Is there anyone left who wants to defend lvg now?

glazed

Eats diamonds to beat thermodynamics
Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Messages
7,744
In the back of my mind I'm thinking "What do we do if we have Pep Guardiola and a massive transfer budget and we still play like cr#p?" What happens then? What if LVG isn't the problem?
 

mark_a

Full Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
1,274
In the back of my mind I'm thinking "What do we do if we have Pep Guardiola and a massive transfer budget and we still play like cr#p?" What happens then? What if LVG isn't the problem?
How about we worry about that when we get Pep & a massive budget!
 

golden_blunder

Site admin. Manchester United fan
Staff
Joined
Jun 1, 2000
Messages
120,268
Location
Dublin, Ireland
I think the point of notes & the fact he doeant instruct the players during the game is to find out the team's weaknesses naturally. It's strengths too - however little it may be.

I actually like that he does that. Of course id like him to maybe seem like he gives a shit & shout at certain playera but then again i believe him writing notes on the squads weaknesses are good especially if we are a team progressing & hoping to progress in to the upper echloens of attacking possesion football.
we don't know what he's writing down there. he could be playing noughts and crosses with Giggs for all we know.
 

SteveJ

all-round nice guy, aka Uncle Joe Kardashian
Scout
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
62,851
It could be one of his several thousand resignation letters...or the same one that keeps getting sent back.
 

RU Devil

Full Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2008
Messages
2,123
Location
New Jersey, USA
we don't know what he's writing down there. he could be playing noughts and crosses with Giggs for all we know.
LOL. Or maybe sudoku.

I get the idea that the players should 'know' what to do and what is expected, but his nonchalance & sitting just reeks of not caring. No urgency, no intensity. That attitude will eventually seep into the players and it seems it already has.
 

glazed

Eats diamonds to beat thermodynamics
Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Messages
7,744
How about we worry about that when we get Pep & a massive budget!
The point is that we might just be making matters worse by blaming the manager for a structural problem with our player recruitment.
 

Attila

Full Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Messages
11,069
Location
RIP Mino
Supports
Trad Bricks
Perhaps. Didn't Rafa Benitez take notes during matches as well?
Mourinho does as well.

The only weird thing about LVG's notetaking is when he does it when we score...wonder what he writes down
 

DomesticTadpole

Doom-monger obsessed with Herrera & the M.E.N.
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
101,444
Location
Barrow In Furness
LOL. Or maybe sudoku.

I get the idea that the players should 'know' what to do and what is expected, but his nonchalance & sitting just reeks of not caring. No urgency, no intensity. That attitude will eventually seep into the players and it seems it already has.
I love the way our players should know what to do, yet no players from other teams do, because their managers are always up on the touchline giving out instructions. Maybe he should have signed players who all have university degrees, because funny enough footballers can deal with most things if given clear instructions, note the word clear. Other times they do need some help. You cannot prepare for every eventuality in a game. It's a lazy and easy way to plant the blame back onto your players when maybe it is you not doing your job properly.
 

R'hllor

Full Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Messages
15,419
Now when someone mentioned Paddy,anyone has a video of his recent rant?
 

Mezano

Full Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
279
The point is that we might just be making matters worse by blaming the manager for a structural problem with our player recruitment.
I think it's very likely. Continental managers are often primarily head coach and transfer matters are mostly left to the club management or a director of football. While SAF was a gifted coach, he really shone in playing the transfer market. Guaridiola might squeeze a few percent more performance out of the current squad and bring one or two players he used to work with but unless the man has hidden talents I don't see him assemble a world class team from scratch.
 

Spock

New Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
1,851
Mourinho does as well.

The only weird thing about LVG's notetaking is when he does it when we score...wonder what he writes down
One does winder!

It's a small point I don't want to come across as obsessing about this point. I get the occasional note here and there. But it seems like LVG is writing notes to himself throughout the entire match. I'd love to know what could be so important that happens in a game that must be noted immediately in written form. I'm sure it's good stuff but I wish it translated into improved performances on the pitch.
 

Dr. Funkenstein

Not CAF Geert Wilders
Joined
May 20, 2014
Messages
1,713
I don't think Pep is the right guy for us, so it wouldn't surprise me. I think he's very similar to Van Gaal in a lot of ways.
Yes, but he's more about possession and requires players with better technique. A massive budget won't help because the players he needs aren't for sale in big numbers. Maybe one finished product and one promising player every year, that's about it.

