A crowd of almost 28,000 turned out on Boxing Day to watch Boro beat Hull and were rewarded with a late winner in the form of Barry Robson’s unstoppable individual effort.
I hate that phrase in sports reporting and have used it simply to make a point – ‘effort’ has the same connotations as ‘attempt’ – it’s not an ‘effort’ if it works!!
But I digress, and contained hostility towards my journalistic brethren is both out of character and not very festive.
So back to the point at hand, or rather the three points we picked up on Boxing Day.
I could moan about the passing (wayward at best) the quality of football on display (below-par is being kind) or the refereeing (laughable at times) But frankly I’m too busy bouncing up and down and dancing with joy!
Craig Hignett had already jinxed the match by saying “I’m expecting a cracking game and a 3-2 win” or words to that effect and as the time ticked away, I was already mentally writing a match report bursting with phrases like ‘stuffed full of anti-climaxes’ and then Barry Robson popped up with three minutes of normal time to go and blew everything out of the water.
I had thought half of Mowbray’s double substitution was a little negative – Thomson for Ogbeche looked like we were settling for a draw and in my opinion trying to draw 0-0 is an excellent way to take nothing from a game.
However other than a Rhys Williams’ header we hadn’t looked like scoring and Zemmama, on for the flagging Arca, gave us an instant surge of energy and lifted the team. We still gave the ball away and looked vulnerable to the Tiger’s counter attack but we seemed to have a bit more purpose, which eventually culminated in Robson’s stunning shot.
The game was not a Christmas cracker, it wasn’t a Boxing Day bonanza or a festive treat, but Robson’s 35 yard screamer was pure poetry.
There’s still Peterborough to go on Saturday but as things stand we are joint second (third on goal difference) as we head into the 2012 with 44 points and 11 games to go, Happy New Year indeed!
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Top of the league – for a few hours at least!
Far be it for me to jump on the Boro bandwagon by dusting off my laptop and crowing about Boro making it (albeit briefly) to the top of the league, but the truth is despite enjoying my new job, I miss writing about football. Therefore boys and girls I’m getting my blog on for what will hopefully be the first of many insights, rambles and rants about the beautiful game and my beloved Boro.
And as I’ve already been soundly ribbed about it by various friends, I’m holding my hands up – Emnes is turning into Boro’s star striker! I never rated the Dutchman and was fairly vocal in expressing that view, but his stats this season speak for themselves and ‘Marvellous Marvin’ is definitely another tick in the box for Tony Mowbray’s management style.
The appointment of Tony Mowbray did not initially fill me with joy – as far as I could tell the reasons for appointing him were much the same as appointing Southgate – he was a fantastic Boro captain, just the man to lead us back to the glory days. Of course Mowbray had managerial experience on his side but still, I wasn’t convinced.
As with Emnes, I’m thrilled to be proved wrong. Mowbray has turned our boys back into a team, made us hard to beat and played to his personnel’s strengths rather than shoving them out of position and hoping for the best a la Southgate or berating them and demoralising them a la Strachan.
And he’s wonderfully understated. His response to taking Boro to the top of the Championship and ensuring we are now the only unbeaten team in our league was: “Yes, we are doing ok” There’s no getting carried away on Mogga’s watch!
I have only had the privilege of being at one of Mowbray’s managerial press conferences but he struck me as a man you could trust but one you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of – a good combination for a football manager. When asked somewhat dubiously by a reporter about the appointment of Matty Bates as captain he replied “It’s my town, anything he gets up to – anything any of them get up to and I’ll know about it!”
Still, our pre-season could be described as a disaster and as Saturday the 6th of August approached, I wasn’t looking forward to it.
Through no fault of Mowbray’s Boro are still trying to scramble back the fans and the status which through a combination of bad management, bad football and bad PR, the club have steadily lost over the last 5 years. But the fans need to come back, because it’s not the same team who let us down, its not the same boys who ran scared and were the architects of their own downfall – the 2011/12 Boro team are a different animal all together.
Sitting in the East stand watching Boro draw against Portsmouth on the opening day of the season, I was initially pleasantly surprised. We looked like a better team than I remembered and above all we looked organised – the players knew their jobs and were doing them. We conceded the seemingly inevitable injury time equaliser and threw two points away but to me there were a plethora of positives to focus on.
