The line-up caused a few questions before hand, was Stewy playing as a wing back with Fabio on the other flank or was Ben playing as a traditional LB and Stewy playing central pulling the strings in midfield?
And so it was apparently three at the back which won the day as Boro lined up in their unfamiliar Yellow Championship away kit. The early action was a taste of things to come as Cabaye and Zaha took it in turns to trouble Ayala but it came to nothing fortunately. In the 5th minute Dani was lucky not to give away a penalty after a shove on Zaha which Ref Madely deemed as a shoulder “nudge” followed by a bit of a grapple. We were penned back and looking short on outlets, finally in the 11th minute Espinosa released Fabio on the flank and his cross led to a Stuani chance but de Roon eventually blazed over.
Any doubts about Gaston’s mind set was answered just after the quarter hour mark when he chased back covering for Downing, tackling a yard out from the corner flag preventing a cross. Benteke was apparently determined to moan his way through the match claiming a push, tug or shove at every opportunity. Valdes pulled off a brilliant save on 20 minutes going full stretch but the flag had gone up for a hand ball from the same moaning Benteke then Boro broke and Stuani had the ball poked away from him just as he swivelled to shoot in our only serious threat.
On the half hour Zaha was upended by Ayala again who looked to be walking a fine line before seeing a card the same shade as his shirt. Seconds later Cabaye tripped Stuani as he burst from the half way line leading to Madely producing the games first yellow.
Boro were struggling to get any type of grip on the game and in truth defensively we were hoofing and hoping and our Midfield far too deep and so inevitably van Aanholt picked up a ball in the edge of the box and drilled it home into the far corner as Boro failed to clear cleanly again after a series of desperate unconvincing headers. Stuani and Negredo were looking forlorn figures with poor to no service at best. Tactically it wasn’t working and didn’t look to be working anytime soon. Boro were pegged back and looked totally ineffective more than 20 yards out of their own goalmouth.
Breaking out we were passing about slowly easily read by Palace players and in truth a Traore type injection was needed. Any pre game thoughts I had that we would go for it was well wide of the mark with our second shot coming from a Negredo volley 30 yards out. The first half was one to forget for Boro, the back “3” was more of a back “5” with Negredo dropping deep into the middle of the park trying to service Stuani. We were far too deep and no relief from the middle as de Roon and Forshaw were deployed sweeping in front of our back five.
A disappointing and toothless first half which gave no indication from Boro whatsoever as to the importance of this game. AK certainly had to have a major rethink, what was on offer was a negative, dreary same old slow paced passing paralysis with nothing on offer from Fabio or Downing offensively and Ramirez trying to create but surrounded by Red and Blue stripes crowded out. The extra man caused by our “3” at the back stifled any hope we had of getting a grip of the game as Zaha and Townsend were simply free to rampage.
Half time changes were much needed along with a change in formation, surely the 46th minute would see the introduction of Traore with a CB being withdrawn? Well he made a change but it was Gestede for Negredo which shocked and surprised us all. The game kicked off and immediately Zaha drove into our box taking up where the Eagles had left off the first half. What Gestede was supposed to do was a mystery as thus far we had produced no service to our front two. The opening few minutes offered no solutions or any obvious tactical changes, very poor half time management it has to be said from AK. Forshaw did have a shot but as is typical it was high and wide, no change there then. The lad was running around but his lay offs and passing was far too slow and thus our creativity still floundered.
Sakho hadn’t played in months yet we put him under no defensive pressure at all. We needed a fortuitous break and it nearly came when Forshaw was upended but Gaston’s cheap dink over the wall was easily picked off by Hennesey. Gestede then attempted a cut back from the wide left and managed to hit the back of the stand somehow whilst attempting a cross. Forshaw’s dithering nearly cost us as he had his pocket picked in the middle of the pitch but fortunately Zaha fired wide.
A bit of intent led to Stuani striking a volley cleanly as the Palace box looked uncharacteristically busy but it was straight at Hennesey. A change on 60 minutes didn’t introduce some much needed pace but Guedioura on for Forshaw, not sure what that was all about as it didn’t introduce pace but he did at least look to pass forwards. This was looking extremely poor fayre and perhaps the Stanley and Oxford games had given the Players some misplaced belief.
Zaha was ripping us apart yet we had Traore sat on the bench, the irony was painful. AK’s tactics were still not working and any “tweaks” we had hoped for were moderate at best. Gibson tried a 40 yard daisy cutter which was about as good as our attacks were looking. Zaha broke again and Gaston and Fabio managed to tackle each other as we looked very edgy and slack. We tried to get forward in our ususal pedestrian manner but it was joyless to watch. The game passed 70 minutes and our tactics still failing miserably, bringing on Gestede just looked even more pointless and clueless. AK’s inability to change a game was looking as ominous as ever, even a tame Guedioura shot couldn’t raise hopes. A full length Valdes clearance was the fastest we broke out all game but it lead to a Fabio yellow card for a challenge on Zaha yet again breaking away. Next it was Downings turn to dither and luckily Madely seen it the way of Stewy as Macarthur stubbed his toe on Stewy’s boot and collected a yellow for simulation in the box. Seconds later Stewy gave a free kick away just near the corner flag which Townsend took and fortunately Ayala’s gamesmanship took care of Benteke. Stuani was taken off on 77 minutes for Traore, again a strange shout for me considering we needed to score and almost immediately Ramirez hit the deck with cramp.
Tactics that clearly weren’t working with appallingly poor game management from AK, this was very reminiscent of our early Premiership games with incredible naivety and a lack of intelligent attacking intent. Poor substitutions with a total lack of willingness to change things, there again with 3 DM’s on the bench the options were self-restricting. It was the 86th minute before a long ball was hit up to Gestede that Fabio eventually fired wide from. Why put the big lad on if all we were going to do was conduct more passing paralysis.
Our movement off the ball was probably the worst I have witnessed, frozen and static just doesn’t cut it at this level. Incredible that as soon as we brought Traore on we then resorted to forlornly humping long balls up to Gestede. As if to rub salt into the wounds a Guedioura shot from outside the box almost hit the opposite Corner flag, it was poor fayre.
MOM there wasn’t one, I honestly struggled to rate any of them more than 4 out of 10. A more utterly hopeless, clueless and spineless performance I have yet to witness in a very long time. Abject does it credit. Put simply, not good enough and never ever looked like being good enough, no win in 9 games now and AK is now the Bookies favourite for the chop. Based on this performance it wouldn’t be a difficult decision for SG to make.
Utterly dreadful, 54% possession that was all harmless meaningless passes to nowhere in safe zones, wholly unacceptable for aside that went behind on 34 minutes. Like today’s Kit we looked like a Championship side all afternoon. When you are out of your depth against a fellow relegation struggler something needs answering and very quickly.
Thanks for the report RR even though it made depressing reading to say the least.
Others give a similar view and who knows where we go from here……….
Please please please for goodness sake go! The annoying thing for me is that these spineless, laboured performances have been coming for months.
All we hear is spin about how we’re in the qf of the cup and we’re not in the relegation zone. We haven’t played anyone in the cup and our form in the league over the last two months means we’re probably favourites to finish bottom.
And to top it all off the entertainment factor is zilch. With no clue how to attack or create chances.
And don’t even get me started on the debacle of the January transfer window and the fact the manager felt it was justified to slate everyone involved with the club whilst accepting no personal accountability whatsoever despite him masterminding only 4 wins in the league all season.
As I wrote on here a month or so ago we are on course to be the side with the lowest number of shots on target in a premier league season in history. And not just by a little bit by an absolute country mile.
Let’s put that in perspective, Derby who got relegated with 12 points had more shots on goal than we did. Sunderland with 14….more. Villa last year and so on.
And when we’re struggling in games does he change things does he go for it? No it’s clueless, crazy like for like substitutions usually swapping a player who’s having an off day for an inferior player who slots into the exact same position.
And where this 5-3-2 formation came from today is beyond me. Particularly with downing as a wing back. The one strength in our game, defending, was negated by that move. I think we’ve tried this formation once before this season and we were woeful then as well. Strange that he thought that today was a good opportunity to experiment.
This is despite having a centre forward supposedly on 100,000 a week.
There’s professional sports reporting running through thy veins there RR – we may be looking forlorn on the pitch but with major contributors on this blog it will always be Premier League & a source of jealousy for other cantankerous wannabees.
Excellent write up, if you dont mind me scribbling!
Only question I have is when will it happen & who will be enticed to throw themselves onto the managerial hotseat.
Cometh the hour cometh the man by the name of …………… (this is where you fill in your best guess).
The sentence at the end jumped some how. It was meant to be midway up my comment. Oh well you get the gist.
Wonder if the daily mail will do another day in the life article on aitor Karanka in a few weeks time?
Got up late. Walked the dogs. Went and collected my jobseekers. They asked me if I was actively seeking employment. I told them I’d applied for the Hartlepool job with then hovering above the relegation zone but they said they wanted a more attack minded coach. Still managed to watch my seven videos although they weren’t of the footballing variety…..managed to do a bit of tiki taka while I was watching them. (I have plenty of time on my hands and the Mrs has had to get a job these days.)
Went and picked up my two season tickets for the boro. I’ve bought one in the east stand and one in the west so I can still give adama advice but this time in both halves.
It’s sad in some ways watching the team I used to manage but I’ve also used it as an opportunity to lend a few quid off Alvaro now I’m out of work. I mean I did negotiate him that big wage so I should reap some benefits from it.
Paul :
‘I’ve bought one ticket for the east stand and one in the west so I can still give adama advice but this time in both halves.’
By the time AK got to the opposite stand after half time the game would’ve finished.
He would ‘ve stayed in his seat until absolutely safe to move, then he’d take one step forward, two steps back, repeating as necessary, then quite a few side to side, repeating as necessary. Get my drift ?
We all know that the easiest & quickest way to get to the other stand would be to walk directly across the football pitch, but that would’ve been dismissed as too obvious for AK.
Depressing result, but an even more depressing performance.
Meant to say he still watched the videos in three different angles!!
Thanks Redcar Red for a great report once again. I watched the match and it was a shocking performance….I do not like any manager to lose his job but today Karanka got it completely wrong and surely SG must now pull the plug otherwise we are down with Sunderland.
Apparently he won’t pull the plug on him as he has said it’s too late to change anything
I’m looking for positives. Four extra games for the same price and I’ll probably get out of the Car Park quicker as the glory hunters will have disappeared.
Well, I’m hardly Cocker-hoop over being beaten to a Pulp by Palace.
We look like a Bad Cover Version of the August 2014-December 2015 outfit, loaded with Misshapes, mistakes, mistakes. Beaten to a Pulp by Palace.
Once, Boro could Party Hard. Now the Razzmatazz is gone. Aitor’s Premier League Babies are filled with The Fear.
Years from now, we Common People will ask Aitor about his first year at the top with Boro. Do You Remember The First Time? I can’t remember a worse time.
Time Something Changed…
https://youtu.be/EFSdf_VeYG0
Postscript.
Yes, I used one pun twice. I think being beaten by Palace stung that much.
Only question is if AK goes who do we replace him with? With the squad we have I can’t see anyone turning us around.
You also have to wonder what the point of shelling out all of that cash in Bamford is if he can’t even get on the bench?
Prepare for the Championship and bye bye to the new ‘glory’ season ticket holders.
It’s a depressing journey home from an even more depressing game
No fight no urgency no will to win and no belief from the players that they can win
Couldn’t take any positives from the game and on this performance I think we would even struggle to beat Sunderland
As for Ramierez I wouldn’t let him wear the shirt again,totally uninterested even though AK had moved him into the middle out of his gated left position. At the final whistle he went straight down the tunnel no shaking if his opponents or team mates hands and no acknowledgement to the fans. Should have sold him for 15m in n January he!ll be worth nothing in June!!
A great report RR and thoroughly depressing one.
I got one bit of the prediction right right. Palace would score one goal. The trouble is if we don’t shoot we won’t score. I feel for the travelling supporter witnessing what was another crass misuse of our assets.
Perhaps assets are to be ignored not utilised? Oh not forgetting that opposition pretty know that we won’t score.
The noose gets ever tighter and the trapdoor creaks with every movement.
UTB
John
The fact is we were never good enough to stay up in the beginning , and I don’t say that as a dig I was hoping above hope we would, we are a championship club right now, infact I’m wondering if Steve Gibson can actually afford to be in the premiership,
You have to wonder why Karanka was upset during the window,look at who we sold and who we brought in, he made a comment the other day that at least we made a profit and, that tells a story in itself!
I’ve banged on for a number of seasons that Gill/ Gibson partnership is behind the money signings and the coach whoever it is can sign the freebees ask Mowbray about that,
We are going down ,the Bamford ,Gestede signings are insurance for that,about eight players will leave ,and it starts all over again, but Gobble will get his investment back, trouble is we might do a Wigan.
COB
Should be Gibbo idiot spell check !
Or on gestede.
Villa fans said he is absolutely woeful as a lone striker. He is a decent player if you play with wingers, have two strikers and get balls into the box.
Does that sound like the sort of player we should have signed to help turn our season around? With our ability to throw players forward with wilful abandonment!!
Managers to replace AK I would suggest Chris hughton, David Wagner or even at a long shot jaap stam. And that’s just at championship level without looking potentially further afield. The role of boro manager is a big job. Lots of managers would give their right arm to be supported by a chairman like Steve Gibson and to play in front of potentially 30,000 fans either in the premiership or the championship.
In the short term I would suggest a Harry redknapp type. May backfire but could he do any worse? No wins in nine and only scored in 3 of the last 11 league games I think he’d probably do better than that.
RR has summed it up perfectly as usual.
A very old friend of mine who is a Palace supporter kindly took me to the game today and I am sad to say that I was embarrassed by the pathetic display by Boro.
What has happened to the team I have supported for over 50 years? Where is the pride? Where is the spark? Where is the intent? It’s gone and I lay the blame squarely at the door of the manager.
What sort of mentality sets up a team that is playing a direct rival below them at the bottom of the league to play in such a negative way? Before the game Palace were in very poor form, low on confidence, dodgy in defence, had conceded four at home to Sunderland and ere there for the taking. So what does Karanka do? He gives them the chance to regain their confidence by sitting back with zero attacking intent or outlet for the defence and allows them to attack us at will. We were very lucky to be only one down at half time as it could easily have been three or four. The second half was marginally better but we never really looked like scoring so yet another nil and no points.
As for the players, the only one that looked class was Gibson. Of the others, I thought Valdez played well, De Roon tried hard and Fabio had his moments. The rest were average at best.
As for the substitutions, yet again they did nothing to change the game. It was disappointing that Traore didn’t start but given he was on the bench why wasn’t he brought on earlier as Palace tired and sat back in the last quarter of the game? Bringing him on with 10 minutes to go and then not giving him the ball but lumping it up to Gestede was a complete waste of time.
Based on today’s performance we are gong down for sure and, worse, would struggle in the Championship. I have absolutely no confidence in Karanka and the performance today sums up his stutlifying influence on my team.
Time for him to go.
I’m not sure what Karanka’s thinking was regarding the team selection – was it really necessary to mess the team up so much because Chambers couldn’t play? Did he perhaps also have one eye on trying to out-smart Big Sam with his formation, knowing that he would be planning to play against 4-3-3. If he did try to confuse then it was probably only his own players who ended up not knowing how Boro were going to play.
I said in my pre-match piece that I thought Gibson would play left-back and Boro would keep Bernado and Ayala as the centre-back pairing like last week and move Fabio to right-back.
But a back three meant no place for Adama and Downing playing as a left wing-back, which he never was and particularly now that he’s lost some pace – plus he doesn’t tackle well in his own box – you need players with lots of practice and timing in your own area and he was lucky to get away with a few ill-judged ones today.
Rather ironically it was Gibson who kept making the runs out of defence to feed the forwards – he may as well have played left-back. Overall it just looked like too many players looking unfamiliar with each other and ending up in the wrong positions on he pitch to make them effective – why was Negredo playing so deep? did he decide to do it on his own or was it because Stuani wanted to play further forward.
In the end it was a team of strangers for most of the game – but I saw little point in bringing on Adama when Palace had decided to sit deeper to see out the game – surely it made more sense to have him start when they were looking to bring the game to Boro so he had space to run into.
I don’t think today was the time to experiment – it would have been far better to stick to a familiar shape and try to use our strengths against what was an average out of sorts Palace for much of the game.
In conclusion a missed opportunity – there aren’t that many of them left this season to make it count – plus our next two fixtures will be harder games. It looks worrying now and we didn’t look prepared for a crucial game.
A word on signings,throughout Karankas time here,we seem to sign an awful lot of players and either not play them at all or they make limited appearances. Notably De Pena De Sart McGee Fischer Bamford Rhodes Forshaw (at first) are a few that immediately spring to mind.
If it’s Gill/Bausor who are buying then it seems pretty pointless buying players who Karanka doesn’t want but if Karanka has an input then he’s wasting alot of money and should be investing in proven PL players who are up to speed to go straight into the team
The only good thing to come out of todays match was RR’s report which was excellent. I too watched the match with a Palace fan and i had nothing much to say.
