Not expecting a win today given Leicester's formidable home form but...
Best case scenario
Boro could actually end the day 4 points off the play-offs with a game in hand on 3 of the 4 clubs on 48 points. For that to happen, Boro need to upset the odds and win of course - then all the following results need to go our way...
Stoke v Coventry (48)
Norwich (48) v Cardiff
Huddersfield v Hull (48)
Preston (48) v Blackburn
Birmingham v Sunderland (47)
Worst case scenario
Boro lose and the 4 clubs on 48 points all win to leave us 10 points behind those clubs vying for 6th spot - plus if QPR beat Bristol City then that would leave us 9 points from a relegation place.
May I correct one piece of your English, something I very rarely feel the need to do, as you write and speak brilliantly. I only wish I spoke Finnish as well. (I don’t speak any, sadly!)
This time, you wrote: - ‘There is only a one exception to this and it is teached to everyone at school…..’
In fact, the past tense of to teach is irregular: taught. This is an easy mistake to make for anybody whose first language is not English. If you were just learning it, you’d very quickly notice that most English verbs end in ED in the past participle, and it would thus be natural to assume that teach would follow the same pattern.
Of course, grammatically, ‘it is taught….. ‘ is actually a use of the passive rather than the past tense as such, but we use the past participle to construct this.
I’ve no idea where this particular past tense came from historically, or how it developed. Any offers, Dormo?
Sorry to dent your theory but Mr Allison did not deny us a penalty at Preston . That was a Mr Harrington. Allison reffed the Bristol City game and to my eyes put on one of the best displays of the season. He looked super fit, was always well up with the play and there were no controversial decisions that I can recall. The fact he was invisible for the most part is one of the highest compliments that one can pay to any referee.
In general terms black people are almost criminally under-represented in the higher echelons of the game in the UK, particularly given their prominence as players. All the evidence suggests that they are discriminated against rather than being privileged.
As far as referees are concerned, given the amount of abuse they are subjected to at every level of the game, it's not a role that I would take on, much as I love the game.
The obstacles to a person of colour taking on that role are, of course, even more formidable. It doesn't surprise me one bit that the only black referee that I can recall who has refereed at the highest level was the excellent Uriah Rennie, and that was many years ago.
As with female officials, I suspect that you have to be of exceptional character as well as ability to be given a chance in a field which has, throughout the history of the game, been the almost exclusive preserve of white men of frequently questionable ability.
All power to Allison's elbow. We need many more like him, not fewer.
I share your views on Michael Carrick. It seems to have escaped the general notice that we played wonderful football at Preston. In my view we played better than we did when we walloped Sunderland 0-4. The difference was that LL, Coburn and Jones were not in the squad, so that we had no one to finish the host of chances we created.
The chances and our dominance, by the way, were created by our playing out from the back, enabling us to create the kind of spaces that our few fruitless long balls up the middle to a non-existent striker never looked like producing.
Preston did win the game, but there is no future in the way that they played the game.
It is simply not true that you need players of the ability of Manchester City to play out from the back. Pretty well every team in the Premier League apart from Luton plays that way now. Indeed it's the way that the most progressive teams in the lower leagues and even outside of the professional game now approach the game.
If you take the example of Brentford they played this way for many seasons before they were promoted and are now a settled Premier League side largely because their methods are now part of the club's DNA. And importantly they have educated and kept their fans informed about their long-term project.
The Boro's DNA has been defined over recent years by Karanka, Pulis and Warnock, and Carrick is in his first season of trying to produce something different.
My prediction before the season began was that the Boro would finish about mid-table. I believed us to have a first-class coach who would do a good job with a second-rate squad.
I have seen nothing this season which makes me wish to modify that conclusion. I've enjoyed the season, seen some excellent games but have never entertained the illusion that we are anywhere near Premier League quality.
My main fear was that the coach might go the way of the two previous managers in his frustration with the quality of the club's recruitment, and in particular the club's failure to recruit adequate strikers. And for which he would carry the blame.
It still is.
Powmill,
Finally I'm able to put the print work down and read your opener. An absolute 'Tour de force', quite excellent as indeed they have all been. Full marks to everyone who has written one, or two or more, it is a level of football reporting that is beyond the Gazette and many others, a totally different concept for holding the reader's interest.
No forecasts from me in fact a draw would be outstanding but I have no doubt Boro will concede first and the struggle will begin.
Mid-table will be the goal now but with the many inconsistencies in the players and the way they play as a 'team' I fear low mid-table will an achievement. My optimism has been driven out. One thing that does stand out for me is that the game needs some form of change to it's organisation. Less games and 'breaks' and time for players to recover from playing never mind recovering from injuries.
