STEW'S PREVIEWS
COVENTRY CITY v MIDDLESBROUGH
Stewart Flaherty, 25 Sep 2009
BORO EYE VIEW
"Sent to Coventry - a punishment inflicted by officers of the army on such of their brethren who are testy, or who have been found guilty of improper behaviour, not worthy the cognizance of a court martial."
This definition relates to the punishment of poor performance in medieval times, and is a very good description of our current situation. Boro have been guilty of improper defending, putting in a horrific performance and have been figuratively and literally sent to Coventry to turn it around.
Saturday was a little more than a bad day at the office, and if anyone tries to claim it does not matter, they are kidding themselves.
West Brom came to our ground, battered us, and laid down a marker of superiority.
This sent a message not only to us but to the entire division that they are ready to lay their claim to the league title.
They own three consecutive wins over us now and until we change that, we have no legitimate claim to being the best team in this league.
However, I disagree with the belief of some that it "could not be worse". It could be!
We have no God-given right to third place and anywhere below that spot in the table would be worse.
Before any big head-to-head battles, we go to Coventry City. It is the type of game which we will need to win if we are to gain promotion.
Defensively, Boro have been of slight concern since Huth left, but now it is a full blown issue.
This is a sign of lack of toughness, focus and maybe ability. The way Wheater and St. Ledger allowed midfielder Mulumbu to head in unchallenged for the third goal was extremely poor.
We lack steel at the back, and the following comment from Wheater is one of a few reasons why I question our toughness as a team:
"No-one had a terrible game, it's just that nothing clicked. When the second goal went in, I think we knew it wasn't going to be our day."
My main issue with this is that it was 2-0 after 31 minutes! We played 59 minutes with David Wheater, a man who was captaining us, having thrown the towel in. It shows weakness!
Maybe in Wheater's short career, he has never come from being two goals down. However, many have.
I am only glad such mental fragility was not existent in the UEFA Cup quarter finals and semi-finals of years gone by.
Column Continues Below...
COVENTRY EYE VIEW
Coventry are part of the play-off royal rumble. Three points would likely see them in a play-off spot and from there, they would look to challenge for promotion.
Coventry have fallen a long way from their glamorous past and I imagine the play-offs would be a good season for them.
Results have been a real mixed bag for them - won 3, lost 3, scored 10, conceded 11. They are the very definition of a middle of the pack team.
They are dangerous though, as displayed by the 3-2 win they gained over Sheffield United.
However, they are also vulnerable, as displayed by a 1-0 home defeat to Swansea.
A home game against Boro will be a tough fixture and they will be looking to pick up points and maintain a play-off challenge.
OVERVIEW
Not an easy game but if Boro start losing to teams like this, we will be in trouble and will drop off the pace set by the likes of West Brom and Newcastle.
HEAD TO HEAD
Goalkeepers
Coyne was at fault for the second goal against West Brom and we will see what he was made of here - how will he react in a road game coming off a good hiding? We shall see.
Keiren Westwood has a Republic of Ireland cap but many better keepers are around than him in this division.
Edge: Even. Neither are a top of the range keeper in this division but both are solid.
Boro Defence v Coventry Attack
So much for the excitement about St. Ledger! This was the definition of a nightmare debut. As mentioned earlier, the third goal was poor play from him and Wheater, and Wheater's comments concern me.
Champion teams have mentally and physically strong centre-backs and we need to build that. We do NOT have it now.
Talent is not the same thing, many talented teams are not strong and consistent enough to come out on top over a 46 game grind.
Boro have had magnificent performers in this position in our recent Riverside history (Woodgate, Southgate, Ehiogu, Pearson), but Wheater and St. Ledger have their time now. They could make a mark, but will they?
The talented and mouthy Clinton Morrison leads the attack for the Sky Blues. He has definite goal scoring pedigree in this division. He also has nine goals for the Republic of Ireland.
