Title Bet Looks A Long Shot Now

It's the hope that kills you. I was one of those who was very optimistic and really looking forward to the season.

For once, we recruited early. It looked like a sound spine was taking shape with, presumably, finishing touches to be made and some width and some creativeness added - with three days left, it looks unlikely now.

We're left with an unbalanced team sadly missing the basics - no passing, one paced, bereft of flair. No wingers and desperately weak at full back. We were told that, if only the team could ctreate chances, we had the forwards to finish - not on today's evidence.

We were told they were super-fit, competitive and would battle - not on the evidence so far. If we go behind, you have no expectation of a fight back - just toothless, directionless mundanity. Away to QPR next, which could be a hammering and see us on the relegation fringe.

All hope evaporated, this is the worst team in a long, long time and looks more likely to be facing a relegation struggle.

Dear Friends, I don't know what to say. I fear it's over befor it really began.

Frustrating today. Daft goal to go one down, McDonald should have scored with his head, and Boyd too when tried to lob the keeper in the first half. we put a bit of pressure on in the second half, Kink looks better and hit a brilliant dipping swerving shot that their Steele did well to keep out.

When Kink went off, that was it. not one serous effort after that. Poor. If this team does gel, and injured players come back to fitness it will be too late for automatic promotion.

We must have full backs in the full back positions and McDonald/Boyd is not a partnership that will work. Both good players but Gordon has bought himself a problem. One of them must play with a big man. Boyd cannot win those long balls aimed at him, and on the occasion he does get a flick on, McDonald is playing in a deeper role and can't get there.

I try not to be negative on here or have a rant but i am worried about this season now. In the end though i am angry at myself for getting sucked into the hype.

So lets end on a positive, great support for the team again today (do some have to boo at half time if we are not winning!). But The Red Faction never once stopped singing, and I mean that literally. It started half an hour before kick off too. That keeps me proud to be a Boro fan.

Everywhere we go, Everyone will know - we are middlesbro!!

--------------steele
---------------bates
---------wheater---mcmanus
hoyte------------------------bennett
-------oneill taveres kink
------------boyd---lita

Different ay! But here is my thinking for QPR. Wheater and McManus are great in the air but when the ball is being played around them, they are very sluggish,

We have a severe lack of pace and width and despite them being full backs Hoyte and Bennett are our best pacey options. Finally and rather simply Bailey, Robson and McDonald dont deserve to be in the team.

Celtic fired Tony Mowbray because in his opinion (coming from the world of the premiership and the quality that is required at the top level) he felt certain players in their squad were not good enough. WE SIGNED THREE OF THEM. I think Tony new what he was doing,dont you

If Strachan's shower of square-pegged central defenders and pedestrian defensive midfielders don't their act together and take at least seven points from QPR/Burnley/Reading we can forget the title.

If we don't get at least four (and preferably five) from those games we can probably forget the play-offs as well.

And if we get don't PLAY WELL in the home games (and win at least one of them) you can forget any chance of propping up the collapsing gates and all. That pre-Ipswich optimism is long time ago now.

If we can't beat promoted Millwall and also-rans Barnsley we are in big trouble. I think we are also rans now. The tide is turning against Mr Charm Offensive.

It has already been said in a previous comments that McDonald and Boyd are not suited to playing as a team they are both the same type of player, wanting the through ball on the floor into open spaces and not the long ball where they are both outjumped and outplayed by big central defenders.

My information on Boyd is that he played very well alongside Miller of Rangers who my Rangers supporter friend Ian told me was now free agent, Does anyone have any concrete evidence of this fact, and if it is true why have not the Boro tried to sign him to partner Boyd?

McDonald has represented Australia nineteen times without scoring, so what makes him a prolific goal scorer? Viduka on the other hand scored a goal every second match through out his career. in all leagues. He was also a player who could play a lone hand striker which neither Mcdonald or Boyd can.

We need a target man quickly to play with one of these strikers but we can not afford to play then both in the same team.

As a foot note I can not imagine Gary McAllister being in favour of this defensive strategy of Strachans where we attempt to keep a clean sheet and win with a breakaway goal from a long punt up the field.

Over the years the Boro have always been knowb as a footballing team, except for a few seasons when we had other kick and rush managers, one come s to Mind in Malcolm Alison, Who I was told by an emplyoyee at one time roughed up the Ayresome Park pitch as he said it was in to good a condition suit the sort of football he wanted from his Boro team. I am afraid Strachan appears to come in to this same category on his showing to date.

Strachan has filled his team with goalscorers but has forgotten to buy the crucial ingredient needed to enable them to score goals - a creative midfielder.

All the goalscorers we now have will have scored their goals from passes provided by someone else. Individual brilliance is rare in football these days. It's simple to everyone except Gibson Lamb and above all Strachan.

I was wrong in predicting a bottom three position after three games but not by much. Tavares from his record looks another much of a muchness. If Gibbo is really serious about promotion he has to push the boat out big time in the next two and a half days.

Remember Mendietta, Merson, Emerson, Gascoigne, for all their faults they knew how to make the killer pass. Bellamy Davids etc have been snapped up but they are still out there. Over to you Gibbo.

AV, I've read your blog for threeyears. Its a bit like the period 1914-1918. Black humour, ill foundered optimism, occassional high points with prolonged periods of depression, suffering and little hope. Do you get as depressed writing it as I do reading it?

A back four of four centre backs; Whats that all about?

