Airbrushed From History But Not From Memory
REMEMBER this? Boro 0 Sevilla 4 on a glorious ill-fated day in Eindhoven. Four years ago today. It may as well have been a lifetime ago. Sometimes it is like it didn't happen at all... during media previews of Mark Schwarzer's Fulham's coming clash with a Spanish side for instance. A look back at other British overachievers remembers Norwich and Dundee but not whatjacallem.
Here's my impressions in the immediate aftermath (look how little traffic the blog got back then, look at those who commented on it) and here's some pictures as proof that actually, yes, we all were there. Sigh.
Older/Newer
« It's All About Image | Coveted "Bloggies" Winners Revealed »
13 Comments
Leave a comment
Profile
Anthony Vickers
Latest Football League video
Keep up to date
Follow Untypical Boro on
AV -
Yes, I was tuned in to a number of the national broadcast media's flagship programmes over the weekend and heard plenty of Fulham wellwishers - no problem with that, I wish them and Skippy well too - that usually went along with 'Aren't they plucky/Haven't they done a superb job in the circs and with their resources/Isn't Hodgson a demi-god'.
Leave aside being mentioned in the same breath now - even as 'last team to...' context or background 'colour' - I certainly don't recall the same level of interest from those sources then either.
What comes of your ground being on the banks of the Thames not the Tees, I guess.
Mind you, the mere thought of it now - and I understand why you've done the piece - raises a whole mixture of emotions, some of the most painful of which are informed by 20/20 hindsight.
Regret that it happened or belittling the achievement in any way - which I've heard some DiasBoro folks almost get to - aren't amongst them.
hi AV -
Airbrushed is right. All the praise for Hodgson in the media "manager of the year" etc. I don't remember the Ex being touted as such. (That's not to denigrate Hodgson, mind) Odd/spooky how Schwarzer is involved too!
I see the Ex is moving on too, to Wolfsburg if the papers are to be believed. Think he'll win the Champions League with them? Then home to take over from Fergie?
Could be an interesting 18 months coming up.
Glad to see that GS2 was bored with the play in the last season, but a pity he couldn't motivate them to do any better!
When is GS1's book coming out? You know the one which details all the behind-the-scenes-gossip from his Riverside era? "The woodentop years"? Won't be until he's been paid all his severance pay. Wonder if KL put a gagging clause in the final payment?
Please do us all a favour AV and don't mention the two "P" words (Promotion & Play-offs) until after Xmas? Feel free to bandy relegation talk though, as I hope it will have a galvanizing effect on all concerned.
England to get through the Group stage and then lose the first knockout match.
Yup I feel very pessimistic at present!
Have a good summer.
Pauline
It was our high point. Its been all downhill since then. Four years of decline. Still, at least we got there and we've got memories that very few of our rivals (especially our local non-rivals) will ever have.
It has been forgotten by us as much as by the national media. I certainly never realised until I saw it on here. The club make little of it and most supporters can't bring themselves to think how close we were to winning something of massive signficance and how far we have fallen since then.
To be fair, most of our supporters don't remember too much about it because they were blind drunk. The Boro square was carnage before the game and walking to the ground Boro fans were staggering about in a right state. Inside the ground there were empty seats because people didn't make it. There were people who fell asleep because they were paralytic.
I've never been so proud of what my club had achieved and never been so embarrassed at our fans. Sevilla showed us how to support a team with passion. We showed them how quickly you could get plastered.
Sometimes I think we didn't deserve to get there. It was wasted on us. A lot of ST holders didn't even bother to turn out for half of the games (no doubt the same ones who whinged about not getting a ticket for the final). Crowds below 10,000. We were in the quarter-final two years running and got just over 20,000.
No wonder the trophy virgins et al laugh at us. And no wonder Steve Gibson decided there and then that it wasn't worth the investment and that Teesside was going to get the team it could afford/deserve. I don't blame him.
