| Reading | Middlesbrough | ||
| Leadbitter Assombalonga |
14′ (pen) 74′ |
||
| Possession Shots On target Corners Fouls |
68% 9 2 3 8 |
Possession Shots On target Corners Fouls |
32% 10 3 3 11 |
Brilliant Britt seals Royal ascent
Thirteenth away to twentieth would hardly be billed as the Championship Match of the day despite last Season’s Play-off Finalists against last Season’s Premiership side who had spent more this Summer than many Championship sides had in the last decade. Underachievement was the key word in the build-up meaning both Managers were coming intense scrutiny and criticism from their own fans with odds shortening on their personal survival never mind their respective Clubs. The omens looked distinctly gloomy for today’s loser and even a draw would like as not do neither of them any favours.
Stam had a few more Players available after a mini injury crisis whilst Monk had a plethora of riches at his disposal with only Gestede unavailable. The former Man Utd defender had received criticism for shuffling his pack to cover gaps, Garry Monk shuffles his pack seemingly to accommodate his huge squad thereby for different reasons both sides had looked unsettled and unfamiliar with their tactics and team mates. The Boro line up was announced with no Fletcher, Clayton, Baker or Shotton in the squad and as “rumoured” on here beforehand Tavernier making his first league start. Great for the lad but a gamble for GM who would be lauded a tinkerer yet again or bold in dropping new signings for one of our own depending on a half full/half empty state of mind no doubt ultimately skewed by the end result this afternoon.
Braithwaite got proceedings underway but Reading soon had a corner off Grant within the opening minute. Fortunately the phase of play ended with it going out of play for Randolph to collect for a goal kick. Early part of the game saw Reading teenager Sam Smith involved in a lot of their game plan, like Tavernier Reading fans have a lot of hope for the lad. Boro were fairly deep for most of the opening ten minutes sitting deep not troubling Mannone at all but perhaps the ghost of Aitor has paid GM a visit, making us difficult to break down.
GM had taken residence on the edge of his coaching area watching as Christie picked up a loose ball from young Smith which ended in a Downing cross which evaded Braithwaite’s best attempts. Christie again broke free just seconds later with a ball played into Britt who was tugged down in the box by van den Bergh for a soft penalty this time in our favour on 14 minutes resulting in Britt then going tete a tete with Grant with the Captain’s armband pulling rank on who was taking it. Mannone attempted to delay the penalty; building up pressure on the skipper but calmness personified Grant unleashed a long awaited Thunderbastard into the top of the net!
We had discussed about a Grant Thunderbastard earlier in the week on here and although this wasn’t the 25 or 30 yarder we dreamt of one from the Penalty spot will do nicely. Once Boro had taken the lead the Royals were visibly deflated after a bright and promising opening ten minutes. A Christie throw in from a panicked Mannone clearance saw both Reading Centre Backs, Moore and Ilori clash heads resulting in them both laid out and Ilori in particular suffering a very nasty head gash. Both players were staggering around dazed with Liam Moore also suffering a bad cut. With both medical teams on the pitch Ilori was eventually stretchered off looking concussed. If Reading had injury problems before this game and this was the last thing Jaap Stam needed. What looked a comical collision initially from a Boro perspective ended with the sad sight of Ilori receiving a warm reception from both sets of fans being stretchered off down the tunnel.
Blackett came on in place of Ilori and just as play restarted Braithwaite had another Boro penalty claim as Boro tried to take benefit from Reading being down to ten men, reshuffling their defence as Liam Moore was presumably being stitched up in the home dressing room. Smith came close for Reading as they switched play but Ayala was alert to the danger and did enough to put him off. Incredibly Gibson and Ayala then clashed heads in the Boro box albeit with a slightly less dramatic outcome than that of the two Reading Centre Back’s. The stop in play allowed time for Liam Moore to re-enter the fray after a ten minute absence that saw Reading gallantly push for an equaliser.
Sam Smith then beat the offside and got behind Gibson but the move ended when the eventual cross was plucked out easily by Darren Randolph. Braithwaite was next to be brought down by van den Bergh who was struggling to contain Boro’s Assombalonga and Braithwaite. Things were getting feisty after a Tavernier foul then saw McShane frustratingly take down Assombalonga insinuating that Boro’s top scorer was “looking” for fouls. The game went down the other end and Gunter rounded both Fabio and Tavernier got his cross in but fortunately for Boro it came to nothing. Assombalonga then went down suspiciously in a challenge with Moore requiring the Ref to speak to the players in an effort to calm things down. Downing and Aluko were next to be involved in a dispute as Stewy was pulled back but unseen by the Officials.
A tackle by Howson saw an appeal for a Reading penalty ignored from which Boro broke leading to Assombalonga and McShane continuing their battle for which McShane received a yellow for his frustrations. The Ref then spoke to McShane and Gunter ordering them to calm things down with the Irishman in particular boiling over. A peach of a Downing corner fizzed in and saw Ayala going for it but Moore got to it putting it out for another corner. The following corner saw the ball come off Gibson for Reading to almost break away. Then just minutes before the end of injury time Paul McShane was awarded a free kick after colliding yet again with Britt Assombalonga. He reacted by theatrically celebrating the Ref’s decision and in doing so done himself no favours at all with Ref Oliver Langford. It looked like an imminent red card could be coming his way in the second half if Stam couldn’t calm him down in the dressing room which the Royals certainly didn’t need after losing one defender already and having another bandaged up.
The second half restarted with no changes from either side, Reading forcing an early save from Randolph and then Assombalonga going into the Ref’s book at the other end for clipping van den Bergh when trying to close down. Fabio then gave away another of his dangerous free kicks out wide on Gunter allowing Reading to throw bodies into the Boro 18 Yard box. McShane screamed for a Penalty as he went down and Tavernier cleared only for it to come straight back at us for Ayala to clear this time putting it out of play. The following throw in saw an effort fortunately hitting Randolph’s side netting all originally caused by Fabio giving away that nonsense free kick.
The game was by no means a classic but as already mentioned the 13th V. 20th billing summed it all up. The result was going to be far more important than the means for both Managers. The second half seen Reading having most of the possession pressurising for an equaliser with Boro sitting deep just as they did in the opening minutes of the first half. In an enterprising break by Howson the Ref pulled play back when Boro wanted to play on and the move ended with a goal kick for Reading coming off Assombalonga’s shin. In an effort to add some more energy (and cover for Fabio), Garry Monk then brought on Marvin Johnson in place of Marcus Tavernier who hadn’t looked out of place on his League debut.
The arrival of Johnson didn’t subdue the waves of Reading pressure with Howson clearing and then Smith coming close after taking too many touches with Fabio clearing the danger this time all amidst more Penalty claims from the Royals as Boro were looking more desperate in clearing their lines. Gunter was running riot and asking Boro all sorts of questions requiring a Howson block again. Stam then brought on Barrow for van den Bergh as he sensed Boro rocking with twenty minutes to go.
Boro subs were warming up with the hope for us that Traore would perhaps come on to help spring a counter attack and ease the pressure but as it was it was Forshaw who was stripped ready for action. Christie then broke assisted by Downing enabling Assombalonga to get a shot in which came to nothing and that was as close as Boro had come in the second half to date. Boro’s defensive rear-guard action wasn’t as composed as Karanka’s but it was just about holding out. Then another Boro break came on 74 minutes with Downing’s initial attempt blocked Howson picked it up, getting to the by-line picking out Assombalonga who climbed majestically in the middle of the six yard box heading home his seventh of the season to make it 2-0!
Before the restart Forshaw made his delayed appearance replacing Grant. It wasn’t the sexiest substitution but GM obviously felt we needed some freshness in the middle of the park to counter Barrow’s earlier arrival. An Ayala header in the six yard box was then cleared off the line by McShane as the two goal cushion eased Boro fears and demanded more openness from Stam’s men. Forshaw played a ball out that led to Johnson having the opportunity to almost make it three. Adam had only been on the pitch a few minutes but was determined to make his mark and give Garry Monk a future selection headache.
Kermorgant recovering from a lay off had come on for the Royals and went close in the dying minutes. Braithwaite then made way for Bamford more as a means of eating up the clock with only stoppage time remaining and almost immediately clattered into the bruised, battered and bandaged Moore. In the last minute a clearly over enthusiastic Paddy lost possession instead of retaining by passing to Stewy and nearly let Reading break causing some consternation for himself with Ayala and Gibson who looked to be getting back to their previous levels of understanding.
It was an effective workmanlike performance, picking off the Royals utilising the power and accuracy of Britt. For Stam, the head clash didn’t help him but in truth Boro looked to have a slighter higher level of competence in reserve and looked the more likely to be able to up the stakes if needed. It was exactly what was required for GM, a solid display with a clean sheet and three points. Not particularly convincing and certainly nothing dramatic at all but something to hopefully build upon and get the season back on track.
Man of the Match for me was Britt for winning the Penalty and then scoring the second but Ayala, Christie, Howson and Downing all deserve special mention as does Forshaw for his cameo in taking a grip in the middle of the park
The pressure’s on the under-achievers
After their midweek Dorset reserve fixture in the EFL Cup, Boro head down to Berkshire to play against a team who are also coincidentally sponsored by Mr Caraboa’s Thai energy drink. This game had initially looked to be quite a tough prospect on paper when the fixture list was published, but The Royals haven’t as yet shown the same imperious form as last season or indeed any real class for a club of their Championship breeding. All of which means Garry Monk’s lowly men will be hoping they can humbly return home with a modest three points for the common cause after clocking up close to a thousand miles on the road this week.
The buzz word at Thursday’s pre-match press conference was commitment and the Boro boss said everyone was determined to be committed and show determination and commitment on the pitch to prove they were committed in their determination to reach the level they’re capable of – even Ben Gibson had shown his commitment to the club by signing a new five-year deal as Boro were determined to hold onto him for the foreseeable future. Although such positivity is welcomed, it’s hard to determine if Garry Monk had put a little too much commitment into getting this message across in those rather upbeat eight minutes.
| Reading | Middlesbrough | ||
| Jaap Stam | Gary Monk | ||
| P12 – W3 – D3 – L6 – F11 – A14 | P13 – W4 – D5 – L4 – F15 – A12 | ||
| Position Points Points per game Projected points |
20th 12 1.0 46 |
Position Points Points per game Projected points |
13th 17 1.3 60 |
| Last 6 Games Sheff Utd (A) Leeds (A) Norwich (H) Millwall (A) Hull (H) Brentford (A) |
F-T (H-T) 1:2 (0:2) L 1:0 (0:0) W 1:2 (1:1) L 1:2 (0:0) L 1:1 (0:1) D 1:1 (0:1) D |
Last 6 Games Cardiff (H) Barnsley (A) Brentford (H) Norwich (H) Fulham (A) QPR (H) |
F-T (H-T) 0:1 (0:0) L 2:2 (1:2) D 2:2 (0:1) D 0:1 (0:1) L 1:1 (0-0) D 3:2 (1:1) W |
Despite expecting to be leading contenders in the promotion race, all eyes on this game will be focused on an under pressure manager who needs to start winning games with his under-achieving team sitting in the bottom half of the table. Yes, Jaap Stam is feeling the heat after struggling to find the form that saw them finish third last season before ultimately losing out to David Wagner’s Huddersfield in the play-off final on penalties. This season, Reading have averaged just one point and slightly less than one goal per game, with their 1-0 win just after the international break at Monk’s former team Leeds being their first since the end of August. It hasn’t helped that they’ve been without last season’s top scorer Yann Kermorgant so far this campaign, who netted 18 times in helping them to third spot – the Frenchman is due back from groin surgery in early November in time to celebrate his 36th birthday.
