This one goes out to Louis Van Gaal...

[The Red Baron]

... The hopelessly over-rated manager.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yNWPYH-XKpI

[Donnywolf]

... The hopelessly over-rated manager.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yNWPYH-XKpI

I rate him very highly - hes doing a great job - and I will be disappointed if he retires any time soon !

David Moyes similarly rated by me - they missed a trick by sacking him imo

[The Red Baron]

In many ways it is quite amusing. Rather like watching a character in a soap opera you don't particularly like being bumped off. Though in a slow and humiliating way.

I wonder if Moyes had been given the sort of backing that Van Gaal has, would he have achieved better results? The hierarchy seemed to convince themselves that Fergie had handed over a great team and all they needed was a steady hand on the tiller. In fact, Fergie performed something of a miracle to get a title out of that lot.

I'm sure you're old enough to remember the 70s, DW. They ballsed up their succession planning then. And it took them two decades to start winning titles again. With Van Gaal they are at the Frank O'Farrell stage. I wonder who will be Tommy Doc?

[Donnywolf]

I know there will be Man U fans who disagree with both you and I but you are right .... they were extremely lucky to squeeze a last Title out of a squad that was collectively over the hill

At that stage Fergie could not get out whilst "at the top" quick enough - even he must have known what was coming !

I do remember the 70s with Frank o Farrell Tommy Doc et al .... they were great times for me personally

[nightporter]

Damn, I clicked that link and it took me an hour to get back after listening to Dolby's other tracks. I saw him in Sheffield Octagon in 1982 playing this track/album. 33 years ago, a third of a century!!! I was 15.

[idler]

I know there will be Man U fans who disagree with both you and I but you are right .... they were extremely lucky to squeeze a last Title out of a squad that was collectively over the hill

At that stage Fergie could not get out whilst "at the top" quick enough - even he must have known what was coming !

I do remember the 70s with Frank o Farrell Tommy Doc et al .... they were great times for me personally

Don't forget Wilf McGuiness as well.

[The Red Baron]

Wilf McGuinness equals David Moyes.

Glad you checked out Thomas Dolby, Nightporter. Much more entertaining than United under Van Gaal!

[Sammy Chung was King]

Personally i think he inherited a right mess. What he has done is change too many things in too short a space of time. If anybody remembers Souness at Liverpool.
Van Gaal's reign is very similar, except ofcourse the latter has spent a lot more money.
Both followed 'Legendary' managers, but both have ripped the heart out of how things are done at both respective clubs.
 Van Gaal has found that even though he has the money to get anybody he wants, he faces the same problem Ferguson faced, the very top players don't want to live and work in Manchester, it's London or nothing if a top player comes over here!.
I suspect the players he really wanted he couldn't get, Bale, Hummels, Ronaldo even, these sort of players use united as a leverage to get an improved contract.

If you look at his net spend, he hasn't actually spent that much this season, the money brought in from sale of players has near enough covered what they spent.
When he first joined in that window he spent heavily and it was mostly all outgoings.
 If you look at the one's who went, almost all of them needed to go, but he let too many go out before adequately replacing them first.
I think he assumed the money and the name of the club, and he could sign anybody, that has never been the case at united!
He has been very rigid with his formation, and he has been right to be so, because as other night proved, if they play open, the defence isn't as good as the stats suggest.

Smalling never has and never will be a top defender, Blind hasn't the physicality to cope with our football, Rojo is neither a full back or centre half, Schweinsteiger has been signed when his best has gone at the top level, he signed him for his experience.
Schneiderlin isn't of the quality needed, but he little option when his top targets wouldn't come. Di Maria never wanted to play here, PSG couldn't sign him because they had reached their budget cut off.
He made a bad mistake letting Hernandez go without first replacing him. He needed to go for a fresh start, but without another coming in he should have been retained.
Janusaj i suspect won't develop into the player many think, his early success went to his head, but again should have been retained until better was found.

Ferguson senior was spot on with Rooney, has anybody seen the condition he is playing in?, he definitely isn't looking after himself.
All in all Van Gaal has almost produced a 'Managerial masterclass', to have them anywhere near topping the league. Converting Ashley Young into an adequate full back, who would have thought that possible?.
He has major problems with injuries, the squad depth isn't there, the quality of youngsters poor. They could get Guardiola, Ancelotti whoever, they would still not get the players needed in.

The premier league is so poor, that if he can just maintain things until some of the better players are fit, they could still win that league.
Man city can hammer teams one week, then get beat away at a struggler the next, Arsenal are just Arsenal, Leicester will not maintain where they are, Tottenham lack the bottle to go the extra yard to do it.
I honestly think, as far back as Chelsea are, wouldn't write them off just yet, they are capable of stringing ten wins on the bounce together, but they themselves have problems.
I can see a record low number of points winning the league this year. If Van Gaal can retain that solidity, get Martial and Depay firing, they could just nick it.

The ineptitude of all the side's, makes this years premier league interesting in a different way. In europe we have one side capable of stopping one of the big four, if they can get a run together, and that's Chelsea.
They won it before in an otherwise poor season, get plenty of luck with injuries, and that might just be the trophy they win.

[The Red Baron]

United seem to have got as many injury problems as City and Arsenal. If all of those clubs could field their strongest teams week in, week out, United would come a poor third behind the other two.

[RobTheRover]

Bloody hell, Thomas Dolby.

One of the first albums I ever bought with my own money was "The Flat Earth".  Still got it with all my other vinyl.  "Hyperactive" is still a great song.

[drfchound]

I hope that Man U keep VanGal in charge because under him they are going nowhere fast.