Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | W15 D2 L4

[Djemba-Djemba]

I think one of the biggest factors for the board is how the OT crowd feel, every match under Ole I've gotten to shows they're very firmly behind him.

Feels like he's united the entire club back together.

We still have a lot of issues to solve on and off the pitch but having a manager that loves the club and knows what it means to be a Utd manager makes such a huge difference. There's a positive feeling around the club again.

 

[The United]

I understand that the divisive, binary, 'good / bad' thing is very easy, especially on messageboards etc, but if you read my posts properly it's pretty clear that I'm deeply impressed by the job he's done / doing.

I just think that a little balance is needed as factions of the fanbase are approaching that awful cult-like mindset, incapable of objective thought now with OGS. Anyone who speaketh against the great leader must be barked down.

He gets credit for rallying them, yes. But that draw, for me, was earned by the players and their grit.

As an aside, I would also strongly suggest that Phelan deserves the most credit for our defensive performances since the new team took over.

Our home performances haven't actually been that good, and I'm still on the fence about whether appointing OGS fulltime, which is now, incredibly seeming like a given, will turn out long term as the right move.

But I love the guy, and hope he continues the great results.

Wait, since when did you know for sure that Phelan coaches our defensive drills alone and be responsible for it?

I mean he is clearly a good no 2 and he proved that with SAF for many years. I was just checking if I missed something about him with that specific task.

Also, players will always play or not play for manager. That's why we said the buck stops with the manager. I have never heard players say they play for certain coaches or assistants.

You are talking about sports fans who usually follow their team/manager like a cult. I don't think it is a bad thing if fans are following their managers as a cult leader because the guy is doing good.

 

[PlayerOne]

It's odd that we've had injuries to key players in 2 big games at home now, maybe the players over train or something along those lines, or it could be a sign of the lack of fitness.

Either way, it does show you how much more work the team needs.

 

[Acquire Me]

I understand that the divisive, binary, 'good / bad' thing is very easy, especially on messageboards etc, but if you read my posts properly it's pretty clear that I'm deeply impressed by the job he's done / doing.

I just think that a little balance is needed as factions of the fanbase are approaching that awful cult-like mindset, incapable of objective thought now with OGS. Anyone who speaketh against the great leader must be barked down.

He gets credit for rallying them, yes. But that draw, for me, was earned by the players and their grit.

As an aside, I would also strongly suggest that Phelan deserves the most credit for our defensive performances since the new team took over.

Our home performances haven't actually been that good, and I'm still on the fence about whether appointing OGS fulltime, which is now, incredibly seeming like a given, will turn out long term as the right move.

But I love the guy, and hope he continues the great results.

This is a manager who has the record for most points in the first 10 games. Still you are not sure about him? What must the poor guy do to have a chance long term for you?

I have a feeling you dont put out on the first date

 

[Lj82]

The difference between a risk and a mistake is often hindsight. At the end of the day we didn't fold and we carried on trying to win it until the end. Came away with 2 points. Another test passed...

Very quotable quote.
While I agree with the general gist of your comment, I think for this instance it's fair to say Ole made a mistake with the Lingard sub. The risk was high and the potential benefit wasn't worth it. The key attribute Lingard brings is his movement and pressing. But a partially fit Lingard can't do that well, which means the risk isn't justified.

Having said that, every manager will make mistakes. At the end of the day, Ole still managed to extract the most out of his team and we looked better than the so called champions elect. That surely has to be Ole's credit.

 

[TMDaines]

Wouldn't know from the support he is getting at home that we have failed to win in our last three under him at home, even failing to score in the last two.

 

[MackRobinson]

Nice response, you could at list which evaluation that you think is inaccurate. Some may say that Ali is worth near £200m, but I find that claim laughable. I don’t know any sane club that will pay that much for him.

I'll bite.

My evaluation of our first eleven is this:

De Gea(£80m) vs Lloris (£50m)
Young(£10m) vs Trippier(£20m)
Smalling(£30m) vs Alderwield(£25m)
Linderloff(£40m) vs Vertonghen (£25m)
Shaw(£35m) vs Rose(£20m)
Matic(£15m) vs Sissoko(£15m)
Herrera(£20m) vs Winks(£15m)
Pogba(£200m) vs Ali(£110m)
Martial(£80m) vs Eriksen(£60m)
Lingard(£30m) vs Son(£50m)
Rashford(£120m) vs Kane(£190m)
First team value = United: £660m vs Spurs: £580m
Bench/squad value, you can probably add £200m to United to Spurs £80m

• Harry Winks is a young english midfielder with good passing ability. £15m is too low
• Son only £10m more than Linderloff ()? No way.
• Erkisen (who is linked to Barca) only £60m? £10m less than Lloris? No way.
• Smalling more than Alderwield doesn't make much sense considering before VVD he was considered the best CB
• Rashford needs more consistency to be valued at £120m

I could critique it more but frankly is obvious you just made those numbers up so United's team would be more valuable than Spurs. Trainwreck of a post if I'm honest.

