Dear UnitedGAF let me clear up the confusion between LVG and BayernGAF.
Bayern Gaf mentioned he made some bad moves if I remember correctly. Apparently he didn't want to sign Neuer as the GK.
That's correct. LVG didnt rate spending 27m Euros on a goalkeeper and thought that Kraft given time and training (under him an Hoek) would be just as good. What he didnt see was that Bayern desperately needed stability in goal, that Neuer was on his way to become the best GK in the world and that 27m didnt really matter for Bayern. He basically still had a small club mentality combined with an oversized ego ('I can do it without buying the stars, my training is so good I can make a star out of almost anyone').
To prove his point he installed Kraft during the second half of the season as first choice gk despite knowing that Bayern was willing to go foward with the Neuer deal and most likely already had secured his signature. What ensued was madness... Kraft cost us multiple games and the Ultra fans actively campaigned against Neuer (they would have done that anyway but LVG moves pushed their actions to a whole new level).
Ultimately his unwillingness to buy Neuer cost him the job and nearly tore the club and fanbase apart.
Bayern GAF is rather shortsighted though.
Van Gaal had to clean up the mess that Klinsmann left, with alot of shitty players and nearly noone in that club was willed to spend money for players like Martinez.
And he had Nerlinger with him, who tried to imitate Hoeness (not the tax stuff, but talking bullshit...).
Allthough Hoeness always talked alot of shit, he had a damn plan and Nerlinger had no fucking clue what to do.
He bought shitty players and Van Gaal had to integrate them.
He formed some talents to outstanding players, like Müller or Badstuber.
Pls. Robben and Luiz Gustavo were the board/Hoeness signings during the LvG era. Both were great signings. LvG on his own signed a bunch of nobodies from Eredivise: Pranjic, Braafheid (wtf really), and surely I'm forgetting someone
Of course LvG accepted the Robben transfer, maybe he even convinced him to join. But my point is: we were interested in Robben before LvG came, so it was a Board/Hoeness transfer. LvG's transfers were Braafheid and Pranjic, and the promotion of Contento, Alaba and Ekici (Badstuber and Mueller were already part of the first team squad).
I'm not taking anything away from LvG, what he achieved with the squad we had in 09/10 is amazing.
Heynckes sorted out the defense in his first season, and it was very notorious improvement. LvG blocked a lot of transfer, and for some reason kept playing with DvB and Demichelis in a super high defensive line, despite getting an abnormal number of goals against. He forced van Bommel, Luca Toni, etc out and didn't sign adequate replacements.
You don't remember the second season?
Ottl-Pranjic holding midfield. Altintop as RW/LW and Tymo as CB.
Actually Lucio was the first player Van Gaal forced out and remember what an important part he played for Inter during their CL campaign? The reason Lucio had to go pretty much boiled down tobeing tactically undisciplined and being right footed, because LVG wanted a left footed and a right footed CB. LVG has the tendency to find diamonds in the rough but he also overrates homegrown talent and his coaching skills massively. Robben was more a less a panic buy after Bayern started the 2009710 Bundesliga season with 2 draws and a loss.
Of course I do.
As I said, he had his fair share of blame.
And his attitude just wasn't working with Hoeness, but he was also to blame.
I doubt he was grateful for players like Altintop or Ottl and would rather taken someone like Martinez for the bench...
What I was trying to say, he would have been able to get them back on track with the right amount of money and some communication between the manager and him.
It didn't work out, because Dortmund was getting ahead and Bayern got nervous.
That clearly influenced the disaster as well.
And the scouting from Bayern was kinda shitty over the last years, if you compare it with Dortmund were they saw the potential with Shinjiru and Lewandowski, renember who the Bayern scouts found.
Breno,Sousa and alot of other bad players....
LVG would've never spent 40m on a guy like Martinez. He's far too convinced that he can make any player better and doesnt like to spend big on "non-skill" positions. That said there's the possiblity that he has changed. 5 years ago no Bayern fand would've wanted Heynckes, we even protested when Uli replaced Klinsmann with him. No one expected an old horse like him to learn a bunch of new tricks. I could see the same happen with LVG, LVG didnt really adjust from Alkmaar to Bayern. He didnt realize the amount of money he had at his hands and how important strengthening your squad through transfers is.
However, he was great at teaching the fundamentals, laying the groundwork for Bayern ball-control approach and his dictator style disciplinarian measures were something the squad desperately needed after Klinsmann.
Guiding Bayern to the CL final in his first season was a massive achievement but also a fluke. Please remember, especially you UnitedGAF, how many times Bayern were on the verge of crashing out and only saved by an absolute stunner from Robben.