'Untenable at any level' - Man Utd fans make their true feelings on Ruben Amorim abundantly clear as beleaguered Portuguese tactician is brutally sacked in wake of outburst against Red Devils board

The axe has finally fallen on the Portuguese tactician’s reign at United, with the club acting swiftly to terminate his contract just months into his second season. The decision comes in the immediate aftermath of a fiery press conference where the 40-year-old openly questioned the competence of the ownership group and the recruitment structure in the wake of his side's 1-1 draw with Leeds on Sunday. While the results on the pitch have been underwhelming it was his war of words with the boardroom that ultimately sealed his fate, with Amorim insisting he accepted the Old Trafford job in order to become the "manager" of the club, insisting the decision makers must back him. That challenge was ultimately dismissed by the board, however. 

Fans have flocked to social media to dissect the news, and while the fanbase has often been divided on the former Sporting CP boss’s tactical suitability, there appears to be a consensus that his public insubordination left the club with no choice. For a fanbase that still holds the values of the institution above any individual, airing dirty laundry in such a volatile manner was viewed as the final straw.

The speed of the decision was the first talking point, with the club moving quickly to cut ties before the dust had settled on the weekend's drama. @Flashscorecom highlighted the rapid turnaround between the manager's press conference comments regarding his contract stability and the sacking.

"Those '18 months' turned into about 18 hours," the account posted.

For many supporters, the departure was a cause for celebration rather than commiseration. The feeling among the faithful was that the coach had talked a good game without delivering results. User @Aaron_Magook was scathing in their assessment of the manager's communication skills versus his coaching ability.

"The best monday in the history of Mondays," the fan wrote. "He can go and start a tedtalk show on YouTube since all he knows is how to talk well."

The statistical record of the outgoing boss was a major stick used to beat him with. @TheFergusonWay wrote: "Good luck, but having 15 wins in 47 PL games with a 31.9% win rate is untenable at any level."

This sentiment was backed up by a brutal breakdown of the tenure provided by user @flowzki, who listed the lowlights of a disastrous spell.

"So Ruben Amorim will end his tenure with: More losses than wins; Never had back-to-back clean sheets; Only won back-to-back games once; 31% win rate; Lost a European final to Spurs; Lost to Grimsby; Finished 16th," they posted. "NUMEROUS embarrassing results. WE MUST SUFFER."

However, not everyone believed the sacking was purely down to footballing reasons. @MinaFootball expressed cynicism regarding the timing, suggesting that the board only acted because their own egos were bruised, rather than because of the poor results against lower-league opposition like Grimsby or the Europa League final defeat.

"If INEOS sack Amorim for his media outburst I will laugh," the account noted. "Not the UEL final, not Grimsby, not the poor results, but a media outburst which looks bad on them will be the straw that broke the camels back. Lol."

The reaction wasn't limited to United fans. Rival supporters also weighed in, with @MogoiRon engaging in the schadenfreude typical of Premier League rivalries.

"Amorim sacked....such a sad day for us rival fans," the user joked.

Finally, the financial implications of the public meltdown were noted by @Davey_J_, who theorised that the manager engineered the exit to secure a payout while inadvertently helping the club reset.

"Amorim played a blinder there, stitched United up one last time for the payout!" the fan wrote. "Bad news for the rest of the league though, chance of them getting their shit together now."

The reactions highlight the depth of the crisis that United are in. Last season's 16th-place finish in the Premier League illustrates just how far standards have fallen at the Theatre of Dreams, while the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham is particularly painful for the supporters, representing a missed opportunity for silverware and Champions League qualification that would have bought the manager more time.

The loss to Grimsby in the Carabao Cup in August is clearly another nadir that many fans cannot forgive. For a club of United's stature to lose to lower-league opposition is always unacceptable, but combined with such a low win rate, it paints a picture of a team in freefall. The "3-4-3 experiment" that the manager was famous for in Lisbon clearly failed to translate to English football, leaving the squad exposed and the supporters frustrated.

The INEOS ownership, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has attempted to instil a culture of discipline and corporate excellence since taking charge of football operations. For an employee to publicly criticise the recruitment strategy and question the ambition of the hierarchy is a direct challenge to that authority.

As noted by the fans, the board may have tolerated mediocrity on the pitch for longer than expected, perhaps hoping the "project" would come good. However, open rebellion in a press conference is a red line. By removing the coach immediately, the hierarchy has reasserted control, but they now face the daunting task of finding a replacement who can salvage their season.