It's been a great year for Manchester United.
At least, that's what Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal thinks. You know, once you forget about everything that's happened in the month of December - much in the same way that golfers tend to forget about that triple-bogey that cost them a tournament win. Em?
Just a few days after Van Gaal was rumoured to be close to resigning, the Dutchman has come out all guns blazing and declared that 2015 was a great year for his team:
When you don't assess December it was a very good year, 2015.
To be fair to Van Gaal, he did acknowledge that you can't just forget about the bad things in life, and it's about rolling with the punches.
But you can not do that because a year has 12 months.
When you hear how Van Gaal looks at the progress the club has made under him then it's easier to see his point. They managed to get back into the Champions League in the early part of 2015, a big goal of his when he arrived, he guided them to the top of the table before faltering, and they are only nine points behind the leaders. Stranger things have already happened in football.
While United's December earned them just two points in the Premier League, as well as a Champions League and Capital One Cup exit; Van Gaal is adamant he has support from the backroom staff, and that bad runs are nothing new to him from his long career:
I am doing my work. You have to do what you have to do. There are members of staff saying 'Boss, can I can help you more.' I tell them you can help by doing things as well as possible, and then I am satisfied
This is not the first club, maybe the last club, where I have a bad period. I have had bad periods at all my clubs and I have to say the best fans are at Manchester United, In such a difficult period, they are applauding the performance of the players and that is fantastic.
Praising the fans is a tactic that Jose Mourinho used quite frequently at Chelsea, and while it may not have saved his job, there's no doubt that the Special One retains a place in their hearts.
