Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: I'd rather have a hole in Man Utd squad than 'an a***hole'

devilish

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You're saying that managers don't hold any responsibility in transfers at all ?
At most top clubs the answer is no. They are usually asked what type of player they want and then asked if they would work with X or Y player. Football had changed since the 80s. There's so many professionals in football whose job is to find clinks in one's armour that even the greatest of managers can become obsolete in a matter of 10 years. That means that similarly to players, managers tend to move regularly from one club to another to cash in as much as possible until he gets retired. Also the industry had become so big that its impossible for a manager to scout players, court them and get them to the club. That by itself is a full time job.

Thus why a DOF is hired by most clubs ie someone who can do that stuff full time + he make sure that the manager's 'philosophy' and 'ambition' doesn't contrast that of the club. You rightly said that we've been iffy on transfers lately. I'd love to add to that by saying we were iffy in terms of coaching appointments as well which in itself is a subset to the same problem. Its ridiculous how Moyes was given the power to sack a winning coaching stuff with decades of experience to replace them with his own men. Its ain't that different from LVG, Mou and his good self bringing in the likes of Fellaini, Bastian, Valdes, Matic and co not because they fitted the club's criteria but because they were jobs for the boys.

I think United lack at least 2 people to come to terms with modern football. There's the DOF role which I mentioned and there's also the vice chairman role. The latter is at board level full time and acts as their trusted football expert there. His job vary from 'protecting' the board (who often understand football as much as Souness does) from being taken for a ride from the football men. He also act as an intermediary between various top people at the club (DOF, Manager etc), he's the link between the fans and the board + he makes sure that the club's traditions and standards are kept.

If Ole fails as manager I'd love to take the job unless of course the old Scot general isn't in the mood to dive back in.

Not true at all, given that OGS has a veto vote on new acquisitions.
Having a veto doesn't necessary translate to a lot of responsibility. It means saying no to signing player X. However it doesn't mean that we'll be signing player Y instead. Such responsibility is often given to most managers. Its necessary just in case the club is close in signing a player the manager hates and would never play unless hells freeze or pigs start flying. In normal circumstances that option is rarely used simply because it gives the message that the manager is picky and also because transfers are often complicated and saying no to X player might end up having to start the season with a hole in the team.
 

romufc

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At most top clubs the answer is no. They are usually asked what type of player they want and then asked if they would work with X or Y player. Football had changed since the 80s. There's so many professionals in football whose job is to find clinks in one's armour that even the greatest of managers can become obsolete in a matter of 10 years. That means that similarly to players, managers tend to move regularly from one club to another to cash in as much as possible until he gets retired. Also the industry had become so big that its impossible for a manager to scout players, court them and get them to the club. That by itself is a full time job.
I agree with this and that United operate in a different way. I think they did plan to go that way after sacking Jose but looks like Ole insisted he wanted control of the signings etc.

A good example of this is Arsenal. I read an interview transcript from Unai Emry where he had met Zaha and told the board to sign him because he was ready and can win a game on his own. The board signed Pepe instead because he is younger.

Now that works in principle if the board and manager are on the same page, if not the manager will most likely lose his job. if we hired a DoF, there is a big chance we would have got Dybala, a player that wouldnt have fit Ole's style.
 

Strelok

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At most top clubs the answer is no. They are usually asked what type of player they want and then asked if they would work with X or Y player. Football had changed since the 80s. There's so many professionals in football whose job is to find clinks in one's armour that even the greatest of managers can become obsolete in a matter of 10 years. That means that similarly to players, managers tend to move regularly from one club to another to cash in as much as possible until he gets retired. Also the industry had become so big that its impossible for a manager to scout players, court them and get them to the club. That by itself is a full time job.

Thus why a DOF is hired by most clubs ie someone who can do that stuff full time + he make sure that the manager's 'philosophy' and 'ambition' doesn't contrast that of the club. You rightly said that we've been iffy on transfers lately. I'd love to add to that by saying we were iffy in terms of coaching appointments as well which in itself is a subset to the same problem. Its ridiculous how Moyes was given the power to sack a winning coaching stuff with decades of experience to replace them with his own men. Its ain't that different from LVG, Mou and his good self bringing in the likes of Fellaini, Bastian, Valdes, Matic and co not because they fitted the club's criteria but because they were jobs for the boys.

I think United lack at least 2 people to come to terms with modern football. There's the DOF role which I mentioned and there's also the vice chairman role. The latter is at board level full time and acts as their trusted football expert there. His job vary from 'protecting' the board (who often understand football as much as Souness does) from being taken for a ride from the football men. He also act as an intermediary between various top people at the club (DOF, Manager etc), he's the link between the fans and the board + he makes sure that the club's traditions and standards are kept.

