By Tim Sigsworth
A week ago today, with eight games of the season remaining, Steve Gibson called time on Jonathan Woodgate’s time as Boro manager. The great ‘golden thread’ endeavour embarked upon last June with Woodgate’s appointment was put on ice, perhaps permanently, as survival specialist Neil Warnock was parachuted in from his home in Cornwall.
The 71-year-old is no stranger to relegation dogfights, having
previously saved Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers and Rotherham United,
amongst others, from the drop. And in the same way as Churchill looked to
Montgomery’s paratroopers to secure a bridgehead over the Rhine in September
1944, Warnock’s task is to lead Boro’s Operation Market Garden, their bid to
break away from the opposition and secure Championship status with a view to
pushing forwards – not towards Berlin but back to the Premier League – over the
next few seasons.
It is said that a week is a long time in politics and, at
least if the progress Boro have made since the Yorkshireman’s appointment is
anything to go by, it appears the same is true for football.
Warnock’s first major act, much to the delight of all
Teessiders, was telling Rudy Gestede in no uncertain terms that he was not
wanted around the squad if he was unwilling to play a part in Boro’s season
once his contract expired at the end of June. By sending him home early on Thursday,
Warnock has made it clear that he’ll take no prisoners and carry no passengers
in his bid to stave off the drop. It’s no surprise that Robbie Keane walked and
was replaced by Kevin Blackwell and Ronnie Jepson, then. I don’t think we’ll
ever know what he brought to the coaching team besides Instagram followers.
It also seems that Warnock has made it clear to his players
that nothing but the maximum level of commitment will do. Woodgate’s last game
in charge, the 3-0 home defeat to Swansea City, was defined as much by the lack
of effort put in by his players than anything else, with runners not tracked at
all – as can be seen with Rhian Brewster, Connor Gallagher and Aldo Kalulu for
the opening goal – and the team as a whole being outfought and outmatched by
City’s vigorous high press. Gibson clearly felt that this was rooted in a failure
on Woodgate’s part to instil a spirit of belief, and he chose to act.
In contrast, Boro’s display at Stoke on Saturday was defined
by coursing, driving desire. Up front, playing as a partnership for once, Ashley
Fletcher and Britt Assombalonga pressed the Potters’ backline throughout, a
rare feat for Middlesbrough forwards of recent years, whilst Roberts and
Tavernier put in eclectic performances on the wings which drove the team
forward time and time again.
What was most pleasing to watch, particularly towards the
end of the match, was how Boro’s defenders put their bodies on the line for the
cause. In terms of personnel, the defence was a bit slapdash; Marvin Johnson
and George Friend started at left-back and centre-half respectively, and George
Saville, despite starting on the left of midfield, rampaged all across the
field putting in tackles and sniffing out danger over the course of the 90
minutes. But their commitment to the cause left nothing to be desired – Friend
and Fry, who have not been in the best of form this season, pulled off block
after block and clearance after clearance. On occasions where Dejan Stojanovic
pulled off some incredible saves to keep his side’s heads above water, they
were poised on the line to clear the danger should the Serbian have been
beaten.
It is false to suggest that Boro’s difficulties this season can solely be blamed on a lack of belief – but it is true that the threat of relegation could still be averted if it is injected into the side, as the Stoke game suggested it has, ahead of a string of crucial matches played in quick succession. That will certainly be what Warnock is banking on as he guides his team into Thursday’s six-pointer with Hull City.
