Sir Ratcliffe said in an interview that he would give Amorim three years to prove himself. But the Mail's Manchester United reporter Chris Wheeler wrote that this statement is ridiculous and wrong.
The reporter wrote in the article: Since Amorim has coached Manchester United, he has only scored 37 points in 34 rounds of the Premier League. This is worse than Ten Hag or even previous Manchester United coaches, not to mention that he also lost to Grimsby in the League Cup. When Manchester United lost to Brentford 12 days ago, sources from Ineos said they would let Amorim finish the season. However, Manchester United insiders were more cautious and said: No replacements have been contacted so far, and external speculations are unfounded.
Manchester United beat Sunderland last week, so we will never know whether Amorin would have retained his job if he suffered his fourth defeat in his first seven league games this season. But in the face of reports that "he may be dismissed", Manchester United did not make any refutation.
Ratcliffe's remarks clearly indicate that he will keep Amorim even if the record is not good. But if Manchester United is once again hovering on the edge of the relegation zone like last season, or even facing the crisis of "relegation" that was once considered "impossible", can Ratcliffe still stick to his original intention?
You know, Manchester United barely finished in 15th place last season by defeating Villa in the last round. That season was the club's worst in more than half a century: they lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final, not only missing out on nearly £100 million in prize money, but also missing out on any European competition, including the Champions League, for the second time in 35 years.
Like all club owners, if Manchester United's bottom line continues to be under pressure and fans collectively defect, will Ratcliffe be so "bold" in insisting on giving Amorim three years?
It is easy to talk but difficult to practice. "Being willing to give Amorim three years" is one thing, but for today's Manchester United, not to mention looking forward to three years, even looking forward to three weeks seems too optimistic. This team has long become the antonym of "stability". After the game against Liverpool, Manchester United will face Brighton at home, followed by away games against Forest and Tottenham.
In September last year, no one on the board wanted Ten Hag to be dismissed; now, no one wants to see Amorim leave. After all, clubs like Manchester United are already in desperate need of stability and normalcy.
But Ratcliffe’s approach of giving Amorim a “three-year death-free gold medal” is both absurd and wrong. Just ask Postkoglu: He once defeated Amorim in the Europa League final and led Tottenham to win the championship, but was still fired by Tottenham; now he has only been coaching Nottingham Forest for seven games and is already facing pressure to be dismissed.
In today's football world, if the coach continues to have a poor record, no one can securely hold the coaching position for three years, and Amorim is no exception.