In his first season AaB managed to finish the Superliga season in 7th with 3 wins and 7 draws from 16 matches under his management. AaB reached the 2008–09 Danish Cup final. In the UEFA Cup AaB were drawn against Deportivo La Coruña. AaB won the first leg at home 3–0 and the away leg 3–1 beating Deportivo 6–1 aggregate. AaB thereby earned a place among the last 16 where they faced Manchester City. After a 2–0 loss in Manchester in the first leg AaB fought back to tie the score with a 2–0 win at home, but were defeated by 4–3 on penalties.