Sunderland 3 – 3 Boro

Sunderland Middlesbrough
Asoro
Williams
McManaman

Clarke-Salter

11′
58′
90’+6

24′

Bamford
Leadbitter

Traore

49′, 68′
53′ (pen)

37′

Possession
Shots
On target
Corners
Fouls
51%
17
7
4
14
Possession
Shots
On target
Corners
Fouls
49%
11
4
2
10

Defensive Callumity costs Boro

Redcar Red reports on the draw at the Stadium of Light…

Normally I begin these pieces with a bit of up to date background info on our opponents and how they are shaping up with specific regard to any problems, injuries, suspensions and possible team selection headaches etc. coming onto the game. This however is Sunderland and it’s very difficult to know where to start and where to finish. Allegedly Ellis Short is now so desperate that he is willing to give the club away if someone is willing to take on the supposed £170m debt.

I wonder if Chris Coleman knew when he took the job on that the depth of the clubs problems are even deeper than the former Wearmouth Colliery upon which it stands and that the monumental Davy Lamp outside was supposed to be a beacon of light for the clubs future. Either way it looks a complete shambles from the outside looking in with League 1 Football beckoning (or worse should Short pull the plug on his unbeloved sojourn in the world of Soccer). Ellis Short’s Wikipedia page describes him as “founder of Kildare Partners, a private equity fund investing in distressed European real estate assets”. Well they certainly don’t come any more distressed than SAFC!

On the actual footballing front defender Adam Matthews and midfielder Ovie Ejaria were hoping to be available to Chris Coleman in the Makem’s desperate struggle for survival against their “local rivals” as oppose to “a derby” of course, Middlesbrough. Matthews has been struggling with a hamstring injury while Ejaria was 50/50 with a thigh problem.

Boro were concerned about Ben Gibson and if he had recovered from his illness bug on Tuesday evening. After 85 consecutive games his absence should have been sorely missed but all credit to Dael Fry who slotted in seamlessly alongside Ayala and given today’s opponents many thought it would make sense to let Ben fully recover and give Dael another run out.

Of more concern was the doubt over our new found Goal Machine who seemed to somehow tweak his ankle in the dying seconds on Tuesday night? Rumours during the week had ranged from a slight twist and he will be fine to a broken metatarsal but the formal diagnosis was much worse with a fractured ankle and will now be out for the season. Other than that TP’s Friday pre match conference gave little away and as we now know what TP says in those conferences and what is actually going through his mind can be somewhat disingenuous.

Boro were looking to make it 6 wins on the trot against the Black Cats and with odds of 21/20 It was a game that looked almost impossible to lose especially with Sunderland letting in eleven goals in their last five league games with 10 of them coming in the first half. The hope for those of us travelling up the A19 was that the sea of pink plastic would have grown significantly by half time as is now the custom these days on Wearside. The Hull victory over Sheffield United last night piled huge additional pressure onto Sunderland but simultaneously provided Boro with a massive incentive as an away win today would put us in sixth spot with Bristol not playing until Sunday.

TP went with Assombalonga for Gestede and restored Gibson to CB in place of Fry who took a seat on the bench and thereby keeping disruption to the starting eleven to a minimum with everyone else in their usual positions or so we thought as Traore was on the left flank. Coleman had Matthews available and so went with wing backs or more likely five at the back. He gave starts to both Asoro and Maja up front as he realised with a solitary goal apiece all season between them the teenagers probably weren’t going to be a major concern for Boro’s back line on their own.

The teams entered the pitch in bright winter sunshine but with a distinct chill in the air caused by the proximity to the North Sea rather than the Home fans although that was subjective. Judging by the empty seats and lack of enthusiasm from the Makem fans the “derby” question had been answered as they kicked off. Early intent was seen from Asoro after a poor Shotton clearance led to the youngster blasting his effort well over the bar.

Cattermole gave away possession allowing Boro their first serious foray into the Sunderland half but he got back making amends for his error as the game started with plenty of energy. Sunderland were certainly attempting to have a go and those wing backs were endeavouring to create rather than defend surprisingly. The Swedish youngster Asoro got his head to the ball beating a Shotton/Ayala sandwich this time from a long throw in after a flick on beat Friend to open the scoring exploiting some sloppy defending on eleven minutes. Boro had been “outPulised”, beaten at their own game. Traore had been anonymous up to this point apart from one dribble which was perhaps no surprise considering he was ineffectively deployed on the left yet again.

Boro needed to clear their heads and get stuck in because the opening quarter of an hour was non-descript with Sunderland good value for their lead. McNair clattered into Paddy and looked to be in some pain for his efforts and not long after Matthews looked to have also hurt himself after a tackle on Friend. Twenty minutes gone and the most cause for Boro optimism at this point was that Sunderland may end up with a few players struggling through injury.

A Shotton throw in was launched for Ayala who had run forward into the Sunderland half but it went out aimlessly for a goal kick which summed up the lacklustre start from those in white shirts. A break from Asoro nearly doubled the lead for Sunderland as Boro contrived to try and find some shape with both Friend and and Shotton guilty of some defensive panics. Immediately afterwards Traore who by now had been switched to the right since going behind was scythed down by Clarke-Salter in a challenge that sent Adama literally flying into the air on the half way line and rightfully receiving a straight red for his horrendous assault. Why Traore was stationed on the left was bizarre as it is well known that Sunderland have struggled down their left flank all season so surely Adama on the right would have been a match made in heaven?

Now down to ten men after 28 minutes Coleman was forced into a reshuffle to try and defend his side’s slender lead. Traore meanwhile had become the target for abuse from the Home fans jeering and booing his every touch of the ball for his audacity in avoiding a broken leg. A couple of minutes later a ball in from Friend presented Traore with a half chance but he stabbed it over the crossbar. A Downing free kick was then poorly executed as Boro had begun to start to make the extra man count but still no breakthrough was forthcoming.

McNair looked crocked and was hobbling around as Coleman looked at his scant options and didn’t want to bring off one of his more experienced players so early in the game. His previous challenge on Bamford looked to have seriously left its mark on the Northern Ireland International rather than Paddy. A Grant corner then saw a Bamford effort cleared away for another Boro corner, immediately after/during Sunderland clearing the corner there was an “off the ball” incident involving Traore and Oviedo. Adama got his marching orders as a consequence reducing both sides to ten men but not before he threw several strops and fits on his way off the pitch including a verbal assault on the fourth official and even wrestling with a team mate trying to usher him away down the tunnel.

Less than ten minutes now to go to half time, a poor start, a failure to take advantage of ten men and Boro now found themselves down to ten men due to sheer petulance from Traore and in his absence now zero creativity. McNair eventually limped off with Welsh International Williams taking his place just before half time.

Maja picked up a yellow for a challenge on Leadbitter which saw Grant put in another of his infamously poor free kicks straight into Camp’s arms. I sometimes wonder if Stewy and Grant have a wager on who can take the worst corner or free kick so consistently poor are their deliveries of late. Eight minutes of additional time due to the injuries to McNair and Matthews and the two sendings off didn’t inspire Boro in what was a below par first half for the visitors.

The half time whistle went. Overall we had looked flat, lacking conviction and were second best to Sunderland’s fighters for survival. After the first sending off we had come back into it but with Traroe then seeing Red we just faded. My take on it was that Boro had started this game with the same mind-set they finished off with on Tuesday night and had struggled to shake that mentality off. TP not for the first time since his arrival had some major talking to do during the interval, like Downing and Leadbitter’s set pieces a pattern is emerging and not a good one.

The twenty players started the second half with Boro kicking off and Shotton then immediately hoofing a ball aimlessly. Our full backs pushed up with Shotton, Stewy and Friend linking up and feeding Bamford who controlled brilliantly from Friend’s header in a packed box turning, twisting and swivelling to equalise. The game then entered a manic few minutes as Boro wasted a quick free kick then Assombalonga was going wide past Camp who “brought” him down after a cleared ball deflected into the Sunderland box off Shotton and a penalty was awarded to Boro literally seconds after Paddy’s goal. Grant stepped up and despite his dire free kicks his spot kicks are calm, cool and collected and he stroked it home into the bottom right hand corner for Boro to take a 2-1 lead.

George Honeyman raced free into the Boro box from the KO and Shotton interrupted his flight just outside the box. Sunderland now had an opportunity to quickly draw back level but fortunately Cattermole hit it wide much to Randolph’s relief. Ten minutes of the second half gone and the match had erupted into life as Assombalonga now latched onto a ball down the other end only for the Lino’s flag to rule him offside. Oviedo then went past Downing on the left flank to put a ball into Sub Williams who had lost Grant and blasted it unmarked into the Boro net (just as the home fans had been getting onto the backs of the Black Cats) pulling it back to 2-2 and restoring hope once again to the beleaguered home fans.

Boro were once again rocking again as the Black Cats had their tails up sensing shell shocked Teessiders who had thought they had already done enough to seal the points. Heads once again needed to be cleared as silly balls were now being given away and Boro needed a spark. That spark came in the form of Harrison as Britt was taken off much to his disgust and my surprise. TP I suspect felt that we needed more energy and pace than Britt provided and almost instantly Paddy had a chance that he fluffed after being played in by Besic. Coleman then responded by bringing on McManaman in an effort to turn the game in his favour.

With Bamford now leading the line Besic once again put a clever ball through the split Sunderland defence that Paddy latched on to, went wide of Camp and cut back an acute left footed shot to send the away fans euphoric.

The game was by no means over as literally anything could happen and Sunderland still fighting as the Boro fans gave a rendition of “you’re going down”. McManaman meanwhile tested Randolph’s palms and Shotton fortunately cleared the danger then in the next phase managed to give a free kick away for a foul on Williams. Fortunately Shotton himself reacted first to the ball with McManaman closing in hitting a wild shot wide.

TP then made two changes with Grant and Stewy coming off for Clayts and Howson respectively. Grant received a warm ovation from both sets of fans as he made his way for Clayton with TP presumably wanting to add some fresh legs with a like for like swap. Coleman countered with George Honeyman coming off for Sunderland and Aidan McGeady coming on with a quarter of an hour to go. A well won corner won by Asoro hassling Ayala was flapped at by Randolph as Sunderland still had belief and no wonder considering the manic events of the afternoon in general.

Pulis was out instructing his players to keep their heads and remain calm rather than do anything rash. Howson was then wiped out by McGeady in a clash of the subs which ended in a Boro free kick from Howson himself but the ball was once again a poor one and this time neither Downing nor Grant were on the pitch to blame. Sunderland desperately needed something from the game and were pushing but also looked susceptible and the lively McManaman reminded Randolph once again to stay alert with Shotton coming to the Boro Keeper’s rescue once more who wasn’t having the best of afternoons. Cemented to the bottom of the table versus potentially sixth place meant that anxiety levels were high and rising as the Black Cats pushed forward with McManaman trying to entice Friend into a rash penalty but the Ref was having none of it.

Six minutes of added time was found from somewhere. Clayton played a ball through for Bamford and he was fouled by Oviedo. Bamford stood isolated supported only by Harrison arriving late and decided to take charge of the free kick. He fizzed the ball over the Sunderland wall forcing Camp into a save in what was by far the best set piece of the afternoon. In fairness to Paddy he made a strong claim this afternoon to be the man to fill Gestede’s central striker vacancy.

A foul on Williams saw the Ref wave play on and Asoro almost nicked an equaliser but Randolph got down this time making a good save. A corner in the last minute for Sunderland found McManaman ridiculously free running around the back of the Boro defence in another atrocious piece of defending to pull the sides level and with it Boro remained out of the top six after having briefly entered it and the game ended 3-3.

MOM for Boro was Besic but overall Boro were unconvincing throughout the afternoon. This game highlighted far too many avoidable deficiencies across the entire side from woeful set pieces, poor discipline again to defending that was pure comedy made worse by the fact that defending corners and poor concentration had done for us yet again.

Pulis hoping the Mackems continue
to make a habit of losing to Boro

Werdermouth previews the trip to Sunderland…

Boro head to their charitable north-east neighbours Sunderland on Saturday in anticipation of collecting their usual donation of three points to help them with their worthy cause of closing the gap on the promotion pack. After play-off rivals Fulham and Bristol City shared a point in midweek, they now face tricky fixtures against Wolves and Cardiff respectively, which offers the tantalising prospect of Tony Pulis’ team actually breaking into the top six. Boro will be in confident mood of picking off another fellow relegated club after the midweek victory over Hull, especially with the Wearside outfit low on confidence after returning to the foot of the table following defeat at relegation threatened Bolton. Boro are usually lucky when the familiar opposition of the Black Cats cross their path and have enjoyed a spell of good results in recent times. Admittedly Tony Pulis said he didn’t possess a magic wand when he took over, but with the season fast heading towards its conclusion, many supporters are hoping his new broom will help Boro conjure up a winning run with some wizardry on the pitch.

