Michael Carrick Pre-Bournemouth — Press Conference

[14:51] I'll start today, I just want to say a few things really, I think it's important, [15:01] I think recently we haven't had a good time, I think that's pretty obvious, [15:06] so I totally accept what we're going through at the moment. [15:11] We had five months of relative success in a spell where I was happy with a lot of things that I was seeing [15:20] and that we were doing as a team, we haven't done well enough lately, [15:27] I think that's pretty obvious to say, and we've had a spell that we're really not happy with. [15:31] Wednesday was a bad night, it was a bad night for a lot of reasons and it was a bad night, [15:36] that kind of hurt a lot and obviously hurt me to see us play that way, to see how the game panned out, [15:43] it was, as I said after the game, it was really unacceptable for us to play like that and to be like that. [15:52] The supporters are a huge part of this football club, for me to see the supporters have to make the effort [15:58] and the time and spend the money to come and support us on Wednesday [16:02] and have the feeling after the game like we all felt was a tough moment, [16:08] I think that's pretty obvious. [16:11] My responsibility is to get a team on a pitch that represents this football club, [16:15] represents the supporters and they can be proud of it with the identity that we show, [16:20] and we have gone away from that just recently in certain games which I'm totally fully aware of [16:27] and definitely doing something about, so I think it's important that we all recognise that, [16:33] I certainly recognise it and our supporters are the utmost of importance to me and this football club [16:39] and for them to feel like they felt for five months at the start of the year, [16:45] for us to have that about us and that connection and that real vigour and intensity and enjoyment and passion [16:53] that we all felt through that period was something that we need to get back to and we will get back to it [17:01] and I fully believe that but I think it's important that we recognise that we haven't been doing that. [17:07] The foundation of this football club and the values of this football club have been put down and etched for many, many years [17:17] and I totally understand and I get every single one of them and it comes down to humility, [17:24] it comes down to being humble, it comes down to being hard-working and being really proud to work hard [17:30] and being proud to live up to them values and, you know, there's a resilience about this football club [17:37] that's been shown for a long, long time and whether that's bouncing back from adversity, [17:43] whether that's comebacks, whether that's late goals, whether that's success, whether that's sustaining success, [17:49] there's a resilience in this football club that runs very, very deep and I've seen it with my own eyes, [17:55] I've felt it, I'm aware of some of the individuals and know them closely who have been a big part of that history [18:00] and I said it after the game, Manchester United is always bigger and it always has been, [18:06] always will be bigger than any single individual, bigger than me, bigger than any of the players [18:13] and it always has been, you know, I'm fortunate enough to know some players myself and play with some, [18:18] Ryan Giggs, arguably one of the greatest to play for this football club, it was never about Ryan Giggs, [18:25] it was about Manchester United, Wayne Rooney was top goalscorer of this football club, [18:32] his biggest thing was playing for the team, sacrificing for the team and what was good for [18:35] Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, the best manager of all time, the greatest for me and [18:41] working with him and his main priority was Manchester United and going back to Sir Matt, Sir Bobby, [18:47] the resilience was beyond belief of what they showed and the way they rebuilt this football club and [18:54] again it was based on being humble, having humility and hard work and we can never lose that and I won't let [19:03] us lose that, we've had it for a spell, I feel very strongly about that, I think it's, it inspires me a [19:10] lot to live up to that and keep driving that with the players in the group that we have, we've shown [19:16] for it for a good period of time and that we're capable of it. At the moment, yes, we're in a moment [19:23] where it's not gone well so we need to show what exactly what it means and you know respect this football [19:32] club, respect what it takes to be here, respect what it takes to win, what you have to do to win, [19:37] we're not, I'm not entitled to be here, entitlement cannot be at this football club, we're not entitled [19:42] to win, we've won in the past, we've got an incredible history but that doesn't