Blog Posts

Ominously Arsenal had scored in 85% of their last 20 away games and also kept a clean sheet in 25% of those last 20 away games, Boro can’t score so on paper Boro were lambs to the slaughter. All the pre-game media hype was about Arsene and the Arsenal fall from grace. Board meetings coming up and decisions to be made about Henry returning and Arsene exiting along with a few of his playing personnel no doubt as a Summer overhaul is predicted.

Four away defeats on the trot, a fifth at the Riverside would set a record going back to December 1984 and Don Howe. Who would Arsene drop after their Palace no show and whether Koscielny would get the nod after a layoff. Would the away fans get another opportunity to boo Bellerin in between chanting Wenger out?

Would Boro keep it tight and frustrate relying on Traore’s pace and set pieces or would they get stuck into them and ruffle midfield feathers whose plumage has looked distinctly leucistic of late. Would Aggers throw Gestede in from the off giving the supposedly suspect Gunners CB’s something to worry about or rely on craft and guile to get in behind them which could mean a return for Ramirez should his head be in the right place. Surely he and his agent could see the fantastic shop window opportunity to turn it on in front of a global audience? There again maybe Aggers and Woody had had enough of his attitudinal challenges?

Come the team announcements and Boro fans felt that our line up perhaps was a little more conservative than hoped for albeit understandable given the talent opposing them whilst Arsene surprised us all probably by anticipating that we would go 3-5-2 so went with three at the back himself in a very unarsenelike formation. As it turned out Boro went with 4 at the back settling for an Ayala/Gibson combo with Fabio and Barragan to the right and left.  The big surprise was the absence of Valdes who had apparently hurt a rib in training. Fabio started well with a quick break forcing a lunge from Oxlade Chamberlain who received a yellow for his “professionalism” and the intent the home fans had wanted to see was in evidence.

In contrast we were then treated to a ridiculous headless Grant challenge in the middle of the park for a lost ball that was both late and reckless and ended up damaging himself in the process. I think it may have been a tweaked hamstring but it took a fair bit of stretching from the physio’s to get him up and running again (albeit I thought mainly on three cylinders for the rest of the game despite his big heart). Fortunately nothing came from the resulting free kick and his nonsensical yellow card. Unfortunately worse was to come when Fabio then went into a challenge and inexplicably went down and looking in some discomfort. Not sure I it was a leg injury but he looked dazed or at the very least disconsolate as he trudged off around the edge of the pitch as George entered the fray in his place. Hopes were that Fabio hadn’t had a relapse of his concussion from a few weeks back.

Friend looked a little rusty understandably with some glimpses of his old runs but some of his passes and runs seemed a little disconnected from his teammates with a few stray balls to go with his forays down the flanks as he linked up with Ramirez. Downing seemed pretty well occupied in defending in the first half, not surprisingly as with 3 at the back Arsenal had their wing-backs pushed high up the pitch. Barragan again had a decent game and whisper it quietly but he appears  a more complete player under Agnew.

Whilst Arsenal undoubtedly had class Boro more than matched them with sheer hard work and graft and there was little to separate the two sides as half time approached. Unfortunately for Boro another reckless challenge from Clayton this time on Xhaka presented Sanchez with the exact opportunity Arsenal relish 20 yards out. After a lot of pushing and shoving in the Boro wall Sanchez got the ball up over the wall and under the crossbar leaving Guzan motionless.

1-0 to the Arsenal as the away fans reminded us. Boro however went straight back up the pitch and with Ramirez seemingly intent on providing his agent with some decent video clips we looked like we were still not out of it. Boro had adopted a tactic of launching balls into the Arsenal box from set pieces putting Ayala and Gibson up alongside Negredo and it appeared to be causing some consternation with the returning Koscielny and the relatively inexperienced Holding.

Almost from the restart after the Sanchez opener Boro won a free kick on the corner of the Arsenal 18 yard box. The big Boro lads piled forward from the back and Grant unleashed a Powderpuff, yep a Powderpuff!  He had ushered Ramirez away and we were expecting a Thunderbastard but nope. WTF was the united exclamation from the North stand as our disbelief at just how bad the free kick actually was sunk in. I’m pretty sure the South stand were equally perplexed as the kids in the East stand covered their ears and tartan rugs, sandwiches and flasks went flying in the West.

The half time whistle went and Boro trudged off disappointed to be a goal down after matching Arsenal in making a spirited game of it and also having a goal of their own struck off for offside. The general impression of the Officials throughout the game was one of being nervous of giving any contentious decisions against one of the Premierships glamour clubs with the world’s media in close observance looking for a story. Consequently any 50/50 decisions seemed very softly biased towards the yellow and grey shirted Gooners as frustrations and whistles grew from the home fans especially towards the assistant running the East touchline.

The second half commenced and apart from Friend for Fabio the line ups were as they were on 45. The Boro fans were giving plenty of vocal support despite the southerners in the corner suddenly finding their voices, amazing what a goal can do after their collective fears of a Boro upset looking distinctly possible until that free kick. Boro though had restarted focussed and determined and just five minutes into the second half Downing operating on the right was fed through by Barragan and delivered a brilliant curling cross into the box to tease the effervescent Negredo to wrong side his defender and squeeze an outstretched leg to toe poke it past Cech, 1-1 and the Riverside erupted!

It was well deserved and the Boro were now looking likely to add to Arsene’s woes especially when we broke out of defence with Ramirez finding himself running onto a cleared ball with two Arsenal defenders desperately chasing him. Tired legs seen Gaston caught and the chance was gone but the hope had lifted the decibels and a chorus of “Arsene Wenger, we want you to stay” reverberated from the back of the North stand. The leggy Gaston was shortly replaced by Traore who immediately went on a trademark run and pinged a cross in. Minutes later he drove into the Arsenal box leaving three or four yellow shirts in his wake but instead of unleashing a shot he frustratingly tried to take an extra touch creating the chance for it to be nicked off his foot and then forlornly fall to the ground hoping for the unlikeliest of penalties.

That unfortunately was pretty much it for Adama as he then ghosted around the pitch neither, closing, chasing or anticipating for the rest of the game. I’m at a loss as to whether he is the most talented but laziest player ever to wear a Boro shirt in my lifetime or just plain challenged in the IQ department. Either way it meant Barragan was more exposed as Stewy had switched over to the left to accommodate his arrival and Arsenal broke down our right with a ball played into the unmarked Ramsey who got in behind the encumbered looking Grant to chest the ball down for Ozil who had ran behind Ayala to slot home. 2-1 and try as we might, battle and scrap and go for it, it just wasn’t to be.

