That was not a football game by any description and I have seen and played in Saturday afternoon games where there was more football played than the hoof ball on display yesterday.
To say that Barnsley play a high pressing attacking game is a joke, what we saw was hoof it up field and chase after it as quick as possible; there was no attempt by either side to play out from the back or to create moves by passing and inter play.
Bettinelli proved again that he was not what we need but he was not solely responsible for the goals. The first one came about when initially Bola messed up a clearance when he was not under pressure and conceded the corner. Spence was marking the near post but was out muscled by the forwards, failed to get any contact, Bettinelli moved across, flapped at it and helped it in at the far post.
The second was conceded after Bettinelli got down to save a gentle header but didn't catch it and it was cleared out to the right hand side where it was promptly played back across the six yard box without any defender getting to it and reached Dike at the far post, who was completely unmarked, for a simple header. It could be described as comic defending if it wasn't so serious and costly.
I am becoming increasingly concerned about all the talk that this is all about next season. All I have seen since Christmas is a team going backwards rapidly and for NW to suggest we are work in progress is delusional.
He wanted and got additions to the squad in January to make a push for a top six slot and it has failed badly. Managers always talk about only recruiting players who will improve the squad and that has failed badly as none of those brought in, including Fisher, have been an upgrade or improved our performances.
Having saved us last season the only improvements have been the recruitment of Watmore and the improved performances from Dijksteel and Bola but there has been little in the way of an improvement in our style of play, consistency or evidence of progression that will see us as a promotion contender.
I agree with RR that there needs to be a reset and a parting of the ways at the end of the season if NW is to avoid an ignominious end to his career, as once the crowds are back it won't take them very long to vent their feelings and in such a situation NW will not hang around. 😎
@andy-r Now I see why I liked the match until the first goal. Barnsley were hoofing the ball more than we did. Hence our play did not look as bad as in recent games.
Yes, Barnsley were awfull, too and the only difference between the two teams were our goalkeeper and our calamity defending on two occations (well three if you count the mix-up between Hall and Bettenelli immediately after the first goal).
Just wonder how I motivate myself to watch the next game on Saturday. Up the Boro!
I think goal scoring is very low in the Championship this season. Only three teams have 1.5 goals per game average. 10 teams less than a goal a game average. We are the ninth highest scorers in the league. Swansea have scored the same number of goals as the Boro have, with 15 more points, and are likely to be in the playoffs. We also have the ninth best defence.
I'm wondering if Warnock's latest protestations to the Officials at the end of the match was about Bettineli not being sent off for the high challenge?
Had he been red carded it would maybe have permitted Warnock to play another Keeper if there is some sort of clause from Fulham stating that Bettinelli has to play when fit. It's the only thing that I can think of as the Ref in my view was largely anonymous and had a pretty good game.
@mw-in-darwin. We are also,at the moment, 10th in the league.
So what that is telling us is that unless NW can sort out the defence, midfield and strikers then we are going nowhere and will finish mid table at best both this season and next unless by some miracle he finds cash down the back of the sofa and is able to find players who will improve us.
Guess what, I am not holding my breath! 😎
Sure, OFB. I’ll put something together for the QPR game.
I think maybe we need to accept that mid-table is our natural position these days. We don’t have a natural right to be in the EPL just because we used to be there, I guess, and trying to compete with the relegated teams will always be difficult.
I think we blew the chance to go back up when we first came down and our performance in our eventual one season back was never going to thrill the Boro fans.
It’s a tough call - would we rather be owned by a (moderately) wealthy local fan and spend our time flirting with the top 6 in the Championship or be owned by an extremely wealthy foreign individual and striving for promotion, only for them to sell up and move on when we don’t achieve it?
Loved your post re. Would you like your team to be owned by a super rich person, or carry on as we are? The only way is wealth. You may have noticed that the most famous and powerful clubs immediately got themselves organised and bought by a multi billionaire. Strange thing! Their fans cheered, which means that they know more about the game than our fans do. To be rich and powerful means that you will get a few iffy decisions from the ref in your favour when you are in trouble (see any match of the day) including last night, and tonight as well, the big clubs have got a grip of the entire lunatic system already. Any goal against is followed by an immediate full on enquiry, not a privelege granted to the lower pond life in the league. The press are on board with the idea that any victory over one of the giants is a tragety and something will have to be done about it (and it probably will)
If we can agree that NW saved us last season (and then forget it) we might get somewhere. Any football worth the name must be based on ruthless buying, and scouting, and pursuing any player who fills your idea of what you need for any particular job you want doing. There is nothing wrong with being ruthless in your demands and mean in what you are prepared to pay, you will at least be respected in the game. You must of course have a very good (if not brilliant) coach, you will devise a system of play which all will follow (or else) you will have a knowledge of Maths, which means that you know that a High ball takes light years to reach it's recipient (too long) you will train your players to run into the best position without even looking at the passer of the ball who will of course put the ball into the space in front of him as he speeds onto it. It will be on the ground of course so he will have no trouble controlling it. I have had some trouble thinking of a name for this method but in the end I settled for 'Football' I think it might catch on!
OFB - there was a Monsoon during the Barnsley game when injury-hit Boro played Viv Anderson, wasn't there?
It was the week before the last match at Ayresome Park and televised on ITV if I remember correctly, and Boro led at halftime with a goal from Fjortoft but finished 1-1.
I was at Barnsley in the marvellous Bruce Rioch days. A win for Boro 3-0.
I also remember our playing the Tykes in the FA Cup in 1981 at home in front of a crowd exceeding 37,000 when they were a Division 3 club. The 2-1 win preceded the Wolves match and the replay which signalled the decline and subsequent relegation under Bobby Murdoch.
