First Championship Test Passed.
THERE is very little consensus in football but one thing that was universally agreed on was that Sheffield United were Boro's Championship Bogey Man.
The battling Blades, it was agreed by pundits and punters alike, were exactly the type of team that would trash the promotion credentials of brittle Boro while football's pit bull Chris Morgan would eat our Fancy Dan forwards alive. United are big, strong, physical and direct, the arch exponents of stifling space, knocking it long and then delivering the set-piece sucker punch.
In short they were the exactly the kind of rugged route one outfit that Gareth Southgate's soft-centred squad were predicted to struggle against.
The expectation was that Boro would be roughed up and bullied out of the game by a team that is their polar opposite in philosophy and physique and that is seen as one of their chief rivals for promotion.
In fact a bright Boro coped admirably with what was the toughest possible first test in their televised Championship curtain-raiser at the Riverside Stadium last night.
Boro were strong at the back and, barring a nervous moment or two - new boy Danny Coyne was called into action within two minutes after a long throw into the box led to a snap shot straight at the keeper then the Blades threatened again from a first half corner - they dealt with the dead balls into the danger zone and handled the threat of imposing targetman Darius Henderson with ever more authority as the game went on.
In Robert Huth and David Wheater Boro have a central defensive pairing that is as good as anything in the division and they looked composed and compatible as they came through a rigourous examination. They can handle the rough stuff and are good on the ball.
The young full-backs were not so prominent but they did enough to shackle Quinn,Taylor and Howard on their raids down the flanks to suggest they have what it takes to flourish at this level - indeed both Tony McMahon and Jonathan Grounds won rave reviews in their loan spells in the Championship last term - while there is plenty in reserve in that department: Justin Hoyte and Andrew Taylor, last season's fist choices, were on the bench.
At times, even under pressure, Boro passed the ball out from the back calmly while at others they hoofed it clear. Picking the right options there will be important this season.
Boro competed in midfield, closed down quickly and effectively - several times Ddier Digard and Mark Yeates ran 20 or 30 yards to press a United player and either get in a challenge or force an error - and the unit played to a higher tempo than we have been used to. Even the ball-boys set a blistering pace. The midfield as a whole flew into crunching tackles and at times played some fluid attacking football as they looked to pick a way neatly through a well drilled defence.
Pre-season sensation Rhys Williams, promoted from third choice right back into a key midfield role by injuries, played with incredible poise in the engine room alongside Digard and added a new vitality in a department that failed to sparkle last term.
Williams was another who was a hit after a loan spell in the Championship. He was a regular as Burnley burst into the promotion frame late on last term and looked to have picked up where he left off. He pressed, chased and harried, flew into tackles, got forward when needed to offer an option up front and played a few killer balls too in a performance that suggested he can be this season's big find and cement a first team place at Boro.
With Williams, Yeates and Adam Johnson adding pace and attacking instinct into what had been last season a fatally pedestrian and cautious unit and the first two plus Digard also showing a willingness to get stuck right in, Boro hinted that they could develop into a well balanced midfield that can compete at this level and combine silk and steel.
There was pace and passion, pressing and tackling and plenty of work as Boro set out with tempo and intent. They were far from over-awed by the bruising reputation of the opposition, they gave as good as they got in a game that was refereed far more liberally than in the Premiership - in the top flight Boro would have had at least one penalty and there would have been more bookings but we will soon learn the nuances of that culture change. The team showed little signs of any relegation hangover and played with determination, zest and confidence.
The new boys impressed on their home debuts, shot-stopper Coyne blocking Keith Treacy's early effort then saving Stephen Quinn's angled first half drive on the half-hour and Irish wideman Mark Yeates being a dynamic figure on both flanks, putting in some robust challenges and showing promising creative flashes as well as sending Blades' keeper Bunn full length to push a good low effort behind in the opening period.
Striker Leroy Lita was well received when he made his second half bow (by Boro fans at least; Blades supporters were chanting 'Judas' at him even though he says he never even talked to their club) and showed he had a couple of mesmerising tricks and a decent turn of pace. He maybe should have had a penalty to boot, but he is clearly short of sharpness and we did not see his best.
Yes, up front Boro remain toothless. For all the pretty approach play there was very little penetration and almost no threat in the box. But we knew that.
Jeremie Aliadiere and Marvin Emnes worked hard and the Frenchman even got physical: he won a series of headers against monster Morgan and several times went into 50/50s, causing one press-room wag to note that Boro had accomplished a heart transplant that not even Christian Barnard could have pulled off. More cynical commentators suggested his combative display may be more to do with the shop window afford by the cameras.
Whatever, for all the pace and close control the pair failed to dent United's robust back line. To be fair neither were ever likely to bull-doze into the box. There were plenty of balls into the area from Yeates and Johnson but no-one to attack them. But, again, we knew that.
That is the fundamental problem in the team's make-up, one that the prospects for what could be a watershed season rest on and one we are told that the club are actively working hard to resolve. They must succeed if the promise of what remains a tantilisingly talented young squad is to be realised.
So it is early days but there were a lot of positives to come out of an opening game that could so easily have gone horribly wrong.
Of course there is no consensus on that. Plenty of people failed to see any silver lining in starting a season in which the club are expected to deliver promotion with a goalless draw. Many have drawn very different conclusions.
There was an outbreak of booing on the final whistle - not as hostile or sustained as viewers of Sky Sports News later may have been led to believe and quickly matched by generous applause - and there was plenty of disappointed chuntering in the concourse over the blank.
Again, that was to be expected. Many in the crowd have already decided where they stand on the question of the boss and they will not be pacified or won over by nil-nils at home. This is a team that has a long way to go to win back the unqualified support of a crowd who watched a slow motion car crash last term.
There will be a lot of jeering. Get used to it. It will be the soundtrack of the season unless Boro start to win games convincingly and regularly, especially at home.
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Anthony Vickers
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I was reasonably happy with the performance in particular Danny Coyne and Mark Yeates. Danny is a much safer prospect than Mr Jones, please GS stick with him. Mark was good moving forward and was hungry for it (something we sadly missed last season).
If we can get someone up front who can hold the ball up we might have it cracked!!!!
C'MON THE BORO!
Some people are easily pleased.
New faces, but SAME OLD BORO. Digard out injured AGAIN (the guy is turning into a liability). One shot on target the whole game. Aliadiere and Emnes did not impress. All they did was run around. Neither was any kind of threat up front, and it was Yeates who had to show them how to shoot.
Personally, I am sick of seeing Boro fail to address glaring weaknesses in the side.
We need a creative central midfield maestro and a big effective striker who knows where the goal is and can hold up the ball for Lita.
We also need better referees. For all last night's official generally had a good game, he let a lot of pushing in the back by Sheffield go. I lost count of the number of times our players were nudged, or barged from behind, without hearing the whistle. If that is going to be the standard in the Championship, our players are going to have to learn to take it and to dish it out.
I agree. We can't expect immediate miracles but there was some very positive things to come out of last nights game.
Good attitude and more importantly the players appeared to get "stuck in" as opposed to the more negative games we endured last season. Defence looked solid and good forward movement. The Blades will be there or therabouts this season so all in all not a bad start. Young AJ was a star, teasing the defence every time he went up the field. I hope he stays with us. Who was Martin O'Neil sniffing about for last night?
First point on the board and more importantly a clean sheet!
I didn't enjoy it - kick and hope long ball - we had no idea !!!
At least we will not be on the telly that much.
No midfield, no strikers, no goals. Same old Boro.
Southgate OUT!
What a bundle of laughs that game was!
If I'm to be the least bit positive, they looked a very good side. But there didn't seem to be much improvement on last season.
Early days I know, but very disappointing nevertheless.
So Sothgate is surprised that Tuncay is still with Boro.
Surely he must now see, along with every other footballer in the country, that with the present manager play for Boro and your transfer value goes down. Play for a good manager and up goes your value. Ask Cattermole, Woodgate, Morrison. Watch Downings value rocket (he used to be valued at ã16m). Ask Mido Alves etc what their value is after a shot time at Boro.
Oh dear oh dear How long can Southgate survive.
A flowery game pre season and another lethargic game at Millwall and Southgate boasts the players are in the right frame of mind--CODSWALLOP
Hello Vic.
Just back from watching almost all of the Sheffield United match - same old 'Boro, all commitment, lots of positive play, little muscle and almost zero end product. And now Digard has done his groin, and O'Neil's about to have an operation.
Unless one goalscoring midfielder, one midfield anchorman and a tall and strong striker are brought in we may well be stuck in this league for some time.