**AV writes: Depressed? I might be if it wasn't for the strong medication.

The title of this blog I find quite astonishing. It's as if you dont believe the evidence before your own eyes that we are actually rubbish and that somehow a miraclulous transformation is going to take place.

It isnt and what is more in my 45 years of support I actually dont think we have had a worse manager.

Everything he has done smacks of complete incompetence.We play without full backs, we have no right sided midfielder, we have no pace, we have nobody that can beat a man, the strikers are not the right mix and we can no longer counter attack anybody.This is what Mr.Strachan has brought to the table with one of the biggest budgets in the league.

It's only a matter of time before he goes (hopefully he'll do the decent thing and walk) once the crowd start getting on his back.I dont think he'll be here one way or another by the end of October.

Oh and while I'm on about it, as a long standing ST holder I'd like to ask fellow fans when did you last enjoy a game at the Riverside? It's dross,complete and utter dross.

Stubbsy - you must have been trying out my spread sheet.

Commission?

AJ

Running the predictor, we are now at our true position in the table. The result against Barnsley confirms that so the next point we can expect to collect is against Reading.

I'm sorry to say but on the current form we are on target to become relegated. No joke 36 points is all we can expect. We will lose 9 of our remaining home games and 11 of our away games.

It is dire!!!!

So unless we improve we will slowly sink to the bottom and it won't be long before Sheff utd and Leicester overtake us.

On the performance front we are at par with -2 for the draw at Leicester and plus 2 for the win against Sheff.

Although we are predicted to get only 1 point from the next three games may be Gibbo heed the oracle and make swift and positive changes in the management.

By the way Nikeboro, as a supporter you shouldn't have hoped. Ive been hoping for years and it nearly always ends in disappointment. As my mum says " I don't know why you keep supporting them, - it always ends in tears"

I think McManus needs to be dropped as well as Bailey, play Kilgallon and Wheater. We need two full backs Kink, Robson, G O'N, Conway, Lita, Boyd.

And get rid of STRACHAN, his brand of play is back in the dark ages

And, while we're about it - how 'amateur hour' is it to bring in a desperation stakes loaner that no-one's heard of and that no-one in the club can have seen playing.

And, then you only get him signed so late on a Friday that you can't get his International clearance through in time for him to play until a fortnight hence - most of which he's going to spend away from the club. Pathetic.

The injury situation in midfield has hampered our start, so why has he let Josh Walker go to Watford? It was an ideal opportunity for Josh to make a name for himself but he has been booted out. Josh in an interview said no matter how well he played he was not given a chance by Strachan.

I personally did not want Strachan at the club in the first place ,even less now. Unfortunately for all the money Steve has pumped into the club he has still failed to bring a decent manager in.

This is the biggest reason why we are known in the football world as the biggest underachievers,and unless things improve quickly Steve will have to get another manager in,lets hope he gets it right next time.

He is a copy of the post I made following the opening day defeat by Ipswich:

Steve Gibson please read:

Our Gary said:

For me, its time to think seriously about replacing Strachan. That's not just a reaction to Saturday's game, but an evaluation of his record so far at Boro, backed up by the fact that he has never been successful in English management.

He has lost more games than he has won as Middlesbrough manager and thus he looks set to continue his distinctly mediocre record as a boss South of the Border.
I remember him as a fine player: skillful, determined and effective.

However, I fear he just does not have what it takes to be a successful manager. I am sure he is trying his best and has brought in an abundance of new players. And as a Boro fan for 43 years, I would love to see him succeed and put us back where everybody wants to be - in the top division. But I dont think it's going to happen with Gordon... In the meantime.. UP THE BORO!!!

Keep faith. Typical Boro might - just might - surprise us all at QPR. Is a draw a surprise after the Barnsley defeat? A win might be too much to hope! (we won there last year, didn't we?)

Up the Boro!

So far we've been told that we haven't won games because we've "Failed to create opportunities" for our "chance starved" strikers.

Yesterday we lost because we failed to take any of the several good chances we created.

Does this mean we're close to getting it right - or does it just mean we're getting it all horribly wrong?

Comparing GS I with GS II's win stats.

GS I won 29% and GS II is on 28%. That said most of GS I's were against Premiership opposition. We can debate about the Mido's, Digard's and Emnes etc and we can go on and on about zones, square pegs etc but the bottom line is winning even if its ugly.

So far GS II has failed miserably to win but more importantly I would guess to a man that most of us believe that this time last year things looked more rosy and convincing than they do now just prior to Tuncay and Huth going. In 12 months we have continued and now accelerated the backwards slide.

I have kept my powder dry so far this season but I do not see anything tactically that gives me any belief that this team and backroom staff are nothing other than hype and no substance.

Tony Mowbray believed a lot of them to be not good enough (his win record with WBA stands at 41% interestingly including Prem status). Whether he was good enough for Celtic or not is of no interest to me but he certainly knew how to win in the Championship and his willingness to jettison several of Strachans recruits is starting to look very ominous very early on.

The bottom line is that things have to change and change very quickly. Dwindling points and crowds will shortly mean for Middlesbrough see Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton.

Gordon is saying all the right things but the bottom line is results and Strachan's tartan army look incapable of delivering and look decidedly out of their depth. Ipswich, Millwall and Barnsley have all shown our true current standing.

The vutures are circling,the McMac party is over. We can't see the wood for the trees. How are we going to improve if we let all our players from our youth system go to our rivals for gratis even though it is patantly obvious they are superior to the McInputs who have replaced them?

