Gunners Spiked By Battling Boro
WELL I'll be honest: I thought Boro were going to get battered. With impressive Justin Hoyte (currently the most potent attacking outlet) under the knife and Andrew Taylor strutting out of a fitness test Boro were already in trouble. Having to draft in Robert Huth after seven weeks out and just two days full contact training plus rush Chris Riggott back after three weeks sidelined just compounded the problem as injury ravaged Boro used their tenth back four combination of the season.
A makeshift defence and a lightweight striker-come-flanker in an unaccustomed lone role up front against a Champions League team that really needed to win, had a point to prove after last season and had brought back five first teamers rested in midweek? My daft quid was on 3-0 - and I feared that was laughable foam-handed optimism.
But it truly is a funny old game. Boro got a deserved point in a stirring, high-tempo and entertaining 1-1 draw and possibly should have - or could have - taken all three it having had a stone wall penalty incredibly waved away when Real Madrid target Adam Johnson (ho ho bloody ho) had his toe stomped on by Gael Clichy.
Could have won. Equally could have lost. Arsenal had the best of the rest of the chances and Turnbull had to make three good saves and van Persie missed a sitter so maybe we rode our luck a bit. Boro's only real other opportunity was the one Stewie Downing blasted at a nice height for Almunia.
A spirited spell late in the first half aside, the balance of play was probably in Arsenal's favour but Boro did well to hold them at bay. It was scrappy at times with shots being charged down and good balls into the box scrambled chaotically away, but what the hell, we'll take it. It was important to bounce back after the sickening late sucker punch at Hull with a solid, spirited and productive display to shore up morale going into a tricky run of games. Given that most Boro fans probably expected to lose (and possibly lose heavily) a point against Arsenal is a good one. Some observations:
Rebuild The Berlin Wall: "...we can rebuild him, we have the technology, we can make the world's first bionic man...." Boro's ã6m man showed that when all the nuts and bolts are replaced, the screws tightened and the microprocessors working he is far more than a pointless and expensive experiment in medical science.
When fit Robert Huth is Boro's best defender. When fit. He is undoubtedly international quality and possibly can go on to be one of the greats. When fit. He reads the game well, is rock solid in the tackle and brings the best out of those around him. He is capable of silky skills at times, has excellent distribution and can always get a massive cheer from the crowd when he does "a Mansfield challenge" and rattles the ribcage of an opponent stupid enough to get in the way of a clearance. I love him. When fit.
That doesn't explain why he was distracted by the run of Diaby and stood rooted as his man Adebayor casually climbed to head home the corner though.
Tiger Feet: After two years out crocked or in exile on loan injury-jinxed Tony McMahon must have wondered if he had a future at Boro. He must have been surprised to have even been given a new deal when it seemed that he didn't figure in the manager's plans when David Wheater was switched to right-back ahead of him.
But the tenacious full-back, who has become an icon while not playing, showed exactly why it was worth the club sticking by him with a polished display of gritty defending, robust tackling and assertive over-lapping. His willingness to get stuck was refreshing and it was his headstrong charge in to block Gael Clichy's attempted clearance that led to Boro's goal. He still lacks finesse - despite making his debut four years ago he has still not played a dozen first team games for Boro - and he is well short of the options that Hoyte offers to the team but he has done enough in that display to give the boss the confidence to stick him in again rather than play Wheats out of position.
Dug-out Indecision Is Final: Poor Jonathan Grounds; warmed up, stripped off, the fourth official with the board in his hand and ready to get thrown into the fray. The suddenly he is sat back down in his padded seat with his trackie on as the gaffer changed his mind over a substitution for the second week running.
On this occasion there was two fold pressure on Southgate to reconsider. Firstly Huth appeared to gesture "nein" over towards the dug-out. Had the boss been ready to take off the knackered German or maybe equally shattered Riggott and switch Pogatetz inside with Grounds coming on at left-back? Whatever, Huth didn't want the change. Meanwhile Adam Johnson got kicked in the gob by Fabregas and that forced a hasty rethink and Emnes and Shawky went on instead. Sit down Grounds.
The previous week at Hull a similar scenario had unfolded with Johnno ready to go on until the Tigers scored their second. All the more reason to stick an attacking player on you may think but in fact Southgate reconsidered and put Seb Hines on instead.
Word Up:There was a lively late cameo appearance from mystery man Marvin Emnes in which he briefly made some good runs, held up the ball, showed physical strength, good footwork and, after losing the ball, a willingness to work hard to get it back again.
At some point he must be worth a longer run, even 20 minutes, to help get him up to Premiership speed. Outings in the stiffs won't do it. If he has the same kind of potential that Didier Digard has then he needs to go through the same process of learning in the heat of battle. To keep a creative, attacking player hidden away when Boro are crying out for a spark is frustrating to say the least. I suppose we must wait for Barrow.
Cover Story: Poor unsuspecting Justin Hoyte. No sooner had he posed for the picture for the front cover of the programme than he was whisked off to go under the knife. Didn't he know about the curse of the programme? Didn't the club? Now they have introduced the exciting new revenue streams of two different covers (no doubt at the request of collectors) they have doubled the chances of having key players crocked. No wonder Southgate only had six first teamers in training on Tuesday: the ones that hadn't already been hit by the curse were keeping their heads down.
