Trapdoors Of Perception
WHEREVER the faithful gather to talk Boro, no matter how normally upbeat the individuals, the group as a whole will soon be shrouded in a soul-sapping cloud of bleak pessimism.
It can't be helped. Teessiders are genetically pre-disposed to a bit of a chunter anyway so after 13 league games without a win have dumped the team in the basement, even the most foam-fingered zealots are fumbling their glasses - now half-empty - in despair and moaning for England. Times are hard, the table looks ominous and the trapdoor is creaking so Boro fans are currently enduring a bout of psychic self-flagellation.
We are collectively down-sizing ambitions, punishing ourselves for daring to get above our station, putting back on our time-worn armour of cynicism and cutting our cloth in the traditional shape of relegation battle fatigues in gloomy grey. Defeatism, resignation and gallows humour reign, increasingly even among the wild-eyed Brownlee fringe.
The train down to London was full of doom-laden Slavenista talk about the extra travelling next year will entail with four more games and long trips to Swansea, Cardiff and Plymouth, a nightmare only mitigated by the prospect of ticking off a few new grounds like MK Dons' Franchisodome.
There was also much discussion about the mooted effects of the resulting catastrophic summer player exodus. By the time we had reached Doncaster we had picked a nucleus of eight key players who may be persuaded to stay and filled the gaps on a slimline Coca-Cola budget with the likes of Robbie Blake, Jlloyd Samuel and Tommy Miller. The only real argument was over whether Proc's patched up side would stay up.
Even those ra-ras who thought Boro would get past West Ham and could reach Wembley immediately doubled it up with the assumption that we would then lose - to Chelsea, naturally - and get relegated as in 1997. Juninho's regal presence only sealed that particular fate.
Yet talk to the Boro players and staff and the perception is completely different. Although the crazy Autumn mantra of "just three wins away from the European places" is now rarely heard there is not the slightest hint of fear at the current situation and there remains a stubborn streak of optimism.
Yes, at times after the most crushing of defeats there has been tangible dismay.
After Fulham the entire squad was devastated after a woeful display and after a tonking by rock bottom West Brom a clearly distraught Andrew Taylor bravely faced the media but could barely talk. We got two minutes 38 seconds of ashed faced terse analysis. The shell-shocked boss was hardly much better.
But they are short-term kneejerk reactions to abject performances and soon the default position reasserts itself. Generally, despite the statistics stacking up against them and games running out fast, the players have been upbeat, inherently confident and keen to accentuate the positives and focus on the next game.
The touchline interviews after the whistle mine matches for nuggets of optimism and the pre-match ones sound buoyant battle cries and insist the quality is there to go on a run starting this week.
That infuriates angst-ridden fans who have keen antenna for any hint of a refusal to join the collective group mourning or to accept the wider consensus and who want some kind of Soviet style public confession of the team's pre-meditated crimes against Boro to assuage their souls.
And up-beat talk after yet another lack-lustre performance wakens the painful folk memory of Steve McClaren's Comical Ali assessments of "magnificent" maulings and the current catch-phrase of "needing to learn the lessons" is rapidly starting to grate and raise hackles in a similar way.
But the players are not lying. It is not just cynical spin. They are not reading from pre-prepared spin doctor scripts. They are not all on mind-bending drugs or part of sinister mystic cult. It is a genuine feeling within the squad.
The players do actually believe there is enough quality in the squad to escape the relegation, that with a fit first XI available Boro are as good as any team outside the top six or eight, that they are not far short of being a decent team, that they can turn the corner. Really. They do believe.
When David Wheater says 'relegation is not an option' because he faces a self-imposed ban from the Mungle Jungle it is not a cavalier gamble with his lemon top and twi fat ladies lifestyle, it is because he really believes Boro can and will stay up.
Now, you may think they are all dangerously deluded, like Hitler in the Fuhrerbunker deploying now battered and bruised battalions that exist in name only and are refusing to face reality. You may think they are certifiable and shouldn't be allowed metal cutlery if they can't clearly see the gravity of the situation.
But sportsmen see things different and, frankly, that has got to be a good thing.
There would be hell on if a player answered questions with a supporter's subjective mindset tainted by the previous defeat and weighed down by fear and morosely told the press: "We're down now. I'm no bloody good. None of us are. We've got no chance against Wigan or in the replay. The boss will get the boot .The club is going tits up."
That might be the norm when it comes to posting on message boards or ranting on the moan-ins where the overly-critical mass of consensus sees doom-mongers egg each other on to advance ever more apocalyptic scenarios. But not with players.
And it is not diplomacy that stops them spurting out emotional answers, it is the professional sporting perspective that underpins their own belief. Successful athletes in all disciplines have a burning conviction in their own ability and a drive to succeed.
Talk to any of them and it is that steely inherent determination that strikes you most.
You don't get nervous athletes wracked with self-doubt over their talent or who can take or leave success. Those losers are weeded out very early on.
