Making a bad fist of design with a badly drawn cup of pop

Tuesday night sees Boro host Scunthorpe United in the second round of what is now the Carabao Cup – Somewhat flat and not to everyone’s taste, the League Cup is nevertheless still with us so the players need to show some enthusiasm for the supporters who show up. As for the new sponsor, well it’s not a product many may will be familiar with but I understand it’s an energy drink from Thailand – though it may take more than a product that wouldn’t look out of place as the task from week five of the Apprentice to reinvigorate a fading competition.

Those unfamiliar with the new sponsor may have been expecting some research at this point, so I won’t disappoint unnecessarily – note I’ve added a little clarification of any excessive claims made where possible in square brackets. The origins of the Carabao drink comes out of a partnership between Thai rock musician Aed Carabao (real name Yuenyong Opakul) with his band named unsurprisingly Carabao and a Thai-German restaurant and microbrewery in Bangkok. His English website declares “Carabao is as talented as the Beatles or any band you can name [as opposed to those bands you’ve forgotten presumably] and Aed Carabao is Paul McCartney/John Lennon rolled into one [not sure what happened to George and Ringo]. Carabao is a phenomenon as big as the Beatles, but only within Thailand [I’ve just noticed the flaw in that argument]. Aed Carabao is probably the most prolific songwriter in the world, having written over a thousand songs [presumably that’s why he needs all those energy drinks]. More come out each day. He writes compulsively and he only gets better with age [as do we all]. He writes in all styles and on every topic imaginable [let’s hear your best Boro song then]. No two songs are alike [though that bold claim is somewhat subjective].”

Whilst Oscar Wilde said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (that mediocrity can pay to greatness), it would be interesting to know how the market leader in the energy drinks market, Red Bull, received the arrival of Carabao – which is actually Thai for water buffalo (or rather spookily red buffalo some sources say) and the main emblem on the drink’s can. To make matters worse a red bird (which apparently represents freedom) also appears over the buffalo skull to give it the much needed wings (probably also a requirement for anyone claiming to imitate Paul McCartney too). As you may of guessed Mr Carabao designed the can himself, though I’m having trouble with a dead buffalo skull and energy – parched yes, but energy?

Anyway, I’m also indebted to DeliciousSparklingTemperanceDrinks.net (a site I dare say some of you are familiar with) for reviewing the actual drink itself as I’ve not had the opportunity or inclination myself – they write:

“It smells sweet & sugary like other energy drinks. But the color is disturbing: it looks like a strong orange urine! And it doesn’t smell that great either. There’s no carbonation, its sour and a bit ‘off’ tasting. Its sugary & dusty like sweet tarts, but there’s a medicinal aftertaste that is particularly gut-wrenching. Ugh. this not getting any more pleasant with each sip. I don’t think I can finish it…”

Other less non-committal reviews are no doubt available and don’t let it put you off ordering it as your free drink at the Riverside to get you in the mood or perk you up for the game ahead.

Now the League Cup itself may have been in steady decline since the Premier League came into existence but I’d argue Arsene Wenger probably played a significant contribution in accelerating its demise after he decided to use the competition primarily to blood his youngsters and give them some game time. Though to be fair to the Arsenal manager, he did have quite an array of talented young players on his books. The likes of Ashley Cole, a 16-year old Cesc Fabregas, plus our own Jeremie Aliadiere and many others such as Luis Boa Morte, Matthew Upson and Jermaine Pennant, Gael Clichy, Fabrice Muamba, Nicklas Bendtner and former Sunderland midfielder Seb Larsson all got their break for The Gunners in the League Cup. Though for every youngster who made it there were probably at least three or four who disappeared without trace.

Whilst it could be argued Arsenal had more sizable fish to fry, it started a trend of dismissing the importance of the competition for the bigger clubs, which then seemed to spread to clubs who didn’t even have European distractions and weren’t considered by any means to be contenders at the top of the league. It created a self-fulfilling exit strategy that involved somehow pretending they had greater quality in depth than they actually did as they essentially fielded weakened teams before generally unsurprisingly losing. The practice has even spread down the divisions until it’s almost expected that teams will use the competition to rest their important players – being knocked out and concentrating on the league was no longer a euphemism for defeat, it was now Plan A!

