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POMPEY WAS MY FAULT 6-9-06
Rob Dixon
OK, this claim is not the most obvious way for me, a new columnist, to endear myself to you all but I think it could be true. You see, in the past, I've noticed that when I watch Boro games in the company of one of my dearest friends, we tend to lose.
My proof of this is quite conclusive. One boxing day a couple of seasons ago, I watched Boro take on Manchester United on TV at his house. The game ended in a miserable 2-0 defeat.
Last boxing day we went along to the Riverside to watch the boys against Blackburn Rovers. Shefki Kuqi scored twice. Middlesbrough didn't.
Even the weekend when he visited me at University was a dark one for Boro, as we settled down to watch the highlights (or even lowlights) on Match of the Day of the humiliating defeat to Aston Villa.
Those days did enter my head when I made the short trek to his house to watch Pompey, but I was sure history couldn't repeat itself again. We'd just beaten Chelsea again and were unfortunate to be on the receiving end of the Premiership's first 'fairytale' result for a promoted team at Reading.
But no. The curse struck again and with the same vengeance as that fateful day in February. It was embarrassing yes, but there were other powers at play that evening. Pompey are a different side to the relegation strugglers of last season. They've inherited big money and a seemingly indestructible backline that many sides will struggle against this season. They even probably deserve some respect for their flawless game-plan.
The game strangely drew parallels with the UEFA Cup final for me. The more we threw at the opposition, the more we left ourselves very short at the back. Once Kanu had taken the piss out of Pogatetz for his second, you could tell it wasn't meant to be.
So where are we left now? We have two talented new centre backs and another relatively average forward to add to our long line of 'OK' forwards. Hopefully Woodgate can bring the same organisation to our backline that Southgate did before him and Sol Campbell seems to have brought to Pompey. Robert Huth is an excellent signing in the long term with a wealth of experience despite his few games for Chelsea. The signing of Euell is just confusing and pointless to me, but I hope he feels free to prove me wrong.
Our main flaw remains this inconsistency though. If this can be sorted out, we should have another successful season that carries the momentum of the amazing last one. If not, there could be big prices to pay.
Just be safe in the knowledge I'm not watching any Boro games at my friend's house anytime soon.
NOW HAVE YOUR SAY IN THE NEW HOLGATE FORUM
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