Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 2021/22 Discussion

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Glad I can say I backed him the whole time :devil: confidence wavered a few times and I don't really think he's going to be the one to win us league titles necessarily, but absolutely the right guy for this period. I liked his vision from the off, the style of football has good intentions but we just didn't have the players for it. Only so much you can do when you have Lingard/Pereira/Mata/Fred as your creative sources, with Pogba injured all year. He's made good transfers, he's improved the players and everything is trending upwards to an extent that you can see us realistically challenge for any trophy (especially cups), as our level in individual games can compete with anyone. I don't think we have the consistency for the league as long as Liverpool and City keep up what they've done the last 2-3 years, but if they drop then it'll be our chance to strike.
 
Really deserves a lot of credit for how we're playing. This is the best fun I'm getting out of football for years. We're attacking from everywhere on the pitch, left, right and from center. Each player shoots whenever he gets a chance. 5-6 players all trying to shoot whenever they get a chance. So much fun to watch. Long may it continue.

We look like we'll just win every game and by at least 3 goals. Missed this level of confidence.
 
Since Sir Alex Retired:

5-2 against Bournemouth, pushes the unbeaten run to 16, we're now only 1 game away from equaling Jose' best run at United.

Club​
Manager​
Games Unbeaten​
Start Date​
End Date​
Goals For​
Goals Against​
Clean Sheets​
Win %​
City​
Guardiola​
28​
27.04.2017​
03.12.2017​
78​
18​
14​
86%​
Chelsea​
Jose​
23​
04.05.2014​
03.12.2014​
53​
16​
10​
74%​
Arsenal​
Emery​
22​
25.08.2018​
13.12.2018​
50​
19​
8​
77%​
City​
Pellegrini​
20​
30.10.2013​
29.01.2014​
69​
22​
7​
90%​
Liverpool​
Klopp​
19​
12.01.2019​
26.04.2019​
44​
12​
10​
74%​
Arsenal​
Wenger​
19​
20.08.2016​
27.11.2016​
45​
14​
8​
68%​
Liverpool​
Klopp​
19​
22.09.2019​
14.12.2019​
44​
18​
5​
84%​
Chelsea​
Sarri​
18​
11.08.2018​
11.11.2018​
38​
12​
9​
78%​
Chelsea​
Jose​
18​
27.01.2015​
10.05.2015​
25​
12​
8​
61%​
Liverpool​
Klopp​
18​
28.10.2017​
14.01.2018​
55​
16​
8​
72%​
Tottenham​
Poch​
17​
23.12.2017​
03.03.2018​
40​
12​
9​
65%​
Manchester Utd​
Jose​
17​
06.11.2016​
21.01.2017​
36​
10​
7​
71%​
City​
Guardiola​
16​
22.09.2018​
04.12.2018​
49​
7​
10​
88%​
Manchester Utd​
Ole​
16​
26.01.2020​
04.07.2020​
43​
6​
11​
75%​
 
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Credit to Solskjaer, this vein of form and attacking threat is the best I’ve seen in a United team since the late 2000s. Even Ferguson’s latter teams weren’t this good and they swept up a couple of titles before the great man retired.

Exciting times.
 
Ole is very lucky that he happens to be a much better tactician than Mourinho or LVG. He could have done what either of those managers did and played worse football and made worse transfers.
 
Give the man credit, he’s lifted everyone. He gets dogs abuse whenever we lose, knives are out. When we win and play well, people say imagine how we’d do with a better manager. If he gets stick when we lose then you must also give him credit for us playing well. We’re unbeaten in 16 and playing brilliantly.
 
The players respond to him, simple as that. Even in our darkest times, he never lost the dressing room, and he carried himself admirably by not throwing them under the bus when he was under huge pressure. That's why I always backed him. And we are finally starting to reap the rewards.
 
He’s just lucky, lucky that he bought the players he wanted, lucky that he setup the team the way he wanted, and lucky he picks the right players to win the game.

All luck....
 
