Ten Hag sack? Doesn’t he deserve same patience as Arteta at Arsenal?
Why does Mikel Arteta deserve patience but not Erik ten Hag? We have some Man Utd fans coming out fighting.
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Ignore the media because Ten Hag is doing okay
The media, I must admit, is quite unique. If one were to form judgments solely based on media portrayals, the conclusions reached would often diverge significantly from reality â not just in sports but in nearly every aspect of life.
Man Utd lost this weekend. Theyâve been branded âDisgracefulâ & âarrogantâ, Ten Hag is âdelusionalâ and a âfraudâ, & Bruno is a âdisgraceâ, & an âembarrassmentâ. I guess they must have been smashed 5-0 by Fulham, with Bruno scoring an own goal and getting sent off, with Ten Hag inexplicably playing Onana up front. In reality, they lost 2-1 to a last minute winner while pushing for their own.
Iâve long said that Man Utdâs struggles often receive more attention from the media compared to most other clubsâ best days. The pattern continues with another loss, accompanied by a week of harsh criticisms and limited analysis. On the other hand, when Liverpoolâs âyoungerâ players secure a victory against the wealthy Chelsea, the media tends to portray it as a clash between the underdogs & the billionaires, despite Liverpool being top of the league, leading in scoring, & their manager eyeing a quadruple.
This narrative contrasts sharply with the reality of facing a mid-table team struggling to score, whose manager is primarily focused on securing his job.
Interesting observation: It seems Klopp has a notable success rate against specific opponents, with 25% of his LFC trophies coming against Pochettino and 50% against Chelsea and Spurs. If you exclude the WCC, Super Cup, and Community Shield, those numbers rise to 40% and 80%, respectively.
Ten Hag currently has widespread consensus from Skysports to F365 to G Nev, that he has to go (Naturally putting no pressure on him or the team). Currently residing in the top ten PL managers for points per game, more points than the lavishly-backed âBillionaire Bottle Jobsâ Chelsea, 3 points behind âpotential manager of the yearâ Ange, & equal on trophies with âfive years on the jobâ Arteta.
Remarkably, Ten Hag has achieved all this in under two years without a consistent goal-scorer, defence or a stable starting XI. All while transitioning the squad to new players, the team to new tactics, the club to a new culture & the organization to new beginnings.
Bruno â the sham â is again leading the league for chances created this year, just as he did last year. The man is the teamâs captain, runs for absolute days, tracks back, & rarely misses a game. Occasionally, he may go down after a challenge, & to be fair, such instances warrant criticism. Better to play up the negative side of the narrative than the positive side of the facts.
Itâs interesting how media coverage can shape the perception of events. Just this weekend, it was the Michigan Primary in the US. Despite Biden winning the Michigan primary decisively with 81.1% of the vote, 78% ahead of his competitors, headlines seem to suggest a narrow victory. Similarly, Trumpâs 68.2% victory was just 41% ahead of his closest rival. The nuances are often downplayed in favor of a narrative that might not necessarily align with the numerical outcomes. This discrepancy between facts & media portrayal mirrors the broader trend observed in various contexts, highlighting the influence of media framing on public perception.
I acknowledge that negative outcomes or perceptions can give rise to true or even false ideas. However, I believe the primary role of the media is to uncover the truth rather than craft narratives that serve their interests, be they driven by profit or alternative agendas. In the case of Brexit, adhering to honest & truthful journalism could have potentially prevented its occurrence.
Facing the reality of Manchester Unitedâs performances, I mentioned last week that they tend to concede numerous chances, albeit rarely high-quality ones. Mistakes rather than systemic issues often result in goals. The team operates with a sense of chaos, but it appears to be a controlled chaos when the right players are on the field. The most justified criticism, in my opinion, revolves around their consistent struggle to prevent crosses & improve their defensive capabilities in that aspect. Additionally, the insistence on crossing & attempting to score from such plays persists, despite lacking proficient headers of the ball.
Indeed, this season has highlighted how crucial certain players are to Manchester Unitedâs functioning. The absence of Shaw and Martinez has been detrimental to the defensive capabilities, emphasizing their significance. Similarly, losing the main goal-scorer or a key midfielder, like Casemiro, significantly impacts the teamâs ability to score and maintain midfield security.
Carragherâs emphasis on defensive mistakes might overlook the fact that the personnel available may not be the most suitable for the job. Ten Hagâs decision to adapt the system 30 minutes into the game, with positive results, reflects tactical acumen.
Fulhamâs manager showcased a similar ability to adapt when missing a key midfielder, reshaping the team successfully. This parallels instances like Bradley replacing Trent, where a system change significantly improved the teamâs chances of winning. The effectiveness of backup players, as seen with Kelleher/Bradley and Paulinho/Muniz, demonstrates that sometimes they can be equally or even better suited for specific situations.
Conversely, the comparison of Maguire to Martinez, Lindelof to Shaw, & Rashford to Hojlund highlights how certain replacements may not measure up to the effectiveness of the original players in their respective roles.
