They say it’s better to be lucky than good. In the past seven days or so, Boro have perhaps shown that to be the case.
Michael Carrick’s men weren’t particularly good against Hull City last midweek but a few moments of fortune – or perhaps opposition misfortune between the sticks – led to what was, in the end, a comfortable victory.
At the weekend at home to Bristol City, Boro were good. Very good in fact: 72% possession, 23 shots, 9 on target, 8 corners. Zack Steffen in the Boro goal made one save all afternoon. City’s Max O’Leary made 8, one or two of them being excellent stops.
Yet, all of the above was worth only one goal and one point. Boro were dangerous but without any of the fortune they had down in Hull.
Still, an unbeaten run has to start somewhere and four points from our last two games is that start. Next come Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday evening, kick-off 7.45pm.
This is a rearranged game from back in September, the original fixture being postponed due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
Back then, The Seasiders (or Tangerines if you prefer), were sitting in 11th place having just beaten Huddersfield but, since then, things have taken a turn for the worse for Michael Appleton’s men as they now find themselves in 18th, just one point ahead of Boro and with an inferior goal difference. Of their 11 fixtures since the postponement, Blackpool have won just 3 with 6 defeats including last time out at home to Luton.
Appleton is in his second stint at the club having previously managed them for a grand total of 12 games back in 2012/13, winning just 2. At that point being the shortest-serving manager in the club’s history, he returned in the summer after mixed spells at Blackburn, Oxford, Leicester and Lincoln.
Forward Jerry Yates, meanwhile, is having a fine campaign with his 9 goals making him the joint top scorer in the division and already surpassing his tally of 8 last season. That said, he’s now only 2 ahead of our own man in form, Chuba Akpom, who has played 7 games fewer.
Blackpool have been lining up in a 4-3-3 of late with Yates occupying the right wing slot vacated by the dangerous Josh Bowler after he was sold to Nottingham Forest over the summer. The numbers suggest that this could be a real test for Boro’s left hand side and Ryan Giles in particular, if selected.
The main threat from the hosts appears to be on the counter attack – an area that Boro have struggled with this season – as Appleton’s men are set up to sit in deep and look for direct balls to their pacey front line. Expect Boro to dominate possession but we must be wary of over committing and falling into the tangerine trap.
In terms of form, this game is much of a muchness with Blackpool having won 2, drawn 1 and lost 3 of their last six and Boro having a similar record but with one fewer defeat and one more draw. The mood at the two clubs is likely to be contrasting however, with Blackpool somewhat going through the Championship motions whilst Boro look on the cusp of hitting some much needed form. Most onlookers would conclude that Boro are a better side than the league table suggests but that probably isn’t the case for Blackpool, who seem at home in the bottom six or so.
Boro’s win at Hull and the strong display against Bristol City have given us some hope of a brighter few months on the horizon after a dispiriting start to the season. Carrick and his coaches appear to be having some positive effect on their charges and a mini unbeaten run would do wonders for the outlook in what is still a congested league table. This is the Championship, however, where inconsistency is king. Blackpool will be keen to avoid three consecutive defeats and we can take nothing for granted.
Can Boro make it three unbeaten? With the games coming thick and fast, now is certainly a good time to gather some momentum.
Great Topic Starter Andy
A really detailed analysis of our opponents Blackpool.
Hopefully we will rock it to them and stick a couple or two in. Will we have a soft centre? Or will we be solid all the way through? Does this game have our name on it or is the writing on the wall? I do wonder if things will get a bit sticky but I’m certain we will wipe our hands after the game for a job well done.!
Hopefully our Chewba Candy man can score some goals and we can get some more points on the board.
Me?
Im going for a 0-2 win for Boro !
OFB
It will be a tough match again at Blackpool. They all are in the Championship, aren’t they?
The home team will have some issues mounting as 14 players are doubtful for the Middlesbrough clash.
We would like to be underdogs but it looks like the home team has more issues than us at the moment. I just hope we could keep a clean sheet on Tuesday.
Up the Boro!
Thanks Andy a great opener.
