Source: http://www.united.no/nyhetsarkiv/mourinho-giggs-eller-van-gaal/

I spent 40 minutes translating this article from norwegian to english. Although I spent some time on it, there is lots of spelling mistakes, as i could not be bothered to use my whole evening on this. It should however be readable. The site is very trustworthy, featuring many articles every week behind paywalls written by people close to the club. This article is written by the chief editor, Dag Langerød, and includes information recieved by sources close to United.

Enjoy!

Mourinho, Giggs or Van Gaal? By: Day Langerød

There is virtually no day without new speculations. The Scandinavian supporters club has therefore tried to find out what is really going on regarding the manager position.

Something seems absolutely certain:

Jose Mourinho wants to become Manchester United manager.

Ryan Giggs wants to become Manchester United manager.

Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill and Sir Bobby Charlton believes that Giggs should get the chance.

Meanwhile, those with power in the club, Ed Woodward and his men, is leaning towards the greatest result guarantor, which is Jose Mourinho.

Giggs is going to give up if he does not get the chance.

But nothing has been decided.

The plan was Giggs. When Ryan Giggs took the job as Louis van Gaal's assistant, the plan was for the Welshman, the man with the most United matches and trophies throughout history, to replace LvG after three years.

But Van Gaal's reign has not been what United wanted, and although the plan was to pass the job to Giggs, that is far from likely now.

• Giggs is a dangerous gamble, some say.

• But look at Pep Guardiola. He only had background from Barcelona's reserve team, others say.

• But look at Barcelona then and United now, others reply.

• United have much bigger problems now than Barcelona had then. They need a manager who has done this before and no one has the same history as Jose Mourinho. He succeeded everywhere.

There is no doubt that Giggs has a legendary status at United - as a player.

Many people have, however, questioned him as manager. Does he have what it takes? Can he handle a Guardiola-led City right away? The questions are many, and if we compare the manager CV of Giggs up against Mourinho, then there is an unequal struggle in favor of the Portuguese. A complete mismatch.

Meanwhile, Giggs has become quite synonymous with the (preliminary) failed Van Gaal project - something he is reportedly very frustrated by.

Has he reasons to be frustrated?

Put yourself in his chair for a moment.

You are a living United legend, with over a thousand matches at top level for club and national teams. You've taken all manager courses that is needed. Most of the training courses were also taken while still playing at the highest level. That makes it no less impressive. This shows a strong will.

You get the chance under David Moyes, and as interim manager when he fired. You get the job in four games, taking seven of 12 possible points in the matches, your team scores two goals on average per game, but you realize one thing: You're not ready. You need more learning. You meet Louis van Gaal, you like and respect him, you have learned from Sir Alex Ferguson for over 20 years. Now you get the chance to learn from yet another legendary coach. You get the distinct impression that the plan is for you to take over when he resigns after three years.

You have been offered to take over another Premier League club, but said no. Yet another Premier League club asks you, but you say no. You will be United manager, you will be in United, the club you love the club you know better than most. You also learn a lot, you know very well what works in the club- and the things that does not work. You feel ready.

"The special thing is that Giggs' only chance seems to depend on Van Gaal success."

The results under Van Gaal, however, gradually deteriorated, and the club has rarely impressed. Fans watching you sit next to the Dutchman. Quiet. You get criticized for it. You also get criticism for that you have not managed to influence more, even if you work for a man who welcomes input, but that ultimately does exactly what he thinks is right. He can do that. He is the manager. You get up during a game, going down, chases players forward, but there is criticism even then. Why did you do it? Why are you doing something Van Gaal will not do himself? Inside you tear your hair out of part of the manager's decisions, but you remain loyal.

Most of the players like you, several of them have seen how tough you can be. They think you can succeed. Trainer and manager colleagues, those who saw you in action on training courses, agrees. They also believe you can succeed. But no one knows, because you never know until you've had a chance. You are aware of that, but you have done absolutely everything the team wanted from you. The club had some kind of plan, that you would take over, but now they doubt. They ask if you are willing to continue as an assistant under any other manager, but you will not. You feel you're ready, you feel you are the victim of something you are not really to be blamed for, that criticism is far from justified.

