Sunday January 4th at The Riverside. KO 3.00pm
Disappointing as the result was on New Year’s Day, it was not the worst fate that befell us at Derby. For me that was the sight of Callum Brittain waving his hands in pain in the 78th minute that really set the alarm bells ringing for our prospects of promotion. He was signalling in the traditional manner that his injury was a serious one.
To be honest the appeal of Boro’s new right back had been slow to grow on me. During his first few games for us he took few risks ,seemingly more concerned to keep his shape, play the ball backwards and leave the attacking to the winger, Whittaker, in front of him. A cog in the wheel of Edwards’ plan to build his team on the base of a solid defence. It was difficult to see any justification for the talk around the club that his signing had been a major coup.
But the advent of Hellberg has been a catalyst for such a transformation that at Derby he looked every inch a ready-made Premier League player Giving Whittaker a more roving commission has created the opportunity for Brittain to make the most of the spaces in front of him which he has exploited to the full. It is rare in my experience to see any player run the game from the full back position as Brittain did in the first half at Derby, and as he had done at Charlton. Stuart Pearce could do it for Cloughie at Forest, but that was exceptional. Brittain has been at the heart of most of our good moves recently, constantly delivering the kind of opportunities that have seemed beyond the capabilities of most of the rest of the team.
If his injury is as serious as it looks will be a significant loss to a squad already seriously deficient in terms of creativity, especially in wide areas.
The visit of Southampton on Sunday comes at the end of a run of four games in ten days for two sides beset by injury problems. loss of form and uncertainty over who will be fit. So the game presents problems of prediction and analysis whose solutions are well above my pay grade.
Boro have mustered one point from the last four games and cannot buy a goal. This in a series of inviting looking fixtures that could and should have seen us create a significant gap between ourselves and the chasing pack. It’s a gap that would have provided us with the security necessary for the formidable post- festive fixtures that lie ahead. In our next six games we face away trips to West Brom, Stoke, Sheff U and Coventry, as well as a tough looking home game against Preston. We needed that gap
The Saints, for their part, will come slouching rather than marching into The Riverside lying 14th in the table and without a win in their last 5 games. It will be a game between two sides who have garnered 4 points between them out of the 27 available in their last 9 matches.
Southampton’s collapse into mid-table mediocrity needs some accounting for, since they entered the season as one of the promotion favourites and appeared to have a squad capable of delivering on that promise. Even now they have individual players who who would walk into the division’s best XI. Adam Armstrong is the divisions’ top scorer; Tom Fellows is the divisions’ outstanding right winger; and Leo Scienza, a Brazilian left- sided midfielder with a low centre of gravity and formidable dribbling skills is, for my money, the Championship’s outstanding player, and surely bound for the Premier League, possibly as soon as later this month.
As for strikers, the Saints began the season with Cameron Archer and Ross Stewart, both well outside of the Boro’s budget, as their third and fourth options, adding Finn Azaz late in the Summer window as an attacking midfielder with the best scoring and assist figures for the previous season.
So what has gone wrong? Will Still, their coach who originally gained his reputation via his skills in football manager games, predictably attracted criticism when the team had earned no more than a point a game by late October and found itself 21st in the league. He was succeeded by the club’s U21 coach, Tonda Eckert, who brought about an immediate and welcome improvement: The interim manager guided his side to 6 wins in his first 7 games moving them up to 10th in the table and a mere 4pts off a play-off place. This earned him the curse of a Manager of the Month nomination for November, and a more welcome permanent contract early in December.
Since then little has gone right. The honeymoon period is now well and truly over and the Saint’s boss is under the cosh for his insistence on playing a Rob Edwards’ type formation of three at the back, which as we know means five at the back and playing on the break. The fans’ forums overflow with complaints of Eckert’s tactical inflexibility, and risk-averse style. Their team, they say, plays slow, plodding and boring football characterised by too much tippy-tappy football in dangerous areas and an excess of sideways and backwards passing. One wit has called for his reinstatement on an interim basis.