"You're not fit to referee": For the second week running Boro suffered from a contentious penalty decision. At Hull it probably wasn't a penalty and it was definitely offside. Against Arsenal it definitely was a penalty. Both times were were shafted. It is a sign of the times that Boro fans did not denounce the referee - Mr Peter Walton of Northamptonshire - for his sexual inclinations or question his parentage but instead asserted their belief he was not fit for purpose.
Boss Gareth Southgate when questioned about the decision stuck to his course and declined to criticise but he did waver a bit. "It was more of a penalty than last week's which went against us buy we don't make an issue of these things" he said. " Sometimes you wonder if that is the right way forward but that is our policy. They say these things even themselves out, well we will see."
A Lesson To Be Learned: Boro fans are getting a bit cheesed off with quotes like this: "This is a very young team and at times in the game they showed their lack of experience - but we will learn from the game and the situation and become stronger for it". This week the quotes came from Arsene Wenger, showing once again why the Gunners are seen as being Boro-lite.
Get Ahead Of The Game: In the Big Picture column last week I did some number crunching and generally bemoaned the lack of headed goals from Boro. They had not nodded one in all season but had leaked six. Naturally they then went out and scored a sizzling stooping near post header. The column that gets things done.
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Here we go again with incompetent refereeing. A definite penalty ignored by a referee who obviously does not know the basis of football. Some of his decisions were so poor I am surprised we did not have a player sent off for dissent.
Ignoring these refereeing blunders Boro were outstanding with their fighting spirit and and never give up attitude, Aliaderie showed Alves what commitment was all about when he chased everything as did the rest of the team. Digard grows by the week and we have in him a star of the future if not the present.
No weak links and a special mention for a brave and courageous McMahon, who was up for the fight. Turnbull is looking more and more like a future England goal keeper. Johnson was always a threat and proved he is worth his place.
Well done Boro, this sort of play will see us safe and ensconced in the upper reaches of the Premier League fro many seasons to come.
Funny how ,when you play two wingers how you can force the opposition back. Johnno and Downing stretch the defences by staying wide and making runs which stops the other side from pushing up too far.
I've said all along that Johnson should be in the side, he is by far the most dangerous winger we have on the books. No side looks at ease when he is on the ball. I know he is;nt the finished article yet but he wo'nt be untill he gets some game time under his belt.......It's no surprise to me the bigger clubs are sniffing around. Maybe it's the reason Southgate has finally given him a start.
On to the right fullback spot Mcmahon is the finest we have and he now should hold that spot as he gives me the feeling that the right hand side of the field are more balanced and assured with him being there.
Today was a great effort against the Gunners and the whole side should be given thechance to do the same next week.keeping the same side on the field is a wonderful confidence builder.
Finally Emnes - why oh why has'nt he been given a chance?? to me he looks exiting and energetic.and seems to have the confidence to hold the ball and try to take people on, But five minutes at the end of a game is not enough time to cause trouble. We must now go to the Cottage and bang a few past old Scissor hands.
UP THE BORO.
A great performance by the boro, well done. I am posting this from Colombia where I always go after the Boro have a good result. But beware I will be back when the Boro lose.
**AV writes: Oh you wacky Fly Me funsters and your point scoring private jokes...
A well earned point in a very entertaining match. Wenger must be sick of the sight of Aliadiere. In three matches he has scored twice and won a penalty. He is probably thinking 'he never did that for us.'
We still have problems up front because we dont have a striker to hold the ball up for midfield players to get beyond them. We must also be the worst at defending set pieces. Apart from the goal there were corners where we had a line of red shirts along the six yard line and Arsenal players free to make runs to attack the ball.
Still, musnt be miserable with a good point but the table is getting ever tighter. Two points off 18th with three tough matches coming up.
The validity of penalty appeals can be judged by the response of the opposition. As soon as Clichy took Johnson out, Fabregas, who was right on the scene, quickly turned around and looked at the ref, as though the Arsenal captain knew it was a penalty.
How long before we hear that Arsenal are in for Digard? I thought Digard provided to Boro exactly what Arsenal were missing in midfield - bite, with more than a little skill and composure thrown in. The lad is learning fast.
As Ian says, two points off 18th: A good performance is paramount at Fulham. I am always confident that if we perform against any team in the PL we have a great chance of getting one or three points. As ever with Boro, "if" is a massive word.
Rumour on the BBC today has Boro insisting that the Spurs left back Gareth Bale be part of a 15 million deal to capture Stewart Downing. I have posted previously that losing Stewy would have to come with a lot of reluctance, but the minimum position should be that we use any fee to strenghten the team elsewhere. Getting someone of Bale's quality as part of the deal would be a great start.
Monday's have the 'Boro watching Ben Watson' story again.
Is this lack of imagination in the hack community - not a surprise - or the same in Boro's coaching and scouting network?
Watson's definitely no better than what we've got. He wasn't in any of the other transfer windows that we were alleged to be interested and he's got no better.
We'll be back to the James Harper nonsense soon.
A very gutsy display by all 11 players. They really had to dig in when visibly tiring in the last 15 minutes.Three things stood out for me:
1. Well done McMahon.I realise that the fact that Arsenal had a central midfielder on the left made life easier than it might have been but he was very solid.
