Promotion Hopes Off The Blumen Menu?
WORD leaked out in the press room that Reading boss Brian McDermott was the cousin of chrome-domed overly inventive TV chef Heston Blumenthal (snail ice cream? have a word....) and there's no doubt he has served up a revival recipe for the visitors.
For Boro though, the play-offs could now be off the menu after this hard to swallow and stodgy Riverside stalemate.
Three games in a row Boro have let slip commanding leads and ended up with disappointing draws. Those six squandred points would have put them in the play-off places. As it is they remain five points adrift - although Cardiff have two games in hand.
It was a dismal first half; scrappy, laboured and uninspired and without any indication that there was so much at stake. It felt like an end of season contractual obligation of the sort that fits neatly into Mrs O'Neil's travel plans.
The second half started with a flurry as galvanised Boro came out fighting after a rocket and they got the goal and in a lively spell had chances to seal it. But that soon fizzled out. And once they blew themselves out Reading came back strongly, got the leveller and had some good chances to snatch it late on.
After the game Colin Cooper admitted that Boro had huffed and puffed and beavered away but were not good enough to win. That is a fair assessment. Boro's failure to take the opportunity - not just here but also against Newcastle and Derby - has not been because of any lack of effort. They are just not good enough. Since Cardiff Boro have had three good chances to claw themselves into the play-off frame but wasted them.
In truth Boro were always going to struggle today. With McManus out the defence was always going to need tweaking but to change four of the back five was a massive gamble. Pogatetz was clearly well short of fitness and was played in his flawed full back role while Taylor was dropped, Naughton was on the bench although clearly fit enough to come off the bench and - the riskiest of all - Coyne was on punishment details after a costly fumble at Derby with boo-boy favourite Bard Jones returned.
To be fair Jones made two cracking saves, a couple of routine ones and looked solid enough ... although palming the free-kick high into the air late on caused a scare before he tipped it over the bar when it came back down.
And he deserves credit for playing well in the face of audible widespread pre-match derision. Yes, there is a consensus that he is not good enough and an assumption that he is on his way out, and yes, he scares some supportrs and at times it seems his team-mates too but what people think is to be gained by booing a Boro player in a concerted bid to further destroy his confidence before kick-off escapes me. His first clean take was greeted by a noisy round of the most sarcastic clapping ever.
Now Boro's hopes are on a knife-edge. We have eight game left and probably need to win six and/or go unbeaten until the end of the season if we are to barge in - and there has been no indication that this team has the tools, the mentality or the desire to do that. The players are still talking about mathematical possibilities and we can cling to hypotheticals but realistically a couple more draws and a defeat and it is all over.
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Anthony Vickers
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We're destined for middleocrity. Fair to middle-ing, us. I think I'm having my middlelife crisis. We need more middlemen. We need less lightweights and more middleweights. We were overrun in the middlefield. Are we playing in middleweek? I've got myself in a right middle. We're dealing with a middleman here.
I see Colin Cooper was the first one to snatch up the Bumper Book of Football Cliches. Therefore delivering the usual post match comments....Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
A bit of a surreal atmosphere for what in the end was a bit of a non event.
Tinkering with the line up didn't help the atmosphere which in the 1st half was almost a vacum. I don't think I have ever seen the North Stand so quiet, so resigned and rooted to their emotionless seats for the whole of the first 45 minutes.
There were some surprising performances and in fairness Arca and Jones didn't let the side down. Arca arguably ended neck and neck with Robson and Gon for MOM.
Anyway on to the main job in hand and the preparations for next season which must now begin in earnest (forget play-off aspirations). WGS needs to ditch the deadwood, two of which he brought on in the latter stages of the 2nd half and flattered to deceive.
Robsons anger and frustration was obvious for all to see at the end and he was a perfect reflection of the fans opinions. At least he showed that this game meant something to him and that he wants to be a winner with the Boro.
There are young teenagers in the squad who should be given a chance this term to see who might breakthrough next season and where money needs to be spent come July.
As a matter of principle I would pay up the contracts of the hangers on to clear them out of the club and remove their energy sapping selfish negativity immediately.
Arca's mini renaissance shows what can be done if a player wants it badly enough and his efforts today were appreciated and noticed by those of us who had given up on him. I'm not so sure that Jones will restore confidence levels any time soon but he did at least display a relatively safe pair of hands and pulled off two class saves today.
For next season they should close the West Stand upper for the entire season in an effort to improve atmosphere, reduce costs and create a "shortage" of pay on the day tickets to try and stimulate demand for what looks like a long stay in the Championship.
Added to that they should offer a free Season Card to any existing SC holder who introduces three new SC applications not currently on the clubs database.
It's snail porridge AV, don't knock it until you've tried it. See if you can get it on expenses next season after the game at Reading. ;o)
Best three players today were arguably lads who have all recently been targets of the boo-boys - Jones, Arca and Wheater. On Radio Tees texts, people still giving stick to Brad after a fine performance - madness!
As long as we can reach 70 points, we are still in it. It's not going to happen though, is it?
We will finish somewhere between 7th and 15th. Probably nearer to 15th.
In my opinion Southgate would have got us into the play offs. Strachan has been here half a season now. We have never played good twice in a row. In fact we have relegation form under his management.
Let's hope it improves next season.
What is the deal with GS2 - why make unnecessary changes (Hoyte and Jones - why?). Why does he bleat about the likes of Newcastle having a settled side that rarely changes - you're in control of this mate (give or take the odd injury). He bleats about a lack of midfielders yet loans a number to other clubs. He's had midfielders on the bench at times while playing others out of position.
I'm at a loss to understand him!
Note to Gordon:
Gibbo kept telling us Southgate was the man. Hope you enjoy your retirement
1 win in 7. Nice.
