This Championship immersion continues to improve…another away triumph, this time at Hillsborough – Boro escaped an early deficit to cruise 3-1…a Darren Purse own goal and  strikes from Adam Johnson and Jeremie Aliadiere, encore, did the deed. Gaz sails to second in the table, setting up a potential 1-2 clash at The Riverside Saturday w/ [...]

In various forms, we’ve lauded his clutch performances against Wigan and Liverpool…and derided him as an international-never-will-be overrated donkey. Convicted praise rewarded w/ a return to the darkness; unwavering disdain and remorse that his deadline day loan deal collapsed – that’s the extreme gamut of supporting football entities. But he persevered to win back our [...]

Boro boss Gareth Southgate surely has pondered if cup runs are worth it this season. With so much wagered on gaining promotion, would the disruption of the inter-league competitions overburden an already underweight side? Even if Tuncay and Alves, and possibly any combo of David Wheater, Robert Huth and Gary O’Neil, do depart it’s painfully [...]

Away day glory for the first time since last November – Gazza beamed in the post game presser: ‘It feels sweet to win away but the manner of the win was pleasing’. Indeed, Boro produced an attractive and clinical display versus a Swansea side whose injury troubles were exacerbated notably by an assiduous Adam Johnson. [...]

Boro’s baptism into the Championship produced a result all too familiar: a tepid 0-0 home draw to fellow promotion contenders Sheffield United. Considering the aforementioned stead of the Blades, it’s not a dire outcome – had it been Donny or Blackpool we’d be indubitably gutted, demanding Gazza’s head on a stick Cromwell-style, along w/ a [...]

Player ratings and other musings from Saturday at Ewood Park…sliding beer scale Kronenbourg: Carlos Villanueva – all over the ball in the first 30 minutes; made life miserable for the Boro defense; great service from dead balls, a few cracks on goal; Jeremie Aliadiere gets a shout for his indefatigability; could have put MFC ahead on [...]

Coping with another missed opportunity and flagrant late-match discipline. 8 points and counting left at away grounds; Anfield, Fratton Park, and now Ewood Park…Boro seemed poised for recovery after their last humiliating performance. But there would be no repeat like at Wigan, pilfering all 3 points…a late Benni McCarthy header resigned MFC to a gutting [...]

Kicked down, terrified, sodomized, outclassed…all appropriate in describing Saturday’s debacle at The Riverside. An injury ravaged Chelsea side delivered the most decisive performance of the Premier League campaign to date. No A$hley, no Drogba, no Deco, no Cech, no Ballack, no resistance from the hosts. Compounded by a bizarre squad selection from Gareth Southgate, and [...]

…a steely result at Wigan to propel overall feeling at home. Now, can we get through another round of World Cup qualifiers without debilitating injuries? A look at the Teesside participants in the action occurring from the weekend through the next mid-week: England v Kazakhstan Good thing Stewart Downing balls up that opportunity v Andorra in Barcelona; [...]

The title references an overdue nod to the inspiration for this debutante Boro/footie blog. Middlesbrough FC will be the primary focus, but we’ll also frequently include updates, links, and commentary on other happenings in the English Premier League and developments around the continent. Happening today: Boro Stem the Road Rot 04 Oct – JJB Staduim – Wigan, [...]