Echoes from Old Trafford - July 2022

NEWSPAPER POST

Volume 49- Issue 4, July 2022

“I have high expectations from myself and that is also what I demand from my squad.”

Erik Ten Hag

Manchester United Supporters’ Club-Malta Founded 1959, is officially recognized by the Manchester United Football Club.

In this issue  EDITORIAL ENGLISH................................................................................

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 EDITORJAL BIL-MALTI..............................................................................

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 CLUB NEWS.............................................................................................

 POTENTIAL STARS FOR 2022-23 - WHERE DID IT ALL GO WRONG, GEORGE? ...............................................................................................

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 TEDDY’S CORNER.................................................................................

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 Y&Z PERSPECTIVES .............................................................................

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 THE DEPARTEES...................................................................................

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 ERIK TEN HAG - HIS 5 YEARS AT AJAX...................................................

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 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN................................................................

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Official publication of the Manchester United Supporters’ Club Malta editorial team Clint Camilleri · Braden Galea · Dr. Michael Calleja advertising executive Glenn Lucas contributors Dr. Michael Calleja Clint Camilleri Jude Cauchi Braden Galea Robert Mizzi Kevin, Justyn and Wayne Tabone Iain McCartney Silvio Scicluna Kenneth Abela Alex Dudley Julian Tabone Ray Calleja Stefan Attard

printing Progress Press graphic designer James Trapani patron Sir Alex Ferguson

 THE CAPTAINCY - THE GREATEST CAPTAINS IN UNITED’S HISTORY.......

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club founder John Calleja

 ENGLAND’S CHANCES IN THE WORLD CUP........................................

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club president Joseph Tedesco

 VERTERE NOVAM PAGINAM ................................................................

 EDWIN VAN DER SAR............................................................................

 STEVE McCLAREN................................................................................

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club committee Joseph Tedesco

President & Match Tickets Coordinator

Robert Muscat

Vice-President & Tours Coordinator

Clint Camilleri

Secretary. Media & Design Coordinator

Kevin Tabone

Treasurer & PRO

Braden Galea Asst. Secretary & Webmaster & Publishing Coordinator Egidio Sciberras

 ERIK TEN HAG - CAN HE BRING THE GLORY DAYS BACK? ....................

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Assistant Treasurer

Robert Mizzi

Membership Secretary

Marvin Grech Glenn Lucas

Events Manager Advertising Executive & Sports Activities Coordinator

Matthew Portelli O’Toole

Venue & Facilities Coordinator

Etienne Tabone

MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Quarries Square Street, Msida MSD 1101 Malta.

Telephone: +356 21223531 E‑mail: info@manutd‑malta.com Website: www.manutd‑malta.com Based in Msida, Malta, we are a non‑profit organization designed to bring the Manchester United experience to United fans here in Malta. We are the only Official Manchester United Supporters’ Club on the Maltese Islands. We are also the oldest Manchester United Supporters’ Club in the World.

MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Souvenir Shop Manager

United Club Gozo Archbishop Pietru Pace Street, Victoria, Gozo.

E‑mail: gozobranch@manutd‑malta.com Telephone: +356 99825090 translator Braden Galea business partners

THE VIEWS IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT NECESSARILY SHARED BY THE CLUB. VOL 49 - ISSUE 4 - JULY 2022

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w w w. m a n u t d - m a l t a . c o m

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Editorial A

s far as nightmares are concerned, the 2021-22 season must surely rank as the worst ever season in Manchester United’s recent history. No, you weren’t hallucinating if you witnessed United being torn apart against a polished Liverpool side at Old Trafford. No, your eyesight was perfectly fine when you witnessed the Reds concede four goals at Brighton. Last year’s campaign saw the club reach its greatest ever nadir - probably since the late 80s. The season certainly does not merit a revisit or an end-of-season DVD. Richard Arnold’s pub showdown with some fans highlighted the current negativity permeating all corners of the Old Trafford club. By his admission, Arnold confirmed that “last year was an [expletive removed] nightmare! I was hating every minute of it.”

By and large, Arnold’s feelings mirrored that of every single fan across the globe. So horrid were United last year, that a summer exodus was certainly bound to occur - sooner rather than later. Changes in the boardroom were inevitable and a necessity to revamp the coaching staff (once again) unavoidable. Ralf Rangnick, despite boasting an erudition of the game which is second to none, could do nothing to halt the rot and inevitable decline.

Contextually, Richard Arnold was, unbeknown to him [considering the clip was a leaked recording] heard stating that: “I don’t think we’ve done well with the money we’ve spent historically. We’ve blown through an enormous amount of money”, before seemingly taking a dig at former CEO Ed Woodward by declaring: “Do you want me buying the players? Does that not ring a bell?”

At least, Arnold’s recognition that the “statusquo” was not only broken but nonsensical is a demonstration by the new CEO that major problems are not only identified but in the process of being remedied. “We’ve burned through cash. We spent a billion pounds on players, we spent more than anyone in Europe” was another statement that certainly needed no confirmation or verification. With the previous management at the helm, the club not only embarked on some disastrous transfers (Alexis Sanchez anyone?) but seemed to spend club

funds without any purposeful or meaningful strategy. Last season’s campaign saw the club still field players from the Sir Alex (David De Gea), Moyes (Mata), Van Gaal (Shaw & Martial), Mourinho (Pogba, Fred to name but a few) and Ole eras (think Maguire). That shouldn’t be happening – not at an elite club such as Manchester United. Considering the “nature” of the industry, a new manager should be able to completely revamp and rebuild a fresh squad. The fact that some players are past their sell-date speaks volumes of the current situation facing the new coaching staff.

Frenkie De Jong transfer is ostensibly no different.

The seemingly “poisonous” atmosphere within the dressing room also led to many stories being leaked to the press. All fingers pointed towards both Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard - the two players whose discontent was made public on a number of occasions.

That being said, Richard Arnold’s confirmation that “the two sources of the leaks have now left the club” should provide incoming manager Erik Ten Hag with a glimmer of hope that the atmosphere, if not better, should be tighter and more controlled - up and until he can properly lay down the law and establish a new “modus operandi”.

One can only hope that at a point in time, the club would be able to follow the blueprint of both Manchester City and Liverpool - who evidently snapped up both their main targets (these being Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez) as soon as the transfer window opened. Such decisiveness, ambition and strategy are certainly the cornerstone of both clubs’ recent success/es. United would do well to quickly adjust and pursue a similar blueprint.

As at the 30th of June 2022, Manchester United have parted ways with the following key players: Edinson Cavani (Released), Jesse Lingard (Released), Juan Mata (Released), Nemanja Matic (Released - snapped up by AS Roma) and Paul Pogba (Released – and returned to Juventus again on a free transfer).

In this connection, it will be interesting to see whether the manager will decide to offload even more players that formed part of the group during 2021-22. However, much will also depend on the transfer market and whether any sensible recruitment will be conducted - allowing much of the “old guard” to make way for fresher (and more precocious) options.

Depending on the source, it seems De Jong initially had no intention of joining - and realistically who could blame him(?) although week after week, most journalists opined that Barcelona were yielding - given their urgency to generate some funds through transfers. Considering the seemingly endless negotiations taking place, if De Jong does join, it will still be testament to United’s lacklustre (and indecisive) approach towards transfers.

“It’s the hope that kills you” is common parlance amongst football fans. That United fans have been “living in hope” for the past couple of years is certainly no secret. That United seem to be finally acknowledging their deficiencies and weaknesses fills me (to a certain degree) with a ray of hope that the club is building proper foundations for long-lasting success.

Whilst I will endeavour to ensure United’s performances do not leave any long-lasting effects on my well-being - I am reminded by the adage that: “Football is more important than life or death” - with that in mind, I’ll endeavour to ensure I partake in as many stress-relievers as possible throughout the 2022-23 season! Yoga anyone?

Testament to United’s predicament (not helped by the fact that the club failed to qualify for the lucrative Champions League) is reflected in the current transfer market – already protracted and nerve wracking. (Coincidentally, it’s exactly 10 years since all fans had to endure the Eden Hazard debacle. So much optimism over the summer, inestimable expectation only to be met with abject disappointment when he finally opted to join Chelsea instead). The “prospective”

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Editorjal B

ħal qisu ħolma kerha, l‑istaġun 2021‑22 ċertament jitqies bħala l‑agħar wieħed fl‑istorja riċenti tal‑klabb. Le ma kienitx alluċinazzjoni li taraw lill‑United umiljati u dominanti minn Liverpool f ’ Old Trafford.

Il‑viżta tagħkom għadha perfettament tajba meta rajtu lill‑United jaqilgħu erbgħa kontra Brighton. L‑istaġun li għadda ra lill‑United jilħqu il‑qiegħ – probabbilment mis‑snin 80. L‑istaġun ma jimmeritax li nżommuh fil‑memorja u wisq inqas li nagħmlulu DVD.

żmien Sir Alex (David De Gea), Moyes (Mata), Van Gaal (Shaw u Martial), Mourinho (Pogba, Fred biex insemmu tnejn) u Ole (eżempju Maguire). Dan m’ għandux iseħħ – tal‑inqas mhux fi klabb elit bħal Manchester United.

Meta tikkunsidra n‑natura tal‑industrija, maniġer ġdid għandu jkun kapaċi jibdel ta’ taħt fuq u jerġa’ jibni skwadra ġdida. Il‑fatt li ċertu plejers huma prattikament skaduti tgħid ħafna dwar is‑sitwazzjoni kurrenti li qed tiffaċċja t‑tmexxija l‑ġdida.

Il‑laqgħa ta’ Richard Arnold ma’ xi sapporters ġo pub uriet in‑negattività kurrenti li hemm tiġri fil‑vini tal‑klabb. B’ ammissjoni tiegħu stess, Arnold ikkonferma li “is‑sena li għaddiet kienet [kelma ħażina] ħolma kerha! Kont qed nobgħod kull minuta tagħha.”

Dik li dehret atmosfera tossika fid‑dressing room wasslet għal stejjer jiġu mperrċa fil‑ġurnali.

Kollox kien qed jipponta lejn Paul Pogba u Jesse Lingard – iż‑żewġ plejers li diversi drabi urew l‑iskuntentizza tagħhom pubblikament. Meta

B’ mod ġenerali, dak li jħoss Arnold jirrifletti dak li ħass kull sapporters ta’ United madwar id‑dinja. Tant kienu ħżiena li eżodu fis‑sajf kien ċertament inevitabbli – u malajr. Tibdil fil‑bord kien ukoll inevitabbli u kien neċessarju u bżonnjuż li għal darboħra jinqala’ mill‑qiegħ il‑dipartiment tal‑kowċing. Minkejja l‑erudizzjoni tal‑logħba ferm tajba ta’ Ralf Rangnick, ma rnexxielux iwaqqaf it‑tnawwir u l‑inevitabbli triq għan‑niżla.

F’ kuntest, Richard Arnold (mingħajr ma kien jaf minħabba li l‑konversazzjoni kienet irrekordjata b’ mod sigriet u mibgħuta lill‑medja) instema jgħid li: “Ma naħsibx li użajna l‑fondi tajjeb storikament. Ħlejna ammont enormi ta’ flus”, qabel tefa’ botta lic‑CEO ta’ qablu Ed Woodward billi saqsa: “Tridu lili nixtri il‑plejers? Ma tfakkarkomx f ’ xi ħaġa?”

Għallinqas, li Arnold irrikonoxxa li kollox jibqa’ kif inhu mhux biss huwa mkisser iżda ukoll bla sens juri li c‑CEO il‑ġdid mhux biss identifika l‑problemi imma beda l‑proċess biex jiġu remedjati. “Ħraqna l‑flus. Infaqna biljun lira sterlina fuq plejers, infaqna aktar minn kwalunkwe tim ieħor fl‑Ewropa” kienet dikjarazzjoni oħra li ċertament m’ għandhiex bżonn konferma jew verifika. Bit‑tmexxija preċedenti, il‑klabb mhux biss għamel trasferimenti diżastrużi (eżempju ċar Alexis Sanchez) imma deher jberbaq flus tal‑klabb bl‑addoċċ u mingħajr strateġija. L‑istaġun li għadda konna għadna qed nilagħbu plejers ta’

Richard Arnold ikkonferma li “iż‑żewġ sorsi li kienu qed ixandru dawn l‑istejjer issa telqu l‑klabb” tagħti tama lill‑maniġer il‑ġdid Erik Ten Hag li għad hemm tama li l‑atmosfera, jekk mhux aħjar, ta’ l‑inqas hi aktar kontrollata – sakemm jissetja r‑regoli tiegħu u jistabbilixxi mod ġdid ta’ tmexxija.

