Boro v Ipswich Town.
Friday 17 October, 20.00
Ah, the Tractor Boys. Not their official nickname, you understand, but so much more evocative than just ´Town’ and much more colourful than ‘The Blues.’ Anyway, it’s a name Ipswich fans revel in now, apparently, much as we happily adopted Smoggies. And what could be more of a contrast than the Smoggies versus the Tractor Boys? Dirty hands meet dirty wellies. Heavy industry meets gentleman farmers! And Ed Sheeran.
I’ve long envied those of you who are able to incorporate various funny bits and puns as threads running through your starters, but I’m hopeless at that. So how could I approach the Tractor Boys and keep it light-hearted?
I wondered which side McKenna might field. How will he combine their talents? Does he have a crop of good youngsters? Does he play the kids? Are they still a bit green and tender or have they sprouted maturely? Is he a horses for courses manager, or does he rotate his crop successfully?
I wondered if Town will be cowed by Boro and turn up like lambs to the slaughter, or will they come at us like a bull at a gate? I’m expecting them to play cultured football, not agricultural, hoof-it-up stuff.
Are they at a fork in the road in their season, or do they have confidence in spades? Will they chicken out of heavy tackles, or will they cook our goose?
It’s not quite true that Town’s strikers couldn’t hit a barn door last season, though they didn’t score many in the Prem. Their fans probably felt they wouldn’t score till the cows came home. Liam Delap ploughed a bit of a lone furrow and the team went through fallow periods where they didn’t get any points.
Hoe, hoe, hoe. Enough of this idle banter. There’s a hell of a game coming up Friday!
A home game against relegated Ipswich, the promotion favourites, isn’t the ideal match we would have chosen for a reset. Kieron McKenna did a brilliant job in taking them from League One to the Premiership in successive seasons. He couldn’t keep them up last year, of course, but remains very much at the helm. They were tipped as one of this season’s favourites to go straight back up, but haven’t yet quite hit the heights they reached in our league two seasons ago. Nonetheless, I’m sure they’ll provide another formidable challenge, as they’ve started to get into their stride.
They’ll come to The Riverside on the back of a 3-1 win over arch rivals, Norwich. It was Town’s first Old Farm derby win for an incredible 16 years, though we must say that for many of those years the two clubs have been in different divisions. No doubt the win will have boosted their morale and confidence and they’ll come fired up. It moved them up to 9th and they now have 13 points. Ipswich have only lost once so far, a 1-0 defeat at PNE. No shame in that! They’ve played one game less than everyone else following the 80th minute abandonment of their game at Blackburn when they were down to ten men and losing 1-0.
After a slow start to life back in the second tier, the Tractor Boys began to find momentum in September, claiming seven points from a possible nine to stay unbeaten, including a 5-0 demolition of Wilder’s woeful whipping-boys, a 2-1 win over Portsmouth and a 1-1 draw at Bristol City. As a result, McKenna was named Championship manager of the month for September. They’re on a good run of form, then, and clearly no mugs. This is a really tough test. Though if this were Boro being awarded the manager of the month gong, we’d probably expect to lose, so there’s hope!
Ipswich apparently have serious financial backing, and have kept much of their Premier League squad together, as well as others who went up with them from the Championship. ‘It's a solid blueprint for how to handle parachute payments- invest in continuity rather than panic,’ (quoted from the article on EFL estimated wage bills.) It reminds me of the Burnley model, which worked very well for them for a time under Sean Dyche.
A front three of Jadon Philogene, George Hirst and Sammy Szmodics looks fearsome, and they have Chuba Akpom and Jack Clarke in reserve. We’ll need to keep close tabs on left-back, Leif Davis, who created loads of chances with his wand of a left foot last time they were in our division. He’s a sort of Ryan Giles Mark 1, but might hopefully resemble Mark II when it comes to defending.
This home game takes us to the 10-game point, the benchmark against which we all set our early expectations under Powmill’s COTS challenge. As with everybody else, I am delighted that Boro surpassed my miserable prediction of 12 points some time ago, and despite a recent dip in form, most of us are very happy with our exciting and high-flying start to the season.
