While Sir Alex Ferguson has given Louis Van Gaal his full backing ever since the Dutchman took over as Manchester United manager in 2014, an excerpt from his most recent book 'Leading' could easily be about the former Barcelona manager and it isn't too flattering a passage, either.
The book, released last September features a section on the type of manager who Ferguson believes would struggle to communicate with his players and, although it's clearly not been written with Van Gaal in mind, it does seem to describe the current Manchester United boss' coaching methods to a tee.
"There are some managers who will enter a dressing room at half-time with a pack of notes.
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"When they talk to the players they will use their notes as prompts. I cannot imagine how that is an effective way to communicate.
'"f you have command and control of your subject, you don't need notes.
"No player is going to believe that someone is in control of his material, or is an authority on a subject, if he has to keep resorting to notes."
Van Gaal has become infamous for his excessive note taking during United games, with many Red Devils fans bemoaning his lack of passion and enthusiasm for his clipboard rather than for prowling his technical area and barking at his underachieveing players.
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Perhaps 'The Iron Tulip' could do with giving Sir Alex's book a read. Although the odds of that happening are about as likely as him playing an expansive 4-4-2 for the remainder of the campaign.
(H/T Metro)
Topics: Louis van Gaal, Football, Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson