If you don’t understand why Ole is a gamble worth taking… you’re doing football support wrong

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20LEGEND reads the flag.


Legends are increasingly easier to become, but it’s hard to argue Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn’t hold a special place in Manchester United history.

It’s not just about that goal in 1999, there’s more to it. He came from nowhere (sorry Molde), respected the club during the times he wasn’t getting the chances he would have done elsewhere, played where told and produced often enough for his scoring record to be 126 goals in 366 matches.

And he wasn’t a star, not a ‘starry star’ at least. At a time when football celebrity was growing at a fast pace, Ole was just Ole. The baby faced assassin, or, more fairly, just a normal guy in extraordinary circumstances.

When the days of Jose Mourinho grew increasingly bitter and damaging, Solskjaer wasn’t a name in the running. Yet he was in the role quickly after the Portuguese storm left Old Trafford, and there was an immediate lift.

Perhaps anyone could have had the bounce, perhaps you could have done it, perhaps it was an almighty fluke. Arguments can, and will, be made on either side of the stance. That said, it can’t be denied that for many it felt like getting a little bit of Manchester United back.

The Glazers have been a financial drain on the club since they took over, with the soul always struggling to stay there… and even that seemed to start slipping under Mourinho. An Ole wave brought some cheer, however, there was always going to be a comedown, the Norwegian has football magic in his past but fairytales rarely see themselves out and, inevitably, the hard times came.

Embed from Getty Images

Missing out on the Champions League was a near-certainty before the change in manager, and then, Solskjaer got it to a point that the failure to qualify was a disappointment.

That was the first strike for some. And some of those were ready, waiting, to pounce. Their man Mourinho had been the answer. They’d been saying it for years, Louis van Gaal’s FA cup victory had been quickly diluted to an afterthought when the Jose circus rolled into town.

He could do no wrong for the Cult of Mourinho™, so players were thrown to the baying dogs and the journey, albeit bringing second tier trophies in the League Cup and Europa League, was a painful one.

Those who had wanted the manager for so long, and who had insisted with such effort that he’d be the man to Make Manchester United Great Again, became a social media army. Sometimes pride comes before the club you support, and this whole episode has been one of the better examples of that.

Van Goal lived his final six months at Old Trafford overshadowed by the impending arrival of the only man who could be his replacement, and, to some extent, Solskjaer is playing the role of an unwanted to stepfather to those who will now take more joy from Tottenham victories than those of their own club.

Solskjaer is mocked, as a man and as a professional. His record with the club as a player is even questioned, every bright point is met with negatives by a section, and each low point is grasped with glee as the Ole-Out brigade. With their green and gold membership cards showing how much more they care than others, they don’t fail to miss an opportunity.

Things may work out under the current manager, they may well not. Everything is a gamble, and those calling for a replacement present their choice as a sure-thing, handily ignoring all that has happened, at supposedly their club, since Sir Alex Ferguson left.

It’s the venom which grates. Sure, we can all have different opinions on football, but the enthusiastic social media mockery of a club legend, and the at times competitive nature of it, feels bizarre to many supporters.

Youth team prospects are handed the same mockery. Marcus Rashford, a 22 year old local lad who has scored 10 goals and provided four assists so far this season, is called Rashford by his own supporters much more than opposing ones.

His localness is perversely held against him by people who dismiss that as some worthless connection which shouldn’t bring any bearing when it comes to their joy or anger.

Maybe this is just social media, maybe these people just want their team to win at all costs. And that’s the thing, what are all costs?

Barcelona for years built up the idea of having a club DNA, to those outside it often appeared arrogant. Liverpool and their ‘This Means More’ campaign have done similar, positioning themselves as somewhat special among other, less worthy, football clubs.

But what of Manchester United? What even is Manchester United?

If you’re doing football support correctly then it’s a feeling, for so many it’s something which has defined a big part of their life. Whether that be because you grew up in the area, or had a family member introduce, no, force you into being fan, there are connections which will forever follow you.

