Morning Peeps and Boro fans,

The F.A. Cup madness has died down slightly this morning. Boro are through to the last 16 and now go to East London to face West Ham in the next round.

The Wolves game was a rest bite from the league for Southgate and his team. Going to the Molineux was not going to be easy. The current Championship leaders have a lot of very good players and their current confidence was a vast contrast to Boro's, which made for an interesting game.

The result was pleasing and the performance of a few of the Boro players was, also, very positive. The only moan from the game would be the amount of chances we wasted. This seems to be a recurring process in front of goal which needs addressing.

Alves netted a fine goal and looks to have the knack of scoring goals back in his game. Our Brazilian has scored four goals in the new year so far and looks in fine form now. About time.

Southgate will have been happy with the performance from the team on Saturday and will be hoping the players will take some confidence, from the Wolves match, into the Chelsea game this Wednesday.

I fear the Chelsea game will be a damage limitation process for Southgate's men. Chelsea have recently hit a bit of form and will be looking to close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester United.

It will not be a foregone conclusion at the Bridge, but Middlesbrough will have to work their socks off to get a point. We don't do too well at Chelsea and this seasons match will not be any different from recent games we have played there.

New man, Marlon King, will be in the frame to start against Chelsea which should give us a slight boost. King will offer more fight up top for us. He is the sort of player that will pester the opposition defence and create a goal from nothing. It will be interesting to see who the manager plays up front against Chelsea.

More tomorrow.

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Hello Peeps and Boro fans,

I'm afraid todays post has no frilly bits or nice action photos. Pure rant material so let's get going.

The trip to West Brom on Saturday was a total disaster for us. How did we get beat 3-0 by a team of their quality?

It actually takes some doing to get thrashed by a poor side, but that surely means we are a poor side ourselves. Looking back on the season so far, we have gone to places like Anfield and Villa Park and outplayed these teams. Ok, so the result at Liverpool was not the right result, but I'm talking about the performance.

Why have we been playing so badly of late? Are the players not motivated enough? Did the players over perform at the beginning of the season? Or, is our manager not good enough to 'manage' a talented set of players?

These questions will need to be asked and answered by the Middlesbrough board this week and decisions will have to be made on how we are to move forward because at the moment we are moving backwards at high speed.

I was thinking long and hard yesterday about who would be feeling the most pressure at Middlesbrough? Southgate, Gibson or the players?

It's a tough one because they are all paid very high amounts of money to do their jobs. Of course, Steve Gibson pays himself so we can exclude him, but he will still be feeling the pressure regarding the town's backing and support. If Gibson does not make the right decision in the next couple of weeks, the fans could turn on our chairman meaning Boro's number one fan could begin to feel the pressure.

The players and the management should be feeling the pressure as they are the ones that can influence a result the most on a Saturday afternoon.

Team selection

Gareth Southgate has a lot to answer for in my opinion. He is the manager of Middlesbrough FC. This means he has to manage a set of very talented individuals to play as a team on a Saturday afternoon. The Boro boss should be worried sick about his job at this present time, but also concentrating on where he needs to improve the team's performance.

It all starts with the team selection. Who Southgate selects on a Saturday afternoon will untimely determine the outcome of the game. Let me give you an example of how Southgate is selecting the team at the moment.

I'll take the West Brom game. Southgate had injuries to Pogatetz, Arca and Aliadiere so he needed to replace them. He did so by selecting Taylor, O'Neil and Shawky.

The problem is the formation and the positions players are playing in. Why is Tuncay playing on the left of midfield? Why is Downing playing behind Alves and why did Southgate opt for just one man up front?

There are a lot of questions in today's post, but I'm sure you're all with me on this one. The game of football is simple if you make the right decisions. Southgate is making it so hard for himself by swapping the team around.

The team should have been this one and a lot of Boro fans, that I have spoken to recently, would agree.

                                                             Turnbull

                              Bates             Wheater            Huth          Taylor

                             Johnson           O'Neil           Digard           Downing 

                                                      Mido         Alves

It's not hard to notice that Tuncay has been quiet for the last six games so he needs a rest for a couple of games so, Mido should have started against West Brom to partner Afonso up front. Southgate's decision to play Tuncay on the left was because he didn't want to drop the Turkish striker. That might be because he doesn't want to cause any rifts between the players during the transfer window which is a lack of man managment skills on Southgate's behalf. If he wants to be successful he needs to be strong and bold with decisions.

