10 Things Man Utd Want You To Forget About Louis Van Gaal
8. He Failed To Qualify For The 2002 World Cup With Netherlands
United supporters were lauding Van Gaal after the performance of the Netherlands national team in this summers World Cup, but the Dutch manager got it badly wrong in his first stint with the Oranje. Things went from bad to worst when Van Gaal returned to his homeland to take charge of the Netherlands national team after the Barcelona debacle. The 63-year-old took the job in 2000, with his primary objective to win qualification into the 2002 World Cup. It didnt go well, with an injury-hit side dropping points against supposed weaker opponents in the group stages. The national team manager was also left red-faced after suggesting his side wouldnt be a match for Ireland, ahead of the two sides meeting in Dublin. But Netherlands lost 1-0 to The Boys in Green, which saw them fail to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. Van Gaal subsequently left his post with the national team, further shattering his reputation.
Crippy Cooke, 23, is a freelance Football Writer contributing to What Culture. He's had work featured on Zoo, MSN, London 24, The Telegraph, The Huffington Post, and was recently named Writer of the Year on FTBpro - while also a nominee for Best Male Blog in the Football Blogging Awards.
