Next Manager Poll

Who should manage us next?


  • Total voters
    2,210
A part of me is tempted to see us trying to hijack Real Madrid for Mourinho. The meltdown on CAF would be quite something in that case… :lol:
 
The posts lining out how our squad is worse than Bournemouth's will be fun though.

Kidding aside, I have reservations about Iraola. Frank and Potter have shown in a spectacular way how hard the step up can be and how crucial a strong setup might have been for their success. Of course you never know before a manager actually makes the step up, but I've been hurt before.
Maresca and Kompany have shown the opposite as well. Ultimately the people in charge have to know ball. If they play Disneyland and can't make good footballing decisions then even if Carrick temporarily works, we know how it'll all end. Consider:

Where is the league going (physicality, m2m pressing, set pieces) tactically?

How would we like to play (Pep++ control possession, counter press ruthlessly? Ten Hag, Iraola maybe even Slot style basketball?)

What is lacking in our squad to play the way we want to play? How much can be fixed in one window? How much will require us playing a sub optimal game while we fix up our squad?

Will the new managers approach work given all of the above?

In terms of how our squad has been built, I think Iraola will do just fine. Aggressive pressing, emphasis on physicality and fast counter attacks. Entertaining, fast paced end to end football. Of course I also see all the ways in which this appt can fail.

He eventually needs to have a Klopp arc and incorporate control elements in the game model. That could fail. He could run our players into the ground and cause an injury crisis, he's a Bielsa disciple afterall. His training is all about running and work rate. We don't have the squad size for this style of football or for that matter, the level of physicality across the pitch even in the first XI.

There's plenty of reasons not to go for him but there's good reasons to go for him as well.
 
I think a lot of us are overlooking the personality traits a manager needs to succeed here. Some of the names on that list will not inspire confidence and demand respect in our dressing room. If it’s not Carrick, it needs to be a big name / personality IMO.
What if that big name and personality isn't available right now, presumably you would give Carrick a 2 year deal and wait for that kind of person
 
Safe to say fanbase is still a bit divided on Carrick being given the permanent job. I think Iraola has got potential to a top manager and wouldn't want him fulfilling at a rival, however I do have concerns about whether he can make the enormous step up from managing Bournemouth.
 
At this point, I would happily take a manager who is not crazy in the head and knows how to do the obvious.

Amorim had crazy ideas which were totally unsuited to the squad. Eth started playing absurd football in his second year, LvG would just not drop rooney no matter how bad he played, Ole tried to shoehorn Ronaldo and paid the price and Jose just totally lost the plot in his third year. It's all been a function of managers not doing the blindingly obvious.

Carrick is doing the obvious right now and for the first time in over a decade we have a sensible recruitment strategy. If we get our midfield right this summer, we could possibly have the best squad in a decade and id be eager to see what carrick can do with this squad rather than appoint another continental maybe.
 
The person least worried about who will be United's manager is Carrick. With his points tally and Geordie connection, I am pretty sure the Saudis will try to go all out to get him after they sack a CAF favourite Howe. You heard it hear first.
 
Maresca and Kompany have shown the opposite as well. Ultimately the people in charge have to know ball. If they play Disneyland and can't make good footballing decisions then even if Carrick temporarily works, we know how it'll all end. Consider:

Where is the league going (physicality, m2m pressing, set pieces) tactically?

How would we like to play (Pep++ control possession, counter press ruthlessly? Ten Hag, Iraola maybe even Slot style basketball?)

What is lacking in our squad to play the way we want to play? How much can be fixed in one window? How much will require us playing a sub optimal game while we fix up our squad?

Will the new managers approach work given all of the above?

In terms of how our squad has been built, I think Iraola will do just fine. Aggressive pressing, emphasis on physicality and fast counter attacks. Entertaining, fast paced end to end football. Of course I also see all the ways in which this appt can fail.

He eventually needs to have a Klopp arc and incorporate control elements in the game model. That could fail. He could run our players into the ground and cause an injury crisis, he's a Bielsa disciple afterall. His training is all about running and work rate. We don't have the squad size for this style of football or for that matter, the level of physicality across the pitch even in the first XI.

