Ten Hag: The Biography

by Maarten Meijer

The ultimate, authoritative biography of Manchester United's 'absolutely fantastic' new manager, Erik ten Hag

"Good is not good enough. You have to be even better" —Erik ten Hag

Who is Erik ten Hag? Calm and cool-headed, he ignores critics, follows his own methods and relentlessly pursues perfection on the pitch. His uncanny ability to analyze and solve problems - the "process" as Ten Hag calls it - has unfailingly led to breakthrough. There is no magic. There is only intelligence at work, personal devotion to players and near-obsessive attention to detail.

At Ajax, Ten Hag brooked no dissent and molded his team into a smoothly operating unit of attack. His team enjoyed an astonishing run, winning three league cups in a row and reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in a quarter of a century. Along the way, they produced some of the brightest and most entertaining football seen in Europe for years.

Maarten Meijer's definitive biography follows Erik ten Hag, from his upbringing in the Dutch countryside to his domestic triumphs and European victories. Meijer's book is the ultimate guide to the man with the momentous task of ending a decade of disappointment at Manchester United, and beginning a new era of great and winning football.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published September 12, 2023

Reviews

[Sophie]

Makkelijk leesbaar boek. Echter zijn er zoveel herhalingen welke in het laatste deel van het boek echt storend worden. Mede door de diverse taalfouten, hakkelige zinsopbouw en de voorgenoemde herhalingen 3 sterren.

[Geoff]

I have been a Manchester United fan for quite some time. I had taken a break from Football for about 20 years but have recently got back in to it and back in to my club Manchester United. I basically left when the Glazers bought the team and turned it in to their personal slave. Yes, I am no fan of the Glazers and their enslavement of Manchester United.

I picked up this book because I wanted to get to know more about the current manager Ten Hag. I am glad I did, he is quite the individual and after leading Man U to a cup win and back in to the Champions League with a 3rd Place finish in the Premiere League I knew I needed to know more about him. This book will fill you in on everything you need to know.

Where I picked it up as an Audible I can say that the it is slightly above 4 stars, maybe 4.25 on all fronts. The story is engaging, the narrator John Hastings did an excellent job and so overall 4.25 stars. If you are a Manchester United fan or just fascinated by Football coaches this is a book to get.

[James]

'Good is not good enough, it has to be better' - the quote that got the ball rolling as Erik Ten Hag took the reins at Old Trafford, and a mantra he has lived by his whole life.

The biography charts Erik's playing career up to the first few weeks of his Manchester United tenure. It helps to peel back the layers on a very reserved but completely self assured man, and shows how he's developed the footballing brain that could well go down in history as one of the very best.

His trajectory has been on a very steep climb, but the details behind it all really are fascinating. There is a little filler in here, which is understandable given he's quite early on in his career, but that filler is genuinely interesting. Full of little details about Dutch history or some other loosely relevant side story.

[Nazaar Al hashem]

I was shocked that Erik comes from a wealthy background and a major partner in the business empire started in 1989 by his father,,,,,
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth but he worked for everything himself,,,
He stopped at the age of 32 he thought he had nothing more to prove anymore,,,,,
I’m prouder than proud,,,
Strikers win matches but defenders win titles,,,
Manchester United was originally founded under the name Newton Heath Lancashire,,,they played in bold yellow and green stripes,,,
Erik won 40 out of 60 games,,

[Oli]

Enjoyable biography. For a book about Erik ten Hag, I did feel it meandered away from Ten Hag at times. Nevertheless, offered fascinating insight into Ten Hag's managerial career and his footballing approach; and advice on people management and leadership, accessible to not only football. If given time, however unlikely, this exploration of Ten Hag encourages that he will succeed at Manchester United. We will see.

[Leah Gilson-Smith]

Actual rating: 3.5
Biographies aren’t my usual style of genre I like to go for but being a huge Manchester United fan I had to give this a read! Found it a really interesting read& really informative! I struggled with the length of the chapters at time feeling like they went on for a while but overall an enjoyable read

[Robert Beddall]

Good insight into the mind of a very meticulous and already impressive manager. Will definitely read his autobiography when it comes around. For now this was a good read. Definitely the man for the job at united and can’t wait to see him lift that European Cup.

[Jonathan Crowe]

Very interesting book, worth reading for anyone who enjoys football even of they aren't a Man Utd fan. I'm clearly going to be slightly biased since I am a Man Utd fan though. The book also aged slightly poorly since Ten Hag's sacking.

[Kevan Voce]

Good biopic. Every United fan should read it.

[Lissa Sakura]

Thank you boss Erik Ten Hag

[Clifton]

Excellent biography of an exceptional coach

Accurate
Detailed insight into the person
Loved the introduction to the chapters giving insight and context to his achievements.
Recommend

[Loet Rammelsberg]

Biografie zonder de support van ten hag. En dat merk je aan alles.

[Jay]

UNITED UNITED UNITEE !! I really hope Ten Hag stays

[Shane O]

Excellent book detailing the football and management career of eric ten hag up to his appointment as Manchester united manager

[Christian De Visser]

Great insight! Fantastic book.