WC Boggs Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 All the best to Kai Fotheringham on his return to United. Thanks for the memories Kai. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGMilne Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 When you get to the point of people unfurling banners demanding you have to go, then it is time to go. It's just a job, and certainly isn't worth the hate he's getting. But that being said, I've always felt bemused by the amount of hate Tony Asghar has gotten from the online Arab community. You would be forgiven for thinking some people hate him more than they love the club, and there's one guy on the Tek forum in particular who has a seriously unhealthy dislike for him. All because he didn't think he was very welcoming at hospitality. I want to preface this by saying that I'm not a 'happy clapper' or a 'lanyard wearer', I've never met Asghar (I walked past him in Sainsburys once, if that cements my pro-TA agenda ) and I'm not happy with the recruitment this season at all, but having said that, I think that on the whole, things have been ok up until the disaster of this season in terms of league position, getting into Europe, signing players that show ambition, trying to get a good ethos into the club, a more serious commercial agenda etc. The one thing that has been poor all the way through the Ogren/Asghar reign has been quality of entertainment from the product on the pitch. It's been brutal. But you read things like how he's responsible for 5 managers in 4 years leaving because he wants to control them. This isn't true. Neilson happily worked for the guy and then left for a better paid job at his favourite club. We'd all do the same. Mellon was a panic hire because they needed a manager in quickly and he was punted because he played awful football and wasn't well liked (I often spoke to people at the club who didn't like him). Why Courts left was a bit of a mystery, but Ross was sacked because of a calamitous run. Did any of them leave because of him? Probably not. The next thing you read - in a similar but different point - is that he only appoints inexperienced managers because he wants to control them. Of his four hires, two were experienced and two are/were inexperienced. Jack Ross in particular fits the description of the sort of manager people who actively hate Asghar want in the job and he was a disaster. There's no science to this folks. They say he makes the signings and the manager has no choice on it. Categorically untrue. I don't think as DoF he really sees the bigger picture of what's needed, but he definitely defers to the manager when signings are made. They say he's responsible for not making any noteable signings in January. I'd say that was Ogren, who unlike received wisdom would suggest, isn't some distant prince who has been trapped by evil Tony and doesn't get a say. He's an experienced businessman ffs. They want Craig Levein even though Levein was a massive failure as DoF at Hearts. But they trust him. He's a football man who is qualified to be a DoF when an agent who never played the game isn't. For me it simply boils down to some people simply not liking the cut of his jib. They don't like him and they don't trust him and that's fair enough, but just say it; don't use arguments that aren't true to justify it. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dundee Hibernian Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 Good post, @SGMilne, I can recall United fans wanting Jerry Kerr out and in his early days JIm McLean too. Nowadays, with fans more informed of identities of the people behind the scenes, the targets become chairmen and technical staff as well as managers. On Asghar, he has more of a football background than most of his critics, having been on the books at Ibrox in the late 'eighties, then working as an agent for a long period of time. If he hadn't got the Ogrens interested, we could well have gone into administration or worse in 2018. I'm not happy about the way things have gone this season, and Asghar has to take some responsibility for that, but every club in the present 12 has had a period of terrible friction between their support and the managers/boards/football staff in the past few years. Times have changed, football has changed, I find it draining away my enthusiasm for going to matches. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Connolly Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 The fans need a target when things aren't going well, and with the constant turnover of managers over the last few years, without anything really changing elsewhere, it becomes pretty easy to aim criticism at Tony. Some of it is definitely deserved, but, as always with football, plenty isn't. He's effectively the big round face of the owners though, so that's part of the territory 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevitt Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 Any reason Behich wasnt in squad midweek, injured or suspended? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinkle Posted February 3, 2023 Author Share Posted February 3, 2023 34 minutes ago, kevitt said: Any reason Behich wasnt in squad midweek, injured or suspended? Rumour is that hes being sold to a Turkish team as their transfer window is still open. Id imagine that will be the straw that breaks the camels back tbh 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinny arab Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 38 minutes ago, kevitt said: Any reason Behich wasnt in squad midweek, injured or suspended? Back home due to family illness has been mentioned 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevitt Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 big loss either wy. didnt see midweek game. how Scott do as left wing back? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinny arab Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 1 hour ago, kevitt said: big loss either wy. didnt see midweek game. how Scott do as left wing back? Everyone was shite on Wednesday 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabianKnight Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 10 hours ago, skinny arab said: Everyone was shite on Wednesday Think McMann was about the only one of our players who actually looked like they could be bothered. