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YOU DON'T GET THE BREAKS, YOU EARN THEM 22-12-06
Karl Watson and Tom Warnock
Warnock says:
I'd like to start by wishing everyone who reads ComeOnBoro.com, and everyone involved in the site a very Happy Christmas. And for those Scrooges; just remember that by the time you read next week's column it will all be over for another year, although depressingly, we must endure the emotional rollercoaster of our Premiership campaign until next May.
After the Fulham game, still pumped with adrenaline and butterflies due to waiting for the comeback which never came, Gareth Southgate's post-match interview provided a numbing effect, like a reality check, similar to a feeling of déjà vu.
Perhaps it was because after seeing us play reasonably well (by our own low standards), and fighting back to within a goal, it was sickening to be reminded that we had in fact been defeated again, and that performances and good character count for nothing if you end up going down.
We've been talking about the possibility of relegation all season long, as is the norm on Teesside. However, when we're perched on the edge of the drop zone with less than half of the golden fourty points and approaching the half-way point in the season, forget flirting with relegation - we're already past second base.
Take this one performance out of the dismal context it's contained in and it was pleasing in all but the result. Several players did themselves justice and looked up for the game in the freezing temperatures. Morrison was lively and was involved in most of our positive play , which begs the question of why he is continually taken in and out of the line up? Why is he our most substituted player?
He caused Fulham problems from wide areas and when he cut inside, something we've missed out on the right hand side. His play was mirrored by Downing on the opposite side who was putting crosses in which any striker with an eye for headers would have relished. However neither Viduka nor Yakubu had the desire to gamble and get on the end of them.
It seems we're all in agreement over the penalty incident. Boateng was desperately unlucky, and it typified his season so far. Fulham got a lucky break, and in reality we were never going to get anything from the game after this point. The defence still took the time to make themselves look 'pub-team-ish' by allowing American Brian McBride more time to shoot than George W. has had in office.
We could ponder what could have been all day long but in football the league table doesn't lie. It's a cliché, but its true, and the truth is; well take another look at the table, if you dare.
Gareth keeps talking about how we've been unfortunate and that he is certain the breaks will come our way. I'm certainly not the only one who's unconvinced by his beliefs; we know all too well that luck doesn't come when you're at the bottom. Besides, even if we did start to pick up points here and there, surely that's beside the point. Surely this season is a failure if we finish anywhere below a UEFA Cup qualification spot, because anything less wouldn't represent progress.
Having witnessed Charlton being beaten at home by Wycombe, the scene is set. December 21st is the year's shortest day, but the 23rd could be one of the darkest this club has seen for a few years. The team must do all in its power to win three points. It doesn't matter how we do it, three points is imperative.
One thing in particular which concerns me deeply regarding Gareth Southgate's words is not the fact that he is repeating himself, but what he will say after the Charlton game if we have just been defeated again. I can picture it now, after losing to Charlton, probably in 'unfortunate' circumstances, and playing average but not quite doing enough; "We will get the breaks eventually. They will come" - or words to that effect.
How long will it be before we get the breaks? Are we just going to sit around and wait for someone to gift us three points? Or can we just get the ball and stick it in the net more times than our opposition? Someone needs to tell Southgate that you don't get breaks, you earn them - and we aren't earning them by a long shot.
Watson says:
Just where is our season heading? After eighteen games we are now one game away from being halfway through the season and we have a pitiful seventeen points. Enough is enough. We lie one place above the relegation zone and the only thing that is keeping our head above the water is our goal difference, which is hardly something to boast.
After the euphoria of last seasons UEFA cup final we were expecting a season where Middlesbrough were launching another attack at the top seven, not the bottom three. When pundits talked of a troubled season at the Riverside many brushed aside their comments with laughs and ridicules however it appears their assumptions are correct and it may be a season that ends in tears.
Steve Gibson spoke of how he expected Middlesbrough to be winning another trophy within in five years and we should be a club aiming to achieve UEFA cup via the league consistently. Relegation would be a disaster, especially as we have cemented ourselves as a worthy Premiership side. However, I am just not sure where our wins will come from.
