Round's Departure Squares The Coaching Circle
SO CAPTAIN Clipboard has gone and fast learning rookie boss Gareth Southgate has asserted his ideological control over the club. That can only be a good step. It brings tactical clarity, removes the dysfunctional potential for office politics power struggles and gives the boss an opportunity to put his own men in the key positions behind the scenes.
Far from being a seismic shock, the departure of Steve McClaren's disciple in chief over "a difference in philosophy and ideas" had an air of inevitability about it. From the moment Gareth South went public with his desire to play open, attractive and attacking football and by implication attacked the entire culture of the past five years Steve Round was doomed.
Coachaholic Round was one of the key architects of McClarenism, a zealous advocate of the appliance of science that systematically removed suspect flair and individualism in favour of complex systems, team selection based on Prozone stats, dour functionality and a cautious percentage possession game. Paralyisis by analyisis.
Ofcourse, a scientific approach is not neccessarily bad. Such technical and tactical knowledge and a zest for meticulous preparation can be a wonderful asset if harnessed and if the wielder is totally committed. But Steve Round was not totally committed. From the moment his mentor left for England there had been a questionmark over his head.
He had been linked with the Hull managerial job in the Summer within weeks of McClaren's departure and then applied for the West Brom job following Bryan Robson's sacking with Southgate giving the Baggies permission to talk to him. Clearly, for all the talk of continuity and the impression given that his retention in the coaching set-up was non-negotiatiable nad possibly even the factor that scared off Martin O'Neill, something was amiss.
No one could blame Round for feeling that, despite being bigged up in the press by the powers that be and talked of as central to a new Hurworth bootroom culture, the foundations he had helped lay were starting to crumble underneath him. His co-thinker, the man who brought him to the club and shaped his position had moved on. Worse still, he, the man with more badges than a scout jamboree could muster, was not only passed over for the top job in favour of a novice but was then further demoted from assistant boss to working with the stiffs.
That is a massive snub no matter how you dress it up. In almost any workplace such a radical restructuring of the power balance would inevitably transform the personal dynamics and create the conditions that could so easily foster animosity and resentment and at the very least would demotivate the loser in the reshuffle.
For Round to accept being shunted aside at Boro could signal the beginning of the end of his career. He is supremely qualified, widely respected and is universally praised by the players and staff at the club and clearly has plenty to offer . But it is now time for Round to test himself as a manager and or carve out a new role of influence at a club where he is not tainted as the living embodiment of the discredited old regime.
That does not mean that his departure was engineered, merely that the dynamics and political landscape behind the scenes had changed so fundamentally that for him to stay would be stifling, frustrating and counter-productive. A clean break was best all round.
For Boro fans of a recriminatory nature though it presents a challenge. Now there will be no dark bespectacled panto villain presence urging caution and whispering 'keep it tight' from the shadows. Now who will there be to blame for every defeat and tactical blunder?
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Anthony Vickers
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You're working late Vic!
Panto villain duties will be assumed by Mr Crosby no?
see you New Year's day
Teesside Blades
All very true...as well as the clean out of the players.
What worries me though is what comes in to replace,and was it a shot in the foot to transafer list a chunk of the squad prior to arranging replacements?
The names in the press do not fill me with awe. A misfit non firing gunner cannot be the best we can hope for? Geremi i think would be good and a good quality striker (proven even if not english!!) And a proven non star manager to teach gareth the ropes.Then i would be happy ...well we can always hope - it is the season to be merry :)
Round was a peg trying to fit in a square hole. Like many I know very little about him.
The problem from afar is that he was so clearly a Macanista, he was the man with the pen and clipboard alongside colgate man who was always writing out his order for a post match take away. He was clearly linked to the very oppoaite of KISS - keep it simple stupid. In our eyes he and mac were the opposite of the dont cross the bridge until you get to it mentality. He was the person alongside the man who wanted to 'educate' the fans, the man who uttered 'dont talk to me about entertainment'
When Gate took over and talked about playing in a more positive style, of removing the fear at the club, of entertaining the fans,not only was he discrediting Mac he was also, whether he meant it or not, throwing a cloud over Steve Round. His subsequent demotion back to the ranks was not conducive to a harmonius working environment, even worse we may of needed his beloved badges if Gate didnt get approval.
