@redcarred RR, Middlesbrough Council, certainly on the face of it, have done nothing over the years to help Steve Gibson and MFC with his investment in Middlesbrough. It is a disgrace and it surprises me immensely that if only from a Health and Safety point that there were not sufficient pedestrian and vehicle access and egress avenues to and from the Riverside when it was built .
Middlesbrough, certainly in 2021 are only in the UK public eye, in the main, because we have a well known and reasonably successful football club. Compared to Stockton on Tees, which is four times as big and now has a far larger growing population, Middlesbrough, the Town I was born in, is sadly in decline, and only top of the league for all the wrong reasons.
Successive Councils have failed the people and MFC. With the right support and co-operation MFC could have had a far bigger impact on the Town.
.
Well said Pedro, I could amplify on the attitude of these lower level, in the political pyramid, local politicians. It must be awful for residents watching the degrading of their home town but it always seems it's not about the pace but the person. Enough no politics on the blog. However did they fail or did they even try?
Stay safe everyone,
UTB,
John
How Christmas and football in particular have changed over the years. Christmas Day and Boxing Day football clubs played double headers against the same opponents on consecutive days unless either of the days happened to be a Sunday when the Sunday Observance Act prohibited any sort of entertainment. As a child I always had to wear what was my Sunday best and attended Sunday School in the afternoon and Sunday Service in the evening, but what I couldn’t understand was why playing or watching football on Christmas Day was allowed, and I certainly took advantage of the situation. Indeed before the Second World War football clubs often played 3 matches in 4 days over the Christmas period as they also did at Easter.
My parents and I usually spent the Christmas period at my grandparents who lived in West Lane, Middlesbrough easy access to Ayresome Park on foot. The first Boro match I recall watching on Christmas Day was home to Sunderland in 1948 which was a Saturday. Kickoff time was 2.15 as floodlights had not been invented then. For the record Boro lost 0-1 but the reverse fixture at Roker Park played on the Monday was goalless although I didn’t see that match. The following year Boro beat Huddersfield 3-0 at home on Christmas Eve (a Saturday) so Boro played Newcastle twice winning both matches 1-0 at St James’s Park on Christmas Day and Ayresome Park on Boxing Day where the ground record of 53,802 was established even though both teams were only in mid table. But I often think that I was privileged to see Boro win three matches in four days without conceding a goal.
The next year I saw Boro beat the weather as well as Newcastle again at home 2-1 to extend their lead at the top of the First Division to 3 points on Christmas Day, but the return fixture on Boxing Day was postponed and wasn’t played until May. Two years later I watched Boro again play Newcastle at home but lost 2-3 and the following day I missed the return fixture at St James’s Park when Boro extracted revenge with a 3-2 win. Unfortunately Boro were relegated that season. The following season my parents and I were celebrating Christmas with friends in Hartlepool so I toddled along to the Vic to watch Pools beat Darlington 1-0 whilst Boro earned an honourable 1-1 draw against second placed Leeds United. But two days later with Boxing Day being a Monday I was one of a 45,000 plus crowd to see Boro win against Leeds 1-0 who had the great John Charles playing for them.
After that local derbies at Christmas became a thing of the past as Boro came from two goals down to beat Doncaster Rovers 3-2 who had Irish international Harry Gregg in goal before his transfer to Manchester United. That was the last match I saw on Christmas Day and indeed the last match that any club played on Christmas Day. I was married in 1961 and from then on we always spent Christmas Day in our own home with up to six of us enjoying the day. Several years later after our parents had died we spent Christmas Day in the Algarve alone on the balcony of our rented apartment in Carvoeiro as Enid prepared a wonderful Christmas dinner. It was different but preferable to spending Christmas Day in England although we also raised a glass to absent families and friends.
Since Enid died I have only spent one Christmas Day in Carvoeiro and twice with my brother’s family in Pickering, the rest of those years alone and this year will be the same, just like any other day, no special Christmas Dinner really just watching television, playing and singing Christmas carols, and looking at photographs of past Christmas Days. However it is what it is, but I do miss football on Christmas Day as well. For me though it’s a time of reflection and how lucky I’ve been in my life, but I’m not morose about it, just grateful for still being alive, although my health could be better.