Its well documented by me Ole hadn't done enough managerial experience to get the job. I said/thought defensively he's totally inept and that hasn't really changed. De Gea & Maguire were awful and obviously to blame for the two goals conceded. United won't get away with this against the top teams.


Exciting to watch though. What can you say about Greenwood again, this time with his right foot. If Ole can sort out his defending who knows?? Going forward Ole mastered it and fair play to him. Hopefully nice times ahead and looking like we've turned a corner.
 
The style of football that the management team can deploy with Pogba and Fernandes is really becoming breathtaking to watch. Really goes to show that no matter how good the tactics are, intelligence and skill from the players are required to execute them at this level.
 
This might not make any sense. But ever since the restart Ole has looked more like a United manager now. He looks like he owns the players rather than him just coaching them
 
keithsingleton said:
Its well documented by me Ole hadn't done enough managerial experience to get the job. I said/thought defensively he's totally inept and that hasn't really changed. De Gea & Maguire were awful and obviously to blame for the two goals conceded. United won't get away with this against the top teams.


Exciting to watch though. What can you say about Greenwood again, this time with his right foot. If Ole can sort out his defending who knows?? Going forward Ole mastered it and fair play to him. Hopefully nice times ahead and looking like we've turned a corner.
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Can see why you haven't got promoted yet, how about you look at the table a few posts above and re-evaluate your comment. A large majority of comments have focused on how poor this team has been at breaking down the opposition while maintaining a solid defense. Defending was dodgy today but has represented the exception rather than the norm.
 
Bring back the league table of managers people used to post in here. He’s improved every player, signings are all great, man management is fantastic, tactically he’s bossing some of the great. Best season post Fergie
 
bond19821982 said:
Because we have been through this before where we beat City or any big gun but was brought down the very next moment. So whats the problem in waiting for some more time before we actually say something.
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This is the issue here. It's already been 16 games now unbeaten. Whether it will go up to 20 or 25 or stop at 15, that's long enough to be deserve given credit to it.

You refused to give credit and instead you see the 15 unbeaten record as problem because we beat the likes of Tranmere, LASK, Derby & Club Brugge but in actual fact we also beat City twice & Chelsea in those runs and somehow you ignore it to suit your argument.

Top 4 or not top 4, the long run is for long term gain and for the progress of what actually happen if we don't have injuries & if the board is letting Ole to sign the quality player he needs like Bruno from the start of season for example.
 
I still think we can attack better as a unit in moments when other teams are compact. Although he has lifted the attacking spirit of the team no doubt. Pogba looks happy again so that is a plus.
Bruno is brilliant as a 10. Greenwood has improved a lot under his watch which is a positive.
It feels a lot like under SAF at the moment and I am sure Phelan is also behind that. Hope the positivity can continue with good results.
 
UNITED ACADEMY said:
This is the issue here. It's already been 16 games now unbeaten. Whether it will go up to 20 or 25 or stop at 15, that's long enough to be deserve given credit to it.

You refused to give credit and instead you see the 15 unbeaten record as problem because we beat the likes of Tranmere, LASK, Derby & Club Brugge but in actual fact we also beat City twice & Chelsea in those runs and somehow you ignore it to suit your argument.

Top 4 or not top 4, the long run is for long term gain and for the progress of what actually happen if we don't have injuries & if the board is letting Ole to sign the quality player he needs like Bruno from the start of season for example.
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Agreed. There’s still a big contingent who are giving credit to Ole through gritted teeth. I have to laugh every time I see the ‘he deserves another season’ line being trotted out. Just imagine if this was Nagelsmann or any other hipster manager on this run.
 
I think all those who wanted Ole out, who lacked faith should now own up that they were totally wrong, and get on board the Ole train.

Ole deserves so much credit for his vision and bravery. He has transformed the club in every aspect and created a harmonious, fiercely motivated squad that is continually improving and moving upwards. And done so in record speed and without making any enemies.

