Every word from Carrick and Maguire
MICHAEL CARRICK
“First of all, it’s obviously been an emotional day. Yesterday, for myself and everybody at the club. I’ve been working with Ole for three years now and known him for an awful lot longer than that and knowing the person that he is, the values that he has and lives by and how he treats people. To see Ole unfortunately lose his job yesterday was tough for me. It was tough for a lot of people at the club. You could tell by the emotion that was around the place yesterday and what Ole meant to everyone. We understand and Ole obviously understands. He said it himself, results in this business is everything. As much as you build a foundation and the right culture and treat people the right way, sometimes you don’t always get what you deserve unfortunately. I want to say a massive thank you to Ole, especially from me and the staff as well as the players because I’ve learned an awful lot from him. He taught me a lot and it’s been an absolute pleasure working with him. Sad, sad, sad day initially and I wish Ole all the very best. On the flip-side, football’s football and business is as usual today. We’ve got a big game to prepare for for tomorrow. It’s a privilege for me now to sit in this position. I understand the responsibility that comes with that and now the focus is to flipping our minds and looking forward quickly. It’s what this club does very well and what this club’s done really well historically and that’s certainly the aim now. We’re very much looking forward to the game tomorrow, going over there with a real positive mind and attitude. The boys will be ready for it, so, yeah, we can’t wait for the game to come.”
Could I get a little bit of your thoughts on what you’ve been told going forwards, how long you might be in this position and what you’ll bring to this role? Obviously you’ll pick the team tomorrow, do you think there’s changes that needs to be made?
“In terms of what I’ve been told and understand… My thought process and mindset is preparing the team for tomorrow night, give my best. Obviously, I know the boys really well, the staff and the club really well. This club’s been my life for an awful long time now. It’s the sacrifice and dedication that you’ve got to get and you’ve got to give and I’m prepared to do that. However long it takes, I’m prepared to do that for… Whether it’s one game, whether it’s two games or a stretch longer than that. Right now, I’m not too sure. That’s not something that’s on my mind, it’s literally about tomorrow. It’s a big game, obviously for us in terms of the group stage and we’re trying to get through on that. I just have to go about the job as I know and trust myself and trust the people who got behind me and the staff and the players, going there positive and look forward to the game, it’s a fantastic game to be playing in, it’s a fantastic game of football. These are the nights you’re tested and remember when you’re pushed to the limit. These are the ones where you find out what you’ve got. I’m really looking forward to it. I was looking forward to today, preparing the players and I’m looking forward hugely to tomorrow night.”
As one of Ole’s coaching staff, you’ve had a first-hand look at how it has unfolded this season. From that perspective, why do you think it has unravelled the way it has? Is there such a huge expectation at the start of the season, with season-on-season progress and the signings you’ve made but it’s just fallen apart. Why is that?
“Listen, we can sit and talk about all sorts of different things. For me, it’s not the time to look back I think. Of course, I know in my own mind what happened and what could’ve been improved. As Harry [Maguire] has already said I think it’s important everyone look at themselves and what we can do better. It’s easy to look elsewhere. As a player it was exactly the same, thinking what you can improve on and what’s next. For me, what’s next is that we’re about to catch a plane to Spain and prepare the team for the game tomorrow. That really is my focus and I’m really looking forward to the game to come around”
Obviously you were a part of Ole’s coaching staff. In your games in charge, however many there may be, will we see a significant change tactically or anything else?
“We’ll have to wait and see. I’ve worked closely with Ole for a long time now and we have very similar beliefs like we did as players and obviously as manager. Yes, of course, I’ve got my own personality to Ole but of course it’s going to be similar because that’s why we’ve worked together for so long. We’ll have to wait and see, I’m not going to give much away, my plans are clear in my head how we want to play and how we will go about it. I’m looking forward to seeing it on the pitch.”
