FORMER MANCHESTER UNITED defender Paul Parker believes Louis van Gaal’s authoritarian style of management is crushing the enthusiasm of his players and that is reflected in the club’s inept attacking form.
United sit just one point off top spot in the Premier League but their qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League is in the balance after a bland 0-0 draw at home to PSV Eindhoven last week.
There has been widespread criticism of their style of football and a belief that a key defensive injury could see their season unravel.
Parker, who played for United from 1991 to 1996, winning two titles, labels Van Gaal as “selfish” and believes the Dutchman has created a culture of fear at the club which is stifling the creativity of his best players.
Van Gaal, of course, isn’t the club’s first fearsome ruler but his inability to alter that approach – like Alex Ferguson did in his latter years in charge – is his biggest flaw, according to Parker.
“Alex Ferguson knew how to manage his players. As his side changed, he too had to alter his management style,” Parker wrote in his Eurosport column.
“He did – and that’s why he was able to drag Manchester United to the Premier League title in 2013. Did he enjoy it? No. But he did it anyway.
“There are a lot of discontented players and we have to question why they are playing badly.
Van Gaal puts the fear of God into players. It has to be his way. He selfishly manages the team.
Parker insists that until Van Gaal allows his young attacking players to play with more freedom, they will continue to under-perform for the club.
“He may be a successful manager, but he must learn – even at his age – to become a good man-manager.
“At the moment we have to say he’s not man-managing that team. All those players he’s got are not bad players, and they’ve not played negative football all their lives.
“He’s being incredibly stubborn. Any player who doesn’t conform to what he wants is chopped.”
Parker believes the morale in the United squad is worryingly low, particularly among the likes of Anthony Martial, Memphis Depay and Ander Herrera, and he claims that is all down to Van Gaal’s one-dimensional approach.
“I look at Anthony Martial and worry for him. He looks like a boy who doesn’t smile anymore. He doesn’t look like he’s enjoying himself.
“The form Memphis Depay is showing hasn’t just happened because he’s playing in the Premier League. That boy probably feels like a scapegoat.
“Ander Herrera is hugely popular with the fans because he makes things happen. Everyone loves to see players like that, but he’s barely playing and is probably unsettled. These players need freedom; they need to enjoy themselves.
“It doesn’t matter how good the players are if they’re not managed properly. There are a lot of very, very good players at Manchester United and the best isn’t being got out of them.”
Parker and Scholes should give it a rest. Like a broken record at this stage. I think everyone gets it by now.
This is ridiculous. Not a united fan by any stretch but you would swear they were in the bottom half..
United and Liverpool got a few very lucky results at start of the season and United still are(against Watford last week).. United dont deserve to be third imo… Theres only 9 points between 1st place and 10th! United are realistacly a mid-table team. Its not the players fault its definitely Van Gaal…
So having an average of 60-70% possession in games is luck? Luck is having 10 shots hit the bar or a team mishits every shot in front of goal or like last year were De Gea saved United’s bacon time and again.
Take one look at the average amount of saves De Gea has had to make, it has halved since last season.
LVG is shackling creativity to eliminate risk. Of course they don’t concede many chances and shots. They also don’t create half as many chances or shots as City and Arsenal.
Also, most teams are happy to let United have all the possession because they know they have a problem with creating chances.
Spot on, Ron.
And Dave I said lucky results not lucky in play stats that mean feck all half most of the time…
Man City were far from Impressive had the weekend, it was a lucky result and when City played at Old trafford they brought on a centre half and put him in midfield, he didn’t create many chances.
Josie was applauded when he won title after title with puke football 10 men behind the ball, the press applauded him because they sold them papers.
LVG doesn’t entertain the bollocks that the print media comes up with and hence why they have agenda as LVG does not supply them with anything to flog papers, were Josie has a full supply of verbal diarrhoea, fully print ready.
To prove this point, I haven’t heard Falcao mentioned by the press , when he was at United there was an article every 2 days on how shite he was and will he stay etc.
Anyway If United get another CF /striker then we will be having a different conversation.
Yeah more expensive players is exactly what they need. Ground breaking
Big clubs spend big, small clubs give out about big clubs spending big.
The team that united have is the most expensive team in premier league history, and they are rubbish. At a certain point you have as ask why. It’s not a lack of spending.
The hilarious thing is I remember hearing the same stories about Fergie .
People also seem to forget that in 96 united won 9 games by 1-0, won 5 by one goal(2-1/3-2 etc.) , they only had 3 big wins. One player cantona basically dragged united to the Double that year . Realistically all united are short is that spark. But and it’s a big but, options available for transfer are small and pickings are slim and honestly they need a replacement for Rooney.
Yeah and no one was afraid of Ferguson….
When Paul Parker speaks you damn well better listen.
To someone else?
Well played Dave, well played.
Paul ‘ I have a massive chip on my shoulder cause i was never given a role at united when I retired ‘ Parker
Zzzzzzz!!!!!!!
Never mind, he’s only got 18 months left in his contract.
There speaks an average player with no experience of management! What an idiot! Van Gaal has always managed to be successful so he must be doing something right. Parker, as an individual, was never successful as far as I am aware. Usual case of a know nothing trying to prove yhat he knows something. Here’s a piece suggesting that van Gaal may have things under control at United:
http://whysayanything.com/2015/12/01/has-van-gaal-actually-got-it-right/
Piss off
Parker was a horrible player, beyond me how he played for United or England……. Never wrote a positive piece jurnalisim, clueless bitter fool.