Just to put things in perspective... Simply not good enough: Swansea home Sunderland away Leicester away Burnley away Villa away Swansea away Everton away Southampton at home West Brom at home Decent result irrespective of the performance Liverpool at home Southampton away Arsenal away Newcastle away Played well and decent result Hull at home QPR at home Liverpool at home Villa at home Spurs at home City at home (Tried to keep it balanced so not included some games like those away to Stoke or West Ham or even Chelsea at home where a draw arent bad results) Shows the weight of underachievement where we've lost points unnecessarily. Also that 2nd list completely puts paid to the notion that somehow we've "had to play a particular way in order to get a result" considering it only amounts to a wopping 4 games where that's happened! Personally, I think LVG is saving his job by the skin of his teeth but as things stand he's going to have to do a fck of a lot better if he's going to be regarded as good enough to manage United. Some of those results are just piss poor.
My stance on van Gaal is the same as always, if we finish in the top four then he'll warrant another season. I'm not even slightly impressed though, not a bit. I shudder to think where we'd now be if certain things hadn't happened. I'm fairly sure if he'd have had his own choice in the matter Blind would still be plodding away at cm and Di Maria would still be keeping Mata out of the side and we'd be sixth or seventh. The ONLY plus points are we won the crucial games v Spurs, Liverpool and City handsomely. This is off set by his inability to raise the side to compete once he clearly thought 4th was secure. That is piss poor, dreadful management. We've got to improve massively next season or he's ****ed.
Agree about his inability to raise the side. It's been that way all season. We've hovered on 4th and when goven the opportunity to get a grip on 2nd (even when we were 5 pts ahead of arsenal and 8 pts ahead of Livpl 3/4 months ago) he failed to drive the players on. Another telling sign is that as well as hovering 4th we've only once managed to average 2 pts per game all season. We've consistently been just below.
I thought you would challenge for the title this year I have to say. I didn't think you would win it, as LvG didnt make the required signings defensively, but I thought at least a challenge, so was a little disappointed in that. I share Chief's attitude in that LvG has achieved his overall target.....just.....top 4 and back in the CL, which was pretty much the minimum requirement and he should be given another season, and most likely another £100m +, to prove himself. But have been far from impressed by him. Believe it or not, I want a PL where the top clubs all challenge, as is it whats best for English football. As long as CFC win at the end
But those two are mutually exclusive. Chelsea only ever win the league when there's no real competition
This thread is rather premature. We still have 3 potentially massive games to play. **** them up we are in massive trouble. (I wish I had the optimism that some of you have here ). So at this point I would say that LVG is just about doing enough to retain his job. If only to avoid changing managers so soon and to see what he can do next season when some of the recruits are more settled. The Palace match will be a nail biter and it shopuld not have been. For me , one of things in his favour is how he deals with the top teams. He is not fazed by those like Moyes and the likes of Brenda.
!! We only won by a single point in 2010! In 05 and 06 we smashed it granted, by in 2010 it went to the last day.
Yeah I know, I was just winding you up Although worth pointing out that in 2010 we had just lost Ronaldo and Tevez and were definitely a lot less competitive than we had been for the past three years. Still, will be interesting to see how Mourinho copes if he has a genuine title challenge next season, as he didn't do all that great with one in 2007 or last season.
2007 was a season I would class as a failure. Even though we won both domestic cups, we still should have put up a better challenge in the league. Last season we had no business challenging imo anyway, without a goalscorer and a waning Lampard in the middle. Costa alone has outscored all of our strikers from last season, and he has missed a third of this season through injury. The fact that we got so close was great. I said from day one last season that top 3 was the best we could hope for. My god Torres was such a ****ing donkey.
But Mourinho spent £150 million, surely you would have to challenge having spent that much money?* Tbh last season was a failure from you as well imo - Mourinho spent the highest amount by a Chelsea manager since 2006, only to take you from coming 3rd and winning the Europa League to coming 3rd and winning the sum total of **** all. At least LVG has managed to take us up the table this year! And most Utd fans said top 3 was the best we could realistically hope for this season too...the only way is up! *Disclaimer - this post may be based on London's Only transfer mathematics and logic
If top 3 was the target then we'll miss it. No chance whatsoever. The usual laws of league position v/s money spent/squad costs would apply to every club except United... and I am only half joking.
Read my disclaimer... Although Brenton and London's do have remarkably similar views on football tbf...
We are in a significantly better position to last season and have improved 10 fold. We are on course to meet target and have been in the top 4 all season. Weve been poor at times but looked like the best team in the league at other times. All part of the transition. No matter what anyone here thinks, van Gaal is going nowhere and thats a good thing. We are a better team now under him. Miles from the finished article of course but not so far away. All I see is panic because we lost 3 in a row. This season will be a success when top 4 is confirmed. Weve made progress on every area and will have met target. Ive asked before and you've not answered but, what did you expect for this season. Im certain you expected the title because you are moaning about a side in transition, lost 15 players, signed 6 (the money does not matter, replacing 15 with 6 was never going to be easy) players but has significantly more points than 12 months ago, has a style of play (in its infancy still) and a direction. None of that applied a year ago. None of it.
Like in many other areas, the truth lies somewhere in between. He is not as bad as some suggest but not as good as others suggest either. 2 points: * IF United get into the CL, LVG will have achieved his target. A massive achievement despite the money spent and expectations of some people to going for the title (never on for me). A good springboard for next season. * IMO LVG has not got the most out of this squad. Young Fellani and Mata Herrera Blind have done well. Shaw Di Maria and Falcao have underperformed. United I am sure will rightly stick with him. I don't like these managerial changes (I would have stuck with Moyes for another season ) but I cannot declare with any confidence that no other top manager could not have done better than him with the resources at his disposal. (I am not factoring the size of the budget either because for me it would have been weird if United had NOT spent hundred of millions more than other others)
LvG needs to finish what he has started, a Carrick replacement and a CB. I would look to replace VP if funds allow
This thread ISN'T the usual LVG is good/**** that it's in danger of turning into. The OP is looking at specific games and the numbers dont look very good. If you look at them you'll see the concerns are based on more than just 3 games. LVG seems to have 2 or 3 default positions dictated by injuries and fitness rather than a tactical intelligence to try something else. "X works, so I'll play that ad infinitum....until Carrick gets injured, then I'll go with Y ad infinitum until Carrick returns." It's unimaginative and uninspiring at times when you consider the options available in the squad. You then have a situation like Saturday where, with each substitition the players look more and more clueless about the game plan bcos they simply don't know how to play together outside of those 2 default positions.
The numbers look pretty good compared to last season and compared to 16 other clubs. Good enough? Not even close. Right direction though.
MiR is LvG's No.1 Cheerleader, you will never convince him of anything other than Louis' complete and utter magnificence.
I've been unimpressed so far. I could have achieved the same and would have happily done it for a paltry £2million.
