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15 Jun 2024 08:52:04
A good friend is friends with someone senior at Peterborough United. Strong links to United through Ferguson and Fry.
Sound bites are that things are far from well under the bonnet with ETH and there are still chances he will not sign contract on terms put forward.
Issues are his own responsibilities (reduced) and concerns over some parts of his coaching setup and his own pragmatism. Also relationship between SJR and ETH is feisty to say the least.
Info a few days old now so he may have signed since. I live in hope.
1.) 15 Jun 2024 11:35:41
???.
2.) 15 Jun 2024 12:06:22
Funny how now the manager is staying and given your clear dislike for the manager that suddenly you have contacts that say things are different to how they are generally reported. Especially as it supports your view.
Very convenient.
3.) 15 Jun 2024 12:14:46
Yet more credible reporters have said that ETH is more than happy with his responsibilities and agrees that the club needs a head of recruitment.
But we’ll take the word of Dave from the Dog and Duck ?.
4.) 15 Jun 2024 12:53:02
Peterborough United? Cracking source/ sauce! ???.
5.) 15 Jun 2024 14:07:47
{Ed002's Note - I have no idea about contract extensions but others they spoke to were not interested in the job. See what happens after the Euros. }
This rumour may well be correct, read what ed002 wrote.
6.) 15 Jun 2024 14:41:19
Don’t think I’ll bother posting in here again.
{Ed002's Note - I'll have your account deleted then.}
7.) 15 Jun 2024 15:55:59
This site is called Manchester United Rumours and you've all jumped on someone who has posted a rumour.
It's not exactly encouraging for people who might want to post a rumour in the future
Thanks for the rumour BRD.
8.) 15 Jun 2024 16:56:57
Let’s hope you’re right, BRD.
With the executive team soon to be making decisions about transfers and tactics, we need a coach who can get those ideas across and keep the players motivated: two things that Ten Haag has proven to be woefully incapable of doing.
Aside from his very public spats with Sancho and Ronaldo, it sounds like he’s had bust ups with Varane, Cas, Rashford, and Antony, at the very least. If the guy can’t even get on with the signings he chooses, it seems somewhat unlikely that he’ll do any better with somebody else calling the shots.
9.) 15 Jun 2024 19:54:39
Mancman, it isn't a rumour, it is a fictitious piece of garbage from someone who doesn't like a decision.
Read the last sentence.
'I live in hope'
Wow.
In the words of Red from Shawshank redemption, 'Hope will get you killed'
10.) 15 Jun 2024 21:17:28
Nah Jimbo Red, I doubt someone would invent something that random. Why can't we just take the rumour in good faith? BRD would have to be a really saddo to make up and post something like that.
Plus it reads to me that he hopes Ten Hag has signed a contract.
11.) 15 Jun 2024 22:07:45
Jimbobred
I saw something the other day that mentioned his assistant rubs a lot of people up the wrong way and had run ins with McLaren so to me it doesn't sound like he has made it all up.
12.) 15 Jun 2024 22:48:22
Sign the contact or don’t sign. that's up to ETH. Reckon he’ll be gone by Xmas either way.
13.) 16 Jun 2024 00:48:07
Jimbo you’re arguing with the same person across multiple accounts here. It isn’t worth your time.
14.) 16 Jun 2024 01:17:03
Lol and so it begins.
15.) 16 Jun 2024 08:02:49
Am inclined to believe United and ETH more a marriage of convenience at the moment: INEOS clearky couldn’t get their first choice and have settled with ETH for now.
However, reports about end of season review apparently highlighted the following concerns about ETH:
1. Communication issues, with some players not understanding his instructions or even buying into the repetitive way he tried to drill them in.
2. Inflexible and unwilling to take on board advice from other coaches. Be a problem for new United structure.
3. Desire to have power with transfers etc; not willing to forego veto he currently has.
Thus, unless ETH signs a contract that addresses these issues, he will surely leave sooner rather than later.
I also think that this is linked to INEOS treading water and not making such an important decision until Ashworth arrives, maybe in the Autumn.
So thanks for your rumour BRD: really wouldn’t surprise me if ETH does go soon.
(Also, snippet from Ed002 post about see what happens after the Euros…)
16.) 16 Jun 2024 08:39:17
nothing changes. Those who wanted him gone will be out in full force after every bad result and those who wanted him to continue will focus more on the positives, that's football.
I think people using player issues as stick to beat the manager is clutching at straws as there seems to be an issue with every manager and some of these players, who want to run riot at the club and ill disciplined and suspect the review has highlighted that given some of the statements that has come out from Ineos.
