the audit of ole gunnar solskjaer

Originally Posted by puressence

Set an away record for any club that’s ever played association football signed garnacho overlooked obviously by the Turkish agent. Finished 3rd and 2nd and bar klopp has the best head to head v pep beating him 3 times in one season beaten them home and away in a season which we haven’t done for a while. Beat a team by 9 was building up something nice Ronaldo came along and completely derailed it all. Oh and he’s still a club legend you @#%&!

Originally Posted by puressence

Set an away record for any club that’s ever played association football signed garnacho overlooked obviously by the Turkish agent. Finished 3rd and 2nd and bar klopp has the best head to head v pep beating him 3 times in one season beaten them home and away in a season which we haven’t done for a while. Beat a team by 9 was building up something nice Ronaldo came along and completely derailed it all. Oh and he’s still a club legend you @#%&!

Originally Posted by puressence

Set an away record for any club that’s ever played association football signed garnacho overlooked obviously by the Turkish agent. Finished 3rd and 2nd and bar klopp has the best head to head v pep beating him 3 times in one season beaten them home and away in a season which we haven’t done for a while. Beat a team by 9 was building up something nice Ronaldo came along and completely derailed it all. Oh and he’s still a club legend you @#%&!

All this, but with the caveat that he ultimately wasn’t good enough to make it at the very top as a manager. Some great performances, great wins in the early stages. Always a bit hmmm about or results and league finish in that covid season in front of nobody.

Was never the man to lead us to proper glory, but loved the job and loves the club. Nothing would have made me happier than to see him succeed, absolutely loved him as a player. He’s a winner, has the desire, I just don’t think he has the skills to be at the very top, and that’s what United need. Fortunately, I think ETH has the lot.

Originally Posted by puressence

Set an away record for any club that’s ever played association football signed garnacho overlooked obviously by the Turkish agent. Finished 3rd and 2nd and bar klopp has the best head to head v pep beating him 3 times in one season beaten them home and away in a season which we haven’t done for a while. Beat a team by 9 was building up something nice Ronaldo came along and completely derailed it all. Oh and he’s still a club legend you @#%&!

there were negatives as well - but this resonates strongly

Solskjaer was right man for the time. Inherited a team 3 pts off mid table at Christmas - couple of pts ahead of Watford & Bournemouth. Reinvigorated club on pitch & in stands - runners up & 3rd place finishes. Shifted emphasis to youth: Rashford played his best football under him before Ronaldo arrived & spoiled the party. Greenwood obv. emerged before he committed personal hari kari.

Above said, he was clearly only ever good enough to be a stop-gap manager, without the progressive understanding of tactics or system management to progressive beyond. But that's fine. Far better to have had him come in than persist with Mourinho, under whom the avg age of squad & contract situation would have careered off an even steeper cliff in tandem w/ Woodward.

Originally Posted by puressence

Set an away record for any club that’s ever played association football signed garnacho overlooked obviously by the Turkish agent. Finished 3rd and 2nd and bar klopp has the best head to head v pep beating him 3 times in one season beaten them home and away in a season which we haven’t done for a while. Beat a team by 9 was building up something nice Ronaldo came along and completely derailed it all. Oh and he’s still a club legend you @#%&!

Superb.

Originally Posted by puressence

Set an away record for any club that’s ever played association football signed garnacho overlooked obviously by the Turkish agent. Finished 3rd and 2nd and bar klopp has the best head to head v pep beating him 3 times in one season beaten them home and away in a season which we haven’t done for a while. Beat a team by 9 was building up something nice Ronaldo came along and completely derailed it all. Oh and he’s still a club legend you @#%&!

Post.

Like others have said, probably wasn’t good enough but in the end it doesn’t change a thing about Ole. Loves the club, tried his best despite having Woodward . Is a club legend and will always be one.

Originally Posted by puressence

Set an away record for any club that’s ever played association football signed garnacho overlooked obviously by the Turkish agent. Finished 3rd and 2nd and bar klopp has the best head to head v pep beating him 3 times in one season beaten them home and away in a season which we haven’t done for a while. Beat a team by 9 was building up something nice Ronaldo came along and completely derailed it all. Oh and he’s still a club legend you @#%&!

