"MONUMENTAL MESS-UP!" Alex Crook REVEALS who could REPLACE Michael Carrick at Manchester United!
After United's heavy defeat to Como: should Carrick go and who could replace him?
The show discussed the fallout from Manchester United's humiliating defeat to Como, with callers and pundits criticising the players' attitude, Bruno Fernandes's public comments on tactics and Carrick's management. Alex Crook said Carrick is likely to be sacked but blamed the club hierarchy above all, and he named possible successors such as Nagelsmann, Eddie Howe and Conte, along with the obstacles to each.
- Carrick should not take the blame for the defeat; the players failed to perform or show effort — He said Carrick could not have sent the team out to play that way, and that De Ligt, despite coming back from injury, was United's best player.
- United's recruitment has been poor for years and they do not have a single world-class player — He said this is a recurring problem and that the squad has been short of quality for a long time.
- United's players were 11 cowards who threw in the towel, and Carrick's tactics looked clueless — She said international players gave up and nobody was up for the fight against Como; the tactical setup also made little sense.
- Bruno Fernandes's post-match comments on tactics were a disgrace; as captain he should not air that in public and has effectively gone to war with his manager — He said the interview showed a lack of self-awareness and made United a laughing stock, even if Bruno disagreed with the tactics.
- There is a toxic culture at United of players not trying and throwing managers under the bus, and new signings are being dragged into it too — He pointed to new signings also giving up and said another manager will end up paying with his job.
- Carrick is very likely to lose his job — He said Carrick's apology to the away fans felt like a manager seeing the writing on the wall; even if he survives today or a defeat to Bournemouth, Crook would be surprised if he stays.
- United's players lack professional pride, so the collapse is not just on Carrick — He cited a Como centre-back running 60 yards from his own box without being challenged, and criticised some players for poor effort and mistakes, with only a few, such as Amad, emerging with credit.
- If United change manager, candidates could include Nagelsmann, Eddie Howe and Conte, but each comes with obstacles — He said Nagelsmann had been mentioned by a source close to the dressing room and was admired by INEOS in the summer but was then Germany manager; Howe is available and interested but hiring him would embarrass Wilcox and Barrada; Conte has signalled interest but is too combustible for this ownership.
- The blame should not be pinned on Carrick but on the club hierarchy, especially Sir Jim Ratcliffe; United are rotten from the top down — He said too many managers have failed since Ferguson, and Ratcliffe promised best-in-class appointments but has made a mess at every turn and has not run his other clubs well either.
Alex Crook, Gabby Agbonlahor and Alan Brazil discuss Bruno Fernandes, Michael Carrick and Manchester United. Subscribe: https://youtube.com/c/talkSPORT?subconfirmation=1 🏆 Ready to win? Check out the latest prizes at talkSPORTwin.com Enjoyed this YouTube video? 😍 🖥️ talkSPORT's Website: https://talksport.com/ 📲 talkSPORT's X/Twitter: https://x.com/talkSPORT 📷 talkSPORT's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talksport/?hl=en 👤 talkSPORT's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkSPORT/ 📱 talkSPORT's Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talksport ? 🔴 Download the talkSPORT app HERE! - https://talksport.com/apps/ 🔎 Want to see if you feature on our YouTube channel? Check out our Best talkSPORT callers playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFVMnSsi04LGLa9pS9xDvme-Gjmlu2 mufc talkSPORT PremierLeague
Transcript
Right, let's head back to the phone lines. United fans, how are you feeling this morning? That was well, it was dross last night, wasn't it? Let's be honest. Uh, and as Gabby said earlier, we shouldn't take anything away from Ko. Yes. >> Who are on the ups Fabriccast doing a wonderful job there. Uh, and they absolutely played Manchester United off the park. Who's to blame? Tyler's giving us a call. Tyler, good morning. >> Good morning, Tyler. >> Good morning, guys. Thanks for having me on. How you doing? >> You're welcome, Tyler. Uh, oh dear. I I went to bed couldn't I I just couldn't understand that last night. I couldn't understand the the lack of effort. >> I Well, I went to bed absolutely fuming. I woke up this morning absolutely fuming. So, I thought I need to ring in. I need to air it. >> Yeah. >> I I literally felt sorry