Middlesbrough - end-of-season report
Monday, 02 Jun 2008 19:14
Middlesbrough - fan's 2007/08 end-of-season report
Good, bad or just the same old, same old? What the fans made of the 2007/08 season.
Could do better? Could do worse.
Boro were still mathematically in danger of relegation with three games to go - an absurd situation for a team who had performed well against some of the big four. The talent was clearly well in excess of teams such as Sunderland, Bolton and Wigan, yet mid-table, never mind Europe, seemed beyond a team whose form see-sawed too much for comfort.
Ultimately the Cardiff calamity removed what could have been a grand chance not only to illuminate the season but also improve on a poor record in cup finals. Yet Gareth Southgate is a young manager and the argument that the team is very much in transition has merit – perhaps sufficiently so for a season which ranged from the spectacular to the abysmal to be tolerated.
Goals proved too hard to come by for comfort until Manchester City showed up (or rather didn't), which may be attributed to a combination of the late arrival of Afonso Alves and the reinvention of Mido as a one-man defensive wall at free-kicks. The defence, however, did much better, with Mark Schwarzer performing well in his final season and the emergence of David Wheater persuading Southgate to cash in on the injury-prone Jonathan Woodgate, who may or may not have decided he can now afford a house in London with the Carling Cup win bonus he achieved with his nose.
Grade: D
High Point
Here's a question – which three teams beat Arsenal in the Premier League?
Two of them were evidently the best teams in Europe. The other was Middlesbrough, overcoming the French foreign legion 2-1 at the Riverside in December.
Add to this the team coming close to picking up six points when only a late equaliser saved Arsene Wenger's men at the Emirates Stadium and the ability of Boro to raise themselves for the big occasion – also demonstrated by the impressive performance in the home draw with Manchester United – was there for all to see. Such results resonate far more than even the 8-1 massacre of Manchester City.
Low Point
Goodbye Hyde, hello Jekyll.
A side that can play so well against the big boys couldn't help itself when it came to the minefield that was the FA Cup.
The cup shocks that saw off the big four opened up an opportunity for a club like Middlesbrough – or Portsmouth – to pick up the oldest trophy in the game.
Instead the calamitous, spineless defeat at the hands of Cardiff wrecked the best chance Teesside has seen of getting the cup paraded through its streets since the 1997 final.
Having had so many good results against big teams, there were some awful ones against teams Boro should have beaten.
The manager
This was a challenging season for Southgate and one on which the verdict must be an open one.
The FA Cup failure and the general league performance may be held against him, but he has certainly not shirked the big decisions, such as buying Alves for a record fee and selling Woodgate.
What matters now is whether he can shape the team into one that has the necessary determination not just to settle for staying in the Premier League but moving up to the next level.
Fan's Player of the Year
- Stewart Downing -
Downing's stunning volley against Manchester City encapsulated a season in which he was the outstanding performer with a goal tally in double figures.
With a new contract signed despite a move being on offer, Downing's commitment to the cause will also gain the vote of many fans and give him the nod ahead of David Wheater, whose emergence not only prompted the selling of Woodgate but also propelled him to the brink of the England squad.
Needs for Next Season
In terms of personnel, the adequate replacements of the departing Schwarzer and Fabio Rochembach are just two elements required, to which may be added the burning down of whichever pie shop has been frequented by Mido.
Most importantly, however, Boro must not settle for merely producing big performances against some of the best teams while losing at home to teams like Bolton and Cardiff.
A determination to emulate the sort of success Portsmouth have had needs to be the biggest addition to the squad, as this alone can lift the team from mediocrity back to the European stage.
Charles Britten