Jones; Hoyte, Wheater, Grounds, Pogatetz; Robson, O’Neil, Franks, Arca; Killen, McDonald

• Brad Jones back in goal – they say it’s to punish Danny Coyne for a dodgy performance at Derby…doesn’t it just really punish all of us?
• No Mick – he took ill prior to the match and naffed off home – Jonathan Grounds replaces him in the heart of defence
• Boro experimenting w/ a 4-3-3 formation: Franks pushes forward to create the trident attack w/ Killen/Mac…is it the type of improvisation inferred by Gordo midweek?
• Ali Brownlee lyricizes that he can ‘barely see the Eston Hills but for the mist’…why is he always pilloried by a lot of the locals?
• Reading bring an organized game – the hallmark of their recent surge…the clear form team in the league and fashionable dark horse playoff pick…
• 24^th permutation of the back line. Twenty fourth! And the 37 players used in the league equal the mark set by the promotion winning squad of 1997-98…
• Pogi – bravely available to play, however short-sighted his appointment to the first choice LB role may be, is getting forward…in the 19^th minute he advances deep enough to loft a beautiful cross into the Reading box – Killen rises and gets good contact but his effort sails wide
• Gary Gill comments on the state of David Wheater: experiencing pain ‘in the nethers’, while giggling like a school child
• The derision aimed at Jonesey was somewhat less than anticipated – on 30 minutes he cancels out a strong header from Shane Long…Jobi McAnuff supplied the ball…strong left hand from Brad
• The goalkeeper heroics are about the peak of the first half highlights…mundane, insipid, languid, dire…they’re all appropriate
• HT Boro 0-0 Reading 
• Reading had the best chance courtesy of Shane Long – GG reckons we’d have a few ourselves if not for the absence of good final balls…he elucidates: half chances for us, no more – more input needed from Mac and Franks too
• 2^nd starts on a high – after a half time rollicking? – 77 seconds is all that’s needed for Boro to take command of the match: Justin Hoyte delivers from the right – a real peach of a cross – and Chris Killen climbs majestically to beat Reading keeper Adam Federici -   Boro 1-0 Reading – 47 minutes 
• It’s the start of a dominating spell for the hosts – immediately after the goal Boro win it back and GON romps forward to offer a strong shot – tangible improvements so far
• Referee Andy Hall is a taskmaster: 25 yellow cards and two reds dished out…in his last 5 matches…seems the virtual rent-a-mob that has him in their sights is entirely justified – he’s kept it in his trousers so far – Julio Arca is the only name in his book so far
• GG is royalty after all: the anointed King of Linthorpe Road says his broadcast partner
• The pace of the match has picked up nicely, and it’s chiefly down to one man: Jimmy Kebe - the Mali international has caused all sorts of bother for Pogi down the right – this time his cross isn’t dealt w/ properly and it slaps off of David Wheater and into the Boro – no immediate anger at Brad Jones – Boro 1-1 Reading – 63 mins
• Attendance: 17082 (375 away fans)
• The largely anonymous Scott McDonald taken off for former Royal Leroy Lita – he’s looking to make it 2 in 2 against his old club this season
• Chris Killen presses Adam Federici again – great movement from the Kiwi as he rolled his marker and belted a shot that thumped off the keeper’s chest
• Cameo appearance for Marvin Emnes – he joins the action to replace Jonathan Franks – Gordo is hoping for a turbo boost of our own that can rival the pace of Kebe
• Late on it’s Jonesey standing tall – a dangerous free kick from Sigurdsson is punched straight into the air inside the Boro area – the former understudy keeper does well to collect in the dying moments of regular time
• GG MOM – Brad Jones
• The 5 minutes added come to mostly nothing – Reading had a decent go to force another Jonesey save – for Boro there was a promising corner that was cleared quite easily – no real impact from the subs – LL shot his bolt when he scored down there – and Marvin might need a bit more time to assimilate to the English game for he lost possession far too easily…yet again
• FT Boro 1-1 Reading

