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AND THERE WON'T BE SNOW IN MIDDLESBROUGH THIS CHRISTMAS TIME 24-12-04
Oh there you are, please step in from the cold, sorry I took so long. You must be frozen. Here, warm yourself by the fire. Don't mind waking the cubs, they'll be ever so pleased to see you. They like their human friends, I think they see the same predatory instincts in your species as reside in our hearts. Please, just move them to one side. They might nip but don't let that put you off. A little bit of rabies never did anyone any harm. Apart from humans of course. Oh, I see...
But seriously, don't worry, they've been inoculated, inoculated on the hardships of winter life. They'd have died long before now had they been rabid. And they do look so cute just lying down there don't they, breathing gently, tails swept round their frames for added protection. I'm so proud of them. Please, sit yourself down, I'll get some soup on the go, rabbit carcass again I'm afraid. We tried to find reindeer but alas there were none. They all live in Lapland and the like.
We were going to get one of those cheap flights but we didn't think it was worth it, after all there are enough hare around here to keep us amused. Please, sit. I won't be long. Oh and ignore the mistletoe too, immature prank. They'll just lick your face, don't worry about it. They really like you. Honestly. You're human. You can kill in an instant. That's what they love. They see it in your eyes. Cold, dark and suspicious. Very human. Very lupine.
Anyway where was I? Oh yes, my tardiness. Sorry but Christmas is a hectic time for us wolves too, we have to hunt for our Christmas dinner, at a time of year when there is less of everything about to catch, and also buy presents. It's ridiculous! Clarence wants a hunt your own rabbit racetrack, where you strap the carcass of a hare on to a moving track and then you chase it. It's the big thing in the lupine world, commercials on the sides of dens for it and everything. But can you get it? Can you buggery.
And after trying the fifteenth den of the day I just gave up, I have more important things to do. I even tried in Southampton last week when I was at my lupine friends' house but to no avail. What with this and the putting up of the Christmas entrails and the fairy silkworms, I am stretched. So sorry I left you in the cold, here this will warm you up. Just pick the bloody bones out of it when you're done, they make perfect firewood.
And the floating coagulated sanguine will do you good. So yes, and on top of this I've been getting demands to write my column from everywhere! From Germany, from Essex, from Buckinghamshire. Indeed there was one Gravy Loving Southerner who was most insistent, kept banging on forever demanding my tales. Didn't realise I was so popular.
Oh I see you woke them up. Well kids, sit down and relax whilst I tell you more stories of the Boro with an added lupine bent. Because if it's not lupine then it really isn't worth it. And there would be no point in this column either. And that would be a shame. So gather round and listen to tales of glory, tales of success and tales of Southampton. Read on dear viewer...
The last month has generally been very productive for the Boro. Only beaten once in eleven games, we are still holding our own just outside the final Champions League spot after having our best ever pre-New Year Premier league situation. Thirty two points is the highest haul we have managed before January 1st in nine attempts and we still have two games to go before December is out. Furthermore, once Everton start to get a few injuries, which I expect them to do over Christmas, and they start to fall, I think we are comfortably placed to snap up that fourth place and hopefully hold on to it. But what of our challengers?
Well apart from Everton I would expect Liverpool to provide the most serious threat, particularly as Liverpool are starting to pick up some form again after having a pitiful November. Indeed their major problem is inconsistency, an inconsistency that has been affected by injuries. When they were comprehensively beaten at the Riverside last month they did field a considerably weakened team with a lack of a first choice striker. After all, if you're playing Harry Kewell in the first team then you know you are in trouble.
But you can only play the team put out in front of you and this is not to detract from Boro's fine win. However if they can play the way they've been doing without first team players then you have to acknowledge that they are a threat, particularly with the potential purchasing power they have, a power which could manifest itself as early as the January transfer window.
Indeed it is the actions of both clubs in January that could decide the fate of that last Champions League birth as Boro too have that purchasing power and need to exercise that to plug a few gaps that have started to become evident over the last few weeks.
And this too is a testament of how far we have come. There is no doubt denying that Liverpool are a big club with a massive fan base and although their star has fallen somewhat over the last ten to fifteen years, it is now possible to compare the Boro to them. This can be done in terms of who we can buy, our respective league positions and how we cope with injuries - a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford when we had seven major injuries - and demonstrates just how far we have risen from the ashes since 1986.
This is a testament to Steve Gibson and I hope he gives Steve McClaren the funds required for us to make the purchases we desperately need. After all, there is nothing to show whatsoever for your league position at Christmas, it is your position in May that is all important and thus we need to consolidate and build on our fantastic start to ensure we qualify for Europe next season.
