when you have a very weakened bench - of taking off two young players who have helped you get to 3-0.
I've defended ETH because of all the injuries and controversies he's had to endure this season, but questions have to be asked about what's going on in training that's causing it the crisis.
Anyway I switched the game off at 4-3 thinking we had lost and didn't even realize we had won on PKs until a friend called me! Had we lost I would not have been surprised to see ETH lose his job Monday morning. He might anyway. I'm now firmly in the 'he has to go camp". along with a complete remake of the team. I can't see there's any way back from this debacle.
21 Apr 2024 19:50:35
EtH will remain in charge until the end of the season.
I don't expect to last long after the FA Cup final.
21 Apr 2024 20:25:25
The manager puts the players on the pitch, it's down to them to do their jobs and perform. We done that for 60 odd minutes.
21 Apr 2024 20:45:57
Can’t see any other way. I know some on here want him to stay but surely the evidence is stacked against him at this point. Keeping him would be a hard sell to the fans after what has been a shocking season.
21 Apr 2024 21:12:39
Danny the same manager took out Garnacho who is a big threat on the counter, then removes Mainoo and all control goes from the game.
It’s absolutely baffling.
21 Apr 2024 21:31:08
Yes we did Danny until the manager made daft substitutions that changed the game.
21 Apr 2024 21:51:17
His responsibility does not stop once they are the park! We did it for 60 mins then stopped which is down to him to instill a work ethic and culture.
His game management from tactics to substitutions is awful.
21 Apr 2024 22:20:31
To be fair, I think the introductions of Torp and Tavares, only a little before Garna went off, brought energy to their team and unlocked O'Hare who pushed up to torment our defence.
Taking Mainoo off was the real difference-maker today, bringing Eriksen on when Coventry had only just found their tail was just ridiculous.
I can tell you what player our team missed most today - Fred.
21 Apr 2024 23:32:05
They might be carrying out ETH tactics to the letter, otherwise why don’t he change it, he keeps telling us he sees improvements and it’s a process!
Just face it, he is not up to the required standard, end off no amount of excuses can hide the fact he far out his depth and needs to go back to the standard he is good at, ask yourself when he is sacked within weeks now will any premier league clubs be banging his door down? I think even his hardened supporters know the answer to that!
22 Apr 2024 08:40:50
Ork, so a simple tactical change and he can’t react?
22 Apr 2024 08:53:26
Some dope suggested that Barcelona and bayern had him under consideration. As if 🤣🤣🤣.
22 Apr 2024 11:10:50
Caolan
What do you think he learnt from the single minute between the goal and Kobbie coming off that made his mind up?
I'll tell you what I saw before the 72nd minute - Hojlund being schooled by Championship CBs and having far less impact anywhere on the pitch than McTominay.
If ten Hag was bold, he'd have brought Eriksen on for Hojlund and shifted McTominay up behind Bruno at false 9.
Returning to the substitution -
Why Garna when Rashford was his usual self?
Why Antony and not Amad?
I'm embarrassed by the reality that, at times, we made Coventry look like Liverpool. 8 of our starting 11 have had enough experience to not be exposed so badly in that game - injuries have no bearing whatsoever on that.
I think it's perfectly clear what's happening now, moreso after seeing Hojlund celebrate the penalty with only Eriksen making a conscious effort to celebrate with him - the dressing room is a mess and ten Hag has overseen the collapse of team integrity.
It makes absolutely no difference where the fault lies - it's not just the players, he's a team manager who has evidently no got the midas touch. He's not a coach, he's a manager - he's not done it.
The substitutions alone suggest that he'll position his base opinions and desire of absolute authority above the blatantly obvious qualities of reality that every single fan without blinkers can see.
Don't get me wrong, he's had a proper little rough ride with the investment/ sale shenanigans, the Greenwood situation, Sancho and Ronaldo, but there's more to it and it's just too much now.
As I've said before, I like the guy and I wish him well, but he's just not good enough.
I was a staunch advocate of his because I wanted his honest and earnest approach to succeed, but I am happy to concede that I was wrong.
It is what it is.
We've scraped into the FA Cup Final and there's not a chance we'll win it. We are probably looking at finishing 7th or 8th in the table.
Irrespective of how well run the club might be in the coming years and irrespective of it's commercial power, the pull of the club for players this summer will make the uphill task begin with a sheer side that requires more time and greater focus on strategy to navigate - that is an additional 2 years minimum.
I mean, do we think Boehly wanted to offer such ludicrous contracts to players? Of course he didn't, but he worked on a way around to find a better course.
These costly workarounds that savvy gits like he exploited are being blocked now, so the onus has returned to a more organic build.
Whether people want Potter or not, he is precisely the model of coach we need - one who is happy to leave recruitment to someone else and knuckle down on the coaching and team ethos. Yes, he's not a name that will have clubs clamouring for him, but beyond the financial incentives, we aren't the big draw either.
