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PACKWOLF'S HOWL 4-8-04
Greetings again. I see you found your way back to the den quite easily- I hope my directions were easy enough to follow, I do have a tendency to not make myself clear on occasions.
It's great to see you again, please sit down and make yourself comfortable, I'll just go and get those pies that I found when I was foraging through Ricketts' fridge. I believe they are pastry filled with extra stodge but I'm not too sure, I'll just go and check. Oh, and please try to ignore the flies, it's that time of the year I'm afraid, we get plagued by them out here, but they are more annoying than they are harmful. It's the mosquitoes you really want to watch out for but they tend to come out later at night, and only then beneath the trees. Still they can attack you something rotten when you're out rummaging through bins or attempting to pounce on a nice juicy rabbit or something. But then that's the curse of living in a wood I suppose, and it's a lifestyle I am reticent to change, particularly as if the humans find out there are still wolves left in this country, they may attempt to do something about it. And being culled is not high on my list of priorities at the moment. Anyway, here we are, freshly baked pies courtesy of our least favourite pie man, I don't know why we always go to him, his form is usually poor and he often fails to deliver, despite his showing some promise early on. Still, waste not want not, after all I can't believe he left them, his mind must have been elsewhere in his rush to leave. And thinking about it, I really do hope he hasn't added the M1 to the list of motorways he has crashed on, indeed he will be developing quite a collection if he has. Still, talk of Ricketts is all in the past and that's the last thing on which we should focus at the present. For the future is bright, vibrant and exciting, even more so now than it was a fortnight ago. So again let's spy through the summer gloom in the direction of the Boro and see how the events of the last two weeks have transformed the situation down by the Riverside.
The major addition to our squad in the past two weeks has been that of the reliable Arsenal stalwart Ray Parlour, who moved from the London club on a free transfer. This is another player to add to the list of great signings made by Steve McClaren in the close season as he will add another dimension, as well as much needed strength in depth, to our midfield. This acquisition also bodes well for the upcoming season when we look at the sacrifices made by Parlour himself. After all, in terms of his career, life at Arsenal was all he had known. He joined them as a teenager and was brought on by the club until he became a mainstay within the side. He remained pivotal to an increasingly successful team throughout the Nineties, making that central midfield position his own. He was also called up to represent England, which is another affirmation of his class. But for the last three seasons now it is true to say that he has seen his role diminish, a situation that is largely due to the influx of foreign players that Arsene Wegner has brought into his squad. Yet this is not to say he has become a bad player. Indeed, far from it. After all, there is little shame in being displaced from a team by Patrick Vieria who is comfortably one of the best players in the world, season after season. Furthermore, when given an opportunity in recent years, he has rarely let the side down, often displaying the same qualities of power and flair that he possessed at the peak of his Arsenal career. This was amply demonstrated by his memorable goal in the 2002 FA Cup final against Chelsea for example. Yet despite this, it was evident that he was always going to be second or third choice under Wenger and, in realising this, it is a credit to the player that he decided to leave the security of Highbury and search for a new challenge. This is a testament to his determination, commitment and desire to simply play football rather than to pick up a large wage cheque week in week out, which is something he could easily have done had he stayed with the Gunners. This is also enhanced when we consider that he took a considerable pay-cut to join Middlesbrough simply because he wanted more first team football. It is this passion for the game and the desire to play that I believe could be our most valuable asset next season. This is often manifest on the pitch by the effort he puts in, always giving 100% to the cause. This is important as with Zenden, Boateng, Doriva, Juninho, Mendieta and Parnaby, as well as Parlour, all competing for four midfield places, no one is assured of a run in the side. This means that if a player gets a chance then they will have to perform well otherwise they risk being replaced by another quality midfielder who will be all too eager to show what he can do in his place. Thus to guarantee the first team football he craves, Parlour will have to emulate the competition on a week by week basis to obtain a place in the side. I believe that this is a good thing as in upping the stakes in this way, it will guarantee to bring out the best in the players we have, making them push for that extra yard at every available opportunity. Furthermore, none of our midfield players are prima donnas who believe that they should have a place in the team by right, hence it is unlikely that