Quote
How long does this charade continue for? How many weeks does this column ask the same questions while Manchester United limp on with a manager who is unfit for his purpose?
This weekend, Gary Neville tweeted that Solskjaer needed three or four transfer windows to sort out the squad and turn it into title challengers. It is true that the playing staff needs major surgery, but true too that you can only give that time and responsibility to a manager who you are sure is the right man for the job. What evidence is there for Solskjaer being that right man?
Manchester United sacked Jose Mourinho for picking up 26 points in his first 17 league matches of the season, and they were right to do so. Solskjaer may have avoided the ‘scorched earth’ method of self-preservation, but he has not achieved better results than Mourinho. United must win each of their next three matches (against Tottenham, Manchester City and Everton) to eclipse Mourinho’s 26 points. For all Mourinho’s faults – and, to repeat, they were right to sack him – he has a better CV than Solskjaer.
United appointed Solskjaer because he breathed some life into their attack and shored up the defence during his temporary reign; all evidence of that has evaporated. The club spent £130m on two defenders in the summer and have got worse at defending. They last kept a clean sheet in the Premier League on September 14. The list of clubs United have failed to beat in the league since Solskjaer’s appointment includes Bournemouth, Sheffield United, Aston Villa, Huddersfield Town, Newcastle United, Southampton, Crystal Palace and Cardiff City. By any measure, that is abysmal.
With no offence to Wolves and Sheffield United, this is not a particularly strong Premier League. Tottenham are fifth having won five of their 14 matches. There are reasonable excuses for Manchester United not being in the top three, but to be ninth at this stage should be a cause of deep embarrassment. Two Big Six clubs who sit above them have already sacked their manager.
So why keep on keeping on with Solskjaer? He pledged to bring a youthful exuberance to the team, but United are a dirge. He – repeatedly – pledged to invoke the magical spirit of 1999 but now Manchester United can’t even beat low-level opposition and the nostalgia just looks like a replacement for tangible coaching aptitude. He pledged to push for structural change including the appointment of a sporting director, but mysteriously went quiet on the issue over the summer.
Sacking Solskjaer – and appointing Mauricio Pochettino – will not solve all of Manchester United’s problems. This club will never soar again without structural change at the top and the appointment of experts in vital roles. But these are not mutual exclusives; you can want change at the top while still believing that Solskjaer is not good enough. Allow capable coaches to slip through their grasp because of some misguided romanticism and misplaced loyalty, and United deserve all they get.
https://www.football365.com/news/premier-league-winners-and-mostly-losers-3Can't really argue with any of this - more than likely defeats to Spurs and City really should be the final nails to the coffin.