Woody ponders next move after opening gambit fails

by Diasboro, posted in Uncategorized

Championship 2019-20: Weeks 11-12

Sat 19 Oct – 15:00: Boro v West Brom Wed 23 Oct – 19:45: Huddersfield v Boro Sat 26 Oct – 15:00: Boro v Fulham

Werdermouth looks ahead to a tough return to action for struggling Boro…

In a game where it’s often claimed the proverbial fine margins ultimately decide the outcome, a football coach is often judged on their tactical acumen and ability to strategically out-think their opposite number. It was Sir Alex Ferguson who once said that “Football is like chess, lose your concentration and you’re dead” – though unless the chess club in Govan was a lot rougher than the ones many others attended on Teesside then he was most likely speaking metaphorically. However, the quote from former German striker Lukas Podolski was perhaps more profound when he said “Football is like chess, only without the dice.” It’s possibly the kind of surreal logic that would make Eric Cantona proud but the great UEFA audience-baffling philosopher instead preferred the more topical analogy when he said that arguing with racists “was like playing chess with a pigeon.” Either way, in recent weeks Boro have been guilty of both losing their concentration and then trying to roll the dice only to discover they didn’t have any – OK some may be tempted to insert their own line about our strikers and any possible predilection for shooting craps but it would be perhaps unfair on Podolski to contradict his words of wisdom.

Whether or not Jonathan Woodgate employs the strategic nature of chess into his footballing philosophy is unclear but his opening gambit this season was to forgo the primarily defensive solidity of his mentor and predecessor, Grandmaster Anotoly Pulis, in the hope it would lead to a more attacking game. Sadly, this opening sacrifice has left the team looking decidedly out-manoeuvred in their positional play with some of the pieces becoming overloaded as they were forced to prioritise tasks in order to mitigate territorial losses. These weaknesses across the board have been far too easily exploited by the opposition and have left the new head coach looking like he’s in danger of reaching the endgame far far sooner than he had anticipated.

After just two wins in his first eleven games and some rather tormenting weeks in charge at Boro, under-pressure head coach Woodgate is looking rather less bright-eyed and bushy-tailed than some of the opponents he’s been seen going head-to-head with. Though the new head coach may possibly take heart from the advice of the French-Polish chess grandmaster, Savielly Tartakower, who famously said “Nobody ever won a chess game by resigning.” Although, given the bad start to the season the thoughts of the Latvian-American grandmaster, Edmar Mednis, may be more appropriate: “After a bad opening, there is hope for the middle game. After a bad middle game, there is hope for the endgame. But once you are in the endgame, the moment of truth has arrived.” While that moment of truth normally arrives quite rapidly in football, I’m sure many of the long-suffering faithful on Teesside will have frowned upon the overuse of the word ‘hope’ in that quote.

Incidentally, some of Boro’s former managers could well have been exposed by other chess grandmasters – England’s world champion contender, Nigel Short, sounds like he may have been a little suspicious of Tony Pulis when he said: “If your opponent offers you a draw, try to work out why he thinks he’s worse off.” While the German grandmaster, Emanuel Lasker, who was world champion for 27 years in the early twentieth century would have probably inspired serial career progressionist, Steve McClaren, when he advocated: “When you see a good move, look for a better one.” Although, as yet, there is no record of any grandmaster offering the words of wisdom that check “is what it is” mate.

Anyway, enough of this cold logic, it’s unlikely that even the world-renowned deductive ability of Coleen Rooney could work out how Boro can score goals and keep clean sheets. In fact many of the pessimistic Riverside faithful are already anticipating that the usual winter slump is just around the corner – it’s the only thing that keeps them going during the dark nights. OK, all the leaves may not yet be brown but the skies are most definitely grey on Teesside after witnessing that our slumbering defence has apparently decided to go into hibernation early to avoid the chilly atmosphere of the Riverside. It seems the Boro head coach has had a wake-up call and is now ready to go back to basics to address the unseasonal torpor on the pitch. These repeated mistakes have meant Boro have failed to squirrel away enough points to see them through what looks like being a long hard winter – especially as the upcoming fixtures now look a lot tougher after what was supposed to be a rather mild start on paper.

Indeed, after the dismal display against Birmingham, an angry Woodgate demanded: “The players need to roll their sleeves up and look at themselves in the mirror.” OK, that’s possibly not a great look given that most of the squad predominantly wear short-sleeved Boro shirts and in terms of style it’s probably more Aussie Rules rather than Association. Still, that would at least give many players an opportunity to once more check out their expensively inked arms – though perhaps instead it should be the art of defending that they need to spend time studying and reacquainting themselves with.

Nevertheless, the Boro head coach added: “I’ll be the first to look at myself in the mirror and dress myself down.” An act of self-admonishment that is not immediately obvious how it is undertaken – though I’ll leave that for readers to imagine the mechanics of such a process. However, it presumably involves repeating what he told the players after that disappointing performance as the boss sternly tells himself that he was “Not happy, not happy at full-time, not happy at all.” Anyway, it seems in the wake of that unhappy defeat, the players will be seeing quite a lot of themselves as the mood of introspection is set to continue as Woodgate struggles to instil belief that they can win games: “When they cross that line they have to look at themselves and do it themselves.” Maybe the ball boys will be issued with vanity mirrors in case anyone suffers a lapse during games and need a quick stare of self-reflection – though it should be limited to one per player to avoid blatant displays of narcissism.

Few would have expected by mid-October that any promotion aspirations would have been for all intents and purposes dead. The current mood on the terraces is one of resignation rather than rebellion as the season heads towards being one of survival. Despite the tipping point becoming ever closer, it’s unlikely we’ll see our very own Riverside extinction rebellion as few protesting supporters (crusty or otherwise) have reportedly been glued to their seats in recent games. Indeed even in the current climate and despite all the hot air being expelled, the only emergency will likely be the rush for the exits if home performances continue to fail to meet targets.

As to whether the coaching team have been able to make significant adjustments during the international break remains to be seen. Boro return to action at the Riverside on Saturday against league leaders West Brom, which ideally is not the game Woodgate would have chosen to try and get back to winning ways. Slaven Bilić took over as manager in the summer and he appears to have got the Baggies on track for a return to the Premier League. While they’ve scored 11 goals in their last three games at the Hawthorns, perhaps the only glimmer of hope for Boro is that the Baggies have not bagged as many away from home with only one win in their last four on the road. Admittedly, those three games that failed to see victory were at Leeds, Fulham and Derby so a trip to Teesside may be seen as a chance to bolster their position at the summit.

Woodgate’s men have only managed a mere five goals in their six home games this season and it’s hard to see where the goals are going to come from. Boro have their main striker in Assombalonga looking below his best and with Fletcher also struggling to impose himself, he appears to have been given a free pass by his gaffer. OK, I could mention Rudy Gestede but he once again managed to get himself injured without even kicking a ball in mild annoyance, let alone anger. One man who appears to be capable of scoring is Paddy McNair, who scored a brace for Northern Ireland in a friendly against the Czech Republic during the break. Good news for Boro fans but with his international manager Michael O’Neill claiming he’s a Premier League player, it’s possible he’ll be subject to better offers than a Championship relegation battle in the coming January window.

Any points gathered at the weekend would be a bonus and with a trip to a rejuvenated Huddersfield on Wednesday, it won’t get any easier. The Terriers were relegated from the Premier League last season and seemed set to continue in the dog house as they sat bottom of the Championship with just a single point until springing back to life in their last three games with two wins and draw. The West Yorkshire club appointed Danny Cowley along with his brother Nicky from Lincoln City in September and it looks like they’ve now started to turn things around. At 40, Danny Cowley is only a year older than Woodgate but after a career as a non-league player he’s now got ten years experience as a manager. He took charge at Lincoln in 2016 and got them promoted to the Football League in his first season, which also saw The Imps become the first non-league club to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Their managerial stock rose even higher after winning the EFL Trophy in 2018 and then after getting promotion to League One as champions it was inevitable that a bigger club would come calling.

If those first two games weren’t testing enough for Boro, then another newly relegated club in Fulham are next up at the Riverside on the following Saturday. The Cottagers currently sit just outside the top six, a point behind Bristol City in sixth and just three behind leaders West Brom. Scott Parker’s team are unbeaten in their last six games and after three successive 1-1 draws have knocked in 8 goals in their last three outings – including a 4-1 hammering of Reading on their last trip away. Parker was initially appointed caretaker back in February after Claudio Raneiri was sacked but was given the role permanently in the summer and is another young manager starting his career. The game will also see Cyrus Christie return to the Riverside and he’ll no doubt be keen to get at the Boro full-backs – as I’m sure others will be instructed to do. Unlike Woodgate, Parker has kept his wife happy by managing to get his brother-in-law in the team after signing Harry Arter on loan from Bournemouth.

So we will soon discover if Woodgate has managed to persuade his players that they need to at least do the basics and put in a shift if the team are to escape the lower reaches of the Championship. As to whether he or Robbie can tempt any of the forwards to start hitting the back of the net is possibly a longer term project. The coaching team’s mental agility is as yet unproven and while some may compare football to chess, the obvious difference is that the pieces on the pitch don’t always execute their moves as planned. Imagine how Gary Kasparov would have reacted if his queen had fallen over just as it was about to deliver checkmate or his castle had suddenly wandered up the board and let the opposition’s knight to ride unchallenged through his defence. Football is a game played in real time and the players don’t get 20 minutes to ponder over an opposition move – even if they sometimes give the impression that they are doing just that. Therefore, the chess analogy may have its limitations but perhaps the next few weeks will indicate whether the new head coach is the grandmaster of his own destiny or just simply a pawn in Steve Gibson’s enforced financial downsizing.

432 thoughts on “Woody ponders next move after opening gambit fails”

  1. Werder

    Thank you for taking the time to post magnificent as always

    I’ll go for 2 2

    Oh and by the way it’s Redcar Reds Birthday today everyone !

    Happy Birthday RR

    OFB

  2. Werder,

    Excellent piece, ‘Chess without the dice’ that really made me smile. Let’s hope that we are all smiling on Saturday evening. No, I didn’t think so either.

    Then there are all these young managers starting their respective careers and I fear ours is ending his. Boro need to play like they’re possessed against West Brom. Well we all hope they do.

    There’s that damned word again.

    UTB,

    John

  4. Another imperious posting from our very own Grand Master, thanks Werder.

    Perhaps our problem is that while Woodgate might be grappling with matters of great intellectual and tactical chess-like strategy, our players only know how to play draughts which is how come many seem to have had checkered careers.

    Your mention of shooting craps of course leads to Snake Eyes which brings to mind OFB’s eyeballs in the sky predictions ….. no goals again.

    I have absolutely no expectation of success for us this weekend and can see the Baggies strolling away to an easy victory against limp opposition. Maybe not the 5-0 we would not want to remember, but I can see them scoring 4 without reply.

    And Happy Birthday to RR, Diasboro’s Roving Reporter.

  5. Welcome back Werder and thanks for another great article.

    I can’t see a stalemate on Saturday more possibly an annihilation!

    Happy birthday RR, I just hope your celebrations are not marred by another typical Boro match to report on. 😎

  6. After a bit of a break including a short holiday and without the distractions of defeat Werder refreshed, has come up with another belter.

    Whether I believe Boro can turn up tomorrow refreshed is another thing. More than likely most will have been locking themselves in a darkened room so they could not look in the mirror of truth.

    Unfortuanately I see only one result against WBA and it is not a fairytale happening rather than the reality of the slippery slope gaining momentum.

    With the cluster of difficult games ahead and the driver somewhat confused in which direction to go, all I see is a Boro ending up in a cul-de-sac and stuck in a dead end with no reversal.

    So it is back to the small screen of my PC tomorrow having paid my subscription. At least this season it is only six euros.

    As for Redcar Red at least he can enjoy his day. Tomorrow could be purgatory.

    Feliz cumpleanos RR.

    1. Thanks Pedro, maybe Señor Woodgate will opt for the Spanish Game tomorrow against Bilic’s Yugoslav Attack – though the players may be heading for the hall of mirrors after the game after being given the merry-go-round by the Baggies…

  7. The Football that the Boro’s played,
    Sometimes as slow as Chess,
    Has placed in some dire straits,
    But not a hopeless mess.

    Not quite I venture to report.
    Let’s put recent form to bed.
    I’m going for a 3-1 win,
    A birthday gift for Redcar Red.

    Thanks for lightening the mood Werdermouth with another good article, and many happy returns to Redcar Red.

  8. Great piece, Werder as ever.

    I hope RR to have his hangover already tomorrow after all the celebrating. And not on Sunday morning after a horror show at Riverside.

    I will go for a 2-1 win. The mighty Assombalonga hitting a brace, one from a penna :-D.

    Up the Boro!

    1. Thanks Jarkko, I suspect RR may be looking at the hair of the dog for the game against the Terriers after drowning his sorrows on Saturday evening. Although, hopefully Britt will win it with a bender on Saturday…

  9. First of all Happy Birthday to RR. Boro’s best ever reporter. We are indeed lucky to have him at Diasboro.
    Superb post Werder. Brilliantly written.Thank you.

  10. I am going for Redcar Red to change bad habits and submit a report full of Boro attacks and goals as a birthday treat.

    Good read Werder.

    Quite a day, England play Australia, Boro play the Baggies and Boris plays the House of Buffoons, all 600 plus of them including the ‘neutral’ Speaker. I wonder whether it will be a day of good results or a long drawn out dismal autumnal Saturday?

    1. Ian
      There’s also some Rugby League 9-a-side World Cup from Sydney tomorrow. I watched day one today with 6 men’s matches and 2 ladies. Tomorrow there will be another 20 matches including 5 ladies and also the Semifinals and Finals of both sexes. Play starts at 1.am and the men’s Final begins at 11.am. I’m familiar with 7-a- side in both rugby codes, but this is new to me but the most exciting and fast rugby I’ve ever witnessed.

      Basic Rugby League rules apply with the following exceptions:-
      1. Nine players a side win 9 minutes each half.
      2. No restrictions on interchanges.
      3. Five tackles per set rather than six.
      4. Sin bin periods 3 minutes instead of 10.
      5. All conversion attempts must be drop kicks.
      6. 20/40 kicks allowed as well as 40/20s.
      7. A one point bonus for tries scored in the try zone immediately behind the posts.
      8. Drawn matches decided by a golden try.
      9. No scrums, just play-the-balls.
      Items 1, 5 and 9 speed the game up considerably and some of the ladies tackling is almost as brutal as the men’s.

      There are 12 men’s teams competing in 3 groups but only 4 ladies teams. So far England’s men have beaten Wales and the Ladies have beaten Papua New Guinea, both scores being 25-4. Lebanon and France make up England’s men’s group, whilst Australia and New Zealand make up the Ladies.
      It’s worth recording all the matches and picking out the best, even watching the recordings on Sunday which I intend to do. Anyone who likes fast rugby I can guarantee will not be disappointed if today’s matches are a sample.

  14. – [ ] Glad to be back after being missing for the last month or so, Werder that was another great article as per.and now I find myself in good company by sharing a birthday with our great sports reporter RR as it is my 80th birthday tomorrow as well, so the Boro will after be twice as good to bring home the points.

        1. May your cheese be smelly and runny !

          Errrr hang on that doesn’t sound right when you say it loud!

          May the outside be hard and the rind pure white and the inside so soft and molten that just drips down your chin !

          Oh hang on I’ll have another go !

          Have a great Birthday 🍰

          OFB

  16. Happy birthday, Brie. A great milestone. And to the irreplaceable RR. Hope against hope you get a fitting result on your special day. And en passant, thanks to the magnificent Werder for yet another terrific tour de force.

    Boro are hopeless and haven’t got a prayer tomorrow.

    A 1-0 win then.

  18. Happy 80th borobrie and here’s to many more. I trust you have put a request into MFC for a celebratory win and much needed three points! 😎🎂🍷

  20. Watched Lee Tomlin equalise from a free kick for Cardiff. I remember Bill Shankly’s view of interfering with play, if he isn’t interfering with play what is he doing on the pitch.

    For those who haven’t seen it, Tomlin got a soft free kick about 25 yards out dead centre. The wall lined up and Flint stood behind the wall dead central to the goal several yards offside (as in the old days).

    He did star jumps clearly in line between the keeper and Tomlin then ducked as the free kick was taken.

    The goal stood. Quite amazing.

  23. Happy birthday to all our birthday boys and many more of them.

    Great article Werder although I fear that today could be more a matter of Boro noughts and WBA crosses. it’s my only complaint against Randolph. He doesn’t dominate the six yard box.

    It’s a bit hard to be optimistic for Boro today although, oddly enough, that removes some of the angst since anything better than a solid defeat will actually feel like good news.

    I can see a hard fought 1-1 draw as a possibility and would certainly take that.

    Great article Werder.

    UTB

  25. While all eyes before kick-off may be on the venue with green leather seats as another struggling manager goes in search of his first victory, many on Teesside will be wondering which players have been given the vote to start at the Riverside.

    Team selection may be determined by whether Woodgate has opted to continue with a back four or shift to playing once more with three central defenders. With Hayden Coulsen set to return to action with the under-21s later today and George Friend still in recovery, it seems the choice for a back four would be to continue with the right-footed centre-back Shotton as left full-back or hope Bola can cope with the league leaders attack. A back three would allow possibly Marvin Johnson to play as a wing-back instead but would mean midfield would become a choice of three from Clayton, McNair, Wing or Howson. It would also mean a front two of possibly Tavernier and in all probability Britt unless Woodgate decided to play one up front and a more packed midfield.

    If the head coach after a two-week break decides to continue with 4-3-3 and it goes badly wrong, then he will come under serious criticism. Perhaps the problems of finding a compromise between defence and attack with the kind of forwards he has at his disposal may instead see something more like 4-1-4-1 with Clayton in the protector role and possibly Tavernier and Johnson playing as wide midfielders. I suspect the back four will be the same as last time out as in truth there are few options. Therefore the only real choice will be between Wing or Howson and I think the former Norwich player offers the opportunity to come off the bench to change shape later in the game.

    Prediction: To continue in the chess mode I’ll go for it ending all square with a 1-1 – McNair to continue his goal run.

  27. BoroBrie,

    Have a splendid birthday and I hope Boro put the icing on the cake for you. However I for one am not filled with the near optimism that is on show in the posts on DiasBoro.

    I’m going to go for Boro 1- 3 Brom.

    As always I hope for a win.

    UTB,

    John

  28. Borobrie
    Well there’s no turning back now on your 80th Birthday as from tomorrow you’re entering your 9th decade. But if you’re like me you’re also entering the age of nostalgia when you like to LOOK back. I don’t know whether you know that you were born on a Wednesday, so no match for Boro that day. However Boro did win 2-1 at Sunderland three days later, their first win at Roker Park for 19 years and only their second ever win there in 29 years, so I guess your parents would have had a double celebration that week.

    But on to today’s opponents West Brom. I don’t recall all the matches I’ve seen, but they had just been promoted to the First Division in 1949 along with next Saturday’s opponents Fulham.
    I can’t remember seeing them in the following season when Boro beat them twice 3-0 home and away, but I do remember the following season as it was a midweek match and Johnny Spuhler, my favourite player at the time, scored without 10 minutes as Boro won 2-1. The Boro team that night was Rolando Ugolini; Ronnie Dicks, Gordon Hepple; Harry Bell, Bill Whitacker, Jimmy Gordon; Lindy Delapenha, Wilf Mannion, Johnny Spuhler, Alex McCrae and Tommy Woodward. McCrae scored the second goal. Seven days later Boro came back from a 0-2 half-time deficit to win 3-2 at the Hawthorns.

    As I say that was the first time I remember seeing West Brom, and perhaps you also were there. Nostalgia eh, wasted on the young. Have a nice day.

  29. Other Boro home matches on the 19th of October include the following:-
    1974 Coventry City 4-4
    1985 Bradford City 1-1
    1996 Tottenham 0-3
    Due a win then, although Boro did beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on this day last year.

  30. So the team for Super Saturday looks like Woodgate has gone with the wing-backs of Howson and Johnson with a back three of Ayala, Fry and Shotton. Saville starts instead of Clayton and he is joined in midfield by Wing and McNair. Britt looks like he’s partnered (or supported) by Tav up front.

    Team: Randolph, Howson, Ayala, Fry, Shotton, Johnson, Saville, Wing, McNair, Tavernier, Assombalonga.

  32. Werder

    I cant disagree with that team. the formation mirrors what we have been discussing. Could argue for the odd different player here or there but that would be a minor tinker.

    Will it work? Only time will tell, Huddersfield drew so we are still outside the bottom three, over to the reds.

  35. Well another defeat but Boro did compete and the shape, energy and commitment was much better but ultimately many of the players lacked poise and composure on the ball. We had some promising breaks but there wasn’t really much understanding between our forwards and our final pass, delivery and shooting lacked quality. Also some of the defending was slack and we could have been punished for mistakes – especially in the first half.

    I think Woodgate got his tactics right and the players looked motivated and good to see a reappearance of the high press, which on the whole was well coordinated. The goal conceded was sloppy and perhaps Boro deserved a draw for the effort but this team is both lacking in quality and confidence, which was demonstrated probably by Wing who mishit most of his balls. Tavernier was lively again but I thought Johnson was probably MOM for me and looked our most dangerous player. Probably a missed opportunity at the end of the day but overall a much better performance – particularly without the ball.

  37. WBA were the better team spent the afternoon passing the ball around us, our quality is summed up by missing another open goal, wing has a good season in him and it was last season.

  38. very few posts since the match. I listened and it sounded a good game, they seemed to have more of the ball, Dominic Matteo on Sky said they had more quality but we were battling away.

    That is still only ten points, Reading won after 98 minutes and are now above us, Wednesday game at Huddersfield is already a six pointer. Come Thursday morning you are not a prophet of doom to expect to see us in the bottom three – I am not a doom and gloom person, I may ‘invoke points from unexpected sources’.

    1. It was an open game and end to end – the difference was that West Brom advanced with purpose and managed to keep the ball better and that was reflected in them having two-thirds possession.

