Out of contract defender and former Boro captain Emanuel Pogatetz is on the verge of signing for Bundesliga club Hannover 96 according to reports leaking through the web.

Having played a bit part in Middlesbrough’s Championship campaign last season due to injury and coming to the end of his current contract at the Riverside he is reportedly being linked with a move to Hannover 96. The German club are said to be at an advanced stage in negotiations with the Austrian defender and are likely to unveil him as their latest signing later this week.

Pogatetz will always be remembered for his tough tackling and outrageous moments of intensity on the pitch but due to the lack of top flight football on Teesside it was inevitable that the 6ft 2in tall stopper would be on his way this summer.

Now that this latest rumour has surfaced it surely spells the end to Mad-Dog’s stay with Middlesbrough. He will be missed by the fans for his commitment in a Boro shirt.

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After the 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers last Saturday Gordon Strachan will be looking to grab another victory to take into the Newcastle United game next week. Cardiff City are having a good season and currently sit in the last Play-Off position with 49 points ahead of the likes of Blackpool, ourselves and Sheffield United.

Boro hosted the Bluebirds at the Riverside in December last year and lost out by a single goal scored by Cardiff’s Chris Burke so the return fixture at the Cardiff City Stadium will be a chance for the Middlesbrough players to grab revenge and try to leap-frog Dave Jones’ men in the table.

Emanuel Pogatetz and Scott McDonald remain doubtful for the game with knee injuries and hernia problems respectively and are rated at 50/50 for the trip to South Wales tomorrow. Both will face late fitness tests but if either, or both, fail Strachan has options at the ready to come in and replace the injured duo.

Reading a few of the Cardiff fan pages this afternoon have revealed that they are currently experiencing a few injuries in their squad and, looking at the recent names added to the treatment table, it seems that they will be without a few of their first-team players for the match.

Peter Whittingham and Mark Kennedy will be missing which is a massive boost for Boro with both being very important to Cardiff’s excellent run this season.

We have lost our last two away games in the Championship and have failed to score in those defeats so it will be an intriguing match but has draw written all over it.

I would love to see Boro put a couple past Cardiff tomorrow without reply but I’m concerned about our away form recently so will settle for a draw which would maintain an unbeaten run going into the Newcastle game next week.

Cardiff City 1 Middlesbrough 1

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Goals are on the agenda tomorrow at the Riverside. That’s what we are hoping anyway as Nottingham Forest come to Teesside for a couple of hours of fine football, fine weather and maybe the odd beer. Well, that later might be the only one that might actually come about but you’ll have to try and get in the home dressing room after the game for that one. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Gordon Strachan will be looking for Boro to deliver in the goal-scoring department tomorrow as the team looks to get back in the top six after slumping to two 1-0 defeats in-a-row against Plymouth Argyle and Crystal Palace.

He may have some help from Dave Kitson tomorrow because the new Boro boy has highlighted his intentions to score goals for his new club. I am keen to see what the new fella up top can do – he does seem like the type of player the team has been calling for ever since we started our Championship campaign.

We could be mistaken for thinking that this game will be another case of missed chances and a smash and grab mission from the opposition but I feel we are going to be pleasantly surprised with the result and in particular the performance.

Consistency will be key if we are to keep in touch with the top teams in the division and as we look at our squad with the new additions recently it is hard to think that we will still continue to struggle to pick up points in this league.

Dave Kitson and Osbourne are set to make their home débuts for Boro and there could be a surprise start for Pogatetz after he fractured his cheekbone earlier this month. The Austrian will wear a protective mask if he starts – brining back memories of Mark Schwarzer’s Mask of Zorro cameo in the UEFA Cup Final in 2006.

Will we have anything to shout about tomorrow? I think so – Strachan has had almost four weeks to get to know his new squad so I think we will see a new Middlesbrough team.

I’m going for the win. No wait, not just the win but a convincing win, you heard it here first!

Boro 4 Forest 1

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Gordon Strachan took just four days to wrap-up his first Middlesbrough signing in the shape of Birmingham City’s 31-year-old Marcus Bent on a two-month deal.

Bent, who has just recovered from a hamstring injury will go straight into Strachan’s squad for tomorrow’s clash at the Riverside against Plymouth Argyle and might be given the nod against the Pilgrims to showcase his experience at Championship level.

It is a welcomed move by Strachan for many Boro fans because we finally have someone up top that can head a ball and hold the ball up. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if Bent was thrown straight into the starting XI tomorrow.

Early Team News – Plymouth Argyle

Strachan will decide on whether to shake-up the Boro defence to stop silly goals being conceded with the inclusion of captain Emanuel Pogatetz. The Austrian is now fully fit and ready for Championship action for the first time this season. Our club skipper will add more hunger and more desire at the back if selected and is sure to lead the back line a lot better than either Wheats or St Ledger.

As I said above it will be a case of throwing Bent straight into the mix for the Argyle game and hopefully Strachan’s decision to bring him to the Riverside for a couple of months will pay off.

Good luck to Gordon on his first game in charge tomorrow. I’m looking forward to the game and also the post match interview. Up the Boro!

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With the imminent return of Emanuel Pogatetz and Didier Digard to the first team it seems that Gareth Southgate has a full compliment of players at his disposal which will be a key factor in our bid to gain promotion to the top flight at the first attempt.

In recent years a Middlesbrough side has had its problems in defence with injuries occurring throughout the season having a knock-on effect on the teams progress throughout a Premier League term.

It is unseen that we are now heading into the winter period with more than two central defenders available. Southgate has a selection problem on his hands because Pogatetz has declared he is fit for return to first team football for the first time this season.

Sean St Ledger might be the man in his way though because the Preston man is beginning to find his feet in a Middlesbrough shirt and what a delight it is to see a Boro central defender scoring some goals from set-pieces. Pogatetz will have to rely on a bit of luck to dislodge Wheater or St Ledger unless Southgate decides he cannot have a national captain on the bench and plays him at left-back?!

I’m glad that Poggi is now back amongst the first-team because it can only bring the best out of the two lads that are currently occupying the central spots.

Let’s see what the next game brings us at home to Watford.

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From tomorrow Gareth Southgate will be able to bring players to Middlesbrough on loan deals. With the departure of Alves, Huth, Tuncay, Mido and Downing in the summer transfer window, the Boro boss will be looking to bring in some replacements to fill the gaps.

There have already been some rumours suggesting we are about to enter talks with Preston and Sheffield United over the availability of Sean St Ledger and Matthew Kilgallon. Both centre backs are believed to be on Gareth’s wish list and according to the local press, Lamb is going to be a very busy man in the next 48 hours.

For me, I don’t see the defence being the most important position for us to be concentrating all our efforts on. I still think we need to add a striker that can hold the ball up for us when we play the more physical sides in the Championship. Also, another experienced middle man is needed for when we have injuries – like we did when we played Bristol City (O’Neil, Bates and Digard all injured).

Emanuel Pogatetz will be back in the team within the next 14 days so I don’t think we need to be worrying about the departure of Robert Huth too much. Pogatetz and Wheater should become the best defensive partnership in the Championship. With Poggi almost back to full fitness following two knee operations the squad is looking much stronger defensively. We have full backs coming out of our ears and versatile defenders that can play centrally as well.

A striker should be the main target for Lamb and Southgate in the next couple of weeks. We need goals to get us out of this division and not just clean sheets so a big target man will certainly help us become more of a goal threat when playing the better teams in the Championship.

Marlon King and Daryl Murphy are still being linked with us as the rumours intensify. Keep your eyes peeled for the latest developments from Lamb and Gate’s loan ranging trip.

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