You know it's coming.
This isn't me saying that I want Ruben Amorim out, well, at least not yet anyways. This also isn't me saying that I think Amorim is shite and that I'm waiting for the moment where he does cock up a little so I can say Amorim out.
But nor is it me saying that I will back him to the hilts no matter what he does. After that Europa League final, bruh, it was a worrying sign let me tell you.
To be out played by simple defend and counter tactics that weren't even good defend and counter attacks, for you to not know how to combat this and ultimately lose a European final...to SPURS, as Mikel Arteta said,
"It's a disgrace."
And it was. It still is.
That was the first time I was a little concerned about Amorim. That was the first game where I thought you as the manager messed up big time. Sure the players aren't good enough and didn't show up, but that wasn't entirely unforeseen as they've done this several times before, but for Amorim, even with this crap side, we saw him do his thing his way.
This final was not his thing. We never saw any patterns of play, the side looked clueless, Amorim didn't know what to do to try and overcome Ange's simple game plan and there was a bit of favoritism that crept in.
As much as Garnacho was an arse for coming out in public and saying what he said after that final, he was right. The manager selecting a player in Mount who's been injured for most of the two years he's been at the club and then been shite on the few occasions he has played, over someone like Garnacho who has been available and has been better than Mount, was the wrong call.
Leaving out Ugarte was another that I couldn't understand in favor of playing Bruno deeper even though that isn't his best position.
So these factors did make me concerned about Ruben Amorim as United manager. They were things that we saw with previous bosses and we know how their time ended.
But that was one occasion where Amorim failed utterly. It was also with players who weren't his, weren't/aren't good enough and nor did they show up. This isn't Amorim's fault. These were issues faced by previous managers, yet they were sacked all the same.
Most fans were manager out by the end and so was I if I'm being completely honest. But I usually wait to see if they are consistently cocking up and doing things that everyone can see isn't working.
Even though we all knew that the players were more the problem than the manager, it didn't stop us from saying 'ten Hag out.'
I mention the previous manager there specifically because I feel out of all the bosses we've had post-Sir Alex Ferguson, ten Hag was the one who was backed more than others.
Across two summer windows, the club spent over £600m on players he wanted and in the end, he never truly made the most of it particularly last season before he was inevitably sacked.
All the other managers, whether they would've been good enough or not, never got the same treatment as ten Hag. Jose Mourinho wanted certain players gone. A couple of them are still here. And how many players were we supposed to sign for managers across the past decade that never came?
The point I'm getting at is that all of these managers bar ten Hag, weren't backed, not truly. They were never given a lot of their first choice targets, the players they wanted gone weren't sold and player power was never erradicated from the club.
So far, Ruben Amorim is facing the same issues. Even with the new co-owners INEOS, the operations of the club remain as they were before their arrival.
United have this silly habit of ignoring the January transfer window. They've done this for many years but what made this year's a bit more silly is knowing that they were probably going to sack Erik ten Hag not long after the season started.
As we know, they wanted to let him go after the FA Cup final but as he won it and everyone was behind this manager, INEOS made what I thought at the time, was the correct decision to keep him.
However, as they knew they wanted to eventually sack him, the board probably should have had his replacement in mind. The next step would've been which players would be suited to the next manager. They could then have started initial contacts to test the waters, so to speak, and check whether they would be willing to join United under that manager.
Obviously this wasn't the case and while they couldn't sign players in mid-Novemebr when Amorim joined, they could've discussed what to do in January. By then, Amorim would've been able to see who was needed and who wasn't.
In the end, all United gave the manager they wanted (Amorim was top of the list and the man CEO Omar Berrada really pushed for) was an up-and-coming left-back from Lecce (Patrick Dorgu) and a youngster from Arsenal (Ayden Heaven).
Then as is the case now, it was clear that a striker was needed but the club decided otherwise which played a part in that poor finish to the season.
For this transfer window, Amorim is facing the same issues faced by previous managers in that United are slow with deals and very rarely give you most of your top targets. I understand that some deals will take longer than others and we won't get all the main targets but when looking at how quickly we signed Cunha compared to how long it's taking to get Mbeumo over the line, it makes you think what the hell is going on?
I've no doubt Amorim is thinking this as well.
There's then the issue of not selling players and there are more than enough of those to make an entire team. There's the fab five of Rashford, Garnacho, Antony, Sancho and Malacia who have informed the club that they want to leave and yet all remain at United. Rashford was reportedly at Carrington this week although he was training by himself away from the main group.
How does a club even allow that? A player who isn't wanted by the manager is back at the training ground. I feel like that's part of the reason as to why we fail. Surely Rashford can just train somewhere else as we've seen him and others do. This just sparks unnecessary rumors.
There's also players like Hojlund and Onana who are clearly not good enough yet are back in training. Striker and goalkeeper are two of the top priority positions as well. Maybe if we sold some of the shit, we could bring in players 🤷♂️.
