Aitor Karanka, logic-defying substitutions and Sir Alex

by Si, posted in Uncategorized

Logic-defying substitutions. They’re more common than you think.

It’s documented in The Secret Footballer (essential reading) that in a must-win game for Manchester City at St. James’s Park in the 2011-12 title race, it was easy to imagine fans from the blue half of Manchester shouting for another striker to come on as the score remained 0-0 with half an hour to go. Instead, then manager Roberto Mancini replaced Samir Nasri, an attacking midfielder, with defensive midfielder Nigel De Jong.

One wouldn’t have been alone in scratching their head, but the change worked perfectly: Yaya Toure, who had previously been shielding the back four, moved into a more forward role, from which he scored twice, the first following a one two with Sergio Aguero from a De Jong pass.

Lesson learned? As TSF put it: “There is nothing lucky or accidental about good management. Having an intimate knowledge of each player is vital in today’s game and… makes the difference between success and failure.”

All this is something we have often been prone to witnessing, or enduring, under Aitor Karanka, particularly in the Premier League.

Calls to give Jordan Rhodes more of a chance this season have generally been put to one side or ignored altogether, twice in favour of defensive midfielder Grant Leadbitter instead. It’s impossible not to feel for Rhodes – we could write a whole blog on that – but with a bit of thought it’s also impossible not to consider how Leadbitter’s qualities can be useful even when chasing a game.

An astute Boro fan named Ian Smith informed me that near the conclusion of the Leicester match, the club captain actually played a few direct balls over the top of Leicester’s defence to get Boro in behind them, which no other Boro player had previously done. Similarly, the preference of Friend over Downing as an attacking substitution, while illogical on the surface, is understandable when we consider Friend’s promising forays into the box of late vs. Downing’s frequently wretched deliveries.

As football coverage has broadened we’ve all been schooled more and more in what players should be doing and what substitutions should be made, while perhaps being unaware of what each player can really offer for the best of the team. I’m not alone in having favourite players that aren’t picked for seemingly inexplicable reasons or being frustrated by changes (or a lack of them, take your pick), but when watching Boro, especially this season, it’s hard not to admire the steps Karanka and his coaches are taking to build Boro into a successful side at the highest level.

Like a certain Sir Alex Ferguson once did with Manchester United. I’m sure, considering Boro’s struggles this season, that Fabio’s comments about AK being like Sir Alex were met with guffaws, but the similarities are there – in fact, they are numerous.

One being Fabio’s point that “United built everything on a sound defence” – and so they did! It was said that Cantona was the difference between United and the rest in the early-to-mid-nineties, but what surely separated them from Keegan’s Entertainers and Roy Evans’ Spice Boys were Schmeichel, Bruce, Pallister and Irwin. Similarly, when the Red Nosed One initially broke the club’s transfer record in the summer of 1998, it was for a defender – Jaap Stam, who joined Ronny Johnsen and/or Henning Berg in the back two of Fergie’s Second Great Team. The titles and European Cup triumph of 2006-09 owed as much to Ronaldo and Rooney as the foundations of Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra.

If AK is not renowned for archetypal goalpoachers – only one of Graham, Bamford and Rhodes has truly succeeded under him – was Fergie all that different? Van Nistelrooy aside, it served him better to have jacks of more than one trade occupying the front line, from Mark Hughes, to Dwight Yorke, to Louis Saha, to Carlos Tevez. Goalscorers like Diego Forlan and Javier Hernandez didn’t have the best of times at United. Nor, initially, did a certain Andy Cole – but his conversion from goalscorer to footballer is one of United’s many success stories. As it perhaps should have been for one Albert Adomah, a master of one trade turned into a jack of many for the good of Boro as a whole.

Furthermore, his best midfields were a combination of character and not-always-obvious creativity that worked in pairs or as a trio. AK, one senses, is slowly building towards this – the recent promotion of Marten De Roon to a more forward role, for example, is gradually reaping dividends, with three goals to prove it. Both recognise the value of an experienced goalkeeping international, or standing by those who initially don’t look like finding their way – the ultimate success of David De Gea and the settling in of Victor Valdes is testament to this.

And both thrive in hugely competitive environments, delivering drama not through doing things the easy way but the hard way, bouncing back against the odds and proving people wrong. Among others, Fergie had “You can’t win anything with kids!”, a young Mourinho and losing both an eight-point lead and the title to City to contend with. Last season AK’s Boro were at one point seemingly running away with the title before wretched form and an unfortunate incident intervened… but then, with the chips down and the pressure on more than ever, the club ultimately achieved promotion.

Another similarity that has not gone unnoticed, for better or worse, is the unfortunate discarding of popular or gifted players (and once, in Boro’s case, coaches) – something that we fans find very hard to take even if it is for the greater good, such is the sentiment in the game. Talented players like Paul McGrath, Norman Whiteside and Kevin Moran were sold before Fergie had even won anything, long before the famous Ince-Hughes-Kanchelskis sale, and later, Stam, Beckham and Van Nistelrooy all made way. Often it is not the quantity of the fall outs or departures that is the problem, for both Fergie and especially AK, but the quality. When AK has dismissed, sold or ignored a player, or coach, they tend to be loyal club servants or local lads (Steele, Hignett, Woodgate, Downing), talented creatives (Adomah, Carayol, Wildschut, Tomlin) or goalscorers (Rhodes) and because of that, they remain etched in the memory as black marks. Like Fergie before him, AK’s greater relative success for Boro brings greater scrutiny and thus the pressure on him is amplified when things go wrong.

