Funnily enough, despite all of my ancestors on my Dad’s side coming from the Barnsley area, I’ve never been to the town. 
I think CW will stick with an unchanged starting line up, again saving DW and AS for the second half. Confidence must be sky high in the team at the moment so I can’t see beyond a Boro win. A rare prediction from me: 0-2. 
Thanks for the starter, @OFB

Thanks for a great starter, Bob.  Very readable with a good deal of useful information.

I'd be disappointed if we started with an unchanged line-up. It would suggest that we haven't learned some pretty obvious lessons from the past two games. 

I'd rather we started with our strongest side, and introduce Cockburn, Connolly and any other subs if and when we have the game under control.

OFB

I guess the match where Alan Moore played a blinder must have been on the 24th August 1993 when he scored twice. As I recall I think that Boro were losing 0-1 until Moore equalised just before half-time and then put Boro ahead in the second half and eventually won 4-1 as John Hendrie also scored twice in the last ten minutes. The match when Viv Anderson played was on 22nd April 1995 when Jan-Age Fjortoft scored a few minutes before half-time but unfortunately Boro conceded an equaliser in the second half. Wasn’t that on a quagmire of a pitch as it rained heavily most of the time, or am I thinking of another occasion watching it on television?

However the match you’ll never find in the record books which I’ve related before was on the Michael Parkinson Show when his guest was Paul Daniels. Paul was doing a card trick, as was his wont and asking Parky to find the lady - the Queen of Clubs. The audience were privy to the sleight of hand behind Parky’s back, but of course Parky wasn’t. Every time Parky guessed incorrectly Paul would lick his thumb and move it down his lapel with the words “Boro 1 Barnsley 0, Boro 2 Barnsley 0”. The audience were amused, but one could tell that Parky was fuming underneath at being made a fool of. No sense of humour, Michael Parkinson.

Thanks OFB for another informative starter. 

CW has to start on Saturday with the team which finished the job last night, so Connolly, Balogun and Taylor on the bench, with Watmore and Sporar upfront and Tav on the left. 

I am not bothered about the result as long as it is a win as we need to get back into the top six and match or better the results of the other teams around us; once we become four or more points adrift it becomes increasingly more difficult to make up lost ground as games run out.

Ideally, we could do with an unbeaten run until the end of the season.  CoB 😎

Thanks OFB for the intro.

Only been to Barnsley twice once when Justin Hoyte scored and a preseason friendly we lost both. We really need to pick up our away form. Since CW arrived only picked up 8 points from the 6 away league games, no wins away this year. 

The front two selection is  a bit of a quandary keep the same two starters and bring on Watmore to play against tiring players or start with Watmore  and get an early lead then sub him off, as worked at Huddersfield in CW's first away game.

It's mid-afternoon in Sydney and more than a little surreal to be reading this as the news starts to come through of events in Ukraine. Those of you in the UK/Europe will be waking up to the news and concerns about what this might escalate into. Does normal life go on as we watch in dismay? Is Boro v Barnsley still important? 

I have no answers but wish everyone the best.

UTB

@Selwunoz

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is urging Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine immediately. According to Guterres, this is the saddest moment of his tenure.

"President Putin, in the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia", Guterres hopes.

This sounds so unreal, must have felt the same before the Second World War, when a certain German wanted to expand to his neighboring countries.

Never believed this could happen. 

@jarkko

I feel for you living so near to a potential flashpoint. At least Finland has years of neutrality but I can't imagine how Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania feel right now. How far are you from the Russian border.

keep safe and....utb

As I mentioned before - time to watch Threads again. Life imitating Art.

Back to the football, the Web predicition has us in 10th losing out on the play offs by 3 points and a three goal goal-difference.

However it also shows us drawing nil nil at Barnsley, so if we win at Barnsley then two points nearer we shall be plus our GD will be within reach.

ON that note I am predicting a 2 - 0 win for the lads in Red [not the army in the East]

UTB

Middlesbrough | League Table | Predicted Final League Table | Football Web Pages

@Selwunoz

Yes, Finland has over 1 300 km (840 miles) of border with Russia.  It is the main border between the EU with the three Baltic countries. For business, I travel regularly in these four EU countries (so not in Russia).

The people in the Baltics have always been more sceptical about Putin and Russia than we over here. Many of my customers are old enough to remember the occupation of the Soviet Union until 1988/1990. I can really imagine they are nervous now.

