FanCasts

Sit back, relax and listen to our FREE Football Podcasts. Subscribe 4 FREE to get your teams show each week.

Blogs

Intelligent, articulate, opinion. Read, rate and comment!

Banter

Create your own discussion and debate - Sign up and get involved!
Latest FanCasts
Top Articles
From the Terraces
Picture of Stephen Darwin

Ineffective so far; will Alves eventually get 'Boro fans dancing the samba on the Riverside?

Posted by: Stephen Darwin, Mon 25th Feb 2008
Tagged: Premiership, Middlesbrough
FFC columnist Stephen Darwin assesses the latest Samba man to visit the Riverside and discusses whether the striker will be more effective in a ‘Boro shirt than his first two appearances have suggested.


With samba dancers and thousands of fans flocking to the Riverside in order to catch a glimpse of their record signing, it is fair to say that there has been considerable hype surrounding Alfonso Alves' move from Heerenveen to Middlesbrough. I doubt that the majority of ‘Boro fans had even heard of the Brazilian when news first circulated that the club were interested in signing him. So will this 27 year old really be the man to transform the fortunes of the Teesside club? Well if you believe the stats, then the answer may well prove to be a resounding yes.


With 34 goals last season, Alves boasts a hugely impressive strike rate that ensured he was crowned the undisputed top marksmen in Holland. If Alves can replicate the form that served him so impeccably well in Holland he will certainly prove a popular figure at the Riverside. It is apparent that the Dutch Eredivise is hardly the most testing top-flight league in the world, but hitting the net an incredible 34 times in 31 games is a truly remarkable feat. In fact, Alves finished second to none other than Francesco Totti in the race for the European Golden Boot last season. The brilliant Brazilian's tally included a seven goal haul in one outing which is a somewhat astonishing achievement.

It will be a fascinating prospect to see whether Alves can in fact make a significant impression in the Premier League. Many foreign players have tried and ultimately failed yet Alves is a special talent that certainly has the credentials to be a huge hit in England. The stocky front man is decent with either foot and has proved on more than one occasion that he can strike a ferocious free-kick.

The former Malmo striker rarely squanders a decent opportunity in front of goal and arguably his most valuable asset is a knack to be in the right place at the right time. The new Middlesbrough number 12 has openly admitted it will take time to adjust to the speed of football in England, but will the Boro faithful be willing to bide their time having seen their club pay a rather extravagant transfer fee?

Despite a somewhat uneventful 23 minute debut as a substitute against Sheffield United in the FA Cup, and a relatively ordinary contribution to Saturday's game at Anfield within a similar time span, Gareth Southgate's decision to splash out around £12 million on Alves has injected renewed belief around the Riverside Stadium. It will take time but I for one believe that he can provide the goals that will propel Middlesbrough up the table, and away from any fears of a relegation battle.

4 Comments
 
More articles by Stephen Darwin
  • Average: 5 (1 vote)
Post your comment
Rob Swan
Picture of Rob Swan
Posts: 51
 Joined: 2008-02-17
I agree, I think he'll
I agree, I think he'll eventually be a success at Boro. He's not had any sort of significant chance just yet, but with Aliadiere about to serve a suspension I'm guessing we'll see him play a bit more in the next couple of weeks. I saw him play against England last June at Wembley and he should have scored after coming on as sub that night!

Daniel Lomax
Picture of Daniel Lomax
Posts: 27
 Joined: 2007-11-02
Fantastic player but like
Fantastic player but like you say, many players have come to England and failed. It will be interesting to see just how he can adapt to the Premier League. He can score all sorts of goals and is lethal from both inside and outside the box.

Brett Cullen
Picture of Brett Cullen
Posts: 26
 Joined: 2008-02-07
I don't think I am in any
I don't think I am in any position to say whether he will be a hit or a miss as we havn't seen anything in English football to pass judgement on him. 34 goals is a good record but the English league is harder to score goals in and he's not in the best team in the league is he? To be a hit he will have to be an excellent finisher or be able to produce that bit of magic to win a game. Does he look fit? maybe abit on the heavier side? i don;t know. I think we just have to wait and see on this one, £12million pounds is abit pricy aswel!

PabloUK
Picture of PabloUK
Posts: 8
 Joined: 2008-02-03
I think we need to give the
I think we need to give the lad a chance to settle and get used to a completely different style of football to what he was used to in the Eredivise. As a Boro fan myself, I'm pleased that Southgate has brought in a proven goalscorer over his career in Holland and even Sweden previous to his time at Heerenveen. My main worry is whether he will be under too much pressure to perform given we forked out £12 million for him and turn into Kezman mark II. Having said that, I agree with you and believe that Alves will prove to be a success at Middlesbrough. The only thing we have lacked all season is goals and now we have a natural finisher in Afonso, the only way is up. For me, he has to start on Wednesday against Sheffield United, give him at least an hour for match fitness and show what he is capable of

Post your comment

Teams

Cool Stuff

  • Featured: Mug Punter Morris

    Picture of Mug Punter Morris

    Mug Punter Morris looks ahead to tomorrow's lunchtime showdown and has a sneaky feeling that Arsenal will nick it.

    Read More