Solskjaer to United: Football´s strangest managerial arrangements as Molde ´lend´ their boss

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left his post as Molde’s manager to become Manchester United’s new caretaker boss, but only until May when he will once again take up the reins in Norway.

Solskjaer’s appointment at Old Trafford on Wednesday was confirmed just 16 days after he signed a new contract with Molde, and the Eliteserien side have insisted he will return to continue his job at the end of United’s campaign.

Molde say they have merely “lent” Solskjaer to United in what is one of the more bizarre managerial set-ups in football history.

Here, we take a look at some of the other quirkiest arrangements to have occurred.

OFFISIELT: Solskjær blir midlertidig manager i Manchester United. Erling Moe tar over ansvaret i Molde i perioden. @ManUtd @olegs26_ole https://t.co/FVuWZMYi6l

— Molde Fotballklubb (@Molde_FK) December 19, 2018

Two for the price of one – the joint managers

Lars Lagerback and Heimir Hallgrimsson shared responsibility for the Iceland job at Euro 2016 and took them all the way to the quarter-finals. Yet joint managers are not always a match made in heaven. Liverpool hired Gerard Houllier to work alongside Roy Evans in 1998 but the latter quit the club just four months into their partnership. Liverpool should have looked at Bolton Wanderers for evidence co-managers do not work always work. In 28 games in charge together, Roy McFarland and Colin Todd won just two league matches before the latter took sole control on New Year’s Day 1996.

Bos for the day?

North Queensland Fury, a former A-League team, were in a pickle in October 2010 when coach Franz Straka and his deputy Stuart McLaren were banned for a fixture against Newcastle Jets. Who were they going to call? Former Manchester United and Aston Villa goalkeeper Mark Bosnich, of course. Yet the Fury’s plans were scuppered by the guidelines of the Football Federation Australia, which stated Bosnich’s lack of a coaching licence prevented him from imparting any wisdom as a ‘trainer’ or ‘mentor’, even on a one-off basis. 

One final hurrah for Sturrock

Paul Sturrock has announced he has politely declined the chairman’s offer for him to manage the team at Wembley.

— Southend United (@SUFCRootsHall) March 28, 2013

Promotion-hunting Southend United had seen enough from Paul Sturrock in March 2013, sacking him after a run in which they had taken just five points from 18 available. Sturrock’s replacement, Phil Brown, was hired the following day but, in a curious twist, the outgoing boss was offered the chance to manage the club in the Football League Trophy final two weeks later. Southend chairman Ron Martin explained Sturrock had “earned that privilege” and had accepted his bizarre proposal. Sturrock had a change of heart, though, and it was Brown who presided over a 2-0 loss to Crewe Alexandra at Wembley.

Sack Jackie McNamara, hire Jackie McNamara

In October 2016 non-league club York City elected to part company with Jackie McNamara following a bad start to the new campaign. In his place they hired…Jackie McNamara. The club explained that the outgoing boss would oversee the team until his replacement was appointed, a process they expected to take around two weeks. However, McNamara never took charge of another game as Gary Mills’ return to Bootham Crescent was confirmed shortly after. Yet that was not the end of McNamara’s stay with York as he merely moved into the role of chief executive.