Appointing Solskjaer was a mistake

[DSG]

I just cannot believe this thread.

Ole won us the Champions League. He’s been a faithful club servant since coming here as a player. When we needed him, he dropped everything, came here to deal with this mess. There isn’t a selfish bone in his body.

There may come a time when he will need to go. But he needs at least two transfer windows and the support of the board to make the necessary changes to the squad.

I just don’t get the infatuation with Pochettino. He’s never won a single trophy in 10 years of management. You’d think he’d have at least as good a record as, say, Steve McLaren. Or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for that matter. He’s bought well, and he has a system. But I’d rather see if Ole can bring back our culture and commitment to youth.

 

[TRUERED89]

I just cannot believe this thread.

Ole won us the Champions League. He’s been a faithful club servant since coming here as a player. When we needed him, he dropped everything, came here to deal with this mess. There isn’t a selfish bone in his body.

There may come a time when he will need to go. But he needs at least two transfer windows and the support of the board to make the necessary changes to the squad.

I just don’t get the infatuation with Pochettino. He’s never won a single trophy in 10 years of management. You’d think he’d have at least as good a record as, say, Steve McLaren. Or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for that matter. He’s bought well, and he has a system. But I’d rather see if Ole can bring back our culture and commitment to youth.

People actually post sensible stuff around here? Who knew! Hallelujah

 

[bleedred]

Ole has the best points record in the Premiership besides City and Liverpool. The 3 games he has lost has been to Barcelona and PSG. No shame. Losing to Everton in that manner was the worst since he took over.

Spot on. This.

I have been saying the same as well. If someone told us back in December, that we would be losing to Wolves, Arsenal, Everton and Barcelona (All away), Nobody would have argued about it.

 

[JohnnyKills]

What's worrying is the number of sentimental gestures he seems to be making.

Taking the players to the Cliff, calling Fergie 'the gaffer', refusing to park in his spot... it just sounds like pointless nostalgia, the sort of thing someone like Stuart Pearce or Kevin Keegan would do.

We need modern, progressive thinking to get the club back on top, not wallowing in history.

 

[JDoe]

Speaking as a neutral here. I can understand the greater risk involved in appointing him, since he is not a proven manager and the circumstances are really tricky for someone inexperienced (overpaid squad, players not hitting form). But based on the results alone, anything other than an appointment would be illogical. To even be in contention for a top four spot after that kinda start, and beating PSG (albeit quite luckily) is a minor miracle TBH. Not saying that it will pay off, but he has been definitely doing a very good job until now, defeat to Everton or not.

 

[GBBQ]

Solskjaer has improved our points per game ratio since taking over, to the point where we've kept pace with Liverpool and City and outperformed all others. We've had some big wins and went further in the Champions League than expected. I said it before but it bears repeating; our season was over in December under Jose yet here we are with the potential of getting top 4 if we can snap out of this malaise.

We're at the tail end of the season when results go awry unexpectedly (as Chelsea and Arsenal can attest to from this weekend) and there could be many reasons for this (fatigue, Herrera's impact/lack of squad depth, bad luck, disruptive players) but ultimately Solskjaer has earned the right to be backed in the market and put his vision together. I honestly don't think there is any manager that would guarantee success with the legacy left behind by Moyes, LVG and Jose but I at least see that Ole is passionate about the club, has got a good reaction from the players for the most part and seems to be comfortable to call players out for their lack of desire (without throwing them under the bus individually).

 

[Buster15]

6 defeats in 8 games has to be pretty much unprecedented for a United side (at least since the 1970s).

Worse than anything we've seen under Moyes, Van Gaal or Mourinho.

And that is the problem.
Yes he did extremely well when he arrived and things looks really exciting.
But and it is a very big but, we are back to being as bad as when Jose was manager (or worse).
So was the good run if results just a post Ole bounce.

He was brought in to stabilise the team and initially that worked.
But the real question is why.
Was it down to Ole's ability or was it just a reaction from the players post Jose.
If as is becoming more evident it is the latter then Ole has had little or no effect and that the has to be a worry for the future.