As welcome as it was to beat Hull on Tuesday, Tony Pulis needs his Boro team to go on a winning run if they are to end up in the play-off zone come the end of the season. Not an easy task if you consider Boro have just once managed three wins in a row (Reading, Hull, Sunderland) and in addition only twice managed back-to-back victories (Games 2-3: Sheff Utd, Burton and Games 23-24: Sheff Wed, Bolton). After nine league games in charge since replacing Monk, the new Boro manager is still looking to win two successive league games and that was probably not why he was installed by Steve Gibson. The trip to Sunderland gives him his best opportunity so far of achieving this feat and only after that box has been ticked should we start talking about continuing the run against Leeds, Birmingham or Barnsely.

Sunderland are once again staring relegation in the face and even manager Chris Coleman is sounding resigned to the fate of the club as they continue where they left off last season. The former Welsh national manager has already seemingly placed the blame at the bullet-ridden feet of the Wearside club’s owner Ellis Short. The aloof American has abandoned the spurned supporters to leave them feeling like a humiliated jilted bride in a replica red and white striped wedding dress who has barricaded herself in a Stadium of Light executive box with just a congealed chocolate fountain and several crates of room-temperature Asti Spumante to see her through to the inevitable confirmed relegation. Coleman declared: “Obviously Ellis wants to sell the club and they [the fans] recognise that maybe his love for the club was yesterday… so until we get someone that wants to turn a corner with it and love it, care for it and look after it, you get the negativity.” All of which has seemingly left the club in search of a cat loving philanthropist who is somehow capable of grabbing the steering wheel off the absent owner to prevent him driving the club off the Seaburn Cliffs by proxy.

The accounts of the Black Cats are heavily in the red with a debt, which depending on reports, is estimated between £150-200m, with owner Ellis Short having investing less than £2m on new players this season despite £47m parachute payments and £30m received from the removal of former keeper Jordan Pickford to Everton. Coleman understands all the anger and frustration from everyone associated with the club but admits they have no choice but to accept the situation and said “We’ll take that on the chin. But until we have a new owner with new ideas, we are where we are.” – which appears to be somewhere between rock bottom and the hardest of hard places. However, after Coleman swapped Wales for the wails of Wearside his words at his unveiling were hardly ones that looked like rousing the supporters: “Someone’s going to turn this club around. Whether it’s me or whether it’s the next one, sooner or later this club will start climbing again, start playing in front of a full house again” – I suspect it may be later, very much later.

Short will have his work cut out to find a buyer for a club that so rarely delivers – though there is one possible American buyer seemingly fond of red and white stripes in the news recently that although may not have the faithful on Wearside licking their lips in anticipation, it will perhaps have them lickin’ their fingers instead. Whether these potential new owners have the secret recipe for success is another matter but a suitable owner for Sunderland could well be Colonel Sanders along with his recent infamous organisational ability. However, before any upstanding Mackem is tempted to reach for their phone and dial the police with evidence of fowl play, they should be warned that their local constabulary may be following the lead of Tower Hamlets Metropolitan Police Service on such matters. If you’re not aware, they urged the public to stop calling them to report that KFC has run out of chicken by tweeting: “Please do not contact us about the #KFCCrisis – it is not a police matter if your favourite eatery is not serving the menu that you desire.” Maybe so but try telling that to Chicken Runners on Teesside who have gone cold turkey and have been contemplating the possibility of deep frying foam hands to get through the crisis. Nevertheless, serving up a well battered boneless product that includes a moist tissue at the end is something Sunderland fans have got used to over the years.

Sunderland Middlesbrough
Chris Coleman Tony Pulis
P33 – W5 – D11 – L17 – F34 – A58 P33 – W15 – D6 – L12 – F43 – A31
Position
Points
Points per game
Projected points
24th
26
0.8
36
Position
Points
Points per game
Projected points
8th
51
1.5
71
Last 6 Games
Bolton (A)
Brentford (H)
Bristol City (A)
Ipswich (H)
Birmingham (A)
Hull (H)
F-T (H-T)
0:1 (0:1) L
0:2 (0:2) L
3:3 (0:3) D
0:2 (0:2) L
1:3 (0:2) L
1:0 (1:0) W
Last 6 Games
Hull (H)
Cardiff (A)
Reading (H)
Norwich (A)
Sheff Wed (H)
QPR (A)
F-T (H-T)
3:1 (2:1) W
0:1 (0:1) L
2:1 (1:0) W
0:1 (0:1) L
0:0 (0:0) D
3:0 (2:0) W

Along with Sunderland, Boro have been no stranger to defeats this season, though whilst they have not suffered as many they have nevertheless proved costly and the job of a manager is to deliver psychological messages that prevent defeats from undermining the team’s confidence. When a team loses, particularly narrowly, the manager will often focus on the key events that didn’t go in their favour – such as a refereeing decision or an individual error. The aim is to rationalise the defeat and try to find legitimate excuses for the failure to win so that the players remain convinced that they were capable of achieving victory under the manager’s methods. When this is not possible, an alternative tactic is often to say ‘we were simply not good enough on the day’ or ‘we must learn from our mistakes’ – this is instead creating a mood that the team had an off-day and can do much better. In both instances the manager wants to keep the players confident that the team is capable of winning games, both as individuals and under his game plan.

This ‘excuse’ strategy is geared towards getting a response from the players so that they will continue to play with the belief that they will perform better in the next game and hopefully win. Winning after losing a game will usually help negate the impact of the previous loss but much will depend on the overall mentality and ability of the team in deciding if this is sustained or not. Creating a winning mentality also needs the manager to instil the right attitude into the players and part of that is also learning to deal with the consequence of winning. It sometimes creates the trap of believing that you are better than you are, which can results in players thinking that they only have to turn up to win a game against perceived weaker opposition. This is why we often talk about needing leaders on the pitch, who like the name suggests, lead by example and will always give 100% regardless of the strength of the opposition – or even 110% if their manager is prone to hyperbole and an advocate of quantitative impossibilities. Without such players in the team there is a risk that some will play within themselves in the belief they will ultimately beat their opponents due to the perceived superiority.

Psychologists have shown that the emotional response to losing or making a mistake can manifest itself in one of two ways – engaging in risky behaviour to try and make up for the failure or becoming instead over-cautious out of fear of repeating the error. It’s something we may observe with strikers who have gone on barren runs or defenders who have made a costly error. If the player can follow up a bad performance with good one or even score a goal then the slate has been wiped clean in their mind – but it’s no fun to watch a player struggling on the pitch as their confidence has deserted them and suddenly the crowd are on their backs. More experienced players who have come through similar runs should have the resolve to get through it but sometimes it can stall the career of a younger player, who often finds themselves out of the team and feeling their chance has gone. That’s why good managers will view mistakes by players as an opportunity to learn and not try to openly blame or discard them from the team.

So what is it about winning that lifts those who experience it? Well when biologists are not busy on random projects like growing human ears on the back of mice, they sometimes turn their attention to other less tabloid-friendly matters. Studies have shown the testosterone levels of athletes who win races increase significantly and this in turn increases the chemical dopamine, which is the chemical messenger that hits the reward centre in our brains and makes us feel better. In the animal kingdom, the ‘winner effect’ is a term that describes how competing males first fight off weaker contenders to boost their dopamine hits to their brain as it then subsequently means they are far likelier to win a contest against a stronger contender.

It’s a bit like the scenario of a young male lion, possibly called Roary, who wants to boost his confidence ahead of a pending battle against a big bad wolf from the Birmingham area, he would first perhaps test himself against a toothless lame Tiger from a nearby circus run by clowns before attempting to savage the beaten-up neighbourhood black cat from up the road. So when Boro fans start singing to the Sunderland supporters “can we play you every week” it’s not intended as an unkind bout of gloating but is simply their inner evolutionary biologist wanting to get their team up for the next big game against stronger opposition. All this valuable work helps us understand the biochemical consequences of sport – though researchers are still awaiting funding to discover how much the testosterone levels would increase if you were to shout ‘Boo’ behind a mouse with a huge ear on its back while it wasn’t looking.

Anyway, the task of a manager who wants to tap into this ‘winner effect’ phenomenon should be to try and extend the concept of winning from merely just the actual result and instead make it into a more fluid concept – though some will already be familiar with the fluid nature of what constitutes success in the eyes of Boro managers from listening to post-match interviews over the years. Though rather than talking about attempts after the game to rationalise the failure to win, it is important for a manager to set individual and group goals ahead of the game, which can then be used to gain positives when they are achieved. It is not possible that simply setting the target of winning a game can be used to help a group of players progress, so other measures need to be used to build the confidence and a sense of achievement. For example, keeping a clean sheet is often used as one such goal – though under some recent Boro managers it sometimes seemed that was indeed the only goal witnessed!

How the club ultimately performs over the current season tends to be judged in the context of what the expectations were. Whilst we all may have our own ideas of what we are expecting from our team (with some supporters less easily pleased than others) its normally from the owner where the real expectations are driven. If we look at Boro, it was clear from Steve Gibson that he had indicated that automatic promotion was the target – with his infamously misquoted sentiment of wanting to ‘Smash the League’ seemingly engraved on the baseball bat that was used to beat the manager and players with every dropped point and position below the top. Whilst ambition is admirable, being measured against over-ambitious targets has a similar effect of being on a losing run – both are held up as failure and anything below automatic promotion was perceived as thus from both inside and outside the Boro camp. It probably also didn’t help to suggest that before a ball was hardly kicked in anger, it was boasted that we had the best squad in the league – possibly the biggest budget but that is never a measure of quality unless it is wisely spent.

Did some of the players suffer from loss of confidence as a result of not sitting at the top of the table? Or were the players who were brought in not mentally tough enough to fight for the right to sit at the top of the table? Perhaps the continued pressure of needing to try and win each game in order to play catch-up with expectations has ultimately prevented the team from building a good run of results. If you also add into the equation that a significant number of players in the squad were still feeling bruised and fragile from their Premier League experience, then it may have been better in hindsight to have set the target of making the play-offs as the only target and then less people will have viewed the season in the context of under-achievement.

The idea of setting manageable goals in sport is a crucial aspect of the psychology of ensuring achievement – If expectations are placed beyond what can realistically be achieved, then without a well defined improvement plan, the mental pain response will kick in and leave sportsmen feeling miserable – which is certainly true in the case of Boro followers, who have generally felt miserable all season as most expected a lot more. Too many people were perhaps caught up in the hype that spending big money equated to a guarantee of success rather than just the price of failure being more costly.

Despite Tony Pulis having a less than auspicious start to his tenure, there are some signs that he has a good understanding of how to get the best from his players. His transformation of Adama Traore from a bit-part player with potential to probably now our most effective player has been to his credit. He has done this by focusing on what the player can do well and giving him some slack on other aspects – it has improved his confidence and made him feel an important member of the team, which has added belief in himself and belief from others too. The problem of giving a player too many tasks to carry out will lead to them failing at some and distract from what they do best, which contributes to undermining their confidence. Pulis was also not afraid to drop players who weren’t performing in their roles and with Assombalonga it appears it’s going to be a hard road ahead. Two goals for Gestede will have given him a boost that he can be a Pulis target man that also scores goals and with Bamford showing he still has the scoring touch it leaves Britt with a lot to prove. Whether he will get the pitch time to show it is another matter and at some point he may mentally start to shut down if he no longer believes he can offer something that his manager wants.

Overall there are perhaps signs that Tony Pulis has enough players at his disposal who are maybe capable of showing the form needed to reach the top six goal that many were starting to think was just beyond reach. Mo Besic has shown in his last two outings that he offers the drive that was missing in central midfield with the hope that Jack Harrison will also soon be match fit to add a little extra guile to the team. If some of the strikers also rediscover their scoring touch then it will mean Boro could be finally ready to go as the business end of the season arrives. However, failure to pick up the points against a poor Sunderland side at the weekend will leave the concept of forming a ‘winning mentality’ back on the drawing board as Boro miss out on yet another opportunity to prove their critics wrong.

So will Boro be the alpha male that get the much needed dopamine hit after defeating the neighbourhood pretenders? Or will the Black Cats reveal our beta-release team is just not up to scratch? As usual your predictions on score, scorers and team selection – plus will the KFC chickens finally come home to roost at the Stadium of Light?

207 thoughts on “Sunderland 3 – 3 Boro

  1. Gutted for Gestede.

    He netted a couple this week, and he was showing signs of a nice synchronicity with a player he’d played together with at Villa.

