Manchester United Worst in 50 Years, Amorim Hints at Resignation

MANCHESTER, MONDAY – Manchester United's journey in the English Premier League this season is almost certainly the worst in the last 50 years. MU manager Ruben Amorim feels ashamed and has hinted at a "white flag" if the situation continues.

Amorim's expression following Manchester United's 0-2 defeat to West Ham United at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, England, on Sunday (11/5/2025) evening WIB, underscores the current situation at the giant club. He appeared to be harboring anger and frustration. "It is truly embarrassing. It is hard to accept," he stated bitterly in an interview after the match, as quoted by ESPN.

Once touted as the successor to legendary coach Sir Alex Ferguson and expected to revive the "Red Devils," who have been in a state of decline, Amorim has proven to be powerless at MU. He follows in the footsteps of his predecessors, such as David Moyes, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Erik ten Hag, who appear desperate to restore MU's stature as a respected team in England.

If we look at the current league standings, MU is currently the worst in the era of the Premier League, the modern football competition in England that was introduced since the 1992-1993 season. MU has currently accumulated only 39 points from 36 matches, placing them in 16th position out of 20 participating teams.

Although it is assured that they will not be relegated, this position is a setback for Amorim and MU. They are almost certain to finish outside of the 12th place as it is no longer possible to surpass Crystal Palace in that position with two weeks of matches remaining. In fact, throughout history, MU has never finished in that position or worse during the previous Premier League era.

"The thing I fear the most is the perception that (the defeat) is normal, that it is okay. That is the biggest problem right now. We are losing the belief that we are a big club and it feels like the end of the world if we lose at home," said Amorim, offering self-criticism to his team.

As conveyed by Amorim, MU is still recorded as the most successful English club in the Premier League era with a collection of 13 trophies and 7 runner-ups since 1992. All of these achievements were achieved by MU in the Ferguson era.

The collection is starting to be chased by its neighbors, Manchester City, who now have 8 Premier League trophies and 3 runners-up. As many as six of the trophies were won by "The Citizens" in the era of Manager Pep Guardiola.

We must be stronger and braver next season. If it remains as it is now, it would be better to give the space (manager position) to someone else. (Ruben Amorim)

The current champion team, Liverpool, has only secured two trophies in the Premier League era, although their total collection of titles in the English League amounts to 20 cups. This number of trophies held by Liverpool matches the collection of Manchester United throughout the entire English League era since 1888.

"The reality is that the Manchester United we know, the team I faced throughout my career, has disappeared. They are no longer a giant. This will continue for an unknown period. I do not know when it can be fixed," said Alan Shearer, a legend of Newcastle United, as quoted by FourFourTwo.

As stated by Shearer, Manchester United can currently be considered the worst it has been, even in the last five decades. The current position in the league is approaching their darkest history, which was during the 1973-1974 season. At that time, in the era of the English First Division, Manchester United was relegated to the Second Division after finishing 21st with only 32 points.

MU indeed only needed a year for promotion and to return to the top tier in England. However, it took them over a decade to rebuild their reputation as a great team before finally becoming champions of the inaugural Premier League edition in 1993, during the Ferguson era.

According to Amorim, his team cannot afford to remain down for long. He has issued an ultimatum to himself and his squad to rise in the upcoming season. If they still fail at the beginning of the next season, he has indicated his willingness to step down.

"We must be stronger and braver next season. If it remains as it is now, it would be better to give the (manager) position to someone else," he said.

The self-criticism expressed by Amorim is reminiscent of what Mourinho did nearly a decade ago at the Red Devils. At that time, he had a meltdown and openly criticized his players, whom he deemed lacked fighting spirit. MU failed to compete at the top of the English League, finishing only in sixth place.

United players at the time, such as Jesse Lingard, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Luke Shaw, were called by Mourinho as too “soft”. “Criticism is part of the process. Criticism helps us grow, overcome (the things criticized),” he said, explaining his attitude at the time to The Independent.

Interestingly, the sharp remarks from the coach nicknamed "The Special One" were effective. At that time, Manchester United advanced to the final of the 2016-2017 Europa League and became champions after defeating Ajax Amsterdam, coached by Peter Bosz, with a score of 2-0. That trophy became the only continental title for Manchester United following the Ferguson era.

Eight years have passed, and MU has the opportunity to make history again and win the Europa League trophy for the second time. They will face Tottenham Hotspur in the final match at San Mames, Bilbao, on May 21.

Slightly different from Mourinho, Amorim is reluctant to criticize his players in public. Instead, he takes responsibility for the series of poor performances by MU. This is believed to be an effort to ease the conflict within the MU squad, which has been tumultuous since the dismissal of Erik ten Hag as manager at the end of October.

"I don't want to talk about players. I'm talking about myself (regarding MU's slump)," he said.

Whatever it may be, it is certain that MU's path to winning the Europa League will not be easy. Spurs, their opponent in the final, have motivation that is equally strong. In the English League, their position is no better than MU's, specifically sitting at 17th place.

Thus, the Europa League has become the only hope for both Spurs and MU to "salvage" their poor season. The trophy also serves as a ticket for one of them to compete in the Champions League next season, along with a financial boost of approximately 100 million pounds sterling or equivalent to Rp 2.1 trillion. (BBC)