Michael Carrick: The case for the defence

When Michael Carrick came in to guide HMS Manchester United into calmer waters he had one job. 

It's a job that is now almost done. Mission nearly complete. United will be back in the Champions League next season - a quite extraordinary turnaround for a team that finished 15th last season. Sixth when Ruben Amorim was sacked five days in 2026 after letting rip in his post-Leeds interview, the promised land of Europe's elite seemed merely a pipedream. Three months on, and the Reds are odds on for a third placed finish in the Premier League. 

Mission accomplished for Manchester United 

Make no mistake: Carrick has done a fantastic job in interim charge, picking up 29 points from a possible 39. Draws at West Ham and Bournemouth and defeats to Newcastle and Leeds are the only blots on his copybook. Otherwise it has been wins all the way: Carrick has kept it simple, utilised his side's strengths and has been rewarded by a group of players who have more belief, clarity and confidence in themselves. The players like him, the players respect him and he has everyone pulling in the same direction. Us fans have enjoyed the ride, too. 

United's powers-that-be will soon have a big decision to make when it comes to the man in the Old Trafford dugout. Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, watching from on high on Monday, will no doubt be pleased their mid-season decision looks to have paid off.

Mathematically, United need two points from Liverpool, Sunderland, Forest and Brighton to make certain. In reality, we are there and it could be sealed without kicking a ball if the Seagulls fail to beat Newcastle on Saturday. 

Better the devil you know? 

Carrick will be difficult to ignore when it comes to that decision: so much so, that getting rid of him is seen as a riskier option.

On the other hand, if we stick with him and it goes wrong next season, INEOS and co, will be derided for following the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer model. That said, the affable Norwegian remains the only post-Ferguson United manager to secure successive top three finishes. 

What if Carrick is replaced by a more experienced manager who can't adapt to the rigours of one of the biggest jobs in world football? Then you're accused of trying to fix something that was never broken.

Based purely on the results he's overseen since he took charge in January, Carrick has to be firmly at the forefront. Expected to finish in the bottom half of the table, initial big game wins over City and Arsenal came with a caveat: this was a film we had seen before. Even under Amorim, our record in games like those were good - a case of United elevating their level and going toe-to-toe with our traditional rivals, raising our game for the big occasion. 

But this has been more than merely new manager bounce: Carrick has nine wins in 13 games to climb to third place in the Premier League: had he come in earlier we'd be challenging for the title.

Carrick has done all he possibly can to get the permanent position. Now, is it up to Berrada and co. 

The decision is not made easier by the knowledge PSG are confident the standout candidate in the market, Luis Enrique, will sign a new deal. Even if he doesn't, he will be very expensive. Julian Nagelsmann's contract does not expire until 2028 and Andoni Iraola is admired. Much like Thomas Frank, who has been linked with United in the past, managing a small, progressive Premier League side is a world away to dealing with one of the biggest. 

No one knew what results Carrick would deliver when he was asked to take over until the end of the season. However, one thing the Reds powerbrokers were certain about was he wouldn't be swamped by the sheer size and scale of the Man Utd behemoth - having already played for us and his four games as caretaker in 2021. 

Results not in question...but concerns remain

Whilst you cannot argue with Carrick's record since he took over, there are legitimate concerns too. 

The style of play hasn't been good, with United having to grind out a string of ugly, single goal wins. We didn't play well against Everton and Chelsea or at times against Brentford. United laboured against Crystal Palace before Maxime Lacroix's red card. Fulham were only seen off in the 92nd minute. Leeds played us off the park, United only improved upon the injustice of a red card, Alex Scott ran through the midfield for Bournemouth in March. The football is fragmented, still sometimes frantic but at times piecemeal. But, on the other side of the coin, it is common sense, streetwise and is working. The ship is still watertight although holes are beginning to appear. 

Of course, results are the most important currency at this stage of the season. In the immediate, no one will really care how the destination is reached. But, long term at least, there has to be substance too. United are still too easily bypassed in midfield, don't control games well and give up too many chances. United won't get away with that at Champions League level. 
That is something Carrick, or whoever it is in charge, will need to work on going forward. 