I am afraid to say we lost any initiative in positively replacing AK after the ‘Lost the crowd-gate’ issue. Immediately after was the International break and we could have / should have acted then, but we didn’t. I agree with Spartak, little Klopp would be perfect, high pressing, high tempo management style.
I am truly gutted.
Who brought Gestede and many questionable others (including Rhodes) into the club if as it appeared or at least sounded like at the end of January that AK is the Coach and isn’t involved and clearly didn’t get who he wanted?
Our signings have been a mixture of Championship level plodders (and by the looks of it that is to where we will return) and expensive Latin pro’s again questionable at this level. We “gambled” rather than “gave it a go”.
AK frustrates the heck out of me and his tactical inflexibility is not exonerated in any way by a Scouting department who couldn’t find their way down Linthorpe Road with a Sat Nav . If/when AK does go there should be a list of others who go at the same time and who probably should have gone far sooner in the eyes of many.
Whoever signed the cheques for these players should be the first out the door. Perhaps the Gazette Journos can go for the jugular and get a real juicy story instead of the current desperate straw clutching farce, hype and spin being fed to us. Who knows someone may even pay the Gazette’s premium rate for a real news story or is there a Trump style news blackout at the Riverside?
If there is a replacement for AK I would make it a temporary Venables type, someone to come in, rattle cages, unsettle a few and scare the proverbial out of many. The reconstruction needs to start (as it should have done this season) in the summer but then we have heard about root and branch, no stone unturned nonsense in the past during close season.
Its entirely likely that one of say Hughton or Wagner may be disappointed come the Summer rather than available now but are they what we want or even need? I would prefer a Pearson type rallying call now short term and then a wiser more experienced and influential Coach in the Summer regardless of what division we are in. Whoever Coaches or Manages the Club next season the recruitment team need to go first, they give me a sense of “House of Lords” style cost and incontinent incompetence.
Whilst we seen that AK is a mono dimensional coach yet again today the entirety of the blame is not solely his.
Not sure about that, RR. Sure, the players have to take their share of the blame for our current predicament. But nobody can tell me that control freak AK, who plans everything down to the last T, isn’t informing the money people who he wants to sign. There’s no way he isn’t in charge of transfers in and out.
So, who to blame? I’m afraid it has to be the manager. He sets them up. He makes the plans and trains them through the week meticulously. He devises the tactics. He even has Traore playing on his side of the pitch so he can tell him what to do! Today, he got it badly wrong. Again. Allardyce has said as much.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I honestly don’t think he knows how to convert his superbly drilled defensive squad into one which attacks more and creates chances. And I know we haven’t got the fluidity up front that Palace obviously have, of the attacking flair of most other Premiership sides, but if you leave your best attacking outlet and his sheer pace on the bench in a vital game, then something is wrong.
Sticking to this all-out defence mantra won’t win us games if we don’t score goals. What we got today was the same old rubbish. In most games we play, we never even look like scoring. It’s up to AK to put that right, because he’s in charge. So, yes, I do think it’s almost entirely his fault.
I think he needs someone alongside him in these last few games, like Robbo had Venables. But I suspect that his pride is such that he would never accept that.
Clive
It was obvious after ten minutes the tactics and formation were kit working yesterday
Van Aanholt was running riot down the wing and needed Traore on to give him something to think about.
Negredo played from the half way line and our midfield looked lopsided me disjointed
Downing is not and never will be a wing back. Liverpool tried him in that position and sold him. I suspect that we will sell him to Crystal Palace in the summer to play as their number 10
Valdez in my opinion should have save the goal and was badly positioned
Fabio unfortunately had a or game for us on the right and was dominated by Van Aanholt
Stuani should have scored and apart from his one shot didn’t contribute
So. Poor display all round
Clive
We may not have won yesterday with our good defence, but we would have had our point, had he played our good defence that is, but to have Downing anywhere near our penalty box was foolish in the extreme(clueless is a fair description, he gave away a penalty when he had a clear chance to put it over the stand, the fact that it was not given alters nothing)
It may have escaped your notice that recently we have seen a few goals, down to the exploits of young Traore, plus his speed, of course. Why he thinks that traore should be rationed I do not know. When a young player starts to improve he should never be left on the bench, not ever.
Had he started I think that their shaky moral could quite easily have been destroyed because he is something else when he turns up the afterburners.
None of the above excuses what happened during the match, we visibly walked around the pitch at a stately pace(against a team in observable free fall)
Final point, when the match starts we will not try to gave the opposition a fright, and, maybe, score. It takes, on average, ten minutes play before Traore is given the ball, he duly frightens the life out of them, they alter their shape and we have a bit of peace as they try to figure out what to do.
I would have thought that the message was obvious(perhaps he needs western union to get it through to him)
IMHO maybe SG should’ve targeted Gary Monk before he took over at Leeds in an attempt to create a habit of winning, because we certainly don’t Winalot. I’d also like to think SG was making plans for Nigel Pearson, or maybe Harry Redknapp, assuming that Harry’s game.
As good as it is what’s missing in the new church of Diasboro is the input of Vickers, because divine intervention is surely needed now. Aisle join in with the large pew of relief if a miracle should materialise & we survive the drop. I say this because I do believe there is a Dog, woof ! woof ! 🐕
Bless you my son
Just a follow up, I can’t believe how soft and nieve we are,just watched Watford the dirtiest team of conmen in the league, they kick you then fall over in agony, mouth of to the ref all the time, but get results
I would never buy a ticket to watch them but they will still be in the premiership next season.
I said in another blog , we needed some experience of this division before the start, but Steve Gibson didn’t sanction the moves,
Your report is a very fair reflection of the game RR
AK picked the wrong team the wrong tactics and still doesn’t know how to change a game mid stream
That’s all I’m saying I’m off to bed in a huff no MOTD for me
I’m picking up my younger 11 years old grandson early in the morning for a game and if the win they get promoted so at least it’s something to look forward to
I know I shouldn’t let the Boro upset me so much but I bet there are a few out there who feel as bad as I do
Roll on Tuesday and I’ll be alright by then
Oh and I thought Valdez Lidl have saved the goal
Why was Negredo playing centre midfield??
Mystifying
OFB,
Totally agree with your previous post but when did we buy Lidl?
UTB,
John
John
We had to buy Lidl as we couldn’t get Aldi and we were shopping for cheap brands and couldn’t afford Harrods players
OFB – we feel the pain because we have supported the Boro for so many years and seen it all! That there is no passion in the players or manager who cannot see that he is wrong is why. Give me the team of 86 or Big Jacks any day rather than this lot of over paid prima donnas (manager included) who think they are better than they are and don’t care what happens.
OFB your comment at 1102 is very pertinent- it is indeed too late to change anything now. Whatever happens come the end of the season will AK fall on his sword or will SG get rid?
Maybe that should be the deciding question in the event of a tie in the Exmill challenge?
Got to see some humour in the situation as nothing funny about the performance on the pitch at present.
Having been saying for months that Karanka should be sacked it gives me no pleasure whatsoever to see almost every post now saying that.
How must Ranieri feel looking at Karanka? Likewise all the other Premiership managers who have been sacked while Karanka presides untouchable over this groundhog day season.
Whatever Steve Gibson is seeing, he is wrong, and he will have all those extra championship games to reflect on that.
In October I said I would never pay to watch Boro under Karanka again. I very much admire the faith of RR and others in making yet another bitter journey today but I end up yet again pleased with my decision.
Sadly and predictably, this is little different to the past 12 months. AK is ahead now even of Strachan as a man who has wholesale taken apart, and destroyed this club.
With AK we are dead, and what’s worse, is that we do not have a squad remotely able to challenge again for promotion next season. There is simply no spark.
What is truly depressing is that AK has been allowed to get away with such incompetence every week. The apologists, on this blog and others, have been many, spouting on about a decent goal difference and there being worse clubs around. There may be, but there are no worse managers about.
The fans too have been slow to attack AK, ridiculously slow, sheeplike getting behind a man who has no idea what he is doing and incapable of listening to or understanding change. He is a fool with no experience and no idea, end of story.
Worst of all though is the utter failure by Steve Gibson to act responsibly and coherently in his stewardship. No one can ever doubt his motives and utter commitment but he has sat on the fence and fiddled while his club, and town by extension, has rotted before him under this half-wit at the helm.
Why Gibson has let this go on, only he knows. The January transfer window, even more than the four keepers, summed our situation up, selling three good players (including a potential lifesaver in Rhodes) and buying three utter duds who have contributed nothing to-date. I doubt there is a single Boro fan who could not have foreseen the stupidity of these dealings.
Gibson is our Ranieri, we should stand by him always, but we must question his (non) actions for the sake of the club. This season surely must be tearing him apart, so why doesn’t he act? There is an accountability that comes with responsibility and Steve, sadly you have failed the club this past year.
Get rid of AK today and have a crack at staying up, a real go. That way, at least we can feel we have tried.
Richard Evans
Can we please drop the four goalkeepers story, after getting two goalies with top flight experience here and Spain they tried to get one out in August but couldn’t.
Whether they were the right keepers to bring in is another matter.
352? If George is unfit along with our two right backs it is an alternative, I have even seen some advocate it.
Didn’t work, so that is that. What is disappointing is that with two attacking wing backs, Ramirez in midfield plus Negredo and Stuani we appeared to offer little.
Things are looking grim.
But despite intentions we were left with four keepers. It’s what you do, not what you intend to do that counts and that sums up the AK safety first paranoia at all costs.
Equally if the keepers he collected were any good, it would have been easy to place them elsewhere surely?
Richard
The fact the club recruited two keepers with top flight experience and couldn’t move out one keeper without top flight experience is not down to Karanka. The incumbents had no top flight experience because they had never played there.
Saying it sums up Karanka’s safety first paranoia only devalues all the good points you made.
Beat him with his own sticks not invented ones.
Interesting appraisal from Dominic Shaw, makes a change from some of the + PR spin of late in the paper.
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/goalscorer-easy–ill-prepared-12658451
After sleeping on it its becoming clear that AK is a brilliant defensive Coach but that he hasn’t anything else to bring to the table. Keeping things tight at the back is only a part of the job and when that doesn’t work then he is found out and found wanting. Once we go a goal down its unlikely we ever recover as the team are not drilled in attacking or indeed the art of scoring.
I guess over the last few months the signs have been becoming clearer when the fans have been blamed along with recruitment (and both are not without some merit) but it all just seems to be getting more ridiculous that we used to think was just “translation”. The George Friend thing from yesterday’s press conference was bizarre, the lad has struggled for a few weeks, even if he had been fit you would have needed a contingency just in case he couldn’t last the game.
Surely James Husband isn’t that bad? Surely Fabio could have played LB and put say Clayts in at RB? Had Chambers fully recovered from his broken foot? He seemed to come back sooner than expected and if he was struggling then why play him in the Cup games?
Leaving the Friend injury aside our midfield was weak and over run yesterday. Perhaps the reason we normally need three DM’s is because we haven’t got two decent ones?
Where was Negredo playing yesterday? was it because we were under the cosh from the off and he was dropping deeper to try and provide an outlet or was it perhaps that AK didn’t know he was injured until half time?
The whole thing yesterday just seemed a hazy fog with nothing being done to address the glaring problems on the pitch. I suspect that it wasn’t managerial stubbornness, just something far more basic and fundamental.
Fair point RR but you can’t be a brilliant defensive coach if it is to detriment of the team as a whole.
Parking nine players behind the ball is merely defensive, not defensive brilliance.
I must admit I was quite pleased when I saw the teamsheet yesterday. Two forwards with Ramirez supplying, that is more attackminded than most sides AK has put out.
Downing at wingback was a worry but we didn’t have many options. More worrying was the exclusion of Clayton, who I thought would play alongside Leadbitter.
It didn’t work. At all. And AK did nothing to rectify it.
Very worrying.
It is that AK never does anything “to rectify it” that is the biggest indictment.
None the less, despite yesterday’s results we are still in the fight and while we are all rightly very anxious about the state of affairs we will not know for certain what our fate is for quite a few weeks yet.
I don’t think many if any of us are enjoying the ride, but 17th at the end of the year is what a lot of people indicated they would be happy with back at the start. So, should we really be that surprised about how the season is panning out. If AK was any better as a manager and getting more out of the team than he is capable, we would we well clear of the bottom.
We (most) knew that from the start. So maybe SG is right to keep faith for this season after all. Though I think a change is likely before next season.
Just as a balance. I’ve been saying for two months that ak should be gone. No, probably longer.
However, I understood and understand the arguments of the fans who sang his praises.
If you look at the general progress we’ve made it’s positive.
I don’t agree that our squad is a championship squad. Look at the sheff wed game at home.
Gibson, Fabio, George and even Ayala are all top drawer championship players and hopefully will all still be here whatever happens.
Traore could rip up the championship if we kept him and start playing a more attacking brand of football. Bamford was player of the year in the championship. There’ll be gaps but the basis of a top drawer championship team under the correct manager.
So for me ak has generally done a really good job. He got us promoted after seven years in the championship that can’t be downplayed. He could take any porous defence and make them hard to beat. He has galvanised a team that work incredibly hard for him. Even in games we’ve played badly the players have been fighting.
But, and here’s the but. I’ve been saying for months we needed a change. Why?
Because for me he has shown a complete inability to maximise the attacking potential of our squad. He has shown a complete tactical inflexibility. He has shown an arrogance when performances required something more humble, even just to show some empathy towards the fans and their feelings. But he went one stop further than arrogance he actually criticised the fans. He has alienated players who in my opinion would have improved the team because of his rigidity. He has talked again of needing to improve the front end of the team with no acceptance that perhaps he’s had the right players at his disposal all along but just not utilised them correctly.
But perhaps most important of all I could see this car crash coming from a mile off. It was similar to the Southgate season where the wheels fell off and the team imploded. We’ve been sliding towards the trapdoor for months and all we hear is spin and a bury your head in the sand attitude of it will be alright. Well it won’t be. You don’t go from a side who’ve only won four games all season and can’t score for toffee into a side that can pick up the five wins we need to survive. At least not with some drastic changes. To win football matches you must create chances and score goals. We don’t and for that reason we’re gone as long as ak remains as manager. He’s had chances to change it and has failed to do so. He should be gone.
Like I said earlier I’d try Harry redknapp till the end of the season. Couldn’t do any worse and is a big character and certainly was a top manager in the venables mould.
With regards to the system. Just seems very strange to change the whole formation to accommodate for the loss of one player.
And what ak has failed to grasp throughout his time here is that it isn’t just what players like traore do when they are in possession it is the fact he is always threatening. How often is he double marked? How often does he make the opposition sit deeper so that he doesn’t get the run on them. This is regardless of whether he even touches the ball. Does stuani get paid the same compliment? And that’s not a criticism of stuani just an observation.
Put it another way would aanholt be up the other end of the field if traore was unmarked on the half way line?
Attack is definitely the best form of defence.
A damning quote from Karanka in the press today:-
“The first half, we didn’t realise how important this game was. I don’t know why, we knew this was a big game for us. I don’t want to say they didn’t show the right attitude or commitment. But we know what situation we are in and we have to stick together. We can’t make these mistakes………”
Who is responsible for setting the team up with the right mental attitude for a game of this magnitude? Karanka. Who caused the confusion in the team by tinkering and adopting a new system with square pegs in round holes? Karanka. Who by saying “I don’t want to say they didn’t show the right attitude or commitment” is by implication saying they did and seems to be seeking to shift the blame for the shambles to the players when there can be only one person who takes overall responsibility. Karanka. Who is the target of the “We can’t make these mistakes” comment? If it is the players then it needs to be directed to someone else. Karanka himself.
He is incapable of standing up and admitting that he got it all wrong and accepting responsibility for a performance and result that will be terminal to our EPL future.
It’s a crying shame the way this season has panned out after so many seasons of trying to get here.
We’ve got 30,000 fans regularly back in the ground again for the first time in seven years hoping to see us give it ago.
Instead it’s like watching paint dry every game watching the manager not have a clue how to attack or get the best out of his players. Hearing the manager blame everything and everyone except himself for the poor results.
We’ve all seen this slow slide towards a relegation place coming for months. In December it was “wait until January we have three home games a couple of wins will see us climb the table” well January came and went no wins!!
Febuarys been and gone another defeat in a six pointer and sliding further down the table.
Now it’s March and a couple of more six pointers coming up at the back end before we end up in April the month of death against the top teams. Will these six pointers go our way? Not on yesterday’s showing and not on how our players mentally looked let alone by their skills on the pitch.
There was a glimmer of hope when Gestede and Geudiora came on,they at least tried not successfully to go forward,they haven’t been here long enough yet and been brainwashed enough by AK to pass sideways and backwards.
We should have changed the manager in January especially after Karankas hissy fit over the transfers and slating fans.