      As for being in the bottom three on Thursday morning – we could actually already be there before we play on Wednesday as Stoke beat Fulham today and are now only two points behind us and play again on Tuesday. It’s probably must-win on Wednesday after just one point from a possible 15 and more tricky games to come. My concern is that we have now only scored 5 goals in our 7 home games and January is still a long way if we need a goal scorer.

  39. ” Many of the players lacked poise and composure on the ball. There wasn’t much understanding between our forwards and our final pass, delivery and shooting lacked quality. Some of the defending was slack.”

    A great summary Werder and unfortunately very much a case of same old same old.

    Clearly a more entertaining game than the previous two but we were second best for most of the game with Albion displaying all the things we are lacking as a team.

    Stoke and Huddersfield are getting their acts together as our slide continues. A defeat on Wednesday will undoubtedly affect the players confidence and confirm they are truly in a relegation battle. 😎☹️

  40. Much better and there wasn’t a lot of difference between the teams but it’s worrying when then still ends up in a defeat. There was certainly much more intensity but I thought we ran out of steam midway through the second half, probably as a result of the energy expended with the high press. Woodgate should have made changes on the flanks or in the middle then but I guess the lack of options there made that difficult.

    The formation worked well for most of the game though and if we can them firing properly that middle of Wing, Saville, McNair and Tavernier must be able to threaten Championship teams.

    Bottom line though, if Woodgate’s £22m strike duo keep missing open goals then what can you do. I suppose a positive to take is there was a feeling we would really struggle against the top teams and we more then held our own. But when you are at the top you tend to score the scrappy goals and when you are at the bottom you miscue them over the bar.

    1. Sorry BoroPhil, but having watched the game close up and not from the seats in my opinion there was a lot of difference between the teams.

      As bad as Shotton was he made two great blocks which possibly saved two goals. There were also plenty of other missed opportunities from WBA.

      We did have a few chances, Saville probably the best. I did not see any open goals similar to Kanu’s. Fletcher should of hit the target that is for sure, but an open goal, it was a very tight angle. I may be wrong but I cannot reflect Britt open goal miss.

      Our passing was poor, midfield was ok going forward but less so defending. Why is Wing playing in front of the back four?
      Fry had a poor game and hit far too many hopeful long balls. Our dead ball deliveries were poor.
      As much as WBA looked vunerable at the back, we just could not take advantage.
      I thought given the poor service he received Britt had one of his better games. Fletcher added not except fresh legs.

      We have a limited squad which was not added to and made worse by Mr Gibson appointing a inexperienced Head Coach.
      A more experience appointment would have played to our strengths and more or less the set as today.
      It has taken Woodgate far too many matches to realise he has got it all wrong.
      Even Mr Gibson was looking glum this afternoon and so he should be.

  41. This all goes back to that useless Gary Monk, put us back at least four Seasons with his waste of money, Pulis organised them , but he had , had enough ,
    Now Woodgate has to work miracles with nothing.

  42. BoroPhil I agree with your assessment, I witnessed enough this afternoon to believe we can avoid relegation. Before kick off, people were worried about a humiliating defeat, some predicting 3,4 or more goal hammering.

    WBA were the better team but I think a draw would not have been unjust, let us not forget that coming into the match which team was on top of the league, brimming full of confidence after pick up 12 out of the last 15 points and which team has been struggling, with poor performances from the last two matches.

    When Woodgate was appointed I stated on this site that the Exmil Challenge 2020, would be about relegation rather than the top 6 and nearly everyone agreed that it was not a good decision to give him the job. We also knew that there was very little money to buy players, hence the purchases of Diksteel and Bola. Despite an inexperienced management team, buying players from the lower leagues and getting rid of a handful of better quality players to be able to balance the books, people seem surprised that we are not challenging for the top 6.

    I believe avoiding relegation this season is probably the best we can hope for at this point in time with what we have at the club. In January I don’t believe the club will do much business, if any unless some move out. At the end of the season another half dozen players may move on or stay on lower wages and any brought in will be from the lower leagues because our income this season may not be enough to cover our outgoings. I do not see us raising any great amount from sales of players with an already thin squad and the handful of players who will all possibly leave for free.

    It is going to be a difficult period to stay with the Boro, some, like myself, will and some will walk away.

    Come on BORO.

  43. It was a nice game to watch and we should have got a draw at least. We played against the best team in this division and we must remember that.

    I totally agree with BoroPhil and Exmill. We have a decent side and we will drag out of trouble with a performance like that.

    What is interesting to note, is that there are two players who have not yet performed well – for injury or other reasons – and I expected them to be our two most important players this season.

    I am talking about Dael Fry and Lewis Wing. The are OK now but we still haven’t seen the best of the pair yet. They will improve soon, they have the talent.

    So we have two potential match winners in there. Sooner or later they are back to the level they were last season.

    As said we have a decent team. I still expect them to finish in mid table. My prediction would be tenth to twelveth in May.

    Let’s hope we will play like yesterday at Huddersfield. The performance was good enough. Up the Boro!

  44. And Britt will hit a goal sooner or later. He has a fabulous record at this level. Happy to have him and Fletcher in our side. They need a break and they will be good enough for this level.

    Up the Boro!

  45. Well it probably wasn’t quite the birthday party some on Diasboro were hoping for and while it wasn’t the piece of cake for the leaders that many had been expecting, West Brom eventually blew out our candles and went home with the present of three points. Anyway, hopefully Redcar Red at least enjoyed his day and is once again another year wiser – so here he is with his take on Saturday’s proceedings with his match report…

    https://diasboro.club/2019/10/20/2019-20-boro-1-0-west-brom/

  46. Thanks RR for a well-balanced report which accurately reflected yesterday’s performance. The game was a bit like the curate’s egg, good in parts but still displaying some worrying aspects.

    I hope that your comment “we will pick up more points in this league than we lose once continuity and synergy kicks in if we stick with it” proves to be correct.

    I certainly agree that yesterday was much improved on Pulisball but my concern is how we overcome the ongoing problem of players lacking poise and composure on the ball particularly in the final third of the field and in front of goal.

    Was this a step on the road to recovery or just another stumble on a continuing downward trend? Wednesday will give us a good idea; we need to take points off clubs around us if we are to survive. 😎

  47. Thank you RR for your “alternative” match report on another disappointing day.

    I sincerely hope that Woodgate has woken up finally to the reality that his 433 is doomed to failure and that being relegation and having missed the golden opportunity to gather up points from our reasonably easy start to the season he now realises he has to stick with a system that gets the best out what we have and limits the opposition as best we can. May be somebody from outside the club.has given him some advice.

    We now have three away matches out of the next four and Huddersfield have their next two at home to us and Barnsley. Given that Stoke have now won their last two and have some easier games to come, if we cannot somehow garner some unexpected points from the next twelve on offer then we will probably see ourselves well and truly anchored in the bottom three. From then on in it will seem so much harder to rise from the depths.

    As the transfer window closed I believed we would be comfortable around mid-table, even given that Mr Gibson did not support Woodgate at all. However I did not make allowances for Woodgates naive and futile decision to go with 433 and his doomed pressing game

    Mr Gibson does not look as though he is going to burn money to get us out of this hole we have dug ourselves into at such an early stage and even if he did countenance spending some money it could be too late even by January.

  48. Woodgate won’t be judged on this result. A struggling team against the current table toppers and a draw was almost achieved. It’s against fellow strugglers ( which is what we are) where he will be judged.

    The longer this poor form continues , the more the likelihood of SG giving him the boot. Post Pulis, is there really any difference in attacking intent? The only difference I can see is we have gone from being a solid defence to a complete shambles.

  49. Yes many thanks to RR for his match report that I think found the right balance between what was obviously a much improved display but still highlighted that the defence does seem to have quite a few unforced errors in it and going forward looks mostly ineffective.

    I’d agree with RR’s conclusion that it must be time to consider alternatives in attack as you can only keep saying Assombalonga and Fletcher may at some point come good this season – Britt has had only one decent game at Bristol and Ashley looks to have lost self belief.

    I think you need strikers with personality, who don’t let a missed opportunity make them want to hide and I still don’t think Britt is suited to being a striker who has to put away infrequent chances as he usually needs a few practice swings first. Having said that, Woodgate quickly needs to find a system and set of players who work together and stick with them so that an understanding develops. Dijksteel may have been unlucky to lose out but Howson is the right choice if we go with wing-backs – likewise Johnson, although he could also operate as a forward if Coulsen can return in the same form.

    As for Wing, it’s hard to see what has gone wrong but it looked to me that he’s trying to put too much on the ball when striking it – it may be time for one of the coaches to suggest he keeps it simple and concentrates on pace and direction.

    So not much between the teams but it may be worth pointing out that if Boro had picked up as many points as the Baggies in the last five games (i.e. 12 rather than 1) then we’d now be in the top six instead of hovering above the drop zone. So in that sense I’d agree with Pedro that Woodgate waited too long before realising he’d got it wrong tactically with the players he had.

    1. Couldn’t agree more GHW but the worry is that those assembled at the table of spin back in the summer were clearly collectively deluded enough to even contemplate such stupidity. That it has (hopefully) taken until mid October for the blindingly obvious to slap them across the face is of greater concern.

      Woodgate’s ability was in question from the off but more was reasonably expected from those above him who created this mess.

    2. I think few had expected Boro would be able to emulate Liverpool after failing to sign Salah, Mane and Firmino in the summer. While it was OK for Woodgate to have that ambition, once he gave up on playing the high press there seemed little point in persisting with 4-3-3 as it was the only reason it was initially played. Seems it was probably a case of trying to prove he wasn’t wrong in the eyes of the players as in doing so it undermines his standing. Although, the high press returned and worked much better with the system yesterday – so it highlights the problem of having a head coach who is learning on the job.

  52. To all on here many thanks for the Birthday wishes.

    Unfortunately I was away most of last week on my travels with work so didn’t catch up on here until after the match yesterday after a much delayed late dash back to the UK on Friday night.

  53. Another superb report from Redcar Red, some 270 lines of prose in less than two hours. I don’t know how he does it, the man’s a marvel at shorthand writing, either that or his touch screen writing whilst watching the match is absolutely incredible. I should know as some of my long contributions have taken me up to ten hours including re-reading what I’ve written and then amending it in some order to make it intelligible. The same goes for Werdermouth where hours of research must be needed to portray his excellent previews. We cannot underestimate their diligence and skill in making this probably the best Football Forum in the country. How supporters of other clubs must envy us for having a couple of gentlemen who care so much for our Football Club to continue their deliberations week after week when sometimes the football is dire.

    Now having written that, the Boro performance may have been marginally better, but I can’t understand Jonathan Woodgate’s comments that if we play like we did yesterday we’ll win more matches than we’ll lose. How come? Boro didn’t score yesterday, and no team can win matches if they don’t score. The non-scoring of goals has gone on far too long now. We may be creating more chances but our striking rate is pathetic. I really feel we’ve come to the end of the road with Assombalonga and Fletcher now, but how to replace them is the problem. Let’s not kid ourselves, relegation would be a disaster. Sunderland are worse this season than last, but Peterborough have a long history of producing goalscorers going back to Terry Bly who once scored 54 goals in the 1960/61 season. Maybe Boro should look at Clubs like them when formulating plans for next season. We keep on hearing from Woodgate how good Boro are in training, but one would hope that some of the effort goes into putting the ball in the back of the net. After all we have Robbie Keane as a member of our coaching staff. Surely one-to-one coaching from him on the technique of shooting and being aware of positional sense ought to have rubbed off on our non-strikers and midfielders by now!

    1. Many thanks Ken, I also don’t know how Redcar Red manages to not only get all the detailed observations in but turn his reports around in a matter of hours – although I published it this morning as I went to bed early after an early start yesterday and with the one hour time difference, it arrived before 9.30pm.

      My articles take me around a day as I end up reading on the various subjects I draw upon, plus checking on stats and quotes before trying to pull the various strands together into something coherent. In that respect I’m indebted to the internet for access to almost anything as without which I’d probably never have time to even write an article that broached into some obscure subjects. Although I do thankfully have quite a good memory and tend to make a mental note of things I read for use later.

  54. JW is beginning to sound like his mentor TP, who regularly commented that we should have won and should have scored 3/4/5 goals given the chances we created. The trouble was and is that we don’t! 😎

    1. I suspect Steve Gibson wanted someone in charge who wouldn’t kick up much fuss during a period of cutting costs – experienced managers probably wouldn’t want to risk their reputations on what looks like it will be a couple of seasons where players on big contracts signed under Monk will be replaced by cheaper inexperienced options. The last person to do that was Tony Mowbray, who basically did all the hard work repairing the Strachan adventure to allow Aitor Karanka to start rebuilding with financial backing. The problem as Mogga found was that flirting with relegation to League One will only end one way.

      1. Werder I agree with your views that JW was the easiest and least costly option.

        It is just a shame that MFC were not more transparent around the appointment rather than the way in which they tried to use a smoke screen and the local press to portray it otherwise.

        A more honest approach in my view would have seen both JW and MFC receiving less flack over both the appointment and the subsequent outcomes todate.

        Greater inclusivity and transparency may well have engendered a “we are all in it together” approach rather than an us and them scenario which has developed.😎

  56. Thanks, RR another great report as I am a bit under weather after the flu jab I missed the match so your brilliant report of the game made feel as if I was there. Plus would like to give belatedly best wishes for your birthday.

      1. RR

        Thanks for the report accurate as ever

        I thought the first half was very entertaining and we held our own even though they had the majority of the possession

        Thought Fletcher should have started to support Brit

        Let’s see what Wednesday bring s

        Thanks again

        OFB

  57. The lack of goals is a serious problem.

    I seem to remember Wing scoring something like 39 goals in his last season in non league football.

    To play him so deep seems surprising given that last season he was the only midfield player whose first instinct when he got the ball was to play it forward.

    So why not play him in an advanced midfield position just behind Assombaloga ?

    1. It is a question I have asked a number of times now. He is wasted playing the deeper role and a Clayton or Leadbitter he is not. What we do need is a Leadbitter with pace.

  58. Redcar Red,

    A fine and candid report of what was and is still a depressing result. Please let the coach(es) stick with the formation and system and let the team build on it, at least it appears to be the foundation of a formation.

    Some courage is going to be needed to sort the enigma that is Assombalonga out. As somebody said if you don’t score you won’t win.

    UTB,

    John

  59. I noticed the shooting stats in match report graphic, which I usually get from the BBC appeared a bit low so after doing a ctrl-refresh of the web page they have improved somewhat. They must have got stuck on something in the first half as Boro eventually had 17 attempts with 7 on target versus West Brom’s 19 attempts with 4 on target. Although one stat didn’t change we still lost 1-0…

  60. On the subject of finishing , I got there a bit earlier yesterday and saw Keane going through shooting practice with them and of course they were smacking them in from all angles, as confidently as you like. Wing in particular.

    I do think confidence is a huge thing here and expectation despite the attempts from the club and manager to play this season down, the crowd want wins. You could really see the anger and bile in the North Stand aimed at Fletcher when he missed, and whilst I understand the frustrations that can’t help him.

    Wing absolutely looks a player whose confidence is low at the moment – I bet that free kick he took at the end, he would routinely find the net in training.

    I remember going to the Sheffield United away game in Feb when we lost a tight game 1-0 whereas a win would have taken us a point behind them with a game in hand.

    Since then we’ve taken 32 points from 27 games. We need something from somewhere to get us out of this.

    1. It may be lack of confidence in some cases or possibly playing under pressure, nerves or indeed having less time to set yourself due to the opposition closing a player down. I suspect some techniques suffer more from all three once it’s no longer training – if a player is trying to put whip and extra pace on the ball then getting it slightly wrong will be magnified. Having that composure during a game is probably what makes the difference between those who can perform consistently and others who continually fluff their lines. A relegation battle will probably be something new for the likes of Britt to handle and strikers suffer more because they usually have less touches during a game to make an impact.

      1. I seem to recall Britt scoring on the final day of the season a while back to save Forest (may have been two goals even) from the drop not so long ago, could have dreamt it. One for Ken to maybe delve into his records to prove/disprove!

        Having said that I wouldn’t want to be in the same scenario and hoping for a repeat from Britt any time soon and heaven forbid it came down to a last minute penalty.

    2. Assombalonga, Fletcher and Wing look totally devoid of belief let alone confidence. I don’t think playing them is the answer let alone all three together even if its just for a short spell in a game. Anxiety problems are not usually solved by throwing the sufferers back into the same scenario that causes the issue.

      If we don’t play either Assombalonga or Fletcher that only leaves one alternative who has been a millstone since he arrived and probably would attract far more bile from the fans as soon as he ran onto the pitch. Not an easy conundrum to solve then but as the saying goes about doing the same old thing and expecting different results, sticking with Assombalonga when he can’t even compose himself for a penalty isn’t the answer.

      I’d stick Paddy McNair up front before either of them or the young lad Walker. They cannot possibly be any less effective and the one thing Woodgate cannot afford any longer is playing with ten men for most of the game.

      As things stand SG is in a hole dug entirely by his own stubborn will, his reputation has suffered massively, indeed with younger fans its poor to middling at best. Sacking Woodgate would require a huge slice of humble pie, something SG is not renowned for so my guess is we will see a Director of Coaching arrive sometime very soon indeed. Just as it was always planned and intended of course back in the Summer, cough, cough. Its just that the interviews hadn’t been completed in time and they wanted to wait to make sure they got their man who was first choice all along.

      The attendance was well down yesterday from the reported figure even allowing for the away support. If nothing changes the crowds will drop further with even Season Card holders not bothering to turn up as many did yesterday. Card holders preferring to stay at home for televised games is one thing but not bothering to turn up at 3.00 pm on a Saturday should start alarm bells ringing. Some tough decisions need to be made and quickly.

      1. I was one of those season card holders missing yesterday, RR, but in my case it was because of my wife’s birthday party. I was banned from attending! However, I bet most of the absentees had no such excuse!

        I’ll be at Huddersfield on Wednesday, and regardless of the result, I’ll be in my usual seat on Saturday against Fulham.

      2. Clive

        You wouldn’t believe the number of Birthdays and parties over this last weekend because judging by the sea of red plastic yesterday there must have been quite a few with Wifey banning orders!

    3. As I said in my post seeing the match on the internet and the replays, Fletchers chance was not an open goal. It was a half chance but he snatched at it and did not even hit the target. I have seen Britt score from there, but that was some time ago.

      Not sure what the answer is upfront? Can we afford to gamble over the next four games or have we nothing to lose but points?

  61. Agree with everything you said RR. A step in the right direction. Stick with the team and formation and we’ll be okay from what I saw yesterday.

    I don’t see how the club could have been any more transparent in their austerity drive – when JW was appointed they as much said so in the press conference.

    Give Woody a few seasons and he’ll come good.

    Britt will start scoring soon – he is a streaky striker. Starting Wednesday with a hat trick in a 3-0 win – hick! UTB

    1. Britt has never delivered consistently against the top half sides which is why he has never risen above his present level. Had we done more due diligence instead of just looking at the headline goals scored stats we probably wouldn’t have parted with anything like even half of that £15M. Wednesday however would be a very good time to shut his many detractors up.

    1. I read that Ian and then re read it again but couldn’t see any statistical analysis for Cow’s backsides and Banjo’s. Surely it has to be in there somewhere amongst all those angles and shaded areas?

      Seriously though an interesting read and one which probably confirms something that deep down we already knew and that is that all that analysis means nothing to Boro’s recruitment team. If we offer eye watering transfer fees then surely they will score, simple this football lark!

      1. RR

        I agree but players who can confound those stats are worth their weight in gold.

        Any guesses for which un precious metal fits our scrap metal merchants?

  63. Thanks Werder for the match preview and Redcar Red for the inquest. I thought that was the best fight the team have shown in the matches I’ve seen so far but the result was the same. The players looked very down after the game. Will they continue to show that fight or revert to the poor form of too many of the other games.
    My natural pessimism has now completely taken over and, having failed to pick up points against the mainly “poorer” teams the fixture list gave us to start the season, it is hard to see many points coming from the games against some of the higher placed teams. Not looking forward to the Fulham match and unless there is a change in results I will have to think whether the hotel/rail costs and disruption of the nights away from home are worthwhile.

  64. I wonder if we have an old fashioned parkie at Rockcliffe who shouts at the players if they get in to box?
    ‘Geroff the grass, stop making a mess of my penalty areas, go play over there!’

  65. Werdermouth
    I always look at the weekend’s football results and league tables across Europe on a Monday morning and was surprised how close the table is albeit after only 8 matches with a mere 2 points separating the top 9 clubs. I don’t know if you follow the German Bundesliga but this the closest I can recall for many a season.

    1. To be honest Ken these days I don’t follow much football beyond watching Boro in the Championship and some of the Premier League highlights these days. I should add that Werder Bremen’s demise as contenders seemed to have coincided with my arrival in Germany – they used to compete for the title with Bayern but now usually finish just above the relegation zone. Also as my 9-year old has no interest in football and of course Mrs Werder cares little for it either, so German football passes me by.

  66. Dom Shaw quoted some interesting stats in a piece in the Gazette this morning:

    “Boro are averaging 12.8 shots per game this season, better than Sheffield Wednesday, Bristol City and Preston. North End, though, have more than doubled Boro’s goal tally”

    Shoring things up at the back is important but if Woodgate sticks with the three plus two wing backs then the defensive problem should be solved, maybe not top six solved but comfortably top ten solved. The big problem now is that attempts statistic. We have long joked on here about Britt needing 6 golden opportunities to convert just one chance but even that has worn thin now. I’m not even convinced that he gets into scoring opportunities any more let alone convert anything.

    Woodgate is caught between a rock and a hard place, drop him and his value drops even more but playing him means the team drops down the table even more. If he gets dropped now his hunger may return with a vengeance next month and be in peak form for the January transfer window. Keep playing him and this team isn’t good enough to carry him, Britt is a bit of an indulgent luxury, fine if you can accommodate and afford it but a liability if you are on the bones of your backside.

