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Luciano Becchio:

Becchio is a player who is currently under contract to Leeds. A former Boca youth player, he hasn’t really established himself despite being highly rated as a youngster. He was snapped up by Mallorca only one year after signing his first professional contract and spent his time ther playing for the B team. Various loan switches to other lower league Spanish clubs ensued before he made the switch to Leeds permanent the summer gone.

Verdict: Becchio is a player who has never played at the highest level. He’s a relative unknown and to sign this player would be not only a great risk, but a drain on funds and wages which could be used elsewhere on a player who might actually benefit the team. He’ll not only be over-priced if we purchase him, but the chances of him doing nothing far out-weigh any chance of him being a success at this level. He’s a player that Boro would do well to stay away from.

Stephen Appiah:

Appiah is a Ghanian defensive midfielder with a distinguished career at club and international level. He began his career playing for Italian club Udinese. But it wasn’t until a few years later that he announced his prescence as a quality player. After a loan spell at then Serie A club Brescia, where he 31 appearances, scoring 7 league goals, he was spotted by Juventus and subsiquently made the move. However, he made little impact on the team and only two years later, found himself on the move to Fenerbahce, where he played alongside Tuncay on many occasions. Unfortunately in the 07/08 season, he suffered a horriffic knee injury and is still recovering to this day. He currently finds himself looking for a new club having left Fenerbahce.

Verdict: Appiah is a strong physical prescence in any midfield and would probably be the Boateng we never had… a strong defensive box-to-box midfielder who can score a couple of goals. Despite declaring himself physically fit, it remains to be seen how high his fitness levels are and how well his injury would stand up to the rigours and physical nature of the Premiership. I’d like to see Appiah in the Boro team as he will add a different option to those of Shawky and O’Neil.

I’d probably sign him on an initial 6-month contract with an option of an extension if he can stay fit and prove himself he can handle this division.

Julian De Guzman:

Not to be mistaken for his younger dutch brother Jonathan De Guzman, Julian is a Canadian international, an unremarkable defensive midfielder currently on the books of Deportivo. He began his career on the books of French club Marseille, however he never made a single appearance. After a two year stint in the German lower leagues, Julian made his name playing for Hannover before being noticed by Deportivo, where he’s spent the previous four years. However unremarkable, his key skills lay in his ability to tackle and is considered a good team player with a high work rate.

Verdict: Julian is a player i’d only suggest signing through injury or desperate needs of midfield backup. What Boro need at the moment is a bit of flair and creativity in midfield and Julian certainly doesn’t offer that. Infact, he doesn’t offer anything more than what Shawky currently brings to the squad.

Steven Defour:

Defour, despite being only 21 has already got a long career under his belt. An attacking midfielder, he posesses a lot of pace and is also a creative midfielder who excels at linking play between midfield and attack. He began his career at Belgian side KV Mechelen where he never made a single appearance. He was allowed to leave on a free and then made the move upto the Belgian first division with Genk. He impressed for Genk and two years later found himself playing for Standard Liege after a £1m move. He’s attracting interest from a lot of clubs including Arsenal. Defour is currently a regular in the Belgian squad, with 20 caps and 3 goals under his belt to date.

Verdict: Defour would be an excellent addition to the squad, given his current ability. But it remains to be seen how interest in other clubs turn out, notably Arsenal. He’s a player Boro should definately look at however interest from other clubs may dictate how much Boro would pay or if Boro would even consider making a bid.

Available for? : Defour could be available from anything between £2.5m upto and above £6m depending on the interest shown in him. Anything higher would probably be out of Boro’s price range.

Axel Witsel:

Witsel is Steven Defour’s 20 year-old team mate at Standard Liege. A home-grown Liege player, he began his career two years ago making 16 appearances for the first team and scoring two goals. His ability obviously wasn’t un-noticed has he immediately tore his way into the first team the season after, establishing himself as one of Belgiums brightest prospects by helping himself to 7 league goals along 33 appearances. He currently has 9 international caps and 2 goals to his name, with many more to come.

