Rise of the Nice Guys: Why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s success at Manchester United is no surprise

We’ve all had one of those bosses, at some point in our lives. You know: those angry, aggressive, volatile, unpredictable bosses. They’re sweary and shouty and sweaty. They tend to always be somewhere, yelling: at you, at their phone, probably at themselves in the mirror as they wash their hands. You might have one of them right now, or have had one of them in the past (a disclaimer should be added at this point: the bosses at the i are brilliant). You haven’t? Must be just journalism, then. And football.

The thing is, much like a lot of other unpleasant areas of society, the Angry Bosses are becoming a relic of the past, and none more so than in football.

There couldn’t be a starker example than at Manchester United, where Jose Mourinho snarled and blamed his way out of a job — perhaps his last in English football — to be replaced by a fan favourite who, at 45 years old, could still appear in a Milky Bar ad and eyelids would not bat.

Knowing when to lose it

On Saturday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer became the first United manager in the club’s history to win their first six league matches in charge, with a group of players who four weeks ago looked as though they hated playing football but now appear to love it again — and, it turns out, are pretty good at it together.

This is not an isolated example, however. Now, it seems, is the rise of the Nice Guys. Take a look at the managers in English football getting the most out of their players: Solskjaer, Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Gareth Southgate. Top three in the Premier League table and arguably top four had Solskjaer been in charge since the beginning of the season, plus the England manager who has been brought such unexpected success to the national team.

Don’t be mistaken for thinking that the Nice Guys can’t put rockets up uncomfortable places when necessary. But they also have the nuanced understanding of the next generation of players, who don’t mind being told brusquely where they’re going wrong if they’re 2-0 down at half-time, but don’t take particularly kindly to being needlessly criticised every single week, sometimes just because the Angry Boss is having a hard time at home.

The Nice Guys know when to lose it in the changing room during the break and when to put an arm around shoulders on the training pitch. They don’t play games with their players in press conferences, or use them as public punching bags to deflect attention from their own failings, as managers and people. The Nice Guys have a glint in their eye and grin between their cheeks, and so much charm and charisma it could be bottled.

It’s not 1939 anymore

Perhaps in a different time and to a different audience the constant aggressive grinding down “rallied the troops” and stirred up motivation. But it’s not 1939 anymore, and it hasn’t been for 80 years.

The younger generations look a these old-fashioned bosses and simply think they’re tragic, and it is the same for footballers. They are not impressed by being verbally pummelled and intimidated in the misguided belief it will prompt their best form, and they are paid so much money that if this is going to be how it is, they know they can ride it out for a couple of years — tops — and simply wait for the next one.

It is no surprise that 21-year-old Marcus Rashford has climbed out of the shell he climbed into to shield him from Mourinho’s constant, unprovoked attacks, to hit five goals in six starts under Solskjaer. And that Paul Pogba, 25, is beginning to look the player United thought they had signed two-and-a-half years ago.

Refreshing change

“We want to carry on, it’s the best feeling, when you win games, for the manager as well, we want to win for him by making him happy, we make ourselves happy as well,” Pogba told Football Focus at the weekend. “It’s good to be with someone who knows you, who saw you grow up, he knows your quality, he wants to help you and he wants to push you as well. He can understand you, calmly talk to you, so you have this relationship with the manager that is great.” Sounds like a refreshing change from Mourinho.

Even Sir Alex Ferguson, for all his hairdryers, always had his favourites, many of whom still see him as a father figure, and stuck with them until he felt it was time for them to go.

“The key point, as it was for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, is man management,” Mauricio Pochettino says. “At the end, human skills are going to be the most important. And then we are talking about technology, machines, data: they don’t feel anything. They are like the furniture. We are talking about the real human. We need to breathe, we need to feel the love, we need emotion. Football is a contest of emotion. If we forget that, we are going to kill the game.”

The Nice Guys no longer finish last — they’re in work.