 

[Mcking]

And that is the problem.
Yes he did extremely well when he arrived and things looks really exciting.
But and it is a very big but, we are back to being as bad as when Jose was manager (or worse).
So was the good run if results just a post Ole bounce.

He was brought in to stabilise the team and initially that worked.
But the real question is why.
Was it down to Ole's ability or was it just a reaction from the players post Jose.
If as is becoming more evident it is the latter then Ole has had little or no effect and that the has to be a worry for the future.

More likely the latter or neither if you go by the run of games. The team has gotten worse the more time they have spent with him. That our first three games under him remains our best under him speaks volumes.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

What's worrying is the number of sentimental gestures he seems to be making.

Taking the players to the Cliff, calling Fergie 'the gaffer', refusing to park in his spot... it just sounds like pointless nostalgia, the sort of thing someone like Stuart Pearce or Kevin Keegan would do.

We need modern, progressive thinking to get the club back on top, not wallowing in history.

Reasonable to be worried about this, I know what you mean.

If Ole aims to emulate Fergie, i.e. use him as some sort of blueprint, we're most likely fecked.

But he isn't necessarily doing that. He could be a progressive manager with ideas of his own, but one who (obviously) deeply respects Fergie and uses the latter's legacy as something to aim for in a general sense. Which is nothing but a good thing, if true. The potentially meaningless phrase "he understands United" does mean something if he considers it part of his job to reinstate the old standards of excellence at the club - not the methods, but the standards.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

More likely the latter or neither if you go by the run of games. The team has gotten worse the more time they have spent with him. That our first three games under him remains our best under him speaks volumes.

And yet the people who didn't / don't want him as manager are called the 'knee-jerk fans'...

Ironic.

 

[Pscholes18]

With the shower of shite he has to deal with, being he is now full time manager, deserves a couple of windows to get it together.....if any manager in the world knows how United supporters feel and what they expect it's this man.

 

[Manchie]

Appointing him as interim manager is the best decision we made but giving him permanent position before the end of the season is terrible decision.

 

[daekyun]

A new manager won't fix anything. The problems at the club run deeper than at the manager level. Ed is the one who needs to be sacked.

I agree with this!

It's Ed that needs to be sacked. As long as Ed is in charge, not sure how much we can improve.

 

[edgar allan]

Give the man a chance, he inherited a crop of the most overpaid and underperforming players imaginable. His task would be unenviable for any manager in football.

 

[Buster15]

More likely the latter or neither if you go by the run of games. The team has gotten worse the more time they have spent with him. That our first three games under him remains our best under him speaks volumes.

It does indeed and I fear that we are sleepwalking to another train crash.
Just because he was a club legend doesn't mean that he is our saviour.
If Pochettino was our number one target then Manchester United should go for their man.

 

[johanovic]

Let´s look at some things:
1. Ole took over from a manager that had lost the support of just about everybody
2. Ole took us on a run nobody could belive was possible.
3. Ole really loves this club and will give his all for this club
4. Ole got rid of Fellaini and showed he will not go for the Stoke method that Mourinho was constantly trying
5. Ole has not signed a single new player yet
6. Ole has created a atmosphere around the club not seen for a long time
7. Ole is a smart,honest, hardworking, positive person and that´s important part of the transformation.
8. Ole learned from the best in Alex Ferguson
9. Ole will not be afraid of taking difficult decisons if backed by the board.
10. Ole will need time to implement his ideas
11. Ole has stressed that fitness is lacking and his team will run more than any other
12. Ole knows the value of having a good staff around him and the benefit of delegating

So the most important thing is to sign new players, get rid of deadwood and give youngsters a chance. It´s not Ole that is failing us at this moment in time. There are certain players there that do not seem to give an effort. Those players will not last long under OGS.

 

[Camy89]

Put a tree stump in charge of this team and you'd get the same football.

Put the best manager in the world with this team you'd get the same football.

Moral of the story: it's time to hold the players accountable and stop making the manager a scapegoat for their shortcomings.

 

[JohnnyKills]

Reasonable to be worried about this, I know what you mean.

If Ole aims to emulate Fergie, i.e. use him as some sort of blueprint, we're most likely fecked.

