Positivity in defeat is not United way

BEATEN for the fourth time in five games, a Tottenham Hotspur cheerleader noted how "good" they were in the first half against West Ham.

- SAMUEL LUCKHURST

"We weren't good," scoffed coach Ange Postecoglou.

"We've got to get away from that. I don't believe that. That's part of the problem."

The warm Postecoglou has been a refreshing presence in the Premier League and Spurs fans like the cut of his jib. He is a manager with no time for unfounded positivity.

Then there is Erik ten Hag. "Today's performance was very good; we didn't deserve to lose, but =we lost the game," he said of Manchester United's limp 1-0 defeat to = Bayern Munich.

In a must-win game United lost and mustered one attempt on target. That was a pot-shot from their left-back in the first half.

Ten Hag admitted on Monday, "I never think of a negative scenario, we think positive."

Last season, Ten Hag was often constructively critical in victory. "Good is not good enough" was his maxim. Now he is positive in defeat.

When a man stops ager chiming with the supporters, they are on shaky ground. Ten Hag has lacked conviction in many of his press conferences for several weeks and one of the biggest concerns is his soundbites are reminiscent of Louis van Gaal. Having survived his own winter of discontent in 2015, Van Gaal said in the February: "When you see our results - in 2016, when we have that whole season, we are the champions." United lost at Sunderland the next day.