The former Manchester United striker is seven matches
away from his first league title as a manager and his club's first
ever Tippeligaen crown
For Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the opportunity to continue
his coaching education in a place where he could not possibly feel
any more at home sounded like perfection.
Molde FK were the club that had been his springboard as a
promising youth in the mid-1990s. His record of 31 goals in 38
games in Norway's top division helped to convince Sir Alex Ferguson
that the kid was worth a gamble in 1996, and the pair went on to
bathe shining light on to each other's careers.
The Manchester United manager found a
player whose knack for timely goals became legend. The Norwegian
player found a mentor who gave him opportunities not only to play
on the loftiest of stages, but also to start out as a coach when he
was given control of United's reserve team. It took him 20 seconds
to say yes to that particular opportunity.
Solskjaer returned to Norway last January with Ferguson's best
wishes. "Once he gets experience of managing a club in its own
right who knows where it will take him?" the Scot mused.
Solskjaer was especially keen to take his "dream job" as it
would enable him to take his three children back towards their
roots. He promised his wife they would go home once he finished
playing. The Solskjaers live in Kristiansund, the series of islands
that make up his home town on Norway's western coast, with a
population of just over 20,000. It takes around an hour for him to
commute to work in Molde. Ferguson had advised him that one of the
most important factors in choosing a first job was to work with
people he liked. That box was ticked in bold. The feeling was
mutual.
Following his appointment there was a rush in season-ticket
sales. The club had finished 11th in a league of 16 teams last
season. Solskjaer began life as a manager at a club in need of a
boost. His debut match, against newly promoted Sarpsborg 08
(opponents so raw they are only three years old) ended
disastrously, the final score Sarpsborg 3 Molde 0.
United fans will recall Solskjaer as a player who had an uncanny
gift for turning up at just the right moment with just the right
touch, though, and with that early hiccup out of the way Solskjaer
the manager is in position to strike gold with Molde. Today they
stand top of the Tippeligaen, six points clear of their nearest
challengers, Tromso, having played one game more, with seven games
remaining. It is a nervy but exciting time.
Not that they need any extra pressure, but Molde are in their
centenary year, and they have never before won the Norwegian title.
One game stands out in the run-in: Molde visit Tromso on Sunday
week. That situation demands Solskjaer's most inspiring team talk
yet. As he has been well taught, squeaky bum time is what separates
the winners from the rest.