LOUIS VAN GAAL was asked why he still selected Victor Valdes for Manchester United’s final league game of the Premier League season despite the Spaniard having refused to play for the club’s reserve side.
“I played him at Hull because I wanted to help. I am always a very social human being”, was his response.
He was certainly conflicted by Valdes’ behaviour and he also seemed confused with what to do with the 33-year-old, signed to an eighteen-month deal in January. At the time, one thing seemed certain: the former Barcelona man was impressive collateral should David de Gea seal a long-awaited switch to Real Madrid.
And what an insurance policy – a six-time La Liga winner, a three-time Champions League winner, a solid history with Van Gaal and a goalkeeper perfectly suited to the Dutchman’s philosophy of playing out from the back.
But something changed as the season wrapped up. Duncan Castles, writing for One World Sports, claims Van Gaal decided Valdes wouldn’t be United’s starting goalkeeper next season even if De Gea was sold. And so the ‘extremely disappointed’ Spaniard began to make alternate plans.
Why did Van Gaal not rate him highly enough? Was it his fitness? Was his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury last season more of an issue than first thought? Or was Van Gaal’s pride dented by Valdes questioning why he’d still remain a reserve next season?
Maybe it harks back to talent management. The tired cliche is that ‘no one player is bigger than a club’ and it’s a nice, moralistic standpoint to take. However, sport and particularly football has been without a moral compass for some time. So traditional values, though romantic and refreshing, are at odds with the cut and thrust of where the game is at and so often undermined and overthrown by the more current approach.
Much has been made of Van Gaal’s ruthlessness in his twelve months in Manchester. And in the context of what went before, it’s been intriguing to see a cold and brutal way of addressing the problems within the United squad. Under Sir Alex Ferguson and his stubbornness to even entertain the notion that one of his signings was struggling, players were allowed float through their careers at the club. Instead of cutting them loose, well-documented examples like Anderson and Nani were repeatedly retained.
Of course, the finest example of such an attitude came a long time ago, in 2002, when Ferguson cried conspiracy in light of criticisms doled out to Juan Sebastian Veron – the player signed for £28 million and who admitted himself that his first season at the club could have been better.
“He is a fucking great player”, he spat.
“And you (the media) are all fucking idiots.”
But Veron was sold after two seasons at the club – for half what United paid. A very rare thing for Ferguson to own up to an error.
There’s little chance he would’ve allowed Robin van Persie to move just three years after signing him. On deeper reflection, any player departing under Ferguson’s watch was a rare thing. There was something distinctly odd about the likes of Nicky Butt and Phil Neville moving on. And in Neville’s case, it was an emotional thing, calling to Ferguson’s house to tell him he was going to go to Everton. Recounting the moment years later, Neville called it ‘one of the most magical moments of my career’.
We were in his front room, having a cup of tea and he was plotting my next career move, where I was going, how I would play, everything. I went outside and my wife was in tears. But it wasn’t done in a cold office. It was done with warmth, like going round to your Mum and Dad’s for some advice. But don’t get me wrong, I went home and cried my eyes out for 24 hours.”
Ferguson’s great strength was his man-management. It’s the only logical explanation for how United remained so competitive in his latter years in charge when his squads were so limited. He knew how to rotate a squad. He knew how to make squad players feel they were valuable members of the group. And he knew how to deal with talent. He knew that he needed certain talent more than others. The key examples are Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney.
Robson enjoyed a drink as much as Paul McGrath and Norman Whiteside but he was ‘Captain Marvel’ and Ferguson needed him as part of his transitioning. The other two were sacrificial lambs as Ferguson made a statement early on in his tenure at Old Trafford, admonishing the ‘drinking culture’ that needed eradicating.
Cantona responded rashly to authority, those telling him what to do. Usually, he fell in line but sometimes there were flare-ups. The old-school approach – like how Howard Wilkinson dealt with him at Leeds – would lead only to argument and recrimination. So Ferguson, seduced by Cantona’s catalyst qualities, gave him a wide berth.
In Keane’s latest autobiography, he revealed he turned to Ferguson during a pre-season training camp and said:
We need fucking more from you. We need a bit more, gaffer. We’re slipping behind other teams.”
This followed on from Keane turning to the-assistant coach Carlos Queiroz and asking:
‘Do you always make love to your wife in the same position?’ (It’s difficult to imagine Keane having ever used the term ‘make love’)
Still, despite repeatedly challenging authority, Keane survived for a while longer until the infamous MUTV interview proved a final straw.
In Rooney’s case, he threatened to leave United in 2010 and handed in a transfer request. More than that, he wanted to join Manchester City. Ferguson, having seen Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez leave in quick succession and Chelsea lift the Premier League title, had no choice. Rooney was handed a bigger contract.
For Ferguson, there were always exceptions to every case. There was a time for the hard-hitting, unforgiving act: Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Beckham were both on the receiving end. But certain players, depending on how important they were to Ferguson, were allowed moments of ego-wielding.
Naturally, Valdes is not on the same scale as Keane et al but in the context of trying to minimise distraction and trouble and lessening workload and recruitment, keeping him at the club seems to be a much better solution, particularly when the stand-off was over something so relatively minor.
One key aspect of managing big talent is to acknowledge they have big egos. When they don’t play, they’ll be disappointed and they may challenge authority. It makes complete sense when a player so used to being first-choice is relegated to the background and doesn’t like it. They can tolerate such a decision if it comes with a reasonable explanation, like the concerns over Valdes’ fitness or De Gea’s remarkable and un-droppable form.
