Morning Peeps and Boro fans,

Three days to go until we play arguably our biggest game of the season. Not because we are playing against one of our rivals, but also because this game could be a big turning point in our ever more surprising season.

A win on Saturday would see our season back on track, but if we lose there will be tough times ahead for us especially as we near the notorious festive period.

Passion From The Fans

The Boro players will be up for this game, but will still need our support to get them playing well against the Magpies. The game against Bolton handed an unwanted reminder that some sections of our fans still think it is acceptable to moan and boo players. We are passionate fans, I know that, but we need to get behind the players when it gets tough. I've always said - vent your anger after a game has finished not during the match. Some players react in different ways. Some positive and some negative.

I hope that we keep the small pocket of Newcastle fans quiet throughout the game by being very vocal and as loud as possible. We need to get behind the team more. The old saying of the 'fans being the twelfth man' is very true. The atmosphere becomes that bit more special as well when the fans are singing and cheering the team throughout the game.

This game will definitely be a turning point for us. The Bolton game was a blip in our recent impressive run and I'm sure the Newcastle game will deliver more promise from the players.

One thing is sure, the game will be end to end because Newcastle's tactics allow other teams to have a higher line meaning we can exploit easier. Bolton stood off us for 90 minutes and made it hard for us to create chances in and around the box. Bolton had an ugly game plan and to be fair to them they got it right.

Also, the added factor of the Middlesbrough defence having a day off didn't help the situation. Pogatetz was quick to admit that the defence was not at it's best last Saturday and has assured the fans that they will be much better this week against Newcastle. Fingers crossed.

The big question for Gareth Southgate this week will be - who does he play against Newcastle? There are players that are knocking on the door of the first team and there a couple of players that have not been performing in a red shirt.

Would anyone be surprised if Mido comes in for Afonso Alves on Saturday. Southgate might want to give the Brazilian striker a reality check. It may have a positive effect on the player.

Only a few more days to go until the big one!

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Morning Peeps and Boro fans,

I hope everyone is well and looking forward to the big game on Saturday! I've been rooting through my old Red Roar magazines looking for old match reports for Boro v Newcastle games. I came across a game from the 1995/96 season when the 'little fella' was playing.

The game was back in February 1996 on a mild and dry day. Boro lost the game 2-1, but I'm not too bothered about the result from yesteryear. I wanted to compare the team that played then to the team that are currently playing today.

                                   Boro Team - 1996           Boro Team - 2008

                                          Walsh (7)                         Turnbull (7)

                                            Cox (8)                            Hoyte (7)

                                           Morris (6)                         Taylor (7)

                                          Vickers (7)                       Wheater (8)

                                         Pearson (8)                      Pogatetz (8)

                                         Whelan (6)                       Downing (9)

                                          Stamp (7)                         Digard (7)

                                        Juninho (10)                      Tuncay (9)

                                         Pollock (7)                          O'Neil (8)

                                         Barmby (9)                       Aliadiere (8)

                                       Wilkinson (7)                        Alves (8)

                                            SUBS                                 SUBS

                                         Hignett (8)                            Mido (8)

                                         Fjortoft (8)                          Johnson (8) 

                                          Liddle (6)                              Arca (7)

I've given each player a mark out of ten so you can compare the players from the old team to the current team. The team of 1996 faced Newcastle at home in February of that year and lost 2-1. The team of 2008 opposite will probably start against Newcastle this Saturday.

I think the team has improved over the years. Look at how many youngsters are in the current side, it's amazing. I would definitely say that we have come a long way since the days of the Robson era. It was a great platform to build on 12 years ago and now Southgate has taken the team to the next level.

What do you make of the comparisons? Do you agree with the marks out of ten for each player?

If I had the chance to select a fantasy team out of both sides I think I would put Barmby, Juninho and Hignett in the current team and take out Aliadiere, O'Neil and Digard.

Would you agree?

Answers on a post card or alternatively post a comment below in the aptly named box.

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Morning Peeps and Boro fans,

Hope everyone is ok on this fine, wet, cold and windy Monday morning!

Waking up to the awful weather makes Saturdays result against Bolton even harder to take. I think this week is going to be slow-moving for all Boro fans.

I expected Middlesbrough to get all three points on Saturday so that's probably why I'm feeling the pain of the Bolton loss.

Results like this are a regular occurrence for any Boro fan to witness. It happens all the time, we expect it. I honestly thought we had turned a corner this season and were capable of dispatching teams like Bolton, especially in front of our own fans.

