On a different note - does anyone know if a stream is available from MFC for tonight’s game.
If you join a site called “Smoggies on Tour”, immediately on kick off they have a live stream of Boro matches, it doesn’t cost anything to join. I watched the Southampton game on Saturday and although it froze a couple of times, all I did was come out of the full screen scroll down the site a few seconds and when I came back up it was back running. Hope this is useful 👍.
Come on BORO.
Many thanks Clive for a very good Cardiff preview packed with lots of interesting information, which also paints something of an almost surreal picture of how an owner can suddenly decide to rewrite a club's history and try to reinvent it as a global marketing entity by pretending it's Team Wales with the colours and name to match.
I actually lived in Cardiff and bought a house there for three years at the end of the 1990s - primarily because my partner at the time was a Spanish-Moroccan marine biologist who was doing a post-doc at the university - unfortunately it didn't last but thankfully there were plenty more fish in the sea as I met Mrs Werder a year later!
Anyway, the thing I most remember about Cardiff was that it seemed to rain nearly every day and that the city centre was best avoided on a Friday night as it was absolute carnage when the pubs closed as the streets were literally full of 'youngsters' falling over drunk and going crazy - a bit like Ibiza without the weather but everyone still dressed like they were at the Balearics even in winter!
Still, predominantly a nice City and the area we lived in, Pontcanna, was just up along the river past the Castle and the cricket ground, which was also a 20 minute walk across the playing fields to the university. Due to the crazy housing market at the time, at least the semi I bought increased in value by 250% in 5 years, which then thankfully paid for most of my much larger house in Germany in which we live now.
However, my memory regarding Boro when I lived in Cardiff was shortly before the house purchase went through and I was working at home in a short-term rental when news came through on the radio that Boro had signed Ravenelli - I couldn't believe the club had signed one of the most famous players in Europe. I guess a sign of the times when Boro were indeed a big player with purchasing power to rival most clubs - exciting times that now seem a million years ago now as the club only sign players I'd never heard of and will most likely soon forget. Although, what's strange is that Ravenelli announcement is the only thing I can really remember of that rental house, including the smell of the kitchen units - I just don't recall the living room, bedroom or bathroom anymore as my brain has discarded the rest.
So looking forward to watching the game later this evening and have hopes of another Boro win if the team can pass the ball with the same speed as at Watford. I've not had much time to catch up on the posts as today is actually a public holiday in Germany to celebrate reunification day - which is probably quite appropriate for Ken's funeral given his German ancestry.
@original-fat-bob - Without my knowingly doing anything, my laptop has dropped out of its Wi-Fi connection whilst I've been typing so, for the THIRD time, here goes (otherwise it's a "sign")...
I suspect that not many of the mourners at Ken Smith's funeral today will know that Ken had a group of "virtual friends" on this Blog, most of whom had never met Ken at all. Obviously some contributors have lived abroad for many years so a meeting would have been most unlikely and very difficult to organise.
I can only remember meeting Ken in person once, earlier this year, though I spoke to him on the telephone a couple of times and obviously interacted with him on this Blog many times. I had imagined the visit I made to see him at his Redcar home would have been fairly brief, maybe for 20 minutes or so for a chat and to pick up the book about Sir William Turner and his School, which Ken wanted to give to me. In fact I must have been at Ken's home for a couple of hours, or maybe two and a half hours, talking about Boro, Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Redcar and school - he was quite a lot older than me but still knew some of the teachers who were at SWT when I was a pupil. As regular readers of this Blog will know, Ken was a mine of information and memories and he had LOTS of stories to tell. It was a pleasure to have that extended discussion with him and, of course, Ken gave me the book which I have read.
People attending the funeral will not know the regard in which Ken was held by many of us. Ken Smith will be sadly missed.
@martin-bellamy You live so close by now that take your Land Rover and drive to the Riverside 🤣🤣🤣.
Well, in Yorkshire snyway. Up the Boro!
@jarkko I do intend to get to a game before too long. Mrs B has promised to accompany me - just need to find a dog sitter for a few hours.
I think the point about professional footballers who have contracts become injured and don’t play in the first team should not one of sadness for the player. Most players have been with a club from academy and school days and have been well rewarded by the club even when injured.
Lets be in no doubt that it’s a precarious career as some players become injured at an early age and have no skills or training to fall back on to make another career.
i feel sure that Haydn Coulson will still make a living out of the game and Boro have looked after him well since returning from his loan period.
