A reflection on Saturday at the Madejski and anticipation of Tuesday at the Riverside
Game 32 of the 20/21 Championship season sees Boro entertain Bristol City at the Riverside on Tuesday night with kick off now at 7:00pm having been moved from its original scheduled time of 7:45, the reasons for which escape me.
Bristol City will be arriving at the Riverside on the crest of yet another slump, having been early season promotion/top six contenders. They appear to be challenging Boro for the “typical” crown. City have, as in recent years, gradually fallen away as the season has progressed during which time they have parted company with two managers, Lee Johnson and latterly Dean Holden, following a run of six defeats in a row; this leaves them firmly embedded at the foot of the form table on which ever metric you care to use (6/8/10/12 matches) so what could possibly go wrong on Tuesday!
Boro on the other hand have started to ease away from a disastrous run since the turn of the year which has seen four home defeats in a row, until they managed to stop the rot against Huddersfield with a battling if somewhat unconvincing 2-1 win; made all the harder by yet another poor piece of officiating which resulted in Paddy McNair being incorrectly red carded, subsequently overturned on appeal.
Saturday saw the return of Dale Fry to the defence and he, alongside his team mates, gave a highly assured and controlled display against a good Reading side to earn a deserved three points in a 0-2 win; Neil Warnock commenting after the game that he felt it was the best away performance since he had joined the club.
Dale as well as being rock solid in defence also turned provider for the first goal, having got on the end of a Paddy McNair free kick to head into the path of Ashley Fletcher to finish. Some might say about time we made something from what has been a dearth of goals from dead ball situations. MoTM for me was Dale closely followed by Sam Morsy who was tenacious in the tackle and covered every blade of grass both defensively and offensively.
Reading had a large proportion of the possession but it was spent going sideways and backwards with little penetration due to the well organised and energetic Boro team who chased, harried and won some excellent tackles, with the odd exception.
I thought that the BBC Radio Berkshire commentary team were very fair and balanced in their assessments and one of the best “away” commentary teams all season.
Unfortunately the same could not be said of the match officials who were poor in their judgments and decision making. Alas, every profession contains individuals who exhibit poor judgment and decision making processes and no matter how much training and development you provide they fail to improve; it appears that the PL and Championship have a preponderance of them. It is perhaps the old adage of you can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink!
Injuries or fatigue apart, it is difficult to suggest any reasons why it should not be the same starting eleven again against Bristol, with Grant Hall being an unlucky omission at Reading following a sound display in his first full match against Huddersfield. Hopefully it will be an opportunity to have Marcus Tavernier on the bench and to give him a 20/30 minute spell with the game already assured.
The early season encounter in October at Ashton Gate saw Boro pinch a 0-1 win courtesy of a mistake by the Bristol keeper gifting a chance for George Saville to claim all three points. A similar score on Tuesday would not go amiss to keep the revival going and the pressure on the teams above, before a crunch encounter next Saturday with top of the form team Cardiff City.
I will be happy with 1-0 and it should be achievable provided that the endeavour and commitment that was shown on Saturday is in evidence again but what do others think?
Fingers crossed that its “typical” Bristol that turns up and not “typical” Boro! 😎
This is the proverbial “Typical Boro” fixture against a managerless Robins side that have lost six straight Championship games in a row (seven in all competitions). With Boro now seemingly back in form the result should be a mere formality but then this is the same Boro that have struggled against sides whose league positions are far more parlous than that of Bristol.
The back five/three seems to be the gift that keeps on giving and yet NW seems to prefer a back four. Whatever his tactics and selection lets hope he goes with a winning formation and if the after-match huddle at Reading is anything to go by belief and spirits are in a really good place to kick on from two successive wins.
Talk in the South West is now focussed on real fears of relegation and replicating Hull’s spectacular demise last season who were actually a point better off than the Robins at the same juncture. Unsurprisingly they find themselves rooted to the bottom of Form Tables with little room for optimism. It is hardly surprising that if there was any truth in the January transfer window rumour that Britt wasn’t interested in switching camps.
