I’m not known as a glass half full person but I’m still not despondent about this season. There are 9 games left and our future is still in our hands - beat Millwall and Ipswich and everything will look rosy.
Imagine how Strelec feels this evening - I simply don’t believe he doesn’t care - he’s hundreds of miles away from home and knows he’s cost his side crucial points. How he picks himself up from that I’ve no idea but it won’t be easy.
Both Rob Edwards and Kim Hellberg have done an amazing job with the resources available to them. I don’t recall too many on here predicting we’d be second at this stage in the season, but here we are. Let’s not give up now.
Well that was another frustrating game and 2 points dropped along with the opportunity to open a small gap. The fact that Millwall lost was fortunate.
As has been said by others, I did not expect to see us in 2nd at this stage in the season, a play off would have been a bonus. Between them RE and KH have done a good job with the players that they have.
It may be controversial but our position is not necessarily down to our own ability and more a reflection of the tight nature of the Championship this season. Which is why, as it turns out, this season would be a golden opportunity to get promotion and we seem intent on blowing it. We are punching above our weight. 3 points from our last 4 home games and 9 from 6 really isn’t what one would expect to see from a team still in 2nd place.
Looking at last years table, Leeds and Burnley went up with 100 points with Sheffield at 90. Sunderland at 76. Even if we were to win all our remaining games, then we would have 94 and Ipswich winning theirs (apart from when they played Boro) would have 101. Coventry would end up with 101.
Opposition teams have worked out how to defend against us whilst for whatever reason, we have not been able to successfully work out another way round it. Is it the players or the coaches? The jury is out for me as it is probably a mix of both.
Which leads me to my final concern. Should we somehow manage to gain automatic promotion, I don’t think we have the squad to compete. How many players do we have who are PL quality? So we would have to wholesale changes which would come at a cost that i remain convinced SG does not really want to spend - or does he have the money still?
Dont get me wrong, I want to see Boro be successful and competitive and I will celebrate with the rest of us if we were to be promoted although I will not be disappointed. As my late father used to say about Boro and Yorkshire cricket, “well, there’s always next season”
UTB
At least we got a point more than Coventry did. So we are closing them down.😉
Still enough matches to get through. I don’t believe Millwall to keep the pace with us or Ipswich.
Up the Boro!
A belated thanks for the fantastic opener Jarkko- I couldn’t write that in English so the fact that it is not your first language is very impressive.
Glad to see that you are still a believer, sadly, I am becoming a little bit more like The Smiths with “Heaven knows I’m miserable now”!
I think the playoffs beckon and sadly, I would not be confident about that prospect.
Why people are so despressed when we are still second in the table? Most fans (perhaps not Coventry's) would swap places with us. So nothing lost yet.
We are still favourites to finish second. Of course Ipswich have a game in hand - but they need to win it first. And we are still to play them as well as Millwall.
Just eight games to go. I will enjoy the ride and look forward to the next game already.
Up the Boro!
I don’t think it is depression as such, just a factor of how we have been playing recently and our inability to win at home, score at home and work out something different. Frustration is perhaps a better description.
Happy that we remain second, it is just that I can’t see it lasting based on recent performances. I hope I am wrong but as is often said, it is the hope that kills you!
In my working life, I worked on the basis of under promise and then over deliver - same with Boro, I woiod rather expect the play offs but be delighted with automatic promotion!
Of course Bristol's last minute equaliser was deflating (where did that 7 mins extra time come from?), but in the natural pessimism we all feel on yet another huge opportunity thrown away, on getting up on Sunday morning we can reflect on the reality that in the larger scheme of things yesterday was quite a good day for us. All of our main rivals lost, apart from Ipswich, so we gained a point on most of them. The Ipswich result was a banker, but apparently they did not play well and Wednesday were their equals for large parts of the game. And Ipswich suffered a similar devastating last minute loss of their lead in midweek when Stoke scored from a highly disputed penalty. So they shared our fate only three days earlier. And I thought that we did play well in the second half yesterday, should have built up a three or four goal cushion, and that there were solid grounds for some degree of optimism in spite of everything seeming to collapse around us at the final whistle.
All is not last by any means, and looking at Millwall's next few games certainly provide plenty of reasons to be cheerful.
