Will Jigsaw Finale Fall Into Place?
SO. An unprecedented golden age of 11 years Cardiff glory and European adventure now boils down to one jigsaw finale when all the pieces must fall in place or the picture will be a bleak one of broken dreams and bitter recrimination.
On any normal day you would expect woeful Hull to be beaten at home by Manchester United, even if Fergie, Sir Bobby Charlton, Eamonn Holmes and Zoe Ball play and the tea lady goes in goal. On a normal day you would expect dysfunctional, emotion fuelled Newcastle and their Keystone Kops defence to be dismantled by Aston Villa and left blubbing. But it isn't a normal day.
On any normal day you would expect Boro to go west in the East End. This is a Boro team remember who have lost 11 away games on the bounce and barely scored in that run, and a team ravaged by injuries to boot. A team who have shown themselves to be mentally weak and prone to crumble when the heat is on and who now have to go into the pressure cooker of a do-or-die away game where they need goals in plural.
But this is not a normal day. This is survival Sunday, a day when the losers are cast out of the magic circle. And in Boro's case even the winners can be ejected if the others get their act together. The stats are against us but you never know. This is Boro. And West Ham might have their sombreros on. Plus, we have outplayed them twice this season already this year, although it was in the FA Cup.
The most damning thing is that I really can't put a concrete tactical, technical or statistical case for Boro to get anything. One clean sheet away from home all season suggests a leaky defence that is unlikely to suddenly find a steely resolve for the full 97 minutes. A brittle, mono-paced soft-centred midfield is unlikely to suddenly turn into a dominating engine-room powered by box-to-box battlers. And a toothless front line is unlikely to be transformed into a relentless, razor sharp goal machine.
You can see the motivation of the last day and the desire to stay up producing a nervous, scrappy and spirited performance enough to keep them in the game and in with a chance to scrape something but with Downing, Alves and Digard out - and disappointing though they have been they are our best players in their respective departments - it is hard to see where an unbalanced and inexperienced side will find the creativity to stop the awayday rot let alone deliver the emphatic win needed.
I can see that even with just ten minutes or so to go we are still up or at least still in with a shout - maybe we are leading 1-0 and Hull are losing 3-0 and Newcastle losing 1-0 - but I would still be squeaking and shuffling with terror because I would be absolutely convinced that the Geordies would fluke a late leveller, that George Boeteng would score a consolation for Hull or - the most likely - Boro would crumble at the death and let slip a sickening fatal equaliser.... probably to a poorly defended set-piece.
My head says there is only a very slim of all the bits falling into place and we have left ourselves too much to do. My heart agrees.
So, what do we all think?
*****
A DIVERSION... Ayresome Park still packs a sentimental punch with old school Boro supporters who forever have a little EIOing Holgate in their heart.
There's a lovely flashback to the days when we found our claims to fame in far more mundane ways on the Gazette's Remember When blog today, a touching tale of tins or paint, Norris McWhirter and an eye-catching bloody big advert plus some nice pictures of our spiritual home and a 12-year-old Colin Cooper.
Older/Newer
« Boro Sums Add Up In Healthy Conn Trick | Car Wreck Season Over »
54 Comments
Leave a comment
Profile
Anthony Vickers
Latest Football League video
Keep up to date
Follow Untypical Boro on
AV
The one thing you glossed over is whether the players actually will be motivated to fight for 97mins or so! They haven't done it at all yet this season, so why expect them to do so now?
There are too many things we're expecting from a team who has constantly failed to deliver. Defend set pieces, keep a clean sheet, score 2-3 goals, battle through the middle, keep it tight in the last 10mins, get stuck in from the off etc etc etc
You might be able to perm one or two from that list and put it down to last day motivation, but my head tells me that we need too many pieces of our OWN jigsaw to come together before we even look at the pieces from our rivals.
I'll still be hoping though!
For those who want to back their heart, have a look at this treble...
Boro to win 2-0.
Man U to win 3-0.
Villa to win.
ã1 will return somewhere in the region of ã840
Here's hoping!
I can see it unfolding now , Villa win , Hull lose ,BORO Win but go down on goal difference. Makes no odds Southgate & all his cronies must be dismissed
So Adam Johnson has knocked back an extension to his contract and is it any wonder? Brought back to sit in the stands just as his career had taken off at Watford then totally ignored and left to rot simply 'cos Downing was here, even thought at that stage he wasn't setting the team on fire.