One thing for sure many of the players put in major shifts for him and most are the ones people really like and the untouchable group.
Still waiting for clubs to line up to buy this so called incredible player Sancho for a fraction of what we paid for him who eth has ruined or been responsible for the fall out supposedly :)
Personally hope we get a lot of outs and 4 maybe 5 quality ins. I trust with a better group of players he will do exceptionally well.
I don't believe all the stories circulating about a 35 to 50 mill budget. it's stirring the pot as usual when it comes to united. The 2021 financials, which were very bad drop out come end of June and we should have a much higher budget on transfers. If we can shift players would not surprise me to see 200 mill spend.
Here is to hoping we get a lot of key things done this summer.
17.) 16 Jun 2024 08:50:37
Yet you feel its worth your time replying wazza? Not the brightest bulb are ya.
18.) 16 Jun 2024 08:59:04
redseven
If you are referring to the story circulating about cas being unhappy we went for Hoiland and not Kane or were late to chase rice. Those were club decisions.
Also if you are referring to Antony being a twat and being unhappy when asked to play left back late in a game with the team having no left back most of the season and think that's okay then that's a strange view and doubt at most other top clubs it would be tolerated. Camavingha played left back for real season before last including the semis against city.
And if rash is unhappy for being asked to play wide because we bought a young striker who plays down the middle and also help defensively. Or sanch and ronaldo both ignoring instructions to press the ball and wanting to do their own thing, I guess we have a different philosophy all together when it comes to management, players and what's acceptable behavior and what is not.
Clutching at straws mate. at least wait until we lose a game before it starts:)
19.) 16 Jun 2024 10:42:43
Ahmad, you are absolutely right about the players having problems with successive managers.
It makes you wonder how some can defend the players.
The latest rumours are Varane and Casemiro being unhappy that training at Manchester United is different to at Real Madrid. I do wonder if these players have a few brain cells to rub together between them.
It should be perfectly obvious that if you choose to move employer, you are going to be expected to learn new policies and procedures. That is true whether you are a footballer or an office worker. The response to these players should be swift, you’re not at Real Madrid now, you chose to switch employer, and now you adapt to our way of working.
20.) 16 Jun 2024 10:42:50
Noted Wazza, thanks for the heads up. Can probably pick the other account names!
21.) 16 Jun 2024 11:08:13
Just a guess Jimbo due to the broken record that’s playing.
22.) 16 Jun 2024 11:11:08
Ahmad. Funny how they always seem to be “club decisions” when it suits your narrative.
And we’ve already lost more than enough games, thanks. Fact is, we’ve been awful since the Carabao Cup final back in January 2023, and were it not for Rashford’s unprecedented purple patch, Ten Haag would have been out the door last summer rather than this one. Hopefully, one of INEOS’s main targets becomes available before the start of the season and we can finally start to rebuild.
23.) 16 Jun 2024 14:53:31
redseven
You are clutching at straws. get used to seeing him as the manger and i suspect for a lot longer than you think. You are referring to the Laurie Whitwell article from the athletic, which is very detailed from the start of eth tenure. Funny how you take bits and pieces to suit your argument that is far from some of the core issues at the club that sounds unbelievable. my take was the manager is the least of our problems and many things to get fixed before you get to the manager.
24.) 16 Jun 2024 21:31:02
Everyone bashed the OP. Only for ETH to come out today to confirm that the issues with the new contract persist.
25.) 17 Jun 2024 06:46:25
He said they still have to find an agreement on the new contract. This isn’t news.
26.) 17 Jun 2024 08:20:05
Just hope INEOS not stalling for time to bring Ashworth and Southgate in, so they can rebuild United replicating the process they took with England…
Southgate might get on well with the players but, as witnessed last night, he seems to really lack in-game management and the nous to make changes.
27.) 17 Jun 2024 10:55:58
Wallace, gets on well with the players, lacks in-game management etc. Kind of reminds you of another manager we had recently doesn't it?
Honestly, I'm dreading the possibility of Southgate as manager. If we are going to have a manager purely based on his ability to keep the players happy, we should bring Ole back. I still believe that while he certainly wasn't good enough, he could have improved in those areas, arguably had even started to, and I'd much rather suffer through a couple of years of him while he learns to make changes during a match than have Southgate.
For the record, I'm not seriously advocating bringing OGS back (although I wouldn't be as opposed to it as many would I suspect), just ponting out the irony of Southgate being a rumoured target, when he's got such similar weaknesses to Ole, and IMO isn't any better of a manager.
