Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 2021/22 Discussion

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roonster09

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Not really mate. If Ole fails, there's literally feck all to be gloating for as we will be in a bigger mess than we are before.

The reason why I'm more vocal about it is because we need to act now and make a proper structure sooner than later. When all goes to shit what's the point?

I want United to be successful and appoint the right man for the job.
So how it's a win-win for me? See we might have different opinions but end of the day we are ManUtd fans who wants the best for the club. If Ole fails, there is nothing win for me.

Just like you, I will just look forward to next appointment hoping he will bring something new and take us the next level.
 

StrettyEnder07

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Blaming Ole is crazy at this point since most of us already knew what the issues were to begin with. Ole came in, masked some of these issues and injuries forced him into a situation mourinho has found himself in often. There are several issues in the squad.

1. Lack of quality- this is the obvious issue. When you watch the former united teams, the first thing you notice is the fluidity and lack of hesitation in the play. This hesitation has been a feature of our play since the latter end of Fergies tenure, and its no coincidence that it came with the signings of Jones, Smalling, Young and Valencia. Its a lack of ability to make quick decisions, and has hurt us both defensively and in attack, as we are always forced to attack against set defences. We need to replace these areas in our first xi- right back, right wing, centre midfield and we need a centre back. The next two to three windows will need us to replace players in these positions, and sell players that lack ability on the ball. Players like Vidic and Neville were actually good on the ball, moreso than people remember.

2. Fitness- We have massive issues with fitness in the squad. We suffered with fitness issues in Mourinho seasons, and this season was no different. There is clearly something wrong in the fitness levels of the players, and this has to be addressed in preseason, considering how long our seasons are.

3. Depth- One of the most frightening things that occured this season was how poor we looked with Ole after the international break where some of the inital first team players got injured. Smalling coming back into the first 11 brought a halt to how quickly the ball moved into the attacking areas, Lukaku returning led to an end in our pressing game. Herrera and Matic getting injured brought an end to the intensity in midfield. It is not a coincidence that this occured, and is an area where we need to focus on in the next few windows after this initial one.

Ole has a big job to do, but I think he is more willing to do it than any other manager we have had since Sir Alex. Both Mourinho and Van Gaal were looking to enhance their legacies, and would force through short term fixes or consistently failing philosophies to enhance their star, but Ole is the only one of these managers that I truly feel cares about the club and its well being, and would be willing to do what it takes to get us back to where we need to be. We have the money, we have the infrastructure, we have some talent, and we have some youthful players coming through, so there are pieces to work with. He just needs patience from the fans and support from the boardroom.
Absolutely spot on mate! You are preaching to the choir mate, all I have been getting is shite for wanting to give Ole a chance, some melts on here.
 

Enigma_87

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So how it's a win-win for me? See we might have different opinions but end of the day we are ManUtd fans who wants the best for the club. If Ole fails, there is nothing win for me.

Just like you, I will just look forward to next appointment hoping he will bring something new and take us the next level.
Because you aren't on the negative side :) I'm on the negative, because I believe it's better for us in the long term, but in the short term sounds like I hate Ole and want him to fail - which is of course bollocks. Regardless if I'm right or wrong on this I'd still want us to buy good players in the Summer and win games come September. I'd gladly accept you to be right at the end and he goes on to become a success, but I really can't see it. I'm more practical in my views and rarely go emotional, and I don't see any practical reasons for the appointment.
 

roonster09

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Because you aren't on the negative side :) I'm on the negative, because I believe it's better for us in the long term, but in the short term sounds like I hate Ole and want him to fail - which is of course bollocks. Regardless if I'm right or wrong on this I'd still want us to buy good players in the Summer and win games come September. I'd gladly accept you to be right at the end and he goes on to become a success, but I really can't see it. I'm more practical in my views and rarely go emotional, and I don't see any practical reasons for the appointment.
Well I was on negative side when Jose was here (that was after giving 1.5 years though). In any case if Ole fails it's not a win-win for anyone.
 

Catt

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Is this the type of posts you do? one or two worded reponses...how is this any different from 'lol'..?

Who should do the honours of putting them on their mute list? If you do not like my posts, please, go ahead... Because next reply/alert like your previous two and you will be another added to the population
Sorry for going off topic.

