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The Athletic FC Podcast
One year of Amorim: The good, the bad and "the worst Man United team in history"
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- [00:00]
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- [00:48]
Reuben Amaram (Manchester United Manager)
Did I talk too much? Did I just let it go?
- [00:50]
Oli (Football Analyst / Commentator)
I wish I would stop.
- [00:52]
Reuben Amaram (Manchester United Manager)
Thank you so much.
- [00:54]
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- [01:19]
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- [02:21]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
The Athletic FC welcome to the Athletic FC podcast with me, Ayo Akimolere. Reuben Amaram's first year at Manchester United has been box office from the lows of the Europa League final defeat to the highs of that historic win at Anfield. So how do we assess his time at Old Trafford and what next for the project? All right here with Us today, we've got Mark Critchley. We've also got Ole Kay as well. So. So look, one year ago today, November 11, Amarim officially started work as Manchester United boss. Crit, take us back to that day. Tell us how United fans were feeling considering he was replacing erik10hag at the time.
- [03:02]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
I think there was two strands of opinion, I would say at the time, and two strands of sentiment and feeling around it. I think United fans, generally speaking, they're not very quick to turn on managers. And indeed with 10 hag right until the end, I remember doing his final home game against, against Brentford that they won a week before they lost at West Ham and he was eventually dismissed. There was no sense that the fans were sort of against the manager or wanted him out. Certainly the match going fans, I would say. And you only have to think back to them winning the FA cup in the May. Previously I remember he was running surveys on the Athletic. There was a lot of everyone wanted to see Erik Ten Hag be given another opportunity and be given the chance to improve on what was a really disappointing season the year before. But at the same time, I think people had accepted that things had run its course. You had a new leadership structure at the top of the club who had supported Erik Ten Hag and extended his contract having looked like they were going to get rid of him. And it felt like the right time to make a break and just start afresh and start anew. And so I think that was one element of things. And at the same time you had a lot of excitement around Reuben Amram, who when he arrived was certainly thought of as one of the most exciting young coaches in Europe, somebody who'd had great success in Portugal, who had been linked with a number of jobs around the Premier League, top jobs like at Liverpool before that, and touted as a potential success to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. So the fact that United had managed to get in there and snare one of the hottest young coaching talents in Europe essentially was a point of real optimism. And there was a feeling that, yes, perhaps a mistake had been made the previous summer in extending 10 HAG's contract and showing that support. And essentially that the season now was a little bit of a write off, if you like. But there was optimism and positivity moving forward about what Amaru could do.
- [04:52]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Yeah, Ole, many of us had seen him sort of blitz the Portuguese league gyokores up front. He did really good bits in the Champions League as well, beating some really solid opposition as well. So Fair to say there was some excitement about Amarim coming to the Premier League, but. But initially two wins and a draw before his first defeat away at Arsenal. What were your first impressions of the football that you saw?
- [05:16]
Oli (Football Analyst / Commentator)
That it was suddenly a lot more orderly and structured than it had been under 10 HAG. I think certainly for 10 HAG's final full season, it was fairly chaotic. You didn't really know what you were going to get from one match to the next, whether it was going to be sort of turgid at both ends or whether it was going to be a three all draw or a four three or whatever. There was no real consistency to what United were trying to do. And I know remember 10 Hag almost suggesting that this was by design and it clearly wasn't. It clearly wasn't. It was clearly because things had gone missing. I. I remember watching that Ipswich game early on and, you know, they scored after two minutes. You thought, oh, they mean business. And then the rest of that performance was just the classic sort of reminder that this is a group of players who, you know, who had been through a really poor run, hence the change of manager, and that it wasn't just going to be a quick fix. It looked like Rashford might be a quick fix because he scored that early goal. He scored again against Everton, a 40 win a week later. And it felt like, oh, Rashford's going to be a part of this, he's going to buy into this. And then, weirdly, it just seemed to break down between Rashford and Amarim at a very early stage. And it became even clear, even before he'd been in the job a month, really, that Amarim wasn't having Rashford, Rashford wasn't having Amari, and that was going to be a change of scenery sort, even though they weren't really able to get anybody in to replace him. So I think that probably told you that there was going to be a sort of uncompromising approach from Amarim. He wasn't going to stand for players who he didn't think were buying into his approach. I think that's a positive, but I think it probably added to the sense of drift and sort of toothlessness in attack between then and the end of the season. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he'd really, really, really given Rashford a go, challenged him. But I think, I think the feeling. I've spoken to a lot of people at United and they seem to feel that the time was right. Rashford and United, it had run its course and he, he and the club needed a change. So yeah, I feel like it was interesting that he, having hit the ground running with Rashford seemingly in those first couple of games, seemed to decide very quickly that Rashford wasn't going to be a part of it going forward.
