Monday 21 December 2009

Team of the Decade

You might well expect a proper Boro blogger to use the blogosphere to pick apart yesterday's demoralising Tyne-Tees derby defeat.

But as it's supposedly the season to be jolly, I'm going to ignore it and pretend it never happened - just like the UEFA Cup final. (For fans who can't help but indulge in self-loathing, Anthony Vickers aptly and bluntly sums up the feeling amongst the Riverside faithful here.)

Instead, in an attempt to lift the dwindling gloom, I'm looking back on happier times by picking my MFC team of the decade. After all, it has been a great decade in Boro's history - despite the painful final twelve months.

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Goalkeeper: Mark Schwarzer
No contest for the keeper’s jersey. Big Aussie Schwarzer was Boro’s undisputed number one before leaving for Fulham in 2008. Skippy kept ten clean sheets for the Cottagers in his debut season. Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate ummed and aahed over Brad Jones and Ross Turnbull as Boro leaked 57 goals on their way to relegation. A quality goalkeeper who commanded his area and inspired confidence throughout the team. What a distant memory that now seems.

Right back: Luke Young
Not an easy position to pick. Boro have had a different first-choice right back in almost every season of the noughties. But we’ve hardly been spoilt – Stuart Parnaby, Robbie Stockdale and Michael Reiziger to name but a sorry few. Young, though, was a class above his predecessors, as well as his successor, Justin Hoyte. His sale to Aston Villa came in the wake of Schwarzer and George Boateng’s departures. This exodus of experience contributed heavily to our eventual downfall.

Centre half: Gareth Southgate (captain)
Boro’s first captain to lift a major trophy. Boro’s first captain to lead the club out in Europe. And Boro’s first captain to marshal the side in a showpiece European final – you can’t help but think he might be the last. A textbook captain who led by example rather than discipline, and an absolute gent to boot. I’m still gutted at the way Lamb and Gibson disposed of him as boss earlier this year.

Centre half: Ugo Ehiogu
Big Ugo arrived for a big fee – £8million – in 2000, but went on to justify it as a key part of Steve McClaren’s Riverside revolution. The partnership of Ehiogu and Southgate was one of the best in the Premier League around the middle of the decade, but unfortunately peted out as injury niggles caught up with Ehiogu. He might have added to his four England had he managed to stay fit during Sven Goran Eriksson’s tenure.

Left back: Franck Queudrue
The Frenchman was unheard of when he signed on loan from Lens in 2001. But then boss McClaren was quick to make Queudrue’s contract permanent after the buccaneering full back became a fans’ favourite for his committed and energetic play. He lost his way slightly after helping Boro to the 2004 Carling Cup, and was displaced by Emmanuel Pogatetz as Stevie Mac sought to bolster his squad for the upcoming European exploits.

Right wing: Gaizka Mendieta
Mendi left the club somewhat acrimoniously when his lucrative contract expired at the end of the 2007/08 campaign after being frozen out of the first team by Southgate. But under McClaren the silky Spaniard showed glimpses of the class that once convinced Lazio to pay nearly £30million for his services. And Teesside’s admiration for Mendieta was reciprocal – despite the disappointing end to his Boro career, he still lives in the area after settling with his family in Yarm.

Centre midfield: George Boateng
Every good team needs a destroyer in the middle of the park. Boateng was never an attractive player to watch – he could barely pass the ball in a Boro shirt – but he was a mighty effective ball-winner. He was also a big influence on the rest of the team, his energy and enthusiasm often galvanising the squad and fans in times of difficulty. And it was that side of Boateng’s game, rather than the footballing side, that we never managed to replace in the signing of Didier Digard.

Centre midfield: Bolo Zenden
The left-footed Dutchman didn’t spend his entire Boro career in the centre of midfield, of course, and indeed spent much of his firts season on the wing. But Bolo was shifted inside to accommodate the emergence of Stewart Downing, and it paid off. No other Boro side of the noughties had a player who scored freely from the midfield like Zenden did. He was sorely missed when he chose to leave for Liverpool at the end of his silly one-year contract. Unfortunately, it was a bad move for the player too as he struggled to make an impact on Merseyside.

Left wing: Stewart Downing
Without doubt the best player to come out of Boro’s prized youth academy in the past ten years. It was clear quite early that he was going to become a big player for his hometown club, but not many might have envisaged him notching up 20 England caps before the age of 24. It’s a shame that England’s fans haven taken to him as quickly as the Riverside faithful, but they will when he inevitably makes his mark at new club Aston Villa.

Striker: Mark Viduka
He was sometimes frustrating, big Mark was. Lethargic. Moody. Unfit. Didn’t run his socks off. But I don’t care. He hit 42 goals in three seasons which were hampered by injury, and not many of them were tap-ins. He scored some memorable goals and was always a lovely player to watch, boasting beautiful close control and bullish hold-up play. His lethal partnership with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in his first two seasons on Teesside now seem a figment of my imagination as I watch Leroy Lita and Marcus Bent lead the line for us in 2009.

Striker: Alen Boksic
Probably the most controversial selection in my XI. Boksic, like Viduka, wasn’t always in tip-top condition, and had certainly seen his best playing days long before joining us from Lazio in 2000. He was part of the squad which came close to Premier League relegation before El Tel’s salvage operation. Without him, though, we might not have survived. He scored some vital goals, and continued to do so under McClaren. A very skilful player – though in fairness, he mightn’t have justified his reported £65k-per-week wages.

What d'ya reckon - have I got it right? Probably not. So let me know who would be in your Boro team of the decade.

Monday 14 December 2009

Worlds Apart

I watched two games of football at the weekend. The first left me envious. The second left me furious.

On Saturday afternoon, I boarded a shed of a Northern Rail train from Sheffield to Barnsley to see the Tykes take on our table-topping North East rivals, Newcastle.

It was an engaging game which - despite lacking in quality for large parts of the first half - was fiercely contested by Mark Robins' side against a below-par Geordie outfit.
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Newcastle and Boro are enjoying contrasting fortunes in the Championship
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But despite being below-par, they almost took all three points from Oakwell - a ground from which both West Brom and Cardiff had already left empty-handed this season.