Though Stam is remaining defiant and claimed he was joking in a recent interview when he said “If people think they can get a better manager that’s better for the team, then they need to make that decision, that’s fine – but I don’t think there is.” OK, he probably needs to work on his punchlines if he’s to get that gig at the Edinburgh festival should football management ultimately not work out. Though if humour isn’t his main strength then his realism should keep his sanity intact as he also went on to state the first law of football management “It’s about getting results. If you don’t get results people start talking about the manager and ask is he good enough? Can he change the team?” Questions that have been echoed on Teesside in recent weeks and as still no definitive answers have been supplied by performances.
However, the former Man Utd defender is philosophical about the pressure and just claims “It’s one of the risks of being a manager – and if you’re afraid of it happening then you don’t need to go into the job, go out and do something else. You might do some fishing – that’s nice as well.” Though as to what kind of fish a floundering manager reaching the end of the line may wish to land is perhaps a question for another day – though I expect the Dutchman won’t be contemplating letting Monk off the hook on Saturday.
Any talk of fishing will have no doubt pleased Reading owner Narin Niruttinanon, a football mad Thai businessman who made his fortune thanks to some more heavy-duty fishing supplying his rather lucrative tuna canning company. He has since sold a 75% majority stake in the club to the Chinese commercial property duo Dai Yongge and his sister Dai Xiu Li, who made their fortune with an empire of underground shopping centres in China that were converted from air-raid shelters – presumably so consumers can shop till either they or the bombs drop without needing to worry if ‘The Donald’ and Kim Jong-un have launched more than insults at each other. All of which is perhaps a cause for reflection for those who advocate Steve Gibson should consider selling to wealthier investors in order to compete at the top table. While the Boro faithful may sing that he’s one of their own, the Reading fans are instead probably just left with singing ‘Dai Yongge is one of our owners…” The risk is that the your local club will most likely just end up as a commodity and a vehicle for groups of random investors looking to gain introductions to like-minded people in the directors boxes up and down the country.
Money appears no guarantee of success and indeed having it can be used as a stick to beat anyone who fails to make it count. Any manager under the cosh will not make matters less painful by banging their head against the wall in frustration. The Reading manager seems to fall back on what Garry Monk has often repeated in answer to critics wondering when things will improve by simply stating that everyone is working hard. Though one presumes working hard is a given under any circumstances and no coach would admit that the group has not so far been putting in the required effort – it’s essentially a cliche. It’s this realisation that a coach or manager is limited to just improving his players performances that Stam concluded “Everybody knows that we need to step up and do better in certain situations. In good times the players were making the right decisions, but now it’s working against us. We can only turn it around by training and working hard.” This is essentially a promise to do better, which again is another cliché not worth stating and something obviously needed if the situation needs improving.
The question is more ‘how’ can you do better? Coaches will generally employ known strategies to halt bad or indifferent runs and try to break down the game preparation process and check each stage has been rigorously carried out to the same standards as when the team were previously winning. However, in Monk’s case he’s not got that reference point of when things worked for him at Boro. Instead he’s still embarked on the process of getting his ideas across so that the players buy into his methods and execute his game plan effectively – in theory it’s easier for Stam because his players saw that his methods previously worked.
Team selection is perhaps key for Garry Monk but it’s unlikely we’ll see too many surprises this weekend. Those who were not in the Bournemouth squad will be favourites to return as starters – that means Randolph, Gibson, Christie, Leadbitter, Braithwaie and Assombalonga. Presumably Ayala will continue in central defence and Fabio’s performance against Cardiff should keep him ahead of Friend. It’s also possible Howson will get the nod to partner Grant given Clayton played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday. Downing should also expect to retain his place but Fletcher has looked well below par and will perhaps make way for Adama, who reminded us in midweek that he’s a threat when he’s on his game. Though hopefully Monk avoids informing Traore by text message that he should prepare for Reading on Saturday – otherwise he may miss the bus again as he settles down at home with his copy of Basic English for Dummies.
Quite why the question of finding a winning formula has as yet remained unanswered by the players and management at Boro is unclear given the options available, maybe there are just too many choices to keep focusing on making the team a coherent one. It’s not yet apparent whether the problem is the execution of the plan or whether the plan itself is capable of being executed effectively – are Garry Monk and his staff even asking the right questions or have they themselves made the right decisions? Only time will tell and many supporters are already of the mind that not only has the manager’s honeymoon period long since ended but a quickie divorce is now needed to end the relationship. The strange thing about football is that it often takes some random moment or slice of luck in a game to suddenly turn the tide and instill belief.
At the end of the day, football is a results business where individual records are normally defended in a language of cliches – there are very few carefully thought through long-term strategies in existence that aren’t ditched on the whim of a short-term hunch triggered by emotional feedback. The relationship between how expectations and achievements are being delivered within the ticking time-frame of falling off a financial cliff are what cranks up the pressure on modern managers – Garry Monk is perhaps fortunate that the Boro chairman’s patience with his managers usually exceeds his lofty ambitions for the club – but he should be wary that this patience is not exponential and he may find himself on the wrong side of the curve sooner than he anticipated in what is essentially a two-year financial window of opportunity.
So will Garry Monk finally play his cards right as his team snaps out of its indifferent start to bridge the gap to the top? Or will a poker-faced Jaap Stam make The Royals flush our lingering promotion hopes down the pan? As usual your predictions on score, scorers and team selection – plus will we see commitment and determination in the post-match comments not to use cliches?
Good review of the strategies and hopes of the respective managers, but it’s almost impossible to guess the makeup of either team, in Reading’s case because of alleged injuries caused during training, and in Boro’s case because no one seems able to get into Garry Monk’s mind.
However, Boro’s winless run has to end sometime and Reading’s only home win was in mid August against a below par Villa, so where better place for Boro to start climbing back up the table. Boro are also due to keep a clean sheet and I therefore expect a 1-0 victory.
Ken
“Getting into Garry Monk’s mind”, isn’t there a song about that?
“Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind”!
No wonder our back four and Randolph now look nervy and confused, never mind the Midfield.
Tomorrow is a bigger game for the two respective Managers than it is for the Club or the Players themselves. I see a 1-1 draw written all over it which does neither Manager any good as the top half of the table starts to slip further away. Then again one of them might, just might pull off a master tactical stroke and shock us all, lets hope GM’s determination and commitment wins the day.
A lot of talk recently about the bast back four, but never a mention about the goalkeeper.
Dimi was the one constant in our championship seasons, a real steady Eddie who gave his defenders confidence. He’d be my pick and give the indecisive Randolph a break.
Royals 0 Commoners 1
Dimi didn’t look too confident on Tuesday night !
On Tuesday night Dimi looked the way I feel crawling out of bed in a morning.
Sorry fellow bloggers, but I think Boro’s indecision, lack of confidence and inability to do the simple things right will re-appear at the Madejski. We will be further impeded by what I think is an inability of the manager to motivate his team/squad.
Reading 2 – 0 Boro
We were a mediocre Premiership side and we seem to be settling into being an average Championship side now despite the talent available in the team.
I hope and pray I am wrong.
UTB,
John
PS I remember watching Boro play Reading at Elm Park one pouring wet night and Merson utterly destroyed them. A masterclass indeed and it was well worth the soaking. But not tomorrow.
The 1-0 cup win? If I recall Festa had a perfectly good goal ruled out, then minutes later the referee reversed a free kick decision at the last moment and Higgy took full advantage to win the game for us.
Jarsue, I fear you are right except on current form we are not even average.
Boroexile,
I think I was being kind because we are well below average in all aspects of our game.
UTB,
John
Boro Bard strikes again !
Mel & Tim – Backfield In Motion (1969): http://youtu.be/X4qJYUHLtuU
COB
Get a grip!
I just hope that we hold all the aces and that Traore is the joker in the pack!
A couple of season back, I was on a week’s holiday on Teesside. Having two home matches during the weekends at both ends of the week, I and me missus went off to Reading for a Tuesday evening match,too.
Now we really understand the trouble and time it takes to dash down to Berkshire and back midweek. It was dark and misery and we got beaten again. Mind, we got a lift from the Twelfth Man and John, so the travelling was quite nice in company like that.
But it was hard. Leaving at around one o’clock and returning about four in the morning. Not good for two over 50 year olds! But still, Reading is kind of second favourite for me wife now.
Let’s hope for a decent performance and a bit of luck. If we get the first goal (and not make stupid mistakes at the back) we might even win. So I will go with Ken in here – a 0-1 win is due for Boro. We just are due a bit of luck and end the run we are in.
Up the Boro!
Jarkko,
We used to live in Sandhurst, about fifteen miles from Reading, so whenever Boro played them it was always an easy trip. as was Southampton or Swindon. I know what the drive was like to and from the Middlesbrough from when my parents were alive, a damned long way.
UTB,
John
I hope someone gets Guinevere and Lancelot back to lotto HQ after GM has finished with them picking his starting 11 and formation for tomorrow. I’d hate it if my six numbers were wasted.
Redcar Red
Made worse with Euromillions as well. I wonder which player is Thunderball?
I am up in Toon for a wedding tomorrow so will be relying on you lot for a result.
Ian,
It used to be a Thunderbastard but where have they gone?
UTB,
John
Lets hope we see one tomorrow we are long overdue an uplifting strike from Grant.
Enjoy your trip to Troon Ian. That’s where me and Mrs. Powmill tied the knot all those many years ago. Wrap up well, its due to be fresh, but sunny I believe.
RR,
You dead right there. I’d be happy to have my prediction blasted out of the water by a couple.
UTB,
John
I think GM would be more delighted (and relieved) if Grant delivered a speculative 30 yarder!
After Reading and Hull away we (and he) have Sunderland at home and Leeds away. Should our form not have improved radically by then the away supporters “bantz” will be full on. The next four games are going to be a real test of GM’s Management credentials, make or break time. Lets hope for all our sakes he starts to show some returns tomorrow down in Berkshire!
