Getafe 18/7/25 Somewhere in Espana

Middlesbrough have sacked head coach Michael Carrick after two-and-a-half years in charge.

The former England midfielder, 43, took over at the Championship side in October 2022 for his first role in management.

He guided the team to a play-off finish in 2022-23 but they have missed out on the top six in the past two campaigns.

Carrick's assistants Jonathan Woodgate and his brother Graeme Carrick have also left the club.

Boro spent much of the 2024-25 season challenging for a play-off spot but one win in their final six matches proved to be costly.

They stayed in the hunt for a top-six place until the final game of the season but defeat at Coventry saw them finish 10th.

His departure means that 17 of last season's 24 Championship teams have changed manager since August last year.

Carrick's Boro bubble bursts
Carrick started his coaching career with Manchester United, with whom he won five Premier League titles in his playing days, after retiring in 2018.

He had a spell in caretaker charge of the team in November 2021 after the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but left when Ralf Rangnick was appointed in December.

Boro turned to him in October the following year after a disastrous start to the season saw them sack Chris Wilder with the club in the relegation zone.

Carrick immediately turned their fortunes around as they flew up the table and into promotion contention.

They ultimately finished fourth for a first play-off campaign in five years but were beaten by Coventry in the semi-finals.

They fell just short of another Premier League push in the following season, as they finished eighth, four points off sixth.

Last season was similar as they headed into the final six games in the play-off spots but came up short in the end.

'Boro have gone backwards' - Analysis
Mark Drury, BBC Radio Tees Middlesbrough commentator

Middlesbrough's decision to sack Carrick may surprise some outside Teesside but one thing it can't be described as is a knee-jerk reaction.

A month has passed since Boro's 2-0 defeat at Coventry on the final day of the Championship season.

That loss was their 18th of a desperately disappointing season and was followed by the head coach insisting "I'm carrying on" in his BBC Radio Tees Sport post-match interview.

Many Boro fans had come to the conclusion he would be doing just that as the days and weeks ticked by without any sign of white smoke from the club's Rockliffe Park training ground. However, that silence was not indicative of inaction.

Boro's hierarchy had let it be known they would be conducting an in-depth review into the reasons a season where promotion had been targeted and budgeted for ended in a failure to reach the play-offs despite an unusually low points total – the lowest for a decade - being required to make them.

They were as good as their word, conducting a series of meetings, a number of which involved the head coach, while trying to block out the chorus of disapproval from a fan base which had largely become disenchanted and detached by the season's end.

There will be a sense of sadness on Teesside that Carrick was unable to follow up on the promise of his first season when some of the football left fans purring. That sadness will be weighed against the reality the club have gone backwards in the seasons since.

Attention now will be on who comes next? Rob Edwards is known to be highly-rated by head of football Kieran Scott while Sheffield Wednesday's Danny Rohl will be of interest to any Championship club without a manager after his sterling work at Hillsborough.

It is now 10 years since Boro's last promotion to the Premier League. The next manager needs to be the one who brings that long wait to an end.

Norwich City have appointed Bristol City boss Liam Manning as their new head coach on a four-year contract.

Manning had been in charge at Ashton Gate since November 2023 and led the Robins to this season's play-offs, only to lose 6-0 on aggregate to Sheffield United.

He replaces Johannes Hoff Thorup, who was sacked by Norwich on 22 April with the team 14th in the Championship following a run of six defeats in eight games.

First-team coach Jack Wilshere, the former Arsenal and England midfielder, was put in interim charge for the final two games of the season, but he also left after learning he would not be considered for the permanent post.

"I'm privileged and honoured to have the opportunity to work for this fantastic football club. It's a wonderful club with a big history and tradition," said Manning.

"It's clear, there has already been a lot of valuable groundwork laid in recent seasons – it's now important we build further on that and move the club forward."

An announcement about his backroom staff will be made in due course, with Manning's long-term friend and assistant coach Chris Hogg as well as first-team analyst James Krause, who both worked with him at Ashton Gate, also having strong links to East Anglia.

The 39-year-old was born in Norwich and played for the club's academy before joining Ipswich Town - but he never made a senior appearance for them and spent most of his career in non-league football.

His first coaching job was at West Ham and he then took charge of Belgian club Lommel in 2020 before returning to England as MK Dons head coach the following year.

He guided them to the League One play-offs in 2022 and subsequently had an eight-month spell at Oxford United, who were second in the third tier when he accepted an offer to move on to Bristol City.

Despite Bristol City having the smallest squad in the Championship this past season, Manning guided them to their first play-off finish in 17 years, largely built on a strong foundation of home form and squad togetherness.

Only promoted Burnley and Leeds, and play-off finalists Sheffield United bettered their record at home of 13 wins, seven draws and three defeats.

