the Premier League over the last day or so Eric 10 hog to
Manchester United. The Dutch coach. It seems like he's
pretty much confirmed as their new manager. They're going
through the final stages of agreeing different Financial
packages. Putting plans in place to
announce him as a new full-time culture matches tonight, of
course, Ralph wrong. Nick is interim charge until the end of
the season and it's going to go upstairs
and some kind of consultancy role. Always think of him. Just
having his own office and maybe Ralph
Your computer set up in the corner and like, you know,
this is your job now.
But anyway, that it's very exciting. I think for
Manchester United fans to finally see. Okay. This is
the guy we're going to go with, there's been so much, talk
about poverty. No, Luis Enrique, so many other names,
but
all the reports and all the signs are pointing towards Eric
10. Hog to become the new Manchester United manager, and
you're going to start with you. What is your overall thoughts?
When I first say about Eric Chen hard coming in at
Manchester
United. Well, I wanted to school back real quick to
Ralph.
Just a second because
was it December November whenever it was,
you know, so it was cold outside
when he was brought in.
We were very excited about Ralph coming in and the idea
that Manchester United were putting together of, we're
going to have a line of succession. It's going to be
this guy for six months. He's going to be involved in picking
the next one and putting together
the next and that all sounded really, really good. And that
I think that gave Manchester United fans a little bit of
hope that they were going to be decently. Run for the first
time in a really long time.
Fast forward, like four months in all of that Goodwill and all
of that feel-good seems to be gone around Ralph. And and it's
because of what's happened on the field. It's because of some
of the safe use, but but but some of the following outs,
maybe
behind the scenes with a few of the big
key players in the team and now it just feels like you say that
they're going to put him off into an office in the corner.
He's got to do two years, we owe and money for that. Then we
can get him out. He just get how things change
so quickly at United and can go from so positive two so
negative. It's just, it's incredible. And so
it gives me a little bit of pause with, for whoever comes in.
But for Eric 10 hog, I do I have two questions and it's not
for him. It's for the club won. What do you want him to do? Do
you care about winning or do you care about building,
an identity and a style and to?
How long are you going to give him
before you one judge him and to
begin to push him out, because that's what happens with
Manchester United manager. Sure since Sir Alex Ferguson. It
doesn't take long for the relationship too. Sour for the,
for the view of what's to come
to fall out, you know, to fall, out of you and start to focus
in micromanage. I think that's an issue with Manchester United
as there's too much micromanaging going on and not
enough macro and there's a lot of big problems at the club.
And so if
they're going to let him bring in the players that he wants
and play the style that he wants and give him three full
seasons to implement because that's what we're talking about
with a squad, the size of Manchester United, the
price of man. You know, the players that will need to be
brought in. It's going to be a long overhaul and I just don't
know that anybody at the club,
save for the manager has the stomach for how long that might
take. And so it almost feels just given based on the last
few months of evidence. Whoever goes into that job might be
a little bit doomed from the start.
It's a great point and
segues nicely Nick. The question. I'm going to ask you.
Is he the right man for the job Erickson Hoggle? Is anybody
the right man for the job? Does it basically come down to?
Recruitments got to be better. There's gotta be better players
there and a better plan in place. It doesn't just have to
be like
we said so many times
this Superstars available. Let's get him in and then
figure out once he's here where it can play. I mean,
is there it can harm the man to bring that all together and
focus. Or can anyone do that a Manchester night. There's
almost too big of a club. In the expectations are too big
that they're always just going to be reactive and just chop
and change managers.
As soon as like Andy said results, don't go. Well they
have to back someone through those beds. Alright, I just
can't see it happening right now. The way the club set up,
but it's got to change, hasn't it?
It does. Are you ready for the bald bearded ball, controlling
manager, to get hired at Manchester to try and
fix things? Because we've seen this before.
He's actually Bear. I think he's six months older than pep.