Now all at once they want to make sure he doesn't walk for free when Stewie goes .
What they can't see but Johnno can is that if Downing's injury keeps him at the Riverside until Jan that means he [Adam] will in all probability will be back in the stands again.
Tell you what if GS keeps treating Emnes in the same manner he will lose him too. There is something sadly lacking in Southgate's man management
About as likely as coming back twice from three nil down...
Not sure how many of the players really care, after all they keep reading it's not their fault or their illustrious manager's but the fault of the harsh new financial wind blowing through.... oh you all know the rubbish we are supposed to believe and how it affects us rather than the likes of everyone above us up to seventh place who have inferior squads but competent managers.
Most of them either will, or think they will, be getting offers from other Premier League teams and if locals like Bates and Johnson aren't showing they want to stay are their home town club, what chance is there of anyone else doing it?
This time next year we will be wondering if we can get that important win to stay up in the Championship and Southgate will be saying it's a learning process and the Gazette will be defending his new ten year contract.
Bring back Alf Duffield I say!
I think exactly the same as you: I think most of us feel the same way
It's a staggering indictment, given that Hull and Newcastle will both probably lose, that the bookies - the most impartial evaluators - rate us at between 100-1 and 200-1 to survive...
I keep having the same dream which is West Ham 0 Boro 3; Hull 0 Man Utd 2 ; Villa 1 Newcastle 0..... then Hull score in injury time.
My dreams rarely come true and miracles do happen. Lets hope we are celebrating at 5.50pm on Sunday.
My head says that statistically the chances of us overhauling a four goal difference to catch Hull is highly unlikely.
I'm sure there is a very good chance Utd will beat Hull, Boro are unlikely to but may beat West Ham but for the goal difference to be narrowed by 4/5 is highly unlikely.
There is also a reasonable chance that Newcastle will nick a draw at Villa.
My heart says we have no chance, we aren't good enough.
Yeah but you never know though do you...
I can't see us staying up. And the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced Newcastle will get at least a point from Villa.
Happy days.
My suspicion is that the jigsaw is one you buy from the Church Jumble sale and when you get it home some of the key pieces are missing.
We need to win by three goals and hope Hull get beat by at least the same number, also hoping Newcastle fall by the wayside. As you've said, look back on Boro's performances all season... not much chance, is there?
Boro need a miracle.
Newcastles keystone cop defenders? Do me a favour - haven't you noticed the shower that defend for us?
I really don't think we are in a position of strength to ridicule others!
**AV writes: Yes, I have noticed the shower who defend for us. Are you aware that Newcastle's shower have let in even more goals?
At the beginning of the season we all hoped every feature connected to the GazetteâÂÂs sports team would finish on an a high. However, all those faithful words are now dead and buried in the water as we approach this final noose.
I cannot honestly even believe that we are in with a shout, because we have looked like a Championship side in the making for the best part of the season.
We are simply living on the edges of a miracle and I just want the day to come and go like all the fans, which answers the head and the heart. I think Manchester United reserves will give Hull City another roasting and that the day will favour Newcastle.
However, regardless of any outcome, this is our club and itâÂÂs forever through good and bad.
Is Sam Allardyce a better manager than Southgate or is Benni McCarthy a better striker than Alves?
If Alves had scored that ten goals that McCarthy has this season we may have turned three defeats into draws and three draws into wins - nine more points, giving us 41.
IF - then we'd all be sat moaning about another average Boro season finishing in 15th again!! What a disappointment that we didn't make the top ten etc etc etc.
If only..........
I think this is also a case of who goes down with us.... call me paranoid, but I have a sneaking feeling that fates and the Premier League will ensure Newcastle stay up and Hull go down. Why?
TV revenues from abroad...remember when Everton, almost went down at the hands of Wimbledon a few years back until the inevitable happened.
So my forecast for Sunday, us to lose handsomely 0-3, Hull to lose and Newcastle to scrape 1-0 win...just watch!
**AV writes: I am legally obliged at this point to call you paranoid rather than let you suggest some outlandish collusion by the authorities to influence events.
I think this is also a case of who goes down with us....call me paranoid, but I have a sneaking feeling that fates and the Premier League will ensure Newcastle stay up and Hull go down...Why?
TV revenues from abroad...remember when Everton, almost went down at the hands of Wimbledon a few years back until the inevitable happened.
So my forecast for Sunday, us to lose handsomely 0-3, Hull to lose and Newcastle to scrape 1-0 win...just watch!
