Boro Kids 1 Premiership Form Side 2 (aet)
BORO'S Academy lads put in a spirited show against the Premier League's form side. Eight of the side that finished the game came off the Hurworth production line. Eight of our own. It was certainly no disgrace to be edged out. In fact, if anything that young mix-and-match side have every right to feel a little disappointed they didn't win.
Yes, Sunderland had chances: Bardsley hit the post with a long range speculative effort and Jason Steele made a couple of routine saves. But the best of the efforts came from Boro. Tony McMahon had a goabound effort hooked away, a good Seb Hines effort was turned behind, there were a couple charged down and a couple of saves.
The game went out live on prime-time on national TV and many of the viewers will have been hard pushed to say which of these two sides were setting the pace in the top flight and which had barely managed to get out a coherent side after an injury crisis and a month of misery in the Championship.
It was a good display. Boro lost but they can take a lot of positives. Curtis Main looked cocky, hungry and potent while Lukas Jutkiewicz gave a physical prescence in and around the box and got off the mark with his first goal and both McMahon and Rhys Williams put in storming perfromances. There was spirit and steel and despite the injury problems - almost a full first XI are sidelined - a coherence and confidence about a side that many expected to get battered. It bodes well for the future.
******
BORO ACADEMY 1 PREMIER LEAGUE 2 (aet)
By all the known rules of the football universe we should be devastated right now.
Losing at home in a FA Cup derby crunch. Live on national television. In extra time. Against the Mackems. To a spawny strike that was probably avoidable. After a miserable month of mounting injuries, demoralising defeats and dismal draws. Groan.
By rights Boro supporters should be gutted, left flat out on the canvas and fearing the worst after our traditional post-Christmas slump is followed by an FA Cup exit. Or angrily recruiting for a torch wielding lynch mob.
In fact, most swollen chested Teessiders were left buzzing by a pulsating performance at the that went some way to restoring pride and boosting morale.
The spirit, steel and resolution shown by a patched up team of home grown heroes brought a heart-warming glow to supporters on a freezing night at the Riverside that almost - almost - balanced out the disappointment of defeat.
Tony Mowbray's side finished the game against big boys Sunderland - who have spent well over £100m in the past three years in their vain pursuit of ephemeral top flight mid-table security - with EIGHT Academy graduates on the field.
That's eight players straight off Dave Parnaby's incredible Hurworth production line. Plus a teenage striker signed on a free after he was released by non-league Darlington.
Jason Steele, Tony McMahon, Matthew Bates, Seb Hines, Joe Bennett, Rhys Williams, Richie Smallwood and Adam Reach are all graduates of Boro's own school of excellence.
That in itself it is an incredibly feat of self-sufficiency in a game - an industry - dominated by the buying and selling of transient talent.
Just to get so many home grown players on the pitch at one time is in itself a fair enough reason for a little parochial pride. For them then to put in such a spirited show in a high-octane game against the top flight's red hot form team and to come away thinking they could - should? - have won the game brings immense satisfaction.
They more than matched Martin O'Neill's on-song side in every department. Over the two games and three-and-a-half-hours Boro stifled on-song Sunderland and restricted them to a handful of half-chances. And created a string of good opportunities to win the game. It was only a self-inflicted wound that let them off the hook at their place.
It would have been very hard for the prime time national armchair audience to identify exactly which side was top of the Premier League form chart and which was faltering in the Championship having not won since Boxing Day.
Alright, there's not a lot of room in football for 'moral victories.' They don't really have a column in the table for might-have beens. There isn't a shadow 'moral cup' for plucky underdogs who should have squeezed through but for this dodgy decision or that fluke goal against. If there was we may be away to Shrewsbury in the next round.
But stirring shows like that can help galvanise a flagging season. We can take pride, take the positives and move on with optimism after that. Who needs Scott McDonald? We've got the Jukebox and the Main Man. Bring it on.
Boro started as underdogs with a mix-and-match side and as the game wore on the average age went downwards and the local content edged upwards: the experienced outsiders Kevin Thomson and Julio Arca went off to be replaced by Smallwood and Reach late on and fans could easily have started chanting "eight of our own."
By the end only Marvin Emnes and Justin Hoyte were left that didn't qualify for at least honorary Teessider status.
By rights Boro should have been battered. Every instinct in the armoury of the pundits and bookmakers said so. And, in truth, so did many Boro supporters. Recent results, Barry Robson, Marvin Emnes and Faris Haroun had joined the walking wounded, even, the cynics said, the return of Julio Arca to inject midfield pace, were the ingredients of a small screen horror show to live in derby infamy.