Newcastle were only denied by a rather fortuitous late effort from Bobby Hassell, who told journalists afterwards he didn't quite know which part of his head the ball had come off before it nestled in Steve Harper's net.

Hassell also said he sees no team stopping Newcastle from running away the Championship this season. Regrettably, I agree with him.

Barnsley were close to their best on Saturday, while the Toon were close to their worst. Yet it was the home side who were relieved to have snatched a point come 5pm.

And that highlights a key factor behind the current gulf between the Barcodes and Gordon Strachan's stuttering Middlesbrough side. They can take points even when they're not at their best.

Twenty-four hours later, I watched through my fingers as Boro's homesickness again got the better of them against Cardiff.

Just five days after a shameful mauling at the hands of Blackpool, Boro barely did enough to merit a point and deservedly got nothing. We played no worse than Newcastle had at Barnsley, but we had neither the nous nor the flash of quality to eke out a result.

The Geordies did, though. Fan favourite Andy Carroll had a relativley quiet game up front, but still managed to set up two telling chances for his side which were expertly converted by Kevin Nolan and substitute Marlon Harewood.

Chris Hughton's game-changing bench was just one reason for me to watch on with envious eyes; as alongside Harewood sat the experienced Peter Lovenkrands and Shola Ameobi, as well as exciting teenager Nile Ranger.
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A day on, Gordon Strachan's trump cards on Teesside this weekend were Leroy Lita and Marvin Emnes; a pair of "strikers" whose form so far this season might be politely described as, well... varied.

Despite the gloom, the play-offs remain a possibility, owing slightly - no, a lot - to the unpredictable nature of the division.

Newcastle, on the other hand, might as well start preparing for life back in the Premier League. And it's through gritted teeth that I say it's no less than their fans deserve.

The travelling Toon Army accounted for over a third of the attendance at Oakwell on Saturday, taking up one-and-a-half stands.

They're a fickle bunch, the Geordies. And they've been a bit of a laughing stock in the North East over the past two years. But if we're not quick to arrest our slump, it's the Boro who could become an even bigger joke.

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Strach Attack

We needed a big-name appointment in the wake of Gareth's dismissal, and Gordon Strachan is about as good as it could have been with our club where it is.

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Strachan quit as Celtic manager after fours seasons in charge

There are a handful of Premier League chairmen who wouldn't hesitate in having Strach at the helm, despite his Celtic career fizzzling out last May.

When you're boss at one of the Old Firm, it ain't easy to win admirers. Trophies are expected rather than lauded.

But Strachan became only the third Celtic manager to guide them to a trio of consecutive SPL titles in 2007, while his European exploits - one home defeat in four seasons, that to Barcelona - weren't shabby either.

So the scores of Boro fans who bayed for Southgate's blood now have what they wanted - an experienced boss. That's promotion secured, then.

Tuesday 20 October 2009

Gareth Goes

I SUPPOSE it's a bit late to ponder the question posed in my most recent blog. Gareth Southgate has been relieved of his duties. And blimey, I'm slightly shocked.

I bet there are even a few Southgate-bashers left flabbergasted by this evening's late news. Despite the year-long barracking to have the boss removed, I wonder if any of them thought Steve Gibson actually had it in him?

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Southgate will be remembered fondly as a player

With the exception of Bryan Robson, it's Gibbo's first sacking in his 15-odd years stearing the club to semi-greatness and back again. And Robbo was an exception. After all, Gibbo didn't necessaily get rid of him. Rather, he told him to sit upstairs while El Tel got on with it.

I for one am gutted. But it's a strange sort of gutted. It's not because I reckon we've lost one of the country's fine managerial prospects. But because Gareth was a good bloke, and a Boro (playing) legend to boot.

There's no telling now whether he'd have guided us back up, but I reckon we wouldn't have been far off. I didn't want to chuck in the standard line about "strange timing"; but boy, doesn't it seem like strange timing?

Gareth must have been thinking his job was temporarily safe after putting Derby to bed earlier tonight. Just an hour ago, the Press Association reported the pressure easing on Southgate. (Damian Spellman might just be wishing he filed his copy a little late tonight.)

Boro fans will wake up in the morning in fairly unchartered territory: that of discussing the next manager. Early contenders? Steve Coppell? Darren Ferguson? Maybe Coops if he avoids the same fate as "football consultant" Alan Smith.

Whoever it is, it'll be a strange adjustment to a Southgateless dugout. Especially for fans like me who were praying he'd win over the Boro boo culture.

But, I never imagined watching Countdown without Carol Vorderman. Sometimes change is for the best.

Sunday 18 October 2009

Should Gareth Go?

Three defeats in three at the Riverside. All without scoring. The pressure is back on Southgate - if it was ever off - and there'll be fresh calls for his head.

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Homesickness has heaped pressure on Southgate

We were unlucky against Watford, but the team needs to find a way of breaking down sides content to sit back and hit us on the counter.

And with crowds dwindling week after week, Boro can ill afford to allow this rotten home run to continue.

Will a new name above the manager's office help stop the rot? And if so, whose?


Sunday 11 October 2009

Break In Play

THIS international break has dragged its heels with much more labour than usual. But with England already qualified and their game yesterday only available via Windows Media Player, Nick Collins’ training ground reports were never going to be sparkling.

Unlike the last World Cup qualifying interruption when we had lost our first league game, this one came at a frustrating time for Boro. Having stopped the rot with a confident win at the Madejski last week, we’d have liked to follow it up with a game in quick succession.

Instead, the only Boro player in action this weekend was free-scoring centre-back Sean St Ledger, who continued his fine form in front of goal by scoring his first for Republic of Ireland in their agonizing draw with the Italians last night.


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St Ledger celebrates a goal earlier this year for former club Preston

It’s quite a mark of the club’s decline that only two players were away from Rockliffe Park representing their countries this week. Rhys Williams, an unused sub in Australia’s friendly stalemate with Holland, was the other.