Improvisation is the perogative of a good manager, you use what you have to its best advantage, GS lacks this attribute and has expressed his best shot at it to no avail. How long before we wake up to realize empty words mean empty results?

Lets forget about promotion - we will be lucky to stay in this league based on the performances we have produced thus far. Going now to take my bottle of valium... its the only way I can cope with my beloved Boro

Last night after the game I was going to write we are rubbish. The manager is rubbish, the players are rubbish, the team is rubbish. But I thought to myself, that can't be true. They're professional footballers. They can't be rubbish. And I decided to sleep on it. It didn't help...

It is arguably true that Boro's best midfield is:

Rhys Williams - O'Neill - Thomson - Flood

Has anyone else noticed that all four players are on the injury list ? That MFC spent all week signing a midfielder to play against Barnsley, but failed to get it done on time (not a surprise for MFC, of course)?

While Strachan is NOT making excuses, it seems odd to base one's season evaluations on this particular match.

Boro are doing their usual penny-pinching, but I suspect that Conway, a proven Championship midfielder will be playing for Boro in the next match, alongside O'Neil, and that Thomson, who has been excellent so far, will be back in October.

Best to remember that we are not Chelsea or Man City - when healthy, we should have a very competitive 11 or 12 players, but we are in no position to sign bench players who can light up the league. For example, if - knock on wood - Kris Boyd were to get injured for the year, kiss your promotion good bye.

To quote Douglas Adams - "Do Not Panic".

Let's just hope that things come together soon...,

Not to be in the top flight is devastating for the fans and for the economy and well being of the town. But unless we put the money in then there is no reason why we should think that we should be back there.

I have every faith in the manager as he has a proven track record, I just don't think that we have the money that is needed.

Here's hoping...,

I may have been silent but I read every week !

I am silent because my opinion hasn't changed and I know that people are sick to death of hearing it and so I don't want to sicken people off, but in this day and age if the chairman hasn't got the money then for me he isn't a chairman worth having.

Harsh but reality in the modern game.

We lack quality. We lack players who have the talent. We have bought what we could afford and so here we are. Anyone who thinks that this side can make the play offs needs to go and see the doctor.

TB

**AV writes: Welcome back.

On the eve of the season I made two wishes:

(1) Matt Bates makes it through the season without serious injury...so far so good.

(2) Tony Black re-enters the blog fray. Yeeay, welcome back Tony, my hopes for the season are going well so far.

I seem to recall in the same post I predicted a 4th place finish but that we wouldn't win the play-offs. Feeling a bit foolish about that prediction now (the 4th place bit, not the "not winning" bit), but I wasn't the only one!

Onto TB's point about money. "...we have bought what we could afford and so here we are." Agree with that. I don't agree that we should be seeking a new chairman who would fund an "old-style" money-led charge back to the big league.

Instead I think we should continue to buy what we can afford, and watch as club's regress due to severe financial problems. In essence our return to the big league will have at least as much to do with other clubs regression as our progression.

Nice to TonyBlack back here! Welcome. UTB!

I said it before the season started that we would find Macdonald and Boyd can not play together.We only have Miller unfortunately who is supposed to do the holding role. If he can or not is another matter.

Lita is not the man either although there is a bit more going on when he is playing.

Robson is out of position and is nowhere playing like last season.

Team for QPR providing no injuries.

Steele
Killgallon
Wheater
Macmanus
Taylor
Kink
Robson
Oneil
Williams
Miller
Macdonald or Boyd

Would like to see someone in for Miller but he is all we have at present. Very bad result yesturday.

I guess it's difficult to argue with the many eye-witnesses to the Barnsley incident - It's a team with no pace, no creativity and no confidence.

Forget a team of men - that has proved to be a massive red herring that has only bought Strachen six months - he's running out of time and excuses and needs to start winning asap.

So we need to bring in some young pacy player before the deadline close otherwise October's shirt sponsor will be DeepSchiesse Solutions and it will be industrial curtains for Gordon.

Also, things must be worse than I thought - Tony Black is back! though a rather tempered post I thought given the circumstances - but for his benefit...

Patient: Doctor Doctor, I keep thinking my team is going to get promoted.

Doctor: Don't worry it's not a serious condition and it shouldn't last for more than a couple of weeks.

It is still early days but that Barnsley performance was a woeful step back: we had them on the ropes and gave them an ice-cream!

A lot of us will continue to support this club and team through thick and thin, even if we are feeling very down about it.

I would like Gordon Strachan to take on board a few facts of life, though.

First, I would like him to stop calling this his team, as it is all of our team, and he is only a part of that team.

Which leads to the second point: we are owed some explanations for, at least, the following situations:

1) Is it he who is insisting on the players' playing in a narrow central channel, even when they appear to be "wingers" (and, in his doubtless superior wisdom, I would like him to explain how can that not be a massive help to the plodding central defences in the Championship?);

2) Is he unaware of how slow the team is (and unaware that he has quicker players at his disposal?) If so, might I suggest he or Gary McAllister uses a few stopwatches to verify this?

3) Did the La Manga trip do any actual good? If so, what exactly was achieved? (They look as if some of them need a holiday.)

4) Is he planning to take the enormous risk of going through the season with only two goalkeepers, one of whom is due to get a bigger battering than he's ever experienced in his young life?