For me it's another defeat but I'll be ecstatic if I'm proved wrong.
Best wishes to everyone.
UTB,
John
@jarkko - What a cracking little book! I think to an extent SOME names in English are also pronounced in a particular way to show your status to the world and also to exclude others: "If they pronounce it incorrectly it shows they are not One of Us, dear".
Ralegh or Raleigh the sea captain and adventurer in the times of Queen Elizabeth 1 was always, when I was young, pronounced either RAH-lee or RAW-lee, whereas you bicycle was a RALLY (like in tennis or a motor race - RAL-ee).
If you wanted to while away some time, you could amuse yourself by looking up such names as Featherstonhaugh (FAN-shore), Cholmondeley (CHUM-lee), Marjoribanks (MARCH-banks). Names more often heard in a period drama set in a stately home like Downton Abbey than in Dormanstown! Or some high-falutin' person called Powell might pronounce it "Pole" whereas the lad from Berwick Hills calls himself POW-ul. Your social climbing Mr Mainwaring from "Dads' Army" (who in WW2, being a grammar school boy and a bank manager, would certainly have been at least in the centre of the Middle Class, despite his social fears) pronounces it "Mannering" but the plebeian air raid warning officer in the show is much more likely to call him MAIN-ware-ing. An interesting diversion from the Tesr Match which is not currently going well, or this afternoon's football.
You have told me before about Finnish being something of an outlier amongst European languages, with similarlities to Estonian and Hungarian(?) but not many other languages, whereas English has a large extended family of brothers, sisters, aunts & uncles, grandparents etc (German, Frisian, Dutch and Afrikaans, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic and many others). All good fun...
Might have a trip to Saltburn now. Not been there for AGES!
The blog that keeps on giving. Very eloquently and accurately put Len and on both subjects.
I watched tonight’s match between WBA and Southampton, the referee was Allison (Preston ref), he missed a blatant penalty tonight (where have we seen that before) also didn’t give WBA even a free kick when their player was dragged down just on the edge of the Southampton box. This is the ref who has been fast tracked because he is black not on his ability.
As well as Sam Allison and Rebecca Welsh, you may also want to keep an eye out for three other referees on the fast track programme - Tom Nield (7 Champ. games), Lewis Smith (7 Champ. games) and Samuel Barrott (15 Champ. & 11 PL games). Of course you never hear about them in the press as it's a non-story because they are male and white.
As I understand the main criteria for being on the fast-track programme is them being identified as the most talented up and coming referees with promotion through each of the 7 levels being dependent on high scores from match observers and then being among the best 2 or 3 from level 4 onwards.
From what I recall Sam Allison looked a decent referee with a good presence and fitness - not surprising as part of the fast-track programme involves fitness training and mentoring in order to produce elite referees that will reach the top of the game. Being black is not the reason Sam Allison has reached the level he has so hope any perceived mistakes he makes are not blamed on him being not up to it because he was given special treatment because of his skin colour.
Yes I sympathise with Michael Carrick as in the end the squad has not been as good as he needed this season and injuries have left him without a fit striker and many key players. I certainly find Carrick's playing style infinitely better viewing than the Pulis and Warnock years but I do get frustrated to see some players clearly very uncomfortable with the ball at their feet and then being unsure of what to do with the ball once they've broken through the opposition press.
Whether some players are just not capable of playing the system is possibly open to debate but I'm sure we need more players with higher technical ability before the system can work effectively. What I question is that I personally believe it needs to be a mixture of playing out and long balls to keep the opposition guessing - which may then make it easier to play out as they drop deeper. I'd agree there were many good passages of play against Preston, including breaking through the lines, but in the end it was two defensive errors again that cost us any points and at the moment the risks of playing rigidly to the system are giving the opposition multiple scoring opportunities.
OK, without any strikers or pace in the team then what chance have those playing the ball out got at having a decent out-ball? I'd only add that surely the head coach has to find a way to win the game with what he's got at his disposal and a bit of pragmatism may well have kept Boro in touch with the play-offs until the likes of Jones and Coburn were fit again.
Still, who knows if Forss had got his pen, plus the keeper hadn't have made a good save from his volley and Glover had made the save then we'd be talking about a well deserved victory instead of bemoaning two more defensive errors costing us the points!
@clive-hurren Sorry, Clive. That was taught to me at school already. Was tired, I presume. Thanks for reminding me. I am getting too lazy with my writing ...