It’s a shame that the competition that became Boro’s first major trophy is now of seemingly little importance to both the clubs and their supporters. Though our glory was achieved back in the day when it was sponsored by Carling, which was often the energy drink of choice for players and fans alike who wanted to maintain their electrolyte levels on a Saturday night – the only wings that accompanied it were normally of the chicken variety from the local KFC (other southern-fried none-military inspired recipes are available).

As for Tuesday, I expect barely ten thousand will be drawn to the Riverside to see if Boro progress and in truth I suspect many will not be that bothered if we lost as long as it meant a win at the weekend instead – plus it will give the manager a free week to prepare for an important Championship game instead. Even the potential reward of qualification into the UEFA Cup is now instead regarded as a punishment – very few clubs fancy the prospect of endless games on a Thursday against obscure European teams that will most likely have an adverse effect on their league chances.

Anyway, in addition to researching the sponsors, I’ve delved into a little of the Scunthorpe history in the hope expanding our knowledge. Scunthorpe United were formed in 1899, but they didn’t make it into the Football League until 1950 and that was under the extended name of Scunthorpe and Lindsey United (a name no doubt some on these boards may recollect) – with the Lindsey part eventually being dropped eight year later. Although now known as ‘The Iron’, they were up until 1950 nicknamed ‘The Knuts’ – which has been attributed to an anecdote in 1910 by the rather appropriately named vicar of Frodingham, the Reverant Cryspant Rust (those iron connections keep on coming). Apparently, after their victory in a local charity cup he observed ‘they certainly were a tough nut to crack’ – which all sounds a bit tenuous to me and why they added a ‘K’ to ‘nuts’ appears to have been lost in the telling. Though I’ve discovered ‘Knut’ is an informal archaic word that means ‘an idle upper-class man about town’ or hedonistic playboy, which perhaps is a bit of a stretch for a town built on the iron industry – unless of course it was a divine premonition of how the footballers of the future would be viewed by many.

In terms of Boro connections, Scunthorpe were managed by Brian Laws for ten years when he was appointed while still a player in 1997. They had a quite a rollercoaster under his charge with promotion to the second tier before relegations that eventually almost dropped them out of the Football League altogether – he was even sacked and reinstated at one point before leaving to become Sheffield Wednesday manager. Laws was replaced by the club’s physio as manager, a certain Nigel Adkins.

Though any discussion of ‘The Iron’ can’t avoid pointing at the club badge (bottom right in header graphic) and asking why? or even what? come to mention it. I know quite a few supporters are not overly keen on Boro’s redesigned crest and often complain it lacks somewhat an air of professionalism – though in comparison to our opponents effort it’s quite possible we made a better fist of it than them. Anyway, I was a little intrigued on its origins so decided to investigate further to try and shed some light on the matter.

In the early 1980’s Scunthorpe United held a competition to design a new club crest with the entry chosen being a fist holding a five-link chain with the word ‘Unity’ underneath (top right in header graphic). Though by the late eighties with football under a cloud of violence the club wanted to present a more family-friendly image and decided to adopted the Borough of Glanford’s more traditional heraldic coat or arms as their crest after the local council became their sponsor when they moved grounds. After that deal ended the club could no longer use the council crest so once again held a competition to design a new club badge with an entry from an alleged graphic design student being chosen this time. I’m a little sceptical as to whether the designer went on to have a successful career in the business, though it’s quite possible they were still at GCSE level when their entry was submitted. However, that is not quite an end of the matter as the apparent winner of the first badge competition, John Dewhirst, happened to have read the article on the history of the Scunthorpe’s livery and left this comment about his design…

The Scunthorpe crest introduced in 1982 was designed by myself, a Bradford City supporter. The programme for our game on 3 October 1981 advertised a competition for a new club crest and I literally sketched it whilst on the supporters’ coach back to Bradford. The version adopted by the club was unchanged from what I submitted. I always considered this highly amusing given that I am certainly no graphic designer. I was genuinely surprised that the design was selected given the hooligan connotations. It probably says as much about how many other competition entries were received.

So a lesson to us all on the risk of asking the public to ‘enhance’ your brand – maybe the Boro badge was designed by a Sunderland supporter on their 14-minute journey home from Middlesbrough to Stockton on the number 17 bus – research for another day perhaps!