Keep the faith
Part of me thinks we’ve been unlucky not to win all of our recent home games - it’s been small margins and missed chances - but then I reckon we’ve also had our share of luck in that our promotion rivals have also slipped up.
As has been commented above, I’m not sure how long we’ll survive in the Premier League if we achieve promotion - I’ve expressed the view before on here that it could prove to be a poisoned chalice, with a season of mainly losses and disappointed fans, but this time around I’d really like us to get there.
I was looking at the socials yesterday and the ire directed at Edmundson was intense. At first as he headed that ball backwards I thought it was a smart move to get the pass back to SB - when it went out for a corner I was very nervous. Nevertheless, I can’t blame him for what happened next, nor can I blame KH for bringing him on to shore up the defence. We should have been at least 2-0 up at that stage and the game would have been won.
I was a bit disappointed that our manager was angry with the ref for adding 7 minutes added time, although he did say he’d simply wanted an explanation before he left. What good that explanation would have done, I’ve no idea. Understandably, KH must be feeling the pressure right now - hopefully he’s busy planning how we beat a resurgent Blackburn Rovers.
On the extra time added, I am afraid that KH can’t have it both ways; in one breath he complains about teams who come to the Riverside wasting time or “managing the game” and then, when the officials add extra time, he questions them when the result goes against us.
If you take into account the number of substitutes introduced by both sides, the injury to HH, an allowance for goal celebrations and for time wasting then the added time was about right; the lesson is defend better and until the final whistle.
Had we won, the added time would have been a mere footnote I suspect. 😎
Some thoughts on yesterday’s game
The sense of relief around the Riverside when Boro scored was absolutely palpable, only for it to be completely deflated like a balloon bursting when Bristol City equalised.
Castledine’s goal was a thing of beauty, surely a contender for our goal of the season. He really must start at Blackburn, mustn’t he?
We were much better second half. Why? Not sure. Certainly, KH’s early subs, Strelec and Castledine, were effective. There was an injection of greater pace from somewhere and we built up momentum, which got the crowd on our side. How we didn’t score a couple more in that spell is mystifying and infuriating.
Strelec looked a much better player, something like what we thought we were getting, after Boro scored, as that automatically opened up the space for us to exploit as Bristol tried to recover. However, his miss was one of the worst I can remember and will surely haunt him, me and the rest of the crowd for a very long time, especially if we miss out on the automatic promotion slot. An experienced player like him should surely have feinted to shoot, sat the keeper down and walked the ball into the net! Let’s hope it doesn’t affect his confidence and that KH gives him further opportunities.
We had enough second half chances to put the game to bed comfortably, some of them golden. Again, the failure to sign an additional goalscorer might cost us dearly.
The EG gave Morris a 6. That is shocking. He was absolutely everywhere and was fantastic, his best game for us in my opinion. He was my clear MoM.
Bristol City came to spoil and spoil they did. They had 5 bookings, including Morsy. Quelle surprise! They showed no ambition at all first half, but in the second went very close twice with shots that went narrowly wide. Hearts in mouths moments.
But Boro had defended very well until added time. Then we got it so wrong. We suddenly went far too deep, and started hoofing the ball anywhere, rather than passing it in our normally composed game to a teammate to take it upfield, and therefore it just kept coming back at us. The introduction of Edmondson backfired badly. He mis-headed the ball back to Brynn but put it out for a corner., from which City equalised. The corner itself was poorly defended as somebody switched off. The presence of City’s keeper in our box may have distracted our defence, but maybe the presence too of an additional defender caused some confusion as to who was marking whom?
Our set pieces were still terrible, although we did try a couple of in-swinging corners for a change, which created a bit of havoc. More of those, please. But how ironic is it that the 3 goals we have conceded in our 4 home games have all come from set pieces - a free kick (Leicester), a long throw (Charlton), and a corner (Bristol). All 3 were very poorly defended.
KH’s moan about the 7 minutes of added time seems partially justified. Hackney was down receiving treatment for 1.5 mins approx (said Maddo), and there were multiple substitutions, but I estimate that at least 3 minutes were added on directly because of City’s appalling time-wasting tactics. It doesn’t seem fair that they should profit from their own dark arts. Then again, if you fail to defend a corner properly……… (I wrote this before reading KP’s last post above. I think you’ve got that just right, KP.)
