Could Van Gaal convince you to give him one more season?

Could Van Gaal convince you to give him one more season?

  • Total voters
    913
I think we're all being a little blinded by the last week or so. Let's not forget that the last 20 months or so has us produce some tumescent football and barely any progress results-wise despite spending considerably. Yes the kids coming in have been great, but as a team accustomed to winning there's no reason we shouldn't be able to bed them in while remaining at the pinnacle of English football.

Ask yourself this - 2 years ago when LVG joined, if you knew that after 2 years all he'll have to his name are back to back 4th place finishes and a Europa/FA cup, would you consider him a success after spending £250million?
 
Kaos said:
I think we're all being a little blinded by the last week or so. Let's not forget that the last 20 months or so has us produce some tumescent football and barely any progress results-wise despite spending considerably. Yes the kids coming in have been great, but as a team accustomed to winning there's no reason we shouldn't be able to bed them in while remaining at the pinnacle of English football.

Ask yourself this - 2 years ago when LVG joined, if you knew that after 2 years all he'll have to his name are back to back 4th place finishes and a Europa/FA cup, would you consider him a success after spending £250million?
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Feck no. I'd be like WTF??? Managing Man Utd must be the toughest job in the world
 
I dont mind mourinho. The thing is if he comes In next year pleanty of youngsters who are only slightly experienecd will find it hard for game time. You have to wonder how he will treat the youngsters who have yet to get a game - players like tuanzabe etc.

If we wait one season all our youngsters worth keeping will have had more experience and they will be very much part of the club rather than right now.
 
Santiago_KinderBueno said:
I dont mind mourinho. The thing is if he comes In next year pleanty of youngsters who are only slightly experienecd will find it hard for game time. You have to wonder how he will treat the youngsters who have yet to get a game - players like tuanzabe etc.

If we wait one season all our youngsters worth keeping will have had more experience and they will be very much part of the club rather than right now.
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Mourinho isn't an idiot, he uses the players who are good on the training ground. And I know that people refuse to accept that example but Varane only played two dozens of games before joining Real Madrid and Mourinho took care of him.
 
If he was 45 i'd say yes. But he's going to retire next year anyway.
 
gza the genius said:
No. He's once again lucked in to finding an exciting team. Without all these injuries we'd likely still be lumbering around with Rooney and Fellaini.
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and you just know those two will slot right back in once they regain fitness.

my answer is no. no matter what, no.

next year is his last year anyway, if we can find a suitable replacement who can serve our interests, we must go for him.
 
Kaos said:
I think we're all being a little blinded by the last week or so. Let's not forget that the last 20 months or so has us produce some tumescent football and barely any progress results-wise despite spending considerably. Yes the kids coming in have been great, but as a team accustomed to winning there's no reason we shouldn't be able to bed them in while remaining at the pinnacle of English football.

Ask yourself this - 2 years ago when LVG joined, if you knew that after 2 years all he'll have to his name are back to back 4th place finishes and a Europa/FA cup, would you consider him a success after spending £250million?
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Not just that, Chelsea's dreadful form in the first half of the season, Liverpool playing poorly and sacking Rodgers and City and Arsenal looking unconvincing should have meant finishing top four should have been comfortable this time around rather than a somewhat decent achievement in the first year when he had to take Moyes' squad and start to turn things around.
 
One has to wonder would we have seen this turn of form without the current injuries?

Van gaal deserves credit for giving kids a chance, but we also need to be realistic, he had no other choice, and the fact that the players are doing well isn't really up to him, is it?

This was the year we were supposed to challenge for the title, now we're hoping for some luck to make top 4, he's failing miserably.
 
LazyRed-Ninja said:
:lol: Laughable post.
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...hardly laughable is it?

Harsh perhaps but even finishing 4th is still a disappointing league finish and no amount of resetting of expectations should change that. It's just less shit than what we think is going to happen.
 
Going into March in his second full season, we are still underdogs to get 4th in a year when Chelsea imploded. The football has been largely unwatchable aside from a couple of purple patches and we were humiliated in the Champions League (Nick Powell...). Even the recent run of form seems to have arisen more by accident than design - the style of football we've played in the last 4 weeks certainly doesn't appear to have been a natural culmination of the 18 month long implementation of his philosophy. So, even if he wasn't one year from retirement, I'd want him gone. I don't deny his time at United has had some positives but we should expect better at United.
 
Minimalist said:
...hardly laughable is it?