OGS entire life was designed for him to lead us back to glory. He is that man and it is going to be such a fun ride for the next few years.
 
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Zen86 said:
Agreed. There’s still a big contingent who are giving credit to Ole through gritted teeth. I have to laugh every time I see the ‘he deserves another season’ line being trotted out. Just imagine if this was Nagelsmann or any other hipster manager on this run.
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Just ignore them. In reality, they know very little how you build winning football teams in and very little about our clubs culture.
 
keithsingleton said:
Its well documented by me Ole hadn't done enough managerial experience to get the job. I said/thought defensively he's totally inept and that hasn't really changed. De Gea & Maguire were awful and obviously to blame for the two goals conceded. United won't get away with this against the top teams.


Exciting to watch though. What can you say about Greenwood again, this time with his right foot. If Ole can sort out his defending who knows?? Going forward Ole mastered it and fair play to him. Hopefully nice times ahead and looking like we've turned a corner.
Click to expand...

Ole's defensively inept? Do you think he's telling Maguire to close down players tamely and with his legs wide open in the box? Or telling De Gea to leave his near post exposed? Or Matic to send chest-high short range passes back to his centre backs.
These are not tactics, they're individual mistakes.

There is work still to do defensively and that may well mean new players coming in, but saying he's inept defensively because of individual mistakes is nonsense. Particularly as we've had some tactically strong defensive performances this season.
 
We’re starting to slam teams that we should be slamming... something that was sort of a weakness to OGS. His teams looked dumbfounded against the lower half teams or teams that set out defensively.

Bruno coming in, Pogba getting fit and Rashford returning from injury have certainly helped the cause. Long may it continue I say. Undoubtedly we now look a lot more appealing to better players again too. Sancho has seemingly warmer and warmer links to us.

Until Bruno, it looked grim at times and were reliant on a piece of individual magic to bail us out against most teams, then perform out their skins against the top teams... which doesnt make a good manager and back in January 2020, I thought Pochettino would be waiting in the wings and as of this moment we’d be heading into a preseason with him at the helm. When Bruno came in, I was in the camp of giving him another chance because Lingard and Pereira had been awful, and surely the guy who runs riot in Portugal must be slightly better than them at least. I suppose the only gripe you could level at him and the club is why Bruno was not got last summer, because that mediocre first half of the season could have been mitigated.

Again, I’d love him to succeed as our manager because of his club links but I’m also realistic... just because Guardiola did with Barcelona doesn’t mean every club is going to have their Guardiola. I’d like to think people who are strongly an ‘Ole out’ person think like that deep down.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a manager who spent a decade in European football obscurity (with all due respect to Norwegian football) then rocked up at a massive club and did well.... but I hope to god and would love it if he’s the first.
 
LJJT said:
Bring back the league table of managers people used to post in here. He’s improved every player, signings are all great, man management is fantastic, tactically he’s bossing some of the great. Best season post Fergie
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And he has represented the club with dignity, positivity and provided a value system and vision for the board, players and fans to buy into. In hindsight, it’s been a sheer MasterClass in transition management, putting previous masters like LVG and Mourinho into shame.
 
sammsky1 said:
I think all this who wanted Ole out, who lacked faith should now own up that they were totally wrong, and get on board the Ole train.

Ole deserves so much credit for his vision and bravery. He has transformed the club in every aspect and created a harmonious, fiercely motivated squad that is continually improving and moving upwards. And done so in record speed and without making any enemies.

OGS entire life was designed for him to lead us back to glory. He is that man and it is going to be such a fun ride for the next few years.
Click to expand...

I didnt want him out, but was not convinced he was up to it late last season/early on this. But as the season has gone on we have actually began to look like a well coached side (imo) which was one of my concerns, even when he came in and went on his good run. You can see we are actually moving teams around in attack now, really refreshing after the last few years. Fernandes has obviously been a big part of our upturn but the team just looks better in general.
 
