Tabloid Newspaper The Daily Star are reporting Gareth Southgate's intention to bare all (not literally, thankfully) regarding Middlesbrough's downward spiral into the drop zone this season.
This could shock the football world.
But will it really surprise Boro fans?
Rumours have long swirled around the club that Southgate asked for money to buy a striker and was told that he already had one on the way. His name was Afonso Alves.
Southgate has more than once implied that Boro could have had James Beattie but that Gibson felt his wage demands were extravagant. Stoke City were no more an enticing prospect than Boro when Beattie joined and the feeling amongst most fans was that whoever secured Beattie would have a good chance of survival.
Marlon King does not strike me as a Southgate signing either. Even on loan. After all, players have been sold for their lack of off the pitch discipline and a player facing assault charges does not seem like a good replacement for a disruptive influence such as Mido. Yes, he was a panic buy but I'm not convinced he was Southgate's.
Southgate has had an unprecedented amount of support in recent months despite Boro's slide. This can partly be explained by the kind of pessimistic resignation which descended on most Boro fans far before the majority of the players dragged their heads up long enough to notice.
But something deeper was always suspected and chairman Steve Gibson's role in Boro's downfall has been somewhat swept under the carpet, at least by the national media.
Gibson has been praised by the best in the business for his loyalty to his club and especially to his young inexperienced manager. But what if this is precisely why he employed him?
Even when he won August's manager of the month award, Southgate was giving interviews saying he had no intention of becoming a manager until Gibson made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
So why did Steve Gibson think that Southgate was the right man for the job?
Southgate's best qualities are that he is liked and respected by pretty much everyone but that does not seem to have translated to his players.
It would seem a reasonable assumption that Southgate was a cheaper option than Martin O'Neill or any other established manager.
Two years ago in a no holds barred question and answer session at a charity dinner for the Brian Clough Memorial Fund, special guest Martin O'Neill was asked why he did not take the Boro job. His response was that the Boro fans could not even support McClaren after his team had reached cup finals and actually achieving some silverware in the form of the Carling Cup, so why on earth would he (or anyone else) want to take over from him?
You have to admit he had a point.
Speculation continues that O'Neill was due to be unveiled as Boro manager and the deal was almost signed and sealed. However, he wanted his own backroom staff, this was refused and he therefore backed out.
Yet Steve Round went anyway. Graham Fordy left the club "by mutual consent" last season and new faces with different titles took over.
Perhaps Gibson was looking for a fall guy?
England international Gareth Southgate has gone from Boro's most successful captain to our least successful manager in just three seasons.
Southgate said: "There are numerous reasons for us being in this position. We never thought we were too good to go down and I will comment on relegation if it happens.
"The way I manage has been better over my three years in charge, but results don't reflect that.
"I've pinpointed the reasons for that and I know exactly what I'd change and that's an on-going process."
This statement unfortunately highlights problems that are all Southgate's. The way he manages has not got better, and too many of his players have stopped wanting to play for the fans, the club, the shirt or their manager. By definition, this is bad management.
The only player who has got better this season who was part of the first team last time around is Robert Huth and even he has been more bad than good this campaign.
Players like Jeremie Aliadiere and Didier Digard have been crippled through injury far too often but the former should have been pushing on and establishing himself this season. Instead, he tried to create something in a team that is devoid of finishers (himself included) until he got frustrated and gave up. He is far from the only one.
There is no doubt that the players have been unprofessional this season - the minimum they should do is play with pride for the full amount of minutes they are on the pitch. But the whole team does not get worse without something being very wrong with the club.
I don't accept that we are a young inexperienced team because if you actually start looking at the players, as a team they are neither particularly young nor inexperienced. Our youngest player is Josh Walker at twenty and he has not played in the majority of our games.
Emanuel Pogatetz is an Austrian international but has displayed little leadership this season, Tuncay has been on fire in short bursts but has gone missing too often, Aliadiere and Justin Hoyte have Arsenal academy training, Robert Huth is ex-Chelsea and Alves was a goal machine in Holland.
There is ability in our squad. What is missing is motivation.
So we wait with baited breath until Southgate spills his guts (thereby proving he has some) after Boro sink into the Championship. Perhaps at least we will finally get an explanation as opposed to half baked excuses as to how we ended up here.
First published on www.ComeOnBoro.com on 19/5/2009
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