@jarkko But his crossing was woeful. Lots of effort, but little else from him.
First of all, one has to say, that Coventry are by a long way the best team in the division.
When Boro equalised and were on top, Lampard made his subs count, something our subs could not do. A big difference. The other obvious was it was two teams, little and large, and it showed, with Simms and their two CB’s both 6’ 4” or there abouts and very physical.
My main gripe is that we have reverted to Carrickball and where did that get us. It is possession, pass, pass, pass until the opposition has ten players behind the ball, very difficult to breach as we saw last season, and even this.
The truth is our forwards are just not good enough. If you do not score goals, then you will not eventually amass sufficient points.
I just do not see how Hellberg will be able change things around sufficiently with the current squad to start scoring goals that win us games.
I am sure he will want new arrivals in January, but it could be too late by then.
So Boro now 10 points behind Coventry - all down to the last six games really with Boro just one win and 6 points and Coventry with 5 wins. What cost that Conway miss and missing out on potentially 3 points - it could've been a different story with a gap of 4 points and 9 vs 12 points from the last six games.
Hellberg's task is to get points on the board during the next six games - there were some good signs last night and plenty to be optimistic about with McGree looking fit and Whittaker hitting form but work to be done on the final pass and putting the ball in the net - plus Boro looking vunerable on the counter too.
@pedro Did we watch the same match? We deserved at least a draw and we are second to only to Coventry in the league. We were pleayed very well yesterday.
Yes, we missed Fry badly and the other two injured centre half. Luckily his injury is not serius and we will have Malanda in January. He is ready to play immediately.
I look forward to the next match. Some minor tweaks needed and we are there. The table does not lie. Up the Boro,
When it was comical finishing v clinical finishing there was only going to be one winner
Looking at Viveash's 3 games in charge, you could definitely notice an improvement in the way Boro were able to build attacks and they appeared to move forward with more purpose. Perhaps the failure to execute deliveries and shots is not something a team coach can rectify quickly but the team was starting to find something of an attacking identity that was lacking under Edwards.
The question of how Hellberg will now look to approach the upcoming games will be interesting - with only a couple of days to prepare for Derby, it's hard to imagine he will be able to make any significant alterations. Then there's 6 days before the Friday game at Hull, which is quickly followed by a midweek trip to Charlton before the Saturday visit of QPR.
Perhaps what will be telling is who he opts to start with in what is likely to be a 4-2-3-1 formation. I think Hansen showed he had pace to worry defences and surely McGree will start and on form Whittaker is the only forward scoring goals at the moment. It would also mean only 2 from Hackney, Morris or Browne - with Morris the most at risk.
Maybe a change in who leads the line is due if Conway lacks confidence and composure in front of goal - unfortunately we don't have someone with the physical presence of Simms but chances will need to be finished if games are to be won.
Having slept since last night’s game, I’ve reflected on our performance. As good as it was, it’s obvious that we need a massive improvement up front - Whittaker is showing more potential and was unlucky not to score a beauty; his place in the side looks safe at the moment.
The other goal was scored by Coventry’s defender of course and we can’t rely on him every week. The move that led to Conway’s miss was just what we needed and superbly executed until TC turned into Lee Dong-Gook.
I’m optimistic for Saturday’s game - bring it on.
Until this season, Conway has looked to be a pretty reliable finisher in my opinion. He hasn't this.
I suspect that is down to anxiety due to the fact that genuine scoring chances have been much more limited this season, so each big chance counts for more. Most strikers at this level will miss at least two out of every three chances. If you only get one or two per game then the pressure to convert is that much higher. Of course he should have buried that barely miss-able one last night, he - and we - need more composure from him in those key situations, but the pressure would be taken off him a bit if he had more to go at.
Likewise the discussion around the quality of final ball. Undoubtedly that has been an issue but it's also true that the quality of the last pass HAS to be better if you've only got one teammate to hit in the box.
