Brilliant headliner FD. You should have kept quiet about it being last minute and all: no one would have noticed.

Of course, if (when) the Gulf Stream fails, we may well head into another mini ice age, putting paid to all those resurgent vineyards appearing down south, and even into Wales.

Coventry Cathedral is definitely worth a visit. One of those places it is impossible not to be moved by what took place all those years ago. Following the destruction of the old Cathedral, a makeshift cross was made from charred beams salvaged in the ruins and placed where the high altar had been. That cross is now preserved inside the modern Cathedral, adjacent to the old where it can be seen. An exact model of the original charred cross was made and installed where the original was. This was done so the actual cross would not deteriorate as it was open to the elements. The weatherproof  replica was placed there so that everyone visiting the site could still see it as it would have been in the 1940s.

The replica cross was made by the father of a good friend of mine, a Brummy, from my college days in Liverpool.

As for our form against Coventry, we could be forgiven for thinking the Sky Blues have become our Nemesis. It was interesting watching Boro play against Norwich in what could have been mistaken for a Coventry kit!

On Saturday we will take to the field in a plain white shirt to make a statement about knife crime and injurious offences. Bravo to our club for taking this stance.

I fully expect we will dominate the game, with Carrick fielding the same starting XI as against Norwich. How well we will do breaking down what will be a very well drilled defensive set up remains to be seen. Let's hope this is a day that we show we can break down even the best defensive tactics. I am going to be cautiously optimistic ...2-1 to the Whites to send Mark Robins home with the Blues.

CoB

Another belter, FD. No worries about sending you to Coventry on the back of an excellent starter. 
I watched some of the U21s game against Lyon tonight on YouTube and they looked good value, apart from an inability to stick the ball in the net, ultimately losing 0-1. Sound familiar?

As for Saturday, I’m being optimistic and going for 3-1 - fingers crossed. 

I have never been to Coventry either. But been over 30 times to Mydilsburgh. So you know which one I prefer.

While I googled to see pictures of their Cathedral (the new part looks very 1960's I must say), I also had a look on the size of the city versus the town. I had always presumed the twins to be of similar size, but Stoke is nearly three times bigger in population - with some 345 000 people .

How about the clubs, then? Their capacity is 32,609 at Stoke and 34,742 at the Boro. Average attendances were in 2023–24 Championship Season 25,468 at Stoke, and at Boro 26,905.

So we can at least say we are slightly bigger club. And played more in the top two leagues. 

Rugby Football Club was consistently among the nation's leading rugby football sides from the early 20th century, peaking in the 1970s and 1980s.

Association football, on the other hand, was scarcely a claim to fame until 1967, when Coventry City F.C. finally won promotion to the top flight of English football as champions of the Football League Second Division.[138] They would stay among the elite for the next 34 years, reaching their pinnacle with FA Cup glory in 1987—the first and to date only major trophy in the club's history.

I hope we play well - for 90 min for a change. I have really enjoyed the CarrickBall. And we seem to be hitting the pinnacle soon - so well we have played. But a good team becomes a great one, when they play constantly well.

I will be on the artic circle on Saturday. I have a business trip to see the local snow mobile fair in there. The only snow mobile factory in Europe is situated in the town of Rovaniemi - hence the fair also in the same town. I chose a later flight back home - so I will be able to watch the Boro match live via BoroLive. 

So let's hope a home win. We deserve to get three points, so well we are playing now. Winning home matches and drawing away, will give two points on average. That must be the aim now.

Up the Boro!

Thanks Martin & Powmill. It looks like I will have to see that Cathedral!

@jarkko - When you mentioned Stoke in the 2nd & 3rd paragraphs of your post, I think you were having a "senior moment" and actually meant Coventry. It's certainly true that Coventry RFC was one of the top rugby union clubs in England.

So far as concerns Association Football, Coventry City and Jimmy Hill are forever linked.  Hill played football for Brentford and then Fulham, and in 1957 Hill was appointed Chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association and was instrumental in the fight to abolish the maximum wage paid to professional footballers. On retirement as a player he became manager of Coventry City, winning them the Divison 3 championship in 1963-64 and the Division 2 championship in 1966-67 (therefore gaining promotion to the top tie, after which he moved into football broadcasting. He was a broadcasting Titan, as an analyst, commentator and presenter, memorably coming on as a substitute linesman when attending on game in his journalistic capacity and one of the officials became unable to carry on. He famously smoked a pipe even as a comparatively young man.  He was more "Mr Football" in his day than Gary Lineker could dream of.

As you have suggested, Coventry as a city is similar in population not to Middlesbrough but to Middlesbrough, Stockton, Billingham, Redcar & Eston combined (ie old Teesside).

