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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this point, taking up a coaching job with Manchester United should come with a warning sign: Enter at your own risk. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the retirement of long-time head coach Alex Ferguson in 2013, Old Trafford has seen a number of managers come and go. From David Moyes – a successor Ferguson chose himself – to the experienced pair of Louis van Gaal and José Mourinho. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even the recruitment of a United legend, former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjær, failed to deliver the trophy the Red Devils covet the most domestically – the English Premier League. Dutchman Erik ten Hag’s steady rise to the upper echelons of management in Europe suffered a major setback following a mixed bag of results during his two-and-a-half year tenure in Manchester.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ten Hag’s replacement, Portuguese Ruben Amorim, has found himself flailing in the deep waters into which he plunged by becoming the latest United manager in November. A 2-0 defeat to Newcastle a few days ago subjected Amorim to his sixth loss in the 11 matches the 39-year-old has been at the helm. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It’s a worrying run of form for the global soccer giant, but in the overall scheme of things it’s following the general trend at United since the departure of Ferguson more than a decade ago.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2515119\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2190094934.jpg\" alt=\"Man United\" width=\"1104\" height=\"1391\" /> <em>Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim during a Premier League match against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium in Manchester on 15 December 2024. (Photo: Carl Recine / Getty Images)</em></p>\r\n<h4><b>Deep rot</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Portuguese coaching great Mourinho picked up the Europa League and Carabao Cup during his two years in Manchester. He also finished runner-up in the league during the 2017/18 season – an achievement he holds in high regard. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“If I tell you, for example, that I consider one of the best jobs of my career was to finish second with Man United in the Premier League, you will say, ‘this guy is crazy. He won 25 titles and he is saying that a second position was one of his best achievements?’ I keep saying this because people don’t know what is going on behind the scenes,” said Mourinho after he was sacked by the Red Devils in 2018.</span>\r\n<blockquote>I don’t make excuses. People are tired of them at this club. Our club needs a shock.</blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That Mourinho spoke like this indicated deep-rooted systematic issues at United. Years after the tactician departed, the problems he hinted at remain a stumbling block for the club and the managers tasked with reigniting the team’s spark. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I said this one year and a half ago and I will continue to say it: the problem is not the coaches,” Red Devils legend Cristiano Ronaldo said recently about the fortunes of his former team. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It’s like an aquarium and you have a fish inside and it’s sick… And you take him out and fix the problem. If you put it back in the aquarium it will be sick again. This is the problem of Manchester United. It is the same,” the Portuguese attacker added. </span>\r\n<h4><b>Relegation threat</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was hoped that the 2024 arrival of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe as a minority shareholder (but a major decision maker) would help bolster morale at the club. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So far, that has not been the case. In fact, the opposite is true currently as United linger in 14th spot on the league table. This is the same team that never failed to finish in the top three of the Premier League even once under Ferguson. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their struggles have often seen the coaches cast as the villains. But when Ten Hag was struggling last season, former Red Devils right back-turned pundit Gary Neville defended the Dutchman, telling talkSPORT: “I know a lot of people will say he’s got to do a lot better, and that’s fine. He’s the Manchester United manager, but there are a lot of big problems at the club that managers have found over the last 10 years.</span>\r\n<blockquote>Relegation is a possibility and we have to be clear with our fans. We have to change something.</blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Until those problems are solved we’ll still continue to see underperforming teams and underperforming players. It’s become a graveyard for coaches and players.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In spite of issues plaguing United, and Amorim failing to bring with him the </span><a href=\"https://www.goal.com/en-za/news/what-is-new-manager-bounce-in-football/blt73eb2750d6754abc\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">new manager bounce</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, he is optimistic that the club’s situation can eventually change – with being responsible for this. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nevertheless, Amorim also admitted that his team finds itself in an extremely uncomfortable situation. He left the comfort of his home country, where he was thriving with Sporting before United came knocking following the departure of Ten Hag.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2531929\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2191878108.gif\" alt=\"Man United\" width=\"1987\" height=\"994\" /> <em>Manchester United’s Casemiro looks dejected during a Premier League match against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 30 December 2024. (Photo: Carl Recine / Getty Images)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I don’t make excuses. People are tired of them at this club. Our club needs a shock,” stated the 39-year-old.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Relegation is a possibility and we have to be clear with our fans. We have to change something. But this season will be really hard on everybody. It can make us stronger and we have to fight,” Amorim said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This journey to becoming stronger will not become any easier. The Red Devils’ next opponents are top-of-the-table Liverpool. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The teams clash on Sunday, with kick-off at 6.30pm. A win for Liverpool would be no surprise, while an unlikely victory for United would be placing a plaster over a gaping and bleeding wound. </span><b>DM</b>",