Sat‑30 ta’ Ġunju 2022, Manchester United ħallew jitilqu lil: Edinson Cavani (Rilaxxat), Jesse Lingard (Rilaxxat), Juan Mata (Rilaxxat), Nemanja Matic (Rilaxxat – immedjatament iffirma ma’ AS Roma) u Paul Pogba (Rilaxxat – u reġa’ rritorna b’ xejn ma’ Juventus).

Jkun interessanti naraw jekk il‑maniġer il‑ġdid

ineħħix aktar plejers li ffurmaw parti mill‑grupp fl‑2021‑22. Madankollu kollox jiddependi mis‑suq tat‑trasferimenti u kemm isir reklutaġġ sensibbli – li jħalli l‑musmar il‑qadim jinbidel b’ dak ġdid.

Wirja tas‑sitwazzjoni prekarja li jinsabu fiha l‑United (li l‑fatt li ma rnexxilniex nikkwalifikaw għall‑UEFA Champions League ma għen xejn) hu rifless fis‑suq kurrenti tat‑trasferimenti – diġa’ mġebbed u b’ ħafna ansjetà. Kumbinazzjoni huwa eżatt 10 snin mill‑fjask ta’ Eden Hazard, fejn wara tant ottimiżmu u stennija, spiċċajna iddiżappuntati wara li ingħaqad ma’ Chelsea. Ix‑xiri “prospettiv” ta’ De Jong ma jidher xejn differenti.

Jiddependi s‑sors li taqra, jidher li De Jong inizjalment ma kellu ebda xewqa li jiġi magħna – u realistikament min itih tort? – minkejja li ġimgħa wara l‑oħra l‑ġurnali kienu qed jirrapurtaw li l‑Barċellona kienu qed iċedu minħabba l‑urġenza li jiġġeneraw il‑flus mill‑bejgħ ta’ plejers. Meta tikkunsidra n‑negozjati bla tmiem li qed jiġru, jekk De Jong attwalment jiffirma, jkun wirja tan‑nuqqasijiet li għandna fejn jidħlu negozjar ta’ trasferimenti b’ mod indeċiż u medjokri.

Wieħed jittama li fl‑aħħar il‑klabb jimxi bl‑istess mod ta’ Manchester City u Liverpool – li evidentament ħatfu ż‑żewġ akkwisti prinċipali li kellhom għajnejhom fuqhom (Erling Haaland u Darwin Nunez) malli fetaħ is‑suq tat‑trasferimenti, b’ mod deċiż, ambizzjoni u strateġija li huma ċertament il‑pedament li wasslu għas‑suċċessi li ż‑żewġ klabbs għaddejjin minnhom bħalissa. Il‑United ma jagħmlux ħażin li jimxu fuq l‑eżempju tagħhom.

“It‑tama toqtlok” kif jintqal mill‑fans tal‑futbol.

Li l‑fans tal‑United kienu qed jgħixu bit‑tama għal dawn l‑aħħar snin ċertament mhux sigriet.

Li l‑United fl‑aħħar qed jirrikonoxxu d‑defiċjenzi u dgħjufija tagħhom sa ċertu punt timlini b’ xaqq ta’ tama li l‑klabb se jibni pedamenti b’ saħħithom għal suċċessi fit‑tul.

Waqt li nara li l‑prestazzjonijiet tal‑United ma jħallux effett ħażin fuq il‑benessere tiegħi niftakar fil‑qawl li: “Il‑futbol hu aktar importanti mill‑ħajja u mewt”. Nara li nieħu sehem f ’ attivitajiet li jnaqqsu l‑istress kemm jista’ jkun waqt l‑istaġun 2022‑23! Yoga xi ħadd?

2,000,000 MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Thank you VOL 49 - ISSUE 4 - JULY 2022

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CLUBNEWS

by Clint Camilleri

On the 9th of April, for the first time, we have organized an Easter Lottery with some great prizes.

• Signed David De Gea Gloves (with Certificate of Authenticity) • Signed Luke Shaw Boots (with Certificate of Authenticity) • Weekend Break on a B&B basis at Radisson Blu • €100 Voucher from Eurosport • Meal for two (2) at The Fortress, Xemxija The event took place at our premises in Msida during a Pasta Night organized by our barmen Kurt Grima & Brandon Spiteri.

During this great event, we also unveiled the new designs of the club balconies aluminum

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doors and were unveiled by our friends from Manchester who had visited our Club for the event.

organized by KHS (Know How Soccer) & Swieqi United. The tournament was played at the Hamrun stadium.

During the first week of June, the Manchester United Academy took part in a tournament

On Thursday 2nd June, our Supporters’ Club has organized a day out in Valletta for the academy.

The kids have visited the Saluting Battery at the Upper Barracks Garden at noon followed by the 20 mins film at the Malta 5D located at Old Bakery Street.

On Sunday 5th June, after the tournament had finished, the academy had visited our Supporters’ Club in Msida where they were shown our portfolio video to show them what Manchester United means for Malta. The players also had time to play pool and table soccer with local kids who were present for the event.

Alan Keegan ‘the voice of Old Trafford’ and his wife celebrated their 60th birthday here in Malta. On Friday 24th June, Alan Keegan and his wife Julie were taken to Gozo for the day where they visited the Cittadella in the morning followed by a nice swim at Ramla l-Hamra, the Gozo Branch in Victoria and ending the day with a delicious dinner at the Grand Hotel in Gozo thanks to Silvio Rapa.

The next day, on Saturday 25th, a Ps5 FIFA22 Tournament was organized at our Supporters’ Club where Alan was live commentator for the first and final match and also presented the winners with a trophy and €100 prize. During this event, table soccer and pool tournaments were also organized.

On the 28th of June, exactly on the day of Alan’s birthday, we organized a lovely event at The Edge restaurant at the Radisson Blu in St. Julians. During this event, Alan & Julie were surprised when they were shown the birthday messages they had received from ex-players of Manchester United, friends, Supporters’ Clubs and family. The event was compered by Paul Anthony who is also a lifelong friend of Alan.

Finally, we would like to thank MUSC Malta barmen Kurt Grima & Brandon Spiteri as they have invested significantly and refurbished the bar. After they installed a brand-new kitchen, they have now completed works on a new bar which also includes a 75-inch TV. We hope to see you soon at our newly improved Club.

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Potential stars for 2022-23 Where did it all go wrong, George?

by Julian Tabone

T

here is this story (myth?) which I am sure most you have all heard before. George Best, after a successful night at the casino, orders a bottle of champagne in his hotel room. The waiter goes up and whilst waiting for the tip, he sees thousands of cash strewn across and Miss World looking on. At that point, he could not help popping the famous question, “George, where did it all go wrong?”

Honestly, I don’t think I have ever felt so disconnected with Manchester United. I am 43 years old.

Trying to find out where has it all gone wrong is quite simply a depressing exercise. It has been one whole slow decline with sporadic encouraging episodes and one disappointment after the other; a catalogue of errors and strategic blunders, a collective mess.

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For every step forward we thought we were doing, we actually went 3 steps back.

It has been a horrible and painful season, not just because of the results or because of the team’s league standing. I could point to various factors but it is not my intention really. It’s the attitude of some of our players which quite frankly, stinks and is absolutely unacceptable. At times, they did not even harass the opposition when they lost the ball. They did not run around enough. There was no pride, for so long during the season.

At times they literally checked-out and gave up and just jogged around in third gear. And that’s what mostly hurts.

There is nothing wrong with losing matches.

But lack of effort and intensity is simply deplorable. Some of the players are not good

enough, it is clear. They don’t run. They are lazy. An absolute shame and they do not deserve to wear the shirt because they are simply not playing for it.

Every player that puts on the Manchester United shirt is ultimately representing us, the Busby Babes, the teams of the 90s, our club and our whole history. That is why last season was a total embarrassment. I honestly do not remember such a bunch of overprivileged, over-paid set of United players more concerned about themselves, their own world and their social media.

Four (4) of the top five (5) paid players of the Premier League are Manchester United players. Ten (10) of the top thirty (30) best paid Premier League players are Manchester United players!

We need players that are hungry.

It makes no sense playing players – even if it’s the Europa League or the Carabao Cup - that have no future at the club. That is what we had in the past years: players such as Mata, Jones, Matic, Lingard and others. We need to use the cup games to bed-in players that have really got a future at Manchester United and that actually need and want to impress the new manager.

The new manager, from his end, needs to remove the toxicity and stop the rot. He needs to instil the discipline back and introduce a new style of playing. He needs to kick out the players who keep on leaking and feeding information from inside the dressing room.

Easier said (or written) of course.

We are not going to solve this situation in one summer but there needs to be a sign from somewhere. And sadly, the signs are yet not that encouraging either. The protracted negotiations to bring De Jong, Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen have already tired us all. Now, to make it even worse, Cristiano Ronaldo, the GOAT, wants to leave precisely because of a lack of ambition.

Right now, Cristiano Ronaldo is basically all of us.

He wants a Manchester United side that is competitive but he too has now realised that things are really bad and given his days at the very top are of course numbered, it is very understandable he wants out. He wants out because he will return to pre-season training and apart from the new manager, there will be no new additions, the promised overhaul nowhere to be seen, no real leadership.

Ronaldo knows that himself, De Gea and a few other players together with Ten Haag is simply not enough.

This transfer window still has got a couple of weeks left and things will definitely improve but splashing the cash at this stage will not do the trick either. We have been doing that ever since 2013. Buying the glamorous players, over-paying average players who did not fit the system of play and concentrating on the merchandising aspect of the game has worn us all.

We need to buy the right players, with the right attitude.

And this has to go down to the way the club has been managed, from the scouting department to the people who sanction the transfer market deals. I miss Sir Alex Ferguson.

I miss his scrutiny of young players and his involvement in transfers, his analysis of the players’ character, their background and that of their parents. Of course, things have changed and nostalgia will get us nowhere.

But, we have to start from somewhere.

As always, I look at the new season with a sense of renewed optimism.

I look at the next crop of youngsters and the likes of Garnacho, Alvaro Fernandez, Garner, Malacia and Mejbri who do represent hope.

But cautiousness is needed here. The fans, for a start, need to stop transforming our players into cult figures when they have barely touched a ball.

George Best of course, is history, part of our folklore. I don’t know what he replied back to that waiter (legend does not tell us that).

He must have surely smiled but deep down he knew he had thrown it all away too early.

As for Manchester United, we need to go back to basics, I say or hope. No more expensive galacticos and no more social-media spin.

The real stars of next season will be those players who will show us that they really care for this great club of ours.

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TEDDY’S corner have your say on info@manutd‑malta.com

Dear All, Being totally honest (like I have always been), there has never been a football season during which I was so desperately waiting for the last and final whistle. There has never been a match when I felt so humiliated as a fan that I ended up offending players at a loud voice...during the Brighton away game on May the 7 th, I broke that record. Thank God I was watching it alone at home! We have never witnessed the last home game of a football season where players were evidently embarrassed to make the final lap, and when we had no final message from the Manager. One word…Shame! Thankfully, the noisy neighbors and the Kings of Madrid prevented the Scousers from doing the Treble and the unprecedented Quadruple they were all dreaming about and, also very important, from reaching us on 20 League titles. At least that saved some pride for us.

I will try to pick up 3 positive take-aways from this annus horribilis. 1. The confirmation that we still have the best goalkeeper in the world. If it wasn’t for De Gea, and Ronaldo’s goals, the outcome of this disaster would have had worse repercussions. The critics who slaughtered the Spaniard after season 2020-21 have all vanished. 2. The emergence of Anthony Elanga. For some he is still very far from being the finished article, but I strongly believe that this lad has got that raw talent that if dealt with properly, the boy can grow.

He is quick and has an eye for goal…just needs to be more intelligent and consistent.

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Anthony could be the next star emerging from the youth ranks.

3. Struggled to find a 3rd for the first team so have to include the FA Youth Cup success. It was harsh on Nottingham Forest to be fair. The second Man Utd goal was never a penalty but that changed the game in United’s favor. Luck must be on your side one day or another and this time it took the side of Garnacho and co.

Is that all? Could it get worse than this?

I hope not.

The engagement of the Dutch maestro Erik Ten Hag brought a glowing ray of hope. An arch-disciplinarian, known for his meticulous approach and micro-management skills, now takes over this dysfunctional and disjointed squad full of cliques, in desperate need to clear out dead wood and bring in new fresh exciting faces. Erik brings with him a familiar face at Manchester United in Steve McLaren and his assistant at Ajax Mitchell Van der Gaag. It is still early days, and we all know this is going to take time but there is that feeling and there are vibrant hopes that this manager can bring the required changes to lift this football club. The perception out here is that we need someone who can bring back the discipline and is able to handle the egos.

The way Erik has been presented to us seems that he has the credentials for this. Proof is always in the pudding though, so I am not getting carried away right now.

