Jose Mourinho to take over on July 1st 2016

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

You need to tell Bayern that, because they decided that their outdated approach to football was in need of reform and used Van Gaal to instigate it. They were happy to £#%&! him off, perhaps harshly, after 18 months and continued the plan without him. Because their belief in the idea was stronger than any loyalty or indeed belief in Van Gaal himself.

It's worked out alright for them.

They weren't exactly shit before though we're they? Consistently one of the top teams in Europe for as long as I can remember.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

You need to tell Bayern that, because they decided that their outdated approach to football was in need of reform and used Van Gaal to instigate it. They were happy to £#%&! him off, perhaps harshly, after 18 months and continued the plan without him. Because their belief in the idea was stronger than any loyalty or indeed belief in Van Gaal himself.

It's worked out alright for them.

Yeah it suppose it helps when you've got the core of the best german footballers for a generation as the foundation of your team.

It also helps being able to bully your only domestic rivals into giving up their best player every single season.

Doesn't matter who the manager is at Bayern - they will be successful because they are Bayern Munich. It's increasingly looking like Manchester United were only successful because of Alex Ferguson.

Originally Posted by andyroo

Of course it would be disappointing. But that's what it's been, disappointing. It was a bold plan, one I liked, but one that involved Van Gaal not phoning it in with this dreadful rubbish he's palmed us off with and actually applying some of this famous sageing we knew and loved him for.

Maybe he has laid some foundations, maybe only time will tell on that. It's just, the foundations he lay at Barcelona and Bayern involved giving the fabulous players we know they produce their start in the big team. Xavi and Iniesta. Müller and Alaba. Lingard and Borthwick-Jackson. Sessions.

He's been much castigated for the transfers but he's never been much of a chequebook manager, and I don't really mind that he hasn't bought a bunch of off the peg superstars. It's what he hasn't done with what he has got that sticks in the craw.

I think this is a little ott, as you know, but even if I agree then why can't you ditch Van Gaal and continue with the idea? That's the point I'm making. United completely changed training, cut two thirds of the players on the books, reduced the age of the squad and set about letting a manager completely re-train the players in a new approach to football.

I'd like to think when that hits the bricks in the second season and you lose belief in Van Gaal, you have in mind someone else who can do it better, rather than just tearing it up and doing something completely different.

Though in fairness it's a little disingenuous to suggest it's a surprise. Apparently we also tried for Simeone and Ancelotti in 2014. So three entirely different managers, with entirely different personalities who work in entirely different ways. Sounds like us.

Originally Posted by signed dc

They weren't exactly shit before though we're they? Consistently one of the top teams in Europe for as long as I can remember.

Well it depends on how you define it. They hadn't won their league for about ten years, and they'd been in a bit of a lull as far as champions league progress goes too. They were at a sort of Arsenal level, which is fine for Arsenal as they've got more well heeled rivals, but Bayern don't. Van Gaal got them back where they should be.

Originally Posted by signed dc

They weren't exactly shit before though we're they? Consistently one of the top teams in Europe for as long as I can remember.

Think they had gone something like eight years without getting past the QF of the Champions League before Van Gaal arrived.

Horrible side under Magath, Klinsmann and latter day Hitzfeld iirc. Their stylistic reputation has undergone a complete change.

Introducing young players has got to be a good thing - but if only if their introduction is managed and they are surrounded by players of stature and experience. And the team is ultimately successful. Being booed off in Denmark won't do any young player any good at all - they shouldn't ever be subjected to it and they only are because van gaal has the balance of the squad completely wrong - injuries or not.

Martial shouldnt be relied upon as being our major goal threat in his first season in this league at his age. He's remarkable for being able to shoulder it the way he has.

Borthers has been a revelation and I'm delighted that van gaal has given him the backing he has and I obviously fear that mou won't do that. But from where I'm standing the downside with mou's aporoach v the downside of van gaals is poles apart.