Wrong Turn

Never mind 'turning a corner', we made a wrong turn on Saturday. That wasn't meant to happen to Boro on Saturday. We were meant to get three points and close the gap on the top four. A weekend which saw the four top teams lose points as well was hard to take.

I won't go into detail too much about the Bolton game because it's depressing reading. Let's just say we shot ourselves in the foot at the beginning of the game. Two goals down after ten minutes of play is unforgivable in this league.

Chances were not taken at the other end - no surprise there then! Our defence lacked shape and promise, something of a strength in recent weeks, but completely missing on Saturday. What is it about playing 'lesser teams' in the league?!

Derby Day Looms

Newcastle produced an honourable display against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and will be looking to do one better at the Riverside this Saturday and win.

Southgate has got a big week this week. The Bolton game has to be forgotten and the players need to pick themselves up for the big derby day.

Fingers crossed that the team forgets about the last game and they look forward to the Newcastle game. All three points will be nice.

More tomorrow.

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Morning Peeps and Boro fans,

What a great night of international football last night. I was half expecting the game to be a boring draw and to give me that sudden urge to watch Heroes instead.

The Germans lined up with a very inexperienced midfield which suggested straight away that England, with their pace down each flank, would cause the 'old enemy' all sorts of problems from the off.

Downing Domination

The first ten minutes were very intriguing and unlike any England team I've seen before. We dominated possession and were clearly rattling the home crowd with our new style of play. I call it 'keep the ball away from the Brussell sprouts' - see what I did there.

Our very own was soon making his mark on the game with his accurate passing and pin-point crossing. Stewart Downing had received an awful lot of criticism from the press and the England fans prior to this game and he must have been thinking that this is probably his last chance to impress the coach.

He took his chance last night and showed the fans what he is capable of. He was beating their right back at every chance and was linking up well with Carrick and Agbonlahor. His left foot was working for once as his set-pieces began to shine. Both England goals came from Downing's left boot. He was unlucky with a couple of shots as well after his inventiveness allowed him space to shoot, but the German stopper was equal to SD.

It was clear that England's formation was spot on last night. Two industrious players in the centre but with the added class to pick out a pass and on the flanks were two players with skill and an abundance of imagination. We really did look the part last night. Lampard and Gerrard should be worried on this showing because Barry and Carrick were very impressive.

Beckham may have played his last game for England after Wright-Phillips showed us what he is capable doing down the right side.

Stewart Downing must be thinking that he's also got a chance of shifting Joe Cole. We looked a much more balanced side last night and it would take a bold manager to leave out the 'stars' for the next qualifying game. That's why we are paying Capello all that money and I'm sure he will make some interesting decisions in the new year.

One final thought on Downing to take away with you. He must have been so nervous to perform last night after all the criticism he received from the couple of games he has played for England. So for the Middlesbrough player to go out and perform for his country like he did last night was testament to the lad and also to the people around him that gave him the belief to go out and express himself on the big stage.

Well done Stewart Downing!

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Good morning Peeps and Boro fans,

Most papers and websites are full of player speculation this morning. The transfer window opens in January, which is just over six weeks away, so the rumours have started already.

The transfer window is officially unlocked

Managers and club officials brace themselves for questioning regarding players coming and going in the transfer window during the run up period to January. The media seem to have fun filling articles with utter nonsense most of the time about players going to different clubs, I find it hilarious.

It has been well documented that Middlesbrough's financial status is in the red so it is no surprise that we have been linked with players from the lower leagues.

Reports last week suggested that Southgate sent out his chief scout to look at Leeds United striker, Luciano Becchio. The Argentine arrived at Leeds at the beginning of the season on a free and after scoring nine goals in 18 appearances has impressed onlookers, especially Middlesbrough.

Do we need another striker?

Well, it certainly would not harm to have another player that sits on the bench. Alves and Mido will need competition if we are to get the best out of both so an added striker would probably help the situation.

If we did sign Becchio I'm pretty sure the Argentine will have his say on who starts up top because, on first glance, he's actually not a bad player and the Leeds fans have high hopes of this lad.

Apparently £2million would have to be offered if we were to get our hands on him. Not bad pricing if he scores us 10 goals for the remainder of the season but a waste of money if he manages just a couple of goals. On the other hand, he might be purchased for the future as he is only 24-years-old.

What do you guys think? Should we be looking at better players than this or should we be sensible with our dealings and keep the budget low?

Answers on a post card please or alternatively post them in the comment box below.

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Hello Peeps and Boro fans,

Another great weekend of football has come and gone. United kicked into gear for the first time this season and Arsenal showed their frailties once again whilst Chelsea are powering on at the top of the league.

