David Platt: Evil?
WE HAD been talking at cross purposes. I had said that he was the worst and most wooden thing on the box and had spoiled the entire spectacle because he just wasn't up to the job of conveying the complexity of the unfolding drama.
She redoubled the attack with added venom and upped the ante by insisting he was bitter, twisted and evil and had never been right in the head. Hold on, this is the same David Platt we are talking about isn't it?
I mean, yes, he is one dimensional, drab and comes out with some frankly unbelievable dialogue in that monotone mock-Manc accent that would be banned from SatNav for fear of fatalities as legions fall asleep at the wheel.
And yes, he has never quite looked convincing in the far fetched role he now finds himself in. And yes, he does seem to take a delight in being paid to sneer and systematically rain on other people's parades. But come on, David Platt is not EVIL.
"He has been in the papers complaining that old ladies attack him in the street and that children burst into tears," she said. Well the water carrier who fell lucky and built an entire career on the back of one moment of unscripted brilliance was never the pin-up, it's true.
And, to be fair, if he walked through Pallister Park right now he may well get brayed by vigilante nanas. And rightly so.
"I'm glad he has been banged up," she said. "He had to be jailed before he killed someone." What, have I missed something? I'm supposed to be a highly observant, well informed football writer. You'd have thought I'd have noticed if a former England skipper had been sent down for being a threat to life and limb.
And, unfortunately, you can't be shot in Holmehouse just for being an ill-formed, supercillious pratt and shamelessly sycophantic glamour groupie or the government would have to embark on a new prison building programme to house all the recidivist star-struck myopic microphone men who have managed to perfect the art of talking out of their posterior, thus freeing up their lips for kissing big club butt.
Now, I'll be honest, I am spectacularly unmoved by England. In fact I am pretty much hostile.
Not so much to the football because I love the game and will stop to watch the gangs of Kosovan asylum seekers have a kick about in Albert Park and besides, with internationals it is always nice to see a well organised team of top talents at the height of their profession playing a crisp, incisive possession game based on an incredible level of technical skills. It would better if it was two teams but hey, England need a run-out too.
No, it is not the football that annoys me about England. It is the whole sick tabloid driven not-how-you-play-but-who-you-play-for celebrity cat-walk that the saturation coverage of Team England entails.
The national team reveals institutional insanity in the media, a schizophrenia that stems from the commercially driven frenzied need for the papers and sports broadcasters to big up the Premier League prima donnas as the best in the world all day every day then somehow square the circle when England flop pathetically on the big stage.
It leads to agenda scattered scapegoating, bitter in-fighting over which player to big up or knock down this time and the neurotic quest for ever more elaborate excuses for our heroes failure to sweep puny foreigners aside in their quest for their rightful world domination.
Anything other than make an objective assessment of the strengths and weaknesses that may leads to the conclusion that the Golden Generation may in reality actually only be eighteen carot plated crud.
Which brings us to David Platt. He may be a relative newcomer to the world of double-think and hypocrisy that is gantry sniping - he tried management but wasn't very good at it - but has already shown he has grasped the basics: by definition if you play for a big club you are very good and we will want to interview you later so won't say anything too critical no matter how poorly yoy play and if you don't play for a big club, well, you really shouldn't be here, we don't care, we won't be giving you any post-match airtime and if anything bad happens, well it is probably your fault anyway you loser.
David Platt has quickly and willing donned the media's blindfold of elective stupidity that prevents any form of constructive self-analysis and ensures England's future national failure.
His take on the game was deeply flawed, raised big question marks over his ability to judge the contributions of the respective players (although it also cast some light on why he was pedalled as boss of Nottingham Forest and the England Under-21s) and showed a big club bias that was embarrassingly transparent.
In his sycophancy for the Champions League elite he made Alan Green look the model of objectivity.
Platt's heaped praise for Ashley Cole's woeful positioning, inept crossing and repeated erratic overlaps that ended with him cutting inside and leaving big gaps that left England frighteningly exposed on the flanks was almost perverse.
To then blame those faults on Stewart Downing was just bizarre, if predictable. Tedious in fact. And an insult to the viewers.
Downing did more in his first ten minutes on the pitch than unfeasibly large headed playground favourite Joe Cole did in the entire first half.
