Redcar Red reports on Boro’s opening victory at the Riverside…
Beleaguered budget Boro needed to get something out of tonight’s home game against Wigan to stem the growing tide of pessimism after a summer which talked the talk but as yet hadn’t walked the walk. From the excitement of what was to be an exciting high pressing, high tempo goal scoring Boro to the reality that a largely defence minded depleted squad with a few League One additions wasn’t going to suddenly turn into Liverpool lite any time soon was the atmospheric backdrop to the encounter.
A mild, warmish evening was the perfect setting for a game of late summer football under the Riverside floodlights as Woodgate and Keane desperately needed to kick start a season that had initially coughed but then spluttered to a depressing halt. Boro had Coulson still out injured and a question mark over the availability of Gestede, fingers were crossed that George Friend would have come through his rusty start at Blackburn after a few hefty challenges left him battered and bruised. Likewise, Dael Fry had come through 60 minutes of Fridays reserve game and was desperately needed to shore up a decidedly unconvincing Boro defence.
After a poor, lacklustre and unconvincing performance from the side at Ewood Park it was likely that the marmite midfield enforcer that is Adam Clayton surely would return. Paul Cook had plenty of worries of his own after his ten men succumbed to two goal Paddy Bamford’s Leeds on Saturday sitting just two points ahead of Boro at the start of tonight’s proceedings. Sent off midfielder Joe Williams was suspended for this one with Cook also having fitness worries over Josh Windass the son of ex Boro striker Dean along with Joe Garner, Anthony Pilkington and Joe Gelhardt.
Wigan hadn’t scored in their last five Riverside outings and hadn’t recorded a victory against Boro since 2007, a run stretching back nine matches or more to the point, that game where Yakubu was replaced by Dong-Gook Lee. Boro team news saw Bola coming in at left-back with Friend injured and Howson in for Dijksteel at RB, Clayton came back into midfield and Browne got a start over Marvin Johnson.
The low summer sun was shining over a sparsely populated Riverside as both sides entered the pitch. Referee Keith Stroud blew his whistle to get proceedings underway with Boro building up to an early throw in. Adam Clayton then had his pocket picked by Massey trying to play the ball out from the back and allowed Lowe in with an early shot at Randolph’s goal who tipped it over for a Wigan corner. Boro responded with some good build up play when Howson fed in Fletcher but his effort went out for a goal kick. On ten minutes Nathan Byrne broke out into the Boro half, fed Gavin Massey via an Ayala deflection who scuffed his shot fortunately for Boro. Byrne picked up more Boro slack passing a minute later and if Boro weren’t careful they could find themselves going behind as Wigan looked the more likely.
With fifteen minutes approaching it was Wigan who had the attacking wing-backs, putting pressure on the Boro defence who looked edgy and continually guilty of some very poor passes. Howson was the next culprit to cheaply concede away allowing Wigan to get in a twenty-five-yard pile driver towards Randolph. The warning signs were all there that Boro needed to get their heads sorted out and quickly. A tackle on Bola left its mark and earned the lively Byrne a yellow card much to his amazement.
A curler from Lowe nearly found its way into the Boro net and immediately from the restart Wigan once again came forward pressing for another attempt as the home crowd started to raise a few grunts and groans. Next it was Marcus Browne’s name in the book as you could sense the frustration both from the crowd and the Boro touchline. Twenty minutes gone and Boro were still giving away passes and nothing was knitting together. Just as the mood was turning Wing brought the ball forward and played a ball out to Howson out wide on the right who looped in a peach of a cross which was met centrally by the advancing Britt who got above his marker and headed home to put Boro one up. You could tangibly feel that pressure relief valve immediately kick in on that twenty-three minute mark.
Wigan came back at us immediately restating their intent but then it was Assombalonga once again who had an effort saved as Wing took a slick free kick, Britt drove forward from the half way line, played a quick one two with Fletcher and as his saved shot came back out McNair closed in but hit his shot wide of David Marshall in the Wigan goal. Despite the goal minutes beforehand and that follow up near miss, Wigan still looked like they were capable of getting something out of this game and continued to pressure Boro. Meantime the rash looking Browne was getting attention but for all the wrong reasons, sailing close to a second booking and then hoofing the ball over the stand roof.
Half an hour gone and Wigan were still very much in this, Boro were still incredibly sloppy with their passing but some of it momentarily improved in fits and starts and a triangle down the right flank allowed Fletcher to get an effort in that went out for a corner but it was disappointingly hit low and harmless by Wing. Browne then caught Robinson with what looked like a forearm smash and hearts were in mouths but fortunately the Wigan player got back up and saved him from a nailed-on second yellow card. A quick flick from Fletcher went across to McNair but his shot went out for a corner from which there were weak Boro appeals for a hand ball just a second later. Fletcher was “tackled” having his shirt tugged but once again the officials seem to have myopic vision when it comes to Boro this season and no penalty given to balance out the Dijksteel one on Saturday for an identical misdemeanour.
A few seconds of frantic activity at either end ended with a curling Britt attempt at the far corner but the ball just wouldn’t come in far enough and went wide away from Marshall’s upright. Once again Fletcher had his shirt pulled as he tried to break free but again despite the visibly clear evidence Keith Stroud somehow managed to award a free kick to Wigan. Dani Ayala then found himself in Keith Stroud’s book presumably for expressing an opinion about an aerial challenge that I’m guessing was deemed a foul, which seems strange as two shirt pulls were deemed permissible. The half time whistle sounded and there was again a chorus of boos but this time directed very obviously at Referee Keith Stroud. As poor as he had been the very fact that Browne was still on the pitch at least evened up some of his eccentricity from my viewpoint.
Unsurprisingly Browne was thankfully removed at Half Time for Marvin Johnson which was just as well because the lad looked like he was going to be done for GBH the way his first half ended. Woodgate’s logic was presumably for Johnson to use his experience to keep things solid and predictable rather than rash and reckless. The game as a spectacle was a shocking as very little quality was on display but the reality was that all Boro needed was the three points to get their season started and winning ugly would do just fine. A close chance came for Keiffer Moore after a great cross but his header flashed wide, though the big Wigan Striker stayed down with what looked like a dislocated shoulder judging by his body language but after a bit of treatment he was able to resume so perhaps it was a reaction to his acute embarrassment after his miss. Ex Pompey lad Jamal Lowe was next up to have an effort after a poor Shotton pass to Bola as Boro seemed to be intent on self-destruction. Boro just couldn’t get a handle on this game, despite getting the ball forward there was no control or pressing just manic chasing and repeatedly losing possession.
A Wing break saw Kipre cut out what could have been a good pass to McNair as the evening’s frustration continued for the Red shirts. A ball in from Clayton allowed a cracking shot just wide, again from Lewis Wing but in reality, this game had all the hallmarks of a lower Championship struggle which was still wide open as it approached sixty minutes. Clayton played a good ball in to Fletcher this time but he somehow got underneath it and David Marshall remained unmoved. A Johnson/Wing combo led to a Boro throw in down the left from which Johnson tried to get around Byrne but was deemed to have fouled him as sighs and heaves of frustrations echoed around the many empty seats.
Sixty-five minutes saw Keiffer Moore desperately reaching for a cross that was just beyond him to the despair of the half dozen taxis worth of away fans whose hopes were again raised a minute later as Evans played it out to Byrne who came close but nothing to really trouble Randolph. A triple change then ensued. For Wigan on came Naismith and Enobakhare and for Boro George Saville came on for Bola as Boro reshuffled their pack with what at times looked like a back three.
Earlier sub Marvin Johnson saved Boro blushes by diving to head clear a Wigan attempt and looked to have just about knocked himself out but fortunately regained his senses and came back onto the pitch rubbing the back of the head ruefully and Keiffer Moore was once again cursing his luck because of Johnson. What followed next was a scramble of comedic defensive proportions as Boro were at times looking very desperate to keep that all important clean sheet with eighteen long minutes remaining.
A Boro free kick was put in the Wigan box from near the corner flag but was headed up and clear by a blue shirt. Claims for another Boro free kick this time from Saville ended in a bit of a melee with the home fans screaming for something but Keith Stroud just ignored the impassioned pleas infused with desperation. Wigan’s Michael Jacobs came on for supposed ex Boro target Jamal Lowe as Paul Cook bet his last penny. A Lewis Wing curler just wouldn’t bend in time and the shot was well wide. Jacobs and Moore then combined at the other end only for Ayala to block their collective path. As the play now swayed up at the other end Wing fed Fletcher but his finish was disappointing and the ball ended up going out for a corner from which Ayala headed down getting too much on it but at least this time it was chaos in the Wigan box.
Moore went down again in the middle of the centre circle seemingly with an ankle problem this time with nobody at all near him but had to struggle on as all three Wigan subs were used. The clock was seemingly ticking down in slow motion with around six minutes to go as Boro now looked happy to hold on to what they had. Keifer Moore had to withdraw and limped off leaving the Pier men down to ten men. Surely Boro could and should clinically kill this game off but Saville this time gifted the ball to Jacobs allowing a momentary Wigan attack but it then see sawed the other way as Howson now just failed to connect to kill the contest.
The clock was still ticking down and despite Wigan being down to ten men the nervous tension was still permeating the night sky on Teesside. Just two minutes now remaining of the ninety and Wigan had Kipre pass to Byrne but the ball went out for a throw which Byrne quickly took and the pressure was suspended with a Dunkley header which went wide as Gestede was readied to presumably run the clock down of which the fourth official deemed to be five minutes more.
Gestede then came on for Fletcher who had been lively and had continued his current good vein of form. Randolph was forced into hurried action as a Wigan ball came into the Boro box, having to chase across his box diving at the feet of Kipre who seconds later had another opportunity but couldn’t take advantage as Boro looked more than ever to be decidedly porous at the back in those dying seconds. An Assombalonga challenge on the half way line in what should have been the last second was hoofed up into the Boro box with Marshall nudging upfield. It went out for a corner which was hotly disputed. Wigan put the ball into the Boro box which Randolph punched clear as we now entered two minutes over the five minutes of added time. Finally, that whistle went to end as scrappy and ugly a game as you will ever see but it afforded Boro their first three points of the season.
An ugly win and desperately clinging on against ten men in injury time was a rather ignominious end to the night but hopefully it takes the pressure off along with that clean sheet. MOM was again Howson with Fletcher, Ayala and McNair being the other stand outs not to mention Randolph who did what was needed when called upon. There was however no sign of high pressing or high tempo, in fact Boro looked very disjointed overall in what was an atrocious game to endure for the eighteen and a half thousand watching on. Before kick-off we would all have been happy to get those three points regardless of the performance but it was very poor fayre and the North Stand still haven’t seen a goal since the visit of Millwall back in January.
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Redcar Red reports on Boro’s defeat at Ewood Park…
After the ignominy of Tuesday night Boro travelled across the Pennines to renew old Teesside acquaintances with ex Captain and Manager Tony Mowbray and five former Players, Downing, Leutwiler, Graham, Chapman and Richie Smallwood. No doubt Woodgate would be putting out a more capable side than those who produced such a whimpering excuse for a performance against Crewe and therefore many changes were expected if indeed not all eleven. Subs aside there weren’t many who covered themselves in glory that night and the best the rest could hope for would be a place on the bench.
Injury wise Mogga was struggling with his defence with a few niggles and shooting themselves in the foot by allowing Charlie Mulgrew to go to near rivals Wigan during the window. Lenihan was doubtful with a knee injury along with Manchester City loanee Tosin Adarabioyo and Captain Elliott Bennett. Boro had ex Rover Rudy Gestede struggling for fitness meaning that he was likely to be unavailable for selection although judging by the general tone on several Boro Social media sites many didn’t seem to see that as a negative. Dael Fry would still be missing as he eased his way back last night in a reserve game while George Friend may be in with a chance at the back or as a minimum a place on the bench.
Budget Boro took the field with a strange colourway comprised of the Home shirt with Navy blue shorts and Red socks, clearly Red Shorts were deemed too expensive in this new era. Coulson was out with an injury along with Gestede and in came George Friend and Dijksteel at the RB position with Clayts seemingly struggling or just dropped. Howson had moved into midfield with McNair and Wing. Proceedings got underway and an early break with McNair and Marvin Johnson set Johnson off down the flank but his ball back in to McNair was poor. Shotton then had to be alert to stop Gallagher siding in to preserve the clean sheet. Fletcher then broke from the next phase of play, drove forward with Wing and Britt to pick out but he put far too much pace on it and the ball was collected by Walton in the Blackburn goal.
A minute later Lewis Wing was played in over the head of Gallagher by Friend and on the edge of the box Lewis dug a shot out that went just past the upright. Six minutes gone and the upper Darwin tier were lively providing all the noise but the rest of Ewood Park was silent. McNair and Wing seemed to be anchoring and battling as a double unit in midfield with Howson freed up to get forward.
A Downing ball in towards Randolph’s back post was cleared away by Friend to keep Gallagher at bay once again. The resultant Rovers corner delivered in by Downing was fortunately hit “Assombalonga style” way over Randolph’s crossbar. McNair was left reeling after a challenge causing a few worries as blood was pouring from his nose and required treatment off the pitch. During his absence Gallagher fizzed in a dangerous ball that saw Danny Graham stretching but fortunately for Boro it was to no avail.
Twenty minutes in and Blackburn started to exert some pressure after the early frantic start and a minute’s applause for the anniversary of Jack Walker’s passing. A corner was cleared by Friend as Boro had to now dig deep to keep Rovers at bay with Downing and Gallagher making a nuisance of themselves. The game tipped after a challenge by Dijksteel on the back post on Danny Graham was adjudged to be a Penalty with Dijksteel clearly preferring Graham’s shirt to his own. Graham stepped up to take the penalty himself as Randolph endeavoured to make himself look big but Graham despatched Randolph the wrong way as it went into the opposite corner. The away fans could only console themselves in the slim hope that maybe Britt Assombalonga was watching how professionals despatch penalties.
