surveying the dutch imposter 23/24

Originally Posted by marlo

You don’t think it’s naive to go into the season with your strikers as martial and a 20 year old ?

Rashford can play up top, and he was also expecting to have Greenwood.

Originally Posted by Ethers

He makes a mug of the journo, fair play. Naive.

Pretty sure you're just on a wum now.

EtH was the one who looked naive. The journo clearly references the money wasted on Mount and EtH chooses to ignore it and blurt on about FFP and not being able to spend any more money.

It was an awful mistake and that isn't just hindsight. We all knew one striker wasn't enough. Martial is a problem that EtH can't do anything about, he's here until his contract expires. But to not get an experienced, older head in up front to take the pressure of Hoijland was a terrible mistake. It didn't have to be a world class striker, just someone who has been about, has a decent injury record and knows where the goal is.

Originally Posted by Ethers

Rashford can play up top, and he was also expecting to have Greenwood.

He can’t.

But I think ETH thought he could before the season started, especially after him scoring so many goals last season.

also, signing another midfielder was something we needed to do. That mount has been injured most of the season is irrelevant.

Hilarious seeing these pen-pushing tabloid journos trying to debate with one of Europe's elite professional football managers on tactics, strategies and transfer policy.

Ten Hag very measured in his response, and exposing that worm for what he is. Naive.

Originally Posted by marlo

You don’t think it’s naive to go into the season with your strikers as martial and a 20 year old ?

We play with a front 3, with a singular centre-forward, so you don't assess attacking options based on the number of strikers, you base them on the wider group that can play in that front 3.

If you take that into account, we had acceptable cover, with at least 2 players in each position - Rashford / Garnacho (LW), Antony / Sancho (RW) and Martial / Hojlund (CF). Then there was Pellistri and Diallo still on the books as fringe squad players. That's 8 attacking players for 3 positions, with some of them also being able to play in different positions.

Obviously your boy Sancho has proved to be an unprofessional toxic #@&%! who has had to be jettisoned, and the club completely melted in pathetic fashion during the Greenwood debacle, so that has caused issues, alongside both Martial and Hojlund being injured at the same time for the first time this season. If you can legislate for all that in advance of the season starting then you should probably be working in top-level football, not the Turkish equivalent of the Vauxhall Conference.

Naive.

Originally Posted by Finport Red

He can’t.

But I think ETH thought he could before the season started, especially after him scoring so many goals last season.

also, signing another midfielder was something we needed to do. That mount has been injured most of the season is irrelevant.

Other than EtH, nobody looked at our squad and thought "we need Mason Mount, he'll improve us massively". He's an ok player and has obviously become a joke because he's been injured for so long, but he was never the solution to anything. We have players like him, arguably better ones. It was hard to see how he fit in the team, let alone improve it.

It was a chronic waste of money when we needed a left back and a striker urgently. Again, this isn't hindsight. Most people said it in the summer.

Originally Posted by Ethers

Rashford can play up top

I wish.

Originally Posted by Lok

Other than EtH, nobody looked at our squad and thought "we need Mason Mount, he'll improve us massively". He's an ok player and has obviously become a joke because he's been injured for so long, but he was never the solution to anything. We have players like him, arguably better ones. It was hard to see how he fit in the team, let alone improve it.

It was a chronic waste of money when we needed a left back and a striker urgently. Again, this isn't hindsight. Most people said it in the summer.

He was replacement for Ericksen. Hindsight at least shows we needed that.

Originally Posted by Neo

Hilarious seeing these pen-pushing tabloid journos trying to debate with one of Europe's elite professional football managers on tactics, strategies and transfer policy.

Ten Hag very measured in his response, and exposing that worm for what he is. Naive.



We play with a front 3, with a singular centre-forward, so you don't assess attacking options based on the number of strikers, you base them on the wider group that can play in that front 3.

If you take that into account, we had acceptable cover, with at least 2 players in each position - Rashford / Garnacho (LW), Antony / Sancho (RW) and Martial / Hojlund (CF). Then there was Pellistri and Diallo still on the books as fringe squad players. That's 8 attacking players for 3 positions, with some of them also being able to play in different positions.