If Ole fails as manager I'd love to take the job unless of course the old Scot general isn't in the mood to dive back in.



Having a veto doesn't necessary translate to a lot of responsibility. It means saying no to signing player X. However it doesn't mean that we'll be signing player Y instead. Such responsibility is often given to most managers. Its necessary just in case the club is close in signing a player the manager hates and would never play unless hells freeze or pigs start flying. In normal circumstances that option is rarely used simply because it gives the message that the manager is picky and also because transfers are often complicated and saying no to X player might end up having to start the season with a hole in the team.
That's pretty weird imo. I can't imagine the likes of Klopp, Pep, Zidane or Conte etc. have no say in who's in or out. Even Poc got some of his choices bought with Levy I think.
 

devilish

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I agree with this and that United operate in a different way. I think they did plan to go that way after sacking Jose but looks like Ole insisted he wanted control of the signings etc.

A good example of this is Arsenal. I read an interview transcript from Unai Emry where he had met Zaha and told the board to sign him because he was ready and can win a game on his own. The board signed Pepe instead because he is younger.

Now that works in principle if the board and manager are on the same page, if not the manager will most likely lose his job. if we hired a DoF, there is a big chance we would have got Dybala, a player that wouldnt have fit Ole's style.
The DOF is often deemed necessary as he's the guy to work on transfers + exploiting the club's resources full time. However he can't be seen as some perfect superior being either.

Which is why I also think that United need a trusted football person as a vice chairman as well. He'll be the one our board would turn to when various specialised football people at the club would clash with one another. You gave a good example of that however there can be other issues. For example lets say Mourinho is still our manager. A top youth player is coming true (Mejbri?) but Mou can't be arsed playing him. The DOF and reserve manager would probably be screaming for such player to be given game time while the manager would demand the club to spend 70m on a new CM. Whom would the board listen to? Lets give another scenario. Let's say we're sitting at 7th place after a disastrous season. 1 win can turn it around and save the manager's job. A top player (Rashford? Bruno? Pogba?) had been injured for 5 months and he's close to full recovery. The manager + some of the fitness people he brought in believe that the player can play. Meanwhile some other fitness guys and the player's own specialist people think that if he plays then the risk of a potential career threatening injury will be real. This ends up escalating to board level as the former ends up accusing the latter for sabotaging the manager while the latter accuse the former that they are risking the player's career just to save their protegee's skin. How can Woodward, the Glazers and Arnold deal with this unless there's a football man who genuinely loves the club to help them take the right decision?

PS Dybala has had a great season. 13 goals in 35 matches is not bad considering that he wasn't the main man.
 

devilish

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That's pretty weird imo. I can't imagine the likes of Klopp, Pep, Zidane or Conte etc. have no say in who's in or out. Even Poc got some of his choices bought with Levy I think.
They do give their feedback about what they need (ex tall RB with great stamina etc). The manager will be kept updated on whom the club is targeting, he might give a name which will be seriously considered and will probably get a veto if he threaten not to play a player because he personally dislike him (yep that can happen). Don't see the DOF's as some kind of monster who is there to make the manager's job miserable. The DOF will try to accommodate the manager as much as possible. However the buck will stop if lets say a manager asks player X and player Y is as good as player X and he costs half the fee.

Also there were instances when a manager fell out with the club because of transfers. Conte for example left Juve following the club's reluctance to match Chelsea's ridiculous bid for Cuadrado. His 'you can't eat in a 100 euro a meal restaurant with just 10 euros" interview is still legendary among Serie A fans. Turned out that the club was right and he was wrong. Much of the time though they work in harmony with one another.
 

romufc

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The DOF is often deemed necessary as he's the guy to work on transfers + exploiting the club's resources full time. However he can't be seen as some perfect superior being either.

Which is why I also think that United need a trusted football person as a vice chairman as well. He'll be the one our board would turn to when various specialised football people at the club would clash with one another. You gave a good example of that however there can be other issues. For example lets say Mourinho is still our manager. A top youth player is coming true (Mejbri?) but Mou can't be arsed playing him. The DOF and reserve manager would probably be screaming for such player to be given game time while the manager would demand the club to spend 70m on a new CM. Whom would the board listen to? Lets give another scenario. Let's say we're sitting at 7th place after a disastrous season. 1 win can turn it around and save the manager's job. A top player (Rashford? Bruno? Pogba?) had been injured for 5 months and he's close to full recovery. The manager + some of the fitness people he brought in believe that the player can play. Meanwhile some other fitness guys and the player's own specialist people think that if he plays then the risk of a potential career threatening injury will be real. This ends up escalating to board level as the former ends up accusing the latter for sabotaging the manager while the latter accuse the former that they are risking the player's career just to save their protegee's skin. How can Woodward, the Glazers and Arnold deal with this unless there's a football man who genuinely loves the club to help them take the right decision?

