Advertisement

On Sir Alex Ferguson, Abraham Lincoln, Louis Van Gaal and the continuing struggles of Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson is a devout student of the Civil War. One of his favourite books is Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. In 2013, he spoke to Charlie Rose about his fascination with the subject.

“Lincoln, at that time, faced the most difficult period for a president. But what he was always good at was not making quick decisions. He thought it all through. He allowed his cabinet to have its say and then he'd decide thereafter.”

As much as Ferguson's people management skills were seen as his greatest strength as a soccer coach, his steadiness consistently filled Manchester United with calm. There was a control. Even when the club appeared to be treading water in his later years, there never seemed a panicked or frenzied approach to rectify what was wrong. And there was plenty wrong. Still, most importantly, as he took the time to make changes, he ensured United remained competitive in both the Premier League and Europe.

Inevitably, since he's been gone, United have struggled in the deep end, thrashing about furiously to keep their heads above water. Where Ferguson's presence brought a serenity and composure to the club, there's been skittishness in his absence. United have never got over the swift exit of their iconic leader, seemingly suffering from a kind of post-traumatic stress over the last two years. And despite some signs last season that they were headed in the right direction, that the recovery was going well, recent events indicate it will be a long road back.

Where David Moyes spent much of his brief tenure in charge second-guessing himself – something that led to mass annoyance amongst the playing staff and in the boardroom – Louis van Gaal is the opposite. Unafraid to make big decisions, the Dutchman strode into Old Trafford with an arrogance to match the scale of the job. His personality effortlessly won over supporters despite a litany of disappointing early results and despite a small fortune spent on some high-profile acquisitions. But it wasn't until mid-March when performances started to match expectation. And it was very much by accident rather than by design.

 

Football - Swansea City v Manchester United - Barclays Premier League - Liberty Stadium - 30/8/15 Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal speaks to Marouane Fellaini Action Images via Reuters / John Sibley Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.  Please contact your account representative for further details.

Marouane Fellaini, a player that would've been on loan at Italian side Napoli were it not for an injury suffered on the eve of the transfer window deadline last August, was brought into the side and became the focal point in a new system. United won four in a row – including defining victories against Liverpool and local rivals City. But instead of pushing on until season's end, United stumbled over the finish line. From their last six league games, they racked up one victory and the campaign limped to conclusion. They had reached the minimum target however and Champions League qualification was achieved. Many predicted that such a largely forgettable season was a stepping stone, a necessary evil, that this season would be better.

But so far, all the promise, all the positivity has been washed over with more frenetic, slap-dash deals and a team still finding it immensely difficult to find an identity.

There are too many questions and few answers at United right now. On one hand, van Gaal has ripped a badly-worn bandaid off the club and revealed a nasty infection. Too many of the players weren't good enough and needed to be replaced. The clearing out has been ruthless and in the majority of cases, necessary. But others have only served to highlight the lack of any clear plan or foresight.

When Real Madrid turned down the chance to sign Falcao - the Colombian striker who had recently suffered a cruciate ligament injury - United signed him despite medical science outlining the risk involved. At the time, I spoke to Damien Comolli, the former Liverpool and Tottenham director of football, who was deeply surprised by the move and what it said about the bigger picture.

“Data shows that after 26 it’s very difficult for players to come back from an ACL injury – all the surgeons will tell you the same thing,” Comolli said then.

“From an ownership perspective and a director’s perspective, if I was looking at the United team now I’d be thinking ‘My three biggest earners – one was born in 1983 (Robin Van Persie) so he’s going to be 32, one was born in 1985 (Wayne Rooney) and just turned 29 and one is 29 next February, on huge wages and coming back from a bad cruciate injury’.”

Falcao was an unmitigated disaster. Signed on a loan deal to much fanfare, he scored four goals in 29 appearances.

Angel Di Maria (R) speaks with Louis van Gaal as he arrives for a news conference at Old Trafford in Manchester, northern England  August 28, 2014.   REUTERS/Darren Staples
Angel Di Maria (R) speaks with Louis van Gaal as he arrives for a news conference at Old Trafford in Manchester, northern England August 28, 2014. REUTERS/Darren Staples

Last August, United broke the British transfer record to sign Angel di Maria. After an encouraging start, he endured a painful debut season. And not even a year later, he was sold. United made little attempt to persuade him to stay, despite having gone to such extravagant lengths to bring him to the club. For van Gaal, the perennial teacher (he taught physical education in his native Netherlands while a young soccer player), it was simple: di Maria wasn't as committed as he should've been. If he wanted to leave, he was free to go. Van Gaal, the proud, stubborn, flat-nosed part-philosopher, part-professor, would not tolerate indifference - only attentiveness and dedication.

Such a mentality has also seen Victor Valdes, an ex-Barcelona goalkeeper with whom he won six La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies, be left out of the United squad despite signing a contract with them in January. His arrival was seen as the perfect collateral should David de Gea move to Real Madrid. But after a disagreement with van Gaal, Valdes was shunned and told he had no future in Manchester. There was no olive branch, no attempted reconciliation.

Again, for van Gaal, it was simple. It didn't matter that such an attitude meant United would probably need two new goalkeepers instead of one or that a player already on the payroll, already known to the players and a part of the squad, was now to be flippantly ignored.

If it wasn't for Real Madrid's rather bizarre and highly obnoxious behaviour, United would've lost de Gea and picked up their unwanted Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas in part-exchange. Had that happened, fans would've been far more concerned about how this season is panning out. Instead, there's simply a quiet appreciation that the transfer window is finished and United's fitful, nervy off-field approach can calm down for a while.

But for all the business United did earlier this summer, the team is still lacking in key positions. Van Gaal's main transfer targets were a central defender and a centre-forward. He got neither and so, quite inexplicably, he has put his faith in an aging Rooney to lead the line and plunder over 20 goals this season while Daley Blind, a midfielder, has been identified as the solution to the team's defensive woes.

Van Gaal is a clever man. He knows what the issues are. But the decision to spend $55 million on French teenager Anthony Martial raised more than one eyebrow. The young attacker has scored 11 goals in senior league soccer and, though highly regarded, was not the player anyone expected United to go for. What van Gaal had preached beforehand was that the club was only interested in signing players that would improve the team. But a last-minute splurge on an unproven kid does not seem like much of a strategy. It looks like desperation. It looks like bad planning. It looks like an unnecessarily quick decision.

United were never this rash before. But this is a different club now.