There might have been more call-ups from the MFC ranks if it weren’t for injuries. Emmanuel Pogatetz is, after all, the captain of Austria. But the likes of Brad Jones, Caleb Folan and Mohammed Shawky can scarcely be etched into the forefront of their respective managers’ minds at present.

In previous years, the club has been accustomed to losing a number of youngsters to the England-U21 squads. Now, though, that Messrs Johnson, Wheater and Taylor are no longer of age, there are slim pickings for Stuart Pearce on Teesside.

Jonathan Grounds, Seb Hines and Josh Walker are yet to make an impact this season, while teenagers Jason Steele and Joe Bennett are expected to leave their mark in coming years after playing big parts for the U19 squad recently.

So with such a shortage of Boro boys in action, what better time to take a glance around the lower divisions to see how a few former stalwarts are getting on.
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In League One, it was a weekend to forget for Graham Kavanagh, whose swing at clean air in his own area allowed Wes Hoolahan to seal a 1-0 win for Norwich at Carlisle. Kavanagh was subsequently yellow-carded and subbed mid-way through the second half.
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Cult keeper Mark Crossley, now 40, was keeping the bench warm for Chesterfied as they pulled off an impressive win at Bournemouth. The penalty-saving expert is a player-coach at Saltergate.
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Ben Hutchinson made it a hat-trick of ex-Boro players failing to make an impression in the third tier. Having been blighted by injury since making a dream switch to Celtic last year, the youngster will have been frstrated to last only 34 minutes for loan club Swindon Town.
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Meanwhile, in League Two, doomed Darlo named three former Riversiders in their match-day squad at Dagenham. But none of Noel Whelan, Gary Smith or David Knight could do anything to change the Quakers' fortunes. Steve Staunton looks like he's got a job on to salvage the mess left by Colin Todd and Dean Windass.
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John Johnson, still a Boro player but on loan to Northampton, managed the full 90 minutes as his surrogate club came back from 2-0 down to draw at Bury.
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And his former reserve side teammate Jason Kennedy, now no doubt relieved to be away from crisis club Darlington, was the only old Boro boy on a winning side this weekend as Rochdale edged to a 2-1 success over Barnet.

Tuesday 29 September 2009

Welcome Back, Nige

SOMETIMES, when managers and players return to old haunts, they can be unsure what sort of reception they’ll receive.

At the Riverside Stadium tonight, there’s no doubt that one former Boro stalwart can be guaranteed a quite rapturous welcome.

Nigel Pearson captained the first Middlesbrough side I ever saw in the flesh. It was a side which sported ‘Dickens’ across its chest, launched long balls in to big Paul Wilkinson, and managed to scrape a 2-1 win against bottom-of the-table Notts County.

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Pearson was made Boro captain after signing for £500k from Sheff Wed in 1994

Big Nige was its heartbeat, its rock, its lynchpin. He was a mountain of a defender who marshalled the likes of Steve Vickers and Derek Whyte on the way to 18 clean sheets in the 1994/95 promotion-winning season.

Pearson, an instant Ayresome cult hero, led us proudly into the Riverside era before bowing out on that sun-soaked afternoon in 1998 when Craig Hignett tore Oxford Utd to shreds to confirm promotion back to the Premier League.

As Gareth Southgate plots another return to the top tier, Pearson brings his stubborn Leicester City side to the North East hoping to add to Boro’s recent setbacks.

Having lost their 12-month unbeaten home run to Preston at the weekend, the Foxes will be looking to re-assert their play-off credentials.

They sit comfortably in mid-table and have been more than a match for the Championship’s big-hitters after winning promotion from League One at a canter last season.

And it’s good to see Pearson finally making his mark as a manger. He was desperately unlucky to be sacked by Southampton after keeping them in the Championship the season before last.

How the Saints must be wishing they held on to him now as they languish in the drop zone of English football’s third tier.

But Leicester’s title-winning campaign is not the only managerial masterstroke etched onto Pearson’s CV. On transfer deadline day of the 1998/99 season, Pearson secured the loan capture of goalkeeper Jimmy Glass. Apparently he went on to score a pretty important goal.

Away from the Pearson pleasantries, Boro must get back on track tonight.

The sickening last-kick-of-the-game equaliser on Saturday made the draw at Coventry feel more like a defeat, which was only made worse by the Geordies’ sweeping aside of Roy Keane’s increasingly rubbish Ipswich Town team.

Newcastle are beginning to look a cut above at this level and it is important Boro don’t lose touch with them early on in the campaign.

Thursday 17 September 2009

Magic Johnson

AS I watched Adam Johnson jinking and darting his way around Sheffield Wednesday’s defenders the other night, I could only pray there were no Premier League clubs looking on as well.

The wing wonder had an exceptional evening and was a constant thorn in The Owls’ side. He provided the cross for Darren Purse to nod into his own goal in the first half, before capping a fine night for Boro with a cool finish late on.

If any top division scouts were at Hillsborough on Tuesday, there can only have been one message to relay to their superiors: sign Adam Johnson.

The 22-year-old was a class apart and without doubt deserves to be strutting his stuff in the world’s best league come the start of next season whether it be in a Boro shirt or not.

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Johnson representing England U-21s earlier this year

Let’s just hope his opportunity does not come as soon as January. Interested parties will hope the MFC hierarchy buckle under the pressure of a small bid bearing in mind Johnson’s contract runs out next summer.

But if we hold on to a player who is fast becoming our prize asset, the chances of a Premier League return are greater. And if promotion is realised, the club can then put Johnson’s future in his own hands.

He could easily take a big offer from a top seven club. But, by giving Johnson an option to stay, the club will avoid a fans’ backlash, which would be impossible if they accepted £3million bid from a Bolton or a Fulham in the next transfer window.

The last thing the club needs now, despite great back-to-back wins in the past week, is more disillusioned supporters.

Only 19,742 saw the 3-1 win at the Riverside against Ipswich. That figure will only grow if the club shows a willingness to hang on to academy stars such as Johnson. (And, of course, if the performances keep coming.)

Had it been David Wheater, for instance, who left for Stoke rather than Robert Huth, the outcry from fans a few of weeks ago would have been much worse than it was.

