'Mentally defeated' Man Utd signing 'bullied' as two Amorim replacements named

Manchester United losing to Grimsby has prompted all manner of responses, but most want Ruben Amorim out of the club.

We have laughter from ABUs, relief from Manchester United fans and theories about where things have gone wrong.

Let’s move on from the comedy now and speculate where they should go from here. Mail theeditor@football365.com

How did Man Utd lose to Grimsby?

Cup upsets happen for one of three reasons. One – you play the kids and it’s all a bit much for them. Two – you play your usually highly efficient first team but they get rather cocky and underestimate the opposition. Three – you’re an absolute motorway pile-up of a football club that sucks the spirit and self-belief out of every half-decent player who pulls on the shirt.

I’ll let you decide why Man U lost to Grimsby.

Matt Pitt

Laser focus now…

Only the FA Cup to play for now. And August isn’t even over yet.

Rory Johnston, LFC, GUFC

Man Utd are cheering everybody up

Hypothetical: if you’ve had a sh*t day at work – big project wobbling – client not happy – you’re having to play recovery game with client and your team that you supervise has screwed up but they are great folks that you value…you can’t bench them or “throw them under the bus” because they are the only ones you have.

Then you (I mean “I”) see that Manchester United has lost to Grimsby Town – well the day gets a bit better by perspective.

And then you see the early zingers flying in the Mailbox – many worthy of citation, but Chris, NUFC wins for creating the big laugh after a bad day…

“I can’t believe Grimsby needed penalties to beat this Man Utd team.”

Thank you, sir.

Russell, Birmingham, AL

PS: we had a guy from Grimsby play on our Sunday league soccer team in BHM, AL back in the early 2000s – he was a mess but a brilliant fellow and good player…shout out to you, Carl and your team on this day!

…The last time Man U were

-buying expensive players,

-devaluing and benching them,

-then selling at huge discount

-Selling off or giving away their talented youngsters

-Was when my friend was playing Champo Manager as an ABU lol

My friend says why pay Ruben millions to do this? He can do it for free 🤣

Man U continue to plough new depths. Never quite understood that phrase deeply until tonight.

And … every time i think they’ve reached rock bottom, they find a new level to sink to.

And it extends beyond the playing and coaching stuff.

Before Ratcliffe, Man U staff weren’t terminated en masse. They didn’t have to fork out their own expenses for themselves and their families to Wembley. They didn’t have Christmas parties BBQ at the parking lot (ok, this is made up). They didnt have leaky roofs, indoor waterfalls, or rat poop (ok, this is not made up).

Fergie was wrong – he didn’t knock us off our perch. We fell off ourselves.

Likewise, we climbed up the perch ourselves, passing u on the way up/ down. U guys fell off the perch yourselves. U guys had a great fall. All the kings men and horses and Ruben cant seem to put u all back together again.

Thanks for being the gift that keeps giving lol.

Gab YNWA

A Man Utd fan delighted at defeat

I’ve been a Manchester United fan since 1995, and when Mbuemo’s second penalty hit the bar I was on my feet, doing a slightly embarrassing middle-aged fist pump, and genuinely delighted. Of course, lots of Proper Football Fans will say you’ve always got to support your team, no matter what. But there have to be exceptional circumstances, and the terrible reign of Ruben Amoron is one such example.

I’m now buzzing, like a child on Christmas Eve, so, so excited by the prospect of waking up tomorrow morning to a blanket of snow and headlines telling me that the manager has finally been fired.

The worst manager in the history of Manchester United? That’s for the statisticians to confirm objectively, but he has to be very close to the top/bottom of the list. His only whiff of success was fluking his way to the Europa League final thanks to opposition players being sent off at crucial moments in the quarter- and semi-finals. And there – he lost to Spurs. Who then fired their manager. Nothing more needs to be said, really.

But while I’m here, I’d like to say more regardless: Amoron’s system doesn’t work. Not in the Premier League, clearly. Not against Grimsby. Only in Europe against ten men. I really can’t fathom how he had any success in Portugal – I guess he must just have had by far the best players in the league, which makes sense since Arsenal have just spent quite a lot of money on their star striker.

