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Alves will find the net - Crosby
Middlesbrough, 12:29, October 23, 2008 ,
Assistant boss Malcolm Crosby has backed record signing Afonso Alves to start finding the net regularly for Middlesbrough this season.
The Brazilian joined Boro in a £12.7million deal from Heerenveen in the January transfer window and scored six goals in as many games at the back end of last season to suggest he would continue in that form going into this new campaign.
However, Alves has just managed the one goal so far, while he was strangely left out of the starting XI for last Saturday's 5-0 battering against Chelsea. Despite that Crosby feels he has the qualities to get back into the goals and justify his massive transfer fee.
He said: "All strikers go through spells when the ball won't go in, but once the first one goes in, then another eight or nine often follow.
"We believe that Afonso will start scoring again and we will keep faith with him."
Crosby added: "What we have to do is to make sure he keeps getting chances. We know he is a good finisher because we see it every day.
"Afonso has had chances and he has not scored. But he does get in the box and that's where you want your strikers to be. He has been unlucky as well with keepers making a couple of good saves."