It's depressing how unbelievably spot on your post is. I've said that LVG should be kept on for a second year (for reasons stated in that thread,) but my god he's had a howler this season.
United under LvG: verdict so far!
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Absolutely shocking, and I mean that literally...
It's really surprised me to see Van Gaal pulling this utterly baffling nonsense as I really thought he'd be consistently logical when it came to positional decisions.
I think he's been stunned a little bit by the PL, and that having his not inconsiderable ego damaged quite badly early in the season led to these bizarre, 'look how clever and contrary I am' decisions.
It almost seems like he's trying to make the job look more difficult than it is in order to save face for any failure that may occur...as mental as that sounds.
I think Van Gaal's is actually a big problem in all this.
Some of that is a bit exaggerated. Di Maria is a better player than Mata really. And there is an obvious tactic to play Fellaini in that spot, whether you like it or not. He had a right to play McNair at rb after he impressed there.
Di Maria is not a #10, nor has he ever been. Mata is.
Whats the point of playing Fellaini as a #10 and then playing the ball on the ground for most of the match?
McNair impressed at rb against League 2 Cambridge City, and thats enough to earn a start in a tough away match in the PL?
Sorry, but he's throwing shit and seeing what sticks. Unfortunately, not much does atm.
Di Maria is the most creative player in our team and the best passer. He can play as a 10 without a doubt.
I don't want Fellaini in the team at all so I won't argue with what you say about his use.
McNair impressed at RB. End discussion. I don't really care who it was against. He excelled both offensively and defensively where others failed too against the same opposition.
Di Maria's best performances have come as a midfielder, so just play him there. We have enough #10's in the squad (something LVG even moaned about in pre-season)
End discussion? So the opposition has no bearing on how to rate his performance? One good performance against a League 2 team is enough to displace a player that's played at rb (and played it pretty well) all season, and is a seasoned PL player? No, I'm sorry, but it was the definition of a knee jerk decision, and one that plenty could see would end up being stupid.
Every one of your points could easily be argued as not bad decisions. Because performances have not been good it is easy with hindsight to argue for something else.
McNair has had a good game before at RB, dropping Valencia was strange, but it could have been player development as Swansea weren't likely to be a threat down their left.
Di Maria was played up front to provide speed against a team that lacked pace at the back
Rooney in midfield is not new, and he has not impressed up front
Love Herrera to death, but every time he plays we get exposed at the back. I can live with that LVG can't.
Next two Mata has not performed when given the chance, seems strange you attack RVP/Falcao and then dismiss Mata's performances
Adnan playing at all has been a mistake for me,but we all have opinions
Rather Jones, than Evans.
Falcao and RVP have been poor, but when they have been in good positions or made good runs, good old Rooney pushes it out to right wing. They have had sweet FA service.
One of us should post the list in the unpopular opinions thread.
I don't think most of the players are enjoying playing for him, and he's probably confused half of them with his baffling tactics.
I didn't think this was worth a new thread, but this article echoes a lot of my feelings about LvG at United:
http://metro.co.uk/2015/02/27/louis...y-and-gravitas-to-manchester-united-5082032/?
http://metro.co.uk/2015/02/27/louis...y-and-gravitas-to-manchester-united-5082032/?
Man Utd are missing a 20-goal-a-season striker - Van Gaal
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31667203
"At this moment, we don't have a striker who scores 20 goals."
Erm, yeah we do, but you've been playing him in midfield all season while RvP has remained undroppable and Falcao has been useless.
This is a bit rich from Van Gaal, isn't it? It annoyed me to read that, as if it's not him that's completely mismanaged our strikers this season.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31667203
"At this moment, we don't have a striker who scores 20 goals."
Erm, yeah we do, but you've been playing him in midfield all season while RvP has remained undroppable and Falcao has been useless.
This is a bit rich from Van Gaal, isn't it? It annoyed me to read that, as if it's not him that's completely mismanaged our strikers this season.
In his 11 seasons with the club he's scored 20 or more just 4 times, the last being in the 11/12 season. Van Persie and Falcao both had better strike rates than that so without the benefit of hindsight, was he wrong to give them the chance?
'Give them the chance' is an understatement of vast proportions when talking of RvP - he's enjoyed undroppable status all season while contributing the form of a player who actively needs to be dropped.
Rooney has scored 8 goals this season, a season where his position has been fecked with on an unprecedented scale when talking of top strikers.
If Rooney had been played as a striker for the same minutes that RvP has this season I believe he'd be on about 15 goals by now.
Van Gaal has basically just set up our attack in the most unlikely to succeed set up - 2 strikers who don't compliment each other and are both out of form, and another one shunted into CM - and then left it, and left it...and...left it.
I just find it a bit rich for him to be complaining about our strikers' lack of productivity when he's the person that's arranged the perimeters of their failure!
In the Ferguson years Rooney has been averaging about 15 goals a season. So your annoyed that he didn't turn Rooney in a 20 goal striker?
