As one or two have said, if we continue as we are, Mr Gibson will reluctantly have no choice but to sack MC.
I don't see this as likely before Easter. Gibson's sackings have certain patterns.
- When he thinks the current manager is failing his goals and he has an old-friend in mind. Examples are Southgate, Strachan, Warnock and Woodgate. With Southgate, Gibson clearly felt he wouldn't manage promotion and Strachan was available. Woodgate was risking relegation and Warnock was available. Warnock looked like he would fail at promotion and Wilder was available.
- When off the field activities lead to a breakdown in his relationship: Monk and Wilder.
- When he feels that the manager has reached the end of their ability to manage: Pulis, Karanka and Mowbray
Given that we now have a head of football, I don't see Gibson instructing him to swing the axe unless either Carrick starts to cause conflict or an old friend turns up. I think Gibson may have run out of old friends to manage the club and I don't see Carrick causing a conflict.
There's a possibility Carrick could walk but I don't see that happening unless he has a massive argument with Scott and/or Gibson.
If we're in the bottom six come January then clearly Carrick is at risk but even then I think we'll try and stay the course while importing some expensive loans.
Thanks Pedro. I hope that was the reason for the booing.
I had Boro to finish 3rd in the Challenge 🤣 🤣 🤣
Though to be fair was on holiday and probably had been drinking 😉
I don't think Steve Gibson will dismiss Michael Carrick anytime soon as his appointment came after a long process to find a manager - OK, if he fails to win any games in September then the crowd could turn against him but he will be given as much time as Gibson could reasonably give anyone as he's a long-term appointment.
I guess much will depend on what solutions he comes up with during the international break but as you mention quite a few key players will be missing. I don't think Carrick is stupid and while he may say the right things in public he's been in some top teams during his career and will know when a player is up to it or not.
Whether he's under pressure to play the new players and give them pitch time is another matter - Chris Wilder was quite dismissive of Scott's projects and Warnock also thought his suggested buys were not given the attention he thought they deserved. Nobody really knows the dynamics behind the scenes but Carrick does have a phone-a-friend option in Fergie so I suspect he'll be his own man.
I at least hope in the break that Carrick can build understanding between players on the training pitch that looked sadly lacking in August for most of the time they were on the pitch.
The only good thing is that it can't get any worse - unless it does 😬
I thought, on viewing it on the box, that we were playing the ball around in a pointless manner, and worse, we were doing it slowly. This was before the shock hit us. Passing the ball slowly is suicide in any league. They actually watched us and could be seen to arrive at their decision as to where and when to strike. The chosen man sprang into life as yet another lovely pass rolled slowly towards an equally slow recipiant, and I may as well state now that no one even fancied committing a foul to rescue the situation, it was a training ground mistake, and worse, we persisted with it. Jones is lovely, but pointless, cruel I know, but a dead end. I think that we should start with the Young striker and give him a few balls into the box just to rattle their keeper, something we failed to do in this match
Having had a day in the sun (I know sun in England!) I have reflected and caught up on yesterday’s little excursion up the A1 and A19!
I can agree with what many have said and liked the comment about our new mission statement to help other teams to win! Certainly looks that way since we appear to have been found out to be lacking in a plan B.
MC needs to work something out over the break because to me we don’t have the players to be able to play his quick passing from defence to attack preferred choice.
Yesterday, we appeared to be only make passes when they were made with a speed that a tortoise could beat! That gave the opposition time to see what was happening and get numbers to our man. Whenever a quick pass was attempted, it failed, either too short or too long or just inaccurate.
Howson is sadly past his best and Hackney had a bad game for me - still can’t work out why McGree didn’t start.
My other issue is set pieces and corners especially- what do we do on the training pitch because we often go backwards after a corner - it seems that a real life opposition in the box causes us to panic.
I have a feeling that the message from SG to via the recruitment team MC is something along the lines of aim for mid table respectability this season, develop the team for the future and look to promotion (if that is really what SG wants- not sure personally) the following season.
I could be totally wrong but the transfer window activity doesn’t look like a push for promotion this season to me. As long as we can start playing decent football and winning games and not losing the way we did yesterday, then for this season, I won’t be too disappointed.
I was disappointed yesterday for sure as i really thought we would have been better but this is Boro - never knowingly oversold!
Ps - don’t think SG will get rid of MC unless we are still at the wrong end of the table come Christmas.
Just to add a further piece to the puzzle, BORO U21s went to Liverpool yesterday and thrashed them 4-1. The highlights are on MFC.co.uk and they are playing the fast vertical football that we saw from the first team last year.
It's hard to know what's going on.
UTB
@selwynoz Could there be a Ferguson of Brighton amongst them?
I'd say that Coburn is the nearest that we have but there does look to be a lot of talent that will come through over the next two to three years. Maybe this season is one of mid-table survival perhaps topped off with a late run before we really start to see something blossom.
I'd like to think so.
UTB
If you look at the three clubs who got promoted to the PL with only a single point between them so far then watching entertaining winning football in the Championship is maybe a better option. Mind you, watching losing football in the Championship is probably worse than watching losing football in the PL!
Just to add a slight positive note - Boro are only 3 wins off the play-offs with over 40 games to go - so if Michael Carrick can "reboot" his team then there's still plenty of time to climb the table 🙂
@werdermouth “so if Michael Carrick can "reboot" his team then there's still plenty of time to climb the table”🙂
Yes certainly possible if we had Akpom, Archer, Ramsey, and Giles in the side but not with Engel, Silvera, Morgan and Latte Lathe in the side.