It seems strange that Van Gaal, having so much experience in dealing with players who want to be first-choice, would be so quick to dismiss Valdes and want him gone. Surely the smart move would’ve been to give a stern warning but retain his services? He’s already on payroll, he knows the players, he’s a ready-made replacement and a proven winner. Now, because of Van Gaal’s idiosyncrasies, United are scrambling to find another goalkeeper between now and the start of the campaign – certainly an unwanted assignment given the pressing need for a centre-half and a centre forward.
And the new goalkeeper, whether it be Argentinean Sergio Romero or Ajax’s Jasper Cillessen will need to adapt to the pressure, the new surroundings and the new team. And it all seems a little silly and unnecessary.
For all Ferguson’s weaknesses when it came to United players, his ability to man-manage them was second to none. And as exciting and different as Van Gaal is, his flippant decision to let Victor Valdes move elsewhere for something so minor (Paul Scholes famously was fined two weeks wages by Ferguson after refusing to play with the reserves in a League Cup game against Arsenal), seems short-sighted and strange.
Cillesen isn’t good enough in my opinion for a club like Manchester United
Romero only good enough to be a back up too
He refused to play so he should be gone..
Knowing LVG’s we won’t have to wait very long to see if he is the reason him and RVP have left.
They left because he deemed them no longer suitable to the clubs needs. RVP as good as he was the first season, he sulked for the last two years.Valdes sulked aswell cause he didnt like playing second fiddle to De Gea and refused to play in the Reserves ( U21′s ) . Brian Robson sumed it up well today by saying that top Managers have no room for sentiment , when it comes down to it the must Club come first.
Not “the club’s needs” Kurt, it’s the “club’s philosophy”. I thought everybody knew by now that “philosophy ” is LVG’s favourite word !!!
The reason rvp left article was on yesterday. surprised you missed it ron given your fascination with man utd.
I seem to remember fergie having a fairly ruthless side too. Just ask keane, beckham, ruud, stam, ince, taibi, bosnich, hughes. part of being a great manager is knowing when to get rid of people too
ya,when he was finished with them though,that’s was the genius of the man,he used them more than they used him.
I couldn’t agree more!
Was that an article Bout LVG or SAF? Totally stupid piece.
United should sign DE gea or Peter cech. To good keepers
The worst attempt at trolling I’ve come across in quite some time
I’m quite the novice.. My first and last attempt at it
Grammar was awful too.
If you believe that it’s unfair to compare valdes to keane, cantona et al then why compare in the first place? Valdes was given an opportunity to get hit rehabilitation in and get his career back on track. He hasn’t the same credits built up as keane, scholes, cantona, even anderson had so if discipline is an issue he has to go. Regardless of what he’s won in the past he’s not as good as he was. He wasn’t first choice in barca and never was in spain. Romero first choice for world cup runners up and cillessen first choice for world cup third place team.
Valdea has won more than all of them, why is it unfair to compare him to them?
Since when was Valdes not first choice in Barcelona? I’m sure he was first choice in that side who won 3 Champions Leagues in 5 years a lot more than Cantona and co ever won. And for Spain Iker Casillas was no.1 but Valdes club form was actually a lot better and he’s only 33.
Because valdes was there one season. He had done nothing for the club to excuse ill discipline.
Valdes was barcas first choice keeper but not prior to leaving for united. That’s why he was let go.
Shows what you know Bognor, he was first choice before he left and he left because he wanted to. If he didn’t leave he’d could still be in the first team.
He played 27 games the season before last then got injured, while injured pinto played 11 games, In the off season they signed ter stegen as first choice keeper.
They signed a new keeper because Valdes expressed his intention to leave about 6 months before.
If that is the case fair enough, I won get bogged down arguing with you on it, point still stands though he’s done nothing for man utd to excuse ill discipline. Unlike keane, cantona, scholes etc. Van gaal has an ego, of course, but letting him go shows more about how he wants players to act than anything else. Saying ferguson wouldn’t have done the same is disingenuous, comparing valdes to aforementioned is like apples and oranges.
I would say he knows de gea is staying and If he can’t sign someone else linndegard will do as back up,if not he’s an idiot,I agree with what the article is saying,Ferguson had a huge ego bit he knew the players had bigger ones,he used his head and looked at the bigger picture and kept them all on side,van gal seems to have a bigger ego but maybe not as big a brain.
Spot on baz, having a big ego is needed if you’re manager of Man U. Fergie had a big ego and made it clear he was the man. Lvg has a massive ego too but he must back that up the way fergie did
let’s see,Ferguson had a long term project in view,he’s stayed for a long time,van gaal has said its his last job,he’s looking to win a few trophys and leave with his reputation intact,your right about both having huge egos,I just thing that Ferguson was a lot cuter,he was even more ruthless but he would take a certain amount when you were a world class player but when you were disposable you were out the door.
Your headline is like something you’d see on the daily mail – UTDs sub goalie who virtually never played for the club is let go and the manager must be questioned ??
Jesus,you read the daily mail?
this is 42 s worst piece since it was created,the history of manutd we know already thank u very much.
it’s about two different managers philosophy’s I’d say,where did you get the history part from?
terrible language there if kids reading it just a opion
Whats an opion
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