DOWNING AND OUT

The final game of the season, and of Boro's eleven year spell in the Premier League, was as predictable as it was heartbreaking. Our injury list was extensive, the task ahead of us massive and the confidence that we could pull it off was almost nonexistent. Most fans thought we were down after giving Newcastle their only win under Alan Shearer. As it turns out we were right.

The main threat against West Ham earlier in the season was Stewart Downing. Unfortunately Downing is out for the foreseeable future with a foot injury and deputy Adam Johnson had a frustrating game where brief flashes of skill were lost in a below-par performance.

Carlton Cole tried to put us out of our misery by putting the ball past jones in the thirty third minute, but Tuncay and O'Neil give us yet more false hope by combining to create an equaliser and keep the scores level at half time.

Gary O'Neil added to his 'highest scoring midfielder' tally with a strike which showed his quality, the same quality which will most likely see him leave this summer.

Acting captain Tuncay was the architect of O'Neil's goal and was typically busy, while Boro kept the pressure on, resulting in a barrage of corners which unfortunately we could not capitalise on.

The lack of urgency was once again apparent, though it was by no means our worst performance of the season. It just wasn't good enough, again.

Josh Walker, Joe Bennett and Jonathan Franks were thrown to the lions in the second half. Walker has been involved enough and has enough confidence in his own abilities to handle it but why on earth were Bennett and Franks chucked on? To be fair, Bennett at least got himself involved but I don't think Franks touched the ball in the final ten minutes of the game he was allotted.

It didn't really matter though, as expected Villa beat Newcastle and Hull were defeated by Manchester United's third string ensemble but Boro could not get a second goal, and allowed the Hammers to strike again.

Brad Jones did what he has done for most of his tenure in goal, made some very good saves but cost us so very much with stupid mistakes.

West Ham's second goal and the final nail in Boro's coffin was another effort that a more experienced or, dare I say it, just better, goalkeeper would have stopped, despite the deflection.

Junior Stanislas, who? exactly. A kid who has been on loan at Southend, apparently, saw an easy opening (Boro's goal with only Jones in it) and took it.

If Southgate/Gibson/the magic eight ball he uses to make his team selections had decided that, having berated the youngsters for not being good enough, throwing a few more into the mix would help, why not Rhys Williams?  Fresh from an impressive loan spell with newly promoted Burnley and flying high on the prospect of his first senior cap for his country (well one of them anyway!) the versatile defender was probably raring to go...

I felt slightly numb watching the clock tick down, mostly because I'd done all my crying in the aftermath of Boro's trip to St James' Park and for me the fact that Newcastle came down with us is not that much consolation.

It is however quite amusing that the 'Messiah' third? fourth? fifth? I've lost count now, Big Al, took the Geordies down with help from a Damien Duff own goal.

Newcastle United have always provided competition for Boro when it comes to signing players and it is a sad reality that potential targets will see Newcastle as a more attractive option. They are a higher profile club than us, can likely offer bigger wages and are probably more likely to bounce back.

They are also a complete shambles.

Like us they will lose their big names and while they will be looking to strengthen, most of the current crop will want out.

Back at Boro, Stewart Downing's injury may mean he will have to play a couple of games for Boro next season before he can move to pastures new in January. Absolutely everyone expects Tuncay to leave but no one is sure precisely where he will go. Gary O'Neil, Robert Huth and Jeremie Aliadiere have all been linked with moves away from Teesside and Alves is unlikely to be up for Championship football.

As things stand Mido will return to the Riverside.

This summer's transfer window will require a lot of wheeling and dealing. We need some battle hardened Championship players without a doubt but we also need enough quality to mount a serious promotion challenge. It is a question of balance, something Southgate and co have struggled with in the past few seasons.

I want to see which players are prepared to give us a season to dig ourselves out of the mess they helped create but I am not holding out my breath. Hopefully some will step up and prove me wrong because none of them were really up for a fight this season and look how that turned out.