I hope I'm wrong.
So it's back to business as usual - the league may have changed but the story remains the same - we just don't look like scoring a goal.
We shouldn't be surprised our three main strikers are well er... on strike and have either left or are in the process of leaving. The first replacement in Lita hadn't played any football for three months and Emnes was bought to play on the right and Ali has never looked like a striker.
The truth is we weren't ready to start the season and every injury leaves us with no real options - not what I would call a well balanced squad as the team for the next few weeks will pick itself.
At least our defence should prevent us from losing too many games but we desperately need 3 or 4 players if we are to have any chance of progressing in this league.
As for motivating the players - it still looks like a work in progress.
Won't be seeing any more of Mido, but expecting to see lots more MID-0s.
Will Southgate ever figure out how to coach and field a side that can score goals? He'd better learn quick. On a positive note, Yeates was excellent and Emnes, ploughing his lone furrow, was superb; should have stayed on instead of Ali. Hope Williams and Grounds get a good run in the team.
I was reasonably happy with the performance in particular Danny Coyne and Mark Yeates, Danny is a much safer prospect than Mr Jones, please GS stick with him. Mark was good moving forward and was hungry for it (something we sadly missed last season). If we can get someone up front who can hold the ball up we might have it cracked!!!! C'MON THE BORO!
I don't understand the mentality if this club. GS knows the shortcomings of the team up front. I thought he was going to sign Rob Hulse with the proceeds from the sale of Downing. It just confirms are the club really that ambituious.
I don't think so GS will never make a manager and I think this suits SG. Any decent manager would have been demanding funds to strengthen the team up front but I can see the strings from GS's back as SG pulls them.
Even-handed report Vic, upbeat but realistic as it should be at this stage of the season. Let's wait until the end of August to see what we really have to play with. Life's too short to walk around with a face like a squeezed lemon - get on and enjoy it - it's only a game FCS!
Last night's match left me with one simple question. If the lack of a 'target man' was so glaring obvious (which of course it was) why wasn't it addressed?
We had some money from the sale of Downing but wouldn't use it. We had an excellent target man in Mido but couldn't motivate him and most of us with 'tonsillitis' respond to penicillin but, apparently, not Tuncay.
Two points dropped now are just as important as two lost on the last day. Perhaps more so as they are setting the tone and expectations for both team and fans. What self belief will there be if we turn up at Swansea without a striker? We need someone NOW not if or when we offload Alves or Tuncay.
Last night's match left me with one simple question. If the lack of a 'target man' was so glaring obvious (which of course it was) why wasn't it addressed?
We had some money from the sale of Downing but wouldn't use it. We had an excellent target man in Mido but couldn't motivate him and most of us with 'tonsillitis' respond to penicillin but, apparently, not Tuncay.
Two points dropped now are just as important as two lost on the last day. Perhaps more so as they are setting the tone and expectations for both team and fans. What self belief will there be if we turn up at Swansea without a striker? We need someone NOW not if or when we offload Alves or Tuncay.
Sorry Vic I must have watched a different game. The Blades were only one fit striker away from giving us an absolute hammering. Dominated physically and tactically. Boro were 3 or 4 players short of even causing them a problem.
Again, no system, no tactics other than complete reliance on two decent wingers - with no end product, and two decent central defenders. And we still may sell two of that four.
Boro have gone backwards again. Sheffield Utd will finish above us. The question is, how many others will. Only time will tell.
Why was Aliadiere even on the pitch? Another bizarre substitution taking off Emnes (who was doing ok - despite the hopelessly loose tactics) and leaving the French ballet dancer on the field. Same old Southgate.
The only plus is that Southgate now only has 11 of the 12 games promised, before he gets the bullet.
One of our biggest problems last season was a lack of fitness to play 90 minutes, at least that problem seems to have been addressed. The team competed right up to the final whistle.
It is no secret that we lack a midfielder and a striker, GS can't just magic a couple of players. As things are, all the top players will go to the premiership, unfortunately the only club with strikers for sale are the Boro.
They should go for Ross McCormack, a proven player at this level and one who will improve. Never mind that we missed out on him last time, bite the bullet and pay the asking price for him.
Just the sort of assessment I'd expect from a 'thud and blunder' afficionado like yourself, AV!
But seriously, last night just illustrated what we all know - there's a good deal still to do to be anywhere near where we need Boro to be.
There are also half or dozen or so 'good deals' still to be done too. Alves and Tuncay out - a couple of line-leading goal-scorers and at least one and probably two for midfield, especially if Digard's going to continue Crockliffed and with O'Neil out with his op or gone.
And that leaves out anything further needed if the Villa manager follows up his trip to The Riverside with successful bids for Wheats or Huth.
And if The Triumverate don't want even more jeering they're going to have to live up to their promises about upping the experience in the squad. Gate's 'youngsters' line just points up the lack of delivery on promises every time he uses it.
I agree that there are positives to take from the game. Last season we lacked fight. My main concern for this season is that we would get out-battled by sides who are more up for it. Sheff Utd are just the kind of physical side that I thought we'd struggle against.
However, it didn't happen. If we'd battled as hard in the last five or six games of last season as we did last night, we may have stayed up. We were well organised at the back and had a good balanced look to our midfield. I was especially impressed with Yeates who looked lively on the ball and worked hard off it.
However, we could have played for a couple of hours more and still wouldn't have scored. GS stated that there were boos at the end because we didn't win. Not true. There were boos because we had one shot on target in the whole game. If we'd been all over them, carving them open time and time again, but failed to get the break-through, then there would have been no boos.
Just as well then that we still have a few weeks before the transfer window closes. We desperately need a powerful forward who will be able to hold up the ball and bring others into play. If Gareth is correct in saying that we need an average of 2 goals a game (a comment I don't necessarily agree with), then failing to bolster by the end of August will write off any chance of us being promoted.
Overall, a decent start in a game where it could have gone horrbly wrong. However, frailties exposed that must be addressed as soon as possible.
What game where you watching may I ask AV? That was dreadful. Yes, I agree that they were a bogey team for us but I cannot agree with anything else.
I was in a pub full of the Boro faithful and the overwhelming consensus was that we we truly dreadful. We had no where near enough quality in all too many areas and we just played Sunday League type kick and hope football.
I really do fail to understand what people see in Southgate. Last night was just more of the same. Yes, guts / commitment / passion - GREAT. But where the hell was the skill of any kind? It was all huff and puff with no real meat on the bones.
I fail to see how we will make the play offs we this team and Southgate at the helm.
Why is he still here? Please, can someone give me an understanding of what he brings as I really am at a loss to understand what the hell is going on and I am not trying to be funny here. I really do what someone to point out this guys quality other than he's a nice bloke who talks well.
I read blog after blog and I can only surmise that AV is a paid up member of the Boro board and working as head of propaganda and that Southgate has put something in everyones tea at the club which makes them think that all is really great.
AV, test passed? Oh come on. I'm not trying to wind you up but what game where you watching? You really can't be serious, come on. That was awful. I'd love you to go down the pub and try to air these views as you be lynched.
I speak to fans all the time and I am yet to find one single person that backs Southgate or who is happy with things. This is what I find so strange. OK, we all know my views and so it's usual for me to speak as I do, but I am totally at a loss to understand as everyone I talk to is of the same opion.
What a shocking way to end up so soon after Eindhoven. A comparison of the teams just leaves you very cold indeed.
TB
Southgate states booing at the end of a game is normal proceedure nowadays----
It is when you have Southgate as manager
if we passed the test it was with a C- !
While the target man is a must even if its Viduka! We still need a midfield general and since we are still skint Hamann must be the way to go
First of all I dont think anybody could criticise the effort and commitment on show.
The players also seemed up for a physical battle.
The deficiencies in the squad in midfield and up front are I believe quite apparent to the coaching staff and will be addressed once we can get Alves and Tuncay off the wage bill hopefully sooner than later.
There seems to be a culture in football now not just at Boro that if you dont win boo the team off. I would like to ask those that participated in it whether they think Coyne, Wheater, Huth, Williams and Yeates in particular deserved booing off?
Get a grip. This is going to be a long hard slog. I read with interest in today's Northern Echo comments by Brian Laws about the Championship. He basically said this is a division where nobody allows you time to play, people get stuck in and are difficult to break down. Expect to be closed down quickly everywhere over the pitch.
It will take time to build confidence. Next target is to break the sequence of away defeats hopefully next week. Rhys Williams looks a very good prospect and deserves his place.
