Starting the season without a single goal in 270 minutes was not exactly the way to get the fans onboard, and a 3 - 2 home defeat against Espanyol in the next outing put Moyes under more pressure.
By mid-February, though, Van Gaal appeared to be going cold on Tottenham as he became aware of other, potentially more attractive options, not least at Manchester United where David Moyes was already underpressure.