There is no doubt that the Boro are suited to Europe. We have only been beaten once in six European games and that was away at a classy Villareal side. And it can be argued that we only lost that because we decided to field a weakened team. Had we played both Hasselbaink and Viduka from the start the result may have been different because in the second half, when they did play, we suddenly looked far more fluid and dynamic. Indeed the second goal was a counterattacking sucker-punch, a move performed by a team already in the lead, than a goal scored by a team on the front-foot, confident and assured. We had them rattled for thirty minutes until that happened, so who's to say things would not have been different had we played like this in the first half?
Also in Europe, we brushed aside Ostrava, Lazio and Partizan Belgrade at home and it says a lot about the team when we consider that our worst European home result is a 2-0 victory to a Serie A side. And away we have not equipped ourselves too badly, getting one win, one draw and one defeat out of our ties. And in all honesty, if the Boro fans were given the three teams we played and the results we were to get in those ties before we got them, I'm sure the fans would have matched the relevant result with the fixture.
We go to Austria therefore full of confidence, although we do have to accept that it will get tougher. Yet we not only qualified from our group, which was universally recognised as being one of the toughest of the eight, but we also qualified from it top so there is nothing for us to fear. Indeed we appear to have proved the press wrong who were cynically predicting 'a UEFA cup humiliation' over the close season. I for one am very proud with what the team has achieved and, for a first outing in Europe there is certainly nothing to be ashamed about, even if we crash out at the last 32 stage.
But I think Graz are beatable. After that, we will face Feyenoord or Sporting Lisbon, which will not be easy, but we do need to get beyond Graz first. I don't think we can win it but we can give teams a good run for their money. And I think we will. Because at the moment just to be on the same park as Feyenoord, Sporting, Lazio et al is an honour, but not an honour that should fill us with fear. Because we deserve to be there, we are at least their equal and there is no one we cannot match on our current form. Let's hope in February when we come back to the European fray the confidence will be there, a few new personnel drafted in and we will have held off Liverpool for that fourth Champions' League spot. That would set us up nicely for the mountains!
And it is imperative that we do. Because qualifying for Europe is not guaranteed. You need to earn it and no matter how well we do in the UEFA Cup, unless we win it, we won't be back in it again next season unless we concentrate on our domestic form. This of course raises questions on what standards you aim for. With Boro sat in fifth in the Premier League table at the moment there is no reason why that last Champions' League spot should not be a legitimate target.
However we need to guarantee first and foremost that we are playing in Europe again next season as it is the next stage of our evolution and an important caret in terms of attracting new players. Thus if we need another season in the UEFA Cup to consolidate and build upon our credentials before we can attack the echelons of the Champions League then so be it. I for one would rather have another year in the UEFA Cup above being humiliated in the Champions League. But then if you fail to qualify for the CL then at least you do get a chance in the UEFA Cup, hence why I think fourth is still a realistic and positive aim for the club.
But I wouldn't feel too disheartened if we qualify for the UEFA Cup again as it is still European competition and one we have a genuine chance of winning, if not this year then certainly next year if we strengthen. This season's UEFA Cup campaign was largely seen as a way of spreading our name around Europe, making more people aware of us and thus enabling us to secure better players. In beating Lazio and qualifying top of our group we have done this. Now we need to build on it and see how far we can go. But it is rare that teams can win things first time of asking, and although it would be nice, there is nothing to be ashamed about in giving it a stab next season. Slow evolution is better than boom and bust. Just ask Peter Ridsdale, if he gives a toss.
But with the best chance for qualifying for the UEFA Cup now taken from us - in the Carling Cup- although despite this if you look at the semi-finalists, maybe not - we need to concentrate on our league position more than ever. I believe we can win the FA Cup and this is also a good route in but I fear the three teams who dominate over British football and who the press would not be happy about unless they win everything going could dominate the FA Cup too.
This is particularly the case as it often boils down to how favourable the draw is. We got Arsenal at Highbury in the fourth round last season, which is hardly indicative of an easy tie. Indeed sometimes you need luck in the draw, not only of who you get but also who the big guns get as this can influence their progress too. And make no mistake, Notts County away is tough, any game against lower league opposition away from home would be, but we should come through it. Hopefully. I just have memories of Wycombe in my mind, but that was Old Boro, not New Boro so we should be okay.
