Men In Charge Pt. 1
Rúben, 39 MUFC Manager
Manchester United Football Club have a new man in charge and all the signs are promising that he will usher in a new era, Rúben Filipe Margues Amorim has taken charge of our beloved Red Devils and we should have patience and faith in him because it is probably the toughest job in football.
Mr. Amorim is the latest in a long line of Portuguese managers to be trusted with the job of head coach of a Premier League team. Some have managed multiple teams like Rúben's compatriot the self proclaimed "Special One", José Mourinho, who not too long ago won the EFL Cup and Europa League in his first season in charge for United. José was also successful in his second season in charge, bringing his side to second in the League and also giving his squad a day out in Wembley for the FA Cup Final.
While Mourinho is without doubt the most successful Portuguese managers the Premier League has seen, he has paved the way for the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo, Marco Silva and Andre Villas-Boas (who didn't last long at either Chelsea or Spurs but had a decent record).
In fact the greatest thing José Mourinho did for the Premier League and Manchester United in particular was give our new boss an internship at The Theatre of Dreams.
So when Rúben was asked, Why United? He responded that he felt a connection with the club, the people, the traditions and of course the fans. We can thank José for his introduction to our great club and stadium because as we know once you visit Old Trafford you can't help but fall in love with the place, there's a feeling you get when you're in the ground- it's something special!
Rúben experienced it first hand even before his arrival under José's wing in 2018. He was playing for Braga and they were in a great position with a two goal cushion but he admits as soon as the crowd turned up it was over for them and they went on to lose that game.
I'm sure he can't wait to witness it as the manager but his main focus is the team and the identity. Another Portuguese great that graced Old Trafford, Cristiano Ronaldo, refers to Amorim as "the poet" because of the way he talks from the heart and how he gets his points across. The players will be excited to listen to what he has to offer and surely will be delighted to get a clearer message than it appears they got under the previous regime.
The Eric ten Hag project didn't work, maybe because the players didn't buy into his ideas or possibly didn't understand them. However, when he left and the legend that is Ruud Van Nistlerooy picked up the pieces we saw some positive flashes of a Manchester United side that could be on the way back. So with Ruud's positive and attacking minded approach and Rúben's own philosophies and ideas instilled into the players we can look forward to this new chapter for Manchester United.
Coincidentally, Amorim is the 7th Portuguese manager to grace the English top flight and he is also the 7th manager of United since the great Sir Alex Ferguson retired!
Kevin, 39+ MUSC Longford Manager
Around the same time as José Mourinho first brought Rúben Amorim to the football club our own supporters club were in the process of moulding a new man in charge of our affairs. Kevin Keenan was voted in as Secretary of the County Longford Branch of the Manchester United Supporters Club, a position that has seen him outlast 4 of the 6 managers since Sir Alex (and 2 caretaker managers in the form of Michael Carrick and Ruud).
Now Kevin's predecessor, Gabriel Maguire, left affairs in far better shape than ten Hag did for Amorim and Kevin had the added bonus of having Nicola King with him, easing him into his new role. Kevin will tell you himself that he and Nicola have enjoyed a great working relationship since day one and it is one of the reasons Kevin has been our man in charge for so long..
"I started supporting United in 1986, I remember my mother getting me a Man United jersey in Joe Durkin's, its the one you'd mostly see me wearing to games, the only thing that's different about it now is the fit!
I really got a taste for what was to come watching the FA Cup Final versus Crystal Palace on a TV with a crappy, blurry reception. 80,000 people at Wembley for the game, it was 3-3 with Sparky and Robbo scoring for us and that fecker Wrighty scoring for Palace. So it went to a replay, a 1-0 job with i believe Lee Martin the left back scoring and probably keeping Fergie in the job.
Myself and James Dermody joined the supporters club the year we won The Treble, 99/00 was the year i went on my first trip and we stayed in The Village in Prestwich, there was a KFC at the top of the road so it was a few beers, munch and back to the hotel. The match was against Arsenal, a 1-1 draw. We were sitting in the north stand Tier 3, Teddy Sheringham was rising the Arsenal fans about winning The Treble as he just came off the bench to score the equaliser."
"I might go to matches on average 6 times a year.. 3 with the supporters club.. I'll try to go with Graham Lee and the lads also.. Maybe a couple with my daughter Saoirse or my wife Sinead.. Or even as a family where we'd stay around the Trafford Centre and get in some shopping as well.
I do remember a time when we were in the Premier Inn by Old Trafford, Saoirse was bored and restless so i gave her my mobile and it was great at the time as it kept her quiet for an hour or so and we were delighted but two weeks later a big fat phone bill to the tune of €240 arrived, i don't think she'll ever live that one down.
At one time myself and the brother Gerry had season tickets and we went 10 times that season. Also, during the successful years we drove, flew, sailed and railed, whatever way we could just to get to the game.
I was on the committee for a few years before i took over from Gabriel as Secretary in 2018, everything was in great shape fair play to him. Nicola is a great help and we always do our best for the club, making connections and building relationships in order to get tickets and deals for the members.
As far as the work that goes into it all, I really enjoy being Secretary, i have no problem sitting down for a couple of hours in the evening and tidying up club business or networking with other supporters clubs. As busy as it can get the difference between this and my main job is i love doing this, it's always a mad panic and a bit of work at the start of the season with membership renewals and locking in the supporters club trips for the season but in fairness the supporters club liaisons are brilliant and a great help with it all."
"Now we have a lot of families who are all members and even the hotel suits this as Nicola is always fighting to get the best deals such as family rooms and dinner vouchers. It is great to see so many junior members too because they are the future of the supporters club. Our membership has doubled in the last 5 years and that's great to see because we are not really winning anything, yet!
Its the weekends away, the trips, that's when it all pays off. As i said myself and Nicola have a fantastic working relationship, we both give 100% for the supporters club and you see it when we travel, the ferry times are checked and the roads so there are no delays, the logistics/any admin and dealing with Old Trafford so everyone has their tickets, everyone's heart is in it and it's all about making the journey easier for the members."
"My best experience in the supporters club was meeting Robbo, going out on the pitch.. We came out of the corner of the South Stand and Seamus Gill said it's Robbo boys.. The emotions.. Bringing grown men to tears, it was an unbelievable experience and without doubt my best experience as a supporter.
I met a few other legends- Mr. Pallister, in the car park. There was a few sentences and a photograph. Sharpey and Irwin.. I had a whiskey with Paddy Crerand, Lou Macari and of course the Old Trafford stadium announcer Alan Keegan but the standout one was Robbo.
I would love to sit down with Eric Cantona, i don't know how the conversation would go or what it would be about but I'd just love to meet with that man.. The Charisma.. I remember watching that game when he came back from the ban with my dad in The Earl Inn, my dad was a Liverpool fan and he turned to me and said- ah would ya look at this fella coming to take the penalty and he looked to the sky knowing fully well what was coming! Eric was the man!"