Finally I wish all Boro fans especially Diasborians a very festive Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
r
Thank you Ken. And although you will be alone, a very merry Christmas to you as well.
I will raise one of my (many !!) glasses to you and everyone with only their memories to share with on Christmas Day.
Thanks Ken - and I will also raise a glass both tomorrow as it is my birthday again, and on xmas day so no need to feel that you are on your own. We are having a lock down xmas season with the Covid Kid but at least we have the telly!!
I’m raising my three glasses of Sancerre Xmas come early !
Wishing all my friends on Diasboro a very merry Xmas 🎅
OFB
A belated thank you to OFB for a very festive opener and also to those who have also contributed with some excellent festive posts.
For the first time in 2.5 years we will be seeing family this Christmas, as Karon’s mum is flying in this evening for a couple of weeks.
Best wishes to one and all for an enjoyable, healthy and safe festive period.
Here’s hoping for a better and brighter 2022 for us all, including our beloved Boro. 😎
We’ve escaped to our static van in South Shropshire until the New Year and I’ll raise a glass to everyone on Xmas Day.
Here’s hoping for a positive Boro journey in 2022 and many wise words from the Diasboro contingent.
Merry Xmas to each and every one of you.
It will be another warm Christmas in Sydney which, somehow, doesn’t feel right although I’m sure that there are plenty who would prefer 30C to 30F.
I wish all the best to fellow diasborians (?), especially those who will be alone. Please be sure that we are all wishing you the best and I hope that 2022 is happy and healthy and that the Boro give us all something to cheer
UTB
To OFB, another late belated thank for the Boxing Day Headliner. Nice work.
Also many thanks to all bloggers during another difficult year. However as always, it has been tempered by the continuous posts of such a high standard on this blog.
We all know who the main contributors are, and I thank them for their dedication, time and effort putting out such well written articles and posts. But thanks also to everybody else, posters and readers alike.
I hope we all have a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas and wishing for a happy Boxing Day result.
I will once again be in the UK and Boris permitting at the Riverside Sunday.
Best Wishes to All.
At least Grant Hall was training with the first team yesterday as he was shown in these pictures (picture nr. 40): https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/gallery-boxing-day-preparations-for-boro
So it looks like it is not a long term problem.
But still no questions are asked about Browne or Ameobi by the journalists yet.
Up the Boro!
Browne is training and is scheduled to go out on loan apparently
OFB
Most EFL clubs have now reached the half way point of the season, and whilst Covid can affect some clubs it’s away fixtures that clubs have no control of for the likes of Boro. One hopes therefore that all clubs and players approach the outbreak of any future virus epidemics seriously. As we are now into winter. Snow and ice may not affect many clubs certainly those in the top two divisions, but fog can certainly lead to postponements. England has been fortunate with global warming reducing the number of postponements in recent seasons, but several clubs in the lower leagues have taken the advantage of postponing matches if three or more players are picked for important international matches. I can remember the days when there were no international breaks when clubs continued to play without their star players, and I think this should be looked at when scheduling next season’s fixtures.
Also why not get back to 3pm Saturday and Sunday fixtures for all EFL fixtures? Sky TV manage to broadcast matches simultaneously on midweek matches via the red button, so why not provide the same service for weekends and also schedule matches over Christmas with as many matches as possible not exceeding a 80 or 100 mile radius? I’m sure with modern technology that could be feasible.
As for Boro let’s take one game at a time, not taking League tables too seriously until the beginning of March at least. Most teams in the Championship are capable of putting an unbeaten run together for six or seven matches including Boro, but conversely points in the bag are also worth more than games in hand. One step in the right direction in recent times has been the scheduling of Championship matches on the Saturday set aside for the date of FA Cup 4th Round matches, and now with no FA Cup replays being required for the first two rounds should ease the situation of postponements.
