• Everton for the World Cup, Adam Johnson for England and Mud.

How can you not love this game, this league, the drama, the terrible state of the DW in Wigan? Forget that last one. Gameweek 27 saw Everton continue their fantastic league form as they beat Manchester United emphatically at home only ten days removed from performing so gallantly against league leaders Chelsea. David Moyes has the Toffees charging up the table while remaining involved in a competitive Europa League. The Scot surely rues the early season injuries that see Everton just in eighth spot and is left to wonder what could have been. I wonder if a Europa Cup Final featuring a red team and blue team from Liverpool is possible?

The race for L4 heated up again, with Aston Villa and Tottenham gaining 3 points confidently (over Burnley and  Wigan respectively), while the clash of two more L4 wannabes ended 0-0 in Manchester as Adam Johnson impressed again (call him Fabio). Nothing is remotely close to being decided yet as L4 is now separated by only 1 single, solitary point, with two of the four teams in pursuit of L4′s riches holding vital games in hand.

Chelsea went through the motions at Molineux, Fulham left the drama late at home, Portsmouth continue to play out a doomed season with bravado, and West Ham continue to find their foot while Hull City continue to slip. Beautiful Passing Gnomes unconvincingly disposed of woeful Sunderland while they play keepy up with their title aspirations and big Sam has Blackburn above and beyond anything resembling a relegation struggle, which of course you should know by now brings us to:

Honorable Mentions:

Kevin Doyle, Wolverhampton Wanders- Although the forward’s side didn’t win or score a goal, Doyle’s alertness off the ball impressed me. The Republic of Ireland international and Wolves best player has an acute sense of awareness that allows him to shine for a club battling relegation. Doyle’s 16th minute run with the ball at his feet was one of Wolves best scoring opportunities of the day. Doyle ran 25 yards to the edge of the box and shot across the face of Petr Cech’s goal only for the Chelsea keeper to gobble up the attempt.

Doyle continued to make a nuisance of himself and was yards away from scoring from a free kick in the 31st minute that just missed. Again in the 79th, Doyle’s shot was stopped by Cech after he spun on a Chelsea defender and struck a low shot while falling down. If Wolves are to stay up this season, they’ll need to provide Doyle with the quality service he deserves. If they don’t, Doyle could be seen in another shirt next year.

Roman Pavlyuchenko, Tottenham Hotspur-  I suppose the Russian is no longer out of favor. It seems every time he comes on for Harry Redknapp, he scores. Pavlyuchenko came on in the 73rd and scored two quality goals in his twenty minute appearance. With his opener, his first touch was quality as he brilliantly set up his second touch which was a clinical left footed, falling down strike past Chris Kirkland in the 84th. His second came only minutes later as he nicked a rebound from his saved header. Pavlyuchenko stayed with the ball and flicked over Kirkland and a Wigan defender who was laying hopeless on the ground.

What impresses me about Pavlyuchenko is that he continually performs to the best of his ability even when he hasn’t been receiving quality playing time. It would be so easy for him to sulk on the bench and phone in his late game cameos, but the Russian seems to have something to prove to boss Harry Redknapp as his brace on Sunday secured all three points for the current fourth place Tottenham.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

Stewart Downing, Aston Villa- Yet again, a high flying Villain shows up among the week’s best. The boys from Birmingham will look to win a piece of silverware this Sunday when they take on Carling Cup holders Manchester United in the final to be played at Wembley. The quick left footed winger has been building on his good form over the last few weeks and seems to get better with each appearance. There’s a lot of pressure on Downing as his return to match fitness saw Martin O’Neill place Downing on the left side of midfield while James Milner moved to a central role. Downing will look to keep his current form as he hopes to force his way into Fabio Capello’s England plans.

Villa came out the winners in a 5-2 thrashing of Burnley on Sunday after a four goal second half blitz finished off the visitors. This thirteen minute onslaught of quick passing, forward movement and convincing finishing opened up the game and exploited Burnley’s weakness in defense while it highlighted Aston Villa’s fluid movement. Downing was at the forefront of the Villa attack scoring a quick brace in two minutes that all but finished off the tie and gave Villa the three points.

