Pogatetz pleased to say good riddance to 2009

01 January 2010 09:59
WHILE Gordon Strachan will attempt to ease Middlesbrough's striker crisis next week, one of his defenders hopes to start the new year on the right footing after enduring the worst 12 months of his career.[LNB] A frustrated Emanuel Pogatetz will be sat in the stands once again, when Manchester City head for Teesside tomorrow intent on avoiding an FA Cup third round shock.[LNB] Ideally the Austrian would have been playing, having found himself on the treatment table more than the training pitch in the last 12 months he is eager to taste a more enjoyable 2010.[LNB] Pogatetz might be missing, with hamstring trouble which prevented him from playing at Barnsley on Monday, but he is hoping once his latest injury setback disappears that next year will be a completely different scenario.[LNB] For me I can't wait to see the back of it, said Pogatetz.[LNB] It was a horrible, horrible year and all I can hope is that 2010 will get better. But that won't be hard for me.[LNB] The knee injury came at a very bad moment. I carried the injury from last Christmas so it had a lasting impact on me. It was at the end of the season when I couldn't play anymore. I couldn't perform how I wanted. It was my left knee, it needed a second operation on it and it's been really difficult to get back.[LNB] If having to undergo surgery wasn't enough for Pogatetz, he then suffered relegation in May, when he felt his Premier League dream come crashing down around him.[LNB] I turn 27 in January. 2009 was not the worst, maybe it was, but it was certainly one of the toughest for me, he said.[LNB] When you are young you work hard and all you think about is the games and the performances. This year was the first I have had to really think about health and injuries a lot. I just hope I'm over the major injuries now.[LNB] The relegation was a big disappointment, then there was the injury I picked up which took me a long time to get back on track. Those were the two big things and it never really got any better.[LNB] Even when Boro started life in the Championship impressively, Pogatetz was still going through his rehabilitation.[LNB] When he eventually returned, he fractured a cheekbone in the defeat to Plymouth, leaving him out of action for a further three weeks.[LNB] And just when he thought the injury pain was behind him after playing seven consecutive matches with a protective mask on, he limped out of last weekend's win over Scunthorpe with a hamstring tear.[LNB] He is, though, confident of brighter times ahead and feels that under Strachan he has a manager that can bring the best out of him in the future.[LNB] I like his style. He is really tough on discipline and wants players to work hard. He wants to trust players and that is all the things I don't have a problem with, said Pogatetz.[LNB] The only downside I can see since he came is that we have not had the results and that makes everything more difficult through the week.[LNB] But I'm sure it will turn.[LNB] His approach shocked one or two, but everyone has had to adjust to the new manager's style. We have a lot of young players that didn't know anything different to Gareth Southgate. When the new manager came in a few things changed and players have had to adapt but by now everyone knows what the gaffer wants.[LNB] Pogatetz claims promotion is still on this season, despite the defeat to Barnsley leaving Boro five points behind the play-offs and 13 adrift of second- placed West Brom.[LNB] The FA Cup has come at a nice time for the club, with Strachan shy of options and he is looking to bring new faces in during the first week of the transfer window, opening tomorrow.[LNB] Pogatetz was speaking as he handed out presents to children selected as part of a Golden Ticket programme at the Riverside Stadium.[LNB]

Source: Northern_Echo