The question is, who is pulling the strings at this club now, if it's a commitee model ,you know what that leads to ,division, different ideas, leading to obvious disagreements , it happens whether you like it or not.
The U21 team is third from bottom in their league, I've seen them and let me say they are atrocious, so there's nothing to call on there .
The squad is unbalanced , five LB if you count the young lad, No RB up to standard, three right wingers , one LW, one No 10 in poor form, No CF you can pin your hat on, four goalies,
If Carrick did sign off on this, then he has to go , it's nonsensical, I don't believe he did on many of them, and I think this as happened in the past to other of our managers,
This was supposed to stop ,a less guessing game with Scott, but as it.
Are some players waiting to get away ,have they been tapped, you know Hackney as, maybe RVB, Mcrgee is a strange one, Carrick plays him on the left when his best position is a 10 this allows him autonomy to drift around,is he fed up,people blaming Edmondson, the guy as no help , the full backs don't know the meaning of defense, the two in front, lost when out of possession, the front players standing around, what's this love of Burszhog, 6-2 soft as a teddy bear,
We have team of players, with no guts, yes all super stars in training, but come kick off time ,hide when the going gets tough.
They might win the odd game going forward , just to take the heat off , fact is they are in relegation form.
Some big decisions going forward, we hope somehow this nightmare will end, it has to
Cooper is just another Gary Monk , a media narrative
I'm not convinced that Neil Warnock and Michael Carrick is a match made in heaven and also probably not something Carrick would probably want in having such a forceful character around.
Although, I do think the loss of Aaron Danks to Bayern Munich has had an impact - the fact that he went to a top European team probably says it all. His replacement was Michael Carrick's brother, Graeme, who was previously coaching Newcastle under 18's.
There was an article in the Echo at the time explaining the decision - which was seemingly based on the idea that he would form a link to bring through academy players into the first team. Despite another injury crisis, I've seen no evidence of this strategy being remotely successful and indeed quite the opposite as youngsters have been sent out on loan, sold or merely sitting on the bench.
So not sure if having just his brother or Woody as the sounding board will challenge the thinking too much. Though, it's probably a bit late in the day now to consider a coaching reshuffle as nothing will change in the next three games unless the results go badly - in which case it really will be too late to rescue the season and expect anyone new to make up a likely 9 point gap with ten games left.
No it's basically now up to Carrick to save the season in what remains of it and only wins will change matters in the next 3 games. At least the next game at the Riverside is once again against the worst-performing team in the Championship in Derby - Boro are of course the 4th worst performing team now so not cause for celebration.
I agree that Warnock and Carrick would not work as a partnership.
Perhaps McClaren and Carrick would ???
A strong rumour gathering pace on Teesside is that Carrick tried to hand his notice in last week but Gibson refused to accept it.
The other thing of some merit is that Carrick has recently signed a 2 year extension to his contract!
OFB
Dont like Cooper !
@original-fat-bob I’ve always thought that the refusal of a resignation isn’t possible. The active person in that discussion is the one handing in his notice of resignation - if he hands over a letter saying he’s resigning and terminating his contract, there’s not really anything the other person can do, apart from asking them to reconsider. They can’t refuse to accept it.
@original-fat-bob. I thought he signed a new three year contract in the summer.
So are you saying he is sitting on a four year contract?
@pedro I wonder how many Championship managers have ever got to the end of a 4 year contract. There can’t be many.
There is no reliable source to back up “Carrick tried to resign”, I also agree with Martin Bellamy that if Carrick wanted to resign there is nothing Gibson could do about it. Also as Pedro de Espana said Carrick signed a new 3 year contract in the summer, which if I remember correctly was widely applauded by nearly (if not) everyone on this site. An article in today’s Teesside Live reports that Carrick has the backing of Steve Gibson and he will be in charge for the Bristol game on Friday. As for the rumours about Steve Cooper about to replace Carrick, not only has MFC denied looking at replacement managers but Cooper, himself, has stated he is not looking for any job at the moment after only being sacked 12 weeks ago and is taking time out of the game for the near future. Sorry to disappoint some people but I don’t repeat things posted on other message boards written by people using crayons. I personally think Micheal Carrick will still be the manager come the end of the season, what happens after that will depend on the next 14 results.
Come on BORO.
I still have plenty of faith in Carrick and think that the main issues lie elsewhere but I accept that he's not doing himself too many favours at the moment by going all Ange Postecoglou and doubling down on imbalanced tactics. I don't think he even needs to do anything drastic, just a few tweaks could make all the difference.
Lots of Boro fans including plenty on here see playing out from the back as the problem but, whilst we need to be much better at it, I don't really agree overall.. I think those mistakes, when leading to goals, tend to stick in the memory more vividly as they appear so obviously avoidable. For me though, it's the issue of being caught in transition that has long been the defensive issue under both Carrick and Wilder before him.
