NO SEEDS OF DOUBT
Cantona spoke of sardines, Fergie of cows... now Ole turns to nature to spy a tree- mendous future
THEY are fond of a profound analogy at Manchester United.
Eric Cantona’s infamous “when the seagulls follow the trawler” quote, uttered in the wake of hi s kung f u kick controversy, is part of football folklore.
Then there was Sir Alex Ferguson’s “cow i n a f i el d” speech, a warning to Wayne Rooney, when he threatened to leave, that the grass is not always greener elsewhere.
Yesterday it was the turn of United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who followed the lead of Cantona and Ferguson when addressing his future.
Defeat at Everton, a fourth in seven Premier League games, c o u l d s i g n a l t h e e n d o f Solskjaer’s 23- month reign in charge of United. The Reds are l anguishing i n 15th with no evidence of the identity he was supposed to establish.
But ahead of today’s huge encounter at Goodison Park, the manager turned to nature to explain why he believes he is still in it for the long haul at United.
“We’ve planted a seed, the tree is growing,” he said. “Some clubs just rip up that tree, see if it’s still growing and see if it’s still getting water underneath.
“For me, I ’ve had the backing all the way since I ’ve come in – and the club needs to l ook at th e bigger picture.
“We can’t go reacting to one or two results, we have got to l ook f urther ahead and say ‘ what is the direction we’re going?’.
“All conversations with the club have been about planning long- term.
“Of course we want results short- term, but I’ve had positive dialogue about the plans we’ve put in place. Today it’s sunny in Manchester and I don’t expect the wind to turn.”
Whether the United hierarchy, led by executive vice- chairman Ed Woodward, share Solskjaer’s sunny outlook remains to be seen. While United have publicly backed him, they did the same with David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, only to pull the plug when results gave them no alternative.
Have they reached that point with Solskjaer?
Seven points from a possible 18, including three defeats in f our games at home, would suggest they have.
United’s Champions League wins over Paris Saint- Germain a nd RB L e i pzi g hav e ke pt Solskjaer in a job, but the abject d e f e at ( b e l ow) by I st anbul Basaksehir was a reminder of the frailties that still undermine the team team.
Despite that, Solskjaer said he expects a positive response from his players today in a game that will show whether they still have faith in their beleaguered boss.
He sai d: “We’re al l hurt. It’s not easy when you lose two games on
the bounce, but that’s football and you’ve got to react to it.
“There’s always pressure and expectation on us, but I’ve grown up here. I became a man at Manchester United and I l earned how to deal with good and bad times. You have to be mentally strong. We’re at the best and biggest club in the world and you don’t expect to have anything but criticism.
“It’s how you deal with those setbacks and, from what I ’ve seen from the boys, they’ve been very focused.
“I know these players well enough and I trust them enough to produce a response.”
We will learn today whether that response will be enough to keep Solskjaer in a job, with f ormer Tott enham manager Mauricio Pochettino ( above) primed to take over.