Manchester United's treatment of Michael Carrick is an absolute disgrace and shows a total lack of respect for a man who has given absolutely everything to a once-great football club, according to Archie Griggs. For all his failures as a manager, the 45-year-old is a commendable human being who wears his heart on his sleeve, and a legend at Old Trafford thanks to his incredible playing career. He cares so deeply about United, which was clear when he was virtually holding back tears on the touchline during their defeat to Bournemouth.
Carrick's efforts and the club's deeper problems
Carrick's ill-fated spell in charge of the Red Devils certainly hasn't been through a lack of effort. He has tried his best to save the club from sliding even further down the pecking order of English football, but there is only so much one man can do.
The real problems at United are both above and below him. They are led by donkeys in the boardroom, grossly incompetent people who know nothing about football but have somehow found themselves in command of the country's biggest club.
Isn't it mad that Omar Berrada had never been a chief executive of any side before falling upwards into the United role? Director of football Jason Wilcox was working at academy level only three years ago before he was poached by the Red Devils after an unremarkable spell at Southampton. In what world is he qualified to run things at Old Trafford?
Players and disrespectful treatment
Carrick has also been let down by his players, a group of self-serving, entitled mercenaries with not a shred of professionalism among them. And that's before you even talk about their ability, or complete lack of it. Many are nowhere near good enough to play for a club of United's stature and wouldn't have even made the squad when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge. He simply wouldn't have stood for it.
As if the sheer incompetence of United's top brass wasn't enough, they are now being outright disrespectful in the way they treat Carrick, who deserves far more despite his managerial shortcomings. The former Red Devils midfielder is only expected to be sacked once United have agreed a deal to land his replacement. Those at the top disagree over who that should be, with some saying Eddie Howe and others preferring Julian Nagelsmann.
Carrick is effectively being made to serve as his own interim manager, knowing the trigger could be pulled at any time, all while preparing his shambolic group of players for this weekend's game against Chelsea, which he might not even be in charge of.
Financial stalling and calls for change
It's been reported that one of the reasons Carrick remains in post is because United are stalling over the cost of sacking him, just four months into a two-year contract, combined with the inevitable exits of his backroom staff. It's clear that his position is now untenable, not just for the good of the club but for the good of the man himself, so why must United continue to delay the inevitable?
Heads should roll for this, especially those at the very top of United's chain of command. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is not fit for purpose, and if he had any regard for the wellbeing of the football club he claims to love, he would tender his resignation. Berrada, Wilcox and head of recruitment Christopher Vivell must follow Ratcliffe out the door as quickly as possible. And that's before we even get onto the Glazers, who are still doing their very best to systemically kill the club from a distance.
The only way for United to drag themselves out of this mess is a total rebuild at all levels. That includes players like Bruno Fernandes, who has shown himself up as a petulant waste of space who epitomises everything wrong with modern football. Appointing a new manager won't magically fix United's problems, which run far deeper than whoever has been conned into believing they can succeed in that poisoned chalice. It has become increasingly clear over the last few weeks that fundamental changes at the boardroom and ownership level are United's only hope of returning to former glories. Otherwise, expect this same cycle to continue ad nauseam until the penny finally drops.
