Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 2021/22 Discussion

[HowYouDoin]

Part of me wonders how he would have fared as a DOF rather than a manager here.

The only aspect of his reign I particularly like so far has been the apparent shift in emphasis away from high-profile big names and instead towards targeting players who fit a certain vision of what the club should be. Also, selling players who some would argue would be useful in the short term because they don't fit that long term plan. It's nice to see someone at least trying to approach things with some sort of longer term vision, even if the summer actually saw us fail to do enough to implement that vision.

Unfortunately when it comes to actually managing the team he has been far too poor for someone whose actual job is to manage the team.

Omg DOF? Worse, much worse. Whatever you think of him as a manager, he would be far worse as a DOF. Its his BS philosophy of buying only young British players that got us into this mess.

I always point out to us targetting Sean Longstaff over a player like Brozovic, a world cup finalist. Are you kidding me with that stuff?

The job is simply too big for him. He is not ambitious enough, he is not intelligent enough, he just doesnt have it. He was anti Mourinho in the sense that he has a nice personality and he gets along with people but other than that, he just isnt that level, that caliber of a manager. I mean I hate to say it cuz I loved him as a player but he probably should manage in Norway. Doubt Premier League or even Championship will be calling him again. Premier League is too much for him, even Cardiff likely was.

I miss a bit of Mourinho's ruthlessness. We have trouble admitting to ourselves that likes of Rashford, Shaw and even Martial to a lesser extent just arent world class caliber. Yes theyre young but in most cases you either have it or you dont and it shows very early.

 

[Caesar2290]

Moyes: 51 games: 27-9-15; 52.94%
Solskjær: 39 games: 20-8-11; 51.28%

Yes, he is.
It’s scary how similar some of the results to Moyes have been: Olympiacos/PSG, Bayern/Barcelona.

I’ve already posted this in a different thread, but the similarities are just uncanny. The original is below...

Look, for me this is Moyes Mk.II written all over it. We start the season with high expectations and an unexpected 4-0 win(Swansea vs Chelsea). It gets to our head and we think we are the dog's bollocks. We hit a snag early on and bad results start to pile up. We shift the expectations from a Top 4 finish to a Top 6. Results still aren't improving. Instead of becoming pro-active like all the major teams are, we become reactive. On field tactics are in shambles, resorting to simply putting crosses and hoping that our attacking players will find space instead of actively coaching them to look and exploit it.

We pin our hopes on a talented and up and coming youngster and consistently rely on him to bail us out(Januzaj vs Greenwood). The players looks clueless and the manager doesn't know what to do. Every single post match interview has the exact same feel. The only solution that is being touted is "More time". Experienced squad leaders who started their decline "suddenly" fall of the cliff and aren't good enough.(Matic vs Ferdinand and Vidic). Goal posts get shifted from a top 6 finish to we need a rebuild of 2-3 years(we aspire to be like City interview) and spend more money on players so the manager can have his own team. Simply way too many similarities.

 

[sweetmgd]

Solskjaer on Rojo: 'Great to see Marcos fitter and fitter, because he's a top player.' #mufc

I know Ole is always trying to be a "yes man", saying nice things at media, talking about his big idea, such as becoming the most hard working team in Premier or playing attacking football, but watching this interview after AZ match, it quite scary me. Happy with the performance, should win 1:0 if we got that penalty, Rojo is a top player? WTF we hire you not to see your entertainment at media, we are hoping you to lead us to rebuild, to have a progress, even a little one. But sorry i can't see anything. He just let all coaching staffs to M. Phelen, Mckenna and Carrick.

 

[Bastian]

In fairness, I thought Rojo was our best player tonight. Not that he's a top player..

 

[pseudo_canadian]

They won't sack him, what's the point? To be back to square one with another manager not getting the required results out of this bang average squad?

Let him continue to clear the deadwood and recruit smartly, this is why he is here.

This is why he’s here? So he’s here to get us battling relegation? Because that’s what our form indicates since he became permanent manager.

This club is run by people who view Manchester United as an operating entity generating income, not a football club producing quality teams and a robust framework. This club will continue to be fecking listless until you know who no longer plays a role in its direction. We’re a complete joke. Love Ole, but he’s not helping, and things aren’t just going to click in a year or two. That’s blatant blind faith.