Rarely, although perhaps increasingly, people choose their club. In which case if it’s purely about results then that could define support in much the same way personal connections do for others.

Maybe in that case there will always be something missing, especially if a wrong road is taken the first time expected glory isn’t granted. Should football support be almost solely related to results then there’s a hell of a lot being missed out on, the emotions and connection will be diluted and the joy can never be on the same level.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may ultimately fail, most managers do. Every manager at United since Ferguson has. But what if… what if he didn’t? What if the unlikely boss managed to bring some of that glory at some point down the road?

That would be so, so special. It would be Manchester United and all the memories and connections that brings for so many people, it would be victory on steroids, a joy which is deeper than that which can be brought by an outsider.

It would be genuine emotion with friends, loved ones and strangers who you know feel the same way as you. There’d be nothing superficial about it, not a success, or a fix, to be quickly cast aside.

A gamble worth taking for a payoff which would be, quite simply, something else.

And if you don’t get that… you’re not doing football support correctly.
 

Sterling Archer

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I appreciate the sentimentality but it's best saved for a more deserving manager with the 'United pedigree'. Right now it just comes across as clinging to delusions as bad as anyone thinking Jose could "make United great again" in that failing third season. Also a bit of a close minded stance and hyperbolic about Ole's time here considering there's debate on here about Ronaldo being a United legend.
 

mariachi-19

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His results since Liverpool have been quite good and those that expected a quick fix are deluded. This is not a squad or team that is built around experienced heads like Chelsea (see Kante, William etc) but rather youthful essence. Literally the experience in this team comes from De Gea, Maguire and Pogba.
 

Tom Cato

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Yeah this is a quality writeup.

I'll add my two cents to this, and a short "why the hell do i keep defending OGS":

For me, and I assume most of you, football fandom is very much based on emotion. Most of us grew up fans of the club, and football has a special place in our hearts.-

Being a fan has different meanings to a lot of people. Some fans want to win all the time, some fans are just happy to participate. Some fans are very opinionated, whereas others believe, for most part, the club can do no wrong. It' that, and everything in between.

I grew up a fan of the club, I've been a fan since i was 6 and watched games with my dad. Manchester United has been a constant in my life for over 30 years since. I've never truly known any other manager than Sir Alex Ferguson. He set the standard for what I want of a manager in this club. The longevity and identity is completely unique in football. There has been nothing like it. Not even Arsene Wenger left a similar imprint on Arsenal, despite being one of few manager in club history who can stand tall at the end of a lifetime a reign.

So with that being said: I care about identity. I care about that we win, and how we win. I care about who leads the club, and i very much care about who plays for the club. There are players here who needs to leave, to be replaced with better players. There is probably staff here who needs to be replaced. There is even a executive running the club that need to divest his responsibilities to a DOF.

But I also don't want to be just like other clubs. Buy players, change managers, be angry, be spiteful and demanding and surround myself wiht a cloud of negativity every time an obstacle appears. In very short term, I want Manchester United back. And quite frankly I am patient, because how matter, at least it does to me.

This season, I'm happy to write off. Players need signing and replacing. This MUFC team is not the team that will win trophies. But in a transfer window or three, it will be. And I want it to be lead by the manager who is the very heir apparent to the greatest manager in football history.

Being a fan of this club to me is very much about romanticizing the present and past. In the present I see the writing of a new beautiful chapter of this clubs history, and all we need is to be patient. Actually patient, not a few games patient.

There is a new "class of 92" brewing in Gomes, Greenwood, Williams, Garner, lead by a young starlet in Marcus Rashford - coached by Sir Alex' pupil. It's the perfect continuation of a football legacy we'll never again. And quite frankly i am MORE than happy to take the gamble to see it come to fruition.
 

cyril C

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His results since Liverpool have been quite good and those that expected a quick fix are deluded. This is not a squad or team that is built around experienced heads like Chelsea (see Kante, William etc) but rather youthful essence. Literally the experience in this team comes from De Gea, Maguire and Pogba.
This is because he sold Lukaku and Smalling, both would have qualified as experienced players. He was also partly responsible for losing Herrera as well, another experienced player. Stop complaining if you consistently lose the plot.
 