2. Digard is improving quickly and looked a class act.
3. I know I have been banging on about it for weeks on here but I hope that the penny has finally dropped that Aliadiere is an out and out forward and not a midfield player. His workrate pace and movement as a lone striker were excellent. Quite frankly he put the insipid Alves to shame on that performance.
As the dust settles on another weekend where the story is another round of matches where none of the top four won we are left with a constipated table.
Five points cover 8th to 18th and more pertinently two points from 11th to 18th.
Gate was right about gaps developing in the table, my view at the time was to be the right side of them. Sadly we are in the clutch of clubs looking over our shoulder.
Last season AV reassured us that being a couple of points off the drop zone wasnt a relegation battle so no concerns there then.
It is going to be very tight and it looks likely that 40+ points will be needed to stay up.
Attitude and application such as shown on Saturday should see us to comfortable safety.
What we cannot do is dwell on refs decisions. We got a soft penalty against Citeh and got away with a Pogo challenge at Hull. Maybe things do even out but I dont believe it does.
The top clubs get more decisions going their way because they have more of the ball, more chances and generally play in the opponents half. That increases the chances of a mistimed challenge or 50/50 decision going against them. I suspect that if it could be analysed the team in 17th had a better balance of dodgy decisions than the team that finished 18th.
It is up to us to ensure our destiny is in our own hands, points from the next three matches will be vital to set the tone for the New Year. Sunderland and WBA in Jan will be crucial.
AV this not criticising referees is doing us no favours and we are thought of no better for it. Refs must think in the back of their mind oh its only Boro I'll get no grief for any mistakes, were as at Old Trafford the refs must run around the pitch thinking 'get it right get it right' they get it wrong there and they are hung drawn and quartered and they know that, hence big decisions go their way and not ours !
Great to get a point - and could have been better if the ref had awarded what appeared an obvious penalty.
Still look lightweight upfront - will Mido ever play again for us?
Will really need a return of 4 points from the next two games to keep above the ever tightening position at the bottom of the Prem - and then we have the transfer window to contend with. I am more concerned with potential departures than arrivals at present.
Good to see Mappy has resurfaced! A lot of his "friends" have been missing him !!
Spike said "at Old Trafford the refs must run around the pitch thinking 'get it right get it right' they get it wrong there and they are hung drawn and quartered"
Totally wrong!
They get hung drawn and quartered for going AGAINST ManU at Old Trafford. Getting it right doesnt enter into it.
They know what side their bread's buttered.
Great result at the weekend and I'd echo the comments about Tony McMahon and Johnson, who must now surely get a start week in and out on the right flank ?
I was in the pub the other night with a pal musing as you do about who we should look to move on/bring in in the transfer window.
If the papers have got it right, and Downing and Mido are on their way (and Gareth Bale is travelling the other direction up the M1), then I was wondering who we would be looking to fill the boots of the Pharoah.
At the risk of getting my head snapped off, how about a very short option of Viduka - even just until the end of the season. Pay whatever the geordies are paying him (covered in part by any Mido fee) as I'm sure fat Mike would be keen to get him off the wage bill up there.
It seems pretty obvious to me that Viduka's contract option for a third year at Newcastle will not be taken up by the club and he will be off home to Melbourne come June.
This would be a chance for him to go out in a blaze of glory, at a place where I guess he'd enjoy his last few months of premiership football far more than the circus up the road. He seems to have shaken off his latest bout of hamstring-itis (although I'm willing to accept this is never guaranteed with the guy - but then again Mido's record is positively Boksicesque too).
We could then look at the situation regarding a longer term Mido replacement in the summer, rather than the madness of the January window. Some of the comments on here have been about our inability to hold the ball up - nobody does it better than Viduka. I'm sure Southgate could get the best out of him.
What do you think AV ? Also, who's this Anthony Vanden Borre character that we're being linked with in the Italian media?
**AV writes: Life imitates art. When he was at Anderlecht vanden Borre was always recommended by Boro scouts when you took over the Riverside hot seat on Football Manager.
An excellent alround team performance on Saturday.
Nice to see all the weight was not on David Wheater's shoulders for once. His absence made the rest of the team take responsibility, and in my opinion, that made for a better game.
Despite an excellent goal from Ali, we were still far too light weight up front.
What with all the rumours flying around about transfers, I still think we need to bring in an experienced front man who can hold the ball up for Tuncay and Ali to run on to. Mido is obviously not the man to do it, he has more sicknotes than Darren Anderton.
Left back is still a problem, Gareth Bale is a decent choice, however, the experience of Wayne Bridge would suit better. I suppose it depends on who we have to sell to bring in the necessary funds.
Twenty seven thousand people on Saturday would all have say on that one.....
Cracking performance, I didn't like the sound of the line-up when I heard it, had too many echoes of Chelsea (Alves out, Johnson in, rookie right back), but they really battled to a well-deserved point.
We could have showed a bit more ambition towards the end to try and win it, but I think the players were shattered after all the effort, and trying to force a win would have probably handed all three points to Arsenal.
McMahon did play well, but let's not get carried away, he dived in on at least one occasion leaving us exposed and he has offered no more than Hoyte has consistently. Seems like he has a big opportunity now, lets hope he takes it.
