@k-p-in-spain Only time will tell if KH can adapt, recruit players more attuned to his style and address the deficiencies that have long been present, yesterday was back to the bad old days of Carrickball.
True KP and as BBD pointed out, our financial position precludes us from probably going out and buying a known Championship quality number nine with an almost guarantee of 15+ goals plus assists.
So I assume MFC will continue looking in the murky depths of the barrel looking at relatively cheap foreign players.
As to whether Hellberg can mould them into a cohesive team that is bigger than the parts probably does not bode well, given (although I do believe, he must have some input) he has made great play of stating, someone else buys the players, I just coach them and pick the team.
If this season turns to rat s***, one wonders on whose head the blame will fall. Kim Hellberg or Mr Teflon Scott.
AMBITIOUS TO ANXIOUS, IMPERIOUS TO IMPOTENT, FIERY TO FEARY
It really does seem like we're facing the biggest question of "what happened?" at Boro in a long time. In a year that is more than worthy of ranking alongside all our other years of "6" for dramatic swings.
1996: The arrival of an exceptionally gifted Brazilian and a top notch Italian striker, and the form of our Brazilian No 10, was countered by two of the aforementioned players going missing for lengthy periods, a total of six wins throughout the entire calendar year and the circumstances that led to a points deduction.
2006: Blitzed by Arsenal at Highbury and Aston Villa at home, a season ticket was thrown before our No 7 came off the treatment table and our season sparked into life, only for West Ham, another team with "villa" at the end of their name and a managerial departure for England to leave us contemplating a dramatic reshaping of our future that we likely weren't ready for.
2016: The transfer request of a key winger and his possibly uneasy but nonetheless effective reintegration into the line-up, in 2015, was the dress rehearsal for a new year dip in form and managerial walk out which saw a once imperious Boro turn to merely intermittently excellent in a sea of dross - a sea of confidence-draining dross.
2026: Did we have a dress rehearsal again? Yes we did, and once more, it was the year before. Set up for a good season with a manager who really looked like he seemed to "get" Boro - the home win over West Brom was a joyous occasion - a certain Midlands club declared their interest and, as with 1996 and the problems with the foreign stars, the England circus in 2006 and the managerial walk out in 2016, the Boro plans were in tatters. The joy was miraculously resurrected with a seemingly even better managerial replacement, but fear of a lack of alternatives, both in the squad and in tactics, was eating away at us beneath the surface even after a triumphant 4-0 win over a terrific Championship team. And we were soon to be thrown off course by the wrong breaks at the wrong time...
...In 1986, we nearly died, and in 2026, our promotion hopes seem to have nearly died too. Can they somehow be resurrected?
"How can something so good go so bad? How can something so right go so wrong? Well, I don't know. I don't have all the answers..."*
*as Phil Collins would put it.
I have finally worked up the courage to watch the highlights and KH post match interview.
Is it just me but Chaplin looked to be offside for the goal unless it was classed as a deflection?
To my mind he made a definite movement to change the direction of the ball. The Boro players appealed and I thought I saw him glance to the lino before celebrating.
KH looked and sounded a bit deflated and as others have pointed out, maybe he hasn’t experienced this before and is struggling with the players he has at his disposal.
Anyhow, onto Sunday and let’s hope that Portsmouth can beat Ipswich on Tuesday and that Southampton also don’t win.
UTB
@simonfallaha Or, as Paul Simon put it:
”When something goes wrong
I’m the first to admit it
I’m the first to admit it
But the last one to know
When something goes right
Oh, it’s likely to lose me
It’s apt to confuse me
It’s such an unusual sight
Oh, I can’t get used to something so right
Something so right”
I think we have all been confused by what’s gone right this season - it was such an unusual sight. Now, undoubtedly, something’s gone wrong…
I’m not ready to lay blame at KH - the team is what it is, or rather isn’t, given injuries to some key players have impacted his player choice. We’ve all enjoyed some unbelievable football this season, of a style and quality that none of us predicted in advance.
I’ve said it before - I’m not too bothered about another exciting year in the Championship if that’s what happens. Sometimes it’s best to enjoy what you’ve got, rather than hanker for the impossible dream.
To build on my previous post.
All the "6" years I've experienced exhibit the fragile underbelly of what seem either like Boro Dream Teams or Boro Dream-Fulfilling Teams. I've stopped to ask myself, how can the absence of a mere one or two players or a handful of instances of dropped points be so derailing in terms of confidence?
