Blog Posts

Championship 2019-20: Weeks 26-27

Sat  1 Feb – 15:00: Boro v Blackburn
Sat  8 Feb – 15:00: Brentford v Boro
Tue 11 Feb – 19:45: Wigan v Boro

As the January transfer window circus gets ready to head out of town, all that is left are the usual bunch of sad clowns kicking their heels in oversized shoes after failing to persuade desperate clubs that their client’s wage demands were reasonable and the elephant in the room is now wondering why he’s been going round in circles again. Reports that Boro are attempting some death-defying signings without the aid of the safety net that was parachute payments have probably made even the most daring of accountants unable to look.

Still, cries for the jugglers in the recruitment department to be sacked remain unheeded as the Riverside ringmaster tries to get in on the act by introducing his amazing escapologist nephew, who is attempting to free himself from the claret and blue chains that bind him to Sean Dyche. While very few onlookers are left holding their breath, the latest rumours suggest rather than signing our own Harry Houdini, Boro may be welcoming the French-born defender Harold Moukoudi instead – though from Saint-Etienne rather than from from the Cirque du Soleil. OK, it could still be the result of a Googling autocorrect error that got out of hand.

Talking of chains, apparently first-time buyers Boro are being held in one as they hope to gain the signature of Leicester’s Croatian £13m stopper Filip Benkovic, who can seemingly go out loan to get some game-time and test his dodgy knee that has restricted him to just a handful of appearances in the last 12 months – though the cunning Foxes first want to sign a replacement as cover. From a typical Boro perspective it looks like an accident waiting to happen or indeed repeated as news that one January signing has already been sidelined by injury for two months. The exciting and energetic Patrick Roberts looks unlikely to pull on a Boro shirt until April after doing his hamstring (to give it the full medical diagnosis) against Birmingham and will now have little impact on Boro’s fortunes this season.

It seems as the deadline approaches the ambulance chasers at the Boro recruitment ward are being linked with another injury prone player to replace Roberts. Jordan Jones of Rangers is being suggested he will imminently move to Teesside, where he would return to the club he supports and was released by the academy in 2006. A knee injury has restricted Jones to just five appearances this season and it seems the three-games-a-week Championship will more than test his recovery.

Another player now being heavily linked to join Boro is bad boy Ravel Morrison, who at 26 has already been at ten clubs but hasn’t really played that much football in the last five years with just 34 games at five different clubs – 18 of which were down Mexico way for a club in Guadalajara. As a youngster there was no doubting his talent but his attitude has seemingly not made him many friends. From Manchester to London, Birmingham to Wales, Italy to Mexico and Sweden to Sheffield, it seems next stop is Teesside if the players less than cryptic Tweet yesterday of the Boro badge is any indication.

It’s fair to say with all that travelling he comes with plenty of baggage, including some serious off-field problems in his late teens and early twenties, which show being convicted of witness intimidation, several charges of assault (which were later dropped) and being fined by the FA for posting homophobic threats on Twitter. Lazio’s footballing director said of Morrison: “He has undoubted quality and is world class, as well as being a little mad” – while Big Sam described him as “The biggest waste of talent he has worked with.” A career blighted by problems, attitude and injuries, which you could say will add insult to injury to the mix if he does indeed join Boro. Perhaps not the role model our young squad need but possibly a cautionary tale for those who think they have already made it.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Woodgate may be hoping he won’t need to contemplate looking for his old boots under the stairs as defensive options for February could involve variations of a back one and a rush goalie. Though there’s still no news on progress of the Billy Ashcroft style conversion of Rudy Gestede into that towering presence at the back. At least it sounds like Dael Fry has recovered and hopefully he will be sufficiently fit to withstand the busy schedule of 11 games in the next seven weeks.

The Championship it appears has been designed to literally test a squad to destruction and is one that seemingly ignores the pace and rigours of modern football. This is no longer a world dominated by goal poachers and agricultural defenders but now requires players to press, sprint, overlap and cover with high intensity until they have left everything on the pitch – including surely their prospects of a long career. With the season now punctuated by four two-week international breaks, where a significant number of second-tier players at all levels don’t even get a break, it’s meant the need to further squeeze the calendar to fit in 46 league fixtures and two cup competitions – that’s normally a minimum of 50 games for each club with only 35 weekends available. It’s a war of attrition and tiredness has become the great leveller as once again the better teams at the top with more internationals lose their edge as others randomly play catch up.

Whether Boro can still catch up is another matter, that fleeting moment of possibility appears to have passed after those Manager-of-the-Month performances of December have not quite been repeated in January. After not tasting victory since that New Year’s Day win at Preston, Woodgate will probably need to explain to his son Carter that he probably doesn’t need to find any more space on the top of his wardrobe for another one just yet. He could possibly take time to introduce him to the folklore and the curse that often accompanies the award – though that could lead to some nightmares when the young lad sees it emitting an eerie kryptonic green glow in his bedroom at night.

Sadly, a twelve-point gap to sixth place is now looking insurmountable in the remaining 17 games and all but the pathological optimists on Teesside have probably given up hope of reaching the play-offs. To put the task in context, it probably requires 40 points from the remaining 17 games and few teams have ever achieved that in the recent history of the Championship. In case any doubt the veracity of that claim, I’m contractually obliged to throw in a table to prove the point that shows the most points that clubs have achieved since Boro were relegated ten years ago – note: other arbitrary statistically interpretations are available.

Most points gained in the last 17 games since 2009/10
		After 29 games		After 46 games		Points gained
Season	Team	Position	Points	Position	Points	last 17 games
2011/12	Reading	7	46	1	89	43
2015/16	Burnley	3	56	1	93	41
2009/10	Newcastle	1	62	1	102	40
2018/19	Norwich	2	54	1	94	40
2017/18	Fulham	6	48	3	88	40
2019/20	Boro ?	17	35	6	75	40
2014/15	Watford	6	50	2	89	39
2014/15	Norwich	7	47	3	86	39
2018/19	Sheff Utd	4	51	2	89	38
2015/16	Brighton	4	51	3	89	38
2013/14	Burnley	2	56	2	93	37

Boro have been added to the table not out of anticipation but for the simple purpose of demonstrating the contrast in points and position that the other teams had both at this stage and after 46 games. Woodgate’s team currently have 12 points fewer than any team that has managed such a total. Nevertheless, if we were to see Boro ever join that table for real and make around 40 points to reach the play-offs then they’re going to have to come from a very long way back to emulate just a handful of clubs. Teams who can achieve such a sustained run of form appear to be already in contention with a third of the season remaining and probably weren’t relying on makeshift defences or bedding in too many young players and loanees. It’s perhaps even more of a challenge for an injury hit squad that has to now play 11 games in seven weeks. OK, it’s not impossible to make that amount of points but highly improbable a team currently in 17th is going to shoot up the table.

There’s probably an obvious reason why Boro are not closer to the play-offs and that is down to inconsistency and not having the ability to win games when not playing well – or indeed even when playing well. It should be noted that Aston Villa overcame an 11 point deficit with just 12 games to go last season to make the play-offs. They won 10 on the spin of their last 12 games and only lost their final game against Champions Norwich after resting some key players like Jack Grealish once a top-six place was already secured. Boro have already used up all their space for bad runs and would need to win four of their next five games, repeat that twice more and then end with a win and a draw! I don’t think even Ray Winstone would have the nerve to offer any odds on that.

This is the puzzling backdrop to why Boro are keen on adding more high-profile loan signings to what should be geared towards preparing for a better start next season. Try before you buy deals would be a more sensible approach rather than giving pitch time to any players who are not likely to be available or affordable for Boro next term. OK, Woodgate will want to finish as high as possible this season but it shouldn’t be at the expense of limiting his resources to acquire better players in the summer.

At the moment the club are pondering whether they can afford to offer deals to players like Howson and Ayala – though Woodgate sounded confident the former would sign a new contract. Following Marcus Tavernier committing himself to Boro until June 2023, the head coach also seemed to indicate both Djed Spence and Aynsley Pears were also very close to following suit. With Hayden Coulson already on board, together with Dael Fry, Lewis Wing and Ashley Fletcher, it will give Woodgate a good young core of players to build his team around and it will be important that they all get as many games under their belt this season as possible.

Of course, attracting players to Teesside has never been easy and most targets that reach the media before they sign usually never end up happening. Boro have to almost operate in stealth mode to avoid getting gazumped or players hijacked on route to Hurworth. Perhaps the bid for Ben Gibson was the equivalent of the proverbial ‘dead cat on the table’ that is essentially a distraction so Boro can work on their real targets without too much media attention.

OK, avoiding the media pack’s gaze can be difficult and often requires those involved to operate covertly. Boro could possibly learn from the latest takeover at Newcastle, where Mike Ashley is said to be furious that news of the deal has leaked into the media before it has been agreed. It’s not yet clear how the media twigged that the consortium involved were planning on buying the famous black-and-white shirted club as the whole deal had operated under an impenetrable codename. OK, perhaps ‘Project Zebra’ was barely enough to fool some of the working-lunch tabloid journos but at least they opted against adding the word ‘Crossing’ at the end.

Nevertheless, now that the people behind takeover have been outed, there is unease that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is one of them. You may recall it was reported he was recently behind the murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi, whose body was then gruesomely chopped up and disposed of. Indeed, the charge sheet doesn’t stop there and you could easily add a whole list of crimes and human rights abuses from extra-judicial killings, financing a proxy war in Yemen, persecution of LGBT people in his own country and much more.

The prospect of such a person owning their club seems not to be an issue for most Newcastle supporters, with a poll showing 80 percent in favour – especially after the group indicated that they planned to make £200m available for transfers and possibly re-instate Rafa as manager. The Northern Echo reported that Michael Martin, from the Newcastle fanzine True Faith, said “The lure of a strengthened squad and the chance of a place in Europe means many fans would look beyond the issues surrounding human rights. If the Saudis took over at Newcastle, I seriously doubt there would be any local outcry… They would be welcomed not so much with open arms but with an unparalleled euphoria.” It’s also possible that the threat of the ‘bone saw’ may encourage the likes of Andy Carrol to stay fit.

All of which tells us that in the world of football today it’s only money that talks and nothing else seems to matter. Newcastle fans merely see Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as their lottery ticket to becoming the next Manchester City. As to how he will pass the Premier League’s ‘Fit and Proper Person’ test will be interesting. I can imagine the meeting where the suits weigh up the evidence… “OK, on the downside he’s responsible for the murder of quite a few people, oppressed the population and is financing a brutal war – though on the plus side he’s got a personal fortune of $17bn and his extended family is worth over $2 trillion. Sounds like just the kind of man we’re looking to attract.” You may as well abolish the test if this deal goes through as what would somebody have to do to fail?

Owning a football club has become a way for very rich dubious people to add a veneer of respectability to their image. 15 of the 20 clubs in the Premier League are already owned by billionaires, even half-a-dozen of the Championship clubs are owned by billionaires. Steve Gibson with his personal fortune estimated at $263m is now one of the ‘poorest’ owners in the top two divisions – with only Millwall’s owners listed as worth less. I suspect the pressure to water down FFP rules will grow as the power of the wealthy usually exceeds the will of those who regulate.

Anyway, back to the actual football and Boro resume their business on the pitch this Saturday as they welcome a couple of local heroes back to Teesside with former manager Tony Mowbray and the head coach’s brother-in-law Stewart Downing. Downing claimed this week that him moving was the best for everyone and especially his friend Jonathan Woodgate. Though while he says he loving life at Blackburn under Mogga, he announced that he won’t celebrate if he scores – well I’m not sure given his less than prolific strike-rate (average of two goals per season at Boro and just one so far at Blackburn) he should spurn the opportunity to do a knee slide towards the Red Faction and turn his back and point to his name. Still, I hope he doesn’t include OGs in that statement as he will surely get to hear “there’s only one Stewy Downing” if he does. After winning their last two games, including 5-0 against Garry Monk’s Owls, Rovers are now just 4 points off the play-offs in tenth place. Woodgate will be hoping that only one of the Teesside-born former-central-defender-turned-gaffer is left smiling come five-o-clock – and preferably the current one.

The following weekend sees Boro make the trip to Brentford to take on a Thomas Frank’s side that are currently occupying a play-off place in fifth spot. Their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Forest ended a run of six-successive victories at Griffin Park, including wins over Fulham and Swansea – plus that 7-0 thrashing of Luton. It will not be an easy task for Boro to come away with three points as not only have the Bees conceded the fewest number of goals in the Championship, they are also the fourth highest scorers and subsequently have the best goal-difference.

Next up is the first midweek game of the month as Boro are once again on their travels as they head to Wigan. Paul Cook’s side are currently in the relegation zone. Their win over Birmingham on New Year’s Day ended a run of 13 games without victory and they picked up another three points last time out against Sheffield Wednesday. The Lactics are currently nine points behind Boro and four from safety and it’s a game Woodgate will want to win to put an even healthier distance between the clubs. The reverse fixture back in August saw Woodgate achieve his first win as Boro head coach with a narrow 1-0 victory thanks to a first-half headed goal from Britt Assombalonga – perhaps the DR Congo striker will hope to repeat the task if he’s back from injury.