I am hoping we that we can build on Saturday’s performance by keeping a clean sheet and nicking one or two goals.
It sounds like we will have the majority of the possession again and we just have to hope we can create and take our chances.
A defeat is really not an option with Norwich as our final match prior to the break and Carrow Road a ground where we usually get very little.
So come on Boro time to be rock solid and squash the tangerines. 😎
Thanks Andy for the precise situation regarding the Boro but I’ve been in a time warp over the weekend.
It all began in the wee small hours of Saturday morning. I had intended to watch the T20 cricket World Cup match between England and Sri Lanka and then then the Rugby World Cup match between England and Papua New Guinea in the afternoon, but saw neither as the internet connection broke down. Also the television likewise, but more seriously for some people living in Redcar there is still no land line communication by telephone either. As I was unable to use my mobile phone either it took me back to the 1950s when none of these modern appliances were available to the average household.
After checking with my next door neighbour to ascertain whether my household was the only one affected, I was relieved to discover that my household was not as part of Redcar was as well. But there was no way of discovering the cause until yesterday. I had wondered whether the cause was because of the numerous fireworks ignited as last year a firework rocket shattered my triple glazed lounge window which cost me an excess £200 insurance charge and a 4 week wait to have it replaced, but yesterday discovered that the current situation had been caused by a car crashing into one of the control boxes demolishing it almost completely.
Thankfully the radio was still functioning so I was able to listen to Radio Tees and the commentary of Boro’s match instead, but unaware of most of Saturday’s football results, no Final Score or Match of the Day, nor mention of either England’s cricket or rugby league match until about 11am yesterday, and unable to catch up on the comments on Diasboro nor post any thing until now.
Fortunately I still have a serviceable machine which plays CDs, DVDs and Video cassettes to keep me amused all day. Nevertheless my thoughts turned to worse calamities and those unfortunate folks who have been bereft of electricity or have been flooded out of their homes recently. Of course in the 1950s as I have mentioned very few of us had television sets, some not even radios or telephones for that matter which is my main concern today as if I were to fall indoors Home Call would be unable to contact me. However repair on the land lines will start this morning, so hopefully I’ll not be incommunicado for much longer.
The weekend’s events though does put into perspective, how a few football results hardly matter in the grand scheme of things. In the 1950s we did without television, mobile or landline telephones, the internet,or even showers, but we managed OK despite food rationing. Would I want to return to those days? Of course not, but Boro should have won the First Division Championship in 1950 and that still hurts after all these years.
... but Boro should have won the First Division Championship in 1950 and that still hurts after all these years.
Ken, I admire your attitude, really. And then you are only hurting because we never won the Champioship in 1950.
Your post made me think about the situation in Ukraine when they do not have electricity or water is some towns. It is not easy for them under attck by Mr. Putin.
Hence I am not going to complain about the electric prices. I know they hurt many households but I can survive, no problem. Just pray it will ease in Ukraine.
I want to remind that google maps says it is just two hours' drive from my home to the Russian border. It is very quiet over there now as they have moved all their arms and troops to Ukranian border in the south. But still the thought ...
I think it is important to have Boro to follow when the times are as crazy as they are. But football is not that important - it is just a game. Let's hope we have a nicer time soon. Up the Boro!
Thanks again for the opener, Andy.
A draw at Blackpool would be OK but a win better because, with an away game against Norwich next up, it would be good to go into the World Cup break with a few more points in the bank. Realistically we are unlikely to get much at Carrow Road so unless we DO get points at Blackpool there is a chance we will be in the relegation group for a few weeks whilst football attention is drawn to the Persian Gulf. I'm not suggesting that we would stay in that group for the rest of the season but it's better to be looking upwards rather than over our shoulders at relegation. A win at Blackpool and a defeat at Norwich would NOT make us safe, obviously, but might take away growing anxiety.