Gestede came on for de Roon who had worked tirelessly and almost immediately fed Negredo who shot from the edge of the box but without much power and Cech was able to get down and smother the attempt. With only ten minutes remaining, tired limbs and heavy hearts Boro kept going but it wasn’t to be and in fact we were lucky not to concede a third as Arsenal broke on the counter attack for Guzan to save our blushes. MOM was probably a toss between Ayala now looking back to his old self and Negredo who at times was winning his own knock downs and chasing, closing, running and tackling when out of possession. Someone needs to sit down with Adama and show the lad Alvaro’s work rate in the game tonight to show what is expected when out of possession.

Ironically there were some positives to take from the match were it not for the fact that games are fast running out and we are now back to relying on other teams to screw up to give us a chink of light. No doubt there will be many sharpening knives for Aggers but I’m not sure how much more he could achieve with the hand he has been dealt and the circumstances and time constraints in which to do it in. It’s not over just yet and each game seems to see an improving facet to Boro yet the returns just aren’t materialising. Had we been in November or December things would feel a lot more hopeful but all we can do now is face each game as if it were a cup tie and slug it out until the end. Swansea and Hull will also drop points and a result away to wobbly Bournemouth and a slip elsewhere could see our hopes elevated once again.

Boro it appears are now looking for a miracle to maintain their Premier League status as we contemplate at Easter our seemingly entombed position at the depths of the table – talk is about needing four or five wins but the doubting Thomas’s out there will point to the simple fact Boro have not managed a single top-flight victory since before Christmas.

The strikers have been stigmatised for their lack of goals – Boro have failed to score in more than half of their games this season – which has even resulted in being declared the second most boring team in the history of the Premier League. Aitor Karanka may have had his disciples among the faithful but his failure to avoid being tempted by the cautious ways of the Red Devil’s manger ultimately lead many to believe he was no longer the Messiah to keep Boro in the promised land.

Boro supporters are now contemplating a return to the wilderness of the Championship and after waiting seven long years to escape the last footballing famine it’s going to be a heavy cross to bear. OK it’s still not a forgone conclusion – and Saturday’s results have kept a flicker of hope alive – but among the hardened cynical old men of Teesside whistling ‘always look on the bright side of life’ is not usually a tune that is part of their Riverside repertoire.

Whilst results have continued to disappoint there has been somewhat of a fresh approach by Steve Agnew’s new coaching setup. As the anointed successor he has probably been handed something of a poison chalice by Steve Gibson, as he’s not only had to pick up the players, but has been hit with a defensive injury crisis at the very moment he’s been tasked with making the team more progressive.

Though what we have seen is that Agnew is not attached to a particular system and has been quite pragmatic with his tactics. In his four games he’s tried to shuffle his resources and despite two nil-nil’s, there definitely has been more attacking intent on display. He’s even managed to get an off-the-pace deemed Bamford looking close to his old self in a matter of a few weeks.

Though if Boro are going to have any chance to resurrect their season then they are going to need the key players to show their best form – and preferably at the same time. Negredo needs to play more like a striker – though getting onto to crosses has not been remotely a nailed-on scenario for him this season – he’s been for much of this term starved of service so that stoic fasting rather than a feast of goals has been the order of the day. Though he’s not blameless and has often been guilty of not getting into centre-forward positions after the opportunities to score fail to materialise – however, he did look dangerous when he came off the bench against Burnley.

So Boro welcome a rather porous Arsenal side to the Riverside who have lost their last four games on the road in the Premier League, conceding three goals in each of those defeats. Whether Boro can further upset an embattled Arsene Wenger, who continues to  contemplate his future, by making that five away defeats on the spin may pretty much decide both our fates. With two games in hand on Hull it would give the theoretic opportunity (as until the first win arrives I class multiple victories as nothing more than a mathematical exercise) to overhaul them on goal difference if three points at home to Sunderland can be also bagged.

There is good news on the injury front as Friend’s sacred calf has at last been healed and Fabio’s three-game concussion break has finally been knocked on the head. With Ayala looking better with every game it gives the prospect of a return to a more solid and mobile back line. Also Gaston Ramirez has shaken off his ankle injury so in theory will be contemplating putting in a long-awaited performance for any scouts accidentally sitting in front of  the TV.

There has been talk of continuing with a 3-5-2 formation as the way forward – personally, I don’t think Boro have the midfield players to make that formation work effectively as it essentially means three centre-backs matched with three defensive midfielders – admittedly Boro looked more solid and did try to get forward but actually created very little real attacking threat until the substitutions came on against Burnley. So if Boro decide against a back four, I think 3-4-3 may be a better option (or variations of) in order to have more attack-minded players on the pitch. Perhaps a front three of Gaston, Negredo and Adama would worry the Gunners defence more than other permutations would.

OK time to put all your chocolate eggs in one basket and contemplate your predictions – will Monday be the start of an Easter rising up the table? or will Boro freeze like an Easter bunny caught in the headlights of expectation? As usual give your thoughts on the score and scorers – plus will Arsene Wenger’s failing eyesight fail to see a Boro nailed-on penalty along with the Ref.

As Boro’s post-Karanka plight continues to take on a rather gloomy tone, I was reminded by Craig Hignett’s recent interview on his departure of a few satirical posts that I wrote on Untypical Boro that gave an alternative view of some of the more bizarre moments of Aitor Karanka’s reign – including Karanka’s ‘apology’ after being dismissed against Blackburn, the post-Charlton-gate statement and Leo’s tussle on the sidelines against Preston.

 

Higgy-gate

After Craig Hignett recently spoke publicly for the first time about his sudden departure from Boro as assistant to Aitor Karanka – he explained : “I only had one fallout with Aitor but with him there’s no coming back from it. If you fall out with him, that’s it. It can never be repaired.”

Hignett added: “He was difficult to work with at times. The way he works is very intense. He’s a perfectionist. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but on the other hand, I think there is a time and a place to enjoy what you’re doing. At times you couldn’t do that. Aitor just wanted to micro-manage everything, and I struggled with that at times, if I am honest.”

Hignett’s tenure at Boro came to an end in December 2014 a few days after Aitor Karanka was banished to the stand following Blackburn’s late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at the Riverside (incidently scored by Rudy Gestede) and was subsequently charged with improper conduct by the Football Association.

“It was my first sending off,” said Aitor. “Again I want to apologise because I know I made a mistake.

Though Karanka didn’t actually make the apology himself as he went on to explain “After the game a member of my staff apologised to the fourth official and the referee also.”