Please can we now finally stop the preposterous talk of reaching this season’s play offs?
I cannot for one moment believe even the St James jokers would entertain the continuing degree of self delusion that, if anyone outside the club support were to notice it, would comfortably crown us the comedy club of the Championship.
Which, most likely, will be the only award we will ever win under Gordon Strachan, a manager of no English league achievement and whose talent and stature is surpassed only by his size.
Quite seriously, has the club ever had a worse manager? Given that Strachan has no past served association with the Boro, surely this is an ‘Emperor’s clothes’ scenario without precedent? Why on earth are we tolerating him?
Since Southgate left, we have won six from 25 league games, a 24 per cent win ratio, a rate that would currently place us second bottom if the season had begun after the home win against Derby in October, when remember we were second top. Even third bottom Crystal Palace can boast a 32 per cent winning margin.
It gets worse. We are far nearer the bottom than top of the league in terms of points accumulated and while we are five points adrift of sixth place we are equally five points ahead of 17th position.
Strachan’s signings have largely been disastrous, only Robson a shining success. McManus has been worthwhile and MacDonald we can hope has more than he has shown to-date. The likes of Flood and Miller have no place at a forward thinking and ambitious club. As for Bent plus the midfielder from Villa whose name I can’t think of and others, forget it.
Strachan is yet to show an appreciation or future use of the youth policy that has yielded players and money in the recent past. No Boro manager can ever afford to ignore this.
Worse still, we don’t get a sense of any hope. This manager alienates, annoys and irritates in equal measure and we have no feeling of him ever being one of us, not essential granted but it helps. He is not easy to like but gives no impression of trying. Alex Ferguson for example is not widely likeable either but always aligns himself with the Manchester United supporters.
The recent style of play is amateur and is rubbish which is not working in this league let alone a team with Premiership aspirations. This is a seriously poor Championship, even Newcastle have little hope of survival next season without major summer surgery and to be where we are speaks volumes of the club’s and manager’s ineptitude.
In the last three games, two at home, we have thrown away leads in the later stages. So much for Strachan’s mental fortitude and defensive know how.
There are only two routes left open to the club. Either we put a decent run of form together which unites club, manager and fans and gives a promise of promotion next season, or, Gordon goes. Preferably the latter and now.
We’ve made a mistake, so fix it and move on. If we’re really lucky then Strachan will walk this summer – it would be too much to hope the club has a mutual break clause of any type inserted.
Like most Boro fans I love this club dearly and will never subscribe to AV’s history based theory of a 20th team ranking ad infinitum. We all might as well all give up if we believe this. Steve Gibson never did and look what we have achieved under him. I doubt Blackburn, Leeds, Forest and Derby with six top league championships in the past 40 years ever thought this either.
Middlesbrough FC will rise again and soon. Just not under this manager.
It would be interesting to see one of the oh-so-big anti-Jones booing set front-up to him and do it to his face. Goalies are an easy target for abuse - look at James' record -they can't 'hide' in a game like some well known outfielders do.
Who knows what goes on at the training ground, behind those closed doors for the team changes that are made which confuse us.
Did Jones concede a goal from his error, no. Going by reports he played okay. But unfortunately for him the crowd have lost confidence in him, for some very valid reasons.
Hoyt! I'll be glad to see the back of him. Unfortunately Naughton will probably go back to Spurs.
A lack of self discipline cost us Williams yesterday, we could do with another Robson in midfield or anywhere on the pitch for that matter.
The thing of it is I just don't feel confident about Cardiff winning those games in hand so we are potentially still in it. But it's going to take a winning run of unheard of proportions to make 6th. So it's very likely another season in this league, but I think Strachon will turn this around next season and, personally, pleased to have seen the back of Southgate.
I'm not a fan of Pogatetz at left back but he was patently short of fitness and should not have been selected for that reason.
Obviously we were limited by injuries and suspensions in the midfield I dont believe the personnel selected were in the correct positions. Robson should be central where he can dictate the game and playing Franks on the left is really not being fair to him as he tries to make his mark in first team.From left to right Arca-Robson-O'Neill-Franks looks a lot more balanced to me.
there is as much chance of boro making the play offs as there is of elvis playing the london palladium
Having watched the game yesterday, I am totally convinced that the Boro are nailed on certainties to romp away with the Championship title next season.
Brad Jones David Wheater Barry Robson and Scott MacDonald is a spine of a team that many Premier League sides would be envious of.
With other high quality players like Andrew Taylor, Willo Flood, Chris Killen and Gary O'Neil adding to the team there is no reason to believe that promotion will not be won at a canter next term.
Will Cardiff be docked points for going into administration? That would place us firmly back in the race for promotion.
Jones is probably a better bet than Coyne, Coyne has let in some soft goals due to his lack of agility and size. Jones with Wheater and McManus ahead of him would be a better proposition.
It even sounded dreary on the radio but that is in line with what the season has become.
Like many fans I feel the play offs are highly unlikely and all we can look forward to is the rebuilding. The faltering campaign has now faltered.
I am baffled by selection policies, we have Gates Jinky on the right and Yeates on the left replaced by GS2's Robson on the right and Franks on the left. But it seems to be the rage with Mancini playing Jinky and Bellamy in similar style.
Chopper
I sympathise with your views about midfielders but none of them played before, Digard because he was never fit and Walker because he was lost in space. Shawky just disappeared.
On to the booing of Jones. I dont think he is a good keeper in the same way thet I am no lover of Arca but when they put on the kit and cross the white line they are Boro players and should be supported like any other.
I will end the post with the same word. Dreary describes the decline over the years, dont forget the dismal home form in the league whatever was happening in our UEFA cup final season.
You said it in the article - just not good enough! It's a miracle that we are still not out of contention for 6th place. There are some very average teams in the championship - a league which has really disappointed me this season.
