P Pts GD ----------------------------- 1 Boro 31 61 19 2 Coventry 31 59 28 ----------------------------- 3 Ipswich 30 54 22 4 Hull 31 54 7 5 Millwall 31 53 3 6 Wrexham 31 47 5 ----------------------------- 14 Southampton 31 43 3
P Pts GD ----------------------------- 1 Coventry 42 85 42 2 Ipswich 41 75 29 ----------------------------- 3 Millwall 42 73 9 4 Southampton 42 72 23 5 Boro 42 72 20 6 Hull 42 68 4 ----------------------------- 7 Wrexham 42 64 3
P Pts Diff ------------------------------- 1 Southampton 11 29 18 2 Coventry 11 26 15 3 Ipswich 11 21 10 4 Millwall 11 20 9 5 Wrexham 11 17 6 6 Hull 11 14 3 7 Boro 11 11
As no more the guardians of that second spot, the trip to Ipswich is feeling less pivotal than it appeared only a few weeks ago - a three-point cushion over Boro plus a game in hand and a far superior goal difference makes it more a chance to add doubt. Sadly, a win over Portsmouth could have made it a genuine six-pointer but now it's looking merely an opportunity to build a platform for a consolation play-off push.
Outstanding, Werder. Your previews always are.
🐐
Fantastic Weder - loved the way that you intermingled the trip to the moon with Pink Floyd!
As you say, if we had won a couple of games then Saturday would have been a fight for second place although as it stands, despite Ipswich losing, we are in a fight to remain in a play off position. I am sure that Ipswich will be hurting from the loss and it won’t be an easy game.
Maybe Boro can get them On The Run so that we can all Breathe (In the Air) come full Time without suffering any Brain Damage. However, I suspect that we may all be unComfortably Numb at the end of the game Poles Apart from second place, Lost for Words but still having High Hopes.
Sorry for the extended play on Pink Floyd titles (in my defence, they have been one of my favourite bands ever since I first heard DSOTM ) and I will move on to the important matter of Saturday.
I am not sure what to expect to be honest, based on the last few games, then I could be extremely pessimistic, especially with the fact that we appear to have both an injury and a KH selection issue (he clearly doesn’t fancy some of our players). THat said, I would not be at all surprised if typical Boro come up with a barn storming performance and come out 3 0 victors!
Maybe the team selection will give us a flavour of how KH is approaching the game and the final run in to guarantee the play offs - maybe One of These Days we will see Boro Coming Back to Life!
UTB
Brilliant Werder, a wonderful starter and a lot of truths in there, hard truths for Boro.
I don't see falling off the cliff as a problem, Boro would simply miss and live to flounder another day. Typical Boro with a vengeance really and I have no belief that they will succeed in that arena.
ATB everyone,
UTB,
John
Exceptionally good, Werder, even by your own elevated standards. A topical analogy beautifully worked through and realised. I loved the fact that Artemis had a certain Mr Hansen aboard from the beginning, which was not something that I had spotted, whilst the sheer number of points given up to our rivals over he past 11 games hit me like a shocking new fact.
Thanks for all the pleasure and insights.
Thanks for the great intro Werder. I lived in Ipswich for ten years, when I got my first teaching job and it was where my refereeing career took off. Lived their longer than I did on Teesside and all of my wife's family are from there and still live there. I have seen lots of games at Portman Road and was the fourth official on two occasions, back in the day when they used local officials in that role. No standing on the touchline, one game I sat in the Ipswich dug out and the other at the back of the main stand. On to Sunday with current form I would expect a Town win, but after their surprise loss at Pompey who knows. As I posted on the Portsmouth thread McKenna likes to make changes, and looking at their appearance stats they have only 4 players that have made more than 30 starts, we have 8. But he also fully utilises his bench : Jack Clarke leading scorer with 14 has 22 starts and 19 sub appearances. They have 10 players with 10+ sub appearances, Chuba has 21, we have 5 players with 10+ sub appearances. The referee is Jarrod Gillett, a Premier League official whose last Boro appointment was away to Sunderland in 2023-4, the 4-0 win when he sent off Dan Neil, who is currently on loan at Portman Road. A repeat of that score would be appreciated.
