Ten Hag sack unavoidable but Man Utd players ‘stealing a living’ and Rashford ‘just gave up’
Keeping Erik ten Hag last summer âlooks increasingly ridiculousâ but giving him any transfer input after Antony was âmadnessâ. Man Utd are an absolute mess.
Send your thoughts to [email protected].
Spiderman meme
Anyone else reckon that Angeâs team talk today was âLads, itâs Unitedâ?
Dave (LFC), Galway
Overheard from Old Trafford away changing rooms around 4.25pm today: âLads, itâs Man Utd.
Mate.â
Chris Bridgeman, Kingston upon Thames
Lads, itâs Tottenham.
Eoin (whoâs getting the Utd job?) IrelandÂ
âLads, itâs Tottenhamâ.
Anon
Leaked WhatsApp
âHi Gareth. Itâs Jim. Do you and Steve fancy doing a bit of cash in hand?
Scholesâ Ballsack (not as ugly as Ten Haagâs football)
MORE ON YET ANOTHER MAN UTD DEFEAT
đ 16 Conclusions on Man Utd 0-3 Tottenham: Ten Hag sack, Ugarte nightmare, Kulusevski dazzles
đ Wasteful Tottenham still left laughing at Manchester Unitedâs humiliation in Old Trafford rout
đ Gary Neville calls for Man Utd inquisition after âabsolutely disgustingâ defeat to Tottenham
Football is dead
Well letâs preface the rest of this by saying that Man Utd are sh*t. Absolute dross. Youâve probably got to say itâs the manager but there are a few players there that are stealing a living. Is the new ownership any better? Well thatâs a longer term thing but sticking with a Ten Hag looks increasingly ridiculous â and I was very much in the #ETHIN camp before the season started.
Maybe when all the new signings gel and the young players mature heâll turn out to be the second coming of Fergie. It looks increasingly unlikely though, and the odds were small to begin with.
Anyway, the point is that itâs very hard to watch your team get battered at home (lads â itâs f**king SPURS?!) but it just becomes pointless and futile when you give a red card like that. A foul? A yellow? Of course, it was cynical. A red? Not a cat in hells chance was that a red card if it happened the other way round. Thereâs too many games now that are getting spoiled by the refs and if anything this refereeâs call stuff is making worse. Whoâd have thought that sticking with the opinions of people who objectively donât know what theyâre doing was a bad idea? Remember when Havertz was strangled on the pitch and the player didnât get sent off? Then how on earth was that a red card today. Theyâre making it up as they go along.
I will not be watching any more premier league football until PGMOL are binned off, theyâre ruining the sport. Them and UEFA with their ridiculous European Super Leagues (WTAF). And FIFA with their corruption and obsession with footballers playing millions of games at all times of the year. And the Saudis and 115 Abu Dhabi City battling out a bore draw on a Saturday morning. Itâs all sh*te.
And donât think Iâm sat here thinking Man Utd would have got back into the game if Bruno had still been on the pitch (how is it a red?!). Spurs already had the beating of Man Utd before then albeit without any ability to finish their chances. What the red card did was rob us of the chance to see Spurs embarrass Man Utd 11v11 and provide a legitimate excuse for Ten Hag.
Utter sh*te.
Ash Metcalfe
Yes we were poor in first half and Spurs could have been 3 up but 1-0 at halftime and anything could have happened. But no, officials ruin the game again as a spineless Mr Magoo in the VAR room doesnât correct the horrific mistake made by the ref.
Anything that happens after the red card is irrelevant. Having said that, Bruno can do with a stint on the bench and a kick up the ass as he has been abject for most of this season.
Arsenal for the league to even out these injustices.
Garey Vance, MUFC
Iâve made a huge mistake
Man U fluking the FA cup last season is the worst thing that could have happened to them. Forced them to stick with ETH.
6 games in and itâs pretty obvious itâs another 12 months wasted. Another 100m on De Ligt, Mazraoui, Zirkzee wasted. Bruno just signed on long term contract and goes missing.
Stuck with a manager who doesnât seem to acknowledge any of his faults. They are gonna come 6th at most this year. ETH gonna use injuries again as an excuse.
The only thing that could be funnier is if they sack ETH and hire Southgathe. He might actually end up being better but the short term immediate meltdown will be hilarious.
