Erik ten Hag - Ajax Manager

VivaObertan

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Not sure if anyone has pondered this already, but who would Ajax's replacement for Ten Hag likely to be? Is this person somebody we should be looking at too, or would it represent too great a risk?
 

Idxomer

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It's nonsense that we have a ton of players that look so awkward on the ball it hurts? McFred, AWB even Pogba, Bruno and Maguire at times. It's not nonsense at all it's a fact
Pogba will leave anyway, he's irrelevant here. Everyone knows we need to improve our midfield and any manager coming in will ask for reinforces there.

The biggest problem with most of our players is they are clueless about what to do before they get the ball. They take too many unnecessary touches. They haven't been well-drilled and spent 3 years with subpar coaching. We need a head coach who's obsessed with improving our players' quality on the ball and their decision-making. It can happen, just look at Brighton with their limited defenders being so high in possession stats.
 

PoTMS

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Games: 29
Win %: 55%
Draw %: 21%
Loss %: 24%
GF: 57
GA: 29
GD: +28
Clean Sheets: 9

Champions League Wins: 16
Group Stage​
A​
Besiktas​
1:2​
Group Stage​
A​
Borussia Dortmund​
1:3​
Group Stage​
H​
Borussia Dortmund​
4:0​
Group Stage​
H​
Besiktas​
2:0​
Group Stage​
A​
Sporting CP​
1:5​
Group Stage​
H​
FC Midtjylland​
3:1​
Group Stage​
A​
FC Midtjylland​
1:2​
Group Stage​
A​
LOSC Lille​
0:2​
Group Stage​
A​
Valencia CF​
0:3​
Group Stage​
H​
LOSC Lille​
3:0​
Semi-Finals​
A​
Tottenham Hotspur​
0:1​
Quarter-Finals​
A​
Juventus FC​
1:2​
last 16​
A​
Real Madrid​
1:4​
Group Stage​
A​
AEK Athens​
0:2​
Group Stage​
H​
Benfica​
1:0​
Group Stage​
H​
AEK Athens​
3:0​

Champions League Draws: 6

Group StageAAtalanta BC2:2
Group StageAChelsea FC4:4
Quarter-FinalsHJuventus1:1
Group StageHFC Bayern3:3
Group StageASL Benfica1:1
Group StageABayern Munich1:1

Champions League Loses: 7

Group StageHAtalanta BC0:1
Group StageAAtalanta BC1:0
Group StageHLiverpool0:1
Group StageHValencia0:1
Group StageHChelsea0:1
Semi-FinalsHSpurs2:3
last 16HReal Madrid1:2
He lost twice to Liverpool?
 

VanDeBank

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Not sure if anyone has pondered this already, but who would Ajax's replacement for Ten Hag likely to be? Is this person somebody we should be looking at too, or would it represent too great a risk?
They'll try to poach this guy. He's so good, even the Ajax fans on here won't deny they would like him as ETH's successor.
Feyenoord's Arne Slot deserves a shout.

Was in a title race with AZ before the season was cancelled due to covid and is now in a title race with Feyenoord (finished 5th last season under Advocaat)

His big game record is impressive:

DATUMWEDSTRIJDUITSLAG
26 september 2019Feyenoord - AZ0-3
27 oktober 2019PSV - AZ0-4
15 december 2019AZ - Ajax1-0
1 maart 2020Ajax - AZ0-2
19 september 2021PSV - Feyenoord0-4

He usually plays 4-2-3-1 with a high press and attacking football. He initially was an assistant but the players liked him so much he became the de facto head coach. He's bald and comfortable talking to the press.
 

elmo

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Alvarez, Martinez and Klaassen are shite on the ball by United standards.

Not every player in ETH's teams is a technical wizard and his formations aren't rigid, meaning it's impossible to say: X player will be replaced because he's a different type than X player at Ajax. Alvarez and De Jong have played in the same "position".

He's taken West Ham and Watford rejects, he'd take half our squad if offered.
This right here is why I want ten Hag.

I have no faith in the club bringing in the right player that the manager wants, that a manager who's proven to be able to get the best of whatever the club provides should be the guy to go for.
 

Lewnited

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I don’t think any Premier League winning manager other than Ranieri had earlier experience at another Premier League side.

(Dalgliesh also managed old Division 1 Liverpool)


The rest came from other leagues.
Yeah I don't understand this obsession with prior experience when it's hardly ever shown to mean anything. At the very least, only Ranieri and Mourinho have had prior experience in the last 10 years (if you count Mou's 2nd stint separately).
 

Wilt

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Don't have an issue with the argument that we should go for Poch if he's immediately available but the idea that we'd wait until summer only to find Ten Hag won't come is silly.