Captained by ex-Boro loanee Kalas, Bristol’s performances of late should not be dismissed too lightly. They have fifteen players currently missing which is clearly hurting them but still some decent talent like Wells, Lansbury, Diedhiou and Semenyo remain and at some point these runs come to an end.
The Robins have failed to hit the net in in over seven hours of play and couldn’t even register a corner against Barnsley last time out who won at Ashton Gate for the first time in 28 years and their first taste of victory in 10 years over the Robins. Technically the Robins seem all at sea with sitting back at home to Barnsley and trying to hit them on the counter failing miserably. Lacking physicality, they seemingly have an ongoing susceptibility to conceding from set pieces which is driving even the most ardent of their fans mad as the predictability of this frailty seems key to their undoing.
Boro’s goals at Reading came from a clever free kick routine and a perhaps even more impressive throw in routine involving Watmore and Morsy to set up Bola’s thunderbolt. More of the same hopefully on Tuesday evening should “in theory” see Boro ease past their opponents. There is the danger however that Boro’s eyes could be fixed on Saturday’s encounter against Cardiff and misplaced arrogance to do a professional job against the Robins could backfire.
I suppose at this stage of the season it’s all about winning.
This certainly applies to the Bristol game although I think the Cardiff game is a “ don’t lose” particularly as they’ve come from nowhere to be 7th and on a roll of 4 wins. I’ve always rated McCarthy.
Very pleased Fry is back, just hope NW plays a settled back four in future games.
In a few weeks, when the injured players return the attacking options look promising with Fletcher perhaps being the crucial forward ( given that the two Mr. A’s aren’t up to it )
Funny old game , Huddersfield without a win this year, wallop Swansea 4-1, who I seem to think have the best defensive record in the League.
Philip of Huddersfield
Just seen that Bournemouth have made Woodgate manager to the end of the season. Probably a logical choice to them and their supporters, given that he’s won 3 out of 4 games , since being temporarily in charge.
However, I think it’s not the right move for Woodgate- if he fails to achieve a top 6 finish then his managerial career is badly damaged.
His original move was the right one, as it carried little risk as he wasn’t the number one and he would have got much needed experience.
Anyway hope he is successful - but not at Boro’s expense.
Philip of Huddersfield
@philip-of-huddersfield. Yes is sounds as if their overtures to Henri have failed.
Clearly a difficult situation for JW having just arrived at the club to see the manager dismissed and then being asked to take charge for what was portrayed initially as short term.
It remains to be seen how it ends up and could well be the break that JW needs. 😎
Thanks KP appreciate you taking the lead for this forum on the next game.
Hopefully the Boro will be untypical rather than typical and we can have three points.
Regarding the Reading commentary the only issue I heard was just before the game when they glibly forecast a surety of a home banker and win for Reading against Boro.
OFB
I’ve got to say that the Reading TV commentators seemed a bit poor to me. I’m looking forward to having our local guys back for the next game.
I’ve got to say that the Reading TV commentators seemed a bit poor to me. I’m looking forward to having our local guys back for the next game.
Martin, in what sense did you think they were poor?
To me they were less biased than many "away" commentators I have listened to. They commented on our game management (time wasting) but acknowledged that any team in a similar position would be doing the same thing. Others I have listened to have been hyper critical to the point were I felt we were playing against a bunch of angels.
I agree that I would prefer Mark Drury and Neil Maddison to commentate on all our games but given Covid it's not possible at the moment; let's hope this will be addressed as lock down unfolds. 😎
I thought the Reading commentators were reasonably fair but very poor in describing events almost to the point where I felt they just didn't really understand the game of football and have it running through their veins. They sounded a bit naïve and almost as if it was something they had done a few times before and were finding their feet. Overall very inoffensive but totally flat in their observations. Many complain on Teesside about Drury and Maddo but they are light years ahead of the last few away commentary teams.
I’d agree with that, RR. In fairness to KP’s point, I did find them fair in their assessment but frankly there was no other way the game could be described than comfortable for Boro.
I did find it jarring how often they couldn’t identify a Boro man, frequently mixing up Kebano and Fisher and also just saying “the Middlesbrough player”. Not much in the way of homework done!
it was fine but I thought highlighted how good Drury and Maddo actually are.