Defensively we remain pretty sound, in contrast to many a previous season. I have few worries about our defence, apart perhaps that some players are injury-prone. But we’re all a bit concerned that Boro are misfiring up front currently. We’ve managed just 12 goals from 9 games. This is understandable, perhaps, as new players settle down - and into a new life and league as far as Sène, Hansen and Strelec are concerned - and while the manager embeds his systems and works out his best eleven. Some of this drought is undoubtedly also due to the fact that we’re not creating chances: - nobody in the midfield or at wing-back is yet supplying the ammunition we need to get through or behind the tight defences such as we met against Pompey, which is of greater concern. We all acknowledge that these are worrying signs and we need the attack to click very soon, or we may need to lower our expectations for the season.
Who is going to provide the creativity, especially now Azaz has gone? Hackney can put pinpoint passes through a defence, but sometimes plays too far back. Hansen might be capable of it but we’ve yet to see him do so, and Nypan definitely has the talent but is still getting up to speed and has been a bit inconsistent so far. So, ultimately, a fit and firing McGree might be the answer; we know he can be very creative, so let’s hope that this time when he comes back he is much stronger and able to last many more games. We might see him on the bench against Ipswich, but I doubt he’ll start.
We have definitely lacked width of late. Len made the point on the Pompey thread that we signed Hansen as a winger, but at Portsmouth he played as an auxiliary striker/ attacking midfielder. Perhaps we should try him at right wing? There was discussion on that thread too about Silvera and the width he offers; I’d be fine with that, occasionally, but NOT on the right - against Stoke he got into some good positions but let himself down with his crosses, all of which came from his weaker right foot. Then there’s Whittaker, but he always drifts inside onto his left foot rather than going round the full-back. Where are Ben Doak and Isaiah Jones when you need them?
The international break might have given Edwards the chance to do some intensive training on attacking moves, but Hansen, Sène, and Strelec have all been away with their national teams. The first two will play their final games on Tuesday night before returning. Kaly will return from Senegal and Sontje from far distant Curaçao. David appears to have the best chance of recovery by Friday as Slovakia have what should be an easy home game against Luxembourg on Monday. I’d definitely start with him, but we shall have to wait and see whether any of them will be deemed ready to start on Friday evening. Aidan Morris has also been on international duty; RE may decide to rest him initially with Alan Browne coming in to replace him.
Let’s hope the Tractor Boys come a cropper. If Boro score more than one, that will be a turnip for the book. But let’s make hay while the sun shines and soil their away record. Let’s send them home with their tails behind them, like Little Bo Peep‘s sheep! Let’s plant the seed for another bumper run of results.
Superb Clive. Another fabulous and witty opener. You really have belied your own self-deprecation: you are anything but hopeless when it comes to delivering a puntastic opener that stays well and truly on the ball. Well done. This really is the blog that continues to separate the wheat from the chaff.
I am looking froward to the game on Friday, as much to see how the Boro will react to the drop in form experienced before the international break. Depsite that we have had some key members of the squad away on international duty, we have many more that were not and so the coaching team will have had a great opportunity to work on reigniting the spark and on getting everyone more accustomed to how to play together effectively.
Of course, just as we started to look a little less effective, the Farmer Boys started to find a little bit of form. So, just as Boro's form dipped a little after RE was nominated Manager of the Month for August, we must hope that the curse of the award will blight Ipswich's chances for a week or two, especially given the International Break was perfectly timed to interrupt any momentum they were gathering.
Let us all hope it is Boro bringing home the bacon at ten to ten on Friday evening.
Brilliant, Clive. Thanks so much.
Hopeless, you don’t know the meaning of the word Clive, that was a superb piece of penmanship; a most amusing and enjoyable read thank you.
A stuttering Boro versus a resurgent tractor boys with aspirations of bouncing straight back to the PL should be a cracking match and one I fear that we will have to be at our very best.
I am expecting it to be a very tight game and probably only one goal between the sides; fingers crossed it is us. CoB. 😎
I’ve inadvertently put my Ipswich starter in the wrong year! DOH! Sorry! Could you possibly move it to 2025-26 for me?
Thank you.