In a scenario where the permanent manager doesn't arrive until the summer, whoever it is will have a deal agreed long before then whether it's announced or not. If Ten Hag isn't going to come then they'll know long before the summer.
Seems people are saying wait till end of season for Ten Hag as if it’s a given he‘ll come to Utd, when in fact it’s an outside chance at best.
 

VanDeBank

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This right here is why I want ten Hag.

I have no faith in the club bringing in the right player that the manager wants, that a manager who's proven to be able to get the best of whatever the club provides should be the guy to go for.
Yeah I was skeptical when I saw ETH being mentioned 2 years ago, because I didn't find one CL run impressive with that brilliant academy crop. The fact that he's done it again with a rebuilt team playing differently is what convinced me.
 

dangk1

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Alvarez, Martinez and Klaassen are shite on the ball by United standards.

Not every player in ETH's teams is a technical wizard and his formations aren't rigid, meaning it's impossible to say: X player will be replaced because he's a different type than X player at Ajax. Alvarez and De Jong have played in the same "position".

He's taken West Ham and Watford rejects, he'd take half our squad if offered.
Sorry to say but Martinez is one of the better ball playing CB's in the Champions League. In fact the whole back 4 of Ajax have very good ability on the ball and are basically midfielders in terms of ability on the ball.
The other 2 mentioned, I agree, their ability on the ball is mediocre but they bring other qualities in the team.
 

captaincantona

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I think we are in the odd situation that really good players come to United and look awful...and you have to believe that a coach like Ten Hag could at least do something positive with the clear talent that we have in the squad.
 

VanDeBank

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Sorry to say but Martinez is one of the better ball playing CB's in the Champions League. In fact the whole back 4 of Ajax have very good ability on the ball and are basically midfielders in terms of ability on the ball.
The other 2 mentioned, I agree, their ability on the ball is mediocre but they bring other qualities in the team.
Hmm, I guess I still view Martinez as a midfielder. For a CB he is good on the ball, you're right.
 

Stringer

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Seems people are saying wait till end of season for Ten Hag as if it’s a given he‘ll come to Utd, when in fact it’s an outside chance at best.
Why are you continuing to present your baseless speculation as fact?
 

mav_9me

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I'm convinced, still sceptical about the fact that he's never managed in the PL (in comparison to Poch) and that Ajax is a properly run club, a good environment to be a manager, not sure how he would do outside that comfort zone, but the brand of football he has his team playing, I'd rather we hire him and find out if he's the real deal, a risk worth taking, he could be the next Pep or Klopp.

Sign me up.
Look up his time at Utrecht. There was an excellent Reddit post about it here.

 
Last edited:

V.O.

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Look up his time at Utrecht. There was an excellent Reddit post about it here.

That paints a better picture of someone who could possibly make it as United manager than the 'cog in the machine' I was under the impression he is at Ajax.
 

Wilt

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Why are you continuing to present your baseless speculation as fact?
Just common sense, and for what it’s worth….

Ten Hag is a 25/1 chance with most bookmakers and 40/1 with some others …in case you don’t understand odds it means professional football analysts/odds makers rate the probability of Ten Hag going to Utd as little …to no chance.

The actual truth being ….Ten Hag signing for Utd is “baseless speculation”.
 

luke511

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Just common sense, and for what it’s worth….

Ten Hag is a 25/1 chance with most bookmakers and 40/1 with some others …in case you don’t understand odds it means professional football analysts/odds makers rate the probability of Ten Hag going to Utd as little to no chance.

The actual truth being ….is Ten Hag signing for Utd is “baseless speculation”.
A great value bet then, don't underestimate bookies getting a price wrong on a market like this.
 

mav_9me

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A lot is a massive stretch in fact mind you don't pull something stretching that far
Point is you can focus on those who follow the league and Ajax for more reliable info, if you want. Or you can continue to be flippant.
 

V.O.

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Just common sense, and for what it’s worth….

Ten Hag is a 25/1 chance with most bookmakers and 40/1 with some others …in case you don’t understand odds it means professional football analysts/odds makers rate the probability of Ten Hag going to Utd as little …to no chance.

The actual truth being ….Ten Hag signing for Utd is “baseless speculation”.
Which means they know, as everyone does, that he doesn't want to leave Ajax mid-season.

Bookies generally pay out on next permanent manager odds if someone manages 10 games, so that'll be either someone coming in immediately or an interim. It doesn't say anything at all about the likelihood of him being appointed after an interim has managed us until the summer, which is the way it would happen if it's going to.
 

charlenefan

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Point is you can focus on those who follow the league and Ajax for more reliable info, if you want. Or you can continue to be flippant.
No the point is 90% of the forum have decided on ETH and yet probably only 10% of that actually watch Ajax regularly
 

Wilt

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A great value bet then, don't underestimate bookies getting a price wrong on a market like this.
Have a punt, it could be a value bet. But remember bookmakers don’t tend to give money away.
 