If United Supporters club Scandinavia has understood the situation right: this is the situation Ryan Giggs feels that he is in now.

Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill and Sir Bobby Charlton believes that 42-year-old deserves the chance, but there is one major problem. They have no real power.

United fanzine Red Issue has written that there is a power struggle at Old Trafford at the moment, with Ferguson, Gill and Charlton on one side against Ed Woodward and his men on the other side. It's about power and influence, and that Ferguson and co wants more of Giggs and Class of 92 because they want a stronger role themselves.

Scandinavian supporters club has spoken with several people sitting on information about what is actually going on at Old Trafford, but nobody has any faith in this power struggle. It is not true that Ferguson has attempted to control criticism of Van Gaal, that he said that it was okay that Paul Scholes criticized Van Gaal in the media up until the point when Jose Mourinho was sacked at Chelsea and was linked to Manchester United job. Some claim that it changed afterwards. Some say that it was suddenly Mourinho and not Giggs who was the leading candidate, which influenced Fergusons decision. s

It was speculated that when Sir Bobby Charlton got a part of the stadium named after him (against Everton in April) that he would be more positive towards Mourinho as a new manager, but as far as we understand, this is also wrong. Charlton might even resign as United's director in the summer, but these two things is not related to Mourinho. It's more related to the fact that he is 78-year-old, and Charlton is starting to become an old man.

It is also important to remember that although all three, Ferguson, Gill, Charlton, still have a strong voice outwards and enjoys great respect among both employees and others, none of them longer have any decisive voice within the club.

Woodward decides The real power lies with Ed Woodward and Joel and Avram Glazer, the two brothers who work the closest with United among the members of the Glazer family. Woodward also speaks regularly with Richard Arnold, the man who probably should have the greatest honor for the wonderful sponsorship agreements. In addition, he speaks regularly with a few others of those who have been key in the development of United golden economy, including Jamieson Reigle, the club's commercial director. In essence: Persons without athletic background and player careers themselves.

These are the ones who take the final decision, it is these who are talking daily, although there is reason to believe that the final decision, the one who ultimately decides, is Ed Woodward alone. He can accept the advice of others and listen to suggestions, but he still enjoys such a great standing with the owners that Woodward decides alone what is to become the future of United.

The problem is that Woodward will be unsure of what is right choice. The next choice MUST be right, and so far both Moyes and Van Gaal has been wrong.

He replaced David Gill in 2013, and one of his very first sporting decisions were to approve the advice from Sir Alex Ferguson to appoint David Moyes as their new manager. Then he decided that Louis van Gaal was to get United out of the mud when they sacked Moyes.

Moyes was wrong after only ten months. Just over halfway through Van Gaal planned reign he also seems to be wrong.

Generally speaking, performances have not been good enough, results have been poor and chances are high that United also in 2016/17 stands outside the Champions League. The hope is that a top 4 position or win in the Europa League will provide a place in the Champions League next fall, but it looks a bit dark.

It comes down to Van Gaal, and therefore many believe that he must go to summer. It will in any case surprise all the sources the Scandinavian supporters club has chatted with if he is allowed to continue without a Champions League place.

Woodward likes Mauricio Pochettino's work for Tottenham (and before that Southampton), but our sources understanding is that it is doubtful whether the ambitious 44-year-old leaves the London team in favor of United. Then it's far more likely that his next step will be from Tottenham and return to Spain and one of the top clubs there.

But Van Gaal, Giggs and Mourinho is clear alternatives.

Van Gaal is, as mentioned, probably dependent on a magic survival in the coming months. Anything other than a top 4 position or Europa League success probably means hook on the door for him. Perhaps that is the case eventually anyway. Therefore, he has now only short term loan at his new residence/house in Manchester, instead of renting for a fixed price for six months, he pays therefore a more expensive rent from month to month so he has the opportunity to terminate faster. That says a lot about the situation. It is also important to bear in mind that the season finale will probably have to be brilliant over several months if he is to have a chance, since the chances is so small that he most recently on February 21 was considered undesirable for even the most patient supporter.

