Game by Game - 6

SkyBet Championship: Middlebrough (A), 3-0

A United View welcomes Phil Ridley to its writing ranks with his take on last night's game from the Riverside, whilst I offer three final thoughts from the comfort of my sofa and the red button coverage.

After leaving the rest of the family back in the holiday house we had rented in the Yorkshire Dales for the week, we finally got to Middlesbrough at about 6, only to be directed by a local Bobby to the ‘away boozer’. It turned out, after a 20 minute walk, we had been directed back to the mid-80’s. We stayed for one anyway before heading to the ground. The awful pub experience turned out to be an appropriate metaphor for the night ahead, with a painful first half performance on a par with many you might have seen under the reign of Billy McEwan. 

The team selection, even after Saturday, I actually had no problem with. I thought a slightly more cautious approach might suit against a talented Boro side. How wrong could I be. The first 25 minutes were anything but cautious. The warning signs were there when, despite United kicking off, Henderson proved his worth within a minute. Within 10 we were two down. Boro’s first corner was a simple one played to an unmarked Shotton at the near post to flick on to the unmarked Braithwaite to stab home. The second corner was played towards the back post and a similarly unmarked (and scorer of multiple goals from corners last season) Aden Flint. Shocking defending for both.

It wasn’t just at the back we looked shaky, the much maligned midfield three of Fleck, Evans and Lundstram were offering little, as were Stevens and Baldock. McGoldrick was trying in vain to make things happen but it’s tough up top when you’re on your own....

Boro’s third came in equally frustrating fashion. A cross from deep by Shotton that should really have been closed down and then dealt with by one of the four defenders it went passed on its way to Stuart Downing. The finish was fortuitous, seeming to just hit the former England man before bouncing up and over Henderson, however it could and should have been dealt with.  3-0 down after as bad a 25 minutes I’ve seen since Chris Wilder took our club by the scruff of the neck and gave it a shake. Not even that approach could salvage anything from this. That said, the ironic cheers for Henderson when he caught an aimless ball by a number of Blades behind me was pathetic.

It was at this point the manager changed us to a 4-4-2 and we started looking a little less like conceding every time they attacked. Basham in the middle of the park was flying into tackles and trying to drive forwards, giving Fleck a little more freedom. Half time came and the players left to boos from many of the travelling Blades.

Second half brought Woodburn into the game for Lundstram and United looked the better side from the off, although for Boro the game was already won so who could blame them if they had taken their foot off the pedal. Within a couple of minutes though, Clarke (who I had forgotten was playing) missed a simple chance. A header at the back post that was meat and drink for the player we had pre- Christmas. Whilst we were far from spectacular, we continued to be the side looking more likely to  score next. Woodburn looked busy, Fleck more like himself and Evans was getting into advanced positions more regularly.

Duffy coming on for McGoldrick after an hour gave us even more impetus, creating a much needed link between the midfield and attack. The final half hour was a case of what might have been. First Clarke and then Evans, by falling over the ball, both fluffed one on ones that seemed easier to score. Randolph saved well from Stevens and Egan had a chance to open his United account. All in all this just added to the frustration. As I tweeted last night and then echoed by Wilder in his interview, we didn’t do the basics well in enough in either box.

Clearly there are issues at the minute, struggles in the transfer market, not taking chances, conceding soft goals and ‘wags’ sticking their oar in unnecessarily. One thing I’m sure of though, if anyone can sort it, it’s Chris Wilder. Onwards to QPR and what I expect to be a much changed starting eleven.

Three final thoughts (from the comfort of the sofa):

Perspective is in short supply at the moment. When you have watched United teams under Harry Haslam, (the aforementioned) Billy McEwan, Adrian Heath and Micky Adams you know there has been much worse. However, what alarmed me the most was the lethargy (of body and mind) in that first half. Several players looked like they had won a raffle for a shirt and wandered on to the pitch, dazed and confused. The game was just passing them by. 