Attentions then turned to Boro yesterday afternoon. Southgate made one change to the side that beat Villa seven days prior to the Goodison Park trip. Julio Arca came in for Aliadiere who missed out through illness. Get well soon Ali!

The game started brightly for both teams and soon it was evident that this was going to be end-to-end action.

Gary O'Neil started on the right of midfield and caused problems from the first minute. Lescott was troubled by Boro's movement on the right resulting in O'Neil having the first shot of the match which narrowly missed Howard's upright.

Middlesbrough continued to press in the early stages and got their reward on eight minutes when Downing picked out O'Neil with a cleverly disguised pass, which the midfielder raced onto and calmly slotted past the American goalkeeper at his near post.

I thought to myself 'that was a calm finish'. The finish by O'Neil was top class and I take back what I have said in the past about his lack of goals from midfield. That goal instantly doubled his tally of goals for the season. Let's hope there are more to come now he has the goal scoring bug.

We almost scored at the wrong time in the game though because from then on we were on the back foot. Everton pushed forward at every chance and put the Boro back four under a lot of pressure which resulted in a few near misses and wood-work activity. Lescott's sliced cross clipped the top of the upright and fortunately rebounded to a red shirt and we were able to clear.

I was impressed with our defence because they were comfortably withstanding all of Everton's pressure even though there was a lot of it which must have been pleasing for Southgate.

The second half started the same as the first and Boro came out pushing forward. Downing and Tuncay were linking up well, but with Alves on his own up top we were unable to create any decent goal scoring chances.

Everton then had a spell of pressure which resulted in the leveller. Yakubu was the luckiest person in the ground yesterday as he turned the ball into the back of the net after a fortuitous rebound off his back. There should be a new saying for Yakubu - Yakety-yak turn your back!

We responded very well to the Everton goal and almost immediately went back ahead through our Frenchman, Didier Digard. He curled a low shot from the edge of the box which caught Howard flat footed, but the Everton goalkeeper somehow produced the save of the game and parried the shot onto the post. So close!

Everton applied late pressure, but I wasn't too nervous because big Wheats was on to soak up all the pressure. A good result in the end for Boro. They continue to impress me.

Bolton at the Riverside next. Keep that unbeaten run going.

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Hi Peeps and Boro fans,

Good day to you all. I hope everyone is having a great Friday! The weekend is almost upon us which means football, football and even more football.

Boro are playing on a Sunday again which means we get to sit back and watch other teams do their thing before we go to battle. Last weekend was, what I call, a 'perfect week' for Boro fans. Newcastle and Sunderland both lost on the Saturday which made Match Of The Day so much more entertaining and Boro won on the Sunday, oh yes. To make things even better our rivals are sitting in the bottom three where they belong!

Attentions turn to another game on the road this weekend. Boro travel to Merseyside to take on the blue half of Liverpool. Everton are unbeaten in four league games and will be looking to improve on their poor home record this season.

Boro have been excellent away from home this season so the trip to Goodison is looking less intimidating as it has been in previous seasons.

It seems that Gareth Southgate is content with his current team selection and is more than likely to name an unchanged team, which beat Aston Villa last Sunday.

This means the likes of Wheater, Johnson, Emnes and Arca will have to contend with a place on the bench. Looking at our possible bench I am convinced that Southgate is getting things right this season. That is a strong bench even with players like Mido and Huth missing. This is definitely the strongest squad we have had since I have been supporting the Boro. Over 20 years!

Our opponents have a couple of injury worries ahead of the game. Yobo and Yakubu are regarded as 50/50 to face Boro. Yakubu will be hoping to make the team sheet against his former team. The Nigerian currently has a heel problem and will face a late fitness test on Sunday.

Merseyside Blues or Top Six Riches?

The Boro players have not hit top form this season and if they do at Everton I think this will be a comfortable win. The defence is getting stronger and stronger and Ross, in goal, is 'player of the season' so far so I think we'll take advantage of our current form and leapfrog Everton and join the top six in the Premiership.

Alves will come good on Sunday. He will be very eager to banish last week's miss at Villa Park. I expect the Brazilain to score a few on Sunday.

Score - Everton 0 Middlesbrough 3

Downing to score and Alves to grab a double. Tuncay to be star man and Ross to continue his good form between the sticks.

Enjoy the game!

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Hi Peeps and Boro fans,

I've been studying the league table this morning. The most surprising thing this season is how tight the league positions are 12 games in.

Only ten points separate 4th and 20th position in the league. United are sitting in fourth position with 21 points whilst West Brom, at the bottom, have 11 points.

I'm not going to get carried away here looking at Boro's position in the league because it is still early doors in the season and there is a long way to go.