It was subsequently announced a few days later that Karanka had decided to part company with his first team assistant Craig Hignett with immediate effect – even though earlier that Saturday on the BBC’s Football Focus the Boro boss had praised Hignett saying: “I didn’t know a lot of things and he is the person who helps me with these kind of things. He helps with training sessions and he is very, very important for me.”

Anyway here is a video link of the Karanka interview where he gives his take on these matters after they had occurred.

All of which lead me to give this satirical view of how the departure of Craig Hignett may have come to pass (posted on Untypical Boro on 6 December 2014)

Charlton-gate

When Aitor Karanka did not take charge of the Sunday match against Charlton after his walk-out from the training ground two days earlier on Friday following an argument at a team meeting it seemed Boro’s promotion campaign had been derailed.

His future at the club looked to be uncertain after walking out and rumours were reported in the press that he had told friends that he was finding Stewart Downing ‘difficult’ and that he wasn’t his signing.

In a statement, the club said: “Middlesbrough can confirm that Aitor Karanka did not take training on Saturday morning and he will not be in the dugout on Sunday and instead assistant head coach Steve Agnew will take charge of the team for fixture at Charlton Athletic.”

They added “We appreciate supporters will want to know further details, but at this time the club cannot make any further comment and is solely focused on Sunday’s game at The Valley.”

The game was subsequently lost 2-0 as Boro failed to perform against second-bottom Charlton and it was announced a few days later following talks at the club with Steve Gibson that Aitor Karanka would continue as head coach.

In his first interview after Charlton-gate (shown in this video link), Aitor Karanka seemed to dismiss the whole episode – it was as if nothing had ever happened

It was this attempt to brush the whole episode under a rather large spun red rug that prompted me to post this satirical club statement on Untypical Boro…

Boro-hemian Rhapsody

In April 2016, during a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Preston at the Riverside an unseemly squabble on the touchline broke out after Leo Percovich grabbed a dead ball and refused to return it for the Preston throw-in.

The discovery that Leo’s name was in fact short for ‘Galileo Galilei’ provoked me into thinking of the whole episode with Queen’s operatic Bohemian Rhapsody played as the backing track and it inspired the following post on Untypical Boro…

Bright Spring sunshine bathed the Riverside with a warm glow at least for those of us in the North, South and East Stands. The atmosphere was building nicely beforehand with both sets of fans finding their voices no doubt aided by some liquid refreshment to quell the heat stress. Boro as suspected went with three at the back perhaps as a deliberate tactic or the fact that it was barrel bottom scraping time when it came to defenders.

In fairness the three at the back put in a display that was unrecognisable from the showing on Wednesday night. They contained the twin Burnley strike threat of Gray and Barnes comfortably and rarely looked too stretched. Ayala in particular looked to be getting back into his stride, it was just as well because Barnes clearly had instructions to rough him up and the two of them were constantly “embracing” in the first half with the Ref Martin Atkinson eventually having to speak to the pair.

The tempo in the first half was mostly from Boro with Barragan and Downing pushed up high in a midfield five with Grant, Clayts and Forshaw central. With those three policing the centre of the pitch Burnley struggled to make any impression in the middle ground and Stewy and Barragan were under clear instructions to get down the flanks and ping crosses in for Gestede presumably with the hope that Stuani would pick up the stray balls. I picked the word “stray” deliberately as while Gestede would rise majestically and beat Keane in the air there was very little that came from the second phase immediately afterwards. Stuani like the entire Boro side put in a battling performance, chasing, closing down, looking for opportunities, full of running and willing to get in blocks and tackles but nothing where it counted.

In all honesty there wasn’t a solitary bad performance from anyone in Red and there was a lot of endeavour, energy and determination on display, Barragan had probably his best game. Clayts and Grant bossed and snarled determined to not go down with a whimper. Forshaw was a little quieter first half but put a shift in. Boro’s new formation looked as though it had Dyche on the back foot for much of the first half as Boro constantly thrust forwards but the quality at the sharp end in finishing was where we fizzled out. In fairness Burnley are well drilled and disciplined and breaking them down was never going to be easy but we did just lack that spark, an individual bit of magic.

There were decent chances, a ball from Stewy flashed across the six yard box but there was no red sock to toe poke home when we needed it. Boyd had a chance but missed the target fortuitously whilst a free kick looked to me to be finger tipped by a diving Valdes onto the crossbar but the Ref seen it as a miss and so a corner was avoided. Speaking of corners there was an altercation which consisted of Ward trying to barge into Valdes protected by Barragan who pushed and jostled back and then a right arm flew out from Ward leaving Barragan prostrate with Martin Atkinson giving a foul to Boro meaning he clearly seen something but decided to bottle giving a red card for the first time this afternoon.

Despite overwhelming possession and balls fizzing into the Burnley box with regular aplomb the first half finished 0-0. I remarked at half time that whilst our endeavours were certainly heartening the Sun would eventually take its toll in the final 20 minutes unless we had something to hang on to. If there was a criticism it was that we sometimes laboured in possession instead of springing out quickly but after Wednesday night the cautious trio in the middle could be forgiven.

The second half started with Boro again going for it but the lack of an outlet and creativity was starting to become glaringly obvious plus the exertion and heat was starting to take effect as predicted. Negredo came on around 60 minutes for Stuani who hadn’t had many chances but let Burnley know they were in a game.

Whilst understandable and Negredo’s intent almost getting himself booked within a few minutes of entering the fray the lack of a “spark” seemed the greater need. Ten minutes later, on seventy minutes (and probably ten or fifteen minutes too late) Traore came on for the tiring Gestede. Finally we had a bit of spark with Adama playing centrally and a burst  through the Burnley defence shortly after leaving three in his wake seen him set up Clayton with a chance for glory and rip the net open but he disappointingly chipped it neatly into the arms of Heaton. Stewy got around the back of their defence worked a cross in and Negredo’s acrobatic overhead kick saw Heaton pull off the save of the day.

Another ball in the box saw an Ayala header cleared off the line for it to fall to Negredo who put the ball in the back of the net but Atkinson had ruled for a free kick in favour of Burnley who had Barton laid out cold after Ayala’s innocuous challenge about thirty seconds previously. It looked to me like the Officials bottled awarding the goal as a player was laid out in the six yard box who then miraculously after magic sponge intervention rose from the dead.