If Gibson is going to stop letting his heart rule his head,be ruthless for once now is the time for a change with twelve games to go and thirty six points up for grabs. Any later and it will be like Karankas 80th minute substitutions too late to make an impact!!
I think you are right Andy R – it’s one of the most attacking line ups we’ve seen this season – two up top, Ramirez in behind and a winger as one of the wing backs. I see people above complaining about tactical inflexibility – well he certainly changed things yesterday but it clearly didn’t work. We even had more shots on target, but I think yesterday proved how pointless a measure that can be about a team’s performance.
The substitutes were maddening – van Aanholt is a defender who doesn’t like to defend, surely Traore should have been targeting him at some point? One of the centre-halves should have been sacrificed early in the 2nd half and we should have reverted to 4 at the back, however uncomfortable that would have been for one of our makeshift full-backs. I joked to someone at half-time that if we lost 3-0 Palace would go above us – I’m assuming AK didn’t have an eye on this but you do wonder.
I saw a quote from Pochettino earlier in the week suggesting that he knows after 50 seconds if his team will play well or not – you get that feeling with us sometimes, Everton it was good, yesterday it was not – we started with a poor tempo and never imposed ourselves enough on the game. To be fair, neither did Palace and had we scored the scrappy goal first we probably would have won. But we showed against Everton two weeks ago we are better than that, and its frustrating we didn’t bring that approach to the match.
AK sounds like he thinks everyone is conspiring against him – defensive injuries, best player trying to leave, couldn’t sign his January targets etc. But it’s not always going to go smoothly and I said before the match he wasn’t coming across as particularly confident during the week and you wonder if that transmits itself to the players (of course what he says in private could well be totally different).
I predicted three points from these three games in the exmil challenge and we are still more than capable of getting 3 from the next 2 games – but only if the Everton attitude turns up and not the Palace attitude. If we did lose both games, and badly you wonder if SG might have to do something, considering the international break is right after and would be the last realistic chance to change the manager.
Ultimately, we are only one point ahead of Hull (and they very nearly went above us yesterday – results were pretty kind again) and considering their shambles of a pre-season, and the fact we finished well above them last season, that isn’t good enough really. I still think they and Sunderland will be comfortably relegated – but if you were being totally objective the third team is looking likely to be us at the moment. (and the bookies seem to concur – though plummeting Bournemouth at 7/1 could be worth a flutter).
A win next week would totally change things though – and hopefully AK is telling the players exactly that.
Good post BoroPhil
I also believe Hull + Sunderland will be comfortably relegated & for the record, I believe we’ll join them if we remain uncomfortably numb 🎸
BP, a win next week would certainly help but what is Karanka going to do to give the team a chance of winning? I agree that on paper it was a more attacking line up yesterday but on the field there was certainly no evidence of much attacking in the first half and little more in the second.
Looking at the players body language yesterday it seems to me the even they are beginning to believe that the way Karanka asks them to play gives them a very low chance of winning. A change in management might at least give the players some belief. Without it we have no chance of staying up.
Phil
If you are in a hole, stop digging. Your comments on the extra bodies up front are unfortunately correct, what you do not mention is the wholesale rehashing of our most precious posession, our defence.
When we started the match we faced a team in turmoil, injuries, awful form, conceding goals for fun, we should have collected our point easily, plus any to come. That would have put them in the nanny hole with nowhere to go, three behind us with away games to come.
Our defence was our safety blanket and Saturday was payout time at the bookies.
To sacrifice your good defence for an extra forward(who was not going to score anyway) was a suicide pill. In fact, in true contrarian spirit, you could make out a case for putting an extra man in midfield, flood it and dominate the game,(you might still score a goal, it is allowed you know)
Oh dear.
That was a return to the days of the championship, you know, the important match comes along and a strange team and formation take to the field.
At the kick off their speedy lightweight raced at our defence and caused havoc, our speedy lightweight, Traore, infinitely superior, was, of course, glued to the bench. The match continued on to it’s foreordained conclusion, without any intervention by our manager, I disregard the very late introduction of Traore which just insulted the fans who went to see the match.
For anyone who thinks we caught Palace on a good day, dream on, they were pitiful and will wait a long time for their next win(yes, that’s right, there are not many worse teams than us in the Prem.)
As a side issue, to watch match of the day, is to realise our limitations, the sheer energy and speed of the running by all the players, both on and off the ball tells you all you need to know about our chances of staying in this league.
Before the window opened, we had a talented player who made it clear that he wanted away. We could have told him that if we won three games before the window closed he could go, and he was going to play in every game until then.
We chose to fall out with him, the rest is history. He must now be kept from the team full stop.
The Husband thing is bizarre as well – and with him not even being out on loan I even wonder if he has done a Berahino? He’s in the squad, he’s a left back, he’s played under AK before. Would he really be so bad?
For some reason the Boro match was shown on TV in here last night. Beforehand it was informed to be on TV.
So I have not seen the match but what I have read – RR’s report above and the Gazette – it was one of the worst performaces ever under AK. Also AK’s comments were not too happy about the performance.
Have the players got nervous? I think they have lost a lot of confidence and the back four (or was it 3 or 5) is in trouble now.
So I am worried about Boro’s performance for the first time this season. We have often played better even the result has been a defeat. But now the performance was awful.
So we need to get a goal soon and get the defense sorted. Pity that all the injured players are full backs, so we have some bad luck also. But the squad is as big as the othets have.
But let’s try to be positive. The game is not lost yet, we are still above the bottom three. As long as we keep supporting Boro, there is hope.
The team – from SG to AK and the players – needs all the suppport we can give. We have to help the team to crawl over the line like in May last season.
Up the Boro! The can stay up – lets keep on trying.
Sorry, the match was NOT shown on TV here – I must have deleated the word ‘not’ by mistake.
AK’s a lot of things, but he is no half-wit.
More misguided, frustrated even. As frustrated as many fans are.
I’ll have a full analysis of our current situation for you all in the next “Talking Point”.
But, as I’ve said, not wanting to watch Boro again because the manager drops one or two players – that’s ridiculous.
An AK love-in is bad, but a Rhodes love-in is just as bad.
How about some Fair, Rational, Equal and Decent ground?
You know, objectivity?
Promoted. Out of the drop zone. In the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Something that, after seven (must I repeat, seven) years out of the top flight, a *lot* of managers would take.
There is something called an adjustment period – which Burnley calmly stood by Sean Dyche through, despite relegation.
PS Argue all you like about the money spent, but look at Villa… and Steve Bruce has concretely proven he is no half-wit…
To be fair, though.
I’ll add some words from the one and only Anthony Vickers, originally written three years ago, but paraphrased and amended by me for today…
Aitor Karanka’s (Premier League) project has been (generally) successful at one end, in plugging the leaks, but creaky and misfiring at the other, with a flaccid frontline that has failed to deliver goals on a regular basis.
(This is) a frustrating combination that has shifted the perception to one that this is a team happy simply not to lose… (and) adds to (a) general feeling of malaise.
It is easy to explain the difficulties of rebuilding on the hoof and point to the positives… to appeal for patience and point to next year (so long as the team survives).
It is far harder to sell to already uncomfortable supporters the aesthetic attractions of a water-tight team strangling the game and stifling the opposition en route to yet another joyless stalemate (or narrow defeat).
There ARE positives in the team. They ARE difficult to beat. There IS a platform in place to build a decent side on. There IS a new mentality and discernible direction. Good teams ARE built from the back. The manager HAS stamped his distinct identity on the team. Riverside regulars will have seen that process whether the fact or it or the speed of it is to their taste or not.
But binary Boro have rattled up a sequence of scorelines (this season alone, 1-1, 0-0, 1-1, 0-1, 0-0, 1-1, 0-1, 1-0, 0-1, 0-1, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0, 1-1, 0-1, 0-0 and now 0-1 – Si) that will signally fail to inspire the wider public or persuade part-timers, lapsed loyalists and crucial walk-up crowd that they are missing out on something special.
No-one minds being ‘Boring, Boring Boro’ if the team are winning 1-0 every week. It prompts faint echoes of Jack Charlton’s team or even Steve McClaren’s early outings. But it is far harder to engage with that when the are drawing 0-0. Or losing 1-0.
Fans – and prospective fans – need to be excited. They want goals. They want passion and drama. Colour and noise. They want the team to boss games and if they can’t win, at least give it a go. They need to be energised by the anticipation of victory, the heat of battle and by the big match buzz that comes with a vocal crowd totally engaged with the team… that narcotic appeal is what Boro have lost.
Yes, and what the fans also need is more than one season in the EPL and a return to the Championship come August.
Simon
Your analysis is right on the money, but having suffered it gladly and seeing us one win off making a bit of progress, and facing a team in real trouble, to dismantle the defence, and drop your one forward troublemaker and helpmate to Negredo ,(and pain in the butt to the opposition) we will try to overlook the playing of the poorest defensive player on the books(that would be Downing) anywhere near the penalty area.
There have been plenty of posts that have said what I believe and feel, far better than I can say.
AK got it totally wrong yesterday and was looking for excuses from the off. First up George, who would have been a big gamble to play anyway after such a long lay off. Then it´s a forced change of tactics and finally the players.
We all know the players have limitations, but as much as we know and has been discussed on here plenty of times the recruitment has been generally poor and not value for money. Remember he trusts the likes of Orta and it was probably AK that recommended him and all the others, apart from Gill.
The January window was a disaster, Gestede a Championship player, Bamford cannot get on the bench, and Guedioura no better than we already had.
I just cannot believe that AK did not have a big say in all the choice of players, especially the Spanish speaking. May be in hindsight it would have been better to have let Ramirez go for the 15mil and paid over the odds for Bojan.
We certainly missed Clayton and possibly Leadbitter would have been a better choice than Forshaw and de Roon. We won nothing in midfield and de Roon could not tackle a parmo.
The team was nervy and had mistakes in them and Ayala could easily had a penalty given against as could SD. A poor, poor performance and unless AK can change things which I very much doubt now, I could see us not getting another win. I had us down for a loss, but hoped for a draw (or better) but I saw that most posters were being optimistic and went for a win or draw. We never learn.
As has been said, Mr Gibson has to take a fair amount of the blame here.The “give it a go” has not materialised, certainly in attacking intent and goals to win the necessary matches needed to stay up. He made some poor decisions in the past and there have been plenty of poor decisions this season.
If we go down which is looking more and more likely, we would have to start all over again. Another gamble on choosing the right Manager. Replacing the players who would want to leave and the deadwood, with players suited to the long Championship grind. Aston Villa have failed miserably and Derby and Norwich are not doing too well either.
RR great report as always and a fair summary in my view.
The fears I posted yesterday proved right in that we were outdone time and time again on the flanks.
I could not understand why we did not play a flat back four with Gibson in the left back slot were he has successfully deputised in the past. This would then have allowed us to play and keep a shape the team are familiar with rather than one they have not used often and with limited success. This is even more bizarre when AK has stated that they practised all week with four at the back. He has also preached a mantra of two players for each position so why has Husband not been considered?
I am of the view with many others RR etc that there is something clearly amiss with the recruitment team/process when you consider the number of players brought in who get limited game time and are then moved on. It is as if Orta and AK are seeking to enhance their CVs and their connections with Spanish speaking players/agents which will benefit them when the move on.
I also feel that AK does not manage on an even handed basis and has shown far more tolerance to Spanish speaking players. Negredo and Kike Garcia (last season) have been given far longer runs in the team without scoring as opposed to the likes of Rhodes or Vossen were.
I am grateful to AK for sorting out the mess that TM left behind and for finally getting us back to the Premier League. I believe that he has shown a genuine passion and affinity with our club and our area to the extent that if performances and results had been better he may eventually have been considered as an “honorary ” one of our own.
Sadly that has not been the case and the writing is now firmly on the wall. I do not believe changing manager now will result in us staying up so we are, as so often in the past, going to have to grit our teeth through what will be a long end of season run in.
I still believe that we have a nucleus of a good squad and with the right leadership should be capable of making a good fist of it next season. I just hope that the JR deal was a loan deal with options on both sides.
Have not been well for a few days but felt a bit brighter yesterday and rose from my sickbed after lunch to listen to the game! Needless to say I had a bit of a relapse last night – not sure if it was the virus or the manner of our defeat!
Next up Stoke and the start of our must win games!!!
Should the worst happen and we do go down and Karanka stays to get us back up are you all ready for another 46 games of grinding out results again because whatever division we are in the style tactics tippy tappy safety first play is here to stay!!
I don’t have anything overly constructive or insightful to say. However, I will note that we went to play against a side narrowly off the bottom of the league due only to goal difference; a side that has scored only once at home since mid-December; a side that has had the crowd turning on it in the last couple of home games… and we went out to defend. We played 5 at the back and invited the pressure. It let the home fans rally behind their team, and it left us prone to being punished for inevitable mistakes when players are out of position.
I have been a big backer of Karanka since he arrived. I think he has done a great job, and I was happy to stick with him through his negative tactics because they were effective and the squad was doing well. I was distraught last season during the Charlton debacle, and even was nervous during the transfer window last month when it looked like he might be on his way out. But now I would gladly see him leaving, with my sincere thanks for getting us to where we are. He has been fantastic for the football club, but his inflexible focus on ball retention has stifled any creativity and Premier League teams are not as easily played around. If he can’t change his methodology to remedy the current state of affairs then we are doomed.
It is getting to the point when every game is a must win or not lose. Trouble is to win we need to score goals and we cannot do that the way we are set up.
I agree that it is too late to change the manager and it will be what it will be come May. I am starting to feel sanguine about the possibility of relegation or staying up providing AK is not in charge next season. I’m not sure I could take it.
Hopefully SG thinks the same……..
“AK is ahead now even of Strachan as a man who has wholesale taken apart, and destroyed this club.”
So fake news is now infiltrating this blog, very worrying.
Here’s the reality. If Boro don’t win another game, finish bottom and Karanka is sacked then he will still have achieved exactly what was asked of him. The absolute priority was to get this club promoted in order to secure our financial future. To put behind us the days of running the club at a massive loss, a model unsustainable in a FFP environment. The enormous parachute payments should mean that, if we go down, whoever is coaching us next season has a fantastic opportunity of bringing us straight back again. Karanka owes us nothing, indeed we owe him a huge debt of gratitude. Oh, and if you want to talk to Steve Gibson about “accountability” I’m sure he’d be happy to meet you and show you the stubs of the cheques he’s written to bank roll this club to the tune of several million pounds. That was back in the dark ages in the Championship when the most vitriolic of the anti-Karanka cabal would rather be shopping with the missus at Ikea than go within a country mile of the Riverside on match day.
This season was always going to be a struggle. Ask any neutral fan and none of them would be surprised at our position. We might stay up but relegation was always a strong possibility and a battle to stay up a near certainty. Given this manager’s modus operandi it was always going to be a defensive obsessed grind with little excitement and very few goals. We weren’t exactly full of goals in The Championship were we? Our current position and how this season has panned out was very predictable. In fact some of us did predict it. Please don’t spit the dummy because your expectations of excitement, goals and the security of mid table haven’t been met.
This blog, thanks to the outstanding work of Werder et al, is every bit as good as its predecessor but it does lack those timely “AV writes…” interventions that called to account the more outrageous posts and allowed everyone to pause and take stock. For example, I’m sure AV would have had something to say to a poster who compared Karanka and Strachan and concluded the former has done more harm than the latter. Utter rubbish, of course, but the post was inexplicably “liked” by other regular contributors on here who really should know better.
Be realistic, get a grip, chill out. After all, the worse case scenario is we find ourselves back watching football matches we actually have a chance of winning.That’s unless the allure of flat-pack shopping isn’t too much for you.
Excellenr post, Anthony. Perhaps you could take over the AV’s role here on the new blog.
Nothing is lost yet. We need to get the same amount of points as the bottom three. So plenty to play for.
Up the Boro!
Yes in terms of an editorial view the blog doesn’t have an authoritative figurehead in the same way as Untypical Boro had in AV – when it [accidentally] launched I made a point of stating I wouldn’t have the presumption to do ‘Werdermouth Writes’ on footballing matters and would post my views in the same way as everyone else.
It’s up to other posters, like your good self, to pick up on comments made and add a counter-view where they see fit. In that way it’s a different kind of blog but hopefully readers can end up with a balanced perspective in the end. The main thing is that the debate doesn’t descend into point scoring or personal attacks.
I think it is inevitable that as Boro’s run without a win and lack of goals continues, Karanka will come under pressure and scrutiny by supporters – I wouldn’t be surprised if Steve Gibson has in his mind a point at which he will decide it’s not going to work out.
Even club legend Mogga was ultimately told the end had been reached by Gibbo, so he will make the call if he deems it necessary – though what that point will be is hard to speculate as the bottom six are only averaging around half-a-point per game. Plus away to Stoke and home to Man Utd are not easy fixtures at any time, so having the international break trigger point may be unfair – though that would be ten games to go for anyone new and anything less would be a bit late for a change.
