As many have said would have been happy with a point at kick off but felt we had better chances to score in the second half than they did. You can see why they score so few goals as they didn't create a clear chance all night. As to our chances I wish some of our players would put their laces through the ball at times and not try to place it. Also a shout out to the referee who I thought was excellent in a highly important game played in dreadful conditions, only giving one card and that in injury time.
I agree with all your points and thought the referee was the best I had seen officiate for some time.
OFB
@lenmasterman I agree with your post.
I think Hackney looked like a player who had just returned from an injury. And that was exacly what he was - he was injured and had trained less than a week now.
Perhaps he was as good as he was against Hull with adrenaline running through his vains in his first game back. That is often a case - you excell in the first game after a lay off, but then struggle a little bit.
But he won't get match fit without playing. So no complains for Carrick to choose him.
A great match anyway. Up the Boro!
@jarkko A fair assessment Jarkko. However he also, still has a fair way to go, to get to the level when we were all talking of 20+ mil for him.
So, off to Leeds with our confidence still intact
Yes, that reminds me that I'm doing the preview for Leeds, which I will probably write on Sunday - though whether that undermines confidence with Boro's record for my previews in the new format being...
Played 5 - Lost 5 - Scored 1 - Conceded 16
Apologies in advance 😉
@werdermouth. Can’t you get someone else to do it - not me! 😉😎
I saw the match on SkyTV at a crowded and garlic-riddled Ploated Pheasant (it was pizza night there and whether it was meat feast, Neapolitan or quattro formaggi, the garlic is never spared!). The chap on the next table couldn't finish his admittedly enormous pizza so offered a slice to me and my mate, which we accepted to "help him out". I had some Malbec to drink.
I was surprisingly nervous watching the game but felt Boro well worth a good away point at a strong Championship Title-chasing team's ground. What a beautiful ball through to "Anf" for Boro's goal, and it was a well-taken dink over the keeper as Anf was falling to ground. Edmunson's free header was the best opportunity of the night but he fluffed it in what was otherwise a very assured defensive performance by him. And Fry was immense so that nobody would know that until the last weekend he had spent the last 9-10 months recovering from injury. It was perhaps too much to hope that, with what I think was his first touch of the ball after coming on as sub, LL would go around the Burnley keeper and slot the ball into an empty net. The Burnly defence had been carved open for him by the through ball.
Doak didn't get as much ball as he's become used to receiving, especailly in the first half, but his shot that went past the post after a weaving run into and around the Burnley penalty box would have been replayed on TV many times had it gone in. He has already announced his quality but that would have been to have done so with a megaphone and would have done no harm to his transfer value!
Like others, I was disappointed that the Burnley goal went over Dieng's outstretched arm as he seemed a couple of yards too far out of his goal, but I accept conditions were bad and there might well have been a swirling wind that caused the ball to swerve around (I wasn't able to hear the experts at half time giving their thoughts on it, due to the general volume of chatter in the pub at HT). Burnley clearly has a very decent Championship team. Not many clubs will go there this season and do better than Boro last night.
I sort-of enjoyed the game but for parts of the game I was notably tense. The early goal was exactly what Boro needed but it was from an unexpected source. Boro's recent form means the Leeds away game can be taken on board with a feeling of cautious confidence. Come out of that with a draw or a win and these two difficult away games will have been tackled very successfully. I came home from the pub with a smile on my face but, let's be honest, the Malbec might have played its part in that.
I agree with Len about HH’s appearance in the tunnel before the game. I couldn’t understand what was going on as he rubbed his eyebrows and face so many times. He didn’t look like a leader who would take his men over the top. An inspirational captain might just make enough of a difference to get us over the line.
After a nervous night coupled with what seems an inevitable power cut and numerous small switches off and back on I felt disappointed that Boro didn't win but not unhappy with a draw. The conditions were atrocious and they won't be much better for todays games either.
I think all of Diasboro would have taken a draw before the game so well done Boro from me for not wilting under pressure after their goal but we should have won. Never mind on to the 'dirties', now that one I would love to see them win.
ATB and UTB,
John
Well I had a very enjoyable meal last night despite the lack of alcohol, given I have been tee total/caffeine free since prior to my op in October.
This was followed by an enjoyable match which saw a well organised and disciplined Boro side battle to a well deserved point albeit slightly disappointing that we didn’t take all three points due to not converting four good goal scoring opportunities.