Before the restart Ayala involved himself in a mini fracas over the ball and picked up a yellow card as his frustrations got the better of him. Marvin Johnson broke away for Cunningham to upend him ensuring that Boro didn’t pull back level any time soon. Whatever or however the free kick was supposed to be worked, Howson screwed up the opportunity that as a consequence Blackburn broke with Dack who hoofed it up the pitch with Randolph way off his goal line, fortunately, blushes were spared.
After an opening ten minutes where Boro matched their opponents they now started to struggle with the experience of Dack pulling strings along with Downing, Cunningham and Gallagher all dissecting Boro. Half an hour gone and a handball by Elliot Bennett saw him earn a yellow card. From the restart Bennett was adjudged to then be fouled after a ball in from Johnson saw Britt deemed to have been overly excited in his attempt to pull back the deficit.
Dack turned and tried to get away from Howson but theatrically dived implying a Howson foul in as cynical a dive as possibly imaginable yet strangely no card. Fletcher then went well wide with a long-range effort but Boro desperately needed to take a more assertive approach if they were to get back into this game. With just under ten minutes left of the half Danny Graham needed some treatment from the Physio as both sides were grateful for the break considering the very unusual sunny weather for a Boro away day at Blackburn.
A diagonal ball into the box was easily collected unchallenged by Walton which summed up Boro’s first half. So far Boro hadn’t manged a single effort remotely near Walton’s goal let along one actually on target. The high tempo, pressure, chasing down, closing down, game was missing replaced by a “meh” type of non-descript performance. Defensively we looked very suspect and Dijksteel didn’t look particularly comfortable and our midfield just wasn’t firing or creating with Britt largely anonymous.
A throw in after a series of passes led to a curling Howson effort into the far corner as the fourth official held the board up indicating two minutes. A Williams ball for Graham was adjudged to be offside with Ayala protesting, claiming a foul. Boro started off OK then went flat very quickly and after the penalty just withered as an attacking threat. The half time whistle went accompanied by a few muffled boos from the Darwin end. Blackburn had been the better side but had Dijksteel not ridiculously and blatant pulled Graham’s shirt it could still have been 0-0. The worry for the travelling army is that a pattern of “if only” is starting to develop with our Championship games this season.
The Second half got underway with no changes from either side which surprised a few of us but there again there wasn’t much on the Boro bench to seriously affect any sort of positive change. A 30-yard free kick was launched by Wing which caused Walton a second of hesitation as it bounced just in front of him but he was never really troubled. Another claim against Dijksteel for a penalty for handball was waved away and as Marvin Johnson broke after being fed by McNair, he was wiped out by his namesake Bradley Johnson earning a yellow for his thuggery.
The resultant free kick was again wasted by passing it sideways, Blackburn intercepted and went down the other end winning a corner after another last ditch Shotton block. Another frustrating, utterly clueless and pointless free kick from a tactical perspective. Just over fifty minutes gone and another Blackburn corner from Downing who went across the Boro box and fed back in by Dack bent a shot that went wide of Randolph’s goal. Meantime Friend went down looking finished for the day but after the magic sponge he was determined to bravely carry on.
Shotton tripped himself up, Dack read the ball who fed Graham who fortunately for Shotton fluffed his lines. So far in the second half Boro had flattered to deceive and that’s being optimistic. Another Blackburn Penalty call went unheeded as the two and a half thousand or so travelling army tried to rally the red shirts. As a Downing free kick was cleared Lewis Wing was brought down allowing Rovers to regroup as the move ended with McNair claiming a corner for his deflected shot but the Ref decided in favour of Rovers.
Thirty minutes left and Boro had Subs warming up. Anfernee Dijksteel’s number went up as Tav came on and Howson dropped into the Right Back slot. A Lewis Wing Boro free kick was launched in towards Ayala and Fletcher but Walton plucked it out and then feigned injury influencing the Ref to blow his whistle much to the annoyance of the Red Army who questioned his ability to be a fit and proper person to be in charge of a whistle. The game was a bit of a nothing in terms of either entertainment or quality, the sparse 14,000 something crowd probably didn’t help but there wasn’t much to get excited about. Dack meanwhile put another great ball into Gallagher which was cut out by Howson this time.
Since Tav arrived Boro grew into the game more but a wayward Marvin effort sailed well wide to allow Walton to amble over retrieving the ball. Travis then took George Friend out and received a yellow card for his poor challenge as Browne was simultaneously readied to come on for Marvin Johnson. A tactical switch ensued as Browne went wide and Fletcher looked to be going up front with Tav on the opposite flank. Mogga then responded by bringing Armstrong on as Graham went off to a few Boro jeers surprisingly, I guess that penalty on the day hadn’t endeared himself to the away contingent.
With more attacking urgency on the pitch and a greater threat needed to get something out of this game the away fans started shouting for Boro to attack. Browne nearly obliged instantly as he met a Howson cross but he hit the post with his effort and eventually going out for a corner. That was Boro’s best effort all match and in response Mogga then made a double change with Downing and Dack going off for Rothwell and Buckley to come on. This time the away army afforded Downing a suitable ovation with a chorus of “one of our own”.
Rothwell had a chance for Rovers which was saved by Randolph which was followed up by Armstrong whose effort thankfully was blocked. Browne had created a spark since his introduction and Howson had slotted in at right back. Hobbling George Friend then went off with less than ten minutes remaining with Ste Walker came on for him with Boro now apparently intent to throw everything at Rovers. A Boro corner saw Ayala get his head on the ball which landed on the top of Walton’s net.
Wing then won the ball from a 50/50 challenge with Armstrong but was adjudged to have fouled and went into Ref Jared Gillet’s book. A corner was conceded by Ayala on sub Rothwell with Rovers trying to exploit Friends gap on the left. Less than five minutes remaining with Boro looking to record their third straight defeat on the trot. Buckley then very nearly terminated any remaining slim Boro optimism after being set up by Gallagher.
Browne was wiped out by Williams with Wing lining up the resultant free kick in the 90th minute. Unfortunately, he hit it “Assombalonga style” and in doing so allowed Walton time to ferret around in the seats behind his goal forlornly looking for the ball. Five minutes added time was held up as Shotton was once again needed to slide in with a block to keep the single digit difference. Boro were now throwing everything at Rovers as the ball went enticingly across Walton’s goal from Howson but there was nobody to meet it. Browne rescued that ball and fired it back in which was in turn headed wide by Ayala. A double deflection off McNair at the opposite end saw Rovers take a short corner to run the clock down with the Referee blowing for full time.
It was a strange performance which didn’t live up to the new adventurous pressing Boro mantra which wasn’t a prerequisite but it didn’t give any reassurance either that Boro are anything but a confused work in progress. We are now looking lost of any defensive solidity but worrying woefully short in creativity and the ability to seriously take teams on and put them to the sword. Neither something or nothing as my Gran would have described it. Nothing too terrible just the usual scrappy non-event between two uninspiring Championship sides. Two home games coming up now in succession which are now massive for Woodgate and Keane. No real outstanding Boro MOM but Howson fulfilled two roles and actually steadied the ship when he replaced Dijksteel but the most consistent all afternoon was Paddy McNair. The hope is that we are going to do a Norwich this season but reality is that right now we are looking much more likely to be doing an Ipswich.
This afternoon we looked more like a Pulis side than an exciting attacking unit. Britt looked laboured and that’s probably too kind but whatever system we seem to be playing he doesn’t seem to fit. Shotton was improved but still a liability. Dijksteel looks off the pace and with the scant squad he has, Woodgate needs to switch to three at the back before the season implodes entirely for Boro. The dream of an exciting new Boro is great but there needs to be sensible managed evolution not naive revolution. You can’t turn plodders, hoofers and a few donkeys into thoroughbreds overnight, trying to achieve that without planned resources and without the backing of the chairman is suicidal.
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Redcar Red reports on Boro’s first round Carabao Cup exit…
Third time lucky for Boro or so they hoped tonight. Crewe Manager David Artell’s kind words about Boro in the build-up to the Carabao Cup first round tie would maybe extend to providing us with our first win of the season. It was anticipated that Woodgate would rotate his squad and those who had signed recently along with those who had been mere onlookers would get a chance to get 90 minutes under their belts and in doing stake a claim for a start at Blackburn on Saturday.
When the line-ups were announced only Clayts had survived from the previous two starting elevens with Pears and Walker getting the nod for their first team starting debuts along with newbies Dijksteel, Browne and Bola. The good news was that George Friend was deemed fit but there was still no sign of Dael Fry. Other notable starts were given to Walker and Wood with Liddle on the bench. Meanwhile Artell had made just three changes from his Crewe side that had faced Oldham at the weekend.
The game started at a fairly steady pace with the first real action coming on five minutes from a Walker attempt from the left at Richards in the Crewe goal after being set up by Saville. A set piece opportunity from a Crewe free kick saw Dale rise to meet a header leaving Saville for dead but somehow missed when scoring seemed easier. That was an early let off and warning for lacklustre Boro with less than ten minutes gone.
The game had a surreal atmosphere with only the West Stand open and the small away section on the opposite side of the Riverside. This may have affected the tempo but Boro just didn’t have that same level of intensity as they had when they had started their two previous games. A ball launched by youngster Wood at the back saw Browne set off but as was our problem on Saturday the linesman’s flag went up to pull things back. Come fifteen minutes Crewe had looked comfortable and far from out of their depth at the deserted Riverside. A corner from the Railwaymen was cleared out of the Boro box and saw Tavernier set off but the final ball was intercepted and Crewe were back in possession again, pushing forward as the game now looked to break sweat albeit barely.
On twenty minutes Woodgate was barking instructions. His charges just didn’t have that energy or intensity that was supposed to be the trademark of this season. The Boro performance this far into the game was like the atmosphere, fairly flat and uninspiring. Gestede put a ball across the Crewe goal mouth on just over twenty minutes but Walker was too far behind to get close enough to it. An overlapping run from the Crewe LB played a ball into our box requiring Woods to clear it out for a corner. Thirty minutes in and the most interesting talking point from a Boro perspective was Adam Clayton’s new haircut which was less Gender neutral than of late.
Our right and left backs Dijksteel and Bola seemed to be keeping things tight rather than the Howson and Coulson cavalier style of charging up field. Walker had a chance that came back out to Saville who couldn’t get a shot away and then Browne was next to have a go but it all ended in a free kick to Crewe and typified how the evening was going for Boro. Browne and Pickering were getting involved in their own personal duel with a few niggly exchanges between the two which didn’t reflect what was going on elsewhere on the pitch. A Bola run down the left played in Tavernier whose strike hit a defender for Boro’s first corner on thirty-five minutes. The corner ended with a Gestede attempt on goal. Crewe broke up the pitch from that corner with Porter who couldn’t beat the two red shirts closing in on him but his theatrical dive was ignored by the Ref.
So far despite the ten changes Boro looked like they had picked up where they had left off in the second half against Brentford. Dale then had a good chance for the visitors which was cleared by Saville as Crewe were clearly more than equal to their Championship opposition and growing in confidence.
Forty minutes was approaching and a few cans of WD40 wouldn’t have gone amiss based on what was on display thus far into the contest. The signs were all there that lacklustre Boro would be lucky not to find themselves undone. Crewe racked up their third corner realising their opponents were far from Championship class tonight. They worked a good passage of play the through the middle of the pitch and a ball across the face of Pears’ goal saw Chris Porter head in. That one goal advantage was no less than they deserved as Boro just simply looked disinterested and second rate with nobody coming out of that first half with any credit.
The goal boosted Crewe’s self-belief and with it Boro were starting recriminations between themselves as frustration grew between Saville and Gestede. To rub salt in the wounds the League Two opponents then counter attacked in the second minute of added time and as Dale skinned Bola Charlie Kirk was the grateful recipient to put the visitors two up as the Boro bench cut a very forlorn and hopeless sight. Ref Mike Salisbury blew for the half time break to a crescendo of boos from the scant Boro attendees which in reality will like as not have been the real die hards. A team full of strangers with absolutely no game plan or if there was one it looked like the eleven on the pitch had been on their phones and iPads during the team talk instead of paying attention. Nobody looked like they had a clue of who was supposed to be where or doing what throughout that half.
The second half commenced unsurprisingly with the arrival of Assombalonga and McNair to try and rescue Boro faces that resembled their shirt colour. For the second game running at the Riverside the opposition Managers tactics had unpicked and dissected Boro. Clayton and Walker were the two to make way but in truth you could have picked any two from those outfield ten. Boro were still looking pretty flat and devoid of structure and belief as the malaise of the first half continued. As frustrations built up Saville found his way into the Referee’s book and then the West Stand found reason to cheer when Gestede’s number came up on the board morphing to jeers and boos as he trudged off after another less than impressive outing. Ashley Fletcher came on in his place with the major task of trying to polish that last third!
McNair flew an effort wide and then was the provider after a run for Fletcher who curled his effort past Richards to make it 1-2 and provide slender hope. Wood came on for Crewe to try and stem the late Boro fightback and cling onto their solitary goal advantage. Britt had a twenty-yard effort but the trajectory was consistent with his penalties. Lowry then came off for Crewe with Jones replacing him with ten minutes remaining. Fletcher who along with McNair had injected some drive since arriving then turned provider for Tavernier whose shot was blocked.
Another chance for Browne called the Crewe Keeper Dave Richards into action as Boro were knocking and Crewe were now seemingly content to hold onto what they had. Richards again had to clean up from Tavernier with just two minutes remaining. Four minutes were added for Boro to save what little self esteem they had and as soon as the fourth officials board had gone down Marc Bola calmly hit a fizzed Fletcher ball to equalise through a crowded box. There was no time for celebrating as McNair was forced to intercept and break up a Crewe offensive immediately from the restart. Those remaining minutes were manic as Boro looked to push home their ascendancy but the whistle sounded for full time and penalties.