Verdict: Witsel is another signing i’d like to see Boro capture. He’s undoubtedly a young star with a bright future, yet interest from larger clubs appears to be steering more in Defour’s direction at the moment. Witsel though arguably has a better technical ability on the ball, while equally being a very creative prescence at the centre of Liege’s squad.

Available for? : It’s unknown how much he’s available for, but i’d speculate that Liege would be hard pressed to turn down a solid bid of around £4m. He’s a definate purchase now or in the future.

Player(s) i think Boro should definately look at now or in the future:

Jonathan De Guzman:

Unlike his brother Julian was, Jonathan is a 21-year old player with very high potential and is currently showing that in the Dutch Eridevisie. Currently playing for Feyenoord, he’s an attacking midfielder with flair and the creative skill needed to both create AND score goals of his own, as he’s shown during his career so far. His on-field performances arent going un-noticed either, with the Dutch international coach keeping close tabs on him. His international credentials currently include 7 U-21 caps and 3 goals.

Verdict: As i’ve stated, hes a very good player, and one currently not on the radar of any of Europes big guns… or if he is, nothing has been revealed. He’s not only a player with a great future, but he would also be capable of fitting straight into the team.

Available for? : If Feyenoord were willing to sell, i’d expect Boro to be paying a fee of in excess of £4m, possibly upto £6m.

Michael Kightly:

Kightly is a player of much potential. Currently playing his trade with Wolves in the Championship, he’s a pacey winger who likes to get into the box and not only score goals, but set them up. He began his career at Tottenham, although he was shipped out to Southend for free without makin a single appearance. Actually, he spent a lot of his early career in the lower leagues, moving from Southend in 04/05 on loan to Farnborough Town and then again to Gray’s Athletic for another free transfer. Wolves have picked up somewhat a gem as Kightly made the move up from the Blue Square straight into their first team making an immediate impact. Kightly continues his bright form again this season with 16 appearances and 7 goals.

Verdict: Again, another bright spark that would add a bit of width to the team to compliment Downing on the left and would give us some much valuable goals from the wide areas. Definately a player with a bright future.

Available for? : Kightly being English, no doubt his value will be inflated. Wolves have stated that they want to keep Kightly and he doesn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to leave. Bids in excess of £5m might persuade Wolves to talk and i’d expect them to hold out for almost £7m given the nature of Engish players values in the transfer market. Out of Boro’s price range.

Pablo Piatti:

Piatti is an Argentinian forward player who can be played either as a striker or in attacking midfield. Still only 20, he’s a player of much quality much likened to Leo Messi. He began his career back in Argentina with Estudiantes, a top division team where he earned his reputation as one of Argentina’s brightest youth players. His form earned him a summer move to Spanish side Almeria in a deal worth £6m

Available for? : Probably isn’t available at all considering he only moved in the summer, but hes already proving a huge sucess for the Spanish minnows. These are the sort of players i wish Boro would go for, but alas, they slip through our fingers.

Luigi Bruins:

Bruins is one of many young Dutch players to have come onto the scene during recent years. A 22 year old attacking midfielder (what else?), he’s the central midfield partner of Jonathan De Guzman in the Feyenoord squad. He’s A player recognised in Holland for his technique, his eye for a pass and his eye for goal, not only from open play, but free kicks also. Bruins began his career at Excelsior, making huge strides in his first season. In all, he made 66 appearances for Excelsior scoring 10 goals before his £800,000 move to Feyenoord. In his first season at Feyenoord he capped off with  27 appearances and 6 league goals.

Verdict: Like Jonathan De Guzman, Luigi Bruins is a player that would be worth the capture, and could probably fit straight into the squad. He would offer a different aspect to play, laying off with neat through balls and long range passing. He’s also hopefully bag a few goals from the centre, something that he’s already used to.

Available for? : The fact that Feyenoord didn’t pay big money for him would suggest that he might be available for a lot less than De Guzman. Considering he isn’t a home grown player either, they could be persuaded to cash in and make a healthy profit in the process for a fee no less than £3.5m.

To be updated…

Post from BoroMania: Middlesbrough Football

Transfer rumours heating up ahead of January - Update #1

There seems to be a growing number of Boro fans losing patience with Egyptian star Mido, either over his awful fitness record since joining the club or his alleged attempts to engineer a move away from the club prompting many to say they would prefer to see him sold as soon as possible.

