"EMBARRASSING!" Micky Gray BAFFLED by Man United's lack of DIRECTION in SCATHING RANT!
Micky Gray blasts Man United's lack of direction and says the players are letting Carrick down while the board is also to blame
talkSPORT discusses Manchester United's crisis under Michael Carrick, with Micky Gray arguing that the club has no clear direction and that the players are not running or fighting for the manager. Ray Parlour points to deeper problems in the boardroom and a long-term lack of stability. The show also covers Harry Maguire's error, Bruno Fernandes's comments, Jason Wilcox's role, and Aston Villa vs Man City plus Sunderland.
- Manchester United's players are letting Michael Carrick down; the bigger problem is their attitude and desire, not the manager. — You should be willing to run through a brick wall in a United shirt, but too many are just going through the motions; against Como the opposition wanted it more, and three or four players not fancying it is enough to lose the game.
- Carrick is under serious pressure and the Bournemouth game could be the one that decides his fate, with Bruno Fernandes's public comments making it worse. — Several experienced players, including Martinez, Maguire and Bruno, have spoken out recently and Bruno's remarks are especially damaging; Carrick says he does not feel pressure, but the team is now at a point where it must turn its season around.
- Harry Maguire was at fault for the first goal, gave Paz far too much room and looked like he was trying to blame a team-mate. — He should have closed Paz down but looked to a team-mate for cover; nobody covered, and Paz was allowed to curl the ball into the corner.
- United have barely had a genuinely good performance all season and are not even showing the basic running and effort; the momentum from last season has gone. — You can play badly but you still have to run and show you are trying; apart from a few spells, he cannot think of a complete good United performance.
- It cannot always be the manager's fault; United's real problems are higher up in the boardroom and the club's governance. — They have changed many experienced managers over the past 10 to 12 years without improving, and the club lacks stability and a clear direction, so you have to look at who is running it.
- United's biggest problem is a lack of direction; the players were embarrassing and owe Carrick a performance, while the squad has been built backwards and the defence has been neglected. — You should build from the base, but they bought centre-forwards and midfielders first and are still relying on players signed in Jose Mourinho's time, which is bizarre.
- Technical director Jason Wilcox should be out scouting players rather than sometimes sitting with the owners at Old Trafford watching United; it is unclear who is running what at the club. — A technical director should be watching other games and identifying targets for the next transfer window; with two different owners, nobody seems to know who is in charge.
- Aston Villa can trouble Man City at home and Unai Emery has them playing well; if Haaland is fit and starts, City's chances improve. — Villa are unbeaten in four home games against City, have talented wide players and look better defensively, while City have started the league season brilliantly.
- Sunderland need a league win quickly, especially in front of their home fans, to get off the bottom of the table. — Their last two league performances have not been good; their European form has been a little better and the draw was not the worst result, but the league pressure is growing.
- Carrick should control which players face the media and Bruno Fernandes should not have been put in that position; handling public criticism and any fine for Bruno is difficult, but he backs Carrick's call and does not think Bruno should be stripped of the captaincy. — A manager can manage the PR schedule to stop players saying the wrong thing in the mixed zone; he also has to balance upsetting the dressing room and pleasing the fans, and with a player of Bruno's standing in this situation you cannot easily make an example of him.
