Solskjaer entire interview: - We are among the favourites
Fri Aug 08, 2014 10:33 am
Norwegian TV2 interviewed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer earlier this week, published yesterday. Commenting on last year, the season ahead, signings and Mats Daehli.
http://www.tv2.no/2014/08/07/sport/championship/5880957
(my translation)
(original title) - I don't fear to get sacked, but I know it can happen
What do you expect from your Cardiff this season?
- We are among the 5-6 teams rightfully expected to be fighting for promotion. We've gotten a lot of money from selling players and made some good signings of bosman players and some for sensible fees "
When asked about losing some of his biggest stars:
- Yes, we had to let them leave because of their contract clauses that we couldn't do anything about. So I tried to convince them to stay, but there's really nothing much you can do about the clauses. I really hoped I could make Jordon (Mutch) stay, but he wanted Premiership football and QPR put up the money. Because all these clause, we made some good signings early in this transfer window to make sure we were covered when they eventually would leave."
How would you compare the squad you inherited to the one you've got now?
- It's younger, got more enthusiasm and energy. It's my group of players now. It's a group of players that knows the Championship and are good enough for Premiership football when we return. It's important not only to prepare for this season, but for seasons to come. You've got to prepare for success. They all have to be Championship quality ready for a step up at the highest level.
You say when you return..?
- Yes, we are expected to bounce right back up. And I think we will. But there are clubs who have spent a lot more money than us. Fulham.. Signing Ross McCormack £11 mill. - actually we got some money from that transfer too, I almost forgot. Norwich have also strenghtened, even though they've lost Snodgrass. Derby. Wigan. Blackburn. There are are quite a few teams up there fighting. It's not like we'll go up without a fight. We can't just show up and automatically promote.
You've said that this is your team now. What do you put into that?
- Yes. There are more players here now playing to my philosophy of football, and I've gotten the time in pre-season to tell them, explain to them what I want from them and how I want us to play. Last year it was a lot of firefighting - on and off the pitch. But in the end, we didn't have enough players good enough to play in the Premier League.
I'll have to ask you a little bit about last season. How was it to take over an under-pressure Cardiff side?
- It was tough, for sure. Nevertheless, I loved the challenge. But I didn't make the impact I hoped for and that was dissapointing, no doubt about that. But when you meet Suarez and Sturridge one weekend, Mata, Rooney and Van Persie the next, then Toure, Aguero...(Sigh) We never got to trust ourselves more than we had to look at the opponent. Again, it was fighting fire all the time. This year we've got to trust ourselves more, stick to our philosophy and hold on to it.
You've been used to success at Molde, then struggelig but fighting back up. At Cardiff you faced a struggle you couldn't turn around. How was that?
- Looking back, and I did a lot this summer, I am very dissapointed that we couldn't turn it around. But now we've been given a fresh start. We have to rebuild. And the relegation did get me the opportunity to rebuild in a different way than if we would have stayed up. I'm not gonna lie, I would rather have been sitting here talking about an upcoming Premier League season, but that's life. You've got to take what comes your way and build back up from there.
You've gotten some critisism both for the signings you made i January and the way your side looked on the pitch. How was that like for you?
- That was OK. No problem. They've got no idea what goes on behind closed doors. I'll do my job, and they'll do theirs. And there's probably a reason why I do my job and they do theirs.
Do you feel maybe some of the critisism was made rightfully, now looking back?
- I don't know if I care to even think about that. I am my own hardest critisiser and evaluater. But I know they don't know the reasons behind that and that decision.
Media over here speculated in if you would get sacked at times - did you ever fear that would happen?
- I don't fear to get sacked, but I know it can happen. That's football. If I step onto the training grounds fearing this could be the last day, I could just.. you know. Then you could just pack your bags really. I feel I've gotten good support from the owner, and I think he's showed me that even more during the summer getting the players I've gotten. I've got a good communication with him. And it was crucial that we did some business as early on as we did in this window, getting Kiko (Federico Macheda), Le Fondre, Dikgacoi, Burgstaller.. That made the summer a lot easier.
You've moved your family over there now, wife, three kids and all - it seems like your planning to stay for a while?
"Yes, It will be something else. Coming home to your family, getting to take your mind off the football once in a while is wonderful. Not only having to think about tomorrow, the next training, the next match.
The two former Norwegian managers in the Championship, Henning Berg at Blackburn and Stale Solbakken at Wolverhampton, they've gotten a very hard job with newly relegated teams. How will you prevent that Cardiff will become another Wolves-story?
"I don't really think about how I should prevent anything, I think about how we should attack the task given and becoming the team I want Cardiff to be. How we should play. Of course, every game. You have to deserve every victory. Stability. In this league, which is very tough. I've never played here, nor managed, but at Molde, with the Tippeliga, Euro Cup, Euro Cup Qual., the national championship - we've had more matches there in a shorter space of time than we will here. It should be OK to prepare for matches.
From Norwegian eyes, Mats Moller Daehli is an exiting player to watch this season. What do you expect from him in this time to come?
"I've known Mats for a long time
, since he was 13 years old, at the Statoil Academy, that will be something like 6 years ago. 2008. He just takes one step, and the next, and the next.. He thrives with every challenge given to him. And he badly wants to be as good as he possibly can. He looks to Adnan (Januzaj) who has been doing very well at Manchester United after Mats made the move away, so.. He's got the drive needed to succeed and will definately be important for us this year.