He kind of looks like pep. I think the Darby's are going to
become very interesting. Do I think he's the right man for
the job. I don't know. Like,
if this was, if the Premier League was an American Sports
League, Egg. And we could be confident that there was
a Suitor out there and they could like trade McGuire for
for
shoot
Dutch guy. I act centre-back guys help me that he was there
with the young,
deletes the list. Yes. Can you trade him for Tool it? Can you
trade? Pogba, 40, Hong,
he loves Sebastian how layer this guy makes his Centre
forwards get the job done. He turned he developed. Holler at
you trash. They I believe we're mid-table two seasons in a row.
He shows up the first year on the job. And they finished
fifth
his resumes there. But are they going to do? Are they going to
think you know, whether
the bad days they did it with? So Shire. I mean, I thought it
was stupid to do that,
but they did it with so Shire.
I just kind of look at we've seen. What's happened with? Arteta.
We saw what happened had to happen with clop. We saw what
had to happen with Guardiola. You have to let it happen if it
doesn't happen right away, and I think
this summer should be
Who will take Ronaldo off her hands,
who will take McGuire off our hands? That's a big question.
By the way, who is going to give you the value? You think
McGuire is worth when he's being booed all over England.
And I bet you there isn't a team outside of
England lining up to give you a lot of money for them.
But Pogba McGuire
Reynaldo, clear it out. Keep to heya
and keep her Ashford.
And this I think it's a big day for Ashford. We should say that
there's so many things to unpack here, but I'm excited
for him to get a fresh start because he has gotten a raw.
He has you mentioned a lot of good points there Nick and
I think if we look at
the philosophy and the coaching style of
and the tactics that Eric turn hard likes to use and we just
take the example the last five years. I accidently took over
there.
Generally, they like to play a 4-2-3-1. We've seen that
the Winger's obviously Antony
and do sent a ditch this season.
I'd like to come inside and create so they don't really
have a lot of width, but
they have so many good players on the The ball right there,
always, so fluid comfortable on the ball,
and it always seems to have that Target forward up top
that just holds everything together. Sebastian, Ella
obviously had a great season
for, I accidently probably didn't see that Comin right
when he was at West Ham and struggled in the Premier League
a little bit. But
I think Andy for the philosophy and the style of play and
the tactics that are going to come into Manchester United, that's
important, right? Eric 10 hog is left alone. I'd say, even
though there's Growing Pains. We need to get you the players
a to play that.
M and b, you need to be given time to implement that on
the training ground
and in games, and it might not go
right to start with. But I think actually think this is
kind of good because he hasn't obviously coached in
the Premier League. Before it was ideas, will be a bit fresher,
be a bit new, and it might take other teams quite a while to
adapt to that. So,
this style of play is really interesting, right, especially
when you add in all the good young players that I actually
ever produced or ball and then he's molded over the last few
Years, you start to go through the list. It's very impressive.
The players. He's taken their careers to the next level.
Yeah, it is. But I think on the other side of that same coin is
he hasn't managed in the Premier League. He doesn't
have, you know, you can see, it doesn't have the experience or
the understanding or just the feel of playing in the country
and that can sound a bit silly, but that's a very real thing
for managers when they come to the Premier League, especially
when you're coming from and all due respect to they are too
busy.
It is a second-rate league in Europe. It is not one of the big
I've, you know,
if he's that good of a coach that I'm just going to say
Jurgen klopp Pep. Guardiola never managed to be different.
But similar color top right with the resources at their
disposal to Manchester United's, well,
kind of in a league where you're expected to win it every
single season, that's not because you are the manager of
a club that has either a board or fans that have unreasonable.
