Ruben Amorim seems to have been given the backing of his board for at least another 2 years, and as it stands the players are with him too.
Jim Ratcliffe - United minority owner since 2024 - has given an interview today where he calls for calm and patience, saying that he wants to give Amorim 3 years to prove himself at the club.
"They want overnight success," Ratcliffe said. "They think it’s a light switch. You know, you flick a switch and it’s all going to be roses tomorrow."
Reports are that the players are fully behind him and what he is trying to achieve, and certain analysts and content creators are saying that they are starting to see patterns emerging and progress happening.
My worry is whether that optimism and faith is all coming on the back of one win in the last match against Sunderland. All and sundry were calling for his head before that match, and while I would have stopped short of actually asking for him to be sacked just yet, there was - and still is to a degree - not a whole lot of reason for optimism. At least in the short term. The new forward line are showing signs that they will score us plenty of goals, but the same old issues that have plagued us for the last 2 or 3 managers are still on show. We're so easy to play against.
Ratcliffe's quotes though are a massive show of strength in terms of the boards position, and their unwillingness to public noise and the sensationalist media we have in this country.
"You can’t run a club like Manchester United on knee-jerk reactions to some journalist who goes off on one every week."
This is so true and a great response to how football is reported in this country, as well as how fickle football fans in general can be. I like to think - maybe with a hint of bias - that United fans are some of the most loyal in the country. It takes a lot for boos to start, or for us to get on the players backs. The away support especially is relentless in it's backing of the team, even in the last few seasons when we've been absolutely woeful.
I think this is a massive moment in Amorim's tenure and it could be just what he needs, but my one fear is that this doesn't mean the current form is going to be allowed to carry on for another 2 years before they eventually get rid of him. Knowing that he's got that buffer of time might mean that either he or the players take their foot off the gas in the short term. If we were to have another season like last year that would mean a very genuine chance of a relegation battle.
Ratcliffe compared Amorim's start to the start Mikel Arteta had at Arsenal. He had two 8th place finishes in his first two seasons, but the Arsenal board stuck by him and allowed him to implement a long term strategy which is now bearing fruit. He didn't have anything like the level of noise around him that Amorim is currently getting during those first couple of years, which is just symptomatic of being the manager of the bigges club in the world. Amorim will have to suck that up.
I totally agree with the fact that we need to give a manager actual time for once, provided there is pragmatism on his part in terms of how he manages matches. Until recently he has been unbelievably stubborn and rigid when is comes to his preferred formation and systemand it's been to our own detriment.
However as I mentioned he has been given huge financial backing in forward areas and so far the signings in the front line have looked promising. But we desperatly need to address the engine room if this system is going to work long term.
I personally really want it to work and - as long as results don't fall of another cliff - I'm prepared to stick it through with him. These quotes from Jim Ratcliffe and a massive confidence boost for Amorim and a show of faith in what he's doing. We need to see more financial backing in January and next summer if this three year project is going to be successful.
When Amorim joined the club he said the storm was coming and christ was he right. At the end of last season he told us that the good times were on the way... just how far away they are remains to be seen.