Our loyal supporters actually deserve such answers, Gordon, and not just a little clapping from you at the end of a game. The clapping is welcome and deserved, but it means nothing if it does not imply respect, and the real respect we need is to be given some answers to this kind of question, not to be left in the cold and utterly baffled by what you are doing with our club.

Since Strachan took over after the Derby game last season,we are W10 D13 L14 - that's 43pts from 37 games. Based on this form after 46 league games we would end up W12 D16 L18, 50 pts... Sheff Wed got relegated with 47 pts last season. Start sweating boys - including you Mr Gibson

redcar red said:

"Gordon is saying all the right things but the bottom line is results and Strachan's tartan army look incapable of delivering and look decidedly out of their depth. Ipswich, Millwall and Barnsley have all shown our true current standing."

Couldn't agree more. I think he's been a disastrous choice as manager, an opinion that has been hardened by reading his dazzling 'insights' in 4-4-2 each month.

Every time he opens his mouth he just sounds like a twerp, trying to be oh-so-deadpan-funny when he's actually seriously out of his depth but unable to say so.

Ipswich, Millwall & Barnsley will not be the only ones to show our true standing.

I don't have any faith that Strachan is the man for the Job.

I was one of the many that felt Southgate wasn't the right man and I welcomed a change of manager. I had my doubts when GS2 was appointed and it appears my concerns were right.

I don't go along with the opinion that we have only played four games so give the man a chance. It has been more than four games and there are no signs whatsoever of having a competetive team.

We can write off this season already, this current bunch are not suddenly going to turn into world beaters are they? My prediction for this season; A whole lot worse to come, dwindling crowds, fan revolts and a 16th place finish.

I think Strachan already knows following the Barnsley game that he cannot turn the situation round. I reckon he will jump before he is pushed, I can't imagine him enjoying being a failure and out off respect for the chairman he will leave, leaving us in the worst state we've been since 1988.

Man rubs a bottle and a genie pops out.

Thank you said the genie, for releasing me from the bottle, I will grant you any wish.

I wish to live for ever said the man.

Sorry said the genie, that is one wish I cannot grant, try again

OK said the man, I want to live until The Boro are promoted.

Crafty swine, said the genie.

I'll get me coat.

I have just seen the two goals that Barnesly scored against the Boro.

The first was a total give away, with a Barnesley player free to head the ball over a stranded goalkeeper, without ever being challenged in the air, the second goal a player is allowed to run the length of the field without a Boro player getting in a tackle then slotting the ball past the keeper. It is just ridiculous in this modern era of football.

This sort of play will not get the Boro in to any play offs and will be more likely get us into the relegation stakes.

Back to our incumbent Manager or should I say incompetant manager... how many great players of yester year failed to make the grade as club managers? A few come to mind Gazza, Wilf Mannion, Raich Carter. Other other average players became great managers, Fergie, Wenger, to mention only two. I think we must put Strachan in the first category a great player lacking in the managership stakes.

It is not too late to make a major change to get us back on track and it will be much cheaper than panic buying of second rate Scottish players to get us out of this hole we are in.

I am thinking of the mangers who are available to start immediatley given the right incentive, there are at least two successful mangaers on the market at present and we all know who they are. Do you Mr Gibson? If you do make a move now before it is too late,

We've managed to amass three times more injuries than goals - that says everything you need to know about our progress so far!

I just hope nobody starts saying 'bring back Gareth Southgate / Steve McClaren, all is forgiven...'

OOOPS, I just did.

Only joking.

Keep up the good work Gordon Ramsay, sorry, Strachan.....

Well it’s Monday and time for the Smogonthetyne now in Nunthorpe predictor © ™

And it say’s

 bog off it’s a bank holiday!

Fair enough. Time to lick some wounds and re group for tomorrow and Deadline day drama

Oh I forgot. Now I know these places can be full of scurrilous rumour, but I promise this is true. I have it from a source inside the dressing room that after the Sheff Utd game a player went up to Gordie and said something along the lines of ‘come on you can smile now we won’. At this remark Gordon exploded into tirade ‘ Happy at that, do you think I’m happy at that!! Do you think they (the supporters) are happy at that! Do you think they are going home happy. etcetc

He was not happy.

Also my source says the players do care, they desperately want promotion and are giving it their all. My mole reports that it’s nerves that are currently damaging performances.

Quite what they are nervous of, the boss, the fans, the pressure I don’t know. But if they are nervous, and they have had such a poor start to the season, hopefully they come back after the break with a nothing to lose attitude.

Up the Boro

Thanks for the advice about not hoping too much, Allan in Bahrain. You're right, of course. After nearly 50 years following Boro, I should know by now - but I just can't help myself.

I've got better over the years. I stopped going to games in the McClaren era. I took stock and, having travelled to six away games I'd not seen a decent performance, not one point won, the goals tally was three for and 13 against and that load of dross must have cost me over £600. Enough.

How silly I feel now to have got excited pre-season and told my London workmates we had a promotion team in the making. I should know better than to build my hopes up - since my first game away to Leeds in '61 (Clough, Peacock, Holliday, Harris), the negatives have outweighed the postives about 2 to 1.

Who would have thought even our first FA Cup final would prove to be a source of embarassment? Somebody please score a quicker goal so I can read the record books again! Drab, boring, frustrating mundanity has swamped everything ten-fold.

But then there were the Barmby, Junhinho, Ravanelli years. Who knew Boro would ever sign the best players in the world? Then we had the cup win at last and the Eufa adventure including the bravado en route to Eindoven. Great years - but what a let-down since.

