Sir, – The dismissal of Ruben Amorim by Manchester United reflects a striking inability of its board to grasp the timeframes required to achieve success in the top levels of modern English football.
It is a curious fact that he leaves them sixth in the table and with the third highest total of goals scored, after about 14 months in the post, while admittedly having conceded almost as many.
In his first two seasons at Liverpool Jurgen Klopp saw the team finish the league in eighth place and then fourth place. Alex Ferguson was appointed in 1986 and won nothing until 1990, finishing the league in 11th place twice in the interim. Both are regarded as among the greatest modern football managers.
Over recent years Manchester United have fired a sequence of managers about two years after appointment, despite many winning trophies or even leading them to second place finishes in the Premier League.
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It is worth noting that Mikel Arteta, at Arsenal, looks likely to win the title in 2026 having been appointed in 2019.
At Manchester United he’d have probably been fired about four years ago, and surely would not have lasted this long. –Yours, etc,
BRIAN O’BRIEN,
Co Cork.