All of which leads us onto the game itself – I’d be lying if I wasn’t expecting Garry Monk to ‘utilise his squad’ and perhaps throw in a few of the youngsters like Marcus Tavernier, who scored a hat-trick on Friday for the under-23’s. Then there are those invisible players lurking around Rockliffe like the lad from Watford who’s name escapes me momentarily, yes Guedioura, how soon we forget. A lot will depend on how the Boro manager views the game to what kind of team he picks – if Geoff from accounts gets a game then we know it’s a rather unwelcome distraction he’d rather not have. Though I suppose some players will need pitch time and no doubt Fabio and Connor Roberts will get a start, with probably Leadbitter having a chance to remind us (and Sunderland) that he’s still around – but central defence is still quite threadbare and Ayala may or may not be fit so not many alternatives there. I’d be tempted to play Assombalonga up front to get the Forest game out of his system before Saturday, though Bamford probably needs a rest along with Clayton. Boro will probably have a strong bench as back-up and perhaps we could see Downing on it – though if it’s as reserve keeper we’ll know his chances of remaining at the club are slim.

Boro should have enough to beat Scunthorpe and losing wouldn’t do much for overall confidence, so on balance it’s better to progress and go into the draw for the next round. We can only hope that the organisers manage a better job with the next draw as the previous attempt seemed to descend into farce when nobody was quite sure who was at home or away for several of the southern half matches – it may have been just a case of Chinese whispers so I’m sure steps have been taken to avoid a repeat. Though having said that, apparently for some reason best known only to themselves the draw for the next round is being undertaken in Beijing at 4am on Thursday – so anyone keen on listening to it live may want to consume a few cans of Carabao on Wednesday evening.

63 thoughts on “Making a bad fist of design with a badly drawn cup of pop

  1. Werder
    That was great, a wander through the potted history of Scunthorpe. A win tomorrow is essential and hopefully some players get game time.
    Elsewhere, Chalobah has apologised for being naïve when Harry Arter told him to leave the ball when a buryable cross came in (unless you are Britt Assombolanga).
    What is the point of this? Well, grudges last if you come from Teesside. Harry Arter is the collapsible chap who fell over to get the penalty in our 3-0 defeat at Bournemouth. I was closer to Arter than a Boro defender when he collapsed and I live some distance from Bournemouth.
    Saint Eddie Howe’s Halo slipped when he admitted they did try to ‘attract’ challenges in their promotion campaign.
    As I say, grudges are long held, I hate cheating.

    1. He won’t be sold
      I heard that from a very good source
      It would have to
      Be at least £25m and a top 6 club
      Plus he’s getting his new house built at Nunthorpe

  2. Another brilliant piece Werder. Not sure where you get the inspiration and ideas from, but you could certainly give up your day job.
    Tomorrow night, I am hoping for a win, game time for the squad players and hopfully a couple of youngsters.
    Britt I would leave out or only on the bench. Needs to be used in only the games that matter.

  3. Brilliant post considering the limitations of the subject matter and more so to make the effort to get motivated to write the piece, top work Werder!
    On the Ben to Man City story, its an ill informed out of town Journalist making a living by putting two and two together and getting £20m. If we are to believe that we turned a similar fee down already from Pulis (or at least the alleged even greater third offered fee) why would we blink at £20m or even £25m? Considering that our outgoings have more or less balanced our incomings give or take a few “undisclosed” tenners here and there it seems a bit of a flaky article. Had he quoted £45m then I think we would have perhaps paused for breath before dismissing it.
    On the subject of Big Ben its interesting to see on tonights news programmes the time and outpouring of grief over the loss of Big Ben’s chimes for 4 whole years compared to a Steelworks that employed thousands now gone forever.
    Tenuously linking with the above paragraph on Steelworks, the arrival of Scunthorpe tomorrow night hasn’t exactly got the flames of passion burning on Teesside. In fact it may even be an all time low Riverside turnout. I, like Werder suspect there will be a lot of Boro changes to give those peripherals (sounds like a Sly Stallone Movie “The Peripherals”) some fitness enhancing game time. That is as oppose to “downing” a vile supposed energy enhancing concoction of sugar and artificial colourings (unless it really is buffalo pish and sucrose) which sounds more like our midfield than a Thai tongue tickling quencher come to think of it.
    If the Product QC is anything close to the QC of the circus (sorry draw) then heaven knows what affect it could have on the collective conciousness come Tuesday. Assuming of course that there is enough of us stimulated by the very thought of it in the first place to stay awake, with or without wings. The drink itself however may be marginally better.
    Roll on Preston.