I even struggle to feel good in looking back nostalgically to those times - it's poisoned by what's happened since. I feel like we were silly pretenders who, like a poor man's Leeds, bought our time in the spotlight.

It wouldn't feel half as bad if we'd stayed a run-of-the-mill, unambitious small-town club that was content with its ordinary lot. Like I said, it's the hope that kills you.

"At the end of the day you can have your opinion. You are either of the mind that we need a big investor who will no doubt not be a fan and so may come with risks, but you feel that is a risk worth taking, or you are of the belief that it's better the devil you know and are happy just to do the best we can with what we've got.

I favour the first choice."

Choice? There is no choice. THERE IS NO BIG INVESTOR! If there was do you think Steve Gibson would still have the club?

**AV writes: It never ceases to amaze me how many people think a selfish Steve Gibson is defiantly holding out against a queue of eager football loving billionaires that stretches from Teesside all the way to.... er ... Portsmouth? The club can't even find a substantial year long sponsor let alone someone to pick up the debt and an annual deficit of millions

lynp said:

"Steve Gibson paying the price for replacing McClaren on the cheap with Southgate after Eindhoven when he should have paid up and got a top manager in to keep moving the club forward."

I think it's more Steve Gibson paying the price for allowing McClaren to buy too many 30-somethings with no sell on value and huge wages.

The McClaren era was a short-term plan (most likely engineered by McClaren himself who always saw the club as a stepping-stone) sanctioned by the boardroom which came at a long term cost to the club they still haven't paid off.

There's been several mistakes in the meantime.

I've done a bit of trawling through AV's blog of 4th August, ahead of season KO, when posters were invited to write their own script for the season.

The following extracts are reproduced from that blog in response to where Boro would find themselves. I haven't been selective - I chose all I could find that offered views on that specific question. Apologies to anyone I missed.

I dare say quite a few were posted in hope - or perhaps even Blind Faith, in which case................. oh, forget it, it's not worth the hassle! Many responses exemplify why politicians and scientists don't commit unless it's a done deal or the evidence is strong and nailed down! The other group is the one-word group - "funsters" who recognise the futility of such an exercise, but have a go to help boil the pot.

Have a look and then ask yourselves, should AV drop the "UN" from the blog title?

Brisbane Phil said: Finish top - promotion by my birthday (march) and champions by Easter

gt said: I think its important we realise its 46 games. We have to make ourselves hard to beat to begin with,

Grove Hill wallah said: Champions.

Holgate Ender said: I think we will do well, be hard to beat and up among the leading bunch from the start and safely in a promotion spot by Christmas

steve h said: I think we'll be in the top six all season. There will be many a set back, but we'll come with a late run to clinch one of the automatic places.

paul bell said: Mid table mediocrity next season .... and for many a season to come.

sick as a parrot said: I have my cash on to win the title at 10/1, pay for next years SC

Jarkko said: Up the Boro, the 'Borough is going up!

jiffy said: Pretty much like last season I am afraid. A pretty good start but then we lose Boyd/McDonald up front and McManus at the back to injury/suspensions and we really do not have a Championship standard backup so we plummet to midtable and then its a case of can we put a run together for the playoffs later.

Lee said: 2nd, have a sticky patch during xmas, fans get on back, refocus after xmas and a run to 2nd spot

Nikeboro said: Automatic promotion. Top six most of season, top three from Nov at latest.

Ian Gill said: I think we will have a good season and be promoted. If we can get a few out and bring in a couple than our position as favourites will be justified.

Chris D said: Finish as Champions, way ahead of anyone else and promoted by Easter!!

Powmill said: Champions of course

borobythesea said: Optimistically and everything clicking into place, with no long term injuries and few suspensions, then top two. Realistically and the least demanded, top six.

chris from Beverley said: I'm not convinced they will start off like a house on fire, but I think they will eventually settle down to have a good season.

VectorBoro said: If we do not finish as Champions then we will come 2nd 3 points adrift of the top.

Kev B said: If we avoid serious injuries to key personnel then I feel second spot is ours.

TheProph said: We're going to crack this division like a kinder egg...the surprise will come around January, when GON leaves and we have injury troubles, but we'll recover and make it to the top by the time the season's over.

Stubbsy said: We won't finish top, that's for certain. ‹Forget the bookies predictions. They mean nothing. With the new look side we might just scrape into the play offs if all goes well. If Calamity Jones is still with us and the first choice, then we've NO chance of being champions.

‹I think we're still well short of being a consistent side that can keep winning games like the way the Magpies and Baggies did - or even Forest for goodness sakes - check their 19 game unbeaten run. Can Boro do summat like that? I doubt it! They can't even win fouron the trot. Time for me to be proved wrong as usual then, eh? let's see what transpires after the draw with Ipswich tomorrow.... ‹I'd say anywhere between 3rd and 10th place is an achievement.

Gutted!! said: Champions and we'll beat 102 points

Brandon said: We'll finish top and get promoted - it won't be a runaway, but there will be just enough of a gap between us and the chasers to keep it interesting

Croydon Boro said: 2nd. Forest to trump us.

bob said: Promotion? Maybe. I think we'll finish 4th, but I don't think we'll have what it takes to get through the play offs. I think the division will be very tight - not much seperating the top 14 or 15 clubs. I fancy Forest, and then there's probably another 10 clubs that will be in with a realistic shout.

Ian Wood said: I think that with the solid signings that GS has made with more to come 


.I think we are going to spank this league as the first choice spine of the team looks pretty strong.