mean that you're [19:47] entitled to just win, I'm fully aware of that, it takes hard work, it takes a lot of sacrifice, [19:55] you've got to invest yourself in the football club and you've got to do a lot of things that maybe aren't so [19:59] nice but you've got to do it for each other and you've got to win and you've got to win and I [20:04] think it's important we live up to that and it's important for me to to push those values and it's [20:09] important for our supporters to feel that moving forward we've had it, we've kind of lost our way [20:17] a little bit if I'm totally honest and we'll get it back, I'm totally convinced we'll get it back, [20:22] we respect this football club, respect what it takes because it's very very important to me. [20:27] Obviously there's naturally been a lot of talk the last 24 hours, 36 hours, who have you been [20:39] speaking to in the club hierarchy and how have you spoken to the players after your disappointment? [20:45] Yeah we've spoken, obviously there's always conversations going on, I think it's pretty [20:50] obvious how we're all feeling, it's pretty obvious how we're all feeling, a reaction, a reaction from me, [20:55] my responsibility for me to be in this position is to lead, you know, it is my responsibility to [21:05] whatever goes on the pitch and what we are as a group and what we look like and what we feel like, [21:09] if anything, you know, I'll hold that umbrella for me to get wet and for everyone else to stay dry, [21:18] you know, that's the position I'm in and it's a privileged position, discussions going on, [21:24] getting the players in a good frame of mind and well organised to put in a good performance on Sunday. [21:29] Being more than only one person and the ability to fight back from adversity, [21:35] are you still confident that you can be the man that does it? [21:37] Yeah, yeah, 100 per cent, yeah. [21:41] Michael, how much is this hurting you, the situation right now, the speech that you just gave [21:46] there at the start of the press conference clearly came from the heart, you spoke very [21:53] openly and very honestly about how you felt after the game the other night as well, you've been through a lot [21:57] with this club, you've won a lot of things, how much is this hurting you and how much pride have [22:02] you got to sort this out, not just for yourself but for everyone else as well and to move on from [22:05] what is undoubtedly a very difficult moment? [22:07] Yeah, it hurts an awful lot but it doesn't stop me, there's a big difference, you know, that hurt is used [22:13] as pure motivation for an inspiration, if anything, to want more, to expect more, to work for more [22:21] and to get us going in that different direction. We can be, you know, it feels at times that it can [22:28] be a long way away but it doesn't take too much to flip the other way and we're more than capable [22:35] of doing that, I totally believe that and we will, you know, we'll win football matches, we've got a [22:40] very tough one on Sunday, a very, very good team that we're playing against on Sunday and I'm not [22:45] suggesting now all of a sudden that that becomes an easy game because it doesn't, we've got to respect the [22:50] game, we've got to respect what it takes to win. [22:52] Do you get the sense that everyone feels the same way that you do? [22:55] Yeah. [22:55] As deeply as you do? [22:56] Yeah, I do, yeah, 100 per cent do and if you don't this is not the place for you. [23:03] Michael, talk about getting the players in the right frame, I just wanted to ask you a few [23:06] questions about Bruno Fernandes, first of all, how is he and his family after the news from a few [23:11] nights ago about his home being burdened? [23:14] Yeah, I mean, it's an awful thing to hear about and to go through, we're obviously doing a lot of work [23:20] to support Bruno and his family, thankfully they weren't directly affected even though it's an [23:27] awful situation so I'm not playing it down in any way but we're doing everything to support. [23:33] Off the back of Lissandro's comments, Bruno's comments after the game, have you had some honest [23:37] conversations with him, the rest of the squad around tactics, the direction of the club because on the [23:43] outside it does feel like, you know, the changing room is maybe divided, maybe that's not the right [23:48] word but all isn't well at the moment in that dressing room? [23:51] It's not divided, no, it's not divided, we just need to get back into doing what we do best and we will. [23:58] Michael Owen, the club has continually changed manager since Ferguson there. [24:08] There's been some short-term bounces but the reality is the club has just ended up being mired in the same [24:14] cycle. Can you, you're obviously clearly under pressure but can you just talk