'They have got the right man and he's doing a good job' – Solskjaer's first 12 months at Manchester United

The club might well be finally moving in the right direction after a topsy-turvy first year in permanent charge for the former striker

When the press release dropped at 9am on Thursday, March 28, there was little surprise to read that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been named Manchester United manager on a permanent basis.

The Norwegian won his first eight games having taking charge on a temporary basis after Jose Mourinho was sacked and, after the miracle in Paris, Rio Ferdinand was waving a sheet of paper on BT Sport claiming Solskjaer should be demanding any terms he wanted.

Solskjaer landed his dream job after an impressive 14 wins and two draws in his first 19 fixtures but that was when the real work started. A disappointing two wins in the final 10 games of last season saw United miss out on Champions League football and finish sixth.

The honeymoon period was always unlikely to last but the key for club chiefs was getting the person they believed to be the right fit to lead a rebuild. The squad needed surgery and Solskjaer was deemed to be the person to perform it.

And while there’s been bumps in the road in terms of results, the commitment to stick with Solskjaer has remained. When results dipped and there was speculation he could be on his way in October, after they went on a five-game streak without a win, the word from inside the club remained the same. Everyone was aware when they hired the 47-year-old that it would be a long-term project. That view hadn’t changed.

And, while there is still a pool of people who believe Solskjaer isn’t the right man for the job long term, there are plenty who believe he is. Former goalkeeper Mark Bosnich, who played with the ex-striker is one of those.

“He has only had just over 12 months so he needs to be given an opportunity,” Bosnich told Goal. “I know that everyone wants things fast these days, which is understandable to an extent but, he has only been there 12 months. Give it time, he will get it right. We have already seen the signs of that and so far so good.

“I think he has done a very good job with the chips in the air again. It will be interesting to see where they finish this season, but they have got the right man and he is doing a good job. I always thought that one day he would be a really good manager.

“He has been at the club before and knows how to handle the pressure. He has good people around him to make sure he can always ask for things and I am sure Sir Alex [Ferguson] is always available if he needs him. All those ingredients are there. So I believe eventually that he will bring Manchester United back to where they should be.”

The clearout Solskjaer promised after the capitulation at Everton last season looked to be stalling in the summer but he stuck to his word and slowly, with the addition of Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo in January, they look like a team that could push into the top four.

Solskjaer has changed the mood at the club’s training ground too. Sources told Goal there had been a major uplift in mood when the Norwegian first arrived. That was given another boost back in December after wins against Tottenham and Manchester City and there was renewed confidence following their recent run of good results before the coronavirus shutdown.

Solskjaer’s tactical acumen has been questioned during his time in charge but, for all the criticism, he became only the second manager to get the better of Pep Guardiola three times in one campaign when United beat City 2-0 three weeks ago. He is the one of two managers in the league to take points from Jurgen Klopp this season and has also beaten Chelsea three times during this campaign.

His counter-attacking philosophy is more than what it first appears and players have recently spoken about how he has improved as a coach since he took the job. “Of course, every day he is improving for sure. He is getting more experience and he will get better and better,” midfielder Nemanja Matic told Sky Sports.

“He is a much better manager than one year ago in my opinion because now he knows all the players, he knows exactly what he needs to do before the games, so I think for his job the experience is very important.”

In the past few weeks things have started to finally click for United. That’s not to forget the poor results the team have had this term – the home defeat to Burnley was only a few weeks ago – but before the suspension of all football they were on an 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions. They had been playing exciting, attacking football many were pining for in Mourinho’s days.

There are plans for further investment in the next transfer window, with Solskjaer keen on three to four more new signings. And with the five players he has brought to the club already proving to be a success, the former Cardiff City manager has shown he is pushing the club back in the right direction in the transfer market.

With perseverance, the backing of the board, a changed mentality and an altered transfer strategy, things look like they’re slowly moving in the right direction for United with Solskjaer firmly at the wheel. 

