--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-10-25T18:55:14.993Z last_updated: 2026-10-25T16:19:44+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/manchester-united/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFuY2hlc3RlcmV2ZW5pbmduZXdzLmNvLnVrL3Nwb3J0L2Zvb3RiYWxsL21hbmNoZXN0ZXItdW5pdGVkLXJlYWN0aW9uLXZzLWJvdXJuZW1vdXRoLTM0ODE0NzM3 --- # Man United reaction was a reminder that sacking Carrick would solve nothing - **Source:** - **Published:** 25 Oct - **Club:** Manchester United - **Original URL:** https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester-united-reaction-vs-bournemouth-34814737 Michael Carrick spent more than five minutes talking at the start of his press conference on Friday. About standards and history, about what Manchester United means, to him and to the supporters, and what it takes to play for this football club. It felt like one last throw of the dice, and Carrick's numbers didn't come up. There is an argument that he almost cares too much about this club, and you can see the pain etched on his face. You could make the opposite argument about a lot of his players. You can certainly make it about the owners. This was a game in which a response to the shambolic defeat in Como on Wednesday was required. Whatever this group think of Carrick and his tactics, they owed the supporters a shift. They barely even clocked in. The second half delivered plenty of huff and puff, but the first was an aberration. United coasted through it against a pretty average Bournemouth side and the lack of hunger, lack of intensity and lack of passion cost them. Carrick should have torn them apart at half-time and it was a surprise he only made one change. Get the best United news, updates and analysis straight to your Inbox courtesy of the Manchester Evening News! To get it, it's a simple one-two punch. Carrick's decision to drop Bruno Fernandes after his criticism of the head coach in midweek was further evidence that if he was going down, he was going down on his own terms. He left Fernandes on the bench despite turning to the out-of-his-depth Joshua Zirkzee and the teenage Shea Lacey. Sadly, not one of Carrick's players wanted to offer him a liferaft. An eighth game without a win and a run of just two wins from 12 matches this season will almost certainly mean the end for the 45-year-old. It's always the manager who pays the price for this kind of run, and those criticisms of his tactics aren't without foundation. There are no real patterns of play, there's no desire to press and no sense of a team with a plan for scoring goals and keeping them out. But as the banner that appeared on the Stretford End just before half-time declared, 'Standards'. Where are they? This is a broken football club, and a fish rots from the head. A group of players lacking character and quality didn't have the fight or the ability to turn things around. Make sure you never miss the latest Manchester United news and opinion by making Manchester Evening News one of your Google preferred sources. The Old Trafford faithful made it pretty clear where their loyalties lay as the teams came out. Carrick strode out of the tunnel next to the dropped Fernandes and was serenaded by the Stretford End. Within seconds of the first whistle, 'We want Glazers out' was echoing around the stadium and an anti-Sir Jim Ratcliffe chant followed. Two minutes in and it was back to singing about Carrick. The problem for Carrick was that the atmosphere wasn't sustained. Bournemouth racked up three corners in the first nine minutes, while United struggled to offer any threat in the final third. By the 17th minute, the crowd were reacting angrily to Senne Lammens for not releasing the ball sooner, although, in fairness, nobody wanted it off him either. It summed up the malaise within this United side. Surely they care, but they have a funny way of showing it. Carrick was angry with the free-kick that led to the first goal, with Ayden Heaven penalised for tackling the ball. It looked like a ridiculous decision, but in an era of protecting players, it was always going to be given for the way the defender jumped in. Of more concern for Carrick should be the marking which left Rayan free at the back post to fire home. United put a little more in in the second half, but never looked like scoring. When Lammens raced out of his goal and was beaten to the ball by Evanilson, the game was up, and the mood turned from anger to mutiny. The Glazers and Ratcliffe took more stick. 'You can stick your new stadium up your a**e' was followed by an offensive chant directed at the under-pressure director of football, Jason Wilcox. Wilcox was sat next to chief executive Omar Berrada in the directors' box. Where do they go from here? Carrick is the only person at this club the supporters have any respect for, but soon he will be gone. At full-time, Carrick was serenaded as he led the lap of appreciation. As soon as he vanished down the tunnel, the boos rained down on these players. There will be a manager ready for the challenge and reviving Manchester United, but perhaps they should speak to Carrick before they do. This club looks fractured from top to bottom. 'You're going down with the City', chanted the Bournemouth fans. Stranger things have happened on the evidence of this season so far.