for Michael Carrot last night. Um, there is no way on this earth did he set out for that team to play the way they played last night. absolutely horrendous. >> Um and and it's not his fault. It it's really not his fault. At the end of the day, the players are there to play. The players didn't play. Um Delet um probably was the best United player on the pitch and and has come back from injury. >> Yeah. Could have come off, but he says, "No, I'm staying on. I'm all right." >> Carrick said to him, "Are you okay?" He says, "No, I'm totally fine and fair play to him and fair play for Michael Carrick to monitor him the way he did." Um, Bruno Fernandez, well, what do we say? >> The only reason that Bruno Fernandez has said what he said after the game is because Carrick brought him up. >> Yes. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're probably right. You're probably right, mate. Just I'll reiterate again what I said earlier, right? This is the finances compared to the D club. Look, money is not everything, but revenue. Manchester United's revenue 678 million, right? >> Como 41 million. 41 again 678 wages, right? >> Como 72 million wages. >> Man United 302 million. So, >> wow. >> Well, you know, did you see the difference last night? Unbelievable. >> How do you do so much prep? >> Let me go to angry Kenny's. He's a United fan. Kenny, morning. >> Morning, Kenny. >> Morning. Morning Alan. Morning Garby. >> What about that? >> Angry angry and dis disappointed. I look at that recruitment over the years. I've said it before and it sounds like I'm repeating myself, but they the recruitment's been short. We don't have one worldass player in our side. Manchester United don't have a worldass player. And for that little pep squeak Fernandez after the way he's played this year to come out and slag the manager off. >> Yeah. >> He he runs about there throwing his arms in there. And if I read out the team, if I was in the the dressing room and I was the manager and I read out the team and I saw my fullback putting on leggings under his strip in October, I'd be telling him to sit back down. You're your attitude's not good enough. >> Yeah. Well, Kenny, I'm a bit like that with the gloves and all that. But look, Kenny, it's a modern day. >> Exactly. But but really Allan the the whole the whole part of me play I I I my next investment in that club would be a small mirror for each of them and I'd hand them around in the dressing room. I'd say now look into the mirror. Who are you staring at? Winners or losers? >> Yeah. Yeah. Kenny, nice one. Thank you. Kenny United, a very disappointed Man United fan. Right. Okay. 7:24. Well, we will go on to Arsenal because that was a cracking game last night. As much as Como were brilliant, United were garbage. It's now seven games without victory in all competitions for United. And straight after the game, captain Bruno Fernandez was asked by TNT Sports why it went so wrong tactically. A decision uh from the staff to to not press uh man man to man and and sometimes leave leave a little bit of space in behind and trying to to get the ball in in the first moment uh to wait for them to give them the ball. Sometimes when when you give too much the ball to these teams, they get confidence. You know, they have so many bodies be behind the ball that make you run a lot, get you make people get frustrated and then obviously when you recover the ball, the the legs are and and the brain are are much more difficult to make it work. >> Make it work. I don't see too many I've not seen stats although I'm not a stat man. Yeah. >> But in terms of ground covered, I would imagine uh Ko covered a lot more blades of grass in that beautiful part of the world than Manchester United did. Bruno and especially well not not especially you I'm not just picking out him >> but he is bang out of order what he said his teammates should be ashamed of him and Michael Carrick well if I was Michael I wouldn't be playing him >> at the weekend don't worry about that would you Gab >> no um first of all Michael Carrick he did the tactic did look clueless let's just call call it as it is but all those players available on that football pitch international players threw the towel in and there was some I call Thomas Tukul after the World Cup after he bottled it against Argentina, called him a coward, >> which is the worst name that a man can be called. There was 11 cowards on that pitch for Manchester United. None of them were up for the fight against the KO team that were Ka. >> Can you blame Dit? You know, he's fing. >> Yeah, but yeah, Dit. Okay, Dit, you leave out of it. But the rest of the team, Al Mazari, Dalo, Bruno Fernandez, Mason Mount, how did he stay on and Bruno Fernandez come off? And