|
|
MIDDLESBROUGH v WATFORD ANALYSIS AND PLAYER RATINGS 10-4-07
Udayan Mukherjee
Before the onset of Middlesbrough v Watford, I had imagined that bringing a pillow and having a sleep for ninety minutes would be the order of the day. Boro hadn't scored in nearly 300 minutes and opponents Watford are, well, just rubbish.
What threatened to be a difficult encounter for Boro turned out to be a stroll in the park, and while we weren't 100% brilliant, there was enough in the performance to suggest a mini revival could be on the cards. That Ben Foster in the Watford goal was arguably the man of the match in a game where he conceded four is surely testament to the great attacking on display from the Boro, particularly Mark Viduka.
Boro were less than full strength, but the players who came in performed admirably well, with Fabio Rochemback even getting on the score sheet. Long term absentees Robert Huth and Chris Riggot returned at the heart of the defence, the latter having, bizarrely, a surname that is slang for arsehole in Wigan. Which is nice.
With the result being so emphatic, one wonders why the performance could have been so abysmal in the previous two league games, other than a simple lack of application. Unfortunately, it has been a trait of the season, and this group of players in particular. Winning only once away from home all season is a sorry state of affairs and suggests a lack of character out on the pitch, someone to drag the game by the scruff of the neck and drive us on when our backs are against the wall.
Being entrenched firmly in mid-table is not necessarily a bad start for Gareth Southgate, especially in a season billed as one of transition, but it's possible that this season could have been so much better in terms of position, chiefly due to the other teams in the league being so poor.
This match however, offered hope in that the players overcame a potentially battling Watford side who wanted to give a good account of themselves on their farewell tour of the Premiership.
The side showed width and penetration, something that can be attributed to Adam Johnson's wonderful performance on the right hand side. Over the last few games, the youngster has shown why he is so highly rated, and indeed added something to his armoury - versatility. The problem position on the right hand side still needs addressing, but with Johnson and Downing interchanging between the two positions, the two flying wingers may yet offer a frightening prospect for opposition full backs up and down the country.
The form of the wingers, especially Johnson, added to the class of Viduka means that we offer a goal scoring threat in any game. Unfortunately, the goal scoring form of Yakubu remains a problem. The Nigerian is going through his now customary ridiculously long goal drought, one that could and should have been rectified against basement boys Watford.
In an atmosphere that was far from electric, Boro started off the brighter side, scoring within five minutes. A jinking run from Johnson on the right hand side culminated in a quite wonderful cross to the back post, where Boro's other flying winger, England's very own Stewie Downing, headed it back for Viduka to add a simple finish into the vacated net. It was a wonderfully created goal, and the Boro were in business.
Watford tried to peg the Boro back almost immediately, after a flowing move which resulted in Smith heading disappointingly over the bar. However, the following ten minutes was so boring that several of the more mentally unstable elements of the crowd chewed off their own arms, while the rest made a mental note to leave before half time. Indeed from my vantage point which was, on this occasion, in the north-east corner, several people responded to my question of 'leaving already' with the retort of 'this game is shite mate, the Navi's calling'. Fair enough.
It was still Boro who were the more likely to score, but were given a rude awakening when Watford scored through Damien Francis on twenty-two minutes. The feeling that it was going to be one of those days was almost immediately dispelled when the superb Adam Johnson embarked on another run, beating two, and shrugging off an attempted rugby tackle from a Watford goon, before laying it off to George Boateng. The skipper dilly dallied for what seemed an eternity before belatedly striking at goal. Bizzarely, Chris Riggot was up front and the ball flicked off his boot and beat Ben Foster.
The Boro goal changed the complexion of the game, and they nearly went further into the lead when Stewart Downing ran at the hornets' defence, and launched a shot that was denied acrobatically by Foster.
Out of sorts Yakubu was showing some promise, and on thirty-four minutes played himself into the box before wildly swinging at the ball twice. His first attempt was an air shot and the latter a drive that went narrowly wide. The sooner one of the Yak's effort nestles into the back of the net the better, because with every game that passes, the confidence seems to be ebbing away from him.
The players went into the break and despite the Boro being in the lead, the general consensus was that this was not good enough against a truly rubbish Watford side. With the three points surely already in the bag a pint or twenty in the Navigation Inn actually seemed a good idea.
However, with the words of Gareth Southgate still ringing in their ears, the players emerged for the second half with a much more bullish attitude. Watford couldn't raise their game and it was a question of how many the Boro could score. Within two minutes of the second half starting, Boro had already tested Foster after good work again by Adam Johnson.
Boro should have had a penalty midway through the second half when Viduka appeared to be man-handled in the box, but as is so often the case, the foul on the big man was ignored. I struggle to remember a single occasion where Viduka has been given a penalty for indiscretions against him in the box, perhaps because he doesn't go down as easily as he should.
The lead again should have been extended on fifty-eight when Foster denied Yakubu and the follow up from Rochemback. It was an easy chance but at least Boro were creating, whereas Watford were utterly toothless.
The inevitable third goal came in the seventy-fifth minute when Viduka twisted and squirmed away from three defenders before curling one into the top corner. The goal capped a brilliant performance from the Aussie, and the standing ovation he received when substituted later was fully deserved.
Before being substituted however, Viduka and man of the match Johnson still had an opportunity to set up Rochemback to poke home following a delightful passage of play.
After winning at a canter against the basement boys, it remains to be seen whether we can improve our woeful away record and try and climb the league. It may not look like much to play for, but for every league position that we climb there is a significant amount of money to spend. Add to that the factor of a possible return to Europe via the Inter-Toto cup (a tournament for which the prize is presumably Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz's dog or summink) and we have an end of season that isn't completely pointless. Even though it probably may seem so when we finish thirteenth like every other season.
Player Ratings
Schwarzer: Had bugger all to do, did what he was asked to do he did well. 7
Taylor: Defended well, joined in attack at times. 7
Huth: Poor in the first half, decent enough in the second. 6.5
Riggot: Probably scored the second goal and defended solidly throughout. 7
Xavier: Defended well, made several decent forays into the opposition half. 8
Downing: Played alright, but was completely upstaged by Johnson. 7
Boateng: Bossed the centre of midfield and had a huge hand in the second goal. 8
Rochemback: Played exceptionally on his return to the fold. 8
Johnson: Played a part in three of the goals and was generally a thorn in the side of his opponents. More of the same please. 9
Viduka: Took his goals brilliantly. All around play was excellent. 9
Yakubu: Better from the Yak, but still in need of that elusive goal. 7
Substitutes
Parnaby: Didn't do much. 6.5
Christie: Ran around a lot but ultimately was never in any danger of causing the opposition any problems. 6.5
Lee Dong Gook: Seemed lively upon his entrance late in the game. 7
Sign him on
Ben Foster would do very nicely, and Damien Francis may be worth a punt if only to improve our quota of baldies in the team.
That's all folks.
Udayan Mukherjee
NOW HAVE YOUR SAY IN THE NEW HOLGATE FORUM
BACK TO UDAYAN MUKHERJEE INDEX
|
|
|
|