    Stick Browne up there, Dijksteel, McNair, Walker, just about anybody because they cannot possible have any less of an impact than our current Jaffa Strikers and the likelihood is that they will convert a few attempts. Desperate times call for desperate and bold measures. Meanwhile our set pieces need reigning in and some planning, practice, control and order brought to bear with them. At the moment they look hopeful, ill thought out and hit and hope at best.

    If we have a short corner routine then it has to count, if we have a free kick then it has to make the opponents work. Likewise throw ins, Shotton still has a long throw so use it. Getting Fry, Ayala and McNair up into the box for knock on’s or knock downs from a throw should be a given. Play for throw ins in the danger area if there is no one on the box to cross to. The fans don’t care that a Boro goal didn’t come from a fantastic solo dribble beating five players and a left footed volley from 20 yards out into the back of the net we just want to see the opposition net bulge even if it goes in off someone’s backside.

    1. RR, Whilst I agree with the sentiment of your post, I am not convinced Fletcher will offer anything extra. Most of the others are even more light weight than Britt and at the moment there are still too many long punts for him to try and control/layoff.

      Unless we actually get more passes and balls from wide into the opposition box so turning their defenders we will continue to struggle, regardless who is up front.

      I still believe that Wing is wasted playing deep and should be the most forward of the three midfielders, if that is what we are playing.

      I do agree that something has to change, just not sure if we have the right man?

    2. Unless we bite the bullet and try to offload Britt in January then he will have next to no value left as he enters the last year of his contract – though knowing Boro they will probably offer him an extension in the hope he comes good eventually.

    3. RR

      Good post and sound reasoning.

      I still don’t think Tav does enough tracking back or really hurting teams and whilst I can go with giving players a run in the team I thought Fletcher should have been introduced earlier on Saturday

      OFB

  67. werdermouth, I sent you an email stating I had problems getting on Diasboro this morning but what ever it was, it has corrected itself, thanks anyway.

    Come on BORO.

  68. Redcar Red
    I’ve researched your query about Britt Assombalonga and can confirm that you’re quite correct. It was in the 2016/17 season where Forest were indeed fighting relegation. In their penultimate home game Forest beat Reading 3-2 and Britt scored twice. Two weeks later in Forest’s last game of the season they beat Ipswich 3-0 at home in front of their biggest crowd of the season (over 28,000) and Britt scored twice again, one from the penalty spot. Forest thus finished on 51 points in 21st position level with Blackburn who were relegated with an inferior goal difference. Of course Boro signed him that Summer.

    1. Thanks Ken, I’m relieved my memory is still cognitive it appears!

      I think on the basis of that short purple patch we must have valued him at £15 million.

      1. The fact that Premier League Burnley dropped out of the bidding at £8m probably indicates that is real value was probably half what we paid. Interestingly his stats have always looked good at Peterborough and Forest he more or less had a 1 in 2 record and before this season his record at Boro was a respectable 1 in 3.

        His real problem is that if he’s not scoring goals then he offers very little else in terms of assists, tackles or holding the ball up. Unless Boro build their team around his main strength (which is not always the case) of playing him through when facing goal then he’s not the right player to have as your striker.

  69. I have to agree with RR re the “striker” situation. Britt is definitely a luxury we cannot afford in our current situation, so we have to give Walker a go. We won’t know if he’s good enough unless we try him. As RR says, no matter who we try up front, it couldn’t be any worse.
    I also agree with him regarding set plays and the fact that we’d be happy with any sort of goal, Let’s face it, the Baggies goal was scrappy, but they all count!
    I can’t remember the last time we had a striker who attacked the balls into the box or “poached” scrappy goals. You can’t keep on waiting for the ball to arrive on a plate.
    I don’t want strikers who can perform somersaults like him but I would hope that RK can teach somebody in the squad a few tricks of the “goal scoring” trade.
    The positives from Saturday will count for nothing, unless we start putting our chances away.
    Rant over.

  70. Tyrone O’Neill is banging them in at Darlington. Two more on Saturday.

    His loan will end after Chrismas and then we will have another striker in our ranks.

    Just saying, like. Up the Boro!

  71. I too agree with RR regarding Britt but it isn’t just him it’s throughout the team that the problem is manifest.

    As has been said before, it is down to a lack of composure, ability, decision making and execution in the final third of the field and particularly in the box.

    An example of this was the breakaway in the second half when Fletcher broke from the half way but seemed unclear as to his intentions and eventually the move broke down without a shot on goal.

    This has been going on for years and is one of the main reason why we are a low scoring side. Our ineffectiveness is also impacted, as RR has pointed out, by our ineptitude at all forms of dead ball situations and a failure to capitalise on them.

    My concern is that we are failing to demonstrate the appropriate attributes at the start of the season when it is not as pressurised.

    Once we reach the business end of the season we are not suddenly going to overcome these failings. In fact, in the heat of battle when we are likely to be playing lots of must win games, these failings tend to be exacerbated by the pressure of the occasion.

    Something has to change but it is not easy to pinpoint exactly what, as successive managers have tried and failed.

    Perhaps playing one or two of the kids upfront who may play without fear and a bit more freedom may be worth a try but the rest of the team need to step up and start delivering as well. 😎

  72. I note that the general opinion is that Britt is the reason that we are not scoring goals.
    I also note that the majority then find some kind of excuse for his utter failure to deliver.
    It is salutary to remember that our golden start to the season came to a shuddering halt as Britt grabbed the ball when we got a penalty to kill off the opposition late on. Yes he blasted it into the stands, where else? But he did give a great grin as he ran away from the congratulations (from the opposition).
    At this point our learner coach stepped up to the mark and said, ” I have the uttermost confidence in Britt, anyone can fail from the spot, and he is taking our kicks”.
    Of course, the golden boy promptly missed another, repeat of the aforesaid statement, that put us out of the Cup, but hey what’s the problem? He still gets to take them. Does anyone see the trajectory of this type of coaching, and its effect on confidence.
    We will not even think of the sheer horror of the inference? That he has no idea whatsoever about managing a team, is unable to see what is staring him in the face, and could not change it anyway.
    He obviously has no intention of playing Wing in a goalscoring position, ditto Tav.
    God help us if some better run club offers even a small fee for them both, we would probably use the fee to extend Gestede’s contract.

    1. Britt Assombalonga has so far scored 126 goals in 294 appearances for all his clubs. He appears to have been the assigned penalty taker for most of them and has scored 15 to date but missed 5, a success rate of 75%. However for Boro he has scored 3 penalties and missed 2, a success rate of only 60%.

  74. I hear that the new Ticketing Office Manager has left his position. I’m led to believe he was forward thinking with lots of ideas and initiatives. Conclusions will no doubt be drawn but there does seem to be a pattern emerging from the Club regardless of the tittle tattle on social media.

    1. The Business functions manager has resigned from the Boro and has been there nine years and I knew him well. A true Boro supporter and he is going to Newcastle Racecourse.

      Slimming down the rank and file……………………..

      OFB

    1. I think the Admiral of the fleet will be throwing as many overboard as he can to lighten the load!

      Normally fans would be up in arms but many have proven to be dead-weights.

  76. The FA Cup draw has not been very kind to our local clubs. Hartlepool are drawn away to either Haringey or Yeovil, whilst Darlington are also away to Walsall. Meanwhile Whitby Town lost their replay at Stourbridge last night 2-3 after leading 2-1.

    Two observations I made from last night’s draw was that it has become an ‘open’ draw now for several years rather than a regionalised draw thus reducing the chances of local derbies and also meaning greater travelling distances for some clubs.
    Secondly, although I’m sure that there is no impropriety in the draw, wouldn’t it be better if all the balls were blank but able to be opened with perhaps a piece of paper inside containing the number, making it impossible for the persons picking out the balls to know which clubs they were selecting? I could see the numbers of some of the balls as they were selected before they were announced, so I guess so could the two people picking them.

    1. gt, the three you mention are all LB’s, Dijksteel, whatever he is or will be, plays on the right.
      We did need a RB, whether he will turn out to be the correct one?

      You also also ask the question, did he make the correct decision joining Boro.
      Charlton are looking rather comfortable at present. Maybe we should of signed Boyer, he would of been cheap also.

  77. Apparently Dyksteel has only been playing RB for half a season, he was converted from a defensive midfield player , now I know why?
    We have a Scottish u23 left back , young Coulson and Friend, why another inexperienced one from Blackpool?
    We also sign two players from the tenth tier or something .
    I’m all for not blowing money away as in the past , but don’t you sign players that are ready to push for a starting position.
    It boggles the mind it really does.
    I’d keep Brit, but Fletcher has had more than a chance to improve, but he is what he is, Barnsley might take him, and if we could get £ 1.5 m take it.
    January could be interesting with all of those contracts coming to an end

    1. I think January will prove to be as inspirational as it was in 2017 when our Premiership survival depended on it and Karanka ended up with Bamford, Gestede and Guedioura.

      There is almost an air of resigned defeatism emanating from the club (and the Gazette) and it has percolated quickly to the terraces. Its very difficult to get behind and support indifference. If performances on the pitch and results do not improve quickly the Riverside could be more like a mausoleum in terms of atmosphere before very long. If things do get that far then everyone loses, fans, players, management and SG himself. As I have repeated on here many times before the best piece of management advice I ever heard was “you don’t get yourself into those situations!”

  78. Ken, AV was talking about the ‘success’ of the three North Eastern teams lately. All three are having some issues on the field this season. And more over, Sunderland are in the 3rd tier for a second year now.

    I was wondering how many NE teams we have had in the top tier usually. I think it has been usually two in the top and one on the second tier. But occasionally all three in the old First Division.

    So an update on the matter would be greatly appreciated, Ken!

    Up the Boro!

    1. Jarkko
      This Football League started in 1888, so excluding 4 years lost during World War1 and 7 more lost during World War 2, this is the 121st season. In that time the 3 largest North East clubs have only spent 41 seasons in the top flight at the same time as follows:-
      1902/1924 (18 seasons)
      1927/1928 (1 season)
      1929/1934 (5 seasons)
      1948/1954 (6 seasons)
      1974/1977 (3 seasons)
      1996/1997 (1 season)
      1999/2003 (4 seasons)
      2005/2006 (1 season)
      2007/2009 (2 seasons)

      Sunderland joined the First Division in 1890 and have been in the top flight for 87 seasons and first relegated in 1958.
      Newcastle joined the First Division in 1898 and have been in the top flight for 88 seasons and first relegated in 1934.
      Middlesbrough were promoted to the First Division in 1902 and have been in the top flight for 61 seasons and first relegated in 1924.

      Interestingly there have also been 3 seasons when none of them were in the top division:-
      1961/1963 (2 seasons)
      1991/1992 (1 season)

      1. Excelent, Ken. Thank you very much.

        It looks like all the three should be there again one year if the trend is to continue. But I am afraid it will take at least five years.

        Let’s hope we will get promoted before the Magpies come down.

        More likely is that all three are in the same tier next. Sunderland won 5-0 yesterday, so all the three could be in the Championship next season!

        Up the Boro!

  79. It would be folly to offload Assombalonga at a discount price. Blaming him for our lack of goals scored is like blaming Randolph for all the goals we have conceded so far.

    The team is playing badly, that is why we are at the wrong end of the league.

      1. Pedro
        We have a hatred of success as a club, plus a fear of hiring someone who is shooting the lights out.
        Maybe it is a fear of the spotlight being on us as a club, the Cowleys would have been a good choice with their upward trajectory allied with their naked ambition to succeed at all costs.
        I suppose that what depresses is the utter lack of curiosity as to how far they could go with an established club with a few readies.
        The maddening thing is we were in such a state that the risk was non existent.

    2. GHW
      We can admire the goal stats for Britt till the cows come home, but the truth remains that waiting for Britt to score has got us where we are (and sinking).
      All efforts to feed him are vain, I have not seen any away CB break sweat at home this season, and that is a deadly stat for the club.
      To bring on subs (too late, of course) and see Britt still on the field is the outside of enough.
      When one thinks that failure to score leads to the dropping of great strikers every week, and their managers do not sugar the pill, telling the national press, ” yes our striker has not scored for the last three matches (approximately 8 days) so he understands that he is on the bench for a couple of weeks”.
      So to witness our team playing with ten men match after match is startling.
      It really is a question of when the coach’s nerve snaps, and my guess is one week at best.

    3. GHW

      I agree, it is a collective problem, as Britt is part of the collective then he shoulders his share of the blame but his share only.

      We are just not very effective at the moment, the problem is that ‘at the moment’ shows little sign of becoming in the past tense.

  80. Fair enough Plato, I get it, Britt’s performances have been poor and you think he should be dropped. Now for the interesting bit, who are you proposing we should be playing instead of him and based on what criteria?
    For full marks, please show your workings out. And answers like “the young lad” do not count.

    1. I’d play that woman who makes the soup and sandwiches at half time for the Press mob. At least she turns up every week and manages to keep things hot even if she does need a thermos.

      I doubt if she would have opposing CB’s walking off the pitch muddied and battered, gasping for breath knowing that they had been in a game but there again nothing new about that.

    2. Wiggies mate
      If you are trying to put out a team to win matches in a league that you know well, i.e. What it requires to win matches, what you must avoid at all costs, and so on.
      Then I am sure you will agree that our attempts at this moment in time are many a mile from that aim.
      It is a fact that we are fielding, on a weekly basis, a striker who is not going to score goals, plus the fact that he does not do enough in the unpleasant side of the game, and that would be giving the centre back a brutal afternoon, add in the fact that his ability in the air is questionable at best, (do not mention penalties, or open goals) and you have a picture which points up a problem at the very least.
      Many teams have this problem, very few have paid 15 million and a large salary.
      Britt is not going anywhere, he would be a fool to do so.
      But that is no reason why we should be providing him with his weekly fix of High? Level sport.
      We have a track record with strikers, one remembers Bamford getting something silly like 7-8 goals as a fox in the box, in three matches, then being dropped, then sold. Hmmm!
      We are not looking for an answer to our problem, so to say there is no answer is simply not true.
      But to keep doing what you are doing is not working.

      1. All points with some relevance, however, the question remains who are you suggesting we play in his stead?

        Anyone can see the problem, but I deal in facts. So I would simply like to know, in the here and now where Bamford (and Traore) are no longer options, what your solution is rather than continually blasting a player who like it or not is still our best chance of a goal and a manager who whether you agree with his appointment or not, can only pick from the available squad.

        2. Born in Fenton, Staffordshire,[2] Shotton joined his local league side, Stoke City, where he progressed through the youth ranks and was handed a professional contract in 2007.[3] He then moved on loan to Altrincham of the Conference National,[4] where he spent most of the 2007–08 season. He began at centre back before slotting into the right-back position,[citation needed] and he also played some matches as a forward, scoring five goals. !!!!

          So perhaps we need to move Shotton forward ?

          OFB

      3. If we are going to play with a conventional back four then I’d give it a go with Fry and Ayala as CB’s or even bring in Woods for a back three. At least he would put himself about, win a few headers and his shooting couldn’t be any worse. Desperate times need desperate measures and we are way past that “transitional” story we are now well and truly in the clart and need to start shovelling quickly.

  83. The Baggies managed to bag a brace late on to peg Barnsley back tonight and Wednesday beat Stoke so we still remain two points clear off the bottom spot and one point outside the bottom three with the Terriers coming up tomorrow night. Win or draw tomorrow and we keep out of the danger zone. Lose and we are in the bottom three and two points from safety. The more this season goes on its feeling more like Maddren than Mogga.

    1. Problem is he wouldn’t be believed regardless right now so no point in him saying anything, damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t but its a situation of his making.

  85. I hope we will play like we did on Saturday. And not like at Birmingham.

    If the above happens, I think we can get a draw. I will predict a 2-2 draw. Assombalonga hitting both. He is due a goal or two.

    But the performance must be there. I hope to enjoy the match via Riverside Live.

    Up the Boro!

  86. Unfortunately or may be that could be fortunately I am in Porto until Saturday, so will miss the next two game on the little screen.
    After last nights results we are standing perilously over the trapdoor into the bottom three which can be hard to get out of once you are there.

    I cannot see any changes in the line up as Woodgate was (easily) pleased with what he saw. Possibly a tight game with not much in it. If Huddersfield score will we be doomed?
    I would take Jarkko’s prediction but cannot see us scoring two goals. A little luck would help possibly.

  87. Pedro
    I love Porto, the railway station is fascinating and so is a trip on the Douro. As for the match tonight I’d settle for a goalless draw, not a prediction mind, as I’m very rarely right.

  88. Just realised that the Huddersfield match is live on TV here. So I suppose it is not to be seen via Riverside Live.

    I would prefer to see it on the Riverside Live as then there would be a local commentary. The quality of the picture is about the same.

    Yes, Pedro I am optimist as ever. But we are due to get some goals if we play as on Saturday.

    A tought match, though. Up the Boro!

  89. Just to add to the discussion over Britt Assombalonga – I was looking at his Championship record yesterday and have collated his stats over those 5 seasons. Note I didn’t include 2015-16 as he missed nearly the whole season through injury and made just 4 appearances from the bench.

    --------------------------------------------------------------
                   Middlesbrough              Nottm Forest
                   -------------------------  ----------------
                   2019-20  2018-19  2017-18  2016-17  2014-15
--------------------------------------------------------------
Games (starts)      12(12)   42(28)   44(34)   32(20)   29(27)
Total goals (pen)    3(0)    14(2)    15(1)    14(2)    15(2)
Top scorer table    29th     15th      7th     11th     13th
Total assists        2        1        0        1        0
Tackles per game     0        1        0        0        1

Games per goal       4.00     3.00     2.93     2.29     1.93
Shots per game       1.67     1.31     1.84     1.44     2.21
On target per game   0.83     0.64     0.80     0.81     0.79
Shooting accuracy   50.0%    49.1%    43.2%    56.5%    35.9%
Shots per goal       6.67     3.93     5.40     3.29     4.27
--------------------------------------------------------------

    As I’ve mentioned before Britt is not the kind of player who will normally provide assists, though rather surprisingly he’s already beaten his previous best in a season with 2 this term. He also rarely wins the ball back as it’s lucky if he makes a tackle in a game.

    So Assombalonga primarily a goal scorer and since moving to Boro has generally got a goal every three games. What’s interesting is that he doesn’t make that many shots in a game and indeed has averaged less than one shot on target per game over every season in the Championship he’s played.

    Of course shooting accuracy is important but even one straight at the keeper is deemed on target and the key is obviously to get it past the man between the sticks. Therefore, the shots per goal is probably a good indicator of how a striker is performing and we can see that this season only around 1 in 7 of Britt’s efforts are finding the net. So our main striker must either make more shots or make his efforts better. It’s not that he’s getting significantly fewer opportunities to shoot than in previous seasons.

    It may be worth looking at the stats of leading scorer Teemu Pukki last season as a comparison. Interestingly, his shots per goal are slightly below what Britt managed in his last season at Forest that prompted Boro to shell out £15m for his services, when their shooting accuracy is almost identical. The reason Pukki scored 29 is probably down to playing in a team where he was getting more scoring opportunities (101 shots attempted).

    --------------------------
Teemu Pukki        2018-19
--------------------------
Played (starts)     43(0)
Total goals (pen)   29(0)
Top scorer table     1st
Total assists        3
Tackles per game     1

Games per goal       1.5
Shots per game       2.35
On target per game   1.33
Shooting accuracy   56.4%
Shots per goal       3.48
--------------------------

    The question is whether Britt can up his game and get back to the kind of stats that saw Boro part with all that cash. Perhaps the role he plays at Boro is not suited to his game and in that case I would consider if January is now the optimum time to offload him for a reasonable fee. In terms of his asset value on the books, then usually the transfer fee is divided by the length of the contract.

    So in theory his book value will be around £6m in January and £4m in the summer as he enters the last year of his contract. The only way that will rise significantly is if he starts scoring goals and his market value rises above his asset value. I suspect given he’ll be on wages that matched his £15m transfer fee (£30 grand a week plus) then Boro will need to move him on in the next 18 months as promotion looks extremely unlikely before his contract ends. Therefore, any offers around £7m should be acceptable and it’s pretty much what we sold Bamford for. The only way we’ll get more is if he goes on a scoring run and then we probably wouldn’t then want to sell him.

  90. I guess that if BA was working in a performance related pay environment then he would be rated as “not meeting expectations” at his pay review! 😎

  91. Interesting piece on Danny Cowley (sighs) from AV in the Gazette today. Its a shame perhaps that he was never mentioned on here or other social media sites during the summer of spin, well maybe just a few hundred times.

    https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/danny-cowley-reveals-depth-middlesbrough-17129444

    It would appear that he knows quite a bit about football and a few Boro players to boot. Reading his words and analysis of our players it leaves you scratching your head as to why we are not in the top six.

  92. It may be of interest to some that the name of the player who is the joint-third highest Championship scorer this season with 7 goals for QPR is a certain Jordan Hugill, who is also joined on 7 by his team-mate Nahki Wells with another team-mate Eberechi Eze just one behind on 6 goals. Britt is currently down in 29th with just 3 goals with no other Boro player in the top 50. Indeed, Paddy McNair with two is the only other man in a Boro shirt to score more than one goal this season. I guess scoring goals is as usual a problem on Teesside!

  93. Rumours abound that Randolph injured himself in training on Monday and is now seemingly doubtful for tonight. Its a great opportunity for Pears if he gets the nod and maybe a measure of how much Randolph will be missed in January if a decent offer comes in. There again it might not!

    Lets hope the news of his demise is much exaggerated but if it is then lets hope Pears puts in the performance of his career. All assuming of course that its not Mejias who gets the nod.

  94. I know its only highlights ,but watching the other championship games lately, every team looks much more fluid going forward than,us, QPR are a different team now.
    What is going on at Boro, they are .pedestrian compared,
    Its obvious now a major overall is required on the field,
    We are lacking so much quality and thought,and still the same people running the show.
    We need two number tens on at the same time dictating play, they are the cog that drives the bus, if they are good players they can make it easier for the rest of the team,strikers will score if they get the right pass.
    Tonight
    1 – 1

  96. Well, glutton for punishment that I am, I am heading to the Huddersfield game tonight since it is nearer than a home game so won’t be home so late! And only £10 to boot.