Results going against us again: Leicester leading Coventry 2-1 & Cardiff a goal up agin Watford! :(
Jones is a better keeper than Coyne, there is no doubt about that - and whether you rate them as managers/coaches, GS1, GS2 and Stephen Pears all agree with that - so who has the better judgement, those three, or a bunch of morons in the north stand who think that booing one of our own players before kick-off is going to help us win?
I know whose side I'm on.
The performance was average, we just don't have enough creativity in midfield. Arca worked hard but was just so pedestrian and I don't think GON was as good as he has been, though he has given himself pretty high standards. I think I'd have preferred Arca on the wing and Robson in the middle.
I didn't really understand a half-fit Poga in for Taylor, who I think has been playing pretty well. Poga had a bit of a nightmare v Kebe, who didn't seem to have to do much to send our defence into panic.
We definitely missed big Mick, Grounds has done well in recent months when he has come in but he was poor yesterday, particularly with his distribution.
Killen had a good game, but McDonald was poor, you have to say, injuries or not, he hasn't had the impact we wanted.
Strachan's stats as Richard points out is relegation form. I posted only a week ago that his win rate was at 26% it has now dropped to 24%.
Southgate was a mistake from the off but I suspect that we would be in the top 6 had he remained. Without Southgate's points to give him a head start what will next season bode for him and Boro?
When Strachan arrived we were all confident it was to steady the ship and make sure we stopped doing silly things and throwing games away to ensure a swift return to the Prem.
Contrast our fortunes with Reading's since they appointed McDermott as Manager with his previous experience in Management coming from Slough and Woking. Funny how he has managed with the squad of players who were showing relegation form instead of play off form. It takes a very special sort of Manager to turn a teams fortunes around!
I think 2011 could very well see us plummeting into League 1 if Strachan and his tactical nous is all we have to depend on.
12,000 on Tuesday night (or 17,500 in MFC conversion rates). I fortunately will be away in Dusseldorf on business this coming Tuesday so I can at least miss another dose of the drab dreary winless tinkering tactics Strachan imposes.
OK, let us perhaps accept that this season is gone, but let us not confuse that with the idea that the rest of the season is meaningless.
As supporters, we do need to make a mental readjustment. I did yesterday, when I decided whether to go to Watford or not. Knowing that my vocal support will not make any practical difference (we will stay in the Championship), and knowing that disappointment has been the predominant flavour of the new regime, I thought about missing the game.
Then I thought, "But if WGS wants to give Bennett and Pilatos etc. a chance to establish their credentials, they need to know that we are a club that can attract 1,000 people to 'meaningless' games, a club that is worth sticking with, and that's the kind of support that I, and the 600 or so folks that you see at all the games, can and do supply."
I also thought that it might help McManus decide to go with us next year, instead of finding a better-supported club. I also felt inspired by Barry Robson's - and Gary O'Neil's - attitudes to our club, despite their repeated disappointments, which have been very similar to the diehards' feelings.
So, on we go, together, hopefully! The future of our club actually still needs us ordinary folk to secure it in any way we can. We need to pull together in every way we can: we need to give Big Mick a good reason to sign up, and we need Wheats to continue his apprenticeship under Steven.
We may lose Gary O'Neil, I think, but the fee for him may enable Adam to come in - and the young Scottish winger may do something to give us back our width. But, for all this to happen, we do need to remain a club which is set up for Premier League, and that includes the support, essentially so, home and away. UTB!
**AV writes: I agree and would add that the next eight games will also decide whether Boro sell 12,000 or so season tickets and have a core to rebuild from or 8,000 or less and face next season tettering on the edge financially.
Chris Hughton, Roberto Di Matteo. Blooming rookie managers!
As a club highly renowned for developing extremely effective wingers, isn't it a tad ironic that we find ourselves totally devoid of natural wingers?
We are currently a victim of our own success in developing young talent. Perhaps we should ask Parnaby to go a little easier and produce players good enough for us but not so good as to be in any way remotely attractive to clubs with more financial clout.
I've always felt the more attractive teams play the full width of the pitch, with talented wingers providing width to spread the play and get beyond the back four where they can do some damage. I know we don't have Jinky any more, but the Manager failed to maximise what we have got by playing midfielders out of position.
Strachan didn't set our midfield out in a way which could have helped us yesterday. This kind of 'tinkering' simply isn't necessary and I'm sure the likes of Franks, Robson and Arca could have been better deployed in an area of the pitch which they are more comfortable with.
O'Neil will go anywhere, such are his strengths but with the other three, Strachan could and should have set us up for greater success.
In looking at the atmosphere at the game, what a marked contrast it was to the Newcastle game when the atmosphere was absolutely cracking. It was flat as a pancake yesterday. Why?
I'm a firm believer in singing and chanting until your so hoarse that the next day you are forced to spend Sunday afternoon soaking it in lashings of Southern Comfort bathed in ice. It's a win-win situation, right? ;o)
Anyhow, my point is that we really must find ways of improving the atmosphere. The mindless idiots who saw fit to sarcastically berate Brad Jones wasted their energy and created unacceptable levels of negativity that do nothing but hurt us all.
As Ian Gill says, he's one of our own when he dons the Boro shirt and we would do well to remember that. I know they're in the mindless minority but when it's the only memorable crowd interaction worth mentioning, we really do have serious problems with atmosphere at the Riverside.
I truly think the Boro crowd really underestimate the positive energy they bring to the team by constantly singing and chanting.
Strachan and the Team have to bear the brunt of criticisms because yesterday's performance was simply unacceptable. But the fans who had the chance to create a much better atmosphere failed completely.
They too must therefore shoulder some of the blame, those few who kept singing and chanting aside. The Riverside Experience can only be complete with rousing performances from the management, players and the fans.
