PHEW!
A 1-2 win for Boro which Maddo says on BBCTees that "they made hard work of". But it is three points to end the year.
Goodbye to 2023. Let's look forward to a better 2024 for Boro as a club and for all Diasborians.
Phew! Boro back up to 10th as things stand.
@exmil. "I only got halfway through a lot of posts before I moved to the next one, so much negativity."
I know exactly how you feel when I read all the positive, foam handed and red spectacle comments, suggesting everything is fine when it's not. 😉😎
CoB 1-2.
When your team miss a penalty with a few minutes to go, you tend to think a win won’t happen and so to score a minute later the penalty miss is immediately forgotten.
Poor quality game but a win is a win and pleasing that Coburn scored. Looks as other results went Boro’s way.
Koroma Thomas named man of the match despite missing a good chance in the first half- he’s a strikers dream with the number of crosses he achieves.
Philip of Huddersfield
I was beginning to think Boro didn't want to win this game after Jones missed the sitter of the season and then Howson had his penalty saved but when Jonny scores from open play then it usually means our luck is in - and it was something of a lucky strike to bounce over the keeper and go in off the bar but in the end they all count.
A convincing win it was not and with Crooks out injured and then Dijksteel also going off injured with McGree and Silvera off for the next 9 games plus still no sign of Hackney and Latte Lath - then there's not much left for Michael Carrick to play with - probably just about a First XI maybe.
Boro are just about hanging in the play-off picture still 3 points short of 6th and 6 points away from the West Brom side we beat last week. Jones and Greenwood are looking off the boil and we can be thankful that Coburn is back and using his physical presence and centre-forward running again.
Anyway, three desperately-needed points that were hard won by a team not looking at its best and short on quality in the final third and less assured playing out of defence than they've looked in some weeks. Time to regroup and work out a plan to play Coventry and then see who is left to play Villa next weekend - hopefully they'll be resting a few!
From the BBC Tees commentary it sounded like a bit of a grind in pretty dire conditions. Only a second win against a bottom seven team this season and we have beaten four of the top seven. The Howson penalty miss was reminiscent of the game at QPR in the last promotion season when Leadbetter missed the pen and then we scored from the resultant corner.
We go again on Monday with two less players, Silvera and McGree, and possibly Dijksteel as Maddo thought he might be injured. Interestingly Ipswich's two possible players going to AFCON and Asia Cup have made themselves unavailable. Luongo has retired and Morsy has said he doesn’t want to be picked by Egypt. I wonder if they were given some incentive not to go?
The last 2 games represent a micrcosm of Championship football. One match, you play pretty well, miss many chances and lose. Tonight it seemed like we got over the line without playing particularly well so a welcome 3 points. Onwards to the next game..a tougher assignment against a team 3rd in the form table over the last 6 games. UTB
Echo player ratings:
8s for both RvdB & Josh Coburn, but the latter was its MotM.
The Gazette's aren't all that different:
although it doesn't go so far as to nominate a MotM. 8 for RvdB, but a 7 for Big Josh -
Could be in with a shout for being man of the match because he helped changed [sic] the game for Boro. Offering an outlet up top, he also provided a cute finish to give his side an initial lead.
In football, you don't always get what you deserve.
Two injury-ravaged teams were unable to string any kind of performance together but the gods of football looked kindly on us yesterday. Isaiah Jones may not agree.
Coburn showed what a difference having an actual striker makes. His finish for the goal was the kind of finish that players like Jones just aren't capable of.
Mind you, the gods of football give with one hand and take away with the other. Crooks and Dijksteel joined the injury list, while Dieng, McGree and Silvera headed off for a month.
Looks like we could be facing Coventry with the following players unavailable or not fit enough to start.
Dieng
Smith, Dijksteel
Lenihan, McNair
Hackney, O'Brien
Forss, McGree, Silvera, Crooks
Latte Lath, (Coburn)
That's a whole 1st 11 and a couple of subs.
It was a lively game in atrocious conditions so a lot of credit has to be given to both teams for going at it for the full 90. There was good football from both sides and we were a touch lucky to win as we made very very few clear chances.
one strang point is that we seemed unwilling to shoot from the edge of th area. With driving rain and wind, it wasn’t easy for either keeper and a good strong low shot could have easily caused chaos. Barlaser simply won’t shoot and the rest seemed infected with the same reluctance.
Anyway, hats off for the fight, eyes rolled for the biggest miss that I’ve ever seen and onward to our nemesis club, Coventry. At least we have a strong central defence in Fry RVDB and Clarke and it won’t surprise me to see all three playing, either in a back three or RVDB at right back.
2023 hasn’t been perfect but we’re definitely making progress.
UTB
Boro ground out a win and in a way Huddersfield can feel badly done to in those conditions. However after Rotheram I'll take that all day. Isiah Jones was just plain unlucky and we've all seen misses right on the line although that was pretty close. It happens and in this case it really did and how you learn from it I don't know so just move on, the important thing was the result.
Now for Coventry, like us a different animal to last year, but Boro can win it and there are some huge opportunities looming for the youngsters it's an interesting period coming up because of these stupidly arranged tournaments.
A happy and a healthy New Year to everyone.
UTB,
John
I’ll be honest here - it depresses me when this Forum descends into negativity, and spoils my enjoyment of something I really look forward to reading. I don’t recall seeing too much of the blind faith of positivity to which you allude and I’ve never read someone saying “everything is fine when it’s not”.@exmil. "I only got halfway through a lot of posts before I moved to the next one, so much negativity."
I know exactly how you feel when I read all the positive, foam handed and red spectacle comments, suggesting everything is fine when it's not. 😉😎
CoB 1-2.
I don’t like our team losing, but over the years I’ve rationalised that none of the players, nor the management team are trying to wind me up by throwing away 3 points. It’s their job after all and as an individual fan I’m an anonymous person who happens to be pleased when we win, but I won’t lose my livelihood or place in the team if we lose. I’m hoping that our win last night, however scrappy, has put a smile on everyone’s face and we can approach the new year of football with optimism but no expectation that the Boro deserve to win every game.
Only managed to catch the second half of the match which was much more open than I had envisaged the game would be.
On the basis of only 45 mins action it appeared that we have played better previously and lost. We were not in control as much as we normally are, nor did we create as many chances, yet through hard work and determination we managed to take all three points which was pleasing if perhaps fortunate.
It was interesting to see MC change the shape by going three at the back which helped to reduce the amount of space that Huddersfield had been exploiting.
It will be interesting to see if he changes shape for Monday as Coventry/Mark Robins seem to have worked out how to counter our usual style of play. 😎
@k-p-in-spain If Huddersfield hadn’t just beaten Blackburn 3-0 at home in the previous match, I don’t think it would have been so open 🤔.
Come on BORO.