Boro – ‘an ambitious football club’…it feels terrific saying and hearing that…a proper half-cocked look ahead to the new campaign should be available later this week

Millwall – a bit of an unknown – I reckon you get beat up pretty quickly if you stray too far from the New Den, but as for the footie, there’s Steve Morison and Neil Harris banging in goals, and the omnipotent on-field leadership of club captain Paul Robinson…Kenny Jackett has plenty of options in his arsenal…a comfortable mid-table finish wouldn’t be a gross overachievement considering…

Norwich – tremendous turnaround in the last 12 months: get thrashed 7-1 by Colchester, at home, upon their League One return, sack manager Bryan Gunn , hire Paul Lambert – the man responsible for the beatdown that prompted outrage across Norfolk – then go and win the fecking league and get promoted back to the Championship…Old Farm derbies versus Ipswich Town return…Wes Hoolahan is a natural talent on the attacking left, and Grant Holt absolutely murdered goals last season…Simeon Jackson was brought in from Gillingham to add depth, and maybe even some competition for club top scorer, wresting it from the captain number nine…

Nottingham Forest – Billy Davies nervously laughs off the perceived incompetence of his advisory board…he wants players, can’t get no money for them, then casually bends the ear of anyone willing to listen about the whole injustice of it all…a hearty favourite for first-to-get-the-sack if things go pear-shaped early at the City Ground…his accomplishments at this level are well-respected, it’s just he doesn’t tend to stay around very long…

Portsmouth – in a world of fucking hurt…their North American death trip was bad beyond belief, and their rumoured to be hit with a 20 point deduction – possibly even liquidation…those near and dear to the club are bracing for another precipitous drop…but hey, at least Kanu will still be around…

Preston - Alan Irvine was harshly dismissed during a sour patch, and boy wonder Darren Ferguson swooped in amid some controversy: tapping up his former players…some of their wags too if the virtually gossip was to be believed…Ferg Jr couldn’t spin any immediate magic, even with the rich loan resources afforded thanks to purple papa…up until now his time in charge has focused on spouting post-match nonsense and eliminating those ill suited for his style of play

QPR – old Neil Warnock took the challenge – expertly disguised as a satchel full of bundles of crisp notes – across town and went poaching his old Crystal Palace and Sheffield United players…Clint Hill, Shaun Derry, Paddy Kenny, players he’s comfortable with…sounds like a transfer policy Boro fans are learning to embrace…and it’s fun listening to him talk…affable, controversial, frank…

Reading – prime contender for automatic promotion – a fantastic array of skilled and admired players including Gylfi Sigurosson, Jobi McAnuff, Shane Long, Jimmy Kebe, Adam Federici…the change in fortune from when Brian McDermott took over is a sweet confection Reading fans will not want to relinquish…they’re expected to hit the ground running and challenge all season for the title

Scunthorpe – is their magic act coming to a conclusion? Gary Hooper was finally flogged, and Paul Hayes went to Preston…Nigel Adkins will have to buckle the belt a tad tighter this term – staying up will be another small miracle in North Lincolnshire

Sheffield United - they certainly do embrace the style that typically embodies this league: gritty, robust, and brawny…ostensible skills: none really come to mind, other than kicking lumps out of the opposition and boring the pants off of spectators…Daniel Bogdanovic is in from Barnsley for goals, and the man Kevin Blackwell heralded as his January transfer target, Mark Yeates, remains in the fold…

Swansea – the dashing, jet-setting, champagne-drinking Iberian playboy that casually hits on all the wives and girlfriends has gone, off to pillage the birds of Leicester…from what we hear of new gaffer Brendan Rodgers the latent narcissism will still pervade – a Guardian poster recently quipped that the failed Reading boss would marry himself if it were legal…the slick and caressing passing game first introduced by ESPN heartthrob Roberto Martinez shall remain, it’s now the embraced ideology decrees chairman Huw Jenkins, with or without predatory full back Angel Rangel, target of future Championship opponents Blackpool…

Watford – the key for Malky Mackay is the loan market – if big four starlets like Tom Cleverley and Henri Lansbury, or any other of their contemporaries, continue their on-the-job training at Vicarage Road, then perhaps the Hornets can battle for a near-mid table finish…otherwise, the slog could be long and rough…ludicrous prediction: Gareth Southgate will manage this club before the end of the season…

Related Posts

1. Checking In On The Championship – Important Questions and Daft Quips – Part One
2. Championship Table Dance – Quick End Of Season Thoughts On All 24 Teams
3. Not Addicted – Casual Betting Advice For Round 3 Of The Championship

West Bromwich Albion – it’s their bi-yearly migration north…can they solve the riddle of consolidation? Roberto di Matteo goes from League One to the Prem in a meteoric two years…