We have generally been spoilt in Chris Wilder's reign and that means when something goes so badly wrong as that first half, on the back of a rocket for the players after Saturday, people are genuinely concerned. But as people who were there commented, to stand there and chant "We're fucking shit" over and over shows a lack of recognition of how far we have come in a short space of time. It isn't "banter", it just makes it harder for the players. It is unhelpful and potentially damaging. To tweet and suggest that Wilder has given up, or that the club should refund fans for last night's game are frankly ridiculous. The latter  demonstrating a level of entitlement all too prevalent that doesn't fully comprehend what football support is all about.

  

Spirit has rarely been questioned under Chris Wilder and he has been careful in his acquisitions and man management to not disrupt the unity and togetherness engendered in that first season. However, it was noticeable on Saturday how heads dropped when Swansea equalised and last night there was lots of  finger pointing and debate from players with slumped shoulders, as the game went away from the Blades. I saw someone on the S24SU forum comment on the lack of team spirit being evident in Portugal, I wasn't there and to be fair I haven't seen it mentioned by anyone else, but it was notable  last night that we lacked a bit of unity. Clarke as captain doesn't make sense, when last season we signed Stearman (ex-Wolves captain) and now have Egan (former Brentford captain). Where is the man to lift the players on the pitch to dictate, to organise and cajole? We have enough experience for one of them to step up and take up the mantel, rather than point fingers and cast blame.

Talking of casting blame, the poorly masked tweets of Mrs Duffy (post Swansea) and Mrs Sharp (last night), do their other halves few favours. We might agree that both players should have a more prominent role in the team, but indirecting at the manager and his staff via social media demonstrates immaturity and thoughtlessness that at best irritates and at its worst generates ill will. 

"He'll play for England I tell thee"

A familiar sight in a few years? Picture courtesy http://www.thefa.com/

Every so often, if you support a club outside the Premier League and if you are lucky, you see your club unearth a real talent. One that has fans turning to each other and saying, "he'll play for England one day". Unfortunately, they usually they have to leave you to achieve it.

Sometimes they do play for England - Phil Jagielka, now Everton and (probably should be first choice) England centre back.

Phil Jagielka - Completed transition to international football

And sometimes they don't - star left back Wayne Quinn left for Newcastle, played a further 62 professional games (including a return on loan), before playing for Hayle in Cornwall. Now aged 34 he is player/manager for Penzance AFC.

Wayne Quinn in action for Hayle c thisiscornwall.co.uk

And sometimes their career takes a completely different path - Curtis Woodhouse, professional boxer

Curtis Woodhouse - Light Welterweight

Two seasons ago, Sheffield United were lucky to see two such players breakthrough in the same season, both local lads and, amazingly, both played in the same position.

To those who didn't watch the reserves, little was known of 19 year old right back Kyle Naughton when he made his debut against Watford back in late September 2008. A spell in the Borders on loan at Gretna the previous season had seemingly made the Sheffield born boy into a man. Blades fans immediately took to him, with his whippet like pace and confidence to push forward - knowing his pace would allow him to recover if he lost the ball. Added to which his timing of a tackle bordered on the impeccable. You could watch him slide into a challenge inside the box with your head out of your hands, as there was little chance of a penalty being given away.

Kyle 1 - the boy Naughton after scoring his 1st goal for the Blades

He quickly formed a great partnership with Greg Halford which saw the constant interchange  and overlapping runs a joy to watch. Even being placed behind the defensively frail David Cotterill did little to curb his enthusiastic runs, whilst still posing little threat to the Blades conceding.

Around the time Naughton was breaking into the Blades first team, Kyle Walker was earning rave reviews on loan at Northampton. Walker was also a Blades fan and even lived in Sharrow, the area of Sheffield that is home to Bramall Lane. Viewed as potentially a better player by Academy watchers, the 18 year old was already gaining England U-19 caps. After returning to the Blades, his chance was to come in a re-arranged FA Cup game at Leyton Orient, playing at right back in a 4-1 victory.

A further appearance in the cup replay defeat at Hull followed, but it wasn't until April that Walker got his first league start, replacing Naughton at right back at home to Swansea, with the older Kyle moving over to left back to cover the injured Gary Naysmith. He looked instantly comfortable, more conservative in his play than Naughton, but generally stronger on the ball and in the tackle. Probably reflecting his stockier build and the fact that he played centre back for academy and reserves.

