But it's worse. Most of the team no longer even cares. Chaos ball would require them to at least put in some effort even if it was wild. Over half these guys are just going for a Sunday stroll. Rashford doesn't deserve to be on the field yet badly pulled Garnacho.

Nothing makes sense.

But it does make sense. It's not as bad as when the team gave up on Rangnick but it's similar in that the team knows it's not going to make CL and it's unsure at best as to whether ETH will be.

I mean it is what it is. I've seen this movie before. A lot over the last 10 years or so.

If you were just watching one half of football, Garnacho and Rashford both didn't do anything great. I think Garnacho is primarily to blame for the second goal (would need to re-watch).

But Rashford is so frustrating this year. When was the last time anyone thought, "Well Rashford is having a rough time getting his shots right, but he leaves it all on the pitch." (As I was typing that, he did run hard to try to win the ball back lol in fairness but… we've all seen the half-assedness).


Btw, not a pen, but I'll take it anyway.

Maybe the biggest indictment I have of ETH is his constant subbing out of Mainoo in late game situations. I guess you can assume they are trying to manage his minutes but hard to believe that as he missed half the season through injury. It's not like he's near the end of a grinding 50+ game season. And he can literally play any position in midfield and thus can either defend a lead or get you a goal. Makes no sense to me.

Contact was outside of the box, right?

Outside the box but they took their sweet time checking it.

What in the absolute hell was that end of game "attack"?

So, do you think ETH is the manager on the 1st day of the 2024/25 season or is it someone else? I have thought about this and I honestly have no clue.

The case for getting rid of him: Team have clearly taken a massive step backwards this season and don't look to have improved at all over the course of the season (some spurts here and there but nothing that can reasonably be considered sustained). Over reliance on some players seems highly questionable. Team doesn't look particularly well trained or well coached and look to have potentially given up on him. He's in the final year of a contract and it usually is a disaster when a manager goes into the final year of his contract and doesn't get extended or released. So probably better to release him than re-sign him.

The case for keeping him: Litany of injuries have decimated a squad that already had gaping holes in terms of talent (yes, he created a number of those holes but we aren't assessing his transfer making ability because he no longer has the power there that he once had). He's given a number of youth team players substantial opportunity (maybe through a forced hand rather than by design) and they seem to be improving. Replacing him means you need to pay money for him and his coaches to leave and you have to pay money (likely big money unless you go for Potter and...that would raise its own questions) for his replacement and his replacement's coaches. You already have to pay Newcastle and Southampton money for their directors. And you'll need to bring it at least 3-4 players to begin the roster overhaul. Is paying ETH and his coaches money to leave the best use of limited funds?

Ralf said we needed open heart surgery. Instead we continued feasting on buckets of KFC. Flush the manager. Flush a bunch of the players. Do what should have been done a few years ago.

I haven't read or watched anything since the game ended yesterday, so I'm not sure what the press has been (I kind of assume the vultures are circling), but I think he will be sacked. Potentially this week, although he may just finish out the year after an announcement like Xavi and Tuchel.

Press has been circling for months. Really since October if we're honest. If I had to guess right now, I think he'll stay but it is a far from confident guess. Ratcliffe has been adamant that he wants to work top down. He has Berrada but Ashworth (and maybe Wilcox) will need to be finalized before a long term managerial decision is made. He has rightly said numerous times that a style of play and ethos needs to be set and a manager adheres to it rather than a manager dictating the style on their own terms. I don't see how that philosophy pairs with making a managerial decision now before you have the hierarchy above the manager set. Seems like you have to get those decisions first and if United are indeed willing to wait till after summer to officially hire Ashworth, then logically I think ETH makes it to August.

But it's going to be awkward. If ETH does make it to the start of next season, he is going to have zero rope. Will top the lists of favorites to be fired from day 1.

So apparently there is big news coming at 3pm UK time.

I guess that was just BS engagement bait. no announcement today.

I did get some notification today that garnacho was going to be dealt with for "liking" social media posts critical of ETH. maybe that was it.

Ha. I heard he was disciplined for his social media activity. Had no idea that was the reason why. Not very smart of Garnacho but also not a great sign for Erik.

Saw today that PSG is apparently no longer interested in Rashford. Here's hoping he gets his **** together soon

I've seen some stuff that it was accidental liking. Which is an easy thing to do when scrolling. But whatever.

You guys made me search for this. lol. I don't think it was a mistake since the tweets were criticizing ten Hag for subbing Garnacho (rather than unnamed other players, but… i think we know lol).

Garnacho’s liked tweets 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/AEyW1hmrjz

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) April 13, 2024

Well, it's specifically criticizing the post match presser for "throwing him under the bus." I didn't stick around for the post-match presser, but… ten Hag should watch the post-match pressers. I'd rather not have all our wingers on loan at Dortmund. lol.