So as rumours come and go and targets become no longer of interest, it’s difficult to predict how the squad will look come 23:00 on Friday evening. If past experiences are anything to go by then probably not much different as last-minute hitches and changes of mind mean business wasn’t able to be completed. As I type this sentence, there’s still no sign of Ben Gibson, Harold Moukoudi is still heading to Teesside to be toughen up, Ravel Morrison hasn’t as yet unravelled, Leicester have signed a replacement to unblock Filip Benkovic, Jordan Jones is possibly still on his Jack, the lad from Shrewsbury who looked good on TV against Liverpool is still being linked with everyone and apparently Boro are in for 20-year old wonder-kid from Argentina. Still no offers for Gestede and Villa have yet to panic and offer £10m for Britt…

	FRIDAY 17 JANUARY 2020
Fulham		2-1	Boro
Knockaert (6)	61% 17(6) 3 10	POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) CORNERS FOULS	39% 8(0) 8 6

Fed up in Fulham

The matches seem to be coming thick and fast at the minute as Boro stayed down in London and headed across the City to Craven Cottage this evening in the Championship under the Sky cameras. It looked like everyone came through the midweek cup replay against Spurs uninjured so no fresh concerns for Woodgate in terms of available personnel apart from Randolph departing which while disappointing wasn’t a huge shock. Fulham on the other hand would be missing their talismanic Striker and of course ex-Boro target Aleksandar Mitrovic.

It could be argued that Boro without Assombalonga added up to pretty much the same thing or at least that what we were hoping Scott Parker would be seeking solace in. Reality was that whilst Fulham had an unhealthy overdependence on Mitrovic the same certainly couldn’t be said about Boro and Britt or even Boro and goals in this season’s Championship so far.

Arguably an entire first choice Boro defensive unit was missing with Shotton, Ayala, Friend and Dijksteel all injured. Parker had a few other concerns himself with midfielder Harrison Reed out with a calf problem and Mitrovic’s possible replacement Aboubakar Kamara struggling with an ankle injury. Boro hadn’t come out victorious against Fulham since February 2016 although Fulham hadn’t actually beaten Boro at the Cottage since April 2015.

There were six changes in the Boro line up from the midweek Cup game with the most notable absentees being Wing and Fletcher. Mejias, Johnson, Liddle and Nmecha all dropped out with Gestede, Saville, Coulson, Roberts, Pears and Tavernier all starting. Reid was starting as the main Striker for Fulham with Cavaleiro and Knockaert providing the threat down the flanks.

Ref David Webb blew for Fulham to kick off and almost immediately putting the ball out of play. Fulham were spraying the ball around with confidence and aplomb but were forced back into their own half before regrouping and getting back up the pitch. Despite all the flair and endeavour when the final ball came it ended up being comfortably collected at waist height by Pears. Fulham swiftly came back again, this time with Knockaert being closed down by Coulson before shooting well over.

A Tav cross in the fourth minute was headed by Hector clear and over Gestede but Spence arrived deep on the far side but hit his shot well wide of Rodak’s goal. On seven minutes a devilishly simple low cross from Bryan on the left was delivered in and met by Knockaert for a simple tap in having lost his marker Coulson. For the second time in a week in London Boro found themselves a goal down in the opening minutes. In fairness Fulham were good value for their goal and not to put too fine a point on it had looked by far the sharper side. Too many white shirts were finding acres of space with Boro slow to identify, pick up, close down, mark and allowing them far too much time to build up momentum.

Onomah had a shot outside the Boro eighteen-yard box which to our relief went wide with Boro now reduced to literally chasing shadows, being pulled all over, losing shape and with it their own game plan, second and sometimes even third to every loose ball. Fast, high tempo, slick passing and energy and movement off the ball meant that Fulham were ripping Boro open with ease as once again Onomah should have put the Home side further ahead the fourteenth minute. Thankfully his shot was low and weak allowing Pears time to get down and smother it. Boro were sitting far too deep, unable to mount any offensive with their attackers isolated yet again while the Cottagers swarmed forward with impunity.

Despite Boro sitting deep, camped in the last twenty yards of the pitch, Fulham looked like they had twice as many players as they were finding space everywhere and anywhere they wanted to play it. Those fleeting seconds that we did have on the ball we took far too long and had no movement off it and with twenty minutes gone Fulham had the opportunities to have been three up.

Tavernier, Roberts and Gestede had been anonymous at this stage with Fulham simply bypassing them. It was like watching a boxer with a six inch longer reach than his opponent, picking them off with ease. A corner won by Knockaert off Coulson on twenty minutes was delivered to the far post where Onomah stood completely unmarked and should have hit the target. Next a ridiculous looped clearance from Pears handed Fulham the initiative and as Reid was about to blast it past the unprotected Pears, Howson somehow got a block in to put it out for a corner. Whatever the Form table might have said beforehand on this showing Boro looked relegation fodder and Fulham every inch promotion candidates with just twenty-five minutes expired.

Roberts eventually worked a break all by himself winning a corner for Boro to ease the ongoing relentless pressure. It was delivered in by McNair but Fry got underneath it, looping it back off his head back into the six-yard box but went out via Gestede’s head aimlessly for a goal kick. As well as the front three Clayton and Saville had been anonymous in the game. Even a free kick in the twenty seventh minute was woefully executed with a lumped ball up to Fry in the Fulham box from which Fulham immediately attacked with Cairney and Cavaleiro breaking and the Fulham Captain testing Pears. Shocking that we could actually turn an attack into being ripped apart with ease yet again so quickly.

On twenty-nine minutes Tav fed Coulson out wide who chipped in a cross that was deflected and Rodak was nearly caught out as the ball spun out for a corner. The corner came in and Tav met it at chest height with his left boot raised when it needed a diving header and as a consequence went out harmlessly for another Fulham goal kick. Gestede chased down a weak back pass as Boro finally started to show some intent with the home side looking tired from their high tempo start with thirteen minutes of the first half remaining.

Our wing-backs had been starved of both service and of protection, Saville and Clayton’s roles seemed completely detached from what was going on around them. Then it was the up until then camouflaged Saville who cut out a crossfield ball on the half way line, advance and managed a shot that went out for a corner. The corner was half punched clear by Rodak with Reid back defending clearing the disappointing set play. A break involving Tav, found him getting a cross in to the far side of the six-yard box to Gestede, stretching, he headed it back into the box but there was zero support and it was cleared with embarrassing ease.

A badly skewed cross from Spence in the fortieth minute summed up Boro’s lack of composure throughout the first half. Then a free kick from the half way line from McNair blatantly lumped upfield was a perfect illustration of how agricultural we had become playing Gestede up front on his own. His lack of movement meant we couldn’t play slick, fast paced balls up front and the immobility of the Benin striker was just one of several reasons why our tactics were failing miserably. Howson, Fry and McNair done what they could but they were woefully exposed by ineffective wing backs, soporific midfielders and a non-existing attacking threat. The half ended with more comedic stand-off hesitant defending which eventually Pears got down to once again smother the threat with help from Howson covering his keeper.

Woodgate’s half time team talk seriously required a major rethink and reshuffle. Nothing was working and how the scoreline had remained the solitary goal was down to poor finishing and incredible luck. As a half of football, that was right up there with the worst of them this season. I suspect it was only the tiredness with Fulham after their blazing start that had allowed Boro to have a few efforts rather than as a result of anything we were doing. Gestede is an impact Striker at best or played or as part of a front two. Playing him as a lone Striker wasted what skills he does have and failed to offer any threat whatsoever. The midfield was less than dynamic and the two youngsters playing at wing-back we were struggling up against Knockaert and Cavleiro with Clayton and Saville both ominous by their absence.

The second half got under way with Boro attacking the travelling army. Boro had a few attempted attacks but they lacked any real belief, zeal or serious damage. We looked to be playing with a back four now with Spence pushed further up. Still we endured hoofed balls out from an over worked Boro defence and simply didn’t look to be going to able trouble this Fulham side. A rare run from Roberts in the fifty-first minute ended with Saville tackling McDonald in the Fulham box to concede a free kick. In the second half Saville was seeing more of the ball but to no great effect whilst Gestede and Clayton were passengers. Ten minutes gone in the half and Woodgate needed to change something quickly. Watching Boro players trying to find a red shirt was painful to bear, the only consolation was that Fulham were being infected with the same disease now. Tav was starting to become more involved and instrumental in any Boro forays. Spence was then hacked down by McDonald taking one for his team. Bizarrely Woodgate then brought off Tav for Wing as the free kick was being readied. How he left Clayton, Saville and Gestede on the pitch and took Tav off was baffling.

A break from midfield by Roberts on sixty-one minutes was played out wide to Coulson winning a corner in the process. When it came in it glanced off Gestede and went out for a goal kick in another wasted set piece. That substitution was having no effect at all on proceedings with Wing sitting too deep. A weak handball shout from Gestede setting up Spence was waved away by the Ref. A Boro corner was overhit with Roberts alert to picking up the loose ball but then dribbled his way into trouble in the “D” and allowed Fulham to break with numbers before Spence and Wing managed to combine to thwart the danger. Sixty-six minutes gone and another free kick was wasted by McNair as it was poorly placed to Fry who couldn’t reach it and was easily blocked off. So far, all our set pieces had been extremely poor but at least Fulham had slowed things down a bit and we looked like we might be lucky and nick something if we could just move the ball around quickly instead of playing balls that were already read in last week’s zimmer frame digest.

Bryan then had an effort after cutting inside from Spence but Pears got down to his near post as there wasn’t much pace on it. A Coulson cross was then deflected up into the arms of Rodak on seventy minutes. As the ball was played out of their defence, Fulham passed their way up the pitch quickly and it was Knockaert who had a cheeky twenty-five-yard shot which went wide. McNair was then booked for ripping the shirt off Cavaleiro’s back and it was Cavaleiro who took the free kick himself. A cleverly worked, curved ball dropping into the box for Odoi to head home only for the slow-motion linesman to flag offside by what must have been an elbow. A very fortunate let off for Boro. Seconds later Fulham carved Boro open again and a cross went across invitingly Pears’ six-yard box but it went out without any white shirt sliding in.

Seventy-five minutes had elapsed and Boro were hanging on as Fulham rejuvenated turned the screw and upped the ante once more. The same failed long hoofed hopeful balls were returned with interest as Boro’s frailties hadn’t been addressed either by tactics or by personnel. Reid won a corner off Spence after the youngster was caught ball watching. The resultant corner saw penalty appeals by the Home fans firstly for an alleged hand ball and then a Coulson foul on Knockaert on the edge of the box saw a theatrical dive just the right side of the white line. The free kick incredibly found an unmarked Onomah again but as previously his finishing was poor. A double sub from Boro then saw the two dead legs in midfield leave for Fletcher and Nmecha in a last-ditch attempt to rescue a very undeserved point.

Ten minutes remained and the best we could muster was Wing hoofing long balls that were impossible to reach. Arter had a good shot blocked by Howson after another fast, slick, break down their right. A long ball on the turf out of defence from Wing saw Nmecha give chase but he ran straight into Hector who stood his ground. Five minutes now remained and we looked a disjointed anomaly of parts and not all of which seemed to fit. McNair went down rather easily on the touchline from Knockaert’s attentions and as he swung in his own free kick Rodak got his fingertips onto what suspiciously looked like another miss-hit far post ball. The subsequent incoming corner which resulted was predictably overhit to nobody and easily cleared. A half-hearted penalty claim after Hector collided with Fletcher in the box was ignored as Fletcher seemed to be going down before the challenge came in.

Five minutes came up on the fourth Officials board as Spence frustratingly claimed a throw in that went the other way near the Fulham corner flag. Mawson then came on for Knockaert who had terrorised us all evening with a suspicious looking hamstring suddenly flaring up as he limped off the pitch eating up seconds. A long throw from Coulson down the touchline up to Gestede saw the big Striker control it with all the athleticism and finesse of Bella Emberg, putting it out for a Fulham throw in.

A late, well worked piece of play saw Spence hit a cross headed out by Hector that was delivered to, yep you guessed it, the far post again but it did at least go out for another corner which Pears advanced up the pitch for but the delivery was predictably hopeful rather than creative. Fulham won a throw and as they once again penetrated the Boro box with haste the whistle went to end a miserable week in the capital. MOM was Howson but tactically overall it was a throwback to September/October. That was rank bad with no redeeming features other than we battled more in the second half but never remotely looked like scoring.

Championship 2019-20: Weeks 24-25

Fri 17 Jan – 19:45: Fulham v Boro
Tue 21 Jan – 19:45: Boro v Birmingham

As the climate on Teesside continues to show signs of unseasonal warming there are worries that the ancient north-east ice shelf of pessimism may be at risk of total collapse with a danger of severe floods of optimism engulfing the local landscape. While it’s not quite yet an emergency that requires an intervention from Greta Thunberg, it’s still a concern that the future of Teesside’s children could be blighted by overheated aspirations. OK, it’s still only mid January so there’s still time to experience the traditional pleasure of cold reality but thankfully Boro supporters only have five more days to negotiate the risk of disappointment this month. Indeed, it’s time to prepare for two football-free weekends of tending to prematurely awakened globally-warmed gardens while contemplating a suitable morally outraged position on Megxit to fill the void that exists in a post-Brexit world.

Despite no win in the last three games (surely just an anomaly caused by the distorting ripples created by the gravity of the manager of the month award), it’s seems Boro have finally found that winning mentality they lacked earlier in the seson. The club’s change in fortunes saw Jonathan Woodgate collect the prestigious footballing equivalent of the salesman of the month for his team topping the form table for December. After a Ricky Gevais equivalent handed him the expensively cast iconic sculpture, the almost emotional Boro head coach declared in his acceptance speech that “I’m proud, but I’m nothing without my staff…” before quickly adding “…and then of course, the players. It’s always about the players.” Indeed, the players have deserved that acknowledgement but surprisingly there was no mention of the ‘Me Too’ movement that many had expected at such occasions, though that particular movement on Teesside represented those supporters who had agreed among themselves that they wouldn’t return to the Riverside while Woodgate was still in charge.