WISHING AND HOPING WON'T GET THE JOB DONE

We had to beat Villa and Villa were not that bothered if they lost. Martin O'Neill would not have been pleased, he wasn't anyway, but the players, Luke Young aside, had little interest in our desperate struggle for survival one way or the other. And Luke Young could not shake off his recurring foot injury.

This was probably the best possible time to play Villa and we should have won.

Our first half performance was attacking, tight at the back (their goal excepted) and full of passion and promise, most of which came from Tuncay.

Brad Jones made some good saves and looked in control but he didn't expect King's mistake.

What the hell does Southgate do to the players at half time? I have rarely seen Boro play better in the second half and win a game this season, although our wins have been so rare anyway that that could be a coincidence.

Either way I would suggest, if by some miracle all the results are going our way and we are winning at Upton Park next weekend, that somebody keeps Gareth busy at the interval how about Shawky or Pogi, or Alves? it's not like they have anything better to do now is it?

After Tuncay had scored his absolutely awesome wonder goal, Stewart Downing was stretchered off having tried to run off a suspected broken metatarsal. A nobel effort Stewy but considering it's a stress fracture, putting weight on it is likely to have harmed him further.

Downing left the stadium on crutches having signed autographs for the fans, if that was his final game for the Boro it was not a fitting finale. I don't think Stewy has done nearly enough this season but for his work in season's gone by he deserves to end his time at his home-town club with a lot more style.

Southgate brought Johnson on to replace Downing but pushed Tuncay further back into midfield, leaving Emnes and King up front. Johnson was the only obvious replacement but why not push Tuncay forward and put Emnes on the right wing? it was Tuncay who had scored and Tuncay who once again looked like he could take on the opposition single handedly.

Early on players had obviously been told to shoot, so much so that defender Justin Hoyte had a couple of attempts and was getting nearer each time. When Downing left the pitch we went back to defending.

And they scored.

John Carew had actually done very little of note until he scored but then Marlon King gift wrapped the opportunity for him.

King seems to get worse the longer he is on the pitch and it was desperately disappointing that we didn't have a replacement for him. With Alves out for the foreseeable future and Aliadiere injured, again, we have Tuncay, King and Emnes to choose from, I'd play Tuncay as a striker, he's our top scorer this season and we are using his energy to power a midfield who will not go forward, seems counter-productive to me.

Frankly Ali on one leg would have been faster than King because it is not just his feet that aren't quick enough, it's his brain. Hopefully Ali will play throught the pain as he has done before and give us another option against West Ham.

In answer to the fans call, Southgate eventually gave Josh Walker a chance to make up for whatever it is that has banished him from the bench for so long...

Most fans wanted Arca off the pitch. No disrespect to Julio Arca who was a great player in times past but those days are gone. By the time Southgate had decided that three warm ups was enough for Walker, Gary O'Neil was limping and had to be replaced.

Unfortunately for Walker the pressure of the game showed, some of his play was dangerously bad given that he had Arca for company in midfield. However this young lad doesn't scare easily and soon started to impose himself on the game, he didn't have a good day but he did get better as he went along, something which was noticeable largely because everyone else on the pitch was getting worse!

The possible exception to that statement was Robert Huth who put in a full ninety minutes plus, tackling, winning balls, blocking shots and even shooting himself. Even more impressively for the big German, he did not wrestle anyone to the ground in the referee's eyeline, despite provocation.

So, yet another point when only three would do. Villa was if not the story of our season (we've lost too many matches to make that argument stick) but it was the story of our supposed fight for survival.

As most Boro fans now know we have to beat West Ham on the road by at the very least three goals and then rely on Newcastle to get beat by Aston Villa and Manchester United to crush Hull, 5-0 would do nicely!

I suspect Villa might beat Newcastle because I think O'Neill will demand a better showing form his players who were lack-lustre at best against us. I also think any Manchester United team Fergie puts out (that'll be the kids then) will beat Hull but I don't think they will thump them and I can't see us putting three past the Hammers.

We are left with a tragically unlikely scenario and fittingly, a sorry state of affairs to end a heart-breaking season on, one way or another it is all over next weekend.

