Manchester United Seasonal Blog 2022/23 - the Erik ten Hag era

[thebillfella]

EtH has started his tenure early so feels like a good time to put a line under last season's blog and kick off the new era with a fresh blog.

Lots of positive noise and early actions already to address the multitude of root and branch problems to address - already feeling very different to the Woowar tenure.

I know some disagreed with me in thinking he was the better option than Poch, but I'm fairly positive still about his appointment and what he is already doing / planning to do.

A very busy summer ahead it would seem.

[murf]

Spookily, I was just listening to The The and reading their lyrics as I did so.

Think this one kinda fits:

"This is the day, your life will surely change
This is the day, when things fall into place"

but

"All the money in the world couldn't buy back those days"

and

"....you're left alone with your memories
That hold your life together, like glue"

https://www.flashlyrics.com/lyrics/the- ... the-day-69

The Premier League needs more real strength in depth, lets see how it goes.....

[forestfan]

Yeah, a strong(er) United would definitely be good for the league. Liverpool are punching above their financial weight and currently the only thing preventing the Bayernisation of the Premier League in Man City’s favour. Obviously Newcastle could be an emerging force and Chelsea will want to keep their seat at the top table under new ownership… but the more strong contenders the better, really.

[blahblah]

Spookily, I was just listening to The The and reading their lyrics as I did so.

Think this one kinda fits:

"This is the day, your life will surely change
This is the day, when things fall into place"

but

"All the money in the world couldn't buy back those days"

and

"....you're left alone with your memories
That hold your life together, like glue"

https://www.flashlyrics.com/lyrics/the- ... the-day-69

The Premier League needs more real strength in depth, lets see how it goes.....

"I used to be indecisive,
But now I'm not so sure"

[blahblah]

Yeah, a strong Ipswich would definitely be good for the league. Liverpool are punching above their financial weight and currently the only thing preventing the Bayernisation of the Premier League in Man City’s favour. Obviously Newcastle could be an emerging force and Chelsea will want to keep their seat at the top table under new ownership… but the more strong contenders the better, really.

Well anyone else so it isn't a competition for 1 or 2 Clubs...

[Darbyand]

3 or 4 priority (so don't say all 11) positions you'd like to strengthen and who you'd realistically like to see come in, go.

[blahblah]

At least 1 21st Century CB ie Rio not Terry.
Rice would be excellent as he can play DM very well, and he could play a hybrid CB/DM role.

I'm still surprised/shocked AWB hasn't been tried at CB.

Kanye, arguably the best player in the Prem since Make

Others are formation based, and which positions the Academy can cover.

DdG only plays League matches, with Henderson playing all Cup matches as a trial for next season.

[forestfan]

Spine of the team is still key. Centre back, midfield general and striker. And obviously in goal there’s a call to make, is De Gea still the man for the next few years, is Henderson on track to succeed him, or does Ten Hag need to do what Pep did at City and say sorry, but I’m bringing in my type of keeper?

[Darbyand]

I think ddg gets close to £400,000 a week in his current contract so doubt he's going anywhere anytime soon. I get the modern trend for sweeper keepers but I think that position is some way down the list. I'd agree with forestfan plus a right back.

[thebillfella]

3 or 4 priority (so don't say all 11) positions you'd like to strengthen and who you'd realistically like to see come in, go.

First priority is to bring in leaders to help the manager whip the dressing room into shape - guys with a serial winner mentality who won't allow certain individuals to lower their standards at any point or accept mediocrity. Players the younger generation especially look up to for inspiration and guidance.

These tend to be spine players more often than not as they tend to be the ones in the thick of the battle more.

Priority number one remains, some 10 years later, the ball winning all round central midfield general. And if we are to play a high line high tempo high press, then in this day and age you need 2 not 1 centre half who has the pace to recover the ball over the top.

Varane was supposed to be one of these, as is capable, but seems to be injured too often to get any consistency. After that, number three needs to be the creative playmaker alongside the general. Ronnie, Bruno and Sancho are top players but need the ammunition that KDB gives City or Modric gives RM. Not sure if he goes alongside the general in a double pivot or further up in a 4-3-3 with Bruno as City do with KDB / Bilva ahead of Rhodri - depends on the players themselves and indeed EtH's preferred way of playing.

Striker would be number 4, not sure if Ronnie will stay (I think he will tbh) but he isn't going to last long and we need backup and the next gen forward to be here learning from him.

After that, he may need to look at the full backs who are so important in the modern game.

De Gea is the last position he need to address in my opinion; yes would be good to bring Henderson in ultimately but honestly he isn't as good as DDG (and not on track to usurp him any time soon) who is back to something near his very best after a poor period prior to that (and more widely publicised than other keepers poor periods - Alisson has made more direct mistakes leading to goals against than any other Prem keeper this season for example - who new?!).

