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MIDDLESBROUGH v BOLTON WANDERERS - SOUTHGATE EXCITED BY ATTACKING OPTIONS
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate admits even he is excited by the attacking players at his disposal.
After succeeding Steve McClaren at the Riverside Stadium Southgate insisted he would bring entertaining football back to Teesside.
McClaren, it should not be forgotten, is the only Boro boss to land a major trophy and saw his side produce some stunning fightbacks to reach the 2006 UEFA Cup final.
However, his pragmatic approach saw attendances fall during his five years at the helm, and they have never fully recovered.
The club this week launched a major drive to attract young fans and Southgate and chairman Steve Gibson are both well aware that the best way of doing that is to provide them with both entertainment and success.
To that end, the Teessiders have invested heavily in the likes of record signing Afonso Alves, Mido, Jeremie Aliadiere and Tuncay Sanli in the last two seasons.
Southgate knows he may not get the best from some of his foreign imports until next season, but as he heads into Saturday's crucial Premier League clash with Bolton he is licking his lips at the prospect of seeing them all at full tilt.
He said: "I don't get too excited about very much, really, because you know the nature of the job.
"But it excites me when I see the attacking talent we have at the moment because people are starting to score.
"Tuncay now has started to score goals in this league, Jeremie Aliadiere is a lot stronger and a hell of a threat to any team - he has shown that against the best teams in recent weeks.
"Afonso, as everybody saw, announced his arrival against Manchester United, and we have got wingers, the likes of Stewart Downing - we challenged him at the start of the season could he get double figures, and I think he looked at us like we were mad, but he is not far away from it - and Adam Johnson as well, who is a fantastic attacking talent.
"There is a lot that excites me about watching us play and that is why, when we don't reach those standards, as in the first half last week, we are entitled to keep asking for more because it is there."
Southgate delivered a half-time rocket at Tottenham last weekend and got the response he wanted as Downing fired home an equaliser - his eighth goal of the season - to snatch a point and extend Boro's solid run of form.
They have lost only one of six games since their shock FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Cardiff, and that by the only goal at title-chasing Chelsea.
That run includes trips to both Aston Villa and Arsenal and Manchester United's visit to the Riverside, and a return of seven points has boosted confidence.
However, the fact remains that Southgate's men still need to secure their Premier League status, something they will do if they win the first of three home games in their last four fixtures against Bolton.
But even then, Southgate would not allow his players to relax having seen them establish a momentum after 10 league games without a win in the midst on an injury crisis earlier in the season.
Still learning his trade, the manager admits life is a little more enjoyable now than it was then.
He said: "I don't know how much you enjoy it, it was certainly endured rather than enjoyed earlier in the season.
"But I am determined that the club will pursue excellence and that will mean every aspect of the parts of the club that come under my stewardship.
"That's why it is important to me that our performances stay strong and that we keep playing good football between now and the end of the season."
By Bettingzone.co.uk
Used with permission.
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