|
|
WE'VE GOT OUR BORO BACK 6-2-07
Stuart Ward
Finally, after seven months in charge, Gareth Southgate has found Middlesbrough Football Club.
The match against Arsenal, a traditional Boro bogey team, finally proved to the world that football is back at The Riverside.
Middlesbrough can usually look forward to seeing Terrance Henry prancing away in his Uber-arrogant way after scoring Arsenal's fifth of the game. Not this time.
This time Arsenal found a Boro team who won't just sit back and watch them pass in nice neat triangles.
This time they found a side who were in their faces from the get-go. A side who has no fear. They were clearly taken aback by the sight of Stewey Downing, a player their beloved media tells them is the worst player to pull on an England shirt, making the Gunner's latest young "superstar", Justin Hoyte look positively terrible.
They saw a rampaging Yak, barging their "World class" centre half Kolo Toure all over the pitch, terrifying the whole defence with his strength and pace.
They gave the ball to the "best central midfielder in the world at the minute" Fabregas and complained vociferously as Cattermole and Boateng thundered into him, not giving him room to flick his hair, never mind make a pass.
Now, Boro have had these types of games in the past. Under McClaren there were instances where the players took the game plan and ripped it to shreds. Throwing off the shackles, they actually attacked on a couple of occasions.
McClaren soon had that sorted though: dropping our top scorer and playing one up front was always a sure fire way to get us back to boreville.
You could see it early in the season. The players weren't willing to get at teams. The first game of the season was a prime example.
2-0 up against a newly promoted team and looking awesome. The players then regressed to last season, trying to shut up shop and refusing to attack. We lost 3-2.
Now move forward six months and look at the difference. We absolutely destroyed Bolton, notorious as one of the toughest sides around. Just ask Arsene and his whinging cronies. The players had the big lead, but weren't happy with it. They wanted more. They NEEDED more.
Gareth Southgate has given us our club back. We are back to the days when Juninho and Ravanelli led an awesome attacking unit. There is one major difference however. This time our defence is solid.
Woodgate, Pogatetz, Taylor, Xavier and Schwarzer deserve heaps of praise. They play with passion and skill in equal measures. Woodgate's class is matched by Pogatetz's grim determination and steel. Xavier's eccentricity is countered by the solid professionalism and sheer talent of young Andrew Taylor.
Without these boys we may still be in trouble.
Now though, it is the turn of the fans. Gareth has given us our club back, it is up to us to turn up and take the gift.
The middle aged men need to stretch their old tops with Emerson on the back over their beer bellies, get the kids and get down to the Riverside again.
Surely the swathes of empty seats will begin to disappear again as the word spreads.
Football is back at the Riverside.
TALK
ABOUT IT IN THE NEW HOLGATE MESSAGE BOARD
BACK TO STUART WARD INDEX
|
|
|
|