You can put whoever you want on ignore, nobody cares. I didn't really have a better response because you seemed angry, but I'm sure you're a fine poster though.
 

Cardozo

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Agree with everything mostly, apart from the bold part. Matic should be no where near the team he's done!
Yeah, I agree based on this season.

Separately, in thinking about it more, I honestly cannot believe we have the highest wage bill in the world. When I could only name 2 players (pogba and de gea) as being in the world class category and a bunch of squad players that bring nothing.

That says everything you need to know about the hidden element to the poor performance of this team. Over inflated salaries and not interested in succeeding.

Half of them would rather release a new t-shirt or perfume and maybe that's United's fault for fostering this advertising and merchandise focus.
 

starman

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Sorry for going off topic.

You can put whoever you want on ignore, nobody cares. I didn't really have a better response because you seemed angry, but I'm sure you're a fine poster though.
Yup and you seemed self righteous by your assumptions.

I am sure you're also a fine poster aswell most of the time.
 

Nikelesh Reddy

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Keep hearing this but people never seem to mention who these are and since this thread is about contemplating about sacking Ole, who are the realistic replacements? (And Poch is not one of them)
Massimiliano Allegri.He has apparently told his close friends that he needs a new challenge....When Pavel Nedved was asked about whether Allegri will still be manager next season,he said “let’s wait and see”.He would be a much better alternative....

Antonio Conte still hasn’t signed a contract with any club.Hes streets ahead of Ole in every way,shape and form....

Carlo Ancelotti could be tempted to come back to English football.Hes in a job right now but he’s attainable if we seriously try....

All these managers are much much much better alternatives than Ole...
 

TRUERED89

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I can understand people being pessimistic considering how we ended the season. Obviously the squad has weaknesses (of which OGS hasn't had an opportunity to resolve) and it requires careful scouting over the summer to ensure adequate replacements/additions are found. However, have people completely forgotten the impact he had when he first took over as caretaker?

Call it luck, a 'honeymoon' period, weak opposition or whatever you want. OGS broke our away record wins with eight consecutive games and achieved the highest points tally by any Premier League manager after nine games. The team had a bit of cohesion and flashes of attractive, one touch football before an injury crisis and poor individual performances crept in. I would say the change in training and emphasis on fitness contributed to injuries and the mental effects of an unstructured season hindered the players. To instantly label OGS out of his depth I think is quite naive.

For those calling for the sack or suggesting he's going to fail due to the last few months is premature. If you're only going to highlight the negative results then you're always going to have a negative outlook/mindset. We've seen that he can get the team performing and achieving good results, so the least he deserves is a crack next season with a full summer's analysis and a chance to operate with what will be a step toward his own squad.

I've been frustrated by the dross our football club has put out for the last six years. But feck me, 14 out of 19 wins is better than any manager has given us so far and had me excited about football again. Give him a chance to replicate that over the course of a full season. You never know.
Exactly, you never know. It'll always be a "what if" moment if we sack him now, not worth it imo.
 

TRUERED89

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Yeah, I agree based on this season.

Separately, in thinking about it more, I honestly cannot believe we have the highest wage bill in the world. When I could only name 2 players (pogba and de gea) as being in the world class category and a bunch of squad players that bring nothing.

That says everything you need to know about the hidden element to the poor performance of this team. Over inflated salaries and not interested in succeeding.

Half of them would rather release a new t-shirt or perfume and maybe that's United's fault for fostering this advertising and merchandise focus.
Imagine JLingz happening infront of Roy Keane :lol:, He got kicked out the club for saying Darren Fletcher was shite (when he was a good squad player and gave his all in the big games especially). What would he say about these imposters? Probably be arrested for GBH!
 

JohnnyKills

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So they stopped being bothered at the very point that they reached the last 8 of the CL and finishing in the top 4 of the PL became likely? Sorry, I don't buy it. Clearly some of the players are not up to standard, and fitness is part of the story - but the desire to absolve OGS from any blame whatsoever is crazy. Our current form is the worst for 60 years. Part of a managers job is to organise, motivate and improve the players that are already at the club, yet lots of people are saying he can't be judged till next season?
I agree. They were all saying they wanted him to get the job as well. Something must have happened behind the scenes that we'll probably never know about.
 