It comes down to personnel. Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo are very good on the ball and at getting United moving. But off the ball, they are too slow and don't press aggressively. Carrick has acknowledged his squad's strengths - box defending, counter-attacking and set pieces - and utilised that effectively. That is good management: maximising what your team are good at and setting up to suit, whilst at the same time understanding its limits. The wingers do not tuck in and full-backs do not push on. United are still too narrow and don't progress the ball through areas that well. 

It's common knowledge United's midfield is in need of an overhaul so with that, we hope, will come evolution to a new style. 

For me personally: I think we thank Carrick for his time in charge, agree an amicable parting of ways in the summer and do all we can to get Enrique. Carrick is not the man for us: he has no experience, his style of play is basic and he's never managed in the Champions League before. We don't want another Liam Rosenior. Old Trafford is no place for a learner driver. 

A huge summer awaits for Manchester United with big calls to make over both player and manager recruitment. 

The PGMOL are corrupt and poisonous weasels (ANGRY RANT!)

I have had enough of this corrupt, rancid organisation at the top of the game in England. It's time to unite and get rid of the PGMOL for bringing our game, our beautiful game, into disrepute.

I am done with these putrid, lying, corrupt, poisonous, parasitic weasels who all paid for and pre-planned this months ago. It is now abundantly clear: the PGMOL, the FA and the Premier League do not want little old Manchester United anywhere near the Champions League. It might be for money, to appease fans, or because it's not what they sat down and agreed months ago, or because we had the nerve to question them. But whatever the reason, they are going to keep f*****g us over until we finish sixth. Then they will all get together and w**k each other off. 

They may as well come out and tell the world as it's very very obvious it's what they're foaming at the mouth for. 

I don't want to keep talking about referees but we can't just stay silent, we have to topple this dictatorship and start anew. We have to take action and unite to end this criminality. 

They are shitting themselves at the thought of us playing in it next year so have been told to make up any old bollocks to get what they're presumably very well rewarded for. No other team gets treated like this - it is disgusting, it is an absolute disgrace, a bloody disgrace and needs to be called out. All fans of football should join together to banish these w*****s from the game. Get in a new pool of referees from abroad without bias, without collusion and who actually know their arses from their elbows.

You only have to look at the state of things in our last two games. We had the non-award of a blatant penalty on Amad at Bournemouth  (voted 5-0 in favour of a correct decision as well btw) - which led directly to the Cherries first equaliser. A decision every other team in the Premier League would get in their favour. But it's Man Utd and they have a different set of laws to screw us over. It's been common knowledge for years. 

Then came two red cards I have never seen any other player get sent off for - Harry Maguire for a supposed DOGSO when there was no contact and Lisandro Martinez for jumping for a header. To add insult to injury, Magure has been given an extra game ban for something no one heard him say whilst little pet Rodri called the referee a cheat and nothing was done. 

They waited as long as possible to ban Maguire to make sure we go into a massive match underprepared and in limbo. Exactly as arranged, exactly as they wanted. 

Only those clubs who say and do everything the PGMOL want are allowed into the upper echelons of the game at home and in Europe. 

United are set to appeal the latter, and it's worth a try, but you just know it will be upheld because all the cutesy, pally little PGMOL minions can't possibly accept their buddy pals are ever wrong. Yet DCL can smash Martinez around the face and get away with it. 
They will probably slap an extra game on for having the audacity to challenge them. 

Do nothing to give these p****s the satisfaction they get from making our lives a misery. No media, no referee handshakes, no mementoes, no 'Respect' campaign. Ban them from Old Trafford and threaten legal action, even to withdraw from the league if this carries on, Fuck the Premier League, fuck the FA, fuck the PGMOL fuck all of them. I never want you anywhere near our club again. All corrupt, all pre-planned, all fixed, all bollocks. Howard Webb, get to f**k. 

Make no mistake, United weren't good enough against Leeds. I don't think anyone can deny that. But the fact of the matter is, we had yet another major game-changing decision go against us. If that's what's classed as violent conduct now, football is finished. Completely finished. 

