The facts are that Ten Hag has done better than Klopp or Arteta in first 50 games
Those are the facts. And Man Utd fans are very keen to point them out. They are backing Erik ten Hag, who is more popular than Howard Webb right now.
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Man Utd just backing Ten Hag like Arsenal backed Arteta
Good to see the likes of John Matrix belittling the so-called “smaller” teams we have beaten recently. Therefore, it’s only right to highlight the thrashings handed out to those teams by the current top 4 to help make John’s point.
* Arsenal tanked Fulham 2-2, thanks to a Nketiah goal that should have been ruled out.
* Liverpool destroyed Luton with a 1-1 draw, a fortuitous draw thanks to a late equaliser.
* All hail the 1-0 pasting given out by Spurs against Luton, I bet they couldn’t walk right for a week after than one.
* Marvel the scenes of chaos as City and Spurs pummel Sheffield Utd by a jaw-dropping score of 2-1, a Rodri late goal and Spurs goals in the 98th and 100th minute sparing their blushes.
* Brace yourselves as Spurs rewrite the history books with an astonishing 2-2 draw against Brentford.
The point is, as should be blindly obvious, that these teams have a good performance in them and have taken points off the teams above us or were unlucky not to have; if they hadn’t then we’d be further behind. Nobody is trying to say we have had a great season, just that it’s not as bad as the narrative being portrayed.
Heaven forbid that supporters might actually try to back their team and manager, who are struggling for performances. No, we should really be pointing out all the negatives because it’s not the job of a supporter to support their team is it? The best supporters do a stint on the likes of Arsenal TV, shouting and gnashing our teeth like a bunch of entitled braindead morons.
I wonder if John was quite as flippant about these types of results when Arsenal and Arteta (who has a much lower win rate than TH by the way) were stinking the place out at times between 2020-2022? In fact I know he wasn’t, as I read his mails calling for Arteta to have time to build, discussing a long-term plan and seeing positives when the negatives were stacking up. So how about you give us the courtesy of letting us do the same for our manager?
Finally, David Molby asks the question “isn’t it great that we can all share in the joy of Utd continually drifting into LFC 90s obscurity? (Tbf even LFC had the decency to win an FA Cup or two in that time). So third and a domestic cup last season is obscurity? That’s not even the part of your mail that hurt my head the most – the word you’re looking for is ‘non’, not ‘none’!
Garey Vance, MUFC
…The Tuesday mailbox was quite something. A lot of people very upset United are shit and not doing entirely shit. Let’s dive into some of the analysis:
So apparently Arsenal haven’t played well, and have some injuries (Odegaard missed 1 game for heaven’s sake) and the player who can play in Odegaard’s position – bought for 65M – apparently doesn’t exist, so I guess these are your excuses for not being more than 6 points ahead of United? It’s not as if United are going through that exact situation but with far worse circumstances. Almost like saying “my flat tire is worse than your car on fire”.
Others proclaim there is no agenda. Then why does $400m spent just this summer, 5 points behind United, with 3 less wins, and one less defeat, Pochettino escape pretty much all scrutiny? By most opposition fans “United Are Shit” metrics, Chelsea and Poch should be considered to be doing terribly, not getting praise for conceding four at home a la Ange? Do explain.
Continuing with Chelsea, who have brilliantly responded to a set back by conceding four VS City. A weak argument to make when they are five points behind the terrible United. I guess losing at home to Forest, Brentford and Villa are all signs of a good team, and United losing late, away to in-form Spurs, Arsenal and Bayern makes them bad. OK.
For the kids at the back, nobody has spent more over the past decade than Chelsea and City. Since 12/13, Chelsea have spent a cool 2.56 Billions euros, City have spent 1.98 Billions euros. This compared to United’s 1.88 Billion euros. Now, some may say those with an agenda want to focus on Net Spend, and not total expenditure. Should buying the best part of 700m euros more in players than United leave you better, or worse off?
You then get to Liverpoolonomics, where if you just adjust the data to your best period, then Klopp started much better. Why don’t United fans just not count Ten Hag’s second season as it’s not completed yet? Of course not, backwards logic only works one way. I’d also love to see how Klopp would have done missing his entire defensive unit at the beginning of his second year. Actually, scrap that, we saw what a defensive injury crisis did to LFC, and the excuses conjured up by their fans.
The truth is what it is, and as many sadistic fans like to point out, you can’t deny the facts. The facts are that Ten Hag is only third to Klopp and Pep for points per game currently managing in the Prem, and has outdone Klopp in his first 50 games. He actually outdone ANY Man Utd manager in their first 50 games – no small feat. Especially given his preferred back 5 have all been injured this season, there’s a club level crisis’ out of his control ‘and despite all of this, he’s 5 and 6 points off the Prem title challengers Spurs and Arsenal.