Pure handing Marlo his arse

Originally Posted by Ethers

Pretty much this.

And yet he still did a better job than one of the successful managers ever.

Don’t understand the reds who seem to revel in slagging him off, odd behaviour.

Originally Posted by puressence

Set an away record for any club that’s ever played association football signed garnacho overlooked obviously by the Turkish agent. Finished 3rd and 2nd and bar klopp has the best head to head v pep beating him 3 times in one season beaten them home and away in a season which we haven’t done for a while. Beat a team by 9 was building up something nice Ronaldo came along and completely derailed it all. Oh and he’s still a club legend you @#%&!

Both of these

Lots of revisionism here. Maguire as captain looks awful in hindsight, but who would have got the armband in his place at the time? Didn't we also have the best defensive record in the league his first season? It's not like he was putting in the same sort of performances that we've seen since. Made sense at the time.

He wasn't good enough at the top level but signing Ronaldo was a big part of his downfall.

Ronaldo made himself look like a dick in the end because he obviously just didn't have it at the top level to play every week. He was a good squad player but wanted to start every match, on the Piers Morgan interview didn't he basically say he can still play at the top level, CL etc?

Ended up in Saudi.

Originally Posted by MUFC One Love

He wasn't good enough at the top level but signing Ronaldo was a big part of his downfall.

Ronaldo made himself look like a dick in the end because he obviously just didn't have it at the top level to play every week. He was a good squad player but wanted to start every match, on the Piers Morgan interview didn't he basically say he can still play at the top level, CL etc?

Ended up in Saudi.

But what a day that was though. Absolutely zero work got done on the day it all came out.

And it's all hindsight. Most of us thought it was a great signing at the time. It's just a shame Ronaldo V2 was a grade A weapon.

Originally Posted by Patty_b

But what a day that was though. Absolutely zero work got done on the day it all came out.

And it's all hindsight. Most of us thought it was a great signing at the time. It's just a shame Ronaldo V2 was a grade A weapon.

Oh I agree.

Hindsight is wonderful.

That season was a mess.

Originally Posted by MUFC One Love

He wasn't good enough at the top level but signing Ronaldo was a big part of his downfall.

Ronaldo made himself look like a dick in the end because he obviously just didn't have it at the top level to play every week. He was a good squad player but wanted to start every match, on the Piers Morgan interview didn't he basically say he can still play at the top level, CL etc?

Ended up in Saudi.

We needed that downfall though, otherwise he'd still be here, and we'd still be £#%&!ed.

There's no way he had anything to do with signing Ronaldo. He looked as surprised as we all were.

Originally Posted by Patty_b

But what a day that was though. Absolutely zero work got done on the day it all came out.

And it's all hindsight. Most of us thought it was a great signing at the time. It's just a shame Ronaldo V2 was a grade A weapon.

So was v1 tbf.

Originally Posted by shenwen

There's no way he had anything to do with signing Ronaldo. He looked as surprised as we all were.

This.

Did a reasonable job but out of his depth at the elite level.

Said “spirit of 99” a lot too which was mega cringe.

Originally Posted by shenwen

There's no way he had anything to do with signing Ronaldo. He looked as surprised as we all were.

That was the owners thinking he could be our Tom Brady, nqat.

Unfortunately, soccer (as they doubtless call it) is a bit different from gridiron.

Much as we all love him, the elephant in the room is that Ole didn't turn out to be anywhere like as smart as we'd hoped he would be.

In hindsight, his comment about "building the team around Pogba" prior to him coming in should have been a red flag. The 'set us up to fail' presser was £#%&!ing excruciating.

he brought some much needed optimism to the club and he had us going on some ridiculous runs of form. brought us bruno, had martial in the best form of his life, had pep's number, more top four finishes than either jose or lvg gave us, plenty of positives about him.

ultimately it amounted to nothing however, and while i absolutely loved a united legend leading us in a (albeit very brief) title charge, i'm happier now with erik at the wheel. i don't think ole could manage egos the way erik clearly can.

speaking of which, i have a theory that ronaldo returning was the beginning of the end for ole.