The Mailbox brings support for Michael Carrick but Manchester United are urged to take their sweet time over appointing their next manager…

Johnny Nic asked why United are dwelling over the easiest decision imaginable. but the Mailbox has another view.

As ever, get your thoughts in to theeditor@football365.com…

Carrick in
As we pause before the season enters the crunchy stage of last 7 games, I think it’s time to talk about the future manager of United. Yes, again (I note,John Nic has just done an article about it)!

We find ourselves in something of a spaghetti of narratives and camps, including:

1/ Managers need more time to develop their team
2/ United should be ambitious and get the best manager available
3/ Why change what’s quite obviously working.

Those in group 1 should by default include all those former #AmorimIn’ers (yes, I can just about say his name without throwing up, now; progress!) but will also presumably include most long-time United supporters who know chopping and changing solves nothing with over a decade of clear evidence. Of course, it needs to be the right manager, hence…

Those in group 2 I would assume include your plastics who also think we should buy 4 different midfielders, a couple of new full backs, and two new strikers because Football Manager expert; and also those who have learned nothing from even recent history that a flashy name means absolutely nothing. I mean, we’ve tried legends from other leagues, legends from this league, former players, random flavour-of-the-month managers and even first started this with a dour Scot. (Interestingly, the only one people miss is Ole; make of that what you will.)

Those in group 3 would I think include the pragmatic fans – yes, both of us – but also a sizeable cross-over with group 1, along with those who just think the alternatives aren’t superior, a factor which is surely critical.

Some managers can take up an existing team and do magic. Others need to build their own side before they can deliver. Some others start as one and then when they build their own side are terrible.

For me, the answer is simple. If you can’t guarantee or even bank a decent probability that something is an upgrade, don’t twist. If it turns out to be a mistake later, then twist. No harm in that. When you look at the available options, none scream “generational talent”. Nagelsmann looks decent, but very much just a guy who’s looked ok in a weak league, and who was sacked mid-season from a club we should consider rivals. Not exactly glowing.

Has Carrick and his team been perfect? No, there’s times where both hindsight and foresight say we should have started with a different front line, but on the whole it’s beyond serious reproach. Even Pep and Sir Alex got things wrong once in a while.
Badwolf (now watch this drive)

Take your time, United
There are certainties in life: Death, taxes, assholes etc. now I think we can add John Nicholson being a bit hyperbolic to the mix. Yes, Mickey C is doing a good job. No, that doesn’t mean there aren’t better candidates out there. Let me explain you following your very own number system:
There is no way to know how good anyone will be. You can’t see into the future.
Indeed not. But Carrick has been in for exactly 10 games. We don’t really know how good he is yet either. Wins against Arsenal and City were excellent but we’ve been less good against those teams lower down the table: last minute equaliser against West Ham, goal on the break to win against Everton, draw at Bournemouth (robbed though). Yes we lost in the last minute to Newcastle but they had ten men for the entire second half and we didn’t look like scoring. The football has been better, as have the results but still not been brilliant all told. We’re certainly happy with where we are right now but do I think Michael Carrick will lead United to a title charge? Hmmmm.

2) The last manager you appointed was a disaster and was proof of your inadequacy. Understand that and use actual evidence to make a choice this time.

He was yes. But do we now think people are not allowed a chance to learn from their mistakes? This was a decision that Berrada seems to have made unilaterally, perhaps based upon knowledge from his time at City. Wilcox had reservations at the time and is now the man tasked with finding the right person. Also, Amorim was a mistake but by your own assertion Carrick is a success. Seems like they’re 50/50 on managers to me. Wilcox himself would be claiming 100% success rate. Carrick has evidenced himself as a very good manager to steady a ship but there is nothing in his body of work to show he can successfully sustain that over a season or two or ten. That seems a big leap of faith for me.

3) The only evidence you’ve got is the man you’ve got in situ. He has shown you what he can do, lost only once and that was to a late winner. What more do you want? You were 15th last season.

Again, late winner to a ten man team. You forget our late equaliser against West Ham, a team currently in the relegation spots. Again, again, he’s had a great start but let’s wait until we’ve actually qualified for Europe before we hand out the gold stars and six year contracts. And if we only use the evidence of the man in situ, how would anyone ever be employed? As soon as someone is sacked there wouldn’t be anyone on which to base evidence!

