I've got a theory about Solskjaer's late substitutions. Been thinking about this for a while now but I've kept quiet out of fear of being lumped on by Ole outers. Now though, the time has come. #MUFC #GlazersOut

A thread:

Solskjaer arrived having replaced Jose Mourinho. A manager who delivered two trophies, but who also made being a player for United a miserable experience. Calling players out publicly, showing derision from the sidelines when players missed chances, ostracising top players etc.

I'm no psychologist, but that sort of treatment must've surely affected players mentally. Their confidence would've taken a huge knock, no belief shown in them would've, I'd imagine, affected their belief in themselves. Then came Solskjaer.

There was always likely to be the new manager bounce, but what followed was unexpected. We looked a different side, a different squad. Belief in his players unshackled them and they played freely, with smiles on their faces and the results showed. I'm getting to the point...

The next season was a bit of a fall back to Earth situation. The football was, at times, dour and difficult to watch. Where had the team from Solskjaer's interim period gone, and why, when we were struggling, was he not making substitutions until late in the game?

This, I believe, wasn't poor management. It wasn't ineptitude. Like just about everything else he's done so far, it was a plan with a view to the future. Making substitutions can change games, but what does it do for the player who's being subbed off?

It tells a player (once again, just my opinion) who is already short on confidence that the manager doesn't trust him to do the job required. It may also make it "easy" for a player to have a poor game knowing he won't have to try as hard because someone else will come on and...

... do the hard work to turn it around. In both scenarios it does nothing to help that player build confidence or mental resilience. The manager is effectively saying to them "go and get the job done, nobody's coming to do it for you". No easy way out.

Over time, when going behind or conceding when we were leading, this would've made the players dig in a bit more. Find a way to win, find a way to score. You're on the pitch, it's your job! This is now starting to bear fruit. We look forward better when we go behind, not worse.

Players don't hide, don't feel sorry for themselves and look like they're just waiting for someone else to come and put in the hard yards to get the result. This is what we've suffered for. This answers the question, for me, why does he makes substitutions so late?

Their mental strength, their resilience has improved massively because they were made to fight, to grind because they knew help wasn't coming. Incredible management in my opinion. Long-term thinking and planning which is now paying off. My manager. #OleIn #GlazersOut