Kyle 2 - Back in a Blades shirt for a second spell

Naughton, playing "on the wrong side" hardly put a foot wrong. So many full backs switching to play on their "wrong" side get caught out, but in those 4 remaining games prior to the Play Off Final against Burnley Naughton was rarely troubled and neither was Walker.

Prior to the Play Off Final Naughton had picked up the Supporters' and Sponsors' Player of the Year Awards, the Powerade Player of the Month for April, an England U21 cap and had made the PFA Team of the Season. All on the back of 43 starts and 3 goals in his debut season. Fans feared that if the Blades failed to make the Premier League, a big club would come knocking for Naughton. The only compensating factor was the emergence of Walker, with just 5 appearances,prior to the final, to his name he wouldn't be going anywhere and was a ready-made replacement.

Seeing both Sheffield born lads laid out in despair on the Wembley pitch, following another big match failure, was gutting. As was the realisation that was probably the last time we would see them both together in the red and white stripes. We knew the Blades were bound to cash in over the Summer months. We didn't expect it to be on both of them.

Several clubs were linked with moves, predominantly Everton, Spurs and Villa. Naughton was strongly linked with Everton and a £5m deal was reportedly on, before Tottenham stepped in with a bid for both and Everton responded. It was never really clear what went on in the latter stages of the deal being agreed. With them both being local lads, the frenzy of stories from "In the Know" posters on the message boards increased. Eventually a deal worth a reported £10m for the pair was agreed with Tottenham.

The motives for the move were not clear, with Spurs already boasting 6 full backs and plenty of flexible defensive cover in their squad, the more sensible move and the one that might have accelerated their development was possibly Everton.

Despite making his debut against Barcelona in a pre-season tournament and an early season defensive crisis at White Hart Lane, Naughton struggled to break through. By the January 2010 transfer window he had made just one 94th minute substitute appearance during the season and it was decided a loan was needed to get some games.

Naughton was signed by Gordon Strachan for Middlesbrough and, although he filled a number of positions during his 15 game loan spell, he left a positive impression. Boro fan Mark Forster takes up the story;

"He looked like a good prospect when we got him on loan and had a few good games but seemed to drop out of Strachan's plans pretty quickly for some reason. He's a typical modern full back for me, good at supporting the midfield but a bit suspect at the defensive side of his game. Overall though, he is a good pacy player who will do well. It was just a shame we played him out of position a lot."

At the start of this season, back at Spurs, with seemingly no likelihood of first team action, Kyle moved out on loan again. Again it was to the Championship, but this time to Leicester City.  David Bevan of football league website theseventytwo.com is suitably enthused, even more so as Kyle's loan was set to be to Portsmouth, but fell through due to Pompey's financial uncertainty.

"When he instead pitched up at the Walkers Stadium. Leicester City fans were delighted. We desperately needed pace throughout the side and here, falling right into our lap, was the Championship's Daniel Alves... 

Well, perhaps not but two goals from open play in the space of three months or so - Naughton's tally in a Leicester shirt so far - is unheard of for most right-backs at this level. A superb counter-attacking goal at home to Doncaster has been his highlight to date, complete with somersault and air guitar celebration, while the slip that allowed Max Gradel to open the scoring in the recent 2-2 draw with Leeds was his worst moment." 

"It was a defensive aberration, the like of which we have seen on a few occasions from Naughton, but his attacking play, enthusiasm and all-round athleticism has been a joy to behold and I can only hope, along with most City fans, that we can keep him on a permanent basis when his season-long loan runs out."

With six first team appearances in the Championship, alongside a brief loan at Northampton, Walker was always going to be loaned out by Spurs to build up experience. Thankfully, as part of the deal that saw him leave, he was to return to Bramall Lane on a season long loan...or so we thought.

On his return Walker continued to impress in a red and white shirt, despite playing as part of an ever changing back four in an inconsistently performing team, that was propped up by a number of short term loans. Then, with fifty minutes of the January loan window remaining, with Harry Redknapp having let Naughton and Hutton leave on loan and with Walker travelling with the Blades squad for a match at Watford, Walker was recalled. Redknapp made play of a defensive crisis, although that was surely of his own making? The circumstances behind the recall have never been revealed, but it is clear from comments made since that it left a bitter taste in the mouth of management and directors at Bramall Lane.