 

[ayushreddevil9]

Solskjaer on Rojo: 'Great to see Marcos fitter and fitter, because he's a top player.' #mufc

I know Ole is always trying to be a "yes man", saying nice things at media, talking about his big idea, such as becoming the most hard working team in Premier or playing attacking football, but watching this interview after AZ match, it quite scary me. Happy with the performance, should win 1:0 if we got that penalty, Rojo is a top player? WTF we hire you not to see your entertainment at media, we are hoping you to lead us to rebuild, to have a progress, even a little one. But sorry i can't see anything. He just let all coaching staffs to M. Phelen, Mckenna and Carrick.

Obviously he will rate each and every player here because all he ever had was players from Cardiff and Molde..

 

[amolbhatia50k]

I'm afraid he's completely out of his depth. It's going to be a long and miserable season. There will be some bright sparks created by individual quality here and there. But as a team, we are aboslutely terrible and mismanaged. Sigh, another year wasted.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

I'm afraid he's completely out of his depth. It's going to be a long and miserable season. There will be some bright sparks created by individual quality here and there. But as a team, we are aboslutely terrible and mismanaged. Sigh, another year wasted.

Still early in the season if Woodward was to act.

He'll wait til it's too late though.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Still early in the season if Woodward was to act.

He'll wait til it's too late though.

Ole will see out the season or most of it. Enjoy the ride.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Ole will see out the season or most of it. Enjoy the ride.

Would be embarrassing if so.

I really think we'll be mid-table at season's end with him under the helm.

 

[Shimo]

Bloody VAR. Had they not given the penalty against PSG, he'd not have been handed the job too early. On the back of the results of how last season ended, he'd not have got the permanent job. They would have seen him for what he is, completely clueless when it comes to actually coaching and managing the team.

There is absolutely no change from the play from after the the PSG game, in fact it has got worse and worse. He had the summer to put together a plan and by now it doesn't matter if it is the U9s, U18s or some of the squad players making up the 11 first team, there should be some semblance of how we should be playing as an attacking unit. Literally there is nothing. It's not counter attack at speed, it's not wing play and flood people into the box, it's not even long balls over the top, it's not quick passing moves.

It's throw players on and well maybe they'll figure it out while Ole sits on the bench. And while sitting on the bench, his assessment is that is a good performance. Seriously? Not registering a shot on goal, not even half chance. We get 1 corner and we play it short, why? Obviously because we don't have anything actually coached. Our only tactic on free kicks and corners these days is, back post to Maguire. It worked for England and Gareth Southgate. Marcus Rashford gets a freekick and goes for bloody goal? Has anyone actually been watching his freekicks? Maybe he is banging them in no pressure situations in practice but, every bloody one is crap. How about coaching them to not go for the absoulte spectacular from a position like that.

Clueless doesn't even begin to describe how poor a manager he is showing to be.

 

[Foxbatt]

Rojo had a decent game. I thought he was one of our better players. Had to make some good interventions or else they would have conceded.

 

[Denis79]

Rojo had a decent game. I thought he was one of our better players. Had to make some good interventions or else they would have conceded.

 

[sweetmgd]

Obviously he will rate each and every player here because all he ever had was players from Cardiff and Molde..

Even we lost 0:2 away vs West Ham, he said the performance was not that bad, so maybe just like you said, he is really based on Cardiff and Molde's standard to justify our team.

 

[croadyman]

Ole simply has to sign a creative midfielder and a striker in the January transfer window, getting one or the other is no good at all. Waste of time buying a creative CM if there is no one in front on him to finish off the chances, likewise no point in buying a striker if there is no one behind him to create those chances

I have this horrible feeling we will only get one or the other, really don't want to contemplate not getting either because that would make the second half of the season not much better than the first half.

 

[Sky1981]

We're the laughing stock of europe.

Talking about wanting the right players to come here, at this rate only championship level players would join us for the right reason. Any top players that joins us would either be in it for money.

No players with ambition drive and passion would join this uninspiring team

 

[Omahahaha]

The biggest issue with him is he seems to be completely unaware of the quality of player needed to get where we want to be. Which is strange because he himself played in teams filled to the brim with quality.

