Championship 2018-19: Weeks 37
Tue 9 Apr – 20:00: Bolton v Boro
Sat 13 Apr – 15:00: Boro v Hull City
Somewhere amidst the strange world of hope and despair that sits at the very edge of a not so super but massively disappointing black hole on Teesside, the people stare at the distant non-event horizon that is the point of no return for Boro’s promotion prospects. As the club gets slowly drawn towards their inescapable fate, it faces the prospect of being pulled apart by the huge gravity of the situation. And yet, before this seemingly inevitable demise, there is still some evidence at the sub-atomic scale of quantum foam hands beginning to materialise. This singularity of purpose only exists in the deepest of space and is free from the normal rules of the material world, this is a place where nothingness resonates with steady hum for all eternity – it is the tune to which inner mind of Tony Pulis dances.
While some may find the idea that any neurons in the Boro manager’s mind are ever in the mood for dancing, it’s likely if they did occasionally feel inclined to strut their stuff then presumably they would dance like nobody’s watching – which I suspect if the current run continues there won’t be. Nevertheless, Tony’s recent jive talking has left many Boro followers hoping Steve Gibson is preparing himself for a gentleman’s excuse me after marking his card. However, the chairman may still be hoping Pulis’s team of hoofers will suddenly find their rhythm – though it’s certainly going to take some fancy footwork if they are going to get back in step and stop the slide. Boro’s sixth-successive defeat means it is the worse run experienced by the club since before both Pulis and Gibson were born and for those waiting for their fair share of wins, it’s also ironically the worse run since the year in which rationing ended.
Still, according to Pulis, supporters have been conditioned by watching programmes on the box to expect instant success: “We are in a society of reality TV, where success happens overnight. I believe that real success happens over a period of time.” As to what that particular period of time is wasn’t specified nor indeed was what constitutes real success. Maybe the Boro manager is right, we should perhaps be patient as promotion this season would feel just too unreal or somehow fake given many of performances endured – plus I’m pretty sure most football fans only accept success in its purist form and would rather skip those undeserved triumphs. Who wants to live with an undeserved victory? I suspect there is possibly one particular Welshman who could come to terms with one.
Although, the Boro manager is seemingly keen that supporters view matters on the pitch in a reasonable manner and finds it hard that some are being rather unreasonable or as he puts it “not right” for failing to see that poor results are masking a golden age of attacking football. Indeed, Tony Pulis has faced down recent criticism by proclaiming: “I have never managed a football team that has created so many chances in my life, ever.” A statement that could lead to the question being pondered of whether that ultimately means the nature of the current blip is actually a failure to convert chances or if the number of chance being created is beyond what it’s supposed to be.
Is Tony Pulis simply a misunderstood man? Are the impatient promotion-seekers on the terraces deliberately ignoring what is in front of their eyes and placing the blame on their powerless manager instead of the profligate players? It seems, according to the gung-ho gaffer that his chairman also agrees with his analysis: “Steve is disappointed in respect of us not taking chances” – which he added is because: “He is exactly the same as every reasonable person connected with Middlesbrough Football Club.” As to what the upper limit of being reasonable extend to for the club owner may depend on how long his manager can maintain the current run.
So as we enter the age of reason, it’s not just players who are seeking enlightenment in seemingly a world without ideas. The problem for those in the unreasonable camp who have lost patience with Pulis is that it seems the chairman and manager are trapped in a mutual admiration society. Tony never misses an opportunity to remind the media that Gibson is the main reason he is at the club and declared “I would not have come to this club had it not been for Steve because it is so far away from home.” He maintains their relationship remains as strong as ever and they chat about everything including their personal lives. It also emerged this week that both the club and Pulis have the option to extend his contract by another year.
While that unwelcome decision may look increasingly explosive for those on the outside to envisage, it’s possible that the narrative on the inside is one of a manager having to currently work with the ‘wrong kind of players’. While that may look less than a nuclear option for those in the Rockliffe bunker, the fallout in dropping that particular bombshell will be devastating for many on Teesside. Perhaps, Gibson will instead give his manager one of those new trendy ‘Flextensions’ that are all the rage in Europe, which means the deal can be cancelled at any point – although I believe all contracts have seemingly operated this way in the world of football for a very long time.
Indeed, Pulis has tried to create almost a ‘them against us’ mentality with Gibson and sees any criticism of him as also unfairly directed at the owner: “The man at the top of the tree is a top man, people tell me he has been taking some stick and I find that astonishing, I really do, he has put a fortune into this club and the area. He deserves credence but you don’t always get it today.” Others may wonder if the Boro chairman rather than being at the top is in fact out of his tree if he is contemplating to back Pulis for another season given the team’s performances this term. In some ways, the ploy of Pulis is possibly to make the ‘unreasonable’ supporters appear both ungrateful to Gibson and similarly unfair towards him for not seeing he too is almost doing the club and chairman a favour by being here. Even post-Swansea he continued with that angle “Like I say, I came up to Middlesbrough for Steve. He’s the man that counts.” – though by counts he presumably doesn’t mean managers out of door!
This repeated ‘in it together’ approach actually makes the decision to admit that the appointment of Pulis has failed into Steve Gibson’s personal failure – the Boro manager has basically declared that he’s only at the club because the chairman had asked him personally to come. This makes it harder for Gibson to not back his man if Pulis insists that he’s determined to remain in order to see out the job – especially as the Welshman has also made it clear he arrived knowing that he would be working in the context of needing to cut costs to meet Financial Fair Play limits. Plus Pulis has also been given the task by Gibson of running his eye over all aspects of the club to try and build a long-term strategy – which he could also claim the lack of are perhaps responsible for the overall failure to deliver.
Nevertheless, for all the spin on results and missed chances or eagerly counted crosses, it seems the majority of supporters are no longer on board with project Pulis. Most have seen enough to be not convinced that they want to watch his team play his brand of football for too much longer. The only conceivable way that Tony can turn the tide is by getting to the play-off final and that will only happen if he wins nearly all his remaining games. Few expect that is going to happen and some even hope it doesn’t so that the chairman has no choice but to seek his fifth manager in three years.
Although, despite all the doom and gloom, the mathematics still say that if Boro win at Bolton and Bristol lose to West Brom plus Derby fail to win at Blackburn on Tuesday evening, then Tony Pulis and his team of sequential losers will once more move to within one point of the play-offs. However, that the trip to the University of Bolton Stadium will prove to be academic unless Boro can finally enrol on a course of action that leads to victory. The much troubled Trotters are seemingly heading to League One and possibly administration, which under normal circumstances would make the Teessiders favourites to pick up all three points. In fact the game is only going ahead after the cash-struck club received funds from the EFL early so that they could pay for emergency engineering work last Friday to repair damage caused by a power surge to the CCTV and ticketing systems, which had seen the stadium’s safety certificate withdrawn.
Whether there will be another power surge when Boro take to the pitch remains to be seen but the performance at Swansea was less than electric and the only fuse blown was on the terraces when the team was announced. After all the pre-match talk of his team creating more chances than they knew what to do with, Pulis opted for a negative more defensive formation for a game his team needed to win. It’s these kind of tactical decisions that most infuriates supporters, who see a man that favours caution when the opposite was badly needed. The justification of these tactics were based on Swansea being a Premier League outfit last season, even though they were languishing in the bottom half of the Championship after looking anything but.
Many supporters expected to see their manager select a team who will at least pretend to trouble the opposition, not just nullify them. The exasperation will no doubt intensify after Pulis declared ahead of the Bolton game that crowd favourite Marcus Tavernier “deserves to have featured more for Middlesbrough this season.” If only the Boro manager had some kind of influence to select him, then perhaps he may indeed have featured. He is now tipping Tav to play in the Premier League – though didn’t seem to imply that would be in a Boro shirt. It appears the manager’s main problem with the youngster is “some days he comes in and he’s brilliant, some days he’s a bit lackadaisical” – though that doesn’t appear to have necessarily been a hindrance to others that get selected.
Given that Phil Parkinson’s team actually lost their last home game to bottom club Ipswich, Boro will travel in the hope of emulating the Suffolk strugglers – however, it should be noted that Bolton have at least managed two more wins than Tony Pulis’s side have in their last six games. Defeat on Tuesday would not be great and will leave Tony expecting nothing less than a frosty reception against the Tigers on Saturday. It may prove to be quite a difficult afternoon for the Boro manager as no doubt supporters spleens will be ready for venting after livers have recovered from the midweek medicated punishment of mending broken hearts.
In theory, Boro have not been dealt the toughest looking run-in to the season but after picking up just one point in the last seven outings all games now look tough. In fact it’s only that point that has kept Boro ahead of this weekend’s opponents Hull in the table – though the visitors have not fared well on their travels with several recent heavy defeats seeing them concede 16 goals in their last six on the road. Nigel Adkins is now reaching the end of his 18-month contract that saw him replace the Russian Leonid Slutsky shortly before Pulis arrived on Teesside – it’s looking doubtful that either will be offered an extended stay in their current jobs.
Of course for Boro, much will depend on how other results go ahead of that game against the Tigers – one point outside the play-offs and an end to the losing streak will possibly galvanise the support into thinking all is not lost. However, a seven point gap will not convince many that they don’t need to inform Steve Gibson in the most strongest terms possible that time is more than up for Tony.
Bolt On 0
Nailed On 3
I’m making the trip tonight as it’s relatively close for me. Curious to see if it’s really as bad as people say.
Werder,
A witty headline article that cheered me up a little. And the score well I think Mr Pulis will continue on his downward spiral playing football but as an astronaut once said, kind of, ‘it’s football Boro fans but not as you know it’. Blaming Tavernier for not picking him? A long-term strategy? His head must be an empty universe, meanwhile our fingernails splinter and break as we head further and further from the play-offs.
No doubt many fans could and probably have replaced the word ‘play’ with any one of two or three choice words regarding Mr Pulis.
Tonight he will ignore the youth and play with a cautious defence and midfield while playing for a penalty and Hugill will roll around on his arse.
Being such an optimist I can only see his consistency lasting to continue Boro’s run to fossilisation.
Trotters 1 – 0 Clueless
However, as always,
UTB,
John
I think Werdermouth has the same misgivings as the majority of us on this forum. Whilst never ever wanting Boro to lose any match, some of us are indifferent to the outcome of tonight’s fixture. Whilst it’s still not impossible for Boro to reach the playoffs, do we want to see another humiliation against the likes of Leeds or Sheffield United who both carry the flag for Yorkshire? In the words of Margaret Thatcher ‘I’m not for turning’ seems to be the mantra of Tony Pulis’. Even another season in the Premier League ‘a la Karanka’ may be a bridge too far for some Boro fans to stomach. Boro need to have a new beginning, not another embarrassing season in the top flight..
Contrast that with Wolves and even Watford who served up a terrific FA City Semifinal at Wembley on Sunday. I’ve always had a soft spot for Wolves since the nights of the those two black and white televised wins over Dynamo Moscow and Honved Budapest in the mid-50s and wanted them to beat Watford, a club I’ve never really considered to be worthy of a Premier League place. This was the club that Boro were expected to gain at least 4 points from in Boro’s last Premier League season. A club who have had 14 different managers in 11 years. Yet they and Wolves served up one of the finest and most exciting Semifinals since Boro beat Chesterfield in 1997. Gerard Deulofeu showed the class he previously displayed for Everton against Boro 3 years ago in the League Cup, and a player who Karanka was eager to sign. I should have liked to have seen a Man City v Wolves final, but any team that comes back from 2 goals down like Watford did, and Boro did too albeit to earn a replay, deserves to reach what some of us regard as the finest cup competition in the World – the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
Great blog Werder – your writing just keeps on getter betterer and betterer.
Shame the football doesn’t live up to our high standards.
I shall be in bed early tonight and have no desire to suffer for two hours without commentry or replays.
I hope [theres that word again] we win, but would be surprised if we do, so another 2-0 defeat for our band of unhappy travellers.
UTB
A well crafted and witty piece as always thank you Werder.
I had us down for an away win tonight but that prediction was before we imploded into a black hole from which I fear there is no return.
I shall be watching via the Sky red button and am expecting another defensive approach and would not be surprised if we racked up our seventh loss in a row but it is more likely to be 0-0. 😎☹️
Great piece as usual Werder.
I see that in the Gazette today Pulis says he is disappointed that Tavernier hasn’t played more games this season. I thought it was Pulis who picked the team. Talk about adding insult to injury!!
Werder
Thanks for the preview it’s much appreciated !
I’m going for a
⚽️ 🎱
OFB
0-8 or just two balls each….
UTB!
⚽️🎱
0 8 of course !
OFB
Have a feeling Werder’s preview will be better than the main event!
Win and its the least fans expect, draw and the lack of desire will add more ammunition, lose and I think TP had better swap his Baseball cap for a Tin Hat and some Ear Defenders on Saturday.
Thanks once again, Werder. A great read with chuckles aplenty amidst the astute reading of the current situation.
I had this one down as an away win and will stick with that, albeit with limited conviction.
Do Pulis’ comments on Tav suggest he will get a start tonight? I’m not so sure. I think the injury to Friend will probably mean we can’t play a back four and so I’m expecting Saville at left wingback.
I expect Britt and Fletcher to be restored but am not sure on the make-up of the midfield. Surely it won’t be Clayton and Mikel in a game such as this. Perhaps one of those two plus Howson and Besic or Downing, with Shotton back at right wingback.
Though I agree with Ken that there is a certain amount of apathy about tonight’s result, I think it’s interesting nonetheless. If we fail to turn up then I think it’s fairly clear that the players are not playing for Pulis any more. That would tell me that the rumoured contract extension is not the case.
Bolton 0-2 Boro
I still think Tavernier would make a good wing back.
Maybe the rumoured contract extension is the reason the Players are taking things into their own hands?
Just to be clear I don’t think it is but it would make more sense than TP’s shambolic tactics and selections. His utterances about Tav are up there with Strachan when he told reporters he would “take drugs, drink and smoke”.
I find myself regularly interpreting Pulis comments much more favourably than almost everyone else!
I read what he said as he rates Tav highly but just doesn’t think the lad does enough in training, often enough. I read it as an encouragement – a “come on Tav, you’ve got the talent just give me the effort”.
Nothing like Strachan’s flippant and insensitive comments for me.
I thought I was telling it like it is when I pilloried Pulis on this blog with a few of his bewildering musings.
I wasn’t even near this mans fantasy world, it is far out in space, beyond my ken.
And is certainly out of our league.
Since I questioned his grasp of reality, I have been shown to have no idea, because he launched another statement today that beat all.
First up was his account of his mate Gibbo, how he only came up here (note the “up”) to help his big mate, who, incidently, is ‘a wonderful bloke’ well he would be, if he does not fire him back to Sandilands or wherever.
Then he told of his worries over the lack of pitch time for young Tav.
Now this was strange because he personally introduced him into the game twice in consecutive matches, it is true that it was three minutes in each case when the match was lost, but hey this is just me being picky, you know, beat a dog when he is down, always a good plan.
Some of his deflection work was admirable, could with profit be copied by various people when up for various offences, oh, I don’t know, mass murder, assination,
Assault and battery.
We still have not talked about Wings minor op. Any well run club have in hand plans for this sort of thing, and tell the fans it’s been done when they announce it, this is a serious failure of simple club organisation, you should know the top surgeon for the well know muscle tweaks in football, the job should be over and he should be in rehab right now.
It is quite bad, really.
So the main surprises in tonight’s team are that Downing returns to the bench where he will sit alongside that stranger Rudy Gestede. Tavernier of course didn’t get selected and remains poised for an 87th minute introduction. Looks like a back four unless Saville is playing left wing-back – otherwise it’s probably 4-4-2 with Fletcher and Britt back up top.
Starting XI: Randolph, Shotton, Ayala, Flint, Fry, Saville, Mikel, Besic, Howson, Fletcher, Assombaonga.
Subs: Dimi, McNair, Clayton, Downing, Tavernier, Gestede, Hugill.
My prediction is for a Boro win as the team may be short on confidence but surely they can beat a struggling club in crisis. Plus is this really the worse Boro side for 65 years!
Bolton 1 – 3 Boro (Britt, Saville, Flint)
Could do with Flint scoring, how many did he get at Bristol last year compared to this season? And that despite all those crosses
The line up looks quite good for me. Downing rested and back to 3-5-2 with wing-backs.
Hope we see a decent match. UTB!
Looks like 3 5 2 to me as well although not sure that the front two will get much service.
Hoping for a Boro win, heart says 3 0 although heads says 1 0 with us hanging on at the end
UTB
Hmm. One all.
