Arsenal have Brighton away followed by Liverpool away
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | W15 D2 L4
- Thread starter Tom Van Persie
- Start date
Arsenal have Brighton away followed by Liverpool away
The quality of his finishing was really top class, up there with Robbie Fowler from that era. Expert at sticking it through the keeper’s legs, but could score all types of goals. Incredible that at no point during his career was he our first choice striker - speaks volumes about how good we had it back then.
It's half a season to make up 8 points on two teams. We couldn't feasibly expect to end up 16 points or more ahead of both Arsenal and Chelsea at the beginning of the season, regardless of who our manager was. Last season we were only 11 points ahead of Chelsea and 18 points ahead of Arsenal despite us winning far more points than our performances merited and Arsenal being one of the worst sides the league has ever seen away from home. If Ole turns it around and leapfrogs both of them it will be a remarkable achievement worthy of serious consideration for the permanent job.
For me there are three important requirements for our next manager. Number one is getting our squad back to The United Way of entertaining and attacking. Number two is setting a long-term plan in motion for how we are going to function as a club going forward, in terms of playing style, bleeding youngsters into the first team and signing players that fit in, because we're still a long way off where we should be in that respect. Number three is results.
Honestly at this point in time I don't think results are as important in the long-term as the other two. It's more important that we find our way back onto the right track even if it takes time to get there. Also, if we hire a DoF I fully expect that person to take care of the second requirement regardless of who our manager ultimately turns out to be. If Ole keeps up the enthusiastic style of play we saw against Cardiff without completely tanking our results against more potent teams and we hire a DoF to take care of the long term vision of the club he ticks most of the boxes I as a fan require for him to be a permanent hire. Without a DoF Pochettino is by far a more suited candidate considering his track record at Saints and Spurs, and it will require Ole to greatly exceed expectations to get the nod ahead of him, as he hasn't shown himself to be a builder of great Premiership teams yet. To the contrary, his Cardiff experiment went belly up in a big way.
The length of his spell with us, and how he retired as a United player were things I'd managed to forget too.
Watching through the goal reel, seeing him link up with Cantona, Yorke, Cole, Sheringham, Van Nistelrooy, Saha, Rooney and Ronaldo - what a long server!
It'd be amazing if we have stumbled across a long term manager, the fantasy of all fans - the ex popular player coming back.
Let's see how game 2 goes though!
Ole, 21st of.December, his own words:
“Once in a while you really have to tell them the standards we have got. We’ve spoken about what we expect, what standards we have on and off the pitch. I trust the lads to know what they’re doing, to help the team. Everything we do is to help the team. The world has changed now. I’m not into this social media. My kids are, yeah. I’m that old that I’m not on Twitter or Facebook but that’s just common sense for me, what I’ve spoken to them about. We move this forward.”
He speaks so much sense and really love how he is so warm towards the media. He is going to be really popular among the media personnel.
Arsenal will always be Arsenal, and they have Liverpool coming up. The cookie will start to crumble soon enough.
Yesssss
Yeah that’s the feeling I get with him too. There’s a lot to be said for having the media behind you. He’s a different beast in press conferences. The polar opposite of Mourinho. He holds eye contact of the journalist asking the question, smiles and nods with them as he waits for them to finish, giving encouraging “yeah.. yes.. yep...” along the way and then has the courtesy to give an honest and articulate answer.
Add to that the attacking Football he wants to play and the exciting spectacle he’s desperate for us to enjoy and he’s going to have neutrals pained to support him and us.
If he treats our players with the same respect and builds up their confidence and enjoyment of the game, he’s going to have them running through walls for him.
Ole: “I don't think any team would like to have Rashford, Martial, Lingard and Pogba running at them. So why should we stop them? The attacking philosophy is in the walls of Man United, that's tradition and that's history. That’s how we play and how we want to play.”
Nice to see someone gets it.I mean,it took them (the board) 5 freaking years!
Nice to see someone gets it.I mean,it took them (the board) 5 freaking years!
I know it's too soon to say anything but he seems like a guy who is easy to work with. I am looking forward to how things pan out for him.
Something we may forget is how good Sanchez and even Lukaku might look when getting fed through balls at every attempt. 
If he could get this lineup some consistency I'd dare to hope for top4 and beating PSG.
If he could get this lineup some consistency I'd dare to hope for top4 and beating PSG.
De Gea
Dalot Bailly Lindelöf Shaw
Matic
Fred Pogba
Sanchez Rashford Martial
Dalot Bailly Lindelöf Shaw
Matic
Fred Pogba
Sanchez Rashford Martial
Or doesn't exist
Yes, I read it last week, but I understand it as he isn't anymore or he doesn't really pay much attention to it.
Mike Phelan (verified) follows him: https://twitter.com/Mike_Phelan_1/following
Also Figo and Cafu, since that Beckham's charity match back in 2015. If he's not on twitter or facebook he should be somewhere else because there's a lot of selfies of him from that day.
https://www.balls.ie/football/pics-...lfie-rampage-at-beckhams-charity-match-315976
Cafu even wrote a message to him.
