Podcast Summary: The Athletic FC Podcast

Episode: How much more misery can Man United take?
Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Ayo Akimolere
Guests: Adam Crafton, Oli Kay

Episode Overview

This episode dives into Manchester United’s ongoing struggles under manager Ruben Amorim after another dismal loss at Brentford. The panel analyses United’s alarming statistics, poor performances, management challenges, recruitment failures, and the increasing sense of resignation around Old Trafford. The episode is rich with sharp industry insights, candid assessments, and looks ahead to what might come next for one of football’s most storied clubs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Manchester United's Alarming Results

Stats & Reaction:

• 17 defeats in 33 league games under Amorim; United have failed to win back-to-back matches in his tenure.
• The team’s away form is dire: only two points from last eight away games.

Oli Kay (02:02):

"I don’t rate anything that they do. I don’t rate their transfer policy, I don’t rate the decision makers, I don’t rate many of the individual players. I don’t rate the system. Big question marks about the coach, but I’m still amazed by how poor they are a lot of the time."

Adam Crafton (03:24):

"I woke up on Saturday in America, Man United were already two nil down against Brentford... there is still something a bit jolting about it, even if we’ve come to expect it."

2. Lack of Consistency and Standards

• United win about one in every four league games (9 out of 33).
• Most wins are narrow; they rarely win convincingly.

Oli Kay (04:56):

"They basically win one game a month... and the standards are incredibly low in terms of what the players expect of themselves and each other as well."

Adam Crafton (05:56):

"They’ve won 17 of their last 57 Premier League games—that’s less than one in three... It gets to a point where it’s not underperforming, it’s just what they are."

3. Comparing Managers: Ten Hag vs. Amorim

• Both managers described as “deeply flawed in different ways.”
• Persistent issues: an exposed midfield and unclear roles for key players like Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.
• Amorim’s tactical changes are confusing the squad (e.g., Mason Mount at left wingback).

Adam Crafton (07:18):

"I struggle with this idea that there’s no one in the world that would do better at Manchester United at the moment than Erik ten Hag. Based on what we’re watching week in, week out..."

• Ongoing debate whether any coaching setup can find the right midfield balance with Fernandes in the squad.

4. Amorim’s System: Gameplan and Bafflement

• Post-match, Amorim claimed United couldn’t play their game, but there’s confusion about what that actually is.

Oli Kay (10:17):

"If your aim is to get control and possession and try and feel your way into a game, they didn’t do that at any stage really...It strikes me as baffling. There’s so little I can understand what the system is meant to be."

5. Pressure on Amorim and Club Direction

• Underlying numbers (xG, shots) offer faint positives, but results are not improving.
• Financial pressure is mounting: another season out of Europe would be a huge hit.

Adam Crafton (15:15):

"Every time he has some of these bad results, there is an impact. Every place in the table is worth millions of pounds. So I don’t think they’ll let this go without being checked for too much longer."

• Early signs of familiar "manager-in-crisis" cycle restarting.
• No appetite among fans for another quick managerial change.

Oli Kay (18:00):

"United’s fans have never turned on their manager...they were flat [at Brentford]. There’s a real mood of resignation..."

6. The Next Steps: Managerial Options and Timing

• Potentially high-profile coaches (Tuchel, Ancelotti, Pochettino, Nagelsmann) could be free next summer, prompting speculation about whether United should wait for a bigger reset window.

Adam Crafton (19:47):

"It could get so bad they’d have to pull the trigger, or do they try and muddle through as long as they can... and end up with a kind of interim until you have that really good set of options..."

• Would top managers even want the job given recent failures?

Adam Crafton (21:33):

"I do think most coaches out there... would still say yes because of the name, because of what you could be if you’re the person who turns it around..."

7. Scrutiny on Leadership: Ratcliffe & the New Regime

• Criticism over INEOS (Sir Jim Ratcliffe) hiring decisions, with new chief execs and sporting directors also "learning on the job."

Oli Kay (23:17):

"They’ve not made things better, they’ve made things worse...it doesn’t say much for the current lot, does it?"