Grant had been clattered into with a two footed lunge but jumped up immediately saving the offending Burnley player a straight Red in sharp contrast to the actions of Barton. The last throw of the dice seen Bamford come on and almost immediately latch onto a through ball to be upended by last man Keane for a straight Red yet remarkably a free kick was awarded along with a yellow. Downing then had his effort curling into the top corner cleared off the line by Lowton, another day and an entirely different ending. Bamford again broke clean through but this time a last ditch sliding tackle saved Burnley’s blushes from their former reject’s revenge.

MOM undoubtedly were the Boro supporters who were loud and loyal throughout, on the pitch there were signs of optimism albeit probably too late to save us now. On the pitch Grant probably just edged it with his graft and never say die spirit. 0-0 and another blank sheet but a far better performance which maybe just needed some injection a little earlier but all in all something that at least showed the players still care. Just a shame that the Ref was more concerned about Dyche’s after match responses than following the laws of the game.

Hot on the caustic heels of the Flamingo Land dance into oblivion comes a chances to pick up the pieces with the Legoland encounter with Sean Dyche’s Burnley. Whilst The Clarets have been quaffing the points on their own turf down at the moor they’ve been unable to construct a single victory away along the Lego-brick road. Though should Boro go in search of the fabled wizard it won’t be a quest for a heart or courage, as that is something that the team is not evidently lacking – though perhaps a new brain is needed at the club that can be picked at over the summer in order to find a new way forward.

Though guest of honour on Saturday will no doubt be the much maligned presence of the infamous Fat Lady as she becomes increasingly confident of getting the gig at the Riverside. The only question now seems to be which song she’ll opt for – “Going down with the Mackems” is perhaps not one of Verdi’s most well known arias, so she may instead possibly opt for something more pertinent like ‘Time to say Goodbye’ or even La Traviata – which also translates as ‘the one who goes astray’ – since somehow, other than the passes from midfield, plenty has gone astray in our debut season given the club spent seven years fighting to get here.

But it’s not over just now as she hasn’t even got to the mic yet – though I suspect there will be little chance of wrestling that off Mark Page – god knows many have tried – however, she may just be able to throw her weight around to grasp it off him, but given the volume setting of his PA I fear every window in Teesside will be shattered along with our hearts should she succeed in hitting those high notes.

Still even for the most optimistic it’s hard to envisage where Boro go from here – Agnew was initially confident that he knew what was needed to turn the season around. He believed that a shift in emphasis to a more attacking game-plan was going to pay dividends – but a slightly crest-fallen head coach declared his side were ‘naive’ after the Tigers clawed their way out of the bottom three at Boro’s expense – and admitted they didn’t get the balance right between attack and defence.

Though what that balance exactly is appears to be somewhat of a conundrum amongst the ever increasing resigned Boro faithful. Does it mean a return to three defensive midfielders following our boys shipping four goals on the Humber? If so, where does that leave our attacking intent and will that once again leave Boro with an ineffective isolated centre-forward?

If you lose your nerve after one failed attempt of trying to take the game to the opposition then surely the whole basis of your methodology is then almost worthless. What we actually witnessed against Hull was a poor defensive display by probably our weakest back-four line-up for several years given that Ayala is barely match-fit, Barragan is low on quality and Husband made his PL debut. Karanka managed adequately with two defensive midfielders for the vast majority of his tenure – indeed he probably played 4-4-1-1 in nearly half his games given that Boro played with dedicated wingers and a number ten and centre-forward. We shouldn’t think three defensive midfielders has been the rock on which Boro previously succeeded – that system has actually delivered us very few points indeed.

Perhaps a return to the tried and tested Clayton-Leadbitter axis would make more sense to start games with as they work together – plus Grant has more range in his passing that is required by at least one of the midfield duo. OK perhaps he’s not got the legs for the PL but he should be able to still see us through to the last half-hour.

It’s not going to be easy for Agnew against Burnley as he’s basically got the same defensive selection dilemma to deal with – Friend and Chambers still not fit and Fabio still serving his seven-day concussion break. Husband looked a bit shell-shocked when he came off and Downing spent most of the first half covering for him – as did Adama for a lacklustre Barragan – so would the Boro boss go again with this selection? not if he’s watched the match video at least once I suspect.

I’m almost wondering if he will be forced to plump for a back three – and personally I’d play my biggest three against Burnley – so Ayala, Fry and Gibson it would be for me. But perhaps 3-4-3 may be the best way to play a back three for Boro with Downing on the left and someone really good on the right (who’s name escapes me). That would leave a front three of Negredo (left), Gestede and Adama. Though it’s highly unlikely Agnew will play his fourth formation in four games as he may leave himself open to the accusation of managing on the hoof if it goes wrong.

So despite Sean Dyche denying he’s playing mind games by declaring “Every team we play will all be thinking, ‘we don’t want to be the side they beat’. They know people will be reminding them of the fact we haven’t won away” – he most definitely is. But Boro really have no choice in trying to win the game and Agnew won’t want to be too cautious in what is now more of a ‘must win’ game than the last two ‘must win’ games. At least the new Boro boss is good with numbers as he has concluded “I’m confident, three points can bring you closer to the rest” – personally I’m almost convinced four straight wins will bring us very close indeed – perhaps too close!

So will Boro send Sean Dyche back to Legoland in pieces after building a winning platform? or will the cracks start to show in a hastily constructed Boro team as they fall apart and leave the supporters bricking it over our slim survival chances. As usual it’s time make your predictions – will Boro finally win a game and if so what will be the score and who will the scorers be (yes we can now suggest more than one goal is possible even if one should have been disallowed) – plus any suggestion for what the Fat lady should sing if she ends up taking centre-stage?

 

Boro may have been quick on the draw this season but it’s now time to start winning games as that well known gambler Slim Chance just rode into town and doesn’t like the way we are looking at him. Our situation is certainly looking dicey as we approach the last throws of our Premiership survival prospects and Boro’s gunslingers have spent most of the year in the corner of the Saloon shooting craps (or something similar).

After returning home from the far west at the weekend the new boss has been patching up his boys and may be ready to trust them with live ammunition instead of allowing them to continue to fire blanks. As part of target practice, I imagine Big Rudy has been rounding up the cattle at the Hurworth Ranch with his banjo and will be desperate to avoid being branded as a misfiring hand.

The main problem (in addition to the obvious main one) for Boro is in defence – we may have one of the meanest in the league but it’s now one of the most thread-bare. The Doc has rightly signed off a concussed Fabio, who needs to be kept out of the fray this week for his own welfare – no doubt a trick a few supporters may be contemplating if things go badly this evening. George may be ‘in a good place’ according to Agnew but that place is not in the team just yet.

