Mr Gibson and the 'management team',
Please appoint a coach or manager who knows what he is doing. Boro are sinking fast.
Not much else to say really. The fans, the 'Team' we're all simply haemorrhaging confidence and belief.
UTB,
John
Another depressing start to a Sunday. The whole club seems to have run out of ideas both on and off the field. We obviously need a coach asap. Something for us all to ponder on. There are 24 teams in The Championship and in the las 30 years 23 have played in League One. No prizes for guessing the odd one out.
Just read this morning that Leo expects to be still in charge on Wednesday for the Wigan game - indeed, he apparently said in his pre-match press conference that he wanted the job on a permanent basis. That doesn't sound like a great idea on recent evidence but it seems Carrick is once again favourite again with the bookies so either of them would be a novice entering a crisis - and we know how that can end!
This from Scott Wilson in the Echo...
Middlesbrough's managerial uncertainty has to end now
Interestingly, Leo is quoted in the article saying basically what I argued after Chris Wilder's dismissal - i.e. with three games a week there just isn't enough time on the training ground to make any radical tactical changes.
OK, they had a week before the Blackburn game, which I would have thought would have been better utilised by the new man. There's one more free week before the Qatar World Cup after next weekend and unless we get an appointment within the next few days it's going to be simply a fire-fighting exercise until that break - when half the season will be gone along with Boro's chances of anything but a relegation battle.
Not much I can add to the previous posts that has not been said.
The midfield once more was non existent and where was McNair or Dijksteel for that far post knock back. Basic football.
And that is the biggest issue, just not been able to do the basics. Passing to a man, passing in front of the man and not to the side or behind him, slowing the play. Long hopeful balls humped forward because they just have no idea what to really do with it.
All a mess, that an experienced Coach would struggle to improve. Mr Gibson, you are the boss, buy somebody in if that is what is needed and PDQ.
One interesting note as I watched the first half with the Blackburn commentary. They said that as good as Lenihan was last season as Captain for them, he play on the right.
They also said that Giles is not good enough defending to play as a wing back. Apparently he played more as a winger for them last season.
Finally, does anybody else think that we changed to a flat back four with the subs?
Can’t disagree with any of previous posters and I thought Scott Wilson, as pointed out by Werdermouth, was spot on with his analysis that we are sleep walking into Division 1.
I have been saying for some time that the wing back system was not working and that we are not defensively sound. Jones and Giles are wingers and that is where they should be played in my view.
That being said, it doesn’t matter what system you play if players do not do their jobs then you are going to have problems, so I do have some sympathy with CW.
The last three goals we have conceded, the second at Millwall and both yesterday were a defensive nightmare.
As good as the strike was for Blackburn’s second we had three defenders in front of Gallagher and yet they allowed him to control the ball turn and shoot without one of them closing him down or getting in a tackle.
The Millwall second and Blackburn first were both as a result of opposition players being completely unmarked in the box; something which should not be allowed at this level.
Problems therefore still remain with regard to square pegs in round holes, a lack of defensive solidity and proper execution in all areas of the pitch. Should keep any new manager, should we find one, fully occupied! 😎
I don't suppose there has been much written, in the posts sent after the game so far, that I'd disagree with. Boro's first half performance was totally shambolic and unacceptable. The first goal resulted from defenders sleeping (well, the game had only just begun, hadn't it?) and leaving a man unmarked and free to score. The second WAS a brilliantly taken goal from Blackburn's point of view - the ball well brought down under control, a turn and a shot into the top corner of the net with power and precision - but one might have hoped Gallagher would have found a defender sufficently near to him to have made his job difficult. There were several opportunities for Blackburn to have scored more goals but for Steffen's saves.
The goal scored by Whatmore came in First Half injury-time and, if that goal had not been scored, the booing at the half-time whistle would have been deafening rather than a ripple and it would have been deserved. I guess that 5-1 might have more fairly reflected the play in that first 45+ minutes. And that is not because Blackburn is a world-beating team, but a measure of how low the Boro has sunk.
I accept that the performance in the second 45 minutes was much better but, to be fair, that was a very low bar to cross. Akpom's miss? Too painful to go into in detail but it SHOULD have been a goal at any standard of football. If it had gone in, maybe we would have secured the draw BUT that is a long way from saying we deserved a draw. The game should have been sewn up by Blackburn well before that Akpom chance (indeed before Boro's goal).
There are two positives. Firstly Jarkko and his wife Eija were able to enjoy a meal and entertainment in the Fenton Suite/Lounge in celebration of a wedding anniversary this weekend and they were able to renew their acquaintance with a number of friends whilst on Teesside. The game was a bit of a let-down, but there you go... Secondly it is still fairly early and there is still time to turn things around. But clearly a decision has to be made about the direction of the club and a new "management/coaching team" has to be appointed. We should be capable of improvement but obviously if the players continue to serve up performances as in the first 45 minutes, we WILL be relegated.
I might go the Throttled Toad to watch Liverpool v Manchester City later this afternoon. It will bear as much relation to the football Middlesbrough plays as a catapault bears to a precision-guided cruise missile. It may be a welcome diversion from the down-in-the-dumps feeling having watched yesterday's Boro game, given that I am fairly neutral as to the result in the L'pool v City contest. I expect both teams (including Liverpool whose performances have been far below their usual elite level) to be "up for it" from the start, rather than waiting until the 2nd half before deciding to turn up.
We could spend the next week lamenting the state of our team, but we must remember that it is in this state because we hired a worn out manager who was basically part time, who had been there, got the tee shirt, was anything but a coach, and, judging by the players we loaned out, would have been better employed as a judge at an agricultural show. It is important to recall that he played Jones at fullback, and provided him with the ball in his own half when it came to attacking (sorry about the use of 'attacking' it brings back distant memories to older fans) just in case you think I am unkind, when he changed the fullback, he dropped Jones, just like on Saturday, strange, that! Could we just reiterate that we desperately need a COACH!, forget the wise old player, for God's sake hire a coach. As we are on the subject, could we fix the fitness problem, and yes I am referring to the fact that we are a bunch of slow coaches, every team that comes here is lightening fast (compared to us).
Yesterday McNair picked up his 5th yellow and is not available for the trip to Wigan.
Come on BORO.
@exmil I don't think he will be missed.
The other more worrying stat is that we have played 8 at home and only 6 away, where we cannot win for love nor money.
Coventry, won away yesterday and have only played 3 at home out of 11 games.
Can it get any worse? Well Mr Gibson may take just a little longer to choose somebody. After all there’s no rush, is there. 😭😭
yes, it was a back four with McNair moved up into midfield
From Neil Warnock