As we take in the Boxing Day excitement in the Premiership you will notice that many managers use the technical area to shout tactics to their players with several famous for touchline bust ups such as the one between Newcastle manager Alan Pardew and Arsene Wenger.
United boss van Gaal however feels it is all a waste of time telling the Daily Express: “I don’t see that I can have any influence when I am standing there shouting from the sidelines.”
“Sometimes I’ve done it in the past but that has been more of an emotional thing than the content of what you are saying actually being heard by the players.
“I have never had a fight. I only use my voice, never my hands or something like that. They [the players] do not understand you or can’t hear you because of the noise from the crowd. That’s why I’m always on the bench.
“You have trained them all week to read the game by themselves. It is much more important that they are more involved with the game, that they make their own decisions. It is like a child – you educate.
“Sometimes they don’t read the games well but then at least you have half-time to put things right or you can make a substitution.
“Then you can say to the player who is coming on how they have to play in their position. You have to transfer that.
“I also don’t think I can influence the referee. When I was in my first year [at Ajax] I tried everything. But I learned over the years to be quieter.”
When it was pointed out that Sir Alex Ferguson used to point at his watch to try and get referee’s to blow the whistle or add more time the Dutchman said: “You think the referee was looking at Ferguson? On television you can see that because every television station is recording the manager, I know.
“But the referee is not looking at the television. Maybe he is after the match but then he can’t change anything anymore.”
When asked about his note taking LVG said it was for the halftime team talk.
“I do it for half-time when I can say the things that can influence the match. I write because the sequence has to be always the right way because the players remember the moments of the game in sequence. It’s [the talk] more efficient then.”
United will today be looking to extend their Premier League Boxing Day record of losing only one game out of 22 when they take on Newcastle United this afternoon.
