@martin-bellamy I knew your feelings. Sorry to turn the knife in the wound.
But I couldn't resists. 🤣🤣🤣
Up the Boro!
There is a nice article in the Athletic about Middlesbrough as a town and a football club. They even mention our blog in there. " ... a large Teesside diaspora, or ‘Diasboro’, the name of one fan forum."
Up the Boro!
I loved the sentence the Athletic wrote about year 1986 and Boro FC: "Gibson looks about 14 but speaks with the forthright manner we have become accustomed to."
Brilliant. Up the Boro!
@lenmasterman Would you believe Len, I don’t remember where exactly the quote itself came from! I think it may have been from a comment on the old blog. What I do remember is that the wisdom I took from it was so valuable that I had to keep a note of it somehow - what you see in italics is more like wisdom adapted from that post, and not the post word for word.
It stood out for me because it was such a great defence of a game that probably didn’t need defending. Ha, “didn’t need defending” - that can work in more than one way!
The great paradox is that while that Newcastle team of 1995-96 was not renowned for their defending, their defensive record that season was actually reasonably good. They conceded fewer than one per game overall and actually let in just two in their final five games. The issue was, oddly, that they didn’t score enough - they netted fewer than either United or Liverpool. Their nearly-but-not-quite campaign has been attributed to something that is, alas, apparent in our current team - lack of coherence. You have to hope we can resolve this or that it at least won’t be as much of a problem as I fear it might be.
@pedro I’ve not been to Prague. We visited Krakov many years ago though.
Getting into Oslo was very straightforward last week - we’re coming back on the Eurostar from Brussels so I’m hoping there won’t be too many issues.
Thanks Jarkko. Brilliant article and wonderful images.
The Mannion photo of the great man having a kick-about with some raggedy kids on a bomb site was one that had pride of place on my living room wall for many years. I gifted it to my eldest brother, who had always admired it. When he died it went to his grandson and my great nephew, who is a very bright and very committed Boro fan. His eldest son is called, of course, Wilf. He will inherit it in due course, and so the image and memory will persist as an important bond across many generations of my own family.
There are many things I love about that image. Wilf, immaculate, but still happy to get down with kids who scarcely have a pair of decent shoes between them. The "pitch", all bumps and craters. And above all, in the bottom left hand corner, the jacket thrown down as a post. Wilf has interrupted what was seemingly a real game that the kids were having, the posture of the young keeper showing his readiness to dive, catch or tip round the post anything that Wilf might shoot at him.
A priceless snapshot of a time long gone but memories of which still remain vividly in my own mind. I played in many such street games almost every day of my early childhood
@jarkko That article brought a small tear to my eyes. It’s funny what a hometown can mean to you, even if you’ve left and it’s obviously struggling. It’s hard to see any level of prosperity coming back to the town any time soon, but I’d like see some hope around the old place.
This evening's starting XI - Lanky Will back & a start for Phillips; no Malanda, not even on the bench:
CJ re Malanda:
Suggestion is that he has picked up an injury. How severe, we're not yet certain. We'll be asking Kim Hellberg after.
@jarkko That article brought a small tear to my eyes. It’s funny what a hometown can mean to you, even if you’ve left and it’s obviously struggling. It’s hard to see any level of prosperity coming back to the town any time soon, but I’d like see some hope around the old place.
And even more so when you only spent the first 4 years of your life there! That said, you recall the stories that were told of relatives growing up. Like the fact that my Uncle could remember going round with his grandfather giving out union monies to those that were not working due to illness or accidents.
@stircrazy - I remain slightly concerned about that teams ability to defend through the middle! Let’s just hope that it won’t be necessary.
It’s only September and already the injuries are starting to impact - if, hopefully not, we have an injury tonight to Ayling or Phillips, what happens then? Arfsten perhaps.
Bugger! Early goal for Millwall (11th minute). 🙁 CJ:
Too easy. One long ball over the top with Arconte running off Ayling. He does enough to get back with him, but can't do enough to stop the shot, which beats Vitek low at his near post. Great finish off the post.
@stircrazy - Deja vue again sadly. We do make life hard for ourselves
Now 0-2 (Lyndon Dykes in the 36th minute). CJ:
Corner for Millwall isn't dealt with effectively by Boro. Sturge's header is going wide but kept alive by the flick of Sykes back across goal where Dykes is lurking unmarked for the tap-in.
So far, an Alex Neil team doing to Boro what Alex Neil teams are renowned for doing to Boro. Pooping the party, ripping up the script… at the worst possible time.
Double bugger - looks like typical Boro strikes again!
Well we knew it would be hard but even harder now as typical Boro are in full flow; on the performance so far, which has been pedestrian, I just do not see us getting back into this game as Millwall/AlexNeil have got their tactics spot on. 😎
So far, an Alex Neil team doing to Boro what Alex Neil teams are renowned for doing to Boro. Pooping the party, ripping up the script… at the worst possible time.
You are quite right and I can’t bring myself to “like” something which is typical of Boro
@k-p-in-spain - unless KH can do something remarkable at half time to change things around………..
@boro-beckys-dad And I don’t blame you. Hellberg is far from the first Boro boss to craft teams who have plenty of possession but not much luck in front of goal.
Walking football.... so easy to defend against.
Pace and movement in the second half..... please
Naive, predictable and typical Boro. We have simply not learned lessons from last season or the marginal wins we have gained whilst not defending well as a team this season.
@boro-beckys-dad. Remind me when did KH last do something remarkable at half time? 😎
Well we knew it would be hard but even harder now as typical Boro are in full flow; on the performance so far, which has been pedestrian, I just do not see us getting back into this game as Millwall/AlexNeil have got their tactics spot on. 😎
From the Beeb's live text commentary:
About as perfect a half of football as they come, from a Millwall perspective.
Just before half-time:
Boro are definitely quicker to pull the trigger in the final third now than they were at 1-0.
Aidan Morris lines up a low effort from 20 yards from an Amario Cozier-Duberry cut-back.
They are cottoning on to the fact that the absolute glut of crosses have caused very little trouble to the Lions' defenders so far.
Cause for hope?
CJ on the first half:
All very last season. Boro conceded a sloppy early goal, thus giving Millwall something to protect. From there, Boro had plenty of the ball, but never looked convincing to get an equaliser before Millwall snatched a second. Final pass/cross letting Boro down.
Clearly need to play with more purpose and pace to stretch their defence but Neil has played his hand perfectly
Vitek also not convincing me... still.
He should have stopped that first goal and should have dominated his area for the second
@boro-beckys-dad. Remind me when did KH last do something remarkable at half time? 😎
Good point well made!
I'm not quite sure what Boro were trying to do in that first half other than save energy and walk the ball into the net - plus best not mention the defending as the first goal was once again caught out in transition and Vitek shouldn't be caught out at his near post - the second goal was just chaotic defending from a corner.
Can't see what Conway is offering on the left as he is too predictable and wasteful - must be hooked at HT in favour of either Arfsten or Sarmiento - also we need more energy and guile on the pitch.
This game has almost been lost despite 82% possession and Boro need a lot more energy in the second half if they are to get anything from it.