Great opener Clive. Currently in Ipswich visiting in laws. They are all Ipswich fans and you'd think that they had won the World cup after beating Norwich. They have spent an large amount of money this season but made over 60 million from the transfers of Delap and Hutchinson. Amongst their purchases was Sindra Walle Egli, a Norway Under 21 teammate of Nypan. He cost 17.5 million a record fee paid by a Championship club. He is 19 and came from a Danish club. He has played 173 minutes so far this season. You mentioned that Kaly Sene was on international duty, I have just checked and he has never played for Senegal and should be available on Saturday. Although Nypan may be back later than expected as he has been called up to the full Norway squad and the don't play until Friday evening in Oslo.
@clive-hurren A great starter including many superb puntastic elements.
I may not get to see the game on Friday (obviously I’ll do my best to view it on my phone if necessary). A win would be a massive tonic and get our season back on track.
Consummately professional writing Clive.
Your puns are particularly good because there are so many of them embedded within a perfectly coherent surface It highlights how deeply engrained farming metaphors are within football journalism. We just take for granted that strikers might plough a lone furrow or be incapable of hitting a barn door or that a team might play agricultural football. So, as with all cliches, the mental images that metaphors were intended to provoke just don't get triggered. By connecting so many of them together within a relevant contextual narrative you have brought dead language back to life.
Great stuff and very enjoyable
Thanks Clive for a great opening piece which I enjoyed reading.
Hope they turn out to
be full of sh!! these tractor Boys !
OFB
@clive - No need to be shy with a Match Preview like that! I am sitting in my caravan looking up Loch Broom and reading your piece was a much sunnier experience than looking outside.
A bathroom shower is calling. Then a trip to Ullapool for a paper and a few other items. Yesterday for our evening meal we had mackerel caught in the loch by friends of my sister-in-law a few hours earlier. Glorious. They have a pizza and pasta restaurant in Ullapool but I think often or usually close on Mondays to go fishing! Might delay a trip to Lochinver, its famous Pie Shop and nearby Achmelvich beach and/or a trip to Scourie beach and the fish larder/shack there until later in the week when the sun comes out again. I can read the replies to your Preview later today.
Boro - distant from here but not forgotten.
@mw-in-darwin I think you will find Norway (incl Nypan) play a friendly against New Zealand tonight and not Friday 🤔.
Come on BORO.
Quite correct the Norway game finished 1-1 tonight. Nypan played the last 9 minutes.
He should make it back to Teesside by Wednesday evening and, having only played nine minutes, be available to play Friday night. Srelec also finished his international commitments quite early in the week and so one could imagine a front three of Srelec, Conway and Nypan.
Other returnees are more dubious. The USA v Australia game kicks off at 2am Wednesday UK time) and so Morris couldn't expect to be back before Thursday afternoon. The timing for Hansen is similar. Both players are on the bench. Sene has a trip back from Senegal but doesn't seem to have played in either game.
UTB
Morris came off the bench for 14 minutes in a 2-1 win and Hansen stayed on the bench in Curacao's 1-1 draw with Trinidad.Hansen is less likely to make it in time than Morris, as there are not many flights to Europe from Curacao, whereas Denver is better served to the UK.
Selwyn and MW
Brilliant updates, gentlemen. Thanks for keeping us all informed, right down to flight availability
What a fantastic blog this is !
Ipswich will be fancying their chances of winning on Friday by continuing their recent unbeaten run of 3 wins and 2 draws totalling 11 points. So they will be coming with an attitude of more of the same.
By comparison Boro only have 1 win , 3 draws and a loss in their last 5 games and have gained only 6 points . So their plan is to do things better, perhaps change their style of play and try to get back to winning.
So, I’m expecting a tight game. Should Boro lose or play as badly as in their last game then it might be a bit of doom and gloom.
On the other hand, a win and it will be Boro are back on track.
Such is the mood change of many supporters. Which will it be ? I’ve no idea but feel a little bit apprehensive looking at their choice of forwards.
As always I’d be pleased with 1-0
Philip of Huddersfield 🤔🤔🤔
Before people get too despondent prior to Friday’s home game against Ipswich, I think they should think back to their 10 match predictions, only two people had us as having as high as 18 points and we still have one match to go.
As the song goes 🎶Always look on the bright side of life de dum de dum🎶.
Come on BORO.
@lenmasterman Do we have any ideas about the in-flight meals or the in-flight movies...?
What a great opener from Clive, the man is a genius.
Just catching up on all of the posts, fantastic contributions by all. Thank You.
