Boro Mania

After 27 years supporting Middlesbrough Football Club, I could be forgiven for thinking I had seen it all. Cup finals, relegations, promotions. Liquidation, Europe. Memorable victories and crushing defeats. I thought nothing about the club would ever truly surprise me again. Tuesday night, I was proven wrong.

For the first time in his reign as Chairman, Steve Gibson has sacked a manager. In the face of indifferent form, supporter disquiet and dwindling home attendances, he has taken brutally decisive action. Not even a comfortable win over Derby was enough to buy Gareth Southgate a stay of execution, and Gibson barely gave the manager time to enjoy the victory before breaking the bad news.

Gibson has revealed that he made the decision about three weeks ago, and has a strategy in place for life after Southgate. In other words, the chairman has an ace up his sleeve: a new man to take the club forward.

The question is "Who?"

There have already been several candidates touted, falling in to four distinct categories: the veterans, the proven, the unproven and the rookies.

Amongst the veterans is Gordon Strachan, who apparently is the favourite for the job. Other older managers who have been mentioned include Terry Venables, Graeme Souness and, incredulously, Kevin Keegan. Venables would be a fairly popular choice, having successfully helped save the club from relegation in the latter stages of Bryan Robson's reign. The biggest doubt is whether he has the appetite for a return to club management, and whether he could be considered a long-term solution.

Strachan and Souness both have the fiery side that Southgate so lacks as a manager. Fans who believe that a good kick up the arse is crucial to players' motivation would favour one of these Scots. However, neither of them actually have the greatest of track records. If you write off his time at Celtic (on the grounds of it being in the SPL and, therefore, completely pointless), Strachan has had an indifferent managerial career. 'Indifferent' could also be applied to Souness' career, although many more cultured observers prefer the term 'shite.' Keegan? At least it would wind the Geordies up, but he is hardly a reliable option.

The proven candidates include Steve Coppell, Alan Curbishley and Paul Jewell. Each of these is available and each of them has had success at taking clubs from the Championship to the Premier League on limited budgets. They are, on the face of it, prime candidates for the job. Coppell in particular may be interested in getting back in to management with Boro. Being young, talented and English, he suits us and, being an ambitious little-big club, we suit him. He did an excellent job at Reading, putting together a solid team capable of playing attractive football and competing with the best.

Curbishley and Jewell are both less suited to the job. Curbishley has aspirations beyond the realms Boro can offer him: he sees himself as a big-name manager, deserving of a top job and formerly a candidate for the England job. Curbishley would see Boro as a step back to his Charlton days. Yes, he has done it before, but does he have the appetite to do that sort of job again? Jewell has a questionable track record, having done well at Wigan but struggling in other jobs, particularly at Derby County.

Big Nigel Pearson is top of the unproven list, ahead of the likes of Paul Ince. The former Boro captain is a like a bigger, harder, less waffy version of the departed Southgate. He gives the impression of commanding respect, something which Southgate never did, and he seems increasingly to be earning a glowing reputation in the game. However, it would be a gamble to appoint one so young, who is still cutting his teeth at this level. In any case, Milan Mandaric, his chairman at Leicester, has already issued a strong 'hands off' warning. Ince has only just gone back to MK Dons, and is unlikely to want to leave them again so soon. We probably wouldn't want him anyway - what does he offer that Southgate didn't?

Let's remember that our last three bosses have all been new to management. Will Gibson do the same again? Will he look for a Robson-esque big name appointment to get fans flocking back through the turnstiles? The rookie that stands out is Juninho. The Little Fella's place in the hearts of the Teesside faithful is as secure now as it ever was, and he remains the most popular character ever associated with this club. Of course, he has no managerial credentials whatsoever. Of course, an unsuccessful stint as manager could tarnish the great memories he has already given us. But that's no different to Southgate, and Gibson gave him the job!

Perhaps Fabrizio Ravanelli - who has his coaching badges and has previously stated his ambition to get in to management - is a more realistic 'big name' candidate. Would he do a good job? Who knows - there is no field of reference in which to assess him, or Juninho, as a potential manager. As romantic an idea as it is, the initial excitement of such an appointment would always be overshadowed by the impending dread of another rookie manager taking the reins. Now, surely, is the time for someone with some experience.

Having said that, Southgate hasn't left us in bad shape and whoever comes in has a great opportunity. We are only a point from the top of the table. We have the makings of a very good squad for this level, including some of the league's best players: Adam Johnson, Gary O'Neil and David Wheater. Keeping these players in January will be one of the new man's most important tasks. Perhaps bringing in a new striker in January is another. Without doubt, cutting out the sloppy defending and sorting out the home form will also be on the list. Those four points make up a straight-forward to do list for the new gaffer, and once they are all ticked off, promotion should follow.

The relegation will always characterise Southgate's time in charge, but the context should not be forgotten. Southgate took over with the club in economic free-fall. He oversaw a major restructure, streamlining the playing squad and the backroom staff, selling off big-names, promoting academy prospects and making the club viable long-term. He managed the club through an impossibly difficult period with dignity, integrity and honesty and that, if nothing else, should be respected.

Perhaps Southgate would have got us promoted this season, perhaps not. There was nothing wrong with his footballing philosophies, and the courage of his convictions was admirable. On the negative side, he never convinced us of his tactical nous. He seemed unable to influence a game with substitutions or tactical changes, and some of his transfer dealings have rightly been criticised - particularly signing Afonso Alves and selling Lee Cattermole.

As a young manager learning his trade some of these things can be forgiven, but there are few Boro fans genuinely disappointed to see Southgate go. Three years is a long time to still be learning and, for Southgate, it was too long. Gibson - the most patient chairman in the league - has finally lost his patience, and Southgate has gone. Only time will tell whether this is for the best.