Manchester United: OGS was just the front of a falling giant

Manchester United’s board finally decided to move on from former fan-favourite, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, after his side were trounced 4-1 by newly-promoted Watford. The defeat leaves United wallowing in mid-table after just one win in their last six Premier League games.

OGS’s painful downfall has been long in the making, with the team seemingly only keeping hold of the Norwegian native due to his heavy connection with the United faithful. His appointment in 2018, along with several other moves, have looked like they were made in the name of PR, rather than the successful future of the club.

Manchester United a victim of Sir Alex Ferguson’s success

The problem with being successful, especially within the Red Devils, is constantly living in the shadow of what has come before. There’s this constant longing to find the next Sir Alex Ferguson, use the players from the eras gone by and the craving to stay connected to a team that moved on a long time ago.

When Sir Alex decided to call time on his illustrious career, the fanfare and long farewell that resulted in allowing him to choose his successor was understandable. But it’s been nine years, and his shadow still looms over Old Trafford.

How does Manchester United move on from SAF?

For this historic football club to move on: it’s time to cut all ties, clear the room, and give everybody clean slates. Keep the likes of Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher teaching the youth groups, instead of promoting them to assistants without any prior experience. Stop prying on former heroes to come back and try to “save” everything.

OGS was employed as an interim, to calm the tepid nerves of fans who had to put up with Jose Mourinho’s attempt to guard the ball every game. He was never a solution, just a stop-gap to keep people happy.

But after his young side came back to beat PSG in a UEFA Champions League tie, the world, including Rio Ferdinand, decided he deserved whatever contract he wanted. At the time of his employment, OGS had managed the United reserves, Molde twice, and Cardiff City — in a stint that lasted just eight months and saw them relegated. Not exactly a CV that attracts the world’s best is it?

Man United’s problems are bigger than OGS

Since 2018, United haven’t won a single trophy and have spent nearly half a billion on transfers.

It’s time to throw out the old narratives, create a new environment and let the club push on. Clear out the boardroom, let the former stars, be former stars, allow Sir Alex to just simply be a fan and open the doors to a new era, finally.

The longer United continue to hang on to their former glory days, the longer this team won’t see the light shine off silverware unless it’s walking straight past.