Back to the team selection from Saturday's game. O'Neil is not a wide man and to expect him to run all day out wide after recovering from an illness was another remarkable decision by Southgate. Even if he was fit enough he should have been put in the middle of the park to partner Digard. Shawky is notgood enough, simple.

For me, on recent performances, Bates is a better defender than McMahon. Bates played very well against United at Old Trafford last month and should have cemented that right back position ever since. Another slip up that Southgate made on Saturday was playing Riggott instead of Huth. The German is fully fit now so he should be playing. I would put Huth ahead of Riggott in the pecking order any day of the week.

The Downing in the 'whole' position needs to be forgotten about quickly. Downing is a left winger/midfielder and not an attacking midfielder. Ok, so he linked up well with Alves last Saturday against Sunderland, but that is one game. The question you have to ask is, would Capello pick Downing to play in that position for England? No.

The most disappointing decision that Southgate keeps making is leaving Adam Johnson on the bench. If he was managed by a good manager the young winger would be playing week in week out and improving in every game. He is wasted on the bench.

So, there you have it, rant over. I look at possible starting line-ups every other day thinking, what would be the best line up?! It is so simple when you look at players and where their best positions are and play them there. It seems that Southgate gets influenced by too many people on his team selection. Gareth has been in football for nearly three seasons now, surely he must have the knowledge to select a side from a talented squad of players?

If not, then I'm afraid he needs to give someone else a go at it.

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Hi Peeps and Boro fans,

Happy Friday!

What's been happening this week at the Riverside?

Not a lot really, we are gearing up for tomorrow's big game at the Hawthorns which is a must win game if we are to start climbing up the table.

It seems to have gone very quiet regarding the Stewart Downing transfer saga. Spurs have given up on him and more importantly our man has given up on the idea of joining a team in the bottom three.

Mr Downing should receive some good news tomorrow before the game. Following his excellent performances in 2009 the Boro winger, now a 'in the whole' player, is expected to be given the captaincy.

Poggi, the club captain, is very doubtful for the West Brom game and is very likely to miss out on the bottom of the table clash. Downing will step in and lead the players out.

Off the pitch, Boro officials and scouts have been out and about across the British Isles looking at potential targets during the winter transfer window. So far, they have come across Chris Eagles of Burnley. The right-winger has been in terrific form for his current club and Southgate is interested because Aliadiere might be out for some time.

Burnley will be looking for a profit on the youngster and we might have to part with as much as £4million if we are to land the Eagle. Money which Boro do not have.

Other rumours that have surfaced in the past week are - Barry Ferguson, Steven Fletcher and James McCarthy. All Scottish meaning we must have been saving some tokens which gives our scouts a good deal at highland hotels.

One of the mentioned above is certainly a realistic target, but the other two may have been thrown in there to make up the numbers as we are desperate to make progress in the transfer market.

Fletcher is a definite possibility. A young striker that has been lighting up the SPL in the last 18 months. Again, though, we may find it difficult to prize him away from his current club. We don't have the funds to throw around anymore.

Team news for tomorrow

As I've said, Mad Dog is a major doubt for tomorrow's game meaning Andrew Taylor is likely to fill in at left back.

Digard is available after going off last Saturday against Sunderland with concussion. The Frenchman has been immense for us in recent weeks and looks as if he can handle anything that he comes up against.

There is uncertainty over whom will partner Digard in the middle of the park tomorrow. Southgate may go for Arca in there for a bit of creativity or he might go for O'Neil for bite, who is back in the squad following an illness.

The strike force will have to change for the West Brom game. We can't expect to get much if we just play Alves up front on his own. I'm tipping Mido to get a start tomorrow. The Egyptian stated he wants to saty at Boro and help fight the relegation battle. We need his experience and strength up top. He also is very powerful in the air which is a must aginst a team like West Brom.

Prediction: West Brom 1 Boro 2

Star Man: Ross Turnbull

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Good afternoon Peeps and Boro fans,

The result on Saturday was not the end of the world for Middlesbrough FC. Although we should have won the game with the chances we had we are not in the bottom three and we can build on an unbeaten run.

There were plenty of positives to come from the game at the Riverside last Saturday. Afonso Alves grabbed a Premiership goal, at last. The Brazilian is now on a three goal run in 2009. With important games coming up, like Saturdays game at West Brom, it is crucial that our top striker is on form in front of goal.