PS Dybala has had a great season. 13 goals in 35 matches is not bad considering that he wasn't the main man.
I agree with your points and I too feel a DOF would be important for a team.

If a DOF was appointed then a manager like Jose wouldn't for Manutd. The DOF of manutd would have to keep the clubs tradition of good football and youth. The manager would have to be appointed by the DoF who has the similar philosophy as him.

There is a good example you gave because this season, Ole decided he didnt want a striker and gave Greenwood and Martial the chance without a DoF.

The other example in respects to injury is Pogba, Ole was under immense pressure and rushed Pogba back and caused him a long term injury.

There can be positives and negatives for both, but the DoF works well if him and the manager get along well and have a clear direction of how the club is to go forward.

Dybala has had a great year, so has Lukaku but if he doesnt suit the managers style, there is no point having him here.
 

jem

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Not sure what is so scandalous in that claim. The last time I checked we were sitting on 5th place.


This is the forum, we ain't coaching shit here pal, not sure what you mean.


Not as terrible as yours. Are you planning on getting promoted with this kind of insightful posts?


Not worried if he offends something, in honesty more worried he turns out looking like a fool. There is much chance that he gets sacked before he even manages to get rid of the likes of Alexis, Pogba, Lingard, some grade one assholes.

No pal, that's a very poor answer. He's the manager of one of the biggest clubs in the world, what he says will be much more scrutinized, compared to me and you on an online forum. Some of you got so fecking worked up over your precious Ole, without adding a little bit of different context.
And if that happens, I highly doubt people will be gleefully pointing to this quote when discussing Ole's demise.
 

devilish

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I agree with your points and I too feel a DOF would be important for a team.

If a DOF was appointed then a manager like Jose wouldn't for Manutd. The DOF of manutd would have to keep the clubs tradition of good football and youth. The manager would have to be appointed by the DoF who has the similar philosophy as him.

There is a good example you gave because this season, Ole decided he didnt want a striker and gave Greenwood and Martial the chance without a DoF.

The other example in respects to injury is Pogba, Ole was under immense pressure and rushed Pogba back and caused him a long term injury.

There can be positives and negatives for both, but the DoF works well if him and the manager get along well and have a clear direction of how the club is to go forward.

Dybala has had a great year, so has Lukaku but if he doesnt suit the managers style, there is no point having him here.
If we believe that Ole had carte blanche regarding AWB, James and Maguire then we must accept that Dybala was also among that list. Which is fair enough really. Dybala was 25 and he represented the technically gifted striker who can drop deep Ole was aiming at the time. As time went by, Ole had changed his mind, opting instead on a physical striker whose more lethal upfront such as Haaland. Once that ship sailed as well then he had to then settle for a short term fix in Ighalo. I am glad that he changed his mind on that as I am a firm believer on having strikers with different skill sets that can change our game.

I agree with the rest of your post.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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That puts a different context on what are we discussing here. You have no idea what are you talking about actually. Self promoting and stealing a living out of this club has been one of the reasons why we are where we are, and you talk about some team culture.
Do you even know what Ole is talking about in that article? I bet you don't :lol:

You are just randomly using this thread to have your agenda on manager & player.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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I am not going to get into every each of our players since there are thread for that. Just point out prime example of you see what you want. Not based on actual performance.

Shaw had a long period to be useless between after he got his new contract at the end of last season until he got some competition in Brandon. Shaw is in no way better than what he was when he could be arsed. Jury is still out for him.

Ruud Keane Beckham all turned into arseholles and got rid! How about Rooney 2010? Just another case of see what you want to see. Agree to disagree.
WTF are you on about with Shaw. The guy literary missed 3 months of football due to injury. And started cemented his starting spot again in January. One, two, three players can perform bad doesn't mean you can ignore there are many out there have shown improvement.

Rooney wanted to leave. Ruud had a fight with Ronaldo, Keane criticised his team mate in MUTV which according to SAF it was an awful one & Beckham had a fight with the manager which the manager decided he had to go. What Rooney did was nothing in comparison to what they did.

If you want to compare Rooney's case, may be you could also try to imagine what Ole did to convince Pogba to stay again despite of his desire wanted to leave last summer. Just another case of how Ole managed to handle the situation well enough but you ignore it.
 

