Louis van Gaal insists he is ready to deal with any flak that comes with his way at Old Trafford on Saturday.
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Van Gaal urged Manchester United fans to boo him, rather than the team, if they are unhappy with how things are going against West Brom as he felt his players were affected by the tense atmosphere inside Old Trafford during the narrow 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.
United fans booed loudly when Van Gaal replaced Anthony Martial with Marouane Fellaini and “We’re Man United, we want to attack” was regularly sung by the home support, who had become annoyed at the often sterile, possession-based football the Dutchman enjoys.
Van Gaal believes negativity is seeping through to the players.
“The supporters have to support the players, otherwise they make it very difficult for the players to play at Old Trafford,’’ he said. “I can only advise the fans to criticise the manager and not the players.
“It’s very difficult to play for Manchester United with a lot of pressure and you can taste that in Old Trafford because of all the yelling, then it’s not good for my players. It’s better to whistle the manager.”
Despite boasting an impressive CV, Van Gaal has encountered opposition from supporters throughout his 24-year management career.
Ajax fans resisted his appointment as manager as Van Gaal was an enemy of club hero Johan Cruyff. And when Van Gaal returned to Barcelona for a second spell as manager, he lasted six months after the supporters turned on him.
“I can cope with it because I have had a lot of experience in my life as a manager,” he added. “When I started as a 39-year-old coach with Ajax, all the fans were shouting, from the very first day, ‘Johan Cruyff’, until we won the UEFA Cup.
“In Barca we had white handkerchiefs. In my first period we were champions, champions, and we won the cup, so it was not like that, but it my second period in Barca it was always the white handkerchiefs.
“In Bayern Munich, I had the same in my second year, so I, as a manager, am used to these negative things, I think.”