With the Players huddled together penalty responsibilities were being allocated as both Keepers focussed their thoughts. First off up stepped Chris Porter to put Crewe one up, Britt up next for Boro, stuttered and of course missed (who’d have guessed it), Green put the next one past Pears to make it two nil, Fletcher sent his to the left and low to pull one back. The next one went past Pears for 3-1, McNair placed his confidently into the top left giving Richards no chance, 3-2. Jones then drove his down the middle as Pears dived to his right for 4-2. Then came Browne for Boro and needing to score his weak, tame effort was easily saved by Dave Richards. That was it, Crewe deservedly went through into the next round draw and another few lessons hopefully learnt albeit many of them predictable and played out true to form. MOM for Boro was a joint one between McNair and Fletcher who rescued the evening if only for a short while.
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Tue 13 Aug – 19:45: Boro v Crewe (EFL Cup) Sat 17 Aug – 15:00: Blackburn v Boro Tue 20 Aug – 19:45: Boro v Wigan Sat 24 Aug – 15:00: Boro v Millwall
Werdermouth looks forward to Boro claiming their first win…
Jonathan Woodgate had proclaimed before the season started it was going to be an exciting time to be a Boro supporter as he promised to bring back entertainment to the Riverside. Indeed, the first home game against Brentford started as advertised with more energy and action on display in the first 45 minutes than most had witnessed since the introduction of the free pre-match pint, which most had presumed was normally designed to numb the senses before the football had. However, when it comes to describing entertainment, perhaps that angry influential retro Modfather himself, Mr P Weller, summed it up rather succinctly in his early eighties single with the line “Lights going out and a kick in the balls – I say that’s entertainment.” While that rather dark and painful view of entertainment may not fit most sane individual’s aspirations, it certainly summed up the narrative of Boro faithful at the final whistle on Saturday.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Pavlovian boos instinctively rang out from the terraces as a one-nil home defeat was not what many had been expecting after the goal-fest at Luton. It was as the Jam classic had intimated, a low blow in the tender regions. Some maybe saw it as confirmation of their fears that an inexperienced head coach with fairly inexperienced squad were going to struggle to deliver. It perhaps always was going to be the preserve of a significant section at the Riverside who had always believed Woodgate’s appointment represented down-sizing dressed up as a new way forward – the promise of jam tomorrow is never going to please the impatient who believe losing is poor entertainment in whatever form it manifests itself.
Nevertheless, patience is what will be required and it may be time the Boro faithful accept that Woodgate’s attempt to introduce a new philosophy of high energy football will not be without its risks and setbacks. In truth, it’s a work in progress and the new coaching team will be learning on the job as they discover what the players and indeed themselves are capable of – or even incapable. Although, the transfer window demonstrated that the plan to switch to young hungry players wasn’t necessarily by design but in reality a plan that financial restraints have forced upon the club.
As the summer business concluded without any significant expenditure – under £2.5m was spent on just four players Mejias (Free), Bola (around £100k), Browne (around £250k) and Dijksteel (£2m). That was more than easily balanced by the sales of Flint (£4m) and Braithwaite (around £5m) with Shotton almost departing on deadline day for £1.6m too. Players are still essentially being sold to lower the wage bill and probably help raise funds to pay for it now that parachute payments have ended. The pig has been let out of the bag as the worst kept secret on Teesside has revealed Boro have run out of funds to blow on players.
A reality which can be neatly summarised by the dour stock phrase of one local former central defender and former manager, which has this week been rebooted by another local former central defender and the newly appointed head coach: “it is what it is”. The articulation of acceptance that Teesside’s famous sons are powerless to resist invoking, which will no doubt become a post-match sound-bite contest between the two as they pick over the bones of contention after this weekend’s encounter between Mogga’s Rovers and Woody’s young pups.
The heady days of Steve Gibson blowing the big boys out of the water with his big-name captures belong to a different age – this is now a chairman of financial compliance who now points the finger at those who try to spend more than they are allowed. The aspiration to join the elite has become a lot harder to finesse as the world of football continues to reward players with higher and more ridiculous contracts and pay transfer fees that seemingly make no financial sense. At the top end, these deals are often financed on ambitiously extrapolated image rights earnings that simply hand more and more power to the ‘superstar’ players and their poker-faced smug agents. At some point clubs will realise a model based on shifting a plethora of globally merchandised shirts bearing their prized asset’s name on the back just increases the power of the player at their expense. Even fickle supporters won’t buy a shirt with the name of someone who has declared they don’t want to play for the club any longer. They have them over barrel and there will be few laughs from bank manager – not if you were planning to sell merchandise to pay the bills.
Still, despite the less than frenetic transfer activity, which appeared to fall short of what Woodgate had been expecting his recruitment team were going to deliver, Boro have almost discovered three new signings by default. Few would have thought Marvin Johnson would have re-emerged as a first choice attacking threat after looking favourite for a summer exit, the peripheral Paddy McNair has also finally been given a chance to prove he is the dynamic midfielder that the club apparently signed before versatility consigned him to the bench and youngster Hayden Coulsen has forced his way into the team with displays of energy and determination.
Woodgate admitted his squad looked thin but he still hasn’t given much pitch time to the new recruits of Bola, Browne and Dijksteel. With Fry and Friend set to return from injury too, he will soon have around 18 players to choose from for his starting eleven. Fry will no doubt return in defence but it’s hard to see where club captain Friend will find a starting place – perhaps he will take on the role that Leadbitter did and mainly be an influence in the dressing room. Number one target Dijksteel has actually only played a handful of games at right-back – probably less than Howson – so it will be interested to see how he fares in the role at Championship level. Likewise, Bola is an unknown quantity after stepping up a division – they will join their Boro academy counterparts in vying for pitch time.
The aim of the new management team is to develop the players through new coaching techniques and not just the young players. We learned in a recent interview to the press that Robbie Keane is man who gained an advantage as a striker by being able to visualise his surroundings and then holding this image in his head. OK, some techniques work better than others with players and he may need to tweak any advice he perhaps gave for penalties in imagining the goal was bigger and the keeper smaller. It seems the goal was not quite as big as Britt had visualised after he attempted to blast the ball under the crossbar of one with unfeasibly large dimensions.
Undeterred by this setback, no doubt Keane as we speak is persisting in teaching the Boro strikers how to hold a mental image of their surroundings. “OK, now try to visualise who’s behind you Britt” – “I can’t imagine there’s anyone behind me boss.” Robbie impatiently responded: “No that was last season we’ve changed the fecking system now – so who’s behind you?” Britt ponders the question: “Is it the crowd?” “Now steady on big fella, I tink you fecking getting way ahead of yer self. OK, one last time, who’s behind you?” Britt squints hard and makes a guess: “Is it Clayts?” A rather exasperated Keane explodes: “No it’s not fecking Clayts – he’s still in front of defence! Anyway, training’s over now and there’s nobody fecking behind you Eejit. Get off the pitch.” Note: Robbie Keane is available for pantomime bookings in December.
While it may be this kind of passing on of knowledge that could improve the performances of the more experienced players – it will be the ability to bring through youngsters that will determine whether the Woodgate project ultimately succeeds. Getting down with the kids, or should I say ‘kidz’, is what Boro will hopefully be all about as they aim to supersede the older, more expensive players on Boro’s books. Clearly if you want to relate to the youth then you will need to speak their language. The older supporters among you will be occasionally baffled by the words and indeed the gratuitous ignoring of spelling that the social media generation communicate with. Thankfully, there are some easy shortcuts that can get you by and this can be demonstrated through how some young artists name their tunes.
Now some may be thinking that simply swapping the letter ‘s’ for a ‘z’ wouldn’t fool many but I was reassured to discover that’s all there is to it. Miley Cyrus, her of transition from innocent family entertainment as Hannah Montana to wannabe bad girl of pop, infamous ‘twerker’ and singer of the hit ‘Wrecking Ball’ (incidentally, no relation to the earlier Paul Weller line referenced) made the headlines in the summer with some rather sad news. She announced on Instagram with a video of her herself holding her pet pig over her shoulder as it was fed an apple that it had died. “Very sad to say… my dear friend Pig Pig [as she rather imaginatively named it] has passed away…. I will miss u always.” She apparently adopted Pig Pig in August 2014 following the death of her pet dog Floyd (possibly also known as Dog Dog), which inspired her 2015 album ‘Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz’ – can you see what she did there with the spelling? The album contained a special written tribute entitled ‘The Floyd Song (Sunrise)’, which she wrote while on the ‘Bangerz Tour’ (did you notice that spelling again) and closed with ‘Twinkle Song’, dedicated to her friend’s dead cat.
While such creativity is something most can only aspire to, those of you that have not already been moved to download her album may be wondering what ‘Bangerz’ means. Thankfully, her Atlanta-bred hip-hop producer, Mike Will (also known rather surprising as Michael Williams) can explain. “The whole album was bangers, and that’s actually how she came up with the title,” Williams says. “Everybody was like, ‘Yo, so how’s your album sounding?’ And we were just saying, ‘We got all bangers.’ ” – hopefully that has cleared up the mystery. Incidentally, it was perhaps a little insensitive by the Independent online newspaper to run the story of the death of Pig Pig alongside their lifestyle piece with the headline ‘How to prepare your BBQ for a sizzling summer’ – still I suppose all pigs eventually become Bangerz in the end. Maybe we should reflect the next time we hear Pig Pig Bag.
Anyway, talking of hungry players, Boro’s new signings will get a chance to show their appetite for the club in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday – with expected starts for Bola, Browne and Dijksteel, plus likely season bows for Tavernier and Wood and some game time for George Friend, Saville and Gestede. While big Rudy will be surrounded by youngsters, he should remember that getting down with the kids shouldn’t involve getting into any rowz – when it comes to mixing misplaced shooting and trendy spellíng, row-z is still row-z in any language.
Hopefully the Woodgate project will see some more energetic games in the next few weeks – the Carabao Cup encounter with Crewe is quickly followed with a trip to Mogga’s Blackburn and then come back-to-back home games against Wigan and Millwall. I suspect Boro will need to deliver a couple of wins to take the pressure off and then we’ll be up and running. It’s still too early to decide if this will be a season that sees the club competing at the top end of the table and preferably not languishing too close to our current 18th spot. As Woodgate and his team go in search of footballing Nirvana, at least the faithful should expect an exciting journey with a more youthful blend that certainly smells like teen spirit – Teesside awaits “Here we are now, entertain us!”
Redcar Red reports on Boro’s Riverside defeat against Brentford…
After breaking a pre-war record last season with a win Brentford returned to Teesside to take on some familiar Boro faces but one with a new look and an entirely different proposition as Jonathan Woodgate made his Riverside bow as Manager. Budget Boro had George Friend considered to be close to a return and new arrival Anfernee Dijksteel pushing for a first start as RB. The Bees had been busy during the Summer having shipped out a few themselves and the possibility of a first outing for Ecuadorian winger Jel Valencia and defender Dominic Thompson. Striker Bryan Mbeumo was awaiting International clearance and Said Benrahma’s match fitness was questionable.
Boro had managed a point at newly promoted Luton Town last Friday night in a helter skelter highly entertaining game that thrilled and frustrated in equal measure but it at least delivered 6 goals and nobody walking out before the end. Brentford had travelled to Birmingham and absolutely bombarded them but somehow managed to lose that one 1-0. The likelihood was that this afternoon would see an entertaining game with like as not plenty of goals based on Brentford’s pedigree despite the loss of their talismanic Striker Neal Maupay and Woodgate’s Boro side.
The Boro line-up was unchanged with only Dijksteel coming in on the bench in place of Wood. Thomas Frank also kept faith in his Brentford charges going with the same again with neither of Valncia or Thompson on show but Mbeumo made the bench. The pre-match Boro warm ups were certainly more intensive than previous with the players well and truly put through their paces by Robbie Keane and Leo Percovich. That intensity seemed to pay off as Boro came out of the traps flying, harrying, chasing and closing down but despite that it was Brentford who nearly capitalised as early as seventeen seconds as Shotton won GHW’s prize by becoming the player who had fans reaching for their “Typical Boro” phrase books after a gaffe in the box. He did in fairness make up for it with an outstretched block a few minutes later but still looked far from comfortable in that left CB role.
Boro produced possibly the most exciting forty-five minutes seen at the Riverside in a very long time. Pressed back in their own half Brentford struggled to get their normal passing game going because as soon as the ball was rolled out a manic red shirt was closing them down, snapping into a tackle not giving a second’s respite. As the relentless wave of red shirts just kept advancing Brentford were clearly ruffled and none more so than visiting keeper Raya who was looking like a clanger was just waiting to happen. Coulson was lively down the left despite being on the receiving end of a few battering’s from Dalsgaard. The youngster did lose the ball once or twice but was tenacious in his recovery and inevitably winning back possession on almost every occasion.
On the opposite side of defence Howson looked comfortable and composed and Johnson was again proving to be a useful outlet and caused problems down the right flank including a wonderful strike that had Raya flying across his goalmouth to palm away an effort. But for a momentary lapse in the first half when he tried to dribble his way out of trouble losing possession on the edge of his own box when a simple two-yard pass would have sufficed
Marvin once again looked the part. Indeed, it was difficult to be seriously critical of any Red shirt in those opening 45 minutes apart from those minor failings mentioned above.
Recovering from his early wobble Shotton launched a clearance up field that set Fletcher free who latched onto the ball superbly and played in Paddy McNair but his effort was a little too enthusiastic, still very promising signs and the excitement was building. Ten minutes in and it was all Boro, Brentford looked like they didn’t know what had hit them as the red tide just kept on rising and in truth it looked like something had to break Boro’s way soon. Fast, slick interpassing moves which at times were almost breath-taking had become the norm as Boro were not so much knocking on the Bee’s door but wouldn’t let them out of the living room into the hallway.
On the quarter hour mark Lewis Wing had a free kick that curled over the wall but had too much on it and it sailed over the bar not dipping in time despite the South Stand trying to suck it in. Twenty five minutes in and the pressure finally burst as Brentford were rustled and corralled into giving away a silly corner and with Raya still inexplicably out of his box near the corner flag Marvin Johnson seized the moment, floated in a quick corner which had Raya struggling to get back in position and outstretched, tipping the ball into his own unguarded box targeted by the advancing Ashley Fletcher who was blocked off by Jeanvier who managed to head it into his own gaping net.