I share the Emnes frustration - Gareth seems extremely reluctatnt to use someone who would seem to be the perfect player to bring on in the last 20 minutes of games as he looks like he will harry the opposition and obviously has pace.
Tough game at Fulham next week, no reason why we shouldn't aim for three points. The teams below us are closing in, but there are still SIX teams between us and the bottom three. In fact, with Blackburn and West Brom being cast adrift, I'd argue our position is looking more secure than it was. Tony Adams hasn't impressed me so far and I reckon Pompey's 8th place is what we should be targetting over the next few weeks.
Defending corners - AV can you ask the Gate to start going man-to-man instead of zonal. The zonal method seems to be costing us goals. It looks like we go man-to-man on freekicks so why not on corners?
Spike Armstrong - 'this not criticising referees is doing us no favours and we are thought of no better for it.' I'm glad we're not criticising refs - it makes a nice change. I hate the likes of Allardyce, Ferguson, Warnock for their constant moaning every single week of the season saying that the reason they lost was because of the ref (or even if they've won complaining about bookings/sendings off).
Also, no matter how much moaning the manager of Middlesbrough FC does, he will never have any kind as much of an influence as the manager of a 'big four' club does. And so if he did complain all of the time he would be seen as whinger and I would say refs would be inclined to give him even less... (if that's possible!)
Is Garath Southgate THE ONE...
Being a Teessider one has to moan,one has to be negetive.Yet I dont know. At times Boro under Southgate play some sublime football and dont just scrap for results as of the past. Yet I find so many decisions puzzling.
Why let young Cats,and Morrison go? Why not use young Johnson and Emnes more? Why let contracts run out and cause the club problems? Why not show your displeasure with bad decisions the way Venger does with elegance? Why put Poggy ahead of better players? Why are we constantly looking over our shoulder at religation?
Yet Southgate may be the one. I cant put my finger on the reason why but I just feel he is THE ONE.
Boro under GS appear to be developing a resilient streak, more and more following disapointing results such as against Hull and Bolton we bounce back with a good performance such as against Arsenal.
There is a lot to be optimistic about as we see squad players playing at short notice and putting in excellent performances. In the recent past playing a make shift defence against Arsenal we wouuld have lost by several to nil.
On Saturday we were competitve which bodes well for the future. The team's performances although still inconsistent are good enough to give me confidence for the remainder of the season.
As I posted recently the key to how succesful the second half of the season will be is whether or not one of the strikers starts to score regularly. For me, despite Fulham being in decent form that is a game we should be looking to win.
Typical boro lift their game for big teams. Can Southgate motivate? Good to see that finally Southgate realises that Aliadiere is a striker and not a winger. Good to see Alves dropped too. Hopefully we can sell him in January.
Pity we are just two points from a relegation position. We need a win ASAP. I watched the Arsenal game on tv and if they keep it up I may decide to start going to games again.
I looked up "Anthony Vanden Borre" on Google. I was kind of interested until I read the final two sentences. Typical Boro to be in for him. Another legal wrangle?
"Aged 21, height 6âÂÂ1âÂÂ, he is a Belgian footballer currently playing at Genoa C.F.C..
His natural position is at centre or right midfield. He has appeared for the Belgium national football team, making his national team debut on April 28. He made his debut for the senior Anderlecht squad in 2003. He then joined Fiorentina, completing his move on 1 June 2007.
He made his Serie A debut on 7 October 2007 against Juventus F.C.
On the 19th January, Vanden Borre was on the move again. This time, joining Serie A side Genoa on loan, with Papa Waigo moving the opposite way.
It is understood that Vanden Borre's rights are now jointly owned by Fiorentina and Genoa. However in June 2008, Genoa announced that the club had acquired the full rights of the player"
Yerjokinarentyer
Viduka??????
Yerjokinarentyer!!!
On another front altogether, BBC website is reporting (via the Daily Mirror)that "Emmanuel Pogatetz has persuaded the club to put up a cuckoo clock in the dressing room at their Rockcliffe Park training ground."
Is this a sign of the times?
After the match "nobody wanted to lose" last week this game was a breath of fresh air. I feared another Chelsea capitulation but after a nervy start we played well, especially important as we were on national tv!
Very impressed with Digard who will become a Boro legend if we can keep him away from Wenger. But the highlight of the game was Mcmahon at right back. This guy threatened to be an England regular until injuries tried to get the better of him. Great tenacity in the tackle and knowledge of when to get forward.
Full backs have been the real weakness at the Boro for a few years now but things look to be picking up with the acquistion of the now injured Hoyte. If only we realised that Poggi's not a left back and Tayls isn't really up to it as yet.
I agree that Alidiere is probably more comfortable up front in a forward three but we need a solid shape and I for one back 4-4-2. Let's not dismiss Alves as a failure just yet but I do like the idea of loaning back the DUKE (you know he was happiest here!) and trying him up front with ALVES.
Tuncay in behind with Digard holding. Downing on the left, GON on the right. Redcar Rock and the Berlin wall surrounded by Mcmahon and maybe Gareth Bale, it seems he's available(maybe pricey). I'm salivating at the thought! Poggi, Emnes, Jeremy A, Riggot,Jinky, Arca all available from the bench. Who wouldn't pay to follow that team?????????