I'm sick of 115 being able to say and do whatever they want without punishment. I'm sick of Liverpool existing, I'm sick of all the backhanders, all the mates rates, the rules changing every week to suit their agendas. I'm sick of the protection of their own, of clubs not being able to call them out for fear of the poor little mites being upset by the hurty words. I'm sick of their cosy little favourites getting everything they want. I'm sick of the lack of accountability. I'm sick of them blaming everyone else for their incompetence. I'm sick of how untouchable and arrogant these p***s are.  I'm sick of 'Tayls' and 'Kavs' and 'Ols' and 'Suts'. I genuinely believe all these PGMOL officials were secretly hired by Manchester City to bring down United. I'm sick of our players getting singled out, victimised and made an example of in the name of greed, money and match fixing. 

What minute has it been planned for that poisonous weasel Michael Oliver to send off Casemiro on Saturday? You can bet he's foaming at the mouth to get his slimy mitts on a few brown envelopes from his paymasters in the Middle East.

At Bournemouth it was Stuart Attwell, against Leeds it was Paul Tierney. It'll be that Oliver this week and some other fraud next time. 

What better way to stuff this corruption down their throats than by rising above it and proving the old adage is as true as ever - cheats never prosper. 

Surely Manchester United can't do the impossible? Can they?...

Manchester United have improbably become the best side in the Premier League under the erudite tutelage of Michael Carrick.
United were in very real danger of missing out on not only Champions League football but European competition altogether for the second straight year as Ruben Amorim's reign of terror lurched from one catastrophe to another.
Not only has Carrick dragged us right back into the mix, we are currently the form side in England and have overtaken an Aston Villa side that sat eleven points clear of us five weeks ago.
United occupy the dizzy heights of third place for the first time in nearly two years. Not only that, but we remain an interested party in the scrap for honours at the very top of the table. Eight points behind second placed City and thirteen off pacesetters Arsenal (with a game in hand)... let's just say stranger things have happened. 

United remain a very outside bet for the unlikeliest of Indian summers, but the rarefied air of the league's summit is certainly a lot closer than it has been for years. Messrs Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola might be starting to squirm uncomfortably at the sight of Carrick's rampaging Reds juggernaut careering into their rearview mirrors. 

Manchester United have won the Premier League from similar positions before, most notably in 1996.  Of course it remains unlikely and we would need a (very) improbable sequence of results to fall into place for it to happen. But the fact we're in the conversation at all and there's even a 1% chance of Premier League glory says it all. The fact I even have the tiniest, wildest sliver of belief we could yet pull this off speaks volumes as to Carrick's ever-growing body of work at Old Trafford. 

We would probably need to go the rest of this campaign unbeaten, winning every game, whilst hoping the lot from across town and down in north London do a Devon Loch (go look it up, you young'uns). But you never know what can happen in this crazy game we call football and why shouldn't we be allowed to dream, however fantastical it might seem?

If United win each of their last ten games, that would give us 81 points, which is only a few points shy of winning a title in most seasons (and the same as Leicester's total the year they won it). That tally would be our joint-highest since 2013 (Mourinho finished second with 81 in 2017-18). The maximum Arsenal can get is 91 (assuming they too, win all nine fixtures). City can finish on 89 with a 100% record. The Gunners only need to lose two and draw three, and City draw four and lose three, for United to finish top of the pile

Let's apply the following results (assuming United win all ten games):
- Brighton 1-1 Arsenal; City 3-0 Forest
- Arsenal 2-0 Everton, West Ham 1-1 City
-  City 2-3 Palace

- Arsenal 1-0 AFC Bournemouth, Chelsea 2-0 City
- City 0-0 Arsenal
- Arsenal 1-1 Newcastle, Burnley 1-2 City
- Arsenal 2-1 Fulham, Everton 0-1 City
- City 0-1 Brentford, West Ham 2-0 Arsenal
- AFC Bournemouth 2-2 City, Arsenal 1-0 Burnley
- Palace 1-0 Arsenal, City 1-1 Villa 

That would make the final standings: 1. United (81), 2. Arsenal (79) and 3. City (72). Easy peasy, right? 

