THE AWAY END
SWANSEA CITY v MIDDLESBROUGH
John Powls; 17 Aug 2009
The Build Up To The Game
Boro's start to this Championship season has steel and coal seams - Teesside, Sheffield, South Wales and Scunthorpe. And not just in the historical, economic and industrial senses. You sensed The Reds needed to show some steel too.
The websites this week - whatever the differing views of the other qualities on show - generally agreed that Boro had stood up reasonably well to the The Blades' physical challenge without wilting, as many had feared would happen.
Column Continues Below...
Although there were some reasonable individual performances - particularly in defence and midfield - the e-jury was out on whether, at season end, the result would look like a clean sheet and a reasonable point gained against a fierce rival, or two dropped had the performance been better than some final whistle jeering indicated.
With the big worries being where goals would come from and injured midfielders, the debates focused on whether and when the remaining 'refuseniks' would be packed off, who could be got in and how the centre midfield could be patched together. There was also a view that the squad as is, might do better on the break, away from home.
News also broke of Tayls's new website, 'Platinum Players', for the discerning young footballer on a budget concerned that he may be ripped off - necessity mothering invention?
The country's four thousand professional footballers are all being sent log-in details for the site which will list approved and trustworthy purveyors of "luxury lifestyle products". This includes Greggs as Mido's recommendation, presumably.
The neat, mini-Riverside Liberty Stadium is still pretty new and new to Phil and I. It's one of the longest journeys of the season from Middlesbrough but not quite so long for us. The two and a half hour schlep up the M4 made us appreciate the well organised Park and Ride arrangements that get you easily from just off the motorway junction to the Stadium.
Its out-of-town industrial estate location and the somewhat unnecessary, over-bearing security meant that the only choice for a gristleburger with cheese (no onion!) was inside the ground. It had all the quality and value that normally comes with no choice!
Swans manager Paulo Sousa has little more experience of his new home than we have. He also has a squad shorn of some of last season's stars as some have joined 'hard act to follow' Roberto Martinez at Wigan.
Former Boro target Ferrie Bodde remains long-term injured.
Classy attacking full-back and unlikely rhyme, Angel Rangel, was available to supply new signing Stephen Dobbie, who netted a brace in City's 3-0 midweek Carling Cup defeat of Brighton that followed their opening day defeat at Leicester.
Their fans' websites criticised the manager and the team for being pretty but soft in midfield and struggling for goals in the absence of Scotland. Sound familiar?
The Game
You could have knocked me down with a Swans' feather - Tuncay was in the squad. I actually felt I had to get confirmation from Phil's better eyesight that it was indeed The Tricky Turkish Tyro!
A quick scan of the warm up revealed that the Femmer Frenchie, Jezza, had thrown a sickie again and that it was likely that Tuncay would be starting from the bench as he warmed up with the rest of the subs.
I would guess that, of the sixteen thousand total, there were more than a thousand Tee-Tee-Teessiders in The Away End. All were in good voice as the game kicked off under South Wales's finest cloud and drizzle with a brisk breeze. Good footy conditions.
Let's take the game's major incidents - particularly the goals that turned The Away End into a seething sea of joy.
Marvin Emnes's goal was a thing of power and beauty. We were right down the line of his shot, in the stand behind the goal. When he picked up the Yeates pass twenty yards out, surrounded by white shirts, there was no indication of what he would do.
His half turn, body shape and snap shot with no backlift were 'all-in-one-movement' perfection. The ball arrowed into the top corner in best 'never sniffed it' fashion. Breathtaking.
It can only be hoped that the experience gives the lad the confidence to trust his instincts more. In truth, the rest of his performance didn't amount to much.
Either side of that absolute gem were goals from Johnno and Tuncay.
Johnno was much improved in this game. His 'Jinky' came with added end product and with more calm and accuracy in his finishing, he could have added to his tally. However, he still scored one and made one and his crossing was potent.
His opener came just after the half hour.
Boro's early dominance had only a Wheats header from a corner that thudded against joint of bar and post after six to show for itself and the game was beginning to drift.
Then, the England U21 star picked up the ball on his wing, stood his full-back still, moved the ball left and then burst past him.
His raking cross-come-shot fizzed across the six yard box. Boro attackers and Swans defenders bore down on De Vries in the home goal and maybe took his eye. The ball was past him and into the corner of his net in a flash.
Deep in the second half, Johnno's excellent, pacy corner dropped from its flat trajectory right in the centre of the Swansea six yard box, three yards out. This was just where the Tricky Turkish Tyro had positioned himself and there was never any doubt his header was going to flash into the net for Boro's third.
As to the big Boro performances, Wheats, Danny Coyne and particularly my MotM Robert Huth - in best 'Berlin Wall' form - barely gave the home side a real look in, despite Nathan Dyer's hare-like pace that gave both Grounds and McMahon an uncomfortable afternoon, especially when they gave him too much space and time.
