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TOP HALF FINISH THE TARGET 21-3-07
Karl Watson
It has been a long long time since I was this devastated at a Boro loss, but Monday night hurt more than I ever thought it would, especially as we did not deserve what we got.
It was an absolutely magnificent performance from our players, a performance they can be very proud of. One things for sure; they could leave that pitch with their heads held high, knowing that the whole of Teesside will have been proud of that display.
Our defending was superb; Woodgate was unbelievably good and for most of the game shut out Manchester United's world-class front line. Julio Arca was outstanding. His positioning was spot on, he rarely gave the ball away cheaply and his passing set up most of our attacks.
Why on earth Fabio Rockemback was introduced I will never know. Yes, Julio did have to pass a late fitness test but he was magnificent. When Fabio came on he left a huge gap in the centre of the park for United to exploit. Within two minutes of his introduction, Rooney was put through due to Fabio's pathetic positional play and he gave away a needless free kick on the edge of the box. It did nothing to help our nerves.
Over the two legs I don't feel we got what we deserved. In the first leg Manchester United were struggling at 2-1 down and were given a dubious penalty. A week later and we get almost the same scenario happens and it's sickening.
In the two legs played between the two sides, Manchester United were not capable of beating Middlesbrough in open play, and over the course of the two legs really failed to break us down. But what is more frustrating is how we had chances in both games to put the tie to bed.
So that's now three games against Manchester United this season, and three penalties that never were. In all three cases the penalties determined the result and turned what would have been deserved results into dubious ones.
I was infuriated with the refereeing decisions on Monday night. Many decisions which should have gone Middlesbrough's way did not. However the referee had no qualms in dishing out fouls against Boro and issuing silly yellow cards.
Why was Wayne Rooney not sent off? Whilst on a booking, he pushed George Boateng in the chest which instantly warrants a second yellow and then soon after, got involved and started pushing James Morrison around, again warranting a second yellow card.
The penalty was a complete joke. At first sight it did look like a penalty but the replay quite clearly showed that little contact was made and Woodgate tried to pull out of the challenge. Ronaldo may be the world's best player currently but he is particularly flawed.
I imagine that the FA are pleased though. This is the F.A.'s cup. It is their competition. Do you really think they wanted to watch Middlesbrough or Watford in the first final at Wembley? I doubt it. A possible/probable Manchester United v Chelsea final has already been labelled the 'dream final' by the media.
The defeat now highlights why I felt we had to beat Manchester City last Saturday. Victory would have left us only six points away from a European slot, giving us something to play for, but the loss - which puts a dent in what was a magnificent home record - leaves our season almost meaningless.
Our chances of qualifying for Europe either through automatic qualification via the league or through the Intertoto now seem almost impossible. Our eight remaining games have little significance and our season now seems dead and buried.
The players will be clearly devastated with Monday night's result and although it appears we have little to play for, I hope we can end the season with a bang. We are all hoping for as many goals and as many wins as possible but it's going to be hard for the team to pick themselves up after Monday night.
So with Europe probably out of the question but Boro safe from relegation, the target for the season must now be to finish in the top half and finish above our local rivals Newcastle.
I am now looking towards next season and the exciting summer transfer window. I believe we really have to make an impact this summer to avoid getting left behind.
Next season we must have a go at securing qualification for Europe via the league. This year we have failed to do so, however the season has not been a total disaster as it contained many bright moments, with maybe a couple more still to come.
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