Ruben Amorim - Manchester United Head Coach

What happened with Viana? Pep’s people were installed at City before he arrived. So… Did City baulk at Amorim? Did United somehow gazump them? Or ..?
Not sure yet if Pep wants to leave and uncertainty around the club's court case, so we just got there before.
 
I’m new here so don’t know all the ins and outs of who people support. I do know there are some people here who support other teams which is very good for discussion.

Red tinted glasses ? Not entirely sure what you mean by that , I do understand there is risk joining united at the moment but high level people in football are usually highly confident in their ability ( some too much so) so they should really relish the challenge. From what you have said nobody half decent should touch us with a barge pole - where does that leave us ?

It’s a lot of players life long ambition to play for united so and I don’t think that can be understated just because things are not a bed of roses at the moment.
Welcome to the Caf. There are quite a few Manchester United supporters here. There are some very funny people here, and a good few very smart ones who only post rarely. The rest are either oppo fans, trolls or clueless.

Edit: I mean fair play to fans of other clubs who contribute, among these are some of the Caf’s best posters. But there is also a lot of stuff from various weird agendas. Opposition fans or trolls pretending to support MUFC, etc. It was exceedingly odd to be here while the Quatar bid was in play. Still, exciting times with (partly) new owners, new coach, maybe a new footballing approach. Enjoy your time in here and watching the reds.
 
Last edited:
Those old players should stop selling out and commenting on the club. They are a part of the problem.

If they ever have productive feedback they should give that directly to the club instead.

Someone like Paul Scholes was a terrific player for us for a number of years, but he's bad at pretty much anything else that has to do with football.
His football comments are more like his tackles than his play with the ball…
 
It’s more than that: the strategy chosen fits the club better than a tiki-taka style.

It was claimed that Wilcox would change the game model to a possession based strategy, which obviously hasn’t happened.

There is continuity in the appointment of Amorim and I’m grateful for that. He will work hard like Ten Hag has, and hopefully get better results.
Not enough profiles that fit that style, unfortunately.

Onana, Lisandro, de Ligt, Mainoo, Eriksen, Amad and Zirkzee would all benefit from a more possession oriented approach.

Casemiro, Ugarte, Mount, Bruno, Rashford, Garnacho and Højlund benefit from a higher tempo and transitions. More pressing and running.

The squad is a bit all over the place. Too many contrasting styles.
 
Not enough profiles that fit that style, unfortunately.

Onana, Lisandro, de Ligt, Mainoo, Eriksen, Amad and Zirkzee would all benefit from a more possession oriented approach.

Casemiro, Ugarte, Mount, Bruno, Rashford, Garnacho and Højlund benefit from a higher tempo and transitions. More pressing and running.

The squad is a bit all over the place. Too many contrasting styles.
Exactly.
I found the signing of Ugarte the oddest profile of player we brought in - in the summer.
The squad is all over the place.
 
I actually wouldn't go near United as a player or manager right now. It's largely been a graveyard since 2013.

What keeps attracting people to the managerial position is the ambition that they will be the man who turns Manchester United Football Club around. That and the money. Haha.

There are actually multiple things that attract a manager to go to United. The managers that are interested and want to take t on will show ambition and back their ability.

I can already tell what kind of manager you would be from this post.

United is actually a great job for a young manager, a club with history, money, fans..

Amorim knows if he backs his ability, if he turns things around, he would go down in history really as the manager that brought United back after Fergie.

United managers are usually paid similar amounts to any top club managers. So what better job in football if you want to test yourself than manutd?
 
There are actually multiple things that attract a manager to go to United. The managers that are interested and want to take t on will show ambition and back their ability.

I can already tell what kind of manager you would be from this post.

United is actually a great job for a young manager, a club with history, money, fans..

Amorim knows if he backs his ability, if he turns things around, he would go down in history really as the manager that brought United back after Fergie.

United managers are usually paid similar amounts to any top club managers. So what better job in football if you want to test yourself than manutd?
Spoken like a true top red. Fair play.
 
Didn’t Amorim say he wanted the challenge of bringing Utd from a sleeping giant to top of the tree again? Not those exact words, but the meanings the same.
 
Not enough profiles that fit that style, unfortunately.

Onana, Lisandro, de Ligt, Mainoo, Eriksen, Amad and Zirkzee would all benefit from a more possession oriented approach.

Casemiro, Ugarte, Mount, Bruno, Rashford, Garnacho and Højlund benefit from a higher tempo and transitions. More pressing and running.

The squad is a bit all over the place. Too many contrasting styles.
You need players with different skillsets in any given style. Then it is up to the coach to get them
to gel together and to perform well.

Given who we have bought this summer, it is clear we prioritize both pressing and ball playing ability. For the style we are working on, we need both.
 
What happened with Viana? Pep’s people were installed at City before he arrived. So… Did City baulk at Amorim? Did United somehow gazump them? Or ..?

I don't think there was a gazumping involved, I just think he preferred United (just my opinion)
 
What happened with Viana? Pep’s people were installed at City before he arrived. So… Did City baulk at Amorim? Did United somehow gazump them? Or ..?

