STEW'S PREVIEWS
PRESTON NORTH END v MIDDLESBROUGH
Stewart Flaherty, 23 Oct 2009
BORO EYE VIEW
A new dawn! All the opinions, the bickering, the rifts, the frustrations, have gone!
Rightly or wrongly, the fact is that Gareth has departed and the replacement looks set to be Gordon Strachan.
Personally, I am thrilled. Football management is about experience and results. Strachan fits the bill on both counts. Not only does he have years of experience, he has it at the top level. 13 years of it in fact.
The usual cynics will use the "what has he won/Scottish trophies don't count" nonsense but scrape beneath the surface and you will see a very capable manager.
He kept Coventry in the Premier League for five years and if that is an easy task, why have they not managed to return in the eight years since his departure?
He finished 11th in the Premier League with Southampton and took them to the FA Cup final. Boro fans would be thrilled with that return, I am sure!
Then he went to Celtic and won three consecutive league wins. Celtic have had many managers, and some of the greats, but only two others have achieved that feat.
When you look at our last three managers and their previous managerial record below, this appointment should have fans excited:
Bryan Robson - None
Steve McClaren - Manchester United Assistant
Gareth Southgate - None
Other benefits include how many players would like to play for Gordon Strachan, or have played and succeeded under him previously.
James Beattie has been named as a player we should have bought and he played his best football under Strachan.
Leon Best is scoring at Coventry and was introduced to first team football by Strachan.
And who remembers how good Matt Oakley was for Leicester recently, another ex-Strachan player?
We could become very attractive in January if he has even a little money to spend.
Last but not least, we are in for some brilliant post-match press conferences. At the bottom of this article, I have printed some highlights from his previous dealings with the press.
And now for the short term. Apparently Cooper and Agnew will pick and motivate the team and we shall see how that works. Hopefully Strachan will be in the stands and will bring about the 'new manager effect'.
They certainly have been thrown in at the deep end.
Boro are yet to beat a genuine promotion contender and this would be the win of the season if they pull it off. Preston are high quality and are heavily involved in the promotion chase.
Column Continues Below...
PRESTON EYE VIEW
Preston are in the play-off spots, two points off the top, and returning from two consecutive away games which they split - being spanked at QPR and winning at Sheffield Wednesday.
They will be glad to return home and hope to use Boro's backroom instability to their advantage and gain a leg up on a promotion rival.
They have been through the Championship grind many a time and have been in and amongst the play-off spots for years. They know what it takes and will be looking for points against us.
They will also be very keen to stick a goal past a Boro back line that will include a certain Sean St. Ledger!
OVERVIEW
It is a real showdown between two teams that are in the thick of the title race. It is a game that both teams will want to win and the side that takes the three points will be able to use this as a confidence booster for future games.
As I said earlier, if it is managed, this will be Boro's best win of the season.
HEAD TO HEAD
Goalkeepers
Boro - We know that Gareth was a big Brad Jones fan but will the new manager be? Or will Cooper and Agnew be? Will Danny, Danny Coyne return?
Preston - Andy Lonergan is an England Under-21 international and has even scored a league goal back in 2004. Is he due another?
Edge: Boro. Coyne and Jones are both better than Lonergan.
Boro Defence v Preston Attack
Boro - Sean St. Ledger will need no motivation for this one. I am surprised that Preston let him play in the fixture and they may regret it. He will certainly be motivated to show he is moving onwards and upwards in his career. However, his fledgling partnership with Wheater will receive its sternest test since the West Brom beating.
Bennett and Hoyte look set to continue as full-backs. Both have pace and ability.
Preston - The home team have three capable scorers in their squad with Neil Mellor (7 goals this season), Chris Brown (7) and Jon Parkin (5).
Mellor is the most polished of the three, having come through the Liverpool academy and is their most successful graduate since Michael Owen.
Parkin is massive! 6'4" and 13st 7lbs. He will certainly be a handful to deal with.
Edge: Preston - They have very capable goal scorers and will be a stern test for the Boro back line.
Midfield
Boro - Adam Johnson bagged a couple of goals in mid-week so will be riding high in confidence.
I will be interested to see who the central pairing is, and if Josh Walker will emerge from the black hole he plunged into under Southgate.
Digard should get fitter and better by the game and O'Neil would surely have more impact from the centre rather than the right flank.
