So what now then?

I really feel for you man united fans. As if last season wasn’t bad enough things don’t seem to be getting any better

I don’t think I’ll ever ‘feel’ for man United fans, they are the second most successful team in England a multi billion pound football club who from the moment I began watching football aged 7 won the league title every other season for 25 years. This is a golden age for me I thought I would never see 🤣

In all seriousness though they also only had a horrendous season last year tbf.

46 minutes ago, awardinary said:

So what now then?

Pray Amorim gets sacked.

Just now, Steve201 said:

I don’t think I’ll ever ‘feel’ for man United fans, they are the second most successful team in England a multi billion pound football club who from the moment I began watching football aged 7 won the league title every other season for 25 years. This is a golden age for me I thought I would never see 🤣

In all seriousness though they also only had a horrendous season last year tbf.

What are you on about Steve, Amorim said after the Arsenal game that showed they could beat anyone in the league, despite the fact, they haven't won a game all season. Gary Neville had Man Utd 4th!

I will never tired of Man Utd being funny growing up in the 00s.

How can a 70m striker take the 10th penalty against a league two side? Embarrassing!

Amorim managing United is like a baby piloting a jumbo jet. There's no way it's gonna end well. We're getting relegated under this fraud.

His inflexibility regarding the formation is quite frankly baffling. It's a 4-3-2-1 squad if ever I've seen one. A midfielder ahead of (any) one of those three attacking signings should have been the priority.

Edited Thursday at 08:413 days by RabbitFurCoat

The irony of course being that under previous management every man and his dog was saying United needed a set way of playing rather than the scattergun approaches and that has turned out to be even more detrimental!

The silver lining to yesterday's result is that we only have the league to focus on until January so everything can be focused on the legitimate fight for survival 🙃

1 hour ago, RabbitFurCoat said:

His inflexibility regarding the formation is quite frankly baffling. It's a 4-3-2-1 squad if ever I've seen one. A midfielder ahead of (any) one of those three attacking signings should have been the priority.

It’s honestly baffling how he is so wedded to a formation. Thats a serious failure on the behind the scenes team to appoint a manager who is not pragmatic. For all of Ten Haag’s faults, he at least realised fairly quickly he needed to be pragmatic.

But I still think it comes down to the culture and the pressure. Like I said, Sesko was a complete vanity project signing. And there was no need to go for Cunha and Mbuemo. Surely the prority would been to get a midfielder who can pass and tackle (admittedly those are in short supply).

At this point, the question is how many more decent managers in Europe can we turn into complete wasters from their immaculate track records. Not to say Amorim is definitely on his way out, but this sherade of not taking personal ownership of the issues is getting tiresome. You can't put the blame entirely on the players, especially those with a proven track record in the prem. The fault is with the system and everyone can see that but the manager.

8 minutes ago, awardinary said:

At this point, the question is how many more decent managers in Europe can we turn into complete wasters from their immaculate track records. Not to say Amorim is definitely on his way out, but this sherade of not taking personal ownership of the issues is getting tiresome. You can't put the blame entirely on the players, especially those with a proven track record in the prem. The fault is with the system and everyone can see that but the manager.

The system is one problem, certainly. But if you changed the system would you still be good? Look what happened with Ten Haag as a recent example. It also can’t be healthy that you have so many players in and around who the manager doesn’t like and the club cannot flog them.

I think part of the problem is always the expectations and the culture. You can’t change a culture in a year, it takes 3-5 years. The fans and the media will always have such high expectations, see everyone getting so excited 10 days ago after the Arsenal defeat. It’s just bonkers.

In reality, these results can happen. Playing an entire new team especially away from home is a recipe for an upset. Yet now we’re basically another bad result away from Amorim getting the sack, which is absolutely bonkers.

Someone always has to be the fall guy, and more often than not it is the manager. The real question will be how much do United have to pay him in compensation fees to terminate his contract, and if it is viable. But the results don't lie, and if no major improvement in the game on Saturday then the heat will surely be on max. The domestic record doesn't make for good reading either.