I'm inclined to go with the psychological thing. This was exhibited perhaps most effectively this year following the 1-1 draw with Bristol City.
We played well that day, from what I heard. Then, along with a defensive mistake, came the - and you'll know this sounds familiar after yesterday - the extra injury time that we weren't expecting. That wasn't "supposed" to happen. Like Bristol City's equaliser or Portsmouth's winner.
Victory at home to Bristol City would have got us back to winning ways a mere week after QPR. It's like, forget the performance, just get the win no matter what and momentum is likely to be restored. It worked for Karanka's Boro in that dreadful 1-0 home win over QPR back in late 2015, after all. And I'm sure it would have worked yesterday had, say, Hansen's late chance gone in. But anyway...
We drew. And along with that late, late goal, we were also forced to contemplate the loss of Hayden Hackney. The boost that both the goal and the injury would give to our promotion rivals. And the damage that this would do to belief in the stands and on the pitch.
I heard there was a deathly silence at the Riverside when that header went in. As if everyone "got" just how serious the concession truly was.
The wrong breaks at the wrong time. Absolutely rotten luck. And a wiping out of Kim Hellberg's record of always winning once his Boro team take the lead, form of which has continued against Millwall and Swansea.
It has reached the point where it is much harder to look forward to a Boro game now, or even follow one. I've heard of people turning the Swansea match off at half-time, and I know I couldn't follow the Millwall match in the moment once Coburn equalised. It was as if we'd entered Groundhog Day, and we couldn't bear to watch the same pain play out again and again and again.
One of the things that, I think, saved Aitor Karanka's team in 2015-16 was that they continued to do the business at home for the most part even when choking on the road. It was similar for our class of 1997-98. When we won three games in eleven in the run up to and including the Charlton fiasco in 2016, we had still won two, drawn one and lost one at home, and hadn't conceded more than one goal in any of those games. Away from home, however? One win, two draws and four defeats, even if two of those defeats were 0-1 reverses with late, late concessions. In 1998 it was a case of one win, two draws and five defeats between January and April - this was balanced out, however, with six straight home wins and seventeen goals following a 1-1 draw with Ipswich. Our own Neil Maddison was something of a goal hero during this period, netting a vital winner against Crewe and a double versus Swindon.
This brings me to another Roy Keane quote, which highlights the problem Kim Hellberg is facing. Keane noted that near the end of his time at Sunderland, the team were doing okay in the away games but struggling at home, and how that wasn't acceptable. "The vast majority of the fans are seeing you at home."
Therefore, however well we've played at Birmingham and QPR - and we have - and however many goals we've scored - plenty! - a home run of 0-0, 1-1, 0-1, 1-1, 1-2 and 0-1, fine margins or otherwise, is simply not going to give us the crucial lift at a time we most need it.
@martin-bellamy - we will have to hope that KH isn’t A One Trick Pony and that it all doesn’t end up Slip Sliding Away although us Boro fans are Still Crazy After All These Years!
I agree that an exciting season in the Championship probably outweighs a disappointing one in the EPL
GOOD NEWS FOR BORO !!!
Wrexham got beat 0-2. They were poor with no shots on target.
With 4 games to go they are 8 points behind Boro. Even if their form suddenly improved and they scrambled 8 points ( includes playing Ipswich) and Boro continued their rubbish form and lost ALL 4 remaining games then Boro would still be in the playoffs on goal difference.
So surely Boro can concentrate now on how to play in the playoffs.
Having watched most of the top 6 in the last few days I’m most impressed with Southampton unbeaten in around 16 games including v Arsenal and then bringing in 6 new players for the next game and still winning. Their football is a joy to watch. Will the FA Cup be a distraction to finishing second?
Ipswich had to defend a lot in their last game but showed their qualities by winning 2-0 whilst Millwall didn’t play at all well, but defended well and secured a draw. I feel Hull are a bit of a dark horse as they quietly go about their business picking up points and get little coverage.
Depending where Boro finish do many Boro supporters really believe the team can beat Southampton or Ipswich over 2 games ? Not me.
Or Millwall? Based on current form it has to be another No.
So, the question is , can the Coach and his team in the remaining 4 games bring about a massive improvement? The trend of the last 10 or so games prompts me to say No. The fundamental problem of a lack of goal scorers won’t go away. The talent isn’t there.
My biggest wish would be for Hackney to return. He’s been greatly missed and it would be nice for him to have a farewell thank you from Boro supporters.