Harsh perhaps but even finishing 4th is still a disappointing league finish and no amount of resetting of expectations should change that. It's just less shit than what we think is going to happen.
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Winning 2 trophies, one of which we did not win since 2004 (FA cup) and one which we have never won (Europa League), a CL spot to top it off and he would not be a contender for his last year ? Could be me being bias as a dutchman, but that just doesnt sound right.
 
I think the Mourinho deal is already done, but if Van Gaal continues to pull rabbits out of a hat and gets us into the champions league with some style, I think he deserves another year, especially after all the massive criticism he's endured.
Even I reached a stage after the Southampton game when I thought it would be the kinda option to put him out of his misery.
 
sunama said:
I think the retirement argument is irrelvant.
If Guardiola was available for 12- years, I'd take him over LVG (for 15 yrs).
In any case, would anybody, want to sign up LVG for 15 years? This would be madness.
Even Guardilola, Mourinho or Ancelotti wouldn't get a 15 year contract.
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That's my point, even 15 years of him isn't worth the hassle.

Just pull the plug, let him get 4th and part on mutual ground, let the man has his dignity intact, we had ours and welcome the new era, admit we made a big mistake of appointing Moyes/Lvg and not appointing Jose straight away. There's nothing more serious than trying to cover up a mistake by making 10 more mistakes
 
Kaos said:
I think we're all being a little blinded by the last week or so. Let's not forget that the last 20 months or so has us produce some tumescent football and barely any progress results-wise despite spending considerably. Yes the kids coming in have been great, but as a team accustomed to winning there's no reason we shouldn't be able to bed them in while remaining at the pinnacle of English football.

Ask yourself this - 2 years ago when LVG joined, if you knew that after 2 years all he'll have to his name are back to back 4th place finishes and a Europa/FA cup, would you consider him a success after spending £250million?
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I would love to have your crystal ball. Season not even finished and your so confident of where we will finish.
 
I genuinely don't see the point as he is retiring in one year anyway. We all saw what happened to performances when Fergie announced retirement early and the same with Pellegrini leaving City. Players switch off.
So take this season in full and add players switching off anymore

on top of results and performances over the entire season. No, I think he should go in the summer. (that's assuming they are keeping him until then regardless of whether he burns OT to the ground and craps in Woodwards office)
 
What's this "because others are crap"?Everytime some comes first its simple because you've performed better than your closest rival.
I doubt United outperformed City when we lost the league on goal difference. Times have changed and teams now are not settling for managers that crap themselves because they are facing the Almighty SAF, these batch want to make a name.
Back to the OP, I personally will like to see him stay another year. Not really much for the performances or trophy but how he can develop the youngsters. I was starting to feel he is selling out but injuries seem to have helped him rectify that.
 
LazyRed-Ninja said:
Winning 2 trophies, one of which we did not win since 2004 (FA cup) and one which we have never won (Europa League), a CL spot to top it off and he would not be a contender for his last year ? Could be me being bias as a dutchman, but that just doesnt sound right.
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I don't think Utd7 meant it like that. Winning the FA Cup and the Europa League while also getting top four will be a great achievement given the state of our squad (many senior players under performing and lots of injuries) and the nadir we had reached under LvG during the festive period.

But the thing is that LvG is, at least partially, responsible for the squad and our bad form when we had a run of games we should really have won. It was his choice to go into the season with Rooney as the only senior forward, it's his fault that our midfield is still unsettled and at the end of the day it's his team that can't play possession football at top level after almost two seasons with him at the helm.

It's not so much about the whole rebuilding process either. Pochettino has also been at Spurs for two seasons and he's managed to create a side that, right now, looks better than ours. Arsenal are piss poor for quite some time now and they will probably finish ahead of us... again. I won't mention Leicester because they are a one year wonder but i'll say that i really doubt Chelsea will go through the same hell as we did but they will be title contenders pretty soon.

And that's where the problem lies, United are expected to be title contenders and do well in the CL. These are the two trophies that matter the most and your season is successful if you win either of them. The domestic cups are an extra, the cherry on the top of the cake (=PL or CL). As for the Europa League, i'll just mention that i don't know of a single United fan who wasn't laughing at the scousers when they were saying they did the treble (FA & League Cup plus the UEFA Cup) in 2001.

So, now that the expectations are really low, winning those two trophies and top four will be a success. But for a club like United it's not "good enough" and it must never be that way. If LvG had seriously challenged for the title for two seasons in a row an had us still in the CL this season, then he would deserve to get more time even with no silverware to show for. I believe that's what some people are trying to say.
 