ANy streams
sky red button
Beers in fridge. Tick
Sauvignon Blanc in fridge. Tick
Beaujolais in fridge. Tick
Mrs G smug. Tick
Hope in the bin. Tick
Typical Boro?
1st goal to Boro tick ✅
That was as comfortable a half as you’re likely to get away from home in the Championship – a quiet stadium and the Bolton players not applying any pressure when Boro have the ball and just standing off them and playing a high line at the back. Some good interplay up front and both Britt and Fletcher running at their defence. Nicely taken goals from Fletcher and unfortunately the best move for his hat-trick was just slightly offside. The only downside is that Bristol are 3-0 up at half-time 🙁
Werder
I think we can only hope for a good end to the season. There is some truth in that we have given away points we should not have done. As fans there is nothing we can do about that but we have to move forward with or without TP.
It would be good to really kick on second half, a sit back and hang on would only depress us even more.
Do you think the attendance is over 10 000 at Bolton? UTB!
We’ve got a cottage just outside Swindon, to visit our daughter, so we’re Just back from the England vs Spain game.
Nice to visit an old school ground and the atmosphere was great. It was also unusually relaxing to go to a game and not be worried about the result.
Normal service resumed. By Boro.
Next Hull. Two points off a place in the play-offs. Up the Boro!
2 – 0 and apart from a late shot from Bolton I am struggling to see why we didn’t put them to the sword. Lack of precision was evident
I hope normal service is resumed and we will get 1,5 points per a game or even two per a match for the rest of the season.
But still work in progress. As Pulis said after the match: “Again if you’re critical, we could have been more ruthless in front of goal (at Bolton).”
We should have won by 0-4 yesterday. Up the Boro!
Bugger, after a late night writing my article and a long day in the garden, I fell asleep 10 minutes into the second half and just woke up as Tav came on. At least I didn’t miss any goals but did I miss any excitement? Anyway, losing streak finally over and I’ll hopefully stay awake at the Riverside to see Boro beat Hull! Still it was a good night…
Am happy to be wrong in my prediction and glad the boys won.
I suspect it’s a stay of execution rather than the green shots of a recovery.
Tav has played a total of 33 minutes in 2019, wow ! imagine what hope players Pulis doesn’t rate have.
Downing back on the bench, I’m beginning to think Pulis is suffering from Alzheimers judging by his tactics and team selections.
So Boro finally ended their losing streak at struggling Bolton and are now on their joint-third longest winning run of the season. Was it a convincing victory at the University of Bolton Stadium and did they graduate with honours? OK, they’re still not masters of their own destiny but at least it means Tony Pulis will not be given the third degree this weekend. Anyway, here’s another student of the game and Redcar Red’s dissertation with his match report…
https://diasboro.club/2019/04/10/bolton-0-2-boro/
I bet it was nicer to write the report after a very welcome win, RR. Thanks for charing.
The attendance was 12,259 – I bet they counted those season card members who vere not there. On TV it looked less than 10 000 down there.
How many from Boro? Up the Boro!
I saw that the Gazette (or what ever it is called this week) mentioned that 884 die-hard Boro fans traveled to Bolton. Must have been about 10 % of the real attendance …
Up the Boro!
Thanks for the usual quality report RR.
I didn’t get the chance to watch it last night, but followed proceedings on twitter #borolive. Delighted we have a victory to celebrate, but it is disappointing that we continue to fail to put teams like this to the sword.
Keeps us in with a sniff of a playoff position. Let’s hope this one victory isn’t a misleading representation of our true form and we can go on to compete effectively and beat Hull on Saturday.
COB
The most important thing was to stop the run of defeats. Hopefully that will give them some much needed confidence for Saturday.
Redcar Red,
Thank you for the report and for once it was good to get a prediction wrong. The stadium sounded like a ghost town, all that seemed to be missing were tumbleweeds, and we think we’ve got problems. Good to see that Tavernier got a few seconds on his clock and CV. Now for a dread-filled Saturday. Never mind the end of the season is nigh…
UTB,
John
RR
Thank you for an excellent match report again
I listened to it on Radio Tees and it sounds like Fletcher had a stormer
It was mentioned on the radio that there were over 30 scouts near them watching the game!
So were they vultures looking for cheap picking s for the Bolton team or running the rule over the Boro players. ?
Big changes for both sides next season!
As a thought perhaps that’s why Gestede was on the bench to have a run out and impress a watching scout !
Much appreciate your hard efforts and dedication
OFB
Happy about the win. However, as Bernie once said, it’s how you perform when the pressure’s really on that counts. This was when the Boro Nil period fizzled out in 2013-14 and we began to score goals and win games again – by that point, we’d effectively given up hope of the play-offs.
Looking back further, to Strachan’s time, we won two out of two as other results went our way to inexplicably re-open the door to the top six after all had looked lost for a while. Too many draws.
All hope fizzled out before long in a shameless surrender to the already promoted Baggies.
Going back even further, to Brucie’s time… help me out here, Bernie…
“When it looks like the prize is in the bag and the champagne is on ice it can affect your focus. Teams can be complacent. They don’t mean to be, it just creeps in. It has happened to Boro loads of times. I remember an end of season game under Bruce Rioch… we had Leicester at home, and if we won we were promoted to (the top tier).
“They had nothing to lose. Nothing to play for. The pressure was on us to perfrom.
“We were woeful. We froze. It was probably our worst game of the year… we lost 2-1 and were thrown into the play-offs… Luckily we came through but we made it hard for ourselves.”
Chris Dunlavy would back him up… “As Arsenal prove every spring, it’s easy to perform when the pressure is off. Take (the 2016) play-off semis.
“Pathetic in a 3-0 home tonking to Hull, Derby won the second leg 2-0 when they’d already been written off… Cue players spouting guff about ‘proving points’ when all they’d really done is argue the prosecution’s case.”
Thanks for yet another excellent report RR. Your final paragraph sums it up exactly for me having watched the game.
I agree with Chris that this is more likely a stay of execution rather than the start of green shoots of recovery.
As soon as I saw Gestede’s name as a sub I thought the same as OFB, it was an opportunity to put him in the shop window. I suspect he will feature before the end of the season and probably needs to if we want to have a chance of moving him on.
Fletcher showed last night that he has the ability to be a threat at this level and is far more composed and clinical in front of goal than Britt who again showed his ability to miss two one on one’s with the keeper! 😎
Not sure how long Gestedes contract is but he is going nowhere. Remember he was recruited when we were in the prem and desperate in January, his wages will not be matched by anyone and he will remain a bench warmer until his contract expires.
I don’t think Gestede is any worse than Hugill.
If I remember correctly, his contract is not endind this summer. That is pity for Boro.
Up the Boro!
Or Hugill is any better than Gestede 🙂 Though they were both bought by Premier League clubs and apparently jointly valued at £16m!
Werder, exactly. I am not a fan of either player. UTB!
One more year Billy
I was just watching the highlights and thinking back to something Clayton said a couple of losses ago about “our traps were working.”
Watching this season you can see that TP has three main tactics when it comes to scoring goals:
1) set pieces
2) counter-attacks
3) high pressing
1) For whatever reason, we seem unable to score from a set play. The one against Swansea must have been our first in about 20 games.
2) We don’t have the pace and width to play effectively on the counter.
3) That leaves “setting traps” with a high press. If you look at the goals we’ve scored this year most that came from open play seemed to come from pressuring a defender or midfielder into making a mistake. But if you look at the teams we scored against this way, they’re nearly all bottom-half teams.
This is my point. A trendy bit of jargon these days is “press-resistant” – defensive players who can play themselves out of trouble. Think Mikel. The top half Championship teams are a lot better at this than last time TP managed in the Championship.
So when you look at it:
We don’t have the creativity to play patient possession and unpick defences
We don’t have the pace and width to play on the counter.
We’re ok at winning the ball in midfield then springing someone but this usually only leads to half chances and no one has the pace to support the striker.
We ought to be good at scoring from set pieces but, for some reason, we’re terrible at it.
We are good at pressing but other teams are an awful lot better at defending against pressing than they used to be.
To an extent you look at that and think, with this squad of players, it’s hard to see the team doing any better than they have. They are mostly top 6 championship players but they all depend on someone with blistering pace or a Jack Grealish level of creativity to unlock a defence. Without that, right now, we have no answer to a decent championship team that is playing well and now amount of fiddling with formations changes that.
Totally agree Deleriad.
Pulis moans about the lack of pace but he recruited players with no pace.
I am not sure he would play them if he had them and if he did they would no doubt be tasked with defensive duties.
Tav is a good example. Not given game time, not trusted, too young.
Swansea ripped us to shreads with their pace and I was jealous and frustrated in equal measure.
He has had ample opportunity to recruit pace but it would not work with his defensive tactics. He got lucky at Palace, he inherited a squad with pace
Which players has Pulis sourced and recruited? It still remains to be said for sure if they were his choices or players given to him.
I suspect McNair was not his choice otherwise he would surely have played more games in midfield and not been an occasional right-back cover or even central defender.
This is the problem Werder. Nobody knows, but unfortunately it doesn’t stop people using it as another stick with which to beat TP..
We can all have our own views and opinions but we can’t have our own “ facts”.
Some people believe the USA never went to the moon. Some believe 9/11 was a conspiracy. There are even some people who think Tony Pulis sold Adama Traore.
Good analysis there Deleriad – though I still believe there’s probably a better way to play with this set of players to give us a more effective team.
RR
Great report.
I have not watched the last two midweek matches as it is middle of the night in OZ.
I still watch the afternoon games but the enthusiasm has gone.
I guess I need a flicker of hope.
At least I am imune from the early bird dilemma
Tav for premier league, strikers need to be like Bamford, Leg beaters with buggered backs, and now Fletch with lovely clean feet.
This man will be returning south in a straight jacket
Love this man, love him, he is a constant joy to those who love humour with their football. “Tav. Will play at prem level”, but we certainly will not. “I am disappointed that Tav. has not got game time”. But you are the one who dropped him (when we were top of the league) permanently!
Tav. Is brought on, with three minutes to play, for the third time.
I myself think he is playing his cards for the sack, no one is that dumb.
Without being unkind, and grateful for the end of the disastrous run, a clear and fair assessment of last nights affair would be the following.
For our team, and Manager, to win a match, the following conditions had to apply.
One, the oponents had to be bottom of the league.
Two. They had to be in turmoil.
Three. They had to be short of players.
Four. They had to be already relegated.
Five. their players had to be without a future or a job when the season ends.
Six. They had to be in quite awful form, with a long run of defeats.
Six out of six ain’t bad.
To sum up, all our faults are there to be seen, they have not gone away, Britt hitting barn doors is still a problem.
The same old team playing the same old way, with the same old faults, and still no Tav. (no, me neither)
The same old manager playing the same old way, with the same old faults.
The same rubbish coming from his after match spiel.
This is before the match with Hull.
There is not the slightest chance of this team beating them because none of the above problems are afflicting them. So logic says another defeat, over and out.
The same old players….
I know it doesn’t fit the narrative but Tavernier wasn’t dropped by Pulis whilst we were top of the league. I don’t think he started a game until the end of November.
I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong but what I can see from August for Tav is:
Millwall 2-2 Boro (sub, 58)
Boro 3-0 Sheff U (unused sub)
Boro 1-0 Birmingham (sub, 78)
Bristol C 0-2 Boro (sub, 86)
Boro 1-0 West Brom (not in squad)
Leeds 0-0 Boro (not in squad)
Didn’t he play and score in a 1-1 draw at Preston?
Was that a cup game, Clive?
Found tat game, Clive:
Preston 1-1 Boro, 27th November. Tav scored but didn’t start – he replaced Gestede in the 27th minute.
His first league start appeared to be away at Brentford on 24th November.
Tav is our highest scoring Midfielder this season which considering he never starts or plays makes him all the more incredible!
or
Perhaps perfectly illustrates what a shower the ones that Pulis picks are!
Plato,
That seems fair to me.
UTB,
John
Andy R
You know what happens to be people who actually look at facts!.
Redcar Red
Much better report, it actually had Boro goals in it! I know silk purse and Sow’s ear spring to mind. Soon be over
Like you often say, Ian, the charge sheet is long enough on its own.
It seems the world’s media were just behind Diasboro in publishing the first photograph of a black hole – perhaps it was down to the warped space-time that effects Boro followers but unlike the black hole on Teesside this one apparently appears to be smiling…
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/apr/10/black-hole-picture-captured-for-first-time-in-space-breakthrough
I expected to see a picture of the Riverside, it certainly felt like it for all of this season under Pulis
Thanks for yet another accurate and detailed report, RR. As ever, service beyond the call of duty!
I agree with your description of the game. I thought we were good first half, as we caused a very poor Bolton side lots of problems, especially Fletcher and Britt in partnership. But we rarely play well for 90 minutes, and the same happened last night. We were much less clinical, much less fluent in the second half. I felt we gave Bolton far too much possession and almost let them back into the game. They certainly put us under a lot of pressure at the back. Yet more amazing saves from Randolph. So I agree, this stopped the rot, but it wasn’t truly convincing. We’ll need to play a lot better to beat some of the better sides coming up next.
What a surprise, nay shock, to see Gestede warming up. I had hoped we’d seen the last of him.
What a surprise, no, not really, to see Tav given just 3 minutes.
Good support from the Boro fans last night, despite the recent run of results. And people mentioned the crowd. The official figure was 12000. No way! It was more like seven. It’s very sad to see a famous old team like BWFC fallen on such hard times. So to those people who like to slag off Steve Gibson, I say, be careful what you wish for.
Interestingly, I was just talking to NeverGiveUpOnBoro this evening who has also heard from a source who works at the club that concurs with OFB’s earlier comment that Pulis has agreed an extension to his contract and Boro are just waiting for a suitable time to announce it.
Whether it’s already a done deal who can say for sure but that story seems to be cropping up again!
Werder
The story about Pulis staying as Director of football is still doing the rounds…………
OFB
Thanks Werder. Just received my umpteen email telling the clock is ticking towards ST renewal deadline.
Here is me thinking…..go on give it another year, it can’t be as bad as this season, especially with a new Manager.
Now what do I do?? Answers please from the bloggers!!!
Maybe you could ask for an extension until Pulis’s withdrawal agreement has been ratified…
As long as this despairing negative dross goes on and TP remains at the club Hell will freeze over before I renew!
Renew you know you are going to.
Come on BORO.
Pedro
Same here !
And I haven’t !
Yet !
OFB
A welcome win last night but unconvincing performance. Even the average teams in this division seem to have more pace than Boro. Sad to say I can see Hull City tearing us to shreds if we play like we did in the Second half last night.
werder
A suitable date to announce the renewal of TP’s contract. An interesting concept
Discuss.
Well the 1st of April has already passed – though the club could possibly go for a Good Friday agreement on the grounds that they need a Welsh back-stop in case no agreement on a new manager is reached.
Well despite playing nearly an hour with ten men, Villa have sadly beaten Rotherham to leave Boro once again four points outside the play-offs. Although the good news is that Villa play Bristol City at the weekend so they can’t both win – it just needs Boro to beat Hull to close the gap!
We really needed Villa to drop some points. It’s nowa big ask to make up six points (5 plus goal difference) in five games. We now probably need them to beat Bristol City……and, of course, we probably need five wins.
Where’s a good straw when you need something to clutch at.
UTB
We need to start playing as if we are trying to win games but under Pulis that is never gong to happen to make it a reality. Reaching the Play Offs would be a complete waste of time as Pulis proved twice last season against Villa.
Quite a handy website……
https://fullfact.org/
GHW,
An interesting link and it shows how statistics are twisted and turned to suit a particular argument, I can’t remember who said but ‘economical with the truth?’ I’m keeping it in my reading list.
UTB,
John
Very interesting, perhaps our Politicians could make use of it in between filling in their expense forms.
GHW….I thought for a minute it was going to give me the inside on Mr Pulis, is he going is he staying. Could not find it so we just have to make my own mind up about my ST.
OK, I’ll be shortly hitting the road and heading to Brexitland and into the black hole of Teesside in the hope that hell (sorry Hull) freezes and Boro can start showing burning ambition for promotion. I’ll be firing up the laptop again around Friday lunchtime so if any posts enter the spam folder I’m afraid they’ll be hanging around for a while.
Safe journey Werder and hope the match is one you can enjoy! 😎🤞
Safe trip Werder at least the Borders will “remain” open until October allowing you to get back unhindered. 🙂
Werder, I hope you will see three points to be picked up by Boro! Never mind the tactics.