The overdue resignations of Chief Scout Jim Lawlor, Head of Global Scouting Marcel Bout and Head of Corporate Development Matt Judge must have a meaning. They all followed Ed Woodward who, personally, I have no disrespect for. He had orders to follow and had a job to do. From a football perspective, I believe his successor Richard Arnold is more suited for such position. Pity a stupid social media glory hunter betrayed the trust Richard recently showed with some faction of United fans by exposing online a private chat he was having with these fans. This tells you something about the quality of certain so-called Manchester United fans, thinking they have the qualifications to dictate what happens in our football club.

Like millions of Man United fans worldwide I was hoping that Pogba disappears from our football club, once and for all. If possible, erased from the histor y of Manchester

United. This guy made millions thanks to the incompetence of some people in key positions at Old Trafford. For the second time, he is leaving on a free transfer. The ‘virus’ Mourinho always referred to is now gone. From a football perspective, good riddance. From a business perspective, what a disaster! Sorry to see Mata leaving – one sportsman decorated with all the great things one could ever dream of. Also, sorry to see Jesse leaving. He was born and bred Man Utd but unfortunately mixed with the wrong people and his career went astray. I believe the Frenchman had something to do with this too. Again, I just cannot understand why Man United held his permanent move to West Ham in January when he was doing so well with the Hammers on loan and his career was regaining momentum only for Mr Rangnick to leave him warming the bench for the remainder of the season.

Horrendous decisions galore!

I loved Cavani but he joined Man united too late. Matic was a great servant to the Club and deserves nothing but praise. We know nothing about Lee Grant really as he was also released. I still think there is more deadwood left to be discharged. Deadwood aside, we all must face the reality that our extremely poor season did not only have a negative effect on the club’s financial income but also affected Ronaldo’s aspirations. I am one of those deeply in love with Cristiano and leaving United because they have not qualified for Champions League will upset this love story I have with him. However, Ronaldo is Ronaldo. Man Utd is Man Utd. No one is better than Ronaldo. No one is bigger than my football team. I understand Ronaldo’s feelings at the age of 37 so I will respect any decision that he will take if that decision is for the benefit of our beloved Manchester United.

Now we look forward to the rebuilding stage. Malacia done deal. Eriksen, agreed in principle, could be a bargain. Frenkie de Jong will be another long saga. Lined up Antony from Ajax, Torres from Villarreal, Dumfries from Inter Milan, Bowen from West Ham. There could be more, but these are the ones who have gained most media attention till date.

And this does not include Declan Rice. Erik will bring back Van de Beek and hopefully we will see more of the Dutch midfielder.

Surprised to see Martial back…I do not think he is Manchester United material. But we must trust the new manager at this stage. Can’t wait for the new season to start!

Enjoy your summer holidays and always be safe...COVID-19 is still around!

Yours United, Teddy

VOL 49 - ISSUE 4 - JULY 2022

11

Y & Z United Perspectives

by Kevin, Justyn & Wayne Tabone

W

hat a nightmare season our beloved club and the Tabone boys endured. But then again, these are the times where we remain behind the team and continue showing our Utd colours to the world! Because Man Utd forever, for better and for worse!

Now it is time for a new season, new manager and hopefully a completely new page! Whilst we have to keep our expectations realistic, one has to hope that the worst is over and that we will start with Erik ten Hag steadying the ship, at least on the field.

Mention 2 positive takeaways which you think Man Utd got from Ralf Rangnick as interim Manager.

Wayne: It was a difficult journey for Ralf and I don’t believe he could have proved himself in such a short period of time. This considering the team he had and also the state the team was left in. But I think Ralf gave the team more structure than Ole ever gave us. He tried to play in a style whereas Ole didn’t have a specific style. I think Ralf also gave the team more discipline and also showed them that no one’s

place in the starting eleven is safe. If one wants to play then he must work hard and show that he deserves to play and not play because of his name or because of the money spent on the certain player.

Justyn: I believe that Rangnick was quite helpless with the situation the club was in.

We are made to believe that he wanted to bring in players in January and the board didn’t want to allow this. There was only so much he could have done. If I had to pick out one thing that he did well was being honest with the situation of the club. He even went on to say the club needed a whole reshuffle of players with 10 new players coming in. It would have certainly caught the eye of the board, as they do not want this criticism circling around the club. Secondly, I think he wasn’t afraid to drop players who were not in the best of form.

Examples are Rashford or Maguire who were seen as untouchable however, Rangnick made it clear that no one has a guaranteed place in the squad.

Kevin: What a difficult question! I’m usually quite an optimistic Red but this really is a tough one. I can’t understand how a person was engaged for short-term managerial role with an option to be given a 2-year consultancy role (his preferred role) and then be sacked! A positive could be that, maybe and hopefully, Rangnick’s term made the club realize that our on-field matters are all over the place. But sorry I cannot think of any other. That’s how much I think this interim-manager decision was not a good one!

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Erik Ten Hag is known to have very good qualities as a manager. Name the three biggest challenges you think he will face in the first season at Old Trafford.

Wayne: I think that Ten Hag will face a completely new situation. He has managed a club where there wasn’t much competition. He has still done very well, and received a lot of credit, as it should be, but he has never been at a club where the team is struggling to get into the top 6. So, it will be tough for him. He also has to build the academy to replicate what he has also done at Ajax. He may also feel the pressure as a Manchester United manager as all the previous Utd managers felt. The burden may be too much for him because Manchester United’s name is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, club in world football.

Justyn: The first big challenge he will face is the management of big egos. At Ajax, he would have players which would not be so well known. However, with the exposure and the size of Manchester United, it is inevitable that there will be huge characters around the club.

Another challenge will be to convince the board of directors to give him what he wants. There has been a recurring theme that managers, more often than not, do not get the players they want. It will be tough to gain the trust of the board if results do not come by. Lastly, I think that managing the current clear-out needed at the club will be quite difficult. There are a number of players who need to move on however, with the high wages some of them have, it might be difficult to move them on.

Kevin: The first priority is to sign or promote from the academy a squad capable enough to compete for the first 4 places of the Premier League. With so many departures, his number one priority surely has to be to fill the gaps of the squad he inherited. Second would be to build up a culture and style which mirror his characteristics. We have to start again seeing players who are willing to die for the crest and act as a team not as individuals. The third priority in my books would be to help build the mental aspect of the players. Being a Man Utd player is completely different to any other club in the world and the pressures this brings surely needs to be looked at. I am a firm believer that players have to be mentally resilient to withstand these enormous pressures and when the going gets tough, they would be prepared to face the music and overcome the storm.

From the scores and hundreds of names being linked with Man Utd who would be the 3 players you would break the bank for to get to our football team.

Wayne: It is a very difficult decision as the club is in need of players to cover a lot of positions. I think we need a centre back, centre midfielder that can create as well as play a more defensive role, and a young player who is willing to start from the bench but can start for some games and be good for the team. I think that a player we have been after for a while would suit the team nicely is Kalidou Koulibaly. He is an experienced centre back, composed, and good technically.

And above all he is an excellent defender.

I think a player that has played under Ten Hag would suit the team like a glove. De Jong can play in different positions in the midfield, can play at the back and is a very versatile type of player and that’s what we need in the club. This will be a very important player if we manage to complete the deal. Jonathan David from Lille is a young forward but also experienced for his age. He would be willing to stay on the bench for a year and the following year challenge for a place in the starting eleven.

it comes to building up from the back. He is also amazing defensively and has been very dominant in the Serie A and the Champions League. For a midfielder I would get either Ibrahim Sangare or Frenkie de Jong. Preferably I would sign both but if I had to choose I would go for de Jong. Ten Hag already knows him from his time at Ajax, he is a very good ball playing defensive midfielder and would be perfect for Manchester United given the options we have at the moment. Lastly we need a forward that can play anywhere in the front three positions. I would go for either Jarrod Bowen or Raphinha. Both are direct left footed right wingers that can do a job up front as well. If I had to pick I would go for Jarrod Bowen who has been exceptional for West Ham. However, I wouldn’t mind either of them.

Kevin: From where do you begin?! Our squad lacks a lot of depth at the moment and with Europa League fixtures, the Thursday-Sunday schedule will be quite tough. I would focus on two main departments – the midfield and attacking. In midfield I would go for Declan Rice & Rúben Neves. Two players that I am confident would add quantity and more importantly quality. As for the remaining one I am torn between Heung-min Son and Harry Kane. The fact that we lack players, apart from Ronaldo, who have the natural instinct to score, I am going to go for Harry Kane.

Justyn: In my opinion we need to reinforce every department except the goalkeeper.

For a defender I would get Alessandro Bastoni from Inter. He is a left footed centre back, which is very important when

VOL 49 - ISSUE 4 - JULY 2022

13

THE DEPARTEES

by Silvio Scicluna

F

ollowing a very disappointing season which started with high hopes but which started going downhill following the first international break and from which we never recovered, it is now the close season and with that comes the official retained list of players which has just been communicated by Manchester United in the same week which the editor suggested this edition’s article title for me. With the retained list inevitably comes the list of departees and while this list contained a total of ten players from all the age groups, I will focus on the main five senior players whose contracts will expire at the end of June but which will not be renewed. These are Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani and Juan Mata.

Nemanja Matic was the first of the five to publicly announce that he will be leaving the club while the season was still ongoing and as a result was given a good reception by the fans when he made his final appearances.

Brought to the club by Jose Mourinho, he was a steady if unspectacular presence in a midfield which has often been cited as lacking a true defensive midfielder. My personal opinion of Matic was generally a positive one. I liked his experience and his vision although he never hit any particular heights at the club. My lasting memory of Matic will probably be his screamer at Selhurst Park a couple of seasons back which had crowned an impressive comeback win on the night.

Unsurprisingly, his next destination is Roma to link up once again with Mourinho.

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The departure of Paul Pogba was widely anticipated as unfortunately his second spell at Manchester United did not live up to the high expectations it had generated when in 2016 Mourinho brought him back home from Juventus. I think we can all agree that what should have been a period in which Pogba should have been at his peak unfolded into a largely disappointing spell littered with inconsistent form, untimely injuries, a public fallout with Mourinho and periodic ill-timed comments from his agent, the late Mino Raiola. What was hoped would be a trophy laden six year spell yielded only Europa League and League Cup triumphs, both in his first season, followed by the longest trophy drought the club has experienced since the seventies/eighties. In an ironic twist, Pogba will return to Juventus on a free transfer for a second time.

Much like Pogba, the departure of Jesse Lingard was very much on the cards. For some strange reason, the club refused to sell Lingard last summer when many had been expecting him to link up with West Ham after a brilliant six months on loan there the previous season. It was therefore anticipated that he would play a prominent part during the season but this definitely was not the case as Lingard remained largely on the periphery of things and his appearances were few and far between, limited mostly to cameos off the bench both under Solskjaer as well as under Rangnick. This led to thinly veiled posts on social media both by himself as well as his brother which were all hinting

at the unhappiness of the player and his longing to leave. As things stand his next destination is still unclear. Several clubs have been mentioned such as West Ham obviously, and also cash rich Newcastle in England but also the likes of Roma and Juventus on the continent. I personally liked Lingard and he gradually became one of my favourite players as his performances for United and England grew. And he always had a penchant for scoring on the big occasions at Wembley as his FA Cup Final winner in 2016 and his goals in the Community Shield and League Cup Finals in 2017 amply testify.

When Edinson Cavani signed his one year extension in the summer of 2021, following his brilliant first year in the season when football

was played mostly behind closed doors due to the pandemic, hope were high for season 2021/22. Some say that he was persuaded to stay by Solskjaer with the prospect of performing in front of a full Old Trafford instead of empty stadiums. Stay he did, but his performances last season mirrored that of the club in that he was erratic, almost always injured and many pundits and also fans on social media accused him of choosing which games to play and availing himself of plenty of time off to visit his family back in South America. There is plenty of talk that his next destination might be Boca Juniors in Argentina although going to Spain is also a possibility that cannot be ruled out.

And finally on to Juan Mata, possibly the departure which many United fans least wanted. Often referred to as the nicest man in football, Mata was a model professional besides being a very technically gifted player.

When he was brought over by David Moyes in January 2014, he took some time to settle and recapture the form he had shown at Chelsea but from the next season under Louis Van Gaal he started to show the United faithful what he was all about. Not blessed with great pace or strong physique, he more than made up for those by having superb technical ball skills and brilliant vision to pick a pass. And he continued to be a serial winner by winning the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League in his seven and a half year stay at United. Off

the field, he also showed his human qualities with his Common Goal philanthropic initiative besides being a perfect gentleman in his off-the-field activities. He rounded off his stay at United with a brilliant video message thanking all United fans, which typified his impressive standing in the footballing world.

His next destination is still a mystery to many.

