With reports linking us with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer today, I have to say I’m a little surprised.
Not surprised because Solskjaer doesn’t have potential, or that he couldn’t do a good job at Aston Villa, but rather that such an appointment shows a complete change of direction from the board.
Now, after what happened last season with Alex McLeish, it is perhaps understandable that the goalposts would, and should, move. However, looking at the fact that the board were so adamant that they needed Premier League experience, to then go and consider a man who has only managed Molde and Manchester United’s reserve team is a tad out of the blue.
Solskjaer has, however, been successful with Molde winning the Norwegian Tippeliga, their top division, at the first time of asking. So he has established his credentials as a winner fairly early on.
Many may shrug off the fact that Solskjaer’s credentials are limited, and that his lack of experience may prove to be a stumbling block, especially in light of the age of some of the Villa players who may have to comprise part of the team in the short term. Nobody is suggesting he would be facing the kind of issues that Andre Villas-Boas suffered in his short tenure at Chelsea, but it is certainly a bold move if it has indeed been made.
The reality for Villa, for fans and as a club, is that they must understand that they do not have the pulling power to acquire top quality established managers. We can sit here and disagree about the matter, but it is still the truth – Villa have won nothing in 16 years, and top quality managers generally want jobs without issues, not jobs with a whole mass of them.
However, with favourites moving in and out like the tide, it is hard to make definitive statements about such suggestions without making oneself look much like a fool. All I can say at present is that such a choice is a positive one, one that is refreshingly different, and that it would invariably spark the start of a different era at the club.
My main concern, and this is not actually to do with the manager, is that the club’s choice of managers have no real sense of structure to them. This, for me at least, illustrates either a total lack of plan in place for the club’s long term future, or a massive degree of naivety in selections. To go from Houllier to McLeish to a possible unproven manager is some move.
Obviously the next step after McLeish couldn’t be a similar type of person because of the poor performances and reception that the club endured last season. To that end, moving towards a different philosophy, specifically with a young manager (Solskjaer is only 6 years older than me) indicates a plan for the future, and the belief that the man will be given time to develop a new ethos and structure. Nobody in their right mind would argue against such a logic.
If it does transpire that the Norwegian is to become the next manager, Villa fans should feel happy. Now is not the time to rue the fact that such a choice isn’t at the level of Frank Rijkaard, Louis van Gaal, or Pep Guardiola, but more of a change of tact.
Such a change will invariably mean that fans expectations will need to be aligned with a long term view, and one that may see Villa’s short term aim merely involving finishing around mid-table. Don’t call that accepting mediocrity though, just call it the first step in our way back to the right end of the table.
Whoever is appointed will be taking on a long term task – we are not going to reappear as a top team overnight. However, with the right support, structure, and financial backing, Solskjaer may well be the ideal candidate for a new era at Villa Park.
So, after all, it’s Gunnar be alright.
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