| Aston Villa | Middlesbrough | ||
| Bamford | 58′ (pen) 67′ |
||
| Possession Shots On target Corners Fouls |
41% 8 1 8 8 |
Possession Shots On target Corners Fouls |
59% 12 3 4 16 |
Bamford Brace empty Villa Cup hopes
A much changed look to both sides as Steve Bruce made 11 changes to Garry Monk’s 10 in front of a desolate looking Villa Park that had the atmosphere of a reserve match rather than a Cup tie with 11,000 attendees rattling and echoing around the famous old stadium. Wing and Tavernier were the biggest not so surprising surprise inclusions for Boro but probably not half as surprising as the involvement of the Championship’s forgotten goal machine, Ross McCormack who presumably had finally managed to either find the keys to his mansions gates or Steve Bruce’s heart. The desperado came on in the first half for the man who should have been suspended Henri Lansbury but based upon Lansbury’s forty minutes or so on the pitch Steve Bruce probably wished his red card hadn’t been rescinded after all.
It was Villa who first looked like they might get something from the game as a free kick drifted in from the left was headed by Elphick unimpeded into Dimi’s goal. Fortunately the eagle eyed linesman on the far side flagged for an offside to save Boro blushes. The first half itself was fairly uneventful, the best moment when Wing shrugged off the attention of three Villa midfielders to thread a ball out to Roberts wide right who advanced and crossed into the box for Bamford to rise up and hit the crossbar with a perfectly timed if not angled header. Had it gone in it would have been just reward as Boro were the more balanced, composed and threatening of the two “reserve” teams on display.
To think of where Wing and Tavernier normally play their football they did not look out of place and based on tonight’s performances from the pair of them they look ready to do duty in the Championship if called upon. Only Ben Gibson remained from Saturday’s line up against QPR and he himself was duly replaced/rotated with Dael Fry at half time to evenly share the exertions alongside Ayala who managed the full 90 minutes and who fancied a few chances at corners all evening. George was restored at Left Back with Roberts as mentioned previously on the Right side. Howson and Forshaw got more game time in midfield and to be fair looked comfortable throughout. It was that man Wing again from a similar position in the middle of the park who teed up Forshaw for a 25 yard speculative strike which was parried away by Steer in the Villa goal with Tavernier flashing the rebound into the side netting. Fletcher and Bamford provided the attacking threat though it was Bamford who looked by far the more likely to score.
In the second half it was that man Wing again this time feeding Paddy with a beautifully weighted 20 yard ball bypassing Elphick to send Paddy through leaving the despairing Villa CB with no other option than to execute a trip just as Paddy entered the box. It was a penalty and a second yellow for the ex-Bournemouth man as he had earlier received a caution for upending George. Cool as you like Paddy stepped up and a left footed dink down the middle was enough to open the scoring. 1-0 and Boro were well deserving of their lead. I said before the game slightly tongue in cheek that Paddy if given a start needed a hat trick to give Garry Monk something to think about. Just as it entered my mind obligingly this time Tavernier sent in a cross from the left with Bamford ghosting in at the back of the 6 yard box to rise and bag his second goal of the night. Whilst he didn’t quite make it a hat trick he came darn close enough with his first half header to have almost made it a reality.
Downing had come on previously to replace Wing who was looking tired understandably to a chorus of boos from the smattering of Villa fans to be buoyed by “He’s one of our own” from the few hundred Boro fans who should be given first choice of tickets should we eventually go on to achieve the ridiculous. Tavernier thought he had made it three for Boro when he had his close range effort saved on the line which looked about as far over it as Johnson’s cross did on Saturday so I guess some of them you win but I’m happy to not get the benefit when 2-0 up and cruising against ten men! Miller came on for the last ten minutes or so as Monk made his last substitution of the evening to give the lad a run out. Speaking of run outs by this stage apart from the Boro fans just about the entirety of the ground had run out when Boro’s second went in with the Holte end eerily deserted.
All in all a very effective evening which had a few perhaps overly confident Boro moments in the game which is really scraping the barrel when looking for something negative. This side tonight looked as though they could compete quite favourably at the top end of the Championship themselves especially Wing and Tavernier. MOM has to go to Paddy for his two goals and near miss but I wouldn’t put up a strong argument if Wing received the accolade. The Coach trip back North must have been a content relaxing ride for the squad as they now enter the last 16 of the Carabou Cup. Who Boro will draw will be revealed on Wednesday night when its probably drawn out of a Yaks intestine in a remote corner of the middle of nowhere with more entertaining “pairing” errors than a Sunderland back line.
Monk makes ten changes
to overcome Bruce’s second XI
Just over 11,000 turned up at Villa Park to watch last night’s Carabao Cup encounter, which was 15,000 down on the league game ten days ago. Boro witnesses were also thin on the ground with only around 300 estimated to have made the trip from Teesside. With no live feed available for the Diasboro faithful to observe the proceedings we were instead all ears as radio commentary became the medium of choice to stay in the invisible loop.
Ben Gibson was the only man to take to the pitch at kick-off who had also started at the weekend, Garry Monk made ten changes from Saturday’s victory over QPR and Steve Bruce swapped the whole eleven – the Boro boss would have no doubt done the same if Shotton hadn’t been cup-tied, so instead opted to give Gibson and Fry a half each.
It’s clear that the League Cup has become a fixture that clubs just want to negotiate and if you progress then that’s fine – but if not, then well that’s fine also. It was Boro however that were able to seemlessly change their starting eleven without losing their style, rhythm and teamwork. It’s a credit to Garry Monk and his staff that all the players in his squad know how he wants to play and can slot into their respective postions and almost look like they’re regulars.
It was also pleasing that some of the promising youngsters like Marcus Tavernier and Lewis Wing got another opportunity to show what they can do – the maturity of their performances had some observers declaring that they looked like some of the best players on the pitch. This game was also a chance for Patrick Bamford to demonstrate to his manager that he’s in form and can do a job – his two goals will have gone some way to prove his point, plus a calm chip over the keeper for a disallowed offside goal and a header against the bar could have almost given him a hat-trick.
In the end it was a comfortable victory for Boro, the dismissal of Tommy Elphick on the hour mark after he brought down Bamford in the box gained him his second yellow and gave us the lead after Bamford cooly beat the keeper. With Villa now a goal down and a man down it got worse just nine minutes later as Bamford met a Tavernier cross to head in the second at the far post.
Connor Roberts also put in a good display at right back and it wouldn’t weaken Boro if he was the regular starter. In defence, Ayala and Friend got a run out with a clean sheet to their name – plus with Howson and Forshaw getting a full game in the engine room, it means Garry Monk has plenty of match-fit options to call on.
After the match, the Boro boss was very pleased with the evening’s work and said “We did exactly what we wanted to, I thought we were excellent from start to finish. It was a really good team performance. There were changes, but you have to trust your players, and I do. I’ve been working with them since we’ve come in, and we know what we’ve got in terms of what we’re working with. They know exactly what they have to do when they go on the pitch, and exactly what we want them to do.”
All that remains now is for Kim Jong Un to pull us out of the bag and give us a home tie in the draw for the next round of the Carabao Cup ahead of his country being totally obliterated by ‘The Donald’ having a bad hair day (again). I’m just hearing that Kim Jong Un has apparently cancelled and the draw will instead take place in England of all places after the Manchester United versus Burton Albion game this evening – well there’s a novelty!
Boro’s squad players hoping to
impress Garry Monk in Caraboa Cup
The distraction of trying to win promotion is put to one side this evening as Boro head back down to Villa Park to see if playing with eleven men for the first hour will give them an edge. Such is the importance of the Carabao Cup that Garry Monk will use it to test out whether his second XI have what it takes to break into his Championship starting line-up.
Quite a lot has changed since those who took to the field against Scunthorpe in the hope of impressing the manager. Stuart Downing made his first appearance as a sub under Monk after being told he was not in the Boro boss’s plans – that 30 minute energetic cameo seemed to have convinced his manager that he was going to be an integral part of the team. If you look at the team for that second round match, it’s interesting to see who at the time was not regarded as a league starter in the previous three league games with five of those graduating to become regular starters (shown in bold) by the Aston Villa league game.
| Prior to Cup (Games 2-4) |
Scunthorpe | Aston Villa |
| Darren Randolph | Dimi Konstantopoulos | Darren Randolph |
| Cyrus Christie | Connor Roberts | Cyrus Christie |
| Dael Fry | Dael Fry | Dael Fry |
| Ben Gibson | Daniel Ayala | Ben Gibson |
| George Friend | Fábio Da Silva | Fábio Da Silva |
| Adam Clayton | Lewis Baker | Lewis Baker |
| Adam Forshaw | Adam Forshaw | Adam Clayton |
| Jonny Howson | Grant Leadbitter (Lewis Wing 80′) |
Grant Leadbitter |
| Patrick Bamford | Marcus Tavernier (Stewart Downing 64′) |
Stewart Downing |
| Britt Assombalonga | Ashley Fletcher (Rudy Gestede 81′) |
Britt Assombalonga |
| Rudy Gestede | Adama Traoré | Adama Traoré |
As you can see from the list, Fabio has taken the left-back slot and Dael Fry has remained in front of a fit Ayala to become the main man in central defence. In the middle, Baker has played his way into being a regular starter as the attacking midfielder of choice and Grant Leadbitter has also been restored to the first eleven after his commanding performance in the Carabao Cup. We should also not forget that it was in the game against Scunthorpe that we started to see an Adama with an end product and he’s now regarded has a big miss because of his suspension.
It’s unclear whether some of the youngsters will get a chance tonight as there is also an EFL Trophy game at Accrington Stanley being played at the same time – I guess it depends whether Garry Monk is serious about the prospects of Marcus Tavernier and Lewis Wing being involved in the first-team squad. I suspect he may feel he currently has enough options at his disposal to avoid disrupting the U23 squad.