ABU since 98
Anon
Two 3-0 defeats at home in a row. Have Man Utd ever done that before in their history?
Unless I miscounted, Solskjaer (who had to go) lost by 3 goals or more five times over three years. Weâve only started Ten Hagâs third year and that was his tenth defeat by 3 goals or more as Man Utd manager. Six of those were at home, all 3-0 and to teams including Newcastle, Bournemouth and f**king Spurs. Also Liverpool twice in a row. Then thereâs the likes of 4-0 at Palace and 3-0 at Sevilla.
Remember when everyone said the 7-0 to Liverpool was a freak result? It wasnât.
Keeping him on after the FA Cup was just like giving Ole the job permanently because of the PSG game. Letting him have any input into signings after Antony is madness but they signed two more of his Ajax lads summer just gone anyway. I donât see much difference between ineos and the last crowd at the moment.
Eamonn, DublinÂ
READ NEXT:Â Man Utdâs most humiliating Premier League defeats: Liverpool, Balotelli, Keane evisceration, Palace thumping
200m spent every summer and theyâre always rubbish.
This is karma for 20 years of believing they would be the best team in the world forever.
And weâre all loving it.
Roll on manager no 7 to continue this gloriously expensive mediocrity.
rojapy
Keane learner
This shouldnât need explaining but I assume it does to a Mailbox full of Arsenal fans this morning.
Man United being absolutely crap with 10 men (and also with 11 men), does not mean that Roy Keane was wrong to voice his opinion that Arsenal could have or should have been a bit more ambitious with 10 men.
One has nothing to do with the other.
Slightly hilarious, mind.
James, MUFC
Ugarte be kidding
Not a great day for you on Sunday, Man Utd fans.
You could analyse a number of things about it but that first goal, I mean Van der Ven, he just ran straight through that hole in the heart of your midfield, that really shouldnât happen but it just keeps happening doesnât it. Dear me.
But on the bright side, itâs just as well youâve got that Ugarte bloke coming in â as you all keep saying, heâll sort out that particular problem for you. An upgrade on Casemiro, for sure.
[Checks starting XI v Spurs]
Oh no, wait. Hang onâŠ..
â Andy H, SwanseaÂ
Ten Hag lacks emotional quotient
Trying to put my finger on the core of the issues after that non-performance from Man Utd. There are so many candidates for the foundational errors. Bruno Fernandesâs form and frustrations, Rashfordâs continuing to flatter to deceive, the continued switching off, of the defence. 7 games in and a goal difference of minus 3 doesnât augur well for the season. And the most damning thing is that man for man, youâd think Man Utd have a better team than Spurs.
I think Ten Hagâs problem is a bit like Rangnikâs issue as well. He knows the right thing to do, and has tactical ideas. He probably is a good analyst as well. But heâs just not getting into the heads and hearts of his players. Collectively the Man Utd players are switched off. Every action takes half a second to register. Players think of what to do after receiving the ball. Or are on their heels when being played through. Or are running the wrong way relative to the pass. Rangnik also consistently threw the players under the bus, which ETH doesnât do. But heâs clearly unable to get them fired up. And this is with a core of players that he has managed before. Good managers have to manage both the analytical and emotional / mental side of the game. Having defended ETH all this time, I have to conclude that he is not able to get the players fired up. You can argue that managers shouldnât need to at this level, but itâs always a key part of the game. At this point, There are at least half a dozen managers at so called smaller clubs in the Premier League who should be able to do a better job.
Bruno got a little unlucky with the red card but I suspect heâs running on fumes, having played himself into the ground for club and country for 2 years now. A couple of games out might actually be good for him. Zirkzee can play in his place. Meanwhile nobody has picked up that Rashford and Garnacho conspired to lose the ball from a position of good advantage for the first goal and Rashford just gave up after losing the ball.
Ved Sen (MUFC)
Hotspurred
Seventy five minutes gone, itâs clear to me that a top four place is beyond the reach of Erikâs abilities. Villa ( by a mile ), Chelsea, Newcastle and Hotspurs are a cut above.
When Sir Alex left, I stated to my United supporting boss, welcome to a new manager every 2 or 3 years. And here we are.
Uff, a third. Great for the travelling fans .
Perhaps Graham Potter might be interested. Looking for an Atleti win in the derby .
Peter. (Barca let in 4 , Ter Stegen being injured is a disaster)
Sunny & warm Andalucia.
