The North-East Summit || Middlesbrough F.C. news, reviews and comment

THE NORTH-EAST SUMMIT - WEAR-TYNE DERBY ENDS ALL SQUARE 14-11-07
Stuart Young

Sunderland and Newcastle earned a share of the spoils in a fiercely contested Wear-Tyne derby last Saturday.

Middlesbrough also settled for a point as they travelled to Bolton on Sunday.

Sunderland

The atmosphere inside The Stadium Of Light was electric as these two friendly neighbours battled against each other for bragging rights.

The home team dominated a lethargic Newcastle side in the first half and wasted many chances to take the lead. Wallace wasted a glorious chance two minutes into the game when he volleyed over from an Edwards' cross.

Leadbitter also had chances to open the scoring. Harper in the Newcastle goal blocked his first effort well but Leadbitter should have done a lot more with his second chance - his free header from eight yards sailing high over Harpers' bar.

The half-time break did not stop Sunderland's momentum and they came out strong in the second half.

It took only seven minutes for them to take a deserved lead. From a quickly taken corner, Leadbitter provided a telling cross to the back post and Higginbotham headed past a helpless Harper.

Newcastle started to play some football after they conceded and created a few half -chances of their own. Owen should of done a lot better with a chance from close range but the England centre forward headed over Gordon's bar.

The Newcastle players and fans were thanking their lucky stars on sixty-five minutes as Milner's cross come shot drifted into the far corner of Gordon's goal.

The Magpies' equaliser did not deflate the Sunderland players and they went in search of the winner. Chopra had a wonderful chance to win the game in the later stages but his far-post header crashed against the bar.

The commitment from Sunderland was very evident in this match and Keane can praise his troops for their effort. He will be slightly concerned though with the number of chances they wasted as his team could have been comfortably in front before half-time.

Due to internationals taking place this weekend and next week, Roy's men now have a break before the tough trip to Everton as week on Saturday.

Newcastle

Allardyce welcomed Viduka back into the team for the big derby match and on paper probably had his strongest side out for the first time this season.

Big Sam would have been very frustrated with his side's lack of enthusiasm for their biggest game of the season. A subdued Newcastle side took to the field on Saturday and were totally dominated in the first half.

It was only when they went a goal down that they decided to play some football. Owen had a few opportunities and fit again Viduka also had a couple of half -hances but the equaliser came from Milner as he cut in from the left and despatched a low cross-shot which found its way into the net.

Allardyce has called for his players to start an unbeaten run. With this display it is hard to see when this unbeaten run will take off as their next game is at home to Liverpool, a side still unbeaten this season in the league. Maybe Big Sam can get some tips from Benitez on this one.

I'm a massive fan of Joey Barton's footballing talent but I'm his biggest critic when it comes to the other aspect of his game. The thug-like attitude he possesses on the football pitch is a waste to his talent.

The challenge on Etuhu on Saturday came as no surprise as all football fans expect this kind of behaviour from Barton. To hear that the F.A. are not going to take any action is absolutely ridiculous as after passing the ball Barton performed a kung-fu kick on Etuhu. The Sunderland player helped Barton by not reacting theatrically to his point-blank abuse. Maybe this is the reason why no action will be taken by the blinded F.A?

One more moan this week for you Newcastle fans. Why were your team wearing the light-blue shirts for this derby game? Are the traditions of this massive game escaping you? Was it a case of the black and white striped shirts not being washed in time for the match or was it a marketing gig to encourage fans to purchase the baby blue coloured shirt for the cold winter days ahead?

Middlesbrough

In the last few years it has been Boro who were used to playing on a Sunday after many eventful trips in Europe. It was Bolton though who were the European warriors this time as they had just returned from the fortress of Bayern Munich with a point and their heads held high.

Middlesbrough always found it hard to return to a league match after their exploits in Europe but it was Bolton who had the task of switching attentions form the UEFA Cup to the Premier League this weekend.

With both teams struggling in the league this game was never going to be full of class or pretty football. Points were needed by both sides and the result didn't really help either as they looked to climb away from the drop zone.

A goalless draw was a fair result as both teams looked tired, especially the home team after their travels.

Boro are still building and can take many positives from this game. Boro fans should be behind Southgate's side and should be pleased with a point away from home. They should be more pleased about a clean sheet too.

Some fans will be tired of hearing Southgate saying "it's going to take time to rebuild this squad". He's right but unfortunately Middlesbrough fans are quite content on watching Boro games in the pubs of Teesside rather than supporting the team on the terraces in this transformational period.

I'm not sure if it was a good idea to go public about Downing's comments in the local newspaper. If it was meant to serve as a warning to all Boro fans, especially the boo boys who have inflicted this outburst from the twenty-three-year-old winger, then it could have a negative impact on the rest of the team.

It doesn't look good for the rest if the better players are being booed. The boo boys need to stop their band-wagon now before players start leaving.

Downing had a great start to the season and has hit some bad form recently. It's clear to see he is a passionate lad and loves playing in the red of Boro. His form may be down to the lack of service he gets from his team mates. Since Arca's injury, the team has struggled. This is especially true of Downing.

If this glitch to Boro's season so far annoys you, then think of what the home-grown Boro players are feeling? They have a lot of pressure on their young heads and they certainly don't need other pressures resulting in poor performances.

Please keep this in mind when you go to see the next game at the Riverside against Aston Villa a week on Saturday.

No change in the race for the Summit this week. Newcastle in the lead eighteen points whilst Sunderland and Boro are hovering near the bottom with ten points a piece.

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