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Carrick Out?


Interesting take.

I watched that and didn't agree much at all with it honestly. Usually I do broadly agree with him but for a guy that goes on about how much the manager dictates and elevates teams, he didn't really talk much about Carricks role in all this or the fact last season was a fluke and that Carrick hasn't at any point added value or tactical value to this side.

I don't disagree that we have issues with the squad and injuries are making it worse but Carrick isn't doing anything to help.
 
If we don't change the manager though, there is a pretty good chance we get relegated this season under Carrick. He is that bad. Which would you rather? A temporary fix that might explode in 18 months or sticking with the current mess that could see us fighting to stay in the league?
You may be one point above the relegation zone but 8 matches played and you're just 6 points off a European spot.
 

Creating a system that gets the best out of what he does have. Motivating the players. Something? I'm not sure quite what you think I am going to say here. Do you genuinely believe that Carrick is a good manager? If you don't then surely you think that a better manager would be doing a better job.

You may be one point above the relegation zone but 8 matches played and you're just 6 points off a European spot.

Which is why we need to change manager now before its 15 points off a European spot and we're in the relegation zone which will probably be the case if hes here until Christmas or even earlier honestly.
 
I watched that and didn't agree much at all with it honestly. Usually I do broadly agree with him but for a guy that goes on about how much the manager dictates and elevates teams, he didn't really talk much about Carricks role in all this or the fact last season was a fluke and that Carrick hasn't at any point added value or tactical value to this side.

I don't disagree that we have issues with the squad and injuries are making it worse but Carrick isn't doing anything to help.
Don't you agree that it's a misfit group of players and there's a Caesemiro shaped hole?
 
Don't you agree that it's a misfit group of players and there's a Caesemiro shaped hole?

Yes, its a misfit group of players and there is a Casemiro shaped hole. Theres a Casemiro shaped hole that has 3 players to fill it.

Do Villa not have a Rogers, Konsa, Watkins, Tielemans, Malen, Digne, Emi Martinez, Bailey shaped hole to fill? Is Emery languishing near the bottom of the table churning out awful performances week after week. Did he struggle at the start of the season but has worked out how to get his new players flourishing and has he adapted to half his team leaving last season? Of course he has because hes a good manager.

The point is that it is literally a managers job to find solutions to squad issues, injuries, tactical weaknesses. Do genuinely think that a better manager wouldn't be doing better with these players?
 
Looking forward to a rousing press conference from Carrick.

I'm sure we will hear about DNA, working hard, turning things around, lines drawn under things.
 
Creating a system that gets the best out of what he does have. Motivating the players. Something? I'm not sure quite what you think I am going to say here. Do you genuinely believe that Carrick is a good manager? If you don't then surely you think that a better manager would be doing a better job.
I honestly don't know if he's a "good" manager or not. Like you I wasn't for him getting the job but ultimately you have to agree that he did a good job as interim. Does that make him a "good" manager? Was his performance at Middlesborough "good"? Arguably is was good enough to get him 2.5 seasons, narrowly missing out on promotion. His win rate was 47^ which is above the average for the Championship where its closer to 41%. In the Premier League His Premier League win rate is Upper Tier according to AI.

I guess the point I'm making is that objectively I just don't know if he's good or not. I'm pretty confident he's not elite but is he better than 16th? If he was that bad then we don't finish 3rd last season. I think his system is unconvincing but I can sort of see the idea and we have seen the odd moment of intricate passing interplay but its inconsistent and seems directly correlated with the inconsistency in the line up. Implementing a new play style always takes time. Its a cultural as well as tactical reset and that can't happen quickly. Arsenal helped Arteta get rid of Ozil, Aubameyang, Sanchez etc as they couldnt facilitate his vision. United have half arsed support for successive coaches and have no clear gamestyle set from above.

The natural reaction is for us to pin it all on the coach but I think it takes the pressure off the ownership and its them that are mostly to blame.