Can’t say I have a single (non churlish) complaint since Bruno came in, when I genuinely couldn’t see where the improvement was going to come from. Fair play to him. That we’ve managed to pick up our form from just before the break as if nothing happened deserves credit too.
 
It is all about time. You give (good) manager(s) time and he (they) will be good. We know all those Ole threads and us who were saying Solskjaer needs time were laughed at.

I'm not suprised. I am more happy for both ManUtd and him. People seeing what he did in Molde can in some way look at what is happining here and see some similarities.

What is very good is that we also know that finishing league in good way makes you better next year. Often. And without any , or atleast few, friendly games before next season this can be huge. I am not saying we are going to win the league, but I wouldn't be suprised if we took the fight with Liverpool and ManCIty to the end and who knows what can happen.
 
keithsingleton said:
Its well documented by me Ole hadn't done enough managerial experience to get the job. I said/thought defensively he's totally inept and that hasn't really changed. De Gea & Maguire were awful and obviously to blame for the two goals conceded. United won't get away with this against the top teams.


Exciting to watch though. What can you say about Greenwood again, this time with his right foot. If Ole can sort out his defending who knows?? Going forward Ole mastered it and fair play to him. Hopefully nice times ahead and looking like we've turned a corner.
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Yeah, that Ole, he's shocking against the big teams... Not like he's *checks notes* beaten City and Chelsea, three times as well as Spurs :wenger:

EDIT - And on the defence, you don't have the 3rd best defensive record if you don't have any nous.

I look forward to Ole continuing to make you eat your words
 
The two goals were absolutely ridiculous, glad the players got to learn that in this match.
 
keithsingleton said:
Its well documented by me Ole hadn't done enough managerial experience to get the job. I said/thought defensively he's totally inept and that hasn't really changed. De Gea & Maguire were awful and obviously to blame for the two goals conceded. United won't get away with this against the top teams.


Exciting to watch though. What can you say about Greenwood again, this time with his right foot. If Ole can sort out his defending who knows?? Going forward Ole mastered it and fair play to him. Hopefully nice times ahead and looking like we've turned a corner.
Click to expand...

the defensive shape was actually really good today and we generally dealt with their counters quite well

two sloppy goals conceded from poor mistakes but other than that, we looked solid.. it's 6 conceded in 16 so I don't think you can say its the norm for these mistakes to happen
 
RedSky said:
Since Sir Alex Retired:

5-2 against Bournemouth, pushes the unbeaten run to 16, we're now only 1 game away from equaling Jose' best run at United.

Club​
Manager​
Games Unbeaten​
Start Date​
End Date​
Goals For​
Goals Against​
Clean Sheets​
Win %​
City​
Guardiola​
28​
27.04.2017​
03.12.2017​
78​
18​
14​
86%​
Chelsea​
Jose​
23​
04.05.2014​
03.12.2014​
53​
16​
10​
74%​
Arsenal​
Emery​
22​
25.08.2018​
13.12.2018​
50​
19​
8​
77%​
City​
Pellegrini​
20​
30.10.2013​
29.01.2014​
69​
22​
7​
90%​
Liverpool​
Klopp​
19​
12.01.2019​
26.04.2019​
44​
12​
10​
74%​
Arsenal​
Wenger​
19​
20.08.2016​
27.11.2016​
45​
14​
8​
68%​
Liverpool​
Klopp​
19​
22.09.2019​
14.12.2019​
44​
18​
5​
84%​
Chelsea​
Sarri​
18​
11.08.2018​
11.11.2018​
38​
12​
9​
78%​
Chelsea​
Jose​
18​
27.01.2015​
10.05.2015​
25​
12​
8​
61%​
Liverpool​
Klopp​
18​
28.10.2017​
14.01.2018​
55​
16​
8​
72%​
Tottenham​
Poch​
17​
23.12.2017​
03.03.2018​
40​
12​
9​
65%​
Manchester Utd​
Jose​
17​
06.11.2016​
21.01.2017​
36​
10​
7​
71%​
City​
Guardiola​
16​
22.09.2018​
04.12.2018​
49​
7​
10​
88%​
Manchester Utd​
Ole​
16​
26.01.2020​
04.07.2020​
53​
6​
11​
75%​
Click to expand...
Emery's Arsenal, the feck?
 