It's a difficult balance trying to get more bodies forward to create more and better chances, whilst trying to keep the back door shut as well. In previous seasons under Wilder and Carrick we moved to a more attacking setup which left us exposed. In Carrick's case it was generally pretty good until he lost the attacking quality, at which point we became both toothless and open. Edwards took us back to a solid base but with limited threat.
We'll soon see which side of the fence Hellberg sits on. It's still unclear to me what the quality level of our current crop of attacking players really is. Will they show themselves to be up to it if supported by attack-minded tactics? Or are they simply not good enough and playing more expansively will simply result in more goals conceded without the attacking uptick? Are the defenders as good as we thought they might be, if faced with a more expansive gameplan?
Lots of questions but we start from a solid position in the table at least. That's rarely the case when a new manager comes in.
I was at the Riverside last night and I thought it was a very entertaining game (not the result) with a lot of positives to take from it. Coming back from being 2 down in the first 15 minutes against a very good and clinical Coventry team, I thought after we equalised there was only going to be one winner, the 2 sucker punches were hard to take. Would they have scored 4 if we had Dael Fry playing, hard to predict. How did Hellberg and Selini view the game and players, it’s a very short period until Saturday against Derby. As I have said I am excited about the new coaching team (all 4) but I will not expect a complete change overnight, especially with our injury situation, I think it will take time for it to change with many twists and turns before the end of the season.
Come on BORO.
With reference to Tommy Conway's miss last night.
Strikers live in that spotlight where one missed chance can overshadow all the hard work they put in, and the media often amplifies that pressure. Conway is still young, his visible disappointment—shows how much he cares. That kind of hunger usually fuels a strong response in the next match.
It’s worth remembering that some of the greatest forwards in history—Henry, Shearer, Rooney—have all had games where they missed sitters and faced criticism. What defined them wasn’t the miss, but how they bounced back. If Conway channels that frustration into energy against Derby, he could turn the narrative completely around.
@malcolm I’d say what defined the three strikers you named, was their ability to be in the right place at the right time and the composure to put the ball in the back of the net when under pressure.
Whilst I definitely accept that the service provided to TC and his up front colleagues has been somewhat lacking, for me at least, he doesn’t look like a 20 goal a season striker at Championship level. I’d absolutely love to be proven wrong.
@jarkko I sincerly admire your support for MFC, the more so for not being born in the area.
Yes we did watch the same game, I was at the Riverside on this occasion and yes we did play well in parts, but certainly not in the first half when Coventry could or arguably should have scored four. I have a excellent view from that NE corner. And yes if TC had scored (although have not seen the replay yet) it could have been a different result.
As for Fry, yes again he is a miss with his extra height, but as to his injury, serious or not, one thing you can probably guarantee is that he will miss more games that he plays out of the next 29.
As for Lenihan, lets be honest, who actually expected him to play again this season and that should have been catered for IMO. As I said perviously, Edwards initially preferred 3 at the back. Unfortuanately it looks as though McCormack is not going to be a choice at LB or CB given our injuries. Hopefully though he may have more development in him.
As to what Kim Hellberg and Adi Viveash can do over the next few games is debatable. He certainly needs to stop the loss of points and get us climbing the form league tables, having now dropped to 18 from 14 over the last six games, and as werder pointed out we have only scored 7 and conceeded 11, although 4 were of course last night. But 7 in 6 games. Lets see where we are on December 31.
https://thefishy.co.uk/formtable.php?table=2&tab=tab-overall
I had written a comment on here, but was interrupted by the arrival of the plumber. I went back and then completed my post, but on pressing "send" it disappeared into the ether. My fault for leaving it for an hour or so, half-baked and on screen, unmolested for so long.
