Former Middlesbrough goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer has suggested that certain professional footballers would ‘calculate’ their booking count to ensure they had an extended break over the Christmas period.
Michael Carrick is unable to call upon a number of his senior players in the squad currently, but hopefully not as a result of this kind of scenario.
Former Aussie stopper, Schwarzer is considered one of the best keepers in the club’s history, and made the claim regarding players purposely receiving yellow cards during an interview with Optus Sport.
Schwarzer played at a number of English clubs, including Bradford, Fulham and Chelsea, but specifically name checked Middlesbrough as one of the places where the particular player strategy took place. He said, “I remember at Middlesbrough we had a couple of English players who were living away from home and made sure they accumulated enough yellow cards over this period to ensure they gave themselves a bigger break.”
No coincidence players went missing
He added, “It was so calculated. Now, I may be being facetious but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a coincidence from the fair few players who’d go missing compared to the others you knew would do everything they could to be there and be available.”
Before the obvious inquest as to who he may have been referring to, Mark Schwarzer was at the club for over ten years, so it would be near impossible to identify the main protagonists (I’m sure Boro fans will be trying to figure out for themselves who it could be).
Boro fans will probably remember the ill-judged remarks from a certain Premier League manager, Gary O’Neil. It was not at Christmas, but he revealed during an interview once that he had purposely got booked whilst at Middlesbrough, purely so he could enjoy a major Golf tournament with his friends that weekend. To add context, it was towards the end of the season when Boro were relegated in 2009.
Hectic English schedule
It wasn’t just Boro players he took aim at of course, there were other examples he experienced during a long and distinguished career, but more so English teams, because the fact is, other European clubs take a break over the festive period, whereas English teams have games thick and fast. The former League Cup winner never took issue with the schedule though.
He insisted, “Now me personally, I was a player who would always want to play no matter what. I’d always say to my coaches, ‘if you ever think of giving me the option to play or to rest, don’t bother asking me, because the answer will always be the same.”
Speaking about the bond between managers and players, Schwarzer recalled the varying relationships he witnessed, but said ultimately, it boiled down to being honest, saying, “It is a time when your manager gets to find out what kind of player you are and what kind of players make up his squad.”
Schwarzer joined Boro from Bradford City in 1997 and had an illustrious career with the Boro, a career that encompassed relegations, promotions and Cup finals. He amassed a total of 433 appearances for the club before moving south to join Fulham.
He also was at Leicester City the year that they pulled off the unthinkable, winning the Premier League title.