Best display I've seen from Digard who was easily m.o.m. for me, though the whole team worked their socks off. Can we convince them between now and the weekend that Fulham are a top four powerhouse? That way we may get the Boro we want to see out on the park!
Clive
Maybe Pogo wants it to remind the players that it is time to come out and play. Or will the cuckoo stay in its little room until the second half? What chance it suffers a cruciate knee injury?
It is a better idea than bringing Viduka back. Wonder what Hickton is up to?
Anthony Vanden Borre is a true FM legend, though if memory serves me correct he is a centre half or defensive midfielder, so I'm not sure why we'd be interested. Actually, having just checked, he is primarily a right-back now apparently, though obviously very versatile. Could be a good signing if he lives up to his virtual profile.
Good display and a good point but it was a bad weekend as some of the others below us won so there isn't much room for error. Next week is massive now (although we say that every week)
Great to see McMahon back. Huth too. And nice to see Ali get a goal. Decent atmosphere last few games too. "Mint".
When it comes to Referees perhaps Gareth should wear some slip on Hush Puppies and chuck them at the Ref in George Bush fashion. It may not carry the same impact as a Fergie glance at the watch but we have lost 4 points in the last two games due to dodgy officialdom and over the season that could mean either UEFA Cup or Championship football next year.
Congrats to all involved on Saturday. It was a big improvement with McMahon, Ali and Digard catching the eye. I suggest that when Mido ships out in January we sign Zonal to replace him as he never fails to score against us!
Good display by McMahon but lets not forget Justin Hoyte. He will be a big loss, crocked just as he was starting to show he was an excellent player, especially going forward. Typical Boro.
Digard looks classier by the game now he is getting used to the pace of the Prem. Good on the ball, can get stuck in, great range of passing, works well with Arca. Maybe we still lack a bit of pace but we coped well with Arsenal and they are all super-athletes.
It is a bit tight down the bottom but there's no need to panic. I don't thnk we are that far away from being a decent side.
Manchester City have offered Spanish side Espanyol the chance to sign midfielder Elano on loan in January with a view to a permanent move. (Daily Star)
If a loan deal is possible, how about a new Brazilian to our midfield to 'replace' Rocky?
What do you think?
Looking dispassionately (as best I can as a Boro supporter) at the matches this season there are two that stand out as wasted opportunities.
We can rail against the robbery at Anfield but they had a huge possession and chance edge over us. At Hull we were second best for much of the game. At Blackburn they did enough to get a point.
You could argue most of the results have been fairish. Forget reffing complaints, in the cold light of day it is difficult to argue with the scores. The opposition fans could put up a fair argument in favour of their team.
That leaves the two matches alluded to above, the losses to Sunderland and West Brom. Both matches we dominated, against the Mackems until the last ten minutes and the Baggies most of the match.
Those six points are donations to two clubs in the bottom three and results in us being far too close to 18th place for comfort. It also means Sunderland are in the pack and the Baggies are not as adrift as they could be.
By coincidence we have the reverse fixtures back to back in January. Before then we have to scrape together points until the end of the Year. Then we have to put them to the sword.
Ian
You are so right.
There's little guarantee that Boro will put either side to the sword in January.
The Mackems are already into the dead (black) cat bounce after Keano's departure. The best we can hope, given Boro's recent record against them, is that Quinn will beggar up the appointment of a new manager.
Sadly, I suspect that Mogga may have gone the same way before Boro play them. They have no money so I think what can be done by a new manager is limited but there's always a reaction and Boro are just the team to give the new man his first win, conceding in the last minute, doubtless.
All this makes the results in the next two games vital.
A 4 point return is the minimum ask from two tough games. That or better would keep Boro on track for mid-table and offer a bit of a cushion for January 'typical-ness'.
Anything less could well have them occupying third from bottom or too close to it for comfort by the time we get to the Mackems and Baggies.
Rockliffing continues unabated.
The disruption caused to the season and teambuilding and the stresses and strains on a small squad are major problems.
Just to add to the joy (and excepting Mido, who is likely to have the diplomatic groin strain until he leaves) Gate has just said that there is no predicted date for Gary O'Neil's return. This is very strange since, according to the same source, he was 'on the brink of a return' for the last two games.
And also, now Digard has started to find his feet and position, he is now doubtful for the weekend.
Gate was absolutely right to highlight the problem with fitness, injuries and slow recovery in the close season and to bring in someone new to overhaul the Rockliffe operation (a good word in the circumstances).
But things have got worse, not better. As I've said before, Gate should pop down the corridor to Frank Nuttall's office and ask him some searching questions and demand an improvement.
The squad's basic fitness is still, evidently, not what it should be - and as for the injuries and recovery (or lack of it), well......
Lots of the speculation around January departures seems to centre, not surprisingly, on Boro's more forward looking resources like Stewie and The Sphinx.
But, if you look at where Boro could best afford a move on to finance bringing others in it would surely be at centre back.
When Rhys Williams is fit - and ignoring Seb Hines and Matt Bates - Boro have 5 centre backs that might be in contention for the 2 first team places.
