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Two Steps Back

The January window passed off without major incident but again cast the spotlight on the precarious state of the club’s finances. The fact we brought in Patrick Dorgu was a minor surprise given the focus (rightly) was on trimming the wage bill to avoid future PSR breaches. Clearly, we’re in dodgy position right now. I’m sure Marcus Rashford didn’t expect to end up in Birmingham when Milan and Barcelona had been touted as potential destinations, but I guess we all have to make certain sacrifices during times of austerity, right?

I’ve been very critical of Rashford, but I hope this gives him a wake-up call and the motivation to kick on and resurrect his career. Ditto Antony, who now finds himself in Seville where I expect he’ll encounter a more forgiving environment in which to practice his pirouettes and ponder using his right foot one day. Sacrificing this pair and not even making a loan signing did appear to be a gamble though, one that backfired almost immediately now Amad has been ruled out for the rest of the season. I’m not sure what the plan is if Garnacho is unavailable for any length of time.

It’s long been suspected that the training levels aren’t what they should be at Carrington. You only have to look at the pre-match warm up routines to confirm that most players are simply going through the motions and there’s a noticeable lack of intensity. I suspect Amorim has clocked this and set about fixing things but he might need to re-adjust his methods. 9 days in-between games to spend on the training ground pre- Spurs resulted in 4 fresh injuries – and that’s coming off the back of the news that Martinez has undergone surgery and is likely out until Christmas. I strongly suspect the club could genuinely be cursed.

With Rashford and Antony joining Sancho out on loan, that now makes around £200M worth of wingers plying their trade elsewhere whilst remaining on the books. The silver lining in Sancho’s case is that at least he was shipped out with a clause obligating Chelsea to stump up a transfer fee in the summer. This move being a rare example of United doing something right with regard to player dealings – you’d be hard pressed to recall many other instances of the club doing something sensible in the transfer market in recent years.

The fact that both Rashford and Antony will be back in June is probably helping fuel speculation that both Garnacho and Mainoo might be sold in the summer. It’s a grim prospect that would have been inconceivable in previous years, but indicative of the gravity of the situation in which the club finds itself. Nobody wants to see our brightest prospects sold, but I suppose this is the natural consequence of years of ridiculous spending and kamikaze financial management. If it needs to happen to get the club back on a secure footing then so be it.

A lack of signings meant the e-reds had a difficult month, especially now the penny has dropped that Sancho is delivering the same turgid performance level at Chelsea as he did during his time at United. Amusingly, they’ve now pivoted from demanding his immediate recall to another familiar face, our old friend Paul Pogba! Yes, such unparalleled lunacy is alive and well on the internet. I mean, can you imagine being that thick you’d actually think that re-signing that clown would be a smart move at this point? Unsurprisingly, Rio Ferdinand was touting the same idea too.

Sad news came last month via the announcement of Denis Law’s passing – the original King of The Stretford End and my Dad’s favourite player of all time. I was fortunate enough to meet the man a couple of times and what a lovely, down-to-earth bloke he was. It was a pity then, that the ceremony held prior to the Fulham game days later was ragged mess in comparison to how the club have managed similar events in the past. The TRA drowning out the lone piper followed by Alan Keegan’s foghorn-voiced reading of a tribute poem brought little subtlety or solemnity to proceedings. It’s a shame because United used to get these things spot on.

In such circumstances, less can mean more. The contrast to the scenes inside the ground in January 1994 prior to the Everton game following Sir Matt’s death was stark. Back then there was a simple minute’s silence after a piper had led both teams out. There was no need for anyone on the mic giving a running commentary and to this day, the scene stands out as one of the most moving things I’ve ever witnessed in life. The club needs to reassess how these occasions are handled in future to ensure they don’t become some ill-conceived form of pre-match entertainment.

We went from Scotland’s finest to the absolute dregs in the space of a few days, as Rangers rocked up at OT for one of those “invasions” that occur every time a side from Glasgow ventures south of Newcastle. I managed to avoid them pre-match and wondered if the rumours about the numbers travelling were accurate, but then it was hard to miss them once they’d equalised. It all made for a highly entertaining last 10 minutes with skirmishes occurring all over the ground. I’ve no problem with any away fan getting in the home end as I’ve done it often enough. The rule as always is if you loudly make yourself known, be prepared for some potential consequences.

It didn’t take long for United to activate damage limitation mode, predictably blaming ST holders for selling on tickets rather than admitting that scores of hospitality seats had (also predictably) been snapped up by the Scots. The club used similarly disingenuous tactics after Galatasaray at home last season, another high-demand game that saw large numbers of away fans infiltrating home sections. Rather than learn any lessons from what happened that night and limiting the sale of hospitality seats for a potentially volatile fixture, they’ve just doubled down on attempts to pin the blame on regular ST holders.

After allegedly reviewing CCTV footage from the night, the club have contacted dozens of fans threatening to revoke their tickets unless they can prove their attendance at the game. The fact the club sees the value in targeting individuals and demanding photo ID to prove they were sat in their seats rather than acknowledging Rangers fans were freely allowed to congregate next to the away section is extraordinarily deceitful even by their own standards. Just own it and admit that despite the obvious risks, you allowed the sale of hundreds of home end tickets to away supporters. It’s that simple no matter how much they try to shift the blame onto United fans.