My own personal take on this, is that when fit Mido is one of our most potent attacking players, he poses a physical and aerial threat as well as possessing a sweet left foot and lets not forget he is our leading goalscorer this term. When out on the field this season he has shown a great deal of commitment to the cause and a desire to win, so I have no doubts over where his current allegiances lie. Whether or not he would prefer to move to Wigan is up for debate, though the prospect of teaming up with countryman Amr Zaki aside, I can’t really see the appeal of leaving Boro for Wigan.

The only issue I have with Mido is his inability to steer clear of injury. He’ll put in a fantastic performance, grab a goal and have fans demanding he starts the next game and when that game arrives he is missing with a knock.

There has been speculation in the tabloids that Boro may look at selling or loaning Mido to Wigan but I would think that unless we were going to make our money back on the Egyptian we certainly shouldn’t be selling and a loan deal to a rival club is surely out of the question.

I would prefer to see Boro keep Mido as I think he adds an extra dimension to our attacking play and, if he can keep away from injuries, he will get a good number of goals for us this season.

What’s your view? Join in the forum discussion.

Post from BoroMania: Middlesbrough Football

Should Boro sell Mido in the January window?

Both Mido and Jeremie Aliadiere missed the trip to Goodison Park, Aliadiere was a late withdrawal from the Everton game through illness whereas Egyptian Mido has been struggling with a hamstring injury and also missed Boro’s successful trip to Villa park amid speculation that he is interested in moving to Wigan when the January window opens.

The news that Aliadiere and Mido may be available for Gareth Southgate will be a welcome boost ahead of a couple of important home games with Bolton and Newcastle. Aliadiere had been in good form and Mido has always looked capable of grabbing a goal when he’s been on the pitch.

Meanwhile Chris Riggott came off with an injured hamstring in the Everton game and is a doubt ahead of the Bolton visit.

Post from BoroMania: Middlesbrough Football

Mido and Ali to return for Bolton game?

Boro started the game with just one change from the win at Aston Villa, an enforced change with Jeremie Aliadiere missing out through illness, Julio Arca coming into the team with Gary O’Neil moving on to the right flank.

18 year old Jonathan Franks was rewarded for his recent form and call up to the England Under-19 squad with a place on the bench, a young bench that included Academy graduates Wheater, Johnson, Walker and Grounds as well as young Dutchman Marvin Emnes.

The game got off to a scrappy start, Tuncay letting fly with a 30 yard attempt after some neat passing from Boro was the highlight. Everton were clearly going to be a physical and aerial threat with Yakubu, Saha and Fellaini winning a lot of the ball.

It was Boro though who took the lead as a lightning quick break from an Everton attack involving Downing and Tuncay culminated with Stewart Downing rolling the ball into the path of Gary O’Neil who steadied himself and finished very well in off the near post to stun an already subdued Everton crowd.

Everton had a great chance to level the score moments later as a Saha flick on found former Boro hero Yakubu who out-muscled Pogatetz to go through on goal only to see Ross Turnbull save at his feet with a very strong hand.

Boro went up the other end and Frenchman Didier Digard struck a shot from just outside the area which pulled just wide of the Everton goal. Everton then went extremely close to an equaliser as a fluke cross from Joleon Lescott deceived everybody and beat Ross Turnbull who was relieved to see the ball come back off the post and to see Emanuel Pogatetz block Fellaini’s follow up attempt.

Afonso Alves was given a good opportunity after some good skill form Tuncay, the Turk fond himself in space, brought down a high ball on his chest and played Alves in. The Brazilian had a chance to shoot first time but took too long on the ball and was eventually crowded out.

The home side had half-hearted appeals for a penalty when Yakubu fell when challenging for a ball with Ross Turnbull, these were quickly dismissed by Howard Webb, but Everton were beginning to create problems with their physical approach, winning a succession of corners which Boro didn’t defend that well.

Just before half-time and just after Stewy Downing had shot narrowly wide at the other end, Tim Cahill had a great opportunity to level the score but headed a foot wide from a left-wing corner when completely unmarked in the Boro box.

