Whatever way you try to look for ways our season can be resurrected, it was already scuppered with the January window - there’s no way Carrick could’ve made a coherent team with all those changes in a couple of weeks.
Also perhaps telling that Carrick saw nothing on his bench that could make a difference - an out of form Azaz, a poor Barlaser, Forss not match fit, Iling-Junior not match fit, Aylin’s past his best and Edmunson prone to giving the ball away, McCabe who has played what once and an academy prospect there to make up the numbers.
They were all on the bench for a reason and that was that he didn’t fancy them!
Not sure the point in trying to get all the January loans match fit when it becomes even lower probability of making the playoffs - time to test a few youngsters to see how they do with a run in the team. None of these loans will be out to impress once the season is over.
Not going to rant, he tried a different tack it didn't work. His race is run and sadly a time for a change
So, how are we today ? Disappointed, frustrated, fed up etc.etc
I am also annoyed that the players and the coaches can’t do the basics, can’t see the obvious with no leadership on or off the pitch. How is it the supporters know what’s wrong and what needs doing yet the coaches and players just stumble along as if nothings wrong.
Philip of Huddersfield 👎👎☹️☹️
Interestingly, the locals here are not happy with the standard of play and the team lack a goal scorer but can still grind out results to stay in the top 6. They have an unknown manager who talks common sense and knows how to get the best out of average players.
@philip-of-huddersfield You beat me to it! As Werder says the chaos from January was never going to be sorted and in the summer our on-loan centre forward will be gone and Doak will be back at Liverpool which is where we were in January. So, a lot of money spent in January and we've inevitably gone backwards.
Substitutions? Do we use them tactically or just fill the bench? I hate to say it but we need a leader on the pitch and in the dugout but we've all said it all before. It gets boring. Hopefully, forlorn I know, but common sense must begin to prevail or maybe the coaches have just convinced themselves how right they are. We need pragmatist as a manager not a prophet. Werder swain a little earlier what is the point of these promising younger players if they don't get pitch-time.
Frustrated and depressed.
UTB,
John
I could see the first goal coming as soon as our GK decided to boot the ball long. It was an easy opportunity to play it short and recycle it forward. There was an inevitability as soon as they won it straight back.
There season’s over as far as promotion is concerned - what’s the betting we now go on a run of wins and draws that leaves us to finish 7th or 8th?
@martin-bellamy. “what’s the betting we now go on a run of wins and draws that leaves us to finish 7th or 8th? “.
Sounds like typical Boro and highly likely! 😎
@werdermouth I have asked the question before. Why are we paying all these extra costs for a Cat 1 Academy and are not producing much from it?
I appreciate there are tax breaks and discounts under the sustainability rules. I also read the article on the young 16 yer old twins being poached by Chelsea. Apparently Cat 1 does protect you a little with compensation.
However unless it is all of the above, why have it and the costs unless you produce a production line of players for the first team or to sell on at decent fees.
We have had injuries, out of form players, the Barlaser’s and Carrick has not used any of the Academy players, apart from making up numbers on the bench.
Obviously he does not rate them, despite his words about them. More repetitive repeats from him.
@martin-bellamy Martin, after you pressed send, did you look and think……what have I just written!!! 🤣🤣
If Boro DID go on a run of successful wins towards the end of the season, after a Play-Off position becomes even mathematically impossible, it would at least give the supporters something to cheer. Something to make them feel (unreasonably) optimistic for the next season. Something to make them feel good over the summer months and long for the football to start again. Just a pity such a string of positive results couldn't be arranged to coincide with ST renewals. The "PR Department" (Does MFC have one? Maybe some interns moonlighting from their "proper jobs" in the White House or at Tesla Towers?) must be tugging its collective hair out as the club presents an unwelcome image to prospective customers.
If players are not fully fit, can we ask why that is? And what programme has been drawn up to get them fit?* I guess it would be an individual programme for each player to take account of the specific injury, the age of the player etc. Are targets set? "These are the levels of improvement we expect after each week's ramped-up exercises. Every Monday we'll get together with the medical/physio team, the player and the coaching staff - are we on track and, if so, do we need to review the programme of exercises? If fitness seems a mirage disappearing over the horizon, do we need to make decisions about the player/medical/fitness team?" And, without apologies for coming back to this, why can't the paying public be let in on the secret? Hearing the oft-repeated "it'll be a few weeks" does little to allay fears that we are being fed a line.
* I realise if a player collects an opponent's studs across his shins, bones as well as skin may break and a lengthy injury is an occupational hazard of the job. But I'm talking here of the muscle pulls and tears, the "tweaks", "knocks" and the like that our players seem to suffer as much on the training pitch as during a match. None of them are made to sound that serious after they happen but seem to grow more and more serious as time passes. Or maybe that's just me...
I'm also in the group thinking that, as and when the season is considered "over" from a promotion point of view, the club should be aiming to give starts to its own young players. Firstly until you give them a start, how do you know whether they can cope at the senior level? If they don't get a start at all, we'll NEVER know. Secondly, it will give the players some exposure to the senior professional game and, of course, they will be able to improve and grow as players even if they may not look "solid enough" right now. Thirdly, shouldn't we be trying to improve OUR OWN players (ie those youngsters) rather than players coming from other clubs? To get personal about it, we all know Iheanacho will not be playing for Boro next season - for the level of his performances so far and whilst it was his shot that gave Conway the chance to score his goal at Bristol, he'd have to take a 90% pay cut for a player who doesn't appear interested - so why should Boro be improving/repairing that player for someone else to benefit rather than improving our youngsters?
