Big Match Review - Middlesbrough 0 QPR 3

Middlesbrough 0-3 Queens Park Rangers

Saturday February 26, Riverside, (Att: 16,972)

Queens Park Rangers continued their march towards the Premier League as a Heidar Helguson brace helped earn them a comprehensive victory at struggling Middlesbrough.

Neil Warnock's table toppers almost fell behind on Teeside however, as keeper Paddy Kenny's sloppy clearance fell to Scott McDonald only for the Rs man to redeem himself with a vital save.

Boro were made to pay for that missed opportunity as they fell behind in unfortunate circumstances just before the interval. Helguson's shot being deflected off a defender and over Jason Steele in the home goal.

Rangers doubled their lead just past the hour mark when Helguson headed home Wayne Routledge's teasing cross from the left.

And they wrapped up all three points when Adel Taarabt was fouled in the box by Merouane Zemmama and the Moroccan picked himself off the floor to send Steele the wrong way from the spot.

The empathic win maintains QPR's five point advantage at the summit while Tony Mowbray's side still sit perilously close to the relegation zone in 20th.

Big Match Preview - Middlesbrough vs. QPR

Middlesbrough vs. Queens Park Rangers

Saturday February 26, 15:00, Riverside

Two of the Championship's pre season favourites meet in the North East this weekend with both teams looking for points to aid their respective quests at either end of the division.

While table topping Queens Park Rangers have lived up to their billing though, it's been a hugely disappointing season for Middlesbrough - who still find themselves battling to avoid the drop.

Boro had been expected to challenge for the Premier League after a summer of heavy spending, but a poor start to the campaign saw them struggling near the foot of the table - leading to boss Gordon Strachan resigning.

While his successor, Teesside legend Tony Mowbray, has managed to improve fortunes at the Riverside, they still lie just five points above the drop zone in 20th.

Unsurprisingly, Middlesbrough have struggled badly to find any kind of consistency, although they did manage to construct a six match unbeaten run at the turn of the New Year.

That erratic form is no better illustrated than by their 3-2 comeback win at Millwall last weekend following on from throwing away a 3-1 lead at home to Swansea to lose 4-3.

The loss to the Swans is one of five games at the Riverside they've lost this term, with Millwall, Bristol City, Leeds, and Ipswich also returning with maximum spoils.

Half a dozen wins have been collected though, with Boro seeing off Scunthorpe, Cardiff, Crystal Palace, Reading, Burnley, and Sheffield United.

Key men in Mowbray's side include striker Leroy Lita, who is the leading scorer on eight, as well as Australian forward Scott McDonald who seems to be finally finding his feet at the club.

Tony Mowbray is fighting to keep underachieving Middlesbrough in the Championship

In stark contrast, it's been relatively plain sailing for QPR, who have led from the front all season and currently sit five points clear at the Championship's summit.

With the experienced Neil Warnock at the helm, Rangers have finally begun to show their potential after flattering to deceive under a succession of short-lived managers.

Just three games have been lost all season, two of them coming on the road at fellow top six sides Leeds and Norwich during a sticky spell over Christmas and the New Year.

Since then, they've recovered and are currently on a nine-match unbeaten streak and, with 26 points from their 17 matches, boast the best away record in the second tier.

Victories for the Rs have been secured at Reading, Coventry, Ipswich, Leicester, Crystal Palace, and Sheffield United, although they recently slipped up only drawing 1-1 at bottom club Preston.

Without doubt, the outstanding player for the Hoops this term has been ingenious midfielder Adel Taarabt whose creativity and guile, as well as his 14 goals, have made him arguably the division's player of the season.

Warnock can also call upon the services of experienced forwards Heidar Helguson and Tommy Smith, as well as the Championship's tightest back line with just 20 goals conceded all season.

This is a more difficult game to call than simply a side at the top against one at the bottom owing to Middlesbrough's unpredictable nature. They have genuine quality and will be fighting hard for the points to move further away from trouble.

Add in the fact that, unlike QPR, they had the midweek off, and that Rangers are away draw specialists, and I'll go for another stalemate at the Riverside.

Nobes' Prediction: Middlesbrough 1 Queens Park Rangers 1

Ideal World

Nobes looks at the managers who refuse to abandon their purist beliefs - and why he hopes they succeed.