Stewart Downing highlighted, against Sunderland, why he is so important to the team for the remainder of the season and we have the Middlesbrough manager to thank for that. Southgate has stood firm over the transfer speculation surrounding our left winger and has been very strong minded about the whole situation.

Southgate may not have all the right attributes to steer a team from the touch line, but he does have excellent player management skills off the pitch. Within seven days, Southgate has managed to turn around Downing's career ambitions and the player's stance at his home town club.

We have to thank Gareth Southgate for this. If Middlesbrough were managed by anyone else we could have said goodbye to Downing already with offers of £15million being too much to reject by other managers in our situation.

Didier Digard is key to Boro's survival

The Frenchman is, by far, our most industrious player and has been in great form for the past couple of months. 

He has adapted very well to the Premiership since swapping France for England. Boro fans thought they would have to wait a while to see Digard because Southgate insisted he would have to settle before playing on a regular basis. 

Injuries to Arca and O'Neil meant that Digard was given an early birth into the Boro team. Since his debut the French centre midfielder has shown he is more than capable of manning the engine room on the pitch.

His performances have been the only positive in recent games when, as a team, we have played badly. Consistency is key to a player becoming a great player and Digard certainly has that attribute to his game. Let's hope he can keep it going.

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Good afternoon Peeps and Boro fans,

So another big game for Middlesbrough tomorrow afternoon at the Riverside.

We can expect a little tension amongst the Boro fans tomorrow as Stewart Downing is expected to start against Sunderland. Surely this will be a good thing for the team though against our rivals. It can go two ways. Downing starts the game well and the fans quieten down or Downing starts sloppy and the fans get on his back. The game should be interesting, one thing is sure.

Team news ahead of the game

Gareth Southgate is only missing a couple of players for tomorrows clash at the Riverside. Justin Hoyte is still out with an injury and Gary O'Neil is still unavailable because of a hamstring injury, although that might be wide of the mark considering he is the subject of a possible move back to Portsmouth.

Julio Arca is back from injury and Mo Shawky has recovered well from an illness. I'm not sure whether either will feature in the game as their fitness levels will not quite be up to level.

I'll do Southgate's job for him now and pick the side. My Middlesbrough XI to face Sunderland:

Turnbull

Bates     Wheater    Huth    Pogatetz

    Digard   

 Johnson                Emnes

Downing

Tuncay              Alves

 

My team selection may look a bit lightweight in midfield, but Southgate has not got any options other than to attack tomorrow. We need three points. Time to be bold and rely on your youngsters for a change.

Just think about the prospect of all that pace when we go forward. We have already seen what Emnes can do with the ball at his feet and also he doesn't shy from big challenges and can certainly give a few out himself.

Afonso Alves will be champing at the bit to play tomorrow after netting a brace last week in the cup. I really do hope he can increase his goal tally.

Turnbull will return to the team following his rest week and will be looking to continue his excellent form between the sticks. Hopefully the four lads in front of him will cover the big lad in goal for the whole game.

Prediction time

It's hard predicting on the outcome of Boro games these days. Will they or won't they turn up? It's a lottery.

If they can defend well and sneak a couple of goals preferably from Alves, but I don't mind as long as we win, we can beat this lot from up the road.

Work rate and taking our chances = Middlesbrough 2 Sunderland 0

Star Man - Didier Digard

Enjoy the game and up the Boro!

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Good morning peeps and Boro fans,

I hope everyone had a good new year! I am fully refreshed from my break away in the sun. It's a hard life.

The biggest news concerning Middlesbrough over the last couple of weeks has been the Stewart Downing transfer saga, which is hitting new levels every day.

First there was interest form Spurs for our left winger and there was a string of no-go comments from Boro officials. It took Boro's three top dogs at the club to publicly say no to Spurs, but they cracked on regardless and put their first pitiful offer in of £6million.

Most Boro fans laughed at such an offer, but the Boro board were not happy. Spurs started playing games then after. With Boro standing firm over Downing's departure it eventually took a rejected offer of £14.5million for Spurs to get the message. You could just see Daniel Levy and his board officials smiling and joking as the offer was sent through to Middlesbrough. Who is laughing now.

So, after that £14.5million offer, we have not heard anything from the North London club. Bentley had another shocker in a Spurs shirt against Burnley on Tuesday night so it seems clear they want Downing desperately. Desperation has a price though and it looks like Gibson and co are winning this game of chess.

