Boro Bid To Gun Down Record
IT'S always nice to break records. Hmmmmm. If Boro lose at Arsenal on Sunday - and let's be honest, given the form and the history it is not totally beyond the realms of possibility - it will be the club's worst run of consecutive away defeats in a single season EVER.
The current dismal run of nine away day defeats on the bounce is the worst since the 1910-11 campaign, a season in which Boro bounced around the lower reaches before finishing 16th and staying up comfortably by five points.
That run - anorak attack incoming! - featured defeats at Everton, Bristol City, a six goal mauling at Spurs, Liverpool, Sheffield United, Sunderland, Manchester City, Notts County and Bradford. It could have been worse; prior to that they had been battered by five goals at Blackburn and Aston Villa but that run was broken up by a 2-0 win at Arsenal.
That spiral of ineptitude spilled into the next season as Boro lost their first away game 2-0 at Sunderland before winning at Sheffield Wednesday, tonking Manchester United 4-3 then lurching onto another run of five away defeats in six before contriving to claw up the table and finish seventh.
The current run of nine defeats is an utter embarrassment and an unmitigated disaster. The defeats at Hull, West Brom, Stoke and Bolton have been costly and demoralising and have pointed to key flaws in the current Boro set-up: the failure to score goals when on top and the tendency to collapse under pressure, even from limited sides.
Not that Boro are real Madrid. We have had a lot of poor seasons over the years and a lot of terrible runs away, especially in relegation seasons. But nine - and possibly ten - straight defeats? Even the worst sides in top flight history, the sick, the lame and the stupid, have somehow spawned a point somewhere along the line. Right?
Well, it is far from being the worst, even in the Premier League's relatively short history packed with whipping boys and cannon fodder. The worst run was 13 defeats for Leicester in 2000-01 as they unravelled after Martin O'Neill's departure, followed by Sunderland's dirty dozen defeats spread over tail end of the 2002-03 n-n-n-n-nineteen season and the start of the equally inept return two years later and also 12 defeat over two seasons for Ipswich.
Then come 10 game losing runs by Watford and Wimbledon while the dubious distinction of nine defeats is shared by Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, Coventry and Bolton. Eagle-eyed viewers may have spotted a striking similarity with all those sides... yes, they all plunged to an ignominious relegation.
Boro's previous stinking seasons don't come close to this. The 1996-97 Juninho season, the Golden Year of Ravanelli, Wembley and a debilitating pre-season flu virus has gone down in our collective cultural memory as "glorious" because, apparently, Boro played sweeping attacking football that was mouthwatering to behold. That doesn't square with the stats which show 12 away games without a win and six defeats on the bounce.
In the 1989-90 season - a relegation haunted car crash of a season salvaged only by a famous win over the Geordies that torpedoed their grand dreams - Boro went nine without a win.
The season before, Rioch's relegation from the top flight Boro won only three away all season and lost six out of seven at the start of the season - a run broken by a famous 4-3 win at Coventry in which Bernie bottled out of a scrap with David Speedie after the both scored hat-tricks.
In the 1981-82 relegation season, the aftermath of the defeat at Wolves and the Great Amer Ayresome sales, Boro went 16 without a win before a 2-0 victory at Sunderland - but then went on to win their last two away games at Notts County and Swansea.
In 1965-66 Boro won just two of their 21 away games and twice went five straight defeats and, ask your great grand-dads about this one, in another relegation season in 1923-24 they twice went nine without a win.
So unwanted record breaking at the Emirates? Or will the other freak stats be extended - Gareth Southgate's unbeaten record as a boss against Arsenal and Boro's undefeated run at Arsenal's new ground?
It is an easy intro for the lazy press corps but let's make sure Norris McWhirter doesn't need to be troubled. Come On Boro.
Meanwhile, the gaffer has realised that young and inexperienced players sometimes need baby-sitting and schooling before they can do their job effectively.