Also Chambers has only just started light jogging (or walking as Adama would call it), which just leaves Barragan as the only fit (in the physical sense) regular full-back – apparently he did throw his hat into the ring as an option for left-back – but sadly it was ruled an illegal throw. Incidentally, when I look at Adama’s leg-like arms, am I the only one who thinks he could probably throw a ball out of the ground?

So there now seems a possibility that Boro’s estranged Husband might get a chance to play away from home today – he’s waited two years for his opportunity and given we’ve got no other options there is now every chance that he’ll finally be given a ‘vote of confidence’ – which will no doubt come as a relief to Downing who’s ageing legs probably need to be employed further up the pitch.

There’s also a possibility that a lame Gaston Ramirez will have shrugged off his ankle problems and be ready to put in another limp performance for the cause. Then there’s Negredo, who for me has started to look like he wants to play as an attacking midfielder rather than an out-and-out striker – perhaps the Spanish left-footer should be deployed on the wings instead?

As it stands following Tuesday’s games, Leicester have rattled up their fifth successive win and are now disappearing over the horizon and riding into the sunset – as are Burnley who just chalked up their tenth home win against a surely doomed Sunderland – the only good news is that The Clarets have yet to win on the road (I know what many of you are thinking but don’t even go there).

So realistically it’s looking like two from three to join not so slap-happy David ‘women are girls and should know their place’ Moyes and his not-so-lucky Black Cats – hopefully Swansea won’t show Spurs something they kept from revealing to us at the weekend.

So take a deep breath and get ready to make your predictions – though in case you are getting all optimistic and have been allowed access to combustible foam hands it’s probably better to do a Bill Clinton and not inhale. The one nagging stat (other than the three goals in three months and no wins) is that new Hull boss, Marco Silva, has never lost a home game in his four years as a manager – probably exemplified by his last game when finding his team one down against the Hammers switched to 4-2-4 for the second half – almost a UEFA McClarenesque strategy – he’s still available I believe…

So will our brave bunch of desperados start shooting from the hip with all guns blazing in an attempt to see off their rival gang and live to fight another day? or will our patched up bunch of cowpokes receive a tactical bum steer as Boro’s survival hopes finally bite the dust. As usual predict you line-up, score and scorers – also will Adama be under instructions to block-tackle Barragan as he attempts to fetch the ball for a last-minute throw-in?

The bright South Wales sunshine brought a small chink of hope when we found out Llorente was injured and wouldn’t make the game. For Boro it was pretty much a fairly predictable line up with no surprise returns for Ayala or even a Husband or a Bamford. Barragan was on the right, Fabio left with Bernardo and Ben in the middle of the backline. The main difference to an AK side was the inclusion of Downing in the central No.10 role leaving just two DM’s in Clayts and de Roon. Negredo was up front supported by Traore right and Gaston left.

The game started with a fairly steady if uninspiring pace with neither side exactly “going for it” from the off although there were at least a few early robust challenges. Boro started the brighter and Negredo had a half heated hand ball claim against Mawson in the penalty box. Traore looked lively and ran at them causing mayhem but after 20 minutes or so things eased off and Swansea dominated possession with Narsingh giving Fabio a tough time, eventually leading to a yellow card for our potential player of the season. Nerves were clearly to the fore as neither side wanted to do anything sloppy and as such it was far from a classic. Traore played a peach of a ball over the top through to a marginally onside Negredo who uncharacteristically failed to bring it down, the ball spun away and the clean through chance was gone.

Swansea’s possession stat was growing but it was against a Boro side well drilled in the art of soaking up pressure. Valdes pulled off one good save but other than that and a fumbled punch and re-grasp (as the ball came off the back of Bernardo) we rarely looked threatened. Ramirez was fairly quiet in the game and an innocuous looking challenge lead to him being grounded clasping his right ankle only to pull up two minutes later to leave the pitch for Gestede to enter the fray, Agnew switching to a more straightforward 442 with Downing switching from central to the left flank. The half time whistle came and apart from the one Valdes save there was very little for either Keeper to do in the opening 45.

The second half started with the same nervy tempo with the up till then relatively quiet Sigurdsson testing Valdes from distance with a weak speculative effort. Without Llorente Swansea were fizzling out in the final third despite Olsson and Narsingh offering pace down the flanks their final ball wasn’t ideal for Ayew. On 52 minutes Boro worked a ball up to Gestede who laid it off to Negredo who dummied it and let in run for Traore who cut into the box and saw his shot pass Fabianski but just past the wrong side of the far post.

That Traore effort seemed to spark Swansea into life and they upped the pressure but 5 minutes later Traore again burst out of defence leaving a despairing Mawson lunge which earned him yellow for his troubles as had Fer in the first half for a similar attempt on stopping him. A serious looking injury to Fabio had us all worried as he landed badly looking dazed and concussed. As if our defensive injury crisis wasn’t bad enough whilst down to 10 men Sigurdsson had a brilliant strike and an equal save from Valdes. Forshaw entered the fray on 64 minutes for the Ayatollah impersonating Fabio with Downing dropping into the LB slot, changing position now for the third time in the game.

A drop ball saw Barragan nick the ball from the two nominated players contending the drop ball much to the chagrin of Clement and the home fans. His cheek continued further up the pitch when he was consequently fouled and then wound up the Swansea fans further when he pinched a yard (or two) on the free kick. Whether it was brewing or because off or perhaps the need for points but the game became a little tetchier afterwards as the home fans suddenly found their voices. Unfortunately for Boro with Forshaw arriving and the default 3 DM’s by accident rather than design we lost some of our creativity.

Barragan played Traore through on 78 minutes with Negredo waiting in the box but Fabianski got down to the cross. The subsequent break from Swansea saw Gestede pick up a fortunate yellow for a two footed tackle. Ten minutes to go and Swansea were forcing the game with Boro relying on our stalwart defence and Traore’s pace in the hope of finding Negredo or Gestede. A drag back from Bernardo gave away a stupid free kick just on the edge of our 18 yard box and we sat with hearts in our mouths as Sigurdsson took aim. Fortunately Sigurdsson’s attempt was well wide courtesy of a Forshaw “deflection” and after an ensuing series of calamitous desperate defending Gestede again launched a desperate lunge and lucky not to see red.

