Author Archives: carlosartorial

Start Again

So my prediction last month that he’d last until the November international break proved optimistic in the end. I’m disappointed for Erik, but I’m sure that he knew it was coming the same as we did. He was on borrowed time since the Ineos takeover and was only spared the axe in May due to the unexpected FA Cup success. Other than that, our league form was utterly abject and despite the influx of new players in the summer, showed little sign of improvement.

When some time has passed I think his tenure might be looked upon more favourably. During his first season in charge, after a terrible start we actually looked like a decent side for a few months. That period saw him dispense with Ronaldo and culminated with the league cup win at Wembley. For a few weeks it genuinely felt like bald was indeed best and that something might be happening. Then Casemiro lost form through injury and suspension and De Gea started chucking it in his own net every week. The moment had gone and we never recovered.

Last season saw us go from bad to worse. Sancho took on Ronaldo’s mantle of disrupter-in-chief, Rashford virtually gave up trying and injuries across the whole squad decimated any chance of him picking a settled side. There was also the ongoing saga of the takeover resulting in a brand new management structure to contend with. Amidst all that Ten Hag successfully eased out serial underperformers and replaced them with several promising kids which was all a huge positive, but unfortunately didn’t lead to an upturn in league form.

The FA Cup win bought him a couple of months but if he was going to survive, this summer’s intake had to gel instantly and he needed results. That obviously didn’t happen but I still believe we’re in a better place now than when he first took over. Ten Hag wasn’t entirely blameless by any stretch and you could reasonably argue the job ultimately proved too big and that he’d run out of ideas. But I’d also contest that he needed more time. Unfortunately though, with Ineos ultra-keen to be seen as aggressively pursuing best-in-class, Erik was never going to be given the additional year or two needed to complete the jigsaw.

It didn’t take long for Ten Hag’s successor to be identified, and it wasn’t a name many would have predicted given his absence from the shortlist that was doing the rounds in the summer. An unfamiliar figure to most, the new man was to be Ruben Amorim from Sporting CP. He’s young, speaks good English, distinct playing style, highly rated coach, successful in a ‘lesser’ league and universally loved by his players. Basically, he possesses the exact same set of credentials that made Ten Hag the standout candidate in 2022.

It’s a shame that amidst the upheaval we’ve also lost ravishing Ruud after just a few months back at the club. I hadn’t really considered this a possibility given he was an Ineos-approved appointment, wrongly assuming it was part of a wider strategy that would see Ashworth/Wilcox take charge of the coaching structure from now on. One can only assume that Amorim made it a condition of the deal that he was only interested if his trusted deputies (the Amorimettes?) were allowed to accompany him.

Amorim arrived at Carrington looking tanned, relaxed and with a beaming smile plastered across his face – the Moncler jacket and hoodie giving off groovy 6th form tutor aesthetics. Also notable was a distinct lack of grey hair (give it 6 months) and a jeans/ trainers combo so appalling it brought to mind those strange rig outs City’s squad choose to wear on match day. Based off the MUTV-released footage, Amorim spent his first day in the country shaking hands with every single person within a 2 mile radius of OT. Receptionists, ground staff, chefs, random museum punters, the lot.

When I read that our new man is committed to playing 3-4-3 my immediate thought was there’s no way he can even attempt that with our lot. Successive United coaches have struggled to impose a distinct style of play and previous attempts at high intensity pressing lasted about 5 mins before the idea was abandoned. One of Ten Hags problems is that he was slow to recognise it was nigh on impossible to play out from the back once he was missing Martinez and half his midfield wouldn’t show for the ball.

Having pondered it for a while, I’d tentatively suggest it might possibly have a chance of working now. Martinez and De Ligt are both very capable of adapting and Mazraoui continues to impress on the ball. If Luke Shaw is nearing full fitness again (a big ‘if’, I know), then the idea might not be as outlandish as it first seemed. I still feel that Amorim has his work cut out if he’s expecting the entire squad to happily embrace a new formation and fresh ideas. One player in particular should be counting his blessings at the fact he’s survived yet another managerial cull whilst continuing to stink the place out with both his attitude and general demeanour.

As for his overall chances of success? We’ve been at this juncture so many times in recent years so who knows. I don’t think the squad’s a million miles away now but he definitely needs a new LB and another centre half. A top quality striker remains a must and a midfielder to replace Casemiro and Erikson when they depart in the summer. As well as that he could do with a decent start, regular doses of good fortune and most crucially of all, he needs consistent results. A magic wand would be nice too, of course.

In his first interview he made all the right noises, correctly pointing out that results buy time and for now, his immediate priority is giving the team an identity – something that completely eluded his predecessor. Amorim claims to be relaxed and not feeling “the weight” as he described it, but I don’t expect that to last. He’ll quickly discover (he should really know already) that the United gig comes with levels of scrutiny and pressure that don’t apply to almost any other job in football. The refs aren’t your friend and the media can’t wait for you to screw up.

