Erik Ten Hag appreciation thread

Ultimately, he delivered two trophies. Thank you for that.

He gave opportunities to some young players (Mainoo, Garnacho, etc.) who will hopefully progress further and become important to our future. Thank you for that.

I have no doubt that he wanted to succeed, he seems like a genuinely nice guy, but the problem, as seen with managers far more experienced than him before, was that the club needed a huge overhaul from top to bottom.

ETH dealt with Ronaldo and Sancho the way SAF would have dealt with them - Question me and you are gone. SAF did it with Keano, Becks and other players.

The job was simply too big for him as it was Jose, LVG..

And so, the question is.. "What is the job?"

SAF/Gill.. controlled the club, they were aligned on many things and fortunately most worked out, but clubs aren't run that way anymore.

I completely agree that regardless of who the manager is, the style of play, the ethos of what United are (or want to be) should be the benchmark.

But, for too long we have allowed the manager to do his own thing, backroom then do their own thing and bring in players for commercial appeal and it becomes a total mess.

I do truly believe that we are going in the right direction. ETH was caught up in the before and after with the way things were compared to how are going to be. Sadly, it was right to let him go.

The next manager is coming into a 'supposed' solid backroom.

There is no excuse now.

We have, from what we are told, the best people behind the scenes, we have a vision.

We all know that on their day, our players are bloody good.

So, ETH, Thank you for trying your best. Thank you for the cups. Thank you for giving opportunities to younger players. Thank you for dealing with off-field issues. Thank you for dealing with regime changes.

This is a human. A man. A husband. A Father. Our ex manager.

Let's wish him well.
 
Some of the notable and somewhat memorable games amidst all the chaos under him.

FA Cup 4-3 win against Liverpool.
FA Cup final win against City.
League Cup final win.
Barcelona wins.
Wolves Away 3-4 win with a late Mainoo special.
Brentford Home 2-1 win with a late Mct strike.
Arsenal home 3-1 win.
Villa home 3-2 win. Comeback from 2-0 down.
Villa away 1-2 win with a late Mct header after Luiz antics in Villa's equaliser celebration.

Numerous Mct clutch moments late in games prolonged Erik's tenure. No wonder he was dismayed with Mct's transfer. Who knows had he stayed, could have rescued Erik a few more times.

That said, all the best 10Hag.
 
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The league now has 6-8 genuine Top 4 challengers so it won't be easy for anyone to get United back into the CL consistently.

EtH did well to end 6 years without a trophy and then add another a year later.

He came up short in the league but I won't forget the FA Cup final and hope he finds another job soon.
 
Please respect the spirit of the thread. New
Folks you have enough threads to insult the manager, please respect the OP. Thanks
 
Lee565 said:
I struggle to appreciate a coach who oversaw us losing 7 bloody 0 to Liverpool, it has been tough watch since around the league cup win
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Well then you have come through to the wrong thread. The title says what the thread is about.
 
With Erik, it always felt that if only things could just click. Occasionally we'd have 15 minutes of really good play. He got rid of a lot of deadwood and a couple of huge egos. Ultimately him and his Dutch transfers hurt him badly though.
As long as he keeps quiet and doesn't start blabbing to the press I wish him well.
 
I definitely do appreciate the two trophies, I felt amazing after them. As well as the 2-1 home win against Man City in the league in January 2023 and the 4-3 against Liverpool in the FA Cup in March 2024. However, he ultimately overstayed his welcome.
Dominant said:
Absolutely embarrassing. Stop worshiping managers who are not good enough!
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This isn’t “worshipping” him.
 
I honestly felt he might be the answer although I thought, wrongly, he was more Fergie-like when it came to discipline and "the whole world is against us, but we won't let them take our trophy away." I honestly hope he does well somewhere else. Maybe a national team
 
I appreciate his first season. He had us playing some decent stuff, won the League Cup, dealt with the Ronaldo situation well, also handled the Maguire situation well. Even though there were some worrying signs in the second half of that season, there was enough promise that we were hopeful for the future.