Given what I said about Rockliffing above you probably need about 15 to keep up with the revolving treatment room door but the logic might dictate that if you want, say, Bale from Spurs and given the fragility of King and Woodgate the part-ex might be better done for a centre back rather than a forward.
Bring back Viduka!!!!
I agree with Ian lets get back Hickton or Ravanelli or that great Boro servant Mr. Boksic! With Viduka back there really would be a cuckoo in the nest at Rockcliffe (there's a lot of mileage in this cuckoo thing....)
As for Anthony Van Den Borre, there's some mielage in that one too, needs more thought though.
Slightly more seriously, I have to disagree with those posting that aliadiere is a striker and not a winger, he certainly didn't do too much 'striking' last year, his goal scoring record in the prem. is rubbish compared to Alves' record in the prem. Some perspective required I think.
Finally, who needs enemies when we have supporters like beamishboro, not long ago he was wondering about supporting Sunderland because Keane was such a good manager (stop it my sides are hurting!!). Perhaps Mr. Beamish might consider popping a bit further up the A1 and trying his luck with the barcodes? Just a thought.
Some interesting noises coming out of the club this week on various issues.
GS has played down the Johnson to Real Madrid rumours as "a load of tosh" (well he might as well have said that), where as Jonno is on skysports today implying he's "honoured" and plays the game "like Robben". Hmmm.
Pog is stoking the pre-window fires by insisting that we should keep Downing & Tuncay, where as on MFC official GS says (when discussing AA's price tag) that
"We got Tuncay for nothing and he'll prove to be worth goodness knows how much".
Interesting quote that one. Whilst not being an expert on semantics, footballers tend to only be "valued" in terms of transfer fees. Is GS expecting a big transfer fee for Tuncay anytime soon?
I can accept that we are now a selling club, and whilst I can see why this is the case we also need to remember Charlton, a small, family run club who were steady and sound. They were a selling club and look where that eventually got them.
I really hope none of Jonno, Downing and Tuncay leave in January.
get rid of Mido and bring in Humberto Suazo - linked with Wigan if they couldnt get Mido and lost Heskey, this guy is a machine (like Alves? lol) and he is being followed by a a host of clubs
then watch teh goals fly in!
It is true that Ali did well against Arsenal. However I feel that Arsenal's centre backs are the most accommodating in the PL in terms of applying physical pressure to opposing forwards.
If we persist with the same strike force then the normal uncompromising twin defending duo of 6'2" or taller, which most PL teams put up, will be a completely different challenge to Ali and Tuncay than the Arsenal's Gallas and Djourou.
I suspect that if Ali had stooped to head the ball as he did aganst Arsenal, playing against Terry/Alex or Ferdinand/Vidic, then he might very well have been nursing a nasty bump to his head and the ball would have been cleared - and that is not taking anything away from his bravery or his accuracy in getting the ball on target.
My feeling has always been that centre backs should come off the field aching and bruised, and against Kevin Davies, Didier Drogba, Carlton Cole etc. they surely will. Ali and Tuncay need to rough them up somewhat, at the risk of getting booked, but an occasional yellow card in the opposing box is not a bad thing if it get's the message across.
Well the layout of this page when opened seems VERY different to normal, so we'll have to see whether or not this works.
Daniel Richardson at 3.43pm refers to Humberto Suazo. Well I obviously haven't had my ear as near to the ground as some so I had a quick peek at Wikipedia. I realise you shouldn't necessarily believe all you read on there, but if you read the biog of him, I suspect there would be some concern and the words "behaviour" in the not too distant past and "character" would come to mind. I would have thought there might be a few doubts.
The videos of him (and, yes, I realise we might have been bitten there before!) show some interesting finishes including a lovely chip over the keeper against the mighty Brazil. He is also very small (5ft 7and a half) and would be one of our older players if we really were interested. He has had quite a few clubs and he last cost $8M.
The pound has been taking a battering recently, more particularly against the Euro rather than the dollar (to be fair), but in all the circumstances I would be surprised if we bought him on the strength of this.
In light of the state of the pound against the Euro, I guess that fewer European players will be making their way over here in the next couple of years. That might cause Premier League clubs to dust down their old road maps and plot a course to the lower league clubs to run their eye over some more local talent. Not a bad thing. It would do some good if a little of the Premier League gold could be sprinkled onto the lower league grass roots of the game.
**AV writes: Dormo, could you tell me in more detail of the problems you have had posting compared to before. We are trying to build up a dossier for the techies to try and crack a few persistent bugs. What browser are you using? Does the site work differently at home and work? How long does it take to load? At what point does it throw a wobbler?
"Good to see Alves dropped too. Hopefully we can sell him in January."
A typically ridiculous comment from a half witted mackem troll masquerading as a Boro fan.
**AV writes: I think you may be half right. I don't think he is a Mackem.
Dormo - there are certainly questions about this guys attitude however his ability to score (like Alves!) cant be questioned.
Although he has had a few clubs each one has been a step up in class, and I believe he is ready for the challenge that he ultimately craves. I am in contact with Monterrey fans (due to my following of his career) and although he has had problems there recently (declaring he wanted to leave for Independiente) he is still worshipped by the fans as he gets goals regardless of his attitude and most of these are not tap in Alves style but goals from nothing that make him the great player he is.
