R o d - M c C a i n ⭐️⭐️⭐️

⏰️05: GOOAAAALLLL! Blues take an early lead through Matthew Fitzpatrick at close range. Great play from Kitt Nelson down the left to carve out the chance. 🔵BAL 0-1 LIN🟣 #COYB #AFJ

It is a sad reflection of modern football that the man who cares most about Manchester United, who will loyally, diligently again go into Carrington today to try and tackle the mess, is the one being eased out by those gathering in Monaco and via a link to Florida who don’t truly have United in their heart. Those who are primarily responsible for the mess. Michael Carrick will leave the club sooner or later but the club will never leave him. United mean too much to him. He gave everything for the team in 464 games. His son plays for their academy. Being United head coach is not simply a job for Carrick, it's an honour he feels deeply proud of. The manager who last season masterminded home wins over Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool and away triumphs at Arsenal, Chelsea and Brighton has undoubtedly made mistakes this season. Diogo Dalot at left-back, not bringing Shea Lacey on earlier, etc. The poor run, and tumble into the relegation positions, inevitably means his job is on the line. It is possible to understand why Carrick should lose his job but also why others should be held accountable, too. The decision on Carrick would be more palatable if it weren’t being formulated and then executed by Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the loathed Glazers. What good have they done to this great club? Debts and decline, holes in the roof and in the squad. Carrick’s contribution to the history of Manchester United is substantial and his legacy secure – winning five titles and taking responsibility for a penalty in the 2008 shootout that helped win the Champions League. At the very least, Carrick deserves to be treated with far more respect than is currently being shown to a dignified, hard-working individual as the clock ticks down on his departure. His exit is being handled appallingly by the club. Red man walking. At least United fans are showing all the class their board lacks. The Stretford End sings Carrick’s name because they know he is not the real problem. It will be no surprise in weeks to come to spot Carrick standing, hood up, with United fans at an away game. They will welcome him warmly. He’s done it before, being a fan again. Carrick loves the club. He has ever since he was an apprentice at West Ham United, charged with keeping the away dressing-room tidy, and admiring how Alex Ferguson and his smartly-dressed collection of winners strode into the Boleyn Ground. They had an aura, and Carrick wanted to be part of that. Carrick will leave the club physically, dismissed as much for the failings of underperforming players, those incompetents in charge of recruitment and the unpopular owners, as for his own undoubted mistakes. But Carrick will never leave United emotionally. It's sad that someone who cares so much will go, and those who don't care as much remain. #MUFC

When Michael Carrick goes, should the director of football Jason Wilcox go as well? Was he over-promoted when Dan Ashworth left? Ashworth was “best in class”, very experienced. Wilcox wasn’t/isn't "best in class". Recruitment has been a mess, namely the transfer strategy of targeting one area, midfield, this summer. So naive. Some strengthening required with Casemiro gone and Ugarte injured/not good enough but the team were crying out for investment at left-back and striker. £50m for Andrey Santos? United are not buying best in class. DoF should be working to a club’s DNA. United’s historic identity is well-known: attacking with pace, width, intensity, expression, defiance and the dash of youth. Playing football the Matt Busby way, the Alex Ferguson way. Those days are long gone, United don't have anywhere near the quality of player or manager, but attempting to follow principles laid down by Busby and Ferguson, which fans crave, should be Wilcox's stated ambition. But Wilcox hasn’t recruited to restore that DNA. Properly-run football operations like Brighton sell players/change coaches but have an established DNA and way of playing (attacking, pressing). Brighton have best in class recruitment, data with due diligence into character. United don't. Carrick can go but the problem remains. Reports suggest that United pursue Mauricio Pochettino as Carrick’s successor. Good choice. He’s a very good manager, man-manager, great with the media (coffees and chats in London with journos he knows), diplomatic with those upstairs and popular amongst staff. Poch would have a short-term bounce but will he have the players? United's problem is short-term and long-term, and Wilcox has to take responsibility for that. United will remain stuck in a doom cycle until best in class is appointed to run recruitment and better players - with the right character - are bought. United will continue to drift until the debilitating, debt-stained ownership model changes, and they get back to being a great football club first and foremost with the whole commercial operation supporting that, not interest repayments. #MUFC

⚽️How nothing indicates that Emry would improve United, nothing… 🔺I am no fan of Wilcox and Berrada and was against Carrick being appointed — but NONE of them are accountable for this mess. None. This is not to say that they are without fault. But it is the Glazers and Ineos who are created this mess and nothing will change before they change. 🔺There has been a lot of talk about Unai Emry. There is NOTHING indicating that Emry would raise the floor for this team, nothing. Villa is never good when they don’t have a strong XI on the pitch. Tyrone Mings is a player like Maguire who shouldn’t be starting games in the PL in 2026. After watching Villa suck due to him, I went and checked how they have performed with Mings on the pitch. The last two seasons Mings have started 25 games for Emry in the PL — and Villa have won 5. That is relegation form. Emery wins 5 of 25 when he starts Mings. How about Victor Lindelof? When Emry has to start Lindelof, he has won 8 of 20 games. That gives them a form that ranks ~13-15 in the PL. With Konza? Won 18 of 33. Good enough for 4th. Pau Torres-Konza was even better. I would bet my right arm that Emery managing United this season with Heaven-Maguire at CB and Dalot at LB would never finish above at best ~12th. When he have to play either Mings or Lindelof (at CB) — Villa creates next to nothing and gives up a ton of goals. This started in 23/24 when they went unbeaten with Konza-Torres. In 24/25 — they had a 65% win rate with them, 40% win rate with only one of them and 25% win rate (relegation form) with none of them. Who would have thought — a manager in the PL needs good players to have his team performing well. 🔺It is a mystery to me that some think that this team would get the job done with a better manager or a better DoF, CEO or whatever. It’s not Wilcox who sets the budget. Going into every single season, this team has absurdly big holes on the squad. No manager can get the job done with a struggling team with no identity and absurdly big holes on the squad.