| Middlesbrough | Nottingham Forest | ||
| Ayala Downing |
7′ 31′ |
||
| Possession Shots On target Corners Fouls |
38% 12 7 5 9 |
Possession Shots On target Corners Fouls |
62% 14 3 8 7 |
Aitor’s not so happy return
Today saw the return of AK to the Riverside and with him a side that was perhaps slightly better in Championship ability to when he first arrived at Boro after Mogga’s departure (or Venus for those who are sticklers). The game threw together a few “old boy” connections aside from AK of course Ayala, Bamford and Assombalonga once plied their trade for the Nottingham side, Guedioura and of course who can forget Lee Tomlin, he who divided Teesside opinion almost as much as that vegetable spread gloop!
Neither side were exactly in great form prior to this afternoon. Forest had relatively nothing other than pride and impressing their new Boss at stake whereas Boro had a heck of a lot at stake but had bottled things recently making their relative league placings erroneous as to any potential outcome on the day. With eight out of the last twelve meetings on Teesside between these sides ending in a draw a similar disappointing return for Boro (considering the opportunity) was not unlikely.
TP had said he had a few injury niggles and worries on Friday although how that could be the case was a concern in itself as very few had exactly busted a gut on Monday’s outing at Burton. Forest’s Monday fixture with Barnsley was postponed so perhaps that could provide a slight advantage in terms of fitness. Aitor had David Vaughan and Daryl Murphy out with Kieran McDowell 50/50 to make it. Goal scoring has been somewhat of a problem for Forest which won’t come as a surprise to many of us. Of more value to Boro was the stat that Forest had conceded more goals (10 in total) from corners than any other Championship side this season. The problem there of course was that the standard of Boro corners have been noticeably tripe!
Question marks over the attitude of some of the Boro squad didn’t seem to affect TP’s team selection on Monday bar the one disastrous change by dropping Shotton which in itself probably influenced the outcome of the match more than anything else. Today saw that remedied by Shotton restored in place of Cranie and with everyone else it was a case of as you were.
Early morning results once again went Boro’s way with the Blades losing to Barnsley and Villa falling foul at Carrow Road. Surprisingly Forest started on the front foot and took the game to Boro applying pressure and the cause of some less than composed clearances from the Boro back line with Lolley in particular a threat as Adama stood and watched the world and Osborn and Lolly pass him by. Shotton had his hands full and there was little sign of Aitor’s men sitting back happy to pass sideways. That said it only took a few minutes for Grant to unleash a Thunderbastard signalling some intent and hopefully a change of mentality from Boro. It was a rare treat but a refreshing one, perhaps having AK on the side-lines woke old traits from deep within!
A corner into the Forest box saw a game of head tennis before Ben tee’d up Ayala who brought the ball down, swivelled beating the attention of four Forest defenders to peel the ball into the top left corner to make it 1-0 on seven minutes. A perfect start for Boro and I’m sure one which had extra added satisfaction for Dani. A few minutes later AK strolled out into the technical area for the first time and received a warm round of applause from all around the Riverside with chants of “Oh Aitor Karanka” he even responded with a wave to the South Stand. Prior to the KO when Tomlin’s name was read out he also received a warm applause and likewise responded to the four stands.
On twenty minutes Bamford had a chance but his touch was a little heavy but he managed to find Howson who tried to make space for his shot, delaying meant the chance was gone but the ball spilled to Stewy who shot and as has been his standard of late went well wide of the post. At this stage Forest were having plenty of possession but nothing of note was really happening with it although to be fair Boro were not exactly pulling up any tree stumps themselves. Adama had been quiet offensively, standing; looking lost on the touchline and seemingly disengaged in what was happening around him.
A long throw in from George with his newly discovered skill set saw a familiar tactic as Ayala flicked the ball on from the edge of the six yard box which fell to the feet of Adama who wasn’t alert to it as he hadn’t been all afternoon but it spilled to Stewy on the spot, literally, who this time hit it right footed and found the back of the net to make it 2-0. Despite Forest’s possession it was Boro who were making their chances count as the game petered out in a fairly controlled but uninspiring manner from a Boro perspective. Still you can only beat what’s in front of you and there looked to be more goals in this game as Boro sensed an opportunity to boost their Goal difference.
All through the first half Bamford had battled up front, chased ran and outfought the attentions of the Forest Centre Backs with Figueiredo feeling the after effects of Paddy after hauling him down but left licking his wounds literally as the game had to be halted for what looked like some emergency dental work for the Forest CB. I’m sure that Dani, Stewy and Paddy were not remotely intent on raising their game for the benefit their erstwhile manager although the thought of hell hath no fury like a footballer scorned did enter my mind!
The first half came to a close with a succession of Forest corners which Boro had conspired to dither, dilly and dally in their clearances before Dani eventually lamped the ball 50 yards into the opponents half. Sometimes keeping it simple but brutal betters all that fancy interplay at the back putting yourself under unnecessary pressure which had required Randolph to palm away a Tomlin effort.
The second half started with no changes for either side and was the perfect accompaniment to the backdrop of the dull, damp, wet and miserable weather. The below average fayre being served up was suddenly awoken by an overhead bicycle kick by Dani Ayala who along with Paddy looked hell bent on proving a point (or all three). Again Boro were sitting back, too far back in fact absorbing Forest pressure as Aitor rang the changes astonishingly with 30 minutes to go instead of his usual five or less making a double substitution. The young Striking prospect Brereton came on for the hapless Vellios and McKay for the half fit McDowell.
Four minutes later Clayts came on for Besic who had had a good game including a rousing desperate tackle chasing back to save Boro blushes and inspirationally setting up an attack singlehandedly in the first half. Mo had been hobbling a bit after taking a knock on the hip and with Sheffield coming up on Tuesday it made sense. Meanwhile Adama had been switched between left and right wings all through the game but to no avail and had minimal impact on the match putting in an altogether disappointing afternoon. Forest however hadn’t given up the game and were causing Boro some worries at the back as balls started flying into the box and crosses started to fly across Randolph’s goal area with shots being blocked.
The second half belonged to Forest as we struggled to get out of defence and launch an attack even Adama was back defending corners as pressure was building. The Riverside had gone very quiet with only the away section in fine voice. Clearances were desperately hoofed upfield where battling isolated Bamford was holding up play, having his shirt tugged and pulled yet still stretching the Forest defence all by himself. Grant had tried a rare Boro effort, this time a measured attempt into the top corner which Pantilimon plucked out of the air fairly easily. Britt was warming up and came on for the by now almost anonymous Adama. Paddy moved to the right side playing wide and providing cover for Shotton. Paddy was literally running on empty yet still managed to get back and head another vital clearance as he had done previously at corners. Despite not making the score sheet for me this was perhaps Bamford’s most complete performance in a Boro shirt. TP realising that his in form striker was now well and truly burnt out replaced him Cranie to strengthen our backline, hold on and also perhaps to let Cranie get his Burton car crash out of his system. Paddy received a standing ovation as he went off which was in contrast to the reception Britt had received when he had entered the field of play minutes previously. The away support clearly not appreciating that the money his departure earned had injected their club with much needed cash.
Britt was lively and involved and should have put the game to bed with a one on one with Pantilimon but hit the NE corner instead of the target from ten yards out. Another opportunity to fluff his lines happened again as the away fans started singing the Assombalonga song in ironic support of his ability to need five or six chances to net one. He had a penalty claim turned down as he was hauled back and also worked a brilliant back heel pass to set Paddy up only to skew his fatigued shot wide.
The second half was one to forget for Boro, it certainly won’t feature highly if at all on the season’s highlights video. The first half had shown hope of a goal fest in the second half but after the break we once again underwhelmed. At this stage of the season it’s the points that are of greater importance but with Sheffield, Bristol, Derby and Millwall all coming up it was less than convincing.
MOM was a joint one for me between Paddy and Dani who both put in the sort of performances that we will need more of to make the Play-offs.
Boro face the spectre of missing out
as Karanka returns to his old haunt
After the lacklustre displays against the team propping up the league and the nine-men of Wolves, Boro followers will be somewhat apprehensive at the visit of the tricky trees, which just got trickier with the return of Aitor Karanka to the Riverside in the opposition dugout. The former Boro boss who led the club to their last promotion should receive a good welcome from many of the supporters and players as he returns to his old haunt – though the drop in form following the international break has left the club facing the spectre of missing out on the play-offs as the chasing pack move ever scarily closer. It may be stretching the analogy to wonder if some of the players have given up the ghost with regard to promotion but now is not the time to lose your nerve and play with fear.
Aitor Karanka may no longer be at the club but his spirit is still evident in the current team with the midfield pairing of Clayton and Leadbitter recently restored to sit in front of a back four that still consist of the Gibson-Ayala axis and George Friend – with Bamford now playing up front and being supported by another old favourite Downing, it looks like little has changed – plus even Traore was his touchline project too. In all, eight of the usual starters are Karanka players and it could be argued that the former boss and his methodology is the ghost in the machine that can’t be exorcised.
It may be hard for many of these players, particularly in central midfield and defence, to avoid falling back on the years spent being drilled on moving the ball methodically and patiently – particularly when it becomes a coping mechanism in times of stress. It’s quite incredible to think that after all the turmoil, changes and money spent in the last 12 months, Boro have reverted back to the bulk of what were Karanka-type players. Perhaps what is missing though is the famed intensity (perhaps both his strength and weakness) that he brought to the party – though what we may now have is a group unable to adapt and break out of the shackles ingrained in their heads by the former manager as they attempt to go through the motions on the pitch of trying to change the way they play.
Many may not be surprised to hear that our former manager’s team haven’t found the net in their last four games and indeed his Forest side have only scored in 4 of his 13 games since he took over in early January – though remarkably one of his three victories was against leaders Wolves, with another being a rather out of character 5-2 goal-fest against QPR that was followed-up with a victory over managerless Birmingham just ahead of Garry Monk’s arrival. Conceding three goals in those back-to-back victories perhaps proved to be far too irritating for the former Boro clean-sheet perfectionist as he then drilled his players into delivering a rather self-satisfying run of three successive nil-nil draws and they haven’t scored since. I expect Karanka on his return, with his nil-by-mouth bedside manner, will be hoping to rekindle the passion and appreciation for those clinical clean sheets by those pre-medicated punters, who are patiently waiting in the corridors of uncertainty at the Riverside as they contemplate getting off their trolley if operation play-off is cancelled.
| Middlesbrough | Nottingham Forest | ||
| Tony Pulis | Aitor Karanka | ||
| P40 – W18 – D9 – L13 – F56 – A39 | P39 – W13 – D7 – L19 – F43 – A56 | ||
| Position Points Points per game Projected points |
6th 63 1.6 72 |
Position Points Points per game Projected points |
17th 46 1.2 54 |
| Last 6 Games Burton (A) Wolves (H) Brentford (A) Barnsley (H) Birmingham (A) Leeds (H) |
F-T (H-T) 1:1 (0:1) D 1:2 (0:2) L 1:1 (1:1) D 3:1 (2:0) W 1:0 (1:0) W 3:0 (2:0) W |
Last 6 Games Millwall (A) Sheff Utd (A) Derby (H) Norwich (A) Birmingham (H) QPR (A) |
F-T (H-T) 0:2 (0:2) L 0:0 (0:0) D 0:0 (0:0) D 0:0 (0:0) D 2:1 (1:0) W 5:2 (1:0) W |
Much has happened at the Hurworth acute admissions ward since Karanka was struck off just over a year ago and locum Steve Agnew received a hospital pass from chairman Steve Gibson as he was put in charge of attempting to nurse a weak and disorientated Boro back to recovery. The hastily assembled care team that comprised consultant therapist Joe Jordan, junior doctor Paul Jenkins and orderly Woodgate proved to be all underwhelmingly too little too late to save the rapidly fading flat-lining Premiership patient who had lost the will to live. In the end we all had to take our medicine, which was the bitterest of pills to swallow after such a long time impatiently spent in the Championship waiting room for our number being called for our regularly cancelled appointment with the English elite clubs.