With two minutes to go Fer broke free and charged down the middle of the pitch with the Boro defence left in his wake but fortunately Downing chasing back done enough to put him off and push him wide. We had an opportunity one minute into injury time with a throw in 10 yards from the Swansea corner flag and Barragan frustratingly produced yet another foul throw. Seconds later Negredo put in a brilliant cross for Gestede who rose but headed the wrong side of the post in what was probably our best opportunity. Hitting the target would have been easier than missing but that’s what happens when you are down in the bottom three. Then Negredo was played through by Traore with seconds remaining but was pushed wide and the chance faded for a goal kick. 0-0 it ended, a result which done neither side a great deal of good but better than a defeat and in nine games time who knows we may be grateful for that point and let’s face it when have Boro ever done it the easy way?

There’s been a new dawn at Boro with a new crew in charge and a few familiar faces back on board as the club embark upon a journey this week that will hopefully keep our season afloat. These next three fixtures potentially offer the team a safe passage out of the bottom three but it won’t be by any means plain sailing. The supporters have been in the Doldrums for many weeks now but following Karanka’s mutual decision to walk the plank it is hoped by many that it’s now all hands on deck and we can avoid that sinking feeling.

It’s now two week since Aitor Karanka left the building and it appears the club have moved on quite rapidly. Perhaps it’s just the way of football but many of the appointees of Karanka have pretty smartly followed him out of the door and a new regime is already starting to take shape.

It appears the club is undergoing a de-Spanification with the departures of First Team Fitness Coach Carlos Cachada – Senior analyst and assistant coach Juanjo Vila, assistant analyst Guillermo Alonso Salinas and interim goalkeeping coach Marcos Abad.

Presumably, these departures must have been at least partly the decision of Steve Agnew as no doubt he will have preferred to appoint his own people instead. Which to me indicates that there has been a decision that a new approach was needed, though perhaps more accurately that a change in emphasis is required.

Carlos Cachada had the title of fitness coach but his role was wider – coincidentally, Jonathan Woodgate revealed to the Gazette earlier this year that Cachada took care of much of the defensive coaching at Rockliffe Park, though it was normally Karanka that devised the drills. So does that mean we’ll be seeing a different approach at the back and will the appointment of Stewart Downing’s brother-in-law as a first team coach be as Cachada’s replacement?

On the face of it, Woodgate doesn’t have a particularly strong background in coaching and has only just achieved his badges – indeed the 37 year-old’s previous employment after leaving Boro was as a scout in Spain for Liverpool – So why has he been brought to the party?

I think he is probably going to take on the role of conduit between the players and Agnew – as a former Boro squad member, he not only knows the players but was a popular figure and commands their respect. There is a suggestion that Woody will perhaps be able to encourage that vital extra few percent out of the players because of the currency and bond he still retains – particularly as Agnew will probably need to distance himself personally now he is the main man picking the team.

Another Middlesbrough lad, under-23s coach Paul Jenkins has now made the step up to assist Steve Agnew with first team duties. In an interview on the MFC website he spoke about how he has known Steve for around 15 years from their time working together at the Boro academy, in which they have developed and shared a footballing philosophy. His role will be to devise with Agnew training sessions in co-ordination with Adam Kerr, who is head of fitness, to help achieve the changes on the pitch that they want to make. He also revealed that the players were enjoying these intense sessions and there was a good atmosphere in the camp with the players raring to go.

In Addition, Stephen Gent has stepped up from his role as opposition analyst to Head of Match analysis to replace the outgoing Spanish analysts – so despite the departures it appears that there should be some continuity in the level of match preparations.

Joe Jordan completes the coaching team and has 30 years experience both as a manager and as an assistant – notably to Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth, Spurs and QPR, where he’s hopefully picked up the key points on how to avoid relegation. Redknapp said of Jordan as a coach that “You could put your life on him…He’s quiet, but when he says something, it is worth listening to.” – whilst The Herald described Jordan the coach of having ‘presence and natural authority’. The only caveat is that he admittedly didn’t expect to have another job in football so perhaps he’s not looking at Boro as a move to enhance his career.

Oh, and just in case any more characters in the coaching staff were needed, we have Leo back on duty as goalkeeping coach – it’s quite interesting that he has remained at the club given the other departures and his close association as possibly the de facto number two under Karanka. Perhaps he and Agnew got on well, he certainly wears his heart on his sleeve – though sometimes he looks like he is in the mood to wear other people’s hearts on his sleeve too.

Overall, I think the primary purpose of the coaching team is simply to galvanise the Boro players to get them in the right frame of mind for the task ahead – I suspect whilst many were on board with Karanka, no doubt there were several players who no longer bought into his methods and had lost the desire and motivation necessary at this level. The tactical role of the new team appears to be about changing the emphasis from stopping the opposition to empowering the players to take control of their own destiny.

A team will function best when everyone is pulling in the same direction and it was almost inevitable that once results entered a downward spiral, especially the prolonged goal drought, the cohesive fabric of the whole team would start to wear thin. I’ve already covered the potential pitfalls of Karanka’s methodolgy (A big club methodology for a small town in Europe) and the reality of any manager is that football is primarily a results-based occupation.

There can’t be many occupations where you can never reach a certain level or comfort zone – rather it expects year-on-year improvement to display that you are still capable of doing your job – in fact logic demands that your chances of managing that are pretty slim and at some point you will hit the wall. The problem is often one of belief from those under your control and from those above you who are assessing your performance – not to mention the thousands of observers and media pundits who will scrutinise your performance and make their opinions known.

The hope now is that Boro get that famous new manager bounce – it’s not guaranteed but it has become expected by supporters – I suspect you are probably more likely to get that bounce when you remove the point of tension and lift the pressure. Though for Boro, the real point of pressure was not Karanka but it is achieving that first victory and ending our horrendous run. I’m of the view that the players probably didn’t need a new figurehead coming in who would try to impose a radical change of tactics – they probably didn’t need the prospect of embarking on new set of instructions that some may fail to grasp or execute and feel under pressure to impress. They most likely need to feel confident that what they are being asked to do personally is something that is within their capability and will work for them – the time for heavy duty tactical drills and methodologies is pre-season once the players have been refreshed by a break.

Boro now have three crucial games in six days and realistically there will be little time on the training pitch in-between games. A methodology based on stopping the opposition will have little opportunity to be honed tactically, so worrying about opposition first could possibly lead to indecision and paralysis on the pitch. Personally, I believe a better strategy for these games will be to give the opposition something to keep them occupied in their own half – the problem that Boro have had this year was that the opposition knew we would be playing with only one man isolated up front and would slowly build from the back, allowing them time to get into position.

