Fight, Fight, Fight!
Evening all. Just when you’d thought I’d forgotten about you. As if The Bagel would.
Well, I for one certainly feel a lot more jolly (no pun intended) than I did at the start of the week. With a cosy three points tucked under my Tottenham pillow, I’m sleeping pretty damn well at night. It wasn’t a classic but we deserved the result.
I’ve been reading a lot of print over the last couple of days about how MJ and Ledley fired the boys up and how our fight got us through etc, etc. I’m sure you’ve read it too. You haven’t? Oh, it’s stuff like this…
“The only thing we could do was show the supporters how much we respect them,”
“Ledley King spent a couple of minutes on that issue before the game, we don’t want them to feel humiliated or sad.”
…that’s MJ talking.
I appreciate the sentiment and I hate to pick holes in our beloved team, as I pride myself on not being the kind of whinging Spurs fan, who calls up 606 after our Historic Victory over Chelsea and complains about us a) not keeping a clean sheet, b) not having done it before and c) having to queue at half time for a chicken tikka pasty, which they’d run out of by the time they got to the front but…I think the boys have got something wrong here.
Firstly, sure the derby loss was very disappointing but it wasn’t us, who were humiliated. Our embarrassment was empathic for our players, who looked like buffoons. I’m glad they wanted to make it up to us but it’s to themselves they need to show some respect. They’ve got to go out there with the passion and the pride to win it for them. Our respect will follow.
The other problem I have with this backslappery is that, as I say, it wasn’t a classic. We had a spell of good pressure for about five minutes in the first half but otherwise, the opening 45 was a pretty turgid affair. Not the kind of grit you’d want to see after the last game. To be fair it was the same for the fans. We were rather quiet. Between us and the players, I think we all expected to put a little more effort into Tuesday evening than we actually did and we’re all slightly fortunate that our efforts were enough.
However, it is the result that counts. We did come up with the much needed late winner and it was certainly a strong sense of urgency and a desire to win that produced it. Both goals were fine efforts and there were many more shots on target stopped by Schwarzer, who had a very good game up until the Robbie Keane goal.
Interestingly, it was the red card incident and the scuffles around it where we, quite literally, saw the fight that had been missing. Unfortunately, I can’t find the footage anywhere. It seems the only kind of fights that people post on YouTube are the ones where tiny South American referees get laid out cold by burly, lower league, Paraguayan midfielders, who’ve taken a disliking to the colour black and the sound of a whistle. So for those of you who missed out, allow The Bagel to tell you how it all really happened.
Along time ago, just of the Shelfside, far, far away with only a couple of minutes left on the clock, Little Aaron’s space was closed down by one ‘Boro defender and by the impeding body of a certain George Boateng. All perfectly fair and square but rather frustrating for our greased lightening midget, who gave Gorgeous George a much unexpected shoulder to shoulder to let the tough Dutchman know what he thought. If you can track it down, it’s worth watching to see a 5′9″ shithouse get knocked flat on his face by an imp, nearly half a foot shorter. What’s better is the way Lennon skulks off from the scene of the crime as it turns into a full on ruck behind his back.
Boateng jumps to his feet with blood in his eyes and is only stopped from tearing our winger limb from limb by Didier Zee arriving at 120mph with Chimbondabonda in tow. The Ivorian charges in hands up and into the chest of his opposite number, who goes back to the ground and then some, under the weight of our full back as well. With all too much momentum and the pitching in of every one else, Boateng ends up surrounded by a crowd, on the floor by the hoardings on top of Bonders, who’s intentions appear to have been to separate the Middlesbrough player from Zokora.
It’s fair enough that Zokora got sent off, perhaps ever so slightly harsh but Boateng’s card was justifiably rescinded earlier today. However, should badgeless Southgate start to bitch about it ‘turning the game’, take a leaf out of referee Vic Callow’s book and don’t believe a word of it.