The post-mortem at the end of the season proved inconclusive as a difference of opinion existed between those who had ignored earlier symptoms of malaise and others who had failed to diagnose a problem of inherent weaknesses at a much earlier stage. Revelations that self-harm had ultimately been the cause of our pain left a bitter taste in the mouth as seemingly divided loyalties between Victor Orta’s privately cared for out-patients and the no frills public sector workers who had been the foundation trusted with promotion the previous year. So the Director of Football, who had transfused the club by bringing in the new blood, was subsequently discharged along with most, if not all, of the new admissions. Boro elected to start again and put their trust in the new regime of Garry Monk with a more progressive model for success as the club threw money at the problem of lacking a cutting edge that was identified last season.
Like all plans on paper, they are subject to being implemented in the reality they were designed for and it’s during this phase where often things don’t go quite as they were supposed to. However, Monk was no stranger to either accidents or the emergence of new problems and he struggled to get to grips with the league as his team failed to smash through the glass ceiling of mediocrity – let alone smash the league that his chairman had hoped for. He was often seen putting on a brave face and limping into casualty to have a sticking plaster applied to the foot that was forever been shot into by a team that was neither one thing or the other in terms of defence or attack. The former Leeds and Swansea manager’s team were consistently inconsistent as players were shuffled in and out as performances were seldom delivered in a convincing manner. With no obvious signs of progress being made, or indeed a shape emerging with the team, chairman Steve Gibson decided further surgery was required at the club as he wielded the knife once more and Garry Monk was excised from his duties shortly before Christmas.
After something of a pregnant pause, the Boro chairman delivered the club’s fourth manager in a little over nine months as a return to the Premier League at the first attempt was proving to be more laborious than anticipated. With Steve Gibson appearing somewhat in breach of his promotion promise, he pulled off something of a coup by landing his most experienced manager since Terry Venables was enlisted to support Bryan Robson. Nevertheless, installing a man famed for avoiding relegation may have been a slight over-reaction to Boro’s upper mid-table position and it was hard to see how a squad assembled for progressive football would easily marry with the preferred tactics of an old-school Tony Pulis.
Those supporters that were expecting a sudden improvement in Boro’s fortunes were going to be disappointed as Pulis only won four of his first ten games – which had basically meant Boro had more or less continued with the same form that had seen Monk dismissed. Furthermore, the team had failed to score a goal in his first three home games, which was not winning over the Riverside faithful as initial prejudices on the style of the manager appeared to be confirmed. Out went previously ever-present Britt Assombalonga in favour of Big Rudy Gestede as the stereotypical Pulis target man. Also out were Christie and Fabio as their wing-back attributes were replaced by the preference for the big solid full-back types of Friend and Shotton – with the latter also being favoured for his tick-box long throwing ability. In addition, Braithwaite opted out of the change and quickly crossed the Channel back to France, while Fletcher crossed the bridge over the more troubled waters of the Wear as he headed to Sunderland in the hope of a game. No doubt magic Johnson would have also exited the club if he hadn’t already played for two clubs this term but he disappeared faster than a white rabbit dropped in a top hat with a super-massive black hole at its core.
There was little business in January to suggest there was an urgency to remould the squad in the image of the manager, with just the short on match-fitness loan signings of Mo Besic and Jack Harrison recruited to fill the void left by departures. What this actually meant was Boro had gone from their pre-season aim of having potentially one of the strongest squads to essentially a First XI plus a few like-for-like changes – albeit players who were either short on game time or low on confidence. This didn’t sound like a club who meant business in the same way they started the season and it began to feel like the start of a re-grouping for the next campaign with just one eye on sneaking through the play-offs. Pulis’s one saving grace was that he had somehow managed to unlock the talent that was Adama Traore as he graduated from occasional bit-part player under Monk to the main attraction under the new regime. Assists and goals duly arrived as the team was suddenly built around the pace and power of a player who was rapidly becoming the talk of the Championship. Also rehabilitated was Patrick Bamford who has now been promoted to his preferred striker role – though it seemed more by accident than design as big Rudy was ruled out for the season and main January target Mitrovic opted to join a Fulham team managed by fellow Serbian Jokanović instead.
It’s perhaps unfair to judge Tony Pulis too harshly on what has been only a third of a season to experiment with what he inherited from the substantial summer dealings and he may indeed feel his options are quite limited for the task of promotion. Whether Boro have developed into a team capable of winning four of their remaining six games to secure a play-off spot is not something many would feel confident in predicting – plus subsequently going on to beat two of the form teams like Fulham, Villa or Millwall in the play-offs is perhaps an even bigger ask. It may well be in the back of quite few players minds that promotion is the end of road for their Boro careers – those who were found wanting last season may believe the club will have already judged them and it would be hard to imagine many supporters feeling confident in doing any better with the same old faces again. After all, they’ve only managed two wins all season against the top half of the Championship.
So one year on from Aitor Karanka’s departure, have those who make the decisions learned what they must do as a club to gain promotion and hopefully stay up? Given what has happened this season, it’s unlikely that they knew what to do but they might at least have known what not to do – Steve Gibson has now handed the project over to Tony Pulis in what looks like a short-term quick fix rather than attempting to build a long-term strategy. The fact that the chairman decided the way forward following relegation was to create an opposite philosophy to Karanka under Monk, in which the club attempted through the mass purchase of attacking players to be more progressive rather than being reliant on a methodology that relied on a head coach orchestrating his players to be primarily hard to beat through defensive drills and driven by the desire to control not nurture.
Whether Monk was ejected purely on his record this season is uncertain but one wonders if Gibson just wanted Tony Pulis more than he wanted to wait and see whether Monk would succeed with his project. It seems Pulis was an unlikely successor to carry the investment in the Monk model forward and the chairman would have hopefully anticipated that he’d want a different type of player to the ones the club had just spent nearly £50m on. The sidelining of Britt and the departure of Braithwaite removed £25m worth of assets from the first team with the exit of Christie and the disappearance of Johnson a further £5m, before the loaning out of Fletcher brought the amount of transfer money not being active on the pitch to £37m – if Howson now also gets benched then we’re talking about well over £40m of the summer spending tasked with promotion becoming unused. So it essentially leaves the first year of parachute payments being squandered and that’s before we add in the wages. There will be no need to have an inquest should Boro fail to gain promotion as the finger of blame may rightly be pointed at the summer recruitment policy but that was exacerbated the moment Tony Pulis was appointed and it left many of the new model signings redundant to the cause.
So will the Boro players be feeling all nostalgic with the return of Karanka to his old haunt and be keen to show him they can still do a job for him next season as they grind out a goalless draw? Or will a few of his former charges be chomping at the bit to prove they have the spirit to leave his petrified Forest less than enchanted? As usual your predictions on score, scorers and team selection – plus will Karanka resist the temptation to start shouting instructions to Adama from the dugout?
After reading Werdermouth’s accurate appraisal of Boro’s season so far one can only come to the conclusion what a shambles it has been. So much money wasted on players since discarded! When one thinks how desperate Boro were to get Scott McDonald off our payroll because his wages were a drain on our resources, or when Strachan had a transfer chest of £10M the wastefulness since has been mindboggling. Also to change a format that Karanka had installed, change it after a poor three months in the Premier League to what was hoped to be a more attacking formation under Monk, and then to go full circle and revert to a Karanka type system under Pulis must have had a lot of us scratching our heads. The sacking of Monk almost parallels the same situation as the sacking of Southgate. I’m not saying that Monk would have got us into the playoffs (we shall never know), but when you actually see this seasons (mis)adventures put into print by Werdermouth’s excellent article, you come to realise what a shambles Boro FC have become not only on the field, but also behind the scenes.
Thanks Ken, it feels like Monk’s reign has quickly been expunged and the idea of a more progressive style of play ditched before it had a chance to be worked out. I think it was Pep Guardiola who said he needed three transfer windows to get the squad he needed – it seems Monk failed to impress enough to be given two by his chairman. Probably the biggest failure in the summer was in not addressing the pedestrian midfield that continues to prove it has too little creativity to allow for progressive football.
Ken,
Going on a hunch here but do you have the stats on how many goals per game we have acores under the progressive Monk compared to the Karanka-esque Pulis?
Andy
Not Ken but:
32 in 23 with monk= 1.39/game and 6 goal less games.
26 in 17 with TP = 1.53 / game and 5 goal less games. We have scored in all of the last 8 games.
Cheers MW.
A team who refuse to concede against a team who refuse to score.
One nil to the Trees. Gulp.
Great article Werder reminding us all of the disaster this season has been to date, and it looks likely to continue.
I hope that AK gets a warm welcome upon his return and that the crowd remember the things that he did achieve at the Riverside.
I hope that the team, however, give him the opposite albeit I am having difficulty in convincing myself of that following recent displays.
I expect to see Shotton back in for Cranie and whilst I would like us to go 442 with Harrison replacing SD and Assombalonga partnering Bamford I think TP will revert to his starting line up at Burton with the exception at the back of Shotton/Cranie.
I predicted a draw in the Exmil challenge but now think that this will be a continuing “typical Boro” saga unti the season’s end. With Forest not having scored for so long they are bound to do so probably with Lee Tomlin.
Boro 0-1 Forest. Crowd 24,442.
Another 90 mins of watching via iFollow, punctuated by my moans and groans I daresay as in recent weeks. CoB prove me wrong!!
Thanks KP, I expect it will be a tight game tomorrow as we know that Karanka won’t change if his team go a goal down as he always believed in such circumstances in continuing to keep it tight and hopefully nicking a goal to get a draw. Anyway, I’ll be watching the stream more in hope than anticipation of a decent game – I’ve actually turned down a day out at the last day of Bremen Easter Fair to watch proceedings and it’s also going to be 21 degrees and sunny so I may regret that decision if we get the anticipated 0-0!
Check those goose entrails and then the tea leaves and this has AK pulling a slow one and a result of Boro 0 – 1 Forest written all over it. A game that I am dreading.
UTB,
John
Firewood 0 Forest 1
Fantastic piece Werder, we need a win of any sort this weekend for the final push. I think it might be time to unleash Harrison and bring stewie inside instead of Clayton or Leadbitter. Can’t see it ever happening like but that’s what I would do. In fact if I had my way I would probably play Besic, Howson and Downing as my middle 3.
Many thanks Boroinspector and I’m not too keen on seeing the return of the Clayton Leadbitter shield as they seldom support the forwards and it then becomes all too predictable and slow, with the centre-backs ending up playing over-hit long balls to an isolated Bamford. Besic is better but he’s dipped a bit since the break and Howson has also lost the ability to pass the ball. I expect Downing would really like to play against Karanka and prove a point – although blasting it over the bar only proves he hasn’t got the composure to demand a starting place.
Interesting that TP is saying he hopes he is given time to implement the changes he wants to make at the club.
Does anyone know how long his contract is for? I still think he won’t be at the club next season unless by some miracle we achieve promotion.
I believe that when he arrived he said that he would review with SG at the end of the season.
The sad thing about AKBoro – and we have to hope they don’t do this tomorrow, for our sake – is that on their day, when the handbrake was unleashed, they could fulfil hearts as well as minds.
All the “negative stuff” about AK from behind the scenes? I see no reason to disbelieve it. It fits right in line with how he appeared to perceive Boro as a whole.
A frightening contrast, seemingly, with the Karanka who repeatedly spoke of how he’d taken to Middlesbrough and Middlesbrough had taken to him. But not as frightening as you’d think. I believe it was WH Auden who once said that “private faces in public places are wiser and nicer than public faces in private places.”
I think one thing that irked people is that he really wasn’t loyal to the foundations of Middlesbrough FC as a club at all. He tried to gut them and replace them with principles and methods that had been proven valid and legit by Mourinho and Ferguson. Without considering how misguided and awkward a fit they would be.
And why did I embrace it all as wholeheartedly as I did? Because – as I said in my cult piece – thanks to him, our favourite men in red were once again being taken seriously. The value of being led back into the spotlight by a coach who had been there, seen it and done that was too much to resist.