Some are saying he might go back to Spain, others say he could be tempted by soccer in the United States. Wherever he goes he will excel because he definitely has at least another two or three years of top level football left in him.

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VOL 49 - ISSUE 4 - JULY 2022

15

Erik Ten Hag - his 5 years at Ajax

by Stefan Attard

Ten Hag’s career Ten Hag was born in Haaksbergen, Overijssel.

He played primarily as a centre-back for Twente, De Graafschap, RKC Waalwijk and Utrecht. He had three stints with Twente, with whom he won the KNVB Cup in the 2000–01 season.

Ten Hag also won the Eerste Divisie with De Graafschap in the 1990–91 season, ten years before winning the cup with Twente. He retired from active playing in 2002 at the age of 32 while playing for Twente, after the end of the 2001–02 Eredivisie season.

In 2012, Ten Hag was appointed as manager of Go Ahead Eagles in the Eerste Divisie by Marc Overmars, who was a shareholder of the club. During his only season at Go Ahead Eagles, he led the team to its first promotion in 17 years.

He coached Bayern Munich II from 6 June 2013 until 2015 when he was replaced by Heiko Vogel. During his time as manager Ten Hag led his team to the Regionalliga Bayern.

Ten Hag then became the sporting director and head coach of Utrecht in summer 2015, where he led the club to fifth place during his first season. In the 2016–17 season, he improved FC Utrecht’s final position to fourth, booking a place in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers.

On 21 December 2017, Ten Hag was appointed as the head coach of Ajax after the club dismissed Marcel Keizer. In 2019, he led his Ajax team to the semi-finals of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1997, by winning against holding champions Real Madrid 4–1 in the

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Santiago Bernabéu Stadium at the round of 16 stage before beating Juventus away 1–2 having drawn the first leg 1–1 at home in the quarterfinals. In the first leg of the semi-final, he led his team to take a 1–0 lead against Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, in the second leg, a second half hat-trick by Lucas Moura for the Spurs, with the last goal being scored in the 96th minute to make it 3–2 (3–3 on aggregate) to win on away goals, ended Ajax’s hopes of playing in the final.

Ten Hag won his first managerial trophy with Ajax on 5 May 2019, the 2018–19 KNVB Cup, beating Willem II in the final. Only 10 days after winning the cup, Ajax, led by Ten Hag won the Eredivisie after a 1–4 away victory over De Graafschap and brought the double back to Ajax.

On 18 April 2021, Ten Hag guided Ajax to their record extending 20th KNVB Cup with a 2–1 win over Vitesse in the final. Two weeks later, Ten Hag extended his contract with Ajax through to the end of the 2022–23 season. On 16 January 2022, Ten Hag became the fastest manager in league history to reach 100 wins with Ajax, achieving the feat in 128 matches, when his side beat Utrecht 3–0.

On 21 April 2022, Ten Hag was appointed as manager of Manchester United starting from end of the 2021–22 season until June 2025, with the option of extending for a further year. On the back of a dismal season, Erik ten Hag faces a monumental task of getting Manchester United back to the top of the footballing pyramid once again. The monumental task of managing one of the biggest clubs in the world was underscored by

the Dutchman leaving his Ajax role earlier to begin his preparations as Manchester United manager for the 2022–23 season.

The 52-year-old became Manchester United’s fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Ten Hag secured his third straight Eredivisie title as Ajax boss and United fans will now be hoping he can successfully replicate some of his former side’s best traits at Old Trafford next season.

Playing style Season 21-22 was Ten Hag’s third consecutive Eredivisie title and his sixth trophy in three full seasons as Ajax head coach. His success at the Eredivisie champions has been built upon his side excelling in several key performance departments. But what were these key pillars and in what areas could we be about to see United significantly improve in next season?

• Ball

dominance Ajax teams throughout modern history have been known for their fluid ‘total football’ tactical systems, and the same has been hugely prevalent under Ten Hag. Dictating the play with short sharp passing and pinning opponents inside their own half has been a key trait of Ajax under the Dutchman, as captured by their possession average of 65 per cent this season. That unsurprisingly ranks as the highest and someway above Feyenoord in second with an average of 57.8.

United have rarely been comfortable when trying to dominate the ball and break teams down, yet it’s hoped that Ten Hag’s arrival plus a few upgrades in key positions on the pitch will be enough to change that.

•Lethal

in attack Ajax have been lethal in attack all season. What impresses even further about that dominance is that Ten Hag’s side usually converts it into high-quality goalscoring opportunities. Across the Eredivisie this season, they’ve accumulated the highest combined xG, most touches in the penalty area and have attempted the most shots. It therefore won’t be a surprise to note that they scored an impressive 98 league goals -more than any other Eredivisie side. United have had their problems up front last season and hopefully the Dutchman will improve United’s attaching prowess.

•Intensity

Many expected to see a new high-octane brand of football at United when interim manager Ralf Rangnick came in late last year; however, this did not come to fruition. With Ten Hag’s arrival, United fans can expect a difference.

Aggressive pressing has been a key staple of his Ajax side, which is a point captured by looking at their Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA) average this season. PPDA is a metric that measures how many opposition passes are allowed by a team before a defensive action is made to try and win the ball back.

The fewer the passes, the more aggressive they are. Notably, Ajax have an impressive PPDA average of 6.69 this season, unsurprisingly the lowest across the Eredivisie. For comparison, in the Premier League, Liverpool top this metric with an average of 8.49.

•Defensively

robust The benefit of this intense pressure without the ball is that teams have ultimately struggled to create chances against Ten Hag’s side.

They have faced the fewest number of shots, accumulated the lowest xG against, and conceded a miserly 19 league goals across the whole campaign.

United’s defence has been one of the areas most scrutinised throughout this underwhelming campaign and there are only five Premier League sides who have conceded more than their total of 56 goals this season.

It’s one of the more pressing issues that Ten Hag must address on his arrival.

Revered in the Netherlands for his remarkable job at Ajax, Ten Hag comes in with a wealth of experience. He would certainly face several challenges in trying to restore glory to the badge.

Following Ajax’s final game under his tenure, Ten Hag said “It’s time to turn the switch now [….] It is something that is needed because there is a lot to take care of, and I have the energy for it.”

On his conformation as a Manchester United manager Ten Hag said: “It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United, and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead. I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.”

Asked whether he was ready for the “sharks” (the media) in England, Ten Hag responded: “I do not see them like that. I don’t see you like that too, nobody. What it is all about is the dressing room, you need to be able to manage the dressing room. You have to make it function. That is how you win games.”

Ten Hag’s comments on the dressing room gave hope and expectations to the United fans. He is fully aware of what awaits him in Manchester but has reiterated that he is up to the task.

Ten Hag’s Style of Play After 34 games played, Erik Ten Hag’s Ajax ended the season as champions of Eredivisie for the third successive campaign. Ajax finished with 83 points and a staggering goal difference of +79. They won 26 out of their 34 games, drawing five and losing only three times. Since taking over in December 2017, Ten Hag has established dominance and an exciting style of play to go with it at Ajax, winning three Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups.

Ten Hag has mostly deployed a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 base structure when lining up his team this season. They use a variety of structures in their build-up play, so it is hard for opponents and analysts to pinpoint a particular structure with a lot of movement.

However, the key to their ability to monopolise possession and create several dangerous situations is their ability to maintain a high tempo with crisp, short passes. They also create diagonal passing lanes for ball progression from one end of the pitch to the other. Daley Blind, Lisandro Martinez and wonderkid Jurrien Timber are all adept at progressing play from the back (the latter two are being heavily linked to United).

Ajax often set up with a 2-1 structure in the build-up phase, with Edson Alvarez dropping deep to provide passing options to the two centre backs, typically Jurrien Timber and Lisandro Martinez. Ryan Gravenberch moves higher up to create one more passing option.

Noussair Mazraoui moves higher up the pitch while Blind utilises his passing skills in the build-up. He’ll tuck in with the two central defenders to give them a 3-1 build-up shape sometimes. Dusan Tadic and Antony can tuck inside into the half-spaces or keep the

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width depending on the tactical plan or the opponent.

There is, however, a second option to ensure a smooth passage of play out from the back.

Both fullbacks push high up the pitch to create overloads on the flanks. Ryan Gravenberch, similarly to the role Frenkie de Jong occupied in 2018/19 before his move to Barcelona, drops between the centre-backs to create a numerical advantage and progress the ball efficiently in the first phase of play. This effectively creates another 3-1 shape in the build-up but with a different dynamic. Gravenberch’s success did not go unnoticed as Bayern Munich moved fast in the transfer market to secure his signing.

Ajax tend to overload one side of the pitch to attract opposition players towards one flank.

They employ patient play, taking their time to look for, or open up, the spaces between the lines. The strategy also helps to disorganize the opposition defence by drawing them out of their rigid positions with unpredictable movement. This creates diagonal passing lanes. When teams try to re-ensure their rear-guard, they use triangles, diamonds, passing, and movement to meander through opposition lines.

The addition of Sebastien Haller from West Ham in January 2021 provided the Dutch coach with even more tactical options. The Ivory Coast international offered them a chance for a more direct approach in possession.

He allowed them to play long balls towards him where he acted as a target man to help break the lines, a vastly different style to the 2018/19 campaign when Tadic occupied a false nine role in the attack. Haller’s presence pushed Tadic to the left wing with Mohamed Daramy yet to kick on. Ajax’s positional play gives them familiarity in transitions. They smoothly interchange positions with each other, creating fluid passing exchanges. When done correctly, Ten Hag’s setup makes Ajax a nightmare to defend against, and because they stack one side of the pitch, their positioning is often narrow. They prefer to overload the left side and use sharp diagonals to Antony on the other side.

This ensures they have multiple bodies around the ball for quick passing and always have a spare man. They can immediately trigger a pressing routine that would enable them to regain possession when they lose it. EtH’s Ajax are quite good at using the by-line as a second defender or forcing aimless long balls.

Ajax’s high-press system can be an asset and a liability at the same time. If the press is beaten, they can leave huge chunks of space for the opposition to exploit, which can result in them being caught out of position and conceding dangerous counter-attacking opportunities.

The compact lines begin to open up when players run at the defence.

Erik Ten Hag’s Ajax is a tactically complex side that has established a brand of exciting football, setting a precedent for whoever takes

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over from the Dutchman to follow. There are no surprises that they have retained their Eredivisie crown at the expense of PSV, albeit by just a two-point gap.

After spells at Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich’s B team, and Utrecht, Ten Hag has established himself as one of the most impressive managers in Europe at 52 years of age. His tactical know-how is world-class, and there is no doubt that he can compete with the very best in the game.

Moving to the Premier League means he will face the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, and Antonio Conte, who are all elite coaches in their own rights. Whether or not he can get the current crop of players at Old Trafford to adapt to his style of play is the task the Dutchman will face upon his arrival.

of his qualities, just take a look at his Ajax team in the last few years”, Guardiola added.

“To define a manager, watch his team for a long time. This is a team, and this manager makes the players play. There is no doubt about that.”

Ten Hag will become the eighth coach since Fergie to sit in the Old Trafford hot seat. For a team that has not won a trophy since 2017 after being spoiled with glory during Ferguson’s era, us fans are desperately craving some form of success. It should be the bare minimum for a club of United’s stature.

What Does He Need to Do? EtH has arguably never managed a dysfunctional dressing room like United’s, so he must get it right. United’s recruitment is also a major issue. Many players left or are set to leave Old Trafford this summer; however, finding the right quality to replace them may not be so easy.

Recruitment is one of the most important jobs in a football club, and if you get it wrong, you struggle. There are several things Ten Hag would need to address, but his first job would be to decide who stays, who comes in, and who leaves. Amongst the growing number of problems the Dutchman will have to resolve, getting United’s recruitment spot on is going to be crucial in the quest to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool.

Manchester United’s haphazard recruitment since Sir Alex departed has seen the club falling behind and after United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, Ten Hag will be hoping to change the Red Devils fortunes.

Despite Erik’s successful stint at Ajax, even the most ardent United fan would recognise that he faces a monumental task getting Manchester United back to the top of the footballing pyramid once again.

Can He Bring Back the Glory Days?

The short answer is a resounding yes, but it is undeniable that he needs time. The Manchester United hierarchy is not known for their patience these days: the four managers laid off since Fergie retired prove so. However, in the spirit of a new era on the horizon, it is only fair he gets ample time to build his squad and imbibe a winning mentality that seems to be a thing of the past at United.

Ten Hag’s appointment might seem swift and risky, considering he has not managed in any of the top five leagues in European football, but he has been on a relentless upward coaching curve over the past two decades. He forged a reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting coaches revered for his attacking style of play and is very highly thought of among his fellow managers.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who was head coach of Bayern Munich when Ten Hag was in charge of the German club’s second team, said the Dutchman is “just an incredible person and human being. In terms

Although funding is set to be limited, the departures of several players will allow him greater flexibility to navigate the market. A midfielder will spearhead Ten Hag’s list of potential targets with Frankie de Jong on the verge of joining the Reds at the time of writing.

