Much is expected from United managers

It has not been the easiest of seasons to be a Manchester United fan. Results and, more importantly, performances have not been what is expected from the team and there has been a lot of criticism of the manager as well as the players. Most of this has been from outside of the club, admittedly, but Erik ten Hag will be conscious that there needs to be an improvement in the New Year.
 
It could be argued that the English Premier League is currently more competitive than it has been for years. There are a number of teams that could win the title, while there are increasingly fewer “easy games”. Not many of the USA soccer betting sites will have United as a real contender for the league title this year but there is an expectation that this club should be qualifying for the Champions League – at the very least.
 
Is Erik ten Hag to blame though? We thought we would look at the records of all the managers in the club’s history to see where the Dutchman ranks. And the results may surprise a few of his doubters.
 
Erik ten Hag – The Numbers
 
It is fair to say that Manchester United fans have been spoiled when it comes to managers and head coaches. But when Erik ten Hag took over in the 2022 offseason, a new direction was needed. There hadn’t been any trophies won for six years and other clubs had taken over at the top of the Premier League.
 
Ten Hag came in and led the side to Champions League qualification after missing out the year before, the final of the FA Cup and the quarterfinal of the Europa League. He also won the EFL Cup, ending an embarrassing trophy drought. By any measure, it was a successful rookie season.
 
When you look at the numbers, Ten Hag’s tenure is even more impressive. At the time of writing, his win percentage is just under 60%. For comparison, that is the highest in the club’s history, just beats Sir Alex Ferguson’s, and is better than even Jose Mourinho managed in his three years in charge. Trophies will always tell the main story of how good a manager is but a high win percentage has to be noted.
 
Most Successful Manager
 
No one is going to be surprised to learn that Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in the history of the club. Although his reign was famously close to ending much earlier than it eventually did, his trophy haul is not only Manchester United’s most impressive – but he is the most successful manager in English football history.
 
Thirteen Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies are just the start of his achievement list at Old Trafford. The great man was at the club for 17 years and his managerial genius led United to 38 major trophies – in England and further afield.
 
Comparing Ten Hag with Ferguson almost seems a little unfair. But he is the one that all Manchester United managers will be compared to in the end. It is unlikely in this day and age that any future manager will ever win as much as Ferguson – but a similar win percentage from Ten Hag should still be applauded.
 
The First Legend
 
He wasn’t the first United manager to lift a trophy. That accolade belongs to Ernest Mangnall, who won the league twice, as well as the FA Cup and the Charity Shield. But Sir Matt Busby is regarded as the first manager to completely change the history of the club.
 
Busby had famously turned out for both Manchester City and Liverpool in his playing career but took his first managerial post at Old Trafford at the end of WW2 and was soon turning the club into a force in the First Division and won his first trophy in the FA Cup in 1948.
 
There was obviously a lot of heartache and dark days during Sir Matt Busby’s reign but his European Cup triumph in 1968 – the first ever by an English team – showed United to be the best team in the world. A win percentage of over 50% is also pretty impressive considering where the club was when he took over.
 
Managers Since Fergie
 
Ten Hag may be receiving criticism at the moment but it is important to look at how the club has been run – and how the managers have fared – since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013. In ten years, United have played under eight men (both full-time and interim) and won a total of six trophies.
 

We have already mentioned Jose Mourinho, who is the most successful since Ferguson. But there had been just a solitary Community Shield triumph under David Moyes apart from the “Special One’s” haul before Ten Hagclaimed the EFL Cup last season.

Erik the Red
 
The nature of football these days means that Erik Ten Hag will not be given the same amount of time that Sir Alex Ferguson enjoyed to turn things around. We live in an immediate gratification world now and the former Ajax boss will be only too aware of that.
 
But maybe the fans and the media should get behind Ten Hag during what is being considered a fallow time for the club. That impressive win percentage suggests that he could inspire the team to greater success – and he certainly has a track record of winning trophies.
 
Ten Hag seems to be committed to turning the fortunes of this great club around and should be given more time to achieve his goals. Manchester United fans may have been used to celebrating more trophies in the last 30 years or so, but the current manager could be the one to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford.