The debate over which Premier League team would take Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager continues. Tottenham should go for Rafa Benitez instead. Send your mails into theeditor@football365.com.
AWB and TAA
Am i right in saying Aaron Wan Bissaka hasn’t been picked due to his attacking prowess or lack of?
Yet, TAA hasnt been picked due to his defensive deficienies despite his attacking abilities.
WTF! I was a fan of Southgate and even thought of him as a future Man Utd manager. This though, strikes of hypocrisy and basically making it up as he goes along.
Newanda
Solskjaer swap
Beyond Paul clearly not rating Solskjaer and Big Sam what’s his criteria for deciding WBA fans are the only one’s who wouldn’t swap their manager for Solskjaer?
If anything they have more reason to refuse a swap as Sam has a reputation as a Firefighter and one of the sticks people find it harder to hit Ole with nowadays is that he failed at Cardiff .
You have given no criteria on the basis of the swap , which is vital as whether you would swap Ole as a Utd fan depends on where you stand on the Ole In /Out debate: your views on progress, trophies ,style of play etc.
Personally I wouldn’t swap him for any of the other DNA boys ( Smith ,Wilder,Arteta, Parker) as a player in many cases he is more of a club legend than any of these players , He is in Utd ‘top 20 goal scorers of all time and is high on the list of appearances by a foreign player. His winning the title put’s him at least on par with any of their achievements.
I wouldn’t take either of the former managers back. See the previous managers Moyes proved unable to meet the raised expectations ,Jose is too toxic and hardly guarantees trophies any more .
I wouldn’t trade hiim for Steve Bruce who is also a Utd legend I just wouldn”t
If I was a west brom fan I wouldn’t take Solskjaer as he doesn’t have a reputation as a firefighter , as a United fan I wouldn”t take Big Sam because I’m not used to firefights.
I wouldn’t take any of the managers who gets patted for simply getting up to 40-45 points per season , it’s a double standard and Moyes time at Old trafford has shown that they wouldn’t necessarily be able to manage the expectation level at Utd this knocks out Potter,Hodgson, Hassenhutl, Dyche , Bielsa Nuno,Rodgers.
I could make a case for Carlo, Klopp and Tuchel based on their pedigree ,If I was Ole out I would want one of these 3 , As an Ole in sort of guy I’d remember that Tuchel, has only won the league in France with PSG which is so difficult Emery has achieved it ,Carlo is good at winning the champions league, but hasn’t won it for 7 years and doesn’t always deliver domestically(which is what Utd are looking for and at this point), would I want to start off again with Klopp knowing he would want a lot of his own players and it would take 3 or 4 more years to start achieving success .I fully acknowledge non of the fans of those clubs would swap for Solskjaer.
I would definitely swap for Pep based on the number of trophies, even though it sticks in my craw that when he had the opportunity years ago he chose the easier path. Maybe when the united team is fully developed
ROODE, MUFC
Paul, Manchester asks who would swap their current Premier league manager for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer… as a Spurs fan, I’d swap our incumbent for Ole’s mum Brita Solskjaer if the opportunity arose. I’ve no idea if she knows anything whatsoever about football management, but she couldn’t make things much more depressing to watch than they are now.
Chris Bridgeman, Kingston Upon Thames
Tommy over Ole
I’m a lifelong Chelsea fan ever since i started watching football and no, I would not want Solskjaer rocking up at the Stamford Bridge dugout. Tommy Tuchel is just the right manager to lead our squad harmoniously and also keep every player on their toes, something i doubt Ole would be able to achieve. He is tactically fluid and dynamic, especially in player selection and in-game management, as evidenced by his subs. Chelsea are also much better off having a ‘system’ manager who, unlike his predecessor and also Ole (pass to Bruno and inshallah), does not overly rely on improvisation and that X-factor to score goals.
Coming back to Ole, he does not excite me one bit. He is also a rival club’s legend, but even after ignoring his playing career and focusing only on his managerial credentials, i would pick Tuchel, the serial winner who also sets up his club to be in a better place when he leaves, every time.
