Mark: Last month was a good month for the Boro as they won five out of their seven games in all competitions including a famous win over Italian giants Roma. This month hasn't been so great for them however with no wins in the last four games. Do you think the added games have tired the players out in recent weeks?

Chris: I do think that our squad has been stretched to the max, but we do have a large squad with a lot of young players coming through in recent months. I think that Steve McClaren has done the right thing inrotating the squad to keep players fresh, but I am not so sure it was the best decision to do it for important league fixtures as we don't need to get dragged back into a relegation battle, although the cup competitions are very important to us at the minute as they are our only route back into Europe this season.

I think that all of our players have coped really well with the amount of games we have played this season and they have shown that despite the bulging fixture list they can perform well.

Mark: Boro have the opportunity to reach two semi finals due to their performances in the FA Cup and UEFA Cup. Are you confident of adding your second piece of silverware to the cabinet in as many years or is the Premiership still the main focus?

Chris: Having seen the draw for the FA Cup semi-final I am feeling confident that we can make it to the Final, it would be great to go back to Cardiff and have a go at getting another piece of silverware. I think that if we can get there and the team that plays produced a good performance we do have a chance of winning it.

Regarding the UEFA Cup, well I am not so sure that we can win it, but we are certainly giving it a very good shot. We do have a difficult tie against Basel and if we get through will face a very tough tie against a Bucharest side, but you have to keep check on reality and looking at it as only our second ever campaign in European competition I think we have done tremendously well to get as far as we have.

The whole club has to take credit for how far we have come in the UEFA Cup this season and as they say, it is not over till the fat lady sings. However, I do think that one concern for the season has to be our Premiership form and the inconsistencies that have cost us points, we need to concentrate on bringing our European form into the league and boosting our position in the table.

Mark: This season has seen Boro introduce a few more of their FA Youth Cup winning side into first team action. Do you feel the likes of Lee Cattermole and Matthew Bates have benefited from top flight experience this season or is it just a season too soon?

Chris: I really do think that Lee Cattermole has come on leaps and bounds by gaining the first team experience he has this season. He has shown great character and determination in his game, even showing some of the more experienced players how they should be playing!.

If he continues to develop like he has he will make a great midfielder possibly following in the footsteps of George Boateng, one of our strongest links in the chain.

All in all I do think that the first team experience that our young players have gained has benefited them, however there have been times when it has appeared a little too early for them to become fully fledged top flight players. One thing is for certain though, Dave Parnaby and the rest of the Academy staff have done a tremendous job of nurturing and developing these up and coming stars.

Mark: The game at the Reebok Stadium between Bolton and Boro was postponed due to a fault in the undersoil heating back in December. Are you in favour of a winter break or should we keep the current format?.

Chris: I can see the reasoning behind winter breaks, they certainly seem to work abroad, but I just can't see the need for them in the English game and am not in favour of them being introduced. Our winters are generally not as bad as those say in Germany or Scandinavia and therefore I do think that we can do without them. I think that the technology that is available now to keep pitches clear of inclement weather does work and certainly in Boro's case we tend not to call games off due to the state of the pitch, our problem is keeping the surrounding area around the ground clear and safe for supporters.

Mark: Who do you see as the key men when our two sides go head to head at the weekend.?

Chris: For Boro I see Yakubu being a key man for us on the striking line, we his 19 goals this season he has certainly helped us. Other key men would be George Boateng, a solid rock in the heart of our midfield and our two centre backs, whether it be Gareth Southgate and Chris Riggott or Ugo Ehigou they are a critical are for our team.

For Bolton I think Stelios Giannakopoulos and Kevin Nolan are the two to watch out for, both have proved that they are more than capable in breaking teams down this season. I would also say El Hadji-Diouf, but only as far as the Riverside reception goes as the famous spitting incident has still not been forgotten.

Walking Down The Manny Road would like to thank Chris for taking the time out to speak to us. His site Bororules.co.uk is a fairly new and informative unofficial Middlesbrough source and is well worth a look for those of you who follow the Teesiders on a regular basis

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