Superbok Sting of Nostalgia
SPPPPPOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRR-TING! I was misty eyed watching Bolton Reserves crash out of the UEFA Cup in Lisbon last night. Lisbon was a fantastic trip: brilliant sunshine, spirited display from a patched-up side, a passionate performance from the travelling fans, friendly riot police... then - ouch! - the superbok sting of Thursday night nostalgia.
But for one industrial sized collective choking against Cardiff that could have been us again next year, singing with spring suntans earned in a rowdy Rossio Square. Two games and we could have been back on the Eurotrail as FA Cup winners. Just when the pain was starting to ease it snapped with unexpected malice. There was a realisation that I won't be needing Flight Options number next year, nor, maybe, anytime soon. And boy, was I glad that Bolton lost.
After some small-minded sniggering inwardly at the cancelled dreams of both Woody and the Yak the previous night petty parochalism reared its head again as I revelled in the last of the Premiership sides exit: maybe now the media will realise that the UEFA Cup is not so easy after all and Boro's progress to Eindhoven was worthy of praise.
Or maybe after a brief rehabilitation as one of European football's prestigious knockouts populated by some of the biggest names in the game it will revert to being a Micky Mouse trophy that no-one cares about. Whatever.
But I was proud that I had been to Lisbon with Boro. I don't think we should forget what a brilliant experience we had in Europe, the impact it had on our profile, our pulling power and our heightened expectations as a club. And, let's be honest, what fantastic fun it was too: getting ratted and singing your heart out for the lads in a selection of beautiful sun-bathed city squares with fountains and bemused - and generally benign - locals was wicked.
In the interest of nostalgia, here's the match report from the game there and some pics from the beeb.
Battered Boro fielded a scratch side that included Tony McMahon and featured Adam Johnson and David Wheater came off the bench to make incredible high profile debuts. The team: Schwarzer, McMahon (Graham 68), Riggott, Southgate, Queudrue, Parnaby, Zenden, Doriva (Johnson 79), Downing (Wheater 90), Job, Nemeth. Subs: Jones, Cooper, Taylor, Kennedy.
Look how much things have changed - the team, our European horizons and the demands from supporters who are now seasoned travellers - in the dramatic three years to the day since that exit in the Alvelade. We must get back to playing Thursdays as soon as possible.
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Anthony Vickers
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AV - I was just about to post a similar comment and then as if by magic you did it for me.
Boro never got the praise they deserved for reaching the final of the UEFA cup and the entertaiment and drama they served up on he way.
I was watching Sky Sports News on Wednesday evening and they were so excited over the exploits of Everton and Spurs. The praise they got for reaching the last 16 far outweighed any praise we got for reaching the final.
It was a massive achievement for the club and I think that's why Sunday hurt so much. We lost out not only on a trip or two to Wembley but we lost a European dream too.
Anyway onwards and upwards. A much improved performance against Villa, shame the useless ref couldn't improve his own inept performance.
COME ON BORO!
I see the great and wonderfull,known all over the world with millions of fans Glasgow Rangers made it to the quarter final for the first time
Yep, I agree, its good to see all the English teams out of the UEFA cup, especially Spurs and Everton.
Looking ahead to Arsenal, realistically I'm not expecting anything in terms of points from tomorrows game but a good performance will be important ahead of Derby.
With a bit of luck and an exceptional Boro performance we may grab a point. I keep telling myself that at some point this season we will score three goals in a game, but not tomorrow!
Ahhhh Superbok! Lisbon was a brilliant trip. Excellent weather, friendly people, electric atmosphere in the Docas, weird stadium. The Boro fans singing in that last half hour made my chest burst with pride.
Lisbon was great day out, especially for me, as I had lived there for three years when I was baed there in the RN between 92 and 95.
Loads of good memories came flooding back throughout the day. The highlight being able to hold a conversation with a young steward throughout the 90 minutes in slang portuguese. I gave him by Boro shirt and scarf at the end of the match, to which he was absolutley delighted.
Boro has it's Parmo's and Lisbon it's Frango Piri Piri, Tosta Misto's and Porco Bifanas. Not a great deal of difference in culture really.
Come on Boro, please bring back those Uefa cup day's out.....
PS AV - Superbok rots the brain ! Sagres and Cristal are far less potent.
AV - Nice to see that you have erased Szilard Nemeth from the pages of the history books, did we really start with just 10 men that night?
