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MIDDLESBROUGH 1 BLACKBURN ROVERS 2
Barclays Premier League, Saturday 11th August 2007
Andy Morgan
So with the collective shock of the sixteenth Premiership Cash Cow kicking off with a Sunderland win all eyes were on the Riverside Stadium to see if the new turnstiles would work. Meanwhile the talk of the fans was whether a Yakubu and Jeremie Aliadiere partnership would work. The seconds were counting down until we would find out.
Middlesbrough's training pitch had evidently been laid with landmines over the summer as Boro put out a make-shift back four for this game. Emmanuel Pogatetz was to be out until December whereas Jonathan Woodgate was also missing. This meant Chris Riggott and David Wheater were in the middle. The two imperious Andy's - Davies and Taylor - were on the wings.
Tuncay Sanli was to make his Boro debut on the right of midfield, with Stewart Downing on the left. Julio Arca and George Boateng were to form the middle.
Schwarzer, Davies, Riggott, Wheater, Taylor, Sanli (Johnson 84), Arca (Cattermole 88), Boateng, Downing, Yakubu, Aliadiere (Lee 84), Jones, Hines
THE FIRST HALF
Yakubu's first slip happened within the first thirty seconds. Aliadiere made his presence known within the first two minutes - a darting run earning Boro their first corner of the season. Nothing came of it but it was a promising start, particularly from the young Frenchman.
Bentley's tank meanwhile was similarly full - a cross into the box on five being claimed comfortably by Schwarzer. Sanli meanwhile was getting stuck in in the centre of midfield.
The game at this point was a bit like the contents of the tube in the middle of a colonic irrigation procedure - free-flowing but just a little bit.
This changed on seven however when Yakubu broke from midfield and passed to Sunli. His square ball was begging to be tapped-in from around six yards out but Aliadiere was Savaged before he could get to it. Perhaps Yakubu should have passed to the Frenchman as opposed to the Turk but the move itself was as promising as a car insurance salesman. Except the Boro had far more substance.
On ten Benni McCarthy passed to Morten Gamst Pedersen who squared it back to the former. The Blackburn striker made no mistake from three yards but the assistant referee made no mistake either - flagging Pedersen for being two yards offside when he initially received the ball.
The Boro were coming at Blackburn now, and from an unlikely source. David Wheater used all of his height to force an expert save from Brad Friedel after a powerful cross floated into the Rovers box. From Downing's corner Yakubu tried a blast but failed to connect, the ball going to the centre of midfield allowing Blackburn to break.
On nineteen some superb reverse passing from Julio Arca proved to us that he sure knows how to park a car whilst Downing took a pop from some twenty-five yards out. His effort was comfortably saved but in digging a shot out from such distance, at least he gave the grounds-man something to work on next week.
There was some confusion in the Blackburn penalty area on twenty-four after Blackburn's defence was questioned philosophically on the nature of its existence (or indeed lack of it). A corner was conceded which was whipped in by Downing. Chris Riggott headed back across goal and the ball was begging to be tapped-in. No one could oblige and the ball was severely punished for its profligacy. With whips and canes and chains and things. To the sound of Pigbag. On loop.
Another corner ensued and Wheater was once more behing harvested - the ball cannoning off the defender to nowhere in particular. To be fair he did not know much about it but it was a sign that the Boro were getting closer and closer to breaking the deadlock.
When Yakubu was fouled by Christopher Samba around twenty-five yards out the Boro faithful anticipated a Stewart Downing special. And he didn't disappoint. The ball cut through the Rovers wall like a wrecking ball through the flimsiest of constructions and it nestled beautifully in the back of the net, pirouetting like the most graceful of dancers. The Boro had grabbed the lead they deserved.
MIDDLESBROUGH 1 (Downing, 31) BLACKBURN ROVERS 0
Man of the match George Boateng was booked for savaging Savage with his savage feet. Boateng went through him like a speedboat in a Bond movie and he earned his yellow card. Such savagery really should be banned from such a savage sport - along with this competition to get the word "savage" into a savage sentence as many times as is savagely possible. Perhaps I am the one who should be savaged?
On forty-one Yakubu showed some good touch and strength to push a reverse pass the way of Stewart Downing. He tried to release Aliadiere but the Frenchman could not connect.
From the corner Downing tried to connect with Wheater again but the youngster threshed the ball wastefully. Another corner ensued but all that resulted was the ball bouncing around the box like those of a cricketer who has brought protection that is a couple of sizes too large.
Yakubu put the ball into the back of the net in the last minute of the half but he was a yard offside after some good movement between Sanli and Aliadiere. The goal didn't stand - unlike the crowd - who were no doubt desperate for their half-time pint and urination. They didn't have to wait long - the half-time whistle blew and the crowd went in happy and relieved. Probably in more ways than one.