Obviously your boy Sancho has proved to be an unprofessional toxic #@&%! who has had to be jettisoned, and the club completely melted in pathetic fashion during the Greenwood debacle, so that has caused issues, alongside both Martial and Hojlund being injured at the same time for the first time this season. If you can legislate for all that in advance of the season starting then you should probably be working in top-level football, not the Turkish equivalent of the Vauxhall Conference.

Naive.

That's a very odd summary. Rashford is useless through the middle. Pretty sure Garnacho, Antony, Mount, Amad and Forsun would be no better. There's only Hoijland who actually knows how to play the position. We went into the season with him as the only real option and it has come back to bite us. It was predicted by many but for some reason "one of Europe's elite professional football managers" failed to spot it. Instead he went and blew the budget on Mason Mount. A player that nobody really knows where he'll play or what extra he's going to bring to the team. Another lightweight, powder puff player who we really didn't need.

Originally Posted by Finport Red

He was replacement for Ericksen. Hindsight at least shows we needed that.

Erikksen was always going to be phased out this season. Mainoo has done that, we didn't need Mount.

Eriksen

Originally Posted by Lok

Other than EtH, nobody looked at our squad and thought "we need Mason Mount, he'll improve us massively". He's an ok player and has obviously become a joke because he's been injured for so long, but he was never the solution to anything. We have players like him, arguably better ones. It was hard to see how he fit in the team, let alone improve it.

It was a chronic waste of money when we needed a left back and a striker urgently. Again, this isn't hindsight. Most people said it in the summer.

With Mount fit he'd be starting today, likely ahead of Casemiro. A midfield trio of Mainoo, Mount and Fernandes, with Mainoo as the deeper lying pivot, is probably something we'd see more regularly for home games against lower half sides, just like today, if Mount was fit.

This idea that he was a 'waste of money' is fanciful, given how short we obviously are in midfield now he's out injured.

The FFP point is completely valid, and there's not a chance the Glazers were sanctioning more money for another striker on top of Hojlund when the likes of Rashford, Martial and Sancho are still on the books taking £200K+ a week each.

Originally Posted by Lok

That's a very odd summary. Rashford is useless through the middle. Pretty sure Garnacho, Antony, Mount, Amad and Forsun would be no better. There's only Hoijland who actually knows how to play the position. We went into the season with him as the only real option and it has come back to bite us. It was predicted by many but for some reason "one of Europe's elite professional football managers" failed to spot it. Instead he went and blew the budget on Mason Mount. A player that nobody really knows where he'll play or what extra he's going to bring to the team. Another lightweight, powder puff player who we really didn't need.



Erikksen was always going to be phased out this season. Mainoo has done that, we didn't need Mount.

Mainoo was never guaranteed. Plus, he’s still a kid.

Originally Posted by Lok

That's a very odd summary. Rashford is useless through the middle. Pretty sure Garnacho, Antony, Mount, Amad and Forsun would be no better. There's only Hoijland who actually knows how to play the position. We went into the season with him as the only real option and it has come back to bite us. It was predicted by many but for some reason "one of Europe's elite professional football managers" failed to spot it. Instead he went and blew the budget on Mason Mount. A player that nobody really knows where he'll play or what extra he's going to bring to the team. Another lightweight, powder puff player who we really didn't need.

Odd summary my arse, you £#%&!ing @#%&!.

Your post conveniently misses out Martial, who was very good at times last year, playing over 20 games in the League alone.

With Hojlund purchased for over £70m, and Martial on the books taking £250K per week in wages, do you really think the club were going to sanction budget for another striker?

Even if you think the Mount money should have gone elsewhere, despite the fact we clearly needed another midfielder, do you not think the club £#%&!ed ten Hag over by caving on the Greenwood issue well after we'd signed Mount? The manger clearly wanted Greenwood to stay, and if any fingers need pointing about our current striker shortage, then they should be aimed at that fat @#%&! Richard Arnold for bending the knee to the screeching social justice warriors who were determined to ensure the lad was forced out of the club, leaving the manager without a player that could have played in any of the 3 positions across his front 3 system.