As you can see, United squad is much more valuable than Spurs based of my estimation which is more accurate than that website, but even then I admit, it is subjective.

Not sure if you're serious...

 

[AltiUn]

Wouldn't know from the support he is getting at home that we have failed to win in our last three under him at home, even failing to score in the last two.

People tend to be more forgiving when you look at the context of the results, we could easily have beaten Burnley, Liverpool didn't create a chance against us and we really should have scored ourselves and our game plan went out the window with two injuries before half time against PSG, although we probably still would've lost. The performances were good even if the results weren't ideal, even first half against PSG we were fairly even with them for the most part.

 

[Cheesy]

Nev is right, and to expand on why:

We put our trust in him as a caretaker and he showed great loyalty to us by dropping his job at Molde to answer the call on a temporary basis.

We also promised him that although temporary, he can earn a perm deal if he impresses.


It’s been nearly 3 months now he’s unbeaten in the league, dropping points just twice despite all the questions asked of him and this squad.

There is no realistic scenario that exists whereby he is more worthy of taking the job full time. He’s exceeded expectation in all aspects from results to style to quality. From players improving both individually and collectively. He’s played with multiple vastly different tactical approaches which had utilised the variety of skill sets he has on offer.

Just give him the bloody job and back him with serious money in the summer and I genuinely believe that we will make a push for the title.

This feels like the most important part: he's not only unbeaten, but has managed to get away wins against three of our five main competitors. That's remarkably impressive, even if it's admittedly been the weakest three out of the overall five - still difficult to do.

 

[Cheesy]

Wouldn't know from the support he is getting at home that we have failed to win in our last three under him at home, even failing to score in the last two.

I mean...his record was literally perfect before that, and two of those games have been against extremely opposition, one of whom we had to make all three subs against before half-time.

 

[Canagel]

Wouldn't know from the support he is getting at home that we have failed to win in our last three under him at home, even failing to score in the last two.

injuries ruined us in the two big games. a full strength team would've got at least draw vs PSG and win today.

 

[Bola]

It will be an interesting test* for him midweek away to Palace, a tricky team and our line-up will be a bit makeshift after injuries to 5 key players and 1 regular matchday squad member. Throw in the other tricky situation of match congestion, with 5 games within a fortnight

I've faith he will get us through this and fingers crossed, he can integrate some new youth players as well


* as in a challenge and not another hoop for him to jump though to get the job

 

[AltiUn]

It will be an interesting test* for him midweek away to Palace, a tricky team and our line-up will be a bit makeshift after injuries to 5 key players and 1 regular matchday squad member. Throw in the other tricky situation of match congestion, with 5 games within a fortnight

I've faith he will get us through this and fingers crossed, he can integrate some new youth players as well


* as in a challenge and not another hoop for him to jump though to get the job

Yeah Palace are no joke and it's not an easy ground to go to, we need to hope Zaha continues his rubbish form when he plays against us.

 

[Mockney]

It would’ve been really easy to write off a defeat here, and excuse Ole all manner of woes given the frankly freakish circumstances... and yet we ended up the more dangerous and creative team, against the potential Champions elect, despite having to play the last hour without the possibility of any fresh legs, Lukaku on the wing, and a midfield two of McTominey & Periera... that’s gotta count for something, really.

 

[automaticflare]

I'm now beginning to think it's inevitable he will get the job and rightly so. He's not quite the finshed article so I am intrigued as to what the club can do to supplement his potential weaknesses. Nothing against Phelan as such but there must be are more astute number two around that can get the best out of Ole and the squad.

Haha what?? Is this a fish?

 

[AltiUn]

It would’ve been really easy to write off a defeat here, and excuse Ole all manner of woes given the frankly freakish circumstances... and yet we ended up the more dangerous and creative team, against the potential Champions elect, despite having to play the last hour without the possibility of any fresh legs, Lukaku on the wing, and a midfield two of McTominey & Periera... that’s gotta count for something, really.

These are my thoughts too. I initially felt like I was making too many excuses for him but when you actually look at what happened and how he managed the game, he really did do a good job. We had two midfielders that probably have less than 20 PL starts between them and they both did really well. So far he's shown me he's capable of making the most of a situation and he's gotten the best out of what he has.

 

[Giggs86]

Let's be real. If not for a freak injury streak in the first half and a five centimeter offside (plus a brainfart later) by Smalling, Ole was on the way to school the hipster and media darling Klopp.