Micky Gray joins Alan Brazil and Ray Parlour to discuss Manchester United and Michael Carrick. 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
Tell you what, he doesn't mess about Simon, does he? Stuttering Wheatland. I wouldn't call him that. You know, Simon, Simon, have a heart for God's sake. >> He's having a bit of a bad time. Um, but he's right what he says as well. It's all about the desire to win football matches. It's all about work, right? >> Yeah, but we're not we're not all like Roy Keane and, you know, aggressive people. Come on. You know, and Manchester United need that on the pitch, but Michael's not like that. He's a quiet manager. >> Well, you you can be quiet, but you the players was quiet. very quiet, but he knew we knew what to do on a pitch to get him, you know, win football matches. And >> I I think I look, I'm telling you now, >> and Man United did back in the day. Yeah, >> his players are letting them down. I wouldn't be blaming Michael Carrie. >> Yeah, you got you got a bit of pride out when you put that Man United shirt on. You know, you got to run for a brick wall for them. And it it looks like people are just going through the motions at the moment. A lot of players >> I think if you go player for player who ran the most, any Man United player against any Como player, they wanted it more. >> They come second best. That's that's why hell third round of FA Cups and there lots of shocks >> because the other team it's their cup final and it only takes three or four players don't fancy it. >> Don't fancy this or this ain't this ain't the right environment I'm used to and all that sort of stuff and you lose the game. Simple as that. >> Well, Michael charge at the weekend writes the Times newspaper this morning. However, with Bournemouth the visitors on Sunday, fresh off their first win the season last week and last night against Milan, they will provide tough opposition for Michael Car. Of course, talks were the first to report it that if Michael is removed, then the the former Bayern and German manager Julian Nagelsman is the leading candidate to take over. Eddie how Antonio Conte have also been strongly linked with the job. Michael is due to speak to the media at lunchtime today. Delighted to say we can now cross to talk sports Manchester correspondent Mickey Gray who will be there at Canington later today. Morning Mickey. Mickey what do we expect today? Do we expect um Michael to come out firing or will it be his normal calm self? What do you think Mickey? >> Uh morning Al Ray. Um, I I think there'll be a barrage of questions about what's happened over the last week and and certainly the questions will be there from uh Bruno Fernandez's quotes, but let's not forget, you know, last week it was Landro Martinez and in between that it was Harry Magguire, three of the experienced players in that dressing room, which I don't think anybody expected to hear. But, um, I think certainly the ones from Bruno Fernandez seem to be a bit damning and um, he's going to get a lot of questions about that this afternoon. There's no doubt about it. And I think Michael knows that he's under pressure. He said that he doesn't feel any pressure, but it feels like he's got this game and that's it. That's the way it feels at the moment because they've got to turn this season around. >> Yeah. But I'm glad you mentioned Harry Magguire there cuz he's a senior pro, isn't he? And yet I'm I've stopped by Harry. I thought he got a hard time after that episode in Greece and stuff like that. But that first goal, don't get me wrong, Paz is a top top player. Harry given Miles too much room uh to get that shot away and score the first goal. Miles too much room. >> Yeah, he did Allan. It felt like he was trying to blame somebody else. It looked like he was looking at Matteas Ka to try and come back and help him out and he didn't do it. And because he didn't do it, he just given too much space and Paz just whipped it into the corner. I mean, he looks like a real talent, doesn't he P? It's the first time I've seen him. But, um, I've heard a lot about him over the last couple of seasons. Obviously, he's been at Real Madrid and we know he's a talented player, but um it look, I just heard you two guys talking about the the running stats and everything there. Look, you can go out and everybody can go on a pitch and not perform well, but you can still go and run. You can run around and you can show everybody that you at least you're trying. And I don't think I've watched Man United this season in any game. I don't think they've done it. And I don't think they've performed well. Maybe the lead's game in spells they actually looked okay. But apart from that, I'm scratching my head to think that they put in a good performance and all that momentum they had from last season's completely gone. >> Correct, >> Mickey. I look at it now. Um, it can't always be the manager's fault, can it? I mean, look at the managers turned over the last, you know, 10, 12 years. The managers come and go to really experienced managers as well. So, it's got to be a bigger picture. You got to look at the bigger picture. Maybe you got to look higher. you know, who's running the club, what are they doing the right things for the club? Is have they got a focus? Where where are they going with this f, you know, that there