Its true that in the post-Ferguson era, some of his teams are looked back at with rose tinted glasses. United were incredibly successful under his leadership, of course, but they were not always the goal-hungry entertainers they are now often portrayed as being. Especially in his later years, Fergie often favoured pragmatism over idealism. But then, even during their dullest periods, his teams always had the potential to hammer someone with a glut of goals. Under Van Gaal though, any possibility of the thrilling attacking skill that characterised Fergusons very beat teams has been extinguished. Briefly, it looked as if the intransigent Dutchman had finally heeded the crowds weekly cry of attack, attack, attack! during a topsy-turvey 3-3 draw with Newcastle, but soon after the team reverted to type a dull 1-0 win over Liverpool followed and that result was out-done in turgidness by a 1-0 defeat against Southampton this weekend. Against Saints, United mustered just one shot on target and no clear cut chances of any kind. It was a game that will surely be last on Match Of The Day yet again, a position fans have become all too familiar with this season. Slow, patient football is fine, in theory, but Van Gaals United seem to have no creativity and imagination. The players are afraid to try anything exciting unless they find themselves out of the team as so many unpredictable flair players have in the past. In the most open, unpredictable Premier League for years, Manchester United should be vying for the title. Instead, even a Champions League place looks beyond the uninspired team at the moment. The decision makers at Old Trafford need to make a difficult choice and get rid of Van Gaal he drags the club even further away from what makes it so special.
David is an office drone and freelance writer for WhatCulture and Moviepilot, among others. He's also foolishly writing a serialised novel on Jukepop and has his own irregularly updated website. He's available for freelance work. Reach out on Twitter to @davefox990