Also nothing wrong with IKEA (other than the layout of the actual shop and website) though apparently the man who founded it, Ingvar Kamprad (from where the I and K come from) was a self-made man – albeit without instructions…
Anthony :
With respect I can’t believe your ‘get a grip & chill out’ attitude when we’re staring at the unthinkable, but what should’ve been avoidable, in the face. Hey ho though it’s good we’re all different.
AK has had plenty of time & tools + been extremely well paid to fix things. We could have / should have been miles above where we are now.
As mentioned by lots of bloggers on here who’ve been supporting MFC for more years than they care to remember, it hurts like hell what’s happening now. H€ll’s teeth I’ve been 40 years out of the Boro bubble (yes I’m an old dog) I can’t abide AK’s incompetence arrogance, stupidity, call it what you will & to not recognise his failings / take onboard other people’s ideas / perspectives to redress this needless situation which we find ourselves in.
Only woofing like.
Anthony
I fully agree with you, yes, every single point you make, and it did me good just to read it.
I have and had no qualms about him ruthlessly stopping goals, but it devastates me when that very attitude would have collected three points yesterday, he weakens the midfield(we were duly overrun) and a large fullback scores with his wrong foot from miles out. Remember the Everton game, fiercely competitive. More than good enough for palace. So why?
Well said Sir.
Saying AK is “destroying” the club is laughable nonsense, especially considering where we were when Mogga left us. That kind of reactionary, dreadful, over-exaggeration is unfortunately a feature of the world nowadays.
AK would have a long way to go before he even comes close to skirting the edges of the cesspit of awfulness that was Strachan’s time at Boro. Unless he announces a summer deal for Kris Boyd he will never get anywhere near…
A bit of pragmatism and realism there Anthony which hopefully will bring people down to earth.
AV himself on the old blog at the start of the season warned that we would lose more matches than win and it would be a hard struggle all season
Let’s not forget that most premier clubs have had a few years slowly building up their squads adding one or two players each season which makes them established.
Our squad have little experience of this league and if we do go down we will have a few to replace
Valdez Negredo Ramirez for starters and possibly Traore and those that have caught the eye of established Premiership Clubs
Me I’m just enjoying the ride after being in the wilderness for so many years and will be renewing my season ticket no matter what league we are playing in
I wondered who were the ones that had “liked” Richard Evans’ post and so was quite surprised to see my monicker was on the list. I have enough trouble managing the touch screen on my phone with my big fat fingers when trying to compose …. In fact this is the second time that I have tried to write this reply to Paulista Park, having lost one attempt already. I can assure all readers that my endorsement of Richard’s earlier post was entirely inadvertantly and I wasn’t even aware of having done so. So at least that is one less off the list and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the other likes were unintended. It is not the first time I have liked something by accident and I guess it won’t be the last.
I think the out way to properly gauge what people think of a post is in reading any posts or replies they make themselves.
Is there anyway the “like” option can be suppressed Werdermouth?
I am much more inclined to agree with you on this Anthony and will record a “like” that is deliberate to go with it!
As I posted earlier, many on here were going to be happy for us to finish 17th this year. If we were/are going to finish 17th it inevitably means that we are going to be struggling to keep out of the bottom 3 right until the last day of the season and that any victories this year were/are going to be at a premium.
I have did the Exmil predictions in my own spreadsheet, but right to the end of the season. These included us only getting one point from our three games in stage 1 (that was (is) coming from the Stoke game in my predictions. We end up in 17th if all the rest of my very conservative predictions come to pass.
We are not down and out yet, but I do believe e there are three worse teams than us. Could it be better, well maybe yes, but we are where we should have anticipated we would be and like it or not we are still in with a chance the Karanka way (even though I do agree the turgidity and predictability of the style is not edifying).
Lots of sound and intelligent opinions on here as always and I enjoy reading them all. I am a little despondent about yesterday, even though I predicted it, but that paradox where the heart reacts oppositely to the head is partly what being a Boro fan is all about.
I am not confident that we will stay up, but I do know it is still one of the likely outcomes to the season, that we do.
For what it’s worth Powmill, I’m not a fan of ‘likes’ either but they seem to be standard on many blogs. Clicking ‘unlike’ generally brings it back to level.
Your attempts to deny the likes though smack of the losing Labour candidate in Copeland. You, and I, have no idea how many people liked it deliberately or not and to suggest otherwise is typical of the deluded approach some people on this blog (less so in general Boroland I think) have towards AK’s tenure.
I expect you think Brexit never happened either.
We need to deal with things as they are, not as we, AK included, might like them to be.
I said that I probably wouldn’t post again but I have to totally agree with Anthony McCarthy here. The only thing I would add is that SG has bankrolled the club to the tune of tens of millions of pounds (usually each season). That’s not to say he is above criticism, but, seriously, would you put in your own money to that extent? If SG sold up would you like to be in the ownership of say, Blackburn; Hull; Cardiff – the list goes on.
As for Karanka, as Anthony points out – he has done what he was brought in to do – I think it is now obvious that he has been found wanting managerially and tactically, in the premiership, but he has deserved his chance. He hasn’t taken it.
What doesn’t help his case is the strict adherence to defensive-minded football. I’ve said previously that I stream nearly all the Boro games and have switched matches during games because of the you-to-me, slow, sideways and backward passing, that if I hadn’t I’d have put my foot through the TV (Laptop – HDMI cable – TV). He also comes across in press conferences as cold, fairly aloof and arrogant at times. I certainly thought that the ‘fangate’ affair would have seen the end of him. Then again, we are not privy to the behind-the-scenes machinations of the club – similarly with scouting and player recruitment – we can only summise/guess etc. as many have done eloquently and often logically on here.
Unfortunately, I don’t think much will change and we will go down. It would be a shame, but can anyone see us winning even another four games of those remaining? I think OFB said recently that he is sure that SG has a plan B and a plan C for future events.
Great post, Anthony. Some perspective is needed at times, the comment about AK ‘destroying the club’ is hysteria at its best on here. Even if we went down, we’d be in much stronger position than when AK arrived. Plenty of teams have had to yo-yo for a bit before settling in the Prem – look at Burnley as an example at the moment.
That doesn’t mean we can’t be disappointed if things are going badly though. Totally agree as well that we miss AV’s perspective, not just on individual posts, but on his match reports as well.
Werder, thanks for tidying up my post. Would you be so good as to tidy up my lectures? Lol
Anthony, an excellent article well written and argued. I certainly do not subscribe to the view that AK has done more damage than Strachan. I even went as far as to say in my previous posts that had results/style of play been better his achievements could have resulted him being regarded as an “honorary” one of our own.
AK certainly has his limitations and is after all in his early days of management. How many of us who have held managerial positions can say that they did not make mistakes or in our early days be prepared to omit to them – very few I suspect.
None of us expected this season to be easy nor were we expecting to achieve more than survival. I believe that many on here like myself are expressing frustrations at the manner of boro displays and the fact that at times we have not really shown a determination to impose ourselves on the opposition when we have had the opportunity to do so.
Whatever the outcome of the season, I will be back listening and watching from afar next season.
When AV first disappeared from Untypical Boro I suggested that it wasn’t a gazette plot and he had not been told what he can do in his own time, although the conspiracy theories were wild. I have not had any reason to change my thoughts that all that happened was AV got fed up with all the negativity that was appearing on the site and certain people revelled in it.
Unfortunately it has carried on into this blog and the moderate posters are all disappearing, with poor “BoroPhil” fighting the good fight mainly on his own. The post by Anthony at 1:10 above is probably the best post I have seen on this site, some should read it two or three times.
I am a Boro fan and will be a season ticket holder for the rest of my life or until I am not physically unable to get to the match. It does not mean I am always happy when I leave the Riverside and downhearted after performances like yesterday but we are still in the Premiership until “the fat lady sings”. Now saying that some of you will be ready to “type” she is “gargling” and that could be the difference between me and those with a negative outlook.
If you ask me where our next goal is coming from, I don’t know but I am sure we are not far from a victory and knowing Boro it will be from an unexpected match. We may be relegated but as Anthony pointed out MFC will be in a much healthier position than before AK arrived so we have a lot to thank AK for, including this season playing in the Premiership.
Come on BORO.
Waiting for the wall paper steamer to cool so I can refill it.
Well posted Paulista, I was thinking of inviting a few posters to breathe on the dreaded anaglypta put on by Karanka, sorry, previous owners. I am sure they would have the paper off well inside the 4-5 hours it will take me.
It is football, not life and death, think of the young who was a mascot at Everton to put a bit of perspective in to the situation.
I feel and voice many of the same frustrations but stick to what AK does right or wrong.
We pride ourselves as being different to other blogs, lets keep it that way.
Just one more comment on yesterday.
It was interesting watching Karanka on the touchline yesterday. He stood impassively for most of the game, gave very few instructions to the players even during the first half shambles and showed no emotion. His overall demeanour was cold and a bit remote and his apparent lack of passion must rub off on the players, mustn’t it?
I’ve just had a look at the fixtures for all the teams at the bottom. We’re as good as down. If we start playing well and have a bit of luck we might end up with 35 points. That won’t be enough
You’re never down until it is mathematically certain
Look how Swansea have climbed from the bottom
On a positive note apart from posting Werders blog and Redcar Reds reports on Facebook and on Twitter I have started posting them on LinkedIn
For those of you who work overseas you will know that those on overseas assignments view LinkedIn to stay in touch with friends and colleagues and pick up news from home
The latest stats from LinkedIn show that over 70 people are reading these reports and the audience is growing
Well done Werder and Redcar Red and Exmil for the challenge
Like PowMill, I had a like against Richard’s post. I do NOT agree that AK has destroyed the club and to compare him with Strachan is not right.
However we are allowed our own views as long they are in moderation and posted in the correct manner.
I also do not agree with Exmil that AV probably left because of all the negativity on his blog.
Again there some excellent writers on here. We have only won 4 games so there are bound to be some worries as to the future. Is that negativity? Probably. And seven more years in the wilderness possibly if we go down. It is very hard to be positive at the moment.
This is a really good blog. And yes AV’s intervention at times was needed and also his replies did make one rethink
Have I posted comments, re read them and thought I got that wrong. Yes I have.
But then there are others I would not change..AK has definitely made mistakes, would he do things different in hindsight. We will all have our own opinions to that.
Without going into detail AV left the blog because of a management and editorial decision because of the new subscription. Gazette service.
That is an unequivocal fact
Bit of a cheek by the Gazette to have this premium service , thought we were all in it together and to show a Tesside spirit in support of the football club without having to pay to see a report Grrr.
Its a shame for AV and the others to have a barrier to access their work. I understand the Commercial arguments in generating revenues but why have Trinity Mirror not put the same barricades on their other breaking news stories?
I wonder how long it will be before the whole thing implodes. Very sad state of affairs.
Sorry folks ‘ Teesside ‘ I am angry at the moment
As one of the more negative posters on here I would like to say that I felt paulista parks post was spot on.
For all my anger that I’ve vented at ak I feel that apart from the last four months we’ve had nearly three years with an upward trend.
If ak left tomorrow we’d be in a far far stronger position than when he took over with both the playing squad and the finances.
But, and this is where this is personal opinion and my view on football. At times the football we play has been the antithesis of what I think the beautiful game should be. It is for this reason I have been so strong in my criticism of ak and also why at times I probably haven’t been objective.
If I let my head rule my heart ak would be one of the best managers we’ve ever had but it’s my heart that watches my team and that often doesn’t allow me to take a step back, analyse and be objective.
I can accept grand failure, I could handle relegation if we made a fist of it. I can’t stand wars of attrition and 1-0 defeats!! Not when you have players who can excite and frustrate in equal measure stuck on the bench because they occasionally give the ball away. Give me unreliable spontaneity (as a spectacle to watch) over predictable, hardworking graft any day. Actually, I take that back, give me a combination of the two but let’s make sure the balance is right!!
Paul
You’ve expressed the frustration that many of us old gits feel. We’ve witnessed a lot of dross in our 50 plus years of support but we have not endured such a lengthy period of attritional football. It got us out of the Championship but it looks like it could now take us back.
I hope we’re wrong.
UTB
After just watching the league cup final which we won in 2004 (and I was there !)
Just thought Southampton made a game of it and I was talking to David Spike Armstrong earlier this season and we both remarked that Southampton provide a good role model for Boro to aspire to.
The difference is whilst both have good academies we are not providing current players to our first team squad.
So yes we have Ben and Dael you can forget Stewie because that was long ago.
So why have we stopped ?
Southampton seem to have provided more multi million pound footballers to most of the Premiership over the past few years than anyone.
So when do we start putting young Boro juniors on the bench and in the team ?
Just thinking like !
ofb…..thanks for continuing spreading the word and also thank you for the storyline re AV and his leaving of the previous blog.
One less to diagree with.
Well spoken, Paul. I often plead for objectivity but then also have to remind myself that we really aren’t seeing a very beautiful game at Boro even if it may still ultimately amount to a (relatively) commendable achievement for a club out of the top flight for seven years.
It reminds me of these excellent words by RR from November 2015, when AKBoro were about to head off on (statistically) their best ever run of eight wins and a draw with not a single goal conceded. You hear that and think, wow, but the reality is a little different…
“I think part of the Boro frustration is the belief and gut feeling that we are just on the cusp of something, but the restraining harness is just a few centimetres too short.
“Downing, Adomah, Stuani, Nugent, Fabbrini, de Pena, Friend, Nsue and Kike can all create and excite and that’s the conundrum. If they clicked creatively they could destroy this league and leave it in their wake. I just wish that, at times, AK would release the handbrake.
“Huddersfield haven’t won in five games and they have let in at least two goals in each of their last five games yet I don’t believe that we will see Boro tear them apart. Even if went 2-0 up in the first half the rest of the game will be containment and keeping a clean sheet which my head tells me is right but my heart yearns for a bit more.
“…(But) it’s not a Boro disease. Arsenal fans want Wenger sacked without respecting that he is the only manager of the established big four or five that has kept his club financially stable. If the Russians, Arabs or billionaires pull out, those other clubs are sunk without trace, Arsenal and Wenger on the other hand have a (stronger) grasp of reality.
“Arsene may not have won as much as some others but what he has won he has won with skill, nous and ability and not with other peoples’s money. I respect him tremendously despite his tendency to whine a little, those bleedin’ awful coats and his ‘selective defective’ vision at times.”
Many of RR’s words hold true today.
I would say the negativity from posters on here derives mainly from disappointment.
Naturally we all knew this season would be a hard season but I think most of us expected us to make a fight of it. It’s not just us on here who are moaning,pundits from every media outlets,radio TV and newspapers all comment on how defensive we are,the lack of goal attempts,shots on target etc and quite frankly it’s embarrassing.
We are going to go down in history as a relegated team who camped in their own half rarely ventured over the halfway line,didn’t shoot or attempt to score with the lowest goals scored in the whole country.
If anyone is happy with that then they arnt a lover of the “beautiful game”
Paul,
I can only repeat what I’ve said earlier on this and the other blog, attritional or not, I’ve really enjoyed this season so far. It’s been great to see us test ourselves against the best teams in the country (world?) and come pretty close to matching them most of the time. With big crowds at the Riverside. After however many years watching us play much worse football with much less at stake in front of a handful of people.
I don’t care about ‘entertainment’, I want us to stay up. That would be a huge success and would be as worthy of celebration as promotion last year. Every point gets us closer towards that. Yes, I’d love to see more goals and more wins but most of all I want us to be competitive. Our defence is superb and was dismissed earlier on this thread as basically being automatic if you put x men behind the ball – if that was the case, everyone would do it. From some quarters (obviously not all), AK gets zero credit for the defence and all the stick for the attack.
We went to Spurs the other week, who have been destroying teams for fun this season at WHL, lost to a penalty and very nearly nicked a draw. This blog was full of criticism after that which seemed unfair. I’d rather be tight and in the game than be 4-0 down at HT like Stoke today.
I totally agree that the balance needs to be nudged a bit more towards the attack, but maybe we aren’t quite as good as some of us think we are, and maybe it will come with time. But we need to stay up first.
Great Post Boro Phil
I too enjoy going this season and having big crowds again plenty of atmosphere and playing against the other Prem teams
I agree we have a great defence and haven’t been turned over this season except perhaps against Liverpool at home who were impressive
I’ve even enjoyed our cup run against so called lesser teams and I sat next to Timmy Mallet against Oxford and it was nice to have a bit of banter the way fans did in the old days when I first started to go to games.
I even remember standing on the terraces at Roker Park next to Sunderland supporters all good natured but sadly not now.
So I hope we stay up but if we go down we dust ourselves prune as necessary replant with some young shoots from the nursery. Buy some exotics to add some colour and have a fine display for the next growing season when we can harvest the results
“it’s embarrassing”
It really isn’t. Some of the over-reactions are perhaps.
Sorry BP but it really is.
perhaps you are easily embarrassed?