    Yet while the latter is a fan darling, the former was mostly thought of as a plank. Although, to be fair, even I got frustrated with the lack of end product on many an occasion. It’s just that bad injuries seem to strike our No. 39 at the very moment he seems to be winning us over.

    As I have implied, just because a player doesn’t look so obviously exciting – we’re all suckers for Traorian pace and trickery, even me – doesn’t mean he can’t be useful.

    Rudy’s successful partnership with Jordan Rhodes is concrete evidence of this.

    Wishing him a swift recovery.

    1. That is unlucky – isn’t that a typical Boro moment as Gestede seemingly suddenly finding his form he is then ruled out for the season – looks like Britt may be handed an opportunity to redeem himself – though where better than against Sunderland to get some shooting practice!

  2. So… where does this leave us now? Well.

    Ideally Downing would play in the hole behind two forwards. Not sure, however, that Britt and Paddy would work well together. You’ve got two goalscorers, although one is more an all-round footballer than the other, stepping on each other’s toes. And I doubt TP would want to risk two forwards on the pitch at once now that they’re all we’ve got.

    Failing that… Harrison in the hole with Downing on the wing and Paddy at RWF? It’s not Paddy’s favourite position, but with no one to do the donkey work behind him (Vossen, Gestede) it’s probably for the best.

    1. I suppose we cannot recall Ashley Fletcher back with the current rules.

      Do we have any one in the U23 who is big like Rudy?

      We had a chap called Miller but he was loaned out, too. But nobody could have seen the severe injury to Rudy coming.

      Gutted. But we must battle. Up the Boro!

  3. Another finger lickin masterpiece Werder!

    TP will go with either Paddy or Britt to fill Gestede’s boots. If it is Britt then its a case of as you where with no dramatic changes or shuffling of the pack. Lets face it having to throw a £15m Striker into the fray is hardly a disaster.

    Paddy will like as not be the answer and as he is more mobile in any case it may be more appealing to TP’s work ethics. Harrison could be the key here, if he takes up the left slot then that would free Paddy to go up front. Personally I would just stick Britt up there and keep everything else settled and if Britt can’t perform against Sunderland then I doubt a better opportunity will present itself to him this season.

    The other “solution” would be throwing Ayala or Fry up there assuming Ben is recovered. I doubt that even Pulis would be that radical however.

    1. Thanks RR, hopefully Sunderland will continue to play like headless chickens! As for a Gestede replacement, well it was only a week since many were hoping he wasn’t picked by Pulis so there should be viable options – though are Boro now down to just two recognised strikers if you don’t include Adama, who may still be regarded as a wide player. Harrison will probably not be fully match fit for a couple of weeks at least so it will be interesting if it’s just a straight swap of Britt for Gestede.

  4. Finger licking good Werder!

    It’s a bargain bucket again !

    So our Kin Fantastic Club (KFC) can have a zinger tomorrow. Unless some silly burger lets a goal in from a standard menu.

    We will have our Twister on the wing to put their defence on toast.

    Now if we win then that will be a wrap!

    ⚽️⚽️

    ⚽️FB

  5. Team selection will be interesting now following Gestede’s injury. If TP persists with his current formation, will Ayala play as a striker with Fry and Gibson as centre backs? There was definitely a precedent in an away match at Sunderland. I haven’t got all my football records with me here in the Algarve, but I seem to recall that was in 1953 when Boro had a centre forward crisis and played fullback Dickie Robinson in that position. I’m writing from memory here, but if I’ve got the right season, Boro won 2-0 but unfortunately were relegated that season. An omen perhaps?

    The alternative for TP of course is to select either Bamford or Assombalonga as a lone striker or as a duo, but will he change his formation? Either way, Boro should win but the Mackems will be desperate for the points as relegation looms. They’ve never played in the third tier and, having been known in the late 50s as the Bank of England club when they spent heavily on the likes of internationals Trevor Ford and Billy Bingham, will not want to join the likes of Blackburn, Blackpool, Charlton and Portsmouth all established 1st Division clubs in that era who since have fallen on hard times.

    Be aware though Boro – one of Sunderland’s two home victories this season was against Fulham.

      1. Powmill – Naemore
        As Captain Mainwaring would say “Glad someone was paying attention. I wondered who would be the first to discover my deliberate mistake”. No, in all seriousness you’ve caught me out – should have gone to Specsavers.

        Indeed Sunderland have played in the old 3rd Division. They finished 3rd from bottom in the 2nd Division in 1987 and lost a Semifinal relegation playoff to Gillingham the season after Middlesbrough had been relegated to the 3rd Division. Like Boro they were promoted after the one season.

  6. My first thought on the Sunderland game was that it had a draw written all over it. Sunderland are rubbish, but my thinking was I’m not sure we’re good enough to capitalise on that.
    We also seem incapable of winning two on the trot.
    But, Sunderland really are bad, they’re in dire trouble, freefall etc.
    The win is there for the taking surely, even with Britt or Paddy as the loan striker. Neither of which suit the TP style in that position.

    Come on Boro, grab a win and give us a hint of the top six and what might be.

    1. An early Boro goal and the word “toxic” won’t even begin to describe the atmosphere at the SOL, there’ll be pink empty seats everywhere you look. The game has a Sunderland implosion written all over it, even poor Chris Coleman is looking fed up and sounding despondent.

      Its up to Boro now to twist that knife rather than do a “Typical Boro”.

  7. Werder, if you were a Doctor, I think you could give out a prescription of a dose of DiasBoro insread of the normal dose of statins served up these days.

    One of the best yet in my view. I liked it all but especially, Roary, Wolves and Cats. Brilliant. You are becoming a master in the art of story telling.

    Hoping against hope of not a Typical Boro turn up and returning down the A19 with our (Roary’s) tail be between our legs.

    There can be absolutely NO excuses from TP on this one. Gestede or no Gestede.

    1. Many thanks Pedro, I’ve heard of clown therapy before, though so far it hasn’t had much success in cheering people up at the Stadium of Light. Anyway, I’ll try to continue administering my prescription strength Diasboro medication to alleviate the raised blood pressure amongst Boro fans 🙂

  8. Another rip roaring finger licking article Werder – brilliant.

    Hopefully Ben back and Assombalonga to replace Gestede.

    On the basis that the last time I went for a 0-0 we got a win I am going for the same and hoping like others that typical Boro do not turn up!

  9. Nice work, Werder. Particularly enjoyed the mascot/nickname section – excellent.

    I wasn’t aware that Colonel Sanders had his beady eye on Sunderland. However, I’m sure we’ll win so long as we don’t make a meal of it in the box.

  10. Quite why Coleman left the comfortable berth of the Wales job for a basket case such as Sunderland is a question I’m sure keeps him awake at night, even more than their precarious position does.

    I like to imagine Gestede’s unfortunate accident would be a blessing for Bamford and Pulis embraces the obvious and throws him up front. Sadly I think Paddy will be left neutered on the left wing.

    Three one to us.

    1. Chris – At his unveiling Coleman said he decided to join Sunderland because he always wanted to manage a big club, though manage to do what is the question he needs to ask himself.

      I’d agree that Bamford looks the best chance of scoring goals but I fear Pulis is looking for a bigger unit up front.

    2. Three times the pay he got doing the part-time Wales manager job…….

      And, no doubt, hoping that if he could turn the Sunderland ship away from the rocks, a “bigger club” would come calling……

  11. Is it just me or has the traditional strike partnership been dead for a long time? Once upon a time, MATCH could name the top ten strike partnerships of the 1990s…

    1. Beardsley and Andy Cole
    2. Cole and Yorke
    3. Collymore and Fowler
    4. Ian Wright and Bergkamp
    5. Shearer and Sutton
    6. Sheringham and Klinsmann (memories!)
    7. Shearer and Ferdinand
    8. Shearer and Gallacher
    9. Sutton and Efan Ekoku
    10. Collymore and Bryan Roy

    In at least three of those, Beardsley, Bergkamp and Sheringham would drop deeper and play some kind of forward playmaking role. Which made them all so durable. They were all still playing in the top flight in their mid-late 30s.

    In my Boro-supporting lifetime, what have we had to compare? We were best in the ’90s when we played the playmaker behind the front man. In 1997-98, it was Merson and whoever was in form. The year before, we had the very left-footed Ravanelli and the equally left-footed Beck alongside each other. Problems, problems. Oddly our best partnership wasn’t even that, it was a trio – Hignett, Barmby, Fjortoft. Broken up by Juninho.

    Deane and Ricard netted 21 between them for two seasons running, so… I suppose they have to be considered a success. Of sorts. Then one night against the Mackems I was briefly led to believe Maccarone and Nemeth might be the answer. (Not quite.) Previously McClaren tried Boksic and Nemeth for a while. (Not much joy.) But then, along came Jimmy and Viduka… sadly, injuries and circumstance intervened. Ah well. Then Viduka and the Yak finally clicked, until fiscal realities hit us hard. Cue the workaholics, Tuncay and Aliadi-mostly-anywhere-but-the-back-of-the-net.

    I could go on.

  12. Is that true that DHL have had some difficulty delivering the Colonel to the SOL? Just contemplating the combination of a little bit of Coleman’s mustard with some Wearside fried chicken.
    Another entertaining entrée Werder, well done. Here’s to the Boro finding the secret recipe that will add a zing to the season.
    3 points to us, but no walkover. Close finish.. 2-1.

  13. Good to see that the unpredictable nature of the Championship dealt us a present with Hull knocking off Sheffield United. With Bristol City not playing until Sunday, a win will put us into the top sixth and the odds are against Bristol City getting anything from their short trip to Cardiff. It’s almost a derby!

    Very sad news about Gestede. I’ve always been a supporter of his heading ability and holdup play even if his footwork wasn’t always great. Anyway, the loss of his go-to player will certainly give Pulis food for thought as he chooses between the two obvious options of Bamford and Assombalonga or other left field choices such as Ayala.

    What might be interesting for the DiasBoro masterminds is to actually identify what are the requirements from a front man in the Pulis system. Scoring goals seems obvious but in fact I don’t think that it figures in his calculations and, to be fair, the two goals on Saturday were exactly the kind of goals that Assombalonga specialises in.

    Pulis’ game plan seems to be built on elimination of unnecessary risk. Hence the solid back four to cut out vulnerability to counter-attack and above all, it involves playing the ball forward early so that any breakdown happens well away from the goal and any lucky bounce happens in a position where it can be taken advantage of to the maximum effect. Thus, he needs a front man who can receive the ball and either control it or at least play it off to someone near. Gestede was better at doing this in the air than on the ground. Gestede’s ability from set pieces is less important given the option of pushing the defenders forward.

    If we look at the forward options, Assombalonga is not really a back to goal frontman and so doesn’t really work in a 1 upfront structure. Bamford has the skill and the size to give it a go but would perhaps be more comfortable with the ball played on the ground. Maybe we’ll see a change in the way that balls are played forward. It is also true that Bamford’s ability with his feet is better than Gestede and so we might see Pulis switch to a 4-4-2 to put another player close to Bamford. The only problem with this is the lack of an obvious left sided player to take Bamford’s spot. The options are Harrison – who may well not be fit enough yet but could perhaps give its 60 minutes – and Downing who hasn’t played there for a while but has all the experience in the world.

    Following this logic, I would see the most likely line up as

    Randolph
    Shotton-Ayala-Gibson-Friend
    Traore-Besic-Leadbitter-Harrison/Downing
    Bamford-Assombalonga

    I must also add that I was listening to the EG podcast and they suggested a great sweepstake. Who will get the first yellow card (with Leadbitter, Cattermole, Besic being the favourites) and when. One guess was Cattermole inside fifteen minutes.

    Anyway, happy travels to anyone travelling to the game and lets hope that we can sneak a win. I would like to see a dominant 3-0 but my head tells me to be satisfied with a tense 1-0 and Ayala poking it in from a long throw.

    UTB

    1. A good assessment there SelwynOz – In some ways Gestede being out for the season makes it easier for Pulis as he may now have to decide if he hasn’t got a like-for-like replacement for the big centre-forward then he should instead look for a shape that fits the strengths of Britt and Bamford. Tactically playing Bamford behind Assombalonga with Adama and Stewy out wide is not the Pulis way – but neither Paddy or Britt are players who are effective at holding the ball with their back to goal or are going to win many headers against big defenders.

      1. When fit which unfortunately wasn’t very often Michael Owen was a pretty decent Striker and scored a few goals. We may be doing Pulis a disservice as he signed Owen when Stoke manager in 2012. Admittedly the signing was at the end of Owen’s career and it was a bit of a car crash but whatever way you look at it Owen was never going to out-jump Centre Backs and win headers.