We’re drawing ourselves into the Championship table for next season, before that high-profile scheduler at the league offices has to…Preston on Tuesday w/ a few wankers in tow…namely their gaffer and star centre-half

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 Coyne; Naughton, Wheater, McManus, Taylor; Robson, O’Neil, Williams, Arca; Killen, McDonald

• Marvin Emnes no longer missing in action – he’s back on the bench…still no Nani though
• Barry Robson continues his recent brilliance – inside 3 minutes his free kick seems destined for the Derby net, only to be headed away to safety at the last
• Talk about fine fettle: Robbo opens the scoring for us again! A wonder strike from the edge of the area into the top right corner past a helpless David Martin – Derby 0-1 Boro – 15 mins
• Gordon Strachan Appreciation Society thriving on AV’s live blog – the old resistance to the new gaffer it certainly isn’t on display here
• Danny Coyne earning the virtual platitudes too for his overall composure
• And it’s gone straight to his head around 30 minutes as he tries to invoke some of the past goalkeeping calamities – some butterfingers moments are mitigated nicely by intervention from Mick
• Results at this stage – 40 mins in – going our way…sort of: Coventry losing…to Cardiff – but oh, Blackpool are down…to Sheff Utd…double balls!
• Completely unrelated to the goings on at Pride Park, and maybe best kept to ourselves…we’ve quite the soft spot for plucky Plymouth…Paul Mariner seems a good geezer and he’s quite familiar w/ our part of the world
• HT Derby 0-1 Boro
• Gary Gill thinks we look quite comfortable – Ali Brownlee goes further, saying we’re bossing the middle of the park and doing what we please
• 30 seconds into the 2^nd half GON is clattered – down momentarily but good to continue – Gordo only has 4 recognised midfielders you know
• AV chimes in amid the love-in for Barry Robson: ‘To be fair you wouldn’t want Robson to look at you… he has the black cold eyes of a shark, totally focused on the prey, and he has the tetchy Caledonian growl of of David Moyes too. Scary. Respect.’
• Boro continue the search for a second goal which could well kill off this affair – Mac looked to have bagged it in the 57^th min if not for a questionable off side decision
• Failure to step on the throat is finally punished: Chris Porter – recently on for Robbie Savage – powers home a header at the far post…Coyne lacked the inches to properly divert the ball…67 mins – Derby 1-1 Boro
• Double bugger as they say…6 minutes later it’s Michael Tonge – on loan from Stoke – volleying home from 25 yards to give the hosts a shock lead…Derby 2-1 Boro…two Derby crosses dealt with before the clearance fell nicely to the former Blades midfielder
• Gordo is going for it though – Lee Miller on for Arca in the 83^rd min to join recent sub Leroy Lita up front w/ Scott McDonald
• Hope is substituted for resignation after Rhys Williams commits a second bookable offence – first yellow given in 1^st half stoppage time – and is correctly sent off in the 88^th min – petulant foul on Dean Leacock
• Amazing spirit and fight under less than ideal circumstances! Leroy Lita atones for past transgressions by heading home an unlikely equalizer in stoppage time – Derby 2-2 Boro
• The rediscovered goodwill is quickly eviscerated – keep your damn kit on man…please fine and/or rollick him
• GG MOM – Barry Robson
• FT Derby 2-2 Boro

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With midseason transfer business usually dragging until the end of the term, the club endeavour to continue vetting targets. Lately we’ve heard Leon Best from Coventry – scorer of a wonder goal v Pompey in their FA Cup replay earlier this week – and Wes Hoolahan of Norwich, an assiduous winger, ideal as a replacement for Adam Johnson should he naff off to Sunderland or Everton. Throw in a spot of QPR’s Wayne Routledge and you have enough chum to hold the baying mob, temporarily at least. Though descriptions of old Wayne as a ‘combo midfielder who can play upfront’ invoke inherent hatred derived from similar failed experiments – see exhibits Aliadiere, Emnes, and/or Tuncay.