The human Corinthian figure did a string of snazzy unproductive stepovers and the odd double reverse drag-back dummy but the combined force of gravity and the weight of his cumbersome cranium inevitably tipped him off balance before he could get a cross into the danger area.
Downing in contrast was unfussy in his approach, made himself available, retained possession nicely and several times beat his man and delivered the ball where it hurts, or would have done had the big club strikers managed to get on the end of them from their deep lying position beyond criticism. None of that was noticed.
What was noticed was the first mistake. After a string neat threaded passes, some good movement on and off the ball (movement incidentally that appeared to be as overtly ignored by the capital clique on the pitch as much as by the pressbox posse) and a couple of pin-point deliveries one went astray.
That gave Platt - who had manfully ignored the error strewn antics of the Hello! lifestyle spread heroes - the opportunity to get in a totally unneccessary dig about Stewy not being able to produce at this level.
No doubt he had done his extensive research and will have known that minute for minute Downing's stats are among the best of the current England squad, that he has only been on the losing side twice in his 17 games, that he has put in more assists than any other player in those games.
No, don't be daft. You don't need research. Downing doesn't play for a big club so by definition is rubbish.
I am far from being paranoid about the media picking on Boro. I am wearily resigned to that. But it is a breathtaking arrogance and a calculated insult to the viewers for the broadcasters to employ expert pundits who are so woefully inadequate.
They are there to spot tactical shapes that they lay-man may not, explain the dynamics of the unfolding game and offer insights as to why players are adopting particular roles and what can be done to counter it.
They are not there to regurgitate ignorant barstool bias and ill-informed poison pen prejudice. If I wanted ignorant half-baked vitriol I could have watched the game in the pub.
If Boro turn up at Chelsea with any freak foot injuries among the squad my money is on irate players putting their size nines through their plasma screens in fury at Platt's poor performance and the brainless bitching about their team-mate.
And if Stewy wants to get his revenge he can help provincial no-marks Boro ruffle Chelsea's feathers at Stamford Bridge. Not that he would get any praise then either - no doubt it would be the ref's fault - but we could all have a good laugh at the Cockneycentric media exploding with ingidnation and the thought of the evil David Platt being battered in the showers.
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AV
Agree entirely about Eng-er-lund - couldn't care less.
The only thing that got up my nose more than the column inches and airtime given to Eng-er-lund, Becks and Cappello this week was the undignified collective leer directed at Carla Bruni which was then followed by snivelling lap-doggery.
The Street of Shame at its worst.
Much more interested in what Stewie does for us at Chelski tomorrow. Phil and I have risked penury for tickets.
I see that carrying the weight of Gregg's sausage rolls has finally done for Mido and he's hernia'd himself.
Silly boy, should have let Rocky carry his half of the order!
I don't buy tabloid newspapers and I push the mute button when telly adverts come on. With the exception of Andy Gray I usually make a cuppa when the "experts" are summarising.
Sad state of affairs when the brilliant creation which media undoubtedly is has become shabby, tawdry and worthless in a lot of respects and in a lot of areas.
The "Anti Boro" media machine is just a tiny manifestation of the bigger issue of a very poor level of professionalism, competence and intellect in this industry sector. David Platt is just another in a long line of Numpties from Manchelsearsepool Utd inc.
His comments would have irritated me had they been from a reasoned and informed source but David Platt (like a lot of the junk TV adverts and tabloid newspapers) is inane and bereft of objectivity, making him perfect in appealing to the tabloid believing, advert buying masses.
absolutely spot on!
I didnt watch the telly but I had the radio on in the car and that pompous professional whiner Alan Green was just as bad. As usual.
"And that's why Downing is only playing for Middlesbrough," he sneered at one point. Stewy made far fewer mistakes than his precious pampered millionaires but they never got slated like that.
The BBC is supposed to be professional and serve the whole country but they give airtime to this self important buffoon who thinks it is his job to suck up to United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea and stick the knife into every other team and its player.
Sky have been like that from day one but it used to be that the Beeb was the last bastion of decency and fairness but this season they have got just as bad.
All year they were desperate for an FA Cup upset about Boro. Desperate. I was embarrassed for them. The Beeb should report stuff fairly not take sides.
And the stuff they said about Mido was unforegivable too. Alright, one dig fair enough but every five minutes was grating. They are paid to report, not offer opinions and bias.
