AN EXTRAORDINARY head-in-the-sand performance only served to raise more questions marks over whether Louis van Gaal is fit for purpose as Manchester United manager.
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| Louis van Gaal has been linked with the Man United sack with Jose Mourinho set to replace hi |
After three decades in the game as manager of some of Europe's leading clubs, you would have thought Van Gaal knew the price on the ticket. That when a big club suffers a dismal run of results and there is precious little evidence of improvement, there will be intense scrutiny and speculation over the manager's future.
Van Gaal accused the media of ignoring and twisting the facts but then failed to address any of the points that are concerning the vast majority of fans - and no doubt the Old Trafford board if they are being really honest.
Make no mistake, this has been no knee-jerk reaction to a blip. United have won only four of their last 15 games, they have gone out of the Capital One Cup and Champions League, and have dropped nine points behind leaders Leicester.
In those 15 games they have managed to score only 14 goals and provided so little entertainment at Old Trafford that they have frequently been booed off while former players have formed a long queue to put the boot in over the betrayal of the club's heritage.
Significantly, Van Gaal now has an inferior win percentage to his predecessor David Moyes, who was sacked after 10 months. And he has spent £265million.
Only last week Van Gaal admitted he feared the sack if results didn't improve and how he would hate to end his glittering career with the stigma of being fired.
Maybe yesterday he was being clever by trying to deflect the scrutiny away from the most under-performing United team for years. But all he managed to do in a press conference lasting four minutes and 58 seconds was increase concerns whether he has had his time and needs to be moved on.
It was reminiscent of some of Sir Alex Ferguson's famous rants - but Fergie could always get away with it because he was so successful.
Moyes may have been unhappy at his treatment by the media towards the end of his reign but he never behaved so petulantly. He knew it came with the job.
But a thin-skinned Van Gaal played the emotional card by bringing his wife Truus, daughters and grandchildren into it, perhaps in a bid to win back some of the fans. But all they want to see is a winning, entertaining football team, not a manager asking for a sympathy vote.
Bizarrely, Van Gaal started by asking for apologies from reporters who he accused of ignoring the facts.
Maybe he should be asking for an apology from United's board for not giving him a public vote of confidence after the dreadful home defeat to Norwich stretched their winless run of six games. The silence from Old Trafford has been deafening, and has only served to feed the speculation when they could have spared their manager from much of it.
Asked for a response to Arsene Wenger's claim that the Dutchman's treatment has been disrespectful, he said: "Has anybody in this room not a feeling to apologise to me? That's what I'm wondering.
"I think I was already sacked, I read. I have been sacked. My colleague [Mourinho] was here already. What do you think happens with my wife or my kids? Or with my grandchildren? Or with the fans of Manchester United? Or my friends? What do you think?
"They have called me a lot of times and also Arsene Wenger is saying something about that. So you think that I want to talk with the media now?
"I am here only because of the Premier League rules. I have to talk with you. But I can only see when I say something that you use my words in your context."
Van Gaal revealed he had tried his best to lift the confidence of his players after the defeat to Norwich that sparked his week from hell.
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| Arsene Wenger defended Louis van Gaal in light of speculation linking him with the Man United axe |
"And I want to say only I have tried to lift the confidence of my players. I have done everything this week," he added.
"I held evaluation meetings with the players with my members of staff, I held a Christmas lunch, I made a speech and I feel the warmth and support of everybody in Carrington, this AON training complex.
"But I didn't feel that in the media and of course I can imagine that you can write about that subject.
"We are not in a good position but four weeks ago we were first in the Premier League and in four weeks' time we can be back in that position again."
When it was pointed out to him that the speculation over his future was inevitable given United's poor run, he refused to agree. And he revealed he had received telephone calls of support from Sir Alex Ferguson, former chief executive David Gill and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
"No, I don't think that you can do that [speculate]", he added, "because you have to stick by the facts and when I get calls off Alex Ferguson, David Gill and Ed Woodward because you are creating something that is not good, what is not based on the facts, now I have to answer questions and I don't think I want to do it.
"I only say now I am focussed on Stoke City, I help my players. I wish you a Merry Christmas and also maybe a Happy New Year when I see you."
He knows better than anyone that only results will dictate whether it will be a happy 2016 for him.
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