Afternoon Peeps and Boro fans,

It has been a few days since my last post. I have been lost in the wilderness for a while, but have now found home again.

Boro have been battling away in the relegation zone recently without making any progress. You can't call a point at home to Blackburn progress. Can we?

Where do we go from here? 

The Manchester City match on Saturday was much better in terms of end product, but the result was inevitable becaue of our confidence in front of goal.

When I say end product, I mean getting forward and into dangerous areas to cause the opposition trouble resulting in shots on goal.

Southgate managed 180 minutes of football without a goal threat prior to the City game, but within 20 minutes on Saturday, either side of half time, we went close on three separate occasions. Alves

had all three chances to score but was thwarted by Shay Given. That was always going to the biggest problem on Saturday against Manchester City, their new goalkeeper.

Boro have a habit of playing against opposition goalkeepers that are in the best form of their careers. Given made two world class saves to deny Afonso and received man of the match for his heroics.

I must say Brad Jones was also excellent in the opposite goal. He produced many good saves to deny City in the first half. I must admit, if we do go down, we will have two very good goalkeepers to help us back up.

It does look bleak in terms of results, but at least the performance was encouraging from Saturday. We actually looked like scoring. Shock!

My manager notes

Clueless again on Saturday. Bates in midfield and O'Neil on the bench. What is he playing at? Digard was back, but was taken off with half an hour to go with no sign of fatigue or injury. Has Southgate lost the plot?

Another moan must go to Southgate for leaving Tuncay on the bench and persisting with Marlon King up front. The gut has offered nothing since his switch from Wigan/Hull.

If Southgate keeps up the crazy decisions he will soon be following Tony Adams to the managerial scrapheap. 

A trip to West Ham on Saturday will ease the pressure on Southgate, but a heavy defeat to the hands of the Hammers will mean curtains for GS.

Follow the Boro Brick Road...

Afternoon Peeps and Boro fans,

How's it going!

This is a make or break weekend for Middlesbrough FC and, in particular, our oh so friendly manager, Gareth Southgate.

The team could be rock bottom of the Premier League table and without a manager on Monday morning. Tomorrow's game at the Riverside is massive, it is huge, it is big. 

The fans will be there in their numbers to support the team, but I can see them turning on the men in charge quickly if Blackburn get their noses in front.

Nothing less than a win will only do for our passionate fans. We do not care how we win tomorrow just as long as we win. Ugly the better I say.

We are boosted by the news that Southgate will not park the team bus on the edge of our own box tomorrow. He says we need to be more attacking.

"We must have more of an attacking threat and we need to show it against Blackburn. Obviously we have to combine that with a positive overall performance."

Marlon King will, almost certainly, start against Blackburn tomorrow. This leaves a slight confusion as to where Tuncay will play because King's partner will be Alves.

Will we finally see Tuncay in the middle of the park? I'm hoping so. Our Turkish international played there in the EUROS last summer and was excellent in that position. If I hear all three names in the starting line-up tomorrow I will be very pleased.

Bold selection for tomorrow's game:

Turnbull

Hoyte    Wheater   Huth    Pogatetz

   Shawky           

  Johnson         Tuncay       Downing  

  King      Alves 

 

Southgate's safe selection for tomorrow's game: 

 Turnbull

McMahon   Wheater   Riggott   Pogatetz

Tuncay    Arca   Shawky    Downing

King       Alves

 

I know which one I would like to see, but Southgate has a habit of bottling the team selection for important games.

Good luck to the lads tomorrow and let's see goals and, more importantly, three points.

Up The Boro!!

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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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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.

Follow the Boro Brick Road...

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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.

Follow the Boro Brick Road...

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Good afternoon Peeps and Boro fans,

Only a couple of days until Middlesbrough battle Arsenal at the Riverside. The lunch time kick off looks very mouth-watering for a Boro fan. We have done very well against the north London team in the last four league meetings.

Boro took four points off Arsenal last season and will be looking to improve on that points total starting with another win against the top four side.

Can we beat Arsenal?

Of course we can, especially now because Arsene Wneger's side are going through a rough patch, which will give Gareth Southgate even more confidence going into the game.

The only problem Southgate faces before the game is his 'defensive pickings'. With David Wheater suspended after last weekends red card against Hull our manager will be sweating on the fitness of Robert Huth. If the German fails to make the game, then Seb Hines will be in contention to make a rare start.

I think the likes of Tuncay, Alves, Aliadiere and Downing will cause the Arsenal defence all sorts of problems on Saturday. If Tuncay has been reading the latest media reports, then he will be full of confidence knowing that a top team like Chelsea are after him. It can only be a good thing for our Turkish star.

Alves still has a lot to prove to the Boro players and I expect him to thrive against Arsenal. If Tuncay and Alves are on form, then I can see us winning on Saturday. Big if though.

I'll bring you the latest match preview tomorrow. Let's hope Huth is still in contention for a start. Fingers crossed.

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Morning Peeps and Boro fans,

Some bad news for all the Middlesbrough fans today. Chelsea are reportedly going to offer Boro £8million for Tuncay in January.

According to some newspaper talk, our Turkish hit man is wanted by the Blues and Tuncay is Scolari's number one target in January to add more fire-power to his Chelsea team.

Gareth Southgate will be bracing himself for the offer in January and if he has any sense he will reject that offer straight away. Tuncay has been our best player this season by a mile. He was awesome last season as well and is a fans favourite at the Riverside.