Unfortunately everything that happened since then, bar two FA Cup games last season (Liverpool and City) was incredibly bad. Trusting Mainoo and Garnacho as much as he did is about the only thing that wasn't a downright negative.
 
I've made my feelings known about him for months but one thing I will say is that I think he's extremely mentally tough.

The way he would constantly dig his heels in and refuse to crumble was impressive. It's easy to just say that's easy to do when you're being paid millions but he's a rich man already and he was going to get paid no matter what.
 
The man lost his job in the most public way- I would say thats a horrible place to be. Not nice.

I am sad it didnt work out for him, there were moments when I was hopeful of the new dawn under him but it just never happened.
He won here - so thanks for that. I enjoyed those days.

good luck to him and I wish him well.
 
  • Won us a couple of pots
  • Some great wins against City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Barca.
  • Probably had us feeling the closer to being potential title challengers than any other post-Ferguson manager in that first 2/3 of a season.
  • Never seemed to lose the dressing room in the same way as late stage Mourinho or Ole.
  • Got the likes of Garnacho and Rashford putting in more work defensively than they had before.
  • Finally replaced De Gea with a modern keeper (and seems to have gotten that right after a ropey first season).
  • Dealt very well with the Ronaldo and Sancho situations, which were absolute minefields that could have lead to squad mutiny.
  • Handled himself with class when his job was up in the air before the cup final and then over the summer.
 
Guv77 said:
I remember that Spurs game at Old Trafford that we won 2-0 in his first season.
I thought yeh this is the way we should be playing, think we had a crazy number of shots and corners inside the first 20 mins and we were all over them.

Not sure why we didn’t stick to that.
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Most that people remember of that game is Ronaldo throwing yet another hissy fit and leaving early.
 
He took over an absolute circus and worked in a an even more dysfunctional environment with Ronaldo antics and Glazers wasting a year lifting the clubs skirt to alternative pimps.

Some of the best and worst football I’ve seen since SAF left. But he will be remembered more fondly as time goes by. I’d rather big ups and downs than the 4 years of meh before him.

He’s also left us in a far better shape than he got us. Lots of younger talent been blooded, new keeper and some potentially good looking players if they click with next manager.

He also showed zero tolerance to the whingebag unprofessional players who simply weren’t interested in knuckling down for the team. No more Sanchos please, hope the club learned its lesson. Regardless of how bad he’s been Anthony at least tried to make it work , Sancho didn’t only fail, he undermined the manager publicly which did nothing to help the squad/team.

FA cup final win was the most satisfying cup win since SAF left; hands down. Might not of meant much to those who prefer squeezing into top 4 so we can under perform in Europe next season, over an actually deadly cup win but I loved it. In hindsight it would of been great to part ways on better terms after that game.

Thanks Eric, hope you do well in your next job.
 
This thread is a good example of - if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all with some posters.

I think it's nice of OP to create this. No reason to not recognize some of the positives.
 
DaniDan said:
2b. That FA cup quarter final come back against Liverpool with Amad late goal.
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This was the true highlight for me! The final was really nice of course, but I felt that City had already checked out that season.
 
Redplane said:
This thread is a good example of - if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all with some posters.

I think it's nice of OP to create this. No reason to not recognize some of the positives.
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Absolutely spot on…
 
I'm old enough to remember us being relegated, but not old enough to remember The Babes. Outside of the unbelievable period SAF was in charge, my experience of United is as a cup team. Eric continued that record,so he gets my thanks for that (although of his 3 cup finals I went to the only one we lost).

Unfortunately that was all we were going to be under him so let's hope the new manager is more successful league wise but don't underestimate the challenge besting City, Arsenal and Liverpool - I don't think that will come overnight.
 
