Ole Gunnar Solskjaer retires
I am not a Manchester Untied fan, but one thing they do very well is to stand by their players if they do ‘the right thing’. As soon as Fergie gets wind of anything like dissent or over-stepping the mark, you are gone – Beckham and, although I think he was going to go anyway, Keane spring immediately to mind. Norman Whiteside has been quoted many times as feeling he was unfairly discarded, but quite simply he was from the days when booze ruled the United dressing room, Fergie cleared that out and anyone else he felt was a bad influence and you can’t really argue with his record can you!
On the flip side we have seen how much patience he has with players that he regards as a) good and b) having the right attitude. Paul Scholes sat out the majority of a season with a seemingly un-diagnosable vision complaint. Gabriel Heinze spent an entire season out with knee damage and was treated very well up until his advisors got the better of him. Also Saha and Giggs have at various points been out for extended periods with injuries. Ole has had an horrific time with his knees, but the Manchester United lot have kept faith until very recently even though with a full recovery he would not have much time left as he’s 34. Unfotunately for both of them Ole’s latest set-back has meant he has to retire, but he has aalready been offered a coaching job there, where you get the feeling he will excel.
I think he may well be too nice to manage a team, but as a coach you can imagine him being fantastic – getting on well with the players and just from the way he played the game he knows how the game works like very few. He was one of those players that was never blessed with lightening pace, but was so often the first one to the ball when it mattered (1999 against Bayern anyone?) When Beckham left he was suddenly asked to play on the wing, within no time he looked like he had played there forever.
There is also talk of him taking over Sir Bobby Charlton’s ambassadorial duties, which, with his easy going, friendly manner would be a great role for him. All in all, there are few players as deserving as him of the patience and loyalty United have shown and here’s to his new career, which-ever way it takes him.
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