Gordon Strachan calls for new blood

Oct 30 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

NEW Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan has become a phone pest this week after Jérémie Aliadière went under the knife.

The Frenchman had an ankle operation in London on Monday and will be missing for the next six weeks.

With the Scot already on the look-out for new players, his need for strikers has increased, causing some rival managers to have their down-time interrupted.

“It is a difficult time, with most clubs you would be planning a year ahead,” said Strachan of the task facing him at the Riverside.

“I am looking for players rather than managers ringing me up and asking about my ones.

“I am thinking about ringing up a manager at 8.30pm and then I think, ‘What if he is sitting at home in front of the TV with his wife and kids?’ I have been there myself.

“Everyone is in the same boat, but it is an unusual experience for me, having to ring up and ask for players.”

Strikers Federico Macheda, Kevin Phillips and Chris Iwelumo are all thought to be on Strachan’s shopping list, along with Hayden Mullins, Jack Wilshere, Kyle Naughton, Andy Griffin, Marc Albrighton and Isaiah Osbourne.

How do we know? Because Strachan was photographed holding a list with their names on.

Yesterday the former Celtic manager did his best to muddy the waters.

“I had a huge folder with about 30 pieces of paper in it and you have to decide if that is my list or somebody else’s,” he said as cryptically as he could manage. “If you go to any football club you will find various lists of players dotted around all over the place. It is unfortunate it happened.”

What he was not disguising, though, was the need for reinforcements.