Michael Carrick: Man Utd Fans Want Sack After Villa Draw
Manchester United supporters have largely turned against manager Michael Carrick, with many saying he should go after a draw with Aston Villa left the club
Manchester United supporters have largely turned against manager Michael Carrick, with many saying he should go after a draw with Aston Villa left the club in the Premier League relegation zone going into the international break. No official decision has been announced.
United came back again in a lively game at Villa, but the point was not enough to lift them out of the bottom three. Carrick is the first United manager in 40 years to take the club that low in the top-flight table.
Two reprieves, then a review
Carrick has already survived two rough weeks. Club bosses kept him after a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, then again after a 2-0 loss at Chelsea.
After the Chelsea game, the club decided he would get at least two more matches, against Roma and Villa. The situation is due to be assessed during the international break, so the Villa result lands just before that review.
What fans are saying
Supporters voiced their views online during the match. One X user wrote: "I don't think the fanbase has ever been so in agreement that a manager needs to be sacked."
The same user added that Carrick "just has to go, no matter what the result is today." That is one fan's post, but it matches a wider mood that the manager should be replaced.
Anger aimed at the owners too
The frustration at Old Trafford was not aimed only at the manager. Before kickoff, fans filled the Stretford End with green and gold balloons, colors from the club's past that signal rejection of the current leadership.
Chants against the Glazer family and minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe rang out as the players walked out. Several fan groups had urged supporters to make themselves heard, citing falling standards and what they see as an attack on traditional fan culture.
A call to walk out in the 21st minute, marking 21 years since the Glazers' leveraged buyout, came to nothing. By then, many fans had already made their feelings plain.
Opposition to a planned new stadium to replace Old Trafford was also on show. Many supporters are angry that money has gone into buying land for the project rather than into the squad.
A banner unfurled in the stand put it bluntly: "We don't want a new stadium, we want the owners out."
