| Pos. 10th (34pts) | SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER 2019 | Pos. 20th (21pts) | ||
| Swansea | 3-1 | Boro | ||
| Ayew (22 pen, 71) Surridge (73) |
62% 10(7) 6 13 |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) CORNERS FOULS |
38% 8(3) 6 19 |
Tavernier (59)
▮ Browne (63) |
Liabilities at the Liberty
For a change it was a relatively confident Boro making their way down to South Wales after collecting four points from six in their last two games and climbing up the form table while their opponents were heading down the same form table making this afternoons encounter a less fearful task than of a few weeks back.
Boro were hopeful of Britt being fit whilst many Boro fans hoped he wouldn’t be risked especially with both McNair and Johnson back from suspension. The Swans however had a few absentees of their own to be concerned about in Tom Carroll who was suspended and Joe Rodon, Jordon Garrick and Wayne Routledge all injured.
Rudy Gestede was back fit and in contention and may make the bench for reasons of experience if nothing else. There are still painful memories of that glaring headed miss down here a few seasons back. Maybe this could be the day that he laid that ghost to rest should he get a chance?
Swansea hadn’t won in their last six Championship games whereas Boro had only lost once albeit the demolition by Leeds. The BBC website revealed that five of Swansea’s last six Championship goals have come from corners and that they have scored nine goals from corners this season, more than any other side in the Championship. We hoped that our band of Coaches and defenders have been doing their homework on them in training this week at set pieces.
On a bright sunny but freezing afternoon in South Wales the team news for Boro looked like a back four with Howson at RB, Clayton in front of the four and with Johnson staring in place of Spence. Britt as we had expected wasn’t deemed fit to start. Spence was on the bench with Browne, Gestede and Wing all back from injury. Swansea had made one change, Dhanda for the suspended Carroll.
The game commenced with an early Boro free kick which McNair put into the Swans box but it was routinely cleared with Ayew chasing the out ball on the right and played in Byers who fired in a long-range effort which gave Pears a chance to handle the ball without being remotely bothered. McNair replied for Boro with a run of his own down the right forking the Swans to concede a throw in in what looked to be a confident start from Boro in the opening six minutes.
Ten minutes in and Boro hadn’t been under any pressure and we were looking assured albeit neither Keeper had been troubled which reflected the pre-season friendly atmosphere in the Liberty Stadium which probably suited Boro. Another McNair free kick was headed clear, Boro came back with a half volley from Jonny Howson on the edge of the box as there seemed little appetite to break out from Swansea and challenge the Boro defence.
A ball into the Boro box was cleared by Fry to Fletcher who set up a swift Boro attack which ended with McNair winning a corner from which Tav’s delivery was met by Ayala but it just evaded him as Boro looked by far the more comfortable side so far. You got the feeling that the longer this continued the more despondent and frustrated the Home fans would become and the greater the confidence would grow in the Boro camp.
Clayts clattered Dhanda for the second time and Ref Whitestone made it clear that he wouldn’t be accepting any more. The frustrations grew as the Swans then played the ball back to their Keeper but they then broke upfield with Dhanda playing in Roberts requiring Ayala to clear for a corner. Pears punched the incoming ball from Grimes out for another corner as the home side showed some determination. The second corner was wasted and eventually Fletcher cleared it for Boro as the game neared the twenty-minute mark. Pears was called into action again as Andre Ayew let fly another long range shot which went wide.
Celina released Ayew who fired in a shot which Pears parried and when going in for the rebound Fry challenged and Ref Whitestone blew for a penalty in what had looked like a blatant dive. Ayew stepped up, hit it straight down the centre and totally against the run of play Swansea found themselves one up. Clayts was dispossessed as they were clearing their heads and dawdling let Ayew rob him allowing Surridge then Byers shots on Pears in quick succession. The Boro keeper did well with both efforts, meanwhile Boro needed to sort themselves out because from having control they now looked susceptible with the Swans now flying.
The Home fans chorused their opinion of Boro by singing their shock of actually “winning at home”. The reply from Boro was a back-post ball from a Tavernier free kick went out off Bidwell for a Boro corner which Tav took and sent it into the box which was collected by the Keeper Woodman but then nicked by Saville with the Ref then booking Saville for an alleged absurd foul on Woodman.
Roberts got into the box and but for a desperate Coulson block Byers was about to put the Swans two up. Amazing the difference, a goal can make on a game. Pears collected the corner and Boro won a free kick on the half way line which eventually allowed Boro to build up but the end ball across to Fletcher from Howson went out for a goal kick. Ten minutes to half time and Boro had lost their early confidence whilst the Swans were building and growing into the game sensing that they could grab a second before half time.
Impetus was desperately needed from Boro, we needed Tav, Coulson or McNair to make a run, something to strike fear or create a serious attempt. It was all far too comfortable for Swansea and despite our early confidence Woodman hadn’t a serious save to make. We looked flat and needed a leader out there to wind the red shirts up. Saville played out to Johnson forcing ex Boro loanee Roberts to put it out for a corner. The corner came in but was headed down by Fry and easily cleared in what was a very poor routine corner with no guile or creativity whatsoever. How we needed a Grant Leadbitter out there clapping his hands and geeing them up.
Coulson broke down the left and won a corner after beating Ayew and won a corner off Roberts again. McNair took this one which sailed straight out of play with nobody going to the far post and clearly no plan or intention. Not good enough and a rocket needed to be fired up the Red shirts to wake them from their somnolence. A late Swansea Free Kick flew into the Boro box but was dealt with by Pears. In the dying seconds of added time a great Howson ball to Fletcher came into Saville who swung a boot but it went well wide.