Professional sportsmen are acutely conscious of the fine dividing line between success and failure and are certain of their own ability to bridge it through hard work, application and a positive mental approach to the next game, race, jump or swim. That attitude is what makes winners.
They also have an ability to put the negative baggage of the last performance behind them and focus on the next, using the positives to build on. You must learn from mistakes and work hard to eliminate weaknesses revealed in competition but there is no time or role for recriminations, especially not just to appease the press and public.
And there lies a possible route to salvation for Boro. Whatever the flaws in the squad - and we all know there are many - they are not necessarily fatal, as the harsher critics believe. And unlike many supporters, the team are far from resigned to a limp relegation and there is no point castigating them for not buckling under the weight of public angst or throwing their lot in with the gathering lynchmob.
There are 13 games to go and the table is still very tight. No sportsman worth their salt would write that situation off as a sure fire defeat.
They do believe that they can improve, they can sharpen performances in key areas and squeeze an extra 1% out here and there to win games and recent displays have shown they are capable of that.
A clunky and nervous show against Blackburn was disappointing but the team will take strength from the clean sheet. Defeat at Manchester City was frustrating but the team saw positives in the number of chances created. On Saturday Boro edged forward another step and combined the two and for an hour dominated one of the form sides in the Premier League away at West Ham - a team who themselves earlier this term went 14 games with just one win including a Carling Cup exit to lowly Watford and a bleak patch of one point from eight in the league but who are now flying high.
Boro's players are convinced they too can turn the corner and will remain positive going into the big games to come. Maybe we should join them. There is a lot of football to be played before we need the AA Routefinder for Bristol City and Doncaster Rovers.
We all know the value of motivation. How often on here have we talked about how the limitations of teams like Stoke, Hull or Bolton have been mitigated by their work-rate and belief: that they win games because "they wanted it more."
We have to encourage the team in taking that approach into the looming crunch matches. There is no profit in demanding the players adjust their deluded ra-ra mentality to suit the bleak mental landscape of the terraces but there may be something to be gained if we change our own funereal tune or resignation: we can escape, this team can win games and we can help by showing our own positive mental attitude.
With crunch time looming the crowd must be as determined to survive as the players.
*This is a remix from The Big Picture column in today's Gazette.
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Anthony Vickers
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I understand what you say but I think you're a bit harsh on the 'average' fan who you seem to think fails to see the bigger picture. I think the fans grievances are genuine and that it's not the threat of relegation that is the major concern.
We can all see that it's a very tight table.
What has been so disappointing about this season has been the quality of our play. We can't even claim to be inconsistent, beating a top side and losing to our rivals. 13 games without a win transforms into a slide when compared mapped out onto the form table, not an undulating pattern of wins and draws punctuated by a few defeats.
We're one of the lowest-scoring teams around, concede regularly and during predictable periods of the game and rarely win once we have conceded the first goal. There seems to be a deficit of 'bouncebackability' in this squad.
Then we have Tuncay, who is playing well below the standard he is capable of, and key better players like Downing handing in transfer-requests.
The players believe they are capable of playing to a level that will win sufficient points to stay in the division. I think they're right. Looking at the bigger picture some three years into Southgate's reign we should ask the question: is that what we were hoping for when we started the project of playing exciting, fast football with pace and energy? The players may have the talent, but does the manager have the ability to motivate at the highest domestic level?
Fans DON'T get to talk to the players and so we don't hear the steely determination in their voices. Instead we see strange team selections and costly individual errors that are probably the result of nerves but nevertheless cost us precious points (Turnbull v Chelsea a case in point).
I couldn't understand many fans who complained during the McClaren years when we won our first trophy and reached a European cup final. MFC had never had that measure of success. I can well understand the proliferation of 'doom-mongers' and collective mourners because this season HAS been bad and the concern is justified. We lost a lead against West Ham and lost against Man City - that's not really turning a corner.
A level-headed and somewhat defensive (5 centre backs?) evaluation of the current situation AV. Maybe that is what we all need after the extensive negative posts from disillusioned, but well meaning passionate fans over the last two weeks.
It is notable that the good brave words in the press during the last two weeks have come from the younger local players rather than the senior players. Is there a message there? Who has the fire burning most for the MFC to get out of this mess?
The bottom line is, they, and the silent ones, have to put those words into urgent action. The fans want to see FIGHT. And that is at both ends of the pitch. We want to see players getting into the box busting a gut to get on the end of passes. We want to see players desperate to get on the end of corners and free kicks at both ends of the pitch. When did we last see a John Terry/Alan Shearer like burst into the melee of players to smash in a headed goal? How often do we see tame defending to concede a soft goal from dead ball situations?
Fight is not necessarily about running and tackling for 94 minutes (although that in itself would be a blessing). It is about doing everything possible to win a ball, particularly in concede or scoring situations. I just do not see it in our team. We do not enough. Why not?
We did see some improvement against Man City and West Ham but what did that improvement deliver? One goal. One draw. That kind of return is hardly going to keep us in the PL. We would go down long before the end of the season if that trend continues.