Those that chanted and sang themselves hoarse deserve their comfort today in the knowledge that they are unable to enter into any meaningful dialogue with their loved ones and friends owing to their strained vocal chords.
Drink and sooth my friends, drink and sooth.
Well my 5 match winning streak beginning at Derby came to nothing, the subsequent but predictable vision that we would go on a 6 match winning run starting with Reading went to the dogs too.
So it starts again at home against Preston... 7 wins will see us over the line. Remember the 1/4 final of the UEFA cup, dead and buried, the semi-final of the UEFA cup dead, buried and decomposed.....anything is impossible (it sure is difficult to type with one's nose)
It is impossible to argue against the facts and figures under Strachan.23 games and 25 points is relegation form.
From looking nailed on to reach the play offs at least at the start of the season to have a situation where,with 8 games left,its season over is a damning statistic.
I agree with Richard Evans that the next 8 games are crucial in that ,although they will be played against the backcloth of sparse attendances,there must be signs of an upturn.
If not then it's difficult not to concur with his conclusions.
Gareth Southgate Played 13, Points 23
Gordon Strachan Played 23, points 25
The stats don't lie and if this is what a team full of Men deliver as Louis Walsh would say give me Boyzone anytime!
The remaining games of this season are probably the most critical in the clubs history since '86. They will define what fans we have left and what those fans have left in the cause for optimism. I don't think WGS has the wit or wisdom to turn this clubs fortunes around. It is his meddling and tinkering that has reduced us to this state, a struggling Championship side with Relegation form.
A team hit with injuries tormented even further by square peggism just confounds my early prognosis of well and truly Stricken!
Would folks please give it a rest with regard to the play-off's? To think that we ever stood an earthly of getting a chance at promotion during a season of such massive upheaval is simply ridiculous.
This was only ever going to be a season of major change on so many levels that to debate the merits or otherwise of anything other than consolidation is akin to sticking a filthy knife into a gaping wound that has festered for three years and hasn't healed itself yet. I'm telling you, there are a lot of us finding this state of where we're at very difficult to adjust to and accept.
It's simply totally unrealistic and those that continue to contemplate the possibilities of a play-off spot are completely deluding themselves and placing too high an expectation on a group of players that are as AV has said, simply not good enough.
The reality is that we all have to accept our situation, like it or not that this season was always going to be one of consolidation and rebuilding and nothing more.
To change a manager in mid-flight, to lose our best player and top scorer, expect January and previous short-loan signings to bed in in such a short space of time, gel and then expect them to produce the kind of results that would see us vying for a top six spot is nothing short of preposterous and extremely unrealistic.
It's high time we got off our pedestals and accept that we are where we are because of massive changes at all kinds of levels.
As halifax says, we now need to continue supporting the team as if our lives depended on it because it WILL make the difference between the good players staying or leaving. Fans still have a huge part to play, home and away to convince these players that Boro is a club worth playing for.
All the while the idiots in the crowd continue to use booing as a warped tactic along with absurdly sardonic cheering to get their lame messages across, it reflects very badly on us all and could tip the balance with regard to players these irritating rants are not aimed at.
Finish as strongly as we can and that includes the support of fans in the most positive and vocal sense possible. If you can't do that, please just stay away. We don't need these clueless imbeciles spoiling it for the rest of us.
Look, can we just stop all this "If we win 7 out of the 8 games to go..." stuff, please? Of course it is still possible.
It is POSSIBLE the Lib Dems will win the forthcoming General Election. It is POSSIBLE that the Chancellor will announce the abolition of VAT and a reduction of the basic rate of Income Tax to 10%. It is POSSIBLE that every A-Level marked this summer will be awarded an A* and that in the forthcoming Ashes series, the whole England team from 1 to XI will have been born in Yorkshire.
But it isn't remotely LIKELY. In fact, I reckon the Lib Dems and the A* are somewhat MORE likely than our suddenly tearing up the formbook in such a dramatic fashion. If a film were proposed on such a premise, it would be regarded as too far-fetched to succeed at the box office.
So perhaps a little more realism for the rest of the season? Maybe a prediction for the matchday coffee at the Riverside being wettish, or for a different defence in each game from now on?
It seems that it isn't just the fans who believe Crockliffe has too many injuries - see this interview with Paulo Paixao who is responsible for the Brazilian team's physical preparedness for the world cup and what he say's about visiting Juninho:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2010/03/fitness_the_key_for_brazillian.html
May Boro should spend a bit more on scientists who know what they're doing
On the World Cup front my guess is that Downing will miss out. In the recent Villa games I've seen he has been good but not outstanding. And he was subbed on the weekend in the same game that Ashley Young was MOTM with Capello watching. Stewie just does not catch the eye of the press anywhere South of Thirsk.
John Aus
halifaxp (supported by **AV writes)
I agree with all you say about the importance of the remaining eight games - for all the reasons you say - and argued as much before the Reading game.
I hope that the Boro manager can come round to that way of thinking too. There's a difference between trying stuff for next season - and in the process, encouraging fans and players (current and potential future) - and tinkering for the sake of it, repeating failed experiments, persisting with or re-introducing players everyone knows aren't good enough and displaying a whim of iron.
All of those are liable to have just the opposite effect than that required on the audiences that matter.
Like you, I'll be at Watford - and as many other games I can get to of the last eight - in the hope that we can see the emergence of a strategy and shape for the future with some players that should have a stake in that. And lets have a real go.
But even if some players are re-introduced or persisted with that I don't think are anywhere near good enough, I won't be joining in any booing or sarcastic applause.
There are places and ways to express our views but having a go at individual players once they cross the white line (or even as they are preparing to) isn't any part of that - as Ian rightly argues.
