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FORZA BORO 26-2-06
Briggsy's Post Match Analysis of Stuttgart and West Brom
Boro once again re-wrote the history books as we progressed to the final sixteen of the Uefa Cup for the second consecutive season. This from just a small town in Europe. We've been rewarded with a dream tie against Italian giants AS Roma, who are currently flying high in Serie A. Twenty years ago we almost went out of existence and now we're rubbing shoulders with one of the most prestigious clubs in Europe.
As for the Stuttgart game itself, it was hardly a spectacle but that was to be expected. The early initiative was clearly with Stuttgart and they finally got their reward on thirteen minutes when Tiffert danced past the Boro defence and calmly placed the ball into the net. 1-0. Our inability to keep possession at times could well have cost us, but we managed to keep our shape and get to half time only one down.
It needed a big team talk at half time and it certainly materialised. We came out of the blocks much more composed for the second half. It almost paid off instantly when Hasselbaink has a glorious chance but was denied by the Stuttgart keeper. This set the tone for the second half. We got in amongst them and hassled them, which they didn't seem to like. Again we could have levelled with a breakaway which saw Mendi's calmly placed shot cleared off the line by Stuttgart defender Markus Babble.
Stuttgart had to step it up because with only twenty minutes to go, they were heading out of the competition. They went with a four man forward line, but we remained strong and never gave them a chance. Their best chances of the half came from a dead ball situation from Ludovic Magnin which Mark Schwarzer dealt with very well. At the end it was all hands to the pump as Stuttgart sent men forward looking for the one goal which would have sent them into the next round. But we kept our shape and concentration and got the result we deserved.
Steve McClaren before the game mentioned that we were going to have to be patient and he was right. But it was certainly more than testing our nerves at the end. It was a spirited performance which saw us progress into the final sixteen of the Uefa Cup. It was a complete team performance. Cup ties are all about results, and we got the result required. We shouldn't fear AS Roma at all because as we have proved this season, we are more than capable of beating the top teams.
West Brom were our next Premiership opponents following the magnificent win over Chelsea. The Chelsea result would have been almost pointless if we didn't follow it up with a result against West Brom today. McClaren again had to reshuffle the pack with Downing absent and again came up with the winning formula. Apart from the Chelsea game Downing hasn't had much joy over recent weeks.
Yakubu returned to the starting eleven, fresh from his rest in midweek. He was partnered by in form striker Hasselbaink. Parnaby and Pogo were the wing backs with a central midfield trio of Boateng, Cattermole and Mendieta. The back three consisted of Riggott, Southgate and Queudrue.
Both teams looked up for it from the off but it was Boro who set the early bench mark, when Yakubu received the ball just inside the West Brom half. He turned his marker and played a superb pass to Hasselbaink who evaded the offside trap and scored with a powerful strike past Kuszczak. Jimmy and Yakubu are proving to be a potent pairing having notched up nineteen league goals between them.
Boro were keeping the ball well and soaking up the West Brom pressure when we didn't have the ball. West Brom were punished for the lack lustre showing in front of goal when on fourty-three minutes Jimmy scored with a free kick to double the lead. However Jimmy needed a fortunate deflection to see his shot send Kuszczak the wrong way. The goal came at a crucial time. There was no question who went in the happier at half-time.
Franck Queudrue denied Kamara with an excellent chance to grab an early goal in the first minute of the second half. Queudrue slid to deny Kamara a volley which certainly would have tested Mark Schwarzer. The turning point of the game came on fifty-three minutes when Quashie was sent of for violent conduct. He kicked George Boateng in the back with malicious intent. You just can't do that and Quashie certainly paid the ultimate price.
West Brom started the brighter of the teams in the second half, but being a man down was always going to be difficult for them. The back three were playing especially well, which has proved to be a pivotal reason for our upturn in form. We were limiting West Brom to pot-shots from outside of the box.
Riggott especially has stood out for me, he's coming on leaps and bounds and starting to gain some much needed consistency. We have a wealth of good English centre backs in this country and Riggott is one of them. There's always a player or two who stakes a late claim to be included in an international squad heading for the finals and if Riggott keeps his consistency levels up then he's certainly in with a shout. There's no better chance to get yourself noticed than in front of the England assistant manager.
Schwarzer made a good save to deny Kanu on seventy-six minutes but the game was surely put beyond doubt by this stage. Lee Cattermole sat in the midfield and gave a very neat and tidy performance. It's remarkable to think he's only seventeen years of age. The final whistle brought a huge round of applause from the Boro faithful who gave an immaculate performance once again.
The win lifted a massive burden that has hung over us for way too long. Today's victory saw us win back to back Premiership matches for the first time in over fifteen months. Since hitting 'rock bottom' against Villa we've seen a spirited and professional reaction from everyone associated with the club. We've won five of our last four games, with four straight away wins and we've managed to claim two clean sheets in our last two Premiership games. This is a massive improvement on the last two months.
If there was ever proof needed that we've turned the corner this is it. Steve McClaren and the players deserve credit, they've been under massive pressure and haven't buckled. A win against Birmingham next week will almost certainly signal the end to any speculation about the threat of relegation. In fact it's moving back up the table that we should now be concentrating on rather than looking over our shoulders. We're six points behind Manchester City in tenth and they have had everyone raving about how well they've done this season. Plus we have a game in hand.
We've got a lot to look forward between now and May. We've done very well in both cup competitions and its looking more and more likely that we'll gain a respectable league position. The buzz is back at the Boro!
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