So, how did it ever reach the stage where the manager of Manchester United can win the FA Cup, with all the glories it is supposed to bring, then be booed by considerable swaths of the club’s supporters and carry the trophy into his press conference only to be informed the news wires were flashing up stories of his imminent sacking?
For all Louis van Gaal’s faults, it was certainly a low stunt for that kind of information to be leaked while his suit was still damp from the spray of champagne. Van Gaal’s diminished popularity can probably be judged by the beery chants of “José Mourinho” on Wembley Way, as well as various stops along the Metropolitan line, throughout Saturday night, but no manager deserves that kind of treatment. Two have now been in this position since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement three years ago and Van Gaal, like David Moyes, found out through the people he called “my friends in the media”. Except, of course, he didn’t say it with any friendliness in his voice.
He is entitled to feel it could have been handled with more dignity but, equally, it is difficult to argue with United’s decision when Van Gaal’s two-year reign has been synonymous with bland, prosaic football, featuring their worst scoring statistics for more than a quarter of a century and, within the dressing room, a scale of disillusionment that makes it absolutely clear there will be minimal sympathy among the players. Van Gaal has been described among those players as “hard work”. His tactics have been so unpopular that various members of his squad have talked between themselves about openly defying him. It hasn’t reached the point of mutiny, but it has been a close-run thing sometimes. The consensus has been that “it can’t get much worse than it is”.
A manager does not have to be popular but he needs to be respected and, though there were times when the players warmed to him and even found him good company, Van Gaal’s often abrasive, almost schoolmasterly approach rubbed against the players like sandpaper. They found his methods restrictive. Why, they asked, was a man with his impressive background so devoted to such an unappealing style? Supporters longed for a return to the old United way – attacking, adventurous football, played at speed and with penetration – but so did the players, and it pained them that he refused to bend.
Instead, there was always the gnawing sense they had to stick to Van Gaal’s rigid system or risk being expelled from the team. United have scored one more goal than fourth-bottom Sunderland – a team who spent 237 days in the relegation zone – in his final season of talking about “the process” or “the philosophy”, and conveniently ignoring how he promised on his arrival that everything would click within three months. It is the least watchable United side in memory and there are numerous stories about how, collectively, the players’ respect for Van Gaal eroded in the process.
One example comes in the form of Van Gaal’s “evaluation sessions” the day after every match when the Dutchman could be so outspoken in his criticisms – “he would crucify players in front of each other”, according to one source – the two most senior players, Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick, went to see him to air their concerns that it was damaging for morale and, in effect, a self-defeating exercise.
Van Gaal, to give him his due, was always willing to listen to complaints and encouraged his players to speak up. But the bad feeling continued. From that point onwards, he started sending the players individual emails detailing their faults and submitting video clips to highlight his dissatisfaction. Except by that stage a lot of the players were so disillusioned many ignored the emails or redirected them straight to their trash. Van Gaal suspected as much and had a tracker fitted so he could check if the emails were opened and for how long. It became a game of cat and mouse. Some players opened the emails on their mobiles, then left their pho
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