Half Time and Boro were going in 1-0 to the good, Everton had seen the lion’s share of possesion but Boro continued to look very dangerous on the break.

Everton started the second half much the better side and were applying strong pressure to the Boro backline, a backline that was dealt a blow early in the second half when Chris Riggott injured himself in a clash with Yakubu resulting in him being replaced by David Wheater.

Boro showed they still carried a threat on the break as they broke quickly, Alves fed Tuncay, who sped off down the right wing before sending a crossfield ball to Downing. In turn he set up Arca, who completed the flowing move by stricking a left foot shot over the bar by half a yard.

Everton levelled the scoreline on 65 minutes and it was former Boro boy Yakubu who came back to haunt us. A cross from the left from Mikel Arteta missed a few defenders and struck Yakubu on the back, deflecting the ball past a stranded Ross Turnbull.

It looked from that point that it was going to backs to the wall for Boro as Everton poured on the pressure but it was Boro who went close to going into the lead, a strike from Didier Digard was tipped onto the post by Tim Howard.

Back came Everton, a flick from Saha picking out Yakubu wide on the right, and his low cross-shot fizzed through Boro’s six-yard box without further touch.

Everton threw Victor Anichebe and James Vaughan into the attack and were pushing hard for the 3 points but Boro’s backline held up well and were relieved to hear the final whistle to maintain the unbeaten record and make it 4 points taken from 2 very tricky away games.

Player Ratings

Ross Turnbull - 7 - Made a couple of good saves, particularly from Yakubu. Was caught out by the Lescott cross which struck the upright but otherwise a steady display.

Justin Hoyte - 6 - Settling in well and defended well, not as good going forward as he was against Villa but a decent game.

Andrew Taylor - 6 - Sound defensive game as his form continues to improve.

Emanuel Pogatetz - 7 - Very solid, Everton were a very physical threat and sent a lot of direct balls forward. Though Saha won a lot in the air, Boro dealt well with the second balls.

Chris Riggott - 7 - Was having a good game, unlucky to pick up the injury.

Gary O’Neil - 8 - Took his goal very well and was involved in a lot of Boro’s good play. I prefer to see him on the right and feel he offered a lot more in this position.

Julio Arca - 5 - Poor game for Julio I thought, working his way back to fitness but just wasn’t involved enough and was quite wasteful with the ball.

Didier Digard - 8 - Excellent performance, possibly his best yet in a Boro shirt. Good in the tackle, decent strike at goal and passed the ball well.

Stewart Downing - 7 - Fairly quiet game for Downing but was involved in a number of quick counter attacks, good awareness to play O’Neil in for the goal.

Tuncay - 8 - Worked his socks off, created a couple of opportunities for Alves and looked very sharp. Key player for our season.

Afonso Alves - 6 - Worked hard but looked very low on confidence, seemed to want to many touches on the ball when a confident Alves would’ve had struck it early.

Middlesbrough Substitutes

David Wheater - 6 - Got his opportunity to get back in the team earlier than he may have expected with Riggott’s injury. Did ok and added a bit more aerial ability to the back four.

Adam Johnson - 6 - Didn’t get a lot of time to impose himself on the game, not an ideal time for him to be coming on whe Boro were under pressure.

Marvin Emnes -6 - Give him a 6 but was not really on long enough to rate.

Post from BoroMania: Middlesbrough Football

Battling Boro earn a point at Everton to maintain unbeaten run

Last season, Wheater was a revelation. He made a seamless transition from academy prospect to Premier League star. He quickly became established as a centre-half who will run through brick walls for the team, who is a cultured footballer and who provides a serious aerial threat at set-pieces.

He took every challenge in his stride, and his magnificent breakthrough season culminated in an England call-up.

This season Wheater is being given new challenges. Following the surprise departure of Luke Young, he had to fill in at right back while Justin Hoyte found his form and fitness. Now he finds that the resurgence of Chris Riggott has left him out of the side all together.

Naturally, fans are concerned. Davey Wheater is not only a promising player. He is one of our own and as such is held in especially high regard. It would be a tragedy if he were to leave us. It’s a small tragedy if he isn’t on the pitch. In a very short space of time he has became a talisman for the fans.