As both teams walked off Steve Cooper will have been relieved to be a goal up while Woodgate needed to raise the roof and fire his charges up after a very pedestrian lacklustre showing. Wing and Spence where perhaps some options to alter the pace of the game. Clayton and Saville were solid but unspectacular. Woodgate needed to make sure we started the second half on fire to ensure Woodman in the Swansea goal broke sweat or at least had some soil on his elbows and backside.
As the sides ran out unchanged as the travelling army hoped to see a lot more from those in red. A near post header from Fry cleared Boro’s lines but back they came with Cabango late in on McNair as Boro looked to be even more lethargic. The centre-half earned a yellow card for the challenge. Ayew broke down the flank and caused even more consternation as we needed to wake up. Woodgate had enough and Clayton was taken off and Browne came on. Browne went down after Fletcher played him in and earned a booking for a dive. So as one yellow-carded Boro player went off the one replacing him took just 120 seconds to pick up one of his own.
Swansea immediately went down the Boro end and after a few nervy half clearances the ball went out for a Swansea throw to come straight back into the Boro box and as Dhanda went to meet an Ayew challenge he went down Browne style earning himself a yellow for simulation. Ten minutes into the second half and a McNair Boro Corner was whistled for a bit of a niggle in the box when it was delivered.
Coulson broke and was then pulled back but the Ref seemingly ignored it as frustrations were growing with the away side who were yet to make Woodman earn this week pay check. Tavernier intercepted, broke from midfield playing a long daisy cutting pass to Fletcher who held it up, played it back in to Tavernier who made up ground and walloped it low into the corner of Woodman’s net. 1-1 and game on!
Byers went off for Fulton as Swansea made their first change of the afternoon. Another Boro effort soon followed and just as we looked to be getting the upper hand in the game Marcus Browne goes into a reckless two footed challenge taking out van der Hoorn earning a straight red and we were down to ten men yet again. Another ridiculous sending off for Boro indicating that there is clearly a discipline and control issue within the Boro Coaching set up. It’s too many and too often now for it to be mere coincidence.
Marvin Johnson was then pulled back for a Boro free kick, McNair fizzed it in and was cleared away by Surridge for a Boro corner. McNair delivered the ball into the Swansea box but headed away by van der Hoorn. Barry McKay then came on for Dhanda as Steve Cooper sensed all three points. Then ten-man Boro left Andre Ayew unmarked who smashed Swansea back into the lead and Boro two-one down. The only excuse for Ayew being unmarked was perhaps the switch from five at the back to four.
Indiscipline seriously costing Boro once again and to compound things Grimes put a deep cross into the Boro box, nodded down by Bidwell into the path of Surridge who swivelled and stroked it past Pears into the bottom corner to kill off the contest.
Ashley Fletcher got in behind van der Hoorn but his shot went wide as Woodgate brought on Rudy Gestede with 15 minutes left to play and George Saville making way. As Tavernier was mysteriously laid out on the pitch a frustrated McNair charged in on Grimes in front of the Swansea dugout and the reaction from the home bench sealed his fate. Something had clearly incensed them; the Northern Irishman was promptly red carded for the challenge as Boro went down to nine men with just over ten minutes left to play.
Just as Woodgate had managed to get a few players back in his squad two of them managed to get themselves straight reds and three-game bans. Unbelievable how we had gone from unflustered and cruising to an unfortunate goal down, two sending’s off after pulling level and eventually going three behind. Marvin Johnson then went off for Lewis Wing presumably to get ten minutes playing time.
Wing collected a ball from Coulson and got his effort away and Gestede managed to make contact of sorts with the ball but unsurprisingly there was no net bulge. Swansea had a few attempts themselves but the game was now effectively over when Browne was sent off and when McNair received his marching orders it was the signal to head home for the travelling army as the rain poured down adding more atmospheric misery on the afternoon.
Five added minutes came up on the fourth Officials board as Boro’s nine men battled now hard to save face and keep the defeat to just the three goals. The meaningless, nothingness of the remainder after Paddy’s departure was just made all the more ridiculous as Gestede bizarrely headed the ball out for a corner to the Swans. He did at least defend the corner by getting his head onto it and as Swansea toyed with us thankfully the final whistle went on an afternoon which could and possibly should have initially yielded three points but as a minimum one carelessly thrown away by petulant ill-discipline. Those three summer signings have all been highly questionable. One seems marginally capable at this level; one would look out of place in a Sunday Pub side and one has ability but is clearly an unhinged damaged loose cannon and no wonder the Hammers jettisoned him.
Once Browne was booked Woodgate should have subbed his sub, bizarre as that would seem. Clayton was taken off because his yellow had restricted his effectiveness previously and there is nothing in Browne’s profile to trust and believe that he could control his own game, in fact the polar opposite. A hot-headed liability who needs to be jettisoned in January and written off as a budget bad gamble. All these continual sending’s off put me in mind of another leader this week who paid a humiliating price for failing to control his charges despite being deluded to the contrary.
Down to ten men and two goals behind, would putting on someone with a bit of pace and energy instead of Gestede when you are forced to sit deeper have made more sense? Surely having a zestful threatening outlet instead of a lumbering, immobile, injury prone, unfit, non scoring striker had to be a more logical decision?
Stoke up next at the Riverside in a six pointer and let’s hope for some discipline and control. There are now too many Players in this squad walking a tightrope with the fans which isn’t a great foundation for a side battling to survive in the Championship.