Wheater and Johnson offer the fans an identity on the pitch. These two will play crucial roles for the club this season: not only as footballers, but also as icons to what’s left of the Boro faithful.

If either were to leave before the promotion assault has run its course, MFC will have much more than just a first-team squad to re-build.

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Ten Foreign Flops

HAS EVER the sale of a Brazilian international striker been met with such relief? The Afonso Alves transfer saga drew to a whimpered close over the weekend – a fitting end to his torrid stint on Teesside which yielded just 13 goals in 49 appearances.

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Alves: Boro's worst foreign player of the last 15 years?

Boro smashed their transfer record to sign Alves from Heerenveen 18 months or so ago. But, like Mateja Kezman, he found the net a little harder to hit in the Premier League than in the Dutch Eredivisie.

It is believe the club lost £6.7m on the 28-year-old. Now, that might sound bad, but six million quid for a bloke who looks like Shrek and plays like Donkey is a cracking result. Thank God (and oil) for those bottomless Qatari pockets.

But where does Alves rank amongst MFC’s other overseas failures in recent years? Here’s my guide to Boro’s ten biggest foreign flops of the Riverside era...

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10. Jan-Aage Fjortoft (1995-1997): The Norwegian will be fondly remembered for some memorable strikes towards the end of the 1994/95 title-winning season after Bryan Robson shelled out a then club record of £1.3m to prise him from Swindon Town. However, the lanky centre-forward struggled to make an impact in the Premier League and was soon on his way to Sheff Utd after a certain Fabrizio Ravanelli arrived on Teesside.

9. Massimo Maccarone (2002-2007): Ex-Itailian U21 whiz kid who arrived at Boro with a reputation for hitting wonder goals for Empoli in Serie B. Unfortunately, the £8.15m man couldn’t re-create such form at the Riverside and was shipped out on loan to Italy after two mis-firing seasons in a red shirt. But Maccarone did return in the 2004/05 season to secure his place in MFC folklore with last-minute winners in the UEFA Cup semi- and quarter-finals.

8. Mido (2007-2009): Eight clubs in seven seasons tells you all you need to know about the Egyptian international. He scored seven goals in 32 appearances for Boro after Gareth Southgate paid £6m to Tottenham in the hope of plugging the void left by Mark Viduka and Yakubu. But Mido was injured too often and sulked when he wasn’t selected. The former Ajax and Roma player was loaned out to Wigan for the second half of last season where he fared little better, and is now back in his homeland playing for Zamalek.

7. Jaime Moreno (1994-1996 & 1997-1998): Originally a £250,000 signing for Robbo a couple of months after he represented Bolivia at the ‘94 World Cup aged 20. But the nippy forward couldn’t disrupt the successful little-and-large duo of Hendrie and Wilkinson, managing only three goals before moving to the MLS. And Moreno netted just once when he made a shock loan return to the Riverside two years later.

6. Christian Karembeu (2000-2001): The World Cup winner’s best days were undoubtedly behind him when he signed from Real Madrid in Robson’s final pre-season as boss. El Tel got a bit more out of him as Boro’s form picked up at the back of end the 2000/01 campaign, but Karembeu wasn’t missed when he moved to Olympiakos after we secured our Premier League survival. His presence wasn’t all bad, though – remember his missus modelling the away top?

5. Tony Vidmar (2002-2003): Clueless Aussie defender who made just nine league starts under Steve McClaren after joining on a free from Rangers. After five seasons dealing with the strike-forces of Dundee and St Mirren, the lanky left-footer perhaps wanted to test himself against the likes of Shearer and Henry. He must have wished – like most Boro fans – he didn’t. The team conceded a glut of goals when he was left to marshal the defence. So bad was Vidmar that he convinced many a Riverside regular that Andrew Davies was a promising centre-half. Nuff said, really.

4. Michael Reiziger (2004-05): Yet another seasoned international singed by Stevie Mac to last just one season on Teesside. As in Karembeu’s case, the 72-capped Dutchman had his best playing days behind him. By the end of his stint on Teesside, Reiziger was playing understudy to Stuart Parnaby for the right-back position. His woeful performances did have an upside, however – the Janet Street-Porter lookalike’s regular injury bouts paved the way for an 18-year-old Tony McMahon to get some useful first-team experience.

3. Branco (1996-1997): After snapping up the 48-year-old World Cup winner on a free transfer in 2006, Bryan Robson wrote in his programme notes: “I have rated Branco as one of the best left-backs for several years now.” I bet Robbo didn’t think the same six months later. The Brazilian – with about as much pace as Robbie Mustoe and the guile of Phil Whelan – looked as though he hadn’t played the game since lifting the Jules Rimet trophy a year-and-a-half earlier. At least his reputation as a free-kick specialist was true...

2. Carlos Marinelli (1999-2004): One in a long line of Argentines hailed as the “next Maradona” when Robson spent £1.5m to bring the two-footed “wonder kind” to the Boro. It didn’t take long for fans to realise the search for Diego’s successor wasn’t over. Marinelli started 18 Premier League games for the club before leaving on a free transfer. You always felt it was going to be difficult for Carlos to break into his national side when Allan Johnston was keeping out of MFC’s starting XI.

1. Afonso Alves (2008-2009): £12.8m. 49 games. 13 goals. No nouse. No physical presence. Just awful. So long.
*Notable omissions include Lee Dong-Gook, Paul Okon, Brad Jones and Szilard Nemeth

Saturday 5 September 2009

Gibbo Deserves Backing

WE'RE ENTERING an unprecedented phase in the Riverside chapter of Middlesbrough Football Club. One of the most popular men in the club's history may be feeling a tad uncomfortable as his previously untouchable veil loosens its grip.

I commented recently on the growingly strained love affair between Steve Gibson and the disgruntled Boro faithful. But the outcry of hostility towards the legendary chairman and Chief Exec Keith Lamb over the past week comes a little sooner than expected.

At the beginning of the summer, Gibson went on BBC Radio and hinted that the club was under no pressure to sell players to balance the books. He also suggested if big players left, reinforcements would be identified and brought in quickly.

