Louis: The Last Leg

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18/01/2017

Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal says he has not retired and is instead taking a sabbatical.

The 65 year old appeared to call time on his coaching career in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf on Tuesday, saying, "I thought it would be a sabbatical, but now I do not think I will return." Van Gaal has been out of work since leaving Manchester United last May, but speaking to Spanish radio station El Larguero, confirmed he has not completely ruled out a return to management.

Louis Van Gaal on retirement

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Louis van Gaal:

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"No. I am going to take a sabbatical year and then maybe. I will decide yes or no. It is not definitive.

Maybe I retire. But in this moment, I do not know. It is not the moment to decide. For personal reasons I have taken a sabbatical year and after that I will decide. Depending also on the offers, it will be my decision to return or not.

I received an offer from Valencia, but in this moment I said no. Next year could be different, depending on how I feel."

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Full Name: Aloysius Paulus Maria van Gaal
Date of Birth: 8th August 1951 (age 66)
Place of Birth: Amsterdam, Holland

Playing Career:
Ajax (1972-73)
Royal Antwerp (1973-77)
Telstar (1977-78)
Sparta Rotterdam (1978-86)
AZ Alkmaar (1986-87)

Managerial Career:
Ajax (1991-97)
FC Barcelona (1997-2000)
Netherlands (2000-02)
FC Barcelona (2002-03)
AZ Alkmaar (2005-09)
Bayern Munchen (2009-11)
Netherlands (2012-14)
Manchester United (2014-16)

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Continental Competitions
Club World Cup x1 (Ajax, 1995)
UEFA Champions League x1 (Ajax, 1995)
UEFA Europa League 1x (Ajax, 1992)
UEFA Super Cup 2x (Ajax, 1995; Barcelona, 1997)

Domestic Leagues
Eredivisie 4x (Ajax, 1994/1995/1996; AZ Alkmaar, 2009)
La Liga Santander 2x (Barcelona, 1998/1999)
Bundesliga 1x (Bayern, 2010)

Domestic Cups
KNVB Beker 1x (Ajax, 1993)
Johan Cruyff Shield 3x (Ajax, 1993/1994/1995)
Copa del Rey 1x (Barcelona, 1998)
DFB-Pokal 1x (Bayern, 2010)
DFB-Supercup 1x (Bayern, 2010)
FA Cup 1x (Manchester United, 2016)

Unemployment

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01/02/17

After a 9 month sabbatical, Louis van Gaal has been slated to make his return to management after being seen flying into London amidst West Ham's search for a new manager. West Ham's chairman David Sullivan is thought to have met with the 65 year old Dutchman today after the club axed Slaven Bilic two weeks ago.

Under-23s manager Steve Potts has won two of his three games in charge of the side since then, but it is believed the board sees Potts as a short-term solution especially with the club progressing into the knockout stages of the Europa League. Louis van Gaal, an experienced continental manager, has been identified as a suitable candidate to further West Ham's European participation.

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http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/04/01/16/3ED7C6A900000578-4371044-image-a-50_1491061994725.jpg

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On the domestic front, West Ham are currently sitting in 15th position, an improvment from their early season woes, but despite rising four places in the table in the past two months, Slaven Bilic was removed from his role midway through the January transfer window, which closed this morning. The club brought in Albanian midfielder Ergys Kace, Spanish striker Carlos Fernandez and Espanyol's Ruben Duarte over the course of the window but the problem seems to be the performance on the pitch rather than the players available.

Van Gaal's experience in the Premier League over the past two seasons are thought to hold him in high regard amongst key West Ham stakeholders, and his appearance in London points towards the relationship between manager and club currently sitting at the interview stage.

West Ham face Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League First Knockout Stage on the 16th of February, and they will hope they have secured a new manager before then.

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Next Update: Bosz Losing Favour At Ajax

Now that would be an interesting move for LVG! Very nice start to the story, good luck!

http://english.ajax.nl/upload_mm/6/c/8/cid51046_cid51045_Bosz_web.jpg

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06/02/17

Reports out of Amsterdam seem to suggest that the Ajax board are fast losing patience with Peter Bosz after a string of poor results in the league and a failure to qualify from the group stages of the Europa League. The 53 year old returned from the winter break by helming a draw with N.E.C, a loss to ADO Den Haag and a win over Vitesse yesterday.

Having been knocked out of the Europa League and the KNVB Beker (by Feyenoord), Bosz has 12 games left to improve on the current position of seventh place and make Champions League qualification. With no reinforcements in the January transfer window, Ajax will need a change in mentality or a change in structure if they are to challenge for a higher league position.

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http://www.football-oranje.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/sink.jpg

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Ajax supporter's group Supportersvereniging have begun to campaign for Bosz's dismissal, impatient with the low team position and the failure in Europe. Group president Daniel Dekker spoke to Dutch media outlets about the fans' annoyance at Bosz.

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Daniel Dekker:

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"Peter Bosz has to go. I'm amazed he wasn't already gone before the [winter] break. Seventh place just isn't good enough for our club, for our team. And to not finish at least second in the Europa League group, it isn't acceptable. He comes in to a team that finishes second, and goes down the table. He needs to go. The players are there for success, players like Jairo Riedewald, Davy Klaassen, Lasse Schone. There needs to be another fresh start, someone to come in and turn things around and at least take us into the top five.

