Sunday, February 26, 2006
West Brom 0 Boro 2
A lot of our recent cup success has been played down this week, with the boss and the captain both saying that the West Brom game was the most important of the season so far. A big number of the fans will have appreciated that sentiment - Uefa is good for the club, we have matched last year's result and have a glory tie to look forward to, and the FA Cup would be amazing, but we have an awful lot to do to even reach the semis, and to concentrate on clawing our way out of the bottom five is sensible, realistic and essential.Good news then that tactically we were spot on on Sunday, hitting them with the double whammy of in form strikers, Yakubu and Hasselbaink and holding firm in defense for every one of the 90 minutes. It could have gone either way in the first exchanges of the game, and even after Jimmy had fired us in front they looked dangerous coming forward with their final ball their only downfall. The answer to my midweek question of Pogatetz, Queudrue or both turned out well. And with Southgate and Riggott once again getting those crucial tackles in, and Mark Schwarzer somewhere near to his best again, we looked as solid as we have done all year. A little luck from a deflection for our 2nd cliched it with time to spare, raising a big smile from our rejuvenated Dutch striker, a very nice thing to see! By the time Quashie was sent off for a cynical boot in Boateng's back the game was beyond their reach anyway - a deserved 3 points for us and the icing on a very tasty cake in the month of February.
So, 31 points and a good 8 off the drop zone. A win against Birmingham next weekend would surely mean safety all but guaranteed, leaving us to concentrate on a mere 10 point gap to Arsenal in seventh, with a game in hand to boot! Seriously, with a dozen games still to come a continuation of current form could see us back in the mix. Granted there are nine teams between us and that kind of target, but 50 points is easily do-able if we keep the sheets clean and the goals screaming in - a total that has been good enough for a top ten finish in each of the last five seasons. Add five more to that and we are where we were last year! But I know, I know, one game at a time, eh? It's just nice to have confidence and positive targets again.
My MOTM: Mark Schwarzer played a big part today, with safe hands throughout - I'm going to show I've all but forgiven his transfer list nonsense and give him the vote ahead of Jimmy this time.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
New Poll For Fans
The results of the early season poll to find Boro's "Player of the Season so far" is now over, with Yakubu emerging as the winner with 28% of the votes, George Boateng coming in second with 19% and James Morrison a promising third with 16%!As the season enters its last third it is time to start gathering votes for the overall "Man of the Season" - You can vote once a day, if you like, and the poll will be open right until the end of May, when I will reveal the winner.
Why Man of the Season? Well, I've included Steve McClaren at the bottom in case any defenders of the tactically questionable boss want to suport him to the bitter end - you never know!
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Boro 0 Stuttgart 1 (2-2 ag - Boro win on away goals)
Well, we didn't manage to do it in style but we did manage to do it! Thank God for away goals - next up Roma: a European tie of real quality... just what the fans wanted! But for a nervy 75 minutes it looked far from certain that we would go through at all. My last comment after the away victory was that as long as we didn't play negative and sit off them then it would be fairly straightforward. So what did we do? we sat off them and played as negative as we could! I knew there was danger from the team selection, again opting for a lone striker in the mould of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - it worked once, why not again? But this time they knew they needed at least two goals and came out all guns blazing, under poor conditions at the Riverside, as rain lashed down throughout, making the pitch very slippery and pretty cut up.On 13 minutes some of the trademark shoddy defending I thought we had begun to put behind us came back to haunt the Boro and let them in for a much needed opener. McClaren was furious and so were the fans. Fortunately for us they seemed to ease down a gear after that, choosing oddly not to press their obvious advantage on the night. We rode the storm (in more ways than one) till half time, however, and came out looking much more aggressive and determined to close down. Jimmy had one good chance to equalise and make it tough for them, but it was not to be, leading to the Yak coming on for the final ten minutes as we steeled ourselves for their final assault. But the steam had all but gone from their attacks, Mark Schwarzer rarely troubled, and I think if Yakubu had been on ten minutes earlier we'd have easily sown it up sooner.