However I have always been a believer of good performance level, even if a team does not get anything out of a particular game. If a team performs well for long enough then the goals and the points will come. We have to perform well, at our maximum level, for the remaining games of the season to have a realistic chance of avoiding the drop. The players owe it to the fans, to themselves and to the club.
Brilliant artical A.V. Yes I hope those great Boro fans at the game can get behind the team and become that extra man. There is no doubt at all that this team, this squad is good enough to stay up.
But lets cut out the Colin Cooper BS. This IS a must win game. So everyone must play their part: Fans,Players,Coaches and most importantly Gareth Southgate must. Get your team selection right.Get your tactics right. Get the defence sorted for corners/free kicks Use Emnes if Alves shoots blanks,Get it right and the fans will raise the roof.
Wish I could be there. I will be in spirit. UP THE BORO
An excellent summary of the way ahead couched in Churchillian tones!
We clearly have to support the team in its hour of need. As it is often said, negativity and disgruntlement transmits to the players on the pitch and I wonder how people would perform at work if subjected to the same brand of microscopic whingery - perhaps some have experienced this?
Anyroad, time to park the bus of dissent outside the Riverside and give the troops a rousing reception. Fighting on beaches and landing grounds springs to mind....
I think we all believe that our best (and when fit) squad of 18 players are equally as good as anything outside of the top 6 on paper at least.
The problem lies in their individual performances which is unpredictable to say the least with 3 or 4 of them, but unfortunately 3 or 4 of the Key players not performing (I won't name names). The big question is why and what is going to change over the remaining few months of the season with them that will change?
The other conundrum is the usual, last ten minutes, nobody scoring, square pegs in round holes etc. etc. and again the same question, what is going to change over the remaining few months of the season, granted Man City and WHU games showed chinks of light?
At this juncture I'm not interested as to why this has happened (no doubt it will all be revealed in the summer, warts and all) but hope and pray that their Sporting Professionalism actually does takes a hold and their individual and collective pride finally starts to shine.
Just hope they collectively have a mind set to prove their point on Saturday!
Interesting article AV
In a nutshell then:
League status: Premiership to Championship
Sponsors: Garmin to Jo Blogs DIY shop
Kit manufacturers: Errea to dare I say Errea
Crowd: 26,000ish to 16,000ish
Half time draw: £500ish to pie and mushy peas
Match programme: Red square to Red cube
What a bunch of fickle individuals we Boro fans are - conveniently fuelled with ammunition of controversy from you Media guys!
Keep bringing it on........
To say this is a good article would be an understatement. I think it perfectly sums up pretty much everything
Very good post AV.
I find myself exasperated at the intense levels of negativity from Boro fans at the best of times - but at the moment, it's almost unbearable. The way some people are going on, you'd think we were in a Derby-esque position, not right in the thick of an extremely tight relegation battle.
I love it when people slag off the players for daring to be positive. What on earth do they want? Do they want them to sound utterly demoralised? More likely, they want them to be as miserable as they are. Well, tough. And to be quite honest, if you really can only find the negatives, why on earth do you claim to support the team? Why wallow in negativity? Go and find something else to occupy your time that doesn't depress you as much.
What is interesting, is that a lot of the negative bunch are also the first to suggest ridiculously attacking tactics like Downing/Tuncay in central midfield in a 4-4-2 or Downing/Johnson as wing-backs in a Championship Manager-style 3-5-2. It seems positivity is only allowed to show itself as ridiculous, reckless tactics.
There is still a lot to be positive about. We have the players and the games to drag ourselves out of this. Comfortably. Add to that the opportunity to get to the latter stages of the Cup - which is important, despite being dismissed by some.
Instead of comparing this season to 96-97 when we got relegated and made the FA Cup final, how about comparing it to 2005-06, when we turned round a dismal season to finish strongly (ish) in the league and reach a cup final. Wouldn't that be fantastic?
Hi AV, good points.
The crowd must play its part in the games remaining at the Riverside. I'm sure the 12th Man will be doing their best to get the ball rolling. I sit on the East side and the times when we start the singing are becoming more rare. The atmosphere of the Steaua game are what is required. Perhaps the team will then pick up the motivation. We have nothing to lose now and survival to gain. Come on Boro!
Everyone at the club believes we have the talent at the club to avoid the drop and they may actually have a point. However, this puts Southgate in a bad light.
Of the teams that may go down, how many of their players would be wanted elsewhere in the Prem? Look at our squad: I think Wheater, Huth, Pogi, Digard, O'Neil, Johnson, Tuncay, Downing, Alves, Mido, Aliadiere, maybe Turnbull would, and thats a full team. I dont think other teams down at the bottom,could supply that
Well Anthony, I haven't really got anything to add to your excellent piece, just wanted to say I couldn't agree more.
I think, like the players I am starting to believe I can see the first green shoots of recovery, though I still have to look hard. But playing players in their familiar roles has helped, the unfortunate Chris Riggott being the catalyst for getting Wheater back in the centre back position.