“Led back in to the spotlight “
Stumbled over the line more like. He was in charge for the play off final debacle and the stuttering promotion.
What exactly are the foundations of Middlesbrough FC as a club?
The crippling of Bamford at Norwich and the incompetence of letting him remain on the pitch allied to almost missing the Play Off final by turning up late ranks right up there as much as the Brighton home draw or Man City in the Cup.
Always more than one way to look at it, GHW.
You learn more in defeat. We were stronger for the experience of the “nearly but not quite” in 2014-15, and built on it the following year.
The “stutters”? I think, albeit with the benefit of hindsight, that this was down to a three-way battle for control – what the players wanted, what the chairman wanted and what the manager wanted all coming to blows, with poor Jordan Rhodes caught up in the centre of it all.
Lest we forget, we were six points clear with a game in hand until that run of three points in fifteen – and we never conceded more than a solitary goal in any game during that run.
Bournemouth and Man. United had similar runs and they still overhauled deficits to win the league. That’s how we ought to have looked at it, but I admit that in the heat of battle we can’t do that.
In short – I’m only trying to be fair. Though I understand that in AK’s case that’s not always possible.
Simon when he left there were thirty four thousand of us in the ground.
As some comedian said.
“They laughed when AK got sack, they are not laughing now”
Quite sobering to sit and read the story of the season so far. Like Chris H. said, a team that cant score against a team that won’t concede. Does something have to give? I think not, so I’m going with OFB’s eyes and predicting 0-0. A dull 0-0 at that.
I suppose it could have been far worse if you look at Sunderland and Hull but the reality was that Boro had a different budget altogether and intended to be one of the main contenders and even started the season as favourites. There were never any guarantees that spending money directly equates to success but it should have been much better than what has unfolded. It’s now just a lottery and at least Boro have a ticket but the gamble in august hasn’t paid off so far.
£40m theoretically wasted (or at least under utilised) is some serious less than perfect recruitment!
Tomorrow is a make or break game. The last two performances have been poor but the one on Monday was especially dire and perhaps its just as well it was away from home as I believe the Riverside could have turned toxic. From a half full perspective its maybe the kick up the backside that was needed to wake them from a self induced slumber for the tough but opportunistic run in. From a half empty perspective there are several who were so poor they shouldn’t be in tomorrow’s squad let alone starting yet somehow I fear that they will come 3.00pm.
This Forest side is nothing special and on paper we should dispose of them and the fact that tactically we know exactly what to expect reduces “excuses” significantly beforehand. All that is irrelevant if TP hasn’t got to the bottom of why so many put in indifferent performances on Monday and ruthlessly tackled it.
Downing I feel had been one of our better performers this season but of late he offers very little and his shooting and set pieces are worse than abysmal, time to bring in someone else. Grant is great but late mistimed tackles because you have been done are now becoming more the norm, as for “Thunderbastards” they are now a sad distant memory. How Cranie remained on the pitch must have been down to the weather conditions creating a selective myopic incident with the bench. I had thought that his ten minute cameos from that same bench had been OK, nothing more, nothing less but when Lloyd Dyer rips you a new one its time to hang your boots up son or retire to La Liga where you can become a superstar it would appear judging by Barragan.
I get Howson being miffed, he was actually mediocre up until getting the hook which was fantastic in comparison to 6 or 7 others. We will see if TP saw it as passion or insolence, either way I doubt the absence of his contribution will affect much in the run in unless he suddenly recovered his form from four or five years ago (ditto Downing, Clayts, Grant). Britt doesn’t do much but he scores goals, he also unfortunately misses sitters more then he scores but he does score so for me that offers more to the side than many. An over the hill crap non productive midfielder is exactly that but a crap striker who scores goals does at least bring something to the table.
Watching Arsenal last night was a joy, free fast flowing expansive football and goals. Contrast that with our slow sideways drudgery that allows defenders to get back and pick out telegraphed balls that invariably go wide and never into the box. Now I know and accept that we do not possess the same talent pool as Arsenal. I fully accept that but a front three out of Traore/Bamford/Assombalonga/Harrison wouldn’t be half bad to look at. Three up front of course would mean compromise elsewhere like losing a dinosaur midfielder or an ageing wide player that struggles to shoot, get a cross in or even take decent set pieces.
Time for change as what we have couldn’t beat decent teams all season and now can’t even beat the basement boys. Six games to go and there has to be something different as four of those games are against play off challengers in the top half of the league. I’d rather die in a blaze of glory than another shot blazed over the cross bar.
Unfortunately due to the dire recruitment dept and subsequent fire sale in January, the manager is left with very limited options.
In fact, I would go so far as to say if more bodies could have been brought in the window would have seen quite a few more departures.
On the bench we have, a project, a couple of journeymen one bright prospect and a veteran GK. Not exactly a first team squad, more like a default first team with stop gap cover.
The problem has been and continues to be the pedestrian midfield that seldom either attacks or supports the attackers. The £40m has been squandered on attackers with no real investment in multipurpose midfielders and the one player who was brought in to improve matters, i.e. Howson, has not been a success in most of the games he has played – whether that’s his fault or the fault of those around him is hard to judge but this is the real issue to address this summer.
I think that the problem with AKBoro, in many people’s eyes, is that its weaknesses were so obvious and resounded so loudly that they drowned out the strengths.
“Downing I feel had been one of our better performers this season but of late he offers very little and his shooting and set pieces are worse than abysmal”. Thanks RR, I agree with that. I agree that Stewyie’s shooting has been missing for a while.
On Saturday I would go for:
Randolph
Shotton, Ayala, Gibson, Friend
Traore, Besic, Howson, Harrison
Bamford, Assombalonga
I know that won’t be the starting line up. Downing would be there for Harrison and Clayton or Leads for Howson. I know the managers do not want to change too much, but that line up would surprice AK’s team!
Anyway, I will go for a 2-1 win for us. Both goals from our ex-Nottingham Forest strikers. Up the Boro!
As I’ve admitted, in a way, it was my own fault.
I failed to acknowledge, as RR pointed out, how many times it had been a case of “nearly but not quite” for Boro in the past, especially under Stan Anderson, and was keen to try and enjoy Boro’s best two seasons in years – 85 and 89 points should not be sniffed at – as much as possible.
And, as with Ireland in Italia 90, I didn’t like hearing dissenting views bursting the bubble.* In fairness, I don’t think many people did. But my point of view was akin to sitting back, shrugging my shoulders and admitting that “it is what it is” – and where does that get you?
*That brings me on to another Dunphyism, where his French friend Patrick, a chef who loved Big Jack and the Boys In Green, was concerned for Dunphy and tried to get Ireland’s Public Enemy Number One to relax and enjoy Ireland getting to the quarter-finals.
Essentially, he said: “You’re not Brazil, or Italy, or even France. The whole country is happy. It’s about *results.* And Jack is *getting them*.”
Dunphy wrote: “But the truth of the matter was that for me soccer wasn’t simply about results. Football had reached a low ebb – exemplified by the brutally cynical final between West Germany and Argentina – and Jack’s Ireland team was part of that malaise. I just couldn’t see it as Ireland’s finest hour. Everything that was glorious about our game was being swept aside to worship at Big Jack’s shrine. It was sacrilege.”
Ian Gill, I will take up the offer, for you to buy me a pint on board ship, I also guess that, like me, you are all inclusive lol.
Come on BORO.
GHW
Firewood vs Forest?
Driftwood more like. Flotsam washed up on the beach of broken dreams.
Exmil
That was why I put the cough and 🙂 in the post.
I did some research to try and find a famous pair of home games Ian once told me about.
One where we bombarded the opposition, played well but didn’t score. And another objectively dire game where Tony McAndrew was shoved up front and we only had three shots on target. But we won 3-0.
The former – was it a 0-1 loss to Norwich? – had everyone grumbling, no matter how well we played. The latter, in which we didn’t play well… well, everyone thought it was a great game.
That was 1975-76, Big Jack’s third season in charge. And the 3-0 win was only the second win in a Typical Boro freefall of W2 D0 L7.
Just like Swansea was one of the few wins we actually had to celebrate last season, never mind the performance.
If only we were in a play off spot with our destiny in our own hands. Oh hang on…
Yes it’s been a (very) big disappointment but I thought that with the age demographic of the majority of bloggers we, and I include myself, have seen far far worse times. Not only in results and performances but the way the club has been previously run. Charlie Amer anyone?
Teams relegated from the top flight have no Devine right to expect promotion back to the land where greed is good regardless of how much you spend/waste. We have spent/wasted a kings ransom but it just hasn’t come off. It happens.
As for Saturday’s game I think I’m on safe ground by saying it probably won’t be a goal fest with TP going for a gung ho attack minded 433. More than happy to be proved wrong though (again!). I don’t think he should stick by some of the “old guard” who have been so disappointing in the last couple of games. And yes I include Downing as one of those players, but who comes in as replacements? Especially for our misfiring midfield.
Finally I hope AK gets a good reception before kick off. For the next 90+ minutes he’s just another opposition manager.
I think it’s been a disappointment in terms of it has been well below expectations this season and only winning twice against any team in the top half of the table shows that a play-off place was there for the taking if Boro had performed maybe only 5-10% better. Cardiff didn’t look much better than us this season, they just seemed to want it more and too often Boro have started games with the wrong attitude and thought they deserved to win based on what was spent in the summer.
Amer’s words, c. 1998…
“Unfortunately for me, it appears the name of Charles Amer will forever be synonymous with the financial demise of Middlesbrough FC, because I was a convenient and high profile scapegoat… (But) I joined the board of Middlesbrough FC with one intention only, to help establish them as one of the major teams in the country. And for a brief period from 1974-76, I believe I achieved that objective when we were one of the most feared and respected teams in the land.”
Football. Where, for whatever reason, people put you on a pedestal one minute and destroy you the next. It is what it is…
Whether we like it or not, football is now a results based game and success is measured by points. How they are achieved is immaterial.
Chelsea and Arsenal are seen as failures by their fans at the moment and will probably have new managers next season.
We live in an age of “ mini seasons” where if a team aren’t winning the manager pays the price by losing his job. Some clubs can have several managers in one season.
Of course the meaning of success can be measured differently, depending on a clubs resources but the fans expectations don’t always mirror that. They want to see their teams win and definitely to be seen up for the fight.
The cyclical nature of football means that there will be ups and downs so consolidation in the up periods is paramount. We are in danger of losing the benefit of the parachute payment.
Look at clubs like Coventry, Barnsley, Blackpool, Reading, Ipswich, Bradford etc. Do you think they will see PL football again? In the right now of football you can’t afford to fall off the pace.
Traditionalists will bemoan the modern game, but once the big clubs sold their collective souls to the PL and SKY the die was cast.
Some fans have different views of turning points in football, but that seems the clearest to me. Mind you, a friend of mine says it all changed when players started to wear their socks above the knees. Heresy in his mind.
Its no wonder some of us are nostalgic for the old days when footballers were footballers, agents and simulation hadn’t been invented. Biting meant a strong mansize tackle taking no prisoners. Franny Lee was the first I can vividly recall using gamesmanship, it has now been perfected into an art form by the likes of Sane, Alli, Kane and too many others to mention sadly.
The “strange” (careful choice of word to avoid legal eagles) and inconsistent behaviour from those in charge of the game be it seemingly favouring some clubs over others or the volume of manilla envelopes awash in corridors of power in selling souls and rights to everything and anything connected with the game seemingly knows no bounds. Have a read of the following and try to keep a straight face, the mind boggles!
https://talksport.com/football/accrington-stanley-owner-andy-holt-told-he-will-face-no-action-efl-treating-team-mcdonalds
Thats where Boro have gone wrong. Clearly the boys should have had a win bonus Parmo written into their contracts and we too would be clear at the the top of the table !!
On results though, I make Accrington Stanley my team of the season.
GHW
You are quite correct in every respect.