And greetings to your sibling. You know who.
Up the Boro!
Take it easy and hopefully a well earned rest……well diversion from stump removal and jobs around the house.
Phillip Tallentire has chosen his best Boro XI over the years. Now I appreciate that he’s not had too many years relatively speaking following the Boro as many on this forum, but some of his selections were for players who had a short career with Boro and therefore in my opinion should be discounted, Juninho sadly being one of them. For when it’s worth my Boro XI would be :-
Mark Schwartzer; Mike McNeil, Gareth Southgate, George Hardwick, Gordon Jones; Stuart Ripley, Graeme Souness, Wilf Mannion, Eddie Holliday; Mickey Fenton, Brian Clough.
I think I would go with that team as well Ken.
Bri. UTB
Not bad as we say over here, Ken.
Mike McNail is the only one I do not know that well. If you have time, Ken, please educate me.
Up the Boro!
The one position that gave me the most head-scratching was the left side wing position, where I was tempted to chose David Armstrong.
Jarkko,
Mick McNeill was usually a left sided fullback, but sometimes moved to the right to accommodate Gordon Jones. He played left back for England in their 9-3 win over Scotland at Wembley in April 1961 in a team where Jimmy Greaves scored 4 times and Bobby Robson scored the first. I remember thinking at the time that it sounded like a Rugby Union score as in those days an unconverted try was worth only 3 points.
Ken
Going on memory(always a dangerous thing to do) I thought Mick McNeil was young, looked great, was selected for England, and disappeared to Chelsea? All in a flash, or so it seemed.
I thought he went to Ipswich?
Bri
Plato
Mick McNeill played 192 times for Boro before moving to Ipswich. Maybe you’re thinking of Geoff Butler as the left back who was sold to Chelsea, then Sunderland before making his most appearances for Norwich.
Yes some good choices there Ken. However possibly I would go for Mr Craggs over Mick McNeil. Stuart I am not sure about….will have to think about that.
I cannot see this manager, team, or group of players winning any match in the near future, the Bolton result was strictly a form result, and as such can be placed in it’s correct position in our current black hole, it was going to require a team in despair, and then some, to allow us an interlude in our misery. That happened.
To think that means the end of our ‘little problem’ is to believe in fairies, this group of players have given up on him, fact. To believe other is to stretch our credulity.
Their giving up on him is a credit to them, because I would be disturbed if they rated him as a manager, it would bode ill for this club in every aspect of professional club management,because his score at the moment is zero, and it ain’t rising anytime soon, if ever.
I was a staunch supporter, nay believer in fact in project Pulis and wanted him here well before he arrived. To me it was the perfect match, an experienced wily Manager who could take over an expensively assembled squad still with the back bone of Karanka’s mean mentality, galvanise them and get us up then consolidate for a few seasons in the Premiership until we became bored and greedy for more and probably started another decade of decline.
The theory was great and to me and obviously to Steve Gibson it made perfect sense. Even the size and type of Club fitted Pulis’s historical background. I read above a few comments about charge sheets and narratives etc. which had me wondering how have I gone a full 180, or should that be 360, never quite sure and the more I think about it the more my head hurts?
What has happened to me to be so pro something and then suddenly turn? I’m usually quite stubborn at the best of times but in this case I’m even shocked at myself just how wrong I was and how I now want a fresh management philosophy to rid us of what is bordering on an embarrassment when I see the lack of effort, desire and belief out on the pitch.
Getting us into the Play Offs last season was job done I would imagine compared to how we were spluttering under Monk bereft of his sidekick Clotet. Ironically it was that Play Off semi that was probably the start of it. That lack of endeavour to even try and win against Villa at home was disheartening and massively disappointing in the extreme. That Bamford was dropped was an even bigger sickener considering his goals return until he was concussed just a few weeks earlier (which farcically TP now wants emulating). I remember a Stoke supporting mate ringing me and telling me just after the first leg that the camera had panned in on my face and it was less than joyous. He was sat in the pub and his mates laughed loudly near the end saying that blokes going to explode and when Steve (not Gibson) looked up he said “ruddy hell”, “that’s my mate” and laughed then text me the news of my national fame.
The negative tactics of the second leg when we were behind and needed a goal was even worse to endure. The whole manner of it was beyond words, underwhelming doesn’t even begin to describe it. What was the point in being so close then to throw it all away with tactics that were unprintable in descriptive terminology? That Pulis had berated Assombalonga on an almost weekly basis then pinned hopes on him and to compound things at that stage still thought a crocked Gestede was worthy of being on the bench let alone sending him on to limp around after he had engineered to squander our chance in a very meek manner.
The passing of a few weeks and Summer calmed things but then the selling of Bamford caused me some angst to put it mildly and those feelings of negativity resurfaced. Regardless of who was supposed to say what to whom and where and when and why he was our best and most creative Striker, the one who would have scored the most goals and certainly one of the few worth the admission money. Granted its with hindsight but at that pint if one of the two had to go then it should have been the prehistoric one. Players come and go and it’s the club that remains constant so we get on with it and besides I’d already purchased two season cards (at opposite ends of the Riverside and therein lies yet another tale of frustration and outright stupidity due to executive incompetence).
Millwall away started badly and non to convincing especially as Flint was looking like an overpriced cart horse. A squad down to the bare bones with young Wood on the bench looked far from promotion candidates, then of course came the introduction as a last throw of the dice of Wing and Tav in the second half along with Fletcher to launch the great escape courtesy of goals by Braithwaite and Friend. August then showed signs of hope as the incomplete squad ably assisted and bulked out with “Kids” done pretty well up until the International break and achieving a draw away to rampant at the time Leeds. With all his “Men” now in-situ even better things were reasonably expected or as an absolute minimum maintaining the status quo, why on earth not?
Bamford gone and now Braithwaite gone but we had Besic back and Hugill who had done alright for a season with Preston and probably fitted in more with what the Manager likes to style his sides on. It was never really convincing after that point despite us all hoping that they would bed in, settle and then just watch us go in the second half of the season. TP eventually realised very belatedly that Gestede really wasn’t a very good player and that despite all his goals from set pieces Flint now offered very little else and now not even goals thanks to woeful set play training and implementation or in truth a total lack off. Hugill wasn’t the goal machine and certainly not fit to lace Paddy’s left boot and plenty of heads were scratched over Saville and let us not even start thinking about McNair but at least the berating of Britt was consistent with TP.
I recall saying in my report that after the away win at Brentford I wasn’t impressed. Thought at the time that the three points covered up far too many cracks. Tav had scored the winner, we were a point ahead of Leeds in second and just two points behind leaders Norwich but I knew even then. Call it Typical Boro or Cynical Boro perhaps in my case but things weren’t right and I could smell the fragrance of it.
Rather than ramble on and carp about every minutiae the Burton debacle with one up front against a lower league side was bad, then there was the lack of any intent other than fearful dread tactics against Villa at home (again). Karanka playing us off the park with fast skilful football, Derby ripping us a new one in a similar entertaining display just highlighted how unimaginative, dull, boring and unadventurous we really were but somehow in spite of everything we were still in the Play Off spots. Reality was that even then we kind of knew automatic was probably not going to happen with these tactics. The second half against Bolton was poor despite the victory and I’m talking about the Home game here not last Tuesdays match then there was the Swansea game where we drew our way to a Home point in typical Pulis “style” despite being played off the park by the Swans.
The Boxing day game at home against Wednesday was particularly low but it happens so I tried to just put it down as one of those days and in Pulis I trusted, well kind off even at that stage because there had been some games like West Brom at home that had shown teasing chinks of entertainment and therefore hope. Then there was that unbelievably poor Newport tie where we were actually played off the park in South Wales and the notes being passed around to a side that looked disinterested and not at all buying into whatever had been asked of them. The fallout with the travelling army afterwards was dependent upon who you spoke to but regardless the trigger point of that situation was caused by a tactical mess from the man with the thinking cap.
West Brom at the Hawthorns then offered a glint of hope again but along came Villa away and the white flag being raised as soon as the team was announced. Then there was the George/Britt substitution at home and then the Swansea away team announcement and the ensuing inevitable gutless surrender that was even worse than Villa. Next just generally throw in the most boring, unexciting and garbage football I have ever witnessed. Our Home form is more like relegation fighters with a very expensive squad of which the Teflon one himself spent £20M on (or someone spent it for him and he is too shy and retiring to say so) and there is no longer any desire or willingness to witness more of the same. The run of six defeats didn’t finish it, I was finished well before then, it just simply confirmed it.
It may be coincidence but the last time SG was side-tracked with a building project we didn’t enjoy a particularly good time of it on the pitch. That would imply that unless he personally oversees and holds hands the club can’t function which considering he has Bausor and the much lauded Bevington on the job and like as not the best paid Manager in the Championship is of huge concern.
Whilst writing this Rotherham at home has just entered my sub conscious, that was a night when Mrs Red hid anything sharp in the kitchen for over a week! With a crazy set of results and a few freak wins who knows we could miraculously sneak back into the Play Offs and even win the final with a technical knockout but if this is what it is then count me out. SG and TP can keep what they are serving up, life is tough enough without spending a weekend depressed even after a Pulis style win.
I won’t be renewing my SC and should we get to Wembley I won’t be going. Should we scrape up hurrah but I still won’t be attending and should we stay where we are in the Championship which is what I expect then good luck but I won’t be enduring that more of that tripe after the end of this season unless there is a radical change. It may cost me more money in the long run to pick and choose should I need an occasional or even just a curious fix but other than doing a Bernie Slaven on Saturday in the North Stand I can’t think of any other way of letting my disaffection and dissatisfaction be known. Now I doubt very much if either millionaire will be even remotely bothered but as Mogga would say “it is what it is”.
Certainly from the heart there Redcar Red. It would be very difficult to argue against that and give as expressive counter opinion defending Mr Pulis and MFC.
Well I have now made my bed and will have to lay on it. If it is Mr Pulis next season at least I can take comfort in the fact that I normally only get to see no more than half the games at the Riverside. The streaming games, well at least I can disconnect my router. Of course for me, it was a little easier decision to make from a financial aspect. I would not of have forked out 400+ though.
I agree, certainly from the heart. After all the good work that Redcar Red has put in, he has the right to be so frustrated. It will/would be a shame if his excellent reports were lost to Diasboro as no other reporter comes close to describing what he sees week in and week out in Boro’s performances. Despite forecasting that Boro should win this league at a canter with 100+ points, it’s easier for me not to get angry (frustrated yes), but at my age I’ve run out of anger, because it seems like deja-vu, although I’ve never experienced such negative tactics since well, Karanka in the Premier League. I really thought that promotion in 2017 would see Boro ensconced in the top tier for the rest of my life. Now it will never happen unless by some miracle I live long enough. I’m concerned, not worried about Boro’s immediate future. I put worrying down to more pressing concerns which In view of my age I don’t want to contemplate until they actually happen.
Well said RR. Absolutely true in every word.
Great post. I don’t have time for those who were anti-Pulis even before he turned up and waste no time in blaming everything from Brexit to Wing’s groin on him. Like you, I thought he made sense as an appointment. Pragmatic and effective, someone who had got clubs promoted and kept them up relatively comfortably.
Sadly it hasn’t worked out that way. They say that success has many parents and failure none. In this case, I think our failure has many parents within the club. I don’t know what happens next but if Pulis starts next season as our manager in the championship it will be depressing.
Celeriac
Just two points, the blame game? Why do so many people on this blog think it is unsporting to actually blame the manager for a complete collapse of any form of management, tactics, style, controlled introduction of promising young players, control of the contracts of any who are extremely talented (that would be extend their contracts when they are shooting the lights out for the England youngsters) I do not think that would require too much thinking even for Pulis.
When your quite important young playmaker has a comparatively minor problem requiring surgery you do not think about it, you should know the best specialist for the job, get it done and said player back in service, in the next couple of days. Why are we still discussing the operation? Just asking?
A heartfelt piece RR and unfortunately you are not alone.
My brother along with three of his mates, who sit together, took the decision a few months ago that they would not be renewing their SC.
I was also in favour of TP’s appointment but began to have doubts about his managerial style and methodology toward the end of last season and my doubts have been re-affirmed this season.
I will probably renew my Riverside Live subscription as I do not believe that next season can be any worse and it will probably be better value for money as we are unlikely to be featuring on Sky so often!
A glutton for punishment some may say but having lived away from the area for so many years and unable to watch live matches I now find it difficult to pass up the opportunity to do so via the live streaming facility.
I just hope that MFC can get their act together next season on many fronts but I am not holding my breath.
I do hope that we will not lose out completely on your honest, balanced and amusing match reports; like many on this blog I thoroughly enjoy reading them and appreciate your dedication to the cause. 😎
My sentiments entirely – cant resist the live streaming – no matter how much it hurts.
Great post RR and even as someone more inclined to defend Pulis I agree with an awful lot of that.
I felt that the writing was on the wall for this season after the sales of Traore, Gibson and especially Bamford and so have spent a lot of the season quite pleasantly surprised at the league position, without feeling particularly convinced. We’re now in the sort of position I, and most others I think, thought we would be.
That’s not to say we shouldn’t be frustrated. It undoubtedly could have been better and I think a similar position could definitely have been achieved, maybe even bettered, without some of the signings that have been made.
Regardless, the club needs some hope and a direction that the fans can buy into. Even with some sympathy from me, I don’t see how that can happen with Pulis in charge.
RR
Snap and Snapped !
OFB
RR
Just reread your post after receiving an email from Boro saying I hadn’t renewed yet and was there a problem?
I should have responded to them with a copy of your post to show them why!
Its not their fault and they are only doing their job but to recap on your post
I know that personally if by some chance Boro do get to play offs I will be at the home game.
If by some even more miraculous chance Boro get to Wembley I’ll be there…….
If by some even greater miracle we get promotion then I’ll renew but I think my money is safe…………………….
OFB
Just a belated thank you to Werder before he heads in from across the North Sea, another great read. Also thanks to Redcar Red for his “on the spot” report, how you keep going only you know.
As to the match, Bolton were poor in the extreme and made the Boro look reasonable. Well for a short while. As Ken said first half OK, second half unconvincing, certainly to even make a go at getting anywhere near a decent end of season points haul.
What was really annoying was TP’s 3 minute substitution with Tav. Is trying to make some kind of point here, because it is lost on me if he is.
One player that appears to be taking it all in his stride is Mr Mikel. Saw him yesterday with his family strolling around Durham looking to be enjoying the sights of this lovely city.
Exmil…….well you were correct all along. Just renewed my ST. Called MFC Ticketing and asked if I could purchase on sale and return if Mr Pulis continues next season. They will ask Mr Gibson if he will consider it!!!!! Mind you as RR said, may be Hell will freeze over first
Here’s a football poser which I’m ashamed to say had me stumped.
Sunderland did it in 1979, Villa did it in 1981, but who did it in 1980?
Was it Trevor Brooking by chance Ken!
Have you been watching Countdown? Yes, scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup Final. Alan Sunderland for Arsenal in 79, Ricki Villa for Spurs in 81, so Trevor Brooking for West Ham in 1980.
Well done Ken.
A big decision for the Chairman, do you continue with project austerity, or fund a new manager with multiple new signings?
With parachute payments flapping in the wind I would expect a continuance of the present set up. Admittedly this will require a lot of patience from the fans, but football fans have a remarkably short memory once the August kick off comes along.
The results of financial irresponsibility are there to see with numerous Championship and League One clubs.
There has been just as much evidence of financial wastefulness under TP’s duration (note duration not sole blame because that is collective before during and like as not after). McNair, Flint, Saville and the loan fees and wage contributions for both Besic and Hugill won’t have been cheap and then of course Mikel will likely be wanting some financial reward.
I can’t see TP just getting on with things under austerity. As it is he doesn’t like blooding young or inexperienced players.
I would imagine when it comes to the loan players it will be, thanks, but no thanks. Mikel, having proved his worth will likely to be attracted elsewhere.
If Sunderland achieve promotion maybe McNair could return to the Stadium of Light? A couple of free agents might be recruited ( Nahki Wells out of contract in the summer ) and letting some academy prospects fill out the first team squad.
Other Championship teams have proved it can be done without breaking the bank.
GHW
The Pulis regime should be spelt ‘irresponsible’.
The great distinguishing factor in this reign of Pulis is the complete inability to decide which are the best players, and field them on a regular basis.
This has never altered, so starting are some of his selections, that all the normal fan reaction, and that would be the usual statements such as,’ it is the managers privilege to select who he wants’. Is completely out the window, the fans want him gone, like now, there can be no extension for this man, if he were luggage on a cruise ship he would be stamped N.W.O.V. And we all know what that means.
