Manchester United’s shock Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town was overshadowed by manager Ruben Amorim’s bizarre “magnet tactics” on the touchline, sparking viral memes, Pokemon jokes, and fan ridicule after a rain-soaked night to forget.
Manchester United’s shock Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby Town will long be remembered—not just for the result, but for the bizarre antics of manager Ruben Amorim on the touchline. On a damp Wednesday evening at Blundell Park, United fell 2-0 behind to League Two side Grimsby. Cameras captured the uncomfortable image of Amorim hunched over a tactics board, shifting magnets around in the 62nd minute, as his team floundered on the pitch.
The changes seemed to spark a late reaction, with Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire forcing the game into penalties. But in a marathon shootout that ended 12-11, the Red Devils’ campaign came to an early and humiliating end.
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When Magnets Become a Meme
As clips of Amorim fiddling with his board circulated, social media wasted no time in turning the Portuguese coach into the evening’s punchline.
Comedian Jonny Sharples mocked him with a photoshopped image of a Pokemon card album, joking that Amorim looked more interested in collectibles than tactics. The joke caught fire, and soon football fans were piling in with references from the iconic franchise.
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“Someone should have told Onana he has to catch ‘em all,” one user quipped. Another wrote: “Got himself a holographic Grimsby, very rare.”
Others went further, cutting into United’s struggles:
“Probably worth more than the United squad.”
“Nah mixing his fire and water types so early in the folder, guy hasn’t got a clue.”
“Amorim has had enough, he’s seeing if he can spell his name with magnets.”
The imagery struck a chord. A man in the rain, trying desperately to rearrange small coloured pieces of plastic, while his team were being humbled by minnows—it was a sight some supporters said left them feeling pity more than anger.
“One of the saddest sights I’ve seen in football,” one fan remarked.
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From Japan to the Dugout: A Pokemon Detour
The viral Pokemon angle took on a life of its own. The trading card game, first published in Japan in 1996 and introduced to the UK three years later, has grown into one of the most collected franchises in the world. Over 30 billion cards have been printed, with rare editions fetching thousands at auctions.
For United fans, however, the only card they wanted was a winning one—and Amorim’s ‘deck’ offered no salvation.
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Amorim’s Apology
After the defeat, the 40-year-old manager faced the cameras and delivered a contrite message.
“I just have to say sorry to our fans. The way we started the game, we were not even here,” he admitted.
“Everything is so important in our club, everything that happened, it’s a problem in our club, we should do so much better. In the penalties, the feeling is the same. I think football was really fair today – the best team won.”
He continued: “It should be my job to understand what happened. Again, I’m really sorry for our fans. The support that they have given me, always with all of the defeats they always help the team. Today I have nothing to say. I am really sorry. It’s too much sometimes.
“I think the best team won, the only team that was on the pitch. The best players lose because one team can win against any group of players, and I think the team and the players spoke really loud today, so that’s it.”
Where Does United Go From Here?
The defeat leaves United with just the FA Cup as their only realistic route to silverware this season—remarkable given that August is not yet over.
For Amorim, the optics may matter just as much as the result. In a game where managers are scrutinised for every touchline gesture, being remembered as “the man with the magnets in the rain” is hardly the impression he hoped to make.
As one fan put it bluntly online: “Are there any Manchester United fans that still believe in Ruben Amorim?”