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THE BIG ISSUE 12-10-06
Karl Watson and Tom Warnock
Warnock says...
With there being no Premiership game this week Karl and I thought what better way to pass the time and column inches than discussing the issue on everyone's mind. Yes we dare to speak on the dreaded 'R' word, not necessarily meaning that I think we will be relegated and not that Karl necessarily thinks we will stay up, but this is our run-down of the key issues surrounding the rest of our season.
If you've had a bad day, skip this article now. If you've already consigned this season to being a stress ridden, gloomy one then read on. To avoid being bombarded with a flurry of angry feedback, I must re-iterate that I am not of the view that we will be relegated and I am merely highlighting the problems which could lead to it happening.
The thought did cross my mind that it wouldn't be a bad thing to forward a copy of this article to the management team at the Riverside. And if the club didn't know there was problems, then they'd certainly get a shock upon reading this week's column. We can all see the problems and the extent of them is quite alarming.
The relative success (to use the word loosely) in the cups last season has made us forget that from the 21st of November 05 right through to the 31st January 06, we failed to win a premiership match and were plummeting towards the Coca Cola Championship.
And when examining the differences between now and nine months ago, it's difficult to see how we have changed for the better as a club. On the 4th February 2006 we were steam-rollered at home by Villa. The team that day was; Schwarzer, Parnaby, Southgate, Pogatetz, Taylor, Mendieta, Doriva, Cattermole, Downing, Hasselbaink and Viduka.
The only changes from that side to the one who lost a week gone Saturday at Sheffield were Davies for Parnaby, Woodgate for Southgate, Morrison for Mendieta, Rochemback for Doriva and Yakubu for Hasselbaink. Look at the personnel who came in, only one of them is a new arrival. From the perspective of on the field, is it hardly suprising we are still struggling. Alright, it's not as bad as it was after the Villa game but it's hard to see how we are going to improve.
Is the manager tactically equipped enough to know how best to change it in a way which will turn it around? It's a question which only time can answer but every game and every point lost will further condemn us to a season of mediocrity and best and relegation at the dreaded worst.
Okay, granted maybe that's a bit of an extreme take on things but it can't be long before we read the 'I'm not going to panic' quotable next to Gareth Southgate's name.
Looking at the appointment of the manager, it was probably hoped that the club would experience a sort of 'Stuart Pearce Effect', whereby a seasoned and respected player stepped into the job and inspired the team to play with passion and pride. The aim would have been that Gareth could ride an adrenaline headed wave through the first ten-fifteen games, giving him time to settle in and learn the ropes, as Manchester City did in the early days of Pearce's reign.
It goes without saying that it just hasn't unfolded like that, the Chelsea game was a perfect example of what the desired effect was, if only it had lasted more than ninety minutes.
There is no doubting that we have quality players, but it hasn't helped us so far. When the team has had a bad first half, we've failed to turn it around. When the team has had a good first half, we've failed to build on it. It begs the question - do players like Mark Viduka really listen to the manager? It's hard to envisage him fearing him, or even looking up to him as a manager.
We don't know what goes on behind closed doors, we only see the end product, but we can all see the end product isn't good enough so must assume that Gareth may not have established his managerial authority in there. He had the respect as captain, but as a player you know he can't walk up to you on the pitch and give you an ear bashing.
There is a transfer window in just under three months time, but with fans voting with their feet and over the hill players (not mentioning any names, but looks like Charlie Dimmock) on big wages, do we really have the financial strength to be buying? Huth cost a fair bit and hasn't even featured, and Arca made a less than impressive cameo against Reading.
Gibson's bank account isn't self-replenishing and we can't expect more signings. We haven't sold a player for a significant amount for years and the ticket sales have dropped. And with no UEFA Cup money coming in and out of the Carling Cup, we really seem to have no sources of income to boost the squad.
Beating Everton is a big task, and even if we do, we can only move up to tenth at the highest, but five of the six teams above us have one, even two games in hand. Losing to Everton is unthinkable, but a real possibility. We must look to allay the fears that linger by winning this game. Its down to the players to give us a lift. The manager can't be blamed for our current position because he was thrown in at the deep end.
Newcastle didn't offer Alan Shearer the job, and they didn't do it for a reason. They also persuaded the Premier League that Glenn Roeder should be allowed to manage them. If we still lay in the nether regions of the table come the end of the month, will Gibson be tempted to perhaps succumb to the pressure of the Premier League and part company with Southgate?
Let's hope not. Let's hope for a win on Saturday, let's hope for an oh-so-sweet win over the Toon and let's hope we can push up the table and turn it around, every team has bad spells and let's hope ours is over, because at the minute hope is all we seem to have.
Watson says...
Wouldn't it be great if instead of proposing a multi million pound casino in Middlesbrough, they decided to construct a theme park instead. It would make sense as it would allow Middlesbrough fans to go on a rollercoaster every year.
On second thoughts perhaps the advertisement would have read "There will be no theme park, so if you are wanting to go on a rollercoaster, buy a season ticket for Middlesbrough instead and go on a real life rollercoaster at the Riverside". For as long as we can all remember every season contains many ups and downs, twist and turns and this season has been no exception.
I was very much looking forward to this season as we were all promised a season of exciting and attractive football as well as a significant push for Europe via the league. Let's be perfectly honest, the football has not been exciting at all and currently we're all wondering how were going to drag ourselves out of the bottom six, never mind top six.
Many pundits and neutrals alike had predicted a tough season on Teesside and believed relegation beckoned again. Unfortunately on the basis from what we have seen many Boro fans are also predicting the same unimaginable circumstances. However, should be all be so glum and pessimistic just seven games into the season?