Norway's Prime Minister quoted that account some days ago:
etc.
Looking at all this I'd like to be a fake account now. It would be really funny if all these things were happening at his back and he didn't have a clue of it.
Such a smart goalscorer. Also feigned interest in the far corner only to slot it through a defender’s legs into the near corner. I remember as a kid thinking he had some luck with those, didn’t realise it was on purpose until I got a bit older.
Yes agree with a lot of what you say. If we can finish top 4, (maybe as a bonus win the FA cup, perhaps even proceed to the last 8 of the European cup) and play exciting attacking football, then I think Ole and Phelan would be deserving of another 2 year contract to see if they can build on it. It depends how he performs against the bigger teams for me. Reaching top 4 would at least tick that box that he has the quality to go on a run of wins, which is what we need to get the confidence back in the players.
This. I think some of the managers think they are bigger than the journalists they speak to. This is what gets them disliked. Then the slagging off in the press comes out and negativity follows. We have had enough of this over the last 2 1/2 years. I would prefer our headlines to be about the teams performance, not what shit the manager can chuck at the players in public, whilst they claim they are above all the blame.
Story about Ole on the podcast caught offside.
One of the guys apparently is/was journalist in Norway. After one of Ole's first few games, it was against this journalist's team, where Molde won 1-0. Anyway at the post match conference he shakes Ole's hand and says how much he admires and likes Ole despite being a Liverpool fan. Ole then apparently without a trace of smile or sarcasm and apparently dead serious says " I wouldn't have shook your hand if I had known you were a Liverpool fan". Of course all the journalists laugh and everything. The guys point was that Ole meant what he said and that he thought Ole was really through and through United.
One of the guys apparently is/was journalist in Norway. After one of Ole's first few games, it was against this journalist's team, where Molde won 1-0. Anyway at the post match conference he shakes Ole's hand and says how much he admires and likes Ole despite being a Liverpool fan. Ole then apparently without a trace of smile or sarcasm and apparently dead serious says " I wouldn't have shook your hand if I had known you were a Liverpool fan". Of course all the journalists laugh and everything. The guys point was that Ole meant what he said and that he thought Ole was really through and through United.
A talking sack of crap, sometimes referred to as Simon Jordan, thinks anyone could have done what Ole has done so far
Wan Kerr.
We shall see, but I am yet to see Andy Serkis and Ole in the same town before.
In some ways he is correct. The mood was that bad that simply not being Mourinho would have lifted the spirits of a lot of the squad, and the fans. What he brings that is special is his links to the Ferguson era and his obvious enthusiasm and love for the club.
Its too soon to judge him tactically. We are supposed to be beating Cardiff and Huddersfield.
Agree and disagree. Yes, he is no tactical genius but neither is Hughes or Bruce . Why didn't we go for them? You still need a plan to be executed and that support is being provided by Ole now. Ofcourse he could be found out next week or in couple of weeks . As long as we play an entertaining game, fans are going to be happy.
If Ole does well in 6 months, there is nothing wrong in giving him the job full time . If he does well means, he has earned it and ao, deserves it.
Matteo at Chelsea also deserved the job . Hell - i would take another mid table finish if it means we are CL champions this year .
Not alot to disagree with him there. I hope Solskjær can however show some shroud tactical displays against some opponents that will test us more. He has some good advice come from Phelan and the rest of the staff So let's see. But yes, all the players really wanted was some fecking good news. I don't think any one could have done that and command respect from the players. Ole was in a unique position where he can command respect from the players and make them play better just from a psychological point instead of just purely on tactics. Ole was always a student of the game and he sounds like he knows what he's doing so let's hope for our sake he can adjust tactically when needed
Ability/nous aside, I can't see anyone caring more than Ole, have to wait and see what happens but motivation is huge.
This is from after his testimonial, haven't seen it posted anywhere, he's in bits on tv, haven't seen any of the players like that before.
This. My heart wants him to be the next manager. Our own Zidane. Heck i would take our own Di Matteo
I believe he will always the wherewithal to implement tactics to exploit opponents offensively, but I don't know if he knows how to think the other way around to stop them from beating his team. He needs a Queiroz who thinks negatively a bit in big games to access his team's weakness. Ole only think about attacking and not defending and his playing role and what made him deadly was his ability to study defenders from the bench to game plan how to defeat them when he got his chance. For now I suspect he will be naive in Europe just as SAF was and I am fine with it. As long as we give it a go and try to play joga bonito, I will be happy.
Ole has it tough with United ,especially as the 3 previous managers all demonstrated their 'tactical genius' capabilities.
Fecking hell.
lets face it.If Ole was successful in any other league outside the Scandinavian region people would be far,far more forgiving and respectful towards his accomplishments.