09 Dec 2020 11:46:56
Phil Jones links to Newcastle surface again. Something went so badly wrong with this guy. A major lesson to be learnt by the club as oozed potential. Now, the more pressing question is how much better than Jones is Maguire? No joke. The gap is not as big as we'd like or hope.
1.) 09 Dec 2020 13:03:02
The gap is huge, one is on the pitch training and playing, the other is on the treatment table. His injuries ruined any chance he had, just never got a good full season.
2.) 09 Dec 2020 13:03:20
I've always called Maguire the fully fit version of Phil Jones. Maguire is just as calamitous as Jones.
The question is, does OGS have the balls to drop his underperformers.
3.) 09 Dec 2020 13:04:06
If I remember correctly we tried to sign Jones that same season you did and when that didn't work we went with Henderson. Seemed a huge mistake @ the time.
4.) 09 Dec 2020 13:24:57
Mad Hatter, doesn’t seem so. It mystifies me how Tuanzebe has not featured more after his performance away to PSG. He made Mbappe look ordinary and Lindelof better. Price tags matter at United. Only conclusion that can be drawn.
5.) 09 Dec 2020 17:21:55
Why is Jones anything to do with Henderson? Both different positions.
6.) 10 Dec 2020 08:28:42
Not sure Maguire is an £80m upgrade on Smalling though for example.
7.) 10 Dec 2020 15:04:40
BRD,
I agree with you. i'd quite like to see how a Bailly and Tuanzebe partnership would work. The problem is players come back from injuries and don't get game time for ages. Then they get thrown in at the deep end and get slated for notnpkaying well, when they haven't played enough games to be match sharp. I remember when OGS put Bailly at RB against Barcelona. He hadn't played any football prior to then as he had been injured.
BadRedDevil's banter posts with other poster's replies to BadRedDevil's banter posts
26 Oct 2024 22:11:02
I think I’ve got this right.
Ten Hag sold a left-back, refused to use an emergency loan left-back and let him go, even though the other two left-backs have been injured for most of the season. So, what does he do next? He sells a right-back, moves our Player of the Season right-back to left-back, then signs a new right-back, and then plays that new right-back in the No. 10 role.
1.) 26 Oct 2024 22:36:26
Ah yes, but we do have Lindelof.
2.) 27 Oct 2024 00:00:51
I don’t believe ETH much say anymore in sales and purchases.
3.) 27 Oct 2024 08:10:10
Didn’t Amrabat say ETH wanted to keep him but you have to speak with Wilcox as to why we didn’t keep him?!
4.) 27 Oct 2024 10:21:24
To be fair, I don't think ETH made the decision to sell AWB and not buy a left back.
Dalot actually spent most of his time at Milan on loan at left back. Not his strongest side, yet not unfamiliar to him. But it should only be a temporary solution.
I also don't think it's fair to criticise him over using Mazraoui for one game in the 10 position when we only had 3 midfielders in the squad. Mazraoui has also played in that role before. Not ideal, but it was very much square pegs in round holes against Fenerbahce.
5.) 27 Oct 2024 13:12:54
I think it's obvious why we didn't keep him he was well below average. All his stats from last season were below average.
6.) 28 Oct 2024 09:01:32
Kurtis,
We had Amad and Hojlund on the bench and one of the aforementioned 3 midfielders also on the bench, we very very much can criticise him for playing a right back in the number 10, it’s baffling. If you don’t have a number 10 maybe just for once change the formation to suit the players you do have, go 2 up top or a back 3, this insistence on the 4-2-3-1 will be the hill he dies on, it’s stagnant and boring and if it was getting results people might cut him some slack, but it’s not.
10 Oct 2024 17:34:00
United board waiting it out seems depressingly sensible. It’s going to test their backbone and our patience though as I don’t see things getting any better under ETH. Certainly not enough to get ECL through any route. How many times in the PL era can you remember a manager being at the brink and then turning things around to the point of winning the PL?
So, there’s little to gain by sacking him early if a potentially dire season is acceptable. Ruud awaits but protecting a young manager is no less important than doing the same for a young player. I’d hate to see him thrown in to such a difficult scenario. Succession planning is vital as we’ve experienced. Ruud could be taking the reins in 5 or 10 years. The boot room approach worked in Liverpool for many appointments. Would be great if we could do the same.
I’m hoping the wait means the board have target (s) in mind. Time to plan for their arrival including future player recruitment. City did exactly that for Pep.
The big question for me is who will be available and willing to work under a DoF? Seems Tuchel would be in place if he was. Suggests anybody else with similar expectations of the role will be excluded.
