I'm going out on a limb, and this isn't a knee-jerk reaction to beating Liverpool yet again, but I can't be the only one who isn't entirely disillusioned with what Louis Van Gaal is doing at United.
In this sport there is no guarantee of ongoing success, and after a calamitous season under David Moyes, getting back on track was always going to be a difficult process. Time and patience was required, and with the Premier League being so competitive, there was never going to be a simple fix, irrespective of amounts spent on transfers.
The first season was all about steadying the ship, and we did that well. Made the top four and at times looked like we might challenge for higher. Our cup runs were cut short in disappointing fashion, but we reached our objective and there seemed to be plenty of good work being done behind the scenes. Examples include upgraded training facilities, a much-needed clear-out of dead wood (something practically everyone had been gagging for) and some promising signings.
Building on that, the second season started well and the discovery of Martial was a massive boost. People so often remember only recent performances, and I admit our form over the past month or two has been dismal, but in the grand scheme of things it was only a short downturn. In September we managed 15 goals in six games, we've had some excellent performances (3-1 vs. Liverpool, 3-0 vs. Everton) and up until December 8th we'd only lost two games all season - one of those being in the League Cup, on penalties. We were back on top of the league, albeit briefly.
After losing to Wolfsburg in early December things went to pot. We lost four on the bounce and it was an awful spell, but no team is immune to a bad patch. Van Gaal isn't the first manager to have a poor run and he won't be the last, but he has seemingly steadied the ship once again, and we are unlucky not to have won all four games since the turn of the New Year.
There have been questionable decisions, no doubt about that. I wish Chicarito hadn't been sold, the Januzaj loan made no sense to me, I'm still not sure about Fellaini, and I would love to see more animation on the touchline. But it's never going to be perfect, that's football, and no amount of money spent is going to turn us back into an irresistible force overnight.
Van Gaal is a world-class manager with plenty of experience and there should be no urgency to get rid of him without genuine cause. If we end the season outside of the top four, or top four becomes out of reach, then sure the question should be asked, but until that point I think it would be a mistake to keep changing managers. I've spoken to a few Chelsea fans recently who all think it was a mistake to sack Mourinho - they don't see the sense in getting rid of a known winner.
One of the difficulties now is the anti-Van Gaal mentality, and that's something that's going to be very hard to change. I'm a season ticket holder and at home games I've rarely seen the animosity I see now - if we haven't scored after half an hour, the crowd quickly begins to berate the team, and I always feel as though the derision comes too early.
Even yesterday's result against Liverpool is being deemed a smash and grab. It's almost as though it's Van Gaal's fault we didn't win it the United way - whatever that means. It might not have been pretty, but that was exactly the kind of gritty performance we should be looking for away at Anfield.
It's also worth pointing out that our defensive injuries have been a nightmare. Should he have reinforced in this department during the transfer windows? Perhaps, but we have started a lot of games with only one recognised defender, yet our defensive record is one of the best in the league.
If anything, my one major criticism of Van Gaal is that he has tried to do too much too soon. Perhaps realising that he has only the three years to make it work, he has made a lot of changes in the blink of an eye, and as has been pointed out by other forum members, no team has ever won the league after such wholesale changes to the squad.
Yet despite the tough run of results in December, the manager has for the most part kept his composure against some of the toughest fans and media in sport. Granted, he walked out of a press conference once, but on the whole he has shown a touch of class in staying true to his convictions.
Many fans obviously won't agree - the 300+ page LVG Out thread is testament to that - but there must also be plenty of realists out there. So for all those of us who think Louis Van Gaal isn't Lucifer incarnate, how do you see us progressing from here? 7 points off the top, can we go on a run and mount a challenge this season? And if the manager is to see out his contract, what do you think of the squad being formed for his successor?
In this sport there is no guarantee of ongoing success, and after a calamitous season under David Moyes, getting back on track was always going to be a difficult process. Time and patience was required, and with the Premier League being so competitive, there was never going to be a simple fix, irrespective of amounts spent on transfers.
The first season was all about steadying the ship, and we did that well. Made the top four and at times looked like we might challenge for higher. Our cup runs were cut short in disappointing fashion, but we reached our objective and there seemed to be plenty of good work being done behind the scenes. Examples include upgraded training facilities, a much-needed clear-out of dead wood (something practically everyone had been gagging for) and some promising signings.
Building on that, the second season started well and the discovery of Martial was a massive boost. People so often remember only recent performances, and I admit our form over the past month or two has been dismal, but in the grand scheme of things it was only a short downturn. In September we managed 15 goals in six games, we've had some excellent performances (3-1 vs. Liverpool, 3-0 vs. Everton) and up until December 8th we'd only lost two games all season - one of those being in the League Cup, on penalties. We were back on top of the league, albeit briefly.
After losing to Wolfsburg in early December things went to pot. We lost four on the bounce and it was an awful spell, but no team is immune to a bad patch. Van Gaal isn't the first manager to have a poor run and he won't be the last, but he has seemingly steadied the ship once again, and we are unlucky not to have won all four games since the turn of the New Year.
There have been questionable decisions, no doubt about that. I wish Chicarito hadn't been sold, the Januzaj loan made no sense to me, I'm still not sure about Fellaini, and I would love to see more animation on the touchline. But it's never going to be perfect, that's football, and no amount of money spent is going to turn us back into an irresistible force overnight.
Van Gaal is a world-class manager with plenty of experience and there should be no urgency to get rid of him without genuine cause. If we end the season outside of the top four, or top four becomes out of reach, then sure the question should be asked, but until that point I think it would be a mistake to keep changing managers. I've spoken to a few Chelsea fans recently who all think it was a mistake to sack Mourinho - they don't see the sense in getting rid of a known winner.
One of the difficulties now is the anti-Van Gaal mentality, and that's something that's going to be very hard to change. I'm a season ticket holder and at home games I've rarely seen the animosity I see now - if we haven't scored after half an hour, the crowd quickly begins to berate the team, and I always feel as though the derision comes too early.
Even yesterday's result against Liverpool is being deemed a smash and grab. It's almost as though it's Van Gaal's fault we didn't win it the United way - whatever that means. It might not have been pretty, but that was exactly the kind of gritty performance we should be looking for away at Anfield.
It's also worth pointing out that our defensive injuries have been a nightmare. Should he have reinforced in this department during the transfer windows? Perhaps, but we have started a lot of games with only one recognised defender, yet our defensive record is one of the best in the league.
If anything, my one major criticism of Van Gaal is that he has tried to do too much too soon. Perhaps realising that he has only the three years to make it work, he has made a lot of changes in the blink of an eye, and as has been pointed out by other forum members, no team has ever won the league after such wholesale changes to the squad.
Yet despite the tough run of results in December, the manager has for the most part kept his composure against some of the toughest fans and media in sport. Granted, he walked out of a press conference once, but on the whole he has shown a touch of class in staying true to his convictions.
Many fans obviously won't agree - the 300+ page LVG Out thread is testament to that - but there must also be plenty of realists out there. So for all those of us who think Louis Van Gaal isn't Lucifer incarnate, how do you see us progressing from here? 7 points off the top, can we go on a run and mount a challenge this season? And if the manager is to see out his contract, what do you think of the squad being formed for his successor?