For Finland this Ukrainan war will mean less business as the economic sanctions issued by the EU will affect our economy and many companies in here. We have done business with the Russians for many centenaries. But nobody is against these sanctions in here, though.

For example, after the occupation of Crimea, the sanctions and contra sanctions meant that no cheese was not possible to be exported to Russia suddendly.  All shops here sold very cheap Finnish made cheese with Russian text on it for a while. We called it "Putin cheese" as the texts were in Russian language.

I think the local sign post nearby on the Ring Road III around Helsinki says 365 km to St Peterburgh. But of course the border is much closer. I googled that it is 2 h and 1 min to the border from my home (181 km or 113 miles). Motorway all the way!

Just when Covid was getting us back to near normal. And now this. I am happy that I live in an EU country but neutral. We used to have a good relationship with Russia. This will be a long conflict, though.

Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice to set a new Championship goalscoring record as leaders Fulham beat struggling Peterborough to go nine points clear.

The Serbian striker's double took him to 33 goals this season, eclipsing Ivan Toney's 31 for Brentford last campaign.

Mitrovic's first came via the penalty spot as he picked himself up after being fouled to send Steven Benda the wrong way.

The second was a beautifully-controlled volley with the side of his foot after a pinpoint cross from Neeskens Kebano, before Jack Marriott scored an 89th-minute consolation for second-bottom Posh.

Where would Boro be with a 33-goal-in-less-than-a-season striker now?

Up the Boro! 

Posted by: @allan-in-bahrain

As I mentioned before - time to watch Threads again. Life imitating Art.

Back to the football, the Web predicition has us in 10th losing out on the play offs by 3 points and a three goal goal-difference.

 

However it also shows us drawing nil nil at Barnsley, so if we win at Barnsley then two points nearer we shall be plus our GD will be within reach.

 

ON that note I am predicting a 2 - 0 win for the lads in Red [not the army in the East]

 

UTB

 

Middlesbrough | League Table | Predicted Final League Table | Football Web Pages

 

 

 

So Boro not to win another away game then, even though they have yet to play both Peterborough and Barnsley away. Matches cannot be won on a computer, so any such outcome is bilge. 

Posted by: @allan-in-bahrain

As I mentioned before - time to watch Threads again. Life imitating Art.

Back to the football, the Web predicition has us in 10th losing out on the play offs by 3 points and a three goal goal-difference.

 

However it also shows us drawing nil nil at Barnsley, so if we win at Barnsley then two points nearer we shall be plus our GD will be within reach.

 

ON that note I am predicting a 2 - 0 win for the lads in Red [not the army in the East]

 

UTB

 

Middlesbrough | League Table | Predicted Final League Table | Football Web Pages

 

 

 

Allan, Barnsley play in red so are you predicting a 2-0 home win? 😉😎

Posted by: @ken

So Boro not to win another away game then, even though they have yet to play both Peterborough and Barnsley away. Matches cannot be won on a computer, so any such outcome is bilge. 

Bilge? Crikey, Ken, that’s a bit pejorative. 

Posted by: @jarkko

Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice to set a new Championship goalscoring record as leaders Fulham beat struggling Peterborough to go nine points clear.

Just to save Ken's precious time, here is a correction from TeessideLive:

While the record Fulham striker Mitrovic now holds only applies since the Championship's introduction in 2004, England's second tier - under the guise of the Football League Second Division - has been going for quite some time prior to that!

The real English second tier goalscoring record is actually held by Boro's Camsell and was set all the way back in 1926-27, with Camsell's incredible tally of 59 goals in 37 games helping Boro win the league title.

Camsell remains Middlesbrough's record goalscorer with 325 in total, and in that record-breaking season he scored nine hat-tricks which also remains a Football League record.

The goalscoring feat is even more impressive when considered that Camsell wasn't even a first-choice striker at start of the season. Dissatisfied with reserve football, Camsell had requested a transfer in the summer of 1926 and Boro set a mere £300 asking price.

Up the Boro!

There are times when the football doesn't seem all that important. 

I had started to type something here about the situation in Ukraine but my words are just words. Kiev (now we seem to spell it "Kyiv") is the third biggest city in eastern Europe after Moscow and St Petersburg. A week ago its cafes were open as usual and life must have been very much as it would be in Munich, Copenhagen or (dare I say it) Helsinki.  It may not be like that again for a long time.  A tragedy, in Europe.