To call it disjointed would be inaccurate as it implies that the system ever had joints in the first place. The one idea in place is to try to make progress down the wings, which is easily countered by the opposition moving an extra player out there. This happened over and over again against Fulham, in another absolutely awful performance. United then try to move the ball to the centre of the pitch, which is always, relatively speaking, deserted. The opposition intercept, break, very easily get to United’s area, and the three-man defence make a block or a tackle and look flustered. Often a corner is conceded, which leads to a guaranteed goal thanks to Onanism or Badidea being born with their hands on back to front.

Surely – surely? – tonight’s result will alert Big Jim the Business Genius/Mechanical Asset Stripper to the fact that Amoron is a terrible, terrible manager. A manager who is either aware that his system isn’t working and too stubborn to change his approach, or who somehow hasn’t realised that his system doesn’t work. Either way, he has to go. At this stage I don’t think I’ve disliked anyone in football as much as I dislike Amoron at the moment. Even Sergio Ramos, for goodness’ sake! Steven Gerrard! Maybe not Steven Gerrard actually. But it’s close.

With the new (long overdue) training ground, and (in theory) exciting new players in the squad, there’s scope for positivity at the club. It won’t happen with the joyless, brainless, directionless, and wildly unsuccessful football played under the current manager. If United can somehow persuade Oliver Glasner or Andoni Iraola to join, I’ll be absolutely delighted. The idea of targeting proven Premier League players in Cunha and Mbuemo (penalty miss aside) is a good one – the club needs to follow suit with the manager.

To pre-empt opposition fans: there’s a reasonable chance that even with a new manager, all the old failings will continue. Of course that’s true. But there’s nothing to be gained sticking with a proven failure, particularly one who keeps alienating promising young players. Like the proverbial stopped clock, even the United board will get it right eventually, and we might see some nice football again. (that’s the level I’m hoping for, rather than winning anything…!)

Dan, Worthing

MORE ON MISERABLE MANCHESTER UNITED

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👉 Ruben Amorim ‘waiting to be sacked’ as Man Utd ‘more Spursy than Spurs’

👉 Every Man Utd signing post-Sir Alex ranked: Hojlund, Sancho, Antony awful, but Mourinho buy bottom

The time for Man Utd change is now

Before this match, fellow United fans said to me that talk of sacking Amorim is laughable, that the modern fan base would have sacked Sir Alex before he saved his tenure with a 3rd round 1-0 win over Forest in 1990 after finishing the previous season in 13th.

Does that still apply after an abject loss against a much weaker team?

Even now he’s blaming the players rather than taking any responsibility, after being caught hiding in the dugout, fiddling with a tactics board while he desperately threw everyone of his favourites on. Against League 2 Grimsby.

The board needs to cancel the Højlund transfer out, get Mainoo round the table, find the money for Baleba and sack this muppet if he hasn’t walked by the time the weekend is over.

As for who comes next (because surely there’s a next very soon), my money would be on Ruud and his 100% record.

Badwolf

…Give us 15th and I will end the MUFC season today. 365 days of only training may help this team. I highly rate Amorim, and want him to succeed, but this is just abysmal. 24% win rate has no excuses. There are no excuses left. 10 days into the season and it’s all over. Nothing to play for in the league. Will be lucky to beat 2 teams in the FA Cup, what is the point of Manchester United & Amorim? This is worse than Frank De Boar at Palace, Gerrard at Villa, Hodgson at Liverpool etc. I don’t know where we go from here.

During my first 10 years of watching football (2000’s) I always used to wonder what the fans of relegation battling teams or mid table teams feel during the season when there is nothing to play for. Now I know, and honestly it aint that bad. Praying for 1 win a month has its own charm when you actually get that win between 8-10 draws and losses. You still get that endorphin and adrenaline hit. So in a way thank you Manchester United for helping me learn and experience new things, such as how to be a fan of a club that will 100% be battling relegation and have nothing to play for. Widening my horizons and learning more and more about football and its fans.