- [07:40]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Yeah, Crich, we have to talk about the time in which he took over, you know, taking over mid season in a team that's still struggling to find an identity for itself, it probably isn't the best time to do that. And I think Amari even spoke about saying, you know, he'd have rather finished at sporting and then obviously came at the beginning of the season when he had preseason with these guys who could get to know this team better. Can you just give us a glimpse as to what was going on at that time and sort of when the wheel started falling off as well?
- [08:07]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
I think that his point about wanting to join, well, preferring to join at the end of the season so that he would have more time to, you know, instill his methods, I think that was ultimately sort of proven to, you know, he was instinct on that was right because of just how quickly really things fell apart. One thing I would say about that is I remember being told people at the time they also felt that it was almost. He didn't also want to leave Sporting high and dry in the middle of the season as well. So there was that element of it as well, as well as also walking into a situation in the middle of the season at a new club. But you're right, it's difficult for any manager to come into a season. I described it as something of a write off before it did sort of feel like that. Even though, I mean you look back at the table as it was when Nemrung came in. United weren't. There weren't a lot of points off the top four. For example, there were still possibilities that for that season, but because so much had been compromised in backing Ten Hag and spending upwards of 200 million pounds that summer on players for Ten Hag as well to only then get rid of that manager. That's a difficult situation for any coach to walk into. Like I say, I think you saw the results of that. It did sort of fall apart quite quickly. I mean, if you ask where did it start to go wrong? It's almost like it didn't really. There was no point where it sort of went right. I know that you had a couple of good results at the start, but you were always waiting for things to really get off the grid for a consistent streak of good performances. And that just never really came immediately. I remember around Christmas time they went out of the Carabao cup at Tottenham and then they lost three games in a row directly after that in the league at Bournemouth Wolves in Newcastle. Didn't score a goal in any of those games. And it got to the point where it was the New year and you had Reuben Amory, who had been in the job for barely a month, openly talking about the prospect of Manchester United being relegated. Entertaining this as an idea and you're thinking, it's been a month. How are we already back in this position? Was supposed to be the honeymoon period. It never really felt like there was one. I think part of that was due to as Ollie touched on him trying to make his stamp on the squad, seeking out which personalities he wanted around and which didn't. And some of the upheaval that that caused. I don't think that necessarily helped, although perhaps it was a short term pain for a long term gain and then the system as well. And it's something that people talk about a lot. The actual extent to which it has an impact sometimes difficult to gauge. People want to talk about when United lose games. They don't talk about it when United win games. I think we've seen that by now. But it is, it is a different way of playing for these players fundamentally. You've got three players who are center backs on the pitch, whereas you used to have two. There is a fundamental change there. And I think you could see in that first period where Amarin was really trying to get to grips with which players fit which positions, what profiles work in this team. I always remember the game they lost against Brighton in the January after that, which felt like a real watershed moment. He comes out afterwards and says this is the worst team in United's history. Another kind of unguarded comment that we're used to him making. There was an incident with the television that we reported on the Athletic afterwards, where he broke the television in the dressing room afterwards because he was so frustrated at the performance. It was a game where I think it was the last real game in the Premier League that Koie Mainoo started in midfield. There was a couple around the Europa League run later, but since then Kobe Mainu has basically not started any games in the Premier League in midfield. So I think it was a real watershed moment that. And that was the period where it was incredible just how quickly things were falling apart given how short he'd been. Short a time he'd been in the job. But maybe you can look back at that now and say that again. Short term pain for long term game. Maybe that was worthwhile.
- [11:41]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
You know, his job coming in wasn't easy. But then, look, United ended up finishing the season 15th as well, losing the Europa League final, which meant they'd missed out on European football for only the second time in 35 years. I'm sitting here thinking, how on earth did he survive and we're still seeing him here today.
- [11:59]
Oli (Football Analyst / Commentator)
Well, it was never even a. It was never even a conversation, never even a debate. I think partly because, I think there was a recognition that it was a long term rebuild and I think partly because people like Omar Barada and Jim Ratcliffe and Jason Wilcox had put an awful lot of sort of personal investment into making the Amarim appointment. It was, I think, Omar Barada in particular as chief executive. I mean, it would be seen largely as his appointment. So if he was turning on this so quickly and saying they've already basically sort of got rid of their sporting director, Dan Ashworth, because his vision didn't align with theirs. And I think if they were to ditch their manager so quickly, I think that would have been dangerous, really, as we keep saying. But I think it really is the theme of this. It's sort of short term pain for long term gain. The results. The first six months, well, first 12 months, it's 45 points from 38 games. It's not acceptable. It's a really, it's real bottom half, sort of 14th, 15th type trajectory. But the important thing is, and it's really the one straw to clutch at at the moment for United is that, you know, their trajectory has improved over the last couple of months. They have looked a better team since the start of the season.