4) You have no such evidence of any other potential appointment.

Well that’s not quite true. They say never go back but Ten Hag actually won some stuff and Ole had us playing some nice football. I wonder what that Sir Alex kid is up to? See my previous point. We’d be appointing from an ever decreasing pool of talent if we only ever appointed managers who had previously managed or were currently managing Manchester United Football Club.

5) What is it that someone else has in their skillset that the man in position demonstrably does not?

An ability to win trophies? An ability to organise a team to stop conceding goals in 70% of games? An ability organise a team capable of dominating against ten men?

6) Remember, you don’t know what you’re doing.

Anything short of world domination would demonstrate that at This is Manchester United Football Club we’re talking about. There have been positive steps on recruitment since Wilcox came in. Perhaps someone somewhere does know something after all?

We’ve been here before haven’t we? Ole had an epic start to life as United manager and was given his sheriffs badge way too early but people who genuinely didn’t know what they’re doing. Making the same mistake now would be utterly ridiculous. This is the most pertinent bit of evidence for the decision makers and one they should not ignore. Basically don’t make a call until the end of the season.

If we do qualify for the Champions League – and I think we’ve got depths of incompetence we haven’t managed to reach just yet – then Carrick could consider himself unlucky not to get the job permanently. I’d go far as to say at that point, if we can’t get Luis Enrique immediately then we’re better off waiting. Why Enrique? He’s won the Champions League with two clubs and PSG play the best football on the planet as far as I’m concerned. I don’t see a better option that isn’t Jurgen Klopp or Pep and I’m assuming Alonso would rather go to Liverpool. He’s the best available and arguably the best.

And if we don’t qualify for the Champions League from here (or heaven forbid no Europe altogether) then Carrick’s position becomes much more difficult. He’ll have shown what the squad is capable of but not his ability to inspire it over any length of time.

Waiting until the end of the season is the sensible option based upon all of the available evidence regardless of John’s hyperbolic points.
Ashmundo (And he only made six. I thought 16 was obligatory?)

Slot making the same mistake as Under-14s
One of Slots main gripes this year is that he is short of players and the schedule is too heavy for the squad at his disposal. There is truth in this, Liverpool cut it fine this year despite spending 450mil and put faith in Gakpo and Salah to be forced from the wide areas until new signings were made, which they clearly haven’t been.

Some fans say that Slot was left down by FSG and left “hang out to dry” with his squad size this year. Again there may be some truth in this, Slot’s system relies on pace and penetration from his wide men and his does not have that this year, in the summer Liverpool could have conceivably signed one more wide player.

So far lots of mitigation for Arne but something about him has been getting my goat this year that I couldn’t articulate. Then I noticed an old app for my daughter’s soccer team on my phone. She quit soccer after Christmas having spent the majority of the year sitting on sidelines talking to her friend. She’s not a bad player but the coach had an established first 11 and subs rarely got much playing time under him – see where this is going? They also won the under 12 regional cup last year.

So I decided to check in and see how the team was going. Predictably enough there was a call out for players for the next game. Now under 14 the squad numbers had shrunk dramatically for some unknown reason and now they were short. But this was a successful team and coach who won the cup last year, I know I know, labouring the point.

I often wondered what would it be like to be Jarell Quansah or Harvey Elliott last year or even Curtis Jones this (maybe even Ngumoha now.) Yes I’m not world class but I’m a good player, an international and home grown. What would it be like to be benched at half time in my first game like Quansah, being told I’m surplus to requirements despite the club moving to a system with a 10 where I would’ve been ideal backup to Wirtz (like Elliott) or just watching manager favourites MacAllister and Gakpo underperforming every week while in warm the bench like Jones and Rio.

Like my daughter, I’d feel like walking away, because I’m not valued.

For me that is Slots greatest failing. He clearly plays favourites and unlike the great premier league managers does not know how to keep and squad happy and ready for what is now a 60 game season with 95-100 minute games. He is playing a first 11 team game in what has never been more a squad game.

So unsurprisingly his squad is knackered, they can’t play two games in a row, he’s complaining about fixtures, FSG are to blame for some of course, but like my daughters under 14 coach I have no sympathy, you made your own bed buddy, now lie in it.

