Man Utd analysis: Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils hit a new low with Carabao cup exit to Grimsby Town

Manchester United hit a new low on Wednesday night, losing to League Two Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup.

Man Utd fan and Sports News Blitz writer Robert Bore is on his holibobs at the moment - but couldn’t resist giving his thoughts on yet another disastrous result for Ruben Amorim.

Angels and demons

I knew Mr & Mrs Bore's holiday hadn't started well when I found myself watching the (recentish) Charlie's Angels reboot on Film 4 at the airport hotel.

Granted, it wasn't as bad as the War of the Worlds remake I saw a couple of weeks earlier, starring Ice Cube and Eva Longoria, but trying to substitute in the Twilight girl for Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore. Well, not on my watch. 

Anyway, I was midway through my beef Stifado and enjoying a large Mythos in a very cold and frosty stein when League Two Grimsby Town opened the scoring in the Energy Drink Cup. 

I can't say I was massively surprised, let's be honest. 

And I was still swilling down the dregs by the time they made it 2-0 as my mobile phone began to light up with a depressing, familiar refrain.

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Captain calamity

As you will all know by the time of reading this, the reason for day one of the jollies going tits-up, Captain Calamity himself - Mr Andre Onana.

I'm not quite old enough to remember Paddy Roche and can only go off what my old man told me about his, erm, limitations. 

Jim Leighton was quality until he developed an aversion to crosses usually reserved for Hollywood vampires and was famously left out of the 1990 FA Cup Final replay against Crystal Palace in favour of the late Les Sealey.

We were obviously spoiled with Peter Schmeichel who left after treble shenanigans which then saw Mark Bosnich and poor Massimo Taibi (who if I remember earned a man of the match against Liverpool before letting one go under him against Southampton and was never seen again). 

I never took to that French blunderer Fabian Barthez, who was then replaced by Tim Howard and Roy Carroll.

Carroll had his own moment of infamy when he kept out (ahem) Pedro Mendes' effort that was a good two yards over the line.

Edwin van der Sar restored sanity and David De Gea, despite a shaky start and (arguably) finish, was our best player for several seasons. 

Opening-game howler

Which brings us to current United, the aforementioned Onana and his current sparring partner Altay Bayindir, who has already made his mark on the new season with his own howler against Arsenal in the opener.

Which leaves us with the question of how we can have it so wrong (and why is Tom Heaton not in goal? I'd take Paul Heaton as number one at this stage.

Listening to lower league opposition fans singing "You're fucking shit," then you know there's something wrong. 

Town fans coming to the game with "United get battered everywhere they go" scrawled onto makeshift placards is another.

And despite United hauling themselves undeservedly level, Onana could have saved all five spot-kicks in the penalty shootout and I'd still drop him off at the destination of his choice after I've flown back into Manchester.

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West Ham rumours 

Rumours of an Onana move to West Ham before the end of the transfer window must surely have evaporated on this performance where a keeper, whose main job is to keep the ball out, failed so miserably at his near post and was then a couple of postcodes away from clearing Grimsby's second. 

United paid the penalty in the end, but I ask, does it really matter?   

It was embarrassing enough entering the League Cup at this stage, let alone being in a penalty shoot-out that ended up 12-11 with Bryan Mbeumo finally crashing one off the crossbar to put us out of our misery.

Onana saved one of 13 attempts from 12 yards.

One thing is for sure, as day one of my Greek holibobs ticked over into day two, Onana should never pull on a Manchester United shirt ever again.

As for Ruben Amorim, it magnified his stubborn reluctance to change a system that imploded in spectacular style again at Blundell Park.

A new low.

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