Wow, so I wasn't imagining it then? David Platt really had it in for Downing on wed night. I was sat at home absolutley amazed at his commentary. If anything Downing was one of the better players -twice as good as past it Beckham.
So pleased I wasnt alone in my thinking!
I agree. I have given up even expecting any kind of sense from commentators. They are too busy building their own brand identity to report fairly. Green - moaner. Pearce - shouts a lot. Lawrenson - ironic quips that confuse poor old Motty.
Platt's brand seems to be 'embarrasingly grateful to get the gig despite being bitter and dull as ditchwater.'
AV:
You’ve just picked the scab off a slowly healing wound!
Until I read your blog I thought it might just have been me!
Until I read your blog, I couldn't have told you who the complete tosser of a commentator was on Sky during the Engerlund v France match. I did wonder as it was more than a little annoying!
Like you, I was absolutely incensed and disgusted by the unadulterated bias of the commentary. Whether it was by by omission, by misrepresentation, by malice, by stupidity or by constructive dismissal, the commentary of Stewart Downing's contribution to Engerlund's performance was, I thought, utterly staggering in its ineptitude and inaccuracy.
I thought it was me! I thought it was my predisposition to being attuned to things "pro-big-four" or "anti-small-club".
I wonder if Sky or News International actually run courses for commentators or reporters to teach them some "Sky protocol" which "disses" the rest and elevates the, (how dare I suggest it), under-performing gods of the chosen few to "just having a bad day at the office" status? Or maybe they just recruit sycophants.
Capello's televised clapping of Downing's interchange movement with Cole was telling, however.
That televised incident demonstrated to me that England's national team future is in better coaching hands than previously. Platt's less of a short term danger to English football as a Sky commentator than he is as a hands-on coach – at any level. On this performance, he’ll never make it as a physiotherapist either. The guy can’t tell his coccyx from his humorous!
Also, Sky really do need to coordinate their commentary and camera work a bit more carefully. On the one hand the England coach, Capello, liked what he saw (as did many supporters) as Downing, with Ashley Cole on the overlap, provided some of the very few highlights in an otherwise stale Engerlund performance . (It was hardly Downing’s fault that Cole failed to deliver the final killer ball!).
But Sky showed Capello clapping the move(s)! Oops! That’s the trouble with live TV! However, I suppose Chelsea’s Cole was involved and it could be passed off as appreciation for a god after all! Phew! That was a close one!
It is my opinion however, that like his TV media hosting organization, Platt’s unveiled biased veiwpoint is a long-term danger to the health of the national game and through this, the nation’s global standing.
I conclude this for all of the reasons stated or implied in your blog, in my last post on your previous blog (on Alves’s coming good) and in many postings on earlier blogs before it!
I watched the match with three lads who support three different teams and as soon as Downing came on at half-time they started.
Without making a single comment on when he did something right, as soon as his crosses didn't reach their intended targets they were complaining about him.
One particular incident made me lose it with them. You may remember a cross-come-shot Downing put in to the six-yard box which was collected with ease by the keeper. One of the people with me said “you don’t cross into the six-yard box. It’s a gift to the keeper – you learn that at school!�
I instantly commented on the fact that neither striker was anywhere to be seen and offered them an opportunity to suggest an alternative option other than what did. They said nothing.
I am not saying Downing had a wonderful game the other night. None of them did to be honest. I just hate them singling-out one player because it is the common consensus amongst the gutter-press and over-sized playground pretenders who support England (which are often the same morons who become ardent patriots for two weeks every other summer (except this one) and put George Crosses on their car aerials).
The “Wimbledon effect� where people liken our Stock Market to tennis has now spread to football. We provide the best tournament but our own players are mediocre.
It sickens my heart to see the state of our national team at the moment and our celebrity-obsessed culture has blinded us in that we cannot see ability through WAGs, “bling�, roastings, scandal, glamour, money, mock-Tudor 17-bedroom mansions with games rooms, reality TV, and everything else which is bad about my beloved but dying country. Rant over.
Very interesting posting AV.
Andy Gray doesn’t resort to that kind of garbage because he has long been accepted by “the lads� as one of them, as something of a celebrity mate. He is the guy who would be everyone’s mate in the playground.
The likes of Platt and Alan Green are of little consequence in the playground, not accepted by the masses as “one of the lads� but, they desperately want to be.