For SG/GS....
Go and look at a lad from Coventry, a central midfielder Aron Gunnarsson. Will be a ã20m player, cost ã2m now. Him and Beckford from Leeds and we will be on our way.
What a load of rubbish. Boro would not score if they had still been playing today. I don't know what match you were at Mr Vickers.
Big Bad Brian Deane used to get dogs abuse, possibly unfairly, but its a sad reflection of our current state that he'd be the first name on the team sheet nowadays.
Wondered who would be captain seeing as no one held the ball for the photo last week. Huth is a good a choice as any, and hopefully it can inspire him to lay his towel out in the 18yard box half an hour before kick off. He needs to be more vocal though which is something the whole team need to do.
The only person who seems to have a tongue in their head is Yeates, who is clearly going to upset a few oppposition teams, fans and refs this year and is a great punt for Boro's first red of the seaon.
Unfortunately, the groin strain to Didier Injard and GON's hernia, means we are likely to see the return of sugar plum fairy pirouetting, minus the ball, across the midfield. I just hope he is not given the captains tutu to put on his arm.
Last season we started with a slim squad and three strikers. This year we have a slim squad with one unfit striker. I was sure we were told this wasn't going to happen. Two more strikers and now two central midfielders needed NOW please Garth.
I have to agree with AV on this one. That was Sheff U's cup final and that's what we can expect every game. There was only one team trying to play with some quality.
We did at least show some fight when they tried to kick us off the field. I didn't see that once in 38 games last season so the jury is still out but if they give the same commitment all season it will make more people happy.
Contrary to AV I thought we were disappointing overall last night. Started off ok but seemed to run out of ideas, esp after Digard went off and we didn't have a clue how to break them down second half. And we know most other teams will sit back.
Maybe i was expecting too much: first game optimism and lower division, but we ended up with the infuriatingly predictable outcomes ie no goals, few efforts and the long punt which played into their hands; the hallmarks of Southgate's management.
Had we been away from home and got the point there would have been fewer grumbles and more room for optimism... the real test is whether we can put together record breaking runs of consecutive away wins - or as a minimum, 0-0 draws whilst winning our home games
As others have commented, there is real talent among the younger players and it would be great to see some of these really come through and establish themselves
I don't think we're too far away from having a squad capable of winning the title - we all know the areas that need to be strengthened - then it's really down to GS to keep things on an even keel
Seen some grit and determination in the 1st half, fatigue probably took its toll as it ebbed away in the 2nd. But the one shot on target says it all.
The energy of Yeates and Johnson gives some optimism, Coyne didn't command his box but looked determined to keep a clean sheet come hell or high water, McMahon and Grounds seemed comfortable, The Wall and the Rock looked formidable, Williams looks a more than capable replacement for Bates.
"Digard injured again" was a common utterance with the French sporting fraternity (granted not as common as "Mido missing" hits with Google) so we should not be surprised to see his early unplanned departure in the middle of a game and it will not be the last time!
Aliadiere was true to form, lots of running but will never ever deliver any end product (potential for a switch to midfield performing a Zenden type role?). Emnes needs a big "Vidukaesque" striker to both hold the ball up and give something for the opponents defence to think about, without that I fear he will wither on the vine. GON's hernia says it all about the indecisiveness in the club and continued lack of ability to manage situations.
Lita looked like "Alves light" for me, I will give him the benefit of the doubt and put his inability to keep on his feet down to his lack of match fitness.
We need two proven strikers, not one, Rob Hulse, even Marlon Harewood (part exchange deal involving Tuncay resurrected) or Chris Brunt and/or David Healy and now two proven midfielders, Quinn from the Blades would do nicely for one of them and perhaps Reo-Coker (again involving Tuncay?). Hopefully MFC will have some surprises up their sleeves from now until the end of August.
Failure to bring in at least four players (assuming the Alves and Tuncay "injuries" don't linger until the end of August and a transfer bid is accepted in the meantime freeing up some meagre funds) could spell the end of Gareth's tenure come the Autumn and I'm not convinced SG and Lamb want to risk the family jewels just in case they need to attract a new manager with a January war chest!
Poor Gareth "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me." Now was that Frankie Howerd or Kenneth Williams?
Well done Boro fans - re the Bobby Robson tribute - we showed the rest of the country what it was to be true football fans . It was a really emotional moment - I was really proud to be a Boro fan
As for the game - good attitude and commitment Williams a revelation in midfield , Yeates promising .We need a big centre forward with a goal scoring pedigree as Emnes / Aladiere need to play off one they wil not score enough on their own .
Don't get bitter and twisted after one game guys - there's a long way to go! stick with it !
It's own up time. I really should have had a cup of coffee this morning before responding to AV's informed and provocative post-match analysis. After a day of Test cricket and MOTD I feel better placed to reply constructively.
Let's start with the positives because there were some to be taken from this game. First off the fans who I thought were brilliant. They (we) turned up in good numbers for a Friday night televised game and produced a great atmosphere throughout. After last season's debacle they (we) showed that we are prepared to give MFC another chance and got right behind the team from the off. A big pat on the back is, I think, deserved.
The débutantes both looked composed and had impressive debuts. Hopefully, Coyne will continue this vein of form and, when Jones is fit, there will be a fair fight for the No. 1 spot with the keeper selected purely on merit.
Yeates, as we all hoped, looked a real handful and quickly established a rapport with Johnson. It does seem that these guys are capable of dominating the wings this season and Yeates was always keen to track back. Williams was solid if not overly constructive.
In open play the defence, particularly, Wheater and Huth, looked dependable but we shouldn't forget that, even a half fit, Darius Henderson found it too easy to turn them at times.
On the other side of the coin some of the lessons from last year had clearly either not been learned or forgotten in the heat of the moment.
United caused the defence problems at almost every set piece and it was luck, as much as anything, that we didn't concede. Why with top class defenders as both players and coaches (yes Mr. Southgate and Mr. Cooper) we've been unable to resolve this is a worrying mystery which needs a quick solution.
Tactically we were naïve and unable to adapt as the game unfolded. The two wingers played well but only up to a point. There were too many high ball into the middle when we had no one capable of doing anything with them.
With Aliadanightmare and Emnes upfront it may have been more productive for Johnson and Yeates to release the ball to them earlier and to their feet. High ball were gobbled with ease. Sothgate must have seen this but didn't try to change the pattern of play.
What about the âÂÂstrikersâ (note the use of inverted commas)? They were, as expected, too light weight to be effective and posed no aerial threat. Given that Southgate was aware of this his tactics were naïve, at best. We should also ask why he picked two such players in a 4-4-2 formation?
If we accept that he couldn't motivate Mido (as he couldn't Yakubu) then he has to look for another answer. That's what he is paid to but instead, as he did last season, he ticked the 'Too Difficult' box and ignored it. It seems astonishing that a problem which was abundantly clear in January still hasn't been addressed and points are again being lost.
Another carry over from last season was square peggism and we saw it again last night with Williams being played out of position. Centre of midfield was weak but with lightweight, nimble 'strikers' our best hope was to break quickly from the centre turning the United defence. We saw little of that throughout the match and none after O'Neil came on for Digard. Here was a man who clearly had other things on his mind.
So this was the curate's egg. Good in parts but Southgate has a huge amount to do before he can convince me that he can lead a sustained promotion challenge.
There are too many preconceptions and defeatist dogmatism about the team before the season unfolds. It is rife on this blog - and this is from someone who has become totally disenchanted with Southgate over the last year.
However I do believe in fairness and being open minded and I think this team with additions deserves a chance. We didn't play badly last night and only the fault lines up front remain.
There was improvement in the defence and our use of the ball was better than the Blades.In fact there is more scope for improvement from us than I could see in opponents who were strong but predictable.
I am reserving judgement until the season is well under way.What is the point of criticising your team if only to to confirm your own opinion or point of view?
I kept saying we needed at least seven new players of a better standard then the rest of the division to compete this season (assuming we can get rid of Pogi, Arca and Ali), with Alves going that makes eight!
Two injuries in midfield plus the injury to Bates and no doubt it's back to square pegs again and instead of five centre halves playing we'll be having four fullbacks and two centre halves.
Steve
I have to unusually disagree with Anthony this time. I thought it was same old Boro, the same inept performance of last year. I cannot see a winning team under Southgate. I cannot see us suddenly go on a run of seven or eight wins out of 11 games. We just do not create enough. One shot on target in around the 20th minute is pathetic, Emnes and Aliadiere were poor but where was the support from midfield.