        Sometimes fate has a way of kicking you in the sphericals and sometimes it happens for a reason.

  14. Morning all,

    Prediction time again and having collected my new new left hand side of my midfield, namely a Jack Russell puppy with more energy than it knows what to with, so I’m feeling optimistic. That’ll frighten Werder.

    So I’m going for a 1 – 1 draw. It will be interesting to see what the team selected is going to look like but it must be Brit and Bam upfront. If Boro get the first goal there’s a chance Sunderland will implode but remember them at Bristol City.

    Now for another walk in the frost and sunshine.

    UTB,

    John

  15. A great piece Werder, I haven’t had chance to post. I was in the office yesterday and our work internet has continued it’s uneven performance.

    Not only is it dropping out occasionally but we are poddling along at around 13 Mbps download speed. Not great but ok to for reading blogs etc. The upload speed is more of a problem because that stops us working. That ranges between 0 and 0.3 Mbps.

    My limited understanding is that 0 Mbps is not very quick! I bow to those with technical knowledge.

    Currently I am on wireless at home and having just checked it is 64 and 11 Mbps respectively on the laptop, the desktop is topping at 221 download and 13 upload – you might see clues why I work from home quite often.

    On to football, shame about Gestede, the obvious solution is to play 4231/4411/442 or whatever we call it, Britt up front with someone in the hole, preferably Bamford.

    The other question is how generous we will be. The result is down to how we approach the game. Let the Mackems get in to the game and it could be typical Boro. We have to come out of the blocks and nail them early,

  16. I thought I’d have a go at the Gazette’s Promotion Predictor, and despite having Boro winning this afternoon and being subjective in my forecasts, I had Boro finishing 10th with 72 points. Surprisingly I had Brentford finishing 6th, but I must admit I’m pretty poor at forecasting.

    Of course this afternoon Boro’s match coincides with Cas v Hull FC at 3.15 which I’ll be watching on Sky Main Event with my iPad hopefully set as usual on Football Flash Scores. I’m hoping for a Boro/Cas double but Hull FC are much better at RL than Hull City are at football so, after Cas’s poor start to the season, I’m not too confident of the double.

    Sunderland 0 Boro 2
    Cas 12 Hull 24

  17. I’ve just tried to read some of the Gazette articles and posts. With all the ads and pop-ups it is a strange version of a new game called ‘readus interruptus’ and at best it is bullet point journalism. Having said that the style is probably dictated to the journalists.

    Werder your headline pieces and Redcar Reds match reports are just pure class in comparison. Then there are Simon’s and ‘Eyes in the sky OFB’ too.

    I’m pleased to report that my midfield terriers have just slumped down fast asleep, both the new signing and the ten year old, thank goodness. Hopefully Boro’s midfield will not be like that this afternoon.

    Now I feel even more optimistic so I’ll go and take my coffee to the shed, maybe GHW or even Spartak will be in there too.

    UTB,

    John

  18. I suspect that Coleman will revert to five at the back and try and keep things tight hoping to catch us on a break or at a set piece. If they go a goal behind they usually shrivel up and die accompanied by the deserters in the stands. An early goal will set us up nicely. Throw in the fact that Boro don’t lose when we take the lead I hope TP starts at a high tempo and rip into them.

    They can’t play Fletcher against his own club and so will be down to two kids Maja or Asoro to lead their line. Hardly the ideal state to be in considering that Coleman thinks that Fletcher is the better of the three so I can’t see our back line being troubled.

    Clattermole is probably their best hope to ruffle feathers and boss the middle but I think Besic will partner Grant and that the ex Boro Academy product will have more aggro than he can deal with leaving Traore to destroy Oviedo on the right and I suspect bagging another goal for himself.

    Dodgy keepers seems to be their catchphrase and whether its Camp or Steele in goal a clanger is just waiting to happen. I’m going 0-3 with Traore, Bamford and Ayala getting the goals in a comfortable outing at the Stadium of doom.

    1. RR

      O how I hope your predictions are correct but I have this awful nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach and Hull’s win last night to set up a typical boro weekend hasn’t helped!

      CoB please please prove me wrong and RR right!!

  19. I hope that Hull surprisingly beating Shef Utd last night will concentrate the Boro players minds that no match can be taken for granted. Sunderland fans will be hoping a win against Boro will kick start their survival hopes and Coleman would have planned his tactics based on Gestede as the striker, so now he has to second guess how TP is going to play it.

    In my limited opinion I think TP has two options:

    1. A straight swop with Assombalonga in for Gestede, especially with Bamford coming to terms with the role TP wants him to play on the left, therefore maintaining the identity of the team.

    2. Start with Harrison on the left (for 60 mins +) moving Bamford into the strikers role, then either switching to para 1, if not leading or bringing Clayton on to close out the game.

    Come on BORO.

  20. What can I say? Firstly, I don’t know how Werdermouth manages to produce the previews week after week. And sometimes, actually fairly frequently, two previews a week! Must take ages as, clearly, a lot of thought goes into them. It isn’t just a stream of consciousness typing exercise. We are lucky to have Werder “on the team”.

    As regards Sunderland, even their keenest fans would have to acknowledge that the club is a complete basket-case. And if the team goes down to tier three, it really will be a catastrophe for them.

    I was talking to “some in the game” a few weeks ago. I don’t think I have mentioned this before, so here goes. It was pointed out (to no surprise) that a club like Sunderland, when signing new players, will have pay clauses inserted in the contracts which will provide for a step-down in salary should the club be relegated to the Championship. Let’s just make up a figure for a mythical player – in the Premier League (as Sunderland were, only 7 months ago) their midfield signing might be on £55K a WEEK. Not the stellar amounts ManU, Chelsea, City or the other big boys pay, but enough to get by on when doing the weekly Waitrose shop. But on relegation to the Championship that might step-down to a mere £35K a week. And all that with the price of Krug Champagne as it is……..

    Fine, so far, but let’s say the club is then relegated to Division One (third tier). It is extremely unlikely the contracts would have an additional clause providing for a further step-down to, say, £20K a week. If such a suggestion were made to that player a year ago, contemplating a transfer to the then-PL Sunderland, that there was a possibility the club was anticipating a double-relegation, the player would simply refuse to sign. He’d look elsewhere. Bearing in mind very few, if any, third tier players will be earning £20K a WEEK (over £1M a year!). So you’d have a club, deep in debt already, whose owner has been trying to sell for ages, and whose debts will be mounting at record pace, week by week, as players’ salaries are not met by club income at such a very low league position. The players all demoralised by successive relegations, which will be largely due to the fact that they were not good enough to play even in the Championship let alone the PL. Sunderland would then be facing a financial collapse like Hartlepool.

    All being said, and accepting that we hadn’t been expecting Gestede to be out of action for the rest of the season, if Boro can’t beat a dire Sunderland team which gives every appearance of being a routed army where everyone is hoping to save their own skin without thought for their wounded comrades, then there really would be no realistic hope of any bright sunlit Premier League slopes for us. A failure to beat a dire Sunderland should ring alarm bells about the ability, commitment or organisation (or all together) of our own team.

    We couldn’t fail to beat Sunderland. Could we……?

    1. Many thanks Dormo and yes three games in a week is quite tricky – I was actually thinking of not doing a Hull preview but then I got a few ideas and worked them together.

      As for Sunderland, you’re right that financially they are a basket case and the current debt looks like it has already exceeded £150m. I read the other day that Ellis Short is now prepared to give the club away providing someone takes on the debts – though what he didn’t mention is that around £70m is actually owed to him with another £70m owed to a Philipines-based bank that cost £8m a year to service. Short actually was looking to sell the club 18 months ago for £170m but turned down some German interest.

      Perhaps relegation to League One is part of the plan to slash the running costs but you’re right about some of the players contracts being unaffordable – apparently Jack Rodwell is on £70k a week but turned down a move in January and the club are still paying around £50k a week to subsidise two players on loan in France.

      The only thing in Sunderland’s favour is that they still have two years parachute income to come but finding someone to take on the debts knowing they are unlikely to be in the Premier League any time soon if the get relegated doesn’t sound like an investment in the normal sense.

      Probably one for a rich Asian businessman looking for a middle-age ego project!

  21. The plaudits for Weder continue from me, as FD says, we are truly spoilt, I am not sure that even when I am in the I impending retirement, I would be able to find the time to come up with the quality of the writing.

    I really hope that Sunderland will continue to be the gift that keeps giving and that our present will be 3 points. However, I also have that nagging feeling that Boro will decline their kind offer and in an unusual display of kindness say that you can have the points, we don’t need them!

    One hopes that TP has enough guile to work out what to do and that it should be to get at them from the off and attack their frailties.

    I guess the team selection will see if that is likely. Traore should be making the black cats very scaredy-cats.

    So I am being negative in the hope that the reverse psychology works, Black Cats 1 – pussy cats 0

    1. Cheers BBD, we need to remain optimistic of at least beating Sunderland – you may need to up your cognitive bias modification (CBM) sessions, along MW and John who despite the joys of his new Jack Russell still only managed to predict a 1-1 draw and is now hiding in his shed 🙂 Though thanks for the comments too John & MW!

  22. Great preview Werder. Particularly like the Pickford being removed to Everton line. I also have doubts about today, just my typical pessimism. So hope to be proved wrong.

  23. Forever Dormo, if you were at the match on Tuesday night then you would have said there was no way Shef Utd couldn’t fail to beat Hull City, in this league nothing is a given.

    To be honest playing Boro at the SOL is probably the best fixture Sunderland could have had at this moment in the season. They will probably have a fuller stadium than for quite a few previous home games, the crowd will be up for it from the start and the players more motivated because of the expectations.

    I too, think we should beat Sunderland especially if we score first but remember what happened when they played Bristol City and they beat Fulham at the SOL in Dec also got a draw away at Wolves. I think the first 20 minutes will be very important, if we can get the crowd on their backs and not commit any stupid fouls to get their fans going again, then that will be half the battle won.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Yes, I was at the match on Tuesday, exmil. The best that can be said about it was that we got the 3 points. Hull were dire, and we should have buried them (but then again, we rarely bury any team, however lowly). I WOULD have predicted Sheff Utd to have beaten Hull yesterday, so I accept there are no “givens” in this league. But still…..Sunderland? Surely? Please…..?

  24. Finally, and before I head to a late shower: is anyone else out there being bombarded by MFC tweets “informing” us of the various free bets on offer from a whole host of on-line betting companies? There were ten yesterday, at about 10 minute intervals, and then the exercise appears to be repeated (more than once) throughout the day and evening. Maybe somebody believes this will (1) persuade me to lose money by gambling online – it very definitely won’t (2) endear me to Middelsbrough FC – it very definitely won’t because it annoys me intensely and clogs up my “intray” with unwanted messages.

    It seems to be something which has massively increased in the last week or two. And it can’t be because I have logged into the new “digital interface” offered by MFC, because I haven’t. And if registering/logging on with MFC I get more of those unwanted messages, I might decide NOT to do so. I can always go into the Ticket Office or telephone rather that doing business online.

  25. Many of us have been critical of Gestede but we probably all agree it is a blow for the team with him being ruled out for the rest of the season.
    This is TP’s biggest test because there is no way either Bamford or Assombalonga can play the Gestede role.
    So the style of play must change.
    With either of the 2 alternatives the ball must be played to feet and not in the air, and preferably play higher up the pitch in the hope that the ball will be played over the top / in front of them.
    Any thought of playing Ayala up front would be fundamentally wrong as it would tell the 2 forwards that a central defender is a better bet than them.

    Hoping for a win but will not be surprised if it is a draw.
    A defeat would be a catastrophe.

  26. Boro team as predicted with Assombalonga in for Gestede and Gibson back in for Fry. Interesting question will be to see where Bamford and Downing play, Who is on the left? If it’s Downing, does Bamford play close to Assombalonga.

    Baker gets his place in the subs. No forwards available on the bench.

    UTB

  27. Another great piece Werder. Got the Pickford pun on a reread!

    Onto todays game then. Sunderland are in free fall, tend not to score, the 2 own goals by Brizzle don’t count as Sunderland didn’t actually put the ball in the net and they are a basket case off the pitch so what can possibly go wrong!

    Shame about Rudy despite what most of us think in respect of his ability, it means we have less options up front. Though I’m sure TP sees him as an automatic starter rather than an option.

    A bit more entertainment from us against a rank bad side would be nice and if we score first I think (hope!) we’ll run out fairly comfortable winners. So with that in mind I’m going for a 0-3 to the Boro.