What could Carrick do differently?
As an armchair observer I'd be inclined to switch to a 3 in midfield and not have a free role for Fernandes. I think it makes you more solid and disciplined defensively and allows a midfielder to more easily join the attack. Our midfield does not score goals. It does not get into goalscoring positions. That to me better suits his game idea. Other than that I'd probably be making subs eaelier in games, giving Lacey more minutes and stop playing Cunha as a striker. He's short on options though due to the squad and injuries.

Every coach makes mistakes and asking Mason Mount to mark Nico Paz seems an obvious one but look at the individual errors that we are seeing. Is that all down to Carrick.

I don't warm to him, I didn't as a player as I thought he was a bit timid but I don't know if hes a good coach or not on the body of work I've seen.
 
Looking forward to a rousing press conference from Carrick.

I'm sure we will hear about DNA, working hard, turning things around, lines drawn under things.
Be nice if he drew a line on a tactics board occasionally.

I don't warm to him, I didn't as a player as I thought he was a bit timid but I don't know if hes a good coach or not on the body of work I've seen.
Id argue if you’re not sure, then there’s your answer. He’s not.
 
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Yes, its a misfit group of players and there is a Casemiro shaped hole. Theres a Casemiro shaped hole that has 3 players to fill it.

Do Villa not have a Rogers, Konsa, Watkins, Tielemans, Malen, Digne, Emi Martinez, Bailey shaped hole to fill? Is Emery languishing near the bottom of the table churning out awful performances week after week. Did he struggle at the start of the season but has worked out how to get his new players flourishing and has he adapted to half his team leaving last season? Of course he has because hes a good manager.

The point is that it is literally a managers job to find solutions to squad issues, injuries, tactical weaknesses. Do genuinely think that a better manager wouldn't be doing better with these players?
How long has he been at Villa for now though? He knows the players and has surely shaped the squad to his style? He also probably sanctioned sales? Will they do as well by the end of the season? Is the club stable?

Point being, I don't think it's that simple. I don't think Carrick is long term though, we can all agree on that.
 
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How long has he been at Villa for now though? He knows the players and has surely shaped the squad to his style? He also probably sanctioned sales? Will they do as well by the end of the season? Is the club stable?

Hes been there since 2021. Its hard to say that he knows the players and has shaped the squad to his style when Villa sold at least 7 of his first team last Summer. I doubt he sanctioned many of those sales either. Villa are just a club that is in the selling group of clubs. And I would wager that by the end of the season they will be doing similarly well to last season.

Point being, I don't think it's that simple.

Its not that simple but its also not that complicated. Hes a good manager. Good managers add value to their team.
 
The players need a disciplinarian who the owners back. It no coincidence the last time they had reasonable success was after Jose had beaten them into shape and then ole took over to put some fun back. Effectively ole rode the coat tails of what Jose had instilled into them until the do what you want and have fun attitude became too much and they forgot what was drilled into the team/players.
 
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This is quite an interesting point that I hadn't considered. Basically hes saying that Martinez's comments have put a lot of heat and shone a light on the failures of Wilcox far more than perhaps simply being the guy who was having to sack another manager he hired would have done. That makes his position really hard going forwards when he is doing interviews with prospective players/managers who will basically think "this in the clown whose own players are calling him out publicly and who has made an absolute mess of things and who will be the guy I am working under".

That being said, this is United, abject failure is not a reason for getting rid of anyone it seems.
 

Interesting take.

I thought is was decent video I was saying about Casemiro needed to be replaced back in May for the summer truth is we really havnt.

He does say about Carrick and has to take some blame he says at 4:49 that on the manager.

Also mentions how we won a lot of points from set plays last season and getting on the end was Casemiro we dont have them goals anymore.
 

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I can't say I understand people who are still wondering whether Carrick is a good coach or not. If you ignore his name and look at his credentials, he looks like a Championship level manager, fairly early in his career, who ultimately struggled at his first job at Boro. Obviously his interim spell balances that a little bit, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest we were over-performing and got a bit fortunate. Solskjaer also did well under similar circumstances, is he suddenly now a great manager? Nope.

