Kid rock FERGIE MAKES IT CHILD’S PLAY
MICHAEL CARRICK knew when promotion fever had gripped Middlesbrough – it was the moment kids started chasing him down the street on bikes.
Carrick leads Boro out in the playoff semi-final today hoping to use all his experience of 11 major trophy wins to get his team over the line against Coventry, and to Wembley.
But on his new-found fame, the former Manchester United star joked: “It was a struggle to outrun them.
“There was no one when I first started, and there were six of them this week.
“The sheer joy of the younger people and how excited they are has reminded me of the genuine excitement I had about football when I was a kid. The atmosphere and energy.”
Naturally there have been calls to legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson as Carrick learns his trade in taking a team to the top.
Carrick added: “I speak to him quite a bit and he is always there giving bits of help on the way.
“It is more of a friendship thing and it is nice to have that ability.”
But in the dugout Carrick is doing things fine his own way. A quieter, calmer version of Fergie, giving guidance to the likes of Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer.
He’s taken Boro from 21st in the Championship to fourth, and now the play-offs, and said: “I’ve genuinely loved it.
“The day-to-day you are engrossed in it, but there is still an enjoyment to it. It comes down to results, though, really and achieving things.
“When you win it’s great, but when you lose it’s important not to think of it as the end of the world.
“It’s more looking back and working out what went well, rather than enjoying every moment.
“Initially I went straight into coaching because Jose (Mourinho) gave me that opportunity at Manchester United.
“That was the path I took from there. You take the opportunities in front of you and I could not have envisaged the way it has gone since retiring.
“I’ve just kind of gone with it and tried to enjoy it.”