Brighton vs Middlesbrough - Post Match Analysis

On the face of it, 2-1 looks like a hard fought game, with one team just edging out their opponents out. Truthfully, however, Brighton's only real times of threat came in the opening 10 and closing 10 minutes of the game (not including the 5 for extra time.)

Kazenga LuaLua and Gary Gardener both with chances to score for the seagulls, and Tomlin claiming a penalty for the visitors was the only real opportunities of note, before Boro who made the break through 8 minutes in to the first half, with Lee Tomlin firing in a pull back to the edge of the box from Reach and Tomlin dispatched willingly into the top corner. I never doubted him ...

Then ensued a heated period, with players from both teams, and George Friend's foul on Brighton's Texieria meaning he had to be replaced by one Paddy McCourt. The man who, not 1 year earlier waltzed through a hopeless and frankly unrecognisable Boro team, with Friend, Leadbitter and Adomah the only noticeable survivors. Friend was then on the receiving end of a poor tackle from Gardner, but afterwards, referee Andy D'Urso, had words and tempers calmed.

Into the second half, Brighton seemed to continue in the same way in which they ended the first, having a lot of the ball but doing nothing with it. It was the story of their game, in truth and they looked like a team win- less since August 23rd, and not in any hurry to change that. They clearly missed the fire power of Ulloa who is now enjoying life in the Premier League. His replacements in Baldock and O'Grady who were in relegated to and in League 1 respectively last year look off the pace if truth be told and Gibson and Ayala were rarely troubled too much. 

In fact, Ayala was so untroubled, we felt like he wanted to stretch his legs, so, in the 53rd minute, he decided to run from one box to the other, only stopping to interchange passes, and laid a ball into the feet of 'Uncle Albert' and, after hitting the first shot off Stockdale, followed up and scored Boro's second of the day and his 3rd of the season.

It wasn't until the dying embers of the game, that Brighton began to pick their way through our tight nitted defensive shape (which those listening to BBC Tees will realise was very important to Neil Maddison.) Bennett headed straight at big Dimi and O'Grady fired wide from close range.

Our back line was eventually broken down by Brighton, with Scot Gordon Greer heading in from a McCourt cross that had been flicked on by Colunga. A very poor goal to concede from a Boro point of view as it was very avoidable. 

Despite some late pressure from the home side, our back line held strong and we came away with our 11th point from a possible 15. And our 7th game unbeaten

So all in all, a good outing from the lads, kept our nerve against a tricky opposition. The next game, however, will show our true metal. It'll show if we are true promotion candidates or if we'll fail against the big guns when it matters with Wolves who have been in an around us all year and the current table toppers, Watford on Saturday, a game I shall definitely be attending.

Thanks for reading again, and as always, up the Boro and there is only 1 Steve Gibson!

Milos Veljkovic

It's been confirmed that we, today, have signed Milos Veljkovic on loan from Spurs until January, with an option to extend that to the end of the season. He can apparently play centre back or central midfield.

#452817096 / gettyimages.com

I would say a good £10 of my money would go on the fact this lad will play defensive midfield for us, although I doubt there's a market for that. Just because we have Ayala, Omeruo, Gibson and Woody who can play centre back, along with George if needs be, and we only have Grant, Clayton and Deano who can play defensive midfield. But why can't he play both positions? Could be a younger Rhys Williams.

Veljkovic becomes the 6th player to come into Boro on loan, after Jelle Vossen, the Chelsea trio of Omeruo, Bamford and Blackman and Milos' partner at Spurs; Ryan Fredericks. Meaning that they all can't play in the same game together, and being the most players loaned into a the boro team since the time of Gordon Strachan who's loanees included Caleb Folan and Isiah Osbourne.

If we look back, however, we can see Karanka's loan signings being a success for the team, Shay Given and Kenneth Omeruo being the stand outs, and Chalobah (in my opinion) being a good addition to the team. Danny Graham less so, although he did bring a cutting edge to the team we lacked for the whole of 2013, and Lee Tomlin, with good showings against people like Birmingham and Preston after making his move permanent.

Veljkovic is highly rated by both Spurs manager Pochettino and Karanka himself, so Karanka's past decisions has meant we shouldn't judge and let the player do the talking, so roll on Milos' first appearance!

Up the boro and remember, there is only one Steve Gibson!

The Price of Football

Just thought I'd share this with you guys, its the Price of Football calculator from the BBC. It tells you how much you spend on your team a year.

I put in the price of my under 18s ticket, the fact i'm probably going to buy both shirts this year, a parmo in a bun and a coke at every game and a programme or two over the season. My net spend supporting Boro was £342.90

I'm sure that we all want the prices to be lower, as do I. And i'm sure the people at Boro will defend this, but the fact we are the 6th most expensive team to go and watch (with regards the cheapest adult season tickets) is shocking, considering we've finished below 7th for all seasons, bar when we DID finish 7th. But it could be worse. we could be Leeds fans. Not just because of Cellino, or because they sold nearly all their strikers, but because they're above us in that table, along with Rotherham which is surprising.

