Michael Carrick - Middlesbrough Manager

Smithy89

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They have a great away support to be fair, always have done. Hope he does well with them.
 

philnguyen1994

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Very unlucky 1-1 draw with Bristol City in his third game in charge.


Boro completely dominated, put in their best attacking performance of the season and was only denied by the post and about 10 De Gea-esque saves by the Bristol goalie. They also should have had a penalty.

Again, the goal they conceded came from a silly individual mistake giving the ball away and then some half-asleep defending.
 
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philnguyen1994

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Very comfortable 3-0 away win at Blackpool in his fourth game in charge.


Boro dominated from start to finish and created chances after chances and could easily have had a few more if not for some wasteful finishing. Blackpool barely had a shot.

7 points out of possible 12 so far, which could easily have been 10 with a bit more luck. That's a good return considering he took over Boro only outside the relegation zone on goal difference. I think Boro fans have been delighted with Carrick so far, performances are improving by the match. In fact watching this match, I at times forgot it was an away game as all you could hear was Boro away fans' chant of "We've got Super Michael Carrick".

He's given youth a chance too: 20-year-old CM Hayden Hackney (only 5 career appearances before he came) has played every minute under Carrick so far and ended up receiving a Scotland international call-up. He's just given 19-year-old Pharrell Willis his debut too, who looks like a tricky winger.
 
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Samid

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Players look up for it now and look like they’re playing for Carrick, massively missing this intensity at the start of this season. It’s so refreshing to see and I am falling in love with this team
Best football we have played in three years. Strong, Aggressive play. Loved it.
Total domination three games in a row. Bring on Norwich.
United's best manager since Sir Alex...
 

Rooney in Paris

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@philnguyen1994 thanks for the summaries you post here, it's great to be able to follow how he's doing. He was always one of my favourite Utd players from that golden era, a little bit underrated on the whole (not necessarily by our bunch, apart from at the beginning) even though he was playing almost as a 1 man midfield for a big portion of his career. Anyway, happy to see the first signs seem quite positive, comes across as a clever guy, and I think the "charisma" point brought up by some in this thread is exaggerated, there's various forms of leadership and I think he could be a guy who convinces people to follow him through intelligence, sensibility and ideas, rather than the shouty/charismatic traditional image that is more common. Will try to catch one of their games soon, would be interesting to see how he sets them up.
 

Djemba-Djemba

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Boro just scored in the last minute to beat Norwich at Carrow Road 2-1.

He's started brilliantly and sounds like the fans love him already.

Great to see.
 

philnguyen1994

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In his 5th game, very impressive 2-1 away win at Norwich, who's one of the favorites for automatic promotion. Before today, apparently Boro haven't even managed to score a single goal at Carrow Road for 17 years!


Two brilliant goals and very brave tactical setup to go for it from the start away against a team still full of Premier League players like Aarons, Pukki, etc. Credits to the 1,500 Boro fans too, at times in the second half all you could hear in a 27000-capacity Carrow Road was "We've got Super Michael Carrick".

So that's 10 points out of his first possible 15 before the World Cup break, which is impressive considering:
- Really should have been 13, they were unlucky to draw with Bristol (72% possession, 23 shots) and lose to Preston (conceded from two soft free kicks)
- 4 out of the 5 games were away. Carrick took over Boro just outside the relegation zone on goal difference and all 5 games were against opponents far above them on the table, including Norwich who's near the top.
- It's still the same squad that Wilder had and Carrick hasn't even had time to appoint his assistant manager yet!
 
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philnguyen1994

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Hard earned but well deserved 2-1 home win over Luton Town in their first game back from the WC break.


Started off really rusty and conceded a goal because of a long shot + very soft defending. Thankfully, they woke up and equalised 5 minutes later and dominated the match from then on. Luton got a player sent off with a second yellow deservedly in the 75th minute and that just gave Boro enough of an advantage to grab a late winner with another good sub from Carrick.

Amazing job so far, took a team outside the relegation zone on goal difference to within 3 points of a play-off spot within 6 games.
 
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philnguyen1994

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Excellent 4-1 home win over Wigan managed by Kolo Toure.


