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STEW'S PREVIEWS
PETERBOROUGH UNITED v MIDDLESBROUGH
Stewart Flaherty, 27 Nov 2009
BORO EYE VIEW
Against Forest, Boro picked up a decent point.
Unfortunately, if Boro do not win this one, we will be no further along than the
pre-Strachan days in terms of crowd satisfaction.
Even the most forgiving and
optimistic fans in the crowd will see seventh place as a failure and the quicker Boro
can get back into the top six, the better.
Having a road trip to in-form QPR on the
horizon just makes this game all the more important.
Performance and style is irrelevant here, a win is vital.
Column Continues Below...
POSH EYE VIEW
Like Boro, Peterborough recently sacked a manager who many felt deserved to stay in
the job.
Darren Ferguson was replaced by Mark Cooper who had some lower league
success with Kettering. This week he returned to Kettering to sign the magnificently
named 6' 7" central defender Exodus Geohaghon.
Despite the managerial
change, Peterborough still languish at the very bottom of the division and they will
be underdogs, even on home territory.
HEAD TO HEAD
Goalkeepers
Boro - Brad Jones continues his run at number one and will be looking to add to his
meagre tally of clean sheets so far this season. Jones must also perform to ensure
his participation in next summer's World Cup with Australia.
Posh - At 6' 6", Joe Lewis has the size to be a goalkeeper, and as a
£400,000 signing who has many Under-21 caps to his name, as well as a call-up to the
full England squad, he also has the pedigree of a top pro keeper.
Manchester United youngster Ben Amos is also in the squad on loan.
Edge: Posh. Lewis is a towering presence and a potential future England keeper.
Boro Defence v Posh Attack
Boro - It was nice to see Rhys Williams at right-back against Forest but he will suspended for this game. Wheater and St
Ledger continue in what appears to be a pair of talented individual defenders who
have not quite found a solid partnership yet. Pogatetz at left-back adds experience
to the back line.
Posh - The very talented George Boyd is Peterborough's chief goal threat. Nicknamed 'The White Pele' he has scored 10 goals and created six assists so far this season.
He is capable of playing on the left wing and as a forward. He
was signed from the Conference in a great job by the Peterborough backroom staff. He is
proof that not every signing has to be a proven star.
While Afonso Alves is a constant
reminder of not judging players purely on YouTube, this clip from his Stevenage days certainly show the man has ability.
Boyd is joined up front by Aaron McLean who has been prolific throughout his career
in the Football League. He scored 33 goals in the 2007-08 League Two promotion campaign and has netted six goals to date this season.
Hard working Craig Mackail-Smith is
also in the attack and has scored six goals this season.
Edge: Posh. They are likely to score a goal and have a couple of players who may move on to bigger things in the future. An interesting fact is that despite being bottom of the
League, Peterborough have scored more home goals than Middlesbrough have this season.
Midfield
Boro - Osbourne and O'Neil certainly add energy to the engine room and should win
the majority of loose balls against their opposing midfielders. This should allow
Boro to improve their form in the upcoming games.
With the flair out wide provided by the magnificent Johnson, Arca has shown an upturn in form since Strachan took over. The Argentinian's strengths are seen more out wide, and his weaknesses are not as exposed as they are in central midfield.
It is possible that Digard could be on his way out in the not too distant future. The Frenchman is a talented player who may just have had one too many injuries.
Posh - The ball winning skills of Osbourne and O'Neil will certainly be put to the
test by powerful Frenchman Toumani Diagouraga.
Known as 'Dave' to his team-mates, the
holding midfielder has started 16 games this season and is a big physical presence.
Diagouraga is sometimes partnered in central midfield by utility man Charlie Lee,
who began has career with Tottenham, and scooped seven awards at the club's end of year
bash. That said, how seven awards can be given to one man is beyond me!
Lee Frecklington
is the goal threat from midfield and has notched two to date.
Chris Whelpdale on the
right wing, another non-league signing, is also a creative force.
Tommy Rowe is
another utility player who can fill in at a number of positions and captained the
side last season at the young age of 19.
Rounding out the midfield options is
Tottenham loanee Danny Rose, who has starred for the England youth set up and has
previous Championship experience after a successful loan spell with Watford last
season.
Edge: Boro. This unit is beginning to take shape and appears to have some bite.
When the chances that are created are eventually finished, the quality of this unit will begin to show
through more in results.
Boro Attack v Posh Defence
Boro - Kitson was paired with Lita last week and given time, this pairing should show
some prolific form. They certainly had a lot of success together in their years at
Reading, and gave Boro a few problems to boot!
Bent offers an option on the bench
and Boro appear to be improving in this department.
The team's
promotion hopes will rest on the goalscorers. Playing well and losing to the game's only goal has
happened far too regularly this season.
Posh - The two mainstays of the Peterborough backline are Craig Morgan and Gabriel
Zakuani.
Morgan is a current Wales regular and has 18 caps as central defender.
Zakuani has been capped by Congo and is a very impressive athlete.
Posh appear to be mixing and matching with the rest of
the backline, trying to get a good fit. The recently mentioned Geohaghon is a recent
addition, and loanees Ryan Bennett (Grimsby) and Scott Griffiths (Dagenham) have
made recent appearances.
Edge: Boro. A patchy back line appears to be the main reason for Peterborough's
struggles. Kitson and Lita should prove to be too good for them.
Fans
Boro - The crowd is unsettled again, and it will take a significant winning streak
for the unrest to subside. If three points are not gained here, the old cracks may
reappear as the average Boro fan base is not long sighted or patient!
Posh - Although they have a smaller fan base, the Peterborough crowd will certainly
be excited about this fixture and will look to make it difficult for the visitors. This is not to
mention their desperate need for points to climb off the bottom of the table.
After
nine games Peterborough's average attendance was 9,116.
By Tuesday afternoon, they had already sold 11,000 tickets and the interest was
worthy of a feature on the club website.
It appears the Boro are still a draw, more so since the appointment of Gordon Strachan.
Prediction
Boro win. Peterborough should struggle to deal with Boro's attacking options,
although they do have the ability to score themselves, 1-2 is a decent bet.
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