02 May 2016 11:47:45
A manager should be judged on what his plans were and have those plans had the effect and results the manager projected or desired and whether there is direct correlation between the 2. That is what makes Pep, imo, the best manager in the world because his results are achieved as a direct result of his plans and their execution. That, to me, is the hallmark of a great manager.
So let's look at Van Gaal.
Season 1 :
His plan : Switch to a 3 at the back formation and that would enable us to finish top 4.
Execution : He spent the entire summer buying players for that exact formation. The signing of Rojo illustrates that as he can only be useful on the left side of a 3 man defense. Blind was to be the CDM.
The formation utterly failed and completely stifled the team and was ditched after a few games in favor of a 4-3-3.
It basically paralyzed us for the rest of the season since we played a 4-3-3 with players bought for a different formation. The manager adjusted and shuffled around well but it was clear that our summer transfer activity was rendered completely useless because of the failure of 3 at the back system. Our best results came latter when we ditched it.
Result : We did get the intended result of 4th place. But it wasn't by design but because of well done crisis management.
Season 2 :
Plan : The schmidfield was to give us the control in midfield while Memphis Depay would provide the creativity and shoulder the burden of goals with Wayne Rooney. Anthony Martial was one for the future, someone to be eased into the team and not the one who shouldered the majority of the creativity and goalscoring burden.
The expected result for this season was a title challenge or at least a comfortable third place and qualifying out of the group stages of UCL.
Execution : Wayne Rooney has proven incapable of scoring the goals that was planned.
Depay has failed to share the goalscoring burden and not at all been the major creative spark throughout the season.
Schweinsteiger has been a bad mistake as a signing and the manager completely overestimated what he could do at this age and underestimated his decline.
Schneiderlin has done his job, nothing great, nothing bad.
Martial who was supposed to be eased in, has shouldered the majority of creativity and goalscoring burden.
Rashford who I have no doubt was nowhere in the plans at the start of the season has shared the goalscoring burden.
Results : (Assuming we do get 4th place and win the FA cup)
Failure to qualify out of the group stage.
Failure to finish 3rd and improve upon last season.
Poor style of football which makes us bar Aston Villa the worst team to watch in the League.
Another season of results coming not by design but by readjustment and crisis management.
Verdict : Van Gaal has had 4 transfer windows and 2 full seasons and his plans have failed to produce the results required. The philosophy has not worked. He doesn't even know that he has multiple title winners in his squad, which I though was disrespectful.
Investing more into his plans and giving him another year, regardless of whether he finishes 4th or wins the FA cup will imo be a major mistake. His plans simply don't have the intended consequences and neither do his signings make the intended impact in the intended position.
I see no positive in letting him stay and continuing on his path.
I would be much more comfortable giving this summer's budget to Jose or if not him, Schmidt from Leverkusen, Allegri from Juventus or even Koeman. I can see direct correlation between the results they achieve and the plans they made. I see none of it with LVG. That does not make me a toxic fan who is putting the club's long term plans at risk, but just someone who would like to see good football and recognizes that current path is the wrong one.
Thoughts Eds and posters?
02 May 2016 12:08:15
I don't think Memphis was bought to come straight in and score aload of goals. One of the Eds said before he moved a year too early and that was the view of everyone but Utd had to move as PSG showed a big interest.
02 May 2016 12:27:58
@FZZ
I disagree. LVG must have thought Depay was ready or else he would not have bought him. The editor stated that the club had been advised that Depay is a year away, but clearly the club and manager have gone against the advice.
He was the only established creative player we bought so I have to assume he was meant to have a major impact this season.
He was a regular starter in the early part of the season and there was no attempt made to ease him in. Either way he has had literally zero impact on the season.
I assume you agree with the rest of the post?
02 May 2016 13:00:18
I agree with pretty much everything you say.
The only areas I disagree on are that I in no way think that Pep is the best manager in the world and that our 'intended' result last year was to finish 4th. I think that last season 4th was the absolute minimum requirement just as 3rd should be this season.
LVG has been poor both in terms of playing style and player acquisition and his interactions with the media are embarrassing for both him and the club. He seems to enjoy complaining about how the press do not like him - but when he calls them fat, pulls their hair and storms out of press conferences I really don't blame them.
02 May 2016 13:06:12
Completely agree redfaith. Lots of money, and two seasons later we still can't see any real grad design. Fumble after fumble and the man still thinks he's doing a top job. It might be good for the owners to keep him in order to keep disruption to a minimum while they look for a buyer, and new owners who can control who his successor. But keeping him guarantees another season or boring mediocre football.
02 May 2016 13:45:15
Agree RED FAITH.
02 May 2016 18:12:48
Yes Red Faith i do agree.
02 May 2016 18:18:06
Agreed redfaith. I think this season was a title challenge season and here we are, in 5th place, playing unattractive football and no improvement on last year.
Depay was bought to share the goals with Rooney. I said at the beginning of season that neither will score 10 league goals.
He totally underestimated how much quality we lack in midfield creativity. De bruyne was available and yet we allowed city free reign to buy him.
Next year, will be no better as all the established teams will improve further. Unless we can get someone in who actually knows what's he's doing. Lvg is not that person.