Though while we were informed that the award is set to take pride of place on top of his son’s wardrobe (no higher praise other than glueing it to the ceiling perhaps), the award has also helped to vindicate Steve Gibson in appointing another young head coach. OK, it won’t necessarily prove to be decisive moment in his managerial career but it does at least mark a change in attitude on Teesside for many who had feared the club were going nowhere fast under the inexperienced gaffer. However, Woodgate is unlikely to dwell on the award and is conscious that he needs to continue winning if he is to keep ahead of the game: “Alright, I’m Manager of the Month now. But that can quickly change” – indeed it often does and no doubt will. If that wasn’t enough, Ashley Fletcher also bagged the ‘Goal of the Month’ award for December for his superb 30-yard volley at the Baggies and Djed Spence made it a hat-trick with the Young Player of the Month award.

More vindication for Steve Gibson arrived on Thursday as Derby County (aka Rooney’s Rams) were charged by the EFL of being in breach of their Financial Fair Play rules. Although, it should be noted that was for the period ending 30th June 2018 – so while the decision will be welcomed by the Boro chairman, it does appear that an 18 month delay in being held to account means it probably won’t deter clubs from gambling on promotion. Gibson’s argument has been that Boro missed out on making the play-offs to Derby in the following season by just one point and they had gained an unfair advantage by overspending beyond what was permitted. Mel Morris had sought to give the appearance of staying within the spending rules by selling the club’s stadium to what was listed as “companies under common ownership” or in layman’s terms simply himself. The stadium sale was rather luckily made just two days before that end of June accounting period and registered a profit of £39.9m to turn a potential three-year loss of £48m into just an £8m one with EFL rules permitting just a loss of £39m – still at least the accountants added 900 grand to the stadium profit to avoid it looking like they were taking the proverbial by picking that controversial figure.

Whether Derby will ultimately face a points deduction this season may depend on when the matter is resolved – The East Midlands club are contesting that they haven’t actually done something against the letter of the rules and it’s likely to be a semantic legal argument over the legitimacy of what constitutes an allowable entity to which something can be sold or whether indeed the price was fair or inflated. Whatever the outcome, it would either seem unfair if it was imposed with less than ten games remaining or of no consequence if it simply placed them lower in mid-table. Philip Cocu’s side are currently like Boro ten points clear of the drop zone with just an outside chance of bridging the 8-point gap to the play-offs. The precedent of Birmingham receiving a nine point deduction may make it uncomfortably close for Rams supporters to contemplate the possibility of relegation. However, sympathy on Teesside will unlikely to be in evidence with that memory of Boro’s relegation caused by our own three-point deduction for faxing a dodgy sick note.

Strangely, there was no sign of Steve Gibson and Mel Morris sharing pleasantries in the directors box at the recent Riverside encounter and perhaps it was just as well given that injury-time strike by Duane Octavious Holmes, which stole a fifth-successive victory from Woodgate’s men. I suspect the Boro chairman would have struggled to avoid the Rebecca Long-Bailey-esque stock countenance of appearing to be forcing a smile while simultaneously sucking a lemon as he shook hands with the Derby owner. Note: other Labour leadership contender facial expressions are available in the event of needing to portray indifference, surprise or even vague understanding in the event of losing – though unlike most of those it seems Boro still have momentum on their side. Incidentally, it appears the main criteria for a new Labour leader is to possess a suitable name that fits in with the famous White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” tune that is used to chant “Oh Jeremy Corbyn!” and on that basis it’s looking good for “Oh Rebecca Long-Bailey!” as the other are either a few syllables short or in Emily Thornberry’s case will probably need to marry Kier Starmer to reduce it to the right number.

Though the pressing issue at the moment is the cost of restoring Big Ben’s clapper before the end of the month in order to ring in the changes. Yes there are further rumours that Ben Gibson may be restored to Boro’s defence before the January transfer window ends – though many on Teesside are concerned that he may be all clapped out after disappearing in Lancashire under Sean Dyche and would prove to be nothing more than an expensive sentimental signing – indeed some on social media are even not bothering with the ‘senti’ bit. Still, Boro surely need to sign at least one central defender in the next few weeks to avoid seeing a back three of central midfielders. Apparently, Shotton is close to fitness but Ayala’s is set to be missing for the next four weeks, which is a minimum of another five games.

At least Boro have signed another keeper after Darren Randolph finally limped out of Hurworth and signed for West Ham. The delay to the least surprising Boro exit for sometime was it seems down to David Moyes having a thing about injured goalkeepers – apparently to lose one is unfortunate, two is careless but three would demonstrate something pathological that lies hiden behind that stare. Still, at least he would probably have got the gig for the next ‘Injury Lawyers for You’ advert… “Have you ever accidentally signed an injured keeper that wasn’t your fault?” Nevertheless, Boro have been quick to replace Randolph with the arrival of a massive six-foot-five Macedonian in the form of Dejan Stojanovic, who the the faithful on the terraces are probably going to need more than just a complimentary free pint to be able to chant his name to that White Stripes classic – though too many and inevitable slurring could cause some to be whisked away by St John’s ambulance staff as possible stroke victims. We can only hope for the sake of the hard-pressed A&E at James Cook that Aynsley Pears continues to show good form between the sticks. Sadly Tomás Mejías will probably be kicking himself for blowing his chances of getting his hands on the number one shirt after his second-minute howler in the Tottenham replay – though it’s possible kicking is not his strongest attribute and he should leave it to others.

Last Tuesday, Boro supporters had what’s often known slightly patronisingly as “a good day out” in the country’s swankiest most expensive stadium that the Spurs board are hoping won’t become ‘White Elephant Lane’ rather than the previous ‘Hart’. It perhaps sums up the hyped nature of football that the team managed by the world’s most successful coach in a billion pound stadium struggled to see off Woodgate’s cobbled together team of those who couldn’t be rested. On another day perhaps Boro could have sneaked into the fourth round but in the end nobody seemed overly keen on risking the chance of three points at Craven Cottage over the increasingly tarnished distraction of the FA Cup. It won’t go down as a particularly memorable encounter but Boro basically did enough over both games to leave their new-found confidence intact and allow themselves to both euphemistically and literally concentrate on the league.

Boro opted to remain in London this week to minimise travelling and have been training at Palace. So it’s a short trip to Fulham for another televised encounter and the opportunity to close the gap on the top six. All Boro can do is try to win every game and see where it takes them but while that notion would have been ridiculed only a few weeks ago, Woodgate’s team now look like they have a chance at beating nearly any team in the Championship. The arrival of Roberts on loan from Man City has added yet another lively direct player to the team, which with the rise of Coulson, Spence, Tavernier and Fletcher has transformed blunt Boro into a dangerous-looking outfit – especially if the promising Nmecha improves his match fitness. Scott Parker’s side are currently sitting in fourth spot and looking at making a swift return to the Premier League. While they recently beat Leeds at Craven Cottage, they have also lost two of their last four at home, including last time out against in-form Reading and also against the Robins. The other plus for Woodgate is that Fulham will be without their main man Mitrović up front as he damaged his ankle last time out – the Serb is the Championship’s leading scorer with 18 goals in 26 appearances. The Boro head coach now has difficult selection issues as up until recently the team has basically selected itself by availability.

Finally, Tuesday sees the rearranged home fixture against Birmingham, which was originally due to take place during the FA Cup fourth round fixtures. Pep Clotet still remains in charge of the Blues but his team have dropped down the table and are now below Boro in 18th place. Last week they recorded only their second victory since the beginning of November after beating bottom club Luton 2-1 – with the other one being surprisingly at in-form team Reading. Boro will be looking for revenge for the 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture where Woodgate’s team faced 26 attempts on goal from the Blues and only mustered five chances themselves. In fact, Boro almost came away with a point after an 87th minute equaliser from Ayala but sadly conceded a Birmingham winner two minutes later. That was back in early October when the head coach was still persisting with 4-3-3 but Coulson and Friend were injured and Shotton was playing left-back. Clotet will face a much more dynamic Boro team this time and hopefully it will be the team in red peppering the opposition goal.

So that brings the action on the pitch to an end for January but it’s possible it will continue off the pitch as Woodgate looks to reshape his Boro squad before the transfer window closes. The head coach has indicated that he also expects the young first team graduates of Tavernier, Coulson, Spence and Pears all to sign new deals in the coming weeks, which he claims will be like new signings. Clearly there are still some gaps to be filled and there’s still the issue of whether the club will look to cash in Assombalonga to raise more cash for the summer. There’s also the matter of whether Howson and Ayala will sign new deals and it’s also possible clubs will test Boro’s resolve with someone like McNair. While reaching the play-offs may require maintaining the December run all the way to the end of the season, the nucleus of a team capable of promotion is now within Woodgate’s sight and the future is now looking bright rather than the gloomy one anticipated.

	TUESDAY 14 JANUARY 2019
Tottenham		2-1	Boro
Lo Celso (2) Lamela (15)	68% 16(4) 4 13	POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) CORNERS FOULS	32% 12(4) 7 8	Saville (83)

Spurs take two!

A busy schedule in the smoke this week for Boro commenced this evening with Spurs in the Cup. A 1-1 draw at the Riverside just over a week ago saw the two sides lock horns again after Lucas Moura had headed home an equaliser for the Premiership side. As is typical for this time of year and indeed almost fashionable both sides had a long list of the injured and walking wounded. Mourinho announced that Hugo Lloris (elbow), Ben Davies (ankle), Tanguy Ndombele (hip), Moussa Sissoko (knee) and Harry Kane (hamstring) would all be absent for tonight’s event. His limited options he alleged were at bare bones level, declaring that only Toby Alderweireld could be rested from his first team squad.

Previously Mourinho had comically asked if Boro would consider playing their reserve team for tonight’s game. He was clearly unaware that the players selected and those who had made the Boro bench last time out were in fact the Academy side with a remaining handful of fit first teamers. Woodgate did have slim hopes that Britt Assombalonga might have been fit enough to travel but unfortunately unlike limbo victim Darren Randolph he remained at Rockliffe to linger just a little longer. Positively, neither side had any fresh injury concerns, Spurs after their Home defeat to runway Champions elect Liverpool and Boro to Rooney’s raiding Rams at the weekend.

Spurs were last beaten at home by a lower league side in the FA Cup in 1975 (by Forest) so the omens pre kick off were not exactly on Boro’s side for this replay. On the positive they had kept just one clean sheet since Mourinho took over so Boro would be hopeful of registering a few shots on target at least. Despite Randolph travelling Woodgate had already announced that Mejias would be between the sticks again for Boro so perhaps he would be a lucky charm after his previous cup exploits with Boro.

Boro had a few surprises in the team and a shock start for Ben Liddle with Woodgate clearly deciding that Friday nights upcoming game with Fulham was of greater importance. Mejias was in for Pears and Nmecha for Tavernier. Johnson came in at Left Wing Back for Coulson. Mourinho had made five changes himself

Boro won the toss and changed ends leaving Spurs to Kick off. The game started off with Spurs teasing and Boro sitting deep looking for breaks. A simple back pass to Mejias to clear saw the stand in Keeper caught in two minds inviting trouble and instead of booting it clear he passed it weakly to Johnson and invitingly into the path of Lo Celso who slipped it past the errant Keeper. Less than two minutes gone and Boro were one down due to their own failings. Those leaking pre match reports that the Randolph to the Hammers deal off was suddenly looking like it could be good news on reflection.

Boro kept their cool, clearing heads, keeping it tight and sitting off their opponents, trying to put their opening nightmare behind them. Spence chased forward closing down Winks on the edge of the Spurs box in what was the most spirited Boro offering in the opening eight minutes. A Clayton chipped lob chased by Fletcher saw Sanchez head back to Gazzaniga in an anxious moment for the Spurs defence on ten minutes.

A well worked ball by Spence, advancing, taking on three defenders after a sloppy Sanchez ball was slotted through for Nmecha who forced Gazzaniga to get down low to save and keep the slender margin for the home side intact. Psychologically it was a big boost to Boro and a nervy warning to Spurs that they could be undone. On fifteen minutes however a poor clearance compounded by a poorly controlled ball by Howson allowed Lamela to dribble through the centre of our defence and slot it past Mejias with consummate ease, making it two nil.

The game now took on a damage limitation feel to it. Poor ball control on both occasions was the cause of our downfall for the goals. Maybe it was nerves in a busy stadium that got to Boro but with the game approaching twenty minutes there was little to see in terms of us staging a comeback. A well spotted long ball to Fletcher from Nmecha was misjudged by Sanchez but also Fletcher who had given up on it before realising there was still something left of the move thanks to the defender’s generosity. Lamela then went close again for Spurs after some more very hesitant Boro defending. Boro were dropping deeper defending but nobody was picking up the rampant White shirts and therefore allowing them space, time and movement to attack down the middle almost at will.

Twenty-five minutes in and we had a virtual back seven with Nmecha and Fletcher up front 50 yards away making it very difficult to ease the pressure by finding a Red shirt that wasn’t crowded out. Mejias dived across the face of his goal to tip a Sessegnon shot wide for Spurs’ first corner. Two minutes later and Tanganga ran through in acres of space with Johnson out of position to shoot just wide. A theatrical dive from Lo Celsa straight out of Dele Alli’s greatest dives volume 12 was waved away, dismissed as no penalty with the first half reaching thirty minutes. Wing brought down Eriksen on the edge of the “D”, Lamela and Eriksen lined it up and it was the Dane that hit a daisy cutter that Mejias got down for with relative ease much to the relief of those who had travelled down from the North East.

A ridiculous ball from Clayton in the Spurs half to Fry turning attack into chaos was made worse by Fry’s lack of control setting Spurs away on yet another attack from which we were fortunate not to go three behind. A well planned corner from McNair was cleared out, collected by Howson on the edge of the Spurs box and the ex-Leeds man dribbled through and side stepped a series of challenges and threaded a ball through to the unmarked McNair on the edge of the six yard box and with the goal in his sights Paddy hit a shot that probably hit Big Ben. A quick counter attack again caused by Boro players failing to control the first ball saw Spurs carve us open down the centre of the pitch with Luca Moura’s shot going just wide on forty minutes.