Web of Bissaka

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Basically..

"bad apples" = Sanchez, Lukaku, Smalling, Herrera

"hole in the squad" = Lingard, Pereira, Rojo, Jones, Bailly, Dalot

I think it's possible Fred and Matic are previously bad apples (when they "criticised/dig" Ole that is when they are left out of the team, barely playing) but they've since disciplined themselves and now has won Ole over. Wonder if Ole see Pogba and Gomes as bad apples, or maybe just partially or a lil bit ("personal agendas" ???). Pogba is professional when it comes to trainings and playing but outside let's face it --> he's freely outspoken about you-know-what. Players who are not given games are generally bad apples (depends, sometimes lame bs injuries or lack of fitnesses will be used as lame excuses eg. what happened or being said about Fred, Sanchez and Herrera last season).

Ole prioritize "team environment" so any players who complaint not getting games or complaint being mistreated or mistrusted, plus don't want to fight for places are likely bad apples. He also prioritize players to "adapt" to that kind of environment so we see Matic and Fred eventually adapted to this. Other players whom he didn't really favor at first but follow and adapt quickly to that environment eg. McT (admit it, he's no where near contention when Ole first takeover) eventually won Ole's favor.

Again, here Ole didn't criticize any of his current players, similar to last season, he didn't criticize any of the players at all at that time. Everything is good. Always good words about his players, but then here we see he give fair hints of basically criticizing some players who are no longer here (some because I doubt Ole have problems with Young nor Darmian, two typical players who are known for their professional teamworking work ethics).
 

AFC NimbleThumb

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Herrera wanted more money, so clearly he was not in it for the football knowing he will not start for PSG. So thats why Lukaku stayed 3 years? He still shipped out Darmian, Young etc.
Herrera had a contract offer & chose to leave. What’s him being in it for footballing reasons matter. He wasn’t let go willingly. I didn’t rate him highly so I’m not too fussed [bar a transfer fee] but I wouldn’t class this as a OgS masterstroke.

Lukaku didn’t want to be here & was sold - he’s hardly suffering with his new employers & it took us half a season to get Igahlo; not great business imo.

Young had his contract extended in the summer. If you want to praise him for getting rid what’s your view on extending his contract in the first place?

& Darmian :lol:

Andreas Periera is starting meaningful games for the club having had his contract extended in the summer - let’s temper the praise a little.

He’s doing fine but we are far from revolutionised.

Martial has a historic record for muscular injuries?

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/anthony-martial/verletzungen/spieler/182877

Please go check how many muscular injuries he has had.
Hamstring, Thigh & Groin are ”Muscular” injuries.

Lukaku scored 12 PL goals last season and 16 the season prior. Martial has 11 goals in 21 appearances in the PL. So when you throw words like malpractice around, please get your stats right first. The reasons we have made mistakes in the transfer window in the past is to appease fans like you who will just want another body for the sake of it.
When you sell a striker, promote another then don’t bring in adequate back up until January it’s poor squad planning.

Want another body for the sake of it? I wanted more attacking players in/around the squad from the beginning of the season, you know kind of like Igahlo who I guess OgS just brought in to have an extra body for the sake of it. . .

Lukaku was sold and replaced with Martial, Ole took this as a chance to give Greenwood a chance to develop, if we signed anothr striker he would not have got his opportunities.
Is Ogahlo now a negative influence on Greenwood?

We don’t need a bunch of £60mil signings to raise the quality of this squad; seeing as you like stats, tell me when Martial was out injured; of the games played how many starts did Greenwood make?

I agree Poga was a mistake playing for so long. In respects to Rashford, and even Pogba to some extent, I dont know if you realise alot of players play through imjury.. Salah this season has played on an injury, Aguero a few seasons ago himself said he played through injuries.
Seriously!? Does every team usually have a goalkeeper as well or is this an optional extra?

There is a stark difference between playing with ‘a knock’ & playing injured.

None of us are privy to the medical information the club has but with both players having doubts over their fitness heading into the games then subsequently being out for lengthy periods the risks were not worth taking.
Yes, we have lost / drawn games due to lack of quality, a team that lacks coaching does not beat Chelsea 3 times, City twice.
We have been as disappointing as we have been impressive at times this season - that isn’t controversial.

You don’t win leagues/competitions raising games against the ‘bigger’ sides.

We went on a good run heading into this Covid break but you’d think that form spanned the season given the short memories - we’ve been inept against Burnley at home this calendar year.
 

