Getting comfortable with the reality of being a Boro Fan

Duffman

Duffman

Well-known member
I’m not sure when it happened, the moment things changed but I realised today I can’t quite remember when I last had genuine expectations for the Boro? Not hope, always have that but actual expectation that we have a realistic chance of automatic promotion. I don’t question or get upset our hunting ground for recruits, people contracted with other clubs, is now places like Rotherham, Wycombe, Banfield and Billericay Town. That’s just accepted as the reality of how things need to be now. Still get excited by the odd good game but in equal measure just shrug me shoulders when we are poor. The Boro have become a bit like my favourite old pair of trainers, not very attractive or fashionable anymore but comfortable and familiar. Expect we will flirt with top six for a bit and equally look over our shoulders at the bottom 3 once or twice but generally settle in for another year of comfortable obscurity. The most surprising thing is the acceptability of this that so many fans now seem to have.
 
Last edited:
Frozen Horse said:
On the contrary, I'm certain we will be promoted.

I don't know when it will happen: this season or in 10 seasons time.

I'm also certain we will be relegated again.

It's an endless circle, so I've learned not to worry too much about where we are in it just now, and just enjoy the good matches. I have enjoyed the matches I've seen this season.
Click to expand...
I hope that you are right because increasingly it seems that teams won't really have a shout without the prem ' drop-down cash .
 
OP, good post. The club has (to me) lost its TRUE ambition. Lip service given to say we will be having a real go. How many times has this phrase been trotted out? And the reality is invariably something else. I get the club has to come out with the perceived ambition- a lot of people see through this as little more than an illusion.

I think a lot of fans have bought into the fact we are lucky to have a club. Utter rubbish, of course. We are lucky the mismanagement of the club hasn’t resulted in our situation been considerably worse.

Quality of players being signed is generally at a lower level. We currently could struggle for any player to score more than 10 goals. We seem to take an eternity to get deals over the line. We sign a very promising lad from Argentina and think the best way of helping develop is to give him the odd ten to fifteen minutes. Confusion from Warnock when asked about potential signings.

So I doubt the ambition statements because I don’t think we have sufficient quality to deliver the goals mooted - a promotion campaign.

No doubt the usual suspects will be on my case claiming I am being negative- I’m big enough to take that.

However let me leave my detractors with this thought - I would love not to criticise the club and it’s running. Hand on heart, I can’t as there is so many issues wrong.
 
Nosmo-King said:
OP, good post. The club has (to me) lost its TRUE ambition. Lip service given to say we will be having a real go. How many times has this phrase been trotted out? And the reality is invariably something else. I get the club has to come out with the perceived ambition- a lot of people see through this as little more than an illusion.

I think a lot of fans have bought into the fact we are lucky to have a club. Utter rubbish, of course. We are lucky the mismanagement of the club hasn’t resulted in our situation been considerably worse.

Quality of players being signed is generally at a lower level. We currently could struggle for any player to score more than 10 goals. We seem to take an eternity to get deals over the line. We sign a very promising lad from Argentina and think the best way of helping develop is to give him the odd ten to fifteen minutes. Confusion from Warnock when asked about potential signings.

So I doubt the ambition statements because I don’t think we have sufficient quality to deliver the goals mooted - a promotion campaign.

No doubt the usual suspects will be on my case claiming I am being negative- I’m big enough to take that.

However let me leave my detractors with this thought - I would love not to criticise the club and it’s running. Hand on heart, I can’t as there is so many issues wrong.
Click to expand...
I asked you before list the mismanagement.

Excluding buying and selling players as that is a lottery. Just look at the big numbers Sir Alex blew.
 
Look no further than the state of our finances - as I told you last time - remember? Managerial choice, pricing policy, a dictator run club, a club that offers little/ zero lace for financial investment, an apparent lack of any coherent plan, failure to organise a business plan that never remotely looks like working ( only time we have achieved a modest profit was our disastrous stay in the Prem - this enough for now?
 
It’s been a long time since a Boro result spoilt my day. I still go out of my way to catch as many matches as I can and go crazy on the rare occasions I’m back for a match, but once it’s ended and we’ve lost I’m over it quickly, and if we’ve won it makes a beer taste that bit sweeter.

I rarely get frustrated enough anymore to blast the club/staff/players, I think it’s part getting older and more content, and part modern football making the whole experience of football seem less fair and worthwhile, so not worth wasting as much emotion on as maybe I did 10+ years ago.
 
I could possibly accept the mediocrity of as you say pushing for play offs and failing and flirting with the odd relegation, but for years we had a go at the cups for a bit of excitement. Under last few managers it seems we can’t wait to get out of cup competitions to concentrate on our mid table mediocrity.
 