I think it's very likely. Continental managers are often primarily head coach and transfer matters are mostly left to the club management or a director of football. While SAF was a gifted coach, he really shone in playing the transfer market.
Not in his latter years. His signings didn't really work out besides RVP, who didn't require a special eye to find, and who actually didn't work out as a signing for the future.

Guaridiola might squeeze a few percent more performance out of the current squad and bring one or two players he used to work with but unless the man has hidden talents I don't see him assemble a world class team from scratch.
It's impossible. All the top class squads are build over many years, just steadily improving year by year with a only a few top signings and a few youngsters with promise.
 
Last edited:

ghagua

Full Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2012
Messages
5,992
I think the point of notes & the fact he doeant instruct the players during the game is to find out the team's weaknesses naturally. It's strengths too - however little it may be.

I actually like that he does that. Of course id like him to maybe seem like he gives a shit & shout at certain playera but then again i believe him writing notes on the squads weaknesses are good especially if we are a team progressing & hoping to progress in to the upper echloens of attacking possesion football.
It takes him 19 months to figure that out? Anyone who watches the team for 10 minutes will be able to figure that out.
 

K2K

Full Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2015
Messages
18,367
Location
"Can Manchester United score? They always score"
In the back of my mind I'm thinking "What do we do if we have Pep Guardiola and a massive transfer budget and we still play like cr#p?" What happens then? What if LVG isn't the problem?
Moyes was such a big failure here too, and we replaced with the man who we thought was going to solve all that. It didnt.

At first glance, one would argue that vindicated Moyes , that the job was too hard and fans underestimated the work to be done.

But then you really look at why they both failed. There is very little similarities with them. Not even their squads. For me its simply two struggling managers not up for the job that just followed the other.

What I am saying, is that if Pep comes here, changes our playing style..sells over 20 players and spends 250 mil and fails, it wont be on Van Gaal or the club, it'll be on him.
 

Amar__

Geriatric lover and empath
Joined
Sep 2, 2010
Messages
24,167
Location
Sarajevo
Supports
MK Dons
In the back of my mind I'm thinking "What do we do if we have Pep Guardiola and a massive transfer budget and we still play like cr#p?" What happens then? What if LVG isn't the problem?
Then we should just give up football.
 

Oneunited26

New Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2014
Messages
4,635
My problem with this is that it stops us reacting to the situation on the pitch. Football at it's best is a dynamic game that can change by a goal being scored or the opposition setting up differently than you expect.

Take the Newcastle match. We went 2-0 up. The perfect time to close the game down and play on the counter. We continued to play an open style of football and conceded before half time. He could have changed that if he had instructed the team from the sideline.

We need to react to the situation in the game under LvG we don't. We are so rigid that unless we have an injury his substitutions are preordained. Regardless of the situation or how a player is playing he will make a substitution based on a plan made before the match.
The sad thing is, VG is so completely clueless, if Newcastle went 2-0 ahead we would have lost
 

Empire

Full Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2013
Messages
4,618
So we'll see how this one plays out, but I don't expect anything other than a mutual parting of the ways at the end of the season, when he's won us nothing, spent a fortune, and played bad football, if the next guy comes in and gets all these good players playing well then that'll be down to him, and he will deserve the credit for it.
We've been over the spending argument, his net spend of £129m or whatever it is equates to £64.5m per season, that's not a fortune for a top club just tweaking their squad nevermind rebuilding a brand new one and so i'm not sure how you can say he has spent a fortune.

And also with your final point the credit shouldn't go to any one individual, who do you credit for Barcelona's incredible successful period? Messi, Xaviesta, Guardiola? All that came before them, the board, the list goes on, they are who they are because of a lot of people.

The manager is limited in what he can do, limited by his circumstance, had Guardiola been of a different age and taken over in 1997 he would not have done what he did 10 years later.

Anyway it's up to you, if you want to look for one person who you can credit with all the glory then so be it.

Even a mutual parting of ways at the end of the season doesn't mean Louis van Gaal's work was a failure, it just means the club feel he has given them what they wanted and now they want somebody else because the circumstances are different and that somebody else will be better suited.

I think it was the Bayern CEO who said the best thing we did was sign Louis van Gaal, the second best thing we did was sack him.

The most sensible thing the board can do right now is to enter into negotiations with Mourinho's and Guardiola's representatives. And also explore installing a director of football who would be tasked with ensuring the squad is the best it can be (e.g. youth player development, transfers etc.) who would work in collaboration with the head coach tasked with winning trophies with that squad.