Nottingham Forest – rode an amazing wave of form to control 3rd spot…tight, organised, fitter, and more up for it than most of the opposition…Billy Davies gets teams promoted…maintaining that status? not so much…

Cardiff City – overcame the usual late season bottle job, and
administration bother…bags of goals…they’d be entertaining if
promoted…

Leicester City – improbable cohesion – Nigel Pearson should be investigated for human cloning violations – a steely and determined side, crafted in the mould of the former Boro man
Blackpool – Ian Holloway has a little dance…the form side who slid into the playoffs – those types have a history of running the playoff gauntlet – Pool haven’t been in 1st division since ‘71

Swansea – there’s your Welsh bottle job – top 6 stalwarts for most of the season were doomed by lack of goal punch – will Sousa stay?

Sheffield United – promising finish, though they rarely were serious
promotion contenders…welcome back Paddy Kenny!

Reading – major turnaround under Brian McDermott – strong cup run buoyed league form

Bristol City – seemingly couldn’t lose under Keith Millen – Nicky
Maynard bagged a quiet 20 goals, especially the cracker v Pool that nearly spoiled their party

Boro – more later

Doncaster Rovers – free flowing footie under Sean O’Driscoll was frequently pleasing to the eye…can’t complain over top half finish

Queens Park Rangers – survived the standard managerial merry-go-round – Warnock says they’ll have to be reckoned w/ next term as they mount a serious promotion push

Derby County – better from young Nigel – will continue to build and ideally push for a top 10 finish

Ispwich Town – disappointing…after Roy Keane got the job late last season they responded strongly…horrific start to campaign was insurmountable

Watford – decent football at times, though their stars were all loan players – Tom Cleverley was outstanding…

Preston North End – little Ferg has them more organised…can he work some of the old Posh promotion magic?

Barnsley – Mark Robins was a great appointment – never an easy game – he’ll get more time to change the culture

Coventry City – briefly flirted w/ playoffs for a spell, even after selling Leon Best

Scunthorpe United – tremendous achievement to stay up given their paucity of resources…will look to cash in on the popular goalhawk Gary Hooper

Crystal Palace – promotion attempts railroaded by administration…did just enough under Paul Hart to avoid possible extinction

Sheffield Wednesday – despair at final day relegation – American
investment and sound stewardship of Alan Irvine should see a quick return to the Championship

Plymouth Argyle – the affable Paul Mariner instilled a courageous
spirit after the sacking of Paul Sturrock…sadly they couldn’t ride
it out the basement

Peterborough United – out of their depth, and the resulting
instability – sacking Ferguson and Cooper – was too big a
specter…revived under Jim Gannon for a spell…now Gary Johnson is the man to architect a new push back up

Related Posts

1. Checking In On The Championship – Important Questions and Daft Quips – Part Two
2. Checking In On The Championship – Important Questions and Daft Quips – Part One
3. Not Addicted – Casual Betting Advice For Round 3 Of The Championship

Billy Davies couldn’t have been serious? A matter of time before you scored? Really? The dereliction of duty committed by Leroy Lita for not playing to the whistle was really the only accelerant for a super-charged move that resulted in the goal. Sure, Radoslaw Majewski clipped the bar w/ a delightful free kick…and Robert Earnshaw was certainly menacing at times, however we did enjoy long spells of the ball. Unfortunately we created fuck all w/ it. Nothing clear cut despite some late desperation salvos from Pogi/Stephen McManus/Leroy Lita – all finding either a crude clearance or the safety of Forest keeper Lee Camp.

 We took a visit to the local ‘exotic dance’ club for a slice of good fortune. All the good it got us was waking up surprisingly not hung over from the strawberry margaritas – the secret ingredient is extra tequila – for a virtual rendezvous w/ BBC Radio Tees…portable parmo aficionado Ali Brownlee and Gary Gill instead of she’s-a-struggling-student-and-a-good-kid Kayla from Riverside County…balls!

Coyne; Naughton, Wheater, McManus , Pogatetz; Flood, O’Neil, Robson, Arca; Aliadiere, McDonald