But he isn't necessarily doing that. He could be a progressive manager with ideas of his own, but one who (obviously) deeply respects Fergie and uses the latter's legacy as something to aim for in a general sense. Which is nothing but a good thing, if true. The potentially meaningless phrase "he understands United" does mean something if he considers it part of his job to reinstate the old standards of excellence at the club - not the methods, but the standards.

Yeah good post mate.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

If Pochettino was our number one target then Manchester United should go for their man.

Undoubtedly.

But we don't know that he was.

Besides, a) I don't quite get the Poch obsession on here in general and b) people like to assume he's an easy target, which I don't quite get either. There might be reasons why he simply wouldn't be interested in the job at this stage.

Don't get me wrong, I have very little faith in Woodward. I don't trust him to devise a brilliant plan for recruiting the next manager, and then sticking to it, with the end result being giving Ole a permanent contract well before the interim period is up. I find it far more likely that the appointment is every bit as scatter gun as the previous ones. It's what it (probably) is, though. He deserves a fair bit of slack, a transfer window, a preseason, etc. Who knows, he could be a decent appointment under the circumstances.

There's zero guarantee that Poch would've been a brilliant appointment. He would've been hired in the same fashion, I suspect. Scatter gun, that is, just go for what seems like a popular choice, no fecks given about a bigger picture.

 

[Mcking]

Put a tree stump in charge of this team and you'd get the same football.

Put the best manager in the world with this team you'd get the same football.

Moral of the story: it's time to hold the players accountable and stop making the manager a scapegoat for their shortcomings.

We can as well play without a manager if that is the case?

 

[Camy89]

We can as well play without a manager if that is the case?

Could well do to be honest, but that's not the point I'm making. I like that we have OGS at the helm, but the knuckle-draggers that are blaming him for our recent form is ridiculous. The guy's barely been in charge 4 months, no transfer window at all and people are starting to call for his head.

Time and time again the players get away with it. People seem to forget this is their job. Their full time, paid tens of thousands per week bloody job. If I don't do well, I get nailed at mine, the same should apply for these guys.

I have heard that the tree stump is doing well in the Azerbaijani league though, so watch out for him coming up through the ranks.

 

[Buster15]

Undoubtedly.

But we don't know that he was.

Besides, a) I don't quite get the Poch obsession on here in general and b) people like to assume he's an easy target, which I don't quite get either. There might be reasons why he simply wouldn't be interested in the job at this stage.

Don't get me wrong, I have very little faith in Woodward. I don't trust him to devise a brilliant plan for recruiting the next manager, and then sticking to it, with the end result being giving Ole a permanent contract well before the interim period is up. I find it far more likely that the appointment is every bit as scatter gun as the previous ones. It's what it (probably) is, though. He deserves a fair bit of slack, a transfer window, a preseason, etc. Who knows, he could be a decent appointment under the circumstances.

There's zero guarantee that Poch would've been a brilliant appointment. He would've been hired in the same fashion, I suspect. Scatter gun, that is, just go for what seems like a popular choice, no fecks given about a bigger picture.

You make some very good points.
The main attribute I see in Pochettino and his team is that they are able to win matches with a never say die attitude. They move the ball very quickly with accurate one touch football.
And, most importantly they are still able to win without Harry Kane.

Conversely they have a shiny new stadium and will be in the CL next season.

 

[balaks]

I just cannot believe this thread.

Ole won us the Champions League. He’s been a faithful club servant since coming here as a player. When we needed him, he dropped everything, came here to deal with this mess. There isn’t a selfish bone in his body.

There may come a time when he will need to go. But he needs at least two transfer windows and the support of the board to make the necessary changes to the squad.

I just don’t get the infatuation with Pochettino. He’s never won a single trophy in 10 years of management. You’d think he’d have at least as good a record as, say, Steve McLaren. Or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for that matter. He’s bought well, and he has a system. But I’d rather see if Ole can bring back our culture and commitment to youth.

Are you suggesting he came here as a favour to the club rather than to take the only ever opportunity he is ever likely to get to manage a club of Utd's size?