The ones I feel sorry for are the young apprentices who have been at the club for years and are released without making the grade and their dreams and future is dashed.
A very precarious career to enter and only the very best make the grade.
I’m proud that my grandson made the decision not to further his academy career with Sunderland and instead opted for a career in electrical engineering and is working whilst doing the second year of his degree.
I just hope that some of the young lads who don’t make the grade at professional football clubs can forge ahead in other industries.
OFB
Thanks for all the help finding the stream. It definitely wasn’t available on MFC earlier when I looked, but it’s there now and I’ve paid my £10.
I’m not a big fan of illegal streams - I’d rather pay for the legitimate one and support the Boro with my £10 if it’s an option.
@original-fat-bob I believe that Bob Mortimer found himself in that position as a teenager - still, Boro’s loss was Gone Fishing’s gain.
Is there for honest Poverty
That hings his head, an’ a’ that;
The coward-slave, we pass him by,
We dare be poor for a’ that!
For a’ that, an’ a’ that.
Our toils obscure an’ a’ that,
The rank is but the guinea’s stamp,
The Man’s the gowd for a’ that.
What though on hamely fare we dine,
Wear hoddin grey, an’ a that;
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine;
A Man’s a Man for a’ that:
For a’ that, and a’ that,
Their tinsel show, an’ a’ that;
The honest man, tho’ e’er sae poor,
Is king o’ men for a’ that.
Ye see yon birkie ca’d a lord,
Wha struts, an’ stares, an’ a’ that,
Tho’ hundreds worship at his word,
He’s but a coof for a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
His ribband, star, an’ a’ that,
The man o’ independent mind,
He looks an’ laughs at a’ that.
A Prince can mak a belted knight,
A marquis, duke, an’ a’ that!
But an honest man’s aboon his might –
Guid faith, he mauna fa’ that!
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
Their dignities, an’ a’ that,
The pith o’ Sense an’ pride o’ Worth
Are higher rank than a’ that.
Then let us pray that come it may,
As come it will for a’ that,
That Sense and Worth, o’er a’ the earth
Shall bear the gree an’ a’ that.
For a’ that, an’ a’ that,
It’s comin yet for a’ that,
That Man to Man the warld o’er
Shall brithers be for a’ that.
Robert Burns
Godspeed @KenSmith
Only this morning, my wife and I were discussing various houses whose rooms we could no longer remember. I do, however, remember vividly which office in Newcastle I was working in on the day that we signed Ravanelli.
Andy, since I always seem to agree with you and respect your judgment 100% of the time it makes a refreshing change for me to query your observation that "Carrick has put himself in quite a cosy position at Boro".
Carrick did not put himself anywhere. He was appointed to a deliberately subordinate position, a move motivated by the Director of Football's difficulties and conflicts with the two previous managers. The director's solution was to abolish the managerial role and replace it with one in which the incumbent would have much less sway over club and transfer policies, but much greater responsibility for the team's performance, since that was now his sole function.
I can think of fewer less cosy positions than that of a football coach or manger whose team is at the foot of the league table as the Boro have been this season.
Yet Carrick has been front and centre of the media spotlight. He is the one being held to account and having to respond when a microphone and camera are thrust in front of his face minutes after the end of a gruelling game.
He alone faces the ranks of the media on a Monday morning shouldering the responsibility, often for the kind of mistakes by his players that a coach can do very little about.
It is a responsibility that he has never shirked, has carried out with good grace and without blame or recrimination as deleriad eloquently pointed out yesterday.
The Director of Football by contrast has been conspicuous by his absence, though he was happy enough to put himself in the limelight last season when things were going so well.
One of the few public statements the Director has made over the past few months was to announce the latest addition to his recruitment team, accompanied by a warning to the new incumbent (and by implication to the rest of his team) that he would have nowhere to hide if things went wrong.
Sorry Andy, but for me it isn't Carrick who is building a cosy firewall around himself.
@Martin_Bellamy
I too had searched in vain for the MFC live stream.
So now I've bought a ticket for West Stand Upper and will be making the long and arduous journey from Darlington. Maybe that's what they wanted me to do all along. Hopefully I'll enjoy it even more.