  4. I have a feeling the highlight of this game will be Werder’s latest entry on Diasboro. Great stuff!
    A low key win with no injuries will do nicely for me.
    Ronald Koeman told Sky Sports tonight that he was hoping to add a left-footed defender before the window closes. Luckily OFB has told us Ben can only leave for a top six club, as Everton are surely nailed on for seventh.

  5. Crikey – it’s relentless this second tier stuff isn’t it? Personal reasons mean this is the first time I’ve posted this season and we’ve already seen 4 games, a duck-breaking-brace from the latest poor sop that we’ve burdened with the “most expensive” price tag and 2 defeats.
    To be honest, I’m not too unhappy with the start so far, this league is all about momentum, and I’ve seen and read enough to suggest that when we find ours we should have enough in the locker to make a good charge up the table. The curious thing will be to see how many clubs view Boro through the lens of Aitor’s Automatons, during the last campaign we were relentless game-squeezers, if the opposition show us too much respect it will be interesting to see if we can finally take the game on and win handsomely.
    Speaking of AK, I see one-time target Jese, whom many dismissed as a playboy, scored on his debut for Stoke! A more working men’s club you are unlikely to see. Mark Hughes continues to try to convince us that he is a cultivator of tricky wingers, but the proof will be in his final tally I guess.
    As for tonight, I expect many changes and a win. Perhaps one or two of our youngsters will make a point or two, it may even be an opportunity to discover a young player who could inspire us to promotion? I remember a certain Stuart Downing bursting into the scene and giving the manager a welcome problem (for a change) in his youth. Now the problems he makes are not so easily solved…
    Anyway, my greatest concern is for our stamina. Speaking only for myself of course I’m not sure I have the physique for this endless Saturday-Tuesday tapping, I’ll need to put my thumbs and fingers through an intensive training camp for a week to bring myself up to speed.
    Great article once again. It seems that the real quality journalism is found amongst those who do it for a passion, rather than those who must achieve certain click-throughs and unique page impressions.

  6. Werder, you continue to improve your portfolio of written work. That article is a ten out of ten and a gold star on your shirt. Excellent.
    Being a retired designer I think they improved the badge worse when they got rid of the gauntlet, designed on the coach back to Bradford and the only entry or not. doesn’t another team call themselves ‘the iron’?
    Tonight Boro should win but, you know, typical and all that. 3 – 1 to Boro after conceding an early stupid, back-pass come own goal.
    Now for the final of the great Diasboro write off between Werder, RR and Simon. It’ll be a hard job judging and separating them in that final.UTB,
    John

  7. We’ve had an unchanged line-up for the last two games but as many have observed it doesn’t appear to be firing on all cylinders just now. As such a few tweaks I would like to see are Bamford moving into CF due to his proven clinical composed goal scoring / chance conversion rate at this level, Baker in from the start in his preferred creative advanced midfield role and he also carries a goal threat, and Leadbitter in at centre mid for his snarl and driving leadership qualities. I would leave Gestede and Forshaw out to accommodate, with Rudy an effective plan B from the bench.

  8. The presence of full games free-to-view on the MFC website creates the situation where sad individuals like myself can waste even more of their lives worrying about the Boro. This is senseless when people like GM are paid handsomely to do that for me, but still I continue.
    As a low-scoring game, football matches can hinge completely on a few key moments and the Forest game is a great example of that. The opening to the game is scrappy, but we aren’t under heavy pressure and it just looks like two average Championship teams cancelling each other out with the odd minor scare.
    THEN… Running their first goal repeatedly tells me that Clayts is turned, giving their midfielder a run at our defence. We then lay out the red carpet so that the Forest guy can run unchallenged into the box. Either a midfielder such as Forshaw has blown their coverage of the man, or George should be closer to Ben so he can get across. Their guy then runs wide but has the easy task of slipping the ball into our unguarded net when Randolph sells himself by going down early.
    Three bad mistakes are needed to create their goal for them.
    So our three goals conceded so far include Dani’s gift at Wolves and a very soft penalty, all three highly avoidable. As far as I can see there is almost nothing GM and his staff can do about this, it is just basic errors in doing the most basic things which are costing us in key moments.
    The final ‘key moment’ factor as we know was that we created the chances to bring points home, but Britt showed a lack of composure. However, his movement and positioning are spot-on to be on the end of these chances, and that is very promising.

