March 9 Update

Last Tuesday, Middlesborough won their game as expected! The 3-0 win against Millwall was exactly what the team needed to boost their spirits and push them towards promotion. Over 16,000 people attended the home match, where three different players scored for their team. Possession in this game was almost split perfectly but Boro had double the shots on goal, (source: http://www.mfc.co.uk/fixtures-results/).

On Saturday, March 7, Middlesborough took on Forest. This game was a 2-1 away loss. Bro had 2/3 of the possession but was just unable to win the match, (source: http://www.mfc.co.uk/fixtures-results/). Karanka was disappointed with their performance but as always, was already looking towards how they could improve before their next game. Their next game is Saturday against Ipswich. As of the last update, Boro is in 4th place in the Sky Bet Championship league. This is not a bad place to be in but the team would like to be ranked higher. The team is still averaging a high attendance at away matches and the fan base proves to be incredibly loyal.

The latest article involving Karanka on the team's website is in regards to how they need to recover from the past month. Obviously, this past month has not been going how the manager would have hoped. I've said it before, but I really admire how Karanka never criticizes his team. Instead, he is always looking forward to the next game and how they can improve upon their performance. The team has had 9 games in the past month, which he argues is the reason they were not performing at their peak. However, they now have a week to train before Saturday's game and he is confident their performance will reflect this rest and time of reflection. (Source: http://www.mfc.co.uk/news/article/2014/boro-aitor-karanka-nottingham-forest-city-ground-2320272.aspx).

Upon researching tweets regarding the past week in Boro, I discovered the team has a foundation. This foundation is called the Middlesborough Football Club Foundation. It is not directly associated with the team ( it operates under a different entity) but was originally founded in 1996, to be relaunched in 2013. The goal of the foundation is : "uses the power of the MFC brand to engage with the community to provide opportunities for disadvantaged young people and adults to maximize their potential to achieve," (http://www.mfcfoundation.co.uk/about-us.php). The organization runs a sports center located near Riverside Stadium and has spaces in the stadium available for use as well. The organization is focused on increasing participation in sport and assisting those in need around them. I have a greater appreciation for the team after reading about their participation in community service.