Something that we know that he needs to be better at or at least more consistent at dealing with. While I laud him for his conduct during Albertgate (despite Adomah’s public protest in the form of the transfer request, AK stood firm and kept a squad together which won two games out of two), Charltongate is something else entirely and absolutely cannot be repeated. Fans of AK who’ve seen The Damned United will be especially thankful Steve Gibson is not Sam Longson.

But mistakes – which Fergie has made repeatedly himself – are also there to be learned from. And, to paraphrase Mr. Kipling, if Aitor Karanka can keep his head when all around him are losing theirs and blaming it on him, his and Boro’s rewards may well be numerous – as Fergie’s were.

🔴 Talking Point is planned to be a new mid-week feature on the blog (when there isn’t a Boro game) and an opportunity for posters to start a discussion that they think will be of interest to fellow Diasboro readers – So many thanks to Simon for kicking us off – Werdermouth

51 thoughts on “Aitor Karanka, logic-defying substitutions and Sir Alex”

  1. Good article Simon, I myself like a lot of the new signings both for now and the future. I think Viktor Fischer, before his injury, was coming to terms with the Premiership and is an attacking option (not the finished article but promising). Julien de Sart impressed me on his few appearances, I will watch his loan to Derby with interest. Marten de Roon is improving every game and starting to live up to his transfer fee. Espinosa Bernardo looked the business in his first outing. Brad Guzan is a able No 2 goalkeeper. I have not mentioned the players that we knew possessed quality before they arrived such as Negrado, Valdes, Ramirez, Da Silva so overall I am not disappointed with AK’s dealings in the transfer market considering we are living within our budget and we it is sustainable.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Just as an aside I listened to Radio Tees last night and the fans forum.

      The “Boro fan ” of that wa what he was talked about Gestede bearing in mind the lad hasn’t even played for us. “He’s got no pace, he couldn’t trap a bag of cement and he turns slower than a milk float. We’ve got a lad on the bench who scores goals and can’t get a game ”

      Now I know we are all entitled to our opinion and I don’t always see the Boro through rose tinted glasses but give Gestede a break! The lad hasn’t kicked a ball in anger for us yet. Give him a chance. If we are going to get on his back before he plays how is he going to do his best for us?

      Words fail me

  3. Good article Simon, whilst you compare the parallels between AK and Fergie I can’t help but compare AK to McClaren. On a previous thread it was suggested that AK had most likely hit all the targets SG had set him, with the main one this year to retain our status in the PL. Schteeve I would suggest also hit all the targets set before him and to be fair he probably exceeded them with the Final in Eindhoven. It is obviously hard to judge the feeling inside the Riverside this season being based in Melbourne, but if this and other sites are a litmus then I would suggest the majority, maybe 60/40 do not warm to AK as they didn’t to McClaren despite both achieving their goals.
    McClaren frequently told us about how magnificent we had been in games much to the ire of most who had witnessed the game and whilst AK doesn’t use the same exaltations he frequently tells us how happy he is with performances such as the Leicester game at home.
    AK and McClaren probably don’t care whether they are loved by the fans or not, both probably see the club as a stepping stone to greater things, McClaren certainly did.
    That is why despite them both hitting their respective targets, neither I feel will ever be revered by the supporters in a way Fergie is at Man Utd.

  4. Thanks Simon. A very interesting read.

    Good post too, Geoff. I can see the parallels with McClareb that you draw.

    I suppose one major difference with AK from SMc is that AK has never publicly courted other clubs. In fact, he has repeatedly spoken of how he feels he’s at the “best” club with the “best Chairman”.

  5. Geoff. One reason that SAF was revered at ManU is that he was never going to be going anywhere and they were simply at the top of the game for at least most of the second half of his tenure (and probably longer). Had he been a a club like ours, irrespective of what may have been said in public, he would have been ambitious to move onto another club, a ManU for example
    In fact, isn’t that what he did to get to ManU in the first place and even then it all so nearly went wrong for him.

    No matter how well AK or Schteve met or exceeded their targets, they were/are always going to leave when the more glamourous opportunity arises. This may go a part of the way to explaining why as a collective we share a little antipathy to the incumbent and expect more than just the minimum required to hit the targets. We add that additional, and difficult to quantify, target of being entertained. That’s not on their agenda. Thereafter it becomes the balance between getting just enough of the results required to meet your targets with providing sufficient incentive to keep the fans coming through the turnstiles else attendances will start to dwindle because of continuing lack of entertainment.

  6. Geoff, I believe that in his first few years at Man Utd, a lot of fans wanted him out and he came very close to being sacked. When I am at the Riverside for every home game a lot of the fans I talk to, who are mostly long term fans who have been going since before the McClaren era, appreciate AK and want him to stay. I think any discontent is with the “new” fans who want instant success, although saying that every home game there is chants for AK.

    Come on BORO.

    1. I’m not sure about that, Exmil.

      On this blog, Spartak, James Emmerson and Richard Evans I don’t think are “new” fans.