    Traveling in hope rather than expectation and if Randolph is out, then it may be a miserable night but who knows!

    Anyway, I hope the mist doesn’t descend like it did one time I went to Huddersfield – didn’t see Boro score at the other end and the only way we knew was when the players came backm8nto view celebrating!

    So I will be saying 2 2 with Boro conceding in the dying minutes to disappoint the travelling fans.

  99. Interesting team selection, which has two changes from Saturday with Pears replacing injured Randolph as RR said may happen and Britt dropped and replaced by Fletcher. Coulson also returns to the bench.

    Team: Pears, Howson, Ayala, Fry, Shotton, Johnson, Saville, Wing, McNair, Fletcher, Tavernier.

  100. In terms of predictions for today’s game – well my problem is Boro’s lack of goals and we have yet to win on our travels this season. Huddersfield are unbeaten in their last four and you feel the Cowley brothers are starting to get to grips with their task.

    I think tonight is an opportunity for someone like Fletcher to make a statement that could well shape his career if shows he can be the main man. I think he offers more with his game than just being a striker and if he were to link up well with Tavernier it could be one of those defining moments for both him and his manager.

    On that basis I think we may see a Boro win but much will depend on whether Pears also has a decent game and the defence carries on improving.

    Prediction: 2-1 to Boro with Goals from Fletcher and Tavernier.

  104. My friend Ayala, Sky’s Motm.
    Fletcher surely has to go in January along with Balonga or whatever his name is ! Get some hungry young kid up front, couldn’t do any worse than them two.

  105. A similar performance to Saturday in that plenty of energy and much better defensively but once again very little poise and composure in the final third. Fletcher had his chance to make a case but again missed a sitter that looked easier to score. Britt came on and didn’t convince either as he wasn’t decisive enough when he was put in some good positions and also couldn’t control the ball. Howson also looked off he pace to me and hasn’t found the form he had at the end of last season – Saville also nothing special. Wing was a little better but still needs to improve. Johnson again looked our most dangerous player and an odd choice to be hooked. Ayala deservedly MOM and in the end Boro lacked teeth – we need a some new forwards it’s the same old failings.

  106. This is a side with no bite, easily muscled off the ball and second best in 50/50s. JW needs to find a way to inject some steel in to them. It’s as if they are in their own little comfort zone.

    I wonder if Graeme Souness would consider helping his old club out and take a few training sessions at Rockliffe. I think they need the proverbial kick up the backside.

    1. Problem is GHW, they are in their own little comfort zone, as they know that there a virtually no alternatives to the side out tonight, no matter how they play.

      Who is on the bench to change things, Britt tonight, then…..???? Mr Gibson approved no major signings. Nobody upfront and that is on the back of our problems under Mr Pulis. Woodgate May be trying to be more attacking but he does not have the players available to him.

      1. As I mentioned earlier Jordan Hugill is currently third in the Championship scoring table with 7 goals – perhaps we just never play to our strikers strengths (whatever that may be). Though it does seem that most strikers who arrive on Teesside quickly lose their mojo and then never look like the player they were supposed to be – that even applies to goal-scoring midfielders like Howson and Saville, plus not to mention defenders like Flint!

  107. Woodgate said in the post-match interview that we dominated possession though the match graphic I’ve just prepared only states we had 43% possession – still it was 10% up on Saturday. If anything we lose possession far too easily.

  108. Boro’s main objective yesterday was to avoid dropping into the bottom three as they headed to the John Smith’s Stadium. So did they ‘Ave it’ all their own way or was it case leaving West Yorkshire feeling a little punch drunk after the hangover of the West Brom defeat. Anyway, here’s one man who always raises the bar when doing the Chamionship rounds – it’s Redcar Red and his view of a couple of swift halves with his match report…

    https://diasboro.club/2019/10/24/huddersfield-0-0-boro/

  110. is it true MFC is replacing its goal of the month comp with a miss of the month comp, how large does that banjo and cow have to get before we can hit its rear end.

  111. At least my excellent meal was not spoilt as I stupidly looked for the score before finishing it. Did not expect Fletcher to do any better, but was relieved not to concede.

    Thanks to RR for his real match report. It was not enjoyable to read, so what it must be like to have to make something out of a pigs ear. I still find it hard to believe we have so many players not performing, when in reality they should be doing so much better. Who next for the number nine spot?
    Is it the players, Woodgate or some of both?

    Ken, enjoying Porto immensely. However there are large numbers of noisy Rangers supporters here for the match against Porto tonight. Let’s hope for a result for them and no trouble.

  112. First away game of the season for me and again I though we played pretty well. Excellent turn out from the Boro fans and a good atmosphere. Tempo, intensity and pressing was much more like it. Interesting to hear Cowley’s comments that our press adversely affected them and forced them to play it longer.

    Pears didn’t have much to do but looked composed. His kicking wasn’t great, I seem to remember his Dad’s wasn’t either!

    Wing had a much better game than Saturday, a lot more movement from him, Woody is obviously trying to mould him into some sort of deep lying play maker, and his passing radar, whilst not quite 100% was more in tune than Saturday. A couple of cross field balls in particular were very good.

    My first sight of Coulson in the first team too, and very impressed with the brief cameo. You have to feel a bit for Bola, not even in the 18 and it’s hard to see a way back for him. Johnson has a lot of energy but lacks a bit of quality.

    But the finishing. Again, what can you do. Woody will quite rightly feel that we should have walked away with 3 points there. He just has to persevere and hope they can turn it around. To be fair to Fletcher and Britt I thought they both caused the Huddersfield defence problems, but you can’t miss chances like the one Fletcher did.

    However, if we keep playing like the last two games, the goals will come and I’m sure we will climb the table.

    Also, 5 academy players on the pitch at the end of the match, which was pleasing.

    1. I hope you’re right that the goals will come but Fletcher has had two bad misses in his last two outings, which is not great for a player who seems to lack self belief. I suspect Assombalonga will start on Saturday and he also is looking like he’s not confident when he gets the ball. In truth Woodgate has few options unless Robbie Keane finds a form of words that inspires Gestede to become fit for purpose.

      Interestingly, with regard to Bola, one of the summarisers said yesterday that he thought the step up from League One to the Championship was the hardest one to make in football. Though yes good to see more academy players coming through, though it should be noted none of three summer signings are now regarded as starters

      1. Yeah, can’t say it’s based on evidence to date!

        I see Huddersfield had their own expensive, non-scoring Benin striker Steve Mounie on the bench last night. Maybe we could do a swap.

    1. I think Boro should be conscious of a brand identity, a concept which they seem to struggle with. That kit last night to me looked like a sixth form college outfit rather than a processional team.

      We play in Red and White and the away kit this term is White and Navy. We shouldn’t be mixing and definitely not matching. I get that the White shorts could lead to a misplaced pass (however highly unlikely) but if White shorts really was such a problem then for me its Red shorts with the Red shirts.

      There is a reason why Global brands pay millions for marketing experts along with strict rules and guidelines on what can be used with what image, colourway or logo where and when. The Club at the minute looks like it is being run on a shoestring budget by amateurs but there is no need to advertise it. Psychology is a major factor in sport, looking the part is crucially important for the correct mindset both for those wearing the kit and those facing them.

      Imagine if Real Madrid took to the Riverside in their all White kit or Barca in their Red and Blue Stripes. It would be goose-bump time, now imagine them in a Canary Yellow third strip and it just doesn’t have the same impact, small margins! When Boro ran out last night it looked to me like someone forgot the full kit or packed the wrong shorts.

      I accept that for many they could play in their underwear and they wouldn’t be bothered but for me Professionalism and attention to detail should be prevalent from top to bottom in any organisation. From Steve Gibson to the Tea Lady with her gleaming, immaculate hostess trolley, polished silver tea pot and a pristine tea towel neatly folded over the handle.

      2. Although those blue shorts pale into insignificance compared to an incident at the weekend. I’m still getting over the migraine caused by watching the Sky Blues of Manchester City taking to the pitch in a yellow and pink gradient kit – I’ve not seen a worse crime against football fashion for many a year and should only be sponsored by Nurofen.

      3. A Freudian slip – a processional team!

        Is that a description of our movement?

        Thanks for the report, much appreciated, sort of, if you know what I mean.

      4. “Processional” was one of those auto corrects but maybe the spellchecker had seen our midfield in “action” never mind our Strikers who looked as though they were anything but Professional.

  114. Our roving reporter Redcar Red turns in yet another stellar report. Dare I say this but perhaps Boro should have won with those missed chances? What’s the problem? Anxiety, nerves, snatching at chances, lack of confidence? Or are they just not very good in front of goal? Don’t answer that.

    I still reckon we need a sports hypnotist to calm them down in front of goal!

    Anyway at least we didn’t concede.

    UTB,

    John

  115. Many thanks to RR for describing the undescribable and glad to see he continued the chess analogy with his stalemate headline 😉 I’m also hopeful that his option to deploy the tea lady with her trolley up front may be heeded as Woodgate may be deemed to be off his trolley if he persists with the two non-scoring options. Incidentally, Woodgate claimed after the match that Britt was merely rested because he’s started all 12 games so far and was not down to his performance.

    He also added that he has complete trust in his strikers and they just going through a bad run like all goal scorers suffer. As the tea lady might say, that’s just taking the biscuit and maybe he should wake up and smell the coffee. Boro need goals if they’re going to escape the bottom three and failure to beat Fulham will no doubt see them swap places with Huddersfield and depending on the scores Stoke could move above us too should they win and we lose.

    It was the 68th minute before Boro managed a shot on target, which was a close range effort either from Ayala or possibly a Huddersfield defender even got the touch. The only other effort on target was a tame looping header from Britt that gave their young keeper catching practice. Most of our best chances came from set pieces and it’s encouraging to see both McNair and particularly Johnson producing good deliveries.

    With Johnson being replaced by Coulson, who looked lively, I wonder if the youngster is being primed for a start. If so then where does Woodgate play Johnson, who along with Ayala and McNair should be nailed on starters. The problem is where does Marvin play if Boro look as Woodgate conceded are going to continue with the new formation after 4-3-3 was finally ditched. I suspect he would only be a replacement for Tav as it looks like we’ll see one of Britt or Fletcher whatever happens.

    There were a few signs of Boro linking up when going forward but in general wires were normally crossed when seeking to attack the opposition. Given the games coming up next with Fulham and then Derby away, it may get worse before it starts to get better – if indeed it does!

  116. Thanks for another excellent report RR.

    A match lacking in quality from both sides and easy to see why they are both down at the bottom of the table.

    The change in shape has clearly helped to tighten the defence albeit both Shotton and now Fry are looking as if they are a mistake waiting to happen. At least they didn’t cost us a goal and a clean sheet was welcome.

    No matter what shape we play or who is in the side the same problems in the final third were evident and are costing us much needed points. 😎

  117. Redcar Red’s excellent report was exactly how I saw the match. Huddersfield had plenty of pace but lacked the finishing which goes back to their promotion season. In the first half apart from McNair’s excellent cross which Ayala should have buried, I thought that Boro were poor with passes going astray and losing most of the one-to-one tackles. Much better in the second half as Town seemed to wilt.

    Like everyone else I was critical of Fletcher’s glaring miss, but having seen a still photograph the ball came at an awkward height for a big man to use his feet. Perhaps he should have chested the ball in the net. As for Assombalonga he was shown to be tugged away when through on goal with the referee only yards away with a clear view. It may be allowed in a contact sport like Rugby League but shirt tugging is a foul in football and the Town player should have been shown a red card in my opinion as his action prevented a clear goalscoring opportunity.

    There is much more to Goalkeeping than making saves which young Pears was efficient at, but I was alarmed at the number of times when he had the opportunity to pick the ball up that he chose to kick it away, always a risky thing to do in case he miskicks. Better by far to kick it from hand, or better still throw it out to a colleague in space. But I don’t want to sound too critical of a young player making his debut and seemingly a tad nervous.

    Overall though despite two improved displays by Boro, I’m not confident that goals will eventually come, and another striker seems to be an essential requirement in January if Boro are to avoid relegation.

  118. RR
    Thank you for taking the time and effort to write your report it is appreciated as ever.

    It seems funny reading a current day match report with Pears in goal it is a real throwback to happier days!

    I don’t really know what to make of our strikers, Fletcher seems to have lost all his confidence and seems unhappy with life at the moment.

    Britt should have had a penalty but would have probably missed it!

    The refereeing decisions seem to be getting worse in this division and more bizarre week by week!

    Nice to see Coulson back and perhaps Saville is settling into the team at last,

    OFB

    1. OFB
      I agree that Saville has produced some pieces of quality of late and the pass that set BA away was one of them.

      Unfortunately BA could not capitalise although, having seen the replays, he clearly had his shirt pulled in clear sight of the ref who bottled it.

      I am still convinced that whilst Howson is doing a good job as a wingback, it is not his true position and we would be a better and stronger team with a midfield which included Howson, Wing, McNair and Saville.

      I believe between them they have the skills and abilities to interchange positions and systems and would be more productive as a unit. If necessary, Clayton could replace one of them if we needed a more defensive set up when playing away from home.

      Up front I would play Eric and Ernie because they can’t do any worse than the current incumbents! But there again what do I know. 😎

  119. RR, Thanks again for a true and fair report of the match, just wish the lads could hit the back of the net as you hit the nail on the head with your reports.
    UTB

  120. When playing badly on a regular basis, the average fan would like to see the manager try other players, if not other systems.
    When same manager, After long drawn out trust in failing player, finally drops same, and enjoys first half of real hope, with half time finding us level and fairly confident of scoring a goal and three points in the second half, then it is counter productive to reintroduce same failing striker.
    This manager is evidencing a streak of stubbornness which does not bode well for his future, 45minutes is not trying a new approach, saying your boy was not dropped is foolish in the extreme, even you must have heard the cheers at the start of the match.
    It ain’t working, so fix it, you are, after all, the manager.

    1. But to be fair, Plato, he hasn’t many options, has he? I wasn’t impressed (again) with Fletcher last night, and I don’t think he is the answer in the long run, as he seems to lack both confidence and the aggressive / get-stuck-in streak that most great strikers have. And then he missed his sitter. I thought Britt did offer rather more when he came on, and maybe the threat of being on the bench might give him the boot up the backside he needs.

      Does anyone else think Gestede is now taking the P*#s? How can he have injured himself AGAIN in the international break when he hasn’t kicked a ball? Can’t we just terminate his contract and pay him off?

      1. Clive, I suggested that some time ago.
        He is taking the proverbial, but as he is probably, then his answer to a pay off would be in full. Woodgate will be thinking what if both Britt and Fletcher got injured.

      2. Clive

        On the question of Gestede, I agree with your suggestion but he has a contract and if he doesn’t want to play ball (forgive the pun) then he does not have to do so as I understand it. 😎

      3. Clive,

        Too many steps into the tattoo parlour, a trip in the garden, a play-station finger injury, physio’s couch incorrectly adjusted or a paper-cut sealing the sick note envelope?

        All serious but we’ll never know which.

        UTB,

        John

        PS I’m surprised another player hasn’t had a quiet word with him.

  122. If he is swinging the lead do we want to pander to Gestede or have him in the team.

    It is a tough call, most players want to play but some of us fans have different views.

    1. At the end of the day, you would hope that the manager/coach selects what he/she believes to be the best choice available for each position. If one of the criteria applied is that “we are spending a lot of money on this players wages so we had better get some value for that” then that simply indicates how weak the manager/coach actually is. If that truly isn’t one of the criteria, and a repeatedly ineffective player continues to be selected, that just indicates how incapable the manager/coach actually is.

  123. To be fair to Gestede, it must be hard to remain motivated as a player when the only time you get on the pitch is for either a clock running-down substitution or a last 5 minute long ball rescue mission. By all accounts he has been cited by other younger players as being helpful to them at the club and has had more than his fair share of injuries. I suspect it’s the problem of being the size, build and age he is, in that his body is now susceptible to injury – I know from being the past my prime highly-tune athlete I am that it’s possible to pick up an injury by simply forgetting to warm up before getting off the sofa sometimes 🙂

  124. Werder

    We all remember players who were regularly injured. Matt Bates, Rhys Williams. Woodie himself. We all looked forward to their returns and the uplift in performance they would herald, their abilities increased as we waited.

    Gestede does not have a history of assured performances with us that improves him whilst sat in the stands. There is no burst of acceleration or touch of wizardly creation to lock away in the memory.

    It is unfortunate for the lad, he is what he is.

    1. Gestede was pretty much the player we bought and his career has been built around that brief partnership he formed with Jordan Rhodes (another player Boro bought and didn’t play but at least got our money back on). It was that 2014-15 season at Blackburn where he scored 20 goals that encouraged first Villa and then Boro to part with their cash.

      Rudy has only started 15 league games for Boro in his three years and just once in the last two seasons – I therefore presume the only reason he hasn’t been moved on is that nobody will remotely match the wages Boro gave him when he signed for the club.

      Gestede has really only had a golden 14 months in his entire career with Blackburn in the Championship where between 25 March 2014 and the 2 May 2015 he scored 29 goals in just 48 appearances. It seems without Jordan Rhodes alongside him he just can’t perform so it’s a pity we didn’t have them both at the same time.

    2. His skill sets haven’t suited any Manager we have had since he was signed. That leads us back to who on earth recruited him and why, for what exactly? Who then sanctioned it, signed the cheque and therein lies the core of the problem!

      Write the theme tune, sing the theme tune……………

        1. Ian

          I wasn’t in Stokesley at lunchtime today and a 4×4 drove past me and the number plate was

          PUL15

          I looked at it and read it aloud to myself and thought that sounds familiar then stopped and thought surely not !!!

          OFB

          1. Things must be bad if Tony Pulis has been summoned to help solve our goal scoring problems – though I’d have thought he would have gone for a zero emissions vehicle rather than 4×4…

  125. Talking of prolific partnerships, one half of that Rhodes-Gestede duo departed the club only a few weeks before big Rudy arrived in what now looks less than joined up thinking.

    Although, in the three and half seasons Jordan Rhodes played for Blackburn before he joined Boro in January 2016 he scored 83 goals in 149 games – since arriving on Teesside and subsequently moving on he’s only scored 20 goals in those four seasons.

    Perhaps this why strikers are reluctant to come to Teesside as it appears nailed on to make them lose their ability to score goals!

      1. Not to mention goal-scoring midfielders and defenders! I should add Bamford has only managed one more goal than Britt this season and has started all 13 game for Leeds – it may take some time to get over his second Teesside experience…

      2. Indeed. And Leeds fans in general don’t rate him due to the number of easy chances he misses.* This season’s stats (from BBC sport)
        Bamford, 4 goals, 1 assist, 33% shots on target, 247 minutes/goal
        Britt, 4 goals, 1 assist, 52% shots on target, 274 minutes/goal

        Given that Bamford is playing for a team in 2nd vs 21st, Britt’s stats look relatively better.**

        When you consider that pretty much every striker we’ve bought since Karanka has been a failure with the exception of 1 season of Bamford and arguably Negredo, you have to figure that the problem has been the way we play. As you say, Boro has become a striker’s graveyard. The only one to get out alive is Stuani.

        *Sound familiar?
        **That said, I would prefer Bamford to Britt because I think he has a better all round game but there’s no indication that he would score any more goals than Britt in our current team.

      3. I think Bamford, Kike or Stuani would all be a far better fit for this squad. Like Rhodes and Gestede,Brit’s skill set just doesn’t fit with the rest of the squad.

        Our midfield is far too slow and ponderous despite no longer playing windscreen wiper football. There are no slick one touches because they have no idea where their team mates are and consequently no anticipation of where to expect them to pop up. That lack of telepathic understanding means that they have to stop, assess and then try and play a ball by which time its far too late. Its just one of the reasons why our Strikers gets poor service.

        Now that the back 3/5 is sorted the midfield needs to be settled to develop understanding. For me that is McNair, Wing and Saville and they need to be left now to have any chance of developing understanding. As for who plays in front thats anyone’s guess as the two recognised Strikers show no killer instinct whatsoever. Browne looks like he could be trouble (both good and bad) and maybe needs to be one of the two up front ahead of the Midfield.

        Wing, Saville and McNair all in theory have goals in them, Browne may just create enough chaos in front to allow them to sneak through. I’d go with Tav as the other front pairing. With those five I think we would create far more chances and opportunities than an isolated immobile lump. Throw in Johnson and Howson popping up down the flanks and its hard not to see something coming off. If Coulson is fit then I’d stick Johnson up there instead of Tav.

        But they aren’t Strikers? I know but who we have aren’t striking so we have to make the best of what we have. It would give opposition Coaches and CB’s an unconventional problem to deal with and just might unsettle many of them to our benefit. We could of course just stick with the same old and hope for something to suddenly change.

  127. RR
    We have been sticking with the same old for far too long/many seasons and that is why we are where we are. It could be many seasons before it is sorted and not necessarily all in one league. 😎

  128. Missed the live transmission of Wednesday’s game. Opted instead to record it in favour of going to the first night of Sorry We Missed You, Ken Loach’s latest film.

    It’s an amazing movie, in my view probably Loach’s best since Kes (in my top 10 films of all time). It’s about what life in Britain today is like for millions of workers in the gig economy and its impact upon family life. Whilst it doesn’t directly address Brexit, it does highlight the importance of current discussions about the further erosion or future protection of workers’ rights. It’s wonderfully well acted and deeply moving. Unless you’re a deregulation ideologue you’ll find it well worth the effort to see.

    Would that one could say the same about the Boro.

    Still, the Huddersfield game showed distinct signs of improvement, and we were deserving of all three points on the day. We would have taken them had we not fluffed three absolute sitters, which I think we’ll find it hard to repeat.

