Not sure where we go from here. I feel like we are depending on other results to go for us (which they didn’t tonight) rather than taking control of our own destiny. A real lack of urgency, build up play was ponderous, predictable and lacked creativity. Really disappointing. We were very easy to play against and we badly need an away win now whereas if our home form was decent, we would have more margin for error. Ipswich can catch us with their games in hand but I would still rather have the points at this stage of the season. It is going to be a rollercoaster ride. UTB
Not the result we wanted, especially after the disappointment of the previous two games but I actually found it quite enjoyable to watch. Both teams trying to win but neither really doing enough and mistakes aplenty. It was nervy and tense and felt like another goal was coming without knowing at which end.
How Leicester have got themselves third from bottom with their squad I will never know.
Whilst we had several nearly moments we didn’t deserve to win overall and a point was fair.
We’ve lost a bit of fluency in attack after that six game winning run was halted and also started to chuck in a few defensive errors, with Ayling all of a sudden looking a liability. Maybe it’s time to give Fry a run.
I still think we’re a quality striker short of being the real deal but hopefully we’ve got enough to stay in the top two. We’ll see.
We all knew that our Coventry game was going to be hard and given we cannot beat them, hoped for draw. But then we had two eminently winnable home games. Big crowds, something for the fans to cheer and what did we get. Dross.
Two clueless games that we looked more like losing than winning. What is happening, what is Hellberg doing. Three games doing the same thing, playing the same way, achieving the same result. Nothing to shout home about.
Has our Manager of the Month been cursed, or has he been lucky. Teams have found us out and Hellberg does not have a plan B. It really does look more of the Carrick of last season.
OK, in his defence one could argue and the same for Edwards, that Scott and his recruitment team have let both Coaches down with the incoming players at the sharp end.
Hamilton, Sene, Hansen, Nypan, Strelec and now Sarmiento. (I do hope there is a get out of buy clause, because you see now why Ipswich and Burnley did not sign him). I won’t count Castledine because he has been injured since he came more or less.
None of the above are first team pick Championship players, not for a club looking to get promoted. And we have now read what KH thinks of Hansen.
At this moment in time and looking forward, could we actually see us beating Birmingham. Could you see us beating anyone, because to do so we need to score goals.
I think Coventry will win the league and Ipswich will overhaul the Boro shortly. That would leave us in the pack and playing in the Lottery Play Offs. I fancy Southampton, they are getting up a head of steam.
Of course Hellberg could prove me wrong, but I certainly would not put money on it.
- @pedro - Have I missed something: comments made about Hansen by the manager? What has been said?
- I feel deflated after that game. Two points out of the last 9 and whilst the first game away to Coventry was no disgrace (most teams lose there), any team hoping for automatic promotion must expect to beat two teams in the relegation mire AT HOME.
- The last two games were a lost opportunity. Look where Boro would have been with those four extra points discarded against struggling Oxford and Leicester in the bank.
Is the writing on the wall? I hope not...
@mw-in-darwin - Thanks for that. A transparent and honest Head Coach - "Who'd a thunk it?"
Ipswich are six points behind. Still very tight although their game with Hull means that someone has to drop points and we have to go to Portman Road.
I'm not trying to be over-optimistic but I would point out that our last three games have been
1. Coventry City - best team in the division with squad worth nearly double ours.
2. Oxford Utd - hats off to a team who played a top class defensive game. We're at fault for not scoring but they played their game plan brilliantly.
3. Leicester - parachute payment relegated side who have a top class squad. Quite what has been going on internally at the club is hard to fathom. They matched us very well except for the last twenty minutes when we were camped around their penalty area except for the few breakouts that they made that had me hiding behind the metaphorical coach.
Unfortunately, we have another tough game coming up and we've just about run out of leeway for the automatics. We have to start winning again.
UTB
I understand the disappointment but I do feel some of the reaction might be a bit OTT.
It’s only a few games ago that we were on our best winning streak for a decade, and it’s 20pts from the last 10 games - promotion winning form over that more meaningful sample size.
No doubt it’s a bit streaky. We won four in a row under Hellberg, then didn’t win for four, then won six in a row, now haven’t won for three.
To some degree it’s just the up and down, inconsistent nature of being a Championship club but the same will apply to those around us.
The squad isn’t perfect but we’re where we are on merit and I give us every chance of completing the job.
@andy-r I still think we’re a quality striker short of being the real deal but hopefully we’ve got enough to stay in the top two. We’ll see.
I totally agree. Most on here have called for one and I think Mr Gibson would have made money available for the right quality loanee. I don’t think there would have been the money for a 10+ million buy.