The cheapest ticket in the championship is Charlton at just £150, which is a steal if you ask me, considering their start to the season. Blackpool and Birmingham are next on the table, both around the £200 mark for the season tickets. Although, their football may make up for that low price.

The most expensive team being Norwich, who look to have refused to lower the ticket prices from last year, at £500 for their cheapest ticket price. This is about 5x the price that of the season ticket for reigning German champions and 2013 Champions League winners Bayern Munich. 



If I could get one thing through the mind of Steve Gibson, it would be this (and not to appoint Gordon Strachan.) A £105 season ticket is almost unthinkable in this country, but 'Uli Hoeness' seems to understand how football should work, and how the fans more important than the money they bring in.

That said, Gibbo's hands are pretty much tied in this situation. The prices for season tickets in the Premier League are £299.00 pounds at the lowest. And it is the reigning champions Manchester City who charge this amount. (There must be something about winning the league and putting ticket prices down? Or it could just be a coincidence.) Our local rivals, The Geordies, have said "ho'way then" to low matchday ticket prices. with the price being just £15. £13 less than a matchday ticket to watch Boro from the east stand. I mean the performance is probably better, but the opposition 'keeper will be Joe Hart, rather than Paddy Kenny, so it should be a better contest (although, maybe not as funny.)

So if we do want to compete at this level, we need to spend money, as that's what the English game is based on at the moment (sadly.) And a main source of this income for us, is from the pocket of the football fan - like a tax if you will. The reasons the German giants can keep a low price for their tickets are: They are a brand in Germany, they tour the country and lower division teams will show out in their thousands to watch Robben and Lewandowski play in their ground. This is something we can't do because the people of Chichester and Alfreton aren't going to turn out in their masses to see Bradley Fewster or Lee Tomlin. Also, Bayern Munich will have millions available from the outing in the Champions League as well as the sponsorship deals they have undoubtedly signed, so they don't need to ask for so much money from their fans, where as I can safely bet that Gibson's pockets aren't exactly bulging from the Ramsdens deal, but I could be wrong.

If you guys wanna tweet me @onestevegibson and tell me what your net spend is for the Boro, i'll retweet you and also if you have any views on this money situation, because if it doesn't surprise you that you can go on the eurostar, watch the 2nd best team in Germany, Borussia Dortmund, and then return home, for the same price as the most expensive ticket at newly promtoed QPR, then I don't think anything will.

Thanks for reading, and again, #utb

My Lineup

I hate these international breaks. Just sitting around with nothing to do, save think about how much we miss footy.

So, I've decided to say my preferred line up for us in the next game and why

Goalkeeper:
 This one basically chooses itself surely, well so does the whole back line nearly. With with Tom flapping away his chances to nail down the number 1 spot. You need experience at the back, or failing that, a steady pair of hands that your defense can rely on. Steele appeared to lose that in 2013 so I feel Aitor was right to get him out of the squad, although i don't much rate the two he brought in this year to replace him.
Dimi is the only 'keeper in the squad who I feel comfortable with between the sticks and I'd have loved to see him there against Liverpool, can't imagine those 17 year old scousers dispatching their penalties with such confidence if they had 'The Wookie' 12 yards away. So, essentially, Dimi.

Right Back
: Again, picks himself does Ryan. He's seized the opportunity given to him by Abella's knee, and I believe the Spurs lad has done better than Damia this season. His pace means he can atone for the errors his inexperience creates.
 With the Spaniard in right back, I feel nervous and he's committed a number of reckless fouls which makes me think he isn't up to performing in the English Leagues. Even with Fredericks' "below par" performance at Blackpool , where he look tired and refused to pass wide, I think he is our number one number 2. And plus, his team mate on the right of midfield against Blackpool was Ledesma - possibly my least favorite player - who refused to go wide and when he did, he hoofed the ball long. Fredericks is my right back of choice.

Center Backs:
 I do love Woody, but I think this'll be his last year as he's played one game due injury and I can't see him forcing his way back into the team.
So it's down to 3, Ayala, Omeruo and Gibson. My love for the Gibson's continues with Steve's nephew Ben, who's got a bright future ahead of him. His performances last year were sublime and he got the call to play for Southgate's England Under 21's. This year, however, he didn't make much of an impact in the first game, apart from getting injured and subbed off with in the first minute. His performance against Blackpool suggested he was still carrying the injury, with a labored showing.
So we come to the other two. And these guys are definitely the best and should start the next game, in my opinion. Ayala looks to have settled in and settled down, with 5 yellows in the space of 6 games meaning suspension, but his goal line clearance and consistent performances since the last international break mean he is an integral part of Karanka's back 4.
Omeruo is a man who cannot be ignored. I was ecstatic when I heard we resigned this man on a season-long loan. He has no noticeable fault in his game; pace, presence in the air, top drawer tackling ability and passing any midfielder would be proud of. His place in the Chelsea team is ready and waiting, but for now, he'll be partnering Daniel Ayala at the heart of defense. (In my opinion at least.)

Left Back:
 George Friend, just George Friend. The guy's a sweetheart, along with a top class Championship left back. Husband looks like a very good prospect, but he isn't George Friend standard yet.

