I’ll have a pint of whatever he’s drinking please. Let’s hope he’s right. 🙂
I’ve always maintained that there are too many London clubs in the Premier League at the moment. Unfortunately there could be two more next season from what I’ve seen recently, Fulham and Queen’s Park Rangers. The former look a safe bet to score at least a century of goals this season whilst Boro will be lucky to score 60. Goals win matches and I can’t see how Boro are going to score enough to gain automatic promotion as they have yet to score more than two in any league match this season. Perhaps they might reach the playoffs but even that would require a Herculean effort to do so in the last few weeks of the season. I think some fans are getting too carried away with still 20 matches to be played. One game at a time please and let’s see where we are at Easter.
It was bottled water !
🤣
OFB
Ken I would agree. Without being pessimistic, there will I am sure, be a period when we slip up and do not score in injury time and so lose probably a couple of matches on the bounce.
As a result, if other matches don’t go our way, we could end up around 10 th in the table, so tight it is below us. Automatic promotion is in reality a dream. We will do well to get in the play offs.
If you do not score goals as you said Ken, then you are a hostage to fortune.
I think we are possibly pinning all our hopes on the new guys.
I’m very optimistic after being in touch with Neil Maddison who is enthusiastic about the squad and coaches now at the club.
He said “there is an air of confidence and enthusiasm with all the players at the moment”
He also went on to say
“The club have got some top top coaches at the club and the players are responding!”
I must admit it made me very confident as well !
Now I’m usually quite guarded but I started to believe we can do it and I think the players do as well!
OFB
It's hard to know just how good this squad might be but we will certainly know more after the next three league games; away to Blackburn and QPR and home to Coventry. This run represents two of our major competitors for automatic promotion and another candidate for playoffs and it will be a real marker if we don't get beaten. A win at home and two away draws would be a tremendous outcome and anything better would really get the foam hands flying. Personally, I can see Bournemouth dropping away and West Brom are also a bit up and down, so this run coming up is very important and a massive test - with a small cup-tie dropped into the middle.-
The biggest question mark for me lies around goal-scoring and we now have enough options to have two strong starting, two strong fresh players on the bench and Coburn as a version of Plan B. If this group delivers 20-30 goals and midfield (i.e. Crooks) continues to chip in, we have to be there or thereabouts.
UTB
The players are believing in it. It is their job to believe. I think every football player believes in himself at this level. And with a good manager like Wilder they do it collectively, too. For some reason, Brian Clough came to my mind, too.
Gary Gill is a former players, too. Beside, he know the players well having been involved in signing most of them over the years. He is biased, of course, but he has that winning attitude.
My humble prediction is that we might surprise Mogga tonight. So my prediction is a 0-2 away win with Watmore and Fry scoring.
But it will be a tight match - not easy in anyway. Blackburn will go second if they avoid defeat against Wilder's Boro live on Sky Sports.
I hope we will be back to normal form after the COVID bout. Up the Boro!
I have to admit that I have woken up this morning to find myself feeling a little anxious about tonight. I think it is the sense that this next three (league) games will be the test we have to pass to prove that we are not pretenders to the aspiration, but genuine promotion contenders.
As usual I really have no idea of what to expect. We are suspect right at the back and we know there is a mistake in there waiting to happen. Blackburn can score goals and you would expect them to capitalise on any faux pas in pur penalty area. So I think there must be at least one goal in it for Rovers.
On the other hand we have seen that Rovers can ship goals and sometimes quite a few. We have to see if the new boys will give us that cutting edge to improve on our hitherto less convincing strike rate. I feel we will do that and score at least once.
There we have it. I have talked myself into a one all draw, which will not be a disaster. I hope it is as entertaining and exciting for all neutrals as well as for us.
CoB
Strangely, I’m quite optimistic about tonight. Rovers supporters are notoriously quiet and I’m hoping our away support can give the team a lift. Ewood is one of the closer grounds for me but I’m still being cautious about large crowds so I’ll be watching on TV and not there in person.
I don’t often predict results but I’m going for 1-2.
Now here's a funny thing...
Normally when you give a dual head-and- heart forecast, it's because you hope the Boro will win against all logic.
eg "My head says we'll get beat 3-0, but my heart hopes that we might scrape a point"
My forecast for tonight turns this on its head.
Given that Rovers will be missing their top scorer, my head says a 2-0 win. My heart will be satisfied with a point.
For the first time ever we may be in a position where tonight and, maybe for the rest of the season, the team exceeds our reasonable expectations
Hope so anyway.
If others think Boro is a good bet for automatic promotion this season, I'd suggest they put their money on at the bookies' now. If we are to be up there we need to be playing like Champions from here on (as we've "left it a little late" and therefore there is very little wriggle room from here onwards). However IF we beat Blackburn, put up a decent show at Old Trafford - though that isn't strictly relevant to promotion - beat Coventry and get something at QPR (or Fulham when that game comes around), the bookies and the whole of football will have taken notice, and the odds will come right down so, if the dream becomes reality, you'll win far less. WE know how the Boro performances have improved in recent week but the rest of football might take a little longer fully to catch on.
