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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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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Morning Peeps and Boro fans,

I hope everyone is fine and well? It sure was a cold one last night here in England. My early morning workout today consisted of scraping the ice off the car. Never mind using de-icer, give your arms a mini workout, I say.

I'm going to follow on from yesterdays blog about Arsenal's players ending up on Teesside. Ok, we only have two former Gooner's on board, but that could soon change with the arrival of Traore. A figure of around £4million has been slapped on the left back if we're serious about taking him.

Is this a fair amount for a 19-year-old French U21 international? I think so. Boro may not have the funds to throw about at any player, but if Southgate thinks he needs him, then I'm sure the money will appear from somewhere. Whether the money will come from the chairman or from selling on a couple of players remains uncertain yet.

One thing is sure though, we've been talking about Arsenal's youngsters and the amount of good teenagers they have got that are not playing in the first team. After their league cup exit last night, a fair few of those youngsters will probably only get a couple of substitute appearances from the remainder of the season's games.

Here is my point, Arsene Wenger may have to keep some of those players sweet by letting them go out to fellow Premiership teams on loan. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few of these North London youngsters being scattered across the country so they are able to play football.

Gareth Southgate obviously has a good relationship with Arsene Wenger because of the Aliadiere and Hoyte signings, plus he had very good words to say about our Gareth at the end of last season. 'An up and coming manager with lots of potential to lead a young team to glory' were the words that Wenger told one journalist. I would say that Arsene will be getting a Christmas card from the Boro manager this year.

It would be no shock to see an Arsenal youngster at the Riverside in the new year. I'm just wondering which one of their talents would suit a move to the cold of the north east for a few months.

A creative midfield player would be nice to fill that missing gap in the side. If Southgate was to be successful in landing an Arsenal player on loan it will also give the Boro boss more time to find the funds for a summer signing.

More news tomorrow. Keep warm people!

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Morning Peeps and Boro fans,

We're only two days into the festive season and the rumour mill is already bursting with transfer gossip.

I read last night that Axel Witsel is staying put at Standard Liege according to the club's vice-president. A bid of £17million had been rejected earlier this week for the 20-year-old midfielder, which confirms that Boro's interest in the young starlet is now officially over because we do not have that kind of money laying about.

Boro fans are still waiting for good news regarding a creative midfield player. We are desperate for an attacking midfielder to strengthen the team.

Steven Defour's name is still on everybody's lips concerning transfer rumours, but I must admit if Arsenal are interested in the Belgian maestro, then we may have to concede that possibility now before we get our hopes up.

A team of Arsenal cast-off's

Southgate might have a little plan when dealing with Arsene Wenger in January. The Boro boss is apparently interested in strengthening his left back situation. Taylor needs competition and cover so a move for Armand Traore looks likely. The Arsenal left back is currently on loan at Portsmouth and Wenger might be tempted to letting the 19-year-old Frenchman go if a cash offer plus Southgate's interest in Defour dies down.

If Southgate is successful in landing the Arsenal player, it would be another Gunner joining us. We already have Aliadiere and Justin Hoyte. To be honest I wouldn't mind having a team of Arsenal cast-off's, at least they are all good players that have been nurtured by arguably the best coach on the planet.

I can see what Gareth Southgate is doing with the team/squad. He wants to make the team a formidable force in the coming years so that's why he is purchasing players that are aged between 19 and 23-years-old. He is still building a team and is showing us that by bringing in players like Digard, Emnes and Hoyte. These players are not overnight stars, they are players for the future.

Boro fans are not fickle like many other Premier league club fans. We don't demand overnight success so when Southgate makes moves like this, we are right behind him. Just get it right soon yeah! Two more seasons for him to get his five-year plan spot on.

More gossip on its way when the rumour mill churns it out.

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