By the final whistle we were deserved winners over the two legs, even if tactically we played it very close to the bone... Why in difficult circumstances do we continue to be overly defensive when experience has proved we are better going forward and playing free? We have some quality strikers at the club and at times we seem afraid to use them to their full potential... Anyway, we are through, and back to the "bread and butter" of the league on Sunday, as we face West Brom in a big big game for the club. I expect The Yak to start with Viduka and Jimmy on the bench. Do we play Pogatetz back from suspension or Queudrue back from injury, or both! That will be one of the key questions.
My MOTM: Gareth Southgate for shepherding a result in difficult circumstances.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Midfield Roched
Is there ever going to be a week without some bad news this season? George and Franck are back, and that is a welcome blessing, but first we heard news that James Morrison - who has had an outstanding season - was out long term with a hip injury, and now we hear that Summer signing Fabio Rochemback is out for eight weeks with ankle ligament damage! With our midfield possibly our weakest area this is tragic news, especially as Fab had only just found his scoring boots with the opener against Chelsea. It means that Doriva will almost definitely keep his place, but pressure on the likes on Mendieta and Ray Parlour to stay fit has never been bigger. If either of these can't make the grade on matchday we may have to resort once more to our youth stock.Lee Catermole has played several times recently and performed extremely well, with more commitment than some of the more seasoned players at times. He has proved himself a tough competitor and the Boro faithful would certainly have no nightmares about playing him from the start. Next on the list is Jason Kennedy, who has had a few run outs from the bench this season, and although showing promise for the future has not yet had the opportunity to shine at the standard demanded by premiership games. One thing is for sure - nothing is going to be easy in our run in to the end of the season. With 13 more league games and two cup fronts still to fight for there is still a big hill in front of us, despite four wins on the trot. Manager's tactics are surely going to prove all important, so let's hope the boss gets more right than wrong and our rich vein of form can continue without too many more setbacks. In this game of two halves there are 60 minutes on the clock and we are 2-1 down with 10 men on the pitch - we have to keep the fighting spirit or defeat is right around the corner. Come on Boro!
Monday, February 20, 2006
Preston 0 Boro 2
Four wins on the bounce and a place in the all premiership last eight of the FA Cup. All of a sudden it's happy days being a Boro fan again. It did take a while to stoke the engines in this one though, with even Match of the Day struggling to find 10 seconds of highlights from the first half. Preston boasted an unbeaten record stretching to 25 games and were only 10 places below Boro, nestling in a play-off berth in the championship, but their attacking prowess left a lot to be desired, even in front of their home fans at Deepdale.As much to do with Boro's improved defense as anything, with Riggott and Southgate looking commanding now their partnership has had time to gel and Franck back at left back complete with a new Mohawk haircut. Second half and Boro's superior fitness began to tell, with just a half yard of pace to the ball making all the difference. Bringing on Hasselbaink was a good move, his scrapping leading to Yakubu's excellent play and his first goal, a true scorcher hit on the half volley. From there the opposition looked immediately beaten , with little threat of an equaliser. And when the Yak popped up at the far post for the second the wind was truly taken out of their sails.
The good news is that it is another quarter final and a continuation of a mini revival. The bad news is that with all premiership teams left there is sure to be no easy draw. Any home tie would be nice, and avoiding Chelsea or Liverpool would be good too. And as I say that hot news from the FA tells me that the latter wish is granted but that we will have to overcome another away tie - it is a trip to The Valley for a tough physical game against Charlton - could have been much worse. Nice to just be in the hat.