  28. Are SKY killing football? I’ve just watched some of the Leicester v Stoke match which finished about 40 minutes ago whilst awaiting the next Main Event ( Cas v Hull ) have wasted 40 minutes I’ll never get back. Talk about ‘done to death’, Erickson, Rednapp and Daigleish’s daughter talking almost nonstop between the adverts. At least on Portuguese TV as soon as the match finishes, adverts then straight to the next programme.

  29. Well, well, well so Typical Boro have turned up. 1-0 down and could have been two before the sending off. The defence appears to be all over the place with Shotton back to default. Poor passing and crosses.

    As I said NO excuses from TP, if we cannot beat Sunderland we may as well give up and send Mr Pulis packing.

  30. Maddo eventually saw a replay, Traore pushed Oviedo to the ground. His view was don’t appeal it or may get a another match for a frivolus appeal.

    There again the may look at his histrionics before leaving the pitch.

  31. I think omnishambles probably describes that first half from Boro – bad enough that we went behind – got a lifeline with the sending off but Adama pressed the self-destruct by squaring up to an opponent and then pushing him over. Boro have sounded poor as any 45 minutes they’ve played this season with no shots on target against a team that have conceded 10 goals in their last 5 games before half-time without scoring!

    10 v 10 and if Boro don’t come away with anything from this game then we can forget any notion of the play-offs – they are just not mentally up to it, let alone physically. Also Traore out for the next three winnable games to boot and Boro only have two strikers left. Tony Pulis needs to show he can motivate the players or I fear that’s it for this season.

  32. Cannot believe how bad the defence and midfield sound on the radio. Friend having a nightmare. Supporters of TP saying how he had improved the defence, well you would not believe it.

  33. Man free at the back post must go down to lack of concentration on everyone’s part. Do the hard bit getting back in the game twice go ahead and then toss it away because they aren’t professional enough to keep concentrating until the final whistle. Pathetic.

  34. Even Werder could not write a story like that has unfolded this afternoon. It does just really prove once more that the “best squad in the Championship” put together in the Summer was an apparition..

    The smash the league statement will plague Mr Gibson for many a year to come with 40 mil of wasted money. Change of Manager and we are still as bad as ever. Roll on May 6 and the end of the season. There will be no play offs for the Boro.

  35. After a straight red will Traore miss the Leeds match or does the 3 match ban start after that game because I seem to remember that 2 yellows was an immediate 1 match ban, whereas a straight red ban started after the next game. I may be totally wrong and also Traore could be further in trouble for his reaction which no doubt will be highlighted by the pundits.

    Come on BORO.

  36. OK so he will miss Leeds (H), Birmingham (A) and Barnsley (H) that’s if he doesn’t get further action for his response to the red card. It also should be noted that we scored 3 goals after he was sent off.

    Pedro, do you think there will be no play offs for Shef Utd after they lost at Hull on Friday. ?

    Come on BORO.

      1. Bob
        The Gazette are saying it’s four games. Just watched some highlights on You tube, couldn’t see the incident. Agree with Len about Bamford’s first goal. Also not sure if the challenge on Assombalonga was a penalty.
        On none Boro related news saw that both Stockton Town and Marske United are just two games from Wembley in the FA Vase. Worth watching this for the Windsor team kit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHWvqI9RX0E

  37. Well that first goal of Bamford’s will probably the best we will see all season. Absolute class. Mouth-wateringly good at any level.

    This, and his overall display, a complete vindication of what 90% of posters on here have been asking for all season. TP was finally forced into playing him as his main striker, against all of his instincts and better judgments, purely through a series of quite improbable and unforeseen circumstances. His instincts and better judgments were, to put it bluntly, wrong.

    Will the manager learn from this? I doubt it. But he would do well to think about it. I’d much prefer a Boro future which features the kind of skills which Paddy can provide rather than the kick-and-rush, let’s bully the opposition philosophy that TP has always represented.

    Before today’s game Paddy was odds on to be drafted out at the end of the season as part of TP’s preference for size over ability. The best hope for this to change is if enough Boro fans make it crystal clear to both the Chairman and his manager the kind of football we wish to be served up for the rest of the season and into the foreseeable future.

    1. Sorry Ian I’ll probably not do it again as maybe that was my last chance to see Boro in the top six – Fulham are now 2-0 up on Wolves and looking out of reach – if Bristol City beat Cardiff tomorrow then it’s going to need Boro to get back-to-back-to-back-to-back victories just to keep us in with a shout.

  38. On the other hand, Werdermouth, if Cardiff beat Bristol they will be only 6 points behind Wolves, could be a dramatic close to the season.

    Come on BORO.

    1. We have to hope Cardiff do the business but Wolves will still be 10 points clear of third – I think there are positives from today’s game and if as Len said a little earlier, Pulis has hopefully discovered who his best striker is and Besic is looking a good player – plus Harrison should be soon up to match-fitness too. The worry is that we now only have Bamford as Britt is not looking like he fits in with what Pulis wants – he needs to score a goal soon to get his mojo back.

  39. Len

    Delighted Paddy got another couple today, a fine and bright player. My personal view is that I like him playing centrally and I am happy with him in the Sheringham role.

    What I would say is that in the last few games he has been a starter in TP’ teams ahead of £15m Assombalonga. It was Britt who got the hook not Bamford so maybe you are a bit hasty in saying he was heading for the exit.

    Braithwaite and Fletcher headed for the exit but Bamford stayed, he is playing ahead of Britt, Britt gets the hook before Bamford so don’t be too harsh on Pulis.

    As with previous managers there is enough on the charge sheet without adding too it based on individual stances.

    1. Ian,

      I won’t rehearse all of the arguments here, but Phil T did a good piece on the Gazette website earlier this week, in which he concluded, after citing a good deal of compelling evidence, that Paddy didn’t appear to have much of a future at the club.

      It’s worth a look.

      It’s difficult to argue with Phil’s conclusion, and I fear that, in spite of today’s performance, it still holds, since to believe otherwise is to believe that Pulis will ditch the entire philosophy and approach on which his reputation has been built.

      More’s the pity.

  40. RR

    Excellent writing.

    You’ve certainly brought out the atmosphere of the game

    Boro weren’t great and are a big disappointment to us all

    I sat by the radio turning it off after every time they scored and then switching it on again. Did this four times !

    I’m pleased I wasn’t there as my blood pressure was at boiling point !

    I don’t think we will make it to the playoffs!

    OFB

  41. I’ve said all season long that Bamford should be starting up front. I don’t think we would be half as bad as we are if he was our main striker. I remember earlier in the season Britt missing two one on ones with the keeper in one particular game, that Paddy would have put away.

    It’s a crime that he has been underused or played out of position.

    I don’t think we can make the playoffs now, regardless of only being a few points behind 6th place. Waste of a season.

    Also, getting rid of Monk and appointing Pulis was also a huge mistake. Look at the points won by both managers at the same stage.

  42. Thank you kindly, RR. As always.

    How we once longed for goal feasts. We ought to be careful what we wish for.

    We defend like Pu.

    Ah well, I suppose you get what you pay for these days.

    UTB.

    1. Obviously I didn’t see or hear commentary of the match, but I gather from reports it was an entertaining match and that Sunderland deserved at least a point. Let’s not forget that this is a Boro team that has had four different managers in a year; how on earth can we expect to be more than an average team! I think a lot of folk had this as an away banker, me included, but let’s give credit to Sunderland who are capable of playing good football at times; it’s just that they are more inconsistent than Boro. I do hope they avoid relegation, and with a bit more consistency they could still do it. They certainly have a better chance in doing so than Boro have of reaching the playoffs.

      Anyway, a good weekend generally with great achievements from Stockton Town, Marske United and also to Darlington for putting a good run together in their battle against relegation. The only negative was another defeat for Hartlepool, and things look bleaker for them now.

      As for rugby, what a great advertisement for the sport of RL that Cas and Hull FC put on yesterday, and glad to see in Union the resurgence of Scotland. I’m hoping that they or Ireland win the 6 Nations, certainly not England. Too many folk go to Twickenham not understanding the game of Rugby in my opinion; it’s become an upper class venue much like Royal Ascot and Henley Regatta. I’m not a great lover of tennis, but at least the folk who go to Wimbledon understand the game.

  43. Len

    One caveat, Phil doesn’t speak to the club anymore so has no inside information. he is expressing an opinion.

    My view is an opinion as well, all I can do is look at evidence.

    Paddy has been in the wilderness for two and a half seasons. Pulis arrives and brings him back in to the squad, he then makes him a starter, he scores goals and is kept on when the big price striker is hooked

    We can put ignoring Bamford on the charge sheets of Neil, Dyche, Pardew, Monk but not on the one for Pulis. I don’t mention AK and Agnew because he was brought back to the club in a bit of a mess

    There are plenty of things to lay at the feet of the Pulisaurus but he has given a chance to Bamford and is playing him.

    None of this means he will be here next season, none of this means he is in Pulis long term plans but he is being given a chance.

    1. Ian

      I’ll go along with your thoughts on Bamford amd Pulis.

      I have watched Bamford goals a couple of times and he really took them well and made them from nothing.

      Woke up this morning having a feeling of dread and that something was wrong. Then remembered.

      “It’s just Boronoia kicking in again!”

      OFB

  44. RR,

    A great report as always, thank you.

    Having watched the goals and some strange Boro defending from a defence that has been tightened up, alright ten men I know, it just highlights the quality of Bamford’s two goals, if he is dropped or ignored more fool the manager. I really do hope he goes on a goal scoring run to give the manager the kind of problems they are supposed to like.

    Perhaps 3 – 3 is better than 0 – 0 but how I wish Traore had stayed on the field, no doubt he’ll get a fair old suspension this time.

    Boro, the curate’s egg. Typical.

    UTB,

    John

  45. The good thing is I hope, is at least Pulis gets to see what he has for half a season, and makes the changes necessary,
    I’m actually baffled at what is going on with these players?
    Anyone who saw Downings effort trying to stop the cross that lead to their second goal must be just plain dumbfounded.
    And then the guy starts pointing fingers.unbelievable.
    I see Bournmouth fought back after going behind again, a team of players who don’t drag their feet, and very rarely down tools,
    Most people couldn’t name their eighteen.
    Tony don’t have favourites , clear out those who are not up for the fight..

  46. England have just lost the one day international in New Zealand to cap a not very good weekend. Lost the bronze medal play off at Curling, last minute equalizer at SOL, England thumped by Scotland at Murrayfield.

    At least Ken’s beloved Cas beat Hull.

  47. It’s the coaching.
    Dropping back to your dead ball line is not a good plan,( we do it)
    You concede lots of cheap corners,( we do)
    You will concede lots of goals at the far post if you do not defend the far post ( we leave the far post abandoned)
    If you are foolish enough to drop back when you are winning then you had better have most of your bodies blocking your goal line, not strong out across the whole pitch.
    Now to Traore, teams now know that they cannot handle him,
    Therefore they try to put him out of the game by crocking him.
    Yesterday he was lucky, it was a serious attempt, which failed.
    It was followed by an attempt in a crowded area to get him involved(and sent off) it succeeded.
    We should be warning the referees and lino’s that this is going to happen.
    And we should train Traore to ignore attempts to involve him in conflict.
    The players could do more to help by grabbing him when things get tough
    It is a symptom of no team spirit.

  48. Thanks RR for another excellent report.

    Listened via Radio Tees and watched the highlights this morning on Channel 5. Not sure I can sit through watching the whole match when it is available tomorrow as listening was bad enough, it was gut wrenching.

    Unbelievable, unprofessional, underwhelming and untypical – no sorry typical Boro.

    After a woeful first half we get back into the game and have the opportunity to take charge and control it but you could just sense what was going to happen and of course it did. Yet again this team fails to take the opportunity to kick on and prove many of us wrong that they can make the play-offs/get promoted.

    I have been convinced since the early part of the season that the team is not good enough for the premiership and it would be better if we did not make the play offs/go up as it would require wholesale change yet again to build a squad capable of hanging on to a premiership spot.

    TP now needs the summer to get rid of the underperformers, inject some midfield guile and build the front end around Bamford with a view to compiling a squad that can not only deliver promotion but at least hold its own in the premiership.

    As Ian has pointed out a whole depressing weekend from a Boro/england/GB perspective.

    1. Agree with all that KP, but can you honestly believe TP would build the front line around Bamford. If the lad scored a hatful of goals between now and the end of the season I still believe he would bring in someone similar but better than Gestede.

      1. Pedro

        With Gestede out for the rest of the season I believe that PB will now have an opportunity to make it difficult for TP to drop him and not to consider him as one of his main strikers. I certainly hope so but only time will tell.