On the pitch we have struggled to get points since my last post. Successive defeats to Everton and Manchester United have put us one place above the relegation zone in the league.

The performance against Everton was unforgivable. No bite, fight or passion from the Middlesbrough players made it easy work for the Everton players.

Pogatetz rallied the troops and they went to Old Trafford and gave a good account of themselves suggesting that they are very capable of producing good football and beating the best.

The biggest game of the season in my opinion was last Saturdays F.A. Cup clash at the Riverside against Barrow. It was imperative that we won the game. If we had lost the game we would have been a lost team with no confidence for the rest of the season.

We won the game 2-1, which flattered the opposition. The result was very important, but I witnessed Afonso Alves grabbing two goals which will do the world of good regarding his confidence in front of goal.

The next game for Boro is a kick-about against local rivals Sunderland. A must win for Middlesbrough. More news to follow about this game tomorrow.

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Afternoon Peeps and Boro fans,

I hope everyone is prepared for the big day this week? I'm not talking about Christmas day, I'm on about Friday because it will be Middlesbrough FC's biggest day of the season so far.

After Saturdays no show against Fulham at the Cottage it seems that the pressure is mounting on our team and in particular Gareth Southgate. This is the first time this season that fingers have been pointed at our boss. Can he handle the pressure?

The most disappointing part of Saturdays horror show was the passion and spirit of the players, well, the lack of anyway.

Where has the passion gone?

The game on Saturday was embarrassing to watch and fuelled the concerns that we are slowly becoming a relegation outfit. The players that walk out onto the pitch have a duty to perform to the best of their abilities not just for their own sake, but also for the travelling and paying fans.

It's very baffling for a fan to see their team perform very admirably against Arsenal the week before and then for them to perform so poorly against Fulham. Some questions need to be answered by Southgate because players can't just lose the appetite to play football after just one week.

Could it be that some of the players were not fully focused on playing football Saturday and were thinking about spending Christmas with the family. The other question is: are the players good enough? Southgate keeps going on about the team being young and that they are developing. We need players that are already developed and are able to compete in the Premiership.

What next for the team?

Well, this depends on the players. Southgate said it again after the Fulham match.

                                            "The players need to respond."

I hope so for the managers sake because I think Southgate is very close to getting it all wrong. We need points and fast. The Everton game will be very tough for Southgate's team. They drew with a very strong Chelsea team last night and will be confident of getting points at the Riverside.

The tactics have to change for the next game. I've been speaking with a couple of Boro fans that have been to the last couple of games and they all agreed we have been very lightweight up front.

Southgate has a perfect chance to play Tuncay in the middle of the park on Friday leaving room up top for Alves and Mido. Tuncay can add the creative element we have been missing. Let's not forget that Everton are a very physical team and they have defenders that will eat up anything. If the Boro boss is looking for a reaction from players, then Alves and Mido will certainly be the players to look to. Both have scores to settle in a Boro shirt.

It will be interesting to see what team Gareth puts out on Boxing Day. All the fans ask from the players is to play with some passion please.

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Afternoon Peeps and Boro fans,

The sun is shining and the weather is sweet yeah, makes you wanna move your dancing feet now.

Sorry about that, just been listening to some Bob Marley this morning to get me in the mood for our trip to London tomorrow.

Fulham is an odd fixture in our season. It is one of those games that is very unpredictable. I'm not one for being bold with predictions, but this one could really be a win, loss or a draw.

So what are the factors that will determine the result tomorrow? The biggest factor tomorrow, by far, will be how Mark "Skippy" Schwarzer performs. Our old ball stopper will probably have the game of his life against us, it always seems to happen when a former player lines up against us.

Another factor that will determine the outcome of the game will be how we cope in front of goal. I know this is an obvious one, but if Southgate plays the same team that played Arsenal I think we will have to take every chance we get.

Defending will be Gareth's main objective tomorrow and then he will rely on his forward thinkers to get the result in the final third of the pitch. Our big players tomorrow will be Tuncay, Downing and Aliadiere. These three will hold the key to opening the Fulham defence.

Team news for the Cottage trip

Didier Digard is a major doubt ahead of the game. The Frenchman has a thigh injury. This is a big blow for us considering how well he has been playing recently.

David Wheater is back in the squad following his suspension. Andrew Taylor is back from a knee injury, which will give Gareth Southgate a much needed headache ahead of the game. 