Tony Mowbray has taken over at struggling Middlesbrough

There can't have been many more obvious appointments. A local boy done good, a club legend as a player, a proven manager for their division, and an advocate of the beautiful game.

When Middlesbrough parted company with Gordon Strachan, there really was only one choice then - Tony Mowbray. However, it's perhaps the last description which is the most interesting.

Boro were favourites for the Championship title in pre-season, but struggled badly under Strachan - and eventually ending up in the relegation zone.

To salvage them from their plight though, they have put their faith in a manager who, at West Bromwich Albion, was known to be unwilling to compromise his footballing beliefs.

The 46-year-old is a dying breed in management - a purist. For Mowbray it's not just the winning that counts, it's how you take part.

It saw him derided by the national media as he failed to keep the Baggies in the Premier League. Accusations of naivety, incompetence, and inflexibility were directed his way.

How did he expect to keep Albion up when he refused to compromise his beliefs in an open, attacking, passing game?

West Brom were always going to win a lot more admirers than they were points. Their relegation at the end of the 2008/9 campaign was no surprise.

So Boro's turning to Mowbray goes against the conventional wisdom that, in such relegation fights, it's steel, not style, that is required to dig you out of the hole you find yourself in.

Rather they are banking on someone who has the Riverside club in his blood to instill the fight and passion - as well as harnessing the quality present in the squad - required to turn things around.

Certainly Boro do have the quality, coupled with ample time, to get themselves out of trouble and towards the right end of the table.

Even if the top six alludes them this term, too, they can have confidence that a manager who has won this division before will get them competing at the summit next season.

Doing so would be a significant, and I believe much-welcomed, boost to those who claim that football is more than just about results.

After all, if, as so many people claim, footballers are paid so much because they're in the entertainment industry, shouldn't supporters then expect to be entertained at matches?

Mowbray is not alone in his thinking. Indeed, alongside Boro towards the bottom of the Championship are Crystal Palace and Preston - whose respective bosses George Burley and Darren Ferguson are also committed to a certain style of play.

If the managers have their way, their teams won't go down fighting as much as exciting. They play the game the right way, but get the wrong results.

In short, such managers are idealists. They believe in a world where beautiful football can be combined with success. To paraphrase the great Brian Clough - they not only want to win, but win better.

Mark Stimson is in yet another relegation battle as a manager

What about when you're not winning much at all though? It's the scenario currently facing the Football League's bottom side, Barnet.

Perennial battlers against relegation, a summer of upheaval at Underhill after yet another near escape from the drop saw them appoint Mark Stimson as manager.

A new boss, but the same old story. The Bees currently prop up the rest and have the worst goal difference in the basement division.

Barnet fans attach much of the blame to Stimson - a manager who suffered two relegations in his three seasons at Gillingham.

The 42-year-old made his name for the attractive, attacking game he adopted at Grays Athletic. He took the Essex side to consecutive promotions into the Conference Premier, where they were play off semi final losers in 2006.

He also secured back-to-back FA Trophy successes, before taking over at Stevenage and winning the competition with the Hertfordshire outfit for his third successive victory.

However, when the Gills, struggling in League One, came calling in November 2007, the Londoner struggled to make the step up in divisions.

Despite plenty of time, the various players he brought with him from the Non Leagues failed to have the desired impact. Gillingham went down.

Stimson bounced back, taking the Kent outfit back up at the first time of asking, but a disastrous win less away record last term saw them instantly relegated back again - and the boss paid with his job.

It's hard to see why Barnet, a side known for relegation battles, decided to employ someone with a poor track record in them, therefore.

More than that, a huge summer turnover saw Stimson completely rebuild the team - in the skillful, attractive, passing style he favours.

In the rigours and rough-and-tumble of League Two though, the Bees have struggled to convert their attractiveness into effectiveness. Stimson's best intentions are paving the road to the Conference.

That's not to say it can't be done. Few fans can be happier with life at the moment than Doncaster's.

The South Yorkshire side play one of the most attractive brands of football outside the top flight and, thanks to the wily Sean O'Driscoll, continue to punch above their weight in the top half of the Championship.

It is the dream scenario. Rovers need never qualify for the top six and fans at the Keepmoat can still have little cause for complain.

For the good of the game, it is also the kind of scenario which would be most welcome if repeated elsewhere.