We just need the whole thing over with.
Relegation on Sunday.
Bottom of Championship by Christmas.
Southgate and cronies sacked in January 2010.
Proper Manager employed in March 2010.
Just escape relegation from Championship.
Resign a disillusioned Downing after a season in Liverpool reserves.
This is Boro; itâÂÂs so unpredictable itâÂÂs predictable.
I also feel as above the day will favour The Barcodes. We have been down for months as sad as it is. I still believe we cannot afford to be in the Prem at this stage and agree with Conn (cagey name by the way) that we are stable so lets enjoy the weekend with nothing to lose. Buy Murphy from Fulham to drive our engine room in the championship and off we go without GS
We've had it. It's not even worth thinking about.
At least if the Geordies go with us it will provide some light relief but like a few on here I think they will scrape a draw and it will be enough for them. What I can't and don't want to stomach is the inevitable gushing praise in the media about Messiah Shearer and the wonderful Geordie fans and how with Shearer in charge it's Europe here we come. I might have to lock myself away for a week.
Steve Gibson's work starts on Monday - if it hasn't already. How do we bounce back from this wreckage of a season? Over to you Steve.
Can Boro Stay Up?
I think Gareth Southgate will select the following team against West Ham United if injuries clear up in time:
Jones; Hoyte, Wheater, Huth, Taylor; Aliadiere, OâÂÂNeil, Bates, Johnson; Tuncay, King. I think Marvin Emnes will be a substitute and the manager will go for the experience of Marlon King.
According to Gareth we have suffered this season from:
bad luck
the most important situations in matches have gone against us
inconsistent refereeing
injuries to important players
too many young and inexperienced players
So, on Sunday it is pay back time. LetâÂÂs face it most of these players are long overdue a big performance.
This team is only capable of scoring one goal in normal play. We also get a dodgy penalty (long overdue!), and a thirty yarder from substitute Shawky hits the referee and flies into the top corner! Boro win 3-0!
Hull City lose by two goals and we finish above them.
Now for Newcastle. Successful professional footballers do not always make successful managers. Alan Shearer is one of them. Newcastle lose 1-0 at Villa, who score in added time at the end.
This season has been one long dream so I donâÂÂt see why Sunday should be any different.
It will indeed be a miracle if we beat West Ham and stay up.
I was in my seat in the east end upper when the ball was bouncing around our penalty area. Then suddenly a gap opened up and I could see it and watched horrified as the ball went right through that gap with the Jones out of sight and into the net. Such inept defending has been our hallmark this season.
That coupled with the ineptitude of an unknown Brazilian (in Brazil that is) so called centre forward who either fell over or was nowhere near the ball when it was crossed sums up our season. Season ticket in the bIn due to a complete lack of entertainment over the last 2 seasons.
We have the easiest game on paper on Sunday out of Hull, Toon and ourselves so if any one of us can pick up points it should be us, in theory at least!
Now for the problem! In order to win we will need an inspired and motivated team with an "up for it" attitude ..... you can all see where this is going can't you .... yep thats right, the Championship!
To actually hope that Gate can inspire and motivate anything in his current dark mindset is dream time. Then look at who he is going to try and motivate, the South Coast Kid? The Bangles number one fan Shawky (who has started walking already)? permacrock............ (insert one from 3)? Or will it be the "non contract" rebels? perhaps its one of the walking wounded? or maybe its the "leftovers" you know that ones that will be stuck in the Championship with us.
I doubt that all of us with ordinary mundane jobs who don't eat, sleep and breathe football 24 hrs a day and just use it for a bit of light relief don't get this motivation thing. How could we? Lets face it it's totally beyond us as we are not professional footballers, then again ironically that would put us all in the same category, the exception being Tuncay and maybe one or two others aside!
**AV writes: Yes, I have noticed the shower who defend for us. Are you aware that Newcastle's shower have let in even more goals?
Not interested to be honest, I want to focus on Boro. Regardless of their goals conceded Newcastle are two points better off than us. It's points that count.
I've posted several times that an average of a point a game would be enough to keep us up. After 32 games we had 30 points. In the last 5 games we've got 2 points out of 15.
As they say, the table doesn't lie.
Criticism and/or relegation of Newcastle doesn't make me feel any better. In fact, I always want all the North East teams to do well and I will continue to do so. Maybe this is due to now living outside of the area?
Isn't that strange!
