* **Manchester United are refusing to panic and will be “measured” when considering next steps over how to move the club forward with Erik ten Hag calm over his position ahead of Tuesday’s executive committee meeting.**
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford have a long-scheduled catch-up in London, which will also be attended by chief executive Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.
Co-chairman Joel Glazer, who along with Ratcliffe and Brailsford forms the key decision-making trinity, will also be at the summit. It represents an INEOS-led commitment to discuss football operations in person monthly.
* **Sky Sports News understands the timing of the meeting**, which is likely to include chief operating officer Collette Roche and chief financial officer Roger Bell, **is due to the availability of all required attendees given the international break.**
**It is not on account of United’s form, which sees them winless in five matches across all competitions.**
* As Sky Sports News has previously reported, **there is an awareness that United have significantly underperformed in the final third against their expected goals. Defensive improvement, especially in terms of shots faced, has also been noted.**
However, familiar failings like not putting pressure against the ball, being so easy to play against, and quick capitulations after conceding will not be ignored.
**One of the overriding questions has been whether the problems are more psychological than tactical given the reactions of players when they lose possession, or when the opposition scores.**
**Being unwilling to track runners and making the wrong decisions when in good attacking positions**, for example, **has been under the microscope.**
Party-Yard-3557 on
Looks like they’ll give him until the New Year, unless results nosedive even further and the decision is forced out of their hands by the fans at OT.
cadeyM69 on
Ffs just put him and us out of our misery.
Glunkbor on
Well, worst joint start to a season last year. Worst PL season in decades last year. Worst start to a season this year. The only thing to measure about it is how far you can throw him out.
Eleven918 on
Just sack him before he gets knocked out in the EL. That’s our only real chance of getting into the CL next year.
I doubt we are shithouing our way to another FA or EFL cup playing like this.
G00DNIGHT-IR3N3 on
Winless in five, worst start to a PL season in nearly 30-odd years – this wouldn’t be a panic sacking. Surely Mr ‘Marginal Gains’ Brailsford can see that?
That starting XI yesterday was absolutely COWARDLY. He deserves to go now, just put us out of our misery. Ruud interim can’t be worse than this, surely?
SloGeorge on
Why do we keep shooting ourselves in the foot? Sacking an underperforming manager is not panicking. It’s common sense.
Formidable-Prolapse5 on
i’m not expecting them to be fucking panicing, i’m not envisioning them running around with handfulls of papers and slipping on banana peels, i just want them to sort his severance out and do something else.
The-Black-Angel on
I remember something SJR said in one of his first interviews, reflecting on previous failures at United.
‘We have to walk to right solution and not run to the wrong one’
I suspect it’s this ethos which is keeping ETH in situ. They don’t want to rush and bring in the wrong guy and would rather keep going until either the right guy is available or the situation is untenable…which is what it is getting close to now.
14th in the league and I suspect if he doesn’t get some wins under his belt in the next 3/4 games, then he’ll go.
lestat85 on
I wouldn’t call sacking him now a ‘panic’.
He’s reached the stage where there is an obvious long-term decline in performance, stats and league position. To say we are still waiting is like sitting on a sinking ship and refusing to accept the offer of a lifeboat because you want to see where the ship might go if you wait.
ss7229 on
At what point is the manager culpable for the team’s mental fitness and strength?
BeardedGardenersHoe on
Maybe they should panic, have they seen the table and results? Wtf should it look like in order for them to panic?
-wmloo- on
Reading between the lines, soften the ground before the sack
MileZero17 on
Really hoping INEOS has a a plan. Im so tired of this club that I’m already losing faith in the next manager.
NathanMUFCfan on
Just sack him so we can potentially save the season. Keeping him is going to ruin this season and guarantee it to be a write off.
JSKW17 on
Is anyone else near totally certain that they aren’t going to get rid of him this break? I’ll be so surprised if they actually do it
RainbowPenguin1000 on
If you’re being measured then he needs to go.
– Sustained poor form over an extended period
– Worst start to a premier league season ever
– Majority of his signings have not improved the club
– Most players are not playing to their full potential
– No sign of a turnaround in form
– Further away from champions league football now than 12 months ago.
– No clear style of play or long term plan
– High supporter unrest
It’s not reactionary or panicky to sack him, it’s measured, it’s looking at the big picture and drawing the only conclusion.
SOERERY on
Man is the luckiest man in the world, he has survived for various reasons for almost a year now. Would have been sacked if it wasn’t for the sale last year.
TeaaOverCoffeee on
No news or tangible information in this, only conjecture. I’d ignore.
jayjoemck on
Not defending ten Hag. But I’ve seen this film before and I know the ending.
“X Out! And our problems will be solved!”