Downing is an exciting wing player who oddly enough was signed when he was injured. When at his best, his crosses into the box can be lethal to central defenders. Martin O’Neill sure put a lot of faith into the former Middlesbrough man and here’s hoping that faith continues to pay off.

Disagree with me? Saw a good movie this weekend? Wanna share your favorite recipe? Leave a comment below.

If you hadn’t been paying attention to Middlesbrough last season or the first half of the current campaign in the Championship – and let’s face it – most people don’t pay much attention to Middlesbrough – you won’t have seen how good Adam Johnson is.

A graduate of Middlesbrough’s fantastic youth academy, many Boro people have thought for many years now that Johnson is the very best players the club has ever produced.

Indeed, when Martin O’Neill bought what outsiders thought was the club’s greatest asset in Stewart Downing, there are plenty who thought he bought the wrong winger. This will be proved in the second half of this season as Johnson lights up the Premier League.

Downing is mentally fragile. He disappears for long periods as anyone who saw Villa’s dreadful game against Spurs at the weekend can attest. That was a typical performance. He will throw one of those in every three or four matches. He manages to become almost entirely invisible, only reappearing when substituted.

While he has some pace, he’s not lightening quick. His greatest asset is his crossing but frankly, you wouldn’t want to bet anything valuable on him delivering regularly. It was only being left footed that got him in the England squad.

Johnson on the other hand has genuine pace. He has better close control, he has vision and better still, scores goals – 11 in 24 in the Championship this season. When Downing was the main man at Boro, he seemed to be held back. Her went out on loan to Watford and did really well. But Downing was always in front of him when he returned. As soon as Downing was sold, he really came into his own.

He now seems a confident lad who won’t hide the way Downing does. All of this was immediately on display last night in Manchester City’s game against Bolton where he as easily man of the match. He can beat defenders and draw fouls. He’s got a good shot on him and can drift right and left.

A couple of seasons ago he was a skinny, lightweight kid and was too easy to knock off the ball. Now he has grown into a broader, stronger man and looks the part. His only real weakness is he’s very left-footed, if he can do something other than stand on his right foot, then he’ll be the finished article.

If you’re looking for a dark horse to go to the World Cup, look no further than Adam Johnson. Capello has already singled him out as being ‘very, very good’ and a left-footed player is always an asset for any squad looking for balance.

With Walcott as busted flush, Lennon injured, Shaun Wright-Philips too small and too inconsistent, come May, Johnson might look like the answer to both the right and left side of midfield. There’s always one man who breaks out of the ranks before a World Cup, I’m putting my money on it being him.

During the takeover of Manchester City last summer, City’s Chief Executive, Gary Cook made several rather tasteless comments but one stood out above all the others for me. During an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Cook was outlining City’s plan for world domination. As Wednesday’s defeat at Tottenham showed, sometimes things don’t go to plan.

During a rather ill-judged interview, which looking back, is quite hilarious now, Cook had this to say: “China and India are gagging for football content to watch and we’re going to tell them that City is their content. We need a superstar to get through that door. Richard Dunne doesn’t roll off the tongue in Beijing. Ronaldinho brings access to major sponsors and financial reward”

Going on their current way of doing business at Manchester City, they’ll try sign Ronaldinho, who is nowhere near the player he was between 2003 and 2006. Yet Richard Dunne has been instrumental in Aston Villa’s fantastic form this season by continuing in the same vein that saw him Manchester City’s player of the year in 4 out of his last 5 seasons at the club. A great club build from the back by having a superb defence which allows the flair players to express themselves. Cook was out of order to pour scorn on Dunne especially judging by the comedy defending Lescott, Toure and Bridge have offered so far this season.

If anything, Manchester City are crying out for a player like Richard Dunne, but as Cook said, he doesn’t sell shirts in China. Why on earth would Manchester City want someone who can defend but just isn’t glamorous enough. He just gives 100% and puts his body on the line, always pushing himself to keep his side in every game. For club and country, Dunne has always been Mr. Consistency over the last 6 seasons and Aston Villa are now benefiting from his work rate.

