Who put the ball in the German's net?
Above: Scoring THAT goal against Bayern Munich
In the aftermath of Euro’96 Sir Alex (then just plain old Alex Ferguson) had set his sights on signing Alan Shearer, Shearer turned down the devils for the second time (he chose to sign for Blackburn in 1994 over the Man Utd) and instead Sir Alex singed an unknown Norwegian named Ole Gunnar Solskjær. When I saw his picture on the newspaper, part of me screamed…WHAT??? Along with Dutch Keeper Raimond van der gouw, Czech Winger Karel Poborsky, Dutch star (and son of the legendary Johann Cryuff) Jordi Cryuff and Norwegian Ronny Johnsen they were supposed to be the new generation of stars.
On his debut as a Substitute, Solskjaer scored against Blackburn Rovers and in the course of the season, fit in well with the team and partnering Eric Cantona, Andy Cole and for some time Brian Mc Clair. He finished the season with 18 goals, winning the Premiership in his debut season. Unfortunately in 1998 United Finished second in the league and were knocked out of both the European Cup and FA Cup in the early rounds.
His breakout season finally arrived in the 98/99 season where he famously scored 4 goals in 13 minutes (coming of the bench) in an 8-1 rout over Nottingham Forest. Solskjaer also earned the mantle of being a supersub due to his uncanny ability to score of the bench, handing United a win or a draw if they were losing, Ole formed a solid strike force with the ageing striker Teddy Sherringham, with Sherringham’s experience, vision and excellent passing ability combined with Solskjaers speed and incredible finishing they formed the second partnership behind the Yorke/Cole partnership. His Crowning Glory arrived on May 26 1999 during the Champions league final when deep in injury time he scored the winning goal to rob Bayern Munich of the Champions League Trophy (again coming of the bench), ensuring United fans throughout the ages will forever remember his name.
In the aftermath of the Treble however, he still remained a substitute as Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke forged a successful partnership and were scorching the scoring charts. In the summer of the 2001 season United had just won their third premier league title in a row and there was news of United signing the Dutch hitman Ruud Van Nistelrooy, with Solskjaer already stuck with the mantle of being the third striker his days at Old Trafford looked to be numbered especially with Tottenham hotspurs making serious enquires and his old strike partner Teddy Sherringham alaready playing for them. However Dwight Yorke was injured and Andy Cole suffered from loss of form, With Ruud Penciled as a starter Solskjaer not only was the only striker available he seized the opportunity to cement his place in the starting 11, forcing Cole and Yorke to the Bench.
By the 2002/03 Season both Cole and Yorke had left the club but Sir Alex persisted in playing Ruud as a lone striker and opportunities were hard to come by. During the 2002/03 season David Beckham suffered a serious injury and Ole was given a new role on the team as a right winger, While proving himself to be a fine crosser of the ball, Solskjær also popped up with crucial goals (something Beckham was not able to do), scoring a total of 16 goals for the season. He was selected to play on the right wing in important matches, such as in the title deciding league game against Arsenal and the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, while Beckham was left on the bench. He also captained the team in a number of matches. Surprisingly the fans did not take too harshly to Beckham being dropped and supported Solsjkaer as United claimed their 15th League title (Beckham left for Real Madrid at the End of The season).
This would prove to be the last season where Ole played a significant role in the team, as he struggled with a recurring knee problem and was never able to cement his place on the United team. By that time United had signed Louis Saha, Wayne Rooney and Alan Smith and Again it seemed that Solskjaer would be leaving United as Solskjær underwent intensive knee surgery in August 2004 and had to miss the 2004-05 season entirely. While he eventually recovered his fitness, it was difficult for the 32-year-old to carve his niche again among the heavyweight attacking force of Manchester United. The Old Trafford faithful, however, displayed an almost fanatical loyalty to indicate their desire to see Solskjær in action again forever singing his "song" apltly titled 'Who put the ball in the German's Net' to remember his goal agaisnt Munich in '99.
Solskjær made his long-awaited return to action on December 5 2005, playing for United's reserves against Liverpool. Spectators numbering 2,738 showed up to witness the comeback of the popular Norwegian - an above-average turn-out for a reserve team match. He made his first-team return as a substitute in the match against Birmingham City on 28 December. He then finally made his first start more than a year later in the FA Cup match against Burton Albion, before playing a full game as a captain in the re-play. By the end of the season Solskjaer scored 8 goals in 17 appearances.
On 5 June 2007, it was announced that Solskjær had undergone minor surgery after he reported discomfort in his knee while training with Norway. The surgery was a success, but Solskjær failed to fully recover and announced his retirement from professional football on 27 August 2007.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will always be remembered as a true professional, never engaging in a war of words with opponents, fighting on the pitch and his work ethic during training was exemplary. He finished his United Career appearing in 366 games and scoring 126 goals in which 28 goals were scored as a substitute.
Above: His Name will be Forever Remembered By the United Faihful
Comments