Louis van Gaal was doomed at Manchester United by refusal to adapt
At times like this it is impossible not to spool back to May 2013, and the sight of Sir Alex Ferguson centre stage at Old Trafford, standing in the rain surrounded by the absolute and unconditional admiration of everyone inside the stadium as he made one crucial political point in his farewell speech. “I’d also like to remind you that when we had bad times here, the club stood by me, all my staff stood by me, the players stood by me. Your job now is to stand by our new manager. That is important,” he stressed. The crowd applauded with recognition and respect. He knew. Of course he knew. Nobody knew better than him. In fairness they tried. United’s hierarchy tried and the majority of the support base tried to stand by those who followed in his wake. For 10 distinctly uncomfortable months they tried not to be too uppity about the fact David Moyes was handed a mantle that was too onerous to bear. For two seasons they have wat...