Source: Northern_Echo
Boro boss gags his players
GARETH Southgate barred his players from speaking after a crushing defeat by West Brom that left the Middlesbrough manager feeling like he had been hit by “a sledgehammer.”
Having regularly been rolled out to discuss Boro’s failings after defeats during his playing days, Southgate wanted all the criticism to come his way after being stunned by the manner of his side’s second league defeat of the campaign.
It is by no means a disaster at the Riverside Stadium. Middlesbrough may have lost 5-0 but they remain third in the table, four points adrift of their conquerors and the division’s pacesetters.
But Southgate wanted none of his players to give their reasons for such a sorry display against a team who were made to look like world beaters.
The Boro manager expects more from his players and, while trying to remain as positive as he could, he accepted that certain members of his team had failed to perform in the club’s biggest match of the season to date.
“I think that when you are playing well then it is easy for everyone to play.
“When things are not going so well then you have to show character, dig in and make sure that if it is 3-0 it does not become any more. We weren’t able to do that,” said Southgate.
“I have to be careful when I say we will learn from that because lots of people will say we should have learned by now.
But for this team the first few games have all been an upward curve and they have been hit by a sledgehammer. It will be interesting to see how everyone responds to it.
“Clearly West Brom are going to be one of the main challengers this season, Newcastle are and we are.
“But I have said all along that there are about eight teams who are serious contenders for automatic promotion.
You won’t have a season of 46 games where there won’t be hiccups along the way.”
During Southgate’s playing days he was at Middlesbrough when a young Northern Irish teenager emerged from the ranks with a growing reputation.
Despite being highly-rated, Chris Brunt never had the opportunity to play for Boro’s first team because he had Stewart Downing ahead of him.
And, in the year Southgate lifted the Carling Cup in Cardiff, Brunt was allowed to join Sheffield Wednesday.
Five years on, courtesy of a £3.5m switch to the Hawthorns in 2007, the 24-year-old was on hand to score the opening two goals for West Brom on his first appearance at the Riverside since starring for Boro’s reserves.
“It was a dream performance,”
he said. “It couldn’t have gone any better for us. We thought we could come here and win but no-one expected to score five goals here.
“It could have gone either way early on but once we got the first one we were on top all of the way.
“I can’t thank them (Boro) enough for my development. If I hadn’t been here I wouldn’t have been the player I am now.
Stewy Downing was only a year older than me and in the same position so that was a big factor in my departure.
“Obviously I was sorry to leave and you will always feel you have a point to prove but there is nothing bitter or anything like that. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Middlesbrough and thank them wholeheartedly for everything they have done for me.”
Many observers always expected that West Brom would be the main threat to Middlesbrough and Newcastle’s attempts to win promotion this season. The Baggies’ display on Teesside will have been noted across the country, not just by the rivers Tees and Tyne.
“Hopefully it sends out a big message,” said Brunt. “We are not going to get carried away because we know Boro could have got the first goal. We are delighted with this and other teams will notice this result I'm sure."
