Tuesday 11th March 19:45: Middlesbrough vs Queens Park Rangers
the Riverside Stadium
Considering the fit players we had available, I think we started with our strongest eleven at Swansea on Saturday. I was delighted with Finnish Flash Marcus Forss starting on the right and Morgan Whittaker in the middle. And I think everybody was happy for Azaz to be in the team and on the left, after his two good games in there previously.
But Whittaker had his worst game for us at Swansea, so it was easy to criticize Carrick for keeping Burgzorg on the bench at the start, but I never heard any complaints before the kick-off. Many people and most in the media thought Whittaker had improved in recent matches before the Swansea game.
“BOTH TEAMS WERE BANG AVERAGE”
It was how BBC summarizer Maddo described the Swansea match afterwards. There was not much between the clubs on the day. With the make-do defense that Boro had, it was not bad defending that let us down. For the only goal, we lost the ball in the middle, and our midfield was not able to close down their best player Eom Ji-Sung. He made a terrific run to the middle of the D and his shot was absolute beauty. I am sure the ball touched the goalpost, too when it flew in with power.
The goal made the difference, but Swans were the better team on the day. They pressed from the front and did not park the bus like many teams have done, when playing against Boro. This is usually better for us, but our passing was TERRIBLE on Saturday. The match in general would have suited us perfectly – but we were poor.
We lost the ball far too easily at Swansea, and until about the 65th minute we did not see many passes to be completed by the team in red. So, our forward play was perhaps worst that we have had all season. But defending has been much poorer earlier this season than it was in Wales. So, some credit to the make-shit defense and especially Travers in goal. He could not do anything with the goal as it was so accurate and a hard strike.
Of course, the normal grumblers were blaming Carrick and Kieran Scott for not signing a defender in January, when Fry was substituted. To me Dael was showing that his tigh was not OK and was rather feeling tightness – I hope he was coming off as a precaution more than a real injury. If so, it was well done by him, as he knows he is the only fit central defender at the club now.
Mihael Carrick was not happy with the way we played in the first half. Giles looked very rusty, but tried to make a few centres to the penalty box, but the efforts were rusty and unsuccessful at best. Forss was not worse than the others wearing red, but some changes needed to be made at half time. Burgzorg was an improvement, but Hackney and Morris were not at the races. Neither was Whittaker.
I think Travers and Borges were good. Fry, who won every header in the penalty area and outside of it, was a possible MoM for me. He did head the ball once up in the air dangerously, but most of the time he was good, again. I wish the rest of the team had been as good as the above three.
But the situation was not much better for Swans, either. Eom was quite good, but individually they were not better. But they pressed nicely as a team and out fight Boro easily. They were not exceptional, but Boro we so bad at passing the ball, that there was never a doubt for the winner until the final 10 to 15 min.
HOW IS QPR DOING
The R’s have lost their last three matches now. WBA beat them by one goal to nil in the Midlands on Saturday. Mogga’s men scored a penalty on the 40th minute, but the Baggies were down to ten men after 45’+3. WBA needed to dig in to win with ten men.
QPR have lost five of their past seven league games (W2), losing each of their last three on the road. They last had a longer losing run on their travels between February and April 2023.
Before Saturday, QPR lost at home to Sheffield United by 1-2, having trailed most of the game by two goals. QPR manager Marti Cifuentes told BBC Radio London:
"Disappointed and sad because in many aspects I think we performed at a high level against a very good side. I think we really pushed to get a better result but despite [the fact] we created more chances and controlled many parts of the game it was not enough.
"They scored a quality goal with a great strike but then we kept pushing and dominated large parts of the game.
"When you play against sides of the quality it is important not to make mistakes and the two goals were something we could have done better."
In February the Owls lost at Portsmouth by 2-1. Earlier they beat Derby in London by 4-0, after being 2-0 up at HT. They had Moroccan Ilias Chair (21', 57'), Japanese Koki Saito (35') and Englishman Ronnie Edwards (66') scoring. Before that, QPR also lost at home to Blackburn and away to Millwall in February.
FORM CAN BE ANYTHIN ON TUESDAY
As said, QPR have won two of their last six away matches and 13th in the away form table. Meanwhile, Boro are 16th in the home form table with two wins, two draws and losing two matches in the last six games.
This is a match Boro can win, if they start to play their normal attacking way. The passes must find a way to the next player; the next Boro player must move to a position where available to receive the ball, and a free player must find places to run into. So very basic things. In a word, make it simple.