  49. Don’t be hypnotised by this “up for the fight” mantra. Every team in the League can be up for the fight, witness Sunderland’s late fightback, but not every team possesses the class that Bamford showed for our first goal. It was that rarest of beasts, a piece of skill from a Pulis managed team that would be appreciated anywhere in the world. Sublime. A gem amongst the pebbles by an underused and underappreciated maverick. Wolves aren’t top because they “put a shift in” and Fulham’s charge up the league has precious little to do with workrate. They have good players who are allowed to express themselves and play with confidence, free from the shackles of restrictive defensive dogma.

    Yesterday was a bit of a day for the mavericks. Muzzy Carayol got Ipswich’s winner at Preston and Lee Tomlin was the architect of Forest’s demolition of QPR, one of his goals almost matching Paddy’s effort in the goal of the day stakes. After his goal, he ran over to the dugout and there was a heartfelt embrace with Karanka that was as welcome as it was unexpected, almost as unexpected as a Karanka team going onto score five. That’s two more than Boro managed in any game during our promotion season. It made me think that maybe AK is finally beginning to relax and loosen the reins, but mainly it made me long for the days of 2014/25 when both Bamford and Tomlin were an essential part of the most watchable Boro side of recent years.

    I’m not at all bothered about being promoted. I go to every home game anyway and the standard of the team we’re playing has never been of interest. More and more I find myself looking for moments that lifts you off your seat, something to inspire and enchant. A clever Tomlin flick or a Bamford turn is worth a thousand Shotton long throws. It’s why, for all his foibles, Adama will always be a crowd favourite and why Adomah would be welcomed back with open arms by any Boro fan. Football with a smile on it’s face. The anti-thesis of the Pulis way.

    1. Anthony
      I don’t go to matches nowadays, but if I did I’d want to see ‘Football’ similar to what you wish for. Agree with your sentiments. I’d much prefer a 3-3 draw than a goalless one. That’s why I love Rugby League because you’re always going to see tries as well as good tackling.

  50. Well put Anthony.
    The absence of Traore will show whether or not we are a “one trick pony”.
    Hopefully, Harrison will start and Paddy will get a central berth.

  51. Great Match Report Redcar. How you managed to write that with your mind probably still in turmoil after watching an abysmal display from Typical Boro, I just do not know.

    Paulista makes good sense with his post, however the problem with a lot of Managers is their stubborness to change.

    As one gets older in is a fact and at sixty, not old in the mordern day, but old-ish in terms of modern day football thinking and methods. He has his predetermined system and is not prone to change.

    It will be interesting how he now approaches the Leeds game with Bamford showing us all what we thought he may have lost. He is by far IMO our most intelligent and skillful player and has been wasted by TP with his dire system.

    Exmil, I appreciate your comment about Sheff Utd and today’s result will give some belief to the teams outside the top six or make them groan.

    I believe that the top five positions are probably spoken for with sixth spot being the one still up for grabs. However Exmil, do you really believe that the Boro can all of a sudden produce a level of consistency that would take them beyond Bristol or prehaps Sheff U. Then there are Preston or even Brentford lurking.

    Our “much improved defence” is now letting us down with George not really looking to be worthy of his place. Even Randolf is starting to look jittery and could be fairly blamed for a couple of the recent goals.

    Mr Pulis has now limited choices after sending players out on loan. Some the wrong ones in IMO. I hope he does not try and make excuses with our “bad luck”

  52. Great report again RR like being there.

    I’ve just seen the highlights on the Boro website and as I saw it all 3 Sunderland goals came from poor poor defending.

    First one the small forward gets between 2 of our big defenders, Ayalla and Shotton, who get in each other’s way. One of them should have taken charge and dealt with the situation.

    Second one Downings attempt, and I use that word kindly, at a tackle gives their lad a free cross to the goal scorer who Grant didn’t bother tracking into the area.

    The third was simply a player peeling to the back post with his marker, Howson I think, not being switched onto where he’d gone. All in all school boy defending which I had hoped under TP we wouldn’t see as much. Another hope dashed.

    To end on a positive note the finishing of PB was a joy to watch. Especially the first one which had it been scored by a top flight household name it would be on a loop on sky sports. And deservedly so.

  53. Anthony,

    Yup.

    And welcome back.

    Pulis’s past record is, of course, the antithesis of the values you outlined. At Stoke he attempted to stifle creativity, not only in his opponents but in his own team by setting up with four at the back and a further defensive midfield of four in front of them. He then had the pitch narrowed, so that there was little width outside of the clogged midfield, and ordered the groundsman to leave the grass uncut, further reducing the chances of anything approaching decent creative football ever being played.

    The length of the grass was of course irrelevant to Pulis’s boot -the -ball- up- the -field- to- a -big- striker- and- play- for-throw-ins- and- set- pieces philosophy. There was even a famous occasion when an opposing defender chased a ball that was going out for a throw-in and kicked it out for a corner instead, as the lesser of two evils.

    All of this is to say nothing of his team’s physical, take-no-prisoners approach which was taken to extreme lengths. One of my most horrific memories in a lifetime of watching the game was Shawcross’s tackle on Ramsey, which put one of the country’s most promising talents out of the game for an extended period, and could well have crippled him for life. Pulis’s response to what was far from an isolated incident was to declare that Shawcross “wasn’t a lad like that”, which was widely considered a less than adequate response to a sickening episode.

    What all of this amounts to is a manager who has historically shown a commitment to the cause of anti- football which has been extreme even in the most cynical of times. And he has come to a club whose fans have already had more than their fair share of anti-football- lite in the recent past, and whose appetite for more of the same is close to zero. A major concern already expressed on this blog is what kind of team does our commuting manager wish to turn us into, and what will we be left with when he finally departs.

  54. Late Cardiff goal and I for one have not given up hope of the playoffs. Call me “foam handed” or “Rah Rah” but as long as it is realistically possible (note not mathematically) I will believe Boro can make it.

    Yes there is many permutations of which teams will be in the top 6, which is why the challenge (which I will post later tonight) will be interesting. I do not go into despair after every defeat or draw, the same as if we are still in the championship next season.

    I will be renewing my season ticket before the early bird deadline, same as every season in the past 17 years and every season to come until I am physically (or mentally) unable to get to the Riverside.

    Maybe it’s my age (67 next month) or the fact I had to wait 35 years to be able to get a season ticket makes me the way I am and although I have seen some terrible performances, leaving the ground seething, I wait until I calm down then look for any positive from the match, yes sometimes it’s hard.

    Come on BORO.

    1. That makes three of us !

      Me and Mrs OFB too (although she has put up a fight !)

      I’ll drag her there kicking and screaming !

      From my point of view of our manager I will say this.

      He might have a maligned reputation for dour football and long ball stuff

      What I do know is after talking to a lot of the current players is that they hold him in the highest regard and respect which is something they didn’t do with the last manager Mr Monk.

      Although we gave away sloppy goals yesterday normally we are organised and I can see a difference in the team from the one we had under Monk.

      I don’t think we will make the play offs but if we do then do not expect to go up anyway.

      That keeps my expectations low for this season but next season it’s a different story!!!

      OFB

  55. Len

    All those are on TP’s charge sheet along with a very small pitch evidenced by the shadow lines inside the EUFA sized pitch when they played in Europe.

    On the rather short plus side of his charge sheet is the fact he is giving Bamford a chance which is more than many recent managers have done.

    As for other items on the plus side of the list I will take advice.

  56. It was hard yesterday. I did “werder” and looked at the BBC’s live table. Boro were 6th in there and leading with 5 min added-on time played. What could go wrong with the defence we have?

    Well, it was two points lost but at half-time I would have taken a point. But it was derby for us and never an easy game. I think some of our full-backs were awful. Especially so the one on the right hand side.

    Well, at least I have three matches to look forward to next. I will do the annual primilage to Teesside to see Boro play. So Leeds, Brum and Barnsley.

    And of course the main idea was to see Boro winning a few matches and Traore. Or just seeing Traore. Can I ask anything more?

    Well, it looks like he will get a four match ban for his second straight red this season. The only positive is that he is not out injured like Rudy is. But still, I don’t know how to tell this to my missus. Even she was looking forward to see Traore play.

    This is the first typical Boro moment for me for a few seasons. Gutted. I just hope BamBam will score a goal or two and Britt will get his shooting shoes on again.

    Well, I try to follow ExMill and be positive. At least there is still plenty to play for. Up the Boro,

  57. Forget we dropped a point against Sunderland and think about the paltry points garnered from top half teams. Then think about the fact that out of the remaining 12 games we have 8 against top half teams.

    If we get in to the play offs it will be deserved, if we finish lower top half that will be what we deserve as well.

    They may as well go for it. Will we do it? I wouldn’t even borrow a fiver from John Powls to bet on it but it is possible, difficult to say the least especially without Traore.

  58. So he chose to play Traore on the left!
    What is the matter with this man?
    Traore is our best player, by a country mile,(fact)
    Why try funny tricks with your best player?
    The opposition are worrying about him
    Let them.
    We might have scored the first goal before they settled down.
    Teach your team to look after him.
    If he had gone down when he was assaulted by the player we might have got a penalty. The Spurs player would have hit the ground in a flash, and got a penalty.

  59. The usual great report, thank you RR. It really is like being there.

    Having calmed down a bit now after watching our keystone kops defending and reading all the informed comments of the posters above, there is not much more that I can meaningfully add.

    I agree that pride is a key characteristic that certain players appear to be missing and that maybe the players are not good enough. Bamford deserves to start every game and should do unless TP is completely mad!

    Will we make the playoffs? I will always hope for the best and prepare for the worst, so whilst it is still a long shot, the believer in miracles in me, says it can be done. The realist says, not on your nelly, we have blown it earlier in the season. And I don’t think we are good enough on the evidence seen so far, which given the money spent and two managers (so far), criminal. If I were SG, I really would be questioning the recruitment policy.

    ‘‘Twas always thus with Boro – the hope kills you in the end but you can’t help yourself. If I lived nearer, then I suspect I would be getting next years season card too. What else is there to do on a cold Tuesday evening in the middle of winter!

  60. Four days in April will likely seal our play off fate.Away to Chris Wilder’s lot on the 10th on whom he seems to be hinting that they have maxed out their potential at this level and on the 14th home to Bristol. Before then Boro have to go on some sort of run otherwise we will still be hoping that the rest of the pack (right down to Norwich in 14th right now) are just as bad as us.

    Monk’s squad or boring tactics, whatever side of the fence we sit a valid point remains that with this squad TP thus far has underachieved in the same but very different way to GM. There was early evidence of a resolute back line but at a cost of threat from wing backs (although yesterday illustrated extreme evidence to the contrary). A big improvement in Adama was welcomed by us all even Randolph seemed to have regained confidence after the Denmark mauling. Howson was improving and starting to show his quality but seemingly now finds himself on the fringes.

    Remember the “11 Downings” comment? Well since TP took over Stewy has been getting less influential by the week. Is it the change of tactics and not having the options of picking out Christie and Fabio overlapping? Grant has been Mr. Dependable but even he now seems a little depleted by his own standards. Britt has shrivelled and died on the vine (or more accurately the bench), Paddy has been “used” and yesterday by default got his chance in his preferred role and showed his worth.

    Its questionable whether Rudy had improved the team or individually before his injury despite his Hull cameo and tactics that in theory should have complimented his skill sets. Friend looked to have got his mojo back but there were huge question marks defensively yesterday and Shotton was all over the place yet saved Randolph’s blushes on a few occasions. So are we showing an upward trajectory or are we in just as big a muddle as when GM was here just a different sort of muddle?

    I was and still am in favour of Pulis for practical reasons rather than footballing reasons admittedly but I have to admit to being underwhelmed as those early “improvements” have now regressed in many cases. Despite it being Monk’s squad on paper they are better than what has been realised since December. Changing a team to be in the image of your requirements is fine if said team (like Boro when AK arrived and Forest now) are rudderless and in free fall but not if they can be patched up to finish the race when the race isn’t over.

    I’m at a point where maybe its time to look a little deeper at resources. Can Baker for example really be so poor as to not even get a sniff of a start at Championship level after some below par performances of late? Too many foundations like Randolph, Gibson, Downing and Grant are not upping the ante and are Shotton and Friend now too comfortable without competition?

    I am willing to be open minded about the quality of the football if the means justifies the ends but right now we are treading water at best and thats being kind. That is not what was hoped for when TP arrived despite accepting that a longer term plan was required. A major Management objective has to be long term but there also has to be short and mid term requirements mainly to ensure that the business doesn’t suffer whilst transitioning.

    This coming summer is the time to demolish and rebuild but that is then and this is now. Right now is the time to be open minded, flexible, utilising your decades of experience in maximising what you have available. Achieve that and just maybe your summer rebuild is 12 months ahead of schedule and your existing assets haven’t been unnecessarily devalued in the process.

