|
 |
WARNOCK WEEKLY - A STORY OF TRANSITION - 16-4-08
Tom Warnock
Who would have guessed it?
Would any of us have predicted that after the Cardiff game we would come up with a series of resolute and impressive displays against the likes of Aston Villa, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham?
Much more likely was a collapse of a team demoralised by such a spurned opportunity.
The last two weekends have been promising in terms of both the present and the future of the side.
Gareth made an interesting comment about the departure of Viduka and Yakubu. He believed that the lack of goals from two primary strikers has meant that the rest of the squad has each been made to pull his own weight more this season. This has led to an enhanced team ethic and greater unity.
We all saw Afonso Alves make his goal scoring bow against United, with finishing which few Boro players have managed since the days of the Yak and Viduka.
It was exciting to see the beginning of what we hope will be a long series of strikes. The threat has always been there from Alves, it was just great to see him deliver. It was also as great for him as it was for the team and the supporters.
It’s just a shame we couldn’t have seen more of Alves’ abilities much sooner than we eventually did.
Just before the Man Utd game, I was saying that it was just the type of game he would excel in and he seemed to relish the challenge of the league leaders.
However his hunger in that game was not a one off. He seems genuinely disappointed every time he misses and equally apologetic to his team-mates should a chance go begging.
It’s good to see a striker with some passion after the often downbeat attitudes of Yakubu and Viduka.
With the addition to our tally of two points in as many weeks, it seems that Premier League safety is within touching distance.
Yet it doesn’t hide the fact that it’s been another ‘transitional' season. I hate that word because transition implies evolution, progress and change. It’s evident that those transitions aren’t visible since Southgate took over.
Next season could well be make or break. We have the core of a solid team but we need to crack the consistency curse as well as strengthening the squad further.
Gareth and the team have had too many seasons of transition and in modern football three seasons is a long time to make something happen. It isn’t as if we were a Leeds United either - we had just reached the UEFA Cup Final. How much rebuilding was necessary?
However, with the resources he’s had, there aren’t many English managers who could have done better. Whether that speaks for Gareth’s ability or against English management ability is another debate altogether.
Anybody who saw Sky’s ‘Goals on Sunday’ programme will have observed George Boateng as the studio guest.
Among some hard to decipher punditry he spoke about his stripping of the captaincy. When asked, he didn’t deny that there was a rift between him and Southgate, nor did he acknowledge it.
He described how Gareth told him that he wasn’t taking the captaincy off George and that he was simply giving him a break from it in order to help George concentrate on his game.
One thing which is slightly concerning from all this is that most teams have a permanent captain and all good teams do.
For a man who was such a leader in his Boro playing days, it's bizarre that he cannot identify a leader when he sees one.
He did much the same thing with Arca when he suffered a dip in form. The question that must be asked is when the team is performing below par, why must the captain bear the wrath of the manager? It’s clear there are many areas in which Gareth is still learning.
Let’s just hope he learns quickly this summer otherwise when the letters drop on our doormats in June and July, the form inside may just read: ‘Transitional Seasoncard Application.’
Until next week
Up the Boro
RETURN TO WARNOCK WEEKLY INDEX HERE
 |
|
|
|