But this is football and so who knows. I just hope there are some signs of improvement which the fans can hold onto to give some hope for the playoffs.
philip of Huddersfield 🤔🤔🤔🤔
I can’t ever recall Boro playing 6 consecutive home games without winning, though historians amongst you may well tell me of other instances. What has been most galling about this run is that 5 of those games were eminently winnable on paper against lowly or very inferior opposition, while in the other one we absolutely battered Millwall. By now, we should have been well clear of third place. This has been dreadfully poor from the manager and the players, and let us not excuse the recruitment team, who have left us in this mess. The Riverside yesterday was a frustrated and depressed place. Boro gave us nothing to shout about. Fans seemed almost resigned to our fate.
Since losing at Coventry, our away form, by contrast, has been relatively sound, with good wins at Birmingham and QPR and draws at Blackburn and Swansea. It’s only been that away form which has kept us anywhere near the top two. That’s a little reason for optimism as regards the playoffs.
Wrexham’s defeat today leaves them 8 points behind us with 12 to play for. Surely even this Boro team with its morale and confidence at rock bottom can’t fail to pick up the four points (given the gap in goal difference between Wrexham and ourselves) that we need to be sure of the playoffs? Surely not, you might think? But we have to play Ipswich and Wrexham themselves away, and somehow score - possibly more than once - at home against Wednesday and Watford. Wednesday have nothing to lose and got an amazing point yesterday at Coventry. GULP. it could get a bit nervy if Wrexham start winning again.
@simonfallaha Excellent Si, all those bad Boro memories rolled into one post.
I cannot remember what I did last week. ☹️
I’ll try and be more positive next time, Pedro. Though even when the most positive amongst us are struggling, you know these are troubled times.
Anyway. Another thought that has occurred to me is this - are specific players really irreplaceable or have we just talked or set them up to be that way due to media attention, profile, team set up or all three?
There are, or can be, capable deputies or stand-ins in our squad, we’ve seen it. Almost all the talk is about the loss of Hackney - the thing is, with the right confidence, it need not have been or need not be.
Football is (1) a sport and (2) an entertainment.
On the walk to the stadium yesterday I was telling my mate how I was coming to the view that football at the highest level (for the avoidance of doubt, Boro is far from football's highest level) is corrupt. The game itself is corrupt. The same teams from the same big cities and with big money (sometimes countries) behind them compete for the big prizes: league titles and European Cup/Champions League. Nottingham Forest's exploits might have suggested an exception BUT the league title in 1978 and the back-to-back European Cups won in 1979 and 1980 are now approaching half-a-century ago, could hardly be replicated now, and the club was managed by the genius that was Brian Clough so hardly reflects current football.
Setting aside the joyous exception that was Leicester City's league title (itself a decade ago, and won under the ownership of a massively wealthy Thai family whose name would defeat any Scrabble player), we have seen the league title contested for decades by "the likes of" Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Even Grand Old Clubs like Spurs (currently struggling, but you know what I mean) and Everton - ever-presents in the Top Tier - and names such as Aston Villa have failed to carry the league trophy for many decades, so it's been down to the "Big Four" to carry off that prize. Teams like Brentford , Brighton and Palace might "do well" for a few seasons without threatening to win the League, but then potentially slide back down to join the throng.
And so it is with the Champions League. Great though it has been to see Bodo Glimt beat some big teams and get through to the later knock-out stages, we have in recent decades become used to the Cup being won by Bayern Munich, Liverpool, the Manchesters United & City (only once in the latter case), Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Inter Milan and PSG. The chances in the late 2020s onwards of its being won even by a Villa even when you could qualify for the competition by finishing 5th or, who knows, even lower in the league table, appear to have vanished. It is for big Cartel clubs only.
Sport has to offer a chance for "others" to win. Not only those from a certain group. We might as well go to a situation similar to American Football where wealthy franchises own the teams in the big cities, without any threat of relegation and where, if the owners wish, they can uproot their franchise team and move it from, say, Massachusetts to Los Angeles, for example. That is the equivalent of moving a team from Moscow to Lisbon! Supporters in those circumstances come nowhere.
You've got to be able to dream of some glory to make supporting a team seem a viable decision, otherwise we might all end up between choosing to support one of the "Big Clubs". Berwick Reds and Colchester Reds, anyone? And one of the things undermining any wish to be involved in the sport is a feeling that, whatever one does, corrupt forces are at play and that we will ALWAYS now see the same few top teams dining at the top table whilst the rest pick at their crumbs below.