It is interesting to note the contrast in fan-opinion over Wheater and Stewart Downing, the player he has probably succeeded as our most-prized academy product. Amid clamour for Downing to be dropped, the omission of Wheater has been met with disbelief and, in some cases, anger.

Downing is a player who has become a regular in the England squad, but not been able to win over the boo-boys, or secure a regular starting birth. If Downing’s England credentials are slipping, then Wheater’s, in contrast, are rising. Perhaps, long-term, Wheater has a better chance of representing Boro regularly in the England team. But to do that, he must first be playing for us. Otherwise, it is clear that to fulfil his potential, he must leave.

So, benching Wheater has not gone down well with the Teesside public.

On the other hand, there are not too many left on Teesside who would not endorse Gareth Southgate’s work at the club so far. A growing proportion of Boro fans have signed up to Southgate’s philosophy of developing a young vibrant squad, picking the team on form and having faith in his players regardless of reputation.

This creates a conundrum for the fans. Do they keep faith in the methods of the man who is carefully and methodically revolutionising the club, or do they throw their toys out of the pram?

David Wheater faces the same question. Every scrap of evidence we have on the boy suggests he will take the first option. Wheater is a modest, composed young man with wide-eyed ambition. The way he talks about the club gives a strong sense that his ambitions centre on playing for Boro. I’m not suggesting that he would put England second, but I think Wheater sees both in his future. Gareth Southgate, I’m sure, thinks the same.

There really is no doubting the talent of Wheater, but it is easy to forget that he is only 21 (particularly as he looks about 40). In the words of Gareth Southgate:

David is progressing well. He has an enormous amount still to learn and he hasn’t made it yet but he has a terrific attitude and works incredibly hard in training. He’s promising. It’s a long road ahead but he’s doing well now.

Young players will experience highs and lows, they will suffer dips in form and they will have to battle for their place. It is these things that, ultimately, make them experienced players. Right now Chris Riggott is our oldest and one of our most experienced players, and his reintroduction to the heart of the defence seems to have had a settling effect on the side. This has been reflected in results.

You can’t keep a good man down, and no doubt David Wheater will play plenty of first-team football this season. Hopefully in time he will grow in to the England centre-back he should become.

For now though he, and we, must be patient.

Post from BoroMania: Middlesbrough Football

What does the future hold for Wheater?

Not for the first time this season, Tuncay won the Boro Mania poll, running away with the voting ahead of a resurgent Stewart Downing, the ever impressive Ross Turnbull and the rocks at the heart of Boro’s defence Riggott and Pogatetz.

Post from BoroMania: Middlesbrough Football

Tuncay wins award for match winning display

It’s another Sunday kick off for the Boro, in a difficult game which we’ll be hoping to see at least a point dropped in the hat to add to this season’s tally.

Boro have had little luck at Goodison park which will leave many with doubts of getting a result, but now is probably the best time to chalk up some points on the board against the Scouse club. However, despite their form dipping in and out this season, they still hold a respectable place in the league one point and one position ahead of us.

This weekend will see the return of our former Nigerian striking ace, The Yak, as he likely returns to the starting line-up following a spell of injury. He’s no stranger to scoring goals wherever he is, and notched up a decent tally of goals last season for Everton. Yakubu currently has three Premiership strikes under his belt this season and he’ll probably be wanting to increase that tally, especially against his old club. Never the less, Yakubu left the club under “dodgy” circumstances, so i wouldn’t be suprised to hear Boro’s away contingent boo’ing each time he receives the ball, then again, i would… i’ve lost all respect for the man.

Everton’s most widely recognised nickname is “The Toffees” or “The Toffeemen”, which came about after Everton had moved to Goodison. There are several explanations for how this name came to be adopted, the most well known being that there was a business near the ground called Mother Noblett’s Toffee Shop which advertised and sold sweets, including the Everton Mint, on match days. This also led to the Toffee Lady tradition in which a girl walks around the perimeter of the pitch before the start of a game tossing free Everton Mints into the crowd. Another possible reason is that there was a house called Ye Anciente Everton Toffee House near the Queen’s Head hotel in which early club meetings took place. The word “toffee” was also slang referring to Irishmen, of which there was a large population in the city at the turn of the century and who tended to support Everton rather than city rivals Liverpool.