Since joining Villa, Dunne has slotted in seamlessly and allowed O’Neill’s side to concentrate on their effective counter attacking game. By knowing they have such a dependable and reliable player behind them, Villa’s attacking quartet can concentrate on trying to run teams ragged. With the pace that Villa have, Dunne’s strength and presence at the back allows the team to quickly break out and take advantage.

With the experience last season will have given some of the players, they’ll know that they have to avoid a repeat of running out of steam once the season came down to the run in. With Downing now almost fully match fit and Collins complementing Dunne at the back, Villa have a real squad that can enable them to stay the pace.

Everyone has been surprised by Everton’s slow start, but they’ve been ripped apart by injuries to the point they were reliant on the youth set up at Goodison, but Spurs and Manchester City are also up there with Villa. For once we have 7 or 8 sides battling at the top of the table and the Premiership is all the better for it. Liverpool continue to press the self destruct button too which strengthens the pretenders attempts to gain a top 4 slot.

Under Martin O’Neill and with the reliable Richard Dunne in the team, Aston Villa will be hoping they can look down on Manchester City. I wonder then if Gary Cook will see any Aston Villa shirts with Dunne on the back during his summer holidays. I really hope he does.

Why can’t Stewart Downing show us the form that makes him such a sought after player when he pulls on the England shirt? There is no doubting that at Premier League level, Downing is one of the most dangerous and creative players in the country but after Saturdays performance against Slovakia, it’s clear to see that the lad doesn’t feel comfortable in his own skin when he’s around the England squad.

Yet, now the situation is surely set up for him to succeed on the left hand side of England’s midfield. With his main positional rival, Joe Cole, injured, he’s really got a free run to install himself in Capello’s mind and make a strong case for a run in the team. He’s no real other rivals for the left wing slot, Kieran Richardson has really fallen off the radar England wise and Ashley Young is bang out of form right now. It’s the perfect time for him to put a marker down yet he seems to be suffering from the same malaise that affected England’s best left winger of the last 25 years, John Barnes.

Barnes was majestic for Watford and Liverpool but never transferred his sublime skills to the international arena on a consistent basis. I remember watching him in the 1987-88 season destroy Sheffield Wednesday on his own at Hillsborough, even simply walking the ball at his leisure down the left flank, jinking past the full back in the blink of an eye. It became such a consistent issue, that toward the end of his England career, Barnes was booed again and again with fed up fans at a loss to explain why he simply couldn’t cut it.

Maybe it was the lack of serious continental competition that blighted his international career. With English clubs banned from 1985 until 1991, Barnes was almost 29 when he started playing regular European club football, too late to bring a change in his fortunes in the white shirt of England.  Yet Downing doesn’t have that excuse as Middlesbrough have had several European games that he’s featured in, especially the incredible run to the UEFA Cup final of 2006 including that incredible semi-final against Steau Bucharest.Downing’s deliver that game was in a class of it’s own.

Yet Saturday saw him look hurried, putting himself under pressure time and again and trying to pass the ball almost before he’d received it. Time and again his passing was way off target and he began to withdraw more and more. So what can he do to sort himself out? He needs to realise he’s in the England squad on merit, not by luck. If Fabio Capello thinks he’s good enough for the England set up, who are we to argue? That alone should show him that he deserves to be in the company of Gerrard, Beckham, Lampard et al.

I don’t think it’s got anything to do with playing for Middlesbrough as some “pundits” will have you believe, though there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll not be there next season if Boro fall into the Championship. Downing just needs to believe in himself more when he wears the three lions otherwise he’ll see his England chances disappear, which would be a crying shame. A bit more belief would also give England another avenue of attack and one that Downing can make his own.

Why can everyone else see Middlesbrough’s problems but Steve Gibson? Whilst his support for Southgate is edifying, it worries me that the Chairman seems so detached from the situation Boro are in by continuing to back Southgate over the evidence of results, performances and the fans. Yet by backing Southgate, Steve Gibson is in danger of losing the support of the fans at the Riverside.” The magic wand in our situation is not sacking Gareth Southgate, but if I was to sack Gareth Southgate at this stage, how would it help the situation” I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news Mr Gibson, but teams that sack managers tend to hit a real vein of form for the next 8 games. Middlesbrough only have 8 games left. Portsmouth have so far collected 8 in 5 matches after removing Tony Adams. That could be enough to save your Premiership status.

