Fly Me Over the Pond: Cardiff City and the Ghosts of Failures Past

It is 11:47 a.m. on March 9, 2008 and things are looking good. 

Middlesbrough fans are walking beneath the underpass and to the Riverside Stadium to watch exciting times. Manager Gareth Southgate speaks consistently of his desire to play an attractive style and the team boasts players like Mark Schwarzer, Robert Huth, Stewart Downing and Tuncay Sanli.

Premier League Boro will be heavily favoured to win today’s FA Cup quarterfinal contest against championship team Cardiff City. The day before, Boro fans had watched excitedly as Chelsea crashed out of the competition at the hands of Barnsley, and Manchester United were beaten by Portsmouth.

The path was clearing and a semifinal with Barnsley would await the winner—were Boro now favourites to win the FA Cup?

It is 5:14 p.m. on March 9, 2008 and the dream is shattered.  

Boro have tamely been rolled over by a vibrant Cardiff City. Boro had made five Cup finals in the previous 12 years and many expected another. 

Highlights such as the 2004 League Cup victory and the 2006 UEFA Cup final were a distant memory and the horizon looked bleak.

With no cup glory on the agenda, Boro fans were left frustrated by a mundane 13^th place Premier League finish. 

What would have happened had the Boro won that game? Would Boro have won the FA Cup? Would Downing, Schwarzer and Co. have left? Would he have seen another European adventure? Would Southgate’s vision of a successful, vibrant attacking team have come to fruition? 

No one will ever know.

“It doesn’t get any worse than this,” some Boro fans muttered into their beer. Oh, how wrong they were.

It is 1:41 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010 and things look bleak. 

Boro have been on a gradual decline since that fateful cup game. Stars like Schwarzer, Downing, Tuncay and Huth are all still Premier League players, although sadly in different colours. 

Premier League highlights for Boro fans are now limited to “he used to play for us” moments of familiarity. A 13^th place finish in the Premier League now seems like a massive achievement, and a game against Cardiff now means Boro will be underdogs.

Boro are looking for a win today to stop their slide and lift themselves out of the relegation zone to avoid slipping into League One and having a local derby with Hartlepool United. 

Over two years have passed since the FA Cup quarterfinal against Cardiff, and every time it seems a new low has been reached, the status of the team continues to slide.

First, it was relegation from the Premier League, then disappointment at a mid-table Championship finish, and now the reality of a relegation battle to avoid League One.

This time, Boro must outfight, outplay and find a way to beat Cardiff City. Players like Jason Steele, Matthew Bates, Barry Robson and Scott McDonald must make themselves stars. 

If Boro can win today against the high-flying Bluebirds, it will add to the points total and give them the confidence that they really can beat the best teams this league has to offer. 

If they win, it could be looked back on as Tony Mowbray’s launchpad to success. Fans could look back on the win against the odds and trace an upwards line to better times.

If Boro lose, then the slide could continue. Fans could cry into their beer and stare at a Boro team who are bottom of the Championship. 

“It doesn’t get any worse than this,” they would think. And it doesn’t...does it? *shudder*

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