The board are probably doing both.
 

acnumber9

Full Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2006
Messages
22,297
We've been over the spending argument, his net spend of £129m or whatever it is equates to £64.5m per season, that's not a fortune for a top club just tweaking their squad nevermind rebuilding a brand new one and so i'm not sure how you can say he has spent a fortune.

And also with your final point the credit shouldn't go to any one individual, who do you credit for Barcelona's incredible successful period? Messi, Xaviesta, Guardiola? All that came before them, the board, the list goes on, they are who they are because of a lot of people.

The manager is limited in what he can do, limited by his circumstance, had Guardiola been of a different age and taken over in 1997 he would not have done what he did 10 years later.

Anyway it's up to you, if you want to look for one person who you can credit with all the glory then so be it.

Even a mutual parting of ways at the end of the season doesn't mean Louis van Gaal's work was a failure, it just means the club feel he has given them what they wanted and now they want somebody else because the circumstances are different and that somebody else will be better suited.

I think it was the Bayern CEO who said the best thing we did was sign Louis van Gaal, the second best thing we did was sack him.

The most sensible thing the board can do right now is to enter into negotiations with Mourinho's and Guardiola's representatives. And also explore installing a director of football who would be tasked with ensuring the squad is the best it can be (e.g. youth player development, transfers etc.) who would work in collaboration with the head coach tasked with winning trophies with that squad.

The board are probably doing both.
His net spend is only that low because he had to sell Di Maria after failing to get the best out of him. He also had the benefit of that player for a season. It's not a sign of good work on his part at all.
 

acnumber9

Full Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2006
Messages
22,297
Yes, but he's more about possession and requires players with better technique. A massive budget won't help because the players he needs aren't for sale in big numbers. Maybe one finished product and one promising player every year, that's about it.


Not in his latter years. His signings didn't really work out besides RVP, who didn't require a special eye to find, and who actually didn't work out as a signing for the future.


It's impossible. All the top class squads are build over many years, just steadily improving year by year with a only a few top signings and a few youngsters with promise.
How far back in his latter years are we going? Because De Gea, Smalling and Young are three of Van Gaal's best performers. In fact I would say his top three.
 

Dr. Funkenstein

Not CAF Geert Wilders
Joined
May 20, 2014
Messages
1,713
How far back in his latter years are we going? Because De Gea, Smalling and Young are three of Van Gaal's best performers. In fact I would say his top three.
Smalling and Young have developped very well under Van Gaal, but Smalling has fallen back considerably since november and Young shouldn't be a starter at the level United should be. There've been a lot of signings that didn't work out, if the development of the squad is steady and balance, there's no need to play 40 year olds and get players back from retirement, nor do you have two most important attacking players past it only a year later.
 

VeevaVee

The worst "V"
Scout
Joined
Jan 3, 2009
Messages
46,263
Location
Manchester
Moyes was such a big failure here too, and we replaced with the man who we thought was going to solve all that. It didnt.

At first glance, one would argue that vindicated Moyes , that the job was too hard and fans underestimated the work to be done.

But then you really look at why they both failed. There is very little similarities with them. Not even their squads. For me its simply two struggling managers not up for the job that just followed the other.

What I am saying, is that if Pep comes here, changes our playing style..sells over 20 players and spends 250 mil and fails, it wont be on Van Gaal or the club, it'll be on him.
Would agree with this.

The thing is, we haven't got in a top tier manager yet. LVG is a level below, and Moyes is probably a few below that.

I still find it crazy to think one of, if not the biggest club in the world, didn't go for one of the top level managers when SAF left - one of the biggest things to happen in football ever (and I don't accept that none were available because that could've and should've been planned around).

Anyway, my point is that we'll know where we really stand with a top manager, and will be in the best possible position to move forward even if things aren't amazing from the off.
 

Chesterlestreet

Man of the crowd
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
19,552
There've been a lot of signings that didn't work out, if the development of the squad is steady and balance, there's no need to play 40 year olds and get players back from retirement, nor do you have two most important attacking players past it only a year later.
The failure to sign at least one (young) top class CM before retiring is the obvious criticism one can level at Fergie. The rest is not so clear cut. He left plenty for others to work with.

As regards attacking players, I'm fairly sure he wanted Moyes to get rid of Rooney - so that doesn't count against him. Ideally, he should have pulled the trigger on Rooney himself - but you can't win them all, and it wasn't an obvious short-term move.

Fergie probably saw Kagawa in the hole with RVP leading the line as the way to go for Moyes. And Kagawa could have been a roaring success - hindsight is 20-20 and all that.
 

