Ruben Amorim - Manchester United Head Coach

He snobbed Liverpool and come to us while we are in misery. He play attractive football and his biggest strength is his motivational skills, which we need more then anything IMO. He is the right guy to make us competitive again hopefully. But it is way too soon to think about winning the league. We will need to wait a couple of years for that I think.
 
This is also a clear indication we ain’t writing off this season. We didn’t want to have an interim for the rest of the season. Good job INEOS. This is the way to run a football club.

Also City low key fecked up. If they announced Pep was leaving in May 2025, there is a chance Ruben could have said no to us, cause we did take a risk in issuing an ultimatum, and maybe followed his DOF to City.
He would know if the City job was available, considering Viana is taking the City’s sporting director job.
 
He snobbed Liverpool and come to us while we are in misery. He play attractive football and his biggest strength is his motivational skills, which we need more then anything IMO. He is the right guy to make us competitive again hopefully. But it is way too soon to think about winning the league. We will need to wait a couple of years for that I think.
What’s this with Liverpool? I can recall at the time it was reported that he rejected the Scousers, but now pundits are claiming they chose Slot over him.
 
Manchester United is a very tough job for any coach.

I wish him all the best, just wish he had a few world class players he could rely on.
 
What’s this with Liverpool? I can recall at the time it was reported that he rejected the Scousers, but now pundits are claiming they chose Slot over him.
Well, we will never know, but I prefer better the first version.
Plus, I liked when he said it’s the best time to come here. The guy is used to take a club from rock bottom and bring it back to being competitive.
 
Cautiously optimistic with Amorim. I thought ETH was going to be good for us but he ultimately wasn’t.

He fits the INEOS profile as to what was reported which is a fairly young head coach, and I think only Martin, McKenna and Hurzeler are younger in terms of PL head coaches.

Probably the hottest new property on the market in terms of managers/head coaches if you can call him that. Has a team that’s outdoing two bigger teams in Portugal unlike ETH who was managing the team in the Netherlands.

You’d hope that Amorim and the office will be on the same page for a lot of decisions coming over the next few months and that there won’t be stories of disagreements.

With this appointment, the hierarchy of the club is now fully INEOS and all within 12 months.
 
Yeah no, it really doesn’t. This is EXACTLY like the summer when ten Hag joined. Hope it turns out better.

I was definitely excited by ten hag and thought he was the right man, but I did have a small niggle that wouldnt go away that he lacked something needed for the role.
 
I like his honesty. One thing that is for certain is he's got a lot more charisma than the previous manager. Hopefully that helps him with player buy in and navigating the press over here.
Yip. He feels like a leader of men and bags of charisma which is requisite to be manager at a club as massive as United.

I'm so excited and on board with this that the slight qualms I have about his wish to leave before the end of the season are more "so what". He said for three days he said after the approach that he wanted to see out the season at Sporting. It shows that it was not deal done as United Stand in particular said it was several days ago because there was an ultimatum of "now or never" as he puts it. He could have left it.

"I had three days to make a decision," he said.

But he didn't. He has now signed. Hooray. Our gain.

Just hope that when he refers to "Manchester" that he realises it is NOT City.

There will always be comparisons to the optimism over Ten Hag's arrival. But I was less carried away with him because I just felt that he didn't have the personalty for the role. And those fears were not unfounded.
 
I was definitely excited by ten hag and thought he was the right man, but I did have a small niggle that wouldnt go away that he lacked something needed for the role.
If I remember correctly, the reason he reportedly didn't get the Spurs job was down to lack of personality.
 
Yip. He feels like a leader of men and bags of charisma which is requisite to be manager at a club as massive as United.

I'm so excited and on board with this that the slight qualms I have about his wish to leave before the end of the season are more "so what". He said for three days he said after the approach that he wanted to see out the season at Sporting. It shows that it was not deal done as United Stand in particular said it was several days ago because there was an ultimatum of "now or never" as he puts it. He could have left it.

"I had three days to make a decision," he said.

But he didn't. He has now signed. Hooray. Our gain.

Just hope that when he refers to "Manchester" that he realises it is NOT City.

If anything the fact that he just refers to us as "Manchester" is insulting to City. There's only one proper club in Manchester, no need to say anything otherwise.
 
I love how people from outside the UK still just call United 'Manchester'. Little city must hate it
 
He will have to learn at a new club either way, he doesn't have the same players. And in general it's a misconception that people have about formations, managers understand how they all work none of them are new. Just an example about this strange link that people make, because people saw Tuchel comfortably implement a 3421 they almost exclusvely linked him with it when the formation he has used the most in his career is 4231, he also had no issue implement 433s or different variants of 442. Managers and players are almost never as limited as people seem to think, the question is always what organization is best for the concerned group of players.
There's a difference between what's possible and what's optimal. He'll want to begin with what offers the best possible chance of success. If he was taking over a seasoned team with a fleshed out squad, it might change the calculus. But he's going to a team that doesn't have a viable way of playing, so he's changing the formation and dealing with gaps in the squad either way. So I don't see much rationale for him changing what's brought him success so far.
 
