Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
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Post by Tom on Mar 4, 2008 19:17:20 GMT 1
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Mar 4, 2008 20:13:02 GMT 1
nice, love it
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Post by Maximo Mark on Mar 4, 2008 21:26:54 GMT 1
Excellent!
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Matt Aloud
Member
Buy Girls Aloud! Bye McFly!!
Posts: 2,389
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Post by Matt Aloud on Mar 4, 2008 23:07:44 GMT 1
lol! to Steve Gibson
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Post by Panda on Mar 5, 2008 9:58:08 GMT 1
I saw the original letters just after they were first put on the site but I hadn't seen the various follow-ups.
Just shows what a great bloke Steve Gibson is. The best chairman in the Premier League. Loves the club and doesn't let his ego get in the way of club matters.
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Post by wonderwall on Mar 5, 2008 10:15:39 GMT 1
If only other club chairmans were like him
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Post by Panda on Mar 10, 2008 14:31:29 GMT 1
I've been a Boro fan for over 20 years and I can say without any doubt that yesterday's performance was the worst I have ever seen by a Middlesbrough side. Credit to Cardiff, they outplayed us from start to finish but we could've put out 11 traffic cones and they would've put up more of a fight. The cones probably would've only lost 1-0 as well.
It's one thing to feel cheated by a referee or an opposition player but to feel cheated by your own team is something else and that's what really hurts. Was it complacency? Did they bottle it or did they just not care? At least Reading have the honesty to tell their fans they don't give a s**t.
The fans desperately wanted to win the FA Cup this year and felt we had a great chance and that was before Man U and Chelsea got knocked out. We've never been afraid of the big boys and shown many times in the past we can take them on and win. With those two going out, the draw opened right up and presented Middlesbrough with their best ever chance of winning the FA Cup (of the last 8, only Boro and Bristol Rovers have never won it). The FA Cup was the most important thing to the fans, this season. Even more than the Premier League. For a club that's only won one major trophy, having that magical moment at Wembley would mean much more than finishing 13th in the league year after year.
Football is full of ups and downs (mostly downs for a Boro fan) but never, ever in the history of the club has the team let down the fans and the town in general, more than they did yesterday. I've backed Gareth Southgate all season long but serious questions have to be asked if the players can't get motivated for a game like that. They've blown the best chance they'll ever have, ruined the dreams of thousands of fans and wrecked an entire season, regardless of how it ends up. I really couldn't give a s**t whether we stay up or not right now. If we go down, we'll p**s the Championship next season anyway (god, Sunderland won it twice in 3 years). But if the players can't show passion for a cup quarter-final with a trip to Wembley for the winners, how can they expect the fans to get up for league games against Derby and Reading? There'll be people who will have no desire to ever watch any of the players on that field yesterday again. They were a disgrace to the club.
As for the FA Cup, I hope West Brom go on to win it. They're managed by Tony Mowbray, a REAL Boro hero...
This might well be my last post in this thread this season as it's supposed to be about football and Boro seem to have given up playing.
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Post by wonderwall on Mar 10, 2008 17:19:00 GMT 1
boro really have missed a golden chance in the cup this season
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Post by marcus on Mar 10, 2008 17:31:28 GMT 1
Boro were a total joke, and they're like the Coventry City of the 2000's- always finishing low in the league, but always surviving. At this rate it's only a matter of time Boro will be relegated one day.
I'm backing Cardiff what with my Welsh roots, and whatever happens they've done Wales and the supporters proud, unlike Boro cos it's shame you've been following them ever since they were formed in 1986, and they're letting you and the rest of the supporters down.
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Post by Panda on Mar 10, 2008 17:34:18 GMT 1
Boro were a total joke, and they're like the Coventry City of the 2000's- always finishing low in the league, but always surviving. At this rate it's only a matter of time Boro will be relegated one day. Boro's league positions since they were promoted: 9th 12th 14th 12th 11th 11th 7th 14th 12th Solid mid-table, I reckon. We've never really come close to relegation during that time. Try making some sense, son.
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Post by wonderwall on Mar 10, 2008 17:41:43 GMT 1
Next season could be a struggle if they dont get there act together. Im still not convinced about Southgate as a top flight manager either
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Post by Maximo Mark on Mar 10, 2008 17:47:12 GMT 1
They'll be fine. They're much better than they were on Saturday. The front four are all decent, they may not be amazing but you look at that bottom 9 and any team which wishes to come up, they would all wish for a strike force like Middlesbrough's, apart from maybe Newcastle. Along with them the likes of Downing, Arca, Young and Wheater I can't see them ever going down.
Do think you need a left-back though, I don't rate Pogatetz there, he just doesn't look or play like a left-back.
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Post by Panda on Mar 10, 2008 17:56:16 GMT 1
Do think you need a left-back though, I don't rate Pogatetz there, he just doesn't look or play like a left-back. Pogatetz is certainly better in the centre, despite being a left-back by trade. I was impressed with Jon Grounds when he deputised against Sheffield United. He looks more promising than Andrew Taylor, who's never really convinced me...