    Right now I see no evidence of Boro starting a run, we almost started something on Tuesday night then TP suffocated things the hangover of which in my opinion continued at the SOL. A winning team brims with confidence and belief and as soon as we get close to that TP has pulled the reigns in leaving us looking bereft of confidence in our own abilities. Its not too dissimilar to when many implored AK to release the hand brake, its the Championship not the Champions League. What’s to lose?

    1. Great analasis RR and why cannot warm to TP and his tactics.

      If they were being successful I would eat humble pie and agree, the means justifies the end. However the football has not improved and generally the players have not also, as witnessed yesterday.

      It has been one bad 12 months.

  61. Hi

    I’ve been working away in the background (honestly !) whilst Werder and RR have been acting as the wordsmiths with the rapier wit and sometimes having to put up with the old cutlass Mind of OFB

    I have done quite a few In2Views lately and I have started to target current team members for some feedback.

    I am working with Rudy Gestede on the latest piece and if anyone wants to add any questions (nothing rude?) then I will be happy to ask them on behalf of the blog.

    OFB

  62. EXMIL CHALLENGE 2018

    Despite “We are doomed Mr Wainwaring, we are doomed” the “Boro Army” are still in with a chance of making the playoffs and another trip to Wembley. So it is time for the “Exmil Challenge 2018”.

    The challenge will be 3 parts each consisting of 4 matches per team, the first part will take us up to the international break. The amount of teams may vary each part as teams fall away and other teams may have a late surge towards the top 6. For the first part I have selected the top 10 teams in the league, next to each teams name, in brackets, is the number of points they have as of today.

    The format is the same as previous years, in that each entry will have to predict what each listed team will have at the end of each Part. If you predict the correct amount of points for a particular team, you will score 10 points but for every point + or -, you will lose a point. As an example if you predict Team A will have 70 points but they actually achieve 68 points you will score 8 points for that team, the same as if Team A actually achieves 72 points. Totaling the points you score for all teams will determine your position in the Exmil Challenge 2018 league and the points you score in Part 1 will carry forward into Part 2 then your total will carry forward into Part 3, at the end of which we will have our final placings and overall winner.

    As you are all aware Werdermouth is extremely busy with everything he produces for Diasboro so we will revert back to being steam driven by myself. Listed below are the first set of fixtures for the 10 teams and to make it easy to post your entry all you have to post is each team followed either W D L for each fixture, then the number of points the team will have accumulated at the end of those fixtures. For example Wolves start with 73 points and if you think they will win all 4 fixtures you post:
    Wolves WWWW 85 points
    Then the same for all 10 teams in part 1.

    Once I record your entry I will reply with a simple “recorded” and you will know I have entered you in the challenge. Your entry must be posted on Diasboro by 1945 hrs on Friday 2 March when Boro v Leeds kicks off. Also be aware that Shef Utd have an outstanding fixture away at Reading on Tuesday night and that is why their present points (52) has a ? next to it, therefore I would not expect any entry to be posted before the result is known of that match. At the end of each part I will post the league positions for everyone.

    Good luck to everyone and the BORO.

    Wolves (73)
    Reading (H)
    Leeds (A)
    Villa (A)
    Burton (H)

    Cardiff (67)
    Brentford (A)
    Barnsley (H)
    Birmingham (H)
    Derby (A)

    Aston Villa (63)
    QPR (H)
    Sunderland (A)
    Wolves (H)
    Bolton (A)

    Derby (60)
    Fulham (H)
    QPR (A)
    Forest (A)
    Cardiff (H)

    Fulham (59)
    Derby (A)
    Shef Utd (H)
    Preston (A)
    QPR (H)

    Bristol City (54)
    Shef Wed (H)
    Preston (A)
    Burton (A)
    Ipswich (H)

    BORO (52)
    Leeds (H)
    Birmingham (A)
    Barnsley (H)
    Brentford (A)

    Shef Utd (52 ?)
    Burton (H)
    Fulham (A)
    Ipswich (A)
    Forest (H)

    Preston (51)
    Bolton (A)
    Bristol City (H)
    Fulham (H)
    Sunderland (A)

    Brentford (50)
    Cardiff (H)
    Burton (A)
    Millwall (A)
    Boro (H)

    If anyone notices a mistake please let me know.

    Come on BORO.

    1. I’ll KO and then we can see if the format works for Exmil:

      Wolves WDDW (81)
      Cardiff DWWD (75)
      Aston Villa WWDD (71)
      Fulham DWDW (67)
      Derby DDDD (64)
      Bristol City DDWW (62)
      BORO DWWD (60)
      Sheff Utd WLDD (57)
      Preston DDDW (57)
      Brentford DWDD (56)

      Interestingly I only have one defeat in that lot which of course will never happen but will leave it as I originally guessed/hunched it.

      Quite a few draws which if converted to a win could make a two point positive gain difference or conversely a one point negative.

      1. Redcar Red : I can accept your entry as it is but it appears that you have not taken into account Shef Utd match on Tuesday, see my final paragraph before the fixtures, so I will await your response to this.

        Come on BORO.

  63. Just a thought about playing with ten men, would Football be more entertaining with fewer players on the field? Of course it’s not going to happen so we shall never find out. But just think about Rugby. When the Northern Union (now Rugby League) broke away from the Rugby Union in 1895 they played to the same laws of the game and did so for many years. Some of the matches were low scoring encounters because the laws of Rugby Union were and still are very complex. One of the first innovations was to reduce the number of players forming a scrum, so now generally more tries are scored in a Rugby League match than a Rugby Union match.

    Yesterday’s ‘non local derby’ produced 6 goals and apparently was more entertaining than recent eleven a side matches, so would reducing football teams to nine or ten-side make the game more attractive? As I say it’s hypothetical because it’ll never happen, but it makes one think.

    1. Ken, I don’t much like ice hockey but it is the number one sport here in winter. As you can guess, we play football in summer over here as we have -25 degrees C tomorrow night and some wind and -16 degrees daytime tomorrow and it will feel much colder! We call if it Siberian but you might say Baltic.

      I am afraid I will bring the cold with me to Teesside for Friday’s match versus the dirties. Sorry for that.

      Anyway, what I was going to say was that they play with five players and a goalkeeper in Ice Hockey. But sometimes when they need to find a winner quickly, they start an extra period with just four and a goalkeeper. So both teams have 20% less players on the field (on ice?) and the tempo of the game goes up and more goals are scored.

      In football we can argue, that the players are more coached, defender better and the goalkeepers are better than before. There is “less” empty places for the strikers to attack between defenders than before.

      To see as many goals as we saw during Clough’s times as a player, we really should have a player less on the field or make the goals bigger.

      As you mentioned, Ken, I don’t think we will see any changes in the laws of the game. So I was just commenting, like.

      Also, I hope you don’t comment on the weather in Algarve, please. It will be the winter’s coldest day here tomorrow and on Teesside most propably Friday!

      Up the Boro!

  64. Many did indeed implore for AK to release the handbrake, yet the handbrake was predominantly key to his success.

    It’s a quandary – you’ll almost certainly see better football but at the expense of the best results, momentum and overall belief we had in years.

  65. An Exmil Challenge – brilliant!
    An international break – oh Lord..

    Another brilliant report from RR and pre-match by Werder.

    Plato – I agree with a great of what you said, what you highlighted is defending is a team discipline and goals conceded are rarely the fault of an individual but of a team at fault. Not placing defenders on goal posts is a particularly angry bugbear of mine.

    Sadly with Traore out I suspect we’ll see Paddy on the right, or worse, on the left with Downing on the right. *Shakes head*.

    Have Boro ever had such a talent as Bamford and so wilfully wasted him? Normally players’ reputation improve when they are not in the team. I’m not surprised to see Bamford’s standing improve when used he’s correctly. Is there a better CF in this division?

    I’ll post my Exmil challenge later in the week, thanks to Exmil and to all our posters for a typically excellent read.

    1. Chris
      Re. The defending
      All the bottom fishers in the prem live by defending( they are, after all, playing for one hundred million pounds, and presumably a very big bonus if they survive)
      What impresses me about them all, is the sheer dedication to keeping the ball out of their net.
      They all have as many men as possible defending the actual goal line, they all take one for the team without a blink, they all know the absolute importance of committing the foul before the attacker enters the box.
      All the above are a complete mystery to our players.
      They will try a risky manoeuvre on their own goal line without a thought of the risk.
      They take a perverse pride in being laid back at all times( the opposition are as wound up as a cuckoo clock, natch,)
      From the above you will gather that we would be a lot better off points wise if we stopped defending our lead late on, because we are not very good at it.

  66. Watched the highlights of the game last night, well if you can call Sunderlands goals that. Could not believe how poor the defending was, especially from Shotton.

    At least I have been vindicated in what I and others have been saying about Bamford. I think Ian said it, if anybody else in the EPL had scored it, we would have been sick of seeing his first goal. Sublime.

    TP has to stick with for the reast of the season at number 9 and balls to his feet in the box.

  67. Chris

    Bamford on the pitch is better than in the directors box.

    Front four for me would be Britt up front with Paddy behind then Harrison and Downing.

    As long as Paddy plays more centrally I would be happy – that doesn’t mean centre back!

    Earlier RR did a good post about TP but I couldn’t find much in it to put on the plus side of the charge sheet.

    The Exmil challenge is easier.

  68. Spare a thought on Hartlepool. Our Mattie Bates is there alone, no other coaches, no money and no permanent manager.

    The Pools will visit Aldershot next weekend. They have to travel there and back on the matchday as no overnight stops are allowed as no cash available. Think, they sit over five hours in a bus before the match and the same on the way back!

    We must be grateful for a chairman like Steve Gibson. For one Gibbo there are always a couple of Ellis Shorts in there. I cincerely hope the Pools find a Gibbo of their own. And the sooner the better – so that they won’t go down again in May.

    Up the Boro!

  69. jarkko

    I think we are all concerned about the future of Pools, I grew up with the three teams along the Tees and always kept an eye out for the results of Pools and Darlo.

    Darlo are coming back I just hope they don’t pass Pools going in the opposite direction.

    My one concern is whether the money going in to the club is gushing down the drain so the efforts of those Boro fans who went is wasted.

    I nearly feel sorry for Sunderland, I wouldn’t like them to go in to receivership.

    1. Darlo could pass both Pools and Sunderland at this rate!

      On the Paddy debate its not so dissimilar to Stuani when some of us could see that he was probably the best Striker on the books then but forced to play out wide to accommodate more one dimensional players.

      With Traore out my take would be that Downing is best placed on the right side as that is where he played a large part of the games until Pulis installed Traore out there. On the left there is Johnson (remember him) and also Harrison who apparently prefers the right so maybe swap him and Stewy over during games. Centrally Howson or Baker for me or perhaps Besic who looks to be capable of picking out some clever passes rather than just recycling passes to nowhere.

      Where that leaves Britt is anyones guess but left of Paddy in a 442 is probably the best position for him if TP would consider it.

  70. TP has now reached 10 league games in charge. I haven’t counted the Bolton game. Not to suit any agenda but because I don’t think his input would have had much effect after only a day or 2 in the hot seat. Only my opinion.

    Anyhoo the 10 game test. Due to my current location I rely on Tees commentary and watching the games when they come on the Boro website and the odd live one available out here. Looking forward to Friday against the dirties already. Not the full overview you get from being there but enough to see how things are unfolding.

    While I don’t think the style of football is as bad as some think, it certainly isn’t as good as it should be with the players Pulis has, or had, at his disposal. Several players haven’t been up to the standard we hoped for, not just under Pulis but also Monk, in all areas of the pitch from front to back.

    What has struck me is how intransigent managers can be when they play a system and stick by it. TP would’ve, I believe, stuck with Rudy up front on his own from now until seasons end. And that has only changed due to Rudys typical Boro injury. Now that option is no longer available he may have to have a rethink, as he did on Saturday, for the rest of the season.

    I’m in agreement with Ian how the front 4 should set up. That might bring out the best in a misfiring Brit and having Paddy in a more central role can only be a good thing.

    The main issue I have is the poor game management Pulis employs in the final quarter of a game, especially when we’re in the lead. Bringing on defensive subs hands the initiative to the opposition and cuts out our attacking threat. Camping out on the edge of your 18 yard line just invites endless pressure. Our record of conceding late goals that matter under Pulis this season isn’t good, but then again under GS and Mogga it was pretty much expected we’d concede in the last knockings of a game.

    So how do I see his managerial tenure so far? Well to paraphrase my school reports over the years “could/should/must do better”.

  71. Ian
    Although I have no great love for them, I feel sorry for the Mackems.
    Just another club falling victim to naive or uncommitted ownership.
    The “hotbed of Soccer” is in danger of becoming a wasteland.

