Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 2021/22 Discussion

[JPRouve]

Why did He smile anyway? it must be really hard to smile after a loss like that.

Sometimes when you are really upset or nervous you smile or chuckle.

 

[VP89]

Quite a lot has been made of a smile but I dont really care for it so long as proper work is being done behind the scenes to make things right.

 

[Wolfmother]

Why did He smile anyway? it must be really hard to smile after a loss like that.

Two reasons. First he smiled when he didnt like the question. Second he wasnt paying attention when he was asked another (Was to busy watching replays). And third, he didnt seem to be in very good mood if you ask me. But then again, with a thin squad like that, he cant afford to put negative energy into the squad. He have to make them keep going. You have to be pretty thick going in with a hairdresser after that, even if the game was shit.

And if you ask me, making players afraid of you trying to look angry is a bit far fetched when your nickname is baby face. And last, he has already showed how ruthless he can be. Just ask the seven players who are not at the club anymore. And the next seven.

Having watched that show on Youtube, the utd stand, i understand why the CAF is what it is.

 

[Catt]

Absolutely nothing wrong with what RVP said. Ole's press conferences are more annoying than Jose's. One is the most miserable person in the world, another is quite literally a clown who can't stop smiling and laughing. Why can't we find someone normal?

Solskjær is as normal as it gets.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Sometimes when you are really upset or nervous you smile or chuckle.

Not 100% relevant - but my grandfather told me back in the day that the most he'd ever laughed (uncontrollably, in fact) was when he was chased by German soldiers across a marsh during WW2.

So, yeah.

But seriously, Christ on a tandem with Muhammad: this is ridiculous. He smiles too much?

 

[Skills]

Tbf I actually don't really get this need for managers to be angry or intimidating. Especially in modern football where the players know they are far more valuable than the manager, being an aggressive prick will only help you alienate your squad.

 

[JMack1234]

I don't agree with what RVP said but I think it's quite a big bite from Ole.

Feeling the pressure a bit?

 

[Caliban]

12.08.2019 (Van Persie visiting the Tv2 football studio in Norway 08 + months into Ole`s reign)

Quote Van persie `when everything goes good, Manchester United are like a beautiful animal. But, when things go wrong it becomes a beast`

Quote Van Persie `Ole Gunnar has given the fans a reason to smile again, after dry years. What is interesting is V.P adding this: Much of that reason lies in his ability to man management

01.01.2020

(Leading question from the anchor man who want`s to provide some juice to the popcorn supporters so that they don`t dry out) `Do you think there`s perhaps a slight lack of fear when it comes to the coach` - V.Persie `Probably, by the looks of it i thinks so`

-

English media `Van Persie doesn`t hold back on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer` the mice officially became an elephant.

: Doesn`t hold back ? I think he hardly said anything. Ferdinand took over and it fell dead. Just this repeated `Probably, by the looks of it i thinks so` is that to not hold back ? Wow, then i hope english media should not question me out one day

Go back to eastenders all, nothing to see here. Van Persie will probably join with Ferdinand onto the Manchester United training ground one day before not to long. Ole and V.P will shake hands and they will blame it on the media.
- Instead of a verbal pundit approach. V.P could help out sharpen Greenwoods technique and let the feet do the talking.

-

 

[Caliban]

Honestly Ole has looked like has aged considerably since becoming fulltime manager

.. maybe. He probably changed his diet to much. From Norwegian to English. But hey, maybe you have some fashion tips for him ? You clearly have an opinion on the matter, and don`t forget your purse ..

 

[Cypherage]

.. maybe. He probably changed his diet to much. From Norwegian to English. But hey, maybe you have some fashion tips for him ? You clearly have an opinion on the matter, and don`t forget your purse ..

It's not a purse it's a murse get it right, and fashion is not my forte , perhaps if it was a diet thing he should consider adding better macros to his diet? but even then that wont help him perhaps he needs to start spending more time in Norway?

I am sure Molde would be happy to take him back? That might just be the answer to reinvigorate him, he can also take Lingard with him.

 

[devilish]

Woodward is more than capable of signing more than three players. He did it for Mourinho, he did it for LvG and he would have done it for Moyes too, if Baines had agreed to come here and if dithering Dave hadn't been thinking so hard about how Kroos and Herrera would fit in his plans while at the same time being so sure that he wanted Fellaini. It's one thing for fans on a forum to discuss Woodward's failings but please tell me there aren't many people out there who took that tweet at face value and believed that the CEO of a major corporation actually came out and admitted in public his uselessness. What that tweet meant was "don't expect to be given much in the following transfer window(s)."