Up the Boro!
.... As with female officials, I suspect that you have to be of exceptional character as well as ability to be given a chance in a field which has, throughout the history of the game, been the almost exclusive preserve of white men of frequently questionable ability. ...
Sir Len, I was positively surpriced that there was a female referee at the recent the Africa Cup of Nations 2023. And I think there was also a lady assisting in another match.
I hope to see ladies and black referees in the Premier League soon. And let's hope there will be more managers of similar ilk, too. Hope Boro to show that lead.
Up the Boro
Well having seen today's line up, if we were hoping for a miracle before, it's now looking like we're going to need one of at least parting of the Red Sea proportions
I hope you didn't mind, Jarkko. Your English is fantastic.
I agree, Peter. Where does Carrick think our goals are going to come from? Silvera in place of Forss? WHY? WHY? WHY?
And I don’t think Leicester will have too much trouble in parting our own Red Sea………
@clive-hurren No problems, mate!
Here are the line up by Craig Johns of the Gatette:
It's five changes then, two of which are enforced.
McNair, Engel, Barlaser, O'Brien and Silvera are in for Howson, Hackney, Thomas, Forss and Greenwood. And just to note on the graphic below, young Law McCabe should be on the Boro bench too.
Carrick going with a back three. Howson and Hackney both miss out through injury, Luke Thomas misses out because he's ineligible against his parent club. Greenwood and Forss are on the bench.
And yes, we play in white today.
Up the Boro!
Ouch! Yes. The analogy stretches a bit painfully too far for comfort.
From C J
Luke Woolston
Interesting to see the young midfielder on the bench today. He's travelled to recent away games as the reserve but he makes the squad today. He is someone Carrick identified early on as a player with real potential and he played in the friendly at Hibernian during the World Cup break last season. But he suffered an injury before the end of the last season and is only just getting back to fitness in recent months.
Team News...
Certainly quite a few unexpected changes with a few youngsters on the bench - the midfield could get exposed any any injuries will see McCabe on. No Forss or Greenwood is a surprise!
@lenmasterman - I was impressed by Mr Allison, who was the ref in the match between BORO v Bristol City. I thought he did well and remember on a number of occasions he was indicating "get up" to players on both sides who'd gone to ground unfairly seeking a free kick. I recall hearing that he was an ex-player and was being "accelerated" up the referee ranks no doubt partly because he had that playing experience.
What do we know about football, eh? Leicester City 0-1 BORO (Azaz). I know there is a long time to go, but at least the lead has been taken... I am going to pinch myself.
What do we know about football, eh? Leicester City 0-1 BORO (Azaz). I know there is a long time to go, but at least the lead has been taken... I am going to pinch myself.
Assisted by O'Brien (24th minute). Let's hope they can now hang on to it!
Maybe the Red Sea is looking a bit shallower in parts
I think I've woken up in an alternate reality... 0-2?
UTB,
John
Silvera makes it two in the 37th minute, assisted by McGree. I'm in dreamland!
Well that was “typical Boro” of the other kind!
Doing exactly what other teams have been doing to them; defending magnificently and then hitting Leicester on the break.
Still a long way to go but one can just hope. Cob 😎😊
@clive-hurren - Accepting that Jarkko knows the past participle of "to teach" is taught but that, often like me when typing entries here, he was tired or was displaying the lack of dexterity in his fat fingers, I think you hit the nail on the head in simply saying that "to teach" is an irregular verb in English.
My initial thought was that "teach" had come to English from German. A quick squint at my copy of Chambers 20th Century Dictionary says it comes from Old English "taecan" (to show, teach) which would have been pronounced "takkan". The dictionary suggests we should put that together with and compare with the German "zeigan" to show and the Greek "deiknynai", to show.
I have the feeling that a more detailed etymology could be found in my copy of The Shorter Oxford Dictionary - despite it's name it is a VERY large book, with LOTS of pages, and it comes with a magnifying glass to help read the Bible/Prayer Book miniscule print. It comes in its own cardboard box and was given to me as a gift by my sister who then worked for the Oxford University Press. Sadly it was put up into the loft last year by my son and there is NO WAY I am going to brave the ladder up there when my son isn't at home.
AND I leave you with the amazing news that BORO currently holds a 2-0 (TWO - nil!) half-time lead at Leicester. *Shakes head as he goes to put the kettle on for a cuppa...*
The funny old game... Up the Boro!
Pinch me I must he dreaming
On-the-spot reporter on BBC Finalscore: "Michael Carrick's got his tactics spot on... Clinical, but deserved." 🙂