They are currently a club on the up going by the last couple of seasons, but in general, are regarded as severe relegation flirters. At the moment, Everton currently runners up for the record of most years in top flight football, behind Arsenal… but that has looked like being shattered on many occasions as Everton are quite used to having a good season only to be dissapointed the next by coming close to relegation only to survive. I suppose that’s good in a way, at least they get to Celebrate success and failiure one way or another.

Everton’s illustrious honours include winning the old First Division nine times and receiving runner’s up medals on seven occasions. Their trophy cabinet also holds five FA-Cups with their players receiving a further seven runner’s up medals. As you can see, they’re no stranger to success, with a further two League Cup wins and even a European Cup winner’s Cup. The most suprising of their honour’s is that in 1985 they were actually named The World Team of the Year by the World Soccer Magazine.

David Moyes will be looking nervously over his shoulder with the Boro currently sitting a point behind his team in the table, and Gareth Southgate will want to take advantage. But it’s not only Everton that are having a hard time of things in the consistency department this season. As ever, Boro are showing signs of inconsistency, but the season appears to be leveling itself off. It is a shame though that we couldn’t capitalise on some of our other results, while still having the luck… such as against the Aston Villa game.

The hot topic at the moment is whether Boro can get points from Goodison on Sunday.

Late goals have cost us a few points this season, and adding those “omg we should have won” games onto our points tally shows us exactly where we should be sitting in the league this season. Games against Liverpool, West Brom, (arguably one of our best displays) and Sunderland (another match winning display) are all games which, if we were actually a friend of lady luck, would have had points from. From a calculated 9 points, ideally, 7 of those would have been ours, which would put us in third place in the league, one point ahead of Arsenal. Yes, we can complain and look back all day if we want to, and it’s nice to speculate where we could be and yes, should be sitting in the table, but atleast we can take pride in what Boro could actually achieve this season if things went our way in the grand scheme.

To be fair though, it was a pretty average game against Aston Villa last week and if it wasn’t for the quick reactions and the never die attitude of Tuncay, we may have gone home licking our wounds, but things really weren’t as bad as a few individuals made out. Those who are familiar with “The Hatchet Man”, an idiot, no skilled pathetic journalist who abuses his Daily Mail collumn with articles that attempt to attack a team and draw in fan’s to basically “have it off” with him, wrote a pretty damning article slating Alves and his finishing ability, and im not sure how many other people believe that his is crap, but that really isn’t the case and i’d try and convince readers otherwise.

Alves is still the best finisher at our club and to be fair, those weren’t really ideal chances. Let’s take a look at Alves’ first suspect chance… the left footed side-footer. The ball came in so fast, but before that atleast three other Boro players had a chance to score. Alves was marked by two players when he received the ball unexpectidly and could only direct the ball past the post. I’d lay the blame on the buildup players who should have had a shot on goal. Secondly, there’s Digards long range strike, which the keeper parried. I’d agree this could have been a different story, but at the end of the day, the ball was so close to the keeper anyway and on such an angle that the ball would have been saved, or hit the keeper anyway if he attempted the lob. So keep faith people, he will deliver. If he gets the chances, he will definately score the goals… but if he doesn’t get the chances, lets not blame him either because it isn’t his fault if he doesn’t get the service.

everton: possible team line-up and team news

Everton look set to field their best team this week [left], which see’s the return of coveted striker Yakubu, who recently, has been linked with a move to Tottenham.

New signing Fellaini has been a revelation in the centre for Everton, often being their source of creative play in the absense of Tim Cahill. He missed last weeks game through suspension however he’s back in contention and will take the place of Jack Rodwell in the centre, as he takes his place on the bench.

Victor Anichebe looks set to be replaced by The Yak, who will be partnered upfront with recent in-form goalscorer Louis Saha

Currently, Everton only sport two injury victims in the treatment room.

The game comes too early for Nuno Valente who is out with a knee injury. He’s rated doubtful for the game, but likely won’t return until the end of the month.