Wasn't as comfortable as the scoreline suggests as Wigan just wouldn't give up and looked dangerous all game. Some beautiful attacking football by Boro though.
 
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redshaw

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Pleased he's doing well. He carried the manager role very well in the short spell for us and I dearly would've liked for him to have stayed on to the end of the season then appoint ETH.
 

Sylar

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Pleased he's doing well. He carried the manager role very well in the short spell for us and I dearly would've liked for him to have stayed on to the end of the season then appoint ETH.
Yeah he defo would have done better than Ralf
He also dropped Ronaldo against Chelsea which is damn obvious but it almost worked
 

CM

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He seems to have a bit about him. Obviously different levels but interesting to see both Carrick and McKenna doing well in management gigs after being ridiculed by many United fans.
 

FrankDrebin

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He seems to have a bit about him. Obviously different levels but interesting to see both Carrick and McKenna doing well in management gigs after being ridiculed by many United fans.
Lets be honest, those 'United fans' are probably pupils from the Mark Goldbridge School of Twats.
 

philnguyen1994

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Another win: a 2-1 away win at Blackburn, who were third in the table so very good result. At this moment, they're 6th, in a play-off spot but some teams haven't played. Still, he took over them at 21st only outside the relegation zone on goal difference so it has been quite a transformation.


Boro deserved it in the end but it was bizarre match. Rovers's opener was completely against the run of the play and miles offside. Boro played beautiful attacking football trying to equalize and left tons of spaces behind that could have been costly with Rovers's counter attacks. They finally equalized right at the start of the second half.

Then a Rovers player got sent off harshly for violent conduct and Boro immediately went ahead. Thought it was going to be comfortable for them from then but nope. The pressure got to them and there were tons of defensive mistakes and there was a chance where three different Boro players had three opportunities to shoot at an open goal one after another and they all hesitated too long or tried to pass instead.

And I've never seen Carrick so animated before on the touchline. I guess the swift transformation from relegation candidate into promotion candidate that he led his team on is now giving them all a new kind of pressure.
 
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CM

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Up into the play-offs already. A few teams with games in hand but still impressive.
 

sugar_kane

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Great to see.

The Championship table is so tight, mind. 24/25 games in and 13th placed Coventry (who started terribly) could be in the play off spots if they win their game in hand.

There are only 9 points between 20th spot and 6th, anything could happen.

Burnley and Sheff United look to be pulling away so am hoping someone we haven’t seen in the PL for a while comes through the play off spots rather than boring shite like Watford.

Preston would be nice since they’re a founder club who have never played in the Premier League but they always bottle it.
 

pascell

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Great to see.

The Championship table is so tight, mind. 24/25 games in and 13th placed Coventry (who started terribly) could be in the play off spots if they win their game in hand.

There are only 9 points between 20th spot and 6th, anything could happen.

Burnley and Sheff United look to be pulling away so am hoping someone we haven’t seen in the PL for a while comes through the play off spots rather than boring shite like Watford.

Preston would be nice since they’re a founder club who have never played in the Premier League but they always bottle it.
It won't be Preston, they're yo-yo'ing in form atm as usual, they're far too inconsistent.
 

Sylar

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Happy for him. We played decent under him for the few games he managed us (and said at the time and also hindsight he should have just taken it until the end of the season)

Hopefully he carries this on. Boro fans seem happy with him
 

Jam

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There’s an element of a new manager bounce obviously; especially coming from Sourpuss who was by all accounts a bit of a dickhead and only had one way to play.

But behind that he has done a stellar job in transforming the football they’re playing as well as the personnel he’s using and how he’s using them. For the players to respond so positively is showing he really has got an eye for who can do what within his squad alongside them playing to his tune. It bodes well for the future, hope he keeps this up. Results will drop at some point but hope he keeps them steady and grows as a manager too.

Best of luck to him, always seemed a top bloke.
 

padzilla

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It's hard not to like Carrick and the way he goes about his business. That was true of him as a player and seems true now he is a manager too.
 

Elcabron

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It's hard not to like Carrick and the way he goes about his business. That was true of him as a player and seems true now he is a manager too.
Absaloutely. Even the way he left the club was classy. No bullshit about him as a player either and always comes across well. Hope he goes to the very top in management.
 
