Michael Carrick told "his time's up" at Middlesbrough after Sheffield Wednesday loss | OneFootball

Football League World's Boro Fan Pundit has weighed in on Michael Carrick's future at the Riverside.

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...

Middlesbrough's hopes of finishing in the Championship top six hang in the balance with two games to go in the 2024/25 campaign.

Boro were beaten 2-1 by Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Monday afternoon, and while those around them also had a tough day at the office, they remain three points behind Coventry City.

Michael Carrick's side took the lead in South Yorkshire in the 11th minute through Finn Azaz, but Josh Windass was on hand to level the contest just after the break. The Owls then took the spoils as Anthony Musaba found the back of the net in the dying moments to deny their opponents any chance of ending the Easter weekend in the top six.

Norwich City await Middlesbrough in their next clash, before they make the journey to Coventry on the final day of the campaign in what is sure to be a fiery match. However, it may just prove to be Carrick's last in charge if they are beaten.

Verdict made on Carrick's future at Middlesbrough

It's been a very inconsistent season for Boro, but they do still have a decent chance of finishing in the top six. However, their form in recent weeks has not been good enough and it is clear to see that those in the stands at the Riverside are frustrated.

They narrowly made their way past Plymouth Argyle on Friday, and performances have to be better in their next two matches against sides that should pose more of a threat than the Pilgrims based off their league position.

Carrick's future with the club could be up in the air, and Football League World has asked their Middlesbrough Fan Pundit, Jasper Hudson, if he believes there should be a change of manager on Teesside in the summer.

He told FLW: "With Michael Carrick, I think his time’s up. It's a really difficult decision because you've got a manager that will put you in and around the play-offs consistently, it seems. But I really just don't see him being one to push the club on or get the club into the play-offs. It's.

"There’s quite a common consensus around the fan base, especially after Monday. Tony Mowbray was sacked by West Brom. He's not been there all season but they are only three points behind Boro and they've sacked him.

"It was just another disappointing performance and a poor loss, and it has just summed up the end of the season. We’re now in a crucial period of games. Bristol City and Coventry both lost and we weren't able to capitalise on that against Sheffield Wednesday, who haven't won at home since January.

"We’d be without a win in four if it wasn't for a 92nd minute penalty against Plymouth Argyle so Carrick coming out and saying the same things, it’s all just gone a bit flat, so has the atmosphere and it's really hard to see the team progressing when the performances are just getting worse and worse."

"The only reason we're in the play-off fight is because everyone else is losing and dropping points as well."

Jasper continued: "Also, with Carrick, there are lots of questions over his tactics. He doesn't really have a different formation he can play or if we're struggling, we won’t change to break teams down. It's the same subs at the same period whenever we go behind.

"He is never really proactive with subs and it's just been a regular pattern now for the last two seasons that you'd have thought he'd have learned from and change as he got more experience.

"But he's not. He's been very stubborn when it comes to these sorts of things and once we went behind, we never looked like scoring again. That's just because we don't make the right subs, or we don't have the right tactics to implement a Plan B."

The Championship is set for huge change in the summer

With Johannes Hoff Thorup, Tony Mowbray and Omer Riza all leaving their clubs in the last few days, the Championship is set for plenty of change on the managerial front in the summer, with the likes of Swansea City, Leicester City and Southampton also all looking for new faces in the dugout.

Competition will be extremely high to bring in these people and, therefore, sacking Carrick as soon as possible could give Middlesbrough a chance at getting in the best possible replacement.

However, there are still chances left for Boro to find the points they need to secure a play-off place, and if they do win on Saturday, huge pressure will be on Coventry to hold their nerve on the final day and the Teessiders may just be able to sneak their way into the top six.