UnofficialDevil

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First I want to say, I have had enough of your negative, unsubstantiated posts regarding Solskjaer. Stop it.

Unfortunately, the players Solskjaer signed at Cardiff weren't up to it, this is true. However, at Molde he basically built a whole new team based on the players he wanted. The success was primarily a result of the players he brought in. It's all relative; to discount the Molde success is ridiculous. The norwegian league is underrated, as well. It is better than the scottish league, by far (Celtic is marginally better than Molde). Apart from Ajax and PSV, the norwegian league is on par with Eredivisie.
The Norwegian league isnt underrated its rubish. And saying its on par with the Dutch league is laughable. And Ole hasnt won the league with molde since 2012.
 

JohnnyKills

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I think OGS would be gone if the club were going to sack him following the end of season run in. I can’t see a scenario now where he’d be sacked other than Poch saying he wants the job and leaves Spurs (not happening), or players flattery refuse to join because he is a manager (again, highly unlikely).

So the club have no choice but to back him. Even Woodward and Co must realise that this team can’t perform under his ways so there is little option but to support him.
Whatever happens with OGS (I fear he’ll be gone by December), the players we sell and buy must be based on a long term view to a playing style that supports OGS and managers beyond.

Lukaku is a fine example of this process. You either play a formation that suit him or we don’t. There is little in between.
Pointless selling Lukaku to only appoint a manager like a Conti in a few months.
Great post. There's no way OGS is going now. As you say, the only way it might happy is if Poch said he'd come, and there's no way he will.

Hard to know how much we should back him though. If we give him a huge amount of money to spend and it backfires, we're in an even worse situation than we are now.
 

Denis79

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I think OGS would be gone if the club were going to sack him following the end of season run in. I can’t see a scenario now where he’d be sacked other than Poch saying he wants the job and leaves Spurs (not happening), or players flattery refuse to join because he is a manager (again, highly unlikely).

So the club have no choice but to back him. Even Woodward and Co must realise that this team can’t perform under his ways so there is little option but to support him.
Whatever happens with OGS (I fear he’ll be gone by December), the players we sell and buy must be based on a long term view to a playing style that supports OGS and managers beyond.

Lukaku is a fine example of this process. You either play a formation that suit him or we don’t. There is little in between.
Pointless selling Lukaku to only appoint a manager like a Conti in a few months.
But this is our modus operandi.
 

Gandalf Greyhame

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Blaming Ole is crazy at this point since most of us already knew what the issues were to begin with. Ole came in, masked some of these issues and injuries forced him into a situation mourinho has found himself in often. There are several issues in the squad.

1. Lack of quality- this is the obvious issue. When you watch the former united teams, the first thing you notice is the fluidity and lack of hesitation in the play. This hesitation has been a feature of our play since the latter end of Fergies tenure, and its no coincidence that it came with the signings of Jones, Smalling, Young and Valencia. Its a lack of ability to make quick decisions, and has hurt us both defensively and in attack, as we are always forced to attack against set defences. We need to replace these areas in our first xi- right back, right wing, centre midfield and we need a centre back. The next two to three windows will need us to replace players in these positions, and sell players that lack ability on the ball. Players like Vidic and Neville were actually good on the ball, moreso than people remember.

2. Fitness- We have massive issues with fitness in the squad. We suffered with fitness issues in Mourinho seasons, and this season was no different. There is clearly something wrong in the fitness levels of the players, and this has to be addressed in preseason, considering how long our seasons are.

3. Depth- One of the most frightening things that occured this season was how poor we looked with Ole after the international break where some of the inital first team players got injured. Smalling coming back into the first 11 brought a halt to how quickly the ball moved into the attacking areas, Lukaku returning led to an end in our pressing game. Herrera and Matic getting injured brought an end to the intensity in midfield. It is not a coincidence that this occured, and is an area where we need to focus on in the next few windows after this initial one.