Despite the urgency of the recall, it was the end of March before he made his Tottenham debut, one of three appearances in the remainder of the season. And again he started this season outside of the reckoning. A short term defensive crisis saw him join Championship leaders QPR, initially for a month in September, but this was extended to January a month later.

QPR fans were more than impressed with what they saw. Comments such as :

"Kyle was class, he oozed it. Pacy, skillful and clever, he will be in the full national side by the end of the year, a starlet he's exciting to watch and a genuine international star in the making."

"Kyle was almost too good for us, he needed to be in the Premier League. He was an amazing player though."

"Kyle was absolutely superb. So much pace and strength. Definitely a future England international."

"He was fab. Quick, smart and able to get back whilst not be scared to go forward. Gutted that he's gone."

And gone he was. The quality of his play for the R's was duly noted at White Hart Lane and a decision was made to find a temporary Premier League home for Kyle. A move to Villa materialised and within 24 hours he returned to Bramall Lane. Slotting in well alongside the experience of Dunne and Cuellar, Kyle reminded us of what we briefly saw in his time at Bramall Lane. Within 6 minutes he had gathered the ball on the halfway line, rounded Jamie Ward and driven at a back tracking defence, before confidently tucking the ball past Steve Simonsen. His lack of goal celebration was noted by Blades fans (and should be noted by a fat lad from Sheffield). His defensive play was near faultless throughout the match and another driving run in injury time was a key contribution to Petrov's goal, Villa's third.

The end of the match saw Walker take acclaim from all sides of the ground in a calm, respectful manner. The boy seems well grounded and  that will hold in in good stead until the end of the season.

Kyle Walker makes a successful return to Bramall Lane

So what might the future hold for the two Kyles? Naughton is now 22, but still has time on his side. If he continues to impress at Leicester, then a permanent move could be in the offing. Particularly if the Foxes achieve promotion. He could also tempt a lower half Premier League club, if the Foxes remain in the Championship. From their, with his skill, attitude and work ethic he can still progress. Unfortunately, I don't think he has a future at Spurs and I think the reason for that is his younger namesake.

If Walker, now 20, takes his chance at Villa, and nothing he has done to date suggests he will do otherwise, I can see him forcing his way into the reckoning at Spurs and from there....? There is a dearth of decent right backs in England. Glen Johnson divides opinion, Micah Richards has never really progressed and fulfilled promise, Jagielka could play there, but is much better in the middle. Who else stands out? As I said here the opportunities for good quality youngsters to progress are dependent upon getting experience at Premier League clubs and Walker is now achieving that.

I honestly believe that Walker will play for England in the next 3 years. There I have said it. In fact I think I sat on the Kop at Bramall Lane 2 years ago and said he would achieve it within 5 years. And if I am wrong and if this blog is still here in 3 years time, you can come and tell me. I might be accused of bias, but I honestly don't think I will be.

Thanks to David Bevan, Mark Forster, @TrickyTredder (Trevor Abbo) @lucyshambles (Lucy Amos) @JLQPR  (Jawad Laouira) @Jane010879 (Jane Simons) for their input into this article. It was much appreciated.

The Perfect Chairman?

Following the recent departure of Gordon Strachan, a thread started on a Blades internet forum which debated the merits of Steve Gibson. "The type of chairman you want at your club". Now Gibson is clearly well thought of within football as well as by the town of Middlesbrough. From forming a consortium to save the club from liquidation in 1986, to his subsequent appointment as chairman in 1994, to overseeing the move to the Riverside, he is cited as a man who pulled Boro back from the brink and propelled them to significant success. But what makes him perceived to be better? What makes him different?

Like many "fan" chairmen he has put considerable sums into the club he loves. Via the Gibson O'Neill company (of which he owns 75%) he has taken on over £50m of football club debt (per 2009 accounts). Then again, many chairman put in considerable sums of their business wealth to support what are fundamentally loss making football clubs. In the 12 months to 31st December 2009, Boro made an operating loss of £12.6m. 

