Win tickets to Boro v Portsmouth with npower

http://www.npower.com/football

Win Tickets To Boro v Pompey With npower

We Shall Overcome Blog has teamed up with npower to give Boro fans the chance to win two pairs of tickets in the home end at the Riverside Stadium for the game against Portsmouth on Saturday 2nd October (ko 3:00pm)

All you have to do to enter is email us weshallovercomeblog@googlemail.com with the answer to the following question along with your name, email address and phone number (daytime contact as you will be contacted about collecting the tickets):

Who is Boro's all time leading goal scorer?

Winners will be picked by random and no entries will be accepted after 3:00pm on Wednesday 29th September 2010. Multiple entries will not be accepted. Winners will be notified by email that they have won by 6pm on Wednesday 29th September 2010 and posted on this page prior to the game.

If you are not lucky enough to win this competition you can always enter npower's own Big Ticket Giveaway which will see a pair of tickets up for grabs for every single npower football league game and fan club members will also have the opportunity to win club player and manager appearances. All details can be found at http://www.npower.com/football-league website.

Please note you will have to collect the tickets from the Middlesbrough Football Club ticket office at the Riverside Stadium prior to the game.

All we ask the winners in return is that you take plenty of photos of your matchday experience so npower can display them on their football league Facebook page and their flickr site. We might even post one of you on here!

As npower have been kind enough to offer the tickets to us please can you visit their website using the above links after you have entered, and it would be great if you follow this blog as well!! If you are thinking about changing your gas and electricity supply npower are currently offering a football saver tariff, with discounted gas and electricity until the start of the 2011/12 football season. You will also receive £45 worth of vouchers to spend at your football league club shop. For more details go to http://www.npower.com/football.

Many thanks and good luck!!

We shall overcome

[R Wells from York was the eventual winner, and enjoyed two tickets for the game, thanks for entering]

Brought to you by weshallovercomeblog & big mouth media on behalf of npower.

How Do Boro Fix It Then?

As I have already said in past blog posts, we do have quite a few moaners at the Riverside. Judging by recent performances they have every right to be venting off - but how can Boro sort out the form on the field?

It's fine posting on the internet 'Strachan Out!!!' but is that really the answer? Martin O'Neil is a name mentioned, even Tony Mowbray, but really is a quick managerial switch going to propel us up the league? Here is my thoughts on the current situation.

Sacking Strachan

I don't think this is the answer at all. The current team are Strachan's players and if he was to be sacked they wouldn't take too kindly to it. Remember they all said he was the reason they came to Middlesbrough. Sack Strachan and we would have to rebuild another squad again starting in January. Not good for a promotion attempt. I wonder also if we have the money for yet another squad rebuild?

Martin O'Neil

Really? Come on. Why would Martin O'Neil want to come and manage us? Talk about poisoned chalice. He'd have no money, a half full stadium and a Chairman who is getting into the habit of sacking managers after not even a full season trying to get promotion. I think he's give that one a miss.

Tony Mowbray

Brilliant captain for Boro... we have heard this story somewhere else before... Mogga will always have fond memories on Teesside, so why would he ruin his relationship with the fans by subjecting himself to the managers job? He has hardly proved himself in the managerial stakes either. There are Boro fans saying Strachan is a poor manager despite the fact he succeeded in the SPL (and also saying their mothers could manage Celtic in the SPL), but Mogga tried, and failed badly.

Keeping Strachan

Is five games a fair crack of the whip for an injury ravished side before the manager is sacked? I think not. But something has to happen, and fast. We need six points in the next two games to get a serious promotion push back on track. If we can do this we are not really that far behind - with Boyd and McDonald up front banging goals in I'm sure we could make up nine points. There are a lot of games left.

So The Sensible Choice Is..?

What do you do as a Chairman? Sit back and hope things change, or make a snap decision and hope that it works, at a financial cost to the club? As I don't have Steve Gibson's mobile phone number I couldn't ask him but I did get the views of Paul Fraser (Northern Echo) and Robbie Mustoe on what we should do with regards to out recent form via Twitter:

@paulfraserecho What's your thoughts on Strachan and Boro? Surely we gotta stick with him??
@MFCFacebook that's my opinion at the moment. I think, given the turnover in personnel, I don't see the point in axing Strachan now.

@robbiemustoe What's your thoughts on Strachan and our dismal start?
@MFCFacebook I'm saddened like everyone else, he must be given time, the fans must try & be patient. It's still early this season.

So Paul and Robbie think we need to keep the faith, and to be honest so do I. Boro fans if you do one thing please do this - if you shout for Strachan to be fired have a decent argument about why its best for the club... not only football wise, but financially as well. Getting rid of this squad and starting again could put us in more trouble than we are already in.

Feel free to put your ideas to save the club in the comments section - you never know, Gibbo might have a read :-)