While critics may argue that, in such a results driven industry, there is little place for idealists like Mowbray, successful teams playing the right way can only serve as positive inspiration.

Then maybe one day the Ideal World will become the real one.

Top Of The Flops

With Gordon Strachan resigning as Middlesbrough boss following a disastrous start to the season, Nobes looks at pre-season favourites of the past who failed to live up to expectations.

Things went badly wrong for Gordon Strachan at the Riverside

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by Middlesbrough, most bookies favourites for the Championship title, struggling towards the start of the season. After all, they received the ultimate kiss of death when even the Soccer AM/MW backed them.

Gordon Strachan should have been preparing to pack his bags there and then - and I'm reliably informed he frequents the site often. He'll have even more time to do so now.

Granted, there's still plenty of time for things to turn around at the Riverside - but failure to do so and, after some heavy summer spending, this Teessiders team will go down in history as one of the game's biggest flops.

Not that they're the first team to fail to live up to such huge pre-season hype though. Here's my rundown of the Top Ten Flops of recent seasons.


10. Millwall - 2006/7

After relegation from the Championship the previous season, the Lions overhauled their squad - investing good money into bouncing back at the first attempt.

Alas though, they decided to hire Nigel Spackman as their manager, and he continued his woeful managerial record at the start of the campaign.

The Londoners collected just five points from their opening ten games, earning Spackman the boot and replacement Willie Donachie having to pull them out of the mire.

They ended up 10th, way short of even a spot in the play offs.


9. Oxford United - 2001/2

There was an air of gloom around Oxford United in 2001 - the club had ended their time at Manor Ground with relegation from the third tier.

Step forward former Oxen player, local boy done good, and ex-England international - Mark Wright. He had impressed in his first manager's job at Southport and seemed like the man to get Oxford moving again.

He wasn't. The squad looked strong, vastly experienced, and well capable of challenging at the right end.

With 19 games played and sitting just three points off the bottom, Wright - already suspended by the FA after alleged racist comments to a match day official - resigned.

Successor Ian Atkins inherited a shambles of a squad which ended up a pitiful 21st with just 47 points to their name.


8. Hull City - 2002/3

Tigers Tigers burning bright. The future looked optimistic for Hull in the summer of 2002.

Their money troubles behind them, a new ground on the way, and a big name manager proven in the lower leagues.

Everyone was tipping City to finally realise their potential. However, things didn't quite go according to plan for Jan Molby.

The Tigers registered just 12 points from their first 12 games and a loss at Kidderminster - the club Molby had walked out on months earlier to join Hull - saw his reign brought to a quick end.

Peter Taylor assumed control, but even he failed to turn around their fortunes. Despite resources the envy of the rest of the division, they ended the season in 13th.


7. Leeds United - 2006/7

Leeds had ended the previous campaign as losing play off finalists to Watford. Hopes were high that Kevin Blackwell's side could now go one better.

Perhaps it was a reaction to their close miss a few months earlier, but the Yorkshire side got off to a miserable start and the manager was fired after just eight games.

He left United in the bottom three, but with enough time and a squad more than capable of getting themselves out of trouble.

So you'd think. Replacement Dennis Wise failed to get the most out a team that had come to within 90 minutes of the Premier League and Leeds dropped out of the division with a whimper having entered administration.


6. Sheffield Wednesday - 2003/4

How the mighty had fallen. Wednesday had been a staple of the top flight during the previous decade, but fell down to League One in 2003.

Boss Chris Turner revamped his squad - aiming to steer his home town club back up at the first attempt.

They almost did make it out of League One - but at the wrong end. The Owls ended up 16th - just three points above the relegation zone and a place in the basement division.

Financially troubled off the pitch, perhaps, but Wednesday's squad's toiling and finishing below the likes of Wrexham and Hartlepool was embarrassing.


5. Bradford City - 2007-10

Still flopping. The pre-season choice for League Two winners of every national newspaper for the past four seasons, City continue to disappoint.

They were relegated to the basement division in 2007, promptly installed legend Stuart McCall as manager, and sold 13,000 season tickets on the cheap.

McCall failed to get them even challenging for the top seven for two-and-a-half years before Peter Taylor was appointed his successor.

Last season's positive end has been followed by a dreadful start this term though - they currently sit in 19th. Still time to turn it around and avoid another flop.