Before the last home game, Season ticket holders in the South East block were contacted to ask them not to make noise unless the team were attacking or stand up during games at the Riverside, a bizarre decision that had me scratching my head. When you’ve a stadium full of fans who aren’t happy with the manager and his tactics, pointing the finger of blame at fans smacks of desperation. Southgate himself had a go at the fans after the lucky draw against Portsmouth after they chanted “We’ve only got one player” highlighting Tuncay’s efforts in comparison to his team mates.

“Some chants were disrespectful. The crowd had a right to laud his efforts but we win and lose as a team, the other lads may not have been as eye catching but they made important saves, blocks and interceptions” Continuing on his blame shifting, Southgate claimed it was “Hurtful to some of the other players, We survive as a club and a town by pulling together.”

It comes to something when a football manager tries to put such positive spin on Middlesbrough’s dire run by accusing the fans of being disrespectful and upsetting players. It reminds me of Steve Mclaren’s hellish period in charge of England, when he consistently tried to spin dreadful performances, such as drawing away in Israel and at home to Macedonia as good results. Southgate must be living in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks the fans can have the wool pulled over their eyes by being blamed for a run that has seen them pick up just 10 points in 18 games.Tony Adams was sacked by Portsmouth after collecting 13 points in 16 games. Make of that what you will.

The fans want to know how can they beat Liverpool but lose to Stoke and I can’t explain it. Fair enough, the win against Liverpool was fortunate, as the Reds had chance after chance after chance and just couldn’t score and that win is the only reason they’re not joint bottom of the Premiership with West Brom. I honestly can’t see Middlesbrough getting the two wins they need to even get of the bottom 3 in their next 4 matches with tough trips to Bolton and Arsenal, they need maximum points in home games against Hull City and Fulham.

West Brom look dead and buried unless they hit title winning form and the trap door is opening under Middlesbrough. With Gibson refusing to act now, it looks as if Boro are destined to join them unless a footballing miracle occurs. Yet, with relegation a real possibility, is Gibson going to remove Southgate in the Summer? Relegation would see them lose Downing, Tuncay and probably O’Neill to remove all the flair and guile that the side currently have. What quality of player can Southgate attract to the Riverside? His transfer record doesn’t hold much hope for anyone of genuine quality joining Boro whilst he’s in charge. Afonso Alves looks a worse buy every game he plays, a white elephant that cost £12 million pounds. A promotion charge under Southgate looks as far away as Michael Owen staying at Newcastle United.

Sometimes a Chairmans support for a manager can be positive, but sometimes it can smack of sheer bloody mindedness and unfortunately for Middesbrough fans, Steve Gibson’s stance falls into the latter. For Middlesbrough’s fans, the chairman needs to stop hoping for something to happen and keep Middlesbrough in Premiership, unfortunately without Gareth Southgate, otherwise I fear the Boro are doomed.

I’ve wondered for a long time what it is that managers see in Stewart Downing, particularly England managers. Since his first call up in February 2005, Downing has been pretty much been a regular in the England squad, but why? I don’t understand how one player can have gained 22 caps without ever making an impact in any of those games. People criticise the manner in which David Beckham has accrued caps in recent years to tie him level with Bobby Moore but at least he has made an impact for his country at some stage of his career. In his ten minute cameo appearances, David Beckham provides more goal scoring opportunities than Stewart Downing could ever dream of.

For his club, Downing is undeniably a good player but as soon as he puts on an England shirt he seems to lose the ability to take on full backs and get crosses into the box. There is a reason though why Tottenham wanted to buy him. At Premiership level, he scores and creates goals on a regular basis and has one of the best deliveries in the league. Although his form in front of goal hasn’t been as good this season, he is still a class operator down the flanks and can give the best full backs in the world a torrid ninety minutes. He must be exceptional in training as well, why else would Fabio Capello openly say that he has been most impressed by the winger?

