Up the Boro

As previously stated on this blog, the most masochistic and self-degrading aspect of my character is my inability to stop supporting Middlesbrough FC. I moved away from the town eight and a half years ago, have been back only twice since, and don't really know anyone who lives there anymore, but for some reason (and despite a few conscious attempts) I can't seem to shake the feelings of despondency when they mess up (often) and elation when they succeed (rare).


I have found in recent weeks, however, that supporting the Boro has been a less debilitating condition than usual. During all the long years that I have taken an interest, their most infuriating characteristic has been the ability to play well and get good results against the big teams, only to slump to standards of unbelievable mediocrity against the lesser ones. In recent seasons this has been particularly evident. Last season, we beat Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal at home, but were also the only team in the entire league to lose a match against Sunderland, who finished bottom of the table with a record-lowest points total.

During the first half of this season, we once again beat Chelsea at the Riverside, and drew our away games against Arsenal and Liverpool, but guess what?! We were beaten by all three of the newly promoted teams, (Reading, Sheffield United and Watford) two of whom are currently languishing at the bottom of the league. This can all get very frustrating. If you had told me two months ago that Middlesbrough's next two games were away to Man Utd, then at home to Charlton, I honestly, honestly would have been more confident of a victory at Old Trafford.


However, as mentioned, I have noticed a rather subtle and very pleasing change in recent weeks. On Tuesday night, we battled to victory in an FA cup tie against lowly Bristol City, of League One. The score after extra time was 2-2, and we needed a penalty shoot-out to beat them. An embarassment for the Premiership side, then? Not at all. That was exactly the kind of game in which, until recently, Middlesbrough would have caved in, stopped trying, and allowed the lower-league boys to record a famous win. We had a similarly scrappy, roll-up-your-sleeves-and-fight type win against Hull City in the previous round of the FA Cup. In the league we have, since Christmas, beaten Sheffield United, Charlton and Bolton Wanderers, and got a point away to Portsmouth (read it and weep, Bastable!). Most, if not all of these games would normally have resulted in humiliating failure.


Even the recent 3-0 defeat against Chelsea didn't dampen my spirits - it's Chelsea, for goodness sake! We shouldn't be beating a team who have become to professional football what Tesco is to retail. We should be able to pick up points against the likes of Charlton, Sheffield United and Portsmouth (weep again, Bastable!), and recently, that's exactly what we've been doing.


Of course, no fan is more familiar with false hope than a Boro fan. Let's wait and see where we finish this season. For the time being, though, Gareth Southgate seems to be successfully motivating the likes of Viduka, Xavier and Yakubu (one last sob, Andy) to actually bother to try, and the enthusiasm of local young players like Stewart Downing, James Morrison and Andrew Davies bodes well for the future.


It is only fitting for me to conclude with one of the wonderfully inventive terrace refrains I remember from my boyhood days:

You are my Boro, my only Boro.

You make me happy, when skies are grey.

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you.

Please don't take, my Boro, away.