So what is the easiest, and quickest, route to be immediately accepted?
To be professional?
Articulate?
Subject knowledgeable?
No, it is to jump on the “lads bandwagon� and slag off the current easy target, with or without justification, which gains them instant ‘respect’. Cowardly, gang-culture, sheep following, unprofessional behaviour. They should be embarrassed by their own words and actions.
This is not ‘expert’ analysis by well paid professionals. It is the behaviour and attitude you would expect see from an immature teenager.
My hope is that the man who matters most in this whole affair, Fabio Capello, will have seen enough to convince him that Stewy is a far better option on the left hand side of midfield than Showboat Cole (take your choice of either Cole under that banner), for balance, for deliveries and for team stability.
It would give me so much pleasure to see Stewy Downing selected ahead of Cole for the next friendly game, not just for the lad himself, but also to make the likes of Platt and Green recall their unprofessional behaviour and to feel the embarrassment of jumping on that shameful bandwagon.
According to the pundits themselves, Capello is the main man who really knows his football. So what would Stewy’s selection do for the pundits reputations? And what would it do for Stewy Downing’s reputation for that matter? It may just get the playground gang off his back.
You become accustomed to the fact one mans failure to clear the the first defender is anothers dangerous delivery being well anticipated by the alert defender.
England's glaring problem is lack of pace in centre midfield and attack. Downing did a superb run and with both strikers well marked pulled an equally superb cutback to the edge of the box which was met by a phalanx of blue shirts.
We dont have an Anelka or a Drogba, we dont have anyone with quick feet and movement in centre mid to allow Lampard or Gerrard to maraud.
Joe Cole should be plying his tricks in the centre (like Tevez) not fancy dragbacks that lose pace and momentum on the halfway line or left wing.
Enough of England's problems, I hope the males of the Powls household have a decent day in London.
I must admit I cant see how Rocky could carry half of the order for Mido's sausage rolls as they are already safely esconsed on his hips. If Mido is having an operation I dread to think of his physical condition will be when he starts training again.
Luckily he wont need to worry about excess baggage at Terminal 5 as he will be wearing it. If he can sing he could be a perfect substitute for the three tenors.
I couldn't believe we didn't get anything from the Chelsea game. Alves should have been on from the start although I don't think he would have got any better chances than he did. We could have won never mind drawn
Come on Boro, Man Utd next!!
Lauren
There are no columns in the table for hitting woodwork, I have checked on the BBC site and we definitely lost. End of story.
Off to a poor start, we had zone marked but up popped Carvalho and scored. We did improve and in the last half hour battled well and had chances to get something from the match. But we didnt and that is that. We can have no complaints despite the penalty shouts, the object of the game is to kick the ball into the net and we failed to do so.
I would just like to say all the Brazilian commentators always blow Downing's trumpet saying what a great player he is.
Maybe thats why they have won the world cup five times and us only once many moons ago.
Dave Pratt get to spec savers.
Regards
Jack
São Paulo
Perhaps one of the unforseen advantages (for the likes of Downing) of having a manager who does not speak English, will prove to be his inability to read and be swayed by the gutter press.
Much better showing from Alves in all aspects of his game, a fairer result would have been a draw.
I find it hard to believe the media comments about Boateng leaving The Boro. It is a shame that 50% of the rest of the team don't have his passion for the club and his willingness to give 110% of effort every time he plays.
Thirty two years old could not be considered - over the hill - could it???
Ian Gill
I KNOW we lost but most teams would have took those chances had and Boro are always unluckly! We deserved at least a point.
I only watched the highlights of the England game but I must say I have great admiration for anybody who is prepared to watch an entire England friendly live.
So I didn't hear Platt prattling on with his pre-prepared script but I remember thinking that Downing was having a good game.
The next day I looked to see how people had rated the players on the BBC website and was amazed to see Downing had the second worse score at 4.6 out of 10.
However, a day later Downing's performance was praised in The Times as being one of the plus points of the game.
This view now seems to be spreading in the broadsheets as following Boro's unlucky result at Chelsea the Guardian named Downing as Man-of-the-Match with the following comment.
"The England winger maintained his form from his midweek substitute's appearance at the Stade de France, offering much needed forward thrust to Boro's approach"
So AV, although you've interestingly highlighted the injustice and poor performance of the former Crewe underachiever, it seems Downing is starting to turn the corner and is gaining recognition certain in parts of the english media.
