Solskjær retires

[kai]

He managed 336 games in 11 years - thats an average of 30ish a season. Which considering he missed best part of 3 years with injuries is a pretty damn high average number of games a season.

And before you say they were all as sub - only approx 1/3 of them were - so still started on average every other game - hardly struggling to get a game is it.


He's a legend for us in the same manner David Fairclough is for your scummy lot, but he means much more to the fans for taking a stance against the Glazers, for being patron of Shareholders United, for sitting with the fans while out injred in the family stand, for unswerving loyalty to the club, for that tackle on Rob Lee, for coming off the bench to grab us a Champions League, for being a model professional in a time of footballers egos, and for rescuing us on countless occasions. Ole Gunnar Soljskaer had the knack of coming off the bench and doing what you thought you'd do if the manager had run out of players and shouted you out from the stands, and thats something you can't replace in the hearts of supporters.


If a Liverpool player had done half those things he'd be worshipped at Anfield - like I say look to your own past and how revered David Fairclough is, and his relationship with the Pool fans doesn't even come close.




As copied from one blog I read on this subject - to me this gets to the essence of what it means to be a Red Legend and what makes Ole up there for ANY united supporter:



Every club has its legends. For United, the untouchables are George Best, Denis Law, Bryan Robson, Norman Whiteside, Mark Hughes, Eric Cantona and Roy Keane. They aren't loved in spite of their faults, they're worshipped even more because of them. George punched Ron Yeats and knocked him out, Denis scored that goal, Robbo drank for England, Big Norm nailed McMahon (we hurt when he moved to Merseyside, but we got over it), Eric and Simmons, Keane and all kinds, even including Haaland in some people's eyes, but especially getting himself booked and suspended for the final.

The next level includes legends like Bobby Charlton (should be in the top level, but strangely isn't), Nobby Stiles, Ray Wilkins, Martin Buchan, Stevie Coppell, Sammy McIlroy, Kevin Moran, Lou Macari, all the 92 graduates and a lot of the big names of the 90's & since.

There are also those who are remembered fondly despite flitting relatively briefly across the Old Trafford scene such as Gordon Hill, Jaap Stam, Gerry Daly, Arthur Graham & Peter Barnes even, Arnold Muhren, Ralphie Milne (arf), Willie Morgan, Teddy Sheringham, Andrei Kanchelskis and many more.

Not a legend? Ole Gunnar Solskjaer? Not a fkn legend?? For me and for many others, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in the very top level. Unlike the other untouchables, he only ever did one thing 'wrong' and that was THAT tackle on Rob Lee - something that made United fans love him even more. I think of it as a noble act of self-sacrifice and his reaction to doing it has almost the same effect on me as watching Derek Redmond and his dad at the Olympics. His retirement has almost the same effect on me as Stevie Coppell's, although at least Ole's isn't too premature. Good stuff above, I think we got his best bits but there were so many. For the calm finishes and the smiles and the attitude and staying instead of going to Spurs, nobody deserved to score the European Cup winner for United more than Ole.

(The Babes didn't get a mention. They're a whole different level of legendary, because we'll never know...)

[Frank Dogshit]

a good player but certainly not a legend.....

he was always sodding injured...more sicknotes than shaggy anderton.

[kai]

a good player but certainly not a legend.....

he was always sodding injured...more sicknotes than shaggy anderton.

Only in recent years.


As for the legend thing - maybe not a legend to supporters of other teams - but in terms of what he means to United supporters he is and will always be remembered as one - and surely legend status is something that can only really be judged by the supporters of the team you play for as its what you mean to those supporters that makes you a 'terrace' legend. In that regard he's up there with any of the United players from the 90's.

Its certainly up there for how I feel with when Keane and Schmeichal went, and above when Eric left, so that says it all really.

[Numeric]

a good player but certainly not a legend.....

he was always sodding injured...more sicknotes than shaggy anderton.

could be wrong but i can't remember him being out for any long stretch before his major injury, by which point he'd already sealed his United Legend status, so you can't blame the club for keeping him on their books and showing hope and faith that he could return, if United would have tried to offload him there would have been an outcry from the fans anyway and rightly so...

Ole is a legend for all the reasons kai and microdot have already pointed out and many more also...

i hope the 20legend banner hangs from the Stretford End for all eternity...

[Numeric]

beat me to it kai...

[Microdot]

bottom line is Solskjær is a legend in the eyes of most true football fans (not just reds) not just because of his ability (possibly the best finisher the prem's ever seen), but because of his attitude to the game.

Ole is a legend in the same way Gary Speed, Alasandro Del Piero, Paul Scholes etc are legends. they've never fukked around, holding their clubs to ransom over wages (like Gerrard, Ferdinand, Keane (though still a legend for other reasons), Lampard etc) or done anything off the pitch to embarrass themselves, their clubs or their fans.