The message has surely been relayed to Amorim that the expectation is the club needs to be challenging for the title next season otherwise he’ll be moved on. Ineos’ treatment of Ten Hag has made that perfectly clear – cup wins won’t save you, they’ll only delay your departure. As for the brains trust at the OT helm, they have their own man in now so they need to back him properly and show some patience. I won’t be happy if we’re having this same conversation again in a couple of years’ time.

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Mmm… Skyscraper I Love You

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Being the nosey bleeder I am, I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to attend the OT Regeneration Town Hall that took place in the International Suite a couple of weeks back. This was billed as an opportunity for fans to hear the latest on the future of Old Trafford, and I was hoping might provide some indication whether the club are leaning towards re-developing the existing stadium or building a new one from scratch.

After being held outside waiting in line until the permitted entry time and passing through security (slightly OTT I thought), we made our way into the suite where there were a few display boards set up accompanied by fancy 3D models detailing potential construction plans. There was seating for approximately 200 people facing several screens and a small platform from where the presentation would take place. The choice of music was a bit weird. I personally wouldn’t have opted for a disco-infused selection including Macho Man by Village People at 6.30pm on a Tuesday night, but then that’s just me.

The club’s Chief Operating Officer Collette Roche was the first to speak, welcoming guests and detailing the progress made since initial feasibility assessments commenced in April 2022. Since that date a strategic review has been taking place and an OTR Task Force (including the likes of Gary Neville, Andy Burnham and Seb Coe) formed in April this year. September 2024 saw stakeholder engagement begin (tonight’s meeting the first of many planned) and Foster & Partners appointed as the principal architects behind the project.

Aside from the ground re-development, the review has concluded that the project could potentially create a staggering 92,000 permanent jobs and 17,000 homes. There was little detail shared at exactly how they’ve arrived at these numbers, but they’re clearly thinking big. One of the main jobs of the Task Force is to seek outside investment to support the wider development with Roche acknowledging funding the stadium bricks and mortar falls on the club itself, “that’s on us”.

Transport infrastructure was brought up with Roche admitting that despite 3x Metrolink stops and a railway station in place within minutes of the ground, current facilities are unsatisfactory and there is huge room for improvement. This, of course, would require TfGM to be fully on board as well as the railway line operators. I wondered to myself how realistic plans for new facilities were bearing in mind it was the club’s choice to suspend services from the train station in 2018, the poor tram service despite multiple stations within walking distance and the 255F bus service on Chester Road only running intermittently since 2019.

Next up was Patrick Coleman from Foster & Partners who presented a series of expensively commissioned drawings on how the future state OT might look (predictably, lots of kids running around lovingly-curated green spaces amidst the steel, glass and concrete). Patrick was keen to stress that protecting the history and heritage of the club was of optimum importance, so we can rest assured the statues will be moved and the Munich clock won’t end up in a skip. Also, it’s perhaps worth noting that Foster & Partners designed new Wembley which was delivered years late and came in hugely over-budget.

The final speakers were Rick McGagh, a familiar face persisting with his Shed 7 haircut despite wearing a club suit these days and Dan Jones, a member of the OTR Task Force. Rick and Dan went through some of the findings of the fan survey that was circulated in September, although there was no opportunity to challenge them on some of the scarcely believable data it threw up. The claim that most season ticket holders are in favour of a new ground doesn’t match my personal experience, nor does the claim that desire is stronger amongst older fans with younger fans leaning towards redeveloping the current stadium.

A short Q&A session followed that barely scratched the surface of the wide range of questions submitted via an online portal. The club are keen to “invest in the atmosphere” (whatever than means), will “temperature check potential pricing” (before doubling them, no doubt) and “naming rights are under consideration”. Of course they are, and that honestly should be the least of our concerns. Given they’ve got 2 billion quid to raise from somewhere the fact we’ll likely be playing in the Ineos Bowl or the McDonalds Arena at some stage seems patently obvious.

In conclusion, whilst the scale and ambition of the plans are undoubtedly impressive, I just don’t see how they can possibly make this happen within the next decade. This isn’t like the other end of town where you had Abu Dhabi literally pouring money into the Eastlands development in an attempt to make as big a statement as possible. Getting national and local government, planning permission, housing, retail and transport infrastructure in perfect alignment seems a monumental task, and that’s before you even consider how the actual stadium will be funded.

One of the questions asked during the Q&A was how the club plan to balance this task alongside the financial burden of keeping the football team competitive, ie the regular multi-million £ signings that are required on an annual basis. All Collette Roche could offer was that the club were “exploring all funding options” and the chosen pathway was “ultimately the owners’ decision”. Other club’s have funded ground moves through a combination of loans and grants, but MUFC’s lines of credit are already stretched with debts approaching £800M.

Roche admitted the club was still at the start of this journey but was obliged to explore all possibilities given this was a “once in a generation opportunity”. I guess it is, but the reality is the old PLC drew up plans for building over the railway line over 20 years ago and presumably they’ve been left in a drawer untouched ever since. My gut feeling is we’ve got another few years of talking ahead of us before they’ll commit to anything tangible. In the meantime, the focus groups, task forces and Town Hall sessions can’t hide the fact that despite giving the impression they’re fully engaged with this project, it just doesn’t appear viable with the club’s finances in their current state.