Andy R said: I don't see us romping away with it but we'll grind the points out whilst everyone else beats each other. Automatic promotion for me

Richard said: Who will win the Championship?‹ The Bookies - they rely on sentiment over accuracy of prediction, and they're the only ones who'll get it statistically right over the season. They'll make money while most of the rest of us won't. ‹That's all the predictions I'm offering. ‹As a supporter, the rest is hope.

Matt said: Where will we finish? ‹Top two, but I'm not sure whether we will actually walk away with the title. ‹Can we win the Championship? ‹Of course, we just need to add a couple to the squad. Namely, a left back & a winger by deadline day.

**AV writes: Interesting - but very early. I don't usually look back at the pre-season speculation until Christmas.

We have to be thankful to Gibson. Big style, he's put his money where his mouth is. However, his strategy has been very suspect and fragmented.

Initially, he thought that an injection of cash would catapult us into the big time. He clearly thought this would bring success, fans would flock, gate & commercial income would flow and produce a self-sustaining financial situation. Naive.

Fistly, he recruited a manager who was hopeless. Recruitment was laughable - his successes were players that any of us would have bought, given the money. Almost all his purchases with a lower profile were failures, some of them abject, when the key factor was judgement of a player.

Gibson and Lamb must take much of the blame for giving such inexperienced staff their head and scope to fritter away a fortune.

Even with some top players, Robbo & Anderson hadn't a clue: tactically inept, desperately unbalanced teams, no coherence, players not knowing what they were supposed to be doing, fantastically-paid mercenaries (remember Boksic and Gazza?) who took us for a ride and totally undermined morale.

So the big investment was largely wasted and, despite our first cup finals, brought relegation instead of success. Things started to unravel within a year of the first promotion and again not long after the second.

That's been Gibson's biggest failing - waiting too long. What is usually painted as chairman loyalty is, in reality, a stubborn reluctance to admit his mistake. Remember the farce of the Robbo/Venables period? Embarassing. It must have cost a fortune to get Terry in and, all the while, Robbo was still on big money too.

Supporter disillusionment set in. I can remember in the late 60s, when we often got well over 30,000 and sometimes a 40,000 full house. In Robbo's early years, there was the potential for that - remember when the Riverside gates were often closed? But, as Boro always do, we attracted back the mass support only to kick them in the teeth. We lost potential supporters then who have rarely, if ever, been back.

We then lurched into another phase of Gibson strategy with McClaren. The big-money era was mostly finished and we tried to buy support with short term success. Up to a point, that worked and at least brought our first success. The experienced, tried-and-tested profesionals might have been past their peak but they mostly delivered the goods.

However, it was all too late - the potential mass support was no longer there. Worse, McClaren's brand of negative, safety-first football was never going to be a magnet, regardless of any belated success. The crowds just did not come. So Gibson moved into yet another approach.

This was much more pragmatic. 'Teesside will get the team it deserves' - so it was our fault for not flocking to the Riverside, was it? Insulting. There was no appreciation that it was executive errors that had produced the cynicism. The golden opportunity of the mid-90s had been missed through a bad choice of managerial team, weak executive guidance and slowness to intervene when it all fell apart.

Now, Gibson determined to 'cut his cloth'. The Vidukas, Hasselbanks, etc were instantly gone and replaced with workmanlike players. McClaren (thankfully) got his chance to go and the new austerity stretched to our new manager. Southgate came in on the cheap and was given the mission to economise.

This could have worked and is probably a more realistic, sustainable approach. However, it necessitiated a manger who can judge a player and recruit 'nuggets' - Southgate's major failing. Motivationally, he must then get the best out of his players and, organisationally, be tactically creative - two factors in which SGS was sadly inept. Even then, large sums were frittered on no-hopers - Alves, Mido, etc.

Once again, Southgate should have gone a year earlier. The damage has been immeasurable from Robbo and Southgate being allowed to overstay their welcome. This is totally down to Gibson.

Strachan was brought in to sift through the ashes. Without a sugar-daddy, the only remaining strategy is to do what we always used to do: buy rough diamonds from the lower divisions and Scotland and, along with home-grown youngsters, polish them. Time will tell how successful Strachan is but early indications are far from good.

Gibson is accountable for Boro's hugely straightened circumstances. Other than getting it half-right with McClaren, his managers have been dire. Chairman support has been confused with a lack of executive regulation and control that has produced wasted fortunes and opportunities missed. In turn, this has led to entrenched supporter disillusionment, exacerbated by Teesside economic gloom, that has cost us a generation of support. If Strachan flops, the result is unthinkable.

**AV writes: The phrase was "Teesside will get the team it can afford". And I think we are getting there bang on schedule.

Boro fans these days seem to be all faint hearts and bottle jobs. Why the knicker wetting hysterical panic after four games? Why the screams to sack the manager before August is even out? Are you all turning into Geordies? What if a new boss comes in and can't work with Strachan's side? How many games do they get?

It hasn't been a great start. Any fool can see that. But we haven't been relegated and we haven't been banned from the play-offs. To hear some people whining like old ladies on here and the other place you would think the season was over and Strachan had failed already.

If you listen to Strachan's interviews he is obviously furious about how it is going and he generally says more or less the same things as the fans about the poor passing and the lack of penetration. It's not as if he is ignorant to where the problems or that this is how he wants them to play.

