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Boro thread

ERIMUS1876 said:
The more Sunderland supporters that think playing Boro is "just another game" and not a "derby",the better for me and my fellow Boro supporters.

In part I feel it explains Boro's amazing record against Sunderland. The recent 4-0 victory was the 6th time I have seen Boro win at Sunderland in my last eight visits there (also one draw and one defeat).

To put that into context, Sunderland have won at Middlesbrough four times in the last 70 years!

I'm currently co-writing a book and included it in are references to previous Tees / Wear derbies. The 1936/37 First Division encounter at Boro ended 5-5 ... described pre-match by The Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail as "the outstanding attraction is at Ayresome Park, where Middlesbrough meet Sunderland in the big north-east “derby” and post-match by the Sunday Sun as "the greatest derby of all time".

It was a derby when first played on 26th November 1887 (FA Cup), it was a derby on 17th October 1936 (mentioned above), it was a derby on 7th October 2023 and it will always be a derby in the future.

Maybe Sunderland fans underplay it due to their atrocious record against Boro or maybe its mainly down to the internet generation!

Big crowds, ridiculous kick-off times, massive police presence and trouble at matches well past the 1980s aren't normally associated with "just another game".

Anyway, hopefully the narrative will continue to grow on Wearside ... all the better for Boro!
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Fair enough for providing some context from a Boro perspective. It just isn’t as big a game for the majority of SAFC fans. Probably never will be. Not really got anything against Boro as a club. Thought the way your academy was operating early to mid 2000s was great.
 

gatopreto said:
Because Boro view it as a derby and for that reason it's their big day. So the police need to respond to that.

Most of our fans don't know or interact with Boro fans.

We got humped 4-0 at home and no Boro fan has took the piss out of me, face to face. Bit of banter online, the likes of here.
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I work in Boro. Have done for 24 years.

Trust me. It’s a derby.
It’s not the derby. But it’s a derby. You reckon we’ll have a police escort down there, despite “not knowing any Boro fans” ?

Some of our fans need to get out more.
 
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Georgewhitt said:
70's and early 80's.
And not despite limited interaction between the fans no.
Because of history and geography, and experience.
Just because you didn't livd through it or experience it, doesn't mean it didn't happen, and
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ERIMUS1876 said:
The more Sunderland supporters that think playing Boro is "just another game" and not a "derby",the better for me and my fellow Boro supporters.

In part I feel it explains Boro's amazing record against Sunderland. The recent 4-0 victory was the 6th time I have seen Boro win at Sunderland in my last eight visits there (also one draw and one defeat).

To put that into context, Sunderland have won at Middlesbrough four times in the last 70 years!

I'm currently co-writing a book and included it in are references to previous Tees / Wear derbies. The 1936/37 First Division encounter at Boro ended 5-5 ... described pre-match by The Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail as "the outstanding attraction is at Ayresome Park, where Middlesbrough meet Sunderland in the big north-east “derby” and post-match by the Sunday Sun as "the greatest derby of all time".

It was a derby when first played on 26th November 1887 (FA Cup), it was a derby on 17th October 1936 (mentioned above), it was a derby on 7th October 2023 and it will always be a derby in the future.

Maybe Sunderland fans underplay it due to their atrocious record against Boro or maybe its mainly down to the internet generation!

Big crowds, ridiculous kick-off times, massive police presence and trouble at matches well past the 1980s aren't normally associated with "just another game".

Anyway, hopefully the narrative will continue to grow on Wearside ... all the better for Boro!
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I've never met a Boro fan despite living all my life within an 8 mile radius of the stadium of light/roker park. Therefore it's not a derby.

As you say though, convincing yourself it's a derby has paid dividends over the years on the pitch.
Ambivalent Dave said:
I work in Boro. Have done for 24 years.

Trust me. It’s a derby.
It’s not the derby. But it’s a derby.

Some of our fans need to get out more.
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You mean need to go to places where there is Boro fans?
 
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Genuinely like Boro and I am pleased when they do well although it does piss me off that since the 1980's you always seem to have the better of things. I suppose that in itself gives strength to the 'not important' argument but its not meant to. It is a big game, the fact that we sold more tickets for the Boro game than the norm is an indication of that and to me it has as big an edge as any game bar the mags. It does amuse me though when a section of our fans are almost fighting amongst themselves to say how 'not bothered; they are and often post relentlessly to say that very thing. Completely missing the irony.
 
gatopreto said:
I've never met a Boro fan despite living all my life within an 8 mile radius of the stadium of light/roker park. Therefore it's not a derby.

As you say though, convincing yourself it's a derby has paid dividends over the years on the pitch.

You mean need to go to places where there is Boro fans?
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So because you have never met a Boro fan because you live close to our home ground, it's not a derby 🤣🤣🤣

Have you got a git big round red nose, massive shoes, and a car that the doors fall off🤣🤣🤣
 
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Georgewhitt said:
So because you have never met a Boro fan because you live close to our home ground, it's not a derby 🤣🤣🤣
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Precisely yes. That most of our fanbase don't interact with Boro fans is a strong indicator it isn't a derby. We get humped 4-0 at home and nobody takes the piss. Does that sound like a derby?

To me a derby game is a game with a nerve racking build up. One where you are terrified to lose because your gonna get the piss ripped out of you by neighbours, friends, family members, work colleagues. If you win you are ecstatic. Boro simply isn't like that for the vast majority of our fans. Maybe you'll argue it is because you graft with them.
Ambivalent Dave said:
😂 I know man. Mental
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So you can have a derby game with limited fan interaction?

All the best to Boro, good luck for the rest of the season.
 
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Georgewhitt said:
So because you have never met a Boro fan because you live close to our home ground, it's not a derby 🤣🤣🤣

Have you got a git big round red nose, massive shoes, and a car that the doors fall off🤣🤣🤣
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Both right really.
It is a derby - at least whilst it’s being played -
But afterwards it’s not a derby in so far and the games don’t go down in history or even in my own mind as something extra special or important
It’s a secondary derby I suppose
 
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gatopreto said:
He wouldn't be doing it if people weren't saying it was a derby.
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Historically its always been a derby albeit definitely secondary to the Mags. Its just 'hip and cool' to say its not and to show how not bothered you are by going on any Boro thread and telling everyone you can how not bothered you are about them.
Greengroft said:
When webp

It's not a derby ,when we play the Scunks ,I can't sleep ,and spend all morning on the bog,that's a derby
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Liverpool v Tranmere is a derby. I doubt Liverpool fans would ever lose sleep either. Its a derby if we played Gateshead or Darlington or Hartlepool or Boro.
 
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rentaghost said:
Historically its always been a derby albeit definitely secondary to the Mags. Its just 'hip and cool' to say its not and to show how not bothered you are by going on any Boro thread and telling everyone you can how not bothered you are about them.

Liverpool v Tranmere is a derby. I doubt Liverpool fans would ever lose sleep either. Its a derby if we played Gateshead or Darlington or Hartlepool or Boro.
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It's not hip and cool, it's their absolute genuine feelings. If nobody you know supports Boro, why would you be bothered more than any other game?
 
Ambivalent Dave said:
They’re 25 miles away. Plenty of us know Boro fans.

It’s not as big as the mags game. What is so difficult to grasp? 😂
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It's a derby game for fans in the likes of bishop Auckland and blackhall colliery where they interact with Boro fans. But if you are from Gateshead, Washington, south Shields, Northumberland, where exactly do you meet Boro fans? For me it's the fans that make derby games.
 
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