Amazingly, we are still second and amazingly it’s still in our own hands. There will be more twists and turns. It’s Ipswich v Millwall next week. I’m putting it down as a draw in the Exmil challenge. That would probably suit us if we win at Blackburn.
The Bristol bogey curse is still alive and kicking. Now comes Blackburn, where we must absolutely lay their own curse to rest. It’ll be a tough game: they’re fighting for their Championship lives and beat Millwall away yesterday. 👍😊 Let’s hope yesterday’s loss of two points has not dented our confidence. Let’s hope the sight of 7000 Boro fans behind the goal will re-inspire us.
Boro's recent home form is a concern. Draws against Leicester, Oxford and now against Bristol City, with a defeat recorded against Charlton as the third in that run of 4 recent home fixtures, means a total of 3 points out of the last 12 on offer. Bearing in mind that all of those teams are currently struggling in the league, it would not have been unrealistic for a team second in the table and hopefuly aiming for automatic promotion to expect to win all four of those games. Even if there was an unexpected defeat (let's say the Charlton game which Boro lost anyway) if Boro had managed to convert that massive possession stat in all the games into simply ONE more goal in each of the other 3 games and/or simply managed to hold on for the win yesterday, Boro would now be 6 points better off. That would equate to second position, and only 1 point behind "runaway leaders" Coventry. Ipswich would have been EIGHT points behind Boro and presumably leading the Play-Off pack of teams.
It seems almost miraculous that Boro remains in second place, 2 points ahead of both Ipswich and Millwall but with Millwall having a game in hand. So presumably most of the other teams are also feeling the pressure.
Clearly Boro cannot expect the results elsewhere to keep going for Boro. At some stage, and I'm amazed that point hasn't already been reached, Boro will have to attend to Boro's own business. Boro must win games to secure promotion.
It felt like a punch to the stomach when an unchallenged header was powered into our net 6 minutes into injury time. The time added on was more than Bristol deserved. I think the header was the only attempt on target that Bristol had all afternoon. But the deflating result was all down to Boro, not the match officials. Nearly 69% possession again (that most misleading of stats) and 19 shots with an xG of 2.5 yet only 7 on target and only one goal from all that possession. Nine corners awarded but I never thought we'd score from one.
It was a similar story against Charlton: 77.8% possession, 34 shots (7 on target) and an enormous 86 touches in the opposition penalty area (compared to 7) yet Charlton scored the only goal that won the 3 points. So, in the last 2 games, Boro has had a total of 53 shots (14 on target) yet scored only 1 goal in the two games, whilst our opponents totalled a "mere" 4 shots (1 on target) for Bristol and 5 shots (2 on target) for Charlton. Boro's 14 shots on target were converted into only ONE goal in the two games whilst the opponents' THREE on target were converted into TWO goals - and 4 points! Other teams are clearly more efficient than Boro.
Perhaps Boro has been extremely unlucky. Or there are two other possibilities (1) Boro's defence isn't so good as we like to think with a high percentage of shots ending up in goals conceded and/or (2) Boro's attack is not as good as teams in the lower parts of the division. Imagine how many goals would have been conceded if Boro had to face 14 shots on target in the last 2 games rather than the 3 on target which were actually faced.
I'd have been MUCH happier with the 1-0 win that looked on the cards at 90+5 minutes until the team gave away an unnecessary corner kick and then allowed an unchallenged header in our penalty area. It may not have papered over all the attacking cracks but it would have meant 2 more points from that last game alone and therefore Boro would be four points clear of third place.
Of course had Strelec put his one-on-one away and if Browne had scored from what was probably about two yards out, all the hand-wringing would be irrelevant. "Annoying", "dispiriting", "upsetting" hardly seem to match the feeling. Boro may not be in such a position again for many years so it would be shameful to throw away the opportunity that has been presented. Hackney, for example, will not be here for a further promotion attempt next season if hopes are dashed this time around, and how often is a team like Boro expected to unearth players of Hackney's ability?
It really is about automatic promotion. You have the feeling that success in the Play-Offs is likely to be found at the feet of the team coming into the Play-Offs with momentum, on a charge and flushed with recent success. Not a team which has been in the Top Two virtually all season but finds itself disappointedly dropping out of the automatic places and into the Play-Offs at the end of the season, on the crest of a depressing slump.
