MANCHESTER, Oct 26: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was utterly devastated, at his lowest ebb at Manchester United. Humiliated by a 5-0 loss to Liverpool, the manager still had to reach his car to leave Old Trafford.
After hearing his team booed off the field two hours earlier, the dozens of fans loitering near the team cars looked foreboding. But as Solskjaer tentatively approached, the chants of “We love you Ole” grew louder. He flashed a thumbs up back to an appreciative fan, then left the ring of security stewards to approach the barriers where autograph hunters were waiting.
Patiently, he even advised fans on the best positioning for selfies. One woman beamed a smile for a photo, but the frown lingered on Solskjaer’s face. There wasn’t much to smile about and yet he spent 10 minutes meeting every request for a jersey to be signed or for a photo with kids.
“We’ll bounce back,” he told one fan.
He certainly was as a player for the club, less so for his coaching acumen in his three years in the dugout since so unexpectedly replacing former boss Jose Mourinho.
Only one point has been collected from four games and there’s Tottenham and Manchester City up next in the Premier League.
“Bring your boots on Saturday,” Solskjaer was urged by a nostalgia-tinged fan, remembering the days when the Norwegian was scoring goals that won trophies for Alex Ferguson’s United rather than presiding over embarrassments in this era of grimness and mediocrity.
“Those days are gone,” Solskjaer flashed back.
Are his days in the United job short-lived too? It’s looking precarious for him although he is still remembered so fondly here for the stoppage-time goal that clinched the 1999 Champions League trophy.
How Ronald Koeman would crave that affection. They’re less forgiving at Barcelona. Going more than four years without a trophy – as United has done – is unthinkable in Catalonia.
Legendary playing feats for the club – like the goal that clinched the 1992 European Cup – haven’t spared Koeman the manager from a barrage of hostility.
It only intensified on Sunday night with the type of post-match reception Solskjaer might have feared in northern England.
Koeman couldn’t even leave the Camp Nou after Sunday’s 2-1 “clasico” loss to Real Madrid without his car being confronted and insults hurled by angry Barcelona fans.
Perhaps the only doubt now is which of the club greats clings on the longest with league title hopes already fading so early in the season.
Koeman seems unlikely to have long in the job to see them flourish, with a contract only through to the end of the season.
United has shown far more loyalty to Solskjaer, even handing him a new three-year contract in July despite ongoing doubts about his suitability for the demands of the job and the coaching required to rectify persistent failings.
At least, unlike Koeman, he has escaped the personal harassment and abuse from the fan base. Parting with club legends is never easy and it will be more painful for United. It might be the only solution for United and Barcelona. (AP)
