In the Dutch town of Haaksbergen, the only obvious indication that Erik ten Hag lived here is a sign affixed to a shop window for sale.
Indeed, his family is made up of businessmen whose real estate agencies are among the largest in the nearest town, Enschede. Although the Ten Hags now live in Oldenzaal, a small town on the other side of Enschede, Erik and his brothers grew up here in Haaksbergen, a few kilometers from the German border.
It’s a quiet place, in stark contrast to the noise currently engulfing its most famous son.
Last night, Ten Hag guided Manchester United to their latest embarrassing result of an increasingly painful season: a 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
The chances of Thomas Tuchel heading to Old Trafford to replace Ten Hag when he leaves as Bayern Munich coach this summer have been reduced, with reports in Germany that Ten Hag will succeed Tuchel in Bavaria.
You can’t guess all this in Haaksbergen, a popular place where everyone seems to know each other. Walk into the fruit and vegetable store and the man behind the counter knows the customers by name. It’s the same with butchers, bakers and cheesemakers.
The conversation flows freely but not, it seems, about Ten Hag. Reveal that you are a journalist trying to find out what people think of Ten Hag’s position at United, and that there is a reluctance to engage.
On the steps of one of Haaksbergen’s many Protestant churches, people explain that it is culturally unacceptable in this conservative part of the Netherlands to publicly discuss someone else’s problems, even if they are famous.
Some old friends of Ten Hag in Haaksbergen were contacted by Athleticism also, but they also refused to speak, with one suggesting that speaking at this time would not help him. When asked what precisely this meant, the communication abruptly ended.
It is possible to find strange people in the narrow alleys that line Haaksbergen’s central square ready to talk, although no one wants to be named in detail or photographed. English is also not spoken here as fluently as in other parts of the country.
But almost everyone who is willing to express their view is a staunch defender of Ten Hag – and a critic of the club that currently employs him.
“He should go to Munich,” says Kevin, who works for a maintenance service that cleans trees and bushes in the center of Haaksbergen.
Kevin names some of the other managers who have failed to live up to United’s expectations since Sir Alex Ferguson retired after the 2012-13 season – the last one where they won the Premier League title. “There is a trend, and it says that maybe it’s not the manager’s fault – in this case, Erik ten Hag.”
Kevin says he didn’t witness the capitulation to Palace, after which Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher described United as one of the ‘worst-coached teams in the Premier League’.
GO FURTHER
How far can Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United fall?
He supports FC Twente, the Enschede club in the national elite Eredivisie, where Ten Hag enjoyed three spells as a player, the last, between 1996 and 2002, being the longest.
“I remember him in the center of defense,” Kevin says. “He is a great hero of our city. You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who has anything negative to say about them.
Across the road, sitting at a table outside a cafe, are two older men who also say they are Twente fans.
“We know all about Erik ten Hag’s problems in Manchester,” says one. “Except the problems aren’t his fault.” Yes, he failed to improve his results, but he enjoyed success at Ajax working in front of a stable structure behind him. This has never existed in Manchester. His mistake was to go there, believing that things could change. »
What about the money he had to spend at United? He cannot claim that he was not financially supported.
“It’s true,” the other man concedes. “However, at Ajax, where he enjoyed success, the directors signed. In Manchester, the same information does not exist. This means that Ten Hag buys the players he knows. He has always been a trainer, not a recruiter.
There is a feeling in Haaksbergen that perhaps it is time for Ten Hag to leave, perhaps to return to Munich, where he coached Bayern’s reserves from 2013 to 2015, but there is an argument that Similar management leadership issues exist at Allianz. Arena.
A man who carries cakes to a bakery thinks it might be time to step away from football completely for a while, return home to the Netherlands and take stock before making a decision about his next job.
If Ten Hag did that, it would probably be at Oldenzaal, but he occasionally returns to Haaksbergen, where he started as a youth player in the Bon Boys system.
“Erik ten Hag is always welcome in Haaksbergen,” the man said, trying to balance his cakes. “We will always support him.”
GO FURTHER
Against Manchester United: the opponents tell us what it’s like to play against “the splits”
(Top photos: Getty Images; Simon Hughes/The Athletic)