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FEATURESoccerWeekjune 04 – June 10, 200915AndrewHallettinvestigatesthe linkbetweenBoro’srelegationand thedeparture ofMarkSchwarzerMiddlesbrough sufferedrelegation to the secondtier of English footballfor the first time in over a decadeat the end of the 2008/09 campaign.After a good few seasons of mid-tablefinishes, the boys from the RiversideStadium failed to come to gripswith strong competition within theleague and dropped down a division.Some sections of the Boro faithfulblame a lack of money availableto manager Gareth Southgate as amajor factor for the club’s relegation,while some believe the man incharge is the one to blame for theirdownfall.However, Mark Schwarzer’s departurefrom the Teeside club coincidedwith their relegation and thisdemands further investigation. TheAustralian international left the clubat the end of the 2007/08 season insearch of a new challenge after 11years with Boro.Without being the most high-profileplayer, Schwarzer went abouthis business between the posts withaplomb and as he has all the attributesof a top-class shot stopper,it was no surprise that the likes ofBayern Munich and Juventus cameknocking when he was reviewing hissituation at Boro.However, the former Kaiserslauternstopper decided that first-teamfootball was more desirable thansitting on the bench at a Europeanglamour club and he therefore decidedto join Premier League outfitFulham.His move to west London has donethe world of good for both player andclub. The Cottagers, who were on theverge of relegation the season beforeSchwarzer’s arrival, secured Europeanfootball by finishing in seventhspot.Their fantastic campaign -which some call a season of overachieving- was built firmly onthe Socceroos star’s superb form.Manchester United’s Edwin vander Sar won nearly all of the plauditsin the goalkeeping stakes, but itis Schwarzer who deserves the highestpraise.He rarely made errors eventhough the Cottagers defence wasnot of the same calibre of the onethat protected the Dutch stopper.Despite this, Schwarzer managed tosave a phenomenal 80 percent of theshots aimed at his goal - a statisticunmatched in the English top flight.Even though Boro conceded roughlythe same amount of goals pergame without Schwarzer as theyleaked in the goalkeeper’s final season,what Southgate’s side lackedthis term was a player who couldproduce match-winning saves,and it is this that made Schwarzersuch a massive asset to the club.Schwarzer’s fantastic form hasprompted him to think about extendinghis stay at Craven Cottage.He admits that he is enjoying one ofthe best spells of his career and believesthat, despite your age, if youare still enjoying your career, whynot extend it?Schwarzer recently told the FulhamChronicle: “There’s been a fewdiscussions. And I feel as good, if notbetter, than when I first signed forFulham. At this stage in my career, ifthe manager backs you and you continueto play week in, week out, thenwhy not continue to play for as longas possible?” With Schwarzer playingarguably his best football at Fulham,it is easy to see why Middlesbroughare regretting ever lettinghim go.Schwarzer is quick to praise hismanager at Fulham, Roy Hodgson,as a major factor behind his memorablefirst season in London. He toldthe Cottagers’ official website: “It’sbeen brilliant. I couldn’t have askedfor a better season really.”He added: “At the beginning of theseason when I signed for Fulham Ihad people questioning my decision,saying ‘what are you doing signingfor a team that have just avoided relegation?’Being the first player thatthe gaffer had signed in the off-season,there was that slight concernthat there might not be too many tofollow. But the manager was very adamantthat he was going to changeAussie phenomenonSchwarzeris enjoyinga fine timeat Fulham❝Hodgson’s beenmentioned as anoutsider for managerof the season andunfortunately it’susually a given thatthe manager of one ofthe top four clubs willget that award❞things around and bring in players,and that the chairman was backinghim to do so, so I was confident thathe would be able to achieve that.“I think we signed eight playersin the summer, all of which haveproved very positive and the teamhas performed very well as a result,so I was always quietly confident thatwe would be more than comfortablecome the end of season.“Now people are talking aboutwhat a season we’ve had, and howthe manager is a real unsung hero,and he is.“He’s been mentioned as an outsiderfor manager of the season andunfortunately it’s usually a giventhat the manager of one of the topfour clubs will get that award, but Ithink you have to look beyond thatand think about it in terms of the resourcesavailable, and the clubs inquestion.”It is not unusual for a club to strugglewhen losing their best player.Since Thierry Henry’s departure toBarcelona, Arsenal have failed to liveup to the heights reached in the seasonspreceding his transfer.Alan Shearer’s mega-bucks moveto Newcastle United had a massiveimpact on Blackburn Rovers, whichultimately cost the team their PremierLeague status.Matthew Le Tissier’s retirementfrom the game is seen by many asthe catalyst behind Southampton’sfall from grace [they have just beenrelegated to English football’s thirdtier and will start next season witha 10-point deficit as a result of goinginto administration].Those are just a few cases ofteams suffering from the departureof a key player and Middlesbroughcan now be added to thoseranks.Schwarzer was the key figurein Boro’s recent history. His consistencyin goal has been sorelymissed by Boro and they havestruggled to settle on a newfirst-choice stopper since.Youngsters Brad Jones andRoss Turnbull have both triedto make the jersey their own,but have failed to stamp theirmark.And this is understandableas the Sydney-born glovemanwas an ever present inthe Boro team and ultimatelybroke the English recordfor the most appearances by a foreignplayer at a single club, passingthe record of 315 matches held byDennis Bergkamp.It is plain to see that Middlesbroughhave suffered since theirnumber one left the north east.Schwarzer was the backbone of theclub.As with Newton’s Third Law ofmotion, Boro’s action in allowing the36-year-old to leave has come back tobite them - hard.They have not been the same sidesince and will have to come to gripswith the reality of relegation as a result.It may take years for Middlesbroughto surface in the PremierLeague and Southgate, and his chairmanSteve Gibson, have to accept theblame.However, there is a lesson to belearned from Boro’s demise.It is vitally important that a clubdoes everything it can to keep theplayers which have benefited it mostor risk a negative reaction and atworst, relegation.