The trip to Swansea is up first and they have labelled this a crucial game for their survival hopes – Boro know what they now have to do, it’s catch-up time, but the teams above us now have something to hold on to and that in some ways it puts the pressure on them. In addition, they now don’t know what to expect from Boro – will it be business as usual or will it be something completely unexpected? Boro have the opportunity to catch Swansea on the back foot, their weakness is clearly in defence and it’s not that long since they normally shipped three goals a game and having lost their last two games they will be a little less sure.

Other teams above us have already had their bounce after their change of managers – the football laws of gravity determine that at some point they will start to fall again after the initial energy starts to dissipate. Perhaps the depth and velocity of Boro’s fall will allow us an even greater bounce?

Boro should treat the Swansea game as a must win – whilst one point is not a bad result given Swansea are a team we want to overhaul – three would give us that momentum that is urgently needed and give vindication to the new setup that would suddenly make the trip to Hull eagerly anticipated. With Burnley at home next Saturday, there would be a real prospect of finding ourselves out of the bottom three – or at the very least with escape within our grasp.

The team for Swansea will be interesting, though perhaps the line-up will contain few surprises. The defence has been bolstered by the return of Ayala to training but it appears George and Chambers are still quite a bit away from returning. It would normally mean Fabio playing left-back but I wonder if Husband will get his chance – options are limited at full-back so it’s likely to be Barragan. I’m still hoping that the three defensive midfielders has been scratched from the play book as we really need to get our attacking players on the pitch if Boro are going to start winning games. There has been many calls for 4-4-2 or probably 4-4-1-1, with Negredo supported by Gestede – that would probably mean Downing on the left and Gaston on the right.

OK, time to give your thoughts for the week ahead – will Boro be swanning around after the game on Sunday showing off their three points? or will Boro be rehearsing their Premiership swansong after yet another defeat? As usual make your team predictions, score and scorers – plus will Harry Redknapp be spotted in the crowd with his dog in a Boro scarf?

Exmil Challenge Part II

Just a reminder that entries for the second part of the challenge should be submitted before 3pm on Saturday. You can find a link to the interactive entry form by clicking on the blue Exmil Challenge banner at the top of the right column

Week of Destiny

As a special match preview bonus ahead of the week of destiny, Redcar Red has been casting his eye over the fixtures that involve our relegation rivals.

Looking ahead to the week of destiny obviously we are well aware of our own fixtures for these three games but there are some other interesting ties that will also shape our fortune not least of all on the second weekend when we host Burnley at the Riverside.

The day before we go down to South Wales, Palace will have had to negotiate Chelsea at the Bridge so highly likely they will return empty handed. Hull are at home to the Hammers and that could go either way I suppose but what are the odds of Snoddy hitting the winner after a disappointing spell in East London.

Leicester I suspect will continue to pull clear as they seem to have rediscovered their form of last season but they are at home to Stoke and Hughes’s men seem capable of grinding out results and with Champions League distractions who knows how their season will pan out. Sunderland are away to Watford where I think they will in all likelihood lose but could sneak a point, being honest if we have to start worrying about the Makems then we may as well give up now.

Midweek sees Leicester and Sunderland go head to head, not sure how I want that one to pan out. If Leicester are going to keep pulling away then we may as well see Sunderland tonked but with nerves jangling who knows. Palace are away to the Saints so lets pray for a home win. Spurs travel to Swansea and have plenty still to play for. Then on Wednesday Boro are away to Hull, we know only too well what is at stake down on the Humber that night!

It’s the following weekend though that could see us really restore hope and belief assuming we get a bit of luck during the previous two schedules. Travel sick Burnley will come to a fired up Riverside cauldron complete with bad boy Barton. Hull are away at Man City, Swansea away to the Hammers while Leicester are hopefully choking on the Toffees. Sunderland “entertain” Mourinho’s United while Palace face the Arsenal. There is a good chance that some of our mini league competitors could lose ground whilst we could make up three points.

If in worse case we finish the week of destiny two points adrift of safety there is always that home game against Sunderland but it would be nice to put a few of our fellow strugglers to the sword and push on ourselves. Two wins and a draw, I can dream can’t I? I suppose three straight wins would be being greedy and unrealistic considering we have only won four all season but its now or never!

This Weekend

Chelsea v Palace
Hull v West Ham
Leicester v Stoke
Watford v Sunderland
Swansea v Middlesbrough

Midweek

Leicester v Sunderland
Hull v Middlesbrough
Southampton v Palace
Swansea v Spurs

Next Weekend

Man City v Hull
Middlesbrough v Burnley
West Ham v Swansea
Everton v Leicester
Sunderland v Man Utd
Palace v Arsenal

Too many players too soon, poorly thought through recruitment, and lack of integration spelt the end for Aitor Karanka after three years of steady progress, writes Simon Fallaha

In the near-immediate aftermath of Aitor Karanka’s departure as Head Coach of Middlesbrough FC (phew – long sentence!), perhaps we should take a breather and briefly review 2016-17 to date. We may well find that we should not permit ourselves too much surprise at the Boro’s failings.

Now, you can point your finger at our beleaguered ex-manager all you want, but it will not change things. For all his considerable limitations, he had a modus operandi to get us into the Premier League and he achieved this, with the added bonus, if you can call it that, of leaving us in a position where we can still escape the drop. Albeit later than many would have liked in both cases.

The reality is, man for man, the Premier League experience of this Boro squad, especially in a relegation scrap, is limited, or worse, virtually nil. Let’s look at the new arrivals from last summer in a “starting XI” kind of way.

Valdes/Guzan, Barragan, Chambers, Espinosa, Fabio, De Roon, Guedioura, Adama, Fischer, Ramirez/Gestede, Negredo/Bamford.

We have signed the effective equivalent of an entirely new side since last summer. But is it a Premier League collective? Compared to our rivals, you’d have to admit… not really.

There are players in that group that have shone at the top level, for top clubs, but their availability was another warning. You couldn’t just expect the likes of, say, Victor Valdes, Antonio Barragan, Alvaro Negredo or even Fabio da Silva to return to Premier League football and hit the ground running with a high performance level, as if they’d never been away. For those who had never played in England before, say, Bernardo Espinosa, Marten De Roon and Viktor Fischer, it was harder still. They needed to be surrounded by the right character if they were to prosper as Boro wished. And it is still open to question if Boro have found, or even can find, this character.

