RELAX? DON’T DO IT
Boss Pulis tells his stars that if they step off the gas they’re Boro history
vTONY PULIS has warned his stars that football is the wrong game for them if they think they can ever take their foot off the throttle.
The Boro boss saw his side hammered by Aston Villa at the Riverside last weekend and is urging them to bounce back against Blackburn, managed by former Boro gaffer Tony Mowbray.
Two matches without a win have seen Boro slip out of the automatic promotion places into a battle in the play-off zone. And Pulis clearly feels his players were resting on their laurels.
“Football is a competitive business – if players are feeling relaxed they shouldn’t be in the game,” he said. “Everything should be as competitive as possible.
“If we bring in new players, the players here should be thinking their place is safe because they’ve done so well.”
Mowbray, a former Boro captain, will be given a warm welcome back on Teesside where he managed amid tight financial constraints.
Boro winger Stewart Downing recalled: “He took over in difficult circumstances and didn’t have a big pot of money to spend.
“He did very well with what he had and the resources he had.”
And Pulis also gave Mowbray the thumbs-up for the job he did at the Riverside.
“He picked up quite a bit of mess and really worked tremendously hard to clear that out,” he said.
Pulis will stick by keeper Darren Randolph after his blunder cost a goal against Villa. “He’s been fantastic all season,” Pulis said.
“He’s made a couple of mistakes but he’s in a position where mistakes are magnified. In goal if you make mistakes nine times out of 10 they’re punished.” Andy Mangan and Harvey Rodgers return from injury for Stanley. Sunderland hope Chris Maguire is fit but Lee Cattermole misses out. Wimbledon miss Kwesi Appiah and Anthony Wordsworth while Deji Oshilaja’s a doubt. Rochdale have no new injury doubts. Blackpool’s Jimmy Ryan and Max Clayton are the only absentees. Charlton remain without four players due to injury. Bristol Rovers have no fresh injury worries. Doncaster are without Joe Wright (ankle) while Will Longbottom is unavailable. Burton are without injured quartet Ben Fox, Ben Turner, David Templeton and Marvin Sordell. Shrewsbury have no fresh injury worries. Luke Berry (knee) is the only absentee for Luton. Fleetwood have no new injury concerns but Bobby Grant has been loaned out. Posh have no fresh injury concerns. Oxford hope Ricky Holmes (back) can feature while James Henry (illness) will be monitored. Plymouth continue to be without Gary Sawyer and Scott Wootton. Bradford will miss Sean Scannell (back) who is sidelined. Dion Donohue misses out for Portsmouth. Southend are without 10 players through injury including Simon Cox and Jason Demetriou.