Ruben Amorim still has Manchester United floundering in the bottom half of the table but Sir Alex Ferguson endured similar fortunes before an unforgettable turnaround saw the Red Devils become the country’s dominant force
Manchester United will go into the New Year sitting in 14th spot – their lowest league position since they were 15th in the old days of Division One.
That was back in 1989 as Sir Alex Ferguson presided over an underwhelming campaign, which eventually saw them finish up in 13th. The Scot went on to enjoy huge success and is seen by many as the Premier League’s greatest ever manager.
Ruben Amorim is the latest man tasked with replicating the achievements of Ferguson. He remains the last man to deliver a title to the red half of Manchester, doing so in 2013, and has since had to watch a number of managers try and fail to do the same.
Amorim is still early in his tenure but has seen the Manchester outfit lose five times in December – their most losses in a calendar month since the 1960s. The Portuguese manager may though take a tiny bit of solace from the early struggles experienced by Ferguson.
The season in which Ferguson began January 1 in 15th is forever known as the year in which Mark Robins scored an FA Cup goal which saved the Scot from the sack. That has been strongly denied by the former United boss but Robins certainly helped change the course of history.
On FA Cup third round day in January 1990, United had gone six league games without a victory and were in serious danger of being sucked into a relegation battle. They’d finished 11th the year before and several supporters had given up on the manager.
Ferguson took his side to Nottingham Forest for an FA Cup tie, which they eventually won 1-0. It was a Robins header that would secure the and inspired a cup run. It ended the poor run of form and revitalised the team. United went on to win the tournament and the rest, as they say, is history.
Amorim has admitted that United are being dragged closer to the relegation scrap amid their winless run but has insisted, despite only being weeks into his reign, that he has no intention of veering away from his philosophy, even with the team struggling for results.
Asked whether he would consider tweaks he said: “Maybe – or you continue with your idea and they have to change the coach. It is a choice everyone has to make in football.” Amorim went on to say: “I was here because of my idea and I will continue with my idea until the end.”
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