In a hypothetical scenario where Ole was the Chelsea manager right now, taking over from Lampard instead of Tuchel- I seriously doubt he would get the same results as Tuchel has in his first 14 games. That level of uncertainty and inconsistency are the only things consistent about Ole in his up and down stint at United.
So no, i would stick with the German tinker man and for what its worth, i am more accepting of the idea to have Frank back in the future (after he has gained much needed experience as a manager at the highest level, similar to Ole at Molde and Palace maybe) over Solskjaer sitting on the hot seat at the Bridge ever.
Aayush Choraria (After 7 years of tough draws, we deserved to get Porto and avoid the 2 favourites till the final xD) New Delhi
Marching Saints
Look, I’d love Southampton (or Leicester) to win the FA Cup. I’m not a fan of clubs throwing the in towel in the early rounds for a shot at mid-table glory. In fact, I would go even further and believe that all clubs should aim to win every game, and therefore, every trophy available to them. It’s how I do it in Football Manager, and by god, it’s how I’d do it in real life too.
In saying that, I do have to take umbrage with Will Ford’s piece on Hasenhuttl. Firstly, while an FA Cup semi-final is nice, it comes at the expense of their league form and – if not for a woefully inept Newcastle – puts their league status at serious risk. Given that prior to the FA Cup 3rd round, Southampton had lost 4 of their first 17 league games, they have since gone on to lose 10 of the last 12. Regardless of the chance of silverware, that is shambolic, and no cup run should come at that level of expense to a team’s league performance.
Secondly, there is a very good chance that Southampton will not win the cup, given that City are also in the semi-final. If they fall at either of the next two hurdles, will their season be re-classed as a failure? The article alluded to Arsenal’s season being a failure, should they fail to win the Europa League, so we can only assume the same will be said of Southampton. At least, however, Arsenal are in a position (and a semblance of form) to earn a decent finishing in the league, coupled with a cup trophy. Moreover, Arteta already has an FA Cup, and while another would be nice, I seem to recall another Arsenal manager lambasted out the door despite winning 3 in four years. Arteta not winning it again should not be seen with as much derision, yet, at least. Sure, scorn your Wolves, your Newcastles and your Palaces all you want, but I feel, in this case, Arsenal aren’t on the list.
I know Arsenal and Southampton operate on different financial plains, and Arsenal should be higher in the league and challenging for multiple trophies. But to paint Hasenhuttl as this envious manager for getting to the semi-final by losing (almost) literally all of their league games during that period is a little erroneous. By all means, praise where praise is due (and I personally think he is a very good manager), but criticism where criticism is due too; otherwise, what’s the point?
Neill, Ireland
Be kind
While I was writing my mail about Mourinho being the devil on Thursday night, my wife asked me why I was typing a long email late at night. Having explained the football365 mailbox, she asked me what would happen next. “Well”, I said, “assuming I’m published then I’ll likely be called names, told I’m wrong and generally be abused in the subsequent mailbox”. Safe to say she didn’t understand why I would bother.
But then lo and behold, Jon from Lincoln writes a positive message about being inspired and motivated by my mail. And I’m at least 75% sure he wasn’t taking the piss.
And you know what – it kept a smile on my face for the rest of the day. My point here isn’t particularly football related I’m afraid but is just to say that it’s amazing what affect a few kind words can have on people. So Jon from Lincoln, you too have a great name and thank you for your words. It’s inspired me to say more kind things to people more often.
As for me replacing Mourinho, I still think we’d have a better chance with the traffic cone but maybe I’ll start dusting off my Football Manager CV…
Cheers,
Jon
Big Sam for Spurs?
Taking off the red tinted glasses for two minutes I actually realised that Daniel Levy & Sp*rs have been very unlucky, the pandemic has come along at the wrong time and (as Raj Bains points out in his excellent article) Jose Mourinho – albeit not making things any better is a symptom of an underlying cause.
Then I put the glasses back on again and thought if Sp*s lose to Man City in the league cup final, fail to qualify for Europe and Mourinho gets the sack, where do they go from here? Brendan Rodgers has been linked, but I suspect he would prefer to lead Leicester in another Champions Leauge campaign, and Julian Nagelsmann has been llinked too, but he will get a better Champions League related offer.