When we lose the ball up-field, we've often so committed to overloading that we're completely exposed at the back and most Championship sides are capable of punishing that at least once in ninety minutes.
Take Hayden Hackney's brilliant equaliser against Sunderland as an interesting example. A great goal - Boro pressing high with intensity and winning the ball back 25-30yards from Sunderland's goal, then Hackney with a terrific 20yard strike. Fantastic but hang on, it was Aiden Morris who won the ball just 25-30yards from Sunderland's goal and he squared it to his partner Hackney for the strike. That's our two deep-lying midfielders who, positionally at least, offer some protection to the back four, that are chasing about within shooting distance of the opposition's goal WITHOUT the ball. What happens if Morris doesn't make that tackle? What happens if he doesn't get the sideways pass to Hackney away or it's intercepted? Well, we know what happens don't we? They have a free run at our back four and we have to keep our fingers crossed that the ball doesn't end up in the back of our net instead of theirs.
There's risk and reward in this game but this is a footballing version of Russian roulette at times and it's not an isolated incident. I'm all for passing, attack-minded football but we need to get the balance right.
Of late, Carrick seems to have tweaked things a bit, with both fullbacks pushing on at times and Morris dropping back into almost a back three. However, that still leaves SEVEN players going forward and just three holding the fort (and even then, sometimes Morris pops up to support attacks!).We need to reign it in a bit.
When attacking, most of the country's top sides are leaving three defenders back with two screening them in front. Surely we can do the same? Giles is probably the one defender to push forward into a winger position but then the right back has to stay at home with the centre-backs to form that back three, and Hackney has to sit in alongside Morris to protect them. We won't overload as much and will have to work harder and smarter to create but at least we won't be wide open to the counter a half a dozen times a game (or more).
@gt - Difficult to disagree with that (your post of 4.48am). It would be interesting if we had the answer as to who made the decisions on the various acquisitions and sales (and maybe it's not the same person in all cases).
@martin-bellamy - I agree but I suppose the Boss could spend some time trying to persuade the resigning manager that he still has faith (if he does), spend some time explaining his vision/hopes and asking what he could provide that would enable the manager to satisfy the vision/hopes. Obviously not £75M to buy players in because that's impossible outside the transfer window (although some out of contract players might still be available), but maybe some other support and a general expression of confidence and an indication of the timescale considered acceptable to achieve the target. If the manager is persuaded by the Boss, he'll say he's happy to stay. If the manager still wants to go, he'll go.
@andy-r - Fair comment and a good analysis. It's probably very rarely ONE thing that causes a defeat (or even a single a goal conceded). It's often a series of mistakes - someone making the wrong choice for the position in which he finds himself and then being punished for it, failing to see the right pass but ending up passing to a colleague who is then under pressure, a missed tackle, a bad touch, a slip. And that is to ingore individual touches of skill or even brilliance by the opposing player. At present Boro could really do with several things going RIGHT in a game.
@andy-r An excellent piece on our problems. We need a distroyer like George Boateng or Grant Leadbitter in midfield. Or at least the two midfielders must hold back a bit.
But as said, we might need a little tweak or two. At least Leadbitter is there to coach and teach our boys. Up the Boro!
Do football managers resign these days and lose out on compensation? might be the odd one and probably if they've got something else lined up. It would quite rash to say I've had enough and walk out and I suspect their agent would be even more upset!
Exactly, mate. At least two - often three - mistakes are needed for a goal. Except for a absolute world class strike out of nothing. But yes, a couple of mistakes ususally leads to a goal in the Championship.@andy-r - Fair comment and a good analysis. It's probably very rarely ONE thing that causes a defeat (or even a single a goal conceded). It's often a series of mistakes - someone making the wrong choice for the position in which he finds himself and then being punished for it, failing to see the right pass but ending up passing to a colleague who is then under pressure, a missed tackle, a bad touch, a slip. And that is to ingore individual touches of skill or even brilliance by the opposing player. At present Boro could really do with several things going RIGHT in a game.
Up the Boro!
Absolutely love this. A mural unveiled at Riverside for Ehiogu and Bamba.
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2025/february/17/new-mur/
In what corner of the ground these are exactly? Looking forward to seeing the painting when there around Easter 2025. Up the Boro!
@forever-dormo Which is exactly what I said in my post. No one can refuse to accept a resignation, but they can try to persuade the resignee to withdraw their resignation.
So no resignation just the dreaded vote of confidence, if next two-way games are as poor as pompey and pne how can he survive
I don't think he'll leave before the summer, because if it did go badly in the next three games it's too late then to make any difference and what would be the point of seeking somebody new to work with lots of players who'll be gone in the summer. Besides it then limits the options in finding someone not under contract with another club unless Steve Gibson wants to pay double compensation for the outgoing coaches and new incoming.
