Is Amorim Running Out of Road? Gary Pallister Says Time is of the Essence

Is Amorim Running Out of Road? Gary Pallister Says Time is of the Essence

It feels like we’ve been having this conversation since Ruben Amorim became the latest name brought to turn Manchester United’s fortunes - and like virtually all of his post-Sir Alex Ferguson predecessors, the Portuguese coach has been unable to find the recipe for success.

While last weekend’s stirring win away to Liverpool showed great promise, we have become to used to this United side’s inconsistency to expect anything - more often than not, a great win is followed by a depressing loss, and no one would be surprised if they suffered a heavy defeat this weekend to a well-organised Brighton side.

Since Amorim to charge at the Theatre of Dreams, his side have recorded just 10 league wins in a period of 11 months, and six of these have been either against later-relegated or just-promoted sides or against teams who had been reduced to 10 men.

It is, at the very least, an unflattering record and, at the very worst, a sackable one. But over the course of his reign, there have been calls for patience. Amorim is a young manager at the age of 40, and while first year in charge may well have seen coaches sacked, it appears United owner Jim Ratcliffe is in it for the long haul, backing his manager both financially and verbally.

However, at what point is it accepted that Amorim is simply yet another failed managerial experiment who drowns in the pressure that already seems to have swallowed Old Trafford?

Speaking to NewBettingSites.uk, former United centre back Gary Pallister is starting to think time is running out: “I think he (Amorim) did well in the transfer window, I think Cunha and Mbuemo are both proven Premier League players, but I think he’s coming to a point now where results do matter.”

“I mean, he’s bought in the type of players he wanted to bring in, and there needs to be an upturn, an uptick in our fortunes, in the way we play, and in the results that we get. It’s no different from any other manager.”

Amorim certainly showed his grit last season - despite finishing 15th in the league, he guided his shaky United side to the Europa League final, and although he couldn’t get the job done against Spurs in the showpiece games, he illustrated that he has what it takes to steer the club to the business end of tournaments.

Pallister also likened his scenario to that of Sir Alex Ferguson’s when he first took to the Old Trafford dugout: “

“We can sit here and talk about being given time. I mean, Fergie (Sir Alex) arrived in (19)86, and didn’t win a trophy until 89, but it was a different football club then; it didn’t have everything in place like we do now, so you’re not going to be given the kind of time that Sir Alex got.”

Fergie arrived at United in a time where media criticism and exposure were, while still significant, far less intense and much easier to ignore than in the present day. Now, with the eye-watering sums of money pumped into top-flight clubs, particularly into an entity like Man United, owners and fans expect immediate results, resulting in shorter average manager tenures than back in the early days of the Premier League.

It is likely that Ferguson’s 26-year stint at the Red Devils will be the longest reign of any Premier League manager in our lifetime, thanks to the less significant losses if the team didn’t perform back in the day. We couldn’t be any further from that case now.

“If we end up on a path like we had last year, the pressure is just going to build and build and build - results are going to have to come along, performances are going to have to come along, and we need to be shown an improvement on what we saw last season. If that hasn’t improved any by the time we get past Christmas and into the New Year, his job will come more and more under the microscope.”

Pallister is certainly right about that. We know Amorim has potential - he should that during his time in Lisbon - but club owners, as well as fans, only have so much patience, and if he doesn’t start to feed the masses with good results, they’ll start to become hungry for his head.