A Brief History of Louis van Gaal's Sackings, Resignations and Departures
As you are no doubt aware, Louis van Gaal's employment status is quite uncertain.
Manchester United lost their fourth consecutive game on Saturday, leading many to believe he will not see out the new year at Old Trafford.
In the aftermath of the Red Devils' loss at Stoke, the Dutchman mentioned that he would be willing to resign, rather than be sacked, as per the Guardian.
LVG's managerial history shows that he tends to walk before he is pushed from an untenable situation, often opting to take the decision into his own hands with a letter of resignation.
Take a look through his history of departures to see where it went wrong in each instance—and, to his credit, where it went right when he left on positive terms...
Ajax (May 1997): Resigned on Good Terms
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Louis van Gaal built his reputation as one of the greatest coaches in modern management during his highly successful seven-year stint with Ajax.
During that stint, the notoriously shouty leader won three consecutive Eredivisie titles, reached two UEFA Champions League Finals (winning in 1994-95 during the team's undefeated annus mirabilis) and picked up the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
Perhaps most impressively, he boasted a 69 per cent win rate over 286 games, as per Goal.com, giving him the choice of Europe's top clubs when he decided to leave Holland in 1997...
Barcelona (May 2000): Resigned on Bad Terms
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Van Gaal arrived at Barcelona in 1997, with the Catalans keen for him to impress the philosophy he imparted at Ajax.
His side—captained by Pep Guardiola—won two league titles and a Copa del Rey, but the manager found himself constantly bickering with the media—and falling out with star players including Rivaldo.
He eventually departed at the conclusion of the 1999-2000 season, in which he won nothing.
As you may expect, he went out guns-blazing: "What has Barcelona won in 100 years? How many Champions Leagues? In six years at Ajax I won more than Barcelona had won in 100 years."
The Netherlands (January 2002): Resigned on Bad Terms
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After crashing out of UEFA Euro 2000 in front of a home audience at the semi-final stage, The Netherlands looked to Louis van Gaal to guide them to the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Sadly, it didn't quite work out.
The Dutch finished behind Portugal and Ireland in their qualification group, with Van Gaal claiming before a game in Dublin that Holland were so talented that the Irish would want them to qualify. Holland lost, and the Irish seemed happy regardless.
LVG had little choice but to resign after the failure.
Interestingly, he was heavily linked with the Manchester United gig when he left the Oranje behind for the first time.
Barcelona (January 2003): Sacked
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The success of Van Gaal's first spate as Barcelona boss could not be reignited when he returned for the 2002-03 season.
The Dutchman led the Blaugrana to an unprecedented eight league losses before the start of February, leaving the team languishing in 12th place, just three points from the relegation zone.
His contract was due to run until June 2005 but it was cut short. "I am really upset that as a coach I haven't lived up to the expectations of the Barcelona fans," he said in the aftermath.
Ajax (October 2004): Resigned on Bad Terms
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In the wake of his Barca departure, Van Gaal returned to Ajax to take a role as technical director.
However, he only lasted around a year in the role after openly clashing several times with manager Ronald Koeman.
"My resignation is in Ajax's best interests and has nothing to do with the poor results this season," he said in a press conference (via CNN).
AZ Alkmaar (2008): Resigned on Bad Terms and Then Good Terms!
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Not long after departing Ajax under a storm cloud, Van Gaal re-emerged as the manager of Eredivisie chancers AZ Alkmaar.
He guided them to second place in the table in his first season and third place the following year but chose to resign at the conclusion of the 2007-08 campaign after only finishing in 11th place.
However, in a turn of events that proves that some players are willing to stand by him in times of crisis, a group of his charges persuaded him to stay another year.
The reneged resignation paid off, as AZ proceeded to win their first league title in 28 years in 2008-09.
Shortly after that success, LVG left his home country behind and headed to Germany...
Bayern Munich (April 2011): Sacked
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LVG got off to a very rocky start when he joined German powerhouse Bayern Munich in 2009—they were 14th and without a win after three league games, and they scraped through the Champions League group stages after losing twice to Bordeaux.
Unlike at Old Trafford, however, he managed to evade heavy rumours of the sack by arresting the team's development.
Die Roten ended up taking the domestic double and making it all the way to the Champions League final, only to lose to Jose Mourinho's Internazionale.
The following season, Bayern had lost seven league games by March and were out of the running for any trophies. The club had intended to end their relationship with Van Gaal at the end of the season, but he was sacked in April after a 1-1 draw in Nurnburg that jeopardised their chances of making the Champions League.
Bayern's official statement said there had been "nothing enjoyable" about the brand of football he played—which should sound familiar to Manchester United fans.
The Netherlands (July 2014): Resigned on Good Terms
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Remember the 2014 World Cup, when Van Gaal lead an exciting Netherlands team all the way to the semi-finals, substituting his goalkeeper for a penalty shootout along the way to appear as some sort of managerial deity?
It was a magical time, and one of supreme optimism for Manchester United fans, who knew before the tournament that LVG was bound for Old Trafford.
Suddenly, the summer of 2014 seems like a long time ago.
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