He's now probably only a popstar bride and a big four move away from being a national hero!
Did not watch the England game but I am not suprised by the comments on Downing. After all if you do not blame him you might have to blame show pony Cole or St Stephen of scouseland.
The game against Macedonia when England drew showed up all the crap from the national press / commentators. I am biased but Downing was one of the better players that day.
AV wrote 'If Boro turn up at Chelsea with any freak foot injuries among the squad '
Hopefully this was not a premonition, is Alves foot OK after he booted the post (just after we hit the woodwork twice in a few seconds)
I would still like to see a front three of Tuncay, Alves and Alliadiere. I also think that Cattermole is looking more and more like a Championship player.
C'Mon Boro!
Lauren,
My son accuses me of being one eyed over the Boro because I think we dont get our fair share of decisions.
The fact is you get nothing for hitting the woodwork, it is poor finishing. By that stage Chelsea could have been two or three goals clear but hadnt nailed that crucial second goal. We have been in the same position against Liverpool and Villa and drew; Wigan, Fulham and Derby and won.
However you slice it Chelsea had twice as many shots and corners, the majority of possession and territorial advantage.
On balance they did enough to win but as an away side you would think it a bit harsh to get nothing. I sometimes think that in those sort of matches two points to the home side and one to the away side would be a fair reflection. But if you only compete for one half that is what you get.
What I do know is that if we give the freedom of the park to ManU in the first half next week we will get roasted.
Sadly you don't have to stray any further than the Riverside to find considerable numbers who vilify everything Downing does.
No Boro player has suffered more abuse from his home "supporters" than Downing over the last 2 seasons.
Too many are incapable of an intelligent opinion of their own and just repeat the media pundits parrot fashion.
For me - and I speak as a former wide player as a youngster myself before the cronies who espoused the religion of Alf Ramsey banished me to play out the rest of my youth as a fullback who was banned from crossing the halfway line - it has seemed to me that throughout his entire career he has bee crossing superb balls into the box and watching some very highly-rated so-called strikers who rarely made the slightest attempt to get on the end of them.
And I include the likes of Hasselbaink, Viduka and Yakubu amongst those who very rarely attacked the ball in with anything like the conviction it deserved.
One wonders what the likes of Cloughie would have thought of the service Downing supplies or what Big John Hickton thinks about him. Those two would both consider him almost unique in the game today.
When a defender of the quality and worldwide esteem as that long-haired Portuguese bloke (whose name escapes me temporarily) described Downing as virtually unplayable and unique in modern day football after playing against us for Lazio a couple seasons back then you realise that current players and managers do know Downing's worth irrespective of the idiots employed by the media.
We should always remember that those in media work are not presently employed as managers or coaches because they either didnt have the capability or self-belief to follow that career path or have already failed dismally in that role.
And we should also remember that no-one is more jealous of current players than those who have relatively recently had to hang up their boots. For them no-one is good enough to lace their boots.
Ian:
"What I do know is that if we give the freedom of the park to ManU in the first half next week we will get roasted."
Just like we did in the cup tie last year before Catts got us back into it - and then the game completely turned on its head. (They needed Ronaldo to bail them out, as usual.) So it might not be the end of the world after all if we give them the freedom of the park in the first half.
But you're right, we shouldn't put ourselves through that again. After all, this is a better and more clinical United side than the side we played then - and in that game we could field the likes of Woody, Vids, the Yak and an in-form Arca.
Jiffy:
Yes, Vids, Jimmy and the Yak were lazy at times. But you can't sniff at strikers who netted more than 70 league goals for us between them. Our current set of strikers have barely passed the 10 mark.
Ian,
No, you don’t get points for hitting the woodwork! No, you don’t get points for pure endeavour alone! No, you don’t get points for artistic impression! No, you don’t get points for unconverted chances! No, you don’t get points for corners awarded! No, you don’t get points for being camped in the opposition’s half! And no, you don’t get points for having possession of the ball for most of the time!
You only get all the points for scoring more goals than the opposition or sharing the spoils for the same number of goals. Agreed! It’s “the rules�!
“The rules� say that since Chelsea got more goals than Boro, then they get the three points. No contesting that fact.
