This is turning into a hard season very quickly with best players leaving amd being sold and inadequate replacements sourced !

OFB

Only positive is that we seem to have found a keeper who is far better on the ball than Steffen and looks the real deal.  😎

@original-fat-bob.  Spot on. Also back to square pegs in round holes.  We need to see some positive changes from MC this half. 😎

The biggest obvious issue, which we had last season, but even more evident this afternoon, is the lack of pace, Jones apart, within the team.

I also do understand MC sticking with Rogers, but at number 9. If we create any chances, Forss is more likely to score. 

Infact just writing this, Rogers has just missed the target and low and behold Silverado does even worse, with should have been a tap in. 

Posted by: @pedro

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The biggest obvious issue, which we had last season, but even more evident this afternoon, is the lack of pace, Jones apart, within the team.

I also do understand MC sticking with Rogers, but at number 9. If we create any chances, Forss is more likely to score. 

Infact just writing this, Rogers has just missed the target and low and behold Silverado does even worse, with should have been a tap in. 

From the Beeb's live text commentary:

Howson & Forss on for Barlaser & Jones in the 65th minute.  Still 1-0 Coventry.

@stircrazy.  And worthy of Britt Assombalonga. 😎

Haji Wright makes it 2-0 to Coventry in the 70th minute.  🙁

At least the Lionesses won.  🙂

Corner, rubbish defending and Wright shows you just how to hit the target.

Beeb:

Boro had a purple patch starting the second half, but did not take their chances. Then Boro more or less gift them a second goal. 

Toothless up front, Crooks poor, Silvera, has just disappeared. 

Just to add insult to injury, Lenihan scores an OG in injury time...

So. Bottom of the league....

The only way is up now ... we have done that before quite recently, so there's  still plenty of hope ..

Some shocking finishing though. We should have had at least two goals before their second.

Mine's a full fat Latte please.

3  0 didn’t expect that but perhaps we should have done and inadequate replacements made in the team from last season.

OFB

Well my take on seeing two games now and at close up, is that MFC have decided to try and do a Brentford or maybe be a Luton and try and do well on the cheap.

We cannot compete financially with a number of other Championship clubs and certainly those relegated from the EPL.

Coventry have done very well under Robbins and have now sold well and look to have bought well.

At this moment, we have bought quantity, but not experience, apart from Dieng, who looks a good buy. Of  the “Projects” only Rogers I would say could be a first team pick. 

It is certainly going to be interesting to see how, I assume, our two new first team buys, if they indeed do sign, impact of the team.

At the moment we look a middle of the table side a best.

Question:- why play Crooks when McGree was on the bench? Why play Rogers at number 9 when Forss is obviously so much better? 

We paid the price for an awful first half in which we had no cohesion, no creativity and, worryingly, no energy or drive. I think the side needed Alex Ferguson hairdryer treatment at half-time - some players, especially Jones, Rogers, Crooks and Barlaser - clearly needed a boot up the backside. 

We were much better second half but nowhere near good enough to hurt this strong Coventry side, who themselves have lost Gyokeres and Hamer but seem to have recruited replacements really well. That’s the polar opposite of what has happened at Boro. Now, we have to grasp the nettle quickly, flog Chuba and use the money wisely to recruit a couple of strong forwards and a left back. Having said that, I thought Coulson was one of our stronger performers today. 

The commentary team said MC had been working on improving our game out of posssession. I didn't see much evidence of improvement in our defensive capabilities, I must say. 

We haven’t replaced Howson. McNair is too slow. Crooks is not a centre forward. Coulson is a step backwards. I know it’s early days but team looks poor

we need some quality loan players from Man Utd Aston Villa or Darlington!

Even Hartlepool ?

OFB

@powmillnaemore 

RE AKPOM can’t they Lens him back to us?

OFB

Should we sack Carrick and Woodgate now? In the BBC Live table (attached) we now bottom!

Well, it is early season and I will still keep the coaching team but we have not scored more than once in our last six league matches.

Up the Boro! 

Unfortunately, Clive, there were a lot of poor performances today, especially the first half. I thought that HH had one of his poorest games since he first started as a regular.

The reality is, at this moment, we have only bought, what you would call a first pick player, ONE, and that’s Dieng.

Not giving us that much confidence that we can improve on today, especially against the better fancied teams.

@original-fat-bob.  I am not sure that he would have made a difference had he played today.

This team has been misfiring since the last ten games of last season and MC is now facing managing in a tough Championship with inadequate resources.

He didn’t look very confident during his pre match interview and I for one, amongst others, have to question his team/player selection.  

His changes during the second half were effectively like for like and he did nothing to effect the game from a tactical perspective.  Why not play Forss at CF and play Rogers out wide.  Why not persevere with Coulson (not that he deserves to be in the side imo) and put McGree in the 10 role.

Unless there are some quality PL loans to come in, I am not convinced that the two reported recruits, if they arrive, will make much difference.  

As you say, it’s a long season already and whilst it is still very early, and I know how we started last season, lightening doesn’t often strike twice and the signs to date are not encouraging.

With NW due at the Riverside next week, I dread to think what will happen if we get warnocked! 😎

Having recorded the game and just watched it, I wish I hadn’t.

 Boro got exactly what they deserved from the game. - Nothing.

Some may say that there was some improvement for part of the second half - I’d tend to say that they couldn’t get any worse and the improvement achieved nothing.

They were awful and unrecognisable from last season. Perhaps it was to be expected with the loss of Archer, Akpom, Ramsey and Giles.

I was surprised by the team selection - no Forsse (who is direct and has an eye for goal) and no McGree.

The new players didn’t impress and few players deserve much credit - perhaps Hackney but he lacked a partner in midfield.

Should we be alarmed ?   Yes, of course - 2 games - no goals , few chances, little fluent football and still can’t keep a clean sheet. Plus, the season has started as last season ended. So, worrying times.

The sooner Akpom is solid and money made available for new players , the better.

Having got that off my chest , we move on and remind ourselves that it’s only a game with more important things in life to contend with.

Philip of Huddersfield 🙁👋

@original-fat-bob

Perhaps it is time to think the unthinkable, we  should have played Akpom in all league games. He was our player, our call. Now to the big call, drop our spindlegged winger, very fast, going nowhere, brushed aside brutally, by very ordinary players. Expect nothing from him, then you will not be disappointed.          

@k-p-in-spain   Yes, this is Wilder form. We ended last season poorly, could not of bought a goal and worst of all in my opinion, there has been no improvement defensively. 

You just know, that we will probably leak a goal. Now we cannot score any.

Repeating myself, we have not bought a Championship experienced out-field player. We all knew and so did MFC, that we probably would not retain Akpom, given our financial standing and possibly Mr Gibson’s change of Recruitement direction.

Scott and his team (authorised by SG) appear to be only looking at overseas players in the main. They have not been overly successful going down that route and that has cost us money.

Nothing ever comes out of MFC, about direction, costing models, the way ahead.

And saying the above, the fans it appears may have been sucked in by the hype of last season in renewing their ST’s. Others that bit older, like me, probably just stupid.

@plato He is not the only one. The one on the other side of the pitch was no better.

@pedro 

Any thought of being a top half team is quite ambitious, I see no ability, or indeed force, they accept their fate meekly, put up no resistance, and go willingly to the block. Notice that our kid back from loan is one of the undead. He is only about 6-4" fearless and has a better showreel than anybody at the club. The reappearance of one of our great past dissasters at the side of our manager is causing unease, failure is catching, like the plague.    

Carrick is putting on a brave face and trying to be positive but I would say he is not happy at all with the clubs recruitment. I think he needs to have another serious talk with Sir Alex.