CAN WARNOCK EMULATE TODD?
COL ACHIEVEMENT MATCHED BY BOSS
THE vast majority of Boro fans will be hoping Neil Warnock carries on as
Boro boss for at least another year. He was brought in to save the Teessiders from the threat of relegation and has the experience to guide the club back up the table next season.
If Warnock emulates what Colin Todd achieved during his 15 months in charge of the club then we will all have good reason to be happy.
Like Warnock, Todd took over the helm with just a few games remaining and managed to keep the Boro out of football’s third tier.
The following season, 1990-91, Todd turned things around and guided his team to the play-offs – where he came up against Neil Warnock’s Notts County.
If Warnock stays and takes Boro into next season’s play-offs then he will have completed a transformation which more than justifies his appointment.
Jonathan Woodgate struggled for results this season and the same applied to Bruce Rioch in his final campaign in charge.
Rioch won two consecutive promotions but was unable to keep Boro’s young side in the First Division in 1989-90, when they were relegated with defeat at Sheffield Wednesday on the final day.
He tried to brighten up his side for the new campaign back in the second flight, bringing in experienced midfielder Trevor Putney and lively winger Alan Comfort.
Boro got off to a fine start, beating Wolves by 4-2 on the opening day – but the early games were dominated off the pitch by the battle to try to hold on to defender Gary Pallister.
Manchester United came prowling.
Once a big club like United wants one of one brilliant In your outcome. the players event terms Boro there following shook is usually hands tough only on negotiations. British record The for a fee defender. of £2.3m was a The Teessiders had still lost one of their best players and Pallister’s departure clearly had an unsettling effect in the dressing room. The Boro players at that time were a very tight unit, very supportive of each other and good pals on and off the pitch. With new faces appearing, and one of the regular lads leaving, there was an impact in the dressing room which created a ever widening schism as the season progressed. Rioch did go out and sign 21-yearold Simon Coleman from Mansfield Town as Pallister’s replacement. Coleman was a popular lad at the club but it’s arguable in hindsight Rioch might have opted instead for a more experienced centreback. In the event Boro started struggling for results and by the middle of November found themselves facing a second successive relegation battle.
There were one or two useful wins before and after Christmas and Rioch was given permission to spend a bit more of the Pallister cash when signing experienced centre-forward Ian Baird from Leeds United for £500,000.
However, the gap between the manager and the players had widened considerably and Baird was still awaiting his first Boro goal when Rioch was relieved of his duties on March 9.
The manager could argue he did not have the best of luck during the campaign.
Paul Kerr was injured in the opening game and sidelined for half the season, while Comfort suffered a career-ending injury in a derby game against Newcastle in early November.
Influential skipper Tony Mowbray and Putney were injured early in the New Year and missed the rest of the campaign, while full-back Colin Cooper had injury problems and struggled for fitness.
At the time of Rioch’s sacking, Boro had just lost by 2-1 at home to Watford.
They had 13 games remaining in which to try to save their Second Division skins.
It was still something of a surprise when Rioch’s No 2 Todd was named as his successor.
Todd was an extremely affable man but was virtually one of the boys, being the perfect link between Rioch and the dressing room.
If ever Rioch had issued a few strong words which might have upset one of his players, then Todd was there with soothing comments and an arm around the player’s shoulder.
Boro had deliberately taken a leaf out of a successful system at Liverpool, where every outgoing manager was succeeded by a member of his own backroom staff.
Todd had little time to get his feet under the table. Boro were at Hull the following day. Fortunately the attitude was spot on and the lads battled their way to a goalless draw.
However, the Teessiders were turned over 3-0 at home to Blackburn Rovers in their next game and the writing appeared to be on the wall.
Todd managed to keep the players’ chins up and they followed up by beating Plymouth, Baird scoring his first goal, and then Oldham.
In between, Boro had the no-smallmatter of the Zenith Data Systems Cup final against Chelsea to think about.
This was the club’s first ever Wembley appearance and, while the competition had attracted the
alternative name of the Mickey Mouse Cup, it was a big occasion on Teesside.
It was normal custom for managers to lead their teams on to the pitch at Wembley but Todd, mindful of the fact Rioch had guided the team to the Twin Towers, handed the job to injured skipper Tony Mowbray.
This magnanimous gesture was much appreciated by the fans.
Unfortunately, Boro failed to perform on the hallowed turf. The drabbest of finals ended in a 1-0 victory for Division One Chelsea.
Back to the league and Boro’s performances stuttered between good and awful over the next eight games, just as they have done at the end of this season.
It left Boro needing to beat Northeast rivals Newcastle at Ayresome in their final game if they were to avoid the drop.
To make
matters
worse,
the
Magpies still had a chance earning automatic promotion.
Jim Smith’s men needed to take all three points from the derby clash.
In the event the Boro boys did themselves proud by producing a marvellous team effort which belied virtually everything which had gone before during the season. They hammered the Geordies by 4-1 with Bernie Slaven and Baird both grabbing bracess.
So Todd and his men had kept Boro in the Second Division, if only just.
Todd made one signing towards the end of the season when signing
of
left-back Jimmy Phillips from Bolton Wanderers and made further astute signing in the summer in the form of John Wark, Robbie Mustoe and John Hendrie.
The squad bonded into a new unit in the dressing room and results were good from the start.
There were impressive wins in the first half of the campaign, notably a 6-0 drubbing of Leicester at Ayresome and a 5-2 win at Oxford, where Mustoe scored one of the goals against his former club.
Boro lost their way slightly between late February and early April with their only win being a 3-0 victory against Newcastle at Ayresome Park.
However, the Teessiders picked up the baton again – particularly at home – and, despite losing their final two fixtures at Oldham and Barnsley, finished in the play-offs.
It’s probably fair to say Todd was not always the most popular of Boro managers. His “crime” was following the much-loved Rioch into the hot seat.
Yet he did the business under trying circumstances and, even though he also lost the dressing room at the end of the day, in football terms the difference between a relegation struggle and a challenge for the play-offs is worlds apart. Todd proved new managers coming in towards the end of one season can turn things around dramatically the following year.
We dare to dream.
Todd proved new managers coming in towards the end of one season can turn things around dramatically the following year.