Ole’s sorry message to United fans after more away blues
OLE Gunnar Solskjaer was cagey when asked about United supporters’ anti-Glazer chants in the 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.
The United fans sang ‘we want Glazers out’ three days after some supporters targeted the American owners with the same chant at the end of the goalless Europa League draw with AZ Alkmaar.
United are 12th in the Premier League, winless in five and have now won only five of their last 23 matches after Newcastle manager Steve Bruce claimed a first win against his former club as a manager.
The latest debacle intensified anger among some United matchgoers at the current regime amid allegations of insufficient investment in the squad and questionable running of the club.
United outspent every Premier League club to sign Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire for £140million in the summer but ended the window without two priority targets. Six players were sold or loaned and their squad at Newcastle featured four teenagers.
“We’re unhappy with the results and it’s the results that bring out the mood of everyone,” Solskjaer said of the chants. “And I’ve got to say sorry to the fans that we’re not winning games.
“But that’s down to starting a rebuild and this is not a similar situation to when I was sat here after the 4-0 defeat at Everton last year, when I felt people had given up, and they don’t give what they have for the shirt. These boys give everything for the shirt and we’ll get there again.”
Solskjaer was especially dismayed at United’s failure to retain the ball in the first-half and said some treated it like a ‘hot potato.’
“Very symptomatic of where we are at the moment,” he said of the loss. “Disappointing, as you say, we don’t create enough chances to deserve to win a game of football and that’s the short version.
“It was such a disappointing performance first-half. The ball, we couldn’t control it, it seemed like it was a hot potato and it was bouncing off our feet.
“Second-half better, dominated more, but you could still see a couple of counter-attacks coming, especially before the goal.
“Then attitude is fantastic to get back, I think we had six or seven players in the box, but the decision-making wasn’t good enough.
Solskjaer is grateful for the international break to assess United’s various shortcomings. “Confidence is a big thing in players. At the moment, when there is a decision to be made they don’t do it instinctively.
“So what we’ve been working on, a split-second after, that affects everyone and it affects us. It’s perfect timing with the international break.”