My MOTM: Yakubu would be the obvious choice with 2 more goals, but credit to Riggott for a clean sheet and a strong performance all round.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Stuttgart 1 Boro 2
Amazing what a little confidence can do isn't it? With five minutes to go this match review was looking very different - away from home against an historically very strong German side, 2-0 up and cruising into the last 16 with a home leg in hand. As it is there is still some life in the tie, thanks to a driven free kick on the edge of the box to give Stuttgart a lifeline. To be brutally honest their reputation was far bigger than their talent on the night. OK they have been troubled in recent weeks, with a new manager in place and a terrible home record, but so have we! Following a ten minute settling in period when they looked dangerous down the flanks, testing Riggott and Southgate more than once in the middle, they looked poor, struggling to get the final pass into the box and ever vulnerable to the counter attack. Good thing too as Jimmy was ploughing a lone furrow up front in a thankless task.It was the Dutchman then that capitalised on a mistake from Timo Hildebrand in goal, the ball ricocheting off the back of George Boateng into his path for a cool blast through the hapless keepers legs. They may have looked like leveling at times in the first half, but when Stuart Parnaby claimed his first in Europe from an excellent Boateng cross they fell to pieces in many ways allowing us to surge forward freely looking for a third. Yakubu came on for the last fifteen minutes in an attempt to finish the tie off for good, but it was the German side who benefited from a late Doriva tackle to breathe new life into their effort and force Boro back for the last seven minutes. In the end we did well to repel an equaliser, Jesper Gronkjaer always looking the biggest danger for them.
We need to watch out in the reverse tie next week at the Riverside, for sure, it is not quite over, especially as they are reported to be a better away team than a home team. However, you have to fancy a repeat of last year's last 16 spot with a positive attitude. It is up to them to come and get two goals and as long as we don't sit off and invite them in I see that as being a very steep task. Happy days are here again. On to Deepdale in the cup!
My MOTM: George Boateng proved just why he must stay fit for us if we are to succeed.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Boro 3 Chelsea 0
Can someone please explain to me what's going on this season!? I know football is a funny old game, but this is ridiculous... Not that I'm complaining about beating Mourinho's Chelsea by the biggest domestic margin ever, or keeping a clean sheet against them, or basically showing the runaway champions how it's done, but it is a bit surreal!OK we scored before the game had really settled, with an element of luck in both our first half goals, but we didn't stop for the full 90 minutes - a definite increase in effort all around was much in evidence. It all started from the unlikely source of the (so far) wayward Fabio Rochemback, who finally saw one of his shots hit the back of the net after what must be about 300 attempts since he got here - law of averages state one of them had to go in eventually, but with 90 seconds gone talk about timing! From then on his personal confidence soured and we began to see a side of him that has been all too rare, but has obviously been lying dormant all the while: he made runs, passed precisely, was inventive, bold and unafraid of the opposition. Please Fab, carry on! To add to that joy the return of the boy wonder became fully realised when his first goal of the season snuck past defenders and attackers alike to double an incredible lead shortly before half time. Normally you would expect Jose's teamtalk to do the trick, but the determination from us defensively in the second half simply wore the champs down into submission. And going forward Yakubu looked world class, making fools of Carvalho and Terry on more than one occasion before getting his deserved reward to put the cherry on top of a very tasty cake indeed.
So that's the triple crown of Arsenal, Man Utd and now Chelsea - if nothing else but relegation survival happens this season then at least we'll have that... But now we must take this as the catalyst to spring into action and turn the season into a winning one once and for all! What better excuse do we need? It is another busy time ahead with 4 games in the next 10 days: 2 legs against an equally troubled Stuttgart, an away cup tie at Preston and finally a vital six-pointer against West Brom that could sink them firmly into the bottom four and lift us back towards mid-table. With this result winning on all fronts seems realistic again, and after the anticipated doom if the scoreline had been reversed, you have to say it's happy days again.
My MOTM: Yakubu, Downing and the whole back line deserve praise, but it is to Fabio Rochemback that all hats are lifted.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Boro 1 Coventry 0
Had to miss this one as I was traveling for work, so can't really comment on it too much. The facts are that Jimmy Floyd continued his good run of form and netted the only goal of the game on 20 minutes to take us through to the fifth round and an away tie against Preston, who overcame Crystal Palace in their own reply. A very welcome result then, albeit one you would normally expect to cruise. On current form though we did well to get past this tie without more egg on our faces, especially considering how well Coventry played in the second half of the first game.Beating teams like Sunderland and Coventry, however, is not enough to restore the confidence we so badly need. They are teams we should be beating blindfold - it is the champions next and that will be an acid test if ever there was one. On the plus side there is surely no better incentive to turn a season around than the ultimate challenge of taking on a team beaten only twice all season in all competitions. There is an outside chance George Boateng will be back, together with James Morrison, and that would provide a huge boost in morale I'm sure.