RR
To keep any hope of a top two finish alive, I think we need 10pts from those next four games. 6-9pts won’t finish our play-off chances.
Surely anything fewer than 6pts and Monk will be removed?
Another good read Werder, and talking of committment from both teams and especially from Mr Monk himself,……well we have bucket-loads here on this blog, with Werder leading the way.
Once more no prediction, but only the ever diminishing hope of a turnaround in fortunes.
We have to win, nothing else will do. As the games roll on by, the positive spin by some that there are still lots of points to play for will become an untruth, certainly for the auto’s. The Boro have to start winning now. Does not matter how at first, but winning the 3 points.
Can Mr Monk fire up the chosen disciples. Can he actually get the players to convey that committment to the fans. Words are fine and dandy, however it is actions that count and only a win will satisfy the unrestful masses.
Is the match on IFollow?
Sorry to be a nuisance…..however I an once again having trouble subscribing for the Reading match. I am registered with IFollow and the have my details. But when I go to the Reading site, as with my previous attempts, I only manage to get the full season subscribe button. The single match option does not have a button and when I click to change from the season option the page just reverts to the previous.
Werder kindly posted the direct URL link which got me through last time. I must be doing something basically wrong. Surely it is an easy transaction???
Thanks for any help…..from the Dummie
I think you have to wait until the day of the match.
Yes it’s not obvious on their site but you need to click on the match preview to see the link for the iFollow matchday pass (bottom right on main header graphic)
https://www.readingfc.co.uk/matches/fixtures/first-team/201718/october/reading-vs-middlesbrough-on-28-oct-17/
Thanks Werder for another great read.
The next four games are crucial .
Now there is lots of thoughts on GM S position but in reality who could replace him. I can’t really come up with anybody. So stick or twist ? Who would you like to take over if GM goes ?
David Moyes
Ryan Giggs
Sam Allardyce
Juergen Klinsmann
Take your pick
Bob
Wanted Moyes when he was at Preston before the blue bin dippers got him.
No
NOOOOO!!
Why not.
Only Moyes worth an interview OFB
I thought we still had a manager.
Come on BORO.
That was in response to a what if scenario
I still want Monk as manager
Thomas Tuchel would be my favourite
Please not Alan Pardew
Here is a thought, maybe Monk belongs to a silent order and cant get his message across to his flock.
Feck as the Irish priests would say
Don’t know about evensong but he could be playing his swan song
I genuinely want him to succeed but disappointed at lack of progress made
If this was any other industry and a manager hadn’t got his workforce into shape within 3 months then I would be asking questions
He’s only had two serious injurirs to contend with and our strike force should be able to cope with that
The Manager that has the credentials to get us up may not be the same one to keep us there (as I said some time ago) long term.
A quick word on Bob’s chosen lot..
Ryan Giggs is a laughable choice. He has barely any managerial experience and none of the Championship. Whatever skillset she may possess, I suggest they are not the ones needed to grind out a promotion from way back on the starting grid.
Juergen Klinsmann is less laughable but not much less. A sometime success in international football, absolutely zero in the championship.
David Moyes has a great deal of experience. However programming a team to survive in the Prem is a different task to winning promotion.
Fat Sam is the only one on this list with experience of achieving promotion from the Championship. Of this lot and it pain s me to say it, he is by far the most qualified option.
As it doesn’t look as if we’re going up this year, Ben signing a five year contract smacks of boosting his value in the transfer window.
As for Reading, a feel another two all draw is on the cards.
I must confess that I was a bit restricted when putting the names up as I had my tongue firmly in my cheek !
Wouldn’t want any of that lot thanks !!
Chris
Given our record against them, I’d take another two all. I’m already resigned to play offs at best. I think auto is a big ask now. I’d love to be proved wrong.
Steely
After being at their place a few years back and seeing us squander a two goal lead only to lose 3 – 2, so would I.
Apropos of absolutely nothing at all, does anyone have a view on whether ‘lifting’ as in a rugby lineout or kick-off is legal in football. I can’t see anything in the rules and, beyond some suggestion that it may be unsportsmanlike conduct, nothing much in blogs.
Regarding the Reading game, it really feels as if Boro are walking a tightrope. When we suddenly play well for ten minutes, we look tremendous and then we give away stupid goals. I think that we should be looking to defend properly for the first half and then think about unleashing Traore and other more attacking options. Playing 3 at the back allows a back 5 when defending and maybe we need the extra cover for the moment.
UTB
Sheffield United top of the Championship tonight. Shows what can be done with a lot of team spirit and bags of commitment. Hope we show the same tomorrow for the first time this season but I can’t see it.
It is a massive game in what will be a critical week for the Boro and particularly for Monk. Anything less than six points from the three games and I suspect he will be toast and rightly so.
The team I would like to see is:-
Randolph
Fabio Ayala Gibson Friend
Clayton Leadbitter
Bamford Braithwaite Downing
Assombalonga
Please, please no Fletcher and Traore on as a sub in the second half to torment Reading.
But I still don’t think we will win the game unless Monk has performed a miracle in the last week which is improbable in the extreme and so my prediction is 1-1 with Braithwaite the scorer.
I’m expecting a 0-0 draw being the only point we are likely to get over the next 3 games.
Hoping beyond hope that it is a win for Boro but just cant see it. 13th plays 20th away…..
Chris
What makes the appointment of Ryan Giggs any different to the appointment of Bryan Robson way back when? All I can see is the former won’t act as player/manager.
Mind, it’s not that I’d be happy Giggs being appointed. I know Nigel ‘I can take care of myself’ Pearson could bring in bags of passion and discipline, but is he ‘stable’?
My favorite is still O’Neill. Ticks all the boxes as a manager for me. Yes, I know others are ageist (Oh, the irony), but my main concern is SG & his executive possè. There lies the root of our problems. They cascade from the top down.
Root and branch clearout? Not when the ‘rot*’ remains at the top, it isn’t!
*Failed executive management decisions and practices.
Score at Reading? No idea! How’s about 4-1 to Boro. We click on the day against a team riven by injuries and lacking confidence.
I think the likes of Sam and MON would not be considered as they would have immovable opinions and like as not state with conviction and confidence to the Senior Execs some of the weakness and inadequacies that have existed at the club for some time now. Much more likely to get a weaker character or a newbie grateful for the gig that will do a job but not ruffle feathers too much. SG I suspect much prefers Cocker Spaniel managers rather than Rottweilers besides nothing worse than an underling knowing more than the owner, it only ends one way. Tickling bellies is more pleasant than risk getting your hand bit off especially when its the hand that feeds them.
I personally do not like Sam but he would be my choice if SG is serious about getting promoted (which I think he is). Sam would get us promoted, MON probably would and likewise Warnock, controversial for some maybe but I would also add Pardew to that “probably” list. Would I love to have them as Boro Manager well it doesn’t really matter ultimately so long as they deliver. Employing young, upcoming inexperienced Managers giving them an opportunity is great but MFC should be run as a cut throat business with no passengers or ballast. It would not be tolerated at Chelsea or Man Utd, it wasn’t even tolerated at Everton or Southampton or Watford. The words of my Scottish friend about our Chairman keep ringing in my ears which I know annoys many but I genuinely more than anyone wish he wouldn’t keep proving him right.
Today is the start of the rest of GM’s managerial career, he has less than half a dozen games to redeem himself regardless of what his Chairman thinks (incidentally I think his concerns are aligned with the fans). Why half a dozen games? Well if we still have to listen to the “positives” after more defeats Sunderland and Leeds will be toxic by then. If the Chairman doesn’t act we have seen in the past what happened to legends like Robbo and Mogga. Unlike them (and AK) GM has next to no relationship with the fans and isn’t fit to lace their boots. Steve Mac struggled to bond with the Teesside masses but he delivered League placings and Cup runs so he was accepted, begrudgingly in many cases. Being nice or charming even and being successful are entirely different criteria. For Boro manger I want an achiever not a dreamer or really nice guy, if he happens to be so then great but please results first because the pleasantries are negotiable.
Long term management strategies are great long term but Football is a results business, surviving or failing on instant gratification and achievement making it short term by nature. SG needs to get us up, how and with whom he achieves that is irrelevant to me, just do whatever it takes. If GM achieves it then great but the fans need to see immediate signs that it is going to happen, the gelling period along with the honeymoon period is well and truly over. His team selection alone today will give us an early indication of where his head is at.
Pedro,
Did you manage to get the stream?
Just got mine, go to their website and match centre, then match pass.
I must admit after Boro lost to Bournemouth in the Caraboa Cup, I didn’t pay much attention the the quarter-final draw as I had little interest – which for reasons still not clear was only due to be streamed on Twitter at 4pm on Thursday.
Anyway, it appears they had ‘technical problems’ and there was still no news an hour later at 5pm and the EFL finally released a statement at 5:15pm – “Twitter engineers continue to work on the problem. The EFL will be bringing you the draw as soon as is practically possible”. Then a further 30 minutes passed before a message that the draw had taken place invited people to “Take a look at the pre-recorded video and see who your team got”.
So after a news blackout for nearly 2 hours and then the release of a pre-recorded video of a draw that had managed to keep the four big teams of Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City and Man Utd apart, conspiracy theories are being voiced that the draw was maybe fixed.
It got me thinking of how you could indeed fix the draw with an unedited video of it being released? Well the easiest way is perhaps to just repeating the draw several times until you got the outcome you desired – but that would probably take err… a couple of hours…
Werder are you suggesting some sort of collusion between sponsors, those running the game and certain “big clubs”! I don’t know how anyone could think such practises would even be contemplated😉
My thoughts exactly Werder.
I haven’t actually looked for the draw yet, but it does sound to me that the draw was rigged if the top teams have been kept apart.
I wrote a few blogs back that at that point we weren’t in must win territory. After the poor run of results I now think we are, not just to get our hopes of promotion back on the rails, but to give anyone and anything with a love of all things Boro a much needed lift and restore some confidence.
Boroexile
I would go with that same team as the front 4 should be able to keep most champo defences busy, while the back 6 are usually good enough to break things up and defend most situations. Unfortunately not this season though. Also agree that 6 points from the next 3 games could be the watershed for Monks managerial tenure.
Ben signing a new deal is great news as either way we win if he stays, promotion or not, and it adds a couple of million to his transfer fee if he does leave, something I sincerely don’t want to happen.
Putting my head back on the block I’m going for a moral lifting 1-2 to the Boro, I’ve got to get one right so hoping it starts today.
I think the timing of Ben signing was intended as a bit of positive PR spin for the unwashed masses but more likely with astute commercial acumen behind it. If as I and a few others suspect that it is more the latter than the former then that tells an uncomfortable story of what may be going on behind the scenes.Words like acceptance and inevitability uncomfortably come to mind, hope I’m wrong.