Meanwhile, the Champions League Final has been moved from St Peterburg to Paris this year and Russian teams cannot play any further home games in Russia but would have to play at a neutral venue. The competition is still sponsored by Gazprom though!  Must keep the important things in place, after all!  So proud of UEFA (no better than FIFA or the IOC for that matter).

I am sure the 5,000 steel helmets apparently provided by Germany to Ukraine were very gratefully received there.

But massive bravery shown by anti-war protesters in Moscow and St Petersburg and other Russian cities yesterday.  It is beyond desperate.

I heard the Russian spokesman is now saying "We don't want to occupy Ukraine" (implying it is regime change to a pro-Russian government which they seek, and then they'll leave). But last week they were saying they didn't want to invade Ukraine - yet they have done so!  There can hardly be any surprise.  The 190,000 troops moved into position all around the Ukraine/Belorussia/Russia borders over the last few months weren't going to stay there for the joy of camping out in the February weather just to observe the wildlife.

So very sad.

As humans, we never learn do we? My 40 year old daughter who lives in the Scottish Highlands messaged me yesterday to ask what I thought was going to happen. As she said, “all I remember from history at school is being taught about Romans and canals”. She comes from a generation who don’t really remember the Cold War and has no idea about why WW2 started or where she’d find Crimea on a map. 
I tried to reassure her that war was unlikely to reach Roybridge but part of me thinks there’s still a chance that things could escalate. 
I have no truck with Putin, but we in the West haven’t helped matters, by assuming that the break up of the USSR meant an end to conflict and that all the former Soviet nations would automatically embrace western capitalism. 
In the same way that we support China by buying a massive proportion of our goods from them, we have happily traded with Russia despite our fears about their regime. Russian money in London has been ignored for years and how any of our political parties can be sponsored by Russian donations is beyond me. 
I haven’t a clue what the solution in Ukraine could be but it’s hard to take the moral high ground when I look back on Iraq and Afghanistan. Leaders of all nations seem to disregard their population’s views with impunity and wage wars on their behalf whether we agree or not. 
To hear Ben Wallace saying that “The UK “kicked the backside” of Tsar Nicholas I during the Crimean War” and “we can always do it again” makes me despair.  

@dormo

The sad thing is that the normal Russians do not understand why Putin is attacking a neighbouring coutry, closely related to the Russians. A bit like England having a war with Scotland.

The problem is that Putin is a dictator who has no opposition in the country. He has got rid of all other political parties several yaers ago. Again an example of one party power. Like in China.

I have big reservations of two party systems, too. Like we saw recently in the USA, where one of the parties is changing the poll laws to get back to power.

It is not the parties that rule a country. It is the people.

Up the Boro, though!

EXMIL CHALLENGE 2022 - Warning 

On a lighter note, the first part (of three) will include the top ten teams as at Sunday 27 February 22, I will include all fixtures for those teams between 4th - 20th March inclusive. I will publish the first set of fixtures on either the evening of 27 February or Monday 28 February, entries to be posted no later than 1930 hrs on Friday 4th March. Rules as per previous challenges.

Come on BORO

Posted by: @exmil

EXMIL CHALLENGE 2022 - Warning 

On a lighter note, the first part (of three) will include the top ten teams as at Sunday 27 February 22, I will include all fixtures for those teams between 4th - 20th March inclusive. I will publish the first set of fixtures on either the evening of 27 February or Monday 28 February, entries to be posted no later than 1930 hrs on Friday 4th March. Rules as per previous challenges.

Come on BORO

Top work, Exmil.

Jarkko - England has had many wars with Scotland but, thankfully, centuries ago.  And English kings supporting one claimant to the Scots throne over other claimants as a way of interefering with the Kingdom to the north if it was felt in their political interests to do so.  In those wars England with its greater population and comparative resources, often (but not always) had the upper hand and countries in Europe (particularly France as part of the "auld alliance") would ally themselves with Scotland as a means of challenging/weakening England and to dissuade England from being involved in European disputes because England would have to pay attention to what was happening up on its northern border. 

