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MIDDLESBROUGH 0 BOLTON WANDERERS 1 - MATCH REPORT
Barclays Premier League, Saturday 19th April 2008, The Riverside
Andrew Morgan
Gareth Southgate made three changes for this afternoon's crunch clash against Bolton Wanderers. A win for the Boro would see them mathematically safe whilst defeat for the Trotters would almost certianly condemn them to the Championship.
Ross Turnbull started in place of Mark Schwarzer in goal.
The back line was the usual suspects of Luke Young, David Wheater, Emmanuel Pogatetz and Andrew Taylor. Taylor replaced Jonathan Grounds who had had a nightmare at Spurs.
Jeremie Aliadiere was moved to the right of midfield to fill in for the injured Gary O'Neil. Stewart Downing was on the left whilst George Boateng and Julio Arca were in the centre.
Up front was Afonso Alves, who would be hoping to add to the two goals he scored in Boro's last home game against Manchester United, and Tuncay.
Turnbull, Young, Wheater, Pogatetz, Taylor (Rochemback 74), Aliadiere, Boateng, Arca, Downing, Alves, Tuncay (Johnson 63), Steele, Shawky, Grounds
THE FIRST HALF
Boro won their first corner within the first minute. A Stewart Downing free kick hung in the air and Aliadiere headed it back towards goal. Before Alves could pounce, it was cleared over the byline by the Wanderers defence.
From the corner, Wheater went one way and then checked back. This confused the visiting defence and allowed him to connect to the ball on the near post. In so doing, he forced the Bolton keeper, Ali Al Habsi, into producing a fine save to tip the ball over the crossbar.
From the next corner, Julio Arca had a chance on the right hand side of the box. He cut in on his left and his shot from twenty yards sailed just over the bar.
In the fourth minute the Boro struck again and forced another strong save from Al Habsi, this time through Tuncay. His shot from twelve yards was parried by the Bolton keeper to concede another corner.
From the set-play, the ball eventually broke to Andrew Taylor, whose twenty yard shot sailed just over the bar.
The Boro were rampant and the next shot came from Alves. Tuncay passed the ball to Aliadiere who drifted the ball into the box. Had the Brazilian let the ball run, Downing would have been in on the back post. In the end, Alves' strong shot forced another stunning save from Al Habsi. The Bolton man was in fine form to deny the Boro yet again.
Tuncay had a weak shot in the eleventh minute and fans were starting to ask the question "How many chances do we need?"
On the touchline, Gary Megson was losing his toupee, such was his anger at the gutless performance of his side. In contrast, Gareth Southgate was relaxed and anticipating his side scoring the opening goal of the game.
The game lost its tempo around the twenty minutes mark as both sides' attacking play broke down through a combination of poor passing and good shielding of the ball.
The next meaningful play came on twenty-four when Tuncay picked up the ball on the left hand side. His pass allowed Luke Young to tear a Bolton defender away from the action and this allowed Arca to have a long range shot that went out for a corner. Nothing came from this.
After this, the play livened up with the appearance of the world's worst streaker. Either that or he was a billboard for Calvin Klein chuddies. Anyway, the stewards were so good that they just let this man run all the way to Gareth Southgate and when he got there, the looney had no idea what to do. So he just held out his arms and waited to be caught (which is a technique he must have learnt from Mark Viduka's career).
Boro were like a football hooligan who owns a fish and chip shop as we were excellent at battering. Where Bolton were scraps, the Boro were primest Spam Fritters, except they were frittering their chances away when the chips were down.
Bolton's first shot came on the half hour mark. A long throw caused confusion in the Boro box and Grzegorz Rasiak got two shots in. The second shot required a save from Turnbull, who conceded a corner. The Boro cleared their lines from this.
Downing lobbed the ball into the penalty area and Wheater out-muscled Andy O'Brien and Ivan Campo to connect. His header flew over the bar.
Boro's lack of pace was playing into Bolton's hands but Alves' own pace almost resulted in the opening goal of the game. Sadly he lost it under pressure from Bolton, which ironically, was what was happening to Megson every time the Boro applied pressure on his side.
Bolton's Tamir Cohen had a half-chance on thirty-seven but his poor attempt sailed conveniently over the bar. It was so poor that Doris headed the ball back into play, stood up, pulled her cardigan over her face and ran around like an idiot. Then she revealed some Calvin Klein chuddies...
The Boro fans were starting to get tense even though the home side were still camping in Bolton's half. The frustration from the, erm, seats was tangable as the Riverside faithful knew that their side should be at least two up by this stage.
Southgate was urging his side to increase the pace. Sadly, Pogatetz thought that the manager had said "mace" and started battering the opposition with spikey things on sticks whilst wearing a scary-ass scowl. Then I woke up as the malaise of the match infected me once more.
Four minutes of added-on time were met with chattering in the stands. All concerned just wanted half-time as the game had resembled the stodge you get in the Riverside pies.
Bolton were dominant going into the final throws of the half but they weren't doing all that much with the ball. Jlloyd Samuel's throw-ins were causing the Boro problems though as the visitors were camped on the eighteen yard box, causing our defence problems. No doubt they have been working on this tactic all week.
Turnbull was forced into a comfortable save from Rasiak after Taylor misjudged the flight of the ball and let the Bolton striker in.