So after the £11m double sale of Huth and Tuncay, much was expected of Boro’s bolstered transfer infantry. However, come 5pm Tuesday, only a last-ditch attempt to secure long-term target Rob Hulse had filtered into the public domain via busy journalists.

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Steven Gibson celebrating the 2-1 win over Bolton in the 2004 League Cup final
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Lamb says other deals were on the cards but time ran out. Unfortunately for him, many fans’ patience also ran out. “Gibbo’s lies” and “Lamb’s ineptitude” have been common topics of debate in some fiery fans forums. It appears Gibson is now harshly uncovering the pitfalls of his own success. And the fans who have long lauded him for his limelight-shy stewardship are now calling for answers.

Despite it being Gibson who single-handedly bankrolled the dream in which our small town club lived for so long. He dared to dream of the all-seated stadium; to envisage the Juninho years; to pioneer the cup finals; to deliver a major trophy; and to keep us from watching The Bill on Thursday nights.

It was the anti-climactic 4-0 UEFA Cup final defeat to Sevilla which signalled a drastic alteration in the club’s financial structure. Rightly or wrongly, Gibbo moved to prevent the club from terminal decline at the end of the McClaren era.

Despite the memorable journey to Eindhoven, we had failed to qualify for the competition for the upcoming season. Boro struggled to a 14th place finish in the PL – one below Charlton Athletic but above Man City and Aston Villa. (Three years is a markedly long time in football.)

The foreign ownership fad was gathering momentum (Randy Lerner had completed his takeover of Villa) and making top seven finishes was becoming even more competitive.
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Chief Executive Keith Lamb has also come under criticism from fans

Meanwhile, Mark Viduka, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Ugo Ehiogu, Ray Parlour and Gaizka Mendieta were earning a packet while on the wrong side of 30. So the big names were progressively filtered out of the club in an overhaul of playing staff which was labelled by some as a “lack of ambition”.

But how much more ambitious could Steve Gibson have been? And at what cost? Declines like Leeds United and Southampton are testament to how rapid they can occur with the aid of financial mismanagement.

Of course, the idea wasn’t to get relegated during this period of transition. The gamble in flushing the first-team squad of experienced campaigners went too far. Allowing both Schwarzer and Boateng to leave without seeking replacements left two very important berths empty – both on the field and in the dressing room.

Though while there may have been some supporter angst at a club whose first-team squad boasted no player over the age of 30, the early signs were good. “Southgate’s Babes” were tipped as last season’s potential surprise packages after a promising start to the campaign.

Ultimately, the switch to youthful exuberance didn’t pay off. Inevitably, after large-scale criticism of Southgate failed to unseat him from the gaffer’s chair, the shift in vilification has reached board room level.

Success simply can’t be sustained at a club on our budget in modern top-flight football. The only way we could have pushed on from the platform of McClaren’s legacy was if the club was passed into the hands of foreign owners.

How many Teessiders can say they’d prefer that to a genuine fan who has left himself millions of pounds out of pocket through overseeing the most successful and exciting years Middlesbrough FC has ever witnessed?

After all, overseas investment isn’t always a fairy story, as West Ham and Portsmouth very nearly found to their cost.

Friday 28 August 2009

Double Sale Is No Disaster

PLENTY OF discontent across the Boro blogosphere over the past 24 hours following the double departure of Robert Huth and Tuncay Sanli. Why sell our best defender? Why only £11m? And most pertinent - why Stoke?

Well, they survived their first season in the Premier League at a canter while Boro were occupying the drop zone for a start.

Also, they have loyal and passionate supporters who I would bet are likely to propel their side to another mid-table finish this time out.

The big German will slot in seamlessly to Stoke's abrasive style. But you wonder where Tuncay is going to fit in - I certainly can't envisage the Turk attacking Delap's lofty throws with the same vigour as Ricardo Fuller does.

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Huth marshalled Boro to four successive clean sheets at the start of this season

It took an extra day for Tuncay to put Pulis's pen to paper. Perhaps he was holding out for an offer from his one-time admirers at Villa Park before dooming himself to the direct football played at the Brittannia Stadium...

But fair play to Stoke. They deservedly stayed up last season by playing to their strengths. And the acquisition of the former Fenerbahce star may signal an intent mix up their style a little.

It is a great double swoop for the Potters. Though contrary to some forum banter, I also believe it is good business by Boro and was surprised at the fallout from some fans regarding the "cheap" fee.

The £11m paid by Stoke breaks down to £5m for each player, with an extra £1m for Huth based on performance and appearances.That means we have virtually recouped the £6m paid to Chelsea three years ago for a player whose Boro career has stuttered between several injury problems.

Meanwhile, the £5m Tuncay fee looks admittedly small, particularly in today's hugely inflated transfer market.

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Tuncay has hit 15 goals in 58 international appearances for Turkey

But maybe we Boro followers have been prone to over-rating our star man. After all, he did fall out of favour during the middle of the relegation campaign after struggling for form and failing to hit the net in twelve consecutive appearances.

After two years watching him play, I still can't decide what his best position is. Nor can many Riverside regulars.

He operated in a wide position when Southgate first brought him to the club before quickly switching to a supporting striker role. Then, towards the end of last season, amid much clamour from fans to play him there, Southgate employed him in the heart of the midfield.

Nonetheless, he was a great player and will be fondly remembered, particularly for his goals at the beginning this season despite looking visibly unsettled at the club.

Realistically, we could hardly have dreamt that top-class performers like Huth and Tuncay would still be Boro players this far into the new season. Both are full internationals who have a realistic chance of representing their countries at next year's World Cup in South Africa.

At Championship level, both players represented added luxuries if they stayed beyond the deadline. Although Huth had forged a formidable parntership with David Wheater, the 25-year-old - as Gareth Southgate rightly points out - can be replaced from within the club.

The relatively inexperienced Seb Hines is in contention to partner Wheater at the back against Bristol City tomorrow. But Boro have Chris Riggott, Emmanuel Pogatetz and Matthew Bates to come back from injury - players who are the envy of most clubs in our division.