4. Ipswich Town - 2009/10

Resources. Check. Money invested. Check. Decent crowds. Check. Proven manager at this level. Check.

Everything seemed set up for Ipswich last season. How they could fail to challenge now Roy Keane was manager?

How? Try not recording a win in their first 14 games - a run which left them bottom of the table.

Albeit there were plenty of draws in that run - which saw Keane avoid an early axe - but Town fans were not getting value for considerable money.

The Suffolk outfit ended the campaign in 15th - well short of a place in the top six, which had been the minimum requirement.


3. Nottingham Forest - 2005/6

Forest made history in 2005 when they became the first winner of the European Cup to drop into their country's third tier of domestic football.

Their embarrassment didn't stop there though. Despite the lower league experience of manager Gary Megson, Forest failed to get to grips with life in League One.

When Megson was eventually sacked - they sat just four points shy of the bottom four and a possible second successive relegation.

Ultimately, a late rally at the end of the term saw them just miss out on a place in the play offs. A talented squad had made a complete meal of the season though.


2. Coventry City - 2001/2

He may yet get onto a future list with Boro but, for now, Gordon Strachan will have to make do with this failure at Coventry.

The Warwickshire side had just been relegated from the top flight under the Scot after over 30 years amongst the country's elite.

However, they were determined to bounce back immediately - ambition illustrated by the £5 million signing of West Brom striker Lee Hughes.

Three losses in their first five games saw Strachan dismissed though, and replacement Roland Nilsson was unable to coax any consistency out of one of the division's strongest squads.

An end of season 11th place was well below-par, particularly as a Hughes-less West Brom went on to gain promotion.


1. Bristol Rovers - 2001/2

You could probably excuse Rovers for still being in a state of shock when they began their League Two campaign in 2001.

Just 12 months after finishing 7th in the third tier, they had been relegated down to the basement division. Unthinkable.

Still, at least they had retained a strong squad - including promising striker Nathan Ellington. At least they would walk all over opponents and gain promotion with ex-Spurs boss and club legend Gerry Francis in charge.

How wrong they were. Francis was a flop, and the Gas ended the campaign in 23rd - second bottom of the entire 92 club and the lowest position in the club's entire history.

Had they done the same 12 months later, they would have been relegated into the Conference. Rovers got lucky.

Saints and Sinners

After Southampton's decision to fire boss Alan Pardew, Nobes looks at some of the other unwarranted managerial sackings that defied belief.

Pardew was given just three games at the start of the season at Saints

It's the kind of shocking sacking that, quite frankly, we shouldn't find so surprising.

Given the strength of their squad, Southampton's decision to sack Alan Pardew may not cost them promotion. It has certainly lost them much respect and raised questions about those running the club though.

The dismissal of the former West Ham boss just three games into the new season, and particularly after Saturday's 4-0 win at Bristol Rovers, seems incredibly harsh.

Whatever the reasons - results motivated or otherwise - it's hard to justify sacking a proven manager at that level.

Then again, it's not the first sacking, and certainly won't be the last, to bemuse onlookers. Here's my rundown of some of the worst Football League sackings of recent times.


10. Colin Lee - Walsall

You couldn't help but feel for Colin Lee when he was given the boot from the Saddlers in 2004.

After Plymouth expressed an interest in taking Lee to Home Park, Walsall gave him permission to talk to the Pilgrims.

However, after deciding to remain in the West Midlands, he was sacked by chairman Jeff Bonser for a lack of loyalty and creating 'uncertainty' around the club.

It was to prove costly for Walsall though. Up until then they had been winning their battle against relegation from the Championship.

After Lee's departure they lost three of their remaining four games and dropped into League One. They've never been back to the second tier since.


9. Eric Black - Coventry City

So angry were Coventry fans at the sacking of Eric Black in 2004 that they staged a 'Black Day' protest for replacement Peter Reid's first home game in charge.

The Scot had only been in charge of the Sky Blues for four months and had led them into the top half playing an attractive brand of football.

Despite picking up 29 points in his 18 games though, chairman Mike McGinnity said the team had been too 'inconsistent' and fired Black.

Replacement Reid failed to do anywhere near as well, and was sacked less than a year later after poor results and even worse football.


8. Peter Jackson - Huddersfield Town

Jackson had two spells in charge of the Terriers - whom he had played for during his career, too. It was his first departure which caused most angst, though.