Some landowners had properties on both sides of the border (which moved around several times over the centuries).  Those landowners often held allegiance to BOTH kings, which made things difficult for them.  But since 1603 the Crowns of England & Scotland were united and since the Acts of Union in 1707 the Parliaments of England & Scotland were combined and the countries joined together as Great Britain.  I suppose in terms of European history, 419 years** is a long time and most European countries did not exist as countries that long ago.

    **There was a bit of trouble over the succession to the throne, the Jacobite Rebellions, culminating in defeats for the Jacobites who were largely Scottish and wanted to restore a Catholic monarch in 1715 & in 1745 but, since then, rivalry has been largely economic, cultural, verbal and particularly on the sports fields.  In the Battle of Culloden in 1745 it is said there were more Scots actually fighting FOR the King, who was German from the House of Hannover, than against him.

I know many of the people in Ukraine will either have fought together, or will have had parents who fought together with their Russian compatriots, for the Soviet army in the latter decades of the 20th century. They will both speak Russian and will have cultural roots going back a long time.  Young Russian conscripts sent off for what they thought was going to be a military training exercise (a VERY BIG one!) may have been surprised to find out in the last couple of days that they were expected to shoot at and fight their Ukrainian compatriots. Many Ukrainians will have family members working in Moscow or St Petersburg or the other cities in Russia and they must be terrifed to hear what is going on.

Many of the European countries had made it clear before the conflict that they would not become involved in any fighting.  I would have thought it better NOT to have said that in advance.  Putin might well have calculated that the western powers wouldn't get involved, but is it sensible to confirm that for him, so that he didn't even have to consider the possibility? The rationale behind not intervening is that Ukraine is NOT a member of NATO.  If it had been an attack on a NATO member, there would HAVE to be a military response or there would be no point in NATO.  I realise Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are members of NATO but I know that Finland is not.  That would worry me if I were Finnish.  I know Russia attacked Finland in the Winter War, and that did not go well for Russia, but if Putin gets what he wants in Ukraine, might he look further?  The EU has no armed forces.  If it did, it would no doubt be divided in making decisions just as it has been even on cutting Russia out of SWIFT (the banking transfer system), where Donald Tusk says Germany, Italy and Hungary oppose that action. They, of course, get much of their coal, gas and oil from Russia.  A particularly well thought-out policy that turned out to be, didn't it?

As I type this I can see and hear members of the Ukrainain Parliament (at present a woman who leads her party there) talking on TV about having learned to shoot a Kalashnikov in recent days and being resigned to having to use it to protect themselves against Russian troops who are only a few miles away in the outskirts of Kiev. Others this morning were effectively saying that if NATO would help protect them from the skies, they would do the job on the ground but if they are left open to attack from above that will be very difficult. 

I recognise to be directly involved would be very hard.  I imagine that people in Kiev now feel as the citizens of London felt for 9 months in 1940-41 during The Blitz as the Lutwaffe rained bombs down - at a time when the USA wasn't involved in WW2 and when Russia and Germany were in a non-aggression pact between them (Molotov-Ribbentrop pact). Although helped by people from Commonwealth countries like NZ, Australia, Canada etc, the people of London must have felt alone - especially as the US ambassador was advising his country to stay out of the war which he predicted would soon end in Britain's defeat. 

We have good reason, over the centuries, to be grateful for the moat that surrounds our island.  Obviously we now live in times when weapons can be sent over moats, seas and oceans of the world but, for obvious reasons, sensible people don't want to be involved in a war.  It's a very last resort.  But if you are dealing with a country led by someone who is NOT reasonable, persuasion is not a possibility.  "Please Mr Hitler, don't move into Czeckoslovakia.  Ahh, he's done it!  Well please don't go into Poland.  Ahh, he's now done that.  Well, can we talk about France....?"  Putin comes into that category.

I bet that NATO countries previously reluctant to contribute their 2% will now do so. And I bet it will go up from 2%.  There will be an increase in military spending in the west.  There will have to be.  Armed forces that have been cut and cut again, will have to be beefed up.  Sadly, at the moment, the profits from the sale of Russian gas to Germany, for example, will have been used to pay for the bullets and bombs now being aimed at Ukrainian soldiers and properties.  Too dreadful for words, really.