Also just a quick mention for Shawky, quietly impressing every time I see him - I am due a visit to Egypt this year so I will try and get hold of a shirt with his name on !!
C'mon Boro
**AV writes: Who could forget the Slovakian goal ace?
AV - All apologies, like one of those optical illusion puzzles you have Nemeth at the beginning of the last line next to the subs names - maybe in my own mind I had erased him....
**AV writes: I am the same with Reiziger.
One of my other lasting memories of Lisbon is waiting by the gate in the airport for the flight home and poor Tony McMahon.
He was carried off during the game and made it to the airport on metal crutches.
As the team party came through the exit gate he was last and then stopped for a few words with many supporters who were wishing him well. He found himself left behind by the rest of the players and staff then his metal crutch stopped him being allowed through the metal detectors.
None of the rest of the party came back to assist and they were not going to let him through until the fans intervened.
He has never got free of injury since. Hope things pick up for him soon.
I know it sounds paranoid (that word again) but I am beginning to wonder how you write blog articles that say what I have been thinking. Do you have a spy or is my local bugged?
Anyway, there was a quiet satisfaction in the UEFA Cup results. We don't want too many others climbing the lofty peak of reaching the OTHER major European Cup Final or the BBC will have to give it a mention at the December Sports Review or Personality of the Year Awards - which I recall they studiously avoided doing two years ago when we got there (though Arsenal got a large chunk of airtime for losing their Champions League Final). A short mention for Boro would hardly have hurt.
I guess the articles/programmes that had been prepared in draft in expectation of a win by Spurs, Everton or (God forbid) Bolton will now quietly be scrapped.
About relegation. I tried to be unbiased and completed the Predictor for the rest of the Premiership season. The good news is that Newcastle United only got 32 points in total.
The bad news is that they still didn't get relegated (Derby, Fulham and Bolton, since you ask)!
There is some real lack of quality near the foot of the table.... When do we crack the bubbly for the 44 points and 12th place, then?
Clearly some of the numbness from the FA Cup Quarter Final is staring to rub off.
Vic, don't mention Reiziger. I paid a small fortune to have his name and #2 on my shirt. Spanish defender of the year they said. Oh dear...
By the way, I support al the English teams in the Champions League but feel the same way as you about the UEFA Cup. Take that Woodgate you stringy-haired get.
I am glad Everton and Spurs went out but would have preferred Bolton to stay in another round to distract them a bit more in the relegation battle.
Lisbon was brilliant. Ostrava was unbelievable. The foaming fountain at Villareal was funny. Rome was scary but I was proud as punch that we stood up to the thuggery. Bucharest was incredible.
I really miss the excitement of UEFA Cup, the draw, the making plans to get their, Flight Options badges, swapping scarves (I've got a fair few in the loft), meeting old friends in town squares in beautiful old cities.
One more year out and I reckon my bank balance will have recovered.
PS I think we can get something at Arsenal. Aladdin to score. And we will knack Derby.
AV: Your words………,
“After some small-minded sniggering inwardly at the cancelled dreams of both Woody and the Yak the previous night petty parochalism reared its head again as I revelled in the last of the Premiership sides exit: maybe now the media will realise that the UEFA Cup is not so easy after all and Boro's progress to Eindhoven was worthy of praise.�
I have found them inspirational and I would like to absolve you from your sins. I would like to remove any vestiges of the guilt-trip that you (“small minded sniggering�???) and other Boro supporters may be on.
Therefore, in keeping with the listing by the modern Catholic Church of which modern-day human acts constitute “sin� serious enough to warrant permanent relegation from the afterlife Premier League, I would like to propose a completely justifiable exclusion amendment to the “Official list of Football Sins�.
(For the benefit of readers interested enough to find out what the Catholic Church ‘s new listings are, a reference link, chosen at random –honest- from a Google search is:
http://blog.newhumanist.org.uk/2008/03/deadly-sins-for-modern-age.html )
However, back to football and Anthony’s Blog………..
I propose that it is henceforth entirely legitimate and warranted for domestic (i.e UK-citizen) supporters of Premier League Football clubs to celebrate and even actively encourage the elimination of any other Premier League Club from European Competition.
Why this almost heretical standpoint? How can such treasonous behaviour be justified? How can self-respecting Brit suggest that it is anything other than wrong not to support and be pleased that any English – or even British – clubs should do well in Europe?