Downing has all the natural attributes to be a top player but let’s face it, he only gets into the England squad because he is left footed. It is well publicised that England have always struggled in that position and a naturally left footed winger is hard to come by. But that doesn’t justify continuously playing someone in that position who has had numerous opportunities and never really impressed. Not when Ashley Young is looking on from the bench, or worse, watching at home on his television having been overlooked yet again. From Young’s point of view he must be wondering what more he has to do to get a game for his country.

Granted, Downing had a decent game against Germany last November but one performance in twenty two is just not acceptable. Not when Andorran and Macedonian full backs are marking him out of a game. If Downing was right footed, he wouldn’t get a sniff. He would find himself in the wilderness with the likes of David Bentley. If Downing replicated his ‘Boro form for England then by all means he should be considered but after four years now, each time he has played for England it has become increasingly clear that he just isn’t up to the job. This has been shown up by the manager’s choice to not play him in crucial competitive matches as he is too inconsistent compared to someone like Joe Cole who can be relied upon. But surely his consistent inclusion in the squad is only giving him the false perception that he is producing the standard of performance that is required.

Capello has stated that he only picks players who are playing regularly and more importantly playing well so this would explain why Downing is constantly selected but I for one think it’s time to leave him out for a while. There are other options that haven’t been explored and the only thing that Downing has proved in my opinion is that he is not the answer.

Congrats to Derby County. On a day where Cricket was the headline in England throughout (thanks ECB), Derby County came up with another dozy…technically being 180 minutes away from European competition.

However that’s where the hyperbole stops for me. Sir Alex Ferguson obviously had a plan in mind for tonight’s game, damage control. While yes the 1-0 scoreline could be considered flattering for the number of chances Derby County had, Derby were unable to really punish Manchester United and the lighthearted nature they took this first leg. When the ninety was up, the scoreline should have read at least 2-0.

But let’s be honest about this game. Manchester United have a big tie Sunday against Chelsea at Old Trafford and they host the return leg to this tie in two weeks time. Sir Alex killed one bird when tonight’s game ended 1-0. He was able to rest key players and with the damage held to a minimal, should be able to turn over a Derby County side that will have the post manager change glow wearing off in a fort night. So let us all not over blow this result. While yes it’s a bit of a shock, let’s put this into perspective first. If Derby manage to hold on at Old Tafford for the Wembley final, then we can wonder about the what ifs of this night.

Busy day at St. James Park. First we find out Shola Ameobi signed a new 3 year deal. Let’s hope he gets healthy to play a large part of those 3 years. Secondly we find out that Obafemi Martins is off to see the hernia guy in Germany. See ya in six weeks. However if I was Martins, I’d tell his agent to shut up about blasting the club and the medical staff saying ‘The Newcastle medical staff is woeful’. Why state the obvious when at any time you can look at their injury list and go ‘is this West Ham from last season’? And finally we find out that Alan Smith looks to be sold from the club. For some odd reason that will probably come to me later, that surprises me.

Other Stories
Mark Hughes believes in an open door policy. I guess his players just don’t want to take him up on that offer. If players are taking up their grievances in player only meetings and with chairmen, then in my mind the players have either revolted or no longer care about you as a person.

We have a new leader in the club house in the Richest Club Owner Invitational, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Manchester City. That’s what happens when you have more money than everyone else. Roman Abramovich falls to third.

Tell me if I’ve got this nightly Jermain Defoe update correct. 1) The story comes out that Defoe made his own deal. 2) Bitter ex agent who is suing Defoe over breech of contract makes claim that Defoe’s mother helped broker the deal. So would that make 3) Bitter ex agent is trying to get both Defoe and Tottenham in trouble? Now I just want this story to end!

So John Terry is disappointed to see Wayne Bridge go. I guess they must have become great friends on the Chelsea medical tables.

Major League Soccer bust Denilson is on trail with Bolton. Hey Gary, you can’t be that desperate for players.

Here’s our daily warning from Middlesbrough saying Stewart Downing isn’t for sale.

Well the rumblings of yesterday have come to fruition today, on two counts. The first happening in South America, the other happening at the Riverside.

