Erik Ten Hag - Keep or Sack? APRIL EDITION.

Originally Posted by redhegemony

A crucial issue is having such limited availability across the back and in central midfield where we have 5 players one very young, one seemingly on his last legs, one resurrected, one a last minute loan and The Scottish Player. Hardly a great choice.

up front Mount and Martial have made Darren Anderton look like Wim Hof and Rashford has decided to play walking football.

He hasn't been dealt much of a hand.

as noted before, the problems are not an excuse for how he has dealt with the problems.

we all know what problems he's had to face. the question is how has he faced them?

the least he could done with an unsettled back four is protect them with a midfield and not expect the fullbacks to play midfield as well. the way he sets up the midfield actually highlights both the immobility of our best player last season and the immaturity of this season's star. there is no £#%&!ing excuse for the stupid tactics.

rashford should have been dropped. he doesn't close down players, he never passes to hojlund and he keeps running into things. it's up to him (rashers) to make a case for himself. he isn't making it.

Originally Posted by jem

as noted before, the problems are not an excuse for how he has dealt with the problems.

we all know what problems he's had to face. the question is how has he faced them?

the least he could done with an unsettled back four is protect them with a midfield and not expect the fullbacks to play midfield as well. the way he sets up the midfield actually highlights both the immobility of our best player last season and the immaturity of this season's star. there is no £#%&!ing excuse for the stupid tactics.

rashford should have been dropped. he doesn't close down players, he never passes to hojlund and he keeps running into things. it's up to him (rashers) to make a case for himself. he isn't making it.

I agree the midfield is a huge problem but don't see an easy solution sure play 3 in there but 2 of the 5 aren't good enough to keep the ball and 3 look too slow. If either Amrabat or Casimero play almost by default because he can run The Scottish Player has to. If Amrabat or casimero play that also pushes the best player further forward.

It seems like Casimero's injury/decline is the root cause of the problem.

I don't think many people expected Casemiro to be this poor/inconsistent/missing this season (except dunk maybe...) and martinez to be perma-crocked.


I think both sides of the story have merit which is why a lot of the fanbase appears split. No one is winning the league these days by playing a different back 4 literally every £#%&!ing game.

Yes, he could arguably set up the midfield better - although I'm not sure how/with who. Amrabat is, well, a bit shit. Mctom is Mctom. Casemiro (see above). Bruno will always be Bruno. Thank £#%&! for Mainoo and hopefully Mount gets more game time because I actually like him ( )

That leaves the forward line. He arguably hung on to Antony starting every game a bit too long, and as Jem says Rashford should have been £#%&!ed off from first XI long ago. Maybe sunday is a sign of things to come.

I think Amad deserves more game time. He's done well to shift on the likes of hannibal which gave the space and opportunity to Mainoo. He's nurtured Garnacho relatively well, although that's been slightly more forced on him because Antony and Rashford have been so utterly poor.


Again, bottom line for me now is there is enough mitigating circumstance that explains - although does not excuse - our inconsistent and chaotic form this season. Bring in a couple of solid players, give him next season.

If we don't have a big turnover of the squad, then the same problems will still be there regardless of the manager, you can't keep £#%&!ing around for years with a piecemeal approach, you need to get quality in depth this summer.

Originally Posted by Whip Hubley

I don't think many people expected Casemiro to be this poor/inconsistent/missing this season (except dunk maybe...) and martinez to be perma-crocked.

maybe, but again... it's how you deal with circumstances that matters.

martinez had not proven his fitness after a long lay-off. some might think that his fitness could not be assumed. some might say that the same is true of shaw and that letting reguilon go was criminal. maybe, rushing players back isn't wise.

casemiro and eriksen are only getting older. eriksen has been £#%&! all use since carroll. amrabat is not a bit shit.

Originally Posted by jem

casemiro and eriksen are only getting older. eriksen has been £#%&! all use since carroll. amrabat is not a bit shit.

exactly. he's a lot shit.

Originally Posted by Gypsum Fantastic

exactly. he's a lot shit.

you are.

Originally Posted by jem

you are.

Originally Posted by Gypsum Fantastic

you should change you user name to bat shit mental.

might rep the gif, though.

Originally Posted by Whip Hubley

Yeah let's go for a manager who hasn't been in the game for years... What ZZ did with Madrid was absolute freak territory, there's a reason he hasn't done anything since. If that's your only suggestion surely you can see why we're not exactly chomping at the bit to get rid?


My comment about this season being £#%&!ed is that bringing in another manager now wouldn't help us get anywhere other than where we are this season.

Which leaves bringing someone in in the summer. And as above, the problem is A) Who. and B) they'd be our 6th permanent manager in a decade. Managers of all different styles and experience, none of whom have had more than a couple of years to get anywhere (which has been both the clubs and their fault at various points).

Put simply, I'm happy with the idea of giving him another season as then if he doesn't make progress , there can be little excuses for getting rid. And more to the point he might actually be given more players in the summer who aren't either brainless or over the hill/perma-crocked.

Postage.

Zizou doesn't speak a word of English and has only ever managed one club, one which is geared entirely towards hoovering up trophies.
I mean he won piles of them, but still.

That said, I'd rather him than Southgate, Potter or Di Zebra.

Originally Posted by Zorg

Zizou doesn't speak a word of English

not strictly true.

I could interview him in french, though.

Originally Posted by jem

I could interview him in french, though.

Why would you need to interview him?

Originally Posted by suedeshoes

Why would you need to interview him?

good point. I could just appoint myself manager.

Once you can't even bring yourself to listen to the bullshit they spout at press conferences anymore you know they're in injury time.

Originally Posted by jem

not strictly true.

I could interview him in french, though.

before or after you vote, you weird little man

Originally Posted by larry

before or after you vote, you weird little man

Still abstaining is Jem.

Maybe he's clocked that I've left the poll open for 200 days. Still time to not look like he's knee jerk.

Originally Posted by larry

before or after you vote, you weird little man

idiot.

or, as we say in france, idiot.

The problem ten Hag has is not so much the binary certainty of he's good enough or definitely not good enough, it's the doubt. Once the doubt starts to creep in it's a tough road back and one infrequently travelled. There are too many things going on that shouldn't be happening two years in, and let's not pretend it's only this season either, we were poor for large parts of the tail end of last season too.

Originally Posted by jem

but in a sexy accent?

Must admit, it never occurred to me a Failsworth accent was sexy

Originally Posted by jem

idiot.

or, as we say in france, idiot.

Do you live in France?