Norwich eventually finished 13th in 2024-25, 11 points outside the play-offs, and are set to embark on their fourth season in the Championship since relegation from the Premier League in 2022.

Last November, Mark Attanasio, whose Norfolk FB Holdings group are now the majority shareholders at Carrow Road, set a target of a return to the top flight in "three to five years" and Manning's task now will be to try and achieve that ahead of schedule.

"This is an exciting appointment, and we are so happy to get it over the line and have him on board," said sporting director Ben Knapper.

"It quickly became clear that Liam's ambitions match our own and we are all committed to driving this club forward towards our targets.

"Liam knows the league, has consistently demonstrated an ability to outperform resources and his approach aligns with our footballing ideas and strategy.

"He is an exceptionally bright coach who will push himself, and everyone around him, to develop and improve. We are so excited to have him as a key part of our club."

Former Wolves boss Gary O'Neil and ex-Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders were also spoken to and considered for the head coach role.

Bristol City chairman Jon Lansdown said: "We are disappointed to lose Liam after such a successful campaign. We are assessing all options as we look to replace Liam."


Norwich City's extensive search for a new head coach has led to the club's first ever Norwich-born boss.

Liam Manning's formative years as a Carrow Road season-ticket holder are a nice extra but it's not why he's been appointed.

Canaries sporting director Ben Knapper has expressed frustration that they fell so far short of the play-offs last season. "When I look at the teams that did make it, it confirms that kind of belief," he said.

Envious eyes were being cast in the direction of Ashton Gate where Liam Manning's well coached team was outperforming the sum of its parts.

It felt like Manning was onto a good thing at Bristol City, and the fact that Knapper has managed to sell to him the project of rebuilding a squad that finished 13th should offer any concerned Canaries fans some much needed encouragement.

Entrepreneur Prabhu Srinivasan has completed the takeover of National League club Yeovil Town from former owner Martin Hellier.

Srinivasan's family office, Inflection Holdings, have acquired all shares previously held by the Hellier Trading Group, with Srinivasan becoming owner and chairman.

Hellier stepped down as chairman at the end of March and confirmed his intention to sell the Glovers.

"Investing in Yeovil Town Football Club is a moment of immense pride for us," Srinivasan said.

"This club's rich history and potential inspired us, and we are committed to being a responsible steward as we embark on an exciting new journey together. We are focused on making a positive impact on players, fans, employees and the entire community."

Srinivasan, who lives in Dubai, is said to have 30 years of experience in banking, retail, technology, travel, real estate, e-waste and wellness.

A club statement said he has also "built one of the largest multi-sports youth platforms in India and the Middle East".

Stuart Robins, who was made interim chairman after Hellier stepped down, has become executive chairman and will work alongside Srinivasan.

Stuart Robins, right, with Glovers boss Mark Cooper
Image source,Rex Features
Image caption,
Stuart Robins, right, will stay in a leadership role at Yeovil Town as executive chairman

The purchase marks the second takeover at Yeovil in the past three years, and ends a successful but stormy chapter at Huish Park under the ownership of Hellier, who took over in May 2023.

Hellier, a long-time Yeovil fan and previous club sponsor through his firm, took over the Glovers during another turbulent period, following a failed takeover attempt by the SU Glovers and the club's relegation from the National League.

The club won promotion from National League South in 2024, although recently published accounts show the club made a loss of almost £2.8m in the process, and Mark Cooper's men finished 18th in the fifth tier this season, four points above the relegation zone.

However, Hellier's relationship with sections of the fanbase became hostile after he banned some supporters from the ground for comments made on social media. This led to a backlash directed at Hellier, who responded with abusive posts of his own.

"I'm excited to commit to the long-term vision we have co-created, centred on developing and growing the club for our wonderful supporters," he added.

Plymouth Argyle head coach Miron Muslic is to leave after opening talks with a German second division club.

Argyle, just relegated from the Championship, said they had "reluctantly" allowed the Bosnia-born Austrian to enter into discussions with the Bundesliga 2 club, reported to be Schalke.

Former Cercle Bruges boss Muslic, 42, replaced Wayne Rooney as head coach in January but could not keep the club up in the second tier, despite a good run of form towards the end of the season.

He masterminded Argyle's FA Cup fourth round win over Premier League winners Liverpool.

Following the club's relegation he would not commit to whether he would stay on at Home Park in League One next season.

"Despite regular communication since the end of the season, and no mention of any issues, Miron has now made it clear that, after extended periods away from his family, this opportunity provides him the chance to be closer to them after four years on the road," a statement by Plymouth Argyle read.

"We are frustrated by this decision, having implemented clear structures, processes and personnel to aid Miron and his coaching staff as we look to return to the Championship at the earliest opportunity.

"Not only that, the club have also moved quickly to bring in new signings and received repeated verbal promises from Miron that he was committed to Argyle and would do everything to help the club bounce back to the second tier."