Boro continued to occupy a ten-yard band with eight crowded players outside their own eighteen-yard box creating their own problems. Tanganga then barged Johnson off the ball near the Spurs corner flag which Johnson took himself, putting the ball into the Spurs box were Fletcher centrally got his head to it but it went wide in a rare Boro effort on goal. The first half came to a close with Boro in a rare spell of possession but going absolutely nowhere. Despite the inexperience of the Boro side and the dominance of Spurs, that Mejias howler completely destroyed any plan, hope or belief that Woodgate, Keane and Percovich may have instilled before kick-off. Perhaps spending years sat on benches or playing in the Cypriot league isn’t ideal preparation for a live televised FA Cup tie in a large modern Stadium.

At half time I would guess that thoughts could understandably have been more on Friday and Fulham than the second half in a game that we had thrown away in seconds before looking second best for almost the entire forty-five minutes. The team talk must have centred around “a nothing to lose mind set” except dignity itself.

No changes at half time for either side. A free kick awarded for a foul was launched ineffectively by Clayton down the right wing but Spurs came straight back at Boro. In fairness those with Red shirts now looked to be stationed higher up the pitch. In a tussle Vertonghen headed the back of Fletcher’s head leaving them both seeing stars a minute into the half. Spence was then adjudged to have been fouled out on the right wing for the free kick to be sent in by Johnson which was headed out and Spurs once again broke with pace. A familiar pattern was repeating itself. A series of fast, slick interpassing moves from Spurs for over a minute ended with Tanganga slotting a dangerous and teasing ball across the face of the Boro goal with Sessegnon unmarked meeting it but thankfully blasting it well over for a Boro let off.

Nmecha won a free kick twenty yards out which Wing fizzed over a ducking pseudo Boro wall to have Gazzaniga diving at full length to sting his palms. A half-hearted Penalty shout followed when Nmecha fell clumsily in the box after an equally clumsy defensive challenge. This was better from Boro but still far from convincing. On fifty-six minutes George Saville came on for Ben Liddle presumably as part damage limitation on the youngster and a forlorn optimistic hope that he just might nick one back for us against a former Boss. Two minutes later a straightforward cross from Johnson was sliced out by the liability that was Sanchez but the resultant corner was easily caught by Gazzaniga before he launched it up Field with Mejias causing another worrying indecisive moment in not dealing with it.

With thirty minutes left Son then came on for Lucas Moura which wasn’t exactly a sight Boro fans wanted to see. A two-minute purple patch from Boro saw Gazzaniga come out to foil Nmecha and then Spence overhit a follow up cross which was as good as it got up until that point bt at least Boro looked to be trying to get something back. On sixty-five Tanganga brought down Johnson giving Boro another free kick out on our left which was floated in by McNair’s right foot which Vertonghen promptly headed out for a corner. Johnson sent it in but it was cleared and immediately Spurs burst clear again and almost punished Boro but the danger finally eased with conceding a corner which in the end was simply hoofed up to Gazzaniga.

Spurs were back to passing the ball around, probing, trying to draw Boro out with Boro standing off them and dropping deep but I doing so giving them far too much space and time. Son twisted and turned beating three Red shirts cutting into the box but fortunately he slipped at a crucial moment conceding a goal kick. The ball was launched up to Nmecha who won his duel and allowed Spence to get down the wing and win a corner off the covering Vertonghen. Nmecha met the corner but Sanchez done enough this time to prevent him getting a clean header and it sailed over.

A seventy second minute Spurs corner saw a few bodies go down in the Boro box but it went harmlessly out for a Spurs throw in on the opposite side of the pitch. Seventy-three minutes and Tav then came on for Djed Spence with Woodgate rotating his squad, saving the young Right Backs energy reserves for Friday. Tavs first bit of involvement was a stuttering, unconvincing run which in the end was easily read and cleared by Spurs. His next effort was far better, well worked, catching a ball down the wing and cutting it back then playing a cross field ball to Saville who shot outside the box winning a corner in the process.

Gestede then came on for the tiring Nmecha before the corner was actually taken on seventy-seven minutes. After all the drama of the substitution Paddy McNair sent it in perfectly for Gazzaniga to collect it with ease. Seeing it late, Mejias then partially redeemed his credibility with a low reflex save after Eriksen had sent in a shot come deflected cross that evaded everyone in a crowded Boro box. Johnson then sent a cross in on eighty minutes finding Gestede but he got underneath his header and the scores remained the same.

A minute later long ball out of the Boro defence was knocked on by Gestede to Saville who strolled through the Spurs defence almost in slow motion and stroked an eighteen-yard ball inside the upright just evading Gazzaniga to bring Boro back in it with eight minutes left. With Spurs rattled, Boro immediately won a corner two minutes later which Gestede got another connection with but his header went over. Mourinho responded by bring Dier off for Dele Alli to see out the last five minutes. A blocking foul by Howson on Son was delayed as Clayts struggled with cramp which may have been real or tactical to take the momentum away from Spurs. The delay clearly affected Eriksen as he blasted it well over Meias’ goal to probably land on the roof of St. Pauls Cathedral.

Three minutes from the fourth Official went up for added time as Tanganga skinned Johnson leaving him in his wake and put in a cross that saw Mejias momentarily knock Howson out cold as the ball somehow evaded two advancing white shirts. Next up it was Johnson to send in a late cross met by Gestede but agonisingly flashed wide with Fletcher closing in just too late. Alli broke free in the dying seconds, centrally and with only Mejias to beat he managed to fluff his lines and the game ended with the score 2-1 to Spurs and with it also ending Boro’s cup exploits for another season.

A disastrous start and an unconvincing performance which was severely punished but it ended with a much better second half of the second half from Boro. There were no outstanding MOM performances from Boro, Johnson done well in parts but was equally exposed, Howson as ever done well apart from his aberration in not dealing with the ball that led to the second Spurs goal. Overall Djed Spence was the one that caught the eye and stood out in Red. On to Friday night now at the Cottage and the much more important business of ensuring Championship survival or just maybe chasing the Play Offs with a much stronger Boro side!

Pos. 16th (34 pts)	SATURDAY 11 DECEMBER 2019			Pos. 17th (34 pts)
Boro		2-2	Derby
Wing (16) McNair (67 pen)	46% 15(5) 5 11	POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) CORNERS FOULS	54% 7(3) 2 13	Knight (54) Holmes (90+1)

Late leveller rescues Rams

This afternoon saw the arrival of Wayne Rooney’s Derby County at a very blustery Riverside. Both sides had recently returned to form and had an almost identical record in the Championship with Boro just marginally shading it by conceding two less goals. Derby were unbeaten in their previous four matches in all competitions and like Boro sat just eight points off the play-off places. They hadn’t won away from home for eleven games prior to kick off but recent back-to-back wins over Charlton, Barnsley and Crystal Palace in the FA Cup had eased pressure on Phillip Cocu.

It’s not just the League placings that show a parallel similarity between the clubs. Just like Boro, Derby also had similar injury problems with George Evans, George Thorne, Mason Bennett, Graeme Shinnie, Jack Marriott and Ikechi Anya all out injured. For Boro it was a case of as you were for injuries with the usual suspects still absent including Dani Ayala. Team news for Boro saw just two changes after the draw against Spurs with Aynsley Pears and Lewis Wing replacing Tomas Mejias and Adam Clayton. Patrick Roberts retained his starting role and made his Boro Championship bow.

Cocu had made seven changes to the side that beat Palace in the FA Cup last week. In came keeper Ben Hamer, defenders Max Lowe and Matt Clarke, and Jason Knight, Max Bird, Duane Holmes and Martyn Waghorn replaced Kelle Roos, Scott Malone, Craig Forsyth, Tom Huddlestone, Morgan Whittaker, Louie Sibley and cup goal scorer Chris Martin.

Boro kicked off with an immediate long ball from McNair to Spence who won the first corner of the game in the opening seconds. Roberts took it and a tantalising Wing header went just wide in what should have been the games opener and a huge let off for Derby.

Coulson and Spence were looking lively for Boro along with Wing and Roberts, lots of pressing causing Derby serious worries. Spence “done” Rooney and left him in his wake as he literally barged him out of the way with little to no respect for the ageing, elder ex-International allowing Fletcher to let fly at Hamer’s goal. Five minutes gone and it was all Boro with Derby looking slow and inhibited by comparison. A McNair slip allowed Waghorn in at the other end but Coulson was alert and quickly swept up as the game approached the nine-minute mark and that was Derby’s first real bit of intent.

A comical Rooney back pass had Rams Keeper Hamer flapping and as he hurriedly cleared it out Howson returned it with interest and with a little more composure could have made it count. Derby were sitting really deep, struggling to get the ball out with any believability while Boro were full value for their enterprise, moving the ball around crisply. Roberts forced an error in the Derby defence winning a throw in on thirteen minutes. It was taken by Coulson but the Man City Loanee then lost possession after a good opportunity to test that nervy Derby defence again.

A misplaced ball from Fletcher after Howson had lost his marker was another wasted opportunity for Boro as the game approached fifteen minutes. Then it happened, the inevitable, a brilliantly worked ball to Roberts with Spence dragging the defence apart allowed Tav to take the ball and back heel to Lewis Wing on the edge of the box to fire in a perfect accurately hit shot leaving Ben Hamer no chance and it was 1-0 to the Boro.

The next five minutes saw Boro continue stretching the Derby defence, their midfield bypassed with Rooney a virtual spectator. On twenty minutes Howson cut out a Rooney pass to ironic cheers from the Riverside faithful. Fletcher nearly added to his recent tally with a fantastic Coulson delivery in which went out for a corner. The far post corner was met by Fry and as a scramble ensued the Ref blew for an infringement or more likely out of sympathy for the beleaguered visitors.

A minute later Coulson and Roberts linked up, carving the Rams back line open once again. Cocu was out and shouting in his technical area as he desperately tried to galvanise his side that at this point had looked porous and an accident waiting to happen. A rare Derby attack started when Saville was caught dwelling, giving the ball away cheaply but Fry was on hand for Boro to extinguish the imminent danger. Half an hour gone and apart from a few forays that were handled with ease it was all Boro and Pears looked very cold and lonely in the North Stand goal. Derby launched a ball via Rooney into the Boro danger area but Spence cleared in a no-nonsense fashion. The Rams looked to be waking from their slumber as Pears had to be quick to get down to prevent Waghorn threatening after Holmes had slid him through.

Coulson then evaded two tackles down the left flank but the last one connected earning a free kick off Bogle. Roberts lined up the kick just outside of the box and delivered it cleverly and surprisingly to McNair rather than launching it into the box, Paddy unleashed his shot but it sailed well wide. Roberts cut in from the right and on the edge of the box rolled it for Tav to hit a shot just wide as Boro continued to push Derby back again after their brief respite. Cocu was screaming at his charges to get up the pitch realising that they were leaving themselves open to conceding a second.

The first booking came for Matt Clarke when he took Fletcher out with the home fans baying for a Red. McNair took this one and floated it to the back post before going out for a corner to Boro. McNair readied himself and took Boro’s third corner catching Ben Hamer in two minds just clearing it and Wing testing Hamer again but it deflected out for yet another Boro corner. Just before that Coulson had been rubbing the back of his thigh as concerns were raised that he had maybe overstretched himself and done himself some lasting damage.

Waghorn clattered McNair as a little bit of niggle started to creep into the Derby game and collected the games second Yellow for the offence of berating Referee Tim Robinson. There was another quick coming together between the two just afterwards as frustration bubbled over with the Rams just before the half time whistle. Coulson and Roberts once again danced their way through finding Fletcher as Derby were defending in numbers, with mere seconds remaining the ball went out for a Boro throw but Tim Robinson blew his whistle to end a very entertaining and exciting half of football form a Boro perspective. The only negative was that we should have been at least three ahead as the players walked off to a rare Riverside standing ovation.

No changes at the restart for either side which must have concerned the Derby fans. The Rams however started lively with an immediate assault towards the South Stand clearly fired up with Rooney pushed further up from his anonymous first half role. The first Derby corner of the half followed, taken short then delivered to the back post but wastefully recycled back to Rooney. It eventually went out for a long throw from Holmes requiring Fry to head clear before coming back in fiercely with Waghorn sliding dangerously in. It was Boro’s turn next, cleared out with Roberts chasing it forcing Hamer into conceding a Boro corner.

Early signs of the half were that Derby had entirely changed their mindset, now pushing up and pressuring Boro. The opening five minutes of the half was all Rams, Boro needed to hold firm and work their way back into the game. Saville done well holding his own to win a throw in out on the left back spot and simultaneously trying to gee up his pressurised defence. It was all Derby with Boro now camped in their own box and as Knight out wide on their right, unopposed, put a cross into the box it looped into the corner of Pears’ net in a freak goal but one that could be seen coming since the second half had started. All those missed first half chances now coming back to haunt us.

Ten minutes into the half and the away fans now found their voices after being mute all afternoon. A Rooney inspired attack saw them break towards Pears with Aynsley having to make a save to prevent the worst possible scenario of a quick second for the visitors. The game was now starting to open up with both sides showing intent, leaving gaps, organisation, shape and discipline all starting to fade. Jonny Howson burst forward finding Spence who sent it across to Wing whose effort was cleared as Boro desperately needed to get back in front. A rash or rather necessary Howson challenge on Lawrence just outside the box provided Rooney the chance to try and beat the Boro wall with a free kick which he managed but he also cleared Aynsley Pears’ crossbar.

Twenty-five minutes remained with both Managers now sensing the opportunity for three points. Fletcher sent Roberts away who tried to slide it back to Fletcher resulting in weak calls for a Boro penalty. Seconds later Fletcher held off Rams defenders laying it off to Coulson who played in Saville but it went out as Boro were now moving it about once more. Roberts then drove into the Derby box from the right evading a challenge then Matt Clarke brought him down for an undisputed penalty this time. Paddy McNair despatched it into the side of Ben Hamer’s net to restore Boro’s lead on sixty-seven minutes. Paddy’s assured approach to taking a penalty is light years away from those early season Assombalonga efforts.