    For me, the biggest improvement over our early season performances lay in the fact that our full-backs, whatever their other limitations, did possess some basic positional sense, something conspicuously lacking in both Bola and Dijksteel. When the latter pair played together they struck me as being the weakest full-back combo in living memory. Pulis’s cavalier abandonment of Fabio, as an unconsidered part of his great de-skilling project, (which, of course, also involved McNair’s exclusion from midfield) particularly sticks in the craw in this regard. We have been in dire need of the Brazilian’s skills and know-how ever since he left.

    I felt for Fletcher on Wednesday. His was a monumentally bad miss, but unlike Clive, I thought he had a good enough first half, showing good control and some fluency in possession, culminating in a great individual effort that almost put us ahead. I do agree with Clive that he is somewhat lacking in aggression and drive. He is clearly a confidence player and that miss will have dented it big-time. I hope the club makes every effort to ensure that that miss doesn’t become an albatross around the young man’s neck. I still think he’s worth persevering with, though I agree that there’s plenty of evidence to support a different view.

    What the Huddersfield game did show us is that we have enough players who are good enough and experienced enough for us to survive this season. If McNair, Wing, and Saville or Howson are allowed to settle in midfield, their understanding and confidence in each other seems bound to improve.

    1. I watched Ken Loach on Question Time and he spoke on the effects of the gig economy and told of an incidence of a van driver on a zero hours contract who suffered from diabetes – the driver had a series of three hospital appointments and each time he took the day off his employer fined him £150 for failing to provide them with cover for his absence. Anyway, he decided against going to the hospital the next time he was ill to avoid being fined and put it off for three days until on the fourth day he collapsed and died. A powerful story of how he thinks zero hours contracts are an erosion of workers rights and create a relationship akin to master and slave.

      As to how we relate such matters to the world of football and obscene contracts of players who don’t even make the team being paid £30 grand or more week for essential zero hours on the pitch perhaps demonstrates the contrast of capitalism and how the market determines someone’s worth.

      I know we sometimes get exasperated with players and bemoan their apparent overpaid existence at the club but I guess they are just as fragile emotionally as everyone else when their job is not going according to plan. I’m sure both Fletcher and Britt are both nice guys who are suffering with their confidence at the moment and hopefully they can come good. However, the real stress is of those workers who can’t even a miss a day at work to have a serious health problem attended to. Footballers live a very privileged life in comparison and perhaps if they can put in to perspective the stress of missing an easy goal then maybe they could relax and enjoy their game and not get overly nervous about what is not a matter of life and death.

      I should add that in reality what people perceive as stressful is relative to the circumstances of your overall life and what you personally view as important. A professional footballer has an entirely different view of what matters and it’s how they deal with that pressure to perform that will ultimately decide if they succeed or not in their career.

      1. QT audience included skilled & qualified people working for agencies at much higher rates than are paid in the rest of the gig economy. They were able to support Katy Andrews in her assertions about the benefits of having no secure income. So it looked as if there are pros and cons to the gig economy, rather than it being a very exploitative system to avoid costs of employing workers.

        OFB

        1. I think the main point Ken Loach was making was that if the flexibility worked in both directions then it would be more of an equal relationship – e.g. a worker could say that they can’t make tomorrow without penalty. Being ‘self employed’ has become a grey area and if a worker is solely employed by one company then they should be entitled to the same rights as an employee – rather than pretending they provide a service to them.

          Delivery drivers are prime examples, it’s the same in Germany too, they only get a few pence for each item delivered and barely have 30 seconds to make the delivery in what is a high pressure gig. They usually all work for big delivery companies who use this as a means to avoid costs, which in turn are delivering items bought online by even bigger companies like Amazon, who are avoiding paying much in the way of tax.

          I recall a few years ago a neighbour once accepted a package for another and then put it on their doorstep when they saw they were back, who then claimed it had gone ‘missing’ and in the end the driver had to pay for the loss out of their own pocket – needless to say that neighbour never got left a package again.

          It’s often all designed to maximise profits at the expense of workers and its a practice that’s open to abuse without proper regulation by governments. So while it may suit some who need a bit of cash, it’s not really suitable as your long-term employment as without guaranteed regular income your credit rating is also deemed unsuitable by the likes of banks and landlords.

  129. Quite a few posters are suggesting trying alternatives up front, Dani, Ryan, Paddy, often citing the example of the successful transition of Big John from fullback to centre forward as evidence proof of concept.

    I’m not saying it can’t work, but the reason that we are invoking John’s successful transition fifty years after the event is that it hasn’t been done since with any success. Not at this club at any rate. Its rare. The few transitions that I can remember being successful seem to me to have gone from front to back. Billy Ashcroft was a comical centre forward converted to a passable (in both senses) centre half and then in emergency was put back up front with a similar impact to his initial experience. Ian Bailey, and Spud-u-like Kernaghan also moved back with reasonable success which seems to support the belief of any striker that playing at the back is easier than playing up front.

    Goals scored in schools football offer little in the way of evidence of latent striking talent. David Wheater was a 60 goals a season “man” in the TJFA. Most young players who enter the pro system play in advanced roles to start with. They would, they are the best players at their school, district or youth team and are often more athletic than their classmates but as they start mixing with their peers gradually drop back as the competition gets stronger and skill comes out on top.

    The idea of moving say Paddy into an advanced role ignores the different skill sets required, playing with your back to play is entirely different to having the game in front of you. Dani attacks the ball well on set pieces, but do we believe that he would immediately understand how to run in behind defences (ok not a strong point for our current forwards I’ll grant you), to stay onside, that he would add a yard of pace? We could uncover a golden nugget, its more likely though that we would knacker one of our few players to look competent at the moment.

    On the other hand Ian Marshall flitted from front to back to great effect for Leicester so I’m not saying it can’t happen, just that it is unlikely.
    If we are at the wild card stage (and I don’t think we are – yet), then personally I would prefer to persuade Robbie to register as a player. His touch looks immaculate and if he’s only good for 20 minutes a match, that would be more than some players in the squad currently offer.

    1. Wiggy’s Mate – btw your posts are always waiting in the WordPress ‘pending for approval’ folder – even the one telling me you’d lost a long post. I’ve no idea why as normally that’s just new posters or those that I place on the approval list. Must be a quirk of WordPress’s spam filter.

      1. Possibly a consequence of posting from a variety of devices/addresses? The price of maintaining a secret identity? Pointless asking me, I know as much about IT as MFC do about customer service.
        And good as always to hear from Len.

      2. I know about IT and even i don’t understand the WordPress filter! btw interesting post and I suspect you’re right about the difficulties of making the switch for defenders. Though I was talking of successful partnerships earlier and seem to recall that Chris Sutton was a defender who formed a prolific pairing with Alan Shearer – also at Blackburn funnily enough.

    3. I did suggest in all seriousness a few weeks ago that despite his age, Robbie Keane might be the answer to our goalscoring problems in the short term. As someone mentioned strikers being converted to defenders is far easier than going the opposite way. Apart from John Hickton the only player I can recall to do it successfully was John Charles, but he was so talented that he could switch those positions regularly as and when circumstances warranted it.

  130. The trouble with someone who is not remotely good enough to play in this team, is the following.
    When the manager finally gives him the chop, and plays some other player as a direct replacement, people expect that he will justify his selection by knocking in a couple.
    To then say ‘ I made the change, no score, so I am going to pick my mate again, at half time.’
    To follow up by telling the national press,’ I did not drop my mate, I rested him’, is being very very silly.
    When it comes to, the manager, or the fans, it never ends well, and as the fans cannot be sacked we can draw our own conclusions.

  131. My son is away in Japan with his young lady so we are flat minding in Angel. We went to Borough Market and the thought occurred that Alex will have Tokyo to himself because most of the country seems to be in a small part of London.

    Just down the river is Fulham, well, quite a bit down the river. What to expect tomorrow?

    The heart says a rejuvenating win, my head says we will be lucky to get away with a point. My points from unexpected sources got a result at Huddersfield, I am invoking the same law again.

    A point, maybe three. Too many Camden Hells!

    And England to beat New Zealand though I will miss the last of the match on the way to the station to travel back

      1. Hope you haven’t tempted fate there KP!

        Some excellent posts above from Len and Wiggy although in his striker analysis Wiggy was remiss in not mentioning the Tea Lady with the hostess trolley. Just imagine, the pace, movement, style and grace with those swivelling wheels not to mention bruised shins and contrast that with Britt’s immobility and Fletcher’s tender touch.

  133. Well I can’t say I’m feeling too confident about today’s game and the chances of even picking up a point, let alone three. It’s hard to see where the goals are going to come from and Boro basically need a scrappy rebound from a corner to go in off Britt’s backside following a wayward shot from Wing.

    Although, if Fulham score first then I fear confidence is so low that the deflation from the terraces will make matters worse on the pitch and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Boro lose something like 3-0. Hopefully, nothing approaching anything like what Southampton suffered last night in that amazing 9-0 thrashing by Leicester. No doubt Fulham will look to test Pears and he may be pressured into more dubious kicking if they did their homework.

    I think Coulson may get a start, otherwise why give him 20 minutes against Huddersfield – but perhaps another start on the bench today to ease him back. Johnson should start for me but will Woodgate make any difficult decisions up front – especially as he still maintains he trusts his strikers even though they seldom look like scoring. Tav’s energy, in what is now the tip of a midfield diamond with Wing at the base and Saville and McNair between them, is probably the system that will benefit from more time on the pitch. I’m tempted to give Fletcher another go as the main striker as why should Britt be given 12 starts to prove himself but others need to make an immediate impact.

    Prediction: only disappointment I’m afraid with the best to hope for another 0-0 but I fear 0-3 is a distinct possibility.

  134. Coffee has replaced Camden Hells as my guide to todays match.

    Oh, what the Hells, points from unexpected sources and a result today though bums may be twitchng.

  135. The law of averages says that eventually these chances will start to be converted. Now that the defence seems to be much more solid ( but please stop Pears from kicking the ball, leave it to the FB’s Aynsley) I expect to see a welcome three points today.

    1. Oh no GHW. Doomed however may be you might get this one correct. Think we will need some luck though.

      Sat in the airport so will miss out today. Let’s hope for something for RR to write about.

    2. GWH
      Forget the football, let’s discuss ‘the law of averages’.
      Every season in all leagues three teams find out the true value of ‘the law of averages’.
      There ain’t no such thing.
      We are at this moment watching our Coach try the ‘ law of averages ‘ to breaking point in the person of Britt. Result? Zilch!
      In the mist of the debacle v Fulham I did notice that for ten minutes we had Wing stationed ten yards out from the front of their box and setting up a few attacks by passing (swiftly) to wide men who had a decent position to attack, we seemed to have some idea what we were about.
      I think that we are going to have to adopt that method of play ( without Britt of course) because what we are doing now is foolish in the extreme, incidently, slow sideways passing, ballooning the ball over the bar, stopping to think when in a shooting position, ring any bells?

  136. I’m going with GHW on this one. We have played more convincingly these last two games and sooner or later we will get the rub of the green. Why not today.
    Bookie-defying 2-0 to Boro!

    1. Powmill

      I’ll go with that too!

      Going to watch from the North Stand today with my eldest son (not done that for a while)

      Mrs OFB still unwell with flu.

      So

      2 0 to the mighty Boro

      OFB

        1. KP

          Many thanks

          She’s been in bed over a week which is most unlike her.

          On the height side she’s happy she’s missed two home games!

          My younger son and two grandsons have given up on Boro which seems to
          Be a worrying trend for the next generation of supporters and something SG needs to be aware of or Stadium will slowly dissipate and dwindle to a few thousand!

          OFB

    2. Would they spare a thought for us ?

      No never so I’m afraid I’m only thinking about our result today and next week and right through to the end of the season

      Fergie Paisley Cloughie never gave a thought to other teams but their own and that’s the way it should be. Self determination!

      Up The Boro

      OFB

  139. Well I am hoping that RR will be forced to write a report which mentions Boro scoring 2 goals and winning! At least there is no VAR or TMO to deny points.

    The fact that we drew on Tuesday will hopefully have given the squad some much needed confidence and providing JW can work out his best formation, then fingers crossed.

    Forecast is 2 1 to Boro.

    On non related football issues, I came across an ex contributor to this forum on another blog and he sends his regards to all on the best football blog in the country.

    He also said to mention to Redcar Red that Spartakboro was right about Northern Ireland

    UTB

  140. So team news is that Coulson starts instead of Johnson but it looks like a return to a back four with Shotton out and not on the bench – possibly injured from that knock at Huddersfield. Britt returns in what looks like a front three with Tav and Fletcher. Not sure about a return to 433 and Woodgate will get a lot of criticism if it backfires. Though there’s no obvious centre-back replacement on the threadbare bench and Boro will be in serious trouble if Fry or Ayala get knacked.

    Team: Pears, Howson, Ayla, Fry, Coulson, Wing, Saville, McNair, Britt, Tav, Fletcher.

    Subs: Mejias, Dijksteel, Bola, Clayton, Liddle, Browne, Johnson.

      1. It seems attack may be the best form of defence today as Boro seem down to the last two centre-backs – I don’t think Woodgate had much option if Shotton is out injured and not sure what has happened to Nathan Wood as he’s not even on the bench. We may need to score 2 or 3 to get a point…

  141. I think the real problem is that a move away from the back three makes us less solid and more prone to conceding goals. We’ve got an unknown quantity in goal with Pears who wasn’t real tested in midweek – plus Coulson returning for his first start. Fry hasn’t looked on form either since returning.

    I wonder if McNair could line up in defence with Tav dropping back into midfield but it would be a surprise given Woodgate promised he’d play in midfield – though if anything happens to Fry or Ayala then he will have to drop to defence unless Dijksteel can play there.

    Looks like Boro will have to go for it this afternoon to keep Fulham’s full-backs pinned in their own half. Could be a tricky game and one in which we need to score first!

    Incidentally, it looks like Fulham are also lining up with 433 too.

  142. As suspected McNair went into the back three and Fulham started on the front foot and seemed to have much of the possession until their keeper was sent off. At least playing with a man advantage may have improved our chances of getting a point – I won’t say win as usual our shooting has been abysmal – well high and wide. At some point we need to get a shot on target and make the extra man count. As things stand Boro in the bottom three as Huddersfield have taken the lead against Barnsley. On the plus side, Wing appears to have found his passing range but our forwards are both static and not looking like scoring.

  143. That was painful. Managed to watch it on I Follow that someone had shared, commentary on BBC Tees which was dreadful, can’t they find anybody better?

    1. That was the worst game I’ve seen for five years or more !

      Seriously thinking of voting with my feet it’s just not enjoyable to spend a weekend after that type of performance

      Gibson has lost the club the fans and the plot

      OFB

  144. Well really not much to add on my half-time comment, Boro’s first shot on target against 10 men came in the 4th minute of injury time and was straight at the keeper. Our strikers confidence has evaporated and they’re almost avoiding getting into goal-scoring opportunities – it’s surely time for RR’s Tea Lady to be given her chance! In reality, given our front two, Fulham started with a two-man advantage and the referee did his best by cutting it to just one in the 17th minute but it was not enough. Into the bottom three and now two away trips at Derby and then QPR to contend with. It’s looking grim!

    1. Werder it’s not looking grim it is grim!

      We are toothless, devoid of ideas and failing to grasp opportunities when presented. Basic mistakes like leaning back when shooting are evident throughout the squad so what is RK doing with them?

      Back in UK for Father in Laws funeral for the next two games so won’t be able to watch via Riverside Live which might be a blessing!

      We are clearly in the race to the bottom! 😎

  145. Inept, pathetic, clueless, shambolic any of these words could be used to describe my football club and that performance today. I’m sure RR will put it more eloquently, I would play robbie Keane up front, because the two cart horses that are the current incumbents are stealing a live and getting money under false pretences.

  146. I’ve tried very hard to find positives from today’s game, but I’m really struggling:- McNair was good (both in his unusual centre-back role and when going forward) and Pears kept a clean sheet. That’s it.

    We had absolutely no clue how to break down a stubborn, well-disciplined Fulham side after they had gone down to ten men. This was a return -and how! – to the woeful backwards and sideways window-wiper passing we have been so used to for so long. Despite howls of frustration from the crowd and many a forlorn cry of ‘Play it forward!’, Boro rarely did. We kept on recycling the ball backwards or across the Fulham lines. And all to absolutely no avail. We very rarely got behind their defence, created hardly any chances, and had just one shot on target – in the 93rd minute. What’s that line about always doing what you’ve always done and getting the same outcome? We had no-one (apart from Paddy on his one slaloming run forward) who was prepared to take on the defenders and no-one capable of playing the defence-splitting pass to play in the forwards.

    I was encouraged by our performance at Huddersfield, and we apparently played well against West Brom. But today was most definitely the performance of a side that will be in the relegation mix come the end of the season, unless something changes radically and rapidly.

    My big question is this: who is coaching these players? Why aren’t the coaches getting more out of them? And why is the coaching not effective? That’s 3 questions, but you get the picture.

    1. Clive

      Who’s coaching the team ?

      Well Pulis has been sat in the Directors box for the last two home games!

      Joined today by Steve Agnew in the Directors Box

      Looks like he might be getting the band back together again but still playing all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order!

      OFB

      1. With Tav crocked and Fulham down to 10 men I was convinced that at half time Woodgate and Keane would have totally reshuffled the pack considering the opposition were sitting deep. Maybe Dijksteel on for Tav and play three at the back pushing Paddy, Howson and Coulson further up. Bring Browne on for Britt who looks to me now that he is just going through the motions and totally disinterested. Something innovative, something that would unlock, create and even score or at least have an attempt on target!

        Instead Tav comes back out and we stick with five at the back with McNair still as a CB. There had been lots of comments about our Head Coaches nous during the Summer but if there was any doubt it was on a silver platter yesterday served up for all to see. To add to it by having a Striking Coach but see both Britt and Fletcher go backwards is beyond astonishing.

        The squad is imbalanced, the squad is weaker, the squad is thin, inexperienced, yes it is all of those things but it is absolutely nowhere near as bad as its current standing or performances. It seems that SG is hell bent on recruiting individuals who are very poor in their roles from operations, scouting, recruiting to contract negotiating to ticketing and now he has managed to top it all off by doing the same with the Coaching Staff who actually look more unfit for purpose than even I believed in the Summer.

        I take zero pleasure from not renewing my season ticket and not only being proved right but even more right than I actually would have believed possible. Anyone with any Business acumen and Management experience could smell the bullshine that was pedalled all summer long. Putting aside my personal misgivings for the appointed individual we may as well have appointed Gazza in the role if SG really though that someone who loves his football and comes from the NE is all it takes. There is a very good reason why mediocre or even average players make the best managers and that the Superstars of whatever era can’t make the grade in Management. It is about intellectual ability, it is about awareness and knowing when and where and how to make decisions and a whole lot more besides. Having footballing skills on the pitch is not the same as footballing intellect (no disrespect to the Gazza’s and George Bests).

        Shankly, Wenger, Busby, Stein, Paisley, Ferguson, Klopp and many more were not players who had high profiles playing for the top sides, even Cloughie never reached the heights albeit down to injury more than anything else. The Charlton Brothers, Bobby was the star whilst Jack was at best a pretty decent CB at the top level but Bobby crashed and burned in Management whilst Jack enjoyed relative success.

        Out of our current squad there is only George Friend who I feel may have the qualities to go on to manage some day but not yet and not now. If that is where his future plans lay go an manage Torquay or get Pools back in the League and work your way up. Getting beat 3-0 on a wet Tuesday night front of 700 in a former colliery village doesn’t have the same attention or impact and allows time for learning and refection on the job. To appoint a rookie with a reputation for not being the sharpest cutting implement in the cutlery department with dreams of Gegenpressing utilising a squad whose DNA was the exact opposite should have sent alarm bless ringing to even the most limited of business individuals. Something must have happened on the trip back from Eindhoven which is looking terminal sadly.

        I have sympathy for Woodgate, its a job most of us would jump at the opportunity for but its a job that we would not be remotely considered suitable for by any rational and normal selection criteria. It happened before with Southgate and lessons were not learned except in this case I have doubts if Woodgate has the prerequisite skills for a Management Career outside of a Sunday league pub team whereas Southgate always came across as eloquent and thoughtful. Its not his fault and its definitely not the fans fault for wanting rid of Pulis, the fans wanted rid of depressing football but they didn’t ask nor want Woodgate. The situation was entirely predictable but those buying into the spin thought that we would revert to a Stan Anderson era for a few seasons while Rome was rebuilt (or “transitioned”) at worst.

        It appears we are skint but is it best to try and save what assets you do have left or let them continue devaluing and end up back where we started, or worse!

        1. RR

          Great Post it just Says it like it is.

          I’m still sore after yesterday and even more disbelief after the Woodgate flippant and disrespectful interview on Radio Tees last night .

          You’re right about Britt he’s not interested now and just wants out

          Fletcher has gone downhill and I couldn’t believe Tav came back on for the second half after his injury

          There was a bit of singing In the North Stand the only time they sang 🎼

          Ooh AITOR KARANKA !
          🎼🎼🎼

          OFB

  147. Well, England got a result in Japan and we sort of got one but against ten men. I will leave those who went to comment. I listened on the internet having just go home in time.

    I wish I had caught a later train from London and watched the last ten of England than the start of our match vs Fulham.

    But we didn’t lose and now on unbeaten in two matches. I know it sounds daft but that is how runs start. I my be convincing myself but string a couple more games together and something may change.

    It is a hope and wishful thinking but that is what we hold on to. I know it is the hope that kills you but what else is there to hold on to?

  148. I await Redcar Red’s report with interest.

    I’ve heard Boro’s inept strikers called carthorses, static, no movement but I think they are ‘running’ on caterpillar tracks. Stationary then clanking around in circles and doing being ineffective.

    The definition striker conjures up an image of speed, unexpected arrival, confused opposition but all they seem to conjure up is a collective sigh of relief from the opposing team. They could almost ignore them even if they were playing with ten men.

    I have a feeling the coaches are more clueless than the team.

    Meanwhile,

    UTB,

    John

    We didn’t concede. I hope to see a Boro goal one day. That word hope again..