People repeat the Lingard mistake over and over but forget to point that Ole and the coaching staff neutralized Liverpool's attack, Salah in particular. They didn't get a sniff for all the plaudits they are receiving. With the limited resources we had in attack we ended up being more threatening. Have we had Martial, Lingard, Matic, Herrera and a fit Rashford, it would've been 3-0.

 

[DancingPanda]

Wouldn't know from the support he is getting at home that we have failed to win in our last three under him at home, even failing to score in the last two.

Agree. I've changed my vote from 'I love Ole more than I could love my own child' to 'No'

 

[Gator Nate]

Lingard did a full training with no issues. Martial did not. Lingard was not good enough to do 90 mins. Lingard was subbed on a bit early because of injury. Lingard knocked up his injury or gained a new one. Thats football and hardly a mistake. A mistake would be to have Lingard on the bench knowing he could not play at all. That was not the case.

Agreed. Further, that Lingard gave out so quickly after going in says that either EVERYONE involved was completely wrong and the time remaining in the match was immaterial, or he had another problem (which has been indicated) and all criticism of the substitution is entirely misplaced.

Hmm,
Yeah, apart from getting a point against the league leaders with 3 first choice starters missing and another 3 getting injured in the first half, only conceding one shot on target against "europe most feared attacking force" whilst fielding 5 youth team graduates, becoming the first manager in history to reach 26 points in his first 10 league games, I can't see any positives for Ole. I guess Palace will be his real test.

If I were him, I'd be curled up in the fetal position trying to figure out how to pull the next rabbit out of a hat.

But he is not me. He will have something for this.

 

[fishfingers15]

Give him the job

 

[BrianMcClair'sBarnet]

Love to see what Ole could do in the transfer market if he was backed with big transfer kitty.

 

[Majima]

If I were him, I'd be curled up in the fetal position trying to figure out how to pull the next rabbit out of a hat.

But he is not me. He will have something for this.

He is Mary Poppins after all!

 

[Giggs86]

Wouldn't know from the support he is getting at home that we have failed to win in our last three under him at home, even failing to score in the last two.

Context? We played a much better team in PSG and the team that sits first in the PL table, while being forced to change the game plan 20 minutes after kick off in both games due to injuries to key players.

 

[Lj82]

Context? We played a much better team in PSG and the team that sits first in the PL table, while being forced to change the game plan 20 minutes after kick off in both games due to injuries to key players.

I don't think he is criticising the record, but praising the OT crowd?

 

[Giggs86]

Love to see what Ole could do in the transfer market if he was backed with big transfer kitty.

Exactly. He earned a fair shot like his predecessors with a summer to build his own team and have a full pre-season. It's ridiculous that he is constantly being held in that job interview for a job he's already doing better than the other post Fergie managers, the first manager to break positive records after all the negative records his predecessors have shamefully broken.

 

[meamth]

Yeah Palace are no joke and it's not an easy ground to go to, we need to hope Zaha continues his rubbish form when he plays against us.

He scored twice from open goal this week. Think he just hit a new run of form..

 

[Alemar]

De Gea(£80m) vs Lloris (£50m)

de Gea costs a mere 80m? Double that and it would still be low, closer to 200m actually.

 

[AltiUn]

He scored twice from open goal this week. Think he just hit a new run of form..

I meant that he usually plays badly against us, I worded it badly though.

 

[haram]

there had to be a balance struck between resting players and winning games to get back into the top 4 contention. hes quickly decided on his best 11 just like other big teams and we've also come to know which players don't fit his style so you'd imagine with a strong pre season and more options we would in very good place to deal with injuries.

Im sorry, it doesn’t matter if you have found your best eleven. You still have to manage the fitness of the players.

 

[reelworld]

Hmm,
Yeah, apart from getting a point against the league leaders with 3 first choice starters missing and another 3 getting injured in the first half, only conceding one shot on target against "europe most feared attacking force" whilst fielding 5 youth team graduates, becoming the first manager in history to reach 26 points in his first 10 league games, I can't see any positives for Ole. I guess Palace will be his real test.

well, if you put it that way

 

[Amadaeus]

I'll bite.

• Harry Winks is a young english midfielder with good passing ability. £15m is too low
• Son only £10m more than Linderloff ()? No way.
• Erkisen (who is linked to Barca) only £60m? £10m less than Lloris? No way.
• Smalling more than Alderwield doesn't make much sense considering before VVD he was considered the best CB
• Rashford needs more consistency to be valued at £120m

I could critique it more but frankly is obvious you just made those numbers up so United's team would be more valuable than Spurs. Trainwreck of a post if I'm honest.


Not sure if you're serious...