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"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this point, taking up a coaching job with Manchester United should come with a warning sign: Enter at your own risk. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the retirement of long-time head coach Alex Ferguson in 2013, Old Trafford has seen a number of managers come and go. From David Moyes – a successor Ferguson chose himself – to the experienced pair of Louis van Gaal and José Mourinho. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even the recruitment of a United legend, former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjær, failed to deliver the trophy the Red Devils covet the most domestically – the English Premier League. Dutchman Erik ten Hag’s steady rise to the upper echelons of management in Europe suffered a major setback following a mixed bag of results during his two-and-a-half year tenure in Manchester.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ten Hag’s replacement, Portuguese Ruben Amorim, has found himself flailing in the deep waters into which he plunged by becoming the latest United manager in November. A 2-0 defeat to Newcastle a few days ago subjected Amorim to his sixth loss in the 11 matches the 39-year-old has been at the helm. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It’s a worrying run of form for the global soccer giant, but in the overall scheme of things it’s following the general trend at United since the departure of Ferguson more than a decade ago.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2515119\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1104\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2515119\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2190094934.jpg\" alt=\"Man United\" width=\"1104\" height=\"1391\" /> <em>Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim during a Premier League match against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium in Manchester on 15 December 2024. (Photo: Carl Recine / Getty Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n<h4><b>Deep rot</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Portuguese coaching great Mourinho picked up the Europa League and Carabao Cup during his two years in Manchester. He also finished runner-up in the league during the 2017/18 season – an achievement he holds in high regard. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“If I tell you, for example, that I consider one of the best jobs of my career was to finish second with Man United in the Premier League, you will say, ‘this guy is crazy. He won 25 titles and he is saying that a second position was one of his best achievements?’ I keep saying this because people don’t know what is going on behind the scenes,” said Mourinho after he was sacked by the Red Devils in 2018.</span>\r\n<blockquote>I don’t make excuses. People are tired of them at this club. Our club needs a shock.</blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That Mourinho spoke like this indicated deep-rooted systematic issues at United. Years after the tactician departed, the problems he hinted at remain a stumbling block for the club and the managers tasked with reigniting the team’s spark. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I said this one year and a half ago and I will continue to say it: the problem is not the coaches,” Red Devils legend Cristiano Ronaldo said recently about the fortunes of his former team. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It’s like an aquarium and you have a fish inside and it’s sick… And you take him out and fix the problem. If you put it back in the aquarium it will be sick again. This is the problem of Manchester United. It is the same,” the Portuguese attacker added. </span>\r\n<h4><b>Relegation threat</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was hoped that the 2024 arrival of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe as a minority shareholder (but a major decision maker) would help bolster morale at the club. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So far, that has not been the case. In fact, the opposite is true currently as United linger in 14th spot on the league table. This is the same team that never failed to finish in the top three of the Premier League even once under Ferguson. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their struggles have often seen the coaches cast as the villains. But when Ten Hag was struggling last season, former Red Devils right back-turned pundit Gary Neville defended the Dutchman, telling talkSPORT: “I know a lot of people will say he’s got to do a lot better, and that’s fine. He’s the Manchester United manager, but there are a lot of big problems at the club that managers have found over the last 10 years.</span>\r\n<blockquote>Relegation is a possibility and we have to be clear with our fans. We have to change something.</blockquote>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Until those problems are solved we’ll still continue to see underperforming teams and underperforming players. It’s become a graveyard for coaches and players.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In spite of issues plaguing United, and Amorim failing to bring with him the </span><a href=\"https://www.goal.com/en-za/news/what-is-new-manager-bounce-in-football/blt73eb2750d6754abc\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">new manager bounce</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, he is optimistic that the club’s situation can eventually change – with being responsible for this. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nevertheless, Amorim also admitted that his team finds itself in an extremely uncomfortable situation. He left the comfort of his home country, where he was thriving with Sporting before United came knocking following the departure of Ten Hag.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2531929\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1987\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2531929\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2191878108.gif\" alt=\"Man United\" width=\"1987\" height=\"994\" /> <em>Manchester United’s Casemiro looks dejected during a Premier League match against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 30 December 2024. (Photo: Carl Recine / Getty Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I don’t make excuses. People are tired of them at this club. Our club needs a shock,” stated the 39-year-old.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Relegation is a possibility and we have to be clear with our fans. We have to change something. But this season will be really hard on everybody. 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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim during a Premier League match against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium in Manchester on 15 December 2024. (Photo: Carl Recine / Getty Images)
Manchester United’s Casemiro looks dejected during a Premier League match against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 30 December 2024. (Photo: Carl Recine / Getty Images)