After witnessing yet another tactical masterclass from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Monday night, it got me thinking, where will they be next season. Since Sir Alex Ferguson left, the club has been stagnated desperately. In fact, when reading back on a blog I wrote in 2014, it is clear that despite having two managers with high profile reputations for success in Europe, the team are still suffering from the same limitations they were under David Moyes.
There is no denying that the current interim boss has somewhat galvanised a squad of under-performing, under-motivated players. The results and performances since the baby faced assassin's arrival speak for themselves, however there will still be doubts over whether he can continue to sustain this next season should he be given the job.
A situation that is comparable to what is happening at United this season comes from their opponents last night, Chelsea. In March 2012, one of the clubs most fondly thought of former players, Roberto Di Matteo, stepped into the hot seat, with Chelsea failing to perform under Andre Villas-Boas, who, at the time was largely considered as one of the hottest managerial properties in Europe.
Di Matteo went on to reinvent the Blues fortunes, losing just three times in all competitions. This culminated with them winning the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League and naturally, he was upgraded from interim to permanent manager.
Optimism for the following season was pretty high at Stamford Bridge and they made a positive start under Di Matteo. This was not set to last though and a poor run of just two wins in eight games saw Chelsea having to remove him as the manager just months after he masterminded the clubs greatest success.
Fast forward seven years and Ole Solskjaer is overseeing an almost identical path with Manchester United. Di Matteo's issue was simple,although he was what they needed during a time of unrest and discontentment among a squad put together of massive egos who were controlling the dressing room, ultimately as a manager he was completely out of his depth. Clubs such as Chelsea and more so Manchester United carry massive and at times unreasonable expectations for any manager coming in and this was something that Di Matteo did not have the experience to handle and the question has to be asked, is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer heading for the same outcome?
His previous outing as a manager in English football with Cardiff was disastrous. It began with them being relegated from the Premier League, although it could it could be argued that was an inevitability even before Solskjaer arrived, and ended early the following season with Cardiff sitting in 18th place in the Championship and failing to build any momentum in their bid to bounce back. To be fair he has fared far better in his native country with two Tippeligaen titles and one Norwegian Cup to his name and boasts a win percentage as the manager of Molde of just over 55% during both stints but worryingly he has not one a trophy since 2013.
Paul Ince has garnered a lot of criticism for stating that he could have done what Solskjaer has done had he been given the same opportunity. The counter argument to this that he couldn't because "he has a terrible record as a manager" is not really relevant, although I am not sure he would have had the same affect due to his later affiliation with Liverpool, however there could be an element of truth in what he is saying.
Solskjaer was brought in to rouse spirits around the club due to his popularity with supporters. The fact he was probably the only ex-player who is in management with this kind of reputation would have also worked in his favour. However, had Ryan Giggs been out of work and been invited in, it is likely he could have had the same affect.
Manchester United have to bare this in mind. Had they been convinced that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had the tools, experience and know how to lead the club back to the top table, both domestically and in Europe, surely the would have offered him the job straight of the bat. It is clear that they did not feel this way and saw him as someone who was a available, with good club ties and some previous connections with their disillusioned star player (Pogba) that could lift the atmosphere enough to get the fans back onside and provide a platform for a new manager to come in and revamp the club.
So with regards to the question, should Ole Gunnar Solskjaer be given the job now? I would say not. Stick to the original plan and do the homework on what options are available. That does not mean to say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should not be considered for the role at the end of the season, if he continues this great run of form, qualifies the Champions League and wins the FA Cup then he most definitely should. However, for the time being Manchester United fans should just enjoy the ride they are on now and see where it leads them.
There is no denying that the current interim boss has somewhat galvanised a squad of under-performing, under-motivated players. The results and performances since the baby faced assassin's arrival speak for themselves, however there will still be doubts over whether he can continue to sustain this next season should he be given the job.
A situation that is comparable to what is happening at United this season comes from their opponents last night, Chelsea. In March 2012, one of the clubs most fondly thought of former players, Roberto Di Matteo, stepped into the hot seat, with Chelsea failing to perform under Andre Villas-Boas, who, at the time was largely considered as one of the hottest managerial properties in Europe.
Di Matteo went on to reinvent the Blues fortunes, losing just three times in all competitions. This culminated with them winning the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League and naturally, he was upgraded from interim to permanent manager.
Optimism for the following season was pretty high at Stamford Bridge and they made a positive start under Di Matteo. This was not set to last though and a poor run of just two wins in eight games saw Chelsea having to remove him as the manager just months after he masterminded the clubs greatest success.
Fast forward seven years and Ole Solskjaer is overseeing an almost identical path with Manchester United. Di Matteo's issue was simple,although he was what they needed during a time of unrest and discontentment among a squad put together of massive egos who were controlling the dressing room, ultimately as a manager he was completely out of his depth. Clubs such as Chelsea and more so Manchester United carry massive and at times unreasonable expectations for any manager coming in and this was something that Di Matteo did not have the experience to handle and the question has to be asked, is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer heading for the same outcome?
His previous outing as a manager in English football with Cardiff was disastrous. It began with them being relegated from the Premier League, although it could it could be argued that was an inevitability even before Solskjaer arrived, and ended early the following season with Cardiff sitting in 18th place in the Championship and failing to build any momentum in their bid to bounce back. To be fair he has fared far better in his native country with two Tippeligaen titles and one Norwegian Cup to his name and boasts a win percentage as the manager of Molde of just over 55% during both stints but worryingly he has not one a trophy since 2013.
Paul Ince has garnered a lot of criticism for stating that he could have done what Solskjaer has done had he been given the same opportunity. The counter argument to this that he couldn't because "he has a terrible record as a manager" is not really relevant, although I am not sure he would have had the same affect due to his later affiliation with Liverpool, however there could be an element of truth in what he is saying.
Solskjaer was brought in to rouse spirits around the club due to his popularity with supporters. The fact he was probably the only ex-player who is in management with this kind of reputation would have also worked in his favour. However, had Ryan Giggs been out of work and been invited in, it is likely he could have had the same affect.
Manchester United have to bare this in mind. Had they been convinced that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had the tools, experience and know how to lead the club back to the top table, both domestically and in Europe, surely the would have offered him the job straight of the bat. It is clear that they did not feel this way and saw him as someone who was a available, with good club ties and some previous connections with their disillusioned star player (Pogba) that could lift the atmosphere enough to get the fans back onside and provide a platform for a new manager to come in and revamp the club.
So with regards to the question, should Ole Gunnar Solskjaer be given the job now? I would say not. Stick to the original plan and do the homework on what options are available. That does not mean to say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should not be considered for the role at the end of the season, if he continues this great run of form, qualifies the Champions League and wins the FA Cup then he most definitely should. However, for the time being Manchester United fans should just enjoy the ride they are on now and see where it leads them.
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