- [13:21]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
It brings us to now, really Critch, you know, United are currently seventh in the table after five wins from 11, also unbeaten. Their last five Premier League games, which is their longest run since February 2024. Are we seeing proof in the pudding, staying with the same guy?
- [13:38]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
I don't know if I'm there just yet. I think that. Look, undoubtedly United have looked a better team than they were last season. The bar was on the floor last season. I don't know how many times we go on this podcast and say it can't get any worse, I think. And then it eventually did the Mick McCarthy thing again, but it couldn't really, otherwise we're in relegation territory. It had to improve and it has to an extent. That's been helped, no doubt by spending a game upwards of 200 million in the transfer market. But United knew that they didn't score enough goals last season. I think it was the lowest tally in the Premier League history. So they focused on the forward areas, brought in Matus Kunya, brought in Brian Boomer, brought in Benjamin Chesko. I think you could look at those three signings and say that there's been. They've had varying degrees of success so far, but it's still very early days for all of them and that they're all players with huge ability and in some cases, huge potential that they'll be able to fulfill at Old Trafford. So there's positives there to look at. Senor Lammens has come in as well and obviously fixed a problem position that had been a problem position for quite a while. And there's no Andrea Onana anymore. I think that was something that you can see the difference that that has made in the past few games, particularly since Lammens has come into the team. His. His composure, his calmness, he just brings something different to that backline that's been desperately needed. At the same time, I do think that they're conceding a lot of goals. Weirdly, despite having improved goalkeeper, the defense is still conceding a lot. The attack has improved. Yes. Finding that balance still and finding that consistency that's always eluded Amarim. That is still a key issue going forwards. And you look at the team now, I think it plays differently to last season. You know, we were saying the big difference when he came in was that they felt more stable this season. To me, they feel a little bit more chaotic. Maybe that's been necessary in order to. In order to win more games. But it does feel like they're a team that could win on any given weekend and could lose on any given weekend. And I think we've seen that in the results recently.
- [15:44]
Podcast Narrator / Advertiser
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- [18:25]
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- [19:28]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Let's move on because let's talk about Amarim in person because before he arrived at Old Trafford, the athletic Charlotte Harper traveled to Portugal to speak to a number of people who know am well, former players of him, journalists and even close friends. One theme that cropped up across the interviews was communication and brutal honesty.
- [19:48]
Reuben Amaram (Manchester United Manager)
Today, after this disaster season, I want to tell you the good days are coming.
- [19:56]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
You know, really good. How to speak, what to speak, what to say to the players in the bad and in the good times.
- [20:03]
Reuben Amaram (Manchester United Manager)
Maybe sometimes being too honest, sometimes in football world can become a problem for you. And we come to the game with the four division team and we perform like that. I think again the players clearly show what they want and the speech, the.
- [20:21]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
Way that they communicate with the press. He always been very transparent. What you see is what you get.
- [20:28]
Reuben Amaram (Manchester United Manager)
In 10 games in Premier League we won two. I know that. Imagine what is this for the, for a fan of Manchester United, imagine what is this for me? We are being the worst team maybe in history of Manchester United. Hugo, your headlines.
- [20:48]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Yeah, definitely. Amanda always says what he thinks. Charlotte joins us now. Charlotte, tell us who you interviewed for this piece and also what you'd learned about Amarim.
- [20:58]
Charlotte Harper (Journalist)
This piece was about Amarim the child and then, you know, throughout his adult life as a former player and then onto a coach. So I spoke to his dad, close friends Bruno and Thiago, even his primary school teacher, Paola. Former coaches Jose Mares, who was assistant to Jose Mourinho. Carlos Pirez, who gave him his first coaching job. So this piece was really like who is Amarim the man? And I don't think he's changed that much. I learned he was really strict, brutally honest. He hated losing. He could get very angry. And even last season when he smashed that TV screen, that was evident. But he also had a brilliant sense of humor, a very, very good communicator who brings people together. And that cheeky smile, that smile that his primary school teacher said. When I watch him on TV, I still remember that 8 year old boy in my class. Bruno, his friend recalls how he overslept one morning and missed a training session. And that was it for Amom. He was like, right, you're out. You're out of my team. And it was only for his teammates to say, oh, hang on a second. And that's coupled with this sense of humor. When he was a pundit for Portuguese tv, Bruno Fernandes, his captain now was denied entry to a tennis tournament for wearing denim shorts. It didn't adhere to the dress code. And so Amarim and the other pundits all wore shorts on the next show to take the mick out of Fernandez. So can you imagine that? That's his captain now. But, you know, six years ago, Amarim was like, yeah, you know, he was part of that punditry career. I mean, it was very short and sweet, but he likes to have a joke. But when you're on the job, there is no joking. And it's interesting reading that piece back a year ago and his very good friend Thiago saying his weaknesses, maybe he is too honest. But as I've been speaking to those close to him, Amarim would prefer to. To die with his ideas. It's his principles and it's his way.
