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.

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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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*missed the last blog post? Click here to read it*

 

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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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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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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