Outspoken talkSPORT co-host Simon Jordan firmly reiterated his view that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not the right man to take Manchester United back to where they belong, as his earlier prediction in December was proven absolutely correct in saying that the Red Devils manager would not be able to win them any trophies.
The hold-no-bars pundit insists he takes no pleasure in watching the Red Devils lose the Europa League final, but says it’s added proof Solskjaer is not up to the task at Old Trafford as Solskjaer again failed to deliver a trophy for Manchester United as they were beaten by Unai Emery’s Villarreal in the Europa League final at Gdansk.
Jordan seems to have become talkSPORT’s latest football oracle as he predicted all the way back in December that the Red Devils would win NOTHING this season under the Norwegian coach.
The talkSPORT co-host’s prediction had come at a time of unbridled optimism at Old Trafford, with United suddenly in the limelight tipped as surprise Premier League title contenders after an unbeaten run of seven league games and a stunning 6-2 thrashing of Leeds United.
Welsh firebrand Roy Keane, amongst others, was one of those ecstactically in high praise of Solskjaer’s side, saying they should ‘fancy their chances’ of ending the club’s seven-year wait for the league crown.
But Simon had somehow uncannily seen through the apparent mirage of impressive results, insisting the club would never win a title with Solskjaer in charge.
Not one known to pull any punches on talkSPORT – especially when it comes to Solskjaer and his Man United team – Jordan’s comments certainly made for interesting reading on Thursday morning, after watching United’s latest trophy debacle having lost to Villareal in a penalty shoot-out with David De Gea in the role of the classic bungler.
“In my view, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will deliver nothing,” he had said on White and Jordan in December.
“He might get them into the top four, and if that’s Man United’s aim, fantastic, but I thought Man United wanted to win things.
“Will Man United win the title? No chance! No chance will they win the Premier League title, no chance will they win the Champions League – well, they can’t because they got knocked out – no chance will they win the Europa League, and they won’t win the FA Cup.
“I guarantee you, as we sit here today, Man United will win nothing this season.”
Jordan, who had infamously told the Norwegian coach to ‘get his coat’ during the early stages of last season, continued his ongoing criticism of the United boss on Thursday morning. Although insisting Solskjaer is not the only man to blame for United’s continued wait for silverware, he remained adamant the former striker ‘does not have the chops’ for the top job at Old Trafford.
“Agenda? It’s not an agenda, this is not personal against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it’s just an observation, a consistent theme,” he told the nation.
“I take no satisfaction in watching somebody lose and be very upset after the game but if you ask, ‘has this season been a success for Manchester United’, the answer has to be, ‘no’.
“When you get ejected from one competition and get a second chance to win another one, get draws that help you and play Villarreal in the final, you really should be winning that trophy.
“My God, if you can’t win a tournament where you’ve gone past Granada, a disco-dancing team when Tony Adams was there three years ago… then you deserve to be in this situation.
“It’s very challenging for him, Manchester United don’t operate as best in class from the boardroom down. The owners don’t operate in a way they should for a club of that stature, the management team that has been assembled around Solskjaer to help him build an elite team aren’t there.
“Irrespective of whether I think Solskjaer is the right man for the job, I just don’t think he’s got the tool kit, and then you get to the players… when it comes to the moment to dig your manager out of a cart, they’re not there!
Jordan has maintained throughout Solskjear’s tenure that he is not the right man in charge at Man United.
“I said at the beginning of the season they won’t win the league or a major tournament, and then I got braver and said they will win nothing, and they didn’t.
“You can’t run the argument that one kick of a penalty determines an entire season… they have made progress under Solskjaer, he’s improved the spirit at the club from the dark days under Jose Mourinho – but they still haven’t won anything!
“This result will enable people to build up the narrative of how incompetent he is. He’s not incompetent, he is a decent football manager and I have always said that.”
“But I never thought he should have got the job in the first place.
“The only way Manchester United are going to win something next season of any significance is if there’s a massive erosion of the other sides. If Man City go into decline, if Liverpool don’t hit their straps again.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen, and I’ve never thought so, I’ve never thought so [that United will win any trophies] over the last three years.
“The one thing I’ve been consistent about is not degrading this man on a personal level, I’ve simply said he doesn’t have the chops to do what it takes to put Man United back where I think they should be.
“I couldn’t care less about Man United, I’m a Crystal Palace supporter! But when we’re talking objectively about the biggest club in England football, I think it’s not good enough.
“But I think it’s not good enough from the owners, to the board room, to the dugout, to the pitch.”