Good post, dormo!
- Substitutions: The time taken from the referee signaling the sub until play restarts.
- Goal Celebrations: Any significant delay between a goal being scored and play resuming, which can often be 1–2 minutes per goal.
- Injuries & Treatment: The exact time taken for medical assessment and removal of players from the pitch.
- Penalty Kicks: The time from the penalty being awarded until the spot-kick is taken.
- Red Cards: The time taken from the offence occurring until the player leaves the pitch.
- Time-Wasting: Yellow cards issued for delaying the restart of play or deliberate time-wasting.
Reuters +4
- Maximum Subs: Many teams use all five substitutions, often in the second half, which adds over 2–3 minutes alone.
- Accumulated Delays: A few goals, injuries, and substitutions in the second half quickly add up to 7-8 minutes before any "time-wasting" is even considered.
- Referees' "Robust Approach": EFL officials are instructed to take a strong approach to time-wasting, adding on time for delays that might have been ignored in previous seasons.
- Additional Time Within Added Time: If a player fakes an injury or wastes time during the allotted 10 minutes of added time, the referee will continue to add more time”
- Multi-Ball System: To increase active play, EFL uses a multi-ball system, but this doesn't reduce the need to add time for stoppages.
- Stadium Clocks: Scoreboards and screen timers now run past 45 and 90 minutes to display the ongoing match time.
- Treatment Rule: Players requiring on-pitch treatment (with few exceptions) must receive it off the pitch, and the time taken is added on.
Facebook +3
@pedro - I think football supporters also look at this in a partisan way. It's fine for one's own team to "manage the game" but not fine for the opponents to "waste time". One becomes much more sensitive to perceived time wasting when one's own team is behind and the final whistle is not far away. Teams will amble up to take a throw-in, then leave it for a colleague to come up to take it, when their team is ahead, but players from a team behind on the scoreboard will rush to take a throw-in, and sustituted players will quickly leave the field to make way for a colleague when their team is behind and time is tight. Time wasting is more common in the second half than in the first half.
@forever-dormo WBA 2 v Middlesbrough 3. (Burgzorg)
THE FACTS DON’T LIE
It’s easy to say if Boro had scored one goal here or one more goal there then we would be cruising in second place. All teams can say that.
The facts don’t lie. Boro’s home form in terms of results is shocking. No wins in 4 games and only 2 goals scored.
There is no point blaming teams for putting 11 players behind the ball. It’s the most obvious thing to do to get a point or to win the game because no matter how much a team is outplayed, or have very little possession of the ball they know that over 90 minutes they will get a corner, or the chance of a breakaway goal or say a free kick just outside the penalty area.
A team , particularly one in the lower half of the table would be stupid to come and play an open game . In most cases it would guarantee a defeat.
So what Bristol did yesterday was the right thing to do . The emphasis was on Boro to find a way round it and they didn’t by creating too few chances and when they did have chances to score the players proved they are not good enough. I repeat - they do not have a natural goal scorer. And they made a mistake in defending the corner- Malanda was at fault and as the ball went into the net he was sat on his backside.
Compare this to Coventry who have 3 forwards who have all scored around a dozen goals each.That is why they and not Boro are top of the League.
So Boro have to concentrate and come up with different ways and different ways of scoring. One small point- when they warm up and have shots at goal why do the coaches effectively roll the ball in front of the player with an easy shot at goal? Why not throw balls at them at all angles both in the air and on the ground because that is what happens in reality in a game. I say this because I vividly remember Cantona of Man. Utd at Wembley in a cup final warming up away from all the other players spending all his time trying to score with balls being thrown at him from all angles. Midway through the second half a difficult chance came to him on the edge of the penalty area and with two touches he scored the only goal of the game.
just a few thoughts
philip of Huddersfield 🤔🤔🤔
@philip-of-huddersfield Would that cup final have been the 1996 one, between Man United and Liverpool? The one that was settled by a Eric Cantona goal with minutes to go?
Roy Keane's recollections of that from his first book are most interesting. The quote "Neutrals said the 1996 Cup final was a bore. Not if you were playing" sounds like a good summation, with Keane going on to highlight how his partnership with Nicky Butt set out to deny Liverpool "time and space", break up their "rhythm" and prevent Liverpool from "passing (United) to defeat".