And the tale of Old/New Boro in itself is interesting. Old Boro would have gone to West Brom, for the first match the Baggies had under Bryan Robson and have lost it. But this new Boro were determined not to, and in winning 2-1 - despite Kanu's dreadful miss - it felt the page has been turned and we have finally become predictable for the right reasons. For winning games, not throwing away easy chances. This seems to have been instilled in us over the close season as we went to Wolves last April and lost in humiliating fashion. Furthermore, like with all top sides we have been playing poorly - see the Villa performance - but getting results. Again, this is a new leaf turned. And this page looks whiter and more prosperous than any that preceded it.
The number of games is also a worry but as we don't play in Europe until the middle of February this may not be a problem. In fact it could play into our hands. This is because we are now used to playing two games a week and we need to keep the momentum going. Having spare weekends is not going to do this and although I accept that a break is important, I think our squad is big enough to cope and we need to keep the positive energy flowing. Indeed this time of year proves how good a team and squad you have as the fixtures come thick and fast and you often need to rotate players simply to give them a break. This is why Job and Nemeth particularly should not be too disheartened. They will get their chances. They just need to take them.
With respect to the FA Cup meanwhile, we will have played three rounds before we enter the European fray again. If we are still in the FA Cup by then, then we can take that seriously too, if not then we get more of a break and focus on Europe, thus energy and rest can be equally guaranteed as we still have something to focus on. Either way, through the increasing of positive momentum through being in the last stages of the FA Cup or the increased breaks we will get through not being in it, we could still benefit.
But we may only benefit if we have a strong squad, which is what McClaren started to assemble during the close season. Indeed it is my contention that we have the strongest squad any Middlesbrough side has ever had. However we are deficient in a few areas, particularly in left back cover when Queudrue decides to go around stomping on people's ankles like he recently did to Claude Paramot at Spurs. It is my belief that Queudrue should forfeit his wages not only for that week but for the subsequent weeks concerning his three match ban for such a cynical tackle and jeopardizing the team's prosperity.
There is no doubt that at White Hart Lane we were slightly in the ascendancy in the first half until Queudrue got sent off and with this action he gifted them the three points. Spurs are not a good team, they are no better than average but they had been threatening and are experts at pulling you across the pitch and wearing you out. In the end, the 2-0 scoreline actually flattered Boro as they could have scored at least five yet if we are to secure that Champions' League birth we need to be going to places like Tottenham and coming away with the three points. And we didn't.
And what is worse is that Queudrue threatened the team's productivity against Man City, Southampton and Villa, the three games for which he was suspended. Thankfully it didn't really show as we got 7 points in 9 here and Southampton to be fair terrorised us down the right flank rather than the left. In saying this, it does demonstrate how integral to the side Queudrue is and the fact that we lack proper cover. This too is demonstrated by our need to play Reiziger, who is a more comfortable right-back in the left-back position so McMahon can play in his favoured position. Furthermore, the recourse to Zenden for the position pre-Reiziger's return sums up our desperate lack of cover in this position as Zenden is anything but a left-back. Thus it is in this position above any other that we need cover.
The recent talk of both Job and Nemeth being frustrated with respect to getting into the first team has somewhat perplexed me as well as they seem to be getting enough chances to me. Not only did we start with Nemeth against Southampton and Villa but we also started with both of them against Villareal and Job too also got on against Villa. The simple fact appears to be that they are simply not good enough to oust Viduka and Hasselbaink on a regular basis. To be fair to both, they have tried hard given every opportunity and have repaid McClaren's faith in giving them a start by scoring but there still seems to be something flat about their performances. I think both are great players to bring off the bench but I don't think they are right to lead the line and we must recourse to Viduka and Hasselbaink when appropriate.
However what with both strikers' inconsistent form, there is still a role for both Job and Nemeth in the club but the fact is, with Job and nine goals last season - Nemeth got less but did have less chances - it isn't good enough. Simple as that. Thus they have to try harder to break into the team. That's competition and I'm afraid they will have to live with it or back out of the challenge. Job himself admits that the only way is down in terms of a transfer move for him, due to our doing so well. Thus he needs to look at himself and see if he's ready to compete. I hope for the Boro's sake, he is.
Thus it is evident that we don't need any more strikers and we seem to be pretty well-stocked on midfielders too, particularly when considering our youth players. We could possibly do with a more defensive minded right midfield player though as we have been exposed many times down that right side, particularly at Spurs and Southampton when McMahon, who has had an excellent season generally, has been exposed by Parlour. This didn't happen before Mendieta became injured which implies that Downing's attacking credentials seem to make the midfield less defensive orientated, which is interesting in a team that contains both Parlour and Boateng.
