The virtual atmosphere was so casual we actually considered toggling something else, instead of the alt-tabbing between the live blog, BBC, the Saturday clockwatch, and West Ham/Wigan en espanol. We saved it for long afterwards, fearing the dulling, desensitising effect it would have on our orgasmic joy.

Some Boro bullets in lieu of regular match notes – memo to minuscule regional internet radio operation: a large percentage of your listenership is down to Boro supporters outside the local catchment area – broadcast the fucking matches instead of your foul brand of benign Europop, even if it’s a dead rubber…

• So Gary O’Neil is alarmed by the gulf in class – nothing perceived about it – between Boro and the top two in the Championship, West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle. Failure to get points off either – in relegation and promotion battles alike – might be the perfect illustration. Two points. Out of twenty-four. Versus WBA: 0 wins – 0 draws – 4 losses / 11 goals conceded / 0 goals scored. And Newcastle: 0 wins – 2 draws – 2 losses / 7 goals conceded / 3 goals scored. What else is there to say Gary?

• Lamb on the run! Middlesbrough’s chief executive took to his imaginary throne in the BBC Radio Tees studio. Here his spin, in every convoluted sense of the word:

1. The it’s-never-too-early-to-get-promoted notion? Against it -
2. We’ll be the best resourced club next season – he backs off a bit later – one of the top-resourced clubs…ahem
3. So revisionist – he attempts to berate a caller illustrating how the region has soured under his recent stewardship. Cup runs, European finals, top half finishes, football under Bryan Robson, the big spending era currently dooming the club to financial prudence…yes, all his doing…and the town was happy
4. ‘Define the word sanction’ – used to describe his role in the Alves episode. This particular chap merely wanted to know the power structure for such a critically bad transaction – all he got was the bombast of a well-educated, strangely confident trapped rodent.

• Luke Williams will be a man. The Teesville tyro is getting his advanced footballing ‘birds and bees’ under Gordo and the rest of the senior team. Some good touches and the seeds of intelligent runs displayed in the first 45 mins of his starting first team bow. This kid might be bigger than the parmo, and virtually everyone is pulling for him.

• The highlight of the season? Fantastic supporters – anchored by this lot

• We know no off-season – reviews of pre-season prognostications, dissecting this season like the cheap biology lab frog it was, deep stretching for WC 2010 S Africa, and so much more of the decent effort tinged w/ haphazard finishing this space has become…

Gaz has earned notable commendations from Arsene Wenger, and even Thierry Henry suggested the panacea for Barcelona to unlock Manchester Utd during the Champions League in 2008: play like Boro (after the sizzling 2-2 draw that offered the brightest glimpse of Alves’ talents). You’d think a principled and generally respected young manager would be recalcitrant to work under such tight constrictions…full credit to him for not exploiting it as an excuse for circumstances leading to the current position. For now, the rancor is a bit muted – winning will breed that. There’s still a chance to get it right, but when you say that it’s your job to manage the club through crisis you cannot alienate and become adversarial.

After the break, Boro get an immediate chance to right recent home wrongs: visits from Watford and Derby County in a 3 day spell. Just 7 out of 15 points collected so far at the Riverside this season – future consistency and success is going to be based on home form between now and May. How many teams out there rake over 70% of points available away points? And any machinations of Andy O’Brien and/or Nigel Reo-Coker will go unfulfilled – Bolton won’t loan their centre-half and Villa rubbished any reports of the pugilistic midfielder moving north east.

Most of the resultant miasma is obscuring some perspectives; in what has become a mostly two-party system, some fans think the animus is unjust – we’re fourth, we need time to let the new arrivals get immersed, show the unconditional support that’s a hallmark of the region. What they fail to acknowledge is the rotating downward trajectory that sees the club burst into pulsating life for short spells, only to invariably return to prolonged mediocrity – as many have correctly pointed out, we were never Euro giants, our appearance in the UEFA Cup final was largely an aberration, but the measure from where we were before this stewardship, and how far we are away from it, is the foundation for the movement to bring in fresh leadership. It is bound to rage on like most of the great conflicts, and we get to witness and experience it first-hand.

The club receives their dose of tonic w/ tomorrow’s visit to Berkshire, facing a Reading side winless in 5 home matches so far this campaign. They will however be boosted by a positively shocking win at in-form Preston this past Tuesday – Brendan Rodgers still finding his way after occupying the vacancy created by the legendary Steve Coppell’s departure. Boro infamously helped christen the Madejski Stadium during their Premier League debut in Aug 2006, wasting an early advantage to get sucker-punched by the new tenants 3-2, ironically Gareth Southgate’s first league match in charge.

How he elects to start this time around is still under debate. The squad is still hogtied with the existing Bates/Pogatetz/Riggott injuries, the failed impact of Caleb Folan – supposedly he will stay here to fulfill the 28-day loan requirement before shipment back to interventionist Phil Brown…maybe his motivation and charm can heal the hamstrung Irishman? Keeping Gary O’Neil in the middle and Adam Johnson on the left will be an improvement from the extended experiment v Leicester that helped fuel the conflagration of abuse during and after the match. Lessons learned? How about it boss?

Gazza is serious about doing business now the emergency loan window has become unstuck: Sean St Ledger, the Preston defender is highly rated – a loan w/ a view to a permanent is projected; Matt Kilgallon, another defender from Sheffield United – more cover for the Huth departure…understandably, both clubs are apprehensive of the potential deals.

The flower of the north-east, the lovely Louise Taylor, highlights Boro v Ipswich in her fledgling Football League blog…if given the chance to share a quiet drink, we’d tell her ever so casually that Boro never defeated a Roy Keane Sunderland side. The gaffer missed the opportunity for reparation

These weren't needed

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 proper and direct thrust from the central midfield…a few more striking options for good measure too…

As this site adjusts to the paucity of match coverage, we’ll lean on the lovely Louise Taylor to give us first-person perspective on the match. How the fabulously labeled baked-on-weed-looking Blades enthusiast John Ashdown couldn’t convince the hierarchy to permit a season-debuting MBM is beyond us. This rendition of up-to-the-minute coverage lacked panache and spirited interactivity, and the usually reliable BBC Sport live text feature launched well after kick-off, lacking the indispensable Cheese-y substance.

Some observations from our 2 hours of trolling and F5-ing:

• Mark Yeates is clearly up for it, and while Boro couldn’t organize an effective attack, he was a major party to whatever we tried to achieve
• Adam Johnson needs to play further up in attack, either as part of a dual striker formation, or just behind; he jinks and jives, has unbelievable pace, but consistently underperforms in the realm of crosses from the flanks
• Danny Coyne ostensibly had a good inaugural showing – no apoplectic moments redolent of Brad Jones…he produced a few fine saves and confident punch away dangerous balls in the box
• set pieces…get them sorted already! This has been a consistent problem going on YEARS…it would’ve been equally criminal, and expected, to lose this contest in such a repeating fashion

on to Swansea next Saturday…stay away from the bay