STEW'S PREVIEWS
BARSNLEY v MIDDLESBROUGH
Stewart Flaherty, 28 Dec 2009
BORO EYE VIEW
A welcome three points against Scunthorpe gave Gordon Strachan his first home win. Boro regained a spot in the top ten and will now aim for three points at Barnsley to inject some genuine confidence that only a run of unbeaten games and wins can provide.
Strachan may look to juggle the line up as the heavy legs of two games in three days will be a very real concern, especially with Barnsley not having to play last Saturday due to a postponement.
BARNSLEY EYE VIEW
The Tyke's sit in seventeenth and are mired in mid table mediocrity, neither the playoffs or relegation are in immediate reach. After a poor start, Barnsley have managed a seven game unbeaten streak that includes a victory over Cardiff and a draw with Newcastle.
This will be no easy ride for Boro as Barnsley will look to start fast and make hard work of it for a Boro team who played so recently.
Column Continues Below...
HEAD TO HEAD
Goalkeepers
Boro - Danny Coyne made a return between the sticks and performed well in a good defensive performance. Coyne seems to be a superior leader to Brad Jones and may now receive a run of games to make a claim for the number one jersey. The Christmas rush means many of you did not get to read the Scunthorpe preview so I am reprinting the section below many of you may find interesting. The statistics do not include the Scunthorpe game;
"I had always accepted that Brad Jones was a solid athletic shot stopper, who I believe had flaws in the area of dealing with crosses, leadership and presence.
However, some interesting statistics from a 'Matt' on the Anthony Vickers blog prompted me to look further into it.
I played goalkeeper and coach them for a living now in US College 'soccer'.
Most teams hold their keepers to standards. Goals to saves ratio is one of them. An acceptable ratio is usually four saves for every goal scored, equating to 80% of shots on target saved.
There are flaws with all statistics, one being the lack of ability to differentiate between a shot from five yards and one from twenty. However, all keepers are judged in the same way and it is a way to judge performance numerically.
I decided to research Jones and four other keepers - Danny Coyne, Steve Harper (top of the League), Romain Larrieu (bottom of the League) and Joe Murphy (18th and next opponent) - to see where Jones stands.
The statistics used are from the BBC website for League games. The results are as follows:
Keeper Goals Conceded/Saves
Steve Harper 11/119 (10.8 saves to each goal conceded)
Danny Coyne 9/44 (4.89 saves to each goal conceded)
Romain Larrieu 35/114 (3.26 saves to each goal conceded)
Joe Murphy 39/109 (2.8 saves to each goal conceded)
Brad Jones 18/48 (2.67 saves to each goal conceded)
Any game that a goalkeeper started but did not finish was left out of these calculations. Harper left at half-time in a 1-1 draw at West Brom and a 3-0 win later in the season against Swansea. Murphy left a 1-0 win over Coventry after seventeen minutes.
These statistics are interesting, and while many may assume that Harper playing for a team that is top of the League makes it easier for him, the sheer number of saves he has made does not support this argument.
He made fourteen saves in a 1-0 win at Cardiff, fourteen in a 2-1 loss at Blackpool, and twelve in a 1-0 win at Sheffield United. No other keeper on the list made more than ten saves in a single game.
Harper is also rated as the top keeper by Actim, the official statistics of the Championship. The Actim list of top 100 players features eleven goalkeepers. Brad Jones is not amongst them.
It appears that some of the criticism aimed at the Boro goalkeeper is justified."
Barnsley - Luke Steele was signed by Manchester United as an 18 year old for 500,000 pounds in 2002. While never breaking into the first team, Luke did manage to win an FA Youth Cup with the Red Devils in 2003, defeating in the final a Middlesbrough team that included Ross Turnbull, Anthony McMahon, David Wheater, Matthew Bates, Andrew Taylor and James Morrison.
Since leaving Manchester United, Luke has played the vast majority of his games in the Championship with Coventry. Steele certainly arrived at Oakwell with a bang, making his debut as an emergency loan keeper, and producing a string of saves and a clean sheet to shock Liverpool 1-0 in the FA Cup 5th round. That was followed up with a clean sheet and another shock 1-0 victory over Chelsea to go on to meet Cardiff in the semi-finals.
Edge - An England Under-18 international, Steele has a bright future in the game, and despite his young age, has more experience against Premier League and Championship opposition than Coyne does.
Boro Defence v Barnsley Attack
Boro - Sean St Ledger has become an ex-Boro player after deciding to stay with Preston. The performance of the defence without him suggests no noticeable improvement or drop off will occur from this. A talented individual, St Ledger never did settle and form a commanding partnership between himself and Wheater.
