auth problem

class AppController extends Controller
{
     public $components = ['Flash'];

    public function initialize()
    {
        parent::initialize();

       $this->loadComponent('Flash');

        $this->loadComponent('Auth', [

            'authorize' => ['Controller'],
            //'unauthorizedRedirect' => false,
            //'authError' => 'No autorization',

            'loginRedirect' => [
                'controller' => 'Notas',
                'action' => 'menu'
            ],

            'logoutRedirect' => [
                'controller' => 'Estados',
                'action' => 'index'
            ],

            'loginAction' => [
                'controller' => 'Users',
                'action' => 'login'
            ],

            'authenticate' => [
                'Form' => [
                    'userModel' => 'Users'
                    'fields' => ['username' => 'username', 'password' => 'password']
                ]
            ]

        ]);

    }

    public function beforeFilter(Event $event)
    {
        parent::beforeFilter($event);
        $this->Auth->allow(['index', 'view', 'display', 'nota' ]);
    }



public function isAuthorized( $user = null )
{
    // Admin can access every action
    //return true;

      if( empty( $user )  )
          return false;

      $role = '';
      if (  isset($user['role'])   )
      {
            $role = trim($user['role']);
      }

      if( empty($role) )
          $role = $this->Auth->User('role');

      if( strtoupper($role) === 'ADMIN' )
      {
          //$this->Flash->success("Autorized");
          return true;
      }

    // Default no authorized
    return false;
}


}


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Users controller

<?php

// src/Controller/UsersController.php

namespace App\Controller;

use App\Controller\AppController;
//use Cake\Controller\Controller;
use Cake\ORM\TableRegistry;
use Cake\ORM\Table;
use Cake\Event\Event;

class UsersController extends AppController
{

   public $components = ['Paginator',  'Flash', 'Auth'];

    public $paginate = [

    'Users'=>[
        'limit' => 25,
        'order' => [
            'Users.nombre' => 'asc'
        ]
       ]
    ];


    public function initialize()
    {
        parent::initialize();
        $this->viewBuilder()->layout('admin_template');
    }


public function beforeFilter(Event $event)
{
    parent::beforeFilter($event);
    $this->Auth->allow(['logout']);
}


public function isAuthorized( $user = null ){
    return parent::isAuthorized( $user );
}


public function login()
{
       if ($this->request->is('post'))
       {
                $user = $this->Auth->identify();
                if ($user)
                {
                    $session = $this->request->session();
                    $this->Auth->setUser( $user );

                    $auth_user = $this->Auth->user();
                     //echo "<br> ROL auth_user: " . $auth_user['role']; // user here is not empty... is correct.
                    //echo "<br> ROL: " . $this->Auth->User('role'); //this also works...... and has 'admin'

                    return $this->redirect( $this->Auth->redirectUrl() );
                }

                $this->Flash->error('Usuario y/o contraseña incorrecto.');
        }
}


public function logout()
{
    $this->Auth->logout();
    $this->Flash->success('Se ha cerrado la sesion con exito...');
    return $this->redirect( $this->Auth->logout() );
}


}

?>


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NotasController


<?php
namespace App\Controller;

use App\Controller\AppController;
use Cake\Event\Event;
//use Cake\Controller\Controller;
use Cake\ORM\TableRegistry;
use Cake\ORM\Table;
use Cake\Utility\Inflector;


class NotasController extends AppController {


    public $components = ['Paginator' ];

    public $paginate = [
    'Notas'=>[
        'limit' => 25,
        'order' => [
            'Notas.fecha' => 'asc'
        ]
       ]
    ];


    public function initialize()
    {
        parent::initialize();
        $this->viewBuilder()->layout('admin_template');
    }


    public function beforeFilter(Event $event)
    {
        parent::beforeFilter($event);

        //get the user logged in
        $auth_user = $this->Auth->user();  //here is null or empty.. why ?????

        if( $this->isAuthorized(  $auth_user  )  )
        {
            $this->Auth->allow();
            $this->set('auth_user', $auth_user );
            return;
        }

        $this->Flash->error("Not allowed");
        $this->redirect( ['action'=>'login', 'controller'=>'users'] );
    }


  public function beforeRender(Event $event)
  {
    parent::beforeRender($event);
  }


  public function isAuthorized( $user = null )
  {
         if( empty($user)  ){   //// is always empty...... or null
          echo "User is empty";
          //die();
          return false;
      }

      $role = '';
      if (  isset($user['role'])  )
      {
            $role = $user['role'];
      }

      if( empty($role) )
          $role = $this->Auth->User('role');

      $role = strtoupper($role);
      if( $role == 'ADMIN' )
      {
          return true;
      }
      return parent::isAuthorized($user);
  }


 public function menu(){

  }

}

?>