Louis van Gaal - Faith in Sir Alex's Replacement's Replacement

Louis the 1st is the perfect man at this time in Manchester United's history.  He probably would not have been a year ago.  After the long and incredibly successful reign of Sir Alex Ferguson, wasn't his immediate predecessor always going to fail?  For many reasons including a few here:

1. Who could follow that act?
2. Was there such a person who could takeover a squad of United's 2013-2014 mediocrity and elevate their skills an extra 20% with his will power as Sir Alex did during the 2012-2013 season?
3. Was Sir Alex's ego ever going to pick a successor with title credentials and a personality that would remotely rival his own?

Answers: 1. No one  2. Probably not  3. No way

I know most of us were hopeful that The Chosen One would come in and magically learn how to be Sir Alex.  Yet, even the power of Old Trafford could not transform him.  We now know that fairy tale was too fantastic, even for the greatest football club in the world.  It was always going to be Sir Alex's replacement's replacement, wasn't it?

Often, our greatest strengths can be our greatest weakness.  The same trait that made Sir Alex the most decorated manager in British history, was the very reason he chose Moyes, a man with no record of winning at the highest level.  Looking back with an objective mind, the Scot's appointment seems almost absurd.

Sir Alex's massive ego was never going to let him choose a replacement like a Jose Mourinho or Louis van Gaal, had he been available at the time.  These are managers who have won trophies before on their own merits and Sir Alex would not have been able to take much credit for it.  Instead he chose someone who was, on paper, totally unqualified.  Therefore if he was successful, it would only add to Sir Alex's legacy of genius.  It did not work out and yet his genius is unscathed.  But as much as I question Sir Alex's motives, I'm OK with that.  He is after all a genius, and we all owe him so much gratitude.

So Louis van Gaal is our new leader but I feel that in the English-speaking world, he is a relative unknown. As much as we want to believe ourselves world football aficionados, most of us are studying up on the man. Maybe it's just me.  There was a great article by NRC a couple days ago, titled:

British journalists: follow these ten rules when interviewing Louis van Gaal

I am both wildly excited and somewhat nervous about how contentious his relationship with the English media is going to be.  There's a fine line between being refreshingly honest and being a jerk.  Those of us who were worried about how Mourinho would embarrass the club with his antics don't seem to be concerned about van Gaal's track record.  While hilarious at a rival club, I don't think United need a manager exposing his genitals to players to prove a point, even if it does inspire Ashley Young to stop diving.

I believe Louis the 1st will have a huge impact on Manchester United, put us in contention for the Premier league title next season, and back into the Champions League where we belong.  He will demonstrate the same arrogant and disdainful intolerance for mediocrity as Sir Alex, and have the bona fides to back it up.

On the other hand, his rapport with the media will probably go from "what a breath of fresh air!" to "we love you but want to secretly destroy you for making us look like idiots" very quickly.  It will be entertaining at least.