1.) 10 Oct 2024 19:16:20
I agree BrD it's going to be a long haul and a slow death unless they can get who the want now then it's probably best to sit it out.
2.) 10 Oct 2024 20:00:41
Someone explain to me why Tuchel would be a good move. He's fallen out with every club he's been at and he doesn't have a particularly great record. I'm really not seeing it.
3.) 10 Oct 2024 20:08:04
It feels like we’ve died multiple times only to be resuscitated to go through it all again.
4.) 10 Oct 2024 21:58:19
BadRedDevil, I think you're on the money there.
The difference between the people running the club and the fans has to be perspective. As fans we tend to have a short term view on things. We are worried about what we see today.
The owners have to have a longer term view of where we are going and how we get there.
While it doesn't look like it will be an enjoyable season for us fans, it probably is the short term pain we need to suck up to be able to get to long term success.
There is little to be gained from swerving violently left and right in an attempt to avoid every pothole in the road.
If the right manager isn't available right now then hiring the wrong one is likely to make more problems than it solves.
Fans will cry out for an interim manager, which again highlights the fans short term perspective.
Yet we've seen the issues that can come with hiring interim managers. Ole was one, and he had a good new manager bounce, was a club legend and it became a tricky situation where it was easier to give him the job permanently than to hire someone else. The players liked him, the fans liked him and he was riding a wave of positivity in the media.
But ultimately he wasn't the right man for the job.
Do the club really want to run that risk with Ruud? If he isn't the right man long term then they run the risk of him having a good new manager bounce and as a club legend the fans will again want him to get the job permanently. Placing the owners in a no win situation.
Do what the fans want a hire the wrong man which will ultimately lead to failure. Or snub a club legend and hire someone else who the fans are not likely to ever give a fair chance to as he took the opportunity away from a beloved club legend. That lack of support will make it difficult for that new manager, even if he's a great candidate.
The only way they don't back themselves into a corner with hiring someone like Ruud as an interim manager is if he fails just as badly at EtH and needs replacing.
Yet if that is the best case scenario then why sack EtH and incur huge costs?
No as depressing as it might be the best course of action right now is to stick to their guns and hope things improve with EtH.
Sacking him can only be a last resort if the situation becomes totally untenable.
5.) 11 Oct 2024 06:36:49
Brentford H, Fenerbahçe A, West Ham A, Leicester H, Chelsea H, PAOK H, Leicester H.
I guess the board will be hoping with 4 home matches before the next international break the form can improve.
With our current patchy performances could anyone pick a result from these fixtures.
6.) 11 Oct 2024 06:37:29
Everything atm is conjecture as it seems no one has a faintest idea. Those who went out on a ledge and said sack decision was coming are now back pedaling and coming up with their latest version of bs. Then there is people like Ornstein who seem to have access to club and are provided info that the club wants out there without making any statements themselves.
All the rumours about Tuchel is suspect at best imo. They obviously met in the summer and it did not happen. There are various versions of it and i don't believe for a second it was about his salary which was floating around a while ago. one that sounds more plausible is that he wanted control on recruitment. If that is true then he will never happen as that's the thing we have been criticized for and many wanted a proper structure on recruitment and many of you here think the manger should have very little say.
I highly doubt we went through the saga to land Dan Ashworth to then completely undermine him and turn him into a christmas tree ornament no matter who the manager is.
People should stop and think that maybe the new leadership is a lot more calm about things even though we have had a very poor start to the season. After all they have 100x more inside info on what is going on why we have performed poorly, what are the remedies etc etc etc
One thing for sure is that they do not agree with this narrative that eth is all wrong or they would not hesitate to pull the plug in my opinion.
They are a very experienced group of people and some of the best minds in football and hate to bust people bubble who think they know better but you really don't.
Eth was getting a lot of slack for using the term rotation. It seems we have injuries across the board and that might have been why we are seeing players coming in and out. Its so easy to criticize things without being on the inside and knowing the details.
7.) 11 Oct 2024 08:40:21
All sensible and fair comments Ahmad but the bottom line is that at the moment and for a long time now this Utd manager has been unable to create a cohesive team which plays good football with real desire to win. If I was working for a company and producing poor performances week after week I don't think it would be long before I was sacked.
8.) 11 Oct 2024 09:09:56
Good post Ahmad.
But Salford would the company sack you without a forward plan in place and risk that a knee-jerk replacement proves to be worse than you? There's the difference between fans and the board we now have in place at the club. I don't suggest that ETH is our saviour, although he may yet prove to be, to sack him without future planning sees us simply in yet another rinse and repeat situation which is guaranteed to repeat itself ad infinitum.
