“You make me happy, when skies are grey,” so goes the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer chant and things haven’t been this grey at Manchester United in nearly three decades, culminating in the inevitable sacking of Jose Mourinho.
So with the former Red Devils striker and celebrated fan favourite leading the charges at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday, you can be certain that “You are my Solskjaer” will be cascading down from the away end.
The site of his first match as United’s interim manager is – fittingly – also another one of his old stomping grounds, not as a player, but – perhaps more relevantly – a manager.
Solskjaer’s work managing Molde received great praise as he secured back-to-back Norwegian league titles in 2011 and 2012. His move to a relegation-threatened Cardiff side though is where questions of his capabilities stem from.
He got off to a decent start, coming from behind to beat Newcastle 2-1 but was the architect of his own downfall when he drafted in six players to compete for first team places, midway through the season, disrupting the dressing room and chemistry on the pitch.
The Blue Birds were relegated and continued to struggle in the Championship the following season before he was dismissed and returned to Molde. It begs the question then, what gave Solskjaer the edge over Laurent Blanc who was also in contention for the interim role at United?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes charge at #MUFC until the end of the season! pic.twitter.com/7l9X10eXKE
— Sport360° (@Sport360) December 19, 2018
Were the club swayed by the potential hype and fanfare the iconic baby-faced assassin would generate? It may be cynical view but the decision-making at Old Trafford lately has consistently been driven by a commercial perspective.
Looking at the two candidates objectively, Blanc has the better credentials. He led Bordeaux to four trophies including the Ligue 1 title in his three-year spell while delivering three consecutive league triumphs at Paris Saint-Germain.
Solskjaer may be the poster boy of United’s historic 1998/99 treble-winning season but Blanc enjoyed reasonable success at Old Trafford, winning the 2002/03 Premier League.
The narrative of the former super-sub stepping in was perhaps too good to pass up. However, it does feel like the United hierarchy are pandering to the fans to take the heat off themselves. Rather than have their poor management admonished, they are playing on the fans’ nostalgia to generate an optimistic atmosphere while distracting the media with the tale of a sensational return for a club hero.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won it all as a player with #MUFC! 👏 pic.twitter.com/OgiMrZWmJM
— Sport360° (@Sport360) December 19, 2018
That said, Solskjaer doesn’t deserve to written off. The circumstances when he took the Cardiff job were very different to the ones at United now and he would’ve learned plenty from his mistakes then. He’s a young, driven manager and the fact that he has come on board on an interim basis makes the whole venture something of a free-hit.
Spectators hope to see a better brand of football, or at least a more attacking one, but no one’s expecting miracles. A top-four finish is the clear objective but if the team falls short, considering the competition for those Champions League spots and the position United find themselves in at the moment, no one would hold it against Solskjaer.
There is reason for optimism in the prospect of the 45-year-old giving young talent at the club a fair chance having previously worked with the United reserves. And while he was in that role, he coached a certain Paul Pogba who was involved in a high-profile feud with Mourinho this season but is largely still considered the best player at the club.
In August, Solskjaer said of Pogba: “Paul is a fantastic kid so hopefully we can build the team around him and keep him.”
There’s enough to suggest that the United players will respond to Solskjaer’s idea, giving way to better performances and a kind run of fixtures during which Tottenham are the only top six side they face in the next nine may facilitate an encouraging string of results as well.
Solskjaer can certainly be a success but focus must not deviate from the real issues at United. A rude awakening was the greatest contribution of Mourinho’s reign, exposing the utter incompetence of the club’s hierarchy. Questions still need to be answered.
