Lone striker system stays, says Tony Mowbray

Sep 25 2008 By Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail

TONY Mowbray has admitted that his mind is set on a continuation of playing a lone frontman with the emphasis very much on a fluid midfield driving his team.

Albion travel to The Riverside this weekend looking to end a barren run at Middlesbrough stretching back to February 1952 – an incredible 56-and-a-half years ago – in a run which has seen them lose 14 and draw six of the 20 trips since.

They will do so with Roman Bedar more than likely leading the attack after Mowbray explained he does not have the personnel available yet to play 4-4-2.

“Football is all about balance,’’ Mowbray said. “We haven’t got a striker I feel can play alongside either Roman Bednar, Ishmael Miller or Luke Moore.

“Last year Kevin Phillips was a different type of striker.

“With due respect to our strikers I am not sure Roman could play as an attacking midfielder, or has Ishmael Miller got the work ethic to be an attacking midfielder, a third midfielder who drops deep a la Robbie Keane or Wayne Rooney?

“I am not sure he has. He likes to stand up against the last man and show how strong and fast he is running behind.

“So it is not as simple as not playing Bednar and Miller, or Bednar and Moore, or Miller and Moore because we haven’t got a midfielder who, in my opinion, would handle 4-4-2 against most teams in the Premiership very well.”

Albion were close to bringing in a deep-lying forward at the end of the summer window and it seems more than likely they will dip into the market for that type of player in January.

Mowbray said: “We worked extremely hard to try to bring a different type of striker in that would have allowed us to play that sort of way (4-4-2).

“We can play 4-4-2 and in my mind the team will have to edge towards that at times.

“Football is a 90-minute game. Whether you start with one up front and finish with two, or three up front... that’s how I see football.”

Mowbray actually questions whether any top-flight side actually plays with two out-and-out strikers with teams each set up with their own individual systems.

“It’s easy for people to ask the question but I could say: ‘Look at any team in the Premier League and you can’t tell me Manchester United play 4-4-2’.

“You could argue they do because they play Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney but Rooney plays left wing some games and plays as a roving midfielder in others.

“The midfield area is a crucial part of any football pitch.

“Everybody has got different styles of play but teams who like to control football games must have control of midfield.

“I am not saying we are Chelsea or Manchester United or Arsenal but if you look at it they all play three in midfield or five in midfield... it is all about getting the balance.”