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LazyRed-Ninja said:
Winning 2 trophies, one of which we did not win since 2004 (FA cup) and one which we have never won (Europa League), a CL spot to top it off and he would not be a contender for his last year ? Could be me being bias as a dutchman, but that just doesnt sound right.
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It's lovely, it's fantastic (it's also unlikely) but it's still falling short in the league. The expectation was that we would kick on this season and challenge for the title - he's failed. Getting 4th isn't a success, it's just better than what we have right now.

United with our resources should be finishing 3rd (until something changes) at a minimum every season. That might sound spoilt or whatever to some folks on here but I'm basing purely on how much of a massive club United are and the finances we have compared to say Arsenal/Spurs/Liverpool (certainly compared to Vardy and co). We maybe can't compete with City/Chelsea financially but we shouldn't be losing out to any other club.
 
If he wins the Europa League, he should walk out as a man who went at the right time and redeemed himself after mid-season criticism. As mental as it would have soudned in December, Van Gaal's got a chance to be seen as a great set up man for the next couple of years. Martial, Rashford, Varela, Fosu-Mensah and Memphis could be the backbone for our team for years to come, and they look to be establishing themselves under him.

He's retiring next year, though. I hope he does the right thing and step aside.
 
He turned the first 11, into utter dogshite, sad how people have such amazingly short term memories and change their opinions in a flash. Thank God they all got injured as we`d be still losing every match and barely able to score one goal if we were lucky. The youth team have not been philosophised by LVG, and they play with fearlessness and adventure of young players, taking risks etc. I`ve had enough of LVG he needs to be gone at end of this season. The guy is a sham to me, just living of his past achievements with Ajax almost 20 years ago, winning a title with Barcelona and Bayern, even Tony Pulis as a manager of those 2 clubs could win a league title
 
If we won a trophy and finished top 4 I would let him see out his contract...

Failing that, we should look elsewhere... although if that meant Mourinho coming, I'd probably sooner stick with LVG.
 
The issue in my opinion is the fear of what'll happen when players decide it'll be his last year next season and if it'll be similar to what happened in 2001-02 season..

Will the players give him a 100% knowing full well he is sure to retire end of next season..

Look what is happening at City.. Their results barring the league cup final has not been great after it was announced Pellegrini is leaving..

Plus, Jose might not be available year after next season.. We might not have the best options on the market for a capable manager for the club the size of ours..

I am not the one who says Giggs should never be our manager.. But I think it's too early be it next year or the year after.. I think he should prove himself outside before getting a shot as our manager..

Plus can we really go for the players or would players come for us knowing in one year a new manager might not even see them as part of their plans and knowing it might not be a proven manager like Jose but say Giggsy taking over?! How many quality players would be willing to risk their career in those uncertain situation?! Look at Shinji, he thought he'll be playing for SAF and United.. After SAF retired, his situation became an issue and he is now back in Dortmund.. If he had known SAF was retiring he might have stayed back at Dortmund..

No, I think the best for everyone is whatever happens, bring Jose in end of season.. Thank LvG for bringing to light all these young players and leaving the squad better than when he took over and pay his contract and send him on his retirement back to his paradise as he calls it in Portugal..

The sqaud needs addition yes, but it definitely has fewer Deadwood than before and more youngsters and a younger avg age.. All these will be LvG's legacy and the new manager will benefit from that..

So whatever happens, get the new manager end of season, irrespective of how LvG does..
 
No, he told us top 4 last season was his target, this season he's way, way below his target of challenging for the league and there's no reason we shouldn't be right up there when you consider how poor Chelsea and City have been.

I think he knows it's the end of the line, that's why he's acting like the pressure is off, the transforming into a chicken and having a laugh in interviews compared to the vicious replies he was making when he was at his lowest.
 
ZupZup said:
If we won a trophy and finished top 4 I would let him see out his contract...

Failing that, we should look elsewhere... although if that meant Mourinho coming, I'd probably sooner stick with LVG.
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Yeah, if that trophy was the EL, that would mean we knock out Liverpool, while getting Top 4 probably means knocking out Citeh (or maybe Arsenal) from next year's CL. I'd prefer knocking out Citeh myself. Just for doing that, I'd give him another year :devil:
 
Thing with LVG is that he is more likely to get us 4th this season, due to some incredible luck.
But is he going to improve us next season? I doubt it.
He fails to build on the momentum of previous season, repeats the same mistake every season( Mata herrera combo), and although I agree we are suffering from an injury crisis I doubt whether he knows our best XI.
Last season it was long ball, this season possession crap. He needs to stick to one system and perfect the side in that and buy players suited to that system.
He hasn't addressed the major problems we have had for last 2 seasons- Defence
There is no guarantee that giving him the next season, he'd address those.
Plus next season, he'd have no motivation of improving the side as there would be restrictions in place as there would be a manager waiting on wings and he may not like those signngs, he'd have no fear of getting sacked.
I'd like him to finish the season on a high and ask him to resign instead of sacking him. He deserves this amount of respect at the very least for the career he has had
 
SalfordRed1960 said:
I would love to have your crystal ball. Season not even finished and your so confident of where we will finish.
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I was describing what would be our realistic best case scenario at this point, which I'm explaining shouldn't even be enough for him warranting another season.
 