A chorus of “the finest team the world has ever seen” was dusted down and brought off the Riverside South and North stand shelves as the home fans celebrated taking the lead once again. Twenty minutes remained which was plenty of time for this game to still have twists and turns. From a free kick Coulson rounded Bogle and was cynically brought down earning another Boro free kick. Roberts left the kick to McNair which was cleared away with ease after a disappointing delivery, just as well he got the important one right just minutes previously. Roberts once again collected the ball and danced away from his opponents, playing in Tavernier, to Coulson, to Wing but he fired his shot over, failing to deliver after the initial excitement the build-up had deserved.

Woodgate wanted to make his first change with Nmecha readied to come on but the Ref waved to get on with things. A Spence conceded corner was poorly cleared but Pears then claimed the ball falling to the ground, eating a few seconds up and taking the sting out of things. Coulson then clattered Waghorn picking up a Yellow for his misdemeanour, simultaneously the lively but tiring and game short Roberts went off for Nmecha.

Fletcher dropped a little deeper and almost immediately earned a free kick in his new role. Fifteen minutes remained as Cocu had Chris Martin coming on for Knight. Derby were now going for it in the final minutes. Wing blocked a Rooney shot and as the ball spun out Martin was looking to get involved but Boro cleared and Nmecha was blown for being marginally offside over the halfway line trying to get Boro back on the offensive.

Coulson drove forward passing Holmes and earning a throw in easing some pressure as Derby then brought Whittaker on for Lawrence as Cocu added a third striker signalling blatant route one intent. Howson won a launched ball from Hamer and set up Nmecha and Boro were off attacking via Spence whose low cross came off a Rams defender for a corner. The McNair delivered corner saw Hamer getting the benefit of the Ref who decided he was impeded.

Pears then had to come out, punching clear a cross whilst under pressure from Waghorn with the Ref balancing up the goalkeeping protection levels and blowing for a foul. Fletcher then departed for Gestede as Boro now mimicked Cocu’s tactics in going route one. Into four minutes added time now, Derby attacked, Nmecha closed down Bogle but as the crossed ball was cleared out by a header from Fry it came back straight back in with a vengeance from Holmes in a similar spot to where Lewis Wing had been in the first half striking a volley that left Pears no chance to level the scores. Holmes was just outside the box with Boro failing to react quickly enough by throwing bodies on the line to close him down and paid the price.

Two minutes now remained of added time as dejected Boro tried to pick themselves up with Coulson breaking yet again but Davies intercepted setting up Bogle and the ball flew down the other end. In the dying embers Nmecha got a header in on goal which Hamer saved with the whistle sounding to end proceedings.

2-2 was a bitter pill for Boro to swallow after such an enterprising first half and will no doubt rue those missed chances. We lost a little bit of magic when Roberts went off but we failed to keep our heads in those dying moments and for both goals we allowed delivery unopposed. The away fans will have been relieved and the neutrals treated to a great game of football but it was a draw that felt like a loss after coming so close. MOM for me could have been Coulson, Spence, Howson or Roberts but Coulson was the one that kept going and stood out for the full ninety but Patrick Roberts looks like he is going to have a big influence on Boro this season.

	SUNDAY 5 JANUARY 2020
Boro		1-1	Tottenham
Fletcher (50)	29% 6(4) 4 7	POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) CORNERS FOULS	71% 14(4) 14 11	Lucas Moura (61)

Battling Boro earn Replay

Injury ravaged Boro took on Mourinho’s injury ravaged Spurs side at the Riverside in the FA Cup third round at the Riverside. Boro would be missing the usual suspects, Randolph, Shotton, Assombalonga, Friend, Dijksteel and also worryingly this seasons captain Dani Ayala after he limped off the pitch at Deepdale. Loan arrivals Lukas Nmecha and Patrick Roberts would be available and thought likely to feature at some point.

Spurs have their own growing list of absentees with talismanic striker Harry Kane hobbling off in their last game against Southampton and added to that they would be without Captain Hugo Lloris, left back Ben Davies, Danny Rose, perma-crock Tanguy Ndombele, meanwhile Eric Dier and Kyle Walker-Peters were expected to be fit to return for this afternoon along with Son Heung-min. It was thought that likely departee Christian Eriksen could be possibly making one of his last Spurs appearances before departing the club for Inter Milan later this month.

Patrick Roberts made his Boro debut in place of Marvin Johnson, McNair at CB for Ayala and Mejias in goal for the rested Pears. Spurs won the toss and decided to swap ends, playing towards their sizeable following in the South East corner. Consequently, Boro kicked off earning an early throw in leading to a McNair dribble ending with Spence winning a corner. Headed clear from the near post Coulson chested it down outside the Spurs box and hit a volley over Gazzinga’s crossbar as the first minute barely ticked over.

A claim for a handball and penalty was dismissed from another Coulson effort which went out for Boro’s second corner with the third following immediately. It was weakly cleared out by the Spurs defence and Clayts headed it back into the path of Roberts whose dinked shot-come-cross went over Gazzinga’s goal with the clock showing just over six minutes. As Spurs mounted their first serious attack a well worked cut-back from Son to Ericksen and instinctive shot from the edge of the Boro box had Mejias blocking and as the ball flew out Fletcher being dragged down by Dier as Boro tried to break quickly.

Under pressure a cheeky and confident series of passes in the Boro box involving Howson, Mejias and Saville was well received by the home fans as Boro attempted to play their way out of trouble rather than hoof it Pulis style. Spurs once again came back at Boro and Mejias had to be off his line quickly to block another effort. Spurs had now settled, passing the ball around comfortably and keeping possession, Boro were sitting back and conceded the away sides first corner in the twelfth minute. The optimists amongst us took comfort in the stats that of late Boro have conceded possession in most of their games but came out on top, albeit perhaps not against last season’s Champions League Finalists.

Howson stepped out and intercepted brilliantly on the edge of his own box and moved forward but with Fletcher out wide left he played it harmlessly straight down the middle for Spurs to simply collect and go on the offensive again. All the hard and clever work done but scrappily conceding possession after a momentary lapse.

The second Spurs corner in the sixteenth minute was “recycled” back to the middle of the park and eventually went out for a Boro throw after it came off Winks in a move that had the away fans uttering a few North London expletives in questioning the objectivity of it all. Dael Fry cut out a dangerous cross but it came straight back in for this time McNair to put it out for a corner. Fry then took his turn to meet it to add to the rapidly growing Spurs corner count, which when delivered was blown by Ref Stuart Atwell for a punched effort from Moura easing the pressure on Boro.

Winks fouled Saville thirty yards out and MacNair’s resultant floated free kick to the far post was headed goalwards by Fry with Gazzaniga saving then having to save again with his feet after a muddled scramble in the Spurs box before eventually being cleared by Sessegnon. Another fee kick from the opposite flank was headed out for a Boro corner which was cleared but redeemed by a sublime bit of McNair skill in his own half with twenty-five minutes expired and Boro in fairness credibly holding their own whilst still looking credibly dangerous. A Spurs corner in the twenty-sixth minute was blasted over by Sessegnon with the Spurs threat growing but Boro resolutely holding them at bay. Fry headed out another cross in the twenty-eighth minute conceding Spurs sixth corner and a seventh immediately followed but was headed clear and then eventually in a no nonsense display hoofed clear by Coulson.

A good Boro break involving Howson and Spence with a clever one two was eventually wasted when Spence over-hit his final dinked ball to Fletcher running behind the Spurs defence. As Spurs countered, Roberts clipped the heels of Vertonghen conceding a soft free kick, which was only bettered by the terrible delivery, softly sent in to Mejias’ near post unopposed not that many of us complained!

Fletcher then had a good run working his way to the edge of the Spurs box but Sessegnon crept in blind side to rob him and Fletcher’s last despairing touch conceded a goal kick to Spurs. An Aurier cross across the face of the Boro six-yard box to Sessegnon was blocked by the attentions of Spence doing just enough to put off his youthful counterpart. A break by Spurs was blocked off by McNair but Dele Alli as if detonated by a land mine leapt through the air twisting and turning in pure Quentin Tarantino angst receiving a yellow card for his now infamous precious theatrics. The irony was that it was a foul by McNair without any necessity for the drama and as a consequence Mejias launched the Boro-awarded free kick up field and as Saville tackled to prevent a Spurs counter attack, Stuart Attwell’s whistle went for half time with scores at 0-0.

Despite the chasm in comparative resources Boro had accounted for themselves very well with the most interesting duel being between Sessegnon and Spence which was about 50/50, praise indeed for Spence after only a handful of first team appearances. McNair and Fry had been solid and dependable, Fletcher working hard in the lone role up front. Saville and Clayts had been busy running, chasing and closing down doing the dirty often unappreciated work. Spurs had of course looked by far the more likely to get something out of the game but it was Boro who had come closest with Fry and then Saville in that double strike mid-way through the first half. Roberts looked a little short of match practice, which was to be expected and probably the most likely to be subbed at some future point.

Boro came out unchanged with the same back three and wing-backs, midfield and Fletcher up front. Spurs returned, somewhat delayed presumably after a Mourinho moan in the away dressing room. Spurs eventually kicked off with Boro attacking the South Stand. An early Spence interception prevented a Spurs attack, setting up Roberts who cutting in from the wing, unleashed a left footed shot but it was blocked. In the next phase of play Roberts then cut across Winks on forty-eight minutes with the England International blatantly fouling, conceding a free kick. It was floated in and a knock down from Fry to Saville saw George go down in the box with howls for a penalty but Atwell ruled play on and fifteen seconds later it was Saville himself winning a midfield ball, lobbing it over the Spurs defence from the halfway line and Fletcher just onside ran through one on one against Gazzaniga and placed it in the middle of the Spurs net to put Boro ahead. Fifty minutes gone and Boro deserved the opening goal having come out for the second half showing far more intent.

A brilliant collect and through ball from Roberts set Saville away but with Gazzinga coming off his line and a defender bearing down on him it was antagonisingly inches too far ahead. Spurs best response was a distanced cross come shot from twenty yards out from Eriksen sailing wide on fifty-five minutes. In a knee jerk double substitution Winks and Sessegnon both went off for Lamella and Celso coming on as Mourinho realised that he now had a game on his hands if he was to deliver silverware to Tottenham this season.

On sixty minutes a text book ball down the Boro left flank saw Aurier deliver a perfect far post cross which saw Moura use his head this time to head home unopposed having lost his marker Spence and Howson caught in between. One apiece now and game back on with Spurs significantly raising their game since that Boro opener. Aurier was becoming increasingly instrumental in launching Spurs attacks down their right and our left-hand side. Fletcher had done well to hold the ball up and Howson advanced as Boro got a cross in across the danger area but it was cleared and as it went out for a throw in Woodgate signalled a change as Johnson came on for Coulson in an effort to address the growing menace of Aurier.

A minute later and Gestede then came on for Roberts who was now blowing out of his derriere. After Spence had advanced and won the initial challenge deep in the Spurs half an immediate back flick from Gestede with his first touch into the path of Fletcher was saved. Seventy minutes now gone and the game looked finely balanced despite Spurs possession stats.

A Johnson headed clearance saw a free kick awarded to Boro after Lamella attempted an overhead kick in close proximity on the recently arrived Boro left wing-back. It was now attack versus defence as Spurs probed and probed whilst Boro had Gestede and Fletcher to lump the ball up to as plan “A”. A long-range Lamella strike saw Mejias diving low to tip it wide conceding a corner. As the Corner was cleared Aurier delivered in another quality cross headed clear by McNair for an additional notch on the Spurs corner count which was thankfully overhit, going out for a throw in to Boro on seventy-five minutes. Nmecha then came on for Fletcher who had literally run himself into the ground.

Moura then single handedly slalomed his way through some pretty weak Boro challenges winning a corner on seventy-seven minutes which was headed clear by Gestede. Ten minutes remained and Boro were now camped in their own half with Gestede isolated and Nmecha at the tip of the Boro defensive wall. Moura again cut in on his right foot this time unleashing a shot which had Mejias diving across his goal tipping it wide. Seeing the ball out safely for a goal kick a minute later saw Mejias go down awkwardly but recover after a few painful looking stretches of his right shoulder. It was just as well as he had to sprint out of his box seconds later to clear another relentless Spurs attack. Saville was in trouble for a cynical lunge which swiftly ended the next Spurs offensive with Lamella openly showing his displeasure at Stuart Attwell’s yellow card for George Saville and earning one for himself for dissent. The resulting free kick was sent straight through and aimlessly out for a Boro goal kick.

Four minutes remained and a rare Boro foray ended with a throw in on the right but Spence out dribbled himself giving away a goal kick by slipping and falling on his backside. Three minutes now left and Lamella drove through the middle of the Boro defence finding the advancing Aurier who skied his effort Assombalonga style much to the relief of the North Stand. Back in defence Tavernier headed away a cross for a late Spurs corner on eighty-eight minutes. As the ninetieth ticked over Lamella skipped past a series of Boro challenges but Mejias smothered the low cross with confident ease.

Four minutes of added time came up with Boro still sitting deep and by now holding on. After another embarrassing Spurs dive in the Boro box Nmecha carried the ball out from the middle of the pitch, advancing deep into Spurs territory while attracting the attentions of Eriksen, clipping his legs. McNair delivered the free kick but it was straight into the arms of Gazzaniga. A late run by Alli to chase a wasteful ball went out for Mejias to steadily take the goal kick and as it entered play crossing the half way line Stuart Attwell blew his whistle to signal a replay at the newest stadium in the Country, which is White Hart Lane except it’s no longer called White Hart Lane since its rebuild and is now called the Tottenham Stadium or as some may ponder “the unsponsored Premiership ground waiting for a multimillion offer Stadium”.