And the problem didn't occur now. After offering both LvG and Mourinho a war chest each just to see it go down the drain, Woodward has assumed a more cautious approach regarding the squad and the manager's demands. That's, presumably, why he fell out with Mourinho. The latter believed that a 2nd place finish and 81 points were enough to guarantee him additional funding but, at the same time, Woodward had the improvement the "other best manager in the world" had achieved during his second season just a few miles away from OT to compare it with. What made things even worse was that Mourinho targeted two players he knew and trusted well in Perisic and Willian. At that point, Woodward didn't trust Mourinho enough to overpay (as he and Judge usually do) for players that would help the Portuguese tactically but didn't seem to be of much use for any other manager. He also didn't trust him enough anymore to pay a record fee for Maguire. The idiocy in the whole thing was that he had renewed Jose's contract before he changed his mind.

The thing with Solskajer is that he accepted the job on these conditions. The plan he sold Woodward was one of promoting academy players and buying young & hungry (mostly) British players who understand the culture of the country and the club. And he would create a team capable of challenging for the big prizes in the near future while maintaining some standards on the way toward that goal. That's why Solskjaer always tows the line, he always talks about the future and he always points out the goods and the bads of a side full of youthfulness. That's also why the only time he chose to have a dig at someone was when he berated the internet fans for demanding transfers. O tempora o mores... one of the best defences his most ardent supporters use these days is the lack of transfers. He won't get them. Or he'll get one midfielder if either Matic is sold or if a player we can all agree might prove useful becomes available. 8/21 PL wins don't give you the "right", in Woodward's mind, to ask for more of "your" players. Woodward's made a mess but he's not an idiot to go down with a failing manager. It's Solskjaer's masterplan, after all. The Norwegian has to provide proof of improvement, Ed's just here to "protect the assets". Right or wrong, i don't know. What i do know though is that most of the people who want Woody's head on a plate for letting down Solskjaer had no qualms getting behind our CEO when LvG and Mourinho were in the same position. That's how Woodward survives.

And Woodward showed his "good faith" by sanctioning the record fee for Maguire he had denied Mourinho previously and by splashing 50 more million for one of the most promising RBs in the country. We also got James as a value for money transfer. But when Solskjaer listed Rice and Longstaff for 50-60 million each, Woodward became cagey. This is Perisic/Willian territory. Just as Mourinho wanted players who could carry the ball through the lines, Solskjaer wants players who can apply more active pressing by covering lots of ground. But unlike the highly acclaimed Maguire and the need for a new RB (we had none), Woodward was not ready to (over)pay for players only Solskjaer sees important for this type of money.

End of the line, Woodward is just being Woodward. But i get the feeling that Solskjaer drove himself into a corner by going fully idealistic with his targets and by believing that the academy could provide more solutions than it already has and that he could take more out of a squad that had previously let down renown managers with CL titles and finals under their belt. He overestimated his players and he overestimated himself and his coaches. That's the main reason we have reached new lows in terms of results and performances, not our CEO. The latter just doesn't make it easier for the manager.

I rarely read a long post but I did on this one because you mad some rather intriguing points. However this is what I think

a- the club has wasted alot of money in the past and honestly I don't think the Glazers can afford another rebuild. Player's fees had gone at the roof and while the Glazers are rich, they aren't that rich either.
b- Woodward is probably the only guy the Glazers trust which explains why he's got near absolute power.
c- the club is probably on sale. It explains the reluctance on spending too much (net spend), the lack of investment in the club's infrastructure (ex stadium roof) and the type of staff we're hiring (Ole, Mckenna, Carrick, the guy we brought in from Australia etc) which I doubt they are on big money irrespective of what the media might say. Ah and the rumours coming from Saudi. There's no smoke without fire.
d-- no one has yet met the asking price, which is fair enough. On one hand you've got the biggest brand name in football. On the other hand you've got a struggling club who doesn't generate enough profit to justify the ridiculous price the Glazers are asking for the club. This means there will be alot of posturing but very little investment to back it. No one want to force potential new owners to commit into projects they don't want to commit in however the Glazers wouldn't want to look desperate to sell. Things will be business as usual up till the very end.
e- We won't go for DOF mainly because that would mean that the Glazers would have to reveal their hand (ie their spending power) to people they don't really trust.
f- Ole is comfortable for the Glazers. He won't rock the boat cause he's too grateful to do that, he's a club legend which means that the top reds will be very patient with him and he's a genuinely good guy. Feck even Roy 'Wolverine' Keane finds it difficult to go hard on him. Which explains why he wasn't shown the door.
g- However Ole isn't perfect. First of all he's pretty mediocre as a manager. Secondly he doesn't really have that wow factor to attract players. Which explains why we're signing local players who tend to join us for prestige of playing for Manchester United, rather then because of external factors like winning trophies and being managed by a top manager.

