If you read the post sack leaks across the media the last few days you’ll see what led Ten Hag’s downfall, stubbornness and lack of flexibility. Same thing with Van Gaal. Must be a Dutch thing.

He totally lost me last season when he took up until the last two league games of the season to address the ease with which opposition would walk through our midfield whenever they wanted.

He never recovered his credibility with the support after the 7-0 at Anfield and the batterings by City. Dead man walking since then. Sounds harsh but thats the way it is at Man United

Cups are cups and can't be erased from the history books but I genuinely don't think we played like a team that should be winning two trophies in two years. Just shows you how much luck and variance play a part in football.

Glad he's gone. Don't think he ever got the club personally.

He was one inch in that Coventry game from being sacked in shame.

I saw on ESPN Mark Ogden make a great point - if he’d have been sacked after that City game his stock would be a lot higher and he would be far more attractive to other clubs compared to how he’s going out on a whimper now.

The funny thing in his two seasons in English football he outperformed the legendary Klopp if you just count results alone!

comment by Diafol Coch 77 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 JA606 Class Act (U2462)
posted 3 minutes ago
The funny thing in his two seasons in English football he outperformed the legendary Klopp if you just count results alone!
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It really, really, really, never felt that way. To anybody at all I reckon.

I really can't recall a EPL game, where we really 'got it right'. That is to say we dominated, had loads of shots, looked brilliant and won by say 4 or 5 goals. Everything seemed a struggle.

Even previous sides under different managers (for a decent amount of time), there would be a handful of games where we would play brilliantly and we could think, wow, if only we could play like that all the time.

We had results that could be described as wow moments (such as the FA cup final), but not one entertaining playing performance was like that, where we could say, so that's what he wants to do. To have that for over 2 years really is strange, and somewhat depressing.

comment by RB&W - He kicked lumps out of them (U21434)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Diafol Coch 77 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 JA606 Class Act (U2462)
posted 3 minutes ago
The funny thing in his two seasons in English football he outperformed the legendary Klopp if you just count results alone!
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It really, really, really, never felt that way. To anybody at all I reckon.
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It's similar to saying we got 2 trophies and Arsenal have got none in the same period, but in whose position would you rather be.

It's similar to saying we got 2 trophies and Arsenal have got none in the same period, but in whose position would you rather be.

……

Ours actually. It is good to win the trophies when you are not the top dog. Fans from my time remember the cup triumphs of the Doc and big fat Ron only too well.

Definitely a strange era. I think he lasted as long as he did because unlike previous managers (except maybe LvG), he never really lost the dressing room. The reaction of the players after he left a reflection of that: https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/man-utd-players-react-erik-ten-hag-sacking-bruno-fernandes-alejandro-garnacho-lisandro-martinez-social-media/blt4726f1dfa1d9bd5b

While the dressing room isn't lost you always feel you can turn it around.

The biggest ugly were the signings though, as they will live after him.

comment by kinsang (U3346)
posted 15 minutes ago
I really can't recall a EPL game, where we really 'got it right'. That is to say we dominated, had loads of shots, looked brilliant and won by say 4 or 5 goals. Everything seemed a struggle.

Even previous sides under different managers (for a decent amount of time), there would be a handful of games where we would play brilliantly and we could think, wow, if only we could play like that all the time.

We had results that could be described as wow moments (such as the FA cup final), but not one entertaining playing performance was like that, where we could say, so that's what he wants to do. To have that for over 2 years really is strange, and somewhat depressing.
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Yet the cup final team was set up diffetently against THs better judgement. to make us hard to beat. He wanted to go toe to toe with City. Because we won most United fans considered that entertaining. Why didnt he set up United like that more often in games that we might be found out and struggle playing his way. Also dont forget Citys CL party didnt end till the Thursday that week.

Also dont forget Citys CL party didnt end till the Thursday that week.

.. .

That is a really desperate stick to beat ETH with.

Yet the cup final team was set up diffetently against THs better judgement.
-----

Where are people getting this nonsense from? We had played the last 3 league games with that specific false 9 formation (2 weeks ahead of the final and clearly prepping for it) and it coincided with our best run of form. Was this also against his judgement?

Some people will just accept and stupid thing they read on the internet...

comment by Onana_banana_fi_fa_fofana (U20611)
posted 24 seconds ago
Yet the cup final team was set up diffetently against THs better judgement.
-----

Where are people getting this nonsense from? We had played the last 3 league games with that specific false 9 formation (2 weeks ahead of the final and clearly prepping for it) and it coincided with our best run of form. Was this also against his judgement?

Some people will just accept and stupid thing they read on the internet...
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I was just about to say this very thing.

comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 7 minutes ago
Also dont forget Citys CL party didnt end till the Thursday that week.

.. .