Boro went into the game in the middle of an injury crisis as debilitating and contagious as a Biblical plague, clearly visited upon us as retribution for the sin of pride and daring to dream after the heady heights of an unbeaten December. Boro could field a full starting XI from the current casualty list that would probably hold it's own in the Championship.
In a bleak run of critical knocks the once smooth engine room has spluttered. The keepers have been taking it in turn to be crocked. The strikeforce has been struck down. Momentum has ground to a halt and the results have withered.
All logic said we would get dismantled. Yet the patched up young side showed enterprise and industry, spirit and steel and battled with a contagious zest through a strength-sapping two hours that went a long way to rebuilding fractured morale in the crowd.
Over the course of two cracking cup ties scores of thousands of estranged Boro fans, all those layers of loyalists who have drifted away since relegation and armies of exiles who usually only get the briefest glimpse of the team on TV will now have been given some idea of exactly how the Moggalution is shaping up.
They will have seen how Mowbray has got his teams organised and motivated, that he can square the circle tactically and give a limited squad a shape and system that means they have a fighting chance against anyone and that the squad contains plenty of raw talent and an assortment of assets with the potential to be shaped into a potent force.
Hopefully they will be encouraged and inspired and driven get along to the bread and butter games and climb back aboard the Mogganaut.
Boro should have won. Sunderland, this month's usurpers-elect in the Premiership, the new Stoke, were nothing special. They work hard enough but as Mogga had intimated, "they are no Arsenal or Barcelona."
And they were knocked out of their stride by a determined Boro side. James McClean who had done so well in the first game and dangerman Sessagnon were shackled and at the other end Boro had some good chances. Lively rookie Main had a couple of good efforts; Hines had a stabbed close range effort deflected over; and McMahon had a sweetly struck goal-bound effort cleared off the line.
So well done to Boro. And well done the home fans too - apart from the idiots who jumped out of the crowd to launch a pointless pitch invasion, especially the grade A doyle who put a two footed tackle in on one of our own players.
It wasn't quite the biggest crowd of the season - it was a shade short of the Boxing Day gate for Hull - but it was the most intense. It generated a fantastic atmosphere for two compelling hours of drama.
And the Red Faction bed sheet banner in the South East Corner - "the derby they disrespect yet dare not lose" - caught the mood of the moment succinctly.
Not such glowing praise for the Sunderland fans though. They had numbers and volume, yes and played their part in that sense in ratcheting up the tension but most level headed Mackems - and there are plenty, in real life they are just like us - should surely be left thoroughly embarrassed that live on national television their representatives wheeled out their tired old basest 'child abuse' chanting straight from the gutter. They poisoned what should have been a dynamic tension of rivalry with vile abuse in the name of banter.
And ITV put in a very poor performance too. It was shameful and shoddy the haste with which they brushed aside their live game - a dramatic and entertaining encounter and after all the product that advertisers had paid for too - in the rush to join the hyperbole and hysteria of the Capello/Redknapp circus of speculation. They hijacked the game to have their experts - in Gareth Southgate and Roy Keane almost uniquely well suited to reveal the cultural derby dynamics as much as the tactics - talk about England.
Before the game and at half-time you could sense their fidgeting, By the end they had abandoned any pretence at post-match analysis of a great game and instead probed Martin O'Neill about the England hotseat (as if he was going to say anything!) rather than his side's dramatic win, they cut out Tony Mowbray's interview completely and opted not to reshow the Boro goal. It was disrespectful and a sour end to a brilliant night.
But, a night of positives. Now we have to make sure that intensity, industry and spirit is taken into the looming league games. Whatever Sunderland fans may think, that wasn't our cup final. There is a long way still to go in this season.
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Proud of the boys. Even the Russian commentator seemed disapointed for us.
Let me be the first to say it, "It means we can concentrate on promotion now"!
Very proud of the lads last night. They did all they could to keep us in it but it wasnt meant to be.
I think there was eight academy on the field at the end. The team at the end cost about £6m so when you consider what there team cost. Great job by all. Matthew Bates was man of the match for me
If there can be any criticism. We must work on our transition game. We could have moved the ball quicker and earlier.
Middlebrough Academy 1 Sunderland 2 (aet).
Immensely proud.
Well said, AV: "... many of the (TV) viewers will have been hard pushed to say which of these two sides were setting the pace in the top flight and which had barely managed to get out a coherent side after an injury crisis."
