THE AWAY END
READING v MIDDLESBROUGH
John Powls, 5 Oct 2009
The Build Up To The Game
No prizes for guessing which topic has dominated the websites this week after the Coventry game and the mid-week home defeat to Big Nige's Leicester made it an unwanted hat-trick - three spineless capitulations in a row for Southgate's Boro.
It was open season across the Dias-Boro on the manager's tenure and the posters, as well as the writers, got more polarised and vitriolic as the week went on.
The volume of articles, blogs and postings increased dramatically and in inverse proportion to the size of The Riverside crowd that continued to dwindle to a new record league low with each game.
Column Continues Below...
It's difficult to be scientific about the proportion of those in the 'Get Rid' and the 'It's not his fault, he's a victim too, keep him on and he'll come good' camps but I'll exercise my own prejudice and venture that the 'Get Rids' were in a growing majority. Maybe this drove the Gareth-istas to a new frenzy in leaping to his defence.
As 'Talking Tactics' Ian Gill - actually a sensible moderate - remarked, "Some are 'Nelsons' and can't see any issues. A few think it is all capitalism's fault and some think that if you don't like driving for two and half hours to watch drivel then comment on it, you are a bed wetter."
'Bed wetter' became, briefly, insult de la jour with spirited exchanges on what designs the Boro shop could sell on red rubber sheets!
One correspondent was wryly amused by a lot of what was posted but was moved to comment, "If you sat an infinite number of monkeys at keyboards long enough, one would write the complete works of Shakespeare - but they would be finished before Southgate became a good manager."
That the North Stand of the Riverside had joined in with the Foxes fans serenading the Boro manager with "You're getting sacked in the morning" was widely reported.
Mr. Southgate declared again that he wasn't going and wrapped himself - appropriately in Labour Conference week - in a workers' red flag rather than the polyester ones they sell in the club shop as he compared himself with the threatened Corus steelworkers.
Strangely, he also seemed to believe that the only ones entitled to comment on his performance and that of his team were those accountable for it - which meant him, Gibbo and The Count presumably - or those accountable to some other authority for their views.
Since when has that applied in our national sport and particularly to the real, long term stakeholders in any club - the fans? Gary O'Neil had no such qualms.
Anyway, you're very welcome to this slice of 'opinion without accountability'.
The Game
Meanwhile, back at the football, Ian Gill joined Phil and I for our Away End at home - Reading being where we live. We were part of a lively Parmo Army of around fifteen hundred who blew away the Reading faithful like the Autumn gales that swirled round the Madejski.
Fans of The Biscuitmen had relived the Southgate managerial debut three-two from a few seasons ago ("Two-nil and you ****ed it up" - if you remember, we certainly did!) in preparation for what they desperately hoped would be a home win. The local media billed it, rightly, as "the battle with Championship giants, Boro."
The outcome was important to both sides as they needed to break bad runs before the International break.
Actually, listening to Royals fans in the run up to the game was a bit like listening to Boro fans - except that they had seven points fewer than The Reds and were almost as close to the bottom of the league as The Teessiders were to the top, even despite their unexpected mid-week away win at Preston. Their managerial debate was eerily similar too.
As it turned out, Reading had as much substance to their game as the shredded plastic bags that littered their pitch. Both were going round in ever decreasing circles and the Royals were blown away by Boro, as their fans were by The Away End.
The Reds defied the 'Typical Boro' omen - the Royals hadn't won at home since February - and remembered what they have sometimes seemed to forget at The Riverside - if they are at anything near full strength and form, they are considerably better than most sides in a very ordinary Championship.
Leroy Lita proved that other omen - strikers always score against their old team - with a strike for Boro's second and game clincher that lived up to his 'Lethal' epithet.
It was a goal he crafted for himself. He showed power in the centre circle to shrug off one challenge, a swift change of direction to stride past another and then the pace to leave the rest of defence in his wake.
The power and accuracy of his grass-cutting right foot drive gave Federici no chance. On fifty-five the game was, largely, over. Reading weren't Coventry.
It was to the ex-Reading man's credit - and very much to the home crowd's too - that his goal was acknowledged by both with the sort of impressive good grace that escaped Adebayor and The Gooners at Eastlands recently.
In typical striker mode, Lita then had a go at claiming Boro's eleventh minute opener that Sean St. Ledger will surely want to have first dabs at. For the second away game in a row, the centre-back surged through the home side's marking and met a Johnno corner with a firm diving header.
His goal bound effort certainly took a deflection on its way into the Reading net but having watched the replays many times now, I can't see who it struck on its way in - but on its way in it certainly was.
St. Ledger is showing a fine eye for action in opponents' penalty boxes and he and Wheats are now starting to show the traits of becoming 'The Redcar Rock and a Hard Place' that opponents' attacks will founder on.
