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TOBY HIGGINS - THE ROCKLIFFE FILES
BIGGER FISH TO FRY 4-4-06
Wow. So much has happened since last week's Rockcliffe Files that I simply don't know where to begin. No, really. Where do I begin? In the desperate hope that somehow this mish-mash of opinions, facts, and opinions stated as facts will all come together to form something resembling a structured article, I'll get under way. Wish me luck.
While driving back from Manchester on Sunday evening, having seen us take all three points from The City of Manchester Stadium, and listening to BBC Radio 5 Live, I heard a truly remarkable statistic. Between them, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Mark Viduka and Yakubu have so far notched up a staggering fourty-five goals between them this season.
And with a minimum of nine and a maximum of fourteen games left this season, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that between them they could reach sixty before the season is over. Now, for those of us capable of taking the projected number of goals and dividing it by the number of strikers who have scored them, twenty should be the outcome. It is on my calculator, anyway.
And what do you know, having gone for years looking for just one striker to score those elusive twenty goals a season, we could end this season with three having achieved that total. I'm sure I should say something about waiting ages for a bus and then three come along at once, but such exhausted clichés won't be found in this article. Not in a million years. There is more chance of hell freezing over.
While broadly on the subject of the City game, I'd briefly just like to tell it how I saw it from where I was sat. Based on the first fourty minutes of the first half, we were matching City for effort, but they had created the better opportunities without ever really testing stand-in keeper Jones. Then in what was almost our only attack of the half, Downing crossed gloriously for Super Lee Cattermole to head home his first senior goal. Forget the Yak for a moment. Feed the Catt, and he will score.
In the second half, City didn't play badly by choice. They were made to look average against a young side of players who got in amongst the more experienced opposition, forced errors and created numerous chances. It must be stressed that this is not an official statistic, but from what this writer has calculated, the average age of the team that played the majority of the match was just 23.5 years. The future is certainly bright.
It's a result that leaves Mr. McClaren with a real dilemna ahead of the return leg of our Uefa Cup quarter-final adventure against FC Basel. Not one player on Sunday performed badly, with all five members of the midfield excelling.
The remainder of this article comes with a warning label wrapped tightly around it. As frowned upon as it may be, the 'T' word and all it's connotations will be referred to from now until the close of play. You know the one, beginnings with 'T'? Sounds vaguely like 'matchsticks'? Defined as 'the collective name for methods of winning a small-scale conflict. This applies specifically to warfare, but also to economics, trade, games and a host of other fields such as negotiation'?
Anyway, the point I wish to make about our tactics, (shit, said it) is that they will be very difficult to get right considering the task ahead. To concede the away goal is to end our European dream for another year, and that simply cannot be allowed to happen. So, what's the plan, this writer wonders?
Our approach to the game has got to be a positive one, but cannot go as far as being described as gung-ho. We don't have to score twice in the first ten minutes. Two in the first ninety would do for me, given our current position going into this second leg.
I'm fairly sure that most fans will agree with the above paragraph, but if you are asked to name the starting eleven you would go for, and the starting eleven you think McClaren will select, then suddenly opinions differ.
Without an experienced left back in such a big, must win game, does the formation lend itself to 3-5-2? Or, do the battling qualities of Cattermole and Boateng offer enough attacking support to warrant the implementation of a 4-4-2 system? Furthermore, does McClaren keep faith with the youngsters who could have had five or six goals against City, and let Rochemback play off Yakubu in a 4-5-1 system?
Never mind formations though, picking the starting eleven will be tough enough. As Man of the Match against Manchester City, will Rochemback keep his place? Yakubu hasn't scored since the penalty at home to Roma eight games ago, but is this season's leading scorer. Who misses out if he starts? Jimmy or Viduka?
At least with the number of options available to him, McClaren should be able to have a plan A, B and C if needed. It's been said enough times, but it's probably worth yet another mention, that what happens in the seven days between playing FC Basel and playing Charlton at home in the FA Cup replay decides how long the excitement around our season goes on for.
Three defeats in the next three games will see us out of both cups and defeated at home to the Geordies. Three wins out of three, and McClaren will have taken a big step towards winning back the trust of those who deserted him back in early February and before.
It will be very easy to overlook the importance of our upcoming league games too, especially as far as local pride goes. At this moment in time, the Tyne-Tees Derby has hardly been given a mention on Teesside, because frankly, we have bigger fish to fry.
But any Geordies hoping for an easy game on Sunday will be in for a nasty surprise. Just remember, the reason this game is being played on a Sunday is because we are still in Europe in April. Newcastle came close to Europe in April this season. In around mid-July - when they get knocked out of the Intertoto Cup.
Cheer up Alan Shearer, oh what can it mean...
Same time next week.UP THE BORO!!
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