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

[thebillfella]

Well, he can run AND pass forward, so that instantly makes him superior to both!

[thebillfella]

Why the love for Poch?

I'm with you on this blah; EtH the better choice IMO for what is needed. There are cancers at PSG that needed lancing just as there are at United and Poch demonstrated he wasn't the man for that.

I don't agree. Pochettino has the big club and big league experience den Haag doesn't. Winning a league about as competitive as Scotland's doesn't qualify you to take on the powerhouses that are Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea. I think the not very flying Dutchman is going to be another Moyes. Out of his depth.

How many great managers would never have received an opportunity if that was the metric used to evaluate the capability of a manager?

[Magic]

Why the love for Poch?

I'm with you on this blah; EtH the better choice IMO for what is needed. There are cancers at PSG that needed lancing just as there are at United and Poch demonstrated he wasn't the man for that.

I don't agree. Pochettino has the big club and big league experience den Haag doesn't. Winning a league about as competitive as Scotland's doesn't qualify you to take on the powerhouses that are Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea. I think the not very flying Dutchman is going to be another Moyes. Out of his depth.

How many great managers would never have received an opportunity if that was the metric used to evaluate the capability of a manager?

Yes, but how many poor Managers proved the metric when given the wrong chance? Statistically, quite a lot more, I bet.

[Bob Newhart]

Why the love for Poch?

I'm with you on this blah; EtH the better choice IMO for what is needed. There are cancers at PSG that needed lancing just as there are at United and Poch demonstrated he wasn't the man for that.

I don't agree. Pochettino has the big club and big league experience den Haag doesn't. Winning a league about as competitive as Scotland's doesn't qualify you to take on the powerhouses that are Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea. I think the not very flying Dutchman is going to be another Moyes. Out of his depth.

How many great managers would never have received an opportunity if that was the metric used to evaluate the capability of a manager?

Yes, but how many poor Managers proved the metric when given the wrong chance? Statistically, quite a lot more, I bet.

There's a thread somewhere about crap managers getting jobs IIRC...

[forestfan]

That’s about repeated failures, though there are also some who get one chance and screw it up enough not to get another!

Managers on the up tend to get jobs with good potential whereas managers whose careers are on the slide take hopeless jobs out of desperation, so it’s self-fulfilling to an extent.

You can’t prove whether you deserve a crack at a big job until you actually get one, though… and there’s almost nobody who comes with any guarantees.

[thebillfella]

...especially Poch, who sort of was given a crack at a big job already at PSG and didn't exactly come out with glowing praise

[forestfan]

PSG is a very strange one, and hard to judge anyone on, given their strategy. Whether anyone could make a scattergun bunch of superstars into European champions (which is their only target, given the lack of domestic competition) is questionable, but the best hope would probably be a “light touch” manager like Ancelotti or Zidane (both of whom are CL specialists in any case).

Poch does need to shake off the “nearly man” tag though, or he will remain stuck in that second tier of managers.

[Darbyand]

Lots of rumours last night about trying to get Eriksen. Sounds far too sensible for United. He trained with Ajax before signing for Brentford which might be an in.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football ... n-27146542

Some movement

[blahblah]

Blimey, I was expecting a mention in this Rashford assassination.

https://www.unitedinfocus.com/news/stev ... -to-light/

[blahblah]

Bruno, toys, pram....

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... s-24215868

Could it just be that he is fed up losing?

The Capt choice could be interesting given the lack of certain starters and the position/character of them.

[thebillfella]

No issue with that personally - he's a winner and has the right "hate losing" attitude that the likes of Pogba lack. You won't find him recording a dancing tic tok in the dressing room with Lingard the morning after a defeat and rightly so.

[thebillfella]

So apparently United offered Pogba "nothing" when putting (irrationally) a £300k/week offer on the table. Utterly deluded cancerous growth. Good riddance.

[Darbyand]

Yep it'll keep his teenage YouTube fanboys happy, but I'm not sure the Pogmentary (bleurgh) is quite the PR win he expected it to be with the wider public. A sample quote:

There is a disconcerting line from Rafaela Pimenta, the lawyer Raiola entrusted with so much of his business both before and since his death. “Pogba is something we built,” she says. “It’s a brand. It has emojis, it has Pogmojis, it has cups. He has shows, he has haircuts and we hope to entertain people with that.”

