MY RICH PICKINGS
Baseball great George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth was born. The New York Yankees hero began his career as a pitcher but went on to become his sport’s greatest hitter. He helped establish the Yankees as one of the top teams of the 1920s and 30s. He scored 2,174 runs and hit 714 home runs. Ruth died in 1948.
Former England football captain Billy Wright was born. The Wolves great became the first man to win 100 England caps and captained his country a then-record 90 times. He died in 1994.
A plane carrying Manchester United players crashed at Munich airport as the team travelled back from a match against Red Star Belgrade. A total of 23 people died as a result of the accident, including eight United players. IT is the confidence and attention to detail that have seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer make an incredible impact as caretaker at Old Trafford.
Nine wins from 10, no defeats and a team playing with a swagger that was the hallmark of the Manchester United sides under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Solskjaer’s methods have been inspired by his time playing under Fergie and it is why the Norwegian has claimed that he has already “more or less” picked his team for the rest of February.
The month includes some key fixtures – a Champions League clash against Paris Saint-germain, an FA Cup trip to Chelsea and a mouth-watering meeting with title-chasing, bitter rivals Liverpool.
And Solskjaer has taken a leaf out of his mentor Fergie’s book by planning ahead for a defining run of games. He said: “I knew the gaffer was like that. I have always been like this myself back home in Molde.
“You do plan ahead and I think I have got my team quite ready for the full month. Depending on form as well, I think I have more or less picked my team.
“You have got to have different ways of winning games, and with our squad you can pick players who suit coming up against this team and that team.”
A run of games that once looked daunting will now be relished by a transformed United. Solskjaer’s unbeaten run as temporary boss has revived the Reds’ season. The team were 11 points off the top four when their former striker was handed the reins in December following Jose Mourinho’s dismissal.
They are now just two points behind Chelsea who occupy the final Champions League spot (below, United celebrating Marcus Rashford’s winner at Leicester). “We have put ourselves in a great position and are in a great vein of form,” said Solskjaer. “We are confident, we trust ourselves, and are ready for these games now.” The Old Trafford legend has given the club their identity back, encouraging his front men to play with a freedom that fits in with the club’s counter-attacking traditions and allows them to truly express themselves. Having been the joint worst counterattacking team in the league under Mourinho, they are now the best. He told Sky Sports in an exclusive interview: “You have to find a way to win a game.that’s not up to me or the coaches, Mick Phelan or Kieran Mckenna or Michael Carrick, to tell them beforehand.
“Every game is different. We might score the first goal and it’s a different game. They might score first and it’s a different game.
“So they have got to make decisions out there based on their experiences and qualities. Me and Mick came in and, of course, we wanted to bring a confidence into the players that we trust them – because we do.
‘‘They are here because they are special. Manchester
United never sign players if they don’t have any uniqueness or X-factor about them.
“We should never forget what badge they are wearing because they are special.
“So we speak to them and encourage them individually.
“But giving players confidence by speaking to them is one thing – they need to feel this is working. They have done it by themselves. They scored the goals in my first game against Cardiff and enjoyed it. That gave them a big boost, of course.”
And though he failed in his previous Premier League managerial spell at Cardiff, 1999 Treble winner Solskjaer believes he is a much better fit for United.
He added: “It is easier here because I know the DNA and identity of Man United and what a United player is.
“It’s a winning identity. It’s a confident identity.
“We want to take risks. We want to go for the second, the third and the fourth goal because that’s just how we do things at United.
“If you can’t handle that, you are at the wrong club.”