The spine of the side was strong in midfield too, despite Rhys Williams looking more square-pegged in this one than against The Blades.
Was it really sensible to let the Aussies play him at right-back for the full ninety in a mid-week friendly? Whilst the young Aussie was steady, alongside him, Gary O'Neil was an absolute tyro and many others' choice for stand-out performance of the day.
He covered the ground in a way that belied his need for a hernia op. He never gave the Swansea midfield time or space. He got tackles and interceptions in higher up the field. He found a red shirt with his passes and got the continuity passing going to give Boro a foothold first then, the sort of firm grip and confident passing fluency they needed.
Taking O'Neil's lead, Boro's got many turnovers of Swansea possession high up the pitch and sprung attacks straight on to their back four. This was an effective and welcome change in approach from The Reds that must surely become a feature in future. This pressing game - and better continuity passing - suited Boro and allowed the kind of control and threat we might have thought they'd forgotten how to do.
Up front, I couldn't make the argument that the 'strong spine' theme continued. Lita still looked like he needed time and games. He can roll a defender well but never threatened a strike. His young, Dutch partner still looks more 'project' than 'product'.
There was also no sense that the front two, at any time in the game, were playing in a partnership. The changes in line-up didn't help but neither did it look like that's what any of them were trying to do in their game time.
Whilst the pressing game was good, the re-introduction of zonal marking at corners still meant some unnecessary palpitations - even with an opposition that offered as little as Swansea.
There were spells in the game - before Boro scored, at the end of the first half and the start of the second - when the intensity and concentration dropped and the team play suffered as a result.
Right at the end, and you can excuse this somewhat because they were then three up, Boro gave their opponents a couple of unnecessary chances through sloppy midfield play. Conceding then and robbing Coyne, Huth and Wheats of a well deserved clean sheet would have been disappointing.
These are aspects to be worked on but, overall, Boro were undoubtedly good value for a convincing win and The Away End let the team know that at the final whistle.
So good was the atmosphere that when Gate responded to the "Gareth, Gareth, give us a wave" chants, he was cheered without irony. Danny Coyne, Huth and Johnno were most lauded. Tuncay was greeted like the proverbial Prodigal.
I could have done without the occasional tasteless outbreak of anti-Welsh, Little Eng-er-lund jingoism which, incidentally, the home crowd didn't stoop to responding to. There was some regrettable but minor yobbishness too, but it didn't take the gloss off a very satisfying and pleasurable afternoon in The Away End.
Later
What a joy to join the double-deckered bus full of good-humour in the compound behind The Away End for the trip back to the Park and Ride. So this is what an away win felt like. We'd almost forgotten.
As we waited and chatted over the game with other Boro fans, we tried to remember when the last time Boro scored three was. And three without reply, away?
Actually, it was Brum away, three seasons ago, as I found out later.
The police and stewards filled up the three Compass Roystons for the trip back to Teesside and the buses for the station, so that we could be convoyed out of town.
As we looked down from the top deck, it did your heart good to see a Swansea City service bus bound for the railway station, swaying from side to side, thronged with chanting Boro boys (although we couldn't hear them). When the local Bobbies got on board to do the escort, you could see them joining in the good natured banter.
On the drive back, Phil and I had many of the same feelings that Gate did in his post-match interviews, which we appreciated.
He put the result and performance into 'welcome; earned; plenty that was good; some not so good; let's keep our feet on the ground' context. Absolutely right and well judged.
He was also right to point to the fact that this was a win and performance built on a rock solid central defence, as well as the goals and the displays of Johnno and Gary O'Neil. He also leavened the praise with the fact that more ruthlessness was needed.
But we also mused on what The Manager couldn't voice - what he must have been thinking.
Boro are short of the big lad up front that is still needed, however well Lita, Emnes and, yesterday's absentee, Jezza do.
A creative central midfielder with nous is still a miss, as is the 'leader on the field' he has talked about.
And from the stand out team spine from this game - Huth; Wheats; Gary O'Neil; Tuncay - how many will still be at Boro at the end of August? What about Johnno? If they do go, can and will Boro replace them effectively?
The BBC Football League Show relegated Boro's win to the 'just before midnight round-up slot' that their Big Brother, MotD, always used to do. Nothing changes - and it's clear that The Barcodes, with the goings on at Sid James', are the media darlings.
At least there were lots of replays in the round-up discussion of the Emnes rocket that lit up the screen like it had a grey South Wales afternoon.
The Sundays and Mondays revealed how little The Championship overall - and Boro in particular - feature on their radar. Credit to The Sunday Times, though, who still produced a report with the same column inches they gave Premiership Boro last term. It was a fair and balanced view too.
The Championship programme doesn't allow much time for 'laurel resting' or to take a breather. The Away End will be back after Tuesday's trip to Scunthorpe.