Tony was clearly protecting the more experienced players after 70 min. But who cares, we can be very proud of the eight (!) graduates on field. And another north-easter from non-league in Main!
I think Bates was the best defender on the field, Hines was excellent, too. And Williams was OK, too. I think the latter's position is where he can stay injury free as we have so many matches in Championship. We must keep him fit.
Magnificent match and plenty of positives. But now back to our main interest and Ipswich on Saturday. I'd like to see more of Reach and Smallwood there, though.
Up the Boro!
A lot of positives to be taken out of the match - but only if they are taken.
We actually looked better when Smallwood and Reach came on. As I often say if they have a squad number and you pay them then play them or get rid.
Main looked very good, I still cant see why he wasnt on the bench and blooded earlier.
The performance also damages the weak squad theory.
As Shteve Mclaren would have shaid: "magnifishent"
A little more accuracy with his shooting and the headline could have been: Magnificent man of the match McMahon masters mackems.
Was at the match and thought we played really well. If we had given the ball to Adam Reach a few more times in extra time I don't think Sunderland would have scored the way they did, if at all.
Although we were good I did think Sunderland were a poor outfit from back to front. Only Sessegnon looked lively to me and Colback was given too much time on the ball - other than that nothing.
Watched till the early hours of this morning. Gutted by the result but not the display. The team were a credit to us all and must be dead on their feet. Couldn't believe how they just kept going even when the late winner went in they still tried to break out and get back on terms. Very proud of the team and hope their heads have not dropped too much so we can have an all out asault on promotion now.
TM may have saved himslf a fortune after that game as a lot of youngsters came of age last night.Mr Parnaby also stand up and take a bow . He must be the top youth coach in the country.
More than happy with that considering the side we had to put out. When I first saw the midfield formation I knew that we were in for a hard time but I could understand the reasoning behind the decision to swap McMahon and Hoyte. The usual problem, lack of pace in midfield was even more evident but was to be expected.
BUT the performance was excellent considering all that. There are many positives to be taken from the game, Jukes first goal, Mains first start (no, he is not ready yet), the back four and a more than competent goal keeping display. McMahon's forays in midfield and some of his crosses were excellent although he was caught out of position at times (to be expected).
Very happy but extra time makes the game at Ipswich even more difficult.
(Martin Gobwhatsit proved again what a lucky manager he is, doesn't that man talk some tripe?)
Back to the important business and getting points in the league.
Meanwhile 'Appy 'Arry walks free from court and probably in to the England managers job. Wonder how long it will take before investigative journalists have dug some dirt and he morphs from 'Appy to Angry.
In the meantime we may see the unbeliveable prospect of Gate sat on the England bench alongside Pyscho. A case of Private Pike and Segeant Wilson in charge.
Back to work and fingers crossed for no lasting effects from last nights valiant efforts.
Powmill said: "Middlebrough Academy 1 Sunderland 2 (aet). Immensely proud."
Agree. In the end Hoyte was the old head and project Emnes was one of the elder statesmen!
Well done. Now back to the League. Up the Boro!
A spirited performance to give us a bit of pride back after the slump in the league form.
I disagree with Ian though that the weak squad theory is damaged. I don't think it is a theory. Last night was just one game.
There were plenty of positives though and we really need to take them into the league matches now and kick-start our 2012.
I thought Main did enough to earn another start at the weekend, especially while Emnes is so short of form. Reach enhanced his chances as well.
On Harry Redknapp - I just don't know how he does it! Unless I've misunderstood the trial, his defence seemed to be that he didn't know he hadn't paid his taxes, which means he had committed no crime.
That may be fair enough, but the upshot is that the man doesn't pay his taxes, becomes a national hero in the process and will most likely now get a promotion (if becoming England manager can be classed as a promotion)!
Unless, however, international football is all about the motivation of the players, I see no reason why Redknapp would succeed as England manager.
**AV writes: I've heard Harry's first move as boss will be to flog Peter Crouch to Ireland to fund a move for Luka Modric. Triffic.
AV -
You missed the snide comment that Sunderland had brought more fans to the Riverside than we took to SOL, oddly forgot to mention we were not allowed anymore tickets.
I hate ITV coverage of matches for all the reasons you mention plus the fact that at half-time if you blink you miss the analysis because of adverts.
I also remember having no Boro pundit during Sky coverage of the away semi final against Arsenal.
And we appear just before the Open University on BBC.
An outbreak of Boronoia, must lie down
I understand that Redknapp will accept the England job, but for legal reasons the contract must be made out in his dogs name....