Yet this right side is a problem and maybe we should forsake Zenden or Downing sometimes to add this extra stability. We could lose creative power up front but we are being severely exposed down our right and it does need addressing. We have the players but do we want to sacrifice this creativity through a change in tactics or team formation or is it wise to bring cover?
I have also heard recently big debate on the format of the UEFA Cup group stage. This was brought in by Leonard Johansen to try and inject more excitement into the UEFA Cup group stage, probably because it isn't as big or as exciting as the Champions League. The major reason for that of course is not because of the format but simply because the Champions of each country are not the only teams permitted in the Champions League but the second, third and sometimes fourth placed teams in the domestic leagues. Not that I am complaining about this, what with the stranglehold on transfers, money and influence the top three teams in England demonstrate the chance for anybody different to go into the Champions League as fourth place team - which, let's face it is now the top of the second division of the Premier League we are in - is most welcome.
From this it can enable some of the very good but not top three sides to aid the evolutions of their club so they can start challenging at the top of their domestic leagues. I hope this happens with Boro. But the reality is that if you permit all the most attractive teams into the Champions League then the UEFA Cup is naturally going to suffer. Furthermore an added league stage is not going to aid this for a variety of reasons. It is this lack of quality - there are some quality teams in the UEFA but not many, and most are comfortably average in their domestic leagues - already described that prevents people from being interested. So in adding a league situation all you are doing is giving people more games they don't really want to watch.
Furthermore the idea of two at home and two away is hardly fair, orthodox and may I say so conducive on luck that it almost negates the point in turning up. I am aware the teams are seeded to make it as fair as possible, that's true but anomalies can occur and not everyone is on a level playing field as some have to go away to trickier ties that others would have at home. Surely this negates fair competition?
However the good thing about the group stage is that it does give people who qualify more of a taste for European football, allowing them to have more games, to stay in the competition longer and thus raise more finance for their clubs. Which can be added to the funds required to evolve them for the Champions League.
Yet with the Champions League teams being 'parachuted' i.e. dropped like the ugliest of babies into the UEFA cup at the last thirty two stage, rewarding failures and mitigating against those teams who have already played six UEFA Cup matches, it all seems to imply that the UEFA Cup is merely a breeding ground to gain experience to join the Champions' League. The increasing emphasis on the Champions' League therefore is killing the UEFA Cup and no amount of group stages or Champions' League mimicry is going to change that.
Finally the debate about what is or isn't a big club has been raging in recent weeks, with Newcastle, Spurs and randomly Saints' fans coming on to various Boro fans and spouting drivel about attendances or history. The facts are this. Attendance doesn't really matter too much, it is performance on the pitch and in this respect the league table never lies. We are above all three of these clubs and are a mere two points behind Manchester United, a so called 'big club'. We are playing attacking entertaining football, are through to the last thirty two of a major European competition, topping our group in the process and are looking good for a Champions League place come May.
Newcastle meanwhile are struggling in mid-table mediocrity with a desperately poor defence and an odious corpulent chairman who cares less about the club than his own off the field antics. Spurs are underachieving considering the tradition they claim to hold and Southampton are in the bottom three. Fact is that it is the here and now that is important, not some recourse to past glories. Granted said glories build a fan base, they increase the status of the club and they give a sense of pride but then Oldham Athletic and Preston North End used to win things and look where they are. Oh and is that Nottingham Forest in the relegation zone of the Coca-Cola Championship. And where are Sheffield Wednesday? And Leeds? The list is endless.
Thus, in the end, anyone who has to use the argument on attendance - okay we can't fill our stadium but then neither can about half of Premier League teams, including so called 'big club' Villa but that's a ticket price situation more than a fan base situation - or history is clutching at straws because they know they have been superceded by clubs they had previous considered to be no more than mediocre.
Maybe there's an element of sorting your own shop out before criticising others. The thing is, we don't aspire to be a big club, nor do we care.0 We may be living beyond our means at the moment but not threateningly so and people should respect that. But then when you've got the likes of the Daily Mirror casting the Christmas fortunes of the 'top five clubs in the League' (read top 4 and Liverpool, completely omitting Boro out altogether) what do you expect? The Southern media is biased against Northern teams, and particularly ones that are not so-called 'big clubs'. Newcastle for some reason qualify as 'big', maybe because they have a big support. But with a one million catchment area, three times as big as Boro's, then what do you expect?
Until next time, keep it lupine. Have a Merry wolfy Christmas and a prosperous and furry New Year.
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