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THE AWAY END
PETERBOROUGH UNITED v MIDDLESBROUGH
John Powls, 30 Nov 2009
The Build Up To The Game
The websites this week revealed that time - and DiasBoro patience - was fast running out for both the 'new manager dividend' to show and for Boro's automatic promotion ambitions to retain even a shred of credibility.
Meanwhile, Phil pointed to what he calls 'Allan's Law'. This states that how well Boro are doing is in inverse proportion to the number of players and coaches wheeled out to do PR to tell the (assumed to be dumb) punters that everything is okay.
It comes with pre-packed rent-a-quotes like, "We're aiming for Europe/confident of staying in the Prem/still confident of automatic promotion/top six/no worse than a lot of others/you don't talk about must win/we know what it takes to put this right."
Column Continues Below...
Having seen Messrs Arca, O'Neil, Coops et al - and to a lesser extent, Pogi - in the media and 'on message' in recent days, Phil felt we should be afraid... very afraid.
Ledge was on Kami's 'Goals On Sunday' on Sky last weekend. Predictably, most of the banter was about the Ireland game and 'Handballgate', with some stuff on Boro.
There was also a detour through his 'spoiled child' misdemeanours at Posh on 'Big Ron Manager' for the ritual teasing that's part of the programme's schtick with guests.
The Boro centre-back duly cringed on seeing the antics of his younger self again. Phil and I hoped that this was the last embarrassment he would suffer on his real return to London Road, his footballing alma mater.
This was the second game of the pre-Christmas 'season shaping six game slam' and the only game in that run which was against a team below Boro in the table.
After two back-to-back promotions, Posh have struggled in The Championship and are still rock bottom. We wondered if, for now, this was an example of 'The Peter(borough) Principle'.
Posh were also looking for the 'new manager dividend', having had an even more recent change of manager than Boro - and in circumstances that even garrulous Barry Fry couldn't explain. This was Mark Cooper's first home game in charge.
Boro's travelling Parmo Army hoped Strachan's head-scratching about the right formula and formation for goals, clean sheets and wins resulted in more than another pile of dandruff for this game. We were also waiting for the graft as well as the craft.
A closure on the A1 South of Peterborough gave Phil and I an unwelcome detour around most of Cambridgeshire and made us just a little late to meet 'Talking Tactics' Ian Gill in the London Road car park.
However, we were not too late for the ritual gristleburgers with cheese and onion scoffed in the chilling wind as we watched the Boro team coach arrive and Gibbo slip in separately.
The Game
As it turned out, although we were delayed, we weren't as late as the Boro kit. We wondered why the Boro warm up routine - minus Gary O'Neil who had succumbed to his groin injury - had the players in cyan when Posh play in blue.
It later transpired that the explanation was that someone at the club had missed the colour clash. Only a last minute dash by an MFC official after a phone call back up the A1 got the all red (as the faces) kit there just before kick off.
This level of club 'organisation' turned out to be what the usual sizeable Away End - and Goodison-style Away Side - saw from their team at London. At least they were consistent.
The two sections of Boro support, part standing, part seated - that must have amounted to a third of the ten thousand crowd - at least allowed some banter. 'Sit down if you love Boro' was one example.
If there was some humour off the pitch, there was going to be precious little to laugh about on it!
In the short time he's had at London Road, Mark Cooper had done his best to convert his side from the footballing team that had won two back-to-back promotions to a mash up of a very direct Conference outfit and a down-market Stoke.
They had only one tactic - the long throws of the giant Exodus Geohaghan that the manager had brought with him from Kettering on loan. But they were energetic, committed and organised.
His one tactic actually didn't work, but on a couple of occasions, Posh reverted to Darren Ferguson type and this was enough to fashion two goals to equalise a Kitson brace for Boro as The Reds surrendered the advantage - yet again - that their overall possession, chances and individual qualities gave them and turned a 'should have won' into 'didn't win'.
Boro had the lion's share of the game but with Yeates, starting for the first time under Strachan, confirming that he hasn't got what it takes in this division, Johnno quiet and Osbourne and Arca operating more as midfield 'corporals' than 'generals', it was a wonder they created anything at all.
But Lita, alone, had enough chances for a hat-trick. His bustling pace caused problems for the Posh defenders but, although he has shown he can score, Ian Gill ventured that he seemed to have taken over the Alves mantle of hitting the keeper when through one-on-one - and he shares the Brazilian's inability to head the ball too.
Quite how he spurned a second half chance to head in from a great Johnno cross when less than six yards out and unmarked by actually chesting it wide, only he knows.
Fortunately, Kitson was able to make the most of his more limited opportunities. When Arca's shot came back off Lewis - who had been denying Boro almost single-handed until then - the Stoke loaner made no mistake, driving in the rebound.
Peterborough then equalised for the first time. Top scorer, George Boyd, who was given the freedom of the Boro box by a defence that still lacks basic concentration, drove home a sweet left foot shot at the start of the second half.
Boro came straight back at them, showing more energy and intent than they had all game. Johnno suddenly remembered how to be the best left winger in The Championship. He started beating both his double markers and producing quality crosses into the 'zone of uncertainty'.
From one of these, Kitson produced the sort of old school, centre-forward header that you had given up believing you'd see again - certainly at Boro. It was a strike of raw power and beauty from a cross of unerring accuracy.