That is a really desperate stick to beat ETH with.
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He deserves it.

The City final is probably my favourite single United game in a long while. Yes, what happened before or after wasn't great but that day it was a defiant United.

I'll remember that much more than finishing fourth.

That doesn't mean to say that it's acceptable long term of course but football is all about grabbing moments when we can IMO.

comment by RB&W - He kicked lumps out of them (U21434)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 7 minutes ago
Also dont forget Citys CL party didnt end till the Thursday that week.

.. .

That is a really desperate stick to beat ETH with.
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He deserves it.
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Don’t be so petty. You are better than that.

comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 16 minutes ago
It's similar to saying we got 2 trophies and Arsenal have got none in the same period, but in whose position would you rather be.

……

Ours actually. It is good to win the trophies when you are not the top dog. Fans from my time remember the cup triumphs of the Doc and big fat Ron only too well.
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Yep, and winning the FA Cup is a beautiful feeling given it was our trophy for a long period of time. Such a shame how our record in it the last 20 years has dipped.

comment by Onana_banana_fi_fa_fofana (U20611)
posted 2 minutes ago
Yet the cup final team was set up diffetently against THs better judgement.
-----

Where are people getting this nonsense from? We had played the last 3 league games with that specific false 9 formation (2 weeks ahead of the final and clearly prepping for it) and it coincided with our best run of form. Was this also against his judgement?

Some people will just accept and stupid thing they read on the internet...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I dont accept many things on this internet. If you cant accept that setting up for those few games was a bit different to make us harder to play through then you had your head in the sand.

comment by RB&W - He kicked lumps out of them (U21434)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by Onana_banana_fi_fa_fofana (U20611)
posted 2 minutes ago
Yet the cup final team was set up diffetently against THs better judgement.
-----

Where are people getting this nonsense from? We had played the last 3 league games with that specific false 9 formation (2 weeks ahead of the final and clearly prepping for it) and it coincided with our best run of form. Was this also against his judgement?

Some people will just accept and stupid thing they read on the internet...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I dont accept many things on this internet. If you cant accept that setting up for those few games was a bit different to make us harder to play through then you had your head in the sand.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
That's the point dumbass! He set us up to be harder to beat well ahead of the cup final, so why would you think this was against his better judgement to do this on the day of the final?

The mind boggles...

The biggest issue for me was that we simply never got to see what EtH was trying to achieve with this squad (largely built by himself). There were never any moments where you got excited about what he was trying to create because for 2 and a half years we never played any exciting or entertaining football. It wasn't quite LvG levels of boredom but it was pretty insipid stuff.

I know he had his injury problems but that's part of football, it shouldn't completely stop you from being able to implement an entertaining style of play (which he would have been hired off the back of saying he will deliver).

Sadly he just never came across as someone that you felt could excite you or bring good times to the club and I'm sure that rubbed off onto the players who never seemed that happy under him. At best he brought a bit of discipline (most notibly after the Brentford defeat) but that seemed to wear off pretty quickly. The players aren't blameless (quite a few that have really dissapointed) but ultimately EtH wasn't good enough and never even showed glimpses of what could have been whereas Jose, Ole and LvG all did even though they all failed.

This was one of Ten Hag's biggest failings IMO.

He should have made United much harder to beat in the big games by taking a more pragmatic approach. Nothing wrong with that.

Had he done that, and got us to a stage where we were just flat track bullies even, he'd still be in the job now.

I really can't recall a EPL game, where we really 'got it right'. That is to say we dominated, had loads of shots, looked brilliant and won by say 4 or 5 goals. Everything seemed a struggle.

------------------------------------------------

We didn't win by a big margin but the two performances early on in his first season against Liverpool and particularly Spurs were really good.

That Spurs game was probably our best performance from back to front under him. That feels like a lifetime ago.

comment by Onana_banana_fi_fa_fofana (U20611)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by RB&W - He kicked lumps out of them (U21434)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by Onana_banana_fi_fa_fofana (U20611)
posted 2 minutes ago
Yet the cup final team was set up diffetently against THs better judgement.
-----

Where are people getting this nonsense from? We had played the last 3 league games with that specific false 9 formation (2 weeks ahead of the final and clearly prepping for it) and it coincided with our best run of form. Was this also against his judgement?

Some people will just accept and stupid thing they read on the internet...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I dont accept many things on this internet. If you cant accept that setting up for those few games was a bit different to make us harder to play through then you had your head in the sand.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
That's the point dumbass! He set us up to be harder to beat well ahead of the cup final, so why would you think this was against his better judgement to do this on the day of the final?

The mind boggles...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It wasnt well before you plank. It was a couple of games running up to the Cup Final. To qualify for Europe and to win the Cup ...to save his own ass. Plus we had huge injury absentees running up to the cup final. He had to change things you moron