Sea of change at Boro'

Having watched the first half of tonight's FA Cup replay at Middlesborough my opinion of the club is shifting. During the McClaren era I found myself deliberately missing their games if they were live on TV. They seemed a one dimension club in a half full jelly mould stadium just clogging up the Prem. My mood is changing! Gareth Southgate has always struck me as a genuine guy who is both passionate and knowledgeable about the game. To me he has breathed new life into the club that Steve Mac left for England. They have some very exciting young English players such as the combative Cattermole and the lively Downing. Add to this the natural scoring touch of Yakubu and the highly underated Viduka up front and I think this team under Southgate could go far. They've had their ups and downs since the crazy days of Ravanelli and co but I've started to watch them and enjoy what Mr Southgate is building. With their young ambitious chairman and manager in place I think they could be a team to watch over the next 3-4 years if they buy the right players to fit around their youngsters.