I remain steadfast in my support for our manager, given his track record of success & the positive direction in which he is steering the team. Despite the numerous challenges beyond his control, I appreciate the progress weâre making. This situation mirrors the perception of the current US President, where the media might portray ânot badâ as terrible & label âterribleâ as âpretty goodâ.
In conclusion, this exploration into the mediaâs impact reveals a stark contrast between portrayals and reality. The exaggerated reactions to Manchester Unitedâs recent loss, the disproportionate focus on their struggles, and the tendency to craft narratives rather than present facts all underscore the mediaâs unique influence. Understanding how football works and seeing how the media shapes what people think highlights the need to trust our own judgment and find the real facts amidst all the stories.
Calvino
âŠOH YE BLOODY FERDINANDS AND NEVILLES. SHUT THE F*CK UP AND TRUST THE PROCESSâŠ
I understand most of you are enjoying the chaos with Man united( WHY NOT, WHEN THAT WILL BRING MORE CLICKS AND VIEWS TO YOUR SH*TS)
Last season( 2022/2023) most of you were like MANCHESTER United are heading the right direction with ETH, Erik Ten Haag was wanted by Man City Thank God he Chose MUFC, He was asked to wait till Pep leave, He can do it, Now that he has won the Carling Cup letâs Trust the Process and his Football style. To mention but a few.
2023/2024âŠ..
Sack Erik Ten Hag (even though Champions League football is still within Grasps)
He has no philosophy, Man United are heading back ward again with him. He is just another Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Oh Ye Hypocrites
Letâs take a look:
ARSENAL Under Arteta-
2019/2020 FINISHED 8TH 56pts(no European football) Won FA Cup
2020/2021 FINISHED 8TH 61pts ( 6points better still no European Football) No trophy
2021/2022 FINISHED 5TH 69pts ( 8 points better, First European football) No trophy
2022/2023 FINISHED 2ND 84pts ( 19 points better, Champions League football) No trophy
The improvement under Arteta is clear but that wonât be possible without the Trust from the ARSENAL BOARD
MAN UNITED UNDER Erik ten Hag
2022/2023 Finished 3rd 75points ( champions League football, 1 trophy and also good football) No notable injuries except Martialâs , more stable starting Eleven e.t.c
2023/2022- INJURIES, NO STABLE STARTING ELEVEN e.t.c
The major Reason Erik ten Hag should stay is that he has Shown he can win Trophies, The same reason Arsenal Didnât sack Arteta because He won them the FA with Bloody Aubamayang, something he has failed to achieve again in 4 Seasons and still counting.
VeryDark Pasha Nigeria( ETH still have the best PL win ratio post Fergie Era sir Jim wonât sack Ten haag, He is unlike you pessimistic Hypocrites, The Glass is Half-full not half Empty)
Was that Ten Hagâs moment?
Just thinking about parallels, in the early days Ferguson was minutes away from getting the sack at Manchester United, they scored a late FA cup goal against Nottingham Forest, they go on and win the cup and the rest as they say is history. Was this Ten Hagâs Ferguson moment?
Andrew Goonerabroad Brown
Unai is the oneâŠ
I just want to highlight one thing that impresses me the most about Emery. When this season started, potentially our most creative player (Buendia) was injured long term.
In our first match, our former captain (and fan favourite) Mings was also injured for the rest of the season. In the first half of the season, Jacob Ramsey missed 11 games (and still does not seem to be back at full fitness) and our first choice left back was also injured and has only been able to play half our games so far. His replacement was out for about a month (out for 4 games and only playing 43 minutes of the last three).
We lost Torres for 6 games (and he only featured briefly in two others), Carlos is going to be out for over a month with a hamstring injury, we have lost Konza for at least a month. Our only other forward, Duran, is out for an unknown time period. And we also now have lost Kamara for the rest of the season.
I am not saying that our injuries are worst than others. Rather that, from the opening weekend, our team had plenty of excuses for not having a great season. It might end up petering out, but to be where we are despite this is a credit to our manager who has completely changed our mentality. When I heard about Kamara in particular, I just thought that we were done this season. But this is the mentality of our manager;
âWe are building all together a winning mentality â fans and teamâ. âAs tempting as it can be to think of the injuries and setbacks as an excuse, we have a no excuse culture at this football clubâ. âWe must be ready to winâ.
I keep hearing about how Newcastle and United, and even before that Spurs (who lost a couple of players for a couple of months, but have those back now) were crippled by injuries. No one seems to mention the injuries that have hit Villa and will continue to deprive us of first team players for the rest of the season.
Davey S
On that anti-Liverpool narrative
Dazza, Dublin. In the words of another Dubliner, there is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.
Darren, also Dublin, LFC
Yawning at Liverpool exceptionalism
Yawn, we get it, Liverpool (and indeed Chelsea) fielded some (two each starting) youth players in the final. And then the result could have gone either way. (Would this have been the basis of the defence if theyâd lost? Are Chelsea not permitted to use the same?)
The way itâs talked about here, itâs as though theyâre the only team to have done this. I feel like the 1996 FA Cup final saw something similar⊠Neville, Neville, Beckham, Butt, Giggs, Scholes, four of whom started (and for balance, also McManaman, Fowler and Redknapp on the other side).
