Five Manchester United managers who were far worse than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Cameron Loftus
20 November 2021

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (left) and Bruno Fernandes applaud the fans after the final whistle during the Premier League match at Vicarage Road, Watford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left Manchester United on a sour note, but is he the worst ever manager at Manchester United?

Even after an impressive summer transfer window, there were still some Manchester United fans who didn't think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the right man to lead the Red Devils.

Solskjaer deserved credit for signing Bruno Fernandes, persuading Cristiano Ronaldo to return and keeping hold of influential midfielder Paul Pogba.

He also boasted the third best win percentage of any Manchester United boss, with only Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of him.

However, having been at the helm since December 2018, the Norwegian failed to provide the club with any form of silverware.

And following a home thrashing against Liverpool and a derby loss to Manchester City the writing was on the wall well before their 4-1 thumping at the hands of Watford.

So it's bye bye to Ole. But as these five former managers show, United fans should be careful what they wish for - they could end up with someone far worse.

Scott Duncan

Duncan was in charge of Manchester United between 1932 and 1937.

The Scot won the First Division title with Newcastle United during his playing days, but he wasn't able to bring the same glory to Manchester.

He boasted a win percentage of 39.5% at Manchester United despite spending a considerable amount of money on players. They were almost relegated to the Division Three North in 1933/34 but stayed up on the last day of the season and went on to win the Division Two title two years later.

However, they suffered relegation the following season and in 1937, he departed United to join Ipswich. He remained manager there until 1955 before going on to serve as secretary for a further three years.

Frank O'Farrell

O'Farrell only lasted a year-and-a-half in the Manchester United hotseat after being tasked with succeeding the legendary Sir Matt Busby.

His arrival came just three years after United were victorious in the European Cup and so there was pressure to succeed.

He got off to a promising start and, with George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton all playing well, United sat atop the First Division for the first time in three years.

O'Farrell had something of an impersonal approach which players like Best did not appreciate, however. After a fallout, Best was transfer-listed and O'Farrell spent £500,000 in six months to try and build his own team.

His costly gamble didn't pay off. The last straw was a 5-0 loss to Crystal Palace and with a win percentage of 37.04%, the only Irish manager of United was sacked in December 1972.

Dave Sexton

Sexton took over the reins in mid-1977, replacing Tommy Docherty, who left the Red Devils in controversial circumstances.

The former Chelsea boss failed to win a trophy in four full seasons at United. He was known for his dull style of play which was not appreciated by the club's supporters.

The highlights of his tenure were reaching the FA Cup final in 1979 and finishing as runners-up to Liverpool the season after.

Two of his best transfers were those of striker Joe Jordan and midfielder Ray Wilkins from Chelsea. Wilkins went on to make more than 150 appearances for the Old Trafford club.

In contrast, the signing of Garry Birtles, who was one of the best strikers in England at the time, was a failure. Sexton was unable to get the best out of him and he failed to score in 25 league appearances during the 1980/81 campaign.

Sexton was sacked in 1981. Even though he won his last seven games in charge, United finished a disappointing eighth.

The London-born manager recorded a 40.30% win ratio in his 201 matches.

David Moyes

Moyes, like O'Farrell, was tasked with replacing a legendary manager in the shape of fellow countryman Sir Alex Ferguson.

The former Everton manager was hand-picked by Sir Alex to replace him, and he was handed a mammoth six-year contract at Old Trafford.

United defeated Swansea 4-1 in Moyes' first league match in charge, but then his team endured a disastrous run which saw them make their worst ever start to a Premier League campaign.

In December, they lost back-to-back games at home for the first time since 2001/02 and sat ninth in the table.

During January, the Red Devils were knocked out of the FA and League Cups by Swansea and Sunderland, respectively. Following 3-0 defeats against Liverpool and Man City, a banner reading 'Wrong One - Moyes Out' was flown over the stadium.

By April, Manchester United were still struggling for form and following a 2-0 loss to Moyes' former club, Everton, the Scot was sacked.

His time in charge was the third-shortest in Man United's history, having been at the club for only 10 months.

When he was sacked, United were in seventh place, 13 points off the top four. They failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1995.

His win percentage was actually a respectable 52.94% and he would go on to manage Real Sociedad and Sunderland before finding himself at his current club, West Ham, where he has gone on to exceed any expectations.

Louis van Gaal

Ryan Giggs was appointed as caretaker-manager of his former club when Moyes was sacked, but Louis van Gaal took over in July 2014, following the conclusion of the 2013/14 season.

Unfortunately, van Gaal's time at United is best remembered for the Dutchman throwing himself on the floor in protest at perceived diving during a clash with Arsenal.

After 10 league matches, United were in ninth place with 13 points and three victories, their worst start to the season since 1986/87 under Ron Atkinson.

United's form, though, began to improve and they went on a ten-game unbeaten run between November and January. They went on another similar run later in the season, as Van Gaal was seemingly getting to grips with the Premier League.

In his first season, United finished in fourth place and as a result, qualified for the Champions League.

Things began to fall apart in the experienced manager's second season at the helm, as they were quickly knocked out of the League Cup and Champions League.

Before New Year, van Gaal's team went on a six-game winless run and following a 3-0 loss to Tottenham, there were reports that many of the players had turned against their manager.

In May 2016, he won his only trophy at United thanks to a Jesse Lingard goal in the FA Cup final.

However, it was bittersweet for the current Dutch national team manager, who was relieved of his duties just two days later.

Van Gaal had a win percentage of 52.43% but so much more was expected given the amount of money spent on players.