Lars Jacobsen is also out with a dislocated shoulder and isn’t due back until December.

middlesbrough: possible line-up and team news

Gareth will be tempted to play the same team that beat Aston Villa last week at Villa Park, so no changes are expected to be made to this weeks team.

Boro currently have three players in the treatment room.

Mido was taken from the pre-match warm up last week with a suspected Hamstring injury and he’s expected to be out until the end of the month.

Mohammed Shawky [thigh strain] and Rhys Williams[knee ligament injury] still remain sidelined until December and January respectively.

Team Talk

So what do the readers think about tomorrows squad? Personally, i’m happy.

I’ve been banging on about dropping Downing for the past couple of weeks, but this week i won’t complain if he’s in the starting Eleven. He had a good game against Villa last week, knocking in some good crosses and also taking a few well taken shots on goal. He also seemed to be getting around the pitch a little more, moving from the left into the middle and actually looking for the ball, which was good to see.

Digard and O’Neil looked OK in the centre and i remember a nice bit of passing movement on the edge of the Villa box before Alves had his side-footed miss. It was good to see but im sure O’Neil or Tuncay could of had a good chance to score!

Riggott looks set to keep his place in the team after some very good displays in the Boro shirt. He looks like he’s recaptured the form that we saw when he first arrived, which is great to see. Riggott always did have huge potential and was no doubt at one time good enough to start for England.

As a consiquence, Wheater is having to make do with a place on the bench, which is good to see. It’s a testiment to how well Riggott is doing at the moment.

Justin Hoyte is also bedding in to his role at right back with an assured display against Aston Villa. He was great defensively and he was a good attacking threat going forward, although his dribbling skills leave a lot to be desired.

team vs team statistics

Boro have a dreadful record at Goodison Park. Our last win was in the Carling Cup in 2005, where we came out 1-0 victors.

Over an amount of 63 games, on 42 occasions, we’ve came away with absolutely nothing.

Everton have only collected 1 win and 3 draws from the last six home games played, which leaves a lot to be desired, giving Boro a fighting chance to collect points. In this time, they’ve scored 6 goals, but a large 10 have been leaked at the other end.

Boro’s away form is none too clever either. We’ve picked up two good wins, but in losing three from the last six, we’ve scored 6 goals, however 9 have hit the back of the wrong net.

Everton’s 18 points from 12 games sees them lie inside the top half of the table, in 7th position. Middlesbrough’s 17 points from 12 games sees them lie inside the top half of the table, in 8th position, one point behind Everton.

Despite the stats, Everton are unbeaten in their last three home games,

They’ve won their last three Premiership games,

But haven’t drawn a match in three.

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Boro, believe it or not, are undefeated in their last three away games,

We’re currently four games undefeated

match predictions

I suspect this will be a good game of football to be honest. Boro have shown flashes of form and have definately been creating the chances and scoring some goals, but the same can be said for Everton for the last few games also. If Digard and O’Neil start, then that should provide ample competition in the centre against Fellaini and Cahill, although i fear their midfield definately has more of a scoring threat if they’re allowed to roam free.

Im not certain on the final score this week, so i’m going to make two predictions.

Boro will either win 1-2 or the match will be a 1-1 draw.

Key players i’d expect are going to be Fellaini for Everton, and i’d like to see Alves score for Boro.

Where can you see Boro play?

Currently, there are no links to view the Boro game on the internet. Please check back on sunday Morning where i will be updating this section of the article with links to the game.

If you are familiar with streaming football games over the net then you will already have the software.

If not, then do a quick google search for Sopcast and TVU. The games can also be viewed on Justin.tv [when available] and will also be published along with direct viewing links to Sopcast and TVU. The links will open the respective software automatically.

Post from BoroMania: Middlesbrough Football

Everton Vs Middlesbrough - Big Match Preview

Reports in the Czech press have revealed that FC Brno goalkeeper Martin Lejsal is currently in talks with Boro regarding a switch to the Riverside Stadium.

The Brno star would be considered as Ross Turnbull’s backup if he was to move to Boro, as the young keeper is currently in fantastic form. This does, of course, raise the question of what would happen to Brad Jones if Lejsal was to sign, both Turnbull and Jones are coming to the end of their current contracts though Boro are trying to tie them both down to new deals.

