---
title: "A supporter’s perspective of the 2014/15 season"
canonical: "https://readmanutd.com/2015/06/02/a-supporters-perspective-of-the-201415-season/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
section: "Articles"
published: "2015-06-02T19:42:15Z"
modified: "2015-06-02T19:42:15Z"
---

# A supporter’s perspective of the 2014/15 season

**Manchester United’s fourth place finish in 2014/15 was deemed a relative success, a satisfactory start to life under Louis van Gaal, particularly after the debacle of David Moyes’ tenure the season before.**

And After a one year absence, United now find themselves back at the European table.

As a supporter I went into this campaign full of trepidation and uncertainty. The 2013/14 season had been a complete disaster and life after Sir Alex Ferguson was proving to be even harder than anyone possibly imagined. Louis van Gaal’s appointment, especially after the success of the Dutch team in the 2014 World Cup, had given us plenty of optimism owing to his impressive CV and reputation.

The squad, understandably, changed dramatically under the new management team. £150 million was spent in Manchester United’s biggest transfer spree and the British record was smashed with the arrival of Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid. Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo had good World Cups and looked like promising additions. Luke Shaw was also signed from Southampton and immediately had the pressure of replacing the legendary full back Patrice Evra. Ander Herrera also came in, a year on after Moyes failed to land him, to bolster the central midfield positions. One signing which really caught the fans attention and caused incredible excitement was the deadline day arrival of Radamel Falcao.

[![Michael Regan | Getty Images](https://media.readmanutd.com/readmanutd/2015/06/Angel-di-Maria-3.png)](https://media.readmanutd.com/readmanutd/2015/06/Angel-di-Maria-3.png)

The new signings had mixed first seasons at Old Trafford. Whereas Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao struggled to impose themselves, the likes of Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and in particular Ander Herrera settled into English football quickly. Herrera has proven an inspired signing, adding class and intelligence to the United midfield, something that was sorely lacking last season.

If you’d asked United fans at the start of the season whether they would have taken fourth place, then I think nearly all would have taken it. Although a title challenge was desired, a return to European competition especially in the Champions League, was the more probable and realistic expectation.

There has been some brilliant football played this season, some of the best seen since Sir Alex retired in 2013. There has also been some pretty frustrating and sluggish performances throughout the campaign. But this was perhaps to be expected after another summer of drastic changes. It was inevitable that the manager and his players would take time to adapt to each other. Patience has been the key this season.

Van Gaal deserves praise for how he has instilled the winning mentality at United once more, something that was dramatically missing last year. The belief is certainly back at Old Trafford. Even when the performances weren’t matching the status of Manchester United, the team were still grinding out results. Victories away at Arsenal and Southampton stand out in particular.

[![Laurence Griffiths | Getty Images](https://media.readmanutd.com/readmanutd/2015/06/Supporters.png)](https://media.readmanutd.com/readmanutd/2015/06/Supporters.png)

When these wins were matched with superb attacking performances it felt like the Louis van Gaal philosophy had finally clicked into place. The speed and precision of the teams’ attacks and pressing off the ball was evident in the devastating victories over Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and sweetest of all, away to Liverpool.

Everyone will talk about Juan Mata’s stunning winning goal for years to come. To attempt such an audacious finish, and to pull it off, at Anfield of all places, well there is nothing better than that.

We may not look back on 2014/15 as a vintage year but it may well be the season which signalled Manchester United’s rise back to the summit of European football. And we can go into next season full of a lot more promise than we did going into this one.