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinny arab Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 20 minutes ago, ArabianKnight said: Think McMann was about the only one of our players who actually looked like they could be bothered. In a surprising turn of events I think the only one to get pass marks in the last couple of games is the keeper 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabianKnight Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 1 minute ago, skinny arab said: In a surprising turn of events I think the only one to get pass marks in the last couple of games is the keeper I think he's done well since the WC break. He's had to deal with some absolutely howling defensive errors in front of him and I definitely consider some of the criticisms unwarranted. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven W Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 I see the latest thing for the #AshgarOut boys to get their knickers in a twist about, is us not signing a boy who couldn't get a game for Burton Albion, and had been banging their pals Mrs. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArabFC Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 8 minutes ago, Steven W said: I see the latest thing for the #AshgarOut boys to get their knickers in a twist about, is us not signing a boy who couldn't get a game for Burton Albion, and had been banging their pals Mrs. While I wouldn't have gone near Butcher I think the frustration at the lack of any steel in our midfield is fairly understandable. An anchor in the middle... if you like 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinny arab Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 26 minutes ago, Steven W said: I see the latest thing for the #AshgarOut boys to get their knickers in a twist about, is us not signing a boy who couldn't get a game for Burton Albion, and had been banging their pals Mrs. Butcher is exactly the type of player we need at the moment, if the club hadn’t failed to address the gaping hole in the middle of the park during the latest transfer window (again) then nobody would give a shit about Motherwell signing him. Not on board with the Asghar out campaign as we don’t know if the lack of activity is down to him not doing his job or down to Ogren refusing to sanction any further spending but it would be nice to get some answers as we have to sit back and watch our relegation rivals strengthen their squads whilst we’re weaker squad wise than we were at the start of the window. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven W Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 (edited) 19 minutes ago, skinny arab said: Butcher is exactly the type of player we need at the moment, if the club hadn’t failed to address the gaping hole in the middle of the park during the latest transfer window (again) then nobody would give a shit about Motherwell signing him. Not on board with the Asghar out campaign as we don’t know if the lack of activity is down to him not doing his job or down to Ogren refusing to sanction any further spending but it would be nice to get some answers as we have to sit back and watch our relegation rivals strengthen their squads whilst we’re weaker squad wise than we were at the start of the window. I agree that we the fans could do with some answers. Ultimately that would have to come from Ogren. Ogren, for me, clearly didn't sanction spend yet more more of his money. If Ashgar could go out and buy whoever he wanted, then he obviously would. There's a fair bit of revisionism going on around how good Butcher is - typified by him being bomber out by Burton Albion Edited February 4, 2023 by Steven W 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinny arab Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 1 minute ago, Steven W said: I agree that we the fans could do with some answers. Ultimately that would have to come from Ogren. Ogren, for me, clearly didn't sanction spend yet more more of his money. If Ashgar could go out and buy whoever he wanted, then he obviously would. There's a fair bit of revisionism going on around how good Butcher is Butcher is no superstar but he would definitely improve the powderpuff midfield we are forced to endure week after week. Ideally when Butcher left we would have replaced him with a better version of the same type of player but recently we have seen Fuchs leave and not replaced then Butcher leave and not replaced then Clark leave and not replaced and now Watt leave and not replaced, fans are well within their rights to be frustrated and hopeful of some answers. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invergowrie arab Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Butcher was a p***k. A totally selfish layer typified by his sending off against Aberdeen last year. Should still be replacing him though 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Connolly Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Butcher is exactly the type of player who would return to great fanfare, before smashing into his first tackle, and getting sent off and suspended. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGMilne Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Today proved a few things to me. 1 - VAR is the shits 2 - We clearly have good players in the team and on the bench 3 - The manager is the problem We've all sat back and thought "Aye, but Fox doesn't have a great bench; he doesn't trust them" and he managed to prove himself wrong by bringing in Niskanen and Pawlett who were our two best players. If you play a team who run at the ball and attack - even if they aren't your best 11 individuals - it can work. So today the team did so well, then Edwards got sent off for a decision I thought was incredibly weak. The team held on and held on while the manager did nothing and we lose two goals. His final role of the dice was to take off the best player we had on the park for Macleod, leaving an absolutely gubbed Middleton on the park, and also forgo making two other potential changes.# The man has no Plan B. If we go down - and I really don't think we will but we might and that's the important thing - it will be because of his inability to make effective tactical decisions from the 60th minute onwards. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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