Borys

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Maybe it's a stupid question, or maybe it has been asked many times, but how is his style anything special? I mean, Ajax has always been playing like that?
 

LoneStar

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He looks like the Dutch version of Pep. Bald and possession oriented. Sign him up!
 

luke511

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Have a punt, it could be a value bet. But remember bookmakers don’t tend to give money away.
I've just read the T&Cs "Caretaker and interim managers completing at least 10 competitive games will be deemed the permanent manager", the price makes more sense now. Ten Hag would have to take over utd before an interim for the market to pay out.
 

V.O.

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I've just read the T&Cs "Caretaker and interim managers completing at least 10 competitive games will be deemed the permanent manager", the price makes more sense now. Ten Hag would have to take over utd before an interim for the market to pay out.
Exactly. It's odds on him coming now (i.e. no chance), not odds on him coming at all.
 

Stringer

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Just common sense, and for what it’s worth….

Ten Hag is a 25/1 chance with most bookmakers and 40/1 with some others …in case you don’t understand odds it means professional football analysts/odds makers rate the probability of Ten Hag going to Utd as little …to no chance.

The actual truth being ….Ten Hag signing for Utd is “baseless speculation”.
I never stated that Ten Hag is likely to be the next manager; I disagreed with your assertion that he is unlikely to want to manage United if they were to approach him in the summer. Whether United choose to do that is a different matter as they may prefer another candidate, such as Pochettino, and that is something those odds will have factored in.

Btw can you give me the odds that United approach Ten Hag in the summer and he rejects them? Are the bookies accepting bets on that scenario? If not, I am not sure how relevant any of that is.
 

Wilt

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I never stated that Ten Hag is likely to be the next manager; I disagreed with your assertion that he is unlikely to want to manage United if they were to approach him in the summer. Whether United choose to do that is a different matter as they may prefer another candidate, such as Pochettino, and that is something those odds will have factored in.

Btw can you give me the odds that United approach Ten Hag in the summer and he rejects them? Are the bookies accepting bets on that scenario? If not, I am not sure how relevant any of that is.
Zero chance a bookmaker laying odds on Ten Hag rejecting an offer from Utd. Nearest being is waiting for Utd to contact Ten Hag then betting on (or laying) him as ‘next permanent Utd manager’ …of course in that scenario the odds will be greatly reduced.
 

mav_9me

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No the point is 90% of the forum have decided on ETH and yet probably only 10% of that actually watch Ajax regularly
Ok. Even if you are right, my point is pay attention to the 10% who follow Ajax regularly.
 

AjaxCunian

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Alvarez, Martinez and Klaassen are shite on the ball by United standards.

Not every player in ETH's teams is a technical wizard and his formations aren't rigid, meaning it's impossible to say: X player will be replaced because he's a different type than X player at Ajax. Alvarez and De Jong have played in the same "position".

He's taken West Ham and Watford rejects, he'd take half our squad if offered.
Martinez is easily better on the ball than all our midfielders bar Bruno. Alvarez has greatly improved as well and does what he needs to.
 

Cheimoon

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Having spoken to some friends living and working in Holland. They say Ten Hag is a very quiet and easy going person.
Would this really suit us, as this was Ole, and we seen what happened here.
Players Rule now, and when you have some of the world's top players, others tend to look up to these, and sometimes even ahead of the manager. This can be very damaging to the dressing room and training ground.
"You lose the players respect, you lose your job".
He does seem like a 'nice guy' overall, but I don't think he's a shrinking violet towards his players when he thinks it's necessary. There have been references in this thread about Ten Hag bollocking Lang during a match because he wasn't following instructions, and his comments on Antony lacking intensity in lower-profile games. But I don't think any of us know how he really is behind the scenes with the squad; at least, I don't remember having read about that.
Aren't PSV a bit down these days though? Would anyone but Gakpo or Sangare be really pushing for a first team spot at Ajax?
PSV hasn't been the strongest the past few years, but this year, I think there are a lot more of their players that could be good in the current Ajax side - it's not like Ajax only has stars. Like Götze, Madueke, Bruma, Van Ginkel, or Max. Vertessen would probably be considered one of those young future stars Ajax constantly seem to produce. I'm sure there's a few more I'm forgetting. If anything, it seems that Roger Schmidt should be able to do a bit better (certainly in terms of consistency between matches) with the squad he has at his disposal.

