The only thing that could be said to Man City's credit after they were played off the park by a still mighty Boro is that they have got one of the nicest stadiums about. A great view from everywhere, easy to get in and out, decent pies and a lovely bit of eye catching architecture. But what about the football?
Stuart Pearce's disgusted post match reaction said it all - there were no "tremendous shows of character" or not faulting the lads a la McClaren for Pearce, the City players just didn't earn their wages.
A scrappy first half on the slippy Eastlands pitch didn't produce a great deal of excitement until the 42nd minute when teenager Lee Cattermole managed to get on the end of a Stewart Downing cross to pop in hopefully his first of many Premiership goals. Super Lee Cattermole! was the cry well into the rest of the match.
Perhaps egged on by the goal and the noise from the Boro end (got any songs City?) the second half picked up, for Boro at least, with (I never thought I'd say this) David James keeping them vaguely in the game. Boro sprayed the city keeper's goal with shots, but butterfingers managed to deny Morrison, Parnaby and Rochemback time after time. The goal count could've been much higher if it wasn't for James and some weak finishing from the Boro frontline - weak shots and guffs a plenty let down a bit of fine attacking play.
So, the Boro continue to creep away from the relegation zone and slowly up the table as City seem to do the opposite. Pearce isn't happy, and who would be? He'll be the first for the chop if it continues.
Now it's just 7 more wins on the trot needed for Boro, aswell as a nil-nil draw for every other match and maybe an extra loss for Tottenham, for us to finish in Champions League qualifying 4th and turn the season round nicely. Now for victory in the UEFA cup and onward with the FA. Phew, what a season!
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Showing posts with label Boro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boro. Show all posts
Friday, April 7, 2006
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Monday, January 9, 2006
The long awaited return of Bernie's Quiff and the continuing wet fart of Boro's season
Well, as I'm sure none of you have noticed or care but it has been rather a long time since these pages were graced with the wisdom and insight of Bernie's Quiff so after a move to London, a change in everything and a massive and near-crippling bout of laziness Him is here.
Today we play Arsenal at Highbury - it's come full circle since my last ramblings on here so it seems a good time to get started again. The last time I wrote on these revered pages was a time long ago, a happy time, last September in fact when the then mighty Boro had just beaten the Arse and not quite yet turned into the shitey Boro we're seeing now - so what's happened since then? Well for a start we're slipping into a relegation battle with 22 points, West Brom just below us and even Everton (for God's sake, Everton? I mean oway...)above us. We have managed to put together possibly the most inconsistent run of football seen since the dawn of time though, and that's got to be worth something right? erm...well...Have to admit, I'd be laughing if it was another team. And at least the mackems are still sitting ugly at the bottom.
So, we beat the Arse then what happened? A stormer of a run buoyed by that success, growing in confidence and experience every game? A 1-1 draw with Wigan then Sunderland beat us 2 nowt, their first win in nearly 2 years & 27 premiership games and giving them half of their total points now. Class that like. Then there was the dizzying heights at the end of October when we put in an amazing performance to beat Man U 4-1, and soon after getting beat a goal to nothing by Everton. McClaren's famous rotation system was stuck to rigidly without anyone wondering why we didn't stick to the lot that were winning occasionally instead of changing and getting beaten by the dregs of the table. And the slide continued - doing fine in the UEFA cup, beaten a lot in the league, knocked out of the Carling cup by Blackburn (??) then beaten off them again days later for a very merry Christmas all culminating recently by clinging on to a 1-1 draw with Nuneaton in the FA cup. All the while as we plummet down the league McClaren's thought we've been tremendous every performance. 0-0 draw with Man City - Tremendous. 2-0 pasting off Liverpool - Tremendous performance, can't fault the lads. And after the scintilating draw with Nuneaton - "It'll be a different game altogether at the Riverside" says sage-like Steve McClaren. Aye, Steve, I bet it will. Bet it's still shite though...