The euphoria which broke out at the goal was soon ended by the Linesman waving his little flag convinced he had seen something which nobody else had seen in the stadium. Why it was ruled out I have no idea but robbery would have been too kind a word and those “Typical Boro” phrase books were back out again with a few Teesside truisms hurled in the direction of the Keeper, the Linesman and the Ref for the rest of the first half.
Just three minutes later and Paddy McNair was at it again with another effort in a performance which was his best to date in a Boro shirt. He was one of the main protagonists in being a thorn in Brentford’s side. How Boro were not in front was not for the lack of application or indeed effort of which there was plenty on display but purely down to a miscarriage of justice. Undeterred Boro kept up the relentless pace and when it looked dangerous Howson was alert to a Brentford attack with the ex-Leeds man crunching into Henry to win back the ball yet again.
With just under ten minutes to half time Fletcher was again the victim of the gentleman running the West Stand touchline as he flagged furiously after Ashley believed that he had put Boro into the lead. This time it was presumably for a very fine offside but again the slenderest of margins if indeed it was the correct call. Determined not to give up the chase Johnson won the ball back nipping in to sweep the ball away from Pinnock unleash a shot from the edge of the box requiring Raya to save from our reborn right-wing revelation.
With seconds remaining Britt broke into the box and pulled his shot across Raya’s goalmouth that was teasing and inviting to be prodded home but Fletcher was just two strides behind to turn it in as Raya’s goal once again led a charmed life. The half time whistle sounded shortly after to a rousing round of applause that was well deserved and a far departure from the jeers and boos which had tainted the end of the Pulis purgatory.
No changes at half time as Boro came out first, waiting for their opponents, determined to finish off the job they had started. The fairy tale however ended at that point. The sheer exhaustive impact of running and chasing like a pack of Jack Russell’s for 45 minutes looked to have emptied Boro’s collective batteries. The visitors clearly hadn’t read the script and instead pushed further up, closed Boro down not letting us settle into that aggressive domination again. The Bees were now buzzing and indeed had Randolph fully engaged for the first time this afternoon in the opening minutes of the half. Boro needed to clear their heads and get back into gear but their tank was looking ominously empty. Now it was Brentford’s turn to chase and snuff out with Boro struggling to impose themselves in anything like the fashion they had in the first half.
We were starting to look ragged and disjointed, as great and as exciting as we had been in the first half, we looked the total opposite now. Disjointed, disorganised and lacking structure. This defending malarkey certainly didn’t fit the home side and Thomas Frank and his side now knew it. Dark clouds had gathered overhead at half time giving those in the lower seats of the stands an unseasonal shower but those clouds were still overhead and added to the distinct mood change and but for an outstretched Coulson block it could have been 0-1.
Coulson and Howson were being kept busy trying to stem the attacks down the flanks but we were now looking decidedly susceptible all over and a headed Bee’s clearance over the head of Shotton sent Canos clear, one flick, cheeky toe poke and quick cross from him to the unmarked Watkins at the far side of the box and we were one down. That certainly wasn’t written in the script and you could literally sense the air hissing out of the Boro balloon as that early optimism and swashbuckling bravado was now replaced with “Typical Boro” foreboding.
What ensued was punch drunk Boro trying to somehow get back into the game but clearly the new plan hasn’t yet evolved to the point of what to do when you go behind and the opposition have shut up shop. The reality was that we never really looked like getting back into it and those exertions in the first half had clearly been at a huge cost. There was endeavour and willingness but the speed and agility required to reproduce those opening 45 minutes of attacking deluge had been sapped and that sucker punch had flattened belief. Brentford had reshuffled into a defensive diamond content to see what Boro could do if they didn’t commit themselves; confident their slender lead would be enough to see the game out.
Out of ideas and with only a quarter of an hour left Woodgate brought on some fresh legs in the form of Browne and Dijksteel. The tired looking Johnson and Clayton went off with Howson moving up the wing and Dijksteel behind him at RB with Browne in a No.10 type role trying to pull strings but Brentford were defending with ease knowing Boro had to commit whilst they could stand back keeping things tight. Dijksteel looked comfortable on the ball but much of it was recycling as Boro tried to find a gap in the Brentford rearguard. The ex-Charlton lad did manage to get a couple of balls into the packed Bee’s box one enabling Britt to get a shot off but there was no power in it and easily collected by Raya.
At this stage we looked distinctly ragged with little structure or tactics on display to speak of. Woodgate’s last throw of the dice was Rudy Gestede being brought on for Fletcher. The predictability of such a substitution was clearly obvious to those sat around me. What on earth was the strategy of all this high tempo closing down stuff when it had been abandoned in favour of hoof it to the big lad even if the big lad in question had failed to deliver on numerous occasions. Out of the striking options he had removing Fletcher was strange as he had been one of our better performers and on the day the most likely to score.
The obvious one to hook for me was Britt who looked a few yards off the pace, possibly protecting that calf strain from midweek. Britt’s reactions and movements seemed several degrees behind Fletcher all afternoon. Eccentric substitution aside after that whatever the game plan was it never materialised in any discernible shape or form. Frank and Brentford had been putting their own Subs on to eat into the clock and manage the game out with ease. The contrast between the two halves were black and white, chalk and cheese.
What is clear is that running around for forty-five minutes may be great entertainment but the fitness levels required to do that for the full ninety are probably impossible to achieve. Britt didn’t look to fit into this system any easier than he did to Pulisball. Entertainment alone will only get the Boro management team so far and without some much-needed tactical nous and underpinning this could be a long hard season ahead. No doubt there will be days when we do go in two up at half time, in the ascendency and taking pressure off in the second half but the ability to organise and defend looks like a work in progress at the moment. Considering the inherited DNA and starting point of this squad it is a mild cause for concern that so much has seemingly been sacrificed in that regard.
MOM for me was Howson closely followed by Fletcher, McNair and Coulson for their endeavours. A Penalty miss last week and one poor Official today and the table could look so very different but the League tables don’t have a column for that so its on to Blackburn next week and hopes of a more balanced, measured approach.
If you wish to leave a comment about Redcar Red’s match report please return to theWeek 1-2 discussion page
Redcar Red reports on Boro’s opening game at Luton…
This season’s inaugural Championship fixture rewarded Boro with a Friday night trip down to sunny Kenilworth Road to face newly promoted Luton. Both sides had new Managers in the dugout, Woodgate for Boro and former Boro Academy Coach Graeme Jones for the Hatters. Pre-match predictions seemed unable to identify a clear favourite with home and away wins along with draws evenly spread amongst punters and expert predictors alike. Luton had momentum from last season’s promotion charge whilst Boro had relieved themselves of their managerial millstone from around their necks.
Injury wise Woodgate was sweating over Randolph, Friend and Fry with the latter certain to miss out and the first two highly questionable. The line-up saw Randolph return in goal but Friend and Fry missing with young Coulson deservedly getting a start at LB. Ayala and Shotton were the only two fit senior CB’s with Ayala as Captain for the evening. Howson took up the RB slot in a 433. Wing, Clayton and McNair were the middle three with Johnson, Assombalonga and Fletcher as the front three adorned in the new White away shirt, White shorts and Red socks. Luton had what can only be described as a dog’s dinner of a kit with a red (blood orange?) shirt with white sleeves, navy trim and Navy shorts and white socks. Jones gave five new signings an airing with ex Boro men Martin Crainie at RB and Jacob Butterfield on the bench. Boro’s two new boys Browne and Bola were on the bench along with Pears, Wood, Tav, Saville and Gestede.
Boro got forward quickly with a corner in the opening minute which was hit low and scrappily cleared by Luton. The tempo was certainly more active from Boro but looked a bit frenetic with Coulson earning the early tussles with confident and silky skills. A fourth minute shot from Fletcher was deflected out but the Ref awarded a goal kick for the home side as the ball covered more yards in those opening minutes than in the full 90 of a Pulis match. Johnson did well holding the ball up against two defenders using upper body strength allowing Wing to nip in and win a corner. Johnson then delivered said corner which was cleared back out to him and Marvin lofted in a perfect cross into the middle of the box where Fletcher rose to head home to put Boro ahead.
Boro broke immediately after the restart and Johnson playing on the right was again involved in the build-up which saw Clayts break out and Wing launch a rocket shot straight at Sluga making his debut tonight in the Hatters goal. A Luton corner was cleared out as they pushed for an equaliser but Boro broke again and a slick Johnson pass had just too much on it for Britt bursting through. Luton were now starting to clear their heads and won a succession of frustrating fee kicks which had Clayton heading clear a weak 13th minute effort for a throw in. Just a minute beforehand Ayala had to head out to concede a corner to clear a fierce cross into Randolph’s box.
On the quarter hour Coulson blocked a McManaman cross to concede a corner. The Shinnie taken corner was initially headed clear but came straight back in which was headed out by Ayala but straight to Sonny Bradley who launched a volley from twenty yards out leaving Randolph no chance, 1-1 and going gung ho instead of taking the sting out of the game had cost Boro their slender lead. Johnson had another chance then McNair saw a long-range speculative effort go out for a corner. Johnson sent it in and out it went for another corner which Wing delivered but Luton then broke with McManaman wrestling Coulson out of the way as the game was literally end to end, kick and rush football.
A cross was hastily headed out by Ayala for a corner but the incoming corner was inevitably headed in by a climbing Crainie over Johnson to head the Hatters 2-1 in front. Taking an early lead was great but the naivety afterwards in Boro leaving themselves wide open was telling and the tide had turned with 25 minutes gone and the visitors now looking distinctly nervy. A 26th minute Shinnie free kick had too much on it as Crainie once again went up to try and net a second in quick succession. Boro’s swashbuckling style was now in contrast to Luton who were composing themselves, settling in, albeit with perhaps misplaced confidence. At this stage the game looked like there would be plenty of more goals in it. Boro were scrapping their way back into this but relying on long balls up to Britt to make a trademark run which were being cleaned up with ease by the new look Luton defence.
A right-wing Lewis Wing cross looked to be met by Britt but the Ref adjudged Britt to have dragged down his opposing number as the ball was cleared off the line by the Keeper Sluga. McManaman won another free kick off Coulson, Shinnie floated in another dangerous ball which fortunately was cleared but only to concede another free kick on the opposite flank. Shinnie once again took it but this time short to Tunnicliffe who complicated the move by pausing and with the impetus lost it was eventually stopped courtesy of a free kick to Boro who then hoofed it up field and straight out of play on the left touchline. On 35 minutes Coulson beat two men on a mazy run finding Johnson on the opposite edge of the box who in turn curled in a wicked left foot shot that had Sluga stretching at the far top corner. After his goalkeeping heroics he then bizarrely rolled the ball out but inside his own box to a defender being closed down by Johnson which as a consequence ended up with a poor pass to another Luton defender which was well read and intercepted by Fletcher feeding Britt who daisy cut his shot that squirmed underneath Sluga at his near post to make it 2-2 on 37 minutes.
Two minutes later and McManaman then met a cross but skewed his shot wide with Randolph breathing a sigh of relief as the hectic nature showed no signs of easing off. Just before that Fletcher was booked for taking out Crainie in the build-up. Boro were now getting back into the game with confidence levels boosted by that equaliser but the half was still ending with crazy end-to-end frantic football. McNair was hauled down by Mpanzu for a yellow. Wing took the free kick from 30 yards out and won a corner for his effort on the left which he took himself, which in turn eventually went out for a throw and then immediately a right-sided corner that Johnson took but was cleared and then hit well over for the first half to end all square.
If you managed to keep up with all that and it made some sense then congratulations because the game itself was that action packed one blink and you missed a shot or a free kick in between. That half was manic, as entertaining as it will undoubtedly have been for the neutrals and Sky viewers both sets of fans will probably be requiring several changes of underwear after those kick a goal rush 45 minutes.
The second half started with screams from the local Mark Page over the tannoy and Boro now kicking towards the travelling army with Coulson immediately sending two balls into the Luton box. As had been par for the game thus far Luton then broke and a powerful Shinnie corner was unintentionally headed clear by his own player, Collins. Three minutes into the half and Collins was once again in the mix meeting a cross with his hand to almost take the lead but instead earning himself a yellow card. Another warning shot to Boro to calm things down if one was needed. A Howson break to Johnson saw a clever lofted dink to McNair who then lobbed the ball onto Sluga’s crossbar as the mad nature of this game continued unabated. On 53 minutes Lewis Wing launched a trademark long range rocket but it sailed well over into the red away end.
Boro were chasing and harrying, closing down quickly in the opposition half and then Luton broke with McManaman again with Howson tracking and chasing Collins into the Boro box to head clear. The resulting corner ended in chaotic defending and clearances and a fierce drive coming in towards the packed box with justifiable home claims for a penalty as Wing brought down Potts.
Luton were now turning the screw on a less than convincing Boro defensive display. Yet another Shinnie corner was headed clear by Clayton and eventually the phase of play ended with a calming Boro goal kick during which Butterfield came on for Lee. Wing was then booked on 60 minutes for a block which that man Shinie once more tee’d up from 40 yards out which was headed clear by Ayala and hoofed 100 yards from danger by Howson. Boro were up next with two Coulson crosses in quick succession drawing the ooh’s and aah’s from the away end. A Wing shot was then deflected out for a corner as Boro kept up the pressure. The Luton substitution seemed to have perversely worked in Boro’s favour as with Jones switching his side around and they now looked a little lost.
An over hit Johnson corner on 66 minutes allowed a momentary opportunity for all involved to catch a breath. A series of impressive inter-passing between Howson, McNair and Johnson then set Howson off on a run into the box laying it off for Wing who ripped the back out of Sluga’s net from the edge of the 18 yard box, 3-2 to Boro. Cornick then came on for Shinnie as Jones tweaked his set up yet again.
Browne was then readied by Boro for Marvin Johnson on 70 minutes. Browne quickly became involved in two slick moves and should have won a free kick on the goal line but the ball came back out, collected by Wing who drove another shot in low but it went wide. McNair then played Wing in but the ball this time just had a few inches too much pace.