I dont believe it. I have just read an article from Southgate on the sporting life website and he says - I quote - "' I am going to finish what I started". And what is that I ask myself? RELEGATION TO THE 3 DIVISION?
This guy can only take us one way: DOWN DOWN DOWN. Then to compound matters Crosby says "Southgate is the man for the job!." It is obvious only the backroom staff and management think he is the man for the job, because the majority of supporters and town folk dont.
The guy is useless: no managerial skills, no tactical skills, if fact I dont know of any skills he actually has. It is also quite obvious that the bookies know what is going on this weekend - Hull, Newcastle and Sunderland are all favourites to beat teams at the top of the league, Boro are the only one s who are second best at 2/1.
How many supporters next season? About 10-12000 maximum. We had everything going for us a few seasons ago, but since putting Southgate in charge we are disintegrating faster than the speed of light.
On AV's previous thread I pointed in the direction of Peter Hughes on ComeOnBoro for a chuckle at Gate and our expense.
In this mornings Daily Telegraph is an article by the excellant Henry Winter well worth a read about Toon and Shearah. The following is a ditty taken from that article to the tune of Blaydon Races penned by a Mackem.
"They all went down to Villa Park
Twas the 24th of May
Hoping God would smile on them
Upon the Sabbath day
Proud as punch in stripey shirts
Cream of the Geordie nation
Ganning along to Birmingham
To see the relegation.
Oh me lads, you should've seen them crying
Watching the shambles on the pitch
Premier dreams a'dying
All the lads and lasses there
All had gloomy faces
Ganning doon to the Championship
With aal of Shearer's aces.''
Apparently the rest is funnier if not printable.
North East football is in a mess but not its sense of humour. For any Geordies having a gander at this site no offence meant.
Absolutely no chance in hell of anything other than another away defeat.
Let's not prolong this lark for any longer than it has to be - we were practically relegated as far back as in January.
here:
Villa could draw with Newcastle, but ideally they must win if they stand any chance of clawing back 5th place above Everton and I'm sure that is what they would like after hitting such a poor run of form themselves. Newcastle need to win this game to survive, but then if they do, they could still go down in Hull beat United!
Fulham will earn their place in Europe simply by drawing with Everton, although they could maintain their excellent home form by winning, thus giving Villa even more of an incentive to reclaim 5th spot. If they lose, then the Euro spot could go to bloomin' Redknapp's gang if they win.
Sunderland might stay up regardless of their result, but only by the narrowest of margins, but if Hull win, the Black cats might still end up 17th if the Magpies fail to beat Villa.
West Bromwich Albion, let's not forget, could easily make the agony worse for us at Boro cos they could surprise us by beating Blackburn to go above us [not to mention on GD] and end up 19th, with US propping up the table thus ending our top flight status in the most humiliating of circumstances - in rock bottom position.
This could yet happen if we get tonked by 3 goals at West Ham - a very likely scenario bearing in mind the weakness of our squad right now and our record of having scored only two away goals in twelve games.
Thus:
(R)Middlesbro P38 W7 D11 L20 GD -31 PTS 32
Doesn't bear further dissection or speculation really does it? Forget any miracle. The only miracle that has happened is the fact that we're still in the Premier league at all.
Time for a completely new start, I reckon. And it can't come any time soon.
Gate says there'll be a wholesale clearout of players and backroom staff at the end of the season. Second season running - and look what a success he made of it last Summer.
2 comments:-
It's just another 'get your excuse in early'/'everyone but me (who picked the current squad - along with Gibbo and The Count - and the backroom staff) is to blame'.
He's just making a 'virtue' of the unavoidable since so many players have already said they're going whatever happens.
Both pathetic.
An interesting point to note; when were relegated at Ellend Road it was a South Yorkshireman in Brian Deane that helped to put us down.
Tomorrow we have a South Yorkshireman in Howard Webb officiating. Dosen't bear thinking about......
Come on Boro
Just read the article by Gate, Tosh springs to mind. Same goes for the Land Crab.
Why dont they just shut up and get on with giving a semblance of a football team.
AV
We are not a Fulham or a West Bromwich Albion, we are down let's face it.
I can live with going down, it has happened before, what I cannot take is Southgate and all his cronies, convincing themselves that they are the men for the job. The piece from Crosby was truly gut wrenching and now we have Southgate secure in his position for next year saying that he is going to dismantle the squad, with his targets already in place and to cap it all "we have learnt lessons we would not have done had we been in mid table." What garbage. In the words of Roberto Duran "ne mas" "no more" So good bye and thanks for all the fish.