He did a great job to me in terms of building a team. He was always going to get fired because his record wasn't good enough. But he did lot of things right.

Shifted lot of deadwood and identified the right players (Antony is the only exception), promoted academy players .

Thanks Erik. Hope you get an opportunity at a big club very soon. Amorim will reap the benefits of your work.
 
I was really excited when we appointed him, it felt like the club was finally moving in the right direction going for a progressive manager.

I was a little concerned with the chasing of De Jong and the overpaying of Antony, but the way he dealt with the Ronaldo debacle made me think we had finally found a manager who wouldn't put up with any nonsense. The league Cup win was great, but since then it just went downhill,with the odd exception.
I tried to back him for as long as I could but I think it was the Fulham home defeat when I finally thought he's not going to succeed here.

I wish him well, I never understood the name calling or personal insults he got, he tried his best but it wasn't enough, no shame in that.
Thanks for the 2 trophies, the FA Cup win was fantastic, one of the best feelings Ive had for a long time watching us, and the 4-3 over the scousers was brilliant.
 
Loved him first season, really thought we were finally going somewhere. Unlike seemingly a lot of our fans I actually think he comes across well too, I like him as a person. Two good cup wins means it hasn't been a complete disaster. Good luck to him in the future, I hope he does well
 
ETH has had some bad luck but has brought some of it on himself. When he arrived the club was in a mess from top to bottom and is still being 're-furnished' in the INEOS make-over, maybe some of the 're-fitting' still to be enacted, he could not have lived with, so it is as well for him that he goes now.

Ten Hag has attempted to keep us a progressing and relevant (2 Trophy's in 2 years) and deserves some recognition on that level; but we now need a miracle worker just to keep us where we are.

They say those who do not learn from history are destined to make the same mistakes; United are heading that way, as when 'Tommy Doc' was appointed back in the 70's. As the 'spectre' of relegation will now, (just as it did with 'the Doc') haunt the new manager, and unless RVN can work miracles, he also will be gone by January.

Attempts to appoint an 'iconic' manager seem somewhat delusional at this stage. The current squad is not equipped for a relegation fight and there is only one transfer window available.

Enjoy your rest Erik and best wishes for the future.
 
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Have said it before but the period between beating Spurs 2-0 at OT and the League Cup final was probably the most optimistic I've been in the post SAF era- the fan base seemed the most united I'd seen it too. It was all downhill after that but not a bad first season.

FA cup final was the best memory of all. I appreciate the trophies.
 
Winning two domestic cups is certainly something to celebrate. If it were that easy, every manager would achieve it. Unfortunately, his league form wasn’t up to par, which ultimately led to his departure. However, he leaves behind two trophies, and as you pointed out, that FA Cup victory against City is the most exhilarating moment I’ve experienced in football for a long time.
 
Ten Hag did a lot of good for us. He isn't the guy to take us to the top - like most managers, it's his way or the highway and his way wasn't working. Saw something the other day that really pointed out his fatal tactical flaw and I hope he hears it and figures it out. I wish him luck.

I think time will judge his squad collection kindly. Antony and maybe Mount aside, I don't think his players were a bad lot and the jury's still out on a lot of them.
 
Thank you Erik. You gave hope after a disastrous spell from Ralf Rangnick and almost delivered beyond the expectations in the first season.

Ultimately; the lack of chemistry in the team and a lack of ethics from the players who acted more as primadonnas than professional footballers let you down.

When you watch a game like Arsenal vs Liverpool or Arsenal vs City; you realise how hard working their players are. That kind of synergy never existed in the last 18 months and that seems to be root cause for your downfall. It wasn't your fault because to stamp your authority at a club like Man Utd isn't easy and you did that. You tried your best and you deserve credit for it.
Like you said after winning FA cup; if INEOS don't want you. You will go and win trophies somewhere else. I hope those things come true because regardless of how many critics took a shot at you. Your vision of end to end football is the general direction of the game.
Gone are the days when it was just possession based teams vs park the bus kind of teams. Football has evolved in the last 5 years, most of the smaller clubs have players who are proficient in possession and have a good defensive nous to park the bus if need be.
A good team needs to be good at both and have a very good pressing strategy. With players like Rashford and Casemiro; we will never be able to achieve control within games. They're too fickle minded and are players of the past.

