Would you take Ten Hag at United?

[Kaos]

Based on yesterday's game he's LVG on attack steroids. Same base style of football, coupled with Guardiolas possession obsession and German machine football mentality. Not a bad combination at all all be fair.

I was impressed with how players basically hit passes blind and knew where their teammates were. Fluid football with a clear shape, they were also brilliantly organised throughout The few mistakes they made was clearly down to individual errors or lack of technical ability, which is frankly the opposite of our situation. Would be very interesting to see him managing a team of top talent, I wonder just how good that team would be...

Is it? I'd say we're a team riddled with individual errors.

 

[Laurencio]

Is it? I'd say we're a team riddled with individual errors.

Caused by a lack of organisation, structure and players never knowing where their teammates are. When is the last time our players hit a successful pass blind?

Well except Maguire...but he's in awful form.

 

[Kaos]

Caused by a lack of organisation, structure and players never knowing where their teammates are. When is the last time our players hit a successful pass blind?

Well except Maguire...but he's in awful form.

That's a fair point, I was mostly alluding to players like Maguire who seem to drop a clanger or two every game completely unprovoked. And as sacrilege as it might be to admit it this season, our keeper is still a little dodgy.

 

[Hansi Fick]

Two months before the season ended, not seven. After your coach ditched you, not after you sacked him.

And the transition to the new manager happened in summer, yes.
Just pointing out Nagelsmann was employed, it was mid-season when we signed him, and the pace with which the appointment happened after Flick announced he's quitting qualifies for the term "swoop in" - which was the scenario the poster you quoted employed.

But yes, doing managerial transitions in summers is, barring a proper downward spiral of performances, probably the best way to go about. Still, the club should lay the ground work, even the contract, for the new appointment, if they want to move on.
In general, this shows why I think it's foolish to go into a new season with a manger that's already on probation or on dubious grounds, like Arsenal did with Arteta. Bayern should have released Kovac in summer 2019 too, that we ended winning the treble after having to sack the manager early and interim-appointing hiss assistant is just the exception proving the rule.

 

[TheLord]

I'd be surprised if the club hasn't made serious advances for him, but acquiring him at this point in the season may not be possible. Unfortunately, both PSG and Barcelona may be serious contenders during the winter period.

 

[Adisa]

I keep checking this thread hoping there's a tweet linking us to him. This club...this club...

 

[macheda14]

That's a fair point, I was mostly alluding to players like Maguire who seem to drop a clanger or two every game completely unprovoked. And as sacrilege as it might be to admit it this season, our keeper is still a little dodgy.

I feel Maguire’s clangers always come when the team is out of shape. Him and Shaw running into each other, him trying to make recoveries. There is definitely a clanger in him and he’s at fault, but in a very structured defence I think he’d excel. Currently our defence is like our attack. They defend in moments. Varane has looked pretty comfortable because he has the talent to bail the team out. Maguire has very good attributes. He’s good in the air, good on the ball (could be trained to be quicker in releasing it), he’s good at tackling what’s in front of him.

He’s very good for England, he was very good for Leicester, he was very food for Hull. He has been excellent for us for stretches at a time. ETH will make good use of him.

 

[Rooney24]

One of the most impressive things about Ten Hag is that he has managed to keep Ajax strong both domestic and in Europe despite losing key players over the years such as DeLigt, De Jong, VDB, Dolberg, and Ziyech.

they lost a few more as well but those would be the major ones.

Added to that he has got Haller firing.

I’d be pretty certain in saying that if we were in Ajax’s CL group instead of them we most likely wouldn’t get out of it with Ole.

ETH must come into the conversation when we talk about who comes in after Ole.

 

[Tibs]

We should be doing everything we can to make him our manager for the first game after the international duty.

 

[lefty_jakobz]

We should take VdS and Overmars along with him.

 

[VanDeBank]

I mean from what I understood, City were quite transparent with Pellegrini in letting him know Pep was coming. You could argue it wasn't ideal for the team knowing they were playing for an outgoing manager, but they did make it to the semi finals of the CL that season and went out due to an own goal, so you could argue it didn't really have too much of an impact.

I wouldn't compare Pellegrini to Ole anyway - the former is a distinguished coach who had brought City some success, so you could rightly argue he was mistreated. Ole however is a complete disaster that should have been let go a while ago, so binning him would be overdue rather than harsh.

Everyone knew LVG would be out and he still won the FA cup. I agree it's not an ideal situation, but at least we could accuse our board of proper planning.

No clue why that short video of Ten Hag is posted in here opposed to some of his more serious press conferences in English.

His speaking/accent/English is a complete non-issue and some posters seem hell-bent on making it an actual thing, which is very weird.

It's funny, especially how he expires football
The only doubts I originally had was if he could do it again without that brilliant academy crop. The answer is clearly yes. Last season EL run was also very good and it was awful luck he had 2 injured GKs and had to play Scherpen + that missed Tadic pen. He has zero charisma, but if he's good a manager that should and will not matter.

