@original-fat-bob Good to hear that you are back and quite possibly staring at the wine collection.
Just don't drift off and fall asleep at the match on Saturday. Welcome back, I hope all is well.
ATB,
UTB,
John
Great news Bob. Best wishes - and take it easy
@original-fat-bob - Ah, but it's not just excitement that can cause "issues". It's the ANXIETY and general heartache that is the real problem.
Good to hear you are back home. Hopefully all will now be well for you, and after your re-bore you will be good for another 25,000 miles at least.
Our season is looking better now after the international break as we have van den Berg, McGree, Edmundson and OFB coming back. Perhaps not starting the match on Saturday, but some of them on the bench at Riverside or in Marton. Great to see some progress for a change.
The match will be tough. I would imagine that Oxford will come defending - after all we beat them by a tennis score in November. It ended 2-6 with our biggest away win for over 60 years: https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2024/november/24/highlights--oxford-united-2-boro-6/
I cannot see other than they will try to park the bus in their penalty area - they must desperately try avoid a similar score. So it won't be an easy match for Boro. The O's will defend.
I will be looking forward to the match on Saturday. I hope to see a good performance from Boro, possibly Mr. And Mrs. OFB in the stand. But definately happy he is back on the grass in Marton. I think I saw them recently watching a match via BoroLive. If not yet there tomorrow, perhaps in the following match.
Anyway, I hope Bob will see a Boro3 or better result. He deserves one after all the effort done this week. Keep well and look after yourself. Enjoy the run in and relax. It is what it is - do not worry too much.
Up the Boro!
Iheanacho getting lots of praise in the Gazette for going to Manchester for personal training during the international break. You can look at this 2 ways- all credit to him seeking a specialist coach / trainer, or , why not show his commitment at Boro’s training ground where surely they can provide the right training program.
Obviously all that matters is what he does on the pitch- hopefully an improvement on a far from impressive start.
And tomorrow’s score? A difficult game as Oxford will come to defend in depth and try to catch Boro on the break. So I’ll go for 1-0 or 2-1. All that matters is a win of any kind.
Philip of Huddersfield 👍🤔
Just catching up on the last few days posts and great news that OFB is back on home turf. Hope your recovery is going well - best wishes.
Thanks to Exmil for allowing OFB to participate in the challenge and the methodology means that if OFB wins then we can all claim an assist. 😉
Looking forward to tomorrow as I will be able to watch the game on my new tv, from which I will be able to log into Riverside Live direct and no longer have to access via my laptop top and then plug into the tv. The wonders of technology and what a viewing improvement on my 13 year old set!
A win, any win, tomorrow is the order of the day. Will we get one……..😎
EXMIL CHALLENGE 2025 - OFB Revised entry
I have poster OFB’s revised entry, on the Challenge site, based on the average of everyone’s entry, thank you all.
Come on BORO.
I have a confession don't judge me
Just renewed my season tickets
Be kind 😉
@paulinboro Excellent. Come on Boro.
I pay more annually and can see only 3 matches live - travelling, flights, hotel, etc.
@exmil I entered the draw for Exmil Challenge Part 2, too. Up the Boro!
You are a star but clinically insane I suspect 😉
The Beep had a go on analyzing the final two playoff places.
Have a look: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cvg125ndeveo
They predict Boro to finish in the position of 8th in May. But these projections are always based on history, why they cannot be accurate. But I agree we need consistency.
Up the Boro!
Or even the Beeb. Sorry for the typo. Utb.
Just watched Sheffield Utd v Coventry who started well and played like a team in form. Then Sheffield raised their game and wore down their opponents. Their commitment, chasing everything, determination, winning 50/50 balls they were quite awesome.
A well deserved 3-1 win which could easily have been 6-1. On this form I would bet on them winning the League.
Hopefully Boro can achieve a decent level of performance to earn 3 points tomorrow- they’ve been no where near Sheffield’s tonight performance.
Philip of Huddersfield 👍😁
Well Diasboreans it's a proper Saturday at last, a Saturday with Football as in our team playing on a Saturday with a three o'clock kick-off. All is well with the world and there's a focus at last, although it will feel a better focus if Boro can manage to win, if the players aren't wound up and charged up there'll be a few fans somewhat unhappy and very wound up.
Come on Boro, win with style and class or simply win ugly I for one don't care.
To the Marton Oracle I hope you are right about the return of 'Boro 3' but this will be opposition that will be desperate for a point or, heaven preserve us, points. Meanwhile look after yourself.
Philip of Huddersfield, I hope your hope is fulfilled!
ATB everyone and enjoy Saturday.
UTB,
John
The bottom line here is that Boro now has 54 points and lies 8th in the table (as well as predicted by the BBC to finish 8th) whereas Oxford lies 18th on 42 points. Boro needs not only to win this game, but to start an extended run of wins if a Play-Off position is to be achieved. If Boro cannot win at home against Oxford, whether or not the 'bus is well and truly parked, the dreams of a Play-Off finish would vanish quickly. It HAS to be a win. I suspect even Boro will not fail this hurdle.
Whether future hurdles (away to Blackburn then home against Leeds come to mind) will be safely negotiated is an entirely different subject.
Team News...
Boro unchanged! But McGree and Rav on bench...
Looking forward to finally getting back into the season after what has seemed a very long break - probably mainly due to being full on with several projects where doing one appears to create a bigger one!
Next 2 games are easily winnable so it's up to Boro to finish the season strong and force there way into the play-offs - especially with other teams having harder fixtures.
An early goal would useful but let's hope Boro start the game with intensity and move the ball quickly!
30 minutes gone and Boro probably lucky not to be 2 or 3 down - not the intensity from boro i expected and looking like they haven't seen each other for the international break. No idea why Iheanacho is on the pitch and has absolutely no touch - Conway also not in the game and Boro appear to have nobody wanting to play as a centre forward.
And eventually the inevitable happens 0-1 when we can’t defend against a long throw in.
How often do we concede first and then win. Doesn’t bode well.
No shots on target so far this half from us and then KI hits the bar when he should have scored.
Poor first half from Boro who looked more like relegation candidates than Oxford, who could easily have been 3-0 up after 15 minutes. Iheanacho needs to be replaced at HT - I'd bring on Forss on the right and move Burgzorg to the left where he has performed well this season. However, not much on the bench to change the game and I suspect McGree is not that fit - maybe if Rav is fit move Howson into midfield. 45 minutes to rescue any slim play-off hopes.
Same old same old. No urgency or indication that this team is trying to get into the top six. 70+% possession 13 shots but 0 on target says it all.
If we fail to improve in the second half and don’t win this one then I think that MC’s time at the club will be drawing to a close at the end of the season. He maybe able to develop individual players but he is not improving the team.
Thankfully Carrick took off Iheanacho at HT and brought on a striker...
Will this finally stop the Gazette going on about the play-offs? Poor, very poor. All that possession and it counts for nothing.
UTB,
John
I'd given up the will to live until that Iheanacho equaliser in the 48th minute! CJ:
Boro level! Boro get the restart they needed. Iling-Junior receives high up the pitch and crosses low first time right across the face of goal. It's a great ball and evades two defenders leaving Iheanacho a close-range finish at the back post. Both he and Boro needed that.
Can they hold on - or even score a second? 
Whittaker on for Burgzorg in the 65th minute