The thoughts of Chairman CJ:
Not a huge surprise to see Boro's side stay unchanged then. I picked Arfsten over Borges [in his predicted team] purely for the attacking element, but it would have been incredibly harsh on Borges. We might see some changes through next week, but, for now, no need to disrupt that side, which looks like Boro's strongest XI, as we said after Bolton.
The only real take away from that team news is the return to the squad of Strelec, who returned to full training this week. He returns to the 20 at the expense of Connor Barron, who drops out altogether. Getting more and more likely his loan is terminated in January without playing a single game. For whatever reason, he just clearly isn't fancied at all. We obviously don't see what Hellberg and his coaches see in training.
I agree that it would've been a surprise if there would've been any changes after last week's best performance of the season. I just hope Boro are on it from the beginning and not complacent - there were quite a few 'unchanged' teams last season that looked a different team - it will all be down to attitude and desire come kick-off!
Back after a while and I would like to thank Martin very kindly for his fabulously fishy preview - you might say we're in a good plaice, both here and on the pitch!
The line-up for today is, I think, as strong as we can hope for. No prediction from me today, just the hope that we do the business, though it may be tougher after what will likely be raised expectations after last Friday.
Quite a well-contested first half against a Charlton side who have surprisingly come to play and press Boro high up the pitch. Thankfully, they didn't create any clear chances and Boro have kept their shape and improved as the game progressed after getting the early goal. Indeed, Berhalter, has looked very sharp today and as well as scoring with a great strike and producing a wonderful pass for Lankshear to score yet another goal, has also shown some neat touches in the middle.
Next goal may decide if it's another big win as 3-0 and confidence flowing could see Charlton all at sea...
Not at all the kind of game we expected with the Addicks coming out and providing a distinct threat going forward. That suits us but we haven't quite played with the fluency we found at Bolton. Nevertheless, in spite of a few alarms caused by Malanda's carelessness, we have largely dominated the game, the goals coming with a nice Berhalter strike that the keeper should have stopped, and an intelligent run and expert finish by Lankshire from Berhalter's defence- splitting pass.
It should be reasonably plain sailing from here with Charlton having to come out even more. For us I thought Brittain, Berhalter and Lankshire have all been outstanding. I suspect we will see the subs coming on en masse after the hour to give us a comfortable win. Please.
And no sooner does Len speak than on come a couple of subs: Arfsten & Sarmiento on for Conway & Cozier-Duberry (77th minute) - & Lanky Will gets his second (82nd minute). Boro3 is back! 🙂
Strelec on for Lanky Will in the 83rd minute - CJ:
Lankshear had what was hopefully a bit of cramp after scoring, so quickly taken off.
Well done, Kim, for wrapping him in cotton wool. 👍
3-0 at full time. Would you Adam & Eve it? That rare bird: a clean sheet & a healthier GD of +13, compared with the Hammers' & Sinners' +15! 
Still top of the league, Swans second behind Boro with 26 points.
Not the opening up of Charlton we hoped for in the second half but what a goal to seal the three points as Lankshear produced a sublime strike into the top corner. Charlton's tactics were to stop Boro having time on the ball and there were quite a few rushed passes out of defence but in the end Charlton offered little threat in front of goal. So a solid performance rather than spectacular but whatever the type of game this side and especially Lankshear can score goals.
btw Just three goals fewer scored than West Ham now and only two behind them on goal difference but now six points ahead of them as they drop down to 8th - plus Boro increase their gap to third to 4 points!
I’ll happily take that result. We’ll play better on occasions in the future, but a 3-0 home win is perfectly acceptable. Plus, that was some finish from WL towards the end. He’s more than a one touch opportunist.
Strelec’s body language looks all wrong, but he’s in a very difficult position at the moment. If I was a betting man, I’d back him to leave in January - but where is his replacement coming from?
