Ruud van Nistelrooy has joined United's coaching staff

Depending on the veracity of toxicity between van der Gaag and (some of?) the players*, this could be addressing that.

*Depending on who's the actual problem here, this would be a fair decision. God knows the talk about a detrimental and untouchable clique in the team for years makes me concerned.
 
HowltheChampion said:
Depending on the veracity of toxicity between van der Gaag and (some of?) the players*, this could be addressing that.

*Depending on who's the actual problem here, this would be a fair decision. God knows the talk about a detrimental and untouchable clique in the team for years makes me concerned.
Click to expand...

Massive mistake to keep the manager but let go he right hand man in my opinion, it just handicaps him and makes his position weak
Squad need to fall in line, I'm all for adding Ruud but not at the expense of the managers own pick for assistant
 
Cassidy said:
Doubt that, Ruud has been a manager at PSV, so he'll more likely be an assistant if he were to come here and turn down Burnley manager job
Click to expand...
Erik is tight with his baldy buddy so I highly doubt that.
 
Didn't Ruud fail miserably in the league with PSC but won the Dutch Cup... Sounds like he will fit right in.
 
golden_blunder said:
As a player I loved Ruud. He was deadly. And a decent line leader.

however the team did play more fluidly when Saha was in instead of him
Click to expand...
Ruud's first three years he was fantastic, right up there with Henry as they battled to be the best in England.

Unfortunately the injury problems he had in his fourth year seemed to cost him and he never quite reached that level again. Still one of the best around but he wasn't competing to be 'the' best anymore. Just seemed a bit more limited and eventually it allowed Saha to overtake him in the pecking order since his all-round game helped the team as a whole gel. Not sure if that would have been the case if Ruud had stayed at his earlier level, but it may still have since Saha himself was fantastic when fit.
 
AfonsoAlves said:
I have a hot take.

Ruud was a better forward than Haaland.

Haaland is faster, stronger, more physical, but has serious deficiencies in his technical ability, build up play, and even with all his physical abilities he still has problems playing with his back to goal.

Ruud was known for his goals but was an excellent technician too, his dribbling was fantastic, his passing up to scratch and could also hold up the ball incredibly well.
Click to expand...
Thats not hot take. Ruud was class. Pep would gave up on coke to have ST like RVN.
 
Bondi77 said:
Erik is tight with his baldy buddy so I highly doubt that.
Click to expand...
Im not saying he would replace him and Erik should pick his own assistant obviously. Nothing to do with being tight with his buddy
 
Always thought he was quite thoughtful which Is imperative for getting into management.

Which I'd funny as rarely do strikers specially one as direct as ge was turn out to be so.
 
big_jeffstar said:
The romanticism of it all is great... but is he the best coach we can find? Surely bringing back club legends is only the right move if they're the best in their field?
I just don't see other clubs doing this sort of stuff, you wouldn't see City appointing Aguero as their attacking coach.
Click to expand...
Ruud is a promising manager. He quit at PSV because of lack of support. I thought he did well there.

He does strike me as someone who maybe doesn‘t like to be in the spotlight with all the pressure on him, even though he loves coaching football. Assistant at a big club might be a good move.
 
Red the Bear said:
Always thought he was quite thoughtful which Is imperative for getting into management.

Which I'd funny as rarely do strikers specially one as direct as ge was turn out to be so.
Click to expand...
The same was said about Ole and Giggsy from memory.
 
NLunited said:
Ruud is a promising manager. He quit at PSV because of lack of support. I thought he did well there.

He does strike me as someone who maybe doesn‘t like to be in the spotlight with all the pressure on him, even though he loves coaching football. Assistant at a big club might be a good move.
Click to expand...

I agree, I thought he did fine at PSV and transformed the squad, it was a surprise he left. Hiddink and a lot of other people around PSV gave Van Nistelrooy credits for this years championship and that he started the foundations.
 
Bondi77 said:
I wonder if Erik gets on with him.
From memory I don't think Fergie did in the end before he went to Magreed.
Click to expand...
Bondi77 said:
I never heard that one but I thought it was more about Fergie playing Saha in the league Cup final over Ruud but it may have been about Ruud wanting to go to Madrid.
Click to expand...

It was all over the news - and it's mentioned in a couple of autobio's.

Your memory is a bit off but along the right lines, the catalyst Ruud was on the bench expecting to come on for Saha after being dropped - but Fergie wanted Evra and Vida to play as new guys to give them a taste of a league victory. Ruud i believe was on for the golden boot, he called fergie a couple of expletives and fergie and the staff and players were shocked and told ruud to calm the f down etc.

Fergie suspected ruud has had his head turned by madrid already by then, and he then abused ronaldo in training saying "go cry to your dad" after being foulded, meaning Carlos Q, however Ronnie's dad had recently died and he was 18 at the time. It didn't go down well and a fight broke out - the players backed Ronaldo and ruud was later sold to Madrid.

“There were quite a few altercations all the way through his final season with us, but it was mainly Van Nistelrooy on Ronaldo,” wrote Ferguson in his new book.
Click to expand...
“The whole episode was very sad. Why Ruud changed, I don’t know. I can’t say for sure whether it was his way of getting himself out of Old Trafford.
Click to expand...
“It was a pity because his numbers were sensational. In his last season he became a really difficult boy. I don’t think he was popular by the end. The alteration in him was dramatic.”
Click to expand...