Dve

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Okey can you tell me how Ole can come out with that kind of nonsense while still playing the likes of Lingard and him being one of his favories? The guy was self promoting in week while we've been trashed and putting logos on tragedy events messages. Not a bad apple? And I did not say Ole does not know how to deal with them, but claiming I don't want one is very stupid. Let's say we have an option to sign Neymar for 60m euros this summer, and we all know that he is a total idiot and an arsehole, would you pass on it? Now maybe Neymar is a bad example since we have a LW but the point is if you can get such quality for that price, you have to be ready to compromise on the luggage. Of course it's just my opinion after all.
Not sure why you are having a go at Lingard. Why is he a bad apple? Who cares what he does on sosial media when he came back from the corona break as the fittest player in the squad. Not performing on the pitch, is not the same as being a bad apple, as long as you are supportive of the team and accept being benched.
 
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LawCharltonBest

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Lingard is hardly an arsehole, he is more of a hole in the squad
He’s signed up to “cribs” to basically show off his mansion and life when millions are basically going to be spending the next year trying to recoup their losses from this pandemic. He can feck off.

Would be bad enough if he was actually a decent player. But he’s absolute pants and clearly thinks he’s doing brilliantly. I’d be embarrassed to show off my riches if I was playing like him
 

SweetRightFoot

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@Kostov battling everyone because Solskjaer doesn't like disruptive players and is apparently getting sacked soon for getting us playing the best football we've seen since Fergie.

Muppet. You're clearly on a wind-up or you're some kind of Mourinho/Lukaku fanboy.
 

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@Kostov battling everyone because Solskjaer doesn't like disruptive players and is apparently getting sacked soon for getting us playing the best football we've seen since Fergie.

Muppet. You're clearly on a wind-up or you're some kind of Mourinho/Lukaku fanboy.
Can you actually add something related to my original post or just because I am battling “everyone” you are joining the flow. Try to add something to the discussion, there are enough posters who just jump the easy train.
 

Kostov

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Not sure why you are having a go at Lingard. Why is he a bad apple? Who cares what he does on sosial media when he came back from the corona break as the fittest player in the squad. Not performing on the pitch, is not the same as being a bad apple, as long as you are supportive of the team and accept being benched.
I am not sure what you define as a bad apple, but a guy that is absolute abomination of a player, paid 100k a week and acts like some kind of a superstar is definitely a bad apple in my opinion. Many care what our players do on social media, apparently so does Ole, and not so scandalous but yeah it does matter if we are talking about building team culture.
 

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And if that happens, I highly doubt people will be gleefully pointing to this quote when discussing Ole's demise.
It can easily be pointed out how said assholes survive another failing manager. We as a club built a habit with that. It was part of my point actually.
 

devilish

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What's an asshole btw? Does talking down to a kid and telling him that he simply lack the talent to make it at Manchester United an asshole thing to do? What about causing an absolute outrage and attack the assistant manager and then the manager simply because some of the rooms provided in a pre season location lack air conditioning? Not to forget the guy who slept with his brother's wife. Does that makes the player an asshole? Cause we had legends who did that, most of whom had played with Ole.

I read it again and I admit that it is less damaging than I first thought. Ole did said that there's no bad apples in the current side. However I'd rather see him toe in line with Sir Alex's no one is bigger then the club quote. It is far less hostile. Ole's quote will put the spot light on players returning from loan (Smalling, Sanchez and Rojo). That's not good
 
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Cliche Guevara

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Brilliant line actually: I’d rather have a hole than an a hole - lovely.

A very simple throwaway remark about how important it is to get the right characters in when rebuilding a club. Not newsworthy at all. Wait...what???
 

TheRedDevil'sAdvocate

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What's an asshole btw? Does talking down to a kid and telling him that he simply lack the talent to make it at Manchester United an asshole thing to do? What about causing an absolute outrage and attack the assistant manager and then the manager simply because some of the rooms provided in a pre season location lack air conditioning? Not to forget the guy who slept with his brother's wife. Does that makes the player an asshole? Cause we had legends who did that, most of whom had played with Ole.

I read it again and I admit that it is less damaging than I first thought. Ole did said that there's no bad apples in the current side. However I'd rather see him toe in line with Sir Alex's no one is bigger then the club quote. It is far less hostile. Ole's quote will put the spot light on players returning from loan (Smalling, Sanchez and Rojo). That's not good
I guess it's a player who's not fully committed to the cause. It's not very far from what SAF used to say during his tenure. You can be a dick as a character but it's something the manager is willing to tolerate as long as you contribute on the pitch and in the dressing room. Giggs and Keane belong to this category, Rooney even, therefore SAF would push any tense situation towards an escalation but with the purpose of reminding everyone, both inside and outside the club, who runs the shop. It wasn't personal and that's why after the dust had finally settled, our business would resume as usual. Sometimes things reached the point of no return, Ince & Beckham spring to mind, but this was never the initial intention. Smalling and Sanchez can see the way Matic made himself a viable choice and earned back the manager's trust as an example.