I saw for myself the absurdity of Eckert’s inflexibility recently when the Saints were unable to find a winner after Coventry were reduced to 10 men for the whole of the second half. Eckert kept to his criminally under-employed back three in order to mark the lone isolated Coventry striker.
The latest iteration of the approach on New Year’s Day saw the Saints leave the field to a chorus of less than festive boos from a 30,000 St Mary’s crowd after a 0-0 draw with Millwall in which they managed two shots on goal with over 60% possession.
Meanwhile, at the Boro, the very model on which our recruitment has been based for the past five seasons, has come under general scrutiny as never before. There is a paradox here. Haven’t we spent most of this season in an automatic promotion spot,? Do we not have the best chance since we last came down of returning to the Premier League? Isn’t this proof positive that the model is now, at long last, starting to pay dividends?
Werder and Pedro provided the answer to that in the previous Derby thread. In Werder’s words:
“It’s fair to say that the recent recruitment successes have been with players who were already accomplished Championship players like Brittain and Jone but most of the overseas players have not yet adjusted to the pace and physicality of the Championship after half a season.”
Exactly so. I would go further. Our current success this season has been achieved not by adhering to our model, but by reversing it. It has been built on the solid foundation of a combination of experienced reliable pros (not just Brittain and Jones, but Ayling, Targett , Browne and arguably Edmondson) together with a cohort of successful Academy graduates (Hackney, Brynn and Fry). By contrast pretty much all of the hidden gems and ‘projects ‘ on which our recruitment strategy has historically been based (eg Hamilton , Hansen, Kante, Nypan, Sene, Silvera and arguably Burgzorg and even Conway, though I would exclude Strelec) have been at best disappointing and at worst complete duds. Not a single one of them has made a significant contribution to our status as possible automatic promotion candidates. And that is some indictment.
In one of his interviews with the local media in September, when we were top of the league after our first four games, Kieron Scott admitted that he now had a heightened awareness of the importance of signing players who already had Championship experience. That would certainly have drawn rather more than a rueful smile from the lips of our previous three managers All of them understood the importance of quality over quantity and the consistency of maturity in fighting your way out of this toughest of leagues. All had been shown the door because, in Scott’s words on the departure of Carrick and Woodgate, ‘the coaching staff and the club weren’t aligned’ in their vision of the future.
As we stand on the brink of the best opportunity for promotion than we have had for many years it must surely now be crystal clear that we need to add further oven-ready quality and experienced players to the squad and to have a major clear out of the ‘projects’ who may or may not reach fruition or show a possible profit at some time in the future.
When he was originally appointed, Scott was given the task of making us more like Norwich. To discover hidden treasures like Buendia and Pukki and to recruit from neglected European markets prospects capable of playing creative and attractive football before being sold off for a healthy profit. That was our“vision of the future”, a modification of our earlier “golden thread” and Scott cannot be fairly criticised for its deficiencies.
Anyone seeking evidence of those deficiencies might well look at, well let’s say, Norwich They have played well over the past few games and recently had an excellent win over Southampton. They have recruited some really good youngsters and they will probably end the season as a solid mid-table side. But so far they have lost 8 of their 12 home games and sit in 21st position, in the relegation zone. Their new recruits are promising but have taken time to settle, are somewhat lacking in consistency and resilience, and are too often guilty of making the kind of basic mistakes that cost them the game against the Boro after outplaying us earlier this season - Sound familiar?
I'll risk a 1-0 win prediction
WHAT POSITIONS WILL MIDDLESBROUGH LOOK TO STRENGTHEN?
- •https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/25734541.kim-hellberg-middlesbroughs-january-transfer-window /" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What Kim Hellberg won't do at Middlesbrough in his first transfer window as boss
- •https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/25734328.kim-hellberg-middlesbrough-duo-adilson-malanda-lukas-engel /" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adilson Malanda Middlesbrough situation explained & Hellberg's Lukas Engel admission
WHAT'S THE SITUATION WITH HAYDEN HACKNEY?
WHO COULD LEAVE OR DROP OUT OF THE SQUAD TO MAKE SPACE?
ANY OTHER BUSINESS?
@malcolm - Thanks for that, Malcolm (link to Teesside Live and the selling potential/prospects for some of our players in January).
