Ahhhh, @clive-hurren, the Cap'n Jack Sparrow of the Diasboro! Well done, that was some [Black] Pearl of an opener. An absolute Kraken of a tale that no doubt has had most of your audience in here running around manically asking "Where's the rum?". Boro's overall record at the Britannia does not look great, (39 played, winning 8, drawing 5 and losing 26 times), but I reckon that record is more of a guideline than a rule, so there is certainly still hope for a repeat of the result from last February.
Nice to see you have a call out for George Eastham, a very stylish player. Of course we signed John Mahoney from the potters who was a player I enjoyed watching in a Boro shirt. More recently we had the bargain "free" transfer of Tommy Smith from the Potters, who looked good for the short while under Carrick, until he ruptured his achilles early in the 23/24 season. He is, of course, still with the club looking after the interests of all our players out on loan.
As for tonight. It is important we do not lose this one and ideally we will do better than that as we really do not want to lose any ground on Coventry and need to keep pace with Ipswich. I'd like to see Leo Casteldine given an opportunity - perhaps not starting but coming on with 20 or 25 minutes still to play. A Conway goal would also be celebrated in this house!!!
Yes we're reaching the business end of the season and teams who get into the automatic places need to win most of their games - for example, last year from January, Leeds record was W14 D7 L1 and Burnley's was even better with W15 D7 L0. Yes they both only lost one game between them from January onwards.
So if Boro are serious automatic promotion contenders then they have to just keep winning games and maybe only draw about one third of them.
Ipswich are now looking the team who will win the league with only one loss in their last ten games - with Coventry having lost 3 of their last ten and only 4 wins. Boro have also lost 3 of their last ten but have won 6.
It's going to be tough but hopefully Hellberg has seen an improvement in recent games - though whether Boro can keep hold of second spot in the short term may determine how strong the challenge is. Losing Hackney would certainly be against a top two finish.
Sorry about the language in my first piece. I was aware as I wrote it that you might struggle, even with your brilliant command of English, to understand centuries-old ‘pirate speak’ (as we think we know it.) If you’d like me to provide a translation, please let me know!
Well, thank you for those TWO starters, Clive.
Boro could also do with an early 1, 2. If that happens at the Britannia Stadium tonight, we know from this season's games that a win would be almost nailed-on. I think, so far, it is 13 times Boro has taken the lead in a league game and 13 wins have followed. Fingers crossed for Boro's goal-scoring start tonight!
If Boro is looking for automatic promotion then a win would be expected. Top two teams go to difficult places and come back with 3 points, but also follow that up with 3 points from the "easier" games afterwards (whereas a Typical Boro might be expected to put up a really good peformance in the away fixture only to flop in the following game - which is why Boro has not been an automatic promotion candidate for some time). Hopefully that is something Boro can put right this season. But with Coventry still clear at the top and MAYBE inching back towards better form than of late, and with Ipswich looking good on a successful run of games and now having leap-frogged Boro on level games, there is not much leeway to play with.
The game at Stoke is obviously VERY important. But then again, if automatic promotion is the aim, ALL games are important.
I suspect that if Boro does achieve automatic promotion, it will prove to have been a very close race. There will not be much to spare. The possibility of Manchester United putting in a bid for Haden Hackney might insert a stick into the spokes. Money received would not be easily spent on a suitable replacement during what is left of the January transfer window. Nobody amongst the Premier League coaches/managers will know as much about HH as Michael Carrick does. But we who follow the Boro are all aware of the status HH holds, the fact that he is the fulcrum on which the Boro team is balanced.
If Boro were to be promoted, the value to the club will be far more than any fee which the sale of HH would provide. If the team finds itself in the Premier League next season, HH would no doubt have an increased contract and leading his boyhood team in the Promised Land would give him the experience and exposure that would increase his value should he be sold later. I hope he is here to see us over the line.
Tonight? I'd LOVE it if Conway were to score, but I wouldn't bet money on it. And the fact that the team's No 9 is so goal-shy, however hard he works, cannot be great. Imagine what Boro would look like if the team had someone who could score 15-20 goals a season. That's not to put all the team's eggs into one basket, but it would spread the load a little! Nobody on here would have thought Whittaker might be on track for maybe 16-18 goals this season. But if those goals were scored by Conway with Whittaker chipping in with perhaps 8 or 9 goals, the team might be better off. Anyway, let's hope it goes well tonight. I am already feeling a little on edge about it. A win, whatever the score, would be great for me.
No problem. I just needed to read it twice. It was funny and some strange grammar like "it do".Sorry about the language in my first piece. I was aware as I wrote it that you might struggle, even with your brilliant command of English, to understand centuries-old ‘pirate speak’ (as we think we know it.) If you’d like me to provide a translation, please let me know!
Was Pulis' family roots as pirate? His father was born in Malta and moved to Wales and Newport ...
Up the Boro!
So Boro have decided to keep Burgzorg.
Bristol City head coach Gerhard Struber has said he is "not in the driver's seat" regarding the club's transfer business after confirming a deal for Middlesbrough's Delano Burgzorg had fallen through.
The Robins have been linked with forward Burgzorg for a number of weeks with Struber repeatedly stating the club were "really close" to a deal.
However, Struber confirmed the move is now off with Middlesbrough wanting to keep the 27-year-old.
The Boro desision was done before the WBA match, though. The Netherlands player scored a dramatic late winner at the Hawthorns on Friday.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cp82z791q7go
Up the Boro!