Missed 80/81 was living and working in southern Spain with the family.
No internet or Sky tv to watch then we relied on day old newspapers for results !
BUT IT WAS HOT AND THE BEER WAS COLD !
OFB
I'm wondering if Warnock's latest protestations to the Officials at the end of the match was about Bettineli not being sent off for the high challenge?
Had he been red carded it would maybe have permitted Warnock to play another Keeper if there is some sort of clause from Fulham stating that Bettinelli has to play when fit. It's the only thing that I can think of as the Ref in my view was largely anonymous and had a pretty good game.
I'm wondering if Warnock's latest protestations to the Officials at the end of the match was about Bettineli not being sent off for the high challenge?
Had he been red carded it would maybe have permitted Warnock to play another Keeper if there is some sort of clause from Fulham stating that Bettinelli has to play when fit. It's the only thing that I can think of as the Ref in my view was largely anonymous and had a pretty good game.
Maybe he was asking why he wasn’t allowed to replace Bettinelli with Jim Platt!
@redcarred
When I was a young teenager I often watched Pools at the Vic when Boro were playing away, or sometimes watched Boro Reserves as it was the only way to find out how the first team were progressing on the halftime scoreboard. Once I got a paper round I usually cycled to Ramshaw’s farm (the location of Roseberry Square nowadays) to watch the now defunct Redcar Crusaders who played in the South Bank and District League. There were no goal nets but it was handy especially with 2.15 winter kickoffs to do my paper round. In British Summer Time with 3 pm kickoffs I had to leave at half time. However watching any football was enjoyable in those days, but I can’t say the same about some of today’s rubbish.
Hartlepool’s were one of the better sides in the old Third Division North but streets away from the Boro at that time, but nevertheless it was exciting with good honest professionals who just enjoyed playing football mainly on the grass. It was real football in those days, competitive and sometimes rough but compelling to watch. I’ve seen Pools twice this season on BT Sport and I’m hoping that the upcoming fixture away to Sutton United who are only a point below Pools although having played 4 games less, will be televised. At the moment points accrued are possibly more valuable than games in hand.
The standard of football is higher than what folks might expect. Boro have had experience of playing some of those clubs in the not too distant past. In 1986 Sutton defeated FA Cup holders Coventry in the late 80s and Boro needed a replay to beat them in the following season. Of the current batch of ex-league clubs in the National League are Torquay who beat Boro 2-1 in a league match 1966, Wrexham who beat Jack Charlton’s all-conquering Boro side 1-0 in the FA Cup in 1974, soon to be relegated??? Grimsby who beat Boro 2-1 at Ayresome Park in the FA Cup in 1989, Notts County who beat Boro in the 1991 playoffs, Stockport who beat the star-studded Boro side 1-0 in the second leg of the 1997 League Cup Semifinal (although Boro had won the first leg 2-0), Chesterfield who probably would have beaten Boro in the 1977 FA Cup Semifinal if there had been goal line technology in those days. Certainly, that was then, but it’s to Hartlepool’s credit that at the moment they’re ahead of all these teams. Of course that has no significance to the here and now, but it does show how those clubs’ fortunes have since not been very kind.
Only the Champions will be automatically promoted, but finishing 2nd will give Pools a home match in the final of the playoffs, whist finishing 3rd would mean 2 playoff matches, at home to the 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th clubs and if they survive an away match to the 2nd club. I must say that I’ve enjoyed watching Pools, but hoping that one defeat might not derail their season. Could the present Pools side beat the current Boro side, maybe not? But if both teams played as they did yesterday, my money would be on Pools.
Well, who would have thought this.....
Neil Warnock was manager of Bury, and Kevin Blackwell a former goalkeeper was soon appointed goalkeeping coach at Bury.
Wonder what he thinks of Bettineli 🙄
Still thinking Boro as a grave yard for strikers. In the Champioship recently, we had a chap called Martin Braithwaite. He was not able to fit in to our playing style just less than six months after signing for Boro. We let him go for cheap and now he plays at Barcelona.
Something went wrong in there management wise. Really!
Up the Boro!
As for Famara Diedhiou, he is still yet to sign a new deal at Bristol City and is constantly been linked with Boro.
I do not know if he suits Warnock's playing style better than Britt or Fletcher, but his scoring record so far is well below Britt's record at Boro or Britt's record overall. And he has not scored a goal since against us.
I doupt he is what we are looking for. But then nobody is, perhaps. Up the Boro!
@jarkko. Given your comments above it sounds as if he is probably already house hunting on Teesside! 😂😎
All these stories are pure poison to the boro supporters, and are endless, witness our on loan keeper, we are paying his wages to help out a London club whe should be ashamed of themselves for encouraging a Young man to believe he will ever make a goalkeeper. At any level! We should have told them before he played in our First team, and sent him back.
Very disappointed in that analysis, for the following reasons. It lets the management off the hook for their abject lashing about wildly without any plan, or system, or pattern, I could go on about their defects, but it would be cruel. Every system tried by the people in overall charge of this club, whether it be appointing managers, buying players, pricing same players, both when buying or selling, ruthlessly dumping same players when they prove worthless, or failing to do same. Losing any that turn out to be good, for washers, plus of course a lot of lip from the club who grab him. Any grand plan must and should be set and monitored by the supremo at the top, and is at the best clubs. No matter how silly it sounds all decisions about buys and prices must be decided by the man who will be there to carry the can when things go wrong, the coaches and all backroom staff must be his appointees, the Manager cannot change everything at the club, he is not that clever, and it must not be forgotten that anyone allowed to flash the clubs chequebook around the football World is in a position to wreck the club financially for several years into the future, and several have!