- [23:17]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Yeah, I mean, that honesty, and we spoke about it at the top crit, you know, came out after that defeat against Brighton in January when Amrim described this team as maybe the worst in the history of the club. Do you think that that's going to haunt him through his career in the Prem?
- [23:33]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
I think he's going to keep saying stuff like that again and again. So now that one won't help because there'll be more that will. I feel like there's. That is one instance that we always come back to, but there have been plenty of those. Like I said just before that, a few weeks before that, he was talking, like, openly entertaining the prospect of relegation. I thought the one after the Grimsby game this season where he said that the play spoke really loudly with the performance, I think that was a comment that, you know, it was actually maybe an instance of him being a little bit more guarded and masking what he was saying more often than he has in the past. But it also felt like quite an explosive thing to come out and say afterwards. You were essentially saying the players weren't playing. For me, that was certainly the interpretation at the time. And then I remember going to his press conference a couple of days later before they played Burnley, and he was like, sorry, guys, that's just me. You're just going to have to put up with me if you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best, or whatever.
- [24:28]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Marilyn Monroe comes rolling out.
- [24:30]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
Yeah, exactly. So he is unapologetically himself. And to be honest, as a journalist, speaking quite selfishly, it's good for us. I think journalists like him and like how open he is, because it just leaves the door that little bit more ajar than it would be otherwise if a manager was being quite guarded about the way things are going on in the club. And he's also quite a charismatic guy, and therefore, if you're in a room with him and he is being so nakedly honest about things, then it's hard not to warm to it. But at the same time, I remember coming out of that specific press conference, the one before Burnley after Grimsby, and thinking, it's all well and good for you to say, oh, sorry, guys, you're just going to have to put up with me. That's what I do. That's what I'm like. If you're a player and your manager is being quite brutally honest about your levels of application and levels of effort, and he's saying that publicly, how are you going to react to that? Now, some players would react to that, would be galvanized by it and would think, well, I'm going to prove him wrong and that would have a benefit on the pitch. But others would have a very different response. And coming back to that Brighton comment, I remember when it was made, at the time, people I was talking to, they were saying it didn't go down that well with certain people within the dressing room. And you can understand why, even in the context where he's saying, there's your headline, and maybe there was more significance to it, maybe it wasn't as harsh as in the context of the full quote, but players read headlines and they don't read much else, like a lot of people. And so I feel like he's always treading a line between almost saying a bit too much that could be quite harmful to him and ultimately damage United's performances on the pitch. But he just about treads that line and gets away with it. And to be honest, as I say, as journalists, we're more than happy for him to do it because it makes a decent copy, at least.
- [26:20]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Oli, is there a knowing aspect to the way he communicates? Because, you know, from what Charlotte's saying in terms of him being a pundit on tv, he's not going into this blind, is he? I know it seems like he's wearing his heart on his sleeve, but I feel there's a much more calculated aspect to the way he communicates to the media.
- [26:38]
Oli (Football Analyst / Commentator)
I remember somebody saying to me about Jose Mourinho. I was doing a big background piece on him many years ago and sort of talking to somebody about how he works with the media. And it was said to me, you know, for everything, a reason, every single line has been thought out. Nothing is ever. Well, look, maybe in extreme circumstances when he's completely blowing his top. But everything was. Seemed to be calculated. And he always knew going into every press conference what he was going to say. I don't think Amarim is on that scale in terms of being calculated and strategic with what he says. I think there's a more unfiltered honesty to Amarim. I find his personality, his demeanour in press conferences and on tv, whatever, extremely appealing. I think he's very, very likable, relatable, almost the way he wears his heart and his sleeve and he does sort of pour his heart out at times. And I think he does it in a way that I don't know. That Grimsby one was slightly different because I thought he sounded beaten at Grimsby. I think it's the lowest I've seen him or heard him. And I thought, oh, that really made me feel for the first time. I don't know whether he and United are going to have enough energy invested in this to make it work. But you saw him. I tuned in to watch the press conference, what was it, two days later? And it was like. Oh, it was that this scene in Seinfeld where Costanza sort of walks back in as if nothing's happened. It wasn't quite that situation, but he was just sort of. Oh, oh, yeah, that. Oh, that. That was a joke type thing. He's just. He's just very. I think there is certainly times where he wants to get a message out because he's. He's a really bright guy, knows how to use the media. But I think his. His fundamental approach to media engagement is, and probably player engagement is honesty.