 

[Forevergiggs1]

Tbf I actually don't really get this need for managers to be angry or intimidating. Especially in modern football where the players know they are far more valuable than the manager, being an aggressive prick will only help you alienate your squad.

It's all about finding the fine balance between ranting and raving and cajoling. It takes a certain type of character to make it at the very top as a manager which is one of the reasons why I don't think Ole will make it here.

 

[djembatheking]

Ole didn`t look that bothered to me . It just came across as him dismissing an ex Gooner that played a small part in Uniteds history.

 

[Eriku]

Well were so interested in Haaland that Ole even flew to Salzburg to talk to the guy. Yet, he preferred Dortmund's project to ours. But that's not all. Pogba seems on the way out, Smalling doesn't want to come back while Chong & Gomes are heading towards their last few months of contract. Things don't look well for Ole and his project.

Fergie failed to hold on to Pogba too, I guess he couldn’t sell him on what was going on at United?

You don’t know the reasoning behind Haaland’s decisions, stop fecking assuming whatever helps bolster your argument, it’s poor form.

 

[Paxi]

RVP rattled Ole's cage. It was needed. He has far too used to pundits patting him on the back. Nice that Robin as so honest.

RvP is likely to throw another barb back. He's definitely got a nasty streak through him, RvP does.

 

[Paxi]

Love the response from Ole. Criticism is one thing but getting personal isn’t correct. Any one who saw Ole play knows he isn’t Mr Nice Guy he could mix it up and had real fight in him. He’s more than capable of giving a bollocking when he has to I’m sure

Er, what? It was Ole that got personal?

 

[devilish]

Fergie failed to hold on to Pogba too, I guess he couldn’t sell him on what was going on at United?

You don’t know the reasoning behind Haaland’s decisions, stop fecking assuming whatever helps bolster your argument, it’s poor form.

Pogba wanted to play. Sir Alex preferred anyone but him in CM (bringing Scholes out of retirement, playing Giggs in CM, Cleverley, Rafael in midfield). It was only natural for him to leave. I very much doubt that this is the issue with Haaland.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

RvP is like that thow another barb back. He's definitely got a nasty streak through him, RvP does.

Ole might wish he had just said RVP is allowed his opinion. The press/TV will just stoke the fire at every opportunity.

 

[devilish]

Love the response from Ole. Criticism is one thing but getting personal isn’t correct. Any one who saw Ole play knows he isn’t Mr Nice Guy he could mix it up and had real fight in him. He’s more than capable of giving a bollocking when he has to I’m sure

You mean meltdown?

 

[SteveJ]

The press/TV will just stoke the fire at every opportunity.

Yep. The bottom line, surely, is the football media's desperate need for controversy. They're unscrupulous and sly in this: if you're a manager, they're the equivalent of having a (false) friend constantly saying "You wanna hear what ------- says about you behind your back." These 'journalists' will do or say anything in order to coax an overreaction.

 

[Paxi]

Ole might wish he had just said RVP is allowed his opinion. The press/TV will just stoke the fire at every opportunity.

Exactly, when the hacks smell blood -- its over.

 

[Paxi]

I

Edgy towards the players, not RvP. Imagine you have a naughty cat, a very naughty cat and instead of disciplining it, when your neighbor's kid walk into your house and say "You have a very naughty cat! He's scratching your sofa!" you give the kid a spanking instead of disciplining the cat.

 

[Wolfmother]

Pogba wanted to play. Sir Alex preferred anyone but him in CM (bringing Scholes out of retirement, playing Giggs in CM, Cleverley, Rafael in midfield). It was only natural for him to leave. I very much doubt that this is the issue with Haaland.