There's plenty of reasons not to go for him but there's good reasons to go for him as well.
We are planning to go big on the midfield in the summer and we will also be on the lookout for a Left Back, so there is an opportunity to remodel the squad into one that can execute those tactics.

In Mbeumo, Amad, Bruno, even Dalot and Heaven we the framework of a squad that can play those tactics. Sesko looks languid but he came up in the RB system and that's all they ever do, then you have players like Collyer who can be effective in those tactics. Mainoo can hold his own in duels and is young enough to be moulded. Cunha has displayed some admirable work rate too.

The big question is whether we have found a good thing in Carrick and by letting him go aren't we shooting ourselves in the foot. Because he has got a hold on this squad, he has taken them to the CL and they will trust in whatever direction he wants to take them. In that United dressing room that's like half the job done - earning the buy in of the squad.

The worry with Carrick is that if what we are seeing is what we will get then it's extremely limited and will get exposed once the other sick men of the PL get their act together. Also if he has a grand plan, how effective is it considering what happened at Borough?
Safe to say fanbase is still a bit divided on Carrick being given the permanent job. I think Iraola has got potential to a top manager and wouldn't want him fulfilling at a rival, however I do have concerns about whether he can make the enormous step up from managing Bournemouth.
I think the concerns are rooted more in our ability/inability to provide him a suitable squad. We did this in 2019 when we chose the easy option of a club legent ahead of Pochettino and the necessary internal reforms, it sort of worked as we qualified for the CL in two successive season but we got left behind tactically.
 
Carrick has proved he deserves a chance. He needs a two year deal and if it doesn’t work the club can hold their head up and know they did the right thing. His record here is unbelievable. The board shunning him and someone else failing would cause a meltdown. Him failing and then someone coming in? We’d all back Carrick until we couldn’t. I hope he continues the way he’s started. We’d be challenging for the league if he was in earlier.
 
Carrick switching to a defensive formation against Brentford at half time when leading 2-0 should make it clear that he’s not the man for next season. The 2-1 loss against Newcastle had already sealed his fate for me, when he thought bringing Malacia on would be anything other than a disaster.

It’s been fantastic how Carrick has steadied the ship, but a more experienced, charismatic coach is required to stop this endless cycle.
 
Carrick switching to a defensive formation against Brentford at half time when leading 2-0 should make it clear that he’s not the man for next season. The 2-1 loss against Newcastle had already sealed his fate for me, when he thought bringing Malacia on would be anything other than a disaster.

It’s been fantastic how Carrick has steadied the ship, but a more experienced, charismatic coach is required to stop this endless cycle.
Who is that charismatic coach then?
 
Carrick switching to a defensive formation against Brentford at half time when leading 2-0 should make it clear that he’s not the man for next season. The 2-1 loss against Newcastle had already sealed his fate for me, when he thought bringing Malacia on would be anything other than a disaster.

It’s been fantastic how Carrick has steadied the ship, but a more experienced, charismatic coach is required to stop this endless cycle.
Carrick switching the formation was the tactical and pragmatic approach that was needed in the situation, we were 2-0 up against a team that was ripping us to shreds at the back and should have probably scored 3 or 4 in the first half, after that switch Brentford barely created anything and it took an exceptional goal near the end to give a nervy last few mins that was otherwise a failry comfortable second half
 
Carrick switching the formation was the tactical and pragmatic approach that was needed in the situation, we were 2-0 up against a team that was ripping us to shreds at the back and should have probably scored 3 or 4 in the first half, after that switch Brentford barely created anything and it took an exceptional goal near the end to give a nervy last few mins that was otherwise a failry comfortable second half
With a Utd team showing no threat. Maybe that’s what you want to watch. Not for me.
 
Carrick switching the formation was the tactical and pragmatic approach that was needed in the situation, we were 2-0 up against a team that was ripping us to shreds at the back and should have probably scored 3 or 4 in the first half, after that switch Brentford barely created anything and it took an exceptional goal near the end to give a nervy last few mins that was otherwise a failry comfortable second half

Agree with this.