That's All Folks! (Almost...)

Newcastle v Middlesbrough, the game to rescue one of the north east strugglers or relegate both of us. Truthfully I thought it would be a 0-0 draw, no good to anyone, now I rather wish it had been.

Mark Viduka did not score but he imposed himself on the game. Alves, Tuncay, Emnes, Aliadiere and King imposed themselves on noone.

As against Manchester United, Boro started well, we even managed to get a goal although it was an Beye own goal and once Tuncay got the credit taken off him he seemed to sag a little.

Emnes looked energetic and at times dangerous but missed the best chance Boro had to save themselves.

As with Arsenal, we actually got into the box quite easily, we have far more pace in our side than Newcastle do and had we had anyone left willing to shoot, would have been dangerous from the counter-attack.

But we don't, if you shoot you might miss (if you are a Boro striker it is highly likely) and none of them want it to be their miss which condemns us. What they have all seemed to have forgotten is it could have been their goal which saved us.

Southgate started with Emnes and Alves up front, Digard and Wheater pulled out late through injury meaning Bates finally got a chance as centre back and Shawky partnered Tuncay in the centre. Stewart Downing for God only knows what reason was on the right wing, with Gary O'Neil on the left.

A good start and a goal in Newcastle's net gave the Boro faithful hope but a few minutes later it was the Toon army celebrating as some interesting defending left Steven Taylor to head home.

Alves went down clutching his chest but was stretchered off for an ankle injury.

Apparently the Brazilian is out for the rest of the season. What all two pointless (probably) games of it? Pardon me if that is not my biggest concern right now.

The Ian Dowie sorry, Alan Shearer, substitutions were inspired. Owen had done very little (again) and was replaced by Martins, who scored and Gutierrez made way for Lovenkrands, who also scored.

Not to be outdone, Southgate brought on Aliadiere, who ran at the defence immediately, but he tried to head the ball by running onto it and his effort went wide.

King had earlier replaced Alves and Southgate pulled off defender Andrew Taylor for winger Adam Johnson in a clear all or nothing move. Sadly it was once again nothing for the Boro.

Monday night was actually one of Boro's better performances this season, in that we had some shape, some attack and a smidgen of confidence about our play, but we still couldn't do it.

So, our final home match is against Aston Villa on Saturday and will, in all likelihood, see us relegated to the Championship. Former Boro boy Luke Young and friends will be coming to the Riverside assuming an easy win, Gareth and co keep telling us we need to win our remaining games and hope that other teams do us a favour.

Then West Ham away. I am wondering whether anyone will dare do a lap of honour. There is no honour in losing without a fight.

Monday Night's The Night For Southgate

Another team came to the Riverside and won comfortably. Okay so it was the current and future Champions but in all honesty it could have been anyone.

We could have played from sunrise to sunset and never scored.

God only knows how many we would have conceded in that time though!

Brad Jones was getting better every game but still making crazy decisions like the now infamous sprint off his touchline to allow Fabregas his second of the afternoon at the Emirates. However he has now turned a corner and looks totally inept once again.

I have changed my mind, continuity be damned, I'd give Turnbull another chance to become a hero.

Mark - I don't like the Boro because you made me drop me cards when I sent off Digard- Halsey did not deny Boro anything that any other referee would have given against Manchester United...

That would be several handballs and a possible penalty then.

Not that it mattered, I am quietly confident that had we got the penalty, or the one against Arsenal, Alves, Downing or whoever plucked up a modicum of courage/drew the short straw would have fired straight at the keeper or high into the sky.

And yet we have no choice, we have to put one, two or three men up front against Newcastle, and they have to be currently on the books at the Boro. Damn.

So who should start up front? King was pointless against Arsenal and useless against Manchester United, Newcastle are by no means the same level opposition, in fact at this point there is little to choose between us and them but they are just barely a Premier League team and I don't think King is the quality we are desperately searching for.

Alves then? The free-kick specialist who skied his effort yet again at the weekend? At this point I think we may as well give him a go. Put him up front with Tuncay or Aliadiere.

