As Boro have succumbed to a rot that would completely ruin a good apple we’ve got a potential good ‘pear’ in Hull and Fulham at home.

It’s been an absolute shambles on and off the field this season and the fans have grown more and more frustrated as the season has gone on and angrier towards Gareth the more relegation looms.

Hull have managed not to lose against opposition that are down there with us, with draws against Newcastle and Portsmouth, and we need to ensure that whatever they do we have to win. I don’t think that Phil ‘I’m right about everything’ Brown will take the same approach as Megson did with his team - ‘get at them lads they’re crap’ as of course Bolton were at home and Hull are not. (ed: I wish I could be as confident that playing us at the Riverside would force any side to exercise caution)

Gary O’Neil is suspended for both the home games and seing as though he’s the only one who knows what it feels like to score he’ll be a miss for us. It’s a catch 22 situation that Gareth finds himself in, does he play Arca who is the more creative midfielder yet lacklustre, or does he play Walker partnering Bates potentially labelling that as ‘negative’ and we all remember those days. I’d be temped to play Tuncay in the midfield with King & Alves to start up top.

We have to go for it, make no mistake. I watched the Birmingham v Wolves game on Monday night and the quality of football was just awful and they’re the top 2 in that division! I really don’t think we’d enjoy being in the Championship. Sure it would be like the old days (before my time, like) where you travel far and wide and go to stadiums where the concourse is more like the smoking area of your local boozer and Fly Me would have a field day going back to all that but it’s all changed now they’ve got stadiums that look like ours now and ambitious chairmen who dream of that one season in the Premier League where they get the £60 million.

It’s not that I don’t feel frustrated by what’s gone on this season, but I feel more let down than anything else - we were a big Premiership club at one point pushing the boundaries we never thought possible, but over the last 3 seasons the club and the team has deteriorated. Cost-cutting here and blind faith there hasn’t worked and we have to be punished for that, as we just seem to go through the motions and on occasion attempt collectively to jeer up the fans with rallying calls in the Gazette aplenty. That reminds me, I don’t think Tuncay and Jones haven’t done one yet. We just want them to shut up and get on with it.

It would be nice for Marlon King to get revenge on Hull but I’d doubt he’ll start anyway.

I’ll go for a 1-1 but wouldn’t be surprised if the unusual I mean ‘usual’ happened again.

MarkB17 over and out.