The pressure grew on the message boards as we kept getting glimpses of the old regime culminating in AV's Stalinist blog. The irony wont be lost on anyone that shortly after Gate gets his papal blessing from the Prem chairmen than there was a parting of the way. What is more it was a quite severe parting message.
Where it all leads is another matter. Gate is certainly showing that he is made of sterner stuff, rumour is he may bring Alan Smith in to be his mentor. A bit like Beswick without the bulls***.
Finally, I hope it goes well for Round. I am sure he did his best, whilst he was here we did win a cup and have some high jinks in europe. With hindsight it may have been better if he had left at the same time as Mac.
Vic
Agree that moving Round on is a good move - as you know I've long lobbied for it. But I'll be disappointed if no-one of any coaching staure or experience comes in and we don't have a director of football figure to cover Gate while he gets experience.
I'm a big fan of Coops and he has done well in his short association with the reserves - but he's a learner too.
I hope the decison isn't driven only by cheapness - a theme which I'll return to later.
After this weekend's results we are now on the same points as West Ham, 3rd bottom, and they and the teams above us are upwardly mobile whilst we are still in the doldrums. They now have an experienced Prem manager and coaching team at the helm.
(And will someone stop the players - Arca being the latest - spouting b******s about only needing a couple of results to leap up to the top ten and stay there.)
Yes, we have winnable games coming up, but will we win them? And it has to be wins not draws - starting tomorrow night. To do that we have to see Gate and Coops do what no other Boro management team has done in what seems like a generation - avoid the Xmas/New Year slump.
Back to cheapness. I accept and, as everyone on here will know, welcome the winter pruning of the dead or dying wood. And the right limbs are being prepared for lopping.
But that's only any good if we get quality replacements. And we need, as a minimum, 2 athletic, creative right sided midfielders and a striker (2 strikers if Veruka goes).
Loans aren't necessarily a bad thing - look at Woody for example, or Bolo. But they only work if done for the right reasons - not just for cheapness.
If the current 2 in the frame are the examples then I have to wonder. Alliadiere has had no success on previous loans and none with the Gunners (except, surprise, surprise! he scored against us in the CC). He played virtually his only Prem start for Arsenal this term against Pompey yesterday and was so bad he was subbed early. Gooners that surround me at work don't rate him - lightweight and doesn't get goals. Does that sound like what we want?
Then there's Geremi - wouldn't come in the Summer when it appeared that he had no chance of a start for Chelski. Has been playing a lot recently but has also been getting subbed a lot at half time. Is he really going to swap the King's Road, the top of the Prem and the Champs League for parmos and a relegation dogfight?
But again, we know him from his last loan - which is the only avenue our 'scouting' system knows. They also say (wise Them!) 'never go back'. With only very few exceptions this is sound advice - in life as in footie. And was he really that impressive when he was here?
So, if we're not being driven by the quality - is it the width of the wad?
Do Gibbo and Lamb really believe we're going to penny-pinch our way out of this - especially with the rookie managerial/coaching set up? Are they trying to get a self fulfilling prophecy around 'you'll get the team that the area can afford'? What message do they think they are giving potential recruits?
Have they forgotten that relegation this season above all will spell financial as well as sporting disaster and that once down, getting back will be harder than ever with the huge gulf in resources?
Do they know the difference between investment and cost or are they preparing for a drop they already consider inevtable?
I think we should know - and soon. Time for another appearance on Century, the Beeb or an in depth interview in the Gazette.
I'll be at The Cottage tomorrow evening - more in hope than expectation - and at Charlton next week. We need 6 points from these, 4 as an absolute minimum. Any less and we're locked into the bottom 3 and I fear the worst.
John
I know you and your son will be at the ground in plenty of time, lets hope the team make an appearance beofre half time.
Their is all this talk of building on the second half performance against Wigan, it will all be worthless unless they give it a go from the off tonight.
I posted last week that we may be going into the match after some good results over the weekend. sadly the good results left us level on points with the Hammers and three behind a clutch of clubs.
A defeat tonight would leave us in a foot race with the Hammers to join the pack in front of us. It looks like Watford and Charlton are doomed even though we will kick start their seasons when they play us. We must expect the Hammeers will turn it round under Curbs and the money from the new owners.
