On the latest United.no premium podcast, the Norwegian Man Utd Supports Club journalists presented some information that they had heard from their club sources. It was concerning to listen to, and since I haven't seen it anywhere else, I decided to post it here. This is the link, but the podcast is just for members of the supports club so it's behind a paywall - and also it is in Norwegian except for a voicenote from Andy Mitten which is mostly about transfers and some more opinions on the Grimsby debacle.
Basically, the story was that during the preseason tour there was genuinely a good mood, and the feeling was that everyone was pushing in the same direction (see Shaw's quotes from the preseason etc). Additionally, with the opening of the new Carrington, the players did still feel like it was a place where they could stay and congregate and build relations with each other. But the feeling changed over the first few games. According to the podcast, their sources were saying that the idea of the new building was that there would be an open landscape, and everyone would be working together with a more equalized input.
But when the actual game planning started, Amorim and his staff went off and isolated themselves away from the other parts of the organization and the players. This has created a distance between the coaching staff and for example the data analysts, scouting and other departments. They referenced a source that had quit their job at United because they felt that there was not an environment where they were allowed to do their job. The feeling was stated as "if you do not have a Portuguese passport, your input is not considered" and that everything that should get to Amorim is coming through a Portuguese liaison. There was also a natural distancing to the player group, but they did not state anything sourced about mistrust from the players - that is merely speculation. But it does seem to invalidate this group of 5 leaders stuff that we heard earlier in the preseason.
They also revealed a quote they had from a source from earlier in the summer, which they hadn't really published yet as they didn't feel they had adequate context - the quote was "they have given him the keys to the castle". After Mourinho, the thinking inside Man Utd was that they would never give a manager full autonomy again, and that there should be checks and balances to that power. Now the feeling seems to be that they have made this same "mistake" again.
This is concerning to me, and further exacerbates the issues with stubbornness he has shown in being so wedded to his formation, system and principles. It shows a my way or the highway approach that is either hit or miss, and the evidence so far is that it is missing. I am not necessarily for just getting rid of another manager and starting all over once again, but in my opinion if there is a sense of division internally, the players are clearly unable or unwilling to follow the strict principles, there must be a change. That change could be Amorim softening up his principles and inviting more input and trying to find a new way forward that includes everyone, OR that he has to go.
Basically, the story was that during the preseason tour there was genuinely a good mood, and the feeling was that everyone was pushing in the same direction (see Shaw's quotes from the preseason etc). Additionally, with the opening of the new Carrington, the players did still feel like it was a place where they could stay and congregate and build relations with each other. But the feeling changed over the first few games. According to the podcast, their sources were saying that the idea of the new building was that there would be an open landscape, and everyone would be working together with a more equalized input.
But when the actual game planning started, Amorim and his staff went off and isolated themselves away from the other parts of the organization and the players. This has created a distance between the coaching staff and for example the data analysts, scouting and other departments. They referenced a source that had quit their job at United because they felt that there was not an environment where they were allowed to do their job. The feeling was stated as "if you do not have a Portuguese passport, your input is not considered" and that everything that should get to Amorim is coming through a Portuguese liaison. There was also a natural distancing to the player group, but they did not state anything sourced about mistrust from the players - that is merely speculation. But it does seem to invalidate this group of 5 leaders stuff that we heard earlier in the preseason.
They also revealed a quote they had from a source from earlier in the summer, which they hadn't really published yet as they didn't feel they had adequate context - the quote was "they have given him the keys to the castle". After Mourinho, the thinking inside Man Utd was that they would never give a manager full autonomy again, and that there should be checks and balances to that power. Now the feeling seems to be that they have made this same "mistake" again.
This is concerning to me, and further exacerbates the issues with stubbornness he has shown in being so wedded to his formation, system and principles. It shows a my way or the highway approach that is either hit or miss, and the evidence so far is that it is missing. I am not necessarily for just getting rid of another manager and starting all over once again, but in my opinion if there is a sense of division internally, the players are clearly unable or unwilling to follow the strict principles, there must be a change. That change could be Amorim softening up his principles and inviting more input and trying to find a new way forward that includes everyone, OR that he has to go.