Mighty Mido is back in the squad after going AWOL for a couple of weeks. Alves might get the chance to shine once again if GS reverts back to a 4-4-2 formation.

Prediction

Fulham 1 Boro 2 - Fun packed match with plenty to talk about after. Ross will have an awesome game in goal. Downing and Tuncay will be on the score sheet and Mido will get a good reception when he comes on as sub late on.

Let me know what you guys think. Win, loss or a draw?

Enjoy the game girls and boys. 

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Afternoon Peeps and Boro fans,

Sorry about the lack of posting yesterday.. festivity commitments! Back to the world of Middlesbrough FC today. Ooh my head hurts.

I was thinking about the games we have over the Christmas period and thought - who will be our 'key players' in those games.

We play Fulham away on Saturday and then play Everton at home on boxing day. The Manchester United game is on the following Monday evening so there are three very tough games, but all winnable.

I have come up with five main players to look out for over those three games. If all five players play well in the games I'm sure we will come away from the games with at least five points. My heart is saying seven points, but my head says five.

Our Merry Men At Christmas

1. Ross Turnbull - The lad has performed heroics so far this season and the festive period will be his biggest challenge so far in his first season as Boro's number one. A good solid goalkeeper will keep us in the hunt for points over Christmas.

2. David Wheater - Our Redcar born defender is having another superb season in a Boro shirt. With injuries to the defence, Wheater will be asked to play in either a right back or a central defence role over the next three games. He will be a key player for us if we are to keep clean sheets in December.

3. Didier Digard - He is playing very well at the moment and I think there is much more to come from our French midfielder. Important battles lie ahead for him in the next three games, but I think he will relish the challenge. By the way, he was my man of the match against Arsenal last Saturday. An awesome display in the middle.

4. Stewart Downing - DJ Downing is having an incosistent season so far. I'm backing him to shine over the festive period. His penetrating crosses and passes will be key for us against Everton at home and United away. My bet is he will notch a couple over Christmas.

5. Afonso Alves - Is he the unluckiest striker in the Premier league or is he just plain rubbish. I believe he is an awesome striker who is lacking the luck at the minute. Southgate will play him over Christmas and I think he will get back on the scoring trail.

I've missed a couple of players which you guys will probably be thinking are going to be winners over the next few game. Your right, I've left out the likes of Aliadiere, Tuncay and Adam Johnso purely because I think they will continue their good form.

Let's hope the team can start with a win at Fulham on Saturday.

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Afternoon Peeps and Boro fans,

It seems that Gareth Southgate loves playing Arsenal. As a fan, I for one, used to hate playing Arsenal. The games against the North London side a few years back were 'goal fests'. Not for Boro though, for Arsenal. 6-1's and 7-0 come to mind.

All change now since Gareth has taken over. Our manager enjoys tackling one of the big boys in the league and has had recent success. Southgate is still unbeaten as manager of Middlesbrough against Arsene Wenger's team.

The latest 1-1 draw shows us how far we have come as a team since the days when we feared Arsenal and were subject to a humiliating scoreline. Henry has gone, Vieria has gone and Aliadiere has gone to Boro! Ali scored his second goal in three appearances against his former club on Saturday and on both occasions Boro have come away with a point.

Southgate will take a lot of confidence from the Arsenal match. His defensive decisions really paid off for him and his decision to drop Alves also paid dividends.

I would like to see the team take their efforts from Saturdays game into the away game against Fulham, but I'm sure a different team will turn up. You never know with Boro after a few disappointing results.

As a team we went from enjoying a good run to stop starting at the moment. The Bolton display was the most disappointing of the season and the Hull City result was probably the hardest to take considering the referee decisions.

We need to kick on now and get a few wins. Too many draws recently for my liking.

A win on the road against Fulham on Saturday will put us in a good position to push up the league and get a good run going. After Fulham we have Everton at home, which is a very good chance to get all three points. We play United at the end of the month, which could be a good advert for us in the January transfer window if we put in a good show.

What do the fans think of the recent rumours?

Adam Johnson has been linked with Real Madrid. We know how good he is, but do we believe that the Spanish giants want him?

As January 1st closes in, the Downing saga seems to be hotting up. Southgate has apparently stated that he wants cash plus a player if Spurs are serious about getting our left winger.

O'Hara and Dos Santos have been mentioned, but this is pure paper talk at the moment. Could be an interesting January for us.

Southgate might have some money to spend!

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