I imagine there'll be a review in the summer and the most probable outcome is that Carrick will be in charge for the start of next season with maybe a backroom staff reshuffle and a complete team rebuild (again).
Just for something different.
I see Akpom has scored two in two for Liile since his move there.
I also see that Hamilton is not getting too much game time at Stockport. Although they are doing well, so “do not change a winning team”
Silvera at Blackpool getting some game time, but I don’t see a future for him at MFC.
I don't think he'll leave before the summer, because if it did go badly in the next three games it's too late then to make any difference and what would be the point of seeking somebody new to work with lots of players who'll be gone in the summer. Besides it then limits the options in finding someone not under contract with another club unless Steve Gibson wants to pay double compensation for the outgoing coaches and new incoming.
I imagine there'll be a review in the summer and the most probable outcome is that Carrick will be in charge for the start of next season with maybe a backroom staff reshuffle and a complete team rebuild (again).
Given how toxic the home games could become if we keep losing something will have to be done and it's that fun renewal time of year.
Great post, Andy.
I agree with you about playing out from the back. I'm as capable as the next person of getting nervous when our goalie and back four are faffing around in the danger area, but I can't actually remember the last time it all went pear-shaped and cost us a goal. It certainly hasn't been as costly as our getting caught out in transition, as you say, or the chronic weakness of our various left-backs to defend, or individual errors of the kind that a coach cannot be responsible for.
One of the interesting features of the latter for me is that so many of these mistakes have arisen from our areas of strength.
A few random examples:
Jones's scuffed pass-back against Derby has to be set against the fact that he had been outstandingly good over the last couple of seasons in the role of last ditch defender when our big central defenders have gone up for a corner. I've lost count of the times he used his pace to get us out of trouble, often having to face two on one situations which he invariably handled like a latter day Colin Todd
Two of our most reliably solid defenders from last season, Clarke and Dieng unaccountably colliding to present Pompey with a tap-in goal
Conway, producing a brilliant two goal first half performance against Norwich, then missing the easiest chance of all, a horrible penalty. Instead of finishing the game at 1-4 the miss completely transformed the crowd and the Norwich team to earn them a 3-3 draw.
Morris, outstanding all season, unaccountably dribbling the ball back into his own penalty area in the recent Pompey debacle.
I could go on, but these are these are less errors that could have been foreseen or are likely to be repeated than concerning players and situations where we have actually shown to be particularly strong. Situations that a coach, standing on the sidelines, can do very little about.
Every player and every team in every sport goes through a patch that the Boro are now experiencing, where confidence is low and little seems to be going right. An enduring principle in such situations is to go back to basics. Stick to the knitting. Recognise where your strengths are, where you feel most comfortable and make sure that you are still capable of doing the simple things to the best of your ability.
It's in that respect that Andy's post is most timely and relevant.
@lenmasterman A very good comment but a horrible trip down memory lane.
Fortunately my memory is not as good as yours!
Chris
44 points gets you relegated
Birmingham went down with 50
Everyone confident now
Knowing Gibsons and his thinking and his history , it wouldn't surprise me, if he gave the job to Johnny Howson,
I'm confident Boro will have at least 50 points by 5pm on 1st March as I'm not imagining there will be no reaction from the players in the coming weeks and then hopefully Doak will be back and new players will have settled in. The winter of discontent is nearly over...
44 points gets you relegated
Birmingham went down with 50
Everyone confident now
Knowing Gibsons and his thinking and his history , it wouldn't surprise me, if he gave the job to Johnny Howson,
Are you for trying to suggest that SG should go? Would you rather he sold? I do personally recall quite a few good things in his history - saving the club is probably at the top of that list.
A little tongue in cheek, but I've seen some crazy things happen, didn't we go down with an all star team, Junno,Ravanelli, Emerson,
The season when we went down on the last day, falling into the bottom three for the first time all season.
Right now teams below us are putting a fight up,
We have five winnable games coming up, it's vital we turn it around now
I love spreadsheets me. Like everybody else, I've been trying to figure out who let all of the air out of our balloon when it seemed to be floating along quite nicely, albeit with the occasional bounce along the ground.p
Good point, Peter.
I think, however, that it confirms my own minority view that, in spite of the current turbulence, after Steve Gibson, Michael Carrick remains the Boro's most valuable asset.
Without Carrick there would have been no Ben Doak on which, as you demonstrate our hopes of a top six finish have always depended
No Morgan Whittaker either according to his statement last week.
Carrick has been and continues to be the major magnet for all of our signings and loanees since his arrival.
And remember Chuba Akpom described him as the coach he had been looking for throughout his career, whilst Morgan Rogers paid him a similar tribute before his England debut. His reputation for improving players remains second to none.
As far as I am aware no one has ever been attracted to play for the Boro because they wished to experience the charisma of Kieran Scott