So why paradoxically state that Chelsea did enough to win on the basis of all the irrelevant criteria? They did enough to win only on the basis of the one criterion that matters.
The same principles applied to Chelsea as to Boro. And although they got one more goal than Boro, (yes, it WAS enough for them to be awarded all three points) it was only one goal - out of all the chances they had, but didn't convert. That therefore, makes them only one goal better than Boro on the day.
I don’t give a stuff that some of Chelsea’s non-match defining stats may have been better than Boro’s. (For every Chelsea failed attempt at goal, there’s a Boro intervention of some sort that prevented – or contributed to preventing the goal. And that is, in its way, positive.)
Chelsea, on the day, did not deserve to win!
My objection, (which, of course, I believe to be legitimate), to the outcome of the match is, once again down to poor official’s decision-making on the field of play. And once again, it being to Boro’s disadvantage.
All Boro’s and Chelsea’s missed chances or respective pressure or whatever are irrelevant. All of that was down to the respective performances of each team. That was between them. As it should be (leaving aside for the time being, the argument of whether the Premier League is fairly structured or not).
My objection is that it was a match official’s arbitrary intervention that affected the points outcome more than any other factor.
Such decisions often carry a disproportionate weight of outcome.
To explain what I mean, I have, initially, to take a wider perspective: Relatively few of the “chances� – the scoring opportunities - that teams create are actually converted into goals. That applies even to the big four, who arguably create more chances to score than any of the rest of us.
The match stats after every match bear this out. Usually there are significantly more “shots� than there are goals.
It’s therefore all the more galling when the best type of scoring opportunity, that which ought to carry then greatest opportunity of goal conversion – a penalty – is wrongfully denied.
The value of such opportunities to “children of a lesser god�, teams like Boro, are hugely important in the grand scheme of things, because we do create relatively fewer scoring opportunities so having legitimate penalty awards wrongfully denied is like a double whammy – a lost rare opportunity to level the playing field by having the rules interpreted consistently and correctly !
In a way, it would be of little surprise that Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool got a greater number of penalty awards (or free kicks from just outside the box) than other teams as they probably create more opportunities for them to be given by their territorial advantage and time spent inside the opposition’s goal area.
Furthermore, they DO create greater opportunities than the rest of us because they’re intrinsically better than us, most of the time.
It’s NOT in any referee’s remit however, to “play god� or make subconscious judgments on specific incidents based on his view of teams relative artistic merit, or the number of shots they missed and therefore implying that they are the better side and are therefore deserving of leniency, favour or allowance elsewhere on the pitch!
As you stated, the aforementioned “match stat� criteria cannot logically be used to retrospectively justify the outcome of every match and equally, should not be used by officials to make such judgments on the field of play.
So, when Boro are denied what we are asked to accept, by some refereeing standards, legitimate claims for penalties against us, yet by the same or lesser standards we are denied such valuable and, for us, very hard won penalty kick scoring opportunities, it simply reinforces the views such as Lauren’s that either Boro are “unlucky� or that there are genuine forces in play that favour big teams and perhaps especially in their home matches or, if on their travels, immediately in front their travelling fans.
I’ve asked myself, “If the Belletti hand-ball incident had happened at the other end, would the penalty decision have been given in favour of Chelsea, or the Boro defender?�
On the basis of, at present, gut feel, I come up with the same answer every time. (I’m actually tempted to do some research to see what the stats say).
So Boro have been denied not JUST a goal-scoring opportunity, but a “Marks & Spencer’s� goal-scoring opportunity! Not by Chelsea – but by the referee!
This would potentially have made a significant difference to the outcome of the match and to the shape of the league at the top and where Boro are contesting places with the likes of Newcastle and Sunderland.
Of course you’re right, in the black and white world of “they got the goal, so they get the points�!
But if the playing field had been truly level, Boro would have had a great opportunity to have come away with at least a point.
That’s what rankles with me!
It’s not that Chelsea had a greater number of shots off target and missed them or that they had a greater number of shots on target that were blocked by defenders or by excellent saves by Schwarzer! All of that is fair game and if they missed, it’s because THEIR finishing wasn’t as good as our defending.
No, what frustrates the hell out of me is the denial of a legitimate high-probability-of-scoring opportunity that could have gone some way to redressing the timber-rattling misses that were an indication that Boro, on the day, were at least competitive.