So moving on to today’s game – I’m actually feeling confident of a victory today. Although Boro have only shown bits of form and have made quite a few basic errors, I think there is the potential for the players to put in a decent enough performance to actually win a game.
There were signs that some of the players were performing quite well against Cardiff – Fabio, Leadbitter, Braithwaite and Downing. Then it’s possible Ayala is starting to lose some of his rustiness after another 90 minutes at Bournemouth and with Gibson signing a new 5-year contract it may also give him a boost and he may no longer be distracted. A functioning centre-back pairing will also relieve pressure on Randolph.
Then there’s Adama, who looked a threat in mid-week and again made another assist and must surely be favourite over Fletcher to start. That gives us 7 or 8 players who may just be about getting on their game, which could provide a critical mass to come out on top against a Reading side who are struggling.
If Adama comes in then he could be given more of a free role in attack but most likely on the right – apparently Braithwaite likes to play left-side so that could leave Downing in the number 10 playmaker role. Although, I’m not confident Assombalonga is playing well enough to start I’d expect Monk to give him another chance. I also think Howson will start with Leadbitter as the manager ultimately believes he can be more of a playmaker than Clayton.
Expected XI
Randolph
Christie, Ayala, Gibson, Fabio
Leadbitter, Howson
Adama, Downing, Braithwaite
Assombalonga
Score: Reading 1 – 3 Boro
Scorers: Braithwaite, Gibson, Assombalonga
For that to happen GM will need to have his “damascene moment” today.
Never say never!
A braver choice would be to go with players who were playing with confidence and drop Assombalonga to the bench, then play Braithwaite up top instead and bring in young Tavernier on the left while he’s still buzzing.
The worst case scenario is that he starts with Johnson and Fletcher instead!
Rumour is that Tavernier is starting today so looks like you may get your wish Werder!
Randolph
Christie Ayala Gibson Fabio
Howson Leadbitter
Downing Braithwaite Tavernier
Assombalonga
You got that teamsheet a lot earlier than it was published 😉 Looks like Monk has gone for the more controlled pace of Tavernier rather than Adama, but has stuck with Britt – so I imagine Downing on the right. Not a bad selection for me, plenty of intelligent confident ball players on the pitch – let’s hope it’s the team to finally win!
It will be interesting to see if Downing is Central or Right or indeed if Braithwaite is Left or Central?
Have not had an internet connection at home since Monday but pleased to say it’s now back up and running.
Have had to take Mrs P out to lunch a few times this week so we can pick up emails via iPad and through the free wi-fi at various restaurants!
Managed to dip in and out of the blog at the same time. Missed the radio commentary of Tuesday’s match so thanks to RR for his report.
Glad I did not pay MFC for the radio feed before the internet went down!
Will be watching the match today via the EFL stream. I am not as optimistic as Werdermouth on today’s result and fear it may be same old same old as I have seen little to convince me that we can produce a performance as a collective unit. We also seem to have had a habit of struggling against Reading in the past and allied to the fact that, Bolton apart, we have struggled against some average to poor sides, it does not fill me with any great degree of confidence.
I would like to see the following team:
Randolph
Christie, Ayala, Gibson & Friend
Leadbitter & Howson
Traore, Bamford & Braithwaite
Assombalonga
I have gone for Traore on the basis of RR’s report which seemed to indicate that he had more involvement on Tuesday and was a threat. I have not included Downing as I felt against Cardiff that he saw a lot of the ball but failed to deliver anything meaningful with regard to corners/free kicks or crosses. I am also convinced that Bamford should be played in the number 10 role behind Assombalonga.
I think GM has little option but to go out with a positive attempt to win the game as we need a run of wins if we are going to stay in touch with the top six and keep away from the trap door. Additionally, any more defeats are going to increase the pressure on his position which is already precarious.
GM talked about enjoying working with thinking footballers. Well now is the time to stop thinking and start doing.
Reading 0-1 Boro – but not predicted with any confidence and feeling nervous about the outcome.
CoB time to get your act together please! 😎
Friend was poor the other night and rally hasn’t got his act together for over a season now
Pity I liked the guy and his enthusiasm but he’s not doing it on the pitch
Don’t think Monk will pick Bamford from the start but we’ll know in 10 minutes
In Toon for a wedding. Relying on you lot. Good news is that my son is best man so can insult several geordies.
Oi!
Aam a Geordie tae Bonny lad divvent ye be pokin fun at allus !
OFB
I would go along with KP’s selection, but with Clayton rather than Howson in mid field.
Not having any confidence today, I am going for a 3-1 defeat. 2-0 down after 25 mins and then waking up to make a fist if it… 2-1 and us pushing on for an equaliser lose a sucker punch counter attacking goal bear the end.
Powmill,
You have the same level of optimism and confidence as I do.
UTB,
John
Oh dear it sounds so likely doesn’t it ?
Walks away shaking his head and wailing woe is me ………
Tavernier makes his league debut. Traore and Bamford on bench.
CoB 😎
I’ve been a fan for many years,
Lots of groans, but lots of cheers.
Once a club in liquidation;
Very much now a realisation –
Every game is vital now.
The away supporters should take a bow,
Hero’s all, and what is more,
Endless cheers when Boro score.
But now’s the time not to concede,
Outplay our rivals, take the lead.
Remember then this could be the day,
Over to Boro – let’s win away.
The first letter of each line read downwards gives my thoughts – “I love the Boro”.
Thanks for the link Werder…….paid my 6 euros and I am now hoping the match page will just pop up. Still struggling to navigate around the site and actually know that I am on the correct page.
I may just have to ask for one of the watchers to post the URL of the actual match.
Sorry about this.
Happy with the team apart from Bamford
Reasonably happy with the team selection. Can Monk now get them playing as a cohesive and committed unit?
Logged on …..phew And on the TV screen aswell.
Get in you little beauty – well done Grant and Britt. CoB 😎
My my my
Brilliant… We score first
Get In There
COB
Well taken penalty from Grant.
Scrappy game though with very little creativity from both sides. Tavenier has to also take his chance. Two or three times he has had a ball played past the full back and has elected to pass it back.
Boro need to force the play a little more in the second half….they look a little suspect at the back.
Well. 2-0. I’ll take that, but it didn’t sound convincing. Looking forward to reading RR’s report and to reading the comments of everyone that was able to see the match.
Let’s hope it marks a turning point for us as Hull City beckons next.
Vital. Get in!!
Maybe not particularly convincing but at the moment I don’t care.
At last another win and three points on the board, which currently has us in 11th but only two points off the play-offs. In terms of overall performance it was nothing to write home about but it was more solid and thankfully no careless defensive errors. I thought Leadbitter was probably Boro’s best and Howson did quite well alongside him too. Assombalonga didn’t do much other than win a soft penalty and score a good header 🙂 so I’ll let him off any major criticism – though for most of the game he was either playing out wide or too deep and if he’s in the team he needs service as he doesn’t really have the feet to provide it for others.
So a little bit of pressure off and hopefully something to build on!
Where was Clayton????
Has he got a knock or naughty step?
Good result
Positives
Clean sheet
Ayala gets his mojo back
Scoring 2 goals
Looked comfortable seeing the game out.
Negatives
Still going backwards when in good positions.
Letting them out of defence too easily when penned in the corner.
Lost nearly every second ball.
Over to RR for his assessment, it may be different from mine as the stream was really poor.
I didn’t even see that Johnson came on as it froze so often.
Forgot to add in the negative column.
No pace!!!
Not a convincing display but great to get a win. As you say OB there are still a lot of areas that need work. Lack of pace would have been addressed in the second half by bringing on Traore instead of Johnson. He would have terrified the Reading defence.
Wonderful that my inherent Teesside pessimism and prediction got a good solid slap around the ears from Boro. Brilliant. I’m thrilled to be wrong.
OK RR, I await your masterpiece of a report.
A pint is now going to be poured. How a win lifts the mood.
UTB,
John
Grateful for 3 points. Hope it is a turning point.
Well that’s the last time this year Boro will kick off at 10pm for us.
11pm from now on.
Why can’t you poms leave yer clocks alone
3 points were absolutely crucial today , we got them. Thank you.
Now lets continue on Tues.
A grateful 3 points today that have been a long time coming. Wasn’t there so won’t comment on performances but safe to say it didn’t sound the most exciting game, but I’ll take that away from home anytime against anyone in this division. A corner turned or just a slight deviation from the path we are on?
Another difficult away game on Tuesday and I’d take a boring scrappy 0-1 right now.
Just heard on Tees that the England under 17 side have won the under 17 World Cup beating Spain 5-2. A big well done to them👏👏👏
We have lost 4 games.
Same as Sheffield United at the top.
It’s the draw that kill you in this league.
‘Happy days are here again. The sky is clear and….!’
A wins a win and after, what is it 6 games without it feels good. (Don’t let anyone tell you Spartak didn’t predict the win- oh you doubting Thomases-lol).
Now onto Hull City where we shake and come alive or lose and do a dive back into mid-table mediocracy. Hopefully, there will be a bit more lead in the pencil now, spiritus vitae to the fore. That’s if GM has the nous not to tinker too much.
I’ve just quickly posted up Redcar Red’s match report as I attempt to successfully negotiate dinner…
https://diasboro.club/2017/10/27/championship-reading-vs-boro/#MatchReport
2-0 little ripper that has lifted the tone somewhat now on to Hull and another victory.
Kickoffs now at 2am in Sydney so long nights ahead .
Well done to the under 17s in the World cup, Australia beat England in the Rugby league World cup thanks to the Aussie ref! (How you can play a match without a neutral referee is a joke )
Yes, 2am is getting to be a bit difficult. Might have to rely on replays. Easier for those in Perth where time difference is 3 hours less.
Just back from a weeks walking holiday in the Lakes, a Boro win is a great way to fnish the week.
I’d almost forgotten how a win feels.
First of all many congratulations to England’s Under 17s for a brilliant comeback from two goals down to beat Spain 5-2 and win the World Cup. Amazing also to have beaten Brazil in the semifinal, two of probably the best three footballing countries, certainly at senior level, in the World.
And also, as I predicted and hoped for in my latest poem just prior to the kickoff, congratulations to Boro in recording their second away win of the season. A win on Tuesday night at Hull would give Boro an average of 3 points in every 2 away games which could mean 34/35 away points, an acceptable number for a team aiming for a playoff position if only we could accumulate an average of two points a game in our home matches. Let’s hope the tide has turned!
On another theme I enjoy watching some of the players outside of the Premier League, certainly these five :-
1. Charlie Wyke at Bradford; although he didn’t score today, one of Boro’s finest academy players to not quite make it with us.