Ole has a big job to do, but I think he is more willing to do it than any other manager we have had since Sir Alex. Both Mourinho and Van Gaal were looking to enhance their legacies, and would force through short term fixes or consistently failing philosophies to enhance their star, but Ole is the only one of these managers that I truly feel cares about the club and its well being, and would be willing to do what it takes to get us back to where we need to be. We have the money, we have the infrastructure, we have some talent, and we have some youthful players coming through, so there are pieces to work with. He just needs patience from the fans and support from the boardroom.
Pretty much this.

I don't believe Ole is as good as Pep, Klopp, Poch or even Emery. But I do believe he fits our needs the most - he understands the rot like no other manager did, he knows what kind of players to get to build for our future, and he has the right intentions about the type of football we play. There are many issues littered in our club from top to bottom, not even SAF himself could have fixed it single-handedly right now. But we need to start somewhere instead of papering over the cracks, and I have full faith in Ole in terms of clearing out the deadwood and signing players with the right mentality.

Even in the likely scenario he doesn't succeed, I am hoping that he would have corrected the foundations to some extent for the next manager to build upon. We need to have patience and faith that as a United player who's seen it all, Ole will know how to fix the squad with the right mentality players.
 

Yakuza_devils

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If u asked any United fans in the beginning of the season which manager will be most qualified to be in charge of our major rebuild after sacking Jose, not in a million year even one Man Utd supporter will name Ole as the manager to lead the rebuild.

It's absolutely madness we are in this situation now where we can't sack him because he has performed well in the first 15 games! The club is really in a mess. We still do not have a DOF and trust the major rebuild to a rookie Manager. This appointment is potentially going to be worse than Moyes.
 

John Blund

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Good thing we didn't ask any United fans, then.

I will agree that it's totally mental having the Ole, the Cardiff flop, as our main man when we're rebuilding. At the same time, he shipped Fellaini out in less than a month. Not my kind of player, and any managers that agree with me on that, I'm happy to follow.
Lukaku - not my preferred striker, apparently not Ole's favorite striker either.
I still have an issue with Young taking all our corners.
 

tomaldinho1

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Great post. There's no way OGS is going now. As you say, the only way it might happy is if Poch said he'd come, and there's no way he will.

Hard to know how much we should back him though. If we give him a huge amount of money to spend and it backfires, we're in an even worse situation than we are now.
In fairness, Woodward doesn't seem to give a shit so I think he would replace him if pressure grew over the summer

Also, if we are signing the right type of players (young, fast, technical) even if they don't work out they have resale value. Our issue recently is signing absolute husks who have 1 or 2 years before they kick the bucket (an exaggeration but you get it!)
 

JohnnyKills

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In fairness, Woodward doesn't seem to give a shit so I think he would replace him if pressure grew over the summer

Also, if we are signing the right type of players (young, fast, technical) even if they don't work out they have resale value. Our issue recently is signing absolute husks who have 1 or 2 years before they kick the bucket (an exaggeration but you get it!)
Yep, agree.
 

Lexxxzi

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I think even Ole himself is mad he got the job permanent at that time. It did no one any good. If he hadn't been offered the job at the time he was, Utd would never in a million years had gone on such a bad run of results in the end of the season.

Sorry, but Ed is the big, big problem here.
 

Enigma_87

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So your point is that he is going to sign bad players for United, because when managing a relegation threatened Cardiff City he signed average players? Yeah, that makes perfect sense.
Just pointing out his previous transfer record. Make what you will.
 

SteveW

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I fully believe he's going to fix the culture and get us back on track. Seems like I'm one of the only ones who thinks so. So be it. This will be a good thread to quote down the line.
 

TRUERED89

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I fully believe he's going to fix the culture and get us back on track. Seems like I'm one of the only ones who thinks so. So be it. This will be a good thread to quote down the line.
I hope it can be quoted, I'm behind him but its 50/50 at the moment! On whether he'll make us #1 again, the summer is going to give us a decent indication.
 

romufc

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I hope it can be quoted, I'm behind him but its 50/50 at the moment! On whether he'll make us #1 again, the summer is going to give us a decent indication.
I am behind him and feelings are 50/50 too due to the fact that he is stating the right things in terms of getting back to outrunning opponents, attacking football. I really hope we see 5/6 decent signings and good football. The fans will take a 4th place finish with decent cup run if we see progress in terms of football. The last thing I would like to see is a poor window, and we scrap in games, De Gea bailing us etc..
 