Today we play Arsenal at Highbury - it's come full circle since my last ramblings on here so it seems a good time to get started again. The last time I wrote on these revered pages was a time long ago, a happy time, last September in fact when the then mighty Boro had just beaten the Arse and not quite yet turned into the shitey Boro we're seeing now - so what's happened since then? Well for a start we're slipping into a relegation battle with 22 points, West Brom just below us and even Everton (for God's sake, Everton? I mean oway...)above us. We have managed to put together possibly the most inconsistent run of football seen since the dawn of time though, and that's got to be worth something right? erm...well...Have to admit, I'd be laughing if it was another team. And at least the mackems are still sitting ugly at the bottom.
So, we beat the Arse then what happened? A stormer of a run buoyed by that success, growing in confidence and experience every game? A 1-1 draw with Wigan then Sunderland beat us 2 nowt, their first win in nearly 2 years & 27 premiership games and giving them half of their total points now. Class that like. Then there was the dizzying heights at the end of October when we put in an amazing performance to beat Man U 4-1, and soon after getting beat a goal to nothing by Everton. McClaren's famous rotation system was stuck to rigidly without anyone wondering why we didn't stick to the lot that were winning occasionally instead of changing and getting beaten by the dregs of the table. And the slide continued - doing fine in the UEFA cup, beaten a lot in the league, knocked out of the Carling cup by Blackburn (??) then beaten off them again days later for a very merry Christmas all culminating recently by clinging on to a 1-1 draw with Nuneaton in the FA cup. All the while as we plummet down the league McClaren's thought we've been tremendous every performance. 0-0 draw with Man City - Tremendous. 2-0 pasting off Liverpool - Tremendous performance, can't fault the lads. And after the scintilating draw with Nuneaton - "It'll be a different game altogether at the Riverside" says sage-like Steve McClaren. Aye, Steve, I bet it will. Bet it's still shite though...
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Darlo Vs Boro - is this what we've got to look forward to next season?
A pretty much full strength Premier League Boro team (with the notable absence of New lad Yakubu) managed to turn in a dire first half performance against Division 3/English League 2/whatever you want to call it's Darlington on Saturday, in Darlo hero and ex-Boro squad member Craig Liddle's Testimonial game.
A welcome return to the fold for Mendieta, Jimmy Floyd and Boateng saw the team pose no threat whatsoever to Darlington whose No.6 looked the most competent and threatening player on the pitch. Now, yeah, I'm not looking forward to more of that in the coming season, but even more worrying is the way in which the game ended - a half time evacuation due to a bombscare called in from a phone box in the town. Is this what we've got to look forward to next season? Countless games ruined & abandoned by idiots with nothing better to do than spoil an afternoon's entertainment. With the seriousness that the Police have to take cases like this at the moment and the pressure that Police are under, why would anyone ring in a hoax bombscare? Well, it certainly pushes their resources to the limits, but what good can possibly come of it? Who's paying attention to a North East friendly in the first place and if it is just some idiot "having a laugh" how exactly is that funny? The Police are apparently doing their best to track down the hoaxer and lets hope they get him/her soon. And what a way for Craig Liddle to end his career.
Hopefully this won't be a taster for the season to come, in terms of the football but most of all the way the game ended.
A welcome return to the fold for Mendieta, Jimmy Floyd and Boateng saw the team pose no threat whatsoever to Darlington whose No.6 looked the most competent and threatening player on the pitch. Now, yeah, I'm not looking forward to more of that in the coming season, but even more worrying is the way in which the game ended - a half time evacuation due to a bombscare called in from a phone box in the town. Is this what we've got to look forward to next season? Countless games ruined & abandoned by idiots with nothing better to do than spoil an afternoon's entertainment. With the seriousness that the Police have to take cases like this at the moment and the pressure that Police are under, why would anyone ring in a hoax bombscare? Well, it certainly pushes their resources to the limits, but what good can possibly come of it? Who's paying attention to a North East friendly in the first place and if it is just some idiot "having a laugh" how exactly is that funny? The Police are apparently doing their best to track down the hoaxer and lets hope they get him/her soon. And what a way for Craig Liddle to end his career.
Hopefully this won't be a taster for the season to come, in terms of the football but most of all the way the game ended.
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