Boro should be proud of their post-goal defensive play and of their second-half performance. And they ought to be as angry as hell that they’ve been denied by poor officiating yet again!
The second half against Chelsea is how we should play , not just line up but MENTALITY!
Southgate knows this but can he ignite the team and make them play without fear?
Alves will score and gain confidence from it too. He is clearly desperate to score and should play up front from the start.
Tuncay just behind Alves, Aliadierre on the right.
Anyone who didnt see the full match-Downing was superb against Chelsea by the way. Johnson did great too
A slow uncommitted display in the first half yesterday, punished inevitably by a fully fired/ruthless Chelsea after five minutes.
Mr Gareth said he couldn't get angry by our start, just dissapointed! Why the hell not? This is precisely why we go out there half hearted, spectating.
Perhaps if he could show more passion leading up to the start we could go out fired up.
Good to see Alves & Jinky come on 2nd half to great affect and Boateng impressed in the middle.
Biggest dissapointment, apart from the result, was a strangely muted performance from Alliadiere, one/two good runs in the 2nd half, otherwise invisible.
Love to know the essence of the pre-match teamtalk, let's defend deep & catch 'em on the break ?
So Richard, I take it that you didn't agree with the decision not to award a penalty then...
Richard
Excellant rant and I agree with the sentiments. As I started my post my son accuses me of being one eyed because I think we get the short straw.
There was a good piece about Steve Coppell in my Saturday paper talking about bias. He thinks when a club like his (and ours) have a penalty shout the ref thinks about it once, thinks about it again and then makes a decision. With the big boys he thinks about it once then makes a decision. No prizes for guessing which way.
He cited a clear handball by Gerrard in the middle of the box against Reading not given, in his view it was a far more of a penalty than that given to Villa by Steve Bennett.
He also talked about homer refs in general, when a ref runs out at Old Trafford there are 70000+ fans to keep happy. No prizes for guessing how to do it.
Back to Villa and every time the ball hit a Boro player the crowd howled at the ref for hand ball. Sure enough he made the crowd happy.
The last bit from Coppell's interview was about his first booking as a player. He was taking a throw in at Everton and the crowd were ugly, after a couple of goes waiting for movement the ref came up and booked. him Steve appealed that he hadnt done anything wrong, the ref agreed but said it keeps the fans happy and you will be let off later, and he was.
I dont think refs do it deliberately, they just respond.
I watched the penalty incident on Saturday, John Powls text me to say it was stonewall. I replied that TV said no but in my view there was an excellent chance it would have been given the other end.
Coming back to the overall performance on Sunday we didnt score from the chances we had and that is no ones fault but our own. It is also Chelsea's fault we were still in the game to make the penalty shout a controversial issue.
whilest we are on the subject of media criticism I thought the coverage on setanta and Motd was totally shocking and the blatant ganging up on Alves and Downing was totally unwarranted.
Yes, Alves had 3 great chances but breaking them down where they really?
The first, a header from 8 yrds... if you look at it Carvalho some how manages to get a touch just before Alves is about to get the power into the header, the glance take it away from him as he is coming through for the header. half chance at best, good defending.
The second Cudicini races out misses the ball and alves has a shot that rattles the post from fully 35 yards. He has three players in front of him and running back towards goal. on Motd Lee Dixon says he should have gone near post however in my view at that distance and speed it would have then been cleared the ball of the line.
Best chance would have been passing to oneill who was steaming through the centre, open goal and easy tap in.
The third chance, header off the bar... good header just unlucky it hit the bar on another day it goes in off the bar just unlucky it hit it full on.
I'm pleased with his contribution. Lets see if he can keep getting in those positions
COME ON BORO!!!!!!!!!!!
Watching the England match with a couldnt care less attitude I perked up when Stewy came on and I thought he played as well as anybody in an England shirt in the second half.
By full time I was riled up by Platt's comments. They were nothing short of ridiculous scapegoatism - and what really angered me was that for example Owen had 45 mins looking a totally spent force.
His only contribution was to put a 30 yard pass into touch and then make a very bad error losing the ball in his own half of the field giving France a clear run on goal. He was never mentioned by way of criticism.
My faith in my eyesight was restored when in the next day's report in the Times gave Downing and Ferdinand top marks so somebody had seen the same as me.