Though since the League Cup has become somewhat of low priority in the grand scheme of things, the Boro manager will no doubt rest some players. An added bonus for the suspended Traore and Clayton means these EFL Cup games count towards their respective bans – so Clayton appears to have timed his fifth yellow card perfectly to miss the game that he was probably never going to play in.
I suspect Dimi will get the gloves, with probably a back four of Roberts, Ayala, Friend plus Ben or Fry stepping in for the cup-tied Shotton. In midfield, I can’t see Leadbitter playing after taking a knock against QPR, so Howson and Forshaw will probably get the nod. The tricky bit will be deciding on who plays in attack – Bamford is fresh after being overlooked recently and Fletcher probably could do with more pitch time but if Tavernier doesn’t get promoted then will Monk risk Johnson or Assombalonga? Braithwaite is training again but it doesn’t sound like he’s completely ready – so some players may be asked to play an hour and share the burden.
In the end the League Cup hasn’t been something Boro have had much of a go at in the last ten years or so. As you can see from the table below, other than the quarter-final in our promotion year, Boro have not shown much enthusiasm for the competition. OK, we made the last eight in 2012-13 but that was mainly down to the luck of the draw, having faced only Bury, Gillingham, Preston and Sunderland before getting knocked out by Swansea.
| Year |
Round | Team | Score |
Notable Scalps |
| 2016-17 | 2 | Fulham (A) | 1-2 | |
| 2015-16 | QF | Everton (A) | 0-2 | Man Utd (4th round) |
| 2014-15 | 3 | Liverpool (A) | 2-2 (14-13) | |
| 2013-14 | 1 | Accrington Stanley (H) | 1-2 | |
| 2012-13 | QF | Swansea City (A) | 0-1 | Sunderland (4th round) |
| 2011-14 | 3 | Crytal Palace (A) | 1-2 | |
| 2010-11 | 2 | Millwall (A) | 1-2 | |
| 2009-10 | 1 | Nottingham Forest (A) | 1-2 | |
| 2008-09 | 2 | Manchester United (A) | 1-3 | |
| 2007-08 | 2 | Tottenham Hotspurs (A) | 0-2 |
I’m sure Garry Monk would not fancy the prospect of having to stretch his resources by playing Europa League football next season if he was to gain promotion – so lifting the trophy may be a poison chalice he’s prefer to avoid. However, I’m sure the Boro manager would prefer to develop a winning mentality and is it a coincidence that our best run in the cup was also our promotion year? OK, the final is a long was off but collecting a scalp or two may be the tonic that galvanises a promotion campaign.
After the last 4.00am event at the top of a Beijing sky-scraper, I’m not entirely sure where and when the fourth round draw for the cup is being held this time. Perhaps it will be held in a missile silo in North Korea with Kim Jong Un drawing the home teams and his US basketball mate Dennis Rodman drawing the away teams – I just hope that when they press the button to release the balls they don’t hit the wrong one, otherwise all living creatures on the planet may bear a close resemblance to the iconic buffalo skull on the Carabao can!
So will Boro find having an extra man on the pitch makes it easier to arrest the progress of the Villains? or will we find ourselves being sent down and out as our silky skills remain on the bench. As usual, predictions on score, scorers and team selection – plus what does Patrick Bamford need to do to impress Garry Monk?
Heads up Sports fans, Spartaks in the drivin seat.
Don’t go calling any Boro game a meh!!! It’s not in a real supporters blood IMHO. I recall going to watch a reserve game at Ayresome Park and there were 5000 Boro fans in attendance. Mind I also remember being stood in the Holgate on a cold dark wet night where there was sooo much room you could swing a cow around yer head and not hit anyone within a distance of 30m (name that game- twas the relegation to Div3 season).
Anyhow tonight, Demi gets the gloves & Ayala gets a start with George, no Shotton, Gibbo/Fryup (half each) + one other. Howson & Forshaw in middle. Up front the Travy lad, Fletch & Bambi – how manys that? Clutch of lads from the under 23’s on the bench alongside Braithwaite just to remind him what a football pitch with the lightz on looks like, like. 🙂
Score 1-3
Attn 9876
Oh, & thx Werder for the writeup. Particularly like the ‘button’ ref, just a shame that in reality we hav not one but two lifesize nutters incharge of their respective countries who could wipe out millions literally at the touch of a button.
The ghosts of Caligula & Nero must be wettin themselves with laughter.
Hmmmmm!
Humanity the worlds worst enemy.
Thanks, though hopefully it won’t be the end of the world if we are not in the draw for the 4th round…
Werder, or anyone come to that, I remember reading a comment last season in regards to squad numbers. Apparently, if my memory doesn’t let me down (again), academy players, or was it players under a certain age, don’t count towards the squad numbers. Does this still apply in the Championship or are the rules different from the PL?
On tonight, just go for it and give some of the kids a run out if possible, what’s to lose.
I think you’re probably right about the academy lads not needing to be named squad players but I think the 25-man squad rule does only apply to the PL. Apparently from next season EFL teams will have to name ‘one’ club developed player in their matchday squad – which is a rule hardly worth having.
Thanks for the post Werder I hope these are not taking up too much of your time up
As usual I don’t forecast these results now as I usually put the proverbial hex on it !
All I will say is I hope for a win and a clean sheet
Thanks but yes time is as ever in short supply – I was out all day Sunday and had commitments all day yesterday, plus a dental appointment this morning too – so it’s tight for a Tuesday game write-up. I’ve tweaked the blog to try and reduce my overall time input as my full-blown match previews would probably take a minimum of four hours to compose plus there are the header graphics and general processing on top – for example, the post-match header graphic with match stats would take around 25 minutes to produce, so I’m switching to a match header graphic instead that covers both the preview and report, with the stats now in a table.
My plan is to try and keep the pre-match writing to a couple of hours or so since two games a week are the norm now – I’ve been setting up some apps in excel to export tables for WordPress as they are very fiddly and time consuming to create and format manually.
Though writing articles does take time to do them properly – I’ve been lucky that both Redcar Red and Simon’s work are of professional standard so their copy is ready go when they send it and requires no additional work other than the graphics and a bit of processing – it shouldn’t be underestimated how much skill and time that takes to be able to structure an article and submit well written copy free of errors!
It is all very much appreciated Werdermouth…and RR and Simon too.
I’d like to see Boro win simply because I like to see Boro winning so I’m going for a close game with score being Villa 1 – @ Boro.
Where is all this optimism coming from?
UTB,
John
That was supposed Villa 1 – 2 Boro. Yet more finger trouble.
UTB,
John
Nice write up Werder and as Spartak said…..liked the bit about the buttons.
Well hopefully we will see Paddy strart up front alongside Fletcher. Howson, Forshaw, SD and one wide man. Will it be Marvin or a promoted Travy, as Spartak calls him.(I can’t spell his name either). Or of course another whose name I can’t spell may come in from the cold.
Ayala and Ben, with Roberts, Friend and Dimi. Then a couple of youngsters on the bench plus the rest of the first team squad.
Hoping for a win with no injuries or red cards.
I’m dumbing down for Xmas, Pedro. Ain’t long to go now!
Thanks Pedro, though maybe ‘The Donald’ will disrupt the 4th round draw with his latest plan for world peace…
On another subject;
Is the current British Foreign Secretary a reincarnation of the Ancient Roman Nero. Question is will he fiddle whilst the UK burns?
You really couldn’t make it up – its worse than Morcambe and Wise Banana Republic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X09_msnoMkY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
“You like me a little?”
“I like you a lottle!”
Class!!
Loved that! That Riviera Touch was an enjoyable film, too, but it may just be me showing my age.
I cannot see beyond a win at villa tonight.
I’m ashamed to be so positive, it’s not normal and no good will come of it, mark my words.
We have so many players who I like to watch that it’s not possible for them all to play, what to do?
It’s forced me to leave it to the manager (which is not natural) in fact it should not be allowed?
The away crowd should have a good time tonight, with Johnson on song and Bamford to feed him we look hot to trot.
3-0, there, I’ve done it, what can possibly go wrong?
Dimi
Roberts, Ayala, Fry & Friend
Howson & Forshaw
Fletcher Baker Johnson
Bamford
1-1 with Villa to win on penalties
Bamford needs to score and have a worldly to convince GM that he should be a nailed on starter.
Just hope everyone gets through the game unscathed.
CoB 😎
I believe that Johnson is cuptied so may be Guediora may be resurrected. Not sure how many youngsters will get a run with the Checkatrade game at Accrington tonight. It will be good to follow the game at a good time as currently in UK and have ticket for Fulham on Saturday.
Yes, Magic Johnson is cuptied with Shotton. And Traore and Clayton are suspended.
As I said earlier, 1-1 at full time, Boro winning 4-2 on penalties. Then Arsenal at home in the next round. We will win 1-0. Want to hear more?
Up the Boro!
Do we beat Man Utd in the next round, then Chelsea, and Liverpool before, in the Final, we out-muscle Man City to be the first team to qualify for European football next season? I have had dreams like that, as well.
DOnt LLP was about magic Johnson have you been eating magic mushrooms ?
If you’re having dreams like that I want some too!!
I am currently having some R@R in Bali but did manage to stream the QPR game, had to watch on my phone. Clayton,s timing was perfection.
Hope for a win tonight just to keep the momentum going.
Hope bamford starts and scores.
Prediction – reverend Green in the library with the dagger
In terms of predictions it sounds like you haven’t a cluedo – though let’s hope Bamford cuts the colonel mustard and we get a plum tie in the next round…
I think GM will be aware of the need to give the players who haven’t been in the team or have only been subs a chance to:
• show what they can do
• sharpen up in a competitive game
• build match fitness.
An unlucky injury and one of them could suddenly be a vital first team player, and we need them to be as ready as possible to step in.
This is also good for morale within the squad as it keeps more of the guys involved.
Plus, as RR says, this would enable most of the regular starters to re-charge batteries before Fulham.