I believe our fate will be decided over the next six matches five of which are against teams currently around us in the league. Four are away from home. If we are in the bottom three it will be a real struggle to pull clear because we will be playing teams in the top half.
Forgive my cynicism in this season of hope, but I fear that the proposed 'clearout' is merely a pre-cursor for a more-than-possible relegation, so as not to leave Boro, as previously, with a bunch of high-earning under-achievers trying to scramble up the slippery slope of Championship...
I am glad Round has left the club, last season when MaClaren was in charge we were told that he was learning from Sven, and this would benefit the club.
What he learnt is debatable.
I could not see how the same principal could be applied to Round's role as an England coach, after all everyone hoped that MaClaren's style of football would leave the club when he went.
I think Cooper has the makings of a future manager, however Boro now have Cooper (ex defender) Harrison (??) and Southgate (ex defender) coaching the team.
Where does instilling an attacking mentality fit in?
I think Mark Procter would be a good addition to the coaching staff, at least he knew how to pass a ball forward and to a colleague
Steve Round being retained after Mac left was it would appear a safety net given he had all the qualifications, badges etc.
However he clearly wasn't the right man to implement the managers plans. So that was an unsatisfactory situation which can't have helped during the previous few months.
Whether or not the high risk strategy pays off will be determined at the end of the season not over Christmas.
I am uncomfortable though with the risky appointment of GS. Steve Gibson once said there was nothing wrong with taking a risk as long as you manage it. That sounds like a good philosophy but was the risky appointment of GS managed in terms of backroom support? It seems not.
These are worrying times, i hope I'm a little less worried after tonight.
next to go will be harrison who comes from the school of graham taylors long ball percentage tactics.
whether we go down or not, Southgate wil change the whole backroom staff.
It seems that the club are looking to keep it restricted to people who have contacts with the club. Perhaps in 4 years time when Southgate goes to England mogga will step in with cooper as his assistant.
Wonder if Ripley/Hendrie fancies a job as an attacking coach to help Morrison. How about Slaven as striker coach or pallister to come in? Mustoe/Gary Hamilton to coach Lee Cattermole?
Alf
As I have posted before I have heard from fans at other clubs that Harrison is a decent bloke good at keeping spirits up.
Wasnt he at Villa so would know Gate anyway?
Whatever, I suspect Harrison may be kept.
Ian
If Harrison is kept for amusing the players, would it not be better to sack him and bring in Chubby Brown. At least then one of the coaching staff would have the same physique as Viduka.
I remember viv anderson/bryan robson were good at keeping spirits up. but does it make you a good coach?
Never Happy
There is no need for that, if I had feelings they would have been hurt!
Maybe the point could have been better made, here goes. From what people have told me he is not a negative influence, quite the opposite, and that was the main complaint aimed at Darth Vader and his cronies. I dont know about his coaching so cant judge him on that.
Just because somebody worked with Mac doesnt make him bad, negative or poor at his job. I can only comment on what I have been told.
Nearly Happy?
so the coach has gone, long live the coach .
(A)what boro need is a team of players who want to play and win?
(B) what we have is players who like the money that is it?
So how do we get from B to A. ?
One assumes that it will not be easy with the new pay structures we have to assume that players are getting paid regardless of play or no play? So we have some players just doing nothing and no where to be seen.
Then we have players who come onto the pitch do nothing and are nowhere to be seen, but why should they run around when a lot of the players - and we all know them - are laying in the sun picking up their wages on long contracts?
it is a recipe for failure. freedom of contract and the bosnan rules have given us the highs and low of footbal and we are now deep in the mire, not just the boro but many clubs. perhaps a major shake up of all players contracts is the answer starting at the boro TODAY.
5 penalties in as many games ....we have upset the gods...the fa.....gibson should have known........can we have a manager now?????????
5 penalties in as many games who says there is no corruption in english football?Go to you bookies and ask the odds?Are we paying for gareth?
Vic
After Fulham last night - I have long feared the worst this season but, for the first time, I now predict it.
stop being paranoid! there is no corruption or consipiracy against middlesbrough. We are small fish and the FA,premier league dont care about us at all. we are there just to make up the numbers
Our league form has been poor for 2 years now,thats where the problem is. We got plenty of dodgy penalties over the last 2 seasons with yakubu,viduka dn jfh