I watched it on the box as I had a 5 o'clock start this morning and I thought we didn't do too bad but we were no better than Sunderland. Either side could have won and my workmate who is a Mackem agreed that it was a fairly even match.
I am not disappointed to lose as I think a cup run would be a distraction with so many players on the injury list. Let us take pride in the work rate of those youngsters who stepped in and gave the Premiership form team a good run for their money. UTB.
Most of my non Boro supporting mates congratulated the team on a good performance and thought we were unlucky. I am not sure I agreed with O'Neill 's assessment, that Blunderland were the better side as it was nip and tuck all the way. The winner was scruffy- through a tangle of legs.
We lacked a bit of pace up front but Main performed creditably, he is a big strong lad who will find it a little easier against Championship defenders. We have some power up in attack, a pity we had no pace from midfield until Reach came on and again looked promising.
Fantastic, determined effort last night from what was basically our reserves with not a single poor performance from any of them. Beaten yes, bruised maybe but definitely not battered.
It was good to see the players get an ovation from the fans after the whistle, in fact it was good to see the missing 4,000 or so. Not so good was to see the two numpties who will have ensured a fine for the club and perhaps even worse punishment from the FA. Nothing short of a lifetime ban is good enough.
There was another individual earlier who over zealously joined in the celebrations after the Juke goal with Tony Mc trying to plead his case for him to the yellow coats. I hope the club and the FA can see the difference between the two offences.
Portman Road the place where the Hammers got well and truly battered recently will be another tough game if Ipswich turn up. Thats the conundrum though, which Ipswich side will turn up.
One things for certain they are nowhere near the ability of Sunderland so providing morale is high and batteries recharged lets go for 3 points and end the 2012 jinx.
Yesterday evening was the first time I have seen 90 or 120 minutes of the Boro since the Premiership days. Living abroad doesn't give many options. Yesterday I watched on Dutch tv with my son and we were both proud of the team.
My son was recently with friends from The Netherlands at the Riverside for the game against Burnley!! he could not believe what he seen against Sunderland last night. I personally believe despite losing T.M. has extra problems now, how can he drop Main for McDonald, they both have a positive work rate but seeing Main putting every kJoule of power to get his head to the ball that dropped at the Jukes feet! to me that was impressive.
Giving more games to these young guys is the way forward but I think TM is not likely to drop the more experienced guys he is when all said and done a Manager who at least for the time being plays not to lose ( he said as much recently against Crystal Palace) of course his tactics brought Boro its best start to a season in a long time but I hope he gives the young guys more minutes on the field.
I must also say the Dutch commentator praised the young guys and the work of the academy no end. So despite losing I slept a happy man.
ITV's coverage of the game, particularly post-match, WAS disrespectful, but not unexpected or incomprehensible.
They are a national television channel, and like it or not the majority of their audience for last night's match would be more interested in reaction to Capello's resignation than analysis of the match. You could argue that it was their duty to cover the "story", but also ITV don't need Middlesbrough - they are no doubt completely indifferent to the town and football club - they need a national audience.
And ignore the Boronoia - they would have done exactly the same had it happened during the Sunderland v Peterborough game.
On another note, last night's game once again highlighted the players' value for money disparity - and not just between Sunderland players and Boro players. Scott McDonald must be on ten times the salary of Curtis Main. Thank goodness we're not offering contracts like that any more.
AV -
Agree with all of that - quite a few positives that we've now got to take into the Ipswich game and beyond, now we're 'concentrating on the league'.
More in my post-match Boro Banter piece on what those positives might be.
Bore-rahh fans talking the talk again. You're good at spouting guff, I'll give you that.
None of those "wonderful" academy players of yours will get an international cap or indeed become regular Premier League players. They are miles away from being anywhere near the quality of Sess, Seb, Rico, James McClean, Wickham and Frazier Campbell.
Yet again, you are using your small club/small town mentality to big yourselves up when in reality you have absolutely nothing to big yourselves up about.
You're almost as bad as the skunks for being deluded.
**AV writes: Yes, I suppose you're right. It's not as if our Academy has produced any internationals in the past.
Daft comments from Riviera. No regular Premier League players? There's one in his own team! At least the "guff" we "spout" has a little bit of thought put into it...
Sunderland's strategy of blowing millions of pounds more than they generate, almost exclusively on Man Utd rejects, for no meaningful return, is the real delusion here. Unless it enables them to gatecrash the top four, which it cannot, then it is a time-bomb waiting to explode.
We have, of course, taken a big step backwards in order to go forwards again. But we will go forwards. Sunderland and others like them have it all to come, and like Southampton, Forest, Leicester and Leeds they may have to fall a lot further than we did before they return.
