No Fry in the squad. Do we know how badly injured he is?
I think it's more important that the 11 selected play well than exactly which formation RE wants to set up.
I will follow this game on BBC Tees. Hopefully there will be no reaction by my body to today's jabs - a booster against Shingles and (added at the last minute) a Pneumonia jab. My wife had these last week and clearly had a reaction but was OK after 36 hours. So, two puncture wounds at the top of my right arm to accompany Saturday's puncture to the left arm. Fingers crossed.
Just listening to speculation from Scott Wilson about Rob Edwards going to Wolves. I think we could do without that. A win at Leicester tonight followed by 3 points this coming weekend may help to make staying at Boro more appealing as then the team will be secure in 2nd place (at least ) by Saturday evening, whatever other teams do.
Maddo feels RE will not leave a well-placed Boro to go to a team struggling at the bottom of the Premier League. But lots of talk about "no smoke without fire" so far as concerns the rumours.
Come on, Boro! Let's do the job this evening.
No confidence in this selection. Leicester are out of form, but they have dangerous wingers, a solid midfield and will start strongly I fear another 3-0. The best augury for the Boro is that when I think they have no chance they generally win (eg at Millwall this season and at Leicester two seasons ago) Here's hoping
Lashing down at the King Power - no sign of it stopping during the game either.
I'm expecting Whittaker as the wide right but tends to be easily dispossessed and then Leceister will break quickly - Burgzorg wide left but hopefully not offside as usual...
Late in, so just really catching up as the Last Post is being played out in the pouring rain.
Also just seen the team news, and it could only be a back four with Fry missing and Edmundson with no game time since injury. Is it going to be Carrick Ball. Not at all impressed with the team news and the same “failures” being picked. And Morris before Browne?
Edwards needs something out of this game.
Foxes a goal up courtesy of a dodgy penalty conceded by HH on the stroke of half-time. 🙁
Fiddlesticks! 1-0 to Leicester with a penalty at the last second of the 1st Half (handball in the area by HH). It could have been better for Boro. It's never great to go behind.
It's not a penalty if the ball is touched outside the line of the box but the player is inside - so wrong decision.
I’ve no idea what HH was doing there. Looked outside the area though.
Decent enough, but lacking that real threat in the box. Then, what was Hackney thinking.... totally againstv the run of play, but we have it all to do now in the second half.
@stircrazy - Maddo and the BBC Tees crew said it looked outside the box as it happened, but the replay made it clear it was a penalty. The reality is that I am just a supporter. You'd expect the referee, lino, players and ex-players to know the laws of the game.
Well same old same old. Dominate possession but fail to really threaten and then concede a stupid penalty.
If we continue to play as we are without the forward line making a positive contribution then Leicester will take all three points. Little impact from Strelec, Conway, Whittingham and Burgzorg; you can’t win matches if they do not perform. 😎
@werdermouth I heard that comment being made. Surely it is where the BALL is that counts, not the player's feet.
Not sure what Hackney was thinking with that one, inside or outside the box, then throwing himself to the ground to make it look more obvious.
Other than that once again we were the team doing most of the probing.
Is it just me but I am wanting so much more from Brittain, he has been allowed so much space on the right and he is doing nothing with it, his crosses when he does put one in are poor and this has been the case for a number of games now.
Fiddlesticks! 1-0 to Leicester with a penalty at the last second of the 1st Half (handball in the area by HH). It could have been better for Boro. It's never great to go behind.
According to Brian Dick (who he?), who's apparently standing in for CJ this evening, the "handball" was off HH's elbow:
Hackney elbows a ball that was spinning away from him and the ref has awarded a spot kick. Not sure it was in the box to be honest.
Hard to imagine Boro can score 2 these days but the crowd were starting to turn against their team until the penalty and just before HT is a bad time to concede.
Some good moves in the first half but no end product as Boro controlled the game but didn't create any clear-cut chances - not sure what changes will be made and whether they will make Boro more coherent as an attacking force...
@stircrazy - Maybe it should be called "armball", so infrequently is it that the ball makes contact with an actual hand!
I've been thinking that about Brittain for a few weeks now and how Ayling offers much more going forward in that position but he's a definite centre-back today.
Disaster on the stroke of half time as Hackney clearly handles the ball to concede a penalty. The only question was the offence inside the penalty area or not. My initial reaction was that it wasn’t.
Other than that, an average game with both teams putting the effort in but unable to produce the final ball or a bit of magic to create clear chances. Before the penalty Leicester had the best chance after about 15 minutes.
Boro have had loads of possession but not used it to their advantage.
At half time most scores are going in Stoke’s favour.
Although losing, I still feel this is a game Boro are capable of winning - even though it would require a minimum of 2 goals !!
philip of Huddersfield 👎☹️
Boro Live commentary team have googled the penalty rules at HT and have discovered it shouldn't have been a penalty if the ball was touched outside the box - good to know we've got expert commentary...
A very even game we only a couple of half chances to either team. Then it has to be said, Hackney gets it wrong. No one near him, but he makes a mistake, one of a few in the first half, despite trying to push us forward.
We look toothless upfront with little idea as how to create any meaningful real opportunities. Can we score two, I don’t think we could score one at the moment.
And Strelec looks nothing like a 7 million footballer.
I also think PJ is correct, Brittain needs to offer up more.
The BBC are showing that Brittain was booked after the handball. The Leicester commentator saying it was Targett. If he is correct then is that him suspended?
The BBC are showing that Brittain was booked after the handball. The Leicester commentator saying it was Targett. If he is correct then is that him suspended?
Bet365 says it was Brittain.
Nypan & McGree on for Strelec & Burgzorg in the 63rd minute.
Midway through the second half, 2 substitutes on but no better. Lack of cohesion as a team. No threat up front
Philip of Huddersfield 👎☹️
Sène on for HH in the 75th minute.
Silvera & Hansen on for Targett & Whittaker in the 85th minute.
B*gger to quote AV... Conway had to score that, but didn't
Jones sent off in the 90th minute, five minutes of injury time. The wheels are coming off!
Final two subs, it just looks like a sign of desperation by Edwards, just not knowing what to do with his underwhelming and underperforming front players.
It really does look as though the players we have signed to make and score the goals are just not good enough. The wheels really have come off now.
aAnd to make it worse, Jones sent off.