Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | W15 D2 L4

Is Ole a good appointment?


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What a difference a change of manager makes to this forum. Gave the place a wide birth when things were spiralling under Jose and really didn't want to talk about your team as i think some fans may have took things the wrong way.

Boy has Ole turned things. With his contract expired at Molde he must be favourite to take the job full time.

But what Im interested in reading from United fans is, what one thing out of the whole turn around has impressed you most about Solskjaer's management in his short time at the club?
Man management definitely. He's saying all the right things, letting players just play and express themselves. If they have a bad day he doesn't criticize them but actually uses that as a motivation for future games.
Of course tactically he has been great also imo, I must admit even better than I thought he'd be and things can be only better and better.
 

rampo

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So United have already paid his £8m release clause to stop Molde running the price up should he be successful in the job, meaning Solskjær is a free agent at this time and this was never a loan deal. Interesting.
No, I think the article mentions that we paid up the 3 year contract that comes to around 1.5 mn not the 8 mn. Atleast that is what I understood
 

SirAF

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Interestingly Simon Stone said this:
Have to agree with Stone, his contract situaiton with Molde is pretty mich irrelevant. Whatever the status is the compensation is going to be a drop in the bucket and far less than what, say, Tottenham would demand for Pochettino.
 

Sultan

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What a difference a change of manager makes to this forum. Gave the place a wide birth when things were spiralling under Jose and really didn't want to talk about your team as i think some fans may have took things the wrong way.

Boy has Ole turned things. With his contract expired at Molde he must be favourite to take the job full time.

But what Im interested in reading from United fans is, what one thing out of the whole turn around has impressed you most about Solskjaer's management in his short time at the club?
Positivity.
 

CG1010

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Translation of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's interview on the norwegian podcast Fotballklubben
https://www.reddit.com/r/reddevils/comments/axo5f5/translation_of_ole_gunnar_solskjaer_on_the/
Why can't more interview questions be this perceptive? One of the best set of interview questions I have seen in a while. Of course Ole absolutely bosses the answers and gives several insights:

Clearly lot of work has gone into tactics, much of it we fans don't realise:

Do you disagree a lot? (the coaches)

No, we have very similar views in how we want to play football, but sometimes we discuss back and forth and then Ill take the final desition. The discussions are usually if we should press high or lay further down the pitch, wether to play 4-3-3 or 3-5-2.
What has been the biggest challenge in united? What has been the most important decition one?

It's been so fun, I think the decition to work on the diamond formation in dubai - we spent 3-4 days on it, that was perhaps the most important one. It gave us momentum, and it was the first time we really changed something other than attitude and "playing the ball forward". We played with a false 9, and we got a goal by doing exactly what we had practiced and drawed up. I think thats when the players realized "this could go places". David kept us in the game, and the goal was exactly like we worked on. Thats what I like about being a coach/manager, when you work on something and it works out just like that. It feels so much better than luck.
Copying the man-management skills of the best manager out there:

If a player fecks up and causes the opposition a goal, and you lose because of that goal, how do you handle that?

If it is a veteran - someone who has been at the club for 10 years, I go full out in the dressing room. No mercy. A young player (think Pereira vs Burnley), its more hands on shoulders, invite them out for lunch or dinner (he usually takes them to merriot hotel or san carlos). An older player, like Gary Neville after West Brom - we talked about it the other day, Neville asked Mike Phelan after the game, "Mick, What do you think". "If you want me to be honest, I think its time" he answered, and I think that was maybe the last game he played as well. Neville understood it himself. We could google if he played after that, but I think it was one of the last games.
Has started getting involved with transfers clearly he is here to stay:

Player-logistics wise, how much of your day is spent with that?

In january, it was none, as we weren't going to sign any players. Now the club is working on the players they want to bring in in the summer, and I've been a part of a couple of those. There is a lot of work that goes into this, and then I come in at the end of the process. As a manager now, I say where I think we should progress, what positions I think we need new players in, and what positions I think we will have great academy players in.
 

Tiber

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FIFA rules say a manager can't be contracted to two teams so Ole isn't officially on loan and his Molde contract is void.

But there is no doubt a gentleman's agreement which promises that we still compensate Molde as if he was under contract
 

Shaw Mee Tah Mané

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Ole has done a long interview with a Norwegian podcast "Fotballklubben"
Summarized the hole podcast (1,5 hours of chat):

On the job, contracts etc.
First contact from Ed was by text.
Felt natural and it was like doing the club a favor.
Talked to his wife first, then tried to get hold of Mike. Didn't manage that, so called Sir Alex and a few others to help out. Mike had 150 unread texts when he checked his phone that day.
The job is rest of the season and the task is "Do what you think is best for United".
Not given a date when final decision on a permanent job will be made.
Great relationship with Ed, talks every day.
Never been involved in any type of negotiations, not even in Molde. Going to stay like that.
Moved from hotel to an apartment 3-4 weeks ago.
After he left United in January 2011 there hasn't been much contact with the club. 1 time as an ambassadeur, one time with the Molde team and then taken the family to some matches during the years.
Not sure if he is hired by Molde. Think the contract is over and now only have contract with Man Utd, but havent looked at the contract. Sounds he doesnt care too much about the contract situation; "Maybe im managing United for free".