  150. Sat in Alicante airport awaiting our flight to Bristol. Just read RR’s report which as always is articulate and accurate but as depressing as the match itself!

    I watched via Riverside Live and couldn’t believe how inept we were. At the end I felt we had lost rather than drawn.

    This is clearly one of the worst squads and management teams in my life time and is beginning to make Strachan and Mogga’s sides look good.

    As far as OFB’s information regarding Agnew and Pulis is concerned, I suspect the former was running an eye over the likes of McNair in his role as coach for the Magpies with them making a bid in January as he is too good for this team. As far as TP is concerned, I suspect that RR will be correct and the club will be announcing the long awaited appointment of a DoF! No wonder BA has been out of sorts for weeks! 😎

  151. If TP is appointed as DOF that will be an admission from SG that his appointment of JW was a major mistake. Whilst Pulis may be installed to help Woodgate it would be obvious to everyone that he is the de facto boss. JW might as well pack his bags at that point.

    Boro are in the bottom three because they are playing abysmally and unfortunately with no sign of any improvement. JW has ditched his earlier fantasy football tactics and reverted to real world football but the damage is already done.

    If SG wants to save this season then I’m afraid Woodgate has to go. Basically, he had his chance and blew it.

    Install Pulis as manager again and once he has stabilised the side and ensured saving their championship status then the chairman can turn his mind to employing a manager to take the club further. In fact, exactly what he should have done at the beginning of this season!

    1. I think I’d prefer Nigel Adkins. The thought of Pulis (plus the undoubted cost) would lead to even more Season Card holders boycotting than are doing so at present. Its too recent and too raw and would alienate rather than unite. I said in the summer that whoever came in has to be a unifying figure that everyone, Chairman, Players and Fans alike could get behind.

      Woodgate wasn’t and never was going to be that figure for a multitude of reasons. The Teesside cronyism has badly flawed judgement. logic and thinking in MFC. Inbred communities do not proper historically for a reason.

      Whoever comes in has to be baggage free to stand a chance. If we have to go back to the future I would suggest Karanka but it rarely works out second time around. The appointment of Danny Cowley who many of us on here were very open to in the Summer highlights just how flawed the thinking and understanding is at MFC. Huddersfield are now top of the Form table and while it is still early days their confidence and belief is growing helped by a few “soft” fixtures undoubtedly but we were one of those “soft” fixtures. Boro have already had their “soft” fixtures behind us as our confidence and belief of Fans and it seem Players alike is firmly on the wane.

      I hope Steve Gibson acts before we get to the headless chicken in the yard situation to which we are very close. Being skint doesn’t mean being meekly accepting of your fate.

      1. The problem is that we probably could not afford to employ TP as RR said purely on cost. Though if we get relegated we would be in an even more precarious financial position.

  152. Redcar Red,

    I don’t know how you put up with it but an honest report none-the-less.

    t must be horrendous to watch and then relive it as you write it, in fact re-reading your report it’s my feeling that the last two paragraphs say it all and were almost all that is needed.

    Where do Boro go from here? I don’t think the coaches have a clue, not one. Boro still need someone in charge with an achievable and structured long-term vision, fantasy is not structured nor is it achievable.

    As GHW says if TP is installed as Director of ‘Football’ this is a lost season, lost opportunity, Boro still have no strategy or plan, then there are the fans. What would a re-appointment of TP do to attendances?

    What a mess. In fact yet another fine mess as one member of another duo once said.

    UTB,

    John

    1. If a DoF is to be appointed to help organise the club and solve the long-standing problem of the team’s failure to score then so be it. If that appointment of DoF is Tony Pulis then perhaps we’re living in a parallel universe given his career record in solving such a problem.

    2. I reckon the shock waves are even affecting the Gazette reporters as both Antony Vickers and Philip Tallentire both mentioned in separate reports that Boro were in the relegation places by way of Huddersfield winning AT Barnsley, whereas both Redcar Red and Werdermouth wrote quite correctly that Huddersfield won AGAINST Barnsley.

      Having spotted the Gazette duo’s mistakes, they pale into insignificance when compared with Steve Gibson’s in appointing an inexperienced Jonathan Woodgate as head coach, and then JW appointing a coaching staff with little experience either. Woodgate to me looked a broken man in his last interview, still insisting he has confidence that his team will soon score goals when all the evidence points to the reverse. “A couple of wins will shoot Boro up to mid table” (quote), but what happens thereafter. Stoke won twice in a row (the last one against Fulham) hasn’t brought new hope to the Potters as they’ve since lost their last two matches.

      Although most of us realise that this is a difficult Division where any team is capable of beating anyone else, the reason for that is because there is not one club in this League worthy of promotion. Boro’s last home game of the season will be at home to Cardiff and the current team if still in the bottom 3 won’t have a cat in hell’s chance of beating a Neil Warnock team. The last game of the season is at Hillsborough. Even if Sheffield Wednesday will have gained promotion by then, Boro have history about being relegated at that venue.

      Relegation would be a disaster as there is an even wider difference between the top teams in Division One than there is between the majority of teams in the Championship. Clubs like Wigan, Blackburn and Rotherham are used to being classed as yo-yo clubs, whereas in recent years neither Boro nor Sunderland aren’t. I might try to demonstrate that tomorrow by looking how relegation affected the likes of former established Premier League clubs like Bolton, Coventry, etc. It won’t make happy reading.

  153. Thank you RR for your live alternative match report……so truthful it really hurts and is so very sad to see the demise of Boro each week.

    What we cannot argue with is that Mr Gibson has been a successful and astute business man in the past. He has Mr O’Neill as Chairman of Bulkhaul and must also have some more very talented people working for that organisation.

    How come therefore he continues to make almost the opposite of success with his Football Club business? These last ten years or more, he has repeatedly made some poor decisions. Yes we can all make better decisions in hindsight and we all make mistakes, it is called experience.

    But Mr Gibson has made some big ones these last few. The season in the EPL with Aitor and a bigger one when his ego got the better of him and he appointed Mr Monk. Now it is looking very much like he has just made his biggest to-date in appointing Woodgate. Yes he was cheap, but then you get what you pay for. Buy cheap, buy twice.

    There were a large number on here understanding the financial situation at the club and opted for the Cowley’s as probably the best and least risky Coach available at our level.

    But no, Mr Gibson and his cohorts knew better and chose from the remnants box our very own Woodgate with all the transparent spin that went with it.

    We had a relative easy ten match start on paper and Woodgate blew that with his own ego “I know best” system. It failed miserably and even after swallowing his pride and changing it has not produced what we would hope.

    I am still convinced we have enough players to get us to around mid table, however NOT with this current Coach.
    Will Mr Gibson change things before it is too late. I do not think he will because that would be a massive blow to his ego and having once more to admit (to himself at least) he has made another big mistake employing this novice.

  154. Once again thanks to RR for adding the cutting edge to another Boro stalemate, who kindly have done their best to keep the chess analogy going – though whether this is checkmate for Woodgate will I suspect depend on what happens in the next two games as the international break is usually the traditional time for such decisions to be made.

    OK, not everything is Woodgate’s fault and the short-comings of the team were not fixed in the summer and indeed the three inexperienced signings no longer feature in the starting line-up. I’d agree that McNair is looking to be our main goal threat and despite being hampered by playing in a back three, he did his best to have a go.

    Indeed, this is the problem of switching to a back three after the season started, we sold Flint, Fry started the campaign injured and we really don’t have enough centre-backs to cope with a Championship season. If this would have been the plan from the off then a different set of priorities would have been made. Playing McNair at the back robs us of our most effective attacking midfielder so it’s a double whammy.

    Also Shotton’s absence may have been down to letting him continue against Huddersfield after a knock, which is why letting Tavernier continue after half time may have a similar effect – he was actually grimacing in pain as he took to the pitch for the second half and it’s likely his ankle will probably now be swelling up.

    As for the strikers, well they are playing themselves further and further out of form and look scared to shoot. It’s surely time to try players who will play without fear even if they are raw and less physical – even Britt’s dubious first touch has deserted him and if Fletcher doesn’t even believe in himself then why should anyone else.

    As for Robbie Keane’s input – perhaps he’s a bit like Glen Hoddle who when he was a young manager was still the best passer and midfielder in training that the other players just got frustrated at their own inadequacies. Maybe Britt and Fletcher just feel they’re no longer worthy and are not cut out to be strikers. Besides, what’s the point in having Keane as a striking coach when he’s never here during the international break when there’s time to do some intense work on shooting. Boro should have insisted on Woodgate having an experienced number two as is usual in such circumstances, instead of just picking a mate who is also learning the game.

  156. Thanks to RR for having to endure the match and then have to relive it all again as he puts pen to paper or finger to keyboard!

    I am kinda pleased that I decided not to make the journey up although will be coming up again in November- never give up on Boro despite all the evidence showing that we are in free fall.

    On paper, there is no obvious reason why we should be where we are in the table. Yes, the squad is not strong enough for a promotion challenge but not a relegation battle. As others have said, the game is played on grass not paper which leads me to the conclusion that the problem lies with the coaching and tactics.

    SG has been a great owner and now I think the emphasis is on the has been. As others have said, I am sure he wouldn’t make the same mistakes with Bulkhaul, getting rid of an experienced (like him or not, TP was experienced), replace him with someone with no managerial experience and then have rookies to support him. And compound that with a cost cutting exercise. Not great business sense.

    I get some of the rationale but one would thought that cost cutting requires a safe pair of hands at the helm, not a rookie. I was ok with JW being appointed on the basis that the players should have been good enough and he would learn. I fear that neither is happening and whilst I am reluctant to be doom and gloom before Christmas, I do fear that there is going to be an uphill battle to get out of our predicament.

    Appointing TP as a DOF does not help in any shape or form, the message is all wrong and having been in a position where my authority was undermined, if I were JW I would resign. That’s what I did in similar circumstances.

    I am not sure what the answer is but something needs to change sharpish if the decline is to be reversed pronto.

    UTB

  157. I feel the same as I did in the second half of the season when were relegated under Scapegate. I cant see any light at the end of the tunnel, we seem to be bereft of ideas as what to do next.

  158. RR

    Just read your match report and I must confess I waited all Sunday Morning before steeling myself to relive the dire match I sat through yesterday

    Appreciate as always your report and perhaps you should have posted at the end

    “I told you what was going to happen with Woodgate!”

    No one would have blamed you as your foreboding has been shown to be extraordinarily accurate!

    Thanks again

    OFB

    1. Bob it didn’t take a genius unfortunately to predict the obvious. I would rather have been proved to have been unfair and wildly inaccurate with Boro sitting six points clear at the top.

      From the outside looking in there appears to be little objectivity at the club with yes men feverishly engaged in cap doffing which isn’t healthy. It has now spread to local journalists but if nobody challenges the status quo in a business reality becomes an illusion based on what an eccentric wants to see and hear. When that happens the sycophants hang around while the good people leave.

      Problems become hidden or wrapped in sugar until the coating wears so thin that the inevitable eventually has to be faced, usually far too late and at far greater cost than should have originally been the case. I suspect that Keith Lamb may have been more forthright than many gave him credit for at the time because despite the negative aspects of many of his decisions things have certainly dipped noticeably since he decided to take a back seat.

      1. RR

        Good Post I’m still pretty down and can’t see a way beyond relegation for us this season.

        One good thing there is a bit of time before the next home game to recover !

        OFB

  159. Whether or not Pulis will become DoF, the club should at least remove the notion that they are in transition to a more attacking style of play. It’s probably also worth reminding ourselves that for all the talk of there being no money, Boro still have a wage bill in excess of £25m and the squad still contains players who arrived on transfer fees in the last two years at a cost of around £60m – plus we still retain the services of the likes of Ayala, Friend and Clayton with promising academy graduates of Fry, Wing, Tavernier, Coulson and others.

    On that basis we should not be looking at having a squad that is in or even close to the bottom three. The reason we are is simply down to poor judgement from those in charge and those appointed to both recruit and move on players to get the most of those resources and indeed those charged with preparing and setting up the team tactically. Of course the players also need to take responsibility too but it’s up to those who decide matters to make better and difficult decisions.

    Ideally, there should be an appointment made before the end of November who can assess matters before January and then look to reconfigure our resources and assets to create a more balanced squad. We need to move out those players who continue to fail to deliver even it we take a financial hit and make sure those we do recruit are not only hungry but can perform at this level.

    Sadly, if Boro are in the bottom three it won’t be an attractive proposition for many players and this probably means we will need a manager who has pulling power in the way Bryan Robson had. The alternative is perhaps a short-term appointment until the end of the season of a manager who is renowned for avoiding relegation – I think we had one of those recently though his task was somewhat other than his speciality. I fear the club have painted themselves into corner and we’re about to get the full benefit of the raison d etre of Tony Pulis. I’m sure the irony will not be lost if he’s hailed as a hero on Teesside for masterminding and grinding out a great escape!

  160. If only the team displayed the wit and accuracy of Werder and RR.

    Just looked at the table and whilst we have worried about the defence, 13 teams have conceded more goals. With all the shuffling of players and systems that is quite remarkable.

    To sat the other end of the pitch is bleak is a gross understatement, we have scored fewer than anyone else in the division.

    1. Pears was even better than on Wednesday. Still distribution was his worst part but not nervous like last week.

      He had a decent match. Of cource not so much pressure as Fulham played with ten men.

      Up the Boro!

      1. Just catching up, but fully agree with Jarkko on Aynsley, he looked OK apart from one drop and overall a little more assured than on Wednesday. Distribution perhaps not his greatest strength but then we had that Aussie bloke from years back who struggled to reach the half way line for his first few seasons and he turned out OK.

        I think we have to stick with Pears regardless as I suspect Randolph will be sold in January to balance the books. I can’t see anyone putting offers in for Assombalonga, Fletcher or Saville but sadly can for McNair.

  162. Today’s bizarre fact. The Bengals are at Wembley for one of games in London. They have flown in 13,000lbs of sundry equipment. Some of which is Ketchup and Peanut Buuter because the dont like the taste of it in the UK.

  163. Watched rookie manager Steven Gerrard interview today before the Rangers Motherwell match. I have to say he is years ahead of another rookie manager ie JW.

      1. Terry is now retired. He has sold his hotel in Spain.

        Last time I saw him he was on good form but he has had health problems.

        I don’t think even SG could tempt him back to the so called beautiful game. 😎

  165. Thanks for your report RR. I traveled home today wondering if it is worth the time and cost for me to go to the matches. It is hard to see where goals will come from when not only have Britt and Fletcher completely lost their way but so have the rest of the team. A “run” of one win looks unlikely never mind the 2 or 3 that JW is aiming for. He is definitely spiky in his post match comments to Radio Tees but they are just asking reasonable questions that the supporters want an answer to.
    I will be at the Hull match but haven’t yet decided about Barnsley though that might be the only winnable game in the next few weeks. I can’t see any good transfers in during January as our poor position would mean paying over the odds both in transfer fees and salaries and our FFP position would prevent that. More likely we will lose some players.

    1. We are away to Derby and QPR then home to Hull on Sky and home again to Barnsley before going to Leeds. If the poor run continues the atmosphere against Hull could be more spiky than one of Woodgates interviews. Then along comes Barnsley at the Riverside. Lose that one and if he is still in charge there is no coming back from it.

      I clicked on one of the Gazette stories this morning seeing AV’s headline “Much of the passion that fuels Middlesbrough has drained away, we are running on fumes”

      https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/much-passion-fuels-middlesbrough-drained-16090613?int_source=taboola&int_medium=display&int_campaign=organic

      I assumed that it was a recent article but the headline is more applicable now than it was back in April and Pulis’s epitaph. That’s the problem with seeds, when you sow them it takes a few months before they fully bloom.

  166. Last week Jarkko posed the question how many seasons had all the big 3 North East Clubs performed in the top Division at the same time. I replied in some detail that it had occurred on 41 occasions. By some coincidence that is the same number of current clubs who have appeared in the top tier, admittedly a few for only a fleeting moment, but here they are:-

    BARNSLEY
    Appeared for only one season in the Premier League in 1997/98, the same season that Boro won promotion under Jack Charlton. However as a Second Division club did win the FA Cup 1-0 against West Brom in 1912 after a replay. Currently bottom of the Championship.

    BIRMINGHAM CITY
    Longest consecutive seasons in the top tier is 18 years between 1921 and 1939. Have spent 39 more seasons in the top tier since but not for any greater consecutive time than those 18 years since. Highest League position 6th in season 1955/56. Relegated from the Premier League in 2011. Have never won the FA Cup but have appeared in 2 Finals. Currently still in the Championship.

    BLACKBURN ROVERS
    Founder members of the Football League in 1888. Longest consecutive seasons in the top tier is 44 years from 1888 until 1936 winning the League twice. Have since spent 18 years in the Premier League though not in consecutive seasons, winning it in 2002. Relegated in 2012 since then having had to spend last season in League One. Have won the FA Cup on 6 occasions. Currently in the Championship.

    BLACKPOOL
    First promoted in 1930 albeit for only 3 seasons. Longest consecutive seasons in the First Division was for 23 seasons from 1937 to 1967. Runners-up in 1955/56. Spent one season in the Premier League in 2010/11, but have even spent a couple of seasons in the 4th tier. Did win the FA Cup in 1953 dubbed the Stanley Matthews Final coming back from a 1-3 deficit to win 4-3. Currently in League One.

    BOLTON WANDERERS
    Founder members of the Football League in 1888. Longest consecutive seasons in the First Division were 18 years from 1911 to 1933, and 22 years from 1935 to 1964. Highest League positions 3rd in 1891/92, 1920/21 and 1924/25. Also spent 11 consecutive years in the Premier League from 2001 to 2012 with a highest position of 6th in 2004/05. Have won the FA Cup 4 times. Currently bottom of League One with minus 5 points.

    BRADFORD CITY
    Spent 10 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1908 to 1922, highest position of 5th in 1911. Also spent 2 seasons in the Premier League from 1999 to 2001, highest position 17th. Have won the FA Cup once in 1911 beating Newcastle United 1-0 after a replay. Currently in League Two.

    BRADFORD PARK AVENUE
    Spent 3 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1914 to 1921. Beat Boro 4 times in that spell. Highest position 9th in 1914/15 season. Currently in the bottom 4 of National League North.

    BRENTFORD
    Spent 5 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1935 to 1947, highest position 5th in 1935/36. Currently in the Championship, but have spent 11 seasons recently in League Two.

    BRISTOL CITY
    Spent 5 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1906 to 1911, runners-up in 1906/07. Have also spent a further 4 seasons in the top tier from 1976 to 1980, highest position 13th in season 1978/79. Currently in the Championship but spent 2 seasons in Division Four in the early 1980’s

    BURY
    The saddest case of all. Spent 17 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1895 to 1912, highest position 5th in 1900/01. Also spent another 5 years in the top tier from 1924 to 1929 finishing 4th in 1925/26 and 5th in both 1924/25 and 1927/28. Also spent 22 consecutive seasons in the Second Division from 1929 to 1957. The nearest they came to promotion to the First Division was in 1937 when they finished 3rd, only 3 points behind 2nd placed Blackpool. Won the FA Cup twice in 1900 beating Southampton 4-0 and again in 1903 beating Derby County 6-0, still the biggest win in an FA Cup Final. Won promotion to League One last season, but went into liquidation and disgracefully not even allowed to participate in League Two this season.

    CARDIFF CITY
    Longest consecutive seasons in the First Division was 8 seasons from 1921 to 1929, highest position 4th in 1921/22. Also spent 5 seasons in the top tier from 1952 to 1957. Relegated from the Premier League after only one season earlier this year. Won the FA Cup once in 1927 beating Arsenal 1-0 although the goal was controversial as it appeared to have gone over the byline before it was centred. The first and only time so far that the FA Cup has left England. Currently in the Championship.

    CARLISLE UNITED
    Promoted with Boro in 1974 and won their first 3 League games in the following season, one of which was 2-0 at Ayresome Park. However lost the return fixture 1-0 a week later and were eventually relegated. Currently in the lower reaches of League Two.

    CHARLTON ATHLETIC
    First promoted to the First Division in 1936 and spent 16 consecutive seasons in the top tier until 1957. Runners-up in their first season. Also spent 7 seasons in the Premier League from 2000 to 2007, highest position 7th in season 2003/04. Won the FA Cup once in 1947. Currently in the Championship.

    COVENTRY CITY
    First promoted in 1967 and spent 34 consecutive seasons in the top tier the last 9 of which were in the Premier League until 2001. Highest position 6th in season 1969/70. Won the FA Cup once in 1987 beating Spurs 3-2 in the Final, but were ignominiously knocked out in the 3rd Round two years later 2-1 by non-league Sutton United. Spent season 2017/18 in Division Two, currently homeless having to play their home matches at St Andrews in League One.

    DERBY COUNTY
    Founder members of the Football League. Spent 19 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1888 to 1907, but their longest spell was 20 seasons from 1926 to 1953. However their halcyon years was during their 11 year period between 1969 to 1980 when they won the First Division title twice in seasons 1971/72 and 1974/75. Although spending 6 consecutive seasons in the Premier League from 1996 to 2002, highest position of 8th in season in 1998/99, they have flattered to deceive since. Won the FA Cup once in 1946 beating Charlton Athletic 4-1 when the ball burst. Strangely it also burst earlier in the League encounter between the same two clubs. Currently in the Championship.

    FULHAM
    Spent 13 consecutive seasons in the Premier League from 2001 to 2014, highest position 7th in season 2008/09. Relegated from the Premier League after only one season earlier this year. Spent 6 consecutive seasons in the Third Division from 1986 to 1992. Never won the FA Cup, though lost 2-0 to West Ham in the 1975 Final. Currently in the Championship.

    GRIMSBY TOWN
    Spent 7 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1934 to 1948, highest position 5th in 1934/35. Have played all its home matches in nearby Cleethorpes since 1898. Spent 5 consecutive seasons in the National Conference League from 2010 to 2015, but currently in League Two.

    HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
    Spent 25 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1920 to 1952 which included the halcyon years between 1922 and 1928 when they finished 3rd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd and 2nd and also won the FA Cup in the first of those seasons for their first and only time. Spent 5 seasons in the 4th Division from 1975 to 1980. Recently spent 2 seasons in the Premier League but relegated earlier this year. Currently in the Championship.

    HULL CITY
    Have spent 5 seasons in two separate periods in the Premier League, highest position of 16th in season 2013/14. Have generally flirted between the Second and Third tiers, though spent a couple of seasons in Division Four in the early 1980’s. Currently in the Championship.

    IPSWICH TOWN
    Didn’t enter the Third Division South until 1938, but after finishing Champions of the Second Division in season 1960/61 won the First Division the following season both under the managership of Alf Ramsey. Spent 18 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1968 to 1986, twice finishing runners-up in seasons 1980/81 and 1981/82. Have spent 5 seasons in the Premier League in two separate periods with a highest position of 5th in 2000/01. Won the FA Cup once in 1978 by beating Arsenal 1-0. Currently top of League One.

    LEEDS UNITED
    Spent 18 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1964 to 1982 winning the League twice in seasons in 1968/69 and 1973/74, and again in 1991/92 the year before the advent of the Premier League in which they spent 12 seasons their highest position being 3rd in season 1999/2000. Subsequently they even spent 3 consecutive seasons between 2007 and 2010 in League One. They won the FA Cup once in 1972 beating Arsenal 1-0. Currently in the Championship.

    LEYTON ORIENT
    Spent one season 1962/63 in the First Division.

    LUTON TOWN
    Spent 14 seasons between 1982 and 1996, highest position 7th in season 1986/87. Have recently spent 4 seasons from 2010 to 2014 in the National Conference League. Reached the FA Cup Final in 1959 losing to Nottingham Forest 2-1. Currently in the Championship having been promoted last season.

    MILLWALL
    Spent 2 seasons in the First Division from 1988 to 1990 finishing 10th in their first season. Have spent 5 seasons in Division Four in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Longest period in the Championship is 5 seasons from 2010 to 2015. Reached the FA Cup Final in 2004 losing to Manchester United 3-0.

    NORTHAMPTON TOWN
    Spent one season in the First Division in season 1965/66. They were promoted from Division Four in season 1960/61, Champions of Division Three two years later and promoted to the First Division in 1964/65. Then relegated in three Divisions in 4 seasons, a remarkable 9 year cycle from Divisions Four to One and back to Four. Currently in League Two.

    NOTTINGHAM FOREST
    Spent 14 consecutive seasons from 1882 to 1906 in the First Division, another 15 consecutive seasons from 1957 to 1972, and then 16 consecutive seasons from 1977 to 1993 the last of which was in the Premier League. Surprisingly only won the First Division title once in season 1977/78, the year after promotion from the Second Division. Remembered mostly for winning the European Cup twice in 1979 and 1980. Actually spent 3 consecutive seasons in League One from 2005 to 2008. Won the FA Cup twice in 1898 and 1959. Currently in the Championship.

    NOTTS COUNTY
    Former members of the Football League in 1888. Spent 16 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1897 to 1913 finishing 3rd in season 1900/01. Spent one season 1991/92 in the First Division having beaten Boro and Brighton in the playoffs. The oldest club in England ever to have played in the Football League having been established in 1877. Won the FA Cup once in 1894 beating Bolton Wanderers 4-1 in the Final. Relegated last season to the National Conference.

    OLDHAM ATHLETIC
    Spent 9 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1910 to 1923 finishing runners-up in season 1914/15. Spent 3 seasons in the First Division/Premier League from 1991 to 1994, highest position 17th in 1991/92. Longest spell in the Second Division is 17 seasons from 1974 to 1991. Currently in League Two.

    OXFORD UNITED
    Spent 3 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1985 to 1987, highest position 18th in their first 2 seasons. Formerly named Headington United until 1960. Spent 4 seasons from 2006 in the National Conference League. Won the Football League Cup in 1986 beating Queens Park Rangers 3-0 in the Final. Currently in League One.

    PORTSMOUTH
    Spent 25 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1927 to 1959 winning the League title in 1948/49 and 1949/50. Have spent 7 consecutive seasons in the Premier League between 2003 to 2010, highest position 8th in season 2007/08. Have recently spent 4 seasons in League Two from 2013 to 2017. Won the FA Cup twice in 1939 and 2008. Currently in League One.

    PRESTON NORTH END
    Former members of the Football League in 1888 winning it in both of the first 2 seasons. Unbeaten in the first of those seasons whilst also winning the FA Cup without conceding a goal. Spent 13 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1888 to 1901, and another 10 consecutive seasons from 1951 to 1961, highest positions being runners-up in 1952/53 and 1957/58. Spent 2 consecutive seasons in League Four from 1985 to 1987. They won the FA Cup for a second time in 1938 beating Huddersfield Town 1-0 in the Final. Hold the record score for an FA Cuptie, beating Hyde 26-0 in 1887. Currently 2nd in this season’s Championship.

    QUEENS PARK RANGERS
    Spent 13 consecutive seasons in the top tier from 1983 to 1996, four of which were in the Premier League, highest position of 5th in seasons 1983/84, 1987/88 and again in 1992/93. Have spent a further 3 seasons in the Premier League since in this century. Previously were a Third Division club for 21 seasons from 1920 to 1948. Have played in one FA Cup Final losing 1-0 to Spurs in a replay. Currently in the Championship.

    READING
    Have spent 3 seasons in the Premier League in 2006/07 when they finished 8th, 2007/08 and 2012/13.

    SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
    Spent 24 out of 25 seasons in the First Division from 1892 to 1920 during which they were Champions twice, and 11 consecutive seasons from 1926 to 1937 during which they were Champions twice more. Their longest consecutive seasons in the First Division since have been 11 seasons from 1959 to 1970, and 8 successive seasons in the Premier League from 1992 to 2000, highest position being 7th in 3 of those seasons. They have also won the FA Cup 3 times. Currently in the Championship.

    STOKE CITY
    Spent 15 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1892 to 1907, 13 consecutive seasons from 1933 to 1953 with a highest position of 4th in seasons 1935/36 and 1946/47. They have also spent 10 consecutive seasons in the Premier League from
    2008 to 2018 finishing 9th in 3 consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2016. Appeared in one FA Cup Final losing to Manchester City 1-0 in 2011. Currently second from bottom in the Championship.

    SUNDERLAND
    Joined the Football League in 1890 and were ever presents in the First Division for 68 seasons until 1958, being Champions 6 times. Since then have spent 15 seasons in the Premier League, 10 of which were in consecutive seasons, highest position of 7th in seasons 1999/2000 and 2000/01. Won the FA Cup twice in 1937 and in 1973 when a Second Division club. Currently spending a second successive season in League One.

    SWANSEA CITY
    Spent 2 seasons in the First Division from 1981 to 1983 finishing 6th in their first season, then 7 consecutive seasons in the Premier League from 2011 to 2018, highest position 8th in season 2014/15. Won the Football League Cup in 2013 beating Bradford City 5-0 in the Final, a record score for the Final. Currently in the Championship.

    SWINDON TOWN
    Won promotion to the First Division in 1990 through the playoffs by beating Sunderland 1-0, but then demoted for financial irregularities but allowed to stay in the Second Division as Sunderland were promoted instead. However they won promotion to the Premier League in 1993 but were relegated in their only season. Won the League Cup in 1969 by beating Arsenal 3-1. Currently in League Two..

    WEST BROMWICH ALBION
    Founder members of the Football League in 1888 spending 13 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1888 to 1901. Spent another 12 consecutive seasons in the First Division from 1911 to 1927, but their longest period in the top tier was 24 consecutive seasons from 1949 to 1973. Were First Division Champions in season 1919/20. Were also members of the Premier League for 12 seasons, 8 of them from 2010 to 2018, highest position of 8th in season 2012/2013. They have won the FA Cup 5 times. Currently in the Championship.

    WIGAN ATHLETIC
    Spent 8 consecutive seasons in the Premier League from 2005 to 2013, highest position of 10th in 2005/2006. Sensationally won the FA Cup in 2013 beating Manchester City 1-0, the same season as Wigan Warriors RLFC were Super League winners and Challenge Cup Winners. Currently in the Championship.

    WIMBLEDON
    Spent 14 consecutive seasons in the top tier, 8 of which were in the Premier League, highest position 6th in season 1986/87 and 1993/94. Won the FA Cup in 1988 beating Liverpool 1-0 in the Final. Relocated to Milton Keynes in 2004 and known as MK Dons. The rebirth of a Wimbledon club at Kingston upon Thames took place in 2002. Currently both clubs are in League One.

    Of course MIDDLESBROUGH FC are also a once First Division/Premier League club of 44 years standing, but we all know their history by now. I haven’t yet had time to check any errors, but hopefully there aren’t any.

    2. Wow, more mistakes than I had hoped but as I didn’t finish the blog until after 1.15 this morning having started 12 hours earlier, tiredness took over to check proof. Now refreshed I wish to make the following amendments:-

      1. As the Football League didn’t start until 1888, the first lines under BLACKBURN ROVERS and BOLTON WANDERERS should read 1888, not 1882.
      2. COVENTRY CITY, 6th line should read ‘later’ not ‘lately’.
      3. GRIMSBY TOWN, 2nd line should read ‘have’ not has’.
      4. NOTTINGHAM FOREST were not founder members of the Football League. They entered a year later in 1889, not 1882.
      5. QUEENS PARK RANGERS, 7th line ‘1-0’ inadvertently appears twice.
      6.READING, second line should end ‘2012/13’.
      7. SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY, the second line should read 1892, not 1882 and the number 3 should be deleted.
      8. SWINDON TOWN, the 1st line should begin with the word ‘Won’ so ‘Spent’ should be deleted. Also the third line should read ‘for’ not ‘form’.

      Apologies for those corrections, but I’m not technically au fait how to alter those errors. Sorry!

      1. I’ve just made those corrections for you Ken and given the length of the post there are very few errors. Also thanks for the interesting post – it essentially means around two-thirds of the 92 clubs either are or have at some point been in the top tier, which is quite remarkable for a football pyramid.

  167. Our goalscoring drought extends beyond four-and-a-half hours now.

    How long was the wait for a goal in that famous Karanka drought? Must have been a bit longer but of course we did not conceded many either.

    Up the Boro!

    1. Werdermouth
      Thanks very much for making those amendments. I usually read over what I’ve written, but as it might have taken me about half an hour to find them at 1.15 am I thought I’d post the blog there and then and check them after some sleep. Sorry to be so pedantic, but I’ve always been like that. Must have driven my wife up the wall. But after all I am a Capricorn!

    1. I normally upload photos to the diasboro library and then it’s referenced via a URL or web address. I think WordPress will automatically add the appropriate html tag (which is the img tag).

      If you have a web address for the image – i.e. not the web page then you can paste it into your post. You can often get this web address by right-clicking on the image and choosing ‘view image’.

      If you’re not sure how to do all that then you could just mail me the image at diasboro@outlook.com and I can upload it to the diasboro photo library and then mail you the web address for the image.

        1. That sounds far too easy for my liking 😉

          btw I think in general if you click on a photo then it appears the same as view image these days and then you can copy the URL of the image from the address bar and paste it into the comment text box on Diasboro.

        1. Yes, that’s the menu option in the Opera and Chrome browsers but just to complicate matters other browsers use differently named options…

          Opera – copy image address
          Firefox – copy image location
          Chrome – copy image address
          Microsoft Edge – copy link

          Always good that tech companies don’t like to conform as it would make life too easy!

  171. The trouble with loyalty is the effect it has on others.
    The players who can play at this level must be having nightmares at being let down on a matchday by those who are obviously not up to it, and that does unfortunately include those on the touchline.
    To watch players who must surely watch football on the box, playing in a way that they know will never trouble the opposition, and doing it in every match.
    To see talented players playing out of position, where they can never help to win the match.
    To see players on the pitch who have no right to be there, match upon match as we sink to the foot of the table is tragic.
    We played in the later stages, in full last season mode, that is, very slow passes, from side to side, no shots on goal (perish the thought), no bite, no determination, no hope.
    Our coach keeps making statements which beggar belief.
    My striker has my full confidence, he will still take any penalties we get.
    I did not drop my (none) striker, he was just having a rest (reason unknown)
    Saturday brought a return to normality, our none striker was back as starter, and boy, were we back as non starters.
    In the words of the children’s song, ” pinky and perky, it’s time to go home”
    Just a thought, I wonder how much our inglorious management team put into the contract as our cut when Traore is sold on for big bucks?
    Just a thought.

  172. The ticket for our upcoming match at Derby is on its way. Luckily it is a concessionary so I am only paying for two thirds of a match. It is about right, I will see the defence and midfield but nary a sight of attack.

    There has been an exhaustive scientific search for evidence of Nessie with no positive results. Maybe they should turn their attention to Rockcliffe to see if they can find a striker.

    1. Historically our best known local “Striker” was arguably John Walker from Stockton, he literally transformed Matches!

      I wonder if Stephen is related because we could certainly do with a bright spark right now. The one certain thing is that it is impossible for him to be any less interested or capable than the current damp squibs.

  173. RR

    ”Squibs are people who are born to wizarding parents, but who have no magical abilities of their own. In the Harry Potter world, squibs are rarer than wizards and witches who are born to Muggle parents.”

    If they are damp as well!

  175. I see we are being linked with Aberdeen Striker Sam Cosgrove, it’s though he would cost less than Ashley Fletcher’s right leg at under £2M. 22 years old the lad has never set the heather alight until he went up to Scotland after spells with Barrow and Wigan but is banging them in for fun. He originates from Beverley then moved with his family to the NW in his youth so probably wouldn’t have too much of a settling in problem.

    Now I know there will be a lot of scepticism on here about players from the Scottish Premiership coming down here but lets be honest Lee Miller, Scott McDonald, Kris Boyd versus Britt Assombalonga, Ashley Fletcher and Rudy Gestede?

    Sam hit 17 goals in 35 appearances for the Dons last season and is on 6 in 9 this season. At least he knows what that big white rectangle is at the end of the pitch and what he is supposed to do with it. They may even take Britt plus cash in Part Exchange?

      1. Ah well it’s starting!

        Unfounded rumours on twitter that Randolph fallen out with the team and wants out !

        Well here’s a thing …..

        SO DO I !!!

        OFB

      2. There are a few unsettled “stories” emanating from the club now or I should say allegedly from the club which is often what happens when people leave an organisation. There are also ones surfacing about people being seen out and about.

        I don’t know which is worse that they are true and the wheels are definitely falling off or that it is all unfounded rumour from disgruntled punters stirring things up.

    1. Lovely to see a photograph on the Boro website of 100 year old Norman Coates attending the match on Saturday. A brave centurion indeed! I bet he’d have some Boro tales to tell. I wonder if he ever saw George Camsell play!

  177. No smoke without fire, RR.

    There will be a large number of our players who would never have envisaged our current position in a thousand years.

    They will find it hard to deal with I am sure and may unintentionally not be giving their all. As we know quite a few are at the end of their contract and at an age of, where do I get a last contract.

    Not a good position to be in for them our the team. Randolf will certainly be looking for a move, he is arguably our most saleable player, he will know that.

    1. Problem is who wants to commit to a euphemistically named “transition project” for a few years when your career only lasts 15 years at best. If you are a sportsperson surely by its very definition you want to be competitive, winning, not passive, treading water.

      The Players will know that this is a chaotic shambolic mess that has no direction other than to try and exist. How would that motivate any Sportsman? Half of them know they won’t be here in the Summer and their existing contracts won’t be removed. Their agents will have already drawn up escape routes and seeking potential suitors. When those conversations are taking place the psychology of the Player has to be affected.

      When we mere mortals hand in our notice at work we work up until the agreed leaving date and hopefully work honestly and diligently until that final day but we don’t suddenly become more interested or motivated in the situation we are leaving. We will also likely have to use up all of our remaining holiday entitlement meaning that we probably end up departing even sooner and some may even chuck in “sickies” in their wind down. Never have I seen someone working their notice period going the extra mile, in fact the employer probably wouldn’t want them to instead preferring a remaining employee take over key tasks.

      Put all that in the context of a Football Club that has in all but name waved the white flag and be accepting of whatever fate befalls them and I can’t imagine its a nice environment to be in or one that makes you want to train harder, run further or even be bothered if you win lose or draw. Coming from Park End, Pallister Park or Berwick Hills may mean that you fight a little longer but eventually the enormity of the futility of the task overwhelms. There is a reason why life boats are fitted to ships, nowadays not even Captains want to go down with it and who could blame them

      2. Speaking of which I see James Morrison has had to hang his boots up at 33. Shame for the lad but he is going to take up a coaching role with the Baggies,

  178. As I posted earlier the situation reminds me of the second half of our relegation season under Gate. In that season the writing was on the wall for me in the final days before Christmas when he said there would be phone calls in January for our players.

  179. I’m not convinced by the unfounded rumours on social media regarding Randolph – he reportedly was feeling an injury after returning from international duty and even Mick McCarthy has commented that he’s hopeful of him being fit for the next international against Denmark. Besides with his assistant Robbie Keane at Boro, Randolph couldn’t fake an injury picked up for Ireland. Also if he has said he wants out then mid-October is going a bit early to start digging your heels in to engineer a move in January. The other factor is that Randolph is probably on almost PL wages and he won’t be sold at a cut-price deal so needs to be playing to put himself in the shop window.

    So for me it sounds like just the usual nonsense that social media loves to speculate on – wanting out only usual occurs when either a player is not playing or not playing at the level that is needed to be picked for international squads. OK, he may want to play in the PL but as yet no evidence of a top-flight club had turned his head either. He’s been in good form for Boro and being recognised for his performances so of all the players at the club, he’s probably not the one you’d pick out as unsettled.

    2. I think the problem is that rumours like this one start (and there are others out there) during bad times. If we were six points clear at the top these stories wouldn’t find the oxygen to breathe.

      I would imagine Randolph is comfortable with his lot at the moment, disappointed undoubtedly but knows that he is too good to be saddled with a basket case of a club. He has no particular commitment or loyalty to the club or area (no reason why he should) and I’m guessing that we will receive a few offers come January. His International heroics help lift his profile even further. Raising funds and further lowering of the wage bill will be a requirement in January and an absolute definite must if any reinforcements are to be brought in.

      Meanwhile gossip will continue unabated and the undeniable situation of contracts means it will get much worse the closer we get to January all fuelled by the overall underwhelming performances in general.

  180. Some good news for Teesside at last in the sporting World. Redcar Bears have won the National Speedway Knockout Cup for the first time in their history. Formerly known as Boro Bears when they used to ride at the Cleveland Stadium on Newport Road, they now ride at the Autodrome in Cargo Fleet where they took a 12 point lead against Newcastle Diamonds in the first leg to Brough Park, Newcastle for the second leg which had been postponed twice due to the recent inclement weather.

    The Bears didn’t start too well as they lost the first heat 1-5 but clawed their way back to actually lead on the night by the 7th heat, but then lost a few heats and found themselves 12 points down and all square on the night. However a storming finish from German rider Erik Riss and Australian Jordan Stewart saw
    the Bears home. Final score after the 15th heat was Diamonds 47 Bears 43 with the Bears winning 94-86 on aggregate. Erik Riss was top scorer on the night with 14 points and Jordan Stewart 9.

    Speedway is very popular in Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Russia and Australia, and Teesside under the guise of Middlesbrough and now Redcar are one of the oldest established clubs in Britain. I’m sure there must be many Boro fans who are also Speedway fans also, as I remember when Eaglescliffe born Gary Havelock, a Boro fan, receiving a rapturous applause when he paraded the World Championship Trophy around Ayresome Park in 1992.

    Isn’t it great though to beat our nearest neighbours in any sport, even though nowadays we have to rely on foreigners to make up our team. So well done lads.

      1. Jarkko
        Only on TV many years ago. I suppose it’s similar as on the cinder track, no gears and no brakes. My wife and I loved to go to the Cleveland Stadium many years ago when the the Boro Bears were nearly always top of the League. My father’s cousin Norman Evans born in Middlesbrough rode in the major British League before the Second World War riding for Wembley, New Cross, Harringay and Wimbledon all now defunct. After the war he stepped down a Division to the National League in which the Bears have always operated and rode for Newcastle Diamonds. I remember as a child seeing him being top scorer for the Diamonds against the Bears. Sadly one of his partners at Newcastle was killed on the track whilst representing Australia in a Test Match against Britain in 1951 aged only 26.

  183. Redcar Red

    That would mean getting up the pitch to get a penalty then getting a referee to give a decision in our favour. All a bit pie in the sky.

    There is as much chance as Turkeys voting for Christmas, oh, they look like they will and have a December General Election. Lets hope they all get stuffed!

      1. Checking. Leadbitter scored 26 and missed 7: 79%
        Britt. Scored 15 missed 5: 75%
        Pretty much 1 missed penalty either way and they’re identical.
        (Stats from transfermarkt)

        That said, they have very different styles. Leadbitter doesn’t try and disguise, he simply hits it as hard and accurately as possible into the low corner: hardest place for a keeper to save. If a keeper saves it or Leadbitter misses it looks like a fantastic save or a narrow miss.

        Britt tries to get the keeper to commit himself first. That makes it more of a battle of wills, and it look awful when he gets it wrong. It also means that self-confidence becomes an issue.

  184. If you are a keeper who routinely gets rave notices in a doomed set up, and play for your country, then you are bound to reflect on the advantages of playing for a decent team in the prem.
    In that case it is no use saying you want a move in Jan. too late, fix yourself up with a club now, tell your club it’s over, get all the hassle done, find a school for the kids and bingo happy day are here again. Most clubs find getting an above average keeper is tricky, therefore there will be a healthy market in Jan. And I would expect that he will go.
    In this instance I think that young Pears will find his development speeded up, which is good, because I like him, and foresee a bright future.

  185. Boro under 23’s drew 2 all against Newcastle after leading 2 nil. NE report says some ran out of steam and the three new lads did not cover themselves in glory to enhance their promotion.