Careful what you wish for is I believe the saying Simon. The league is littered with plenty of teams whose fans got sick of their managers and then when they were replaced things got a lot worse. Curbishley/Charlton and Allardyce/Bolton immediately spring to mind. (and perhaps Pardew/Newcastle if I’m being mischievous…)
Having had a season ticket for 22 years and The Riverside and been to 99% of away games in the past 7/8 seasons this season for me has been one of the most disappointing.
The players have been shackled not allowed to express themselves with their own natural ability,(Traore has to play next to the manager and follow instructions).
Anyone with any creativity and skill has by no coincidence fallen out with Karanka,Gaston Downing Adomah have been naughty stepped! Does anyone think Negrado will be happy with the role he has had to take on this season,it’s hardly done his career any good and there won’t be a queue of clubs after him at the end of the season.
We’ve had over three seasons of this,whether it be the championship or premiership next season it’s going to be the same and we will never attract or recruit any decent attacking flair players. So only the defenders on Karankas wish list are likely to want to come to the club.
I do agree with you borophil that if ak went it would still be a hard act to follow for any manager. How do you turn us into a more attacking outfit without leaking significantly more at the other end?
I think charlton last year highlighted this to a lot of fans, me included.
We are not relegated yet. It will be hard to stay up but definitely still possible. The question is do we have more chance with ak at the helm or another manager?
I would go for the latter, primarily because our form over the last nine games, which in premiership terms were a fairly kind run of fixtures we have failed to win.
I believe another manager could do better than this. However, I certainly agree with you borophil AK’s shoes would not be easy to fill. As you said as a defensive coach there are not many better. If any. I just feel that on its own at this level it is not enough.
Just another observation. We may not have been hammered yet this season but we may get relegated.
I would rather receive a few hammerings in a season and be in stoke’s position than ours.
I think the tweaking to a more offensive system means the occasional mauling may happen but that’s a sacrifice your willing to take if it means you pick up even one more win as a result of it.
In essence the fact we haven’t been hammered yet we’ve only won four games highlights this fact.
Toe poke
🔴 Sneaked into the box there…
– – – – – -🚗- – – – – 100
I do not understand the number of posts on here referencing Karanka being a “world class defensive coach”, or to quote Paul above “as a defensive coach there are not many better”. Really?? There are a dozen in the Premier League at least, who are demonstrably as ‘good’.
Of all the aspects of football coaching, it is not especially difficult to drill a team on how to defend, being as most of that is on who to mark at a set-piece, what to do when facing towards your own goal, and the importance of talking to each other. Basically, that’s it.
This well-intentioned lauding of Karanka’s defensive eye is just another way of re-arranging deckchairs on the Titanic.
My own experience of junior coaching showed me that developing attacking play, using space, not panicking, and creating techniques and moves that will allow your best players to combine well when you have the ball is far, far more difficult. Whatever the level of the game, that much will always be the case.
The old adage about ‘attack being the best form of defence’ is 100% true. The fact that Boro don’t concede many goals is utterly irrelevant when they have lost on 12 occasions and failed to win on a further 10. Sides know one goal is enough against us.
With due respect, James, you are letting your frustration at our blunt attack get the better of you.
“It is not especially difficult to drill a team on how to defend, being as most of that is on who to mark at a set-piece.”
If that were really the case, I wonder why Robbo’s class of 1996-97 (from August to March, at least) and Mogga’s class of both 2013 and half of his first season didn’t catch on.
I have previously illustrated the merits of the backways and sideways passing game as a means of dragging the opposition out of position to create openings. I will happily re-iterate that for you if you wish.
In the meantime, I will present you with this Sunday Times quote from September 1996:
“If Boro’s attack is full of virtuosi, their defence is manned by pub-piano players. Three times Coventry had clear headers which they put weakly straight at (Allan) Miller…”
Two weeks later we were found out by a rampant Arsenal.
I’m one of the biggest critics of ak.
However, what he achieved in his first season with us was truly outstanding. To take a side that was so porous under Mowbray and with relatively little to spend turn us into playoff finalists was nothing short of sensational. This was based almost entirely on making us hard to beat.
The next season after spending a few quid I felt his achievements were still fantastic, I mean he got us promoted, but not quite as impressive as I felt he had better tools at his disposal and at times I felt against some teams he would be happy to win 1-0 rather than go for the jugular where we could have chalked up a cricket score.
But this season, for me, we have since the kick off, got the balance between attack and defence all wrong. We struggled to open up championship defences playing three players behind a striker. This season against stronger defences we’ve gone to playing two players behind a striker. It was inevitable this wouldn’t work.
But I think the most damning indictment of this season has been the inability to ‘have a go’ to try and win a game of football. The fact that our mentality has been ‘I’d take a point’ all season long no matter who we play. And that when a system isn’t working rather than change it we doggedly stick to it hoping irrationally that we’ll suddenly start slicing through the oppositions defence. And then to compound it, when this said same system hasn’t worked, rather than admit his own shortcomings the players bear the brunt of AK’s musings which is awful man management.
And the final straw, despite these shortcomings being obvious to every man and his dog ak has failed to address them or even admit they are a problem. Up to a month ago he was still saying our poor goal scoring record did not concern him! Really because it concerned everyone else.
But despite this I do not write off AK’s three years here. There are many sides who have spent money who are still languishing in the championship. He got us promoted, he’s made us hard to beat but for me this season has been a step too far.
“For me this season has been a step too far.”
I think you might be right Paul. Stay tuned for my Talking Point this week… this is going to be one issue I will address.
Address it also to AK@riverside.com because he’s the only person who can’t / won’t see the $hit we’re in.
For the record : AK was pregnant with promise & anticipation, but will be murdered by the hand of the inevitable. Nice !
“And then to compound it, when this said same system hasn’t worked, rather than admit his own shortcomings the players bear the brunt of AK’s musings which is awful man management.”
But this assumes that what AK says in public is exactly the same as what he says in private.
True, but you’d hardly be happy as a player if publically ak states it’s all your fault but behind closed doors admits it was him who messed up.
Okay, everyone. I stumbled across this comment on a messageboard…
“Of course there are issues that need to be addressed and we need to get behind the lads (and, in my view, (the manager)) as they attempt to address them. IMO, this support should also extend to these threads.
“Reasoned debate is a wonderful thing, but ‘reasoned’ is not an adjective that could be used to describe a huge proportion of recent contributions.
“I repeat, I do not believe (the manager) can do no wrong, but I do not believe that posters describing him as ‘useless’, a ‘disgrace’ and a ‘kn*bhead’ is either ‘reasoned’ or proportionate to our position… with some very good performances and results under our belt.
“Notwithstanding the fact that some aspects of our performances and results are also a cause for concern.”
That was… wait for it… a Bournemouth fan.
It’s not just Boro.
just goes to show what a difference a few months makes in football. Eddie Howe was proclaimed as the brightest young manager in football and tipped as Wenger replacement at Arsenal and a future England manager!
Mind you when Southgate was sacked at Boro did we ever think he would be a future England manager?
At Sunderland Moyes says: “We need five more wins to stay up.” And they have 12 matches left.
Moyes told his players need to find something extra in the final third to win games, even if he is retaining belief that Sunderland can climb out of trouble in the remaining two-and-a-half months.
Can we then presume that Boro needs atleats four wins this season?
Up the Boro! The Boro are staying up and winning the FA Cup.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/15118539.Middlesbrough__Miserable_Boro_are_sliding_towards_the_drop/
Braveheart, That is a very good report and summing up of the situation. I find some of the comments by AK increasingly bizarre.
UTB,
John
The Negatives
There are a few facts in our situation which make it rational to be concerned about where we are going. These do not mean that AK has been anything other than a good thing for the club, but we should still ask the question – could we be doing better right now?
Momentum is against us – we are drifting down the table and are at the bottom of the form table among our rivals over the last nine matches (although Leicester have lost their last five and are in a steeper decline).
We have a critical lack of talented creative players who can perform effectively at this level and create sufficient chances which could lead to goals. We have only scored 19 goals in 26 games and this means we miss out on the morale boost of winning matches and essential gains of the 3 point incentive for wins – we have only won four matches all season.
We have an injury crisis at full back, where recurring injuries to three players (George, Callum, Antonio) mean that we cannot rely on any of them being regularly available, possibly for the rest of the season.
This situation peaked at Palace where none of the three were available and we had to switch to the under-prepared wing-back system, which wasn’t implemented successfully and probably forced Adam Clayton and Adama out of the starting line-up. Overall, it is also preventing us using Fabio and George as the full backs, which would be the most likely pairing to help with our creativity crisis.
We do not have a favourable run-in because we have too many remaining fixtures against the elite clubs. It’s best to play middle of the table clubs with nothing to play for at the sharp end of the season.
Other struggling clubs – Leicester, Swansea, Palace, Bournemouth – have significantly stronger squads, built over recent seasons, where attacking creativity and goalscoring are concerned – they have the firepower to win games even though they don’t have our level of defensive resilience. Even Sunderland have a lethal goalscorer.
Therefore Hull, Sunderland and ourselves are the likeliest candidates for relegation.
This is the case against, but it simply means that now club, players, supporters have to grit our teeth for one hell of a fight to stay up.
Boronurk
Well reasoned negatives, a good post, realistic assessment of the situation without blaming AK for third world debt, global warming. I was going to add Bexit to that list but there is just the possibility voters in TS postcodes voted leave because Aitor is Spanish!
I have been banging on about the squad since the August window and you sum up my views about it. When I posted 19 squads had more recent experience of the premiership than us it was labelled nonsense, the penny seems to be dropping, sadly just like us.
It doesn’t mean we are going down but it is going to be a tough job to survive
“We have a critical lack of talented creative players who can perform effectively at this level and create sufficient chances which could lead to goals. We have only scored 19 goals in 26 games and this means we miss out on the morale boost of winning matches and essential gains of the 3 point incentive for wins – we have only won four matches all season.” I agree totally, Boronurk.
I think we have also seen a very rusty Ramirez after his latest injury. I cannot believe there is an issue with his head and attitude – as otherwise he would not have been picked by AK. I hope he will be back to form soon.
Up the Boro!
Maybe AK should do a Q and A on a phone-in (I remember when SG used to do these…)
http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/2017/02/22/tony-pulis-phone-in-builds-fan-relations-with-west-brom/
One quote there was of particular note:
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first caller addressed the issue that has plagued Pulis throughout his managerial career – style.
A season ticket holder for 35 years said last season’s showing was unacceptable.
“A lot of supporters thought the same,” admitted Pulis. “But you have to get the best out of what you’ve got. Results are everything at our level.
“Staying in the Premier League – whichever way you do it – was vital for this club. You’ve got to be patient, although I know supporters are not!”
No one expected this season to be easy but the way we have approached games has been frustrating.Creditable draws against top teams but all thrown away by struggles against teams that were there for the taking. Over cautious football which has given us some very unwelcome stats (least attempts etc) which I for one am embarrassed about. We hear the goal was to survive and if we do then we will do better next season, why will things be different if Karanka stays ? His justification will be it worked before so lets keep doing it.
Yes he got us promoted but not before the shambles at Wembley and he was given a great deal of money and support staff to finally get us there. His demeanour and shifting blame to all and sundry is something that if I was Steve Gibson I would not be tolerating. This is Gibbos club and like us I am sure he cannot be happy at the peurile football we play at times, show some Teeside steel and get me some wins. Imagine how he feels post game talking to other chairman. ” I got myself a manager who learned from The Special One, he was supposed to get us playing in the Chelsea fashion, instead we play like Chelsea pensioners!
Show some enthusiasm Karanka time for some “We as a club are going to fight tooth and nail for our Premier league place and I as the Manager will lead by example.”
I’m sure if the players look at him on the sideline now then his body language would deflate anyone.
UTB.
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Smoggy
Brilliant
You know it’s typical of the Boro supporters and our geographical area that makes us joke when in the face of adversity.
That’s what I love about this blog we can still smile and have a laugh and still do the serious stuff without being nasty or disrespectful to other opinions
Smoggy,
A little pain relief. Excellent.
UTB,
John
Jarkko –
I think your point about Gaston is probably true – I would find it hard to believe that Karanka would pick any player who didn’t train well and didn’t show the right attitude. I suspect he may have gone straight down the tunnel after the game because he’d been suffering severe cramp towards the end of the game and probably needed some physio.
He did the same against Oxford too and he was only on the pitch for 20/25 mins
OK maybe then it wasn’t related to his cramp – though it would be odd if Karanka chose to select a player if he thought they were not showing the correct attitude – he’s usually quite strict on such matters and not one for accommodating public dissent. Then again it’s not unusual for even some managers to refuse to shake hands with their opposite number.
It doesn’t matter how good a player is if they’re not happy they tend not to perform – look at Eden Hazard’s no show last season at Chelsea – though it appears Gaston has also had some tabloid intrusion in his life to deal with too so is not a happy bunny in general at the moment I guess.
Unfortunately Boro need Gaston at his best on the pitch right now – it will be a hard call to leave him out if he doesn’t settle soon but that’s what managers have to do for the good of the team.
Werder
There is a major problem with Gaston, watching him on the pitch it’s easy to see that he operates on a hair trigger, anything will set him off, and once up and running he is like a dog with a bone. We have all seen him escape a sending off by a hairsbreadth, sighed with relief, then seen him return to the ref and start again.
In view of the above, can we be sure that he will forgive and forget, or will he bear a grudge?
he is our chief playmaker, plus goalscorer, so any no show from him is a big no no see saturday
Perhaps GAston is a fiercely competitive person as AK said recently. And hence he is not perhaps happy with his performance after the latest injury. Or trying too hard?
Up the Boro!
Yes maybe his temperament is questionable and I’m sure that red card will come in the near future if he can’t control his self-discipline. Though he should only play if he is effective and not based on him playing to his potential.
But there isn’t an obvious replacement unless Downing takes on the central play-maker role. Though Negredo seems to enjoy playing deeper, and being a left-footer maybe he could play on the left with Gestede up front.
Interesting to read other newspaper reports especially the NE. They have normally in the past been quite generous and lenient in their reporting of Boro matches.
In the Gazette it appears that only Dom Shaw has similar views.
How come Southampton keep finding or bringing through excellent players, Gabbiadini the latest,
When is Gary Gill going to be sacked, I think Steve Gibson has too much of his ear, and its costing him,
When teams start regressing there is usually someone who as been around for years and has influence , and its usually not good.
What did Clements do at Swansea ,that others didn’t, he move Alan Curtis out, Marinhio has basically negated Rooney , there have been other examples ,was Higgy another one?
Karanka needs everyone’s support, even when we go down,the club can still grow ,and be better for it,
When he came in the club , was going one way either stagnating or worse going down, just like Forest or Ipswich.
Think about.it,
I thought about it, aye, I did, for less than a millisecond & still stick with my opinions. Goals & excitement every week is what I want, which certainly won’t be with AK in charge regardless of what division we’re in.
Today marks 1 year without drinking a drop of alcohol or any kind of wine! Not a single cigarette either. And 12 rigorous months of eating seven fruits and 5 veggies a day, drinking 10 glasses of warm water, no carbs, and no non veg. Lots of 8 hour sleeps. The change in my body has been fantastic! I feel great, I lost weight, and my way of thinking is very positive! I’m looking to keeping this up, and go for more, because I choose to! No alcohol, eating healthy, no smoking, no non veg, lots of sleep and above all, an hour of rigorous exercise every day!
Oh sorry I copied this from a newspaper by mistake I wonder who it is?
It’s certainly not Fat Bob
OFB,
You had me in a panic there. But you could have been our new creative midfield player!
UTB,
John
John
I think it was a post that Lee Tomlin made
OFB
You had me there Bob!
I was just about to say : ‘Well done’ but i’ll save that for when I request my steak tonight 🐕
gt
A major problem is that we squandered opportunities to put ourselves well clear of the pack in that run of games either side of Christmas.
Speaking to a Leicester fan and he cant understand how they got a point at home against us. We conceded a poor goal at Burnley from a hoof up field, fair play to the Burnley player he had a pot shot, he got lucky but if you don’t buy a ticket. At ManU we conceded two in the last five minutes. We couldn’t beat a poor Leicester at home.
That has changed the dynamic of the season, now we cant get a result for love nor money.
Ian
My point is ,when you are winning everyone is happy as Larry, but when it goes wrong ,people behind the scenes with an emotional tie to the club, panic and start question everything the head coach is doing, and usually those close to the chairman push their own agenda.
Mourinho may have negated Rooney – oh, yes he did. What happened to the one-time-wonder-boy was distinctly Rhodesian. Warming up for a while, ready to make a grand entrance, then The Special One sends Fellaini on. Although United’s goal did change things, admittedly.
Besides, I do believe Rooney is rather superfluous in an attack that boasts Mata, Lingard, Ibrahimovic and Martial. Not to mention Rashford.
Simon
The truth is poor old Maurino is in the most tremendous bind, and there does not seem any easy way out of it. Ibrahimovic is the most colossal stroke of luck, a tremendous player without whom they are mid table(at best)
The manager knows this, and with said player acting coy about next season, he is going to need a major rebuild again, with the Chinese muddying the waters.
gt
I agree
I’m not so sure I fully agree, even successful clubs have dissatisfied supporters. As Simon mentioned above the example of Arsenal and Arsene and even Man Ure fans have been having a go at a succession of Managers. Chelsea fans are relatively quiet at the moment but back in September they wanted Conte sacked.