We didnt have a world class winger like Di Maria, now we do not have a 20-goal-a-season striker. That is indeed rich from LvG, taking into account the fact that Wayne, RvP and Falcao have all reached 20+ figures in their careers. Also, Arjen Robben is Bayern Munichs current leading goal scorer iirc. So its not only about having goal scoring machines like Messi, Ronaldo, RvN or Henry. It is also about manager's ability to get maximum out of players he has at his disposal, especially when those very players have already demonstrated that they can put in world-class performances.
Incredibly rich. At the start of the season, you'd struggle to find any team in the world with more 20-goal-a-season strikers.
How many of those seasons did he play as a number nine though?
The one season when he was played as an out and out striker he scored 30+ goals.
How many goals a season would Messi score a year if he was continuously played out of position?
Rooneys versatility for the team has been to his own career detriment.
The 'no trouncings from other big teams' argument shouldn't have had any legs. The other big teams haven't been good this season.
That soundbite annoys the hell out of me. We have at least 2 striker capable of 20 goals a season, his tactics just don't encourage them. It's down to him, he's destroyed their confidence
Deflecting blame.
Three if you include Rooney. Mata, Di Maria, and Herrera all easily capable of scoring at least 10 a season.
The excuse net is getting wider and weirder. 
Pathetic from the ***********.
Pathetic from the ***********.
This guy...
Have you critics ever considered that he's very poor in English, and he's probably talking about having someone to score 20 goals THIS season? There's a certain eagerness by section of fans to go out of their way to criticize everything the says or does. It was the same last year with Moyes and I frankly can't understand such behaviour. What the strikers were capable of doing in previous seasons does not matter, the FACT is that they have NOT done it this season, so, yes, the manager is right, we do not have a striker capable of scoring 20 goals this season, they haven't looked like it all season.
The excuse net is getting wider and weirder.
Pathetic from the ***********.
It's not an excuse, he was asked a qeustion and he responded. I mean, managers should refuse to answers questions? We have identified on this forum what some of the problem is, then when he says as much in a presser, it becomes an excuse. What do some of you want?
Some of us want him to make the team play decent football. Not keep banging about some stupid philosophy, but implement it.
Some of us are demanding.
He gave every chance to RvP and Falcao but realises what a lot us think, that they are past their best. With Van Persie injured hopefully Rooney is now played regularly as a forward where he should be.
He hasn't even used that word "philosophy" in like ages, but yeah, he's always banging about it, and if you know anything about implementing any policy or style, it does take an adaptation period. So, no, you're not demanding, you are nitpicking. Some of you just want to complain about every sentence, every comment, formation, everything. It's disturbing.
Some posters have already answered your concern. We have strikers who have been world class prior to this season. Unless you're saying they have all turned rubbish within a matter of a few months then surely fingers should point at tactics.
The player you can excuse LvG's comments is Falcao. He's been unfortunate with his signing.
This is closer to reality.
He is laying the blame on the strikers now. Last week it was the midfield. Before that it was the defense.
I am not nitpicking, I am calling it as it is.
Some of you only like to blame some of us with your "he needs time nonsense" and don't want to discuss any issues. Some of your with you "best fans" attitude are ridiculous.
And stop this some of you bullshit, we are all United fans here.
They haven't turned rubbish but it's not all down to tactics too, maybe the truth is somewhere in between, let's not all act like the strikers have been doing it and suddenly Van Gaal comes in and it stopped. RVP is close to 32, he's declining based on evidence before our eyes, Falcao has returned from a bad injury and has looked very poor at times, maybe he played Rooney is CM to give these 2 enough game time to build momentum? There's two sides to a coin.
I'd add "balance" as another excuse.
He has always said that we have conceded very few goals and I can't remember him criticizing the midfield, he said he's looking for balance, how is that criticism? You frankly need to stop your nonsense of criticizing EVERYTHING, that's the point, everything he says is not WRONG. You're nitpicking if you are not considering all variables, but simply the ones that fit your narrative.
I've had a coin which had same markings on both sides. True story.
Whatever mate.
As long as I can remember (the first game against Swansea) LVG always complained about our lack of control and the lack of finition from our strikers, with his infamous "we need to finish our chances"
Nonsense, is calling other opinions nonsense.
You should as well tell that to your mate who was the first to use that word. Or do you want to be a one-sided judge?
LvG spent a massive budget on bringing Falcao to United.
Judge, mate?
Yeah that article does it for me, he's pinning all the blame on the strikers there when any idiot can see its his methods that are limiting chances. Id hope theyre selective quotes and he expressing its a team responsibility.
The equivalent Sky article also has him saying that all the players need to learn to use their brains as part of his process.
Surely the players read that, especially Di Maria who has the main subject of the question and think " f*ck off". It has to be demoralising for your manager to constantly setup in bizzare ways and then blame it on you being too thick.
The equivalent Sky article also has him saying that all the players need to learn to use their brains as part of his process.
Surely the players read that, especially Di Maria who has the main subject of the question and think " f*ck off". It has to be demoralising for your manager to constantly setup in bizzare ways and then blame it on you being too thick.
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