Tractor boys? They'd feel quite at home just outside Ullapool. The lane off the main road to where my caravan is parked takes me between (occupied) sheep fields on both sides and I hear the clank as vehicles cross the cattle grid about 150 yards away, next to the farmhouse and outbuildings. The area between Dingwall (with its large cattle mart on the edge of town) on the east coast, Muir of Ord and Beauly and then Garve which is inland is certainly agricultural in use. The nearby farm which I could easily hit with a gentle lob from one of the windfall pears on the grass outside my caravan is run by a chap who has been (still is?) a major participant in sheepdog trials.
Yesterday gave an opportunity to re-visit Lochinver and the famous Lochinver Larder (famous if you like all variety of pies to eat in as part of a meal, or to take away). I took a veggie option of mushroom, chestnuts and red wine pie with roast potatoes, peas and an onion gravy (knowing that sausages would be making an appearance for my evening meal), whilst my wife had pork and apple pie with salad. A dessert pie would have been too much so a fine-looking pear, almond and chocolate pie accompanied us back "home" and is currently resting in the 'fridge. After Lochinver we had a trip over to close-by Achmelvich beach which, in the sunshine, would have been picture-perfect.
Today MIGHT be the Fish Shack at Ullapool for lunch. We will see.
I know there has been some international football (is it over yet?) but I haven't paid much attention to that. I know that I will still be in the North West Highlands for the visit by Ipswich on Friday evening so my thoughts will be at The Riverside even though my body will be elsewhere.
What will happen on Friday is anybody's guess. I agree earlier comments that the International Break came at a convenient time for Boro. Ipswich's team had been showing signs of coming to terms with life in The Championship and will surely be amongst the group from which the promoted teams will emerge, whilst Boro's breakneck start to the season had started to falter before the defeat at Portsmouth. Much will depend on how much work RE has been able to do with the players left on Teesside (no doubt they will have been given SOME time off) and on the effects their games & travel have had on the players who have been away on international duty. Clearly the possibilities are endless.
But you have to hope that the coaching team will have had the opportunity to reassess where things have been going well and where improvement is needed. It almost seems harsh to say there might be improvement when the team lies second in the table but we all know that early momentum has subsided and much depends on whether the team can recover tightness at the back with rediscovering how to score. A win and we will all feel enthused and perhaps even confident for the rest of the season. A defeat might put us back into the pack depending on results elsewhere.
Football, eh? Dreams and hopes smothered in the sort of mist that this morning has brought, up here. Let's hope the sun can break out instead, both here and on the football pitch.
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2025/october/16/middlesbrough-fc-s-new-crest/
Does it look familiar 🤔.
Come on BORO.
I like it
Why, thank you, PJ! I’ve been called many things in my time, but genius certainly wasn’t one of them……..
And thank you all for your kind comments. Much appreciated.
I’m away in Spain this week, enjoying some warm October sunshine. Sorry! I’m hoping to catch the game on Sky Go tomorrow evening. If not, I’ll be relying on the EG and text updates from my brother up in the North Stand. Come on Boro, get us these 3 points!
I like it, too!
Enjoy your break, Clive
I had our old badge tattooed on my ankle after 29/02/2004, then the club changed the shield, so I’m pleased that the new one is quite similar to the original.
Have you seen this video already?https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2025/october/16/middlesbrough-fc-s-new-crest/
Does it look familiar 🤔.
Come on BORO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey6yi3dN8Ak
Up the Boro!
Great stuff Clive and many thanks for sowing the seeds of enthusiasm with a clever well-paced opener to get us back from what has felt a very long international break - though that may be down to my rather time-consuming project that has kept me more than busy since that last game - still another long day ahead before I can settle down for the game!
Anyway, this is an important game for Boro after ending on low before the break and losing their unbeaten run. It will certainly get us back on track if we can get all three points tonight but has the coaching team managed to work out how the team can evolve as an attacking threat?
With many of the key players missing over the break it may be down to a few minor tweaks but the key for me is somehow getting Sene, Strelec and Nypan working together as they've all got a high level of ability and offer something different individually. Although, what I do expect is more intensity than what we saw at Portsmouth.
One win in the last 5 may be a worry but if you look at the top of the table, few teams have managed more than that so it's appears to still be an early season feeling their way in to the campaign for many. Time to kick on before some of the others get into the groove - though Boro still on 2 points per game so can't complain really...