2. Tony McMahon,another ex Boro player also now playing for Bradford, tremendous striker of a ball for a fullback with 9 goals last season many from free kicks, but also inurable assists from dead balls.
3. Billy Sharp, 32 year old but scored 30 last season for Sheffield United and still scoring this season; excellent for a small man, but a knack of being a poacher in the Jimmy Greaves mold and one who I believe was on Mogga’s radar when managing Boro.
4.James Coppinger, one of our own who never played for Boro, but another maker of goals who has been a good servant for lower division clubs.
5. Adebayo Akinfenwa, the rotund Wycombe Wanderers striker who never breaks into a sweat, would probably take 60 seconds to do 100 metres, but who scored 18 goals in all matches last season, and makes me smile the way he ambles around especially having just scored.
None of these players would ever make it in the Premier League, but have given me much enjoyment over recent seasons.
Our friends in Straya could always avoid knowing the result and watch it the next day……
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IQOVhtjL2rc
Boro managed to put their clocks back to early september yesterday to record their first win since the QPR comeback and also they managed to score first in a game since the 3-0 victory at Bolton. Such is the shock in Diasboro-land that it seems most have been stunned into silence.
Thanks to Redcar Red for providing another great match report before BST (Boro Summertime) ends and the dark nights hopefully ride in to rescue Boro’s season. In some ways yesterday’s game was a back-to-basics performance for Boro – where trying to keep it tight with a good solid shape enabled us to comfortably soak up earlier pressure from Reading, then try to counter.
I agree with RR that Reading visibly wilted after the penalty as up until that point they seemed full of energy – also the clash of heads incident appeared to further disrupt their game as they played with a man down for ten minutes or so.
Assombalonga was a popular choice for MoTM by many but personally I’m not seeing a player who offers much more than Rudy Gestede – he doesn’t have the quick feet or first touch to hold the ball up or bring others into play and whilst you can admire his energy and commitment to chase down defenders, it’s not a £15m upgrade on what is essentially for most of the game a occupying role.
The penalty awarded was soft and I think there was no immediate danger from Britt, so it was the kind of defensive error that we’d got used to Boro making. Interesting, Assombalonga initially tried to claim the ball to take the penalty but Grant was have none of it and reminded him that he was both the penalty taker and the captain with an outstretched arm that clearly said NO! A wise choice as Leadbitter made no mistake on converting the crucial kick.
I thought Leadbitter was leading by example in the middle of the pitch and was quicker in the challenge than those around him, plus he organised and pointed at others. Howson seemed to have upped his game too and also looked sharp and spotted a few opportunities in the game to drive forward to win unexpected challenges, plus his cross for the second goal was probably something that maybe Clayton wouldn’t have delivered.
Tavernier deservedly got his start but didn’t get into the game as much as at Bournemouth – maybe it was easier for him with the left-footed Friend making runs down the touchline to give him space in midweek. I also thought Johnson looked better than his last outing at Brentford when he came on and made a few decent runs.
So a much needed win but not a particularly good passing game for Boro – we lost the ball too often trying to play out from the back and also attempted too many aimless long balls for Tavernier and Assombalonga to chase. Monk said that he deliberately decided to play a bit more solid and will try to be more expansive once the team got a few results. It sounds like he’s chosen pragmatism over continuing with his desired style of play in the short-term, which is a good idea as it’s far easier to play football when confidence has returned on the back of much-needed results.
Bit unfair on Assombalonga there. If he keeps up this ratio he’ll be 20+ for the season.
Not bad considering he’s received very little service of late.
You may find that unfair but I’m just making an honest assessment of what I’ve seen so far. After watching most games this season, where Assombalonga has played in all of them I just don’t think he’s in anyway got the ability of a player in the £15m bracket (though that was his market value). OK, he may well get 20 goals this season and I won’t complain about that, which will be an improvement on his haul last season of 14 (2 pens) that helped him finish joint 11th in the Championship strikers table. I just don’t think he has the ability to go any further than the Championship and he will struggle against top defenders.
He’s probably not as good as someone like Nugent for example, who also struggled in the top-flight. His strength is basically his strength and he’s been fairly decent in the six-yard box, particularly with his head – I can’t argue that his stats of 7 from 14 games don’t look impressive on paper but I’m essentially looking at him from the point of view of his footballing ability on the pitch. Maybe the heavy first touch, awkward feet or passing ability doesn’t matter if he gets his personal target of 20 goals – but then you need to play to his strengths not his weaknesses to get the best out of him.
There’s a quote often heard in football……”yes, but apart from scoring goals, what else does he do?
That has to be one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. As far as I’m concerned, if I had a striker in my team who could score at a ratio of every other game, I would be delighted!
He could sit on the halfway line in a camping chair reading the Racing Post for all I could care, as long as the goals were going in.
Have to agree with you there, GHW. Strikers are for striking the ball into the opposition net, period. They do that and they’ve earned their corn.
Is this 99?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La4Dcd1aUcE&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I believe so and this should be the 100 unless I have missed!
KP
99 always gives me an opportunity to post a video of my fantasy German girl of my youth 🙂
Never met her more’s the pity.
🙁
Still, my favoured German Bundesliga 1 team beat Dortmund yesterday. Had the pleasure of living, working and drinking copious amounts of German beer in both cities during the nineties.
Happy days of yore
Spartakboro
A great looking girl with a great song!
Good reports as usual from Redcar Red and Werdermouth, also a fair appraisal from AV in the Gazette.Surprised though that a few Boro fans who claimed to have been there that it was a poor performance from Boro and not an indication that Boro had turned the corner. They also allege that the Gazette reporters didn’t see the same match that they had seen; they appear to be aggressively anti Monk though, so I’m not sure whether much credence can be given to their views, if indeed they were actually at the match.
I agree that from Maddo’s comments on the radio commentary, Boro were not at their best, but surely a solid win in the Karanka mold was what was required and urgently needed to instil some confidence in the team for the future. We also now appear to have two captains on the pitch, not a bad thing in my opinion. Leadbitter obviously sets a good example cajoling the team from midfield, but Ben Gibson organises the defence. He appeared to twice admonish Fabio, once for not keeping close to him, and also for giving away an unnecessary free kick in a dangerous area. Ben also apparently rebuked Bamford for a misplaced pass which put the defence under needless pressure in stoppage time.
I would hope that Boro continue to play ugly away from home, as that is what Sheffield United, Cardiff and Leeds tend to do. It’s the home performances which will determine where we finish at the end of the season.
Got to disagree with you there Werder re Assombalonga.
Different era and all that but I don’t recall Bernie doing much apart from putting the ball in the net. We’ve been crying out for an out and out goal scorer for years and, PB aside for 1 season, we haven’t had one since Rav who got nearly half his goals in cup games if memory serves.
Brit has 7 goals so far and is on track for 20+ goals for the season if he stays fit. He can be his own worse enemy coming out wide or deep for the ball but if we’re not playing to his strengths then that’s hardly his fault is it.
At the other end of the pitch it was really pleasing to keep a clean sheet with Danny and Ben at the heart of it. Still not convinced Fabio is a better left back than George, though the latter hasn’t hit the heights of a couple of seasons ago, so I can accept why GM selects him ahead of George.
Anyhoo a couple of days before our next “must not lose” game at Hull. I’ll be on the wrong side of the Pennines for work so I’ve subscribed to the audio commentary on Tees. Avoid defeat there and it will set us up nicely for the Mackems.
No, I’m sure I won’t get too many agreeing with my view on Assombalonga but that’s football opinions for you. Having said that, I made the point in an earlier reply to GHW with similar thoughts to what you’ve mentioned about the need to play to his strengths and not his weaknesses. His individual stats may look good but that must also be viewed in the context of Boro not really scoring enough goals in comparison to other teams in the Championship – that needs to improve if we want to move up the table as only two teams outside the bottom six have scored less.
Weirder
Having read the original blog, and the opposing views.
I have every admiration for the man who puts it into the net, but.
A player who has the ball coming at him with his back to goal must feed the midfield coming at him in the hope of continuing the attack.
If the ball constantly cannons off his body at any angle then there will not be many goals scored. Which is what is happening at the moment.
I felt Britt ran and chased down lost causes putting their defence under pressure as a consequence. He didn’t have a lot of the ball admittedly but he put in a shift off the ball and kept McShane occupied much to his annoyance. He has 7 goals to his name in a misfiring side, the joint top Championship Scorers have 8 goals so he is there or thereabouts although the others didn’t cost £15M of course. Had Grant let him take the Penalty (and scored of course) he would be joint top scorer and I have no idea if the others take penalties.
Yesterday was a great example of what Grant brings to the team, he is a leader, motivator and organiser. Not being the greatest footballer isn’t a requirement for those qualities but without them we struggle, those type of footballers are worth their weight in gold. The Penalty incident was great to see him exert his authority and Britt acceding to it and of course that confident self belief ripping the roof of the net off. Ben with Ayala will hopefully start to pay dividends as Dani looked to be getting back to his best showing just how difficult it is to get back to match sharpness at this level as oppose to just fitness. George I suspect is in a similar place and will need some game time to feel his way back in.
Yesterday wasn’t great as a spectacle but the result justified the means. Stam clearly wasn’t impressed with the way Boro set themselves up bemoaning how defensive we were. Hopefully GM has taken the decision to build foundations keeping it tight at the back returning to a Karankaesque success formula but he has the players to offer a real threat at the opposite end and break with “pace and power”. I felt that Britt yesterday was a worry to the Reading defenders (at least those that weren’t concussed) and that allied to the defence was the difference in the two sides.
Plato it also depends on the quality of the pass made to the striker with his back to goal.
Come on BORO.
Exmil
Yes it’s true, but to watch a real artist at hold up play, is to think that he can handle anything thrown at him.
Well I said earlier that a win, any win would do and that is what we got.
It was back to basics and generally the defence and midfield contained the Royals to only a couple of half chances. It was a good time to play them as you could see that their self belief was low especially after the penalty, which I thought was one of the softest seen for a long time. Britt made the most of it and got the shout which I do not think he would of got in the PFL.
Leadbitter was MotM with his drive and the committment, that word again, to take the penalty. And the second goal well taken playing to Britts strengths. Get the ball into the box in a decent position and he will get more than his share of goals.
I can see a little where Werder is coming from, but it is hard to argue against one in two, when the team has not been creating or giving the service to the front runners. Also thought it was harsh to quote last years goals and scoring position. He had a disrupted saeson, but actually scored 14 goals from just 20 starts and 12 as sub.
For all our stuttering start and points thrown away with unenforced goals and poor defending at times…..only Cardiff have a better defensive record of 10 against….typical Warnock. It is up front that is the major problem especilly after the attacking buys. Only 6 teams have less goals scored.