It is easy to seize on a few poor results and use them to justify your prejudices. If you were against him from day one then yes, this is all the evidence you need to start knocking together the gallows.

But what we have seen so far is nowhere near the finished article. We haven't even seen his first XI on the pitch yet have we? O'Neil and Thomson have been out injured and anyone who thinks that hasn't made a difference knows nothing about football.

Those two added to Robson and Bailey (in their right positions) plus the pacey right sided MF he wants will give Boro a dramatically improved midfield that will work harder, be more solid, slicker and create the chances for front two.

Sorry if it can't be done overnight. Sorry if it has upset a few people that they haven't got exactly what they want NOW. Sorry if Gibson hasn't gone into panic
mode and offered you a scapegoat.

It is ironic that so many people are calling on the players to show some spine or "man up" when they themselves are lacking any morale fibre and have put their hands up at the first sign of problems. Thank God Steve Gibson isn't so weak.

AV, you shouldn't encourage this infantile short termism and kneejerk defeatism, especially as you "kept the faith" with Southgate so long. There are 40 games left. Plenty of time. And even if it goes wrong, there is no need for this pathetic hyperbole. The world won't spin off its axis if we don't go up.

Let's all take a close look at a few of what I really believe are the primary contributory factors to Boro's alarming slide down the Championship table (and subsequent loss of focus and strength as a unit) since the first four games of our first Championship campaign last year....

With Southgate at the helm, we opened the season in - shock, horror - impressive fashion with a draw and then three straight wins. Ten points from four games. FOUR clean sheets - great solid promising defence courtesy of the Huth-Wheater partnership anchoring the backline. Even Coyne's debut in goal for these games was outstanding, so to speak. We still had Tuncay as a forward....having offloaded the useless likes of Alves etc...

It was, by Boro's usual crap standards, a dream start. We were second in the table, behind Cardiff: Newcastle still hadn't caught up with us yet (although of course look what happened later!!) and we were the last side to concede in the top two English leagues (this year, of course, the honour went to QPR who have amassed an indentical ratio of points against draws/wins - albeit in reverse sequence, but even they finally conceded against Derby in the weekend's draw.

The Boro midfield still featured O'Neil, Arca, and Johnson.....the latter being the crucial key to our GD for those first four games of +8.

After our 2-0 win at home against Doncaster, Huth and Tuncay were quickly sold to Stoke, and their replacements were ..... well, who exactly DID we get to replace them??

Tellingly, the next game at Bristol City, without Huth/Wheater anchoring the backline, we lost 2-1. There began the start of reversion back to 'typical Boro'. Coincidence? What do you think?

An unexpected and shocking 5-0 battering at home by the Baggies resulted in Coyne being taken off between the sticks and Calamity Jones being reinstated - with decidedly mixed results....

After the sudden sacking of Southgate - despite his engineering a 2-0 win over Derby at home (his final win and the last for Boro for another 10 games) - Boro were without a manager for the next game against Preston away - where a 2-1 winning position was squandered for a 2-2 draw.

This was the last time Boro were to find themselves on the verge of maximum points in any fixture until almost TEN GAMES later, with Strachan at the helm....

So, with Huth, Tuncay, and Johnson now gone, Boro seem to be suddenly a far weaker team than they were when they started the campaign. And this, depressingly, was the way things remained ever since, notwithstanding new recruits and the new gaffer.....

Fast forward 12 months and look at us - SIX points behind the top and also our tally for this stage last season. Two defeats in 4 league games, out of the Carling Cup (yet again), and with the future looking anything but rosy except to those frankly still deluded enough to believe we are in with a shout at promotion or play offs - come on, dream's over.....

The reality is, the way things are going (weaknesses always being exposed by failing to come back from behind to draw or win; injuries mounting up ever quicker and thicker, etc...) we will find ourselves doing EXACTLY WHAT SOUTHAMPTON AND CHARLTON HAVE DONE by dropping into League One if things don't get sorted out - and fast.

You think I'm kidding don't you?

I've just planned my next visit to the bookies and I know I stand to net a fortune in my predictions for the rest of this campaign. And the signs aren't good as far as Boro's chances of finishing in the top six are concerned.

There are news reports that police are looking into unusual betting patterns in other sports.

The FA corruption unit were asked about Boro's zonal defence's inability to defend set pieces and the regular concession of goals in the red zone. The FA were able to reassure the police that they had already checked with the betting industry only to be reasssured that even illegal betting syndicates were more likely to accept a bet on Christmas falling on 25th December

Gutted!! said: Champions and we'll beat 102 points

Yes I was clearly wrong, I thought and wrote that whilst feeling confident during the pre-season optimism high.

However this league is very poor and I'm sick of being told how difficult it is - it's not, it's an extremely poor division filled with very average players, teams, and squads. With the money we have spent we should be dominating, imagine if Cardiff had the funds we've accessed this summer.

What really worries me is when the injured players return we've still got no pace!! Can't MFC see this?

Good news though....... Gordon Strachan has a "Terrific" life, I'm so happy he told BBC Tees this vital piece of information.

David Craig in Sunderland talking about North East transfers and not even a mention of MFC.

That is because we are where we are but some news from the North of the border correspondent that may be some movement on Conway. The Scottish window shuts at midnight, any implications for us?

Richard -

I am in the too early to panic grouping of fans but it is head scratching time. Something isn't right and everyone has highlighted, rightly or wrongly, the lack of pace and width.

Strachan talks of poor ball retention, Arsenal and ManU keep the ball because they have pace, movement and in ManU's case width.