I’m afraid getting back into the Prem has to be the priority and there is a suggestion that Steve Bruce will also rest some of his usual starters, no doubt for exactly the same reason.
Let’s hope Braithwaite has progressed enough to be able to play some part, and it would be nice to see PB and Ashley Fletcher getting a full 90 minutes.
Appreciate your hard work Werder on this great blog. I notice that AV has an acitive contribution on Facebook. Which makes us wonder why his bosses stopped him from his ‘ Untypical Boro ‘ blog. As for tonight I hope for a decisive win and PM to get on the scoresheet.
Werder
Just hope we don’t throw a “spanner” in the works and that we can rope them in.
And the scarlet team is victorious.
Although they may play in “white”
Scrabble anyone ?
Patrick Bamford…I mean !
If nothing else I would like to Bamford given a run out and if Marvellous Martin is cup-tied put Downing on the left instead.
Lots of possibilities all over the pitch and I’m sure Mr Monk is happy to have a lot of capable players to choose from.
I’m not going to make a prediction ( if there’s 2 queues in a shop I always pick the wrong one! ) but hoping for a Boro victory in normal time with no injuries or red cards.
My problem, Murphy, is that whatever country I’m in at whatever supermarket, when in the queue the individual behind always bashes me in the backside with their trolley.
Age, gender, religion, it matters not – I’ve even had a ‘person’ in a full burka bashin away merrily. No shame!
I want to turn around and shout ‘What’s .my arse ever done to you? Buggar off!!’
Even been touched up by a lass in the back of the Holgate once. There is no safety anyway.
And now I think of it an older Italian woman….
She used to get everywhere, that woman!
It’s years since I’ve been touched up the Holgate.
I won’t be able to follow the game tonight, so will just see the result before bed time. I am usually in the same queue as Murphy04 but, it is a cup tie so happy to tempt fate and predictions Boro to win 2-1.
Bamford to start and to score one and set the other one up.
Team sheet & I was only one adrift with Wing in.
Game on!
So the team appears to be selected with one and a half eyes on Fulham – Gibson partners Ayala with Roberts and Friend plus Dimi in goal. Howson, Forshaw and Lewis Wing in midfield with Tavernier, Fletcher and Bamford in attack. Perhaps 4-3-3 but may depend on how far advanced Howson plays.
Cheers Braveheart and Powmill and others for your continued support of the Diasboro project!
KP – I think you just posted under your real name – not sure if that was what you intended so it’s still being held for approval as a new poster.
I would love a good cup run and winning is a happy habit. I’m not best pleased GM as made so many changes, it’s tantamount to setting us up to lose.
Yes give team time to two or three of those who need it, but playing our second string team is something of an insult to those the traveling support.
If I’d paid to make the trip from Teesside or elsewhere, I’d be livid.
Quite agree, Chris.
Agree with the plaudits for another quality article Werder. Where do you find the time?
Changes aplenty on both sides but going for a Boro victory in the regulation 90. With our strength in depth from front to back I wouldn’t mind a cup run which can help breed a winning mentality.
Plaudits for Werder, Redcar Red and Simon?
It goes without saying, where would we be without them? The answer is a life along with the Neanderthals or Gazette sundry repeats AdsArUs.
Having done some contributions, plus from the days I did articles for ComeonBoro, the effort and time to produce such quality that we have is amazing.
The AV Billy Davis article was one of the best but he is professional journalist. Our stars may be semi pros for all I know but the won’t have the weight of the resources available to the Gazette. They have family and jobs to do
I don’t say thank you every article but my grateful thanks are there, they know my views and appreciation.
Yes, many thanks to Werdermouth. I know how much time and effort, not to mention research, goes into producing an article for every match especially with work and family commitments to be taken into consideration. I’m retired and widowed with seemingly time on my hands, but I couldn’t come up with anything near the contributions of not only Werdermouth but Redcar Red also.
It’s good too to read views of an increasing number of new contributors (I’m a fairly new contributor myself) which enhance this forum, and what is also refreshing is that when we may not always be in agreement with the majority of views, there is tolerance and respect from everyone unlike some other forums.
Well done everyone.
I echo those sentiments about this blog ken
2 0 with 20 minutes to go, clean sheet will do, no injuries and move on is the order of the day.
Is it greedy to hope that Bamford could get another – a rare Boro hat trick?
I hope Bamford does get a hat trick and poses selection problems for GM
“The gentlest of Zephyrs and Hudson goes over…” per BBC Tees.
Quiet lad, or Villa fans will be on the Fohn, and it will be a Mistral to all of us whether the Bora is up to your Chinook.
Well, it looks as if we all got what we wanted. A good win, some playing time for the squad, two goals for Bamford and two really promising youngsters playing a big part. Monk must be delighted.
UTB
Well done to all the players, especially Paddy those others drafted in for tonight.
GM’s team selection held up and fair play to him for trusting his players to do a good job.
I’m very happy to be in the next round. Will Dimi keep his spot in every round up to and including the final if we make it that far?
I have already said that I will NOT go to Wembley in the event we qualified to play in the Play-Off Final. (I am hoping we will not need the Play-Offs).
However, if we got through to the League Cup Final……that would be another thing.
Well done, lads.
We won. Brilliant. What a selection headache for GM. I love it when Boro win. Well done Boro and how many fans did we have there?
UTB,
John
I think they estimated on Radio Tees at around 300 Boro supporters made the trip – so it was quite an exclusive club for those who witnessed it.
Thank you Werder,
Well done to them in the middle of the working week.
UTB,
John
So Ben Gibson was the odd man out tonight, being the only starter from both teams to have also started at the weekend. Listening to the Radio commentary it sounded like Boro were comfortable and had far more quality in their squad than Villa – plus they played better together as a team. The youngsters didn’t seem phased by the game and must regard their chances of making a league appearance has having improved. Two goals for Bamford, plus one against the bar and one well-taken offside goal will have reminded Monk he’s still an option. Also sounded like no injuries and Ben and Dael sharing a stint (as I think Spartak predicted earlier) to preserve their strength for Fulham. Job done and hopefully an interesting draw for round 4 awaits.
BTW Thanks to FAA, Ian, Ken and OFB for their comments on the Diasboro articles – much appreciated.
I think this Wing kid only signed a one year contract ,maybe someone can verify that if they can,
I’m expecting an extension tomorrow morning.
Is that a single storey or a double storey extension you are expecting ?
Boro have secured the signing of attacking midfielder Lewis Wing from Shildon.
The 22-year-old, who scored 37 goals in the Northern League last season, joins on a one-year contract and will link up with Boro’s Under-23s.
Academy Manager Craig Liddle said: “We’re delighted to welcome Lewis to the club.
“He’s an exciting player who arrives on the back of an impressive season, and we look forward to seeing how he can develop here at Boro.”
Wing, scouted by departing club stalwart Ron Bone,
It’s again really comforting to see evidence of a manager in charge making sensible decisions even down to the small stuff like giving Miller a first run on the field in the last few minutes. How many managers would have recognised that the different centre back combinations needed time together and then simply gone ahead and done it in a competitive game. He’s certainly not frightened of backing his judgement.
Also, based on Radio Tees, Roberts sounds like another better than average squad player. Fingers crossed, but it’s hard to see a bad acquisition in the summer window. In that case, kudos to the recruitment team and whoever else was responsible for identifying targets.
Also, let’s recognise the Academy and junior recruitment teams. There has been a bit of moaning about lack of players coming through but a list of people playing elsewhere on loan or in the Boro extended squad would include
Fry
Chapman
Cooke
Ripley
Fryer
Tavernier
Miller
Wing
Pears
Soisalo
Morello and Asiedu on loan in Estonia
and I’m sure that I’ve missed out others.
In particular, we seem to turn out goalkeepers by the handful. Two on loan in the EFL and two more in tonight’s squads.
It’s hard not to be optimistic.
UTB
Very happy to see the result and a good all round performacne by all accounts.
….. and gald to see Bambi answer Weder’s last question in the sweetest possible way.
Goals are certainly welcome again and why not? We had a miserable season last year so now lets just enjoy the ride.
I am not going to be tooooo enthusiastic though, you know this is Boro after all.
I also would like to thank the serious contributors for their posts especially the match reports well done RR – nothing semi about you there…!!!
MAybe we can get the background changed to pink to bring back some memories.
Heres one for you, by the time we had got through the traffic to stockton and dropped everyone off, the Sports was already in the newsagents – well worth the read!!
At least Werder put the score correctly!
According to http://www.mfc.co.uk we lost by 2-0. This is not the first time they have the score wrongly.
Excellent result and well done all the young lads, too. Up the Boro!
260 words in the Grauniad about last night’s game, mostly talking about how Villa lost it, that their off-side goal should have stood, but that it was a complete team change since their Saturday EFL fixture with Barnsley. 18 words about Boro at the end of the piece, covering a quote from GM that we dominated throughout.
Boro lost at Accrington Stanley in the Checkatrade Trophy. Final score was Accrington Stanley 3 Boro U23s 2. Accrington’s winner came at 92th minute!
Boro: Hemming; Dale, Coulson (Storey 75), Brewitt (capt), McGinley, Liddle, Malley, Reading, Soisalo (Sinior 87), Armstrong, Curry (O’Neill 59). Subs: James (GK), Spence, Walker, Wilson.
Goals: Reading (Boro) 32, Armstrong (Boro) 65
Up the Boro!
Thanks Jarkko, I may not have been able to watch the game but at least I knew the score – Anyway, there were no live feeds available and only around 300 hard core Boro fans made the trip – sadly I doubt Redcar Red was among them so no match report for this one so I’ve done a match summary instead to help cross the eyes and dot the Tees – or something like that…
https://diasboro.club/2017/09/19/efl-cup-villa-vs-boro/#MatchSummary
I read in the Gazette I think that Gary monk wouldn’t want to win the League cup because it would give him the headache of having to play in the UEFA cup next season along (hopefully) with a premiership campaign. I think that sort of thinking is utter rubbish.