@malcolm ...and thanks, also, for the summary of possible incomer/outgoers in your second post.
Whilst having complete sympathy with Lenihan, at the end of this season he will have had two and a half years with only one game played for the team (though he admittedly played well in that game, but was injured during/after it and has been unavailable ever since).
His quality as a player is irrelevant. If he cannot play for illness/injury/medical reasons (with no prospect on the horizon for a change in that position) it would be idiotic to allow him to retain a squad number. We are scratching around for defensive players in an injury-ravaged squad so effectively blocking one shirt to keep it for a player who cannot play would be madness.
And I don't think I have mentioned Gordon Jones yet. A complete and utter LEGEND. Except that he was real and I saw him play. What would a full back of his quality, a club captain and a man who would play so many games, cost now? He and George Friend (£100K purchase for a man who would play for several years and was in the Championship Team of the Year a couple of years on the trot if I remember correctly) would both walk into today's Boro team.
Many thanks Len for an excellent incisive opener that was full of great perspective of where this Boro side currently stands - though we all nervously await news on the fate of Brittain and the other injuries that once again have left the team looking short as January arrives.
Much may well depend on what this window brings or even loses but it's fair to say the season is now in the balance with Boro just 3 points ahead of 7th place, a profligate attack and numbers at the back being patched up and reshuffled after every game.
But at least Boro start the year from 3rd just one point outside the automatic places and that's as good as it's been for many years. With Kim Hellberg and a whole raft of coaches at his disposal he should be able to work out the problems but several players need a reboot if they're to prove up to the task.
I presume Conway is wearing the number 9 shirt for a reason and it usually indicate that you are the main striker so he needs goals if it is to mean anything. Sene may benefit from more time on the pitch as he has given only glimpses of his ability so far but he has played less than 500 minutes (out of a possible 2,250 not including injury time), which is only around 5 games worth - so no wonder he hasn't yet adjusted to the Championship. btw Conway has played 1,750 minutes for his 3 goals return with Sene scoring 2 in his limited time.
Just how radical this window will be is too early to say but last January's was busy without solving any problems and arguably made the team much weaker.
Hoping for a win tomorrow and hoping as you say Len Southampton come out slouching as their form has dipped of late!
@Len - I will not be expecting any similar Match Preview in the written Press. Excellent starter piece, as always from you. Just a pity that, with all that has been going on (on the field and in the treatment room - which I guess will be undergoing extension works soon, as more room is needed for the regular patients), the spirits seem a little "down" amongst Boro supporters.
It's difficult to fake enthusiasm unless you are a politician.
Let's hope for better on Sunday! I'd be delighted with your 1-0 prediction. A GOAL! Will we recognise it? And a clean sheet! That would be as excellent as your Match Preview. Thanks.
Let's hope for better on Sunday! I'd be delighted with your 1-0 prediction. A GOAL! Will we recognise it? And a clean sheet!
If Wolves can beat West Ham by 3-0... 
Another excellent opener, Len. As ever it is beautifully written and full of accurate, detailed and informative analysis. Thank you.
Tomorrow we simply must score, and ideally more than one. I‘ll take any win, however it is achieved.
Let's hope for better on Sunday! I'd be delighted with your 1-0 prediction. A GOAL! Will we recognise it? And a clean sheet!
If Wolves can beat West Ham by 3-0...
Hwang Hee-Chan, one of Wolves' three goal-scorers, quoted by the Beeb as speaking to Sky Sports: "I love Rob Edwards. I like this coach tactically. I want to learn good football, but since day one he has taught us good tactical things. I want to be an important player. He explained very well, I can understand what he wants, not just me, all the players. He arrived just six, seven weeks ago."
A masterpiece from the Masterman, thank you Len. Erudite, informative and a balanced analysis of the current state of play. A very enjoyable read.
A win, any sort of win, is badly required but that means we have to score; surely, based on the law of averages, we must score and win sooner or later, sooner please lads. 😎
Great work, Len - a very enjoyable starter that I’ve only just fully read.