Most, if not all managers will have had good spells in their careers, it's how you build on it long term. Lampard is a good example, an esteemed midfielder turned manager - he had the opportunity at Chelsea and struggled, but has since done things the right way by proving himself at a lower level first.

There is a case to be made that it's good having an ex-player who knows the club, and in an ideal world it would be great if Carrick turned out to be an elite manager, but I just don't see it... I don't see how anyone can.

It's also true that the people above Carrick are failing miserably as well - that much is obvious. The Chelsea game will be fascinating at least.
 
Having been busy with family stuff for a few days... I just don't see what "giving him more time" is going to acheieve.

Whilst it's not directly his fault - Sesko out for months is another blow for United - Playing the Mbeumo up top for the next 2/3 months isn't going to achieve anything.

I just think if we get pumped from Chelsea on Saturday - all the pressure is back on Carrick/Wilcox/etc - Same discussion again....

I just don't see where a win, hell even a draw, is coming from in the next 3 games before the break....

I can see us conceding 8-10 goals in next 3 games and scoring maybe 1.... It's ridiculously bleak at the moment and Carrick is miles out his depth. He should have been sacked last week but clearly we have zero back up plan for a new manager.....
 
I just don't see what "giving him more time" is going to acheieve.

I think the reality is that they don't think there is a popsicles chance in hell anything is going to meaningfully change for Carrick with more time. They took a punt on the hope that Carrick would somehow keep his insane results from last season up or at least not have a large drop off but their ineptitude means that seemingly didn't understand just quite how large that over performance was and how fragile it was.

We've literally lost 3 key players to that run in Shaw, Casemiro and Sesko and coupled with a few other situational changes, unsurprisingly its fallen to pieces. He will be replaced. We know that. They know that. The question is just "why hasn't it happened yet".

The answer I imagine sits somewhere in amongst:
  • Wilcox is responsible for a mess of recruitment and managerial appointments and alongside Martinez's comments a few weeks back his position is probably untenable when Carrick gets the sack so he is trying to role the dice one more time. Who knows if Wilcox wanted Carrick at the end of last season or if the likes of Barada and Jim overruled him. Either way there is a lot of heat on him and who in their right mind would trust him to drive club direction in playing staff or manager?
  • They can't find a manager that all the people responsible for choosing can agree on.
  • The manager they want might simply not want to come to United until the international break/January/before the heat death of the universe.
  • The club might want Howe and be haggling over compensation (stupid because every game we lose, loses us money in PL places and if we go out of the CL early...)
  • The next manager might be after assurances on spending in January and the club can't give it. This I can understand from both perspectives. Buying in January is bloody hard and promising a manager reinforcements when you have nothing planned and limited funds in general is crazy. What LB and CF are actually gettable, going to be good first XI standard and not cost the earth?
I don't buy the ******** about the fans making management think that the supporters back Carrick as manager. They know it was a sendoff for a manager that was guaranteed to be sacked (if we weren't run by clowns). Despite apparently running an in depth manager search last season (of which Carrick was apparently part of) they somehow don't have a clue who to bring in now. Its quite exceptional mismanagement. Quite exceptional.
 
Was just curious to see how Obi has been getting with his loan move. Turns out he's just been bench-warming and getting the odd minute.

What a total and utter waste of time. Better have him getting some time off the bench in the PL given we're crying out for a 9.
 
Was just curious to see how Obi has been getting with his loan move. Turns out he's just been bench-warming and getting the odd minute.

What a total and utter waste of time. Better have him getting some time off the bench in the PL given we're crying out for a 9.

I would say that hes clearly not good enough currently. Never looked like he was ready when he did get some game time for us and the fact hes not playing on loan isn't a ringing endorsement that we should be giving him game time here.
 
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