Boro A Manager

Should Gareth Southgate be the Middlesborough manager? Now that the World Cup hasn't started yet, there is nothing much to blog about other than transfer speculations and Wayne's foot. So it's a good breathe of freash air that Middlesborough have come up with and idea to challange the FAs managerial rules in the Premier League.

In experienced, unqualified and unproven are just some of the words describing Southgate. At 35, he is very young to be a manager of a top flight club, especially one which had improved so much over the last few seasons from relegation candidates to well-beaten in the UEFA cup final. Nevertheless, they did made it to the UEFA Cup final. The most recent manager to have stepped up from player to manager in the English Premier League was probably Chris Coleman. The latter has had it tough - working in a small club when all his big names want to leave and no one wants to join. Heskey might be a big-name going to the club this summer, which I still find intriguing that the goal-shy striker has such high-demand, but that is another story.

Back to the story: and so there was no one to take the job at Middlesborough, the Boro board have handed the gaffer's job to their central defender. Boro have ever right to argue to the FA that Southgate is the man for the job, with the Premier League bending the rules for Glenn Roeder to take charge at Newcastle. So if there is one unqualified manager, why not have two?

But here is my argument for Mr Southgate, like Coleman, was in his team for a long time, he knows all the players through and through. He knows the club, the fans, the system. That makes up for his coaching certificate he lacks that any Tom, Dick and Harry can qualify for. So although Coleman isn't exactly the shining example for coaches to make the step-up, he still saved relegation-threatened Fulham to escape the drop over and over again. That is because he knows the club, and knows the players. I believe Mr Southgate can do the same job. And following from Coleman's lead, there is no reason why Southgate cannot get his required coaching license in due course whilst he is manager at Middlesborough. He would be qualified sooner, if not later, so what is the big fuss all about now?

Right now, I am for Mr Southgate to take the top coaching job at Boro. But I think the bigger problem for Middlesborough was losing a central defender rather than gaining a manager!

Picture: http://www.carling.com/football/middlesbrough-fc/gareth-southgate.html