Thoughts & prayers,

Aman

…Manchester United’s decision to appoint Ruben Amorim was initially seen as a bold move, with hopes that his tactical philosophy and fresh ideas could spark a revival at Old Trafford. However, as weeks turn into months, the optimism has quickly faded. The reality is clear – Amorim has failed to make the impact expected of a Manchester United manager, and the club risks further decline if decisive action is not taken soon.

One of the biggest concerns with Amorim’s tenure is his inability to adapt his tactics to the Premier League. His insistence on deploying the 3-4-2-1 formation has been widely criticized for being rigid and unsuitable for the squad at his disposal. Despite having talented attacking players, the system often leaves United looking predictable, disjointed, and lacking creativity in the final third. Instead of enhancing the team’s strengths, Amorim’s setup appears to stifle them.

The performances on the pitch tell a worrying story. United’s defensive frailties remain unsolved, the midfield lacks balance, and the attack continues to be inconsistent. More alarmingly, the overall quality of play has regressed compared to his predecessor, Erik ten Hag. While supporters hoped for progress, what they have witnessed instead is stagnation, if not outright decline.

Amorim has also been described as stubborn and unwilling to compromise. His reluctance to adjust his approach – even when results and performances demand it – raises serious doubts about his suitability to lead a club of Manchester United’s stature. The Premier League demands flexibility, adaptability, and the courage to make tough decisions. At the moment, Amorim appears to lack those qualities.

Manchester United is at a crossroads. Continuing under Amorim risks wasting another season, further damaging the club’s reputation, and potentially losing the faith of both players and fans. The longer the hierarchy delays, the harder it will be to repair the damage. A proactive decision to part ways with Amorim could provide United with the opportunity to reset before it is too late.

Manchester United is a club built on ambition, resilience, and high standards. Unfortunately, Ruben Amorim has not lived up to those expectations. To safeguard the club’s future and restore its competitiveness, the leadership must make the difficult but necessary choice: part ways with Ruben Amorim before the situation worsens beyond repair.

Biswardi Hasbi

……A penny (a pound even) for the thoughts of Mustafa in these dark times.

I thought his email about a United title challenge was hopeful at best but I didn’t want to pile on cos what’s the point of following a club if you can’t be hopeful at the very least. Seeing those dreams dashed in humiliating fashion 2 weeks into a new season is quite sad.

Amorim is getting away with murder here. I still see people making excuses for him and I can’t believe it. This United team is sh*te but it’s nowhere near this bad. He’s doing his absolute best to hide their strengths and exacerbate their weaknesses. That’s the opposite of what any manager should be doing. The worst thing is that he’s gonna get fired and leave with a huge payday while a lot of people lost their jobs so Big Jim could scrape up some money to buy some players.

As a rival, I should be enjoying this downfall but it’s getting closer to pity for me and I hate it. I want them to be rubbish but not this rubbish. I really don’t want to feel this much sympathy for their fans.

Abdulazeez, Bristol

PS. Even with all the issues with BlueCo, I’m glad they’re in charge of my club and not Big Jim.

Why did Man Utd ignore the Sesko red flags?

Arsenal walking away from the Sesko deal should have been a red flag for Man Utd.

One thing Berta and Arteta have done this season that requires huge applause is signing players with elite mentality and who love the club Arsenal. I’ll be honest, I was one of those who preferred Sesko to Gyokeres but after reading details of the transfers, I knew we had made the right choice. Arteta said one video call with Gyokeres convinced him. He didn’t care. He was convinced he would be the main man regardless of Havertz, Jesus and whoever Arsenal signs. He knew how hard of a step up it would be.

Look at Eze. Man hasn’t stopped smiling since Saturday. Elite mentality. Guaranteed starter at Spurs but knew what he would bring to Arsenal. Look at Hincapie (not done yet but close). Who in their right mind joins a team that has the best CB partnership in the world. You won’t play. Doesn’t care. Wants only Arsenal. These are players who would bleed for the badge. In Arteta’s words, players who love the club through and through.