We fans need to fully appreciate where we are as a club and accept that we're currently nowhere near the top table - that's our reality and it's one that Potter fits, providing the overly expectant/ deluded amongst our fanbase give him a chance.
22 Apr 2024 12:11:46
Ork, the issue with ten hag is he doesn’t learn.
All season we have seen capitulation after capitulation. So leave your best midfield player on for 5/ 10 mins and take the sting out of it completely, and stop the game going 3-2. When mainoo came off, we pretty much gave them a free run at our goal all game.
I don’t get his tactical approach to games, his in game decisions baffle me. You can’t have any form of consistency in results when you allow other teams to create 20+ shots on your goal, it’s actually embarrassing.
We all know this isn’t a title winning side, but we showed a lot more last season, but now the set up and style has drastically changed. I don’t get it. I thought ten hag was capable of hurling a challenging side.
Then I listen to him after a match and it’s just nonsense, if I hear him reference the arsenal game from September again I might scream 😂😂.
On Hojlund, I actually feel for the guy. He works hard, he presses but I think he’s being asked to do a role that he’s not capable of just yet. This is a young kid being asked to be a focal point, who holds the ball uo, backing into defenders. I think with his pace we need to be getting him in behind, we hardly cross a ball for him.
He’s got pace and power, but we don’t get him into areas where he can use that. He should’ve scored at 3-2 yesterday no doubt, but against a championship team we created one chance for our centre forward. I don’t even think haaland would get many goals in this team.
22 Apr 2024 12:53:37
Caolan
Exactly mate.
I used to defend some of his mistakes, but everything has it's limit.
Most mistakes in life can be defended, but only with the condition that the one who has erred has the ability and readiness to learn from a cock up.
Ten Hag has either not learned or he's completely ignorant of reality or he's so arrogant that he still thinks this is moving forward or, simply, he's utterly out of his depth.
It's absolutely one of those 4 and I, because I don't dislike the guy, would prefer to think it's the first - he just hasn't learned.
Hojlund's plight is the prime example. Flanked by Rashford or Garnacho or Antony, he gets next to nothing from them. Ten Hag should be dropping them into the U21s if they refuse to do as they're instructed, even Sancho would ping in a cross.
I suspect there's also a personality clash between Hojlund and the pair of Rashford and Garnacho - everything about the demeanour between them points this way, but it's simply something that a competent manager of people can work through.
I oversee and check off plenty of work done by youngsters. It irritates me, but I accept that the smallest achievement must be met with praise which, while not amounting to much, gives that youngster a jolt of 'You da man' juice and makes them more receptive to further instruction. I hate having to do it, but I've learned that, for a quiet life with happy customers, it's become necessary.
The more experienced people understand this too, but they know there's more to life than words and are paid more because of their experience and knowledge.
One or two of them were previously the types to crave the words, but over time the cream rises and they now understand what really matters when they see their wageslips.
15-20 years ago, I'd have struggled to accept the need to praise the needy, but I've learned - that's just life.
Ten Hag simply hasn't learned.
21 Apr 2024 17:08:07
Why is Anthony so bad? So many backward passes - never wants to run in behind - cuts in a shoots into the defenders.
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22 Apr 2024 12:38:38
Jacko there is a method to his madness you need to understand the process.
He aims off target in the hope it will be deflected on target and wrong foot the keeper.
If eth can have garnaxho for another 12 months he will turn him into another Antony. You see the benefits 4 years of eth coaching in Antony. We just have to be patient and soon we will have 2 Antony's.
21 Apr 2024 16:12:12
Watching first half v Coventry. think I know what the problem is. we are wearing lead boots and lead shirts. The lads have no chance.
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21 Apr 2024 16:20:34
Half time. Game should be done.
If they come out in 2nd half we should be able to pick them off.
21 Apr 2024 18:09:01
That didn't age well🤣🤣🤣.
21 Apr 2024 21:49:39
Classic tumble 🤣.
21 Apr 2024 22:15:36
I dither at times DB we are dealing with a bag of spanners and an absolute nut as a manager.
21 Apr 2024 12:53:52
Onana
Maguire, casemiro, wan bissaka
Dalot amass
Mainoo
Garnacho bruno rashford
Hojlund
Casemiro can then step into midfield and the full backs can bomb forward.
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21 Apr 2024 13:24:11
Wan-Bissaka at CB? God no.
The main reason he has to throw in the incredible tackles is his football brain - his positioning is terrible, as is his reading of the game.
At CB, he would be exposed badly, particularly if he's on the left with the young Amass as support.
I'd much sooner switch him with Dalot in your formation - still far from perfect, but nothing like as disastrous an idea as playing Wan-Bissaka at CB.