I believe players are simple folk; they just want to play in their familiar positions, the place they fit best. After all, you don't ask a plumber to strip down the engine of your car, if you see what I mean.
I agree we need the most optimistic of the Boro faithful to become vocal in backing the team, starting with Wigan. The season is not over by a long way, and I for one am determined to enjoy/endure another season in the Premiership. And I wouldn't mind a Wembley appearance thrown in ... even if it is only for a semi final!
p.s. "They are not all on mind-bending drugs" I hope NONE of them are actually.
A very fine piece, AV, and I whole-heartedly back your call for the crowd to get behind the lads.
But a touch of realism from the club wouldn't go amiss, would it? Even today, Colin Cooper is saying that we're not in must-win-game territory yet. He may be saying that but I sincerely hope he doesn't believe it. Pardon me for being negative, but if Wigan at home isn't a must-win game after 13 without one, with other clubs around us starting to pull away, and Liverpool to follow, then just when does it become critical?
Of course there are 13 games to go. Of course we could turn the corner and win 5 or 6, or go on an undefeated run that shoots us a few places up the table. We are not relegated yet and I'm chuffed that the players haven't got the R word in their mindset. So it's Don't Panic, Captain Mainwaring!
But come on troops, if we don't beat Wigan, then I think we will have reached the critical stage well and truly, and it'll be starting to look much more much like "We're Doomed, Captain Mainwaring."
Perhaps it's just the club saying "We're not worried, stick with us" - as you say, they can hardly go around saying that it looks like relegation, they've got to remain positive. So do we. But let's not kid ourselves, Colin, this IS a must-win-game.
The most galling thing about us being relegated this season is that we have a team that could have finished mid-table had an adequate management set up been put in place before it was to late. I've absolutely no doubt that the players believe they are good enough, they have the ability without question. The simple fact is GS and his motley crew of "helpers" arent up to the task
"AV: But not with players...talk to any of them and it is that steely inherent determination that strikes you most...the players do actually believe there is enough quality in the squad to escape relegation".
Equal bottom and not much time to go, let's hope that steely determination and belief appears soon in results otherwise we really are doomed...that said, whether it happens or not, those determined players won't really suffer either way because the money will already have been banked and those that can't wait to jump ship, with back pockets bulging, will do so without so much as a backwards glance..... and then The Boys up top will tell us how, in future, it will all be so different and how much better it will all be: For Plan D, read Plan A.
The Wigan game IS a must win game, and no-one paying for their ticket to see the game believes otherwise. Unless, for example, they believe we will lose against Wigan but then (not having won in 14 games) suddenly turn things around so as to beat Liverpool, and then continue that form.
If we were unrealistic we could lose against Wigan (H), Stoke (A), Bolton (A), Fulham (H)and Hull (H) and still stay up. However that would mean winning against Liverpool (H), Spurs (A), Fulham (H), Arsenal (A), Newcastle (A), and Villa (H) - and that would be doing it the hard way. Not too many of us would bet our houses (even if they are in negative equity) on that sequence of wins in light of what we have been through in the last 3 months or so.
I want the players to be positive and to have a positive message from the coaching staff to reinforce their feeling of self-belief. A good slice of luck would be helpful, too. Fingers crossed.
Good post AV, however I also think that Giles has it spot on (first reply).
I'm not a doomongerer, I don't believe we're down until I read the final league table, BUT we are in a worse position than last year and then we stuttered over the danger line in the penultimate game.
As Giles says, the issue this season is disappointment and frustration. Sometimes these decisions are levelled at refereeing decisions or untimely injuries, or our usual bugbear of "inconsistency" - a la Cardiff FA cup debacle.
However, this year has been a nagging, relentless lack of fight and effort. If the players have steely determination, as Pat Mc says above, lets see it in terms of busting a gut to follow up a midfield pass by getting into the box, or throwing everything at corners, free kicks, shots to keep them out.
We have to do this in our home games. Players may be simple folk, but fans, especially ours, are also so. When you go to the game you ideally want to see:
a) crunching midfield tackles from "one of your own" - hence Pollock and Catts popularity down the years
b) A little bit of injustice against you - like Downing being clattered in his early days
c) Someone chasing a lost cause - and getting something out of it - Aliadiere
d) Someone raising the tempo and trying to rally the troops - Ince, Boat etc all did this at times.
The problem is the current team haven't shown enough of this. They haven't given enough to get the fans behind them. It's alright expecting people not to be negative, it's alright asking them to "get behind the team", but lets see the team give us something to get behind.
If in the first five minutes of the Wigan game we see some strong tackling, someone hurrying and closing down quickly and someone like Downing or Jonno demanding the ball and running direct with it - then I think we'll have a cracking atmosphere on our hands. Let's see their determination and it's encourage the fans to show more of theirs. Let's come out of the blocks like a house on fire and try and batter them into submission in the first 15mins.