Reapersoul20

Can Anderson score? No.
Joined
Aug 13, 2006
Messages
12,155
Location
Jog on
The hatred is so, so, so over the top on here now. It's gotten to the point where I view visiting the football forums on Redcafe as roughly on a par with visiting RAWK.

He's a man, with a good track record, trying his best. He has made some good signings, and the team looked good in parts this season. We are still in with a chance of winning the league.

From the posts on here though, you'd think LvG had just invaded Poland and his latest presser was about lebensraum.
 

acnumber9

Full Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2006
Messages
22,297
Smalling and Young have developped very well under Van Gaal, but Smalling has fallen back considerably since november and Young shouldn't be a starter at the level United should be. There've been a lot of signings that didn't work out, if the development of the squad is steady and balance, there's no need to play 40 year olds and get players back from retirement, nor do you have two most important attacking players past it only a year later.
And plenty of the players Van Gaal has signed shouldn't be starters either. If Fergie had stayed then Rooney may have left and been replaced. Nobody would've called for Rooney to be replaced prior to 12/13 so not much he could've done there. Van Persie continued to have a very good record even under Moyes. It only diminished when your messiah came on board. He also had back up in Welbeck and Hernandez that while not being top drawer footballers does allow some breathing space between replacing your best players with new ones. Van Gaal chose to dispense with them. Fergie's problem in the latter years was a lack of investment more than his own supposed failings. And even in his last few years he managed to sign some of the players still performing the best for us currently.
 

mark_a

Full Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
1,274
The point is that we might just be making matters worse by blaming the manager for a structural problem with our player recruitment.
True. Well it will run deeper than just the manager, that's what you look for in a manger though - not just managing the team but trying to impose "something more" on the club, be that structurally or whatever.

Make of "this sort of thing" what you will http://metro.co.uk/2016/01/15/manch...-langley-set-to-quit-the-club-report-5624396/
 

K2K

Full Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2015
Messages
18,367
Location
"Can Manchester United score? They always score"
Would agree with this.

The thing is, we haven't got in a top tier manager yet. LVG is a level below, and Moyes is probably a few below that.

I still find it crazy to think one of, if not the biggest club in the world, didn't go for one of the top level managers when SAF left - one of the biggest things to happen in football ever (and I don't accept that none were available because that could've and should've been planned around).

Anyway, my point is that we'll know where we really stand with a top manager, and will be in the best possible position to move forward even if things aren't amazing from the off.
Exactly.

A lot of of people continually say our players are crap, but yet they could perform under a top manager in Fergie.

I'd like to see what they can do before discarding all of them, especially since this is a relatively new team that Van Gaal himself built. We cant keep undergoing wholesale changes, when one of the biggest effect would come from changing just one man.
 

adexkola

Doesn't understand sportswashing.
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
48,599
Location
The CL is a glorified FA Cup set to music
Supports
orderly disembarking on planes
I think the point of notes & the fact he doeant instruct the players during the game is to find out the team's weaknesses naturally. It's strengths too - however little it may be.

I actually like that he does that. Of course id like him to maybe seem like he gives a shit & shout at certain playera but then again i believe him writing notes on the squads weaknesses are good especially if we are a team progressing & hoping to progress in to the upper echloens of attacking possesion football.
The notion that ranting on the sideline will make a difference in our results is absurd.
 

glazed

Eats diamonds to beat thermodynamics
Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Messages
7,744
True. Well it will run deeper than just the manager, that's what you look for in a manger though - not just managing the team but trying to impose "something more" on the club, be that structurally or whatever.

Make of "this sort of thing" what you will http://metro.co.uk/2016/01/15/manch...-langley-set-to-quit-the-club-report-5624396/
That's where the SAF issue becomes a problem. It's all centred around how he did things, including not methodically refreshing the squad for years, for whatever reason, but instead forcing players out of position. Change doesn't come pain free or quickly (or necessarily at all.)

Modern clubs have a different infrastructure, I sense. That's what City has been building for the last 5 years and why a manager like Guardiola might find it a more appealing and familiar destination. It's also why a club like Southampton can punch above its weight and (I suspect) why we now punch below ours. Changing the manager won't fix that. It may be that LVG is actually a very good manager in an impossible situation, but it's not obvious to the untrained eye.
 