9.) 11 Oct 2024 10:23:38
An interim at this stage of the season would be an error imo. If they can't get the right man they have no option but to stick and I think they will and should.
If the right man is available I'd rather him go in now.
An interim should only be a holder for a few games. I never like interim appointments in any business unless it's to cover illness or mat leave.
10.) 11 Oct 2024 14:31:17
Call me mad and it’s Friday afternoon, no drink yet. However, if they have someone lined up for next summer they must be good to hold a line based on what ETH has produced so far.
I know rumours are out there about Xabi Alonso however, would or could the absolute unthinkable be a possibility. Pep contract is up at the end of the season, one of his comrades from Barcelona has left City and Berradi joined United. Then there are the unresolved charges.
It feels so unlikely yet no one has mentioned Pep as an option. Yep cart me off.
11.) 11 Oct 2024 14:54:15
Every other manager in the world is a compromise on pep.
As you say the longest of long shots but unless we get him we have not got the best coach,
Assuming he is not coming they will get hopefully one of the next best.
12.) 11 Oct 2024 14:55:15
I know Pep loves a project, but he’s won it all and doesn’t need this one. more likely to do a Klopp and take some time out before taking a more overarching role somewhere.
13.) 11 Oct 2024 17:50:09
The City fans would be furious. All seven of them.
14.) 12 Oct 2024 07:39:54
Can’t see it. Not sure I’d want to. We should have got him from the outset.
15.) 12 Oct 2024 07:40:10
It would be the toughest thing to happen to City fans in their 14 year history.
25 Sep 2024 22:22:10
Swap the managers around and United win. Plain and simple. Sick of this fraud. We had home advantage and at the risk of sounding arrogant the best players.
Result. Draw. Of course. City. Liverpool. Arsenal. Villa. Spurs. Brighton. Newcastle. All win this comfortably.
1-0 up and he sends Garnacho on and tells him “Defend, defend, defend”. Jesus wept.
1.) 25 Sep 2024 23:12:40
'They wanted it more their players fight for everything we didn't' that's what our manager bloke said.
I think our next 3 are spurs Porto and villa.
He needs to sort it out and quickly we can't afford to lose any of those 3 games.
2.) 26 Sep 2024 06:04:28
One nil up at home against what is regarded as a minnow, his tactical instructions to Garnacho, probably our most vibrant attacker, as heard by Hargreaves himself, defend defend defend. It’s hard to comprehend. That goes against everything the club stands for. SAF must be shaking his head. I certainly am.
Anaemic, afraid to lose, trying to hold onto a one goal lead at home. Unbelievable, unacceptable yet again.
Spurs next and anything other than a win and he must go. Sorry I am not going to buy this dross beyond that. He MUST now show he is a United standard manager, dominate Spurs, playing attacking football score goals and win. Come out fighting, No more of this dross.
3.) 26 Sep 2024 06:27:26
People still believe he will do better. 3 years and half bilion pounds later, we still average.
4.) 26 Sep 2024 06:53:26
@Tumble. There’s zero chance we don’t lose at least one of those three. Possibly two.
5.) 26 Sep 2024 06:58:24
How very dare you attack the tactical master? Wash your mouths out!
6.) 26 Sep 2024 07:11:06
@ brd. We just need a change of luck. ??.
7.) 26 Sep 2024 08:44:16
Lads, we can’t expect to beat a side of Twente’s calibre with our left back out injured….
In all seriousness, it’s a shambles. Keeping him was a terrible decision and he needs moved on.
8.) 26 Sep 2024 08:59:30
never really been a fan of sacking managers but this guy is getting hard to support!
think his "vote of confidense "was born out of replacement being somewhat not so great" but he has to go. Consistantly poor team set up players only partially coming to the party and tactically. rubbish.
the options are
zidane, don't think it would work he has only managed a winning team that most could simply manage
tuchel- a problematic personality
potter and southgate --just no
a decent shout could be max allegri?
thought he would last till xmas given fixtures and transfers he got in the summer but doubt he will last past the next international break.
9.) 26 Sep 2024 09:13:25
As boyzone said, it’s better when you say nothing at all. ?.
10.) 26 Sep 2024 09:21:56
How many times have we heard “they just wanted it more” during Ten Haag’s tenure? I’m sick of it. We’ve changed the players and the management structure at the club but still the same problems persist. It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the culprit. The man can’t manage, can’t motivate, and refuses to take responsibility for his many mistakes.
