HEADS must roll said Bernie in his Gazette column yesterday. But which heads? Boro's squad is wafer thin so even the most inconsistent and accident prone first teamers must feel as secure in their position as Stuart Bell.
The youngsters have great potential but playing more than one or two of them would be a massive risk - and if we are honest there are more than one or two in the first team who are under-performing to the point where they no longer justify their place. But who would you drop?
Yakubu? Would you drop Boro's unconvincing targetman? A player so weak with his head that team-mates laughed when he nodded home against Newcastle but who is expected to challenge for habitual long punts forward? A player who likes the ball played in front on him to run onto but but more often finds himself coming deep to collect the ball with his back to goal as if he were Mark Viduka? Drop him because he is suffering from a lack of support and play who exactly? Maccarone, a man who has had more last chances than Paul Gascoigne? Or Danny Graham? He will run all day but it takes more than industry to prise open defences. Maybe Malcom Christie will come to the rescue
How about George Boateng? Would you throw a political hand-grenade into the changies and drop the skipper? Yes, the once metronomic midfield general has been as off-song as a tone deaf society karaoke contest for weeks now but what is the alternative? Rochemback? The Brazilian has a fine array of back-heeled nutmegs and dragbacks but is repeatedly beaten for pace, frequently dispossessed, misses tackles in dangerous areas and too often his visionary 60 yard crossfield passes bounce into touch. Cattermole? The young dynamo adds zest and bite to the middle but his inexperience shows as he dashes after the player with the ball only to arrive as it zips through the space where he had been. I like him but barring emergencies I would't give him the solo holding role, especially alongside Rocky.
What about on the right? Drop Morrison and play who? Mendieta? Is he still alive? Is he still in England? In the past few weeks that problematic role has been filled by a defensive midfielder, a left winger and a player who is nominally a left-back.
And what about at the back? The defence has been largely an effective unit and it is the structural faults in an unbalanced midfield that has invited the pressure it has found itself under so the selection problems are different. But would you drop Pogatetz from left-back where his discomfort on the ball so often results in the hoof in favour of Andrew Taylor, more fluid going forward, or maybe Julio Arca? And if you did would you move Mad Dog inside where he was so effective early on and then maybe toss a coin to decide on whether Real Madrid loanee Woodgate or £6m new signing Huth made way to accomodate him? What about on the right? Big hearted Davies or veteran Xavier after a year out?
Gareth Southgate has a momentous task in freshening Boro up given the resources at his disposal. Short-sighted recruitment policies in recent years - particularly in bringing in a right winger - have left him very few options. There is very little cover in some key roles leaving Boro one-dimensional and only a few injuries or suspensions away from disaster. The boss doesn't have the option of wholesale changes. He can't wield the axe without hampering the team.
I must confess to a bout of pessimism but I can't see how Southgate can fundamentally alter what we have now - an unbalanced, leftocentric team lacking pace and creativity and suffering a dip in confiudence - let alone reshape it with an attacking outlook. Roll on January.
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