Burnley looked the slightly stronger team in the first half and pushed us back which required some resolute defending; Burnley were aided by us losing the ball too often but that improved during the second half when we were the team looking most likely to score.
In the first half, Burnley reminded me of early season Boro, lots of possession, moved the ball around but no real cutting edge and that may yet prove to be their downfall.
I particularly liked Doak giving Hackney a rollicking late on when Hackney delayed his past too long, leading to Doak being flagged offside; good to see from a young player and we could do with one or two others expressing themselves to team mates when standards drop.
So on to Leeds which I feel will be a tougher challenge and no doubt like the Cup game they will have the majority of possession whilst we will need to be organised and disciplined when defending.
Hopefully we can come away with at least a point, anything more would be a real bonus. 😎
A good point. H got a good roll kicking from Doak. I love the team we have now. Up the Boro!I particularly liked Doak giving Hackney a rollicking late on when Hackney delayed his past too long, leading to Doak being flagged offside; good to see from a young player and we could do with one or two others expressing themselves to team mates when standards drop.
Just a thought on Doak.
He was brilliant again last night but was operating with a limited palette.
Burnley cut off his supply line and doubled up on him so that he rarely received the ball, and when he did he was working within tight and very limited spaces. He still posed a threat, but not one that was commensurate with his abilities.
His most telling contribution in the second half came when he picked up a ball on the left, powered forward in an unstoppable run into space and finished with a shot that was blocked.
My thoughts went back to the Norwich game when he did something similar. It was the highlight of the game.
Following a Norwich corner he picked up the ball in the left back position , ran the length of the pitch in a sweeping move that ended with Conway putting the ball in the net.
It seems to me that Doak's abilities are such that there is no need for him to be confined to the relative straitjacket of an over-crowded right wing. He will be lethal anywhere on the pitch in situations where he has the space in which to work.
So I would be tempted to start him on the right, see how the game develops but then give him the freedom to find those pockets of space in which he will thrive.
On here there are a number of us who have been calling on Jones to be selected to pose a threat as well as defensive solidity on the left.
Allowing Doak to adopt a more roving commission as the game develops, bringing Jones over to the right, or possibly leaving more space for Dijksteel to run into would make both Doak and Boro much less predictable attacking threats to any opposition.
Jones, by the way, was first introduced by Warnock as a left-sided attacking sub who had a considerable impact in his early games. He was used to playing across the whole front line before he signed for us.
As I said, just a thought.
I think Burnley tried to double up on him most of the time. When they did not have time to do so, he was unstoppable. And our goal came partly because Burnley concentrated on keeping Doak quiet, and Dijksteel was free in the box and scored. I think the same happened another time in the game, too.Just a thought on Doak.
He was brilliant again last night but was operating with a limited palette.
Burnley cut off his supply line and doubled up on him so that he rarely received the ball, and when he did he was working within tight and very limited spaces. He still posed a threat, but not one that was commensurate with his abilities.
So if the opposition keep Doak quiet, then Latte Lath or Conway have more space and time. So very difficult for our opposition, again. Up the Boro!
I know this may sound harsh, but I think if we had, had Morris in our team last night, we would have won. I also think Roberts would have been allowed that shot.
Sorry, it should have said, “not allowed that shot”
It's hard to either praise or rollick this team anymore , each game is different,at times each half. Burnley did a good job on us, when we had the ball ,they manned up on Aziz, their left back was tight on Doak, and stopped us going through the middle, having said that we should have won.
My first Christmas card ,this season goes to George Edmonson , a guy who puts his body on the line for 90 minutes , solid player , old fashioned CB, a Stewy Boam type for some of us at a certain age,
Leeds wingers are their danger men
@gt I agree about Edmundson. A solid defender who can also kick a ball and pass. He should have scored the winner with a header on Friday.
But I would like to say, that a fully fit Fry is owesome. He has had two excellent matches now. Some people wrote him off earlier, but when fully fit, he is an EPL centre half.
Up the Boro!
A Burnley Haiku
Rainy at Turf Moor,
Dijksteel poking it goal wards
Three points taken home
Oops. The last line should read:
One point taken home.
@martin-bellamy A Freudian slip. I can live with that. We'll have a consultation after Leeds.
UTB,
John