ANYWAY... I had intended to say how much I suspected a neutral observer would have enjoyed watching last night's game. There was lots of excitement and the result was in doubt until the last five (?) minutes. My impression was that Coventry City, the division's runaway leaders at this point in the season, looked (1) rapier-sharp up front, (2) attacked at speed and (3) seemed VERY big at the back. Those three attributes would not have described how Boro looked. In any sequence of 10 games where Coventry found its attackers in front of goal, say 10 times each game, Coventry would inevitably score more goals than Boro on the basis of what we saw and on the basis of Coventry's results so far this season. However, as Wrexham showed, Coventry is NOT unbeatable.
Boro might have beaten Coventry last night, having implausibly drawn level despite going 2-0 down after only a quarter of an hour. At that stage in the game, many observers would have feared a cricket score in favour of the away team. Yet Boro fought back, drew level with Coventry and for much of the second half there were occasions on which a Boro win seemed very possible. On about 80 minutes it seemed likely that Conway would shoot Boro into a 3-2 lead! Sadly that was not to be.
AND YET... Things are perhaps not as bad as initial impressions may give. Yes, there are injuries particularly in defence, and maybe Boro doesn't have the cover there that we would like. But clearly things are not grim. The club is not in free-fall. The team sat in second place before the match and now nestles in 3rd place only on goal difference behind Stoke City after that team's win yesterday. Clearly there must be a lot that is right with the team in those circumstances.
I would think the new management team must be licking its lips to come into post with a club in Boro's position. Most managers are appointed because their new team has had a catastrophic run of form, has hit financial/ownership problems, or it is a long distance from where the team expected to have been when the season began. None of those situations apply at Boro. If anything, the team has performed MUCH better than most of us would have predicted before the season began and, if anyone doubts that, just look at the COTS predictions we all made. If, as a group, we were betting people, it would look at this stage as though most of us had thrown our money away!
What I am saying is that whilst we may want an improvement in order to secure automatic promotion this season, the club's performances this season are at least in the correct ball-park. Imagine if the new management team can get just a few extra percent from the players. Goal attempts previously missed start to go in. We don't need to become Arsenal or Chelsea, just a slightly better, less error-prone and perhaps a little luckier (thinking of penalty decisions here) Boro. That CAN be achieved and it doesn't take massive change. It can't, can it, when the team is still third in the table? Tweaks rather than major surgery might be all that is required, together with a bit of managerial/coaching-inspired confidence.
Obviously it would help if the occasional striker could hit the proverbial barn door. It would also help if Boro's centre-back signed in the summer really became available and was in a position to hit the ground running when he joins the squad in January. (On which point an observer at the game, who attends all games home and away - his wife must never get to see him - mentioned in the concourse last night that Boro has already received a bid £8M more than we paid for him, for that player to move away without ever having pulled on a Boro shirt. I hope he is wrong about that! Promotion must be worth a LOT more than £8M).
Last night's result was disappointing, It was not devastating. I am not in despair. What hardly seemed possible at the start of the season is still a realistic rather than a very remote possibility. This could still be a season where dreams are realised.
Edit - all is good after the plumber's visit. A blockage in the gully into which the grey water from the kitchen, utility room, the dishwasher and the washing machine empty. That's before the water enters the under-ground drains which I had inspected and were clear! Surprising really, as I hadn't known all those pipes went to the same place. But it means that, for not much money, and after only a day and a half, everything appears now to operate properly again. The washing machine and diswasher are now both working away and the various sinks are available again, all before we ran out of cups, dishes and clean clothes!
For quit a number of seasons now the emphasis as been on bringing in technically gifted players, that's admirable,we want to entertain the fans is the cry , everyone buys into that idea ,
However, this league is unforgivable, you win this league by physically taking out your opponents, then allow your talented players to complete a win, for too long this team as been out fought , last night was proof, not bad tackles, no tackles at times, no chasing in many games ,and I'm talking a few seasons now.
Keiran Scott said Kim recognized the same issues,with the team they had, well didn't Scott bring these players in,
January is a bad time to change ,but whenever it does , a change in recruitment should start, a balance between skill and determination is required, Im an admirer of a number of our players, but I'd take the money from sales,
Id say we need five new players,with different attributes, our midfield and forward line not good enough as a collective, so some favourites have to leave, the defence need more help from those in front of them, and a formation has to be decided once and for all.