I just feel like I watch Yeah. Tielemans looks like he's um >> you know he's well he's got a bag of cement on his back >> class player and he's he can't get on the pitch. >> Exactly. And everyone will oh Marcus Rashford you know he's the he's at fault because Ka isn't used to playing in that position. What did Kanye do last night? Al one Premier League goal in seven appearances this season. His his his attitude and Bumo's attitude. These players are cowards and they're going to throw another manager under the bus. >> Yeah. Would this be United's worst ever result in Europe? the way they performed the you know again you think of it's not one of the Italian giants is it exactly it's not the the hot bed of the sansiro or going to chin but down in Naples this is quite simply a beautiful part of the world ko who were who had the red carpet out for United and then absolutely battered them to reveal all what happened next for character a big United fan Alex Crook joins now croo Good morning, boys. >> I'm I'm going to let you have your say right away last night. What you What did you make of it? >> Well, for once, I I agree with pretty much everything Gabby just said there. I thought that interview with Bruno Fernandez was a disgrace and showed a distinct lack of self-awareness. Even if you don't agree with a manager's tactics, you think they worked against you as captain of this football club, of any football club, you don't come out and air that in public. He's made Manchester United a laughingtock. Um he's gone to war with his manager. Michael Carrick has obviously hit back and criticized the team for for not running enough, which should be the bare minimum. And just as damning, actually what Ces Fàregas said after the game when he blamed himself for Joshua X's late consolation goal because he said, "I told the players, conserve your energy. This game is won at 4-0." How humiliating is that? The mighty Manchester United in town, the biggest night in Ko's 119 year history. and the manager is telling his players they don't they don't need to run anymore because they've they've done enough damage. So yeah, it was a dark night. Was it Manchester United's worst ever European result? Probably. Al we all remember that 4-nil defeat against Barcelona back in the mid '9s. But that was when UEFA had a rule restricting the number of foreign players. So the likes of Peter Schmeichel and Eric Canton, I think Roy Keane as well were all watching from the stands. Last night it was Ryan Giggs watching on the 2008 European Cup winner alongside Michael Carrick and he must have been shaking his head wondering what this great football club has become. >> Imagine Roy Keen as well. >> What's crazy Croo is that I'm watching the game and I'm seeing some of the new signings falling into the trap as well of like giving up and and not showing passion. Do they know what football club they're playing for? >> Well, that proves Eric Tenhog, right, Gabs? There's a toxic culture in the dressing room. There's a there's a culture of of not trying. There's a culture of throwing managers under the bus and this is going to be another manager who's going to pay with his job. I thought the scenes at the end where Michael Carrick was holding both hands a loft apologizing to those in the away end that stuck it out the bitter end was very reminiscent of going solar at Watford all those years ago and he knows the writings he's on the wall carrick I think that's why he's rounded on his players he might not go today he might not even go if they lose to Bournemouth but I'd be very surprised if he's still the Manchester United manager >> he must break saying for God's sake someone get a challenge in someone get a tackle in get your mates It's going someone give us something spark. We need a little spark here. There was nothing from Man United. >> And there was one incident um in the second half when the big center back for Ko Rammon who scored the fourth goal with a the header. He picked up the ball on the edge of his own penalty area. He ran 60 yards pretty much to the edge of the Manchester United box and nobody challenged him. That's not a Michael Carrick. That's a lack of professional pride. That's a lack of effort from these players who don't seem to care if they lose football matches. You talk about the new signings, 50 million quid for Andre Santos. Chelsea are laughing all the way to the bank. Yuri Tielemans can't run as as Gabby has already alluded to. Believer comes on at Halime, gets himself booked, is at fault for one of the goals when he gives the ball away on the edge of the area to Niko Paz. The only player for me who came out with any credit was Ahmad who came on at halftime and at least look he looked like he wanted