Strachan era still looking for lift-off

Nov 23 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

SO much for the Boro bounce. Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson spoke of a renewal of hope and optimism after the axe fell on the luckless Gareth Southgate.

But the truth is the Gordon Strachan era is struggling for lift-off. Had it not been for the presence of the fiery Scot in the dug out and a post-match press conference of typically lacerating honesty, it would have been difficult to tell this tepid collapse from the string of Riverside disappointments which accounted for Southgate.

Even an early goal couldn’t help Boro to rediscover their supposed Premier League pedigree. Leroy Lita’s fifth minute opener was the perfect springboard but the subsequent performance was more like an ugly belly flop as Billy Davies’ laudably inventive Nottingham Forest dominated the game.

Boro’s period of ascendancy lasted about a quarter of an hour. Beginning with the Lita goal - the result of excellent work by Adam Johnson to supply Julio Arca for a parried shot that the striker gratefully swept home – it ended with a couple of pot shots that in truth never really troubled Lee Camp’s goal.

Forest were equally disjointed in the first half – “The poorest we’ve played under me,” was Davies’ assessment – but got their act together in the second period. Right winger Paul Anderson was the creator-in-chief, providing the ammunition for Joe Garner to hammer a shot against Johnson’s hand in one hotly contested passage of play.

Brad Jones, inspired throughout, made three superb saves to deny Forest but it was only delaying the inevitable. It took substitute Rob Earnshaw, that scourge of second tier defences, to provide the parity that Forest’s play deserved.

David Wheater – stripped of the captaincy and struggling for form – handled clumsily on the edge of the box and the Wales striker curled a wonderful free-kick past Jones. There were muffled boos at the end as the Riverside faithful endured another weary afternoon. With only one win in six, and some truly insipid performances buried in that sequence, it is no surprise they are feeling worn down.

Strachan’s mere presence has not provided the instant lift, but he is in it for the long haul and there was no sense of panic as he delivered a downbeat post-match message. “Forest played well, and that was the worst we’ve played since I’ve been here,” he admitted. “My only concern right now is making us a more rounded team and a better team. That’s my concern at the moment.

“Wherever we end up at the end of the season, que sera sera. At the moment, we have to try to find a formula or a formation that makes us more of a goal threat. It’s not happening at the moment, and I can’t really put my finger on why.” Boro need a few more like Emmanuel Pogatetz, the defender who ended the game with a bandage wrapped tightly round his head after taking another whack to the head. Already playing with a plastic face mask to protect a shattered cheekbone, his performance was one of the best in a red and white shirt and that determination is mirrored by a belief that Boro will go up.

“I’m definitely optimistic. We’re not playing very badly, we just can’t get points,” Pogatetz said. “Before we were playing well but struggling to score, and this time we scored early and then we didn’t play well! We just have to put those two things together to start winning. I’m really confident because I know the quality we have and the work the manager is doing – the only problem is that we don’t have a lot of time.

“We have to start picking up three points in the next game. We’re now mid-table and although it’s still close, the gap is getting a little bit bigger every week.”

MIDDLESBROUGH: Jones, Williams, Wheater, St. Ledger, Pogatetz, Arca (Digard 66), O’Neil, Osbourne, Johnson, Lita (Franks 76), Kitson (Bent 57). Subs (not used): Coyne, Taylor, Yeates, McMahon.

Booked: Osbourne, Williams.

Goals: Lita 5.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST: Camp, Gunter, Cohen, Morgan, Wilson, Garner (McCleary 65), Anderson, McKenna, Moussi, Adebola (Blackstock 80), McGoldrick (Earnshaw 57). Subs (not used): Smith, Chambers, McGugan, Majewski.

Booked: McKenna, Cohen. Goals: Earnshaw 73.

Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire) Attendance: 22,710