I can understand Carlos Tevez wanting his future sorted. But the situation with Manchester United seems to get crazier by the day. After firing back at Ferguson’s claims of rejecting a contract offer and saying he nor his agent had seen a contract, Tevez fired what I think could be the fatal jab when he admitted that he’s going to start hearing offers from other clubs.

In my mind, Carlos Tevez is skating on ultra thin ice right now. You’re not an out and out starter at Manchester United and I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you’re wanting mega pounds to stay. However to more or less say you’re ready to leave Manchester United and (while I’ll admit this comment is off handed), saying he’d love to play for Real Madrid, the corner that is being back into is not an easy one to walk out of.

Tevez needs to understand that being a squad player means you are not going to make what you think you’re worth at Manchester United. Only the week in and week out players guaranteed in the starting eleven will. If you think you’re bigger than the club, do yourself a favor and simply go ahead and leave. Ferguson won’t deal with the headache.

The other story from last night that came home to roost was the formal transfer request Stewart Downing made to Middlesbrough. It appears clear that Downing wants to continue his career under the wing of Harry Redknapp at Tottenham, but not only was Downing’s formal transfer request denied, Tottenham’s 12 million pound bid was also denied.

This situation reads to me very similar to the situation we saw last year with one Dimitar Berbatov.  Downing seems to be doing everything possible to get ouf of the club, be damned about the relationships made and the respect of the fans you have. While I understand we haven’t hit the sulk level yet, I expect that to happen in short order. The intentions have been made clear, and the impression I get is that Downing isn’t going to stop until he’s out of the Riverside for the comforts of North London.

Steve Gibson is in a tight spot. While I agree with him for making a player honor a contact, how much more of this nonsense will he tolerate. Gibson though saying ‘I repeat: none of our senior players will be leaving the Riverside Stadium this month’ tells me that he’s ready for the long haul that this January window will bring. But one thing Gibson should realize is Daniel Levy has very recently been in Gibson’s shoes, and knows what the final outcome ultimately will be.

Other Stories
Add Arsene Wenger to the back of Sir Alex Ferguson in saying the fixture list is ‘unfair’. Where to do I get my tissues? You’re supposed to be top four sides. Quit crying about who you have to face and when you have to face them.

Joe Cole seems a tad bit unhappy about being replaced for the 13th match in a row and is wanting to meet with Scolari about why that is the case. Just another fire for Scolari to put out. It’s funny though all these little fires are growing into one big inferno.

Wayne Bridge promises that his best is yet to come. As one Manchester City fan put it to me ‘that is until he gets injured’.

Tony Pulis thinks that bringing in players will lift the mood around the Stoke City squad. That is until they decide to take pop shots at each other during a match.

A Column to go Home By
Peter Bills questions if Chelsea have the stomach to fight for the title, FA Cup, and Champions League. I’ve been asking that same question as a Chelsea fan since the second week of the season.

The biggest story to come out of the FA Cup Third Round this weekend was the way Manchester City was torn apart by Nottingham Forest. Given the media’s need for a story, the immediate response from the press was to put Mark Hughes on the hottest of hot seats along with even starting the short list of those who could replace Hughes. While Mark Hughes decided to slam his club for ‘not being brave enough‘, Hughes is being defiant about being the right man for the job claiming ‘I know exactly what is needed here‘ while claiming it could take up to three transfer windows to turn Manchester City into a force.

To me this is a classic tactic from a manager under fire. However when you’re dealing with the money men that Mark Hughes is having to answer to, regardless if these same money men are claiming the job is safe and announcing there will be a spending spree this month. The harshness of this situation is a simple one. Manchester City are only alive for one cup and are sitting in the hell that is the relegation zone. Mark Hughes in my mind has this transfer window and this window only to get this club to mid table safety or else he’s going to take a hike from Eastlands. One thing Mark Hughes forgets is that it is up to him to motivate his players, and that’s the one thing I don’t see from the Manchester City squad on a week in, week out basis.