Professional football is all about winning and ideally winning cups/promotion , I cant think of anything better than winning promotion and the L:eague cup this season (other than winning the FA cup), if that dream becomes reality then worry about the UEFA cup when it comes. Play a reserve team in the UEFA cup if necessary.
The idea of giving up on cups in order to enhance premiership survival is just plain wrong as far as I’m concerned.
Great result last night, Tavernier’s cross for the second goal was a touch of class.
Definitely some momentum building now.
GM will just have to play the reserve 11 in the UEFA Cup and the U21’s in the Carabou Cup next season.The only problem is in defining which is the reserve 11 and which is the first 11 based on Scunthorpe and last night at Villa Park. I reckon Garry is probably getting a serious headache about now and probably thankful that Braithwaite and Gestede are crocked and that Adama is suspended, Typical Boro 🙂
Well that was a bit annoying – I just got back home and discovered my email inbox had frozen and I had a match report waiting in it from Redcar Red that arrived five minutes before midnight! As luck would have it, he was in Birmingham on business and managed to get to the game as one of the hardcore. I could have saved myself some time on writing a match summary but never mind you’ve got two for the price of one today! Here’s RR’s take on the game…
https://diasboro.club/2017/09/19/efl-cup-villa-vs-boro/#MatchReport
I could have sworn that Tavernier had scored last night but if QPR fans think they were robbed with Kohnston’s cross then this must have been their Karma moment!
https://twitter.com/carabao_cup/status/910442825543806981
Nigel – I actually said something similar in my match preview but with the caveat that winning games is on balance better than losing them and our best run in the cup of late was our promotion season – so developing a winning mentality is probably required to gain promotion. Though it’s far too earlier to contemplate winning the League Cup as we’ve only won two games and still need to win a further four and that probably means beating a couple of the big boys at nearly full strength.
I think on reflection the worse case scenario would be to win the cup and qualify for the Europa League and NOT get promoted – in such a scenario I’ve no idea how the logistics of a 46 game season and the Europa League are possible as we’ve played Championship games this season at the same time clubs were playing in Europe. I think it happened to Millwall back in 2004 but they were knocked out in the first qualifying round so it didn’t affect them much.
I haven’t yet bothered to learn how to do the “like” thingy, so thanks to Werder and RR for yet another magnificent display. Such speedy and detailed coverage of last night’s game is breathtaking, and far more comprehensive than anything the professionals have been able to come up with. We have a top-class promotion winning blog, whatever happens with the actual football. Great stuff, and thanks to all contributors.
Yes, fantastic work as ever by Werder and RR.
Ditto from me. Their commitment is tremendous. Who needs the Gazette?
PB has really provided GM with a selection headache.
UTB
Agree with what almost everyone on here has been saying about Bamford. For weeks now, as it happens.
He should be an automatic selection because he is probably
a). the best striker on the books
b). the best no 10 on the books
c) the best midfield creator
d) after the born-again Traore, the best wide player on the books.
e) one of our best in terms of training and attitude.
and f) guaranteed to get you 20 + goals season if selected.
His continued bench-warming this season remains an inexplicable mystery.
Come on, Gary. You’ve done great so far. But get with the Diasboro project. Some people on here taught Revie and Cloughie all they knew.
Things seem to be going very well for us.
I cannot remember last when I fully expected an away win, named the score( three nill and yes, I’m claiming the “ball over the line ” goal)
I also fully expected Bamford to score a few(top man)
Obviously I am counting the next two home games as already won.
I do not hold out much hope for our opponents in the next away game.
So it’s all good.
What can possibly go wrong?
. . . . . .aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!! dont mention the war!!
War! What war???
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfl6Lu3xQW0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Be careful what you wish for, this is where Typical Boro usually threatens to happen!!
Villa’s disallowed ‘goal’ falls into our pattern of slow starts to each game.
While I’m happy with our season thus far, this is an ongoing concern.
A match report and a summary is an otrageous abundance of riches.
Is anyone aware of similar blogs for other clubs, or is it just us?
Well done Werder, RR and all other contributors.
I think the League Cup (or whatever it’s called this week) is a valuable competition although, in its many incarnations, it has always been decried.
Ever since its introduction by ‘Hardnuts’ Hardaker in the 60s (who remembers the two-legged finals with Rotherham and Rochdale appearing?) the competition has been an under-valued also-ran. The competition’s prestige lifted considerably with Wembley finals and the wins by QPR and Swindon were memorable for the displays by the likes of Don Rogers.
However the increase in the amount of football with the advent of the Champions League meant that the top teams could not afford to take it seriously. Over the last 20 years this thinking has cascaded down the league.
Now, any team that thinks its priority is to win a bigger trophy or to avoid relegation – which covers most clubs – views the League Cup as a distraction. There aren’t many teams that start a season thinking themselves fairly secure but unlikely to challenge for the top 6, making the League Cup a viable target.
In my view, last night’s match is a perfect example of how useful this competition can be. Fringe players, up-and-coming youngsters, forgotten stars – they get the chance to show what they offer. Half a dozen players at Villa made a case to GM for first team selection, including a couple that, frankly I’d never heard of (I’d listened for 10 minutes before I realised that Wing was playing for us. Who the hell is Miller?).
The increasing intensity of competition is making it harder for youngsters and late developers to get the opportunity to prove themselves and hopefully get established. The League Cup is a significant route for this category and long may Boro’s fringe players seize their chances as many did last night.
Monk now has enviable depth in the squad and, as others have noted, he has real competition for places. He has some tough decisions to make.
As the transfer window was ending my thinking was that we had failed to import much pace to join Traore. However Marvin Johnson is exciting, is nearly as quick as Adama and may well have more composure. Then, last night, Lewis Wing joined the speed club.
And Christie is no slough. Cyrus has been a revelation at RB but Connor Robers showed last night that he is not far behind. Having been ousted, Howson and Forshaw did not pull up any trees against Villa but did show they can contribute when needed. Tavernier again showed he is an exciting prospect and will benefit from the experience.
Wing was a real suprise, especially as I intially thought he was a Villa player. He looks a discovery if he can sustain it. Fletcher made a case for inclusion and, of course, Bamford practically threw down the gauntlet – he made it difficult to leave him out.
A nice problem for any manager to have.
Is it just me or do we now have a better squad than when we promoted under AK?
You can make a case say for Rhodes, Albert, Nugent and Nsue or even the likes of Kalas but out of those the only one I think would be a useful addition is AA. I think Randolph is better than Dimi, great as the big Greek is. Christie I think is a better all round RB than Nsue. Friend or Fabio? I’m not too bothered. Ben/Fry/Ayala? just perm two from three.
Grant and Clayts are as you were with Howson and Forshaw as back ups. As for further up the pitch there are that many riches that I’m not going to name them all and even if AA was still here like as not he would have to sit and wait his turn.
I know- tiresome ain’t it!
Guarantee that opposition team after team on concluding they ain’t got much of a chance play the QPR way and try to stifle the Boro.
Fat chance!
UTB
🙂
Slough? I meant slouch.
Redcar Red
On my train journey I bumped in to a Boro fan who has a season card and travels by train from Canterbury.
We were discussing the squad and I mused that Mogga must have sat watching the riches that AK had thinking how unfair it was. I extended that to saying AK must be green with envy looking at the recruitment this summer.
That is what we want to see, the club is now financially much stronger than when Southgate and the rest of the Unholy trinity Squandered our crown jewels and got us relegated.
He’s got it wrong way round. Pilgrims used to travel TO Canterbury.
The Riverside St. Is the holy grail.
Redcar – I would say that the current squad is much stronger than AK’s promotion squad. But then it should be, given the financial firepower that Boro now wield and the fact that Monk was able to build from a higher base position than Karanka was.
Higher base position?
Debateable Nigel!
The defensive unit and midfield- name me the names of players already playin under Mogga. Then we have attacking/midfield brought in by SG without a by-your-leave to AK. Even then AK preferred his besties.
Just sayin in a serious type of stylie like.
Spartak
I wouldn’t exactly call it a defensive unit under Mogga.
The model AK worked under was based on the continental approach, here are the players coach them though every manager will have a say.
Without Mr Karanka we wouldn’t have the money we have and hence the squad we have. The same thing with Mogga.
Be happy and enjoy the season. Again the best time ever to be a Boro fan. Up the Boro!
Jarkko
So glad to hear someone point out the obvious, with the advent of Mr AK we suddenly became dealers in players.
I have no intention of going through them(there are way too many) but we were unused to the rumble of money falling into the vaults(I’ll bet Steve Gibson is getting used to it)
I think it will get better because we seem to have a bundle of talented individuals.
I myself am quite amazed by the sheer numbers involved.
Great reports chaps much appreciated the time and effort that goes into it
Most people thought that buying players who had had three quarters of their career was a big mistake (proved over many years of plenty outgoing and no incoming)
We are seeing now a recruitment method which gives some hope of finding that jewel six months before he emerges blinking into the spotlight as a star.
Love Johnson and Bamford, and Traore, Fry, Gibson, and more.
Bring it on.
In terms of the audition for first team places, last night’s game suggested that GM needs some very strong reasons indeed to keep Patrick Bamford on the bench. His movement, his quality on the ball, his vision of how to build a move were outstanding. While some other players were content to find a teammate in the hope that someone else would decide how to proceed, PB is always assessing how to open up the opposition and trying to set that move in motion.
Several times he was caught offside, but then you could see him signalling to the passer that the ball had to come quicker – he had seen the opening and moved but the player on the ball had not been alert to it early enough. And of course PB’s finishing was excellent. I think he’s a better player than he was three years ago.
Interestingly, Lewis Wing also looks like a player who wants to take responsibility, who is always looking for the dangerous pass and is prepared to try and play it. I like his approach to the game.