It’s short-sighted thinking to a loooong-term problem.
rambo_zaki on
Sounds to me like Ten Hag’s going to stay. Fucking hell, the standard are in the fucking gutter.
Goo_Eyes on
They won’t sack him. I just don’t feel it will happen yet.
Top 4 is pretty much impossible now with him at the helm. You need around 70 points to get top 4. That means we’d need to average 2 points per game for the rest of the season.
For Ineos, who have made their sporting name in cycling, they are quite slow in telling Erik to get on his bike.
Peeingwithanerection on
Get big Sam in and save our season
keysersoze-72 on
Translation : “Hag at the wheel !”
zcewaunt on
I know I speak for myself here because everyone else considers themselves an expert, but I trust them to make the right call, whatever that may be. They have much more information on the situation than I ever could.
Otter269 on
Not going to worry yet. The media don’t really know what Ineos are thinking or going to do.
I’ve yet to see a journalist say something 100% they are certain of. It’s either might or could. Other than Orny saying Southgate wasn’t a option and as far as he knows still isn’t. Also doesn’t think FFP is a factor
Zandercy42 on
The best reasoning I can see that he is still around is that the higher ups believe they’ve still not set up the club in the way for a new manager to succeed
At best we will get an interim if ETH keeps falling but we won’t be seeing a new permanent manager until they’re confident they will have the tools to succeed imo
OmegaMaster8 on
Just let him go. ETH is getting clueless as the games go by. I don’t have a clue where the goals are coming from in the PL.
RipcityJawa on
By any measurement you take at the moment we are ass
ExtraSir7 on
This is a pathetic approach by the management tbh! The thing they need to understand is that you can’t polish a turd.
toljian on
fml
Garlic-Cheese-Chips on
Not panic? We’re 14th, 4 points off the relegation zone.
This is a perfectly appropriate time to panic.
babyjesus8lb60z on
So what I am reading then is we are conceeding that our ambitions to get into the top 4 is all but over so we are cup team now
BlackHorse944 on
If INEOS had been here longer than a few months, he’d be long gone. Think it’s a weird situation because they just got here a few months ago, decided to back him 4 months ago, and are 2 months into their first season.
Still think he’ll be gone during Novembers international break. Don’t think this dysfunction can be tolerated for much longer
ZofTheNorth on
Why tuesday though? Aren’t we already in a state of emergency? Why follow regular schedules to discuss one of the most important discussions of the season?. I mean, all the decision makers already were in yesterday game.
Psko88 on
There are so many things that he has fucked up by now. Even former man utd players and expert commentators can name anything positive about him. Just sack him and try something new already.
Outrageous_Talk_2877 on
If the performances were good. If you could see the plan he was trying to implement. If you could see the players clearly trying to implement it and showing they were on board with it. If the team were just unlucky.
Then you could forgive the results because you know it would just be a matter of time before it clicked.
But you can’t. They’re awful. The players look like they don’t know where to run, how to close down, how to attack, how to defend.
The players are constantly shouting and pointing at each other where they should be which shows clear confusion.
Honestly, if they keep him, and he brings the team back, then he deserves the manager of the year award.
But I personally, can’t see where a performance is gonna come from.
Sadly.
leontas46 on
No need to panic – just sack him. Panicking would be keeping him on and then losing the next 2-3 games.
sharpieforum on
Do we really need to get relegated to get our shit together?
Benphyre on
What is considered good football under ETH based on his tactics? Successful high press forcing high turnover? Breaking opponent pressing by passing out from the back to create an overload in attack?
To be fair I’ve seen the former enough times to trust we can still get better and improve however the latter happen like once in 10 games. In fact that is exactly what opponent does to us week in week out. I’m sorry to say I don’t trust that ETH can change the team when there are zero improvements in this aspect for 2 years
Drazor313 on
The board will judge him on his performance on the first 38 games this season
ProxyClouds on
I mean something needs to change. We can’t just keep doing the same thing and hope something will ”klick”. ETHs current tactics don’t fit with the squads strength and weakness, oddly enough as he has sanctioned all of them.
The squad is fixed, so either EtH needs to change tactics to fit the squad or United need to change head coach.
Environmental_Lie478 on
I want him gone and don’t see us improving under him but to play devils advocate, Arteta at Arsenal is a sign that actual real patience with a manager can eventually work. He was breaking similar worst start to a season records before things clicked
BlackShadowGlass on
Panicking here would be doing nothing tbh
MoneyWasabi9 on
There’s no plan whatsoever wherein we’d keep him on and then sack after 3 losses. It’s going to be painful and he is going to bleed out over a period of time.
luffyy22 on
Stuur hem terug naar hier, in Nederland.
cydus on
We deserve relegation if they stick with him for a single match more.
fuzxx14 on
Would be crazy to sack him now. We should stick with the standards from 4 months ago, no need to raise them now. 8th in the PL, dead last in the UEL, and the FA Cup are still viable.
