Trio need to build on good openers

Aug 19 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

All three North East clubs made an encouraging start to the new season but none have been fooled into thinking their transfer activity is over for the year.

IN recent years the first couple of weeks of a new English football season have become extremely deceptive.

Since the introduction of a standardised global transfer window, Premier League campaigns kick off a couple of weeks before the summer sales end. It means teams can open their competitive programme with a player whose heart is already committed elsewhere, while others are asked to make do and mend until the holes in their squad can be properly patched up.

It is a fair bet the playing staff that Newcastle United, Sunderland and Middlesbrough went into the new season with will have all altered when the window slams shut at midnight on September 1.

All three had reasons to be cheerful after emerging from intimidating fixtures with encouraging signs for the months ahead but Kevin Keegan, Roy Keane and Gareth Southgate are not about to be lulled into a false sense of security. Keegan and Keane want three more players each, Southgate will be happy with one.

Newcastle’s biggest problem is one common to the last couple of Magpies’ managers – that Keegan has little or no faith in the only specialist left-back he has.

Jose Enrique showed some encouraging signs in the second half of last season but does not appear to have won over his manager, who was alarmed by the Spaniard’s weight loss during the close season.

Enrique was on the bench at Old Trafford, as Keegan turned to Charles N’Zogbia. The Frenchman was caught on his heels for Darren Fletcher’s equaliser in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United, though the real problems were caused by the fact centre-back Steven Taylor was receiving treatment on his ankle at the time.

N’Zogbia showed last term what a good player he can be overlapping down the left but a defender’s first job will always be defending, and at times it lets him down.

And it must be said that relying on N’Zogbia is risky. There have been regular questions about the commitment of a 22- year-old who is not a big fan of playing at the back.

The talk around St James’s Park is of "wow" signings – Javier Saviola’s name keeps cropping up – but what United need more is depth. Newcastle’s pre-season games were notable for a lack of substitutions and their first serious game was no different.

With Abdoulaye Faye surprisingly following Emre, David Rozehnal, Stephen Carr, Lamine Diarra, Peter Ramage, James Troisi – and possibly Shola Ameobi and Alan Smith – out of the exit, a squad which last term was bordering on the anorexic is being slimmed down.

It would not be so bad if those who remain were more dependable. Mark Viduka and Michael Owen bring star quality but their fitness records are less impressive. With their two star signings hailing from Argentina and five other players from outside Europe, international matches will add further strain.

Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Sunderland was a perfect demonstration of what the Black Cats most lack. The Reds did not play particularly well, yet won thanks to Fernando Torres.

The Spaniard’s expert finish came from the only decent chance he had all game. That is the quality Keane is scouring Europe for.

For all Kenwyne Jones’ talents, he cannot yet be described as predatory. The Wearsiders could do with such a player – but then so could most Premier League clubs. Either side of the midfield, Sunderland’s lack of depth mirrors Newcastle’s. With seven substitutes available at the Stadium of Light, Keane had just one defender to call on. In other circumstances it could be taken as a signal of positive intent but it was more an indication of the faith he has in his defenders.

Phil Bardsley was out of position at left- back and as solid as he was last season, Danny Collins is yet to convince any Sunderland manager he can be their first- choice centre-back. Boro’s need is for a central midfielder, as Saturday’s pairing of Gary O’Neil and Mohamed Shawky underlined. Justin Hoyte is still to make his debut after signing late last week and Southgate will take a decent left-back if he finds one at the right price.

But he could do with a couple of old heads to bring on alongside his talented but callow youngsters when the going gets tougher than Tottenham Hotspur made it on Saturday.