Every word from Michael Carrick’s Inside Carrington podcast

We’re sat in the canteen, overlooking the pitches and the sun is setting, so it’s a perfect setting. It has changed a lot, since you were last here, if we go back and reflect on that time, there are still maybe six players and I’m sure a lot of staff players who are still the same from your time here. But, in terms of your journey away from the club in that time, what do you think you have learned?

“Yeah, Helen, I’ve learnt loads, you know. Kind of taking a step away from what I knew for so long to kind of go out and, first of all, living on my own in the North East, moving down to Middlesbrough and away from my family and taking that step to go and learn and experience what it is like out there. I learned an awful lot. I think, obviously, you make mistakes, you have some good things and I know my strengths, but there are things I look back and think I could’ve done a little bit better on certain things. That’s life and that’s part of learning and becoming better all the time. It’s the same as a player, it never changes. So it’s just experience, you know, experience and having a bit of time out as well, to take a deep breath and just let things sink in a little bit. I feel in a really good place to be here. It feels very natural, to be honest, very normal. I understand the job, what it entails and the responsibility of it. I do feel I’ve learned an awful lot and thanks to Middlesbrough, for allowing me to do that when I went there and I had some really good times there. Now I feel in a strong place to move forward and, hopefully, be successful here.”

You had three games in caretaker charge here previously, you’ve played here, so how much insight does that give you into how the job works here? Obviously, people say the shirt can weigh heavy but you wore it with aplomb when you took charge of those three games, so does that help?

“Yeah, I think that helps. Obviously, I was drawing on my experiences already but, even at the time, I really enjoyed it and it felt really natural. You never really know until you are put in a position, how you are going to feel or how you are going to react. Sometimes, you can’t control your reactions but I was pretty calm and, again I repeat it, it was good to feel that responsibility but I love it. It’s a big, old football club, an unbelievable football club. My favourite one in the world. It has quite extremes at times – the highs are high and the disappointments can be low, and that’s what shows and why it’s worth the success and the effort to try to get there because, when you get there, it means something. I’m fully aware of that. So, I’m massively driven to feel that and to help other people feel that.”

Obviously, you’ve got your coaching team around you, you’ve got a real mix of vast experience in there and people who know the team and Travis [Binnion], who knows the youth team. How important was it, for you, to get that balance?

“Yeah, [getting the coaching balance right] was probably the most important thing, To be honest, I know a lot about the club. It has changed a little bit since I left, but I think in some ways that’s a good thing, you know, the freshness. I think that was important with the staff and to be strong and to be able to do different things and pull on different characters, different dynamics within that – different experiences, as well. And I’m really delighted. Steve [Holland]’s got an unbelievable wealth of experience, massive experiences at Chelsea, in terms of going through similar situations to this – change of manager and coach – and dealing with that and keeping and staying successful. Jonathan [Woodgate], I’ve known and he’s loyal. He’s very knowledgeable. He’s the perfect balance to me personally, I think that’s important, you know, I don’t want all the same. He challenges me, pushes me, and he has done for the last three years – and he’ll keep doing that. Trav, I think this club’s about young players, you know, and producing young players and having the line with the Academy and a pathway and understanding what it means and helping the young players, developing the young players, working with the young players and pushing the young players when they need a push. He’s going to have a massive part of that. And Jonny [Evans], obviously he’s someone who’s close to me and everything he stands for, I respect and I appreciate. He’s got unbelievable knowledge. He’s come through the whole thing. He’s in this football club and he gets it. He understands the day to day, and he’s got a massive amount of experience to then pass on to the players as well. So I think there’s a real balance of personalities, of characters, of knowledge and experience. And I’m really, really happy with what we’re going into because it’s a big job, a big role. There’s a lot of work to do, and we feel that we can do it.”