Michael Carrick is one of the candidates shortlisted for the West Ham United managerial position. The bookies’ favourite and former player has reportedly expressed interest in the role and is favoured by one of the board members.
Unfortunately for Carrick, the backing of one board member might not be enough with Graham Potter emerging as the most likely candidate. However, that has not stopped the bookies from linking the former Hammers midfielder with the top job.
Carrick is currently the manager of Championship side Middlesbrough, having joined them in October 2022. Boro occupy fifth place after 18 games this season and are chasing promotion.
His first campaign in charge almost led to promotion, losing to Coventry City in the semi-finals of the playoffs. His second year was more challenging due to the loss of key players and injuries within the squad. Despite this, Boro finished a respectable eighth with 69 points, just four points off a play-off place.
Prior to managing Middlesbrough, Carrick served as interim manager at Manchester United, overseeing an unbeaten three-game run with two wins and a draw. He was also United’s assistant manager from July 2018 to November 2021.
Aged 43, Carrick is well known to Hammers fans, having graduated from the West Ham Academy in 1999. He left the club in 2004 after West Ham failed to secure promotion from the Championship, losing 1-0 to Crystal Palace in the play-off final.
He then spent two years at North London rivals Spurs before joining Manchester United, where he enjoyed a trophy-laden 12 years, alongside his earlier InterToto Cup success with West Ham.
Carrick favours a 4-2-3-1 possession-based formation, drawing influence from his time under Sir Alex Ferguson and Louis van Gaal, as well as the Johan Cruyff school of football. The philosophy focuses on controlling the ball to dominate the game.
Jonathan Woodgate serves as his assistant manager, while his younger brother Graeme, a former West Ham youth player, is the First Team coach at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium.
Carrick has attracted interest from several clubs and was previously linked to the West Ham job in early 2023 when David Moyes was under pressure. Leicester City also considered him before appointing another ex-Manchester United player, Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Carrick’s contract with Middlesbrough runs until June 2027, meaning West Ham would need to negotiate compensation should he decide to return to his former club.
I think these articles about Carrick joining West ham are hilarious. West ham, or any prem club, has a chance of signing Carrick this season. He has a good thing going at boro with full backing and a project to get stuck in to. He’s not daft enough to jump ship for a couple of months of a relegation scrap in the Premier league.
We could do a lot worse than Carrick. In fact we have recently !
At least with Carrick and Noble in the background we might get some of the “West Ham Way” back into our football. Many younger fans won’t know what I’m talking about but us oldens will remember the days when it was a pleasure to look forward to watching our team without thinking ‘I wonder what sort of team is gonna turn out today’.
We’ll see, probably most of us will be thinking, oh no, not him, as was the case in August.
COYI
Keep dreaming MC isnt going anywhere yet. Boro have already proved he is valuable twice now by no sacking after going through some really rough patches, patches in length that has seen other clubs from the top 2 divisions sack their managers. I think MC has a lot more loyalty than you think.
He ain’t going nowhere lad so you can keep dreaming.
O my God not Steve Cooper. Where did that come from .
Carrick may become a great manager but he’s not there yet , just check the Boro results over the last 2 and a half years . Potter took 3 years before he started getting good results at Brighton and totally failed at Chelsea and Westham don’t have time after the LOSEpetegui debacle . Conceicao won a lot of silverware over several years and is not currently employed so ticks a lot of boxes .
He’s a great manager but the bookies would say things like this to win your money maybe a few years time
The odds are mainly made up from the amount of money being thrown at anything really, the reason why he is favorite is because more people are stupid enough to place the money on him.
Biggest mistake when hiring a new manager is losing all of the previous back room staff. There was no continuity of training or purpose when Julen dumped Kevin Nolan and all. No understanding of the players we already had and Julen inherited. Trouble then is that every player is ‘new’. There is no foundation on which to build.
I fear same will happen again soon.
We need someone familiar with the squad and club in a position of authority to assist any new manager. That won’t be Tim – he’s new himself and that’s not his job. It won’t be Mark Noble either – not new but that’s not his job either. Perhaps Mark might have an influence on recruiting the back room staff, though.
COYI
Not sure where you’ve got your odds from but he not favourite with any bookmaker. You can get 16/1 for him but this goes along with most things on this website in the fact it’s made up.
He’s my first choice – was last time as well. Highly intelligent footballer with top Premiership pedigree as a player. Now doing well as a manager. But that’s probably too straightforward. The board needs more drama.
Light CV. Frank Lampard is the man if we are to go down the route of appointing a former player and his management team.
oh please shutup. truly pathetic
ha ha rc XX
carrick didnt show us any loyalty as a player leaving us when we were in the championship so i wouldnt want him now as manager, his record as a manager isnt great he almost got promoted through the play offs isnt a big enough plus on his cv to manage the team we have and the many egos.though i think we should get a british manager
Mind you, nor did Slaven
So far he has a over 50% WIN rate, and last year was not his fault as we were obliterated with injuries nearly all season. Based on his win rate alone, we are good for at least 69 points this season.
It could be worse…some reports suggesting Sullivan is keen on Steve Cooper 🤬
If i had to choose any of the coaches being mentioned Potter would be very last on my list Having said this I still don’t know why they need sporting directors I believe the MANAGER is the one that knows what he wants it should be his choice 1st not a group of men chucked at him and hope they fit because that doesn’t seem to be working at West Ham Unless we just have the wrong sporting director too
That last paragraph will be a big no no to Sullivan.