These pundits would've given the job to the likes of Mark Hughes and Tony Pulis's of this world.
Fecking hell.
lets face it.If Ole was successful in any other league outside the Scandinavian region people would be far,far more forgiving and respectful towards his accomplishments.
These pundits would've given the job to the likes of Mark Hughes and Tony Pulis's of this world.
It's becoming more and more fascinating to see how Ole's time with us goes...
I'm so curious to see him against a good side.
Basically, if he (and the coaching team) can sort the defence, I'd suggest he'll get the job.
I'm so curious to see him against a good side.
Basically, if he (and the coaching team) can sort the defence, I'd suggest he'll get the job.
It's so great to see our manager smile and give the whole place a lift.
Jose needs 2 years they says.
But, we are going to see if Ole is the real deal or the players are shite for real in 3 games or something.
But, we are going to see if Ole is the real deal or the players are shite for real in 3 games or something.
First, you don't need to be tactical genius to be at the club like Man Utd where money is not an issue, have great academy, have good talented squad and coaching staff at your disposal. This is not a relegation battle. Least, you need to stick with basics, allow talented players to express themselves and keep them motivated. Anyone thinks Zidane is tactical genius?
in fact Ole is not too much tactical can prove to be his biggest strength at Man Utd. Keep it simple, keep it direct, and let the goals flow.
in fact Ole is not too much tactical can prove to be his biggest strength at Man Utd. Keep it simple, keep it direct, and let the goals flow.
Like his selections so far but really hope he drops Jones before he does a howler. I get he can play on the ball but hes a very big liability defensively, Id much rather Smalling be played whos done decent this season and is a threat in the air. Lindelof is weaker in the air and I cant see anyone covering for him in that regard in our current backline
Low-ball Napoli for Koulibaly in the midst of the racism chants in Italy?
Give them Rojones and 50m. He'd be the rock that Lindelöf, Bailly and Smalling would fight to deputise.I don't understand why some commentators and pundits are being allowed to make out Ole's some sort of idiot.
Based on some of what's been said you'd think Ole was some kind of glorified mascot! As if he's just gone into Carrington with a goofy grin and the players are working it all out for themselves.
Ole has managed hundreds of first team ganes. He's won two Norwegian titles with Molde. He topped a Europa League group including Ajax, Celtic and Fenerbache (all from stronger leagues) with Molde. Ole also managed to win a game with Sevilla in the Europa League with Molde, something we failed at last season with our 'football heritage.' So why the disrespect?
Based on some of what's been said you'd think Ole was some kind of glorified mascot! As if he's just gone into Carrington with a goofy grin and the players are working it all out for themselves.
Ole has managed hundreds of first team ganes. He's won two Norwegian titles with Molde. He topped a Europa League group including Ajax, Celtic and Fenerbache (all from stronger leagues) with Molde. Ole also managed to win a game with Sevilla in the Europa League with Molde, something we failed at last season with our 'football heritage.' So why the disrespect?
Yeah I'm getting annoyed at this too.
Even in the last match, him subbing off Fred and Dalot for Herrera and Young at 50the minute suggested a very proactive manager and a manager who isn't one dimensional.
It's disrespectful to completely disregard his 10yr managerial experience but it's English media so it's expected.
Agreed. He’s already been more of a success than the majority of our other Ferguson disciples. His time in Molde draws some comparisons to Fergie to Fergie at Aberdeen. Molde have only ever won 3 league titles in their entire history, and OGS has won 2 of them.
Seems like 'tactical genius' to these people is the equivalent of having rigorous, overbearing instruction for players and the overall team. Tactics and strategy doesn't include 'keep it simple' or 'let them play' apparently.
Funny, I thought world class managers like Ferguson knew it was more about a match by match basis with adherence to an overall philosophy (attacking football).
Both Moyes and Mourinho seemingly sought to 'nullify' every opposition we faced as a first priority. Feck that for a game of marbles. United shouldn't be tweaking their tactics and overall playing strategy for 80% of the sides in the league - especially when playing at home. It's about what we do against them.
Funny, I thought world class managers like Ferguson knew it was more about a match by match basis with adherence to an overall philosophy (attacking football).
Both Moyes and Mourinho seemingly sought to 'nullify' every opposition we faced as a first priority. Feck that for a game of marbles. United shouldn't be tweaking their tactics and overall playing strategy for 80% of the sides in the league - especially when playing at home. It's about what we do against them.
One of the big tests for Ole is going to be what happens when Sanchez, Martial and Lukaku are all available.
Who does he leave out? How will they take it?
Personally if we’re giving them all a free pass to prove themselves under a new manager I believe it has to be Martial - Lukaku - Sanchez for a few games as that’s probably on paper at least the best three
Who does he leave out? How will they take it?
Personally if we’re giving them all a free pass to prove themselves under a new manager I believe it has to be Martial - Lukaku - Sanchez for a few games as that’s probably on paper at least the best three