On to Sundays game... yes, I was disappointed Alves did not score but the difference between being a hero with two attempts going in off the woodwork and bouncing out is about three inches on both occasions.
Lets hope that this is a sign that his luck is about to turn.
Hey Werdermouth!
Just for your benefit, and for the avoidance of any lingering doubt.........no, I didn't!
Well interpreted mate! (lol....as they say!)
PS: Thanks for taking the time and having the patience to read it!
I watched the England game in the Tempest in Oslo. There were probably 3 or 4 others there (demonstrating the singular lack of interest in England friendlies) but at least one, of course, was the trademark Cockanee self-abuser.
Downing's entrance was the cue for a 'not 'im for Gawd's sake' and, the cross to which Mr Dagger refers, which I happened to think was pretty damned good and only lacking the appearance of anyone in a red shirt, brought hoots of derision from our Southern football genius.
His opinion was naturally reinforced by the comments from the moronic Mr Platt, whose thirdrateness on the punditry front could only be exceeded by his footballing talents, which as I remember were barely visible whenever I watched him. And so the 'Hate Downing' lobby is perpetuated even with the advent of new management. Boooooo, get 'im orf...
Boro fans are inured to this adversity by now, and the sneering, self-satisfying, mean-spirited excavations from the likes of Platt and the unctuous Alan Green. Now there's another for you...Alan Green - the sycophantic tub of Irish lard who has probably never kicked anything other than a Frido and who has the temerity to lambast professional footballers with cries of 'rubbish!', one of his more favoured epithets.
And that, to me, encapsulates the whole trouble with football commentary today. The people employed by the TV companies to convey the scene of a sporting event have far too much to say for themselves instead of simply describing the action. (Now Kenneth Wolstenholme never needed a celebrity pundit alongside to bolster his commentary, did he?)
The problem is further compounded by giving these over-opinionated mouthpieces their own phone-in, into which the average punter calls to canvas the opinion of the so-called 'expert'. Spherical Objects!!
Since when have Alan Green or, for example, the unfeasibly squeaky and extremely irritating Steve Claridge ever been 'experts' on anything? I mean, STEVE CLARIDGE? Just what is going on in television-land...
None of the commentators add anything except mainstream prejudice, their own unique selling point (screaming, sneering, number-crunching or name-dropping) and some very weak pre-scripted ad-lib puns.
In fact, when they are so badly researched that they cull their nuggets of fact from the tabloids, they actually detract from the whole by trying to crowbar inaccuracies into the national consciousness.
Turn the sound down.
Lee Dixon's comments on MOTD2 were every bit as outrageous as Platts had been.
To suggest Alves 35 yards out with 2/3 defenders between him and the goal 'missed a sitter' were outrageous, apparently the great Drogba and Torres would have scored, of course they would......... It was a half chance and Alves was extremely unlucky not to score.
What Boro need to do is use the biased refereeing decisions and outrageous punditry to their advantage and get motivated. There's a perfect opportunity coming up this weekend to show what we are capable of.
David, your defence of Alves and Downing was a welcome read. Made me see Alves' "misses" in a different light. However:
"Best chance would have been passing to oneill who was steaming through the centre, open goal and easy tap in."
Considering O'Neil's strike rate for us I wouldn't have got your hopes up if the ball had been passed to him.
Stewy Downing is a very good player.
Capello is no mug , and he believes given a fair chance he will only get better.
Against Chelsea he created at least 3 excellent scoring chances and we should have scored from at least one of them.
Southgate will improve and we should stick with him,the alternative is someone like Allardyce, Jewell etc.who just stifle games with 4.5.1 this wont attract the fans back.
I would be saying to the players,get fit and stay fit or you will be shipped out !
Come on fellow Boro fans,surely we can sell out for the Man.Utd game.Easily the best attacking team probably in Europe.
and Guess what,I bet we get a result !
A Arsenal fan text messaged me after the game and said 'Downing was atrocious'. It is obvious where viewers get these thoughts from, that is the worry.
Eventually all potential England players will want to just play for the so called big four (or Spurs) to make sure they do not get singled out by the media.
People very rarely compliment how Boro did, MOTD etc. If the opposition gets a 'bad' result they always say they didn't play well, it's never because Boro played well or defended well! Sometimes Boro deserve more credit.
Come on Boro!