Expectations. You are genuinely supposed to win it every single
season. If your iac's,
that's not the case in Manchester United, especially
with Manchester City and Liverpool right now. Now that
can change very quickly but being kind of all-time great
teams at the same time as a very difficult situation to go
into and so maybe the timelines matchup just as United are
starting to hit that uptick, maybe the other two are
starting to fall off just give an age and and and you know
Dale a little bit but like I don't know. I just I question
any time there's a new
manager that hasn't been in one of the big leagues and
especially somebody who seems to be so married to a playing
style. He's not really changed much in the That he's been at
IX. They played pretty similar the whole entire time at least
based on
what I've seen in the Champions League from them. I don't watch
their divisie. I don't go out of my way to seek it out.
And I think Nick said something really interesting in a little
bit funny there as well. The one manager that they decided
to ride out. The storm for
was all he got her soul shine. It just it just speaks to
the fact that
whoever is making decisions now and whoever has been,
if it's just been so chaotic and there's been, you know,
there's been no plan that's in place and we've Talk about that
a million times, but that point right there struck me. And so
I just don't,
I don't know that it will be any different for him coming in
and when it doesn't work immediately
that anything other than well you've never been in
the Premier League before. So, of course he was going to
struggle. Of course, this wasn't going to translate and
that's before you even factor in all the changes to the squad
that need to happen because there's a lot of players that
won't fit that style.
And there's a lot of money on the books that are going to be.
They're going to prevent them from signing the players that
he does. It's just there's a million questions a million in.
Questions that Manchester United,
we mentioned the money there. I mean Nick, we're looking at
Maurizio patino seems to be everyone's favorite, but
there's talk about psg1 in over 20 million dollars in
compensation to get punched, you know, out of his deal
early,
iac's only wanted what 2.3 million dollars, I think to get
Eric 10 hog out of his contract, early. So that's
favorable for United as well from a financial point. So,
some would say, maybe they've gone for the slightly easier.
That's not how you want to hire a manager for Manchester
United, though. That's not really.
Adults
to Joe's Point. Did
I act just are they just excited about not having to
deal with when he's going to go somewhere? Because it feels
like it's been three years of how, you know what I mean. Like
I said, you
know what? I feel like every big job that comes up. He's on
the first names that have, which is a good thing. He's
obviously doing something right for that to be the case, but
he's got a huge job here. Nick, and
is he would he be the most important part of the jigsaw at
Manchester United manager? Usually is, Bottle. Now, we now
we have John Myrtle and we have Darren Fletcher the football
director and the technical director now at man united
leading this and reporting to
Arnold upstairs. And then you have obviously the Glazer
family rubber stamping these decisions, but I felt like you
said Seoul sky was almost like, Castor, Alex is still involved.
They were keeping him around a little bit more because of his
relationship with Sir, Alex, but it would just do in this
pure cold-hearted
football decisions. These guys are now in charge of it, Eric
10 hog. They've chosen him for whatever reason be it. Finances
or Starla pie.
But now is it all about finding the right players. Either
buying them all getting rid, right? I mean Pogba Ronaldo,
you mentioned that there? McGuire
even guys like Scott. Look Tommy or a good young players, but
they don't really seem to fit that style of play the
keeping hold of the ball possessing
Wingers cutting in. I mean, it, like you said, it's good for
Ashford, Jaden Sancho
and a few others, but they probably need to bring in a new
Target forward, new type of Midfield, as a great for Don't
leave and the because while by the way, he must be absolutely
delighted to have 10 Hogs appointment, right. He played
for him
for so many years, I acts. But yeah, what what what players
you think? We'll fry than his system and which players you
think are probably on their way out of Manchester United if he
does come in, I mean everyone almost everyone could be on
their way
out the issues that he's going to face and why there has to be
faith is because I literally pulled up their roster and I'm
thinking, there are four guys that I know should be there
next year. Year, who, who are? They?
Daheia
ver, an
Sancho
and in Radford, and probably vanderbeck, but so, maybe five.