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If i was Ed Woodward, I'd back him as long as his idea of football isn't just counter attack, counter attack, counter attack.
 

mark_a

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I want us, as a club, to have a plan. To have ambition. The club needs to be trying to get a top level manager. Nothing to do with Ole not being one, he might be the best we can do right now, but it feels as though the good plan to appoint him as caretaker has collapsed into us having already appointed him as manager, with no other signs or communications from the club that things are being sorted out.

Or, having made the plan, the club needs to be backing Ole, and that means with structure, staff, direction..everything else, not just cash for players. That goes without saying. Part of that plan is a strategy for signing players
 
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In Rainbows

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Pretty much this.

I don't believe Ole is as good as Pep, Klopp, Poch or even Emery. But I do believe he fits our needs the most - he understands the rot like no other manager did
You say that, but everyone who believes that also believes that Young and Jones will stay. In other words, he won't get rid of the rot. The same rot that has been here since Moyes, which then got Moyes sacked. The same rot that was there for LVG, who then got sacked. And the same rot that was there for Mou, who was the last to get sacked. They've been there for Ole's crap period too.
 

Enigma_87

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Can you compile / list the transfers so it's viewable without clicking link mate?
Sure, mate:

7. Magnus Wolff Eikrem - Molde
Solskjaer’s first three signings at the Cardiff City Stadium were all players he knew well from his time managing in Norway with Molde. The first of those three was Magnus Wolff Eikrem, who Solskjaer has managed on four different occasions during his short managerial career. The first of those came in youth and reserve football at Manchester United, where Solskjaer coached and Eikrem began his career.

Both player and manager moved to Molde in 2011, where Eikrem’s impressive playmaking abilities saw him called up to the national team. Cardiff paid a reported £3.5 million to bring him to Wales as Solskjaer’s first recruit, but Eikrem struggled to make any kind of impact. He registered just 6 Premier League appearances, and following moves to Malmo and the Seattle Sounders, he reunited with Solskjaer at Molde in 2018.

6. Mats Moller Daehli - St Pauli
Another player Solskjaer had in his youth ranks as a coach at Manchester United and as a manager at Molde, Mats Moller Daehli was just 18 when he joined Cardiff City for a reported £2.4 million in January 2014. At the time of the move, Daehli was already a full international, and Solskjaer claimed Manchester United had wanted to re-sign the midfielder at the time but he had chosen Cardiff instead. He featured more regularly than Eikrem, but he too struggled to make a real impact and was soon on his way. Still only 23 years of age, Daehli is currently impressing in Germany’s second tier with St Pauli, and could still have a bright future ahead of him.

5. Jo Inge Berget - Malmo
The last of the trio of Norwegian internationals signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from his former club Molde in January 2014, Jo Inge Berget played his youth football for Udinese rather than Manchester United. A tireless frontman often deputised on the left flank, Berget partnered former Watford striker Odion Ighalo up front during his time in the Udinese U20 team. Having bagged 22 goals in 86 games for Molde, Berget registered just two appearances and failed to score in his single half-season with the Bluebirds. Now aged 28, Berget recently joined Malmo for a second time, having just spent one season playing for New York City FC in the MLS.

4. Kenwyne Jones - Retired
A little bit more of an experienced signing by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Kenwyne Jones had turned out for the likes of Southampton, Sunderland and Stoke in the Premier League before arriving at Cardiff. A popular figure at both Sunderland and Stoke, Jones was a little inconsistent during his time in Cardiff, and he was said to be among the club’s top earners following relegation to the Championship. The big Trinidadian centre-forward, who was a particular menace in the air, went on to sign for Atlanta United in the MLS, but he retired after just a single season aged 32 in 2017.

