Ferguson calls for Solskjaer to turn back sands of time
Posted in News on Sunday January 8th, 2006 2:00pm
Oliver Kay in The Times
SIR ALEX FERGUSON was all smiles and bonhomie when he performed the official opening of Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium in November, marvelling at the impressive facility that the Nationwide Conference club had created. However, for the multimillionaire Manchester United players who will put their reputations on the line tomorrow afternoon, when they run on to a sandpit of a pitch, it will hardly represent a field of dreams.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is an exception, given that he is in contention to start a game for the first time since May 2004, but even he might be forgiven for looking at the playing surface and asking whether, after more than 18 months out with a career-threatening knee injury, he would be better suited to the familiar role of super-sub.
It will also represent a comedown to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, a twinkle-toed winger who might have been spared a trip to deepest Staffordshire had he performed consistently over the past few months.
But Ferguson believes that it will do his players some good to get back to what would be called grass-roots level if only the green stuff could be seen amid the 50 tonnes of sand that were poured on to the pitch on Thursday in an attempt to make the surface playable after a drainage problem.
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