A host of French clubs were quoted 15m euros for him at the begining of this season although I believe this was because the club did not want to sell him rather than him commading that fee (i.e Downing at ã15m plus ã5m player) and I think a region of ã5m would get him now as Monterrey head towrds the trap doors in Mexico.
I honestly cant think of any player I would rather have for this fee in world football right now (except perhaps Falcao although his cost would be nearer 3 times that if rumours are to be believed) and I know once this guy gets to play in europe people will be stunned by his natural ability to find the back of the net.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_4431048,00.html
I just hope its in a Boro shirt when he finaly gets his chance on the big stage.
How's this for a bit of Boronoia - no, I don't mean why has Gary O'Neil got the same kind of non-specific, open ended injury that The Sphinx is alleged to have?
Not unsettled again, is he? I sincerely hope not.
But what about the stuff today about Rosco wanting his contract signed but the club not responding quickly (nothing new in that, I suppose)?
Perhaps it's just when you couple it with Jones' contract supposedly much nearer (can that be the right order of priority?) and the puff piece in today's Gazette about how well the Aussie perennial benchwarmer (quite right that he is) did in the reserves. Supplied by MFC press office?
We're not being warmed up for 'Rosco unsettled so Jonah has to come in' are we?
I've always believed that Gate had Jonah as his favourite at the start of the season but is now in the situation where he can't drop Rosco on form.
He said the number one slot would be a competition between the two but it's difficult for Jonah to compete if he can't get in.
So, is he about to be given an unwarranted and trumped up helping hand?
Boronoia? Or, you read it here first.
Matthew Bates is an embarrassment to the club. He needs releasing and I'm sure GS will do just that at the first opportunity. Bates's duck for the Henry shot also shows he lacks bravery and the talent tto succeed at the top level.
The Gazette reports Portsmouth may be interested in O'Neil! So JP's comment wasn't just 'Boronoia' then?
**AV writes: The Gazette tagged a line on the very end of the Boro story saying that he "has been linked with" elsewhere and unsourced, which is true but also the lowest state of speculation readiness for us. The question is being put directly to Southgate today to see if we need to go to Def Con 1.
On the general fitness (or lack of it) issue - did anyone notice that Matic, recently on trial at Rockliffe, reported with what seemed like surprise that Boro 'only' had four training sessions a week.
Ho hum.
"Nigel said:
The Gazette reports Portsmouth may be interested in O'Neil! So JP's comment wasn't just 'Boronoia' then?
**AV writes: The Gazette tagged a line on the very end of the Boro story saying that he "has been linked with" elsewhere and unsourced, which is true but also the lowest state of speculation readiness for us. The question is being put directly to Southgate today to see if we need to go to Def Con 1."
Love that parting shot, AV! :) Are the boffins going to do anything about the bloody paragraphs while they're fixing the other glitches? Grrr...
Let's just see whether I have any more success in posting this than I did with my three attempts to post a link to a 'Times' article last Friday saying that GS might be tempted to sell to strengthen his midfield & naming a fair few names (for the record, AV, I tried from home & from work, both broadband connections & using IE. On each occasion there was the usual acknowledgement that the post had been received & was being held by the owner etc). From today's "Daily Mirror" (tipped off by a friend!):
"Portsmouth target Gary O'Neil to replace Real Madrid recruit Lassana Diarra
Exclusive by James Nursey 18/12/2008 (!!!)
Gary O'Neil is poised to return to Portsmouth from Middlesbrough in the wake of Lassana Diarra's shock ã20million switch to Real Madrid. Boro have started talks with Pompey over a ã5m deal for the midfielder, who has failed to settle on Teesside. And Boro boss Gareth Southgate is willing to offload the ex-Pompey trainee to raise transfer funds. O'Neil, 25, moved to the Riverside from Fratton Park for ã5.5m in August 2007. Boro still owe Pompey cash from the original deal but that will be deducted under the terms of the new transfer.
Arsenal will take a near-ã4m cut of Diarra's transfer. The Gunners sold the France midfielder to Portsmouth for only ã5.5m in the last transfer window, but inserted a sell-on clause where they would received 25 per cent of any profit the Fratton Park club made on the deal. Pompey manager Tony Adams hopes attacking ace O'Neil can regain his best form back on the South Coast after blossoming under predecessor Harry Redknapp.
Boro have contacted Crystal Palace about their ã1.5m-rated midfielder Ben Watson, 23, as a replacement for O'Neil. Watson, out of contract next summer, is ready to snub QPR to move to the Premier League."
ANyone having issue recently using IE7 on Gazettelive, may wish to note that Microsoft have made a security patch available today, which, when downloaded and installed, "cures" a problem that has afflicted about an estimated 10,000 websites so far.
The affected sites have hosted a trojan which infects accessing user's machines and interrogates them for gaming sign-ons and passwords. The implications for other abuse were obvious and MS have taken urgent steps to plug the hole.
So anyone who is running IE7 (in particular) may benefit from downloading the patch and installing. My system seems to have benefitted immediately. I was having serious slowing-down problems when accessing the Gazeetelive site before installing the patch. Response would appear to have returned to "normal". Download and instal takes two minutes and then requires a restart.
**AV writes: I am far from being a geek but I have always recommended evryone use any browser other than IE. I am a Firefox man at home and have very few problems but from work (IE) I have sporadic frustrations.