But if we the ignorant fans know this, then the people who are in charge of our club should know it better and sooner.
With us going down from the Prem.it was fine for us the fans to go searching for high buildings to throw ourselves off.
But our chairman should surely have read us the riot act, and told AK that he was going nowhere, and please keep on the look out for any likely players and decide who was leaving the club.
The formation “spitting the dummy out of the pram” was silly.
All that was needed was a great cull, and I am not just talking about the playing staff.
On a more serious matter.
The general opinion is that other teams have now decided that three men can blot out Traore, and therefore it is job jobbed( national press)
If our hero’s cannot cash in on that situation, then they should hang their heads in shame.
Why not tell him to roam across the front line, that should Couse some disruption in the opposition defence.
Another great piece Werder and as always with these “common bond” games you cannot help but go back and think of the “good times”.
Yes there disappointments and periods of frustration, but as Simon alluded to, although it all ended tragically with AK, we did get to put our snout in the golden trough. Just a pity that what we sucked up and ingested has been rejected and wasted.
I would not be unhappy with Jarrko’s line up but cannot see TP being that bold. I expect very little change as there is very little to change with. Baker, Harrison or even Britt in the starting line up.
No, I expect 3 out of Besic, Grant, Clayton and Howson to be the mid-fielders and once more Downing pulling the strings with his incisive passing.
Hoping for a win as always but against that we our own players and AK’s defensive line.
Thanks Pedro, Yes Karanka had his good points and he arrived at a time when Boro needed organising and Steve Gibson had begun to put an end to austerity at the club. The problem with Karanka is that he fundamentally agreed with the methodology he preached but couldn’t deal with the pressure he placed himself under. Will he learn from his mistakes at Forest or will he just repeat the whole timeline again in a different place – he’s still quite young so it’s possible he’ll develop but maybe he can’t change his personality and his need to be right.
Weirder
It’s entirely possible that the Forest fans will welcome the organisation, the promotion, the big games against the big teams,
Maybe they will be on their guard against the inevitable players revolt, and insist that any dissenters are dispatched immediately.
It makes sense to learn from others mistakes.
But the fans won’t be allowed to shout “Attack,Attack,Attack”
OFB
I loved USA 94. It converted my teenage self to football. And if you judged it on the positives of the football, and football only, you’d get all sorts of good, even great, memories.
But nowadays when people look back at it, it’s spoken of as “sort of fake” and “over-produced” with the football being played in stadia that weren’t football grounds at all, in a non-football mad nation, when other more football-oriented nations hadn’t even hosted the World Cup.
For better or worse, it’s lumped in with football’s burgeoning corporatisation, the transition of the game from working-class competition to middle-class product.
Yes, it was fun at the time. And we all have our memories of Euro 96 and 1996-97. But we also know how the latter season ended up, and the former was a genuinely rank tournament. I read somewhere that Graham Kelly went round telling everyone it was a sell-out when it was nothing of the kind… and recalled that France and the Czechs played a semi in front of a half-empty Old Trafford.
KP, I thought when he arrived he had a greed an 18 month contract. Of course that may just of been internet talk.
Pedro
Not sure. Having been one of those who was in favour of his appointment I am now not sure if it was the correct one.
That being said this is really not his team and perhaps he should only be judged once he has had the opportunity to undertake a full recruitment window.
I did however think that the squad was good enough to gain promotion or a play off place as a minimum with the right direction. That was a mistake on my behalf as they have clearly struggled to achieve that and look as they will fall short of the minimum objective. This next week will go a long way to defining our season.
I liked Ak although it became apparent he lost it in the end. Maybe we expected too much.
Anyway good luck to him in his new post. Boro 2 NF nil
Then of course 4 six pointers in a row – even the FA cup isn’t that hard.
Come on Boro one step at a time
Werder: the usual!
As I said yesterday, I just want this dire season over and done with. It all just seems so flat.
If that statement prompts a sudden upturn in performances, I’ll take the credit but I’m not holding my breath.
Thanks Steely, though it’s not over till it’s over but the worry is Boro have failed to kick on since the international break and just failing to make the play-offs would certainly leave us all feeling flat.
That analogy of the FA Cup from Allan is a good one.
It takes 6 games to win the cup, so we need a good run to even just make the play offs.
Just run it off son!
https://youtu.be/XARARJlsvVc
If there was ever a lesson to be learned of repeating an error and still getting the same result it was Sergio’s pitch to the 15th hole yesterday – five times spinning back into the water. I rejoiced over his win last year, but even winners can soon become losers. So sad!
It’s been a long day working in the garden today after posting up the preview so I now know how Steve Agnew must have felt after his long gardening leave and I suspect there will be some aching muscles in the morning. It feels a lot longer than 12 months since Karanka left and if I’m honest I don’t miss the philosophy he brought to the club and I especially didn’t like the way he dealt with those around him who dared to have a different opinion than his. He learned his trade with Mourinho and you could see how that had rubbed off on him as his assistants such as Hignet and Leo were frozen out along with many of the players who he had decided were against him by not being 100% with him.
He was a spent force after Charltongate and Gibson has since commented that it was Agnew that kept the ship off the rocks and that is why he was rewarded with the job when Karanka left. In the end success is the name of the game and by winning promotion he was able to feel vindicated – though looking back in hindsight that should have been his last game followed by a big thank you for your efforts. In many ways the club are still dealing with the fallout from Chaltongate and it’s still not clear if it may have been better to remove all the damaged goods and start afresh. I’m still hoping Pulis delivers promotion but whatever happens it would be folly to imagine the club don’t require a radical change to freshen up what looks to be a jaded bunch of players who still appear scarred from the last few years.
⚽️⚽️
Eyes right !
OFB
There’s a part of me that thinks achieving promition might be a poisoned chalice.
How quickly would we be able to secure our place? Would we struggle again and come straight back down.
I much prefer promotion seasons to relegation ones and I think we’d need some untypically good incoming players to stay up.
Can we do it this season? I doubt it. Could we improve next year? Let’s hope so.
You were reading my mind Martin!
It somehow doesn’t feel like a promotion season even if we managed to go up via the play offs. In fact if we did go up I would have a weird feeling of being cheated somehow as the season has been somewhat flat and thats being kind. Either way there will need o be a big shuffling of the pack. I doubt we would stay up but longer term the additional Premiership funding helps a lot more than another season (and perhaps more) in the Championship.
The usual excellent piece Weder although some of it somewhat spooked me! As long as Boro don’t get frightened by Forest and disappear into the ether.
Moving onto the game, I have a horrible feeling in my bones that the Curse of the ex Manager will make an appearance with Tomlin scoring and Boro being unable to conjure up a way through their defences. That will be the final nail in the coffin for a play off place and put us out of our misery and a stake through our heart.
Regrettably I can’t see us putting a run together to keep the pressure up although I have my ticket for Sheffield United and will travel in hope rather than expectation.
As alluded to earlier, us old boys have seen it all before and will move onto next season. This has not been the worst and if TP stays then I would hope that with his own team, we will be successful and be promoted. Not that I am entirely sure that is a good thing these days with money being the be all and end all.
So, Boro 0 – Forest 1, sorry to the eternal optimists!
UTB
Thanks BBD, try to keep your spirits up as it’s still possible that the three points will unexpectedly manifest themselves…
Thank you so much Werder, as always another first class article.
Off all the comments today from various sources, there is one comment that sticks out like a sore thumb. That is TP saying that he hopes he will be given time to turn the whole club around.
Nobody seems to know what contract he has from SG so I believe once we are out of contention for a return to the premier league then I expect all will be revealed and that TP will be retained on a 2 or 3 year contract.
As for tomorrows game, well, Karanka deserves a very warm welcome but then lets get into them with a really aggressive perfomance and no holds barred approach.
As Elvis Presley sang ‘ It’s now or never ‘
Many thanks Braveheart, I thought I remembered that Pulis had initially signed up until the end of next season but turning the club around is job that will take more than just another season. I suspect much will depend on Boro being promoted before the parachute payments end after next season as it will be considerably harder while cutting back spending. Having said that, I already mentioned in my preview that Boro have not really utilised their parachute payments this season and to succeed the club must get the best out of their resources.
Werder
You’re right Pulis Signed an 18 month contract which takes him up to end of next season
OFB
Braveheart –
My suspicious mind is telling me we’ll be checking into the heartbreak hotel after the game.
Though hopefully Boro don’t get caught in a trap today as the former king will no doubt have been plotting our downfall…
Ahuhu oooh yea er I’m all shook up. !
Watched Cardiff v Wolves, with Cardiff 1 – 0 down going into 5 minutes of injury time, only to be awarded 2 penalties and then miss them both.
Come on BORO.
Two extracts for you tonight – they’re about the nature of authority and
I read that a psychologist named Stanley Milgram once carried out a series of experiments that literally shocked the world. He concluded that most people were governed by good intentions.
But, the closer they were to an authority figure, the more submissive they turned out to be. They felt more justified in administering a “punishment” for a “wrong answer” if they believed the responsibility wasn’t theirs, and if they worked for a reputable organisation. A case of personal morality overriden by the feeling of obedience.
Peter Gabriel raised this with a song from his album “So” (the one with “In Your Eyes” and “Sledgehammer”) called “Milgram’s 37”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XZ_5B5mJS0
The “thirty-seven” being how many actually administered the worst possible punishment in one of his experiments. The “we do what we’re told, we do what we’re told” refrain becomes genuinely frightening in this regard.
From this, a future professional learned two things: how important it is to stay true to yourself regardless of authority, and that it is possible to get almost anyone to do what you want them to do if you approach them in just the right manner.
Said professional wasn’t taught how to survive – he was taught how to escape.
(Source: The Secret Footballer)
I meant “the nature of authority and conformity” in the first sentence. Shouldn’t have hit the post button so soon.
I also read that many top level players have grown up believing they’re better than the rest. And it is those feelings of superiority that create a competitive environment, the player consistently thinking and behaving like he is the best and frequently setting out to prove it. Difficulties arise, naturally, but it helps push the player to where he wants to go.
But in the Premier League, the rules change. They’re no longer the big fish in the small pond. They’ve experienced individual success, but to succeed in a team, they need to be compliant. They need to follow the rules. And they also need to express their individuality. In other words: be yourself, express yourself, but make sure you stick to the orders we give you.
This, from The Secret Psychologist, took me a step closer to solving what I call “the Albert conundrum”. I would gather that he’s much happier to be the centre of attention in attack rather than just another cog in a machine.
The Championship is the most droll division in the whole of football.
It’s full of teams living off past history, teams trying all kinds of ways and systems and managers to get to the promised land,
Clubs scared to go for it ,and at the same time scared to lose it
Don’t know whether to attack or keep it tight,
They are so messed up with where they are it makes for nine months of tail wagging the dog.
And I’m a Boro fan
I’ve seen better football and more exciting games in the lower divisions , there are many footballers in those divisions just as good as championship,but can’t make it at that level because they are asked to play a game alien to them.
The premiership games for the most part has teams that do posses talent and can entertain.
Like I said the Championship ,well it does bring industrial language out, you never thought you had?
I see those nice men from the West Midlands have been at it again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUDZW5qaing
Werder another great piece and apologies for not thanking you earlier
MW
Absolutely no class what so ever. As manager and therefore by default the public face of a club, his actions are shocking. Yes get wound up, excited or whatever else but the first thing you should do at the final whistle is seek out your opposite number and shake his hand whether you mean it or not. Then you can go charging round celebrating with your staff and players.
I’m not saying don’t show your passion for the game just that in their position managers have to show a little restraint and respect first. As for the reaction by Neil Warnock I’m not surprised by his liberal use of Anglo Saxon what he thought of the after thought of a handshake.
Cheers FAA and no need to apologise – on the Nuno Espirito Santo ‘lack of class’ celebration instead of shaking Warnock’s hand – I suspect if he’d jumped in front of the Cardiff manager like he did with Pulis he probably would have chinned him given his reaction to the ‘forgotten’ handshake.
