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YOU DIDN'T MISS MUCH 17-8-05
Due to a poorly timed five day trip to Paris last week I was unable to attend the Riverside for the Liverpool game. But from what I've read and seen on the TV there was only one team in it.
Quite literally. The papers were full of talk of Champions League, title credentials and basically all things Scouse. If you were wondering who Liverpool had played this weekend, you would have had to search long and hard to find the name of their opposition.
Anyway, having not been in the country and only been kept up-to-date via frequent text messages, I have gathered that the game wasn't that brilliant. The most frequent comment I've received since my return was, "You didn't miss much".
Ironically, the same can't be said for Liverpool skipper, Steven 'I love Liverpool when they pay me enough to' Gerrard. As Adrian Charles on MOTD2 so delicately put it, "He couldn't hit a cows bottom with a banjo".
But it doesn't matter how entertaining the game was. I said last week that a point would definitely be one worth taking, and so it proved. For me, a good first game of the season is one that doesn't end in defeat.
Again, from what I've heard, the reception received by Bolo Zenden sums up the attitude towards him from the Boro faithful.
It's common practice to boo a returning player's every touch but the mixed reaction to him before the game shows the majority appreciate his efforts but care very little about what happens to him and his career from this point on.
Enough about him. Let me discuss his replacement, Stewart Downing.
I hate to sound pessimistic but I'm not convinced about him. He's a local lad, but not in the same way that Phil Stamp - who is now living in Stokesley - and Jamie Pollock were.
While these two were missing a little bit of the talent to play at the very top level, they were 100% committed to every tackle and would put their feet in where it hurt.
Downing's got the talent, but his rise to fame seems to have had an adverse effect on his performances. He is now doing what Zenden and Jonny 'Jesus' Greening did when playing on the left hand side and cutting in, instead of looking to beat his man down the outside.
The reason he is now doing this? Because he is afraid to get hurt. Downing won't even contest a header, let alone put his foot in. I know it's not his forte to tackle, but when he won't even take his man on which we all know he can do, questions need to be asked.
Maybe his focus is on the World Cup? Or interest from other clubs? Or just a genuine fear of getting hurt in a tackle? Only time will tell if Downing was a one year wonder, but one thing is for sure, they don't make them like they did in Pollock's or Stampy's days...
We are still short in midfield, and need bodies in as a matter of urgency. Whilst in Paris I caught a glimpse of the Sporting against Udinese Champions League qualifier on Eurosport and paid specific attention towards the performance of Rodolph Douala.
He looks good. Very good, even. He is out of the Luis Boa Morte mould, a powerful and quick winger with an awesome cross. I only saw bits of his game, but his arrival would allow Mendieta to move inside and for us to have two out and out wingers.
Just a quick word on Yakubu. Apparently he had a good game on Saturday, but I'm not sure him and JFH are the best partnership we have on offer.
Mark Viduka is the best in the league at what he does and I think him and Yakubu are the partnership to take us forward. Hasselbaink is still a quality player and he scored goals last season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Yak and Viduks together before long. That's if McClaren dare drop Jimmy...
So, Spurs away next Saturday. It's amazing how quickly things change in football. Just three months ago, we beat Spurs at the Riverside and went on to ensure European football this season.
With the signings made by Tottenham though, you would think it was they who were in Europe.
They are the outsiders for the fourth Champions League place this season and on paper at least they look a handy side. The good thing is football isn't played on paper. Still it's another tricky game where once again a point would be a very good result.
We must be patient at the start of this season. We have got games coming up after the opening two where we can expect to take maximum points. It's a long season and by the end of November we will be able to assess how well we're doing, not in the first or second week of August.
To finish this week, a little something I noticed about the squad numbers for this season.
This may be common knowledge to a lot of people, and I'm probably the last to pick up on it, but footballers clearly believe that the number they wear on their back makes a difference.
Last year, despite not featuring at all, Maccarone kept the number 9 shirt that he requested upon his arrival, with JHF taking 18 and Viduka wearing 36. This year, JFH wears 9 and Massimo wears 18, and Viduka is still registered as number 36.
My point of interest? All three strikers wore the number 9 shirt at their previous clubs, and so to make up for not being able to here, they have chosen two numbers that are multiples of 9.
Clearly all three strikers are picky about their number as none of them want the vacant number 10 shirt. Neither did Yakubu, who now wears the same number 20 that he wore at Portsmouth, and Ray Parlour wears the number 15 he wore for many years at Arsenal.
Same time next week. UP THE BORO!
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