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THE SIMON
FALLAHA COLUMN - MIDO EARNS HIS PARMO, TUNCAY (AGAIN) IS THE HERO, AND ALVES SCORES ZERO 12-11-08
Simon Fallaha
It seemed that we were reverting to type in the first half against West Ham. Outplayed completely for much of the game by a struggling side, it took a late free kick from Mido of all players to bail us out. And then we nearly won the game… and nearly lost it seconds later! Remarkable.
There are those who claimed that 1-1 at home against a side in such bad form as Zola’s West Ham was a bad result. I beg to differ. Considering how badly we had played and considering the situation we were in for much of the match, it was a point well earned.
It was also a relief to earn a result from a game that you would traditionally expect us to lose. And you have to admit that Mido took the free kick well (that old “shoot just as the wall jumps” trick is not as easy to pull off as you might think). He definitely earned his parmo after the match – if he wanted one, that is.
Column continues below...
Unfortunately, he then had to go and injure his groin. Again.
On the negative side, it was sad to come back down to earth after the impressive win over City. But then, what have we come to expect from Boro? Never over-estimate them when required…
…and never under-estimate them when required, either!!
Again, we were under the cosh for long spells at Villa Park but this time we emerged with a win to show for it. And Tuncay yet again displayed his value to the team with two smashingly taken goals, even though they were both gifts.
I’m tempted to go along with Anthony Vickers at this stage and say “Who needs Juninho?”. The Little Fella, after all, never tracked back to the extent The Little Turk does. It’s only a matter of time before he gets a block on the Boro Brick Road if he keeps playing like this.
It wasn't all good news though. My head was in my hands at the sight of Alves’s finishing. I should have known better than to state that he was on a bit of a run after the City game. I suppose I could just about excuse that side foot wide in the first half (he was off balance) but all he had to do was lift it over the helpless Friedel from six yards out for the second miss…
Fortunately, Tuncay (and Turnbull, of course) bailed him out, but how much longer can that keep happening?
As John Powls rightly says, our squad is too thin to be carrying passengers. Waiting for the ball to come to him before he has a go at finishing is not enough – he needs to track back like Tuncay, Ali and the Liverpool players. Even Mido tracks back a lot these days.
And another thing – has Alves learnt that there are other ways to finish than side footing the ball in? On this season’s evidence, I think not. (The free kick and the two goals from last season against United are rare exceptions.)
Another shock on Sunday (to add to Alves’s lack of finishing prowess) was local hero David Wheater not being in the starting line-up. But Gate’s team selection proved spot-on as Riggott had an excellent game, as did Hoyte. Our boss has recognised that Wheater is not a full-back and that it is best not to include players on name and popularity alone – isn’t that right, Stewie? (Although in fairness, Downing appeared to be somewhere close to his best on Sunday.)
So there you have it. Two wins and two draws since the Chelsea hammering. And it could easily have been three wins but for Benni McCarthy’s late goal, or even four wins had we taken a late chance against West Ham.
We shouldn’t get carried away though. After all, we know what happens when we do. But it’s nice to have a solid platform such as this to build on, especially considering last year’s away form
Now let’s hope we can build on it even further. Three goals from us in one game would be a good start.
‘Til next time, then…
Si
Simon Fallaha, Editor, Northern Ireland Middlesbrough
Supporters' Club Website
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FALLAHA COLUMN INDEX
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