Santiago_KinderBueno

Santiago Kinder Bannedo
Joined
May 6, 2015
Messages
2,351
Location
Outta Space Somewhere Near The Prodigy
We've been over the spending argument, his net spend of £129m or whatever it is equates to £64.5m per season, that's not a fortune for a top club just tweaking their squad nevermind rebuilding a brand new one and so i'm not sure how you can say he has spent a fortune.

And also with your final point the credit shouldn't go to any one individual, who do you credit for Barcelona's incredible successful period? Messi, Xaviesta, Guardiola? All that came before them, the board, the list goes on, they are who they are because of a lot of people.

The manager is limited in what he can do, limited by his circumstance, had Guardiola been of a different age and taken over in 1997 he would not have done what he did 10 years later.

Anyway it's up to you, if you want to look for one person who you can credit with all the glory then so be it.

Even a mutual parting of ways at the end of the season doesn't mean Louis van Gaal's work was a failure, it just means the club feel he has given them what they wanted and now they want somebody else because the circumstances are different and that somebody else will be better suited.

I think it was the Bayern CEO who said the best thing we did was sign Louis van Gaal, the second best thing we did was sack him.

The most sensible thing the board can do right now is to enter into negotiations with Mourinho's and Guardiola's representatives. And also explore installing a director of football who would be tasked with ensuring the squad is the best it can be (e.g. youth player development, transfers etc.) who would work in collaboration with the head coach tasked with winning trophies with that squad.

The board are probably doing both.
Love it buddy. As wummish as it aounds I believe that this team can only get better. There is obvious gaps, there is obvious faults, there is obvious weaknesses in both the players & the manager. The hard thing to talk about with people is the fact that things being obvious is a big big leap forward for a team who were reliant on the best manager of all time.

When things are obvious -

A) you replace the weak players with better ones ( right now the squad is too small for this)
B) you fill the obvious gaps in the team & squad ( mata is not a RW, some would argue blind & rojo aren't that good LCB's)
C) you replace the manager

We have had such horrible performances it is in no way surprising that people want van gaal out. However, with van gaal he brings the philosophy; which is an awful awful word to use. Instead he uses a plan. The plan is greater than the manager & i hope it eventually reaches on towards the right manager.
 

Catt

Ole's at the wheel!
Joined
Mar 10, 2013
Messages
27,936
Location
Norway
He is. Though it does use quotes in one of the other papers to say he's disillusioned. How did the press get to hear?
There seems to be some sort of agenda at this time but regarding him I don't know.
 

Jazz

Just in case anyone missed it. I don't like Mount.
Joined
Feb 11, 2014
Messages
31,056
Reading that 'metro' link up top, I have this irrational thought that the City Sheikh must be paying the press some back handers to constantly compare how shit our system is compared to theirs. For years the press bastards didn't focus on our youth system, now all of a sudden they can't stop talking smack about it. It wasn't always great either - since the class of 92, we haven't exactly had a seriously talented group come through. Wish they'd give it a break.
Of all the sticks to beat LVG with - I doubt a year and a half in the job could have contributed to our not up to par youth system.
 

Jazz

Just in case anyone missed it. I don't like Mount.
Joined
Feb 11, 2014
Messages
31,056
There seems to be some sort of agenda at this time but regarding him I don't know.
Seems an agenda for sure. I wonder if LVG and whomever are trying to overhaul the system, and by doing that they may have to let go of some underperforming staff/coaches who resent being thrown out from their comfortable positions? That will breed serious discontent and bitterness, especially if they've been there a while. You see it all the time in the ordinary working world, it's human nature after all.
 

Empire

Full Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2013
Messages
4,618
Five full backs injured, that's insane, i'm not sure what the timeline regarding the returns from injury are for us but as Carrick, Bastian, Valencia, Young, Jones, Rojo, Shaw and whoever else start returning to our squad we will only put more points on the board.

That's a positive for our season whether LvG gets the sack or not.
 

Empire

Full Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2013
Messages
4,618
His net spend is only that low because he had to sell Di Maria after failing to get the best out of him. He also had the benefit of that player for a season. It's not a sign of good work on his part at all.
He himself said he wanted him to stay but Angel di Maria wanted to go and he didn't want to stand in his way.

This is irrelevant anyway because the money recouped from Angel di Maria was able to be reinvested (in this case into Martial) thus costing the club less overall therefore when you look at his net spend and the fact we did a rebuild, he hasn't spent a fortune at all and any argument he has is born out of ignorance.

I'm not sure what the cost to the club will be if he fails to get top four, David Moyes cost us a lot there I felt, that's where he'll cost us if things don't change starting with Stoke.