Former Southampton youngster Leon Best partners Morrison up front and also has a Republic of Ireland cap.
Their pace and movement will challenge a Boro back line that will have brittle confidence after last week.
Edge: Coventry. The fact remains that if you take away the games Huth played in, we are yet to prove that we have a back four strong enough to achieve promotion. A clean sheet would be a start, but when will it come?
Midfield
Saturday proved one of two things in my mind. Either that Gary O'Neil is the greatest player ever to play centre-mid, or Arca is no longer up to the 90 minute battle required of that position.
O'Neil is a soldier, and when he plays, we have steel. When he doesn't... well. you saw the game. I feel we were overran big time and the numbers they poured forward who were untracked were truly frightening.
Johnson was shut out of the game from what I saw and no matter how good your winger is, that can happen when the opposition dominates possession and the centre of the park.
Young Williams will be good but I cannot help but think he can learn a lesson from that first goal.
Was he fouled? Yes he was. But to whine about it goes against the mentality required of a top level centre mid.
It is also possible that he should not have dwelled on the ball, allowing the guy behind him to close ten yards. Was he aware he was there? Could he have released a pass quicker?
This should be the focus but the culture in Middlesbrough, and so many other football teams nowadays, always seems to lean towards the "we are a victim" thought process and it is a sad thing.
Sammy Clingan is an unspectacular centre midfielder who is massively experienced at this level. He is a good yardstick to measure young Williams against.
Young Isaac Osbourne is a little more dynamic and has notched a couple of assists so far this season.
In pre-season, many picked last season's Club Player of the Year Aron Gunnarsson as one of their top talents. I seem to even remember some Boro fans touting him as a transfer target.
However, it seems he is now one of a lot of midfielders who is fighting for a place in the Sky Blues' line-up.
Edge: Even. Coventry are not spectacular but neither are we. Will O'Neil play? This will be massive addition but confidence will be dented and Boro must start well in front of what may well be a good crowd.
Boro Attack v Coventry Defence
The signing of Folan gives Gareth the ability to make pretty major changes. As soon as Folan enters the team, the whole dynamic changes. Long balls may not be lost so easily, and the threat of crossing from our wide men will be multiplied.
Had we kept winning, Folan would have suffered from the "don't change a winning team" formula. However, this has been well and truly thrown out.
I think it would be a good idea to start him with the pace of Aliadiere.
Coventry have an OK back line but should struggle with the attacking quality of Boro and an early goal would be a nice way to forget last week and turn it into a one off blip rather than a tipping point for a confidence crisis!
The biggest names on the back line are England Under 21 international Martin Cranie and Marcus Hall, who has captained Coventry and made over 300 appearances for the club.
Without doing research, I am still fairly sure that Hall will be the only current player who has played in the Premier League with Coventry.
Edge: Boro. A beating does not change the fact that we have goals in both our attack and midfield units.
Fans
The Ricoh Arena is a nice stadium and as long as Coventry stay within touching distance of the play-offs, I am sure they will retain a decent crowd and make it difficult for visiting teams.
As far as the Boro fans go, how many will make the trip will be interesting.
Also interesting will be whether the mentality that existed on the opening day of the season, when we booed a draw against the impressive Blades, will return.
Anthony Vickers put it well:
"In the wake of the shocking on-the-field implosion, there was bound to be a passionate backlash from furious fans who were left shell-shocked by the debacle.
"Naturally, as tempers boiled over, there have been renewed demands for Gareth Southgate's head and servers crashed as the message boards went into hyperbolic overload".
Verdict
DRAW. I think we are better than Coventry, however when it comes to winning week in and week out, I always feel better about solid teams that tend not to concede, over exciting attacking units.
However, I hope to be wrong as only a win will lead to last week being completely forgotten and keep us in the race for automatic promotion.
For an interesting insight into the difference one game makes in this division, last week Boro had a three point cushion that ensured they could not drop below third. Today they are only three points above 10th place.