Sterling Archer

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As a counter to this propaganda, I would ask readers to consider:

Do the Glazers and Ed Woodward see Ole's appointment with the same tearful nostalgia and optimism that the author of the piece does or many of the fans in agreement have?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I remember that Malcolm Glazer was the big football enthusiast and had the greatest interest in the sporting side of United. Since his passing, i don't recall any such shared passion from the children.

Ole's appointment has been a masterstroke of deceit. He'll get away with murder if he doesn't shake the parent tree for what he needs or throw his toys out the pram when it doesn't come (much like this summer)
 

Kajus

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As a counter to this propaganda, I would ask readers to consider:

Do the Glazers and Ed Woodward see Ole's appointment with the same tearful nostalgia and optimism that the author of the piece does or many of the fans in agreement have?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I remember that Malcolm Glazer was the big football enthusiast and had the greatest interest in the sporting side of United. Since his passing, i don't recall any such shared passion from the children.

Ole's appointment has been a masterstroke of deceit. He'll get away with murder if he doesn't shake the parent tree for what he needs or throw his toys out the pram when it doesn't come (much like this summer)
Half the Caf went balistic when Mourinho did throw his toys out the pram the summer he didn't get what he wanted.

Half the caf slams Ole for saying positive and encouraging things about the players. Half the caf slammed Mourinho for criticising them. Somehow I have a feeling these groups are not mutually exclusive.

People have a tendency to be bitter and to constantly complain. I choose to actually support the team for a change.
 

momo83

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“If you can’t present a logical argument, you’re doing article writing wrong “

Biggest pile of crap I’ve read. Not an article, just emotional bs, gives no logical reason why Ole is a gamble worth taking. Makes assumptions about anyone who wants Ole out and then says “if you don’t understand why Ole is a gamble worth taking you’re doing football support wrong”

I’ll reply with “if you can’t see that Ole is doing a terrible job and will never improve, then you don’t know football”
 

amolbhatia50k

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Pretentious nonsense.

Always support the club and wish them well. But supporting failing plans and poor decision, is nothing to be proud of. I have no problem with somebody believing in Ole being the man for the job. I'd probably disagree with then but they'd be entitled to that view. What I do have an issue with is

1. Correlating the genuineness of one's support with the agreement with Ole's position as manager. It's a daft correlation. If somebody does not logically see this appointment as correct, for them to alter their view purely out of sentimental bullshit, would be very childish.

2. People who want Ole to be manager not because they believe in him. But becuase they want Ole to be manager. This is a football club not video game. The ones who succeed are the ones who have genuine quality and the intelligence to pull off well thought out plans, rather than sappy welled up dreams of hope. And on hope, it isn't that hope is not important. It is, but it's always borne out of something else, something that has potential. Not out of the idea of someone being successful. That's just foolish.
 
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momo83

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If you don’t understand why you’re one armed son becoming future world boxing champion is a gamble worth taking... then you’re doing love wrong.
 

momo83

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If you don’t understand why Elvis being found alive is a gamble worth taking... you’re doing investment wrong
 

WR10

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I ask everyone this: Would you support Ole if he was appointed before our trials with LVG/Mourinho?

reason I ask that is because Mourinho and LVG have left us with no choice but to support Ole. We’ve tried the best. We’ve signed some of the best. What we have learned from all that is changing managers and ideas is incredibly unsuccessful. We seem to be stuck in a position of last resort.