Thanks Werder for another masterclass in true literary ability.
The forest looms as a dark forbidden place with plenty of hidden dangers. Perhaps a wizard who malevolently looks on and schemes of our downfall.
I’m not going to be optimistic with this one and go for my usual 0 0
⚽️⚽️
OFB
Thanks OFB, I think this time your 0-0 prediction is probably well founded – though I’m going to go for a 1-0 to Boro purely on the grounds I’m going to be missing out on an afternoon in the 20 degree sun to watch proceedings and need at least one bright moment. Incidentally, just one week after a bracing walk on Saltburn beach with a cold wind and 3 degrees, We’ll be enjoying a BBQ in the garden tomorrow with temperatures predicted to be in the mid-20s!
Yes, but I bet you loved that bracing North Sea air.
MW And yes they are going to win the league by a mile.
It still beggers believe though how Warnock still continues to get more from the sum of the parts, as Ian quotes, than should be humanly possible. I do not like his style of football but it certainly works for him. Still I do not like the style of football from TP and it is not working for him at the moment.
Just think Bennet and Wildschut could be playing in the EPL next season.
As we gloomily look forward to next season, here we are in a play off place and another round of fixtures.
Millwall in 8th host Bristol in 7th. SheffU travel to Barnsley for a bitter derby, Preston travel to Reading.
What the odds on the positions remaining the same at 5pm? Waft a #daft quid.
The likelihood is Millwall will make sure City wont be travelling back down the M4 in ship shape and Bristol fashion. The Blades will slice up Barnsley and Preston will find easy Reading.
That means by hook or by crook we will have to do a job on Forest.
If Boro are to have any hope of a play-off place they have to forget the results around them and keep on winning, something that they struggle to do. I’m still on AK doing a job on us and still on 0 – 1.
Great introduction piece Werder between you and Redcar Red you put they EG to shame. I tried to read it last night and between pop-ups and lock-ups it just wasn’t worth the effort for a bullet point read. Sad really.
Anyway, come on Boro.
UTB,
John
Many thanks John, it’s sometimes easier to write something meaningful when you’re not constrained by a business model that is primarily aimed at monetising content – I’m sure it is just as frustrating for someone like AV who always took pride in his work.
Thanks Jarsue much appreciated.
Like Werder has said its probably a lot easier to create content when you are not a Hamster on a wheel being told to run faster and faster whilst remaining politically astute to club sensitivities on telling it how it is.
AV and Co. are the equivalent of performing seals within Trinity Mirror. Hostages to their chosen careers by the need to put food on the table. Its perhaps fitting that today’s opponents provided us exclusively with AV’s finest piece a few years back. Like most of us working or remember being employed there are things we would have loved to say or do and then theres the Kids and Mortgages.
I agree with you on that one, I used to look forward to reading the EG, when my parents were alive I’d always walk round to the shops near The Endeavour to buy a copy but it is a shadow of it’s former self and a pale one at that. Traditional print based products trying to mix with what my farmer neighbour calls ‘the interweb’.
The quality of AV’s writing and humour is, sadly, hidden.
Meanwhile Boro have scored…
UTB,
John
Forest seem to have an unwritten affiliation with Middlesbrough, obvious links from the Grove hill area, the red shirt, similar size towns and a recent history of frustration and of course the Catalan link today; testament to Karanka that the bedrock of Pulis’s side is down to him…or if promotion is not achieved, because of him. I for one will give him a warm reception today.
Dirty Wolves continue to charge towards the Premiership with zero respect for the opposition; a bitter taste for those on the receiving end but maybe the recipe for success is hidden amongst the abrasive antics of their players and staff…
Forest will try to double up on Adama, but maybe a curve ball could be to lose one of the “holders” and play him more centrally.
27,560
2 – 0 home win.. Bamford 2 (another Forest connection)
UTB
Plato –
It may well be that Karanka is a success at Forest but it’s by no means certain, though he’s clearly a driven individual so it won’t be from the want of trying. Whilst dissent among players who are either benched or playing out of position is inevitable, especially now in the days where players move on at the drop of a hat to further their personal careers, it’s how a manager deals with it that stops it becoming a major issue. There are question marks on whether Karanka has learnt mechanisms to deal with the pressure he places on the work environment but I suspect much of the controversy surrounding him at Boro may have been engineered as a tool of keeping his squad on their toes.
I looked into the whole methodology a year ago and wrote a feature about it if you’re interested…
A big club methodology for a small town in Europe
It’s one thing to rule with a rod of iron when your “subjects” are fearful of losing their jobs, but in today’s game of young millionaire footballers it doesn’t work that way.
Even on £10,000 a week that’s over half a million quid a year. Personally I think managers who try to rule by fear are abusing their position.
The best managers and not just in the footballing world are the ones who are able to be flexible, depending on different characters and situations.
I agree that those days have gone as any player that gets excluded will just move on a few months later in the next transfer window – or worse still those who are not up to much but on a generous contract will pick up their wages until the club pay them off. Good man management always trumps threats and punishment if you haven’t got an unlimited budget and a queue of good players waiting to join the team.
Barnsley beat the blades doing Boro a favour – Can we capitalise CoB!
Of course not this is Boro remember. More typical scenario would be Tomlin setting up sub Guedioura to hit a rocket 40 yard screamer for the winner.
KP
Many a twist to occur yet. Millwall are the danger at the moment but a win for Bristol or Preston would make things interesting.
Up to us to do our stuff.
Fingers and everything else crossed just don’t want another “typical Boro” day.
What about Cardiff now? Guaranteed a playoff place but, having lost their long unbeaten run last night, are they in great danger of being overhauled by Fulham before the season ends? Jumping the gun a bit now, but if Boro finish the season in 6th place, would they prefer to play Cardiff instead of Fulham. But hey, we’ve already seen some odd results in the last few weeks, and Fulham may well lose their long unbeaten record today at quickly improving Sheffield Wednesday. No wonder Mick McCarthy described the Championship a ‘bonkers’ league a couple of seasons ago.
No place on the bench even for Baker. That’s a strange loan system Chelsea seem to have. Their young (25) GK has just signed for a Danish club after eight years at Chelsea without one first team game. The loan players even have their own WhatsApp group.
Considering the constipated state of our midfield Baker left out is a strange omission. Interesting that Cranie is dropped to the bench with Shotton restored but Fabio also on the bench along with Fry. Perhaps Fabio’s inclusion is not for his long throws or defensive capabilities?
Maybe someone’s been reading the comments on here?
Werder, all boxes ticked once more, I don’t think I need to say more other than enjoy your BBQ, your weather almost sounds “Perthesque”. I need someone to let me know from a ‘techy’ point as to how I upload pictures and the like to my posts, that way I can remind you of the bluest of blue skies that we have here and are currently enjoying, and hope you get for your day out in the garden.
KP, it’s a nice result but, I prefer to have my own fate in my own hands and as a consequence, history, at present we’re making all of the wrong sort of history and leaving our fate in others hands, me not like.
As usual I’m not forecasting, just give AK a very warm welcome then make his welcome even warmer, by making him toast and his team charcoal, end of.
Great intro, as ever, Werder.
2-0 to the mighty Boro at half-time, with goals from slightly unexpected sources (Dani & Stewie). Dare we hope? *digs out the prayer mat*
Well a win, three points and still in sixth spot but as for most of the season we make hard work of it again against a very average Forest.
Defending at times was diabolical, with Shotton in particular being pulled all over the place. We will not survive against the better sides if we defend as we did today at times.
Bamford up front on his own does not work and whilst he never stops running and trying to hold the ball up it is not his strength and we are not getting the best from him.
Assombalonga had at least three clear cut chances when he came on and managed to fluff them all. If TP is here next season then I think Britt will be off.
So the Blades on Tuesday. Let’s hope we defend better and do not get cut to ribbons! A point would be a good result.
Bit of a grind in the second half but the defensive structure looked very professional and we should have scored on the break. A bit worrying that the two goals came from a corner and a throw-in. Are we indeed becoming ‘that’ kind of team?
Interesting to see that we can win with Traore completely snuffed out by the opposition but it did seem to leave more room elsewhere.
Bamford worked like crazy both in attack and defence. He was often the one who met the corners and headed them clear. It was good to see Shotton back. He looked very solid as did the whole back four and, after the midweek comments, Downing had a good game. Besic buzzed around and I was a little surprised when he was subbed but, to be fair, Clayton came on and was everywhere.
All in all, a banana skin avoided and on to to the next game.
UTB
Well earned three points. And that is all that matters now. The first half was better than the second as Pulis played safe and defended the lead. But who can blame him – remember Bristol CIty losing a 3-0 lead this season as they went for more goals.
Happy day – we are still sixth. Up the Boro!
Bamford MOTM despite not scoring.
Slight improvement on last 2 displays but I’m not getting carried away.
Still hanging in there, somehow.
Class show of appreciation to AK from Boro crowd. Better than I expected but deserved in my opinion.
“A bit worrying that the two goals came from a corner and a throw-in. Are we indeed becoming ‘that’ kind of team?”
A Charles Reep inspired team, Selwynoz?
I mean Reep, the master of the “long ball” who concluded that “over eighty per cent of goals result from moves of three passes or less”, and “60 per cent of all goal scoring moves begin 35 yards from an opponent’s goal”?
http://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/918-Playing-the-game/2502-grim-reep
“(Reep) is the national game’s deep dark secret; we know he’s bad for us, but we just can’t help ourselves.” — Barney Ronay
“Possession and patience are myths. Goals come from mistakes.” — Graham Taylor
“I don’t think you can question our commitment – but you can question our ability to pass a football.” — Kevin Keegan on England, at Euro 2000
“The continental teams have conned us into believing the way we play has no chance. They have made us ashamed of our own style.” — Graham Taylor, 2000
“If you look at the statistics in big club games or internationals, more than 80 per cent of goals are scored with fewer than five passes.” — Sven Goran Eriksson, invoking deja vu while England boss
You might say Boro are looking Reepish.
Here’s another stat for you….
“When Randolph keeps a clean sheet Boro never lose”
GHw
LOL! Of course, the only way you can keep a clean sheet and get beat is on penalties. As England did in 2006, for example.
Observation from today…
The value of two up front, or at least one player clever enough to break free from midfield and support Paddy in attack when circumstances dictate the need for it, ought to have become clearer on today’s evidence. Twice I noticed Paddy in good positions, once when he whipped a telling ball across goal and later when he attempted a curled shot towards the top corner.
Our chances of scoring would have been greatly increased with a player in the box at that moment in time – who wouldn’t have needed to be a poacher. This was where we saw the rare value of a Jordan Rhodes near the end of our promotion season – an extra body to provide the crucial touch in the right place with the right instinct.
Ah, instinct. It worryingly appears to have deserted Paddy a little of late. Were it last month I sense that he’d have gleefully nutmegged Pantilmon in the first half instead of passing it back to Howson.
Yes Simon, I was surprised when Paddy passed to Howson. If he’d taken on the defender, he’d probably have been brought down for a penalty.
If Britt’s chances had fallen to him, I’m sure at least one would have been tucked away.
From what I listened too, and that is a poor substitute for watching the match, Traore had a disappointing game.
The comments I heard were that he was standing still rather than moving in to space, If that was the case he is allowed the odd poor game but it may reflect something I have commented on in the past.
No matter the environment the coaching staff create it is what is between the players ears than matters. Emnes was a classic case. people were happy to praise Mogga when he was playing well but rather silent when he reverted to being Emnes.
A lot is down to the player, the coach/manager can do his best to set out the structure but the player has to deliver.
A couple of examples. We were playing Sunderland and Barry Robson misplaced a pass close to their box, the Mackems broke and Emnes watched and strolled back only for them to score.
A game at Leicester, McMahon played a poor ball back and Haroon never really challenged, Hines strolled back and if he had bust a gut he may have been in a position to clear the ball near the line.
In both cases it may not have helped, In Traores situation we have talked about having a football brain, some posters think it is a personal attack but it isn’t, it is about awareness.