I don't get theory out there that he can't use his feet - he does and can do what is needed from a modern keeper in that regard and goes beyond almost all of them when it comes to shot stopping. He is back to the best keeper in the Prem regardless of whether Ederson or Alisson are better than him at passing - he is better than they are at saving. Deal with the other 99 other problems first and come back to DDG after that if you still feel that strongly would be my view (this is not the same circumstance as Joe Hart that's for sure). The only reason he should consider looking at this sooner is if he feels the wage itself is causing disruption in the dressing room a la Sanchez...

[Darbyand]

Annual accounts came out today to coincide with the new thread so a helpful reminder of this. 2 other things to consider: 1) the day before the Glazers took over MUFC had £0 debt and 2) there were also £400m dividends paid in the same period

https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/statu ... zJROA&s=19

[blahblah]

Unc will have to explain that one? Or it just embezzlement?

[blahblah]

Reet, I think I've bounced the existing ones and got on to FF, who started the threads, to rename them and started the others.

Hopefully they don't disintegrate into Club Rivalry shit

[blahblah]

Do you lot have any expectations for the season?

Actually that's almost a daft phrase for it, as it should be more demands: bringing through, well trying out, kids would probably be my 1st. Assuming the Cups are suitably won ie top Prem finishers then Europe next season ie top 7 finish with progression on the pitch in style and results.

[Magic]

I know some disagreed with me in thinking he was the better option than Poch, but I'm fairly positive still about his appointment and what he is already doing / planning to do.

I think he is a terrible appointment. No PL experience, no big club experience, no big league experience. Basically he has won a league that is about as competitive as Scottish Football (i.e. not at all). He will be out of his depth by September and Utd will be sunk (again) by December.

[blahblah]

I know some disagreed with me in thinking he was the better option than Poch, but I'm fairly positive still about his appointment and what he is already doing / planning to do.

I think he is a terrible appointment. No PL experience, no big club experience, no big league experience. Basically he has won a league that is about as competitive as Scottish Football (i.e. not at all). He will be out of his depth by September and Utd will be sunk (again) by December.

Go start a Sweep?

[Magic]

I know some disagreed with me in thinking he was the better option than Poch, but I'm fairly positive still about his appointment and what he is already doing / planning to do.

I think he is a terrible appointment. No PL experience, no big club experience, no big league experience. Basically he has won a league that is about as competitive as Scottish Football (i.e. not at all). He will be out of his depth by September and Utd will be sunk (again) by December.

Go start a Sweep?

A sack one? I think he will last the season because the Board are so weak and indecisive.

[Moon Knight]

Be over the moon if we could get 2 or 3 of these

Pau Torres

Sergej Milinković-Savić

Aurélien Djani Tchouaméni

Darwin Nunez

[Magic]

I'd take Nunez.

Milinković-Savić? Have we time travelled to pre-pandemic?

[forestfan]

I'd take Nunez.

Milinković-Savić? Have we time travelled to pre-pandemic?

Pandemić, is he Serbian as well?

[Magic]

I'd take Nunez.

Milinković-Savić? Have we time travelled to pre-pandemic?

Pandemić, is he Serbian as well?

Bosnian. Miralem Pandemić. Plays for Beşiktaş.

[Moon Knight]

https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/r ... consultant

[forestfan]

They might as well have stuck with an internal caretaker.

[Darbyand]

https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/r ... consultant

If you're querying thread etiquette, then we shouldn't have blind links on the thread.

Seems a pity with Ralf though EtH seemed very lukewarm about future involvement.

RR has been burning a lot of bridges in his press conferences, but hopefully he'll leave behind a scorching dossier on the dossers and bluffers in the squad.

[Moon Knight]

Apologies. I did post that it wasn’t a shock after the criticism he’d levelled at the clubs hierarchy in recent interviews but that appears to have vanished.

[thebillfella]

Not entirely surprised to be honest. Does make his appointment a bit of a nonsense however (should never have been appointed as an interim manager rather than interim consultant to director of football, and no longer doing that as soon as new manager arrives), but clearly had a part in Eth appointment and hopefully EtH acts on some of his advise with respect to the flaky deadwood that needs burning.

I guess you could theorise that he is EtH's first casualty of the new era.

[forestfan]

I guess from a PR point of view they’d have been accused of throwing in the towel on the season if they’d just put a caretaker from within in charge. So they went for a sort of dual purpose temporary appointment with seemingly an eye to the future, but they might have had an idea it wouldn’t necessarily get the results. If Ten Hag was their man they should have paid the asking price to get him away from Ajax there and then.

[thebillfella]

Welcome back to the Prem FF; it's been a while!

[forestfan]

Thanks, yes, been a while! Hope we can improve on our last league result against you. No supersub future United manager will come on and score 4 against us again

[Bob Newhart]

No supersub future United manager will come on and score 4 against us again

I was there that day

How long ago it was is dated by the fact that we were good... and dinosaurs roamed the earth.