Danger man McManaman then thankfully went off as Luton were now trying to desperately get something out of this game with 15 minutes remaining. Browne then performed a backwards reverse nutmeg on Potts to win a free kick near the corner flag, which was taken by Wing but was headed clear. A quick interception saw Browne played through to win a corner delivered in by Wing, headed by Ayala and cleared off the line by Sluga. Luton immediately broke and Randolph had to be sharp to meet a cross to keep the slender lead intact then we witnessed a break from Boro, a clever ball flicked through to Britt, unmarked, clean in on goal, just six yards out with only Sluga to beat but he fluffed his lines. It was harder to miss than score! As the ball yo-yo’ed back into the Luton half from that miss a late tackle by Crainie on Coulson saw a penalty to Boro on 81 minutes.
Phew, this was taking some keeping up with! Britt steadied himself (perhaps too much) and took his Penalty which probably landed in Linthorpe Road. This was Britt back to the default Britt we all know; give him a slim chance and he scores, give him time to think and pick his spot with a simple tap in and he misses. He nearly made amends a second (OK maybe three) later when he barged through forcing Sluga to just nick the ball off his foot, this was now becoming the footballing definition of madness.
A Luton free kick was half cleared but they came straight back at Boro as we failed to clear our lines and a poor white shirted decision to loop a backwards header set up Potts (I think) who evaded and coolly rounded a spread-eagled Howson and a despairing Wing in the box to feed Collins to fire the home side level, 3-3 with just single digit minutes remaining. Saville then came on for McNair as this game still looked to have plenty of twists and turns left in the dying moments. Two minutes now remaining and Luton were turning the screw as balls fizzed across Randolph’s box. At the other end Fletcher was bundled through by Britt but his near post shot was dealt with by Sluga with only seconds now of normal time remaining.
Four additional minutes went up as a Coulson cross was over hit. Two minutes remaining of added time and Randolph pulled off a worldie reactionary save which Coulson was then called upon to bravely block the follow up shot. When the dust cleared and bodies counted Dan Potts was laid prostrate with what looked like a dislocated shoulder and no remaining subs for Jones. Potts came back on, one armed, determined to stay and fight till the death. A Luton corner was cleared out to the wincing Potts who played in Butterfield for a wasted cross out for a Boro throw. Luton had been unbeaten since March 2018 at home and tonight was to be no different as the whistle went having deservedly earned their draw.
A crazy, indeed manic game which had more shots than we probably saw all last season from Boro. Britt’s glaring misses aside Boro should have shown more experience and professionalism when they took the lead. No disrespect to Luton but there are far more capable sides in this division, playing with no regard to managing the game or seeing it out will result in some seriously heavy defeats if this continues as exciting as it undoubtedly was. Unarguably plenty of positives and 10/10 for entertainment but Britt’s misses and schoolboy defending cost us all three points tonight. Plenty for the optimists to savour but tactically we can’t go through a season being so open and soft centred. Had it not been for Randolph’s last minute save we would have lost tonight despite scoring three goals. MOM for Boro was Johnson with very worthy mentions for McNair, Howson and Coulson.
If you wish to leave a comment about Redcar Red’s match report please return to theWeek 1-2 discussion page
Fri 2 Aug – 19:45: Luton v Boro Thu 8 Aug – 17:00: Transfer Window Closes Sat 10 Aug – 15:00: Boro v Brentford
Werdermouth looks ahead to the start of the new season…
It’s still July, the kids on Teesside have barely packed away their school books, some are even anticipating the start of the Ashes series, while others have only just stopped watching a Columbian clad in inimitable pre-obesity-epidemic yellow lycra ride his bike expertly into Paris and the newspapers are running out of superlatives to describe the latest record-breaking heatwave that certain world leaders still claim is a Chinese hoax.
However, it’s time to put down that pint of Pimms with its five-a-day portion of fruit plus the rather annoying eye-poking mini-parasol and reach for your mood-enhancing Bovril inhaler. Yes, we must gird our loins (or indeed anything else in need of restraining) in preparation for the start of the mentally-scarring football season that some may once recall heralded the imminent arrival of autumnal sunshine and the simultaneous deflating of both paddling pools and dreams. Sadly, the requirement to shoehorn in plethora of international breaks and still play around 50 gamed means we must put summer relaxation to one side and once again exchange safe words with our families as we begin the journey of self-inflicted torture that being Boro supporter is all about.
Nevertheless, it’s not altogether an unusual experience in early August for many on Teesside to be getting into the party mood as they head to Luton – though admittedly it’s normally to hop on an Easyjet flight to Mallorca rather than expecting an uneasy evening on the terraces hoping their team is ready for take-off and not further delayed. With the loss of parachute payments, it’s possible this season could well be the last call to board the top-flight as our budget appears to be well and truly in the no frills category. It used to be that there were normally no baggage restrictions for players wishing to travel club class at Boro but it looks like many of those are gradually being ushered towards the departure lounge as there is no longer room for expensive passengers.
Indeed, following the end-of-season exits of Messrs Downing, Hugill, Besic and Mikel, our man Flint is now no longer ours and the long-running soap opera that was Martin Braithwaite has finally seen him written out of the script. It would have been daft to seriously expect the club’s highest earner would remain on the payroll given his previous desire to want out and despite all the media feeding that the Dane was “the best player in training by a country mile” and that “his attitude has been fantastic” it wasn’t long before this barely credible positive vibe changed when Woodgate explained his absence from the Heidenheim trip by saying “he’s had a sickness and diarrhoea bug” and followed up the classic throwing a sickie excuse by concluding “We pay Martin’s wages at the end of the day. He said to me he wants to be here, I can only take him at face value, but I’m not daft.” Perhaps ‘face value’ was quite an appropriate turn of phrase as in the end his market value was only half the price Boro paid as he returned to Leganés to join his Spanish tummy and former Saints boss Pellegrino – though who could blame him for opting for life in Madrid and playing in La Liga instead of going through the motions (incidentally not another tummy bug reference) on Teesside in the hard slog that is the Championship.
At least we learned this summer that it was not the club’s fault that some players had previously joined on big transfers and lucrative contracts. Apparently, the club’s hierarchy claim that they may have been duped by former manager Garry Monk and his agent James Featherstone into paying more than necessary for players – arguing in one case that the club paid West Ham £3.5m more for Ashley Fletcher than they should have as Monk knew the Hammers valued him at just £3m when he was Leeds manager. Although, it seems odd that the Boro recruitment team were reliant on the manager for valuations of players – surely this what a chief executive should be deciding as this seems akin to simply signing blank cheques to please your manager. Perhaps we could just diplomatically say that a lesson has been learned – though the subsequent signing of Saville for ten times his valuation of just 12 months earlier would suggest otherwise.
Anyway, this summer the club has hardly (as the new prime minister would say) ‘spaffed up the wall’ any money whatsoever. So far just the free transfer of keeper Tomás Mejías, an undisclosed fee for left-back Marc Bola from Blackpool who has previously been valued at around £100 grand and seemingly a bargain for the pacey Marcus Browne with some London papers reporting an initial fee of only £200 grand – perhaps West Ham have taken pity over the Fletcher deal or even maybe were politely told by Boro to make amends. With still over a week to go before the transfer deadline, few are expecting to see Gibson’s cash being splashed anywhere near a wall by Boro but there hasn’t really been much in the way of demands from impatient supporters to make big (or even moderate) signings either.
It’s as if the faithful have bought into the notion that there is no money even after seeing potentially close to £60m raised in sales during the last 12 months with Gibson, Adama, Bamford, Flint and Braithwaite – perhaps there really isn’t as the wage bill sucked it all up. Boro have possibly entered a phase of what is technically known as ‘managed decline’, it’s an acceptance of the reality of the situation while trying to give an impression that it’s some kind of plan to get more for less. OK, some may believe you can have a better team by slashing costs and spending a lot less than your rivals but that would seem to fly in the face of the fact that success in football is normally bought.
Although, many clubs (including Boro) have proven over the years that success can not be bought – especially as most find it difficult to distinguish between price and value. Despite constant promises not to be held to ransom, it seems the mechanics of the transfer window ultimately encourage supposedly successful businessmen owners to make strange and random financial decisions. It’s like entering a casino with a determination not to spend more than you had decided but then getting caught up in the fervour to win and then making risky gambles until your pockets are emptied. The example of Boro paying £6.5m for Fletcher, along with a lucrative contract, without seemingly putting too much serious work into calculating his actual value was some admission. It essentially means clubs can be persuaded to believe that any price is a good one – it’s an emperor’s new clothes market, a bubble nobody thinks will burst. Someone, somewhere will always pay the price before shortly discovering the goods weren’t as advertised and can’t easily be shifted.
It’s not that Boro have somehow wised up and will now operate on a sensible financial strategy – it’s more that they no longer have the money to gamble it away. Jonathan Woodgate was most likely appointed because he wasn’t going to demand the club spend money – it’s not the same job that Garry Monk was mistakenly trusted with. The question is whether energy, hunger and enthusiasm can overcome the financial handicap. It’s hard to quantify how much money the club have overpaid or wasted since they picked up their PL bounty but at least they’ve opted to avoid making one last gamble that would take years to overcome. If the club can make the play-offs by spending a lot less than their rivals, then it would expose the folly of thinking the quality of players that are not coveted at the top level are reliable or consistent enough to pay a premium for.
Boro appear to be focusing on creating a squad of young players, both from their own academy and through transfer deals. The argument against this strategy is that young players are inconsistent and can’t deliver often enough to provide a promotion platform. However, this is the Championship where those who ply their trade in the second tier are here for precisely that reason – it’s just the market has been inflated by increased parachute payments and financial fair play busting accountancy loopholes used by billionaire investors. While some players may lack quality, others lack speed and a few lack a brain capable of avoiding making the same mistakes – indeed some may even possess all three attributes. Few players in the Championship tick all the proverbial boxes and in the end it’s about finding the right balance between what your players are capable of and what you are asking them to do.
Are Woodgate, Keane and Leo going to achieve more with less and do what Monk and Pulis couldn’t? After some mixed pre-season performances, the last outing against St Etienne showed promise and the team at least now play on the front foot after the predominantly loss-avoiding Pulis tactics. While Woodgate’s team scored goals against lower league opposition, they didn’t manage to score from open play against better French and German sides. Unsurprisingly, they also looked less solid defensively than under Pulis and it will be the ability of the team to score goals that will counteract a less mean defence.
The return of Randolph in goal and Fry in front of him will improve the defence but whether new signing Marc Bola at left-back and Howson as right-back will ultimately leave us exposed on the flanks is the fear with the more progressive 4-3-3. As it stands only Britt looks capable of scoring regularly as both Fletcher and Gestede seemingly lack belief and ability respectively. The addition of pace to the side is welcome but goals still require a goal scorer and unless Woodgate is to avoid talking about missed chances like his predecessor, then he will need another finisher.
So as Boro prepare to start their campaign at Luton on Friday under the glare of the TV cameras, the squad looks like it could provide the new head coach with a decent starting eleven but still contains players who ideally should be moved on and youngsters that are probably not quite ready. What happens in the next week before the deadline could determine whether this will be anything other than finding out if the new plan can work on a modest budget. At least the opening ten fixtures appear to have handed Woodgate a less demanding start to his managerial career than it could have been. Expectations of the Boro faithful have probably been reduced but the hope of promotion still lurk at the back of the mind as optimistically they believe that before a ball is kicked it’s going to be a good season. The sun is still shining, the dark clouds have not yet arrived – it’s the best time to be a football supporter as your club has yet to disappoint!
Werdermouth looks at the start of preprations for the new season…
As Tony Pulis left Boro’s mountain training camp in Austria last summer, it’s unclear if he uttered that infamous monotone phrase of “I’ll be back” that he inadvertently borrowed from one of that country’s more famous sons. Still, this year the players arrived without the Welsh cyborg in human form after he mutually agreed with Steve Gibson not to return from the dystopian future he was seemingly intent on maintaining. In fact given the recent turnover of managers on Teesside, it’s clear that there’s only room for one terminator on Teesside and the Boro chairman has already proved himself quite capable in that department. Nevertheless, it’s apparent from the pre-season program that Pulis is still the ghost in the machine and the muscle memory of old-school double alpine training sessions may have a few players wishing for the arrival of judgement day. At least the Boro faithful were no doubt relieved to discover that when the club were being linked with Bad Aussee it was just the training camp and not an over-priced misfiring striker from down under.
As much as the departure of Tony Pulis was generally welcomed, many Boro supporters initially greeted the appointment of Jonathan Woodgate with all the stony-faced enthusiasm that Theresa May mustered for her impromptu handshake with Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit. As the underwhelmed faithful start to accept in true Teesside spirit that it is what it is, most will now be looking at just how successful new head coach will be in reshaping the squad for the upcoming season. In case anyone has not yet heard, the solemn mood music that the Hurworth string quartet has been diligently etching into the Teesside subconscious is that the club are now playing to a different tune – with a lot fewer notes in evidence now that the Premier League windfall has been all but blown. Boro are now embarking on Plan C after a swift return to the land of plenty was not the breeze it was initially hoped it would be and the subsequent over-cautious Plan B had become more toxic than some of those odd coloured plumes that had bestowed the Smoggies with their nostalgic moniker.
Rather strangely, the sympathetic violins were perhaps lacking in their usual fervour as Tony Pulis exited stage left in June and while he was personally admired by those who worked with him, the unimpressed on the terraces had grown weary of the concept of entertainment playing second fiddle to the off-key Welshman’s less than pitch perfect tactical displays – which ultimately had very few demanding an encore. However, Steve Gibson once again opted against picking up a Stradivarius to begin the next movement in the managerial suite and instead reached for a less coveted untested instrument made from cheaper wood. The hopeful hunch (to paraphrase the chairman) is that this next appointment will resonate with the players and orchestrate the arrival of a new exciting era of bold high-energy performances that get the crowd out of their red plastic seats. The new man, we are frequently told by the local media, has many strings to his bow and he will certainly need to show evidence of them if he is to pull off the plucky plan of getting more with less.
