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Brian Deane believes his former club have made the right call in backing Michael Carrick

Former Middlesbrough man Brian Deane believes Boro are “definitely” right to continue backing underfire boss Michael Carrick.

After guiding Middlesbrough to the play-offs in the 2022/23 season after taking charge midway through, Carrick only managed an eighth-placed finish in the Championship in his first full season in charge at the Riverside.

Although a midweek victory away at Stoke City has stopped a run of five defeats, Middlesbrough still have work to do if they are to turn their current position of 11th into a play-off finish.

Brian Deane: Steve Gibson right to back Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough

With 12 games remaining in the 2024/25 Championship season, Boro are currently four points off Blackburn Rovers, who occupy the final play-off spot of sixth.

There has been discontent from fans at an apparent regression under Carrick, with a positive first finish of fourth followed by a drop down to eighth the season after.

But despite speculation over Carrick's future as Middlesbrough boss, it has been confirmed that the Teesside outfit have no plans of sacking their manager as it stands.

When asked if that was the right call, Deane exclusively told Football League World via the home of Crypto Casinos: "Definitely.

"Michael is a young manager, been there a little while now, but if you keep chopping and changing, I just wonder if that is going to have any benefit to the team at all.

"Unless something happens where he has lost the changing room, then that is a different matter altogether.

"I think he is a bright manager and I don’t see the point of sacking Michael Carrick, and then if you do get rid of him, what kind of manager are you bringing in?"

Comparisons drawn between Michael Carrick’s situation at Middlesbrough and Daniel Farke at Leeds United

Deane then went on to draw a comparison between the situation at Middlesbrough to a similar scenario at another one of his former employers.

A lot of Leeds United fans were unimpressed when Daniel Farke did not manage to take Leeds back to the Premier League at the first attempt, with the Whites missing out on automatic promotion and then tasting defeat in the play-off final at Wembley.

Instead, Deane feels that managers should be given time to succeed – especially if they have demonstrated that they are good enough for the level.

Deane restarted: "I remember last year, everybody was saying to get rid of Daniel Farke, who has a proven track record at this level but people were calling for him to lose his job.

"I just thought what kind of people are out there calling for the manager’s head because things aren’t working in the moment.

"You have to give managers time and I think Michael Carrick falls into that category.

"He’s got a lot of development to do to become the finished article, but he’s managing at a level that he knows he can manage at, and I think it would be a strange one because he knows the culture of the people in Middlesbrough so well, alongside Woody (Jonathan Woodgate, assistant manager).

"I think if they’re going to review anything, it needs to be at the end of the season, and I still think that Middlesbrough should make the play-offs.

"I’d be disappointed if they parted ways, unless there’s something that I don’t know about."