flobaba not quite yet, I'm still fighting the good fight. I was paraphrasing Larry David on Curb.

    14 days later

    Well deserved new contract as well.

    He brought this mid table club to win the FA cup against all odds, no mean feat

    The beauty of it all … INEOS clearly believe they're pulling ten Hag's puppet strings, when it's actually the other way round.

    Our shining messiah is intent on fucking them all over again, having won the FA Cup and made the club such a basket case that between the begrudged fact of a literal trophy, and the distaste of anyone more sane to coach there, he must be retained. Forget six-dimensional chess, this is a career strategy conducted on the outside of any representable reality whatsoever.

    Amazing haha. Contract extension loool. He won't make it till January

    It gives me confidence that INEOS are inept in football. There is no scenario in which ETH should’ve survived, even with that trophy

      Claudius INEOS seem to have decided they're too busy putting their corporate thought leader dream team in place (Brailsford, Ashworth etc) to bother with the coach hunt.

      Ratcliffe's cringeworthy inquisition into the office culture suggests a hands-on, egoistic leadership that'll cause problems. Then you've got the Glazers up the back digging their heels in on fixing the leaky roof. Truly the best of times to hate United for now 😆

        IBL Burns the Baptist is among you (and if he does anything good at United, it'll be my head on a plate).

        • IBL likes this.

          It's one thing deciding to stick with him, and I actually don't think it's such a bad decision, but to do it with such a lengthy and public 'review' just undermines him further. He needs to start well because the players will down tools at the first sign of trouble.

            goon When it was leaked ten Hag was already sacked before the FA Cup Final that was 90% pure banter. It'd be crystal if it came out that INEOS stage-managed it. 🤌

              Erik ten Hag’s willingness to accept Jason Wilcox’s tactical suggestion that he use Bruno Fernandes as a false 9 in Manchester United’s FA Cup triumph against Manchester City was a key factor in the Dutchman being retained as manager.

              While it was Ten Hag’s call, his decision impressed Sir Jim Ratcliffe as evidence he can work within the minority owner’s new football structure.

              INEOS announce they're keeping ten Hag on, then immediately put out this stuff about Wilcox to try to transfer the credit.

              This Athletic article on the new "structure" at United is hilarious. The "structure" is Ratcliffe and Brailsford hanging out smoking cigars on "a boat off the coast of Finland" for a week before chickening out on the sacking.

              Hotly rumoured the main reason they're hurriedly renegotiating ten Hag's contract is to get rid of his veto on signings. 😆

              https://archive.is/icknB

                Burnwinter oh wow, that's farcical.

                1. The idea the manager consults the technical director on tactics on a game-by-game basis (or even at all!). It's basically about eroding ETH's power.

                2. The notion that Radcliffe is 'impressed' by essentially ETH's willingness to be influenced/undermined is either terribly written copy or a sign of how toxic working at Man Utd is becoming (ie. Worse than it already is!).

                  goon exactly. It shows they are still on the fence and if he doesn't hit the ground running next season he'll probably be gone by xmas.