I feel Saints will go down. Not winning, not scoring and playing teams over the festive season who on current form will beat them.
If you look at RK and LvG sat on the bench they both have similar expressions of confusion on their faces because it isn't working.
I think this whole "post-Fergie collapse" and "being all over the place as a club" is over-exaggerated and used only as a way of defending Van Gaal with little substance. Football at its core is a fairly simple thing. A squad of players, a tactical style of play, the training to put in practise that style of play, and then the performance at the weekend that demonstrates that. It's not rocket science. Our squad is pretty good barring a couple of positions, but these are quality footballers - many have never played under Fergie, and many are youngsters coming through. So this notion that somehow they need to get over Fergie doesn't really apply. Where it's falling down is the tactical style of play and the training imo. Why would I see playing great as a negative?? I don't get that at all. As for 3 or 4 rubbish games, we've played exactly the same dull, unimaginative football for about 25 games this season alone. You also have to note I don't use the term "badly". For me you can have a football style which is pleasing on the eye yet through circumstances play badly. Playing badly isn't the problem fella. That's acceptable. What we have is different. We have a whole approach - the ethos- to our football which is wrong. It's cumbersome, slow, lacks vision or attacking flair or any sense of creativity or imagination. Hence why we've been rubbish in the vast majority of games this season.
And perhaps they're both overthinking what is in essence a simple game and overlooking the importance of man management (which I think LVG is spectacularly **** at).
It's harder to see now. There's no doubt about that but for me its still there. I hope its embedded enough to continue after van Gaal as I believe in time it will pay off. His biggest mistake was the undersized squad, especially in attack. Nobody could imagine almost all pur defenders would be injured at one time but the attack was his own doing. I guess he expected Memphis to do better. Naive tbh. Rooney is the next mistake. You must see why he plays but even I agree that one positive (older player ie leader...) Is massively outweighed by the many negatives he's bringing. He's not coming back, that's obvious now. On the flip side, Martial is still our biggest threat. Ignore his position, he's still our best winger and striker regardless of where he starts and plays. He's dancing through defences alone and one day, others will support him and play with his confidence. Smalling has come along way. You can now safely argue he's one of the leagues best without the whole world falling over. This might have happened anyway, but its happened under van Gaal and he deserves some credit. I also think Herrera is a better player now. When he first came he was a bit lapse to losing the ball or a rash tackle. He's moved on a lot from that and is quite easily our most important midfielder. I'm not saying he's got it all right with him, but we shouldn't ignore the improvement he made through last season and this. Our poor form has affected all recently though. Lingard and Shaw have also done well. Others have been given plenty of opportunities as well. He's not shy to give them ago, which I like. Though its risky and unpredictable. Imagine Jose with our injuries at times. He would be asking the league for emergency loans
I doubt many will disagree with most of that. But all you've identified is individuals and their performances. Not what they're doing as a team.
They expected it to come to fruition quickly I suspect. Van Gaal initially stated 3 months because that's his experience in the past. The PL is an unforgiving league and van Gaal learned this last season. Even when he appeared to have cracked it, 3 months later than planned, he quickly found it wasnt. This season is the craziest PL in a while and its not just ourselves finding that out. Chelsea have already hit the panic button. Will it pay off? Its a good start to be fair bit imagine Hiddink comes in and does what he did with Holland. A team that recently over achieved only to be found out shortly after. Chelsea aren't great and Jose is a great manager for all his faults.... Look at them. The fact its a horrid club doesn't work in their favour either. Look at Klopp. Liverpool batter City and get battered by Watford.
We need to be building around those 3 IMO. These are 3 who 9/10 times, step up while others often don't. If others worked like they do, and just look at Herrera when he plays compared with others, van Gaal taken much of the rashness out but the desire is still there. Or Martial compared with the other attackers.
This is what United have done with the ball after winning it back more successfully than any other team in the league
What's in that big black portfollio he always carries with him ?, and why does he never stand on the touch line ?
They say you can't teach old dogs new tricks. But surely even LVG can see that unless he changes his "philosophy" or system he wll be out within days. He has absolutely nothing to lose by cutting loose and ordering his players to take risks and pass forwards instead of just passing sideways and backwards. You have to wonder what do they ****ing do in the training grounds? So mate, just get your coaches including Giggs to get the players to attack attack attack. A 0-0 draw will get you the sack. Might as well go down trying.
Interesting question. He keeps "The Philosophy" in that folder. No one other than him has ever seen it. Each detail of The Philosophy is carefully scripted and updated on a single sheet of paper. When LVG's time comes, Philosophy Hunters from across the globe will devote their lives to finding the folder and uncovering the secrets of The Philosophy scripture. The smart money is on it looking something like this.
Are you saying we have an issue in attack? And you needed stats to back that up? Surely just watching the games confirms this.
Pretty damning stats don't you think? Backs up what lots of people (but not everyone) have been saying for weeks. I believe you've been satisfied with the tactics and style of play as you've repeatedly reacted very badly to any criticism. Besides, you love a good stat. Just not the ones that make you look foolish! Let's be honest UIR, your god has let you down spectacularly! He doesn't deserve your unconditional love!
Irrelevant stats tbh. 30 shots for Spurs has fired then to so such success. I mean it goes without saying, more shots, more success. That's exactly how football works. Chelsea's 22 shots has really fired them upwards this season too. Once again, the obvious correlation between shots and success is proven here. There's one stat on there that supports any argument, Leicester, 30 passes per shot. I believe you are pining for Klopp, which is incredibly embarrassing for not just a United fan, but a grown man. You seen to take offence to others poking fun at hin .
Certainly nothing as impressive as the stats that show how we win possession back more than any other team. You got a proper stiff one over that until it was pointed out that once we had the ball we did the square root of **** all with it! You've started early today. It usually takes you til the evening to start hallucinating about what other people have said (but you are usually having several arguments with multiple posters at that time). I take it that you aren't a grown man as your LVG love is definitely embarrassing for an adult!
