The post-Ferguson question for Carrick's United
It's been tough going for Manchester United supporters since 2013
There’s a joke among Manchester United fans. Actually, maybe it’s more of a conspiracy theory. It goes something like this: that Sir Alex Ferguson put the club under a hex and, thus as a result, we as United fans cannot have nice things. Some call it Cursed FC. The trade-off was that unprecedented run of success through the 1990s and 2000s. Enjoyed that? Good. Because you get nothing since.
Of course it’s nonsense, a mere coping mechanism among fans, and it also tends to undersell United’s achievements since Ferguson’s fabled retirement. OK there has been no coveted Premier League title in those 13 years since the great Scot walked away from it all. There have been some crushing lows: Louis van Gaal’s turgid football, Jose Mourinho’s even more turgid football, Erik ten Hag’s chaos-ball, Ruben Amorim’s inability to win a game… it goes on. But United have hardly gone trophyless, winning more than most (Aston Villa, Spurs, Newcastle et al) in this period.
What is undoubtedly true is the Ferguson glory years have left many United fans with a warped perception of success. In the eyes of some, finishing second or third does not constitute a successful season simply because in the mid-2000s such finishes felt devastating.
But context is key, which is why United’s 2025/26 season must be viewed in positive terms, despite all the obvious caveats (no midweek games to tire the legs, some stuttering spells of form, an incomplete squad etc). Michael Carrick has done all he can in steering United to Champions League qualification with a minimum of fuss. Third place now looks very likely.
This is good and it’s OK to say this is good.
Saying United have had a very good season is not the same as saying United should settle for this. The context of having finished 15th last season ought to frame what the club have done in the past year. The recruitment has been more than steady, the football – especially in the past few months under Carrick – has been solid. Not spectacular, but serviceable.
Sure, everyone connected to the club wants United to be challenging for the league again. It’s only half happened in the post-Fergie period and both Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suffered immediately after finishing second because the expectation was to push on and win the thing. Wouldn’t it have been better to consistently finish in the top four, maintain a strong squad and build belief to eventually challenge for a league title when the time is right?
Whether that happens in the coming years is now the million-dollar question around United and it feels like the chat around Carrick’s longer-term position is being dictated by overly lofty expectations. Some fans seek a big, sexy name because they believe it will bring instant success.
Perhaps there will be comments or replies to this article saying my standards are too low; that I should be aiming for the stars.
A fairly simple recent quote from Carrick sums the situation up best, in my view.
“I am happy with where we are at the moment and we still want to get better. Let's see what happens next.”
The next thing, in my view, ought to be securing Carrick’s appointment as permanent head coach on a fairly short-term deal, one or two years. There isn’t much wrong with giving him a season in charge with the aim of continuing United’s steady progress. It doesn’t have to be a romping league title season; but equally the post-Fergie notion of ‘Cursed FC’ need not apply either.
Dominic Booth
Came for a nosey after enjoying your features on NQAT, good stuff here too 👍