Finally for FA Cup matches I would like to see League 1 and 2 clubs given the option when drawn against Premier League clubs playing at home or away against their opponents. I’ve made some radical even eccentric points on this blog which most fans will disagree with, but let’s have the alternative views from fellow diasborians.
Update Browne isn’t training again !
OFB
@original-fat-bob. Injured, covid related or some other reason? 😎
@ken:
I think it would be a good idea if the likes of Hartlepool in the 1st & 2nd Divisions could elect to switch their FACup fixtures against Premier League and even Championship clubs, so as to play away at the ground of the higher ranked clubs.
It might be possible for Pools to cram, say 7,550 (guessing) at the Vic, if they were drawn against Manchester United or City, Liverpool etc, though I guess it would be all police leave cancelled for the weekend. But think of the share of revenue for the lower club if the match were switched to Old Trafford (not far from 80K?), Anfield etc. Those top clubs would still sell a lot more tickets than Hartlepool or similar clubs even if OT wasn't a sell-out. And, at the end of the day, their share of the Old Trafford gate could be a healthy contribution that the bank manager would celebrate. Of course the fans from the lower league clubs would also have the opportunity to travel to the big stadiums which, realistically, they would otherwise never visit. So, from that point of view, it would be a win-win situation.
I accept some people will talk about "losing the magic of the Cup" etc. But in reality that magic has been exposed as a shoddy sleight-of-hand for many years. We will no longer have repeated replays which fans may remember from years ago, so that "romance" has gone. "Big Clubs" often play very much depeted teams, seeing the League or European games as being more important. We all know that although there may be a giant-killing or two in the earlier rounds, the overwhelming likelihood is that, by the time it gets down to the last 8, there will be maybe one lower league club which has battled through (then being drawn away to Burnley or some such, and will then out) or at best 2 Championship teams left, but the rest will be PL teams - and when it gets to the last 4, there is a 75% chance all of them will be in the top "European places" part of the Premier League. If at the start of the season we wrote down the names of ManC, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, ManU, West Ham, Leicester, Villa and Everton (go on - I will be charitable so will add Spurs): there is only a small chance that any team outside this list will feature in a European spot at the end of the season, and little chance any outside that list will win a Cup. For the top 4, you could almost stake your house on getting 3 of the 4.
So, maybe we are in the territory of the real world here, rather than romance. A few hundred thousand banked following the fixture switched to OT, Anfield etc, is going to be a reality (maybe a financial lifesaver) whilst the prospect of a romantic giant killing feat against a top club is a pipe-dream. A few hundred thousand in the hand is worth more than one in the bush...
@ Forever Dormo
I recall that non-league Hednesford Town being drawn at home to Boro in January 1996 waiving home advantage or perhaps on police advice switching their 4th Round FA Cup match to the Riverside Stadium. To their credit Boro fielded a strong looking team for the match:- Roberts, Kinder, Whyte, Vickers, Festa, Mustoe, Emerson, Moore, Omerod, Juninho and Ravanelli. This attracted a crowd of 27,511 which was only 2,500 short of the full capacity at that time
What’s more Boro were losing 1-2 until the last 5 minutes when substitute Fjortoft and Ravanelli scored. Most of the crowd stayed behind to applaud Town’s lap of honour, so that was a double celebration for the Staffordshire club despite defeat, money in the coffers and a day that their players will never forget.
@ken: I remember that game and the applause that we gave to the Hednesford players for whom that would have been a big moment to reflect on later.
Thanks for the preview OFB. Unfortunately I can't get to the match as there are no trains running. Forest are the top away team over the last 10 away games so, like you, I would settle for a draw while hoping our (strange?) attacking team get a win. I had assumed that our limited squad had to play a slow defensive way just to avoid defeats and am very surprised and pleased to see us playing with fast attacking moves. The Bournemouth match was enjoyable especially once the final whistle went. I wish we could score more goals to relieve the tension.