Read on.
The rationale is this:
The Premier League is a sporting competition between clubs, played increasingly – at the Premier League’s, The FA’s and the media’s behest – on a global basis. The competition is actually between “companies� which just happen to be football clubs.
The competition is cut-throat. And why shouldn’t it be? It’s legitimate business after all. And that’s how the Premier League wants it, is it not?
So, if Spurs, or Everton, or Bolton do well in European competition, they potentially become stronger comparative to Boro – MY chosen club.
Nationality doesn’t seem to matter to Premier League Clubs when they are in the market for players. So why should it matter to US, the supporters?
The media positively encourage globalization of the game and the strengthening of the Premier League as it brings in more money. Nationality is relegated to second order when it is inconveniently placed next to commercial interest.
The self-righteous indignation with which the FA and the English (mostly) media met the news of England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 was stomach-turning in its hypocrisy!
On the one hand you have the media supporting at every opportunity the continuing destruction of the domesticity of the league, by supporting the system that further polarizes the league and creates the monsters that are the big four “brands� and their global marketability.
And then, on the other hand, you have the same media feeding on and almost encouraging jingoism because there is “national� interest in the European Championships – be it either the Champions League or (spit – until Spurs got back in it!) the UEFA Cup.
So, where does that take the argument for support of national interest in European competition?
Well, if I am to play or support the game as defined by the Premier League, personally, I choose NOT to be hypocritical.
I wanted Spurs to be knocked out of the UEFA Cup – the sooner the better! I wanted Everton to be knocked out of the UEFA Cup – the sooner the better! I wanted Bolton to be knocked out of the UEFA Cup – the sooner the better!
I’m chuffed as hell that Arsenal will play Liverpool in the quarter finals of the Champions League, because it means one of them at least, will be eliminated! Conversely, but reflecting the same sentiment, I regret that Manchester United and Chelsea didn’t get drawn in the same tie!
If the game in this country is set up to be entirely club-centric (which the Premier League is – totally!), then don’t ask the rest of the club football supporting public to be pleased or even ecstatic when any club other than their own achieves success in Europe (– and especially when MY club has just eliminated itself from the FA Cup quarter finals!!)
I’m getting to the stage of,…… IF (and it’s a BIG “IF�) I choose to watch any European football on TV, it’ll be with harboured desires of foreign opposition being triumphant!
I don’t want Boro’s Premier League competitors to become any stronger! Which is what they WILL do if they progess further in European competition and get more TV and gate money and become more attractive to better players.
Now that’s a turnaround for me! Because, historically, I wanted to be able to support British – on every occasion – as I did when Manchester United staged their 1999 comeback against Bayern and when Liverpool clawed their way back into contention and finally overcame Inter on penalties). But the commercialization of the game has made it harder and harder for me to do so.
And now, I don’t want to feel guilty about my change of attitude!
So, I propose that the sin of nationalistic club-football treason be removed from the sin list!
Like you Anthony, I was not disappointed to see all three of “our� Premier League Clubs demise in the UEFA Cup. For similar reasons, but with a slightly different perpective.
Come on Fenerbache!!!
**AV writes: I agree. Whenever the commentators say "the whole country will be behind Man U/Arsena/?LIverpool tonight" because "it is good for English football" I want to kick the telly in. How is good for English football that in an already distorted competition one the bloated clubs gets given another £20m in prize money.
s
A.V.
Is this then the reality of being a Boro supporter, that we can ease our pain by delighting in the failure of others.
Having read your previous blog and this one and read all of the comments by posters with all those adjectives ending in -less, I am not going to indulge in nostalgia nor am I going to forgive. I
will still as your posters do, hope against hope that we get a point against Arsenal, that we despatch Derby etc and stay up.
But at the back if my mind one thought will not go away. "So what if we do survive", next season it will be the same all over again and will be so until the inevitable - relegation occurs. That thought is supplemented by another one, namely why does it have to be like this?
Now things are going to turn nasty, I know, because I am going to say that I for one want a scapegoat, for last Sunday. Dropping Arca and Rochemback does not appease me, posters one this blog have pointed out regularly that Arca was a disaster waiting to happen, but like several others he gets his place regularly.
The sacking of that nice Mr. Southgate wil not satisfy me either, if he was to go, and that is most unlikely, what "top drawer" manager would replace him.