• Still no Killen, so why is Lee Miller – ineffectual as he may be – on the bench?
• GON toughing it out…Pogi too after a late fitness test
• Majestic Majewski forces Danny Coyne to full stretch! Superb free kick may have gotten a slight touch, but it clips the crossbar and out for goal kick
• Boro respond w/ prolonged pressure – Arca shoots artfully from 20 yards – corner – pinged around the box…plenty of good touches…Forest agitated for sure
• Aliadiere getting into good positions, but Gary Gill sums it up expertly: you never feel he’s going to score
• Boro seeking first win @ City Ground since 1999
• Steve Agnew – remarkably still employed – predicted to Ali earlier this week that the team will be rewarded for their hard work and dedication on set pieces in recent training
• Good reasons for Gordo to be pleased – organized, assertive, attacking – but he’s not…we edged the half and really deserved something – HT Forest 0-0 Boro
• Penetrative reporting from Mark Drury: the gaffer really lost his rag at the end of the half – the final free kick was shambolic in every aspect – Forest have reinforcement options if needed…subs are warming up at the beginning of the break
• 2^nd half – Forest unbeaten at home since 19 Sep 09 to Pool 0-1
• Tame first 15 minutes – Chris Gunter has the first real crack in the 61^st minute – not too troubling – goal kick
• GG: a good challenge or two is just as effective as a goal in getting the crowd energized
• Forest get their goal – Lita stopped playing, the home side broke free – Majewski squares it – Chris Cohen meets it to sweep into the net – Forest 1-0 Boro – 72 min
• Robust ovation for Robert Earnshaw – off for David McGoldrick
• Leroy Lita attempts to atone w/ a venomous shot from absolutely nowhere! Tipped out by Camp
• Crazy final 10 mins – flurry of activity from Boro…corner after corner…Pogi smashed a goalbound effort that was saved…Forest break…McKenna we think sprinting into the box and down…no pen!
• Real frenetic stuff – Forest deploy their ‘absolute beast’… Dele Adebola
• 4 mins added – most of it uneventful – final 45 secs sees Danny Coyne come forward for a shit corner from GON – the subsequent free kick too – Leroy again…rolls his marker…wicked shot…effing saved by Camp’s knees…it’s later speculated that had he gone down amidst the robust challenge from Wes Morgan he could have maybe earned a penalty…
• FT Forest 1-0 Boro – one switch off…no clear cut chances…a lack of professionalism…
• GG MOM – Wheats

QPR bring their sideshow north Saturday – Warnock has a mate who might have booked a room already…

Related Posts

1. Stay Hungry – Still Plenty For Boro To Do
2. Has It Come To This? Resignation Prevails Over Immediate Boro Future
3. Brilliant Mistake – Boro Relent In Pompey Struggle

Gary O’Neil is a man. He’s a fucking badass. Forgoing a debilitating groin niggle, the Boro skipper is to marshal the charge into the City Ground to face still-in-form Forest, a club still flying in the top reaches of the Championship despite a poor run of recent form.  Boro crashed out of the Carling Cup there earlier – a gritty 2-1 affair decided in the final moments – and settled for a generous draw at the Riverside in the corresponding league fixture.  Faint hopes of the play-offs flicker, though expectations for another season of this…the 5^th most competitive in Europe…are keenly resigned to. Anything more is a bonus. Success hinges on a goal run being established by the custom picked strike force – Scott McDonald, Chris Killen, and Lee Miller – the lanky Kiwi the only one to register so far. Mac’s failed penalty on Tuesday is destined for folklore pertaining to this lost season.

Gordon Strachan is expected to have a nearly full compliment to choose from…expect Killen upfront w/ McDonald, a more traditional 4-4-2…shift Robson to the left, Flood inside w/ GON, Naughton or Hoyte on the right flank…

Ruminations for sure – we’ll be up early for Ali/GG and their live representation to draw our own laboured conclusions. The paucity of blog fodder will continue to be fomented by social networking content…heads up for some peppermint tea and fags comments and ratings…

Related Posts

1. Getting Nowhere Fast – Boro Idling Outside Playoff Positions
2. Boro Fever Overcomes Preston And Midfield Cover For A Month
3. Show Of Strength – Boro Valiant Against League Leaders

• How many away goals do we have to score to protect against defensive lapses?
• Is the diminishing defensive prowess down to St Ledger? Can he co-exist w/ Wheater, or any of our centre-backs?
• The illustrative nature of the kit cock-up – a pretty damning picture of the dearth of focus and direction at multiple levels within the club
• Kitson was a revelation against Posh, and he’s desperately the type of commanding up-front presence we need, but have we forgotten that he’s relatively adamant his stay on Teesside is temporary

We missed the match – only the second in 4 years that couldn’t be followed in some live shape due to transit logistics – but caught up via the live blog. Slightly sophomoric this time round…save the cheap gags for after-match celebrations. Don’t let it morph into the disorganized mess we witness on the pitch.