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Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
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Post by Tom on Mar 10, 2008 19:25:51 GMT 1
I've been a Boro fan for over 20 years and I can say without any doubt that yesterday's performance was the worst I have ever seen by a Middlesbrough side. Credit to Cardiff, they outplayed us from start to finish but we could've put out 11 traffic cones and they would've put up more of a fight. The cones probably would've only lost 1-0 as well. I was shocked by how bad Boro were yesterday. I'm sure you've seen it, but there was someone on Tony Kempster's board (in the FA Competitions forum) who said it was the worst performance he'd seen from a Premier league side against lower division opposition. Maybe that killer goal from the previous weekend had a bigger impact than everyone expected. It's one thing to feel cheated by a referee or an opposition player but to feel cheated by your own team is something else and that's what really hurts. Was it complacency? Did they bottle it or did they just not care? I know about that hurt feeling, i've felt like that at times this season myself. Despite what other fans may think it really has hurt when we've left a couple of games early in the last year (0-2 to Watford in the final home game of last season, and 0-3 to West Ham back in September.) At least Reading have the honesty to tell their fans they don't give a s**t. I take your point about Reading's commitment to the cup, but it was only Kitson who said that on the eve of the Spurs game, someone who knew he wasn't going to play and who is a Spurs fan (and given his comments that Spurs result at the weekend dictates the start of the week for him and his family that counts for a lot). Apart from the fact that Coppell was perfectly justified in changing the team around (playing for more than 1 and a half games with 10 men, not to mention our precarious position in the league) I actually feel that resting players can have a positive effect, as the players that come in are fresh and want to prove a point to the manager.
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Post by marcus on Mar 10, 2008 19:28:36 GMT 1
Boro were a total joke, and they're like the Coventry City of the 2000's- always finishing low in the league, but always surviving. At this rate it's only a matter of time Boro will be relegated one day. Boro's league positions since they were promoted: 9th 12th 14th 12th 11th 11th 7th 14th 12th Solid mid-table, I reckon. We've never really come close to relegation during that time. Try making some sense, son. I meant recent years , and they did get relegated once even though it was due to a points deduction for illegally calling off a fixture with Blackburn.
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Post by marcus on Mar 10, 2008 19:29:40 GMT 1
Next season could be a struggle if they dont get there act together. Im still not convinced about Southgate as a top flight manager either He never was that much of a penalty taker either! . I just might be going to Wembley to see Cardiff!!, my mate is a Baggies fan so it's a lucky escape they didn't get his team!.
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Post by Panda on Mar 10, 2008 19:35:17 GMT 1
I take your point about Reading's commitment to the cup, but it was only Kitson who said that on the eve of the Spurs game, someone who knew he wasn't going to play and who is a Spurs fan (and given his comments that Spurs result at the weekend dictates the start of the week for him and his family that counts for a lot). Apart from the fact that Coppell was perfectly justified in changing the team around (playing for more than 1 and a half games with 10 men, not to mention our precarious position in the league) I actually feel that resting players can have a positive effect, as the players that come in are fresh and want to prove a point to the manager. Coppell's pretty much said it about the cups as well, particularly last season, when you were close to qualifying for Europe.
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Post by Panda on Mar 10, 2008 19:37:55 GMT 1
Boro's league positions since they were promoted: 9th 12th 14th 12th 11th 11th 7th 14th 12th Solid mid-table, I reckon. We've never really come close to relegation during that time. Try making some sense, son. I meant recent years , and they did get relegated once even though it was due to a points deduction for illegally calling off a fixture with Blackburn. Recent years? Well the last 3 positions are there: 7th, 14th, 12th. One European qualification and two mid-table finishes. You said we always finish low in the league, the facts say we haven't finished in the bottom 6 since 1997 (and even in that relegation season, we would've finished 14th without the points deduction).
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Tom
Member
*Of Royal Blood*
Posts: 15,419
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Post by Tom on Mar 10, 2008 19:51:33 GMT 1
I take your point about Reading's commitment to the cup, but it was only Kitson who said that on the eve of the Spurs game, someone who knew he wasn't going to play and who is a Spurs fan (and given his comments that Spurs result at the weekend dictates the start of the week for him and his family that counts for a lot). Apart from the fact that Coppell was perfectly justified in changing the team around (playing for more than 1 and a half games with 10 men, not to mention our precarious position in the league) I actually feel that resting players can have a positive effect, as the players that come in are fresh and want to prove a point to the manager. Coppell's pretty much said it about the cups as well, particularly last season, when you were close to qualifying for Europe. That is true, thought you may bring it up! Can't say I agreed with his view last season, even if Europe would have caused more problems, (think we'd be certainties for relegation had we played in Europe this season) but i've always admired his honesty. He's one of the most refreshing managers in the Premiership, and although when we were on the losing run not a lot of what he said was that interesting (he actually sounded rather lost) he's back on form now. It was fascinating to read the transcript of his pre match press conference last Friday.
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Post by Panda on Mar 10, 2008 19:55:05 GMT 1
Coppell's pretty much said it about the cups as well, particularly last season, when you were close to qualifying for Europe. That is true, thought you may bring it up! Can't say I agreed with his view last season, even if Europe would have caused more problems, (think we'd be certainties for relegation had we played in Europe this season) but i've always admired his honesty. He's one of the most refreshing managers in the Premiership, and although when we were on the losing run not a lot of what he said was that interesting (he actually sounded rather lost) he's back on form now. It was fascinating to read the transcript of his pre match press conference last Friday. I like Coppell and have a lot of time for him and I can see his point but I thought his comments about not wanting to play in Europe were disrespectful to the fans. It's obviously important to be in the Premier League but (and I've said this before) the fans won't have the same enthusiasm 10 years down the line after a string of mid-table finishes and no trophies or European football. If you're not going to aim higher, what's the point?
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