One club where character is not in short supply is Burnley. At least eight of their squad from their ill-fated, low-scoring return to the Premier League in 2014-15 are still on board today – Tom Heaton, Michael Keane, George Boyd, Sam Vokes, Dean Marney, Ashley Barnes, Ben Mee and Scott Arfield. Former crown jewel Danny Ings was sold at a very healthy profit, and Sean Dyche smartly and spontaneously invested the proceeds, parachute payments and later promotion money in the likes of Andre Gray, Joey Barton, Steven Defour, Jeff Hendrick and Robbie Brady. The rewards are currently there for all to see.

In praising the Clarets, I should emphasise “spontaneously”. Unlike Boro, they are not the kind to be outfoxed or destabilized by “that wasn’t in the script” moments – under Dyche they are the kings of party pooping and timely boosts. Once upon a time, they couldn’t win a game in the Championship and their front men, including one Jelle Vossen, weren’t cutting it. Before you knew it, Vossen was back in Belgium, Gray had arrived, and the victories came along. Similarly, the signings of Hendrick and Brady went through right at the end of the transfer window – the right players at the right time.

By contrast, although it was said that Boro did good business early, we concluded both transfer windows by selling Albert Adomah, Adam Reach and Jordan Rhodes. In the greater scheme of things, perhaps, whether their replacements were any better or not was irrelevant – the concern was more down to whether or not their replacements were right for Boro. Reach was a talented academy product, Adomah was a very popular player, and Rhodes was a proven goal scorer at a time when Boro needed goals.

The wrong players to sell at the wrong time, then?

It would matter less if we could say that their replacements are legitimate improvements.

But even if they are, at least on a technical level, do they connect with the area, and Boro, in quite the same way? Do they plug into the ethos of the club and what it is all about?

High-profile recruitment is, and always has been, a gamble. Arrivals like Victor Valdes and Alvaro Negredo can, in a way, be likened to Emerson and Fabrizio Ravanelli. Their ability can delight fans and inspire everyone on the pitch to play above themselves.

But their wage and status can also cause friction within the squad and resentment among the paying public, who may well perceive them as proof of the George Graham maxim that if a player doesn’t see his new club as a step up, he’ll think he’s doing you a favour by being there.

To a lesser extent, you have Scott McDonald and Nicky Bailey. Both made a positive contribution to the Moggalution in its most upwardly mobile times.

Yet you cannot quantify a signing as good or bad solely by on-the-pitch statistics.

McDonald’s tally of forty goals, beaten only in the last twenty years by Mark Viduka and Hamilton Ricard, and Bailey’s very good 2011, are fine achievements on their own terms. But those terms are sadly piddling when you consider their moodiness, a transfer fee of roughly £5 million between them (high for Boro at the time), and large wage packets. They were bought to be part of a promotion team – what they did do may have raised our hopes here and there, but ultimately amounted to nothing. In short, the ends simply didn’t justify the means.

The same certainly couldn’t be said for Rhodes, his purple patch of five in seven giving us both an invaluable lift and crucial points on the way to promotion. Far fewer goals from a more expensive signing, but a much bigger difference made by someone who truly appeared to have connected with the club.

Connection. There’s that word again. By the end of 2012-13 most of Boro’s coaching staff had a “connection” – they were locally born ex-players, along with Craig Hignett and Mark Venus. When Karanka arrived he quickly made his mark by bringing in his own men. It may have been neither parochial nor popular but there was a necessity to it, for the name of progress.

Fast forward to 2016 and Boro’s promotion heroes have overcome countless challenges to triumph as a unit. Now they, like Mogga’s backroom staff, have a feel of a family that doesn’t want to be broken up. But to build a platform for survival in the Premier League, needs have to be placed ahead of wants. Head must, reluctantly, take precedence over heart.

But a team needs heart and personality as well as brain and skill. Otherwise the club will no longer move in the right direction. And by bringing in too many players, too soon, the strength, momentum and belief of the Boro collective was irreparably damaged.

At the centre of this we have the unfortunate case of Adomah and Daniel Ayala. Their all-around development, the curbing of their erraticism and the maturity of their football brains should have been Karanka’s greatest legacy. Alas, one left the club under a cloud and the other now effectively resembles a central defensive Daniel Sturridge.

It didn’t have to be like this. It is understandable for a manager to be exceptionally frustrated at either having his authority challenged in the heat of the moment or not having their best defender available when he needs him most. But there comes a time when you must accept that nothing goes according to plan all the time. One must learn to forgive and trust, to be as patient with his players as he wants them to be with him, if not more. To guide them through the bad times. Taking pride from improving eager, willing newcomers – for example, De Roon and Espinosa – is one thing. Learning to integrate the newly high-profile talent you yourself contributed to improving is another.

This, and more, played its part in the lead up to the transfer window of discontent, the winter of very tough love that spelt the end of Aitor Karanka’s steady progress on Teesside.

Today we find ourselves picking up the pieces and scrambling for positives amidst the debris of wrecked dreams. We can admire the commitment of De Roon. We can enjoy the speed of Adama Traore. We can praise Valdes’ improvement – despite his errors, he has kept us in many games. We can take delight in the beautifully taken goals Negredo actually has scored. But has the cost been worth it?

I’m reminded of 1996-97, when it took drastic in-house divisions, freefalling to the bottom of the table and a points deduction for Bryan Robson to finally wake up and smell the coffee. The playing styles of both seasons, coincidentally twenty years apart, may seem like polar opposites, but both have been mainly dire for similar reasons – poorly thought through recruitment and lack of integration.

I guess, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Typical Boro. Or am I wrong?

In the interminational break our thoughts tend to wander as bizarre topics appear on the blog.

As days get longer thoughts turn to impending gloom at MFC or the glorious pending cricket season now unhindered by admonishments by blogmeisters who believe the earth is flat and started in 1986.

The Blue Peter Time Capsule was inadvertently dug up during building work earlier this year so maybe we need a virtual Diasboro Time Capsule.

Nominate one item, and one item only, from your time supporting Boro to be locked in virtual space until we win the FA Cup.

Is it a player, a memorable match or season, a favourite manager or kit. Something that will give the essence of the Boro.

Feel free to discuss several before narrowing your choice for posterity supported by reasoned argument.

As with Jedi there is the dark side to consider and that isn’t just our very own Darth Vader, the Prince of Darkness. (Keith Lamb to younger readers)

What item would you consign to Room 101. What makes you wake up in a cold sweat, a match you have recurring nightmares about, awful kits, Staasi Stewards, awful signings, dreadful decisions, blind officials.

I have already put Strachan in there so that option is ruled out as being too easy. Again, be rational unless it is irrational, that is allowed for Room 101

Thinking caps on and a bonus Trabant will be dug up to be awarded to the best argued items.