Managers of other top sides are ruthless with players who dont cut the grade or at the very least dont look like they have the potential to do so. Here we keep inept players forever and even give them new contracts.

This was also evident when he managed Cardiff, when he thought a bunch of Norwegians was what was needed to stay up in the PL.

 

[acnumber9]

Obviously he will rate each and every player here because all he ever had was players from Cardiff and Molde..

Because he’ll have forgotten how good the many great players he played with were? There’s no way he actually believes this squad is good enough.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Because he’ll have forgotten how good the many great players he played with were? There’s no way he actually believes this squad is good enough.

I wonder if the squad believes he's good enough. He has as many question marks over him as the most dodgy of them.

 

[freeurmind]

 

[Sky1981]

Zero shots on goal against az alkmar

Zero shots on goal

And ole is pleased with this

 

[holdsteady]

Could you please detail this “plan” Ole has going forward? I really want to know what it is.

All I see is a team void of any tactical nous, of any attacking prowess, and of any plan.

Why is it acceptable for a manager to take over a squad, control a transfer window, and make the team WORSE?!

There is no way if we’d have brought, for example, Lampard in at the same time as Ole, that people on here would be cutting him anywhere near this amount of slack.

Sentiment is clouding people’s sanity. And those who are calling Ole out for what he really is, a terrible terrible manager, are the ones being accused of losing the plot.

No shots on target against this team tonight? No away wins in 10? Not more than one goal scored in however many games? 10th in the table? 25% win ratio?

It beggars belief.

He's made the squad worse because the funds were not available to fill the gaps. He's lost Fellaini, Herrera, Lukaku, Sanchez, & Smalling. Do you think that the club is better without them? I do. Obviously I'd rather have Herrera in midfield today but the rest we all despised. Why was Ole not allowed to buy more? That's the issue.

 

[RooneyLegend]

This was also evident when he managed Cardiff, when he thought a bunch of Norwegians was what was needed to stay up in the PL.

This was also evident when he managed Cardiff, when he thought a bunch of Norwegians was what was needed to stay up in the PL.

ahh, you mean the likes of Eikrem?, this man is delusional and continuing with him will only make the real rebuild longer.

 

[In Rainbows]

We're the laughing stock of europe.

Talking about wanting the right players to come here, at this rate only championship level players would join us for the right reason. Any top players that joins us would either be in it for money.

No players with ambition drive and passion would join this uninspiring team

That's the problem with that strategy. Meanwhile Chelsea have a good chance at getting Sancho as things stand. It's going to make the rebuild worse if other clubs are in better positions than us, and gaining fans little by little.

 

[Omahahaha]

ahh, you mean the likes of Eikrem?, this man is delusional and continuing with him will only make the real rebuild longer.

Yes! Young, hungry lads, who wanted to play for the Cardiff shirt...

 

[ottosec]

He makes me yearn for those 90 crosses/game Moysey days.

 

[Sky1981]

He's made the squad worse because the funds were not available to fill the gaps. He's lost Fellaini, Herrera, Lukaku, Sanchez, & Smalling. Do you think that the club is better without them? I do. Obviously I'd rather have Herrera in midfield today but the rest we all despised. Why was Ole not allowed to buy more? That's the issue.

He is the one who says they're deadwoods and sold them.

 

[hn4manunited]

He's made the squad worse because the funds were not available to fill the gaps. He's lost Fellaini, Herrera, Lukaku, Sanchez, & Smalling. Do you think that the club is better without them? I do. Obviously I'd rather have Herrera in midfield today but the rest we all despised. Why was Ole not allowed to buy more? That's the issue.

so, you feel the club and the team is better without those players. So, why is Ole not performing with a better squad or team?

 

[hn4manunited]

The fact of the matter is that where we are is not all Ole’s fault. He is only capable of doing what he knows and able. Which is where he is taking us and it doesn’t matter how much he loves or cares about our club, he is just not there yet. The fault lies with Ed hiring someone without the required ability to take us where we need to be. When he does hire someone with the ability, he refuses to listen to and back the individual.

