Source: Northern_Echo
Strachan popped out for a Tarmo – and the Estonian delivered
FORGET the Parmo, Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan nipped out for a Tarmo in the summer, and the Estonian last night ensured the Scotsman would take away all three points from arguably the biggest game of his reign on Teesside.[LNB] Tarmo Kink's second-half double secured a 2-1 win over Burnley, and prevented Boro slipping into the Championship relegation zone at a nervous and agitated Riverside.[LNB] With the Teessiders trailing to Andre Bikey's 65th-minute header, Strachan's position was becoming increasingly insecure in the wake of successive away defeats at Barnsley and QPR.[LNB] But after driving home a 79th-minute equaliser, Kink, a £650,000 signing from Hungarian side Gyori, curled in a stoppage- time free-kick to secure only Boro's second league win of the season.[LNB] Strachan's response was to leap on to the pitch to celebrate, and the Boro boss is hoping last night's victory, no matter how narrow, proves a turning point for the rest of the campaign.[LNB] I hope that's exactly what it is, said Strachan.[LNB] Hopefully, it will be a benchmark for how we go about things for the rest of the season.[LNB] There was certainly an energy there tonight. You can think too much about the game sometimes and you have to play with your heart. I think that's what happened to us.[LNB] It was a late victory, but it was well deserved. I thought there were a lot of chances for us, a lot of energy.[LNB] I think the footballing gods returned some favours tonight, because they have not been kind to the players in the last few games.[LNB] When Bikey broke the deadlock midway through the second half, Boro looked to be slipping to a defeat that could have had serious consequences given the mounting discontent that has been sweeping across Teesside in recent weeks.[LNB] Questions will still be asked if Boro fail to beat Reading at the weekend, and a crowd that contained less than 13,500 home supporters will also have been a source of considerable concern.[LNB] Nevertheless, Kink's double has eased the mounting pressure considerably, and after plucking the 24-year-old from the backwaters of the Hungarian league in the summer, Strachan deserves credit for a gamble that has already paid dividends.[LNB] We started looking at Tarmo in March last year,[LNB] said Strachan, who is likely to lose assistant manager Gary McAllister to Aston Villa before the end of the week.[LNB] He's a very sensitive lad who wants to do very well for his team-mates, but he's found the physical side of things a wee bit too much.[LNB] He's not a wee guy, that's for sure, it's just the intensity of it. If you look at the stats from when he's played, he gets far more efforts on goal than anybody else.[LNB] He's got a good shot on him. Did I fancy him when he stepped up (for the freekick)[LNB] Maybe afterwards.[LNB] Kris Boyd was the first player to move towards the ball when referee Jonathan Moss awarded a free-kick in injury time, but despite only having been on the field since the 75th minute, Kink felt bold enough to brush the Scotsman aside and demand the ball.[LNB] He overruled the players for the free-kick because Boyd was going to take it,[LNB] said Strachan. When you've scored the previous goal, you feel good about yourself, so you let the guy who's feeling good about himself take it.[LNB]