And Boro fans' favourite Magic Man turned poisonous pundit, Paul Merson, thinks we have a chance at the Emirates because Arsenal think fourth placed is in the bag and will have one eye on Wednesday's Champions League trip to Old Trafford. In his match preview on Sky Sports he says: "the way Middlesbrough have been defending ain't been clever and they can't score goals either". Well, he's got that right, let's hope he is right that we can catch them on the hop too.
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Anthony Vickers
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Here are the statistics why Southgate is not up to the job of managing the BORO:
1. In danger of equalling the longest losing league run away from home in the club's 133-year history. That record is 10 matches suffered between 31 December 1910 and 2 September 1911.
2. Won one of the last six Premier League games; 3-1, home to Hull on 11 April.
3. Won two of 21 Premier League games, and failed to score in 11 of the last 16.
4. Own the weakest attack in the highest league.
5. The current total of 31 points after 33 games is their lowest ever return to this stage of a Premier League season; not finished lower than 14th, since their return to the Premier League in 1998.
6. Gained just three points out of 21 against London clubs, and lost their last three league visits to the capital.
7. Won one of the last 11 against the 'Big Four' (Arsenal , Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United); that being 2-0, home to Liverpool in their most recent fixture against such opposition on 28 February.
My morning paper does a piece on the end of season games. It has us getting one more point, at home to Villa, Toon to beat us 2-0 plus get three draws, both of us to go down with Sunderland just escaping by a point. Mind you they also have Hull winning at Villa.
Lets just get on with the rest of the season.
AV
Did anyone follow up on the Gate comments yesterday that some of his players were treating training and games 'like they were in the playground' and 'not seriously'?
What will the excuse be for achieving a century long record of defeats - 'A big boy did it and ran away'?
Let's hope Jezza scores again and Boro can scrape a result.
**AV writes: you can't create the youngest most inexperienced squad in Premier League history and then complain that they act like kids.
Good luck BORO, we are all behind you. The nerves are starting to jangle now.
But don't be surprised if Southgate (the dark destroyer) take out Bates and McMahon, the two local lads he seems to want rid of in the summer. The very two lads who above all have led the charge for survival.
Southgate has hinted that, HIS BLUE EYED BOYS, O,Neil Digard and Hoyte are in line for recalls. So who gets left out. Not King or Alves or Aliadiare who have all been poor. No, for sure it will be the local lads who truly have the club at heart. Still, whoever he puts out good luck, give it your all.
AV: I agree in part with your response to John Powls at 11:18am.
If you engage youth, you HAVE to manage it. And part of that is recognition of the lack of life-skills and changing attitude that comes at different times and at different rates to us all.
Discipline, dedication, character and early maturity are important factors in modern successful athletes - and that's what modern professional footballers are. And they need to stand up and be counted individually. But they need to be coached through it and held appropriately accountable for their actions - good and bad.
You won't get highly successful swimmers, boxers other individual performers doing some of the stuff that some footballers do. Because individual performers have nowhere to hide! They're out there on their own and their performances and results are entirely due to their own life-regimes.
If any young footballer considers that he can "hide behind" or get carried by his team-mates, he needs a rocket inserted!
Southgate's interview reference to "it's their job" reflects perhaps a dawning of awareness (a bit bloody late in the day!) of the importance of on-field leadership and that they are out there, first and foremost, TO WIN.
"Enjoying themselves" MUST be subordinated to that simple imperative.
This youthful squad needs to grow up FAST!
If Southgate's remarks reflect only a recent awareness of this, then it's Steve Gibson who is culpable for installing an inexperienced coach and for not providing him with all the required means (support) or abilities (skills & competencies) to address such matters.
My fear is that there now isn't enough time for them to do so to save the season.
Gareth Southgate will be a much better coach/manager for his Boro experience to date. Because of that, and because he's an intrinsically good guy, I don't want him to leave. I want Boro to get the benefit of the "training" and experience he's gained here. Otherwise he'll only take it somewhere else and help them succeed!!
I suggest that they stop giving press interviews and engage their direction, energy and focus on survival first then talk all they want! As for Stewy's supposed comments it beggar's belief that he even commented at all. Where the hell is the clubs press officer and Keith Lamb and co when all this garbage is going on.
