Yes lots of square pegs in round holes. Feel like Carrick had an ideology which just didn’t work with the resources he had at Boro the last 2 seasons

It’s an interesting point. I always feel like in modern football it’s a bit idealistic to think you can have a successful team built around young, academy players… but in a lot of ways I think that’s been the key to Sunderland’s tenacious spirit the last couple of years.

I’ve been a ST holder at Boro all my life- but shy away from conversations with groups of lads about football. It’s hard putting across an opinion as a woman in such a male dominated space, even in 2025. Your analysis shows passion and knowledge of the game. Don’t let the boneheads get you down ✊

I’ll settle for two 😆 The narrowness of our attacking play has become such a bug bear for me

You’re probably right. I feel like i still love the idea of what Michael Carrick success would look like (the silky football, goals on tap, his calm persona). But he has had a long time and just can’t seem to make it work with the resources we have.