  9. One word of admonishment for Werder.
    Putting the last two Boro badges together merely opens the running sore about the current, dreadful, er design. I use the term loosely

  10. Many thanks for all the comments on the article, it’s greatly appreciated – since I was laid up yesterday with a lost voice and the onset of terrible cold (thanks to the neighbour’s son) I took the opportunity to do a little more research than usual. It just makes you wonder whether most decisions are made on a whim without much thought or joined up thinking. Anyway, hopefully will be match fit by this evening – if only there was some kind of drink available to give you a boost…

  11. Wonderful blog and a real pleasure to read here in the Balkans.
    Regarding Arsene Wenger it was his professionalism that facilitated our cup win and for that I am grateful. Even though he was down a goal from the first leg semi he stuck to his guns and didnt beef up his side for the return leg.
    I hope SD gets a game it would be good to see him back in the fold so to speak. We are missing his creativity and I am sure he still has it.
    Anyway hope it is not too long before we start smashing this league and a good cup run will certainly keep our spirits up.

  12. Not convinced that there’s nothing in the City interest in Gibson story.
    They’re a top six club and an opening bid of £20 million doesn’t make a final deal of £25 million look that unlikely. Hopefully I’m wrong.
    Anyway, what’s this Caribou cup all about? A Reindeer as sponsor seems a step too far to me…………………

    1. The football league were on the horns of a dilemma when it came to a new sponsor.
      I think it was Barry Venison who recommended the sponsors though John Deere were interested.

  13. £20m, £25m…. if Man City are the buying club than that wouldn’t be enough for Ben Gibson in my view.
    Micheal Keane’s move to Everton set a benchmark of £30m. I see Keane and Gibson as being at very similar levels and stages of their career. Keane has more Premier League experience and perhaps the unspoken pedigree of coming from Man Utd’s academy but Gibson is a rare left-footer and would be leaving his honetown club. I think he’s worth more to us than Keane did to Burnley and his natural leadership qualities make him a slightly better player in my opinion.
    With money no object for City, the minimum price should be £35m I think, with add-ons taking it past £40m.
    Purely on a footballing level, I’m not sure that City would be the best fit for Ben. A midfield comprising of 2 x no. 10s (Silva and de Bruyne) with a genuine box-to-box player (Fernandinho) “holding” doesn’t offer much protection. And their full/wing-backs are even higher than ours! Sure, there is a lot less defending to do in a City shirt but when they do have to defend, the defenders are very exposed, particularly with their very high defensive line which again may not suit Gibbo.
    I fancy he would look a far better defender in the more balanced teams of Chelsea, Spurs or Man Utd, though their need (and possibly spending power) is lower than City’s.
    The end of the window can’t come soon enough on this one.

  14. I can’t see Boro selling Ben in this window as we don’t need the cash and won’t be able to find a suitable replacement who would either be of anything like the same standard and willing to drop down to the Championship. In addition, the prospect of Dael Fry spending a season playing alongside Gibson will fast-track him into an equally valuable asset for Boro – plus we would have a ready-to-go PL pairing if promoted.
    So unless Ben is absolutely set on a move and demands a transfer then can’t see any benefit – having cash you can’t spend effectively could prove costly if we miss out on promotion – which as we know is worth around £150m. It’s a bit like cashing in by selling your house but then ending up unable to move up the property ladder.
    So unless silly money is offered (by which I mean over £50m) and solid replacement is lined-up (e.g. Chambers?) then Boro shouldn’t even contemplate selling.