But the flip side is that you can absolutely level criticism for us needing to take that pragmatic approach against Brentford in the first place. As with Leeds a few games before, they should not have been able to rip us apart like that.
 
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I've said this in another thread but it's probably better placed here - one massive thing Carrick has going for him is that he already has the trust and respect of the playing squad.

This is something you don't see talked about enough here in my view, and it's why my vote goes to Carrick here despite thinking he's one of the weaker options in terms of pure pedigree.

There aren't really many names on the poll who I think have the level of pedigree whereby they'd be a dead cert to command the respect of the squad on arrival. Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte, and Luis Enrique would be the main ones but for various reasons I don't think any of those will be attainable.

I'd say Julian Nagelsmann is on the cusp of being there, which is why he'd be the (realistic) candidate who would be most likely to make me second guess myself.

The likes of Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner, and Marco Silva would concern me in the sense that if they didn't get off to a flying start, I think they would very quickly lose the confidence of the squad and from there it'd be game over. Whilst all three are really good managers, and all have more impressive CVs than Carrick if we're being honest, I do not have full confidence that they would be able to survive a rocky patch if they were appointed and that makes them all huge risks.

We've seen how really good managers lika David Moyes, Thomas Frank, and Graham Potter wrecked their reputations when making the step-up to bigger clubs. From a psychological standpoint, it's not difficult to see why they lost the confidence of their squads so quickly, and why the step up from managing a mid-table club to a top one is so tough. The top players playing for the top clubs expect to be competing for silverware. A downturn in form which dents your chances of doing so is naturally going to have these guys questioning the manager, and if that manager doesn't have the pedigree to instil them with confidence that they're going to turn that around it's not difficult to see how trust quickly erodes.

Now it's true that Carrick probably has the least managerial pedigree on the list of names in the poll, which probably makes him a strange choice given what I've just said. With that said, I think it's clear enough that he's won the trust and confidence of the squad with his good work at the interim boss. As a result, I'd say he's well-placed to navigate the rough spells that I believe we will see next season without "losing the dressing room". This is why he's my pick for the summer.
 
With a Utd team showing no threat. Maybe that’s what you want to watch. Not for me.
First and foremost I want them to win, we currently don't possess the players to play the way we want, so for the remainder of the current season the aim is to ensure CL football next season which allows us, in part, to attract in the players we need - that's what happened against Brentford
 
I will back Carrick 100%, but I think it's almost certainly not going to work out long term. The deficiencies are clear as day, and I don't think we will have a strong enough summer window to overcome them with a strong squad.
so why are you backing an almost certain failure?
So experience isn’t important then?

A Club like Utd who claim to be one of the world’s biggest should be shopping in a pool of Enrique, Nagelsman, Conte etc.
Unfortunately, it is clear that the only thing "world's biggest" about United is the fanbase. Everything else is mediocre and that of a small-minded club. :( Fanbase doesnt make critical decisions, hence we will never win EPL or UCL with Glazers/INEOS
 
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Why? The man has achieved nothing of note, was a failure at Bayern and currently has the German national team seriously underperforming, while publicly criticising his players, for no reason at all. The dude is the most overrated manager in all of Europe. Stay clear from him.
I am not a Nagelsman fan and am not sure he will be successful at United, but "has achieved nothing of note"? SERIOUSLY?????

Winning Bundesliga with Bayern, and finishing second with fecking Leipzig is "nothing"? He also regularly performed far better in Champions League than ANY of our managers since Sir Alex.
 
So experience isn’t important then?

A Club like Utd who claim to be one of the world’s biggest should be shopping in a pool of Enrique, Nagelsman, Conte etc.
Where did I say that experience isn't important, also what if none of those are available right now. I also think @Mmm-Qatarian makes a very valid point about the fact he has the trust and respect of players. Would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about how he will juggle multiple competitions next season. So what happens if those managers you mention don't get that same buy in as Carrick?
 
I am not a Nagelsman fan and am not sure he will be successful at United, but "has achieved nothing of note"? SERIOUSLY?????