Collectively, it’s enough to stimulate hope. There’s a distinct outline in the new vision – more spine, steel, focus, and discipline – less faffing about w/ pretty passing and precision movement, because we simply haven’t the resources or personnel to implement it. And Gordon Strachan keeps getting managerial work not just for his acerbic wit, but because his austere system that emphasises grinding and plodding and fighting really does work.

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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…

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This is from our tea-stained, yellowed-from-chain-fag-smoke handwritten notes:

• Digard not even on the bench – Emnes being marginalized too – the jewels of the 2008 summer transfer window are fading from view
• With so much of the offense channeled through Adam Johnson, how could we even envisage replacing him?
• Danny Butterfield was churned often by Johnno – why didn’t we exploit him more after he picked up a booking?
• Took some time for Isaiah Osbourne to get stuck in – much better in the 2^nd half, winning balls and exerting more attacking pressure
• That old whinger Warnock may be right when boasting of Julian Speroni as best keeper in the division
• Gary Gill says get the ball to the strikers earlier and minimize the gap between midfield and the final third
• 4 on 1 – Leroy Lita had Johnno, Hoyte and Bent caterwauling for the ball, and he goes for glory and pisses all over the best chance of the match
• More corner-related goal gifting: Palace pulsated into a counter attack, Hoyte couldn’t get a head to cross, ball falls for Ambrose…bang…down 1-0
• Square-peggism – Arca on for Hoyte, Rhys Williams to right back, Gary O’Neil moves central, Arca back to the right flank
• Jonathan Franks – on for Lita – spanks a great chance that was saved by Speroni
• Frenetic finish in the 4 minutes of stoppage time, but Boro in the end cannot crack the Crystal Palace conundrum

Forest next on the 21^st…

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The Gareth Southgate Memorial Starting XI included Julio Arca in the right midfield role, and Emanuel Pogatetz, making his return after 6 months out following knee surgery, at left-back. Arca RM and the Mad Dog LB. Oh dear. Arca astoundingly exceeded expectations, providing stability on the right and delivering a succession of good crosses – the best of the lot being a glorious needle that Marcus Bent should have buried…

Other notes gleaned from our live multi-pronged broadcasting attack:

• The Arca RM experiment would work better if Justin Hoyte occasionally used his biggest strength, pace, to bomb down the right flank

• No Joe Bennett…anywhere

• GS2 quite animated early on in the technical area – gesticulating to Arca, and imploring Marvin Emnes to be less mobile…huh?

• Plymouth are very organized on the counter-attack, and they’re producing enough of them to harangue the Boro defence

• Horrific injury to Pogi – he clashed heads w/ Argyle defender David Gray and lay supine for several minutes, ultimately stretchered off – the initial prognosis is 6 weeks off after recent cheekbone surgery

• Marcus Bent made a fist of it in his 45 minute debut, but his lack of match fitness prevented the kind of fluidity and brawn that punctuates his game

• Was Wheater woeful in defending the attack that produced the goal? We lacked any visuals, and Ali seemingly sugar-coated it and highlighted the deft finish from Jamie Mackie

• And in the tradition of his Stewart Downing emulation, Adam Johnson was atrocious in his penalty attempt that could have salvaged a point – Sean St Ledger was imperious in pillaging forward to earn it, but after the earlier miss at Scunny it must be time Johnno relinquished those duties

Another week with his new boys, more time for Gordo to imprint his brand of football on these impressionable minds…

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As we reveled in our tech totality – AV from the press box, Ali/Gary in the booth, and a dubious feed scrambled across the Middle East and then into our laptop – here were the observations that made it in the notebook:

• Johnno’s goal – really magic; Leroy Lita chased down the long goal kick and held up play for the onrushing AJ…clinical finish
• Gary O’Neil was very offensive-minded, advancing more forward than usual and getting efforts in on goal – the free kick for the first goal probably should’ve been dealt with, but good for the midfielder’s confidence no doubt
• Rhys Williams thundered that shot off the woodwork – the potential 3-1 lead would have been unassailable
• The foul on Joe Bennett leading to the free kick that produced the leveler was ridiculous – the young left back is clearly being unfairly targeted for his refreshingly physical approach – and the late off side ruling against Johnno as Boro pressed deep in stoppage time was bullshit too…
• If Gordo has time, maybe convert Emnes to a RM role…could work…isn’t that what we bought him as?