It’s the last 10 minutes and we’re throwing the SAF kitchen sink at it. Ed is giving us Fergie time with all these wild financial deals to keep us in the game
 

amolbhatia50k

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“If you can’t present a logical argument, you’re doing article writing wrong “

Biggest pile of crap I’ve read. Not an article, just emotional bs, gives no logical reason why Ole is a gamble worth taking. Makes assumptions about anyone who wants Ole out and then says “if you don’t understand why Ole is a gamble worth taking you’re doing football support wrong”

I’ll reply with “if you can’t see that Ole is doing a terrible job and will never improve, then you don’t know football”
Yeah, it's really terrible. That person should not be paid to write. Would have preferred to see a genuinely well thought out and written article in support of Ole. But even our regular caftards tend to present a stronger case than this. And sadly, they don't present a very strong one either.
 

momo83

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I ask everyone this: Would you support Ole if he was appointed before our trials with LVG/Mourinho?

reason I ask that is because Mourinho and LVG have left us with no choice but to support Ole. We’ve tried the best. We’ve signed some of the best. What we have learned from all that is changing managers and ideas is incredibly unsuccessful. We seem to be stuck in a position of last resort.

It’s the last 10 minutes and we’re throwing the SAF kitchen sink at it. Ed is giving us Fergie time with all these wild financial deals to keep us in the game
If Ole gets 3 years.. Mourinho and LVG will be viewed as very successful.
 

Number32

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This is because he sold Lukaku and Smalling, both would have qualified as experienced players. He was also partly responsible for losing Herrera as well, another experienced player. Stop complaining if you consistently lose the plot.
I'm not losing the plot. Rom had wanted out since our own fans mocking his first touch. Smalling is still ours, and Herera is woodward's fault who refuse to double his salary.

Among these 3, Herrera is the only one who would made any different.
 

MikeKing

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As a counter to this propaganda, I would ask readers to consider:

Do the Glazers and Ed Woodward see Ole's appointment with the same tearful nostalgia and optimism that the author of the piece does or many of the fans in agreement have?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I remember that Malcolm Glazer was the big football enthusiast and had the greatest interest in the sporting side of United. Since his passing, i don't recall any such shared passion from the children.

Ole's appointment has been a masterstroke of deceit. He'll get away with murder if he doesn't shake the parent tree for what he needs or throw his toys out the pram when it doesn't come (much like this summer)
How you considered that your point doesn't matter? If he doesn't throw his toys out the pram he'll eventually get fired if he can't get results. If he does throw his toys out the pram, like Mourinho, he'll get fired. They will fire anyone if it turns to shit, while Ed keeps his job. We've been screaming for a long term vision after our mistakes, and while Ole may have his faults and not be a perfect manager, he can still be the right manager for us right now to stabilise things. If the expectations have risen in a couple of years, and he can't deliver at that point then he has become the biggest problem and will get the sack. As for now, he actually isn't our biggest concern. Ed is. If he doesn't manage to give us a great transfer-window yet again, it wont matter if Ole is angry about it or not and in fact it doesn't even matter who the manager is if this happens.
 

amolbhatia50k

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reason I ask that is because Mourinho and LVG have left us with no choice but to support Ole. We’ve tried the best. We’ve signed some of the best. What we have learned from all that is changing managers and ideas is incredibly unsuccessful. We seem to be stuck in a position of last resort.
With all due respect, this logic is extremely flawed.

For context, we've gone 7 years without winning the premiere league or champions League. Most clubs go through much longer. Even in this dry spell we've won an Fa cup, Europa league and league cup, and played in the CL thrice. So the first step would be to realise that this isn't the 'last resort'. It's a 7 year lull where we've also won things. We've had three managers who weren't "the answer" to glory. Clubs often go through 10/15 to find the perfect one. If Ole goes, well, so what? The world doesn't end. As with always, you try to improve what you're doing and fine someone else. The aim to be better continued. Just like in life. If you don't find happiness in two jobs, you don't just give up on living/work life/a career entirely do you?