      I think the people who want him out are probably those that put most emphasis on entertainment, although some will just have a personal dislike of him for their own reasons.

      1. I’ve been going since 1974 so not new but my patience has ebbed with age. I used to be behind every manager blindly (I recall shedding a tear when John Neal was sacked) but my gripe with AK is his inflexibility and setting out to not to lose every time. If he’s not up to it call it – it’s not being disloyal to do so.
        Venables had a fairly rigid and defensive outlook when he was here but I don’t recall him being inflexible.
        Steve Mc I disliked intensely from his dalliance with Leeds, and never trusted him, did but he did bring in many attacking and skilfull players and used them eventually.
        I just don’t think AK is good enough but I hope I’m wrong.

  7. Very nicely written article, Simon. A big thank you for submitting it.

    I can see where you’re coming from and the points you make about comparatives with Fergie are IMHO quite valid.

    However, AK has more challenges to face than Fergie had when he first sat in the manager’s chair at Man U. The first was of course avoid relegation from the Championship – he did this. In fact, his personality and approach were ideal for the task.

    Secondly, achieve promotion to the EPL. Indeed, this was achieved & in the face of a player revolt.

    Now, & as importantly as the latter 2, he has to keep the Boro in the EPL. Can he do it? Time will tell. If he can’t, then like a certain Mr Dyche before him, there’s no reason he can’t be relegated & get promoted the following season.

    Remember, Fergie had already won honours with Aberdeen. AK may have achieved but as of yet he has won nothing. It is clear he is in a building phase, on a learning curve, but by god he’s taking his time.

    There are always going to be challenges whatever project is taken on. The main point is to ensure you have a solid financial base where yo can change and tweak accordingly. Perhaps that is as much a set goal as any this season and as such all game plans and player purchases must be actioned accordingly.

    And it is here that we must stop and consider. Why? Because if the latter is the case that has not been effectively communicated by the club to its supporters. IMHO it needs to be. It is essential in keeping all stakeholders on board and on message.

    I do hope the powers that be are reading Diasboro because they will find much to their benefit amongst the posters here.

    I do hope AK keeps us up in the EPL & if not he achieves promo again next season. It would be a shame to lose him & his accummulated experience through error so that another club would benefit. He is flawed but if he can achieve his goals then what the hell, he might even take us to a Euro place or a final – love him or loathe him.

    UTB

    1. spartakboro, a very good post and I am seeing a different perspective from you than I normally read. I wonder if we have ever had a manager that was loved by every supporter, even when Mogga was first appointed, it did not go down well with everyone.

      Come on BORO.

  8. Good piece Simon, thanks.

    I agree with you Geoff, when a manager plays ‘pragmatic’ football while it may mean targets are hit the style of play can be hard to warm to.
    My hope is that as Boro become more established in the prem and attacking players of better quality arrive then AK will be prepared to be a bit more adventurous, but I don’t think he’s ever going to turn into Kevin Keegan.

    I believe it is the lot of supporters of bottom half prem teams that the football will always have a ‘pragmatic’ element to it. Either that or the opposition fans are entertained as your team ships goals for fun and languishes in the bottom three.

  9. Nigel

    I can never see AK changing in to Keegan, nor will most of the managers in the top flight. He will play the same way whatever players come in but better players will raise the quality of the football.

    I raised my eyebrows when de Roon came, that was a lot of money for us to pay for a holding midfielder when we already had Forshaw champing at the bit. He has improved as the season has progressed, he has added something to his game and he has scored three goals, that is more than the other three put together. What is more they were all good strikes.

    That is three times as many as Albert at Villa by the way.

    Things may take unusual turns, many thought Forshaw would leave but he has taken to the top flight like a Geordie to delusions. Fabio has come in as cover for George and is likely to become the starter on the right, I must admit I always thought of him as a right back who played on the left.

    Ayala now looks to be fourth in the pecking order at the back. Guzan has looked secure and over the Villa wobbles.

    With Stewie likely to leave we need wide men and not in the sense I am, one on either flank though more correctly one right footed and one left footed. I know they should be able to use both feet but it was ever thus.

    What we have done is leave points on the pitch and that is the concern, it would be more of a concern if we were bottom and had shipped goals for fun.

  10. SAF

    was offered the Scotland job but of course the financial gains of working for Man U kept him tethered.

    It took him time to establish himself at Man U and as previously pointed out he came perilously close to getting the sack.

    With regard to SMc and AK yes I can see similarities and both whilst being respected assistants at big clubs were untried and learned their craft at Boro. The fact that SG does not easily sack managers and as far as we know has a hands off approach with his managers helps them to develop. I think the main involvement SG has is the appointment of Assistant Coaches and insisting that someone with knowledge of the club be on board as well I.e Steve Agnew. AK knows the value of a go between for the local community as he acted as such himself for JM at Real Madrid.

    Did I like McClaren? No. Why? I think it was his blatant attempt to curry favour with the press the finger pointing and laughing at journos at press conference and self publicity coupled with attempts to get the Leeds then Newcastle jobs. Going to England job announced just before our European final was mean spirited of both him and the FA.. I grudgingly respect what he did for Boro and have met him over the past couple of years and he seems a really nice guy. But hey I once had lunch with David Cameron and he impressed me so what does my judgement count??

