Ibrox Noise has to spare a word for the chaos down south at Manchester United and Michael Carrick. Naturally, the reaction from 99% of both the press and fans has been to sympathise with Carrick and criticise the players. Carrick has, of course, been fired and he will be replaced by Argentina’s Mauricio Pochettino.

However, Ibrox Noise is a lot more neutral and honest about these things, and the buck always stops with the manager. This is a basic rule of football. It stopped with Walter Smith. It stopped with Dick Advocaat. It stopped with Sir Alex Ferguson and it sure as hell stops with Derek McInnes. It will also, and did, stop with Michael Carrick.

Michael Carrick Manchester United Disaster

Manchester United have had their worst start to the season in 40 years. Almost half a century of better starts than this have preceded this appalling beginning to season 2026/27, and yet somehow the manager is immune from criticism?

We don’t, and never have, quite subscribed to that. It is entirely naive to believe that the manager is not responsible for what happens on the pitch. We do have a piece on this regarding Mikey Moore’s comments on the same topic in due course.

But the fact is, Carrick is a terrible manager. He’s a nice guy and that’s why he’s gaining a lot of sympathy. But he’s a barely mediocre manager who was at Championship Middlesbrough before being taken out of his comfort zone into the chaos at Manchester United.

The Difference Between Caretaker and Permanent Manager

As caretaker boss, there’s less expectation. It is just hope that you’ll be half decent. Barry Ferguson sadly wasn’t even that for Rangers.

But Carrick did not do badly at United, based on low expectations from being a Championship manager and a caretaker. Give him the job permanently, however, and it’s quite a different story.

Suddenly the pressure’s on. Suddenly the budget’s down to him. Suddenly the team is in his image. And it didn’t work. He was completely out of his depth, and this is something that Manchester United have repeatedly done for the best part of 13 or 14 years.

Rangers have also been guilty. We hope that Derek McInnes is truly the answer. But what are we guilty of? Appointing the wrong managers.

It’s not that you can’t sack managers over and over again. It’s more that you can’t keep on appointing the wrong ones in the first place. United have been doing exactly that.

Michael Carrick Manchester United Blame Game

We have no idea if Pochettino is the right man for Manchester United, although it is true that he’s been linked with the club for the best part of a decade.

Nevertheless, to absolve Carrick of blame and claim it’s all down to the players is a miserable and pathetic excuse, which seems to suggest that the manager is immune and his instructions are perfect.

They clearly weren’t in this case.

Of course, even bigger managers than Carrick have failed at Manchester United. It is a poisoned chalice for sure.

Can Pochettino Finally Fix Old Trafford?

But Pochettino will find out if he is of the right stock to deal with this absolute shambles of a club.

Because if Derek McInnes can start to turn Rangers around, as he has apparently started doing, then maybe there is hope for the Old Trafford giants yet.

But let’s not absolve Carrick of all the blame, as the media and fans seem to be doing. Although it’s more on his bosses for appointing him in the first place.

We know that this article is not going to stop them doing that anyway.