So whilst it seems likely we have left our red surge a little too late, I haven't given up until it's a mathematical impossibility. I grew up on a diet of this club redefining logic and rewriting history so 

all the time we're in the picture, Arsenal and City will be glancing nervously over their shoulders. Call me deluded if you wish but it doesn't cost anything to let your imagination run a little wild.. 

                                     

Football fans are fickle creatures: European qualification (ideally the Champions League) was the definitive aim before the season started. We are on the verge of just that and third would be a fantastic achievement but you always want more and a strong string of results can see fans get carried away. 

All this begs the question: where would we be if Carrick replaced Amorim even a month earlier? It is surely the biggest 'what if' in United's recent history: had Amorim been sacked after Bilbao, or even in the wake of that rain-soaked nadir at Grimsby in September, what would have happened? Of course we will never know the answer now but how, with the benefit of hindsight, I wish INEOS had acted sooner.

Six wins and a draw from his seven games in charge means it's seven and two overall for Carrick if you consider his first stint in charge. Following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dismissal in 2021, Carrick drew with Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea and overcame Arteta's Arsenal. 

That equals the joint-best return from nine games as a manager from anyone in the history of the Premier League. 

United and Carrick just need to keep this going and aim for the stars. As proud New Zealander Marton Csokas once said in his role of Charles Kingsleigh: "Gentlemen, the only way to achieve the impossible is to believe its possible." 

He's Carrick, you knoww....

If this is Michael Carrick’s job interview for the permanent United gig in the summer then there is a tick in every box so far.

Carrick, United’s dapper head coach with the Midas touch,  has got pretty much everything right to date. In winning a third successive game, he did in three matches what Ruben Amorim took 36 to manage.

At full-time after another nail-biting, harum scarum victory, Carrick was serenaded with his popular terrace chant: “He’s Carrick, you knowwwww, hard to believe he’s not Scholes.” Paul Scholes and Carrick formed the formidable fulcrum of United’s engine room for over a decade, with their fire-and-ice partnership driving the Reds to every major honour there is to win.

United manager Michael Carrick

Calming Carrick rolls back the years 

The two men’s contrasting styles dovetailed perfectly. Scholes was all action, often arriving in the box at just the right moment to smash in a scorcher before getting United moving again with a rapier-like pass or lung-busting run. Carrick, on the other hand, was the calming spoiler. Sitting in front of the back four, breaking up play and cutting out opposition attacks at source, subtly keeping United ticking and quietly dictating the tempo. Scholes was far more heralded and celebrated, yet Carrick arguably more influential.

If Scholes' fire and brimstone was the irresistible force, Carrick’s ice cool unflappability was the immovable object. It is this calm and unassuming temperament that has proved so invaluable in the early weeks of Carrick’s second coming. He doesn’t command an audience or court controversy. Not for him the emotional outburst or soporific soundbite. He is composed, sensible and measured but knows exactly what to say and when to say it. For those of us who remember Carrick’s safe hands on the tiller in his playing days, it is no surprise to see that taken from the pitch into the dugout.

Simplicity is everything

His quiet United renaissance has been nothing complicated. Rather like when he was at the peak of his considerable string-pulling powers in midfield, Carrick has kept things simple. But yet that is precisely what this squad needed after the confusion and chaos of the Amorim era.

The players never got to grips with what Amorim was trying to do -  or it never looked like it anyway. By simply giving the players jobs they all understand, in their proper, natural positions, Carrick’s United look a team transformed. Kobbie Mainoo, whose ease on the ball and ability to cruise through games makes Amorim’s treatment of him look more baffling by the week, has been restored. So too has the back four of which the refusal to utilise proved a significant part of Amorim’s self-inflicted fate. Quite what the Portuguese coach makes of United’s sudden revival now he’s gone, I guess we will never know.

As the late, great Bill Shankly once said: “Football is a simple game made complicated by people who should know better.”