Norwich may or may not be promoted at the end of the season but they will inevitably be there or thereabouts. And if promoted they may flirt at safety with a few wins, or dream of the safety that teams like Fulham and Brentford appear to have achieved in the Premier League, but they will at least have got to the Promised Land (it's not called the PL for nothing). But if they were to be relegated again, they would come down with parachute payments that will no doubt fund another assault on promotion in its turn. Oh, if we could only dream Norwich's dreams....
@ken and @jarkko - I must have been typing whilst your posts were put up. I agree - football is a pastime not "real life". I hadn't been aware of electricity/telephone issues in (parts of) Redcar. It would be good for Boro to be successful, but there are other more important things going on in the world. We are, to an extent, insulated against many of those problems in North Western Europe. Thank goodness.
Thanks, Andy, for an illuminating opener.
I suspect, injuries notwithstanding, that we'll see the same starting 11. Hopefully Watmore will be available in which case I think he'll replace Hoppe on the bench. It feels like Carrick may have made an initial judgement about his best starting 11 and is trying to stick with it up to the world cup. Although I'm among many who are sceptical about Woodgate's return, his knowledge of the players will be quite recent and it probably quite useful to Carrick right now.
It feels like this might be quite a good time to play Blackpool. They are in indifferent form but look set for a season of lower table security.
Overall, after removing Wilder we have reverted back to what seems to be this team's normal form and results. Hopefully this provides a foundation to improve on in a way that is sustainable. After the psychodrama of Wilder and Warnock's belief that he could assemble a bunch of old-stagers for one last crack at the Premier, we are finally picking up something like the golden thread. Too early to tell if Carrick can weave anything out of it but the early signs are encouraging. He seems to be part of the generation like Cooper, Southgate and so on, focusing on how to support players to be better.
It will be interesting to see how we do compared to WBA under Corberan. I make no secret of my belief that I think he would have been the best manager for us and he has certainly made a start on revitalising WBA. That said, if Corberan wasn't prepared to work in the structure we wanted then I think we're right to avoid making the same mistake we did with Wilder and Warnock.
I feel like we can win this one comfortably if we can get ahead in the game.
Thanks Andy for your last starter for a few weeks when you may need to lock yourself in a dark room (after following the match against Norwich) for a few weeks, or if you feel like it, watch lots of unimportant matches on TV. (I will of course attempt to watch them all unless we have a some nice warm sunny days when feeling guilty about the gardening I failed to do earlier will force me outside.)
Your details about Blackpool's recent poor form does worry me but perhaps Carrick is too new to the job to have caught Typical Boro syndrome. It looks like a winnable game for us and we definitely need to take the 3 points. As soon as possible we need to have a run of wins in order to pull away from the other clubs at the bottom but maybe the Norwich game will end that immediate hope.
If Watmore is fit he is likely to be the only change to the squad and that would probably be at Hoppe's expense. Although Hoppe hasn't been in professional football for very long he must have shown some ability to get into the USA team which has in recent years improved its ranking. I am bothered that he might not get a chance to prove he can be successful in the Championship before we start looking to buy a new striker(s) or recall Coburn. I does however look as if he hasn't yet shown enough ability in training to make sufficient impression on Carrick.
Jarrko
Just noticed your query about Boro’s average home attendances this season which stands at 24,592 so far, but that is inflated by the 30,000 plus game for the local derby match against Sunderland. Excluding that the average would only be 23,498 and even that includes season ticket holders whether they attend the match or not.
Remembrance Day also brings home the destruction of buildings and loss of life on Middlesbrough particularly. Redcar got off quite lightly as the luftwaffe targetting Dorman, Long and Company Steelworks at Warrenby missed their target and bombed the former Zetland Club adjacent to the scoreboard at Redcar Cricket Club killing everyone inside. There is a commemorative plaque on the site, though as far as I’m aware was the only bomb that fell on Redcar although several more on Middlesbrough.
I am reasonably optimistic, as during and after the match I thought that we were guilty of some less than positive thought and action in front of their goal. We got into Good positions but failed to apply a really good finishing shot on target, they lived on their wits for a long time in football terms. But I did not expect us to respond to coaching immediately. The instant shot is not acquired quickly, but it will come, I hope!. I can see the difference even now, let's hope it's not a mirage?