AV
No problem with the team being positive - of course that's expected and necessary. So long as the worst excesses are curbed - like the flagrant and repeated use of the 'E' word by far too many earlier in the season. If we beat Wigan on Saturday (Please!!!!) it wouldn't surprise me to hear the word used again.
Those of us at the game and all of us round the world - despite what many fear and even more predict - will be willing and supporting the team to succeed. Not quite sure that we needed the lecture, but hey...
Of course, the best way for players to do their talking - always - is on the pitch.
Although you argue that there have been relatively few no-shows, what benefit is it to be everyone's favourite losers, however positive your view is? There's no column for that in the Prem table.
And it's equally not much use to have the capability or the talent or to 'do it in training' if it isn't shown on the pitch.
Supplying that 'missing link' has got a good deal to do with the manager and coaches. The fact that it is missing tells you a lot.
And some of what they say gives you some of the reasons why and often - like some of the MFC missives - drives even the most faithful to distraction. Here's an example.
In amongst the stuff about fees for Alves, Digard and Emnes going up because of the exchange rate issues is the manager' and coaches' plan for Emnes.
Not sure what they thought they were buying for £3.5m - and I'm sure they weren't either, having seen what's happened since. Or, more precisely, what hasn't been allowed to happen.
Now, because he's showed he can score a goal - which was a knack he was supposed to have when bought - they're going to convert him into a striker.
This from the coaching team that brought Aliadiere (non-scorer at Arsenal) as a striker and then stuck him wide right. Still doesn't score and - even when not injured - gave us no service from the right 'cos he's square pegged. This is also the bunch that can't get Alves to score and have reduced Tuncay to a shadow of himself.
OK, the squad is small - by choice or necessity - but that means that every one of them has to be the right pick, you have to keep them all fit and you have to get the best out of them pretty well all the time - even if the best is just effort and commitment because top form every time is beyond even the best. Would you care to defend the current regime on all of those three dimensions? I can't.
But, whatever, I'll still be there on Saturday, giving it my all and getting behind the lads. We must get a win - whatever way we get it. Let's hope we do.
**AV writes: It isn't a lecture, it is an observation. People ask me quite often if the players really believe all the stuff they spout about how close they are to an upturn and getting it right I have just pointed out that yes, it really appears they do. They are, as most successful sportsmen are, confident in their abilities.
Of course, as I say, you can easily counter that they are deluded and that the results say they are fundamentally wrong but equally, you could argue that the mass of supporters who have already written the season off with 13 games to go and are resigned to relegation are also fundamentally wrong. We are far from down.
That was the whole point of the article: it is crunch time and yet there is a massive gap between the perceptions of the players and most of the fans. That is a recipe for disaster. Somehow we need to bridge that gap or see the club fall through it.
I can't blame anyone for feeling negative about Boro's chances after suffering 13 games without a win a barely a handfull of goals to cheer.
I also don't think the table is as tight as a lot of people think - failure to beat Wigan at home on Saturday (with Stoke at home to Portsmouth) could well leave us 5 points from safety with Liverpool up next.
I disagree with you AV regarding this positivity that you suggest is emanating from the players. I've only seen a string of footballing cliches coming from the next in the queue. If this was truly the mental positivity of the professional sportman's mind speaking out then why has this not transferred to performances on the pitch?
I suggest the players are just as nervous and negative as the fans - why else have seen edgy performances strewn with errors that culminate in dropping deeper and deeper until the inevitable goal is conceded?
But I do agree all is not lost - we now have more or less a full squad available for selection going into run of fixtures that give us a chance of getting out of this mess. However, we need to be adventurous with our play as I don't think we are a 1-0 kind of team.
Good writing Nigel regarding the exchange rate clause. I too am very surprised that our CEO Mr Lamb did not invoke exchange rates into the contract.
I am a Contracts Administrator, who writes contracts for the oil and gas industry and all of my contracts are based on fixed price for the duration of the contract, with no escalation whatsoever. It is the responsibility of the bidder to include a premium in his bidd for any unforseen increases. I am sure that is also the case with the BORO, or is this just another ruse for a further increase in the DEBT.
A.V. I have looked on line at Alves goal record and as you say it is not as abysmal as it sounds, however lets put the record straight: 34 appearances 13 goals.
2 goals Man u
3 goals Man c (8-1 worst lifeless man c team ever andonly 10 men for over 80 mins of game)
2 goals Barrow
... that leaves six goals from 31 (1 in 5) and he is worth £12m and counting. I dont think so.
Sorry but this guy is not for me, I have a grandson three years old who does not fall down as much as Alves whenever he is running with someone
I've just been thinking... 'Trapdoors of Perception' - should we have kept James Morrison to ride us through the storm?
AV
But the gap between the apparent perceptions has to be bridged by more than just baseless 'wishing'. I believe - and many do - that it's not too late and that Boro can get out of the mess we're in. The gap many are trying to fill is between 'can' and 'will' - that's where the belief comes in.