The thing about letting him stay at Sporting for a few games is a good move in my opinion. It might be a sign that the club is trying to rebuild our image to show we have some class.

And telling him "now or never" i like too. When we've been looking at managers in the past, and people were saying that nobody would move at certain points of the season, this is something I said I'd like to see us do. This is a big opportunity for anyone and you don't get two chances at this.

So with those two moves, we've shown we've got class, but that we also are firm and know what a big chance this is that we are offering to people. Fergie used to say that, when it came to players we were looking to sign, he'd normally only give them one chance.

I think getting him in just before the international break is a masterstroke

Let him settle in, get to know the players, see the infrastructure etc.
 
What’s this with Liverpool? I can recall at the time it was reported that he rejected the Scousers, but now pundits are claiming they chose Slot over him.
There might be some truth in it but supposedly it was purely because amorim was not willing to move away from his 343 system and liverpool wanted someone that kept continuity of keeping to the same formation klopp had and so they went with slot.
 
I don’t expect miracles straight away as our squad isn’t going to be nowhere near at the fitness levels he likes his teams to play at.
 
What can he achieve with this group of players? Top 4 would be difficult even with a full preseason. I don't rate our players but I am hopeful he will do much better than ETH.
 
I don’t expect miracles straight away as our squad isn’t going to be nowhere near at the fitness levels he likes his teams to play at.
Playing decent football and not looking like a shambles would be a massive jump forward from the last 18 months
 
I think the term ‘head coach’ is the right move. Finally allocating different disciplines to different people and clearly defining what their roles are. So I would expect our brand new ‘head coach’ finally being properly facilitated with responsibilities taken away so the manager can focus on getting the best results on the pitch. I think this is also very important to get the club back to the top.
They have a new title upcoming. Dugout Guy. 'Press conference mudguard' too wordy.
 
Only Diomande
Out of interest - in what order do you rate your collection of CB's? You seem to have a group of quality young players in this position with him, Inacio, Debast (and you could even throw Quaresma in here I guess?) - which of these would you expect to go on to be the best?
 
I'm so glad we didn't go down the interim route again. It's just wasting valuable time and sends the wrong message to the players.
It could be said that EtH was the interim since the summer as he was never going to be the long term manager.

Fairly swift decision since EtH was sacked but a lot of valuable time/games has been wasted already.

I’m surprised that he’s only on a two year deal. Probably makes sense given the cost to terminate long conteracts.
Reported to be 2.5 years with an option for an additional year.
 
Crystal Ball, Crystal Ball, open a window on 2026... Oh! Ah! Feck? We draw non-league side Man City in the Cup. Sky Sports having conniptions.
Gyökeres out injured. Jonny Evans MOTM. 1 - 1. Penalties!
 
Can't wait for him to get started.
Love the idea behind being head coach, hopefully that means he is happy for Ashworth etc to provide the players to fit his system so that he gets to concentrate on getting things right on the pitch.
 
Crystal Ball, Crystal Ball, open a window on 2026... Oh! Ah! Feck? We draw non-league side Man City in the Cup. Sky Sports having conniptions.
Gyökeres out injured. Jonny Evans MOTM. 1 - 1. Penalties!
This is what a stroke looks like in written form.
 
There's a difference between what's possible and what's optimal. He'll want to begin with what offers the best possible chance of success. If he was taking over a seasoned team with a fleshed out squad, it might change the calculus. But he's going to a team that doesn't have a viable way of playing, so he's changing the formation and dealing with gaps in the squad either way. So I don't see much rationale for him changing what's brought him success so far.

The rationale is that he doesn't have the same players and he isn't coaching in the same league. There is way more rationale behind the idea that he will assess the team and decide what's best which may include his current 343 and there is zero rational behind the idea that his 343 is de facto the best option because it doesn't actual use any rational other than stating that it is because he is successfully using it with Sporting CP.

Take Ancelotti as an example, he initially tries his favored 4321 with all his teams since he left Milan but he invariably adjust to what he has because he actually has a rational mind. Dogmatic approaches aren't rational and hopefully he isn't dogmatic otherwise he won't last at the highest level, if Amorim believes that 343 is the best for United AND results show that it's true then perfect but neither the fans nor himself should marry themselves to a formation just for the sake of it, that mindset was probably one of ETH's downfall.

Edit: I should add Mourinho as an other example with Porto or Inter he heavily used variants of 442 diamond or 4312 but he pretty much got rid of it everywhere else because it didn't suit his personnel or the leagues.
 
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I'm a Portuguese Benfica fan (like Amorim by the way). I've been reading through this topic and I do believe that a lot of you are missing some points, and why you should totally be excited by having Ruben.

