1st July 2012

The Dutch FA has today announced the resignation of newly appointed manager Louis van Gaal. They stated that van Gaal had resigned for no apparent reason and even they were 'perplexed and confused by his actions.' We spoke to our Dutch football correspondent and Barnet player manager Edgar Davids, looking for some insight into this decision.

JS- So, Edgar. What do you think going on in the head of Louis van Gaal when he signed this shock resignation?

ED- Well, Jeff, I think he was having a bit of a panic attack really. He's been a club manager his entire life. It would be hard having to go weeks between matches. Louis is a very hands on kinda guy and I don't think the national team suited him well at all.

JS- But surely after all these months of unemployment, van Gaal would be determined to stay at Holland?

ED- Not at all, not at all. Louis is a world class manager and I don't see it being that long until he finds another world class job. He's clearly one of the best managers around and if a club wants a determined, smart manager who knows every trick in the book Louis van Gaal is their man."

JS- Thanks Edgar for your time.

ED- No worries.

With no reputable vacancies open at the moment, van Gaal will have to be patient but a high level job is surely on the horizon for this talented manager.

Good luck!

Nice start mate. Good luck.

9th November 2012

Louis van Gaal has today released a statement outlining his future intentions after Udinese have offered a contract to the unemployed Dutchman. The club, currently languishing in 16th after 10 games in Serie A, are confident van Gaal will sign but he is very coy on his intentions in the statement. This transcript was sourced from Sky News 1.

LVG- "Good morning all. I would like to confirm that Udinese have indeed offered me the role of manager. I would like to thank them for this wonderful opportunity and it will be a great way for me to re-enter the management game. However, it would be hasty for me to accept this job without considering the implications and opportunities I could miss out on. Therefore, I have asked Udinese to give me a week to think things over. If I have not found a valid reason not to manage Udinese, I will take them up on their offer. Thank you for your time."

We yet again turn to our Dutch correspondent, Edgar Davids with his view on the conference.

ED- "In my opinion, this statement shows that although Louis van Gaal is eager to return to management, he doesn't feel like Udinese is the right fit for him and will gracefully reject their offer at the end of the week."

Good luck mate!

12th November 2012

Louis van Gaal has stepped up the job hunt as he looks to replace under pressure Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. The Gunners are struggling so far but some question whether the club would dispose of such a legend so cheaply. Van Gaal, on the other hand, is adamant that Wenger's time is done and it was time for a new name to take on the job. Van Gaal is also considering a contract offer from Udinese as we speak.

Nice start! Good luck

27th November 2012

To the shock of many, Dutch manager Louis van Gaal has been appointed as the manager of Real Madrid replacing Jose Mourinho. Van Gaal turned down offers from Udinese, Dortmund, Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen and was confirmed as manager of Los Galacticos in a deal no one saw coming.

"We were very happy to pull this off with minimal publicity," stated a Real Madrid press officer, "and we are confident Louis can take us back to the top, where we need to be."

Real Madrid are currently sitting in 8th place on the Liga BBVA table and with Jose Mourinho now out of the picture van Gaal can work to reestablish the giants place in Spain. To get there, he will have to combat injury and happiness concerns, with Cristiano Ronaldo out for another 3 months and multiple players being chased by Europe's finest. Van Gaal has had his fair share of challenges in the past, but resurrecting Real Madrid could go down as one of his finest achievements.


Mourinho's replacement Louis van Gaal was once his mentor at Barcelona

good luck mate

Big job! Big shoes to fill! All the best

ok guys, my save corrupted but i've got the job back albeit at a later date. ill edit the appointment post and all will be good

28th November 2012

Newly appointed Real Madrid boss Louis van Gaal has held a press conference at Santiago Bernabeu. The following transcript was sourced from Sky Sports TV.

LVG- Let's get this conference underway. I'm open to questions.

Reporters jostle and shout for the first question, one voices rises above.

Reporter 1- You sit here as the manager of Real Madrid. Is this your dream job?

LVG- I wouldn't say this is my dream job, but I am certainly very happy to be in this position. Real Madrid is a great club for me to return to football with.

Reporter 2- How do you intend to involved with the running of the club?

I am firmly of the belief that the reason a club has staff is to run the club. We have a fantastic backroom here and I will delegate tasks as I see fit.

Reporter 2- I understand your desire to be a hands on manager. Will that be the case at Real Madrid?