@forever-dormo Yes, I am getting old.

So here corrected:

... but Stoke Coventry is nearly three times bigger in population - with some 345 000 people .

How about the clubs, then? Their capacity is 32,609 at Stoke Coventry and 34,742 at the Boro. Average attendances were in 2023–24 Championship Season 25,468 at Stoke Coventry, and at Boro 26,905.

My mistake, I cannot blame my English in there. Just my brains. Up the Boro!

Many thanks Dormo for another very entertaining preview - I can only hope that Boro can follow Lady Godiva's lead and start a winning streak against Coventry!

Boro appear to have upped their game in the last week and but for a couple of worldies from Sainz should now be in the top six. Still the next six games (4 at home) all look eminently winnable and maybe it's time to see Boro closing that 5-point gap to the automatic promotion spot!

Whether Coventry opt to defend deep on Saturday is probably a likely scenario so hopefully we'll see Boro playing with intensity and width.

I finally got round to updating the home page with this season's games in the last 24 hours - so you can see the game summaries with links to MFC Video Highlights, BBC Match Reports and of course the Diasboro Previews!

So now my Excel Spreadsheet is up to date and have created the match graphics it won't be too much trouble to update on a game-by-game basis.

I plan to create a new page for the 2023-24 season so you can still get to all the links and info for last season - shouldn't be too much work...

btw Dormo, while I was at it sorting out Diasboro stuff I noticed your tables had gone a bit skewed - probably tabs or space that don't work properly so I sorted that out too with the tricks of the trade.

It's a public holiday today in Germany (Reformation Day) so am taking it easy 😉 

Thanks FD for another excellent starter; I think you have been working on that for weeks 😉 the way it was so well crafted but if not, then please ask for a job on the EG and show them what proper journalism is!

I hope we play well with intensity and move the ball with speed and accuracy as well as hitting the back of the net; can’t bear another good display but not the required result as I fear a relapse😉. 

It has to be our turn to win surely and would be content with a 1-0. CoB 😎

@werdermouth - Thanks for using the "tricks of the trade" to make sense of my tables!

EDIT - the updated Home Page looks good and up to date.

@k-p-in-spain - Very kind of you.  It was lucky I sent out a request to confirm when I was expected to do my next Match Preview as I had an inkling it was Burnley in the Christmas/New Year period. I was alerted yesterday that I was wrong, and that my next one was in fact for Saturday's game, just in time to get this piece bashed out.  But to do something like that 5 or 6 times a week, with a deadline in a couple of hours:  No Thank You, Evening Gazette!

@forever-dormo 

Well done, dormo! Your starter is clearly well up with your usual very high standard, despite your nearly missing the editor’s deadline! Very enjoyable. 

I expect a difficult game this Saturday. Isn’t it always when we play Coventry, as your recent results table shows! However, I’m hoping Boro will have taken great confidence from what was a very fine overall performance at Norwich and that we continue playing in that vein and with that tempo. In my view, we finally clicked as the excellent offensive team we have always had the potential to become. When we play like that I think there are few sides in this league who can match us. So I expect us to win this one. 

While we’re on the subject of Coventry, this little belter popped into my inbox today, Halloween! I know there’s an N missing, but it’s still very clever!

Noel Whelan is the only player with all the letters of ‘Halloween' in his name to make a Premier League appearance on October 31, doing so in 1998 for Coventry City. Spooky.

@forever-dormo    A brilliant Headliner read delivered at the eleventh hour. 

I only hope that the Boro can play with pace on Saturday, and break the low block that I am sure Coventry will employ. Mr Robbins out thought Mr Carrick twice out of three at the end of our play off season. Hopefully he can reverse that situation this time.

What concerns me still, is that we over rely on the right side to produce our chances. Teams and probably Coventry will start doubling up on Doak and cut the supply. We need more fron the left, and that means it is down to McGree and Borges to pass and play more for the latter to get in deliveries.

Am I confident. Absolutely not. Four games at home this month and if we do not start giving the fans something to cheer and go home happy, then the Riverside will become very restless.

It is time to deliver. 

@k-p-in-spain   I hope all is progressing well in your recovery.

@pedro - Best wishes to all of the recovering Diasborians out there.(Though that does sound as if they're a little too fond of a drink!).

@pedro.  Very kind of you to enquire.  I am pleased to report that I am progressing very well and feeling good.

Managed a 40 minute, 3.9km, pre breakfast walk this morning and have been increasing my distance daily since returning home.

I shall be returning to hospital this morning to, hopefully, say goodbye to my new friend Uri (Catherer)!  It’s then a case of trying to regain bladder control asap.

