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 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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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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Morning Peeps and Boro fans,

What a week of football news we've had. Off the pitch that is. It all started with the Mido incident at the beginning of the week and now, at the end of the week, all the news has been about Roy Keane leaving the Stadium of Light.

It seems that Boro are currently the most stable club in the North East. Gareth Southgate must be quietly smug about the situation of his two local rivals. First Kevin Keegan left his post at Newcastle earlier this season and now Keano has left Sunderland.

I was very surprised to hear the news that Roy had left Sunderland yesterday. He is a very astute character and is not one for giving in, so it confused me slightly when the Sunderland chairman, Nial Quinn said that Roy had left because he had taken the club as far as possible.

Keane is a winner through and through. My opinion is that he knew he wasn't going to get any help in the January transfer window to help strengthen his squad and decided to call it a day now rather than prolong the job with insufficient resources.

If Keane thought the team was going to be in a relegation battle I think he would have had a couple of ideas on who to bring in to help the team survive, but something has gone on behind the scenes that we've not heard about yet. I'm looking forward to reading part II of Keane's book when it comes out.

With both rival clubs in dire straits it seems that Gareth Southgate will be holding his head up slightly higher. I make him king of the North East now.

Our boss will feel more confident about his future now knowing that he has the best team in the North East. 

Hull City vs Middlesbrough

Gareth Southgate takes his band of merry men to the KC stadium tomorrow to face a couple of old team buddies. George Boateng, Nick Barmby and Dean Windass all play for the Tigers. Out of the three, George is the only player likely to face Boro on the pitch. It will be interesting to see Digard battle against our old boy.

Good news on the injury front ahead of the game. Robert Huth is back in the squad and Gary O'Neil has also made the game after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained against Bolton.

Probable line-up: Turnbull, Hoyte, Taylor, Pogatetz, Wheater, Aliadiere, Downing, O'Neil, Digard, Alves, Tuncay.

The bench will look something like this: Jones, Huth, Bates, Arca, Emnes, Mido, McMahon

Prediction: Hull's style of play should help Boro tomorrow because they play very attacking football. This will allow Boro to also have the freedom to attack. I'm predicting goals, goals and goals.

Hull City 2 Middlesbrough 4

What do the fans think? Will Boro get an away win?

Enjoy the game, see you there!

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Morning Peeps and Boro fans,

I hope everyone is in good spirit this morning! The sleet and snow is tumbling down outside whilst I'm writing this. The sled has been cleaned is ready for take-off once the snow has settled.

Yesterday Mido pointed the finger at the F.A. after the Egyptian received racial abuse from the Newcastle United fans at the Tees-Tyne derby last Saturday.

This was not the first time Mido has heard Islamaphobic chants directed at him by the Newcastle fans. The same fixture last year also had similar chanting.

Understandably Mido is very upset and has pointed the blame at the F.A. for not acting upon the abuse in last seasons Tees-Tyne derby.

"They (Newcastle fans) kept chanting disgusting words, racist words, about Islam and unfortunately this is the second time from the same fans."

 

Mido is insistent that the F.A. will not do anything the second time around, but still think they have the power to stop the racial abuse. Strong words from our Egyptian striker towards the F.A.

"It happened since the first time the English FA did nothing. I considered this an invitation from the English FA to repeat such shameful acts from the Newcastle supporters, I am asking the English FA to take serious action to stop such things."

 

Mido is totally right on this one. How has it come to this that the victim in this thoughtless situation has to speak out to get things moving in the right direction. The F.A. should be taking this very seriously and should have identified the culprits by now and be taking action against them, after all, they are criminals. Racial abuse is a crime in this country. It's not acceptable on the street so why should it be 'swept under the carpet' if it occurs at football matches?

What do the fans think about the F.A.'s involvement, or lack of, with the Mido abuse? 

Hull City this Saturday

Back to the football now. It looks like we will have our big German stopper for the Hull game. Robert Huth returned to training this week and has been put in the squad to face the tigers on Saturday. 

Gareth Southgate will be very happy with the strength of his squad at the moment because the injury list is very short at this present moment. Chris Riggott is nearing full fitness as well after he suffered a hamstring injury against Everton last month.

Boro fans will also be very pleased to hear that Matthew Bates is nearing full match fitness. The 21-year-old had spent a lengthy time on the sidelines, but is now ready to fight for a place in the starting line-up. Southgate is hoping he can kick-start his career again after a lengthy lay-off.

"Having been through his previous injuries, he knew what he had to do to get himself fit again. I hope it works out for him."

 

The only injury worry ahead of the Hull game this Saturday is the fitness of Pogatetz. The Austrian picked up a bad shoulder injury against Newcastle. He is racing to be fit and doesn't want to miss the trip and play against his former team-mate George Boateng.

More pre-match news tomorrow.

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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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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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