  15. Totally agree with that, Werder (and Ian above re Chelsea). Losing Ben makes no sense, even financially, to Boro right now. It all comes down to Ben himself, I think.
    There’s no indication that he’s agitating for a move but who would begrudge him? He is a high quality and dedicated professional capable of being mentioned in the same breath as John Terry (minus the controversy) if he were playing at similar profile club to that Terry did for the most part of his career.
    Opportunity is the only ingredient that is missing for Ben, We have to get promoted this season to stand any chance of keeping him here next summer. That is, of course, if we can get through this and the January transfer windows, for which I remain reasonably confident.

  16. Werder and Andy R
    OFB thinks he is staying so that is good enough for me.
    Ben’s biggest asset apart from his ability is the fact he is British. That is also his biggest drawback, if he was Bejani Gibsonho he would be ‘worth’ double and straight in to a top first team.
    Tony Pulis is interested but why go to West Brom? You could argue it would be a stepping stone.

    1. Everyone and everything has a price. With Ben it just hasn’t been reached yet but thats not to say it won’t, just not at anything remotely like £20m or even £25m. The club don’t need to sell and despite him understandably wanting Premiership football Ben will always give 100% and nothing less. The offer would need to be too good to turn down but where that would leave us when we are already shy of CB’s is anyone’s guess with the window shutting in a week. The Baggies won’t offer silly money but City might just throw a daft offer at us and lets face it an extra £10m to them is neither here nor there for their owners.

      1. RR – Despite starting your comment with possibly Donald Trump’s favourite chat-up line 🙂 I’m not sure what kind of offer is too good to turn down as it’s hard to see the benefit of cash in the bank as opposed to a priceless asset on the pitch with regard to going for promotion.

    2. Ian
      I suggest we change his name by Deed Poll and pocket the transfer money 😂😎
      On a more serious note, I have always been of the view that we keep him as long as we possibly can and only sell if the price is right, he wants to go and to a top six PL side.

    3. Ian
      Thank you for your confidence I see Monk has made a statement that no one is leaving the Boro now and only oncoming players will be part of the transfer window
      I can now reveal that it was Monk who said this to me last week about Ben so I’m not breaking confidences as he has come out in the press and said the same thing
      Diasboro first with the news a premium site
      (For Free)
      OFB

  17. I see the prices are £15 for an adult tonight, I understand the club isn’t a charity and needs to make a profit but a game like this was an ideal opportunity to give something back to those who can’t afford to go. I was thinking of a lad and dad for a tenner is more than enough and still the ground would be 60% empty. At fifteen pounds, a fiver for under 18’s and a tenner for granddads its not going to attract the waverers or fringe elements who might have been tempted. A marketing opportunity missed.

  18. Continuing with the last game, Forest have an upsurge of confidence after scoring for a while without really looking dangerous but after that we are on top. The only worrying point is that again a run is not tracked effectively and so their player has a free cross leading to the penalty. In terms of concentration they outperform us.
    We have more potential, but they use what they have better. Britt and Adama are essentially unguided missiles, power and fury but wild.

    1. I see you’re still watching that video replay Mark 🙂 I think the difference with Monk compared to Karanka is that before Boro were quite happy to let the opposition play in front them with usually only a single player available as an outlet – whereas now we seem to be more spread out over the pitch, which means players need to look at more than what’s in front of them as the opposition has more space to run into.

  19. GM might be tempted to play his strongest side tonight to continue trying to get them to gel, but I think he will opt for using squad players to give them game time and improve their match fitness. This should include Fletcher and Baker as a priority as they are being asked to contribute off the bench and need the chance to start and show what they can do with more time.
    Can’t see any point selling Rudi to Leeds when he is contributing well up front and looks a threat. On Ben, we could tell City the price is £30m or forget it. Otherwise the thing drags on and we end up on the last day of the window with Ben’s future still in doubt but no time to replace him.
    Jota looks like the right sort of target, but it’s a pity we weren’t pursuing this sort of player energetically and as an urgent priority before now, when it is going to be really difficult to clinch a deal.