Winning Bundesliga with Bayern, and finishing second with fecking Leipzig is "nothing"? He also regularly performed far better in Champions League than ANY of our managers since Sir Alex.
You think winning the league with us is a huge achievement? That’s the bare minimum. The important thing is how you do it. Otherwise, you should consider Niko Kovac as your next manager.

His performance in the CL ist the main reason for my issues with him. He lost a quarter finale to fecking Villarreal.
 
A part of me is tempted to see us trying to hijack Real Madrid for Mourinho. The meltdown on CAF would be quite something in that case… :lol:

Hell no, Mourinho is a toxic human and always disrespects his clubs to save face. He is past it and his football is ugly, there is a reason he has been progressively dropping down the pyramid. Perez taking him back to Real is a sign of senility, not an inspired move.
 
Hell no, Mourinho is a toxic human and always disrespects his clubs to save face. He is past it and his football is ugly, there is a reason he has been progressively dropping down the pyramid. Perez taking him back to Real is a sign of senility, not an inspired move.
Could be an inspired move. A cnut is just what those players need.
 
Could be an inspired move. A cnut is just what those players need.
A cnut like Mourinho is exactly what we don't need, he's not exactly a fan of youth development, we have a crop of decent looking prospects that would never see the light of day except in an emergency, Mourinho isn't ans should never have been a Manchester United manager, he doesn't fit the ethos of the club and never has
 
A cnut like Mourinho is exactly what we don't need, he's not exactly a fan of youth development, we have a crop of decent looking prospects that would never see the light of day except in an emergency, Mourinho isn't ans should never have been a Manchester United manager, he doesn't fit the ethos of the club and never has
We was talking about Real Madrid, relax mon. I agree he was totally the wrong appointment and I stopped following MU for a while.
 
You think winning the league with us is a huge achievement? That’s the bare minimum. The important thing is how you do it. Otherwise, you should consider Niko Kovac as your next manager.

His performance in the CL ist the main reason for my issues with him. He lost a quarter finale to fecking Villarreal.
Sir Alex's United has been knocked out of UCL by:

1. Galatasaray (93-94)
2. AS Monaco (97-98)
3. Bayer Leverkusen (01-02)

Losing to Villarral is not worse than any of those. Sir Alex must also have been a bad manager, huh?

Again, I don't even like Nagelsman much, but saying that he has not achieved anything of note or being worried because of one loss in a knockout competition is not a serious talk
 
Sir Alex's United has been knocked out of UCL by:

1. Galatasaray (93-94)
2. AS Monaco (97-98)
3. Bayer Leverkusen (01-02)

Losing to Villarral is not worse than any of those. Sir Alex must also have been a bad manager, huh?

Again, I don't even like Nagelsman much, but saying that he has not achieved anything of note or being worried because of one loss in a knockout competition is not a serious talk

You aren’t naming any achievements that are in any way meaningful. Winning the league with Bayern isn’t meaningful. It only is, if you do it in style and perform well in other competitions. Nagelsmann has not done that. He has not won the cup once and has not performed with Bayern in the champions league. It’s absurd to pretend that those are notable achievements.
 
We was talking about Real Madrid, relax mon. I agree he was totally the wrong appointment and I stopped following MU for a while.
Ah that wasn't clear, Real Madrid, don't give a feck about them so they can have him!
 
Would people be more in favour of Iraola if he secured Bournemouth CL football? That would be some achievement. I think Carrick will most likely get it now we’ve secured CL ourselves but I think INEOS shouldn’t be too hasty and instead wait until the end of the season and see what happens before making a decision. I’ll obviously be buzzing for Carrick if he does land the job and hope he smashes it despite having a few concerns.
 
Would people be more in favour of Iraola if he secured Bournemouth CL football? That would be some achievement. I think Carrick will most likely get it now we’ve secured CL ourselves but I think INEOS shouldn’t be too hasty and instead wait until the end of the season and see what happens before making a decision. I’ll obviously be buzzing for Carrick if he does land the job and hope he smashes it despite having a few concerns.
Think we should start talking to other managers this week as well as Carrick, and make a decision pretty soon, so we can plan for next season early as it’s not going to be easy with a World Cup this year.