Then came Walsall away in the Carling Cup and the emergence of Marvin Emnes with a stunning hat-trick – trust me most Boro fans were stunned that the Dutchman had scored, let alone bagged three! But scoring has become the norm for Emnes, and winning is becoming a habit for Boro.I could write a match by match report but this blog is already too long and hopefully if you are reading this you don’t need me to tell you just how well Boro are doing this season.
If you’ll allow me to go off on a tangent here - I miss David Wheater and Andrew Taylor because they were part of the Boro team I knew best. Young local youth academy graduates who I often interviewed and got to know quite well. Wheater was a necessary sacrifice for the funds to strengthen our squad, Taylor ultimately decided his future lay elsewhere. But the summer transfer window came and went and this time we held on to our two most saleable assets – Joe Bennet and Rhys Williams.
Bennet has had a turbulent start to the season and has not always acquitted himself to the best of his ability, but he’s young, talented and gutsy and I have faith that he’ll find his way to a more consistent performance before Christmas. Williams is the kind of player that Championship clubs dream of – Premiership quality, young enough to still improve, versatile, professional and confident. He can play anywhere and will do a job wherever he is most needed. Around these two we have a sort of odds and sods collection of players coming to the end of their careers, youth academy graduates and international imports but crucially, Mowbray is getting the best out of all of them.
Seven games in we are sitting pretty in second, a point off top with 17 points and are the only side who can claim to be unbeaten in the Championship, and I can’t wait for Saturday!
And as I’ve already been soundly ribbed about it by various friends, I’m holding my hands up – Emnes is turning into Boro’s star striker! I never rated the Dutchman and was fairly vocal in expressing that view, but his stats this season speak for themselves and ‘Marvellous Marvin’ is definitely another tick in the box for Tony Mowbray’s management style.
The appointment of Tony Mowbray did not initially fill me with joy – as far as I could tell the reasons for appointing him were much the same as appointing Southgate – he was a fantastic Boro captain, just the man to lead us back to the glory days. Of course Mowbray had managerial experience on his side but still, I wasn’t convinced.
As with Emnes, I’m thrilled to be proved wrong. Mowbray has turned our boys back into a team, made us hard to beat and played to his personnel’s strengths rather than shoving them out of position and hoping for the best a la Southgate or berating them and demoralising them a la Strachan.
And he’s wonderfully understated. His response to taking Boro to the top of the Championship and ensuring we are now the only unbeaten team in our league was: “Yes, we are doing ok” There’s no getting carried away on Mogga’s watch!
I have only had the privilege of being at one of Mowbray’s managerial press conferences but he struck me as a man you could trust but one you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of – a good combination for a football manager. When asked somewhat dubiously by a reporter about the appointment of Matty Bates as captain he replied “It’s my town, anything he gets up to – anything any of them get up to and I’ll know about it!”
Still, our pre-season could be described as a disaster and as Saturday the 6th of August approached, I wasn’t looking forward to it.
Through no fault of Mowbray’s Boro are still trying to scramble back the fans and the status which through a combination of bad management, bad football and bad PR, the club have steadily lost over the last 5 years. But the fans need to come back, because it’s not the same team who let us down, its not the same boys who ran scared and were the architects of their own downfall – the 2011/12 Boro team are a different animal all together.
Sitting in the East stand watching Boro draw against Portsmouth on the opening day of the season, I was initially pleasantly surprised. We looked like a better team than I remembered and above all we looked organised – the players knew their jobs and were doing them. We conceded the seemingly inevitable injury time equaliser and threw two points away but to me there were a plethora of positives to focus on.
Then came Walsall away in the Carling Cup and the emergence of Marvin Emnes with a stunning hat-trick – trust me most Boro fans were stunned that the Dutchman had scored, let alone bagged three! But scoring has become the norm for Emnes, and winning is becoming a habit for Boro.I could write a match by match report but this blog is already too long and hopefully if you are reading this you don’t need me to tell you just how well Boro are doing this season.
If you’ll allow me to go off on a tangent here - I miss David Wheater and Andrew Taylor because they were part of the Boro team I knew best. Young local youth academy graduates who I often interviewed and got to know quite well. Wheater was a necessary sacrifice for the funds to strengthen our squad, Taylor ultimately decided his future lay elsewhere. But the summer transfer window came and went and this time we held on to our two most saleable assets – Joe Bennet and Rhys Williams.