There is such a long way to go and the fixture list hasn't been all too kind to us, we have already had to play two newly promoted teams which is never an easy task and we have already had tough visits away from home to Arsenal and Bolton. I expect much of our season tally to come from wins against many of the mediocre sides in the Premiership, for example Fulham, Charlton Athletic and dare I say, Newcastle United. Many teams will struggle against the newly promoted sides as their tactics are slightly different and not many people know how to play against them and what to expect.
Surely, we have just too much quality to be relegated? We were in a similar position at the back end of last season and many of our star players showed off their quality when it really mattered. As Glenn Roeder's West Ham United showed there is no such thing as 'you are too good to go down' and this is something that needs to be drilled into our players. I'm sure none of the current squad are thinking about relegation but they do have to remember what can happen when you don't perform to your capabilities.
The squad itself boasts many internationals and these are the players that we will rely on to drag us away from the bottom three. These players have a significant amount of quality and experience and many of them will be motivated to do well.
The team can boast a great deal of firepower, however one part of the dynamic three that fired us into last season's UEFA cup final is no longer here and it is now up to two similar types of player to get us the goals we need to stay up.
Mark Viduka is a fantastic striker. I know many criticise his motivation and work rate but the fact is he will score goals. He is strong, can hold up the ball and is very good in front of goal. My only criticism is not of Mark but the way in which we play when he is in the team.
Mark loves the ball either on his chest but preferably to his feet. This way he can use his strength and hold up the ball. From there on he is able to turn defenders, as he is surprisingly quite light on his feet, and create goal scoring opportunities.
Lately, it appears that every ball that heads towards Viduka's direction is intended for a flick on, however Yakubu is always roaming around the left hand side so there is no one to flick the ball on to. This is where we desperately miss Hasselbaink. It appears Viduka likes to play part of a two when the second striker is close to him or in passing range.
Yakubu was our top goal scorer last year but this year, despite scoring two goals already he does appear to be lacking in confidence in front of goal. I am a keen admirer of the Nigerian however I do wish he would stay in the middle and help out the other striker rather than stay glued to the left hand side. It seems to upset the balance in midfield as the four becomes a five and with two on that left side it restricts the left back from coming forward.
When the five is formed it bunches up the midfield, making it more crowded and teams can predict where the next pass will end up. It makes it easier for teams to defend against and it makes it so much harder trying to pick out the lone striker in attack.
I do feel when Yakubu goes to the left side it does work, however he needs to be taking the ball twenty yards from goal, not forty. Against Sheffield United, Yakubu was constantly leaving Viduka by himself and picking the ball up with his back to goal on the left side from the half way line. This makes it incredibly hard to score goals and create chances. We all saw that when Yakubu plays down the middle his movement, pace and strength is tough to deal with and this is why I would like to see him there more often.
Over the last few weeks we have shown with Woodgate in our side that the defence is more than capable of keeping clean sheets. Unfortunately Woody has picked up another injury and will be out of action for around three weeks. This is when we will see if our current back four have learnt anything from him.
Robert Huth should make his debut on Saturday, I am looking forward to seeing why we paid six million pound for the German. With a fully fit back four I can't see many teams breaking us down. Yes we will concede goals, but not in the manner previous to when Woodgate arrived. There are teams that have a much worse defence than ours and this is another reason why we will stay up.
I remember reading in a newspaper just after Steve McClaren had signed his contract with England Gareth Southgate saying many of the team did not enjoy going into work because they feared the McClaren Hairdryer, saying he was too harsh and criticised many of the players if his game plan wasn't working effectively.
Gareth said he was keen to build a dressing room that was united, showed a togetherness, and were willing to perform for one another and that's what I think he is currently doing. Aidey Boothroyd was once quoted as saying that the players play for him and for one another and they don't want to let each other down. If Gareth can create a similar sort of atmosphere to this I feel the squad will all pull together and get through this tough period.
Surely there are three worse teams in the Barclays Premiership than Middlesbrough? Sheffield United do look very suspect and if they continue to play in the way they did against Boro for the first thirty minutes against other opposition, the game may be finished at half time. I personally can't see the Blades staying up - I feel they will be relegated before the final game.
Watford on the other hand are a team that I feel will go down but not without a fight, they will try their hardest to the very end but I just feel they don't have enough quality to stay in this division. I am an admirer of Watford and Aidey Boothroyd and I do hope they stay up, just not at Middlesbrough's expense.
Charlton are a team very much struggling at the minute and although they do have Darren Bent, they lack firepower from other directions. I feel they will be fighting for their lives for much of the season. The same can be said for Wigan who have sold many of their assets and replaced them with overrated has-beens and I would be surprised if they weren't fighting off relegation.
Other teams that may struggle could be Fulham, Blackburn, and Reading. All of these teams are beatable and it is how we play against these teams that will count to how many points we achieve. Unfortunately so far, we have picked up nothing against three of six I have mentioned.
Middlesbrough do boast arguably the greatest chairman in the league. No matter how much the club underachieves, Steve Gibson is there with his chequebook, willing to pay any amount for this club to do well. I feel Gareth has realised that we are a few players short right now and this can be rectified in the January transfer window. I'm just hoping we aren't in too much trouble by the time it arrives.
So, in short here are my reasons arguing why Middlesbrough will be a premiership team for the 2007/08 season:
We have so much quality in the team
We have quality internationals in the side
There are goals in that team
We have a solid defence when everyone is fit
Southgate is trying to build a United Middlesbrough
Surely there are three worse teams than the Mighty Reds
Transfer window just around the corner
Come on Boro - let's get this turned around, and during the next International weekend lets hope we are writing the for and against of why we will be in Europe next year!
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