My OP wasn’t a moan or complaint - it was simply a reflection on how far my personal expectations for the club have fallen and how accepting I have become of this. I don’t really blame anyone - we have just drifted here over time and seem to have become comfortable and stuck as a mid table second tier club - some fans would welcome this (the Mackams for one at the minute) so perhaps we should just be grateful for what we have?
 
Nosmo-King said:
OP, good post. The club has (to me) lost its TRUE ambition. Lip service given to say we will be having a real go. How many times has this phrase been trotted out? And the reality is invariably something else. I get the club has to come out with the perceived ambition- a lot of people see through this as little more than an illusion.

I think a lot of fans have bought into the fact we are lucky to have a club. Utter rubbish, of course. We are lucky the mismanagement of the club hasn’t resulted in our situation been considerably worse.

Quality of players being signed is generally at a lower level. We currently could struggle for any player to score more than 10 goals. We seem to take an eternity to get deals over the line. We sign a very promising lad from Argentina and think the best way of helping develop is to give him the odd ten to fifteen minutes. Confusion from Warnock when asked about potential signings.

So I doubt the ambition statements because I don’t think we have sufficient quality to deliver the goals mooted - a promotion campaign.

No doubt the usual suspects will be on my case claiming I am being negative- I’m big enough to take that.

However let me leave my detractors with this thought - I would love not to criticise the club and it’s running. Hand on heart, I can’t as there is so many issues wrong.
Click to expand...
Trust you to be Negative Nosmo 😆
 
Smoggle said:
It’s been a long time since a Boro result spoilt my day. I still go out of my way to catch as many matches as I can and go crazy on the rare occasions I’m back for a match, but once it’s ended and we’ve lost I’m over it quickly, and if we’ve won it makes a beer taste that bit sweeter.

I rarely get frustrated enough anymore to blast the club/staff/players, I think it’s part getting older and more content, and part modern football making the whole experience of football seem less fair and worthwhile, so not worth wasting as much emotion on as maybe I did 10+ years ago.
Click to expand...
This. I feel privileged to have lived and supported the Club through times when we could challenge the top clubs, when having money wasn’t the be and end all. Those great times under Charlton whe he put together a team that was a few points off winning the League. You could achieve that it in the 70s. Then the great times under Rioch and again putting a side of locals together who could compete with the best. They were great days.

I feel for the supporters Who do get upset at results. I’m sadly too hard nosed to it all now
 
Love the Boro since 1969 .... always believe we are gonna win EVERY game, I live in a cuckoo world when it comes to Boro, reality really has very little to do with it, Perpetual dissapointment and disillusionment follows me around ( for a few minutes after defeats then its back to the rose glasses..... I expect promotion every year.... I am not a rah-rah.... can see when players are up for it or just not good enough, can see when we need to change game plan, can see all that so not totally blinded by dreams.... its a constant balance between reality v dreams.... anyone else the same?
 
I’ve never understood why anyone would let the result of a football match ruin their day. It’s only a release and escape from life and something to follow for me. Even on the rare occasions I get to the game and Boro lose I might be ***ed off whilst watching it but I get over it by 5.05pm….
 
If you are someone who expects success then I agree that Boro probably ain’t for you. I prefer being the type of club we are, it suits us. Even when we look to have a strong team and are favourites I never EXPECT anything, it’s all hope with the Boro. Always has been. Always will be.
 
Been comfortable for a long time. It’s an age thing as much as anything. Shankly was wrong all those years ago in his famous quote. When I was in my 20s I probably quoted him The days when a bad result ruined my weekends has long passed.

Certainly I'm as passionate as anybody during a game but can switch off after the final whistle. If we struggle then I’m not too upset. Maybe it’s conditioning after so many years now without too much success. It certainly helps seeing players today, paid way too much for being average with little passion and view it as a job with little or no empathy for the area.
 
Duffman said:
I’m not sure when it happened, the moment things changed but I realised today I can’t quite remember when I last had genuine expectations for the Boro? Not hope, always have that but actual expectation that we have a realistic chance of automatic promotion. I don’t question or get upset our hunting ground for recruits, people contracted with other clubs, is now places like Rotherham, Wycombe, Banfield and Billericay Town. That’s just accepted as the reality of how things need to be now. Still get excited by the odd good game but in equal measure just shrug me shoulders when we are poor. The Boro have become a bit like my favourite old pair of trainers, not very attractive or fashionable anymore but comfortable and familiar. Expect we will flirt with top six for a bit and equally look over our shoulders at the bottom 3 once or twice but generally settle in for another year of comfortable obscurity. The most surprising thing is the acceptability of this that so many fans now seem to have.
Click to expand...
Give me players from Rotherham, Wycombe, Banfield and Billericay anyday over Villa, Blackburn and Forest
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top