BORO HAS A SQUAD
We have talented players – they have not become bad players overnight. We were one of the best teams in the Championship in November. So, there is hope for better times.
In January we of course lost Latte Lath for a record fee received by the Boro as well as a record for the MSL in the USA. We were not able to replace him – which I think is natural in January window. But we still have Conway fit and available. And his goals to minutes ration is better than Latte Lath’s.
We also lost Isaiah Jones to Luton in January. He had not played much due to the form of Ben Doak this season, so it was not as big a loss as Latte Lath was. And we replaced Jones with Whittaker, who on paper is the better player with a record for scoring plenty of goals on this level. While Doak is injured, we have fully fit Finnish Flash for that position. Forss can himself score a goal or two, too.
Against Swansea, we finally saw the real Samuel Iling-Junior. He was one of the best performers in the otherwise disappointing defeat – even though he played as a left-back. He, Whittaker and Kelechi Iheanacho were all decent signings for a January window.
The question mark is when the new players are ready to start running. It took Neto Borges nearly six months to find his feet under the table. So, January is always tricky to bed new players in.
TEAM PLAY MISSING
I tried to be positive about the team just now, when everybody is crying for Carrick and Woodgate to be sacked. But if we can get two wins and a defeat from every three matches as done in March, we are averaging two points per match. OK, our “promotion form” run is only three matches long, but we can still improve a lot. At least Carrick and his players have the ingredients to start winning matches in batches – our team is good enough individually.
The big question tomorrow is, if we can start to play as a TEAM. And will we get our passing game functioning as well as earlier in the season? On Saturday, Carrick’s side improved slightly in the second half but still failed to seriously threaten the Swansea goal as they crashed to their ninth away defeat of the campaign.
But with the right mindset, some self-confidence and passing the ball properly, QPR will be there for the taking. I will go for a 2-0 win with Conway scoring in the first half, and Forss making it safe 20 min before the end. I bet many fans will disagree with me, but three points will be doable at Riverside on Tuesday night. Let me know what you think.
Great work Jarrko - your command of English is a thing to behold, although I’m not sure if this sentence was meant to say what it did - “So, some credit to the make-shit defense”. It certainly sounds pertinent.
Well written Jarkko. Your optimism is a great antidote to the general depression that is settling around the Riverside. Thanks for all of your hard work.
@martin-bellamy Sorry, our defence used to look shit earlier. But naturally I meant to say "make-shift" defenceat Swansea. I hope that is correct in English.
I am terrible in proof reading my own text. That's why it might stink. Up the Boro!
Many thanks Jarkko for the preview with very good analysis with your usual positive twist - Boro will certainly need a big improvement on Swansea to have any chance of getting three points on Tuesday.
We can only hope Fry coming off was just precautionary but it's probably worth noting that since he came back from injury, he's easily been our best defender - which makes you wonder why Carrick then dropped him in favour of Edmundson and he only returned to the starting line-up after others were injured.
It's similar to Burgzorg - he was consistently the best-performing forward this year but again was dropped by Carrick in favour of others who have not performed anywhere near his level. Odd decisions from my point of view as it appears Carrick is selecting the team based on what looks better on paper without giving credence to actually match performances.
Must say I was also surprised how comfortable Iling-Junior looked at left-back and it's hard to see how Giles will be picked ahead of him. As for Whittaker - he looks an unpredictable player who seems to drifts out of position and then loses the ball easily.
Perhaps this is the problem on having a functioning team in that many don't appear to know where players will be - at least everyone knew where and what Doak would do or indeed Latte Lath. Which I guess is what happens with too many changes in mid-season and now too many injuries in defence too!
Anyway, it's a win or bust on Tuesday for me - so fingers crossed...
That typo made me laugh out loud when I read it - a classic malapropism that somehow summed the defensive problems this season 😉
All I would say is that with Boro there's no F in makeshift defence...
As we have most of our injured centre backs out injured, I do not understand why the most obvious young centre half is not mentioned. I mean George McCormick.
He has already played for the first team last season and he is a centre back. I know he played as a full-back for Carrick when we had issues there. But he is classified as a centre back - both right and left side - and not as a full-back in here: https://www.transfermarkt.com/george-mccormick/profil/spieler/865972
His date of birth is Jan 27, 2005 (20 yaer old). And position: Centre-Back
Not even b considered byTeesside Live: https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/middlesbrough-centre-back-options-injury-31150948
Is he injured? Up the Boro!
