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KARL WATSON'S
BIG MOUTH - WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE... 1-9-08
Karl Watson
Very regularly, occurrences on the football field are
often used to paper over evident cracks and I feel Middlesbrough
were on the opposite end of this at the Riverside on Saturday.
As Middlesbrough fans the two most appropriate and frequently
used words in our vocabulary are ‘typical Boro’ and with seventy
one minutes on the clock it was clear that these were the thoughts
going through every Boro fan’s head.
Of course we have all been here before, and when Stoke were
reduced to ten men it turned into a game that we expected to
win. Perhaps the players struggle to adapt to the circumstances
whereby they are expected to win? I do not feel its no coincidence
that our finest performances occur against sides that have
all the pressure placed onto them, and this is what I feel
will be Gareth Southgate’s biggest challenge this season.
Making our most positive start to a Premier League campaign
in nine years is rather encouraging, however if the players
cannot adapt to circumstances whereby we are expected to win
then it will all be in vein. At present it appears we will
have enough to avoid a relegation battle, but haven’t we seen
this all before?
The game against Stoke carried more importance than our previous
two and it was clear that Stoke left the game with a huge amount
of credit despite their performance. Before the sending off
of Amdy Faye they were in the game and playing OK and inevitably
it took us a while to get going. But if we and Stoke are honest
it really should have been a cricket score and only our arrogance
prevented this.
Wasting chances doesn’t do anyone any favours, and I got the
impression that once a chance had gone, our players knew another
one would be created soon after and it would only be a matter
of time before we would score a second. I didn’t like this
arrogance and I felt Stewart Downing summed it up perfectly.
Previously, Stewart just simply places his penalty in the corner
away from any stretching arm of the opposition’s goalkeeper.
So why did he arrogantly – not confidently – strike the ball
with venom attempting to rip the net into pieces. It all looked
rather embarrassing especially when Stoke managed to get on
level terms.
It all just left a sour taste in my mouth, because there was
no way we should have found ourselves in that situation. As
a side we must be patient and although it is encouraging that
we are creating many chances, we need to start putting these
away.
If we have real aspirations to finish in the top ten
then our away form will be vital. However our chances will
be few and far between away from the Riverside which is why
I would like to see Tuncay and, more in particular, Alves be
a little more sharper in front of goal.
We all know what confidence can do, and going into yet another
monotonous international break with a handsome win under our
belts would have given the players such a boost and the confidence
would have been flowing. I felt we needed this confidence,
especially as we are going into two very tough away games.
So what can we do to improve? I am not convinced that Emmanuel
Pogatetz should be playing at left back. Although I rate Huth
very highly, I feel our strongest partnership is Wheater and
Pogatetz. Perhaps Southgate does not want Huth knocking on
his door asking for an explanation as to why he will not feature
in the starting eleven?
The comments about the size of our squad were interesting,
however, a few injuries or suspensions may put a huge dampener
on our season where we will be thinking what if?
On the other hand, I am pleased we will not leaving our transfers
to the last minute and I am glad Southgate has the confidence
in his young and perhaps inexperienced side.
However everything all pins down to the nature of our win and
Saturday and this may seem like a negative column. However
I am simply reiterating that perhaps the negatives outweigh
the positives on Saturday and a crushing victory over Stoke
would have left everybody on a high.
Although the media are ‘bigging up’ Boro this season we all
know better. And the Stoke game did not reassure me one little
bit that we are capable of beating mediocrity with ease, which
will undoubtedly decide our season.
You always get the impression that the top four sides lay down
their intentions during the games opening minutes. However
our failure to start games in a positive manner may prove to
our downfall. We do not want to get ourselves in a situation
whereby we are giving sides a head start. We did this too frequently
last season. We have proved that we can defend well whilst
leading, however we have yet to find ourselves in a situation
this season whereby we are chasing a game because we are behind.
However, we need to see how we react when we are trailing and
chasing a game and we really need to see how the players will
react at home when we are trailing and the fans are on the
players’ back.
Although we have made a positive start, we do have to allow
for the inevitable negatives and perhaps this is what will
determine our season. Are the improvements we have made so
significant that it will see us finish in the top half of the
league? I will make my judgement after our next two away games.
BACK TO THE KARL
WATSON'S BIG MOUTH INDEX
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