Ruud has since said he acted like a child and regrets his behaviour and has apologised to fergie and everything is good between them.
 
simonhch said:
Anyone who was old enough to watch him as an adult, so they had an appreciation for the finer points of football, would never call him a poacher. But as you say, people do, which is aggravating because he was a complete center forward. And one of the best I’ve ever seen in a United shirt. One of the top five, easily, of the premier league era.
Click to expand...
Yeah, easily.
I still don't understand how his goal against Basel went in.
 
Hey Erik,

I know we almost fired you last year, sorry about that :(. But on a completely unrelated note, we’d like to install this other guy who used to be a manager in your back room staff. Don’t worry he’s not going to be keeping an eye on you, and he’s definitely not going to be used as an interim if you make a cock and balls of the start of the season. We’re totally, totally, behind you.

Hugs and kisses,

Jimbo xx
 
Fantastic. He's the one that made me fall in love with this club, I don't know if it's the best decision and the interim comments made me laugh but I'm buzzing he took the job. He could definitely teach Hojlund a thing or two.
 
Excellent, that's the striker down. Defender and midfielder next.

It is actually quite impressive that we're able to get coaches with high-level management experience on staff. Hope we see plenty of Ruud on the touchline.
 
Buzzing with the news. My favourite player growing up. Would love to see him manage us one day should the opportunity arise and he is good enough.
 
HowltheChampion said:
Depending on the veracity of toxicity between van der Gaag and (some of?) the players*, this could be addressing that.

*Depending on who's the actual problem here, this would be a fair decision. God knows the talk about a detrimental and untouchable clique in the team for years makes me concerned.
Click to expand...

It might very well be true about Van der Gaag, but we've heard similar gripes about nearly every coach for the past ten years.

'Too prescriptive' / 'not clear enough'
'Too nice' / 'Too nasty'
'Too inexperienced' / 'Out of touch'
'Too hands off' / 'too involved'

Delete as appropriate

Every coach has his pros & cons, the problem is every one of coaches weaknesses is weaponised against them as part of player power.

And before anyone says 'this isn't the same group of players' etc. etc. it's irrelevant. Culture is contagious. The virus started under Moyes and has infected many since through the years.

I'd be buzzing if Ruud joins our staff, all said. I hope he has the right personality to get the best out of this group, because there's no doubt about his technical ability.
 
Why would he come here under these circumstances. It’s not like we have Pep or Ancelotti as our Head Coach. Coming here to be an assistant under Erik is a silly career choice. He’s already been a head coach and even competed directly against ETH so I can’t see why he’d want to take a step back and join his staff especially when ETH keeping his job long term is far from a guarantee.

The other aspect some are saying which is he could take over if ETH fails is just as silly. If we wouldn’t want him as our head coach now why will we want him as that when he’ll be part of ETH’s staff that failed to work.

Makes no sense for us or him. Let him continue to get his coaching chops elsewhere.
 
sugar_kane said:
It might very well be true about Van der Gaag, but we've heard similar gripes about nearly every coach for the past ten years.

'Too prescriptive' / 'not clear enough'
'Too nice' / 'Too nasty'
'Too inexperienced' / 'Out of touch'

Delete as appropriate

Every coach has his pros & cons, the problem is every one of coaches weaknesses is weaponised against them as part of player power.

And before anyone says 'this isn't the same group of players' etc. etc. it's irrelevant. Culture is contagious. The virus started under Moyes and has infected many since through the years.
Click to expand...

I absolutely take your point, but the reported issue with VDG wasn't necessarily that he was too prescriptive or nasty, but that he and Ten Hag were a bad cop/bad cop partnership last season, which is why it was suggested that the decision makers wanted someone with an approach more complimentary to the manager.

Agree about the culture being contagious and it's something we'll hopefully get to the root of sooner rather than later, however that's done.
 
If he's going to be a second (or third?) assistant manager I would hope this is all in agreement with Van Der Gaag and McClaren. Would have the potential to sew disharmony if not.
 
What top managing jobs are on offer for Ruud right now? There are always the Burnleys out there, but this is a shrewd move for Ruud.
 
Loved this guy growing up. One of my favourite United players ever.

Smart decision joining us, to be honest, decent chance of being interim by December
 
Last edited:
For Ten Hag to bring in someone who has such incredible hair must show he is confident about the new set up.
 
Romano is going to be wrong on this. But still come out clean when he next links us to someone we want
 
Wonder there's an opportunity to step into the manager role in the future behind this. Seems strange he'd go into an assistant manager role after being in charge of a club.
 
First training session, instead of training drills into practice routines, can he just kick Antony and Rash in the arse ?

Helping setting the tone should be number one for Ineos.
 
One of my favourites players ever. If we start playing good football next season, I’m crediting Ruud and only Ruud.
 
Lash said:
Wonder there's an opportunity to step into the manager role in the future behind this. Seems strange he'd go into an assistant manager role after being in charge of a club.
Click to expand...

He’s still a young and fairly inexperienced coach so coming into the United set up won’t harm him in the long run.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.