Lampard wary of putting pressure on Chelsea players amid coronavirus uncertainty

Amid uncertainty due to coronavirus, the Blues boss will not push his players too hard

Frank Lampard said he preferred not to just “push and push” his Chelsea players amid uncertainty over when, and if, the Premier League season will resume.

The Premier League will not resume until April 30 at the earliest due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it may yet be on hold even longer.

Lampard is wary of asking too much from his players with the uncertainty over the league resuming.

“It is very difficult at the moment because we have got nothing concrete in front of us,” the Chelsea head coach told the club’s The 5th Stand app.

“We have seen that things can change very quickly, so we can only go by the dates we have been given but daily or probably weekly we are looking at it saying, ‘Well, how do we train? What does it look like?’

“The last thing I want to do when the players are in this position is to try and push and push and push [them] for no reason.”

Chelsea were fourth on the table when the Premier League season was suspended due to the global health crisis.

But Lampard said the message to his players had been simple – focus on your families.

“Motivation can be slightly put to the side. I think the motivation at the moment for everyone is how their families are, how their relatives are, how we all see the outside world, and sometimes the realisation probably that there are things which are a lot more important than football,” he said.

“However much we love Chelsea and are fortunate to do our jobs, this has certainly hit home for that.

“For me, my message to the players has always been look after your family at this time.”

Despite the season being on a hiatus, Chelsea have been linked with transfers for Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.

The Blues are in the market for a new goalkeeper due to the disappointing form of Kepa Arrizabalaga this season

However Goal can confirm that German No.1 Neuer is set to stay in Bavaria and currently has no plans to play abroad.

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Bauer Drops Hockey Gear To Make Face Shields For Hospital Workers

MONTREAL — Canadian hockey equipment manufacturer Bauer is offering to modify its production line to make protective visors for doctors, nurses and first responders.

The protective equipment to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic would be produced at the company’s innovation centre in Blainville, Que., as well as its facility in Liverpool, N.Y.

Bauer’s vice-president of product innovation, Dan Bourgeois, said he’s received interest about the proposal from Montreal police, firefighters and hospitals.

“We say we’re a protective company … Then why aren’t we starting to [make] protection for our doctors, nurses, hospitals, and their needs?” Bourgeois said.

The company will try to make 2,000 units daily, Bourgeois says.

Bauer was inspired to produce protective gear after hearing Quebec Premier Francois Legault say manufacturers in the province could have a role to play if supplies run low, Bourgeois says.

“I contacted my CEO [Ed Kinnaly] and he said, ‘Hey, Dan, you have carte blanche. Go do it.’” Bourgeois said.

The proposed single-use, full-face visors are made of plastic and contain anti-fogging material. Bourgeois adds Bauer is in the process of developing visors that can be cleaned, disinfected and reused.

With non-essential businesses ordered closed in Quebec, the company is notifying the provincial government it will re-open while producing essential services before going into production Monday.

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Bourgeois adds the company doesn’t expect to make a profit on the project, nor is that the goal, but says Bauer might also have other protective goods on the way.

“We really feel it’s our part in helping to fight COVID-19,” Bourgeois said. “And also to keep my people busy.”

The Quebec government’s Ministry of Economics and Innovation could not immediately be reached for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 25, 2020.

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Coronavirus is biggest challenge football has ever faced, Juventus president warns

The Juventus chief warned of the danger ahead of clubs as they look to deal with the disruption caused by Covid-19

Juventus president Andre Agnelli has warned European clubs that they face an “existential threat” caused by the coronavirus.

The global pandemic has brought football competitions across the world to a halt and it remains unclear when the season will return.

In Italy, the country worst hit by the spread of Covid-19, the initial targets of a return to action by May 3 were dismissed this week by Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina and Vincenzo Spadafora, Italy’s minister for sport.

Further delays have been confirmed in the United States, too, while it was announced on Friday that the Premier League, Football Association and English Football League are set for further talks over the “difficult decisions” they face.

In Spain, on the other hand, Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales is determined to complete the 2019-20 campaign.

And in a letter to the European Club Association (ECA) which was reported by Reuters, chairman Agnelli warned that clubs have great obstacles to overcome as the suspension continues.

