Michael Carrick is staying, for now. Manchester United will keep him in charge for Saturday's Premier League trip to Chelsea, BBC Sport reported on Tuesday, two days after a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth left them 16th and eight games without a win. Six fan YouTubers reacted, and only the Chelsea one sounds pleased.
Sunday felt like a goodbye. Fans sang Carrick's name as he walked to the tunnel, then booed the players once he had gone. "It wasn't a farewell from me," he told Sky Sports. Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann were considered, per BBC Sport. On Tuesday Carrick took training instead.
Michael Carrick: the farewell that wasn't
UnitedStand opens with the verdict: "the board have decided to keep Michael Carrick." Mark Goldbridge then comes down off the fence: "I'm Carrick out." His reading of Sunday is that the board mistook a send-off for a mandate. "That was an appreciation of a player that's a legend who's tried his best."
He also has a theory about the next week. Chelsea away, then Roma and Aston Villa at home: "All he's got to do is win one of those home games and he's till Christmas." So the window, in his view, has just closed. "The opportunity to remove Michael Carrick has just disappeared."
Stretford Paddock spotted the problem with the format. "It feels weird to be doing breaking news which is essentially there's no news in a way." Their worry is for the man himself: "Are we putting this United legend through... unnecessary misery at this point?" The board, they say, has "completely bottled the decision."
Ineos and the board: kept on, not backed
Nobody in the United rooms thinks this is a vote of confidence. Webby & O'Neill compare it to the Erik ten Hag saga and sum up the club's position: "We're keeping him. We're sacking him. We don't know what we're doing." Then the real question: "Hang on a minute. Who wants the job?" Being given time, they add, is a different thing: "That's not backing."
Flex at UnitedViewTV recorded his reaction outdoors in high wind, pausing to tell viewers not to worry about a fire engine. It suits the mood. "You do not fool me," he tells the owners. He doesn't see a long-term plan. He sees "lack of planning, lack of funds, and lack of control". He remembers Ole Gunnar Solskjær's side winning 3-0 at Tottenham with the pressure on, and Solskjær going a few games later anyway. "We are kicking the can down the road."
SaeedTV opens with "Nothing surprises me anymore" and then gets to the money. His theory is that the club are "too broke to sack people", and his verdict on the institution is short: "We are a comedy club. This is a circus." He has also read the fixture list. "Where is this turnaround coming from?"
Chelsea: the best news of the day
One room is having a lovely Tuesday. CFCFanTV reads the news and calls it "the best news of the day." There is history: when United get a new manager bounce, "it's always Chelsea. But not this time."
Then the endorsement, with a straight face: "I endorse Michael Carrick to stay on for at least a couple of months." Viewers who agree are invited to "put a clapping emoji in the chat." Carrick has never been more popular in SW6.
The argument: stay of execution or fresh start?
There is one fact on Carrick's side. His win at Stamford Bridge last season helped him get the job permanently, per BBC Sport. Lightning has struck in SW6 before.
The United rooms aren't counting on it. Stretford Paddock admit to "just hope rather than expectation". Flex's last word is aimed upstairs: "They better pray we beat Chelsea." Goldbridge has a more awkward problem. He wants United to win on Saturday, and he thinks a win would only help the people who kept Carrick.
So this isn't a fresh start. It's a stay of execution with a 12:30 kick-off. Carrick said Sunday wasn't a farewell. Most of the United rooms aren't convinced.