On the other hand both Tuncay and Aliadiere gave up last Saturday. Both started brightly, Aliadiere's first shot went wide but at least it was a shot and he worked Foster with his second attempt, but that was it.

In a second half where there was no belief and no attack whatsoever from the home side, the Frenchman took to strolling around and holding his ankle as opposed to the energetic runs his fans love him for. Tuncay, who had also looked lively when the game started, simply disappeared.

Alves needs somebody to do his running for him and Tuncay and Aliadiere have both played well alongside the Brazilian in the past but there is only room for one and Southgate seems determined to start with both of them, although not as a real strike partnership in a 4 4 2 which may still be his best option.

None of them have earned their place for the absolute-no-doubt-about-it-must-win match against Newcastle.

Saturday was also probably Gary O'Neil's most ineffective performance this season. His slight frame meant that United players just took the ball off his toes before he had time to notice it was gone and Matty Bates is looking increasingly overworked with only Tuncay for company in the centre.

Robert Huth started the game with all the passion and intensity which has been a feature of his best displays in a Boro shirt. He ended the game in a petulant sulk which could have ended his afternoon early had he not eventually been convinced to acknowledge the blatant foul he had just committed under Halsey's nose.

Wheater was left to pick up the slack as Huth came to an abrupt halt even earlier than the rest of the team and Hoyte was frustrated by Park, and the ref's assistant, but gave a decent account of himself for the most part.

Downing tried his hand at being a captain having apparently just noticed the band around his upper arm and 'had words' with said assistant on Hoyte's behalf.

Didier Digard was the only player who still wanted to take on United when he came on as a sub for McMahon and Bates was pushed into a defensive role where he looked a lot less comfortable than he does in midfield, odd for a defender...

A 4 4 2 would also allow Digard his first start since the Wigan match when he got injured and I know I'm whispering in a sound proof room here, but I'd bring Josh Walker back in alongside him. Firstly because I think his partnership with Digard was developing nicely before it was cut short by injuries to both players, secondly because unlike the rest of the team he is relatively 'fresh' having fallen down the pecking order for presumably still being a half decent footballer and thirdly he is from Newcastle and would relish a staring role against his hometown club. He also possesses leadership qualities which everybody else in our squad seems devoid of and boundless optimism which is also missing from our dressing room.

By all accounts Newcastle have even less than us going for them, their ultimate Messiah turned out to be just as clueless as our most successful captain but whereas our strikers lack confidence, power and accuracy but have pace and energy (most of the time) they have Mark Viduka who looks like he would need a taxi to get into the box and Owen who is still trying to get a taxi back to his cushy life in Cheshire. Martins is a genuine threat though and unfortunately you can never entirely discount messrs Owen and Viduka.

Everything rests on Monday night's trip to St James' Park and if ever there was a time to get it right, Monday night is the night for Southgate.

Prolonging The Agony

I want this season to be over.

Normally I hate it when the football ends and we are supposed to be content with tennis?! but this season I have had enough. After all most of the Boro players stopped caring last winter, so why do the fans persist?

Boro threw it away in December and never really recovered despite the occasional win.

As a fan and a season ticket holder, I will be at Boro's remaining home matches and I will watch the away games on my laptop praying for a miracle. It is what fans do.

But each game brings a new level of torture. If we win, as against Hull, there is all that false hope, if we lose or draw we merely continue our downward spiral into fully deserved relegation.

Getting into the Gunner's box was not actually that difficult, they couldn't be bothered to stop us because the chance of us actually scoring was so slim, but once there we looked panicked.

Having given Aliadiere a nice build up last week, the Frenchman completely blew it, twice.

Tuncay, Johnson, Downing and I think King also shot straight at Almunia just to check he was still conscious and the lack of power, belief and effort from pretty much everyone in a Boro shirt summed up our season.

A special mention to Gary O'Neil who, for the first half at least, really 'had a good go' at the Londoners.