I do believe that player power still remains too.
Seeing Garnacho wear a Villa shirt is a form of this. Him coming out and saying what he said post the EL final is another example. The fact that players feel they can come out and do such things is a testament to how badly run we are. These were things that players wouldn't even think of before let alone doing.
Whenever they did, you know what happened next.
The players are too entitled and often think they are better than they actually are. Their egos are that of Ronaldo but ability is something you see in Sunday League. Their attitudes are also some of the worst we've seen at the club.
"United are more of a commercial club than a football club." Those are the words of former manager Louis van Gaal back in 2019, three years after his ruthless sacking. He was highlighting how the club would sometimes prioritise the success off the field more than the success on it.
This is something that we've all known for a while because of the Glazers and how they run the club. It is more one that is focused on marketing and branding rather than the actual football which is where the focus should be. What's even more silly is the fact that if United do well on the field, the money, marketing and branding will all increase because more people will want to be associated with us due to our success on the pitch.
United will always have that pull because of who we are but it isn't the same as it was in the past.
We saw this commercial focus recently when the club announced it's partnership extension with Apollo Tyres. Andre Onana, Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot split from the main group as they headed to Mumbai when the rest of the team went to Hong Kong, the second leg of the Asian post-season tour, to do promotional content with Apollo Tyres.
That tour itself was also to raise money (£8m) and was seen as foolish due to the season the club just had and the fact that this tour came straight after United's final game of the season. They literally beat Villa and then went on a plane to Kuala Lumpur.
Which other club would do that?
We've also had the recent announcement of the regeneration project around Old Trafford which will NOT be our home in the foreseeable future. Everyone knows United plan on making a new 100 000-seater state-of-the-art stadium which they'd like to be opened by the 2030/2031 season.
Again, the focus seems to be in the wrong area as the more immediate improvement needs to be on the pitch. For that, we need new players of which we've only gotten one. We also need to sell crap players of which we've sold none.
Club CEO Berrada had previously stated that he would like Ruben Amorim to be the manager when the new stadium opens in five years time: “We’d love it if he [Amorim] was still coach when we move."
In light of this, it would mean Amorim staying on as manager beyond his current deal which ends in June 2027. Most managers these days don't go beyond two-three years in charge of a club.
To also be the manager for this long, it would mean success which at the moment seems as distant as the new stadium.
I don't understand the club putting out such statements that they'd like Amorim to be the manager in five years time. This puts unncessary pressure and expectations on everyone not least the manager himself.
With so many having come and gone, the expectation on Amorim was already high as he had to be some sort of savior because of multiple past failures. Everyone is tired of being shit.
Given how well Amorim did at Sporting, his pressure grew even greater still.
However, as things haven't gone to plan (to put it mildly) there has already been some people whose patience seems to be wearing thin.
Fans were already unhappy just weeks into his reign as they were already 'Amorim out' due to the poor start the Portuguese had: two losses, two wins, one draw in first five. The football also wasn't amazing which is something unusual as whenever a new manager joins, this lot play like prime Barcelona.
There was also the talk about how players were "beginning to lose faith in Amorim's system" [Chris Wheeler]back in February and we again saw such reports in May resurface as "players feel Ruben Amorim is too over-confident in his approach" - Chris Wheeler.
These are usually the first signs with these players that they can't be arsed to do what the manager wants as they've done this sort of thing before. Many times. It's another example of just how untrustworthy they are.
So, to bring things back to my original point of when will we start seeing 'Amorim out' (again), I don't think it will be too long. Our transfer business has been woeful, a lot of players who are bad apples and bad players are still there, the club is more focused on off the field matters and the start of the season is just over a month away.
With how much business there is to do, there's no way that all that needs to be done will be in time for the start of the season. on August 17th.
This is pivotal because we play Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea (one win in six vs these three last season) in our first five of the Premier League not to mention going away to Fulham who knocked us out of the FA Cup, and facing Burnley, a newly-promoted side who will give us challenges of their own.
Should the start of the season go terribly (which seems more likely than not), should the football not be great (which is highly possible given who is still at the club and who isn't) and should the board not back the manager in tough moments (which is something we've never really done), then we will probably see 'Amorim out.'
The manager always becomes the one to blame for everything and it's easier to blame it on him rather than aim it at those who are the true issue. It's also easier to get rid of a manager and coaches rather than a lot of players.
If we don't work miracles in the rest of the transfer window and next season, I can see Amorim being gone in the new year.
It won't be on the manager if this were to happen. He's also shown at Sporting that if you give him the right players, he can do something amazing.
It's on the club to back him and the players to give their best. Neither of those seem likely given our history.
What do you reckon though? Will we get Amorim out chants? If so, how soon? Will he be here next season? What are your thoughts?
Ruben Amorim has had a tough start to life at Man Utd | Ruben Amorim: Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images via Stretty News