    I think AK is the same as McClaren and SAF in that they are single minded and determined to succeed. I think that yes AK is a bit aloof and I’ve noticed he doesn’t appear to take any advice or have discussions with his coaches during a game and usually stands alone in the coaching area.

    So what do I make of AK? I think he is an honourable man and that he has genuinely warmed to the club and respects our Chairman.

    Would I change him? Definitely Not

  11. Great piece and some good discussion started.

    I would also say, in response to Geoff, that being the league winners and Champions League winners, and having restored a club of some glory (Busby years) was the catalyst that endeared AF to Man Utd so tangibly. By contrast, we don’t have that “history” and our glory days were our brief European run and being regular fixtures in the PL. There is nothing to say that AK can’t bring back both of those things.

    If we are still here in 2 years and AK is preparing us for an away tie against Dynamo Eastern EU, whilst we discuss whether Harry Chapman will really score 20 goals in the PL, then I would think a fair few fans will indeed revere him, regardless of his media personality.

    For now, hitting the goals is taking us towards those “glory” years.

  12. Interesting stuff Si. I’ll pick up on a couple of your themes here, the SAF comparison & use of subs.

    Man Utd under SAF were notorious for late comebacks, usually assisted by his use of subs (see the impact of Solskjaer & Hernadez from the bench). In contrast AKs use of subs to change the game is fairly non-existent, witness our awful record when going behind in a game.

    I take the point that it is rarely a case of just throwing on more attackers, but AKs subs are rarely as liberating as the Toure example. Often, he seems to be ideologically opposed to changing his prepared game plan and personnel.

    The fustrating thing is, that on the rare occasion that Karanka has deviated from that approach, it has effected games. See the Spurs game at home following the introduction of Rhodes & Traore. This has rarely been repeated.

    So to come back to the comparison, SAF was widely adaptable to his approach botb pre and in game and was not afraid to make early subs. This is in stark contrast to AK. Who sutely has to learn this skill if he is to develop as a manager, bearing in mind that he is still a novice on managerial terms. Does he have the will or the skill to do this? That’s the question.

  13. Excellent work Si, one of your best.
    I do hope Karanka continues to resist Ferguson’s worst traits including his appalling bullying and organised intimidation of officials. He’s often talked of as the successor to Matt Busby, but I see Ferguson as having taken up the baton of the dark arts from Revie and then handing it to Mourinho. Interestingly only Boro born Don’s reputation appears to be tarnished while the other two are hero worshipped. Anyone who has been unfortunate enough to witness the behaviour of an increasing number of kids coaches on a Sunday morning will know how poisonous their legacy is. Hopefully Karanka will refuse the next handover and continue to conduct himself in a manner befitting a high profile representative of our club on a global stage.

  14. Hi everyone.

    First of all, a massive thank you for all your responses. 🙂

    Now, in response to a few points. Firstly, AK v McClaren… I touched upon this in a tweet last year and in a Gazette column I penned in the aftermath of the 2-0 win at home to McClaren’s Derby in December 2014. I still remember my heartwarming reaction to AK’s celebration up in the stands… my thought at the time was, and still is, that in the manner of his celebrations and unique dedication to his goals, AK endears himself to Boro in a way McClaren never could. That’s an undeniable positive.

    Mr Misanthrope’s point, that AK needs to change things more often? I agree. Bringing Nugent on to give Rhodes extra supply changed things entirely at Bolton – we could have scored three in the last ten minutes, I think! That is one of the most frustrating things about him – he doesn’t get it right anywhere near as much as we’d like him to, but when he gets it right, he *really* gets it right.

    A more general point: the often dwelled upon Forshaw “only breaking in because of injuries” thing. Such good fortune has happened for Fergie, many managers even. Gabriel Heinze was a cult hero for United at left-back after 2004-05. An injury then ended his season early on in 2005-06. By the time he was fit and firing again Evra had made the left-back slot his own. Similarly, I think Andy Cole was fourth choice at the start of 1998-99 – his much lauded partnership with Yorke happened by chance.

    Finally, PP/Anthony – I’m glad you brought that one up. Len’s excellent dissection of Fergie’s worst traits in the UntypicalBoro comments section in mid-2013 is essential reading. It reminds us that for all the positives a manager brings, some things just aren’t okay.

    To paraphrase Len’s words – I’ve added some of my own:

    Physically attacking, or threatening the careers of, refs and linesmen who have had the temerity to give decisions against you, however wrong the officials may have ultimately been proven, is a more dangerous example of a biased view of life than anything imaginable.

    The intimidation of officials as a deliberate tactic by a manager and his team is far from universal. But Boro’s own Brian Clough would never have allowed his teams to engage in such behaviour… Someone of Ferguson’s age, success and experience, if he had anything about him at all, should be above such behaviour, rather leading the game’s descent into yobbery.

    It is when you consider that fine tradition, and the spirit in which someone like Bobby Charlton played the game – (Len) never saw “Wor Bobby” dispute a decision or receive a booking in his entire career – that you realise how far from those standards that Ferguson has taken his team.

    Indeed, the greater one’s understanding of United’s history and of all of the positive things that they have contributed to the game, the greater one’s disappointment at their win-at-all-costs-and-to-hell-with-everything-and-everybody-else philosophy of which Ferguson is the supreme embodiment.