We may laugh, but his meanderings to the national press are in a class of their own, and I believe are being produced in book form, (pretty certain to be a best seller) you certainly could not invent it.
” I am very disappointed that Tav. has not had more pitch time”
This is serious stuff, and I am not surprised that the national press were struck dumb, because this is stuff that philosophers write books about, at great length.
I think that a spell at Sandbanks is called for, and a release from the burdens of Management.
The sandbanks of Redcar at high tide!
OFB
How many times as Vickers wrote the same article with the same words over the last ten years?today in the EG.
For every Norwich there is an Ipswich , the idea of ripping it all up miraculously going for untried youth in today’s no holds barred Championship would not end well can you imagine Boro lying eighteenth , with 10.000 crowds, the i
lack of income alone would send us on a downward spiral to trouble we wouldn’t want to happen.
I’d keep Pulis another season I’m not too happy right now , when you are losing you never are, but I think he knows what’s needed, you can’t do anything between windows ,so this summer is crucial ,a new guy once again would need time to asses the whole thing ,
We need two genuine fullbacks, and an upgrade in midfield and width, players with the ability to change things during a game ,make the difference ,not the ten a penny type ,even if they frustrate you at times.
Finding them is the secret , but we have people who are paid to do that , Norwich found them in the German Div 2 .
This club cannot afford to become a for ever bottom half club.
I’ll mention three young players with above talent, that would help the squad .because they I think are better than this level we are at.
Izzy Brown Chelsea
Patrick Roberts Man C
Ianez Haggi Georgy’s boy Rumania
GHW….yes but will Mr Pulis be happy with that. Our predicament, financially, is all really down to MFC, in other words Mr Gibson. As I have said on many occasions, he is Owner and signs the cheques.
Whilst I appreciate he is also running a very large and profitable company and therefore has to have people in place to run MFC, it certainly looks as though he has either over delegated or taken his eye of the ball (club running)
There are so many things that are obviously wrong at the moment that a blind man could see them. GHW you have mentioned this and highlighted issues many times yourself.
Why has not something been done about the continual problems. We can only comment on the ones that are obvious. The recruitment and using your words, the financial irresponsibility, are thereto be seen.
Why hasn’t Mr Gibson acted on that significant area if nothing else. That must be the biggest issue that has cost us money and left us very vulnerable with players we will be lucky to move on. Stewart Downing is one prime example, never mind those under Mr Monk and let’s not forget MrPulis.
I hear what you are saying, I think it’s exactly why he brought TP in to begin with.
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/pulis-astonished-middlesbrough-salaries–15608270
TP has also been less than straight about Tav playing and even wanting Strikers to emulate Bamford just in the last week or so. I now take what he says with a pinch of salt. I’d reckon Mikel’s salary isn’t less than Downing’s let alone the reported “loan fee” for Hugill. Teflon Tony doesn’t seem to mind wasting cash himself when it suits then develop selective recall.
But GHW, as I said, it has not really improved under Mr Pulis either.
McNair, not used in reality, a bench warmer, as you said, may be not his choice. But then Saville and Besic, when we already had Howson who has been one of his favourites. Flint an ordinary Championship CB, who could score a few goals until he came to MFC. Hugill on decent wages I assume and the reported loan fee by WHU of one million pounds. Ending with the fiasco that is VLP.
Tell me pray, what has improved in eighteen months. We are not even going to make the play offs this season.
Hard to defend Mr Pulis in any way, shape or form as they say.
No disrespect GHW, but that is old news and something we are all well aware of.
He states he is here for the long haul, but only signed an eighteen month contract. Was he being fair to Mr Gibson, by saying, let’s see how it goes.
Well it has not gone very well has it. Not very well at all. Even now down to becoming MFC’s Communication Officer. Nothing at all comes out of MFC through anybody else.
Fair enough, but it’s all down to expectations. Who on here expected automatic promotion this season, or the playoffs? If not for the six game losing run who knows where we would be.
It’s all speculation anyway. The club are unlikely to supply any information with regard to who signed who and the financial details. Until this communication void is filled discussions like this will continue without any definitive facts.
Beginning of the season I thought top 6 was par for the course. I figured at the time that Stoke and Swansea would be strong. When Leeds got Bielsa and Forest started splashing the cash with AK I thought they would be top 6 as well. When Villa got bought over and kept Grealish I thought they would also be top 6. I didn’t see Norwich or Sheffield Utd doing well and figured gravity would catch up with Bristol City. That said, there’s always a dark horse that comes from nowhere. The rest of the league seemed to hold no fear for us.
We were always going to lose Adama, Gibson and sell one of our strikers plus Braithwaite. I though Flint was a decent championship defender and Hugill is a Boro lad who had done really well in the championship and would break his balls to play for us.
All in all, we seemed to be in about as good a position as the year before. We lacked cover at right and left back and, crucially, a pacy winger but it wasn’t as if we weren’t chasing every winger we could name. I presumed by the end of the window we would have someone in and Tav looked like he would be a good understudy. Fry and Wing had also done well pre-season so it looked like we had good youngsters to draw on.
All in all, when the season started, I thought we had a shout for automatic promotion if things went our way but realistically I figured we ought to make the play-offs.
Looking back at it I still think we were good enough for the top 6. I think most of our outfield players have under-performed or are past their best while the team and the club in general has been badly managed.
To an extent, I think TP is right about one thing. In the last few years the club has relied on Gibson’s chequebook to solve problems and now the whole club, from top to bottom, needs to get better at their job or make way for people who can do better.
Good post Deleriad.
deleriad,
Your last paragraph is spot-on, particularly the last half of it. paradoxically the cheque book doesn’t seem to have solved any problems.
UTB,
John
Comments have been made about various aspects of the club, like the recruitment department and why nothing has been done about them. It could be like the players, that some (if not a lot) are on lucrative contracts and cannot be move on easily without financial impact on the club, for example Gary Gill could be another Gestede. Who knows what is going on in the background and how long it is going to take to overhaul the club from top to bottom. No matter how long it takes and by whom, I am in for the long haul.
Come on BORO.
With the level of gross stupidity regarding contracts and other aspects of the Club generally being very poorly administered it would not surprise me at all if certain individuals were on contracts with clauses that would make our eyes water. In fact I think I would be more surprised if they weren’t.
So we either meekly doff our caps knowing our place and lot in life, accepting it all or make a stand. The deafening silence from SG and the disgusting state and stench of that which is offered out on the pitch at the Riverside masquerading as Football doesn’t sit comfortably with me and so my money stays in my pocket. Maybe SG should take a leaf out of my book as well instead of giving it to those who merrily relieve his cash up the wall seemingly without any redress and there’s the irony!
As relationships go I hope SG and TP will be very happy together and in all honesty hope I am proved wrong and that next season turns out to be the most entertaining and successful ever in the history of MFC. Unfortunately there’s more chance of Theresa May delivering Brexit and consequently my two Season Cards will not be renewed along with thousands of others.
To me to renew is to tolerate and support the status quo. I realise that some see it just simply as supporting Boro but I can’t support something that is failing badly and especially something that I care about so much which has had far too much resource given to it let alone not enough which I could at least accept. Accountability as to start somewhere and as usual it will be the fans that have to hold those accountable for their inactions or inability.
We should have pushed on from last season and nailed the Play Offs finishing third or fourth if indeed not securing an automatic spot. Neither the Norwich or Sheffield United Managers were better resourced or supported than TP. That Norwich are 24 points ahead of us after a terrible start and that the Blades are 17 points ahead of us with a motley squad of ageing players and rejects tells a very clear tale of just how TP has taken us backwards and is continuing to do so whilst making up excuse after excuse about “if only’s” and “what if’s”.
RR
It’s a shame isn’t it that staunch Boro supporters are not renewing at the moment
I like you have not renewed yet as the performances have been so disgraceful at home for over a year it has not been enjoyable to spend time at the Riverside
From your match reports your love of the Boro has shone through and if you and I haven’t renewed how many thousand others haven’t either ?
Of course things could change we could have a managerial signong and buy or loan some exciting players and get rid of the dead wood
Let’s see what the next few weeks bring but I know we are not alone !
OFB
RR – your actions are those of a true fan. In order to do what is best in life, sometimes you have to make the tough choice. As you say, why pay more money to effectively endorse the status quo.
I’ve often looked with disdain at our friends up the a19 who criticise their chairman but continue to fork out every season to put cash in his pocket. Actions speak louder than words and money really talksm
Mrm
Do you really think Steve Gibson is putting the fans own money into his own pocket? What a ridiculous thing to say. I doubt whether the club could ever repay the money he has given it over the years.
GHW, you have misunderstood my post.
The holding company of MFC belongs in part to Mr Gibson. Whilst not putting money in his pocket personally, ticket money does provide an income source to the holding company and a reduction in ticket renewals reduces that income.
So fans reducing the income source is one way of communicating to the powers that be that we are not happy with the present state of affairs.
I wonder how much money Boro need to claw back this summer.
I agree with GHW that Mikel is unlikely to be here next year, whilst I think we can also let Besic, Downing, La Parra, Hugill and Braithwaite go without replacing any of them. My guess is that would represent a saving on wages of something like £10-12m.
If we can afford to add two quality wingbacks with real pace – whether permanently or on loan – then I think we’ll have a squad capable of competing for the top 6 despite the cutbacks.
When he arrived Mikel looked a world apart and still does to some extent but he isn’t influencing games and certainly not taking them by the scruff of the neck any more. If the worst case is Clayts is restored in there I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. Then Downing out and Tav in much in the same way Gibson went and Fry stepped up if he isn’t player/assistant to Manager Woodgate next season.
Besic has never cemented himself as a nailed on starter and in truth we bought McNair who plays in midfield and scored goals at this level (mind you so did Flint, Assombalonga and Saville until TP got his hands on them) and heaven knows we could do with some so again go with what we have got (and probably should have done in the first place). I don’t know about VLP so can’t really count him as a miss and besides Johnson will like as not be returning to us after a promotion campaign with the Blades.
Hugill has never made the grade here and besides we are still stuck with Gestede on ludicrous wages so we can save on carrot fees and at least return one back to the Sanctuary. Braithwaite has been away more than he has been here so again not a miss although far better than what we have but far too cultured to be played as a Striker by TP so regardless not really a loss other than a likely financial car crash.
It appears that Britt will be going probably at a huge loss but least another one of our biggest earners like Downing will be off the wage bill and putting some money back into SG’s pockets to make up the shortfall on the Season Card sales. There are players out there that shouldn’t cost the earth to beef the numbers up (well at least until our negotiators get talking to them). Ameobi was lively on Tuesday and could do as well for us as VLP which wouldn’t be difficult. Nsue is currently without a club and I haven’t seen better at RB since he left and who knows we could even reunite his partnership with out of contract Albert.
All the above is irrelevant however if the Manager has us surrendering and absolutely petrified of the opposition before we even start games. A Drawing mentality isn’t going to smash this or any other league any time soon.
Ameobi! Are you forgetting his last loan spell at Boro?
GHW
I agree Ameobi’s last loan spell was very poor but he is a lot older now with more experience and was an outlet that created everything for them in what was a shockingly poor side. I would imagine that Bolton can’t afford him next season (if they are still in existence) and I seen more from him on Tuesday night than I have from many of our lot all season. Despite the tragic, desperate and lost circumstances Bolton are in he was still trying which is a heck of a lot more than could be said for us against Newport, Swansea, Villa etc. etc.
I’m not saying I want him or he would be first choice on a shopping list but if we are broke and desperate to pick up players on the cheap then why not? Chris Wilder has done a petty good job with his bargain bucket signings but then again he probably encourages and motivates his players positively.
Agree with most of that RR. There’s a quite a bit of cost-cutting that we can do without needing to replace.
RR
He’s spent so many years where an average one point per game meant survival in the PL, he hasn’t twigged that in the Championship it generally means relegation.
Andy….the first 4 are easy. Three on loan and SD out of contract. Braithwaite will be difficult without taking one hell of a hit. If Mr Pulis is still here we will have to give him away virtually for free.
May as well cut our losses I reckon.
I’ve given my opinion and views on how I see things at the moment vis a vis the managers situation. Anything further would be repetition and start to sound just like a mantra that becomes boring to all and anathema to those who hold the opposite views.
Suffice to say we all want success for MFC. Despite all of the obvious mistakes that have been made the club will go on.
And tomorrow…..
Pu 2
Tiggr’s 0
ex-mil
I’m away from early next week, and so won’t be able to post for the next round of your great challenge unless details are posted within two days after the Hull game.
Hope that’s possible.
Many thanks
I will post the next round of the Exmil Challenge on Monday at the latest, will that be in time before you travel, if not let me know and I will try to post it Sunday night wen I return from a family party.
Come on BORO.
Monday’s great. Thanks exmil.
I am sure RR and OFB will renew their season cards. They are so loyal and I cannot see them spending time in a pub while Boro play at Riverside.
The home form has been catastrofic this season. But was it that bad last season when Pulis took over?
Anyway, can we ever know how good the home form will be the following season?
Let’s presume that we will be in the Championship next season AND Pulis will stil be here. If the home form continued like this season, do you really think he won’t get fired by October if results do not improve?
So do what a man needs to do and renew your season cards. The club (it’s not just Pulis) needs you. At least I would, if the distance wouldn’t be over 1 000 miles one way for me.
We will be in the Premier League sooner than you think now. I still believe in Steve Gibson. Up the Boro!
I might wait and see what is going to happen over the next few months !
OFB
You said “might” 🙂 utb!
Haven’t renewed and have zero intention of renewing while I have to witness the Soul being sucked out of Middlesbrough Football. Watching something that doesn’t even come close to being described as Football is intolerable.
If I haven’t renewed to watch it how must the playing staff feel and how many of the better Players feel exactly the same? First chance and they will be gone but we will get told by Teflon Tony that he is busy saving our club and bringing in loads more cash for his best friend Steve.
Whatever you think of Pu, every team needs a manager. To help give a voice to that team, an identity. The cycle of football generally proclaims that if the manager doesn’t know when to quit, he will lose the dressing room. But then, what if the players don’t know what they’ve got? Or worse, overestimate their power? Then, you’ve got a World’s End scenario. You know, like this…
“FACE IT! We are the human race, and we don’t like being told what to do!”
“Just what is it that you want to do?”
“We want to be free! We want to be free to do what we want to do! We want to get loaded! And we want to have a good time! And *that’s* what we’re going to do!”
“It’s pointless arguing with you. You will be left to your own devices.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. F*** it.”
Ayresome Angels or Wild Angels?
Nicely spotted, GHW. I knew of the speech from Primal Scream’s Loaded, but I had to look up The Wild Angels myself after reading your reply. Pegg and Wright are notorious for homage after homage after homage… and how well they make them work in the context of their films as well as paying tribute to the older films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnGzl-OEyGE
I also loved, “Forget it, Nicholas. It’s Sandford”, from Hot Fuzz.
Simon
That sounds remarkably like the dressing room (at least the English half of it) when AK was shown the door with thirteen? games still to play.
And we still have fans who think that was a good call?
Well the early bird deadline has passed, I wonder how many who have said they would not renew, actually didn’t. The reason I ask is that there is a group of people I meet up with at the ground every home game and two of them have sworn blind that they will not renew for about 6 weeks, yet today they have announced that they have renewed !
Come on BORO.
Well as I posted Exmil, I relented and renewed. Easier for me as I get two discounts. Early bird and OAP.
For some though full price is a big ask especially going into the unknown of Mr Pulis, will he, won’t he??
I know of personally, six people that have not renewed. I would wager, as a non betting man, four thousand less ST’s sold.. Not good business.
4002
OFB
I don’t want to defand Pu, but here is an interesting interview he gave to the press yesterday: https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/17571694.promotion-still-the-aim-insists-boro-boss/
Perhaps the reason why we did not sign a speedy winger. Up the Boro!
He likes to talk about everything and anything except the Football out on the pitch and his disgraceful Home record this season.
What about all the money he has wasted on mediocre Championship journeymen footballers at four or five times their realisable value?
What about selling our best Striker to a competitor and demoralising and destroying our most expensive Striker whilst at the same time devaluing him by 40 or 50%.
TP likes to talk but he doesn’t like to answer the real questions like why is he terrified of Aston Villa? Did they steal his Teddy when he was a Kid? Did his Mum threaten him at night that there’s a big ugly Aston Villa under the bed?