Whereas, macro-economic pressures and the recession have hit some hard, Gibson has been fortunate to continue to generate significant profits from his business ventures. Fortunate is probably too harsh, he should be given credit for it. This has enabled him to maintain the support required to stay in the Premiership and also provide significant sums (by Championship standards) to try and return. Something not all chairman have been able to maintain, as I know from following my club. This seemingly unconditional support is certainly one factor in his popularity.

So what has the investment achieved? A Carling Cup victory whilst twice finishing runners up, an FA Cup final appearance and a run to the final of the UEFA Cup Final in 2006. The cynical would say that for the amounts incurred one trophy is not a great return. The realistic would acknowledge it is a good return for a club the size of and with the infrastructure of Boro. Fans of many similar sized, "unfashionable" teams would kill for any element of that success, whatever they may claim.

The focus he has given to developing a quality academy has paid dividends. The Boro academy has developed and delivered a huge number of quality players to the first team and beyond, often compensating for the failure of many players acquired for significant fees who have flopped at the Riverside, Digard, Alves, Emnes....  The fees generated from selling on these players has helped subsidise the £60m Boro have spent since the Summer transfer window of 2006 and the many millions more expended before that.

He has also been given credit for the manner in which he deals with his managers. The manner in which the Strachan departure was handled being a case in point, where Strachan took no compensation from the club. Yet his unwavering support for his managers can be questioned. He probably let Bryan Robson out-stay his reign, leading to the need to bring in Terry Venables, albeit successfully, to support Robson. The same could be said of Southgate, whilst the eventual timing of both Strachan and Gareth Southgate's departures could be questioned.

In what is an extremely tight Championship table and with a team under performing, Strachan left after spending over £6m (£4m net of transfer income) during the Summer and with Boro 9 points off the play offs. Is this too soon to assess a team showing 8 players in and 8 out from the end of the last season? One of the contributory factors was the strength of feeling from what was left of the Riverside faithful. A vociferous 17,000 rattling around a half empty Riverside. Yet the numbers rather than the noise probably rang alarm bells for Gibson.

He is clearly a talented businessman and charismatic leader. He is by no means the perfect chairman, he has made mistakes, but don't they all. Boro fans couldn't imagine Boro without him and many fans of other clubs would want a chairman of his ilk.

His latest managerial appointment is an interesting one and probably the right one. The next couple of years are vital for the club. The last time the club fell into the Championship, at the end of the 1996-97 season, the club bounced back first time. This time around they are now in their second term in the second tier and with a £12m drop in parachute payments next season, the Director's Report for the 2009 accounts emphasises the precarious nature of the club's finances and raises questions regarding the extent to which Gibson can continue to plug the financial shortfalls.

"The company is determined that the team can achieve promotion no later than at the end of the second season in the Football League as a result of the restructuring carried out and with the help of the reduced financial benefit still being received from the Premier League."

In employing Tony Mowbray, a promotion winning manager with WBA, Gibson not only believes he has the right man for the job, but also he has an important ally if the performances don't turnaround sufficiently this season.   A fan, a former captain, a hero to the Riverside faithful. When things are tough, you need to dig in and pull together. Mowbray might well be the glue required and add some impetus at a time when supporter apathy has clearly set in.

It wont be easy. He will have to deal with players he was only too happy to get rid of during his disappointing reign at Celtic. The margins between success and failure in the Championship are tiny. A point or one goal can be the difference between automatic promotion and a play off lottery ticket. With QPR and Cardiff already establishing a gap between themselves and the rest at the top of the table, a play off place will be a good achievement.

The next 18 months will be a defining era for Middlesbrough Football Club and also for their chairman and manager. A prologed stay outside the Premiership has affected many clubs and the financial re-adjustment is tough. Some are unable to sustain a place in the Championship and a return from League One is not straightforward, as Southampton, Leeds and others will testify. The fans will always have fond memories of a cup final glory and European nights, but fans memories are notoriously short term. Those memories could well be tarnished if Boro find themselves 25 years on with further financial strife, dwindling crowds and playing football in the Championship or even League One. Time will tell.