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THE PETER FOSTER COLUMN - INS AND OUTS 4-8-08
Peter Foster
It has been a busy summer by Boro standards and there is still the possibility of one or two more players to come in.
It has been good to see the club commit to some early signings as this allows the players to get to know their new team-mates and also allows them to settle into the team by participating in a full pre-season.
The previous habit of deadline day signings always left me scratching my head. Obviously the club did not want to pay players over the summer if they didn’t have to, but it left the whole set up playing catch up in September when we had finally signed some players and began the process of fitting them into the team.
At the time of writing Skippy, the Boat, Rocky and the Gook have all left and just last week Lee Cattermole was allowed to depart for Wigan, at a cost of £3.5million. Yes please!!
I am sad to see Skippy leave. I got used to watching him from my seat in the North stand directly behind the goal. I got accustomed to his foibles and his routines, and also closing my eyes as he charged from his line (OK I made that one up). I felt comfortable with him between the sticks.
Now I will have to form that relationship and understanding with another keeper. As long as it’s not Brad Jones then I’m happy.
Skippy leaving is a bit like the long suffering girlfriend that suddenly dumps you and leaves you touting for a replacement. Then, having selected your next victim, you have to get used to her unfamiliar idiosyncrasies and mannerisms.
It will take time, patience and understanding on my part but I will persevere.
Rocky never played as well for us as he did when he played for Sporting Lisbon against us in the UEFA Cup. So how typical it was that his sign off moment against Citeh was to produce one of his ‘trademark’ free kicks after three years of asking.
I’m very sorry to see the Boat sail (sorry). I always felt we were a better and more solid team with him in it (provided he wasn’t playing as a winger).
Our loss is Hull’s gain and I look forward to applauding him when he returns with his new club.
It also means my opportunity to sing Spandau Ballet songs will be diminished. However, all is not completely lost as I have a mate who occasionally turns up for nights out in a gold suit.
I can’t comment about the Gook, suffice to say that I hope Garmin have sold a lot more sat navs in South Korea and that Boro’s fan base there will survive the shock of his departure.
So what of the new boys?
Come on, be honest. How many of us had heard of Marvin Emnes or Didier Digard? I’ll hold my hands up and say that I hadn’t.
A Sheffield Wednesday fan told me the other day that he liked the look of what GS was doing and that we will have a good season. However, he did base this on the fact that we were shipping out old players and bringing in younger, fresher models. Well if it works for Arsene Wenger, then why not?
According to many sources, Emnes is an “ex-sprinter” and a “speedy winger”. Therefore, he may take Gary O’Neil’s place on the wing. This will allow the former Portsmouth man to move inside to a more central role, which is more suited to his hard running game.
Digard is an interesting one. Linked with many clubs and earmarked as a rising star in France, this is his big chance.
Three goals in eighty-eight games mark him out as a younger replacement for the Boat and the club must believe that he has far more quality than Catts. I am looking forward to seeing him play.
I had never heard of Emerson when he arrived but he could really play. I see Digard possibly delivering in the same way the Brazilian did. Let’s just hope he doesn’t go AWOL when the chips are down.
What about the rest of the squad? We should be much more solid at the back this year and I have no real worries about the defenders. However, much will depend on signing a quality keeper and keeping Huth fit.
We have enough strikers to do the job. Alves excites me as he appears to be one of those strikers who scores lucky goals, as well as bagging his quota of good ones. I’m thinking of Sunderland away especially. If he plays he will get goals.
Tuncay and Alliadiare are more than useful foils and should build on the solid seasons they had last time out.
As for Mido, don’t get me started! He has much to prove, including his commitment. It is easy to get fit when the club pays someone to follow you around Egypt and to divert you from the pie shops! What a sad indictment on a professional player that he needed this kind of kid glove treatment. I don’t believe he will play more than fifteen games this season and fear it will all end in January tears. Can he prove me wrong?
Like most supporters, I will be hoping for a big improvement on last season’s quite frankly abject showing.
Gareth Southgate will be very much aware that now is the time for him to deliver the goods. This is very much his team. The club have supported him in the transfer market and there can be no more excuses for poor performances.
And finally, can we please change the camera gantry at the Riverside so the cameras actually point towards the more populated areas? As an ex-pat I can’t stand the thought of one more person asking me why we have no fans.
BACK TO THE PETER FOSTER INDEX
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