Not too many cups...

[forestfan]

Pogmentary, Pogmojis… does he think he’s Batman or something? Shame most of the actual football’s been Pogshit in recent years.

[thebillfella]

[thebillfella]

Accuses the club of not caring about him without even a hint of irony The absolute front of the guy

[blahblah]

Are you lot ok with no players being bought/signed yet?

[blahblah]

I thought Richard Arnold was a bod on GMTV with more interest in Danny La Rue etc than MU, but hey ho.....

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football ... s-27271261

[forestfan]

I thought Richard Arnold was a bod on GMTV with more interest in Danny La Rue etc than MU, but hey ho.....

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football ... s-27271261

I thought the name sounded familiar… do Man Utd CEOs have to have a famous namesake?

[blahblah]

Change your name to Adolf Hitler and you could be sorted

[thebillfella]

Marcel van der Kraan: "Erik ten Hag has made it so clear to the #mufc board that he wants both Frenkie de Jong and Christian Eriksen. If they don't get those two players, it would be a breakdown of his ID and his model and his style at United. Erik ten Hag doesn't want any other players apart from those two first. Ten Hag says he's seen the style of Barcelona and Ajax - if you want to play a certain attacking style, then you need Frenkie. With Christian Eriksen, at the beginning of this year, he's come back from his heart shock. Erik ten Hag was able to witness with his own eyes the fitness of Eriksen again and those performances for Brentford really convinced him." [Source: Sky Sports]

Still waiting Richard, please don't turn into another Ed...

[blahblah]

Is Bruno supposed to be in the line up with those 2?

[thebillfella]

Don't we think in terms of the squad depth and competition for places rather than starting XI alone these days? Don't forget DvdB as well, who will be hoping for a 2nd chance one would hope.

[blahblah]

I would think so re depth, but the essential for the team/style stuff implies both would start regularly?

[thebillfella]

I'd say de Jong would be key, with Bruno / Eriksen sighting over the CAM spot. DvdB possibly 4th choice.

Hopefully that isn't the limit of the plans either, but I'd be worried we haven't learned our lessons still if we haven't got at least one over the line by the end of the month when EtH officially starts.

[Bob Newhart]

I'd be worried we haven't learned our lessons still if we haven't got at least one over the line by the end of the month when EtH officially starts.

I'd be worried if I were surprised... which suggests I'll probably be neither.

[blahblah]

I know diddly about Jong, but a solid DM or 2 would be higher up my list.

Atm I'm finding it interesting how the summer transfers are going so far.

Villa got in early with a handful of sub prime players and lost out on players above their level eg Bissouma and Phillips.

The top tier clubs got their priority deals done, leaving some annoyed clubs who are losing their top tier spot eg Real Madrid. Of these Lpool allegedly think their transfers are done, but I doubt this with a deal and loan back of Bellingham looking very likely.

Chelsea and MU are discovering where they are in the hierarchy regarding who they can bid against and which sort of players they can attract. Newcastle are in this group too and don't seem to be as free with the cash as Citeh were at the same part of their development.

But Arse and Spuds have worked this out and are both splashing a whack of cash, especially Arsenal if they get the 3 positions they are still seeking (CB, DM and versatile CF).

Arse look like they are hitting FFP trouble, unless their are Accountancy tricks for losing Auba and LacaFinish for nowt.

[blahblah]

I'd be worried we haven't learned our lessons still if we haven't got at least one over the line by the end of the month when EtH officially starts.

I'd be worried if I were surprised... which suggests I'll probably be neither.

Apparently Barca are raising cash from selling off some of their other businesses, and are expecting not to need to sell for cash, so Jong won't be bought on the cheap.

Gavi seems to be the one to get as his Release Clause isn't totally crazy.

[thebillfella]

Hence the reason why Barca want to shed De Jong first - more money for them? Would be surprised if Barca let Gavi go without a fight tbh. De Jong is sort of a defensive mid playmaker with good attacking capabilities FYI; a bit like Kimmich or Neves say.

To that end though, we have to stop effing about this time and go elsewhere if Barca want to play hardball - as good as he is he isn't the only player on the planet who can play that role and putting all the focus on him seems to be giving others a run on relative bargains to be had elsewhere, e.g. Bissouma.

[blahblah]

Yep to the second bit, although Bissouma has Greenwood and Mendy type of issues