I'm surprised to see the fact that Pogba apparently isn't a bad apple, according to these quotes, has gone a bit under the radar. As mentioned, maybe Solskjaer still sees a role for the Frenchman in his side and he's being lenient. It would not be the first time he would try to imitate what the olf gaffer did. It plays well with a big portion of the fan base, after all, and Solskjaer has shown multiple times that he's more than willing to play the "i'm Fergie's disciple" card whenever he deems necessary. Which is fine as long as our form on the pitch is one of the things that remind us of our glory days. This has been the case for the last couple of months until the lockdown but it wasn't always like that. And that's why some fans express their concerns.

The truth of the matter is that none of the players who left, arsehole or not, was in Solskjaer's plans. It was clear as daylight that he didn't have a role for Lukaku in his side and that he saw in McT the natural future leader that Herrera could never be with all the money in the world. Smalling wasn't his ball-playing type of centre-half. He was also willing to let Sanchez, a rather taciturn and aloof personality with his best days behind him go to Inter on a loan. When you take all the previous debacles we've experienced in the market into consideration, it is a sound policy. The problem was that it was taken to extremes: Longstaff or nobody in the midfield (we went for nobody), no CB good in 1v1 (it's the fecking PL for God's sake!), no out and out striker (even on the bench), let's wait and see if Bruno has the right profile (while relying on Lingard and Pereira to get the job done). These were all decisions that cost us points and they may cost us CL qualification too. And it's easy now to point at Greenwood and say "Bravo Ole, it's the United way" but until Mason was given the nod to start, Martial's injury had made us absolutely dire and bereft of all hope in the final third. I think that's why the "i'd rather have a hole in the squad..." doesn't sit well with some fans. Personally, i'm more relaxed now that i've seen Solskjaer, as we say in my part of the world, water down his wine. He pushed for Bruno, he took Matic back in, he treated Fred well, he understood the importance of having someone like Ighalo in the team. If he had persisted on Pereira and Lingard because of their academy status and loyalty, then yes, we could potentially have something to discuss.
 

Red00012

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Basically..

"bad apples" = Sanchez, Lukaku, Smalling, Herrera

"hole in the squad" = Lingard, Pereira, Rojo, Jones, Bailly, Dalot

I think it's possible Fred and Matic are previously bad apples (when they "criticised/dig" Ole that is when they are left out of the team, barely playing) but they've since disciplined themselves and now has won Ole over. Wonder if Ole see Pogba and Gomes as bad apples, or maybe just partially or a lil bit ("personal agendas" ???). Pogba is professional when it comes to trainings and playing but outside let's face it --> he's freely outspoken about you-know-what. Players who are not given games are generally bad apples (depends, sometimes lame bs injuries or lack of fitnesses will be used as lame excuses eg. what happened or being said about Fred, Sanchez and Herrera last season).

Ole prioritize "team environment" so any players who complaint not getting games or complaint being mistreated or mistrusted, plus don't want to fight for places are likely bad apples. He also prioritize players to "adapt" to that kind of environment so we see Matic and Fred eventually adapted to this. Other players whom he didn't really favor at first but follow and adapt quickly to that environment eg. McT (admit it, he's no where near contention when Ole first takeover) eventually won Ole's favor.

Again, here Ole didn't criticize any of his current players, similar to last season, he didn't criticize any of the players at all at that time. Everything is good. Always good words about his players, but then here we see he give fair hints of basically criticizing some players who are no longer here (some because I doubt Ole have problems with Young nor Darmian, two typical players who are known for their professional teamworking work ethics).
I don’t think Smalling was a bad apple . I think Ole wanted One defender to leave. Rojo Was his 1st choice but Everton pulled the plug on that . Nobody wanted Jones and Smalling wanted to be playing.
 

Mr. Christian

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He should probably stick more to his coaching and try to achieve something significant, something like finishing in the top 4 at least before mouthing off shit like this. As it stands he could be sacked by September and this will come to bite him on the ass.
You sound like a real true red.
Shame
 
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He should probably stick more to his coaching and try to achieve something significant, something like finishing in the top 4 at least before mouthing off shit like this. As it stands he could be sacked by September and this will come to bite him on the ass.
For the first time in the best part of a decade United have squad unity and team spirit. Something that Moyes, Van Gaal and Mourinho annihilated.

