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 ocurred 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 players 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' dismissal 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.
First published on www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/fanzone - Mar 09
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