CJ again:
Just not quite at the races yet. Passes just not quite as crisp and as accurate as they have been. Defensively they look very edgy. Hackney's presence in the middle being missed.
Disheartening. 🙁
0-2 we are shocking defensively and this is akin to our early season form. On this current display there is no way back and things could get worse! 😎
From EG
Boro not at the races today. Looked off it from the very start. Sluggish out of possession, sloppy in possession. Stoke have punished them. Injury list and schedule perhaps finally showing.
Boro's yellow card count now equals the Potters' goals: Paddy in the 53rd minute & RvdB four minutes later. 🙁
Three Boro substitutions in the 61st: Dijksteel for RvdB, ELL for big Josh & Rogers for Greenwood.
Three Boro substitutions in the 61st: Dijksteel for RvdB, ELL for big Josh & Rogers for Greenwood.
Silvera on for Crooks 10 minutes later. MC throwing everything at it, but looks increasingly as though it's just not Boro's day. 🙁
EG
Boro's winning run comes to an end. Injuries perhaps taking their toll. Just couldn't get going today and looked really off the pace from the off.
Well did something I haven’t done for a while!
No not that !
We walked out with half an hour left to play !
it was obvious that the Boro weren’t going to score.
They couldn’t string two passes together and Howson and Barlaser can’t play together as a midfield duo !
That is the worst game I have ever seen Howson play. He was atrocious, no leadership, misplaced passes.
Engel was back to his worst again unfortunately and Stoke played a lot of their balls down that side.
Stoke players going down like ninepins as if poleaxed. Goalkeeper taking for ages to get the ball and take a goal kick
Utter shambles
OFB
Bad day at the office.
Stoke were decent but we were really poor today. The intensity of the side was really off and the passing so careless, so often.
No major chances created and goals gifted away at the other end.
I’m not sure that injuries were the issue, it was only Smith that was missing from midweek (although we didn’t play great then either) and RvdB was ok. McGree is always a miss however. The main issue was probably not having Hackney, who has quickly graduated to being our best player.
Stick that one in the 🗑️
Apparently looking at Howson and Barlaser today they haven’t even met each other before never mind been training together !
OFB
Well that wasn't the answer to the Howson/Barlaser question I was hoping for.
Having seen it with you own eyes, or at least 60 minutes of it, do you think Hackney would have made much of a difference or was it just a collective malaise?
Well that was of a low quality
Poor passing, created few chances
Just shows in this league if you are not on top of your game you get punished
It felt like the first seven games
Eg Ratings!!!!
Seny Dieng - 6
Will be disappointed to have conceded the first goal, but didn't let it phase him. Stuck to the gameplan and made a couple of decent stops to keep the scoreline down in the end.
Rav van den Berg - 6
One of Boro's better players among low standards. He made a couple of big blocks and tackles. But he missed a decent first-half opportunity as well when he headed straight at the keeper while unmarked.
Dael Fry - 5
A sluggish outing right from the off for Fry as he almost let Gayle in behind in the opening minutes twice. He didn't ever really recover.
Paddy McNair - 6
A couple of decent challenges, he was the better of Boro's two centre-backs. But he was fortunate to only get a yellow in the second half as he struggled to keep up with Leris running in behind.
Lukas Engel - 5
A poor showing from the Dane. His work in possession provided the foundations for his vast improvements in recent weeks but he gave the ball away so cheaply so often in this one.
Jonny Howson - 5
Well off the pace as he struggled to help Boro assert any kind of control in the game.
Dan Barlaser - 5
The livelier of Boro's midfielders, he tried to step up in Hayden Hackney's absence but just didn't have the same end product or energy.
Isaiah Jones - 5
Never stopped trying, but this was an off day for Jones. Everything he tried just didn't seem to come off for him. Even the simple passes didn't find their target at times.
Sam Greenwood - 5
An afternoon where it just didn't come off for him. Subbed off as he risked losing his head when frustrations grew.
Matt Crooks - 5
In attack he tried to get things going for Boro with his usual link-up play. He'll have to hold his hands up for the first goal though. He fell to sleep and let Michael Rose run off him for a close-range free header.
Josh Coburn - 5
Boro's poor performance meant he was given very little to work off. He struggled to win the physical battle and link play better for Boro. He was unlucky though, with two very good first-half chances - the first of which was superbly tipped over, and the second of which rattled the bar.
Substitutes
Anfernee Dijksteel (For Van den Berg, 61') - 6 - Did his job with minimal fuss in an extended run out for the defender as he works his way back to fitness.
Morgan Rogers (For Greenwood, 61') - 6 - The liveliest of Boro's subs, Rogers came off the bench and at least tried to make something happen. Almost created one for Jones and then saw an effort of his own well saved.
Emmanuel Latte Lath (For Coburn, 61') - 5 - Much like Coburn, he struggled to get into the match, with Boro's build-up play not good enough to get him into the game.
