The Saturday morning Mailbox is dominated by views on Manchester United, who should ’embrace the chaos’ and replace Ruben Amorim with Wayne Rooney…
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Man Utd should just embrace the chaos…
With another previously highly regarded manager being cast off after failing to cut the mustard at Manchester United, it’s hard not to wonder why we keep putting ourselves through this pattern of a new manager showing glimpses of early promise, only to be followed by a painfully drawn-out collapse. It’s a costly habit, and a mentally exhausting one from the fan’s perspective. At this point, many of us might have preferred to see Ten Hag stay in post purely to avoid having to go through the courting process of a new appointment’s first season and the inevitable slide into the footballing abyss that will no doubt soon follow.
To remedy this, I’ve convinced myself that we should switch to a policy of changing manager every single season, regardless of the level of success achieved. As fans, we could enjoy a no-strings-attached relationship in supporting our gaffer, knowing he wouldn’t be around to hurt us next season. With no more massive compensation payouts which, if anything, seem to incentivise failure, we could fix our leaky stands in no time and maybe even sign a left-back. On top of this, we all know our lads love a new manager bounce. And, if we can hit a really long and sustained bounce one year, we just might just be in the top four come Christmas!
It’s also pretty unreasonable to expect the modern footballer to remain enamoured with a manager’s philosophy and personality for more than a season. Like the rest of us – they’re easily bored and endlessly seeking new thrills. We wouldn’t have had the Jadon Sancho situation if we knew that next season he’d have a clean slate with a lovely new manager there to embrace him back into the fold. Marcus Rashford received what can only be described as preferential treatment under Ten Hag, and even he didn’t see to like the bald Dutch maestro. We’ve seen enough of this player-manager friction festering and whittling away at our squad cohesion as the years go on – let’s break the cycle by hitting the reset button on an annual basis.
We can bask in the optimism of each pre-season, knowing the players will be running that bit harder, constantly striving to impress the new regime. Premier League rivals will be left scratching their heads, unable to match United’s desire or study our style with any certainty. We could even have an annual televised manager reveal ceremony in Old Trafford, which would surely become a popular event on the global sporting calendar. Who will get their crack of the whip this year? Another hot young manager on an unbeaten streak in a trendy European league or a no-nonsense blast from the past like Wayne Rooney?
This would hopefully finally allow us to move on from the days of pining for the new Fergie, waiting for “The One” to come and save us from ourselves. Let’s embrace the chaos and unpredictability that has clearly become the very essence of our club and just live in the moment each season. It can’t be worse, can it?
RG, Cardiff
READ: Mason Mount set to usurp Bruno Fernandes at Man Utd: The Ruben Amorim winners and losers
United might be the least 3-4-3 team in the Premier League…
Something interesting I hadn’t really thought about (obviously United are afterthought material other than for the craic) is how poorly the squad is set up for a 3-4-3 formation.
The BBC has a reasonable article on it, but basically, you need ball-playing CBs, high pressing forwards that tuck in, game/line breaking wing-backs and a lethal finisher.
United have none of these (ok maybe in Martinez, they have one flexible CB). They are maybe the most 4-2-3-1 team in the league – their best player a classic 10, a stable of wide forwards who beat a man/play off the shoulder, two centre forwards who charitably work best in the build up right now and have spent a lot of money strengthening a very traditional looking back 4.
You could play Fernandes and Mount as the two players behind the CF I guess, to maximise your energy and ball playing, but then you’re trusting your width to what? Dalot and a one-legged Luke Shaw?
Liverpool clearly saw this as a limitation in Amorim (despite having a much more 3-4-3 friendly squad) and said no thanks. How expensive is next summer going to be for United to get the balance he wants?
And then what? There’s a reason Arsenal/City play the way they do (and Liverpool moving that direction) and it’s controlling the game. 3-4-3 really feels like a vintage fast transition formation more suited to smash and grabs than breaking down the stacked lines United will face.
Can you get to 90pts consistently with a formation that is conventionally seen as counter-punching? I suppose if he nails it, we might get a 3-4-3 renaissance, but outside of one Conte team in 20 years, has any club team played that way and found substantial high-level success?
Tom, Leyton
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Welcome to Manchester United’s cycle of doom, Ruben Amorim…
Manchester United are a club trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of disappointment, where hope dies and expectations crush potential before it can breathe.
Another manager arrives, promising change. The new manager walks into a pressure cooker where fans and media demand instant success. The fans buzz with excitement. The players perk up. But we’ve seen this movie before – it always ends the same way. New boss, same old story. Panic transfers. Short-term thinking. Rinse and repeat.
Klopp proved that building a proper football philosophy takes time. He wasn’t an overnight miracle – he was a methodical architect who rebuilt from the ground up. United’s recent managers? They’ve been more like quick-fix merchants, buying aging icons or unproven youngsters, thrown into a melting pot of tactical ideas then defaulting to counter-attacking tactics that might win you a random big game but won’t win you a league.
Can Amorim be the one to finally break this cycle?
The “new manager bounce” is real. Players on the bench think they’ve got another chance, and the regulars are scrambling to prove themselves. But has Van Nistelrooy’s already used some of that ‘new manager’ energy?
Amorim’s challenge? United’s financial handcuffs are tight. No massive spending spree. Big name players are not so enamoured with United’s aura anymore. Especially with no Champions League football. No quick fixes. He’ll need to be a surgeon, not a sledgehammer – carefully reshaping what’s already there.
The real question is whether Ratcliffe and his team understand what it takes to build a long-term football project. Are they Liverpool-like visionaries or just another set of billionaire owners (Chelsea) treating the club like a fantasy football experiment? (At least Chelsea are young and seem to have time to coalesce. Getting lucky with a generational player in Palmer.)