Even though I am several thousand miles away, I cannot see me ever entering the Riverside again with that buffoon in charge.
No one cares what Southgate says, anymore. Not us fans, and not the players.
I am very annoyed to see sky Sports cameras "stitching" Boro fans up by making them look small time and idiotic on their news bulletins.
They gave the impression from their interviews in the town that Boro fans would rather the Geordies go down rather than the Boro stay up. To be fair they did this with the Sunderland fans as well.
"In this mornings Daily Telegraph is an article by the excellant Henry Winter well worth a read about Toon and Shearah. The following is a ditty taken from that article to the tune of Blaydon Races penned by a Mackem."
As funny as that little ditty is, I will probably pee myself laughing at the Mackems if that little ditty comes back to haunt them tomorrow!
All you incureable romantics get real! We'll lose tomorrow. Why? Two points from the last fifteen.
If it's any consolation, we're part of a stunning four north eastern river finale that must go down in history. (Pain in the ---- though some of the protaganists are, a regional loyalty makes me wish they all could stay up.)
No, it's no consolation.
The only hope for us is Boro fan solidarity, come what may.
Its sad to see it, it brings a tear to my eye. All i can say is my grandad never saw the Riverside Revoution, Cardiff or Eindhoven and he saw Boro through thick and thin.
Its over, we all know its over but we will be back and many generations after that will see it too. Up the Boro.
Gemma Whelpton x
My grandad never saw the riverside revolution, cardiff or eindhoven and he supported boro and died months before the riverside opened. we know boro will be back. In the end, Boro have achieved nothing they have ever dreamed of before! let rememeber that! we all know deep down its over now, but we will be back! up the boro!! x
Apart from the nailbiting that will go on wherever Boro supporters are - I am in Beijing at present - I fear we are doomed.
One point that really peed me off this season is the fact that Johnson, a winger that will run at a defender head on (no defender likes that) is better in many repects than Stewie, yet warms the seats on the byline.
Sure Stewie gets some great crosses in but unless we have somebody to turn them in to Goals then his main asset is wasted. He never takes a man on and inevitably turns around and lays the ball back when a defender approaches him. Not playing Johnson more and subsequently losing him is, I believe, one of Southgate's major errors.
I'm off up the temple to seek Buddha's help for today...C'mon the Boro
I've stuck a ã20 bet on Boro to stay up :eek:
On the subject of pathetic - but this time revealing - comments, there's just been another from a 'source close to the owner' that I take to be The Count.
It refutes the notion that Gibbo will leave and says his aim is to have MFC debt free by the end of next season. So, nothing about 'sporting glory' again, then.
Gibbo in charge and debt reduction is the aim that continues to pre-dominate all football considerations.
Today is about hope rather than expectation - despite what has happened in all the previous games anything is possible in an infinite universe.
I remember going to watch the Boro at Highbury a few years ago and finding ourselves 2-0 up at half-time despite not having a shot on goal - thanks mainly to two acts of 'Brazilian magic' resulting in two own goals - we went on to win 3-0 even though we never looked comfortable.
So if we get all our 'bad luck' over the season repaid in spades it may well be our day - so Hull thrashed 4-0 by an up-for-it Man Utd reserves determined not to cause controversy - Villa to win the battle of the TV pundits other jobs - and a 1-0 victory for the Boro thanks to an own goal.
Another gutless display by overpaid whingebags led by a manager who has'nt a clue and he'll be in charge next season god help us
The dusty white Transit Van sits forlornly at the back of the scrapyard, not even worthy of the Governments "scrappage" allowance.
"Hey lads! what about this "Alves goal machine sign? Do you want it?"......
......"Nah"
"I think that's nonsense, when I hear people say the players and staff don't care as much as the fans... we have nothing else in our lives, nothing else at all.
Our hobby, our love is our work as well, so you live with it 24 hours a day. The supporters, they may not like the jobs they do, but they do something else as well. Football is their switch-off, and there is family as well.
But for players and staff, you live with it all the time, it is constantly in your thoughts. Of course, unless you have ever played or coached or managed or been involved in a football club, you won't understand that." ...............Gareth Southgate.
Lets see how many of Gareth's squad live with the hurt, pain, frustration, and upset for the next twelve months or as is likely even longer as a direct consequence of their actions. My bet is that many of them have switched off even as I type this with their bags already packed!