Why does his side cave in in South Wales? Raising the white flag against Newport and Swansea? There are loads of question to be answered but the media dare not ask them for fear of being banned from the club.
Until you know who sourced and signed players and until you know who sold players you can’t put definitive blame on Pulis. Unless of course you are privy to information from the club the rest of us aren’t.
Steve Gibson & Tony Pulis have both refrenced how Pulis has been given a mandate to overhaul everything at the club.
Recruitment is a big part of that and the manager, particularly a manager like Tony Pulis, will have significant input into recruitment. At the very least Pulis will have a final say on who we buy.
I echo RR’s sentiments. I’m sick of hearing TP whine on about some of the contracts that players are on when he has splurged £20m on 3 players who don’t look like they will live up to that valuation. Look at Pulis’s record in the transfer market , those signings, particularly Flint, have his finger prints all over them.
GHW
Pulis is busy telling us how much money he has saved MFC and what a great job he’s doing but then when it suits (e.g. Downing) he tells us that he doesn’t get involved in all that stuff “its the money men”.
He has also repeatedly told us how his new best mate Steve persuaded him to come up here to go through the Club from top to bottom and how staggered he was when he found out some of the contracts that the players are on. If he has no input then why would he even know who was being paid what or even care for that matter? Now apparently we have prudent financials in place so we don’t become like Swansea or even Bolton. Again if he doesn’t get involved how would he know?
I struggle to remotely figure out how he wouldn’t be involved in incomings and outgoings after all those claims. If he’s taking the credit for Traore, Gibson, Christie, Fabio and Bamford and co. bringing in cash don’t tell me he doesn’t know who we signed and the lads just turned up for training at Rockliffe one morning. I’m pretty sure he would have used that excuse for the dismal run let alone the single Championship Home win in 2019.
I doubt if he would have remotely considered taking the job if he was just being given players he doesn’t want or need and also having them sold behind his back when he claims he has an all reaching brief.
Which way is the wind blowing with him today I wonder?
You stated he sold our best striker and he personally wasted money on journeymen players. It’s alright to apportion blame but to heap it on one individual when you don’t have definitive information, then that’s just biased rhetoric.
Pulis himself has said he is cutting the wage bill and was brought in to save costs. Those are the facts that I’m basing my biased opinion on, the words he himself has reportedly spoken during press conferences. Granted assuming that the media (such as the Gazette, Echo and Hartlepool Mail etc.) have not deliberately misquoted as I wasn’t there in person.
I’m guessing his cost cutting mandate was on the playing side more than the cost of the Shirts in the Club shop and Season Card pricing but admittedly that is only an assumption on my part. Maybe his cost cutting has nothing to do with the size of his squad and how many players he wants for each position etc. and maybe he never spoke to Bolasie or Mikel and all that was made up by the same reporters to suit an agenda.
He is not singularly to blame for who was signed and for how much but I have already stated that in some detail and length earlier in the week going over the possible contractual situation that Steve Gibson now finds himself in and why Pulis is still here.
Or perhaps the reasoning of a man who knows he is on his way out and is getting his excuses in early so as not to affect his future employment prospects.
Tony Pulis will have no problem whatsoever in securing future employment he is firmly established in the closed shop of football management. He may well have a say on which players are bought, but the fees and wages paid or not down to him. By all means criticise his playing style and tactics , but you can’t come up with your own” facts” to suit your opinion.
I’m not making up ‘facts’, I’m using logic.
TP may not get involved with salary negotiations but he will likely know what his transfer budget is & will be aware that if the club spends x amount on a player he will only have y left in the kitty.
If this is incorrect and Pulis doesn’t have sight of the basic financial operations then he is not worthy of the title ‘manager’.
Having read the article Jarrko, I think Mr Pulis is being somewhat disingenuous.
MFC brought in more money than any other club. Possibly true, but Norwich sold Maddison and Murphy for big money and only spent 4/5 million.
We sold our best three players. Yes we did. But to use Bamford as an excuse. Could we not sell Britt or Gestede. Braithwaite did not want to be. Did we really try that route before selling Paddy.
Truth is I believe, Mr Pulis would have preferred not to have all four and bring in someone like Crouch. You can also I am sure get a reasonable pacy winger for what we paid for Saville. How much did we pay for Traore?
I’m sick of Tony Pulis saying that we should have won our last 4 home games. Even if it were true the fact is we didn’t. He’ll probably be updating it to our last 5 home games should we lose to Hull City this afternoon, which I fear we might.
Boro 1 Hull 2 seems the likely result to me.
Lose today and the blue touch paper will be lit, its already smouldering in the North and South stands. I wonder when the number of early bird renewals will announced?
Season Cards are only a small part of the clubs income but playing in front of 16,000 crowds next season will unfortunately be a painful cost. Another cost will be the soulless Riverside experience helping the opposition not that it made much difference this season as TP has been very generous in helping the opposition at the Riverside.
Ken,
The man is a fool, talk about stating the bleeding obvious. Of course we should have won the last four but we didn’t. Along with a few others at the Riverside too. Is he unable to work out why? His attitude, tactics (or the lack of) are smothering and killing the fan base and the club. Play-offs, he’s having a laugh
How much longer can it go on? Tune in next week for an everyday story of ‘football folk’ and despite, not because of Mr Pulis.
UTB,
John
Pulis’s memory appears to be somewhat one sided given that there have been plenty of games in the early part of the season where we have sneaked a result we didn’t deserve. WBA at home, when Flint sliced a clearance against his own bar in a game of few chances, and Derby at home, are just 2 that spring to mind.
The swings and roundabouts theory is generally sound over the course of the season. Pulis only recalls the swings.
I don’t want to defend Pu, but we have played much nicer football to the eye in the last few matches. So I must add the performances have been there and chances created.
I rather watch Assombalonga and Fletcher every week than only one up-front like Hugill or Gestede.
Pity I won’t be able to watch the match today as I have promised to go the theatre with my wife and sister.
I am expecting a 2-0 win with an Assombalonga brace. Up the Boro!
I agree, Jarkko.
We don’t have the flying wingbacks or creative midfielder (whilst Wing is out) to really make the current system work but it’s definitely the right way forward for me, even if recent results have been poor
I think the losses have been more down to confidence than tactics, though I think Pulis has been part of the confidence problem with the way he’s put extra pressure onto the players to take their chances.
We can’t afford to fall behind in games because the players don’t seem to believe that they can score the goals to turn it around, even when we do create chances.
“RR – your actions are those of a true fan. In order to do what is best in life, sometimes you have to make the tough choice. As you say, why pay more money to effectively endorse the status quo.
I’ve often looked with disdain at our friends up the a19 who criticise their chairman but continue to fork out every season to put cash in his pocket. Actions speak louder than words and money really talksm”
The above is a post from earlier in the thread. To intimate by comparison that SG is putting the fans money into his own pocket is an absolutely reprehensible thing to say. The Chairman will never recoup the millions of pounds he has put into the club from his own pocket.
Disgraceful!
GHW
I don’t for one second believe that mrmisanthropeblog meant to imply that SG is taking money out of MFC.
I certainly didn’t read it in that way. Apart from the fact SG has converted a £100M debt into a “loan” let alone 1986 in itself it doesn’t stand scrutiny. I think he clearly meant it as a dig at the Toon army and their particular chairman whom their fan base seemingly dislike and not to be taken too literally. That’s how I read and interpreted the comment.
I have to endorse RR here GHW. I also do not believe that is what marmisanthropeblog implied or even wrote, in the context that you implied.
Unfortuanately when things get a little difficult and issues clouded opinions can become entrenched. What is important though is to continue with the debate(s) but for us all to may be take a deep breath.
Let’s hope we all have something positive to write about later this afternoon, something that has put us all in a better frame of mind.
GHW – to echo the comments below you have completely misunderstood my point. It may be delibrate, it may not be, but please read it again before posting faux outrage.
GHW, ..MFC sourced and signed the players we have now but more significantly, given Mr Pulis’ own words.
I was brought in by Steve to look at the club and make recommendations. (or something like that). And his continual comments about how much we have spent in the past, the high wages
handed out and how we sold our best players.
I find it very hard to believe, as RR has already written, that Mr Pulis has not had a significant input into the players brought in, sold and the fees paid, especially the incomers.
He will have had a list of positions to be filled to suit his preferred system. That is a given. He will also have an idea of his budget, sales plus any top up from Mr Gibson and from that how many players the club can afford and positions he can fill. That is a basic and he will have started with the most important choices first.
Whilst I appreciate you do not get everything you want and have to compromise, I find it difficult to believe that TP was not involved in player selection at least. He will have watched videos of the players he did not know and remember he did have 8/9 months at MFC before the summer window. He will have his fingerprints on the last two windows incoming players. Remember him saying how he went down to speak to Mikel personally.
As for him getting a job easily within the closed Manager Market. Well I think that has just about been broken open. We have lots more foreign coaches coming in who we as fans have probably not even heard of. Plus big Sam, Moyes and Pardew are still out of work. May be by choice. May be no telephone calls. Not from EPL and EFL clubs.
Some great posts and an interesting discussion going on. Well done to everyone. Over and above all the differences in opinion and in perspective one thing comes through very loud and clear, that everyone really cares about the Boro and wants the best. And despite the sometimes gloomy outlook, the paraphrase that the poster would love it to be proved wrong comes through time and again.
We (and our successors) will all be here long after TP has come and gone, even after SG himself has gone. No matter how dire things might be now, in another time they will be different and will be better.
I’m anxious that today we will see that Tuesday’s result wasn’t stopping the rot. I expect Hull fancy this game now and will go for it. I want to be wrong and will punch the air in delight if Werder gets to see us win, but I think we will go down to another home defeat.. 0-2 to the Tigers.
All the same, COB.
The line used to be between being a fan or a customer. With the game at the upper level being awash with cash that has changed to the line being between customer or fan.
In the Championship and Leagues One and Two it is still fan first customer second. To advocate not renewing a season ticket as being “the actions of a true fan” is ridiculous. The true fan supports the club, it’s the customer who takes his money elsewhere.
Whilst the fan may not be getting value for money at the moment is a given but is that what being a supporter is all about? Unless you support a highly successful club you’re never going to be given regular value for money.
There are many reasons why fans regularly turn up for games sometimes it’s just sheer force of habit. By all means don’t renew and seek better value in other pastimes. You can even just pick and choose which games you want to see.
It’s an individual choice but I fail to see how abandoning the club completely is beneficial to either party.
It’s very beneficial to me and Mrs OFB as we will save a lot of 💰 money 💰
OFB
With me it is all about being a fan. If I renew under the status quo then I am acquiescent by my actions and therefore tolerant of what is going on, even supportive perish the thought. I believe renewing to be destructive for the short and long term good of the Club I support so to show my loyalty withdrawing is the only thing I have that registers a vote in the autocracy.
To me everyone that has renewed is showing their support for the current state the club is in from scouting through administration and the football served up out on the pitch. That is their choice and if they believe its great football and that the club is going in the right direction under Pulis and the sleeping owner then they have done the right thing.
For me, I’m sorry but my support is far greater than the thick end of £840 a year. If another 10,000 feel likewise we can make it register otherwise we just suck it up and become ignored whether its White bands, North Stand ticket prices for18-21 year olds or Football that makes me rather watch Cricket. The White band is important as is the ticket pricing but the Football itself however is sacrosanct to the heart, soul and identity of Boro and at the moment it stinks.
Same line up as Bolton. It would be nice if it was the same result CoB! 😎
any streams today friends ?
MFC: a team of (mostly) carthorses & donkeys managed by a dinosaur… 🙁
And we the paying public are meant to look like monkeys 🐒 as part of the menagerie….
OFB
I-0 at home, wasted chances, half time comes.
Second half the away team come out and put us under some pressure.
squeaky bum
squeaky bum
squeaky bum bum bum
squeaky bum
squeaky bum
squeaky bum bum bum
squeaky bum
squeaky bum
squeaky bum bum bum
squeaky buuuuuuuum
squeaky bum bum bum
and the hope that kills us
Well good result which means we have to watch the next one.
There should be a law against this form of torture
UTB!!!1
Mentioning torture here come the Pulis Inquisition. Sorry Spanish Inquisition.
UTB,
John
So glad to have been wrong and pleased for Werder too getting to see a rare victory.
Looking forward to hearing the reports on the game.
So, still tantalisingly close to 6th, even if it is still less than more likely.
Repeating the standard mantra, it’s the hope that kills you.
Amazingly, that was the first Boro victory I’ve seen at the Riverside since April 2013 when we beat Forest 1-0 and Carayaol scored under Mogga – the hoodoo has finally been broken! Though I must admit when Randolph tipped the free kick onto the bar and it bounced onto the line in injury time I thought it was actually in the net.
In truth it was a typical Boro game of missed chances that should have seen us comfortably ahead but we were as usual sitting back and hanging on for the last quarter. Thankfully in the end it was a vital three points and now just one point outside the play-offs with four to play.
If I’m honest Boro are light years away from being a PL side and if we were promoted we’d need a completely new side – other than Randolph and Mikel we’re looking at possibly seeing if Fry, Wing and Tav can develop – the rest are just average championship players.
Werder, do you think Norwich or Leeds are any better thr PL wise than Boro? Or Sheffield United?
Wolves were good last season, but they were exception.
Glad you saw a win – and at Riverside. UTB!
I haven’t actually watched any other Championship games this season or even the highlights so I couldn’t really say how good Norwich, Leeds or Sheffield Utd are in comparison to Boro – though I suspect any of the teams who go up will be favourites to come back down.
I just can’t see any Boro players cutting it in the Premier League, they are just not sharp, skillful or composed enough to handle the faster paced top tier. Most are already struggling with confidence in the Championship and seem to lack belief – the problem is even if by some chance we go up, what kind of budget will the club have, how many players will we need and then can a manager gel a new team together and hit the ground running? It sounds an almost impossible job.
Bang average players. Exactly
And you caught them on a good day.
The actual quote is……
“It’s not the despair, Laura. I can take the despair. It’s the hope I can’t stand. ~ John Cleese (as Brian Stimpson in the film Clockwise)
A 2-0 away win and 1-0 home win (against a former PL team) creaks open the play-off door again. Except where we were then four points off sixth with three games to go, we are now one point off sixth with four games to go. Though it could be four if the Robins win their game in hand.
If you’re wondering, the season I’m using for comparison is 2009-10 where we somehow contrived to wiggle our way back into the top six race after seemingly doing everything to get out of it. A total of eight points from 18 – W1 D5 L0, which is the equivalent of two wins and two draws – had seen to that.
All hope was killed stone dead at already promoted WBA who looked so far above Trashcan’s one paced collective it was unbelievable.
And to think even when we dismantled Brighton on their patch, defeated Derby and went five points clear, some were not happy.
Disbelieving non Boro fans would tell me the same thing that many people told Big Jack’s critics for Ireland – what more could you want from a regime that delivers so much success. Besides, nobody wins them all. It is what it is.
Be like the Irish and embrace the good times when they come, because they don’t last. It is what it is.
It is what it is…
But I’m getting sidetracked.
How do I think we’ll do in the play-offs if we get there? Depends on our mentality. In 2010 it was a three way battle for sixth, I think. We choked first, leaving Blackpool and Swansea to battle it out. Blackpool’s more positive approach (Swansea were more defensive than I once thought) won the day, and they carried this late momentum through to play-off success. Swansea didn’t let it get them down and won the play-offs the next time, their succession plan laying the foundations for a long-ish spell in the PL that only came to an end in 2018. Despite being less “daring” than Blackpool, they were more solid – and got greater rewards.
Huddersfield? They not only had a negative GD in 2017 but also neither scored a goal (If own goals don’t count) nor won a game in the play-offs. No matter, promotion is promotion, let’s build on it.
Would that we could think as positively when the moments, and the chances, are actually there. Am I asking too much?
Yes
Ali Brownlee: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-47454678
I was lucky enough to meet Ali once at Rockcliffe after listening to his commentaries for a long time.
A club legend. Up the Boro!
Bernie was talking about Ali for ten minutes yesterday about the things he did.
For example making Bernie drive into the Chelsea Diectors car park when they were late and telling Bernie to say to the steward that it was the Boro chairman arriving !
He let them in !
A true Boro fan!
OFB
I’ve just read that article about Ali Brownlee with mixed emotions of smiles and tears. Truly Boro’s greatest ever fan.
So Boro finally got back to winning ways at the Riverside as they attempted to claw their way back into play-off contention against the Tigers. Though was it a performance that was burning bright or is converting chances into goals still looking like an endangered species? Here’s Recar Red with his match report…
https://diasboro.club/2019/04/14/boro-1-0-hull/
RR a very truthful and honest report. Makes the Gazette writer redundant.