Donny van de Beek is also set to get a chance to revive his dwindling United career. A centreback and a striker will also be a priority.

He needs to galvanise the current squad and bring in players that can add confidence, belief, and an aura while uplifting the team spirit in the dressing room. The club is bracing itself for an unprecedented squad overhaul and a new era.

The fans have every reason to be excited with the prospect of Ten Hag taking over. He is a serial winner and would guarantee exciting and dangerous attacking football. However, while there is no doubt he can bring back the winning mentality the team and club needs, it should be reiterated that he would need time to restore United to the pinnacle of League and World football.

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21

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

by Iain McCartney

T

he Manchester United Graves Society doesn’t simply concentrate on the burial places of those who wore the shirt, but also attempts to find cremation details where and when they apply. Some notable names were cremated.

On the other side of the railway line that runs parallel with the main stand at Old Trafford is Railway Road and the majority of supporters, if not all of those, taking this route to the ground on a match-day are unaware that they are passing by the home of a player who features prominently in the history of Manchester United.

On the mor ning of the match, FA representatives, Mr Fredrick Wall and Mr Arthur Kingscott, visited the ground to discuss arrangements for the forthcoming FA Cup Final, to be held at the Old Trafford on April 24th and it was rather fortunate that they had to leave prior to the start of the game as the events of that particular afternoon produced much debate in the days and weeks ahead.

As the rain poured down, the 15,000 crowd had to endure more than the adverse weather conditions, with the performances of both teams producing some very dubious play.

United began the game quite promisingly and indeed opened the scoring with a goal from Anderson. Liverpool, however, were expected to take both points, as United were not enjoying the best of seasons, sitting in a precarious position, third bottom of the league with only eight games remaining and a place in Division Two beckoning.

Living at number 68 was Enoch “Knocker” Wes t , a s t r ong , robust centre forward of the old school type who had signed for Sheffield United in November 1903, but it wasn’t until he returned to his home county and joined Nottingham Forest that he came to the fore, helping them to the Second Division title in season 1906-07 with 14 goals, going on to score 93 goals in 168 appearances. He also had the distinction of being the first Forest player to be sent off.

June 1910 saw the prolific scorer sign for United, scoring on his debut against Woolwich Arsenal and forging a noted partnership with Sandy Turnbull, scoring 19 to the Scot’s 18 in that title winning first season of 1910-11.

But his goals, whilst bringing additional Football League representative honours did not bring continued success at club level and his playing career came to an abrupt end as 1914-15 came to a close and not simply due to the advent of the First World War. A Good Friday fixture against Liverpool at Old Trafford on April 2nd 1915, which ended 2-0 in United’s favour, was rocked with controversy, when West, along with seven other players, three from United and four from Liverpool, were found guilty of fixing the result.

Howe ver, a s the f ir st half progressed, the visitors showed little appetite for the game and play sluggishly dragged on to the interval. Half time opinion suggested that the second fortyf ive minutes would see the home side up ag ainst it, as their Lancashire neighbours commit ted themselves more to attack and began to show their true form. As it was to turn out, this was not the case and it soon became obvious to a large majority of the crowd that they were witnessing something a little more involved than a simple game of football. Voices of displeasure soon began to echo around the ground.

Play continued to be rather mundane, until a United attack on the visitor’s goal saw a Liverpool defender being penalised and a penalty kick being awarded. Much to the crowd’s amazement, centre half O’Connell stepped up to take the spot-kick instead of the regular penalty taker Anderson. Seconds later, O’Connell’s effort gave the goalkeeper no cause for concern, as it flew well wide of the post.

Anderson eventually did secure the points for United with his second goal, although near

the end, Liverpool’s Pagnam almost pulled a goal back, but his shot rebounded off the crossbar, when it looked easier to score. For his effort, he received a severe reprimand from some of his team mates, as the crowd looked on in disbelief.

Two valuable points for United, but the press were not lacking in comment on the fixture. “the most uninteresting game ever seen at the ground” wrote the ‘Sporting Chronicle’ correspondent, while the Daily Dispatch reporter penned “United’s West was clearly employed in the second half in kicking the ball as far out of play as he could”.

A couple of weeks after the match a letter, signed ‘Football King’ appeared in the ‘Sporting Chronicle’ on behalf of a firm of bookmakers, asking if anyone could help with information relating to several players betting on the United – Liverpool match ending in a 2-0 win for the home side? This opened a can of worms and although the finger of suspicion was pointed at several United players, they managed to keep their minds on playing, with relegation to the Second Division being avoided.

In the meantime, a committee was assembled by the Football League to investigate the allegations arising from the match and the referee, John Sharpe, was even quoted as saying that following the penalty incident, he “suspected that something was amiss”, but decided to continue with the game, although it was the most extraordinary match that he had ever officiated over. United manager John Robson, was also disgusted by the performances of both teams and had left the ground before the final whistle. Following many hours of questioning players from both sides, the investigating committee announced that four Liverpool players, along with A. Turnbull, West and Whalley of United were to be suspended sine-die from football.

Much was made of the case, and ‘Knocker’ West went to great lengths to declare his innocence in the matter. So incensed was he, that he decided to take the matter to court.

Prior to a home match during the First World War, he even stood outside Old Trafford, having made the short journey from his home in nearby Railway Road, handing out leaflets which stated that he was prepared to give £50, quite a sum in those days, to any Red Cross Fund, if anyone could prove that he had placed a bet, or won any money, from the Good Friday fixture. No one ever came forward.

On July 5th 1917, some two years after the eventful confrontation, the court case opened and while some players denied all knowledge of any attempts to fix the outcome of the game,

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others, including Sheldon of Liverpool (and a former United player) suggested otherwise.

It was revealed that on the morning of the match, he had journeyed to Manchester alone, meeting up with his former United team mates Turnbull, Whalley and West in the Dog and Partridge pub close to Old Trafford. After much conversation and debating, it was agreed that the result of the game would be 2-0 to United, with a goal in each half. Sheldon had been approached previously and had made arrangements with some of his Liverpool team mates regarding fixing the result and everything could be finalised.

and injury prevented Cantwell from helping to stop the ever-increasing goals against column, missing 19 league fixtures before returning, rather surprisingly at centreforward against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. He would have been better employed as an extra defender, as United lost 3-0, but four days later at Burnley, the international footballer and cricketer scored in the 3-1 win, adding another against Arsenal in the following fixture.

In 1962-63, returning to the side in October, Busby made him captain and despite the continuing poor form at First Division level, United strode towards Wembley and the FA Cup Final, with Cantwell lifting the trophy following the 3-1 victory over Leicester City.

The seeds for the infamous fixed game were sown only a short walk from West’s home and indeed, United’s Old Trafford home.

West was also involved in another rather unsavoury incident in the Dog and Partridge in May 1919 when he assaulted United manager Jack Robson. Refused permission by the United manager to play in a fixture at Blackpool, West approached Robson, who also lived nearby on Warwick Road, pulling at his coat and when he turned round, West punched him in the face. When someone came to Robson’s aid, he too was assaulted.

Hauled in front of the Manchester County Police Court, West could only admit the assault and was fined £10 and placed on probation for twelve months. There was no forthcoming apology to Jack Robson.

Following the War, all the players, except for West had their bans lifted and it was not until some thirty years later that the man from Railway Road was given a belated reprieve.

Enoch West was cremated at Agecroft Crematorium on September 18th 1965.

In a career which spanned some twenty years, local Cork sides Western Rovers and Cork Athletic were the first ports of call before the superbly named twenty-year-old Noel Euchuria Cornelius Cantwell [try making a chant out of that name] made the decision to join West Ham United in 1952. He quickly settled in his new surroundings and made the step up from junior level to the Football League in his first season, whilst also making the transformation from forward line to defence with the same remarkable ease.

A year later, he was winning the first of his thirty-six Republic of Ireland international caps, against Luxembourg.

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Season 1957-58 saw the Hammers lift the Second Division title, giving Cantwell a bigger stage on which to display his undoubted talents, which were soon to catch the attention, of amongst others, Matt Busby, who was still in the process of team building following the Munich disaster. Liking what he saw, the United manager approached West Ham and following negotiations, a fee of £29,500 prised him away from London’s East End to the banks of the ship canal in November 1960.

He was quick to settle in the north of England and his arrival helped to strengthen the United defence that was in much need of some stability, and following his United debut in a friendly against Bayern Munich on 21 November, he took over the left-back position for the trip to Cardiff five days later, his presence doing little to prevent a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Welshmen. Results, however, quickly improved with Cantwell becoming a rock in the sometimes-frail defence.

United’s defensive fragilities surfaced once again in the early months of season 1961-62

In January 1963, however, he lost his place in the starting line up to Tony Dunne, who was switched from right to left back and from then until April 1965, he was to make only

four First Division appearances, with two of those coming at centre forward, scoring once.

Despite this success, he felt uncomfortable playing in that forward position, so much so, that he asked for a transfer, which although granted, was never to materialise and he was soon back in his favoured left back position.

Season 1965-66 added a further twenty-three League starts to his list of appearances, but by the beginning of the following season, it became obvious that his days at Old Trafford were numbered and despite not being a regular first team player, he could be depended upon when he was called into the side, but with those first team appearances few and far between he decided to hang up his boots early in season 1967-68, relinquish his position as Chairman of the PFA and take up the post of manager with Coventry City, whilst holding a similar post with the Republic of Ireland.

He was a strong minded, but well-liked individual, who had numerous attributes which made him such an outstanding defender and he was an obvious successor to Johnny Carey as club captain.

Made his England debut in 1954 and went on to play thirty-three consecutive games, whilst also winning ‘B’ and Football League international honours.

With United, he led them to consecutive First division titles in 1956 and 1957, as well as the FA Cup Final in 1957, but two days short of his twenty-ninth birthday, he was to perish alongside his team mates at Munich.

The move into management had come completely out of the blue, but Cantwell, keen to be involved in the coaching side of the game, quickly adapted to the new role, gaining many admirers, as he transformed Coventry City from an ordinary, run of the mill side, to one capable of holding their own in the top section of the First Division.

His funeral was held at Flixton Parish Church.

His ashes were scattered in the rose garden at the crematorium.

Seven years later he joined Fourth Division Peterborough United as manager, but in 1977, he was tempted to America and the North American Soccer League, firstly with the New England Tea Men, for one season, and then with the Jacksonville Tea Men up until 1982.

He re-joined Peterborough in December 1986, again as manager, becoming general manager of the club in 1988. He gave up this post, however, a year later, retiring from the game, spending his time running the New Inn public house in Peterborough.

Noel passed away on September 8th 2005 and more than 1,000 mourners, including former team mates Bobby Charlton and Denis Law, attended the requiem mass in Peterborough Cathedral. His ashes were scattered at Cork Cricket Ground following the death of his wife in January 2017.

surprisingly failed to make his station football team.

His footballing career began at Ryder Brow Youth Club and it was from here that he joined United. His formative years, however, were not as a defender, but either on the left side of midfield or on the left wing.

His United debut was made at left back against Liverpool at Anfield on November 21st 1951, but in the final half dozen games of that championship winning season, he starred at outside left, scoring seven goals.

At Manchester Crematorium there is a dedication in the remembrance book for February to “Byrne, Roger William. Born 8th September 1929, died February 6th 1958.

Captain of Manchester United F.C. and English International.”

This is sadly the only memorial to the captain of the Busby Babes. It may well be the only memorial, but the memories of this outstanding full back still linger on today.

Roger Byrne was a local lad, born in Gorton and attended Abbey Hey junior school and Burnage Grammar school.

An equally talented cricketer, he did his National Ser vice in the RAF, but rather

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The Captaincy The greatest captains in United’s history

by Kenneth Abela

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alismanic and legendary leaders have worn the armband at Manchester United over the years. But it is not just about their leadership qualities. The skippers are expected to inspire not just the team but also the fans.

Bryan ‘Captain Marvel’ Robson (1980 – 1996) On the 22nd March 1980, Sir Matt Busby resigned from the Manchester United Board of Directors and was appointed to the vacant post of President. Busby had become more and more disillusioned on the way the Club was being run. United were then going all out to sign Bryan Robson from West Brom. Sir Matt did not believe that any player was worth a million pounds, a British Record Transfer Fee at that time. United went ahead and broke the bank and Ron Atkinson proceeded to hand Bryan the captain’s armband. United soon started to reap the dividends. Subsequently Sir Alex Ferguson acknowledged his worth when Captain Marvel helped the Scottish Manager to his first silverware, the 1990 FA Cup. When the Premiership era kicked off, Bryan Robson still held the captain’s armband, but with his qualities on the wane, Steve Bruce would be given the armband when Bryan was benched. Robson played 466 times for United and scored 99 goals. He is widely regarded as Manchester United’s best ever captain, with drive and passion for the club’s success. He was skipper for 12 years, sharing the last 2 years with Steve Bruce.