This message comes from your Forever Dormo Gambling Service - which advises that you should not gamble unless you can afford to lose your stake. "Assume you will lose your bet but just enjoy the sport."
Fingers crossed that you are correct, Jarkko.
Ladbrokes currently have the Boro at 5/1 for automatic promotion and Evens for a top 6 finish. Oh, and 80/1 for top spot!
If the odds are good now for Boro to make automatic promotion Gary Gill said go for a double also to include Newcastle to avoid relegation.
Please bet wisely. Do not exceed the limit that you can afford. This is an Odds Favourite Bets prediction.
OFB
I am having reservations about tonight and would not be surprised in the least to see us slip up against a team we generally struggle to overcome; we can’t keep expecting to score late winners and will need a strong display to come away with even a point.
I think we are probably good enough to make top six but less convinced about automatic promotion as that will require our unbeaten run to go on for another 10 matches and teams above us to slip up.
We need a minimum of four points, but ideally more from our next three games if possible as anything less will probably see us as outsiders for top six.
I hope I am wrong about us losing tonight and that we see a Boro side which plays composed and controlled football and puts Rovers under pressure from the off. CoB 😎
The Barcodes are 4/7 to avoid relegation.
😦 🤐
I could never have a bet* on something I didn’t really want to happen. I couldn’t bet on Boro to lose, so betting on Newcastle to stay up might be a stretch to far.
* I haven’t had a bet for years so I’m unlikely to start now in any event.
Team News: Unless my memory deceives me than it looks like the same team that saw off Reading - with Balogun waiting on the bench!
Quick thanks to Andy for the preview - it seems an awful long time ago since those late Matt Crooks goals and I hope the plan against Blackburn involves an earlier goal or two. At least Blackburn have lost their unbeaten run after that midweek defeat at Hull so it may make them a little edgy.
Although, it's looking tight for the playoff places with many of the contenders winning at the weekend - three points would be very useful tonight but would probably not be disappointed with a draw. Lots of difficult games coming up in the next month so perhaps time for Boro to show why they are top of the form table.
Prediction: I fancy a win but hope Boro are quick out of the blocks and play with the intensity the game demands!
Yep, a cut and paste job with the same XI and bench as v Reading.
Same result would do very nicely. I’m going for 2-2 though.
For those in need of a stream then this should work...
Well a disappointing first half where we have been clearly second best and Rovers seem to have worked us out and nullified us.
We have given the ball away far too often and spent more time passing sideways and backwards. Sporar and Connolly have had little impact. Our midfield has been disjointed and ponderous.
Some major re-organisation needed as without it we will more than likely concede in the second half. CoB sort yourselves out. 😎
We should have had a penalty for foul on Jones
OFB
First time for a while I've seen us struggle to play. Blackburn sat off challenging us to find a way through then countered really quickly. Fortunate for us that Brerton Diaz is not playing. Jones started to get into the game later on; I presume we're starting to find ways to get the ball to him.
Interesting to see what we do. Blackburn want us to press high up against them and over-commit. We need to find a way to pressure them. I think they may lack a little conviction so the game is there for us if we can figure it out.
Not really a Chris Wilder type performance - possibly more of a Neil Warnock one - too many long punts hoping for the second ball and far too many fouls and indeed yellow cards. The midfield doesn't seem to be able to see a forward pass - though was Connolly playing? I'd be replacing him with Balogun to at least offer the team something down the left or even Watmore.
A physical game that Boro are just about hanging in - definitely something missing but even the Reading performance wasn't that great until the last ten minutes.
Boro should have had a penalty but little else from the men in red.
There doesn’t seem to be the usual movement up front with passes regularly going backwards or sideways. I think we’ve missed Watmore’s energy.
Buckley is giving us nightmares through the middle.
Subs needed before long to give us more threat and push Blackburn back, and to save someone getting a red.
Yes, to the penalty but it would have the perfect definition of ‘against the run of play’. Blackburn bossed us totally for the first thirty five minutes and then we just about started to play for the last ten minutes.
Four yellow cards has taken some of the bite out of midfield and it feels like a red card waiting to happen. I hope not. The only positive is that Blackburn haven’t created too much by way of clear-cut chances.
I'm not sure tactically how Wilder can change things round. We just have to do things better. Maybe it’s a question of hanging in for twenty minutes and then bringing on fresh players.
utb
Once more a underwhelming performance with as Werder said a very poor midfield. Auto promotion….in your dreams. Continue like this and we won’t make the play offs.
CW needs to change things around
Bugger. Very poor goal to concede after Boro had started the second half so much better.