Deep In My Heart, Bristol City v Middlesbrough || Middlesbrough F.C. news, reviews and comment

DEEP IN MY HEART
Bristol City vs. Middlesbrough, 5th January 2008, Ashton Gate, FA Cup 3rd Round
James Keen

Is anyone else a tad concerned by this fixture? I know I am.

In recent years we've been the victims of our own poor mentality when it comes to the worse sides in football.

Not since the days of Bryan Robson have we shown an ego in the games with lower division sides.

Under McClaren we played patiently and simply played to win, counting on the fact that we were the better side so would probably win at some point. And it seems that under Southgate we've struggled too.

Earlier in the season we probably should have battered Northampton but instead, we stumbled across the line with a 2-0 victory.

Last season we tried twice and failed twice to beat League One Bristol City and had to go to a replay with Championship side Hull. We were also taken to penalties in a replay against West Brom.

I mean, come on!

I may have the rose tinted spectacles on but I know that Boro are a far greater side than any of these. But because of results like the above, we have become a 'giant killing' target.

Gary Johnson's men will know how well they did last year and will be looking to go one better against Southgate's erratic performers this time around.

Boro have a couple of key problems. Scoring goals is one. If we can sort that out, it would make life so much easier for everyone at the club.

Gary O'Neil looks to have a few in him but until the first one goes in, he'll be hitting the ball harder and harder, frustrating himself like Tuncay did. Aliadiere, for all his skill, ability and guile, is not a natural goalscorer. For my money he's a winger, and a very good one at that.

The loss of Mido for several months has been a bitter pill to swallow and his return in the coming weeks will be more welcome at the Boro than the sound of the scribbling pen when Steve McClaren signed his England contract.

We need him, if not just for his goals then for his attitude. He demands, he screams and he battles. If you don't have a figure like that in your side then your players get complacent.

Our second problem, for some reason, and I don't know why, is that we seem to have lost our leaders on the park. George Boateng is a lot quieter than he used to be, Woodgate has never been a screamer and Pogatetz doesn't seem to have the same physical presence as he did last season.

Boro have always had a leader. Since I've grown up we have had Pallister, Mowbray, Pearson, Ince and Southgate - players who demand everything from their team mates. At the moment I cannot see anybody taking that mantle.

And without it a team becomes quite disconcerting and lost.

In our current situation, there must be a man who is prepared to stand up and be counted, and who will drag everybody else along with him. Otherwise we will fail.

I can see one or two contenders for the position of captain but because they are recent arrivals, they won't be overly keen to step out of line.

Luke Young is a mature, level headed and passionate footballer. He is also an excellent player which makes it all the better. He is someone I believe can make the transition to captain for Boro.

Gary O'Neil is another one. Although a little young and slight, he did the job for several years at Portsmouth and could be another option.

And then there is the injury prone Robert Huth. He is a no nonsense defender, a position from which we have always seen our best captains emerge.

So we have options. What we need now is one of them to peek his head above the clouds that currently encircle the Riverside and shoot them down until the skies are clear and his team mates believe that with him they could even fly to the moon.

This is the type of man Patrick Viera was, the man Roy Keane was and the man Tony Mowbray was.

Without this man we have no soul.

The emergence of such a man, and of goalscorers, have no better time to do it than in this game against a side from the division below us.

Bristol City are flying at the moment and are only kept out of the top two in the Championship on goal difference.

With players such as Darren Byfield and Lee Trundle in attack, they actually sound a little more potent than us. But our backline should have enough to deal with them, as long as they remain dominant in the air.

Where we should be able to get at them is in midfield.

With O'Neil suspended it is essential that we bring someone in who can keep the midfield pulsing, someone who will move the ball quickly and keep Bristol City on edge.

I personally would put Aliadiere wide but I expect Southgate to go with one of either Boateng or Johnson, and give Dong Gook a chance up top again. If he can't score against Bristol City then perhaps it is time to say goodbye.

With Tuncay in form, and getting plenty of the ball, we should have enough going forward to trouble Bristol City. Plus, in the most famous Cup competition in the world, I'm sure our newest hero will be desperate to score a goal.

We cannot underestimate the abilities or the threat of Bristol City. To do so would be foolish. But what we must believe in is our own abilities and our own threat.

It is time to stand up and be counted. It is time to prove that we are a Premiership side and not just there to make up the numbers.

C'mon Boro! This could be the year!

The Outcome: In my heart I believe we will come through this one in the first game, 2-0, but my head is telling me we might have to take them back to ours again, 1-1.

Last season: Bristol City 2-2 Middlesbrough, 27/1/07, FA Cup Fourth Round (Yakubu 4, Christie 23, Keogh 53, Murray 59).

Boro Form (most recent result first): LWLLWW

Bristol City Form: WWLWWD

Probable Teams:

Boro: Schwarzer, Young, Pogatetz, Woodgate, Wheater, Arca, Rochemback, Downing, Boateng, Tuncay, Aliadiere

Bristol City: Basso, McAllister, Wilson, Vasco, McCombe, Noble, Johnson, Elliott, Orr,Trundle, Byfield

Man to Watch: Darren Byfield

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