There is no magic formula, no tactical revolution, no blinding the players with science. He has brought clarity, simplicity and belief to a squad in need of direction. Maybe simply because he’s not Amorim, the players are buying into it and it’s working. This side’s togetherness, spirit and renewed belief in each other has been inspiring and uplifting – although the last two games haven’t been so kind on the ol’ ticker…
Carrick has gone back to basics but has taken risks too: bringing Benjamin Sesko on for Patrick Dorgu at Arsenal with United holding a slender lead. He could have introduced Mason Mount or Nouss Mazraoui but opted to bring on a striker. Whatever the Manchester United ‘DNA’ is (if, indeed it even exists), embracing risk and going for broke is part of it. 

Belief and hope spring eternal

Even by replacing Matheus Cunha with eventual matchwinner Sesko, Carrick’s simple switch was something his predecessor never would have done.

Carrick had to get all this right in the first instance and deserves huge credit for the job he has done so far. Of course, we all want the Manchester United manager to do well but surely Carrick’s emotional bond with us fans is helping him to succeed? Amorim never truly won over large sections of the fanbase and had no credit in the bank. 

Carrick has that connection after 18 trophies, 464 games and his first stint in the dugout (in which he beat Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta and drew with Thomas Tuchel). In those tense final moments against Fulham as Carrick orchestrated from the touchline, the backing was loud and unequivocal. He has struck a harmonious chord with fans and players and, to continue the musical analogy, now everyone is singing from the same hymnsheet. 

Carrick has brought United right back into contention for a place in the Champions League, and even as an outside bet for the league title. That scenario remains highly improbable and unlikely, but we were 12 points behind Newcastle at this stage in 1996. Stranger things have happened. Dare I start to dream? 

He’s Carrick, you knowwww, hard to believe he’s not Scholes!

Who might be Ruben Amorim's long term successor at Man Utd?

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS leadership group will lead the search for United's seventh permanent manager in twelve years.
David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim (not including caretakers or interims Ryan Giggs, Ralf Rangnick, Michael Carrick and Ruud van Nistelrooy) have had a crack at one of the biggest and most high profile jobs in world football with varying degrees of success.

Amorim looked to be the guy tasked with the long term rebuilding project as the first boss of the INEOS era, but has fallen on his sword after 14 months in the job. It leaves United back at square one and looking for Yet Another One. This board, this regime, were meant to be the antidote to the Glazers 19-year long reign of terror, but have turned out to be even dysfunctional, even more clueless. The Glazers had the excuse of knowing nothing about football but Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox are meant to be best in class. They have instead turned the manager, or head coach's job, from already difficult to almost impossible.

It doesn't matter who the manager is, as he will encounter the same problems, the same flaws, as all of his predecessors. It is a bitter, endless struggle for supremacy with INEOS wanting full and total control over all matters both on and off the field. 

United are back here again: back to the future with a former player to steady the ship as interim before beginning the endless rinse and repeat cycle again in summer. 

We take a look at the possible runners and riders in line to be the next man to occupy the famous Old Trafford hotseat as Amorim's successor.

Oliver Glasner

Palace manager Oliver Glasner

Amongst the favourites to take over at United, INEOS are said to be huge admirers of the erudite Austrian's body of work at Crystal Palace and Frankfurt. Won the Europa League with the latter before steering the Eagles to a major trophy and into Europe for the first time in their history. Glasner is out of contract in the summer which would save United have to pay for compensation. It would also explain the decision to appoint an interim. There are concerns, though, as Glasner plays the same three at the back system as Amorim, has only ever taken charge of underdog teams and sets his side up to play without the ball. Palace have faded after a strong start to the season and have dropped to 14th in the league. Glasner is clearly a contender but would not set pulses racing amongst the United faithful.

(Sir) Gareth Southgate

A lot of what Southgate did as manager of England would go down very well at Old Trafford. But, as well as he did internationally, the jury is still out on him as a club manager. Southgate made his England players proud to play for their country again,he speaks very well and gave fans a team to genuinely like and believe in. He brought unity, cohesion and man management to a previously fractured dressing room. Something that, let's be honest, is badly needed at United. But his failure to win anything with the finest generation of players in years is a red flag as is his poor record at club level. His only club job, at Middlesbrough, ended in relegation. 

