John Nicholson wrote a couple of books, one entitled “Give us back our football” and lamenting how the Premier League and Sky is ruining football. A second book is entitled “Was Football better in the old days?” I must admit I think it was except for the fact that sometimes one was packed in like sardines that one couldn’t always see the full field of play and although the pitch at Ayresome Park was often in pristine condition some of the pitches notably at the Baseball Ground, Stoke’s Victoria Ground and White Hart Lane were nothing more than middens.

Ayresome Park had that special atmosphere that I feel has rarely been recaptured at the Riverside. Those midweek matches under the floodlights were sometimes magical. Also the fact that all matches were played at the same time when Saturday came around, and we all dreamed that this was our Cup year. Listening to Sports Report on the radio that Yeovil Town had beaten Sunderland 2-1 in 1949, or Worcester City had beaten Liverpool 2-1 in 1959, or that Hereford had beaten Newcastle in 1972, all magical moments in the FA Cup.

It’s all nostalgia that I used to thrive on. Boro were usually in the Second Division but the football was marvellous and I loved it, so why on earth would I want to endure another season in the Premier League? Well of course, I won’t as I’ll be long gone by then. But I love a bit of nostalgia as I approach 84 years of age. Football, cricket, golf, speedway, and rugby league have given me so many happy moments in my lifetime a lot of the time when I could say “I was there” and with my dear wife except for football which I only took her once when we were courting. As I’ve often said “Nostalgia is wasted on the young”.

Great posts one and all, absolutely nailing the issues CW has to contend with. I think one of the most pressing he has to sort is our lack of mental strength. We mentioned this a while back, after the Luton debacle if I remember correctly. Boro fold far too easily, rarely fight back and lose heart when things go wrong. How many times this season have we thrown away the lead? As has been said many times before, we lack a real leader on the pitch.

I’m not sure how Wilder solves the leadership one unless he brings in someone from his old Sheffield United squad in January. I suspect rewiring the mentality of the squad will take a whole lot longer. 

Ken

Nostalgia certainly ain’t what it used to be……… 

@martin-bellamy: Ken and Martin - I would be amazed if, by some fluke, Boro managed promotion and then stayed in the Premier League for more than one season. That might be possible nowadays for teams like Newcastle and Leeds with their "one-club-big-city status" (if they were to come down this season) and maybe Fulham.  But teams like WBA, Norwich and Boro (if we were lucky enough to go up) would be "yo-yo clubs".  And the hope is that, after you have gone up, then down a few times, you gradually improve the stock of players, you put the finances of the club into the "big league" with biennial alternating Premier League payouts and parachute payments, and you eventually stay up on the 3rd or 4th attempt and, after that, consolidate your position as an established Premier League club whilst weaker teams with less rescources are promoted & relegated from year to year after that.

So, to answer the question I'd say if we were to be promoted at the end of this season, we'd be relegated again (with a lot of money in the bank account) at the end of the following season. The secret is to spend that money wisely not splurge it on over-priced, over-paid players who aren't good enough anyway, and slowly build a squad capable of competing and, to do that, you need a canny manager in it for the long haul. We might possibly have that latter requirement in Chris Wilder, but only time will tell.  Luck is also an important factor and finding a group of quality players from within (the Academy) will help to eke out the limited money supply in the absence of a Sheikh or some multi-billionaire who has just discovered his grandfather came from South Bank or Grangetown (NO! Not the ones in London and Cardiff) and that his favourite colour has always been red.

I see the point in hinting that Boro would last just a season in the EPL if promoted.

But then I think how long Bournemouth stayed up there with Howe in charge. And they came up from the 4th tier!

And now there are teams like Brighton (now 9th!), Crystal Palace (10th), Brentford (14th), Watford (16th), Burnley (18th) and Norwich (19th). Please remember that Leicester is not a "big" club either.

So I think we should set our targets high. I am sure Steve Gibson and Kieran Scott will see it like that. We as a club and with facilities should be able to play in the EPL for a few seasons at a time. I admit that we might get relagated occationally.  But five to ten years should not be impossible.

We are a well run club. Just the team is not organised enough at the moment. Hopefully Chris Wilder will help in there.

Up the Boro! 

@ken If someone mentions Hereford, I will always think about the FA Cup. And you mentioned why.

Also, Wrexham brings me the same feeling. They had some desent results, too. But of course they had John Neal, too. The manager in charge at Boro when I first visited Ayresome Park.

I think the FA Cup is and especially was about nostalgia. How I loved the Cup Final in the spring time. It was always live on TV here in Finland already when I was a kid (late 1960's). It was the most important match outside of the World Cup final. Really.

Up the Boro!

I wish journalists and fans wouldn’t write about dropped points; it’s completely the wrong mindset. Boro like every football team start every match with zero points and it’s up to every side to score goals to GAIN points. Maybe that gets into player’s minds as well when they take the lead even as late as the 89th minute. They haven’t won, drawn or even lost until the referee blows the final whistle. I believe that the best form of defence is to attack. 

Another annoying phrase is “This match is a 6 pointer”. It’s absolute rubbish, I never heard the expression of 4 pointers used when a win was only worth 2 points, and I’ve never heard “a 4 pointer” used in any other sport be it rugby or hockey. I know what journalists mean, but under the current system in football a team can only gain 3 points whilst their opponents REMAIN on zero points. Lazy journalism in my opinion just to emphasise the importance of certain matches.

Jarrko  

 When I was based at RAF Credenhill an uncle of mine took me to an FA  Cup 1st Round match in Hereford against Aldershot. They were a non-league team then as they are now, but beat the Third Division South opponents 3-2 which was considered a giant-killing win at the time. Sadly for my uncle they lost at home to another Third Division side Southend 2-3 in the next round.

@ken How about three games a week? Pulis was complaining it all the time. But it was usually in 8 days.

Only if Saturday-Tuesday-Friday it is in a week 😇. Or Sun-Wed-Sat, too.

Up the Boro!