He had taken over in 1997 with the Yorkshire outfit fighting relegation from the Championship.

After keeping them up he then took them to 10th the following campaign.

However, the popular manager was then sacked and replaced by 'big-name' Steve Bruce - who was sacked after a poor start to the 2000/1 season.

It ended with Town being relegated to the third, and later fourth, tier. Only on Jackson's return in 2003 did he immediately take Town back into League One and they only missed out on a return to the Championship in the play offs in 2006.


7. Gary Peters - Shrewsbury Town

The former Preston boss had turned around Salop's fortunes since joining them in 2004.

He kept Shrewsbury in the Football League and then set about building a team capable of challenging at the right end.

That culminated in the 2007 play off final where, despite taking the lead, they lost out to Bristol Rovers at Wembley.

Despite so much progress, a sticky spell in the following campaign - his first at the club - saw him promptly dismissed.

Successor Paul Simpson was granted huge funds to gain promotion but could only match Peters with a play off final defeat to Gillingham in 2009. Had Peters had similar money to spend, Town probably would have been promoted by now.


6. Gareth Southgate - Middlesbrough

Southgate had been at the helm as Boro crashed out of the Premier League after 11 seasons in the big time.

However, he had been given the opportunity to get them back at the first attempt - and seemed to be making a good fist of it.

A 2-0 win against Derby saw Boro lying 4th after 13 games - just a single point off top spot.

However, Southgate was then sacked and in came former Southampton manager Gordon Strachan.

The Teessiders' form dropped off remarkably and they ended the season in 11th - a full 40 points behind Champions Newcastle United.


5. Danny Wilson - Hartlepool United

After relegation to the basement division in 2006, Pools turned to the experienced Danny Wilson to help get them back up into League One.

He did so - and at the first time of asking.

United finished 2nd - missing out on the title by a single point - and then he helped re-establish them back in the third tier with a respectable finish of 15th.

A solid start to the next season saw Pools in the top half but, after successive draws saw them drop to 13th in December, he was sacked.

They finished that season in 19th - a single point above the drop zone, and last term only survived on goal difference. Slipping out of the top half suddenly doesn't seem so bad now.


4. Ian Atkins - Oxford United

When Oxford beat Cheltenham 1-0, they sat 4th in the League Two standings - a point off the automatic promotion places.

They had only been beaten once at home all season and, with nine games of the season remaining, looked a sure bet for at least a place in the play offs.

Despite that good form, manager Ian Atkins had not been offered a new deal.

With his current one due to expire in the summer, he signed a pre-contract agreement to take over at Bristol Rovers for the next season.

Chairman Firoz Kassam decided to fire Atkins and appointed Graham Rix in his stead.

However, Rix's attempt to get a direct team to play passing football failed spectacularly as one win in their last nine saw Oxford miss out on the top seven altogether.


3. Russell Slade - Yeovil Town

Most pundits predicted a struggle for Yeovil when Russell Slade was appointed in 2006.

However, the season ended with the Glovers at Wembley - where they only lost out to Blackpool in the play off final.

Slade had taken a club punching above their weight to stay in League One to within 90 minutes of the Championship.

On meagre resources, it was a fantastic achievement.

It saw him linked to other jobs, but Town rebuffed any approaches. Yeovil ended up 18th the next year and the following campaign was another battle against the drop - but four straight wins in the New Year saw them comfortably in mid table.

However, he was then jettisoned from Huish Park due to a 'breakdown' in his relationship with the board. Town won just three of their remaining 17 games and stayed up by just a couple of points.



2. Ronnie Moore - Tranmere Rovers

Moore had been a great striker for Rovers, and returned to the club as manager in 2006.

In his first two seasons in charge he guided the Wirral outfit to 9th and 11th in League One.

The next term saw Rovers once again mount a push for the top six and they finished 7th, only narrowly missing on the play offs out by a couple of points.

However, the board decided to axe Moore - blaming him for falling attendances - and appointed former Liverpool and England winger John Barnes as his replacement.

It was a disastrous decision. Barnes endured a torrid beginning to the 2009/10 campaign and Tranmere only escaped the drop on the final day of the season under his successor, Les Parry.


1. Alan Irvine - Preston North End

Alan Irvine had joined Preston with the club struggling at the foot of the Championship in 2007.