Boro fans are no different, even last Season which was our most productive for 7 years still didn’t keep many of us happy. There is always room for improvement, those that sit still are the ones that eventually get left behind. At the moment many of us are simply looking for signs of improvement.
Bob,
I wouldn’t worry too much about your general fitness. I met a bloke over the week-end who said it was quite good being dead. He’d had a heart attack and passed away, but was revived after being pronounced clinically dead. He said that the process of actually passing away was calm, peaceful and a great release and that he could thoroughly recommend it.
A consoling thought there for us all.
And especially the Boro.
Len
The heartbeat of the club seems to have slowed and almost stopped.
It could be that we may need a bypass or even a transplant?
lenmasterman :
‘the process of actually passing away was calm, peaceful and a great release and that he could thoroughly recommend it.’
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve given out that advice !
I nearly posted on Saturday afternoon, but after cooling down and letting my anger subside, I’m so glad I didn’t. Like everyone else on here, each goal conceded, each point dropped and each defeat is like a stab in the heart and ever so hard to take, but not being in a position to influence events on the park, we just have to take it until some good times return. Or walk away of course.
As an aside and to throw in an observation in regards to the Jordan Rhodes controversy, I actually watched the Leeds-Sheff Wed game on Saturday lunchtime before we kicked off, or we didn’t as is now looking the case by the reports. Leeds are in no way a scratch on the Boro defensively, but Rhodes seemed to be making very hard work of creating space and making opportunities for himself. I’ve never been a fan of his, mainly due to not really seeing him play, well, never seeing him play actually, and was somewhat underwhelmed when we signed him last season. I did think that he was a tad short in his opportunities while has was a Boro player, though, and deserved a better shot at making the grade. Any way, after watching him struggle on then miss a penalty, he was hooked mid second half to be replaced by someone who’s name escapes me. A £9 million striker? I don’t think so and he’s probably at the level his abilities take him, if we have got our money back on him then I say well done on that deal.
I’m not saying that the replacements are an improvement either, I had the same misgivings when we brought those in during the January fire sales, but I can’t see us recouping £6 million and £4 million each for that group come offload time.
As for the Reach debate, he was as anonymous as Rhodes was on Saturday and couldn’t put a cross on the pools, like Rhodes he has peaked where he now is. Neither, IMHO, are premier league players and never will be, but best of good fortune to both.
Redcar Red
Point taken but in general if you take the points on offer people are more tolerant. We have left the points behind and that is ammunition.
That is the nature of football, I heard a ManU fan complaining about Zlatan. He should be dropped and play the kids instead. I agree, lets take him on loan, Zlatan, not the fan, we have enough like that already
I think I’ve spent too much time looking at my screen last week as when I visited the Gazette website today my eyes went all blurry…
Though, I soon discovered that the premium content is just all smoke and mirrors – for those in the know (cue smug grin) as the content is still there if you know how to put it all back into focus using a few Javascript ‘tricks’.
Anyway, they may need to change their opening paragraph in their article as it’s not strictly true 😉
“Good morning! If you’re reading this, then thank you – you’ve signed up to our exciting new Gazette Boro Premium initiative. It’s much appreciated – now let us look after you!”
Tsk Tsk you old dog you!
Made me laugh I’ll stick to this blog thank you very much.
How old are we now ?
A month?
It seems like it’s always been like this
We’re actually nearly 2 months old now and yes it does feel much longer! – and still one service for everyone!
The only thing at a premium will be my spare time as I’ve donned my professional builder’s hat again and resumed on my house renovation project this week – After spending much of the autumn on the roof as we doubled the insulation and put on new tiles and added a few windows, I’ve now got ten window surrounds to construct, plasterboard, plaster, wallpaper and paint before Easter. After that comes the attic conversion, which should take me back up to autumn again…
And that’s the roof, the whole roof and nothing but the roof!
richard evans
february 27, 2017 at 10:12 am
Hi Richard.
The many times my large thumbs have managed to record a like when all I have been trying to do is see who had hit like, I can’t tell you. I have looked for an “Unlike” or a “reverse like” option previously and there isn’t one. So the like stays recorded as a like. But as we agree, a like doesn’t mean very much without context.
I defy you to try and use a touch sensitive mobile phone screen as I do (and often enough on a packed and moving bus) and not manage to hit the wrong thing from time to time. Like I said, (and you don’t have to believe me, not really bothered as I know the truth of it in any way) I was already composing my reply to you and managed to lose so had to start it all over again, which is also something that happens to me more times than enough, but mentioned to underline the ease of performing an unintended action, such as “Like”.
I don’t understand why something needs to get personal though (“Your attempts to deny the likes…”, “I expect you think Brexit never happened either.”). Most times I have never bothered my shirt about a mis-captured “like”, it really is inconsequential in the scheme of it. However, your post was so removed from the way I think (and in general I think my history of posting supports that statement), that I felt the need to make sure my retraction of the like was, on this occasion, out there. However, I have not and will not deny your opinion and your thoughts, even if I disagree with them and neither will I resort to personal generalisations or insinuations of non-sincerity. That I find is always uncalled for and belittling of any rational debate.
Powmill if you accidentally “like” something to “unlike” it just hit “like” again and your original like is removed.
RR. Thanks for that.
Hitting “Like” again to “Un-like” something you have “Like”d is not necessarily my idea of an intuitive design! However, I have now successfully un-liked that which I had previously liked and now know how to do it, so most times henceforward if you see my “Like” it is a real “Like” and not an inadvertent one.
To prove the point I have “Like”d your comment 🙂 and left it attached!!
” I was already composing my reply to you and managed to lose so had to start all over again, …”
should have read ” I was already composing my reply Paulista Park and managed to lose it so had to start all over again, …”
Peasepud
I was going to post myself but thought I would leave it be but pre the Leeds v Owls match there was much discussion on Rhodes by the ‘experts’. Their view was that he works best as one of a pair and was unlikely to succeed playing as a lone striker – basically how the premiership teams line up.
He certainly wasn’t at his best and was duly hooked after missing the penalty, the keeper made a decent save. Reach did ok without threatening.
Elsewhere my colleague went to Villa v Derby. His first question this morning was did Adomah go to Villa from Boro, his view was that Albert was poor, many Villa fans moaning about him on twitter. Those are his words not mine
Wildschutt looks to be a squad player at Norwich, either starts games and gets hooked or comes on as sub.
All these players who would have made the difference at Boro are not burning up the Championship. Whether we have brought in better is a different kettle of fish.
Just a thought.
Rhodes wasnt great but the rest of Wednesday were not exactly scintillating either.
Could be wrong but I thought Reach was playing LB and looked OK to me.
Whether they are good enough for the Premiership is another debate but who they have been replaced with are certainly no better and thats being polite!
Werder
“Good morning! If you’re reading this, then thank you – you’ve signed up to our exciting new Gazette Boro Premium initiative. It’s much appreciated – now let us look after you!”
In the words of the President on Independence Days, which part is not strictly true.
I am sure the fact people will have signed up and it is much appreciated – £3.99 specifically, is true.
Maybe it is the ‘now let us look after you’.
The truth is the blurred writing made as much sense as the rest of the stuff they write.
Is the £3.99 a one off fee or a monthly subscription? I have zero intention of paying anything just being curious.
It would appear to open a huge opportunity for another institution to fill a gap. I sadly think its another massive retrograde step for what once was a great local paper.
First they slashed local content and padded it with standard national “filler” on make up, fashion and furnishing garbage then stopped it being an evening paper altogether. Now its a mid morning no mark, neither something or nothing just 48 hour old news padded out with Trinity Group waffle delivered after everyone’s gone to work all for just 70p a day!
A quick shout for AV’s re-tweet of the Yakubu clip (above) for those who haven’t seen it.
The occasions when he breaks into a trot and wipes his brow are pure comedy gold.
Definitely worth a look.
Yep, Len, I saw it too. Had the misfortune to catch the Yak on one of his worst days for Boro. My first visit to the Riverside, too… a 2-0 loss to City.
It should be noted that Reach debuted under Mogga in 2011, and was loaned out to three different clubs while Mogga was in charge.
For all talk of him not getting game time or chances under AK, he actually made more than twice as many appearances for AKBoro (54) than he did for MoggaBoro (24).
Simon
Was that the match before the cup replay at ManU where Morrison leathered Ronaldo?
If so, it was one of the few matches I left early, the whole team seemed to be focussed on the upcoming replay. Citeh were in the midst of an appalling run and we barely laid a finger on them
To my eyes about the only player with any credit was Downing. At one point he played a give and go with Boat on the halfway line, looked up to see no movement at all, so he replayed the same give and go with Boat with the same result, then again with the same result. we moved precisely nowhere in half a minute plus of inaction.
I left after about 70 minutes, if you think our current football was bad, that was far worse because at least the current players are moving.
The best ever was Ricketts, he dressed up as a footballer and made an art form of not moving. One game at Villa I thought the physio was going to run on with bucket, not with a magic sponge but so fans could throw coins in to it.
Good news. Ben Gibson says we’re in a relegation scrap, something we have known for a while now. Can we, therefore, expect to see a change in the way we approach the remaining games?
Just read that Northern Echo article. Sums up what many on here think.
We can only hope that something will change very quickly, like next Saturday, a flukey win or whatever, to give fans and players alike a lift.
UTB
‘I thought they knew it was an important game!’
Quote of the season 2016-17 – Aitor Krankaka ka
My good god, you couldn’t make it up – if you didn’t laugh, you’d cry.
Personally I hold Mr Gibson ultimately responsible for appointing someone so patently unsuited to running a kindergarten not least a multi-squillion pound sportin operation.
I wonder who it may have been who bumped into Aitor in the executive toilets in Real Madrid.
If it wasnt so serious it would have to be a joke.
‘Bit of aa problem, lads! George & Callum ave tbrown a late, how you say in Inglish? A sickey! Si, thats it a sickey! So we change to 3 CD & 2 WB, hokay!’
‘Yes, boss!’
‘Now, remember, tomorrow is very important game against Palace – you all comprende?’
‘Yes, boss!’
‘Goood, then see you all tomorrow bright & early, like – l like this like business, very funny!’
‘Yes, boss!’
AK turns & walks away chuckling whilst sayin to Leo ‘We give Palace wotsits what for tomorrow you see – players believe in my system!’
Leo ‘Yes,boss!’
AK & Leo disappear into the distance.
Players turn to each other & say ‘ What’s he on about, who this Palace mob? – No, idea, I just nod & humour him. I haven’t understood wot he’s been on about since he came. Av you heard him at the press conferences – dear me!!!!!’
Good post from Anthony, spot on and well said.
Also, a good observation from Exmil, the balance of the blog has definitely shifted, there is a loud noise coming from the negative posters and less being said by the more positive, which is a sad state of affairs.
This season was always going to be a grind, a squad made up largely of championship players will always struggle to survive, I find it ironic that many of those moaning about Karanka/tactics/league position were the ones who posted in the summer that the players that played in the championship should be ‘given a chance to prove themselves in the Premiership’ and what if they ‘prove’ they are not up to it, what then? Sack the manager, of course, what else?
This is a great blog, werder has done/is doing a fantastic job, but the lack of AV’s input has shifted the balance more to the negative end of the spectrum which is a pity. That said, the tone of the blog had been shifting that way for some time and indeed some bloggers had fallen by the wayside. Change is the way of the world.
Personally, I’ve been posting less because of work commitments, at least that’s what I tell myself.
It was always going to be a tough season a grind, but some clearly struggle to come to terms with that possibility.
It’s possible AV had the power to make people’s posts more positive but we shouldn’t forget since Untypical Boro went off the air Boro have gone on a run of nine games without a win scoring only three goals in the process – so it’s quite likely many are feeling pretty down with the situation.
To be honest there aren’t many positives angles to take for those in the opposite camp (or any camp) other than a ‘clean sheet’ and we are somehow just outside the bottom three. Most are just living on hope but with each winless game it gets eroded – it’s probably only the cup run that has stopped more people heading for the exits.
Let’s also not forget the last few seasons were in stark contrast to this one – people may have grumbled about the level of entertainment on offer at Boro games but we were challenging at the top and in the promotion mix – so the general mood was always going to be more upbeat.
Whilst it’s true AV will have picked up people on some of their hyperbole during the odd venting, this new incarnation doesn’t have an individual editorial viewpoint but instead it’s down to those in the group to pick up points where they disagree or find not accurate. You can’t ask your dad to tell off your blog siblings anymore for telling fibs.
Though, there have been times during the last ten years on Untypical Boro where the mood was decidedly negative – particularly during the slide to relegation under Southgate, with Strachan of course and the demise of Mogga. Those with longer memories will remember Tony Black’s rants and other posters like Never Happy – incidentally I stumbled across Tony Black’s Twitter feed a few weeks ago and it was actually a very amusing read.
And finally if I recall correctly one Karanka’s earliest critics on the previous blog was a certain Paulista Park – so acceptance is something that often takes time. Though I should add for my own sins that I actually praised the club over the appointment of Gordon Strachan – so what do I know!
Yes this blog is different, we now play the game without a referee (unless you count OFB) – the rules are the same though – play the ball not the man and let’s have a sensible informative debate.
Yes Werder……I also thought about Paulist’s past tirades when he posted his recent comment. I was going to say something, but!!!
Nigel
Count me as a positive, but like all footy fans I endure the games that we might not win, knowing that at long last we will meet a team in such a run that even our weaknesses will not stop us getting three points, plus, of course, the players will be so keen to move into a position which gives hope and a promise of (maybe) a quick couple of wins and bobs your uncle, panic over.
Palace was that fixture, they were in that stew, hope fading, injuries, players simply unable to do shut outs like us.
To dismantle our defence when facing rubbish, the very time when the certain point would have been pure gold(do the math)
to leave our most promising player on the bench(traore) when their main attacking hope was the very fullback he would have tortured.
To sit there when he knew that he had made a blunder after five minutes(yes manager do make such moves, frequently, and tell the press afterwards quite openly)
To play an admittedly talented attacker at fullback, wen he should not be allowed near the penalty area(duly noted by the national press)
To drop the midfielder who takes the pens. After his good show against Everton was perverse.
Whenever we have been struggling, posts whether here, or in the old place, tended to the negative. I think that is no more than a reflection of human nature. I think we just need to recognise and accept that and move on.
There always was, and I think still is, a core of moderate posters on here that do not tend to the extreme. Indeed several on here are still posting that we are where we should have expected to be at this stage.
Maybe there are fewer foam hands on display, but OFB, Jarkko and several others continue to comment about how much they are enjoying the ride this season …. we are after all in the EPL, in the quarter finals of the cup and still with two full months to go before the final reckoning. So its not all doom and gloom.
I find most of the glass is half full type of opinion on here is usually supported by well reasoned argument… as is some of the more positive posting.
Most of all I think we should be cautious of over-analysing ourselves and the tone of the blog. Paulista Park’s posting was a firm reminder to us all about being level headed and calm. However, we are all football supporters and supporting a team is a very emotional thing, so its not surprising that posts do go a little over the top. What Paulista’s post (and the many then in support of that) shows is that this community does still have the capacity for self regulation, without the need for one particular Blogmeister’s guidance.
Long may we all continue to be grown up about all this ….
Perhaps the blog seems to have become more negative because the reality that we might be relegated has just hit some contributors. By saying that we all knew it was going to be a grind does that mean we should be happy if it becomes a one season wonder? Just posing the question.
The word momentum crops up now and again. In the Championship, we’ve seen many a team sneak promotion because they had momentum just at the right time. What the negative amongst us have picked up on is our momentum taking us in the opposite direction.
Nobody expected it to be easy but it doesn’t mean we can’t be unhappy at the way things are panning out.
I’ve already renewed my season card. I can’t help myself. Unlike the glory hunters, I follow my team no matter what.
I never boo or criticise players or manager while I’m there but I reserve the right to have a moan after the event, although I would never resort to the phone in.
UTB
Well said Steely
I too will be there next season with long suffering Mrs Fat Bob shouting the lads on
I’ve never boood a player yet but I came close with Stricken ! And that is not a typo !
What makes my blood boil are the so called supporters who go on the radio and spout off
“Well I never went to the match but ”
They probably watched it in some dodgy pub saving their money for beer and they always criticise never praise
They just like the sound of their own voices and have mates in the next room listening to them
“Did you hear that ?” ” I told them didn’t I”
” I’m not going until we change the manager, Chairman, football shirt ”
” who’s round is it then ”
So I take no notice of the phone in now. Sadly since Ali died his patience and humour and general all round believing good in everything and everyone has gone.
So I go to the match enjoy the day and the experience and will always go whilst I still can
Up the Boro it’s in our blood
Why does this term Glory Hunters keep cropping up? Surely one of the reasons to be successful is to attract new supporters.
