another one bites the dust

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Early in the season all the fans I spoke to said they were playing really good football but with no cutting edge and getting no luck either. I think they have enough individual talent to do well, however I'm not convinced by Southgate. However if they are playing good football then I think they should stick with him as in general a change of coach only really works if you are willing to change philosophy where Middlesborough have set out to be a team about developing young talent and as such will probably struggle to get a really top manager.

Lets be honest here their so called young products are all mediocre.

If Stuart Downing wasn't left footed he'd be playing in the second division.

They've got some decent players: O'Neil, Huth, Woodgate's a good one, but so have Bolton, Fulham, Sunderland etc.

And their strikers this season are horrible. Mido looks overweight. Aliadiere has only one Premier League goal in 4 years or some such, and that Turkish lad they got on a free has yet to score (I think). And that Korean lad really does look the worst of the bunch.

Last season the goals of Viduka and Yakubu basically kept them away from the relegation zone and even then they only finished half a dozen points away from 18th place.

And yes I've got £15 quid on them going down.

[The Erectile Banana]

Souness is supposedly the favourite for the Wigan job.

[Diego]

Souness is supposedly the favourite for the Wigan job.

lord help them

[dww]

Reckon Paul Jewell will be back in the game soon.

This makes it sound like he wants back in. Although like the author I think Whelan is dreaming if he thinks he would go back to Wigan.

[dww]

Lets be honest here their so called young products are all mediocre.

If Stuart Downing wasn't left footed he'd be playing in the second division.

They've got some decent players: O'Neil, Huth, Woodgate's a good one, but so have Bolton, Fulham, Sunderland etc.

And their strikers this season are horrible. Mido looks overweight. Aliadiere has only one Premier League goal in 4 years or some such, and that Turkish lad they got on a free has yet to score (I think). And that Korean lad really does look the worst of the bunch.

Last season the goals of Viduka and Yakubu basically kept them away from the relegation zone and even then they only finished half a dozen points away from 18th place.

And yes I've got £15 quid on them going down.

I definitely agree that their strikers are very poor this season.
I think their young players are technically better than a lot of the players at the other teams you mention. It is also true that none of them are of the calibre that will have them snapped up by the top 4. I don't think Downing is an international class player but he is a very decent, if limited one.
If they don't sign a striker in January then I think you are definitely right that they will be fighting relegation. I think there are a lot of teams with a similar lack of quality and firepower and it will be tight IMO as to who goes down.