 

[Garethw]

If he wasn’t an ex legendary player the majority of fans would want him sacked.

I’m desperately worried about him overseeing a rebuild.

The board should have fecking waited.

 

[Jacob]

Although I wanted to lose this game, I can't help but think our recent run of games is unforgivable

 

[soapythecat]

Take out our 2 penalties against West Ham, when did we last score from open play?
We have been an absolute shambles since he got his contract.
He can’t motivate a team as he nothing to back up his style of play or intentions as he’s not achieved anything as a top flight manager. This appointment is going to be a disaster.

 

[Bojan11]

If he wasn’t an ex legendary player the majority of fans would want him sacked.

I’m desperately worried about him overseeing a rebuild.

The board should have fecking waited.

I’m more worried we going to sign more average British players to go with the ones we got already.

 

[JB08]

As much as I like Solskjaer, losing our last 3 games 9-0 combined is pretty shite. I don’t want him as manager but I’m happy to change my mind and think he deserves a transfer window, pre season etc. before I properly judge him.

At least he’s fecked over Liverpool’s title hopes.

 

[Mal donaghy]

In response to the thread title, YES, just a bit duhh

 

[Fiskey]

He's done nothing wrong today at all. Good tactics, good team selection. We're just not good enough.

 

[Kammy26]

Woodward should just hold his hand up admit he made a mistake and get rid of ole. If we don’t we will waste another season.

If there is to be a rebuild then, I don’t think I trust ole with it.

When we sacked Mourinho the board where making all the right noises, Oles just interim and the permanent manager will be announced at the end of the season after careful consideration. Wtf happened.

 

[ayushreddevil9]

Woodward should just hold his hand up admit he made a mistake and get rid of ole. If we don’t we will waste another season.

If there is to be a rebuild then, I don’t think I trust ole with it.

When we sacked Mourinho the board where making all the right noises, Oles just interim and the permanent manager will be announced at the end of the season after careful consideration. Wtf happened.

Woody sensed an opportunity to save money

 

[Sir Scott McToMinay]

7 loses in of 9 games is unheard of Man United in my time.
But then again, Pogba aside you can see that our squad isn’t much better than Everton’s.
We need about 7 players.
More than half of our squad isn’t good enough to be squad players here.

 

[Fooza]

I'm not going to call his head yet. However if Ole really thinks 2-3 players in the summer and a pre-season will sort this mess of a team then I won't care if he does end up getting sacked.

Don't be so naive Ole, in the media he can stick up for them but he needs to get rid of 90% of this team ASAP

 

[Garethw]

7 loses in of 9 games is unheard of Man United in my time.
But then again, Pogba aside you can see that our squad isn’t much better than Everton’s.
We need about 7 players.
More than half of our squad isn’t good enough to be squad players here.

Even under that bellend Mourinho, we didn’t achieve 7 losses in 9 games.

Ole is out of his depth,

 

[SteveW]

He did feck all wrong tonight. Plastic cnuts

 

[Garethw]

I'm not going to call his head yet. However if Ole really thinks 2-3 players in the summer and a pre-season will sort this mess of a team then I won't care if he does end up getting sacked.

Don't be so naive Ole, in the media he can stick up for them but he needs to get rid of 90% of this team ASAP

Looks like next season will be a right off too.

 

[Sir Scott McToMinay]

Even under that bellend Mourinho, we didn’t achieve 7 losses in 9 games.

Ole is out of his depth,

You could find a manager who’s Ferguson, Pep and Cruyff rolled into one, and he wouldn’t be able to do anything serious with this group. They are rancid.

Fred, Lingard, Jones, Matic, Lukaku, Rojo, Bailly, Smalling, Young, Valencia, Mata, Pereira, Sanchez are all shite, possibly Martial too.

Start from scratch, they’ll never win the league here.

 

[SteveW]

He's done nothing wrong today at all. Good tactics, good team selection. We're just not good enough.

Dont waste your time talking sense to this lot

 

[Fooza]

He did feck all wrong tonight. Plastic cnuts

He could have put on his substitutions a little early on? No? Saying he did NOTHING wrong is a little naive and I hope that's not with biased tinted glasses.