Would you rather that only the hard core long suffering fans turned up? I’m pretty sure you’d then be complaining that no matter how good we are, the fans won’t turn out.
There’s still a bit of snobbery around that says that unless you’ve been supporting Boro home and away for 40 years, then you’re not a true supporter and your opinion doesn’t matter.
Glory hunters are just new supporters. Why not welcome them with open arms?
Martin
I agree welcome them all and I say that as a glory hunter for over 50 years!
Let’s just try and enjoy this season it’s not over yet and it’s just like promotion to keep in the Premiership
UTB
Martin
Quite agree, it is the most irritating accusation that one can make. The object of the exercise is to have a que at the turnstiles, Wembley holds eighty thousand, so there is plenty of room.
With a large number of long term fans, I would have thought that Steve would have paid some attention to the large number of school children who would dearly like to take In a match, I think it would be a promotion that would pay dividends.
Beat Liverpool in the dying seconds with a Grant penalty on the final day of the season to stay up on GD, then go on and win the FA Cup and the mood may shift somewhat.
I think that its a case of life imitating art and what is being talked about on this site and others is an extension of what is witnessed on the pitch.
Against Everton I thought I had witnessed a Damascene moment with AK hence my exuberance and confidence for a comprehensive victory on Saturday pre Kick Off.
What ensued was anything but Damascene but rather more damning and depressing. If you think Boro fans are unique have a look on Leicester boards and as has been suggested Bournemouth boards.
The positivity has to start at the club and on the pitch. Up until now I think the fans support has been generally better than what has been served up deserved. Attempts to create a positive spin under the current climate by our erstwhile blogmeister and his Gazette colleagues is well intentioned but less than credible and almost toe curlingly cringeworthy at the moment.
For things to take a more positive outlook something positive has to be the catalyst. Forever optimists are rare on the ground and the club cant keep relying on people’s undying faith and support. Even the most die hard optimists posts on here have taken a more negative tone (understandably).
Sing when we’re drawing, we only sing when we’re drawing! 🙂
RR :
‘Sing when we’re drawing, we only sing when we’re drawing!’
I’m sure all the ex-draughtmen out there will second that 📏📐
I have no problem with positive or negative posts, I have no problem with passion and emotion. I enjoy humour like Spartak’s post about lost in translation.
I love the debate on here, I am not keen on the more extreme stances or ‘made’ up Aitor faults.
As I regularly post, there enough sticks to beat him with, there is no need to make any up.
I hit the like button but,
I really meant to hit the like button
LIKE
Like
No yellow or red cards on this site
I must find the pea for my whistle!
I had a look at my stop watch the other day
It’s stopped for good!
Hope that doesn’t mean anything
On the good news front I reported I was going to see my youngest grandson play on Sunday and they won and achieved promotion on that day.
This TJFA league is the largest junior football league in Europe and has been responsible for producing a lot of professional players in the game
Congratulations to you grandson OFB. You must be proud.
That was a real like
Thanks
We had a growing list of “those” games earlier in the Season where Substitutions (either a lack off or the wrong ones at the wrong time e.g. away at Leicester) or Southampton and WBA away or Watford caused much angst because many of us (myself probably the chief protagonist) were ringing alarm bells.
AK was not for changing, he as a professional knew best but as we slither our way back to the Championship with games running out and the fixtures now getting tougher it is all the harder to think of what could have been.
Thats the main cause of my negativity, there now I’ve said it yet strangely it doesn’t feel any better.
tainted views
Yep RR. It’s the lost opportunities that hurt.
early days but Leicester ahead…..grrr
OFB
Great news for the grandson and his team mates.
Meanwhile, let’s see how Leicester do tonight.
Braveheart
Make that 2-0.
just seen that Ian….if Leicester do win……we are in deep manure…
One game, won or lost, a manure piledoth not make – its a series of such that nrings either great success or failure.
We haven’t won a game in 9 attempts. That is failure. No more, no less.
Our team is failimg consistently. Ou manager has failed consistently.
Next Saturday we have game 10.
oh dear 3 nil now….just shows you what sacking a manager can do….nail biting time increases….
3-0 to Leicester looks like bottom three next weekend unless we can pull a rabbit out of the hat.
Given Mark Hughes will be expecting his team to show a positive reaction after their drubbing at the lane things do not bode well for us.
So. Out, Out of the Damn Spot (light) Ranieri fell. The milk of human kindness was nowhere at yonder Leicester. But it looks like All’s Well That Ends Well for C. Shakespeare. While Boro, all sound and fury, signifying nothing, are in double, double toil and trouble. A sorry sight.
Simon
I never for one moment thought that Leicester would be our salvation, as a keen watcher of all the prem. Sides, they have always played as though they were champions (calm down, I mean that they have never treated any opposition as anything other than road kill) and that mind set is the opposite to that exhibited by us. Hands up those who are surprised by Vardy destroying Liverpool. The good news is they will now do the business with all the Hull’s, Burnley’s, etc.
As a more recent poet born in the great city of Derry-Londonderry (in 1970) once said…
Au revoir joi, bonjour tristesse
Good times come and go
Life owes nobody happiness
Only pain and sorrow
So don’t rely on the starry skies
Screw the universe
You’d ought to try
To live your life on Earth
(As we must.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2P0PQ6rzSc
The positive
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1splhl2
And The Negative
https://www.thegamblingtimes.com/2017/02/27/time-karanka-action/#.WLRiqDKOQht.facebook
🔴 Just to remind posters that a comment with more than one link in it automatically goes into the Spam folder for approval – Werdermouth
Well there it is….another new Manager bounce. They are becoming a little regular. Not many left to change. Stick or twist.
Also replied to Werders comment about Paulista’s past anti AK posts. Out of sync.
You have to remember what you may have said.
“The well bred contradict other people. The wise contradict themselves.”
— Oscar Wilde
To enter the debate about negative comments, personally I hate losing at anything be it sport or in the working environment. I instilled this into my offspring and whilst I can accept that you cannot always win, what I cannot accept is anything less than 100% effort in trying to win the contest. I know we are lacking in quality but all I want from my team is to “give it a go” and not go down with a wimper. Please do not confuse “giving it a go” with entertainment, I am not looking for Barcelona type play, I just want us to go out and attempt to win a game of football. The time for going into games trying not to lose rather than trying to win has gone, whilst I respect everyone’s opinions, from a personal view I cannot fathom enjoying this season, I have watched all the games here live and can count on one hand the enjoyable ones. Starting Saturday I want to see my team give a 100% at Stoke, not throw caution to the wind but get bodies forward when we attack and bodies behind the ball when we defend, I don’t think that is too much to ask for, the buffer in points we had has now dissolved, we are in danger of being overtaken by those below us, if we “give it a go” at Stoke on Saturday and lose then that is all that we can ask for , the worst thing is to go down at the end of the season with regrets and what might have been .
Up early and there are nearly 200 on the board.
The Liverpool result was a disappointment. There is no fire in the Boro at the moment and I cant see any change on the horizon.
I watched the Palace match and after they had scored felt very resigned to going down. I know it is only February but all the cushion has gone form the spread sheet, other teams are perking up and we are still a slow motion train wreck – we have been here before and know the diagnosis and the end result – terminal.
Theres nothing to cheer us up any more. Any 3 from 4 at the moment until Hull and Sunderland kick start their recovery.
Only a miracle can save us now…….
Maybe Smokey Robinson could help us, he’s got a few.
Ah a blast from the past
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
Perhaps we can pinch something from the other site remember
“Friday night is music night”
Just to recap I saw Gino Washington at the forum a few weeks ago.
Last time I saw him was 50 years ago at the Kirk
He’s 76 and still dancing around and his voice was brilliant
We’re now in the Diasboro Kirk. I’ve also fond memories of the Kirk.
As a gesture of good will and to make someone happy in these dark, dark times I thought I would rolll the ball accross the empty goal in the hope that it rebounds off some happy soul who can still look on the bright side…. just let us know what you are taking!!!
Couldn’t resist, set up on a plate, thanks Allan
🔴 Good teamwork there chaps…
– – – – – -🚗- – – – – 200
. . . . and that happy little message is enough to see me through the day. Thanks Geoff. There is hope out there after all.
Only Bournemouth are on target of one point per match. So they are on 26 points after 26 rounds of the Premier League. They sit at the 14th place in the league now. And with a worse goal difference than the Boro.
Of course Leicester & Swansea look good now after a few (or one for Leicester) better results. But the table is very tight now. All the bottom seven including Bournemouth are in danger.
So everything is still possible. The survival is still in our own hands but we need a win soon. Hopefully at Stoke next Saturday.
But I think we are due some luck, too. After watching the extended highlights on Boro+, I think we could still have got a draw. Stuani had two very good chances. Having said that, I must add that Downing was lucky not to cause a penalty. But there were not many chances for CP either.
What I try to say there is still hope. We need to get a goal soon, the ball must bounce for us, too.
Well done to Leicester, let’s hope we get a few results soon.
Up the Boro!
PS. When is Leo due back after his injury? I know he cannot kick a ball right now but we need him on the management team now.
Jarkko
Leo is back has been for past few weeks
Still recuperating but can still raise his arm and share a glass of vino or two with AK
Jarrko, I think we are giong to need more than Leo to get us out of this mess we are in.
Some comments stating we have lost it, the wheels have fell off- I disagree entirely. I have watched every game this season, – West Ham, Chelsea, – we should of won. Arsenal, Man City, we should of won. Only last week – spurs. 2nd half we were good we had balls and played with vigour.
The lads just lose it over night. It was the formation on Saturday that was the problem., our top danger player on the bench. WTF- I still have a little faith for AK- but he just needs to take advice, don’t change the formation like the other day again- play 2 up front – let Adama loose..
Simple.. surely
UTFB
I’m not sure what we are talking about when we mention negativity – I agree that simply calling for AK to be hung, drawn and quartered is getting us nowhere. But we have to recognise the message of the consistent trajectory of the results, which is downhill. Yes, we expected to be at this end of the table, and if we were in a decent run of form and were scoring goals, we’d have cause to say that the glass is half full because we are a very strong team defensively. But we need to face up to the point that we can’t just go on changing nothing and hope it will be alright in the end. I think AK has realised that.
Form Table last 9 games:
Swansea 12
Hull 9
Palace / Leicester 7
Sunderland / Bournemouth* 5
Boro 4
Recent goals scored: 0 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 0
On the topic of wanting last year’s players to get a chance, I certainly thought Albert should have stayed because we were clearly light in attacking midfielders – I think I used the word ‘madness’ about letting Albert go when we only had Ramirez and Traore as dynamic game-changers, and having started the season with that fundamental weakness it proved impossible to put it right in January (although Boban was the only realistic possibility among our known targets, and we should have been spreading the net wider).
The big difference for us has been the loss of Ramirez since the Swansea home game – to injury, his becoming unsettled, and his loss of form. He went into the Palace game undercooked and cramped up before the end – he had to play against Oxford to regain touch and match fitness and it was a strategic mistake to leave him out. Yes he has yellows, at some point he will probably be suspended, but right now we need points on the board.
Meanwhile, Adama is thrilling but sadly he has not developed into a game-changer for us – he causes mayhem and attracts defenders, he causes opponents to drop deeper, but we don’t have the skill or guile to play him in behind where his speed could be lethal, and he just isn’t scoring or assisting goals for us in the league. Part of this is doubtless due to whether we get enough players into the box quickly enough.
What needs to change is the issue everyone needs to address.
*B’mouth have lost last 4
Why not the call to get AK out & put faith & hope in a ‘bounce’ reaction ? It has worked for all the other teams around us who have gone down that route.
For those who entered the Exmil Challenge and any others who are interested in having a look, I’ve created a table with everyone’s predictions and placed it on a separate blog page.
You can visit this page by clicking on this graphic (see below) under the links section in the right column.
I think there is a difference between negative comments and negativity, one is comments about things that need addressing, the other is an all consuming air.
We are now in the bottom three in the betting for a return to the Championship and there is that sinking feeling some of us have endured too often for comfort so it is understandable that the blog reflects that.
The wins for Palace and Leicester in the last round of matches should dispel any warm glow about our prospects.
Having watched Leicester last night you wonder what they have been doing all season, there was a vibrancy to their play that has been missing. It is impossible not to link it with the departure of Claudio.
Have we got that vibrancy within our squad, is it lurking just waiting to be set free?
Answers on a postcard.
AK is at that pivotal Christopher Columbus moment when the “Flatists” no longer have faith in his Seamanship. Does he change course or stick to his beliefs that the world is round?
Better hope for the sighting of Seagulls soon along with a glimpse of some land in the distance. Just hope the Seagulls aren’t Brighton as we swap places!
Ian, who knows but it for sure it isn’t going to be set free under Karanka.
Only woofing like but yes, I wholeheartedly agree that it is there waiting to be set free.
Thanks Werdermouth for the link to the Exmil challenge – brilliant who needs the EG!
Next step the online “Teesside Telegraph”, then the world!
Redcar Red
I cant see Spartak posting on Teesside Telegraph!
Just got back in and listened to a bit of radio five in the car. A phone in on Leicester City.
Some boring stats revealed, I cant remember the exact figures but thereabouts.
In the previous match which they lost, Leicester ran about 109km collectively, last night they ran about 10% more. In the previous match they had just over 400 sprints, last night over 500.
We, as fans, take effort as a given. Clearly that doesn’t apply to the players, they may have got nice new cars last summer, certainly didn’t get mirrors. (Probably explains why so many are now sporting beards).
That now begs the question whether that improvement is down to the manager or the players?
In our case, something has to change. What is clear is we look short of pace apart from Traore but he cant do it by himself yet.
Yes I agree RR, something has to change and pretty damn quick. The consequences give me sleepless nights.
BorPhil argued that against Palace we may be had one of our most attacking sides out. Agree, on paper, but that was not how they were set out. I also would say that given the majority have been calling for only two defensive MD’s, we did not get a kick of the ball in that area. Would three have been better or should it have been Leadbitter and Clayton. Given the importance I would have gone for the latter two.
So we all know AK is not for changing too much, and yes he does not have too many options given the FB’s situation. However there are not many throws of the dice left.
He is going have to gamble sometime very soon. How he approaches the Stoke match and not get at least a draw. Well Mr Gibson may just have to twist.
Mr Gibson may have to twist ? How about he twists & shouts for the head of AK, do some breakdancing to send him spinning into oblivion, then enjoys some mashed potato.
Ian,
I agree that none of our discarded players are setting their respective leagues on fire, that’s why I couldn’t understand the furore over their sale. I tried to stay out of the conflict due to the fact that I haven’t seen any of them play in the flesh, I’m only privileged to the box where you really don’t get a full appreciation of players movement off screen. However, you couldn’t get away from the fact that Rhodes just didn’t seem interested and should have been hooked well before he missed the penalty. He just didn’t look premiership class I’m afraid.
RR,
Reach was shuffled to LB in the second half where I also agree in that he did an okay job, but I thought that he’s supposed to be a left sided forward. Or right if you play under AK’s management. He was on the left flank in the first half and did exactly what I saw him do in his time at the Boro, he never went passed his marker (mainly because I don’t think he’s either fast or tricky enough) and when he did get a cross in it hit everything but one of his own players. Again, not premiership class and I can’t understand the fuss when we flogged him.
Surely it’s better for the players we passed on to be actually getting game time elsewhere than being parked on a bench every week, sometimes not even that close to the pitch. As for loaning them out, if the plan is to stay in the premier league, why would you keep them on the books if they are not good enough and never going to be used?
I’m also of the opinion that the imports aren’t an improvement on the departures, but we’ve got what we’ve got
I can agree with that peasepudin, especially Reach. I think the 5mil?? we got was good money. However as you said the replacements that have been brought in have turned out to be, well lets say just quite not up to it.
De Pena will be just written off as a total loss. Fisher, well he not doing at the moment and will be too lightweight in the Championship if that is where we end up. Traore, although bought for the RH side, exciting but a project when that is the last thing you need.
I won’t mention Albert, otherwise I will have Ian giving me earache about him not signing his offered contract, If that is to be believed. Probably OFB knows the answer.
With the money we seem to have generally wasted on the distinctly mediocre incomings it may have been cheaper and yielded more points on the board had Albert stayed and simply ran down his contract. What we would have lost on a fee we may have recouped by staying in the Premiership.
At least when he shot you were instinctively optimistic of a Goal or Keeper making a save instead of instinctively ducking, and that includes the West Stand Upper!
Pedro
Did I ever mention he didn’t sign his contract?
Rolling back to September my view was that it was an unsatisfactory window because Albert left and we hadn’t brought in another attacking player, Traore was and is a project. As you are well aware I was not exactly over whelmed with our business in the window.
Go forward to January and the perceived wisdom was we needed an attacker with some pace and guile – no great surprise. Come the end we didn’t bring one in but had our main creative force in a hissy fit. We had added two Championship strikers to pad out the squad to replace the two Championship strikers who where padding out the squad and had left.