I am trying to build a dossier so we can tackle some issues with the site. Anyone feel free to add to the list...
John Powls:
In the same report, did you also note that Matic said (seemingly with some degree of surprise, I thought - why else comment on it?)) that the training matches were intense - implying full-blooded challenges and competitive match-level effort?
I wonder if this training regime is the one responsible for as many training injuries as we seem to sustain or their aggravation?
I have little doubt that we have pretty good access to the skills and resources needed to put Humpty together again. The issue seems to be to stop him falling off the wall in the first place.
There are a lot of comments about Rockliffe and full blooded competitive tackles.
Can I just remind you all, the first rule of 'fight club' is nobody talks about 'fight club'
and the second rule of 'fight club is nobody talks about 'fight club' nobody talks about 'fight club'
This transfer window may prove catastrophic as we have a wincey squad anyway and I can see some late Yakubu screw up decisions happening.
John Powls a little birdie has told me that Digard has joined the "Rockcliffed crew" and will miss the Christmas games.Presumably this will be confirmed tomorrow.
AV
I can cut and paste the message I get reuglarly from Boro banter along with details of my system if you can email me a link rather than on this space contrained board.
I was trying to repond to Rchards comment on JP's banter thread about humpty dumpty. If Boro's resources got to work on him he would end up square or arms and legs either re attached diagonally, two arms on the same side or attached to the wrong side.
Lets release Bates, sell Alves and O'Neil and get Robbie Keane. Maybe even sell Huth, if we can prove his fitness.
Richard
Sorry, I'm with Ian who has said that if Rockliffe resources had put Humpty together again he'd have been a cube!
I think the problem is with both how the injuries are sustained and the poor recovery - but also with issues with players' technique, as I've said before.
Training sessions should be intense but those running them and taking part should know what they are doing.
I have done the visit to Rockliffe - as Ian said, I came out limping and though I am 'on the brink of full fitness' two years later, I am still just a little bit short of the first team squad. Sound familiar?
The issue isn't the lack of the tools, equipment and resources to do the job but how they are applied in practice.
Lawro is tipping a Fulham 2-1 win for Saturday.
He concludes that BoroâÂÂs inconsistency is down to the character (or lack of it) amongst the players. Gate should pin that on the dressing room wall â if LawroâÂÂs wrong then Gate should get the response he wants.
I was also suprised at the Matic comments, although from what I understand about other clubs - they do the same. A new Chelsea signing/trialist recently commented that they got stuck in when training too.
However I was surprised by the 4 training sessions a week thing? Especially when coupled with GS's intention at the start of the season of having "the fittest team in the league". Now, I appreciate that when you reach a certain level of fitness, lets call it "match fitness" and are playing regularly, that you do not need to train as intensely to maintain that fitness, and in fact probably should train less than in pre-season to reduce the risk of strain injuries.
However, it does sound a low number, even from the perspective of time to master new tactics for games with the opposition. It doesn't give you much time to work on new set pieces etc.
Obviously we don't know the ins and outs but I would also expect that non-playing players should be training more frequently, to ensure that their fitness is "ready" for match day football if they get called upon.
Maybe it's about time we visited some top European clubs to look at their coaching methods again, as we (allegedly) did when Rav first came and spat his dummy out at the training facilities.
Just incase you dont know AV but this thing got stuck on Richards 4.43pm post on the 18th. Its all back now and I would say once the blog is sorted keep the teckies off it as if it aint broke dont fix it.
Fulhams home record is good and they are a transformed team from the one that nearly went down, having said that we are more of an away team- even after the draw with Arsenal- and it could be a close match. I would leave Aliadiere and Tuncay upfront.
Southgate says Aliadiere needs more belief and he will score more goals.
You need to play him upfront to give him that belief though don't you!
I certainly wouldnt let proven prem players go and risk wasting money on unproven lads from inferior leagues - we all know who Im talking about.
Stockton Red
I have no doubt your 'little birdie' is likely right.
Whether it's the economy with the truth or the sheer incompetence, the whole Rockliffe business is just a bad joke at our expense.
Ian Gill and I were debating the other day whether it was this or the continued zonal defending that was the biggest wind up.
It's a close run thing.
**AV writes: Yes, Digard is out.
The loss of Digard could be a blow but I know John Powls has just about recovered from his trip around Rockcliffe two years ago.
That seems to be about the timescale for anyone entering the accursed place. He still limps a little but he assures me he has been into the loft and got down his Dad's old boots. He has put on new cork studs, bought new laces and dubbined them up.
He is travelling over to the Cottage today, and along with Phil is available for selection. He will be happy to fill in for Digard and shield the back four - Bullard will be out of puff by the time he has run round the ex Brookfield Keano though John does favour the right side of midfield.
There is not much more to say about our fitness regime that hasnt already been said. All we need is an outbreak of zonal marking.
Shawky ought to be a straight swap for Digard. Shawky has never once let us down with a poor display. OK he may not be the star man every time he plays but he does what he is paid to do.
Talking about 'peform', we have to do so this weekend. If we perform then we have enough about us to beat the likes of Fulham, despite their good home record. In fact we could beat most teams in the PL if we perform to our capability. That is the frustration of being a Boro fan.