Johnson and Yeates were impressive but not enough balls were put into the box and I do not understand Southgate constantly switching our wingers from right to left. I can see him trying to make the defence get confused but I think it just confuses us instead. He did it with Downing last year and it didnt work, all it did was take away a potential chance that when we did get it on the left but no johnson to whip it in, instead it was Yeates having to pull it back onto his right foot.
I know we will win at Scunthorpe no matter what but next week first we have to go up against Swansea and unless we somehow get some creativity in our game in the next seven days then we will be beaten as we have no ability whatsoever to score more than one and we cant keep cleansheets every game you know.
I agree with AV that there were signs of progress, mainly a bit of passion, a much higher tempo and some meaty tackles of the kind we really needed last season.
I also agree that Sheff U are exactly the sort of team that we all thought would turn Boro over. I expected a tonking. I think last year we would have been battered by them. So matching them is progress of sort.
That said we ARE toothless, a blind man can see that. At least Southgate is admitting that is what we need and he knows his targets. So that is progress too.
We need Alves and Tuncay out sharpish so we can get the new faces in and scoring quickly otherwise we will have exactly the same kind of struggle as last season.
Where I don't agree with AV is on the booing. People have every right to let their feelings known, especially after sitting through the dross of last year. It wasn't booing the team, it was booing Southgate (and indirectly Gibson) for not sorting out the glaring problems quickly and running the risk of letting another season drift away from us.
AV - I'll have to go through your previous opening day posts and see if your "glass half full" attitude applied then as well, or if you are being oddly inconsistent.
Reading between the lines of your statements of the past few weeks, I think that you are hoping that SG and GS are correct in what they are doing, and that the first half of 2009 was an aberration, rather than typical. Your reaction to my hospital analogy implied that outlook.
My own viewpoint is that the most likely route to the Premiership is for Boro to fall to the bottom half of the Championship over the next few months, and for Gibson to be forced to bring on someone with Championship MANAGERIAL experience.
I am amazed that Curbishley is still not managing anywhere, he would be ideal - has he already refused Gibson in the past? (Do your contacts have any word on that)
Anyway, the point is that BORO CLEARLY FAILED THE TEST (to use your wording). They had one shot on goal, from the new guy. Last year's players had zero shots on goal.
No one doubts that Boro's back line of Internationals can keep the Championship strikers from scoring a lot of goals. Last season, Boro scored less goals than any team in English Football, and this season they are on track to repeat. This is because - despite "attacking" rhetoric - there is no evidence that anyone employed by Middlesbrough Football Club understands how to score goals.
When I read what people liked about Boro, I have to wonder whether they would be happier watching Rugby.
**AV writes: Last season I thought the switch in philosophy and transfer policy (no more over-paid oldies with no resale value) were good news but that Boro were seriously light on numbers and experience. Far from being a ra-ra I was half empty and thought they would bob about in that identikit group between 12th and 17th that would be split by just three or four points. I thought that Alves would get enough goals (who didn't?) to keep them safe but that even one or two injuries would make it a struggle and run a risk of being sucked down into the dogfight.
This season I think that there is the nucleus of a promotion squad there. Plenty of the youngsters have excelled at this level and the big lads at the back - if they stay fit - should make us hard to beat. The addition of just two or three players could turn this team of potential into champions - so long as they are the right people, with the experience, hunger and mentality to drive the team forward.
Without them it could be a frustrating grind but even so, so long as the key players stay fit, this Boro squad should be capable of mounting a promotion challenge. That is realistic and it is what we should be expecting and what we should be demanding.
If that assessment makes me a ra-ra, so be it. I think that puts more pressur eon the club to deliver than chuntering about impending failure. The congenital doom-mongers who are predicting a lower table finish or a relegation battle are letting the club off the hook. What if Boro finish 7th and scrap into the play-offs? Are the chicken-runners going to admit they were wrong?
As for your other point about reading between the line, we should all be hoping that Southgate and Gibson know what they are doing - and that they get it right - because if they don't and if they fail then the club faces a very sticky future. You think the cost-cutting is bad news now? You ain't seen anything yet. If Boro don't go back up this season budgets in all areas of the club will be slashed when the parachute payments stop, there will be a player exodus and we are back to square one and possibly stuck treading water at this level for a decade.
Tony Black said... "I was in a pub full of the Boro faithful."
I beg to differ. The Boro faithful were at the game. You were in the pub with a bunch of whinging faint-hearts who have jumped off the post-Juninho Sky fan bandwagon when the going got tough.
But you are in good company. There's plenty of pub bores out there who take their lead from Bernie Slaven (another one who never goes to games). Stay there, and let us real fans get on with supporting our team.
The way we have to look at it is, is that is the best the Championship has to offer and we coped with it comfortably. The 2nd half was poor, but we never really looked like losing, and the commitment and effort was excellent to see.
The booing at the end from some of our 'fans' was utterly pathetic, and has rightly been ridiculed in the press.
Very solid start, and a good foundation to build on.
I think you have over-egged the pudding a bit AV. We were OK, played well in parts without threatening too often. Pleased for Coyne and the defence to kick off with a clean sheet. Williams looked excellent, likewise Yeates. Johnson looked dangerous at times. No one had a bad game. We lasted 92 minutes.
So some positives, but the main midfield and forward issues still persist and we didn't often look like breaking them down. Lita looked strong on the ball when he came on but obviously lacks match fitness.
I see one fan has already labelled him "Alves-Lite". You wonder what people have to do, 30 minutes of football and someone's already having a pop! There was one point where he tried to squeeze through a non-existant gap between two United giants. He didn't get through...but he came a lot closer than he had a right too and showed some good body strength in the attempt.
Overall I'm happy with a point, a goodish performance and a clean sheet.
I have a feeling the boys will enjoy playing away from home this season.
It's disappointing to hear boos already. Unfortunately some fans have already made up their mind. I read some of them on the previous blog, talking about boycotts and incredibly "hoping" that Boro lose games so they can have a new manager. I hope they don't get their way and spoil the season for the rest of us.
Nice to be up and running again.
Holgate Ender - I was in the pub too, 3,000 miles away as I have been for every match for the past 12 years.
But I agree, real fans go to matches if they can, it amazes me how many Boro supporters there are for such a depressing team. Even overseas, in every location I have been there can always be found a small group of miserable but faithful supporters huddled around an illegal sat connection watching the match.
This season the TV will be silent as we will get only three or four games if we are lucky and then only if we perform as there is no TV time for the cannon fodder which we are starting to look like.
I worry though, as this time the match was crap yet all the write ups are favourable. Where do I go for an honest report? I just hope enough of the old "enders" keep posting the truth
I for one agree with you, AV. Spirited start but as we all know we lacked power and imagination in the final third. Of course I was just able to listen live to BBC about because of the distance (1000 miles).
But let's take the positives - finally we have a right winger, the defence is best in class, the goalie OK and the team had a fight. They mentally seemed OK.
I trust SG will surprise as as soon as we sell our want-aways. So hope we will have some decent strikers soon.
Anyway, good to see the season starting. Perhaps we finally forget the season before and we all start to support the Boro again. Nice to see us mid-table for a change after last season!
Up the Boro!
The real bonus of the first weekend is that only three teams actually won a game - though why anybody would be surprised to hear boos after only one shot on target for a home game is being naive.
It appears the positives people take from the Boro always seem to be on paper - i.e. our squad should do well, or we have players coming through from the academy, or we have the financial clout to compete with the rest.
The problem under Southgate has always been the ability for this apparent strength on paper to materialise on the pitch.
As for the change in transfer policy AV - I believe the change was a bit more subtle than you suggest - we only switched from signing overpaid oldies with no resale value to overpaid mid-twenty-somethings with no resale value.
Also regarding our academy - why have we not been able to produce any decent forwards? Perhaps the problem with the club is that there is nobody who is able to coach attacking players at any level - it's a club managed and coached by defenders for defenders.
Let's hope we can get a more attack minded assistant manager to go with the new strikers we need to buy as Boro only seems to be associated with reversing strikers careers at the moment.
Having watched the game 'down south' on Sky, I thought your analysis was generally spot on AV and in particular the teams ongoing weaknessess remain clear to everyone.
I've never really understood why GS signed Aliadiere and what it was he expected the player to provide for the club other than plenty of pace.
When I turned the tv on, I was uplifted to see, much to my surprise, that Arca had been left on the bench and although few seem to agree, I thought central midfield competed well. I was however teed of yet again with Digard's injury.