The scapegoat I want, shock, horror, is at the top of the club Mr. Gibson the Boro is not your personal fiefdom, it is time for you to move on.
I know I will be insulted for airing my opinion, I am well aware of all that Mr. Gibson has done for the club, I will always remain indebted to him for my best ever supporting Boro memory.
Yes, we had our final and our European memories but apart from that we have had
- three apprentice managers
- bought countless players who were either past their sell by date or came to make up a card school or get the next round in. I do not need to name them
- Meanwhile talent brought to the club or nurtured by it were either wasted, marginalised and/or sold on, again I do not need to name them
- We have bought players who have then spent most of their time with us in the treatment room
- Our previous record signing was a disaster and our present one can not get his game.
- We have become a laughing stock, three points deducted, the episodes with Gasgoigne and Emerson and lately "frivolous" appealing.
- Those airing a "negative" viewpoint have been ostracised
- Fans paying their hard earned money alienated "season ticket holders are not important to us".
Need I go on?
There is one common denominator for all of the above and i believe the time has come for a change and a change right at the top.
Well if you publish this A.V. I will await the inevitable abuse, disbelief, name calling etc.
It is however my honest opinion.
**AV writes: Get your tin hat on....
" .....I don't think we should forget what a brilliant experience we had in Europe, the impact it had on our profile, our pulling power and our heightened expectations as a club. And, let's be honest, what fantastic fun it was too.... "
A.B.S.O.L.U.T.L.E.Y.
TB
Dear "Jethro" Vickers,
Isn't it about time you stopped Living In The Past!
**AV writes: The past? History? Isn't that what big club fans always tell us upstarts that "it" is all about?
With regard to the comments of Diablo Rojo above, it would be good to have an enviable history - where even Huddersfield Town won back to back League titles, even if it was pre-war, and Nottingham Forest won back to back European Cups, even if it was 30 years ago.
However an enviable future would be much better.
Every journey, even 1000 miles long, has to start with the first step. Our journey could start today.....
Reiziger? Ah that Dutch international? I worked in Holland for a year, where I discovered that "reiziger" translated to English, means "passenger".
He certainly was...and he took up two seats!
Half time at the Emirates, one up and fingers crossed, I think we'll need another goal to get a result.
How close were Boro to winning!! We seemed to be 'hanging on' a lot but i thought we might be able to hold out. Towards the end it was all Arsenal.
Aliadiere is back from his ban, now Mido is about to start his! Apart from this we are moving in the right direction slowly but surely!
"Yes, we had our final and our European memories but apart from that..."
Before Steve Gibson took over a Boro fan would not have been able to utter that sentence. Some people are hard to please.
"- three apprentice managers..."
Two of which achieved more success in 10 years than all the other managers in the entire history of the club put together.
I couldn't see the Cardiff match on TV here in Finland but listened to live commentary on BoroWorld. Awful game by all standars.
Now I have seen both matches on TV this week. Boro have played suberbly! The Arsenal goal was lucky - first a foul on Boat and then a little mix-up between Schwarz and Tayls. But excellent game anyway for the Boro.
By the way - Sunderland did not get a penalty against Chelsea last night. The situation was an exact carbo copy of Luke Young's "mistake" at Aston Villa. More argument perhaps for the "smaller" teams against top four teams?
Finally, shall we forget the Cardiff match or feel sorry about the missed opportunity for ever? I still think the lost match against Wolves in the FA Cup was worse - now we have the Premier League to look forward to.
Boro won't be relagated this season - not a chance. A win over the Rams makes it practically sure, too.
Well done GS after the FA Cup upset!
I would take two points from two away matches at Villa and Arsenal. Should have had three from Villa but didnt take our chances and Steve Bennetts pen decision was pants.The late equaliser at Arsenal was cruel but if you only have 15% possession it is difficult to complain about the equaliser.
We need to take the same effort and commitment into the Derby game. Derby played well yesterday against ManU but they are bottom for a very good reason. My concern like all our fans is scoring the goals our football deserves.
Is Gareth waiting for someone to throw him a fish as he spends a lot of time impersonating a circus seal and clapping his hands. When we beat you next month we will put you in the relegation zone!
A good game in the 'no guts, no glory' mould yesterday.
We almost held out but the last twenty minutes was a bit like the Alamo. But, like Wednesday, we'd have settled for a point beforehand.
