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BRING ON THE SKUNKS 19-10-06
Udayan Mukherjee
It's been quite a while since my last article, the reason for which is in no way alcohol related. I've been doing work, me. Honest. Added to the fact that as a medical student you're supposed to put some graft in, I didn't have it in me to say what I wanted to, suffice to say that it was not going to be optimistic, like I try to be regarding the Boro.
As I sat in a pub in Liverpool, supping on a pint of Carlsberg, I struggled to believe what was happening in front of me. Lowly Sheffield United, who suffice to say will not be troubling anyone anywhere outside of the bottom five this season had just beaten Middlesbrough, a team who were only last season were oh so nearly UEFA cup champions.
As I shook my head in disbelief (to the delight of some of the locals), I had the same sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I did after the final whistle after the Aston Villa debacle last season. That thunderbolt from Jagielka's right boot was a hammer blow to everything that Boro could hope to achieve this season.
In the aftermath of that game, the natural pessimistic stance inherent in every Smoggy came to the fore. Talk of relegation and general doom and gloom. The general consensus was that Southgate and indeed, Boro, were simply not capable of getting results.
Although we all knew it was important to note that it was simply due to chances not being taken that we lost, but it hurt more than those normal typical Boro moments because it meant we were genuinely in trouble.
It seems however that the international break came at just the right time, giving us time to regroup, for a period of hard slog among our non international players, and re-evaluation of tactics and mind-set from the management team.
The England games, at the time, seemed like a welcome distraction, especially as Steve McClaren's reign had started so positively. How wrong we were. The bitter taste that I was left with surrounding our national team so often during Sven's reign, indeed anything since Venables left, returned stronger than ever, especially due to completely unjust criticism of Downing.
The fact that a junior member of the squad who put in several very good crosses, and still got more abuse than the overpaid prima donnas of that team was astonishing. What did Lampard and Gerrard do? The answer, children, is fuck all.
The press in this country rile me, as do many England fans, with the mindless flack they hand out. Then again, what do we expect? These people are the same that have started hate campaigns against the likes of Beckham, Owen, Barnes and Waddle to name but a few. To boo a lad when he's nowhere near the worst player on the field is nothing short of criminal.
More to the point, can anyone trust fans of whom a large percentage comes from Leeds?
Indeed the press conference by McClaren and John Terry said nothing about our flying left winger, offering no words of support, while there was plenty for other much higher profile 'superstars'.
The only person who did give him any credit was Terry Venables, a man who all of us on Teesside have a huge amount of respect for. It was immensely refreshing to see someone of the stature of Venables say exactly what most of our support has been saying, he is a good player, and can be great if given the support needed.
When he got all that criticism from the quite blatantly biased southern press last week, there seemed to be a change in the tide. The mood changed from depressed to defiant, culminating in the type of performance we've longed to see all season.
Although we were on the back foot during the first fifteen minutes, the attitude and character were exemplary. At last we saw the magical mix of attitude, passion and skill.
The team was brilliant from front to back, chasing everything, with several maligned players showing us that they are indeed worth their salt. Lee Cattermole was typically tigerish, but finally showed a little bit of class that may yet prevent him from becoming another Mark Summerbell. I was as surprised as anyone to see him featuring on the right hand side, but he delivered a performance full of grit and running, allied to that class that many doubted he had.
The front two looked sharp and full of ability, and although Yak missed gilt edged chances, he at least returned to the type of player that worries defenders. Viduka turned in a much better performance, even though by his own admission was knackered after the birth of new son Lucas. They were ably assisted by Jason Euell, a player who could well be a snip judging by the zestful performance he delivered against the Toffees.
The debut of Robert Huth was another cause for celebration, with the H bomber dominating proceedings. He was something of a cult hero at Chelsea, and according to one fan "He didn't give a shit, he'd just clatter people, I fucking loved that!". Amen to that brother.
The win relieved pressure on our ailing manager Southgate. It hurt to see Sir Gareth with that pained expression on his face. The man clearly cares deeply about this club, and it is wonderful that the players responded to his extra strenuous training sessions during the international break, and reaped the dividends.
It has been an uncertain time for him and the team in general. The deadline for Southgate's period of grace as manager of Middlesbrough may have to come to an abrupt end, if certain reports are to be believed. It is possible that he may even have to undergo a change in job title.
However if Gibbo and Keith Lamb have their way, Southgate's going to be here for as long as possible. It is imperative that the Everton win was a platform to go on with, and not just one win among the drudgery of losing week in week out.
Southgate needs results to stand a better chance of being allowed to keep his job, Boro need the result to make the most of a disappointing start to the season, and may even make the top ten.
The way we have closed ranks this week makes me proud to support that team they call the Boro. Sure we moan about everything, but when we have our backs to the wall we're the best there is. Bring on the skunks..
Come on Boro.
That's all folks.
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