Solskjaer: I'm Learning From The Boss

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, still unbeaten as United's reserves coach, talks about the valuable lessons he's learned from the man he calls the gaffer...

It’s very important for me to learn from Sir Alex Ferguson. The things I hope to take are little things: how he prepares for games, how hungry he is and how he’s always looking to gain that little extra. Plus the way he’s managed all of his players, his management skills, he’s had 25 internationals every year and not many of them have asked to go. After 20 years here, that is spot on.

The manager always wanted his players and staff to have high hopes and big dreams. I remember a meeting before the 2006/07 season. We’d just signed Michael Carrick and Tomasz Kuszczak, and we’d had three seasons without being close to winning the league. He looked at us, asked us to look around at our team mates and told us we were the best players in the country with the best preparation. He said that if we didn’t challenge for the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup that season, then it was our fault, it was us there was something wrong with.

That was psychology at its best. We won the league, were close in the Champions League and lost in the FA Cup final. That little input made us players think. That’s what the manager is best at and that is hopefully something I will do with the reserves. You don’t want to keep saying things again and again and again because they’ll stop listening to you. The gaffer came in, said that and walked out. That made us think. Sometimes less is more.

I’m sure I’ll benefit from being a coach here because you develop all the time and this is something I needed. As a coach you need to be in charge of something and be responsible, of course, but I’m also here to help these lads be ready to play first team football.

I know that the young players are just as ambitious for themselves as I am for them. As soon as someone drops off… it’s not me they’re letting down, it’s themselves and I’ll need to let them know.

Being tough on the players won’t be an issue for me - I’ve played Championship Manager my whole life and have sold many players! But seriously the players know what I expect of them and as long as they do that, they won’t have a problem.