Let's Hope we can turn this around. If a change is to be made, I hope we don't wait until the statutory 60-70 minutes mark. At least give the subs time to make a mark!
CJ in the 56th minute:
How late does Carrick make his changes
It feels like they are needed. Jones has been poor again. Not been Hackney's day so far, Azaz hasn't had much of an impact. But will Carrick give his alternative options long enough? No signs just yet, but nothings really changing for Boro at the start of this second half.
Let's Hope we can turn this around. If a change is to be made, I hope we don't wait until the statutory 60-70 minutes mark. At least give the subs time to make a mark!
CJ in the 56th minute:
How late does Carrick make his changes
It feels like they are needed. Jones has been poor again. Not been Hackney's day so far, Azaz hasn't had much of an impact. But will Carrick give his alternative options long enough? No signs just yet, but nothings really changing for Boro at the start of this second half.
Hamilton & Doak on for Azaz & Jones in the 62nd minute. Let's hope they can make a difference.
Maybe the thought-waves were coming in from all over the north! Better some changes be made at the 63 minute mark than after 73 or 80 minutes....
Hackney's passing has been abysmal this afternoon - he's failed to make any pass over 5 metres and looks way below his best
Maybe the thought-waves were coming in from all over the north! Better some changes be made at the 63 minute mark than after 73 or 80 minutes....
Burgzorg replaces ELL in the 73rd minute.
CJ in the 69th:
Morris chance
It's Boro's first opening for a long time. Doak bright since coming on again and he picks a nice pass into the box to Morris, who ghosted in. On his weaker left foot, looking to bend one far post, he slices it wide. Boro yet to have a shot on target in this second half.
It is said on BBC Tees that, with only 5 minutes to play, BORO has not yet drawn a save out of the Sunderland keeper despite having had lots of possession. The "p" word. That meaningless statistic.
If you don't hit or head shots on target you can hardly expect to score goals. The number of shots aimed wide, but fortuitously bouncing in off a defender standing wide of the goal must be very small, after all.
Very disappointing result. "So much of the ball, so much territory, but they couldn't make it count" (per BBC commentary). How often might we hear that, this season?
Well I tried to force some optimism into proceedings but in the end it was more of the same.
Fair play to Sunderland. They didn’t overcommit and allow us space. A tactical job well done by them.
For Boro, unfortunately we’re a nice team to play against at the moment - always giving the other team a chance and no real teeth of our own.
Rather predictable second half as Boro failed to trouble their keeper - 63% possession but just one shot on target - which if memory serves me was more of a mis-hit cross from a very tight angle. Boro short on ideas and everything mainly comes down the right as anything down the left ends up being recycled backwards and too much side to side probing as teams who sit deep can easily defend against Boro.
Feel sorry for Clarke he was everywhere trying to make it happen but he was poorly supported by his team-mates with Hackney unable to execute any forward pass worth mentioning - Latte Lath continues to look a shadow of his best self and then there's everyone else looking to settle in and find some rhythm - looks like being another slow start to the season and hoping for a team to emerge after ten games.
The BBC Sport website has BORO with 63% possession and, to my surprise, mentions that the Sunderland keeper had one save to make from a BORO shot on target that I cannot remember. The song said "It's not what you do, it's the way that you do it. That's what gets results." In that case, there must be a few things wrong in the way BORO is doing things.
Never looked like scoring (again).
Always looked likely to concede (again).
Lots of possession at a pedestrian pace (again).
Lots to be concerned about (again).
It might not be the end of the world (yet) but if we remain this predictable, we are headed for mid-table mediocrity.
I believe MC is the right man for us, but maybe he needs some help to learn how things need to be adaptable when methodical possession play is so easily contained.
Disappointed, but it is still early enough in the season for our undoubtedly quality to begin to shine.
Spot-on Powmill.
We don't learn from our experiences or mistakes and we all know where that leads to. I just don't understand. Is the management believing their own propaganda? The talent is there, Latte Lath is a massive disappointment so far, in fact the team performances is all round. I've had a bad dose of the 'Black Dog' and it's fair to say Boro aren't helping in any way, they are just to easy to play against and they must be a joy for opposition managers and coaches. We all say 'typical Boro' or 'predictable Boro' but it's not an excuse any more it's a fact.
I'd just call it humdrum. Now shall I watch it again?