Thanks RR for another excellent report which again highlights the inconsistencies of the Boro performance. Your views on the game are very much in line with my own having watched via Riverside Live.
I also agree that Dale Fry was outstanding yesterday and displayed a maturity well beyond his years. At the opposite end, despite his goal, Britt Assombalonga had a very poor game and exhibited for the majority of the match a lack of ability to control the ball, hold it up or find a colleague with a pass. We really did pay well over the odds for a player who in my view would only score regularly in League 1 or 2 and is now showing a complete lack of confidence in one on one situations.
At long last, now that the season is nearly over, the feed from the Riverside was very good and I did not have to refresh my browser once! 😎
The dilemmas facing the football supporter.
Ask the Sunlun fans if they’d rather see a goal spree in a 4-5 home defeat. Or a scruffy 1-0 win?
Probably the latter, but looking back at the 1962/63 season I could stomach the heavy defeats 0-5 at home to Huddersfield, 1-6 at Newcastle and 0-6 at Southampton, just to experience 4-2 home wins against Newcastle and Portsmouth, 4-3 wins at home to Scunthorpe and away wins by the same score at Grimsby, Charlton and Norwich, 5-4 at Plymouth, 3-2 at Leeds, 5-1 at home to Derby, 6-2 in the final match at home to Norwich, and even 3-3 draws at home to Sunderland and away to Derby. Goals galore! Ok Boro only finished 4th having scored 86 goals and conceding 85, but it sure was entertaining. And by then Brian Clough had left, but Alan Peacock scored 31.
Redcar Red,
Many thanks for the report and it sounds like a typical Boro performance who could have scored four, as could Hull it appears, but they managed to make the game a desperate scramble. Another season of Mr P and we may forget how to score any goals.
We’ve got so many ‘used to’ players, players who used to score for their previous clubs but don’t, can’t or won’t, anymore. Flint, Howson, Saville, Ayala and others I’m sure. Amazing really. I love the off-balance comment about Britt as well, very witty.
I don’t watch the press conferences, couldn’t bear it, but on to the next game as the season fades away. Play-offs versus Villa anyone?
UTB,
John
I’d be interested to see the stats on these former goal machines like Howson and Saville.
ghw,
My Norwich supporting neighbours were really upset when Howson left for Boro, they said he was a good player who chipped in with goals every season, not a goal machine, but a regular scorer. Anyway we’ve got Britt and Gestede for that role. It would be great to have midfielders who contributed eight or nine each season. Don’t see it happening anytime soon though.
UTB,
John
Our last two results are not vessels of hope but successive exquisite twists of the knife.
Which must be the first time the word exquisite has been used to describe our football this season.
As usual a comprehensive report from RR and from my vantage point in the East Stand was how I saw it.
I was a bit more critical of Besic who runs in circles before either losing the ball or passing to an empty space.
The Britt miss was almost if he had been told not to score and even for the goal he almost contrived to miss it by stumbling. Maybe that is the TO method of coaching.
Whilst the 3 points were appreciated. We were far from comfortable and I was waiting for the typical Boro conceding towards the end. We never seem to be comfortable and are very pedestrian going forward.
I made the comment that Saville is no wing back and we were poor up until the goal and even that as well.
Our play off hopes are still there for us to cling onto although after last year, I would not fancy our chances in 2 games against either Leeds or Sheffield who will want to go up.
If we were to go up, we would need wholesale changes to the squad as with maybe a couple of exceptions, one are of the required standard. Randolph is certainly and maybe Fry and JOM but apart from that, none others have class.
Anyway, we keep on living in hope but I suspect false hope.
At least Weder saw a win, just not a good game really.
As the likes of Cardiff, Fulham and eventually Huddersfield and others generally find out the squad that gets you out of the Championship isn’t good enough for the Premiership. The current Leeds squad isn’t good enough and neither is the Norwich or Sheffield United sides.
Truth is they are Premiership cannon fodder unless than can hang in there for a few seasons and gradually improve in one or two areas each year and then hope that the sides coming up next season will be worse than them plus one other Premiership side will maybe implode. That keeps the Bournemouth’s, Palace’s and Watford’s up and able to refine and improve enough to keep the newbies at bay but totally outclassed by those above the glass ceiling.
Boro would be no different as they found out when they tried to jump two or three steps at once by signing the likes of Valdes, Barragan and Negredo at the expense of team spirit and morale. Burnley on the other hand held their nerve, tweaked and refined, going down but confident in knowing that what they had was already proven, tried and tested in the Championship with appreciating assets to jettison at a profit along with the Parachute payments to keep them secure.
Money undoubtedly helps as Wolves and indeed Bournemouth have benefitted from but its only useful if you have a good scouting and recruitment team targeting those who are more expensive for lower Premiership/upper Championship sides perhaps but still under the radar of the talent gatherer/farmers like Chelsea and Man City etc. Buying washed up cast offs and has beens rarely works and is ultimately very expensive in more ways than one.
Another kit clash, clearly Norwich’s yellow and green clashed with Wigan’s blue and white so Norwich are playing in all green with a dark sash.
Thanks Redcar Red the only match report I read. Loved the Eric Morecambe quote ,
Beryl
Great report RR the only one I have read of the game
Pretty much how I saw it and couldn’t believe how many chances that Britt had and spurned !
Atmosphere pretty quiet and still not really enjoyable. Are we expecting too much ? It just seems we’re pretty numb after such dire football this season.
Quite a few asked if we were renewing our cards and also said they haven’t to date…..
It all could change playoffs promotion new managers !!
New exciting players !!
Sorry I’ll go and lie down o got too excited there.
Thanks again RR it’s much appreciated
OFB
Thanks to RR for his alternative take on a poor match played by two poor teams, and pleased for Werder to finally see a win.
As RR and others have commented, Boro were slow out of the blocks once more, with Hull looking like the home side pressing, attacking and causing Boro plenty of problems. We even twice tried the self destruct button with both Besic and Flint dawdling and then passing the ball across the 18 yard box for Hull players to pick up but fortunately not capitalise on.
Boro from the first minute looked edgy, pedestrian and lacking any belief in themselves. Then on 25 Fletcher put a great cross in from the bye line (one of very few this season unbelievably) caught the Hull defence cold and Britt was there to stumble it home. Defending Britt, that is the type of ball he needs and will score goals from. Unfortunately he does not get the them more than once or twice a season. Britt was then unlucky with a great receive, turn and shot only for it to hit the bar. That was really the last of the Boro chances.
In the second half with Mr Pulis deciding to put Howson at RB we lost the majority of any impetus we had and fell back to defend deep and concede possession to Hull. The substitutions of Downing and Tav for me brought nothing to the game from Boro’s point of view, and more disappointing for the latter and his 17 minutes. MOM for me was Fry, who must now must be first pick CB, Howson for his energy and at the end Randolf for his fingernail tip onto the bar.
So an edgy win, 3 points and the mathematical chance of the playoffs still alive. Playing like that though would not be nice to watch and two defeats likely.
Pedro
Even I could score from that type of ball/pass and BA cannot expect teams to allow that type of pass across the box every week.
After watching him now for two seasons he really does not contribute enough for me. It has been said that give him the right service and he will score but I disagree and recent weeks have highlighted his failings of lack of control and composure in front of goal. A worldie every now and again is not enough from your main striker.
Unfortunately for MFC his lack of abilities have been exposed and when we eventually dispense with his services it will be at great expense.
Our best strikers in the last couple of seasons have been Bamford and Braithwaite but unfortunately they did not fit the TP mould and he was unwilling/unable to change his methodology to play to their undoubted strengths. Consequently we are likely to miss out on the play offs.
Who knows, if TP departs at the end of the season then perhaps a Braithwaite/Fletcher combination may work if finances will allow.
I appreciate that many will be anti Braithwaite after what he has said, and I for one agree that he should not have done so whilst still contracted to the club. It is, however, difficult to argue against his sentiments which many on here have been expressing for somewhile regarding TP’s management style and tactics. 😎
Any comment on this blog from the last six months could be repeated and would be a fair representation of the state we are in.
The match on Saturday was frankly, a disgrace, the opposition mounted an attack at will, with speed and fair, we had several last gasp interceptions.
We mounted several attacks but we had a striker on the field who can miss from any distance, up to and including one yard, he has done it with regularity, but is still selected. This in itself is an indictment of Pulis, who has a better view than us.
Any club that believed in rational behaviour would long ago have given our young striker his debut and to the devil with the consequences, that is how the young get their first chance, because we have no one worth his place on the pitch, from the senior staff.
And please do not mention Tav, the national press are still laughing at Pulis.
Who’s our young striker?
Stephen Walker any one?
The positive if we actually achieve promotion is that it will be a surprise. Unlike 2015-16, where quite a number believed the squad was too good to scrape it (ditto 1997-98), there will be a genuine feeling that the squad isn’t good enough – so the PL money earned can be put towards a long-term plan. Aka Burnley 2013-15 before they won the second tier in 2016, and then on. (They look likely to survive again.)
I can still remember Robbo saying, after we finished 9th in 1998-99 with a points tally of 51, that he would have loved an accomplishment like that directly following promotion… yet to him, somehow, it felt not good enough. Bizarrely I felt the same back then.
EXMIL CHALLENGE 2019 (Part 3)
For the final part of the challenge I have included 10 teams down to and including Shef Wed, although I don’t think they or Hull will be close to the top 6. As usual after each team the figure in brackets is the teams current total, followed by their last 4/5 fixtures. Please put W,D,L for each fixture followed but what you think their total points will be at 15:30 on Sunday 5th May 2019, for example if you think Norwich will win all 4 matches your entry should read:
Norwich (86) WWWW 98
Deadline for entries is 1200 hrs Friday 19 April before Bristol v Reading kick off.
Norwich (86) Shef Wed (H) Stoke (A) Blackburn (H) Villa (A)
Leeds (82) Wigan (H) Brentford (A) Villa (H) Ipswich (A)
Shef Utd (79) Forest (H) Hull (A) Ipswich (H) Stoke (A)
WBA (73) Hull (H) Reading (A) Rotherham (H) Derby (A)
Villa (69) Bolton (A) Millwall (H) Leeds (A) Norwich (H)
Bristol (65) Reading (H) Shef Wed (A) Derby (H) Millwall (A)
Hull (A)
Boro (64) Stoke (H) Forest (A) Reading (H) Rotherham (A)
Derby (63) Birmingham (A) QPR (H) Bristol (A) Swansea (A)
WBA (H)
Hull (60) WBA (A) Shef Utd (H) Swansea (A) Bristol (H)
Shef Wed (59) Norwich (A) Bristol (H) PNE (A) QPR (H)
I will post the new league during the week, good luck to everyone especially the Boro.
Come on BORO.
Hi friends, not sure if anybody will agree on this but I hope our neighbours Leeds will make the Premiership. They are a massive club with fantastic support.
I can’t understand why they are called the dirties. Ok, so they had Billy Bremmer and Norman Hunter etc but they were deeply passionate and fought for the shirt. Nothing wrong with that.
Boro had Souness and later Barry Robson who were very forceful and took no prisoners. Do we have that in the present Boro team. No way, we are a soft touch.
There is a lack of passion, fight and fire in the present situation.
Come back Bruce Rioch who installed the passion and the fight to make Boro great again.
Sir Alex Ferguson was ruthless and played the mind games and look what he won over the years.
Boro need to up their game and take the attitude ‘who dares wins’ sadly that won’t happen with the present management.
KP, ….it’s good to have differing opinions and debate. This is what makes this blog so enjoyable.
Looking at Britt stats, yes lies and stats, I know, but for minutes played in this overly defensive team of ours, his record is more than decent. Forgetting of course we paid way over the odds for him. What you cannot argue about and I know Plato won’t agree, like him or not, he is the best we have got.
Braithwaite, well I would not have him back gift wrapped. Also I do not believe he is made for the Championship or consistent enough.
Pedro
Just seen your blog, and enjoyed it. About my opinion re. Britt. What generates my irritation is not Britt missing sitters. It is the never ending selection of him.
The search for improvement should be never ending in every club, and a striker who racks up lots of misses from five yards should by any logic be benched, it goes with the territory, you miss , you ain’t in the team. It’s not as though he compensates with plenty of goals from twenty yards, and to bring him on with twenty to go is a definition of futility as far as I am concerned.
We’re still hearing about teams dropping points, so maybe we should public alternative league tables thus:-
Norwich 40
Leeds 44
Sheff Utd 47
West Brom 53
Villa 57
Bristol 58
Derby 60
Boro 62
Not much change there then except Boro drop to 8th. Now we often hear the term ‘6 pointers’ so if this fictitious term were applied to matches between the top 8 the current League table would look like this:-
Leeds 124
Sheff Utd 121
Norwich 116
West Brom 103
Villa 99
Derby 87
Bristol 83
Boro 82
All this proves is that Norwich’s record against the other 7 teams isn’t as good as Leeds or Sheff Utd and that Boro and Bristol City fare worse against the top teams.
As Norwich and Boro have no remaining fixtures against the top 8 teams, Norwich are unlikely to gain automatic promotion and Boro likewise have little chance of reaching the playoffs. It just proves how stupid reporters can be in suggesting that certain matches are 6 pointers as we all know that only 3 points can ever be awarded for a win.
A reply to RR s recent rant ,which I concur for the most part , nothing in there you can argue with.
But in my opinion , and I once again agree , underneath it is a very strong statement of anger at one Steve Gibson and the wonder of the man, and what is he doing , him himself ,forget managers ,coaches, players, they say he doesn’t get involved ,I don’t believe that for one second , why do ex managers sign an understanding of not speaking out ,
Why do we sign players ,then the manager never play them, seems strange.
RR like a lot of fans are seeing through the fog, there as been too much disfunction from within , going back to the 3 pt deduction, to turning up late for an important promotion final , as well as the South gate fiasco ,when the chairman didn’t see relegation coming.
Its still foggy to me ?
werdermouth, I copied the last part of the Exmil Challenge and posted it on the challenge page but it has not appeared, is it in holding somewhere?
Come on BORO.
Yes, it was in the spam folder – I’ve released it from captivity 🙂
I agree with Simon, IF we somehow stumble and toe-poke ourselves into the play off and subsequent Wembley glory, we will almost all be united in the belief that the squad are not good enough for the PL, and that we didn’t really “deserve” promotion.
That would allow us to approach next season as an opportunity to build a long-term plan. I would even argue that failure to win promotion should lead to the same review of the season – that we weren’t good enough, we made mistakes, and now we need to focus on a long-term plan and strategy.
I have only a few concerns with this however. Firstly, I don’t see Pulis as the solution to the need for a long-term plan. The fans may yet vote with their feet (or ST cards) and show that Pulisball is not their preferred cup of tea. Rebuilding in his image has seen our average height increase, but our creativity and pace dramatically reduce. This does not provide the right balance for a successful promotion mix.
The second concern is the readiness of MFC to act in such a long-term strategic way. We have heard a lot written about following this or that model (Swansea, Brentford etc), but doing so requires clarity of thought from top-down, it isn’t “smashing the league” and then getting your chequebook out, it isn’t a knee-jerk sacking in October when things aren’t going your way, it is long-term, take the lows to build the framework for the highs. That will need organisational changes throughout the club, putting in place people who believe in that approach, and who crucially, have experience in implementing it. I’m not sure it would be arrogance to suggest that we could (if we desire) offer higher salaries than Brentford and simply poach many of their backroom people. Or take similar people from clubs employing a similar model and ask them to build the same for Boro. Likewise I hear it mentioned that Norwich are succeeding because their manager knows the European market well and can source the bargains through his direct knowledge. Well, maybe we need to embrace another foreign manager, someone who is young and up and coming, with the brief to find and buy those players who we can sell on for a profit.
We know it can be done, because other clubs are doing it. The question is, are the whole of MFC as an organisation ready? Are they willing? And will they remove anyone/thing that gets in the way – including (crucially) local hangers on (i.e. Woodgate, Downing)?
If they are, then perhaps there will be a project for Teesside to believe in.
Good post I enjoyed it
OFB
Absolutely spot on, Simon.
Sorry, I meant Smoggy in Exile.
good post smoggy
Loved the comment Smoggy about Woodgate and Downing. Spot on.
Smoggy
Loved that post, wish I had written it, summed up everything that’s wrong with this club.
Your description of other clubs activities is correct, and get it right and things get better.