Harry winks is barely regarded highly outside England. He is equivalent to our Scott McTominay (who some say McTominay is rated even higher as he won that award at the end of last season). The only difference is that Pochettino is giving Winks an opportunity to perform and giving him confidence to develop. So my estimation is accurate, he is valued somewhere between £15m -£25m.

I believe I was wrong with my evaluation of Son at £50m. He is very underrated, but I don’t see a club paying a ridiculous amount for him. £65m Max, but £50m still seem accurate as he is not a young player and is perhaps Spurs 4th best player. Eriksen as well. £60m is very high for a player at his age, but he can certainly command a fee of £80m Max.

Smalling is a better cb than Alderweild at the moment and with Alderweild age, his value will only depreciate. I don’t see a club paying higher than the value I listed for him. Rashford is young, English, and is leading the line at United and a regular for England with several impressive performance. It is ridiculous to think his value is no where close to what I listed. Even with those changes, it still shows United squad as being more valuable. I don’t know how that original poster came up with an evaluation that shows Spurs being £200m above United. That is the most ridiculous statement I have ever seen on Redcafe.

de Gea costs a mere 80m? Double that and it would still be low, closer to 200m actually.

Unfortunately, Goalkeeper are not rated that highly. If he was an outfielder, he would definitely command such an evaluation.

 

[RedCurry]

Liverpool didn’t have a sniff today. None of their cute passes around our box came off for them. Generally they destroy teams with those. Huge credit to the coaching staff but also the players.

 

[Kapardin]

Every red in that stadium today was right behind Ole and the players it was the best atmosphere I've heard at OT in fecking ages. Sounded amazing on the TV and I've even seen rival fans saying how impressed they were with our home support.

The job is Ole's. We'll probably wait until the end of the season to make it permanent just to be sure and to be fair there's no rush to do so. Ole probably knows by now that it's his. The future is bright I reckon.

In hindsight, if we don't get CL and Ole gets the job, even Europa won't seem so bad. I would expect Ole to use the Europa to sharpen his skills in managing European cup competitions, and probably to win it if he is backed in the summer. My preference is obviously CL, but the injuries have really crippled us, coupled with Chelsea looking like they are finally willing to adapt despite squabbling and Arsenal having favorable fixtures.

 

[BootsyCollins]

Held pool to their frist match without a goal in the PL this season i think?
Without two of his most trusted players in midfield and two of his most trusted up front for most of the match.

He has shown he is so much more than just a happy face.

 

[roonster09]

Considering how many players we missed before the game and how many players were forced out in game, it was very good performance. We missed 1 or 2 easy chances and made few bad decisions in set pieces where Smalling was just inches offside. Liverpool on the other hand were woeful in attacking. Their only shot on target was from Sturridge which even his mom didn't believe that he had chance from that position.

He is holding his own against all the tactical masters. Hopefully he will get the job.

 

[Natener]

Quite a few seem to think that top 4 is not getting out of reach because of the mounting injuries. Is it weird of me to feel confident still that we're finishing above Chelsea and Arsenal? I just feel OGS has more in his locker to keep getting results despite the injuries.

 

[Yakuza_devils]

Under Ole yesterday vs Pool, I feel that we were the better team and should have won the game even with so many injuries to our main players.

Under Jose vs pool last years, DDG has to make world class save after World class save the entire match. Also, we can't even have 1 shot on target and we were pinned down at our own half the entire match.

 

[redshaw]

Quite a few seem to think that top 4 is not getting out of reach because of the mounting injuries. Is it weird of me to feel confident still that we're finishing above Chelsea and Arsenal? I just feel OGS has more in his locker to keep getting results despite the injuries.

I'm confident we can get top 4. There's still a lot that can happen.

We have at least a very good chance.

 

[kiristao]

There is no doubt Ole has done a fantastic job.
Tactically he seems to be doing quite well. Against Chelsea, he had time to plan and he did very well. Against PSG, arguably, he did not react as well as he should have. Against Pool, he did what he had to do as we looked a different side after half time and he could get his instructions across to the new set of players forced onto the pitch.
The only reason I will wait until the end of the season is to see if he can handle the pressure. Now that we are in 4th or there about's, its pressure time. Plus there are all these injuries to deal with. I would give him the permanent job based on how he handles things from now on to the end of the season. The position that we are in and the form that Arsenal & Chelsea are in, we are now favourites for 4th place. If he can live upto that expectation, the job is his.

 

[Icemav]

He is doing a fantastic job. Liverpool looked very comfortable passing the ball around in the 1st half and buzzing around our box, yet couldn't deliver anything of note despite our disruption with the injuries. They also looked out of puff in the 2nd and on another day we could have won that.

PSG is an outlier because of the galacticos in their team, but against the tier beneath we are showing a very good level including tactically. Too soon to anoint him the new manager but personally I would give him a 1 or 2 year extension.