This isn’t just about Amorim. It’s not about whether United will win something this season. It’s about whether Amorim can start building something that actually means something in five years. It’s whether the fans will have the patience, particularly with the media storm that surrounds United. It’s about breaking that toxic cycle strangling the club’s potential for years to come.
Paul McDevitt
READ: Five ways to fix a broken Marcus Rashford at Manchester United and beyond
Hi SC, Belfast. I take your point that motivating players – and generally keeping them motivated, and on track – is a vital skill that good managers possess. It’s also vital to stamp out and remove those who are trouble.
Clearly, Ten Hag didn’t get all this right. He did well with Ronaldo, there was some pressure around the Sancho situation but he resolved that having already bent over backwards from the beginning for the ungrateful little toe rag. He supported Rashford and got him firing – albeit briefly. He brought through players and gave them support and match time.
However, there’s a core collection of these players that have failed under numerous managers now. At what point do you look at them and question their own attitudes? I’d say after two would be enough.
Now, we know there’s been let’s call it problematic influence above the manager position for over a decade. We’ve seen the board throw money at big names for the sake of being seen to be big. We’ve seen them refuse to sanction getting rid of obviously failed players because the board likes them. We’ve seen the manager identify a suitable player and the powers above throw three times their value at buying them. We’ve seen the finance men reward players with obscene wages, from established ones to younger ones, simply to ward off sharks.
This creates a situation as we have now. We’ve finally got rid of a lot of the dead wood and replaced them with good players, but there are still some problematic influences in the squad, and some burgeoning egos that need to be kept in check.
There are mitigating circumstances. A ridiculous injury crisis last year that no team – including Arsenal and Liverpool – could cope with. And this year a number of players who need to be bedded in but due to circumstances have had to come straight in. Then there are specific cases: as per the article on this site, Rashford needs a full back who will overlap so he’s not doubled or tripled up on. He had that in his first season – and not since – and looks what happened.
So how much is it the manager’s fault? At most 50% I’d say. And with the legacy some of these players are leaving in terms of managers they’ve poorly served, or who – to pull one ‘random’ example – still seem to refuse to pass to their striker, that’s beginning to leave a whiff.
Badwolf
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Ditch your buddies to progress…
I have come to the conclusion that for a manager to be successful in a new job he is far better off forgetting about his old buddies and finding better shinier toys that fit in the new club.
I used to think the opposite (until a few minutes ago actually). The likes of Harry having multiple semi successful teams with some of the same players had me convinced that was the way to go. This was encouraged when every time a new manager is announced every football website does a list of players they might bring with them to the new club as though this was a good thing.
This all changed when I read the email from Eric Los Angeles. The mention of Wolverhampton+ and Ajax redux sent my mind spinning and I could not think of a single high level manager that actually does this to a great degree. Maybe one player, but usually zero.
Pep didn’t fill city with his former Barca or Bayern troops. Ditto for Klopp at pool. Don’t think Arsene, Jose or Carlo did it either. And the more I think about it the more convinced I am that there is more likely a negative correlation between success at new club vs number of your buddies you brought with you.
I’m not saying it could never work, (there are probably examples I’m missing) but the important point seems to be to build around the new team, not try to recreate your old team. Only bring a buddy if they are definitely going to fit in. ETH buying half of Ajax can be seen as the cautionary tale.
Another way of looking at it is, don’t break up with your girlfriend for someone you think you like better, and then try to change them to be more like the girl you just ditched… embrace the new girl and forget about the past.
Joe LFC
Such rubbish stories coming out about Gyokeres and others following Amorim. Gyokeres in particular I would think would want to try himself at a better club, a different manager and not a doomed project. A couple of the lesser known players may come along for Amorim’s own peace of mind.
If they do start following the migration, it’s just a repeat of Ten Hag, isn’t it? A manager who was focussed on a high press, servicing lots of chances for the striker. Amorim will only be different if he can legitimately adapt, or adapt the overpaid, overentitled players to his rigid style (at least in terms of sticking to his principles).
No chance.
Josh
The Ruud Era Tour
So Ruud van Nisterlooy gets a four game interim gig as Man Utd manager, starting off with a handy mullering of Leicester and continuing on with Chelsea, PAOL & Leicester again, all at home.
Good luck to him, as he appears to be now in the job he was employed for in the first place i.e. a place holder between ETH & the next poor bastard who tries to right this sinking ship.
But according to F365s’ Big Weekend this weekends game is a continuation of Ruuds’ “era”. Four games is now an era. He was a terrific player and seems to have proven to be an adapt manager at PSV but he’s no Taylor Swift.
Do your overlords not allow you access to a dictionary or thesaurus anymore?
A, LFC, Montreal
Ps. She sold her country soul to commercialism.
Pps. Please don’t elect that odious Tango Man. The world has enough problems already without him making it much, much worse!
Sack the media department!
I’ve seen a couple of videos doing the rounds in recent days of Eric ten Hag and his tendency to say ‘please’ at the end of interviews (instead of ‘thanks’ presumably). Now whatever anyone says about his football tactics – I would have a lot of sympathy for him on this one. I wonder how many people mocking him speak more than 1 language (and would be prepared to do a media interview in a different language to their native one?)
My question is this – surely Manchester United would have employed someone with some sort of media training who could have had a quiet word to correct him? We hear all the time about players getting media training before they are interviewed, does nobody in the club actually watch (or be present at) the interviews that the manager is doing? (or did INEOS sack the media department too?)
David Horgan. Dublin
