Cats eye king Kev
SOLSKJAER IS NOT ENTIRELY TO BLAME FOR UNITED SHAMBLES
GIVING Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the Manchester United job was a call made by the heart, not the head.
After their worst start to a season for 30 years they now face a choice – stick or twist.
I am not sure the club is in a position to think with emotion.
At some point that business element has to come in, which Ed Woodward is brilliant at, and they have to be ruthless.
You have to accept that Ole isn’t the guy for the job.
Why? Well, do we know what his Manchester United side are all about yet, 10 months after he took over from Jose Mourinho in December last year?
Almost a year to implement your style? Just look at Brendan Rodgers. It has taken him 20 games at Leicester to say this is how I play football. Even Frank Lampard, I get what he is trying to do. Movement in midfield, creative, exciting.
I don’t know what Ole’s style or system is. That is a big worry for me. That’s what gets him sacked, not losing the next game against Liverpool.
Yet the biggest problem for Manchester United is not necessarily Ole. It is that the club doesn’t have a vision.
They have gone for quick-fix star players, quick-fix star managers as well. None of those things have worked. Now they are staring complete confusion in the face as to what to do with the football club.
On the pitch it is so mediocre, but I find it really hard to blame the players. Pep Guardiola could coach this group and they wouldn’t get in to the top four.
They are doing their best. They are what they are. A bunch of players being heavily weighed down by the badge, the Manchester United history.
They are struggling to live up to the standards set years ago and I am not sure that is their fault.
Young players like Scott McTominay should have been integrated into an experienced team – not relied on.
The responsibility should not be on the youngsters to get them back where they need to be. They are not capable of doing it.
Some players have lost their confidence. They take more touches than needed. Solskjaer has said himself they are not reacting instinctively. They are tightening up in key situations.
You need players to be risk-takers in certain parts of the pitch and that’s why Daniel James has been their best player. They are scared to death. Paul Pogba is part of the same story. I don’t know why they have not been able to motivate the Frenchman since he has been there. The longer that story goes on I think it would be better for them to cut their losses, sell him and really rebuild.
Top four is 100 per cent out of the question. Gone.
Top six? When you look at the likes of Leicester and Wolves, there are clubs around that area to make it a good battle for them to finish top six. It is not certain.
Their latest attempt to fix things was to sell everyone the story they are going through a rebuild and going young again.
Is that a way of saying they are trying to create another version of the Class of 92 because that is when they were last successful?
Well I hate to break it to United fans or anyone linked with the club but their youth team has done nothing for years.
They need to create a link between the manager and the people doing the buying. That would make a lot of sense. Even if that is a slow process, it buys them time.
At the moment it is a mish-mash. Jermaine Jenas is an ambassador for footie5 from thepools.com. footie5 is a weekly free-to-play football prediction game where you can win £25,000 just by predicting the scores of five matches of your choice from across the English and Scottish leagues. Create leagues with family and friends and go for the jackpot! Download the app or play at www.footie5.com SUNDERLAND legend Kevin Phillips is the frontrunner to become the club’s 11th manager in a decade after the sacking of Jack Ross.
The Scot yesterday paid the price for the League One promotion favourites’ indifferent start to the season with the axe falling four days after a shock 2-0 defeat at Lincoln.
Ross, 43, steered the Black Cats to the Checkatrade Trophy final last term and they returned to Wembley in the play-offs only to lose both times.
But fans have turned against him in recent weeks and chairman Stewart Donald, who is in the process of selling a majority stake in the club to an American consortium, decided to pull the plug.
Phillips, 46, has told friends he would love the chance to return to the Stadium of Light and lead the club out of the doldrums.
Ross’s No.2 James Fowler has been placed in temporary charge.
■ BARNSLEY boss Daniel Stendel has been axed after an 11-game winless run.
The German, 45, leaves with the Tykes in the bottom two of the Championship.
The club’s Under-18s coach Adam Murray has been appointed caretaker manager.