Middlesbrough 0 West Bromwich Albion 1
Sep 29 2008 by Chris Lepkowski
TONY Mowbray doesn’t normally hang around.
He’s asked questions by the media after matches, he answers them, switfly rises to his feet, heads for the nearest exit and we all go home with quotes coming out of our ears.
Everyone’s happy.
Only there was more on Saturday, after Jonas Olsson’s goal earned Albion their first win at Middlesbrough for 56 years - Queen Elizabeth II had only been on the throne for a few days when George Lee netted that winner back in 1952.
Mowbray waited until the end of his post-match press conference. No more questions? We all started to rise from our seats.
The Albion boss had other ideas. He grabbed the microphone like a crooner preparing for his final number of the night. He had more to say.
He wanted to talk about the defence. A defence which hasn’t conceded an away League goal since at Arsenal in mid-August, more than 266 minutes ago.
Mowbray said: “Before I go...I’m pleased we are talking about our defence because I get sick of speaking about our attacking players and midfielders. There are days when the defenders and keeper need to rise to the occasion - they did today.”
The Baggies boss chose his moment appropriately. Mowbray is treated like a modern day John The Baptist up in Middlesbrough. They wanted to speak to him, touch him, some just wanted to see him in the flesh. There are mosaics, pictures, photos with his image. 1986 remains fresh in the mind at Boro - although the hi-lights did not suit him one little bit.
He earned that iconic status because he marshalled a superb defence from the heart of its spine.
And, try as you might, one could never start describing his Albion backline in such complimentary tones.
A creative midfield, yes. Strikers who score goals, certainly. A sturdy defence, not so sure.
Scott Carson is a probable contender for England’s No1 jersey. But then when do England managers conform to logic - just ask Derek Statham.
In front of Carson is goalscorer Olsson, who hit the post with an earlier chance, but shows excellent composure and ability to bring the ball out of defence by passing the ball, rather than resorting to more rudimentary methods. His goal came when he turned in Ishmael Miller’s hooked pass over the line. His presence at Albion’s corners suggests he may be a useful outlet, not least as he helped to create his goal by putting pressure on Turnbull just before Miller returned the ball.
Ryan Donk took longer to settle. He allowed Afonso Alves far too much time and space early on but grew in confidence and, by the end of the game, was looking as comfortable and accomplished as the full-backs Paul Robinson and the outstanding Gianni Zuiverloon, who is fast becoming an institution in the Baggies backline. Not for many years has a player settled in so quickly into a defensive role.
Albion’s win remains tarred by the desperate injury to Do-Heon Kim. The Korean slipped as he turned to race onto a pass. He hadn’t even touched the ball during his 30 seconds of action. It looked bad.
Elsewhere, there was no shortage of action. Boro hit the bar through Alves, while Olsson hit the post for Albion.
Carson denied the home side with three outstanding saves at various stages of the game. Up front, Roman Bednar produced an outstanding shift. His energy, enthusiasm and desire was remarkable. Having played as a lone striker for the first half, he was joined by Ishmael Miller for the second, reopening the debate about the 451 v 442.
The midfield underperformed on the whole. Greening and Koren were low-key and wasteful, while James Morrison, though he stopped two on the line, was simply trying too hard. Borja Valero was the pick of the four with some excellent creative play.
Miller replaced MacDonald and looked the part, yet he ended the day slumped on his back, listening to jeers and abuse. The striker missed three chances when, on two occasions, he had options to pass to unmarked colleagues Bednar and Borja. He opted to shoot. His choice - it was wrong, but those were brave decisions. Selfish, yes - but Miller is a striker.
His decision to go alone drew heavy criticism from a section of away fans. His first mistake was to not pass to an unmarked Bednar. His next two chances were more down to an exasperated striker wanting, desperately, to open his account for the season. He will learn. Now isn’t the time to ruin his confidence, which is grave danger of falling away if he continues to receive such stinging criticism from his own fans.
Importantly, Miller is still willing to take on the challenge of scoring goals and, to his credit, had the measure of David Wheater and Robert Huth on several occasions.
On a brighter note, Albion can look back on their second consecutive away clean sheet. Who’d have imagined that we’d be talking about Albion’s defence a few months ago?