Originally Posted by andyroo

Well it depends on how you define it. They hadn't won their league for about ten years, and they'd been in a bit of a lull as far as champions league progress goes too. They were at a sort of Arsenal level, which is fine for Arsenal as they've got more well heeled rivals, but Bayern don't. Van Gaal got them back where they should be.

What?

Bayern munich hadn't won the german league for 10 years? Since 2000 they've won 10 league titles. What are you on about?

Originally Posted by Sparky***

What?

Bayern munich hadn't won the german league for 10 years? Since 2000 they've won 10 league titles. What are you on about?

Well maybe not ten years but I had a feeling there were a bunch of Stuttgarts and Werders winning it in the preceding years.

Just looked it up and they'd only gone two years but as I say it was sandwiched between Stuttgart and Werder.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

You need to tell Bayern that, because they decided that their outdated approach to football was in need of reform and used Van Gaal to instigate it. They were happy to £#%&! him off, perhaps harshly, after 18 months and continued the plan without him. Because their belief in the idea was stronger than any loyalty or indeed belief in Van Gaal himself.

It's worked out alright for them.

Bayern had a title winning squad to start with and had added the likes of Ribery, Robben, had Muller coming through and have signed the likes of Neuer, Lewendowski, Vidal, Thiago etc in the meantime... they won the title and lost in the CL final months before they binned Van Gaal. Van Gaal's approach at United has been to sign shite players to join the shite already here, then when they flop/get injured, start blooding ill-prepared youth players (2 new names per week currently) in the hope one sticks and finally comes good. It's a complete £#%&!ing mess.

You talk as if sacking him would be folly and we're on the brink of great things. We aren't.

Originally Posted by andyroo

Well it depends on how you define it. They hadn't won their league for about ten years, and they'd been in a bit of a lull as far as champions league progress goes too. They were at a sort of Arsenal level, which is fine for Arsenal as they've got more well heeled rivals, but Bayern don't. Van Gaal got them back where they should be.

Their decline in Europe coincided with a noticeable drop off in German talent over that period tho .

Now Germany is producing top players again, shock, horror, Bayern are a top side again.

Originally Posted by My Name is Keith

Introducing young players has got to be a good thing - but if only if their introduction is managed and they are surrounded by players of stature and experience. And the team is ultimately successful. Being booed off in Denmark won't do any young player any good at all - they shouldn't ever be subjected to it and they only are because van gaal has the balance of the squad completely wrong - injuries or not.

Martial shouldnt be relied upon as being our major goal threat in his first season in this league at his age. He's remarkable for being able to shoulder it the way he has.

Borthers has been a revelation and I'm delighted that van gaal has given him the backing he has and I obviously fear that mou won't do that. But from where I'm standing the downside with mou's aporoach v the downside of van gaals is poles apart.

Agree but when you consider that basically five of the most experienced United players, who had been at the club the best part of a decade, left the club on frees inside Van Gaa's first six months, you have to acknowledge it is extremely difficult to replace that amount of experience in the next 12 months.

Schweini was a nice addition. But it's not easy to just head out and sign experienced, reliable footballers who can show up and lead Manchester United. Vidal would have been great, but he chose to go elsewhere. It's an oversight, but replacing that core was never going to happen quickly.

Originally Posted by carlosartorial

Bayern had a title winning squad to start with and had added the likes of Ribery, Robben, had Muller coming through and have signed the likes of Neuer, Lewendowski, Vidal, Thiago etc in the meantime... they won the title and lost in the CL final months before they binned Van Gaal. Van Gaal's approach at United has been to sign shite players to join the shite already here, then when they flop/get injured, start blooding ill-prepared youth players (2 new names per week currently) in the hope one sticks and finally comes good. It's a complete £#%&!ing mess.

You talk as if sacking him would be folly and we're on the brink of great things. We aren't.

No I don't

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

Agree but when you consider that basically five of the most experienced United players, who had been at the club the best part of a decade, left the club on frees inside Van Gaa's first six months, you have to acknowledge it is extremely difficult to replace that amount of experience in the next 12 months.