I had tested myself for Covid on the Thursday night and got a printout, showing the negative result reported, before travelling to Middlesbrough on the Friday and was able to get home on the Saturday.. The 12:30 Saturday KO certainly disrupted my routine. I find anything but basic use of computers beyond my understanding so I had to apply for a postal Covid Pass which arrived on 22/12 (and it expires on 15/01 so I can use it for the Reading match). Getting into the Riverside about 11:15 was straightforward though I was looking out of the West Stand concourse window for a while around 12:00 and counted 8 people who were turned away by stewards. The actual crowd looked way below the 18000 reported. The week before Christmas usually sees a smaller crowd but the low vaccination rate in parts of Middlesbrough may have meant a lot more did not bother to go.
Best Wishes for Christmas to all on Diasboro to hopefully be followed by a happy Boxing Day. (Although I have 7 bottles of wine I couldn't resist buying a couple of 70cl bottles of M & S cream liqueurs which can't be kept for too long so I expect to have an interesting time listening to the match.)
Already 22 matches postponed on Boxing Day due to Covid, 2 in Premier League, 6 in Championship, 6 in Division One, and 8 in Division Two, yet only one in Scotland at the moment. Boro and Pools at Mansfield survivors.
i would suspect that the Boro match is still on due to the proactive strategy of our manager regarding vax and isolation. He was quite forthright at his recent interview on the policy of safeguarding and hopefully his message is getting through to the players.
Merry Xmas Ken keep posting !
OFB
Bola out for at least two months
OFB
@original-fat-bob
Merry Christmas to you and your family. I’ve spent the morning watching and listening to all the old Andre Rieu concerts on Sky Arts, I could watch and listen to them all day. I’m sure Enid would have loved them also, so I feel as if I’m sharing Christmas with her.
Blackpool’s match at Huddersfield is also still on, so let’s hope Boro fans can enjoy the illuminations on Wednesday with another win also.
Haven't had time to think of football for a few weeks as I've just finished my pre-Christmas project of replacing the old flooring in our fairly large living room with a new sleek laminate - unfortunately it arrived 10 days later than advertised and I also ended up needing to repaint the whole room instead of the planned touching up a few spots after discovering the new batch of colour-matched paint didn't actually match!
Anyway, just about to start preparing Christmas (Eve) dinner as is the tradition over here before Mrs Werder's parents arrive in 90 minutes (it's all about game management and running down the clock)
So I wish you all an enjoyable festive feast and a rather Merry Christmas - plus hopefully a safe family gathering.
Here’s an article from the Guardian about the state of play at half time in the Championship. Not a massive mention of the Boro but Ben Fisher thinks we need to bolster our strike force.
Boro under the radar then? Isn’t that the way we like it?
Again, thanks to you for the front page OFB, Sad to see that Bola is injured but I do like Chris Wilder's positive stance on the issue. No moaning just we're covered and we'll get on with it, that attitude and positivity must rub off on the players, psychologically and physically. I suppose it all part of his building the 'Team' ethos and full marks to him for that. A draw would be good result but I think Boro will win, I wouldn't want to even attempt to predict the score but three points would make me and a lot of others very, very happy.
To everybody on the blog have a wonderful Christmas and don't overdo it, remember there's a match on Boxing Day, and you might get fined by Werder and good luck with the DIY and kitchen labours there. Ken look after yourself and stay as positive as Mr Wilder appears to be. To everybody else on the blog a splendid Christmas and good health and OFB not too much white wine, just enough plus one glass.
Stay safe everyone whether you are at home, in a caravan or simply slumped on the couch.
UTB,
John
Well I do not think the Bola injury comes as a surprise to many on here. His in /out/in/out again continues and so it is not surprising that he has failed to shine this season.
Taylor will be more than capable if he can stay injury free. Failing that we have the enigma that is Tav. This will free up a spot in midfield for the forward ball passing player we need to improve further on the curve.
Just received an email from MFC flogging Boxing Day tickets. Looks to be still a large number available in the West Stand. How many are Notts Forest bringing?
So predictions for the crowd. 25,600.