But victories are victories, and it controls almost all the emotions of the fans. "All" would get rid of Van Gaal after away loss against Midtjylland 18 February. One week after, after victories against Shrewsbury, Midtjylland and Arsenal and 11 goals scored: some began to argue that perhaps he should be allowed to continue anyway. Young Marcus Rashford saved Van Gaal job in the short term. Only time can tell if youngsters - and the more experienced - can save the Dutchman in the longer term.

Woodward is no stupid man. He notices the fans' displeasure, but he does not want United to be a club that kicks managers before they have had a real chance. He will not have a situation where it is the media or external pressure that will steer the process. Although it rarely has been fantastic this season, it is only three months since the last time when United led the league, and Van Gaal has subsequently had to lead the team through an extreme injury crisis.

The special thing is that Giggs' only chance, largely, seems to depend on the success of Van Gaal. If project van Gaal ends without success this summer, it is unlikely that Giggs gets the chance.

If LvG has success in the coming months, that may increase Giggs' chances in the long term, because he would then be part of the success.

However, Mourinho is the frontrunner, simply because he is the best manager that is available, who has something to prove, and according to our sources also has a strong desire to manage United.

He also succeeded in all the clubs he has been in, although the farewells in some of the clubs have been awful, especially recently in Chelsea.

United obviously knows everything about him.

They know that he is known for not trusting young talents. They know how he always put the responsibility for failure on others. They know how he (and everyone else) need a big budget to make the squad powerful again. They also know that all writings about Jose Mourinho, the British press, the Portuguese press, the Italian press and Spanish press, comes from leaks leaked deliberately by the team around Mourinho to put pressure on United's board, but also to affect the fans.

Some of this is hard to swallow for Ferguson, Charlton and Gill.

But everyone also knows that the Portuguese have been a result guarantor in all the clubs he has been in. It has not gone wrong until after that success is created, and it is not so these clubs are left penniless when he has resigned either. They know that he is a tactician, and he can deliver world-class coaching during matches on the sideline, a trait Louis van Gaal is not known for. He is also synonymous with success, everyone knows it. Hiring him can strike fear into the other Premier League teams, while current top players know that the chance of trophies is great if they play under Mourinho. Everyone understands that there will be a highly motivated Mourinho going to Manchester if he gets the job. A motivated Mourinho has always delivered success. At least so far.

Should Van Gaal fail this season: United have then gone three years without any success, unless they have been properly included in the title race in the Premier League by that time. It's been three years where the distance to Europes greatest teams has only gotten bigger, despite the fact that United economically is still in world-class. The economy gives United possibilities that many others can only dream about, but it all fits together with the results. Two seasons outside the Champions League lowers such payments from adidas by about 25 million pounds a year. In addition to a bunch of other lost income because they are not in the most prestigious company.

Mourinho will be clearly more expensive to hire than Giggs, but Ed Woodward must answer an important question: Does United afford to go for longer periods of time without success? If the answer is no then the choice seems obvious. Then it will be Mourinho. If the answer is no, but the choice is nevertheless Giggs then it becomes a big gambling. When it is about putting all their hopes on a club legend who knows what United is all about, which can safeguard the culture, but who no one knows if can deliver results on the pitch. But there is reason to doubt whether United's management think they can afford to gamble.

Scandinavian Supporters club has been told by our sources that there is contact between United and Mourinho, but so far contact have taken place through intermediaries. United will hate to end up in a situation where a possible manager rejects an offer from them in the media, and all current information in the media comes from either Mourinho camp or is created by journalists who put together two plus two and happily get five. It is rumored that Giggs has been asked if he is willing to continue as an assistant under a new manager, but he has refused.

But what happens?

Only Ed Woodward knows- and maybe not even him.