After months of speculation, it has finally happened, Erik Ten Hag has been confirmed as the new coach of Manchester United.
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Erik Ten Hag will end up like his predecessors if the culture at Manchester United does not change
Manchester United have officially appointed Erik Ten Hag as their new manager but there are some things to take note of.
Erik Ten Haag will end up like his predecessors if the Manchester United system does not change
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The Dutchman will see out the season with Ajax and take over the reins at Old Trafford ahead of next season in what is surely exciting news for United fans around the world.
And while the excitement is justified, Ten Hag is a good coach whose career is on an upward trajectory right now, but there are still lots of reasons for the fans to curb their enthusiasm.
Erik Ten Hag has Ajax cruising towards the Champions League last 16
AFP
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The major one being; this is Manchester United where things are done a certain way, a managerial change is not enough to fix all of the club’s problems.
Ten Hag will become the eighth different manager (three of which were interim and caretakers) to take charge at Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
There is a reason the managerial door at Old Trafford keeps revolving over the past nine years and it is not because they did not appoint good managers in the past, it is the culture of the club that has been its biggest hindrance.
Erik Ten Hag
Manchester United
The majority of those associated with the club including fans and ex-players want to see them do well which is a noble intention but without the self-awareness to recognise how far they have truly fallen.
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That self-awareness is key to the growth of the club because it enables them to plan more accurately, identifying the process to bring back the glory days and then trusting said process.
This is why previous managers have struggled, dealing with impatient fans and ex-players who not only want success but in a specific manner without considering where the club really stands.
Erik Ten Hag is no doubt a brilliant manager, the phenomenal work he has done with Ajax in the last five years is a testament to that. But many more established than him have come, failed and left with their tails firmly tucked between their legs.
Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are two of the four permanent post-Ferguson managers who have been sacked at Old Trafford
Imago
If United’s problem were simply football-related then Ten Hag would have no problem as he is a football man through and through but his political abilities will be tested at Old Trafford.
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How long before the so-called ‘Class of 92’ starts interfering and publicly complaining when he makes a decision they do not like? Manchester United is a club that has been severely haunted by the ghost of Sir Alex Ferguson which is a cruel irony because the man is alive and well.
But for whatever reason, those currently associated with the club insist on doing things “the United way” which is code for “the Fergie way”.
Jose Mourinho is statistically Manchester United's most successful manager post-Ferguson but he was still fired
AFP
Every manager before Ten Hag has been judged by this parameter since 2013 and no wonder they all failed, there is only one Sir Alex Ferguson and he is retired.
As long as the system remains unchanged, Erik Ten Hag however talented may end up like the other post-Ferguson Manchester United managers…SACKED!!!
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