Boro Mania

Middlesbrough have announced that, after 3 years as assistant manager, Malcolm Crosby has left the club.

The angry majority of Boro fans have been calling for boss Gareth Southgate's head for a long while now, but this back-room departure comes somewhat out of the blue. According to the report on BBC Sport, and Crosby's comments, the decision was down to Southgate. The gaffer himself has called it his hardest decision as a manager. So, the bottom line is that Southgate sacked Crosby.

In my previous article, There's only one Stevie Gibson, I touched on the subject of the replacing Crosby:

A concern that is often overlooked is the quality of the people around Southgate. As a young manager still learning his trade, he is sometimes going to need an older head to guide him. That is his assistant Malcolm Crosby’s role at the club, but how qualified is he to do it?

Perhaps Southgate would be better served asking for some advice from some of his old contacts in the game. Not least a man who has helped us out of trouble before, and who is currently unemployed, Terry Venables.

Whether Terry Venables would be interested in joining Southgate's team is doubtful, but moving Crosby on does create an opportunity for Southgate. It is a chance to bring in, or promote, a stronger number two. There is no doubting that the best managers have quality assistants. It has been a feature of Manchester United's success, with Brian Kidd, Steve McClaren and Carlos Queiroz. Pat Rice at Arsenal, Eric Black at Wigan (now Sunderland) and Steve Clark at West Ham are all recognised as being crucial to the success of their managers and clubs.

If Southgate can bring the right man in this could go a long way to solving many of the long-standing problems at the club. We struggle to defend set-pieces. We don't seem to get the best out of our players, particularly the likes of Mido and Afonso Alves. Morale at the club tends to be fragile, and this has led to some spectacular losing streaks. A strong assistant manager could redress the training methods, take some of the weight of man-management off Southgate and help instil confidence in the squad.

Of course these things are ultimately the manager's responsibility, but he clearly needs to have the right staff in place to support him. Crosby seems like a nice guy, who has clearly been a supportive, possibly fatherly, figure for Southgate. He is experienced in the game but has never had any great success and, prior to joining Boro, as reserve team manager, he had been working some pretty low profile jobs.

Crosby's comforting presence has no doubt helped Southgate to cope, personally, with the tough times this season. Crosby seems to be the sort of assistant who would put his arm around the manager after a defeat and tell him everything will be alright.

This is not what Southgate needs. He needs an assistant with a successful track record of his own, and the personal confidence that brings. He needs an assistant with his own ideas, willing to argue a point to challenge Southgate's thoughts. A commanding assistant could be absolutely crucial in Southgate's own development as a manager and, as a result, the development of Middlesbrough Football Club.

It is encouraging to see Southgate axe arguably his closest ally. This is another example to contradict popular opinion that Southgate is 'too nice' to be a manager. He has sacked his close confidant, his loyal supporter and, presumably, his friend, in order to move the club forward. It's another example to show Southgate willing to make tough choices, and to follow through on his principles. It's another example to back up why some Boro fans still think Southgate could have what it takes to be a good manager for this club, despite having taken us down.

What happens next is critical. If someone of Venables' stature could be brought in it would be a major coup. If someone is promoted internally, most likely Colin Cooper, it would be a major gamble. An option somewhere in between would be a young coach, or a retiring player, looking to make a name for himself. We have always had strong links with Manchester United. Perhaps Brian McClair, currently United's academy boss, or Gary Neville, who has been linked with Boro as a player, would fancy the challenge.

A lot of fans are still going to say Southgate himself should go, but let's face it: he's going nowhere. It is important to look forward now, and at least with this bit of news we can see that this is exactly what the boss is doing.