“We are all football executives responsible for the well-being and sustainability of the clubs we manage, which are faced with a real existential threat,” warned the 44-year-old, who is in isolation because three Juventus players – Daniele Rugani, Blaise Matuidi and Paulo Dybala – contracted coronavirus.

“As football is now at a standstill, so are our revenue flows on which we are dependent to pay our players, staff and other operating costs.

“No one is immune and timing is of the essence. Meeting our concerns will be the biggest challenge our game and industry has ever faced.

“[The ECA is reviewing ways to] resume playing football at domestic and European levels [and ways] to help manage club financials in this time of social and economic crisis.

“Discussions are very active as to what the approach to the UEFA licensing and FFP framework should be in light of the current crisis.”

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It is not just club football that has been affected by coronavirus, as it has already prompted UEFA to postpone Euro 2020 by 12 months, while World Cup qualifying matches have already been disrupted.

 

Beware Text Scam About Emergency Response Benefit, Trudeau Says

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is warning Canadians that scammers are sending text messages purporting to be from the federal government offering cash to address the COVID-19 crisis.

“I’m sorry to say there appears to be a text scam going around on the new Emergency Response Benefit,” Trudeau said, at his daily press conference outside his Ottawa residence Thursday.

“I want to remind everyone that the government’s website is the best place to find reliable information on everything that we’re doing.”

CP24 journalist Cristina Tenaglia shared a screenshot on social media of a text scam telling Canadians to click a link to receive a direct deposit of $1,375.50.

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit, a key element in the federal government’s $107-billion aid package to help Canadians weather the COVID-19 storm, will provide $2,000 a month in direct assistance from the Canada Revenue Agency, for a maximum of four months, for workers whose income has dropped to zero because of the pandemic.

The government has said the online portal to apply for the benefit is expected to be up and running by early April with payments to start flowing two weeks later. 

Finance Minister Bill Morneau has said the measure will allow struggling companies to temporarily lay off workers with the knowledge that they will still have money in their pockets.

“What we’re doing is ensuring that we enable people to bridge through this very difficult time,” Morneau told a press conference in Ottawa Wednesday. “So they have the resources they need for themselves and their families.”

Morneau took to Twitter Thursday to make clear that the government is not sending out text messages about the benefit.

“If you have received a text message regarding the benefit, do not click the link,” he said.

At a press conference earlier this week, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney also warned that fraudsters are attempting to use the novel coronavirus crisis to obtain the credit card information of Albertans, both on the Internet and by phone.

Kenney said people received calls from schemers pretending to be from Alberta Health Services, telling them they have the virus and goading them to turn over credit card data.

“To those who are trying to exploit seniors and others during this time of a public health emergency, there must be a special place in hell for people like that. Just stop it,” Kenney said. “It is completely un-Canadian. It is un-Albertan. It is unacceptable.”

Last week, the federal government did send text messages with consular support information to Canadians stuck abroad during the pandemic, with the cooperation of the country’s top telecommunications service providers, urging them to register with the government so they could be informed of any repatriation efforts.

With files from The Canadian Press

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I’ve got no good memories of Arsenal – Vela

The former Gunners striker has revealed that he could not wait to leave the London side and jumped at the opportunity to move to Real Sociedad

Former Arsenal striker Carlos Vela says that he has no good memories of playing at the North London side.

The Mexico star, who is now with LAFC in MLS, moved to the Gunners in 2006 as a 17-year-old from Chivas but spent much of his time away from the club on various loan deals.

Having played 64 times for the Emirates outfit, scoring 11 goals in the process, he finally departed for good in the summer of 2012 to join Real Sociedad, where he had spent the previous year on loan.

He went on to enjoy a successful career with the Basque outfit, netting 73 times in 250 outings and earning a reputation as a reliable goal-getter in La Liga.

In an interview with GQ, he has revealed his relief when he finally sealed a deal to leave the Premier League side.