Schweini was a nice addition. But it's not easy to just head out and sign experienced, reliable footballers who can show up and lead Manchester United. Vidal would have been great, but he chose to go elsewhere. It's an oversight, but replacing that core was never going to happen quickly.

Now this I agree with. The squad transition would be a bloody nightmare for anybody, dunno why whenever dunk says this he gets dogs abuse for it. It was always going to take time.

The good thing about van Gaal in theory though was that he did offer something more than chequebook management. He hasn't delivered though. The letdown bastard.

Originally Posted by andyroo

Well maybe not ten years but I had a feeling there were a bunch of Stuttgarts and Werders winning it in the preceding years.

Just looked it up and they'd only gone two years but as I say it was sandwiched between Stuttgart and Werder.

They may have the odd dodgy year but they're in such a position now they've crushed all form of domestic opposition. Dortmund are basically their bitches and Bayern have benefited from the total overhaul of the German academy system that happened in 2000. They have a golden generation of German footballers to pick from, so yeah i should imagine its very easy to get top notch players to adapt to more technical systems.

Meanwhile back in England, Van Gaal is trying to transfer a very technical style onto a squad that 70% of which look as though they'll never get their heads around.

Originally Posted by andyroo

Well maybe not ten years but I had a feeling there were a bunch of Stuttgarts and Werders winning it in the preceding years.

Just looked it up and they'd only gone two years but as I say it was sandwiched between Stuttgart and Werder.

Yeah you've had a shocker there, pal

But it's not just about the success level. Bayern have been dominant in Germany and hoovered up the best domestic talent for years. The change is that Bayern are now seen as a majestic footballing side who play a fantastic brand of modern total football.

Van Gaal started it, and when he left abruptly after 18 months their perseverance with the idea remained. Bayern are now a very different football club in terms of the ol' philosophy. No more Felix Magath-type taskmaster appointments for them.

I see all this stuff about Mourinho not being part of the grand succession plan for United. Who was? Giggs? Pep? Mourinho has a link with LvG going back as long as Pep and is probably a lot closer in footballing terms to the philosophy of LvG than Giggs ever was.
Surely Jose is the only choice at this point.

Hoeness: "Football should be enjoyable, but there has been nothing enjoyable about football at FC Bayern for a while now. And to say that he had the players behind him was a myth."

Definitely sounds familiar to what he's attempting to achieve here tbf.

Originally Posted by andyroo

Now this I agree with. The squad transition would be a bloody nightmare for anybody, dunno why whenever dunk says this he gets dogs abuse for it. It was always going to take time.

The good thing about van Gaal in theory though was that he did offer something more than chequebook management. He hasn't delivered though. The letdown bastard.

He gets dogs because he always puts (or did until recently) the blame elsewhere other than van gaal. Van gaal has inadvisedly reduced the size of the squad, spent big on new players and had the unfortunate situation where most of his additions have bombed under him or been permanently injured. Clearly not all his fault but people would be much much more lenient with him if they could see progress or individual brilliance, sorry, above average performances, from any of our players.

We've got £#%&!ing miles worse.

Originally Posted by andyroo

Well maybe not ten years but I had a feeling there were a bunch of Stuttgarts and Werders winning it in the preceding years.

Just looked it up and they'd only gone two years but as I say it was sandwiched between Stuttgart and Werder.

One year. They won it in 2008.

Originally Posted by Coracao

Hoeness: "Football should be enjoyable, but there has been nothing enjoyable about football at FC Bayern for a while now. And to say that he had the players behind him was a myth."

Definitely sounds familiar to what he's attempting to achieve here tbf.

You've quoted a bloke who hates his guts. And who then ended up in prison for being a shifty @#%&!

Look for quotes from Phillip Lahm

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

Look for quotes from Phillip Lam

can't believe he's still defending him.