Bennet has had a turbulent start to the season and has not always acquitted himself to the best of his ability, but he’s young, talented and gutsy and I have faith that he’ll find his way to a more consistent performance before Christmas. Williams is the kind of player that Championship clubs dream of – Premiership quality, young enough to still improve, versatile, professional and confident. He can play anywhere and will do a job wherever he is most needed. Around these two we have a sort of odds and sods collection of players coming to the end of their careers, youth academy graduates and international imports but crucially, Mowbray is getting the best out of all of them.
Seven games in we are sitting pretty in second, a point off top with 17 points and are the only side who can claim to be unbeaten in the Championship, and I can’t wait for Saturday!
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
THE OBSERVER FAN'S PANEL - BORO V DONCASTER - 8-5-11
Middlesbrough 3-0 Doncaster Rovers
The fan's verdict, Elle Brunton, Observer reader: Was it a good match? It was a very good win. It was a shame it was the last game of the season given that we're in good form and everyone is really confident. Barry Robson's goal was brilliant, a thunderous free-kick after previously being uncharacteristically tentative. Doncaster didn't look very good and lacked a killer instinct until the introduction of Billy Sharp, who was superbly marshalled by Rhys Williams. Who played well/who had a nightmare? Williams was MOTM, he's a cut above.
First published by The Observer on 8-5-11
The fan's verdict, Elle Brunton, Observer reader: Was it a good match? It was a very good win. It was a shame it was the last game of the season given that we're in good form and everyone is really confident. Barry Robson's goal was brilliant, a thunderous free-kick after previously being uncharacteristically tentative. Doncaster didn't look very good and lacked a killer instinct until the introduction of Billy Sharp, who was superbly marshalled by Rhys Williams. Who played well/who had a nightmare? Williams was MOTM, he's a cut above.
First published by The Observer on 8-5-11
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
FUTSAL - BORO ATTRACT RED FACTION SUPPORT - 28-1-11
Middlesbrough Futsal Club have talented players, a dedicated manager, and even a couple of trophies to their name. What they have lacked thus far, however, is fans.
Futsal is a sport with a very low profile in England and the Boro boys are something of unsung heroes, having represented Middlesbrough, and indeed Teesside University on both the national and international stage.
However last weekend, Middlesbrough Football Club’s controversial fan group, the Red Faction decided to attend Manchester v Middlesbrough to provide their special brand of travelling support for the futsal boys.
Formed in 2008, the Red Faction are a controversial group who have not really seen eye to eye with Middlesbrough Football Club. They believe that the consumerism of modern football is detrimental to the game; however, their main aim is to celebrate their team and their town.
The Red Faction code of conduct reads: “We are proud of our town, our region, and our history, and with supporting our local Football Club we celebrate all of these things. Red Faction offer constant support to the team, whether it be by non-stop singing, or executing visual displays of our support to inspire the players, and our fans. We are fully aware of, and truly passionate about the history and heritage of our club, and uphold this respect and unconditional pride in our actions.”
With this in mind, the group decided to offer their services to Middlesbrough Futsal Club, and a group of sixteen Red Faction members made the trip to Manchester’s impressive Velodrome, to watch Boro in their top of the table clash.
Armed with flags, banners and a drum, they belted out a mixture of classic chants such as “Red Army!” which later became “Pink Army” in honour of the team’s distinctive strip, and players names, particularly latching on to goalkeeper Eliot Brown : “He dives to the left, he dives to the right, Eliot Brown, he’ll save them all night!”
A member of the Red Faction known simply as ‘Stu’explained: “We've been talking about going to see a Middlesbrough Futsal game for quite a while now.
“One of our members, who I believe is a friend of one of the players, notified us about the game at Manchester. We jumped at the chance!
“We are an Ultra group, and therefore we love BIG flags, banners, drums and big displays or (Tifo) as they are sometimes known. So being able to go to a game and not having stupid restrictions such as height of flags, no flags, no standing, no drums, no banners, no noise, no breathing… is a big plus for us! And what better way than supporting our home town Futsal team? It all fitted in great.”
