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Louis van Gaal's speech is exactly why we love a drunk moment in sport

Louis van Gaal (AP Photo/Jon Super)
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20th May, 2015
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Football journalists have been trying to draw some emotion out of Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal ever since he arrived in the UK.

With the help of some, no doubt expensive liquor, the usually straight talking manager let his hair down at United’s player of the year awards.

With the likes of Ryan Giggs looking on van Gaal had plenty of Dutch courage on stage with an entertaining, brilliant, sometimes incoherent eight minute speech.

They say alcohol can be a truth serum and perhaps van Gaal’s insights on the season are telling.

“At that time we had 50 points, and Wayne Rooney said we go for second position on the league table. We won six games in a row, then we go to Chelsea. Who are the better team then? It’s easy to say that now.”

Then again he also said this…

“I have said that you are the best fans of the world, but I was, tonight a little bit disappointed. Yeah and I shall say why. I have seen a lady who plays the saxophone fantastically. Give her a big applause.”

Alcohol can make or break sports identities. Most of the time it makes them funny, as we’ve seen with van Gaal or it can just make you look like a goose – like Brendan Fevola at the Brownlow Medal.

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Of course the end of the season is the most prevalent time for these shenanigans. This clip resurfaced this week of Channel Seven’s Natalie Barr trying in vain to seriously interview Matthew Johns after Newcastle’s 1997 premiership win over Manly. Johns’ line that winning the premiership was ‘better than lego’ was a real highlight.

In the tough world of professional sport we have to expect coaches and players to have that moment to let loose. It can be a fine line as we’ve seen with Mad Monday celebrations over the years, but when we get moments like van Gaal, Matty Johns and to a lesser extent Fev it’s very refreshing to witness against the staged, managed post-game interview.

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