Jermain Defoe has been the subject of transfer requests since Harry Redknapp became manager at Tottenham, and now it seems he may have a valid reason to get out of dodge…the death threats he has begun to receive. Now one thing I don’t get about this whole situation, why hasn’t Defoe bothered to report this to the police? Just reporting it only to the club isn’t going to get much done. So where does this leave Portsmouth? And if Defoe has received death threats, why are people so idiotic to call him as Defoe seems to be claiming.

Well we know Lassana Diarra has left for Real Madrid and Defoe seems to be fast on his heels. Even with the 20 million pound pricetag being put on Defoe’s back, clubs seem willing to take him. The problem I see is if Defoe goes, the floodgates could soon open. Maybe not here in January, but this summer. Portsmouth lost a valuable man in Harry Redknapp. They could soon lose the key pieces to their puzzle thanks to the management of one Tony Adams.

Other Stories
Lukas Podolski has revealed that two clubs in the Premier League seem interested in his services. Bayern Munich seem quick to offload him at a price of 10 million euros, roughly the same price he was purchased for.

After enough of Sir Alex Ferguson’s crying about this season’s fixture list, Manchester United is getting their way and having club secretary Ken Ramsden join the Fixture Working Party. I love the cop out about clubs being allowed to raise objections before the fixture list is released. It’s the first I’ve heard of it.

Looks like Stewart Downing is set to hand in his formal transfer request out of Middlesbrough. The bids though need to get better. That said, I think this move may be one year too late.

Luiz Felipe Scolari is saying that the absence of John Terry isn’t the reason for Chelsea’s defensive woes. Well he’d be correct. That started when Ricardo Carvalho went down.

And Sam Allardyce isn’t looking forward to today’s FA Cup Third Round tie at Blyth Spartans. Makes me wonder if Blackburn takes this game seriously.

It’s taken me a little while to catch up on the goings on this week as I was away over the weekend. My wife and I took a camping trip and got away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a while. We ended up with some rainy weather but made the best of it, very similar to the Boro game this past Saturday.

I had thought the match againt Stoke City would be a comfortable three points considering the way the lads had performed against Tottenham and Liverpool. The effort still needed to be there but talent-wise I thought the Boro were just better. It was a little disappointing to see us struggle along to a 2-1 win. The obvious turning point in this one was Amdy Faye’s reckless, two-footed challenge on Shawky, for which he was sent off. Stoke lost any momentum that they had developed during that opening 30+ minutes and as one would expect Middlesbrough were dominant from that point on. One has to wonder how the game would have gone had Faye not gotten himself sent off. (Picture courtesy of the Daily Mail match report)

There was yet another own goal in this game — that’s now three in three league matches. A very worrying trend and one that I hope will end soon. Downing’s penalty miss was another lowlight but it’s far from doom and gloom at the Riverside. The three points on Saturday made it Middlesbrough’s best start for nine years and Alves’ goal was pure class. Great to see him get off the mark after looking so clueless in front of goal up to that point.

A few other notes from the week to pass on.

I had been scouring eBay for a Boro jersey and I kept noticing listings for XXL or XXXL Viduka and Yakubu shirts and was wondering……….Nah, you know what I’m not going to go there, it’s too easy!

I was glad to see that unlike other EPL clubs, Boro did not panic buy at the deadline. We’ve got a decent squad, a bit small but at least there should not be too many complaints about not starting or being in the squad. Also glad to see that Mido was not sold as we’re not too deep up front and he’ll be needed over the course of the season. As it turns out Southgate spent his “summer money” in January. The club record fee of £12.7m for Afonso Alves apparently came from the summer budget and it looks like it will be money well spent.

It was good to see a number of the squad involved in internationals this weekend. Downing has gotten another call up for England while Egyptian duo Mido and Shawky, Austrian defender Emanuel Pogatetz and Turkish striker Tuncay will all be in their national team squads. A special mention for defender prospect Rhys Williams, who has got his first senior Welsh squad callup.

I had mixed feelings about the Carling Cup draw. It’ll be fun to have my new team pitted against my old team but it would have been nicer had that happened later in the competition — like the final ! I think we have a good chance to go through if United choose to blood some youngsters in the match and we go in with a strong squad. Southgate has made mention of taking the Cups seriously this season and this will be a test of that conviction.

Until next time, COME ON BORO !