It contrasts with our activities, which defy belief.
Do not become expert in the field of young players from other, lower, leagues. Make sure that you sign players who have just finished five seasons as a stalwart in a middling club, pay them too much, give them a long contract, and, like any sensible person they will make sure that they never appear in the prem. Strange thing, Turkeys never vote for Christmas.
Smoggy
The problem we have is staring us in the face, an academy which is working a treat, with a managerial system which completely ignores said academy
Thanks RR for the match report. Listened on Tees and Maddo was laughing out loud at times at the poor quality of the finishing, from both sides. He particularly liked Savilles “tackle” on Howson to stop him scoring.
Smoggyinexile
I think that Norwich’s success is not down to the manager knowing the European market but they have a director of football, the same guy who was at Huddersfield when they were promoted.
On non Boro related matters. We are currently with the in-laws in Ipswich. All town fans. Town went down the route many have suggested on here. Got rid of Mcarthy’s conservative style, he was loathed for most of last season. So they replaced him with a successful manager from the lower leagues, Paul Hirst from Shrewsbury, sold all their strikers and replaced with talent from the lower leagues. He won two games and has been replaced by Paul Lambert who has won two games. Yet there has been no dissension from the crowd, they took 1300 to both Bolton and Brentford last week. They all say that the football has been much more entertaining this season and are optimistic for the future.
smoggyinexile, now you are talking some sense!
I have often wondered if we have a long term plan at the club. When Strachan took over we threw away our old recruitment organisation and worked with his note book only. And only bought Scottish League players.
Then Mogga took over and started to re-built up a database for new players. An analytic type of system for recruitment.
When Mogga was thrown away, we hired Orta and built a new system around him and Spanish agents. The head-coach Karanka era.
Then Monk was in charge quickly but abadoning the Technical Director model. And with TP we had an old fasioned Manager type organisation.
Just a few examples of changes at Boro. Beside the above, we also changed the playing philosofy with every manager. Mogga was attack and less emphasis on defense. Then Karanka with ultra-defensive mind-set.
After Karanka we went gung-fu attacking again. Until Toni Pulis took over.
In the end we have used a lot of money, energy and especially time to make these changes. No wonder we have not progressed.
It looks like the academy is the only one working with long term planning and funding. And yet I and many other fans think we should bring more kids through to the first team – like we did in the past like in 1980’s. We all remember the maddrens, armstrongs, hodgsons and proctors before moggas, pallisters and gills.
I know football has changed and more money is involved, but that means in my thinking that better and long term planning is needed as more clubs try to buy success. One has to be cleverer every year. A five year plan and stragegy is needed. The club values should be engraved to the gates in front of the Riverside.
Just saying, like. Up the Boro!
With Game of Thrones dominating the Showbiz Media an opportunity for a football fan to show his allegiance……
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6WwqCku2dWU
Just for a hollow laugh, I’ve compiled a short (ahem) list of players who would fail the ‘height is right’ Pulis selection criteria.
TLF
Hignett
Barmby
Hendrie
Beardsley
Dalglish
Messi
Pele
I’ve generously used 5’8 as the cut-off point, feel free to add your own,
I am six feet four inch tall. What is the problem with the Pulis philosophie, then?
Just kidding, I love TLF and silky players like Taore. Up the Boro!
How bad is Gestede that TP keeps going with 5’10” Assombalonga?!
To quote Monty Python:
“… and what did Dalglish, Messi and Pele ever do for football?”
Some that might just pass it….
Van Basten
Gabriel Batistuta
Zinedine Zidane
Steven Gerrard
Ronaldo
Emerson
Hoddle
Le Tissier
But…….
One of my all time favourites Roberto Rivelino 5 ft 6 1⁄2 in
Van Basten retired at 27, if memory serves, so possibly a little young and inexperienced for TP.
Also Aguero, and Maradona.
Iniesta, Xavi…. it’s pretty much the anti-Guardiola approach.
I’m sure that’s not really his thinking though…
img-190416101519.pdf
Interesting piece on Gibson in the Telegraph today
OFB
Now imagine if Van Basten had managed another two years in in Divisions 1 and 2 to man up. As Arthur Daley would have said ‘the world was his lobster’.
Almost a Pulisism there.
UTB,
John
Mannion
Good posts Smoggy and Jarkko
Appreciated, Sir Len. UTB!
Braithwaite starts upfront for Leganes against Real in a 5-3-2 formation. 15 minutes gone and MB heads wide from 6 yards. Commentator says he has been suffering from Britt-itis.
Braithwaite assist, as Leganes draw 1-1 with Real Madrid, fielding four loanees from the English leagues.
May be he is not that bad after all. ☹️
Maybe he needs sunshine to play well. France or Spain. Up the Boro!
Well, I’ve done my Exmill predictions and posted tem on the other page. If they turn out to be true it’s going to be pretty tense.
I have it that the last day would see Leeds and Sheffield Utd fighting for automatic and I have them both winning. Boro would go into the last day on 73 points ahead of Derby and Bristol City on 71. Typical Boro has them only drawing at Rotherham (disputed penalty in injury time?) and ending up level on points with Derby. With Derby’s goal difference only one goal better than us at present, anything is possible. I also have Bristol City drawing at Hull on last day but a win would make a three way tie and their goal difference is also only one better than us.
I’m aware of all the current arguments about Boro ‘not being good enough for the play-offs’ and even people hoping that we don’t make it as, in some strange way, ‘it would be better for the club’. I’m pretty simplistic in my supporting. i want them to win. I hate it when they lose and am upset when they lose badly. i can recognise that we could have – even should have – won some recent games that we lost. I have moved from positive to somewhat more ambivalent on Pulis. I admire him and believe that he will help re-organise the club but accept that some of his selections and tactics have been dubious. It took him far too long to recognise that the Championship is won by outscoring the opposition, not out-defending them. I wouldn’t mind seeing him as Director of Football with a first team coach working with him.
UTB
The table doesn’t lie. So if we do sneak into 6th place at the end of the season there is no argument about it, we will have been good enough to qualify for the playoffs.
As it is, we are reliant on other teams doing worse than us over the last few games, which could happen. Still to do my predictions, so I don’t have a view on it yet.
All the same Selwynoz, I’m not convinced that our Mr.P has learned that lesson about not out defending the opposition to be successful
WATCH THIS SPACE,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
OFB
ofb, you are not going to be saying that you have inside information about an Italian manager coming in again lol 😂
Come on BORO.
Morning story
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/04/15/middlesbrough-chairman-steve-gibson-pushes-efl-investigate-rivals/
Now that would be ironic if Villa and Derby be deducted 9 points and Boro benefit from it.
We will be reduced three points for even suggestung that. And miss rhe play-offs for even thinking that.
Up the Boro!
Knowing our luck we will probably receive a points deduction for complaining! 😎😂
Sorry Jarkko you beat me to it, I hadn’t read your post before posting ! 😎
I love golf and was always a huge fan of Jack Nicklaus and within touching distance of my hero in my first visit to the Open Championship at Muirfield in 1972. I even wanted him to win over Tony Jacklin. I’ve never had that same feeling for Tiger Woods, overhyped and arrogant was my opinion. But what he did on Sunday I had to admire. True a lot of his fall from grace has been self inflicted, and as a European I felt sorry for Francesco Molinari on Sunday, but have to admit that Tiger’s comeback was probably the greatest ever in sport, almost the raising of Lazarus. He has suffered a lot of pain in being able to even strike a golf club again, but has also shown humility and been publicly contrite about his past misdemeanours. That alone takes courage. Also I don’t think I have ever seen such a smiling and approachable Tiger before. Anybody that can turn over a new leaf gets my admiration, but to fight back from almost total oblivion is extraordinary, so now I say ‘welcome back Tiger, although I hope you don’t break Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major wins’.
Great post Ken and one with which I concur! 😎
Back to Boro matters. I was called up for National Service at 18 and would have been abhorred to be referred to as a kid, an abbreviation for child. Tony Pulis continues to use that expression about the likes of Dael Fry and Marcus Tavernier. It can’t be a boost to their confidence. They are young men,not children and should be treated as such. For God’s sake they are even entitled to vote. It’s about time that somebody gagged Pulis before he utters any more remarks that in today’s World are unacceptable.
Now that the cricket season is in full swing I’ve just been browsing through the archives of the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League and was surprised to find that Ironopolis were founder members in 1893 as well as the club’s participation as a football club in the Northern League where they were champions from 1891 to 1893. They were then elected to the 2nd Division of the Football League the following season, after which they went into liquidation. It just shows though how Cricket influenced the founding of both Middlesbrough FC and Middlesbrough Ironopolis in the late 19th century.
Steve Gibson’s comments put some form of meaning to what has been going on behind the scenes. The one thing that sticks in my mind is that we did still spend money on the likes of Saville, McNair etc but I wonder what their wages are compared to Traore, Bamford and Gibson..
Hopefully about have of what Traore, Bamford and Gibson got. UTB!
About HALF (not have). UTB!
That would be my guess Jarrko. But then we will never find out.
Mine too. Then you can also take away Fabio’s and Johnson’s wages plus half of season of Leadbitter’s too but add in that of Hugill, Besic, Harrison, Mikel, VLP, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if we’ve balanced the books this season on wages (still making around £25m – 30m on transfer fees) but with a lot of it disappearing at the end of the season, most likely not to return.
If we let those loanees go in the summer plus Braithwaite and Downing then we must be in a reasonably healthy financial spot, with no doubt a few other players contracts running out the following year (Gestede for one)..
Let them all go and bring in a couple of pacey young wingbacks with potential and I think we’ve got something to work with next year.
Two wins in a raw and nobody dares to post anything even we still have TP as a manager 🤣. Up the Boro!
So we have had two wins in a row. UTB!
After 6 defeats in a row ….
Doesn’t make up for it unfortunately Jarkko!
I think everyone is just sick of this season
Let’s see what Friday brings
UTB
OFB
I see we are playing on Good Friday. I don’t recall Boro ever playing regularly on this date. I presume it’s for the benefit of the TV companies.
( unless Ken knows otherwise)
GHW,
I remember going to a couple of Easter games in the late 1960’s. Probably 1969 Crystal Palace on Good Friday and Charlton on Easter Monday. Can’t remember the results but it was bright sun and Johnny Crossan was playing for Boro. I took my wife to be and Newcastle supporter too. I’m amazed we’re still married really, sorry got married!
UTB,
John
Middlesbrough have confirmed that just shy of 15,000 season card holders renewed before the ‘early bird’ deadline lapsed.
I pesume that is without OFB and RR.
Others, well done. It is not about a manager but a club. Up the Boro!
Jarkko – easy to make statements like that when your not putting in the time and money commitment every other Saturday.
I remember going to watch Hartlepool play Workington on Good Friday. Typical weather – horizontal, intermittent sleet all the way from Jarkko. Dire match, we left after 89 goal free minutes only for Pools to score a 90th minute winner.
Just a summary of our present position.
After six consecutive defeats (all richly deserved)
We played a team even worse than us ( short of players) scrambled a win.
Followed up at home, scored a goal (and missed about six) our opponents could have had about four, no method, no idea really. Another win.
So, as nothing has changed, we still have the guidance of Pulis, plus, unfortunately, the football knowhow, I am forced to the conclusion that we will be beaten on Friday.
It’s tough I know, but really, why on earth should anything change with him at the helm.
Bit of news, Wing had his minor op in Germany over the weekend. The Surgeon told him that the muscle on the other side of his tummy would go in the next two seasons and did he want her to do it now, and get it out of the way?
You bet was the reply, so, good news.
Man City 4 Spurs 3 (win on away goals) what a game.
Come on BORO.
What does Easter mean to people today, and indeed what has it meant in the past especially to Boro supporters? More about Boro later, but Easter has changed significantly in my lifetime. For a start chocolate Easter eggs weren’t around in the war years which didn’t bother me in the slightest as I’ve always hated chocolate, from watching it swirl around on some tv adverts, to the smell of it and especially the taste of it. Today we have Easter eggs the size of which must have been produced by an ostrich.
Eggs generally were in short supply during the war years and in rationing for several years later, but for those fortunate enough to get them Easter Monday was the day for children to roll down their dyed coloured paste eggs (hard boiled of course) down Eston Hills after a competition to see who could produce the most decorative of eggs.Nowadays these would be wrapped in patterns of tinsel, but in my younger days we used to paint the patterns with watercolour paints.
Easter being the closing of the self denial of Lent was a celebration of the start of Spring even though the weather often still felt wintry. Nevertheless it was always a colourful time of year with yellow being the predominant colour. We always had a forsythia bush in our garden so were able to decorate a small Easter tree indoors with little yellow chicks and eggs, much like we did at Christmas with fairy lights and tinsel. Of course the forsythia Easter tree needed replenishing every few days, but it made a colourful spectacle. As well as forsythia and baby chicks, the yellow spectacle continued with daffodils. York and Farndale were the places to visit, but nowadays daffodils abound in most towns and villages. Even the sight of dandelions seen in the hedgerows seem attractive, but a nuisance in one’s garden.
Of course Easter Day (often now misquoted as Easter Sunday) is the most important day in the Christian calendar even though it has no set day in the year like Christmas has, but by the position of the Moon to the Earth. In my childhood Sundays were days of prayer and worship at Morning Service, followed in the Afternoon by Sunday School, and Evensong later in the day, the main recreation being walks along the stray or in Redcar’s parks with one’s parents, never a time for playing. How I loved the monthly Songs of Praise well attended by RAF servicemen stationed at Marske and two billeted in my parents’ home. I’ve always liked hymns, but always hated chocolate!
But how did Easter affect Boro supporters? Well for a start there were no fixtures on Easter Day. In fact until 1974 there were no sporting events in Britain at all due to the old archaic Sunday Observance Laws. Even when restrictions were lifted, attendance at sporting events had to be free to customers. However that was circumnavigated at cricket, rugby and football matches by the only way that one could attend such events was by the purchase of a programme, so of course programmes became more expensive. It seemed daft to me as it did to most people. As I mentioned no matches were played on Easter Day, but that was because the fixture list produced 3 matches for all 92 league teams in 4 days usually on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday, the latter day usually being the reverse match of the Good Friday fixture, although in West Yorkshire Good Friday was, and still is in some towns a working day with the following Tuesday being a public holiday.
Looking back at Easter fixtures many had a bearing on promotion and relegation, so I’ve researched those since the Second World War to ascertain what they meant to Boro supporters. Easter 1949 saw Boro in a relegation battle with Preston and Sheffield United. Defeats at Newcastle on Good Friday and at home to Liverpool on the following day had Boro bottom of the league before the return fixture with the Magpies on Easter Monday. What’s more Boro looked in even more trouble being 1-2 down at halftime. But up stepped captain George Hardwick to convert two penalties in the second half to win the match. The crunch match though came 12 days later when a 🎩 from young Irish winger Jimmy Hartnett in a 3-1 at home to Sheffield United just about saved Boro from the drop. I don’t recall Hardwick ever taking a penalty before or since, and Hartnett had only scored once before in his 8 appearances.
The following Easter Boro lost 0-2 at Sunderland on Good Friday, but 2-0 home wins over Bolton and the Mackems weren’t particularly significant as Boro finished 9th. The following Easter home wins over Stoke and Villa raised Boro hopes of a first League title, but one measly point from the remaining 8 fixtures had Boro finishing 6th. The following season was a struggle against relegation, but Boro won all three Easter fixtures including a double over Newcastle which saw Boro finishing 18th. The same thing happened the following Easter with Boro starting Good Friday in 20th position and again winning all 3 Easter fixtures including another double over Newcastle to finish 18th. Easter wins couldn’t last though, for 1954 saw Boro losing all 3 matches, 2 against of which were against bottom club Liverpool which saw both teams relegated.
The next time that Boro won all 3 Easter fixtures was in the last 3 fixtures of 1957. Boro hadn’t really looked like gaining promotion despite being unbeaten in their final 9 matches. However the 7-2 win on Easter Monday was their highest score of the season thanks to Brian Clough scoring 4 of them. England may have won the World Cup in 1966, but it was a disastrous season for Boro. Easter Monday saw them lose 0-6 at Bolton and relegation to the Third Division for the first time in the Club’s history was confirmed 3 weeks later. The following Easter Boro won and lost matches 1-0 with Shrewsbury, and 3 more defeats in the next 4 matches seemed to have derailed Boro’s run for promotion, but as we all know, Boro then won 5 and drew one of their last 6 matches culminating in the final match 4-1 win over Oxford before an excited crowd of 39,683. It was in fact the only time that Boro had been in the top 2 all season after having been as low as 19th in early December.