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3ft High and Rising

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Gulp. I think we all expected another tough season but I don’t think many anticipated the R word might become a possibility at any point. In true modern-day United fashion, everything that can go wrong is currently going wrong and the team (predictably) looks utterly bamboozled by the demands of the new manager. If Ruben Amorim wasn’t aware of the size of the task ahead of him when he first joined the club then he certainly is now.

Talk of relegation is probably being dramatic but it’s fair to say the club has sunk to its lowest ebb since the late-80s. Changing the manager mid-season was incredibly risky, especially considering how Amorim was determined to impose a new formation on a group of players who routinely make the very basics of football look mind-bendingly difficult. The PL is an unforgiving environment to try out new ideas and opponents have been quick to capitalise on the general air of confusion. Honestly Ruben, a 5 minute chat with literally anyone who’s watched us for the last 2-3 years could have warned you of this.

Some of the things witnessed over the last month or so have defied belief. I’ve been following United for over 4 decades and I’ve never seen a goal scored direct from a corner – yet somehow we contrived to concede in this manner in consecutive games. This came after the debacle at Arsenal where Onana, faced with Arsenal’s much vaunted corner kick routine, decided that the best way of dealing with it was to stand rooted to his goal line as opposed to attempting a clearance or god forbid, catching the thing. It was utterly pathetic.

Amorim’s attempts to rotate and give everyone a fair opportunity haven’t really worked and if anything, have only added to the chaos. It’s not entirely his fault as out of the squad he took over only Amad and Mazraoui have shown the slightest bit of form over the last few months. The rest of them have been mainly atrocious since the start of the season. Ten Hag got criticised for being aloof and taking the hardline approach and Amorim seems similarly unperturbed about ruffling feathers. I’m absolutely fine with that, personally – though I don’t expect it will end well for him.

The decision to remove Marcus Rashford from the starting XL came as no surprise as rumours about his discipline and re-fuelling habits have persisted longer than his decline in form. Although I appreciate Amorim trying to make it clear about what is and what isn’t acceptable, I don’t see him winning this particular battle. Rashford knows he has the club by the balls and is free to decide his own future. Whilst I’m sure the club are regretting that long term contract signed in July 2023 and would love to get him off the books, I don’t see anyone outside of Saudi willing to stump up £50M+ and take on his extortionate wages.

Rashford seems to be in full denial of his own shortcomings, hence the now trademark sulky demeanour and lack of application on the pitch. It’s Sancho all over again – mollycoddled player refusing to accept that responsibility is ultimately theirs despite the club bending over backwards to try and accommodate them. Multiple warnings, 2nd chances, pat on the back, arm round the shoulder, blah blah – all for nothing. Meanwhile the player’s personal failings remain unaddressed as their ‘advisors’, the people paid a huge chunk to guide these young millionaires through their careers, only enhance their sense of entitlement by convincing them their conduct is justified and it’s everyone else who’s in the wrong.

That’s essentially why I’ve lost it with Rashford and there’s no going back whatever happens in future. It’s nothing to do with his skin colour, dress sense or choice of holiday destination. I couldn’t care less about where he was born or the fact he’s been at the club since he was a toddler, it just makes his career decline all the more disappointing. Compare and contrast with Diogo Dalot, a limited talent by comparison and often a defensive liability but you could never question his commitment or desire to play for United. Yes, he’s a bit of a knobhead going round hi-fiving all and sundry but if his more-esteemed colleagues matched his energy and enthusiasm I suspect we’d be a lot higher than 14th in the table.

The Rashford contract was another Arnold/Murtough cock-up that will continue to have repercussions until it expires in 2028. And it will expire, because he’ll never sign another like it unless he decides to accept the Saudi lucre earlier than planned. The latest round of briefings from his camp were careful to state that as well as rejecting 3 offers so far he is also (surprise, surprise) “open to staying at United”. Of course he is. We can only hope the club holds its nerve and continues to back Amorim during this current stand-off. Ineos haven’t got very much right in recent months but they at least backed Ten Hag after he decided to dispense with Sancho under similar circumstances.

The Newcastle game was another low point, one that most would have predicted once news broke that Amorim was starting Casemiro and Erikson in midfield together. Again, a deeply flawed decision that was always likely to backfire spectacularly. Zirkzee was hooked and bore the brunt of the OT crowd’s frustration, unceremoniously booed off after only half an hour. Obviously, this was out of order and provided terrible optics to amplify what was an already dire situation. I mean, it’s not his fault is it? He might well be useless and not last very long here but he’s just the latest in a long line of questionable signings. I know everything is crap at present, but let’s not lose the plot completely.

The almost relentless doom of the last month was at least punctuated by a couple of encouraging performances. The unexpected injury time win at the Etihad was possibly eclipsed by a very credible point at Anfield where the team demonstrated what they can achieve once everyone applies themselves. It was our best performance of the season by a distance with players snapping into tackles and leaving everything out on the pitch. We very unlucky not to sneak the 3 points in the end and hopefully sets a benchmark for what needs to be repeated over the coming months.

These are still the early days of Amorim’s reign and it’s been a rocky start to say the least. He’s taken over a struggling team that’s an uneven mix of kids, new signings and a fair few who know they’ll be shipped out once their contracts are up. I don’t think we’re as bad as the league position suggests but it’s clear he has a job on his hands trying to build a team out of what he’s inherited. Honestly, I don’t know where we go from here given the schizophrenic nature of most of these players. I hope they step up for him but honestly, it wouldn’t be a shock if it blew up in his face and he was canned before the end of the season. Who knows what’s coming next.

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Start Again

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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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