Steve ‘Brucie’ Bruce (1992 – 1996) So from 1992, Brucie started as co-captain with Bryan. Steve Bruce’s most iconic moment has to be his brace in added time against Sheffield Wednesday that was then followed with leaps of joy all round as United won the inaugural Premier League title in 1992 – 1993 . Bruce was good in the air, a brilliant tackler and formed one half of arguably United’s most celebrated centre-back pairing alongside Gary Pallister—known as Dolly and Daisy.

Brucie took over from Robson as skipper and captained the side to the historic “double double” of Premier League and FA Cup victories in 1993-1994 and 1995-1996. He made 414 appearances for the club.

Roy Keane (1997 – 2005) Roy took up the armband after Cantona. Keane played 480 games for United and scored 51 goals. The central midfielder was known for his high work rate, late runs in to the box and perfectly time tackles. Loved by fans after having scored in the 1993 – 1994 Manchester Derby to win the game for United, United having been two down (with Cantona having first scored two second half goals to equalize).

During his stint as captain, United won no less than four league titles, two FA cups and the 1999 Champions League, Roy having though missed the latter’s Final through suspension, together with Paul Scholes. He expected nothing less that the highest standards and his intimidating aura improved the levels of those around him. Keane’s infamous temper would often get him on the wrong side of the law on the pitch. For what is claimed to be one of the most horrific tackles in Premier League history, Keane received a 5,000 GBP fine and 3-match suspension and missed most of the 1997-1998 campaign following that tackle on Alfie Haaland that ended the latter’s career.

Eric ‘The King’ Cantona (1996-1997) The King’s arrival had been the catalyst for the Red Devil’s emergence as England’s finest side. The Frenchman was the first appointed United skipper who was not from the British Isles. Sir Alex built his team around Cantona and on most occasions he delivered. At just 30 years of age he surprisingly retired, having made 185 appearances for the Reds and scoring 82 goals. Most infamously remembered for his Kung Fu flying kick on a fan. It was January 25, 1995, when Eric Cantona flung himself into the stands at Selhurst Park, flying legs first into Matthew Simmons, a Crystal Palace fan. The supporter had been sending abuse the way of the Frenchman, and Cantona wasn’t the type to stand back and take it, leading to 150 community hours, apart from an 8-month suspension from football until his well-remembered return against Liverpool.

Gary Neville (2005-2011) A great friend of the Malta Manchester United Supporters’ Club, Gary belonged to the class of ’92 batch. He was a one-club player and made 602 appearances for United in almost 20 years, with six as a captain. His first trophy as a captain was the 2006 League Cup but the most cherished moment must be the skipper’s UEFA Champions League win in 2008 in Moscow versus Chelsea.

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nine appearances as skipper in the 2018-2019 season. After 339 appearances for United, Antonio returned to South America and joined LDU Quito. In August 2019, Ashley Young was formally appointed captain but in January 2020 he was sold to Inter Milan.

Nemaja Vidic (2011 – 2014) The Serbian defender was a well respected figure and chosen by Fergie as the successor to Gary Neville. His partnership in defence with Rio Ferdinand is also one of the best United have ever had. The 19th and 20th League title were won under his captaincy. Nemanja moved to Inter Milan on a free transfer when his contact ended.

Wayne Rooney (2014 – 2017) Louis Van Gaal took over the reins at United when Sir Alex called it a day. The new boss gave the armband to Rooney, who had already

played in a team that had won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three continental titles including the FIFA Club World Cup. Rooney reciprocated Van Gaal’s faith with winning the FA Cup, Europa League, and the League Cup for United. Remembered for his stupendous overhead kick goal versus Manchester City on the 8th April 2018, Wayne still holds the record as the all-time goalscorer with 253 goals in 559 appearances.

With Rooney’s departure, Michael Carrick took over as United Captain (2017-2018) ; however the latter hardly featured due to complex medical procedures and retired at the end of the 2017-2018 season and joined the club’s coaching staff. Antonio Valenzia (2018-2019) suffered a similar fate, making just

Harry Maguire (2020 – Present) Harry became the world’s most expensive defender when he joined United in July 2019 (80 million GBP). He was viewed as a centrepiece in the club’s rebuild, having impressed for England at the 2018 World Cup. Ole made him skipper on the 17th January 2020.

Harry enjoyed a solid first season and helped the Reds to a runner-up finish, but has had mixed fortunes during the 2021/2022. The jury is thus still out on our current skipper.

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England’s Chances In The World Cup

by Alex Dudley

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he 2022-23 Premier League season will be unlike anything that we have experienced previously, as the competitive action in the English top-flight will pause mid-way through the campaign for the World Cup in Qatar. The Premier League responded to the first winter World Cup by announcing that league fixtures would be paused, before the action gets back underway on Boxing Day. However, for millions of United fans across England, the month-long break will see the attention switch to supporting Gareth Southgate and his Three Lions side’s attempt to win a second World Cup honour, and first major success since 1966. But, do England have a solid chance at ending their 56-wait for success in Qatar at the end of this year?

Draw Has Been Kind To Southgate’s Men One of the biggest doubts that Southgate and his side have needed to answer over the course of the past two competitions is the belief that tournaments have paved an easy route to the latter stages. However, the Three Lions didn’t have things easy at EURO 2020, as they famously beat Germany at Wembley, before fine displays against Ukraine and Denmark to set up the final against Italy.

While the night at Wembley ultimately ended in disappointment after a penalty shootout loss against the Italians, few would argue that there hadn’t been progression between the two major tournaments. At the very least, England will be expected to make a bold showing at the World Cup this year, and their chances of

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making it through to the knockout rounds has been made slightly easier following the draw for the group stages.

The Three Lions will kick off their World Cup campaign in Group B against Iran on November 21st, before clashing with the United States on November 25th. Six points from the two games will be expected among fans, and that would likely assure England’s place in the top two.

The biggest test in the group stages could come on November 29th, as the Three Lions once again come up against Wales. The two rivals last clashed at a major tournament at EURO 2016, as England scored a dramatic late winner to seal a famous 2-1 win. However, Wales were the happier of the two nations at the conclusion of that tournament.

What Could The Knockout Round Look Like?

Things will get slightly trickier as the knockout rounds get underway for England. You’d expect the Three Lions to top Group B, which could mean a showdown with either the Netherlands, Qatar, Senegal or Ecuador in the round of 16. Given how Group A favours the Dutch, you’d expect England’s opponents to be one of Senegal or Ecuador as they will play the side that finishes second. Victory in the round of 16 will then see England take on potentially France if they are able to top Group D, which also includes Australia, Denmark and Tunisia. If England then reach the semi-finals through this passage then they could meet Germany, Spain or Belgium.

It could be argued that finishing second in the group may actually be a better result for

England. The Three Lions could clash with the Netherlands in the round of 16, before potentially coming up against either Argentina or potentially Denmark. But, one thing is for certain, England will likely need to beat big nations either way at the World Cup this year so momentum could be the biggest key towards success for the Three Lions, which means a runner-up finish in the group would not be playing in their favour.

What’s The Feeling Surrounding England Chances?

It has been a strange couple of months for fans of England. After the Premier League season came to a close, it’s likely that Three Lions supporters were cautiously optimistic surrounding England’s chances. That’s not entirely surprising given how the nation has constantly gotten hopes up before underdelivering. But, there is a sense that England has never had a squad this talented or together heading into a major tournament. There is quality everywhere on the pitch, especially in the forward areas where Southgate will have to pick between playing Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Bukayo Saka. We will also be hoping that strong first halves to the season will also see both Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho back in contention.

However, the same concerns surrounding this England team that there were heading into EURO 2020 are still there. There are big questions surrounding whether the Three Lions are defensively solid enough to win a major tournament. Furthermore, the fact that fans and

Southgate have already clashed when it comes to the system that will be played could mean that there is a slightly more toxic atmosphere than there was a year ago.

Latest England Results The latest round of international fixture hasn’t done much to help the relationship between coach and fans, as England were well below par in Nations League fixtures against Hungary, Italy and Germany. The Three Lions failed to score in open play in those four games, with a 4-0 humbling against Hungary at Molineux really causing England fans to reassess their chances for the tournament this winter.

The defeat was England’s worst on home soil since 1928, but more worryingly, the confidence and form of the side was blown to pieces. England still has opportunities to get back into form before the tournament in Qatar with fixtures against Italy and Germany in September, but the time for experimenting is over for Southgate.

England will need to build some kind of momentum before the start of the World Cup, as there will be no excuses at the tournament this year. The team has been progressing excellently under the former Middlesbrough boss, but this winter’s World Cup is the opportunity to finally deliver on the promises from close calls in previous competitions.

However, it will be no easy feat to win the tournament this year, as it’s expected that Brazil, France, Argentina and Spain will all mount very serious challenges.

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Vertere Novam Paginam

by Robert Mizzi

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ne could probably write a whole dissertation analysing what went wrong last season. Every United supporter will have his/her version on how Manchester United failed to live up to the expectations and the return of Ronaldo did not go exactly according to plan.

The title of this contribution is a literal translation of ‘turn a new page’ into Latin.

Those who know me well know that I have a certain fascination with Latin and pretend to be conversant (I am not) by signing off my blog contributions and my articles in the Echoes with Numquam Moribimur (We never die).

A very quick review of last season before I literally turn the page and start looking forward to the forthcoming season. Ole started the

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season with 3 important acquisitions that had us all excited. Following the arrival of Sancho (one year later than planned) and Varane, the sensational return of CR7 into the fold had us buzzing with excitement. As the season settled in, however, the cracks started to show. The style of play was not at all convincing and both collectively and on an individual level, the team was not getting the desired results and Ole was clearly not in a position to continue leading United and by the end of November he was out. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the debacle against Watford, but the writing had been on the wall for some time. Personally, I think Ole could have been a good assistant to a proven manager, but he burnt himself out by taking the hot seat and managing the primadonnas with an amicable approach. I have already opined on the fact

that I do not believe that his assistants were up to scratch and did not help out when the going got tough.

It was evident, in my opinion, that there was turmoil behind the scenes and that the virus (or viruses) that Mourinho had referred to were still wreaking havoc in the United dressing room and training grounds. Anyone who has played football at any level will know that a group of fairly good players with an excellent attitude and hunger can achieve more than a bunch of well-paid primadonnas who feel that they can throw their toys out of the pram whenever things do not go their way. In football terms, they threw Ole under the proverbial bus.

I do not have any doubt at all that Ole was doing his utmost to succeed but apart from

lacking in what many refer to as tactical nous, he eventually lost the dressing room as well.

And if there was ever a need for proof that the troubles at our beloved club ran deeper that what we as supporters see on the screens and when we visit OT, the arrival of Ralf Rangnick proved this.

It was thought that Ralf could steady the ship and get us into the top 4 by the end of the season but we all know what happened.

Ralf failed to make an impact and it became abundantly clear that the players were not on board with what he was proposing on the training grounds. It later transpired that not even the board that appointed him backed him up during the January transfer window. What ensued was a dismal end to the season and I was personally looking forward to the end of the season as early as February. If there is one positive that came out of Ralf Rangnick’s stint as United interim manager it was that he exposed the players and also, more fundamentally, the flaws in how our beloved club is managed.

There are some supporters that argue that his role as consultant was in effect taken away from him as some people that matter thought that he had said a bit too much about the mismanagement of the club. Seems like some people do not like to be criticized!

Moving on – Nova Pagina. Erik Ten Hag (EtH) is the new manager of Manchester United. In my opinion, he has signed up for the toughest job in the world. An article in The Athletic dated 13 July 2022 had the following heading “Ten Hag’s greatest challenge will be getting buy-in from everyone around Manchester United”.

The article refers to the main challenges that he will face in the coming months, and hopefully years. I do not think that anyone questions his ability as a football coach but managing Manchester United is not only about managing a group of players and trying to get the best out of them. It is much, much more. The journalist states that EtH is using this pre-season tour

to get to grips with the unique tinderbox that is United’s environment.

In the same article, United are referred to as a club working from the lowest base in its Premier League history, taking some steps forward but always at risk of hopscotching back. I do not think one can really argue with such a statement, as tough as it sounds.

Reference is made to transfer movement from rivals above and around United in the table and that the mood around the club could be rather negative, especially when one sees the same saga in the transfer market repeating itself over and over again. One would think that the club is not really learning from past mistakes.

And yet, there is a quiet optimism around Ten Hag and the upcoming season. I like the term quiet optimism. That’s the way it should be.