As an example of prudently well-run and transparent honest governing bodies, can I put forward the options of FIFA and UEFA? If the sport is run like that from the top, what can you expect from clubs operating from within the system? And if you think that regulatory systems from the countries concerned can ensure rules are kept rather than bent, can I offer you the example of Manchester City?
Again, for the avoidance of doubt, I am not saying that Manchester City is guilty of the 115 charges the club faces. How could anyone believe I think that? The charges apparently relate to allegations of financial irregularities, keeping payments "off the books" and Failure to co-operate with the authority's financial investigators over a sustained period. The dictum "justice delayed is justice denied" screams long and loud across the land. Had the club been, let's say, Hartlepool or Port Vale would the charges have been allowed hang around like a poisonous cloud for so long?
I am sure nobody would suggest that World Cups would be awarded to Qatar with all its rich football heritage and Russia (need I say more?) for anything other than genuine football reasons and on the basis of the facilities that would be made available for the competing teams and their supporters. Not a hint of corruption there. I am waiting for the next FIFA World Peace Prize to be awarded to the leader-at-the-time of Iran or North Korea. All that suggests to me that football, at the top level, doesn't seem clean but corrupt. A sport. Corrupt? Surely not!
And so far as concerns entertainment, the clue is in the name. The ticket-buying public might expect to be entertained at football matches. I suppose boring matches with Boro under the cosh for most of the 90 minutes but sneaking an undeserved win against the odds would give some pleasure. Sadly what we have been experiencing has been the opposite of that. Accepting that Boro has played much entertaining football away from home, the ticket-buying public would be starving if their nourishment had to come from recent HOME games. The walk up to the stadium is made almost in fear. The walk back has recently been made in despondent silence. The booing at the end of the game against Portsmouth tells its own story. No entertainment, no enjoyment, no points.
Some will wonder why they do it.
Next Season Early Bird Ticket applications closed on Friday.
MFC sold 17000 Early Bird ST’s for the current season. So friends, what are the thoughts as to the early ticket sales just concluded?
I will go for fourteen thousand seven hundred. Any other guesses before they are announced.
@forever-dormo All that you’ve said leads me to believe that I’d rather see Boro competing in the Championship where we still have a chance of success, than in the EPL where we’d just be making up the numbers so the big clubs could collect their three points most weeks.
@forever-dormo Great post and hard to disagree with the sentiments.
As to why some do it - maybe we are all certifiable?
The thing is though, it is in our DNA and hard to get away from. My wife, who has little to no interest in any sport, can’t understand it and will often say to me after me chuntering after a bad result, “why can’t you support a good team?” My response is that would be impossible!
I am proud to be from a small town in Europe (even though I only lived there for 4 years) and support a football team that is owned by a local man. If Mr Gibson were ever to sell out to some foreign billionaire (not that they would be interested in Boro) then I may have to consider changing allegiance to a local non leauge team since I, like you, do not like the corruption that money buys.
I am not sure how much of the World Cup I will actually watch and I have less interest in England these days.
I kind of miss the days when a large percentage of teams were made up of local players or those that had been with the club for many years - when was the last time we could say that?
@martin-bellamy - totally agree Martin and I have said this for a number of years, probably since we were relegated in 2017. That was a season to forget with only 5 victories and a goal difference of -26 although we did the double against Sunderland and finished above them as a consolation!
@forever-dormo what a very good, true and heartfelt post
With Wrexham losing it means that if we avoid defeat on the last day then we will need to pick up at least a point in our other games to qualify for the playoffs. Didn't think that I would be writing that a few weeks ago. Probably more like avoid defeat for automatic promotion. Wrexham have to play Coventry away before we play them.
In the 2016/7 Premier League season we went 7 games at home without winning, 7th December, win v Swansea, to 26th April when we beat Sunderland. Even more recently in 2019/20 under Woodgate and Pulis we went 10(TEN) without a home win, from Boxing Day to the end of the season!
As to Early Bird ST sales if last year it was 17,000 - I had been talking to a mate about this. I suggested that recent results will have knocked several thousands off sales. But he mentioned to me, and I think he is probably correct, that most of those who have STs and would be offered the Early Bird deals, provided they are OK in health terms and can afford it, they will probably renew anyway. By which my mate meant irrespective of results and irrespective of being offered an Early Bird discount.
