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Boro’s Southgate gets another chance. Does he deserve it?
Most people agree that sacking a manager after a few weeks or a handful of matches is ridiculous, but sometimes chairmen go to the other extreme and exhibit reserves of patience that would be beyond most fans.
Given the frantic pace of the soccer industry, Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate can consider himself an extremely lucky man after a season that brought the club just seven league victories, 28 goals and relegation.
Boro chairman Steve Gibson said in a BBC Radio interview this week he was backing Southgate to get the club back in the Premier League next season, vowing not to make the former England international a scapegoat for the club’s relegation.
A lot of people will be wondering why not.
In January 2008, Southgate brought in record signing Brazilian striker Afonso Alves for 12.7 million quid from Heerenveen and let captain George Boateng and fellow midfielder Lee Cattermole go in the close season.
This campaign, Boro struggled to compete in midfield and could not score goals. Alves managed just four all season and despite this problem Egyptian international Mido was allowed to leave on loan, along with another Southgate signing, Marlon King.
Gibson showed similar patience with former England manager Steve McClaren and Bryan Robson. While it is an admirable and rare virtue in football, it certainly has not done Gibson many favours to date.
I agree Dan, but Southgate’s transfer decisions to date have been one of his biggest downfalls as a manager. He is a good coach, but has not been able to attract the right type of player to the Riverside.
Signing flops like King and Alves will have not done his confidence for the new transfer window any good.
I too think it will be make or break for Boro. They either bounce back at the first time of asking or get ready to settle into a good few seasons in the Championship.