BAH HUMBUG. For all his multilingual talents, this is a sentence that would likely have been lost in translation for Ruben Amorim.
Or at least until now.
Because Manchester United will be bottom of the table during the festive season for the first time in the Premier League era.
It's going to be cold this Christmas, and not just for Marcus Rashford, who is now certain there is no room for him at the inn.
Since 1989 and the former themselves of the English top flight, they have not been lower than seventh on New Year's Day.
But after goals from Dean Hiujsen, Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo left them in tatters, they could suffer the same disgrace even if they win their next two games against Wolves and Newcastle United.
After this humiliation, United fans shouldn't hold their breath if they get any of these clashes at all.
Bah humbug indeed.
Amorim's team have been generally terrible, while Andoni Iraola's upward side now sit fifth above champions Manchester City.
Faster feet, faster passes and above all faster brains. That's the side that was on display from the beginning.
FOOTBALL FREE BETTS AND SIGN UP DEALS
The Spaniard's opponents? Not many of these features.
Time and again in the first half, United's players were caught in possession – Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, Lisandro Martinez, just a few of those captured.
Amorim continues to repeat that his re-education of the great pretenders he took over from Erik ten Hag would take time.
Seven days earlier there had been that Amad-inspired Manchester derby win that could have been expected to boost confidence and morale.
Even the ultimately futile Carabao Cup battle from three down against Tottenham in midweek was used as evidence that there is a new fire burning within the Red Devils.
But even taking into account that Bournemouth are slick, energetic and organised, Amorim will have been dismayed by the complete lack of cohesion – and even spirit – within his squad.
Maybe players think too much, or maybe they just don't have the ability and football intelligence to change.
Be that as it may, it was no surprise that the visitors took the lead in the 30th minute.
And it's no surprise at all that Dean Huijsen took advantage of a set-piece, with Ryan Christie firing in a free-kick from United's right.
The centre-back stood almost unchallenged at the front of a pack of players and headed backwards over Andre Onana's swinging attempt to save.
That is the fourth time in Amorim's nine matches that they have conceded from a set-piece – twice against Arsenal and during the recent visit of Nottingham Forest.
Furthermore, the Dutchman's involvement marked a sixth time since the Portuguese arrived to begin his assessment of the Old Trafford shambles where his side had fallen behind.
They weren't helped early in this game by Onana, who looked nervous and unsure and twice nearly dropped teammates in the brown stuff with poor attempts to play out from the back.
Meanwhile, Joshua Zirkzee had been given the nod ahead of the improving Rasmus Hoijlund, who had scored five goals since Amorim's arrival.
What the new manager sees in him is something few outside Old Trafford can achieve as he lacks the physical strength to play against big, tough defenders like Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi.
Nor the knowledge to find space outside his marks – and so until Hoijlund replaced him in the 55th minute, the balls sent to him continued to bounce back.
Captain Fernandes should have equalized four minutes before half-time but despite his performances perking up, he too was caught up in the death wish that gripped the team he leads.
Amad gave a perfect pass back to him, but the playmaker dragged horribly wide.
He looked disgusted with himself and that may well have been the case, even though he delivered a decent parry from Kepa sixty seconds later.
But if the faithful were hoping for a repeat of Etihad's comeback, they were sadly mistaken.
Amorim replaced Tyrell Malacia with £59 million Lenny Yoro at the start of the second half and, along with Hoijlund, sent on Alejandro Garnacho for Ugarte.
But things only got worse for United – turning into the same kind of embarrassment that Bournemouth inflicted this time last year with their 3-0 win.
The Cherries smelled blood, went for the throat, devastating Amorim's stumbling, unwitting crew.
Noussair Mazraoui had no chance of surviving the VAR review of referee Craig Pawson's decision to point to the spot after his brain-dead challenge on the running Kluivert.
And the Dutchman then gave Onana no chance with his penalty in the 61st minute.
Mainoo, far from his best breakthrough of last season, was again ambushed in possession, with Semenyo leaving him in his wake before producing a swift, devastating move.
The Ghanaian forward then sprinted forward unmarked to get on the end of Dango Ouattara's low cross and never looked like he did at the end of two nightmare minutes for a side that looked as lost again as in the dark, final days of Ten Hag's term of office.
Comments