We had a couple of inches of snow this morning and almost called off our trip to meet family for lunch near Rotherham. Fortunately I’ve got a Defender, but didn’t really need it as there was no snow 10 miles up the road.
How’s the weather in the Boro? Any chance of the game being called off?
The quality of writing on this site continues to be of the highest quality and another great piece from Len - thank you.
i will be more than happy with a 1-0 score line and don’t mind whether that illusive goal comes from a worldie shot from Hackney, a scrappy own goal from the ball pinging about in the box or even TC finding his shooting boots from 6 yards out - just a goal please!
Regrding the transfer options, we shall just have to see what develops but with our injuries, then the need for reinforcements is clear, especially in defence. The question remains as to who will be departing. Based on his game time, Nypan may well be recalled by Man City.
In addition to Gordon Jones and George Friend as full backs, I would add John Craggs to the list. 400+ appearances for Boro at a cost of £60,000 back in 1971, part of the promotion team and a solid defender with the ability to get forward.
@martin-bellamy Quite a bit of snow here Skelton Martin. As you know the village is high up and only 5 minutes from the North York Moors.
Happy New year everyone, Best wishes,
First of all I'd like to say the posts on here are quality, well thought out.
Now let's talk about our beloved Gladiators,
Some might think I'm too critical about Boro ,I Base my assumptions on the fact I'm lucky enough to get to watch alot of Premiership games, European Competitions and of course Championship games, so my observations are the standards I see , and I compare.
I'm amazed at the abilities of the teams at their level the players how quick their mind works the speed of thought the ability to get out of situations with passing and movement, strong defenders ,
Then I see Championship games, and although they're trying to do it the right way the players seem to have to think about it too long , and that's every team, the last few years Boro have come up against Premiership teams and got hammered , this proves the gap.
So getting back to Boro, and what I've seen this season , I think there's been an upgrade in what they are doing we do have quality players , and I've been surprised and pleased in games were the standards at times were high , however they can't do it for ninety odd minutes, it gets worse with substitutes , who have no impact,
Having said all that , I really don't think there's a better team than us maybe equal, Warnock said if they don't go up they want a kick up the backside, I agree,many would.
Bottom line they're is hope maybe the million shots we have will start going in, a couple of upgrade signings no injuries
Just a note , I remember one of my worst nights as a fan, 1966 Cardiff 5 Boro 3 , we left the old second division in shame , sixty years later 2026 can we leave in glory.
@malcolm I know Skelton really well - as teenagers, a friend and I once won Skelton Carnival car treasure hunt (what a claim to fame!).
@martin-bellamy. Good to hear there is one defender working well. 😉😎
My wish for games is usually for Boro to play well and i will take what that produces. Tomorrow I’d be happy if Boro were outplayed , a bit like Derby were recently, and Boro nicked a single goal winner.
The game is all about winning and nothing short of a win will be acceptable.
This will not be easy with all the defensive injuries but it requires a real team effort with a never say die attitude.
So fingers crossed-( I’m assuming the game is not on sky)
philip of Huddersfield 🤔🤔🤔
Another masterful opener Len. So the Saints are coming , to quote Scottish punk band The Skids, to the Riverside with a pretty decent record there, although we did win the last time we played them two seasons ago. We will be facing old boys Finn Azaz, Cameron Archer and Nathan Wood. It is fair to say that Archer has not lived up to his 15 million pound price tag, 4 goals in 52 games. Azaz is not doing too badly 6 goals this season, and described by the Southampton Echo as "frontman Finn Azaz" Apparently according to the same publication Ross Stewart has travelled north with the squad after being out for three months. Len mentioned Scienza he only played the first half on Thursday and was replaced by Azaz at half time, apparently as he is fatigued as he is not used to such a hectic schedule being used to a winter break in Germany. Referee is Oliver Langford who was in charge of our win at Charlton. Having seen pictures of the snow in the North East is the match in any danger of being postponed?
Thank you very much Len for an excellent and articulately written Headliner, that always appears to come so easily from your fingers.
What to expect tomorrow. Well to be honest, I expect the worst given the squad choice and lack of confidence that is now obvious throughout a large number of the first team pick and the squad at large.