Did I expect us to beat Arsenal? No. But I was not expecting such an utter waste of a ticket. I wanted to see The Emirates and figured this might be my last chance in a good long while, an opinion which the Arsenal fans voiced fairly regularly on Sunday. I was very impressed with the stadium and the perfection of the pitch but the fact that watching the warm up in the sunshine was the highlight of my day says it all.

There wasn't even much superb football to watch on offer from the Gunners because they did not need or want to exert themselves against such a poor excuse for opposition.

I think it was a combination of  'we've got bigger fish to fry' and 'don't kick them when they are effectively already down' from long time Southgate admirer Arsene Wenger. This was made crystal clear when Fabregas was subbed immediately following his second goal.

The only positives I could see were that Brad Jones now catches more than he flicks away with his breakable fingers, Digard looked like the player we vaguely remember from before Cattermole saw him coming and David Wheater finally chalked up a good display this season.

Next up it is Manchester United, the least said about that the better, and then Newcastle and oh look Mark Viduka's back, Michael Owen is fit and Martins will continue trying to fashion goals from the scraps laid on by team mates.

Beating Man United seems at this point so unlikely that I expect the words to vanish after I type them.

I'd love to beat the Geordies and I still think they are probably going to be joining us in the Championship next season but I'd be shocked if Viduka doesn't leave them with the kind of goal flurry he signed off from Boro with and you can bet we are his number one target.

If you were hoping I'd found a silver lining in Boro's personal dark cloud them I apologise but I can only see rain ahead.

Another Setback

After a bank holiday weekend during which Boro performed a minor miracle and scored three goals against Hull, Boro fans started to believe that maybe we really could resurrect if not our season (that is so far gone it is no longer an issue) then at least some of the passion and ability that made us so promising at the start of the 2008-9 campaign.

And then Fulham arrived and brought Mark Schwarzer back to the Riverside. The big Aussie (that would make Brad Jones the little Aussie then?) has been on fire all season since leaving Boro and produced some excellent saves to keep the scores level. At the other end Jones caught most of what little Fulham could be bothered to throw at him.

As sustained attacks go, well, Fulham did not really attempt one. The difference was not up front, the difference is they are excellent defensively, we are not. However on this occasion we did not concede although we gave them enough opportunities to tie the game up.

Southgate has already had a go at the fans for singing about Tuncay being our only player but his time would have been better spent admonishing his players for giving us the ammunition and making them follow the Turk's example.

Despite losing interest/getting too big for his boots/simply being off form for at least the entire month of December and beyond if we are being honest, Tuncay has since been invaluable to the Boro cause.

Last weekend, once again Tuncay was attempting to play four positions and Aliadiere was covering the rest.

Incidentally, on the off chance the Frenchman decides to stay here I would give him the captain' s armband. Pogi clearly either doesn't want it or isn't up to it and Downing has never shown any interest or aptitude for the role of leader.

Against Fulham, while the ball was out of play for an injury and everyone was having a drink and/or staring into space wondering where exactly they would be next season, Ali was on the touchline getting instructions from Southgate and Cooper. Yes as the right winger he was nearest to them to pass on the tactics but, crucially, he was also making suggestions, and he implemented them.

This will no doubt be a controversial point as, because Ali is either a striker who doesn't score enough or a winger who can't cross, there are many that don't understand what Southgate sees in him.

I, on the other hand,  think that when he is missing, which is admittedly far too often through injury, the lack of creativity in the team is frightening and the basics seem to go out of the window. He comes well trained from the Clairefontaine Academy and Arsenal and is one of the players most likely to win us a corner, keep position on the line and push forward. He has not had a great season but he seems to provide a link between the pretty football we want to play and the willingness to get stuck in that we need.

Tuncay has largely the same problem except that his other position is 'in the hole' making him a central midfielder who can't really defend or a striker who doesn't score enough.

Then there's Gary O'Neil. Another workhorse, also injury prone and also has two positions. In the centre of midfield he is so lightweight I'm fairly sure I could take the ball off him without too much trouble. On the wing he comes alive but his crossing ability is also hit and miss.