I hope, for Southgate's sake, the team doesn't begin to leak goals and give armour to those questioning his authority within the MFC hierarchy.

While I'm sure the boss would have loved Huth to stay, player power is stronger than it has ever been. If a player wants to leave a club nowadays, they do. Ask David Moyes.

Thursday 20 August 2009

Highlights Hell

IT’S SATURDAY, 11.15pm, and I’ve gotten over the fact that Matt Le Tissier and Paul Merson won’t be discussing my club during the Soccer Saturday build-up any more.

I’ve also gotten over the fact that one team let me down on my accumulator (cheers, Villa). And I’ve even gotten over the fact that my club aren’t as important as Stoke and Burnley after watching Match of the Day.

But none of that matters. The Football League Show is about to begin and my club won a game for the first time in ages.

I don’t mind the achingly long lottery results re-cap (who plays Lotto Daily Play, by the way?). I’m about to witness evidence that Boro hit three goals away from home for the first time since January 2007 to help record their first victory on the road in nine months.

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Marvin Emnes struck a fine second in the weekend win at Swansea

First, though, us viewers are treated the goals from the Newcastle game. I mean, it was live on TV a couple of hours ago, but not everyone has Sky, so fair enough.

Oh, then there is the featured game – a dour 0-0 between Ipswich and Leicester. It’s okay, Marvin Emnes's cracking strike will surely be up next...

No. Instead, further sleep-provoking analysis from Steve Claridge as he sways from side to side like he’s on stage with the Black Eyed Peas. But not before – in a vain attempt to liven up the broadcast – viewers’ texts and e-mails are read aloud with feigned interest by the blandly attractive, oxymoron-inducing Jacqui Oatley. Yawn.

Then, I am subjected to ‘Clem’s Gems’. This piece of TV innovation involves Boro fan and Five Live reporter Mark Clemmit reading a quirky tale from the world of football to a camera. Very good – but any chance of seeing some, y’know, football?

I was pleased when BBC won the Football League highlights from ITV. But it seems that, because it’s on straight after MOTD, they’ve felt the need to fiddle with the classic highlights format as well as building a set that resembles Dr Evil’s underground lair.

A brilliant interview with Neil Warnock over ‘the goal that never was’ at Ashton Gate saved the first half-hour of the show. I feel sorry for the Palace players, but it couldn’t have happened to a nicer manager or chairman, could it?

As much as I enjoyed listening to the pissed-off Warnock, it had nothing on the ninety seconds of footage which documented Boro’s 3-0 win at Swansea. This might all seem a little over-indulgent to non-Boro fans, but highlights shows have been best avoided on Teesside for the best part of a year.
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Adam Johnson has showed his Premier League pedigree over the past week

The performance itself was pleasing, although Swansea were without three key midfielders and are adjusting to life without boss Roberto Martinez and striking lynchpin Jason Scotland.
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More impressive was Tuesday night’s follow-up at Scunthorpe, where Boro did a professional job against hard-working and confident opponents at Glanford Park. And as in the game at the Liberty Stadium, an added bit of quality in the final third in the shape of Adam Johnson helped secured the three points.

Games come thick and fast in the Championship and the home clash with Doncaster this weekend presents an altogether different task. Like Sheffield United on the opening day, most teams will come to the Riverside content to return with a point.

Away from home, Boro are a dangerous counter-attacking outfit with the pace of Emnes and Johnson. But it will prove tougher for us to play our way through teams who set their stall out to defend, which puts a bigger onus on set-pieces. Not a problem, I wouldn’t have thought, with the presence of the Redcar Rock and the Berlin Wall – not to mention the so-far excellent delivery from Johnson and Mark Yeates.

Though rather anxiously, there’s still no telling who’ll be with us beyond the next couple of weeks. Twelve days remain before the transfer window slams shut and Boro fans can only hope the speculation surrounding star men Robert Huth and Gary O’Neil is little more than paper talk.

To add to our meantime woes, Ajax have reportedly cooled their interest in the thoroughly unwanted Afonso Alves, while it looks certain that the club will be forced to accept a cut-price deal for crowd favourite Tuncay.

Might it have been better for the Middlesbrough FC hierarchy to keep schtum about the club’s piss poor finances? Potential buyers now hold the upper hand, fully aware that Boro need to sell and are likely to accept any reasonable offer so close to the end of the window.

Tuncay could potentially leave for as little £4 million, which would make the £3 million touted by Derby County for Rob Hulse earlier this summer look even more expensive than it did at first glance.

Wednesday 12 August 2009

To Boo or Not to Boo?

GARETH SOUTHGATE can be under no illusions of the scale of the task in front of him now. It is going to take a special season to regain even a shred of support from those who called for his head following relegation.

Much more than a dedicated and defensively-solid performance against one of Boro’s promotion rivals, clearly. The chorus of boos that scythed through the Riverside at the final whistle of Friday night’s lame 0-0 with Sheff Utd was audible, yet hardly sustained. But who – or what – were they aimed at?

Well, probably not the players, who had plenty of energy and endeavour – qualities seriously lacking last season – against those tough-tackling Blades. (A team led by Chris Morgan won’t be featuring on Soccer AM’s showboat too much, you wouldn’t have thought.)

Danny Coyne made some smart stops on his debut. Wheater and Huth were dominant at the back. And the surprise picks at full-back McMahon and Grounds looked pretty solid. In midfield, Rhys Williams was at least entering the opponents’ half – take note, Arca and Shawky. While outside him, Yeates and Johnson looked dangerous switching flanks.
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Southgate is on borrowed time in the eyes of some Boro fans
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As was often last season though, a toothless attack was the difference between one point and three. Marvin Emnes was full of running but was never going to get into the game with Jeremie Aliadiere leading the line in front of him.

I don’t know what it is with the Frenchman. He’s a canny little player – has a bit of pace and shows some nice touches. But where on earth do you play him on the football field? No prowess in the box to be a striker and no crossing ability to play on the wing. He should do a Cantona and go and play in that beach soccer tournament at Butlins, I reckon.