The Red Faction take their cues from Europe and South America, such as The Tifosi (fans) and Ultras and their ethos is simple, to support their team for the entirety of the match, and to make a real celebration of the game.
Stu continued: “When we got to the venue, some of us were surprised at the amount of cameras and seats that were pitch side, to be honest we didn’t know what to expect, but there seemed to be quite a lot of interest.
“The game was so fast and action packed unlike football, and we were able to sing loud and give a good wave of our flags so we were happy.
“If we had been allowed to use the drum we would have been even more happy! As the game progressed I could tell some of the lads and I started to get a bit more passion towards what was happening, cheering on an attack, and celebrating a goal and what not.”
Middlesbrough Futsal Club do have a couple of partners, such as Middlesbrough College and an affiliation with Lovemiddlesbrough, but the players and staff are unpaid and often have to pay their own expenses.
Manchester won the match 4-2, but the team were delighted with the Red Faction’s support, and revelled in having such a loud and appreciative audience.
Manager Damon Shaw, said: “It means a lot, we have always wanted to attract the Boro fans to support us and it gives us an extra impetus to keep striving to be the best.”
“The Red Faction support against Manchester away was amazing and from what I understand they enjoyed it.
“I hope this is just the start of a long relationship between the club and the fans. It will certainly start to make people take note and take us seriously as a sports club representing our town at the highest level.”
Shaw is ambitious for his team and is hoping the Red Faction can introduce a new audience to futsal, while raising the profile of the Middlesbrough side within the sport.
“It also underlines us as front runners in England.” He explained “We now not only have the best PR and marketing, we have the best supporters as well. It will help us achieve our goal of winning the English title and competing in The UEFA Futsal [Champions'] Cup.”
The spirit of futsal, combined with the lack of commercialism appeals to the Red Faction, and the opportunity to play in front of fans has given a massive boost to the futsal players.
Another member of the Red Faction, known as ‘baggy hat’ said: “I was really impressed with the players; they had a lot of heart in their play.
“The game was a bit scrappy at times, but it was a good laugh and I started to get really into it late on.
“It was also nice to be clapped by the players, and to actually have our efforts appreciated! We don't get that as often at the Riverside!”
Stu agrees, adding: “I’m looking to organise a 24+ coach load of us for the next game! The Futsal bug has been caught, and we have spread it on!”
Middlesbrough Futsal Club travel to Sheffield for an early 11.30 kick off on Sunday the 13th February before playing the reverse fixture at Thornaby Pavillion on the 6th of March (13.30).
First published on http://borofutsal.com/ on 28-1-11
Futsal is a sport with a very low profile in England and the Boro boys are something of unsung heroes, having represented Middlesbrough, and indeed Teesside University on both the national and international stage.
However last weekend, Middlesbrough Football Club’s controversial fan group, the Red Faction decided to attend Manchester v Middlesbrough to provide their special brand of travelling support for the futsal boys.
Formed in 2008, the Red Faction are a controversial group who have not really seen eye to eye with Middlesbrough Football Club. They believe that the consumerism of modern football is detrimental to the game; however, their main aim is to celebrate their team and their town.
The Red Faction code of conduct reads: “We are proud of our town, our region, and our history, and with supporting our local Football Club we celebrate all of these things. Red Faction offer constant support to the team, whether it be by non-stop singing, or executing visual displays of our support to inspire the players, and our fans. We are fully aware of, and truly passionate about the history and heritage of our club, and uphold this respect and unconditional pride in our actions.”
With this in mind, the group decided to offer their services to Middlesbrough Futsal Club, and a group of sixteen Red Faction members made the trip to Manchester’s impressive Velodrome, to watch Boro in their top of the table clash.
Armed with flags, banners and a drum, they belted out a mixture of classic chants such as “Red Army!” which later became “Pink Army” in honour of the team’s distinctive strip, and players names, particularly latching on to goalkeeper Eliot Brown : “He dives to the left, he dives to the right, Eliot Brown, he’ll save them all night!”
A member of the Red Faction known simply as ‘Stu’explained: “We've been talking about going to see a Middlesbrough Futsal game for quite a while now.
“One of our members, who I believe is a friend of one of the players, notified us about the game at Manchester. We jumped at the chance!