Enzo Maresca

One of those quirks only football can throw up, but could a job swap see Maresca jump out of the Stamford Bridge frying pan headlong into the Old Trafford fire? He has connections with United's top brass as he knows Wilcox, Berrada and Vivell from Manchester City. He fell out with the Chelsea hierarchy for much the same reasons as Amorim did at United - namely a lack of control over transfers. Despite winning the league at Leicester and both the Conference League and Club World Cup at Chelsea, he had the best squad each time and neither fanbase seemed unhappy when he left the club. But if he's a viable option for us, we would surely move for him now and not the summer. Unlikely but you never know with this board.

Thomas Tuchel

Ticks all the right boxes as a high profile serial winner who knows the Premier League and would fit the 'head coach' role. Tuchel's contract with England expires after this summer's World Cup and, as much as he has admitted to enjoying life with the national team, could the United job tempt him away? Been linked with United in the past but can be combustible and has a track record of falling out with club hierarchies - something INEOS really won't want to happen again. Tuchel has the experience, a proven ability at managing big egos, and can organise teams quickly. Looks a good option but the timeline is tight considering we couldn't get him until July. 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe will lead the search for the next manager 

Andoni Iraola

Led unfancied Bournemouth to ninth place in the Premier League last season and will have attracted many an admiring glance in doing so. Iraola has built up a fine body of work on the south coast and, although that progress has somewhat plateaud this term, there is no doubt the Spanish boss is destined for bigger things. Bournemouth is a stepping stone and, although his coaching career is modest to date, United aren't exactly in a position to be picky. He has the Cherries playing an exciting brand of football. They have scored the most goals out of all the clubs in the bottom half but have lost three quarters of their defence and the departure of their best player, Antoine Semenyo, is imminent. Iraola may be wondering if he has taken them as far as he can. Has no major trophies on his CV, but finished six places and 14 points above us last term.... United could do a lot worse. Like Glasner, he is out of contract in the summer. 

Michael Carrick

Perhaps more likely as an interim appointment, Carrick is, statistically speaking, the most successful United manager ever in terms of win % with three wins and a draw. Had a mixed spell at Middlesbrough in his first managerial job, but, if United want safe and steady, they may turn to the calming influence of the 44-year-old. Carrick is familiar with the inner workings of the club and played 463 times in Red across 12 trophy laden years. He's available, would save United the hassle of negotiation and would no doubt be happy to further his managerial credentials at a club he knows. 

Other candidates include Mauricio Pochettino (a long time managerial target), Xavi, Carlo Ancelotti, Julian Nagelsmann - like Tuchel, out of contract after the World Cup - and Unai Emery (although he would be very expensive and is unlikely to leave Villa). 

Rudderless INEOS have left United all at sea

As the dust settles on the sudden departure of Ruben Amorim the vessel named HMS Manchester United is back in familiar waters.

Any strong and seaworthy vessel needs a captain, a leader, and a capable hand on the tiller to steady the literal ship and guide his crew through the darkest of nights and stormiest of seas. Without a man in charge, the vessel is rendered useless - listing leeward at the mercy of the conditions - rudderless, punctured, holed below the waterline.

And that's where United find themselves at right now. A craft that has been left to the mercy of the sea with unstable parts that don't fit together, components which aren't fit for purpose with an inadequate, badly assembled structure that's creaking at the seams. There is a man at the head of all this, in Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but he has an INEOS crew hopelessly out of their depth and one whom have never done lifeboat drill. No one knows who's meant to be in charge, no one has a clue who should be doing what or who should be where. To continue the analogy, changing the manager is like shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic. 

Whatever your thoughts on Amorim, you have to feel a shred of sympathy for him. This cannot have been the plan. In October Ratcliffe spoke, and spoke well, on giving their man three years to prove himself because previous managers "haven't had long enough." His words. At the time, it was refreshing to hear an owner speak so openly and candidly on the future. At least he was giving us a timeframe, a vision, something to suggest INEOS would go against the grain and give a manager time.

Yet here we are, three months on. 14 months into that self-confessed three year project, and Amorim has gone. Pushed out the door for daring to question Ratcliffe and his merry band of minions on the board. 
It is a third black mark against INEOS in just over two years. They promised the earth but have delivered nothing except a few savings on Sellotape. Put bluntly, Ratcliffe and his cohorts have got nothing right since taking on the giant, unwieldy beast of Manchester United back on Christmas Eve 2024.