Originally Posted by Neo

Your post conveniently misses out Martial, who was very good at times last year, playing over 20 games in the League

Would you like to think about that again?

Originally Posted by Finport Red

He can’t.

But I think ETH thought he could before the season started, especially after him scoring so many goals last season.

also, signing another midfielder was something we needed to do. That mount has been injured most of the season is irrelevant.

He’s not great up top, admittedly. And he’s probably worse than Erik anticipated. But I think Erik was trying to make the point that for even a half decent striker you have to pay big bucks. I’m not sure who was available on the cheap that would have been much of an improvement over Rashford up there.

Originally Posted by Ethers

He’s not great up top, admittedly. And he’s probably worse than Erik anticipated. But I think Erik was trying to make the point that for even a half decent striker you have to pay big bucks. I’m not sure who was available on the cheap that would have been much of an improvement over Rashford up there.

Probably nobody, given FFP last summer, but we’d do better with Bruno or The Scottish Player, or a deckchair up there, rather than rashford.

Originally Posted by Neo

Hilarious seeing these pen-pushing tabloid journos trying to debate with one of Europe's elite professional football managers on tactics, strategies and transfer policy.

Ten Hag very measured in his response, and exposing that worm for what he is. Naive.



We play with a front 3, with a singular centre-forward, so you don't assess attacking options based on the number of strikers, you base them on the wider group that can play in that front 3.

If you take that into account, we had acceptable cover, with at least 2 players in each position - Rashford / Garnacho (LW), Antony / Sancho (RW) and Martial / Hojlund (CF). Then there was Pellistri and Diallo still on the books as fringe squad players. That's 8 attacking players for 3 positions, with some of them also being able to play in different positions.

Obviously your boy Sancho has proved to be an unprofessional toxic #@&%! who has had to be jettisoned, and the club completely melted in pathetic fashion during the Greenwood debacle, so that has caused issues, alongside both Martial and Hojlund being injured at the same time for the first time this season. If you can legislate for all that in advance of the season starting then you should probably be working in top-level football, not the Turkish equivalent of the Vauxhall Conference.

Naive.

Last season our issue was goals. We scored 58.

we needed to address that.
we also finally realised martial is unreliable so we needed to address that.
we need multiple sources of goals more than we needed a “midfielder”.

I’d go as far as saying we didn’t need a midfielder more than we need a RB, a CB etc etc

our midfield at best is average , which is the same as Liverpools for example, the difference is they have forwards that can get you goals. We have next to none!

If ETH looked at those forwards you mentioned and thought, that’s our forwards sorted then you support the man, i don’t think you want the best for the club. You probably just want to see the world burn!

if there's one defence of ETH that just doesn't exist, it's sticking up for his signings

Plus any manager who would rely on Martial as a striking option might just not deserve to be described as "one of Europe's elite professional football managers on tactics, strategies and transfer policy." Might just be me though.

the balance of the team is wrong and the players he signed demonstrates that the balance of the team is what he wanted it to be. he hasn't failed because we had players on big wages we couldn't shift; he's failed because he spent on players who should never have been bought (with two exceptions) and played a stupid system.

Originally Posted by jem

the balance of the team is wrong and the players he signed demonstrates that the balance of the team is what he wanted it to be. he hasn't failed because we had players on big wages we couldn't shift; he's failed because he spent on players who should never have been bought (with two exceptions) and played a stupid system.

Yep Mount and the fidget spinner is why we have no backup LCB,LB,proper RW and backup ST

Originally Posted by jem

the balance of the team is wrong and the players he signed demonstrates that the balance of the team is what he wanted it to be. he hasn't failed because we had players on big wages we couldn't shift; he's failed because he spent on players who should never have been bought (with two exceptions) and played a stupid system.

Absolutely, but no doubt we'll hear that it's the players' fault for not being able to implement his "system". The next manager will have some mess to sort out.