any of them will have a petulant strop if they are not included in the side. Indeed, this competition will probably make it more, rather than less likely that they will work together to improve their games, which will again contribute towards team unity and aid our progress next season. Yet Parlour is at an advantage as he has further weapons in his arsenal. This is due to his ability to play in a defensive role as well as an attacking one, often winning the ball from midfield and then running with it at the opposition's back-line. This will greatly aid his chances of getting into the side as he possesses the ability to run straight through defences, an ability that only Juninho really has, and with his losing that extra yard of pace, an ability that is sadly starting to desert him. Furthermore, Parlour is not afraid to strike at goal and could contribute handsomely to our goal tally from midfield, which was one of our more minor weaknesses last season. Thus all in all, it is a very good signing and one that can only bolster and strengthen the midfield as a unit. This is particularly the case in terms of his versatility as he can also provide good cover for a myriad of players should they get injured. Furthermore, he can adapt to a variety of systems should injuries force us to. Thus he can play in defensive midfield, should Boateng or Doriva become injured or we want to play a 5-3-2/3-5-2/4-4-1-1 formation, on the wing if Zenden or Mendieta become injured or if we want to play a 3-5-2/4-4-2/4-3-3 formation, or in central midfield if Juninho becomes injured or again if we want to play a 4-4-2/4-3-3 or 4-4-1-1 formation. Again this will only be of benefit to his aspirations for first team football.
This desire to play in the first team however is the most interesting aspect of Parlour's move as due to our new found strength in depth, gone are the days when the team pretty much picked itself due to us only having a handful of quality players. This could be contrary to Parlour's wishes, meaning he may get a lot less first team action than he would have hoped. However I'd like to think of it in a more positive way, that it will ensure he will try to play well for us whenever he is given the opportunity. This will obviously make us a much stronger unit overall. Furthermore there is no doubt that he will get his chance due to the increased number of fixtures we will play this season, what with us being in Europe as well as having the same density of domestic games to play. This added strength I believe will enable us to employ a limited form of squad rotation, allowing us to rest players who are starting to tire and to introduce fresh legs to the team without sacrificing the quality of it. This is quite a luxury that McClaren has at his disposal, and a pleasant headache in terms of choosing who will play. However, it could be vital, as resting the right players at the right time could be the key to whether we succeed or not next season and thus such decisions should not be taken lightly.
The other piece of midfield news over the last fourteen days has been the departure of Jonathon Greening to West Brom for £1.15m, increasing subject to appearances and whether the Baggies survive in the Premiership this season. This is another good piece of business as Greening has merely been a bit-player in recent years and, with our recent acquisitions, would have been placed even further down the pecking order than he was last season had he stayed. This would have done little for his own career and aspirations whilst simultaneously providing another drain on the finances of the club. Furthermore, although I accept that he never really let the side down and always tried with every opportunity that was presented to him, I still never really rated him and feel that to make a profit on him (we bought him for £1m) can only be of benefit to us. To me, he is a relic of the days when we lacked strength in depth in our squad, his forming an integral part of our team two years ago simply because we lacked anyone better to fill the void that we then had in our midfield. Yet now with the added depth to our squad, this is no longer the case and it is evident that Greening is a class below the other midfield players at the club. Thus in my view, he has served his purpose and it is time for him to move on. This is true considering that it was always unlikely that he was going to get a game for us this season and so I think the move is beneficial to all parties concerned. This is particularly the case when we consider that West Brom are in exactly the same position now that we were in when we acquired Greening, attempting to cement themselves in the top flight whilst having a deficiency in quality midfield players. Greening therefore can fill a hole in the side, and with his Premiership experience can contribute greatly to the West Midland club's survival challenge. I will be keeping my eyes on West Brom with interest, indeed I believe that they possess enough quality and experience to stay up this time. I think last time they were in the Premier League they adopted a wise policy of spending little, seeing that season as a preparatory one for when they would come back up again. This foresight and wisdom deserves to pay dividends and I hope that West Brom and Greening, who has been a good servant to the Boro, both have the seasons they hope for. I wish both of them the best of luck.