“The most important part of my life came in San Sebastian: my new family,” he explained. “I came from three years of being in London, which I couldn’t adapt to. I don’t know how to explain it specifically. It was a place I don’t have good memories of. I wanted to get out of there.

“There I started to enjoy my football again after three such bad years of living in England. I didn’t know anything about the Basque Country. I wanted to leave so much that when I heard I had a good offer to play and leave England, it was a case of me saying: ‘I love it! Yes, let’s go!’”

Vela has been playing in MLS since 2018 and is one of the league’s outstanding offensive players. In 71 outings for LAFC, he has found the net on 57 occasions and has chipped in a further 23 assists, giving him a decisive action on average in just shy of every fixture he has played.

Now 31, he has quit international football but played 72 times for his country, scoring 19 goals. He helped El Tri to two Concacaf Gold Cup triumphs, first in 2009 and then in 2015.

Who's Hiring In Canada? Companies Look To Fill Jobs Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

As small and medium businesses continue to struggle amid the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, other companies in Canada are looking to hire. 

Chains like Walmart and Loblaws, including its pharmacy brand Shoppers Drug Mart, are in need of staff at storefronts and distribution centres due to a spike of shoppers searching for food, toiletries and medication. 

But it’s not just retail that has openings. Tech firms like Slack and Amazon continue to hire in fields like software engineering and development. 

For more on who else is hiring, check out the video above. 

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Lawyers Warn Against Doug Ford's Advice For Workers To 'Walk Off The Job'

TORONTO — Employment lawyers are warning that workers can’t just “walk off the job” during the coronavirus pandemic, despite Premier Doug Ford’s insistence that they can. 

The premier said at three separate press conferences this week that construction workers — and any others who feel unsafe on the job — have the right to leave their jobs if they don’t feel safe working. 

“Let me be very clear … We passed legislation. Not just construction workers — any worker in Ontario — if you don’t feel safe in your workplace, your job will be protected,” Ford said Tuesday. “You can leave the job site.”

The next day, he said it again. 

“I want to make it very, very clear … If the workplace, the construction site, is not safe, you can walk off the job.”

Ford’s government passed Bill 186 last week. The law provides job-protected leave to workers who have to stay home because they have been directed to quarantine or self-isolate by a medical or public health professional or because they have to care for a family member, including kids who are at home while schools are closed. 

Watch: Here’s who qualifies for Canada’s emergency coronavirus benefit.

 

Lawyers tell HuffPost Canada the bill does not cover workers who are not ill, have not been directed to self-isolate and aren’t taking care of a family member. 

“It’s job-protected leave for very specific reasons,” explained Daniel Wong, a partner at Toronto law firm WeirFoulds LLP. “That’s different than a person saying, ‘I don’t feel that this is safe.’”

Ford’s government has faced heat for keeping construction sites open while workplaces deemed “non-essential” have been shut down. 

“It makes no sense that you can’t have your neighbour over for a cup of coffee yet construction sites are expected to continue operations and they can have hundreds of employees working in close proximity to each other,” said Phil Gillies, executive director of the Ontario Construction Consortium, in a statement Tuesday. 

“This is contrary to the best advice of public health officials to maintain social distancing.”

Ontario’s new job leave includes anyone following the advice of Ontario’s chief medical officer of health to “isolate” or “quarantine,” a spokesperson for the minister of labour told HuffPost Canada. 

But right now, Ontario’s official advice is to self isolate only if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have travelled and recently returned home. 

A spokeswoman for Ford said that workers have the right to refuse unsafe work.

“If that’s the case, the worker should raise their concerns with their supervisor, employer and health and safety rep if they have one,” Ivana Yelich said by email.

Report and stay at site if conditions are unsafe

Wong said workers have the right to refuse unsafe work but it is a “different concept” than the type of leave covered in Bill 186. 

“They can initiate what’s called a work refusal. And there’s a prescribed process under the Occupational Health and Safety Act that is triggered when a person raises that concern,” he said. 

“That includes an employer conducting an initial investigation and inquiry into the worker’s concern and attempting to resolve it to the worker’s satisfaction. If the worker’s not satisfied, then the Ministry of Labour will get involved and an inspector will determine if the workers are safe or if certain things need to be changed.”

