Well the circus was in town again last night and the clowns had a field day. I didn't listen to the post match comments because if I hear Carrick say one more time he isn't concerned and we need to learn from our mistakes I will scream, well if the team was a school class it would be the remedial one.
The employment of Giles looks like a master stroke one goal and two contributions in two matches, oh wait they were for the opposition.
On our current trajectory we will be very close to the relegation places come the end of the season, no idea where the next point is coming from, I know people will think I am talking hyperbole, if you do I sell magic beans at reasonable prices.
I have seen nearly all our matches this season and we can't adapt or change the way we play, the managers blinkered beliefs and unwillingness to change would make a puritan blush. It's appears the poor football and mistakes are the norm and free scoring exciting football games are a flash in the pan.
Don't know where we go from here,
Anybody got Sean Dyches number
PS don't wefind out how much season tickets have gone up on Monday, now that's a hard sell
I know everyone is criticising Boro's defence, note the small 'd', but do we actually have a defence to criticise? It's if they are away painting 'de fence'.
Why is it the pundits can see it, we can see it and the wider fan base can see it but our coaches and particularly our defensive coach are unable to? Lost for words.
Stop believing your own PR and sort it out please.
UTB,
John
How come the opposition run for 90mins and we look knackered after 60mins
How come three weeks ago Carrick said best squad he's had since being here .
He's definitely lost the plot, gone from possession based patient football, to kick the ball anywhere now, he's panicking, signings we didn't need, persisting with players bang out of form, every game Burzhog , is done after about 65mins, but still kept on,
There's something wrong in this club, is it some kind of Holiday camp or what, Carrick tells us players have been great in training , come game time, they look totally lost .
We are definitely going backwards you can't deny that , this JR guy, my God ,how bad can you be, yet he was left on the field, he played more for them than us, we won't mention Hamilton, Stockport reserve now,
I think it's time, get after the Sheff Wed coach, fed up
Most of the talk after yesterday's result was about defending. But I think the real problem was in the attack and midfield. How many times did Conway or Iheanacho touch the ball?He's definitely lost the plot, gone from possession based patient football, to kick the ball anywhere now, he's panicking, signings we didn't need, persisting with players bang out of form, every game Burzhog , is done after about 65mins, but still kept on,
We did not hold the ball well and had none of our normal possession football. Passing was nearly non-existent and we let United to dictate the match. We had no rythm to our play yesterday.
So we gave the ball away too easily and Sheffield United were attacking too easily. It is easy to blame the defence but it is the whole team that could take blame for this defeat. Keep the ball, and the opponent cannot attack.
Do not give the ball to the opposition to easily and too soon. We were awfull last nigh.
Up the Boro!
@jarkko. I now am really concerned when you say we were awful last night! 😉😎
Who feels worse about yesterday's performance and result against Sheffield United? The supporters? The coaching staff? The players?
I don't suppose Steve Gibson will be smiling much, either.
I’m inclined to think that last night’s aberration was to a large extent the result of perfect tactics by our former manager.
Their players were “at us” from the off, giving us no chance to settle and preventing us from playing out from the back. In that regard, he got it spot on.
We then resorted to our keeper kicking long, which we haven’t really done all season, resulting in us giving the ball away as SU simply recycled and began another attack. ELL was pretty good at winning headers or holding the ball up on the few occasions when we did rely on a hoof upfield, but we just didn’t have anyone to do it last night.
I wasn’t impressed by our new winger either. It looked like he could trap the ball further distances than I could kick it and, on a couple of occasions, he looked reluctant to chase to collect a ball which just might have been collectable.
I’m not sure whether Conway touched the ball more than a couple of times - the jury’s still out for me as to whether he’s the man to lead the line.
Giles put a couple of excellent crosses in, but is that his main job or might he consider some defensive duties as well? I think he was a little unlucky with the goal where he got tangled up with our keeper. He’d done well to get back to make the tackle and if the ball had been cleared I think we’d have sung his praises for his involvement.
There’ll be another game along before long - a game we’ve got to win, I did write earlier, that February could be make or break for our season and I’m maintaining that view.
@gt Why would he come to the Boro? I would say Wednesday have more chance of making the top six than we do.
Reflections following Wednesday night’s game.
This has to have been one of the worst performances/results this season and probably the first where we were beaten by the better team on the night. It was disjointed, disorganised and lacking in composure. In part, helped on the field by our own inadequacies and by three players having minimal positive impact on the game and others failing to do their jobs. United set out to disrupt our normal game which they did and we had no answer.