This moves us on to our last major signing of the summer, the one I've been pining for throughout the close season and the one that I feel will see the last piece of the jigsaw finally slotted into place for this season- that of Bolo Zenden. In the last Howl I mentioned how integral I think he is to the side and how, once he started to pick up form last season, the attacking dimension of the team started to obtain precedence over our previously more defensive approach. This resulted in the increased goal tally we saw in the final few months of the season as he often provided the killer pass required for our strikers to latch on to. If this form is continued into the coming campaign, what with the additions of Viduka and Hasselbaink to our squad, the number of goals we now have the potential to score is phenomenal. It is for these reasons more than any other that his signing is so important as without good approach play, even the best striker can struggle to score goals. Furthermore, to get him on a free transfer is remarkable for a player of such quality. Yet I have heard concern that it is only a one-year deal and that this hardly amounts to a show of desire to play for the club. This may be true but there is a possibility of extending his contract from as early as October, by which time we will know whether we are in the group stages of the UEFA Cup or not. Indeed I feel that it is no coincidence that the two dates fall at roughly the same time, possibly implying that the attainment of further European football this season may be vital if we are to secure the services of the Dutchman for a longer period of time. This, I believe, is what he is waiting for, largely because if we were to obtain it, it would prove to him that we truly are a big club and thus the sort of club that can match his ambitions. I accept that there may be an element of the mercenary about this stance but in the end, the best thing that can be done to encourage this pivotal player to remain with us is to succeed on the pitch. And that is something I am sure Zenden, like every other player in the squad, will set out to do. Indeed, even if he doesn't see his future being on Teesside, to attract more clubs than the meagre few that were interested in him over the summer, he is going to have to play well anyway, so at the moment there should be little concern. This view is enhanced when we consider that in his signing we now have a strong midfield in all departments, with competition across the whole position. This will allow us to alter our formation to suit the opposition, either before the match or even during it, without being detrimental to the structure or rigidity of the team. This is extremely encouraging as we are now able to play a more tactical game as the players we possess are versatile enough to perform in many different roles. Our strength in depth also enables us to do this. However, this has meant that we have needed to explore all the options available to us, particularly in terms of tactics and formations. It is this that has been the primary purpose of the pre-season friendlies we have recently played and has been demonstrated by our competing against a wide array of opposition who play in different styles. McClaren has used these matches to discover which system would best be suited to counteract which style of play. And as has been seen by the results, it seems to be bearing fruit. Furthermore, this has clearly aided the gelling process of the team, which is very encouraging. This is also important as when we cast our minds back to last season, some our major summer signings were not brought in until the final few days of August, when we were already three games into the new campaign. This late signing of players worked to our disadvantage as the players had not been bedded into the side and it is this I believe that caused us to pick up only 1 point in our opening 5 games. This year, with the signings completed a month earlier and the team already playing together, hopefully this bedding process will be complete by the time we play our opening game against arch-rivals Newcastle on August 14. This is important as if we are to challenge for the top 6 this season, which, with our squad of players, is certainly within our reach, it is imperative we get off to a good start. This did not happen last season and this, as well as our poor finish, undoubtedly cost us our highest ever Premier League finish. Hopefully we can put it right this time.