 

[RedBanker]

Is it really?

Seems to me this isn't the case,

It absolutely is. The players are playing for individual pride and the GOAT in the dressing room is the playing for his own standards. And of course the fact that him and some of his teammates do not want to play in the EL. I would have accepted anyone saying that the manager has a hold on the team upto the 5-0. After that I can't imagine any. There is a difference between being the captain of the ship and clinging on to the side like a barnacle.

 

[Dansk]

Is it? I'd say we're a team riddled with individual errors.

We have a team of individuals, so every result comes down entirely to their individual performances. They play like eleven strangers. There's no cohesion, so every mistake costs a goal and we only score when someone has a moment of individual brilliance. In a well-drilled team with a good strategy, teamwork can compensate for individual errors or a lack of individual brilliance. In an uncoordinated team with no discernible strategy, there's nothing to compensate for a player who has a bad day.

 

[Champ]

It absolutely is. The players are playing for individual pride and the GOAT in the dressing room is the playing for his own standards. And of course the fact that him and some of his teammates do not want to play in the EL. I would have accepted anyone saying that the manager has a hold on the team upto the 5-0. After that I can't imagine any. There is a difference between being the captain of the ship and clinging on to the side like a barnacle.

I'd say your reading into it what you want to,

I'd say that the players since the Liverpool game have showed more intensity and seem to be fighting for the ball more would show that they still want to perform for the manager.

But no one knows what's going on behind closed doors unless you're in there with them I guess.

 

[arnie_ni]

I mean, what's the issue?

 

[Kaizane]

It's my hope we're in discussions with him now to nab him from Ajax at the end of the season, and we part mutual ways with Ole so everyone can come out of this mess with some semblance of integrity.

But of course, that's not happening and they're probably lining up a 3 year contraction extension instead.

 

[macheda14]

I mean, what's the issue?

Heh heh

 

[Nicoseth]

Ten Hag will never come to United, imo. He strikes me as the sort of manager who will want to go somewhere where he's not surrounded by incompetence. That place aint United.

 

[RedBanker]

I'd say your reading into it what you want to,

I'd say that the players since the Liverpool game have showed more intensity and seem to be fighting for the ball more would show that they still want to perform for the manager.

But no one knows what's going on behind closed doors unless you're in there with them I guess.

Yes your interpretation could be correct too. But I think if this was a dressing room minus Ronaldo, we would have seen straight losses since the 5-0.

 

[OleBoiii]

I changed my mind. Hehe. I don't want him anymore. Hehe. Who's next? Hehe.

 

[RazorOz]

I'd be surprised if the club hasn't made serious advances for him, but acquiring him at this point in the season may not be possible. Unfortunately, both PSG and Barcelona may be serious contenders during the winter period.

No chance our board has made any advances for him. He's probably not even on their radar. Making advances now would require forward planning, there is no forward planning at Man Utd.

 

[Cheimoon]

The below is a vid from August 2020, where he's interviewed about his coaching style, where he's asked to analyse some of the transitions his team were involved in among other things.. But ten Hag also mentions the Ajax DNA and about playing attacking football and goes onto say that it's important Ajax don't play one way and are open to outside strategies as well, if the club wants to make a mark outside of the Netherlands. And that basically shows why he's successful, because he combines possession football with fast transition football at times depending on who the opponent is. He's a adaptable coach that looks to have a way of playing the game which is structurally strong both on and off the ball. It's like what he says, 'everyone attacks and everyone defends'. It's particularly interesting to hear him talk about off the ball movement.

This is quite interesting. It gives some insights into his thinking and the sorts of things he's coaching his players to do. He doesn't go into a lot of detail himself here, but the enormous level of detail from his coaching (and his ability to get that across to the players) is clear from his references, the terms he's using, and his focus on the positioning of players who don't actually touch the ball in the situations shown. Very cool.

He's also clearly not that clumsy in his communication. Sorry @KirkDuyt.

 

[KirkDuyt]

This is quite interesting. It gives some insights into his thinking and the sorts of things he's coaching his players to do. He doesn't go into a lot of detail himself here, but the enormous level of detail from his coaching (and his ability to get that across to the players) is clear from his references, the terms he's using, and his focus on the positioning of players who don't actual touch the bll in the situations shown. Very cool.

He's also clearly not that clumsy in his communication. Sorry @KirkDuyt.

Oh come on, the goofy head, the dumb hillbilly accent. He clearly doesn't speak the queen's Dutch.

 

[Skills]

Oh come on, the goofy head, the dumb hillbilly accent. He clearly doesn't speak the queen's Dutch.

Flemish?

 

[Cheimoon]

Oh come on, the goofy head, the dumb hillbilly accent. He clearly doesn't speak the queen's Dutch.

I barely the notice the accent really. Sounds good to me, certainly better than Hollandic.

 

[lsd]

I don't like the fact he has no hair

 

[KirkDuyt]

Flemish?

Nah, Tukker.

 

[Cheimoon]

Flemish?