On the other hand, George did not look himself, he still seems a little underpowered, played a couple of dangerous sloppy balls in defence and seemed to lack the confidence to attempt his trademark marauding runs down the wing, cutting inside past a defender and into the box. I expect GM will continue with Fabio, but will presumably give him a rocket about Saturday, where the ‘Full 90’ version shows him glance back – he saw the QPR player before allowing him to run past and score.
I was disappointed for Ashley Fletcher, this was a chance for him to show what he could do but he struggled to make an impact on the game.
Irony is Bamford is the ‘thinking’ player manager’s harp on about as their ideal.
But PB doesn’t fit the Blitzkrieg strategy GM wants Boro to play.
It’s there again ‘Dont mention the war!’ But I think I got away with it. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfl6Lu3xQW0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Along with many others, I have been very critical of Boro’s recruitment. My understanding is that Boro managers, although involved, are no longer in charge of this. Certainly, there was the strong suspicion that AK had SG signings foisted upon him and players like Downing suffered as a result.
If this is true, the club’s recruitment department has been failing for a decade or more, going back to Southgate and before. Even when we had decent money to spend, it was often wasted (Alves et al).
We have rarely, if ever, seen an up-and-coming prospect, British or foreign, brought in that peaked with Boro after development with the club. Others have had great success in trawling the lower divisions and non-league for ‘rough diamonds’ to polish and often sell on later at a big profit. Others do, Boro don’t – the closest we came was probably Curtis Main.
Having criticised so strongly, I have to hold my hands up and acknowledge that that seems to have changed this summer. It looks like we have bought well and got far more right than wrong. We might just – just – have recruited a promotion team.
Howson is probably the only disappointment to date and, even then, there’s ample time for him to turn that round. Randolph, Christie and Braithwaite are better than I’d expected and Johnson is a revelation.
Assambalonga was one who rang the alarm bells: the Boro has been a graveyard for sure-fire, proven scorers. To date, he looks like delivering the goods – the first reliable scorer since Ravanelli? The one is especially like is Wing – a classic late developer picked up from non-league.
Ally that with what looks like significant improvement under GM by players like Traore and Gestede and we’re going places. Hopefully the PL.
People may wonder why I was quoting German pop songs at Spartak on the previous thread, while also admitting to having failed German miserably at school. The answer is brain disease.
It turns out that by my age evolution no longer has any interest in keeping me alive for reproductive purposes, so it lets my body fall to bits. Diseases have free reign to attack the connections between the neurons in my brain*.
Studying languages apparently burns new connections very effectively, so making the brain more resilient. When I think ‘sometimes’, I also have the choice of ‘manchmal’, which requires more connections. Dementia will have a more difficult job unpicking my ability to think.
So, the German pop song translations are available online, and I painfully learn them off by heart, although the words I can remember from school help a bit. We should all be digging out that Spanish phrasebook we bought for that trip to Barcelona years ago…
My wife has no time for all of this, and starts talking loudly and waving her sudoku** book at me whenever Rammstein find their way onto the car stereo.
*The internet tells me that the human brain has roughly 80 billion neurons. This gives scope for an awful lot of connections – 100 trillion is the minimum number of neural connections, or synapses. That’s even more than the total number of times Bernie was offside in his entire career.
**Apparently suduko is also a brain booster.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24537-learn-another-language-to-delay-three-dementias/
OMG!!!!
GHW is alive and kicking!!
“Youhoo, GHW- or are you an android in disguise?’
Meanwhile, I know of a Swiss gentleman who owns a language school currently for sale just outside Zurich. And guess what? He runs a course in the Neroscience of Linguistics no less- he happens to have a degree in the subject as well.
As for Spartak, he keeps the Dementia away with a tablespoon of coconut oil a day, in his porridge in the morning. I will lapse to that great Ayresome Park in the sky sooner or later, but I’ll be damned if I go gentle into the night without a fight.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_not_go_gentle_into_that_good_night
He has a Masters degree not simply a Bachelors.
Love Middlesborough Footie Club me like – real serious!
😉
I think learning German nearly fried my brain so maybe there’s also a downside – though German is a very precise language grammatically and the things you need to consider in terms of the subject, object and indirect object makes uttering a sentence a bit of a leap into the unknown for English speakers and it still doesn’t come naturally to me – though I gather it’s nothing compared to Finnish so Jarrko has the plaudits and probably dementia doesn’t even get a sniff over there.
There’s also chance of an awful lot of misconnections too! GHW come out wherever you are. I bet you are in your shed in Rosedale Gardens. At least I think it was Rosedale Gardens…
UTB,
John
https://m.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/do-not-go-gentle-good-night
For the connoisseurs amongst us as we slip leisurely our 15 year old malt infront of the gentle flames of an open fire.
UTB
First we spoil you with match write-ups, now you spoil us with your generous comments – thanks everyone! Though don’t get used to it as it was an accident 🙂
I’ve been rage, raging against the dying of the light (as Dylan Thomas almost said) for the last few years. Trouble is, the light is as strong as ever – it’s various bits of me bloody body that are fading.
Keep pumping the weights rapidly, Nikeboro, it fools the body into believing its still got stacks of work to do.
Me knees are well ……ed but I walk 4km a day upto 6 days a week. Its when I stop that they seize up nd hurt. I reckon I do 1000km a year and that’s 3000km in the last 3 years alone. The same distance from where I am to London and back again, or there abouts.
Spartak
A ton, you sneaky capitalist!!
Watching Manu v Burton to see Connor Ripley. Manu are 2-0 after half an hour, Ripley had no chance but has made several saves.
Manu are playing a weakened side including Rashford, Mata, Martial, Herrera, Lingard, Carrick et al.
Now 3-0 after a wicked deflection in to the opposite corner
Bournemouth away. !
Come on BORO.
So it’s Bournemouth away in the next round. A long way to go to watch the reserves.
All the ties look a bit naff to be honest but then the domestic cups don’t come alive until the Quarter Finals these days.
Good job the Channel Islands don’t have a team or we would have drawn against them. Away.
UTB,
John
In between Cardiff (H) and Reading (A).
Come on BORO.
Diasboro was the only source to find the draw this morning. This was the first stop I checked but did not find a confirmation in either BBC or the Gazette. So Thanks, Exmil.
Aweful draw me thinks. Long way down for the fans and not an easy draw. Not impossible but tough. And too long way away for the fans.
Let’s hope for a win. Meanwhile we must concentrate on the League. Fulham next. Up the Boro!
Could be a decent game though – two sides looking to score goals and attacking at pace (how times have changed for the better for us).
Listening to GM at his press conference jos morning he remarked that the Bournemouth game will make it 3 away games in a week
Bournemouth wont be a problem to the club, they will fly down.
It is a useful measure of where the squad are in terms of potential, A good performance will be a confidence boost.
Andy R
It’s not our reserves it’s our other team , he one that would finish top half of the championship.
Upper top half at least !
Hope we see Bamford on Saturday.
We talk about the No 10 as if it is a new position. If you think back to Peter Beardsley alongside Lineker and Shearer, Sheringham alongside Shearer. There were two players adept at playing in the hole providing bullets for the main striker and capable of scoring themselves.
Having seen Baker he looks more like an attacking midfield player to me, a bit like Fabregas or Lampard. He will get you goals but isn’t a deep lying striker.
Just got in from work and watched the highlights of Real Madrid v Real Betis, great cross from the Betis right back to set up the winner, might be worth a punt, names Barragan!
The on-loan Boro right-back played for Real Betis as the underdogs claimed a memorable 1-0 win at the Bernabeu – keeping the world’s super-talent relatively quiet!
And what is more, Barragan actually provided the assist for the Betis winner – which came in the fourth minute of stoppage time at the end of the game, scored by Antonio Sanabria.
Perhaps he did not need to make a trow-in, there. Or the rules are different over there?
Next we see Strachan being a success at management. Perhaps at Scottish National Team? Funny world of football.
Up the Boro!
Bournemouth away? A chance to turn over a premiership club and build on the growing confidence I suppose.
AV in his report used the word “clunky”. Seriously I’ve not heard that expression before. Can anyone please enlighten me of its meaning?
Awkwardly solid, heavy, and outdated.(I googled it, Ken). UTB!
Thanks Jarkko. I actually thought it was some regional slang or colloquial word as I couldn’t find it in my dictionary. Maybe AV was using it as awkwardly solid then.
An Austin Maxi gearbox ?
Ken
Think of two machines, one has just been delivered, and sounds as smooth as silk, whispering away as it does it’s thing.
The old machine rumbles and goes clank and rattles like a good un.
That’s where the word clunky comes from.
Mark,
Your contributions to the blog are always thoughtful, perceptive, well considered, and very well written. Evidence aplenty there that most things are still in perfect working order, and that the blog is probably doing you more good, both therapeutically and physically, than any amount of German or Sudoku (whom I never rated when he played for Newcastle).
Good to see Nikeboro back, and on top form,and that two former outstanding contributors, GHW and Ladyboro are still lurking. Contributions from them would be very widely welcomed, and enhance this fantastic blog even more.
It’s been a while since I’ve had the time to comment, but glad to see the blog is going from strength to strength in my absence. Count me a as a big +1 for the new match layout – condensing down to one post is good because it allows those who like to check back on poster’s pre-match predictions (which I think is a favourite of Len) to do so with ease. It also allows the pre, mid and post match debate to flow nicely.
As for the Boro, well, it’s all getting a bit comfortable and optimistic isn’t it? I don’t think I’ve gnashed in weeks, and as for wailing, well, I haven’t done that for a long time. In short, it’s a very contented time right now. However, in the Championship you are only 90mins from abject disappointment, so we’ll see how it goes.
The blog, and the Boro, are in rude health!
Hello all!
Been planning a new Talking Point, and have also been busy. Hence the quietness.
Anyway. I like MonksBoro. A lot. I like being made to feel happy and excited about the direction Boro are going in again. But are they genuinely better than AKBoro 2014-16?
