First half verdit...Lumley at fault for 2nd goal.....Connoly waste of time...as is Balogun....need changes after the break
Taylor and McNair not able to deal with the pace down Chelsea’s right. Should Lumley have done better, Fry should of.
Connolly has not even been nuisance value, with Balogun not a lot better.
Truth is the gap is just too big.
Fair result but wish Watmore and Coburn had been on from the start.
They were just too good but we played ok in the circumstances. Sol Bamba’s performance definitely put a smile on my face.
Fair result but wish Watmore and Coburn had been on from the start.
Agreed
The gap in class was a chasm, let's not forget they are world club champions and wom champions league, we tried but to expect us to overcome a 3rd PL team was too much, and in my opinion they are a better team than UTD and Spurs.
Really, that was all about Chelsea. We were really good; they were excellent. They worked as hard against us as they would against the very best. In 90 minutes I can remember maybe one unforced missed pass by them.
If we play as well as this for the rest of the season then we will be in the play offs.
One thing. I think that must be the best I've seen Dijksteel play. It was an immense performance. Chelsea got no change down our right for the entire game because of him. And one more thing: just how good was Bamba. He is such a positive defender and this system suits him to a tee.
No shame in this defeat and plenty to be proud of.
Chelsea are a class act - well, on the field anyway. They just coped brilliantly with everything we threw at them. We gave it a good go, weren’t disgraced, but ultimately didn’t have enough to hurt them, and I think we were quite naïve first half. Chelsea were far too good to get round our press, which left gaping holes in midfield for them to exploit. You can’t do that against teams of this calibre. I do agree that Connolly and Balogun offered too little first half, and didn’t even press or tackle back as we needed them to.
Three players were excellent for us:- Jones, Bamba and Dijksteel (although Jonathan Woodgate said he failed to cover the run for Lukaku’s goal.) I was also impressed with Peltier and Coburn, who really put himself about.
i thought we played some really good stuff at times - what a difference Wilder has made in that regard. Our crowd was simply magnificent. I do hope those long-lost fans who’ve turned up for the cup games - and those watching on TV - appreciate our good football and start to return in huge numbers for the run-in to the play-offs. Steve Gibson, Wilder and all the players deserve nothing less.
A word about Jonathan Woodgate. He’s a brilliant pundit. He knows the game inside out and is a very impressive ambassador for the club and the area. I wouldn’t ever want him back as manager, even though he’s had other managerial experience since his failure at Boro, but I do hope we can find a football role for him somewhere in our set-up in the future.
Finally, I know we lost. But I’m so proud of the players, the manager, the club as a whole, and the best owner any football club has had anywhere ever.
Overall, it was a comfortable win for Chelsea but they are one of the top 3 teams in the Premiership, going well in Europe and have the ability to win the important matches.
So Boro needn’t feel too bad about the defeat and deserve a lot of credit for trying to the very end. The cup run will be a highlight of the season.
But what about the home supporters ? - fantastic from start to end.
And great credit to the Club giving the Chelsea share of the cup receipts to Ukraine.
So, it’s time for a rest for the players and manager before giving it their best to get into the playoffs.
Philip of Huddersfield
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Speaking after the game, Tuchel admitted that Chelsea had made specific plans to try and contain Jones, a ringing endorsement for his burgeoning reputation. Quotes that drew the following response from Wilder: “Don’t tell him what he [Tuchel] said – he’ll be after a pay rise!”
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OFB
Did not manage to see the game as when I got up this morning found that the platform I usually watch on did not have coverage of the Cup beyond the 5th round and was on another provider which required payment. At least it was a defeat with honour and we seemed to have given it a go although zero shots on target was a bit disappointing. At least the league results went in our favour and the playoffs are back in our own hands. Any news on the injuries to Fry and McNair?
Came back from an enjoyable evening meal to watch a recording of the game. I was hoping that my previous strategy of not watching live would pay off but alas it was not to be the case.
Chelsea were by far the better side and a good bench mark to see where we are as a club and a team.
As far as the former is concerned we are streets ahead but as a team, despite the passion, work rate and team spirit we are light year’s adrift and 0 shots on targets says it all.
We are playing far better football under CW but he still has not solved our failings in the final third of the pitch.
We are clearly a top ten Championship side but if we really want to be promoted then we need a first class keeper and two strikers who can both score and assist.
Connolly and Balogun are not the answer and if CW continues to persist in playing them during the run in then we will miss out on a top six position this season.
Fingers crossed that Fry and McNair will be available for the last nine games but given Fry’s record when he goes off, it tends not to be short term.
What happened to Tav in the second half, he seemed to disappear after a first half which saw him everywhere?
A case now of rest and recuperation and the need for three points at Peterborough. 😎
Looking back, the game probably didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. I thought Tav, Dijksteel and Jones came out evens against their opponents. If anything, I thought Jones had Pulisic on toast: it was no coincidence that Chelsea replaced their left side during the game. After a slow start, I thought Howson acquitted himself well. I also thought Bamba played Lukaku perfectly. I do suspect that Fry and McNair may have slightly lost an edge due to early knocks.
I thought our system continually asked questions of Chelsea; they answered every question we asked but they were at the top of their game. The way they played reminded me of Liverpool at their peak. Nothing very fancy or fanciful: just relentless and ruthless.