Well I guess you have to say that if there is no real improvement in the remaining games until the end of the season... what do you do? Keep Strachan? Get rid?
Can Gibson hold his nerve
Southgate should have gone at the end of last season but Gibson held on then sacked him. Is he going to do the same with Strachan if results are not good at the beginning of next season.
If Gibson is not sure about Strachan then he has to pull the plug at the end of this season to give a new man the summer to sort things out.
If he is behind the manager then he has to come out publicly and state that Strachan is here for the long term.
Once everybody knows what they are doing then we can accept it and get on with it and get behind the club
As far as the rest of the season goes, I guess that's more or less it bar the overly optimistic shouting - though looking at their fixtures Cardiff will be lucky to win another three games (Sheff Utd, Palace, Leicester, Swansea, Forest, Reading, QPR, Sheff Wed, Derby.)
OK, you could say if we win the next seven games etc etc - but since we've only won one of the last seven then it's not exactly on the cards - too many oportunities have been wasted despite the rhetoric of now having a team of men.
So Strachan has failed this season's brief and now has to show that progress is being made - maybe with a good start to next season a la Southgate's then winning under less pressure is possible - though I'm not convinced that anything other than a damp-squib end to the season is possible.
Losing 4,000 season ticket holders will only cost Boro £1.5m, which is probably equivalent to Ali's wages - so it won't make a massive difference - particularly if we sell O'Neil and Wheater and some of the deadwood on PL wages.
The most annoying thing about this season is that at the end of it we will look back and see that very little extra effort would have got us in contention for at least the play-offs.
It quite amazing that, as AV points out, more strength in holding onto a lead and not making silly mistakes in the last couple of games and we would be in a play-off place right now. Yes, Cardiff would have games in hand but, as they always say, its points in the bank that are more important.
Let's hope we can make those improvements over the summer and be in there fighting for promotion next season.
Cant say I understand where Barry Taylor, on this blog, is coming from with his hugh confidence of "romping away" with promotion next season though! Some of the players mentioned as our "spine" that he believes premier teams would be envious of will need to become far more consistent for that to happen:
Brad Jones - Can be a great keeper at times, but will need to be more consistent and cut down the number of poor performance.
David Wheater - Again needs to improve consistency as he has dissappointed on too many occasions this year. Some mistakes have led to a number of goals we have conceded.
Scott macDonald - will have to start hitting the back of the net regularly.
Robson - I agree with. It's Important we hold on to him next season and his passion and commitment rubs off on the rest of the players.
Lets look forward then to better things to come next season.
Braveheart -
Stick or twist. I must admit the team has been a big disappointment under Strachan and I am baffled by some of his selections and tactics. But, unlike some, I am not going to lay the blame solely at his door. And that is my view about Gate as well, he got dealt a bum hand and should have gone sooner.
The stats can be made to show anything but some facts cannot be hidden.
The form of our kids and stiffs in 2008/9 was no better than the first team so there would be no salvation from that quarter.
Another window had gone by without remedying the structural faults in midfield.
When Huth left we were riding high, unbeaten in four at 2.5 points a game and no goals conceded. Tuncay had played a couple of cameos and Jinky was terrorising the opposition.
By the time of the Derby game the decision to replace Gate had been taken. Gibbo stated that the points tally didnt tell the true story.
What did he mean by that? Open to interpretation but one can guess that one point in five matches against teams in the top half and nineteen points in seven matches from teams in the bottom half paints its own picture. Throw that form forward and you get to where we are today.
St Ledger had replaced Huth and we were conceding goals, the better teams were nullifying Jinky and overpowering our midfield. The back four were playing musical chairs.
The decision was made to replace Gate with Strachan. Changing managers mid season is fraught, as is revamping the squad in January. Not changing was not an option, it should have been done sooner.
Have things improved? No. Would they have improved under Gate? I dont think so. Will they improve under Strachan? Dont know. Hardly inspiring is it?
Oh for a midfield of Downing, Robson, O'Neill and Jinky with Tuncay playing in the hole behind a proper striker.
I think the key to Gordon Strachan sides are that they are hardworking, difficult to beat and get the very most out of the players at his disposal. I think this is starting to be seen at the boro.
I haven’t seen a harder working Boro side for years; unfortunately I haven’t seen a Boro side so bereft of quality and flair in a long time too. This is not a criticism, as we all know that the flair players have left and we have tried to replace them.
Unfortunately there will be a massive turnaround of players again this summer. With the exodus after relegation, the Huth and Tuncay departures, the Southgate out, Strachan and loan signings coming in and the January Scotland sales we have had four sides in the last year. This was never going to lead to a promotion campaign.
This summer will be key to the Boro’s future over the next five years. We will sell our only really saleable assets and we get the final instalment of Sky money. This cash must be used to build a squad capable of competing at this level and maybe one or two additions who could play at a higher level.
There could be as little as one or two players who line up in August who started the game against Sheff Utd last August. It is this prospect that excites and also worries me greatly. We could be on the way back, stronger than before or on the slide into Middleocrity. Close to call, but I think Gordon will get it right.
I think we will get to the play-offs.
Richard Evans - I loved your post for the way you blissfully ignore the notion of consistency to your 'argument'. I wish I could write in such an uninhibited way. There were some gems in there but here are my favourites.
-
" Gordon Strachan, a manager of no English league achievement and whose talent and stature is surpassed only by his size...
"Quite seriously, has the club ever had a worse manager? ..."
"It gets worse. We are far nearer the bottom than top of the league ..."
"Strachan’s signings have largely been disastrous, only Robson a shining success" ....
" McManus has been worthwhile"
"Strachan is yet to show an appreciation or future use of the youth policy ...."