To be frank, I think it’s too early to say.
One of the best legacies of AKBoro, apart from a solid backline, was a methodology in which the squad learned to pace themselves over the course of the season. Hence, 85+ points, two seasons running, because the team were less likely to fall into the trap of sprinting out of the blocks and exhausting themselves game after game.
What I’m saying is, we’re doing well now, but can we sustain it? And when the troughs follow the peaks as they inevitably will, will we be decent enough to give Monk and the players the breathing space that every manager and player needs – they are only human – to find their way through them?
Additional thought, which I’ve highlighted before.
Many – namely, Spartak – have castigated me for pleading for patience in the face of adversity, but maybe, again, I need to explain where I’m coming from.
When you’re a Boro fan living and working in Northern Ireland, and your career is progressing – as it certainly did between 2014-16 – hearing about Boro regularly winning games, topping the league and seeing them score some mighty fine team goals in highlights is like a dream.
Going to the games is another matter altogether.
And I also have a soft spot for the AKs and Jack Charltons of this world, because I know exactly what it feels like to receive extreme criticism even when the results of your labours are more than decent. You would think, wouldn’t you, that taking Boro where they hadn’t been for years (1973, 2014-5) and Ireland where they’d never, ever been before (1986-94) might cut them just a bit of slack.
That’s all I’m saying.
That said – yet another thought just occurred to me. There is a flip side to my argument.
The fundamental flaw in AK’s personality that Spartak alluded to, which Monk doesn’t seem to – thankfully – have? I think I’ve cracked it!
As with Mick McCarthy – who, intriguingly, I once likened AK to! – for AK, and arguably for Big Jack, the majority of criticism was taken personally, not professionally.
I fear, like McCarthy’s World Cup Diary, AK’s autobiography may be full of pot shots at those that dared to slight him. I’d be far happier if, like Roy Keane’s second book, he flat out admits that his recruitment wasn’t good enough.
Simon
‘Alluded’ – perhaps at the beginning of his tenure (out of diplomatic necessity), but towards the middle I was screaming it from the rooftops. At the end I’d almost ceased due to it being self evident to the most patient of supporters.
😉
Btw. It’s a truism that many prefer to shoot the messenger.
🙂
Simon
Would that be the recruitment that brought the cash rolling into the club like a fruit machine gone mad?
Agreed Simon.
Thanks Steely. Sorry I rambled a bit.
Don’t apologise you’re just like the old Middlesbrough corporation bus!
Don’t see you for a while then three posts all at once !
Nice to hear from you Si
Pleased the career is taking a good upturn it’s all down to writing for Diasboro !!?
OFB
I got waylaid & missed posting my twopeneth before the Villa game. Believe it or not my prediction was 0-2 with the headline :
‘Boro’s Bamford Brace Batters Beleaguered Bruce’s Boys’
If we didn’t have it before we should have it now, belief + a winning mentality. Add that to the momentum that’s building + a visible togetherness, I’m confident that’s the recipe which will get us out of the Championship this season.
I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling so much more upbeat than previous seasons. Talking about attacking options seems unreal after the AK era.
Agreed!!!
🙂
Simon
Rambling becomes endemic when you reach a certain age, it becomes a pandemic in the Diasboro.
Thinkin Bourneville away might be a sweet one for the Boro. Eddie will want to keep his mainstays fresh for the Prem battles ahead (they play Chelski at home four days later) and it gives our lads who beat the Villans another chance for glory that they would happily bite yer hand off for.
Nice plane ride down to the south-coast and hopefully another clean sheet for us.
GM talking about 3 away games in a week- perfect to play the Boro Caraboa Specials (that’s the team that is).
The Match? The Boro? You’re still not going to watch that shower are you? I don’t know why you bother, the Boro always let their fans down. Always have, always will!
How many times have we all heard something similar during our years supporting, that team they call the Boro?
A lot of fans have reached a tipping point after years of support, that saw them part company with their boyhood heroes, usually after an ignominious defeat or normal management gaffe. In my fathers case it was the sale of Alan Peacock to Leeds. He only relented once, and that was to take me to a game in the 64/65 relegation season hoping it would cure me of ever wanting to go again. Of course I loved it and started a love affair with the club that lasted until last year.
Last season became my own personal tipping point. The abject misery of watching turgid football whilst being fleeced meant I’d had enough. We’ve heard in recent times ” We never saw it coming” yet last season the writing was on the wall from day one.
Recruitment was abysmal and the manager shouldn’t even have been there, he should have been chased with big bricks over the Charlton debacle. But the biggest mistake by far was the inability to plan the season out. Once the fixtures came out it was obvious we would get nothing from the final quarter of the season. Points should have been stockpiled at all costs to alleviate the inevitable slide into the relegation zone. That we continued to play safety first, don’t get beat at all costs football led to us going down without even a whimper. A total embarrassment that finally made me call it a day.
Now what do the buggers do? Only go and assemble the best attacking squad seen at the club since O’Rourke, Hickton, Horsefield and co.
Typical Bloody Boro!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU&rel=0
GHW IS BACK!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv4KQbDaCfM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
GHW
Great have you back.
The life is back to normal. GHW is back.
Happy days. Wish AV could join in, too. Typical.
Up the Boro. The Boro is going Up.
GHW,
Good to see you back. creosote that shed please.
UTB,
John
GHW
I also fell out of love with the Boro under the Stricken era of football and the import of so many substandard players
I didn’t enjoy last season and although I am grateful for where Karanka got is to play in the Premiership it was apparent that his man management or lack of it was going to prove his downfall
We had seen an example of this when he got rid of Higgy in a hissy fit and worse was to come
All new managers should be given a chance and I hope GM proves to be good for Boro
I don’t know how many of the new players he had been watching and identifying before we signed them or whether it was down to our maligned recruitment team under Gary Gill
Suffice to say that I’m pleased with the players we have bought and looking forward to seeing us moving up the table
I hope you try and get to a game but it’s still not the finished product yet !
We are getting better game by game but don’t leave it too late !
This blog has some great posters and we are lucky to have some dedicated people who provide us with intelligent articles and the craic and the reasoned arguments are great
We won’t always agree with some posts but we don’t have any hang ups or personal attacks and we all get along with none of the vitriolic and obscene rants seen on other social media sites
We all have one common goal and that is success for our football club
UP THE BORO
Oh and welcome back!
OFB
GHW
Welcome back, I knew that WD40 would get the shed hinges working but I could hear the screech in Derby (other lubricants are available from Halfords).
(other DIY stores and Supermarkets are available).
(You can also buy online)
My dad stopped going when Mannion left, he returned during the Ayresome Angels season. I spent part of the time going with him and when he was on shift joined the Holgate end.
Elsewhere, Tranmere play in white and have a super white army banner. This has been covered up by the FA before the Lionesses play there.
This is a sad reflection on the state of what our governing is good at – FA.
Ian
FA suits- what more can you expect!
FA means suits. Suits mean FA.
Unfit for office.
End of.
That’s the last Trabby for you for a while now Ian. The ton-up master is back!!
It’s beginning to look like the Blues Brothers n here now..”We’re putting the band back together….” ☺️
Not so much shooting the messenger, Spartak, as not wanting the bubble burst while the club is actually upwardly mobile. Enjoying the good times while they’re there, you know, because we’re Ireland and Boro, not Brazil and Man. United.
The fundamental flaw to that point of view being that in “not wanting the bubble burst”, one is merely living for a moment and not wanting to contemplate future consequences. The flip side of that being, of course, why should he/she, because there is almost little or no concrete, explicit evidence that things will derail.
I’m a forgiving sort. I put the Charlton debacle down to human weaknesses on both sides – which everyone exhibits, because we are human beings, after all – and believe that to scapegoat anyone for it is taking a narrow minded view. We survived it, we united as a club again, albeit temporarily, for the last ten games of the season, we went up*, we should have built on the right positives. We didn’t. That’s why we paid the price.
*As for “scraping” promotion – how many big clubs have scraped titles or cup wins? (Arsenal ’89, United ’99, City ’12…) It’s the nature and drama of the game, most clubs doing “just enough”. One reason could be complacency: “we’ve still got time…”
Simon
One name comes to mind, Michael O Leary and his company Ryanair. He treats people as stepping stones to achieve his own personal ambitions. Now the dog is having it’s day.
AK was in my mind the same- Charlton was some team members kick back. AK was even mean to Leo, good heavens.
You can only expect poor man management to last so long before it goes wrong.
Just a quick response to the thought that Boro have actually been making a tidy profit on their AK assets – I think the club did well to get the transfer fees they did in the summer but most of them were more or less getting back the money we paid for them. Of the £40m brought in, perhaps only Gaston made a decent profit of around £8m as he arrived on a free (give or take some agents fees). The other sales got us more or less back the money we paid for them give or take the odd million.
Rhodes, de Roon, Fischer – bought and sold for about the same
Stuani – around £1m profit
Barragan cost us £1.5m and we got a £1m loan fee currently
Espinosa sold for around 4 million but the fee paid for him was undisclosed
Others of course were released like de Pena who cost us £3m and the lad from Watford who’s currently kicking his heels in the development squad also cost us £3m. We shouldn’t forget Downing cost us around £7m in the end and was being touted as free transfer but has now remained.
So I thought the club did great work to bring in the cash they did but I’d probably estimate they broke even on all the deals – which actually is a remarkable improvement on what historically happened with our transfer dealings and has financed the rebuilding of Monk’s squad – so not a grumble from me.
I should add all this is in the context of an inflationary market so it’s been a seller’s market this summer.
Welcome back GHW…….. my ex wife was right .. should have supported man U , but what the hell. Life time of disappointment awaits despite the current optimism.
GHW great to read your post as they have been missed and I would implore you to go to a couple of home games again to see if this “new” BORO can rekindle your love affair with the mighty reds.