Active_Mil_MU on
I have never really part of the Erik Ten Hag out crowd,but the past few weeks have made me just want him sacked.
Maybe we will see the same results just with a different person at the helm. I think he’s part of the issue but the players are another issue holding us back.
I don’t know I just want to see us do better already
cdalb21 on
If he’s not sacked that means it has to get worse first. How could it possibly get worse!?!?
50 Comments
**Key Bits:**
* **Manchester United are refusing to panic and will be “measured” when considering next steps over how to move the club forward with Erik ten Hag calm over his position ahead of Tuesday’s executive committee meeting.**
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford have a long-scheduled catch-up in London, which will also be attended by chief executive Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.
Co-chairman Joel Glazer, who along with Ratcliffe and Brailsford forms the key decision-making trinity, will also be at the summit. It represents an INEOS-led commitment to discuss football operations in person monthly.
* **Sky Sports News understands the timing of the meeting**, which is likely to include chief operating officer Collette Roche and chief financial officer Roger Bell, **is due to the availability of all required attendees given the international break.**
**It is not on account of United’s form, which sees them winless in five matches across all competitions.**
* As Sky Sports News has previously reported, **there is an awareness that United have significantly underperformed in the final third against their expected goals. Defensive improvement, especially in terms of shots faced, has also been noted.**
However, familiar failings like not putting pressure against the ball, being so easy to play against, and quick capitulations after conceding will not be ignored.
**One of the overriding questions has been whether the problems are more psychological than tactical given the reactions of players when they lose possession, or when the opposition scores.**
**Being unwilling to track runners and making the wrong decisions when in good attacking positions**, for example, **has been under the microscope.**
Looks like they’ll give him until the New Year, unless results nosedive even further and the decision is forced out of their hands by the fans at OT.
Ffs just put him and us out of our misery.
Well, worst joint start to a season last year. Worst PL season in decades last year. Worst start to a season this year. The only thing to measure about it is how far you can throw him out.
Just sack him before he gets knocked out in the EL. That’s our only real chance of getting into the CL next year.
I doubt we are shithouing our way to another FA or EFL cup playing like this.
Winless in five, worst start to a PL season in nearly 30-odd years – this wouldn’t be a panic sacking. Surely Mr ‘Marginal Gains’ Brailsford can see that?
That starting XI yesterday was absolutely COWARDLY. He deserves to go now, just put us out of our misery. Ruud interim can’t be worse than this, surely?
Why do we keep shooting ourselves in the foot? Sacking an underperforming manager is not panicking. It’s common sense.
i’m not expecting them to be fucking panicing, i’m not envisioning them running around with handfulls of papers and slipping on banana peels, i just want them to sort his severance out and do something else.
I remember something SJR said in one of his first interviews, reflecting on previous failures at United.
‘We have to walk to right solution and not run to the wrong one’
I suspect it’s this ethos which is keeping ETH in situ. They don’t want to rush and bring in the wrong guy and would rather keep going until either the right guy is available or the situation is untenable…which is what it is getting close to now.
14th in the league and I suspect if he doesn’t get some wins under his belt in the next 3/4 games, then he’ll go.
I wouldn’t call sacking him now a ‘panic’.
He’s reached the stage where there is an obvious long-term decline in performance, stats and league position. To say we are still waiting is like sitting on a sinking ship and refusing to accept the offer of a lifeboat because you want to see where the ship might go if you wait.
At what point is the manager culpable for the team’s mental fitness and strength?
Maybe they should panic, have they seen the table and results? Wtf should it look like in order for them to panic?
Reading between the lines, soften the ground before the sack
Really hoping INEOS has a a plan. Im so tired of this club that I’m already losing faith in the next manager.
Just sack him so we can potentially save the season. Keeping him is going to ruin this season and guarantee it to be a write off.
Is anyone else near totally certain that they aren’t going to get rid of him this break? I’ll be so surprised if they actually do it
If you’re being measured then he needs to go.
– Sustained poor form over an extended period
– Worst start to a premier league season ever
– Majority of his signings have not improved the club
– Most players are not playing to their full potential
– No sign of a turnaround in form
– Further away from champions league football now than 12 months ago.
– No clear style of play or long term plan
– High supporter unrest
It’s not reactionary or panicky to sack him, it’s measured, it’s looking at the big picture and drawing the only conclusion.
Man is the luckiest man in the world, he has survived for various reasons for almost a year now. Would have been sacked if it wasn’t for the sale last year.
No news or tangible information in this, only conjecture. I’d ignore.