Which all goes to prove that there must be a link between insanity and buying a Boro ST. It COULD all go well from here and some may be preparing a "what were you all worried about?" speech, but the majority would probably renew even if Boro had been poor all season (which, to be fair, has NOT been the case).
I will be for 16,250 which allows for a small amount of fall-off (some die, some movement away, some have family circumstances which prevent renewal). One more year for me, whatever happens this season. Then I will reassess next year. Again...
@forever-dormo - It is the same as my Dad always used to say and I now do the same “well, there is always next season- that will be our season!”
You can take the boy out of Middlesbrough but you can never take the Boro out of the man!
Further to my earlier post we failed to win the first home game in the 2020/1 season so went 11 without a home win.
Not that it affects me but the early bird season ticket is an interesting phenomena. A quick search revealed that there are very few that finish them as early as we do. Does anyone know why we start and finish ours so early? West Brom's only started two weeks ago and Millwall's ends at the end of May. I saw Doug King interviewed a couple of weeks ago and he said that they would have details in May. They do have an interesting scheme introduced in2023.
@mw-in-darwin - I suppose the requirement to renew STs by a very early "Early Bird" date is to: (1). Get people to renew before the final outcome of the season's endeavours is known. That means that if things "go wrong" the money is already in the bag whereas if people waited until the end of the season or just before the new season started, they might (if disappointed how things turned out) decide not to renew, after all.
(2). This is perhaps less relevant than it would have been, had Boro simply carried on the form shown up to the away game at Coventry. At that stage it seemed highly likely that the Top Two would be Coventry and Boro (in whatever order). However, if things HAD gone as then seemed likely, it might have been the case that with 17,000 STs renewed on the EB scheme, and bearing in mind Boro would be looking forward to games not seen for a decade or so (home games against Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle, Sunderland et al), there would be sell-out crowds. Getting a ticket for the Manchester United gmae, or whatever, would not be guaranteed without a ST. And if you are going to get one anyway, you might as well get it at the discounted EB rate.
(3). From the point of view of MFC, getting the money in early even if slightly less than the "full price" would be the best financial option. The club would know very early what ticket income is likely to be. The money would be in the bank ready in case player-purchases became available. And STs of any type (even if not EB tickets) would at least be better for the books than receiving the money in 19 small instalments every fortnight or so
Sobering thought for a Monday morning come Wednesday morning we will in all probability be 5th. Just shows the extent to which we will have bottled it. Does this show that most of the squad are not good enough they appear to lack the mental strength or backbone to do anything about it. Talk about the hope that kills you, but let's not worry the couple of semi decent players we have will shrug their shoulders and head on to pastures new.
@paulinboro That’s just football though, isn’t it? I don’t believe that HH will shrug his shoulders before moving on.
I think he’ll be desperately disappointed that his club haven’t been promoted and his dream of playing at the highest level will have to be fulfilled elsewhere.
Players have short careers and have to maximise two things: their earning potential and the opportunity to experience success. That doesn’t seem like very different to non footballers to be honest.
Add in the fact that many of these current players will be ditched by the club if we get promoted, although I doubt a corporate entity has shoulders to shrug when the players feel hard done by.
Loyalty from players to any one club is about as strong as supporters are towards those players when they don’t provide the results fans expect. There’s very little nuance and, as far as managers are concerned, they must know that their tenure will end when the club’s directors deem fit (unless you’re RE of course who jumped for his own reasons).
If we achieve promotion there will be few Forum members who don’t believe that a massive change of personnel will be required, if MFC is to survive more than one season in the EPL.
As has been said I doubt we will see HH playing for the club again, I also agree that he may be disappointed but he will get over it pretty quickly and if I was in his position I'd be the same so I'm not criticising him.
@martin-bellamy - I don't believe HH would shrug his shoulders and just move on if (as seems likely) Boro should fail to achieve promotion this season. I'm sure he wanted to go up to the PL and for him to captain the team there next season (which seemed a decent probability only a few weeks ago) and he would then have expected to move to one of the Big Clubs after that. So achieving that dream would have been quite compatible with moving on in the game and securing his financial future.
As to others, I accept the career can be short but so are other careers these days. When I was at school people no doubt expected to go to ICI and remain there until retirement. Lawyers, medics, accountants and teachers might have started their careers expecting another 40 years or more in the job but nowadays, people seem to change careers a number of times during their working years. Many footballers used to open a shop or run a pub after hanging up their boots. I suppose unless you happen to be a teen-sensation of a rock-star, very few people expect to retire after maybe a decade or so in their primary job.