Compare that to Man Utd. Driving away academy players. Players who understand what it means to play for Man Utd. Rashford, Garnacho, McTominay, now Mainoo. Signing players like Sesko who was just bullied by division 4 defenders. Looks mentally defeated and it’s only their 3rd game of the season. It showed when he refused to push for a move to Arsenal and it shows now on the pitch. Absolutely embarrassing. Man Utd don’t have players who would leave it all on the pitch. A sad decline but a hilarious end.

Damola AFC Berlin Germany

A new Man Utd keeper please

Andre Onana, if further proof were needed after last night’s shambles, is simply not good enough for a club with Man Utd’s targets. Neither is Bayindir at the stage of his development. One of the best in the world in that position is clearly not wanted at PSG and itchy for a move. How has this not already been resolved from both sides?

Have Utd and Sir Jimmy, having invested a large amount in reinforcements, finally decided that’s enough money spent for now? Do they not now believe, after three games, that Amorim deserves further backing? Is the lack of CL football an absolute brick wall? City will possibly move Ederson on, sign Donnarumma unchallenged, he’ll make some outstanding, game-winning saves over the season and the fans on the quiet side of Manchester will bemoan City’s habit of buying all the best players and how unfair it all is.

It is my belief that Donnarumma in goal from the first game of the season would see Utd on four points in the league, level with Arsenal, rather than the one that they currently have. Is it the answer to all of the problems at Old Trafford? Certainly not, but like Arsenal and their blindness to the striker issue until this Summer, it’s fixing the most prominent and obvious one.

Also, while I’m here: Sesko taking the very last penalty of the outfield rotation last night was a disgrace. £75m of actual goal-scorer and he either hides or was not trusted by whomever decided the order of the takers. Really instills confidence, eh?

Monsieur Monkey. Still in the sand

Why did Man Utd get so left behind?

Laughing aside, I feel like I just a little epiphany around Man Utd.

Liverpool at the start of the Premier League got left behind. They failed to commercialise and made a Souness-sized mistake which ultimately set them back a long way.

Fergie left Man Utd right at the start of the data revolution and I suspect nobody else at the club had given much thought to why they’d been winning for 20 straight years or how to maintain their advantage. They also filled the gap with Moyes who was a bit of a dinosaur and basically told them to cross it a lot instead of trying to actually be good at football.

I’ve heard it said multiple times that their data team is considered one of the worst of the big 6 and I suspect clubs like Brighton are way ahead of them judging by how many brilliant signings they keep making. Maybe Ratcliffe will make the investment to catch up but how long will that take given all the other clubs aren’t standing still. Or will they actually have to try and find an entirely new edge if they’re ever to close the gap and who at Man Utd has the brilliance to do that?

Minty, LFC

Am I not entertained?

Four Prem clubs played four Carabao Cup ties against lower-tier opposition Wednesday night; three progressed without conceding. The other one enshrined itself as the best comedy cup loser we’ve ever seen.

Played off the park for over an hour with a full strength side, Ruben Amorim’s never-seen-before tactic of foisting his slabbiest centre-back into the mixer for desperate late goals made for great drama, an heroic clawback of epic proportions.

In the ensuing pens shootout Amorim hid himself from conditions like a soggy purple marshmallow, rocking back and forth in the trenches while his soldiers strode forth for the final battle. Of the three big forward signings so many hailed as new saviours of the club’s fortunes, one managed to miss the pen that would’ve won the shootout early, one buried himself second-to-last on the taker’s list (tenth, just ahead of the goalkeeper), and one duly hit the woodwork in comically casual fashion to end all proceedings.

Encore. Take a bow. Just about the best entertainment anyone could’ve hoped for on a rainy Wednesday evening in Grimsby (or a sunny afternoon in LA).

Eric, Los Angeles CA

MORE ON MISERABLE MANCHESTER UNITED

👉 Amorim and Man Utd reach sack-worthy new nadir as Sesko shrinks in shocking Grimsby defeat

👉 Ruben Amorim ‘waiting to be sacked’ as Man Utd ‘more Spursy than Spurs’

👉 Every Man Utd signing post-Sir Alex ranked: Hojlund, Sancho, Antony awful, but Mourinho buy bottom

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