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Another lawyer who specializes in workplace safety agreed. 

Employees must wait in a safe place at their workplace after reporting unsafe conditions to wait for an investigation, said John Bartholomeo, co-executive director of the Workplace Health and Safety Legal Clinic.

Workers should read Bill 186 carefully to determine if they qualify for unpaid leave, Wong suggested.

“They should clearly communicate both the reason that they’re taking the leave and that they’re taking the leave under the new amendments so that the employer understands what they’re talking about and at least knows the reasons why.”

Condom Shortage Looms Worldwide After COVID-19 Forces World's Largest Producer To Shutter

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) ― A global shortage of condoms is looming, the world’s biggest producer said, after a coronavirus lockdown forced it to shut down production.

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Malaysia’s Karex Bhd makes one in every five condoms globally. It has not produced a single condom from its three Malaysian factories in the past 10 days due to a lockdown imposed by the government to halt the spread of the virus.

That’s already a shortfall of 100 million condoms, normally marketed internationally by brands such as Durex, supplied to state healthcare systems such as Britain’s NHS or distributed by aid programmes such as the UN Population Fund.

Watch: Experts expect a “coronavirus baby boom.” Story continues below.

 

“We are going to see a global shortage of condoms everywhere, which is going to be scary,” Karex Chief Executive Goh Miah Kiat told Reuters this week.

“My concern is that for a lot of humanitarian programmes deep down in Africa, the shortage will not just be two weeks or a month. That shortage can run into months.”

Malaysia is Southeast Asia’s worst affected country, with 2,161 coronavirus infections and 26 deaths. The lockdown is due to remain in place at least until April 14.

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The other major condom-producing countries are China, where the coronavirus originated and led to widespread factory shutdowns, and India and Thailand, which are seeing infections spiking only now.

Makers of other critical items like medical gloves have also faced hiccups in their operations in Malaysia.

Goh said Karex was in the process of appealing to the government for an exemption to operate under specific conditions. Malaysia is approving other essential goods producers to operate with half of their workforce.

“The good thing is that the demand for condoms is still very strong because like it or not, it’s still an essential to have,” Goh said. “Given that at this point in time people are probably not planning to have children. It’s not the time, with so much uncertainty.”

(Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Peter Graff)

Maroc : arrestation près de Marrakech d’un parrain affilié à la Camorra, en cavale depuis cinq ans

Arrêté le soir du 18 mars, Antonio Prinno est en attente de son extradition vers l’Italie. Chef important du clan “Misso-Mazzarella”, affilié à la Camorra, puissante organisation mafieuse napolitaine, il était en cavale depuis cinq ans. Selon la presse italienne (lien en italien), il serait passé par l’Espagne et Gibraltar avant de se fixer au Maroc, avec sa femme et son fils.La Direction générale de la Sécurité nationale (DGSN) précise dans un communiqué (lien en arabe) qu’elle a agi après une notice rouge émise par l’Organisation internationale de police criminelle (Interpol) le 7 janvier. Agé de 44 ans, Antonio Prinno est accusé du meurtre d’un jeune Italien de 27 ans, Ciro Russo, lors d’une embuscade dans laquelle l’épouse de la victime et deux passants ont été blessés, précise Tel Quel qui cite La Repubblica de Napoli.Selon le journal arabophone Assabah, traduit par 360.ma, l’arrestation s’est faite faite sans heurts. Antonio Prinno s’est rendu sans résistance aux policiers en civil qui l’attendaient en bas de chez lui. Il sortait pour retirer des fonds qui lui étaient nommément destinés dans une agence de transfert d’argent.Le ministre italien de l’Intérieur, Matteo Salvini, s’est réjoui de cette arrestation. ” (…) C’est un beau cadeau pour tous les Italiens et la confirmation que nous ne donnerons aucun répit à ceux qui commettent des crimes et fuient à l’étranger”, a-t-il écrit dans un tweet.