Not that Reading's attackers needed much encouragement to founder. They offered very little throughout. Brad Jones had only one shot to field - rather than save - in the first half. In the second, ironic cheers from the home crowd greeted the next effort on eighty-nine and the last one in injury time.
Gary 'Carlsberg' O'Neil proved again that he is probably the best midfielder in The Championship - when he plays in the centre of midfield. He was in his most effective berth and form, and led the side with his play and by example, as well as with his talking and organising.
With more match fitness, Lita showed the muscle, pace and eye for a goal. This is what he was signed for. He had two first half strikes too. He got across the front post for a flashing header that hit Federici in the chest and the keeper clung on.
The striker spurned a better chance minutes later when through on the young Aussie keeper but the custodian had the better of the one on one.
In the second half, Federici pulled off a great save from an Aliadiere effort from six yards and had the unexpected bonus that the ref didn't spot that he had got a strong hand on it and gave a goal kick.
Boro were dominant through the spine of the team and throughout the game - except for the second part of the first half in which they lost their ball retention and continuity passing and lost their way for a while.
At half time, Phil, Ian and I debated what Boro would do about that. Credit to the manager and coaches for, largely, accepting that the 'simple solutions are best'. They did the right sort of things throughout and corrected the drift at the break.
The big continuing mystery is why the best left winger in the league is being square pegged on the right wing - he played another eighty minutes there at the Madjeski. Johnno looked off his game, off the pace and jaded. He can't be helped by being consistently played out of position.
Mark Yeates hasn't yet stepped up a division for Boro but must stand the best chance of doing so on the right wing. He tried hard but suffered in this game too. When he was subbed in the second half, Mr. Southgate replaced him with Arca and put the Argentinian on the left wing - just as he had done against Leicester - and square pegged a third player.
Even if the theory was to deny Boro one of their strengths - width and threat from the wings - in favour of playing narrow to stifle the opposition because the wingers have to come inside all the time, then why would you not revert to the best format when it was clear that Boro were so superior or, indeed, when they were at home against Leicester?
But, even with this shortcoming, the Parmo Army in The Away End luxuriated in the warm glow of a satisfying win where Boro delivered through their relative strengths rather than what the 'Typical' omens predicted.
Mr. Southgate even accepted - with a small, sheepish wave - that the plaudits he received from The Away Enders chants weren't ironic.
Later
I took Ian back to the station and we met up with some more Boro fans in the Three Guineas there. The Boro conversation continued.
The Johnno situation made no sense to any of us. Everyone would like to know the Boro manager's rationale for deliberately diminishing the lustre of one of Boro's few real gems.
In the absence of a rational explanation from Mr. Southgate - if there is one - alternatives, not all ale fuelled, began to flourish. These included some that veered more towards 'conspiracy' than 'cock-up' and not any that end happily in terms of Boro's season, Johnno's contract and the correlation between the two.
I'll let Ian sum up the rest of the conversation that's printable!
"The game showed what we already knew. Boro at full strength are better than most teams in this division. It showed us that O'Neil is a class act in central midfield. Yeates may be a decent right winger but he needs a run of games in his best position.
"St. Ledger looks a good loan. Bennett is a good prospect but looks a little short as yet physically.
"Lita is starting to show signs of being a good buy, he has brought some muscle and pace up front. He also showed some class to the Reading fans when he scored.
"Boro may be better away from home when teams have to come out and attack as this gives us the opportunity to attack with pace.
"At The Riverside, there is less space and the better teams will be hard to break down, especially if they are more robust.
"And this sums up Gate's problem. It is not the fans' fault that he kept the poison chalice he fashioned but he cannot expect fans to be happy with relegation. Against Leicester, the fans were not abusive to the players and not overly riotous at full time.
"Boro have played precious little convincing, attacking football at home since his tenure began and this is the fundamental problem. It has often been rubbish and this is why people have walked away.
"In seasons past, they paid to watch some of the top players in the world whilst The Reds played poorly in the top tier. Now they are getting too much poor football from Boro at The Riverside whilst the opposition is not electric."
Then it was time for us all to go our separate ways with an agreement that Boro had gone into the International break in an upbeat fashion by beating very modest opposition. But you can only beat what's in front of you.
On the BBC Football League show, a shell shocked looking Brendan Rodgers admitted that his team had made it far too easy for Boro.
The Boro Manager said, "I am pleased for the boys at the end of what has been a difficult week. They responded with a calmness and unity. Some supporters have expressed their displeasure, which I have accepted. Our job is to manage the club through difficult times. It's easy to manage when things are going well but the margins between success and failure are so small. Leroy Lita was terrific."
The newspapers reverted to showing just how disinterested they are in The Championship and Boro in it, restricting themselves to the 'eased the pressure on under fire manager' sort of comment.
The Away End will return after the Preston game on 24 October.