@redcarred. "Many complain on Teesside about Drury and Maddo but they are light years ahead of the last few away commentary teams."
They are also light years ahead of Cox and Slaven! 😎
@redcarred. "Many complain on Teesside about Drury and Maddo but they are light years ahead of the last few away commentary teams."
They are also light years ahead of Cox and Slaven! 😎
Got to say I liked Bernie and his emotional passionate outbursts during the commentary, it used to rattle the club's cage as well which didn't do any harm before fans forums got going on the internet as an outlet to vent their frustrations.
It looks like Big Nige could be back up at the Riverside tomorrow night as the new Bristol Boss!
@redcarred. I totally agree about Bernie's passion, what irritated me was the constant chatter between the two which wasn't always about the football and that they spent too much time reminiscing for me but each to their own.
At the end of the day the commentary can be turned off if you don't like it which I have done in the past.
It seems a long time ago when iFollow was first introduced and did not include commentary. 😎
The club have announced that the Cardiff game has been chosen for international broadcast so will not be available on video stream for some overseas suscribers to Riverside Live if the country in which you are domiciled has a broadcast agreement with the EFL. 😢😎
@redcarred You’ve explained it much better than I did. At times it felt to me like the main commentator hadn’t been to many games of football before - some of his comments seemed very basic.
I have no problem with a bit of local bias - it’s to be expected, especially as they’ll generally be reporting to local fans.
Thanks for kicking us off, KP. Top man.
There could hardly be a better time to play Bristol City. As RR mentioned, BC are absolutely decimated with injuries and their confidence must be extremely low too. Surely the game will come too soon for them to appoint a new manager and prevent any kind of bounce. Boro, meanwhile, have rediscovered themselves with back-to-back wins including one of the best all-round performances of the season away to play-off rivals Reading.
All of the above adds up to a Typical Boro factor of 10 but the truth is that if we are serious contenders, these opportunities simply have to be taken. Hard luck stories or inexplicably failing to turn up have been the hallmark of Boro at times like these but we have to be honest with ourselves and say that having lost to Blackburn, Rotherham and Derby, we've already passed up too many chances for points and it's now or never. Are we genuine contenders or just pretenders?
That also has to be the message to the players in my view. Yes, it adds some pressure and Bristol City have long been a decent footballing side but I think we have to have that honesty with ourselves because the truth is that with this game and the following one against Cardiff, failure to take four points plus will likely be terminal as far as the playoffs are concerned. We have to be good enough to cope with that pressure or there's little point in finishing in the top six anyway. Time to prove ourselves.
Sorry but I disagree. I can’t stand Maddo, but each to their own. I recently mentioned Ali Brownlee and just my opinion but I thought he and Bernie together were the best.
A reflection on Saturday at the Madejski and anticipation of Tuesday at the Riverside
Game 32 of the 20/21 Championship season sees Boro entertain Bristol City at the Riverside on Tuesday night with kick off now at 7:00pm having been moved from its original scheduled time of 7:45, the reasons for which escape me.
Bristol City will be arriving at the Riverside on the crest of yet another slump, having been early season promotion/top six contenders. They appear to be challenging Boro for the “typical” crown. City have, as in recent years, gradually fallen away as the season has progressed during which time they have parted company with two managers, Lee Johnson and latterly Dean Holden, following a run of six defeats in a row; this leaves them firmly embedded at the foot of the form table on which ever metric you care to use (6/8/10/12 matches) so what could possibly go wrong on Tuesday!
Boro on the other hand have started to ease away from a disastrous run since the turn of the year which has seen four home defeats in a row, until they managed to stop the rot against Huddersfield with a battling if somewhat unconvincing 2-1 win; made all the harder by yet another poor piece of officiating which resulted in Paddy McNair being incorrectly red carded, subsequently overturned on appeal.
Saturday saw the return of Dale Fry to the defence and he, alongside his team mates, gave a highly assured and controlled display against a good Reading side to earn a deserved three points in a 0-2 win; Neil Warnock commenting after the game that he felt it was the best away performance since he had joined the club.