    We should focus about the health of our national sport and the future of the game. Managers like Ferguson show little interest in such matters (in comparison with) obsessing over how United can, using whatever weapons come to hand, win their next game.

  15. Good article but I do wonder how much of the overall development strategy for the club is coming from AK and how much from SG.

    Anyway, what strikes me is the slightly different way that we are going about things this time after promotion to the top flight.

    Previously, we seemed to be looking for marquee signings that would turn us into an instant success. This time round, whilst we have certainly gone for experience in players such as Negredo, Barragan and Esposito, there seems to be a real emphasis on buying quality at earlier stages of their career. Thus, alongside Gibson, Forshaw and others who were in the squad. we have bought De Sart, Fischer, Traore, De Roon plus the other new players who are being looked at in the U-23s. All of this backed up by a strong set of our own developed players such as Fry, Chapman, Maloney, Ripley and others who look destined for success. Even De Pena fits with this although it hasn’t worked out yet. I’m not sure exactly where Gestede fits in this. Maybe that is purely a practical solution to a particular problem.

    In addition, we seem to have top class medical and coaching facilities and techniques that is paying off in the reduction in availability lost to injury and a clear improvement of players under AK.

    Is it too much to suggest that there is a long term plan in place that is looking to establish a financially rock solid club with international class support structures and a great squad of younger players.If so, that then leaves the question – what is the target for this year? Naturally, survival is better than relegation but is there a limit to the money that will be thrown at it.

    Talking about AK, he seems to me to be a really strong technical coach who is able to improve every player that he works with, particularly defenders but not exclusively. That is a great skill and I admire him a lot for that. He also seems genuinely attached to the club and the area although, as we see across the world, everybody is looking to do the best for themselves and their family and it would be no surprise if AK turned up at a big club in 2-3 years time. Let’s hope that big club is Boro.

    Where he seems to lack is in the ability to deviate from his chosen plan. It’s almost as if, having done a great job intellectually in working out his tactics, he doesn’t want to admit that they haven’t worked as planned or, perhaps, that any change will give us a better chance. Perhaps that will come with experience but it would be really disappointing if we get relegated having gone through the season being close to winning or drawing almost every game. looking at the season so far, except for Tottenham and Liverpool, its hard to think of a game in which we weren’t competitive and that means that we have ‘lost’ a hell of a lot of points.

    I don’t know where that experience comes from in the short term. Does he need an experienced set of eyes alongside him?

    Anyway, whichever way we look at it, the next three games look pretty important.

    UTB

  16. I do believe Ireland might have achieved more in 1986-95 with an assistant manager more in tune to the purism of the Irish game than Maurice Setters – and I say that even though Big Jack was and always will be a hero of mine. Unfortunately, in 1986, Liam Tuohy did not take Jack’s intervention with his U21 half-time talk kindly, and… you know the rest. Shades of AK and Higgy perhaps? Not that I’m knocking how good Aggers undeniably is as a coach, but…

  18. Thought provoking stuff Si.

    There are undoubted similarities and traits between top Managers and Leaders in all professions. One of the fundamental things about Leadership is that you have to be yourself (which I think AK is incidentally) but also be open and learn from greatness. Different situations require different techniques and not many great Leaders had techniques that were ideal for all scenarios (in fact none that I can think off).

    I used to use examples when lecturing of say Mahatma Gandhi when faced with a situation that required taking a step back and thoughtful consideration and perhaps tolerance and understanding was the best approach or say Maggie Thatcher when just a bare hard faced NO and a stand off is required. Maggie was anything but tolerant and whilst Gandhi was no soft target his manner just couldn’t credibly adopt a Maggie style desk thumping NO. Neither style of course is 100% right or wrong but my point to Students was that in circumstances where they were in a bit of a crisis it sometimes helps to think about which style of response was the most likely to succeed especially when they felt a little out of their depth.

    Some told me later that it helped them immensely and gave examples over the following weeks and months, some didn’t. Some took the logic into their personnel lives where one individual in particular who was in a less than satisfactory relationship told me that one morning she plucked up Maggie’s courage and just said “NO, that’s it, do what you want but I’m not putting up with it any more and I’m not for changing.” Apparently the defiance broke the stranglehold (literally from what I gathered) had the desired effect, her life and her kids moved forward positively last I spoke some years later.

    Different challenges require different strategies and responses. My point is that there will never be another Busby, Stein, Shankly, Mourinho, Clough, Revie, Fergie, Charlton, etc. but there are elements which can be learned from and adapted. AK has no doubt been greatly influenced by Mourinho who no doubt will have been influenced by Sir Bobby Robson though the two of those seem polar opposites in style, personality and manner but both unarguably successful.

    AK has his own style, he is in the early learning phase of management but I suspect at the time of Charltongate there was a little bit of Mourinho in evidence in storming out and creating a defining watershed moment. It defined exactly where he stood and who was calling the shots, reassurance and reaffirmation achieved, ambiguity gone along with what he clearly seen as disruptive unwanted niggles.

