|
|
A VERY DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS FOR BORO SO FAR 29-12-06
Karl Watson and Tom Warnock
Watson says:
It has already been an interesting Christmas period on Teesside and the results we have become accustomed to have not followed the status quo. Those who attended the Charlton game would have expected three points, however it was the point at Goodison Park that staggered the away support as Middlesbrough finally took something away from a game away from the Riverside.
The games are coming thick and fast during the festive period. Many pundits and fans alike believe Middlesbrough will be relegation candidates for the remainder of the season. However a successful run of results in the forthcoming games will give us the upper hand against the teams around us. Charlton look like a side destined for relegation despite the introduction of former West Ham manager Alan Pardew. Watford may fight like warriors and boast a tremendous attitude but the results they continue to attain will not be enough to keep them in the division.
The performance against Charlton was relatively reassuring; we dominated possession, made many chances and managed to score more than one goal. Although Charlton were very poor, Middlesbrough made them look poor. As the final whistle blew fans were comforted knowing that the team can play decent football. It is now a matter of consistency.
Southgate showed the qualities of a manager with years of experience under his belt with his tactics against Everton. They were spot on. Everton may have had much of the ball however they were restricted to attempts from over eighteen yards as well as numerous penalty claims. We appeared under little pressure and the draw was the least we could have expected after the first half display.
I was pleased things were changed at half time as this enabled the team to attack. The game inevitably became more open however if we decide to try and defend against teams who are better than us for ninety minutes for the remainder of the season then we are asking to be beaten. We are asking to be relegated.
If we are to win back to back games regularly we have to look to win games rather than hoping that everything goes our way and everything miraculously falls into place. If we continue to approach the imminent away games in the manner we approached the Everton game, it will not be long before we finally win away. It is the away form that will determine our fate. The majority of points we have picked up this season have been gained at the Riverside.
Gareth is learning all the time and I have been very impressed with his attitude. I like his emotion on the touchline, I love his honesty in the post match interview and I am now beginning to become a fan of his bold tactics. Our greater performances this season have come when Gareth has been ambitious. When we set out with a negative formation, the games have been tentative and the players and fans become nervous and it leads to mistakes.
Thanks to Gareth we saw a new Julio Arca against Charlton and his new role in the centre of midfield allows Middlesbrough to be more attacking and much more creative. Ever since Bolo Zenden's departure we have failed to have a player that can thread effective through balls whilst picking out players in promising positions.
Does Julio Arca not hold the key to Stewart Downing? Stewart has got sensational pace and can easily beat defenders whilst he is running in full motion. However over five yards from standing he is not quick enough. Bolo helped Stewart out by 'spoon feeding' him quality service where he was able to beat the defender, take the ball to the by-line and put good deliveries into the box. Hopefully Julio will be able to replicate Zenden.
Jonathan Woodgate had his finest ninety minutes in a Middlesbrough shirt against Everton and he has become indispensable. Not only has he performed to an international standard ever since he joined his home town club on a season long loan, but he has nurtured Emmanuel Pogatetz into a very good central defender. No longer is Manu being labelled 'Mad Dog' as his temperament has been addressed and I believe it is firmly down to Woody.
It can be argued that we have two partnerships that will keep us in the Premiership. Firstly Jonathan Woodgate and Emmanuel Pogatetz. Our defence has looked very vulnerable when the Austrian and the Englishman have been missing. It is vital that they both stay fit to ensure we can keep more clean sheets.
The second partnership is Viduka and Yakubu. Although I don't believe these two can work together as they are both very similar, I believe they will score enough goals to keep us in the division. It is important that Vid and Yak now receive sufficient service so they can score goals. This is perhaps something Gareth will focus on in the January transfer market. Gareth has expressed his desire to sign players when the window opens; I am hoping these players will create more chances for our strikers.
Aston Villa currently find themselves occupying tenth position and with a poor run of results, the Brummies could find themselves in a relegation scrap. The Premiership is that close this season, so it is important that we pick up points in the games where we are 'expected' to.
The point against Everton was not expected therefore it is vital that this point we have gained is not lost with a disappointing display against Blackburn on Saturday, or Sheffield United on News Year's Day.
Warnock says:
And there I was, sat slowly digesting my second Christmas lunch in two days, pondering what to talk about in this week's column. This year it seems the script has been re-written because as far as our typical Xmas programme goes, we're experiencing something new.
After two games of the festive period, we're undefeated and have four from a possible six points, with a credible away draw at Everton to boot. Despite our win being against Charlton, and us offering little to no attacking threat at Goodison Park, this is by comparison a fantastic start to our Christmas schedule.
Let's just put this into perspective slightly - my other half in these columns pointed out that this season, the league didn't have a Sunderland. Well if it didn't then, it does now because Charlton were the most uninspiring, unconfident, and downright poor team that we've played this season.
So whilst we are satisfied with the win, it was nothing to get excited about. We were the better of two poor teams. It reminded me of last season when we faced Sunderland away and duly battered them 3-0. We were made to look good, but we soon continued our downward slide, and that was when we could score goals.
It's been a decent two games so far this Christmas, but I'm probably not alone in being apprehensively cautious when looking ahead to Blackburn and Sheffield. It's a strange scenario we find ourselves in at the present moment. Because we can't look any further ahead than Sheffield, and perhaps not even Blackburn.
Notching a first away win at Blackburn would help change the look of our position greatly. Because as things stand it would take us six points from the drop zone and the same amount from eighth.
If we could find the desire, quality and the cutting edge to win our next two games we could find ourselves perched in mid-table, perhaps even in the top-half. Perhaps it's the bucks fizz getting to me, because we haven't won away all season and we've only won five at home. So the odds of winning two consecutively are about as slim as Christmas Day's turkey carcass. It's not impossible but don't put your Christmas bonus on it.
It appears that we just can't buy a win away from home. We're conceding too many, and have only scored seven. It was pleasing to get a clean sheet away from home, but the fact that Mendieta was included in the starting line-up condemned us to a nil score line. Many we're baffled at the inclusion of Mendi, but Southgate later explained that Morrison had a knock and was being wrapped in cotton wool.
But given a choice, I think many would have contemplated playing Rocky, Maccarone or even an unfit Morrison on the right before the thought of starting Mendi came into their head. Certainly Gareth was left red-faced when Mendi was subbed off after an ineffective half.
What the Everton game did show us was that we are capable of putting in a solid, resolute performance against a top ten team with good attacking options. Woodgate and Pogatetz are forming a partnership and an understanding, Woody has the intelligence and guidance, while Pog offers a physical presence.
Woodgate has also had a calming influence on the back line as a whole, and with Skippy in what is arguably the form of his life, we should look to continue a run of clean sheets. You only need to look at our last game without Woody in the side, at Fulham, to see how important he is. We conceded a penalty and a sloppy goal, and 'sloppy' just isn't a word in Jonno's vocabulary.
Where our season goes from here is in our own hands. We need to keep on doing what we've done so far this Christmas and our confidence will grow. Its simple - if key players start to perform all at once and justify their wage packets, then we can climb the table. We're still to see the best from our three key players; Boateng, Downing and Yakubu. We've been kept afloat by other players coming to the fore, i.e. the Morrisons and the Cattermoles.
Just a look at our fixture list in the coming weeks shows it's a chance for the players to prove their worth and to give us fans what we deserve. If we're to salvage a top-half finish this season then this is the most crucial time so far. All we can do is sit and watch, but don't hold your breath.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE NEW HOLGATE MESSAGE BOARD
BACK TO WATSON AND WARNOCK INDEX
|
|
|
|
