Boro 0 Wigan 0: Half-hearted Alves exposes flaws of Southgate's side

22 February 2009 10:39
Middlesbrough[LNB]'s 14th League game without a win provided an appropriate commentary on manager Gareth Southgate's typically frank programme notes. 'I am conscious that almost everyone outside this club has already written us off,' observed the manager.[LNB]Well, this result and performance will change few minds. Boro stumbled another step towards the trap door and it does not need a football visionary to pinpoint the reason why. Up front they are bereft of quality and, as a result, they have played eight-and-aquarter hours of League football without scoring.[LNB]Wigan[LNB], stoically defensive and eagerly competitive, restricted Middlesbrough's opportunities to a minimum. If Middlesbrough's plight needed the perfect illustration it was in another ineffectual contribution by Brazilian striker Afonso Alves. The £12million signing last January is their top League scorer with four goals ... enough said.[LNB] Stretchered off: Managers Steve Bruce (left) and Gareth Southgate show their concern for Didier Digard[LNB] Middlesbrough v Wigan: How the game unfolded[LNB]WIGAN NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]MIDDLESBROUGH NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]Man United 2-1 Blackburn[LNB]Aston Villa 0-1 Chelsea[LNB]Man United 2-1 Blackburn[LNB]Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland[LNB]Bolton 2-1 West Ham[LNB]Stoke 2-2 Portsmouth[LNB] Anything worth reporting in the game came in a fiery first half. Typically it was Lee Cattermole, back on his old stamping ground, who lit the fuse with a teak-hard, yet fair, 17th-minute tackle.[LNB]Didier Digard was the victim and five minutes of treatment for a thigh injury were not enough to prevent him being ferried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital but referee Mike Dean quite justifiably kept the yellow card in his pocket.[LNB]Wigan manager Steve Bruce exchanged heated words with Middlesbrough coach Steve Agnew, accusing him of whipping the crowd up into a state of frenzy.[LNB] Aerial duel: Wigan Athletic's Ben Watson, right, controls the ball as Middlesbrough's Adam Johnson, left, looks on[LNB] [LNB]Bruce said: 'On reflection I was a bit of a prat, but that happens when you get involved in the game. I'll be sharing a beer with Steve in a minute. It was a perfectly fair challenge from a tough tackling player. Nobody likes to see a player carried off but it happens in football.'[LNB]It seemed at times there might have been an agenda against Cattermole, with Middlesbrough players falling over whenever they got within touching distance of the midfielder.[LNB]Chances were few and far between. A shot from Stewart Downing that Chris Kirkland pushed wide in the 35th minute and a similar good save by Brad Jones from a Charles N'Zogbia free-kick four minutes later were the only first-half opportunities of note, while the second period was equally devoid of excitement.[LNB] Close contact: David Wheater (right) battles for the ball with Wigan Athletic's Amr Zaki[LNB] [LNB]Middlesbrough have twice managed Houdini-like escapes in the past two seasons. Sadly, it looks like third time unlucky.[LNB]Bruce praised the resilience of his side. 'We looked more comfortable as the game went on and in the end I thought we could have pinched it,' he added.[LNB]  Middlesbrough v Wigan: How the game unfolded[LNB]WIGAN NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]MIDDLESBROUGH NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB]Man United 2-1 Blackburn[LNB]Aston Villa 0-1 Chelsea[LNB]Man United 2-1 Blackburn[LNB]Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland[LNB]Bolton 2-1 West Ham[LNB]Stoke 2-2 Portsmouth[LNB] [LNB] [LNB]  

Source: Daily_Mail