How did Boro find out about the (mostly) youngsters in 1986?
I thought Law McCabe looked a decent player who read the game well and seems to have a passing ability too - McCormick didn’t do any worse at left-back either compared to all the others.
Unfortunately there never seems to be an available slot for youngsters - even Coburn and Gilbert in their early 20s got sent out on loan - who would probably do better than some of the loans we got in.
After seeing what's happened since the play off defeat, my concern is ,if we do happen to stay up, can we trust them to improve things next season
Dormo, all good points and your comment about Iheanacho is I sure echoed by all of us. So far it seems to have been disastrous decision.
I wonder what effect him turning up and going straight into the team has had on the team dynamics in the dressing room. If I was an established squad member and particularly if I was working hard to get into the first team I wouldn’t be at all happy to see someone appear on much more money than me and then show little interest, keep his place despite being clearly unfit and fail to put in the hard yards for the team. In fact I I would be pretty miffed and somewhat resentful to put it mildly. That would negatively affect my relationship with the manager and would do nothing to encourage me to promote harmony in the squad. If a number of players felt the same way it would do nothing to improve results.
Josh Coburn misses penalty and then scores late winner for Millwall at Derby. 😎
@martin-bellamy Martin, after you pressed send, did you look and think……what have I just written!!! 🤣🤣
What I do regret is using “There” when “The” or “Their” would have been correct! I stand by the other words. 😉
We are now in bottom half of the table, I'm sure Maddison said club wanted to be top 2, oops
Boro could do a lot worse than adopt Brian Clough’s principle of playing.
Goalkeeper - your job is to stop the ball going in the net.
Full Backs - your job is to stop the winger crossing the ball
Centre Half- your job is to clear the ball upfield
Midfielders - your job is to pass the ball to the forwards to create chances.
Centre forward - your job is to put the ball into the net preferably with a diving header cos it looks better.
Now there was a manager !! The best manager England never had.
Philip of Huddersfield 👍👍😄😄
Yes, I saw that Josh had scored the winner. We absolutely have to bring him back at the end of the season. He’s our own ready-made striker. It solves one problem for the inevitable rebuild.
On the subject of Iheanacho, can you believe we turned down Adam Armstrong and signed him instead? The offer of Armstrong may have come late in the window, but in retrospect looks to have been too good an offer to turn down.
@clive-hurren I am not sure if Josh will be able to keep injury free for acceptable game periods.
Another 90 minutes from DJed Spence plus a goal to boot. We must be getting near to add on payments, hopefully.
Gilbert, Hamilton and Silvera are not getting too much playing time yet. Coburn just back from injury, so I guess they are being careful with him.
For what has been achieved with Iheanacho and Iiis Junior, we may as well of saved ourselves a bag full of money and kept Gilbert and Hamilton at Rockcliffe.
Whilst it is quiet on here, with probably a number having take time out due the continued disappointment and not a lot one can say.Here are the latest stats lifted from a good post in the Gazette.
From the heady elation of that 15 goal bonanza in 3 games in November, how has it come to this?
17 games and 16 points from 51 later, with a win rate of 24% is to put it mildly, shocking.
Losing LL to Atlanta and Doak through injury didn't help but poor recruitment in the window made it even worse.
After reading all the past comments over the last few games, is there any interest in an Exmil Challenge 25, I had intended to publish it after Tuesday night matches taking the top ten teams (whether Boro or not) for Part 1, then adjusting the teams for Parts 2/3. I will be guided by the responses between now and Tuesday.
Come on BORO.
@exmil. Thanks Exmil. Given where we are in the table and our performances this season I have to admit my interest has been dented somewhat and would probably not take part.
If you do go ahead then I wish all participants good luck. 😎
An interesting article about the overall state of the Championship here, from the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/feb/22/championship-top-trio-enjoy-parachute-payments-but-risk-crash-landings?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
@exmil I think I’d find it hard to put the effort in at the moment. Much like our players!
@martin-bellamy. Thanks Martin, an excellent article which encompasses much of what has been discussed previously on this blog; sadly the author hits the nail fully on the head with his findings/concusion. 😎
@exmil Thank one once again for offering to set up your exmil challenge. We all know that it takes quite some time and effort to put it all together.
Given the above and the state of play with our team, I believe it may be best to give it a rest this season. However that is only my opinion, others may have a different view.
@exmil I missed the challenge last year and I would love for you to run it again this year. This is a funny old game and although very few of us can see where do we go from here in this season, stranger things have happened and we could still be in the mix come April.
Hi exmil. Personally I’d like to give it a miss. As others have said, there seems little point in predicting Boro’s results. it would mainly be a question of trying to tip our rivals for the promotion slots, which would be very discouraging!
Nonetheless, I really appreciate your phenomenal efforts in running the challenge, and I hope you’ll run it again next year if it doesn’t go ahead this season.
Many thanks for the thought but I,will go,with the majority and probably best to leave it this season.
Appreciate your efforts as always
OFB