A-League Confidential: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s A-League interest

Strawberry milk dramas at an A-League club, why Solskjaer could come calling and the superstar plotting the Olyroos’ downfall. It’s all in Football Confidential.

Melbourne City boss Warren Joyce may have a very difficult decision to make within the next few months, if whispers coming our way from Manchester come to fruition.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the raging favourite to be given the Manchester United job long term, and is making plans to get the band back together in terms of recreating the atmosphere – and personnel – that allowed United under Sir Alex Ferguson to be so dominant.

There is talk Ole Gunnar Solksjaer could ask Melbourne City coach Warren Joyce to join his staff. Picture: AFP

We hear that could well include Joyce, who was very highly regarded at United as boss of the youth teams, with an alumni including Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford. Solskjaer coached alongside Joyce in the United academy when he first retired as a player, and loved it.

“I worked with him and it was the hardest training sessions and the hardest days you can ever imagine,” Solskjaer said.

The two were in touch recently when Solskjaer sought advice about Ander Herrera, and should United formally offer him a return to the Carrington training ground where he worked previously, it would leave Joyce – whose family are back in the UK – with a serious fork in the road to consider.

Ironically, even though it’s United we’re talking about, his City Group paymasters would be unlikely to stand in his way.

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THERE’LL be a familiar face among the opposition coaching staff when the Olyroos face Cambodia in the opening game of their Olympic qualifying tournament on Friday night.

Japanese star Keisuke Honda has flown in to assist in his role as “general manager” of the Cambodian national team, and inspire the Cambodian side.

Melbourne Victory star Keisuke Honda is hoping to help Cambodia beat the Olyroos on Friday night. Picture: Getty Images

That’ll be the Keisuke Honda who plays for Melbourne Victory, and a cool $1.5m of whose salary is paid by… Football Federation Australia.

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WANDERERS fans have long speculated that the player most likely to survive a meteor strike on the club is the resilient Josh Sotirio, but times could be a-changing.

Sotirio has told his teammates he has interest from Melbourne and from France, as he weighs up his future.

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SYDNEY FC’s former marquee, Bobo, might start to feel his life is cursed since leaving the Sky Blues. As if losing his place and not being paid by Turkish club Alanyaspor wasn’t bad enough, Bobo was the target of an attempted 200,000 euro bank fraud 10 days ago.

The striker was one of three players targeted by a gang who attempted to sequester money from the players’ accounts citing fake court orders.

Bobo (centre), seen here in action Alanyaspor against Fenerbahce, is not having an enjoyable time in Turkey. Picture: Getty Images

Bobo only realised something was amiss when he tried to pay for something with his bank card in a local supermarket and it was declined – leading to the discovery his money had been frozen by the bank.

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IT’S not a revelation that will shock the world, but Brett Holman is almost certain to hang up his boots at the end of a hugely frustrating season where injury has prevented him playing a single minute for Brisbane Roar.

When it’s official, Holman deserves a significant amount of appreciation, as a Socceroo with 63 caps who played and scored at the 2010 World Cup. Loved by coaches for his work rate, Holman was unfairly targeted by a mindless minority among supporters, particularly online.

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THERE was a certain irony to the news this week that former Adelaide United and Sydney FC coach John Kosmina has lost his job as coach of NPL Queensland club and A-League aspirants Brisbane City.

The former Socceroos captain, who has guided City’s fortunes since 2016, has been shifted to a “senior football development” role with the former NSL club, who have lost four of their seven NPLQ matches this season. The irony comes from the fact that Kossie is in Melbourne this week - finishing off his Pro-Licence qualification.

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READERS of Confidential who find themselves on the NSW South coast this weekend should head for Jamberoo, where the authors of this column are among a phalanx of Australian football media taking part in the first Football Writers Festival, at the famous Jamberoo pub.

Around 100 attendees have bought the very reasonably priced tickets to be found at www.footballwritersfestival.com.au

Melbourne City’s strawberry milk crisis

Melbourne City coach Warren Joyce and the controversial strawberry milk.

MELBOURNE City’s sponsorship portfolio includes a dairy giant who make a well-known brand of strawberry milk, a bottle of which you always see when coach Warren Joyce is doing a press conference.

The only problem is that the milk in question can get a bit volatile at altitude, so City don’t carry it with them to away games – leaving one poor flunkey to ring around local supermarkets every time they play away, to make sure a bottle is ready for the press conference.

We hear it took five attempts in Sydney last Sunday to track one down.