I would expect mid table at best but on recent performances I fear a relegation battle. ☹️😎
Thanks for your upbeat note. With regard to MFC, I am drawn towards an optimistic view because I find that anticipating the worst does little for my mental health. I fully accept that there are others who prefer a different approach and I assume that they get even more pleasure from good surprises.
I believe that we have good players in the squad together with the up-and-coming academy and U21 crop but I'm not sure that MC knows the best combination and I just hope that he finds it before too long. At this stage of the season a solid run of two points per game can rapidly change the outlook.
I'll wait for the 'ten games played' and then see how things look.
UTB
I agree, if we had been promoted, then unless SG had spent a lot(which I don’t think he wants to) then it would nit have been pretty to watch. That said, we would have kept Akpom and probably Archer and Giles as well so who knows.
The PL is virtually a closed shop unless you have a lot of money or can be canny with the players that are bought and sold. Boro appear to have neither at the moment.
I tend to take a Tony Mowbray “it is what it is” approach! I have seen lots of ups and down since 1967 and whilst I will gladly take the good times, I don’t let the bad times get me down- well not too much anyways!
I suspect it is the younger supporters who started watching in the Riverside Revolution times who think differently but as I say on a regular basis about all sorts of things “different times, different times”
Anyway, The Only Way is Up as Yazz once sung!
I tend to take a Tony Mowbray “it is what it is” approach! I have seen lots of ups and down since 1967 and whilst I will gladly take the good times, I don’t let the bad times get me down- well not too much anyways!
I suspect it is the younger supporters who started watching in the Riverside Revolution times who think differently but as I say on a regular basis about all sorts of things “different times, different times”
Anyway, The Only Way is Up as Yazz once sung!
I can delete duplicate posts but now it's been noticed and commented upon I decided to just cross it out instead to avoid losing context.
A very interesting statistic from Borostats.
Most goals prevented in a single match:
1st Asmir Begivic - 9 (1.85)
2nd Lee Nicholls (Huddersfield) (1.78)
They are from our last 2 home games. I’m presuming they’re drawn from all the Champo matches so far. I don’t know what the figures in brackets represent.
So, there is a glimmer of hope. We’re obviously creating chances. All we have to do now is to start scoring them! 🤞😱🤞😱
ooops - my iPad was being slow so must have got impatient! Can’t see a way to delete sorry
Interestingly, while Engel is getting slated by many Boro “fans” he is the only Boro player to make the team of the week !
Come on BORO.
@exmil. To be fair to Engel, MC did state in one of his interviews that he was being asked to play a slightly different role to that which he had been used to, so perhaps he needs time to adjust.
He certainly does not seem to be playing in an advanced role as videos previously showed, with him putting in lots of crosses and having attempts on goal. 😎
Anything's possible in the Championship until it doesn't happen - after all who would have predicted Boro as bottom before the season started 🤔
Well it’s Monday evening and I’m calm again! I really shouldn’t get so upset about the Boro and poor results but then I’m just a sucker for punishment I guess.
I was quite composed during the game as it unfolded before me on Saturday and couldn’t believe the misplaced passes, errors, poor distribution and heads that dropped well before the second goal went in. The team looked like a second division side and I suppose if you sign second rate players then that’s the performance that you get.
Hopefully even with international players away on duty there will be enough of a squad to be trained in tactical awareness.
Who knows, we may start (Diasborians) to look forward to the next league game at Blackburn on the 16th September!
We certainly need someone to rally us, the supporters and produce a rousing message of a preview so that we can look forward to the game with positivity and not trepidation. So who is going to do that for us, who? Who ?
Oh heck it’s me !
I’ll have to be at my best to get everyone rooting for the Boro!
Will we see Boro3?
OFB
Who knows, we may start (Diasborians) to look forward to the next league game at Blackburn on the 16 September!
I’ll have to be at my best to get everyone rooting for the Boro!
Will we see Boro3?
OFB
I think I’ve just seen a pig fly past the window, OFB. Or I could be mistaken. It could have been a unicorn.
Things that get a coach fired
Results of course , but what got you there in the first place,
Player potential and loyalty to a player based on past performances , both have got to be thrown out of the window when your bottom and losing.
@original-fat-bob Agreed! The only way is up.
We are not that far away, we need stability, training and get the new team gelled into a TEAM. I am happy we have only two loan players - let's hope we continue with permmanent signings in January, too.
About Howson, please remember he was injured and not up to speed yet.
At least we have more depth in the squad than last season We have spent a lot - in fact we were in top six for spending money again. So the support from Mr. Gibson was there again.
I still remain positive. Wait until November to see how this new team will funtion. Up the Boro!
@jarkko. I would have to argue that we may have more depth than last season, but only on the basis of players brought in.
Quantity, but not quality, which is what we lack all over the pitch.
And no creativity.
As to spending, one could argue we have spent less than sold. However, I do appreciate we are losing money every season and this is continually covered by Mr Gibson.
Carrick says in the Echo: “We feel we’ve got that now, and we can play slightly different ways, which for me is fantastic. Last season, we ended up playing pretty similarly the whole time, which was fine, it worked. But I’ve always said I’m not massive on formations, it’s more the principles.
“Now, I feel the squad allows us to have more flexibility and to tweak things as we go. It’s our role, as staff, to pick the best way and pick the best players to win certain games.”
I am not too worried yet. Up the Boro!