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IT'S NEVER ENOUGH 20-12-05
I was absolutely adamant that no less than a win against Spurs on Sunday would do in order to keep our season alive. A draw wouldn't be enough. But that's all we got. To score three goals at home and fail to win the game isn't enough. It's never enough.
When you have to score two, three or four goals to beat a team at home, something is wrong. Our push for Europe may not have ended, but from this point on we are facing an uphill battle. But then, to do it any other way just wouldn't be the Boro way.
After the game at home to Charlton earlier this season, I made a very bold statement. I declared that both Southgate and Ehiogu were both past it, and that both could very well be playing their last season in the Premiership.
I've never met Gareth Southgate, but he appears to be one of the nicest people in football. It is truly an honour to have him as our club captain and as the ambassador for the club.
Ugo is a big physical presence, but has struggled for form throughout the season as Chris Riggot is now ahead of him in the pecking order and playing well. But something is not right at the back, and the statistics show that.
Of our last 55 Premier league encounters, we have only kept 13 clean sheets. Only Sunderland have conceded more than us this season and there have been more goals scored at the Riverside than any other ground in the Premiership.
What is going wrong? There was a time not long ago when we boasted one of meanest defences, second only to Henchoz and Hyypia of Liverpool. Ugo and Gareth were once a real force to be reckoned with, and the Riverside was once a fortress. In the 2002/2003 season, we only lost twice at home.
The personnel have hardly changed since then. Only fringe players such as Vidmar and Stockdale have left the club. Schwarzer, Queudrue, Parnaby, Southgate, Ehiogu and Cooper are all still on the books. It looks as though father time may be beginning to catch up with several members of the back line...
And this was evident on Sunday. Schwarzer dropped the cross for Keane's goal, Spurs first of the afternoon, and even then Gareth looked like he had miscalculated the ball's direction, judging by his reaction.
Ugo hardly won a header in the air against Mido all afternoon and Gareth was left horribly exposed by the pace of Keane, and then Defoe after he came on.
We let too many goals in from crosses and set pieces. It's a problem that needs to be addressed urgently. I'm undecided on this whole issue of putting defenders on the posts, but if we had done so at the weekend neither Jenas nor Mido would have scored. Make of that what you will.
Franck Queudrue proved that he is a threat in the opposition penalty area as well as his own with a superb header, but his man marking skills leave a lot to be desired. Young right back Matthew Bates showed he has a temper by picking up his second booking in as many league games for a rash lunge after being disposed in the opposition area, a temper he has got to keep hold of.
It hurts to say it, but for the first time in a few seasons, defence is our major weakness and ultimately, it's our downfall this season. As Everton showed last season, keeping a clean sheet is vital for success. They basically qualified for the Champions League because they were so hard to score against.
Another player who has come under a huge amount of stick recently is Fabio Rochemback.
As always, fans want immediate results when a new player arrives, and thus far, Fabio has failed to deliver. It might take a while yet for Fabio to come good, but I have confidence that he will. It might even take until next season until we see the best of him, but I have faith in him.
The example I would look at is Robin Van Persie at Arsenal, who last season looked an average young player, but who this season is scoring goals for fun. While it's extremely frustrating to see corner after corner fail to beat the front man, we have got to be patient with him.
Some fans might be looking to use Fabio as a scapegoat for our failings as a club so far this season, but the criticism is, in my eyes, slightly unfair and unjust.
He has brought a huge amount of energy to the team and works tirelessly from box to box throughout the game. He must know that the fans are already on his back, yet his body language suggests that he wants to play better and that he wants to be successful at this club, unlike some players, both past and present, who when the chips are down don't fancy digging in for the team.
On Sunday, like at Liverpool the week before, he was played out of position. Fabio is a central midfielder and should play there alongside George Boateng. When Downing returns to the first team, Rochemback will move inside and then we will start to see the best of him.
It looks to me as though he knows he isn't playing well, and that he is trying to do too much and get too involved in the game in order to convince the fans he can play at this level. Give him time, and your faith will be rewarded.
I have one very simple message for Howard Webb after Sunday's game, and I think most fans agree. 'You're not fit to referee!' The fact he didn't even notice the James Morrison incident could have had disastrous consequences for the player, and the way he handled Jermaine Defore and the corner flag was appalling, the spolit brat. Defoe, mate, Peter Crouch gets a game ahead of you for England. Never mind eh?
For the neutral, and hell, even for us as home fans, the game was certainly exciting. Fans who stayed away earlier in the season because we were boring and negative don't have that excuse to fall back on anymore. 4-1, 3-2, 2-2 and 3-3 score lines indicate value for money at the Riverside, and I would encourage any fan not having already done so to make a season ticket part of your wish list to Santa.
The only disappointment is that we don't seem to be coming away from these high scoring games with maximum points, and I can only hope that we start winning more matches before it really is too late.
To all readers and everyone in the ComeOnBoro.com family, have a very Merry Christmas...
Same Time Next Week... UP THE BORO!
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