    Mrmisanthrope above makes a very valid point about Fergie and his use of Subs compared to AK. I fully get the logic of putting on a Leadbitter for example as he might hit a 25 yard thunderbastard to clinch it in front of a tight defence or George galloping down the flank and usually with greater effect than say a Downing but even if he stuck Dimi at right back the dividends are not there to show for his changes. When we go behind that is pretty much it. Rhodes and Traore against Spurs nearly did create something and it certainly lifted the crowd yet that obvious uplift has never been repeated.

    Against other “lesser” sides a similar euphoric moment was required to lift the crowd and by default the Players yet the opportunity and the realisation of the opportunity has been totally missed or in most cases left far too late. McClaren wasn’t the most popular in spite of our only trophy but the moments we remember most are for his dramatic substitutions that will be forever ingrained in our collective memories until our lights are switched off by the great Manager in the Sky (other versions of all seeing entities are available or “religious pluralism” as Gandhi would likely call it).

    AK I reckon has got about 65-70% right but there is still a requirement and need for development and personal improvement. It is that remaining 35% or so that repeatedly creates the frustration and angst. Like Si says (or quoted Fabio at least) “United built everything on a sound defence”, Big Jack done likewise and AK has pretty much achieved that (and with a very small budget). If he is going to go on to truly achieve greatness then both Fergie and McClaren are worth consideration the next time he makes a substitution.

    This lead onto another related point, maybe the personnel at AK’s disposal are not what he wants to fully risk that “Fergie” type gamble as he would no doubt see it. Maybe this transfer window is the opening into taking that next braver, bolder step. Its alleged that we have “bid big” for Bojan his morning, sniffing around Snodgrass and jostling for Jese. They would appear on paper at least to be a step in a more offensive direction. Off loading Rhodes would help cover the costs of one of them along with Nugent’s fee. Downing on loan would cover wages but little else unless as is now being mooted (and perhaps the polite intention all along) a permanent transfer fee ensues.

    Then of course there is the big money spinner and perhaps squad changer in selling Ben for serious money (by Boro Standards) to Chelsea which would fund a serious game changer. With Espinosa now assuredly looking the part, Barragan we know can back up centrally so perhaps Ayala still has a future until the summer at least who knows?

  19. Sad to hear Graham Taylor has died, many moons ago I remember reading an article in my morning paper. It was the first time I had heard the term ‘ten game test’ for the premiership.

    I mentioned it on the old message board long before Untypical and was absolutely slaughtered by several posters. What does Graham Taylor know about football, turnip head and such nonsense.

    Oddly over a season or so it became a common term on the board and subsequent blog.

    Another chap who got the England job and suffered. He didnt do well but we tend to forget just how unlucky he was in the matches against Holland. Gazza’s cheek broken in the first match when we were well in charge, Koemans professional foul that wasn’t punished with a red followed by his free kick in the second match.

  20. I too am sad to read of the demise of Graham Taylor. IMHO The Murdock Rag should be shut down because of its systematic slurs on well known nation figures & its role post Hillsborough negligence/conspiracy Disaster.
    On the day of the Everton v Watford FA Cup Final, I along with a colleague were in the Union Jack Club in London. We got into the lift. Couple of floors down it stopped & two other chaps got in. One said to me, ‘Do you want a couple of tickets to the FA Cup final?’ I looks at me colleague and then back at the chap and replied ‘How much?’ He said ‘You can have them for nothing!’ Well not one to look at gift horse in the mouth we took them and a couple of hours later I found myself approaching the Twin Towers. Later, still slightly shocked, I watched the final surrounded by Scoucers. I saw Elton John and Graham Taylor walk past. The final, I can remember little of because.. will I was so surprised to even be there.

    RIP Graham Taylor

  21. A Boro friend of mine who works in TV football production has said for years what a nice man GT was. However my memory of GT’s England tenure is of inflexible tactical mediocrity exacerbated by a paucity of decent players. Senior players such as Lineker were shuffled offstage, possibly prematurely, and his most creative player, Gascoigne, had off field issues impacting his game.

    As for AK, his tactical approach is akin that of Cliff Thorburn. A snooker player from a more naive time, he earned the nickname The Grinder. He was famed for a prodigious safety game which he employed relentlessly until his opponent would become so bored they would attempt reckless shots just to break the tedium. When these shots failed and allowed Thorburn a small window of advantage, he would duly clean up. The ultimate percentage player, Thorburn was often a quarter and semi finalist of major competitions, beaten by players who held their nerve or whose flair and vision afforded them a natural advantage.
    Thorburn was possibly the dullest of players but had a reasonably successful career. This is in contrast to Alex Higgins who had huge career peaks and troughs. The most successful player at the time was Steve Davis, who had the temperament to survive Thorburn’s strategic stranglehold and the depth of skills to see him off.

    On to Boro, the players job is to keep the ball and/or frustrate the opposition until they make a mistake, at which point our players are supposed to pounce. With the comparative paucity of our resources, it’s not an unreasonable approach.
    AK rarely makes subs because he trusts his initial team selection to be correct to play his system. Therefore, there is little need to change the system even if we fall behind in a game, baring injuries or sendings off.
    I imagine AK is aware of other tactics, he doesn’t believe they will be more successful with the resources available.

    Errr, is snooker allowed on this blog? Or is it banned, like the C word was at the other place?