Well Gareth your season in which you wanted to be judged is well and truly over, I can't say let the judging commence as the Jury reached their verdict on your management ability 6 months ago.
Well there is the answer to the question posed by the thread.
Looking back at the results today one could say that Hull deserved to stay up. Both Toon and ourselves have been in the division long enough to look after themselves, Hull deserve another chance. They may well go down next year just as Bradford and Reading but good luck to them.
The evidence for the thin nature of our squad was there for all to see but there were some performances that stood out or not.
Arca was as we expected and was exceedingly poor. Jinky had an appalling game with nothing even testing the keeper or threatening to unsettle West Ham. The second goal was a case of Corporal Punishment.
There will be more analysis to come but the feeling is that the club capitulated in December, no other word will do. They just gave up.
Methods! Madness!
Make your own minds up!
Just been scanning through the season on this blog and it was very apparent as early as Autumn that most of us saw the cracks and the problems that lay ahead.
There were far too many problems to start listing them and in all honesty I can't be bothered any more. For any business to receive such detailed foresight and warnings on a regular basis for three quarters of the season only for them all to be ignored is tantamount to blatant incompetence on several levels.
If there was no fight or belief during the season with the white flag being wafted before our Christmas Turkey had even digested, a complete abandonment of hope before and during the January sales then what hope do we have of the summer inquest outcome conducted by those whose ineptitude has brought us to this point with no lessons ever being learned?
The sad thing is that I am anticipating a spin around finance and constraints..... waffle.......waffle......."judge us next season".......waffle..... and absolutely no mention of square pegs, round holes, late lapses, 5 centre backs, zonal non marking, contract rebels, Mido, Emnes (who?) etc. etc.
Alot of people say that the reason we went down is because Southgate sold good players and bought inferiour ones. Does anyone believe for a second it was Southgate who got rid of Viduka, Yakubu, Young, Cattermole, Schwarzer etc? And does anyone really believe it was also Southgate who bought Alves?
Well, what we all expected and true to sort. Only suprize no late equalizer for Newcastle. Mmmmmm.....well dunno what the situation at the Boro but the bench looked thinner than thin.... they all got off early for a quick holiday?
Tuncays body language at the end said it all but he still went to the fans after a little coaxing. Well Brad Jones got his howler in as per norm. God we were all wrong pre season lol. But hey ...Turnbull turned out ok - shame he will be playing for someone else next season. And in the premiership. Good call Gareth!
Well, that's it then. The bubble has burst, the dream is over. As expected, down with barely a whimper. Down due to the same old things time and time again.
Due to my even further than normal exile I didn't see the match (I got the pleasure of Villa v Toon instead!), but they flashed up the first goal and my jaw nearly hit the floor! Woeful defending from Arca on the edge of the box, who lets him lay it out wide to the overlap, and I didn't realise we were playing Laurel & Hardy at centre half yesterday - they made arses of themselves there.
GS plans wholesale changes. Can I recommend that the first wholesale change he makes is to sack the Manager? And whilst he's on that - pretty much all of the coaching team.
Here are some excerts from Southgate after the loss:
"I would like to stay, I think I've proven (myself) for the first two-and-a-half years," Southgate said.
"Nothing has been discussed with the chairman, we have to sit down this week and plan more definitely what is going to happen. It will be a tough challenge and we'll have to improve.
"We're ready to make those changes because it clearly hasn't worked this year."
Southgate, however, is braced for his top players leaving the club.
"There will be personal agendas and as a club we will have to bring some money in to go forward," he said. "There are also situations I want to change. Inevitably, there will be big changes to the playing squad."
Carlton Cole grabbed the opener in the first half then Gary O'Neil equalised just after the restart, only for Stanislas' tame shot to squirm past Boro goalkeeper Brad Jones.
Southgate said: "We didn't have enough on the day. We told the players the scores to try to give them a lift. They didn't stop in the second half and this game was not the reason that we went down.
"Everyone is down in the dressing room but I told them they needed to understand the reasons why this happened. They have to learn from it.
So the motivation is "tell the players the scores!" Can't he motivate.
What has he done in three years? Took us down with some of the worst records in Boro history.
I see the manager of Sunderland has done the decent thing and resigned. What esteenm has Southgate got. The fans don't want him, most of the players obviously don't and for me I will never spend another penny after supporting the team for 50 years while he is in charge.
PS He started the rot when he replaced Turnbull with Jones - who once again gave away a very bad goal.
"They have to learn from it."
Slow learners aren't they Gareth.
Lol.