A thousand hoorays for Hull City, authors of one of the great opening weekend stories of recent times, destroyers of reputations, joint-leaders of the Premier League. It’s only one match, yet one that Hull will relish even if they depart the Premier League as most expect at the season’s end.
Michael Carrick’s face when the goals went in were a smouldering mosaic of embarrassment, shock and mortification. Yes, Michael, this is your team, the one you picked, the one you prepared.
The so-called leadership in the posh seats, CEO Omar Berrada and his director of football Jason Wilcox, squirmed just as uncomfortably as the myth of Manchester United’s revival under Carrick unravelled before them.
While Hull justifiably glory in in the euphoria of it all, it’s back to crisis management, introspection and questions for Carrick and United. Let’s start with this. What happened to Manchester United DNA, you know, that molecular footprint that Carrick was supposed to understand and decipher to rebuild the team?
Whatever DNA means in the football context, there was precious little connection between the team led by Carrick at Hull and the one he served with distinction as a player. We of course understand the concept of history and tradition and can readily conjure an image of the great United teams of the past, the ball moving quickly, wingers dazzling at speed, strikers attacking with menace.