Then others have called for a good direct player, a Ben Doak type. So what are these underwhelming forwards that Scott has brought us. Were not Hamilton, Hansen and Sene supposed to be something like that? And Sarmiento just flatters to deceive.
If we do not take this golden opportunity we have been given, then next season could see our team unwind. The best players cherry picked and not being able to get rid of those nowhere good enough.
Would you trust Scott to be able to rebuild the squad.
I have never felt this disappointed and frustrated in a long, long time.
Well that was very disappointing, the team lacks pace and as a result by the time we are in opposition territory they have 10 or 11 men behind the ball resulting in lots of sideways and backwards passing to no effect. Looks like teams may have worked us out as an aside Ayling had a very poor game and was lucky ky not to give 2 goals away, give him a rest, but if Fry plays the build up slows down even more 😒
Their fans singing premier league you are having a laugh rings very true.
PS Are the team told not to shoot
This morning I have woken up disapointed, but not in despair. We are well in the mix and the time for despair or elation is the end of April or early May, not the end of February.
I could see a lot of tired looking legs last night and the upcoming International break is perhaps coming at just the right time for us (I never thought I would ever utter such a profanity). Oxford's record against the top sides this season speaks for itself and Leicester, despite their lowly position, have far too much quality to be seriously considered relegation candidates. Going by the table, and only by the table, we might ave expected a much better return from the last 3 games. Going by the reality of what each of those teams is and what they are facing, then it was unreasonable to expect we would beat Oxford and Leicester. No easy games in the Championship, remember.
Not every team will be able to play at the pace of Coventry and Leicester and with the tenacity of Oxford..... in fact not very many that we have left to play. We are 2nd on merit at this point and I remain confident we can still be there come the end of April.
Obviously you don't win six games in a row and go top without being a decent side but at the same time opposition managers will be doing their homework on how best to play against us. As well as the tactic of dropping deep defensively, teams are also pressing our players to make it harder for them to breakout from defence.
Perhaps more variation is needed other than the occasional long ball from Brynn for someone to chase if you are make defenders not get so close in the midfield. The other problem is some players like Morris often stop the forward movement of the ball in favour of a safe pass sideways or backwards - this then allows the opposition to get back into defensive position and then it's back to probing on the edge of the box.
It's been disappointing to see most of the summer signings not getting up to speed and they don't still look match fit - which is unsurprising given their lack of minutes. Though I thought there were some signs of encouragement with Strelec making runs into the box even if his execution was still not sharp as it is needed.
I'd be inclined to start with Conway and Strelec rather than Whittaker and have the latter as a bench option who could make a better impact in the last 30 minutes. A match-fit Strelec is probably our best option of having a target in the box - Sene looked quite sharp in September/October but hard to see how he gets the minutes he needs now for the last 12 games to make him effective.
Hellberg will know who is up to standard more than anyone but this is not the time to start dropping points. The March fixture don't look too demanding and winning 4 of those 5 is not beyond Boro - it's what they must do if they want a top two finish.
Hi Diasborians
unfortunately still have health issues and unable,to,do,match preview for QPR away
SORRY !
HOPE TO BE BACK SOON
OFB
I’m really sorry to hear you’re still not well, Bob. I do hope, as we all do, that you will soon be feeling much, much better, and back firing on all cylinders, on here, at the match, and in life generally. Don’t worry about the preview - it will get sorted. Your health is the most important issue. Take care.
Fellow bloggers: I would offer to take on the QPR preview but I’m down to do the Charlton one immediately afterwards. Any offers?
@powmillnaemore - Whilst accepting we can't rely on there being any easy games in The Championship, and whilst accepting both that Oxford has a good record this season against top Championship teams and that Leicester has quality in its squad, I do NOT accept it was unreasonable to expect Boro to beat Oxford and Leicester.
Both those two games were at home. Boro has a very good record at home. Boro has just recently come off a six-game winning streak ended only by defeat away to the team many have been saying for most of the season is the best team in the league. Oxford was 2nd bottom and Leicester 3rd bottom in the division whilst Boro has recently been top. Even after the disappointment of the last 3 games Boro remains in second place. If Boro supporters can't expect to win home games in those circumstances, when can they?