doesn't seem to be no stability and and where where they're trying to take Manchester United because Manchester United are one of or if not the biggest club in the world. >> Yeah. Well, Ray, I just I don't see where the direction is at Man United. Um, I don't understand what they're trying to do. Um, I think I first and for I think them players have got to have a look at themselves. Um they were embarrassing the other night. There's no other word for it. And I think they owe Michael a performance. Um what direction the club's going in. Look, if if you're going to build a house, you start at the bottom. You start at the base. >> They've done it the other way round. They bought center forwards, then they bought midfielders, and they still haven't looked after that defense. Diego Dallow, I think, was signed by Jose Mourinho, uh which is just incredible. You know, I think it was over 10 years ago now. Um that is just completely bizarre. Now, another thing for me is, I mean, Jason Wilcox, who's been under scrutiny over the last week or so, hasn't he? >> I go to Old Trafford at the home games and he's sat alongside the uh the owners at the club at times watching Manchester United play. Well, if you're the technical director, surely you're out watching football players and you're watching other games as they're going on trying to figure out who Manchester United are going to sign in the next transfer window. Um, I've never quite got my head around that. Um there's two different owners at the football club. I don't know who's running what at the moment. Um and everybody's looking at Man United and we know what it's like and Ray just mentioned there before. The biggest club in the world if not one of the biggest clubs in the world and I'm just wondering where they where they're going, what they're supposed to be doing because at the minute I don't think anybody anybody's got a um quick one here. I was going to talk Sunland but there's a blockbuster game at Villa Park Villa against City the other side of Manchester. Um, City, we don't know what's going to happen to City, but we do know they've started the season brilliantly. Uh, can Villa, who are in good form as well, four years into the job for the manager of Villa, um, can he pull it off against City or will City be too strong? >> Well, after that poor start, Al from from Munai Emry, he's certainly um getting a tune out of his team at the moment and Aston Villa actually have got a really good record against Man City at home. Um, I I think they're unbeaten in four against Man City at home. So that's going to be a really interesting game because they've got some talented wide players. He looks like he sorted his defense out. Albeit Man City are playing well themselves at the moment. I mean Cherokee folding getting himself a hat-tick as well. I think the interesting one will be if Harland's fit and he starts. I think if he starts they give themselves a better chance obviously but um they've been fantastic at the beginning of the season and what is it? Seven out of seven in the league. Eight out of eight it could be. I mean wow what a game that's going to be. >> Absolutely. And a quick one. Uh Sunderland leads big game. Sunderland have struggled, haven't they, so far. >> Yeah, they have in the league. They need a win in the league. Their last two league performances haven't been good. They played well against Man City or bit. They lost that game. I think the European forms been a little bit better. They drew last night uh which wasn't the worst result in the world. I think it's seven points in the three games they got, but they need a win in front of their home fans to get off the bottom of the table. >> Brilliant. M again, my friend. Um, I just want to ask you about players out when you was a manager. I mean, you got Bruno Fernandez coming out, played the wrong tactics to the press and which ain't good for anybody. Uh, did you have any going like that when players have gone against you and and done something in a press conference and how do you deal with it? >> Yes. Um, you know, there there's usually um after the main presser because you can as a manager um I I don't I don't know how Bruno got put up, you know, you should control that to some degree. The PR says to you, oh, we're going to put Ray Parlor up and so and so you say, no, no, no, I don't want Ray to do it today. you know, so you you should have a little bit of control over that. But there is an area after the game which walks through and you get a lot of, you know, comments from players in in the area where they walk through the press >> press asking random questions and you can get unstuck with all sorts of messages from that and I have in the past. I've also been criticized uh by my players and it's very difficult to handle because >> you know the fine one which obviously Michael had to make that decision this week whether to find Fernandez is very very difficult you know you you're you're caught between really upset in the dressing room really pleasing the fans you're caught somewhere in the middle uh so you got to make the call on that I think this call he's made is right I don't think stripping him in the captaincy you know player of the year PFA player of the year um and Premier League player here. um you can really make a stand against in the position they're in.