OLE - " I WILL BE PROFESSIONAL BUT UNITED WILL BE SPECIAL "

Monday January 27th 2014

By Terry Phillips

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/foot ... ar-6595464?

Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits Old Trafford reunion will be special

As he prepares to take his Cardiff City team to his old stomping ground, former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits he's going to enjoy it

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits it’s going to be a special occasion when he takes his Cardiff City team to face Manchester United at Old Trafford tomorrow.

He doesn’t shy away from his allegiance to the Reds even though he is planning to cause an upset against David Moyes’ men, saying: “I follow Manchester United with red blood. They are, for me, the biggest club in the World.”

Solkskjaer says he may pop up to the chairman’s room to say hi to Sir Alex Ferguson, but doesn’t expect to feel too much emotion when he walks out to the away technical area.

“I’m not too much of an emotional guy so I don’t think that will be a problem,” he says. “I’m more professional than emotional. I’ll go there and, of course, I’ll enjoy it, but I won’t be thinking about all the surroundings.

“I will be thinking about my team and nothing else.

“Our focus will be on going out there and playing the best Cardiff can against a fantastic football team and the best club in the world.

“I’ve had a great relationship with the Manchester United fans for many years.

“Back in Norway when we’ve watched United games over the years I’ve nudged the kids and said ‘they are still singing about your dad!’.

“Tomorrow, though, it’s all about the match. It’s a fantastic chance for the players and a special day, of course.

“As I say, though, I’m not that emotional, but it’s hard to say exactly how I will feel.

“You never know. Sometimes it just catches you doesn’t it? Like when you do your wedding speech and stuff!”

Solskjaer has only been a manager at Old Trafford once and that was for their own reserve team.

“That’s the only time, one game when I was in charge of United’s reserves,” he says.

“I’ll have to make sure I go into the right dressing room and the right dug-out.”

Solskjaer, like Moyes at United, is in the early stages of his job and says: “He will be given time to get his way of football, his philosophy, across. When you come in new ideas, even subtle changes, take time.

“Manchester United is a club which will give David Moyes time.

“It’s the same with me at Cardiff. Time is needed to get all the ideas across. In three weeks with Cardiff I’ve seen a change, but you can’t change from A to Z straightaway, It takes time.”

He insists that same Old Trafford aura is in place, saying: “Going to Old Trafford is a dream for many footballers and sometimes that can be daunting as well for teams and players. It’s my job to ensure it isn’t daunting for Cardiff. I am working with my lads so they go out there and play to the best of our abilities.

“They have signed Juan Mata and he is one of the top players in European football.

“He has been fantastic with Chelsea over the last couple of years. United have signed a top, top player there.”

Solskjaer certainly knows his team must play better against Manchester United than they did against Bolton where lacked a cutting edge at times and battled to a 1-0 win.

“For my players to come off the pitch after having defended so well against Bolton is good,” he said. “You have to defend well no matter what team you play against.

“We kept possession really well at Bolton, but we need that extra threat.

“We can’t just keep the ball. We need to do penetrate, get in behind, and get shots on goal.

“We went to Manchester City and did well for long periods, but we started badly. That mindset we hope to change. It’s a great chance to do it against Manchester United.

“That will be a different game to the one we played today against Bolton for example, different from the games we have coming up in February where we are at home and expected to dominate and control games.”

Really hope the boys do us and the manager proud on Tuesday. Very exciting month ahead, feel really positive about the team's chances of success.

OLE I hope you have a special evening tomorrow night but after the handshakes let's attack them from the off. Play a 3-5-2 and have a go with Noone and Bellamy down both channels……. And guys let's get behind the players and show these plastic supporters what local support is all about, 3,000 of us can make more noise than 72,000 of them, so let's give it them!!

OLE I hope you have a special evening tomorrow night but after the handshakes let's attack them from the off. Play a 3-5-2 and have a go with Noone and Bellamy down both channels……. And guys let's get behind the players and show these plastic supporters what local support is all about, 3,000 of us can make more noise than 72,000 of them, so let's give it them!!

We don't have the players for a 3-5-2

I'd prefer a 3-4-3 but we don't have the team for this. If we stick Gary Medal in the back then we have the team for a 3-5-2 and take the game to them for a change

Manchester United vs Cardiff City: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer unsure of his emotions on return to Old Trafford

He was lying of course. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s comment that his return to Manchester United was “just another game” was not one to be taken seriously by those who had gathered at the Hilton Hotel to hear the Cardiff manager talk of his return to a place where he spent a third of his life.

When, to several raised eyebrows, he accepted the offer to work for Vincent Tan, he checked the fixture list. Two of his first three league games would be in Manchester. He was theatrically booed at City, who were in the third tier of English football when he won United the European Cup. At Old Trafford, he is loved unconditionally.

Given that Solskjaer had meticulously planned his management career; coaching United’s reserves before returning to manage his former club, Molde, few envisaged a leap in the dark with Tan. His mentor, Sir Alex Ferguson, has long warned of chairmen “who advise their managers on how free-kicks should be taken”.

Ferguson has spoken regularly to Solskjaer but this week the Norwegian stressed that although he may “pop up into the chairman’s suite” to see his old manager tonight, he has not talked to him since coming to Wales.

Tan may not give him security but Solskjaer has been handed something he was unlikely to receive if he followed up Aston Villa’s interest a couple of years ago – money. Kenwyne Jones and the Manchester United pairing of Wilfried Zaha and Fabio da Silva represent formidable reinforcements for a club bottom of the Premier League. And if Cardiff are relegated, it will be the Malaysian rather than the Norwegian who will shoulder the blame.
Naturally, like many of Ferguson’s former players, Solskjaer has imagined himself in the home dug-out at Old Trafford. When the Manchester Evening News asked him straight whether he wanted the United job, Solskjaer laughed and deflected the question with the observation that he would be damned if he said yes and damned if he denied it.

“I have always had a great relationship with Manchester United’s fans,” he said. “Back in Norway, when we’ve been watching United games over the years, I’ve nudged the kids and said: ‘They are still singing about your dad.’

“I am not that emotional a man so it is hard to say how I will feel. You never know. Sometimes, it just catches you, doesn’t it? Like when you do your wedding speech.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foot ... 89273.html

So they have RVP, Rooney and Mata and people want to play 3 at the back??????

Gary Medal performances for Chile against both the Enemy and Spain in a 3 man defence this season (fu*king awesome)!! & they got results and now we've got the two Norwegians in midfield we can afford to play him there.