In the short-term I think Sunderland could have a fair bit of relative success coming their way, but I very much doubt that Martin O'Neill will hang about when the money runs out.
Within the next five to ten years, Sunderland, like us, will have to get real. There is no room left for delusion at Middlesbrough.
Come on Riviera, I'll bite.
"None of those "wonderful" academy players of yours will get an international cap or indeed become regular Premier League players. They are miles away from being anywhere near the quality of Sess, Seb, Rico, James McClean, Wickham and Frazier Campbell."
Just for my small town head - how many of the wonderful products you quote came from your academy? errrr, ahhhh, oh yes.
So aside from relying on United, Arsenal, France and the Championship to find talent, that is not connected to your youth set up in anyway apart from XX player (you insert the number of players you listed who are home grown here, little test for you..) I am struggling to see how you think this number is more impressive than eight, in one game?
Must be my maths playing up again.
Also, I forget, which club produced your team's Captain?
What a wonderful example of 'Totally missing the Point' from our 'tame' Mackem, Mr Riviera (or Ms...)
If he cannot see how refreshing it is to be proud of a team made up of mostly locally produced talent then he has my sympathy. Here is a list of what his above mentioned superstars cost to buy.
Sessignon - £6M
Larrsen - Free (oh, well done...)
Richardson - £5.5M
McLean - £0.4M
Wickham - £8M
Campbell - £3.5M
Let's not mention the fact that our "wonderful academy players" have just matched his expensively assembled team for 203 minutes of very watchable televised footie.
Let's not mention Darren Bent, Asamoah Gyan, Lorik Cana. Just a few of your purchased flops (£28M that lot.) Good luck holding on to McLean. I predict he will be long gone in two years.
Riviera, get off our site. We only talk positives here. Were Campbell and Wickham playing ?
It must really hurt the supporters of clubs full of foreigners to see our enthusiastic boys playing like this. Do you realise that there is just about a full team every week from our Academy boys playing for Premiership clubs. Don't expect the Parnaby machine to stop yet. He who laughs last etc.
ITV were a disgrace I agree. You see, we are not a southern fashionable club, but do we care. As for the brummie presenter, does he know we exist. You would have thought that Gareth would have put a word in for us. After all he knows nearly all the team personally.
Regarding the match, we didn't win but put in a creditable performance. Hard to name a man of the match, they all did well.
Roll on Saturday. I will be at Ipswich shouting the boys on. Whoops, not the tractor boys, our boys.
Who needs Scott McDonald? Indeed. Main matches him for work-rate (at least) and has a greater physical presence. Play him.
In defeat the manner of defeat is always of great importance; the manner of our defeat last night was as good as I can remember.
Without exception all the online chatter among my far-flung friends has focussed on the academy players above and beyond the result. And deservedly so. Would the pain of losing out on promotion be tempered if it's last night's team that does the losing? I suspect for many the answer would be yes..
Yes after a slow start Boro got into the game and other than a bit of pace in midfield easily matched Sunderland on the pitch.
Perhaps Robson's energy and drive in place of the insipid Thomson and the square passing Arca (surely now both of their Boro careers are at best behind them) would have edged it for us.
I was very impressed by Adam Reach and he along with Main and Smallwood deserve their chance ahead of the low impact older heads. We need energy on the pitch to move forward and who knows what improvement can be gained with a run in the side for these youngsters.
So lets hope this moral victory translates into real victories in the Championship and we remain well placed for a final promotion push as the key injured players gradually return to action.
Well I guess that's my lot watching Boro on the box until next year's PL campaign - Hide the foam nurse! (BTW I meant just foam not a foam nurse in case anyone was wondering)
Unfortunately the enjoyment of yesterdays game was again soured by some of the appalling songs which go down as ' football banter'
Maybe I am just more aware of it as I am know a father but when is anything going to be done about this? CCTV camer footage was used to catch the spurs fans who behaved disgracefully towards Sol Campbell a few years ago. Why can't we do the same to the idiotic fringe of 'fans' in the away end last night? Sadly I don't think it was the fringe element, more majority.
Newcastle were warned for their 'hilarious' Mido jokes. Homophobia and racism is not tolerated, and quite rightly in football grounds so why is nothing being done about this.
I once asked a policeman at the SOL if what one 'fan' was pointing and singing at me was legal? He refused to turn round and look at the home fans and asked 'do you want to make a complaint?'
Nothing came of it, except a reduced allocation for Boro fans.