I say go to a couple of games as Untypical Boro might not turn up if you only went to one match, although with this present squad and manager if they lose it won’t be for the want of trying. I have always been optimistic about MFC but what I am seeing week in week out gives me a great feeling. Sure, we are not firing on all cylinders yet but game by game we are improving and I firmly believe some teams are going to get battered.
Apart from the squad we have some very good youngsters making a name for themselves and the U23’s are top of their league so to pinch a saying “the future looks bright” with the mightily reds.
If you don’t take up the plea to go to the Riverside it would be great to see you regularly posting and joining in the debates.
Come on BORO.
Spartak
If the made sofas you could say they were good for suite FA.
Welcome back GHW.
I’m sure ther have been many fans over the years who have experienced the same agonies as yourself (I have) and said “that’s it” but it really is hard to let go. Even RR was on the brink last year. As we know, however, these things usually go in cycles, even if Boro sometimes spend too long in the process of getting back but, hopefully, we are on the brink of a new dawn, so why not dip your toes in the water, as suggested by Exmil and you just never know, you might get the bug again.
I can empathise with GHW losing the will to continue as I think most of us were questioning our sanity last season after watching Boro go on a desperate run of 16 league games without a win – where we picked up just six points from draws, five of which were 0-0.
I remember after we started Diasboro in January we saw just three PL goals in the first three months before Karanka left the building and a pre-gardening enthusiast Steve Agnew took over and started with another 0-0 then followed it up a 4-2 defeat playing adventurous at Hull before reverting back to a more cautious approach.
We only know now that for some of the players Charltongate wasn’t put behind them and we ended up with a split dressing room last season – plus as someone who followed Karanka’s press conferences, his public utterances became increasingly bizarre and he blamed others, including the supporters, for many of the failings. An omni-shambles if ever there was one.
So good to see GHW step out of the shadows, though he has often provided us with some great links and has been a generous supporter of the Diasboro project since we started.
As an older but not elder fan, the frustrations come with the Boro. We could have gone out of business in 1986 and start a couple of places down the pyramid.
It doesn’t matter getting promoted to the top flight but having a poor season and getting relegated, it is not the worst thing in the world.
Good to have GHW back, That shed door must have been well-locked and barricaded, and a pride of lions must have been left to prowl around the garden but he still found a way out. Good Lad!
(For me, the end of the Stricken era was the absolute low point, but the gentle subsiding into relegation last year was pretty bad. Comments about “not having seen it coming” don’t help and the endless sideways, backwards, sideways again approach to passing was poor, too. But things are SO much better now…..).
to all the ex – pats
I notice Fulham have their own TV. My understanding is that to get a live stream you first have to be a subscriber and the monthly cost is 4.50. Then you can buy a match pass for 5 quid. You can only watch via desktop, no mobiles or tablets.
Can anybody verify this?
I find the clubs that are on Ifollow are easier to navigate than those that have gone alone.
I missed the first half of the QPR game due to having to down load the App and then transfer from browser to app.
Must admit that the second half was well worth watching, sat round the pool in a private villa in Bali on a humid night with a fridge full of amber nectar, watching Boro come from behind.
Certainly beats a wooden shed in Grove Hill – UTB
I also see a general 10 quid match day pass which appears to be open without subscribing – both are not available until the run up so we will see nearer the time..
TEN QUID! must be coz its London Allan
Just being tight like
I’ve heard it said on various forums that as yet Garry Monk doesn’t know his best team. Well he certainly has put that to bed in yesterday’s press conference when he stated that there isn’t a “best team” but that Boro have a squad system. I have always advocated that is the way to go forward in all sports not just Football, because reliance on a “best” team not only disharmonises other members of the squad, but when injuries and suspensions occur, can unsettle the equilibrium of the side.
Garry Monk now seems to have settled on a formation that he believes will be the most successful, but is not averse to changing that occasionally when circumstances dictate, and as long as he doesn’t put square pegs into round places, I would be quite happy for him to do that. What also pleases me is his willingness to give youth its chance when necessary, and there will be times in the future when an injured or suspended player might not regain his place because of the form shown by a young player. Healthy competition in my eyes.
On another subject it’s nice to see members of the team such as Dael Fry give their time to visit Primary Schools. This never happened in my youth, possibly because kids rarely went to matches at such a young age. Although there was always a “boys end” (can’t ever remember seeing young girls therein), it could be quite intimidating and most boys would probably have preferred to attend with their father or another adult, which is what I did until I was in my early teens.
All seater stadia with “parent and child ” enclosures have certainly improved those circumstances, and that is why infants as young as 5 or 6 years now are interested in watching football, and it’s nice to see their faces when their heroes take the trouble to visit their schools.
Just watched the video AV posted on his Facebook page Middlesbrough fc a history in film. Has got a Camsall goal and some great music. When watching thought how the GM Boro seem to have a lot of similarities with Big Jack’s team in the way they play, the only thing missing is a Souness
It was made by borostats.com and can be found in you tube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=NivmOUmKoEs
There was a match mentioned in the film that happened in Hartlepoool. Was there with my wife-to-be. Up the Boro!
Souness my favourite player!
Yes unlocked TLF and Merson and Bernie but Graeme was the King
I only ever saw Mannion play in a testimonial so that doesn’t count !
OFB
If I remember rightly Bobby Murdoch was not quite as quick as Traore.
Ian, but his passing was better. If one could combine Murdoch’s end product and Traore’s pace … UTB!
Been away down in Birmingham or a few days working so haven’t had much chance to dip in here apart from the advantage of seeing the Villa game so it wasn’t all bad. Just catching up and seeing GHW back to his best was a joy to behold, lets hope GM’s Boro continues to reignite flickering embers in a few more of us.
Thinking about tomorrows game, if we win its entirely possible our expectations will very soon become unmanageable and yet if we lose it will be “Typical Boro” all over again for us. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I have a hunch that the club is on a huge positivity and belief wave, something that despite league placings I never really got during AK’s Championship tenure. It was perhaps because all the fun had been coached out of it with structure, routines and discipline taking its place.
Although it sounds demeaning that isn’t meant as a swipe at AK just a reflection on what and why things seem and feel so different around the club. AK’s system worked in achieving its objective whilst GM has won nothing yet but I know which I prefer to watch and read about. Its very early days yet but I sense a new era just starting to dawn at the Riverside which hopefully will continue to build momentum and last well into the Premiership. I guess I’m typing the above in response to GHW coming out of his shed and to encourage him to put the sphagnum moss and plant pots down and take a look at whats happening down at TS3 6RS.
I can’t claim that its a botanical garden just yet but there are some wonderful buds starting to bloom and fresh shoots of optimism.
What’s this nonsense about the Gazette Journo’s being banned by the club?
Looking at a who’ who of the club only one person has the stroke to put this ban in place, and it isn’t the Tea Lady.
Steve Gibson runs the show therefore any ban is either authorised or enforced by him.
The Gazette should just ask the open question to Mr Gibson, Why have you banned our journalists? He’s supposed to be a straight talking Teessider, so should have no problem giving a straight answer.
GHW
Checkout the MFC website ‘All the latest Boro news here!’ And you’ll find the answer.
Turf wars 2017
Don’t see it. Are they still banned?
Redcar Red
I think that you have hit the nail on the head. I know that, like most farflung expats, I tend to have a rose tinted view of MFC, but there really feels to be something special about this season.
There have been good teams and good seasons in the past but this year the club seems to be new and fresh with a great mixture of older and younger established players but also up and comers and a really strong set of juniors.
The new manager seems as if he is having fun but there’s no question about who’s in charge.
This feels like the start of something big that could last well,beyond a couple of seasons.
Definitely a reason to come out of the shed.
UTB
Hope the Academy is keeping a eye on this one!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4909540/Luis-Suarez-son-wears-Middlesbrough-kit-Instagram-story.html
Hi RR
Great post. Again, how much confidence and belief one felt during the best days of AKBoro largely depends on point-of-view. For me, 2014-15 was nirvana – thriving as an arts journalist in Northern Ireland while, hundreds of miles away, Boro and Bamford were soaring up the Championship table in points and goals couldn’t be better. On the night we beat Millwall 3-0 I was reviewing an invite-only St. Patrick’s Day concert – we won both that night and the day the show was broadcast, our own “St. Patrick” scoring in each game. I can’t deny that I felt lucky and thankful to experience all that.
But for season ticket holders I know it was a different story.
As for “structure, routines and discipline”? In 2013, that was exactly what we needed. Goals galore in Mogga’s final days, I know, but the team was a mess. We were going nowhere. We needed someone to come in and organise, solidify, get us moving in the right direction… and within a year, we had this.
But too much structure can be just as bad as too little. (If not worse – at least you can laugh at comedy defending, albeit with hindsight.) We saw that. On the other hand, I was more inclined to sympathise with AK than McClaren – whereas with the latter you saw a plastic smile, with the former you had someone repeatedly, almost desperately trying to show he was “one of us” as well as this high pedigree foreign coach. That desperation played a part in undoing him.
Name 5 games under AK’s tenure when you could say ” I thoroughly enjoyed that”
Hmm. Off the top of my head.
Boro 4-0 Brentford, Millwall 1-5 Boro, Boro 2-0 Derby, Boro 3-0 Brentford (play-offs), Boro 4-1 Ipswich, Man City 0-2 Boro, Man United 0-0 Boro (in the cup), Ipswich 0-2 Boro, Brighton 0-3 Boro, Arsenal 0-0 Boro.
That’s at least ten. If you want more I will be very happy to oblige. Boro 3-1 Cardiff gets an honourable mention too.
Were you actually at those games?
I enjoyed most of the Premier League matches I saw on the TV last season. Ok, I have played all my life (and I still play) as a defender. Mind, 90 % of the Boro matches were shown on TV here.
It depends what you wanted to see. I nearly always love watching Boro, though. Some complained the Charlton era (Boring Boro) but now that era is greatly missed and worshipped.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or somerhing similar.