Well done for producing a very fine starter, Jarkko. As Martin says, your command of English is remarkable. Very impressive.
I have no expectations now for anything to come from this season. I’ll be surprised if we beat QPR, given both our defensive worries and a general lack of confidence, but they’re clearly not world-beaters either, so getting the first goal will be crucial.
Have you all noticed that a much more critical tone has suddenly emerged in the Gazette. This paragraph in particular struck me in the commentary on the Swansea game:-
‘This wasn't confidence or control related. This was fight. Hardly ever, if it all, has it ever looked so evident in a Boro game that the opposition just simply wanted it more. Given what the two sides have left to play for, that should be of huge concern to Carrick.’
That is hugely damning. If the local paper with its well-known over-positive and overly protective stance has turned to this, then things really are bad. There had better be fight on display from the home side tomorrow night or the fans are likely to make their feelings very clear. And I wonder how long Steve Gibson will be prepared to tolerate a lack of fight from the players?
Well done Jarkko for an excellent starter and for your continued optimism.
Like many, I suspect, I don’t know who or what will turn up tomorrow night.
What disappointed me most on Saturday was the lack of fight and the fact that a team with nothing to play for outplayed us. There will need to be a significant improvement tomorrow evening if we are to get anything from the game and to keep the crowd on side.
That being said, I have not been convinced for quite a while that we are a top six side and the good run in November that you mentioned seemed to mask what had gone before, which was an inconsistent team even with the likes of LL and BD in the side.
I think MC is, sadly, very much on borrowed time. 😎
You'd expect a reaction from the players on Tuesday - especially at home in what would effectively by season-ending if Boro fail to win and our rivals open up an 8 point gap.
Carrick would do well to pick players who play on the front foot and would like to see Forss and Burgzorg on the flanks running at the QPR defence.
I think Boro are definitely outsiders for a top six spot - Coventry look certs and both West Brom and Bristol City have both only lost one of their last 6 games.
However, Bristol are away to Sheff Utd in mid-week and West Brom are away to Burnley - surely home to QPR is chance that can't be spurned plus Luton at the weekend. It should be six points if Boro have any designs left on the play-offs but anything like Swansea and it's over.
I thank you all for the feedback. Also from Martin. I really understand why it make you laugh. Actually it worked better than I intended it!
I hope we won't see bad defending tomorrow. Let's try to stay positive. Up the Boro!
Thank you for a very well observed dissection of our last performance; we were terrible but at least it leaves us room for improvement.
Like you, when writing about the Boro I tend to look on the positive side although it's getting hard to find one. It appears that most of the defenders in the first team squad and the U21 squad are injured. Like you, I don't know what has happened to McCormick.
Looking forward to QPR, we can guess the following
1. Illing-Junior will play left back or left wing-back. Apparently, this is his preferred position - who knew? - and so it may well be that fate has led us to a good solution.
2. Borges will play in central defence or maybe as the left hand side of a back three. He was very solid against Swansea but he did have Fry alongside taking every ball in the air. Without Fry, I fear that we will be susceptible to crosses.
3. Howson seems like a reasonable option but he is not yet fit. If he has to play, would we be better playing with three at the back with Dijksteel giving cover at right centre-back.
4. If we play three at the back, Illing-Junior and, perhaps, Forss could be the wing-backs with Morris and Hackney completing a midfield four in a diamond shape.
5. That would then leave room for three up front and I'd go with Burgzorg, Azaz and Conway.
This would not be the worst side although the bench is going to be pretty skinny. Whittaker, Glover, Giles, Barlaser and some kids.
Fingers crossed. If we don't get at least four points from these two games, the season is over.
UTB
This assessment of Boro’s season and our many associated problems by The Northern Echo’s Scott Wilson is massively critical. It makes the Gazette’s damning verdict sound pale and mild by comparison. I would be interested to know which article was written first: are the two papers and their Boro writers trying to outdo each other? Is one paper’s harshening of its tone prompting the other to respond in kind, so as not to be outdone in the sales war? One thing is certain - the local papers are not pulling any punches right now, and each in its own way is quite rightly piling pressure on Carrick. He’s had an easy ride for far too long, in my view.
I like that formation, Selwyn. I think the 3 at the back with wing-backs might be the best solution, and I agree that Conway, Azaz and Burgzorg is our best front line at present.