We are a team assembled of jack of all trades, masters of none. Sometimes this works for us, more often than not, particularly this season, it does not.

Matthew Bates also works hard but the defender and the striker in the central midfield partnership are starting to look increasingly desperate. Thank God Digard's back!

We lost all but one match in December and that match was against the Gunners. It was Ali's goal which secured the draw against Arsenal which was to be the only point Boro got for Christmas but we have had many matches since to get our season back on track and time and again we have spurned the chance.

I know I'm repeating myself but I'd start with Tuncay and Aliadiere up front, Digard if he's fit and Walker if he's not with Bates in the centre, Gary O'Neil on the right, Downing on the left and I suppose Taylor, Huth, Wheater and Hoyte with Brad keeping his place in goal. Despite the flapping and the fact that he makes me far more nervous than you want any goalkeeper to, I think bringing Ross Turnbull back in now would send a mixed message, these boys are in it together and they need a consistent team.

I realise I'm contradicting myself here because I would absolutely change the formation Southgate has been trying for the last two games.

I think McMahon has done well for the most part but I'd play Hoyte against his old team due to his pace.

Aliadiere doesn't score enough but he does tend to score against the Gunners. He also plays out of his skin against his former club.

Tuncay is looking red hot but needs a goal and I think both players relished their short-lived strike partnership the last time Southgate tried it.

Alves and King are either/or for me, I don't see what playing them together has given us - certainly not goals as King scored against Hull after Alves left the pitch and Ali was brought up front.

King also puts in a shift but looks too far behind the game to be much of a threat against the pace and sheer quality of a revitalised full strength Arsenal.

Alves, well, I haven't changed my mind. He has never fit in our side and hasn't scored enough to warrant a formation being organised around him.

I would put my faith in Tuncay and Ali, risky perhaps, but we have to have faith in someone and despite a poor combined tally, these two seem to have the most passion and ability of all of our strikers. After all, it worked against Liverpool...

Signs Of Life

Just as we were about to switch off Boro's life support machine, the team lurched back to consciousness. It wasn't pretty, and no-one is sure how long it will last but there were undeniable signs of life.

After months of heartbreaking indifference Boro started to fight.

Southgate stuck to his guns and fielded an attacking team in a diamond formation. In a move that many fans wanted to see, Tuncay was played 'in the hole' where he has been so effective for Turkey. As we were going all out attack it was a move which paid off and the pure joy when he scored was fantastic - unless you happen to be the steward he pushed out of the way in order to celebrate with the crowd!

The problem is his defensive ability is practically zero and against better opposition our out-of-form back four would have been bombarded.

Tuncay's sort-of-midfield partner was defender Matthew Bates who scored his first ever goal for Boro and was almost as happy as Tony McMahon who provided the assist and celebrated the goal as if he had scored it himself.

In the absence of the injured Pogatetz, Downing took the captain's armband. The armband was all he took. For whatever reason Downing never acknowledges that being a captain should change his game. Instead Aliadiere, who has been off form recently kept everyone calm (not an easy job with a furious Andrew Taylor) and tried to organise the team. He tried a lot of things, most of which did not come off but the hug Southgate gave him when he came off suggested he appreciated the effort. When moved up front Ali provided more of a threat but it was Marlon King who secured the vital points for Boro.

King also put in the work, although as with Aliadiere more of it was miss than hit. It didn't matter though because when we really needed a goal, he was the man who delivered.

Alves hit the bar but was more mobile and closer to the target than previously. Perhaps those elusive goals will come at the last gasp?

I'm not sure why Adam Johnson who is only in 'light training' and was struggling to jog and winced his way through a warm up was brought on at all but thankfully it did him no harm.

I would rather not focus on the defence who, McMahon aside, were woeful but Huth played better after getting a whack on the head which required a giant bandage.

Just when we (the fans) have accepted defeat, the team have finally noticed that they are metaphorically dangling over the edge of a cliff together and the ropes are fraying. Arguing about whose fault the situation is will not save them. The only option is to work together and maybe, just maybe they can pull each other back up.

