Usually, when things go wrong for a football team, the coach clings to his job, trying to turn the situation around, and it’s the club’s board that ends up removing him from his position.
However, there are times when, even if they don’t leave voluntarily, coaches make some explosive statements to push the board into making a decision.
This was the case with Amorim, who was dismissed this morning by Manchester United after a major outburst on the weekend.
"I’m not here to finish my work in 18 months and then leave. The agreement was that I would be the manager, not just the coach," he said, among many other things, with a look that showed he was clearly angry.
"I am the manager of Manchester United and that’s how it will be for the next 18 months or until the board decides to make a change," he added.
Here are some other notable figures who didn’t walk away, but certainly made it easy for the club to show them the door.
John Toshack - Real Madrid
One of the pioneers in this kind of self-sabotage was Toshack. In 1999, the Welshman made some explosive remarks, criticising both his own players and the Real Madrid board. And that was even after Lorenzo Sanz had asked him to keep quiet!
In this case, the coach spoke to the newspaper Marca: "It’s easier to see a pig flying over the Bernabeu than for me to back down. I won’t tolerate having my authority taken away, because after that, there’s nothing left to do. In a bar, the waiters don’t tell the boss what to do. I’m not breaking any agreement, coaches don’t make pacts," he said.
Sanz didn’t hesitate to remove him and replace him with Vicente del Bosque. The rest is history...
Gustavo Poyet - Bordeaux
Let’s head to France. It was the 2017/18 season when Uruguayan Poyet took charge of Bordeaux. Things started off well for him on the pitch, but everything changed when he made some harsh comments about the club’s management after a Europa League match.
"What the club has done is a disgrace. I told them I couldn’t let him go until we signed other players. They didn’t listen to me and let him leave," he snapped at a press conference, furious about the sale of Gaetan Laborde without his approval.
At first, he was suspended from the team for a week, but eventually Eric Bedouet took over as interim coach.
Bernd Schuster - Real Madrid
After winning a league title and a Spanish Super Cup, Schuster was having a tough time in the 2008/09 season. With problems in both the Champions League and LaLiga, and knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Real Union de Irun, the German coach sat in the Bernabeu press room, clearly frustrated, and made comments that Madrid fans will never forget, just two weeks before El Clasico.
"I’m less worried about this than any other match. Right now, it’s impossible to win at Camp Nou. Barcelona are in great form, they’re unstoppable. I think it’s their year, and given how we are, we’ll try to put in a good performance. There’s nothing more to say," the coach stated.
It took less than 24 hours for him to be dismissed and replaced by Juande Ramos, who, as Schuster predicted, lost 2-0 in Barcelona.
Antonio Conte - Tottenham
One of the most fiery managers in world football is, without a doubt, Italian Antonio Conte, who in 2023 lashed out at his squad and the Tottenham owners after letting a 3-1 lead slip against Southampton on March 18th, ending in a 3-3 draw.
The post-match press conference was unforgettable: "I see a lot of selfish players. I don’t see a team," or "this is Tottenham’s story: 20 years with this owner, and they’ve never won anything," were just some of the gems he dropped.
"If they want to keep going like this, they’ll have to change the manager," he warned. And his wish was granted quickly, as he was out of the club just five days later.