Off the field numerous questions have to be asked of the management team regarding selection, game management and tactics.
Why was a young loanee without any Championship experience and limited game time this season played instead of a proven Championship player who we had recently recruited and paid in excess of £5M to acquire?
Why was another loanee, again with limited game time this season and few goals to his name of late, played instead of a proven Championship forward who is in double figures for goals scored this season?
Why was a CB who has not covered himself in glory of late played instead of a CB who, since coming back from injury, has hardly put a foot wrong on the few occasions he has been picked to play.
I suspect the answer to the latter will be that because the player picked to play is the most comfortable of the two on the left side, despite being right footed. We now have four CBs who are all right footed and yet sell the only one who is left footed. Square pegs in round holes again!
What lessons are being learnt by MC and his team about opposition players and teams? United had one player who has previously dictated games against us when playing for Coventry and yet was allowed to do so again on Wednesday and without any signs that we had a plan to mitigate his impact.
Why, after the first five minutes of the game, when United took control and had us running around chasing shadows at times, were changes to tactics/personnel not made? It was just after half time that a change was made when a player who had been totally ineffectual and left us exposed in midfield was withdrawn.
We have seen in seasons gone by that often one or two teams in and around the top six for most of the season drop away as the season heads towards its conclusion, whilst one or two start to climb toward a top six slot and this season is no different. Unfortunately, we are the team falling away whilst Coventry and Bristol City are on the up.
The league table and the form table do not lie and we are now more likely to miss out on a top six place than achieve one. If I were a betting man (I am not) then I would be putting my money on missing out rather than making the top six and I suspect that I am not alone given what we have seen so far this season.
So where do we go from here? The recruitment team is not absolved from the current situation. We were advised the new model was moving away from too many loans and a more stable squad, which clearly has not been achieved given what went on during the latest transfer window and really needs a more detailed explanation.
Who was the driving force to bring RG back to the club? He adds nothing defensively. He is competing with LE for the most passes backwards to his own players, who at times he then puts under opposition pressure. He has offered little offensively and the crosses he made on Wednesday did not reach his own team mates.
I agree with Martin that now is not the time to make changes to the management team but clearly if a top six place is not achieved then one has to question if MC and his team should be allowed to continue.
If he is, then does he need better help as things do not seem to have improved since AD has moved on and I have never been convinced by JW who was a failure when in charge.
MC is still in his early years of management; we have all been there and have all made mistakes from which hopefully we learnt and moved on but I am having difficulty in seeing that from him. He is wedded to one style of play which is all well and good when it works, can be attractive to watch but all too often it doesn’t produce the required result, with too many managers and teams able to counter it. I am also seeing little in the way of in game management from him when things are not going our way.
I just wonder if his skill set is better suited to a role involving coaching, developing and improving players rather then being tasked with picking and managing a team but I think that is best decided once the season has concluded.
Unless some dramatic change is made in form, I think Carrick will be gone
I believe I know why, a very important factor as emerged, and I want to go back to the Sunderland game and the antics afterwards, the flag thing their fans taunting,
Not a peep from the Boro public/ fans, that tells me they've given up, don't care, accepted were crap, that alone should really worry Gibson,
Back in the day the fans would have been outraged, scathing the management and players, demanding a response to the humiliation on that night, today nothing, don't care,
We could actually drop into a bottom five , things are not good Mr Gibson,I hope at least you had some strong words to say to them all, didn't help Wednesdays though , not good right now
@k-p-in-spain Good points KP.
On the CB selection issue, is it time to play a back 3? Giles and Ayling may be more effective/less of a liability in that formation.
UTB
@chris-from-barlby. Yes Chris something I was thinking about this morning and perhaps with Dijksteel in for Ayling. Whittaker Burgzog and Conway as the front three.
I don’t think it will happen as MC will stick with his back four but probably swap the two loanees for Whittaker and Conway.😎
Yes, that was a really good post KP.@k-p-in-spain Good points KP.
On the CB selection issue, is it time to play a back 3? Giles and Ayling may be more effective/less of a liability in that formation.
UTB
I am with you Chris about the defence. I mentioned in a post on Wednesday night, that it would make more sense to go three at the back to provide cover for the wing backs when they forage forward. For me it simply does not work with two centre backs unless you have proper full backs.