To return to a theme visited previously, if Boro is realistically to be considered an automatic promotion candidate (and from holding a Top Two position for much of the season so far, that seems an acceptable view to hold) then beating teams from the relegation fray at home, would be expected. Or to look at it another way, if Boro really is to be an automatic promotion team, then it might be expected to perform in relation to other Championship teams just as Arsenal and Manchester City perform against lower Premier League teams. I use those teams because they are the Top Two in the Premier League. That's not to say those two teams will always steamroller their lower opponents. O 18th February Arsenal "only drew" away to Championship-bound and bottom of the table Wolves. However Arsenal did follow that up on 22nd February with a 4-1 win away to Spurs (5th bottom and only above the relegation places by 4 points)
I'm not suggesting taking games for granted. Obviously not all games go to plan. Just ask Inter Milan about that after crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Bodo Glimt. BUT when Arsenal or Manchester City play at home they expect to win all games even if they sometimes fall short. When they go away, even to higher ranked teams, they still expect and play to win. Most times they will succeed. If you are to finish in the Top Two, winning most of your games is par for the course. If it is not, you will end up lower down the league rather than being automatically promoted.
The team may have fallen from its horse but it is still possible to remount and ride on from here. Let's hope that happens, starting in the next game. Away from Birmingham will not be an easy game. But if you can't get over the line at home to bottom three clubs, there will only be harder games to follow.
As far as last night’s game is concerned, I’m very much with Andy and Powmill. I think we are still in a fantastic position and I can’t really accept criticism of KH, which seems to me unwarranted after all he’s achieved. I still think we are much better than most sides in the division. Ipswich have to win their two games in hand to catch us (although we still have to go there) and their form recently has been indifferent. They shipped five goals at Wrexham!
It was an enjoyable game last night played by two good sides. Boro started at a blistering pace that felt as if we might blow Leicester away, but their goal (poorly defended) took the wind right out of our sails and it took us until the last 10 minutes of the half to recover. Throughout the game we got behind their defence on numerous occasions, but were unable to find the killer pass apart from McGree’s lovely equaliser.
Make no mistake, this was a Leicester side whose league position appears totally false. They played some lovely, slick, enterprising football. They were no doubt inspired by their new manager, the experienced Gary Rowett, and their ex-Prem quality showed through - I counted 8 players across last night’s team and used substitutes who played with them in the Prem. In other circumstances, were it not for a mini-slump, the fact that we put them under significant pressure at times and earned a merited point would be rated a positive achievement.
Keep the faith.
@original-fat-bob. Sorry to hear that you are still struggling with health issues. Sending you best wishes and hoping you will be feeling better soon and back to the Riverside to cheer the lads on in person shortly. 😎
Another disappointing if not surprising night as a number of us were expressing pre match concerns about our recent form and inability to score, coupled with our predisposition to let in easy goals.
It is beginning to seem like the end of season 1 under MC or shaping up to replicate the blades outcome of last season; I truly hope not but I am not seeing any easy solutions or alternate strategies to offer assurances that this is just a blip rather than it being the opposition has worked out how to counter our strengths and we have not come up with a plan to address.
It is still in part in our hands but I wouldn’t bet against Ipswich winning their two games in hand at Hull and Portsmouth.
Werder has mentioned that March’s fixtures don’t look too demanding but include two teams, Bristol and Blackburn, who we struggle to beat home or away.
We really could do with going on a non losing run between now and the end of the season starting at Birmingham, ideally with a win; I don’t want us to end up in the lottery that is the play offs. 😎
No post-match interview with KH last night on the MFC website. Unusual.
Yes I am disappointed with a draw, some are blaming KH, some the players, some the officials, some are saying we should be beating Leicester but I think the main reason is werdermouth wrote the pre match introduction 😱 😂😂😂. Hopefully it’s his last of this season 😂😂😂.
Come on BORO.
I’d definitely agree with earlier comments that Leicester look far too good to be in the relegation zone.
Who knows where we go from here? What I do know is that we’d have taken where we are now, at the start of the season - it’s surely too early on this, the most realistic and supportive of fan forums, to start criticising KH already.
There were certainly negatives from last night’s game, and not just LA’s performance, but we win, lose or draw as a team. A win against Birmingham and we’ll be all smiles again. As Wigan Athletic’s fans are oft heard to say, Keep the Faith!
I'm sure everyone will be looking forward to seeing how my final preview impacts on the promotion race - not to worry it's only Ipswich away...
@martin-bellamy - I feel very disappointed about the results in the last two games. Having said which I agree with you, Martin. If I had been offered second place in the league at this time of the season I'd had bitten your hand off. Remember that I had guessed about 8th (or it may even have been ninth) for Boro's end-of-season position. This season, despite the grumpiness resulting from the last two home results, is turning out MUCH better than I anticipated.
SHEFFIELD 1. COVENTRY2
A massive result for Coventry in a thrilling game. They were lucky to be 0-0 at half time as Sheffield did everything but score. Then Sheffield score early in second half only for Coventry to come storming back with 2 quick goals.
After that Sheffield had most of the play and overall unlucky not to get a draw.
So Coventry 5 points above Boro with a better goal difference and in good form - 3 consecutive wins.
philip of Huddersfield 👍