With the injured centre backs the first and the under 21 teams are having right now, we could also turn to veteran Jonathan Woodgate. A full England international with experience playing for Real Madrid. Him and McCormick starting with Borges on the bench.
But with Woody's past record, he might be already injured, too.
Is Dormo back from Ullapool yet? Up the Boro!
@jarkko Thanks for the excellent Headliner, always a heart on your sleeve post from you. Well written as always.
Clive, that is the same article that I posted on the Swansea thread. It was I would say, the most damning article by a local journalist on Carrick since he arrived. I would also say that Scott Wilson is generally harder in his assessments than Craig Johns.
Both articles were posted on the 9 March. Wilson’s at 12.00 and I would guess by the replies, John’s in the afternoon.
Who knows if the hierarchy at MFC read the NE or Gazette, but they certainly will not like the truth of it if they did.
Jarkko
Well done for the preview and many thanks, you deserve all the plaudits from your fellow Diasborians for a great piece.
You also made us all laugh at a time when most of us are down in the dumps regarding the Boro well done.
Thank you…..
Boro3 here we go….
OFB
Given the form of both teams I predict a scintillating game, apologies predictive text changed what I was typing to scintillating.
The season was over long ago, as always its the hope that kills you.
Somebody I know is a luton fan and he has Saturday down as a nailed on win for them
@paulinboro. Not many of us of the red persuasion would disagree - IJ to score to add insult to injury perhaps! 😎
Thanks for that. I missed the article on the Swansea thread.
I’d be interested in a spreadsheet of the correlation of results by who wrote the starter for each game. We already know that Werdermouth is the kiss of death and I’m pretty sure my efforts have brought very few points our way.
Lucky posters - Boro need you now!
@peter-surtees My opinion is that Scott Wilson’s article, very much hits the issue at hand, as the nail on the head.
Of course NOBODY within the MFC higher organisation can be blameless for what has happened over the last two seasons and especially this one. That goes for Mr Gibson, despite his fantastic financial support. Mr Bauser, Mr Scott and ultimately Mr Carrick.
Mr Gibson will have the final say, though I am sure at times he will be persuaded, against maybe his better judgment, Ryan Giles comes to mind, to go with a recommendation or request from the Head Coach.
Mr Bauser, I assume looks after the finance side of things. Has he really got value for money out of the deals done. LL, yes from an economic standpoint. Whittaker was expensive to my mind and did we really need him, having Azaz already? Ayling on 30K a week.
Mr Scott has had some major successes, Roger’s, Latte Lathe, did he bring in Jones?
And some OK ones for the money. Burgzorg, maybe Edmundson for the fee paid. Will VDB be a good investment or will his injury issues let him down.
Then there are those bigger money buys that are still to be decided. Azaz, Conway.
However, he has possibly failed with the cheap foreign LB’s. Barlaser, Dieng, There are others of course, good, bad and ugly.
Mr Carrick, what can one say. Forget season one. The last two seasons, even with all the valid excuses have in my eyes been poor and unacceptable from a team performance view. Continually inconsistent. Injuries that are beyond comprehension given the medical and date facilities MFC have. Are previous player records really checked out.
We could all write a longer list of the inadequacies within the squad. But the big one against the Head Coach is the stats. Won, drawn and lost, especially at home in front of the paying fans.
Martin said in one of his recent replies to me, “and he may win promotion next season”.
How many really believe that he could. More importantly of course, does Mr Gibson believe?
@martin-bellamy It’s the time and effort that is important, not the result. 🤣🤣
I don't mind being disappointed. On balance, I find that this way I spend more time feeling hopeful than being defeated or even defeatist and that works for me.
UTB
@pedro I’ve got a feeling that the purchase of Whittaker was to complete a partnership with Azaz, replicating their success at Plymouth.
As for MC, I still reckon his chances of getting promotion next year are as good as most other manager options, but with the caveat that it can only happen if he has the backing of the players. If they don’t believe in his methods or style of playing, he has no chance.
I wouldn’t be surprised if tonight was 0-0 or a low scoring game with a single goal being enough to win. But i can’t confidently predict that Boro will be the team scoring.
Compare this view to that of say Coventry supporters who are probably expecting to win every game based on the fantastic current run of results.
Philip of Huddersfield
There is similar feelings of unhappiness to that of Boro with the locals here, as the team have slipped out of the top 6 and haven’t scored a goal at home in their last 6 games.
👎☹️