Source: Northern_Echo
Mowbray accepts the need to change
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Tony Mowbray prepared for tonight's trip to Burnley by having to fend off questions about comments made by both the club's owner and his managerial predecessor.[LNB] Chairman Steve Gibson, yesterday, quashed rumours the club was about to go into administration while, at the weekend, former manager Gordon Strachan held his hands up to admitting he made mistakes during his tenure at the Riverside.[LNB] But while Strachan made no attempt to reveal what those errors were, it is common knowledge that his gamble, to speculate heavily on his Scottish based contingent firing Boro back into the Premier League, failed.[LNB] It left Boro struggling at the wrong end of the Championship table, and in a relegation battle, with several of his signings stuck at the club on unsustainable wages.[LNB] It is arguably this which has brought around the unfounded administration rumours.[LNB] Mowbray, however, revealed he was never worried about the hearsay surrounding the club as his boss had reassured the rumours were unfounded.[LNB] In my own mind I was pretty confident we were not going to go into administration, said Mowbray who is looking to extend Boro's unbeaten run to eight games at Turf Moor tonight. I heard those rumours muted around but I never thought that was ever going to come into the equation.[LNB] The people at this football club are pretty open and honest and that's the way it works. Steve (Gibson) and Keith (Lamb) have kept me in the picture.[LNB] And for the wider picture it is good for our supporters to know this. Hopefully the chairman has created some transparency with the supporters.[LNB] It gives them piece of mind from his angle rather than just my angle to where we are as a club and what work needs to be done before we can move on.[LNB] It is generally acknowledged by everyone surrounding the club that some of Boro's high earners will have to leave the Riverside if the Teessiders are to be economically viable next term.[LNB] And speculation will be rife among Boro supporters as to which players will be leaving and who will be staying.[LNB] Mowbray added to that conjecture when he made it known he may keep one or two of the club's high earners if he felt they were essential for the cause.[LNB] We'll still have a very competitive wage structure within this league, said the Boro boss. The secret is to manipulate it so that you're spending the money on the right areas of the pitch.[LNB] I think the chairman would expect me to manipulate the finances if I wanted to keep someone on X amount of pounds. He would probably say you can have that player but you'll have to makes sacrifices (on another player) elsewhere.[LNB] Boro are taking a 21 man squad to Burnley for tonight's contest.[LNB] Youngster Adam Reach has been rewarded for his good performances in the reserves recently and is included. He will be joined by Julio Arca, Matthew Bates and Leroy Lita, while Marvin Emnes has one match of his suspension to go.[LNB]