I have always believed that in our coach we have someone who is worth a place at the top table. We have had fun since he came to our club, something in short supply previous to his arrival. I am still amazed that anyone with his record could be demanding anything, least of all to be Manager of our club. And as for him coming the boss over someone with Carrick's knowledge and experience in the game, give us a break'
Before other things take over, I thought I'd mention that for some reason (I can't remember how it came about), this afternoon I went back in time to read OFB's In2Views piece about Harry Pearson and his time in Great Ayton, following the Boro and writing generally. What a cracking read @OFB. I REALLY enjoyed it, and I also enjoyed reading all the replies, which is probably why it took me so long to read.
@Powmill-Naemore - what a great poem by the immortal bard and so aptly quoted by you.
There was also a link to an article by Harry Pearson in the Guardian, talking about Boro's travails over the decades in buying non-striking Strikers. Another good read. Let me quote this from it:
"...Andy Payton, a man whose cascading mullet and bulging torso suggested he might once have been a roadie for Judas Priest, was bought from Hull City for a club record of £750,000 in the winter of 1991. At every other club Payton looked like a predatory goal machine. For Boro he appeared to be all shin from the neck down. Twenty-three appearances, three goals and occasionally paired up front with Uwe Fuchs in a combination that brought to mind the final of a Cumbrian gurning competition..."
I defy you to read that without smiling. Well done, Harry: good stuff stands the test of time. As does Rabbie Burns.
I was working nights in Birmingham doing a system deployment and I was woken post shift by a Liverpool fan saying I can't believe who you have signed
I should have said “found himself in” rather than “put himself in”. There’s no intended criticism of Carrick from me.
He has conducted himself brilliantly through a tough run, no doubt.
Still, facing the media - quite a cosy local media at that - won’t have been too onerous for him with the fingers of blame seemingly pointing elsewhere.
MFC Match Streams:
Apologies if I am telling you something you already know but if you wish to find out if a match is available for streaming then you need to do the following:
Go to the MFC website
At the top right of the page is “Boro>Live” click on it
and bring up the Live page.
Under the “BORO Live” heading is a sub menu of:
”Browse Catergories Live FAQs Subscriptions”
Click on “Live” to take you to the Live Events page.
This shows the match or matches for streaming and from which you are able to purchase a pass.
Please note the events page is sometimes only updated a day or two before a Live event.
I hope this helps and apologies if you think I am trying to teach you how to suck eggs. 😎
Many thanks
i haven’t stopped thinking about the In2Views I’ve still a few in the pipeline with contacts and ex Boro players all over the world.
For some reason there seems so little time to do anything these days the older I get !
Does anyone else feel like this?
Many thanks
OFB
@original-fat-bob. Don’t know how I had time to go to work! 😎
Thanks. I think the Cardiff match went up on the live stream site later than usual. At least I'm pretty sure it wasn't there yesterday.
@k-p-in-spain or follow the link to Boro Live. Go there max the day before as the info can change about areas where available.
Up the Boro!
@k-p-in-spain The trouble is, the access to sign up for the feed doesn’t appear until relatively close to kick off. I checked yesterday and this morning but couldn’t sign up. This afternoon the link suddenly appeared.
A few surprises with Engel starting at left full-back with no van den Berg in the squad and Bangura on the bench. Also Barlasser starts with no Howson in the squad. Though perhaps a bigger surprise is Greenwood starting instead of Crooks, who is on the bench. Looks like Lenihan still sick as McNair takes his place again with Smith at right full-back but Dijksteel on the bench.
Not the strongest team I was expecting to see tonight!
CJ's comments on the starting XI:
Four changes as Smith, Engel, Barlaser and Greenwood are in for O'Brien, Van den Berg, Howson and Crooks.
Crooks is on the bench, but O'Brien and Van Den Berg miss out through injury. Howson is ill. Lenihan, Dijksteel and Bangura return to the bench.
Greenwood's first start for the club.
(my bold)
CJ again:
Lucas Engel
Huge night for him tonight. His first appearance since Sheffield Wednesday, when he was axed at half-time after a torrid 45 minutes. Carrick has put him back in, with Rav van den Berg picking up an unknown injury which we'll ask about after.
Engel has really struggled to adapt so far, but Boro really need to him to step up this evening.
Just as a side note, Marcus Forss has been selected to the Finland squad for the two qualifiers during the International break. Naturally, as he is fit now.
Up the Boro!