It’s the biggest game of football in the world. Ever.
Well, at least it is if you believe the hype, ahead of tonight’s Newcastle United versus Middlesbrough clash. And to be fair, in terms of under-achieving sides hovering on the precipice of doom (otherwise known as the Championship), this 90 minutes of football is pretty damn important.
Middlesbrough’s season has been littered with poor form, particularly over the second half of the season, and as for Toon, well, another year of pure folly at St James’ Park.
But the fact that no-one seems to want to pull clear from the relegation danger zone in the Premier League means that victory tonight might well see either of these sides safe. HRH Alan Shearer’s record as boss is worse than any other in recent memory, having failed to win in any of his five matches so far, but the sheer ridiculousness of this campaign means that United may well survive if they can win tonight.
To do that, they’ll need to do something they’ve failed to do all season though… defend.
For over a decade the sheer lunacy of the Newcastle backline has done for countless managers, as well as the temperaments of thousands of supporters. They just don’t defend. Ever.
Habib Beye has the task tonight of shutting out the Boro frontline, yet looking at the former Marseille defender’s choice of footwear doesn’t inspire much confidence.
Since when did defenders wear Nike Mercurial Vapors? The speediest, lightest, most attack-minded boot ever made. Good in the tackle? No. Gritty? No. A defender’s boot? No way.
Again, lunacy! And when you look at the number of clean sheets the club have kept in the past nine matches, it kind of computes – the answer is one, by the way.
As for Boro, well a season of so much homegrown promise may almost certainly be over with defeat tonight. A win however, and like Newcastle, they can start planning for next year’s relegation battle!
One of the year’s shining lights has been Turkish striker Tuncay. A happy-go-lucky mulleted livewire who displays all of the skill that will undoubtedly see him stay in the Premier League next year… albeit playing for someone other than Middlesbrough.
His game is based on speed and fleet of foot, so the Adidas F50.9 is just about perfect. Flexible, light, solid, and with a sweet point of contact. It’s a boot that may well save Gareth Southgate’s season.
Ransacker Prediction: Left speechless still by Beye’s choice of footwear, Tuncay might find some rich pickings against the Newcastle man tonight. But this one is going to be close…
Other Recommended Reading
- Boot Wars: He Who Shall Be O-Beye-D
- Boot Room Banter: Preston North End’s Jon Parkin
- Boot Wars: Bent v Tevez
- Boot Wars: The Battle of the Have Nots
- Boot Wars Review: Snow Joke For Black Cats
About the author
James is an experienced football journalist who edits two leading Premier League club mags. He has worked for Sky Sports and is endlessly complaining about shin splints. And Mark Lawrenson. His favourite boot is the Adidas Predator Powerswerve. Although it's rumored that he once owned a pair of Nicks boots!
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[...] Boots Wars battle picked out Tuncay as Boro’s biggest threat, but the striker’s Adidas F50.9s let [...]