Good luck Erik and all the best for your future.
 
I don't think there were many highs under ETH to be brutally honest.

But the highs we did have were really fecking high, the 4-3 vs Liverpool, the games against Barcelona, the cup final wins especially the one against City. He definitely provided us with 3 or 4 incredible all time moments.
 
The FA Cup win is a bit too random for me, but sure, it was a great moment (and he has to be given some credit for it).

I do, however, give him plenty of credit for standing up to Ronaldo. We don't know all the details there, but it seems beyond doubt that ETH pissed off that little shit and contributed significantly to him feckin' off. Thanks for that - sincerely.
 
Chesterlestreet said:
The FA Cup win is a bit too random for me, but sure, it was a great moment (and he has to be given some credit for it).

I do, however, give him plenty of credit for standing up to Ronaldo. We don't know all the details there, but it seems beyond doubt that ETH pissed off that little shit and contributed significantly to him feckin' off. Thanks for that - sincerely.
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I think the Fa cup is even better as we beat Liverpool in an epic on the way too. It was well deserved
 
I'm really sad that it came to this, i really liked the guy and had a lot of time for him as a Manager.

I thought he would have a torrid first year and then get us into top 4...turns out it was the other way round.

In the long run he facilitated a big clearout of players and began the process of disrupting player power at the club with his handling of the Ronaldo situation. Sadly the next time this issue cropped up his standing was weakened and he wasn't able to dominate in the same way.

I also think he was hampered by the long drawn out sales process at the club and that put extra pressure on his own recruitment decisions.

The botched handling of the Anthony and de Jong transfers weakened his reputation and he seems to have frozen his mindset after the league cup Final.

I'm sad we didn't make as much progress as we should have, but he tried to instil some proper standards at the club and was also good at bringing young talent through to the team.

In many ways he was like a trip to Alton Towers...some great highs and lows in a rollercoaster ride....but also some drudgery and feeling exploited queuing to experience inferior product.

I wish him every success in his next role. He deserves it after dealing with the turmoil he went through.
 
History will look kindly on Ten Hag's reign, kinder than any other post-Ferguson manager I think.

The number of issues he dealt with outside of the 'normal' football stuff is astounding, and in such a short period of time.

- The Ronaldo debacle. No one is bigger than the club.
- Sancho's public hissy fit, which came after Erik had bent over backwards to support him.
- The ongoing takeover rumours, negotiations and 'structural reviews' going on. In any business, that usually means a manager's job is permanently at risk when the new guys finally settle in.
- Mason Greenwood. He was already suspended by the club by the time Erik started, but he had to deal with the media fallout from the charges laid, subsequently dropped and eventual botched club decisions and statements.

None of the above is normal day to day stuff, all massively extenuating and dragging on for months and years. That's before you get to more normal football things like signings not working out and a ridiculous number of injuries.

All that being said, Erik delivered two trophies in two years, when we had had none in six. There is now also a solid argument that he leaves behind the best squad that any manager has left behind since the title-winning one that Moyes inherited.
 
He did well to win two trophies, gave opportunities to a few youngsters. Other than that not a lot else to be positive about, recruitment was dreadful (not all his fault) and his tactics/playing style was awful.

Unfortunately another manager who took us full circle and left as big a mess as he inherited, obviously not helped by likes of Arnold/Murtough and the upheaval of the sale process but he has to take fair share of the blame.
 
The two trophies were great. However, there were far too many lows during his reign that it becomes almost impossible to look back at any fond memories. The 7-0 against Liverpool was a hard pill to swallow.
 
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