Hopefully our boys have enough. Unlike some fans I do not think the ability is lacking. The current Boro team is not the worst team we have had, despite recent performances, they are however the team which have consistently under-performed. How ironic that we finally have consistency in our team. 

Now we have got to beat Fulham. Fulham are a little bit like Boro used to be in that they can cause an upset and tend to kick into higher gear when faced with a better class of opposition. Obviously nobody will be calling Boro 'class opposition' any time soon and that could work in our favour.

We are not kidding ourselves, Hull was one win which does not stack up against so many losses but at least we finally managed to attack for the full ninety minutes. And lo and behold we produced three goals. If we beat Fulham then we still have to beat Arsenal... If we don't beat Fulham, well, Arsenal will not really be a consideration.

Hopeless

Approximately four months too late, Gareth Southgate and his team of merry defensive coaches decided that we needed to put out an attacking line-up. Alves, Tuncay and Aliadiere were all up front with Gary O'Neil, Matthew Bates and Stewart Downing across the middle. Pogatetz, Huth, Wheater and Justin Hoyte made up the defence, with Brad Jones in goal.

Yes Boro had to attack but unfortunately our new line-up only highlighted our defensive frailties.

Barely had the ref blown the whistle and Boro were one nil down. Aliadiere failed to stop the cross and Kevin Davies got the better of Pogi to find the net for the twelfth time this season.

As ever Gary O'Neil worked hard and was rewarded when, in a brief flash of something resembling fooball, Boro worked together and created a goal to level the score.

Misses from Tuncay and Alves meant business as usual was resumed and a myriad of defensive errors allowed Bolton to not only regain their lead but completely decimate Boro, it finished 4-1. 

Robert Huth was once again at fault for at least one of the goals by simply doing absolutely nothing to stop it. Huth's most telling contribution to the game was probably his blatant foul on Matt Taylor who forced a save from Jones with the resulting free kick.

Pogi left the pitch injured and was replaced by Andrew Taylor and Downing limped to the sidelines but recovered.  

Southgate was booed, again, for substituting Aliadiere, again, and replacement Emnes failed to stretch the Bolton defence in the same way as the Frenchman.

The full extent of Boro's problems were illuminated like one of Huth's X-rays.The fans already knew this particular Boro team can't score for toffee but almost worse to my mind is a Southgate led squad who cannot defend.

There would be very little comfort in a team going down because they are incapable of attacking but given that we spend so much of our time defending in numbers it is truly appalling that we are so poor at the basics of defence.  

In his post match interview Southgate said that his players had to learn 'how to be footballers' sadly this is not an exaggeration. The players who should be developing are getting worse, players who are internationals look barely capable of playing at Championship level and none of them look like they want to be here.

I don't blame them for that, but they have to start taking responsibility for their own performances, starting with Steve Gibson and Gareth Southgate and trickling all the way down to the fringe players.

Even Boro's reserves, impressive substitutes in times past, are struggling at the bottom of the league.

It has all gone wrong and while most of the team will be handed an escape route with a move to another club it is the fans who are suffering. Every player, the coaches, the scouts, the manager and the Chairman need to acknowledge that and take responsibility.

Painful Realisation

After dropping two points against Portsmouth, Stoke v Boro was the must win match to end all must win matches. And we lost it.

Gary O'Neil was back as was Justin Hoyte but Jeremie Aliadiere failed a late fitness test.Hoyte, when fit has been one of our most consistent players, not to mention the genuine pace and ability to surge forward which he possesses but he was nonetheless relegated to the bench.

Arca was finally dropped, far too late in the season but at least Southgate did it eventually.

With our dreadful away record and Stoke's excellent home record we needed a miracle. In the end the only miracle was that both sides ended with eleven players.

We weren't awful but we weren't good enough.Tuncay hit every part of the goal apart from the back of the net, James Beattie seemed to have misplaced his shooting boots for Stoke and Boro's best shot on target came from a defender, Tony McMahon.

And then came the suckerpunch. Eight Boro boys couldn't mark five Stoke players and Ryan Shawcross headed home. Game over.