MORE ON YET ANOTHER MAN UTD DEFEAT
đ 16 Conclusions on Man Utd 0-3 Tottenham: Ten Hag sack, Ugarte nightmare, Kulusevski dazzles
đ Wasteful Tottenham still left laughing at Manchester Unitedâs humiliation in Old Trafford rout
đ Gary Neville calls for Man Utd inquisition after âabsolutely disgustingâ defeat to Tottenham
All things must pass
Getting in there early, (writing in at 52 mins) but I think our perfect moment is ending, hence another musician title for my email.
Even Calvino and Garey Vance canât justify this performance (though I am praying that they will somehow as, like most none Utd fans, I am desperate for ETH to stay).
âFred, AWB, Scott McT arenât good enough for Utd, heâs getting rid of the deadwoodâ but heâs replacing them with worse players.
It really is that simple.
Anyway, ETH, thanks for the memories. I can take solace that the FA Cup win saved your job and you managed to bring even more of your own players for the next manager to have to get rid of.
David (The fat lady is bellowing) Molby, Shrewsbury
đŁTO THE COMMENTS! Should Man Utd sack Erik ten Hag? Join the debate here
Banter club
See, now what Brunoâs red card does is it gives Ten Hag (as well as Man Utd fans) a handy excuse and deflection point as to why theyâll have lost a game they were always meant to, even if they had twelve on the pitch today. Little doubt there will be many letters in tomorrowâs mailbox bemoaning the red as âcontroversyâ but donât let the deluge nor the deluded fool you, Spurs were winning this fixture from the off.
On Spurs though, I found the recent sentiments from someone who strangely referred to him- or herself as an AI fan (though if I were a supporter of The Tottenham, perhaps Iâd also beg anonymity) rather lacking in any awareness or rationale. This person thought it strange Dave Tickner didnât follow up with an effusive 16 conclusions on Spursâ midweek Qarabag heroics. Two things here: 1) I actually always thought Tickner was a Spurs fan, but I donât really know; and, 2) I actually watched much of that game and Qarabag was one of the worst sides Iâve ever seen (truly, and not hyperbole), yet they definitely had their chances and mightâve gotten a result on another day, despite the one-sided scoreline.
AI fans or not, why is it that Spurs supporters believe so piously in the elitism and superiority of their club when any and every factual evidence points so completely to the contrary. This has always mystified me. Is it due to their shoe-horning themselves behind the Big Six moniker ? Too easily I can think of at least five clubs with worthier credentials for their spot in a Big Six, and itâs such a stupid construct to begin with.
Hereâs two shouts if I were to don an ill-fitting USA cap for a hot minute:  the Los Angeles Clippers are the Tottenham Hotspur of the NBA. The Los Angeles Chargers are the Tottenham Hotspur of the NFL. Both these franchises play in the city in which I reside, and both are definitive banter franchises of the region and of their sport, whoâve long ago traded any chance of winning pedigree with perennial laughingstock status. But occasionally both the Clippers and Chargers will notch a big win somewhere, because such is sport. The unfortunate thing is, an occasional apex moment against a Qarabag yesterday or a crap Man Utd today will not suddenly undo a legacy of long-held, historic sporting failure.
Spurs could win a Carabao, FA Cup and Europa League treble this season and this combination of treble would be the most befitting of themselves. But I honestly donât think it would move the needle much in terms of removing their deeply steeped premier banter-club status⊠ itâs just been way too long now in the making.
Eric, Los Angeles  CA  (For a very long time Liverpool were linked with Timo Werner. And for a very long time Iâve said weâve dodged the bluntest of Bavarian bullets there.)
A couple of things
Two issues to discuss for me after this weekend.
1. Iâve been patient, but I will now be accepting my flowers for the Ryan Gravenberch discourse a month or so ago. The boy is an absolute star already, the ceiling is even more obscene than even I, the most optimistic of fans expected it to be, and Iâm loving every second of it. The fact that he has yet to produce a match this season where he wasnât phenomenal is mind-blowing.
2. To you disheartened United fans out there talking your Erik in, Erik out, Erik shake it all about. Once again missing the point. Understand that whoever coaches you next, talented or not, heâs still going to get torpedoed by your actual major issues, like having the jelly-based Bruno as captain and Main Man©, Rashford as a literal anchor, and spineless, unbothered clowns all around the dressing room.