We’ve reached a point where I’d rather see Southgate in the dugout than this pretender, which really is saying something. Ten Haag isn’t fit to manage a McDonald’s, so unless he’s come to clean the bathrooms, he has no business being at one of the biggest football clubs in the world.
11.) 26 Sep 2024 09:30:27
I don't see us winning any of those games.
12.) 26 Sep 2024 10:17:52
A poor result, Utd should be beating this calibre of side in Europe especially at home as there are far trickier ties to come.
The next three games are definitely harder on paper than our last three. We tend to rise to the occasion when we're expected to lose and flunk our lines in the games we're expected to win.
13.) 26 Sep 2024 12:19:17
Remember everyone "we must stick to the plan".
What f**king plan Eric?
It's absolute dross!
I can see us loosing the next 3 games.
Im sick to death of him now.
22 Sep 2024 09:02:08
Liverpool - Defeat
Brighton - Defeat
Palace - Draw
Southampton - Win
Barnsley - Win
The table never lies. Defines the pedigree of ETH quite nicely.
1.) 22 Sep 2024 09:52:31
BRD,
You throwing your toys out of your pram.
2.) 22 Sep 2024 13:33:49
BRD, the table never lies only when all the games have been played.
As always you like to remove any and all context to support your rhetoric.
The Liverpool game is the only game where we played badly. We started well and were the better side for the first 15 minutes or so. But then Liverpool slowly got a hold of the game, scored a quick souple of goals and our confidence crumbled. That was poor and no one is saying any differently.
We should have beaten Fulham far more comfortably than we did, wasting 2 or 3 really good chances.
The game against Brighton we were sucker punched, we had the better of the chances and shaded them in terms of performance. But got caught in extra time. That was unlucky.
We were far and away the better team against Palace, but came up against a man of the match performance from our former academy keeper Dean Henderson, while we should have done better with a couple of the chances we had.
This season in the EPL we are currently:
4th for touches of the ball.
3rd for number of passes.
6th for possession.
5th for number of shots.
1st for number of "big chances" missed.
Joint 2nd for number of times we've hit the woodwork.
Joint 2nd with Arsenal for clean sheets.
Onana has gone from 2nd most saves made in the league last season to currently 16th. Due to being much better defensively.
We are 2nd in the league for expected goals (xG), if you understand that stat.
Yet despite all those stats highlighting where we rank in terms of many different performance based metrics we are 11th in the table.
I assure you at this stage of the season the table very much lies.
The managers job is to come up with tactics, game plan and team selection to support the team performance. Yet results often depend on individual performance and not the team performance.
For us so far this season we have been let down by individual players finishing. Players presented with good opportunities but they fail to capitalise on them.
The team have played well, or at least well enough in all the matches, bar the Liverpool game, to win all of them.
Based on performances this season we deserved to beat Palace, get a bare minimum of a draw with Brighton, possibly a win. We should have also got an extra goal or two against Fulham to improve that goal difference.
That would give us a minimum of an extra 3 points and put us on par with Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle (4th, 5th and 6th), or maybe an extra 5 points and put us level with Liverpool, City and Villa (1st, 2nd and 3rd) .
But we aren't there, and that is down to players not taking good chances created for them. That is down to individual players and not the manager.
3.) 22 Sep 2024 14:01:06
If you don't see or recognize a major positive change in terms of everything we are doing and patterns of play, you are blinded by your personal bias towards the manager.
4.) 22 Sep 2024 14:22:28
saves, shots xG etc does not cut it Shappy, we do not have an out and out goal scorer. There are only 4 teams who have scored fewer goals than us this season and three other teams tied with us on 5 apiece.
ETH will be gone soon enough, as we do not score anywhere near enough goals, our goal difference is 0, probably only as we have strengthened the defence, and are not as open in midfield.
If you do not score goals yon cannot win games, no matter what the stats say, end of really. We have not really addressed the goal scoring situation in the past 3 - 5 years. Zirkzee is another hopeful to go alongside Hojlund, he is 23 and should be ripping it up by now.
It is just not good enough, we need and should have several proven goal scorers, we are Man Utd, renowned for entertaining football. Fergie always had options upfront, at this present moment in time we do not.
5.) 22 Sep 2024 14:31:02
I will skweem, and skweeem, and skweem. (stamps feet loudly)
6.) 22 Sep 2024 15:12:17
Jrred, only Liverpool have created more chances to score than us so far this season.
Let that sink in for a minute.
We have created more chances than Arsenal, City, Spurs, Chelsea, Newcastle and Villa.
All teams that have been praised this season for their good play and form, and rightly so for the most of it.