No, they've only ever had kings. Plus I think their family language is rather French.

 

[Cheimoon]

Nah, Tukker.

I barely hear the Tukker in him actually. He's certainly no Herman Finkers, that's for sure. (Also in terms of humour, yes.)

 

[KirkDuyt]

I barely the notice the accent really. Sounds good to me, certainly better than Hollandic.

What's this Hollandic you speak of though? People The Hague sound wildly different than people in Rotterdam or Leiden or Amsterdam or etc.

Clearly posh Haags is the only proper pronunciation of our glorious language.

 

[Cheimoon]

What's this Hollandic you speak of though? People The Hague sound wildly different than people in Rotterdam or Leiden or Amsterdam or etc.

Clearly posh Haags is the only proper pronunciation of our glorious language.

Sure, but there is also quite a lot of commonality among the historic urban accents from the Randstad. You can instantly pick out people from that area. Just like there is no one Brabantic but Brabanders do sound similar to some degree (less when you get closer to Dordrecht and Zeeland though, or in Hollands Brabant.

Come to think of it, Ten Hag does sound a bit like Sticks from Opgezwolle btw. But that's not a Tukker, although it'snot that far away either.

 

[HBFSTR00]

The below is a vid from August 2020, where he's interviewed about his coaching style, where he's asked to analyse some of the transitions his team were involved in among other things.. But ten Hag also mentions the Ajax DNA and about playing attacking football and goes onto say that it's important Ajax don't play one way and are open to outside strategies as well, if the club wants to make a mark outside of the Netherlands. And that basically shows why he's successful, because he combines possession football with fast transition football at times depending on who the opponent is. He's a adaptable coach that looks to have a way of playing the game which is structurally strong both on and off the ball. It's like what he says, 'everyone attacks and everyone defends'. It's particularly interesting to hear him talk about off the ball movement.

I'm a bit surprised there's been only one person replying to this video. Very insightful video for the people that don't really know much about him imo.

 

[Ødegaard]

Yeah, that'd go down well, tell the players that the incumbent manager is leaving, giving him zero authority for the rest of the season!

They can't possibly play worse than they already are, and Ole can't have much authority in the dressing room either.

 

[RedDevil@84]

Anyone expecting Ten Hag is going to be disappointed I think. We will just sit and think and think and sign someone who plays completely different philosophy that needs more signings. It is inevitable

 

[Cheimoon]

They can't possibly play worse than they already are, and Ole can't have much authority in the dressing room either.

Also, they play for themselves as well. What benefit is there for a player in downing tools, playing below his ability, and achieving nothing in the season? They might maybe push back against the manager more, but at least it would still be for the purpose of getting the most out of the season.

 

[Foxbatt]

Were

Currently they are winning the Dutch League. They have gone far in the CL much more recently than us. So in that sense they still are.

 

[Water Melon]

The below is a vid from August 2020, where he's interviewed about his coaching style, where he's asked to analyse some of the transitions his team were involved in among other things.. But ten Hag also mentions the Ajax DNA and about playing attacking football and goes onto say that it's important Ajax don't play one way and are open to outside strategies as well, if the club wants to make a mark outside of the Netherlands. And that basically shows why he's successful, because he combines possession football with fast transition football at times depending on who the opponent is. He's a adaptable coach that looks to have a way of playing the game which is structurally strong both on and off the ball. It's like what he says, 'everyone attacks and everyone defends'. It's particularly interesting to hear him talk about off the ball movement.

Passion, complete midfielders like Keane or Scholes, who gets to the ball first. Football is a simple game, my arse.

 

[Foxbatt]

Ten Hag in the below video (at 3:27) says himself and Steve McLaren visited Fergie and had Coffee with him, when Fergie was manager at United.

Ah so he has United DNA then.

 

[JeffFromHK]

When our fans scream for managers with "United DNA" Ten Hag has more of that DNA than Solskjaer.

Trusting young players [tick] - c.f. Solskjear who never promoted a young player from academy after Greenwood
Attacking football on the front foot [tick] - c.f. Solskjear who goes 50-50 when we play with mid table clubs
Ability to continue success after selling key players and reforming the squad [tick] - c.f. Solskjear who depends on individual brilliance of Ronaldo and Bruno

 

[VanDeBank]

The below is a vid from August 2020, where he's interviewed about his coaching style, where he's asked to analyse some of the transitions his team were involved in among other things.. But ten Hag also mentions the Ajax DNA and about playing attacking football and goes onto say that it's important Ajax don't play one way and are open to outside strategies as well, if the club wants to make a mark outside of the Netherlands. And that basically shows why he's successful, because he combines possession football with fast transition football at times depending on who the opponent is. He's a adaptable coach that looks to have a way of playing the game which is structurally strong both on and off the ball. It's like what he says, 'everyone attacks and everyone defends'. It's particularly interesting to hear him talk about off the ball movement.

My God, he's harder to understand in Dutch than English and I've living in Dutchland for 2 decades