Come on ... give Van Gaal a break!

BEING a die-hard fan of Manchester United for over a decade, I am certainly not used to the club finishing the season on a flat.

That is until the 2013-2014 season, which United missed out not only on the UEFA Champions League but the Europa League as well and finished on the 7th spot in the league.

Since then, I have learnt to appreciate each of the club victories, whether it came through scrappy wins or an outright dominant victory.

Of course, dominant wins came few and far between now, under the current gaffer Louis Van Gaal. Truth be told but his philosophy strayed from what the fans called the 'Manchester United' way.

He tends to focus more on possession-based football rather than all-out attacking style that we all knew and love.

Nevertheless, I find that it is important for the fans to get behind Van Gaal in order to give him time to implement his style of football as well as rebuilding the team.

It is true some of his decisions were rather questionable, but at the end of the day, Sir Alex Ferguson made a series of mistakes himself throughout his 27-year tenure at this much sought-after club.

Please remember that only last season, Manchester United was struggling at the back.

Look at this season. No clubs has conceded fewer goals than the Red Devils.

Out of the 16 games this season, United only allowed 12 goals. One less than Arsenal, which is sitting on the top of the table today.

Van Gaal managed to solve the team's defensive problems despite unable to sign a big-name defender in the last transfer window.

Not to forget, the current injuries problems plaguing the team definitely factor into the club's poor form at the moment.

I'm confident that the manager will definitely look into solving the team's attack in the January transfer window. All he needs right now is time and support not only from the Board but also from Man United fans from across the globe.

David Moyes was not given much time. I hope we do not make the same mistake with Louis.

Aah ... we shall wait and see.

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Note: A die-hard Manchester United fan since he was 12, Hafiz Marzukhi is irked over the act of fellow football fans who expect instant success from a manager.

Fellow Red Devils, as well as other clubs' fans are welcome to share their thoughts with him at hafiz_marzukhi@astro.com.my