BUT BEST OF ALL AFTER ALL THAT MOANING/WHINGEING you 'wrap up' your whingers charter with:
"Worse still, we don’t get a sense of any hope..."
And my favourite one :
"we have no feeling of him (Strachan) ever being one of us...
--------------------------------------------------------
Pure satire - you should do this for a living. Good God you're not Paul Whitehouse are you ?
I have read some shite on this blog but that 'work' by you takes the biscuit. Keep it up It's cranks like you that make this blog worth a visit.
Smogontyne - good comments. This season as it unfolded was always going to be tough regardless of the false dawn with Southgate. New manager and players, getting into top 6 a major bonus.
The teams in the Championship as we all know now are a tough unpredictable lot. I believe in Strachen, this time next season we'll be very pleased.
So it's Preston tomorrow with possibly St. Ledger playing, how does that script go again!
I think Gordon has been a success.... when was the last time we avoided relegation with eight games to go?
Scoredraw -
fair enough, pull Evans post apart but to describe it as a pile of excrement after your first line "we can still make the play offs" made me, for one, guffaw with laughter.
On the subject of attracting an audience to the Riverside by giving them something interesting to watch...
I'm sure it could be a lot worse - I've just switched on the TV to see that the BBC are trying to attract viewers by showing wheelchair curling - though the commentator inadvertently has perhaps made one of the funniest faux pas by shouting "it hasn't got the legs!" as a stone slowly came to a halt.
Been out of the loop for several weeks. Just caught up with all the entries in this week's blog and boy, how the mood has changed.
I was just going to write some [more] twaddle around the advantages of being stuck in the middle with middling expectations, but I don't have the heart to invent some clever tripe I don't believe in anyway, just to generate a few comments.
We are where we are. The free fall had started before he was brought in. Our form earlier would now have us already fighting a relegation battle. So, maybe WGS hasn't turned us into genuine play-off contenders, but he has surely made sure that we are safe in the middle of the table.
I doubted (still do doubt) his managerial record in England, but he did build successive and successful teams at Celtic and (so far as Scottish football is concerned) achieved reasonable levels of success in the Champions League.
So, I'm confident in his ability to rebuild a team and I'm sure we will see much positive change in the summer and that we will be a little less middling next season and a lot more more challenging for promotion.
As for the remains of this season. Well, it's maybe now a good opportunity for WGS to give the more junior players a chance, to see if any are going to be up to playing a part in a serious promotion challenge next season. I suspect that it could be more exciting for the fans to watch young players with something to prove, than to watch established players who may have lost their belief for the season.
My biggest fear for the home game against Reading was the foresight of a flat atmosphere. This was the case, and it is not helping the players to lift their game.
Of course it is a two way street, and the players should give the fans something to shout about in the first place, but when it becomes catch 22, both the players and the fans are losers.
I am the first one to normally criticise Brad Jones, but he did not deserve the reception he got on Saturday. That kind of attitude is just another trigger for a poor atmosphere.
I will not be at the match tomorrow night, which means I will have missed two home games this season, which must be a record. Like Redcar Red, I will be away on business, in fact dining in the House of Lords while the match is being played.
I hope my stand in gives the lads stacks of positive shouting and like the rest of the crowd gets behind the team.
Time for some wildly inaccurate number crunching.
Players out
O’Neil £3.2m Fulham. Wages 25k a week wages saved
Wheater £2.5m Villa. Wages 15k a week
£5.7m brought in
Arca: Retired 20k a week wages saved
Aliadiere Free, signs for Lille 13k a week
Pogatetz, Free Signs for FC Twente 20k a Week
Riggot Free signs for Bolton 14k a week
Cash in £5.7m and over £100,000.00 a week in wages cut.
With the current financial constraints I would expect the Boro to maybe spend all of the £5.7m but only half of the wages saved.
£3.5m Charlie Adam. The money was there for him in Jan so not taken out of the (£5.7m) and wages of £11k.
£2m A Smithies Huddersfield Keeper £8k wages
£50k A Halliday Livingston £3k a week
£500k McManus £15k a week
£1.5m J Kebe £10k a week
Total spend £7.5m wages 47k a week, saving over £53k a week or £2.7m a year, not to mention the huge bonuses we would be paying out on PL contracts. £3.5k per win etcetc well done Mr Storrie.
1. A Smithies
2. J Hoyte
3. J Bennett
4. McManus
5. Bates (If fit),
6. C Adam
7. J Kebe
8. My Barry
9. J Walker
10. Killen
11. McDonald
12. Jones/Coyne/Steele
13. Taylor
14. Hines
15. Halliday
16. Miller
17. Lita
Not a bad squad but still some holes, especially CM and CB. This is where the 20,000 season ticket sales will be priceless in getting these slots filled!!
Looks like we are relying on Mr Gibson to dig deep and for wee Gordon to pick a couple of bargains.
Any grapevine based wild rumours at your end AV?
**AV writes: Full-backs are vital to the way GS plays so I would expect new face sin there plus a new CB too, he's not overly impressed with what he has there.
Until we get out of the culture of booing our own players, we haven't got a hope. Opposition teams and fans must love coming to our place. We do half their work for them.
Granted, the team just isn't good enough to push for promotion. But we are where we are and we're stuck with this bunch until the summer.
I read with interest about the massive change over of players come the summer: the following players contracts do not end until July 2011: Aliadiere, Arca, Mido, Taylor, O'Neil. 2012:Emnes:1 or 2 yrs(or more) Hoyte,Riggot,Lita.
The question is who would buy these players (offering enough wages for the player to accept) therefore making room for new players to come in. The only departure(s) I can see are Pogatetz (free) and possibly Digard (if Nice think he is worth BORO's valuation) O'Neil (if a reasonable bid is received, but big IF as Pompey cant afford him anymore).