Whether, the chairman has enough room to manoeuvre to back his new man financially is uncertain and it remains to be seen if Boro will pay the price for over-indulging Garry Monk two years ago after he was seemingly allowed to pizzicato the bulk of the club’s promotion budget up the wall. OK, it’s not quite about Gibson pleading poverty and giving us a less yiddish Teesside rendition of ‘If I were a rich man’ – as it’s now no longer an issue of having an owner prepared inject cash but one of compliance with Football League financial regulations. Although when it comes to adhering to the rules, it has to be said that in this particularly version of the song, the fiddler is no longer to be found on the roof but is instead busy (all day long) devising a series of shell companies to internally resell club assets to raise profits rather than declaring “I’d biddy biddy bum” (whatever that means) in the more traditional manner mentioned.
Talking of someone who had hoped he wouldn’t have to work hard (particularly in a Boro shirt), Martin Braithwaite has surprisingly been allowed to chuck his toys back into his pram and head back to Teesside. While everyone has started with the proverbial clean slate under the new regime, it’s unlikely that the less than committed Dane will pass the hunger test that Woodgate has indicated he wants his players to demonstrate they possess – though it’s always possible Braithwaite may always opt for a hunger strike to push through a move this time round if potential suitors are unwilling to match Boro’s vaulation. Besides, it’s difficult to imagine a player who is seemingly on Premier League wages being rehabilitated back into the squad when Stewart Downing was kept on the bench for nearly half a season to prevent the club being exposed to a similar outlay in the event of triggering a contract extension. Nevertheless, the perennial loan-seeker cost the club around £9m and Boro may be seeking to squeeze as much out of a potential buyer as possible by giving at least the impression that he’s wanted.
Indeed, this is something that could apply to several names in the Boro squad who may have already been mentally stamped with ‘surplus to requirements’ by the club but their wanted status remains publicly vague for commercial reason – i.e. the Rudy Gestede’s and Marvin Johnson’s of this world. The problem as ever is finding buyers who can match the level of contracts these players currently enjoy at Boro. It was no secret that two years ago the strategy for persuading players to come to Teesside generally involved offering them lucrative deals – as well as paying over the odds on transfer fees. Shifting devalued assets is never easy and they may ultimately remain at the club with other players who are more coveted being sold to raise funds instead. Paddy McNair appears to be one such player with rumours of Celtic and newly promoted Sheffield United apparently showing interest – though if that interest firms up it would be hard to persuade a player to remain in the Championship after being predominantly overlooked last season.
Player
Mins
Starts
Sub-On
Subbed
Goals
GOALKEEPERS
Darren Randolph
4140
46
–
–
–
Andy Lonergan
0
–
–
–
–
DEFENDERS
Aden Flint
3454
39
–
1
1
George Friend
3271
37
1
2
2
Ryan Shotton
2877
33
1
4
–
Dael Fry
2865
33
1
4
–
Daniel Ayala
2722
32
1
4
1
MIDFIELDERS
Jonny Howson
3943
44
2
5
1
George Saville
2519
28
6
9
4
Adam Clayton
2491
29
7
8
–
Muhamed Bešic
2272
30
7
24
2
Lewis Wing
1798
19
9
7
3
John Mikel
1600
18
–
2
1
Paddy McNair
733
7
9
2
–
FORWARDS
Britt Assombalonga
2683
28
14
15
14
Stewart Downing
2337
24
14
12
2
Jordan Hugill
1870
20
17
9
6
Ashley Fletcher
1156
14
7
10
5
Martin Braithwaite
1107
12
5
9
3
Marcus Tavernier
482
2
18
2
3
Rudy Gestede
109
1
3
1
–
Marvin Johnson
0
–
–
–
–
It’s unlikely that Boro will be able to keep all their high earners and remain within the rules that Steve Gibson is insisting the Championship should enforce – not even if the Riverside is sold to Bulkhaul Ltd as a potential storage site and leased back to MFC while they await planning permission. Whether it would be a deal breaker if Mark Page wasn’t allowed to remain on site is unclear but one would hope that construction workers could be provided with suitable ear protection. Still we should expect to see some player sales this summer to offset the wage bill and raise funds for new arrivals – though unless the Adama-Gibson-Bamford money was secretly stashed away by a chairman looking to prevent Pulis signing any more defensive midfielders, then few will be expecting to see any addition from the upper end of the Championship market.
With the transfer deadline for both sales and loans due to close at 5pm on 8th August, there is now just over a month for the club to do it’s business – although in theory players could still depart to join League One and Two clubs until 2nd September if a certain Dane fancies heading to the Stadium of Light. Looking at the current squad and following the departure of Mikel, Downing and loanees, Hugill and Besic (shown in red), it looks somewhat thin in some areas. Defence lacks cover and regardless of whether Woodgate opts for traditional full-backs or wing-back, the club will need to find players in those areas. It’s possible Howson could continue in the right wing-back role or some youngsters could be promoted to the senior squad – though these have now been makeshift positions for some time at Boro.
Also likely to move on are Braithwaite and Johnson (highlighted in yellow), who both went out on loan after their Boro careers looked to be over – plus Rudy Gestede doesn’t look like he would fit the profile of the high-pressing high-energy forward that is planned under the new regime. That leaves essentially Britt and Fletcher but there are some noises that if a bid that closely matched the club’s valuation of Assombalonga it would be difficult to turn down – especially as next summer he’ll enter the final year of his contract and any fee will probably be heading downwards unless he has a prolific season. While the midfield still looks well covered despite the departures of Mikel and Besic, it still looks to be lacking some creativity and goals with only Wing having displayed some attacking range – especially with Saville top scoring from midfield with just four goals there will need to be a big improvement in that area of the pitch. Whether Paddy McNair will get a chance to show what he can do may depend on if Boro decide to take up interest from other clubs. Clearly the side is lacking pace and it may be a case of needing to raise funds by selling players that have similar counterparts in the squad.
It is perhaps the loan market that would offer the best route to fill the gaps in the squad given as the club are no longer likely to be in a position to pay big fees and offer lucrative 3-4 year contracts. Under Karanka’s promotion campaigns for example, it was often the case that his First XI would include a fair number of regulars that arrived on loan. Hopefully, Woodgate and Keane will be able to use their contacts to secure some up-and-coming talent from the likes of Spurs and Liverpool. While, the plan may ultimately be to bring through young talent from the academy, it’s hard to imagine in the short term that there are going to be any significant break-through seasons and a few might just about make the squad – though you never know if someone will take their opportunity when it arises and suddenly become the next big thing like Wing did.
So as we look to see how the pre-season shapes up, Woodgate has so far began by trying to say all the right things to all the right people (in all the right places). After initially impressing in his interview, he’s told the supporters he plans to play attacking exciting football, as well promising the chairman he wants to promote youth and not overspend and telling the players they will all be given a chance and he’d ideally like to play them in their favoured positions too. At the moment the new head coach is a popular choice for the players but at some point difficult decisions will need to be taken and that’s likely to be sooner rather than later as he starts to realise who he can rely on and what he is missing.
Woodgate said he’s just normal lad from Middlesbrough who won’t change because he’s the new gaffer but managers tend to prematurely turn grey for a reason and the pressure to succeed makes being normal much harder. Of course making promises in order to get everyone on-side will gain you some time but it’s now only a few weeks to go before all the hype and theory will be tested in real Championship games. The new coaching team will need to be sure that they have a squad ready to go from the off as the January window will appear a long off if they have an indifferent start in front of a notoriously impatient Teesside audience.
Werdermouth looks ahead to the appointment of Woodgate as manager…
Following what has been described in the local media as an extensive four-week search for a new manager, the Boro hierarchy seemingly could find no better available candidate on the globe than a local man from Nunthorpe. Indeed, that man was apparently the recommendation of the recently departed boss Tony Pulis and it seems in the end Jonathan Woodgate’s vision of how he saw the team and club moving forward proved decisive. So impressive was Woody at his interview, he remained the odds-on favourite throughout the search as he saw off rivals such as the twice Championship promotion-winning manager Slaviša Jokanović and a whole host of contenders who shall remain nameless – though that’s mainly because nobody seems to know who they were.
Nevertheless, Steve Gibson has decided to put his faith in another Teessider and once again another untried or tested young manager. It appears to be a massive gamble by the owner, who many thought would be looking for a candidate with a track record of being able to demonstrate the ability to build a progressive winning team on a tight budget. With the parachute payments having finished, the next man in charge will have to juggle his resources and make some astute signings if they are to compete in the promotion mix. The overall task facing the new man was always going to be difficult one and would require a range of skills that would need some well-considered judgements. In some ways, it’s perhaps not too dissimilar to the one that faced a young Gareth Southgate as the team required rebuilding under the financial pressure of money becoming tighter.
Whether Woodgate will be taking an active role in recruitment is unclear at this stage and perhaps he will be left to concentrate on finding his feet in the new role of head coach instead. Reports that the club are looking to bring in former Boro coach Steve Round to assist their new manager may indicate someone else may have a greater input on deciding who will be arriving on Teesside. Eighteen years ago, Round joined Boro as part of McClaren’s coaching team at Boro but was dismissed by Gareth Southgate over what were described as ‘philosophical differences’ – though it’s as yet unknown what philosophy the latest ‘Gate’ is a student of. At least Round has an impressive CV after coaching for England, Everton and Manchester United. It’s perhaps his role as Director of Football at Villa that best gives a clue to what his duties may cover at Boro should he come on board – especially as he’s not had a coaching role for over five years now.
While the emphasis in the media has been about ‘refreshing’ the coaching team, it is the anticipated arrival of yet another old boy that has added the only real element of excitement. News that the much-loved Leo Percovich is to be offered a yet unspecified role in the coaching team has been greeted with far more approval than the drip drip imminent announcement of Jonathan ‘still firmly in the frame’ Woodgate. Cynics (OK that’s nearly everyone) have suggested this is designed to placate the underwhelmed masses on social media that have resorted to having auto-reply FFS-macros programmed into their smart phones as they stare at the ever-shortening odds on Woodgate. Many on Teesside are feeling flatter than carefully-ironed Flat Earth Society world map at the prospect that the manager search didn’t get much beyond the end of the road – let alone went global. Leo is certainly a crowd motivator and an adopted Teessider that definitely wears his heart on his sleeve – which was a relationship that became even more poignant following the tragic car accident that claimed the lives of his two daughters. Although, if it is as merely goalkeeping coach, then it may be quite an undemanding role with the experienced Darren Randolph looking like the best keeper in the Championship.
The latest person to be linked with the new coaching team is current Republic of Ireland assistant manager, Robbie Keane. The 38-year old claims he’s been offered the role of assistant manager to Woodgate but will still remain with Ireland. He’s known Woodgate for 20 years and says while he’s excited with the role being offered he’s yet to decide if to accept it. It would perhaps be a bit embarrassing if he now turned it down having gone public and also outed Woodgate as the new Boro manager – though apparently he’s yet to talk to his wife about the prospect of moving to Teesside and we know from recent playing targets that ‘Geography’ is often against Boro.
So Middlesbrough Football club is about to enter a new epoch – whether Woodgate will be seen as a fossil of the Jurassic football that the Pulis era served up will remain to be seen. In fact, the longevity of the new manager could be a brief one if he fails to hit the ground running. Time is not on his side if the majority of supporters are already doubtful he was the right appointment by the chairman in the first place – plus patience will not be seen as a virtue by the faithful if he’s found wanting when attempting to make his vision a reality. It’s fair to say he’s an appointment that comes with baggage and in some ways it leaves him exposed to greater criticism than an unknown candidate would have faced. Has Steve Gibson possibly miscalculated in the same way he did with his ill-advised ‘Smash the League’ comment with Monk?
OK, perhaps at least Woodgate starts with low expectations from many on Teesside and being around the top six after ten games will be seen as something of a success. However, a bad start will be met with a lot more than ‘I told you so’ from the unimpressed on the terraces – plus has Woodgate got the temperament to handle the pressure and ride out the inevitable criticism that follows bad results. Indeed, with no track record it will also be important that the players will have belief that he can be trusted to achieve results. At least with a manager who has done it before they have the credit in the bank when making unpopular decisions or changes. It may be unfair but Woodgate will be required to start well and show he can mount a credible promotion challenge and this is always the risk in appointing an untried manager – and perhaps more so for one who divides opinion.
It will be great if the gamble pays off and confidence and enthusiasm of a new manager and his coaching team show they have what it takes. However, a bad start and the rabbit in headlights look as they struggle to work out whether to stick or twist will soon make for unpleasant viewing at pre-match press conferences. We saw previously how another inexperienced manager in Karanka became prickly and somewhat difficult when faced with the pressure of things not going to plan. There will be no hiding place for Woodgate now that he’s the number one – we will soon discover if the lessons the younger man has learnt will have made him stronger character or simply more fragile one who is easily wounded. Let’s hope Steve Gibson has made the right call!
As Boro’s search for a new manager is underway, the club are looking to begin a new era and hopefully rebuild a team capable of winning promotion and staying in the Premier League. The pressure is on chairman Steve Gibson to make the right appointment and choose someone who will galvanise the supporters and instil belief into the players. It’s now 25 years since Bryan Robson arrived on Teesside, which tried to change the mentality that the club was unfashionable and rarely a destination for glamour or even big names. Diasboro’s resident Boro historian, Ken Smith, looks back at the start of the Robson era from his arrival to the start of the Riverside revolution.
In his last season as Boro manager, Lennie Lawrence was instrumental in recommending that his successor should be Bryan Robson, a legend of the game, but with no managerial experience. Lawrence was a close friend of Alex Ferguson and a meeting was arranged and with his blessing met Robson in Wetherby, from where the two men met Keith Lamb at the ‘Little Chef’ on the A19. From there Robson was escorted to Wilton Castle where an artist’s impression and model of Boro’s proposed new stadium at Middlehaven was on display. Bryan Robson had other options, Wolverhampton Wanderers being one, but after assurances from Steve Gibson that he would be allowed to bring in his own staff and that money would be made available for incoming transfers the deal was struck. Steve Gibson later recalled how he and George Cooke were so enthusiastic about the proposed new stadium and after Robson shook hands on the deal, and whilst Cooke organised champagne, Steve excused himself where he screamed the place down with joy!
