worst t-shirt ever

nevertheless, as we in the south progress closer to the winter, up north the europeans are enjoying the full bloom of spring, and as they draw closer to the summer, the heat of the title race somehow matches the climate, they're getting hotter. just about an hour ago, man utd beat boro 2-0, giving them a six point lead and a bit of breathing space from the scousers prick as they heading to the midweek clash against arsenal.

however, while united might enjoyed the match, the teesiders are now facing more problems. the look on the fans at the end of the match tells the whole story, as they plunges closer to the championship football next season.with just 3 matches to go, their prospect of performing the great escape seems bleak now.

honestly, i can't bear to put myself in the positions of the boro fans. i believe they are now at the point when they can't even curse when the player mislaid a pass or when a striker shoots out wide. they must been wondering where they got it wrong. with proven internationals like downing and tuncay in their ranks, spearheaded by a promosing manager, surely they'll be good enough for mid table at least? somehow, with a reason beyond my knowledge and experience in the top flight of football (cewahh..), they're not.

i still remembers the day when boro trounces united at riverside. 4-1 was the result, with mendieta scoring twice.the day will forever be etched in my memories as one of the most painful days as a united fans. and they do, season after season, become one of united's bogey team. yet somehow, all seems like distant memory for them, as relegation looms larger than ever before. yes, relegation is not a new for boro, having been relegated in 1997, they fought their way up to the premier league once again. however, after been there for so long and managed to established themselves as a decent premiership side, the reality now might be too grim for them to handle.

however, the problem is not constricted to boro only. their neighbour, the once mighty but always-joked-about newcastle, are also in the same boat. the geordies, who used to run neck-to-neck with man united for the glory of premiership title, now find themselves in an unfamiliar territory, the relegation battle. and with them, lies a bigger mystery. they have a better set of players than the middlesbrough, who used to play for major clubs and in big european matches, and carries around a huge amount of experience. they shouldn't be here. yet, they are.

perhaps for the case of newcastle, people will said that the off-field saga is the main culprit. the issues with the board takes the focus off the players mind, while the always demanding fans might puts a lot of pressure into the players, and causing them to collapse. or perhaps they always changing manager, with having two manager at some point. or it could be that the old legs of owen (he's not so old, is he?) and butt and many more veterans have taken its toll and they could ni longer be at the top of their game.

however, this is not applicable to the boro. aside from the transfer rumours surrounding downing, they do not face any major issues at all, apart from the relegation battle of course. so could it be their young and small squad did not able to cope with the pressure of top flight football? or maybe they don't have the financial strength to cope with the rest of the field?

maybe the answer is just too simple: they're just not good enough.

whatever the reason is, should they not make it to the next season, i want to be the first to bid them goodbye. it's not that i want them to get relegated, it's because i know i'll miss them. premiership will never be the same without them. after all, newcastle did gives us something to laugh week-in,week-out, right?

so long then...