At the other end, Boro won a corner through Alves. Downing's cross dropped to Boateng and his first touch on the edge of the box was poor. His shot was equally poor and the crowd made some half-hearted attempts at claiming it was a handball after it cannoned off a Bolton defender.
The man of the half was undoubtedly the Bolton physio who had done more running than anyone else this half. It hadn't been a game of strong tackles, just one where many players have been mysteriously injured.
A farce of a Bolton substitution later and Arca crossed the ball into the box through Aliadiere. He was offside but his finish was poor, cannoning off Doris' twin brother Boris, concussing him.
That was the final whistle of a half that had got progressively worse as it had gone on. If the same was to be true of the second half then expect to die of boredom some time around the seventy minute mark.
THE SECOND HALF
Bolton started the brighter of the two sides in the second forty-five, thus causing only the Bolton fans to be heard. Pogatetz did well to head a Gretar Rafn Steinsson cross away from Rasiak when the Wanderers striker was loitering with intent.
Three minutes into the half Gavin McCann burst down the wing and forced the Boro into conceding a corner. A short corner was taken before the Boro defence knew what was going on and an Ivan Campo shot flashed narrowly wide.
A minute later, Bolton won another corner after a Raisak shot required the save from Turnbull. From the corner, Rasiak got a free header and got the slightest glance on the ball. It hit the bar and rebounded to safety when the Bolton frontman should have scored. The Boro were lucky.
On fifty-one, Kevin Nolan had another shot, this time from six yards, that Turnbull parried. Nolan also latched on to the rebound and hit his strike over the bar.
If the Boro were dominant in the opening stages of the first half, it was Bolton's turn to do the same in the second half. The Boro were woeful and it took them until seven mintues into their half to launch their first attack and even then, a Pogatetz cross was comfortably cleared.
Bolton were doing their best to injure themselves. There were nine Bolton players playing, three players bleeding, two subs required and a partridge in a pear tree.
On fifty-four Boro should have had a penalty after Gavin McCann handled a Stewart Downing cross. The crowd were incensed, more in desperation than anything else, as the Boro should have been awarded a spot-kick.
Now it was time to don our sowestas as spitting extraordinnaire El Hadj Diouf came on to a chorus of boos.
The ball hung around the box forever before Matty Taylor received the ball and struck the post. Then there was a chip over Turnbull that forced Luke Young into clearing the ball off the line.
From the corner, Gary Cahill came off the line and headed the ball back into the six yard box. It was the carbon copy of a move that Rasiak had performed in the first half. Turnbull did well with the save but he could do nothing to stop Gavin McCann converting for the visitors as our defence was static and the Bolton man reacted quicker. Again, the Boro's zonal marking tactics paid dividends.
MIDDLESBROUGH 0 BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (McCann, 61)
In reaction, Adam Johnson replaced Tuncay. This meant Aliadiere went straight up front from right midfield in an attempt to change Boro's fortunes.
There were claims again for a Boro penalty after some good play from Pogatetz. Alves waited for the ball to drop but a Bolton defender, with ball to hand, managed to clear.
On sixty-seven, good skills from Julio Arca allowed him to shake off the Bolton midfield and pass to David Wheater. His long-range shot was saved by the Bolton keeper.
Boro looked devoid of ideas, which was worrying. However on seventy-three a good ball from Taylor set up Downing. He tried to shimmy past Steinsson, who was forced into conceding the corner. The play from the corner was ineffective.
A minute later came Boro's next substitution - Fabio Rochemback for Andrew Taylor in another attacking move.
On seventy-five, Rochemback knocked the ball over the Bolton defence and Aliadiere went for the finish when perhaps he should have set Alves free. Either way, Al Habsi was called into making an easy save.
Three minutes later, Boateng had a shot from range that Al Habsi collected. It was worth the effort though as it could have deflected off any number of players stationed on the eighteen yard line.
Had I given up as early as the Boro did then this match report would be a mere four paragraphs long. As it was, the crowd were flat, the players were devoid of ideas and nothing was working for Middlesbrough. "Typical Boro" threatened to strike again.
Rochemback had a shot from distance but in all honesty the game was lost. The Boro lacked anything and what they did have was easily defended by Bolton. All shape was gone and frankly it was embarrassing.
Why the Boro gave up after fifteen minutes is unknown as after that, the hosts offered nothing. Bolton fully deserved their victory and capitalised on a lacklustre display.
This "Typical Boro" nonsense has also gone too far. It's a mentality that seems like it's becoming a prophecy and it's a habit that we - both players and fans - must break out of.
After the season ticket announcement earlier in the week, what was needed from today was a performance that would slay the spectre of "Typical Boro". We didn't get it and it is hard to know just how much damage this result will do.
How a side can perform admirably against Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs yet lose to Reading and Bolton is unfathomable. Is it motivation? Is it drive? Or is it because the players only perform when they are in the shop window?
Either way, it needs to be sorted because it is clearly not good enough. And the Boro are STILL not completely safe from relegation. Bolton are now a mere four points behind us and the relegation zone is only five points away...
FAN REACTION
"Well the Telegraph got it completely wrong with their prediction today - they said "Boro entertain Bolton today"
BigShot
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