Scunthorpe Preview - Southgate vs "Typical Boro"

Oh what fun it is to see the Boro win a way! Boro’s three-goal victory in Wales, was a long-overdue boost to the team and fans alike. We will face stronger tests than Swansea over the coming months but a 3-0 away victory, regardless of the opposition, is a very good day at the office. Up next – Scunthorpe and a chance to add more momentum to our promotion charge.

Suddenly the ridiculous booing that greeted the final whistle against Sheffield United has been forgotten and optimism is creeping back on Teesside. Good – it’s been a long time coming. Bold predictions are being made that a run of 3 games against supposed lesser sides (Swansea, Scunthorpe and Doncaster) will see 3 wins on the bounce and the team sitting top of the table come September.

We’ve been here before. And it always ends in tears. 4 points from two tricky away ties at Everton and Villa saw Boro sitting pretty in the table last year before Bolton rolled into town to start a slide that never stopped. Prior to that game, Southgate had spoken about the need to throw off the “typical boro” motif, typified by Premiership Boro humbled by Championship Cardiff when everyone, including the players it seemed, had booked their train tickets for a winnable FA-Cup Semi Final.

Southgate’s battle against “typical boro” will be a long one but there have been promising rumbles from the camp throughout pre-season. Trouble causers are being frozen out, recruitment has shifted focus from fancy-dans and prima-donnas to honest grafters and solid pros, and the need to “fight for the shirt” is being drummed into the players.

Where Tuncay fits into this is unsure. Widely expected to leave in the coming weeks, our talismanic Turk has pledged to give his all for the club in his final days. Whilst this both commendable and professional (an unusual quality for Boro forwards), we should resist the temptation to play Tuncay from the start. A substitute appearance when chasing a goal or struggling to break down a stubborn defence should see the introduction of the Turk but we really need a partnership between Emnes / Lita / New Number 9 to incubate and blossom.

The optimism levels of Boro fans often occupy opposite ends of the spectrum. We’re either world beaters or garbage - when the truth is probably somewhere in the middle (except last year when WERE dreadful). Forget about the possibility of 3 wins on the bounce - we have more than enough quality to succeed in this division but we need to take one game at a time, control the expectations of the crowd (and the frustrations when we don’t live up to them) and not assume victories against the lesser sides.

Having said that, I’m going for a 2-1 victory tonight. Don't forget to follow our twitter feed for team news and score updates.

Come on Boro!