The 1969 Easter programme saw the end of the 3 matches in 4 days syndrome, but strangely it was the Easter Monday fixture that was jettisoned meaning that Boro had to win twice in London against promotion rivals. They managed a goalless draw at Palace on Good Friday but lost 0-2 to Charlton the next day, and this became part of a winless run of 7 matches to the end of the season as Boro finished 4th. The next time that Boro won 2 matches at Easter was in 1973 the season before Jack Charlton was appointed. Strangely Boro didn’t win a match at Easter in Charlton’s first season but as we all know, promotion had already been secured as early as March, and the home match following the Easter programme resulted in Boro’s biggest win of the season, 8-0 against Sheffield Wednesday.
As for Sunday matches, the first one I can recall being played at Ayresome Park was the 3rd Division fixture against Darlington on the 5th April 1986 which ended in a 1-1 draw, but if anyone can recall an earlier fixture I’m sure they’ll let me know. Other significant Easter wins were in 1988 when Boro thrashed Sheffield United 6-0 on their way to promotion to the First Division, but generally in later seasons Boro have only one fixture at Easter especially in the Premier League so double wins became rare.
This season of course does give Boro the chance to win 2 matches over Easter with the visit of Stoke on Good Friday and away to Forest on Easter Monday, whilst Easter Day is restricted to televised matches and a London derby. As for the rest of Europe many matches these days are split between Saturday and Sunday, but not in Italy this weekend as traditionally no matches are ever played on Easter Day or Good Friday, all matches taking place on Easter Saturday.
Nowadays for most people Sunday is no different to any other day of the week, but Easter Day has always been a special day for me, and whether one is religious or not, the harbinger of warmer and sunnier days. Officially of course it isn’t always the beginning of Spring, but I always think of it as Primavera.
So happy Easter to all friends who contribute to Diasboro with the hope that for the rest of the year Boro at least play a more entertaining style of football be it in the Premier League or as more likely in the Championship.
Thank you Ken and the same to you. That was a very interesting read not it about the Boro’s Easter fortunes over the years, but your own recollections too. I love the idea of an Easter Tried as you describe. Although we too had the forsythia to enjoy in the garden, we never had a decorated tree indoors. I wonder how common they may have been amongst everyone here.
I used to love that hot cross buns would be produced only for Good Friday making them all the more enjoyable. As with so many things, you can get them all year round now in the supermarket and they have long ceased to be that special treat they once were.
Anyway, looking forward to Friday’s fixture and hoping we will steal away with all three points. 2-1 to us to keep us tantalisingly close….
Two typos… 1) An interesting read not only about the Boro…. 2)…the idea of an Easter tree, not an Easter Tried !
Ken, thank you very much. I too remember painting hard-boiled eggs with my brothers in the late 1960’s. I think the first chocolate ones came in 1970’s over here. We only got one per each and they often had a plastic ring inside with a fake diamond.
Here in Finland, we still have a lot of children dressed like trulls the week before the Easter asking for a sweet and performing an act.
But yes, in my childhood everything was yellow, too. And people used to send post cards wishing everybody a Merry Easter (if that is correct in English). Haven’t received a single card for the past 25 years, though.
Ken, thanks for charing those memories. Up the Boro!
Jarkko
Sending Easter Cards has become more popular in Britain lately ranging from those with religious content, but more so as the beginning of Spring or Primavera (the only word I can recall being used equally in Spain, Portugal and Italy).
Powmill Naemore
The idea of having an Easter tree came from Belgium I believe. The ritual of rolling paste eggs down Eston Hills seems to have died out. I can’t remember the purpose of it, but seemed to be traditional among children, rather like pancake-tossing races on Shrove Tuesday which dates back to the 15th century and is still popular in parts of England.
EXMIL CHALLENGE Part 2
League Table
After the second round of results the big winner is Ian Gill, who moves from 7th to top of the league, while the big loser is yours truly who drops from 2nd to 13th and out of the running or can I make a playoff place !
1. Ian Gill (69) 8,7,9,8,10,8,8,10,3,8,8 = 157
2. lenmasterman (70) 9,5,9,8,8,8,7,10,5,10,6 = 155
3. Powmill-Naemore (67) 9,8,9,9,7,7,5,10,7,9,5 = 152
4. Pedro de Espana (70) 10,7,9,6,9,8,7,9,4,9,4 = 152
5. Suffolk’n’Boro (70) 9,7,10,8,8,6,9,7,7,4,6 = 151
6. Redcar Red (66) 8,7,9,8,9,8,6,10,5,9,4, = 149
7. deleriad (65) 10,8,8,10,9,8,1,10,6,8,5, = 148
8. Martin Bellamy (69) 8,5,9,6,8,8,7,7,3,10,6 = 146
9. Boro Beckys Dad (70) 10,6,7,8,8,8,3,9,3,8,8 = 146
10. Andy R (66) 8,5,9,6,10,8,4,10,1,8,10 = 145
11. KP in Spain (67) 8,5,9,6,8,8,7,7,3,10,6 = 144
12. werdermouth (61) 10,7,9,10,9,6,4,10,5,9,3 = 143
13. exmil2017 (70) 9,3,9,9,3,5,5,10,7,7,6 = 143
14. selwynoz (62) 9,5,9,10,3,8,4,8,4,10,6 = 138
15. jarsue (66) 6,7,9,6,9,6,2,10,4,8,5 = 138
16. jarkko (59) 9,9,9,8,5,3,4,9,4,10,5 = 134
17. originalfatbob (57) 8,5,9,10,9,5,8,8,5,6,4 = 134
18. grovehillwallah (61) 7,7,6,8,3,3,7,9,3,9,7 = 130
If anyone notices I have made an error, please let me know.
Come on BORO.
Like you, I was too optimistic.
Did Ian got the six lost matches correct?
Up the Boro!
Jarkko
If you look at the scores everyone got a poor score for the third last team.
Sadly I put in optimistic score for Boro in part three so my sojourn at the top of the table is unlikely to last.
EXMIL CHALLENGE Part 3
Could everyone check what I have put against their entry as I have had to adjust some maths or you have put down the wrong results.
deleriad and grovehillwallah you both have missed out a fifth fixture for Bristol and Derby so you need to resubmit your entry please.
Come on BORO.
I have amended it Exmil, hopefully it’s correct now.
done!
With Dani Ayala confirmed as now out for the season came the unsuspecting blow that Dael Fry is also out after a torn Hamstring in training this week. That not only leaves TP a seriously depleted squad defensively but also options that limit him in who he can select and how he sets them up. Interestingly of course is that probably our best games have been the ones where TP didn’t have a full compliment and had to squeeze in youth and fringe players.
He could go with Shotton and Flint as CB’s and then play Howson as RB and likely Saville as a LB although I would be more inclined to play Downing there with Tav in front of him to give the opposition something to worry about rather than invite them onto the LB. Of course he may put McNair back there and go with three CB’s and Howson right and Downing or Saville left.
JOM’s comments this week were interesting in that he stated that we need to go out and win our remaining games. I fully endorse that and its great to hear that the players at least recognise that. The challenge may be how they actually try and win these games sat deep defending, clinging on desperately and that’s the mentality before they even leave the changing rooms. It may all be academic unless the Robins, Villains and Rams all drop points which is likely given their fixtures but two of those have a game in hand where Villa have a five point lead over us. Maybe SG is hoping that the EFL will deduct points from Villa and Derby before the season expires?
Is there any truth in the rumour that those who renewed their Early Bird Season Cards get a free “Tony is Grrrrreat!” badge as well as a free pint? Hope he doesn’t end up with a “Frostie reception” tomorrow.
RR
Ive still not renewed apparently I’ve got until tomorrow and expecting a visit before the game to ask why not !
I’ll just point down at the dugout shall I?
OFB
OFB
Bring one of those big foam hands with you just in case there is any doubt at where you are pointing. Or maybe you could slip them a piece of paper with notes scribbled on it 🙂
RR
Brilliant response !
OFB
EXMIL CHALLENGE Part 3
With less than 24 hrs before the deadline we are short of 4 entries:
Martin Bellamy
Boro Beckys Dad
jarsue
werdermouth
Remember the deadline is prior to the kickoff between Bristol City v Reading at 1200 Friday 19 April 19.
Come on BORO.
I have just submitted mine to see if I can improve on 9th and get into the playoffs!
Season ticket sales – 10% down on the same time as last season is not as drastic as some predicted.
A big blow for Dael, not only for the Boro run in but he will miss out on the England U21 European Championship matches in the summer too. I am sure we all wish the injured players speedy recovery.
Come on BORO.
Yes Exmil, I got that wrong and a surprise for me only1700 less tickets, but still around 3000+ less than than this seasons final ST sales I believe, which was my starting point. May be those are waiting to see if Mr Pulis is going to be the man.
Read something yesterday with TP talking about 4 years overall to sort things out at MFC. I wonder if that means he will be with us for another 2 1/2 years or whether he is just laying the foundations? I will be very surprised though if he is not here next season having one more final shot at getting us promoted. ☹️
Four years overall would probably see out all of the contracts in existence when he first arrived. If it is indeed that getting the club on a sound and sustainable foundation is the original plan, then it sounds about right.
We are told ,we have one of the best academy’s in the country, so, were are these players now that we have these injuries , none to call upon ? .
Boro have an history of playing youngsters in the past , even defence men , Bailey, Ramage, McAndrew , Maddren, Butler, McNeil, Jones, the list goes on ,
Are we just bringing through , fourth division types?
You have to wonder.
Not forgetting Bruce Riochs baby’s.
The attrition rate for young footballers is very high, becoming a professional and making a living out of the game takes ability dedication and a lot of hard work.
Success for an academy is to produce players who attain this professional status. I would imagine Boro’s academy compares very favourably with others. Thousands of youngsters around the country go through the process and very few actually make the grade.
Here’s a video from BT Sports. Well worth watching.
http://home.bt.com/video/bt-sport-films-no-hunger-in-paradise-91364241852638
GHW
I can also make comment on that
I’ve just been to watch my eldest grandson aged 18 play football in a TJFA u18 league game tonight
I’ve mentioned before that after 2 years at Sunderland he turned down an academy place after witnessing so many young players being jettisoned and left with nothing as a career in football
He was lucky and has had two years of an electrical engineer apprenticeship so far with a degree at the end of it .
Tonight the young players of both teams had remnants of Boro Hartlepool Sunderland and others and were playing for sport and the standard was incredibly high.
Not many youngsters make it on the professional game and even less at the highest level
I have the utmost respect for those local players who have made it
OFB
RR, I just cannot see TP pitting McNair in a CB, so unless he gambles with one of the under 23’s I think it will be a flat four. Whilst Saville may not be the best choice, SD would be a disaster, with his lack of pace and non tackling ability.
I we are to pick and play him, it might as well be in the middle of MF.
The Downing lack of pace thing is not actually true, in training I understand he is one of the fastest sprinters. He maybe couldn’t maintain sprinting over 90 minutes but when he feels like it he can get a spurt on. He didn’t like playing there for Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool but he has done it in the past and when needs must and all that.
Saville was nothing short of woeful against Hull wide left hence TP switching him back into midfield. He hasn’t the pace or the temerity for that role and we looked totally unbalanced and very susceptible with him out there.
I still think Tavernier could be an effective Wing Back, possibly play Clayton on the left of midfield and with his ability to get up and down the pitch quickly he could cover for any defensive lapses.
McNair at RB with Shotton and Flint as CB’s
Besic, Saville and JOM in the midfield and the usual two of Assombalonga and Fletcher up front.
Not good for the central defence and a disappointment for Fry. Hope he may get fit for England.
Who knows what TP will pull out of the hat for the team tomorrow, wouldn’t surprise me if he put Gestede at centre back to be honest!!
Seriously, it does give a problem, I would prefer Downing as a left wing back rather than Saville who was very poor on Saturday. McNair may be better on the right and play a kinda 4 at the back. Put Clayton Hobson JOM and Besic in midfield leaving Fletcher and Tavernier up front.
Not a side that will see us play attacking football in a game that we need to win but TP has his ready made excuse when we don’t end up in the playoffs.
10% drop in SC sales is not that bad, still 90% who probably need to be certified unless they are hoping that TP does move on. Of course they could be of a masochist tendency.
I remember many a Good Friday game back in the late 60’s, very early 70’s. I have seen, I think, Boro play Watford, Crystal Palace and Charlton, all away as we lived down south at the time.
Will have the programmes somewhere in the loft as I was an avid programme collector back in the day, not just football but any event that we went to! Also did a Boro scrap book for the 70 – 71 season!
Anyway, I predict that we will scrape a 1 0 win tomorrow to keep us in with a chance.
UTB
Bumbledores 2
Potters 0
RR
I’ll second that and that’s what we heard in the In2Views with the academy guys about Downing.
OFB
ofb thanks for the information about still being able to get early bird renewal tomorrow, as one of my friends missed the deadline because of work so he is going to the ticket office tomorrow morning to renew.
Come on BORO.
Ah
Not sure if that was everyone …..
But that’s what they told me!
OFB
Hurry up, mate. The club needs you but managers and players are just temporary. Up the Boro!
I have one year left on my 3 year ticket so I will be at the Riverside next season though maybe not as often as I attended this one. After the last home game I will work out how much I have spent on rail fares and hotels. I don’t think it will be money well spent. Having seen so many poor games this season I wonder if I would be going to so many matches if I still lived locally and how much I just travel over because I grew up in the area and still think of it as my real home and the Boro as my team.
Seeing earlier comments about Easter games I remember 1969 when I was at Woolwich Polytechnic and came home for the holidays. I think I was just in Middlesbrough for a couple of days then travelled back to London to see us play Crystal Palace and Charlton before resuming my holiday!
Hoping for a good performance today but I think it may be a 0-0 draw which would probably be an achievement with the injuries.
David,
I was there too. Oh the martyrdom!
Today, I’m now optimistic. It’s an OFB for me now, eyes in the sky, 0 – 0.
UTB,
John
David, you have confirmed what I thought about the Easter games, I too will have been at the 1969 games with my Dad as a keen 9 year old supporter!
Good for you
Oh dear.
Just remembered why I come to the Boro
Had a great chat with Spike Armstrong John Craggs and Jim Platt my favourite 73 74 team
I’m 🌊 wavering !!!!
OFB
Michael o Neil NI Manager day next to us today watching his players from the Boro
OFB
I’m going for 0-0 today too. I expect both Bristol C and Villa to win and therefore I’m really expecting our season to affectively end today.
Hopefully we’ll win though. Maybe the lack of defensive options means we’ll just go for it, get an early lead and take them apart from there….
0-0 for me.
Well……..! Have I missed much?
I have not turned against the Boro, nor this Blog. It’s just that I had other things to do and, maybe, I haven’t ordered my time as well as many of the others who post to this Blog.
I haven’t missed any games although sometimes coming back (today from Catterick) does irk me. To be fair, the football has hardly been entertaining and the results …..! Still, I W I’ll be there against Stoke with hope in my heart.
Dave from Cumbria – I too have a three year season/card and it is one of my bugbears that every year I still get messages from Boro “it is time to renew your season ticket by (such and such a date) so the amount thus year will be..”. I lose count so had to pop into the Ticket Office where I was told I have another year left! It really wouldn’t take too much to mark the computer records with an asterisk so that the relatively small number of 3-year card holders are not invited to renew every year when reminders are sent out.
Well, let’s hope the team can perform today.
I hope everyone whose names Used to see regularly on this Blog is well. And let’s hope this weekend sees the resurrection of Boro’s play-off ambitions. Finally I apologise for any typos. Fat fingers but small iPhone keypad… .
Welcome back Forever Dormo but you have missed this years challenge lol.
Come on BORO.
EXMIL CHALLENGE 2019
FINAL WARNING
The only outstanding entry is
werdermouth
70 minutes left to post entry.
Come on BORO.
Quote it the week from Adam Boulton on SKY, interviewing a Climate Change protest organiser.
“You’re like the incompetent middle-class, self-indulgent people and you want to tell us how to live our lives. That’s what you are, aren’t you?”
Well it’s all a bit hectic as usual after returning home from my trip to Teesside but have managed to write a discussion blog article after an early start. So will it be a good Friday for Boro and will we see an Easter uprising up the Championship table? Here’s this week’s discussion blog article…
https://diasboro.club/2019/04/19/2018-19-weeks-38-39-the-last-chance-saloon/
OK, just time now to get my Exmil challenge entry in!
How often do you check your Diasboro e-mail Werder?