Defensive Midfield:
 Dean Whitehead's the kind of guy who you don;t notice too much on a football field. He does the job and apart from being slow and panicking when he receives the ball, he's reasonably solid.
He is trumped, however, by a Mr Adam Clayton. We haven't yet seen the best of his footballing ability, nor his facial hair. But you feel with performances like that vs Brentford, that the sky is the limit for this lad
. One guy you'd feel is playing better than you'd expect would be our top scorer, Grant Leadbitter. He's been one that you wouldn't single out as being one of the best players for us, this year is another story. He has been banging them in from any angle, even making an appearance on the much followed twitter page The Sport Bible. His performances have earned him the right to captain the side for all his appearances this year. So you cannot look past Leadbitter and Clayton anchoring the midfield.

Attacking Midfield:
There are 3 places up for grabs here. The left hand side spot has been nailed down by Adam Reach, with Wildshut waiting in the wings for a slip up and Carayol still on the treatment table.
The right is a reasonably straight forward choice with Albert Adomah's form beginning to pickup after a slow start from the Ghanaian. Nsue has provided quite a reasonable challange in weeks prior to this break, but Adoamh is definitely Karanka's first pick for the right sided spot, with him being integral to the Fulham win.
Now the central attacker (CAM) is where it can get interesting. Lee Tomlin looks a favorite for the po sition, with him playing nearly every game this season. Now, don't get me wrong, he's a great player when he's on song. When he isn't, however, he doesn't look like he shouldn't be in the league. He will drift from a striker to a defensive midfielder to a winger with in a matter of minutes. I'll stop incase I offend anyone and i'll move on to his rival for the CAM slot, Vossen. We all remember the #freejellevossen campaign (started by one @VivaKaranka) and I myself did take part in the trend, but I don't think anyone actually believed we'd actually sign him. But he is here and all credit to Karanka and Gibson (and Dana) to getting him to the Riverside. We, as smoggies, haven't seen too much of the Belgian, due mainly to injuries. In his only real appearance, vs Brentford, he added a different class to the side. The man oozes quality. I can't wait to see him get his first goal and see him pull on a Boro shirt.
So for that reason, my 3 would be Adomah Vossen Reach.

Striker:
I, personally, am a big fan of Patrick Bamford - or Paddy B as I affectionately call him. 2 goals in 7 games doesn't tell half the story. The lad is big, strong and has a quick turn of pace. His link up play is also very good. The one thing he lacks, however, is that finishing touch. His shot to goal ratio is 7%, which isn't good by any standards but I feel he has a big future and that he'll play a big part in our promotion push.
So, unless we go for the young Fewster, who scores for fun for the England U19's, Enrique Garcia Martinez or Kike is the only other option. Kike seems to have the finishing touch that we have been lacking, ever since the days of Hasselbaink, Viduka and Yakubu. 5 goals so far shows a good return, but it could be better. May be its his adapting to the English game, but his finishing has been missing at times. Sheffield Wednesday, for example, he was found wanting in front of goal. His link up play is also something that has been below par for someone we payed £3 million for. Greed is something that you look for in a striker, but not when they are on the left hand side of the box, with teammates aplenty in the center. Even that, his clinical touch has made him a shoe in for the striking spot.

So, after all that, my team can be summed up in just 11 words;
Dimi
Fredericks Ayala Omeruo Friend
Clayton Leadbitter
Adomah Vossen Reach
Kike.

Welcome fellow Boro fan!

Hi, just to introduce myself, I'm Dom Brown. Im 17 and have been supporting Middlesbrough for 11 years now. Like my dad, I'm an avid Boro fan. I'm a season ticket holder and attend every home game.

I'm setting up this blog, partly to give you my insight on the boro's fight (or plight) to get back into the promised land of the Premier League and partly because I'm going to do a journalism degree, and this should give me an idea as to what being on a course like that should entail, you know, minus the stress, deadlines and the living away from my home in Ingleby Barwick.

Right, some things you might want to know about me and my views on the Boro. My dad didn't let me go to Cardiff, Eindhoven, the Quarter Final and Semi Final home legs of the UEFA cup, and i'm still pretty annoyed about that to this day. My favourite player in my memory would be our very own Stewie Downing and I do love Steve Gibson, even though I had my doubts a few years ago about the size of his wallet. Now, though I'm all happy, he clearly found a couple million or two down the back of his settee to splash the cash on Vossen and Kike (the latter is too greedy in my opinion, but he scores, unlike Juke, so I'm not complaining.) I very much WANT to like Lee Tomlin, but think he likes to play defensive midfield too much - sorry if any of you like (or indeed ARE) Lee. Uncle Albert is very hit and miss and I cannot wait for the return of Muzzy, although Reachy is doing very well in place of the guy from Gambia.

So, thanks to you guys who've read this and I hope you come back to see what I've gotta think about anything to do with Boro, whether it be the food in the Riverside (I do love me a Parmo in a Bun) to the state of football in general.

Cheers , up the boro and there is only one Steve Gibson.