No its not. It is a very integrated step with talent from Norway these days. One step at the time, and going from one level to the next you can achieve. Haaland turned down Juventus before going to Red Bull. And he now turned down Man Utd for going to Dortmund. Both him and Odegard have their site set on the top, and they know exactly how to. Playing is of much importance for these guys and money is of none.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Yep. The bottom line, surely, is the football media's desperate need for controversy. They're unscrupulous and sly in this: if you're a manager, they're the equivalent of having a (false) friend constantly saying "You wanna hear what ------- says about you behind your back." These 'journalists' will do or say anything in order to coax an overreaction.

Jake Humphries will definitely prod away. Can't stand him.

 

[Random Task]

Yep. The bottom line, surely, is the football media's desperate need for controversy. They're unscrupulous and sly in this: if you're a manager, they're the equivalent of having a (false) friend constantly saying "You wanna hear what ------- says about you behind your back." These 'journalists' will do or say anything in order to coax an overreaction.

Sam Luckhurst immediately springs to mind.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Sam Luckhurst immediately springs to mind.

He sticks the knife into everybody. Some of the players are on his radar.

 

[7even]

There is nothing in his leadership that makes me comfortable.

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

I rarely read a long post but I did on this one because you mad some rather intriguing points. However this is what I think

a- the club has wasted alot of money in the past and honestly I don't think the Glazers can afford another rebuild. Player's fees had gone at the roof and while the Glazers are rich, they aren't that rich either.
b- Woodward is probably the only guy the Glazers trust which explains why he's got near absolute power.
c- the club is probably on sale. It explains the reluctance on spending too much (net spend), the lack of investment in the club's infrastructure (ex stadium roof) and the type of staff we're hiring (Ole, Mckenna, Carrick, the guy we brought in from Australia etc) which I doubt they are on big money irrespective of what the media might say. Ah and the rumours coming from Saudi. There's no smoke without fire.
d-- no one has yet met the asking price, which is fair enough. On one hand you've got the biggest brand name in football. On the other hand you've got a struggling club who doesn't generate enough profit to justify the ridiculous price the Glazers are asking for the club. This means there will be alot of posturing but very little investment to back it. No one want to force potential new owners to commit into projects they don't want to commit in however the Glazers wouldn't want to look desperate to sell. Things will be business as usual up till the very end.
e- We won't go for DOF mainly because that would mean that the Glazers would have to reveal their hand (ie their spending power) to people they don't really trust.
f- Ole is comfortable for the Glazers. He won't rock the boat cause he's too grateful to do that, he's a club legend which means that the top reds will be very patient with him and he's a genuinely good guy. Feck even Roy 'Wolverine' Keane finds it difficult to go hard on him. Which explains why he wasn't shown the door.
g- However Ole isn't perfect. First of all he's pretty mediocre as a manager. Secondly he doesn't really have that wow factor to attract players. Which explains why we're signing local players who tend to join us for prestige of playing for Manchester United, rather then because of external factors like winning trophies and being managed by a top manager.

Cheers, man.

I hope you're right about the club being on sale. It would explain a lot of things that otherwise would have to be attributed to sheer incompetence. I don't know how i would feel about a potential Saudi takeover (if the club becomes very depended on the owner's pocket, i will not be OK with it) but your explanation puts the Glazers and Woodward's actions in a perspective that isn't all doom and gloom. If that's the case, your fourth point makes a lot of sense too.

Imho, the main issue is the wage bill and its contrast to our performances and our position on the table. They realize the problem but they don't know how to fix it. They trusted LvG and Mourinho only to get burned and now they don't want Di Marias, Schweinsteigers/Sanchezes, Morgans and Mkhitaryans. And that's one of the reasons why Solskjaer became so alluring to them to the point when they rushed to give him the permanent job. Buy young, go British (or PL proven). Fine, but you can't go into the season without quality, experience and depth. And offering your two most promising youngsters such lucrative deals before they show they deserve them and giving renewals left, right and centre is not going to make things any better. The money is there but they don't know how to use it properly. They can't spend as the Sheiks do or as Roman in his heyday did but there is money available.

Fully agree on your second point about Woody. Besides his role in the Glazer takeover, i believe he earned a lot of credit with them when he put the condition on Moyes' 6-year contract that the Scot would get one year's compensation and leave if he doesn't qualify for the CL (assuming what the press tells us has merit).

Regarding Solskjaer, i believe we begin from different starting lines but we end at the same conclusion: That he won't rock the boat and that his management will not make the team slightly worse in the short-term just to bounce back but send it on a downward spiral from which it will be very difficult to recover instead.

 

[Random Task]

He sticks the knife into everybody. Some of the players are on his radar.

Pogba for one.

I can't stand the guy, he's the epitome of a vulture.