We'd all like to live in a world where people behave in a sensible, democratic and liberal way.  I can send a letter to my MP (Chancellor of the Exchequer, since you ask) criticising him or asking him questions.  I did that once and he replied.  I didn't agree with his reply but at least we both said our piece.  My mate regularly writes to his MP, too.  I can write to the Prime Minister, write letters to the newspapers critical of government policy, send messages out on social media saying why I disagree with the government, or appear on TV and radio phone-in programmes doing the same.  I can stand outside Parliament with placards doing the same.  I can form a party of my own and stand against the PM if I wish.  And, unless I physically threaten or attack the PM, I'd be free to do that and wouldn't have any fear for my safety.  Try that in many countries of the world - let's say Russia, North Korea, China, Iran, for example.  We are SO lucky to live in a liberal democracy. But I guess we do that only because people before us were prepared to fight to keep it that way.

Here in the UK, I can disagree with OFB or with Martin Bellamy for example, on some political or economic issue, but still come on here and have banter with them and others, or even agree with them, when it comes to the Boro.

Sorry but I feel better for having got that out of my system!

And .... back to the Boro - I predict an away win at Barnsley.

As if we’d disagree, FD! On this topic in particular we’re singing from the same hymn sheet*. 

*the chances of me singing from any hymn sheet is remarkable cause to zero

There was once an episode of Yes Minister where the PM was discussing Russia with a German diplomatic and the German politician described Russian tactics as 'Salami Tactics' as in you don't take it all at once but in slices and with his enclaves built up in the Ukraine over the years this is  basically what he's done here. Supported by a crowd of sycophants who daren't step out of line he's only here for another 30 years. That's based on a democratic voting process of course. The whole business and the logistics are staggering and terrifying. It's on YouTube, watch it if you can.

Anyway back to football, 1 - 2 to Boro.

UTB,

John

Well let’s talk and write about Boro on this page and leave politics to its rightful place on the politics subpage. 

It’s good to see that the Gazette whilst acknowledging that Alaksander Mitrovic has created a new scoring record in the Championship that it’s nowhere near the 59 goals scored in 37 matches by our own George Camsell in the 1926/27 season not forgetting that he also scored 4 goals in 3 FA Cup appearances that season. In their long history Boro have usually had a striker or centre forward who knew where the back of the net was, and here is a list of those who have scored over a century of goals in their career starting from the early days of the 20th century:- 

GEORGE ELLIOTT  born in Sunderland was Boro’s top scorer on 7 occasions from 1909 to 1925. He scored a total of 213 goals in 364 appearances for Boro of which 198 were scored in the First Division in 327 appearances, 5 in 17 appearances in the Second Division and 10 from 20 appearances in the FA Cup. Of course he missed 4 years of his career due to the First World War.

GEORGE CAMSELL born in Framwellgate Moor, County Durham was Boro’s top scorer on 10 consecutive seasons from 1925 to 1939. He scored a total of 345 goals in 453 appearances for Boro of which 233 were scored in the First Division in 337 appearances, 92 in 81 appearances in the Second Division and 20 in 35 appearances in the FA Cup. He made his debut in 1925, a 1-0 home win against Nottm Forest but only made 4 appearances scoring 3 goals as a stand-in for Boro’s regular centre forward Jimmy McClelland and asked for a transfer during the early days of his record breaking 59 goals in the following season. 

WILLIE PEASE born in Leeds was never the leading scorer for Boro in a season but nevertheless scored a total of 103 goals from 239 appearances as a right winger between 1926 and 1933. He scored 49 in 156 appearances in the First Division, 50 from only 66 appearances in the Second Division and 4 from 17 in FA Cup appearances. His most prolific season was in the 1928/29 season when he scored 27 goals only 3 less than Camsell that season.

MICKY FENTON born in Stockton was Boro’s top scorer on 8 occasions from 1932 to 1950. He scored 162 goals in 269 appearances for Boro of which 147 were scored in the First Division in 239 appearances, didn’t score in his only Second Division appearance, but scored 15 goals in 29 FA Cup appearances. Like George Elliott before him he missed 7 seasons of his career, this time due to the Second World War. Could well have scored 260 goals in total but for those missed years. 

WILF MANNION born in South Bank was joint top scorer with Micky Fenton in the 1946/47 season with 18 goals but from 1936 to 1954 scoring 110 goals in 368 appearances. He scored 99 all in the First Division in 341 appearances  and 11 FA Cup goals in 27 appearances, and like Fenton missed 7 years of his career through the Second World War.