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Fetch The Bolt Cutters

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The fact I’ve delayed writing this column until minutes before deadline due to the possibility Ten Hag could be sacked at any moment speaks volumes for how the campaign has begun. Given he was on thin ice to begin with, it was crucial that the new signings hit the ground running and that the team showed a marked improvement on last season’s miserable form. Unfortunately for Erik, instead it’s been a continuation of what we’ve seen for the last 18 months or so. United are still a complete disaster. We might even be getting worse based on the evidence seen so far.

It’s not all been completely terrible, as the first hour at Palace demonstrated what the team could be capable of at some point in the future. That aside, it’s difficult to find any positives at all other than the fact Mazraoui (naturally now unavailable for the foreseeable) looks to be an upgrade on Wan-Bissaka. But that’s pretty much all I can summon up 2 months into the current season. The main highlight I can recall is a goalless draw at Selhurst Park where we actually looked like a functioning football team for a brief period. And that’s your lot, really. It’s been almost laughably grim viewing for the most part.

Ten Hag really doesn’t help himself at times, and his reading of the game can be perplexing to say the least. Attackers are repeatedly withdrawn from games for purposes of rotation, he says – but when they’ve been the most threatening presence on the pitch (Rashford at Porto for example) the substitutions make no sense. I thought the same thing when he hooked Zirkzee at Palace, rather than providing fresh momentum, the subs tend to interrupt the flow and kill any attacking impetus. I understand the need to rotate and give players minutes, but surely what’s happening on the pitch should inform these decisions.

As well as the seemingly preordained attacking substitutions, he’s developed a habit of causing defensive uncertainty by making regular mid-game switches at centre-half. If these changes are forced due to injury or fatigue then fair enough, but there’s been a number of instances where this hasn’t appeared to be the case at all. For a team that needs to develop a spine, it’s a strange way to try and instil any kind of confidence or consistency. We don’t look to have progressed in the slightest – it’s the same incoherent mess that was a struggle to watch throughout the duration of last season.

Out of all the summer signings made, the one we desperately needed to work out was Ugarte in midfield. Casemiro looks like he’d struggle with the pace of Soccer Aid these days, Mainoo is suffering from starting every game and Bruno gets more erratic by the week. Based on the evidence seen so far, I’m not convinced Ugarte is anywhere near the level needed to improve the team’s ability to control games and dominate possession. I always forget that Mason Mount plays for United given how infrequently he’s seen. Anyway, he made a brief re-appearance before promptly getting injured again to no one’s great surprise.

I’ve always been a staunch defender of Bruno and overlooked his shortcomings due to the fact he provides a goal threat in a team that largely doesn’t. However, the moments of inspiration are becoming less frequent and his bad games are starting to outnumber the good ones. The worse the team is performing, the more risks he takes. Honestly, I’m starting to see logic in the school of thought that suggests we’ll never progress whilst he’s handed a license to roam around the pitch and do pretty much whatever he fancies.

It’s probably the recent sending offs that have tipped me over the edge, but I’m getting tired of watching the same things happen over and over again. If United were a better team we could probably accommodate his recklessness, but we aren’t. The midfield consists of vast swathes of empty space for the most part so it’s no wonder we struggle to control games. I said after the Spurs game that the 3 game suspension might turn out to be a blessing in disguise given it would force Ten Hag to try something different. Then, naturally, the red card gets overturned. Of course it does. More chaos incoming, then.

I was pleased that Ten Hag was given the opportunity to stay on this summer, but suspected deep down that we were headed for this juncture sooner rather than later. Ineos appeared to explore every possible alternative before offering him a chance to turn things around, but clearly the gamble has backfired spectacularly. We’re currently sitting 14th in the PL table and 21st in the Europa League. If we’re being honest, an 8th place finish flattered us last season when our form was more akin of a mid-table team. Right now it’s no longer a question of if they sack him, it’s more a question of when.

Despite being confounded by many of his decisions, the stubborn part of me still hopes they keep their nerve and give him more time. I maintain that Ten Hag is a top man and think he’s done a lot of positive things (in difficult circumstances) in trying to change the culture around the club. We all acknowledged it would likely take 2-3 years to eradicate the failings of the previous regime and become serious contenders again. Having decided to put their faith in him in June, is it really the right call to reverse on that decision before the end of October?

On balance, it probably is – as I don’t expect to see any sudden upturn in form over the next few months. Although I’m loathe to admit defeat and return to the cycle of sacking managers every 2 years, it now feels inevitable that he’ll be gone in a matter of weeks. The club can’t afford a season floundering in mid-table without any signs of progress. Qualification for Europe looks to be a stretch at present, never mind finishing in the top 4. My expectation is he’ll limp on until the next international break, by which time the board will have lined up the next recipient of the poisoned chalice. I’m sorry, Erik – but it’s just not happening, is it?

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