But I mean,
the problem is, you can't unload this many players in one year,
you know, you can't unload
McGuire Rinaldo
and, and here's the other thing and
it's super dicey. So let's, I'm not trying to get into this
part of the conversation and you guys know I'm not doing
that. But They had a piece
in Mason Greenwood, who I think we were all very high on
the way. He can Hammer a ball with both feet and he's out of
the picture as well. It is,
I don't want to use a dramatic term like mess,
but they can't fix this in a year just because
it can't be settled in one summer.
Even if they could trade everybody
and bring in a whole new team. That's not going to look
anything like you're going to think, they'll look until
January or February. So, how do you calculate?
Eight who needs to go now. Beep agama is a fantastic player.
I really believe that, but I think you need these
personalities out of there, just for to feel fresh.
It's
what do you do? It's a giant shoulder shrug Emoji. Yeah. And
then plug McCann, Pogba can play for a real manager. I'll
put it that way. And that's, I guess that's a little
disrespectful to the last few that they've had, but none of
them have known how to use him. And so, I put that down
to, that's retarded Bruno.
I think Bruno is also in Bruno. Yes, sir.
Probably just forgot him as well Nick. So
like I think there is a possibility that they could be
decent, but the spine actually, all those players kind of line
up, right down the spine, except you're missing
the second Center back. And and the other thing that I would,
I would just point out. This is
gonna be a very short
summer off season this year. And so the preseason is going
to be very short because of the World Cup. And so installing
a new manager, this
summer is going to be even more bumps in the road than it.
Typically would because he's going to have less time to
drill in his ideas and his tactics leading up to
the season. So, So
I know this is not what Manchester United do,
but you got to be patient
two things. I want to finish up for me.
Number one, you have to buy players that are young and
hungry and can fit into this system. You have to go away
from buying the Superstar players.
I mean, if you need a new number nine, go and buy some
more like Darwin Nunez at Benfica. Who's up on the up.
He's coming through Eric sandhogs. Great success of
working
with young players. I acts
and that needs to be matches United model going forward. And
I think it will be. They've tried Did it? Bring it in
Ronaldo. Pogba and others and it just hasn't worked out. And
secondly, I think you have to build a team
again with, don't just bring in Superstar players. It's not
just because you can go out and afford all the best players.
That's not what is best for your team as a unit as
a collective.
I think man united been guilty of that for so long
and you look at, you know, I've see this is a very similar
rebuild to the one that you unclog had at Liverpool. He
came in, took him a while to get out the players. He wanted
to get out.
Guardiola did the same at City.
For a while would show heart and companies have a letter and
others that were Legends there, but then there were players
that came in, especially on the clock at Liverpool and no
disrespect to them. But
did anybody see the impact? Andy Robinson would have or
Vine Oldham or even someone like Joel met Eep, but they are
good team players, solid that can do a job and an Superstars.
I think man united fans, maybe
maybe take a bit of responsibility and always
asking for the big money signings and the Splashy
signings. It's time to get away from that and just build
a team. And I think Eric 10 hog. That is when he will be
successful. You can bring in
young players who are hungry
to play in the Premier League and on the rise in their
career, what rather than just thinking. Now, I've signed for
Manchester United of made it, they want to prove themselves
and it has to be that plan that recruitment plan, Nick final
thought for we go. Next
mandatory concacaf, Note 3 players to keep an eye on.
Edson. Alvarez is a 24 year old center of the park guy.
Greven, Birch is a center of the park guide. 19 years old.
Old and he's had holler at three stops now or this would
be the third stop. You brought him along a you trashed. He's
getting
20 goals out of here and I X,
I think we all agree that West Ham just wasn't a good fit.
You might see him come back to.
So interesting funds coming up in Manchester United. Then Eric
10 Hogs expected to take over this summer. So much is going
to change at Manchester United. Let's see if he is the right
man for the job and over at pro
soccer. Talk on NBC sports.com. We have all the latest Man.
United news transfer updates and more.
Or focus on the vision and the philosophy of Eric ten hard.
I think that's the most interesting thing about this
guy's another Top Class manager is on his way to the Premier
League.