Therefore who is going to leave to fund new players coming in ???
I was thinking about the form under Strach being not far off relegation material.
As for Brad Jones, a lot of it is the form of the defense in front of him and the amount of changes going on. It still seems like we haven't had a fully fit left back playing consistently since Quedrue!
How many times since then has our left back had a torrid time or been out of position for the opposing team to cross or shoot and score. All these nonsense goals we've let in have put us out of the play offs and well out of the top 2.
I am drained at seeing the inevitable retreat back to our own box, a handing away of initiative and the result.
I like the look of Killen, Robson and Flood but get to see the ones we had on match of the day and it is demoralising.
After the summer signings hopefully arrive early we need to get some pride back next season. It will be interesting watching the skunks and Brom in the prem to see how they get on as a guide to how far we have fallen.
Well, Gibson did the mistake of a lifetime. Getting rid of an exciting promotion manager and replacing him with a fiery scot with a taste for "men". (As opposed to young, local lads.)
That being said, Im not gonna make a fool of myself by demanding Southgate back. That ship has sunk. But we should look to the future. The first and most important thing is to get behind the team. Booing and negativity is just ridiculous. The treatment of Jones must be among the most embarrassing behaviour in my time as a fan. (16 yrs and counting).
The second thing is to ensure that Strachan doesnt forget the young local lads. And that he doesnt forget the positive football installed by Robson in the nineties. We cannot allow the aggressive scotsman to transform the club to a dull, grey Derby/Stoke/Burnley-team.
Shouldnt we rather build a new generation of exciting, fast flowing, technical team with lots of youngsters and a couple of brazilians...Or is it just me?
Scoredraw
Thank you for your kind comments. I presume, given your moniker and inadequate defensive nature, that you are non other than Gordon Strachan in disguise?
Your reply, as Stockton red notes, is immediately undermined by the cloying and blind faith notion that the play offs remain a possibility. They are not.
Yes I do think Strachan may well be our worst manager ever. I haven’t checked but a statistical comparison with our poorest performing past bosses would be interesting. (AV – can/dare the Gazette do something here or maybe a public poll on what the wider fans think?)
We are nearer the bottom than the top of the league. Fact.
McManus is certainly a worthwhile player but also a key defender brought in to steady a side still leaking late goals from winning positions. Fact.
WGS doesn’t inspire the ever decreasing fans nor on the evidence of our results under him does he inspire the players. Perspiration not inspiration only unfortunately.
You don’t literally have to be one of us – Rioch in 1988 was as popular a boss as we’ll ever have – but an embracing and positive, non grating public outlook helps. Strachan, a Scot with his family home in Hampshire, is yet to convince here.
It isn't always necessary to wait three, four or five years to acknowledge you have made a mistake. In the few months WGS has been here the team has been a disaster and unless there is a wholesale turnaround we should remedy this, by releasing Strachan, immediately the season ends.
Pointing out the failings of the manager is not necessarily negative or disloyal but a prerequisite for facing up to facts, remedying them and moving on. Steve Gibson will recognise this, how he acts on it is a different matter.
Anlov
Read my earlier posts.
The results of last years academy and reserve teams were no better than the first team. The only difference that many of their poor results came against those equivalent teams from the Championship. It may be a tricky concept but if they cant beat SheffU reserves they wont beat the first team.
You will do well to bed in a couple each season.
Strachan doesnt hate the kids, didnt we cover this point before? Your numbers dont stack up.
Robson's teams were largely workmanlike, the only 'exciting' team got us relegated. After that he relied on youngsters such as Merson, Gazza, Townsend, Deane, Windass, Pallister, Cooper, Mustoe.
Anlov _
commend you for letting go. It's not easy when you're so passionate about something and I commend you for buying into what Strachan's trying to put in place. But local youngsters and Brazilians? Now come on fella, that's taking things too far! LOL
I can see Strachan working closely with Parnaby, in fact more closely than any manager that came before him to ensure the young lads savour what it means to be 'responsible' by sending them out on more assignments to clubs in the lower echelons, just as he has done with Johnson and Steele at Northampton and Walker at Rotherham. Johnson's scored five I think? Not bad for a defender.
The three of them have done remarkably well since they've gone out on loan, with Northampton moving into the last play-off spot in 7th and Rotherham just outside the automatic promotion spot in 4th.
I'd love to be able to go and watch them play each other on the 13th of April! It'd be typical Boro if they all go for the same ball in the box and they all come out injured! Yikes!
Anyhow, if these lads come back all the stronger for their experience rather than being wrapped up in cotton wool at our place, then that bodes well for us.
I think Strachan's right about Boro molly coddling our kids. If this is the idea of adding responsibility to their armour, them I'm all for it. Some might argue that Walker should be playing for us, especially given our well-documented shortages in the midfield department but the season is all but over and he will gain plenty of positives from helping Rothreham achieve promotion, just as Steele and Johnson will do with Northampton Town.
I say bring Bruno up to showcase his talents! What have we got to lose? By the sounds of it, he's a great prospect. Just needs to bulk up a bit?
Are there any other talented bright sparks we could showcase in the first team? Indeed, would Strachan be likely to experiment with the young kids? Probably not. Ah well, I'll get my coat.
Did the BBC Web page predictor. Have us finnishing 8th on 69 points.
If feel you need to make this into a "Come Whine With Me" blog, contributors should have the decency to offer alternatives to their 'whinges' e.g.
- Sack Strachan he's too Ginger (replace with Boris Johnson ?)
- Sack Strachan he's too little (replace him with a big crane)
- Sack Strachan he's too Scottish (replace with Coyle, Ferguson )
- Sack Strachan he's not 'one of us' (replace with Bob Mortimer)
- Sack Strachan he wastes money (replace him with Benitez)
- Sack Strachan he doesn't wear a headset .......