 

[devilish]

No its not. It is a very integrated step with talent from Norway these days. One step at the time, and going from one level to the next you can achieve. Haaland turned down Juventus before going to Red Bull. And he now turned down Man Utd for going to Dortmund. Both him and Odegard have their site set on the top, and they know exactly how to. Playing is of much importance for these guys and money is of none.

You might not notice but Dortmund are in the CL while we're in the Europa league (and if we're lucky we'll be there next season as well). We're the step down not them.

Now one can understand him turning Juventus down. The club has never bought a Norwegian player in their history, they got 3 strikers who can walk into any team and they just allowed Mandzukic to leave cause he wasn't getting games. With United is different. We do need a striker, Ole was his former manager and his father's team mate....yet, he preferred Dortmund to us.

 

[Eriku]

Pogba wanted to play. Sir Alex preferred anyone but him in CM (bringing Scholes out of retirement, playing Giggs in CM, Cleverley, Rafael in midfield). It was only natural for him to leave. I very much doubt that this is the issue with Haaland.

Haaland has been managing his career well, not jumping on the biggest name and contract put in front of him. United are very unsettled right now and in a far tougher league, for a 19 year old who needs leeway for development it makes perfect sense to spring for Dortmund. To insist it’s down to Ole’s failings shows how unwilling you are to consider possibilities other than Ole sucks.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Pogba for one.

I can't stand the guy, he's the epitome of a vulture.

Doesn't like Lindelof either.

 

[fallengt]

Absolutely nothing wrong with what RVP said. Ole's press conferences are more annoying than Jose's. One is the most miserable person in the world, another is quite literally a clown who can't stop smiling and laughing. Why can't we find someone normal?

Louis van Gaal did well. Not in normal sense but pressers were way more entertaining than his football

 

[Eriku]

You might not notice but Dortmund are in the CL while we're in the Europa league (and if we're lucky we'll be there next season as well). We're the step down not them.

Now one can understand him turning Juventus down. The club has never bought a Norwegian player in their history, they got 3 strikers who can walk into any team and they just allowed Mandzukic to leave cause he wasn't getting games. With United is different. We do need a striker, Ole was his former manager and his father's team mate....yet, he preferred Dortmund to us.

Here you even fecking contradict yourself. United are a step down, but Ole alone should be enough to entice him?

 

[devilish]

Here you even fecking contradict yourself. United are a step down, but Ole alone should be enough to entice him?

It's a step down in terms of club status at the moment but as you said, young players tend to look past that and move to clubs that they can trust. You expect Ole to be the person Haaland would trust.

 

[Wolfmother]

You might not notice but Dortmund are in the CL while we're in the Europa league (and if we're lucky we'll be there next season as well). We're the step down not them.

Now one can understand him turning Juventus down. The club has never bought a Norwegian player in their history, they got 3 strikers who can walk into any team and they just allowed Mandzukic to leave cause he wasn't getting games. With United is different. We do need a striker, Ole was his former manager and his father's team mate....yet, he preferred Dortmund to us.

I have already made a detail post about him in the Haaland thread. Have been following him since he was 16. You can either take on board what i am saying, or you dont.. Man Utd is a bigger club in a superior league. He will come to premier league, but not yet. Bundesliga is his next stepping stone and his next level..

Edit: He was 17 when we saw him. Sorry..

 

[DomesticTadpole]

It's a step down in terms of club status at the moment but as you said, young players tend to look past that and move to clubs that they can trust. You expect Ole to be the person Haaland would trust.

Maybe he thinks there will be a change of manager.

 

[Nico87]

Ole didn`t look that bothered to me . It just came across as him dismissing an ex Gooner that played a small part in Uniteds history.

The “ex gooner” played more than a “small part” in our history, he was the driving Force behind out last title win. He hardly had a Michael Owen sequel cameo role at the club.

 

[Eriku]

It's a step down in terms of club status at the moment but as you said, young players tend to look past that and move to clubs that they can trust. You expect Ole to be the person Haaland would trust.

You’re deluded if you think that would trump every other consideration, especially for a 19 year old. Especially considering it’s not set in stone that Ole will even be here next season.

 

[Runaway Sue]

Ole didn`t look that bothered to me . It just came across as him dismissing an ex Gooner that played a small part in Uniteds history.

To me it looked rehearsed, and that medieval thing was just a line he forgot but decided to throw in anyway while leaving haha.
He's cracking up, He's cracking up, Ole's cracking up