Mowbray is rubbish, why didn't he bring Maccarone on!!!!
When Booo-rahh produce and sell regular internationals of the quality of Jordan Henderson for £20+ million pounds then they can consider their academy to be a success like Sunderlands.
Downing and Johnson almost fall into that category but not quite. The facts are the Booo-rahh couldn't muster the same amount of money Sunderland got for Jordan Henderson by selling TWO of their starlets and neither are England regulars like Henderson.
Bye bye
AV: Is there any reason my Big Mick isnt being involved at the moment? Last night seemed perfect for a steady, experienced head at the back. The window is shut. Is it a simple case of team selection or the cold sholder so he heads off on loan shortly?
**AV writes: As a general tactical point, Mogga likes his centre-backs to be mobile, technically gift and comfortable playing the ball out from the back. His preferred pairing is Bates and Williams. McManus is a bash-and-crash old school centre-back who will come in handy at Millwall and Portsmouth when the ball is thrown into the box, especially as part of a three. He is a perfectly good, experienced defender and maybe one of the best of his type in this league.
But from a financial point of view we are not in a position where we can afford a £12-15k a week player sat on the bench and if he is not first choice then he is a very expensive luxury. If he could be moved on then his wages would pay for two or possibly three good players in this division so you can see Mogga's dilemma.
While the window was open and clubs were interested then certainly leaving him out of squads was a way of sharpening his mind. Now, if he is to stay, then he will probably be back on the bench.
Cracking post, AV.
The club have gone much further down the line of 'financial restructuring' than I really expected, but are also doing a much better job of it than I could have hoped for. A mixture of local lads and (generally) good-value imports playing attractive, competitive football. There was a performance, and principles, on display last night that boro fans could be proud of.
My other main thought from the game: bloody hell, Jukebox looks like a good signing doesn't he? Not just the goal, but the hold-up play, close control, chasing down, creating space, winning headers. Looks like money very well spent to me, a proper all-round striker, which we haven't had for a while.
I think you are being unfair on Riviera.
Sess comes from Benin which is near castle Eden
Larsson comes from Sweden close to Monkwearmouth
Richardson learnt his football in Carrington near Seaham Harbour Manu.
McClean comes from Derry - that must be an Irish bar football team in Sunderland
Wickham must be related to the Mr Whickham from Pride and Prejudice which was partly filmed in Lyme Park near Manchester which is in Peterlee.
Frazier Campbell is another from Carrington near Seaham Harbour.
Carrington must be their equivalent of Rockckiffe because Wes Brown and John O'Shea are another couple from Seaham
That is why we have so many lads in our academy. Their mackem mums and dads say sorry son, put away away your Mackem shirt, if you want to play football at a league club best go down the A19.
Riviera -
Jordan who? Garbage and over priced and certainly not an England regular. Andy Carrol is a similar one from your neck of the woods as you mackems are just from a suburb of Newcastle really aren't you?
Did anybody else notice the small snippet on the internet news about the train from Sunderland to Boro being stopped at Hartlepool so that British Transport Police could deal with the morons, on the way to the match, who damaged the train and assaulted two railway employees?
Whilst we have some injury concerns it is not as bad as the 12 we had in the treatment room around this point last year.
Of those out Coyne is the reserve keeper and Zemamamamama was a bit part player last season and has been no different this. Ogbeche is the same this.
Robson, Haroun and Emnes may or may not be available this weekend but shouldnt be far off.
Bailey has been a big loss but moving Rhys forward or playing Smallwood earlier might have helped.
McDonald is a loss but Main has shown a good appetite for the job and Juke is a decent addition.
I am a glass half full person, there is enough avaiable to put out a competitive team though Wednesday may take some running off.
To put it all in to perspective, Brum have had to play catch up with their european matches and are flying.
Thanks AV.
Ho Ho Ho Riviera:
Gone from the home grown argument to the home sold and international argument. Frying pan and fire?
Number of caps the "England regular Henderson" has?
Just cos you seem a bit dim, I will give you the answer. ONE. Yes, one. And I have not missed out any 0's at the end of the one, much to everyone's surprise.
Compared with 32 and 9.
I can see how one makes you a regular and 32 and 9 make you a bit part, never really been selected, fringe player who's not yet made the grade and got lucking being selected because of other injuries.
Just think one more cap and he'll be 100% better than Johnson and Downing put together again!
Muppet.
Obviously it was disapointing to loose on Wednesday night, but the result aside it was a great performance from the team and several individuals had outstanding games.
