Alan Smith's Weekend Briefing: AFC Wimbledon vs Millwall, Doncaster vs Cystal Palace, QPR vs Watford

Brolly bad show: Steve McClaren will forever be haunted by this image of him managing England
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Alan Smith15 February 2019

This Wembley image masks the true picture of Steve McClaren’s enduring skill.

Amid all the fond recollections this week of the late Gordon Banks, Pele was heard remarking how he scored more than a thousand goals in his career, yet the one moment people in England remember is Banks’s stunning save against the great Brazilian in the 1970 World Cup.

Such is life. You can’t do much about that and I’m sure Steve McClaren would nod in sympathy. Because, despite all his achievements since the England job, the ‘Wally with the Brolly’ will never fade away. Those unfortunate images at a rain-sodden Wembley will follow McClaren around until retirement.

But that’s the thing about QPR’s manager: such is his deep love for the game, he’ll never pack up. This is a man who would be happy coaching Slough Town’s Under-10s if it meant staying in football. And that overflowing enthusiasm coupled with a fine coaching brain has kept him gainfully employed for many years.

Ask any of the players who have worked alongside him. They will testify to his deep knowledge and enduring ability to devise stimulating sessions. That counts for a lot in football. When training becomes boring, you quickly lose players. They start doubting the manager and his humdrum methods.

Bad results, of course, also play a big part and Rangers’ morale can’t be sky high just now, following a run of five League defeats on the trot.

From the outside, though, it doesn’t look as if the players have lost faith in their boss. A thrilling fightback, for instance, against Birmingham last week would have earned a point had Nahki Wells not missed a late penalty. They were also unlucky on Tuesday to lose at Bristol City after conceding a controversial penalty in stoppage time.

On the plus side, Matt Smith grabbed three goals over those two games and the big centre-forward looks set to partner Wells tonight in an old-school combination of target man and pacey poacher.

With the talented Luke Freeman operating just behind, this could turn into an enthralling contest, especially if their Premier League visitors aren’t properly switched on.

I’ve been in similar situation at Loftus Road many times in the past and nothing has changed in the years since. This packed stadium under the lights will create a fantastic atmosphere, one to test the resolve of Watford’s players, whatever line-up their manager, Javi Gracia, picks.

As for McClaren, I’d imagine he will go with the strongest team possible in an effort to improve an atrocious Cup record stretching back too many years.

With the play-offs now out of reach and relegation extremely doubtful, this represents a decent chance to reach the quarter-finals and, in doing so, perhaps give their Championship campaign something of a lift as the season reaches its climax.

For someone who won the League Cup with Middlesbrough, the Dutch title with FC Twente and managed his country, none of this will make his highlights showreel.

Nevertheless, this proud son of Yorkshire seems as determined as ever to succeed in a sport he dearly loves.

Great opportunity for Hodgson

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For the win over Tottenham in the last round, Roy Hodgson made a few changes in the interests of squad rotation. Nothing over the top, though. He still picked his main men at the top of the pitch: Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha leading from the front.

Zaha has spent the week waiting to discover whether he will receive an extra one-match ban for his recent sending-off at Southampton but whatever the outcome, Palace fans will be hoping Hodgson goes strong. They have a week’s rest before their next League game, a trip to Leicester.

Equally, I’m sure those same supporters will be demanding much better than some of the finishing seen against West Ham, which was wasteful in the extreme.

Millwall will be well motivated to deal with the threat of underdogs AFC

Harris admits first half of Millwall's season was "a huge reality check."
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Chatting to Dave Bassett the other week at a tribute evening for Gareth Southgate, memories came flooding back of those crash-bang-wallop affairs against Wimbledon in the mid-Eighties.

When Bobby Gould took over, the style of play continued. If you wanted to see sophistication, Plough Lane wasn’t the place to start looking.

But as an original member of the Crazy Gang, Wally Downes has always maintained he wanted the team to play a bit more football. Now manager, Downes can call the tune but, for a number of reasons, he is finding points very difficult to come by. Bottom of League One, relegation looks inevitable.

And then you look at how they played to overcome West Ham in the last round. It was classic Cup fare: the fired-up underdogs raising their game; the strong favourites lacking lustre, forgetting to do the basics.

This is much different, though. For a start, I can’t see Millwall taking any liberties. Neil Harris will surely have his team well prepared and properly motivated.

Less encouragingly, goals are proving hard to come by for Millwall and they are short of strikers for a game less important than the task of avoiding relegation.

For Wimbledon, it’s another free hit. Might they find the target again?

Maupay is priceless for Bees

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Everyone loves a hot prospect, especially a young striker regularly finding the net.

And Neal Maupay is doing exactly that this season, grabbing his 21st goal of the season to see off Aston Villa on Wednesday with a lovely bit of individual skill.

The Frenchman’s success points to another bit of inspired recruitment by Brentford, a club well known for this kind of thing. And if Maupay keeps on scoring, the Bees will make a vast profit on their reported £1.6million investment.

It’s enough to make a club like Swansea jealous, seeing as the Welsh club once cherished a reputation for thinking out of the box. As it is, a return to the Premier League looks a long way away.

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