Warnock Weekly 20-9-07 || Middlesbrough F.C. news, reviews and comment

WARNOCK WEEKLY 20-9-07
Tom Warnock

I start this week's column by thanking Newcastle for making the end of my weekend just a little bit better. Nothing balances the scales after the Boro lose and the Mackems win quite like a Newcastle defeat to lowly Derby. It won't be long before they start appearing after the Boro on MOTD.

The 3-0 reverse on Saturday was very disappointing. We were looking to build on a good few weeks by at least picking up something to bring back from London. What we needed was a run of steady results to show progress, and this would be better in bringing the crowds than winning one then losing two.

Fans need to be shown that we can maintain a high standard, or at least a standard which we can get used to - this gives the fan some idea of what were going to see should we decide to shell out £31 for the visit of a newly promoted team.

Anyone like me who wasn't in London was limited to the scraps of highlights that the BBC calls coverage, or Football First on Sky. From what I saw, it wasn't a bad performance; however the defeat was caused by lapses at both ends for us. A bit more concentration could have prevented their goals and some more clinical finishing for us could have won us the game.

It's slightly worrying, because without the presence of proven finishers we look like we need ten chances to score one goal. We should have notched up more against Birmingham, and the ones we did score were by a midfielder and a defender. Aliadiere looks like a confidence player - and while Michael Owen claims every player has this element in his game, it's not a characteristic I'm keen on.

I always think of Massimo and how he was never the player he could have been due to his confidence being low - I hope Southgate has the ability to put the required belief in his new signings, particularly Tuncay. I would have taken a 4-1 defeat as opposed to 1-0 if it meant Tuncay scoring.

It could have been worse I suppose, at least there were positives, and at least we weren't at home. However I don't think it will put bums on seats for the visit of Sunderland. What is there to justify the price of this ticket? The league position? No. The previous result? No. The sheer quality of the visiting team? No. The list goes on, and all the answers are; No.

I know for a fact that the difference between a lot of people going on Saturday, and not going, was the West Ham defeat. Many were waiting for that result to see whether the new Boro was too good to be true. Expect Cineworld to be packed and the nightlife to be buzzing on Saturday night as couples, families and the youth look for better avenues to invest their earnings.

Having said all that, I may save a portion of said earnings to go towards a small wager - because I still believe we will beat the Mackems. It's a great opportunity for Tuncay to make his mark and show that he can score goals in this league. With his reputation comes expectation, and he will be keen to prove to himself, fans and his team-mates that he is the man to take Boro forwards.

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