To go behind on three occasions and then to come back and equalise is pleasing.
However, as I repeatedly harp on, the good teams can defend and to score 3 goals away from home would on most occasions win the game. But not Boro!!
It seems that throughout most of the game Boro were very vulnerable down the wings. This is a consistent weakness that Carrick and company are unable to solve. With all the centre backs they’ve got perhaps playing one as a full back, eg van der berg?, could be worth a try. Obviously all opponents must know that this is Boro’s Achilles heel.
Roll on the next game and the thoughts of a win. It keeps us all going.
Philip of Huddersfield 👍😁
I suppose a good point in the end having been behind three times but when a team which is purported to be a strong promotion contender scores three away from home at the bottom team you would expect it to win the game. Alas not the Boro because the defence let the team down again as it has on many occasions this season as evidenced by the goals against column. The left side defending was poor yet again today and recruiting to tighten it up must surely be a priority in January.
Well we all knew it was not going to be easy and I for one said a point might be a good point but the manner in which it was won left a lot to be desired; yet again we shot ourselves in the foot with some poor defending.
It’s a case of take the point and move on. Too many defensive displays of this nature will be our undoing. 😎
In the end, I guess we did well to salvage a point against, it has to be said, the bottom team.
I assume, that Carrick will have had Plymouth watched on a number of occasions and the report will have included, they have a couple of pacy wide players.
Of course MC takes no notice and plays McGree who does not defend well, and neither we know does Doak, although I agree with werder that Dijksteel was also my MOtM. He does not even change things round at half time to swap Borges out or give him additional protection. 👎 Mr Carrick.
Azaz continued with his poor run of games and is more or less back to OFB’s original, not very good position. In midfield, I do not think I saw Howson or HH make a tackle, with the Plymouth players just running past them.
As Philip said, if you want to win things, you have to defend. Boro cannot.
However, we are still sixth unless WBA win by three clear goals tomorrow. But we are also eight points behind Sunderland with a worse goal difference. There are now possibly five/six teams challenging for the last two play off places. I wish I had werder’s confidence that Boro will be one of them.
I mentioned in an earlier post how surprised I am every year, that games over the Xmas period produce more than the average number of goals. I can’t really explain why it happens but it definitely does, every year.
Biggest disappointment of the match for MC:
Gazette player ratings:
Only Burgzorg & ELL, both subs, earned 7s.
Not sure how Dijksteel was given a 5 by the Gazette - which seemed on the basis 2 of the goals came from the right but one of them I recall Dijksteel being left with 2 Plymouth players to cover as Doak was nowhere in frame. I thought defensively he was strong and very good on the ball.
Very disappointing even though Boro3 gained a point!
I’ve said all season that we need a left back and this game just showed how needy we are.
Poor tactics, poor choice of team, Fry has to start and we need a good defensive coach to improve our defence because our coaches can’t do it !
Perhaps Mogga can help ???
OFB
@original-fat-bob Mogga's teams did not defend any better. He was a fabulous defender, but as a coach, he played his teams like Carr. Attack and entertaining.
But I would love to see Mogga back. He can pick up a good player for low privce, too. Perhaps in the recruitment deparment?
I am happy with a point after the match at Plymouth. We were behind THREE times - so a point each was fair. We did not play well but at least we entertained and a point was good in these situations. Latte Lath must start every game, in my humble opinion.
Defensively, it was not the best of games for Dijksteel, but he was good at going forward. But he was never a MoM. But I do not know who was MoM. Perhaps Howson, Burgzorg was good, too.
Up the Boro!
I agree with you all that this was a terrible performance defensively, though I also agree, despite that, that Dijksteel was our best player. I was greatly surprised that Edmondson had a very poor game, as he had been our most consistent defender to date. He seemed off the pace and his decision-making was poor: what on earth was he thinking when he tried to head the ball at knee-height in our penalty area? He’s played a lot of games. Perhaps he needs a rest?
We’re going to have to defend much better than that if we are to be serious playoff contenders. We can’t rely on outscoring teams like we did two seasons ago, as coming away with just a point today proved. Improving this side of our game has to be Carrick‘s top priority.
I was greatly surprised that Edmondson had a very poor game, as he had been our most consistent defender to date. He seemed off the pace and his decision-making was poor: what on earth was he thinking when he tried to head the ball at knee-height in our penalty area? [...]
The curse of Uncle Eric (the antithesis of everything Eric said marked him out as a worthy addition to the team)? 😉
The result doesn't surprise me , but I'm annoyed at the way we keep giving goals away the same way, defence and midfield back off and give too much space, it goes wide crosses come in and we don't deal with it.
