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WARNOCK WEEKLY - QUESTIONS OVER SOUTHGATE - 24-10-07
Tom Warnock
It's a sad state of affairs down at the Riverside these days. Each defeat is met with expectancy and each comes with less fight than the last. I was slightly, ever so slightly, optimistic ahead of the Chelsea game but I, like everyone else, knew that after seven minutes the result was a foregone conclusion.
With Tuncay starting and Mido returning we were stronger - at least on paper. However in reality we weren't and even with Chelsea in disarray, with their Premier marksman claiming they are 'broken', they still managed to break us open within the first 420 seconds of play.
That defeat leaves us teetering precariously above the drop zone and only the supremacy of our Geordie rivals spared us the embarrassment of going into the bottom three. In reality they probably only delayed the inevitable.
There are major problems in the side and don't fool yourselves, we are in real danger of relegation this season.
I don't feel the problems are down to Gareth Southgate however, although I don't think he was ever going to be the man to take the club upwards, which is where it needed to go. He seems to be tactically aware but doesn't seem able to make the right adjustments when things go wrong.
It would have been more beneficial for him to begin managerial life in a lower league where he could have honed his skills, gained his badges and tried to build a reputation. Now if he fails to keep Boro in the Premiership he will be limited to a job at a lower league club. This will make his resume more difficult to resurrect and would be a shame for Gareth.
Gareth was burdened with a massive job and I believe he was never going to be able to take it on successfully. It's not as if Gibson and McClaren were pruning him into becoming a coach - this is obvious because he didn't have the necessary coaching badges when he was appointed. It appears he was rushed into the position after it became apparent we weren't going to obtain anyone of a higher calibre.
This led to Gareth being unable to properly prepare for what should have been our best season to date. He didn't bring in anyone of real impact, nor did he manage to clear out the dead wood in the side.
He was thrown in at the deep end, and the most depressing thing is that not much was expected of him. If it was, then he wouldn't still be in a job. Had his target been to achieve a top half finish or even Europe then he may have received the sack by now.
This gives a message to the supporters that mediocrity is acceptable when it shouldn't be.
There are teams in this League whose fans wouldn't accept it and neither would their boards.
There are also teams who have been in this League for less time than us who are already setting higher targets and achieving them. Yes we have won a trophy but we want more. We want to be able to have a chance of winning something every year - or at least a chance of maintaining a credible top half place.
I really do feel for Gareth though because he's obviously struggling to pinpoint the exact problems and how to eradicate them.
I predicted we would be in the bottom three by the time we face Spurs and I'll stick to that. If we win the game against the Londoners then chances are it would seal Jol's fate. The question is - should the same go for Gareth?
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