Manchester United were eliminated from the FA Cup, in the quarterfinal round, at the hands of Leicester City over the weekend, and when it happened it naturally prompted a popular meme. That’s the “smiling man pointing at his brain to tell you how smart his idea is” meme.
The joke is obvious and writes itself- “can’t get eliminated in the semifinal round of a competition, for the fifth time, if you dont even qualify.” United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is that guy, as he’s yet to win a trophy, but he’s lost four semifinals since he took over in December of 2018 from Jose Mourinho.
It had previously been reported that Solskjaer, who went from interim manager to full-time manager in March of 2019, would need to finally close the deal on winning some silverware in order to get a new deal. According to ESPN UK today, it’s not the case, and he’ll get an extension regardless of results this term.
The report states that “United chiefs believe they have already seen enough progress, both on and off the field, to warrant offering Solskjaer a new deal.”
Proponents of Solskjaer, which now include David Beckham, believe he’s a great fit as a United man who knows the club and their culture through and through. They can point to United being top of the table, in the second half of a Premier League season, for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
As you know that January stading atop the table didn’t last very long at all, but his supporters see a nice guy that players enjoy working under.
As for the OGS detractors, they see a good guy who is just in way over head and is severely lacking in tactician skills and overall strategy. They focus on his dreadful record and lack of ambitious approach versus the rest of the big six this season.
They of course point to the empty trophy cabinet (even David Moyes won a Community Shield at United) and the fact that United are still no closer to competing for the league or Champions League trophies.
So he’s a divisive figure no doubt, and he has one year left on his current deal. The number one also applies to the chances United have at getting a trophy this season, as they’ll soon face Granada in the Europa League quarterfinals.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.