Michael Carrick - Middlesbrough Manager

4 consecutive loses for him now. What's going on?
He's a dead man walking unfortunately. They sold his best players for big money almost every transfer window (Akpom, Morgan Rogers, now Latte Lath), replacing with loans and hidden gems. With such a constant squad turnover (due to injuries too), he's done remarkably well. This window however their luck with hidden gems ran out, the replacements (mostly loans) for the players they sold are looking unfit and disinterested.

He's definitely too stubborn though. Should have changed the system to fit lesser quality players. Sticking to pretty football when you have unfit and less talented players is suicide. Almost all the goals they concede are self-inflicted from passing out from the back and terrible defending.

Still, he's the longest serving current Championship manager. Everyone's seen his attractive football and what he could do with good players. Everyone's seen how he developed players very quickly to be sold for a big profit. He might do a Kompany and get even a better job after getting the sack.
 
Last edited:
He's definitely too stubborn though. Should have changed the system to fit lesser quality players. Sticking to pretty football when you have unfit and less talented players is suicide. Almost all the goals they concede are self-inflicted from passing out from the back and terrible defending.

This is officially the laziest football cliche on the British Isles.

I've watched the highlights of all the Championship games they've played this year (8). In this period they've conceded 12 goals and scored 9 goals. Their W-D-L record is 1-2-5 in this period.

2 goals was due to a defender being cute with the ball at the back
2 goals was due to the ball being lost in possession in midfield, and an attacker winning the offside battle against a high line
8 goals were conceded in regular or dead ball phases of play, some involving keeper error.

Even in their rut, most of their goals are not "self inflicted". And what system can Carrick switch to halfway through a busy season that would improve results?