3. Fabio - Nantes

A Premier League title winner who started in the 2011 Champions League final, Brazilian left-back Fabio didn’t feature as regularly at Manchester United as his twin brother Rafael, but he still racked up over half a century of appearances. However, having been sent off in his final appearance for the club under David Moyes, the Red Devils were happy to sanction a £1.5 million deal for the full-back to join Cardiff. Fabio spent two-and-a-half years in south Wales, where he registered 68 appearances, before being sold for a profit to Middlesbrough. The 28-year-old is now playing top flight football in France with Nantes, whilst his brother Rafael also turns out in Ligue 1 with Lyon.

2. Wilfried Zaha - Crystal Palace

We don’t usually count loan deals in these kinds of videos, but since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought in exactly seven players during his time in the Premier League with Cardiff, and we are of course HITC Sevens, it seemed rude not to. The fourth former Manchester United player in this seven, Wilfried Zaha was contracted to United when he joined the Bluebirds on-loan, but he was never at Old Trafford at the same time as Solskjaer.

The now Ivorian international’s confidence had taken a whack following his move to United, where he was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signing, and he didn’t make much of an impression during his 13 appearances on-loan at Cardiff. The 26-year-old seems to have undergone some real character building since then though, and he’s now the main man at Crystal Palace, and one of the most dangerous players in the bottom half of the Premier League.

1. Cala - Las Palmas

A centre-back who won the Europa League as a bit-part player with Sevilla the season before he signed for Cardiff, Juan Torres Ruiz - better known as Cala - lasted less than 12 months in the Welsh capital. A steady centre-back with good technique during his time in Spain, the most notable incident of Cala’s brief stay in Britain was a red card he received for pulling back Connor Wickham when the striker was through on goal. Now aged 29, Cala recently had an equally brief stint in China, but is now back in Spain - or the Canary Islands at least - playing in the Segunda Division with Las Palmas.
 

Lexxxzi

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Just pointing out his previous transfer record. Make what you will.
You haven't pointed out a thing. Take a look into his transfer record at Molde, and don't come with the nonsense of "the norwegian league is appalling". The norwegian league is on par with Eredivisie (except from Ajax and PSV). Molde, Rosenborg, Odd and Brann, for instance, would place in the upper part of the table in Eredivisie. Molde won their group stage against Ajax, Fenerbahce and Celtic and won against all them in the EL. Also, this is actually irrelevant, as it is all relative.
 

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Sure, mate:

7. Magnus Wolff Eikrem - Molde
Solskjaer’s first three signings at the Cardiff City Stadium were all players he knew well from his time managing in Norway with Molde. The first of those three was Magnus Wolff Eikrem, who Solskjaer has managed on four different occasions during his short managerial career. The first of those came in youth and reserve football at Manchester United, where Solskjaer coached and Eikrem began his career.

Both player and manager moved to Molde in 2011, where Eikrem’s impressive playmaking abilities saw him called up to the national team. Cardiff paid a reported £3.5 million to bring him to Wales as Solskjaer’s first recruit, but Eikrem struggled to make any kind of impact. He registered just 6 Premier League appearances, and following moves to Malmo and the Seattle Sounders, he reunited with Solskjaer at Molde in 2018.

6. Mats Moller Daehli - St Pauli
Another player Solskjaer had in his youth ranks as a coach at Manchester United and as a manager at Molde, Mats Moller Daehli was just 18 when he joined Cardiff City for a reported £2.4 million in January 2014. At the time of the move, Daehli was already a full international, and Solskjaer claimed Manchester United had wanted to re-sign the midfielder at the time but he had chosen Cardiff instead. He featured more regularly than Eikrem, but he too struggled to make a real impact and was soon on his way. Still only 23 years of age, Daehli is currently impressing in Germany’s second tier with St Pauli, and could still have a bright future ahead of him.

5. Jo Inge Berget - Malmo
The last of the trio of Norwegian internationals signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from his former club Molde in January 2014, Jo Inge Berget played his youth football for Udinese rather than Manchester United. A tireless frontman often deputised on the left flank, Berget partnered former Watford striker Odion Ighalo up front during his time in the Udinese U20 team. Having bagged 22 goals in 86 games for Molde, Berget registered just two appearances and failed to score in his single half-season with the Bluebirds. Now aged 28, Berget recently joined Malmo for a second time, having just spent one season playing for New York City FC in the MLS.