To succeed, you need to do well against the top, AND the bottom teams. United may have gotten all their points from struggling teams, but you still have to beat them. See: LFC vs Luton, MCFC vs Wolves , Chelsea vs choose your pick.
United were inches from beating Arsenal, one or two calls from beating Spurs, lost to a last minute goal vs Bayern away, and a late goal vs Galatasaray, and even City were fortunate to be leading at halftime, thanks to VAR. Sure, the Newcastle cup game was a shocker, Copenhagen an understandable disappointment, and none of the games have lit up the audiences, but nuance is needed here.
Tell me any Prem team that can do well without their starting RB, Two cb’s, 3 first choice LB’s (one who connects well with Rashford), CDM, and sporadic injuries throughout the rest of the team? The Arsenal kid mentioned ten men with Havertz, what do you think it’s like with Antony, Martial, and Mason Mount starting FFS? All combined with the above? By this logic, are United playing with, what, 8 men?
We just saw how fast the Spurs fell off the wagon due to two player injuries, let alone missing 5-6 starters. We saw how one injury to Saliba lost Arsenal the title last year, how LFC had an injury crisis that derailed their season the season before, but with United? It’s all down to the coach and them lacking quality – Got it.
The time to judge this team, and its coach, is when they have their team in-form and not injured. Kicking a team while they have some difficult situations to deal with, while also using difficult situations to excuse your own team’s plights, just goes to show this isn’t about United, or their situation, but where your displaced aggression is going.
Calvino ( Gary O’Neil = The new – better football – Big Sam)
READ: Ten Hag working silent miracles and Arsenal at 9) in ranking of current Premier League injury crises
Klopp definitely wasted some money
I haven’t seen the Ten Hag comparisons with Klopp Gussy is so upset about and, if they exist, I fully agree it makes no sense and anyone who sees a similarity doesn’t know Jurgen has a fully replenished head of hair under those baseball caps.
But he did prompt me to check transfermarket for all this money Fergie wasted.
Before the first league title, the hits (above £200k) were as follows: Brucey, McClair, Hughes, Sharpe, Pallister, Ince, Irwin, Parker, Kanchelskis and Schmeichel. So almost the full 92/93 first team.
The misses under the same criteria: Viv Anderson, Jim Leighton, Mal Donaghy, Danny Wallace and Neil Webb.
This took me far too long so I won’t bother doing the same for Klopp, but I’m pretty sure he spent £100m on Oxlade Chamberlain and Naby Keita so there’ll likely be a similar story. As both completely rebuilt their squads to play aggressive front-foot football. First delivering a European trophy. Before ending a decades-long wait for the league title…
Oh sh*t, he’ll get upset about this one too.
Simon MUFC
Abramovich has created unrealistic expectations
One thing we hear about on a constant basis is how bad the Glazers are because they take dividends from an asset they own.
I feel like the public perception of Abramovich is the cause of this. See before Roman owned Chelsea everyone just accepted that your club could spend whatever it made, most clubs were badly run and under commercialised. United were probably the first to really understand the kind of advantage commercialising the club can give.
Before Roman the only time we heard about owners is the complaints about Alan Sugar or Ken Bates, generally owners were invisible and rarely ever pumped money into the club because teams were not seen as a wise investment. Even United floating United in the stock exchange was seen as a silly idea because sports teams all over the world were considered bad investments.
Enter Roman Abramovich. He bought Chelsea and immediately pumped money in under the guise of being ‘a fan’ he didn’t mind losing money because he was such ‘a fan.’ His own money and not loans or money made by the club. He did it because he cared about the club. He was Chelsea’s messiah charitably donating money to turn his team into the power house he grew up believing it was.
Except none of that was true, as Chelsea discovered when he had to leave. It was an asset which he used to park money siphoned from the Russian people as well as decreasing his tax liabilities because….football clubs are bad investments.
City, Newcastle and other owners (how come Arsenal fans are never protesting Kroenke anymore? Could it be because they were just sore losers looking for someone to blame?) bought clubs, not because they love the teams they bought but for similar political reasons. But they weren’t cleaning their bank accounts they were trying to clean their image and draw foreign investment to their own countries.
My point is this, stop complaining about Glazers not spending money for a few reasons:
1. They do, you top spending charts almost every year and even spend more than City.
2. There are rules now which prevent owners from pumping money in as either cash gifts or as loans.
3. Nobody ever pumps money in for ‘love of the club’ it’s a business, plain and simple.
Valid criticism of the Glazers comes in the form of woeful infrastructure spending. Old scrapyard now really does live up to that nickname. You wanna criticise them for that then that is fair game and fair criticism. But don’t criticise them for not doing something the rules prevent especially when you spend all the time anyway.