Many have said play him up top and terrorise the opposition. That is no good unless he runs in to channels.
Hopefully he will continue to improve but it is up to him.
You have to give him the ball which they didn’t today.
TV ALERT
I was checking through local TV schedules here in Oz and was happy to discover that BORO v Bristol City is life on BeIN next Saturday (midnight here in Sydney). They have the rights to the Championship which means that they can pick a live game that isn’t available in the UK and we have been picked. I would guess that this means that BeIN will play it anywhere round the world that they have rights and it might be available on other networks that take the feed.
Something to look out for.
UTB
Brilliant news- we’ll keep our ears to the ground
Question for the combined intellect that graces this blog.
If you want to play two up front from the start of a game (Bamford and Assombalonga) and assuming that you don’t want to mess with a back four that is working well, who would you leave out from Besic, Howson, Leadbitter, Downing and Traore.
Not an issue for Sheffield United, I would guess, where a solid defence and midfield stranglehold is likely to be the designated starting strategy.
UTB
Leadbitter or possibly SD
Interesting question Selwyn!
Out of that group I would definitely have Besic in the side and also a defensive midfielder to break up and spoil so that means Grant albeit in the summer I think we need a fresher version.
We also need pace and width so that means Traore and by default Downing even though he hit the target yesterday. So the absentee for me would have to be Howson who hasn’t been anywhere near as influential or consistent that we would have hoped for.
Who would I leave out in a 442?
Downing
Selwyn, thanks for the heads up, I hadn’t searched that far forward yet. It will be 22:00 here in Perth and I’ll be glued to the box as well as taping it for scrutiny afterwards. In fact, providing it’s a good game I think that I’ll play it on a loop, it will make a change from watching the Australian Games 24/7. Did any other country turn up, or were they all denied visas? I’ve never known such a myopic country when it comes to media presentation, it’s us or nobody but, at least they haven’t been found tampering with anyone’s balls yet.
Oh, and by the way, in answer to your question and on current form, I’d bench Leadbitter.
Me, too. A fit Besic is as important as Traore to our team. And Howson is important, too.
Clayton and Leads are good in defending but we have to create more. Harrison, anyone?
Up the Boro!
For some reason my Outlook wasn’t receiving e-mails yesterday as Redcar Red’s match report, which he filed at 8:25pm has just arrived in my Inbox. So apologies for the delay but here is his take on yesterday’s victory over Karanka’s Forest…
https://diasboro.club/2018/04/06/championship-boro-vs-forest/#MatchReport
An excellent write-up RR,thank you, and an excellent preview too.
My prediction for the result was wrong and I’m happy about that. We played what was in front of us and won, points were made and points were won. Barnsley beat the Blades so why can’t we?
UTB,
John
Anything less than a win on Tuesday will I reckon mean Boro dropping out of the top six as I expect Millwall to win at Bolton. Although Millwall have a tough final four fixtures I think they’re more likely than Boro to accumulate the points necessary to remain in the top six. Of course the Boro v Millwall may well be a pre-playoff match.
Its squeaky bum time now Ken and I agree that we need a result at Sheffield on Tuesday. The Championship however always throws up surprising results, Sunderland away at Derby a few games back, us away at Burton, Barnsley beating the Blades yesterday.
Its a long trek up from London to Bolton so I doubt the Lions will be taking many fans up there plus Bolton are running out of survival games now. Granted the Millwall team itself I’m sure will be flying into Manchester rather than face a 6 hour return Coach journey but its cold and barren up North and as great a run as they have been on these runs all end sometime and usually when we least expect it.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Boro and Millwall both lose or indeed Garry Monk’s Birmingham get a point at spluttering Bristol. Interestingly Derby face Wolves at Molineux on Wednesday so I wouldn’t be surprised if it all closes up again especially with Preston hosting Leeds on the Tuesday to raise Alex Neil’s flickering hopes again.
Redcar Red
Good report and it reflected the radio commentary. It certainly confirmed the impression of Traore’s performance.
If we went 442, I would favour two wide men so that would be Stewie and Traore. That would make it risky to play without a defensive midfielder so either Besic or Howson would make way.
The other alternative would be 352. I would then have Friend and Fabio as wing backs with Downing, Grant and Besic/Howson in the middle.
Just read RR’s entertaining match report with a cup of coffee, which I probably needed in the second half yesterday after briefly dropping off for five minutes when checking my eyelids during a lull in proceedings. Boro looked far better in the first half and played with far more urgency and purpose than the previous two games – Ayala took his chance like a 20-goal-a-season striker with his control turn and placement into the top corner and Downing must have been aiming the ball underground as he slotted away his chance well under the bar for a change.
Forest didn’t offer much in the way of threat and Boro were guilty of allowing them too much possession as they were content to protect their two-goal lead – perhaps a better side, such as the ones we play in the next four games, will not be so blunt if we give them the opportunity to build attacks. I’d have to agree that Adama had one of his most quiet games in a while – though he did seem surrounded by three players every time he received the ball and was often quickly dispossessed before turning on his after-burners. I suspect Karanka had his players tutored in how to stop him with video clips all week after identifying our main strength – thankfully their main weakness proved to be our key to three points as Forest conceded from set plays.
So a vital three points with a promising first half show and hopefully there will be no complacency in the coming weeks against our rivals for the play-offs – though a result on Tuesday and we could be looking at two from three for the last two play-off places.
Can anyone remember us scoring or seeing any set plays when Monk was the manager?
Great report RR, and as ever an ecellent read.
My own take on the match was that it was just as well we scored those 2 ealry goals. Had it been nil nil when Britt came on I think it would have gone further downhill. As it was, watching with the 2 goal cushion was a nice way to spend the afternoon with a tall Amstel beer to keep the dpoubts well and truly away.
I only hope Sheffield Utd are as obliging.
Great report RR. I watched via iFollow and was not sure what the round of applause was for early in the first half (AK) so thanks for clearing that up.
Good to read that we gave the returning old boys a generous welcome and then sent them home without any points!
I concur that it was again a game of two halves and I can’t see us getting many points from the next four games if we keep conceding possession as we did yesterday. I was also not enamoured with some of the defending at times and Shotton seemed to be getting pulled all over the place and out of position.
AT sadly played very similarly to how he used to before TP arrived, in part because the opposition are sussing him out, He needs to show that he can develop his game to overcome the close marking/attention if he is to become the real deal as pace alone, whilst it can be a game changer, is not always enough.
Yes, a great report again and I can only echo what K P wrote above. I also wondered about the applause. Well, AK deserved that.
Pleased to see Downing scoring. Else where I think we are on the same level as our closest competitors. So everything still in our own hands.
Tuesday will be a tough match. Sheffield United lost a lot of the ground with a loss yesterday. They are four points behind us now and we have a superior goal difference to them (+12). Let’s hope they have a dented belief in their play-off hopes.
As ever we need to concentrate on our own doing. Most worrying is that Traore might need a break according to TP.
But hey, we have all the aces still in our hand. Let’s enjoy the season. Up the Boro!
I’d be inclined to put Traore on the bench and play Harrison or Fabio out wide and as its away from home probably Fabio. Bringing Adama on in the second half if needed would also raise spirits if we are chasing the game and also force Wilder to change his organisation and set up handing us the initiative.
Adama needs to be developed in reading the game and anticipating the next phase of play and how to find space to run into before receiving the ball. Until he learns that hope and anticipation will give him far greater opportunity than simply standing still or worse actually walking towards the player who is looking for an outlet he will be what he currently is, a bit of a showboating entertainer but not the complete footballer.
Clearly Barca and Villa both reached the same conclusion on the lad and as Ian and others including myself on here have pointed out he doesn’t seem to possess a footballing brain. Sitting down with Coaches watching videos of the Messi’s and Ronaldo’s, then contrasting videos of himself while being tutored on what the difference is looking to create angles or setting off on a run anticipating the ball is the missing piece of Adama’s footballing jigsaw.At the moment he plays more like an 11 year old in the playground when kids tend to all run towards the ball chasing it so when he gets possession he is inevitably surrounded thereby his pace is wasted constantly relying solely on his close control.
A similar type of one to one coaching is required for Britt, he gets into the right areas and creates wonderful opportunities for himself but his composure and thinking is delayed by two vital seconds between brain and boot. His body positioning and gait along with close up analysis of what part of his boot makes contact with the ball and at what angle will I’m sure reveal a lot when compared with the games greats. Of course if Britt and Adama were the final polished articles we would be chasing a Champions League spot and not a Play Off one.
RR
If Traore had a problem with distribution, we would not have had the renaissance of Bamford, because he has been the main inspiration and supply into the box( interestingly from front and centre)
Asalomga’s two great chances were provided by him.
When stationed on the wing under the eye of the Manager, it is not wise to charge infield in search of the ball, Managers are funny that way.
We are running up a record of scoring a few goals on a regular basis now and an analysis of the supply involves quite a lot of Traore.
The great unknown is of course, how much is down to the other side having two + men on him, I would think it must be a factor.
The good news is we will not be worrying about his faults next season.
KP on the Shotton debate, Joe Lolley looked class yesterday as did Osborn behind him. Lloyd Dyer looked brilliant last week against Cranie so I’m not sure what the solution is with what we have got to pick from but in both games Adama was poor. If he’s not picking up players when they are attacking or reading the game (again) in getting back then that leaves our RB very exposed on 2 v. 1’s.
I noticed in the first half Traore was tracking back but but was hop, skipping and jumping rather than just simply closing the opponent down and Ayala had to be dragged out of his CB position to clear the danger. Dani made his opinions clear to Adama in Spanish thankfully but the look on his face and hand gestures didn’t need an interpretor for the North stand.
RR
Thanks for your posts above all excellent and I couldn’t agree more about AT.
Thanks also for your clarification as to why RS struggled and I now fully understand, I hadn’t picked up on the lack of support from AT.
I think your Tuesday night suggestion of putting him on the bench is a good idea but I would give Harrison a run on the left and play SD on the right. I would leave the back four as they are.
KP
I know it is dangerous to make excuses, but watching Traore closely, he seemed to slower than normal.
Could it be that all the games that he has played are having their effect?
Strangely enough they still marked him with three men(which was good)
We need him for the run in, so I hope they are resting him.
Thank you Redcar Red for your alternative match report, so different when you read some of the local takes on the game. I am in agreement on your take of the match.
However if we continue to play like that in our final games then we will get nowt. Against an average Forrest side, goals apart we did not look that much better than them. In fact they passed the ball around far more crisply than we did and if they had used their goal scoring opportunities to better effect, they may have even got a point.
Besic apart,who upped his game somewhat compared to his recent games and made a difference, the mid-field were once more poor. I am just not sure what TP is asking Howson to do, because what ever it is, it is not happening for him. The first half and until late in the second half, again Besic apart they did not put a tackle in, but did improve when Clayton came on.
Two goals from two set pieces (not directly) but very little from the mid-field including SD and Adama. It was only in the last 10 minutes when Britt came on and Forrest pushed forward that a few balls were played up through the middle for the front two. Britt should certainly have made more of his chances but did really well with his back heal to Patrick. That would have been a good goal !!
As KP posted the defence at times looked a little shaky and Shotton looked once more like a CH playing at right back. He is now starting to leave gaps and get lost just as Christie did, but long throws apart offers little going forward.
To finish in sixth place, the only one available I believe, we would have to start playing as we have not played this season, except against a poor Leeds. Sheff U, Bristol, Derby, Millwall and finally Ipswich. Where can you see us getting the results and points we will need to keep ahead of Millwall with Derby having a 2 point cushion and a game in hand. Unfortunately we will probably have to rely on the teams above us to beat those two teams.
Millwall v Fulham, Derby v Cardiff, Villa v Derby, Millwall v Villa.
And of course can we raise our game and do something we have not done all season against Sheff U, Derby and Millwall. That will be where it counts I guess.
I listend to Downing’s interview after the game. He was disappointed with the second half performance and twice said it might have been tireness. Well we had a match on Monday, Forest were able to rest as their game was postponed.
