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TIERING OUR HAIR OUT 19-12-07
Udayan Mukherjee
Football is a results business and when it starts to go right then everyone seems so much happier.
The mini revival of the last few games has thankfully tipped the scales in favour of Gareth Southgate once more. It will once again allow him to attempt to implement his vision of fast, attacking football with young Teesside talent.
It points to the fickle nature of the football fan but it also points to the possibility that the revolution may not be able to happen.
In fact, let me rephrase that - it may not be allowed to happen.
In this day and age, the 'quick fix' society needs instant solutions and in this respect I don't know whether the Middlesbrough policy of blooding in youngsters can ever really work.
In the past it was not catastrophic for a team to get relegated. They could rebuild and regroup and come back stronger within a few years. With the money that has been flushing the game of late, I don't know if that's still possible.
The gulf between the Championship and the Premiership is huge but what is more disconcerting is the gap between the 'tiers' that have formed inside the Premiership itself.
At present, we are in the tier that expects to be fighting relegation every season. The question that must be asked then is: Are we equipped to break into the mid-table area with our current policy? Basically, are we equipped to avoid relegation long term?
Changing the entire ethos of a team's playing style from a defensive 'We must get a result' point of view to an attacking but winning formula will take time to implement.
The time this takes may leave us irredeemably entrenched in the group of teams constantly fighting relegation because of the investment that has occurred at many other Premiership teams. The net effect is that in terms of squad depth, teams like next Saturday's opponents' West Ham, have invested heavily in players but have been unable to make any real impact on the Premiership.
The fear is that with our lack of funds, we might have to play catch up to them and not just to the top four.
Middlesbrough's youth policy is admirable. I think that statistics show that since the 2002-03 season, Middlesbrough have produced nine youngsters who have participated in over five Premier League games each. This is an incredible fifteen percent of the total for the Premiership.
The good news therefore, is that Boro have the infrastructure to cope with the mass exodus of star players that relegation would bring if it were to happen. Indeed, we have the infrastructure to gradually progress up the table over a period of several years.
The hope is that we get lucky and avoid relegation over the next few years. It is going to be difficult for sure but blooding in youngsters from a position of strength is what we must aim for, instead of having to throw them in left, right and centre.
I feel that in terms of first teams, we have a very competitive and exciting line up. If the players can avoid injuries and play to anywhere near the level that they have shown over the last two weeks then we can leave this season's relegation worries behind.
Who knows, maybe even the Southgate's intended revolution could progress at a quicker speed than expected and the 'position of strength' that I mentioned earlier could become a Boro reality.
Merry Christmas everybody.
Up the Boro.
Udayan Mukherjee
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