But almost immediately after going ahead again, Boro reverted to the Argentinian Land Crab style that had stifled them. Osbourne and Arca constantly slowed play down. They were two players who wanted to turn and look for the easy ball and this took away all the momentum.
All Boro fans know that they need a quicker player - in mind and body - alongside, probably, Osbourne or Digard - if anyone at the Club rates the Frenchman, that is. They continue to need someone there who is busy, who drives the team and who can pass a ball forwards.
In the absence of that player and Gary O'Neil with injury, Arca seemed to be Strachan's choice for leader on the pitch. He dictated the tempo to his own desperate slowness and his football contribution was minimal.
The second Posh equaliser was a wonder strike from substitute, Shaun Batt, that nothing in his previous performances would have told you he had in his locker. But, hey, he was playing against Boro, so it was worth him buying the ticket to enter the lottery!
Boro tried to push on again but couldn't raise the tempo that was necessary to overcome the home side's determination. The Away End's encouragement to "Attack, attack. Attack, attack, attack" wasn't heeded.
But still, there wasn't anything so desperate from Boro in denying themselves a win that the referee, David Phillips, couldn't make worse.
Pantomime villain for the Posh fans, Ledge was up for a set piece when the ball broke to him. He pushed it past a defender and was outrageously up-ended. The only reason that the officials might have had for being sceptical was that the Boro centre-back exaggerated his fall a little but there's no doubt it was a pen - as later replays confirmed.
Later
There was a little audible grumbling in The Away End and Side at the end of the game. Not many stayed to recognise the team and they seemed keener to get off the pitch than go over to the Boro fans.
The chat in the shuffle to the exits carried more the flavour of long-suffering disappointment and resignation - again - at another two points thrown away and a view that automatic promotion was now gone, with the play-offs looking a big ask if this form continued much longer.
We managed to exit the car park in only a few minutes but it took nearly an hour to do the next mile. Plenty of time for a wallow in a draw that felt like a defeat. Later in the journey, we caught several very disgruntled Boro fans with Alan Green on Radio Five's '606' phone-in.
You can tell how bad the reactions were when the normal rabid ranter, Alan Green, felt the need to re-assure the callers that he thought it might come good for Boro 'eventually'. But how long is 'eventually'?
In his post-match comments, Strachan said, "There was far more right with our performance than wrong and we had more than enough chances to win the game. We just have to work on that aspect of the game, as well as our awareness in moments of danger."
"Yes, we know that you have to work on it but when are you going to sort it?", we grumbled at the radio. He also seemed to think his charges were improving. It's a wonder he didn't say "magnificent" or "learning"!
Phil predicted another, worse, outbreak of 'Allan's Law' in the coming week!
On the BBC Football League show, Boro slipped further into the outer darkness. Not the featured game, not the second string, not the round up of the contenders but the round up of the contenders for relegation, meaning that Posh were the story - even at this remove - not Boro. Very telling.
Manoj Bhasin and Steve Claridge only debated the 'pen that wasn't' and confirmed with replays what we'd felt at the ground - it was nailed on.
The Sunday and Monday newspaper reports were just as scant and largely focused on Batt's goal, the non-pen, and Strachan's comments.
There was another interesting diversion, however, in the allegation that Gareth Southgate would take MFC to court this week to sue them for the balance of his salary to pay off his contract.
MFC seem to be arguing that since he has been 'relieved of his duties' rather than sacked, he doesn't get the money in a lump but over the remaining eighteen months of the contract. This would seem to line up with an earlier rumour that Southgate was still actually on the MFC payroll.
Southgate's counter allegation is that MFC don't have the money because it's being diverted to pay for the loans of the likes of Bent and Kitson and the 'relieved of his duties' stuff is just a smokescreen.
This seems to be yet another example of the unprofessional organisation of MFC.
And you can add it to other bizarre contractual issues like the Shawky situation and why the loan for Folan - who's not going to be fit to play in any of the loan period - hasn't been terminated long since.
The Away End will return after the QPR game on 5 December.
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Comments On This Article
Nick Thompson, December 1, 2009 at 9:44 am
Really good article John. You are absolutely right about the unprofessional organisation at the club. What exactly is the difference between \"sacked\" and \"relieved of his duties\"?
Whatever fans think of Gareth\'s time as manager(and I nailed my colours to the mast at the time by regretting his departure) nobody can dispute his total loyalty to MFC both as a player and as a manager. I was actually proud that he was our manager,as unlike Fergie he was totally honest,always dignified in defeat and never had a go at refs. If Man Utd had had the decisions that we had in the middle of last season Fergie would have had apoplexy. I find it totally unedifying that Gareth is having to take us to court. As the bloke in the Mirror said \"Is Gibson\'s halo slipping?\"
As for having the wrong kit at Posh,continuing to keep hold of Folan (when any other club would have sent him back to Hull),having Bent on loan (already dropped),having Osbourne on loan (when Digard continues to warm the bench),bringing on Hoyte who is surely the worst player in the division,when you are trying to close out a game (is it any wonder Posh scored a minute later). All unbelievable for any other club.
Gareth\'s problem was the coaching staff underneath him and the poor quality of our scouts. They all remain in place and I personally think that we have ended up with an inferior manager anyway.I am not as pessimistic as some fans in that I am sure we are too good to go down,but I fear we will be firmly esconsed in the lower half of the league on Christmas day,and this season will then just meander to a close with our fans getting more & more disillusioned. However much SG has promised WGS in January it will not be enough for us to even make the play-offs.
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