With a narrow midfield and 'full' backs who get nose bleeds if they get near halfway there wont be options for the man with the ball. Scholes and Fabregas rarely waste a ball but they are not all eye of a needle passes, many are short taking out players with balls to colleagues but they have sevearl options because of movement.

We will just have to wait and see but it isnt a spectacle at the moment.

Are we having a window special?

If AV can’t be bothered and the club can’t be bothered on this transfer deadline day. Then I don’t see why us long suffering fans should either. I’ve had it with football. I’m going to start watching a game where the integrity of the players is paramount. Cricket anyone?

**AV writes: It's not that I can't be bothered. There's nothing i would like better than to sit watching SSN news all day with the lappy having four windows open and Eric on speed-dial but I am off today and doing my last shift as "daddy" before the end of the six week summer hols. The library, crazy golf and the boats at Albert Park beckon. I'll do something after close of play.

Well, after that result its very difficult to be optimistic but I've taken a long deep breath of foam hand fumes so here goes;

It's far too early to be able to draw conclusions on how the season is going to pan out yet.

We're missing several key midfield players and a new set of players are still finding their way. Who knows a couple of good results might give a confidence boost to the squad and players which currently look laboured, one dimensional and slow may suddenly find a new zest and dynamism......

That's the best I can do I'm afraid!

Reevalinho jnr signed up for the Texaco championship fantasy league and of course quite rightly and optimistically loaded his team with Boro Boys, he's currently unloading them sharpish!

Personally I still think we'll finish in the top two.............

Boo .. Strachan out!

If the club do not sign Conway today, why not play Emnes on the RW? At least he has a bit of pace and is prepared to take a full back on.

Strachan seems determined to play four CBs across the back four and four CMs across midfield. Is it any wonder that we struggle to take the game to the opposition?

C'Mon Boro!

I've read through the wise counsel in some of the messages and I'm partly back-tracking on some of my negativity driven by depair.

Problem is, I got so hopeful and excited pre-season the fall has been very painful. I'm so scarred by decades of let-downs and suffering, I can no longer cope with raised expectations. Like I said, it's the hope that kills you.

It IS too early to write off this team and this season. The early indications are unpromising, so far there are clear weaknesses and I'm no longer optimistic. Having said that, this is a dreadfully poor division, I can see no outstanding teams and we appear to have some of the better players. We have lots of key players missing and so many new players will take time to gell. All is not lost - yet . . .

"I don't see us romping away with it but we'll grind the points out whilst everyone else beats each other. Automatic promotion for me."

Yep, another one taken in! All the early signings with the promise of more to come plus the welcome release of players like Aliadiere was more than enough to trick me into a foam-handed frenzy. But so what eh? Only at the Boro do you get bonus points for staying on the Meldrew side of realism. The bookies all got it wrong too so we're in good company.

The fumes are yet to completely clear my lungs though. I still believe we've got a very competitive spine to the team for this division. Add a pacey right winger who can beat his man and cross (today please), get the injured midfielders back fit, be a more positive with the team selection (i.e. full backs who can go forward) and get a little bit of confidence going and let's see what we can do.

Smog...cricket? I bet you don't mean it.......

AV - Boats on Albert Park lake, that brings back a few memories, back in the 80's I'm amazed we didn't catch a nasty diisease or two, no doubt it's a little cleaner now. Can you get waterproof covers for a lappy?

"'Teesside will get the team it deserves' "

If you ever do an untypical boro book you'll have to have a chapter on cult phrases like that one, their origin and their misquotation. Here's a few to start you off...

Boro on Rhine
Everyone from Stockton is a Makem.
Top drawer manager
Small town in Yorkshire
Blind faith

I'm sure there's loads more. They were just off the top of my head, but you get the picture

**AV writes: "fittest we've ever been"; "no one in this league can match us on finances; " "relegation was a bolt from the blue"; "Keith Lamb's fax machine"....

Jiffy -

As I have posted regularly I think the full back postions are crucial.

I am just waiting for the team to line up with Kilgallon at right back with Robson right side midfield and Bates and Bailey on the left.

We are now supposed to be after Crosas from a Celtic. Played 40 games in two years but only one friendly appearance so far this season. Apparently he is a creative central midfield play from Spain. If he came that would almost guarantee Robson on the right.

If we persist in non overlapping full backs and a back four as rigid as a table football line up we may as well not spend the money on Conway.

Taylor to Watford..are we their Celtic?

Dawson to West Brom.

Oh dear, you tight fisted so an so's....

Jarkko -

Throw in Grounds and you could argue we have lost two left backs.

At this momemnt in time it looks like no one has come and if that is the case we just have to get on with it.

There will be loans to come but there is no point in moaning. The new reality is do it with what we have.

End of story.

"Taylor plays the ball to Walker who turns his marker and feeds Graham who's made a magnificent run into space between the opposition defense and unleashes an unstoppable shot into the top right of the net!

Goooooooooaaaaaaalllllllll!!"

Oh, bugger.........

Sensing a #borocultphrases hashtag/trending topic on Twitter Vic! I call 'lessons learned' as my opening salvo...

Emnes might get that run out on one of the flanks - something I'm not opposed to - since the bulk of our midfield is queuing up for the treatment table and Tayls and Grounds have beaten a path out of Hurworth.

Oh, and I'm still intolerably miserable from the events at Oakwell. I'll be in a virtual poker room if anyone needs me...