However to be fair the the new buys, one has been injured and the other have been generally been feeding off scraps. Cut out the mistakes at the back, improved and consistent midfield performances, and more balls into our forwards actually when they are in the box.
I thought yesterday, although it was only Reading,and at times like watching paint dry….. was much improved. Thought that Ben and Dani looking more like two seasons ago and Grant being Grant and Howson finally looking why we bought him.
We now need more of the same basics with a little less sideways passing and better service upfront to Britt.
Sorry about the typos
The best thing about yesterday was approaching the game with a clear plan and having the team focussed on it and determined to carry it out. That has not been evident in many games so far and has been the most worrying factor.
With the squad and firepower we have, we don’t need a great deal more to win a lot of games at this level.
Agreed!
🙂
Britt clearly isn’t a great all round player.
However it is folly not to play to his strength (s?) and by scoring yesterday he demonstrated what he can do when he does.
When I have seen him play he certainly puts a shift in. It should be recognised he doesn’t lack effort, not something you can say of more talented players to recently wart our shirt.
The price we paid to buy him is irrelevant in that it doesn’t make him a better or worse player. Next year football’s ssnseless inflation will be probably see him worth £20m or £25m, but he probably have improved by 30 percent.
*wart the shirt.
Obviously meant ‘wear’ but wart also seems appropriate.
Wart is better than fart, me think, too. UTB!
Agreed
I’d rather have farts on my fingers but don’t know about having any on my nose !
Many thanks to RR for his match report which provides a fair and balanced assessment of a hard won three points. Also thanks to Werdermouth for his concise précis of yesterday’s performance.
I agree with Andy R that it was good at last to see the team have a plan and to operate to it. We were far more organised and structured in our approach especially when we did not have the ball.
We have clearly benefitted from GL’s return to the side as he provides the drive and organises and cajoles those around him aided by BG. I think someone mentioned earlier in the week that it might not be a bad idea for GM to talk to the senior players and to ascertain how they managed to keep so many clean sheets the last time we were in the Championship. It appears he may have done so as we looked more like an AK team when defending yesterday.
Still areas to improve on, like not losing the ball when trying to clear our lines by trying to pass our way out of trouble and hitting too many long balls which clear our forward line and concede possession.
Let’s hope that yesterday was a turning point and that we can now build upon the positives of a more settle defence and a midfield that performed more like it should do.
There is no EFL stream from Hull so for those Diasboro based overseas we will need to listen to the match via the MFC website. A win at Hull would be great but if offered I would take a point. 😎
Just listening to the match, it was frightening to hear that they were playing with nine men (three minutes)
Then with ten men (ten minutes)
During that time we kept losing the ball, they had a couple of shots, we were generally without either the ambition or the know how to finish it quickly with a couple of goals. Hmm!
About the penalty. At first seeing it seems a bit soft but it was not for pulling but cliping of feet from behind. AV and the Gazette were sure it was a penna, too.
Also the ref was just a few yards away and gave the penna immediately. And the Royals did not complain much, either.
An excellent result. Let’s hope the results improve now. And absolutely love we have a striker who can get 20+ goals a season.
How many Nugent got at best? Eight goals a season at best for Boro. And Britt has seven already now. Boy, I would love a Boro player to top the goal scoring charts at the end of the season. Please give the boy some credit.
Up the Boro!
Managed to get there yesterday, a great and fair match report from Redcar Red. Don’t get me wrong I am happy to get the 3 points but I still have nagging doubts that we are flattering to deceive, Reading were poor and we should have finished it off sooner than we did. We need to move the ball forward so much more quickly and when we did (for the second goal) we looked a real threat. Overall though it was a tad like watching an AK side (except with goals!). I don’t understand the GM out posse, we’ve got a capable young English manager who is not afraid to give youth a chance as we saw yesterday (Tavernier), he has had to repair a fractured dressing room and has had a wholesale change of playing staff. It was always going to take time, I appreciate though that this is not a fashionable view! Fantastic to see Grant back at his snarling best urging us all on after the penalty went in and Britt was a real nuisance all afternoon and had the Reading fans foaming at the mouth. Hopefully onwards and upwards.
Yesterday there looked to be some semblance of a game plan with players playing to instructions of some kind. It wasn’t great on the eye but it did look like there was a script at least. The seeming lack of a coherent game plan is one of the main reasons Monk has slipped down the popularity charts on Teesside.
Yesterday it looked like he got his head around things and started to address previous failings and flaws. If he continues to build on a settled side and tactics he may turn things around and grow which is what we all hope for Yesterday wasn’t outstanding by any means but it did represent a step in the right direction after some tough times. Those tough times arguably shouldn’t have been as bad as they were for many of us considering the quality for the squad at his disposal and the time, understanding and patience afforded him through August and September.
Onwards and upwards hopefully!
Good Post
I don’t think it’s a case of GM out that posters were saying as really a groundswell of dissatisfaction that with the signing of proven championship players that Boro didn’t seem to have a settled side.
I think on the whole the Boro fans have been very patient so far after relegation and a poor set of results.
Hopefully we are on the way up now
OFB
OFB, I was saying Monk out and I am still saying it. One swallow does not a Spring make.
Personally I think it was such a change in personnel management and tactics to expect us to smash the league straight away is unreasonable.
If in another two months we are still not in touch with the playoff pack then I would reluctantly agree with you
But that is why we have this blog for everyone to voice their opinions diverse or otherwise
OFB
Ken, what are your memories of the great Allan Peacock who is 80 years today? For me he is a great name from the Boro history but of course I never saw him play.
In the Gazette former team-mate Gordon Jones says: “Boro beat Brighton 9-0 and Clough scored five – but for me Alan was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch that day.
“He set up most of Brian’s goals and got a couple of his own. He did so much work. He was so unselfish. He was incredible. I knew from day one how good he was.”
Congratulations to one of our all time heroes. Up the Boro!
Jarkko, my Dad was not a huge football follower and it went to see a handful of games during he time he had the family in Middlesbrough and on of those games happens to be that very game, Boro 9 – Brighton 0. Clough, he liked to tell me, was rubbish that day, doing no more than get in the way of the ball. He (Dad) agreed that Peacock was definitely the main man, at least on that day.
Jarkko
I see Alan Peacock at most home games and hopefully will have a chat with him and post his thoughts on the blog
OFB
My earliest memories of Alan Peacock was in my older Brother’s Topical Times Football Annual one Christmas bedecked in a Leeds kit (circa mid 60’s) although upon reflection it may have been in an edition of Charles Buchan’s Football Monthly!
I never realised he played for Boro until much later in life. Looking it up tonight (to try and find the original picture I have in my childhood mind out of curiosity and nostalgia) on the internet I came across an old Boro team photo with Alan in it and there was also a Braithwaite and a Gibson in the same picture (and also a Chapman). I wondered if there are any family connections? I doubt it especially with Braithwaite but who knows, well probably Ken might 🙂
Jarkko & Powmill
I think a historical analysis might be helpful here. The Boro had been relegated from the First Division at the end of season 1953/54 for the first time since 1929, and in fact had been ever present in the top tier except for four years (the Camsell era) since 1902. Mickey Fenton had retired in 1950 and Wilf Mannion had left in 1954, so it was a transitional period for the club. Boro had drawn their first match in the Second Division, but then lost the next 8 matches and a second relegation seemed to be a probability. In actual fact they bought several players including an aging centre forward Charlie Wayman from Preston, and recovered to finish safely in 12th position.
The following season Wayman was injured after 3 matches, so they bought Ken McPherson who, after scoring 3 goals in his first 3 matches, also got injured so they had no option than to give Brian Clough, a teenager at the time, his debut on 17th September until Wayman recovered with McPherson as his strike partner. Alan Peacock made his debut as an inside forward in a 2-7 thrashing against Bristol Rovers on 26th November, was then dropped until 10th March when he played as the centre forward. Clough and Peacock never played together that season at the end of which Wayman retired and McPherson left. It had been a miserable season and Boro finished 14th.
The following season 1956/57 Doug Cooper played in the first match as centre forward to be replaced by Clough in the next match scoring 38 goals in his 41 matches. Peacock only played 4 times as his partner and scored just the once as Boro finished 6th. Unfortunately I was doing my National Service that season, and the following season when Peacock played alongside Clough I was in Singapore so didn’t see Boro play at all, but for the record Clough scored 40 league goals in 40 matches and Peacock scored 15 in 22 matches with Boro finishing 7th.
The first match in the following season was the 9-0 thrashing of Brighton and I didn’t see that match either as I had just arrived in England awaiting demob. However I did see Clough and Peacock play together in most of the home games in the next three seasons when Clough scored another 116 league goals in 123 matches and Peacock scored 47 in 103 matches. What I can confirm is that Peacock was an unselfish player, and that Clough had a large ego. It was well documented at the time that Clough told his teammates that he was the goal scorer and that it was their job to provide the passes; it was NOT their job to score. Clough was never an easy colleague to play with, was often described as arrogant and very single minded, and his headstrong approach didn’t endear him to others in the dressing room. In fact during the 1959/60 season in a 7-1 away win at Derby he was reported as not being too pleased that Peacock scored 4 goals and he was goalless. He was captain that season and in late November some of his teammates signed a “round robin” letter to try to have him stripped of the captaincy, a tactic that failed as the crowd were vociferous in their support of him. That was a minority of his colleagues, probably mainly defenders who he had openly criticised for conceding 64 goals whilst the forwards scored 90, 52 of which were scored by himself and Peacock.
I know OFB sometimes sees Alan Peacock, and I think he might confirm that AP was not a signatory to the “round robin” letter and that has never criticised Clough, certainly not in the public domain. Peacock was, and still is a gentleman, in the Harold Shepherdson mold, and seemed quite happy to be the unselfish provider of many of Clough’s goals. Clough was not known as a goalscorer’s assistant; he saw himself as a finisher, and one cannot really quibble at that as his goal tally in league matches for Boro was a phenomenal 197 in 213 matches, a ratio beating Camsell’s 325 in 418 league matches, but it’s interesting to note that Alan Peacock in the three seasons after Clough left, scored 60 league goals in 83 matches, and in total 125 goals in 218 matches which is the fourth best strike rate of those who have scored 100 or more goals for Boro albeit in the Second Division, and goodness knows how many assists he made.
The following table emphasises his value to the Boro :-
George Camsell (1925 to 1939) 325/418=77.75%
George Elliott (1909 to 1925) 203/344=59.01%
Brian Clough (1955 to 1961) 197/213=92.49%
John Hickton (1966 to 1978) 159/415=38.31%
Mickey Fenton (1932 to1950) 147/240=61.25%
Alan Peacock (1955 to1964) 125/218=57.34%, but as the main striker when Clough left 60/83=72.29%
Bernie Slaven (1985 to 1993) 118/307=38.44%
Wilf Mannion (1936 to 1954) 100/350=28.57%
Incidentally Brian Clough only played 2 matches for England, but didn’t score, although he did once score all 5 goals for Football League Xl in a match. Alan Peacock played 6 matches for England including 2 World Cup matches scoring 3 times.
