Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident he will have complete control of football matters as Cardiff City’s new manager and has insisted that he has no reservations about working under Vincent Tan, the club’s controversial owner.
Speaking on the day he was appointed as Malky Mackay’s successor, Solskjaer said that he was going into the job with “open eyes” and with the aim of turning Cardiff into a top-10 Premier League club.
The Norwegian, who has agreed a 12-month rolling contract, dismissed suggestions that Sir Alex Ferguson had told him not to go anywhere near the Cardiff position as “absolute nonsense”.
Prepared for challenge
However, the former Manchester United striker admitted he had received “one or two text messages” from friends in football advising him against replacing Mackay.
Explaining a decision that has taken many people by surprise, in particular in Norway, Solskjaer said: “Everything isn’t exactly what it seems from the outside.”
The 40-year-old said that there was no need to be concerned about whether he had made the right call to leave Molde for a club plagued by off-the-field problems.
“I am really looking forward to the challenge,” said Solskjaer, who will be joined by Mark Dempsey and Richard Hartis, two former Manchester United youth coaches who worked with him during his spell at Molde.
“Whenever the manager put me on the bench [at Manchester United], I wanted to prove to him he is wrong. And if there is any doubts, don’t worry, I’m coming into this with clear and open eyes.
“I know what I’m going into and I’m so looking forward to it. I’m going to bring my energy, enthusiasm, football knowledge . . . I want my team to play exciting football, we want the fans to come here and be proud of us.”
'Good dialogue'
When it was pointed out to Solskjaer that Ferguson, whom he played under at Manchester United and continues to refer to as "gaffer", has always said that the manager should be the most important person at a football club, the Norwegian replied: "I agree. I am very confident that football matters, that is my matter."
Solskjaer stressed the importance of creating a culture at Cardiff where there is “good dialogue”.
Moreover, he said that he enjoyed a “great meeting” with Tan at the Emirates Stadium on New Year’s Day, when he watched Cardiff lose 2-0 to Arsenal.
“He [Tan] has ploughed loads of money into the club and he wants it to be successful. He’s willing to help this club progress and develop into the Premier League club that we want it to be.”
Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman said he is “100 per cent convinced” Solskjaer can make the step up to Premier League management.
"I am a fan of the way he plays football and the way he looks at the game," said Dalman. "We will see much more attacking football from Ole. Also, I like the way he communicates. That, for me, is crucial in the role I play, communicating with the manager and the rest of the hierarchy . . . Ole ticks all those boxes."
Guardian Service