Genuine concerns or complaints (not whinge's) can be submitted as follows.
"Strachan(Gordon) - I'm puzzled by the Jones decision because I feel he's had his chance and I'm not convinced he's better than Coyne. If it doesn't work I am going to kidnap your dog... "
In other words try and offer BALANCED arguments.
DON'T INDULGE WHINGEING IT ONLY ENCOURAGES THEM !
Smogonthetyne & AV
I think the other squad add has to be a pukka holding midfielder to shield the back four, break up attacks, pass it simply to a red shirt and act as the fulcrum for the continuity play.
If you want to make as much of a focus of the full backs as Strachan evidently wants to, it's not just the centre-backs that need the right quality - you need someone to sit in front of them to keep the back door locked when the 'wing-backs' go forward.
We've lacked such a body for the last two seasons at least and it continues to show in goals conceded. I think it's part of the reason why we've seen so little of the swashbuckling raids at pace from Naughton that earned his reputation at Sheffield and got him the move to Spurs.
We've tried to fill in with Matt Bates - on the rare occasions he's been fit - and now Rhys Williams - when he's been available. Rhys is a square pegged full back, of course, and - good player though he is - for me lacks enough of the right disciplines and technique for a 'proper' holding role.
After a Summer at the World Cup playing - we hope, successfully - for the Aussies at right back I'd hope that he comes back to fill that role for Boro as first choice. As you say, AV, important to how Strachan wants to play.
He and Bates (if he returns) and even Seb Hines (who I think is still in search of a role and has some of the equipment) can act as back up cover for the role, short term, for injuries and the like.
I think Digard was recruited to try to do the holding role in a Carrick/'quarter-back' sort of a way but we all know what happened to that - or rather, didn't. That sort of version is too sophisticated for Boro in The Championship where something more limited and straightforward but equally specialised is needed.
With Barry Robson adding graft and craft in the centre of midfield ahead of the new holding player, the likes of Flood and - maybe Adam, Halliday (or even Wallace - we can run the rule again tonight) can concentrate on being 'front foot' and - with the full backs - get the supply to Killen and McDonald and back them up.
I think that sort of set out would increase Boro's effectiveness at both ends of the field markedly.
Seems a lot of discussion about wee gordon not being good enough. I will stick with him. He must at least be given another season..
I have said this before, you dont manage a club like Celtic for four years with 60,000 fans at every home game if you dont have the credentials. A good example is Mowbray finding it very very difficult at Celtic with certain factions of the Celtic Support calling for his head.
A lot of colleagues I work with dont like Strachan at all and want him out so I said ok then who do you get in as manager..they could only think of two - Curbishley and Phil Brown. What a joke !
The best manager we had at boro was bruce rioch another passionate Scot He was unfairly sacked...
I believe there is still something fundamentally wrong at M'bro and Wee Gordon is sorting it out bit by bit and hopefully he will get rid of all the hangers on including a number of players during the summer and hopefully next season its Strachan's team playing his way and being succesful.
It's all about next season now - and it's probably going to be Boro's most important season for 25 years.
This is the last year of parachute money and given reports today that PL money is set to increase on average by £13m per season per club - with parachute payments also set to jump to £16m and extended beyond two seasons.
Also, failure to achieve promotion next season will see the wage bill trimmed to championship affordability and any player capable of playing in the PL won't be hanging around on reduced pay.
So, it's vitally important that the club assembles a promotion winning team this summer - Strachan must get the players he needs and everyone must back him - it will serve nobody to have another season of splits and negativity.
The reason we are where we are now is primarily down to bad decision making over the last couple of years by those who run the club. For the failure to remove Southgate when he was struggling instead of removing him when he was riding high, then Gibson must take the rap.
Talking of which, Perhaps SG could look for a rapper to help fund next season's push by Wee Gordy - P Diddy (Palace) and JZ (Arsenal) seem already taken - though maybe KL has already acquired 50 pence to help with the finances?
Neil and Ian Gill:
I certainly hope you're right that Strachan is all for the youngsters. The stats don't show it, but I hope you have some inside info that I dont. And Neil, you seem to know something about the closeness of Strachan and Parnaby, thats nice.
But Ian Gill, the "didnt we cover this point before?" and your somewhat strange logic that we cant use reserve team players because the reserve team in itself doesnt beat other reserves... That's just strange.
Anyway, I hope you finally come to see the fact about the "strengthening" of the team, with adding the scottish "men" and selling young talents. (Digard being the most sad example, a stunning talent at his best.)
The "weak", young team of Gareth were at the top (second place) of the table, Im I wrong? How then can you still insist on the need for "strengthening" with "men", and changing of tactics.
I made an argument about "young local lads, fast football with a couple of brazilians". Anyone is free to laugh about this, but I know you all see the point. And see the difference between Robson and McClaren, and the difference between Southgate and Strachan. You dont have to like them, but there are screaming obvious differences in the tactical approach. To
But Ian Gill, you dont WANT to see it. Your remark: «Robson's teams were largely workmanlike, the only 'exciting' team got us relegated.». What??? Do you believe your own words. Do I have to make a list of players for you? Do I Have to send you footage of the games?
Ian always harps on about the results of the reserves and the youth team, but aren't we always told that results are utterly irrelevant at that level?
Of course winning is a good habit, but I really don't think you can say that reserve team wins = reserve team players good and vice versa. We've had plenty of goalscoring reserves over the years (Peverell, Arnold, Freestone, Craddock) who have had zero Boro careers.
And square peggism is back. Rhys Williams has proved himself to be a perfectly good midfielder and deserves to be recognised as such. In fact, the one game I do rememeber him playing at right-back this season, he was awful. I will also remind people that versatility is not a crime.