An senior manager in any industry will tell you that weeding out disruptive and divisive arseholes is vital to having a successful operation.

Ole has improved United. It's unclear how far he'll take the club but nobody can argue that he's got rid of the right players and has had 100% success rate with the players he's signed.

Prior to the lockdown United had found a really good form - great defensive record and building from there.

He's certainly taking things in the right direction.
 

devilish

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I guess it's a player who's not fully committed to the cause. It's not very far from what SAF used to say during his tenure. You can be a dick as a character but it's something the manager is willing to tolerate as long as you contribute on the pitch and in the dressing room. Giggs and Keane belong to this category, Rooney even, therefore SAF would push any tense situation towards an escalation but with the purpose of reminding everyone, both inside and outside the club, who runs the shop. It wasn't personal and that's why after the dust had finally settled, our business would resume as usual. Sometimes things reached the point of no return, Ince & Beckham spring to mind, but this was never the initial intention. Smalling and Sanchez can see the way Matic made himself a viable choice and earned back the manager's trust as an example.

I'm surprised to see the fact that Pogba apparently isn't a bad apple, according to these quotes, has gone a bit under the radar. As mentioned, maybe Solskjaer still sees a role for the Frenchman in his side and he's being lenient. It would not be the first time he would try to imitate what the olf gaffer did. It plays well with a big portion of the fan base, after all, and Solskjaer has shown multiple times that he's more than willing to play the "i'm Fergie's disciple" card whenever he deems necessary. Which is fine as long as our form on the pitch is one of the things that remind us of our glory days. This has been the case for the last couple of months until the lockdown but it wasn't always like that. And that's why some fans express their concerns.

The truth of the matter is that none of the players who left, arsehole or not, was in Solskjaer's plans. It was clear as daylight that he didn't have a role for Lukaku in his side and that he saw in McT the natural future leader that Herrera could never be with all the money in the world. Smalling wasn't his ball-playing type of centre-half. He was also willing to let Sanchez, a rather taciturn and aloof personality with his best days behind him go to Inter on a loan. When you take all the previous debacles we've experienced in the market into consideration, it is a sound policy. The problem was that it was taken to extremes: Longstaff or nobody in the midfield (we went for nobody), no CB good in 1v1 (it's the fecking PL for God's sake!), no out and out striker (even on the bench), let's wait and see if Bruno has the right profile (while relying on Lingard and Pereira to get the job done). These were all decisions that cost us points and they may cost us CL qualification too. And it's easy now to point at Greenwood and say "Bravo Ole, it's the United way" but until Mason was given the nod to start, Martial's injury had made us absolutely dire and bereft of all hope in the final third. I think that's why the "i'd rather have a hole in the squad..." doesn't sit well with some fans. Personally, i'm more relaxed now that i've seen Solskjaer, as we say in my part of the world, water down his wine. He pushed for Bruno, he took Matic back in, he treated Fred well, he understood the importance of having someone like Ighalo in the team. If he had persisted on Pereira and Lingard because of their academy status and loyalty, then yes, we could potentially have something to discuss.
That's why Sir Alex's ' no one is bigger then the club' term is more appropriate then what Ole used. Aholes aren't necessary a problem and in some cases an Ahole can be a missing piece to a glorious team :cough: Cantona :cough: or a general who keeps huge egos in line (no need for coughing here, we all know whom I am referring to).

I agree with most of what you said so there's nothing for me to argue about in this post. Let me add to this though. We've got an inexperienced manager whose getting on the job training. Which explains why certain mistakes were made (ex we started the season with no CM, our insistence on Periera and Lingard etc). Ole needs to learn to strike a balance between his philosophy and making sure to get the job done. He's not Sir Alex. The guy could afford closing an eye to things simply because his tactical awareness and reputation would bail him out. Ole lacks Sir Alex football's brain (everyone lacks that) and his gazillion medals. One slip and it could cost him his job.

If you ask me, I think Ole is improving and while I still have huge reservations about him, I wish that he'll succeed. However there were some close calls out there that needs to be avoided. For example if Bruno didn't fit in immediately then Ole would have been in big big trouble. Bruno did what Evra and Vidic failed to do ie join our club in January and do incredibly well from day 1. That's one hell of a close call.

So no more holes.
 

SweetRightFoot

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Can you actually add something related to my original post or just because I am battling “everyone” you are joining the flow. Try to add something to the discussion, there are enough posters who just jump the easy train.
I, quite clearly, have added to the discussion with my opinions.

You're the guy getting called out by everyone for your 'sacked by September' nonsense.