This may though be nothing more than press speculation and interestingly Boro were linked with Lejsal back in 2006 and obviously nothing came of it then. The Czech keeper has spent time in Italy with Reggina, Venezia and Padova before returning to his home country and FC Brno.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see Southgate looking at bringing in another keeper as we are light in that department, highlighted by the return of David Knight on a month to month contract to cover for Jason Steele’s injury, whether Lejsal is the answer though remains to be seen.

Post from BoroMania: Middlesbrough Football

Boro looking at Czech stopper?

Boro fielded a relatively young but strong side that included four players who sat on the bench against Villa Marvin Emnes, Adam Johnson, Josh Walker and Jonathan Grounds. Matthew Bates also started the game as he continues his comeback following knee ligament damage.

Boro started the game well and a lot of the attacking threat was coming down the left hand side as Johnson and Joe Bennett combined well on a couple of occasions, Bennett firing a shot just wide of the Wednesday goal after a mazy run from Johnson.

Boro took the lead in the 14th minute as England Under-19 International Jonathan Franks took a pass 25 yards out and fired a right foot shot into the bottom corner to give Middlesbrough a well deserved lead.

A few minutes later Boro thought they had doubled their lead as Marvin Emnes turned in Nathan Porritt’s volley only to see the linesman’s flag raised for offside. Emnes got his goal a few minutes later though, picking up a loose pass from Wednesday in the midfield he set off on a twisting and weaving run befire unleashing a powerful drive from the edge of the area that was too powerful for O’Donnell to keep out.

Boro went into the half time break leading 2-0 and Emnes was replaced by Gary Martin for the second half.

The second half started quieter than the first though Wednesday rarely threatened David Knight in the Boro goal, Matty Bates and Jon Grounds performing brilliantly at the heart of the defence.

With 15 minutes to go the result was put beyond any doubt as the impressive Gary Martin found Shaun Saiko in the area and the Canadian midfielder buried his low shot into the bottom corner. Minutes later Martin found Jonathan Franks in the box and the winger spun and fired the ball past the helpless Wednesday goalie.

With a few minutes remaining Adam Johnson clipped a ball over the top for the run of Joe Bennett. The impressive left back checked back well onto his left foot and smashed the ball home.

A very good performance from the Boro reserves, their next game in the totesportcasino.com league cup is against Bradford on Tuesday, before completing the group’s final game against Grimsby in January.

Marvin Emnes looked a lot sharper in the first half and took his goal very well, he held the ball up well and linked in with the midfield. The central defensive pairing of Matthew Bates and Jonathan Grounds were outstanding up against some experienced and physical players in Akpo Sodje, Deon Burton and Francis Jeffers. Josh Walker was tidy in the midfield and showed a good range of passing, Jonathan Franks was very lively and bagged a couple of good goals and Porritt threatened at times but drifted in and out of the game.

I was impressed with young Gary Martin when he came on, he held up the ball well and played some very neat one touch passes as well as creating two goals.

There were a number of candidates for man of the match in this game, Franks for his two goals and Bennett for his overall display but i’m going to give it to Jonathan Grounds who I thought was outstanding at the heart of the defence and coped very well with the big, physical Sodje.

Post from BoroMania: Middlesbrough Football

Emnes shines as Boro reserves win 5-0

First up we have David Wheater. Many perceive him to be “a man”, but BoroMania have discovered that he actually likes to dress up as a woman and ride around Liverpool on his little bike with a basket!

Wheater

If that isn’t the spitting image of Wheats, i don’t know what is!

Second up, we have Afonso Alves.

Many would believe he’d be spending his time working on his finishing after this weekend’s howlers, but oh no… He’s actually been seen in Australia filming Neighbours, where he acts as his alter ego, Steve Parker!

Alves!

Skip ahead to 55 seconds!

That conclued this edition. If anyone has any others to add, please email them to ross010[at]msn.com and i’ll add those to a future article for the viewers to see!

Post from BoroMania: Middlesbrough Football

What do Boro players get upto in their spare time? Let’s take a look!