TP does not want to chop and change his team as he said before the match. But this is Championship and there are two games a week now. Aitor used to have a rigid formation and the machine played as well (same level) if he changed a few players. So there were more rotation and rest for players.
Do you think we should change the players a bit more for them to have rest now as the games come fast and thick? At least there is more niggles now and Traore and Besic might need a break after not being used to play this often before.
Up the Boro!
SheffU next up.
Jarkko raises the question about tiredness, it is that time of the season with matches every 3 or 4 days.
The Blades had a tough match in the local derby with Barnsley on Saturday. Who knows how much that took out of them?
All we can do is take it a game at a time, there are funny results at this stage of the season. Teams at the bottom get the odd win, those with nothing to play for get a foothold in a game and give it a real go, some just give up.
It is in our own hands.
RR
Your usual professional match report for which we are grateful to have your services on this blog.
I thought Bamford had his best game as well and I’ve noticed that he doesn’t get knocked off the ball so easily these days and seems to have toughened up these days.
Dani was outstanding at the back and Shotton still struggled to play his best game.
Boro Fan TV………first I’ve heard of this.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qRlTowQ2nmQ
For Boro, Shef Utd is our last mid week game of the season. It is interesting on how people have different perspectives of the same game, for example I very rarely see the same game as Redcar Red but I could never write such excellent match reports as I tend to only remember the positives, such as the Burton match, where my only thought was “at least Assombalonga has broken his goal drought”. To highlight what I am talking about I quote from two posts about yesterday’s game, I hope they don’t mind me quoting them:
KP in Spain
Defending at times was diabolical, with Shotton in particular being pulled all over the place.
selwynoz
It was good to see Shotton back. He looked very solid as did the whole back four and, after the midweek comments,
For my own two pence worth, as many have commented on Traore not being “at the races” yesterday, may have left Shotton exposed and being vulnerable to be pulled all over the place.
I, for one, left the ground with a big smile on face, thank you Boro.
Come on BORO.
grovehillwaller: REDARMYTV is on freeview channel 7 (Made in Teeside) and it is on Friday live at 2000 hrs
https://redarmy.tv/
I don’t know if this link will work, it is a programme made by BORO fans free. Hope this helps.
Come on BORO.
Exmil
It is run by Dave Allen whom you may remember gave us a IN2View a few weeks ago
I wS in touch with him today and he loved RR match report!
OFB
But their standard, OFB? They even had me on the sofa sole one and half years ago. Me, I don’t know about footy and always expect Boro to won. At least when being at Riverside
Up the Boro!
What can I say?
I suppose if we follow the Boro and not Chelsarsmanpoolspur we probably don’t know what we should expect from being a football fan!
You blog comments are always worth reading and the quality of the posts on here by everyone is outstanding
Talk about a game of two half’s, how many watched the Manchester derby last night.
Come on BORO.
We seem to see the mistakes our team does. But we should see the positives, too. I haven’t realised that Boro have now scored in nine successive games. That would have been rare in the times Karanka were here.
So something positive to take to the next few matches. Up the Boro!
Seven scoring games in eight, eight scoring games in nine and nine scoring games in ten during the promotion season.
Close, but not close enough. The story for many a Boro manager, as Stan “nearly-but-not-quite” Anderson* would have told you.
*Term courtesy of RR.
https://www.nottinghampost.com/sport/football/aitor-karanka-deserves-plaudits-received-1431577
Thanks for another quality match report RR. Neither yours or Werders standards have dropped👏🏻.
Good to get a win and a clean sheet to get us back on track. I didn’t see the game live and have only just watched the highlights so no picking out who was good, bad or indifferent.
What I will say re Shotton not having a particularly good game is that Mark and Maddo were both saying throughout the game that AT wasn’t helping his right back out very much, leaving him outnumbered a few times. Not so much Shotton being poor, maybe Traore not being as good defensively as of late. One for those who saw the game to clear up.
Great finish from Dani for his goal and with the way Downings shooting has been I was as surprised as anyone that he put it away. A good clean strike as well.
It certainly sounded like the proverbial game of two halves and on another day a better team may have pressed home the advantage Forest had in overall possession. Play like we did in the first half against Forest and I would be confident of coming back with all 3 points from Bramhall Lane. Play like we did in the second half and we most definitely won’t!
It was also good to hear AK and Tomlinson getting a good round of appreciative applause.
It was probably the worst game we have seen from AT under Tony Pulis. He looked as if he couldn’t be bothered and not sure if he was weary or had his mind on other things.
The thing about Boro not playing well in the second half is actually tactical.
TP knew he had the game won and also a hard match to come on Tuesday night. So he plays the odds and knows that he can contain the opposition without the players not being fit for the important game on Tuesday.
I expect Ken or Si can dig up some facts to verify this
OFB
The usual standards upheld RR, thank you.
We seem unable to put in a full shift for the whole match which is disappointing to say the least. Also unable to finish teams off which at 2 up after 31 minutes we should do.
Probably why fighting for 6th and not 2nd or top of the table.
Glad my prediction was wrong and as others have daidvTuesday is another key game (well they all are now).
Will be there with my daughter and expecting a tough game. Hopefully TP wii be able to motivate them to play for 90 minutes.
UTB
Re. Downing burying the ball in the net.
It came out to him in front of goal, lots of bodies on the goal line.
He suddenly heard the following words.” I wish Downing would just thrash the ball hard and low straight back at the goal, I’m tired of him floating it over the bar”
And he thought ” I’m fed up at all the whingers going on about my shooting, so take this, you brutes”
Names of whingers can be supplied on demand but it will cost you.
Plato
I can be called a whinger but would prefer to be called a critic and one who has justified his criticism with relevant comments and facts.
I think 2 goals in 50+ games and a modest number of assists is fair criticism.
If your comments were also a criticism and I have misunderstood then please accept my apologies.
I was pleased that he scored but I still feel his overall contribution falls well short of what we should expect of someone of his experience and what he has cost us. Investment v Return in my view is negative.
With no sell on value either KP.
KP
No, no, my views are precisely the same as every other fan.
I find it funny that a leading member of the team, repeatedly lobs it over the bar for months, without the manager giving him a direct order to deliver a low rocket on the goal.
We must infer that he finally realised that we were not happy, and did the necessary, and bingo, goal.
Watch this space.
Looking forward to the match tomorrow!
Mrs OFB and I going to watch the game at the Riverside on beamback.
Diet gone !
They’re serving pie and mushy peas !
No wonder Mrs OFB calls me her farxing one!
OFB
Looking at his goal I think he was trying a slide rule pass, of which he famous, in the hope that some one would then put ti in the net. The ball threaded through nicely and it looks like he was as surprised as anyone when it went in.
Am happy to be proved wrong by the score and result.
Of our next four games, the Derby game is the one where dropping points will least affect us.
We must keep as much clear blue water as possible between us and Millwall, Bristol and Sheffield. We must beat those we wish to finish above.
It’s possible the Ipswich game will be an irrelevance.
As I said before we must try to avoid Fulham in the first round of play-offs. I hope they climb above Cardiff as that would mean the Welch club will have a wobble. And low confidence.
I rather have Cardiff or Villa. So our goal must be to get above Derby. It is too risky just to try keep the sixth position. The aim must be higher.
And hopefully the play-off spot is secured before Ipswich. But I doubt it, though. But first Sheffield Utd tomorrow.
Up the Boro!
I was thinking exactly the same thing yesterday Jarkko, Cardiff would be devastated to miss out on automatic promotion and would maybe lose confidence – besides they are nothing special in the games I’ve seen of them. It may well be two legs against Cardiff is not that bad – perhaps not as bad as Villa. However, in the event of Fulham finishing third then I would definitely agree that Boro being in 5th is the best option and hope to play Millwall at Wembley instead 🙂
Cardiff have 4 of their remaining 6 games away from home,Villa, Norwich, Derby and Hull away and then Forest in between and home to Reading on the last day. Fulham have three of their remaining five games at home, Reading, Brentford and Sunderland with Millwall away in between and then Birmingham away on the final day.
While Cardiff are presently two points better off and with an extra game over Fulham, Villa desperately need a win from somewhere, Norwich on their day can spring a surprise and of course Derby also need points as well as invoking help from the God’s during times of suspensions and injuries. As much as it riled me at the time it may in fact be better for Boro if Derby Beat Cardiff in the hope that Fulham leapfrog Cardiff in the run in.
I’d rather be playing Cardiff who have an occasional slip in them over two legs than Fulham who seem to be full of belief and confidence. I wouldn’t fancy Millwall either at the moment which is why it is vital we bring their wagon to a grinding halt at the Riverside and hopefully Fulham will have done the business at the Den the week before. All of that is irrelevant of course if we don’t do the business ourselves starting tomorrow night!
It looks as if Cardiff will still need a good result at Derby when that match is finally played. It’s getting pretty tight. Fulham could yet climb into the automatic positions.
UTB
Its actually quite hard to know what we want. With Aston Villa looking wobbly, could they fall apart. They play Cardiff (h) tomorrow and then play Leeds (h), Ipswich (a), Derby (h) and end with Millwall (a).
Derby’s run-in is even worse. Wolves (a), Burton (a), BORO (h), Cardiff (h), Aston Villa (a) and Barnsley (h).
This division could have a few twists and turns yet.
UTB
Why are the Gazette reporters so obsessed about players we nearly signed, should have signed, or maybe might sign? All these reports just confirm what we already know, that they are short of proper news by refusing to converse with MFC. One wouldn’t know that Boro have an important match at Bramall Lane tomorrow night. For years now the Gazette has generally recycled World news from the Nationals and the same thing is now happening to Sports news. Perhaps it might be better to become a weekly newspaper like the Darlington and Stockton Times or the Whitby Gazette!
When you look on-line Ken, after by passing the adverts and all the rubbish that has been on there for months and years in some cases, you finally get to, well not a lot.
Possibly being accused of trumpet blowing, this blog with its Headliners from Werder, Redcar red, OFB and Simon could give the nationals a good run in the quality of its content.
Ken
The impasse is going to go on between the club and Gazette and I’m led to believe it comes from the very top!
The club have not banned the Gazette they objected to two reporters one of whom (Jonno) has now left the Gazette As has the Editor.
The Gazette believing a ban curtailed the freedom of the press and therefore decided that no reporters would attend the press conferences. The PC are however on the club website or live on Facebook as they happen.
So it’s an impasse and the Gazette management have tried face to face talks but with no results
OFB
From what I have heard and read plus evidence of my own eyes I think we can safely lay to rest the idea of playing Adama through the middle. By nature he is a reactive player, he stands still until the ball arrives at his feet then he takes off.
He is not the sort of player to run the channels and occupy centre backs. He will stand there and wait for the ball to come to him.
As I have said before, he is an ambush predator like a triple tail, a type of fish around the coast of southern USA. periods of inactivity then sudden powerful bursts when prey comes within range.
That’s quite a fishy analogy from Mr Gill!
Ian
He should not be given the to his feet, there are many times when the opposition are settled on the half way line, not the slightest sign that we might chip one over the line of dummies for him to win the race to the ball.
He looks as if he might have run out of steam, let’s hope he is fresh for Tuesday .
If there was a compromise Ian, a half way house, then getting him to play further up the pitch and into the box would increase his overall value to the team I believe.
However to do that we would probably have to tweak the way TP plays his system and more importantly have better mid-field players to play those passes into that area of the pitch.
For some reason Adama is stood on the touchline literally hugging it. Now I understand all the width tactical theories etc.but for me if he was stood a few feet in from the touchline it gives him more room for error or for slightly misplaced balls played up to him.
He is an enigma and we literally have no idea what he will do so and nor do his opponents so having him just inside rather than stuck out wide means he is more likely to be brought into play. If a ball is over-hit wide he will still catch it before the defender in any case. What do I know, I haven’t any FA badges and thought that Barragan was a Donkey before he signed and that Stuani would make a decent Striker!