The surface if the game goes ahead, could be a little tricky with mistakes easily made, and that is on top of the normal ones going on a present.
We need a win. We certainly need the three points, otherwise this could well be the straw that breaks the camels back, in terms of a complete collapse given the upcoming fixtures, as Len touched on, and has been discussed previously.
The easier games, we should have gained substantial points from are passing by. Next week we will be entering a period of more difficult matches in January.
We unfortunately could be playing catchup before we have even tried signing or signed any new recruits.
@mw-in-darwin I think the game will ahead. Walking the the ground could be a little difficult underfoot.
Sat watching Birmingham v Coventry, the blues (Royal that is and not Sky) are putting in a shift and giving FLCCFC a run for their money. Well worth the 2-1 lead and unlucky to not be a further goal in advantage, maybe Coventry are on the same mulled vino that we're on?
By the way, our decorations are down following orders from above, no, not JC's alleged father, higher than that, so let's see if the Boro's form doesn't follow then same downward spiral as the fairy lights from our gutters. There again, by saying "following", shouldn't that be continuing?
Here in North Yorkshire the sun is shining but the cold was biting on the walk to collect the Sunday papers an hour and a half ago ago.
The forecast for the match in TS1 (ie at the stadium) is for the sun to shine from blue skies from 1 to 3pm and then for the moon to shine from 3.54pm onwards. A fairly gentle westerly breeze 9-10mph and temperatures of 0C at 1pm, and a positively balmy 1C at 2pm before dipping back to 0C at 3pm and then back below zero from 4pm onwards. Dress for the cold, those such as me who are going! I will have my woolly hat and gloves on!
There is some frost on the pavements in my village but the roads are clear. I noted last night that Whitby and the moors had some snow and looked rather pretty but The Riverside, being near the sea and crucially at sea level, will be warmer than it is on the moors. Still nippy, though.
The feeling at the Murdered Monkey yesterday evening was less than optimistic about the Southampton game. Not because of fear about the visiting team or its form, but because of the lack of clinical "bite" by Boro up front, the lack of willingness to shoot (and the inaccuracy when that option is eventually chosen) and the fear about which players will be missing THIS week. Surely this poor fortune cannot continue? It's as if a sniper had been stationed in the stands with orders to take out a player or two every game. Nothing TOO blood thirsty, of course. No head shots but grazing a thigh here, a calf there. Or perhaps something not-too-healthy dropped into a water bottle for one of the players. Enough to take a player out of contention whilst recovery is effected.
The performance throughout our night by Root and Brook in Sydney in what may be England's best partnership in the Ashes series so far (and only brought to what I hope will prove to be a temporary halt by bad light ending the first day's play early) will hopefully mark a change in our sporting luck. It would be good if a similar change is reflected in Boro's performance this afternoon. I really hope so...
FD,
You think that you lot have it tough, how do you think that I felt today taking the outside decs down in 35C unrestricted sunshine, I've burnt the back of me neck, the gutters were searingly hot to the touch and the sweat was blurring my vision as I tried to align the ladder, you lot don't know that you're born!
There’s still loads of snow here in Sherburn but drive 5 miles west along the A64 towards Malton and there’s none. We’ve got blue skies but it’s flippin’ cold. I’ll be lighting the wood burner before settling down to watch the game.
Starting XI - Malanda pitched in at the deep end, Fry on the bench:
CJ comments:
Two changes as Malanda comes in for his debut alongside Silvera, Brittain and Sène drop out. That looks like a return to 4-2-2-2 with Silvera going in that left forward role, but there's still the opportunity to go similar to Derby formation with Whittaker in behind a forward three of Conway, Burgzorg and Silvera.
Malanda debuts in defence, likely alongside Targett, with Ayling moving to right back. You couldn't rule out a shock switch to a back three with Silvera ar RWB, to cover for Ayling's vulnerability as a full-back. Right now though, my guess would be one of the above four-man defence formations.
Good news on the bench is that Fry returns. No strikers there though, however, as Sène drops out altogether and Strelec still out injured.
@martin-bellamy they were great days with the Skelton Carnival. There was a mini one this year Martin