Basically, Ole is a rarity in the modern game. An honest footballer.
That alone doesn't make him a legend, but combined with some historical football moments (4 goals in 10 minutes off the bench vs Forest, last minute winners vs Munich and the vermin in 99), all add up to tick all the boxes necessary to give a player legendary status.

anyone who doesn't acknowlege Ole as a bonafide legend is a know nothing fukkwit, end of.

[Frank Dogshit]

(possibly the best finisher the prem's ever seen), .

turn it in mate....theres about 10 other strikers off the top of my head that are in a different league to him when it comes to putting the ball in the net.

[Frank Dogshit]

big deal......toe bopped home a 2 yarder in the CL final.

hes a legend in united eyes,noone elses.

steve ogrizovic was more of a legend than he'll ever be!

[Microdot]

steve ogrizovic was more of a legend than he'll ever be!

lol, YCNMIU...


ps, who are these 10 better finishers then? even I've named more possible contenders than you.

[Numeric]

yeah who are these ten 'off the top of your head'

[Eddowion]

Alan Shearer
Ian Wright
Michael Owen
Thierry Henry
Andy Cole
Ruud Van Nistleroy
Nicholas Anelka
Dwight Yorke
Robbie Fowler
Teddy Sheringham
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Les Ferdinand
Jurgen Klinsmann
Kevin Phillips
Chris Sutton
Dion Dublin
Didier Drogba
to name a few

[Microdot]

Alan Shearer
Ian Wright
Michael Owen
Thierry Henry-------no way

Ruud Van Nistleroy


Robbie Fowler

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink-------- maybe

Jurgen Klinsmann




to name a few

This list is nearer the mark mate. not sayin all these are better finishers than Ole, just these are the ones who are in the same class (of finishing).

[judas_beast]

Anelka is amazing, but he blows hot and cold too much. No, thats not a euphemism. Drogba has had ONE good season. People like Sheringham, Yorke, Van Nistleroy yeah, I can agree, brilliant FINISHERS, but Henry? Great footballer, yes, better finiser than OGS?

Anyway, it's all a moot point as Man U are shit and that we can all agree on.

[Eddowion]

Got a lot of respect for Ole, yes he was a great finisher.
I also have a lot of respect for Sir Al, his record speaks for itself.
The question one has to ask.......In all those years, why was Ole never Sir Al's first choice?

[Microdot]

The question one has to ask.......In all those years, why was Ole never Sir Al's first choice?

one answer could be that during much of that time, Utd had the best pairing up front the premiership has ever seen (please lets not get the numpties trying to argue this aint true) in Yorke and Cole.
after this, Utd signed the most prolific striker in prem history. then Ole got injured a few months later (after securing Beckham's place in the team).
given the competition for places at Utd before, during and after this time, and almost 2 full seasons out through injury. I think he played alot of games.
SAF always said Ole had a unique gift of being able to know what to do to effect a game after watching it from the bench, given the results Ole used to get, I think few would disagree.

and I never said he was the best striker to have played in the prem, I said possibly the best finisher. and I'll stand by that.

anyway, at least we're actually getting some intelligent discussion about the great man now, though I bet we've not seen the last of the ABU numpties in this thread.

[Eddowion]

one answer could be that during much of that time, Utd had the best pairing up front the premiership has ever seen (please lets not get the numpties trying to argue this aint true) in Yorke and Cole.

I agree completely........but.........Yorke & Cole are two of the names you removed from my list???????
Anelka, Klinsmann and Drogba aside.......all the names in my list were taken from the Premier League hall of fame of top goalscorers.

What's an ABU numpty?

[Numeric]

What's an ABU numpty?

ABU stands for Anyone But United

[Numeric]

ABU's are the bitter b**stards that can't stand United because they are jealous of their success...

[Microdot]

I agree completely........but.........Yorke & Cole are two of the names you removed from my list???????

Yorke and Cole together were greater than the sum of their parts and had other things going for them that kept them in the team...Cole's pace, work rate and ability to get into scoring positions, and Yorke's overall contribution to the team and particularly to Andy Cole's play. I reckon Cole often got the nod over Ole because he linked up so well with Yorke. Yorke was chosen over Ole because he was pretty much the best player in Europe that season (possible exception of Keane).
Ole was a better finisher than both Yorke and Cole imo.

[Eddowion]

Yorke and Cole together were greater than the sum of their parts and had other things going for them that kept them in the team...Cole's pace, work rate and ability to get into scoring positions, and Yorke's overall contribution to the team and particularly to Andy Cole's play. I reckon Cole often got the nod over Ole because he linked up so well with Yorke. Yorke was chosen over Ole because he was pretty much the best player in Europe that season (possible exception of Keane).
Ole was a better finisher than both Yorke and Cole imo.

Makes sense, I'll go along with that.