Thanks Werder appreciate all that you do for the blog
Every game is a must win match !
OFB
Thanks Werder appreciate all that you do for the blog
Every game is a must win match !
OFB
Hear hear for both comments there
OMG 😱😱😱 I didn’t realise werdermouth was doing the preview, excellent as it is 😱😱😱.
Come on BORO.
EXMIL CHALLENGE 2026 - Part 3
Whether you are an optimist or pessimist the fixtures for part 3 of the challenge are posted on the relevant Social section, entries are to be posted by 1900 hrs on Friday 17 April, I will endeavour to post the league table after Part 2 in the next day or so.
Good luck to everyone especially the Boro.
Come on BORO.
Superb, Werder. I’ve no idea what to expect on Sunday. As for glasses, I’ve finally emptied mine and it looks extremely unlikely that it’ll even approach half full any time soon.
Thanks for the comment and good puns! Being a former goth and indie-band follower, I didn't discover Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon until my mid-20s when my girlfriend at the time had it in her record collection - it's still one of the greatest albums ever made and never ages.
Many thanks Len and yes those points stats are almost hard to believe - I certainly wouldn't fancy Southampton in the play-offs despite Boro thrashing them 4-0 a few weeks before their run started.
As for Hansen being over the moon - hopefully, Hellberg has given several players a rocket after that Pompey display...
Truly a Gold Meddle performance Werder. Just brilliant and now I can't get Marvin the paranoid android out of my head Let's hope the Boro players have got that lack of confidence out of their heads now and finally get to break down the mental barrier blocking the ball going anywhere near the net and take on the game with 'Fearless' attitude. Who knows, they even find themselves 'Learning to Fly' again.
A big thanks to everyone for their comments - really appreciated!
Whilst I'm still incredibly busy and not had much time to post recently, I managed to take my laptop to my son's handball training to squeeze in a couple of hours writing in the car before finishing off back at home 🙂
EXMIL CHALLENGE 2026 - Part 2 League Table
I have published the league table after Part 2 in the Social section, if anyone finds an error please let me know. Don’t forget the deadline for entries into Part 3 is 1900 hrs on Friday 17 April 2026.
Good luck everyone, especially the Boro.
Come on BORO.
@powmillnaemore - very good - I could say that Boro will have to Run like Hell otherwise they may be Marooned with Ipswich saying Wish you Were Here (in second place).
Another premier performance from you Werder, an informative and brilliantly crafted piece; unfortunately our team presently are delivering sub premier results.
My glass is completely empty as I knocked it over on Saturday at the end of the game.
Given our current malaise of finding it very difficult to find the back of the net and Ipswich’s home record, then any lingering hopes of making second spot will be well and truly extinguished I fear on Sunday afternoon. 😎
Wow, werder, wonderful! Www.wotabelter.com .
It’s a stellar opener, simply out of this world, atmospheric and astronomically entertaining. Let’s hope our Boro stars can exploit the space on Sunday and that they can place their moon-shots with a bit more Nasalite precision. Let’s hope Boro land a couple of rockets and bring Ipswich back down to earth with a bump. Unfortunately, the dark side of my psyche tells me we’ll lose.
@werdermouth Thanks for your efforts. Are you retired already if so busy? Hah hah ...
Perhaps it is time for Untypical Boro to enter the field? So a scrappy 0-1 win at Ipswich with Tommy Conway scoring a penalty on the 79th minute. Who knows - even if it could be too late to save our season.
Our team is good enough to compete in Championship and score a goal. The table never lies as Powmill said. And someone before him.
