Stale Solbakken, new Wolves manager, 'a proven winner'
Last updated on .From the section Football
Wolverhampton Wanderers owner Steve Morgan has insisted there is nothing "brave" about the decision to appoint Norwegian manager Stale Solbakken.
Solbakken, 44, who led FC Copenhagen into the last 16 of last season's Champions League, was sacked by Bundesliga side Cologne last month.
"It is only brave in the sense Stale is not known in the UK," said Morgan. "He is legendary in Scandinavia.
"He's won countless silverware and his record is outstanding," he added.
"He will be an excellent fit for the club. We needed to bring in someone fresh, a new approach to the club.
"Of course, any appointment is a gamble, but he is the veteran of the Champions League and is a true professional."
Solbakken, who played for Wimbledon during the 1997-98 season, took over at Copenhagen in 2006 and led the side - whom he had played for under current England boss Roy Hodgson - to five Danish titles in six years, as well as the Champions League run that landed him the move to Germany.
He played down expectations of an immediate return to the Premier League for Wolves, relegated in April with three games of the season remaining, but added: "I wouldn't have taken the job unless the club were ambitious and I could do a proper job.
"I can't promise anything, but I will give everything from day one."
The ex-midfielder, who won 58 caps for Norway and represented his country at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 finals, said he was proud to manage "a big, traditional club like Wolves".
And although he does not formally take charge until 1 July, having been appointed successor to Terry Connor on Friday, Solbakken said his efforts to turn round fortunes at Molineux would begin immediately.
"I've just been at the training ground with the players and they have revenge to do next season," he said.
"In my bag on my return to Norway today I have 38 DVDs from this season, so the work starts now.
"We know the Championship is a marathon and if you ask eight or nine other managers, they will have the same aim [of promotion]. We have a long, hard season next year but we are positive."
