THERE was no dose of medication Gordon Strachan could have taken to eradicate the desperate feeling of disappointment he felt over the weekend, but the Middlesbrough boss has revealed how a few statistics have encouraged him to be more optimistic about the future.
Strachan takes his squad to Derby County tonight in the hope he can win for the first time away from the Riverside Stadium in the Championship since April, this game coming just three days after a first half collapse at Watford and a 3-1 defeat.
But there was a different manner about the Boro manager at the club's Rockliffe Park training ground yesterday to that at Vicarage Road and that was mainly down to a few numbers.
Stats can lie and give you a false impression, said Strachan.
Sometimes you pass the ball but never get to where you want it to go which is why 440 passes and one shot would be a waste of time.
But we had 15 shots at Watford, compared to their eight.
You have to take it altogether.
We made 50 per cent more passes than Watford and it is everything apart from putting the ball in the back of the net.
We made more chances and passed the ball better than when we got a draw there last year.
I am quite negative when I watch a game and I was the same as a player, always down on myself.
Once I get in on a Monday, look at things like this, you think the glass is half full and think of ways to rectify it.
Strachan remains intent on turning things around at the Riverside, in a season in which chairman Steve Gibson is demanding promotion back to the Premier League.
Having experienced the lows of Vicarage Road and heading home with a quiet squad that night, such times could make a manager question why he does it.
Strachan took the job on Teesside for one reason and ahead of the trip to Pride Park tonight that reason remains.
I love football. It is a pride in performance which you have from a schoolboy and also you want to do it right for other people, he said. It is never for me, it is either for my family or team-mates or the people who bought you or the manager that bought you.
At the moment I would like to make the supporters and chairman happy and the disappointment comes from not making people happy.
There is a wee bit of pride because you feel you want to make people happy. That is what motivates me.
During his playing days at Leeds, Strachan was part of a team that failed to win an away match in a calendar year, a run that finally came to an end during the 1992-93 campaign.
So having not enjoyed a success on the road with Middlesbrough for six months, he is not concerned too much ahead of the trip to Derby.
There is a lot worse off than me, trust me, said Strachan.
We have our work cut out to get a win. I went a year without winning a game and by my side was Gary McAllister, David Batty and Gary Speed. So they can't have been very good, can they
In an attempt to rectify the travel sickness, Strachan is likely to recall striker Kris Boyd to his starting line-up, while he hinted Tony McMahon would start at rightback.
Boyd's frustrations since moving to Teesside from Rangers have cost him his place in the Scotland squad.
Strachan, however, is certain his summer signing will come good.
I can't ask for any more in training from Kris, said Strachan. He is a fantastic trainer and he is great with his team-mates and he wants do well.
I told him not to do anymore and I felt he is actually trying too hard. In the last five games we have created a lot of chances.
It has improved dramatically and it could be right now to get the chances for Kris to come in.
Tarmo Kink is in the Estonia squad for Euro 2012 qualifiers away to Serbia in Belgrade on October 8 and at home to Slovenia in Tallinn on October 12.
Luke Williams and Bruno Pilatos are in the England squad for the UEFA Under-19 Qualifying Tournament in Belgium during the early part of October.
Source: Northern Echo
Source: Northern Echo