United are no less dysfunctional now than we were on the day Ratcliffe and his millions walked in, portrayed as the mega-rich knight in shining armour destined to clear the clouds of ill-feeling under the poison of the Glazer regime. 

But the reality has been somewhat different. Ratcliffe is a rich businessman, and rich businessmen are ruthless. They do not take kindly to having their nose put out of joint. The decision to sack Amorim cannot be purely based on results - if that were the case, then surely he would have gone after Bilbao. Or Grimsby. Or Everton. We're 6th and within touching distance of Champions League football - we are on track to achieve our aim. No, Amorim was sacked for what he said after Leeds. For daring to challenge his paymasters. He wanted more control and was prepared to go nuclear to get it. 

You can view this situation both ways. As the manager, or 'head coach', you should be able to get on with your job, to coach and set your team up however you see fit without any outside influence. You can see why Amorim felt having those methods questioned might be outside the remit of a board member. Yet on the other hand, the manager of a club is only one piece of a chess board. He has others above him who he's answerable to. As in this case, those 'others' are often powerful, influential moneymakers with little patience. Men who want to see their investments rewarded. 

They have stumbled from one bad decision, one misstep, to the next with the Amorim debacle the very latest public demonstration of their failures. 
This of course came hot on the heels of the shambles surrounding the sacking of the Portuguese's predecessor in Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman was given a contract extension and 200m to spend in the wake of winning the FA Cup only for the folly of that gamble to be exposed when he was out on his ear only two months later.

Dan Ashworth questioned their call of going for Amorim and he, too, was sacked. They don't want anyone challenging them - they want a yes man, a nodding dog, who will sit quietly in the corner and do everything they say. 

For a regime earning a reputation for cost-cutting, the cost of sacking ten Hag then appointing and sacking Amorim just over a year later have been two (very expensive) mistakes costing almost 20m. 

Then there was forcing Amorim to take the job mid-season when he didn't want to, preferring to wait until the summer, then the impression of surprise that he was sticking to the principles he's made a career of. Going over his head to sign Senne Lammens and Benjamin Sesko when he wanted Emi Martinez and Ollie Watkins. 
Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell clearly never did their homework. If they had, they would have known Amorim's fixation on the 3-4-3 had put Liverpool off going for him. They would have known United's squad was completely unsuitable for the manager to play how he wanted. 

It's true Amorim certainly did not help himself. He stubbornly and religiously stuck to a formation totally alien to the squad at his disposal. His substitutions were baffling and in game management questionable. He was honest with the media - perhaps a bit too much so at times - and, whilst he came across as a nice bloke you'd happily sit down for a beer with, he was naive and didn't seem to understand the unique rigours of the Premier League. 

Ratcliffe, Berrada and Wilcox now find themselves back at square one. Darren Fletcher will take charge in the interim to hold the fort and let things calm down. It is the latest huge decision facing United's powerbrokers and one they simply have to get right. 

INEOS are completely rudderless and have left the sinking ship of Manchester United exposed to the elements. 

Fernandes hit by injury at worst possible time

The question: "Where would United be without Bruno Fernandes" is one we've asked ourselves hypothetically for years now.
Such is the indestructible immortality of United's omnipresent captain, it is one we thought we'd never need to actually consider.

Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes

But we will very soon find out the answer and I suspect it won't be nice. Strap yourselves in, folks. One of the most durable players in football has finally broken. 

There were plenty of positives to take from the trip to Villa Park, despite the result. United played well for long periods but went down 2-1. But the result wasn't even the worst part of the day. Fernandes pulled up with a hamstring injury shortly before half-time. He didn't re-emerge for the second half and, although we battled gamely without him, it was clear the injury was serious. It had to be for him to come off. This is a guy who played on one leg in an FA Cup final for the cause and has played through the pain barrier on more than one occasion. He has a high pain threshold and is never substituted. 