    A couple of half decent performances but not enough for the first XI?

    It appears we are stuck with the same 11/15/18. This is starting to get depressing.

  186. On non Boro related Football news I see Bulgaria must play their next home game behind closed doors and have been handed a fine of 75,000 Euros by UEFA. Our own FA haven’t exactly made a statement of intent themselves after the Haringey Borough (or Pools come to that) debacle either. So much for lets kick racism out!

    Its clear that the Football Authorities haven’t a clue how to deal with it retrospectively so they need to put rules and punishments in place beforehand so that it is very clear and nobody can complain after the event. I would suggest that a sliding scale is applicable but a £15M fine for Bulgaria with a two year ban on home games which are to be played no closer than 500 miles from the nearest Border point with Bulgaria should make a clear statement of intent (that of course should apply for homophobic and other types of abuse).

    Booing or jeering a poor Refereeing decision or a Striker missing a sitter is not the same thing despite the Referees Parents matrimonial status often being called into question or references to a carrot eating four legged braying animal in the other example. They are instant and reactive and not aimed at a particular group or section of society before we go all too PC on this.

    If the respective FA’s and fans know exactly what the repercussions will be beforehand its possible that fans will actually Police themselves. Had that been in place before the England game I suspect there may have been a very high presence of Riot Police showing intent and acting very swiftly, ensuring that if something did start it would have been quelled very quickly and hopefully with a few bruises. Should it have been quashed immediately then I would accept that as a reason to avoid punishment so long as serious criminal proceedings with said individuals were then brought afterwards.

    A £100,000 fine for Haringey and kicked out of the Cup for three seasons would have been a painful experience for them and also left the guilty parties being ostracised and despised by many in their local community no doubt. Its a shame for the majority of Haringey fans and the Club itself who I am sure did not and do not condone what happened at all but if everyone knows beforehand then it makes the attention to preventing it all the sharper and more focused.

    To put it simply they should take their “Respect” banners and shove them where the Sun doesn’t shine and instead of asking for it they should demand it! Its their game so it has to be their rules, they need to man up and quick.

  187. Trouble is RR, the authorities of most countries do not have the BA**S to take the tough decisions. It is the same with Politics and Politicians, they do not have the stomach to make a real stand against wrongs.

    Yes I know it is hard and they have the PC Liberal left to contend with, BUT it is about time we had some strong leadership, and backing for them, in all areas of Public Office.

  188. Talking with my Rams supporting colleague and he thinks it will be a poor match, Derby are afflicted by sideways passing at the moment but from our perspective they are a veritable goal machine with 16 from 14 matches,

    They have won the last two home games (1 0 and 2 0) and will be looking to keep that going.

    The head says a Derby win by something to nil. My heart has gone in to hiding but I wouldn’t be upset at 0-0.

    2. A draw wouldn’t be a bad result in what is always a difficult game, Ian. However, it will be getting to the stage soon where we have to convert draws into wins if we’re to stay out of trouble. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see us getting 3 points at either Derby or QPR, yet 4 would seem to be the bare minimum we need. If we only get, say 1 or 2 from those games, that means we’ll need to take all 6 from Hull and Barnsley.

  189. I wonder if Boro were aware of this player via Juninho before Arsenal snapped him up?

    “With Gabriel Martinelli, though, Arsenal have seemingly pulled off a coup in managing to combine a bargain fee with monstrous raw talent. Purchased from Ituano, a small outfit in the São Paulo state countryside for whom a reported $7.5mn will go a long way, and which was restructured by former Middlesbrough legend and national team coordinator Juninho, the 18-year-old has proven a revelation for the Gunners.“

  190. John
    I picked up the comment from the EG article.

    I agree with you and I dare say Ian as well. The table doesn’t lie and it’s no good trying to justify a better position based upon the fact that we missed chances, penalties and had poor decisions given against us. Every team in the league could probably come up with similar arguments.

    We are where we are because we have not been good enough and if we do not improve then the league position will not improve and nor will it lie.

    JW is beginning to grasp at straws and sounding desperate already! 😎

  191. I see that Derby, meanwhile, have sacked Richard Keogh following the car crash. It looks like they’re just trying to save his salary. He has been a good servant for the club over several seasons. Yet they continue to allow the two drivers of the cars to play for them. The club’s public statement that, ‘We will not tolerate any of our players behaving in a manner which puts themselves, their colleagues or the general public at risk of injury or worse, or which brings the club into disrepute’ is the most breathtaking case of blatant hypocrisy I have heard since Boris Johnson’s latest lie. It ranks alongside his claim that it was Parliament that stopped Brexit going forward; this from the man who voted 3 times against May’s deal, resigned because of it and then tried to suspend Parliament for weeks.

    I used to like Derby as a club. After this disgraceful episode, I sincerely hope their actions come to bite them on the bum on Saturday, that their fans turn on them and that we give them a good stuffing.

        1. Sorry Jarkko

          That was a political and not a football theme

          THis is a football blog and whatever political persuasion we have you don’t find me going on about politicians on here

          There are plenty of other social media outlets for that

          This is a nice football blog with fine people let’s keep it that way please

          OFB

      2. OK the occasional straying into politics has always been a temptation hard to resist and personally I’ve never had a side I’d say I was particularly drawn to – I’m more of an observer of whether it makes sense or what politicians are actually trying to make us believe – I guess some would probably say professional cynic. Although looking at what’s on offer I’m surprised anyone in the UK has actually got a team to support when it comes to the general election – seriously would you trust any of the parties to even deliver a pizza. They’ve all taken positions on what I still think was not a real tangible issue in Brexit to just try and maximise their vote among the general public regardless of whether it either makes sense, is credible or even achievable.

        Despite my personal preference, democratically they have to abide by the referendum result even if they believe it will damage the economy as Cameron clearly stated that would be undertaken in 2016. You can deride Cameron as a complete idiot and even point to all the lies and misinformation but unless you accept the democratic process then the real danger is that nobody else will. The biggest problem was that the remain campaign failed to put their case against what was essentially nothing more than a superficial yet positive-sounding slogan that leaving would take back control. Something that appealed to many who probably felt after years of austerity following the financial crash they were persuaded the true cause of their problems were down to lack of democratic accountability in the EU.

        Brexit I’m sure will happen at some point and to some degree but Brexit itself doesn’t actually deliver anything tangible – leaving the EU doesn’t add anything or give the UK more control over real economic events when it happens. It’s what the UK does after Brexit (rather than just agreeing to pass the Withdrawal Bill) that will determine the future of the country. Just how patient the population will be in waiting for their lives to improve after Brexit is possibly the biggest problem facing all future governments.

        I can’t see any immediate financial benefit to the country as a whole since there is that £39bn bill to pay over the next few years and most economists have factored in something around £80bn loss in GDP over the next 10 years due to increased business costs and reduced trade in the EU. Those two figures together are more or less equivalent to 10 years or so of UK contributions to the EU, so there’s no real savings for the foreseeable future for any government to redistribute.

        Either way it means the UK will need their politicians to step up their game big time in the coming years and there’s still no evidence they are capable of doing so. I read a Boris Johnson biography back in 2016 and concluded he’s not a man anyone should believe has anything but himself and his sense of self-entitlement at his heart. Jeremy Corbyn has proven with every test that he’s not up to the task and is incapable of making the right decisions if any. The Liberal Democrats have simply gambled that they can pick up votes by appealing to those who wished the Brexit vote never happened and are seriously deluded if they think leavers will simply go away if they cancel it – though it may at least wipe the smug expression of Nigel Farage’s face, who somehow is still proving that a one-man party can suck up all the media spotlight without offering any answers and rather worryingly isn’t damaged by appearing best mates with the sociopaths Donald Trump and Aaron Banks.

        So yes UK politics is not really the subject for a nice football blog or indeed anywhere where hope exists – I’m sad to say the last three years have made the UK something of a laughing stock over here in Germany as they look on in disbelief at he sheer incompetence and general inability to agree on anything other than to disagree. I fear the Brexit slogan of ‘take back control’ will be something that will haunt the UK for many years to come as the people simply get caught in the crossfire of the meaningless populist messages from all directions, which deliver nothing but exasperation to the majority.

        So thankfully I don’t have a vote and it’s not a decision I need to worry myself over this Christmas – though not much chance of been cheered up by the football-related stuff either as Boro are just as big a mess! Still at least as an atheist I won’t talk about religion…

      3. Werder,

        Well said, whatever spectrum of idiocy you support in Westminster there will never ever be a satisfying result. Too much self aggrandisement and ego by people who have forgotten how to serve and govern the country. Their self-importance, and that’s from any party, is utterly staggering.

        This weekend, well, we’re back to the serious stuff and I don’t mean the meaning of life.

        Kick politics out I say!

        UTB,

        John

  192. Clive

    I heard the Derby statement in the car and thought that was interesting, sack the player who was 33 and out for 15 months and would be returning when his contract ended. The other culprits are much younger and will have a resale value.

    As for the hard luck stories and our league position, the table doesn’t lie. We are in the bottom three and getting the luck poor teams deserve. Teams near the top get the decisions going their way because any poor decision making is in the opposition last third of the pitch. The top teams dont necessarily get more decisions in their favour just more decisions in the opposition last third.

    I think!!

    1. Ian
      Loved your logic.
      And, what’s more, I agree with it up to a point.
      Then I think of Spurs going through against, was it Man city? With the wildest var decision I have ever seen, last minute, semi final of champions league, yea, that would be it. Luck never evens itself out. Never has , and never will.

  193. On the Derby situation, all three players brought the club’s name into disrepute and as such committed gross misconduct.

    Of the three, the two younger players were more culpable given their actions were also criminal and caused the injuries to Keogh. All three should, therefore, have been dismissed from the club.

    The treatment and punishment is not fair and even handed and I suspect that Keogh’s lawyers will use these facts to have his punishment overturned and reduced. It will be interesting to see what transpires.

    What I do know is if you or I had acted in such a manner our employers would have had no hesitation in terminating our employment. 😎

  194. The table never lies, at the moment nor in the future. All clubs can probably point to unlucky reasons why they are not higher in the League. The trouble in my opinion is social media. I can well understand Jonathan Woodgate’s comments though. His players lack confidence at the moment and he is doing his best to instill confidence back into his players, a thankless task indeed. Boro have been in much worse positions than the present situation, but still survived. Players being booed is not helpful when confidence is low. Good results from unexpected fixtures can turn the season around. Yes, we are in a relegation dogfight and may well find that things get worse before they get better. At the moment we lack leadership on the field and I do believe that is holding us back.

    We all realise that lack of goals has been a problem for a few seasons now, but we went through that under Aitor Karanka and even under Jack Charlton for awhile from the first 14 matches when we had scored only 14 goals, the difference being that we had only conceded 7, had won 8 matches, lost only once, and were top of the League. Nevertheless as now that included 3 consecutive games without scoring.

    Now that our defence has stabilised there is no reason that a few 1-0 wins and goalless draws can’t see Boro climbing up the table to at least a mid table position. Let’s be positive. History shows it makes sense. Come on Boro!

  196. I believe that Juninio is a friend of the club, and would have offered him to us first, so we are faced with the fact that we would rather deal with sharks who regard us as expendable, than a good friend in the ideal position to help us, that would be in the centre of Brazilian football.
    The opportunities to make some money seem self evident to me, if he can spot very good youngsters and be the agent for them, then we should benefit.
    Sadly the sheer know how and get up and go have left the building and show no sign of coming back any time soon.

    1. Or possibly we don’t have £7.5m to spend and even if we did, I suspect that Martinelli (“Martinelli was subject to interest from no fewer than 25 clubs around the world who wished to sign him”) would have decided Arsenal was slightly more appealing.

  198. Werder your the only one who brings up politics and stirs the s….t, and that’s OK.
    But just a little titbit,
    Cameron originally went to Brussels trying for a better deal for the UK,
    The laughed in his face and sent him home, that did not go down well ,so he asked for a referendum , and we had one, the fact the surrenderers , cuckolds ,and dumb politicians treated it like a bad football result, we end up were we are now , screwed.
    And it Will get worse.

    1. I think the constant talk of wanting a good deal or a better deal is something of a red herring – either you stay within the single market and customs union and abide by the rules or you leave and deal with the consequences. The idea that the EU will grant the UK or any country special exemptions is just wishful thinking and is never going to happen as it would cause major problems to enforce rules on anyone else. Boris Johnson’s deal is just essentially a slight variation on Theresa May’s where Northern Ireland is compliant to the Customs Union rather than the UK as a whole was going to be.

      David Cameron went to Brussels to get a few scraps to please both his own party’s and UKIP leavers but basically failed to do any serious consensus building with other EU states and then did what most politicians do with lots of grandstanding for domestic consumption. The reason the UK is in a mess is because they can’t agree what Brexit is supposed to be for and can’t agree how they leave the EU. Just leaving without any agreed arrangements on how the UK and EU work together (or no deal as it’s called) is again just an empty threat that only works if you don’t actually go through with it – and everyone on both sides knows it, even Boris Johnson.

      Nigel Farage calls it a clean Brexit in the same way you’d say a clean break when you perhaps move away, get divorced or change jobs. The main difference is that while you as an individual can make a clean break, the UK is not suddenly going to have nothing anymore to do with the other countries in the EU and has to have a relationship with them on many levels just to operate on a day-to-day business.

      Personally, I’d have thought if the UK was serious about ‘getting Brexit done’, it should have just left all the political institutions and parked itself a couple of years ago in the Customs Union and Single Market until it had worked out and agreed amongst itself what the next stage should be. It would have been enough to satisfy both sides that Brexit had started and the vote had been acted upon. Leaving the EU is a process not an event and threatening to do things in a chaotic manner is not what sensible governments should embark on.

      Hopefully that didn’t come across as too much stiring 🙂

  199. I don’t see a problem with the occasional political post. The vast majority ( in fact probably all) on here are capable of having a discussion without it becoming a slagfest. Who knows , perhaps we may learn something we didn’t know.

    A bit like this constant tirade about Trump wanting to buy the NHS and it not being for sale. The simple fact is that American companies via their subsidiaries within the European Union, already have numerous NHS contracts.

  200. btw Before I get distracted again, as yesterday was a public holiday in Germany (Reformations Day), I’ve just started writing the next discussion blog article and will hopefully post it up later today – I now see what people mean when they say Brexit stops more important things getting done…

  201. Werdermouth Oct 31st, 7:29pm.

    Very good post Werder and I have to agree with you. All this demonstrates is that the political system in the UK is no longer (perhaps never was in my lifetime at least) fit for purpose.

    Much of politics is about ego, me, myself, I …. and my right and my club’s right to be right and to tell us all what to do and how to do it. That is true everywhere and in all systems. In a town, a county, a nation, a world full of thousands and millions of individuals, each with their own individual experiences and opinions and aspirations and knowledge: no one individual or club (party) can possibly represent every single individual’s opinions and beliefs. It is man’s ability to cooperate and to compromise that is essential for living in a society. However, the system for elections into Westminster explicitly overlooks this critical element of man as a social being. While ever that is the case, we are at the mercy of jingoistic and populist egotists.

    Proportional representation systems may not be perfect and might not eliminate these sorts from the political world, but they do enforce at least a modicum of cooperation and compromise. Unless and until the established political parties in the UK will accept that they better server not only their own club members, but the nation as a whole, by knowing how and when to compromise, I have little hope that the fractures exposed so savagely by this whole Brexit fiasco will ever truly heal.

    And what has this to do with football? Well, everything and nothing really.

    Nothing: well I am clearly engaged in a little discourse about the political system under which our country is governed, and not talking about the significant issues facing Middlesbrough Football Club in these times.

    Everything: well everything that happens in our lives is touched by and influenced by politics, including football. Many people have written in here about what is going on inside the club. About recruitment; about cost cutting; about leadership; about the board; about the chairman; about the team manager; about the tea lady and her trolley…..
    What has all that been about if not about politics, the politics of MFC and we are all entitle to our thoughts and to express our opinions and have banter.

    What about the wider game and discussions in here about the response to racist chanting at football games. Isn’t that politics as well?

    How many of us have posted in here about our own experiences in professional and managerial life about good leadership, governance and finance and so on and referenced that in relation to what we observe taking place at MFC. Nobody recoils and says well you can’t talk about managerial experience from the textile business in here because it is a football blog, not a textile blog.

    Let’s be honest here, there is plenty of material out there for a really good debate or essay comparing the way our country is currently run with the way MFC is currently run. I am quite sure there would be very many accurate analogies to be drawn.

    If I recall the post that led to this current debate about whether politics has any place in a “football” blog had to do with making an analogy about a prominent political figure and party with something taking place inside Derby County Football Club. Politics is everywhere and it is reasonable among consenting adults to be able to make those analogies where we see them.

    This blog often has wee forays into territory that is not directly football related, and sometimes not related to football at all. These meanderings makes Disboro all the more interesting to follow. We write about all sorts of things in here and like GHW just said, we manage very well to avoid anything becoming a slag-fest. We all recognise when that is starting to happen and we all stamp on it. I value, I think we all value, hearing everyone’s opinion about everything and I continue to learn from all of you, so thank you for that.

    Let’s keep this place open to continue meandering on whichever themes it wants to. After all, the Disaboro is nothing if it is not a slice of all of our lives.

    2. Good post Powmill.

      Talking of Proportional Representation, we have an Election here in Spain on the tenth. The third in only 5/6 years I think. It is still running on a Budget from that amount of time because a new cannot be agreed. Why, because of Proportional Representation, parties poles apart and self interest.

      Of course Spain is somewhat different, 17 Autonomous Regions, all with self interest. Catalonia, you could say Scotland, wants independence. There is a good chance that nothing will change in just over a week.

      If we think the UK has problems.

      Of course if we had had Proportional Representation, how many seats would Mr Farage have in Parliament? He could have been the “Kingmaker” like the Earl of Warwick as those interested in history will know.

    3. Totally agree – we often go off piste into other areas but what makes this blog so good is the ability for us to play the ball and not the man.

      Differences should be debated in a grown up way and not resort to name calling.

      As Powmill says, politics plays a part in most areas of our lives, whether we know it or not. Just a shame that right now, the politicians in Parliament have managed to create a very divided United Kingdom which will take a long time to recover.

      A bit like Boro where I fear it will take us a long time to recover and sadly, I am not sure that Mr Gibson as Prime Minister has the appetite to restore the club.

      Anyway, a World Cup to watch tomorrow morning and I hope for an England victory followed by 3 points in the afternoon!

      1. “Anyway, a World Cup to watch tomorrow morning and I hope for an England …”
        Except that you would think that I am in the Republic of South Africa right now as ever-reliable “Anyone but England” kicks into full gear here in Bonny S. 😉

    1. It may well be the first Bundesliga match between East and West, but the two national teams met in the World Cup in Hamburg in 1974 which East Germany won 1-0.

  204. I too, have seen various rumours in the press and message boards like the Mail story about “unrest” in the dressing room among senior players, after they have been told that if they want to stay (get a new contract) it will be on significantly reduced wages. I have not bothered mentioning them until they have been repeated or posted on here for a number of reasons.

    1. The said report(s) state that MFC are in their last year of parachute payments !!!!!!! To me that shows how inaccurate the reporting is and why I choose not to give it the time of day.

    2. Do the posters on this blog really think it has come as a surprise to the “senior players” coming to the end of their contract, that they are not going to be offered the same lucrative contract they got when we were in the Premiership or pushing for promotion in our first years following relegation.

    3. Of the players mentioned I would like to keep Howson, Johnson and Ayala but if other clubs offer them better deals there is nothing MFC can do about it. I would have thought it will be in those players interest to play to their best ability to attract potential new clubs and therefore a better contract.

    Come on BORO.

    1. I think the “reporting” is as a consequence of discussions on here and elsewhere about the out of contract Players. There has bee no significant developments or seismic shift over the last 48 hours and there was no fresh news in any of the articles only that a lot of them are out of contract and won’t be offered the same terms which all of us including the Players already knew. What it does do however is raise uncertainty and as discussions progress or more likely stall and become negative (who wants a pay cut after all) it will have an impact on atmosphere, attitude, commitment and solidarity.

      I don’t think any poster on here or anywhere else for that matter found it a surprise as its been discussed often enough. The surprise however is that half the first team contracts all expire at the same time and the real surprise being that someone manages a business in that manner.

  205. I think the contracts situation is nothing I don’t think anybody didn’t expect.
    Players the club want,will be offered contracts that might be less on the front side, but will be laced with bonuses on the backside.
    The worry is ,players downing tools, that’s why January is important, once that month passes, your stuck with what you have, hoping they are up for the fight.

  206. The contract situation in football is, and always will be, at odds with what would normally apply in any other area of employment. In most other areas of work, if you continue to underperform, then you will be placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (other 3 letter acronyms are available)
    , managed out or in the worst cases dismissed.

    In football, you continue to get paid regardless of performance and at ridiculous salaries too! Players at Boro are no different and I can have no sympathy with those who want high wages for poor performances- if the club want them to go at the end, so be it although one would have thought that to get a transfer and a bigger wage a player would play well not badly. Likewise, to negotiate a better deal with their current club.

    But football is not like the normal world and with agents calling the shots, it is no wonder we have players effectively going on strike. Mind you, I wish our strikers would strike the back of the net more!

    I guess that getting a transfer fee for a player is always good to balance the books but at the end of the day, sometimes it is better to cut your losses, which is what we should do with Gestede now.

  207. OK, while Boro may have failed to reach the heights that even the most pessimistic had expected, Woodgate it seems is still determined to keep his nerve and belief that things will soon change. Of course he has to hope his chairman keeps his nerve too and continues to believe he made the right decision in appointing him. In the end it’s all about finding the right balance in the team and hoping that they can also believe in themselves. This week has seen much talk of being positive and having belief but for many of the supporters they are running out of their. So here’s my take with this week’s discussion blog – so don’t look down…

    https://diasboro.club/2019/11/01/2019-20-weeks-13-14-woodgate-refuses-to-look-down/

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