Up the Boro)
Interesting piece. Says it all.
http://www.squawka.com/news/cant-buy-me-love-12-successful-managers-who-remained-unpopular/542201
Mourinho’s in the list, and I remember thinking of Javier Clemente (another in the list) when AK was appointed.
In 1998 – and don’t ask me how I remember this – the Sunday Times pointed out that Clemente (like AK) comes from the Basque country, where faith and hard work are priorities. That, in turn, is what he expected from his players. “Many dislike his manner”, the paper said. “Others admire his results.”
I can go with turgid to watch yet successful enough points wise to gain promotion, but turgid to watch with no hope of survival I’m afraid was a bridge too far.
The club should have said, ” gracias et adios ” an appointed a manager with Premiership experience. Or perhaps they weren’t bothered knowing that premier prize money and parachute payments would fund a new promotion season.
In the early part of the Prem season or even before it kicked off it was discussed on here (or Untypical to be exact) about the tough run in and how we had to collect points in the early and mid part of the season. I’m not sure whether those at the club realised that or the drab soulless displays were the best they could muster (WBA away still pains me).
The parachute money may explain some of the thinking but surely survival was worth a darn site more. I realise that splashing out on has beens on huge wages wasn’t the answer but I never felt AK got even close to getting the best out of what he had in the Prem for fear of not drawing. The West Ham home game was when AK should have gone although even then it was probably still too late as the run in was looming.
As Simon points out AK’s structure was what was needed after Mogga to instil some rigidity at the back but it needed some creativity and flair up the other end. Bamford was the shining light that Play Off season (ironically I enjoyed that season more than the following promotion one). My first seriously big AK question mark (and there were plenty) was when we played Norwich away and Bamford was crocked early on. Paddy obviously should have been taken off yet Karanka played him into the ground and finished his season off. That was beyond bad management, the lad could hardly walk let alone run and he made him play on when all the world could see he was a spent force. I wondered at the time what the mentality was behind such an act and indeed why the Player himself didn’t throw the towel in?
Fast forward to the Wembley final weeks later and like Ravanelli all those years back he wasn’t fit and shouldn’t have been selected. The meticulous control and attention to detail seemed to have a blind spot, the signs were beginning to show even back then.
Phew! Has Steve Patterson just saved Yorkshire from relegation? From 96 for 7 to 174 for 7, then after losing the eighth wicket he hits a four for victory after having previously taken 4 wickets for 46 runs. To think he would have been dropped if Ryan Sidebottom had passed a fitness test!
Yorkshire Phoenix aptly named.
Ken
I was just going to post the same, we are now third in the table rather than third bottom. It sounds a huge gulf but with only 8 teams we are still in the relegation dogfight.
As I posted the other day, we have five on international duty in the one day series.
Redcar Red
My concern, posting on here, was the squad. Traore was not a replacement for Allbert and we were short of another player in the Gaston Mould plus some pace in midfield. We were pedestrian.
AK identified those requirements before the January window and not only did we get Gestede, Bamford and Guediwhereareyou, we managed to ‘lose’ Gaston. None of the three who came in could get a game in theire first teams, how on earth were they going to turn our season around?
The game was up at that stage, as Phil Thompson said when Schteve was under pressure, the football is put up with if you are winning. If you are losing it becomes unbearable.
Bringing a replacement instead of Aggers taking over would have been pointless. The players were released when AK left, the hand brake was removed. Releasing the handbrake on your Austin Allegro wont improve your chances of winning the British Grand Prix.
The Big Sam, Tony Pulis approach starts with not getting beaten. We would have had two banks of five.
Southgate’s team were relegated due to having two poor transfer windows, same goes for AK whatever his defects as a manager.
The big question is if we knew these things, what was going on at the club? Who was overseeing such goings on?
Surely there was an internal investigation like what we does every season we stumbled and failed.
There was barely a smile on SG’s face when we got promo. I thought at the time it was odd. AK was on the plank walking to his doom before he even got to the EPL door. Final nail in the coffin was incoming Jan transfers in prep for Championship re-entry.
GHW
Two journos still banned. EG out the info loop. MFC pressin ahead with own media project.
UTB
Managing a team is a communal activity, there are thirty players plus.
When you get a good manager who does not speak the language, you get him up to speed as a matter of urgency, we omitted to do that simple thing, whilst enjoying his organising abilities.
The language barrier is not do able, communication is everything, without that there is nothing.
How can you persuade or encourage players who are maybe not the brightest bulb on the Xmas tree?
Thirty players getting together can have plenty of fun at your expense, without letting you in on the joke.
To let him appear on television without the ability to speak English was a new low in how to run a football club.
I look forward to him getting a decent club and speaking English, then he will show us his class
I’m still waiting for an answer to the Charlton performance, sixteen players and a team beyond hope, fans beyond hope, hurtling towards oblivion.
Remind me of the score again.
Spartak
I am sure there was an internal investigation, I suspect it was a bit too late.
The biggest problem was the lack of people with the ability to play a pass, to shoot, to attack players. We just didn’t have the ability, pace, physical attributes in the attacking third of the pitch.
Eventually you get over run.
Gilly
Do you forget the game against Arsenal at the Emirates? What about against Sunderland at the SofL? The team could play ONLY they had a manager who was at the beginning of tbe learning curve thrust straight into the EPL.
Anyhows we could debate this until tbe cowz come home-AK has gone, we’ve moved on, thanx be to God!
That was AK for you, I guess – king of Big Moments. A Big Performance like Arsenal to shut the “moaners” up (it didn’t) long enough to buy him more time to “get it right”.
The trouble is, it’s only easy to say yes to the “give me time” method if a, You’ve a wealthy and benevolent backer and b, your fans aren’t forking out a lot of money every week.
Having the “luxury” of being a long distance fan in 2016-17 certainly didn’t diminish the pain, but it softened it.
Good answer GHW. The answer is no, but I did see many of them live and was very impressed. If not that, the highlights.
Why do you – if you don’t mind me asking – seem reluctant to give AK any credit at all?
I have been critical of his style of play – of course I have! – but I also know that results are results, achievements are achievements, memories are memories and promotion is promotion, and all ought to be embraced.
Is it not possible to also applaud a manager for what he was rather than solely focus on what he wasn’t?
Objectivity and balance. That’s all.
I was never an AK fan, I thought he was very fortunate and his style of play I found depressing. In fact I think he was lucky to gain promotion, as he proved in the play off final he wasn’t up to it. We stumbled over the line for automatic promotion and I doubt we would have made it via the play offs.
I have come across many managers in the real world with a similar man management style and in the long run it never works. The jettisoning of Hignett was a sign of things to come and the alarm bells were ringing then. Charlton should have heralded his demise when the players sussed him out.
Yes, he was the manager when we achieved promotion, but how much of the credit should go to him is up for debate.
PS I am in complete agreement with RR over Bamford. Even back then I was stunned at Kike not starting at Wembley. A giant mess if there ever was one.
The problems with AK – and here I understand where GHW is coming from – were that his weaknesses stuck out like a sore thumb, to the point where they submerged his strengths in the eyes of many.
The effects of Wembley passed into 2015-16 – hugely fearful of further trouble, AK played it safer still, working with fewer mavericks and more dependables.
That said. I still don’t believe he deserves the extremity of the stick he receives. I hope with time most will be able to move on from the polar opposite views of, and I’m only theorising, “betrayed by player power/recruitment” and “betrayer of talent”.
The truth is always fairer and somewhere in between.
OK, I’ve been out until lunchtime but have just managed to squeeze in a match preview before Mrs Werder hosts an Arts and Crafts evening in just under an hour and I’m on child duties…
https://diasboro.club/2017/09/22/championship-fulham-vs-boro/
Does AK receive a lot of stick? It strikes me that most of his critics, and I will hold my hands up to being one, are quite happy to draw a line under his tenure and accept without reservation that whatever his faults he did introduce an environment of professionalism to the whole club that was sorely needed and did achieve the minimum acceptable result of promotion, however unsatisfactorily.
Perhaps its because his supporters* feel embarrassed to have failed to spot his obvious deficiencies in good time that lead to the worst season of my forty odd seasons of attending games, that they keep going back over this. Often taking the time to explain his failings to those who clearly could see them at the time thanks very much, but the continued lectures on how appreciative we should be to him are wearing thin now and are usually the cause of any further negativity.
As Reeves and Mortimer might say “you wouldn’t let it lie”.
*btw – I support the Boro, not any individual employee, its for the best – they are all temporary.
As for the notion that it was in some way the fault of the club executive that the manager was forced out into the public eye without the necessary communication skills, 1. he had been resident in the US for a year already where they do speak some form of English, 2. surely learning the language was his responsibility? I know for a fact that for all our foreign employees 1:1 tutoring services are provided, and 3. it didn’t seem to hold Pochettino or Ranieri back.
Simon, I agree that Karanka should have been given more credit for what he did achieve for Boro, but although a tireless hard-working manager who apparently put excessive hours into his job, that was probably his downfall. He wanted to be the general factotum, unwilling or unable to consult with his assistant coaches. He became too intense and nervous and that could be observed in his press conferences, the fidgeting with his hair, and his being unable to express his views in intelligible English.
But players were quoted as saying that they enjoyed his innovative training sessions, so he was obviously able to portray to them in English what he expected in his first two years. Like Redcar Red I too enjoyed Boro’s performances in the playoff season certainly up to Christmas more than the promotion year, but the Premier League was a step too far, and that’s when he should have left.
However, I doubt that we would be in our current position if we had persisted with Mogga. We wouldn’t have had promotion, we wouldn’t have had the cash, and more than likely would have been fighting relegation to the 1st division or actually in it, so Karanka should have been given some credit for his achievements. With the money made available to Garry Monk, some people are expecting instant promotion, and certainly within two years. I hope that happens, but if it doesn’t will they be criticising Monk with the same vitriol that they did with Karanka? I would hope not.
I can’t argue with that Ken. Well spoken.