Boro to conquer Europe?

The grinning eejit must be beside himself tonight.
2 wins in a row and against the finest Europe can throw at them.
Will Boro's bubble burst?

p.s. As of 17/02/2006, the grinning eejit has started a blog too - To which I say, "You only blog when you're winning, blog when your winning." etc. etc. - which cannot be seen here probably because it's masked by the industrial smog !!!! And it's not just me who says so......

The Best and Worst Places - Middlesbrough

Situated on the south bank of the Tees, Middlesbrough is at the edge of the North York Moors National Park, and a short drive from both the Yorkshire Dales and the North Sea.

So, the surrounding countryside has much to recommend it. The town itself, however, is one of stark contrasts. A local Premiership football team means that there is money in the area, with bars, restaurants and clubs to cater for it. However, there are also 800 empty terraced houses in the town centre, and certain areas are notorious – such as Whinney Banks, which sometimes seems to have more houses boarded-up than occupied.

Like much of the North East, long-term unemployment is high. It’s rare to be earning anything approaching the national average wage, and any employment tends to be factory work. In fact, not for nothing are Middlesbrough’s inhabitants known disparagingly as “Smog Monsters” – a history of heavy industry, along with a chemical works that pumps out a terrible smell, means that this is not the town for those with sensitive noses.

Given the poverty in the area, few people own a car. In fact, more people catch the bus here than in any other part of the country.

It’s not all bad news, though. The Tees estuary has extensive sandy beaches and a colony of breeding seals, and is a migration route for thousands of salmon and sea trout every year.

So you can escape to wide open spaces relatively easily – just ask Captain Cook, the eighteenth-century explorer and circumnavigator of the globe, who was born in Marton, now on the outskirts of the town.

Good:

* Sports fans are well catered for, with a Premier League football team, rugby and cricket grounds and an athletics stadium.
* Nine council-run leisure centres mean it’s easy to get fit and healthy.
* It’s home to the region’s biggest multi-cultural event - The Middlesbrough Mela – and a new £19.2 million modern art gallery is being built.

Bad:

* The town’s main employer is a chemical factory. The place stinks.
* Widespread unemployment and poverty, with accompanying social problems.
* Birthplace of Roy “Chubby” Brown and Paul Daniels.

Famous for:

* Home of legendary explorer, Captain James Cook. Who clearly couldn’t wait to leave.

Infamous for:

* The Smog.
* “Middlesbrough is very bad. It is not a very nice town and there are a lot of factories.” – Szilard Nemeth, Middlesbrough FC striker, endears himself to the fans.

A wise Newcastle United fan prepares himself for an evening in the smog at Middlesbrough