Didn't like the sight of Will Lankshear going down the tunnel when subbed holding his hamstring. Hope it's just a tight muscle. It was his two goals that made this a comfortable win, his second an absolute beauty. Without them it would have been a tight game. Will was M-o-M, closely followed by Brittain, who was excellent throughout, and Berhalter who ran things in the first half.
Good win without ever reaching the Bolton heights
What Len said.
That was really enjoyable but more from a comfortable, professional sort of viewpoint than a scintillating one.
Lankshear is unreal.
It’s starting to get the point where the thing most likely to stop us going up is ourselves, such as making another hash of the January transfer window.
Can we turn the phones, faxes and emails off at The Riverside before that £35m bid for WL comes in?
That DID turn out to be good way to spend an afternoon. Charlton was a better team and certainly attacked more than the league table suggested. But, at the end, a good win, three goals scored and a clean sheet maintained. The winner, and STILL at the top of The Championship table: BORO!
Lanky with 2 goals. Berhalter (for me, the Man of the Match amongst some fearsome competition) scored one and set up Lanky's first goal with a slide-rule pass. A thing of beauty. Lanky's cherry on top of the cake would have graced any game.
I don't want to count chickens before the eggs have hatched, but I have a feeling this might be Boro's year! So excited...! Suddenly 12 years old again ...
Well that was not the low block game I predicted and Charlton/Jones surprised many of us with their approach which this time failed, as we ran out deserved winners,
Not our best performance but we battled throughout the game, kept a clean sheet and scored three very good goals; good teams find a way to win, when not at their best.
I agree with Maddo, we are capable of taking three points at both Wrexham and Watford. 😎
Here are the goals - worth the brief look for the Berhalter pass from which Lanky Will scored his first goal & the strike that gave him his second:
https://www.skysports.com/football/middlesbrough-vs-charlton-athletic/report/560645
Hartlepool Mail player ratings:
@andy-r : "Dear Middlesbrough FC, please find enclosed our £35M bid for your striker W Lankshear. We are sure you would very much prefer to have £35M in the bank than to hold on to your dream of Premier League football and the guaranteed £100M+ payment that could be yours only 4 months from now. And the parachute millions after that if your club were to be relegated after one year. We won't mention that, with his goals in your strengthened squad, the club could print its own money if your team were to become established as a Premier League regular. We are sure your team's supporters would understand...Yours, Scammer FC."
Well my 100% record remains intact and my expectations were exceeded with 3 lovely goals! More importantly none conceded and Vitek had very little to do. That said, I do think his distribution could improve as there were times when a quick pass or throw wouid have opened up for us.
Lanky Will continues to be the signing of the season and I just hope he is not crocked after his fine second goal - he just knows where it is!
The pass for the first was sublime and for once I do feel we have a team capable of getting promotion although………….!
However, I did feel that in the second half we went off the boil slightly and until the 3rd goal, I felt that there was a chance that they could have scored which would have been, let’s say, interesting and nervy.
We appear to be a bit disjointed at the back and at times hang on the the ball a bit too long and then have to rush a pass which then goes astray. That happened at least a couple of times today and we had to be rescued by Morris running around like a terrier to retrieve the ball. Against a better team, it may have been costly.
Anyway, enough of the negatives, overall a great performance, 3 points, 3 goals, a full house going home happy and still top of the league!
A celebration beer or three to be consumed and the next trip up to be planned!
Up the Boro, the Boro’s going up!!
3-0 IS GREAT
According to some reports Boro weren’t at their best. But 3-0, I will take that every day of the week. To not play as well as you can and still win 3-0 is fantastic.
As previously mentioned the best teams still win when not at their best.
So congratulations to the team and coaches plus matching the locals here in Huddersfield who also won 3-0 and have identical points and the same won, drawn and lost only one game and top of the League.
Happy supporters in Middlesbrough and Huddersfield
😁👍😁👍
@forever-dormo Whilst Lankshear scored two delightful goals, I think that was Berhalter’s best game to date. MotM for me.