Not defending ten Hag. But I’ve seen this film before and I know the ending.
“X Out! And our problems will be solved!”
It’s short-sighted thinking to a loooong-term problem.
Sounds to me like Ten Hag’s going to stay. Fucking hell, the standard are in the fucking gutter.
They won’t sack him. I just don’t feel it will happen yet.
Top 4 is pretty much impossible now with him at the helm. You need around 70 points to get top 4. That means we’d need to average 2 points per game for the rest of the season.
For Ineos, who have made their sporting name in cycling, they are quite slow in telling Erik to get on his bike.
Get big Sam in and save our season
Translation : “Hag at the wheel !”
I know I speak for myself here because everyone else considers themselves an expert, but I trust them to make the right call, whatever that may be. They have much more information on the situation than I ever could.
Not going to worry yet. The media don’t really know what Ineos are thinking or going to do.
I’ve yet to see a journalist say something 100% they are certain of. It’s either might or could. Other than Orny saying Southgate wasn’t a option and as far as he knows still isn’t. Also doesn’t think FFP is a factor
The best reasoning I can see that he is still around is that the higher ups believe they’ve still not set up the club in the way for a new manager to succeed
At best we will get an interim if ETH keeps falling but we won’t be seeing a new permanent manager until they’re confident they will have the tools to succeed imo
Just let him go. ETH is getting clueless as the games go by. I don’t have a clue where the goals are coming from in the PL.
By any measurement you take at the moment we are ass
This is a pathetic approach by the management tbh! The thing they need to understand is that you can’t polish a turd.
fml
Not panic? We’re 14th, 4 points off the relegation zone.
This is a perfectly appropriate time to panic.
So what I am reading then is we are conceeding that our ambitions to get into the top 4 is all but over so we are cup team now
If INEOS had been here longer than a few months, he’d be long gone. Think it’s a weird situation because they just got here a few months ago, decided to back him 4 months ago, and are 2 months into their first season.
Still think he’ll be gone during Novembers international break. Don’t think this dysfunction can be tolerated for much longer
Why tuesday though? Aren’t we already in a state of emergency? Why follow regular schedules to discuss one of the most important discussions of the season?. I mean, all the decision makers already were in yesterday game.
There are so many things that he has fucked up by now. Even former man utd players and expert commentators can name anything positive about him. Just sack him and try something new already.
If the performances were good. If you could see the plan he was trying to implement. If you could see the players clearly trying to implement it and showing they were on board with it. If the team were just unlucky.
Then you could forgive the results because you know it would just be a matter of time before it clicked.
But you can’t. They’re awful. The players look like they don’t know where to run, how to close down, how to attack, how to defend.
The players are constantly shouting and pointing at each other where they should be which shows clear confusion.
Honestly, if they keep him, and he brings the team back, then he deserves the manager of the year award.
But I personally, can’t see where a performance is gonna come from.
Sadly.
No need to panic – just sack him. Panicking would be keeping him on and then losing the next 2-3 games.
Do we really need to get relegated to get our shit together?
What is considered good football under ETH based on his tactics? Successful high press forcing high turnover? Breaking opponent pressing by passing out from the back to create an overload in attack?
To be fair I’ve seen the former enough times to trust we can still get better and improve however the latter happen like once in 10 games. In fact that is exactly what opponent does to us week in week out. I’m sorry to say I don’t trust that ETH can change the team when there are zero improvements in this aspect for 2 years
The board will judge him on his performance on the first 38 games this season
I mean something needs to change. We can’t just keep doing the same thing and hope something will ”klick”. ETHs current tactics don’t fit with the squads strength and weakness, oddly enough as he has sanctioned all of them.
The squad is fixed, so either EtH needs to change tactics to fit the squad or United need to change head coach.
I want him gone and don’t see us improving under him but to play devils advocate, Arteta at Arsenal is a sign that actual real patience with a manager can eventually work. He was breaking similar worst start to a season records before things clicked
Panicking here would be doing nothing tbh
There’s no plan whatsoever wherein we’d keep him on and then sack after 3 losses. It’s going to be painful and he is going to bleed out over a period of time.
Stuur hem terug naar hier, in Nederland.
We deserve relegation if they stick with him for a single match more.
Would be crazy to sack him now. We should stick with the standards from 4 months ago, no need to raise them now. 8th in the PL, dead last in the UEL, and the FA Cup are still viable.
I have never really part of the Erik Ten Hag out crowd,but the past few weeks have made me just want him sacked.
Maybe we will see the same results just with a different person at the helm. I think he’s part of the issue but the players are another issue holding us back.
I don’t know I just want to see us do better already
If he’s not sacked that means it has to get worse first. How could it possibly get worse!?!?