Erik may suck as a coach, but no one on this planet would whip that nightmare of a squad into shape. At the current state youâre far more likely to ruin [enter new playerâs name] than heâs likely to fix your problems. You need a purge, and you need it soon.
Tomer, LFC (dark arts, winning ugly yada yadaâŠ)Â
Infamy, infamy
Not looking forward to Mondayâs mailbox at all.
All those conspiracy theory emails all over again.
Whatâs that? Arsenal scored a goal when the ref didnât give a free kick against them? An Arsenal player wasnât sent off for a clear 2nd yellow card when the game was 2-2?
Who cares if they had 432 shots, 99.99% possession and 87 corners, itâs the decisions incorrectly given in your favour which have a bigger bearing on the result.
Apologies in the comments or by return please.
Howard (theyâre yet to have a 90+ points season) Jones
Unconscious bias and Arsenal
With regards to Tom Leytonâs Mail on Sunday.
I agree with many of his points regarding the dysfunction in the PGMOL and the âmates clubâ vibe it gives off.
However firstly, when yellow cards can be given for a multitude of one off reasons and accumulative fouling, a yellow card/foul ratio is a pretty poor set of data to base conclusions from. A team that is gobby towards the ref and kicking the ball away may accumulate more yellows despite fouling less. Less unconscious bias more idiotic players.
Secondly, if you are aware of unconscious bias and are concerned about its effects then surely you can weaponise this too? Notice that Villa (like very team) have had contentious decisions that have cost us points yet not once has Emery even mentioned them. Brian Clough told his players to be unquestionably polite to referees for exactly the same reason. Unconsciously, the referee may look forward to taking charge of your matches instead of worrying about your players/fans/managers hysterical reactions. Given the ego on some of these referees do you not think, unconsciously, you are bringing it upon yourselves?
To finish, the defence that everyone else gets away with it does not wash in primary schools or the justice system. It is not the high moral ground many people think it is.
Funstar (how about the arsenal fella that should have get a second yellow yesterday⊠unconscious bias or conspiracy?) Andy
Corner shop
Further to Ron Jeremias mail published on Sunday, and other previous missives about Arsenal corners, Iâll come straight out and admit I havenât read actual rules (which would make me no different to most pundits to be fair).
But, surely if it isnât against the rules to prevent the goalkeeper from leaving his line in order to catch or punch the ball it really should be. Regardless of whether the blocking players move or stand still, they are preventing the goalkeeper from making a legitimate defensive action, which is an obstruction, right?
If Arsenal are doing nothing wrong according to the current rules, then fair play to them as what they are doing, they are doing well. If no offence is being committed then itâs up to their opponents to come up with some other way to counter it.
Adam, LFC, Montreal.
Chelseaâs plan
Sometimes I think what if Chelseaâs plan all along was to sign a load of talented young players on long contracts, throw them in at the deep end during the chaos of the post Abramovic culture change and see which players could handle it. To forge a group of young players in adversity and then see which ones stick together and grow together. To create the bonds and resiliance that will be needed as this squad continues its journey from car crashing into a burning train wreck to the Champions League. What if they are waiting for the new team to fully form before they add a lethal #9? What if they move to Wembley for 5 years while they rebuild Stamford Bridge and sell the extra 7.5 million tickets and boxes for ÂŁ1 billion?
Then I remember they made Frank Lampard manager and realise I must be dreaming.
Ben
Gordon the diver?
Wrong from whoever in Newcastle.
Everyone else on the BBC updates did it for me.
I have accepted that heâs the leagueâs biggest cheat, maybe you should too.
Fat Man (+Everton won so a little more sanguine than normal)
Proxy war
After watching the City and Newcastle game the other day I realized I was just watching two oil states engage in a proxy war. Is the future of football, just nation states buying teams to compete against each other? If so this could start to heat up a bit. Could a particular nasty injury to a star player kick off an international incident? I think it would make the premier league a bit more exciting knowing that a last minute winner headed in from Dan Burns could trigger WW3.
Conor Maximus, LFC
An article request
You did one about Potter going to Everton who have no wins.
Everton go on to win over the weekend.
Can you guys please write one about Wolves this week ( we are getting desperate).
Cheers pals
Colin WWFC dublin