Also, if PSV really were that weak right now, that would actually make Ten Hag look bad, as they're level on points (but with a significantly worse goal difference).
It's quite shocking to see the strong opinions coming from those who didn't even bother googling or checking wiki before spouting nonsense isn't it?
Don't get me wrong, I would understand if people don't like Ten Hag; I have seen various valid arguments come along in this thread. I don't agree with (most of?) them, but in the end, it's not all objective. But let's get the basics right. (And yes, I'm touchy when it comes to the Eredivise. :D )
 

Sviken

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Hopefully he is readying his bags and identifying the players he needs for next season. It's really the dream appointment. He really does seem like a FM Pep regen. I really hope the board wouldn't waste Ragnick and this whole season just to appoint Poch at the end. For once, the board has given me some hope that the right decision would be made.
 

MattofManchester

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I think we might see Ajax cause a few upsets in the CL this season and go far.

I think back to Klopp's trajectory with Dortmund and how he got them to the UCL final with Dortmund, then later made another step to join a bigger club and take them all the way.

I feel Ten Hag's trajectory could be quite similar.

Ajax are giants in their own right, but they're never really gonna be at the very top again.
For Ten Hag, he goes far in the CL with Ajax, he will likely look to make the step up into a bigger and more testing environment.
He has that vibe about him that he is going to be right up there among the best of this generation.

We need to be waiting when he does.
 

Freak

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I watched the Ajax-Benfica game last night and Ajax really play like Pep's City. As soon as they get the ball, they want to bring it into the opposition half within a few seconds - you see their defenders pushing up and carrying it forward. By the time they start their attack, all of their players, bar the goalkeeper are in the opposition half. When they reach close to goal, there are at least 5 or 6 players in the opposition's box. When they lose the ball, they swarm the opposition players with a very high press. It was really nice to watch, and at times like watching Pep's City.
 

Teja

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From what he's done to date, there's been no identifiable mistakes from creating the scouting/data networks and revamping the youth structure at the club. With Solskjaer also now gone that should pave the way for Murtough to become the complete authority on the football side and he will now be judged.
Cheers mate! I believe again :lol:
 

LawCharltonBest

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I think the Rangnick temp appointment points to Ten Hag being the #1 target

If they really wanted Pochettino and nobody else, I’m convinced they could have got it done in the next week. Also I see Ralf and Ten Hags styles being easier to pass on to eachother
 

Caesar2290

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Was the team good vs Besiktas looking like a team of another level - or looking like the same kind of level?
Here's what I've seen: He rested a couple of key players in the first half. Tactically they are a well drilled and well oiled machine, but you could see the difference in player quality in comparison to say City vs PSG. When he brought on Haller in the second half the whole dynamic changed and Besiktas didn't get as much as a sniff. Also I was really impressed to see that once they were 2-1 up they were still probing and looking for a 3rd so they could put the game to bed.

I liked a lot of things in that match. From timing his substitutions(bringing on Haller at half time), to the fact that even their B team looks competent and well drilled to the fact that Ten Hag wasn't satisfied with a draw or even a 2-1 lead. The man oozes elite mentality and if he were to come hereI think he'd be the best manager post SAF by a country mile.
We like Poch because he is a fantastic manager who got to a champions league final and made Tottenham arguably the best side in the league two seasons on the bounce.

Suits our squad right now more than arguably anyone else. It’s almost like maybe this squad was built for him in mind eventually.

We still need a starter RWB and CDM but it’s almost finished otherwise for him to hit the ground running.
Best side implies he won the PL. He had the benefit of managing when both Pep and Klopp weren't at their peak. Right now he would be a late stage Wenger minus the odd cup win here and there.

As for the RWB, Laird is a good option. CDM would be De Jong if Ten Hag comes here :devil:
And they're playing in the Dutch league

If he manages to do with this squad what he did a couple of years ago with De Ligt, De Jong, Ziyech, VDB etc and take them into the SF's of the UCL then maybe I'll have hope he could polish some of the turds we have as well
If he was managing our turds you'd think all of them were ballon d'or contenders. No exageration, look at DVB who was on the ballon d'or shortlist.

Thing is a good manager will make any player more than the individual. Sir Alex was a master at that. Look at the likes of Anderson, Cleverly, Wellbeck, etc etc

Also something tells me Martial(not his biggest fan) would flourish under Ten Hag. Martial is a system player. His best football was under LVG. It's no coincidence he turned into a poor man's Nani the moment we started employing people who have no idea on how to structure an attacking team.

Other players that will see an improvement will be Lindelof, Fred, Bruno, Sancho, DVB, Greenwood and a host of academy players.