BRIAN CLOUGH born in Middlesbrough was Boro’s top scorer on 5 occasions     in his playing career for Boro from 1955 to 1961 in which he scored a total of 197 league goals in 213 appearances all in the Second Division though he scored 7 goals in 9 Cup appearances making his totals 204 from 222 appearances. He was discovered by George Camsell, but like Camsell was not Boro’s first preferred choice at the start of the 1955 season and only scored 3 goals in his 9 appearances. With both Charlie Wayman and Ken McPherson no longer with the club for the following season, Doug Cooper was preferred for the first match of the season, before Clough made his appearance and scored 38 goals in the remaining 41 league matches.

ALAN PEACOCK born in Middlesbrough was Boro’s top scorer for 2 seasons after Clough had left for Sunderland, but he was also the second top scorer to Clough in the years that they played together. His playing career with Boro from 1955 to 1964 were all played in the Second Division where he scored 125 goals in 218 appearances, plus 16 goals in 20 Cup appearances making a total of 141 in 238 appearances for Boro.

JOHN HICKTON born in Chesterfield was Boro’s top scorer in 7 successive seasons from 1967 to 1973 although originally bought as a defender. He scored a total of 193 goals in 499 appearances, with 17 from 69 appearances in the First Division, 150 from 363 in the Second Division and 26 from 67 in Cup appearances.

DAVID MILLS born In Whitby was top scorer in 3 seasons. He was the first footballer to command a £500,000 transfer fee to West Bromich Albion in 1979 having scored 49 goals in 167 appearances in the First Division, 27 in 137 appearances in the Second Division. He later rejoined Boro in 1984 scoring a further 14 goals in 32 Second Division appearances when he was top scorer again. In total he scored 111 goals in 398 appearances including 21 goals in 70 Cup appearances.

BERNIE SLAVEN born in Paisley was Boro’s top scorer in 6 successive seasons from 1986 to 1992. His total number of goals is 146 in 380 appearances having scored 4 goals in the Premier League from 18 appearances, 15 from 37 appearances in the First Division, 82 from 206 appearances in the Second Division, 17 from 46 appearances in the Third Division, and 28 goals in 73 Cup matches.

To summarise then, Camsell scored 345 goals, Elliott 213, Clough 204, Hickton 193, Fenton 162, Slaven 146, Peacock 141, Mills 111, Mannion 110 and Pease 103. A total of 10 century scoring forwards. I wonder how many clubs can boast that many centurions!

It’s more important than football, I’m afraid. 

Posted by: @martin-bellamy

It’s more important than football, I’m afraid. 

I have to agree

Good post FD. Whilst we don’t want to get too sidelined by the politics, the “West” has a lot to answer for.

The stupidity of all your eggs in one basket comes to mind.

China because we can buy their goods for next to nothing whilst closing our factories. Russia selling its gas cheap until Countries are hooked on it like a drug.

Germany, well, as good as they try to look, stand on the sidelines far to often when the really serious decisions have to be made.

Tomorrow, well what team will CW pick and which Boro will turn up. Unfortunately we cannot really afford any losses especially with our game with Sheffield Utd coming along shortly.

Believe me football is well down my list of priorities. I’ve lived through the Second World War, the 1962 Cuban misssile crisis that had the world in a panic for 13 days but beyond the control of the man in the street, the death of my father in a road accident a week before Christmas in 1969, the loss of my wife with cervical cancer in 2009, my own personal health problems having had prostate cancer since 2010, plantar fasciitis, a hiatus hernia, a tortuous colon now making me bowel incontinent, and the coronavirus pandemic not only making me housebound but now so disabled that I can’t walk more than 100 yards without the fear of falling over again. * I accept that most of these are of a personal nature, but I have survived them all with a cheery nature and a stiff upper lip whilst acknowledging that there are many people in the world worse off than myself.

So now we have a crisis in Ukraine which is also beyond the control of the man in the street, and some of us are in a panic once more. Yes, football sounds irrelevant compared to most of these problems, but I’ve spent over 7 hours today researching and posting what I thought was an interesting historical record of Boro’s centurion goalscorers to lighten the mood. Nobody asked me to do this, but I did it because of my love for Middlesbrough FC. Yes football is well down my priorities, so why do I waste my time writing about Middlesbrough FC when I have got other things to do and worry about in the little time remaining that I have left on this earth.

I’m not going to bother in future. That’s me finished with Diasboro now. I’m    declaring at 84 not out.