Unless that belief - in the stands and on the pitch - translates itself into wins, starting on Saturday, it will gradually turn into self-delusion or first ones head will have to accept the increasing likelihood of failure, even if ones heart won't accept it until escape is mathematically impossible.
**AV writes: I agree the 'belief' has to be realised on the pitch by the players. Only they can make it concrete and ultimately it is down to them .... but it must be easier to play to your best when the crowd share your belief rather than when they are broadly resigned to failure, which seems to be the prevalent mood right now.
The crowd has been stagnent for a number of years now and we all know it.
I am very vocal when i go to the games and sitting down with my arms folded waiting to boo isnt my idea of going to watch a football match. I want to be vocal, I want to shout out my feelings and i want to rally the team and transfer my passion and energy to the players.
AV your blog is very good but as fans in a stadium where the spark has gone it is merely falling on deaf ears. I cannot remmeber the last truly great atmosphere at the Riverside. Maybe Arsenal last year which is going back nearly 18 months, is that good enough?
I have been to Wigan and Hull this season and these are all the same types of atmosphere. Hull only started singing when they where winning and Wigan well i didnt realise they had any fans in the stadium..
Its the same with us, especially when a team doesn't bring many supporters. Look at Blackburn they must have brought 500 fans its shocking and we should have been outsinging them throughout and getting behind the boys what happens?..... Nothing thats what. One song from the north stand!!!!!
It shows a shift in football and stadiums that are becoming ever more family orientated and dull places to be. We need a change. Forget Pig Bag, its garbage anyway, we need fan power and the only way to do it is for the team to start playing and get the fans going. I dont care about what songs are playing before the game I care about what we sing during it...
Wigan is a must win game I will be there singing my heart out but as usual I will probably be on my own...........
COME ON BORO!!!!!!!!!!!!
David Morrison - I agree with you on the issue of atmosphere but this is a problem throughout the league for all games that fall into the bread and butter category.
I think there is another factor that comes into play subconsciously. We have been in this League 11 years. Once we finished 7th. Once under McClaren we had a good home record.These are blips in a general pattern however.
The rest of the time it is a struggle in the mid to lower reaches of the league where we repeatedly lose more games than we win and a realisation that we havn't a hope in hell of competing with the big boys in this league. Over an extended period of time this has the effect of crushing the life and enthusiasm of the crowd.
The answer is simple. Put a winning team on the pitch that scores goals. Quite how you can achieve that at this level with few resources I dont know but that would improve the atmosphere immeasurably.
Vic, sorry but our predicament we find ourselves in was very predictable pre season. Unbalanced squad, weaker both numerically and quality, frankly some of the chest beating and tub thumping about how well we would do this season was laughable.
Our striking potency was of major concern to me also.Think I've been proved right on that score.
Our manager? Totally out of his depth - of which Mr Middlesbrough, Steve Gibson, is not whiter than white in the way he has had to make drastic cuts and expects a rookie to deliver - or does he? without the tools to do the job.
And our ambition? The Gate has let the cat out of the bag on that one. Survival the name of the game. Is there any wonder cynicism is alive and well around matters appertaining to the Boro??!!
Start putting some of the chances away and we will stay up. Lack of goals remains the BIG problem.
AV
I stand by my views that the predicament we are in is self inflicted. The club did its level best to dampen enthusiasm amongst the fans before and during the window with its negativity.
It compounded the folly of its public utterances with its unwarranted square peggism, baffling team selections, poor substitutions. Blame the thinness of the squad if you wish but that was a policy of the club not the fans.
We are well capable of moving up the table but it is up to the players to score more than the opposition. It wont happen on 40% possession and n centre backs on the pitch (where n is large and positive and tends to infinity).
They have to go out and play with commitment and effort with as many pegs in the correct shaped holes as possible.
And I still disagree with you about the Blackburn game. We didnt get a point from that game, Blackburn left it behind. We didnt show defensive stability, we were cut open by a relegation threatened team at home with nary a shot from ourselves.
Doesnt mean I wont be right behind the team as I am for every match. My brother has invited himself down so we shall follow the match on BoroWorld. We will be unbearable if we fail to win. Like many it is unquestinable support at the match, discussion on the boards.
**AV writes: I agree with you about the Blackburn game and I think my report on that one pulled no punches. I was just outlining what the club - management and players - thought, which was that it was a major step forward as it helped rebuild their shaky confidence in their ability to keep clean sheets.
Indeed, I agree with many of the points being made on here and have made them myself on the blog and in the paper but the central plank of this article was to outline the distinct thinking of the club on the current situation and to point out that such thinking does have its own internal logic and its merits.
Well maybe the corner is about to be turned - even Lawro has us down for a 2-0 victory on Saturday (following on from his successful 1-1 prediction against West Ham).
Unfortunately I'm flying out to Australia tomorrow for three and half weeks of sun surrounded by those optimistic locals and it's likely I'll miss the most crucial part of our season.