Anyway, as always, UTB
John
Pass pass pass lose possession
Pass pass pass lose possession
I always thought object of the game was to get round thing in the net thing
It appears all you need to do to beat us is sit behind the ball and wait for our mistake
No points for possession
All very frustrating I want to be positive but it's difficult
Arghhhĥhhhhhhhh
Isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result
Echo player ratings:
& a similar set from the Gazette:
And MC thinks Trai Hume should've been sent off in the seventh minute:
Off topic, what sort of a name is "Trai"? *shakes head*
@stircrazy Hume should certainly have been sent off, but we he wasn't and we went out to play and beat 11 men and couldn't do it. So it is disingenuous if MC bemoans that the opposition wasn't reduced to 10 early in the game.
@werdermouth I have no idea what has happened to Hackney. he is a shadow of himself at his last season best, some time ago now.
Today was another defeat for Carrick in the Tactical battle. The Sunderland Coach got it spot on. Just like last season. MC just does not appear to be able to change things with a plan B.
We keep getting fed reports that the major players are just about ready. Still no sign of VDB or Howson or even McGree sat on the bench, when we were playing rubbish in the second half. If he is not fit do not pick him. If he is on the bench, then use him. He could have replaced anyone of half a dozen players.
When LL went off, it should have been Gilbert on and Convey at 9. Although saying that, Hamilton and Doak did not really improve things, apart from the latter's odd runs into the box.
We have now had six LB´s in the last two years. Coulson, Giles, Thomas, Engel, Bangura and now Borges. There is not a decent defender amongst the lot of them it appears, As for the last one, he must have had 6/7 opportunities today to beyond his man and try for a cross, NO he just passed back or inside.
We have invested heavily on forwards after not scoring sufficient last season. I think tonight there are only six teams having scored less than us.
Carrick and his team need to find a solution and fast.
@powmillnaemore I have not heard his after match speech, but, If that his his excuse for todays performance, then he really is clutching at straws.
Got to say, I can’t see what Borges brings to the team. There was a lot of criticism of Giles, particularly around his defending, but he could be relied on to get in a cross. Borges spurned every chance to cross today - I’d like to know if those were MC’s instructions or if he just thought crossing was a waste of time, given the lack of potential for our “strikers” to score.
I’m not normally one to throw around criticism but I thought we looked bang average today. Having said that, I’m not sure how good our Wearside neighbours are either.
I’m taking solace from Wigan Warriors winning the RL League Leaders Shield, with every chance of getting to the Grand Final on my birthday. You have to take the positives where you can get them, which brings me to John Richardson and that pesky Black Dog - he doesn’t sniff around me as much as he did, but I know how unwelcome he is - hope you can throw yourself into your art, John. Today's Waterland print looked great to me.
@pedro me neither, but Stircrazy was posting it was reported in the Echo.
😂Trai?
perhaps his brothers are uno, and dos ?
OFB
As Powmill has said it is still very early days in the season but the portents are not good. We were poor again today with it seems no lessons learned from recent lacklustre performances as highlighted by others above. We have lost or drawn twice as many games as we have won and are already 8 points adrift of the leaders. Unless MC can quickly find his best eleven (it isn’t today’s team) and get them winning as they were at the end of last season then the high expectations for the season will very quickly become pie in the sky and we will have to resign ourselves to another mid-table finish at best. A very disappointing prospect.
We’re always told that you can’t judge what kind of season your team is likely to have until about a quarter of the season has been played and certainly not on individual performances.
Well, I’ve made up my mind after the games so far and certainly after today.
This team , if it continues to play like it has done so far, including today is going nowhere.
The play is so slow and predictable. Even from the kick off they passed the ball backwards and a defender literally put his foot on the ball and didn’t do anything for ages. It’s as if he didn’t know what to do. The first instinct of most Boro players when they get the ball is to take 2 or 3 touches and pass the ball. It’s all tippy tappy football including this obsession of playing out from the back. Whenever they get within 20-25 yards of their opponents goal they’ve no idea of what to do but pass the ball backwards and sideways. This possession football creates virtually no chances from open play and I find it all boring. No doubt some will say certain players played okay but that’s not good enough. The game is not about individual players but how the TEAM perform and that’s the failure.
Look at other teams including Sunderland today. When their players get the ball they set off running with it - even if they lose the ball they create a bit of excitement.