BTW, I hope you are right. Ten Hag has had one overperforming year where we had extremely good luck, and one bad year where we've had a lot of bad luck. For me personally ten Hag is (nerd alert) Schrodinger's cat where he is both a good manager and a bad manager as well as both alive and dead simultaneously, and we can't see in the box. It's a little frustrating, and I kind of wish Ineos would just decide and make a final statement. I personally kind of wish we'd start next year on his current contract and just see how it goes. It's his last year, and normally you would need to do something now, but I don't think we have to worry much about him leaving on his own at the minute. Plus, the betting odds still have Southgate and Potter at the top. I'm not real worried about someone swooping in and hiring away those prized assets if we don't sack ten Hag now. Maybe if Southgate wins the Euros he heats up, I don't know, but there's not a real long queue for him at the minute.

Agree regarding ETH and Ineos. The only thing maybe keeping Ineos from making a statement that he will leave end of season is the FA Cup. If they have decided to get rid of him, then they might not want to upset that opportunity. May give him the Van Gaal treatment. But if you've decided you're going to keep him then...just say it. The problem with his contract isn't so much that I think others will come take him (or that he will leave) but rather that a coach in the final year of his contract has no mandate. It's a signal of a complete lack of belief. If the players aren't playing for him now, they are definitely not playing for him then.

But it's not like Potter or Southgate don't come with their own significant list of questions. Both would be scrutinized from day 1 (any United manager would be them more so than other candidates). I think they'll need to either re-sign ETH to 2027 but maybe with a lower buyout should they not qualify for CL (or something like that to give him some sort of mandate for next season while also lessening the financial burden if he flames out again) or they'll sign Potter and hope that if he works in a sane environment like he had at Brighton (with Ashworth no less) rather than an insane environment like he had at Chelsea, he'll succeed.

U-18s clinched their league title for the first time in 6 seasons (City had won the last 4). That coupled with Mainoo/Garnacho's ascendance to the first team and several U-18 players recently signing professional contracts and spending time with United's first team is a very nice sign.

ETH has done a pretty good job of advancing youth players into the first team which will always be a valued trait at United. Could argue he was forced into it a bit given all the injuries and an unbalanced squad, but he gave youth a chance at Ajax too. That alone won't be enough to save his job but it won't hurt either.

Kambwala and some other youth appeared due primarily to injuries, but he kind of went out of his way to give Garnacho opportunities last year, and he was starting Mainoo with the first team against Real Madrid in pre-season (when he got hurt, unfortunately). Those two specifically have been pushed by ten Hag and aren't just injuries.

Jason Wilcox, Southampton's sporting director, has been confirmed as technical director at United with immediate effect. It sounds like he will be working as the second in command in recruitment under Dan Ashworth once he is confirmed as sporting director (when/if we reach a deal to get him off gardening leave at Newcastle). I'm happy because we need someone who isn't stuck cutting their grass for the foreseeable future to, you know, actually do something in the summer transfer window.

It's the end of April. Unless they throw money at players many of the good transfer targets and deals will have been quietly arranged.

That's one thing I hope this new regime changes. For a decade now, we have been behind the 8 ball on getting transfers done. We do them too late and pay too much. Have to change that.

Kambwala is injured. Maguire only fit CB available for tomorrow's game. ETH is trying out Casemiro as a CB.

Amrabat and Mount are also out.

Honestly, please just let this season be over.

So. We have 1 for CB. And how many RB/LB?

2 RBs and 0 LBs at last count.

Can Wilcox do a job on the back line?

It appears Casemiro will be CB. Either him or McTominay who I think has actually played CB for Scotland in a 5-3-2 but media is indicating it's Casemiro.

Should either he or Maguire get hurt/red carded, our CB on the bench is U-18 central defender Louis Jackson.

Instead of playing people in positions they are completely lost in, just play a 3 back and play an extra mid. It's Coventry City for gods sake.

Even that would require players playing out of position unless by back 3 you don't mean 3 CBs and instead mean 2 full backs who are pushing up and leaving Harry Maguire left to fend for himself. Which sounds like the 4th level of hell.

We do not have the personnel available for a 3-5-3, and the idea of a back 3 of Dalot-Maguire-EWB makes my stomach hurt, even against Coventry.

Yep. 3-5-2 with Maguire in the middle between Dalot and AWB.

Then tell Maguire to stand next to Onana and pick daisies.

I'm fully convincing myself that Casemiro will find his new position today that covers for the fact that his legs are gone.

If Coventry are going to put 8-9 men behind the ball and play a low block (and I understand why they would), then I'd just tell Maguire to boot it over their goal anytime they settle in. We're not going to break down a low block. Not even Coventry's. Only way we'll score is if they have to come out of that and they have to if they have the ball. Make them have it, win it, and then move quickly before they can settle into their defense.