That would surely have been a dent to Liverpool's confidence, and it likely meant that even when what looked like the most difficult or most unlikely of openings arose, Cantona was gifted enough to take advantage.
Cantona goal.
i feel you’re right about the goal. I mainly remember Cantona taking no part with the other players in warming up. He just did his own thing and it paid off.
philip
I was really disappointed with Boro in the first half but thought we were much better in the second. How Browne and Strelec - two of the players I’d trust most to finish their dinner - didn’t convert we’ll never know.
Recent home results have indeed been disheartening but we should also remember the brilliant wins at Birmingham and QPR. They were consecutive performances of real quality. We’ve lost something like three in the last thirteen overall.
Going forward, it’s tough to know what the remedy is without being able to change the squad. What I did think was that Conway looked like a serious prospect when moved out to the left, whilst Castledine looked the part as a 10.
Is there an option to maintain that in a 4-2-3-1 with McGree coming in off the right and Hackney (if available) alongside Morris behind?
Perhaps that gets the most creative players, and likely scorers, where they need to be, even if Strelec doesn’t really deserve to play ahead of Browne.
Perhaps I’m overly optimistic because I enjoy the way KH tries to get us playing but I still have us down for second as it stands.
Many thanks for the mention Jarkko it’s appreciated.!
Hopefully me and the Boro will get better over the next few weeks !
OFB
Having only seen the highlights all very disappointing again although we did seem to create many more chances than against Charlton. Couldn't believe we missed them. Thinking about goal scorers what has happened to Morgan Whittaker ? He is our leading scorer with 11, yet since his brace against Southampton on January 4th he has only one goal and 2 assists in the 11 games he has been on the pitch. Before Christmas he looked like the player we had been expecting when we signed him.
Hopefully Hackney will be fit for the next game. In previous games Gilbert has replaced Hackney. I hope this doesn’t happen next game as he is light weight, can’t tackle and lacks physical strength at this level The obvious replacement is Browne. I’d also start Castledine ahead of Whittaker who is currently not performing.
Presumably Blackburn will adopt a more attacking style of play which should suit Boro. A win is a must- we will probably be saying this ahead of every game to the end of the season. Ipswich are the biggest danger to Boro as they are currently picking up more points than Boro and pundits are always pointing out that they have the best squad.
philip of Huddersfield
philip of Huddersfield 🤔🤔🤔
There's a great photo in the Guardian today of West Ham's Mavropanos inadvertently blocking Haarland vicious strike with his face as Tomáš Souček looks on in empathetic pain - Haarland himself is sporting a rather ruthless half-smile as the ball deforms over his opponents face...
@jarkko I am with you, in the glass half full group, we hold 2nd place at the moment and yes if Ipswich (not Millwall) win their game in hand (Portsmouth away) they will go above us. Looking at the fixtures in part 2 of the challenge, to me the next match is very important, Ipswich v Millwall and Blackburn v Boro,both 12:30 kickoffs, the results from both those matches could be very pivotal and of course Millwall are at the Riverside in the following fixture, while Ipswich host Birmingham. I think there will be a couple more twists and turns in the last 8 fixtures including a couple of surprises involving the three contenders for the second spot.
Come on BORO.
EXMIL CHALLENGE - League Table - Part 1
The league table after Part 1 is available for scrutiny in the Social section, if anyone finds an error please let me know. Closing time for entries into Part 2 is 1900 tonight.
Come on BORO.
... and at about the same time I have just posted the current standings in the COTS challenge...
@exmil - I agree. There is time for a few more twists and turns before this season's Championship promotion race arrives at the finishing line.
And Werder's photo! I still remember the iconic photograph showing Big John Hickton heading the ball one damp and no doubt chilly day in the distant past. I have seen it shown again, a number of times since. You can see the ball (it would have been a "casey" as well!) flattened against John's forehead. But the one you have shown here is much worse and clearly massively more painful to the player concerned. The ball looks the sort of shape you might expect when Phobos crashes into the surface of Mars some fateful day in about 50M years.
Surely Mavropanos had to go off for treatment after that? "Have I still got a nose and is the jaw still there....?"
I think Mavropanos is still wearing the ball and has had to change his passport photo...