I miss Jurgen.
Dave LFC

Salah’s eye test
I’ve accepted that my fate over the next 2/3 weeks is to read and listen to endless arguments about where Salah ranks in the pantheon of Premier League greats. No point in fighting against it, we’re already on day three and it shows no sign of abating.

I’ve heard varying opinions on where Salah sits for Liverpool in the PL and in the PL in general. Funnily enough, and this will shock a few, I don’t feel like any of those opinions are wrong. Personally, Henry is the best player I’ve seen in the PL. Stats are one thing but the oft quoted eye test will likely always keep Henry top for me.

Well, I say that… Is the eye test actually a heart test, or maybe a bit of both? It’s not necessarily just what you’re seeing is it? It’s what you feel, and Henry’s quality made me feel something that no other player has… Yet! Salah is in the Top 10 or Top 5 or Top 3 of PL greats depending on your feels. Or nowhere near any of those if you’re that way inclined. I’d have him Top 5, because I’m not blinded by the bias (that can overrule the eyes and heart). Doesn’t make me right though. And neither are you.

Maybe I’ll measure my heart rate during every game from now on.
Gary AVFC, Oxford (Did you think this was an Arsenal fan?)

?Trent’s stepping stone?
“Mo is leaving on his own terms but he saw Liverpool as a destination whilst Trent and Suarez saw it as a stepping stone”

And just like that, Minty lost the last shreds of credibility he ever had.

21 year stepping stone. Good grief man, seriously? I mean I suppose I ought to be thanking you for proving my mail further down to be absolutely bang on, but really, do you know how ridiculous that statement is?

Stepping stone!!!!

Jaysus.
RHT/TS x(Can’t believe Gerrard used you as a stepping stone to LA Galaxy, it’s a scandal ??)

Illogical logical transfers
Logical transfers – Rashford on the RW…

Hasn’t really played there since he was 16/17 and when he has….. he’s been consistently sh*te. Rashbags is a LW exclusively or in the bin, never rated him as a regular 9. Personally I would love Rashford to go to Liverpool and play on the RW, because he’s shit there – no pig heads needed, he’d basically be helping every other team (united included).

Illogical
Moses

…Interesting to read Amad’s list of ‘Logical transfers that won’t happen’from earlier.

I think in all three of the Liverpool suggestions he makes (Gordon, Rashford and Foden) he is trying to jam square pegs into a Salah shaped round hold. As far as I can see none of these players are primarily seen as right side attackers. They may have played that role, but none are a ‘specialist’ (Gordon and Rashford more LH side, Foden more No. 10 or LH side).

All of them would be an upgrade on Gakpo without doubt, but i don’t think they are obvious replacements for Salah.

Amad’s maths also seem to be bullshit. His maths (sell Gordan for 120m and buy Isak for 90m = 30m) + (selling him for 150m last year after originally buying him for 60m = 90m) would give 120m, not the 180m pure profit he reckons, which is a pretty significant difference.

And everything I can recall reading about Isak’s transfer to Liverpool was that it was ￡125m total (￡110m + ￡15m add ons), so using this total number would give ￡95m for profit. Not to be sniffed at of course, but would their fans really be happy selling both Isak and Gordon for ￡95m in profits?
A, LFC, Montreal.

Plan B > Plan A
Excellent article about Plan Bs in the Premier Leaguethat worked out quite well. Here are a couple from abroad that had some success too.
Santos FC losing Vasconcelos to a broken leg and promoting a 16 year old Pele to the first team squad.
A young Franz Beckenbauer signing for Bayern Munich instead of TSV 1860 Munich as planned after a TSV player slapped him during a youth game.
I’m sure others can come up with more.
Abiodun, Canada (F365er since the daily email days)

Dziggel’s double
Did Oliver Dziggel, Geneva Switzerland seriously geta 3 paragraph mail published on Wednesdayand then add on a couple more sentences and get the same thing published again the next day?!

Does that make his mail the greatest mail ever written to the mailbox: so good it got published twice?

I think I once wrote a mail saying the only purpose Andriy Voronin had at Liverpool was to make someone else’s hair look less shit and I still stand by the sentiment and still think the idea is funny. Imagine Dirk Kuyt in contract negotiations insisting the club always have a player with worse hair than him.
Minty, LFC

READ NEXT: Klopp says Liverpool teammate could match ‘ridiculous’ Salah numbers as Carragher nonsense debunked