An improved second half of the season saw him guide North End to 15th and safety, though.

The next season they were fighting it out for a place in the play offs and four wins at the end of the season helped them edge out Cardiff for a place in the top six.

There they lost to Sheffield United, but a fine start to the 2009/10 once again had them in contention. Then a poor run - his first at the club - earned him a shock dismissal at the end of 2009.

Replacement Darren Ferguson oversaw a terrible run of results that saw them slide down the table - only narrowly securing another season of Championship football. They have continued to struggle at the start of the new season.

Big Match Review - Boro 1 Forest 1

Championship

Middlesbrough 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Saturday November 21, Riverside (Att: 22,710)

Rob Earnshaw bagged a second half equaliser to deny Gordon Strachan his first win as Boro boss and keep Forest's unbeaten away record this season intact.

The home side got off to a flying start and had taken the lead within the first five minutes. After a strong run down the left, Adam Johnson pulled the ball across for Julio Acra to shoot.

Forest keeper Lee Camp could only parry the shot and Leroy Lita, who had had a half chance minutes earlier, was on hand to turn in the rebound for the club's first goal under their new manager.

Billy Davies's side responded and Boro keeper Brad Jones was called into action to save from Guy Moussi and then one-on-one with David McGoldrick as the away side pushed their opponents back.

In the second half Jones had to be at at full stretch again as he turned away Joe Garner's low drive wide of the post for a corner.

However, the Australian could do nothing about Forest's equaliser with less than twenty minutes remaining. Substitute Rob Earnshaw curling a 22-yard free kick up and around the Boro wall and into the net.

Forest pressed for a winner but both play-off chasers were forced to settle for a point as Strachan got off the mark on Teesside and the visitors returned home nine games unbeaten on the road.

Big Match Preview

Championship

Middlesbrough vs. Nottingham Forest

Saturday November 21, 15:00, Riverside

Two Championship promotion contenders face one another in the North East this weeekend as Nottingham Forest take the division's sole unbeaten away record to Gordon Strachan's Middlesbrough.

For former Celtic boss Strachan this is just his third game in charge of the Teessiders after he replaced the sacked Gareth Southgate. Both his previous matches have ended in 1-0 defeats - to Plymouth and Crystal Palace - which have seen Boro drop down to 10th.

He'll be keen then to get a first win on the board and improve upon a home record which has seen them suffer four defeats and score just seven goals at the Riverside this term.

Strachan has tried to bolster his forward options this week with the signing of Stoke striker Dave Kitson on loan, and he'll be linking up with former strike partner at Reading, Leroy Lita.

The new manager will also be hoping Kitson can help lift some of the weight off midfield maestro Adam Johnson.

The talented winger has been in impressive form for Boro and is the team's top scorer with nine goals, eight of them coming in the Championship. It's form which has seen the youngster linked with moves to Premier League clubs in January.

Midfielder Gary O'Neil has contributed goals from midfield and much of Boro's hopes are built on the central defensive partnership of Sean St Ledger and David Wheater.

They'll be in for a tough examination come Saturday as Billy Davies and a Forest side unbeaten in eight games come to Teeside. After a slow start, the wily Scot has got Forest challenging for the play-offs and they currently lie a point and two places above their opponents.

Tartan Army: Scots Strachan and Davies meet at the Riverside

Part of their success has come from that unbeaten away record which has seen them secure two wins and six draws from their eight trips on the road. Just six away goals conceded is only bettered by Swansea in the division too.

After a summer spending spree, Davies has one of the strongest squads in the division at his disposal, with an array of attacking options.

Forward Dexter Blackstock is top scorer with six, but the likes of Robert Earnshaw, Dele Adebola, Nathan Tyson, and Radoslaw Majewski have all chipped in with goals this season.

However, it's arguably the performances of winger Paul Anderson which have really been catching fans' attentions at the City Ground. The former Liverpool man has been in blistering form as Forest have recovered after a slow start to the season.

Forest will be confident therefore of returning to the East Midlands on Saturday evening with something to show for their efforts. Davies's side are bang in form and face a Boro team who are going through a transition under their new boss.

However, the international break may have come at the wrong time for Forest, and they may have to settle for a fourth successive Championship draw.

Nobes' Prediction: Middlesbrough 1 Nottingham Forest 1