  20. Redcar Red
    I think both sides have to agree the price of tickets, in the distant past we wanted to charge a tenner for a game against Northampton but they wouldn’t agree so had to compromise.
    I think that if tickets were £10 it would make no difference. A dad and lad could go for £20 (other family units are available).
    Team? You suspect Bamford will be rested after his knock. Fletcher, Grant, Fabio and Baker will be nailed on to play.
    May as well play Ben so he is cup tied, that will upset the likes of Citeh and Chelsea. 🙂

  21. The MFC website up till this season used to give a brief history of Boro’s opponents which I used to enjoy, although they have become repetitive during the last two seasons as we obviously play each team twice a season, and perhaps that’s why they have stopped doing that now as Boro have played at least 40 different teams over the last two seasons.
    Of course the new website still give details of our opponents playing record,etc, but as it is some years since we last played this evening’s opponents in a league match, and as mentioned on the MFC website, never in a Cup tie, I thought it might be of some interest to readers of this forum to hear about the similarities of the two towns.
    I’m sure everyone is aware that like ourselves, Scunthorpe is a town built on the iron and steel industry, but we share other similarities with them. As Middlesbrough became part of Teesside under Local Government reorganisation in 1968, Scunthorpe in later years became known as part of Humberside, and as a lot of people in Middlesbrough consider themselves to be part of North Yorkshire, most people in Scunthorpe consider themselves to be Lincolnshire folk, and North Lincolnshire folk at that. Indeed when the Football League decided to increase its numbers from 88 to 92 teams in 1950, Scunthorpe and Lindsey United along with Shrewsbury Town, Colchester United and Gillingham were the team’s appointed.
    Lincolnshire, similar to Yorkshire, comprised of three regions named Kesteven, South Holland and Lindsey, the latter being the Northern region, so one can imagine the locals wouldn’t take too kindly to be linked with Humberside. Nowadays, of course, Lindsey is no longer used in the name of the football team.
    Apart from the steel industry, both towns have produced World Champions at Speedway. Older bloggers will probably remember the great reception Gary Havelock received at Ayresome Park when parading his trophy following his World Championship success in 1992.His father Brian is still Manager of Redcar Bears (formerly Boro Bears) who was a teammate of the late Rob Woffinden in the 1980s who sadly died with cancer aged 47 in 2010.Those who follow Speedway will know that Rob’s son Tai Woffinden (born in Scunthorpe) was World Champion twice in 2013 and 2015.There was always a strong bond between the two sports in Middlesbrough, maybe not so strong now since the Bears moved to Cargo Fleet and renamed Redcar.
    Other famous sportsmen associated with Scunthorpe include Tony Jacklin who was born there, Sir Ian Botham who made eleven appearances for “the Iron” in the early 1980’s, and of course Kevin Keegan who started his professional career with them in 1968 making 124 appearances, and Ray Clemence who made 48 appearances for them in 1966 and 1967.
    However the footballer mostly associated with the two clubs is Brian Laws who has twice managed Scunthorpe 1997/2006 and 2012/13.
    As stated on the MFC website, Boro have never drawn at home against Scunthorpe in the nine matches played so far, and that “no draw” situation will continue tonight as extra time and penalties, if necessary will decide the result of this match.

    1. Complements Werder’s great headline piece perfectly Ken.
      It is fascinating to learn little snippets of history and geography ….. these exist to remind us how much more we have in common with our tribal opponents than we have in difference.

    2. Ken
      Thank you for a lovely historical piece of information containing a number of area similarities. They say the world is a small place.
      Let’s hope we can replicate our league form against them in the cup.
      Mrs P’s birthday today so will miss the match commentary as I am wining and dining her at a local italian restaurant here in Spain whilst wondering how my beloved Boro are fairing. A multi cultural affair!
      CoB

  22. Yes, I’m getting like those people who went to watch ‘The Sound of Music’ 50 times when it first came out, Werder. Except that Julie Andrews had a better right foot and could hit a higher note than Britt.

    1. No problem Ken it’s just a matter of fact – I enjoyed your more broader historical perpective too – I’d forgot about some of those footballing ones you included like Kevin Keegan and Ian Botham – didn’t he also play another sport other than football before he became a famous TV celebrity? golfer maybe?