Sam Allardyce will probably be free after the Baggies get relegated and lets face it, that will be his only real failure. Allardici for Sp*rs anyone?
Exiled Gooner (and yes, despite Sp*rs being in turmoil, I know we will finish below them. Fortunately, you’re only as good as your last game)
Or Rafa…
It seems now a forgone conclusion that Mourinho will be sent packing, so I tought not so long and hard about it and came to this quite obvious, elegant, hands rubbing solution – the neutral fans’ choice – Rafa Benitez.
I will not go into his managerial credentials, which are undeniable, even if he’s had his hights and lows … nor will I delve into his suitability to Spurs’ style and personnel. What would make this great is the mere fact that he would be taking the reins from Mourinho at a fourth club, and this time with realistic chances of doing better, or as they say in Benitez family: “To tidy up his mess”. Mourinho won’t love it at all …
Rado, Sofia
As a well known ENIC lover, its time we gave those urban development do-gooders a helping hand and fill their coffers to recompense them for their huge outlay on the stadium (what do you mean it’s a debt facility?) and the squad to help them set sail on Uncle Joe’s navy frigate towards the idyllic Bermudian horizon.
GBP 2BN should do the trick and in this Co-vid world I am today exclusively announcing on Football 365 the formation of a celebrity Tottenham consortium to buy them out.
1) Tottenham born warbler Adele – she can release a new series of albums (01,21,51,61 ’81 etc) to fund this and play gigs at Norf Larndon’s finest entertainment multiplex;
2) Steve Nash – he must have made a lot of coin from his B’ball career and can use funds from his charity foundation which supports public service including serially depressed Tottenham supporters;
3) Kenneth Branagh – can use the stadium to film a Tottenham reboot of ‘Escape to Victory’ and call it ‘Escape from….’;
4) Trevor McDonald can be the new stadium announcer;
5) Wiley – perhaps not; and
6) Anthony Costa from Blue.
Looking forward to next season under new ownership with Ings and Orsic leading the attack and wishing Kane and Son a bon voyage.
David Harris, very wet Sydney.
Passing by the torch
To say we live in strange and interesting times is to say Big Sam likes gravy. But here we are. And surely Neymar Jr is living the strangest times of them all. As the torch that Messi (the GOAT tm) and Ronaldo (the GOAT tm) have tussled over for over a decade now lies strewn on the side of a pitch somewhere in the Champion’s league last 16. Their glory cemented, all that remains is for Messi to decide which Petro-state gets to hawk him around like Maradona doing keepie uppies for Drug barons but with more polish and air conditioning. Will he become a puppet of Qatar or the UAE? The choice is his.
Whereas, Ronaldo (the athletic machine one not the joyous phenomena of a simpler more joyous time) seeks new pastures to batter Pele’s goal scoring legacy (see Skinner and Baddiel for it’s veracity) into submission. And then onto Roy Race’s record.
Left adrift by history we have poor mis-understood Neymar Jr. The heir apparent, stranded in a sea of money waiting to ascend, but cruelly left a victim of time. As the Goats exit stage left his theatrics in the middle of the stage are not seen as all look right to the man beast of Haaland, a joyous mythical creature of strength and guile accompanied by Mbappe the graceful destroyer. Behind them Chiesa, Bellingham,Foden drawing the spotlight as he dances alone in the middle increasingly in shadow. A few 9 year olds shouting his name as he is their favourite Fortnite skin but drowned out by tiktok devouring teenagers hooked on micro-football. As Neymar is reduced to a 1 second clip within a skills reel of the younger, more mobile phone friendly stars, Agnelli counts his money and refuses to answer the phone. ‘Neymar who?’
He will get injured one last time, in March and return to Brazil and just not come back. No one will notice.
The torch will be picked up but passed rapidly amongst the new young blood as their highlights create more clipped content. Until Nike parody it with an actual torch and probably Messi, Ronaldo,Pele and a hologram of Maradona in an old people’s home or something. Neymar will not be invited. His time was missed, he was good but not as good as them or who came next. Then like Roy Batty he will cry and babble some nonsense about seeing David Luiz shoot lasers off Orion and then disappear up his own arse. Football will carry on.
Lee Butler, Bromsgrove
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