- [28:33]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Did you get a sense of that relatability, Charlotte, when we were talking to the people around him, how he interacts with people, how he communicates or connects with people fundamentally? Because I feel like as a manager or coach, like that is so integral to communicate your ideas to your players. Did we get a sense of that personality aspect of him?
- [28:51]
Charlotte Harper (Journalist)
Absolutely. He was described to me as like an influencer, and this is not an influencer in our world, but, you know, he. Bringing people together. That is one of his massive Strengths. But what he says in the media is very often replicated to what he says to the players. It's not as if he's having one message publicly and then privately, it's completely the opposite. And interestingly, when Oli was talking about calculation before his last game as Sporting manager in November, he said, obviously, when I come here to talk to the media, I have thought it all out. But I think that difference in managing sporting compared to United, it is a different level. And Amarim has alluded to this in his press conferences. And Critch will see this as well. You have seen him become spiky in some occasions. I remember the kind of Buy and Dear Inanna discussion when a journalist asked whether Heaton. Whether he ever considered playing Heaton, and he was like, what?
- [29:55]
BetterHelp / GrowTherapy Advertiser
Why?
- [29:56]
Charlotte Harper (Journalist)
And he bit back.
- [29:58]
Podcast Narrator / Advertiser
Did you give any considerations to starting.
- [30:00]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
Tom Heaton, head of Altai? Because he's conceded a goal similar to that before.
- [30:04]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Why?
- [30:05]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
I think a lot of people might argue that Tom's a better at Keith in him, more experience in the Premier.
- [30:10]
Reuben Amaram (Manchester United Manager)
League, but he suffered a goal like this where. Without Var. Without Var. With Var.
- [30:19]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
It.
- [30:19]
Reuben Amaram (Manchester United Manager)
Var. With Var is a. Yeah, is a foul. And then what happened in the next game? Arsenal. Who saved the penalty? Who saved the game? All the game.
- [30:27]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
That was a penalty.
- [30:29]
Reuben Amaram (Manchester United Manager)
No, no, no, no, no, no.
- [30:30]
Podcast Narrator / Advertiser
Before the penalty.
- [30:31]
Reuben Amaram (Manchester United Manager)
You don't remember the game? I remember the game. Altai was unbelievable.
- [30:36]
Charlotte Harper (Journalist)
So there is that relatability. He is charming and he definitely gets the charm offensive on. And from a media perspective, you warm to that. But he's no fool. I think he's extremely savvy and smart and knows where he can go with the media. I just wonder, with the scrutiny on United, nobody can prepare you for that. That is different level.
- [31:02]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Yeah. Is that where you see the spike, do you reckon, Critch, you know, all eyes on Man United. Every question extrapolated. Every answer extrapolated as well.
- [31:10]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
I think so. And I think that's natural, though. I think a lot of people who are in the position that Reuben Namri is in would react like that, because your every decision, every judgment that you make is being judged within itself and you've got nowhere to hide when you're making those calls. Now, that's true of any manager and any coach at any Premier League club, any football club, really. But it's particularly the case at United. And yes, Charlotte's right, he has bit back a couple of times. I don't think, as journalists, we actually mind that so much. It's sometimes productive, actually, to get into those kinds of debates and have those sorts of exchanges. And, yeah, I think he's conscious sometimes of wanting to fight his corner in that way, and that's only fair and only right. I like it, to be honest. And I think I'm conscious that we're all just saying how great we find him, how charming.
- [31:59]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
You're wooed by Amarim. Look at you. He's so easily wooed, you lot.
- [32:03]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
Honestly, it's not his job to woo journalists. And also, I don't think he's trying to do that either. And also, it's not really our job to be wooed by him. You've got to judge him still on the results, on how he's doing in the job. And look, I think, take it all in the round over the last year and Ollie's right, as he was saying before, it hasn't been good enough. But there is something about his personality and something about the way that he carries himself, not just with the media, but, yeah, just externally, just. I think that was a huge. That was also a huge factor in why he was appointed as well. I feel like United's leadership at the moment, they. They wanted somebody who'd be able to carry the club on their back, essentially, very quickly.
- [32:44]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
I'm so interested. And please jump in, both of you, or all of you. I'll start with you on this, Charlotte. Do we. Do we get a sense of how he. How he connects with players, how he deals with them internally? Because you did say that some of the stuff he might say in the media is pretty much some of the stuff he says to players as well. Do we get a sense of how we connect with players?
