Source: Daily_Mail
Middlesbrough work on training ground plan to thwart Rory's rockets at Stoke
Middlesbrough [LNB]have come up with a new way of dealing with Rory Delap's long throw-ins.[LNB]Manager Gareth Southgate has handed one of the club's academy players the task of replicating Delap's infamous throws in to the area and even changed the club's training pitch dimensions in preparation for Saturday's visit to Stoke City[LNB]'s Britannia Stadium.[LNB]The Boro boss said: 'We have had one of the young lads hurling long throws at into the box and we have had the training pitch set up so that it is the same dimension as Stoke's because they have narrowed their pitch.[LNB] Heads up: Rory Delap launches a long throw[LNB]'We'd be foolish not to prepare properly for situations like that. We have to highlight the problems we might face, whether it has any effect on a Saturday remains to be seen.[LNB]'Set plays are something that have cost us. We have players that should relish that challenge. I'm confident that Saturday is a game when defenders should live up to it and relish it.'[LNB] VIDEO SPECIAL: Sportsmail remembers Newcastle and Blackpool legend Alan Suddick with the best banana shots ever [LNB]MIDDLESBROUGH FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB]ALL THE WEEKEND TEAM NEWS IN THE BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE [LNB]This is your moment! Sportsmail's club-by-club guide to the incidents that defined your team's Premier League season[LNB][LNB]Southgate has again faced laughable rumours that he is on his way out of the Riverside Stadium this week and that chairman Steve Gibson is considering bringing in extra help, as he did when Terry Venables came in to assist Bryan Robson a decade ago.[LNB]With absolute support from Gibson and chief executive Keith Lamb, Southgate is under no pressure in the boardroom, but supporters may not feel the same if he cannot pull Boro out of the bottom three.[LNB]Support: Gareth Southgate[LNB]Southgate added: 'You can't ignore it but it doesn't bother me because I know the situation. People are going to question your position but we get on with our job.[LNB]'We have the complete backing of everyone here. We will give it every ounce of energy to do the job. We understand the speculation and it doesn't concern us. We are focused on what we have to do to and we are determined to plot through it.[LNB]'We have very resilient people here. It would be easy to get down about things and it can be a negative place, it's the nature of society and we tend to highlight problems in every walk of life.[LNB]'People have to lead and stand up and be counted. That's what we have to do as people and staff and we are very united. The players don't know all the answers because of the age of the squad but they are giving everything.[LNB]'We have to give everything we have got for the next nine games and we are focused on doing that. We will find out a lot about ourselves.[LNB]'The important thing is to get this club through this and focus on the long term. I don't need any public backing, I know the support I have here. That's crucial because as a manager you need to know that everyone is with you.'[LNB] VIDEO SPECIAL: Sportsmail remembers Newcastle and Blackpool legend Alan Suddick with the best banana shots ever [LNB]MIDDLESBROUGH FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB]ALL THE WEEKEND TEAM NEWS IN THE BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE [LNB]This is your moment! Sportsmail's club-by-club guide to the incidents that defined your team's Premier League season[LNB]