He changed the system to three central defenders and made them more solid defensively - the club had the worst record for goals conceded in the EFL under the former England captain.

Three successive wins in February - including the victory over Liverpool and a season-best 5-1 win over Millwall - gave Pilgrims fans hope of survival.

But a run of one win in eight league games from mid-February until the end of March - including losses to relegation rivals Derby County and Hull City - would eventually seal his side's fate.

Despite that they ended the season well, winning four of their last seven games, against Norwich City, Sheffield United, Coventry City and Preston, but it was too late.

Muslic's family remain in Austria, but he has spent much of the past three years away from them, having joined Cercle Bruges as head coach in 2022 before being sacked late last year.

His loss comes just a week after the Pilgrims appointed David Fox as their new technical director and Muslic's former Cercle Bruges chief scout Tom Randle as head of recruitment

The news that Miron Muslic will not be staying at Plymouth Argyle is not a complete surprise given his post-match comments following the final game of the season.

But it will be saddening news to Argyle fans who had grown fond of their first foreign coach and had high hopes he would be able to guide them straight back to the Championship after relegation.

In that press conference after the final-day loss to Leeds United, you could see how sad he was Argyle had been relegated, but that his first thoughts were not on next season, but getting back home to Austria to see his family.

He is a charismatic figure who commands a room - his first speech to his squad when he was appointed went viral for its motivating content and he was clearly able to motivate a side.

Who takes on the reins at Argyle now remains to be seen - but they will have a lot of issues at their door.

Can they build a squad capable of going straight back up? What will they do about Ryan Hardie and Adam Randell, who have a year left on their contracts? And will they keep Muslic's backroom team, or be forced to get a new set of coaches in?

They must find answers quickly.

Halifax Town boss Chris Millington has stepped down after three seasons.

The 49-year-old had been in charge of the National League side since May 2022 when he changed roles from assistant manager after Pete Wild left for Barrow.

He twice led the Shaymen to top seven finishes and guided them to FA Trophy victory in 2023.

"I am devastated that I will not be the man to lead Halifax Town back to the EFL but I believe the time is right for a change of manager," he told the club website., external

"The club needs a manager to come and build on the solid foundation and positive reputation that has been built over the last six years.

"The club will always hold a special place in my heart and I wish everyone connected all the best."

When I saw he predictions for the final week I fully expected the gamball to play a large part in deciding the final outcome - 2 players picked a 2-1 home win with the other 2 going 1-1. In keeping with tradition, it ended in an away win so everybody lost a point! The bonus ball however did have a big say in the result, with 1 maximum, 1 correct result and 2 missing out completely (on the same game). So........(drum roll)... om to the results:

And it's congratulations to Derby, regaining his title of Prediction League Champion. Derby scored 13 points with 2 correct scores, including the bonus, and 2 other correct results. The runner-up spot goes to Themaclad on 9 points - 1 correct score, 2 other correct results and picking points from both his bonus and scoreball. SCO comes in 3rd, one more correct result than Themaclad but not enough to pull back a 6 point swing from the bonus ball. Minizin lies a point further back, only getting 2 results right (but they were both correct scores) and his scoreball.

13 Derby
9 Themaclad
6 SCO
5 Minizin.

Well done Derby and thanks to everyone who took part this year. Time for a break, so enjoy your summer and we'll hopefully be back in a couple of months.

Can someone/anyone please explain why according to the BBC do all the playoff games kick off at 1 minute past the usual hour? Is it a shift in the time warp or someone else's cut and paste skills are as good as mine?

Newport County have named Manchester United youth coach David Hughes as their new manager.

Hughes has signed a two-year deal at the League Two club, leaving his role as under-21s coach and assistant manager at Old Trafford.

The 47-year-old Welshman replaces Nelson Jardim at Rodney Parade, who left the Exiles two weeks before the end of the season.

"Leaving a great club like Manchester United is never easy, but I'm excited about what lies ahead here," Hughes said.

"You build relationships with people and that makes decisions like this challenging.

"But after speaking to the chairman (Huw Jenkins) on a few occasions, it became a straightforward decision in terms of the challenge ahead and the shared vision for the club."


Having held lead academy roles at Cardiff and Southampton before joining United in August 2022, Hughes has developed an impressive reputation at youth level.

He will now be charged by Jenkins to oversee an upturn in fortunes at Rodney Parade for a youthful squad that finished 22nd in 2024-25.

The Wrexham-born former Wales Under-21s international – who also spent four years as manager of Wales Under-17s – will be assisted by Wayne Hatswell, who was previously number two at Newport under Mike Flynn.

Hatswell leaves a role in the Football Association of Wales (FAW) age-grade set-up to return to Newport, while Lee Kendall has been named the new head of goalkeeping.