Yes we could do with a world class striker. Ashworth should have popped down to the local ASDA where they have shelves and shelves of them.
Seriously the 36m we spent on Zirkzee was all we had to spend on a striker this summer. The only way to spend more would have been to not buy one of MdL or Ugarte. Both of which were needed.
So which world class strikers do you think we could have signed this summer?
The reality is there are very few top end strikers available, we were not the only team looking for one this summer, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, and AC Milan were all looking for a new striker, and none of them signed one better than Zirkzee or at all in most cases.
If there was a top class striker available this summer all those clubs would have likely been ahead of us in the queue for them as well.
Your suggestion that EtH should be sacked because the players he has aren't good enough seems an odd one.
Surely if we don't have good enough players that is on the club and not the manager.
The manager has devised a system, tactics and a game plan that is consistently producing good chances for our forwards. He has done everything he can to support the players, but he can't kick the ball for them.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and likewise we cannot rebuild the squad in one summer. No matter who the club signed this summer there was going to be holes in the squad and areas of clear weakness. In light of so few good options up front they have chosen to rebuild other areas of the squad where they could bring in quality players.
Maybe next summer a top class striker is available and we can move for them, or maybe there won't be and we will need to continue developing the players we have.
Still no point crying over things that cannot be changed.
{Ed001's Note - Gyokeres was available in the summer.}
7.) 22 Sep 2024 15:30:47
Ed001, so was Santiago Gimenez, yet no one was prepared to pay what it would have cost to get them.
United definitely didn't have the funds without making concessions elsewhere.
For United to sign Gyokeres it would have meant not signing both of Zirkzee and Yoro and use those funds on Gyokeres instead.
In the short term maybe that would have been a good idea, but long term I think United made the right choice with Yoro and Zirkzee.
{Ed001's Note - not a chance, you are deluded if you think that. I like Zirkzee but you needed Gyokeres not him and he would have made much more difference to you. He is a goalscorer.
Not sure what Giminez has to do with anything, other than you trying to pull meaningless names out of a hat to prove some non-existent point.}
8.) 22 Sep 2024 16:06:47
We have had trouble converting big chances for a number of seasons, not sure why it still hasn't been solved.
My personal bug bear however is the lack of movement off the ball when in possession, it is far too static.
9.) 22 Sep 2024 17:39:22
I'm not going to paste a pre-copied list of strikers here, but I'm sure if a few months ago we were asked to come up with handful of options to spend £40m I'm sure Joshua Zirkzee wouldn't have been on anyone's list. It feels like nothing more than a Dutch connection to me. We are not feared with this selection of attacking players. Maybe that will change if we can continue with this better run and confidence grows. As long as we don't see that ridiculous Mount/ Fernandes pairing again maybe there's a glint of light at the end of the tunnel.
10.) 22 Sep 2024 18:02:44
Rhetoric. Get a grip Shappy. It’s my opinion driven by the facts of our season so far. Deluded belief based on victories against Barnsley and Southampton.
Then ETH drops the only in-form goal scorer we have. Then what happens? 0-0. Absolute shambles of a manager.
11.) 22 Sep 2024 18:09:17
I did expect Rashy to start based on the Barnsley game but to be fair Garnacho also played well in that game, and we've all been crying out for Diallo to start more, so something had to give.
12.) 22 Sep 2024 18:37:47
Sounds like a wake here. We drew and played really well. on another day we win 3-0. we are creating chances with a team that has quite a few new players in it that just getting their feet wet. Take stock after 10 games and midway through the season imo. until then let it develop.
I am very optimistic goals will come, these players are too good to keep missing. Making life difficult for ourselves atm but like a lot of things I am seeing.
13.) 22 Sep 2024 18:47:37
So our top goalscorer Spenno?
The team needed a victory. A decent one, not just the should-easily-be-beaten if we think we’re as good as we believe we are.
ETH talked about rotating players. For what exactly? Twente? Give me a break. Palace was the much bigger game and our inability to score cost us again. Maybe though ETH knows he won’t get top-4 so prioritising Europa?
Rashford should have played and then rested in the week ready for Spurs.
Like many I’m frustrated by Rashford. But. He was the most in-form fit striker we had. ETH instead (having spent months trying to get the guy in form) tries to be cute. He benches him. Yet again he derails any chance of progress with his selections.
Really don’t care what jibes are thrown my way. ETH is not a top-tier manager and never will be.
{Ed077's Note - in reference to the discussion on strikers above, We didn't fail to score against Palace because our Striker was poorin fact Zirkzee helped create chances and should have had an assist or 2 but our other players failed to score from the chances he, and others, had created.