Itâs great when a club backs its academy prospects (please donât include players youâve purchased for the first team, though, that entirely misses the point). Iâm always a fan of seeing that, and Iâd love to see more rules brought in to require it. But please stop being so OTT. Just be happy you won the game and got your hands on the cup. Not everything has to âmean moreâ or get ânet spendâ involved. It used to be funny but itâs so earnest now itâs f**king tedious.
Badwolf
âŠIs there anything more fun than annoying Liverpool supporters? The last few mailboxes have made me think they genuinely think it means more for them. Ye, when you consider yourself the most successful, are about to send off your best manager in decades and have 1 league title to show for over 3 decades, it better mean more. How else do you keep the pretence?!
Zdravko
Sick of all the Kloppaganda
Iâm not but did I just coin that term?
Paddy (loves brackets) McGuigan
Squad number fun
You might laugh but I think Paul McDevitt has a point.
Squad number aggregation (SNA [?/]) based on starting 11.
The truth is clear â Man Utd never stood a chance with an SNA of 222 vs Fulhamâs 179.
When the team sheets went up for Villa (153) against Forest (208) we could all see what was going to happen.
Poor Newcastle (240) may as well have stayed in the dressing room rather than take on Arsenalâs impressive total of 155.
Similarly Burnley (185) against Palaceâs stunning and rather fun total of 123. Just cross your fingers and park the bus Vinny mate.
Almost as low for Wolves (124) who took 3 pts from Sheff Utd (179); of course they did.
Only 13 in it between Bâton (174) and Everton (187); perhaps the red card tipped the balance and a draw was inevitable.
In an effort not to be one of those people who ignore known facts that donât support their theory, I have to include the â against the numbers â West Ham (158) victory over Brentford (138). Although Brentford had 59pc possession; 8 SOT compared to Utdâs 6; seven corners to 1 and it took Jared Bowenâs first ever hat-trick to beat the theory.
Bournemouth clearly blew it with a clear advantage over City â 152 vs Cityâs 197. Just embarrassed for them really.
Hartley MCFC Somerset (I think that final was down to the one world class player on the pitch showing why we say that about him)
Presumably the kids are more than alright
Just a belated, and hopefully final thought on the whole idea that because Liverpool won the final with (some) kids, their victory was an incredible effort and Chelsea bottled it. Has anyone considered that these kids might be⊠actually very good at football?
If the Liverpool academy has been doing its job, itâll have found the best talent for miles around, trained them for years, and then only presented the very best players as options for the first team. Theyâre likely extremely talented, and although theyâre missing âbig game experienceâ, Chelsea were missing a player with as much big game experience as anyone, Thiago Silva.
Players who are good enough very rapidly lose the âkidâ tag â I havenât seen any Manchester United fans pointing at Mainoo and using him as an excuse for losing games because heâs âa kidâ. And heâs only played 13 first team games, as of my last Wikipedia check. But heâs proved himself to be very worthy of a first team spot, and probably couldâve done months ago, even if not as many people had heard of him then.
Put it this way â if the Carabao final had been held in May, when weâd all seen the Liverpool graduates play a few more games and got used to the idea that theyâre all very good players, the kids argument would be redundant. Like bands such as Get Well Soon, Moulettes, Within Temptation and Middle Kids, you might not have heard of them but that doesnât mean theyâre not very good. (Sardonic rock, electro-prog-folk, metal, and indie respectively, for reference)
Dan, Worthing
Are they even kids anymore?
I havenât run the numbers but are Kloppâs kids allowed to be called kids now. Endo didnât play so the average age would be lower. Were they more kids tonight than Sunday even though theyâd be a few days older than when they werenât kids?
Southampton played the âright wayâ but didnât take their chances, especially early on. It was a clean game, high technicality. But it always felt that where Liverpool had a senior player, that there was gap in quality. When Mac Allister came on, to bring the count of senior midfielders up to one, the control Liverpool had went up a gear.
This playing out from the back! Five players in the box for a goal kick! How do Southampton fans not have heart attacks every week? The first goal was a deflection but if the ball stays in your final third, by design, then these things are going to happen.
Is there a path from playing out from the back in Championship to midtable Premier league safety without the David Moyes phase in-between? Brentford say yes, but Burnley saying no.
No Gareth, you cannot play RB Joe Gomez in midfield alongside Rice and Bellingham.
Chelsea managed to win so maybe F365 and Will Ford wonât be so snide. It was a late goal so maybe Leeds were just tired.
Man United at OT next. You can shove your mailbox dramas of VAR, FFP, 115 charges, over celebrating being in third whilst out of all the cups and losing your champions league first leg, thatâs still the one.
Alex, South London
Marketing knows fans are dicks
Lewis we all know self congratulatory, mad with exceptionalism and drunk on the smell of their own own farts football fans can be. Look at the way United fans have embraced âThe Theatre of Dreamsâ.
Crikey modern football fandom, narratives, and âbantz ownsâ are taking the fun out of a simple game.
Paul
Ok