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4 months ago
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An interesting and very embarrassing announcement from Manchester United on Erik ten Hag.
Thursday morning seeing an official announcement that rather than sacking their manager, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers have given him an enhanced and extended new contract!
Ratcliffe very publicly went out and interviewed a number of candidates, including Thomas Tuchel, to decide who to replace Erik ten Hag with.
However, with Tuchel and others knocking back Manchester United, Ratcliffe having to then beg Erik ten Hag to stay on, rather than sack him.
Not only that, having to actually offer Erik ten Hag a better and longer contract.
Interesting to hear that Dan Ashworth is already having a key part to play at Old Trafford after he started work three days ago…
Manchester United official announcement – 4 July 2024:
Erik ten Hag has extended his contract as Manchester United men’s first-team manager until June 2026.
Erik ten Hag said: “I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together. Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined.
“However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.
“In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together.”
Dan Ashworth, Manchester United sporting director, said:
“With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football.
“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.
“This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level; now we need to do it more consistently.
“With our strengthened football leadership team now in place, we are looking forward to working hand-in-hand with Erik to achieve our shared ambitions for this football club.”
The situation with Erik ten Hag and Manchester United is astonishing.
For those of us looking from the outside, the Old Trafford circus is compelling viewing.
When it comes to Manchester United fans, maybe not so great to see.
However, as a Newcastle United fan, what is unfolding now at Man U is great to see.
A mad but true stat is that it took almost fifty years for this past season, Newcastle United to finish above Manchester United in the top tier, as even the two runners-up spots in the mid-90s saw NUFC behind champions Man U!
Now in the present day, when we look ahead to next season, I think as Newcastle United fans we will need our team to make it consecutive finishes above Manchester United as a minimum, if we want our club to finish in the kind of position that will satisfy the fanbase.
Hence why such an interest in the goings on at Old Trafford.
Just under three weeks ago, Erik ten Hag gave us all this incredible insider insight into exactly what had happened since the season ended at Man U and what a shambles it all had been, plus what was now set to happen…
Erik ten Hag speaking to Dutch TV channel NOS:
“The [Manchester United] club management came to me while I was on holiday in Ibiza.
“They (Manchester United representatives) suddenly showed up on my doorstep and told me they wanted to continue with me.
“Manchester United have told me that they spoke with [Thomas] Tuchel but they eventually came to the conclusion that they already have the best manager.
“Ineos took their time.
“They are new in football.
“It is normal to reflect on the season.
“It’s no secret that they talked with multiple candidates.”
“Manchester United and I still have to find an agreement for the new contract.
“This isn’t easily done, we are still going to have to talk about this…”
So INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are ‘new in football’ according to Erik ten Hag.
That will be news to Ratcliffe and his business empire, as they have owned Swiss club FC Lausanne-Sport since 2017 and French club OGC Nice since 2019, plus have a partnership with Racing Club Abidjan of Ivory Coast Ligue One. This is on top of course of all the other teams/clubs they own in other sports. Plus of course the minority stake in Manchester United now.
The clownish behaviour of Ratcliffe and his people with Manchester United cannot be put down to inexperience and/or naivety.
Quite clearly, Ratcliffe had very publicly gone around interviewing replacements for Erik ten Hag, his arrogance knowing no bounds, only to find that no credible candidate wanted to touch him and Manchester United with a bargepole.
Having humiliated Erik ten Hag for so long, with this very public search for his replacement, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester United now finding themselves with nowhere left to turn, apart from to… Erik ten Hag!
Erik ten Hag clearly absolutely loving this and making Man U pay dearly for it.
I take it this was Dutch humour when he declared that it was absolutely normal for a Premier League club when they already have a manager, to then go around and make sure everybody knows that you are interviewing numerous candidates to try and replace the current boss.
Ten Hag then with his comedy punchline that after interviewing all of these candidates, Ratcliffe and Manchester United decided that actually, they already had the best possible bloke!!! When quite transparently, the only reason Eirk ten Hag has not being replaced is because nobody will take the Man U job.
Erik ten Hag had got the arrogant bully Ratcliffe and Manchester United totally over a barrel and he was loving it.
So Man U having to agree the contract extension so they can pretend, that this is indeed all totally normal and that Erik ten Hag was really who they wanted all along… even though he led them to their worst league position in 33 years and so much at Man U is a shambles.
So now instead of a brave new world and fresh credible manager in place, such as Thomas Tuchel, Manchester United stuck still with Erik ten Hag AND having to give him a big pay rise and extended new contract to play along!

 