Something else one of our ex's can forget about - Downing going to S.A. The journo's I read don't even have him mentioned in the possibles, never mind the probables. He should have moved to Spurs who's style would allow him more forward flair. But he is still a better all-round performer than Johnson, just does it less flamboyantly.
Nice to see Jones in the prelim Aussie squad
John, Aus
latest news from scotland...
GORDON STRACHAN is ready to launch a shock raid on Rangers for midfield lynchpin Kevin Thomson - as the crown jewel of another huge recruitment drive from the SPL.
Record Sport can reveal the Middlesbrough manager has placed Thomson's name at the top of a six-strong list of transfer targets based north of the border and believes the financial carnage at Ibrox may help him land his man.
Strachan is aware the 25-year-old is about to enter into the final season of his contract and with the crisis-hit SPL champs unsure about future budgets Thomson, left, has still not been offered an extension.
That means Rangers could face losing one of their most valuable assets for nothing in 12 months' time and Strachan plans to exploit the situation by offering Thomson a bumper long-term deal on Teesside.
Long-time admirers West Brom are also monitoring Thomson's situation but Strachan has jumped to the front of the queue in his rush to prepare Boro for next season's Premiership promotion push.
He is also interested in Hearts winger Andy Driver, Morgaro Gomis of Dundee United, Hibs defender Sol Bamba, Celtic full-back Mark Wilson and has already opened contract talks with Thomson's Ibrox buddy Nacho Novo.
But, in Thomson, Strachan believes he could land himself the bargain of the summer for a fee of less than ã3million - around half of what Rangers boss Walter Smith would expect to rake in for the player in normal circumstances.
Thomson, who recently became a dad for the first time, has already made it clear he wishes to stay at Ibrox and sign a new four-year contract .
However, Rangers might be unable to offer any kind of long-term security unless a new owner takes over the club this summer.
Six of Smith's squad - Davie Weir, Novo, Kris Boyd, DaMarcus Beasley, Stevie Smith and Kirk Broadfoot - are already out of contract but Thomson is one of another group of key players who, with only 12 months left on their deals, are also looking for clarity.
And a source at the Riverside told Record Sport: "The manager has made it clear he plans to go in heavy across the border this summer because he believes the players are of a higher quality than in the Championship.
"Novo could be the first to arrive but there is no doubt landing Thomson would be a major coup for the club. Gordon is working on putting something together and trying to take advantage of the uncertainty off the field at Rangers .
"He knows he can offer the lad the kind of security Rangers simply cannot get close to."
Never mind the final, there are not many bloggers left from that article either.
I do remember the day after the semi final comeback the BBC doing many a re run of the two separate Boro commentaries on Maccarones winner and I think the BBC local radio (Colin Addison?) was given the vote ahead of Ali and Bernie on Century.
But as another survivor of that skinny blog, John Powls mentions, there is a diffrence between Thames and Tees. Fulham has Harrods (well, nearby), we have Parmos.
And Roy Hodgson is more popular than MacMoses.
Sadly one fears a similar result for Fulham as befell ourselves. But who knows and if Fulham win the trophy I will be delighted for them.
**AV writes: I think there are a few of those hardcore old school Euro-bloggers still around but who have changed their names by deed poll.
I didnâÂÂt get to Eindhoven, because like a fool I thought European finals were to become the norm and IâÂÂd catch one a few years later.
Of course I jest. The truth is much sadder. Like a fool I was getting married a couple of months later so I couldnâÂÂt afford it. So if you thought the last few years were boring soul sapping disappointment, followed by bone crushing low, then you are right. And the footballâÂÂs not been up to much either!
All hail the Scotland revolution!
Nacho Novo, despite being one the best named players of all time has a tremendous record in Scotland. Having played for Raith, Dundee and the Gers he has scored 90 goals in 282 appearances or 1 in 3. He is 31 but good for a season at this level at least, and a freebie.
Nacho, Nacho Man,
I want a be a Nacho Man
Nacho, Nacho ManâŠâŠâÂÅ .
