FOOTBALL: FA CUP THIRD ROUND: ANDRANIK GAMBLE SHOWS PROMISE
by Richard Rae, Keepmoat Stadium
The Guardian (London) – Final Edition
January 8, 2007 Monday
Doncaster Rovers 0
Bolton Wanderers 4
Davies 8, Teymourian 22 49 Tal 33
Andranik Teymourian, according to Sam Allardyce, is one of those
players on whom it is worth a canny Premiership manager taking the
occasional punt. "It’s a very minimal risk, because if it doesn’t
work out you can always sell a player like him back to a club in his
home country. You might lose a few bob but no more than that," said
Bolton’s manager dispassionately after watching the Armenian-Iranian
midfielder score two fine goals.
On this evidence Allardyce will not be making Andranik – who prefers
to be known by his first name – available for a return to his country
of origin yet, though whether the 23-year-old will cut it at the top
level remains to be seen.
The same could be said of Doncaster, well placed in League One, whose
commendable determination to play passing football on the perfect
surface in their fine new stadium allowed the manifestly superior
technique of Bolton’s foreign legion full rein. Andranik, Idan Tal,
Ricardo Vaz Te and Stelios Giannakopoulos took full advantage and the
result was never in doubt from the moment Giannakopoulos set up Kevin
Davies for an eighth-minute opener. Andranik got the second with a
powerful shot, Tal the third in a similar manner before half-time,
and Andranik the fourth just after the interval, bursting on to
Davies’s measured pass to finish decisively.
Allardyce signed him in August after being impressed during the World
Cup. "I’d never heard of him previously but I saw him live once and
our scouts watched him in the other games, so when a circular arrived
from his agent making him available at a very reasonable fee – a few
hundred thousand euros – we took the chance," said Allardyce.
"He’s very fit – his test results were fantastic – he’s got a great
work rate and you saw today he also has good skill with a very strong
shot, but he’s still very much on a learning curve and it may be next
season before he might be ready to cope with the pace and strength
of the Premiership."
Doncaster’s manager, Sean O’Driscoll, was left to reflect on the
lessons learned by his team. "They put out a strong side," he said.
"He’s got a bench with (Gary) Speed and (Nicolas) Anelka on it,
so I’ve got no complaints. We’ve come through without any injuries
and we’ve learned a lot as a team and as individuals, so it’s been
positive for us."
Man of the match Andranik Teymourian (Bolton Wanderers).