Taking the FA Cup on it's own merits, we have an excellent chance to reach a second quarter final, and with a home draw there who knows where we could end up? Boro included there are 11 premiership teams left in, but with Liverpool playing Man Utd next not all the big guns will be left standing. If we can regain some form this surely represents our best chance of repeating our adventure in Europe for another year.
My MOTM: I guess Jimmy again, purely for the goal, but also Schwarzer for the clean sheet - he will need to keep that up in following weeks.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Boro 0 Aston Villa 4
Humiliation, torment and anguish! This will go down as one of the worst home games ever played by a Boro team, bringing realisation on a massive scale that we will need more than a little luck not to go down this season. Aston Villa were described pre-match as "an average team" and their recent record backs that up, so why, on the back of a 3-0 away win we played so abysmally shall remain something of a mystery.It was the same old story, no control or service from midfield, making the forwards look like chumps, and defensively always looking a yard off the pace and only half committed... Villa made the most of our inept display first through Luke Moore, then Kevin Phillips to make it 2-0 at the half, delivering more of the same in the second half with two more from Moore to complete an unlikely hat-trick. Our response was to change the front line at half time, taking off Hasselbaink and Viduka (who never had a chance to show their worth) for Yakubu and Maccarone. But it wasn't up front that the problem lay and the new men looked equally ineffective, together with Downing, Mendieta and Doriva who all looked like jaded first divisioners. 4-0 and shamefaced throughout.
With this kind of tactical ineptitude the luckiest man alive has to be Steve McClaren, whose new contract means an instant dismissal is financially unviable. But he will know that a hefty chunk of the blame lies at his door. A point that was rammed home on several occasions as the fans chanted "McClaren for England", "Mowbray in" (Hibs' manager and ex-Boro favourite Tony Mowbray that is) and one fan risked a night in a cell by running the length of the pitch to hurl his season ticket at the "boss". Our only ray of light on the day is that the 3 teams below us all lost too. We may have to hope that they keep losing, rather than continue to pray for wins, 'cos it just doesn't look like that will happen any time soon. Dire.
My MOTM: Lee Catermole has shown grit and the true Boro attitude since being brought in and despite our situation deserves credit for at least trying.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Sunderland 0 Boro 3
And a collective sigh of relief emerges from the lungs of every Boro fan alive! If we had lost this one it would not only have meant an imminent drop into the relegation zone but also that our closest rivals had done the double on us, and who could have lived with that? There was no other result today, for the fans, the players, the manager and everyone involved it simply had to be a win or heads would roll. And thank the maker it was! OK, so Sunderland are the premiership whipping boys with only 2 away wins (one against us) and 2 draws to their name all season, but they know how to scrap, and from our point of view it was a first win in the league since November 20th (Fulham 3-2), an away win at that, 3 much needed points and a clean sheet - could hardly ask for more, hence the Southgate salute to the crowd at the end of the match...It took two unlikely sources to net our first half goals: Manu Pogatetz and Stuart Parnaby, two defenders, but who cares they went in. Not many could see a Sunderland comeback, even Century FM's Sunderland man on the night said after 45 "the win is yours". There were a few minor scares but the black cats' finishing has been awful all season and so it proved here. So it was left to in-form hero Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to seal the game with a lovely strike to make it 4 in 4 games for the Dutchman and a night to remember for the traveling army.
In real terms it doesn't spell a comeback as such - we have leapfrogged West Brom again, but big deal, the real test is still to come against Villa at the Riverside on Saturday. If we can win that one then talks of a resurgence may be justified but until then all we've done is put another nail in the coffin of the worst team in the league. If we don't win we stay in and around the danger zone with the prospect of Chelsea to look forward to the following week, not to mention a cup replay and a looming Uefa tie that at the moment we are firm second favourites for. For the moment let's celebrate the win, but with one eye on more hard work - please!
My MOTM: All reports cite it as Pogatetz's best game so far for the club and who am I to argue.