I know Carrick wants to play on the front foot, but the first thing your fullbacks should know is a time to support and not, also get tight on your winger when the opposition as the ball in their own half.
Not sure how Dijksteel was given a 5 by the Gazette - which seemed on the basis 2 of the goals came from the right but one of them I recall Dijksteel being left with 2 Plymouth players to cover as Doak was nowhere in frame. I thought defensively he was strong and very good on the ball.
I agree. Dijksteel was excellent but we couldn't cope with the way that Argyle flooded players forward. They had six or seven people in front of the midfield ball carrier and that created overloads on both sides. Dijksteel was able to win one on one contests or use his speed to make up deficits but Borges just seemed isolated. We should have switched to five at the back, locked the game down a bit before trying to pick them off.
UTB
Borges has to go !
The number of times he goes missing down that left hand side and leaves attackers free is unbeliebable. Has no spatial awareness or can see any potential threat. Doesn’t provide any thrust or outlet up front and to compound the mistakes we have McGree in front of him who doesn’t think it’s his job to help his fulll back when opponents are attacking.
Fry and Clarke have to return to the side and perhaps we need a new defensive coach as well !
HH is not as good as he thinks he is and doesn’t seem fit and seems to be playing in a daze or a hangover!
Rant over not happy!
Boro3 ?
Bah Humbug !
OFB
@original-fat-bob Agree about Borges, he is not good enough to play the wing back role.
Whilst Scott and the recruitment team have had a good number of successes, they have failed miserably in their choices for an adequate LB.
However, accepting that Carrick can only choose his team from the squad he has at the time, his tactical ability does not appear to have improved in his two years at Middlesbrough.
He continues with Plan A and does not deviate from it. A more astute Coach would choose a team to suit the opposition or the weaknesses in his available squad. But MC just soldiers on with his way and we suffer the consequences of more dropped points.
Ah, well...! We shouldn't be surprised at the result but one would have thought, looking at the line-up, that Boro's starting XI had enough to beat the bottom-of-the-table team.
I suggest that someone at the club should have a check on Borges' passport. He can't really be Brazillian, can he? I thought people from Brazil had football ability in their DNA.
@forever-dormo cf Afonso Alves?
Just watched highlights, did we forget that we needed to defend, oh to have a former world class defender on the coaching staff. Oh wait a minute..........
In conclusion not good enough to get promoted
WBA winning two - nil and level on points with Boro.
Our current six match form is rather poor, only two wins, nine goals scored and nine conceeded.
Will we be able to overcome in form Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day. See attached six match table below.
https://thefishy.co.uk/formtable.php?table=2
Interesting that Wayne Rooney told his side at half-time to target Borges, recognising, as we all did (except Carrick!) that the Brazilian was being murdered. He either needed replacing, perhaps with Fry coming on and VDB moving to left back, or he required greater support. Neither happened. Fortunately, Boro did manage to gain a greater measure of overall control after the break - but we still conceded two further goals, one of which came via a gap on Borges’ side.
@clive-hurren Borges was tortured, but, as we have said with little help.
However it is rather evident now, that Mr Carrick has a number of tactical deficiencies that he has not improved on.
Comment from a contributor to the live commentary on the Spurs vs Liverpool match, which Spurs are losing by 1-4, on the Beeb site:
Ange doesn’t know how to tactically set a team up to defend as a unit at this level. Even in games we dominate, we’re still wide open in defence & the other teams always carve us open.
Sound familiar?
There's been some talk of going 5-4-1 in. Some games , just to maybe take the sting out of the opposition tactics,
The trouble with that , and I can somewhat agree with the formation , not every game, is you can't accommodate Azzaz , and I think Carrick believe he's the link .
The middle three Rav,Fry, Edmonson, should be solid enough , I wouldn't use it with wing backs I'd have them staying deeper,allowing the other five the freedom to move around , but we should have better cover .
@gt. I don’t think it is a formation problem it’s a case of the players/team not doing what they should be doing!
From a managerial perspective it’s a case of praise in public and give them a right rollicking in private and hope that does the trick.
If not then more drastic action is required with defaulters being benched. 😎🎅🏻
I think both our full backs played very narrow at Plymouth. Like they had been instructed to do so. They went close to the Plymouth winger only after they had already received the ball. And then they were usually late. I cannot see why Borges AND Dijksteel did so. They are professional footballers and they were like helping out their central defenders. And they were late to catch their own men, when the wingers already had the ball.
Normally, a full back keeps close to the wide man, but apparently Carrick wanted to over crowd the middle. It did not work and it should have been changed after the first or latest the second goal by Plymouth.
Up the Boro!
@john-richardson Hi John - just a heads up that your card arrived today. Many thanks and Happy New Year.