Dale as well as being rock solid in defence also turned provider for the first goal, having got on the end of a Paddy McNair free kick to head into the path of Ashley Fletcher to finish. Some might say about time we made something from what has been a dearth of goals from dead ball situations. MoTM for me was Dale closely followed by Sam Morsy who was tenacious in the tackle and covered every blade of grass both defensively and offensively.
Reading had a large proportion of the possession but it was spent going sideways and backwards with little penetration due to the well organised and energetic Boro team who chased, harried and won some excellent tackles, with the odd exception.
I thought that the BBC Radio Berkshire commentary team were very fair and balanced in their assessments and one of the best “away” commentary teams all season.
Unfortunately the same could not be said of the match officials who were poor in their judgments and decision making. Alas, every profession contains individuals who exhibit poor judgment and decision making processes and no matter how much training and development you provide they fail to improve; it appears that the PL and Championship have a preponderance of them. It is perhaps the old adage of you can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink!
Injuries or fatigue apart, it is difficult to suggest any reasons why it should not be the same starting eleven again against Bristol, with Grant Hall being an unlucky omission at Reading following a sound display in his first full match against Huddersfield. Hopefully it will be an opportunity to have Marcus Tavernier on the bench and to give him a 20/30 minute spell with the game already assured.
The early season encounter in October at Ashton Gate saw Boro pinch a 0-1 win courtesy of a mistake by the Bristol keeper gifting a chance for George Saville to claim all three points. A similar score on Tuesday would not go amiss to keep the revival going and the pressure on the teams above, before a crunch encounter next Saturday with top of the form team Cardiff City.
I will be happy with 1-0 and it should be achievable provided that the endeavour and commitment that was shown on Saturday is in evidence again but what do others think?
Fingers crossed that its “typical” Bristol that turns up and not “typical” Boro! 😎
Really impressed with your preview of tomorrow’s match. My effort paled into insignificance last week, but as I stated afterwards my forte is as an historian and statistician. I’m the same with my appraisal of musicians; I know what I like but especially with classical music I wouldn’t dream of suggesting that one performance was better than another. So well done!
Given the choice I’d prefer us to beat Cardiff than Bristol.
@ken. Thanks Ken for your kind words. My previous life entailed the production/reviewing of reports following audits undertaken by my audit managers.
These tended to be very much factually based on audit findings. It is much more difficult, in my view, to produce pre/post match reports and I take my hat off to the likes of Werdermouth, RR, OFB and yourself who have been the mainstay of the blog.
I just hope my small contribution has assisted in sharing the work load now that Werdermouth has stepped back. 😎
Bournemouth play Cardiff this week and I can’t work out what the best result for the Boro looks like. Any thoughts?
@martin-bellamy. A goalless draw, we beat Bristol and then Cardiff and Bournemouth draw with Watford which means we move into the top six! One can but dream. 😎
Bournemouth play Cardiff this week and I can’t work out what the best result for the Boro looks like. Any thoughts?
I struggle with this one as well and concluded that a draw is best for us as any advantage they may gain on us is hopefully recoverable with it being just the one point.
As Ken correctly states above though it's more important to beat Cardiff than Bristol but if we do beat Bristol and then lose to Cardiff but Bournemouth beat Cardiff beforehand then it all gets very confusing indeed so maybe it's best to just keep things simple and we win both our games 🙂
Bob,
"To be fair" is now so over-used in football punditry that it is frequently just a filler, and often used so inappropriately as to be funny.
It's not unusual to hear someone say, " To be fair the keeper was disastrous and had an absolute nightmare," or "He should never be allowed to referee again at any level, to be fair."
It's a verbal tic, the general inappropriateness of which is all too often comedy gold.
Footballers and pundits alike have often dealt in seemingly random cliches and phrases that make me chuckle.
My favourite of this particular genre is the mixed metaphor. Top of that list remains Stuart Pearce who described some forgotten footballing incentive as “the carrot at the end of the tunnel”.
I prefer to listen to the Radio Tees commentary with the match sound off even though the sound/vision are not synchronised. Sometimes the sound is well ahead of the picture but if we concede a goal it seems easier to watch when I already know what has happened.
Did anyone else notice that the pre-match lineup showed Bola playing upfront alongside Fletcher? They obviously knew our dangerous strikers but still couldn't stop, them scoring.