Not a lover of TV pundits as a rule, I did nevertheless agree with Neil Warnocks view that had the beefy, physical Sheffield forward Henderson been playing for the Boro, then we would in all likelihood have won the game.
Lots of talk about Hulse joining the Boro. Is he still at Derby and if so, are they so well endowed with centre forwards that they don't need him, or do they know something we don't?
One issue I would take up. Lots of talk by you and others about the physical nature of this league.Yes, there are a few Morgan, Henderson types but there are also likely to be some decent footballing sides eg Forest, Cardiff, WBA, Ipswich etc who will try and play their way out of the league. Anyway, who's harder and better at mixing it than Vidic, Terry, Gerrard etc?
I thought it was a good start, we lasted the full 90 minutes and apart from one or two nervous moments defended well... even from set pieces. had this been six months ago we would've lost, that shows improvement.
We do need a target man, but I've been following Lita for a few years since he first moved to Reading and know that while he's certainly no towering and strong target man that we need, he is stronger than he looks and can hold onto a ball and play direct if needed too. I think he is a great signing and I'm sure he will prove that once he gets some more match fitness.
As for the booing, I was half expecting it, its clear we have a large number of "supporters" who made up their minds ago that they want Southgate out, and were going to voice that regardless of result, had we won they would've just called it a fluke. It's going to take a while before they start supporting Southgate, if possibly never because as soon as we have a rough patch they will be on his back again, even if we happened to be in the champions league.
Anyways I'm impressed with what I've seen from our new signings and the commitment shown so far with the players, some work still needs to be done but I would be surprised if we don't do well enough to at least make the play offs.
Redcar Red
"Infamy infamy, everybody has got it in for me" in Carry On Cleo
Which Carry on Movie sums up the mess at the Riverside?
Carry on Regardless
Carry on Clueless
Carry on Gareth
Carry on Gibbo
Carry on the Keep the Faith.
At least the movies were funny.
We are doomed with SG in charge. He is unable to inspire,guide or motivate players either through his personality, knowledge or even gut instincts.
All the problems from last season are there already, a small squad, injury prone players, players playing with injuries, no discernible tactical awareness I could go on. All the other teams will see us as an easy away point and a team they can batter for 90 minutes at home. Even if the defence were to have a blinder all season will be overrun with such a weak midfield and a non existent attack.
The people who say it is only the 1st game etc are deluded. Would that team have been able to get any points against a premier league side? We have gone into reverse at high speed after AV's slow motion crash. At this rate we won't make the hard shoulder never mind the service station.
The Blades must of rubbed their eyes when they saw our team sheet, I felt physically sick, were where our expensive signings Alves, Tuncay, O'Neil? If that was our strongest side we will be in Div 1 by Xmas.
All this brings us back to GS get him out and get a manager who is his own boss or we will get what we deserve relegated again or at best mid table.
Hi, first time poster!
First of all i would like to say that I was a season ticket holder for nearly 20 years and in my time I have seen it all-good and bad.
I say 'was' a season ticket holder because i lost my job and so i now too am forced to watch in a pub - where there actually are plenty of 'real' fans who simply are out of work like me to afford to renew. So these endless jibes by people who slate those who do not attend games are rather ill informed and based on ignorance.
That said i would not have renewed anyway this time as i have come to the end of the line. I am sick to death with people at the club slating fans based on where they live or saying that fans through the turnstiels are meaningless and I'm sick with Mr Gibson playing God and and using the club as his own toy.
Gibson is of course a legend in his own right but his actions of late smack of arrogance. He employed Southgate and his team and he stuck with him right until the very end and beyond and only he knows why.
Southgate is a very nice man who has been a fantastic servant to all clubs hes been at and with England but as a manager he has proved not to be up to the job. Time and again he told us that he was building a team for last season and that was when he was to be judged. We were then relegated and he is still here. A 'real' man would have done the decent thing and walked.
Time and again we are told that he is solely not to blame. So who is? Who chose and authorised all the endless array of players we have bought many of which were not good enough even for the lower leagues? Who is it who coaches these players on a daily basis?
Many questions but never any real answers and just a lot of buck passing with no sense of anyone looking at the finer detail of things in a bid to understand why we are where we are and thats rather sad because i would have expected better, much better in fact.
Of course it is easy to point the finger and criticise what must surely be a very hard and pressured job. But Southgate has to take responsibility at some point and that point has to have been when we were relegated.
Alves has been a bitter disappointment just as Maccarone was. These players came with big reputations and with record price tags and they failed to pass the test. How many other foreign players will we need to buy and see fail before we begin to question why it is they fail? Is it always a case of not being up to the hustle and bustle of the premiership?
I am sad and depressed about the current state of the club. For some time now we seem to have lost the plot and I feel that time is long overdue for change. Change in manager, change in the backroom team and change in the boardroom. That's not a call for everyone to go but just to see the right and measured amount of change given our relegation and this just isnt happening. Why is it that so many people seem to be beyond reproach just like many of our politicians?
Test passed! I must have been watching a different game as I didn't see us pass any sort of test. I saw some plus points but these were the plus points you would have expected of a seasoned Premiership club. I saw nothing new to be positive about and I am now firmly on the side calling for Southgate and others to go.
I really don't know what Gibson's playing at but he isn't the man the used to be and i think many more fans are coming round to this view.
Thanks. Mark.
I managed to catch the second half in the Irish Pub in Mannheim. I thought we looked okay, considering that Sheff U are one of the better teams in this division.
The defence is not a problem, with Taylor, Hoyte, Pogatetz, Riggott and Jones in reserve. Yeates and Johnson looked good in midfield.
I think we can expect somes ins and outs in the next two weeks. We should more than hold our own in this division. I predict promotion through the play offs. Come on Boro!
Holgate Ender there are plenty of " real " fans in the pub. Many are skint and many have had enough of all the goings on, the rubbish football and the fact that we always get more of the same.
Your jibes are just based on the fact that you hate anyone who doesn't agree with your point of view. Well, I'm in a lot of good company now as there are plenty of others who want rid of Southgate and want to see some long overdue change.
So I think its perfectly reasonable to continue my opinion given that I was in fact proved right about Southgate and Co. You no doubt think that I have some vendetta and that's fine. I've been posting for years now and will continue to do so when Southgate has gone.
TB
Why dont we give Yeates a Robbie Keane kind of role? I think he has the brains to get himself open in the right areas. We should then play through him. It's an option instead of this flat 4-4-2 all the time. I think there is more chance of him scoring more than Ali anyway.
A worrying development that Arca is fit and may feature. How many accidental assists will he give to the opposition this season. Double figures I reckon. Please, please GS this is simple - only use as a real emergency midfield sub.
Marksmith (first time poster): That was a helluva'n insightful first post Mark.
It's great to hear from someone who recognises that Boro's issues aren't all to do with the identity or personality of the manager and that there are major underlying causal issues behind the scenes that, had they not been there, may well have resulted in the identity of the manager being different and a larger and stronger squad of players still plying their trade in the Premier League!
Some supporters seem to be beyond the recognition that simply changing the manager will not bring about a reversal of Boro's current situation.
Until Boro are able to spend a lot more money than they can at present, relative to other clubs (or until the backside falls out of the market and player salaries and true values to society are restored to sensible proportions and a large degree of regulation is introduced to the "sport" to restore some parity to the true sporting nature of the game) then we are destined to remain broadly where we are - irrespective of who the manager is.
How often do we have to keep banging the same drum before people actually catch on? You want sporting success in football? Then get your wallet out!
Wallet empty? Tough! - fall further behind until you've got the spends to compete! Or, if can afford it, spend just enough to equilibrate at the new level!
Everything that's happened to Boro since Eindhoven has been driven by restrictions in the financial backing available. But when it was recognised that there were some gaps in the attack that needed filling, they (not just Southgate) filled the gaps with the wrong material!! We're still picking up the pieces of that patchwork, botched job, for which it wasn't (just) Gareth Southgate that was responsible.
People like you ought to post a bit more often Marksmith! Restore a bit of balance to the debate and counter the simplistic premise that a change of manager is all that's needed.
What sorry state of affairs. We haven't got a chance of getting out of this league. Two shots on target over 90 minutes at home! Shocking.
There are another 45 games to play. Every one will be a battle. The squad hasn't got the quality, strength, or numbers to handle playing against this type of opposition week in-week out.
I'm afraid the only test that Southgate and HIS players passed was to lower the expectations of the fans again!