And then there's the more important pat about "we've tried everything"? No, we have definitely not. The fact that we haven't succeeded means that we have not tried everything. So you keep trying till you find the right path. But what you don't do is draw up an exhaustive list that says "experienced manager, loyalty manager, Uber success manager and inexperienced manager", give them all a shot and give up once they all fail. Because EVERY manager, owner and plan is different. Mourinho isn't Klopp. Klopp isn't Pep. Pep isn't Ole. You can't just give up on hiring excellent managerd becuase LVG and Mourinho. You analyse what went wrong, improve the set up and give another good manager a chance. The notion that our failure is merely due to changing mangers is completely flawed. It's largely due to under performing managers, poor signings, poor CEO, inability to involve our system with the times (progressive football), poor development of players etc. Of course cohesion in the managerial hirings is also important. For example LVG to Mourinho was jarring. But it's less important than actually doing quality work.
 

meamth

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Nobody:

Negative lad: Ole In lads are blinded by faith, delusional! Ole has no brain! Clueless!

Positive lad: Okay.
 

Greck

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I'm sorry but what's so quality about that write up? It's 80% sentiment. I was hoping for an actual objective breakdown of Ole's managerial strengths and I'm spoonfed more of the same 'he gets the club' crap and calls for blind patience I read on here every day

Instead of this a good write up should address the fears that he has no playing style to build a foundation on and his tactical shortcomings. Not more of the same vague calls for patience
 

amolbhatia50k

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The only part I agree with is the vitriolic nature of the criticism. For example, the disdain Rashford gets when he isn't on song. But I believe that has partly to do with social media and the world we live in, and partly to do with the phase the club is in.

But I disagree with pretty much everything else. The part about 'success with Ole would be do sweet and genuine. It could never be that way with an outsider". I mean :lol: Wasn't Sir Alex an outsider? I can definitely confirm that success under him was downright underwhelming. Would trade it for one league cup under Ole.
 
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Ole & Phelan were a gamble worth taking 12 months ago, but almost 12 months on you have to be blinded by sheer nostalgia to believe he should be given another year or two to ”get it right”.
No other big club in football would allow it but the ghost of Ferguson still looms large and too many fans are easily convinced that giving the manager time is everything when in fact, the quality of the manager is everything.
Liverpool tried this shit for years and then finally employed the best in the business that also suited their demands as a club and fanbase and hey presto!
 

Majima

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This "article" is some work alright. It's a downright insult to any sane person's intelligence.

The in crowd need to just give up if this is actually the best they can come up with.

It's embarrassing.
 

RK

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For some people Manchester United is like family. You don't choose your family. If you have a son that's not very bright academically or your sister is the worst player in her team, you don't relentlessly criticise them, insult them, or offer them up for adoption so you can improve the quality of your family. You just support them and try to take pride in their efforts.

If they don't succeed relative to others, fair enough, at least you did you best and there's still good feelings and memories without toxicity.

And if they do succeed, it's magic.

Life isn't always about long-term winning it's about finding happiness. That's how some United fans see the club. You can't rely on winning for years on end, you have to learn to enjoy the club for what it is and take the rough with the smooth.
 

Florida Man

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http://sportwitness.co.uk/dont-unde...le-worth-taking-youre-football-support-wrong/

20LEGEND reads the flag.


Legends are increasingly easier to become, but it’s hard to argue Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn’t hold a special place in Manchester United history.

It’s not just about that goal in 1999, there’s more to it. He came from nowhere (sorry Molde), respected the club during the times he wasn’t getting the chances he would have done elsewhere, played where told and produced often enough for his scoring record to be 126 goals in 366 matches.

And he wasn’t a star, not a ‘starry star’ at least. At a time when football celebrity was growing at a fast pace, Ole was just Ole. The baby faced assassin, or, more fairly, just a normal guy in extraordinary circumstances.

When the days of Jose Mourinho grew increasingly bitter and damaging, Solskjaer wasn’t a name in the running. Yet he was in the role quickly after the Portuguese storm left Old Trafford, and there was an immediate lift.

