|
|
TOBY HIGGINS - THE ROCKLIFFE FILES
AND SO IT ENDS 9-5-06
On Thursday of last week, myself and Steve McClaren had a fair amount in common. No, I hadn't been offered the England job, (which was disappointing as most people got offered it before he did), but on that day, we both ended an era in our careers, or if you like, in our lives. Last Thursday, McClaren and I discovered first hand that everything that has a beginning, has an end.
As everyone knows, last Thursday McClaren accepted the job as England's new national coach, after five years of service here at the Boro. As not so many people know, last Thursday this writer ended two years service as a waiter (pardon the pun) at my local public house.
I know this isn't about me, or at least, it shouldn't be, but as I swept the restaurant floor for the final time and polished my last bucket of cutlery, it occurred to me that although I knew this job wouldn't last forever, I had never really looked beyond it. Yes, I'll be a writer, yes, I'll move to London and yes, I'll have a nice life, but they always seemed like dreams so far away, that I would never actually have to do anything to achieve them. They would all somehow just happen.
And as I sat in the bar afterwards, rewarding myself with one last 'after work drink', I began to reflect on the good times and the not so good times of my time there, and if Steve McClaren was human, he'd have been doing the same thing on Thursday night about his Boro career.
Just like my first few shifts and the pub, McClaren couldn't have imagined a worse few games in his new position. With many questioning his appointment and wondering whether it was too big a step up from the assistant manager at Manchester United, McClaren duly lost his first four games in charge, including a 4-0 hammering on the opening day and a 4-1 defeat to Newcastle in only his second home game in charge. Ironically enough, we also lost the last four games of that season.
Credit where it's due though, not many teams will lose the first and last four games of a season and be well clear of relegation by the end of it. It was in his first season that his hold over Manchester United began, summed up by the rendition of 'The Entertainer' that includes the lines, 'we knocked them out of the cup, and fucked their Premiership up'.
In the four years since his first, McClaren has guided Boro to two FA Cup semi-finals, a league cup final victory, the club's first trophy in 128 years, and into Europe twice. We have now played twenty-four European games in our history. The Uefa Cup final we be ours, and McClaren's, twenty-fifth.
But that twenty-fifth European game will ultimately be Steve McClaren's last, and just as I began to look to the future as I walked home from work on Thursday, Middlesbrough Football Club must do the same. While the time for reflection is an important one, to gauge how far we have come, and hell, to look back and pat ourselves on what has been an amazing achievement, we cannot allow ourselves to be rest on what we have got now.
The appearance of a fully English sixteen at Fulham on Sunday was remarkable, and not one other club in this division could put out a side of academy based youngsters, all of whom were born within thirty miles of the teams home stadium. PR scheme for McClaren or not, it shows that the future of this club is certainly a bright and exciting one.
That said, it will only be bright and exciting with effective planning, which is just what I began to do as I got in from work on Thursday and made myself a snack. I know what I want to achieve, I know where I want to be in two and three and four years time, and I've started to make big decisions to make sure I give myself the best chance of getting there. The club must do the same - it's time to look into the future, starting with the appointment of the new manager.
What concerns me, is that not one of the names that have been linked with the soon to be vacant manager's job here on Teesside is that I don't consider any of the names put forward to be suitable.
Martin O'Neill for example, is a Sunderland supporter who had success in Scotland with Celtic, but when you consider that Gordon Strachen won the League in his first season with them, that's no biggie. His style of football is boring and involves long balls to players like Heskey, Harston, Sutton and Dublin and he hasn't managed in the Premiership for a long time. Added to that the fact that his wife's long term health is still in question, his mind is, understandably, unlikely to be 100% on the job. Tony Mowbray doesn't have enough experience at the top flight, Venables has had his chance, and none of the others jump off the page.
Steve Gibson and the people around him must get this appointment right, and bearing in mind that Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and George Boateng are out of contract in the summer, and Franck Queudrue and Mark Viduka have hinted that they would rather be elsewhere next season, the chairman and the new manager will have to be ready to make big decisions from the off. The right man is out there, and whoever he is, let's hope he's appointed sooner rather than later, and let's hope he enjoys the highs of his predecessor.
Highs like the Uefa Cup final. What an awesome, magical night in prospect. The biggest night in the club's history, and an achievement that puts Cardiff somewhat in the shadows. My only sorrow is that more Boro fans, like for example, my Dad, who has been following the Boro for over thirty years, through everything, are powerless to attend.
But on Wednesday night, whether you're in Liverpool or London, Australia or America, Eindhoven or Eston, you will be united with every other Boro fan on the planet, as we watch Steve McClaren's red and white army go for European glory, for the final time. Surely, McClaren couldn't have asked for a more perfect swansong than to end his five years than a Uefa Cup final?
Whether we win, or we lose, Wednesday May 10th 2006 is a date that will never be forgotten in the history of Middlesbrough Football Club. Together, we stand on the brink of making something truly special.
And so it ends, not only Steve McClaren's stay as Boro boss, but also my column for this season. I hope you've enjoyed reading the Rockcliffe Files this season. It's been a pleasure to write them for such an amazing and unique website as this. I'll see you in August, when we begin the season.
.as the Champions of Europe.
Same time next season. UP THE BORO!!!
BACK TO ROCKLIFFE FILES INDEX
|
|
|
|