4. Kenwyne Jones - Retired
A little bit more of an experienced signing by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Kenwyne Jones had turned out for the likes of Southampton, Sunderland and Stoke in the Premier League before arriving at Cardiff. A popular figure at both Sunderland and Stoke, Jones was a little inconsistent during his time in Cardiff, and he was said to be among the club’s top earners following relegation to the Championship. The big Trinidadian centre-forward, who was a particular menace in the air, went on to sign for Atlanta United in the MLS, but he retired after just a single season aged 32 in 2017.

3. Fabio - Nantes

A Premier League title winner who started in the 2011 Champions League final, Brazilian left-back Fabio didn’t feature as regularly at Manchester United as his twin brother Rafael, but he still racked up over half a century of appearances. However, having been sent off in his final appearance for the club under David Moyes, the Red Devils were happy to sanction a £1.5 million deal for the full-back to join Cardiff. Fabio spent two-and-a-half years in south Wales, where he registered 68 appearances, before being sold for a profit to Middlesbrough. The 28-year-old is now playing top flight football in France with Nantes, whilst his brother Rafael also turns out in Ligue 1 with Lyon.

2. Wilfried Zaha - Crystal Palace

We don’t usually count loan deals in these kinds of videos, but since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought in exactly seven players during his time in the Premier League with Cardiff, and we are of course HITC Sevens, it seemed rude not to. The fourth former Manchester United player in this seven, Wilfried Zaha was contracted to United when he joined the Bluebirds on-loan, but he was never at Old Trafford at the same time as Solskjaer.

The now Ivorian international’s confidence had taken a whack following his move to United, where he was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signing, and he didn’t make much of an impression during his 13 appearances on-loan at Cardiff. The 26-year-old seems to have undergone some real character building since then though, and he’s now the main man at Crystal Palace, and one of the most dangerous players in the bottom half of the Premier League.

1. Cala - Las Palmas

A centre-back who won the Europa League as a bit-part player with Sevilla the season before he signed for Cardiff, Juan Torres Ruiz - better known as Cala - lasted less than 12 months in the Welsh capital. A steady centre-back with good technique during his time in Spain, the most notable incident of Cala’s brief stay in Britain was a red card he received for pulling back Connor Wickham when the striker was through on goal. Now aged 29, Cala recently had an equally brief stint in China, but is now back in Spain - or the Canary Islands at least - playing in the Segunda Division with Las Palmas.
Great job here
 

OleTheGreat

Full Member
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cannot and should not judge him based on a season that Jose clearly left us hanging about. At least Ole has come in and brought some smiles. Yes, i agree he couldn't get the job done but that's not a reason to blame him. He always knew that this team had a crash before and that would resurface at some point. I'm sure he'll work with Ed and bring in some quality players. It'll take sometime before we get back to winning the title ways though.

As a United all i ask for is some positive football and possession based football next season.
 

Enigma_87

You know who
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
27,596
You haven't pointed out a thing. Take a look into his transfer record at Molde, and don't come with the nonsense of "the norwegian league is appalling". The norwegian league is on par with Eredivisie (except from Ajax and PSV). Molde, Rosenborg, Odd and Brann, for instance, would place in the upper part of the table in Eredivisie. Molde won their group stage against Ajax, Fenerbahce and Celtic and won against all them in the EL. Also, this is actually irrelevant, as it is all relative.
I'm not really familiar with his transfer record at Molde, but please do share if you have insight on it.

Norwegian league is crap IMO. Ajax just played SF in the CL and I'll leave it there in regards to compare it with Eredivisie.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_football_clubs_in_European_competitions

here's how Norwegian teams fared in Europe.

Regularly taken out by teams from Cyprus, Belarus, Greece, Wales even Faroe Islands.

Yep, it is really worrying how he will spend the funds as we don't have any proof of him being good at this level of market.

Then again the alternative is for Glazers to collect more money, so not really a tough choice

But to hire manager like Ole without elite DoF behind him and give him huge money is borderline crazy.
One things comes to mind that he brings players he has worked with. Wonder if he would also try something like that at United (say Zaha).

Still Woody would probably pull the strings on the transfer market, so I wouldn't hold my breath until we have a proper DoF in place.

Great job here
cheers.
 
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