Sammy Silvera (For Crooks, 71') - 5 -
Alex Gilbert (For Jones, 82') - N/A
I think Hackney would have made a difference with his runs forward. I would rest Howson looks tired and worn out.
We will see on Tuesday!
OFB
Michael Carrick viewed to quickly move on from Middlesbrough's defeat to Stoke City rather than overthink it, admitting his side just had an off day at the Riverside.
Lacking their usual quality in possession and energy off the ball, Boro's winning seven-game run came to an end. Goals from Michael Rose and Mehdi Leris, both in the first half, ultimately saw the visiting Potters on their way to a third consecutive victory.
Boro did have a couple of chances in the game - most notably when Josh Coburn rattled one off the bar just before the break, but in general it was a sluggish performance from a Boro side that perhaps showed the war wounds of a packed recent schedule and a big list of absentees.
READ MORE: Middlesbrough player ratings vs Stoke City as tired performance results in low marks all round
Trying to add a more balanced concept while conceding it was a below-par performance, Carrick said after: “It’s disappointing. You’ve got to put things into perspective as well though. They are a good team, and if you are a little bit off it then you get punished in this league. It just shows the levels that it does take to win games and look like you’re winning well.
"We were just a little bit off it really, from the start you could just feel we weren’t quite there. Even then, at half-time, I thought we finished the half well enough where there was enough in it there to have a really good go second half. It just didn’t really materialise in the end.
"A couple of chances, a couple of opportunities, but to be fair, I give them a lot of credit. They set up in a shape and pressed to close the spaces down really well. They looked dangerous on the break too. So Sometimes you’ve just got to hold your hands up and say, ‘we just weren’t quite at it today. No need to overthink it or overkill it. It is what it is and we move on pretty quickly."
With the emphasis on quickly moving on as they look towards Exeter City in the cup, Carrick said there was no need for him to get angry about the performance, with the players in the dressing well aware they weren't at it on this occasion.
“The boys know it," he said. "We’re all in it together. Too many of them just weren’t quite at the top of their game. It does happen at times. Sometimes you can get away with it, other times you come against a good team who punish you.
"Obviously the first goal is a soft one, but nevertheless, the feeling was we just weren’t quite at it to create something and get a spark. I can’t fault them for effort or trying to do the right things. It was just one of those days in the end.”
Boro had no answer to Alex Neil's game plan to press high, counter-attack at pace and create overlaps against our full-backs. The half-time lead could have been more.
A similar story in the second half though Stoke sat deeper and easily repelled most of our attacks.
As our main line players were subbed, things didn't improve for Boro, and Stoke ran out comfortable winners.
As Jones easily skinned his full-back in the first few minutes, it seemed that we should have isolated their ageing defender with quick switches to our winger. But this never happened, though it did at the other end where Engel continually found himself two on one.
It was a tactic that Carrick and Woodgate should have addressed well before Stoke's second goal which came from just such a move.
Greenwood had a poor game, offering little defensive cover for Engel whilst continually holding on to the ball for too long and conceding fouls after being dispossessed.
Engel also was poor today, particularly with his passing which continually broke down our moves.
This time our subs brought no improvement. Latte Lath should have complemented Josh, who was having a good game, rather than replacing him. Making the Ivorian our main striker rather than having him play off Josh seemed like a tactical error, and greatly reduced his threat
The subbing of Greenwood was necessary, but I was sorry to see both Crooks and Jones go as they remained two of our most likely threats.
The other subs confirmed earlier season impressions that they were lightweight, both Rogers and Silvera continually running into trouble and being too easily brushed off the ball. They provided little threat apart from a near post shot by Rogers that was well saved by the keeper. It was pleasing to see both Dijkssteel and Gilbert given a run out, however.
The Boro had managed to put together some cohesive moves in a first half that was entertaining in spite of the adverse scoreline, but the game ended in a whimper with Boro soundly beaten well before the final whistle.
I'll resist the temptation to put this defeat down to Hackney's absence. Of course he was missed. How could he not be?
But both Howson and Barlaser played well enough. Though the latter was caught on the ball on two or three occasions his distribution, particularly from set-pieces, remained exemplary.
To my mind this was largely a tactical defeat.
Boro failed either to stem Stoke's main attacking threat or to exploit their obvious defensive weakness.
The effect of most of the substitutions, so successful against Birmingham and Norwich, on this occasion actually reduced our chances of taking anything from the game.
Agree with a lot that has been said already. We all have bad days at work and we really did miss our absentees today. Their high press was reallly effective and we clearly found it hard to counter Neil's tactical plan. So it begs a question: can the management team find a solution when things are going against us like today? (although we were so poor all round today, would it have made any difference?) Carrick has had the team playing really well recently but can we quickly adapt to unexpected set backs when things are not going well? Overall however, we also need to look at the bigger picture, 18 out of the last 21 league points. It is how we react now that is important.
I’m not convinced by views that Howson and Barlaser played quite well. I agree that Barlaser’s passing was usually accurate, but Howson gave the ball away too often. And in the second half, both seemed to have disappeared for longish periods, having no impact on the game.