Hardly a satisfactory situation.
What to do next? Replace the manager? Change the way we play?
My worry is the players are what they are and have been recruited to a template but we are missing crucial parts at the sharp end.
Ian
I find your comments overly negative, bordering on the nigh on hysterical – your next step will be booing at the picture of Stuani you have taken from your Shoot Xmas Annual cica 2016 & stuck on your bedroom door.
I would like you to go stand in the e-corner face the e-wall & put on this virtual pointy paper conical hat.
😉
Spartak
Now now don’t be having a go at Ian he has to leave the picture of Stuani up on the wall as it’s for his darts practise!
Only joking like we need to get behind all our team players
Just had an email from the Boro and lots of fixtures have been changed
Sunderland Hull Arsenal Manchester Utd the 1/4 final time home game. Good job i didn’t book any holidays yet didn’t want to waste my season ticket
Ian,
If the players have been bought to a template, then the template has to change along with the person that formatted it and the person that’s using it and can’t see its imperfections. I thought that the outgoings were good business and yes, I include Albert in that but, we stuffed up all that good work with what we brought in.
My body used to be a template but over the years that has gone by the wayside (or do I mean my body was a temple ?)
Must be the draughtsman coming out on me !
some people say their body is like a temple.
Mine is more like a bouncy castle!
I once had a Xmas present of a castle with no soldiers. Many years later I asked my parents the question : ‘Why the castle & no soldiers ?’
The reply was : ‘It’s the fort that counts.’
🔴 I think I need to add this – Werdermouth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpaOy8b8X6A?rel=0
Here’s the average IQ of your Palace supporters, thought it might raise a titter (No Frankie Howerd jokes please)
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/feb/27/crystal-palace-coach-vandalised-middlesbrough
I did the Gazette’s Premier League relegation predictor.
I must be a abnormal optimist as I had us finishing well above Leicester and Bournemouth:
15 Middlesbrough 47 (points)
16 Leicester 36
17 Swansea 32
—————————–
18 Sunderland 30
19 Hull 27
20 Crystal Palace 26
Interestingly, every team except Boro seems to be playing against Everton still. And there are a lot of matches against each other. So everything to play for!
See the last fixtures and try your luck: http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/premier-league-relegation-predictor-plot-12667859
A kind of ex-untypical challenge. Up the Boro!
Jerk
Just a thought, the last thing you want is our fellow strugglers playing each other, the league is a zero sum game. Some one has to win, no matter how bad they may be.
Jarkko
sorry about the typo, unfortunate , to say the least.
Plato
I think you are being a bit unkind calling our Scandinavian friend a jerk !
I hope you don’t upset him
jarkko
I had us avoiding the drop, just! I cant remember the figures but wont go back and re do them in case I send us down.
Spartak
I stand admonished.
Just been browsing the other place’s ‘premium’ stuff – unfortunately Diasboro can’t offer you these high-grade insights – you’ll just have to continue with our bog ‘standard’ opinions instead.
For instance we can’t inform you about the reason for Bamford’s absence…
“Unofficially, the word coming out of the club following Bamford’s arrival was that he was nowhere near full match fitness and sharpness… as it was always going to be a big ask for a player who has had virtually no first team football for 18 months to make a big impact this season”.
We would never have been able to offer you that insight – who would have been able to work that one out on these boards? No I can’t think of anyone either.
Also we couldn’t have let you in on the story that Bamford was a bargain…
“It’s never been stated officially, but signing the 23-year-old looks to be a case of pushing through a deal on a player when his value is low. Bamford’s potential is enormous. Whether he fulfils it remains to be seen. But, in the current, inflated market, to sign him for £6m is terrific business. If Bamford develops into a 20-goal-a-season striker, he could be worth upwards of £40m.”
Though they forgot to mention that if Gestede also turns into 20-goal-a-season then we’ve got £80m worth of talent to cash in on – though maybe that’s still a secret.
I know many of you will probably be thinking why can’t Diasboro offer you these pearls of wisdom – and I’m sure some will be signing up as I speak – but we’re trying our best on a very limited budget of zero and we’ll endeavour to encourage people to think of something meaningful to say to give you added value.
Oh, and I should mention the other place have got an exciting new gadget on their site today – it lets you predict the outcome of the matches involving Boro and their rivals – Damn! why didn’t we think of that – I can only apologise for the oversight.
Werder
So the tripe supper has been expanded to writing tripe?
Nice to know that we have a lot to live up to
Oh and Swansea away has been changed
We have been informed of further fixture changes and I have detailed these below for your information.
Away fixture changes
Swansea City v Middlesbrough (originally scheduled for Saturday 1st April 2017, 3.00pm KO)
New date: Sunday 2nd April 2017
New KO time: 1.30pm
Hull City v Middlesbrough (originally scheduled for Tuesday 4th April 2017, 7.45pm KO)
New date: Wednesday 5th April 2017
New KO time: 7.45pm
Home fixture changes
Middlesbrough v Arsenal (originally scheduled for Saturday 15th April 2017, 3.00pm KO)
New date: Monday 17th April 2017
New KO time: 8.00pm
(Please note this date is subject to change depending on Arsenal’s possible participation in the Champions League Quarter Finals)
Ow you would have had to pay a subscription for that kind of service
I’m still hoping for a miracle at Easter (they occasionally happen around that time of year apparently) as unless Arsenal beat Bayern Munich 4-0 I won’t get to see my planned game when I come over at Easter as unfortunately my return ferry is booked on Monday evening!!!
Curse you BT Sport – why wasn’t I consulted about this switch? Sorry I appear to be turning into a media megalomaniac, it often starts with a small circulation and before you know it you’re having tea with the PM and telling them how to run the country – I was just saying the same thing to Angela last week when we discussed Brexit…
They are not reading the blog – yet.
Remember a couple of years ago some Norwegian Leeds fans flew over to the UK for a match. And it was moved by BT or SKY. So they did not see a single game I think. But had fun drinking your cheap beer, I am sure.
Up the Boro!
Aye I had a few words with the ginger heeded wee krankie over a wee dram discussing the possibility of the north east joining Scotland In a breakaway we thought we would call it nexit
Is it beyond hope to think that those fixture “delays” could give AK a huge advantage in knowing what the opposition done previously so he knows whether to go for 3 points or his usual 1 or 0 points?
Mind you I can just imagine the after match interviews, “I hadn’t planned for Leicester/Bournemouth/Sunderland etc. winning so I had to change tactics at the last minute. It is all the fault of Sky/BT they need to show more respect”.
I didn’t sleep too well last night and when I did I woke up with a sick feeling a dark pit in my overblown stomach. What was wrong? Oh nothing just the Boro Blues nothing a few points will put right
There isn’t an ‘o’ in pints 😊
Oh yes there are !
Oh oh oh
Sorry it’s the wrong time of the year for that !
Oh dear me let’s stay up Put me out of this misery !!
Or be like the terminator
“I’ll be back”
Werder
The truth is they want us to pay £3.99 for things we have mostly discussed on here.
They have been unlucky to be launching Premium Boro when the club are offering Primark football – other value brands available. I suppose ASDA have George, Tesco have Florence and Fred – don’t know about Florence but Fred played football.
Has anyone looked at the Gazette sister sites to cheque if there is Premium Blackburn etc?
As far as I’m aware it’s a MGN initiative using a software system called press pass and rolled out nationally to all the local newspapers
I think that AK has a similar software system, but his encourages pass sideways, press back, pass back, contain & repeat all previous as necessary. Then he rolls out the same old excuses to the local press.
Only woofing like.
OFB,
We’ve already got a Nexit, it’s the Dutch escape plan.
Ian –
Part of the problem is once you label a service as ‘Premium’ and charge for it the reader expects it to be of a higher worth than what is available for free. Though from what I’ve seen when I briefly looked through it is just mainly comment and general opinion-based material – the few examples I posted isn’t something I would personally feel worthy of paying for.
The problem seems to be the real news stuff and reporting still appear to be free so a lot of the premium part looks to be general filler and not the main ingredient. The items that are free, are for me the premium content – the problem I guess is that if you charge for those articles then your advertising revenue will take a hit as less people would view them unless you get a lot of people subscribing.
So error one is calling it premium – you need to call it something like ‘Extra’ because it’s not the main stuff. The other problem is that if you charge for something then you have to produce something to justify charging for it – so you can end up with nothing really meaningful to say for large parts of the week and waffling on a bit.
It’s just like our blog, the busiest times are around games and then it drops off a bit once people have digested the previous game and have nothing new to add. In the PL there is only one game a week so what can talk about – imagine if Boro were safe (come on close your eyes) there would be very little outside games to speculate on as the season meandered to an end.
Maybe we could call our diasboro service a “super plus” just think of all the miles our posts travel all around the world.
Maybe we could start advertising ?
Fat Bob’s Humbugs
Pease Pudding from Perth
Redcar Red Rock
Werders delicious mints
I’m sure there are a lot more if we put our minds to it
If AK doesn’t buck his ideas up sometime very soon we might be changing our name to ‘Diasterboro’.
Dear Brethren pray lend me your lugholes.
Is your interest not piqued by the Leicester City result, achieved under the auspices of their new manager, a certain Mr Chris Shakespeare.
Doth my sixthe sense fool me with suspicious thoughts of conspiracy. My my what great change of fortune was acbieved by a team who hitherto couldn’t beat an egg, but as someone quickly from the wings coughs ‘Hamlet’, they get the beating of fourth placed Liverpool with still a third of tbe match to play.
Tis a place for scurrilous rogues or simply a turn of fortuitous fortunes?
If I were the previous manager I may well consider a case in court for constructive dismissal.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we set out to deceive!
To be fair, it sounds like Shakespeare is not a bard manager…
Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
Jarrko….an abnormal optomist, no, an enternal optomist, yes. There is nothing abnormal about you….you just love the Boro.
Well done to Boro Beckys Dad and Jarrko who were the only two out of 39 of us to correctly predict a win for Leicester last night.
🔴 Just to remind people that you can see a special page with everyone’s Exmil Challenge predictions by clicking on the graphic link at the top of the right column – just click on the graphic that looks like the one below – Werdermouth
Werdermout/Exmil I think you need to copyright or patent the Exmil challenge before the EG pinch anymore of your inventions!
What’s that they say about imitation being a form of flattery – though we do this for our own enjoyment and for that of others as a bit of a hobby – they have the added stress of it being their livelihood. Sadly the internet in it’s present form seems to have broken the capitalist model, which journalism has become a casualty of since nobody knows how to make it financially sustainable.
Your comments re the internet are so true. Whilst it has brought enormous benefits it has equally posed many problems and as you say journalism has been one of those affected.
Can’t imagine, however, trying to follow our team from afar without the benefit of the internet.
There were some obvious early Internet casualties like Florists Insurance Brokers and Travel Agents etc.
Now Perfumeries and duty frees are being hit and of course Newspapers. The problem as I see it is that good old fashioned Newspapers are a bit like Blackberry’s. They are what everyone used at the time and the benchmark for state of the art information. Now Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter spread news faster than Lee Tomlins waistline.
The fact you can access news sites from anywhere in the world gaining different perspectives and that news now breaks in seconds not even hours or days slowly creeping out is where we are at. Of course in a lot but not all cases Journalists still are the source of that news but the reliance on them solely as a source has shifted significantly.
We know that “paid for” TV has also had a huge wake up call and realising slowly that they can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Tempus Fugit, keep up or get left behind in the stampede. I’m not sure what the future holds for Journalists. Like Flowers, Perfume and Insurance their product is still sought and wanted just not perhaps in the way we have been used to.
What is certain is that Technology is moving so fast whatever is current today won’t even be on the Radar in 18 to 36 months time. The nostalgic relaunch of the Nokia phone this week is testimony of what was once great and a Market Leader is now just a novelty.
A bit like 442 or 4321 even perhaps?
Gazette journos recycling my suggestion from several weeks ago that Traore would be more useful as the modern day Alan Foggon ploughing through the middle. They agree that he might win us more free kicks/penalties.
If only AK read the Gazette.
My (failed) battle with javascript on my new lappy means I’ve had to forgoe the Exmil challenge so I had a go at the Gazette version and i’m pleased to report that the Boro will be staying up this season (just) on 35 points.
There we are then, sorted. I can relax now and look forward to watching the Boro win the FA cup at Wembley.
That’s a shame Nigel, I actually put up a page as a means to submitting an entry for those who couldn’t get the Javascript version to work. Since we’ve still got 12 weeks to go then if you want submit an entry using the link below then I can give you a random selection for week 1 so you can join in!
https://diasboro.club/exmil-challenge-part1-manual-entry/
Werder – Thanks, I’ll do just that before Saturday, don’t worry about the random selection for the Leicester match, I had that down as a nailed on away win!
Just watched AV doing his predictions on Boro Premium, well worth £3.99! LOL!
The beloved internet.
Not long after email became so powerful the Daily Torygraph published some research. Emails can be an instrument of bullying whether people mean it or not. It is so easy to send off an email that can be construed as abusive or bullying because they can be sent in a rush without thought and cant be undone.
There is the dreaded cc, send an email about a simple issue that can easily be resolved but cc it to all and sundry and it becomes a matter of major importance way beyond the matter itself.
We spent millions of years developing speech, why not pick up the device with a curly tail? People think emails are communication, they are not, they are a method of passing information unless care is taken.
The same goes for modern social media. We hear all the time about trolling, didn’t Lily Allen get some over a stillborn baby?
Our blog has been successful because we have tended to avoid playing the man not the ball. In our unregulated environment that is paramount unless we want to become the same as the rest.
That requires all of us to try our best, re read your post before you post it, don’t insult anyone, accept other views, don’t call other people fools or idiots, play the ball not the man. If you disagree provide reasons why, not insults.
Sorry about that, as Tolkien said, it grew in the telling.
You can always pay £3.99 and read our ideas a day or two later on Primark Boro.
🙂
Nice post Ian
It certainly makes you think before you send an email which can be dashed off in a minute but can cause problems for a lot of people
I too was a great believer in oral communication but i think we will have to settle for this medium on this blog. Unless we are going to do a lot of tripe verbals as the next step. Or even some home videos (shudder ) I don’t have a wide angle lense on my laptop so you would fortunately only see a small part of me.
Unfortunately I haven’t seen my small part for a lot of years now.
Keep up the good work you bloggers only a few days to go and then we will go point to point hunting
OFB, it’s all done with mirrors.
UTB,
John
OFB,
Going back to your body like a temple, sounds like you have the body of a God…
Buddha !
Go away for a few days and a lot to catch up on, the blog continues to flourish thanks to all.
Since the recent comments are on the Internet, I will start there. Ian is spot on regarding emails, a misused tool in most office environments, I have started not replying by email to some and actually talking to the person who sent it, that confuses them!
A,so try to ring clients rather than send a email, the clue is in the name, mail, should only replace things you would post?
As for social media, don’t do any although find this blog a great way to share and read thoughts of other mad fools, sorry, liked minded people with taste, on Boro.
I do worry where the interweb will end along with technology, in 50 years will we permanently wired up to. It with a chip implanted into out brain? Well I won’t be as I will have shuffled off to the Holgate in the sky but …………
Regarding the negativity or positivity aspect, one mans positive is another’s negative as we. All see things differently, thankfully, as long as we play the ball and not the man, then that is fine, I can’t stand the playground type comments that is seen elsewhere on Twitter etc, well so the media tell me!
Onto more important football matters, I predicted the Leicester win but wish we had got a point a Palace really!
Stoke is another crucial game, let’s see what team goes out and the effort they put it, I want to see changes although don’t think we will. I knew it would be a hard season, not pretty to watch and was happy with that if we stay up. And then progress next season.
If we go down, I won’t be to disappointed, will continue to watch, will be able to go to more games, and hope for better things. In 50 years, seen it all and never been a glory hunter, happy to support my home town team( despite only lived there for 4 years) and be the underdogs!
UTB
That’s a good post BB’sD.
Like you I avoid the social media. I leave that to my wife to do the Facebook thing. I do follow #borolive on Twitter during matches, though I do wonder why with some of the foul language and comments that come up.
The thing that always set AV’s Untypical Boro apart, which is inherited in Diasboro, is the tolerant nature of almost every post. It’s only from time to time that a lurker or even a Boro fan comes on and writes things a little out of line. Then, all the sensible heads in here quickly post to re-establish the correct tone.
Without taking anything away from the key movers and shakers (AV, Werdermouth, OFB, RR et al) I think we should all take great pride in being a part of something that puts the very best of Middlesbrough (and surrounds) out there for the world to see.
I’ve just put up a new Talking Point piece by Simon where he looks at where it has gone wrong for Aitor Karanka as he comes under pressure with Boro’s slow slide down the table.
https://diasboro.club/2017/02/28/talking-point-karanka-under-pressure/
Adam Clayton has just signed a new contract see Boro + file
http://mobile.mfc.co.uk/news/article/2016/middlesbrough-fc-adam-clayton-3599491.aspx