A defiant and proud display from a patched up Boro side against a team that were Champions League Finalists at the end of last season and who have regularly finished in the Premiership top four was an effort that incredibly took those recent West Brom and Preston performances to a different level. MOM was another difficult one between McNair, Howson and Fry. There were others who had done very well including Clayts and Saville and at the opposite end of the pitch the goal machine that is now Ashley Fletcher for his running and never say die endeavours. After a nervy and rusty start Mejias had also done extremely well and pulled off two great saves negating the need for any January spend on another back-up Keeper. Overall, I think McNair edged it along with captain for the day Jonny Howson coming a very close runner up.

Championship 2019-20: Weeks 22-23

Sun  5 Jan – 14:01: Boro v Spurs (FA Cup)
Sat 11 Jan – 15:00: Boro v Derby
Tue 14 Jan – 20:05: Spurs v Boro (FA Cup Replay)

Nothing probably epitomised the change in fortune of Boro’s season than the sight of Rudy Gestede’s face after scoring his first goal in a Boro shirt for nearly two years – plus the joy of his team-mates who must have known what it meant to him. Indeed, Dael Fry almost looked quite emotional as they celebrated, with Ashley Fletcher also having something of a proud look on his face and the effervescent Marcus Tavernier simply ecstatic with joy for the big Benin striker, whose time at the club has been blighted by injuries and failure. Clearly the team spirit amongst the players is evident and that is an important ingredient for any team hoping to achieve something.

Another factor in Boro’s revival is that Jonathan Woodgate and his coaching team appear to be starting to get the best out of what players they have at their disposal in a limited strength squad. Whether it be young players suddenly finding themselves in the first team picture in Djed Spence, Hayden Coulson or Aynsley Pears, those who have lacked form and confidence like Ashley Fletcher or George Saville and even the older players who had lost their places such as Adam Clayton and now Rudy Gestede. Perhaps Woodgate has been underestimated as a man-manager and it’s clear that the players are prepared to give him their all on the pitch.

Of course, the major factor for any successful team is self-belief and confidence, which began to return with every successive victory that was chalked up – indeed, the upturn may have come sooner if it hadn’t been for some crucial sending-offs that scuppered promising displays. Ten games ago, Boro were two-nil up and cruising against Hull until Marvin Johnson saw red eight minutes before half time – the ten men were eventually pegged back and were lucky to escape with a point. It was the same at Swansea, after Marcus Tavernier had equalised just before the hour mark and it looked like only one team was going to go onto win – and it wasn’t the Welsh one in white. However, a few minutes after that goal Browne’s stupid lunging tackle on the halfway line saw him sent to the stands and he was followed not long after by McNair for another less than clever challenge in front of the dugouts – the Swans then struck twice to send Boro home with nothing. Unbelievably, if Boro had have won those two and picked up those five extra points, Jonathan Woodgate’s team would now be only three points outside the play-offs with 20 games remaining!

Nevertheless, that festive bonanza of twelve points to end the bleak mid winter have totally reshaped the landscape of what was looking like it would be a long toil in the even bleaker valleys of the drop zone. Instead, Boro have now almost scrambled onto the higher planes of mid-table and the foothills of the play-offs are now almost in reach. It’s certainly been some journey this season and I’m not sure whether anyone associated with the club were overly keen on taking such a scenic route to a possible play-off place. OK, we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves as there’s still a long way to go before that becomes a serious proposition. Still, the renewed optimism is palpable and it may be that we’ll start to see evidence of FOMO on Teesside. FOMO, in case you’ve missed out on that particular acronym, is the latest social media induced anxiety, which rather appropriately is pronounced ‘foamo’ and stands for ‘Fear of missing out.’

Although, for the football world, FOMO has been the driving force behind the inflationary transfer window for many a year and we are once again preparing to peer though another one in a serious Playschool manner. Boro have wasted little time (and thankfully little money) in getting their first January signings with the capture of Manchester City’s young winger Patrick Roberts – OK, the 22-year old has only ever had one appearance off the bench for the Sky Blues following a £12m transfer from Fulham and had spent most of his last three years out on loan. He had a successful spell at Celtic, scoring 15 goals in 55 appearances but hasn’t done anything of note in the last 18 months with unsuccessful loan spells at Girona in Spain and just three appearances for Norwich this season.

If Woodgate and Keane can get him back on track then he may be a good signing but he’s probably another player who is looking to reboot his career to rediscover some form and match fitness. Also just hot off the press arriving from City on loan is the six-foot-one German-born young forward Lukas Nmecha – he spent last season on loan at Preston, scoring 4 goals in 38 appearances and has spent this season at Wolfsburg but got few opportunities to play. The 21-year old is described as a pacy two-footed forward with a good first touch, who can either play as a centre-forward or out wide and likes to run at defenders – though it’s possible that paragraph on Wikipedia was written by his agent . Interestingly, he scored for England U20s against Germany in 2018 but switched sides in 2019 when he came on as sub for Germany’s U21s when they beat England 2-1. He sounds like a favourite for the Anglo-Germanic dual-nationals out there – albeit a confusing one!

January could be an important transfer window for Boro and it’s possible we’ll see a few strategic exits that could raise funds to help the bolstering of a rather thin squad that looks like it can’t take many more injuries or suspensions. I’d expect the club to make some defensive signings now Ayala has joined the injured, and with no sign of either Shotton or Friend returning, Woodgate is only one more injury or suspension short of a centre-back crisis. Whether we’ll see any experienced players arriving is another matter but that may depend on sales. The latest news on Randolph is that Boro have rejected West Ham’s opening bid as too low, but with Aston Villa also now in the market for a keeper after losing Tom Heaton for the season with a knee injury, it at least could start a bidding war for his services. A thoughtful Woodgate sounded somewhat vague on the future of both Randolph and Britt after simply saying “I’d like to think that they’ll both stay.”

With head of recruitment, Adrian Bevington, leaving the club last month it could mean a change in direction or possibly there was simply no real role for him given Boro’s lack of funds. Whether Boro are looking to target a different profile of player after the summer arrivals have so far failed to make the grade is uncertain – perhaps they could take inspiration for their recruitment policy from the latest planned advertisement from those who now run the country. Dominic Cummins has published in his blog that he aims to encourage “weirdos and misfits with odd skills” to apply for jobs in government – though many on Teesside could be forgiven for thinking that was Boro’s policy of the last few years for recruiting their players. The Downing Street strategist also added that he didn’t want to employ “confident public school bluffers” – not sure who he had in mind but presumably they were already over-represented in that department in the senior positions.

Moving quickly along from the world of politics that has often been unkindly (though possibly accurately) described as “show business for ugly people.” Anyway, it’s Boro who are now sitting much prettier in the Championship after that hectic but handsomely productive festive programme. However, January suddenly becomes a lot more languid with just a Cup tie and three league fixtures to fill out the month with not a midweek game in sight to punctuate the winter weekends.

Sunday sees Boro join the third round of the FA Cup with a high-profile televised home tie against a top Premier League team. Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham (as they’ve obligatorily been renamed) arrive on Teesside to waft a bit a glamour around the Riverside that neither Barnsley, Stoke or Huddersfield simply had the smell of. Most will be expecting that many of the big names will be rested for this game and no doubt Spurs will also make changes too. Although, with so few games in January for Boro, they may as well give it good go and maybe impress a few armchair neutrals. The real danger will be attracting unwanted attention from the January shoppers looking to boost their squads – maybe we could get a few extra millions by selecting Randolph or Britt but equally we could lose a few millions if they fluff their lines. A Gestede hat-trick will no doubt be followed with club statements saying he’s not for sale at any price before reluctantly relenting after a £5m bid from Villa to resign their former player.

When the third round draw was made, there were probably very few compos mentis Boro supporters that would contemplate their club would be in the fourth round hat. Now I suspect after the last four wins and news that Harry Kane is injured and the distinct possibility of others being rested for Spurs next game against Liverpool, Boro may fancy an upset. Indeed, you may be surprised to hear that Boro have won as many league games as Tottenham this season, with both clubs registering eight a piece. Spurs have been looking shaky in defence of late and have conceded first in their last four games, of which only one was won.

Mourinho’s latest squeeze are not at their best and in truth the Special One hasn’t looked that special in recent years with his odd bullying behaviour no longer seen as charming or effective after getting sacked by Chelsea for losing 9 of his opening 16 games. It was also marked by that infamous incident with the club’s female doctor, who he demoted for running onto the pitch to treat a prostrate Eden Hazard. The BBC reported that Eva Carneiro had claimed at a tribunal that Mourinho had shouted at her in Portugese “filha da puta” which translates as “daughter of a whore” – Dr Carneiro eventually settled with the club for constructive dismissal after turning down their original offer of £1.2m compensation. Mourinho then became Man Utd manager after seemingly being Sir Alex’s chosen one but he failed to revive their fortunes with the fans upset by the dour football he served up. He was sacked shortly before Christmas in 2018 after winning just 7 of his opening 17 games with him and his staff received just under £20m for their inconvenience.

Boro will hopefully try to continue in the Championship where they left off as they welcome Derby to the Riverside six days after their Cup exploits – although their opponents will presumably now be known as Wayne Rooney’s Rams after he somehow agreed to join Frank Lampard’s former club to inspire them to avoid relegation to League One – though I suspect the original deal was sold to him as firing the club to promotion to the Premier League when it was agreed back in August. Rooney has joined as player-coach on an 18 month contract – though I’m not sure if Mel Morris now plans to sell the training ground back to himself to fund his wages.

Derby, you may recall, lost out to Villa in the play-off final last season and after Frank Lampard departed for Chelsea appointed the former Dutch international Phillip Cocu as manager. Cocu played 101 times for The Netherlands and went on to become assistant manager for his country before leaving to take charge as caretaker manager at PSV. He subsequently stepped back to an under-19 role at the club before returning as first-team manager, which saw him lift the Eredivisie title in 2015 and defend it the following year.

However, Cocu has so far failed to inspire his new club to Championship success and a 2-1 Rooney-inspired win over Barnsley saw them join Boro on 33 points. It was the Ram’s second win in a week after also beating Charlton by the same score – though they’d failed to win any of their previous seven games in a run that had seen them slide down the table towards the relegation zone. Boro will hope it was a temporary return to form and that the presence of Wazza won’t prove to be the driving force for those around him at the Riverside.

So as the Boro faithful enter January in an uncharacteristic positive mood and start projecting a collective spirit of all pulling in the same direction, the question for many supporters now out of their cynical comfort zone, is how long it will last? For the moment most are feeling pleasantly surprised after the festive cheer and are still humming the Wizzard chorus of “I wish it could be Christmas every day” – while simultaneously getting twitchy as they prepare to pack away the decorations and inwardly anticipate the inevitable slump!

Pos. 9th (39pts)	WEDNESDAY 1 JANUARY 2020			Pos. 16th (33pts)
Preston		0-2	Boro
	65% 11(2) 6 4	POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) CORNERS FOULS	35% 18(4) 3 18	Gestede (40) Davies (62 og)

Rude awakenings!

A trip across the Pennines for Boro after their heroics in Birmingham on Sunday had them facing Preston at Deepdale who like the Baggies had just suffered ignominy at the hands of a lower placed side. Losing 2-0 at home to Reading was definitely not something Alex Neil had planned as he plots to keep Preston in the play-off chase, especially after their credible one-all draw away to Leeds previously. Despite that Reading set back, Preston still had the best home record in the Championship having taken 29 points from their 13 home games and having lost only twice, albeit both coming in December. The last time Boro had lost at Deepdale was back in 1972 so there was the inevitability feel about today’s game.

Ex-Boro Striker David Nugent was rated doubtful after suffering a black eye with impaired vision. Darnell Fisher was available after returning from suspension to make the bench against Reading. Patrick Bauer had been down with the flu bug over Christmas so his fitness would be questionable especially over ninety minutes.

Boro meanwhile would be brimming with confidence and would also be “welcoming” back Browne and McNair after their thoughtless stupidity had for some raised questions about the real motives behind their sending-offs and Christmas suspensions. Their causes weren’t helped after another ex-Boro player Gary O’Neil espoused that he himself had once got himself deliberately carded so he could watch horse racing rather than be selected to play.

The Preston teamsheet revealed five changes after that Reading defeat with Darnell Fisher, Patrick Bauer and David Nugent all starting for the Lilywhites. Boro shuffled their pack too with Coulson and Wing on the bench alongside Paddy McNair and a surprise start for Gestede with Johnson also returning. Still no sign of Assombalonga, Shotton, Randolph or longer-term injury victims Friend and Dijksteel, there was no place for either Browne or Bola in the squad.

Boro started on fire with a Marvin Johnson cross evading Declan Rudd in the Preston goal and Spence nodding it on for someone to slot home but there were no red shirts available. Good solid early intent sending out all the right messages. Both sides looked to be steadily probing in what was a measured approach but it was Boro again who came close with Fletcher but he was adjudged to have fouled in the build-up. There was certainly nothing to suggest that Boro were facing this game with any trepidation of fear. The “free hit” mentality was maybe one explanation but in fairness Boro looked far more measured than that.

It was just short of ten minutes when Preston struck at Boro’s defence with Dani Ayala guilty of an error allowing Fisher in on Pears but the rapidly improving young keeper was more than a match as his confidence and reliability grows from game to game. Despite Boro’s early prowess the game was by no means a spectacle and at times untidy and very messy with neither side really getting a grip and controlling it. For a Boro side visiting the place of the best home Championship record it wasn’t up to them to put on a display to entertain neutrals, that said it was indeed Boro who were creating the better opportunities. It was once again the opponents with the lion’s share of the possession stats but with barely a quarter of an hour gone Fletcher had fed Johnson whose effort went wide and then Gestede and Tav had both come close to breaking the deadlock.

