Manchester United Teamtalk/Transfer/Gossip 23/24 - [New Thread Available]

TBF, people, myself included, are opining that there arent too many managers in the league currently that couldn't do what Ole has done, considering the squad he inherited and the backing he has gotten. Its not that we would want to see Dyche et al actually get the job but I dont believe any of them would do any worse than Ole has done, all things considered.

There is a reason Ole had only one previous job in the top flight. A quick Google throws this article up from the BBC from 2014.

He was the Champions League hero who arrived promising an exciting brand of football, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure at Cardiff City will be remembered as a failure.

The former Manchester United striker, best known for his winning goal against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final, arrived with great fanfare in January 2014.

He presented a different vision for Cardiff compared with the defensive approach of his predecessor Malky Mackay, renowned for an unspectacular, yet effective style that gained the club promotion to the Premier League in 2013.

Mackay's success meant popularity with fans and that probably didn't help Solskjaer's cause.

The Scot's bitter falling-out with the club's Malaysian owner Vincent Tan had disillusioned many supporters who saw Mackay's sacking as a regression for a club who had fought so hard for a top-flight return after half a century away.

He may have promised a more exciting style, but under Solskjaer the Bluebirds slipped into the Premier League's bottom three for the first time and never recovered, finishing bottom.

The results were shocking - 3-0 at Swansea, 6-3 against Liverpool, 3-0 defeats against Crystal Palace and Newcastle and 4-0 losses to Hull and Sunderland.

Tan blamed Mackay for relegation, which was confirmed at the penultimate game of the season, and expected a swift Premier League return under the Norwegian.

And so began a big recruitment drive in the summer. Nine players came in, many of Mackay's men left, but it seemed even with so many new faces Solskjaer didn't know what his best team was.

He named a different starting 11 for all of the games he oversaw this season and his tinkering was deemed to have had an adverse effect on results.

Two home defeats in succession, against Norwich and Middlesbrough, sealed his fate.

The nature of the capitulation against the Canaries caused particular concern, Cardiff leading 2-0 before conceding four second-half goals to lose 4-2.

During the 1-0 loss against Boro four days later, the Cardiff crowd vented their frustration at the Norwegian, booing him as he tried to get the ball to one of his players to take a throw-in.

After the game the Norwegian said he accepted the blame for the club's poor run of form.

"I'm responsible and I should get better results than we've had in the first seven games," said Solskjaer, who seems to have the ability to remain upbeat in the most trying of circumstances.

The manager may be responsible for the team but many feel the board, and particularly owner Vincent Tan, have to take some responsibility too.

"It was the wrong appointment for Cardiff and the wrong club for Solskjaer," said former Cardiff captain Jason Perry on BBC Radio Wales. "Do we know how Cardiff City play? No.

"I think only four players played against Blackburn [in the Championship opener] that played against Middlesbrough. He picked a different back four yet again.

"If you're manager or a coach you have a central strategy and you work on that."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Cardiff record Played: 30 Won: 9 Drawn: 5 Lost: 16

7 years ago he couldn't figure out a strategy and nothing has changed. At the very best he is a Championship level manager, the absolute best, yet he is in charge of the biggest club in England and one of the biggest clubs in the world. If it was happening at a rival we'd be breaking our bollox laughing tbh.

Jonesy next for a new one so!

Oh I'm painfully aware of that. 😪 Ole is the perfect patsy for the Glazers and we will likely get top 4 this season, not because of Oles abilities, but because of how strong the squad is. The league is in 5 tiers currently imo

Tier 1 - Excellent squad with very good to brilliant managers - City, LFC, Chelsea

Tier 2 - Excellent squad with a poor manager - United

Tier 3 - Decent/Good squad with decent/good manager - Spurs, Leicester, Everton

Tier 4 - Decent squad with average manager - Arsenal, West Ham

Tier 5 - The rest of the league

United will get top 4 purely because those teams in tiers 3 to 5 arent good enough to make top 4 due to either a weaker squad than their peers or a weaker manager than their peers. We have the best squad we've had in over a decade and its because of their strengths we will get top 4. The reason we wont push on from that or win anything of note is due to managerial ineptitude. I was willing to give Ole a chance, albeit through gritted teeth alot of the time, but the EL final last year was the straw that broke the camels back for me. That Villareal team were bang average but were exceptionally well coached. Every man and their dog knows how an Emery team sets out but even with the wealth of talent at his disposal Ole couldn't come up with a way to unlock them. Its forgivable as a once off considering it was a final but its been happening consistently since he came in and Ive no doubt in my mind it will continue to happen until he leaves.

One thing I have noticed since the weekend, there have been alot of articles raising question marks about Ole and his tenure. They appeared in the Sunday and Monday papers and its the first time Ive really noticed it. If this poor run continues and we dont get out of the CL group (I dont think we will) those articles and opinion pieces will only ramp up. We have already seen Ole feeling the pressure via his public comments about Donny so if the screw keeps turning he will wilt imo.