At about 1.00 am this morning, I was close to giving up and going to bed but finally decided to stay up to watch the game (3.00pm UK time is 2.00am in Sydney until the clocks change). I'm very glad that I did as it gave me the chance to see a really gutsy performance.
Clearly the result was based on the defence holding out in the first half against quite a lot of pressure and what seemed like dozens of corners. When they came out for the second half, it was clear that Carrick had told them to play with a bit more attacking belief and that was confirmed after the game. They played well but, with all that improvement, they could so easily have gone behind to the QPR breakaway chance. I was at that mental point where you start to think about the chances of equalising when I suddenly realised that RVDB had performed a miraculous intervention, saving the goal and not fouling the player. We've talked about turning points but that felt like the moment when QPR 0 suddenly seemed like a pretty good chance. The Boro 2 bit came from us actually taking a couple of chances which has been pretty unusual this season.
As I said above, the defence was the backbone of the win with all five of them playing really well plus Dieng who made one top class save in the first half. However, for me, the star was Johnny Howson. He was everywhere, he brought stability and he always seemed to have more time than anyone else on the field. On top of that his choices were always so good. As an example, he made the perfect choice to feed Ayling rather than push the obvious ball through to Forss that would have been easy for the defender. Ayling then picked out that killer back post cross and Forss did the rest. Howson was my MOTM.I do also feel that we are starting to see how much O'Brien can do. He really is a 'box to box' player who doesn't stop.
If there is a slight disappointment it is the fact that Riley NcGree still hasn't quite got back to his sharpest. He is still very good and well worth his place but he isn't running games as much as he did last year. Is it an ongoing fitness issue? I don't now but I'm hoping that he can take another step up.
I'm not going to get carried away but the Championship is so cutthroat that anyone can quickly drop 3 or 4 points and so a run of wins can turn everything upside down. We have 10 games left. Would 20 points give us a shot at sixth? Probably not and it's too early to get excited. Two more wins before the break might stir things up a bit but, at least, we've dispelled that frisson of relegation anxiety that crept over us last week.
UTB
@boroexile Unfortunately Tony is on sick leave from his job at Birmingham. So it is his deputy Mark Venus in charge.
Wishing all the best for Mogga on his recovery. But not any points on Tuesday. Up the Boro!
@selwynoz A very good summary of the match there. Cheers.
Elsewhere, Neil Warnock has stepped down as Aberdeen manager less than an hour after guiding the club to the Scottish Cup semi-finals. Chairman Dave Cormack says the club are at "an advanced stage" in their search to replace him.
As he is the master of the Championship, could we see him appointed as the manager at Sunderland next? Yesterday's defeat at Southampton for the Black Cats means they have lost six successive matches in the league for the first time since March 2006, when they were relegated from the Premier League.
The fans at Sunderland must be really sorry to see Mogga sacked a few month ago and their results have looked bad ever since.
Up the Boro!
PS. Yesterday Watford sacked boss Valerien Ismael following a run of only one win in 10 league games, with Tom Cleverley named as interim head coach. Suprisingly they did not go for Warnock!
@john-richardson Glad to hear it went well. It seems that many of us on here have various new bits and pieces so it was good of the Boro to put on a show worth watching yesterday. I think this summer, the Boro showed what happens when you try to replace too many parts at once on the cheap. Takes a while to settle down.
If this was a tennis forum I would make a joke about "new balls please" so probably good job that it isn't.