Gordon Strachan faces the toughest test of his Middlesbrough reign away to league leaders QPR this afternoon.
Boro have failed to live up to their pre-season tag as promotion favourites and languish in 16th place after four games and were knocked out of the Carling Cup at Millwall.
In contrast QPR have made a flying start under Neil Warnock with Strachan admitting that the larger than life Yorshireman is something of a guru when it comes to The Championship.
Looking at his opposite number for today’s game the Boro boss said: “He is a character. He is the king in this league. He has a terrific record of getting teams promoted from this league. He knows it like the back of his hand.
“Like us, QPR have had some financial backing during the summer. They’ve started the season better than ourselves, so it will be a test.
“But we have a lot of players who can handle different situations and hopefully we’ll go there with confidence.”
Strachan has injury doubts over Barry Robson and Kris Boyd after midweek international duty with the former Rangers striker struggling to make an impact away from Ibrox.
One goal in four games wasn’t the return anticipated when Boyd was signed to team up with Scott McDonald who returned to the Australian national side last Friday for the 0-0 draw with Switzerland.
After the trip to Loftus Road ‘Boro are at home to Burnley and Reading in the space of four days knowing that anything less than full points is likely to increase the pressure on Strachan and his SPL imports.
The Boro boss admitted: “We’ve not started great and we need people to stand up and be counted and we knew we can rely on people like big Mick and Robbo.
“We’ve now got three games in eight days and we’re looking forward to them. We can move quickly up the table, or make slower progress. It’s a test, and it’s an exciting time for the players.
Strachan wouldn’t be Strachan without a wacky quip with his contempt for the newspaper business as obvious as ever.
Discussing Scotland’s win over Lichtenstein he said: “Robbo delivered the ball and you’ve got to be brave enough to put a head on it and that’s what Mick did.
“That saved the nation and saved the headlines. If they hadn’t got the goal half the Amazon rainforest would have gone to make the Scottish newspapers.”
UPDATE: Middlesbrough lost 3-0 at QPR with all of the goals coming in a ten minute spell early in the second half.
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Gordon Strachan is a pox. He is the reason Celtic are now in such a mess – Mogga actually had little to do with it. Despite the titles, Strachans teams were wishy-washy &.
He was snide and adolescent with the players and the press and most of all the fans. He never attempted to respect Celtic for what it was – something bigger than the players, the fans and the manager.
His record against Rangers was abysmal and his training field antics, pre-game prep and gameday antics (incl. that G Pendry thing before a substitution with all of the paper and diagrams etc. – was comical). 16th in the championship is tae good for him. Remember Telfer………..
I wouldn’t go as far as saying mogga had nothing to do with it, he was crap too!
Fingal mate,
I could not have summed it up better myself,wishy-washy so true, Smith had the measure of him,
The East is Green.
Strachan was the most successful manager we’ve had since Big Jock, if you want to live in denial of that, that’s your option.
Gordon walked into a side that was walking out and had a brief to down size having to replace basically an entire team on a pitance, and imo he done a miraculous job.
MO’N walk out on the club leaving us in a shocking financial state, and WGS was left to pick up the pieces.
I wont list his achievements as I sure we are all fully aware, but if it wasn’t for Murray taking Lawwwell for the total mug he is, in WGSs last season in charge and supporters who were against Strachan before a ball was kicked, the same ones who had the hypocrisy and sheer brassneck to be dancing in the street after each and every one of his three leagues in a row, it would have been four.
Supporters like you Fingal got exactly what you deserved, Tony Mobray!!!