@ken - and further to @jarkko (the enquiry he made about attendances at the Riverside): I can understand why the club includes season ticket sales - and maybe match ticket sales made in advance of a fixture - in the figures given as part of the match attendance. After all they have been paid for the ticket and, having sold the seat, the club could hardly sell it again even if the ticket holder doesn't turn up for the game. The lad who sits to my Right at the stadium HAS renewed his ST (as he said he would in advance) but hasn't actually attended at all so far this season, and he missed probably a majority of games last season as well. He told me that, as and when he feels able to attend, he will do so. He had a hip operation some months ago. He evidently hasn't felt able YET.
I hope my mate (for the sake of clarity not the one who sits on my Left at the stadium, who is currently making his way through the box of Geisha chocolates following the Wigan match) decides he wants to come back at some time soon because there is always the fear that he will get out of the habit.
I would guess at any one time there may be one or two thousand who have a ST but don't attend and, therefore, the actual attendance is a little lower than claimed. People have holidays or family events to attend. I assume that if someone has bought an over-the-counter ticket for a specific game, they are more likely to attend unless illness or some other urgent need prevents it, as they must have gone out of their way to buy a ticket for that specific match. I myself might miss a few games (3 or 4??) each season because I am away or at least too far from home to make me want to return for a game. I think one match, potentially two, was at the start of the season when I was camping at Beadnell near Bamburgh in Northumberland for a month, and another was a Saturday game with a 7.45pm kick-off (!!!) which would have meant me getting back VERY late to Cropton where I was camping that weekend.
Ten years ago it was possible to give a ticket to a friend if unable to attend personally. If you asked at the pub several others would be happy to take up the offer of a seat that had been paid for. But, since leaving the Premier League, even getting people to go to a Hospitality seat hasn't been as easy as it once was. The firm where I worked for almost a decade had a Hospitality Box (I've had my ST at the stadium since it opened, so now about 27 years, and retained it even though THAT firm had its Box) and one of the trainees was asked if he'd like to go to a match as the person to whom a ticket was offered wasn't available: the trainee said he'd only go if he was paid to go (rather like "overtime"). He didn't go and he was NOT paid! I'm not sure his less-than-diplomatic-reply would have been likely to further his career there.
Looks like the Live-stream isn’t available from MFC. ☹️
Reading about all the injuries and players being unwell at Blackpool gives Boro a great opportunity to get all 3 points tomorrow.
So nothing less than a win is a must, particularly as teams such as Coventry ( shooting up the table), West Brom with their new manager has won their last two games and others are moving in the right direction.
Even a win tomorrow and an expected defeat at Norwich does not guarantee Boro going into the break from games, with much improvement in their League position.
All the signs are that the team tomorrow will show few , if any changes. If fit, I’d like to see Watmore start to play his aggressive “closing players down” game - even for 50- 60 minutes.
I’m hoping that the game will be on Sky, via the red button, but am reluctant to forecast the score except to say that I’d be satisfied with a clean sheet with Boro nicking a goal.
Philp of Huddersfield
Martin Bellamy Philip of Huddersfield
I don't have Sky but at present Sky doesn't include the Blackpool V Boro Match on their TV schedule. As this is a rearranged match my understanding was that the clubs could live stream it without having to get Sky's agreement. I assume it is up to Blackpool as the home team, to make the decision but (so far) neither clubs sites shows it as being streamed.
Regarding including season ticket holders in the attendance even when they are not there, this sometimes includes me. I have so far been to 5 home league games mainly because of the total cost of rail travel and hotel stay. I consider that even when I am not there, I have at least paid to show my support. I try to stick to a very detailed planned budget on my computer and have £1276 left aside for the rest of the season which would also include any home F A Cup matches I want to see (and the cost of any live streams). I also have £1100 saved up for next season, including renewing my season ticket! Of course should Boro start winning matches and shoot up into the play off battle I could dip into my unallocated (emergency) savings and go to more games.