Eindhoven was the last game I went to. I stopped using my season ticket part way through that season for several reasons and relinquished it at the end of the season.
My reasons for doing so included no home game that season on a Saturday at 3pm till new Years Eve, one man up front for a home game against the mighty Portsmouth (in August even), McClaren's inept zonal marking obsession - and the main reason for that was it was the only formation Southgate could play in. Plus general disillusionment with the Premiership and football in general.
The last straw for me was the appointment of Southgate - someone I considered part of the problem and not the solution.
Was I wrong? I dont think so. I havent missed much have I?
AVs write-up there looks ridiculous now doesnt it - but it should have been correct. Eindhoven maybe could not have been emulated but it should have been potentially possible to reach that level again.
Whatever happens to Fulham tonight - and I hope they win - one thing they will not do is plummet like a stone over the next 3-4 years like Boro have done. That requires a unique level of incompetence.
**AV writes: Unless the sale of the paternal paper empire of Harrods by Uncle Mo undermines the loss-making club's ability to sustain a ã110m deficit.
I think that part of the reason that Boro's UEFA Cup final appearance got over-looked at the time was that Arsenal were also playing Barcelona in the Champion's League final that season.
Because Fulham are England's only euro finalists this season they are getting the media's full attention. Typical Boro, but our timing was all wrong. :o)
Ah AV. Btter sweet memories indeed. Your very timely piece today has really put our achievements of the last three years into grim perspective.
I was one of the lucky ones in Eindhoven that night, surrounded by the fabulous supporters of Sevilla in the stadium. My recollection of the game is that the result was only 4-0 because all caution was thrown to the wind in the last 10 minutes or so, but Boro did freeze on the occasion, you were right.
How different it might have been .... it had to have been a penalty, but wasn't.... fat man had to score with the goal almost at his mercy ... but it wasn't to be. Still it remains the high point of that 20 year odyssey.
You know, the great thing about being a football supporter is that we still can dream. The excitement is already bubbling under for next season. GS2 has started the close season exactly as many of us wanted, with root and branch reform in the back room. More than that, he has already started to build the team. Halliday is going to be a success for Boro, I'm certain. I'm praying for a Cardfiff/Forest play-off final so we have a good chance of winning Adam's signature.
I've posted previously about how well (and how much) Strachan rebuilt the Celtic team every year. I trust his judgement on assembling the right individual components to make an effective team. His knowledge of the Scottish leagues is invaluable to Boro just now and it is going to help him (and Boro) get the most for the limited pot that is available. (Excellent summary from Braveheart1, so I won't repeat the names he has mentioned - except that Kevin Thomson would be an absolute steal).
I'm also heartened to see GS2 talk about entertaining the fans, even though winning is essential. In other words get the basics right (like Jack Charlton did all those years ago - or even like Hughton with Newcastle this season) and eventually you earn the right as a team to entertain and to score freely.
We will be there again.
Oh yes, and all the very best to Fulham. I'd be delighted for them to win, but like you said AV, once their Egyptian sugar daddy hangs up his wallet their future may not be so assured, so their fans need to enjoy this moment just as much as we did.
TeesExile:
Who are you to comment on the boro supporters that night. I have put enough years in supporting the Boro to have had a good drink at Eindhoven. Sevilla were only loud after the second goal went in.
My time of attending Ayresome park with crowds of 3000 through the eighties gave me the right to do what I wanted at Eindhoven.
Are you sure you are not a Tyne or Wear exile?
As regards the 4-0 defeat, McClaren forgot that every club watches the videos of thier opponents and we had twice gone full out on the attack in two previous rounds and so Seville knew exactly how to respond when he made the change. Something different was needed that time but as usual we had nothing up our sleeves.
**AV writes: To be fair, at 1-0 there was little in it, we had just had a great chance saved and had a stonewall penalty waved away when S Mac started to make his changes. We were chasing the game. What else was there he could do?