A "typical" day/week at United
07:30 on the job. Breakfast with coaches. Mike always arrives late.
Starts the week with an update on players conditions and plan the training week. Plan the next games. A lot of help from the Analyze team of 6 guys. 3 of them work on the next game, the other 3 work on the game after that.
A meeting of 16-18 minutes where they show a 6-7 minutes long video of the next opponent to the players available for the match.
The players call him "Boss", others call him Ole. Far from an German hierarchy! "Boss" is still Sir Alex for everyone, except for receptionist Kath. She calls Sir Alex for Alex.
Kieran & Carrick mostly working with details on the training field. Demps follow up some specific players. Mike and Ole steps back and observe.
Fewer training sessions in United than in Molde, but more intensive and of course more matches.
Biggest decicion so far was the trip to Dubai where they trained in the diamond before Tottenham and gained momentum. Goal came from exactly what they drilled in Dubai.

Player interaction
A lot of 1on1's to know the players. Easy to know when you talk a lot with players if they need a shoulder or a kick in the ass.
Rarely players in his office. Sometimes talk with them in front of other players, sometimes on the training field 1on1 and maybe take them out for something to eat.
Allowed to be a bit sentimental when older players discuss a new contract. They might not still be the best players, but if they can be involved in the dressing room and make 10 other players better, it's worth keeping them.
Mike to Neville after the WBA-game. "I think its time..."

Youth
Too much focus on young players being great too early, some need more time than others. (Like himself).
62% of United-goals scored by Academy-players this season (Very proud saying this)
Doesn't watch all Academy-games himself, but minimum 1 of the coaches watch all games from U16 and upwards.
Namedrops Garner, Gomes, Greenwood and Chong as players that will get great careers.
Important part of history to bring the young players in the travelling squad.
As long as Ole is United manager he will never break the tradition of having an Academy player in the match squad. "It's the clubs livelyhood".

New players
Involved in some meetings regarding players the club considers for the summer window.
Consulted about what positions the club need new players. Analyze department, scouting department, chief scouts. A lot of people involved in this.
They can come to Ole and ask "What do you think of this player?". Every two weeks formal meetings about this.
If he reads United is linked to a player he doesn't know he googles and checks who that player is. His kids play football manager and know a lot more names than he does himself.

Misc
Likes football best when it's wet and sour. Football goes faster.
Calls himself proper Manc.
Favourite Stone Roses song: This is the one
Scholes comeback; "Sir Alex didn't want anyone to know about it. So not even the players knew. They didn't understand anything when the Scholes kit was ready in the dressing room before match.
Spent Monday evening watching Sheffield derby.
 
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deadrevelz

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"Did mourinho leave you anything or forget something in the office?"

Ole: "No, there are some United history books here, but I think some United staff placed it here."

Savage.
 

D. Mungai

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There is too much talk about his status now, about everything, and it is not good. We need clear heads for the top four fight.
Ooh God save us please
 

mav_9me

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"Did mourinho leave you anything or forget something in the office?"

Ole: "No, there are some United history books here, but I think some United staff placed it here."

Savage.
I didn't realize when reading it but I think you are right. It's an intentional sly dig.
 

Hakara

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One part of the interview cracked me up. "You've only lived places where it rains cats and dogs (Kristiansund, Manchester, Cardiff) , whats wrong with you?"
 

TRUERED89

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That W is changing to 14 tonight. Believe
It would be one of our greatest nights period, feck it lads just play without fear and go for it, if we get pummelled then so be it. However, if we get the first goal, its going to be panic stations galore for PSG, I'm optimistic but accept we have little chance. Win, draw or lose, just put up a better fight than the first leg at OT!
 

Wicked_Badger

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Corrected his wrong tactics well halfway through that half. Stemmed their rampant right side and given them problems with Young tucking into the RB position and Dalot out on the wing. Arguably what he should have started with but big balls to make the change early before the game got completely away from us.
 

Minimalist

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Well he's learned tonight that Bailly isn't capable of playing for us. That's one positive regardless of how it all turns out.
 

VeevaVee

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Pretty quick correction was good. Plenty would’ve waited til halftime. Dunno if it was spurred on by a limp or not?
 

Foxtrot

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I said if he pulls this off and overcome PSG, I'd be firmly on his side and he should be given the job permanently, because I still have doubts about his managerial ability long-term wise. Ole, I hope you prove me wrong.
 

Shark

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What even is this man? He just keeps on surprising me. Even if we go out he’s managed to give us hope with ten players missing on the road to PSG. Only SAF used to do that.
 

Sanche7

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I said if he pulls this off and overcome PSG, I'd be firmly on his side and he should be given the job permanently, because I still have doubts about his managerial ability long-term wise. Ole, I hope you prove me wrong.
That's not fair on Ole, I mean we have so many starters out and so using this match to judge his managerial ability is just not fair. I was watching the match and wondering how many of our players will get into that PSG team, I could only think of DDG, that's how good they are
The fight shown by the players and the balls he had to take off Bailly is a better indicator of how abilities