  23. Looking forward to seeing how we line up tonight.
    Apart from RR’s cunning plan to get Gibson cup tied, I hope GM perseveres with him and Fry together at the back. It is early in their partnership and I think the more they can play together just now the better to help their understanding become second nature. I would also start Britt in the expectation he can grab a quick-ish brace to get the weekend out of system (as someone mentioned earlier). I’d like to see Fletcher start with him, with a chance for Downing and Traore to start.
    Leads and Baker in CM. Dimi in goal please, with da Silva and Christie completing my line up in a kind of 442.
    I expect us to win at a canter, scoring 4 ….

    1. No you actually have had to play a game even just a minute to be cuptied
      So Ben is available to play !
      Note he is still recovering from a broken nose so every day that goes by aids his recovery without risking his injury in a match we don’t need too

  24. 3-0 it was then. How Untypical was that against lower league opposition …
    Seems to have been a good work out for the squad players and surely gives GM done things to ponder before Preston.
    Looking forward to RRs match report….

  25. We had Irn Bru in our bottles made from girrrders which made the joist in our favour
    Plenty of column inches in the press tomorrow
    We have a new master now
    Karanka rust in peace

  26. Seeing this result made me think of my visit to the Riverside late last year to watch the 3-0 win over Swansea. I remember coming out feeling happy and thinking that Boro had done well to score some goals. As readers will know AK then, for reasons best known to himself, decided to slate the performance and generally did everything possible to remove any goodwill that the result might have generated. I often wonder if, looking back, this represented the beginning of the end of our survival challenge.
    Anyway, fast forward to last night and we have a totally different picture with a Boro manager sending out a team to play in an attacking style and seeing the results.
    I am moved to suggest that, whatever happens from now, the hiring of Gary Monk has been an unqualified success. The team is taking risks and the result is entertaining games, shots on target and a real feeling that we have a team that can score goals. I’m not saying that promotion doesn’t matter – of course it does – but it’s just such a relief to watch a Boro team that seems to be having fun. When you add in the younger players coming through, it’s a very positive picture.
    I have read the comments from some quarters about the midfield not firing and would suggest that, to a certain extent, people are missing the point.
    The team is set up with as many as four full time attackers and the full backs playing very high. That is a calculated risk because we then only have five players left behind the ball when AKs team often had seven or eight.
    What this pushes us to do is to get the ball played forward quickly so that our attacking numbers can come into play and we play a lot of our football in the forward third of the pitch, unlike last year when that was a no go zone for all except Negredo. Playing like this could give the impression that the midfield is not getting into the game as much as one might like but I wonder if that is really the case.
    I know that we have had two no score games out of the five played so far but I wonder how many more there will be. It would be nice to think that we could end the season with well less than ten games where we don’t score.
    Anyway, I’m looking forward to warchng or hearing more about last nights game. Was Traore really that good. What was the young kid like and why is he still at the club when Chapman has been sent out on loan.
    Just asking 😊
    Anyway, for once sitting in Australia is useful as the draw for the next round is about to happen here in our early afternoon
    UTB

  27. As.a Coach Adama would drive me nuts ,but so would George and Forshaw ,but if we get rid of him then Steve Gibson ,has really lost it, the kids love him,he couldn’t leave the field ,for the selfies they wanted.
    Monk has to realise ,we are in a division ,that you need a game changer, because it’s like for like,
    Put what’s gone in the past, and realise Stewy ,Grant, keep them they are top class players.

    1. I think Adama is very much a confidence player but also a bit of a free spirit and like most artists he needs to be free to express himself to really see the best of his artistry. In todays modern football methodology and team ethics are important along with tactics and organisation but sometimes when you have a mercurial talent like Adama you just have to run with it (no pun intended).
      That of course doesn’t mean that he is allowed to run around like a headless chicken as that would be totally counter productive but filling the lads head with responsibilities and duties perhaps isn’t the best way to get the best out of him. Perhaps Monk has given him more encouragement rather than filling his head with responsibilities than previous coaches understanding that you have to work with what he has got rather than what you want to mould and conform him into.
      Its easier of course to allow freedom of expression when you are cruising to a 3-0 home win but it has to start somewhere and it would be nice if we see more of Traore the Terrifier rather than Traore the Terrifying.

  28. Good to get some goals,all first timers. Looking forward to seeing some highlights on MFC and reports from those who were there. However still concerned by the foul count 14 in a game which we appeared to boss. At least Scunny didn’t try to kick us off the park they only conceded 5 free kicks.

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