Perhaps anyone could have had the bounce, perhaps you could have done it, perhaps it was an almighty fluke. Arguments can, and will, be made on either side of the stance. That said, it can’t be denied that for many it felt like getting a little bit of Manchester United back.

The Glazers have been a financial drain on the club since they took over, with the soul always struggling to stay there… and even that seemed to start slipping under Mourinho. An Ole wave brought some cheer, however, there was always going to be a comedown, the Norwegian has football magic in his past but fairytales rarely see themselves out and, inevitably, the hard times came.

Embed from Getty Images

Missing out on the Champions League was a near-certainty before the change in manager, and then, Solskjaer got it to a point that the failure to qualify was a disappointment.

That was the first strike for some. And some of those were ready, waiting, to pounce. Their man Mourinho had been the answer. They’d been saying it for years, Louis van Gaal’s FA cup victory had been quickly diluted to an afterthought when the Jose circus rolled into town.

He could do no wrong for the Cult of Mourinho™, so players were thrown to the baying dogs and the journey, albeit bringing second tier trophies in the League Cup and Europa League, was a painful one.

Those who had wanted the manager for so long, and who had insisted with such effort that he’d be the man to Make Manchester United Great Again, became a social media army. Sometimes pride comes before the club you support, and this whole episode has been one of the better examples of that.

Van Goal lived his final six months at Old Trafford overshadowed by the impending arrival of the only man who could be his replacement, and, to some extent, Solskjaer is playing the role of an unwanted to stepfather to those who will now take more joy from Tottenham victories than those of their own club.

Solskjaer is mocked, as a man and as a professional. His record with the club as a player is even questioned, every bright point is met with negatives by a section, and each low point is grasped with glee as the Ole-Out brigade. With their green and gold membership cards showing how much more they care than others, they don’t fail to miss an opportunity.

Things may work out under the current manager, they may well not. Everything is a gamble, and those calling for a replacement present their choice as a sure-thing, handily ignoring all that has happened, at supposedly their club, since Sir Alex Ferguson left.

It’s the venom which grates. Sure, we can all have different opinions on football, but the enthusiastic social media mockery of a club legend, and the at times competitive nature of it, feels bizarre to many supporters.

Youth team prospects are handed the same mockery. Marcus Rashford, a 22 year old local lad who has scored 10 goals and provided four assists so far this season, is called Rashford by his own supporters much more than opposing ones.

His localness is perversely held against him by people who dismiss that as some worthless connection which shouldn’t bring any bearing when it comes to their joy or anger.

Maybe this is just social media, maybe these people just want their team to win at all costs. And that’s the thing, what are all costs?

Barcelona for years built up the idea of having a club DNA, to those outside it often appeared arrogant. Liverpool and their ‘This Means More’ campaign have done similar, positioning themselves as somewhat special among other, less worthy, football clubs.

But what of Manchester United? What even is Manchester United?

If you’re doing football support correctly then it’s a feeling, for so many it’s something which has defined a big part of their life. Whether that be because you grew up in the area, or had a family member introduce, no, force you into being fan, there are connections which will forever follow you.

Rarely, although perhaps increasingly, people choose their club. In which case if it’s purely about results then that could define support in much the same way personal connections do for others.

Maybe in that case there will always be something missing, especially if a wrong road is taken the first time expected glory isn’t granted. Should football support be almost solely related to results then there’s a hell of a lot being missed out on, the emotions and connection will be diluted and the joy can never be on the same level.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may ultimately fail, most managers do. Every manager at United since Ferguson has. But what if… what if he didn’t? What if the unlikely boss managed to bring some of that glory at some point down the road?

That would be so, so special. It would be Manchester United and all the memories and connections that brings for so many people, it would be victory on steroids, a joy which is deeper than that which can be brought by an outsider.

It would be genuine emotion with friends, loved ones and strangers who you know feel the same way as you. There’d be nothing superficial about it, not a success, or a fix, to be quickly cast aside.

A gamble worth taking for a payoff which would be, quite simply, something else.