Understandably, the United players would like to draw a line under the misery of 202122 and appear to have fully bought into Ten Hag’s methods. The Dutchman’s interest in Ajax players/alumni hints at a future United squad that will play differently from the teams of previous years. Most United supporters are hoping that play differently equates to play better football, which is not a difficult task given the quality displayed in the recent past!

Ten Hag is the first United manager to take a hands-on approach leading daily training sessions since 2014 and the days of David Moyes. The devil is in the detail the saying goes, and the extra tactical details Ten Hag is imparting to his team seem to be getting the buy-in from the fans, and the players, at least in these early days!

“Ten Hag has a plan for United; let’s work to make it happen” appears to be the soft motto.

Ten Hag’s challenge this coming season is to foster a buy-in not just from his players, but

from as many people enraptured within United’s environment as well. This means that apart from his coaching skills, EtH must be able to manage the expectations that the United fan base will have as soon as the team gets a few positive results. More importantly, EtH must be able to manage the intricacies that happen behind the scenes at Manchester United. The financial aspects and the social media channels are important, but they cannot continue to dictate how our beloved club operates strategically and functionally. It will take a brave man to stand up to the Board and the people taking decisions and tell them that things need to be done differently going forward. I am hoping that EtH is not only a good manager, which I believe he is, but also a brave man that stands by his principles and does what is good for the football team.

To conclude, EtH is in my opinion the right man to take United in the right direction. Whether he will succeed or not depends on many factors, but the critical success factor is in my opinion that he is completely in charge of which players are brought in and how the club operates. We cannot repeat the same mistakes of the past 10 years. Not learning from our mistakes would be setting up EtH to fail.

To end on a positive note, I think that the best thing that could happen to EtH is that Paul Pogba has ended our misery and left United.

The Paul Pogba case study should be used as an example for bad management for future generations. He was not only allowed to get away for free after 5 years of mediocrity on a stratospheric salary, but he was also culpable of throwing managers under the bus and be a bad influence on up-and-coming youngsters like Rashford and Greenwood. I have a lot of friends who support Juve and are having a dig at United regarding Pogba but all I can say is that I am relieved that he is playing for Juve next season. Now that he is no longer a United player I can say it openly - Mourinho was right…#virus.

Numquam Moribimur…

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Edwin Van Der Sar

by Jude Cauchi

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t was very late in Moscow on May 21st 2008, tensions and uncertainty were running high. Up stepped Nicholas Anelka to take the sixth penalty of the night for Chelsea and for that moment, from a United perspective, all eyes turned on the big Dutchman to save the day and win the third European Cup for Manchester United. Luckily, he did not disappoint and transformed the fans’ emotions from torture to ecstasy. Sweet, sweet memories indeed , and my favourite memory of Edwin Van Der Sar in a United shirt.

Looking back at the history of the club, Manchester United should consider themselves very lucky to have had legends of the calibre of Edwin Van Der Sar playing for the club and it is not surprising to hear consistent rumours linking him with a return for one of the executive positions at the club. As a matter of fact, one can argue that the ex-goalkeeper has already had a positive influence in the transfer business of the club in the past and was probably also an important stakeholder to ensure a smooth transition in the move of Erik Ten Hag from Ajax to Manchester United.

Back in June 2005, when Edwin signed for Manchester United, the idea of having secured a goalkeeper in decline which had failed at Juventus FC did not fill me with too much excitement. Consequently, my expectations were low focused on the premise that he was going to be another desperate attempt to fill the shoes of the

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great Dane where so many goalkeepers had already failed. Thankfully, history proved me wrong.

In total, the Dutchman made a total of 226 appearances for the club before moving to Italian giants Juventus in 1999.

Edwin Van Der Sar was born on the 29th October, 1970 in Voorhout. In terms of his professional career, he has played for AFC Ajax, Juventus FC, Fulham FC and Manchester United. The Dutchman has won four Eredivisie titles, two KNVB Beker cups and three Netherlands Super Cups, four Premier League titles, three League Cups and three Charity Shields in addition to two Champions Leagues, one FIFA Club World Cup, one UEFA Super Cup and an Inter-Continental Cup. The goalkeeper also enjoyed a respectable international career representing his country in various tournaments.

Unfortunately, although he made 66 appearances for Juventus, his time at the Old Lady did not go as planned and it is mostly remembered for his costly errors that prevented the Bianconeri from winning the Seria A title, once losing to Lazio and the following season to Roma. Such costly errors were not forgiven and eventually Van Der Sar lost his place in the summer of 2001, after the Bianconeri purchased Italian international goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon from Parma for 100 billion lire (approximately £32.6 million), a worldrecord fee for a goalkeeper. Unwilling to remain as second-choice behind Buffon, Van Der Sar made it clear he wished to move on after two years in Serie A and eventually joined Premier League side Fulham FC in August 2001 and that proved to be another game changer in the Dutchman’s career.

In terms of his numbers, impressively he made a total of 313 appearances in the Premier League and kept a total of 132 clean sheets in addition to securing the prestigious Golden Glove award in 2008/09.

Edwin Van Der Sar commenced his football career at his local home town. At an early stage, Louis Van Gaal offered him the opportunity to sign for AFC Ajax where he started to develop into one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, helping his side to win European trophies and compete amongst the best. To acknowledge his performances, Edwin was presented with the best European goalkeeper award in 1995 together with other domestic honours.

He made his debut in a 3-2 defeat away to Manchester United and made a total of 127 league appearances with the Cottagers and memorably saved two penalties in his final match for the London club against Aston Villa.

Manchester United secured his signature on the 10th June 2005 and to date, some fans including Sir Alex Ferguson ranks him as the best goalkeeper to have played for the club since Schmeichel and few would argue against that. In terms of his contributions to

conceding a goal in the Premier League.

His impressive performances for the club won him the Barclays Golden Glove and the Best European Goalkeeper. Edwin was also named in the PFA Team of the Year.

Edwin’s last year at the club was in 2011 where he played his final league game at Old Trafford in a 4-2 victory against Blackpool. Unfortunately, the Dutchman’s last European match was on the 28th May where United lost the UEFA Champions League Final by the score of 3-1 to Barcelona.

Despite this, at the age of 40 years + 211 days, he become the oldest male player to feature in a European Cup final during the Champions League era. Another impressive record for the football legend.

Outside his playing career, Edwin Van Der Sar continued to be involved in football as he took on a role as Ajax’s marketing director in 2012 before being promoted in 2016 as the CEO of the club. the trophy cause, in addition to the penalty saved against Chelsea, Van Der Sar was also crucial to save Darius Vassell’s penalty in a derby match against Manchester City which proved to be decisive in the Red Devil’s quest to reclaim back the Premier League trophy in 2007. Although, this is a matter of opinion, but that save paved the way for the

start of another period of dominance for the Red Devils in England.

In addition to the trophies won at the club, the Dutch goalkeeper also helped Manchester United set a new club and Premier League record for consecutive clean sheets and 1,311 minutes without

As United fans, look back at the years and the history of the club, Edwin Van Der Sar will forever occupy a special place in our hearts and some part of me still hopes that we see him in a future role at the club as the Red Devils look to restore back their identity in English football.

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Steve McClaren

by Dr. Michael Calleja

S

teve McClaren certainly needs no introduction insofar as Manchester United fans are concerned. The 61-year-old returns to Old Trafford after more than a twenty-year absence following his initial stint as assistant manager under the great Sir Alex Ferguson.

McClaren was by no means a prolific footballer in the mould of an Ancelotti, Capello or Zidane.

In fact, he spent the twilight years of his playing career in the lower leagues – particularly with Hull City FC (playing a total of 178 games) between the 1979 and 1985. He eventually also featured for Derby County, Lincoln City, Bristol City and finally Oxford United before retiring in 1992 – due to injury.

His tenure at Oxford United was by no means over since the young McClaren immediately turned his attention to coaching – particularly as a youth and reserve team coach before eventually joining Derby County back in 1995 – serving as assistant manager to Jim Smith.

The majority of United fans will surely remember an unknown quantity joining the Red Devils back in January of 1999.

A new assistant manager (replacing former coach Brian Kidd) was unveiled to the media as “Steve McClaridge” by then

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Chairman Mr. Martin Edwards. Little did players and fans know that McClaren’s impact would not only be immediate – but reach epic proportions – unheard of in British football.

Joining United at such a crucial and delicate time of the season was surely very daunting – and McClaren did confess, many years later, that the step up to Manchester United was both taxing and inestimable. The level of professionalism (initiated by Sir Alex Ferguson) and reinforced by the mercurial Roy Keane pleasantly surprised McClaren – who had even noted that the players were willing to forgo rest days in exchange for putting in that extra training session. Such traits, particularly near the business-end of the season, would prove fruitful as the Reds entered into the latter stages of the 1998-1999 season battling on all three fronts.

United fans certainly need no reminders as to how the end of season panned out. McClaren surely must have been pinching himself – noting how he had managed to form part of a technical staff that saw the club achieve the unthinkable – a treble of epic proportions which has not been replicated by any English team since the heydays of Barcelona.

Sir Alex Ferguson himself had always credited McClaren for developing a reputation as one of the most tactically astute coaches in the land who certainly wasn’t afraid to introduce

his fresh-look Boro team managed to reach the last 16 before bowing out to Sporting Club of Portugal.

modern methods which nowadays would be considered to be rather conventional – such as video analysis and the use of sports psychologists. Furthermore, McClaren was not afraid to create a new “learning environment”, travelling across Europe to study new patterns and skills – and imparting such knowledge on the squad back home. On one particular occasion, McClaren noticed a trend whereby many teams in Italy would end their sessions with plenty of shooting practice. That session was quickly adopted into United’s training regime – wherein players would commend McClaren for improving their finishing abilities.

Steve McClaren’s talent and positivity managed to rub-off on the FA – when he was eventually introduced as a coach – under Peter Taylor’s tenure. It was under Sven-Goran Eriksson, however, that McClaren fully embedded himself as a permanent fixture of the England national team. Juggling his commitments for both club and country must have certainly been challenging – yet McClaren grabbed the bull by its horns and endeavoured to contribute as best as he could.

Unfortunately for a United fan, the Old Trafford

fairy-tale ended at the end of the 2000-01 season. With United winning a seventh Premier League title, McClaren decided to try his hand at first team management- joining Middlesbrough FC after much persuasion from then-Chairman Steve Gibson.

Under McClaren’s management, “Boro” improved tremendously, and in his first full season at the club (2001-02), not only did Middlesbrough knock United out of the FA Cup but inflicted what remains one of United’s most painful defeats at Old Trafford (a 0-1 loss) courtesy of Alen Boksic. That loss was akin to a death knell for the club – as it severely hampered United’s championship bid. The league would eventually be won by an impervious Arsenal side.

Steve McClaren managed to win his first silverware as manager during the 2003-04 season, when his Middlesbrough side defeated Sam Allardyce’s Bolton (2-1) in the League Cup final. The win guaranteed the Teesside club a place in the UEFA Cup. The young manager was able to use his charisma to attract the likes of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Michael Reiziger and Mark Viduka to the cold North – wherein

The 2005-06 season was certainly a case of “so close, yet so far” for Middlesbrough – particularly in the cup competitions when McClaren seemed to excel. The club reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup (losing 0-1 to West Ham) and reached the final of the UEFA Cup (after some epic displays along the way against the likes of Basel and Steaua Bucharest). The final proved to be a step too far for a rising Sevilla FC side that would go on to dominate the competition for many years to come. Despite departing at the end of the season (particularly on the back of a rather lacklustre league campaign), McClaren was the first Englishman to win a trophy since 1996 and the first English manager to reach a European final with an English club since 1985.

After Sven Goran Eriksson’s departure in 2006, the FA initially chose Luiz Felipe Scolari as their first-choice candidate though eventually settled for McClaren after the Brazilian rejected the offer to become manager of the England football team. Unfortunately, McClaren’s tenure as manager was one to forget. With England needing a simple draw vs Croatia in the last game of the Euro 2008 qualifying group, the “Three Lions” lost 2-3 and were ignominiously knocked out. McClaren was promptly dismissed and replaced by Fabio Capello.

The Englishman certainly didn’t throw in the towel and enjoyed further spells with FC Twente (winning the Dutch League in the 2009-10 season – a remarkable feat in itself considering the traditional “big three” clubs in the Netherlands), VFL Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Newcastle United, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Queens Park Rangers.

In May of 2022, McClaren confirmed that he would be returning to the Red Devils – wherein his knowledge and experience will certainly prove to be useful components for incoming manager Erik Ten Hag. Having already spoken to the media, McClaren discussed three key components which he will work on at Manchester United. The first is the “safe space” – encouraging players to express themselves on the pitch and experiment with new combinations. The second is “collective vulnerability” – a no bighead policy, fostering humility and camaraderie – which will permeate all levels of the club. And finally, a “shared purpose” – ensuring all players bond well and share in a common vision and methodology. Forming a strong unit with great team spirit will be high on McClaren’s agenda!