I meant to add that George Camsell as well as holding the Boro record of scoring 59 league goals in only 37 matches in 1926/27, also has the highest scoring ratio for England, his 18 goals coming in only 9 appearances.
Thanks, greatly appreciated. Love this blog, me. Up the Boro!
When I replied to Jarkko’s question regarding Alan Peacock I hadn’t seen the Gazette article about him and apart from the statistical references I was speaking from memory, so I think my assessment of the situation was fairly accurate. However, one thing I omitted to write about was his heading ability. He was and still is a tall man, much taller than Brian Clough.
I didn’t mean to imply that the two men didn’t get on, but Clough has always had a big opinion of himself and was certainly a tad jealous of AP, because he hadn’t his heading ability. I can’t recall Clough ever scoring with his head, although I suppose he must have done sometimes. In those days all teams played with 5 forwards and Boro played with two wingers, Billy Day on the right and Eddie Holliday on the left, two inside forwards Derek McLean and Alan Peacock, with Brian Clough in the middle. Peacock certainly provided Clough with many chances because of his height, but I recall that McLean (a Brotton lad) and Bill Harris (a Welsh International right half back) also set up Clough with many of his goals.
Clough and Peacock were completely different types of strikers, most of Peacock’s goals coming by courtesy of the wingers. Clough was a goal poacher, a bit like Jimmy Greaves, but was a deadly finisher yet like George Camsell before him, never took penalties. That was left to Bill Harris who rarely missed, so had Clough taken them, he might have finished his career scoring with a ratio of a goal a game. At the time he was considered to be the best striker in the country, but was overlooked by the England selectors because he didn’t play for a First Division team, and when he was picked for England along with Eddie Holliday, he rarely got a scoring opportunity with Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Charlton also in the team.
Alan Peacock was certainly a good header of a ball, but I always considered a young Bill Gates, although playing in a different position, a more accurate one. Peacock of course won his England caps in the days of wingers which Alf Ramsey discarded for the 1966 World Cup.
To answer Redcar Red’s queries, Gibson, Braithwaite
and Chapman were no relation to the present day players, and I do remember them well, Ian Gibson particularly. He was a Scottish inside forward with great potential bought in 1981 from Bradford Park Avenue who were then a Third Division club. When with Boro he lived in Redcar and became friendly with some neighbours of mine. He was fairly small, but a good dribbler who made 168 league appearances and scored 44 goals, but never quite lived up to his potential. I think he did play for Scotland Under 21 but never became a full international player.
Bobby Braithwaite was an Irish winger bought from Linfield with 67 and one substitute league appearance for Boro scoring 12 goals. He earned 10 international caps for Northern Ireland.Neville Chapman was a full back, a local lad, who made 51 plus 2 substitute appearances for Boro.
In 1979 I had the pleasure of being in a ian Gibson’s company when I was working in Holland and Ian was working for a rigging company on offshore module yards
Ian was a great raconteur full of jokes and enjoyed his beer and a laugh
A mans man
RIP Ian
Brilliant as ever from “Encyclopedia Ken”, incredible font of knowledge. Extremely privileged to have him contributing on here. All those memories, stories and anecdotes recorded for time immemorial shared with us all on Diasboro!
I’ll ask him
I intend to ask him a series or questions for Diasboro if anyone has any other questions which you would like me to ask then just post them on here
OFB
OFB : Me thinks if we’re so far behind two months on it won’t matter a jot who’s in charge because we’ll not have a cat in hell’s chance of challenging for promotion.
I’ve said it before, get Monk out.
Only woofing like 🐕🐾🐾
Not as much criticism as I’d expected for my earlier Assombalonga observations but nevertheless some vaild points made in response. Pedro was right to pick me up on his record last season at Forest for not acknowledging that his missed decent chunk of the season with injury and Chris is right to point out that the transfer fee is immaterial from the player’s perspective – it should matter not one jot to a player what your club paid. In response to Jarrko, RR, GHW and others – I would also state I’m not doubting his effort and achievement in both scoring the goals and putting in a shift – I’m just looking at his overall game. Jarkko was also accurate in pointing out Nugent was much less prolific, though I was more thinking of him in the context of his workrate and running the line.
You can’t doubt that statistically that Britt is a 1 in 2 goal scorer, but I think it’s useful to judge a player on his performance during a game and not absolve him from judgement because of his statistical record. In general strikers will score their goals in bursts and not at the sequential rate of their average – therefore if a strikers scores two in a particular game is he off the hook for the next three since he’ll maintain his averages? I’d rather see a player subbed or coming off the bench when he’s in a lean spell rather than play him ahead of someone else who may be in better form.
In terms of using Assombalonga to chase down defenders it’s probably not ideal given that he’s more built for explosive runs rather than tireless running. I’m sure we have other forwards who could do better at that role for 90 minutes – in fact it’s to Britt’s credit that he has undertaken that role as it must be hard work for a big man to do this.
It was probably the Preston game when I was first made aware of the limitations to Assombalonga’s game, which was down to having local commentary with the iFollow video feed. The two local commentators were quite neutral and made quite few good observations, including a discussion on what kind of player £15m now got you in the Championship – they pointed out our new signings attributes, including ball retention, first touch and passing ability. Since then I’ve been noticing more Britt’s limitations during games and that he’s not looked comfortable in the role he’s been asked to play – plus he ends up in positions on the pitch where he’s not going to hurt the opposition (e.g. out wide or deep)
Of course this is not his fault if the manager has given him a role that doesn’t play to his strengths – I’m of the view Assombalonga is an out-and-out instinctive striker who needs service in the box and is not really the modern multi-tasking forward who receives the ball with his back to goal and brings in other forwards – he just doesn’t have quick feet as he’s quite well built and not light on his toes. He’s much more suited to having the ball played in front of him and holding off defenders with his upper-body strength.
The question for me is why did the club, presumably on behalf of the manager, sign this type of forward for such a large amount of cash if the game plan wasn’t designed to play to the strengths he had? Perhaps they just decided he was a 1 in 2 goal scorer and decided that is what the club needs – my view is that for the overall team performance and interactions between players it needs to be a much better fit.
Though fair play to Britt for putting in the effort and maintaining his personal target – my observations are on the wider picture not necessarily in his control.
Negredo, Rhodes and even Stuani came to mind reading (no pun intended) that Werder. Typical Boro, why would Britt be any diifferent!
On a related note massive respect to Fabio, Braithwaite and Assombalonga for their respect and kindness to the travelling Boro army: https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/social-media-reaction-to-boros-win-at-reading
That is a fair and reasoned opinion Werder.
Play the the persons strengths, something we have not been doing.
My old mucker was at the match and kindly sent me texts as I sat in a wedding reception in Newcastle. My son was best man, what else could you expect?
Mrs G asked why we kept looking at each other, she shook her head but I am sure the 2-0 win helped the best man’s confidence. We had a great day, in his speach Alex mentioned northerners early on because it was about ‘you lot’ because the brides side were Toon fans before, at the end, mentioning I was from Boro and Mrs G from York and he was a smoggie.
What was intriguing was the despite the fact the night out was round the corner from Hilton Gateshead very few went south of the river.
Toon !!!! I thought you said Troon when I replied to you the other day. Me and Mrs Powmill would never have married in the Toon …
Hope you had a great celebration all the same🍻
Good win at home for Girona against Real Madrid. Stuani equalising and Bernardo shackling Ronaldo. One for the underdogs.
Can’t sleep so just a quick post.
My first match to see the Boro was around 1953/4 when my father took me. I always thought that it was against Bury and we had drawn 2 all, i was not certain, but I believe Bury were only in the second division for two sesons at that time. I think that the other year we drew 0 all?
My next match, with friends in the old boys enclosure at the back, was against promoted Brighton, which others have said we won 9-nil.
We scored goals for fun in those days, however the defence let them in almost as quick as we scored them. We thrashed teams and also got beaten by high scores.
Peter Taylor was in goal then I think and there were always rumours about some of the defenders?….
i have a strange memory of Alan Peacock. I was just a little kid in the late fifties and was walking somewhere with my older brother when a car stopped to give us a lift. It was Alan Peacock and, naturally, I sat in the back. From that angle i could see that his neck muscles were incredible. I don’t know what he did to work on them but he was one of the best headers of a ball that I ever saw.
UTB
He lived on Ormesby Bank and his car was always parked on the drive 4APO
A bright green BMW CSL Coupe which are worth now at least £150k
I spoke to him about it a few weeks ago amd just shook his head either in sorrow or amazement I don’t really know
He used to own a newsagents in Ormesby Village but these days he lives out near the Cleveland Hills and has just turned 80
OFB
Lately I am unable to watch videos on the MFC website. Does anybody else have this problem? I was able to watch them a week ago and am wondering if there has been some alteration since?
Ken
Just watched Saturdays highlights here this afternoon with no problems.
Ken, I had the same problem with my iPad. I click the play button aand then the button just disapears…
But I had no problems with my PC.
Are using an iPad, too? UTB!
Yes, I do use an iPad and am having the same problems as you. Unfortunately I don’t have a PC.
I think Britt will be like many players, they all look better when the team are playing well
Lovely post from Ken
The thought of clough being envious of anybody brings a smile to the face
He was worshiped by the crowd of mostly young people precisely because he was neither overawed nor afraid of anyone.
It is an attitude expected of our striker, rarely achieved, but when it is accompanied by talent such as his, then worship is appropriate .
Think Grieves, or Kane today, the question of who supplies the ammunition is not appropriate, because in front of goal he was an animal(not with muscle) just reaction. Any old ball in to the box was manna from heaven to him.
I’ve seen him score whilst on his back on the ground.
One story will tell the tale.
Full house, mid week, Sheffield united? Thirty thousand, both near the top, desperately fought battle, no holds barred, the great man caught their centre half cold, in the net, 1-0 to the good lads,.
Their defenders said ” he did nothing, all he did was score”
Hmmm?
Brian Clough wasn’t liked by some of his colleagues, mainly defenders, because as he was all his life, he was outspoken, but he had certainly every right to be about Boro’s defending. I recall particularly three separate instances when he showed his displeasure with Boro’s centre halves.
The season when Boro had beaten Brighton 9-0 in the opening match, come the reverse fixture and Boro were leading 5-1 with two first half goals from Peacock and a second half hat trick from himself, but struggled to win 6-4. As the captain he had strong words to say about the defending that day.