Is Barragan on loan and coming back when we are in PL again next season. He can then make the long throws as Pulis love them. Heh, heh…
Up the Boro!
To be fair Stuanni is a decent striker. It’s just that AK didn’t play him as one.
Exactly. If you can remember the days before substitutions were alllowed, and a player was injured but not too seriously, the manager would shuffle the team and shove the injured player on to the wing as it was assumed he could do less damage there but might have some ‘nuisance’ value.
FAA
Don’t remind me!
I had put some decent money on Stuani finishing as top scorer in the Championship when we signed him but stupid me thought we would play him as a Striker instead of a sticking plaster for the RB.
We certainly need better midfielders but there is little point playing balls for Adama to run on to because he will be stood still. 18 months ago, Maddo commented on the radio that the coaching staff will be working on him running off defenders, making breaks in to space etc.
I suspect the local reporters in Barcelona, summarisers for Radio Villa were saying the same things.
I think he is stood hugging the touchline because that is where he happened to be when he stopped running. You do want him further infield because you want him to have the option of going either side of the defender and it makes him harder to mark.
Play him up front and he will stand there looking like a quick Michael Ricketts.
The solution to the enigma is between his own ears
Ian
It might be an idea to try him, he’s pretty good at feeding someone in the box, quite a few times in recent games.
And therein lies the problem Ian.
Let’s not lose our nerves over Traore’s performance versus Forest. He might be just a bit tired or as logigally AK knew how to keep him quiet!
BTW, have you seen the Boro v Nottingham Forest – Inside Matchday video at mfc.co.uk already?
You can see the Ayala and Downing goals from behind the goal and both goals look even nicer from a new direction.
Also in the end you can see that Aitor had parked himself at door of the Forest changing room. Just to be able to hug every Boro player. You can see from his face he enjoyed being back at the at Riverside. Hardly looking like a manager who has just lost a match.
It was also good to see the reaction Aitor received during the match from Boro fans. I still miss him and Mogga as managers. Up the Boro!
Jarkko
it is not a case of losing our nerves, it is just my view that he is what he is, at the moment he stands still until a ball is near him. He wont run the channels as a striker should if you play him up front.
Ian
Do I take it that you would take any reasonable fee for him from any club that came calling?
Because he is responsible for a lot of out goals in the last block of matches.
Even Forest had three men on him.
Wolves the champions elect tried every which way to take him out of the game,
No Traore, no double sending off, and no seven bookings.
Most people in the media regard him as our only player of note.
I will be delighted if we still field him next season.
Plato
You are reading between the lines and there isn’t anything there.
I am saying I wouldn’t play him up front because he would not be effective, he wouldn’t move the centre backs about and create space because he would just stand there.
Where did I say we shouldn’t play him? I wouldn’t play Randolph in attack or Bamford in goal, does that mean I wouldn’t play them?
It is the old logic that Storks are birds therefore all birds are Storks.
Adama should continue developing but it is up to him, he would be one of the first names on my team sheet.
It is a must to keep him.
Jarkko
Just watched the video and a couple of things stood out. They showed a clip from the goal line technology. I wonder if that is still being used at the relegated clubs? I suppose they cant unless all clubs have the system.
Secondly, I didn’t notice AK giving Stewie a cuddle!
Ian, Stewie was the only one missing the hug. Was it an accident or what, everyone can make their own conclutions. But nice video.
Perhaps OFB can ask about the goal line tecnology? UTB!
Goal line technology funnily enough was included as part of the tour last week when I was at the Riverside. There are four cameras two in the east stand 2 in the west and they are calibrated 2 hours before each game. This consists of a camera operator and another operator with a ball down in the goalmouth where the angles are fine tuned. All championship clubs are required to have the Hawkeye technology installed at their grounds
OFB
Grant didn’t get a hug either but it looked as if AK was in and out of the dressing room and just missed him. Not sure about SD. I would have been surprised if there had been a hug. I saw Clayton, Bamford, Gibson & Friend getting a hug.
Just as AK was leaving and getting on the bus he saw Adamah signing autographs for the fans they both gave each other a hug before Patting each other on the back and then AKgot on the bus
I agree with jarkko, I’d like to see Fulham reach second place, leaving Cardiff in third for the play offs.
That said I think, even though we’re currently 6th and ahead of Millwall, that Millwall are favourites for 6th place, they’ve got momentum. Although if we drop points against sheff utd and Millwall win they’ll be 6th and will have something to lose which is quite a different place to be psychologically than chasing down someone ahead of you.
Its going to be an exciting end to the season.
Not sure about exciting Nigel, more like terrifying and followed by heart-breaking
Well for some anyway. Us older types will be less disappointed than most as we have lived through plenty oft his before.
I visited Sheffield United’s site. iFollow purchases are available from their match centre at the price of £ 6.00. This was said at iFollow Blades page.
But I never found the match centre. Or is it available just before the kick off only? Generally it is very difficult find the correct places. Fortunately the logging in is easy but buying is difficult.
Up the Boro!
Jarkko
Please see the attached link below to enable you to purchase a match pass. This link shoul take you into the match centre and “buy a match pass” is on the right. Hope this helps
https://www.sufc.co.uk/matches/fixtures/first-team/2017182/april/sheffield-united-vs-middlesbrough-on-10-apr-18/
Thanks, KP. I have now bought iFollow pass for tomorrow’s match.
AS I said the buying process is easy if the correct page is found. Up the Boro!
Pedro, I don’t expect heartbreak this year, as I don’t think we’re good enough to win the play off final. In fact I’d be surprised if we make it to Wembley.
(I’d rather lose the first play off round than lose at Wembley again!)
My optimism is focused on next season now, when I’m assured Boro will ‘smash the league’!!
Its the hope that gets you…..
Although I’m loathe to admit it my thoughts and feelings are exactly the same as Nigel’s (not that I’m loathe to agree with Nigel just to be clear). 🙂
If we actually contrived to go up I would almost feel cheated in having missed out on an enjoyable Promotion Season. Not that I’d turn it down of course but I’d rather go out in the play off round than at Wembley.
There again Wembley, a one off Final game……………………………..its the hope that does it!
RR
Agree entirely.
We stumbled to promotion last time. If, by some fluke, we make it this year, it will be a similar feeling.
If we did go up, I suppose I’d just have to grin and bear it.
If we do and Mr Pulis can’t do ‘It’s a kind of magic’ we just take the money and go down. It’s all about money I suppose. Personally I think we are not quite good enough but will win if we get to Wembley.
Optimism, me? I need to sit out in the Norfolk rain and cool down a little. Anyway I’ve put a tenner on it…
UTB,
John
For those of us who loved the era of Proctor Hodgson Johnston etc I am meeting up with David Hodgson tomorrow morning for a coffee and an In2View.
If any of you bloggers would like me to ask specific questions please
Let me know before 11a.m. BST
CHEERS
OFB
Hodgson is one of my all time heroes. While he was at Liverpool I went to see the Pools playing at Helsinki Olympic Stadium just to him play.
As ever I would like to know what he has been doing since retiring from football as a player. I know he managed Darlo once or twice but what has he done for a living since Darlo?
And a bit about his family, too. I didn’t mention much about football as you cover that already nicely, OFB.
And I still remember having his picture on my bedroom wall as a kid. Cutted out from the SHOOT!
Up the Boro!.
I am gutted – the picture was cut from Shoot! UTB!
Jarkko
Met up with David Hodgson as planned.
He’s just turned 58 and looks 10 years younger
He’s living in a village just outside Darlington with his wife and two daughters who are in their early twenties
He grave me some really good stories to tell including how he once recommended Mourinho to take over from Trevor Francis at Birmingham!
Full interview will be later to suit the Diasboro schedule
Just read a short article in The Gazette in which an American website claims we have a 55% chance of winning promotion via the playoffs. I’m not sure you’d find many Boro fans with hopes that high!
Via my non-stats based analysis I would say we have a 50% chance of making the playoffs and then, if we do, maybe a 20% chance of winning them, so a 10% chance overall.
Fulham and Villa have about 99% chance of making the playoffs and then a 30% chance each of winning then. Three times as likely as we are but still far lower than the 55% we are given.
At least the article was mildly thought provoking I suppose.
The vast majority of visiting fans spend the entire game on their feet. Surely it is time to provide safe standing for them. It is virtually impossible to make them sit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43704338
Just popped in and it is quite lonely here? Passing the ball in front of a deserted goal mouth – did I see a trabbie in the distance. Must stay on side….
Heart in mouth as I entrer the 6 yard box, ball tantilisingly on the line waiting for a poke – looks at the linesman, flag down – and wack in it goes?
Goaaal!!!! – did it count?
I heard 202 was the new 200 😉
I will appeal to a higher authority – wheres the tea lady when you need her
Not according to the VAR
Ian must have been on the bench to have missed that one!
Here we go again with the Gazette reporters talking about tonight’s match being a ‘six pointer’. As far as I’m aware a win for Sheffield United tonight would mean they would still be one point behind the Boro, whereas a ‘six pointer’ would suggest United would then be two points ahead of Boro. These arithmetical inaccuracies do my head in!
Of course the same reporters will be saying if the match ends in a draw that both teams will have dropped two points, ignoring the fact that both teams will actually have gained one point each.
Allan in Bahrain: “Just popped in and it is quite lonely here?”
Of course it is. Did you miss the result on Saturday? Boro won and hence nobody is here. Though Downing scored we had some debate about that it was not intentional. So this is Boro.
Before VAT (WerderMouth in German) confirm, no congratulations yet. UTB!
According to my chart we will finish on 73 in 6th on goal difference from Bristol City in 7th. Millwall will be in 8th a point behind. If we lose to Sh Utd we will end up with 72 points and they will then have 71 but a dismal goal difference.
So if we lose then in my opinion we lose a point. If we win we will gain 2 points which would put pressure on the others but not really affect Sh Utd one way or the other in the long run.
Just spread sheeting like……..
Well after a busy weekend enjoying the 25 degree sunny weather and then some less relaxing programming work yesterday – just time to squeeze in a match preview for tonight’s crucial game at Sheffield United as Boro hope to make the play-off cut against the Blades…
https://diasboro.club/2018/04/10/championship-sheff-utd-vs-boro/
An Excellent chat today with David Hodgson and a little note.
Pleasure it’s always nice when someone is interested in your playing career If I can help any time in the future pls don’t hesitate to call. Regards Hodgie
Our recruitment is a bit like the idea that if a monkey sat at a typewriter long enough it would write the works of Shakespeare.
If we keep getting promoted and taking parachute payments we will eventually get a good team.
Whether the monkey gets there first is a different discussion and that doesn’t mean I think a monkey cant sit at a typewriter so wouldn’t let it try.
I was out when the 200 came round, I was standing around Adama wise so it is good to get a 200 without my affecting the outcome. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t up my game and post.
Just waiting now to read that Boro are chasing some French Ligue 2 starlet M. Onkey and prepared to offer £6.5m for him and are also keeping tabs on his Spanish half brother D. Onkey in a deal to take them both to the Riverside this summer in what would be seen as the clubs first major coup since Victor (oughta splash your cash Steve) left.
Redcar – very funny, but please don’t tempt fate! We’ve had plenty of relatives of D. Onkey at the Boro over the years.
My guess is after tonight we’ll be in 7th spot, but after that who knows? Both Boro and Millwall have tough games to come.
As for this season, its been a strange one for me, I’ve really struggled to engage, I guess given all of last summers investment and the clearing out of some premiership ‘deadwood’ its been a big disappointment. If TP can pull a rabbit out of the hat and get us promoted I’m not sure how I’ll feel. Although for certain I’d celebrate a Wembley win big time.
I believe M.Onkey has disciplinary problems because he keeps giving away free kicks in the box, he is forever climbing over centre backs and pulling and tugging at shirts.
D.Onkey is a right back but struggles taking throw ins, the ball keeps slipping out.
They will be good in the community working with kids, M.Onkey will be at Flamingo Land and his brother will be on the beach at Redcar.