"That’s worrying.." - Middlesbrough fan pundit opens up on Michael Carrick's future | OneFootball

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This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Questions are starting to be asked of Michael Carrick following a poor start to the latest Championship season.

Former Manchester United midfielder, Michael Carrick, was appointed as Middlesbrough boss almost 12 months ago, and he implemented significant change from the outset.

When the 42-year-old took over, Boro sat one place above the relegation zone, following a run that saw them win just two of their first 11 outings under Chris Wilder.

The new boss turned things around and propelled the Teesiders to a top six finish. Their subsequent playoff campaign was promptly ended by Coventry City, as a Gustavo Hamer strike was enough to see the Sky Blues steal Boro's Wembley spot.

This time around, Carrick has not quite had the same effect, and pressure is beginning to mount as a result.

How have Middlesbrough performed this season?

Middlesbrough currently sit rock bottom, tied on points with Sheffield Wednesday. Their campaign began at home to Millwall, who took all three points back to the capital. Further defeats against Coventry, West Bromwich Albion, QPR and Blackburn Rovers followed, whilst points were shared against Huddersfield Town and fellow strugglers Wednesday earlier this week.

Their only two victories have come in the Carabao Cup, where they will face Bradford City in the third round next week. Boro first managed to edge past Huddersfield in Yorkshire, before thwarting Bolton Wanderers in another away tie. However, a run in the cup will not save Carrick if it hinders their Championship progress.

What are Middlesbrough fans saying about Michael Carrick?

Boro fans seem to be split over the current managerial situation, so we asked Football League World's Middlesbrough Fan Pundit, Dana, for their thoughts.

They said: "I think Carrick’s in a really tough spot at the moment, obviously so because of our form, but also there are more question marks being asked of him from the fans.

"Now, I think he has undoubtedly earned himself time to manoeuvre through this tough spell based on the job that he did last season, but it’s very clear to me that he doesn’t know what his best starting XI is and everything that he tries is not coming off. For example, Morgan Rogers as a striker at the beginning of the season."

Dana continued: "He’s [Carrick] used multiple left-backs to no real success, we’ve had Matt Crooks as the number ten which just isn’t really working, and it’s been a really difficult watch. I would even go as far as to say that we regressed in recent weeks, so that’s worrying.

"I do feel that we should stick with Carrick. He will undoubtedly have pressure, just based on how poorly we have started the season, but just because of how good he had us playing last season, even in such a cut-throat industry that is football management, I do think he deserves that time."

The appointment of Michael Carrick in a very similar situation last season proved to be a masterstroke; it clearly showed that clubs can reap the rewards when they sack a manager early. However, this is not always the case.

In this situation, Carrick should be given the chance to work his magic again. He should be given trust and shown time out fo respect for what he managed to achieve last term.