The good news is that as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago the last time I visited we won the Carling Cup - So everybody should expect the start of a winning league run and a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Should this happen I'm willing to stay away if people are willing to send me money not to return - though my dilemma is whether to avoid checking the internet for results until I return and then sit down through three weeks of recorded highlights the day after I'm back - or does this risk being hit by the harsh reality of being all but relegated and totally undermining my break - sorry I should have more faith
Well good luck everyone - may the corner be turned without me!
Redcar Red,
thanks for agreeing. On your point though "I agree with you on the issue of atmosphere but this is a problem throughout the league for all games that fall into the bread and butter category".
Why should it be like this? It never used to be. Are you saying that boro fans are now in a world of over hyped ambitions maybe putting it into line with what some players where saying in the autumn?
I feel boro on paper are a better side man for man than an Aston Villa, I really do. Some might say I'm crazy but tell me who you would have in our team from theirs? Friedel would be one. Anymore?
Back to the atmosphere and it has been touched on on here before but surely the club cant just settle for it and try something new? What use is having kids if the parents cant afford to go and teach them the boro songs? Why is the singing area only 5 rows in the north stand? lol
I just want there to be some oommph. Yes a winning team will give us something to go with but a crunching tackle in the 1st minute or a shot that warms the keepers hands is that to much to ask?
COME ON BORO!!!!!!!!!
David Morrison:
Any more I'd have from Villa in the Boro line up? You betcha:-
Luke Young
Ashley Young
Milner
Curtis Davies
Gareth Barry
possibly Sidwell and Carew
for starters.
And that's before we get to the technical area and particularly the dugout.
I see Gate (on Sky Sports) offers us the choice between 'like it' or 'lump it'.
Either we get to like what's currently going on or we lump, apparently, going into administration, being docked points and getting relegated that way instead. Nice bit of 'shroud waving' two days before a vital game.
Forgive me if I don't choose to accept either choice or be impressed by the 'special pleading' that he's the first manager in the Gibson era to have to wave that shroud.
I don't particularly like the masquerade of hiding this behind 'Gibbo's a saint and you lot don't appreciate him' and that 'small town not in Europe' is the club's brand.
Some may call this realism. I'd call it quite something else.
A great blog, and some excellent discussions.
It intrigues me as to why The Riverside has become a morgue in comparison to those heady roller coaster days under Robbo, and even at times when McClaren was here.
Certainly under Robbo there was a euphoric fan base, almost entirely season ticket holders, you couldn’t buy a seat for love nor money in our new stadium. We got to two cup finals and even though we lost them both and were relegated the atmosphere at the stadium was still high end and often electric.
It is difficult to pinpoint where and how it all went sour, but for me the one most damning indictment I can throw at MFC was their failure to build on Eindhoven. I cannot for the life of me understand why, having let McClaren leave, that the teams affairs were put into the hands of yet another novice.
Whether Gibbo knew what was coming in terms if the clubs financial position, and one must assume that he did, it certainly smacked of “we’ve gone as far as we can, there’s nowt left in the kitty, so let’s just enjoy what we had and get back to just being the Boro everyone knows”. Hence Martin O’Neill came and went, along with that nice German chap, probably because they were told, sorry guys, I like your four year plan to turn us into Champions League potential, but we’ve got no dosh.
From that day onwards the message from MFC became louder and more clear that the club was downsizing, along with all the “we’ll get the team we can afford” stuff, “no more big signings” (apart from our cow/banjo Brazilian, another brilliant piece of business by another novice manager) and seeing the squad asset stripped to the bare bones, losing two of our more promising young players, and so on.
With this constant negativity coming from the club, out went the fans enthusiasm, their expectations, their own personal goals and wishes destroyed. It’s not easy as a fan, to just turn around and say, “oh well that’s life, it was nice while it lasted” and just forget everything that’s gone before. We are all gutted that we might never have another tilt at Europe, and that we might lose our place at the top table and disappear into obscurity!!
The Riverside atmosphere is like it is because the fans are absolutely distraught at the thought that this might be it, that this could be the end of the road. How do you get everyone singing and dancing whilst we are in the position we are, it’s like asking you to join a party when you’ve just buried a loved one.
I woke up with a cold sweat with the words of Ali telling me Bates was right back and Arca in central midfield.
Logic invaded my senses as I realised any coach worth his salt would play a right back at right back and put Arca on the bench.
Mmmmm! I am starting to understand the problem......
Enough of such banter, I am backing John Powls line of thought with Downing replacing Arca. He is quicker, has better ball retention, is equally hard working and is no worse a tackler than the land crab.
ManU's defensive record is not just down to having top defenders. Any defence struggles if they are under constant pressure because launching the attacker and ball into row Z is not possible under modern laws. Dickie Rooks and Bill Gates would play fewer games than Viduka but not through injury.
Their success isnt just down to the attacking stars, ManU work very hard and dont give the ball away which is why they dominate possession. So that must be our approach against Wigan. Work harder than them and keep the ball moving.
Ian
Glad we're of a mind re tomorrow.
Amazed to see that that nice Mr. Paylor thought that the Land Crab "did very well" at West Ham in his piece in today's Gazette. Was he there? If so, what's he on?
