Van Nistelrooy's record was so abject that you just can't really build any case for him. But the bar is so low that I do get it. He's the one manager since Maresca that hasn't tried to placate these players. That obviously did backfire on him, but the more time passes the more I think he could point to being dealt a terrible hand more than being totally useless. And lets be fair - as crap as he was, he was steady if unspectacular at PSV, so not a complete joke figure of a manager.