Richard and Marksmith
I think we also need to move beyond another simplistic premise too - that all Boro need (on the field) is a big target man.
I think we do need that - and two of them, not just one. If we recruit just one and no cover they'll be Crockliffed inside a week and we'll be back to whatever lowly square that particular snake dumps us on.
But a quality, creative central midfielder is also needed - and has been for seasons now. Otherwise, even if Yeates and Johnno can add end product to the trickery and endeavour and we have someone who can manage the ball being lumped up the field at them we'll still struggle to create enough with enough variety and control games well enough.
The voice of experience to lead on the pitch is still also missing.
Has the notion of the likes of Scholes and Neville from ManUre gone out of the window? I'm presuming that there is the opportunity to offer Neville an assistant manager role and Scholes a player coach position too - and as loans if that's what's needed.
If not those two, then we need alternatives.
Several papers are reporting that Mark Viduka's move to Portsmouth is in doubt, with the threat of administration still hovering over the Premier League club.
It won't be easy for several big earning footballers or clubs in PL. UEFA have warned already about the financial state of PL clubs.
I still repeat that Mr Gibson has had to reduce Boro's debts and spendings on new players. So luckily we won't see the same here as we saw in 1986. See what happened at Darlo and the Barcodes this year. They are lucky to exist when the season ends...
Up the Boro!
Watched the game in my hotel room whilst away on a short break. The match told us nothing we didnt already know.
The teams that do well have a spine to their team no matter the league they play.
Liverpool have Reina, Carragher, Gerrad and Torres. Chelsea have Cech, Terry, Lampard and Drogba.
When Corporal Jones returns to the team we will have...... and that sums up our predicament. We have Huth and Wheater who are better than anything else in the league but we are sadly lacking in the other pivotal positions.
I think we will play some good stuff and will do enough to do reasonably well. A point against one of our biggest challengers cannot be sneezed at. Automatic promotion is a different matter and without some reinforcements the play offs look a tough ask.
We need to control the ball in central midfield and drive the team forward, at the moment if you are fit you play. There is no understanding being developed and wont be be until players are fit, staying and playing. Until we have a settled unit we will struggle because at any level the other team always gets chances.
Well, nearly every team at every level. For all their endeavours our Franco/Dutch axis will have the same chance of scoring as stopping the leaves falling. We didnt control the ball last season nor did we score goals. Lita on his own will not be the answer.
Having received ã12m for Downing and offloading Mido, you would hope that we are close to signing a couple of players to make an impact. If we need to offload Alves and Tuncay before any further transfer action we may be into more remnant box activity. The thought of another Jason Euell or Dong Goal Less is not what is needed. May as well keep the money and play with what we have and hope somehow that we get players fit, playing and scoring.
My instincts tell me that we may be better away from home because of the sheer pace of our players. The lack of a cutting edge may produce some home tedium.
OK, maybe success at the highest level is achieved by spending big on assembling a squad of the best players and buying the trophy players to enhance the 'brand' that equate to sales across the globe.
But that's not the position Boro occupy now or have ever occupied. We are a locally owned club for local people (more League of Gentlemen than Champions League) but our yardstick is to measure ourselves against the likes of Everton and Fulham who operate on a similar budget to us.
Where we have failed is in getting the same value from each million spent and that is simply down to the expertise at the club. Moyes is a wiley operator who knows his stuff (note he quickly snapped up Steve Round to improve his backroom staff) and Roy Hodgson is well respected and has a wealth of experience.
Steve Gibson decided that Boro could progess with an inexperienced manager at the helm supported by coaches with either no experience or no track record. Although the experiment failed we are continuing with it until it either succeeds or fails at a lower level.
The next three months will decide whether this is madness or not - but since the resources are now considerably less than last year we're asking Southgate to improve his skills in a harder environment.
I hope he succeeeds but i'm not expecting him to turn into a wiley experienced coach - so we are at a disadvantage to other clubs with our resources.
AV:
I find myself confused by the mixed financial messages coming from MFC. I am sure that when SG appeared on Radio Tees he said something to the effect of 'we don't necessarily have to sell before we buy. Funds could be made available.'
We then had similar comments from Keith Lamb about funds being made available for re-building. Now after the sale of Downing with attendant chunk off the wage bill we seem not to be able to buy until either Alves or Tuncay move on.
Either I'm missing something or this a major change in position in the last three months. I wonder if you could help explain this change in position and the post May financial imperatives which are now driving the club?
Incidentally, I fully endorse your view (see reply to Ken) that this season is absolutely crucial to Boro's long term future. If we get it wrong this time the club could face an extended period of retrenchment. Having gambled that GS was the man to lead MFC to safety (and lost) he is taking an even bigger gamble that GS is the man to lead us to promotion. Poker at The Last Chance Saloon indeed.
**AV writes: I think the club's intention was to maintain the overall football budget at the same level, that is spend, wages and other out-goings. That is, they need to consider for instance how much of Mido's wages they are still paying and also how much Tuncay may be due in 'loyalty bonuses' and image rights.
They are also acutely aware of their future commitments (repaying loans and the next trache of previous transfer monies) so some of the income is already spoken for. That is why they can't dip into the Downing dosh or make a move until they get Tuncay and/or Alves out. It is a waiting game.
They are aware of the risk they are running in terms of targets going elsewhere but the financial strategy is pretty much set in stone.
IF the club sell huth / wheater.
then we will go down.
I will not go to the games again
RIP MY BORO.
Hi AV
Let's take a look at transfer dealings now and decide if GS is worthy of any new funds.
Schwarzer - end of contract
Young - bought ã3m, sold ã5m, replaced with Hoyte, inferior
Huth - bought to replace GS - jury still out
Woodgate - bought ã7m, sold ã7m
Boetang - sold ã1m, replaced with Shawky, inferior
Rockemback - end of contract, replaced with Digard - no improvement
Morrison - sold ã1.5m, replaced with Aliadiere, inferior
Cattermole - sold ã3m, replaced with O'Neil, inferior
Yakubu - sold ã11m, replaced with Mido, inferior
Viduka - end of contract, replaced with Emnes, inferior
Hasselbaink - end of contract, replaced with Alves, inferior
Downing - sold ã12m
Maccarone - released
Turnbull - end of contract
Craddock - undisclosed
plus several more young players released
Purchases
Dong Lee Dok - bought cheaply as "potential" - useless, released
Euall - bought ã800k, few games - useless
Mido - under achiever and trouble maker, panic buy didn't do homework - waste of ã6m + wages
Digard - bought ã3m when injured, jury still out
Emnes - bought ã2m for potential, jury still out
Huth - bought for ã6m injured, jury still out
Alves - bought but not supported well since supply chain crippled last year and no partner, waste of ã12m
Aliadiere - bought ã3m, never scored for Arsenal but bought for "potential", useless
Tuncay - free, hot and cold, inconsistent but tried hard
Hoyte - bought ã3m, jury still out, could have saved the money and used MacMahon
O'Neil, bought ã5m
The three new guys are omitted so as not to be tarred by the same brush.
GS has raised about ã39m from sales and purchased about ã51m of players. He's raised some cash, spent it all and more, got rid of some high earners and we've gone from UEFA finalist to Championship in three years and not a single player purchased has improved a position in the side.
GS keeps saying he has no resources, that's BS and he knows it. He's had resources, he's been backed, never under any threat of losing his job and he's wasted it and destroyed more value that Robson and MacLaren combined and we're in a worse position.
So let me ask you guys, if you were the Chairman would you let a man who has replaced Yakubu, Viduka, Maccarone and Hasslebaink with Mido, Alves, Emnes and Aliadiere have any more money ?
How does a manager who spends ã18m on two centre forwards (and sells the midfield who would have provided the backbone and ammunition) and then is unable to manage those players so badly that he needs to sell at any price in or to buy even worse inferior players ?
How can a man who has completely turned over the players at the club and turned a tough UEFA finalist team into a uninspiring, disorganised rabble keep his job ?
How can a man who promised that this new team was his team and we'd judge him at the end of the third year keep his job ?
I'm also getting very annoyed with Gareth shouting from the rafters "Here's Tuncay, he's really good, come get him", "Can someone please make us an offer, any offer"
How can the Chairman keep faith with seeing his company's asset base eroded week by week? Wouldn't it be cheaper Mr Gibson to bring in a guy who can motivate ã50m of talent rather than give it away and then needing more money ?
Why is it that when we're after a player that wants to leave their club we pay over the odds to get them BUT when a player wants to leave us the fans say get shot don't worry about the money and we end up flogging them off so cheaply there's no funds to reinvest ?
