Carrick 'doing a decent job' but 'has no plan B'

Middlesbrough's play-off hopes suffered a setback in the 1-0 loss at Millwall on Saturday.

Former Boro midfielder Neil Maddison told the Red Alert podcast that boss Michael Carrick's inability to adapt their playing style in-game contributed to the defeat.

We asked for your views on whether Carrick is too predictable and if he is costing Boro a shot at promotion. Here's what you said:

Kenny: Carrick obviously lacks tactical savvy. He's clearly a reactive manager rather than proactive. He rarely, if ever, changes formation, making like for like substitutions. I think it would benefit him by getting a tactically astute assistant alongside him, other than the ineffective Woodgate, who clearly isn't up to the job. We are too predictable and slow with our play and opposition teams have very clearly worked us out and also know we have no pace or height up front.

Stu: Carrick is relatively new to management and is still learning. I would rather have a manager of Carrick's type than one who simply does the rounds, as we have had in the past. There is a lot more to come from Carrick and considering the player upheavals he has had to contend with, is one of the best new managers in the game.

Andy N: When we sold Latte Lath, we sold our only goalscorer. We didn't replace him and now we can't score any goals. I'm not sure where the mystery lies....

Luke: Carrick has to create a twinge of flexibility within the team. Usually however well we start, the opposition side is the one that improves at the end of the game. Never us.

Liam: Calm down everyone, we're still a top 30 team in England as we have been for the last 150 years more or less. Carrick is doing a decent job, we have a half-decent team but without Lath and Doak, we have no players who are above decent Championship level. When they were playing we were as good as anyone in the league. Once again Carrick doesn't get to have the same squad for a whole season and therefore has to adapt. Patience, endurance and belief. UTB.

Ian: He always plays the same style of football. Against teams who sit in we have no clue, no plan B. We are drifting along to miss out again. Too much sideways and backwards football for me. If we could shoot straight we could score a lot more. Carrick does not change things in games when it obviously isn't working. At times, the bench is better than what's on the pitch. So frustrating. We can pass teams off a pitch but can't win when we need to. He has brought us along to be a good side but I think he needs to go if we don't get in the play-offs.

Ben: Michael Carrick is one of our best managers in recent times. Financially, we're making profit on players who have developed under Carrick (Rogers, Akpom, Latte Lath), and the fundamentals in our style of play are some of the best in the country. While I appreciate we are an inconsistent side, which has been our downfall this season, there has still been glimpses of the quality we know the squad is capable of. Regardless of the outcome of this season, my confidence in Carrick's project remains the same, and I've got full confidence in him to deliver us the promotion we all desperately want.

Andy: Sadly, the Boro team are exhibiting the sanguine demeanour of its manager out on the pitch. Neil identified and exploited the soft underbelly and went for it. There's not much appetite for the fight amongst the players and their propensity to play conservative slow side-to-side football is costing us dear. Injuries have hobbled us no doubt, but the departure of Latte Lath hurt us badly and then the inexplicable decision to allow Clarke to leave when we were down to the bare bones in the centre-half department is unfathomable. I like Carrick but we actually seem to be going backwards under his management. I'd venture to say we have negligible if not no chance of getting to the play-offs and if we did by some miracle, the scope for embarrassment is definitely there.

Rob: We have to keep hold of MC. We've given him his first job in football and we should stand by him. UTB.