 

[croadyman]

I really worry that whoever is signed in January or the summer will not improve but suddenly turn to shit under his poor coaching

I am absolutely certain that he won't return to his 4-3-3 formation until new players come into the club,really hope that is January but with our board you wouldn't bet on it.

 

[Oggmonster]

There's fundamental problems above him bit for all the stuff about the board hiding behind Ole or whatever he certainly gets a bit of s free ride cos of them as well from some corners.

He looks out his depth massively for me unfortunately. I know the team isn't great but it's better than this. It's the same thing with Ole every game, the same like for like substitutions at the same time of the game, I just don't think he has what it takes to be a top level manager. It isn't all his fault at all but he has to get blamed for some of it. Being confident in Rashford being our main striker is a ridiculous move for example.

I'm all for giving managers time when they show something, I was never Jose's biggest fan but he did deserve some time but this football is terrible, there is seemingly no clue from the managers level how to change it either.

The club needs a massive restructure from the top down but if that happened I wouldn't be confident Ole is the man to make the most of it personally

 

[1988]

It's getting harder and harder to see through the poor results we've had with Solskjær ever since he was made permanent and defend it all with "rebuild" and "long term vision".

We are poor. Haven't won an away game since PSG. Scored so few goals it hurts and just extremely uninspiring play. I really hoped we'd be able to string a few good games together to see how we'd look with momentum in our back but we just drift further and further away from any sorts of confidence. Considering how manageable the teams we've played at the start of the season it's shocking how little we've gotten out of it.

I still can't get myself to say "sack" cus I legit can't see who could come in at this moment. But if we keep playing this poor and still can't get the results next 5 or so games it'll end up being an endless spiral down and we'll have to get rid.

 

[passing-wind]

It's more when than if, if the club want to salvage the season who likely can come in and have an immediate impact ? This is why I'm insistent on ridding Solskjaer at the season's end.

 

[Hansa]

Have to say, from the handful of games I watched of Molde during his second stint there, United look eerily similar. It's like there is this invisible shield around the opposition box which the team is careful not to break, expecting a magic door to open just by hanging around on the outside. If I'm not mistaken, attendances plummeted, and a lot of the locals seemed fed up with his football. Shipping all those goals at Cardiff probably changed his tactics for good. Strangely, in his final few months in Norway, everything seemed to click, and the team became far and away the best and most entertaining one. Can't really see the same turnaround happening here.

 

[roonster09]

We are stuck in this infinite loop and somehow not able to get out of it. Poor managers after poor managers, changed the playing squad, managers but still we haven't improved. The way squad is built, managers are chosen is just poor. This job is too big for Ole and he isn't the right man to lead the squad.

With the squad we have, we should be looking for managers like Poch who are very good with young players.

 

[In Rainbows]

I would be a lot more forgiving if our players were trying to play a progressive style, but failing. All we're seeing is sideways passing, crap movement, punting it after failing to play out from the back, crap pressing, etc...

 

[Nr.7]

He’s becoming worst than Moyes. Never thought that could be possible.

We have tough games coming up.

Ole will be sacked sometime between the games against Bournmouth and Partizan.

 

[Skills]

He’s becoming worst than Moyes. Never thought that could be possible.

We have tough games coming up.

Ole will be sacked sometime between the games against Bournmouth and Partizan.

He won't be sacked sadly. The fear of fan backlash led by Neville and co, will keep him in the job till the end of the season

 

[Omahahaha]

He won't be sacked sadly. The fear of fan backlash led by Neville and co, will keep him in the job till the end of the season

I blame Neville for the "never sack the manager"-brigade.

 

[Roboc7]

He didn't switch them around pointlessly. They were free to switch positions. They do it to try and surprise or catch out the opponent. And I saw Greenwood play up top for large parts of the game. Didn't you? Mata didn't play well no but neither did Greenwood, Gomes, Fred, Matic or Rashford. Williams was one of the worst performers the first half too.

You’ve essentially just rephrased what I said to make excuses. Like I said they switched around pointlessly it made no difference, he should have given Gomes and Greenwood linger in their best positions.

There’s no point pretending Ole isn’t doing a very good job simple as that, it’s by no means all his own fault but his limitations are being exposed.