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BRACED FOR A RELEGATION FIGHT 17-4-07
Karl Watson
I recall the time when not so long ago many were predicting an exciting end of season and fans at the Riverside would be rewarded with attacking and delightful football. And now it has all gone up in flames.
The performance on Saturday was heartless, gutless and overall simply shambolic. It brought back initial fears I had after the Bolton game. After that game I was left pondering, would we see attacking football like that for the remainder of the games at home? On Saturday I was given my answer.
It was the perfect chance to gain a tiny bit of credibility back. We have a great chance of getting into the top ten for the first time in months and we ruined it. We are now looking at a very difficult end of season, and as some would say it's 'squeaky bum time'.
I now doubt whether or not the players have any desire to play for the club, because if they do, none of the 27,000 saw it on Saturday. We boast 24,000 season ticket holders and I just wonder how many of them will renew for next season.
Gareth's comments after the game were reminiscent of those uttered to the press after the West Ham game, where he slammed our player's performance as 'unacceptable'. Gareth said he did not want to say much more as 'he didn't want to say something he would later regret'.
I felt that basically what he was trying to say was that the performance against Villa was yet again 'unacceptable' but things would be addressed on Monday morning. Firstly, I find myself answering my own question again. After West Ham I was left wondering whether or not anything would be done about that 'unacceptable' display and yet again, nothing has been done and nothing has changed.
Why are we getting these lacklustre displays? There are people in those seats that would give anything to play for Boro and would give ten times more than what was produced on Saturday.
Secondly, why should the players be let off the hook by the manager? Yes, Gareth is trying to create a friendly atmosphere at the club (in comparison to that of the Steve McClaren era) but the players should have been sent a rocket up their backside when they entered the dressing room at full time.
Sir Alex Ferguson would have had his hairdryer plugged in and would have been ready to dish out an almighty hammering which the player's duly deserved. Yes there were inexperienced youngsters and players that hadn't played for a while on Saturday but whatever team Ferguson sends out they appear to get the job done, and this is why they are so successful.
Unlike Ferguson, perhaps the players still see Gareth as their friend, team mate and captain rather than their 'gaffer'? I still feel a line needs to be drawn between what was 'Southgate the player' and 'Southgate the manager'. The player's lack of respect and sometimes arrogance simply plays into their hands. If they know that there are not severe consequences attached to shambolic efforts then we will see no change in results and league position.
I feel there need to be harsher consequences. For example players were publicly humiliated in the press and behind closed doors under Steve McClaren; however from what we read this is not done under Southgate.
The players seem happy to turn in to training every day with a haphazard attitude. However, they do not fork out hundreds of pounds every year and I for one have had enough.
Saturday frightened me. Without Mark Viduka we lacked anything up front and perhaps answered a few critics and highlighted that maybe are just a one man team and without our 'big three' we would be a Championship side.
Our cover is useless. I rated Chris Riggott very highly but is it really a coincidence that before we signed Woodgate we were conceding three a game and when he played for us on Saturday we conceded three? The people we are bringing in to replace the likes of Viduka and Downing are simply not enough. Our first team is hardly brimming with pace and flair, so our second team can only be worse?
Fair enough, we do have little to play for this season but didn't Aston Villa? Other teams who have nothing to play for managed to grind out wins on Saturday so why couldn't we? The players should be playing for the club, playing with desire and trying to attain a credible league position in the process.
As Middlesbrough fans, we really should've known better. After brilliant results at home against Bolton and Reading many fans felt we would go unbeaten at home for the remainder of the season, but we all honestly knew that there would be a hiccup along the way.
However, losing the last two of three at home to Manchester City and Aston Villa - teams that are supposed to be having a nightmare of a season and fighting for their Premiership lives - is simply embarrassing.
What chance have we got of getting anything out of Liverpool and Manchester United - nothing. If we are not careful we could get severely embarrassed at Manchester United. However, being the professionals they are, they will probably turn up for the Liverpool and Manchester United games and give us another foul performance a week later against Tottenham. That's what we're used to, isn't it?
Of course we all want to see the team and the club do well and the only way we are going to see this is if the players show heart for once. Believe it or not but the players will get praise if and when they play well and if they give 100% but we have only seen this on a rare occasions this season and we need it week in week out. We all need to see that the player's actually want to play for Boro, not their cheques (which they don't even deserve). If they do not play well, we have the right to slate them.
As fans, we have to be brutally honest, even if it means saying things we do not wish to, or we may later regret. To be perfectly honest, Saturday highlighted that we are not the club we all think we are, and we're not as great as we think we are.
In our eyes, we are the top dogs of the North East. If this is the case then why and how can Newcastle sign the likes of Michael Owen, and Sunderland can attract a huge consortium to their club, whilst attracting 'big' sponsors and 'big' kit suppliers. Even though Sunderland are in a division lower than ourselves, they are still a bigger club and next season they will be attracting bigger names and they may just do better than us.
In terms of transfers, I believe we have to base the squad around Schwarz, Woody, Huth, Downing, Arca, Yakubu, and Viduka. The rest are simply not good enough. If we were to sell a lot of those players, I doubt we would have enough to buy a season ticket for next year.
We must get rid of the trash that is eating away at our wage bill. Mendieta and Rochemback just cannot play in England and have to go. I would also like to see a lot of our fringe players be sold as they are just not good enough.
It is do or die this summer. I have said it before but we are in serious danger of getting left behind.
I also read that there is not expected to be massive sums for Southgate to spend? I simply do not understand this. We have a magnificent chairman, no doubt about that and we all love Steve Gibson, but now I feel is the time to be spending huge amounts of money.
The fans will not accept another pathetic season like this and season tickets and revenue will only be increased if we sign some top quality players and actually do something in the league for once. If we fail to spend big and only look to secure the players we currently have then we are destined for yet another season in the bottom five.
Once more, players like Viduka and Woodgate will not stay if we do not invest heavily in playing talent. Other teams will look to spend big money next year, especially because there is so much available through league positions and Sky television and if we fail to spend we will get left behind. Next year will be our tenth successive year in the top flight - a magnificent achievement. Let's not spoil it by having another dismal season.
Many of the players we would like to sign will simply not sign for Middlesbrough unless we flash the cash - and then we are still not reassured of magnificent displays week in week out.
If there are quality players available in the market, then what can we offer them that other teams can't? To be honest we have little to offer players other than money, and this should not be the case. If we want anyone half decent, they will go elsewhere because other clubs will be interested and have much more to offer.
Gareth Southgate does not have the contacts and managerial experience and brilliance to attract the world's best names to Middlesbrough. Robson was able to attract the likes of Juninho, Ravanelli, Karembeu and Boksic to the club, whilst McClaren got talents like Hasselbaink, Viduka and Yakubu to Teesside.
From what we read in the papers, Southgate is after young Scottish midfielders, getting on has-beens and even players that he used to play with that moved on to bigger and better teams. Is this really going to sell thousands of season tickets and keep us safe from relegation next year? We need proven, world class players.
In terms of this season, we are not even safe from relegation and after we had a great run over Christmas and appeared to have turned the corner, we have wandered back down into a relegation scrap. However, there was only one team on Saturday that wanted to scrap to stay in the division.
With fifteen points to play for, I would be surprised if we got more than three. We are playing teams with something to play for, and if Saturday is anything to go off, we do not stand a chance against these teams.
The games against Wigan and in particular the one against Fulham could be crunch games and will definitely seal our fate for this season. It would not surprise me when we travel to Wigan if we are in serious danger of getting relegated.
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