Still, the effort was there from Ali – I think he even won a header. And effort counts for a lot on Teesside. Remember Alen Boksic and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink? Sure, plenty of goals and moments of quality, but they could never close down a defender like Dean Windass could.

Lita may be the spark needed up in the final third when he’s fit. But you feel it needs to happen sooner. Scoreless games at home will not be tolerated by a crowd starved of goals last season and actively disillusioned at the management and direction of the club.

As Antony Vickers astutely points out in his blog, Southgate is in a no-win situation as Boro boss. Wins at this level are to be expected, not celebrated. So of course, some of the boos on Friday night will undoubtedly have been aimed his way for his handling of the first-team squad.

In many fans’ eyes, Southgate’s mismanagement of Mido and Afonso Alves was one of the reasons for both players’ misfiring form. The Egyptian was ignored despite hitting three in three at the beginning of last season, while Alves was dropped after scoring in the FA Cup win at Wolves in January.

But discontent with Southgate has already been registered. Supporters made it perfectly clear they were unhappy with him in charge during a live radio phone-in a couple of weeks ago. And the boo boys sporadically vented their anger after poor performances towards the end of last season.

Could some of the current dissent from the terraces be directed higher up? Or is it still unthinkable that some factions might be dissatisfied enough to vocally turn on our golden chairman?

After all, to those fans who called for Southgate to be sacked from January onwards, Steve Gibson’s failure to act decisively was just as telling a contribution to Boro’s decline as the manager’s team selection.

Thursday 6 August 2009

Re-Lita My Fire

A SAD week for kebab shops and Greggs outlets across Teesside, but a glorious one for Boro fans. Okay, so it’s only a year-long loan for now, but even a lad of Mido’s physique can score enough goals in the Egyptian league to secure a permanent deal, can’t they?

Despite my relief at seeing the back of him (at least temporarily), it seems a strange move for Mido. While he is undoubtedly a nuisance, he is better than Zamalek. And so are Boro – if he wants to impress his national boss to secure a World Cup place, then surely he’d be better advised scoring goals for Championship promotion chasers than for a side who finished 6th in the Egyptian Premier League last time out.

Elsewhere on the stroppy striker front, there are still no takers for Tuncay Sanli or Afonso Alves. Bafflingly in the case of the former, who has not only been brilliant for Boro over the past two seasons but also an inspiration for his national side. It would be incredible if the Turk stayed beyond the transfer window; although his reported £65k-a-week wages could be something of a strain the club’s beleaguered budget.

After being relegated, the Holgate faithful could scarcely have believed Tuncay – not to mention the likes of Gary O’Neil, Robert Huth and Jeremie Aliadiere – would be available for selection in tomorrow night’s curtain-raiser at the Riverside. At the moment, we have (on paper) a team rightly touted by bookies as one of the promotion favourites.

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Leroy Lita scored 32 goals in four seasons for Reading

And now, in Leroy Lita, Gareth Southgate has finally added an experienced Championship goalscorer to the ranks. The free transfer signing is unlikely to be fit enough for a place in the starting line-up against Sheff Utd but what price he comes on to grab a goal against the club he snubbed to join Boro?

There is a bit of a gamble attached to his signature. Lita comes with something of a bad boy tag after falling out of favour at Reading last season and subsequently being farmed out on loan to struggling Charlton and Norwich. After finally getting rid of Mido, the last thing we need is a troublesome front-man. But Lita is a risk worth taking – he is still only 24 and boasts a blistering England U-21 career, hitting six goals in just nine appearances.

Whilst it is a great addition to what is a strong squad at this level, I hope it doesn’t signal the end of Boro’s transfer activity this summer. We still need a target-man striker as a foil to the pace of Lita, Aliadiere and Marvin Emnes. Rob Hulse is the most obvious solution, though rumours linking the 29-year-old with a move to Teesside have simmered in recent weeks.

More depth could be required in midfield, too. After losing Matthew Bates to injury, we look short on players capable of filling the 'Boateng role'. Rhys Williams, who has had a superb pre-season, can play there but, like the promising Josh Walker, is still largely unproven in the first-team. The ever-forgettable Mohammed Shawky would struggle to get in the Zamalek side, while Julio Arca’s tackling makes Adam Johnson look like Robbie Mustoe.

Still, we have exciting (if perhaps lightweight) first-choice quartet of Mark Yeates, O’Neil, Digard and Johnson which should have the beating of most defences in this division. Don’t expect too much tomorrow night, though. The Blades are a tough side to beat but, more decisively, the game is on telly – so it’s bound to be a shocker.

Thursday 30 July 2009

The Number Game

IS IT just me who gets excited when the new list of squad numbers is published? Perhaps a misspent youth playing on Championship Manager has something to do with it, or maybe the dreariness of pre-season friendlies encourages my mind to wander.

But a new number can reveal how the gaffer sees the make-up of his squad – Owen getting the sacred no.7 at Old Trafford is an indication that Sir Alex sees him as a pivotal figure, while Ronaldo’s no.9 jersey suggests he can forgot being “the winger who gets more than his fair share” and expect to start repaying the £80 million in goals as well as shirt sales.

It’s important to players, too. Stevie G bemoaned wearing no.9 for England when Sven was short on strikers in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup. But at least our players aren’t as fussy as the Italians – Serie A team-sheets look more like a Super Bowl than a football match nowadays.

The most notable alteration in the Boro list is Brad Jones’s elevation to no.1. I had hoped the capture of Danny Coyne would mean the end of the error-prone Aussie’s spell in between the sticks. But Southgate clearly sees something in the 27-year-old that nobody else can – whilst a good shot-stopper and quick off his line, Jones really struggles to deal with balls into his box.

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Jones has a long way to go to justify the no.1 shirt

With the exception of utility man Matthew Bates – who suffered more injury heartache in the win at Carlisle – there has been little change in defensive numbers. Bates assumes the no.4 shirt from Gary O’Neil, who surprisingly looks as though he may be staying with Boro until at least January after interest from Stoke and Portsmouth petered out.

