Yup, I'm also still in that same Van Gaal support group and think he deserves the time to put his own stamp on the team. Based on historical evidence he is one of the, if not the premier manager in terms of handling clubs in transition, revolutionizing a stale playing style, motivating players to reach a newer level and overall just molding a better, more cerebral playing culture that inevitably pays dividends in the longer run. Even though he isn't directly responsible for the success Bayern is enjoying now like a lot people suggest, it would be disingenuous to deny the fact that he brought some youngsters along, extracted the best out of certain players in different positions, retooled the tactics a lot etc. Even at Barcelona, he didn't leave as great a legacy as we'd like to think but still did a lot of good in the first spell, second one not so much apart from maybe bringing Iniesta and Valdes into prominence.
However, to be fair it's also not exactly hard to fathom why a lot of supporters are rapidly losing faith, perhaps justifiably so. Van Gaal immediately brings a giant cautionary warning at whichever club he joins. He has always been a bit of a mad genius so there's an almost equal chance of things going well and everything going tits up. He has that innate ability to alienate just about everyone and has the propensity for treating his players like inanimate interchangeable objects and that worries just about every supporter of every club that employs him, it just cannot be denied. Because we're United supporters first and foremost and the club is the primary focus of our attention, we can't just rely on blind faith for the manager and I do hope that the upper management decision-makers are perceptive in terms detecting warning signs, like say Bayern were before a total meltdown ensues.
For the here and now though, some of the criticism though a bit hyperbolic in certain cases in justified. We aren't playing close to the anticipated level in terms of squad ability, even I as a Van Gaal supporter I just can't deny that we are under-performing a bit, particularly given the attacking personnel at our disposal. In his defense, we like to appropriate all of the blame on the the team's defense but the lack of fluidity and cohesion in the attacking third isn't directly proportional to your weakness at the back. Now I don't expect a sudden overhaul of what's been a symptomatic issue from Fergie's later years, but there are very few signs of improvement particularly when we have the likes of Di Maria and Herrera who can inject some purpose into every touch. The tactics seem a bit reactionary and overly timid at times, predicated on containing rather than playing to our strength and the United Way - which isn't necessarily about wing-play and such but more a euphemism for clever goal-scoring attacking play.
It's like the manager is treating the anomalous Leicester game as a microcosm of our performances and has consequently mapped a very pragmatic blueprint going forward for away games and the attacking play is suffering as a result, leading to a lot of dropped points vs lower opposition. A lot of the substitutions are genuine head scratchers and not to stir the hornet's nest, overall there's just too much tinkering with tactics and playing certain individuals out of position even though better alternatives are currently in the squad. Then there's the perceived sense of favoritism which don't necessarily agree wih but nevertheless it has been discussed in detail elsewhere - in terms of repeatedly fielding under-performing players while denying others the opportunity to really show what they can do on a more frequent basis. Dunno just seems a bit hypocritical and counterproductive at times.
EDIT : Bah that sounds a bit negative for this thread... Anyway, I'm still optimistic and feel that he'll come good, and rectify the frailties in terms of personnel and system in the coming months and seasons. Yes seasons, because if he's still here in 2-3 seasons, that'll means we're doing well and winning silverware.