  • Ruben was a top tier player. He played almost 10 years for Benfica. He was a national team player. He knows what it's to play for a club that has the expectation of winning all the time. That I feel is not focused enough on his profile.
  • Portuguese league is not as important as Premier, but we are crazy about football. This means that being a coach for Benfica, Porto or Sporting it's a huge pressure job.
  • Contrary to ETH, that picked up what was mostly a continuation job, Ruben came totally in the middle of a rebuild and although I believe Kaiser the previous manager did a decent job, Ruben totally changed the game for Sporting.
  • He has an ego, a certain cockiness to him but a positive one. He knows he is good and so far all his career decisions were done with the self acknowledgement that he "was good for the job". And yeah it can go wrong there but if he feels ready, he will work to be ready.

Just a final note, the scientist guy is actually a data scientist. Very common everywhere but basically he collects all performance data and makes the reports the coach needs.

He is a great coach. It can go wrong yes. But if he has the support of the board he will be good for you and the team will play good attacking football.
 
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I know we’re all going to be expecting the 5+ goals but just a reminder, they have Gyokeres, we have Hojlund.
This. Gyökeres is ten times the striker Hojlund ever can and will be.

It's madness how we spent around 70 million pounds on Hojlund. People don't talk about it enough, because that is almost as bad as the Antony deal.
 


The list
Facts I didn't know about Ruben Amorim that you might find interesting: a thread

1. He did a week-long internship at Manchester United at the start of his coaching career under Jose Mourinho.

2. After losing his first 2 games at his first club, Casa Pia, he announced that he'd quit if he lost the 3rd. He then switched up his tactics, birthing the 3-4-3 he's known for and went on an unbeaten run.

3. Also, at the time, he didn't have his full coaching badges so Casa Pia eventually got fined 6 points and he got a 1-year suspension. Even though the ban was lifted shortly after, he resigned in annoyance.

4. He became Braga's manager, met them at 8th, ended up 3rd with 10 wins in 13 games and won them their 1st trophy in 4 years.

5. Sporting paid €10m in 2019 to get him, making him the 3rd most expensive manager ever at the time. By 2021, he broke the Benfica-Porto dynasty and won them their first league title since 2002.

6. He was heavily linked as Klopp's successor and was mentioned as a possible option to take over from Pep at City. He even flew to London to discuss being West Ham's manager for this season but refused their offer in the end.

7. When one of his players, Ricardo Esgaio came under heavy criticism from the fans, he publicly defended him saying, "He's not one of the fans' favorite players, but he's one of mine. As long as I am here, I will protect him as much as possible. He will never be abandoned by the manager and as long as I'm here there's nothing you can do to Esgaio".

8. With Sporting, he has beaten clubs like Dortmund, Frankfurt, Tottenham and Arsenal in European ties.
 
This. Gyökeres is ten times the striker Hojlund ever can and will be.

It's madness how we spent around 70 million pounds on Hojlund. People don't talk about it enough, because that is almost as bad as the Antony deal.
Oh ffs, Hojlund is very talented young player and a great finisher. I also like how you can predict the future, good stuff.

I know we’re all going to be expecting the 5+ goals but just a reminder, they have Gyokeres, we have Hojlund.

Yes we do, we have Hojlund, who already proved being a great finisher and is expected to flourish in actual good system.
 
Or the reason they signed Ugarte in the first place?

I would be surprised by it because PSG put him on the market, I believe that it was more of an opportunistic transfer then a player the club targetted.
 
This. Gyökeres is ten times the striker Hojlund ever can and will be.

It's madness how we spent around 70 million pounds on Hojlund. People don't talk about it enough, because that is almost as bad as the Antony deal.
When he was Hojlund's age, he played for Brighton youth and was loaned to St.Pauli, scoring 7 in 26.
 
United has lifted me up and smashed me into pieces too many times now. I will be cautious not to get too excited about Amorim. Of course I hope he is the real deal but there are many factors which does make me wonder why so many are excited about him.

I really don't know much about him until recently and what I observed below are merely from statistics and nothing to do with his style of play etc.

1. Many says he has lifted sporting to their first trophy in many years. When I checked their league position from 2015 to 2020, they were hovering between 2nd and 4th. Nothing like what is happening to United.
2. The EPL is going to be many folds more competitive than the Portuguese League.
3. He won 2 seasons in the Portugese league but also ended up 4th and 2nd for two other seasons.
4. He doesn't have a wealth of experience especially managing a club the size of United.
 
What’s this with Liverpool? I can recall at the time it was reported that he rejected the Scousers, but now pundits are claiming they chose Slot over him.
It's both, one of Liverpool wanted him to be more flexible than to remain true only to the 3-4-3, they didn't want to move away from the 4-3-3 base they have implemented throughout their academy only because of the new head coach. And Amorim rejected their proposal to work out something he has never worked with only to fit Liverpool's agenda. So he rejected Liverpool's offer to become their new head coach.