Look at this page of this thread. 4 posts in a row, all you! Sort it out.
 

Kostov

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I, quite clearly, have added to the discussion with my opinions.

You're the guy getting called out by everyone for your 'sacked by September' nonsense.

Look at this page of this thread. 4 posts in a row, all you! Sort it out.
With your “opinions”? Not much of opinions with your replies towards my post. Same lame generic comment and jumping the gun, just because my opinion does not get in line with your strange Ole love affair. Ole getting sacked is so scandalous for some of you cult followers is laughable.

And those who actually gave a reasonable reply to me, I explained and I think they got my point regarding the first comment. Not sure what your comments contribute to the discussion. Or only positive Ole love fest comments are good for the discussion?
 

Kostov

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For the first time in the best part of a decade United have squad unity and team spirit. Something that Moyes, Van Gaal and Mourinho annihilated.

An senior manager in any industry will tell you that weeding out disruptive and divisive arseholes is vital to having a successful operation.

Ole has improved United. It's unclear how far he'll take the club but nobody can argue that he's got rid of the right players and has had 100% success rate with the players he's signed.

Prior to the lockdown United had found a really good form - great defensive record and building from there.

He's certainly taking things in the right direction.
That’s simply not true. The Mourinho team that won the EL in the first season was a good team with egos in check while Zlatan was around.

Ole has had a year and by the looks of it, he has the right ideas regarding recruitment but far too early to judge whether this team has the right character. A true failure is yet to hit and there are still characters that have put personal before club interests in the past. Adding a character like Maguire helped a lot, but he needs to get rid of some still. At some point there will be assholes available that could improve us. Ole, if he survives to clean house at first will have to find a way to work with difficult characters.
 

Nikelesh Reddy

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He should probably stick more to his coaching and try to achieve something significant, something like finishing in the top 4 at least before mouthing off shit like this. As it stands he could be sacked by September and this will come to bite him on the ass.
My thoughts exactly.Great words but really they don’t mean a thing until we actually start going places as a team...Need to back it up on the field before making such bold proclamations...
 

SteveW

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That's pretty weird imo. I can't imagine the likes of Klopp, Pep, Zidane or Conte etc. have no say in who's in or out. Even Poc got some of his choices bought with Levy I think.
Weird and completely untrue.
 

jem

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It can easily be pointed out how said assholes survive another failing manager. We as a club built a habit with that. It was part of my point actually.
Sure it could, but I seriously doubt Ole cares and neither should any of us.
 

SweetRightFoot

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With your “opinions”? Not much of opinions with your replies towards my post. Same lame generic comment and jumping the gun, just because my opinion does not get in line with your strange Ole love affair. Ole getting sacked is so scandalous for some of you cult followers is laughable.

And those who actually gave a reasonable reply to me, I explained and I think they got my point regarding the first comment. Not sure what your comments contribute to the discussion. Or only positive Ole love fest comments are good for the discussion?
Textbook strawman. Ooooh you think Ole is a competent manager who's building a good side, plays to the United standards of youth and attractive attacking football and isn't toxic to his players or the press? Ooooh it must be some bizarre love affair Ole worshipping wank festival.

Get a grip, pal. It's not a 'lame generic comment' just because it uses simple logic.

Ole's not getting sacked in September.

It's very reasonable to be quoted as saying he doesn't want disruptive players in the squad.

It is quite mad to suggest the opposite.

You're absolutely off the ball here and honestly I expected you to be back tracking by now. You're either on a wind up or you're just looking to argue online with strangers. Back up your statements or log off.
 

Kostov

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Textbook strawman. Ooooh you think Ole is a competent manager who's building a good side, plays to the United standards of youth and attractive attacking football and isn't toxic to his players or the press? Ooooh it must be some bizarre love affair Ole worshipping wank festival.

Get a grip, pal. It's not a 'lame generic comment' just because it uses simple logic.

Ole's not getting sacked in September.

It's very reasonable to be quoted as saying he doesn't want disruptive players in the squad.

It is quite mad to suggest the opposite.

You're absolutely off the ball here and honestly I expected you to be back tracking by now. You're either on a wind up or you're just looking to argue online with strangers. Back up your statements or log off.
Why are you speaking about Ole like he is some proven manager with guaranteed lifeline no matter how he performs at the end of the season? Christ Pep Guardiola could get sacked in this modern age football world but no, Ole can’t afyer the way we have played in parts of the season.

Use some fecking “simple logic” anything can happen. For what is worth I hope he leads us to 3rd spot and FA and EL cup victories, but we could just as easily finish way bellow 5th.