Time to grow up, this kind of waste has got us into this mess. Let's stop giving away players who we've paid big money to do a job and get someone in who can actually get them to do that job.
We didn't need to scour around looking for goal scorers to get out of this league, we already had them, they just need someone to get the best out of them, and I quote Jonathon Woodgate what we need is "a proper manager".
GS says he's not a quitter, well a quitter would not have given up on Mido, would not have given up on Alves and would have the guts to say he was wrong. Does anyone think SAF, Wenger, Moyes, O'Neill etc. would not have got these forwards scoring goals, not firing blanks ?
We need a big centre forward, we had one called Mido, we paid ã6m for him. We need someone to score 30 goals a season, we have one called Alves. These player's confidence have been shot to pieces playing for GS, his playing style, strange tactics and mismanagement.
Why did we never see Mido and Alves play together ?
Mr Chairman, this is not the club's wealth that is being wasted, it's yours. None of us think you are a fool but this is very foolish with the way you're letting this continue.
Mr Chairman if someone had spent ã50m capital at Bulkhaul plus millions in operational expenses (wages) you would have expected this investment to have increased the value of your business and you would be expecting to win contracts and gain market share would you not ?
But look above, not one player is any better than those that have been sold and we've spent more money doing it.
A.V.
What is the old saying, "what goes around comes around"? Fifty five years ago my dad bless him, took me to watch the Boro in the second division against Swansea City I think.
Wow who are we playing on Saturday, Swansea City, lot of water flowed down the Tees in the meanwhile, but we are back exacly where we were a half century ago.
Too many people for too many different reasons seem to be unable to accept reality on this blog, one or too, Richard and the debutante Mark Smith see it very clearly.
In the glory years! The chronic boardroom mistakes were put to one side because of the Premier League status,
three points deducted.
the Emerson saga,
relegation
the Gascoigne fiasco
the over paid, over hyped, over age players,
the drinking culture,
the expensive failures,
the selling off off the best assets,
rookie managers
The crude cynicism "spectacular signings"
And worst of all the inability to secure the club on a sound Premier League status, like other similar clubs, Wigan, Blacburn, after twelve seasons and the running up of a huge debt in all of this.
Now it has all come home to roost, this mismanagement if allowed to continue will as you say above AV condemn this club to a long stay in the wilderness.
I agree with Richard/Mark, it is not a change of manager, but a change in the boardroom. Sorry AV but I do not buy the "local man at the helm of a local club" tag line. I would not care if the Boro were owened by Skeikh Yamomey, I am sure that the thoughts of the faithful would be no worse considered than they are now.
I know some will reply "how can I forget the League Cup" blah, blah, my reply is that if the club had been properly run, we would have the League Cup and an assured Premier League status.
Finally I am a supporter and fifty five years later so are all my kids, unlike a lot on this board though I think I can see the reason why we are in the mess that we are, I am no fan of Southgate, but ask yourselves, who put him there in the first place. I am not a whinger, just stating the obvious.
"First Championship Test Passed" AV??
Like many posters here I would agree that you are in the minority with that one. My mind goes back to your hailing of our win over Stoke last year - something about 'steel-tough Boro' as I recall - and look what happened from there!
I would summarise Friday night by saying that it lived up entirely to expectations.
If this had been GS's first match in charge I think the reaction would have been almost universally positive. But it's not. We know what to expect. And having seen the standard we're going to be competing against, Boro have got their work cut out to finish in the top half.
Rob Hulse has scored 50 goals in nearly 200 games since 2003. That is at a Championship level. If you are trying to tell me that ã3m is a good investment for a player who scores just over a goal every four games and is 27 years old and not going to improve then our scouting system is in a serious mess.
As for the game i found it extremely worrying. Our forward line still looks incredibly light but also our central midfield still struggle to get anywhere near the forwards to support them.
We appear to have no money to spend and unfortunately with our current team we are clearly not good enough to go back up. We need a creative midfielder and a good striker, both preferably young, hungry and eager to improve who see Middlesbrough as a step up.
I worry when Middlesbrough prepare for life in the championship by signing Championship players because if you do return to the promised land you have to renovate the whole squad again. Rob Hulse is one of those players. Our scouts need to earn their money!!
I have to agree with the (less than?) half of the debate that took something positive out of Friday's game.
Once the team settled after Sheffield's bright opening, they looked good. One or two worrying events in defence, but it's the start of the season and let's face it, Wheater and Huth didn't play a lot together last season. Otherwise, the back line looked good and Coyne added a much welcomed confidence between the sticks.
Digard was superb. Let us hope he is not going to spend more of his time injured than playing. Yeates and Johnson added good width and Williams looked good going forward, but also showing the grit we lacked too often last year. There was some delightful interplay coming out with the ball. Sure this did not always lead to anything, and the ball was lost cheaply some times, but I suspect that with more games under their belts against lesser opposition than the Blades, these players will learn the best time to release the ball and to who to release it to.
Emnes and Aliadiere were too light-weight on their own up front. Lita, however, made a good start and I was impressed at his ability to hold the ball up. Emnes could well benefit from playing with him. I think that With a couple of more games under his belt, Lita will prove to have been a very good signing indeed. Goals and looking like we will score them is all that is missing from this squad.
It's crazy that the summer transfer window doesn't close before the season gets under way. This fact has ruined the start of many a season for Boro and I'm sure for other clubs too. I'm confident that we will see a decent target man arrive before the end of August and then, I'm certain this team will score a lot of goals and progressively begin to excite the voices that are still dissenting. Promotion is very achievable.
I see on skysport we are linked with JOSE PAULO GUERRERO, ã3m from Hamburg. He is a good front man. Does any one no any thing about this or is it club spin?
**AV writes: If it was 'club spin' it wouldn't come out on Sky Sports first. Far more likely it is agent product placement.
I echo the comments about how devastating it would be to lose Wheater.
He is Boro, he has the fighting spirit, the never say die attitude and a real sense of pride in the shirt. To lose him would be truly devastating.
TB
**AV writes: I would think Huth would be a far more likely departure, not least because he earns ã20k+ a week more.
Werdermouth said:
"Where we have failed is in getting the same value from each million spent and that is simply down to the expertise at the club. Moyes is a wiley operator who knows his stuff (note he quickly snapped up Steve Round to improve his backroom staff) and Roy Hodgson is well respected and has a wealth of experience.
Steve Gibson decided that Boro could progess with an inexperienced manager at the helm supported by coaches with either no experience or no track record. Although the experiment failed we are continuing with it until it either succeeds or fails at a lower level."
I have been saying this for years, all be it in a more forceful and repetitive way which is perhaps why I am so hated in here.
But no matter, this has been my opinion from day one and I have stuck with it as this is what I passionately believe in. What we need is a real clear out from top to bottom and to get people in with real European experience who would relish the challenge of turning the club around and showing off what they could do.
We have a great stadium, a terrific training ground, and great fans and I'm absolutely certain, absolutely positive that very, very skilled coach's, physio's, nutritionalist and the like would come here as we have so, so very much to offer and the fact that we never have is what kills me. I'm absolutely sure about it and I cannot wait to see the day that it all happens!
TB
Whilst I'm not planning a membership of the tonyblack appreciation society (if such an organisation exists), I accept that you have made some valid points over the years.
On the whole, I believe the only time inexperienced managers are successful is when they have had shed loads of money made available to them to buy players (e.g. Daglish, Gullit, Vialli, Guadiola). Or they have an experienced back room to do their coaching for them.
Why does anybody think it's possible to get to grips with a job by starting at the top with no experience or training - it's then just about learning from mistakes until you think you know what you're doing.
It would have been better for all concerned if Southgate had started as assistant manager and learned from a mentor.
Anyway, that's all history now but I hope the club is not about to make another mistake by bringing in someone like Gary Neville as assistant manager - is he supposed to learn from Gareth? What can he bring to management other than revisiting the learning from mistakes path.
Perhaps Alan Smith is defacto assistant manager but is not being named as such to avoid embarassment to both him and Southgate - after all John Powls has made the point several times as to the mystery surrounding his role.
Then again the structure of the club and it's responsibilies (or who is accountable) remains shrouded in grey mist. Recent utterances in the press makes it seem that either Southgate has little control on who stay, leaves or comes in - or is part of the spin machine that's drumming up business to clear out the high earners.
All this is why we probably don't have an experienced manager in charge as usually good managers are good because they want control and don't want to risk their reputations by too many constraints from above.