Now to events on the playing field. Robson was to be a player/manager with Viv Anderson as his assistant, and his first two signings were Nigel Pearson from Sheffield Wednesday for £750,000 and Neil Cox from Aston Villa for £1M. Goalkeeper Alan Miller joined from Arsenal for £425,000 and Welsh International Clayton Blackmore on a free transfer from Manchester United. All five including Robson made their Boro debut in the first match of the season at home to Burnley where John Hendrie scored twice in a 2-0 win before a crowd of 23,343, almost a capacity crowd for Ayresome Park in those days. Boro won their first four matches against Southend and Derby away and Bolton at home without conceding a goal. They looked like extending that to five matches when leading at Watford at half-time, but conceded their first goal in the second half and had to settle for a 1-1 draw. The big test was to come in the next match at home to Sunderland where Boro found themselves 0-2 down going into the last 10 minutes, but goals from Alan Moore and Nigel Pearson within two minutes ensured a share of the spoils. A last minute penalty converted by Craig Hignett in the home match against West Brom preserved Boro’s unbeaten record.
Craig Hignett joined Boro from Crewe a couple of seasons before Robson arrived and was soon to witness the arrival of many big names
However after leading at half-time at Port Vale, Boro conceded twice in the second half to lose 1-2 and dropped to second place. Remember that only the Champions would be promoted automatically at the end of the season as the First Division was to be reduced from 22 clubs to 20, so second place at the end of the season would mean merely a play-off position. Boro got back to winning ways with two 4-1 wins home and away to Scarborough in the League Cup where the little Bolivian Jaime Moreno made his debut, and League wins away to Bristol City and home to Millwall where Boro scored 3 goals for the first time seemed to have stopped the rot, but then came a surprise 0-1 home defeat to Tranmere followed by a 1-5 walloping at Luton which saw Boro drop to 4th. A goalless draw at Portsmouth and two draws against Cesana and Udinese in the Anglo-Italian Cup and elimination from the League Cup at Aston Villa meant that Boro’s winless run had stretched to 6 matches in total.
Boro did then win successive home wins over Swindon and Oldham, but lost at Grimsby before the top of the table clash at home to Wolves awaited them in late November. A John Hendrie goal was enough for Boro to win and more importantly take them back to the top of the League. That win was the start of a stretch to the end of the year of just one defeat in nine matches, and may well have been stretched further when Boro led Barnsley before the game had to be abandoned.
After gaining a 1-1 draw at Second Division Swansea in the FA Cup, typically Boro lost the replay so could concentrate on their main objective which was to win the League. However the new year didn’t start too well with defeat at lowly Swindon where Boro without striker Paul Wilkinson and Bryan Robson, lost 1-2 after having led to an early John Hendrie goal, and Jan-Aage Fjortoft scoring the equaliser on a pudding of a pitch. Boro could only draw their next home match with Grimsby and with a lack of goals tried to sign Fjortoft who despite playing for a team near the bottom of the League was a proven goal scorer. However they did manage to sign Uwe Fuchs on loan from Fortuna Cologne to make his debut in the home game against Reading, but Boro lost again and found themselves down to 3rd. Fuchs did score his first goal as Boro got back to winning ways at home to Charlton a week later, and again in the televised top of the table clash at Molineux the following Tuesday when Boro showed their promotion credentials with a 2-0 win. A goalless draw at Millwall was followed by two home wins against Bristol City, where Fuchs scored all 3 goals in a 3-0 win, and Watford when he scored another.
Just as things were starting to look promising, Boro suddenly could only gain one more point from their next 3 matches which included a home defeat to Derby in windy conditions. Marco Gabbiadini terrorised Boro’s defence with a couple of goals as the Rams led 3-0 at halftime with the wind in their favour. Fuchs and Jamie Pollock scored in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but to no avail as Derby scored a fourth to take the spoils 4-2. Another Jamie Pollock goal in the midweek derby at Sunderland on the first day of Spring not only saw Boro record their first win at Roker Park since 1982 but regain first position in the League since the end of January.
At last Boro managed to sign Jan-Aage Fjortoft on transfer deadline day for a record fee of £1.3m and he quickly made his debut the following day as Boro came back from a 0-1 halftime deficit at home to West Brom to win 3-1, and although they lost at Oldham in midweek they beat Stoke 2-1 at home in their next match. From then on to say that Boro limped over the line to promotion might be a slight exaggeration, but three successive 1-1 draws where Fuchs scored his 9th goal in 13 matches plus two substitute appearances, and Fjortoft scored his first two goals did create a scene of nervousness as Boro prepared to play their last League game at Ayresome Park against a Luton team that had inflicted Boro’s biggest defeat of the season in October 1-5.
Old Boro greats including Wilf Mannion and George Hardwick were paraded around the perimeter of the pitch as the biggest crowd of the season 23,903 gathered not only to take a last nostalgic look at Ayresome Park and some of their favourites who had graced the hallowed turf since the Second World War. After several near misses John Hendrie scored the all important goal on the stroke of half time, and most of us thought that would be it. Although Boro hadn’t been renowned for scoring too many goals that season, apart from that 1-5 defeat at Luton, they had been defensively sound with the concession of only 18 goals at home and only 38 in total from their 44 matches so far. So it came as quite a surprise when Luton equalised. However when Hendrie scored 20 minutes from time, I was confident that that would be the winner. Of course Boro weren’t technically sure of promotion, but when Bolton failed to beat Stoke days later, Boro’s promotion was guaranteed. Tranmere were the opposition for Boro’s final match and a draw would guarantee the Merseysiders a play-off position, and that’s how the game ended, a 1-1 draw. Reading finished second, but Bolton beat them 4-3 in the play-off final to join Boro in the top tier.
John Hendrie finished top scorer with 15 league goals from his 39 matches, but Uwe Fuchs’s contribution should not be underestimated with his 9 goals, one more than Craig Hignett. However generally speaking Boro’s lack of goal power didn’t bode well for the Premier League, so no doubt Bryan Robson would have to enhance that and the midfield as he was unlikely to play much himself at a higher level. Many of us hoped that Uwe Fuchs would become a permanent acquisition, but Robson thought differently.
Nick Barmby’s arrival from Spurs for over £5m was a signal of intent and the first English international to arrive at the club for 90 years
The summer saw Boro smash to smithereens their transfer record. True to his word Steve Gibson provided the finance to sign not only a striker, but an international striker at that. Nick Barmby was not a prolific goal scorer, but it was the first time for almost 90 years that Boro had signed a current English international player. The fee was reputed to be £5.25m and although the Spurs managing director Alan Sugar played hardball wanting the full agreed fee to be paid instantly rather than in instalments, the deal was agreed. I had paid a couple of visits during the summer to see how the Middlehaven stadium was progressing, and like many others was in awe of the design if not the location.
Boro started their campaign at Highbury against Arsenal, and the Sky cameras were there to see how Boro would perform against one of their former manager’s team, Bruce Rioch. Boro started rather well when Barmby scored after half an hour. Ian Wright equalised before half time, but Boro deserved the draw. Now onto the first match for Boro in their sparkling new stadium. After a few last minute adjustments, Boro got the safety certificate for the match against Chelsea to go ahead and Craig Hignett had the honour of scoring the first goal after 39 minutes. Jan-Aage Fjortoft scored in the second half, and Boro were up and running. Although Boro lost at Newcastle and struggled to get a point at newly promoted Bolton, I joined the long queue at Ayresome Park with my pal determined to get tickets for Boro’s next match, a midweek encounter with Southampton. Although the match finished goalless Boro then proceeded to win their next five matches including two 1-0 away wins against Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday either side of a 2-0 win against the Champions Blackburn Rovers when the ground record was beaten for the second time with a near capacity crowd of 29,462.
After QPR had been dispatched Boro were now in 4th position with 21 points from their first 10 matches. Although they had scored only 11 goals, 5 from Hignett including 2 penalties, 3 from Barmby and 2 from Fjortoft, they had only conceded 4. The next match was the big test, away to Manchester United where Bryan Robson received a tremendous ovation from the Old Trafford crowd, albeit a small crowd of only 36,580. Boro lost that encounter 0-2, but the perception was that Boro would not have much trouble in staying in this league. The two little midgets Hignett and Barmby playing just behind Fjortoft, although not scoring too many goals, had the pace to cause problems against most of the teams in the Premier League and defensively Boro looked solid.
Then came the signing of Brazil’s player of the year, a certain Osvaldo Giroldo Junior, better known as Juninho Paulista, or plain Juninho to Boro fans. Arsenal had had their eye on the little fella, but only Bryan Robson and Keith Lamb had followed Boro’s interest by actually flying to São Paulo to interview him. The Brazilian club were reluctant to sell their prized asset, but needed the cash. A transfer fee of £4.75M was agreed and because of Bryan Robson’s world status the little fella agreed to sign for Boro. Arsenal tried to hijack the deal, but they were too late. When Juninho arrived at Teesside Airport with Keith Lamb there were a few people to welcome him, but when he arrived at the Riverside Stadium a Brazilian Band, the whole of the English press, and thousands of Boro fans were there to greet him and his interpreter. At the time I was somewhere in Victoria-Gasteiz in the Basque region of Spain on my way to my five month winter migration to the Algarve. I stopped the car to listen to Sports Round-up on my shortwave radio, and the whole programme was devoted to the arrival and interviews of Juninho. Boro were now big news, really big news.
The signing of the Brazilian player of the year in Juninho was greeted with much excitement by supporters and he soon became a legend on Teesside
Juninho made his debut in the home game with Leeds and provided the stellar pass which resulted in Fjortoft opening the score for Boro. Naturally he tired and was eventually substituted by Alan Moore as Leeds eventually equalised. Of course the ground record had been broken again – albeit by an extra 5 people. A midweek defeat at home to Spurs saw the ground record broken once more by a further 20 people, but Boro then beat Liverpool 2-1 four days later at the Riverside. Two away draws at Wimbledon and QPR, then a 4-1 home thrashing of Manchester City in which Juninho scored his first goal had Boro back in 4th position.
Boro had progressed to the 4th Round of the League Cup with a 3-1 aggregate win over Rotherham and the disposal of Crystal Palace after a replay, but disappointingly only drew with Birmingham and then lost the replay at St. Andrews. That defeat followed a 0-1 reverse in Boro’s next League match at Blackburn, but Boro seemed back on track as Christmas approached with a 4-2 home win over West Ham.
Boro were then heavily beaten at Goodison Park on Boxing Day, and that started a real slump in form when Boro only managed one more win in their next 16 matches and that was an FA Cup tie at Notts County. Wimbledon knocked Boro out of the FA Cup after a replay, but more alarmingly Boro lost 10 League matches including a 0-5 thrashing at Chelsea leaving them down to 13th. By now Boro had accumulated only 34 points from their 30 matches and there was general concern that they might be involved in a relegation battle if their poor form continued. However after two successive draws at home to Nottingham Forest and away to Aston Villa, that still left Boro 4 points short of the 40 point mark. Thankfully a Graham Kavanagh penalty in the 4th minute at Leeds saw Boro win 1-0 and a 3-1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday where Chris Freestone scored his first and only league goal saw Boro safe with four matches remaining.
Boro then drew at Tottenham, but lost at home to Wimbledon and away to Liverpool before the last day visit of Manchester United. Newcastle had looked like taking the title with at one stage holding a substantial lead over Manchester United, but had slumped somewhat whilst the Red Devils won game after game. The Magpies manager lost his cool after Ferguson had wound him up, and in front of the Sky cameras stated “I’d just love it, really love it if Boro beat Manchester United”. Some hope really, as Boro were dispatched rather easily 0-3 before another record crowd of 29,922, the sixth time the ground record had been broken. Some United supporters had bought tickets from Boro fans at twice the original cost, and had thus infiltrated the Boro sections of the crowd much to the chagrin of the stewards.
However Boro had finished with 43 points, but Nick Barmby was top scorer with a mere 7 goals after his early season flourish. It was now obvious that Boro needed a proven goal scorer, though few would have expected it would come in the form of one of the most famous names in Italian football.
Although Boro’s first season at the Riverside had seen an excellent start, which disappointingly tapered off, it at least saw exciting players such as Nick Barmby and Juninho purchased and Boro finished mid table. At the time I used to watch ‘Football Italia’ presented by James Richardson on Channel 4 every Saturday morning, so was well aware of Fabrizio Ravanelli nicknamed ‘the white feather’ but never imagined in my wildest dreams that Robson would sign him or Emerson. The first match of the 1996/97 season was a home match against Liverpool when for the first time the attendance exceeded the 30,000 mark. Every time that Liverpool scored, Ravanelli equalised with his shirt pulled over his head, the first one being a penalty as the match finished 3-3. What a start!
Emerson had cost £4M with his former manager Bobby Robson describing him as the complete midfielder. I was thinking could he be another Graeme Souness, but the signing of Ravanelli for £7M had absolutely smashed the record, and on the evidence of his first match worth the money. However Boro lost 0-1 at Chelsea four days later before Juninho’s goal three days later at Nottingham Forest earned a point. However we still believed that this team had goals in them, and sure enough Boro scored 4 in each of their next two home matches, the first of which against West Ham broke the ground record again. Ravanelli added 3 more goals to his tally in those two matches against the Hammers and Coventry, so 6 goals in five matches for the Italian was a great start.
Boro shocked the footballing world when they signed Ravenelli for £7m and he was also joined by the enigmatic Brazilian midfielder Emerson
Boro recorded their first away win at Everton, and then put Hereford to the sword in the League Cup as they won 7-0 with Ravanelli scoring 4 and 3-0 in the second leg. However that was followed by two disappointing defeats 0-2 at home to Arsenal and 0-4 at Southampton. Ravanelli scored his first away goal in the 2-2 draw at Sunderland where Emerson also scored with a real blockbuster in a match where Mikkel Beck was named substitute after a long protracted set of negotiations from Fortuna Cologne on a Bosnian free transfer – although he didn’t make his debut until a fortnight later. The ground record was broken again against Spurs, but Boro were suddenly in a slump at least in League matches as they lost 0-3 starting a sequence of ten winless matches culminating in a 1-5 thrashing at Liverpool.