I thought Rhys Williams was awesome, he was everywhere. I liked the look of Main to, a young man who clearly believes in himself, big strong and not afraid of getting stuck in. His assist to set up the Jukebox to score was a pleasure to watch, we've been lacking that sort of strength up front for a long time. I know he's a young man and Mogga wants to ease him in gradually, which is fair enough, but I'd like to see him in a Boro shirt a couple more times this season.
I hope the performance gives the boys a boost ahead of the Ipswich game, hopefully we can put out a strong team and get a result.
It's a complement you know when 'the opposition' post on this blog. The Mackems clearly not only dont have an academy worth the name, they clearly haven't got their own blog either.
AV, send this doyle's comments packing back up the A19. What a yawn.
I was very proud of the boys on Wednesday night, voice is still hoarse!
Curtis main played out of his skin, as did all of them.
At the end of the day its about building our club back up, with the right man in charge and being sensible with the budgets. We are getting there, the team of local lads showed that.
reminded me of 1986 with the spirit on dislay.
when the mackems goal went in, all our lads looked gutted, then the roar came from the crowd and you could see them grow!
the team and crowd as one.
thats something that no-one can take from us.
UTB
You know what, mate, you're stuffed!
Yet again, I have read your report on the match and I have sort of thunk, "Yep, that's just how it felt to a Boroholic!; that's exactly how much I love our lot; that perfectly expresses values of a person and a town I value more than any other." You are well and truly stuffed, mate.
So, OK, you win a couple - or twenty, in time - awards from those greying "people" who like to make judicious assessments of calculated advertising value [la, la, ho, hum, bum, bum, fart a bit, and carry on], but, Mr Vickers, you're so like me and a thousand other Boroholics, you're gonna FAIL!!!
Why? Because you have not got that journalistic objectivity that says soilid (sic) stuff: you don't say, "I think Harry Rednapp should be England Manager: sorry if I'm speaking out of turn here but I'm so audacious and honest ("honest" as in "tackle" when someone else's shins hurt) that I have to say exactly what I think, especially if it is exactly what the Sun, Mail and Guardian want us all to think".
You can't do that, AV, can you? You're getting on for as bad as Jarkko - nearly! - for your subjectivity and perversity in loving this minor, northern, sometimes industrial town!
AV, you don't even seriously try, do you, to go down the route of pretending there might be something remotely interesting about "Our/Your/Their/Anybody's 'Arry, dontcha just larve rollin art the barrew wiv im Rednapp"
Your problem, AV, is you feel it all in your heart; be honest, as in "tackle", and admit you have the same floating-rushing-hiding-for-weeks-after pulse as the rest of us saddo Boroholics. Not for you the promiscuous brown-nosing of self-orchestrating success. You are one of us lot: we're the best, so we fail.
Go AV, man. Go, Jarkko! And, always, Up the Boro! We ARE The Boro; the most glorious of failures.
**AV writes: That's why I am still at the proudly parochial Gazette and not doing hypocritical sychophancy by numbers on one of the nationals.
AV -
Be honest, do you get on with any national journo's? Dont spill the beans on the ones you dont like but who do YOU respect? I wont tell anyone.
Personally I like Henry Winter, Martin Samuels, Paul Hayward, Paddy Barclay, Mick Dennis and Sean Custis.
Skysports news on TV and Arry is very Appy at Spurs. Apparaently Fursday was tricky with all the Ingerlund talk.
**AV writes: Some of them are nice enough blokes. Most are very good writers, But even ones who are nice blokes and good writers are hopelessly trapped into the idea that there are only four or five clubs that matter, that the PL and Champions League circus is the be all and end all of the football narrative and that by implication that success for the big 4 (and whoever fills the roll of this year's plucky arriviste outfit battling for 5th/6th) is good news for English football.
Because of that they don't really experience the game as we do. They don't see (or don't care) how Sky's evil quadropoly cash carve up is starving the rest of clubs. They don't see how big clubs stockpiling talent is damaging smaller clubs, how their wage and transfer inflation distorts the football economy so that ambition and progress is punished by crippling costs, how their saturation TV coverage slices thousands off attendances at lower league clubs where gate money is vital, how the demands of the big clubs undermine the cultural integrity of the wider game . They suck up the clubs and managers that most real fans of ordinary clubs see as part of the problem in the game. Connsciously or otherwise they are quislings in the big brand tyranny over the game.
"Main and Jutkiewitz Combine to Harvest the Points!"