The lumbering injury prone and much derided Benin Striker looked to be hungry to make an impact in what was probably his best opening period in a Boro Shirt. The cynics of course would hold the view that he was now playing for his next contract but whatever the reason he was most certainly making a nuisance of himself.

On twenty minutes it was Fletcher again going close but it was just too tight to get his sights on target. As the game approached 30 minutes Pears had to be alert to save from Hughes but far worse was to follow when Dani Ayala went down and it didn’t look good. Clearly in some distress and discomfort he was helped up to his feet by the physio but struggled to put any weight on his ankle. Paddy McNair warmed up as the forlorn Spanish skipper was not going to be taking any further part. The returning Northern Ireland International slotted into the backline alongside Dael Fry with anxious looks from the Travelling Army, Dani didn’t look in a good way as he made his way off the pitch.

Preston sensed that this could be their moment to take advantage of the uncertainty and disruption in the Boro defence but McNair was steadfast while Fry stepped up to have his best game of the season repelling Gallagher and company on a few occasions to keep the scores level. Boro broke out of defence and won a free kick just over the half way line which McNair took charge off. He delivered an enticing ball into the Preston box which Fry nodded back under pressure from the edge of the six yard box where Saville managed an improvised half hooked challenge in the direction of Gestede who leaned back and hooked it himself overhead and into the net to open his account for the season and do the unthinkable, put Boro one up! Five minutes before half time and who would have put money on Boro going in front with Rudy Gestede scoring?

A minute later and the lively Djed Spence nearly doubled the lead but he just couldn’t get the ball to sit right. Preston raised their game and laid siege to the Boro half in the dying moments of the forty-five and the two added minutes but Ref Brooks’ whistle went to see Boro go down the tunnel with their lead intact and the home fans less than impressed, vociferous in letting their players know their frustrations for the second time in a few days.

Predictably Alex Neil made a change and flu sufferer Bauer was swapped for Huntingdon for the second half. Having already been forced into one substitution Woodgate stuck with those who had provided the slim advantage. Preston were determined to get back into the game and it was vital that Boro kept their shape and discipline, Spence showed he could defend as well as attack, Johnson was showing no nonsense and McNair was proving an able deputy but it was Fry who was marshalling and taking control in a return to the Dael we knew (or at least had hoped) was somewhere hiding within.

Ten minutes into the second half and it was Boro who came closest with Gestede again going close with another header from a well weighted Tav corner. The game was undoubtedly a scrappy affair and Preston had a header of their own sailing across the face of Pears’ net but he was unruffled and confident it was going wide. The game was dour in parts but not without the slick pacy moments of the West Brom match. Boro showed resilience but still retained that threat on the break as Preston struggled to break us down.

A darting run by Tav down the middle took him past three defenders with the ball breaking for Gestede who lashed in a shot only for Rudd to instinctively palm clear. A long goal kick from Pears travelled three-quarters of the length of the Deepdale pitch where it was nodded on by Gestede, out leaping the attentions of the Preston defender for Fletcher to chase and run onto it, harassing Davies forcing him to poke it back to Declan Rudd as Fletch closed him down but instead the panicked pass went past the helpless keeper and into the Preston goal. Two-nil up away from home for the second time in a few days and there was something very surreal but also very strangely convincing that Boro were about to grind out their second away victory of the season despite there being over twenty-five minutes of playing time remaining.

Two minutes after the restart Clayts picked up a yellow as the chance of bringing home all three points was becoming close to reality. Just before Boro’s second goal Browne had left the field for Jayden Stockley to join the fray and put a little more physicality into the Preston attack. Suffice to say yet again it hadn’t gone the way Alex Neil had planned. Just after the Clayts booking, Neil brought off Nugent and put on Josh Harrop to chase the game. A minute later it was Marvin Johnson earning a yellow as Boro looked determined to hold on to what they had deservedly earned.

Seventy minutes in and Coulson replaced Spence to conserve youthful energy levels and Howson had gone close as Boro were still threatening on the break with pace and guile. A mazy dribble by Fletcher with Tav acting as a decoy was headed back into the path of Gestede who lashed a left footed shot just wide. A clever corner routine between McNair and Clayts saw Paddy cut back a shot come cross towards the top left-hand corner of Rudd’s goal but he managed to tip it over the bar. An over-hit Howson cross was fed back in from the left by Tav retrieving the loose ball, met by Gestede rising above the defence to head straight at Rudd who again relied on reactionary instinct to punch clear at close range.

Preston kept testing but never looked like breaking us down and in contrast every time we attacked something happened and, on another day, we could have been four goals to the good. With five minutes of normal time remaining Gallagher sent a ball into the Boro box from a free-kick wide on the right, aimed at sub Stockley who won his duel in the middle of the Boro box but headed over, summing up the plight of Preston all afternoon.

With a minute of the ninety to go Preston had the ball over the line but the flag went up to save the turmoil of a nail biting final few minutes of added time. A minute into added time and Tav came off for Wing to run the clock down. The whistle finally went and Boro recorded a remarkable second straight away win, four wins in a row and impressively another clean sheet. MOM was Gestede who had his first start in however long and rewarded Woodgate’s trust in him by attacking everything thrown at him whilst also being dominant in his own box defending set pieces. Seven points from the play-off places and ten points clear of the relegation spots, are Boro about to make a late surge or will the curse of January come back to haunt us?

 

Pos. 2nd (51pts)	SUNDAY 29 DECEMBER 2019			Pos. 16th (30pts)
West Brom		0-2	Boro
	60% 11(5) 5 16	POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) CORNERS FOULS	40% 15(10) 12 12	Ayala (17) Fletcher (90+4)

Boing Boing Boro!

An away trip to Birmingham just before the new year comes to end the old with what many of us predicted would result in a good thumping. There was the odd hope that we may escape with a plucky, undeserved draw but the Baggies seem to be on a relentless mission to return to the Premiership this season after their reorganisation following Tony Pulis’ departure.

With scant resources it was expected that Woodgate would go again with what he had available to him. It would be an unlikely scenario that any of those being wrapped in cotton wool would emerge from their winter hibernation for fear of being damaged in the sales. They hadn’t been missed in all reality with the youngsters showing far more hunger and desire that more than made up for any lack of experience. The worry was that a good thumping could psychologically damage them but in fairness the Leeds mauling was swiftly put aside and after two home wins in a week even the suicidal Swansea showing didn’t have any long-term hangover.

After being held to a draw in their last outing to Barnsley maybe there was some hope for the Travelling Army that the Baggies could once again be caught in a festive spirit. Albion midfielder Filip Krovinovic had told Baggie fans that they would be going all out to give them a win this afternoon so we were expecting a backlash.

Kieron Gibbs had been forced to limp off the pitch at Oakwell so would be 50/50 for today’s encounter. Nathan Ferguson Kyle Bartley and Grady Diangana were all rated as doubtful as like Woodgate, Bilic had his own injury list to contend with. Bad boy Ahmed Hegazi was also likely to be in the squad again after a supposed training ground spat last week.

Team news saw Bilic make four changes from Barnsley bringing in wingers Phillips and Edwards sensing that Boro could be undone by attacking the inexperienced Spence and Coulson. West Brom hadn’t lost at home all season for 18 games pre kick-off so this was going to be a massive Herculean task. Woodgate made one change, Clayts came in for Johnson which would indicate Fletcher battling up top relying on support from the midfield.

Boro won the toss which many of us thought may be the only thing we would win this afternoon. Dani Ayala decided that the sides would change ends as today’s match official Geoff Eltringham got things underway with the Baggies kicking off. It looked like Clayts and Saville were keeping things tight in front of our defence with Wing and Tav further up with Spence which hinted at a 4-2-3-1 or possibly even a 4-4-1-1.

The opening five minutes were fairly uneventful with Boro looking extremely comfortable. Seven minutes in and a feigned foul by Kanu led to a Boro free kick which was quickly despatched up to Spence who fizzed in a shot winning our first corner and an immediate second corner delivered to the near post was hurriedly cleared by Livermore. As they went up the pitch a blocked cross by Ayala gave the Baggies a throw in near the corner flag but the threat was easily contained by Howson who cleared the danger.

Hegazi was fortunate that the Linesman didn’t agree with Fletcher when he seemed to be brought down. Had Fletch perhaps been a little stronger he may have remained on his feet and I suspect the Assistant thought the same. Fourteen minutes had gone with Boro still looking anything like a Boro side this season and Dael Fry conceded the Baggies first corner. It was a near post effort but Boro cleared, broke with Wing, playing in Fletcher but Livermore read the intent and was there to prevent the final ball to Tavernier.

Quarter of an hour in and Boro so far had looked composed and a stranger would be hard pushed to tell which side was at the top of the Championship and which side was fighting relegation. Woodgate had his organisation, tactics and structure right for this one so far. Another low cross in from Spence led to Gareth Barry slicing it out for Boro’s third corner. As the corner was delivered in by Wing to the near post, up rose Ayala to head home past a feeble attempt from Sam Johnstone to put Boro ahead and deservedly so. Seventeen minutes gone and Boro had defied the odds and all logic with it.

Johnstone spared West Brom blushes from further embarrassment after a great move from Boro saw Fletcher shoot and then Saville testing the Baggies Keeper in quick succession who had to save with his feet. Fletcher came close again but was flagged offside as this Boro team looked to be unrecognisable to the side that played without any belief for the major part of the first half of the season. Boro then hit Johnstone’s post as the ball went out of play and the Baggie looked vulnerable. Ferguson won a Baggies corner off Spence and again they delivered in another short one but it went out for a Boro goal kick which was well defended and shielded by Coulson. It was probably the first time Pears had touched the ball in the game with over twenty-five minutes gone. Furlong then had a diving header from a cross from Pereira just over Pears’ crossbar as they came the closest, they had been and seemingly just waking up.

Livermore was once more engaged in defending as we attacked and won yet another corner which was almost repeated by Ayala but this time it wasn’t to be. The Travelling Army had appealed for a penalty with Livermore claiming it was his chest rather than his arm that had made contact with the ball. The lively Pereira again went close for the Baggies with Ayala clearing the danger. West Brom were noticeably gaining a foothold now. Phillips beat Coulson and found Pereira who volleyed his shot but Pears was equal to the effort. A minute later and Phillips once again beat Coulson but his final ball was to an imaginary colleague fortunately for Boro.

A poor clearance from a hurried Pears after Fry had sold him short led to Kanu winning a Baggies corner. West Brom were in control at this stage but we still had an outlet with Wing, Fletcher, Tav and Spence should we clear it out quickly, something which Boro had been missing for a huge part of this season. The tension in the Hawthorns was inflating rapidly with the Home fans growing in frustration the longer the game went on. Thirty-seven minutes gone and Clayton fed Saville who tested Johnstone again. Despite the home side winning all the possession stats that Saville effort was a warning to a very perplexed and angry looking Bilic. Spence then robbed Barry, putting in another quality cross with the table toppers looking very uncharacteristically susceptible to these Boro forays.

A top corner effort from Kanu after a one-two had us drawing breath but it went wide of the target. Wing took a free kick for a foul on Fletcher and as it came in it was Fletcher who attacked it but missed his opportunity. Howson then hit a thirty-yard screamer but it didn’t trouble Johnstone but the very fact that we were getting at the Baggies keeper had the home fans starting to whistle and jeer in frustration, contesting and complaining about every decision. A Coulson cross after Fletcher headed the ball down to him was put out for yet another Boro corner in the dying seconds of the half. Ayala headed it down but Livermore cleared, Wing returned it with interest and vengeance in equal measure winning our sixth corner of the game.

A cross from Ferguson found Kanu but his header was aimless and Coulson collected with ease. Another Baggies attack was cleared out by Fry to Fletcher but the creaking Barry cleared his lines, Howson read it and set Tav away with Boro still looking comfortable and delivering by far the best half of football in 2019.

No doubt Bilic would ring the changes at half time but so far there was nothing Woodgate needed to do apart from a few pats on the back as his players departed back down the tunnel. At the restart the youngster Ferguson was taken off and Townsend put on in his place along with Edwards being hooked for Austin. The half kicked off with Ayala again making a nuisance of himself this time at the back post.

Howson earned a yellow for blocking off Phillips as he tried to link with his new strike partner Austin in the first card of the game. A good punch from Pears denied Phillips and as Tav mis-controlled the ball it came back in requiring Pears to come off his line to collect and take the sting out of the Baggies impetus much to the chagrin of the Home fans as he made somewhat of a meal of it and let’s just say it wasn’t a ready meal.

West Brom were going for this now and pushing us back, we needed to be strong as the front two pairing had given them fresh impetus. A Perreira cross to Livermore saw Pears tip it over for a corner as the pressure kept growing. The ball came in from the corner but Hegazi put it wide with the game now approaching the fifty-five minute mark. Spence was brought down by Townsend just on the corner of the 18-yard box. Tav hit the resultant free kick in with pace and as Fletcher pouncing it was put out for a corner. Tav delivered it deep but it was over-hit giving Howson no chance at the far side.

Things erupted when Geoff Eltringham pulled play back for Coulson being laid out injured resulting in Livermore going mental with the Ref and lucky to just get a yellow card for his frustrations. A drop ball saw Gareth Barry hit it out and the ageing midfielder who looked a shadow of his former self made way as Bilic threw on his third and last substitute Krovinovic. A Boro free kick then had sub Austin getting feisty with Fry and close to completely losing it as the home fans and those in striped shirts became increasing incensed with the Ref.