---------------
http://www.tv2.no/2014/08/07/sport/championship/5880957
(my translation)
(original title) - I don't fear to get sacked, but I know it can happen
What do you expect from your Cardiff this season?
- We are among the 5-6 teams rightfully expected to be fighting for promotion. We've gotten a lot of money from selling players and made some good signings of bosman players and some for sensible fees "
When asked about losing some of his biggest stars:
- Yes, we had to let them leave because of their contract clauses that we couldn't do anything about. So I tried to convince them to stay, but there's really nothing much you can do about the clauses. I really hoped I could make Jordon (Mutch) stay, but he wanted Premiership football and QPR put up the money. Because all these clause, we made some good signings early in this transfer window to make sure we were covered when they eventually would leave."
How would you compare the squad you inherited to the one you've got now?
- It's younger, got more enthusiasm and energy. It's my group of players now. It's a group of players that knows the Championship and are good enough for Premiership football when we return. It's important not only to prepare for this season, but for seasons to come. You've got to prepare for success. They all have to be Championship quality ready for a step up at the highest level.
You say when you return..?
- Yes, we are expected to bounce right back up. And I think we will. But there are clubs who have spent a lot more money than us. Fulham.. Signing Ross McCormack £11 mill. - actually we got some money from that transfer too, I almost forgot. Norwich have also strenghtened, even though they've lost Snodgrass. Derby. Wigan. Blackburn. There are are quite a few teams up there fighting. It's not like we'll go up without a fight. We can't just show up and automatically promote.
You've said that this is your team now. What do you put into that?
- Yes. There are more players here now playing to my philosophy of football, and I've gotten the time in pre-season to tell them, explain to them what I want from them and how I want us to play. Last year it was a lot of firefighting - on and off the pitch. But in the end, we didn't have enough players good enough to play in the Premier League.
I'll have to ask you a little bit about last season. How was it to take over an under-pressure Cardiff side?
- It was tough, for sure. Nevertheless, I loved the challenge. But I didn't make the impact I hoped for and that was dissapointing, no doubt about that. But when you meet Suarez and Sturridge one weekend, Mata, Rooney and Van Persie the next, then Toure, Aguero...(Sigh) We never got to trust ourselves more than we had to look at the opponent. Again, it was fighting fire all the time. This year we've got to trust ourselves more, stick to our philosophy and hold on to it.
You've been used to success at Molde, then struggelig but fighting back up. At Cardiff you faced a struggle you couldn't turn around. How was that?
- Looking back, and I did a lot this summer, I am very dissapointed that we couldn't turn it around. But now we've been given a fresh start. We have to rebuild. And the relegation did get me the opportunity to rebuild in a different way than if we would have stayed up. I'm not gonna lie, I would rather have been sitting here talking about an upcoming Premier League season, but that's life. You've got to take what comes your way and build back up from there.
You've gotten some critisism both for the signings you made i January and the way your side looked on the pitch. How was that like for you?
- That was OK. No problem. They've got no idea what goes on behind closed doors. I'll do my job, and they'll do theirs. And there's probably a reason why I do my job and they do theirs.
Do you feel maybe some of the critisism was made rightfully, now looking back?
- I don't know if I care to even think about that. I am my own hardest critisiser and evaluater. But I know they don't know the reasons behind that and that decision.
Media over here speculated in if you would get sacked at times - did you ever fear that would happen?
- I don't fear to get sacked, but I know it can happen. That's football. If I step onto the training grounds fearing this could be the last day, I could just.. you know. Then you could just pack your bags really. I feel I've gotten good support from the owner, and I think he's showed me that even more during the summer getting the players I've gotten. I've got a good communication with him. And it was crucial that we did some business as early on as we did in this window, getting Kiko (Federico Macheda), Le Fondre, Dikgacoi, Burgstaller.. That made the summer a lot easier.
You've moved your family over there now, wife, three kids and all - it seems like your planning to stay for a while?
"Yes, It will be something else. Coming home to your family, getting to take your mind off the football once in a while is wonderful. Not only having to think about tomorrow, the next training, the next match.
The two former Norwegian managers in the Championship, Henning Berg at Blackburn and Stale Solbakken at Wolverhampton, they've gotten a very hard job with newly relegated teams. How will you prevent that Cardiff will become another Wolves-story?
"I don't really think about how I should prevent anything, I think about how we should attack the task given and becoming the team I want Cardiff to be. How we should play. Of course, every game. You have to deserve every victory. Stability. In this league, which is very tough. I've never played here, nor managed, but at Molde, with the Tippeliga, Euro Cup, Euro Cup Qual., the national championship - we've had more matches there in a shorter space of time than we will here. It should be OK to prepare for matches.
From Norwegian eyes, Mats Moller Daehli is an exiting player to watch this season. What do you expect from him in this time to come?
"I've known Mats for a long time
, since he was 13 years old, at the Statoil Academy, that will be something like 6 years ago. 2008. He just takes one step, and the next, and the next.. He thrives with every challenge given to him. And he badly wants to be as good as he possibly can. He looks to Adnan (Januzaj) who has been doing very well at Manchester United after Mats made the move away, so.. He's got the drive needed to succeed and will definately be important for us this year.---------------