Finally why were so many of you clamouring for wealthy middle Eastern owners recently? After spending a decade declaring all City’s achievements are hollow because it was bought with oil money. If you’re in favour of new owners so they can pump money in for trophies you must also have to accept City’s achievements. You can’t criticise it while drooling over it.
Lee
Amendment
Please can I add a slight, but required edit to Sarah Winterburn’s excellent ’10 Premier League managers of all time’.
1) Pep Guardiola (Manchester City): 2.35 pts per game
#Fraudiola – 115 charges for breaching financial rules
Ian H
Predictions revisited
With it being boring interlull time for the third time this season thought a good opportunity to revisit my pre season predictions published on these hallowed pages on 29th July.
Who will win the league?
Arsenal – Still in with a good shot, City not got as much of a hangover as I hoped for though
Rest of top 4 in order, that no one ever gets right
2 – Liverpool – still looking good
3 – City – again still looking good
4 – Chelsea – could the four points in last two games kick start their season post interlull.
Three picks for relegation
Luton – will still likely happen
Wolves – Damn you Gary O Neil
Everton – Please for the love of God make this happen!!
Which club would be a pleasant surprise
Luton – despite relegation pick thought they would be fun and bloody a few noses, no doubt they scared Liverpool, Man U and S*** already
Who will win the golden boot?
I put Martinelli as Haaland would be cheating and Kane would be banging them in for Bayern. At least got two out three right and that was before Kane signed for them
Which signing would have the most positive impact?
Havertz – will take a hell of lot of work and impact for him to prove me right…..what was I thinking
Which one will be a massive flop?
I put Onana and thought the compilation of his errors would make a great watch…..started off on course needs to revert back to not making any saves and punching attackers in the box
Who will be the biggest bloody bargain?
I said Kluivert and maybe Bournemouth have turned a corner……but really are there any bargains out there?
PFA Player of the year?
Saka – and still stand by this and that he will score the winner in the Euros Final next summer
First Manager to leave their job?
Lopetegui – I got one right!!
Champions League Winner
Real Madrid – still on course
5 words what am I most excited about the new season?
Stewie and Barry Fox meltdowns – still enjoying them particularly after the s**** going invincible boast from Barry
Liam C
Webb of deceit
I have just heard the VAR audio from United’s disallowed goal vs Fulham, where Harry Maguire was finally adjudged to be in and offside position AND interfering with play (seriously, is there a single player who has had more VAR calls against him? Genuine question.)
All of the VAR officials are saying he’s definitely in an offside position (fair enough) but that he’s POSSIBLY interfering with play but that it’s a subjective decision. But because it’s a subjective decision they have to go to the ref.
Now I’ve never been one that has enjoyed the ref having to re-referee their own decisions. I thought VAR was supposed to be clearing up the “clear and obvious”, so if the ref has to have another look it’s not clear and obvious. I’ve written in about this several times. I can’t believe it’s not seen as the biggest VAR issue.
On this occasion it’s even agreed that the decision is subjective. That could be considered the opposite of clear and obvious so why is the decision being changed? It’s basically an umpire’s call but football lacks the intelligence to treat it as such.
I think VAR has a part to play in the future of football but quite frankly it should be stopped in England. I never thought I’d align with JN in this point but this season has been a clusterf**k. The morons simply don’t know how to use it properly. It’s not VAR that’s ruining the game – it’s PGMOL.
Ash (#WEBBOUT) Metcalfe
…Firstly, I agree. Discussing VAR and refereeing decisions is incredibly tedious, so I apologise in advance! But one line from Howard Webb’s justification of the Anthony Gordon goal vs Arsenal was particularly alarming to me:
“With the talk we’ve seen after, that the opinion is split across a lot of analysis, would suggest that was a correct non-intervention because of the subjectivity.”
I’m sorry, what?? Do you mean the TV pundits who are paid to manufacture banter? That’s not “analysis”. One agrees, one disagrees. That’s the schtick. Or do you mean the “analysis” on social media?
A few people have pointed out that the refereeing old boys club becoming part of the rotating punditry pageant is not good, but the actual head of the PGMOL buying into it is a whole new level of concerning.
Anyone remember that old 90’s mantra -“the refs had a good game when nobody talks about him”. Seems unthinkable now.
Anyway, happy interlull everyone. Brace yourselves for a lot more of this stuff as the VAR transcripts get injected into the media machine.
Lawrence SA
