Udayan's Corner - It's Not The Disappointment That Kills Us, It's The Hope || Middlesbrough F.C. news, reviews and comment

IT'S NOT THE DISAPPOINTMENT THAT KILLS US, IT'S THE HOPE 13-3-08
Udayan Mukherjee

Being a Middlesbrough fan, I am accustomed to highs and lows.

This low, however, is too hard to swallow. Like Eindhoven a couple of years ago, like Wolves in 1981, like the madness that was 1997, we have completely and utterly screwed up.

The chance to push on and place ourselves in the limelight presented itself and we froze like rabbits in the headlights of an onrushing car.

There was no belief, no leadership and no spark. Like so many times in our history, we have contrived to under perform.

It is amazing what one really bad game can do. If we had won then we could have seen Boro's greatest ever achievement come the end of the season.

Instead, we have to listen to more sorry excuses and wonder why, yet again, the best we can hope for from a season is the prospect of a ridiculously low position in the league.

And it is possible that we could end up with a Championship place next season.

In the list of disappointments above, there was at least some semblance of pride to be taken from the UEFA Cup run as the road to Eindhoven brought us some of the best games I have ever had the privilege of witnessing.

Against Sevilla, we weren't good enough but at least we had a go.

Against Cardiff, we were shown up for lacking the basic skill and ability required in professional football. We also showed that we had a lack of passion to make a difference, and a lack of leadership and tactical nous from the management.

I am aware that the vitriol being spewed after the Cardiff match may seem exaggerated compared to the feelings towards Southgate and his side before the match but I felt numb after Sunday's performance.

The crowd hurled abuse and encouragement in equal measures, desperately trying to cajole a response from a team lacking any kind of clue as to what to do except launch the ball forward to strikers who were unable to hold the ball up.

As has been the case all season, the central midfielders played too deeply and never ventured closer than thirty-five yards to goal.

Southgate lacked the knowledge to make correct substitutions, as well as the fighting qualities to encourage at least a semblance of a response. The players lacked the basic common sense to attempt to pass and probe their way to a goal instead of just hoofing the ball upfield.

In a way, it was even more galling to see the type of performance thrown up three days after the performance against Cardiff.

When we have our backs to the wall and need to give a response, the players have it in them to battle and scrap. We played Aston Villa off the park in the first half and should have been 2-0 up long before a penalty was given for a very harsh handball against Luke Young.

At Villa Park on Wednesday, Boro were only denied victory by a dubious penalty given by Steve Bennett. It was another case of poor officiating as despite it being papered over by the poor performance against Cardiff, there was the most blatant handball in the build up to Cardiff's first goal.

The contrast in the type of performance makes you wonder what is next for Middlesbrough.

When I began writing this article, the FA Cup defeat was still fresh in the memory and my overriding feelings were anger and disappointment.

There was another feeling though - one of dread. We seem to be physically incapable of getting ourselves away from the bottom three. Every time we have the chance to progress - to show the country that we can be something - we fail horribly.

I have no doubt that we'll avoid relegation but that's not the point. We had the chance to kickstart a golden era. Remember: our Carling Cup win led to two seasons of UEFA cup football and a UEFA Cup Final appearance. Imagine what an FA Cup win would have done?

Imagine the boost the players would have got, imagine the higher quality of players that we could have attracted, imagine the glory of winning at Wembley twice?

The motto of our town is Erimus - "We shall be". It is the hope that one day we will rise up and achieve what is expected of us.

One wonders what the future holds. Do we ever have it in us to make that next step? Does Gareth Southgate, after all is said and done, have it in him to take us to the next level?

I have no doubt that he is turning into a good manager. I also have no doubt that given time, he may be able to command respect amongst the players and create the type of Middlesbrough side that this one is looking like it could be at times.

At times, we seem like an Arsenal-lite in that we play nice football but lack the experience and conviction to really go anywhere. The problem is that when we HAVE to get a result - i.e. when there has been a previous bad result - the players seem to be motivated.

The performance against Villa was excellent. There was pace, power and good passing movement. But when it comes to teams that we should beat, and comfortably, we become lethargic and unable to string passes together.

I love you Boro but you keep taking the piss out of me.

It is perhaps the lack of ability in front of goal that underpins things. When Cardiff scored their first goal, we didn't have a clue what to do in response and it has been the same story over and over again this season.

We have not scored more than two goals in a game this season and you could probably count the number of times that we have scored two on one hand.

Steve McClaren's sides used to manage more than that.

As I wrote in my last article, we were on the verge of achieving something but now we have nothing to look forward to. We are already waiting for the end of the season when we can add to the squad and start this whole horrible process again.

It's not the disappointment that kills us, it's the hope.

Udayan Mukherjee.

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