I feel he lucked into a formation last year during our purple patch which seemed obvious to most (playing a 433). I honestly thought he would go forward and see us playing more like that (especially when he bought Basti to cover for Carrick and rotate with him).

However he just pretty much abandonded that. He talks about philosophy but hes had what seems like three or four formations / styles for us just hoping one sticks (rather than a plan throughout).

December time was when it showed he cant take us on any further and it seems more luck than skill with him. His subs more or less dont change a game and weve had the worst football (consistenly) in a season. (Which would be excusable if he was getting results, but he wasnt even getting that).

Hes going to retire in a year (tbh we had to convince him not to retire the first time which was a bit alarming around the time) so if there are options out there, we should be taking them.

That plus he seemed to have given up on Europa and Top 4 some games ago (think it was after the defeat against Sunderland). I thought that was inexcusable.
 
No, because if we don't get Jose this summer we don't get him at all.
 
I chose only if we win the league..but really given what he's done in his year and a half up to the last month (and a month ro so alst year) it doesn't seem logical to keep him on even then. We would probably do a Chelsea if he did win something when next year arrives.
 
TheRedDevil'sAdvocate said:
I don't think Utd7 meant it like that. Winning the FA Cup and the Europa League while also getting top four will be a great achievement given the state of our squad (many senior players under performing and lots of injuries) and the nadir we had reached under LvG during the festive period.

But the thing is that LvG is, at least partially, responsible for the squad and our bad form when we had a run of games we should really have won. It was his choice to go into the season with Rooney as the only senior forward, it's his fault that our midfield is still unsettled and at the end of the day it's his team that can't play possession football at top level after almost two seasons with him at the helm.

It's not so much about the whole rebuilding process either. Pochettino has also been at Spurs for two seasons and he's managed to create a side that, right now, looks better than ours. Arsenal are piss poor for quite some time now and they will probably finish ahead of us... again. I won't mention Leicester because they are a one year wonder but i'll say that i really doubt Chelsea will go through the same hell as we did but they will be title contenders pretty soon.

And that's where the problem lies, United are expected to be title contenders and do well in the CL. These are the two trophies that matter the most and your season is successful if you win either of them. The domestic cups are an extra, the cherry on the top of the cake (=PL or CL). As for the Europa League, i'll just mention that i don't know of a single United fan who wasn't laughing at the scousers when they were saying they did the treble (FA & League Cup plus the UEFA Cup) in 2001.

So, now that the expectations are really low, winning those two trophies and top four will be a success. But for a club like United it's not "good enough" and it must never be that way. If LvG had seriously challenged for the title for two seasons in a row an had us still in the CL this season, then he would deserve to get more time even with no silverware to show for. I believe that's what some people are trying to say.
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Pretty much sums it up. Europa league winners are for selling clubs who want a back door into the champions league. Its for the also ran's both domestically and in Europe. Its only appeal is getting into the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. It is Europe's 2nd class. we want to mix it with Europe's elite. Non of us expect United to challenge for the champions league for a good while but we at least want to mix it.
 
The biggest thing about LVG finishing Year 3 would be making sure we have a transition plan. For example, the Guardian suggested letting him finish with Jose in the background. Odd, but they've worked together before, so it could work. If the plan is really for Giggs to take over, then he really needs to be properly announced by Woody & the board and then transition from there. Plus the window on some desired coaching targets seems to be closing soon, so it's important to know who'll be in charge August 2017 as soon as possible.
 
Kaos said:
I was describing what would be our realistic best case scenario at this point, which I'm explaining shouldn't even be enough for him warranting another season.
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Goes back to what the board has set as a target for him.

This year the PL seems to have no one team that is considerably better than anyone else, so who knows what the league will end up like in May.
 
Top four should not keep him in the top, this season has been terrible and we got lucky with the kids coming into the team at the right time. Credit to Van Gaal for trusting them and putting them, but he got lucky here.
 
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