They can't appoint a manager next summer if the current one is still in post. Whether they were interested in him or not, there's a good chance Pep is still the manager.
 
You need players with different skillsets in any given style. Then it is up to the coach to get them
to gel together and to perform well.

Given who we have bought this summer, it is clear we prioritize both pressing and ball playing ability. For the style we are working on, we need both.
I get that but Zirkzee and Ugarte is a big contrast in blooming playing styles.
 
I get that but Zirkzee and Ugarte is a big contrast in blooming playing styles.
One is a false nine, the other a pressing machine. Regarding Zirkzee I’d say, remember Firmino at Pool?

Zirkzee is a work in progress. He has to get fitter and react quicker to make it in PL.
 
You'd think playing 3 at the back is a completely alien concept going by the UK's media reaction to Amorim's preferred set up.

I see Gary Neville has already placed a seed of doubt in the minds of certain sections of the fanbase with his 'United don't play like that' comments.

If the 'United way' work the way these former players think it work then we would have had SAF whispering in player's ear phrases like "play like Denis Irwin" or 'play like Duncan Edwards" and voila we would have had WC players instead of the Nevilles. The reality is far more different then that. Players have their own experiences, their strengths, their weaknesses and their traits (ability to adapt etc). I can't see the likes of Maguire and De Ligt struggle to adapt into a 3 men CB system considering that they had already played in such formations before.
 
You need players with different skillsets in any given style. Then it is up to the coach to get them
to gel together and to perform well.

Given who we have bought this summer, it is clear we prioritize both pressing and ball playing ability. For the style we are working on, we need both.
You need players with technical ability, a high IQ and at least some athleticism in modern football. All three are important.

Unfortunately for us, many of our players have 1-2 of these traits at most. A lot of City's players have 2-3 of them. All three in some cases.

We have a player like Eriksen who is an intelligent player with good technique, but can't really run now. We have Ugarte who is an athlete lacking in technical ability.

Our squad building has been a mess.
 
You need players with technical ability, a high IQ and at least some athleticism in modern football. All three are important.

Unfortunately for us, many of our players have 1-2 of these traits at most. A lot of City's players have 2-3 of them. All three in some cases.

We have a player like Eriksen who is an intelligent player with good technique, but can't really run now. We have Ugarte who is an athlete lacking in technical ability.

Our squad building has been a mess.
You have a point, but you see players with similar limitations perform well at other top teams.

I’m convinced Ugarte will succeed here.

Our squad building isn’t done, but for now an aging Eriksen and Casemiro are performing well. I’m more concerned about the development of our young players.

I’m hoping Amorim will have a good rapport with them.
 
Interesting piece in the Athletic about a week spent by Amorim (and fellow students) with Mou at United a decade ago.
 
I can't see Antony ever being more than an epic failure, but Amorim does give him a tiny glimmer of hope and the wingback position might be the last chance he gets at the club.
 
One is a false nine, the other a pressing machine. Regarding Zirkzee I’d say, remember Firmino at Pool?

Zirkzee is a work in progress. He has to get fitter and react quicker to make it in PL.

It's November, if he still isn't fit its on him.

I can't see Antony ever being more than an epic failure, but Amorim does give him a tiny glimmer of hope and the wingback position might be the last chance he gets at the club.

Well, remember the tantrum he had when asked to play that role.
 
That's a load of bollocks. I'm happy that Amorim is here.

Think about it logically from a young player's perspective. We've been a graveyard for them. Something Neville is right about.
A graveyard for younger players now too? Ok let's not sign them either. Close the academy. Sell Garnacho and Mainoo. Just seasoned journeyman with heart from now on
 
A graveyard for younger players now too? Ok let's not sign them either. Close the academy. Sell Garnacho and Mainoo. Just seasoned journeyman with heart from now on
You're being ridiculous. You're looking at it from a club/fan POV. Yes, we need to sign young players. That's obvious.

The fact is that we haven't been a good environment for the vast majority of our 18-23 year old signings. Hence, if I were a young player, I wouldn't want join United. I'm not saying that we shouldn't try to sign young players.

I think players like Haaland and Šeško have been smart with their career choices. Haaland went from Molde to Salzburg, then to Dortmund, and now City.

Šeško has stayed within the RB network so far, which is working out well for him. He could end up at a top club in a year or two.
 
You'd think playing 3 at the back is a completely alien concept going by the UK's media reaction to Amorim's preferred set up.

I see Gary Neville has already placed a seed of doubt in the minds of certain sections of the fanbase with his 'United don't play like that' comments.

Has he said that? He has been saying for weeks that he's surprised Ten Hag didn't try 3 at the back. Weird if so.
 
That's a load of bollocks. I'm happy that Amorim is here.

Think about it logically from a young player's perspective. We've been a graveyard for them. Something Neville is right about.
For all the things United have got wrong since 2013, developing youngsters careers is not one of them.

Garnacho, and Mainoo say hi. Has there been a more meteoric rise for a youngster to England mainstay at such a young age?