Just when we were hoping to hope the impossible may be possible, Stewy's off again and Gate's moaning about an immature attitude from kids. If I was SG there would be more than a few smashed teacups around the place today.
The Downing saga destroyed our December and January and to hear the same rumours resurface and from inside the club is astonishing, obviously it is symptomatic of what is wrong at the club at the minute. Typical Boro!
On Sunday every single individual will have to perform at the height of their collective professional competence. A full blooded and committed display may yield a surprise, that said Downing putting a "For Sale" ad in the nationals and Gate suddenly deciding now is the time to start berating the youngsters is not clever.
Its never too late ------- to remove Southgoat
The facts are our record is poor in a poor lower half of the Prem table. The stats are truly shocking - totally unacceptable anywhere else than MFC.
I just hope beyond hope that whatever happens by the seasons end we actually employ a manager who can manage.
Today's (Saturday) results are significant:
If Boro beat Arsenal tomorrow, we go 17th and Hull are in it with the Geordies. It also puts us within a point of the Mackems who got hammered by ........West Brom???!! (Where have we seen THAT happen already this season?)
If ever Boro needed an added incentive?
P.S I'd add a prayer for Wigan (this hurts!) to beat Blackburn by at least two goals at Ewood Park tomorrow afternoon & for Pompey (again, this hurts!) to salvage at least a draw at Sid James' on Monday evening...
It is a disgrace really. Nine away defeats on the trot! That's shocking. Even the really bad PL teams - Derby, Swindon, Watford, the Mackems - pick up the odd draw here and there or get a freak win (usually at Boro!)
But at some point these runs end. There will never be a better time than now.
Come on Boro!
Here we go again... all the results have gone jammy Boro's way for yet another weekend. At some point this team have to deliver. They have to take advantage.
I am sick of reading that they are up for the fight, or know what the stakes are, or are inches away from being Brazil 1970, a team full of match-winners.
It is time to do the talking on the pitch and go into a game fired up, ready to bust a gut and flying into the opposition.
Arsenal will all be thinking about their places in the CL semi final and won't fancy picking up injuries so we should go steaming in and rough them up. Get stuck in. Muscle them out of it.
PS... what has happened to Forever Dormo? Has he he had a freak accident with a pile of dictionaries?
Certainly everyone else seems to be doing their best to keep us up. Hull and Sunderland both lost again. Hull are now only 3 points above us on the same goal difference.
If you look at what we have to achieve now it's simply to score 3 more points than Hull over the next 5 games (4 for them), improve our goal difference in relation to them by 1 goal, and do no worse than Newcastle and West Brom over that period.
Doesn't sound that unlikely, in fact the form table would probably suggest it is very likely...which is why it probably won't happen!
Arsenal and Man U have been scoring goals like there is no tomorrow recently, so I predict zero points and minus 6 or 7 impact on the goal difference over the next two games, but if we can just sneak a point from one of them, and not let an avalanche in, then who knows.
Can't believe we are not dead and buried yet, but here's keeping everything crossed. I know this may sound weird, but I think we need to edge out a point at a time rather than win something unexpectedly.
I have a horrible feeling that if we were to time our run too early and get out of the bottom three in the next week or two with an unexpected result we would suddenly think we were world beaters and switch off. A point from the next two games would be very nice, two would be beyond belief.
HI Ste Mac,
Jammy Boro indeed. This all part of the get your hopes up plot by the football god.
It is not enough to be sentenced to a lifetime of disappointment but I think the Typical Boro football god has really got it in for us. We win at Arsenal and then lose all the rest and still go down..........
Anyhow we shall see in half an hour.
GET STUCK INTO THEM? HAH!
What a pathetic, powder puff performance. We are going down and deservedly so.
Sky Sports online page headline: "SOUTHGATE - WE DIDN'T DO ENOUGH"
Well Mr Southgate if the truth be known, "WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING"!!!