**AV writes: I too think TB makes some valid points but the problem is that so often they are framed in a highly subjective perspective (I have to cut a lot out) that means he misses a lot of the bigger picture. He is not particularly unusual in that. I think it a trait of football fans to become fixated on particular problems and let them underpin every other aspect of their analysis (look at me and economics).
I agree with you that the opaque and autocratic nature of the club structure is a massive problem - structurally, politically, culturally, financially - that has led to the supporters becoming increasingly estranged from a club that at times seems to regard its own fans as a neccessary evil. For all the steps towards glasnost under Neil Bausor, as soon as they hit some turbulence - Lettergate for instance - they quickly revert to type and raise the drawbridge.
Tony Black said..."which is perhaps why I am so hated in here". Tony, stop flattering yourself.
On the 'a big lad up front' isn't the only requirement stakes:-
If Gary Neville isn't keen then Michel Salgado is out of contract at Real Madrid. A tough competitor and organiser, he has strong connections through his family in the UK and speaks fluent English.
If Scholes isn't interested then there's Dietmar Hamann. I know he's had his demons with gambling but then so did Merse and he did us splendidly for the one promotion season, despite what he's done and said since.
The big German could anchor the midfield and guide the younger tyros round him.
Both have enough about them to solve the too nice/don't talk problems. The same sort of deals around player/coach might appeal to them both in terms of bridging them into a future life.
Today's rumours around Villa have it that they don't want Tuncay (who does - apart from Boro - it seems) but they want either Wheats or Huth, in that order.
If one of the two is going to go - and I wouldn't suggest that was a good idea - then it should be Huth for preference. His injury record and wages are the differentiator.
The suggestion is that Villa will offer players plus cash. Gardner is the only reasonably regular first teamer on the rumoured list. Well, OK - but Reo-Coker would be better suited for what Boro need. The rest seem to be graduating youngsters like striker Delfaunso and several defenders. None are what we want.
So, for once, let's drive a hard bargain with Villa and get what we need - or cash if they won't part with the right players - and not what we're given.
AV
Interesting response to issues raised by TB. As you say we all have our viewpoints and as I have often posted we will all use comments by MFC representatives to our own ends. The 'Gate speaks' session provoked internet ejaculation from some and volcanic eruptions in others.
I have often stated I cant comment on what happens in the club because I am not qualified or have the knowledge to do so. Like many I can look from afar and make inferences from the sources available - that is why I stuck by my view that the best we are likely to get is Gazette comments as long as we observe the usual health warnings.
The Glasnost espoused by Neil Basuor was a valiant if futile attempt to draw in the fans. Those of us who have suffered the tedium of management courses and looking at peoples behaviours are well aware that no matter the good intentions people and organisations revert to type when they react under pressure.
Gibbo and Lamb are the custodians of MFC in the same way that Putin is of democracy in Russia. Smile politely and carry a big stick.
In some ways it is like Animal Farm where we have invested our faith into our fellow animals only to find us on the outside looking in. The fact they are not faceless suits from the City makes it harder to revolt because when you look elsewhere there are real shambles.
Just look at Toon, they got relegated, can't buy anyone, are selling off the silver and are stuck in mid table with a point from a draw. We could be in a similar position. Doh!
John
You get the feeling that Tuncay going will be a last minute move. The potential suitors will sit it out as long as possible safe in the knowledge we have said he can if the price is right.
As the end of the window approaches we will be faced with the prospect of an unhappy Turk on high wages staying at the club. We may see a last minute bidding war or just one club saying take it or leave it.
The danger is we wont have the players on board.
What we dont know is what is happening in the background, at this very moment Mark Viduka could be having a medical!
As you say, it isnt just 'a' big lad up front. For starters we will need a couple in addition to Lita if we are shedding three and they need to be mobile to fit in the with style of players we have. We also need a couple of midfielders to help control the ball and drive us forward especially if we lose O'Neill.
But who knows what will happen. As I am away at the end of the month I will be reliant on texts from Alex telling me Sherpa van Nistelroy has left Madrid and Mesi Barcelona to join the Riverside revolution.
Why do we have to sell HUTH? Are we that skint? As far as we know he has not asked to go. Can't we buy anyone he till we sell our best player? He is the best CH in the championship. Must be ã10m or not at all. Don't let Villa take him on the cheap.
**AV writes: As Southgate said: "We don't want to sell Robert but...." If Boro are to spend they have to get some of the big earners off the wage bill and bring in some cash. The plan is to flog Alves and Tuncay but if there are no takers then what? The closer it gets to D-Day the more likely offers for other players will be considered.
Just not good enough. Pure and simple. We want - no, NEED - goals. We want - no, NEED - wins. If we don't get 'em soon, then it's obvious what is going to happen. Just think - the chance to sit 4th in the table was well and truly thrown away
It would have been top with 3 points on Saturday if that one chance was converted, mind! Considering just how many drawn matches we got this weekend (is this a Championship record by the way???)
Hmm. Fans
**AV writes: I too think TB makes some valid points but the problem is that so often they are framed in a highly subjective perspective (I have to cut a lot out) that means he misses a lot of the bigger picture. He is not particularly unusual in that. I think it a trait of football fans to become fixated on particular problems and let them underpin every other aspect of their analysis (look at me and economics).
A very astute point which i toally agree with. I have to say though that as fans we become this way because we all have either our own personal experiences to draw from or we listen to gossip, or we read the local papers and blogs, or we listen to the club.
Mine therefore is not regards training methods etc a la tony black or economics a la AV, but with regards Mr Lamb and his team of gurus in charge of the so called PR.
I have been a fan for years and I take great offence at been treated as if i just dont count and that I am only there to fill the seats for the TV cameras when Sky come to visit.
Mr Lamb for years has managed to put his foot in his mouth repeatedly and alienate and lose many a fan just like me and yet he remains firmly in place. Why?
How many like me have not renewed because we were in part fed up of made to feel worthless? How long before we actually make people like Mr Lamb leave for a change?
The PR at this club over a number of years has gotten worse and worse and worse where loyal paying fans feel that they have been treated with such contempt that they have in part left because of it.
The other part in my opinion is because of Gareth and the way Gibson has stuck by him. A more experienced manager not learning on the job would surely have made fewer mistakes and bought better which may have kept us up. Of this there can be little doubt now and i think its safe and fair to say that this view would now represent the majority view.
I have heard much talk of 'a new plan' and just fail to see how progressive fan alienation is part of it.
I have been reading articles here on and off for some while and where i agree with people like TB is that we need a change. We simply cannot continue with the age old faces who make the age old mistakes as soon there will be very few fans left.
I am not for 'sack everyone' but there surely comes a point in every walk of life where people move on and new people are brought in to freshen things up.
All we ever get here is Gibson's preferred model of continuity which I have to say has failed in my opinion and has called people to even question him, which is so sad after all hes done. But he too is not blameless.
I have much respect for people like TB and others in here who stick with their opinion over the longer term no matter what the opposing views are and no matter if it is a minority view as even minority views can be the right ones. My view certainly has been the same for some time now and it is why i did not renew.
Where i do not agree however with tb and many other of the 'swear down' 'someone i know at the club' or 'a guy whos next door neighbour is a player and he says that..' club is with the ever more assured forceful tone and the absolute assumption of fact. As fans we can question based on what we see and hear but we cannot state always that what we think we know is fact.
But again this for me is a failing of the club and its PR team as if they did a better job of explaining what they did and what was going on then the likes of TB would not have the ammunition for such views.
We the fans live and go out in this small community and we see for ourselves what some players get up to and instead of bringing these issues out into the open and dealing with them in a strong and no nonsense example leading way they are all too often covered up which in my opinion is a key and fundamental mistake as we are not idiots.
Discipline on and off the field is key and if the club was more vocal in stamping down on the attitude of the players - many of who drink and smoke - just as they do at every single club in every single country then they would see that we all would be far more supportive in the bad times and far more supportive to accept 'the plan' whatever it was and however much we didn't understand it.
In all walks of buisness life communication is key. Its key in politics and in many other walks of life. At MFC this isnt the case. The communication is rubbish and this for me has lead to a demise in the respect for the club, the people in it and in the very people like Gibson who we owe everything to and that like i said is so sad.
When will MFC stop shooting themselves in the foot? Its been going on for such a long time now and it never gets sorted just like our strike force!
Tony black and the like, myself who did not renew and the like, we all exist in great part because the club that we support has allowed us to exist by continuing to do things that are simply not correct.
Pet topic over!
Mark