The View from the East Stand – The Bleak Mid-winter

Firstly, let me just start this blog with a mention for Darlington FC, I can’t pretend to know what the fans are going through, nor would I feel comfortable writing on the subject but I’ve watched the ‘demise’ and ‘revival’ of the club with interest, and sympathy, for the players, the staff and most of all the fans.

But back to the Boro, because while I’m not an authority on the subject, I am most definitely a fan.

Much has been written about Boro’s tendency to have a massive dip in form, and the results to go with it, over the Christmas period. This season it didn’t really happen on schedule, but we are smack bang in the middle of it now.

Winter 2011-12 has been somewhat delayed, the frost didn’t really kick-in until January, so it makes perfect sense that ‘Typical Boro’s slump would likewise take a while to materialise.

Although it may not seem like it when reading my blogs sometimes, I’m a glass half full kinda girl, in fact at times I’m an ‘oh wow, sod the glass, someone gave me a full bottle and I’m loving it kind of girl’.

But I have this cynical streak that generally manifests itself as sarcasm. Anyway, it’s this cynical streak which is worried that we won’t be able to get back to where we need to be.

We were lucky and in my opinion out-played in the FA Cup against Shrewsbury, lost 3-0 away to Blackpool and the highlight of the Burnley match was talking to the fan sat next to me, with an accent that sounded suspiciously ‘Burnley’ and, even more tellingly, an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Burnley team!

One bright spot of the Burnley game, other than the Clarets’ sunshine yellow kit, was Boro new boy Lukas Jutkiewicz.

He’s young and hadn’t really had the time with the team to gel or even find his feet, but he got stuck in, put himself about and showed lots of potential.

Injuries have started to kick in, but mostly our lack of goals is starting to cost us.

Hopefully Lukas can go some way to restoring the deficit and hopefully Mowbray has some magic left up his sleeve to inspire another push from the players, and fans, who have put their faith in him.

Fingers crossed for Saturday!