The League Cup was different though with progress having been made to the quarter-finals after home wins against Huddersfield 5-1 and a memorable 3-1 success against Newcastle. But Boro were in trouble in the League following the Liverpool defeat as they chose to cancel their next away fixture against Blackburn because they claimed to have 23 players injured or ill. Boro club officials insisted that they had received assurances from senior Premier League representatives that they were entitled to have the match postponed, but couldn’t produce concrete evidence. Within a month they were fined £50,000 but more significantly deducted 3 points. Middlesbrough FC went to court to have the 3 point penalty rescinded, but unsuccessfully as it happened.
Back to matters on the field, Boro ended that winless League run on Boxing Day as they beat Everton 4-2 with a brace from Juninho, but three more successive defeats at Coventry and Arsenal at home, and away to Southampton had Boro bottom of the League. A 4-2 home win against Sheffield Wednesday might have been 3 points gained, but that was quickly eroded by the confirmation of the 3 point deduction. During the transfer window Boro strengthened their squad with the signings of Vladimir Kinder and Gianluca Festa.
Meanwhile the Cup runs had started with Boro disposing of Chester 6-0 in the FA Cup, then 4 days later beating Liverpool 2-1 in the League Cup. Boro were then drawn away to non-league Hednesford Town in the FA Cup though the Staffordshire club were willing to forfeit home advantage for the tie to be played at the Riverside. An own goal seemed to have given Boro the advantage, but with less than 5 minutes remaining Boro were 1-2 behind and a big upset was on the cards despite fielding a team with 6 regular first-team players. However Fjortoft and Ravanelli scored and Boro scraped through, and although Hednesford were disappointed to lose, they were happy to swell their coffers by playing in front of a 27,000 plus crowd. They might have been happier still with a draw as the replay would also have taken place at the Riverside.
Boro’ League form was still a matter of concern as defeat at Sheffield Wednesday had now meant an accumulation of only eleven points (minus three for the points deduction) in the last 20 matches, yet their Cup form despite the scare against Hednesford was very good admittedly though 4 of their matches had been against lower division teams. Nevertheless home wins against Newcastle and Liverpool in the League Cup and away wins against Manchester City and Derby in the FA Cup were impressive. Suddenly Boro were in the Semifinals of both competitions. At last with on paper what seemed like easy opponents in the Cups, Boro could now concentrate on improving their League position. They did that by winning 4 successive League matches, a midweek 6-1 thrashing of Derby only 3 days before the two teams were to meet in the FA Cup, a 3-1 win at Leicester where Juninho mesmerised the Midlanders, and further home wins over Blackburn and high-flying Chelsea where Juninho scored a wonder goal, and suddenly Boro were out of a relegation position. However if Boro thought it was a foregone conclusion that they would overcome 2nd Division opposition easily in the Cup competitions they were in for a shock.
Firstly in the League Cup on a pudding of a pitch at Stockport the home team held out for over 70 minutes before goals from Beck and Ravanelli seemed to have assured Boro of one Final. However Boro lost the second leg at home 0-1 having conceding a first half goal. They may have looked in control after that, but a 2-1 aggregate score was less than what the home crowd expected. The Final on the 6th April was Boro’s first major appearance at Wembley if one discounts the Zenith Data Cup Final, and Leicester were the opponents, a team that Boro had easily beaten three weeks before. But this time Juninho was well shackled. Nevertheless as the match went into extra time Ravanelli broke the deadlock in the 95th minute, although we couldn’t relax as the match approached the 2 hour mark. Unfortunately Emil Heskey broke Boro’s hearts with an equaliser 2 minutes from time, and a replay at Hillsborough to be played ten days later and only 3 days after Boro’s FA Cup Semifinal against Chesterfield at Old Trafford.
This proved to be the most iconic and controversial in Boro’s FA Cup history, excepting maybe the game against Burnley in 1947 when a blatant ‘hand of God’ incident deprived Boro of their first FA Cup Semifinal.
Boro missed several chances to take the lead in the first half but when Vladimir Kinder was sent off for a second bookable offence in the first half, the game remained goalless at half time with Boro down to ten men. Suddenly in the second half Boro found themselves 0-2 down, the second a penalty converted by the current Burnley manager Sean Dyche. Ravanelli pulled a goal back, but then Chesterfield hit the bar with some observers claiming the ball had crossed the line. However Dyche turned from hero to villain when conceding a penalty which Craig Hignett converted to level the score soon after. The match went into extra time and Gianluca Festa seemed to have scored the winner after the ball had hit the bar, but once again Boro were thwarted by a late goal as the match finished 3-3.
So two replays both after extra time that Boro could well do without as a fixture pile-up ensued. The League Cup replay at Hillsborough came 3 days later and this time Steve Claridge scored the only goal as Boro faced Sunderland at home in a relegation match 3 days later. Boro lost 0-1 and were now still in the bottom three. Another 3 days and Boro were back at Hillsborough to face Chesterfield again, but this time had no trouble in winning 3-0. However 2 days later saw a weary Boro lose 0-1 at Tottenham with Boro remaining in the bottom three. Boro now had played 15 matches in 47 days, two of which had gone to extra time as May beckoned.
Boro played their last home match on the 3rd May, and after letting a 2-0 halftime lead slip, needed a last minute penalty from Ravanelli to secure a 3-2 win against Aston Villa. Two days later Boro were back at Old Trafford, but this time to face Manchester United. Goals from Juninho, Emerson and Hignett raised hopes that relegation might be avoided as Boro led 3-2 at halftime, but United equalised and the match finished 3-3. Three days later Boro had to fulfill the postponed match at Blackburn which finished goalless meaning Boro went into their last match on the Sunday needing to win at Elland Road against Leeds. Leeds scored first, but when Juninho equalised with just over 10 minutes remaining Boro still had hope, but it all ended in tears especially from Juninho as he sat with head bowed at the final whistle. Just one more win from those last three draws would have saved Boro and sent Coventry down with Sunderland and Forest. In fact if Boro had sent out a youth team to fulfill the postponed fixture at Ewood Park and lost heavily, they would have avoided relegation. The League season had ended with Ravanelli scoring 16 goals from 33 matches, although only 2 of them were scored away from home. He did score another 15 in Cup matches but only 3 of those were against Premier League opposition. Juninho scored 12 League goals from 34 matches and another 3 in Cup ties as Boro finished 19th with 39 points.
Some newspapers ran stories of international players that Boro had earmarked as transfer targets if Boro had escaped relegation. A case of ‘look what you could have won’ as the late Jim Bowen often remarked. In some ways the FA Cup Final against Chelsea seemed like an anticlimax. There were stories of fisticuffs between Neil Cox and Ravanelli, and also suggestions that Ravanelli shouldn’t have been picked because he wasn’t fit, as indeed he wasn’t and had to be substituted after 24 minutes by Mikkel Beck. Boro conceded a goal after 40 seconds when reserve goalkeeper Ben Roberts having possibly advanced too far, was beaten by a piledriver from Roberto Di Matteo, Eddie Newton scoring a second with seven minutes remaining.
Juninho didn’t participate in the open bus tour through the town afterwards, which was a pity really as Boro had negotiated a move to Athletico Madrid for £12M with a buy-back clause should he become available. Juninho was thinking of his career and dreaming of pursuing his dream of appearing in the World Cup for Brazil, but that also ended in tears for the little fella.
Back in Division 1 for the next season Bryan Robson wasted no time in finding a replacement for Juninho. His name was Paul Merson, a surprise reject from Arsenal for £5M. It proved to be a masterstroke. Boro knew they wouldn’t be able to hang on to Ravanelli, although he did score a last minute winner as Boro came from behind to win their first match of the season at home to Charlton. He even played in the second match at home to Stoke which Boro lost 0-1, but then he was gone. Meanwhile Emerson affirmed that he was staying although that proved to be a false dawn as he suddenly became homesick in December, was granted a short leave of absence but never returned, and Boro went for experience in buying Andy Townsend for £500,000.
After relegation, Juninho left for Spain and he was replaced by the signing of Arsenal’s Paul Merson to help power the club to promotion
Boro won at Tranmere and earned two draws in consecutive away matches at Stockport and Bradford, but it wasn’t quite the start of a season that Boro fans had hoped for with the team only in mid table. However Boro made progress in the League Cup by overcoming Barnet over two legs before returning to winning ways in the League with a 3-1 home win over Birmingham and a 2-1 win at Sunderland with Emerson scoring in both matches. A disappointing 1-2 home defeat to Sheffield United followed, but that was the last time that Boro would lose at home in the League. They beat Sunderland 2-0 in the next round of the League Cup, drew at Crewe and won at Oxford, beat Port Vale 2-1 and Huddersfield 3-0 at home, and suddenly found themselves in 3rd position. A slight blip at Wolves and a home draw with Portsmouth saw Boro drop to 6th, but a 2-1 home win after extra time against Premier League club Bolton saw Boro reach the Quarter-final stage of the League Cup.
Boro marched on in the League with wins at Norwich and Swindon in a sequence of 9 unbeaten matches ending with a 4-0 home win over Reading, a brace of goals apiece from Craig Hignett and Mikkel Beck putting Boro top of the League. A defeat at Manchester City didn’t alter Boro’s League position as Boro won at Huddersfield on Boxing Day, and the year ended with a 3-1 home win over Stockport. A late Hignett goal saw Boro reach the Semifinal of the League Cup, and Boro disposed of QPR after a replay in the FA Cup. Boro lost the leadership in the League by losing 0-3 at Charlton, but the rest of January was to provide Boro with two tricky matches against Premier League opposition.
In the transfer window Boro signed two strikers, Marco Branca from Inter Milan for £1m and Alun Armstrong from Stockport for £1.6m. Neither player was available before the home FA Cup match against Arsenal which Boro lost 1-2 with Paul Merson scoring against his old club, nor for the trip to Anfield in the Semifinal of the League Cup which Boro also lost 1-2 but with the importance of an away goal. Before the second leg though Boro had 4 important League matches. They extracted revenge against Stoke for that early season home defeat by winning 2-1 with goals from Nigel Pearson and Jaime Moreno, drew at Birmingham, but beat Tranmere and Bradford at home thus regaining 1st position.
Marco Branca signed before the second leg of the League Cup match, and what an impact he made. Boro were awarded a penalty after 2 minutes which Merson put away, and 2 minutes later Branca scored a second goal. Craig Harrison then kept Liverpool’s dangerman Steve McManaman quiet for the rest of the match and Boro had reached their 3rd Wembley Cup Final in two seasons. Three days later Boro’s ground record was again broken when 30,227 witnessed a 3-1 win against Sunderland with Branca scoring twice and Alun Armstrong scoring on his debut. After beating Crewe with a Neil Maddison goal Boro then went into one of their strangest typical modes. In successive matches they lost 0-4 at Forest, 0-5 at QPR and then beat Swindon 6-0 yet still remained top of the League.
Robson brought in a troubled Gazza from Rangers in a bid help bolster Boro’s promotion bid but he looked less than match fit on arrival
Boro then drew at Portsmouth and won 3-0 at home to Norwich before their Wembley date against Chelsea once more. In the meantime Robson signed Paul Gascoigne who was giving some stirring performances for Glasgow Rangers. He went straight into Boro’s team for the showdown with Chelsea, but for the 3rd time the Pensioners were to beat Boro in a Wembley Final. Gazza magnanimously gave his losers medal to Craig Hignett, the player he’d replaced in the Boro line-up. Boro suffered some reaction following their Cup defeat as they lost at West Brom and Sheffield United to drop to 4th in the League. Having now not won any of their last 6 away matches in the League Boro seemed to be floundering.
By then Boro had signed Hamilton Ricard and he scored his first goal in a Boro shirt as they beat Bury 4-0 with Branca scoring the other 3 goals. Away wins at Reading and Port Vale, plus a home win over Manchester City all by a 1-0 scoreline saw Boro in second place going into the final two matches. Ricard scored again in the 1-1 draw at Wolves, and not for the first time Boro needed to beat Oxford at home in their final match to gain promotion. A touch of deja-vu here as Boro repeated the 4-1 scoreline of 31 years previously, but this time to regain their Premier League status. They finished 3 points behind Forest and one point ahead of Sunderland who missed out on promotion in the play-offs after a 4-4 draw with Charlton and a 6-7 loss in a penalty shootout.
Boro had won 15 and drawn 4 of their final 19 home matches and finished with 91 points. Mikkel Beck was top goalscorer with 14 League goals from his 39 appearances whilst Paul Merson scored 12 from 45 matches. Marco Branca chipped in with 9 goals in 11 matches and Alun Armstrong 7 from 11 matches. Paul Merson admitted he was down on his last legs having only missed the one fixture at Charlton midway through the season, and doubted his ability to perform at his best should Boro be engaged in the play-offs. Strangely he left Boro for Aston Villa after only playing in the first 3 matches of the following season.
By today’s standards maybe the League threw up some strange minnows in the Division maybe accounting for the fact that Sunderland failed to claim promotion with 90 points. But Stockport finished 8th, Crewe 11th, Oxford 12th, Tranmere 14th and Bury 17th, yet Manchester City, Stoke and Reading were relegated. Such is the way that power has changed in the last 20 years. Boro were to remain in the Premier League for 11 years. More about the Robson years in the future.
Craig Hignett joined Boro from Crewe a couple of seasons before Robson arrived and was soon to witness the arrival of many big names
Nick Barmby’s arrival from Spurs for over £5m was a signal of intent and the first English international to arrive at the club for 90 years
The signing of the Brazilian player of the year in Juninho was greeted with much excitement by supporters and he soon became a legend on Teesside
Boro shocked the footballing world when they signed Ravenelli for £7m and he was also joined by the enigmatic Brazilian midfielder Emerson
After relegation, Juninho left for Spain and he was replaced by the signing of Arsenal’s Paul Merson to help power the club to promotion
Robson brought in a troubled Gazza from Rangers in a bid help bolster Boro’s promotion bid but he looked less than match fit on arrival