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Brilliant stuff. It's only the Championship but I hope it's a sign of things to come. We're long overdue a Fergie disciple making it at the highest level as a manager.
Mark Hughes
Gordon Strachan
Alex McLeish
Mark McGhee
Steve Bruce
All of these have been very successful managers for long periods of time. Strachan and McLeish both managed Scotland and won trophies up in Scotland. Mark McGhee picked up trophies in Scotland, league cup I think from memory. Despite everyone hating on Steve Bruce right now he has managed hundreds of games in the premier league and won quite a few promotions, same goes for Mark Hughes who also did well with Wales when he was there. The top six in the premier league get the pick of managers from all around the globe, breaking into that circle is difficult and is down to timing and luck as much as anything else, plus Liverpool, Arsenal or City are highly unlikely to hire an ex United player as manager , it would be like Benitez going to Everton, too much baggage. Once you are outside the top six it is very difficult to win anything in England and be classed as the highest level.
Back to the topic, delighted to see Carrick going well, top player and top bloke from all accounts, hopefully he can keep it going to the end of the season, I would rather have Middlesborough in the premier league than Wolves with their constantly negative football.
 

Lee565

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Could he become the best manager out of the ex united players under fergie, the bar has not been set very high and already I would say his style of football he has middlesbrough playing is easier on the eye than what other managers that played for fergie have produced
 

Mas Risky

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Did he bring former MU staff or players with him? If not, kudos to him. It could mean that he already has his own coaching and tactical ideas to implement, not just handled the management side of things.
 

philnguyen1994

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Did he bring former MU staff or players with him? If not, kudos to him. It could mean that he already has his own coaching and tactical ideas to implement, not just handled the management side of things.
Actually, one. Alan Fettis the goalkeeping coach who was at Utd between 2011 and 2022. The other two key members of his staff are Jonathan Woodgate (local boy and ex Real Madrid) and Aaron Danks (caretaker at Villa after Stevie G got sacked). Woodgate he knew from England duties and Danks was in the same Pro License class with him so all very young coaches.

He did try to get Mike Phelan, but it turned out Phelan was still under a long-term contract with Utd (yet we just haven't given him any duties to do at the club since Ten Hag arrived). Utd gave the green light for Carrick to poach him without compensation of course but Phelan turned it down for 'family reasons', aka he didn't want to walk away from the nice pay package for doing nothing at Utd.

 
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Varun1

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Actually, one. Alan Fettis the goalkeeping coach who was at Utd between 2011 and 2022. The other two key members of his staff are Jonathan Woodgate (local boy and ex Real Madrid) and Aaron Danks (caretaker at Villa after Stevie G got sacked). Woodgate he knew from England duties and Danks was in the same Pro License class with him so all very young coaches.

He did try to get Mike Phelan, but it turned out Phelan was still under a long-term contract with Utd (yet we just haven't given him any duties to do at the club since Ten Hag arrived). Utd gave the green light for Carrick to poach him without compensation of course but Phelan turned it down for 'family reasons', aka he didn't want to walk away from the nice pay package for doing nothing at Utd.
Where did you get the last part of Phelan, that he turned it down for 'family reasons'? And any news on what we're planning to do with him/how we're planning to use him?
 

RedPed

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Carrick has took Boro from 22nd to 4th in less than 3 months.

If only we'd stuck with him instead of appointing that Wreck-It Ralf fraud, our season would have ended very differently.

Fair play to him. He's doing a cracking job there.
 

acnumber9

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Carrick and McKenna both doing very well out on their own. Remember when they were both useless?
 

whitbyviking

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Boro always had a decent squad this season, maybe not league challenging but playoff challenging. For whatever reason they downed tools for Wilder, and to be fair the squad don’t fit his preferred style and tactics. Aside from the bounce and maybe finding their natural level now Carrick has steadied the ship, calmed the crowd, woken the squad up and is starting to get a tune from some of their bigger players. Chuba Akpom for example was on the scrap heap and now he’s in outstanding form. Carrick is definitely doing a good job. Turning a situation around like Middlesbrough were in isn’t easy, they could easily have been a Leeds, Notts Forest etc and gone down to league 1. It was rotten at the club.