As aptly summed up by the new assistant manager himself, “‘When I first went to Manchester United there was hardly any rules but what they did; they did the right things and if they didn’t do the right things, they owned it and they suffered the consequences and accepted the consequences!” We can only hope for more of the same! Good luck Steve!

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the German League, during the Pep Guardiola reign with the senior side. He stayed there for two seasons clearly intent on learning how a big side is run and coached, and also to widen his knowledge on the game and tactics. He returned to Holland to coach FC Utrecht in 2015. He helped them finish 5th in the League in his first season and then 4th in the next campaign. He also brought them qualification to the Europa League. In December 2017, he was appointed head coach at Ajax Amsterdam.

In 2019, he was very close to leading them to the UEFA Champions League Final after a run which included victories over Real Madrid and Juventus, until they got knocked out in injury time in the semi-final by Tottenham Hotspur.

Under Ten Hag, Ajax won the double in 2019 and 2021 by lifting the Dutch Cup as well as the Eredivisie title. He was appointed as manager of Manchester United last April but he stayed on with Ajax for a few more weeks to be able to complete his third Eredivisie league title victory. Apart from McClaren as assistant, Ten Hag has also chosen Mitchell van der Gaag, his former no. 2 at Ajax, to form part of his backroom team as assistant coaches at United.

Erik Ten Hag

In 10 years, he has never been sacked and it is expected that Manchester United will be patient and give him the required time for rebuilding and to put his ideas across and see them implemented.

Can he bring the glory days back?

by Ray Calleja

T

hese have been a terrible few years for Manchester United and so the appointment of Dutchman Erik Ten Hag brings with it much hope for better results and ultimately a return to the glory days when Sir Alex Ferguson was still leading the team before he retired in 2013.

United are currently suffering their worst trophy drought in 40 years, with the Europa League won in 2017 under Jose Mourinho being the last trophy they won. On 21 April 2022 Ten Hag signed a 3-year contract at Manchester United, which ends in June 2025 with the option of extending for a further year.

However, most fans and critics agree that a complete overhaul is now required at United.

Not only a clear identity and style of how the team should play but also how players are recruited.

We start by taking a look at Ten Hag as a player, where he played as a centre back. His was an undistinguished senior career, which spanned 13 years and included 3 different spells at his local club FC Twente. He retired at age 32 in 2002 and decided to take up coaching. His first experiences were with the youth teams at FC Twente. He later became Academy Director until the 2008/09 season, where he eventually became assistant to the Englishman Steve

McClaren, who was Twente’s head coach.

McClaren commented about how Ten Hag was always so very meticulous in his preparations of the team and that he is a perfectionist.

As we all know, those roles have now been reversed at Manchester United, where McLaren is back at Old Trafford after an absence of over 20 years, ready for life as assistant to the Dutchman. McClaren had been part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s backroom staff during the club’s iconic treble-winning season in 1999.

Ten Hag has been head coach for the last 10 years, where he has been with four different sides. He started out with Dutch Div 2 side Go Ahead Eagles in 2012, where he led the team to its first promotion in 17 years. He moved to Germany with the second-string side of Bayern Munich who played in the 4th tier of

In terms of tactics, Ten Hag showed improved tactics and strategies with his teams on his return from Germany. In fact, in 2015 when he returned to the Netherlands with FC Utrecht, he was the first coach to introduce the system of three at the back. At the time all clubs in the top tier in the country were using an old-fashioned 4-3-3 and the only change coaches adopted was to switch to 4-4-2 when the side lost possession. He later also introduced a 4-4‑2 diamond shape, which was also innovative in Holland at the time. Utrecht, under Ten Hag, would often switch from 4-4-2 flat to 4-4-2 diamond and also to 5-2-3 or 5-3-2 reflecting a very flexible approach to a game. He also

Erik Ten Hag as an FC Twente player.

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introduced zonal pressing, similar to the way Liverpool play nowadays.

Ajax hired Erik Ten Hag in December 2017, mid-way through the 2017-2018 campaign.

In November of that year his Utrecht side beat Ajax 2-1 away, where he employed a 5-3-2 system with the use of wing backs. This must have impressed the Ajax hierarchy who asked him to take charge of the team just a month later. Ten Hag also had good links with Marc Overmars, Ajax’s Director of Football at the time. They had known each other when both were still at Go Ahead Eagles. Ten Hag’s was not a popular choice among the Ajax fans and the Amsterdam press was not kind to him either.

However, Ajax were prepared to give him the time he needed to give the young and hugely talented players in the squad direction, with the ambition to bring back the glory days and turn them into a hugely successful side with a hard-working mentality and great emotional awareness.

Things started to improve soon after he joined.

Ajax finished as runners-up in the 2017/2018 season. In the summer of 2018, they splurged the cash to bring in players like Daley Blind and Dusan Tadic. Hakim Ziyech looked certain to leave until a late change of heart. They already had very promising youngsters like Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, Donny van de Beek and André Onana. So suddenly they looked like they had a terrifically strong squad.

The 2018/2019 season was magical for Ajax. Apart from winning the League, the performances in the Champions League were amazing, right from the qualifying rounds in the summer of 2018. They would start with a 4-2-3-1 shape and then change it to 3-1-5-1 in attack. They pressed their opponents very high up the pitch. The team’s statistics, including their performances in the League, were also astonishing whilst playing wonderful football. Everyone knows about the cruel way Ajax were denied a place in the final of the 2019 Champions League losing to Tottenham in the 96th minute in the second leg of the semi-final, after having led 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate. Ten Hag admits that that side was his best ever and most creative team he managed at Ajax.

The following season was dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic, where the Dutch season was abandoned on 24 April 2020 with Ajax again on top, if only by better goal difference than AZ Alkmaar, but they were not declared champions. Prior to the start of that season, they lost important players like de Ligt to Juventus and de Jong to Barcelona, as well as Maximillian Wober to Sevilla and Kasper Dolberg to Nice. Disappointingly, Ajax did not qualify from their group stage in the Champions League which contained Chelsea, Lille and Valencia. Many felt that the recruitment, to replace departing players, had let down the team. Ten Hag could not keep playing with the same style, rhythm and intensity he had done in the previous season with the new players like Razvan Marin, Quincy Promes and Edson Alvarez.

The 2020/2021 season saw more big players leaving Ajax. Most prominent was Hakim Ziyech’s departure to Chelsea. Midfielder Donny van de Beek also left for Manchester United, as did Sergino Dest to Barcelona and Sven Botman to Lille. Ten Hag was still using the 3-1-5-1 system, which he employed in the previous two seasons. He brought over Antony from Brazilian side Sao Paulo in July 2020, who took over on the right wing from Ziyech. In January 2021, Ajax also signed central striker Sebastien Haller from West Ham United, who is less flexible than Tadic was in the 2018/2019 season. They were runaway league winners with a 16-point advantage over second-placed PSV Eindhoven. They scored 102 goals and conceded just 23 goals, losing only twice, drawing 4 and winning the remaining 28 games.

Ajax won the KNVB Cup by beating Vitesse 2-1 in the Final. In the Champions League, they finished third in their group behind Liverpool and Atalanta but with their third place they transferred to the Europa League in the round of 32. They beat Lille and Young Boys and reached the quarter-finals until they were knocked out

by Roma, 3-2 on aggregate.

Last season, the 2021/2022 campaign was almost a carbon copy of the previous season, where Ajax won the Eredivisie again with a similar record with 26 victories, 5 defeats, losing just 3 times and scoring 98 goals. The fight at the top was much closer this time as second-placed PSV Eindhoven won as many

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being prominent with their high pressing of their opponents.

Players will definitely notice a big change in their preparation, with several of his former players talking about Ten Hag’s long and intensive training sessions, many of them lasting up to 3 hours. However, he insists this is needed if his team is to keep up the high-tempo style that he would be looking to impose on the United team. What is also anticipated are extensive coaching sessions for the players on their positioning, and the runs that they would be expected to make to create space for their teammates.

Erik Ten Hag celebrating Ajax’s title in May 2022. games but losing two games more than Ajax.

In contrast, however, Ten Hag’s focus on the defence couldn’t be sharper. Ajax conceded just 19 goals all season whereas PSV conceded 42 goals. Ajax’s duo up front, Haller, who was the league’s top scorer with 21 goals, and Tadic, contributed 34 goals between them, a significant improvement on the previous season’s 25 goals in the league. PSV exacted revenge by beating Ajax in the Cup Final coming from behind to win 2-1 in April. Ajax completely dominated their Champions League Group C, winning all 6 games in their group, scoring 20 goals and conceding just 5. However, they were knocked out by Benfica 3-2 on aggregate in the round of 16, which was a huge disappointment and surprise. The telling blow was the 1-0 home defeat in Amsterdam on March 15th.

So, what kind of tactics can the Manchester United fans expect to see their team play under Erik Ten Hag? No one knows exactly. Could the style he has used successfully at Ajax transfer itself to Old Trafford? Obviously, it depends what players he manages to bring in at United.

However, it is clear that the defence is vitally important for Ten Hag as can be seen from Ajax’s record in the last two league campaigns, for example. He would want to drill into his players the shape he wants to have when United lose the ball, to be protected against dangerous counter-attacks. Nevertheless, he likes to have control in a game, not afraid to attack the opponent but defence would remain hugely important to him. When out of possession Ten Hag’s teams like to have a good pressure structure with the full-backs

Following on from so many disappointing seasons in the last few years, culminating in last season’s woeful results, United’s players will be determined to make amends in the upcoming campaign. They have simply not been good enough and everyone connected with the club was glad to see the end of the season and looking forward to an improvement while at the same time keeping expectations low, given what has happened in the last few years with all the different coaches that have come in since Sir Alex’s departure.

The beginning of a new season and Ten Hag’s arrival brings new hope that he can wipe the slate clean for everyone, ahead of, hopefully, happier and better times.

Manchester United have made clear the reason for hiring Erik Ten Hag, with Director of Football, John Murtough, saying, ”During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth.”

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Sahbi expects Ten Hag to adopt the same tactics he used at Ajax, even though he has to work with many of the players that were already at Old Trafford. He likes to play attacking football with a lot of movement on and off the ball.

The wingbacks can overlap or can also be inverted heading to Sahbi known as AjaxSahbi. the penalty area. The I took the opportunity to speak to Sahbi, an players always play within a triangle in order Ajax fan of 30 years since the early 1990s. He to always have a possibility to pass the ball. used to form part of WeTalkAjax, which is a Ball possession is key in this aspect. He likes fan-based channel on YouTube and Twitter, to keep his team compact, and this is to make where everything Ajax is discussed. He also sure the players can recover the ball quickly participates in GameTalk, where each Ajax game when losing possession. When the opponents is scrutinised and analysed during a podcast. have the ball, it is his objective to press with This is what Sahbi had to say about Erik Ten many players to try and win the ball back, as Hag’s appointment. soon as possible.

Ten Hag is a highly disciplined and very strict coach. He is much more concerned that there is a good spirit among the team than he is about the individual player. He looks to see what is best for the team. He is known to say to his players “it’s not your game but our game”. He likes to train his players hard because he wants everyone to be fit from the start of the season.

When I asked Sahbi if the Ajax fans wish Erik well in his new role, he said yes, including himself.

They are grateful for the success he brought to Ajax in the last few years. Many think he deserves this chance and they are convinced he will do well at United. Some fans, however, are feeling aggrieved because rumours abound that he is trying to sign some key players in the present Ajax side like Antony, Martinez and Timber.

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Like many others, Sahbi also thought that Man United may have gone for a more wellknown manager than Ten Hag but he is also convinced that Erik is made for the job and that he can bring that winning mentality that United desperately need again. But it’s important that United give him the time he needs to be able to implement his tactics and system. He has been successful wherever he’s coached. He is someone who breathes football and works 24/7. After a game, irrespective of the result he watches it all over again at home, with a glass of wine. He is then ready to discuss all the points he has seen with his squad the next day and point out what went well and what went wrong. He is always looking to improve.

Finally, when I asked Sahbi what type of tactics he expects Ten Hag to use at Old Trafford, he said that he will play attacking football. He will probably use a 4-3-3 or 4-23-1 formation with a lot of pressing, which is why he needs all the players to be very fit.

He will look for the kind of players that his systems demands. He likes to build up from the back, which explains why he is said to want to sign Timber and Martinez. Frenkie de Jong is a pure footballer who can do magic in midfield. He can open up the play and also be creative. Therefore, Ten Hag will not only want players who break up the opponents’ play but also technically-gifted footballers, who can create and dictate play.

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