I am just enjoying the season now without much expectations. Even the performance vs. Portsmouth was bad for the first time since Hellberg took over.
Up the Boro!
Hi Diasborians
I’m scheduled to do the Boro v Watford preview on 25th April but unfortunately I can’t do it. Could someone take it on please ?
Sorry not posted much in recent weeks but still unwell with heart problems.
Nopefully will get it sorted for the playoffs !
all the best
OFB
Talking of getting into bands, my 15-year old son hadn't shown that much interest in bands until recently and seems to have gained interest through gaming and watching gaming videos on YouTube.
Anyway, we got a Spotify subscription this year and he was listening to some of the bands that he heard when gaming - turns out Spotify gives you notifications about the when the bands you listen to are touring near you.
A few months ago he came and said that one of his favourite heavy rock bands are playing Hamburg and could he go - though being under 16 he has to be accompanied by an adult so Mrs Werder and I agreed to go along too as thought it would be a good experience for him now he's into music.
I'd not really listened to the band he liked before so decided to listen to a playlist on Spotify - the music was typical of the genre and not really my thing but Mrs Werder is a bit of a Metal fan and likes Metallica and AC-DC.
I started noticing the lyrics were a bit preachy and sung about god and the after-life, not to mention guns and war. Anyway, I googled the band only to discover they are actually a Christian Metal band (never knew such a thing existed) - worse still, their lead singer is a Christian fundamentalist, a strong advocate of America First and proud automatic-rifle owner to protect his family from lefties! Needless to say my son is oblivious of what their content is about.
So, that is where I shall be this evening - trying not to heckle in between songs and most likely returning home after 1am with tinnitus waving my stars and stripes merch...
@original-fat-bob. Sorry to hear your still struggling with your health issues. Wishing you all the best and that the medics get you sorted asap. 😎
Really sorry to hear of your ongoing health issues, Bob. I hope you’re soon feeling much better and back firing on all cylinders. Keep smiling, if you can.
Well, I hope you enjoy Toxic Dump, Rock Bottom, Acid Bath or the Jesus and Mary Chain Gang, or whatever they’re called. Not my scene, heavy metal. Not easy listening and too hard on the ears, as you suggest!
Weder that was a brilliant Headliner and topical with the Moon Flight and Pink Floyd.
Floyd were never a favourite band as being somewhat older. The sixties R&B groups were my thing. Redcar jazz Club, the Kirk and during its short life, the Scene on Albert road, being the local venues most frequented to see the likes of, Peter Green´s Fleetwood Mac, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton. Grahame Bond and similar groups.
However as to the Boro, if I was despondent before. I am even more so after seeing werder´s two league tables. Soul destroying.
Second place has long gone and our only chance now is to try and gain some points to guarentee a place in the top six, win some games to build some confidence, hopefully get back Hackney for the playoffs and hope that Southampton continue tinue their oustanding run to the autos.
I would not want us to finish six and them third or any othe combination and meet them home and away. that would be a forgone result.
Our only chance and a slim one at that. is to win some games and to play any of Ipswich, Hull or Millwall in the playoffs.
As for Sunday, as we cannot score, 2-nil to Ipswich
The trouble that the large lady has at the moment is that she is still not sure of which is the song she will be performing. So, not only not made up and not in costume and not warming up, she is still in two minds over what to sing. She is, I believe, awaiting the result of Sunday's fixture in Suffolk to decide if it is to be the ever optimistic "Fly me to the Moon" or the anguished wailing hymn to mortality that is "The Great Gig in the Sky" ...
EXMIL CHALLENGE 2026 - Part 3
So far I have received 7 out of 12 entries (including my own) and the good news is one person has Boro in 2nd but everyone else has us in at least the playoffs, even the most pessimistic has Boro 6th.
The 5 outstanding entries have until tomorrow evening (Friday) at 1900 hrs to post their predictions.
Good luck everyone especially the Boro.
Come on BORO.