  72. After injury time body blow on Saturday and Brizzle continuing their efforts not to finish in the play offs got me thinking about a club motto.

    I know the town motto is Erimus which is translates as “We Shall Be”. Very apt for the then Infant Hercules. But what what about the Boro? After having a not so long think about it I think Si Modo, “If Only”, just about sums things up.

  73. Just seen that Exmil has posted up the challenge for this year and as he mentioned I’m pretty short on time this year to get involved. Anyway, to make it a little easier for Exmil to gather the predictions together I’ve found a little time to copy his post and create a dedicated page where everyone can post their predictions as a normal comment.

    You will find the page by clicking on the banner graphic (below) which can also be found at the top of the right-hand column just above ‘recent comments’.

    Predictions Banner 2018-1

  74. FAA

    A comment from my Derby colleague this morning. Why does Rowett change the line up and personnel when they are winning the game? When they are on top why do they give up the advantage and retreat?

    Anyone remember Maccarone’s home debut? 2-0 up against Fulham, should have been more, Boksicknote, Massimo and Marinelli running the Cottagers ragged. Macs response was all done and dusted, take off Alen and Massimo only for Fulham to score two in injury time.

    It is a regular complaint amongst fans.

    1. I think momentum plays a key part in the decision to shut up shop and also the circumstances.

      Dominating an opponent to me would indicate to keep the pressure up, make it relentless and as they try and push on punish them, exploiting the gaps they have to leave. I rarely see the top clubs shut up shop when dominating.

      If its a survival scrap in the Premiership then shutting up shop and hanging on in there makes sense. Disrupting when you are in control and the opposition looking increasingly desperate is not a time to tighten things up it only hands the initiative to them plus causes duplicate confusion in your own ranks when you need to be pegging them back and punishing.

      That said if players are not going to pick up opponents in the box at set pieces it doesn’t really matter either way. Same goes for not cutting out and allowing soft crosses put into the box to unmarked advancing midfielders. If professionals don’t get the basics right it all becomes pretty pointless regardless of whatever tactics are employed. Saturday was illustrative of very poor defending from Friend, Shotton and Ayala for the first, Downing, Leadbitter and Shotton for the second and Howson and Harrison (I think) for losing their man for the third.

      1. RR
        Agree with your comments (and your annoyance) about the needless defending against beaten teams.
        What does annoy, (and I am not alone) is the complete lack of cohesion amongst the team whilst doing said defending.
        All attacking teams, no matter how abject, have a simple desire, and it is to achieve a dead ball situation(any dead ball situation)
        So letting them spend a lot of time in your defensive area is suicidal, worse is giving away soft corners(laziness?)
        The same for free kicks in and around your box.
        The same for giving them a chance to dive in the box.
        I hesitate to mention our habit of getting out of the way of shots on our goal instead of blocking them.
        Have i said enough?b

    2. Yes, I do remember that game.

      Fulham had effectively thrown in the towel too! It looked as if our day was made and the lead was unassailable regardless of SMac’s late substitutions. But in many ways a two goal lead is one of the most dangerous. From being in control all it takes is one little slip and suddenly the opposition thing, “they didn’t think this would happen. We’ve a chance.”

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBjwzGmnuL0

      Admittedly it took a couple of lucky ricochets, but still. Was it our fault for not putting it to bed, or our fault for switching off and thinking that there was no way they could catch us?

      SMac would go one better with the devastation by chucking a 4-1 lead with ten minutes to go at Norwich.

  75. Ian you are right in your observation, I cannot count the number of times that Boro under various managers have lost a lead and possibly the match by conceding late on, only for people to comment (on this site as well) why didn’t he take off an attacker and bring on an extra defender/midfielder to close out the game, does “he” not understand about “game management”. When TP has done it there are cries of anguish, it’s another case of “damned if you do and damned if you don’t”.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Well, we lost two points at Sunderland as we did not close the shop. All the substitutions were already made when we were 3-2 up. Perhaps we missed Clayts right in there.

      Opinions, ladies and gents. Football is opinions. Up the Boro!

  76. Redcar Red

    Surely we wont win a second appeal.

    I suppose it depends what evidence there is to support it, at times it seems a random procedure, I never thought Gestede would have his card overturned.

    In Adama’s case I haven’t seen enough footage to judge what happened.

    1. I suppose Adama could attend the hearing wearing an eye patch but perhaps the appeal may only prevent the ban being extended for his reaction when leaving the field – not sure if having a reason to push the player is viewed as the offence not actually taking place unless Oviedo exaggerated the force of the push, though he was apparently holding his head after being pushed in the chest so maybe there are grounds for a mistake.

    2. I would think Boro would need proof that Oviedo engaged in “ungentlemanly conduct” in the first instance by poking him in the eye and that Adama simply shoved him out of the way on his chest and that Adama being built like a brick outhouse was the cause of Oviedo going down quicker than Dele Alli rather than being struck in the face.

      To me it was a talking to for both players to cut out their shenanigans as Ayala is regularly “advised” by officials during games rather than a sending off or a yellow at worst. Clearly the Lino must have been of the opinion that it was a direct blow to the face of Oviedo despite both players having their backs to him. The hostility of the home fans wanting things “evened up” also played a part in pressurising the Ref who didn’t have the best of games generally.

      Corners are full of players wrapping arms around opponents, deliberately backing into and blocking off Keepers, tugging shirts and pushing, jostling and shoving. There would have to be a significant difference to this incident than just the norm which the officials clearly felt there was, can Boro prove they were mislead?

  77. RR and Ian, TP stated that the replay showed the incident and what the Sunderland player done for Traore to retaliate.

    If they can prove that he was gouged in the eye, I think their defence might be that he pushed the player away (in the chest) to prevent further attack. Whether the FA will accept that he was only protecting himself is another matter.

    I have searched for this replay to judge for myself but cannot find it. Obviously TP and Boro feel there is a strong case to put forward because he could end up with an extra game ban, which would mean he will also miss the Wolves game.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Exmil, I do not think anybody has seen the incident, certainly from the edited “highlights”. That asks the question is the incident captured from the full footage?

      It looked as though it happened near the right hand goalpost as a corner I think was taking place. With only one camera normally it may be difficult to prove. However there was an incident iat the weekend, forget the match, when a push a the chest to place infront of the Refferee and he did nothing.
      Dual standards.

      As much as Adama should not of reacted, after the cartwheel tackle and continuing to be targeted, a little sympathy can be allowed. Obviously Coleman had instructed his players to clatter him.

  78. Exmil

    Listening to Tees on line and Pulis has confirmed that he has seen footage of Traore getting one in the eye. If this is true I’m not surprised he reacted like he did and I for one wouldn’t have been so restrained, professional or not.

      1. Thanks for the video RR – I downloaded it and ran it though a video editing piece of software I have so I can view it frame by frame (which is perhaps what the appeals panel will do). Here’s is what I can see…

        You can’t see whether Oviedo pokes Adama in the eye as it’s on the camera’s blind side – but his hand must be around Adama’s face as you can see that Adama raise his own hand to his face to push away Oviedo’s hand.

        Adama then pushes Oviedo with his forearm on his upper chest just below the neck and it’s possible he may even have pushed him in the neck as Oviedo fell backwards. It looks quite forceful in real time and I can see how a linesman would have thought it warranted a red card as it almost looks like the arm ends up under his chin.

        Also at no point did Adama make any reaction or flinch to indicate he’d actually been poked in the eye.

        On the basis of the video I doubt the appeal will be successful.

      2. I agree that it looks forceful but Adama is a heck of a solid unit especially with upper body strength compared to Oviedo and a gentle nudge from him is probably the equivalent of one of us lot taking a 10 yard run up.

        Maybe if the appeal was presented alongside a retro David Banner “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry” video it might add depth, meaning and perspective?

  79. I’m going to be pedantic here. Some reporters are saying Boro dropped two points on Saturday. They didn’t. It’s impossible to drop two points, because the match hadn’t finished so they hadn’t gained any points to drop. At the end of the match both teams GAINED one point each.

  80. Ken

    Fair shout, However we look at it the table stays the same as it did Sunday morning.

    As for the incident, I suspect the official caught the end of the incident and missed the first part, saw hands raised and Oviedo collapse and gave what he saw.

    It happened to Paul Ince when Nial Quinn pushed him in the neck/face area, Ince retaliated, did the same and was sent off.

    Aliadierre at Liverpool, Mascerano grabbed Aliadierre by the face , Jeremy cuffed him back only for Lee Mason to see the latter and off he went.

    It doesn’t just happen to our players, it is just the fact you remember it more

  81. Do I have a Quote Of The Day? Maybe I do, although I was going to save part of it for my next Talking Point. But let’s put it up anyway.

    “In stressful environments, we all fall into patterns of behaviour.

    “Players who earn maybe ten times as much as a manager always defer to him as ‘boss’ or ‘gaffer’. Managers deal with players who they feel threaten their authority by throwing them into solitary confinement – sorry, I meant to say by throwing them into youth-team training sessions. Long-term troublemakers are transferred to another institution. Good, compliant behaviour is rewarded. Questioning the institution is discouraged.

    “It’s a narrow world with high walls around it. Different rules apply within those walls. If your friend retires and becomes the manager, from day one you stop calling him (by name) and start calling him boss. You conform.

    “…If you work in a coalmine you expect dust. If you work in a pressurised, emotive, stressful world like top-level football you expect to get shouted at.

    “People live with it.”

    — The Secret Footballer

  82. With Tony Pulis short of a big forward since Gestede’s injury, there are rumours that a 6′ 5″ free agent who’s even faster than Adama will announce tomorrow which club he’s signing for – there is only one slight problem his name is Usain Bolt and he’s never played professional football before!

    1. Big lanky git who couldn’t trap a bag of cement complete with an abysmal goalscoring record to boot but apparently he can run around a bit. Whats not to enthuse over? Wouldn’t worry about the “never played professional football before” bit either, nobody at Rockliffe noticed in the past with quite a few of them and I doubt they will now.

      Just hope Gary Gill doesn’t read this blog otherwise there’ll be an offer on the table tomorrow, £6.5m signing on fee should cover it, thats the going rate with Boro and not a penny less!

  83. Just watched RR’s video, without the frame by frame that Werder has. However I just cannot see how Adama will escape from that incident. His action looks worse than that of Oviedo.

    If the Ref missed it OK, but I am mistified how the Lino could see all that clearly, unless he was closer than I am thinking?

  84. Adama is too honest for himself, the times he’s been wacked and he’s stayed on his feet is plaudable ,but he should start taking advantage of the situation and start going down,causing yellow cards to be given to his opponent, he will recieve more space .
    I can see him creating seven or eight penalties for us.
    COB.

  85. At 0:04 in the video after Adama brushed Oviedo’s advances away the first time, you can definitely see Oviedo then raise his right arm above Adama’s right shoulder which would indicate his hand is somewhere around the side of Adama’s face. What if anything happened is open to speculation as we can’t see but Adama reacts instantaneously by pushing him away. He could have poked him or just flicked his ear in a bit of mischief making but there is an Adama reaction to that arm/hand position.

    I suspect that there is also the Referee’s report and what he was sent off for. If it was for an elbow or a punch then not guilty, if it was for shoving him over then I’m surprised thats a red card and not just a talking to or a yellow worst case.

    1. I agree that the decision may well hang on whether he was deemed to have struck his opponent or pushed him in the referee’s report – though pushing an opponent can still be regarded as violent play. I’m of the mind that maybe the appeal is only going to prevent an extension to the ban for the manner of how he left the field by giving him grounds for feeling provoked.

  86. What will be interesting is if they let Adama off or reduce it to a yellow lets what will they do to Oviedo?

    If there is an angle we haven’t seen that shows an eye gouge then that would be serious foul play. My instinct tells me that Adama says he tried to gouge his eye and TP has looked at the video and added 2+2 together.

    There may not be clear evidence and it is all supposition.

    But that’s all we can do, try and interpret the little evidence there is.

    1. The problem with the eye-gouging is that Oviedo was wearing gloves and at no point did Adama flinch or react that indicated he had a problem with his eye. The video clip stops as Oviedo is on the ground appealing in the direction of the linesman – what we don’t know is whether he then feigned injury to his head to get Adama in trouble.

      1. Werder

        It is all conjecture, i cant see much evidence to clear Adama but who know what else they have, they may not look at video evidence at all and just go off the referees report.

  87. There are not many tap ins for Bamford when he scores,if you look at his record on utube ,especially the season when he was player of the year,
    When his confidence is up,and he gets service ,he can be a big asset.

Leave a Reply