It was a very bad day at the office but I stayed to the end as I have seen so many late goals, while others have left the ground. I don’t think any player should have been rated a 5, collectively the team never got started. Fortunately our next two matches, both away, are winnable giving us a bit of confidence before meeting the mighty Leicester at the Riverside before yet another international break. Hopefully that international break will bring back some injured players, ready for the trip to Bristol on 25 November. Already yesterday’s game is wiped from my memory and I move on, I wonder if Clarke will get some minutes against Exeter.
Come on BORO.
@clive-hurren To be honest, I was not surprised by the result, even from the law of averages. However I do not think that Stoke were that good, and we should have had enough on recent form, even without HH, to beat them or a draw at least.
The midfield was awful. Barlaser at least tried to be positive with his passing and dead ball kicks, but was otherwise poor. He may have had a good game against Birmingham, but I am not convinced. Howson, just carried on from Norwich, in fact his passing was atrocious, which was sad to see from such a good guy.
What is obvious is we did not have a game changer on the bench and so the the substitutions made little to no difference. But as Eboroacum said, we have still taken 18 from 21. Just a pity about the first half dozen games.
So Exeter and a chance for the bench players and the likes of Clarke and Dijksteel to show us are ready to make a push for first team selection. As much a VDB has not be poor, he just does not add a lot playing at RB in the current system. To be fair MC does not have many options at the moment.
I have had quite a lot on since the Stoke City game so I have not yet had the time to read the posts made following that match, nor the new thread which I see OFB has started about the Exeter City game. Hopefully I will have time tomorrow or Tuesday
For now, perhaps I should simply say it seemed as though most of Boro's team was having an "off day". Crooks did OK. Keeper (so much for my comments earlier) got his hand(s) to that header for the first goal and "will be disappointed" in his efforts. Coburn MIGHT have scored twice but didn't, and strayed offside. Too many missed passes by several players, gifting possession back to Stoke. Latte Lath looked lively when he came on.
Basically Stoke played better than Boro, closed Boro down quickly and regained possession when hurried Boro passes went astray. Stoke deserved to win. Boro really didn't deserve anything from the game.
I hope that doesn't sound depressed (I'm not) or over-critical. It was just a poor performance after a long successful run. Sometimes poor performances happen. It's not the end of the world providing things are put right in the next few games. According to social media, someone leaving the stadium at full time was heard to say that, following that game, Carrick "should go". There really is no accounting for some folk, is there? If Boro should win 6 league games then lose the seventh, and continue in the same sequence for the rest of the season, we might expect a glorious run to May 2024.
The trick is to do what is needed to start another run of 6 league wins and a cup win. I'm not sure we can bank on that happening but Carrick has made that happen in the last couple of months and if he just COULD start Boro off on another such run ... We should not be listening to siren voices leaving the Stadium.
Hello all my dear friends, thank you for your warm thoughts. We had a very memorable funeral for my aunt. She would have been 95 next Christmas and passed away peacefully.
When I was a kid, my family drove 350 km every holiday to the lake district in the Estern Finland. My mother was from that area and my father met her at the end of the Great War against Soviet Union in September 1944.
So we went camping with a tent by a lake next to my Uncle's and his wife's farm house. We spent four weeks in a tent and I and my brother had wondeful four weeks in the forests and swimming in the lake. Often joined by our three cousings living on the farm.
So I had a great weekend as we all remembered the nice summers we had back in the 1960's and 1970's. We were devasteted for my aunt to pass away but we all had wondeful memories from our childhood with my uncle and aunt. I never though a funeral would be so touching and nice in a positive way.
Luckily I met my aunt less than two months ago. I kissed her for the first and last time ever back then. I didn't care that Boro lost on Saturday. My mind was elsewhere.
Up the Boro!
@jarkko - I am catching up with the posts today. The summers in the tent near the lake sound idyllic and something my son and his friends, and the people we go camping with (they all started out with tents even if they are in caravans and motorhome now) will very much recognise.
Whilst devastating when death happens, even if expected, living to almost 95 it appears your aunt had what, in England, we'd call a "good innings". I'm glad people were able to feel the funeral was so touching and positive.
Football, even if we feel a bit low about a defeat when it happens, is really only a game.
@forever-dormo Now, after 40 yerárs or more, we remember the summers in a tent. It was always 4 weeks and we did it for about 10 years. My uncle built a cottage for us after all - so there was one or two last summers we stayd in the same place but in a cottage. And then I started to work during the summers, too. But of course, one remembers the tent years best.
Especially we talk about one rainy summer when it was so cold that we kept a fire practically all day. To make crêpes (thin pancakes) on the open fire. My uncle had an old abandoned boat that we put upside-down close to the fire and we sat under it like tramps. We did not want to sit inside a tend during the light hours! So eating and talking with my cousins. That summer was best remembered.
In the winter time, I started to follow Boro. Up the Boro!