Get well soon Moz…

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(patterned on the squad for Bristol City)

Danny Coyne – no longer, if ever, relevant for Wales…16 senior caps since 1996

Tony McMahon – no England activity apart from U-17, U-18 levels

David Wheater – his star has faded recently, but the Redcar Rock will surely resurface after garnering Fabio Capello’s attention – 3 total call-ups, twice named a substitute for friendlies v France and Trinidad & Tobago

Jonathan Grounds – no tangible English experience…still making a name for himself, admirably, at club level

Andrew Taylor – an England U-21 stalwart, which is surprising cos he rarely impresses in our shirt

Mark Yeates – yet to make an imprint for Ireland, who seem overpopulated w/ likeable midfield grafters and scamps who can’t quite sustain the desired quality and class

Adam Johnson – destined to break w/ the next wave of English regulars – he may succeed where his predecessor didn’t: making the left wing of England his alone

Rhys Williams – national ambivalence saw the young starlet turn out for Wales at youth levels, only to oscillate back to his country of birth, Australia…part of the extended squad selected for the Socceroos successful World Cup qualifying campaign

Julio Arca – only repatriation to a neophyte nation could resuscitate a long dead international career

Leroy Lita – impressed at the 2007 U-21 European Championships for England – botched a notable penalty v Czech Republic early in the competition, but registered goals in the next three contests…named to the UEFA Dream Team for the event

Marvin Emnes – excelled in limited duty for the Holland U-17s…now featuring for the U-21s…scored a brace during a friendly earlier this year in a friendly we embarrassingly cannot locate

Substitutes – Jason Steele will keep goal for England seniors eventually; Justin Hoyte had his run at England U-21 level; Seb Hines may want to invoke his American eligibility to assure glory for country; Josh Walker, Joe Bennett and Jonathan Franks are still nascent to the English scene; et Jeremie Aliadiere…vitesse supérieure non française

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Gary O'Neil - brass in pocket

In the end Gaz will take a fairly strong side to City Ground for the league cup clash w/ Nottingham Forest, 4-time league cup winners during a dominating decade-plus spell. Marvin Emnes remains highly questionable after the head injury suffered v Doncaster; Digard, Pogi, and Chris Riggott still recover from their various maladies; and Gary O’Neil succumbed to the hernia injury he bravely elected to fight through – his courage is commended as he prepares for a 3 week layoff after surgery…we initially questioned where he was on Saturday w/ no announcement made, or noticed, until today…get well GON, for you are £5m we could potentially use for further squad revision…

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The Swans edged Boro in most major areas – 53% possession, 15 total shots – but it didn’t seem there was terribly much for Danny Coyne and the rest of the back line to do. The physicality that many expected us to be deficient of was on display again…more of a Birmingham approach, less Wolves, defensive-centric, that gets you promoted too. And it may have to be the foundation if we are to expect no more new players coming in, despite occasional rumblings to the contrary. It’s the propensity for late sales, Robert Huth rumours to Fulham/Stoke continue apace, that don’t have time for replacing that should be of greatest concern. We dallied after the Luke Young sale, Catts was sold, not replaced, then flogged to Steve Bruce again 12 months later, this time to the Mackems! AV said it best in a nod to Stocktongate: at least he can finally play for his home club.

Cheers to Smoggy Chris for providing a feed of live BBC Radio Tees coverage from Ali Brownlee and Gary Gill at the ubiquitous justin.tv – for reasons unknown this will be an option exclusively for away fixtures, and that’s good enough for us

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