**AV writes: Boro back on Tractor success.
Amazing blog this is. When I started reading the comments there were 40 last one being dated 10 Feb, and after reading all 40 I thought I would refresh the page incase more had been added, suddenly there were only 33 last one dated 9 Feb. So I thought I would leave the Gazette website, close down my internet browser and start again only to find it was still only 33 comments !!!!!
Never mind, for everyones info, the Leeds match at home has now been moved to Sunday 11 March KO 1215 televised by the BBC. At least it will provide more TV money for the summer transfer kitty.
Come on BORO.
Heard from sources we ae in for a couple of Sunderland lads,one being the Korean lad, the forward.
"England regulars like Henderson"
That made me smile.
Sunderland had Liverpool's eyes out on that deal. Promising player that Henderson is, he's not worth half of what Dalglish shelled out for him. He's been out of his depth at Liverpool this season and he's not the only one!
Sunderland are just a very average Premier League side. MON's honeymoon spell has papered over the cracks. It won't last.
Riviera's post is quite possibly the worst wind up ever posted.
Jordan Henderson "England regular" 1 cap?
Stuart Downing 32 caps Adam Johnson 9 caps
Also, rating his transfer fee and some kind of reference to being a top player, lets not forget that his employers also paid £35m for Andy Carroll.
Poor stuff Riviera
AV
I guess I knew the answer before I asked the question.
AV's view of the game has been won over by his indigenous heart. Sunderland not only won with an anticipated clinical knock out blow, but they would have won on points ( 55 / 45 ) over the 120 min.
I really enjoyed the game despite the result. The whole package, the atmosphere created by the tribes, the football, the spirit and steel mixed with youthful enthusiasm that our academy side glowed with in spells. I also enjoyed sitting in posh stand for a change.
The blues had the ball more often, moved it faster, with Bates, Hines and Steel needing to play well. Yes we had our moments, and I so enjoyed them - but I was surprised when we equalised, yet not surprised but gutted on 112. It was if we had a dice with the maximum number 3 and they had a different dice with a maximum number of 5. Both teams rolled 3's most of the night but it was only matter of time before they rolled a 5.
**AV writes: Yes, probably. The way I phrased it was that Boro "could have - should have? - won it". It was definitely in the balance. But for me the story on the night wasn't really the outcome, which on paper beforehand washeavily tilted their way - but the way the patched-up Boro side performed.
I went to my local pub in Worksop with a fellow Teessider on weds to watch the match. How disappointing. There was no passion displayed by the players ,the number of back passes and passes that went astray was astonishing.
You would have thought a one off game playing local rivals would have beene a hell for leather game,but sadly it wasn't,lets face there should never have been a replay. If it wasn't for Robson's stupid back pass,the team would have been playing Arsenal in 2 weeks time.
The fact of the matter, Mowbray is a load of crap and a chairman who does not have the cash. I guarantee if the club is not promoted this season, another 5000 will desert the club ,especially after weds display .
By the way ,did not think Main was anything special,he had a chance to make a name for himself and failed miserably.
**AV writes: *tick, tick, tick......" Well it's a better bit of trolling than Riviera's.
Paul Bell -
Looks to set up Fight Club...ah, I forgot the the first rule....there goes my membership! Should have bought a ST.
Henderson did well to set up Rooney though. Bet they combine well vs the Dutch.
Paul Bell For England Manager!!!
"Mowbray is a load of crap"
Wut??? take that curler out of yer hair superwoman.
Excellent article and comments Vic.
I don't want to do an ITV and start talking about England, but....
"Mowbray has got his teams organised and motivated, that he can square the circle tactically and give a limited squad a shape and system that means they have a fighting chance against anyone".....
Sounds like Mogga is perfect for the job!
Ian G -
you possibly forgot to mention, or couldn't bring yourself to do mention, that Ellis Short hails from Missouri, which is quite near Seahouses, and lives in Dallas, which is similarly not far from Pity Me, I believe.
So don't anyone go falling for the idea that our neighbours are in any sense an American club where only the stadium is Sunderland-based. That idea's about as false as the idea, which I have heard touted, that Ellis (why-aye, hinny) Short bought this club simply in order to tap into the Premier League millions: as everyone knows, the truth is that one day, back in Dallas, the man was suddenly, inexplicably, overwhelmed with an all-consuming love for the people and town of which we talk and just had to become their most important supporter, no matter how much it cost him so to do.
The only regret he has ever had about this adventure is that he had to trample on several local millionaires who were queuing up, all desperate to buy up a squadful of foreign players to restore the honour and integrity of their local club.
And that's the honest, as in "tackle", truth!