A deep cross from Furlong reached Austin but Pears collected it with ease. Aynsley once again had to be alert and react quickly to Phillips and of course wound the home fans up further with his generous use of time in putting the ball back into play. The Hawthorns now was bouncing with feelings of unjust decision making and Boro time wasting. A Philips cross was deflected but Pears once again was equal to it. Phew, hanging on but defending with steel and vigour.

Perrera launched another free kick into the Boro box but Pears again reached up and collected. A bad back pass nearly allowed Wing in but he went too wide and as he cut it back the header from Fletcher was tipped over by Johnstone earning another Boro corner which was hoofed clear by Hegazi. Seventy minutes gone and Boro were not only holding on but threatening.

A coming together between Spence and Phillips saw a yellow card for both as Phillips appeared to have struck out at Spence. An attack from Boro saw Fletcher break and test Johnstone again who was relieved to put it behind for a corner from a tight angle. Austin headed the corner clear from which the ball came back at them with Tav went down for a weak penalty shout. As West Brom cleared Saville had went down with the aggressor Austin collecting a yellow for his offence on whatever had gone on between them.

Things were heating up and a red card seemed to be tantalisingly in the offing. A free kick as Clayton was clattered by Perreira allowed Boro to take a few more delaying seconds for breath with some leggy looking red shirts out there. A quarter of an hour remained and Boro still clung to that slender binary lead. Marvin Johnson was readied and Djed Spence came off via the far touchline as Geoff Eltringham endeavoured to show he was unbiased by making the exchange a little quicker than permitting the usual far side of the pitch walk of appreciation.

Johnson’s first activity was to lose the ball as the Baggies came straight back at Boro but Pears once again collected the ball, dawdled a little more as twelve whole minutes remained. Next up a Phillips header caught by Pears who dropped to the floor to ensure it didn’t spill of course, coughs loudly. Ten long minutes now remained with West Brom passing and probing but Boro suddenly broke with Coulson on a thirty yard burst but Furlong took him out before he could play in Fletcher. Wing lined up the free kick with a strange Boro wall alongside the Baggies wall but the delivery dipped just too late and evaded Johnstone’s top corner. Six minutes now remaining and it was still 1-0 to the Boro. Come on BORO!

A Gordon Banks class save from Pears defied Austin and saw Boro rush out with Tav to Fletcher then back to Tav then Marvin Johnson and then requiring Sam Johnstone putting it out for a Boro corner (lost count now). Claims for a handball from Coulson then ended with him “readjusting” to take out a Baggie attacker as the pace was merciless and intensity growing. A yellow card for Coulson amidst frustrated late claims for that “hand ball” that wasn’t given. I think had the Ref given a penalty the Hawthorns would have spontaneously combusted.

Wing then went off for Gestede to come on with a only a few minutes remaining. A Phillips cross was cleared by Howson then after a frantic few seconds of defending it went out for a West Brom Corner. Pereira’s delivery came in, evading Pears but it went out for a goal kick which Pears once again took his time to collect, set up, digging the turf with his boot Jonny Wilkinson style and meticulously readying his kick.

A half-cleared attempt by Fry saw Phillips trip over himself as fatigue was clearly taking its toll. Five agonising minutes was held up by the fourth official as Pears launched it up to Gestede, it was cleared but then Clayts took a kick for his troubles and went down earning a respite inducing free kick, taking his time getting to his feet with sixty seconds of added time consumed. Yet again a Phillips cross was met by Howson but the danger continued requiring Marvin to slide in to concede a throw in. A tete-a-tete between angry Austin and Pears played into our hands as another sixty seconds ebbed away. A series of head tennis from Coulson to Saville to Fletcher saw a ludicrous thirty-five-yard lob over Johnstone in the Baggies box and nestle into the back of the net to seal all three points, ensure our first away win and the Baggies first home defeat of the season. Fletch turned, sprinted three quarters the length of the pitch to celebrate with the travelling army behind Pears’ goal in jubilation. West Brom 0-2 Middlesbrough!

MOM was all of them, Pears was brilliant, Ayala immense, Howson incredible, Fry was solid and dependable, Spence and Coulson fantastic, Wing, Tav and Fletcher unbelievable, Saville and Clayton battled and scrapped in the middle. What an end to the year that only a few weeks ago looked impossible. Preston up next who will not be looking forward to a resurgent Boro. Congratulations and full marks to all those involved.

Pos. 18th= (27 pts)	THURSDAY 26 DECEMBER 2019			Pos. 20th (25 pts)
Boro		1-0	Huddersfield
Spence (37)	37% 14(3) 5 12	POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) CORNERS FOULS	63% 8(3) 4 7

Pearl of the day from Spence

After his trip up to Teesside last Friday night for a spying mission, Danny Cowley returned this afternoon with his entire entourage to try and put some daylight between the Terriers and Boro in this survival dog fight. To boost his numbers, he was optimistic of maybe having all or some of Fraizer Campbell, Lewis O’Brien and Alex Pritchard back from injury. Having beaten Forest away in their last outing they arrived with an air of confidence as Cowley debated in his press conference about whether he would set up to face a Boro back four or a back five and a diamond. The diamond being Boro’s shape rather than that mercurial No.10 that we have all dreamt about and presumably Bevington failed to unearth.

Boro started the game just one point behind the visitors and two goals poorer on goal difference, so on paper this one had a draw written all over it. Woodgate still had Browne and McNair suspended and the seemingly endless injury doubts over Randolph, Assombalonga, Shotton, Dijksteel and Friend. Despite that, Boro were hoping to make it four wins on the bounce at the Riverside in front of their biggest crowd of the season in stark contrast to the probable but “officially” unconfirmed lowest turnout against Stoke. This was a big one for both sides but especially Boro who now face two tough away trips to Preston and West Brom after today’s encounter. A negative result could commence an unwanted Boro slide back down the Championship table.

Cowley understandably stuck with the same eleven that had won at Forest with only Lewis O’Brien fit enough to make the bench with Pritchard and Campbell still out. For Boro there were two changes with Wing starting instead of Clayts and Johnson instead of Walker but still no sign of Assombalonga.

Darren England’s whistle got the game underway with Boro starting assertively with Spence attacking, getting a low cross in and Boro showing with a bit of early enterprise. Spence again was the catalyst as he won a throw in with Boro pressing and a resultant free kick on the left just inside the Terriers half with the big lads going up for it. The set piece was poorly executed but the early tempo continued and the visitors were clearly under pressure.

An inviting ball in from Johnson was missed by Tav with Coulson following in behind but skewed his shot high into the darkening skies. All good stuff from Boro in the opening five minutes, especially from Djed Spence. Then it was Coulson’s turn to break down the opposite wing only to be taken out by Hogg with Tav sending the free kick deep towards Ayala but he was under it and the ball went over Grabara’s crossbar.

Ten minutes in and Huddersfield hadn’t seriously threatened at all with Boro starting well and looking comfortable so far. Cowley’s game plan seemed to be to contain and keep things tight looking to his wide men to create openings. On the quarter-hour mark Johnson conceded a foul bringing down Bacuna who took the kick himself and earned a corner as the Terriers floated the ball in over everyone, past Pears’ goal and eventually going out for a goal kick via Mounie’s head.

Boro’s early exuberance had subsided as Huddersfield now settled into the game. A gift from Fry with an under-hit pass to Wing led to screams for a penalty from the packed away corner as Chalobah played in Grant who went down in the box in a warning to Boro to guard against complacency. Their midfield general Hogg inexplicably went down and looking in serious pain as Boro players took the opportunity to assemble near the touchline with a few obvious finger gestures from the Boro dugout as to who should have been doing what and where. Meanwhile Lewis O’Brien came on for Teessider Hogg as Huddersfield were forced into an early change.

The game now entered a disjointed mid-half phase as both sides were hitting balls that were failing to find targets. Spence was still looking the most likely to create something with Howson solid behind him. Half an hour gone now and both sides were dancing around the ring, jabbing but not landing any serious punches. Saville had to be alert to intercept quickly to prevent Bacuna getting a ball played into a pack of chasing Terriers.

Finding himself suddenly the centre of attention, Saville then set up Fletcher and after a series of passes it ended with Saville diving at a Spence-delivered ball to win our first corner. A melee’ in front of Grabara ended up with Fletcher being ticked off by Ref England, which made a change from it being Ayala. Tav then sent in a near post cross come mis-kick which was cleared disappointingly for Boro. After that energetic start from Djed Spence Boro had now lost their impetus whilst Huddersfield seemed content to have possession, hold us at bay and then try to pick us off.

Just as the game was looking to be 0-0 at half time, Tav broke through the middle of the pitch finding Fletcher out on his left, who ran into the 18 yard box and played a low cross evading everyone along the Huddersfield six yard box with Spence being perfectly placed to unleash a calm controlled strike to open his Boro account and put us 1-0 up on thirty-seven minutes. He took his opportunity extremely well and nobody deserved a goal this afternoon more than the youngster.

Huddersfield now had to come out and get at us and in doing so Bacuna and Howson ended up rolling around on the pitch after they wrestled for the ball with Bacuna seemingly determined to keep hold of Howson like a three-year-old having a pass the parcel tantrum for which he earned a yellow. Boro responded by ending the half the way they had started it by getting at a now clearly rattled Huddersfield defence. Saville earned a free kick which was headed clear by Schindler then Tav delivered it back in which was going out for a throw in and ended with Johnson having one of his needless niggles at a Blue shirt. The whistle ended the half with a less than impressive eccentric sliced kick from Liverpool loanee Grabara in the Terriers goal to earn a few jeers.

The teams came out unchanged for the second half with the Terriers kicking off. Almost immediately a switched ball from one side of the pitch to the other allowed Spence to get forward ending up with a Boro corner after a ball to Fletcher was put out by Kachunga. It was taken short by Wing with the cross coming in towards Ayala but his header was wide as Boro had started with tempo once again. Huddersfield were struggling to launch an attack, O’Brien at one stage was forced to break out to the halfway line then with no options impersonate new Dad and ex-Terrier Clayts by recycling it back towards his defenders.

Spence dinked inside the box, found Wing who played it to the back post but Coulson was adjudged to be offside. You could perceptively sense the fear every time Spence got on the ball from the away fans as the youngster was running the show. Huddersfield without doubt had all the possession but thus far had rarely troubled the home side; however, another goal for Boro at this stage of proceedings would have made the Boxing Day entertainment a little less stressful. Caught in two minds Ayala put a ball played back to him out to concede a corner unnecessarily as the Terriers loaded the Boro box on the 60th minute. Grant fizzed it in but the ball went just wide as Stankovic should have drawn the sides level as his header went over.

That effort woke up both sets of supporters in a game which so far hadn’t produced many efforts on target. With thirty minutes remaining the visitors knew there was still something to play for and equally Boro knew they could mess this up. Just at that time a deflection from Howson broke for Mounie in the six-yard box who incredibly missed his golden moment by slicing it.

Fletcher was then booked for not getting back from a free kick as Huddersfield took it quickly, which went straight to Tav yet Ref England halted proceedings and booked Fletcher. This was the Terriers best spell now as they were now making their possession count and gaining the upper hand in the contest with twenty-five minutes remaining. Boro were looking like strangers, struggling to piece moves together with Ayala in particular uncharacteristically looking the most likely to commit a fatal mistake. A parried Pears save from Bacuna was then played back into the box with Boro looking very rattled conceding too much space and looked to be at sixes and sevens. Seventy minutes in and Boro were looking like they had taken a few body blows and a swift uppercut leaving them staggering on their feet with the home fans getting twitchy at the lacklustre spell from Boro.

A quick break from Boro saw Spence set up Coulson at the far post but he hit his effort well wide. The visitors resumed pressure with Boro holding out (or holding on depending on perspective). Another breakout from Boro ended with Fletcher’s effort being pushed away by Grabara for a Boro corner. Lewis Wing delivered it in to the back post but to no avail as the Ref blew for a foul on the eccentric keeper. Bizarrely, Grabara illustrated the Terriers growing frustrations as he tried to drag Saville up onto his feet earning a yellow card for his excesses.

Gestede then came on for Johnson to allow a Plan B outlet for Boro and a new threat to give Danny Cowley something to reconsider in his game plan. Chalabah went down like a deck of cards theatrically climbing up from the turf as though he had been hit by a double-decker bus named Coulson. Substitute O’Brien then flew in on Fry near the dugouts earning himself a yellow card in the process as discipline and focus was starting to slip with Huddersfield. At this stage it was now a case of every man for himself as the result was now far more important than the methodology for both teams in the dying moments.

A drive from Bacuna after he had lost Spence had Pears reacting to concede a corner. After the corner was recycled by the Terriers it was Bacuna again who had another effort as Pears stood upright, confident it was going wide. A run from Fletcher playing in Gestede found Tav who burst forward earning a corner off O’Brien. The ensuing corner ball was cleared but Tav had another attempt but he hit over from outside the box with three long minutes remaining.

Bacuna was causing problems as he had done all game and after he started off on yet another foray Saville unceremoniously dragged him down. The free kick was headed backwards by Gestede but Coulson let it go out for a corner instead of clearing it as Boro nerves and judgements were jangling more than Santa’s sleigh bells. Coulson however almost immediately retrieved himself from the corner with a tackle on Mounie and as Boro broke Grant earned a yellow for a cynical foul.

Four minutes added time came up. And with pantomime season in full swing Grabara made another wayward clearance that earned more ironic cheers and then continued the farce with Fletcher eventually netting after Grabara had saved it, spun up and eventually it being declared null and void and offside. The impressive Bacuna chased a late loose ball with Coulson trying to clear, the ball was now all over the place with players almost terrified of touching it but a late cross to Mounie was the final act of the game. The afternoon ended with Djed Spence being the decider and the Man of the Match. The game was far from great but the result was a massive one for Boro in their fight for survival as they now go on the road with two fixtures that will be a real test. The important thing today was winning one of their winnable games.