Furthermore, the need to have understanding within the team is important with regards to progressing beyond the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. There is no doubt we need to get to the group stage as it would greatly enhance the prestige of the club, it will guarantee us four more games in Europe and it will also give us our money back on the signings we have just acquired. As our first qualifying tie is on September 16, we will have played five or six Premier League games by the time we take our first step into Europe. The hope is that these games will have enabled us to settle down as a team, a team that hopefully will sport a reasonably regular line-up, which in turn would promote understanding between the players themselves and also of the roles each individual in the side is required to perform. Familiarity of this kind, I believe, will greatly enhance our chances of progression in the competition, particularly if we have made a solid start to our domestic campaign, as this will also breed confidence. Yet getting through this first round is far from guaranteed and is largely dependent on who we draw. My fear is it will be one of the tricky Scandinavian teams who, having started their seasons in July will already have played five or six more league games than us and thus will be more used to playing as a team than we might be. This is why it is imperative for us to have this team spirit in place early on in the campaign. There is no doubt that this will come but it is concerning that, despite it being a friendly, we lost away at Hansa Rostock who are no more than an average side in an average Bundesliega. Granted, we were unlucky, with a dodgy penalty being awarded against us and the last goal of the game being on the final whistle, but by all accounts we were poor in the second half. This doesn't bode well as it is likely that we will face stronger opposition than that in the UEFA Cup. Yet despite this, our beating of Real Mallorca at the Riverside this evening implies the opposite, and demonstrates that you can rarely tell much from performances in friendlies. However, one thing that is for certain is that having this European experience now will greatly aid the team later on in the season, both in terms of getting a taste of European action and also for providing a platform from which a team ethos and understanding can be constructed.
The signing of Zenden meanwhile has also slightly alleviated what I now consider to be the major weakness of the team- the lack of depth in the left-back position. This has concerned me for some time as it appears to be the only position for which we do not have a strong replacement should anything happen to Frank Quedrue. But in Zenden we have a player who can at least patch things up at the back and still not cause detriment to the midfield by his absence, as we do have good covering players in that position. Still this is not ideal as it could deprive us of our strongest possible midfield, lest not forget that Zenden is hardly the most competent of defenders. Yet in Riggott and Davies, our only possible cover at the back, we are still deficient as both are centre backs and the latter is inexperienced to boot. This implies that in playing them in the left-back position we would be providing the opposition with a weak link that they could choose to exploit. This would also ask a lot of Boateng, or whoever plays in centre midfield, to track back and cover defensively should the need present itself. This could affect the balance of the side and could be our undoing. Granted, Parnaby could be drafted in, which would not affect the balance of the midfield, but this still has rather a stopgap quality to it. Still, this is the only weakness I can now see in the side, so all we can do is hope that Quedrue does not become injured or suspended because to miss a player of such quality and have little to fill the void could be a disaster for the team. Hopefully McClaren recognises this though and buys another left-back by the end of the month but as it stands at the moment it looks unlikely that any new signings will be made.
Finally, there have been rumours abound about a loan move for Massimo Maccarone to Fiorentina. Although I feel this would be a shame, I accept that this is a compromise that could have many benefits to all concerned. Maccarone has stated that he wants to prove himself to the fans, which is commendable and indeed is something I believe he should do, but the only way I see him doing this is if he gets an extended run in the team. Now, although I see him being a possible partner for Viduka or Hasselbaink, which in itself is one of the reasons why I think he should stay, it does look unlikely that he will get the extended run in the team that his confidence requires in order for him to perform. This is where a loan deal could benefit us as if he does get that extended run at Fiorentina, an established Serie A side, he could come back with greater confidence for the 2005/6 season, enabling him to challenge Viduka and Hasselbaink for a regular first team berth. This will enhance competition, which again will make the two strikers chosen strive to be in the team, driving them on to perform well or lose their place in the side. Again this can only really have positive results, although both Viduka and Hasselbaink have been known to succumb to petulance if they are left on the bench for any considerable length of time. But we will address this problem should the need arise, my belief is that a solution could possibly lie in some form of squad rotation system, which again will keep players fresh for the big games. Finally, Maccarone should take solace in the fact that although he does not particularly want to go to Italy, a loan move suggests that McClaren still sees him as a part of his plans, offering him the chance he wants to make it up to the fans on his return.
So that's it for this edition of the Howl. I hope you've enjoyed what I've written and that you'll visit the pack again. By the time I write the next one, the season will have started and hopefully we will have beaten the Skunks. I have a sneaking suspicion that we will have done. But until then, roll on the new season. I hope you all enjoy it.
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