Our away form at the half-way point is simply embarrassing. The statistics show that the four teams at the bottom have the worst away records in the league. However if we cannot beat Fulham - a team that is only a few places above us in the league - away from home then who can we beat? The last time we struggled to win away from home, Sunderland were the team we defeated to end the voodoo. However there is no Sunderland in this year's Premiership and every away game seems terribly difficult.
Last years UEFA cup run saw the Boro trail on numerous occasions however we managed to claw our way back into games where we looked dead and buried. Some newspapers labelled Middlesbrough as the 'Comeback Kings'. Unfortunately it appears the players believe in order to win games we have to give the opposition a goal or two head start. Middlesbrough sides past and present have never been able to come from behind to win games and if we are to beat the drop we either have to learn how to, or we have to start scoring the first goal for once.
It is interesting to note how many fans appear to be behind manager Gareth Southgate despite the poor performances, results, and league position. Steve McClaren, in my opinion, never got the recognition he deserved from Middlesbrough fans and although we endured a successful period under him many called for his head before he left for England. I still believe Gareth will do well, but it just annoys me that we did have a realistic chance of getting Martin O'Neill or Alan Curbishley.
My main concern with Gareth is that it may take him a while to build a squad he is happy with and feels he can be successful with. The January transfer window allows Gareth to get rid of what people are calling the 'deadwood', some of the signings that McClaren made.
After reading several sources it appears Gareth is interested in two people, Jeremie Aliadiere and David Nugent. Neither makes my mouth water with excitement. Yes, Aliadiere has pace which is what we have always missed, but is he going to score more goals from Yakubu and Viduka?
Southgate may use Aliadiere on the right hand side however have we not tried this in the past with the likes of Maccarone, Nemeth, and more recently Jason Euell. The midfield is not good enough. Although Downing produced some excellent deliveries into the box on Monday and he is by far our most talented midfielder, the rest lack the ability we need to stay in this division. The right hand side must be dealt with as must the central midfield.
Southgate appears to have had enough of our prima donnas that were always at the Riverside to pick up a large pay cheque. Fabio Rockemback's days as a Boro player are numbered as he will return to Portugal in January and it will also see the exit of Gaizka Mendieta, Ray Parlour, and maybe Ugo Ehiogu.
Massimo Maccarone will say goodbye to the Teesside public in the forthcoming future and he is destined for a return to Italy. Massimo is a player I will always remember. He started with a terrific bang against Fulham and although he lacked the quality to play in the Premiership, he always gave one hundred percent and he was a firm crowd favourite.
Massimo always said he would see out his contract and if it wasn't for him, Boro would never have got to the UEFA cup final. Massimo will always have a place in our hearts and everyone will always remember those UEFA cup goals.
It is a shame that those players such as Massimo, just couldn't adapt to English football. Rochemback and Mendieta still have supreme talent however they were just not quick enough for the Premiership. It is no surprise that along with Massimo, their best performances came in games against the top six, big cup ties, and UEFA cup games.
Gareth is under a long contract and he will probably see that out. I cannot see Steve Gibson sacking the former captain so it appears Southgate has a great deal of time to get things right. However does Gareth have enough time to get used to management? We must start getting results now, not in five or ten games time. Now!
What is becoming desperately annoying is when our players begin to talk as if we are not in a relegation battle. The population of Teesside and the whole of the Premier League can see that we are battling against relegation. So why can't out players see this? Can we please start to address this problem?
The game against Charlton is a game that we must win; there are no ifs or buts. I am not looking for a scrappy win either, I am looking for a convincing win where we can score more than one goal, create and take chances and look solid at the back.
If we struggle to beat the leagues worst team at home then just who can we beat? It will not instil confidence into the fans. We all need to see that this team has the ability to stay in the division.
Something needs to be done in January because right now the only thing I can see is a trip to Swansea next year to watch Championship football.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE NEW HOLGATE MESSAGE BOARD
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