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THE WEEK ON THE TEES 23-4-08
Luke Raine
So who saw the result against Bolton coming then?
Last week this column said that the team should be aiming for ten points from the final four games of the season. Although this is no longer possible, the performance against Bolton gave encouragement at least.
For too long we have failed to pick up points against teams at the bottom end of the table though. We have lost at least once this season against Reading, Birmingham, Wigan and now Bolton.
In the first three defeats that I mentioned, the performances were, to be frank, dire. At least against Bolton chances were created and on another day the outcome could have been so very different.
This weekend’s derby at The Stadium of Light gives the side an opportunity to start putting away some of the chances that have been so readily created against Spurs and Bolton over the last fortnight.
There would also be no better place to start doing this than the home of our Mackem rivals.
Last weekend’s programme in the Premier League served up some fairly good games. Manchester United’s second half performance against Blackburn Rovers showed us why they will be champions this season.
Compare the effect that the point they gained at Ewood Park will have on the final few weeks of the season to Chelsea’s point against Wigan last Monday.
I don’t necessarily expect United to break Chelsea’s unbelievable home record on Saturday but Carlos Tevez’s crucial strike means they don’t have to.
One game that didn’t catch my imagination last weekend was Arsenal versus Reading at The Emirates. Pundits who keep claiming the Premier League is the most competitive in the world should watch those ninety minutes again.
To be honest there are times when I fully believe the statement that I am watching the world’s best league week in, week out. United’s visit to The Riverside earlier this month was one of those occasions.
However when a team goes out playing virtually seven players at the back like Reading did on Saturday, questions need to be asked. There was no imagination to carry the ball over the halfway line, let alone score a goal. If that is the way top level football should be played in this country then we should all go home.
Some may accuse me of being slightly hypocritical after the nature of Boro’s performance at the Emirates in March but I feel there is a big difference about the way the two sides went about their business.
Firstly, our side played two up front that day and weren’t completely devoid of ideas. Our team also tried to play football, without leaving ourselves open to Arsenal’s fluent counter attacking style. Reading did neither.
Despite having four centre halves on the field, Arsenal cut them open at will and the score could have been rather embarrassing if it wasn’t for a mix of good goalkeeping and a huge slice of luck.
There was another issue in the footballing world which confused me over the weekend. It is widely agreed that Howard Webb is the best official in the Premier League. He referees the majority of the big games and will be England’s only representative at Euro 2008.
Why, then, was he refereeing at Vicarage Road in The Championship over the weekend? I don’t believe that the Premier League is in a position where they have competent referees coming out of their ears, so why let their best official take control of a game from the second tier?
Finally this week, does anyone else think there was more than meets the eye when it came to Ross Turnbull’s inclusion in the side on Saturday?
The official line from the club was that Mark Schwarzer was injured but with the Aussie still to sign a new contract, it would make sense to give Turnbull a run of games towards the end of the season.
However, the defeat at the weekend means we will probably have to pick up one more win to make certain of our status as a top flight side.
I still feel that it is important for Schwarzer to be tied down for another couple of seasons as I rate him highly as a goalkeeper.
However the club cannot simply stand still and if they are resigned to losing the Aussie then I wouldn’t be completely surprised if the injury line wasn’t completely true.
Luke Raine
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