Boro exodus the likely result of promotion failure (From The Northern Echo)

Boro exodus the likely result of promotion failure

9:05am Thursday 11th March 2010 in

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GORDON STRACHAN admits failure to secure promotion could result in some of his best players leaving this summer, but reassured supporters that star striker Scott McDonald will be at Middlesbrough next season.

Victory over Championship leaders Newcastle United on Saturday would re-ignite Boro’s stuttering bid for a play-off spot and Strachan remains convinced his side are still capable of securing a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

But the manager acknowledges that the prospect of a second season in the Championship could see some of Boro’s most prized assets fall prey to top flight clubs.

David Wheater and Gary O’Neil are among the players Strachan would struggle to hang on to should their promotion bid fail.

With Emanuel Pogatetz, Jeremie Aliadiere and Chris Riggott among those out of contract at the end of the season the club are set for another summer of upheaval.

But news that former Celtic forward McDonald will remain at Middlesbrough next season is a massive boost ahead of the Tees-Tyne encounter that could prove crucial to their fate this season.

“If we don’t go up this summer then we could lose some players,” admitted the manager.

“I am aware of that but it’s part of football. You get on and try to replace them or manage without them.

“We didn’t want to lose Adam (Johnson) in January but you understand for all parties that it was probably time to move on. That might also be the case this summer, whichever division we’re in.

“All of us want Middlesbrough to be playing in the Premier League next season.

There is a chance that if we don’t go up there will be players who’ll attract interest from Premier League clubs.

It’s a fact of life.

“One of the things that convinced Scott to come here was the chance to play in the Premier League. But am I concerned he could leave if we’re not promoted? No, I trust him.

I trust all of the boys I brought down from Celtic.

“I trust him to do his job and honour the contract. Saying that, it’s a four-year-deal and someone may offer £20m for him and he’d be out of the door in a flash!

“Is any player totally committed to their club? There are no cast-iron guarantees but I’m confident Scott will still be here next season. I think I know Scott quite well and when he puts his mind to something you cannot change it.”

Strachan will put the £3.5m marksman through his paces on the training ground before selecting his starting XI to face the Magpies but he’ll resist the temptation to unleash McDonald on the Newcastle back-four if he has any doubts about the player’s fitness.

Strachan said: “He told me he wasn’t totally right when he first joined us but he wanted to play. I knew how important just having his presence on the field would be so he played.

“He’s a hard taskmaster with his team-mates and even if he’s not at his best I knew that he’d be demanding the players around him were on top of their game. He is no shrinking violet believe me.

“He got away with it the first couple of games but then it started getting a bit worse.

That’s life. Sometimes you try something with the best intentions and it ends up turning out bad.

“People talk about players being fully-fit but when I played I can’t remember being fully-fit after I was 26.

You deal with wee knocks and bruises. I even had what Scott’s got. I had three hernia operations and managed to play afterwards.

“In my day you needed around six weeks before you recovered from a hernia op whereas nowadays doctors are claiming you’ll be okay two weeks later. Sometimes it’s best to take the medical guys propaganda with a pinch of salt.

“It’s like when they sell you anti-wrinkle cream to make you 30 years younger, we all know it’s bumpf but we fall for it. It’s the same sometimes with operations. The first one I had kept me out for six weeks but I came back right, Scott has rushed back after two and we’ve paid the price.”