Middlesbrough owner Steve Gibson has a decision to make regarding Michael Carrick’s future.
Middlesbrough fans are far from unified in their views on Michael Carrick’s future as Boro manager, according to a snap poll on Teesside Live since Saturday.
Boro fell out on their season aim of making the Championship play-offs after losing 2-0 at Coventry City on the final day of the season. Despite starting the day in ninth place and finishing as low as tenth, they would have advanced to the playoffs if they had won the game at CBS Arena.
As it turned out, the last day encapsulated many of the issues that had plagued Boro throughout the season. While struggling to produce and score at one end, they gifted a soft goal at the other, giving Frank Lampard’s team motivation to score a late second goal on the break and win the victory and a play-off position.
It remains to be seen whether Boro will stick with or change their head coach. Steve Gibson supported Carrick when he was under pressure in February, and it’s well known how much the Boro chairman admires and values his current coach. But he now needs to decide whether to give the Manchester United icon a fourth chance to get Boro into the Premier League.
There has understandably been a lot of speculation about the head coach’s future after Saturday’s defeat ended the season. You’d be excused for thinking that there’s a clear majority in favour of Boro taking a different way next season, but polling on Teesside Live after Saturday’s setback says otherwise.
With nearly 4,000 votes in our snap poll asking if Carrick was still the appropriate man to head Boro next season, a 68% majority answered they thought it was time for a change. However, 32% still supported Carrick and gave him another chance.
Of course, there was intense emotion in the aftermath of a seventh season without promotion to the Premier League, as well as justifiable dissatisfaction with how the season had gone overall. However, when deciding whether or not to allow Carrick to continue, mitigating reasons will be considered in his favour.
For example, he has constantly lost at least one significant player in each of his previous seasons with the club, most recently losing star striker Emmanuel Latte Lath in the January transfer window. That followed a club-record bid from Atlanta United, which Boro were unable to turn down given the current financial climate. The fact that Carrick understands the club’s model and direction will work in his favour.
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