Michael Carrick has improved Middlesbrough but the club still remain no closer to the Premier League.
Boro were last relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2016/17 season.
Steve Gibson sacked Aitor Karanka – the man who won them promotion the campaign prior – toward the back end of the season, a decision he probably now regrets in hindsight.
The Spaniard did not have the best 2016/17 but before he was sacked, Boro did have one of the best defensive records in the Premier League outside of the top six.
But Karanka’s departure was swiftly followed by a massive decline in form and results, leading to the North East outfit suffering relegation.
Since that campaign, Middlesbrough have tried and failed under numerous managers to regain a spot in the top flight.
The man currently tasked with delivering promotion is Michael Carrick, who moved to the Riverside Stadium in October 2022.
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Carrick enjoyed a prolific debut campaign with Middlesbrough, who reached the play-off semi-finals before losing to Coventry City.
This past season, however, did not go anywhere near as well. Boro failed to win any of their opening five matches and ended 2023/24 down in eighth place.
Now though, former Middlesbrough and Arsenal star Ray Parlour has urged owner Gibson to stick with Carrick as there are not many other managers who have his background and credentials.
He said: “I agree with giving Michael Carrick time to turn things around at Boro after missing the play-offs last season.
“Carrick is a good coach and I don’t see too many others that have his background and credentials in football. Boro do need to pick up some wins now to get themselves in the mix for a promotion push. But also, the football on the pitch needs to be good as well as if results don’t come now, but the football is good, you can see the results coming.
“With so many games, it’s so important to pick up wins regularly to stay in the mix and not fall away. If you want too much to do after Christmas, then it can be a struggle. So I think Carrick can learn from last season and ensure Boro are well in the mix.”
Will Middlesbrough win promotion under Michael Carrick
After an excellent summer transfer window, Middlesbrough were expected to be among the promotion favourites this term.
So far, it has not been an easy opening to the campaign, with two wins, a draw and one defeat leaving the Reds seventh in the Championship table.
However, Middlesbrough have still started 2024/25 much better than the previous campaign, in which they only missed out on the top six by four points.
Furthermore, Carrick has been able to improve his side’s results despite having a serious injury crisis to deal with.
Now the September international break is upon us, players like Rav van den Berg and Dael Fry will have plenty of time to get back to fitness, giving Boro a much stronger squad when they return to action later this month.
In turn, though it is still very early in the season, Middlesbrough should at least by in the race for a play-off place come May.