Southgate might be tempted by a big cash offer for the Turk though. We have funding problems ahead of the transfer window and the Boro boss has insisted he wants to strengthen his midfield.

I would not be surprised if the next move is by Southgate. He will either say Tuncay is not for sale or the Blues have to cough up £10million. I'm also sure that if Tuncay was to be sold that other European giants will be contenders for his signature.

We need to keep Tuncay though, if we're to get better as a team. He is one of a few that has experience in the team. He will be a vital player for us in the next couple of seasons.

What do you guys think? Would it be a big mistake selling Tuncay? Or, considering we signed him on a free, would it be good business? - Answers on a post card or alternatively post your comments in the aptly named box below.

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Good morning Peeps and Boro fans,

I hope everyone is well and looking forward to the Arsenal game this weekend. It will be a tall order for our boys to repeat last seasons win against the Gunners, but I'm sure they will be up for the lunch time kick off on Saturday.

Off the pitch and there has been a number of players linked to Middlesbrough this week. It is unsure whether Southgate will have any funds to wheel and deal in the transfer market in January. Yesterday's 'Follow the Boro Brick Road' suggested that Downing was off to Spurs, but after talking to a few Boro fans and reading the latest reaction news from that story, it seems that Downing wants to stay put.

If Stewie does stay at the Riverside in January it will mean that Southgate may look to sell off another big name in the squad to raise funds. My money is on Mido. The Egyptian is unsure about his future at the Riverside and after he was left out of the squad last Saturday I would not be surprised if he is already looking for a new club.

Mido money will strengthen the team

Steve Bruce is a big fan of Mido and could offer him a regular slot at the JJB if he decides to go there in January. A figure of £7million would fit the bill if Southgate wants to sell. Wigan reportedly offered £6million in the summer transfer window, but Southgate rejected it straight away.

So, if we do get the money for Mido, Southgate will look to strengthen the team with that money.

Players that have been linked to the Riverside this week are: Marko Pantelic, Stephen Hunt and Anthony Vanden Borre.

Pantelic is a recognised goal scorer who currently applies his trade in Germany with Hertha Berlin. The Serbian international has a decent goal record. I think Southgate would be tempted by a player of his calibre because he is experienced at 30-years-old. The Boro boss faces competition from Everton, Wigan and West Brom for his signature. Possibility rating: 2/5

Stephen Hunt was linked to us last summer along with James Harper, but both decided to stay at Reading to help them get back in the Premiership. Hunt would be an ideal player for Boro. He is very passionate and loves to run all day long. He would be very similar to Tuncay's work-rate and has a good delivery. Possibility rating: 2/5

The most likely out of the three players reported this week is the signing of Anthony Vanden Borre. Southgate likes signing versatile players and Vanden Borre fits the criteria very well. He is predominantly a right back, but can play in midfield. The Belgian starlet wants to play in England and Boro could be the likely destination for the 21-year-old. Negotiations have apparently already started. Possibility rating: 3/5

What do the fans think of these possibilities? Do we need another striker? Who would you like to see in a Boro shirt in the new year?

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

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Afternoon Peeps and Boro fans,

Another disappointing weekend has come and gone. The Tigers fought back from a Tuncay flick to inflict another terrible late show.

How the Hull did it happen?

I was watching in disbelief as Marlon King strokes a sloppy penalty past Ross Turnbull in the final stages of the game to make it 2-1 to Hull.

After Tuncay had struck to give us the lead, I thought we would be ok and that we would be climbing up the league tonight. How wrong I was. An unthinkable moment of comedy errors occurred at the most important period in the game, the last ten minutes.

I do have some sympathy for Ross in our goal because he has been very strong for us in recent months. It was a shame that his run of good games came to an end at Hull on Saturday.

The goals were individual mistakes, however you look at it. The main contenders were: Turnbull (first goal), Wheater (penalty), the referee (penalty) and the assistant (Geovanni being offside leading to the penalty).

Naive is a word that has been used a lot this season describing our team. We are a young side that lacks the discipline and leadership skills to close a game out without producing mistakes. Gareth Southgate will have to address this problem if we're to move up the league.

With all the late goals that we've conceded in games this season, I make it 10 points lost. We cannot afford to lose many more games or points because of naivety within our team. Those 10 points would have put us in the top five and within touching distance of the top three.

The Arsenal game on Saturday will be a massive game for us because our confidence will hinge on the performance against the North London side. A win will see us gather momentum going into the Christmas period whilst a loss will see us in all sorts of problems.

Downing to Tottenham in January

Will he? Won't he? That is the question all Boro and Spurs fans are asking. I think January could see a new era starting at the Riverside. The golden boy of Teesside has had better seasons in a Boro shirt and with some fans questioning his abilities he might just take the gamble of going to another team in the Premiership to seek better fortunes for himself.

Gareth Southgate needs funds to improve the team in January so the sale of Downing could well and truly be on. A figure of £12million will probably be accepted for our left winger, which would mean a couple of new players for Southgate to look at to strengthen the midfield and defence.

Personally I would like to see Stewart go to a team like Liverpool, where he would flourish in the Champions League. We know he can play at the highest level, but if he played more high profile games I think he can be world class in the coming years. We'll have to wait and see what happens in January 2009.

I'll bring you guys all the transfer gossip tomorrow, including rumours about another Belgian starlet and a Serbian.

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