- [33:02]
Charlotte Harper (Journalist)
Well, that's what. When he was saying, you know, United are the worst team in its history, he said, look, it's not as if I've not told the players that. I said it in very similar words to them, you know, just in the dressing room. And as Critch was saying, and in Laurie's excellent piece this morning, some players would, you know, prefer maybe more tailored instruction or that one to one time. Whereas Amaram just wants you to prove your worth on the pitch in training. Like, if you're not going to give your maximum for him, then he's like, your proof is on the pitch. Show me that desire on the pitch. And of course, we're all different, right? We'll all respond to different feedback in different ways. So as a manager, you have to be kind of adaptable and malleable to your players needs.
- [33:52]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
Yeah, Critch, I feel like how he, how he handles the plays internally. I think he's, you know, the instance of him, the TV thing after the Brighton game, I don't think that is typical. In fact, he doesn't really speak to the players after games. This is quite a departure from most managers. But he'll actually. He won't give a post match team talk a lot of the time. He'll just review it the day after, once they're back in at Carrington and they're going over the video. He is in that way, I think sometimes a little bit more standoffish with players than you would expect from most managers. That's his style. If he's found that works for him, I think that's consistent throughout his career in Portugal as well. Some players will warm to that, some players won't. But there are other touches he's made. As Laurie mentions in his piece today, he's made sure that the players sign autographs for the fans afterwards and they almost split in halves and take turns before and after. So they're maintaining that connection with the supporters and those sort of little touches, I think they can go unnoticed, but they do make a difference, especially at a club like United, where when things go wrong, it can feel like one of the most toxic environments in football. You need moments like that to help maintain the bond and strengthen the bonds between players and fans. And I think that's something that he's attuned to, that perhaps some of the managers aren't.
- [35:10]
Oli (Football Analyst / Commentator)
One thing that jumped out at me from Laurie's piece was just a reminder of the leadership group at United. It's Fernandez Maguire, Tom Heaton, Martinez, Mazrawi Dalot. It's not exactly sort of Roy Keane, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Ruud van Esceloy, Rio Ferdinand. It's. They're guys who are sort of, some of them sort of middling footballers who are, who are, you know, making a good living at United and doing well. I think they're the ones who he feels have got the attitude to be leaders in the group. But it's not like a core of really strong, powerful characters or brilliant players that he's inherited. It's a fairly sort of, I don't know, it's been a fairly sort of wishy washy dressing room for a few years now, hasn't it, really? So I think the way you handle them, I think you just need to be charismatic, energetic, sort of forthright, almost drag them forward. That old thing of carry the team on your back at times. And lead them forward the way Ferguson did, the way Guardiola does at Man City, the way Klopp did at Liverpool. That's the kind of figure United need.
- [36:22]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Okay, Charlotte, I really appreciate your time. And make sure you go back and check out Charlotte's piece on the Athletic right now. Ruben Amrim, the road to Manchester United. He was special, like a magician.
- [36:39]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
When you're a forward thinker, you don't.
- [36:41]
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Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
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Reuben Amaram (Manchester United Manager)
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Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
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- [37:43]
Podcast Narrator / Advertiser
You'Re listening to the Athletic FC podcast with Ayo Akamolere.
- [37:48]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Well, Manchester United owner Sergeant Ratcliffe has said publicly Amrim needs three years to prove himself. So another two left, gents. Do we actually believe that based on the, the trials and tribulations of modern football? What do you think?
- [38:02]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
Chris? I. I do believe it. I at least believe the sincerity of the statement. I think, I think it's worth breaking it down. Just first of all, as you did there, we're a year in now. Ratcliffe said that he should be judged over three years. He signed a two and a half year contract so you can take six months off that. Three years. First of all, I think and so we're a year in, so we're essentially at the halfway point, right? We're approaching a year and a half and if Ratcliffe is being 100% down the line about what he said, then he's got another year and a half to prove that, that he's the right guy to lead the club forward. And yeah, like I say, I do believe that. I do believe that from United's leadership they want to see this work and they're willing to give it time to work. That's why even at the start of this season when results weren't particularly good, you think after the Brentford game and There was a lot of external noise and external pressure around Ruben Amarim. I think myself, certainly, and I think the rest of us at the Athletic. Our sense was that he still had that support internally and that there wasn't any immediate questions about his future at that point. I see no reason for that to change over the weeks that have followed and as results have got better as well. So I believe it. One thing I do think at the same time is that United don't feel like they're a club that they never have been, a club that can just wait around and be patient for success. There's always an expectation that things need to get better quickly because they aren't the most successful team in the country as they used to be. And so that sense of urgency is always there. I think it's there even now with that new leadership structure in place under Ineos. You only have to hear them talk about winning Premier league titles in 2028 and building 100,000 seat stadia by 2030, etc. Etc. There's an urgency to turning this big ship tanker around and that doesn't always marry up, up with preaching patience and wanting to see and take time for things to get better. So I think that there's a little inherent tension there. But like I say, I've only ever had the impression that they're invested in Reuben Amraem. They want to see this work. He was obviously the appointment hugely pushed by not only Omar Barada, but Jason Wilcox. They were very influential in his appointment, in his hiring. So their reputations as much are sort of wrapped up in this as well. This is the direction that the club has chosen to go in and I feel like it's still very much committed to moving in that direction.
