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SEVENTEEN 4-3-05
It's make or break time, this game is pivotal to our season, it's a must win match, time to stand up and be counted, it's do or die time... and on goes the list.
Cliches? Probably. Self psychology? Likely, but whatever they are, they summarise the attitude that we should be carrying into every one of the remaining seventeen matches of this season.
And of those ten Premier League and seven UEFA Cup games, we need to win more than half of them. And we haven't had a run of form like that since we had our full strength team out and were flying high just before Christmas.
Even so, I believe without a doubt that we will qualify for Europe next season as UEFA Cup winners. That would make our final league position academic.
However, and to be absolutely sure, it is reassuring that the team are going all out to ensure European qualification through the league.
Having done so, there will be less pressure on us going into the UEFA Cup final. Of course, we finish our Premier League programme before the UEFA Cup final and it would be slightly surreal going into the UEFA Cup final knowing that if we lose, we are not in Europe at all the following season.
It looks like another eighteen points will clinch that fabled sixth position but it could also come down to a straightforward shoot out at Anfield on April 30th. Good practice for Lisbon, May 18th.
Eighteen points equals six victories and we have Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool to play plus three of the relegation contenders in Southampton, West Brom and Crystal Palace. That leaves Aston Villa, Fulham, Spurs and Man City.
I can see more than eighteen points within those fixtures in several possible permutations.
This European season for Boro is not a one-off season. We'll be back next year as a known and established European side. And then we can start planning for the Champions League. 2006/07 is more realistic than you may think.
Until next week
Steve
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