Summer signing Mark Yeates will wear no.7 and, given his promising pre-season displays, looks as though he could make a big impact on Teesside. His flexibility to play anywhere across the front line coupled with a good work ethic could make him a fans’ favourite in the ilk of Craig Hignett.

Meanwhile, want-away strikers Tuncay, Alves and Mido have all been allocated a squad number despite the boss stating they will play no part in the coming season. It seems as though at least one of these sulkers will have to be sold before the club can manoeuvre in the transfer market, with Derby target man Rob Hulse touted as a preferred replacement.

But if Southgate doesn’t manage to find suitors for the troublesome trio before the first Championship game at home to Sheff Utd next Friday, we will be looking very short on striking options. His self-imposed embargo on fielding Alves – who at the moment looks the least likely to be out the door by then – will be sorely tested, with only Jeremie Aliadiere, Marvin Emnes and youngster Jonathan Franks to choose from up front.

Quite a reality check for Boro fans like me who, when the club last played a season opener in the second tier of the football league, watched Paul Merson and Fabrizio Ravanelli combine to help sink Charlton Athletic 2-1.

Tuesday 21 July 2009

Downing Has Been Boro's Best

STEWART DOWNING was always going to leave the Riverside this summer – even if Boro had stayed up. Nevertheless, his inevitable £12m move to Aston Villa last week was still tinged with sadness.

Downing is – by some margin – the finest player to have come through the academy ranks since I have followed the club. Until he broke into the first team squad in 2003, the best home-grown talents to emerge from Teesside in the post-Ayresome Park era were Andy Campbell and Jamie Pollock.

Boro’s youth set-up has of course taken a much-trumpeted turn for the better – Adam Johnson, Andrew Taylor and David Wheater have been regulars for the England-U21s under Stuart Pearce. (In fairness to Campbell and Pollock, both won U21 caps before their careers took a bit of a nosedive.)

But none of the current crop of academy graduates – including former players Lee Cattermole and Ross Turnbull – has shown anywhere near the sort of promise Downing did on his breakthrough. Plenty of the Riverside faithful will tell you the aforementioned Johnson will go on to greater things than his left-wing predecessor, but not from what I’ve seen.

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Downing can go on to become an England regular

Downing has been Boro’s most important player for the last four seasons. His delivery of the ball – with both feet – is pin-point, while his striking from dead-ball situations is superb.

It is no coincidence that Downing’s dip in form last season clashed with the team’s demise. Without him firing, we were left devoid of attacking threat. However, I have little doubt that he will prosper when he returns from injury in October alongside quality players at Villa Park. And hopefully, he can finally prove himself at international level.

Downing has been a target of the England boo-boys but the 24-year-old – despite regular selection under three national managers – has never won an extended run in the first-team. Once he does, he will quickly silence his critics, just as former scapegoats Owen Hargreaves and Peter Crouch eventually did.

It is a good move for the Teessider and also good business for Boro, who are braced for a huge financial shortfall should they manage to find suitors for stroppy strikers Alves and Mido, who are both finally back in training. But while Downing’s sale boosts Gareth Southgate’s transfer kitty, it leaves us without another leader in the dressing room.

One of Southgate’s biggest mistakes of the relegation campaign was failing to replace the experience and influence of George Boateng, Mark Schwarzer and Luke Young. Downing’s departure – with club captain Emanuel Pogatetz likely to follow – leaves the squad seriously lacking in leadership.

His vacated left-wing berth, however, is less of a worry. Adam Johnson would have been a first-teamer much sooner had it not been for Downing’s presence and the 22-year-old should be too good for most Championship defenders. Meanwhile, Nathan Porritt is a promising left-footer who Chelsea allegedly tried to tap-up a few years ago.

I’d be ecstatic if either went on to make even half the impact Stewart Downing has.

Wednesday 15 July 2009

Relegation Reality

AFTER ELEVEN consecutive seasons in the top flight – which yielded our first major trophy, highest-ever Premier League finish and an appearance in a showpiece Europen final – adjusting to life as a fan of a Championship club was always going to be hard to stomach.

First came the fixture list – believe me, Old Trafford, The Emirates and even Fratton Park couldn't seem much further away when you're handed a Tuesday evening trip to Scunthorpe's Glanford Park in the second week of the new season.

Then there was the inevitable round of transfer rumours linking our big names with moves away from Teesside: Pogatetz to Roma; Huth to the Bundesliga; Tuncay to Fulham; O'Neil to Stoke; Alaidiere to Birmingham; Mido to Sunderland (if we can find him, I’ll drive him there myself), and Alves to… well, we can pray.

Though worryingly, from a financial perspective, home-grown sub-stopper Ross Turnbull has been the only major departure of the pre-season on a free to Chelsea. It is a telling mark of our dour 2008/09 campaign that Stewart Downing – who is out of action until at least October – is the only star to have attracted a serious offer as yet.

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New signings Mark Yeates and Danny Coyne with manager Gareth Southgate

However, the lack of movement away from the Riverside is nowhere near as concerning as the second-rate journeymen who are being touted as possible replacements. Though in fairness to Gareth Southgate, he has made two solid signings.

Young winger Mark Yeates looks like a good squad acquisition at Championship level and will finally give us a natural option on the right side of midfield – something we have lacked since James Morrison was sold to West Brom two years ago. Meanwhile, 35-year-old Danny Coyne will offer much-needed experience in the goalkeeping department and will hopefully impress enough to oust the calamitous Brad Jones from the number-one-spot.

But talk of Southgate tracking free agent Danny Webber along with Hull’s bit-part midfielder Bryan Hughes is a little more difficult to understand. Webber was in and out of the first team at Championship rivals Sheff Utd last season and netted only six times in 41 league and cup appearances. And while Hughes may offer a wise head in the middle of the park, he managed just one Premier League appearance for The Tigers as they narrowly escaped relegation.

Alas, for the season ahead, I have no idea what to expect. The boss told reporters earlier this week that we need to score two goals a game to win automatic promotion - an ambitious target for a side which only managed to do so in six of their 38 league games last time out. And with no takers for the shot-shy Alves and AWOL Mido, I'd probably settle for scraping a play-off place if it was offered to me now.