“We are an Ultra group, and therefore we love BIG flags, banners, drums and big displays or (Tifo) as they are sometimes known. So being able to go to a game and not having stupid restrictions such as height of flags, no flags, no standing, no drums, no banners, no noise, no breathing… is a big plus for us! And what better way than supporting our home town Futsal team? It all fitted in great.”
The Red Faction take their cues from Europe and South America, such as The Tifosi (fans) and Ultras and their ethos is simple, to support their team for the entirety of the match, and to make a real celebration of the game.
Stu continued: “When we got to the venue, some of us were surprised at the amount of cameras and seats that were pitch side, to be honest we didn’t know what to expect, but there seemed to be quite a lot of interest.
“The game was so fast and action packed unlike football, and we were able to sing loud and give a good wave of our flags so we were happy.
“If we had been allowed to use the drum we would have been even more happy! As the game progressed I could tell some of the lads and I started to get a bit more passion towards what was happening, cheering on an attack, and celebrating a goal and what not.”
Middlesbrough Futsal Club do have a couple of partners, such as Middlesbrough College and an affiliation with Lovemiddlesbrough, but the players and staff are unpaid and often have to pay their own expenses.
Manchester won the match 4-2, but the team were delighted with the Red Faction’s support, and revelled in having such a loud and appreciative audience.
Manager Damon Shaw, said: “It means a lot, we have always wanted to attract the Boro fans to support us and it gives us an extra impetus to keep striving to be the best.”
“The Red Faction support against Manchester away was amazing and from what I understand they enjoyed it.
“I hope this is just the start of a long relationship between the club and the fans. It will certainly start to make people take note and take us seriously as a sports club representing our town at the highest level.”
Shaw is ambitious for his team and is hoping the Red Faction can introduce a new audience to futsal, while raising the profile of the Middlesbrough side within the sport.
“It also underlines us as front runners in England.” He explained “We now not only have the best PR and marketing, we have the best supporters as well. It will help us achieve our goal of winning the English title and competing in The UEFA Futsal [Champions'] Cup.”
The spirit of futsal, combined with the lack of commercialism appeals to the Red Faction, and the opportunity to play in front of fans has given a massive boost to the futsal players.
Another member of the Red Faction, known as ‘baggy hat’ said: “I was really impressed with the players; they had a lot of heart in their play.
“The game was a bit scrappy at times, but it was a good laugh and I started to get really into it late on.
“It was also nice to be clapped by the players, and to actually have our efforts appreciated! We don't get that as often at the Riverside!”
Stu agrees, adding: “I’m looking to organise a 24+ coach load of us for the next game! The Futsal bug has been caught, and we have spread it on!”
Middlesbrough Futsal Club travel to Sheffield for an early 11.30 kick off on Sunday the 13th February before playing the reverse fixture at Thornaby Pavillion on the 6th of March (13.30).
First published on http://borofutsal.com/ on 28-1-11
Monday, 24 January 2011
THE OBSERVER FANS' PANEL - BORO V PRESTON - 23-1-11
Middlesbrough 1-1 Preston North End
The fan's verdict, Elle Brunton, Observer reader: Was it a good match? We didn't start well but we grew in confidence as the game went on. But we still lack a killer instinct to put us over the finishing line. We gifted them their equaliser. We have a real problem as there is no partnership, no communication, no understanding between Kris Boyd and Leroy Lita. You can see why Preston are struggling and there was no way would have scored without our help. Who played well/who had a nightmare? All Boyd offers is goals and he had a bad game. Centre-backs Matthew Bates and Seb Hines are forming a good partnership. The latter did well to keep heading the ball after picking up a knock.
First published by The Observer on 23-1-11
The fan's verdict, Elle Brunton, Observer reader: Was it a good match? We didn't start well but we grew in confidence as the game went on. But we still lack a killer instinct to put us over the finishing line. We gifted them their equaliser. We have a real problem as there is no partnership, no communication, no understanding between Kris Boyd and Leroy Lita. You can see why Preston are struggling and there was no way would have scored without our help. Who played well/who had a nightmare? All Boyd offers is goals and he had a bad game. Centre-backs Matthew Bates and Seb Hines are forming a good partnership. The latter did well to keep heading the ball after picking up a knock.
First published by The Observer on 23-1-11
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)