The battling Emanuel Pogatetz steps in to the central role and the Austrian international commands respect after over 100 Boro appearances, many in the Premier League and a number in the UEFA Cup. Justin Hoyte and Anthony McMahon manned the full back spots in the last game, both offer pace and an ability to contribute while in possession.
Barnsley - Daniel Bogdanovic and Andy Gray are the starting front pair for the Tykes. Bogdanovic, a Maltese international with twenty-six caps, signed for Barnsley from Lokomotiv Sofia and is the club's leading goal scorer this season with seven.
Andy Gray made one of his first senior appearances for Leeds United in the 1996 League Cup final. Take a bow son! Gray has a host of Premier League and Championship experience with clubs including Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, and Sunderland and he also has two caps for Scotland.
Also in the Barnsley attack is Republic of Ireland international Jonathan Macken, who has Premier League experience with Manchester City, having been signed by them in 2002 for £5million.
Edge - Boro. Pogatetz may just be the experienced physical presence needed to shore up a back line that has had an average season to date.
Midfield
Boro - Against Scunthorpe Boro used the central midfield pairing of Isiah Osborne and Rhys Williams, this partnership has youth, energy, and showed the ability to pass the ball. However, this partnership lacks experience and may struggle long term or against superior opposition. It will be interesting to see if Strachan shuffles the pack with two games so close back to back, and Arca or O'Neill see a spell in the centre for this game.
O'Neill and Yeates put in superb displays out wide in the Scunthorpe win, and Yeates, who has been impressive of late is in reserve.
Barnsley - The goal threat in the Tyke's midfield comes from Anderson De Silva. The Brazilian midfielder is on loan from Everton and has Spanish La Liga experience. A technically gifted player not lacking in flair, De Silva also possesses a lethal strike from distance as he displayed with this goal in a Carling Cup upset of Premier League Burnley earlier this season;
De Silva is joined in the engine room by defensive midfielder Hugo Colace, an Argentina Under-21 international. Hugo was captain of the Argentina U20 side in the 2003 World Cup, a side that included Carlos Tevez, and Javier Mascherano. Another technically outstanding ball player, Hugo was on loan last season with Flamengo, helping them win a Brazilian title.
The right flank is manned by Nathan Doyle, an England Under-20 international who is on loan from Premier League Hull City. Familiar to promotion from this league, Doyle scored in Hull's play-off semi-final victory over Watford last season. On the left Barnsley field Adam Hammill or Emil Hallfredsson. A graduate of the Liverpool youth academy, Hammill has four goals to his credit this season and is blessed with pace and the ability to beat a full back one on one. Hallfredsson is an Icelandic international with twenty four caps, and has played for Tottenham Hotspur and Swedish top flight side Malmo.
Edge - Barnsley. A close contest, but Barnsley have a superior central pairing.
Boro Attack vs Barnsley Defence
Boro - How quickly things change in football. Boro fans were starting to get settled with the pairing of Kitson and Lita and things look very different heading into this fixture. Kitson is doubtful with an illness, but will return to Stoke after this fixture, as will Marcus Bent. This would have left Lita as the leading striker, but a silly and immature red card means he will now face a three match ban.
Jeremie Aliadiare made a strong return from injury and his pace won a penalty. He also capped a fine all round display with a goal and should start this game, likely alongside the physical presence of Bent. Young local boy Luke Williams is knocking on the door for his first team debut.
Barnsley - Barnsley receive a big blow ahead of this fixture, influential defenders Ryan Shotton and Carl Dickinson are on loan from Stoke and have made thirteen league appearances each so far this season.
As well as being a towering presence at the back Dickinson netted an injury time winner over Cardiff. While Barnsley have managed to extend the loan deal of the pair, they are unavailable for the game against Boro. They have been starting back line players and both must now be replaced, putting pressure on remaining regular starters Darren Moore and Bobby Hassell to pick up the slack.
At six foot three and fifteen stone, Moore is a commanding presence who has Premier League experience with West Brom and Derby County and he is also a Jamaican international. Fullback Hassell has made over 180 appearances for the Tykes, and his experience will be important in this game with replacements stepping in for the Stoke loan pair. Contenders to step in are Robert Kozluk, who played more than 230 games for Sheffield United, and Stephen Foster, formerly of Burnley.
Edge - Boro. A previously settled back line must shuffle its pack and a pacy Boro front line should capitalize.
Fans
Boro - A home win will go a long way to spreading some Christmas cheer, and a small but passionate following should make the trip to Yorkshire for this one.
Barnsley - A seven game unbeaten streak should have the Oakwell faithful excited and ready to roar their team on to their last win of 2009.
Edge - Barnsley. The home crowd should be excited and loud.
Prediction
Draw. Boro will feel good coming off their drubbing of Scunthorpe, but the fatigue of a second game in three days is a very real advantage for a rested Barnsley team.