about why you [24:21] feel it is so important at this moment that the club break that cycle, they might have to go through [24:27] some pain to move forward and do you fear that if there's obviously more change this cycle is just [24:34] going to keep repeating itself? I certainly don't fear it, no, not at all. I understand what we can [24:41] achieve. I know what it needs to look like to get to the stage where you're winning enough football [24:49] games to get through that spell as well but principles, values are so important to the football [24:56] club, definitely to me. We can win games, we can lose games maybe, hopefully not but at some point [25:03] we're going to do it. It's how you do it a little bit and what it feels like is important and that [25:10] spirit, that unity, that togetherness needs to be there and it is there and it will be there. I'll [25:17] make sure it's there anyway so I'm just looking for the solutions to move us forward that's plain [25:24] and simple as that. Just on that togetherness and the emotions and the values and stuff, Dan's mentioned [25:30] it there, like Lissandra Martin was coming out last week, Bruno made some pretty pointed comments. [25:36] Does that have to stop, have you spoken to the players and said look we're killing ourselves in [25:41] public here, we've got to come together and stop this sort of behaviour? We need to move forward in [25:48] the right direction for sure and we need to do things to enable us to do that so it's pretty clear. [25:54] Michael, in your kind of speech just then you used some words, humble, humility, sacrifice, [26:02] hard work and you spoke about the great players of the past and what success has been built on. [26:09] Obviously talent is another thing. On Wednesday you said that if you don't run forward and you don't [26:17] run back you won't win football matches. Seems a fairly basic thing to do. How do you persuade these [26:25] players, these group of players who your job rests on ultimately, how do you persuade them that [26:32] they need those four things that you spoke about, the humbleness and humility as well as talent to [26:40] achieve what you need? I think it's pretty clear as day. I'm not telling you anything new, [26:48] I haven't definitely invented anything new. That's the make-up of any good football team and [26:53] you have to earn the right to be better than your opponent and you have to do more than your [26:59] opponent to win a game. That's as simple as that. It doesn't change, it never changes. [27:05] That's what we need to do to win more games. [27:11] You obviously love this club, are in it for the right reasons and I think we all assess you as a [27:18] really good guy etc. Isn't this then what made Bruno Fernandes' questioning of your tactics, [27:24] basically your authority, so sort of invidious and divisive and actually this is the man, [27:28] the player you trusted as the captain, the leader who shows an example and he goes and does that. [27:34] I mean, how do you solve that? Will you consider taking the captaincy off him, dropping him, [27:40] you know, because it's about the collective as you just said right, he there himself has basically [27:45] gone against that right? Yeah, the most important thing for me is the team first and foremost, [27:50] is the squad, is the dynamics in the squad and again it's about the football club and I always [27:57] do what's best for the football club. So would you consider taking the captaincy off him or dropping him? [28:02] I'm just saying I always, whatever the situation is, I'll always do what's best for the football club. [28:08] Michael, just on Bruno again, have you spoken to him about what he said because obviously that [28:13] caused a lot of sort of noise that came after a difficult situation as it is, it kind of poured a [28:19] bit more kind of fuel on the fire? Yeah, if I've spoken to him or haven't spoken to him I don't [28:25] think this is the time to go into too much detail. Just on a similar theme to what James was asking [28:31] earlier, those values about, you know, self-sacrifice, humility etc, do you think the players understand [28:38] that and how important is it that they do understand that? That's vital that they do, yeah, they have to, [28:43] they have to, that's what I'm saying, we have done it and we've shown a spell and it's there, you know, [28:50] they've felt it as a group and they know what it takes to win certain games. I know you can question [28:57] things about last season and the run and the amount of games we played and all that, the fact of the [29:02] matter is we went on a really, really good run, the best run in the league out of everybody at that [29:06] point. So it's there, it's there, we've got to find it individually, got to find it as a team and [29:11] I've got to find it for everyone.