Can't help but be bewildered at how much faith fellow united fans are putting into Van Gaal. It's more understandable than when they did it with Moyes I guess...
The main thing his backers say is how he won the CL with Ajax once in the mid 90s. Well done and not something to dismiss but at the same time this was when only champions could qualify and foreigners were limited. That young Ajax side was of such golden generation proportions that even now casual fans could name most of the team. For me it'd take a bad manager to stop that side winning rather than the other way round.
His record in the CL has been abysmal since then. Group stage exits with Rivaldo/Figo era Barca, His Bayern did make it to the final once but that was very much down to luck as United fans will remember (United greatly outplayed Bayern but Rooney getting injured and Rafael getting sent off enabled them to sneak it on away goals).
Then there's AZ. HE WON THE DUTCH LEAGUE WITH AZ. Then Steve McLaren won it with FC Twente! :dream team:
Most of the football world has been in agreement the last 15 years not to rate too highly what's achieved in the eredivisie because Suarez apart, they're almost never the same when we bring the players/coaches over to England.
Before AZ he managed Holland and somehow finished 3rd in the WC quali group behind Ireland, not even making the playoffs.
But despite all this carry on (and you certainly will) posting your Van Gaal gifs and serenades to his football "philosophy"
The parades of 2010 seem to be the most popular source of images. Notice how if these images were in book form, you'd turn a few pages and see Klopp's Dortmund smashing his Bayern to pieces and getting him the sack?
That's the reality I'm afraid, and most of you would do well to join me in it.
/United fan whose head is above sand