Latest news on Sarmiento
Cremonese had been promoted from Serie B via the playoffs, and it was decided Sarmiento could try his luck in Italy. Unfortunately it’s been an absolute disaster. The 23-year-old has had less than 140 minutes, and none of those have come since November.
Middlesbrough were credited with interest, but then Birmingham City were presented as his rescue act and a deal was considered nearly done. That was so much the case, that we covered a report from a Cremonese focused outlet, which – in so many words – said goodbye and good riddance and thanks for making room on the wage bill.
However, Raffaele Amato, one of those who broke the story in the first place, now states there’s a problem. To be specific, he says: ‘After the clubs reached an agreement, the deal has blocked for now. Birmingham City wanted to change the payment terms.’
Presumably, that’s payment terms to Brighton.
TMW report the player is now set to return to English football with Middlesbrough.
OFB
I think it’s about time we saw
BORO3 make an appearance this year against Stoke 0 !
OFB
No changes in the starting XI, but Ibeh replaces Kanté on the bench:
News from CJ on Sarmiento:
Transfer twist
Some big news coming out on the transfer front this evening. Middlesbrough’s move for Jeremy Sarmiento is potentially back on, with Boro making their move after Birmingham City’s attempts to hijack a move.
Boro had started to consider other targets after talks with Brighton broke down, but club sources had suggested that they would keep tabs on the situation, which quickly developed on Tuesday, with news that the Blues had stepped in to do a deal.
Though Boro still have other options in mind, they went back to Brighton and have agreed a new permanent deal said to be worth around £3.2 million.
@stircrazy Well if that is true, then it is hard to believe. And to make it a permanent deal for over 3 million, beggars belief, especially when everyone on here thinks we need a CF that can score goals. And realistically a CB.
MFC do not have bags of money and Mr Gibson, I am sure will do his best whilst complying with PSR
However he has not had any game time since 7 November and that was for all of 13 minutes. Considering the teams we play over the next few weeks, will he be fit enough to actually contribute meaningfully in any of them.
I wonder what, Hansen, Sene, Hamilton and Mypan are thinking. We will need to make space for him.
Boro a goal down after 15 minutes - CJ:
Such a poor goal to concede on so many levels. Not for the first time, ball given away cheaply in their own third, this time by Targett. No one closes Rigo, but his shot is saveable. Another that's gone straight under Brynn.
🙁
Very much the makers of their own downfall with that goal. Targett the guilty party on this occasion. But it'd been a theme of the opening 15 minutes. Boro have started so sloppy. Stoke have been up for it and have pressed hard, but Boro have been so casual in possession in their own third and have given it away so often.
All that said, Brynn has to save those. That's a third goal this season that's gone underneath him in similar fashion.
A meek and at times nervy performance from Boro in that first half. Stoke are much more physical and aggressive whilst Boro have been passive and weak.
The less said about the goal the better. An absolute shocker all round.
Gilbert not in the game and easily brushed off the ball, Silvera a passenger, Conway everywhere but nowhere. Hackney and Morris trying their best but nothing in front of them again.
Despite all that it’s just a single goal deficit and Boro have several gears they can go through if they can find them. We’re going to have to be a lot more up for it than we have been so far, however.
If ever there was time for an inspirational half time talk it’s now. There’ll surely have to be substitutions soon.
Our new French centre back doesn’t look as world class as he did a couple of weeks ago either.
Still time to win it but we’ll have to play differently in the second half. SB’s mistake was as bad as his fingertip save into the crossbar was good.
That first half was a litany of errors where the players were far too casual in comparison to the intensity of the Stoke press. It seems many were playing on autopilot and just passing the ball into places where they hoped to find a teammate but were easily read by Stoke. Boro simply lacked the physicality to deal with Stoke and kept trying to play out from the back without the options to do so. A poor quality game with both keepers looking error prone.
if ever there should be 3 half-time subs then this is one!
Agree with Andy, a terrible first half. Gilbert awful (and I'm one of his fans), Silvera, Conway., and Whittaker at their most ineffectual, Malanda four poor passes putting us in danger. We are playing it out too slowly from the back and failing to make the ball stick up front. Bad mistake by Brynn but a great save later to keep us in the game. The defence is competent, but there is literally nothing up front.
Looks like we are suffering a typically wet night in Stoke, and the Potters look more likely to increase their lead than we are to come back.
Well it looks as though it is “Typical Boro” that has turned up tonight against a Stoke with more injuries than we have.
Unless Hellberg can give the HT talk of talks, then he is going to look very much like our departed Mr Edwards. Four wins to start with then inconsistent. Just not good enough for the top six, never mind the autos.
Looks like Burgzorg & Castledine coming on.
Well that’s better
Burgzorg & Castledine on for Silvera & Gilbert at the start of the second half. Boro back in it in the 48th minute: Alan Browne, assisted by Whittaker - CJ:
Whittaker unlucky after a good turn on the edge. Ball eventually comes out to Morris, who drives inside from wide, fires one low across goal. Simkin spills, Browne fires home the rebound.
It was scruffy but it was needed TC scores to put us 1-2 up. CoB 😎
TOMMY CONWAY !!! 🥳🥳🥳
And, a bit like London buses, a second goal comes along a few minutes later: CONWAY, assisted by Browne (59).
Stoke down to 10 men: Lawal sent off in the 77th minute after he picked up a second yellow.
Nypan on for Whittaker in the 80th minute.
Five minutes of injury time. Fry on for Conway in the 92nd minute.