  22. I’d liken AKBoro to, sometimes, Spain’s tiki-takanaccio circa Euro 2012.

    As these two tweets from Jared Browne put it…

    “Boredom is an intrinsic part of Spain’s style. They bore and hence stretch the concentration levels of opponents with dull, mesmeric passes.”

    “Spain are a like crab moving forwards, slowly but surely, by going sideways, only to strike like a scorpion when the opening is presented.”

  23. Don’t have time to do other than to thank Si for the excellent piece which has provoked some brilliant responses. Loved the snooker analogy, Chris. And has Spartak undergone a sea-change or gone all satirical? Whatever, I agree with him.
    Great responses too from Geoff, Selwyn, RR , exmil and everyone else.

    The blog’s flying.

  24. Sorry to hear about Graham Taylor’s passing. I had huge respect for his opinion and his achievements with Watford will never be forgotten. RIP sir.

  26. Selwyn

    I don’t think we’ve seen the end of the marquee signing. Such transfers have been a feature of Steve Gibson’s chairmanship for two decades and I believe he revels in it. It is when Steve Gibson The Boro Fan comes to the fore, or for the skeptics, when a boost to ticket sales is needed.

    In their own way, I think Downing and Rhodes were both marquee signings at the time and by Championahip standards. This summer, though no major transfer fees were involved, I think Valdes and Negredo, as players with profiles high enough that few would have predicted them to turn up at Boro other than on the away coach, also fall into the marquee bracket.

    I agree that we haven’t seen a major splurge on a single transfer fee. At least not by Premier League standards. But I see this less as a change in policy and more as a sign of the times.

    Gone are the days where a Ravanelli or Juninho can be bought for anything south of £20m. And £150,000 per week.

    The market, supported by the billions of Sheiks and Oligarchs or years of inflated television money, has moved SG out of the reckoning for the marquee signings of old. But he will still surprise.

    If we manage to survive this season. It would not surprise me to see Gibson break the £20m barrier in the summer for a single player. It would surprise, but not shock me, if we did it in this window.

  27. The Manager? Good/ Bad?
    The perception out there that a manager is only as good as the players he as,and since players have all the power,were does that leave him and indeed what can he do other than win more games than not, and finish sixteenth in the premiership twenty seasons in row.
    Now that comment is somewhat benign and pedantic as it gets,but how do you change that thinking and how can a manager become that figurehead who gains enough respect in order for him to press forward improving the team to the point were you are up there with a real chance of knocking on the door of Europe every season.
    In my view it starts with the owner,making it clear to everyone inside the club ,and the local media that the manager is here to stay no matter what,and that stops anyone starting a witch hunt.
    On the managers side he should for the most part have a turn over of at least half the squad every two to three seasons,keep it fresh .

  28. A few things before it’s time to go to bed.

    1. The C word mentioned by Chris Hunneysett – I’d forgotten about that. I’d been holding myself in for ages, no doubt expecting AV to take out his red pen. But if he’s not in charge of the red pen……..Cricket, cricket, cricket, cricket, cricket and, go on then, just one more: cricket! Great, I feel better already.

    2.Thanks for the article, Simon, and I agree with Len at 5.23pm on 12th.

    3. I was also saddened to hear about Graham Taylor. I understand the Watford supporters have been letting Boro fans know that, on the 72nd minute in the game at Watford this weekend, there will be applause for their well-loved ex-manager. Certainly a Watford legend and much maligned by some parts of the Press. Well, in particular by that part on which The Sun doesn’t shine.

    🔴 Steady Dormo you know your boundaries, don’t make me use the red pen 🖍 – you’ll be encouraging people to have discussions on Yorkshire next… Werdermouth

  30. GT
    She I don’t disagree with you about how the high heejuns at the club should be putting it out there that the manager is here to stay come what may
    The trouble is, in the modern media driven world we live in that is invariably taken to be the dreaded and euphemistic “vote of confidence”. This leads me to this me to the contrary position, ie, SG says nothing in public about what he thinks. As collective, the supporters just have to e grown up about that and accept/presume the manager has his backing, regardless of speculation, which is just that (speculation) anyway.

    That is not to say discussion/opinion/even speculation amongst the fans is not welcome. After all we know SG was a reader of the old blog a d I would expect he has followed us here, so be is probably the best informed of all of us.

    1. “She” = “While” … Posting from my phone and fighting against it thinking it knows better than me what I am trying to write.
      Maybe it does!!

  31. Rumour from Italy this morning that Ranieri’s Leicester are chasing Gaston for around €15m. Hope its just made up nonsense without foundation but financially it would make a heck of an investment return.

    If he went, along with Ben’s alleged Chelsea offer AK could buy half the Championship. It just highlights the massive chasm between the two leagues. Were we still in the Championship we would be lucky to get £6m for the pair of them.

    Good to hear that AK would like Ben to stay with Boro for his career, I wouldn’t mind Gaston staying a bit longer as well. There again apparently Barca have admitted that they might lose Messi.

  32. Just to add my bit, sorry to hear about Graham Taylor.

    He did seem to make some odd decisions when England manager but his biggest problem was that most of the English players available to him were rubbish.

    Ste Mac, my Dad bumped into him on a train once, said what a lovely bloke he was. His desire to leave Boro for a ‘bigger’ club though will always mean the vast majority of us don’t like him despite the success he achieved. Personally, with the players he had at his disposal when at Boro, I think he under achieved.