- [40:32]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Yeah. What if they don't qualify for Europe, Ollie, which is very feasible. What if they feel finished quite low in the Premier League table again, which is very feasible. Would we still be seeing Ineos with these grand plans thinking, yeah, this is the guy that we want at the helm.
- [40:48]
Oli (Football Analyst / Commentator)
I think when you talk about sort of objective targets like Champions League qualification, top four, top five, top six, it can be very sort of marginal that I'm looking at the league table now. United are seventh with 18 points and they're two points off third, but they're only three points off 13th. Now, this feels like a season where I think judging somebody specifically on league position, final league position, might be a bit naive because the table seems so congested. But I think even, you know, if they were to finish seventh eighth with, I don't know, high 60s points, which would be close to third, close to fourth, I'm sure. And if they were actually clear signs of progress in terms of the way that his, his approach is working, I think that would be viewed probably more favorably than some of the sort of scraped, scraped top six finishes of the past. I think you can't just, just judge it on league position. You can't just judge it on oh, we won a cup. They need to improve to a position where they just look like they are a top four team in waiting really. So that if you go into next season it can perhaps be a case of just identifying weak links and say, look, this is clearly going in the right direction. I don't think that was ever the case when they, when they had their vote of confidence in 10HAG. So I think they need clear progress and it shouldn't just be judged on lead position.
- [42:15]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Okay, Critch, I want to talk about the style and also much of his has been made of his formation and we have to look back at Grimsby when he's got the board and he's trying to get everything back together in many respects. But I know you caught up with Lenny Yarrow in a piece on the Athletic right now. How does that player who is seen as, you know, one of the interesting players for the future of Manchester United, how is he taking on this new system, this new style of management and how is he, does he feel like he's working with this Manchester United team?
- [42:47]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
Yeah, no. It was interesting to chat to Lenny last week. I think we asked him about the system because it is such a hot topic. And also he's one of the three centre backs, right? And that's the, like I said before, that's the key difference with this system and others. And look, I mean he said that he doesn't mind playing in the back three. He's not, it's not like he prefers back four over a back three. He has no preference with it. He finds a system, you know, that he's getting used to it and it's been adaptation process. I do think that the system, it demands quite a lot of those centre backs. You've seen it recently how they're jumping up into midfield to help close the gaps because you've got that two man midfield, you can often get overwhelmed in there. So the center backs need to step up and close those gaps and that space in order for it to work. And I think that has been something that United have struggled with a little bit. I think Yarrow struggled with it a little bit as well. It was something that Bruno Fernandes mentioned specifically in relation to Yarrow after the Manchester Derby when. And they got beat 3, 0 by City earlier in the season. But you've seen in recent weeks, particularly Luke Shaw and Matthias De Ligt when they're in those positions, they've really got. Well, yeah, adapted and got used to those jumps and I think that's made the system look a lot better. He's always said that he wants to adapt and he wants to change it. There's a note in Laurie's piece today about Jason Wilcox having conversations with him about the system and sometimes lining up in a 4, 3, 3 in training. Now United do the system does change within a game depending on which phase it's in. It doesn't always look like a 3, 4, 3. I think Pep Guardiola famously called Formation's phone numbers because they're essentially meaningless. And you sometimes get that sense watching Amerens United. You can tell that actually this 3, 4, 3 that everyone talks about, it's got in their head. It often doesn't look like that. So what are we talking about here? He's always said that he will stick to it that straight but he will adapt within that shape. And I think that's what you've seen them do so far this season. They are playing more direct, they're playing more long balls. It's a much quicker game than we used to see him from Amarim side last season. And I think adapting within that system has helped shift the results a little bit. So it's not that he's completely stubborn and he's completely intransigent and he won't change, but he is tweaking little things in order to improve results and I think you are seeing the fruits of that so far this season.
- [45:03]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Yeah. Let's talk about improving results and finish on this. Manchester United after the international break. Have some decent fixtures coming up, actually. Everton at home, then Palace, West Ham and then Wolves. A real chance to build consistency. You know that lad who's cut. Who's not cutting his head to Manchester United win a series of games. I think it's on day 402 at the moment. Oli United can do it. Surely some nice ones there, especially Wolves.