Wumminator said:
It is genuinely not funny. They should stop supporting the club.
Click to expand...

Oh well.
I'm genuinely just so happy and excited, and looking forward to every match. Like I'm transported back to my youth chasing all the games in the middle of the night. Usa been a long while since I've had that enthusiasm. Couldn't care what the naysayers say. This is why I follow United
 
keithsingleton said:
Its well documented by me Ole hadn't done enough managerial experience to get the job. I said/thought defensively he's totally inept and that hasn't really changed. De Gea & Maguire were awful and obviously to blame for the two goals conceded. United won't get away with this against the top teams.


Exciting to watch though. What can you say about Greenwood again, this time with his right foot. If Ole can sort out his defending who knows?? Going forward Ole mastered it and fair play to him. Hopefully nice times ahead and looking like we've turned a corner.
Click to expand...
Except all those times this season when we've done it against those teams. Except our current unbeaten run includes games against City, Chelsea, Spurs and Wolves. Except for having conceded just 6 goals in that time, most of which were individual errors.
 
If his name was pochetino or klopp people here would have given him more credit. Truth is since bruno's arrival he has proven give him quality player he will make us play better and win matches. This wasn't the case with jose moyes.or lvg.
 
AshRK said:
If his name was pochetino or klopp people here would have given him more credit. Truth is since bruno's arrival he has proven give him quality player he will make us play better and win matches. This wasn't the case with jose moyes.or lvg.
Click to expand...
We sorely lacked creativity for so long. Pogba was supposed to be the man to carry that burden while we reinforced elsewhere, but his untimely injured left us lacking in that key area. It's no surprising that now we have Bruno and Pogba back we are doing significantly better. We're seeing the fruit of Oles labour now. There is a cohesiveness to this team that was unachievable while we had a couple of pieces missing.
 
Tarrou said:
the defensive shape was actually really good today and we generally dealt with their counters quite well

two sloppy goals conceded from poor mistakes but other than that, we looked solid.. it's 6 conceded in 16 so I don't think you can say its the norm for these mistakes to happen
Click to expand...
I'm not sure Maguire is truly a top class defender and Dave might be past it but overall our defense is very solid.

The recent mistakes has blurred people view somewhat.
 
keithsingleton said:
Its well documented by me Ole hadn't done enough managerial experience to get the job. I said/thought defensively he's totally inept and that hasn't really changed. De Gea & Maguire were awful and obviously to blame for the two goals conceded. United won't get away with this against the top teams.


Exciting to watch though. What can you say about Greenwood again, this time with his right foot. If Ole can sort out his defending who knows?? Going forward Ole mastered it and fair play to him. Hopefully nice times ahead and looking like we've turned a corner.
Click to expand...

Ole 'gets' the club but in all honesty it was pretty improbable that he would be anything other than a flop. It has taken a lot of wishful thinking and faith (though I would argue if you looked closely there was a good method being employed as to how the club should be managed responsibly) and now we are seeing really really exciting stuff.

Now I can't think of anything better than winning trophies with this man.

Of course if the wheels come off then things change but for now he deserves more trust to sign players and develop the team further.
 
Imagine if he brings us the title within a couple of seasons.. He will be up there with the greats.

The players really respond to him. He's not afraid to trust youth and he wants us to score and score. How has he so many fans against him?
 
keithsingleton said:
Its well documented by me Ole hadn't done enough managerial experience to get the job. I said/thought defensively he's totally inept and that hasn't really changed. De Gea & Maguire were awful and obviously to blame for the two goals conceded. United won't get away with this against the top teams.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure our record vs the top sides is one of the best in the league?

Its actually the poorer sides we've struggled against which we seem to be getting right now as well of late.
 
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