to have a goal. Xerxy took his goal well at the end as well. But these are small crumbs of comfort and I say we become a laughing stock Manchester United. My phone was in overload last night. It is again this morning. There's all kinds of memes. Fans of rival clubs, you know, don't had their childhood spoiled by what Sir Alex Ferguson has achieved. They're getting their own back now. And you know, yes, Michael Carrick will probably lose his job. >> Well, who who gets in crooked? Let's think who in your opinion who is maybe um you know, give me three contenders that you think would be very interested in diving in there. they've got a real a real possibility of getting the job if Manchester United make the change. >> Well, the name that was mentioned to me a couple of days ago um by a source close to the United dressing room was Julian Nglesman um who Inosios were keen on appointing in the summer, but he was Germany manager at the time and and it would have been a bad look for him to walk out on the German national team before a World Cup. Christopher Favll, United's head of recruitment, I know he's is pushing his cause internally. Eddie How is obviously available and I think would be interested in the job. That would be quite embarrassing for me Jason Wilcox and Omar Barada because part of the reason Dan Ashworth left the club was because he was advocating for how ahead of Ruben Amarine when he was appointed. So if they went for Eddie how I think would do a good job that would almost be an admission that will cox and bara made a monumental mess up of it then Antonio Conte has got his people to signal to the Manchester United board that he'd be interested but I think he's too combustible for this ownership but I don't think he'd leave Brighton. I really don't think he beat Brighton to Manchester United. >> When you look at the Bournemouth game on Sunday, if I'm Michael Carrick, I'm not playing Bruno Fernandez. I'm playing a team of players that are going to work hard for me. But if you do not start Bruno Fernandez is the writing on the wall there with the owners of like, okay, our star player, our captain, you're falling out with him, you're not playing him, you have to go as the manager. >> Well, I I think there there'll be a feeling now that Michael Carrick is starting to lose control of the dressing room. You had the Landro Martin outburst. Now he's been followed by his captain and unlike Martinez, this felt like a direct attack on the manager. I say lack of self-awareness, by the way, on Bruno Fernandez, he he won the the player of the year award in the Premier League last season. Broke the assist record that was playing Michael Carrick's tactics. So the fact he's he's decided to wash his hands the manager so soon into the season. It wasn't so much Michael Carrick dropping Bruno. Bruno's dropped the manager. If he's still in situ Fernandez can't play, I'd play the kids out. Whose I was going to say whose fault is it yours in your opinion? Who's who's to blame for this? Is it accumulative? Is it not just one person, the manager, or is it the board? Who who are we pointing fingers at here? >> Well, I don't think you can point fingers at Michael Carr. He did a great job last season. Whether you think that made him a contender or or you know, the right man for the permanent job is open to debate, but there's been so many managers now since Radex Ferguson left the football club. The club is rotten from the head down. And until that changes, whoever's in the dugout is going to struggle to turn around what's become the Titanic of of the Premier League. But you look at the last couple of years since the Jim Rackcliffe came on and he promised to get United back to where they belong. He promised to hire the best in class. They've made a mess of it at every single turn. So if you're asking me for one person who's responsible for this omni shambles, you've got to you've got to point the direction of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and you look at his other football clubs, it's not gone well there either. He's obviously a very good businessman, but I would suggest he's not very good at at running a football club. And uh that's the problem. If you're a Manchester United fan, you want Michael Carrick out. Do you really trust these guys, Ratcliffe, Will Cox, and Barada to make the right call and bring in the right manager? I'm not sure I do. >> So crooked, just finally, you look as if you need a bit of passion back into your life, a bit of blood and thunder. So why don't you this weekend stay at Pompy Pompy against Milwall and see some blood and guts. >> Seven points out of nine up the blues. Nice one, Alex. Brilliant. Alex Crook there talks chief football correspondent.