- [45:26]
Oli (Football Analyst / Commentator)
What's this about some lad with a haircut?
- [45:28]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Have you not seen it?
- [45:29]
Oli (Football Analyst / Commentator)
No.
- [45:30]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
So he's growing his hair. Manchester United to basically five. Five games in a row. They need to win five games in a row and he'll cut his hair. He's got a massive afraid.
- [45:38]
Oli (Football Analyst / Commentator)
I, I was, I was pretending. I, I've thought all right, I, I, I.
- [45:43]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
You're too draw, man. You're too dead paneling.
- [45:45]
Oli (Football Analyst / Commentator)
I, I've heard it, I've heard of, I've heard of little else over the last two months. Do you know what that, that, that thing of five in a. Five in a row. There was a point a few weeks ago as they built up to three, where it flashed up how many times each manager had. Man United manager had won five games in a row and 10ha did it a number of times and Solskjaer did it a number of times. And it's harder when you're not in cup competitions, clearly, but, but I think that just illustrates that had they won five in a row, had they beaten Forest and beaten spurs, it wouldn't mean that a corner had been turned. It wouldn't mean they were necessarily. They'd be much higher on the table if they had done that. But there's a danger in sort of judging a team on a good month and I think this has been a really good month. You know, the last two games have been a bit of a reality check, but they go into the sort of, well, the middle third of the season after the November international break in, in clearly a miles better frame of mind than they were going into October. Say, I thought the last month was encouraging and they've got some good fixtures coming up, but I still wouldn't go overboard about the progress they've made. I think they need to be good not just for a month, which they've done for the first time, but be good for 2, 3, 4, 5 months, ideally have a couple of really good winning runs, unbeaten runs between now and the end of the season. That's what they need. That's what will tell you. Not that Manchester United are back, but. But that Manchester United are a competitive team again and they haven't been that for a while. I do feel, as you do, that the next few games give an opportunity to build some momentum and make it a season where, particularly with no European distractions, where they can compete for top four and all of that. I think that's very important that they do that.
- [47:29]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
So what do you reckon, Crit? Time for Frank Let to get the Clippers out?
- [47:34]
Mark Critchley (Football Journalist)
I wouldn't. I. My prediction going into this season that he was. That he would develop male pattern boldness before United won five games in a row. So, but, but I thought I was, I was hopeful for him a couple of weeks ago, but yeah, No, I think we joke about it, but I'm gonna say it again. I think it actually comes to the core of the issue, which is consistency. It's like I said before, you're asking about when it went wrong. It almost didn't really go right at any point for Ruben, because he's never put together a string of results where you would say, okay, well, United have won these games and they've played well and they've dominated teams, and you can see this carrying on, going forwards. You're still in a situation, I think, where, to be honest, when they won those three games in a row, after each of the games, I was thinking, well, what am I going to do? Say, what am I going to think about this team if they lose the next one? Just because. Mentally preparing yourself, because I feel like after United win a game, the analysis and the reaction, it can often just go 180 from how it was the other week before when they've lost one. And you've got to constantly be mindful of, okay, well, where is this team at? Like, if they lose the next game, are they still the worst team in history, as he said a few months ago, or are these green shoots of recovery that we've been talking about after these games, is there something to that? Is there some substance to it? And that is a really difficult question, actually find, because you're constantly, you know, there's never anything that you can really hang your hat on and say, well, they've turned the corner. Now. That has always been the big challenge, and I think that's, you know, that it remains a challenge a year on since Amory came into the job. And it's partly why I think Frank Illett's, you know, hair challenge has resonated so much, because it really does get to the core of the issue, and that is that United need to be consistent, and they just haven't been yet. But perhaps we're a bit more hopeful at this point that they will be than we were, I don't know, six, eight, nine months.
- [49:28]
Ayo Akimolere (Podcast Host)
Yeah, let's see how that consistency will be tested as well. Afcon isn't far off. Ahmad and Bulmo as well. Who knows how that will affect this team. But let's keep our powder dry and keep it for another podcast. Jets, appreciate your time. Ollie, Mark, and also Charlotte, who joined us a little earlier. And also, thank you guys for listening as well today. We'll catch you soon.
- [49:48]
Podcast Narrator / Advertiser
You've been listening to the Athletic FC podcast. The producers are Guy Clark, Mike Stabro and James Jay Beal. Executive producers are Abby Patterson and Avi Moorhead. To listen to other great athletic podcasts for free, including our dedicated club shows, search for the Athletic on Apple, Spotify and all the usual places. You'll also find us on YouTube at the Athletic FC Podcast, so make sure you subscribe. The Athletic FC Podcast is an Athletic Media Company production.
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Podcast Host / Advertiser
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Reuben Amaram (Manchester United Manager)
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