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Striker debate a non-starter - Date: 15 Oct 2009

The lack of Championship action over the past ten days or so has been reflected in the stories dredged out in the local media with regards to all things Boro.

A craftily dragged out three-part interview between the Gazette’s ‘Mr Boro’ Eric Paylor and Gareth Southgate no doubt eased the pressure on the sports editor to fill the gaps, while this week’s fare has come from the mouth of coach Steve Agnew, who is allowing the Gate’s vocal chords to take a well-earned rest following his mammoth jabber session last week.

However it appears Agnew is not handing us his own personal opinion on goings on at the Riverside, but taking over a manuscript of the club’s propaganda from Southgate as he logged off on Friday tea-time.

Having told us how the players are in peak physical condition and quite rightly lavishing praise on Sean St Ledger’s progress since joining the club – perfectly timed to be printed on the back of his fine goal against Italy in the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifier on Saturday – Agnew has strangely lauded the strength of Boro’s attacking options.

Maybe I am reading it wrong and Agnew is potentially saying the current crop of hitmen are all that bad that any two of them could find themselves picked in the starting XI if they manage to bag a goal here or there in the coming games?

However the fact he used the phrase ‘terrific pace’ when highlighting Marvin Emnes and Jeremie Aliadiere’s attributes suggests to me that Agnew rates them. The trouble is that is all they really do bring to the table.

A wonder strike at Swansea apart, Emnes has done nothing to tell me he is worthy of a place in our forward line. One goal in 11 games is not the hallmark of a striker who could fire a club to promotion, while his inability to trap a football never ceases to amuse me either.

Aliadiere’s glut of three goals in two Championship games in September appears to have been a false dawn as he slipped back into his old habits in more recent matches. By that I mean simply failing to beat the opposition goalkeeper when totally unopposed and through on goal.

Then we have Caleb Folan, who played about an hour for us against West Brom before later tearing his hamstring in training. The loan man won’t be back for a few more weeks which will give the fans enough time to decide if he really is a hybrid of Brian Deane and Afonso Alves.

It only really leaves Leroy Lita as the other option – I’m ignoring Agnew’s mention of Jon Franks at the moment – and he looks like the only concrete starter for my money.

His goal(s) against Reading showed a true cross-section of his abilities from diverting a goal bound header into the net from one yard off his chin, to turning two defenders, running 50 yards and confidently beating the keeper.

As he gets fitter, Lita looks like he could get a few goals for us this season without wanting to put my usual kiss of death on the lad. (Cue for Lita to go on a 25-game scoring drought!)

So as Agnew hails our striker options to try and brainwash us that going for another loan signing when Folan got injured really was a great idea, what I have deduced from the article is that Lita is a definite starter and whoever scores the next goal out of the others will more than likely join him to hopefully find a duo to increase our odds of promotion to the Premier League.

Written by Craig Smithson, a Middlesbrough season-ticket holder and a sports writer who blogs about football betting at Betfair.

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