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The Ajax board has, at least officially, put their faith in Bosz but its thought that the ex-Feyenoord player is a few bad results away from a dismissal. Louis van Gaal is thought to have thrown his hat in the ring for a possible future vacancy, but nothing is in concrete, and Peter Bosz will be focusing on the side's home clash with FC Twente this Sunday.

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Previous Update: Van Gaal Linked With West Ham Role
Next Update: Coming Soon....

Two very interesting jobs available, however I think Van Gaal will surprise us all and take another vacant job.

Good start! Interesting to see his options. At Ajax he already won everything and will he go to London to redeem himself for his failed Manchester adventure...

Well.... now the Ajax job would certainly be an interesting one to command!

Knowing van Gaal he'll surprise us all and take a different job, would love to see him back at Ajax though! Loving the layout of the story too, great work!

http://cdn.caughtoffside.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Louis-van-Gaal-640x400.jpg

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26/02/17

Hugo Montgomery: Welcome back listeners to BBC Radio 5. We're now joined in the studio by none other than former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal to talk about his past, his present and his future. Louis, welcome and thankyou for joining us.

Louis Van Gaal: Pleasure to be here.

HM: First of all, how's your sabbatical been, assuming its over now? Has it been good to step back from management for a while?

LVG: Yeah it has been, definitely. I spent most of my time away at my holiday house in Portugal, with my wife, and we enjoyed our time away. I'm on retirement age now, so it was good to at least have a little bit of a break before throwing my name back into the game.

HM: Looking back now, did you enjoy the Manchester United job and do you have any regrets?

LVG: I wouldn't say so. I'm still a bit sad that the board didn't allow me more time to imprint my style on the club, I think our third season would have brought results, but in the end its up to them and they thought Jose was a better option. Who am I to say otherwise?

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HM: If I may ask, what was the procedure like when you were sacked as manager?

LVG: I don't want to reveal too much, but I will say, to be removed two days after winning a trophy surprised me.

HM: We'll move on, then, to what you're doing at the moment. You've been linked with a few jobs in the last few weeks. West Ham, for one, who decided to appoint Juande Ramos, and Ajax, who are yet to make a decision on Peter Bosz's position at the club. Are you still waiting for the perfect opportunity?

LVG: Definitely, I've had the opportunity to jump into management before now but I'm waiting for the best option. I attended an interview with the West Ham board but they disagreed on the amount of money I wanted to use in the transfer market; they gave the job to Juande. Ajax have said they are interested, but have to put their confidence behind Peter. I've rejected offers from Serie A and the Eredivisie, just because I want to wait for the best opportunity.

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HM: You've managed Barcelona, Bayern Munich, the Netherlands. You've won the pinnacle of club football in the Champions League and you just recently managed the biggest club in England. Will you be willing, at all, to take a step backwards so to say, with your next destination?

LVG: I don't think I'm going to look at it like stepping forwards or backwards. I'll evaluate the offers and decide whether or not its a suitable challenge for me. I might manage a club much smaller than United or Barcelona if the club interests me.

HM: At this stage in the season, most clubs will come knocking for a manager to save them from a disappointing finish. Is that something you'll be content with, or do you think you'll wait until the end of the season to pick up a role?

LVG: I'm quite happy to step into a job now, there's still a few months left in the season and it gives me a chance to have a bit of a run-up to the next season. I think I'd rather take a job in the next few weeks than wait until the end of the season.

HM: Do you think your age will be an issue, and how long do you think you'd manage before announcing your retirement?

LVG: I understand that my age might be something that puts clubs off, but I still think I have at least 5 years of management in me. My ideas can continue to adapt and change and I can definitely bring success to any club.

HM: It's now been around 3 weeks since you announced your return to management, and we're yet to see you take up a role. Are you content to remain patient?

LVG: Definitely, and I know eventually, a suitable role will come up. That's the nature of football these days. You really do have to work hard to secure your job.

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Wherever he ends up, LVG will be a success!

Great build up. Hopefully he will pick a team soon.

I'm interested to see where Van Gaal ends up, hopefully we'll see soon!

http://www.lanazione.it/pisa/cronaca/2013/02/26/851333/images/1855384-35.JPG

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17/03/17

AS Roma have made a decision on the managerial position at the club, with Alessandro Pane stepping down from his caretaker role and initiating the formal application stage. Pane has failed to engineer a turn in fortunes since taking the job in mid-December, with Roma currently sitting in 10th in Serie A.

Luciano Spalletti's dismissal last year was not acted upon immediately by the Roma board, allowing Pane around three months to impress in charge. However, the club's stagnant league position has prompted Roma President James Pallotta to begin the search for a permanent replacement.

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With just 9 games remaining in Serie A, Champions League qualification is all but ruled out, sitting 19 points behind 3rd placed Internazionale. However, a late charge for the final Europa League place is possible, with 6th placed Fiorentina sitting just 6 points ahead of 10th placed Roma. However, a definite focus for a new manager will be this season's Europa League, after defeating Fiorentina 5-4 on aggregrate in the Second Knockout Round of the competition.

Former Villareal manager Marcelino is a heavy 11-4 favourite to take the role after leaving his former club last summer, whilst Claudio Ranieri and Laurent Blanc are also considered to be on the club's shortlist.

Roma would certainly be an interesting destination for Van Gaal, especially with the current situation at the club.