As if Sunday’s televised game at Middlesbrough wasn’t going to be hard enough, Uwe will have to decide whether Sam Byram is in the right frame of mind to start the game after a turbulent week.
Rosler will be talking to Byram tomorrow and askin for "honest feedback”, though it’s not surprising that he has refused to comment publicly on Massimo Cellino’s attack on the young player. But the head coach told the Yorkshire Post "I think in general Sam needs peace around him. That’s my agenda. He needs peace.”
"I’ve had many conversations with him throughout the summer because that was an underlying issue since I walked through the door. He’s a good lad, very understandable. I felt that with the transfer closed he can relax and know he’s a part of our club until the end of the season, hopefully for longer. But Sam also has to compete like everybody else in our team.”
It remains to be seen what sort of reception Byram will get from the Leeds contingent in the Riverside crowd, and given that his form so far this season has been a little disappointing, it will be tempting for Rosler to leave him on the bench. I’ll have to admit that last season I was calling for Byram to be moved upfield from right-back, as I thought he would have more to offer going forward, but he doesn’t seem to have adapted well to his new position.
Our new loan signing Will Buckley won’t be eligible until next week, but Rosler will have the option pf playing Jordan Botaka on the right wing. Thankfully we don’t have any new injury or suspension problems going into the game, so Rosler will have a full squad to choose from.
Last season we completed the double over Boro, with Silvestri having his finest game in a Leeds jersey at the Riverside, saving everything the home side could throw at his as we held on to a 1-0 win after Mowatt’s early goal. Those two results eventually played a big part in Boro’s failure to win automatic promotion, coupled with the zero points we took from the two games against Watford.
But having lost to Norwich in the play-off final Boro seem determined to make amends this time round, with a run of four successive league taking them to second place in the table, so Rosler knows that we’ve got our work cut out if we’re going to achieve a second successive win at the Riverside.
He told the official site: "They're very difficult to beat. They've had a steady progression over the years and they invested heavily over the summer. I think they're ready for the final push into the Premier League."
But he still managed to sound reasonably optimistic. "When you see our first eight games, we played a lot of teams who have come down from the Premier League or were in the play-offs last season. In the majority of the games, we did reasonably well. We are going there full of confidence and we know we can make life difficult for Middlesbrough.”
His opposite number Aitor Karanka has a few selction issues of his own, but the kind that managers love to have after some of the fringe players showed the depth of their squad in midweek. Karanka made several changes for the League Cup tie with Wolves, but they still strolled to a 3-0 win, and he will now have to decide whether to stick with the likes of Kike, Forshaw and de Pena, who all impressed on Tuesday.
And we’ve also had a message from Cleveland Police, who will be out in force on Sunday. A spokesperson said "We have been working with both clubs to ensure that the day passes safely. Recent fixtures have been very good natured in the main with only a small number of people seeking to spoil the day for the majority. We would ask that all supporters come to enjoy a good game and support their teams in good humour. We want this to be a family event which is safe and enjoyable for all.”
That’s us told!
Although we seem to be playing better away from home at the moment, with both our wins so far coming on our travels, a draw would be a very good result for us on Sunday. And I reckon we might just get one.