"And Solskjaer has won it!"
Five words, and other than a slightly complicated Norwegian surname, they are a very simple 5 words. And yet they invoke real emotion, sat here typing them has given me goosebumps- yes I'm a little weird like that.
But these 5 words, said by Clive Tyldesley back in 1999, create memories for so many- some good (like me) and some bad. And for me the 5 words, and the emotion that engulfs me following them, bring me back to the days when football first really mattered to me.
I had been a football fan, along with any sport, for as long as I could possibly remember and yet until the treble season I can't recall getting so emotionally attached. It was perhaps Dennis Irwin's sending off in the match against Liverpool in the same season that got me so riled first. I, along with my cousins, felt it necessary to call the F.A and complain about the Irishman's sending off- it may also suggest where my utter hatred for Liverpool comes from, that and being from Manchester.
Of course I digress, as usual. It was Tyldesley who said those words but it was of course United's baby faced assassin, their super sub, 20Legend and whatever else you want to call Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The Norwegian was a brilliant player, a goalscorer of the highest regard, and someone who played the game smiling- which is not something we see too often these days. Of course Gunnar is best known for that goal in Barcelona on a night that the gods of football had clearly pre-written the script for and his second most well known attribute was to score late goals. I remember sitting at a friends house for his birthday watching Match of the Day as he scored 4 goals in the last 10 minutes of a match vs Nottingham Forest. It wasnt' important, as United already lead 4-1, but it's what Ole did- score goals!
It was a shame that Ole had to retire from injury in 2007 having been unable to recover from a knee injury, but by that point his place in the hearts of all Manchester United fans was obvious. Having joined in 1996 for a paultry £1.5 million pounds he scored within 6 minutes of his debut against Blackburn Rovers. You may be thinking that £1.5 million may have been a lot at this time but remember 'Alan Shearer is 10 times dearer', or words to that effect. It was befitting that his last league game came against Blackburn and just like old times, he scored.
But Solskjaer has now moved on from United, having spent a succesful term at the helm of the Red Devil's reserve team, to join his first team- Molde- as manager.. In his first 4 games as manager the team were truly playing in the image of their boss as they scored late goals in the games to either win or draw, a start to the season that ended with the reserves winning the Lancashire Senior Cup.
With Ole now becoming manager of a first team he will inevitably join the ever growing list of names to be Sir Alex's successor- many of these names are already ex-United players. And who of us would bet against Ole being the man to win the race, as either the next manager or the one after that. Solskjaer is a true United hero, he knows the club- as player and coach, and is a nice, media friendly guy. His reputation for goals also fits in with the Old Trafford ethos of football.
The big question surrounds wether or not he can handle the pressure of football management and the added pressure of possibly being lined up to replace the most succesful manager in United's history.
If Solskjaer winning the Champions League as manager of United is akin to his goal in that 99' final, then his first step into football management maybee the moment Peter Schmeichel joined his teammates for the first significant corner on that night.
"And Solskjaer has won it!"?...
Only time will tell!
