Former West Ham target and current Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has reportedly already lost the dressing room at Old Trafford.
The former Sporting Lisbon manager replaced Erik ten Hag, but results have not improved as many had hoped. Following a defeat to fellow strugglers Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Manchester United now sit just one Premier League place above The Hammers.
Amorim was West Hamâs first choice to replace former manager David Moyes and was flown to London for talks at the suggestion of then-director of football Tim Steidten.
However, it was decided that Sporting Lisbonâs ÂŁ8 million buyout clause was too expensive, and Amorim was never officially offered the job despite meeting chairman David Sullivan.
The rest, as they say, is history. West Ham went on to appoint Julen Lopetegui, who endured a disastrous short stint in the Hammers hot seat before being replaced by Graham Potter.
While some might suggest West Ham dodged a bullet by missing out on Amorim, the fact that no manager seems able to succeed at Old Trafford points to a bigger issue.
Amorimâs plain and frank speaking has clearly ruffled feathers on the red side of Manchester. Nonetheless, the Manchester United squad have played so poorly under so many different regimes that their rebellion against the new boss probably carries little weight.
Man U are a club in crisis, with some even suggesting they could be drawn into a relegation battle. Whilst the latter seems unlikely, the fact that such a struggling club sits above West Ham in the league does not bode well for us.
Yeah we definitely dodged a bullet. ÂŁ8million saved and a fantastic appointment in Lopetegui. Well done Dave đ
Manchester United is an interesting case, in that their main problem clearly relates to the players yet they rule the roost (as they now do with most clubs, unfortunately, mainly owing to contracts being unenforceable except when they are in the players’ interest). Perhaps Man U might bite the bullet, keep an unpopular coach and jettison the players? Not very likely. Expect Amorim to be gone by next season.
I think Man Utd expected Ineos and Amorim to paper over all their issues, but Amorim had never previously managed here (and it doesnât suit everyone). As for Ineos, I am a fan of road cycling and the British âTeam Skyâ ruled cycling for 10 years, then Ineos took over and they are now a run of the mill team with stars transferring away each season.
Potter’s not doing any better though is he
All be it with smile
Might be a better watch than under Moyes but doesn’t help if we get relegated
Brady should have kept out of the old pals act
And how much did their squad cost to assemble they have had the pick of top stars from clubs all over the world just because the name but to tar us with the same brush with all their wealth is a bit insulting
Wholesale changes throughout a club never prove to be an instant success. Just because a Pep disciple has made a difference to a Spanish/German/Portuguese/French side does not mean that can transfer to a PL team.
West Ham have never been a continental team and never should be. We aspire to be the kind of team we saw under Ron Greenwood and John Lyall. Our own identity a the core of our own philosophy.
There are plenty of options out there if we want to attempt to replicate the style of others. We should remain faithful to our values and build a dynasty for years to come. Somewhat in the style of the old Liverpool bootroom method. We do not need to become an old Liverpool but we need some consistency and continuity in management and staff.
COYI
Actually Ron Greenwoodâs philosophy was heavily based on the great Hungarian team of the 1950âs, so the West Ham way is continental at its very root
I think it’s more a case of Man U being toxic than anything to do with Amorim. Managers cannot just wave a wand at put things that have deteriorated for years right overnight. Potter is in a similar position, we’re still suffering from poor recruitment under Moyes let alone from Lopetegui things. Overall situations at clubs become rancid.
We and they are fortunate that there are three really poor teams that look certain to go straight back down again, but what if one of them suddenly put a string of results together ?
It’s fair to say, Manchester Utd’s issues are not entirely on their head coach/manager.
Look at how Amorin’s replacement at his old club? 8 games he lasted.
The other ‘favourite’ for West Ham manager last summer, Paulo Fonseca, lasted less time at Milan than J-Lo in London.
These managers don’t suddenly become ‘bad at their jobs’, there’s a lot more to it.
It’s not just West Ham, Premiership clubs are just generally not run very well.
When you say disastrous JLo appointment, let’s see who gets us more points by the end of the season, him or Potter…
Stietden and Sullivan sign the players/ overpaid for players, so for me the buck stops with those two.
Recruitment has been the problem for years, Brentford, Brighton, Bournemouth etc are run extremely well, we are not .
This club has the unique ability to turn anything positive into a negative shambles in a short space of time.
âthe fact that such a struggling club sits above West Ham in the league does not bode well for usâ. Why? The idea that one of the greedy seven, who re having a poor season despite all of their resources, sit just above us? If weâd started the season with the idea that weâd be one point behind them in February it would have been called over optimism. Many clubs, ourselves included, have painted themselves into a corner by maximizing immediate spend rather than taking a longer term view on building a squad. In January few could afford to buy and even though the big clubs wanted to move players on they couldnât find anyone with the money to pick up the wages the players were on. Look at Villa and the long running saga of Duran – including us – and what are they doing? Pushing 300k out the door every week for his wages. Villa might have made a killing on Duran but now theyâre going to spend the best part of 6 million of the wages on a fill in until the end of the season. In the end (unless we somehow go down) itâs the Manchester Unitedâs and Spurs who have the problem. No European football for them is a far bigger problem – because of the loss of revenue – than us losing some PL prize money.