On Message: UNITED’S SACKING AND A COMMS OWN-GOAL

Trust The Sun. Amid the deluge of coverage about the sacking of Ruben Amorim, and after the corporate statement bidding him farewell and thanking him, the newspaper’s front page cut to the chase. ‘When your trophies are nil, and you’ve cost 30mil, THAT’S AMORIM’ was emblazoned over a picture of the beaming former Manchester United manager and his wife, walking outside their Cheshire home soon after he was dismissed.

Sung along to the Dean Martin song ‘That’s Amore’, it summed up the situation perfectly and made a mockery of the earnestly expressed gratitude from the club. Given the official blurb to write, the United comms folks might have asked, what is the point? Here was a manager who had a dismal win-lose record, who was inflexible, unwilling to change and had the temerity to lambast the owners after yet another lacklustre performance on Sunday.

The mighty United had been reduced to a laughing stock, and Amorim had gone and added to the merriment with his deliberately chosen press conference remarks. He was heading off with a reported £10m and, as was evident, chuckling. Yet, form demanded an expression of words in appreciation. So, they wrote: ‘Ruben Amorim has departed his role as head coach of Manchester United. Ruben was appointed in November 2024 and led the team to a Uefa Europa League Final in Bilbao in May. With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club's leadership has reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change. This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish. The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future. Darren Fletcher will take charge of the team against Burnley on Wednesday.’

But did they have to write it at all? What were they trying to gain? Whatever they said was bound to be mocked and, in the maelstrom, ignored. All the attention was on the size of his pay-off and who would succeed him. This, as is often the case with dismissals, was an instance of less is more, of saying as little as possible: ‘Ruben Amorim has left Manchester United. The club thanks him for his service and wishes him well for the future.’

That’s it. United though, wanted to poke, so they stated clearly he was ‘head coach’. That was in retaliation for Amorim’s post-match tirade that he was appointed manager, not coach. United said no, he was the coach. Why draw attention to the issue? Why not let go and move on?

One of the charges frequently laid against United is that, as the biggest club in terms of global support and a bulging trophy cabinet, they are entitled. So, according to their citation, Amorim is fired even though he was appointed only in November 2024 and in his first season led the team to a European final – something that lesser clubs can only dream of. He’s also off as United lie sixth in the league with the season at the halfway mark. Sixth, not sixteenth. That must mean the next boss is expected to finish higher than sixth, which, given the strength of the other teams (there are those as well), is a tall order.

It was jarring and unnecessary. But we have been here before, of course, many times with the departures of corporate CEOs and government ministers, with sackings dressed up as resignations. The more you say, the worse it becomes; all you are doing is providing manna to the critics.

United could have done a lot better. But no change there. 

Chris Blackhurst is author of The World’s Biggest Cash Machine, a history of Manchester United