Preston - While not brimming with big names and star power, the Preston unit is hard working, organised and has quality. This shows in their results.
England Under-21 international Richard Chaplow has Premiership experience with West Brom and was also the Powerade Championship Player of the Month for August.
Darren Carter became known for a short time as the man who scored the '£30million penalty' when he sealed Birmingham's play-off shoot-out victory to send them to the Premier League a few seasons back.
Ross Wallace won the Scottish League with Celtic and played in the Premier League with Sunderland.
The midfield unit is rounded out by Chris Sedgwick.
Edge: Boro. Two good teams, but Boro have more match winning individuals.
Boro Attack v Preston Defence
Boro - Gordon Strachan has had a good impact on the career of many a striker. John Hartson, James Beattie, Leon Best, Peter Crouch and Scott McDonald all enjoyed massive success under his tutelage.
Which Boro man will be the biggest beneficiary? The career enigma that is Aliadiere? The powerhouse Lita? We shall see.
They appear to be settling as the front two and I would rather see Emnes on the right wing than up front.
Preston - A product of the famed Crewe Alexandra youth academy, Billy Jones has been an ever present at right-back and will certainly have his hands full with A Johnson (oo er missus!).
Liam Chilvers won the FA Youth Cup with Arsenal and is joined at the back by Frenchmen Youl Mawane, who played in the Premier League with Derby County and in the UEFA Cup semi-finals with Lens.
Edge: Preston. Boro tend to do better away from home but this Preston unit is settled and will be out to show that they do not miss the 'Ledge'.
Fans
Preston will have a partisan home backing that could get very loud if Boro do not hold strong and possess the ball. The Boro support will likely be united and have a freshness that comes with a new manager.
Edge: Preston, good crowd and a vocal backing.
PREDICTION: Preston Win.
Long term, I think the managerial change will see us
benefit, but this day is a tough ask for Cooper and Preston are a good side. I would
personally settle happily for a point in this game.
STRACHAN HIGHLIGHTS (as promised earlier)
Gordon Strachan on Wayne Rooney: "It's an incredible rise to stardom. At 17, you're more likely to get a call from Michael Jackson than Sven Goran Eriksson!"
Reporter: Gordon, do you think James Beattie deserves to be in the England squad?
Strachan: I dont care, I'm Scottish!
Reporter: "Gordon, can we have a quick word please?"
Strachan: "Velocity" [walks off!]
Reporter: Welcome to Southampton Football Club. Do you think you are the right man to turn things around?
Strachan: No. I was asked if I thought I was the right man for the job and I said, "No, I think they should have got George Graham because I'm useless."
Reporter: Is that your best start to a season?
Strachan: Well I've still got a job so it's far better than the Coventry one, that's for sure.
Reporter: Are you getting where you want to be with this team?
Strachan: We're not doing bad. What do you expect us to be like? We were eighth in the league last year, in the cup final and we got into Europe. I don't know where you expect me to get to. Do you expect us to win the Champions League?
Reporter: Gordon, you must be delighted with that result?
Strachan: You're spot on! You can read me like a book.
Strachan: I've got more important things to think about. I've got a yogurt to finish by today, the expiry date is today. That can be my priority rather than Agustin Delgado.
Reporter: This might sound like a daft question, but you'll be happy to get your first win under your belt, won't you?
Strachan: You're right. It is a daft question. I'm not even going to bother answering that one. It is a daft question, you're spot on there.
Reporter: Bang, there goes your unbeaten run. Can you take it?
Strachan: No, I'm just going to crumble like a wreck. I'll go home, become an alcoholic and maybe jump off a bridge. Umm, I think I can take it, yeah.
Reporter: So Gordon, any changes then?
Strachan: Naw, still 5ft 6, ginger hair and a big nose!
Reporter: There's no negative vibes or negative feelings here?
Strachan: Apart from yourself, we're all quite positive round here. I'm going to whack you over the head with a big stick, down negative man, down.
Reporter: Where will Marion Pahars fit into the team line-up?
Strachan: Not telling you! It's a secret.
Reporter: You don't take losing lightly, do you Gordon?
Strachan: I don't take stupid comments lightly either.
Reporter: So, Gordon, in what areas do you think Middlesbrough were better than you today?
Strachan: What areas? Mainly that big green one out there...
Reporter: So, Gordon, any plans for Europe this year?
Strachan: Aye, me and the wife quite fancy Spain in August.