BBD. I agree, I know we won 3-0 and it may sound a little churlish, but please can the defenders stop messing around in the 18 yard area. As Len said, Malanda was quite careless at times and a better team may have taken advantage. Vitek had nothing to do, but he is slow with his distribution, missing out on transition opportunities.
But, three points with a professional performance.
@pedro - I agree. I also had Berhalter as MoM.
I also think it would be good for the health of my heart if Boro's defenders played the percentages at the back. It might look good if the centre backs beat their man in the defensive penalty area, then moved the ball upfield and retained possession. But sometimes it makes more sense to smack the ball upfield or into Row Z because, as Mark Lawrenson famously commented, "You can't concede from Row Z".
The team can always, if the ball has been hoofed upfield to the opposition, win it back. At their peak, didn't Manchester City aim to recover possession within 10 seconds? But losing it in a dangerous position, like your own penalty area, carries a high possibility of a disastrous outcome. Cut it out, lads! My heart will thank you.
Top of the League, still! I don't suppose that will get boring.
Well, Will Lankshear struck either side of half-time to take his goal tally to 15 for the season. That is 13 goals in 13 LEAGUE matches. Quicly calculating, that would make 46 goals in the end.
Of course, that won't happen but I bet he will hit close to 30 goals in the league if he stays fit. But we need to have Strelec fit in case our Lanky Shearer needs a rest (he had a cramp yesterday) or really gets injured.
Hence Lankshear is my only worry. Will he keep fit?
I am not worried about our defense, though. The whole idea is to pass the ball around the opposition if the press high. Then we have more space where to attack. We have scored many times like that this season. Wonderful football.
Anyway, we let so few chances for the opposition to score. Like yesterday, there was no work for Vitek. So let's stop worrying about our defenders or goalkeeper. They have played well and let very few chances for opposition in all.
Wonderful to stay top. As said, we will be going up if we keep on collecting points like we have - nearly 2,2 points per match. I do not know what is the averega AFTER the latest International break, but this team is starting to click.
Up the Boro!
PS. The whole Charlton team have scored two goals less than Lankshear this season. That is a worry - for Charlton, of course! UTB!
Thanks Martin for that appreciated
i went to the game yesterday I must admit the club have been most accommodating not many stairs and a good seat with a terrific view. Good supporters around us which makes you realise what live football gives you to feel part of the game.
i must confess I never liked Whittaker much as he didn’t have any heart or fight. Lankshear will go on to be the England and hopefully the Boro centre forward for many a year hopefully.
Nice to be back
OFB
3-0 IS GREAT
According to some reports Boro weren’t at their best. But 3-0, I will take that every day of the week. To not play as well as you can and still win 3-0 is fantastic.
As previously mentioned the best teams still win when not at their best.So congratulations to the team and coaches plus matching the locals here in Huddersfield who also won 3-0 and have identical points and the same won, drawn and lost only one game and top of the League.
Happy supporters in Middlesbrough and Huddersfield
😁👍😁👍
Sad news about Patrick Stewart, a devoted Huddersfield fan
@forever-dormo I don’t think you’ll see the changes you want from the defence. KH has a way of playing and we all need to get used to it - he’s prepared to take risks at the back to increase our success up front.
Supporters get twitchy, as we’re not used to that style of play, although by now we should be - let’s embrace the space in midfield and our playing out from the back. It seems to be working fine - as Paul Simon famously said “The problem is all inside your head, she said to me. The answer is easy if you take it logically…”
Agreed. But in any case why would the Club be tempted to sell him now when he will be worth maybe three times £35 million at some point if he continues to score so prolifically? Besides, he is critical to the promotion push and could be equally critical to Boro’s chances in the PL. Selling him in January would be madness.
@original-fat-bob - Good to have you back on board.
@martin-bellamy - I do get that, Martin. But good officers, whilst they may expect the troops to follow well-made plans, also realise that experienced NCOs know their stuff and must be allowed to exercise their own initiative when they can see that there is danger or when they can see an opportunity ahead of the men. There must be an element of sensible flexibility.