The Manager

I get it, GF. But you’re really starting to sound like Woodward there.

 

Don't be daft. Whatever your business, you have to drive up revenues, manage costs and maximise profits - football is no different. Woodward excelled at driving revenue streams but he, and the club. seem to have confused that ability with his capacity to have oversight of what was required to drive the club forward. That was his, and the club's, undoing. You cannot separate business revenues and on-pitch performance, the two go hand in hand - like Coca Cola and Santa.

 

Like Treble said there is a lot to look forward too. And tbh we’ve reached such a low that the only way is up hopefully. I cannot believe we can go even lower next season with a manager with proven credentials and with the execs having hopefully learnt their lessons and letting the real football people run the football side.

I only put the post about Rangnick because he was sacked yesterday (or relieved of his future role) as a consultant. I didn’t expect any controversy or hot debate about it. I am not fixated on him and I really don’t want to talk about him ever again nor see his face again on my screen talking about this club.

Just a bit surprised how despite all the evidence and universal condemnation of his short reign, some here are still willing to defend him as the person who managed to do what he was brought to do. No he didn’t. If his assessment skills are as good as his managerial skills Ten Haag quite rightly has dumped him and his feedback in the bin.

That’s all I’m going to say about him. I am happy never to mention that ****ing clown ever again. Let’s look forward to a better team and better stories about our club.

 

I, for one, am not in a group of defending anyone. I’m not a fanboy! My only surprise is that anyone that has witnessed layers of failure and mishaps can be so fixed on what has happened in the last six months as though that was the start of recent history of failures.

I wrote off this season long before winter and my interests were always about who the next manager would be, and maintaining my fixation on Popig!

 

What is up with the Frenkie De Jong deal? Sounds like he’s reluctant to come to the club if the rumours are to be believed.

We should quickly assess those that truly want to come and those that are reluctant and rapidly move to likely candidates instead spending cycles trying to convince one player.

 

Wrong thread!

 

Really now?! Come on!!

 

we should a zero tolerance policy on this issue. No exceptions. Not CR not Rashford not anyone. No one is bigger than the club. If someone expresses some hesitation to play, he’s not bought or if he’s already here he’s shipped out. Every player should be replaceable. We shouldn’t have an MBappe situation where the player is even bigger than the CEO never mind the manager. He gets directors and other execs he doesn’t like dismissed and those he likes recruited.

 

Well this is the manager thread and transfers are the rebuild thread. If transfer talk is kept in one thread at least we can track it better.

 

There’s about five of us in this forum crying over our failures lol. I think the threads are just fine.

Besides, this summer transfers are still firmly under ETH topic in my opinion. I don’t see why we need to piecemeal them. But hey, I get it.

 

TBF the window hasn't even opened proper yet and we are already connected to 12-15 players, if we spread the rumours all over the shop every thread would become piecemeal.

 

“
New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reportedly laid down the law to his players with an email outlining what he is expecting from them under his leadership.

A source told them: 'The new gaffer sent the first-team players an email, telling them that football is a team game and no individual is more important than any other.

'His emphasis is all on the team — despite United possessing world class stars. He wants the players to train at a higher intensity so that each session is like a game.

'The players have been told that their fitness levels will be the best they have ever been and that if they stick with him and back him, they will be fine.

'If not, they will be out the door. They will be drilled and drilled until they get it right. And if they can't he'll replace them with some of the promising youngsters.'
“

He is my kind of bastard!!

 

Nice read on the first week of training sessions: https://www.skysports.com/amp/footb...ted-managers-intense-first-week-of-pre-season

 

Watch the first one (United) and then the one below (Ajax).




It appears that we finally have a real coaching team that can truly teach these players how to improve their football. We haven’t had anyone within the team improve in the last several years. It is no accident that players that were good before joining us subsequently declined so badly because the training was simply not there. Bruno is a classic example of that. But the whole squad will benefit from the hardwork that they are now putting in.

 

Best thing anyone's posted in years on here. Certainly better than the guff on the Ronaldo thread

Seriously though, that's great to see - if only to highlight how far away we are from where we need to be. He's definitely a hands on coach with a footballing brain.

You can also see why getting rid of the players we have, was so important because they'd be holding these changes back.

I hope it improves the likes of Martial and helps Rashford to regain his form.

 

Look at how disorganized we look in that short video compared to the other clip. We certainly need a lot of work! Is it really surprising to anyone that we became a complete joke and needed moments of brilliance which were rare to conjure up anything meaningful? No wonder we got destroyed by every sensible team.

As for for Rashford and Martial, I think this type of system may suit Martial as he’s always had good ball to feet but got very lazy. Rashford hasn’t been coached to get anything decent out of him and once he lost his raw instincts, he just became an unhappy fellow on the pitch.

But I do think that it will take months for this team to shake the poor habits and start adapting to a refined method of play. Maybe if we get the right players in to join Ericksen in the midfield, that process might be accelerated to give us something as the season starts.

 

I really don't mind if it takes a whole season, as long as you can see a difference in style, play and commitment from the players and there are clear signs of improvement and we're heading in the right direction.

One big sign of this will be the body language of the players. If they believe in it, it will show in their performance regardless and they won't be walking around like a bunch of miserable gits.

Hopefully we'll see some leaders come through on the pitch also. Leaders are easier to create when there's decent tactics so they know what they're supposed to be doing!

 

It does now concern me slightly that a player who will be absolute key to all this in de Jong has all gone very quiet.

I'm looking at it glass half full, and it's because the details are now being finalised.

 

I was thinking about this earlier when I read about Lewandowski wanting to move Barca. That's been rumbling on for months but Barca seem to have not been able to do the deal.

Just considering their finances, I'm wondering whether the two signings aren't connected. And perhaps it's gone quiet because we have. i.e. we know their situation and are playing hard ball on the add-ons.

From what I've read the price has been agreed for £65m between clubs but there's still an agreement needed on £20m add-on.

That could all be way off the mark, but it could well be De Jong's sale is helping to fund Lewandowski's purchase.

 

They also want Raphina, and Bernardo Silva allegedly, so there are a few transfers will be interconnected.

I know someone said they'd got hold of a pot of cash from somewhere but it seemed a bit fanciful.

It's clear they need to sell to be able to buy.