So, we finally got a decent result. 2 nil win away at Reading has got to be good news. It’s quite strange, as the mood around the Boro was so bad you’d think that we were in the relegation places, rather than than the top four. Is that because we’ve got unrealistic expectationsthat we should win every single game because we’re in an inferior league do you think? That’s what Gareth Southgate reckons, and is now claiming that the players would rather play away from home because of the pressure and the stick that they get at home. Nice move Gareth, blame the fans for our poor performances, instead of looking where the faults really lie, i.e. the manager and the team.
Alienating the fans further is just one of the things that Southgate seems to be getting better at. He needs to take a long look at himself and his team, because the reason that the fans are reacting how they are when things are not going well is because they have absolutely no faith in the manager, his team selection, tactics and transfer policy. So naturally we panic when we lose at home, or throw away a two goal lead, because we know that there is nothing the manager can do about it, because he has no tactical acumen, and never, ever blames the players. If we had a manager we felt could turn things around when the going got tough then it would be different, but we don’t. We saw that last season as we slipped to the inevitable relegation. Inevitable because it was clear that Southgate couldn’t do anything about it.
It’s times like that that you need to stand tall, and take the blame. Instead Southgate resolutely refuses to give his players the reprimand they deserve, so creating the impression with the fans that he is not the manager to turn things around if needs be. Signings like Caleb Folan don’t give any confidence either. Especially as he’s got injured and we don’t seem to have sent him back to Hull, which is what you normally do in that situation. What that suggests is that we’ve effectively already signed him permanently. Which further suggests that the club itself has no confidence that it will return to the Premier League anyday soon, because whatever he is, Caleb Folan is not a Premiership player. He may have height, and we do need a taller player to play off our other strikers, but being tall is not enough in itself.
Still, we got the three points, and with West Brom and Newcastle dropping two points each, it keeps us in touch. Typical Boro though eh?