Exiled in Exeter
New member
STEVE McCLAREN is set to unleash his big guns on Brighton at the Riverside tomorrow night as he continues to steady the Boro ship.
The manager is taking the newly renamed Carling Cup very seriously and plans to field the majority of the team that beat Everton 1-0 on Sunday.
“It was a massive relief to get that first win on Sunday but we can’t rest on that, we need to follow it up,” he said.
“I’m looking to field a strong team and want to make as few changes as possible and make sure we go into this game with the same attitude as we did on Sunday.
“It’s another important game for us tomorrow in a tournament we want to do well in.”
McClaren would love to guide the club to a first ever Millennium Stadium appearance but he knows the high-flying second division side will be no pushovers.
“It won’t be an easy game, they’re second in the league going well at the moment and that breeds confidence,” he said.
“They will come here confident with nothing to lose. I’ve seen them a couple of times and they’re a decent team and doing well so it won’t be an easy game for us."
Last season a depleted Boro lost to Ipswich as a hectic fixture schedule took its toll. The trip to Suffolk came 48 hours after a derby at Newcastle and just three days before a game with championship-chasing Liverpool.
“Unfortunately we had to field a weakened side and I thought it was stupid how the fixtures fell,” said McClaren.
As well as being keen to put a decent cup run together, McClaren is also keen to consolidate Sunday’s win, with consistency and continuity the keywords this week.
“It’s something we’ve not had in the first six games,” he said. “Sunday’s game was won in the first half and we showed character in the second.
“Now we’re looking at performance and making sure we have the same tremendous attitude and will to win throughout the 90 minutes of every game from the players.
“It was a ‘do whatever it takes to win’ performance and we need to go into every game now like that.”
McClaren will again be without calf injury victim Gaizka Mendieta - who is also a doubt for Saturday's trip to Southampton - but otherwise there were no new injuries to report.
http://www.mfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,1~428723,00.html
The manager is taking the newly renamed Carling Cup very seriously and plans to field the majority of the team that beat Everton 1-0 on Sunday.
“It was a massive relief to get that first win on Sunday but we can’t rest on that, we need to follow it up,” he said.
“I’m looking to field a strong team and want to make as few changes as possible and make sure we go into this game with the same attitude as we did on Sunday.
“It’s another important game for us tomorrow in a tournament we want to do well in.”
McClaren would love to guide the club to a first ever Millennium Stadium appearance but he knows the high-flying second division side will be no pushovers.
“It won’t be an easy game, they’re second in the league going well at the moment and that breeds confidence,” he said.
“They will come here confident with nothing to lose. I’ve seen them a couple of times and they’re a decent team and doing well so it won’t be an easy game for us."
Last season a depleted Boro lost to Ipswich as a hectic fixture schedule took its toll. The trip to Suffolk came 48 hours after a derby at Newcastle and just three days before a game with championship-chasing Liverpool.
“Unfortunately we had to field a weakened side and I thought it was stupid how the fixtures fell,” said McClaren.
As well as being keen to put a decent cup run together, McClaren is also keen to consolidate Sunday’s win, with consistency and continuity the keywords this week.
“It’s something we’ve not had in the first six games,” he said. “Sunday’s game was won in the first half and we showed character in the second.
“Now we’re looking at performance and making sure we have the same tremendous attitude and will to win throughout the 90 minutes of every game from the players.
“It was a ‘do whatever it takes to win’ performance and we need to go into every game now like that.”
McClaren will again be without calf injury victim Gaizka Mendieta - who is also a doubt for Saturday's trip to Southampton - but otherwise there were no new injuries to report.
http://www.mfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,1~428723,00.html
