Grumbles Down Below
It’s common knowledge in football, that a manager in his strategy will often rest players when a game of secondary importance has to be played just prior to a game, let’s say in the later stages of the FA Cup or a European competition. There is nothing new in this, and other teams as their luck goes, are affected to their advantage or disadvantage.
What then is to be made of the attack on Gareth Southgate, by Premiership bottom-feeders Warnock, Curbishley and Pardew, for Gareth’s team selection against Manchester City? It all becomes more nauseating when you consider their own performance as managers.
I think we’re entitled to ask them where they stood before the game on the matter of Middlesbrough’s chances. Gareth, who I believe to be an honest man, genuinely thought he could win, and the bookies agreed with him by making Middlesbrough odds on favourites. What’s more, the national press were unanimous in the forecast of a Middlesbrough win, as were all the Sky pundits.
The truth is that the grumbling trio were led to childishly attacking and blaming Gareth by their own egos and bitter disappointment in their absolute certainty that Middlesbrough would be beat a troubled Manchester City. Well hard luck boys, things change, and I can’t wait to hear what you’ll have to say about Glen Roeder’s team selection at the weekend.
Bob Walsh
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