“The bigger the crowd, the better - and the more noise the better.”
As Boro prepared to welcome Portsmouth to the Riverside for a crunch six-pointer at the bottom of the Premier League, Gareth Southgate called on the Riverside regulars to create a wall of noise to help roar his side to a much-needed victory.
If Boro were going to get out of trouble they had to start picking up points fast. Their 1-0 win against Liverpool last time out at the Riverside was Boro’s only win in their last 16 attempts.
The atmosphere that day was electric and Southgate was calling on the fans to make it just as difficult for Pompey.
“The fans have been brilliant all season and we need them to be even more vocal now, if that’s possible,” said Southgate on this day in 2009.
“If we can repeat the noise levels that we got against Liverpool then that would be fantastic.
“They cheered every tackle that day. When we were driving forward they responded, and when we began to tire towards the end they kept us going.
“That’s the kind of atmosphere players love to hear and they react to it.
“We are well aware that the players have to give the fans something to shout about, but I’m sure we will lack nothing in passion on Saturday.”
It was quickly becoming now or never for Boro. Languishing in 19th position in the table, Southgate’s side were two points behind Portsmouth directly above them with Newcastle only out of the relegation zone on goal difference.
With two away games to come, the pressure was piling on struggling Boro to pick up the three points that could see them leapfrog both sides and jump out of the dropzone.
Southgate, though, refused to label the game as ‘must win’.
“Our remaining home games are important, but every game is important and we will deal with them as we always do, one game at a time and try to win every one,” he said.
“People look at games against teams in the bottom half and say those are the ones we have to win, but historically they are the hard ones.”
Despite Southgate’s plea, just 24,281 turned out for the game against Portsmouth, almost 10,000 fewer than the visit of Liverpool.
And Boro needed a last-gasp Marlon King leveller to rescue a point as they slipped closer to the trap door.
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