The next season following a 0-5 defeat at Leyton Orient in October he again lambasted the defence, but this time reportedly during the match, and that was when the “round robin” letter started questioning his right to be captain, presumably because the forwards hadn’t scored either. Brian Phillips, the centre half was injured during that match and maybe we played with ten men. I can’t remember, but substitutes were not allowed in those days, so maybe the defenders felt Clough’s criticism wasn’t justified. What I do know is that Phillips played only one more match for Boro and that even Alan Peacock played centre half in three matches until we bought Ken Thomson from Stoke. Meanwhile the “round robin” letter gathered momentum, and eventually was presented to the Board of Directors who threw it out, and Clough received a hero’s welcome from the fans a few weeks later when he scored twice in a home win against Brighton.
But when Boro let a 4-1 lead slip to a 6-6 draw at Charlton the next season with his having scored another hat trick and with Ken Thomson now the centre half, he was reported in the press saying something on the lines that Boro might need to score double figures to win the next match.
It can be no coincidence that both Phillips and Thomson were involved later in the 1964 match-fixing scandal, the former being banned until 1971 and the latter serving a six month jail sentence, so were they betting against their own team? Certainly the 6-6 draw at Charlton seemed to suggest so.
Clough certainly didn’t suffer with an inferiority complex, but he did seem to envy Peacock’s heading ability, or was it that he preferred to have the ball played on the grass? After all when manager of Nottingham Forest he did make some comment to his players on the line of “if God had intended football to be played in the air he wouldn’t have invented grass but maybe concrete instead”.
An interesting debate re Assombalonga, for me a strikers (no.9) job is to score goals, he seems to be doing that pretty well. If he maintains his current strike rate to the end of the season for me he’ll be worth every one of his £15m. AK liked players such as Nugent because they worked hard, but hard work is pointless if there’s no end product. A for him not being good enough for the Prem, that’s almost certainly true as the vast majority of championship players aren’t, there are only a few current Boro players who could hack it in the prem. But if he scores the goals that get us promoted and we then give him away for free, it would be money well spent.
I never saw Alan Peacock play, a bit before my time and again a striker rate of a goal every second game is outstanding, but how can anyone say he was a better striker than Clough who scored a goal a game?
Strikers with high strike rates are a real rarity, which is why they command massive fees.
And finally! Interesting that Monk has said he’d gone for a more solid approach at Reading, it certainly got the job done. I’d be happy to see ‘solid’ continue through the season, because we’ve now got the flair players/goal scorers to score the goals we need when playing in a solid style. If we were to go back to Karankaesque tactics and win every game 2-0 I’m guessing we’d all be happy?
Looking forward to Hull and also praying this week is a watershed, the opportunity is there.
It’s true if Boro get promoted and Assombalonga gets the goals to do that then the £15m will have been deemed well spent. Though I’m still waiting to see if he is the kind of centre-forward we can rely on for goals against the better teams – so far he’s scored in 5 of our 14 league games with a brace against both of the bottom-three teams Burton and Bolton, he’s got another couple against two of the teams in the bottom six (Barnsley and Reading) with his other goal being the winner against 14th place QPR – as yet no goals against teams in the top half.
Though maybe that really tells us more about Boro than Assombalonga as we’ve only managed two goals in the seven games against teams in the top half of the league (i.e. one goal against Sheff Utd and Forest – no goals against Wolves, Cardiff, Villa, Norwich and Preston), with another against Fulham one place below us and two more in the other game Britt didn’t score in the dismal performance I unfortunately witnessed at home to struggling Brentford. That’s just 5 goals in the 9 games that Assombalonga didn’t score in – perhaps this is the story of our under-performing season so far?
interesting when talking about which Boro players are Premiership quality to see that Adam Clayton was dropped and not included in the squad for Saturday .
The Gazette picked that point up and suggested he may play at Hull tomorrow night.
My youngest son has been adamant that Clayton plays too many balls sideways and backwards and isn’t Premiership quality.
Now I’ve always liked Clayton but I must admit he does play a lot of safe passes and no killer balls.
Would be interesting to hear other views on him
OFB
Nigel, I did not see either player but former team-mate Gordon Jones says Peacock was the best ever striker playing for Boro. Better than Viduka or Ravanelli 🙂
BTW, how can a Boro lad be called Peacock? Is another meaning than a bird or butterfly – definitely not displaying himself ostentatiously in front of a mirror., this chap, no. Another meaning, too?
Up the Boro!
Ken I had the same problem trying to watch the highlights on my iPad yesterday and this morning but I just tried again (I never give up lol) to find it is now working, hope it does for you too.
Come on BORO.
My wife’s iPad is working now, too. Boro has fixed the problem. (I did twitter the club but never got an answer.) UTB!
Thanks, it’s now working ok.
Nigel
From what I have read, Britt worked hard on Saturday, irritating the life out of Readings defenders.
Is he a Premiership quality striker? Not yet which is why he plays for a Championship team Will he become a Premiership quality striker? Who knows?
One of my earliest Boro memories (albeit a hazy one) is at Elland Road in about ’61 or ’62. We won, I think beating Leeds 2-1. As I recall it (if the dementia isn’t getting a grip), Alan Peacock scored the winner late in the game.
You’re almost right Nikeboro. It was on 6th October 1962, and Alan Peacock did score the winning goal with three minutes remaining, but Boro won 3-2 with Ian Gibson and Bobby Hume scoring the others. It was a strange season that one, having lost 0-5 at home to Huddersfield in August and 1-6 at Newcastle four days later.
That was the season of high scoring away wins for Boro, 4-3 at Grimsby, 3-2 at Leeds, 4-3 at Charlton, 4-3 at Norwich and 5-4 at Plymouth, but also some hammerings 0-6 at Southampton. It became one of the worst winters, Boro didn’t play a match in January, the 3rd Round FA Cup match at First Division Blackburn not played until 5th March (a 1-1 draw), winning the replay 3-1 on a Monday before a crowd of 39,595, then losing the 4th Round match against Leeds the following Saturday before another large crowd of 39,672.
There was a large backlog of postponed matches to play that season and I particularly remember the last game of the season against Norwich on a Tuesday night when all the other matches in the 2nd Division had already been completed. There had been a tremendous thunderstorm that afternoon and only 7,626 spectators watched the match, but Boro having gone into the match in 8th position, won 6-2 to finish 4th with 49 points and a ridiculous goal record of 86 for and 85 against. Happy days though!
On the subject of strikers,
All clubs have their history of golden strikers, some more than others, but the story is the same. Always.
More than any other member of the team, they are loved. That is not too strong a word to use, for they are yours, in the most personal way, for they play the hero in the drama that is football.
For the fans who choose to announce that the second banana is actually better than the hero, they are only acting like fans the world over.
There are fans in Spain who seriously thought that Ronaldo was not the best striker in their league(sixty goals a season)
I leave it to your imagination as to what they think of him this season?
As to thanks for scoring goals, what about the Boro striker who scored eighteen in nine games for England, and got dropped.
One can only laugh at the idiot selector who decided that he would try to get his own club striker in the team.
” now gentlemen we come to the number nine position, it is my opinion that this fellow Camsel really should have scored more goals than he has, eighteen in nine games is simply not good enough, I think it is time to say good by to this chappy”
Came across this website when looking for something else as you invariably do on the internet:
http://www.thisismiddlesbrough.com/history/History-of-Middlesbrough-FC.asp
Seems a great shame that it ends in 2008.
The history of Middlesbrough FC up to 2008 in a nutshell, but should rekindle memories for the majority of Boro fans and certainly worth a read.
Moving onto tomorrow night it appears that apart from tennis ball throwing fans protesting Frazier Campbell may not be risked after completing 90 minutes on Saturday evening after a long lay off but of more interest to me is that Grosicki seems to have lost his mojo of late. I recall last Season via a sticky internet feed in a German hotel near Koblenz one evening watching him destroying us almost single-handedly after we took the lead.
Whilst I should perhaps be relieved that GM has finally mustered his troops to get that result at Reading I feel that Hull are there for the taking. If he keeps it tight once again, keep a clean sheet and in true Aitor tradition we will get chances in the game to pick them off. As Nigel said above “go back to Karankaesque tactics and win every game 2-0”. Whilst I would love to win 4-2 in my heart, right now 1-0 will do just fine. Organisation, planning and stability!
A 2 – 0 win is good for me. Really, really good. Boro can do it it, or variations on a theme of it, all season long.
UTB,
John
I was thinking a Karankaesque style resulting in a 2-0 win would be progress from what we did under Karanka where the rule seemed to be go 1-0 up then defend it for your lives!!
I’m just about to sit down and write a match preview for tomorrow’s game as I’ve been caught with the schools being closed for two days – Northern Germany have sprung a surprise public holiday on us tomorrow to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his 95 theses on the Wittenberg Castle Church door to denounced the medieval ways of the church – which then ultimately led to the Protestant Reformation.
Still I’ve had a busy day subverting my son by teaching him new words to a well known children’s song… Old McDonald had a farm has now become ‘Old Trump Donald had a wig’ – though what he had on that wig is for you to ponder – anyway, I was just getting my own back after he told me last week ‘You’re not a real daddy you’re Donald Trump’s brother’ – just because I made him do his homework instead of letting him play Minecraft. Still not the worst I’ve been called!
Anyway, hopefully I’ll post something up tomorrow morning as I’m now going to try and get into the zone – so do not adjust your laptops…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If3SXJeZzMQ
Nigel
From what I have read we were not bombarding the Reading goal in the second half. Despite our best intentions we couldn’t keep it at 1-0.
Werder
An interesting clip having been up in Newcastle. All that black and white plus the Twilight Zone.
I said to my son that he could mention that the last time Newcastle won a trophy they played in black and white. He replied they always played in black and white. No, I corrected him, I was talking about the television not the kit!.
Ken – Many thanks for your input, always a pleasure to read. And the rest of you lot as well, of course.
I forgot to say I was more than pleasantly surprised and pleased at a two nil victory on Saturday. Three points and a clean sheet will always put a smile on my face regardless of the performance. Though a decent showing always helps.
Hang on, here comes my optimism again..
Breaking news, the FA have asked MP’s to appear at St Georges to answer questions about harassment, bullying, grievance procedures and the general governance of the House of Commons.
Members of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee said they would not be attending.
Non political comment, no party was harmed typing this post.
🙂
So after a number of scares in recent games Boro head to the depths of Hull in good spirits following the Reading victory, hoping to avoid a Halloween horror show at the KCOM stadium – He’s my match preview…
https://diasboro.club/2017/10/31/championship-hull-vs-boro/
Tigers 0 Tamers 1
An obvious choice for Hull, but which animal would be most appropriate for the Boro?
https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/new-partnership-hull-city-tigers-wild-tigers
Sloth- 3 toed?
No animal was either injured nor killed during the making of this post.
😉