14.) 22 Sep 2024 20:21:58
Now they all want rashy to start lol. if he starts they all complain because amad or garna get dropped. Honestly can't make this stuff up.
15.) 22 Sep 2024 21:40:34
If it don’t go in the net it ain’t a goal!
Quote stats all you like but the one that counts is goals. Simple fact.
16.) 23 Sep 2024 08:22:13
KEEFYT7143, that is what I was saying above, you can use all the stats you want but if you do not score a goal you ain't going to win, simples!
Shappy thanks for the quote of 'only Liverpool have created more chances to score than us so far this season', that is exactly my point, stats are meaningless, basically created and promoted by marketing gurus of TV and betting companies.
17.) 23 Sep 2024 09:26:31
Amen to that jrred.
11 Sep 2024 21:03:08
Feels like time for a poll Eds.
ETH in or out?
{Ed033's Note -
ETH in or out poll
1.) 11 Sep 2024 22:30:27
It depends on the 8 weeks. Too early to say.
2.) 12 Sep 2024 10:04:13
It's not been a strong start to the season, but then it never has been under EtH. Even in his first season where he did well, all things considered.
There has been a massive upheaval over the summer, lots of players leaving, a massive reshaping of the squad, almost an entire new coaching staff, new people up and down the club and a new structure.
There was always a good chance that it would take a little while for the ship to stop rocking and for us to find a new groove.
I don't think anything can or should be done this side of Christmas unless we go in to full meltdown.
The reality is that many of our best players are young, and young players struggle for consistency, while we have very few experienced players with enough quality to carry them.
From what I've seen we haven't been anywhere near good enough, yet we have been better than last season and you can see some of the new ideas in spells during games.
It'll take time to perfect it and to bring up the players confidence and consistency in what they are being asked to do.
Unfortunately I think we need the one thing football fans lack, patience.
3.) 12 Sep 2024 11:04:25
Ah, patience. In terms of the EtH era, and in particular everything that has happened in the last 6 months, we need to allow things to settle and see where we are in another season or two.
Add up every era post SAF era however, and it's easy to see why patience is being tested. In the grand scheme of things we've won a couple of cups in this period, but because the golden age of Fergie was so great and doesn't seem such distant history, the drop-off has been immense, and the football has been consistently poor under each subsequent manager.
Fortunately it feels as if we are definitely doing things differently this time round and there is a lot of experience around the manager. I do believe things will come good but there has to be an immediate improvement in style or the manager may not be the benefactor of everything positive happening around him.
4.) 12 Sep 2024 14:03:03
Depends on for whom .?
14 Oct 2024 19:07:09
Nowhere near good enough.
12 Oct 2024 19:50:33
Is anybody going to ask the obvious question?
15 Jun 2024 14:41:19
Don’t think I’ll bother posting in here again.
{Ed002's Note - I'll have your account deleted then.}
13 Jun 2024 07:50:35
I can understand keeping him on a year. Perplexed by the 2-year extension.
If as rumours are circulating he still has demands for transfer and tactical control before signing then it’s a disaster if the club cave on these. He’s shown questionable ability in both areas. In particular tactical nous against a low block which for me is why we won’t get top-4.
I’m curious Eds if any of you have the time. Did Wilcox have any influence on tactics for Cup Final? The switch to a false nine the game before seems to be credited to him in some quarters.
{Ed002's Note - I really don't know.}
28 May 2024 12:37:01
How have they had 'months' @Shawthing? It's only just finished! They just can't win. Moan when they wait and you would have moaned if they didn't.
17 Jan 2025 12:41:47
Superb thread.
13 Dec 2024 11:12:53
What has Yoro done to deserve that.
12 Dec 2024 12:17:35
I thought a while back that Rashfiord was following Wellbeck's path as a striker. Patently not true. Wellbeck is a grafter and humble with it. If only Rashford was blessed with those traits.
Wellbeck has found his home and I'm delighted for him. I only hope the same happens for Rashford sooner rather than later. He's clearly unhappy despite all the lifestyle trappings.
14 Nov 2024 14:00:16
I hope and sense not. I think with squad turnover, changes to football leadership and players aware of some supporter discontent that they know it's s**t or bust for them now.
I still maintain that we are yet to have an experienced, approachable, tactically astute manager that it also a good communicator in place for many, many years. Given all of these factors hopefully there will be a more positive environment for players to step up.
12 Nov 2024 11:49:49
Completely agree. Moving RvN on was the right thing to do. Last thing these players need is somebody in the coaching staff they can go to whining to.