That record would be an embarrassment for a newly promoted team let alone one with the resources of United.

To think his only league victories in the whole of 2025 so far were against last season's 3 relegated teams (2 of which we could have conceivably lost) and an end of season dead rubber against Villa whereby the ref cancelled out a perfectly good goal by them and their keeper went AWOL.

This thread seems like Deja vu!

Well said by Henry Winter:

Manchester United’s descent to “Battered” and “Act of Cod” mockery at Blundell Park is rooted in a lack of leadership, on the field and off. Losing to a better motivated and managed Grimsby Town was a shock but not completely unexpected. United’s problem is their culture. There’s been a long erosion of the team-first, individual-second, responsibility-taking ethos of the Busby and Ferguson eras. The image of the current head coach hiding in the dug-out, too nervous to watch the shootout, encapsulated the lack of leadership. Stronger characters are needed. This isn’t new. There’s been a decade of decay from old high standards. 

It’s a problem that runs far deeper than one manager’s weakness when his players needed to look across from the centre circle and see a figure of defiance, standing there, supporting them, not cowering. It’s a problem at United that’s far deeper than Amorim’s rigid 3-4-2-1 that doesn’t suit many of the players, leaves midfield overrun, defence exposed and desecrates the club tradition of flying wingers.

It’s a problem deeper than a goalkeeper in Onana who has lost some of his old belief and whose uncertainty under high balls is ruthlessly targeted. United have lost their fear factor, their old aura of authority, so even League Two sides fancy their chances and take them. And Grimsby were excellent, showing all their leadership qualities particularly in the shootout. 

It’s cultural with United. So when players move away, they often flourish: Antony on loan at Betis, McTominay spectacularly at Napoli, and Garnacho will probably be a flying threat again if he escapes (possibly to Chelsea). What’s happening at United is not a story of bad players but bad culture and poor leadership.

Bruno Fernandes sums that up. Very good player, and he definitely cares but a leader? Arguing with officials rather than rallying his players. Loses his runner. Not a central midfielder btw, he’s a 10. So why not a back-four, double pivot, Mbeumo, Bruno, Cunha; Sesko? 4-2-3-1. Amorim obstinately refuses to adapt.

Amorim is not a bad manager. He proved his qualities at Sporting albeit under less pressure. He will surely be given time. United’s leadership team have much of their credibility tied up in him doing well. But Amorim needs to start acting like a leader in the dug-out and in interviews. He looks broken atm.

Good managers have come in after Ferguson and struggled. It’s the culture. It’s tied in with the Glazers. United became a commercial operation with a team attached. The culture became about what sone people could take out of the club, not what they could put in (Glazer supporters point to transfer spend but, come on, look at the debt, dividends and state of Old Trafford). A culture of selfishness affected some others. The focus was on money not so much the football. Recruitment too often involved overpaying for big names rather than strong characters. Hence this hybrid, high-priced, under-achieving squad. 

Ferguson retiring was obviously huge. Losing Gill’s leadership, experience of football and watchful eye at was also a massive blow. United lost their way. Plenty of well-paid marketing appointments. Not enough expertise in player recruitment.

Ratcliffe, in fairness, is trying to rectify damage done to the football department and culture during Glazer rule, inc £50m upgrade of Carrington and almost £200m spent on attack. But they urgently need a keeper (Lammens arriving, no pressure). Heaton v Burnley? He’d bring more communication and determination. But Tom’s 39. If only Henderson was still there. Where was the succession planning (as at LFC). United also need a quick, dominating midfielder.

Players must take responsibility. Maguire does. Cunha & Mbeumo have the right personality. But how many leaders do United have compared to 7/8 at LFC packed with national captains?

Some positives. Incredible support. Still the biggest club in the country. Still huge news. Hated, adored but never ignored. #MUFC

Sesko still can't get a start, another complete waste of money.

Just now, Dobbo said:

Sesko still can't get a start, another complete waste of money.

Mainoo either.

At least Mainoo didn't cost 70M 😂

Give him a chance lol