United depleted and squad looks thin

The timing could not be worse. Fernandes famously never gets injured then, just as Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo leave for AFCON, he pulls his hammy. To add insult to injury, the man who would've replaced him in midfield, Kobbie Mainoo, is also sidelined. It is rotten luck and someone somewhere has a very warped sense of humour. Merry bloody Christmas. Added to defensive injuries in Mathijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire, United have eight senior first team players unavailable. 

Of course, injuries are part of the game but all of ours have been to our most important players all at the same time at the most crucial part of the campaign. 

We've had barely any injuries all season and then our most important player is struck down just when we needed him most. What are the chances... you couldn't write it could you? 

Whilst the true extent of his injury is still unknown, a soft muscle injury is a month out at the very least. A Grade One tear is a few days to a few weeks, a Grade Two is up to a month and a Grade Three, a severe tear could see him face up to four months on the sidelines. It is a Nightmare before Christmas for United and Ruben Amorim. 

United are traditionally reluctant buyers in January but may have no choice to bulk up a depleted squad beset by injuries. Antoine Semenyo is sought after but the real problems are in midfield. Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton are high on the wishlist but both players scream of summer signings. 

Ever-present Fernandes finally broken 

Fernandes absence from the side is so rare the stats look like something out of a simulation. 

He has missed only three games through non-suspension reasons since signing for United six years ago in January. One was against Spurs in March 2022 (3-2 win, CR hat-trick) and the other two coming at the tail end of 2023-24 when he was managing a knee injury in the run up to the FA Cup final. Those pair of matches ended in 1-0 and 4-0 losses to Arsenal and Palace, respectively. 

Those two latter losses show just how vital United's string-puller in chief is. Even if his Hollywood passing and occasionally volatile outbursts can frustrate, his ability and influence on this side cannot be questioned. He is our talisman, the one truly world class player in this team and our main creative force. Even in a deeper midfield role alongside Casemiro this season, he has five goals and seven assists. For a squad still excelling in the art of consistent inconsistency, Fernandes metronomic effervescence has been a familiar calming presence and one we've taken for granted. He is the one player we have who would get in any other Premier League club's XI. 

In 292 games with Fernandes starting, our win rate is 51.7%. That drops to 45.2% without him. In the Premier League, it's 208 games with him (48.6%) but 29.4% without him. 

What do United do now in the skipper's absence?

Amad & Fernandes

There are two main problems: First, how on earth do you replace him? Second... how long will he be out for? 

United have been playing one game a week but, after the Newcastle game, have four games in a fortnight culminating in the FA Cup third rounder with Brighton. Traditional big hitters Arsenal and Manchester City loom large on the horizon after that. By then, you'd hope Fernandes will be back but you cannot rush hamstring injuries, no matter how physically and mentally tough you are. 

United don't have a ready-made replacement or another attacking option at no.8. Mainoo is the closest we have to Fernandes quality and profile, but his own injury means his wait for a first league start of the season will go on. Even when he returns, there is nothing to suggest he will become an automatic starter in Fernandes absence - Mainoo has his own problems and has fallen down the pecking order under Amorim. United could turn to another out of favour player, Joshua Zirkzee, to come in to the side as one of the no.10s with Mason Mount dropping alongside Casemiro in the Fernandes role. That would allow us to have two strikers on the pitch but keep our shape and system the same in the 3-4-2-1, or alternatively an extra man in midfield in a rejigged 4-3-3. 

Jack Fletcher, teenage son of United player-turned-coach Darren, became Academy graduate number 255 when he replaced Benjamin Sesko in the 73rd minute. He looked neat and tidy and put himself about in an eye-catching cameo, but it's asking a lot of an 18-year-old rookie to slot into the high intensity cauldron of the Premier League and expect him to adequately replace Fernandes. 

Amorim raised eyebrows when Lisandro Martinez came on in midfield at half time at Villa Park but he was excellent and looked like he'd played there all his life. Licha has the skillset to fulfill a central midfield role having done so for Ajax and Argentina in the past and looks a genuine option. Amorim has said he would only consider it in an emergency but we are surely at that point now? One thing's for sure... we cannot continue to persist with Manuel Ugarte who is starting to look like one of the worst signings in United history. 

We're down to the bare bones at a time when the frantic festive fixtures stretch squads to the limit.