Jarkko - and others - I have to remind you that these last two games weren't the test. We can always get ourselves up for the the big games.
Next week is the big test. More than a six pointer and which Boro will turn up - the rabble that let us down against Reading and Cardiff or the team we've seen in the last two games.
I'm damned if I know yet - and what's more I don't believe anyone at the club does either.
And before anyone gets too carried away with Derby's record, please remember that when their nearest challengers for the worst Prem team ever - the Mackems of two seasons ago - fetched up at The Riverside we gifted them their only away win of the season.
I know Gate doesn't like to call games 'must win' but next week's is and he and the squad must know that and train and play like it is.
Luke Young's giving away a penalty was a diabolical decision. Having said that, Adebayors disallowed offside goal was equally diabolical so all in all Ian Gills assessment that 2 points is OK from those away games is fair enough.
What is worrying though is how officials are regularly making such shocking decisions even when they are right next to the incidents.
Next season in the prem could be good if we buy a speedy attacking midfielder to get up with the strikers and score goals.
I think Boat, Rocky and O'Neil all do a similar job and do it well. Arca seemss out of favour with me at the mo and I need to see more of Shawky.
Next season with Alves up to speed and Mido fit and slim [ haircut wouldnt go a miss either] we should take some of these chances we are missing.
The Mido sending off made no difference to our game at Arsenal as he is still not fit and should get his act together and stay out of the pie shop during this latest ban as I think he owes us a performance. Being a gobby blobby bloke in a Boro shirt is not enough as I can do that for nowt!
When I went mad at the sending off of Aliadiere on here some people came on and slated me saying stuff about him not being a goal scorer etc.
I dont have to defend him as he is proving I am not the only one on here who is 'Ignorant'
What say you AV on the Frenchman Alladin?
**AV writes: I really rate him. His explosive pace rips holes in defences for others to exploit. Look at the Wigan game, and Arsenal at home (it is not just against poor sides). The key for Boro is getting the right people in place to exploit it.
Much, much better. Now let's keep it going and going.
Two points from these two games is a good, good result and with different refs it really could have and should have been 6.
Well done. Now lets really kick on and move away from the others points wise so that we end all the relegation talk and look to the future.
GREAT !
TB
Last Sunday I couldn't have imagined sitting here posting that we could have won our two away games against Villa & the Gunners.
Lots of praise for GS for turning the team round in a couple of days, what he has to do now is make sure we play with the same commitment against Derby.
If we do they'll be shredded, if not we'll just have to go and beat Chelski or Man Utd. Derby isnt a must win or a six pointer, but winning next saturday will make the end of the season a lot more comfortable.
AV:
Returning to the theme of your blog:
I went to give an armful today and the nurse, a very knowledgeable lady Boro supporter, was very effective in taking my mind off the discomfort of the needle. She surprised me by opening a conversation about football - asking if I knew what the latest Sunday match results were.
We got to talking (well, one of us did!) and she VOLUNTEERED how absolutely delighted she was last week, when Spurs, Everton and Bolton all exited the UEFA Cup!
I had said nothing whatsoever to prompt her. She’d been a Boro season ticket holder until this season and gave it up - along with three other friends, because of their disillusionment with the state of the game: The unfair and inconsistent decisions by officials. The bias of the media towards the "stronger" teams. The high price of attendance. The annual procession of the Premier League and the heartbreak of watching Boro compete against increasingly stacked odds. She quoted all of those, without even so much as a nod from me.
And she seemed entirely unrepentant and perfectly at ease with her delight at the Euro-demise of all three of this year's Premier League crop of EUFA Cup entrants.
I was waiting for a sign from somewhere - like maybe the alignment of my white blood cells into a stripe running across the collection bag - as an indication that the "sin" has been lifted and that this NHS Angel was a sign from a greater authority that I needn't feel guilty any more.
Alas, she had no wings. And Wigan won.
I watched the game on Saturday night and for the 2nd time running against one of the big teams all of the good hard work is "thrown away" pardon the pun by the goalkeeper.
Forget about all of the whyfors, he has handed goals to both teams. If you look at his face in the tunnel before the game with Arsenal he was a bag of nerves.
I am sorry to say a couple of saves in a game (thats what he is there for by the way) but howlers like he makes really do cost us games.
A good servant to the club, but time for a new one in the summer along with some top class midfielders. Good to see Taylor back also. Overall performance better again.