So, so far so good and a good Boro performance and win on Saturday would be another positive step forward. 😎

@k-p-in-spain 

Good luck with your recovery, kp. 

Forever Dormo,

Great opener, thank you. Now I'm back from Northumberland after a lovely few days I can catch up on all the missed posts. Coventry  cathedral is worth a visit, there's some fine work in there particularly John Piper's stained glass and Sutherland's Altar piece.

The other half worked in Coventry before we got married in 1970 and I have great nostalgia for that Coventry chip shop special, faggots, gravy and chips. You probably can't get it anywhere now. Another city that I have no doubt has changed beyond belief in the intervening years.

Good to hear that all of our injured list is improving and as somebody mentioned in the Norwich topic I miss Ken's stats too. A real loss.

Now to catch up on everything.

ATB and UTB,

John

Rumour this morning is that VDB will miss the game tomorrow??

@john-richardson - Cheers, John.

Thank you Forever Dormo for your intro that was very interesting.

I had a relative who was one of the "Friends of Coventry Cathedral". As with many such groups across the country, they do great voluntary work in maintaining these places for posterity. Coventry Cathedral is a very atmospheric place, well worth a visit if you haven't been before. I would also recommend the Coventry Transport Museum if you are visiting.

I think Coventry remain a strong outfit who are underperforming this season. They are well managed and just the sort of side who could steal an away win at the Riverside. I hope not, but would suggest we may have to settle for a draw.  My guess : 1-1. Chris

Many thanks for a thorough opener, FD, even if you did have to do it at short notice (it doesn’t show in the slightest).

Is there anything we can do to make the preview writers list more visible for everyone? I think there may have been some swaps since the last list was published, whilst we seem to have lost Deleriad and several others are unwell so perhaps a rethink is needed?

I didn’t include myself this year due to a hectic schedule but am sure I can help out here and there if needed, it’s a little easier now with so many excellent writers  on the rostrum, though I don’t think I’d have the time to do a full history of the opposition and their town/city!

Anyway, maybe we need to have a think but thanks once again to everyone and to FD for this weekend’s game.

I don’t comment much on the politics side but also wanted to thank a number of you for your thoughtful insights on the previous thread regarding the US Election. Certainly an interesting, if a little worrying, time to be alive.

As for tomorrow, I still have PTSD from facing Mark Robins’ Coventry. Boro stronger recent performances have, somewhat predictably, come against the division’s better sides and with Robins having effectively written the “how to beat Carrick” playbook, there’s more than a whiff of typical Boro about this one.

Still, for no other reason than that I’m an optimist, I will go for a 2-1 home win 🤞 

FD

A great opener and one which deserves a winning performance by a Boro team! Boro3 anyone?

Thank you for such an interesting preview which made me think that in some ways Coventry have been a bogey team for us these past two seasons. Snot possible these days you all say, Boro have the best squad that they have had under Carrick however……

MC has shown that he can be tactically outplayed and outfought by opposition managers and I hope that for Saturday’s game he can be tactically astute enough to deliver Boro the three points.

Boro are now heading for a flurry of home games where home wins can define our season and where we will end up on the leaderboard.

Are we heading for promotion ?

I think so !

Best wishes to all those Diasborians who are currently recovering from their recent malaises

I hopefully will be well enough to go tomorrow.

Booked a car park not too far from my seat so looking forward to the game !

Boro3 Coventry 1

OFB

@chris-from-barlby - You're welcome, Chris. Quite a few on here have been very encouraging about a trip to Coventry (for the Cathedral and other things rather than the football!).  We'll have to see whether that might be possible next year.

1-1 is your guess. I will have to put the thinking cap on before setting off tomorrow for the match.

@andy-r - Thanks for that, Andy.  I think the system this season is GENERALLY working. From my point of view I suspect printing out a list of MY games might have been a good idea. At least the remaining ones for me are now diarised.  Hopefully no more mistakes or almost-mistakes by getting the dates mixed up!

As to tomorrow, I share a feeling of trepidation that Coventry seem to have had Boro's number over the past couple of years. I hope that will change.

 2-1 to Boro, you say. I will, as I said to Chris from Barlby above, give it some more thought.

@original-fat-bob - Good to hear you are intending to go to the match. Thanks for your comments. If Boro wins, can I share some of the credit?

3-1, you say.  It's either "eyeballs in the sky" or BORO 3 for you!  I think 3-1 would be better for your heart, especially if we were 3-0 up at Half Time as you'd be confident not even a Typical Boro could let a THREE goal lead slip through the fingers. Could they? 

Thanks FD

These days heart rules the head !

Dont have to walk far looking forward to it !

It has to be Boro3 doesn’t it ???

OFB