Even the young players who don’t get kept on, by and large end up making successful careers playing elsewhere.

The players you mentioned didn’t succeed at the club for various reasons, often of their own making. And blaming us for Sancho’s struggles is laughable when his failings have already been well publicised and look likely to be repeated at Chelsea. In fact you could point at City as the graveyard for Sancho, Palmer, Phillips etc etc

Rashford was a mainstay in England side and poster boy until his recent struggles. Is that all on the managers too?
 
I just find it a bit funny. If you go back to the original Ten Hag threads while he was at Ajax and after he was announced as our next manager, it's not too dissimilar to the discussions about Amorim and the potential he has as a manger. Not sure why we can't focus on his potential without pretending that Ten Hag was the polar opposite when he joined us, because the threads about him before/after he was announced still exist...
There was plenty to be optimistic about when Ten Hag signed and I think he was the overwhelming favourite here for the job.

That said though, it’s well documented that there were concerns regarding communication skills and his lack of charisma. As said, Spurs didn’t move on him following Jose for those very reasons. Both of these things can be true.

I suspect United brought in Steve McClaren to support Ten Hag for this very reason, likewise with RvN this time around alongside Rene Hake.

Amorim, on the other hand, is meant to be extremely charismatic and a very high level communicator.
 
Anxiety Cafe in full swing again I see.

It might not work out, so let's all express our fear that it won't work so we can whisper that we were right if it all goes wrong ;)
 
If nothing else with United we offer the Manager a long period of time even if results are shite. They're guaranteed to have time to sort out a mess when it occurs rather than the club panicking and sacking immediately. Not many top clubs offer that to be fair. We also support them with money in the transfer market too, it's not like they have nothing to work with each window.

As for Amorim himself, we've got two decisions to make this season. Continue with status quo hoping that he can turn around our form and deliver a Top 4. Or immediately switch to his system no matter the results and accept that this season is a write off but having the useful data of knowing which players work and which don't. Giving us a better platform to start from next season.
 
For all the things United have got wrong since 2013, developing youngsters careers is not one of them.

Garnacho, and Mainoo say hi. Has there been a more meteoric rise for a youngster to England mainstay at such a young age?

Even the young players who don’t get kept on, by and large end up making successful careers playing elsewhere.

The players you mentioned didn’t succeed at the club for various reasons, often of their own making. And blaming us for Sancho’s struggles is laughable when his failings have already been well publicised and look likely to be repeated at Chelsea. In fact you could point at City as the graveyard for Sancho, Palmer, Phillips etc etc

Rashford was a mainstay in England side and poster boy until his recent struggles. Is that all on the managers too?

Look at the number of young signings (18-23) who didn't develop or flopped. I'm mainly talking about first team signings. We have signed some top young players and nearly all of them flop. There is something wrong at the club. It's not just young players either, lots of established 25+ year olds flop here. Neville is right about that. Something about the environment is not helping. Some of these players are coveted by other big clubs..

Our own Academy products have done well for the most part. Our Academy is one of the few things the club has got right over the past decade. Changes were implemented around LvG's time and is has become a very well oiled machine.

If anything joining City as 16-18 year old isn't a bad idea. They get a good football education and that then springboards them to big clubs. City have a shit load of former Academy players playing in the top 5 leagues in Europe. For some very big clubs too. Our tends to end up at Championship and League One clubs. We have a few exceptions like Garner. Sancho joined BVB, Brahim went to Real, Palmer went to Chelsea, Lavia to Chelsea, etc.
 
If nothing else with United we offer the Manager a long period of time even if results are shite. They're guaranteed to have time to sort out a mess when it occurs rather than the club panicking and sacking immediately. Not many top clubs offer that to be fair. We also support them with money in the transfer market too, it's not like they have nothing to work with each window.

As for Amorim himself, we've got two decisions to make this season. Continue with status quo hoping that he can turn around our form and deliver a Top 4. Or immediately switch to his system no matter the results and accept that this season is a write off but having the useful data of knowing which players work and which don't. Giving us a better platform to start from next season.
Exactly - very few clubs of our stature would give managers the average of 2.25 years that ours tend to have been given. I don't think any of them except Moyes could validly argue they weren't given time. They pre-Ineos managers might argue they weren't given the right support, and they'd have a point, but not time.

The problem with letting him switch to the new system now and likely seeing us get a few hammerings as it becomes clear half the squad are uncoachable and cannot play as instructed, is that the media and some sections of our own fanbase will be judging everything on results from day 1. Lose at Ipswich and there'll be plenty of media 'They could have had McKenna, but went for the fancy foreign coach and lolz bantz he got schooled by the ex-united assitant coach'
 
Weak response
Sorry, father.

But the guy is acting like a typical top red. How dare somebody mention my beloved United in a negative light. And then proceed to get personal with comments about knowing what type of manager I'd be based on a few posts on the internet. I'm not particularly interested in having a tit for tat with him.
 
I dont think we should be writing this season off already, we are only 6 point behind the likes of villa and arsenal and we still have europa league