And if you don’t get that… you’re not doing football support correctly.
I'm going to be completely honest here. I think this is a load of shit.

But this part here. This is the most deluded part of it all.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may ultimately fail, most managers do. Every manager at United since Ferguson has. But what if… what if he didn’t? What if the unlikely boss managed to bring some of that glory at some point down the road?
Might as well be asking: What if Gary Neville didn't fail at Valencia? What if we gave Moyes more time? What if I bet my life savings on a single roulette bet?

Ole is clearly out of his depth. Shed the club legend nostalgia and look at it objectively for a change. He has been here for almost a year and has had a full summer window. We play against Sheffield United, a club who has spent roughly the last decade out of the PL, who are at best mid table quality, and set up with a back 5 starting fecking Phil Jones in a left side CB position that he's not even experienced in and trying to hit them on the counter. Let me say it again. We, Manchester fecking United, set up with a back 5 trying to play the counter against Sheffield fecking United. And then after the mere 7 minutes of us actually doing something productive, he reverts back to the back 5 (against Sheffield United) and we inevitably get scored on.

How does one observe this, think about it for a couple days, and then go, yeah Ole is the right man for the long term. This is like flat earth theory levels of dumb at this point.
 

calodo2003

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It's 'logic' like this that brainwashes supporters into not running a severe ruler over our academy kids & thinking they are infallible. It ain't all puppies & kittens out there, we aren't all in a circle singing 'kumbaya.' To not look rationally at failure & excuse it is worse than failing itself.
 

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Aug 24, 2019
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372
No! We deserve and demand instant results forever from both players and management in every single capacity, constantly. Anything less is an insult to Manchester United. Winning every match ever is the only conceivable way of enjoying football and this can only be done by spending eye-watering amounts of money on players and staff who are at other clubs. If they've got a fancy foreign name and trendy haircut even better.

Sack Ole, sell all the youngsters and buy Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo with Mbappe on the bench. My FIFA 20 team is unstopable with them.
 

Florida Man

Cartoon expert and crap superhero
Joined
Jan 24, 2014
Messages
13,862
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Florida, man
For some people Manchester United is like family. You don't choose your family. If you have a son that's not very bright academically or your sister is the worst player in her team, you don't relentlessly criticise them, insult them, or offer them up for adoption so you can improve the quality of your family. You just support them and try to take pride in their efforts.

If they don't succeed relative to others, fair enough, at least you did you best and there's still good feelings and memories without toxicity.

And if they do succeed, it's magic.

Life isn't always about long-term winning it's about finding happiness. That's how some United fans see the club. You can't rely on winning for years on end, you have to learn to enjoy the club for what it is and take the rough with the smooth.
Your family analogy works in the sense of the vibe around the club but ultimately falls flat because in professional football, and sports in general, it's all about finding success. Go read all the statements of new signings from back when we had Fergie. "Biggest club in the world, here to win trophies, all about winning trophies, etc." Even the boss himself says it as such:
  • “I tell the players that the bus is moving. This club has to progress. And the bus wouldn’t wait for them. I tell them to get on board.”
  • “We had a virus that infected everyone at United. It was called winning.”
  • “Once you bid farewell to discipline you say goodbye to success.”
I know he's got more from casual conversations and press conferences but was hell bent on winning all the time. That's a BIG part of the culture he established here.
 

Florida Man

Cartoon expert and crap superhero
Joined
Jan 24, 2014
Messages
13,862
Location
Florida, man
No! We deserve and demand instant results forever from both players and management in every single capacity, constantly. Anything less is an insult to Manchester United. Winning every match ever is the only conceivable way of enjoying football and this can only be done by spending eye-watering amounts of money on players and staff who are at other clubs. If they've got a fancy foreign name and trendy haircut even better.

Sack Ole, sell all the youngsters and buy Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo with Mbappe on the bench. My FIFA 20 team is unstopable with them.
This is an incredibly dumb post. Please stay in the newbies.