Gordon Strachan is deadly serious about his persuit of married men with married Bhoys at the top of his wanted list.Middlesbrough scouts are out in force looking to bring in new recruits to the Riverside with matrimonial status a key factor.
Despite the troubles that Tiger Woods is engulfed in the former Celtic boss seems to be a subscriber to the old fashioned view that married footballers are more stable, settled and reliable than batchelors and singletons.
The WAG generation doesn't seem to have altered Strachan's thoughts despite many current players being under instructions from their other half with no self respecting WAG likely to see a move to Teeside as a sensible step in their career.
Despite his due diligence before taking the Riverside job Strachan was dismayed to find just three married men in his Middlesbrough squad with one of them the reserve 'keeper!
Speaking to The Times he said: "There are only three people married here. You need a bit of responsibility in life. Three people married and one of them is the reserve goalkeeper, Danny Coyne.
"You need a certain amount of men in your team. When I say to the scouts I need men, they think somebody clattering into tackles, and I say, ‘no, calm down’, I mean ‘men’ who take responsibility and play when the pressure is on."
A number of the players that Strachan brought to Celtic are married, with two of them also out of contract at the end of the season.
Will Mrs Caldwell and Mrs Robson feature in transfer negotiations in the new year? Can married players expect to be paid more at 'Boro?
Strachan has plenty to get involved in during the transfer window on the back of home defeats from Blackpool and Cardiff City that sees the club lying in 11th place, nine points behind West Brom in the second automatic promotion place.
One win in seven since taking over from Gareth Southgate probably wasn't what chairman Steve Gibson was anticipating when he changed manager.
Middlesbrough require a quick return to the Premiership, not an overhaul of the club, if promotion isn't achieved this season they could join the long list of former Premiership clubs marooned outwith the top flight and cast adrift without the lifeboat of parachute payments.
Most managers return to their former clubs when the transfer window opens with Strachan quiet honest about his likely dealings with Celtic.
He admitted, again referring to men (ie married players) : "As long as you are honest, that’s all Dermot (Desmond) and Peter (Lawwell) ask.
"They know that fine well, they trust me implicitly, they know I would never be dishonest. I wouldn’t feel good about myself. Can I see myself going back (for players)? I am after men and if Celtic have men...”
Strachan's emphasis on men points towards the married types, scrappers and battlers- categories that Caldwell and Robson both score highly in.
TIMES interview with Gordon Strachan
EVENING HERALD report on Motherwell match
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