• Firing the manager could further damage the credibility of the new club hierarchy.

8. The "Stick or Twist" Dilemma

• Firing Amorim would add another hefty compensation package to the tally—over £50 million spent since Ferguson's departure.
• Sacking is less about Amorim’s failings and more about executive embarrassment and sunk costs.
• Flawed squad construction: sacking Amorim would leave a lopsided squad for a new coach.

Adam Crafton (26:18):

"It’s almost like you would need to spend £200 million to fix the last £200 million. And it’s just this cycle we’ve heard forever and ever."

Statistical Perspective: Are United Actually Unlucky? (32:05)

• United have taken more shots than any other PL club (92), but have one of the worst conversion rates.
• Defensively, they've allowed relatively few shots but concede goals at an alarming rate.
• Some improvement in performance this season, but from a very low base—marginally better, nowhere near expectations.

Oli Kay (32:40):

"There has been an improvement in the performances this season. But... it’s a really meager improvement and it’s from an incredibly low base. Maybe they’ll finish 11th, 12th this season because they’re improving. It’s nowhere near good enough."

Notable New Signings: Do They Offer Hope? (34:42)

• United spent £217 million on new players (fifth highest in PL), but few look transformational; performances of marquee signings have quickly dipped.

Adam Crafton (35:03):

"Kunya just looks frustrated now, which is a shame because he’s a brilliant player. But no one looks like an amazing player for Manchester United. This is just what we’ve seen for so long."

• The case of Kobbie Mainoo: a talented player, but now seemingly unsuited for Amorim’s system, raising questions about both recruitment and coaching.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Adam Crafton on United’s Identity Crisis (07:18):
  "I think they’re both deeply flawed in different ways... there is no other club in Europe with that level of revenue generation or spend on wages that would come anywhere near to even thinking about that being acceptable."

• Oli Kay on System Confusion (10:58): "There’s so little I can understand what the system is meant to be... But when you say we want to build possession and then you just don’t seem to have any clue how to do that or when to do that, it’s baffling."

• Adam Crafton on Managerial Reluctance (21:33):
  "I don’t think we’re at a stage yet where coaches at Bournemouth and Crystal Palace would be saying, no, let’s put it that way."

• Oli Kay on Ownership & Management (23:17):
  "It was an incredibly low bar for Jim Ratcliffe and for his regime to come in and make things better at Manchester United. They’ve not made things better, they’ve made things worse."

The Final Whistle: Other Football Observations (38:18)

Adam Crafton’s 60 Seconds:
Highlights Wrexham’s huge summer spend but shaky start in the Championship, hinting at brewing pressure on much-admired manager Phil Parkinson amid the club’s Hollywood story (38:39).

Conclusion

This episode paints a stark picture of Manchester United in “perpetual crisis,” from the top down. The panel’s consensus is grim: better performances are few, optimism is fleeting, and neither the club’s structure nor the squad inspires faith. The episode closes with an uneasy sense that United remain as far from a solution as ever, with tough decisions looming for the new ownership.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:02] – Oli Kay on United’s poor standards and surprise at their decline
• [03:24] – Adam Crafton on the Brentford defeat and United’s terrible away form
• [07:18] – Who is worse: Ten Hag or Amorim?
• [10:58] – Ollie Kay on tactical confusion and lack of possession
• [15:15] – Adam Crafton on financial impact and managerial pressure
• [18:00] – Fan sentiment and resignation among supporters
• [19:47] – Next summer’s managerial options
• [21:33] – Would top coaches even want the job?
• [23:17] – Scrutiny on the INEOS regime and failed appointments
• [26:18] – The dilemma of sticking or twisting with Amorim
• [32:05] – Do the stats offer any hope?
• [34:42] – Impact (or lack thereof) of new signings
• [38:39] – Crafton’s final observation: pressure building at Wrexham

For anyone connected to Manchester United—or interested in football club management’s complexities—this episode delivers an unvarnished account of a club fighting its own history, structure, and expectations, with no quick fix in sight.