And to maintain journalistic concentration, belated notes from the Forest draw presented in a holiday-style sampler:

• Pogatetz was back – and pretty useful after just three weeks removed from the fractured cheekbone v Plymouth
• EARLY GOAL!! – Arca pushed forward from the right, was spoon-fed by Johnno, shaped a shot palmed away by Lee Camp, tucked away by Leroy Lita
• Bright start for Boro, but Forest persevered and started to control the match – Jonesey made a string of decent saves to close the half
• Dave Kitson: Ginger Ninj-er!
• Forest level through a routine Rob Earnshaw free kick – poor
• AV eagle-eye view: ‘Forest look fitter, faster, and more up for it’
• Fortunate to get a point frankly – Forest dominated for long spells later on, we lost any attacking creativity…the fitness/focus concerns are alarming

Related Posts

1. A Big Day In The North – Boro Tuning Up For Toon Clash
2. These Things Take Time – Boro Fall To Pilfering Plymouth
3. Back To The Old House – Boro At The Ready For Forest Incursion

Reinforcements have been brought in – namely the 6′3″ of  ginger tincture that is Dave Kitson, on loan from Stoke City through the end of the year. Middlesbrough’s new, albeit temporary, mastadon is tasked with getting on the end of all those crosses that are to start coming into the opposing penalty area as the club look to break their duck under the new gaffer. Emanuel Pogatetz expects to contend for a starting berth as well after an express recovery from the fractured cheekbone suffered v Plymouth. We’d machinate more of a squad plan if it weren’t for the lingering getting-to-know-you phase miring the club since the new managerial appointment. Plus, we’ve a proper piss-up later this evening and can’t be fussed.

We do know that Forest are historically regal against us – Boro haven’t won in the last 12 head-to-head contests,  and Forest have 5 consecutive away wins on Teesside. Despite the two weeks off,  our extra hour of slumber will be relished, and we’ll be there shotgun w/ AV and his live matchcast.

The good, the bag, and the ugly shall follow sometime later in the weekend – result pending of course…

Related Posts

1. Desolation Row – Same Problems For Boro Force New Fury
2. Reshaped Boro Ready For Their Bow
3. No More Of That – Boro Get Their Chance To Confront Cardiff

Boro avert any injury crisis, job done, distinguished exit, next up Bristol City…it becomes a bit of a curate’s egg: not good that we miss out on exposure and potential cash windfall, but equally not bad that we can shave a few fixtures from an already demanding fixture list…

Related Posts

1. Getting Nowhere Fast – Boro Idling Outside Playoff Positions
2. Back To The Old House – Boro At The Ready For Forest Incursion
3. Championship Table Dance – Quick End Of Season Thoughts On All 24 Teams

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…

Related Posts

1. Getting Nowhere Fast – Boro Idling Outside Playoff Positions
2. Back To The Old House – Boro At The Ready For Forest Incursion
3. The Irony Of It All – Surprise Striker Returns To Jumpstart Boro

So it looks like we will not have the squad proper sorted until September. Boro seem content exercising the balance of the transfer window to raise more funds, facilitating the badly needed amendments to a core first team already compromised by injury: Didier Digard is out for up to a month; Gary O’Neil is sooo desperate to bugger off that he’s postponing a hernia operation in hopes of attracting a suitor situated anywhere but the north-east…brave through Gary, for if not it will be like cutting off your balls to spite your dick; midfield debutante Rhys Williams picked up a minor knock v Sheffield Utd but appears okay…

Gazza is still dreaming of Rob Hulse, but he may have to make due w/ Marlon Harewood and/or Gillingham sensation Simeon Jackson…the latter not a bad punt after an opening week hat-trick v Swindon and 25 goals last season

The fissure amongst the fan base continues to widen – some people are pissed off and feel betrayed, and others are pissed off that some people are pissed off and feel betrayed. The rival factions can be distilled to Get Rid of Him and Get Behind the Club Unconditionally – a less-than-ideal start should breed enough contempt to make option A viable, but the buoyancy of a new season personally overrides any latent vitriol…for better or worse, you made the choice, or it was made for you…Absolute Boro – AV  moderates the virtual debate, using ‘political’ in his preamble more than CNN during the 2008 US presidential elections…

and just announced: Boro travel to Forest for a Championship-themed Carling Cup round 2 affair

Related Posts

1. Stoned To Say The Least – Boro Bullied in Derby Clash
2. What We All Want – Boro Need To Burke The Cups
3. Wake Up – Boro Back To Business After This Endless International Break

Nickname(s): Forest, The Reds

Ground: City Ground

From Boro: 130 miles south – 2.5 hours by motor

Kit: they have worn red, later named Garibaldi Red, since the inception of the club in 1865; it’s why Arsenal wear it too…

Silverware: Forest was the English epicenter of football in the late 70’s, capturing their only top flight title in 1978, followed by consecutive European Cups in 1979 and 1980…other historical plaudits: 4 League Cups (1978, 1979, 1989, 1990,) 2 FA Cups (1898, 1951), European Super Cup (1979)

Rivalries: The East Midlands derby with, erm Derby, remains fierce, but Leicester’s promotion ensures another set of tumultuous tumbles in the league this campaign…and the recent developments at Notts County may foster yet another hot contention

Related Posts

1. The English Motorway System – Ipswich
2. The English Motorway System – Derby
3. The English Motorway System – Doncaster