I think you answered that question for me, mate. Anything first team I will be all over it.

Reporter 3- What would you say your tactical approach to the game is?

What is this, a rookie manager's first interview? I play attacking football.

Reporter 4- What are looking to do in the transfer market. Will you splash the cash as many have done before at Real Madrid?

I will be looking to sign the best players possible. Whether or not it involves a big fee, we will have to wait and see.

Reporter 1- You join Real Madrid at a time when it is a little short staffed. Will you be looking to bring some of your own staff in the coming days?

Not necessarily my own staff, but I've already contacted a couple of staff about the vacant assistant manager role.

Reporter 2- It is widely expected that Karim Benzema will leave the club. Are you determined to hang onto him?

I am determined to hang onto Karim. He is crucial to my plans.

Reporter 5- Real Madrid is obviously a club with a proud tradition. Do you think you can continue this tradition despite the shaky start to the season?

Look at me. I am an old man now. If do not win trophies soon, I am destined to be a pensioner. That will be all.

niceee update and interesting angle you went with i like it

28th November 2012

Louis van Gaal has gotten off to a brilliant start as Real Madrid beat third tier team Oviedo 5-0 at Santiago Bernabeu in front of a packed crowd of over 75,000. An early blast from Real Madrid ensured the victory and the result was never in doubt as some fringe players got game time as a result of injuries and suspensions. Real Madrid win the tie on aggregate, 9-1. Here's a full match report.

Spanish Cup 4th Round Leg 2
Santiago Bernabeu, att. 77,238
Refereed by A.Lahoz
28th November 2012

Real Madrid- Lopez, Joel, Varane, Ramos (c), Marcelo (inj 34), Modric, Alonso, Callejon, Ozil (sub 62), Di Maria (sub 76), Plano
Subs- Casillas, Pepe (on 34), Lucas, Cheryshev (on 76), Jese (on 62)

Oviedo- Quintana, Campano, Fernandez, Mantovani, Alvaro, More (sub 4), Cerrajeria (sub 68), Sanz, Bauza, Diaz, Cervero (c) (sub 25)
Subs- Barrio, Pascual (on 68), Baquero (on 4), Busto (on 25)


Real Madrid in blue, Oviedo in black

4' - Oscar Plano 1-0
- Xavi More
- Pedro Baquero
17'- Sergio Ramos
25'- Oscar Plano
- Diego Cervero
- Manu Busto
29'- Sergio Ramos 2-0
34'- Marcelo
- Pepe

HALF TIME

48'- Pepe 3-0
54'- Raphael Varane 4-0
62'- Mesut Ozil
- Jese
68'- Galder Cerrajeria
- Pascual
75'- Jese 5-0
76'- Angel Di Maria
- Denis Cheryshev

FULL TIME

MAN OF THE MATCH- XABI ALONSO (REAL MADRID)



At the conclusion of our 9-1 aggregate win against Oviedo, we asked our fans to rate their best players in both legs. Here's the totals for our awards, the Di Stefano Best Player award and the Zidane Best Young Player award.

Best Player

5- Luka Modric
4- Pepe
3- Jose Callejon
2- Raphael Varane
1- Jese

Best Young Player

5- Raphael Varane
4- Jese
3- Joel
2- Oscar Plano
1- Denis Cheryshev

So far, the standings look like this-

Best Player

1st- Xabi Alonso- 64 votes
2nd- Luka Modric- 63 votes
3rd- Marcelo- 31 votes
4th- Sergio Ramos- 29 votes
5th- Mesut Ozil and Raphael Varane- 17 votes
6th- Iker Casillas- 15 votes
7th- Fabio Coentrao and Pepe- 14 votes
8th- Angel Di Maria, Sami Khedira and Jose Callejon- 10 votes
9th- Karim Benzema- 9 votes
10th- Raul Albiol- 4 votes

Best Young Player

1st- Raphael Varane- 82 votes
2nd- Alvaro Morata- 60 votes
3rd- Jese- 37 votes
4th- Casemiro- 11 votes
5th- Joel and Oscar Plano- 6 votes
6th- Denis Cheryshev- 4 votes
7th- Jose Rodriguez- 3 votes
8th- Alex- 1 vote


Raphael Varane and Xabi Alonso lead the polling in the Best Young Player and Best Player awards respectively.

nice update mate, looks good