THE SECOND HALF
The second half heralded a Blackburn free-kick but they could make very little from it. Boro broke - with Yakubu, Aliadiere and Downing linking up before the England international swept in a diagonal ball towards Sanli. He tried to hit it on the volley but the ball was not flighted perfectly and the chance departed.
On forty-nine Julio Arca tried to emulate Downing by having a thirty-yard shot. He didn't manage to work the goalkeeper however, the ball drifting harmlessly to the left. The grounds-man meanwhile may have his work cut out next week...
On fifty-two Boro earned another free-kick but little came of it. Downing was then booked, probably for fluffing the dead ball situation, but don't worry he got another opportunity to fluff it up. He then went and hit the wall.
A bad injury to Benni McCarthy held up the play for the next ten minutes. This gave Blackburn an increased impetus. Either that or the Boro just switched off. A quick free-kick from David Dunn allowed David Bentley to steal half a yard from Stewart Downing. He crossed the ball for Roque Santa Cruz who made no mistake with his header. He had only been on the field two minutes and Blackburn were level.
MIDDLESBROUGH 1 BLACKBURN ROVERS 1 (Santa Cruz, 62)
A minute later Aliadiere had a penalty shout after Arca had slipped a fantastic ball into the box on his behalf. The crowd hollered but the referee was having none of it and play continued.
A minute further and Boro came back with a corner, which Brad Friedel comfortably punched away.
On sixty-eight Boro flowed forward once more with Yakubu trying to release Andrew Taylor in the box. This came to nothing but Stewart Downing came back, forcing Blackburn into conceding a corner. Nothing came from this either as Christopher Samba blocked another David Wheater header. Boro's fast-flowing football was a cause for encouragement, as well as their ability to confuse a rocky Rovers defence.
On seventy-two Blackburn came back and Andrew Taylor saved Boro from a Bentley shot. There was plenty of leaded in Taylor's tank as he was throwing himself at everything.
Santa Cruz was molesting Boro's defence, out-climbing all by getting up earlier than an insomniac cockerel with a Corn Flakes fixation. His headers were threatening but the Boro were hanging on - with Taylor and Riggott frequently coming to the rescue.
On seventy-six a powerful Sanli run set a cross in motion looking for Yakubu or Downing in the box. Blackburn managed to clear for the corner.
Meanwhile Mark Hughes' substitutions were proving to be inspired as another new entrant, Matt Derbyshire, took the ball from midfield and with two touches blasted it beyond the flailing Mark Schwarzer, curling it with his right foot from eighteen yards out. The day was going from bad to worse for the Boro.
MIDDLESBROUGH 1 BLACKBURN ROVERS 2 (Derbyshire, 79)
In an attempt to rectify things, Gareth Southgate replaced Aliadiere with Gong-Dook Lee and Adam Johnson with Sanli. Both new starters were given standing ovations upon leaving the field but ultimately the Boro had less than ten minutes to turn things around.
On eighty-six Yakubu broke for Stewart Downing but the move broke down as swiftly as the little pig's house made of sticks. The Boro meanwhile were starting to clutch at straws, failing to make Blackburn's defence brick it.
On eighty-eight Blackburn came on the attack but this broke down like little pig's straw house. Thankfully the Boro had six minutes of added-on time, due to McCarthy's injury, to change the vista of their location. And Lee Cattermole, on for Julio Arca, was seen by Southgate as the man to change Boro's fortunes.
On ninety-one a powering Adam Johnson run ended in a cross that Yakubu connected with. The ball went out for a corner, which ultimately resulted in another one. The second corner was punched from Brad Friedel and the ball broke to Downing. He passed to Johnson who whipped a ball in to David Wheater from the right hand side. His header was expertly saved by the Blackburn keeper with his legs, preventing the equaliser from being scored.
On ninety-five Johnson won another corner that was crossed in by Downing once more. Savage cleared the ball again as the game hit a frenetic pace.
The Boro were on the last roll of the dice but the whistle blew to signal the end of matter, to the sound of frustrated booing by the home fans. Two inspired substitutions and a lack of concentration had destroyed Boro.
The new signings played well and there was a good shape to the Boro side. There was a free-flowing, passionate style of play that should bode well for the future. Put simply, Boro shouldn't have lost. But they did. Things can (and indeed should) be rectified at Wigan mid-week. Come on Boro!
Man of the Match: David Wheater. A strong display from the Boro youngster, despite performing better in attack than in defence.
FAN REACTION
"From Fortress Riverside to Sand Castle in two seasons"
Jasboro
"Oh well, only another nine months or so of this to go"
Lillibet
"Lack of guts"
Guts
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