    SAF – a bully, you cant be classed as ‘great’ with such a fundamental character flaw.

    Werder, the idea of a mid-week piece is a great one, I hope you get fed enough material to maintain it.

    🔴 Thanks Nigel, I’m looking to you all to get your thinking caps on, I’ve seen enough long well-written posts on here to know that they could easily be shaped into blog pieces – so come on everyone it’s a team game… Werdermouth

  33. I am comfortable that we have a manager who is very single minded, clear in his system, meticulous in his approach, unwavering in his beliefs, fully committed to our club and displays the utmost respect for our chairman. This approach has delivered its goals so far, we’re in the PL and presently clear of the relegation zone, until the approach is on a demonstrable path to failure I don’t want it to waver. I agree with some others in that AK doesn’t make changes because he feels that he absolutely has the best chance with the team / system he started out with and until the 90th minute comes it should, in theory to him, still bear fruit. When it doesn’t he will point to chances created and missed as confirmation that he was right. The opposite are those managers who constantly “tinker” and seem to make changes for changes sake as if scrambling around for the correct formula, hoping it might happen by chance, and yes sometimes it does. But AK doesn’t take chances, it’s not in his nature, he’s risk averse and it’s probably why he was able to become a world class defender at the highest level.

  34. Speaking of illogical substitutions…

    Nicky Weaver for Claudio Reyna? And to think it nearly paid off, at our expense. To quote the Guardian…

    “On the grand scale of cunningness, throwing on a big man in the dying minutes with a view to lamping the ball in his general direction is on roughly the same level as pulling a sickie to avoid work and not answering the door to debt collectors. Often effective, but not especially ingenious. Unless the big man in question is someone to whom virtually no other manager would have even thought of turning – and it’s in a season-defining match, and the plan pays off. Manchester City went into the final game of the 2004-05 campaign needing to beat Middlesbrough to claim a Uefa Cup spot in their stead.

    “With the teams locked at 1-1 and Middlesbrough comfortably repelling City’s somewhat blunt attacks, Stuart Pearce took the radical decision to take off the midfielder Claudio Reyna and stick on Nicky Weaver … who went in goal so that the erstwhile keeper, David James, could don an outfield jersey and be deployed as, if not quite a fox, then a nuisance in the box. James’s presence provoked panic amid Boro’s defenders and it was from a cross aimed at the surprising striker that Franck Queudrue handled the ball to concede a stoppage-time penalty. Pearce’s unconventional thinking was vindicated … even if Robbie Fowler foiled the happy ending (for City) by fluffing the spot-kick. Quite what it did to the confidence of City’s £5m striker Jon Macken who was left stewing on the bench, one can only guess.”

    Indeed.

    One suspects Pearce did that because it was precisely what the-often-praised-for-his-meticulous-coaching McClaren wouldn’t have prepared for.

  36. I visited three countries this week on business. Will read the blog later but it is tough to follow afterwards. A new post and a lot of comments. But it’s great that the blog lives on.

    Watford -1 Boro 2. Downing and Rhodes for Boro naturally. One for Taylor. RIP.

    Up the Boro!

  37. Talking of Schteve and subsitutions, he would have been a contender for irritating substitution of the season for his effort at West Brom.

    Robbo was manager at the Baggies and we went there uncomfortably hovering above the drop zone. Half time came and we were comfortably 2-0 up, so comfortable that Ugo and Gate had their slippers on, sat in deck chairs, reading the Sunday papers – remember us playing in Europe?

    After 65 minutes their midfielder tried to remove one of Boats kidneys and got first use of the showers..

    Now we were 2-0 up against ten men having dominated the match. For all his faults AK would have told the team to keep the ball, make the pitch big and pass them to death.

    Schteve took off a striker and put on Doriva. The Baggies now had a spare defender so sent Curtis Davies up front, ignored midfield and just lumped it in to our box. A sweaty 25 minutes ensued but we held out.

    Now if Duff beer did substitutions. Doh!

  38. Just checked the line-up of that game Ian… it was Davies for Mendieta but your point holds. His striker substitutions were like-for-like, Jimmy and the Yak off for Viduka and Maccarone.

    Re: Watford, last time I remember beating them away, it was Scott McDonald’s late winner after a return from the naughty step that did the trick. Since then? 0-1, 0-2. Not very good.

  39. I’ve just watched Emerson’s goals on the YouTube clip AV posted. Fantastic, some of similar against Watford would cheer everyone up and have the fans purring.

    He certainly could hit a shot with some venom, they really are ‘Thunderbastards’.

    UTB,

    John

  42. Downing & Rhodes

    Staying or going? Dominic Shaw reveals NO answers to the question in today’s sizzlingly hot Gazettelive article.

    Does he even allude to the ‘issue’ that dared not be mentioned? No! Internal club politics & eternal naughtie steps shall not be spoken of. The manager (AK unless you were unaware), is was & will be the final word on all things Boro – like it or not, only shhhhh! Don’t write or speak about it.

    And remember, nobody knows what was said inside the dressing room that fatal day – yeah, right! They were all jolly hockey sticks sharing pally parmo moments – NONSENSE!!!!

    UTB

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