Middlesbrough are 8th in the table after the first third of the season. With two thirds remaining my confidence in the team is growing. I believe the Boro fans are still yet to see the best out of their team.

The big question is, can Middlesbrough handle the pressure if they do break into the top six by the end of this weekend?

I'm not sure if Southgate and his team can, but I am sure they will give it their best shot. Gareth Southgate has always said that he has a 5-year plan and when we're in that 5th year wants the team to be challenging for a Champions League place.

We're into Southgate's third year plan and so far we have not seen any evidence that his team can make the big step up. One thing we have seen this season though is the ability to ground out results when things have not gone our way during games.

The Boro boss has somehow installed a belief into the players that has been lacking for some time. We're winning games away from home and getting results against good sides.

Can we talk about a top four place?

We certainly can. If Boro go to Everton on Sunday and get three points, then they will break into the top six. Games against Bolton and Newcastle at home follow Sundays game so I'm thinking 'why not'. Nine points is possible from the next three games, but then again I am talking about Boro. We could fall flat on our faces and lose all three games and end up in the bottom three.

I'm going to be positive though, we are nearing a fully fit squad for the first time in ages - I can't actually remember because it has been that long since we have had a fully fit squad.

We should be able to kick on from our mini unbeaten run and get climbing. Top four here we come!

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Good morning/afternoon/evening Peeps and Boro fans,

This morning I was walking along the Boro Brick Road and stumbled across a Middlesbrough Supporters' Club on the net. You're probably thinking that every team has a good number of supporter clubs in lots of countries across the globe and this is not very interesting, but this one stood out because it was on the other side of the world. Well, strictly speaking they are on the net so they're not that far away at all, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

They call themselves the Middlesbrough FC Singapore Official Supporters' Club. They are a small community of Boro fans who meet up and share their joys about the mighty Boro.

The club was set up in June 2004 by a nice fella called Ariff Ahmad who wanted to increase the already growing Asian interest in Middlesbrough FC. The Supporters' Club has since been endorsed by Boro's number one fan and Middlesbrough FC chairman, Steve Gibson.

It's wonderful to know that there are Boro fans all over the globe cheering on their favourite team.

The guys from the Singapore Branch look like they are dedicated fans. They even enter regular 6-a-side football tournaments in South East Asia and always put in a good show, having won the tournament a few times in recent years.

I hope that the Middlesbrough FC Singapore Official Supporters' Club continues to grow over the coming seasons and will increase the Asian interest in Boro. Good luck!

Please take a look at their site and check out the photos of Ariff with the likes of Steve Gibson, Craig Hignett and Gary Pallister. Middlesbrough FC Singapore Official Supporters' Club 

The Everton game is creeping up on us so tomorrow's blog post will bring the latest news ahead of the trip to Goodison Park. Keep in touch.

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Hi Peeps and Boro fans,

I'm on a moaning session this morning after reading a few media reports and articles from the Villa/Boro game.

Some football writers out there don't like northern teams, don't like northern people in general and also hate to see teams like Middlesbrough having success.

It has been amongst the media for some time now that our team gets no affection from the southern wide boys scribbling in London. The blame should not be solely directed toward the writers, but also at the newspapers for employing journalists and writers that support London teams.

Every time we produce a good result or go on a bit of a run it always gets noticed as fortunate or the other team not playing very well against us. The papers never seem to say how well our team are doing and that we are actually going places. I'm not suggesting we are going to win the league or get into the Champions League, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

I'm not one for naming names so I don't want to throw abuse at these misguided fools. I just find it very interesting that they can make up utter rubbish about certain aspects of a club and think it is acceptable for people to read.

A classic example occurred yesterday when a leading tabloid newspaper in England decided to throw criticism at Afonso Alves. Apparently he has been a flop ever since he arrived on Teesside. His miss on Sunday against Villa was 'embarrassing' claimed the writer of this classic bulls**t article.

An attack on Middlesbrough's scouting network then followed before branding the Brazillian as a total flop.

Yes, the miss was embarrassing, but you can see from Afonso's reaction that he was the most embarrassed person in the ground when he put his shot from 5-yards out wide of the goal. This certainly happens to every good striker once in a while, they are human after all.

The most annoying statement was that Alves was a flop since arriving at Boro. What another load of horses**t. He has scored 9 times in 17 starts for Boro. That is a goal every other game. Not bad for a flop I would say.

I hope Afonso Alves scores on Sunday against Everton to shut up a few critics that have been circulating this rubbish about the striker.

Sorry for the moan on this sunny Tuesday. 

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