John Powls,
Luke Young - agree
Ashley Young - better than Downing?
Milner - better than Jinky?
Curtis Davies - better than Huth?
Gareth Barry - agree
Possibly Sidwell and Carew - maybe, but i think Digard will give Sidwell a run for his money and I think carew is just a buffer for the rest to have the freedom to play which maybe King given time will do.
Anyway the main point is that these players are at a different level due to the management and that is the only reason. They are very good players but have the leadership of one of the best managers in Europe.
We have discussed O'Neill on here before but I just cant see many differences in the 2 sides player wise.
massive game tomorrow i cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!
COME ON BORO!!!!!!!!!!
I’m quite annoyed at Southgate’s comments – yet again.
He has defended Steve Gibson against some fans concerns over Gibbo’s commitment to Boro. However, I think that the fans in question are concerned that Gibson has appointed Southgate and that this has been a big mistake by a usually shrewd businessman.
Reading further into Southgate’s comments he has stated that there is no way the club could continue along the route of paying massive fees for players and their resulting hefty pay packets. Oh Really!
Pity he didn’t have this in mind thought when he bought Alves. Gibson provided the funds for him as well as O’Neil, Emnes and Digard. There were also funds available in the Transfer window, up to £4 million for James Harper.
It does look as though Southgate is now looking for something to blame other than himself. Add up what Gibson has spent in the last 18 months on players and it will be over £20m. Alves and O’Neil have been two very expensive mistakes made by Southgate, so his argument of not having the funds available doesn’t really make any sense.
Personally I would like nothing more than for Southgate to turn things around and become a top manager. He was a great Captain, good footballer but a terrible manager.
**AV writes: But when you look at spending you have to balance it against sales. The net spend this year has been £400,000 and the over the last two years have been £4.4m. You can argue that the wheeling and dealing hasn't been effective if you like but you have to do it with the correct figures.
Maybe we should get a warm up act in before the main event so the crowd is jumping before the kick off.
Picture a U2 concert with an up and coming young band putting their heart and soul into their warm up slot in an effort to get noticed on their way to fame and stardom before Bono and co take the stage..... to sing a medley of Val Doonican Classics!
Yeah that's right Bono sings Val Doonican, hardly a scenario any U2 fan would want to or expect to endure and not likely to pay good money for a repeat of.
Now maybe I need to sniff a bit more of the foam but why are we Boro fans supposed to react differently. Surely it is up to the highly paid Entertainers to entertain and the money paying public to applaud? Or do we applaud, start screaming encore, encore first and therefore the entertainment may turn up if they feel like it?
Mind you those of us old enough to remember "Paddy McGinty's goat" may see a striking similarity to the individuals graceing (grazing?) the Riverside on a Saturday afternoon.
John:
I dont know what that nice Mr Paylor has been imbibing but I wonder if he slipped some of it into AV's cocoa before he penned this thread? I feel virtual exile coming on!
Uncle Eric has a point. Arca does have a time and place, 3.00pm and the bench.
As for the Villa debate, I think a scan through the England squad part answers the debate. We can always discuss the merits of individual players but a simple glance at the table tells you they have better players and/or coaching staff. I suspect the biggest difference is between the latter.
And so it should be. O'Neill has come to Villa through managing at Wycombe, Norwich, Leicester and Celtic as have his team. It is not the fault of Gate and co that they have so little experience.
What is intriguing is how he has developed promising English youngsters into internationals. He is backed by a wealth of experience whilst Gates' is front of him.
Some things that will significantly improve the atmosphere at the Riverside:
1/ A team selection that does not send shudders througn the crowd before a ball has been kicked. I usually feel sick at that point.
2/ Stop playing that moronic Pigbag nonsense. We want some tension, some noise and some very encouraging expletives to meet the team as they walk out. It must be embarressing for the players. No tunes required, just anger/passion/noise.
3/ A passage of attacking play that results in a shot on goal sometime in the first half also helps.
4/ Leave the missus at home. Nothing against women like, but their motherly doting adoration of the players is hardly condusive to manifesting the tribal atmosphere we all miss, and surely any red blooded player thrives upon.
Perceptions are important. I hope the club have perceived clearly where we are and what we need to escape right now.
Teams like Stoke, West Brom, Bolton all knew from day one they were going to be in a relegation battle and they have set themselves out mentally accordingly and scrapped in every game.
I fear that the Boro team and management believed they are comfortably a mid-table team and have themselves out accordingly, thinking a few defeats do not matter as they will be soon balanced by a few wins. The sooner reality sinks in the better.
As for the fans I think their perceptions are that the club are failing which seems a bit harsh given the economics etc (which we are told about now on a weekly basis) but is justified because the chairman, chief executive, manager and players spent the summer and the early part of the season clearly setting that bar at being a top eight side that were gearing up for an outside push at Europe.
That is why Boro fans are moaning while West Brom etc are happy because they are on course but we are falling well short.