Warnock Weekly 19-12-07 || Middlesbrough F.C. news, reviews and comment

WARNOCK WEEKLY - PLANNING FOR A HAMMERING - 19-12-07
Tom Warnock

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?

The predicted several goal hammering against Arsenal never materialised and the downbeat estimates of an 'after the lord mayor's show' defeat to lowly Derby didn't quite evolve either.

All of a sudden we've won two in a row and the shroud of relegation has evaporated before our very eyes. Or has it?

Before we get too caught up in such a lengthy winning streak, it's time we levelled our heads and asked: Is it too good to be true?

Our Christmas miracle came early this year when we humbled Arsenal at the Riv. The lads showed professionalism and efficiency in beating Derby, a potential banana skin, and the first game in a long time where we were considered favourites.

It's been a long time since a Boro striker has scored in three consecutive games. If anyone has the time to blow the dust off the record books, I'd be intrigued to know the date on which that feat was last achieved.

Moreover, it's been a long time since a goal of such quality has been scored by a Boro striker. What a finish it was and credit where it's due. It was a top notch strike, made even more impressive considering it was on his weaker foot.

The main difference between our performances a month ago and the more recent games is the solidity of the defence.

Woodgate has slowly been getting back to his best and we do seem to be more organised. Against Derby we did rush some things at times, but there were bound to be nerves in what was realistically a relegation fixture. Having said that, the back four did themselves proud against both Arsenal and Derby.

This period is a crucial one because Gareth needs to keep the momentum going. He has something now, whereas before he had nothing. There was nothing positive to build on and nothing from which belief could be developed.

Now he can take the things we did right in those games and build on them. Gareth's tactics were spot on against Arsenal and Derby. It looks as if he is finally doing his homework or perhaps the players are just carrying out orders more efficiently.

We play West Ham at home in our next fixture. This is something of a tricky one. They have quality players in several areas, players who can hurt our defence if we aren't on form. Their camp has been talking the fixture up as a game they need to win, so bank on them coming for all three points.

The context of this fixture is different from the Arsenal game. That was a 'nothing to lose' game. If we lost, we had a ready-made pardon because they were top of the league.

Now that we've beaten Derby we've set a benchmark for the paying public. Some fans may buy tickets on the back of the two wins and the players need to deliver in order to restore belief among those fans and ensure that it won't be money wasted.

There was a good win for the reserves over Newcastle this week, and some positive displays from Cattermole and Adam Johnson. This bodes well for the hectic schedule this coming month.

Arca should be given a place on the bench at West Ham - at least to start off with. We will need as many fit as we can and a setback would be a blow. A ligament injury needs to be built up so he will benefit more by being eased back into the run of things.

There simply is no reason to change anything. For the first time in a while, Gareth can simply ask the players for 'more of the same'.

The lads will know that the fans will expect. It's time to show us how wrong we were with our talk of relegation because these are the weeks that will define our season.

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