Perhaps what is more interesting here is what would have happened and in a way what should have happened had Zokora not thrown his love spuds onto the BBQ. As far as it went, Lennon should have been cautioned for his off the ball, rather unnecessary challenge and further, Boateng would most likely have done something to deserve that red card. Ledley explained the incident in this rather warming and fatherly way…
“It got a bit heated, but when the players ran over to try and calm things down, that made things look a lot worse than it really was - Aaron Lennon was the smallest player on the pitch, which was probably why so many of our players ran over to help him.”
…so just imagine how badly it would’ve kicked off had Zokora not intervened. Picture the dervish like fury if Boateng had touched even a hair on Little Aaron’s head but as I say, it’s the result that counts.
On a more macro level, the FA has charged both ourselves and ‘Boro for our players ‘failing to conduct themselves in a proper and orderly fashion.’ Well, I’m glad that’s nice and specific. Exactly what do they consider that to be? Cantona’s flying kick? Ok, I’d say that the charge would stand. Filthy Diouf spitting at fans? Again, case closed. But how about Peter Crouch? There is very little ‘proper or orderly’ about him but you can’t go fining him for looking weird. Where will this end? Soon they’ll banning Robbie Savage for being Welsh. Hmmm…maybe this could work out.
MJ and the crew our unsure whether they’ll challenge the FA on this one…
“We’ve received the charge and we will look into it over the next few days. I believe the players were intent on protecting a fellow team-mate and I don’t agree with the charge,†said MJ.
Captain Ledley King added: “A lot of the players were doing nothing, merely going over to calm the situation down. I know that might make things look worse than they are but no-one was in there to cause trouble, everyone was trying to sort it out.â€
…and I agree with what they’ve said. The tricky part is that the powers that be may get all teacherish about this one and want to make some sort of pathetic example for the public image of the game. What I can say is that I’ll be very surprised if one team gets charged and not the other. Perhaps it would be worth joining forces with the ‘Boro legal defence team on this one. Two fingers (that’s four in total) and a united front could be just what the situation needs.
Another man failing to conduct himself in a proper and orderly manner is old boy, Thimothee Atouba (great name, so many ‘T’s, just trips off the tongue); total liability at full back but I used to enjoy watching him play. Now, maybe he would have worked on the left wing?
The Cameroonean managed the awesome feet of getting sent off in last night’s Hamburg vs. CSK Moscow clash after he’d actually been subbed. Now that’s impressive. I wonder if he can take it a step further and next time get sent for an early shower in a match he’s not even at?
Apparently, Thimothee made hand gestures at his own fans in Hamburg’s AOL arena. It’s not, as yet, clear what these were but you can bet your bottom dollar he wasn’t teaching them shadow puppets. The Bagel did see him sarcastically applaud the Hamburg crowd’s whistles as he disappeared off down the tunnel. The club, themselves, have banned him for two matches and with January close, I’ve got a feeling he wont be staying too much longer in Germany.
So, where does this leave us? Well, the nervous amongst you will say teetering on insanity: two strikers remaining after Tuesday’s game came with a costly injury to Keano’s knee, a weakness in the middle (now missing two of our first choicers, JJ and Zokora), an incredibly busy December schedule, a bastard of an FA Cup tie away to promotion pushing nutcases Cardiff, one loss from the edge of relegation and still not a solution for the left wing in sight.
However, others and myself included, will say a small step from ecstasy: a chance to give Defoe an unpressurised run in the team, an opportunity for the Man Mountain to take the mantle in the middle, a forced beefing up of the midfield leading to possible away victories, one win from the Champions League and with December here, there’s a certain tap, tap, tapping and rattle of a fresh January wind just around the corner. It’s exciting times once more at WHL.
The Bagel’s off tomorrow on a weekend blitz to Butlins in Minehead (not quite what it sounds), so I’ll be leaving my season ticket for Saturday’s game in the capable hands or more appropriately, fingers, of Jimmy Skates (nee Fingers). I’ll be landing back down to earth with a heavy doey thump come Monday night but I wouldn’t expect to hear a peep till Tuesday at the earliest. I may be in need of some flouring and rolling out. However, if we ask very nicely, we may just get a word or two from Jim on the Charlton game, as well as a report of my personal wheelings and dealings. What Jim? You think these things come free?
Be safe, be seen, be bagel.
The Bagel.