The message on Mfc.co.uk says Blackpool have opted not to stream the match live on video, so it’s only available on radio. It’s annoying, but I guess they’ve done it in order not to affect their gate. They don’t get that many usually, so will want to avoid any possible reduction, I suppose?
OOOPS. Ignore that. See my next post instead. 🫣🫣🤭
Oh, I’ve just seen Philip’s post. We should be able to get it on the red button, of course! DOH!
Further edit:- Bogger. That’ll teach me to read all the latest posts before I reply. David thinks the match may not even be on the red button. Sorry if I have raised hopes unwittingly.
@david-in-cumbria - A perfectly reasonable approach, if I may say so, David.
Oh, I’ve just seen Philip’s post. We should be able to get it on the red button, of course! DOH!
Further edit:- Bogger. That’ll teach me to read all the latest posts before I reply. David thinks the match may not even be on the red button. Sorry if I have raised hopes unwittingly.
There certainly appears to be an issue with domestic streaming but, at least according to mfc.co.uk, it will be available to anyone overseas so I'm hopeful of being able to watch it on Wednesday morning Sydney time. I'm not sure what possibilities this raises for computer-savvy bloggers but ......I'll leave it at that.
UTB
Unlike many of the Championship's midweek fixtures, the Blackpool v Middlesbrough game will not be available on Sky Sports Football via the red button. However, supporters will be able to watch live via either Tangerine TV or Boro Live.
OFB
We can watch Riley McGree in the World Cup, too. I hope he will get some game time, too. I will definately watch Australia's matches on TV now.
Up the Boro!
So how do we watch via Boro Live, OFB? The message on there last night said Blackpool had opted against live video streaming. We were only offered radio. Is there a way round this on Boro Live?
@clive-hurren You are free to join me on my safa. You will get a free beer but the flight ticket to here is not included.
"As a rearraged fixture, Blackpool have elected not to stream the game domestically. Video streaming will be available for overseas supporters only. Audio will be available worldwide."
So I think it is available to us overseas, only. Up the Boro!
One for Ken.
Did Juninho represent Boro while playing at the World Cup? He is a World Champion with Brazil as I have a picture of him with the throphy.
But was that when was away from Boro? Mfc.co.uk wrote today: "McGree is set to join the likes of Wilf Mannion, Bernie Slaven, Gareth Southgate and compatriots Mark Schwarzer and Mark Viduka in representing their country at the World Cup while a Boro player."
Up the Boro!
My post yesterday at 5.56pm - for clarification and to correct an error...
I have one mate who goes to the match with me and sits on my Left hand side. Jarkko has met him. I have another mate who sits on my Right hand side and he is the one who has not attended for some time.
It is the second chap mentioned above who has had the health issues and, by chance, Mrs Dormo passed him in the street this morning and had a chat with him. He DID have a hip operation which was successful but was awaiting the "other" hip being sorted out. He had been expected to go into hospital for the 2nd operation but, first, had a "heart valve thing" which needed sorting out, as it now has been. I knew that much. But as regards sorting out the "other" hip, he has had the operation arranged three times but it has been postponed each time, which is something I hadn't been aware of.
So, as a result, his corrective work is still outstanding. I had thought he may be dragging his feet over coming back to watch the games but, if the operation is still outstanding, that explains it all. Walking a few hundred yards around the village, with stops and rests when he wants, is one thing. Walking, painfully and slowly, a mile or more each way to the football stadium is another. Hopefully there will be no further operation postponements and he will be back at the Riverside in due course.
It is disappointing that Blackpool are not live streaming the match in the UK because they don't want "their supporters" to take the cheaper option and stay home rather than going to the match. If they had instead upped the live stream price to more than their admission charge I would have paid it.
It is disappointing that Blackpool are not live streaming the match in the UK because they don't want "their supporters" to take the cheaper option and stay home rather than going to the match. If they had instead upped the live stream price to more than their admission charge I would have paid it.
I’d have paid for it too. As we currently don’t have Sky it’s my only way of watching games at the van.
Enjoyed both of your recent posts, Dormo.
The first was a bit camp, but the second reassuringly hip.