I don’t know where Carrick goes from here - I don’t think he’ll change his style of football and so I can’t see the team starting to click. Some might say that it’s only a matter of time before the team gets it together and start creating lots of chances and score lots of goals. I’d say the opposite based on what I’m seeing.
On today’s performance I wish I’d done a bit of gardening - at least I’d have achieved something - the Team achieved nothing today.
Philip of Huddersfield ☹️☹️
Terrible display. I’m no coach, but surely, if you’re playing against a side with limited ambition that just loads up the ‘central corridor,’ as Regis le Bray called it, then you have to work out ways to get round it? Shooting from distance probably doesn’t help as there are a zillion defenders in front of you - though it might have helped had we actually tried shooting today! Playing eye-of-the-needle balls through the defence for forwards to run onto can be effective, as it often is in the Premier League, but today we had nobody who could pick that killer pass (I’m looking at you, Hayden Hackney) and on the rare occasions we tried it the ball was just gobbled up by the massed ranks of Deckchairs defenders.
Corners and set pieces apart, that probably only leaves attempting to get round behind the defence and pinging crosses into the box. Boro managed this a couple of times first half through Jones, but as usual his final ball was often disappointing. On only one occasion can I recall Borges putting in a cross from his wing, and there were no others from the left. Hamilton continually cut back inside onto his right foot. When Ben Doak came on, it looked as if this might be an outlet, and indeed he got behind the defence on one or two occasions, but from then on he cut back inside onto his left foot, forcing him to pass inside to Ayling. In the last 10 - 15 minutes, with Boro encamped just outside the Sunderland box, I counted at least 6 occasions when Boro missed the chance to cross the ball either from deep or from the wing, despite the fact that we had four men waiting in the box!! Instead, we passed it across the box and back again ad infinitum, looking for some non-existent gap to open up. This was hugely frustrating. The phrase, ‘Couldn’t score in the Bongo,’ came to mind. Is it going to be like this all season? My guess is that most of the weaker teams will come to The Riverside and set up like this: I’m sure Stoke will, despite their EFL Cup success.
We really haven’t solved our left back problem. Borges is weak at defending against men who run at him and as yet offers little going forward. And is the issue with Hackney, I wonder, that he can’t play in the same side as Morris (cf, Lampard and Gerrard)? Johnny gives him the freedom to roam forward, and for me, his return can’t come quickly enough. Today, Hackney often found himself sweeping up in the defence.
Azaz gets a lot of stick. Yet I’ve seen statistics, repeated again today on Sky, that show he’s had more shots and created more chances than any other Boro player, which is perhaps why MC likes him. I must say that I haven’t seen that myself. Perhaps he performs better in away games (?) - I haven’t yet had the opportunity to attend any this season. Given our current form, I might decide to give a few more a miss in the next few weeks……..
Aaron Danks joined Bayern Munich at the end of last season. Whilst they always seem to be very strong at home, I noticed they won 5 - 0 today. The other three league games they have played so far ; 6-1, 2-0, 3-2. They beat Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in the Champions League. No shortage of goals there. I admit it helps to have Harry Kane! As for Sunderland, only one game and we will compete at the top end this season - I would like to see McGree or Gilbert in the forward mix for more creativity. UTB Chris
I suppose we should be grateful that we've played the current bottom 3 in our last five games as that accounts for all the points we've picked up in those 5 games - otherwise we may have even be sitting in the bottom 3 instead of 3 points outside the playoffs.
There's no hiding that Boro are not performing anywhere near what we were expecting and just look unbalanced, short on ideas going forward and lacking a focal point in attack. Hard to see any major change in fortune until some of the injured key players are back but still a mystery as to why McGree has been an unused sub along with Gilbert in the last 2 games.
Looks like a team being picked more out of hope that some players will rediscover their form rather than out of conviction that they will perform - definitely a worry but Boro badly need a result next week at the Riverside as dread to think where another failure will leave us.
Unfortunately Werder Bremen were on the receiving end of that 5-0 today but I think we're missing Aaron Danks judging by the difference in how Boro have started the season looking a bit muddled.
@philip-of-huddersfield “boring” I was going to post “it was like watching paint dry”
@werdermouth It does make one wonder about the influence Danks, especially when poached by Bayern.
Does Carrick need somebody else alongside him to offer alternative ideas?. Woodgate certainly isn’t the answer, when you look at the defensive mistakes continually made.
At this rate Carrick will have to bring back Engel. Let’s hope he gets fit soon if he is injured.