The last time Manchester United won a league game, schools were closed for the summer and the transfer window was still open. When things get this bad, managers can be forgiven for heading straight down the tunnel after another defeat - especially if their side have made their worst start to a season in 40 years. Michael Carrick did not have to think twice before heading towards the United supporters after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge following Saturday's 2-0 defeat.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Those fans had not seen their team win for almost two months, but they showed warmth, appreciation and respect for the manager who has overseen a run of nine league games without a win. No matter how much worse things get, it is difficult to imagine hardcore United fans turning on their manager. No team has won fewer Premier League games than United this season.
Only goal difference is keeping Carrick's side out of the relegation zone. Make no mistake, on their current trajectory of 0.77 points per game, United are heading for relegation for the first time since 1974. They would end the season with fewer than 30 points, which would almost certainly mean Championship football next season.
Things have got so bad some United fans think relegation would be a blessing in disguise if it forces their owners to sell the club. So, despite all the doom and gloom, and the damning statistics, why have United fans not turned on their manager? Carrick is a class act and he still embodies the values United are meant to represent as a club.
Carrick played under Sir Alex Ferguson and is an old-school manager in the sense that he wants to keep everything inside the dressing room. Some fans may want him to rant and rave and show more emotion in public but you are never going to get that from Carrick. When it comes to the media, United are like Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Everything that happens at the club is headline news - especially in the social media age. United fans feel like they are under siege. Carrick is on their side.
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