There was a small section of Boro fans who, until Shawcross scored had been holding on, keeping the faith, enjoying denial and hoping Boro would turn it around and stay up.

I think we have now all accepted that is not going to happen.

We can't score, we fail in defending basic set pieces, we slow the game down despite being better when we up the tempo. We have no belief, very little passion, the quality of our general play is rarely Premier League standard, the manager is at a loss, the players don't respect him and the Chairman is moving further and further into the background.

Why on earth did we think we had a shot at survival?

It is a shame that we will go down with West Brom, taking former Boro boys James Morrison, Jonathan Greening and Tony Mowbray with us but the only question for me now is who else is coming with us?..

 

Drawing To A Close

After whimpering out of the FA Cup last weekend, Boro were back at the Riverside to face Portsmouth. Three points and distance from the bottom were up for grabs for both.

The first half was awful, weak, poor and a thousand other adjectives which add up to crushing disappointment.

Nobody was playing particularly well and a couple, including Stewart Downing, were so far off their game they may as well have been playing table tennis.

Robert Huth was indulging in some wrestling practice but doing little else in the first forty-five. However he, like Tuncay, decided to take the game to Portsmouth after Bates saw red. Suddenly we saw him start to move forward, pass the ball forwards and even better run past people as opposed to backing into them. Sarcasm aside, it was the extra bit of effort which I have been looking for from the big German all season.

The crowd were responding to what was on display, alternatively cheering and booing throughout the match.

The loudest booing occured when Southgate for God only knows what reason decided to substitute Jeremie Aliadiere after fifty eight minutes. Was Ali having a great game? well, no, but he certainly wasn't the worst player on the pitch (Arca hands down) and when one of the opposing defenders is Sol Campbell you have no shot at getting through, the only way to deal with Campbell and co is to sprint round them and you need all the pace you can muster up front in order to do this.

Boro's fastest player is probably Aliadiere, personally I'd have started with him and Tuncay up front and I definitely wouldn't have taken him off.

We need passionate player who just want to get on with the game and will battle to keep us up. Ali is one of these players, he knew he was going to have to make way and did his best to outwardly ignore the bench until the board appeared and his number was up.

He then gave Southgate a look of almost pure disgust ( there was hatred and slightly murderous intention there too) and stormed off down the tunnel.

I don't agree with players having diva strops and going down the tunnel when subbed because it shows a utter lack of respect for the manager but I think Southgate lost the players' respect long ago.

Pogi didn't come out for the second half and was replaced by Andrew Taylor who actually managed a nice shot on target. Matthew Bates was sent off for two bookable offences which means Josh Walker will finally get another run out (hopefully) but Arca will keep his place. I do not like blaming individual players but the version we have of Arca at the moment is a poor imitation of the 'Julio oh oh oh' of old.

Tuncay was brilliant for the final half hour. After Bates' dismisal we had no centre midfield, literally this time! Recognising the need for a new engine, the Turk ran even more than usual, covering most of the pitch and playing at least three positions.

But Peter Crouch scored and it looked like another painful defeat was on the cards, until Marlon King found the net for the first time for the Boro. And then Alves failed to do the same.

I  simply don't believe we will beat Stoke, particularly on our travels. I wanted Boro to sign James Beattie because he is what we have lacked in recent seasons, a proven goalscorer and I thought that whichever team secured his services would most likely stay up, I still do.

So, maybe we can continue to draw matches we should win and remain 'unbeaten' for a while. Trouble is if we draw we will still go down. I hate being told to be happy with a point because we were losing, yes we rescued a draw but Alves should have scored and we should have sealed the win. More importantly we needed to win.

Relieved, yes, but not happy. Anyone who left the Portsmouth match happy has crossed over from 'optimist' to 'idiot'.

Stoke away, Bolton away, Hull and Fulham at home, games that you might expect us to draw which we absolutely have to win. The season is drawing to a close and Boro are only just closing in on stringing together a couple of draws. It is not good enough and it can't continue.