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ALASTAIR BROWNLEE'S BORO v MANCHESTER UNITED MATCH PREVIEW 4-4-08
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Having gone so close to getting a deserved point at Chelsea, and holding Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates, Boro complete a mini run of matches against the title contenders when league leaders Manchester United arrive at the Riverside on Sunday.
Boro were within the width of the woodwork from getting their reward at Stamford Bridge and whilst it was frustrating for record signing Afonso Alves to be denied his first goal for the club, after his second half introduction, he did show that he is starting to adapt to the demands of the Premier League.
Let's hope that Alves can open his account in front of a near capacity Riverside crowd on Sunday against what is probably the best side in the division.
Gareth Southgate threw down a great challenge to the players after the Chelsea game by demanding that they should not be satisfied with losing narrowly to the leading clubs.
He also said that the Boro had to change their mentality if they are to progress from being a team in the lower half of the Premier League.
No doubt the manager made the remarks with one eye on the test against Manchester United but it is also a sign of his determination not to allow the team to lapse into accepting that the target for next season is mere survival.
United arrive at the Riverside not only as favourites for the title but also on course for a place in the Champions League semi final after their victory in Rome in the first leg of this week's quarter final.
Watching the game brought back memories of the great night in 2006 when Boro played in the Stadio Olimpico. Boro managed to progress in the UEFA Cup thanks to a fantastic header from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who converted a quality cross from Stewart Downing.
The Roma side that played against Manchester United included Aquilani, Mancini, Mexes, Panucci and Taddei, all of whom featured against Boro just two years before.
This yet again underlined Gareth’s comments about Boro aiming high and, hopefully, that will include a return to those fabulous European nights in the not too distant future.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who was again on target in Rome, is currently widely regarded as the best footballer in Europe.
The twenty-three-year-old winger is not only United's most creative player but he is also their top scorer with an astonishing thirty-six goals for the season so far.
Attempting to stop the Portuguese international will be Luke Young who shrugged off injury to put in another solid display for Boro at Chelsea.
The right back has many supporters. These include team-mate Gary O’Neil who believes that the defender should be the England full-back. A good display against Ronaldo would certainly boost his chances of getting the call from Fabio Capello.
The visitors will be without defender Nemanja Vidic after the Serbian injured his knee against Roma.
Meanwhile, Boro announced this week that Mido will miss the rest of the season after undergoing a hernia operation.
The Egyptian got his Boro career off to a great start by scoring on his debut against Fulham. He then grabbed a goal in the derby with Newcastle United but injury has restricted his impact to just eight Premier League starts.
The £6million striker must now focus on a full recovery from the operation and to put in a good pre-season. This would enable him to get the new campaign in August off to a flying start.
As the run-in starts to the end of the current campaign, a number of players will be hopeful of making an impact on Gareth.
This applies particularly to the midfield.
Fabio Rochemback's Boro future is far from certain as he may be interested in a move back to Sporting Lisbon. That will give the likes of Lee Cattermole and Mohamed Shawky the opportunity to stake their claim for a regular place in the side.
Looking back through the radio archives for great games against Manchester United, I came across the commentary on one of the big wins over the Red Devils as on 29 October 2005, Boro hammered United 4-1.
The star of that match in front of just over 30,000 fans was Gaizka Mendieta who not only controlled the midfield, but also scored two great goals.
Sadly, Mendieta was injured shortly after that terrific display and never recovered to produce that level of performance again.
Mendieta will certainly be a midfielder on the move this summer but for his part in the destruction of Manchester United and, let's not forget, his impact in helping Boro to win the Carling Cup in 2004, he did have some memorable moments in the red shirt.
As usual, Bernie and I will be presenting Simply Red this Sunday on Century Radio from 11am until 1pm.
As well as previewing the big clash with Manchester United, there will also be the chance to win Sunday lunch for two at the Bluebell Hotel, Acklam Road, Middlesbrough.
Our special guests will include my boyhood idol, John Hickton, and a former Boro striker now banging in the goals for Carlisle United, Danny Graham.
So why not join in the fun by giving us a call on our usual number 08450021100 or text 85102.
Up The Boro!!
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