Is this the future of football management?

Monday March 30th, 2009

Image by isriya via Flickr

Gareth Southgate (allegedly) asks Twitter followers to pick his team to play Bolton

With only one win in the league in 2009, Middlesbrough are in all kinds of trouble as they try to stay in the Premier League.

And it appears their manager, Gareth Southgate, is willing to try anything as he attempts to avoid relegation with Boro.

Southgate – or at least someone claiming to be the former England player and pizza advert star – has started a Twitter account and is asking Middlesbrough fans who he should pick to play against Bolton next weekend.

“Thinking of playing Tuncay in midfield against Bolton… agree Boro fans?” read his first ‘Tweet’ last week.

Subsequent messages from the Boro boss on his Twitter account have been slightly less convincing: “Alison says I should get my head shaved for the rest of the season to show I mean business,” read one.

Another said: “Going to use the word ‘idiothole’ as my favoured word of offence for at least the next 48 hours.” (One for next weekend’s referee to listen out for, perhaps.)

Most managers (including Gary Megson, hopefully) probably used the international break to focus their thoughts for the final straight of the Premier League campaign, Southgate (or his impersonator) decided to berate fellow Twitterer @Pathid for following TV presenter Fearne Cotton, calling him/her a “dirty perv”.

So, is picking your team using Twitter the future of football management, or is this just the sign of a desperate manager cracking up?

Should Gary Megson start using social networking sites to consult fans on team selection, or should he register the name GaryMegson on Twitter ASAP to stop a Bolton fan taking the piss out of him like someone appears to be taking the piss out of Southgate?

Hmmm, that gives me an idea…

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