Middlesbrough Squad Review – Goalkeepers

Article by e-Middlesbrough's Mike Baker

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Boro were seen as solid in goal for years, thanks mainly to the efforts of Stephen Pears and Mark Schwarzer, the former a giant of the post-bankruptcy side whilst ‘Arnie’ played for much of our long Premiership era. Since the Australian left in 2008, our goalmouth has been less stable. Brad Jones and Ross Turnbull tussled for the number one jersey in our relegation season, neither holding an ounce of Schwarzer’s veteran authority, before departing for bench warming jobs with giant clubs. Jason Steele was the latest Academy graduate to don the gloves. It was Gordon Strachan who really handed the job over and Steele responded with three years of unimpeachable status as the starting keeper, only sitting out through occasional bouts of injury.

That changed in 2013/14. Steele underwent surgery for an ankle injury in December and never really looked like regaining his place, losing out to loan signing Shay Given. Not the first time that Boro have looked to temporary cover for Steele – Paul Smith and Carl Ikeme have both put in impressive shifts in recent seasons – but in Given, a real gulf in class became obvious. It was an unfortunate setback for the 23 year old, as Given’s years of experience and clear superiority at Championship level coincided with a sharp upturn in Boro’s defensive capacity. We looked more solid at the back than we had in years, and especially amidst a climate of collapses that had undermined Tony Mowbray’s work and arguably lost him his job as manager.

Comparing the two is folly. Steele, relatively at the start of his career, has years ahead of him and has done much to justify his somewhat routine dubbing as the Championship’s best goalie. In contrast, the Irishman has accrued hundreds of top flight appearances, plus 125 for the Republic of Ireland, as part of a career that stretches back to the Premiership’s early years. Now 38, a consummate professional who lost his place in the line-up at Aston Villa to Brad Guzan, Given had little trouble in keeping ten clean sheets during his 16 appearances for Boro, a run in the side from late November to February that transformed our defence into one of the division’s tightest. Little wonder that he was voted Player of the Year by supporters who largely resented the club’s decision to terminate his loan spell. Not a difficult choice, sadly, as the keeper’s salary was way beyond capacity.

Following Given’s departure, the next to be tried was Tomas Mejias, a 25 year old Spaniard drafted in on loan from Real Madrid. The former Spain Under-20s keeper managed one start, a 1-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday that came during Boro’s goal shy winter, then injured his hand in training and was never seen again. That left Jayson Leutweiler or Dimitrios Konstantopoulos. The former had been at the Riverside since 2012, when he was signed by Tony Mowbray as back-up to Steele, with first team appearances at a premium. He’d gained more opportunities in the interim between Steele’s injury and Given’s signing, but there seemed a clear lack of trust in his ability to start consistently. Perhaps this could be put down to his relative youth, a problem the 35 year old ‘Dimi’ did not possess.

Konstantopoulos brought with him a reputation for travelling. Prior stints in England had involved seven years split between Hartlepool and Coventry City, and he had also played in Portugal and for various Greek outfits, culminating in his sole appearance for the Greek national side in 2010. Mowbray signed him as cover when his contract with AEK Athens ended in May 2013, and opportunities were rare until a combination of Given’s term finishing and Mejias’s injury put him by default in the frame for a starting place.

The journeyman was between the sticks for Boro’s 2-0 win over Ipswich, a significant result as it ended our record breaking run of not scoring a goal, which had stretched back an un-envied six weeks. Whilst the plaudits went to Danny Graham’s brace, the confident and assured turn by Dimi did not go unnoticed and ensured he retained his place over the following matches. As Boro’s form improved in the season’s closing matches, leading to the slight possibility of us making a late tilt for the playoffs, the Greek’s role grew. His standout performance came in our 1-0 away win against Burnley, stealing a goal and then dealing with the storm of attacks from the Championship’s second best team. Dimi’s heroics led to a new contract at the end of the campaign, a just reward for his service.

This leaves an uncertain future for Steele, loved by Mowbray but treated as far from an incumbent by the more ruthless Karanka. The rumour is that he can leave if the right offer comes in, and with Premiership clubs looking to bolster their ranks with homegrown talent there may be no shortage of offers. Leutweiler, in the meantime, has been released as part of Boro’s initial cull of the ranks.

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