Now the gaffer embarks on the laborious task of scouring the loan markets. The one or two strikers he had hoped to bring in will have to be those whelps, wonders and journeymen left off official 25 man rosters for the top two divisions. Nothing too expensive, unless the loan club is willing to subsidise a substantial portion safe in the knowledge their commodities will enjoy some flourishing, free-flowing football, for up to 93 days anyway. Below are 10 possible targets, rated on varying levels of probability…

Realistic

Luca Scapuzzi – Manchester City – striker – Italian – 20 –  eight years in the Milan youth set-up  - featured in the Dublin Super Cup, scoring against a League of Ireland XI and making bench in the City 0-3 against Inter

Oumare Tounkara – Sunderland – striker – French – 21 –  back from a decent spell at Oldham last season, scoring 7 goals in 44 appearances – offers exceptional size with some of the continetal flair Tony Mowbray has been known to appreciate

Casey Thomas – Swansea – striker – Welsh youth international at U17/U19/U21 – 20 – only 1 senior appearance, against us in our Champo bow back in August 2009 – lower league loans at Newport County and Port Talbot haven’t been too enriching for player or parent club – on the surface he may not be ready for semi-regular action at this level

Rob Hulse – QPR – striker/quintessential target man – English – 31 – previous rumoured target under Southgate and Strachan – work ethic and goal scoring is somewhat questionable – he’s an older Kris Boyd, and frankly superfluous in Boro’s preferred system

Roman Bednar – West Brom – striker/brute – Czech Republic – 28 – surprisingly named to the Premier League 25 man squad – he’s a handful on and off the pitch – cautioned for a minor drugs offence and suspended by the Baggies in May 2009 – back after spending the last 6 months in Turkey w/ Ankaragucu, which was the direct result of his nullifying an agreed move to Bristol City last January

Saido Berahino – West Brom – striker – Burundi born, now represents England at U20 level – 18 – scored a goal at the U20 world Cup in Colombia against the Aussies – he was dead chuffed over it

Ambitious

Harry Kane – Spurs – striker – English – 18 – good spell at Leyton Orient in the second half of 2010-11 – made his senior debut in Europa League reverse fixture against Hearts – won a penna, and failed to convert it – perhaps he’s not ready to leave the safe womb of London just yet

Callum McManaman – Wigan – striker – Scouse – 20 – kid is highly regarded by Roberto Martinez – offers versatility up front or out wide – distant relative of former Liverpool and Real Madrid favourite Steve McManaman, meaning he has post-career punditry deep in his DNA

Too Ambitious?

Simeon Jackson – Norwich City – striker – Canadian – 24 – a decent career goal scroring record: 93 in 237 at Rushden & Diamonds, Gillingham and the might Shopmates of Raunds Town – seemingly fourth choice behind Grant Holt, Steve Morison, and James Vaughan for Paul Lambert now – imagine him and Marvin Emnes abusing the stationary and limited centre backs that litter this division; a Dutchie and a Jamaican (by birth) blazing the grass beneath them

Adam Hammill – Wolves – winger – Scouse – 23 – creative left-sided player who can push forward to support up top – hot commodity in the January transfer window – Mick McCarthy got him for a pittance – first team opportunities could continue to dwindle with livewire Matt Jarvis and the ever-divisive Stephen Hunt ahead of him in the midfield pecking order

Work continues apace to bolster the ranks beyond the favours Gordo ostensibly cashed in to keep Marcus Bent for a few more weeks. The funds saved from the St Ledger screw-up (£3m) will also pad the unknown budget for a squad augmentation – so based on the conjecture available vis a vis possible targets and their reported asking price let’s call it somewhere nigh on £10m. Every bit of that will need wringing to ensure we can capitalize on the decent incision and passion displayed recently. That last bit of quality, creating chances, and goals, out of skill and intelligence – if it were present we’d still be talking Prem, the annual cup run, aspirations for repeats of previous glory. Without it we sit and contemplate the current untenable position – on the outside of serious promotion debate, irrelevant in the cups, borderline laughing stock because we tried to reshape and failed miserably – the days of Hasselbaink/Yakubu/Viduka and the like replaced w/ drab misrepresentations fueling a downward trajectory…

The middlesbroughfcblog.com casita witnessed live Boro footie on the telly for the first time since spring. Sod that nonsense! Like when we became full-time fag smokers, an informed decision was made – Ali and Gary Gill would guide us…the visuals there only for confirmation and reinforcement…here’s what we deduced by listening and not watching:

• Full strength squad – like we asked our Arsenal-loving and Rafa Benitez-taunting mate – does he really have a choice?
• Early on: Johnno has been electric – switching flanks to terrorise Cit-eh w/ maximum effect
• Mancini looks like a knob in his baseball cap
• Steady dusting of snow/precipitation – loads of empty seats
• Is Gordo salivating at the under-strength side fielded by the visitors? Benjani up front on his own??
• Final ball still lacking (see above)
• 30 mins – Johnno pulls up lame w/ a re-aggravation of his hamstring knack – ultimately subbed off for Marvin Emnes
• Shawky on the bench? What the eff?
• Gordo is hell Bent: castigating the striker because he thinks more can be done – Bent retorts w/ a ‘give me better service’ – it has been pretty appalling thus far
• Martin Petrov, in the eyes of an unbiased Arsenal supporter: ‘Why does a bloody Bulgarian need a little blue scarf? It’s hardly Turks and Caicos…Bulgarians rank just  above Turks…utter wankers’ (he is their best player of the first half though)
• And that’s why – sashaying through the middle of the park to carve open our defence and free Benjani for a cool finish right before the end of the half
• During the half-time cuppa and fag: Gary Gill asks are we content to contain their attack versus creating our own? Gamble, be brave!
• City improve their quality at the break – Richards/De Jong off – Barry/Tevez on
• 53 mins – Marvin Emnes off now after clattering w/ Pablo Zabaleta – unremarkable 23 mins from the Dutchie – Mark Yeates on
• Some of that nice work from The Boro: Hoyte and Franks juke and jive on the left to earn a corner – clearance from an indecisive Macca shot earns another – played long – Macca back on the left pops a beauty in at the far post that Rhys Williams plants on the top of Shay Given’s net
• Wheats labouring w/ a right ankle concern – existing niggle…
• 2^nd half has been a more ‘Come On Boro’ approach, but the will exerted to contain Cit-eh is compromising our attack – like we need help there!
• GOG MOM – Macca
• Final sortie – a corner delivered from GON finds Jonathan Franks – it’s on target but blocked by Sylvinho – hand ball??
• FT – Boro 0-1 Manchester Cini
• Post match – a dispirited Macca laments his two missed opportunities, along w/ the  inability to consistently carve out chances – GON: we worked hard – conceding when we did really dented the mood – the squad needs help – can’t compete w/ the WBA/Newcastles at this rate

Good riddance – naff off for this year FA Cup – Swansea on Saturday at the Riverside. Get that Celtic contingent down here post haste…

A tired repackaging of the same stale rhetoric followed post-match. Their keeper played a blinder. We created good chances. We’ve been on the wrong end of some decisions. Hopefully our luck will turn. There is a groundswell of negativity centered on Southgate – the consensus believes if he really loves this club he should walk away.

But the optimist views from a distance, noting that one or two results puts Boro back in the familiar reaches of lower mid-table. Maybe their sense of entitlement clouds any other rational judgement? It’s all a load of bollocks – our condition is critical, and we are lapsing towards Championship coma.

Middlesbrough 2 – 0 Manchester City

Afonso Alves introduced some Samba flair to the spot after the first bit of action post restart. Penalty or not? Danny Sturridge unquestionably felled David Wheater, and referee Lee Mason deemed it inside the box. Debate over…Alves beats Tuncay to the reward (no resistance anywhere from Stewart Downing) and sends City keeper Joe Hart the wrong way to give Boro a lead we’d not relinquish. It signaled the beginning of a 40+ minute display of effort, energy, intelligence, and aplomb from the hosts.

Ross Turnbull absorbed the occasional rushes from Shaun Wright-Phillips, Robinho et al. Stephen Ireland and Vincent Kompany also went close for the visitors, only to be bested by the first year keeper. And as City pressed for a late equaliser Boro broke; Gary O’Neil burst down the right unabated…his first time ball for Tuncay was initially cut out, cleared as far as O’Neil, who hammered home his first goal in Boro red. Long overdue, and a fair reward. The Likely Lads? Gary O’Neil, for breaking his duck; Afonso Alves produced a sublime penalty conversion; and Ross Turnbull – continually reaching for that number 1 shirt.

Middlesbrough 1 – 1 West Ham United

Abject for 70 minutes, no indications of any positive carry-over from the City match. Victimised by a comical Hayden Mullins finish that saw us down after 21 minutes. West Ham could’ve easily added more, rendering Boro fortunate at the interval. A change of tack in the second from the hosts, at least personnel wise. Boro did not trouble Hammers keeper Robert Green until the 79th, but Justin Hoyte’s header was ruled out for offside. 5 minutes later would see level terms…super sub Mido was pulled down on the edge of the box; his free kick stayed low on the turf and was unstoppable – Boro draw even at 1-1.

Ross Turnbull was commissioned into heroics late into injury time, pulling a terrific double save on Lee Bowyer and Jack Collison. No late lapses for us, no late bravery for the opponents – a fine point secured to propel Boro to 8th in the table at the end of this round. Likely Lads? West Ham kid Jack Collison, the 20 year old, bossed Boro’s engine room; Mido – 4 league goals so far, all huge, which used to be Mido, but not any more…he’s Parmo free.

Never Been To Boro

Welcome back Julio Arca! The Argentine back v City for a sometimes shady 15 minutes. Carelessly gave the ball away, only to atone with a few effortless tackles of his own, and a few class touches…he was much better v WHUFC. Chris Riggott is most certainly a full-time Premier League calibre centre back. Stoke City throws Arsenal asunder…AFC described as ‘complete lack of giving a shit’…Boro host Arsenal 13 Dec