I don't want to be negative that's not my point ,these are my observations watching this league and Boro for a long time, We all want success, Sunderland (sorry) , basically fought their way to promotion,only one player from that team is in their side today,
Having had my rant, last night is not the end of the world, we matched them for the most part, but our inconsistency is a big problem, that's why we've missed out too many times, top six at best ,if we sign a different kind of Centre Forward , trouble is wages for a Premiership attacker ,even one not getting a regular game is phenomenal.
Maybe Kim's a Clop , COB
I was reading that and was being taken in by the amount of effort that someone had gone to to pull that all togather. Then I read the bit that says "The reality is, if Conway - a 22-year-old homegrown striker - was..." and realised that this was clearly another auto-generated piece parading as journalism.
Don't get me wrong Malcolm, I am not calling for Conway's head or disputing the postion you set out much more eloquently in your own words previously, just highlighting another example of why I shouldn't follow the click-bait to go to the Gazette's online site.
@powmillnaemore Agree my friend.
The chap was Kim Hellberg's dad. A picture of him in the ärticle of the Echo.Who is the chap sitting next to Gibbo? The eldery man with white (gray) hair?
Still game on. We have had more of the ball, but they are lethal and score for fun. They are dangerous. Up the Boro!
So it was aformer player (and a coach) - but from Sweden 🤣. Up the Boro!
Derby will be a difficult game as they are on an exceptionally good run of form and we are not.
What can we expect? A tired team after the physical efforts of Tuesday or invigorated by a new coach ?
I don’t expect a lot of change in personnel or style of play simply because the new coach can only have had 2 training sessions and to make big changes would be unwise at this stage.
What we can expect is a home crowd who will do everything they can to get Boro over the line.
Philip of Huddersfield 👍🤔
I realise the readers of this Blog will also be regular readers of (1) the primary legislation (statutes) relating to motor vehicles and (2) delegated legislation (when the relevant Secretary of State will, under powers granted to him in the relevant statute, lay before Parliament a set of rules and regulations giving detailed requirements to satisfy safety and other concerns relating to those vehicles). A breach of the specifications in the Regulations will amount to an offence under the relevant section of the primary legislation. This often, if not usually, lays the motorist open to fines, an endorsement on the driving licence and, ultimately to a disqualification from driving under the "totting-up" provisions or if the breach is a particularly serious one.
The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations set out specifications as to tyres, brakes, lights, loads that may be carried and other aspects of those motor vehicles' use. You will be aware that some motorists doctor the registration (number) plate on vehicles to approximate their name or to give the impression of other words that they wish to exhibit, using a combination of letters and numbers. The Regulations include definitions of the size, shape and thickness of the registration plate characters, and the spaces that must exist between them in order to avoid inappropriate alteration of the letters and numbers to prevent obscene number plates and to ensure that they can safely be read when a guilty driver speeds away from the scene of his crime.
So a number plate with swear words in it, or which spells out VILLA FAN or spells out TW**T No 1 should be illegal, Imagine my mate's surprise this morning to be driving into Teesside behind a vehicle whose number plate showed J14RKO. Now, if you squeeze the second and third characters together they can be made to look like an "A". Accepting it isn't always possible to get ALL the letters and numbers together for less than a 5 figure sum, he wondered whether our very own JARKKO had managed to get a personalised number plate for his car, and then drove it to Teesside without warning any of us of his visit.
It is a long shot. But even shots from your own team's half sometimes go in the opposing team's goal.
FD: remember that exchange we had some time ago (last year?) about the Kit Williams hare? Here's what you might call the coda:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c87ld115ndvo
Good to know that it's remained in the UK.
@stircrazy - I certainly DO remember that earlier exchange and it was good to have the story updated. Thanks!