I have been critical of Connolly for not being good enough and Balogun for not being ready yet. I actually thought Connolly did ok though he still looks to have a ceiling of around league 1 or 2. Balogun is definitely struggling to make the step up but let's face it very few strikers in the world would have got change out of that Chelsea defence yesterday. It is easy to look at the impact that Coburn and (to a lesser extent) Watmore made but I think that was more to do with them knowing they didn't have to pace themselves for a whole game. That said, I thought Coburn's mindset was brilliant: he came on determined to get in their faces. This is a 19 year old kid playing against some of the best players in the world, in front of 30,000 fans in the quarter-final of the cup.
Lumley's getting some stick for the second goal. At the time I thought Ziyech had miss-hit it; Lumley definitely seemed to mis-read the line slightly. Just watched it back: you see Lumley start to move his feet one way then re-adjust and I do think that Ziyech was aiming for the other side. Regardless, I think in the second-half in particular, Lumley did well with sweeping up, distribution and one excellent reaction save.
We may have been out-classed but we never stopped trying to play decent football. I don't know where we will end up this season but I would say that this is the most progressive, enjoyable football we've played in a decade.
KP, the majority on here (realistically) believe we will probably miss out on the play offs due to lack of fire power.
CW has made the team better than the players, but as he has said will need a couple more transfer windows to get somewhere near what he wants.
This will be difficult this summer, assuming SG can navigate FFP, due to the turnover in players. We will lose Sporar, Siliki, Connolly, Balogun and probably Bamba and Peltier. May be Taylor too.
Then there is Howson out of contract and too expensive to resign at another year older.
That is 8 players before we talk about improving the overall squad.
We could also lose Jones and possibly Fry. Also Spence to add to the incoming funds.
That is going to be a big ask especially given our recent recruitment failures.
Well the Chelsea players and manager weren't at all distracted by their off-field problems and it showed with a thoroughly measured professional performance that allowed Boro little hope of getting a foot in the game.
Having said that, Boro more than matched them with effort, heart and intensity but just lacked that quality where it matters. I thought there were some really good performances from some in a Boro shirt, with Dijksteel being my standout performer with Jones and Tav also proving they have great potential to play in the PL.
Jones should maybe watch videos of someone like Arsenal's Saka to see how he delivers his final ball and gets shots on goal. Tav looks like the kind of all-rounder that will see quite few clubs willing to take a punt on him.
Alas, it's at the sharp end where Boro look lightweight, neither Connolly or Balogun are going to become remotely prolific any time soon - with Watmore seemingly not able to play 90 minutes but young Coburn may yet prove he has what it takes but perhaps not quite a striker in the Chris Wilder mode.
Crooks has in recent weeks looked below par and he may find himself soon in competition with McGree for a start. The injuries to Fry and McNair were a worry but with Sol Bamba ready and waiting in the wings it shouldn't be a massive problem - he was brilliant when he came on.
So the Wembley dream is over (for now) and Boro can be proud that they held their own for most of the game against one of the best sides in Europe - the fact that we hoped for another victory only demonstrates how far this team has come under Chris Wilder. A good point to have the international break with time to regroup and get everyone fit for the final nine league games and with luck more adventures in the play-offs to come.
MW
Re the injuries to Fry & McNair
Fry felt his thigh muscle and groin tightening and came off as a precaution so as not to aggravate it.
McNair had his foot jumped on by Lumley of all people and immediately swelled up and was heavily bruised. Wilder has said that it is doubtful that Paddy will travel with NI Squad.
Sporar is still sick apparently!
However he is still well enough to join the Slovakian squad and play for them - enough said !
OFB
The disappointing thing about the shape of the game was us leaving an empty half for them to punt a long ball into, this is routine football tactics, and we were duly punished. In a match of this type you must play your wild card from the start, because once behind it becomes difficult, as we found out. Every boro fan wanted to see our young striker, largely because we play on the ground and do not mix it, which meant a gentlemen's game of soccer, with him on the park we could have caused some havoc in and around their box. As a final point, can we have him on the pitch from the off for the rest of the season, tall, aggressive, good in the air, not afraid to score, no miles on the clock, unafraid. Any talk of Connolly is futile, one great position in attack, blew it big time, to any outsider seeing him and the kid side by side there is no question. oh, final comment, Sol. What a man, no problem at all with the time expired giant, and coached his team mates all the time he was on the pitch, on from the start, he would have made a difference.
Great posts above from Deleriad and Werder and I agree with every word.
We outclassed them off the pitch but ultimately they outclassed us on it without embarrassing us. I felt the game would go that way and I’m satisfied that we came out with credit.
OFB - do you think Sporar has been deliberately sidelined to ensure that we don’t have to sign him in the summer? I think I recall a clause in the terms of his loan that if he scores X goals we were obliged to pay quite a large fee for him? I can imagine that the club don’t want to activate that clause.
@Pedro-de-Espana
I suspect should Boro fail to win promotion this season then the sale of Djed Spence will solve any shortfall in meeting FFP - my worry is not the the players we would like to see move on but rather the ones we wouldn't - i.e. Jones, Tav and Fry. Recruitment on a budget is never easy and even if we have money to spend if any of those mentioned were sold, there's no guarantee the club will spend it wisely or indeed adequately replace those who leave.
Still, I fancy despite our less than perfect options at the sharp end, Chris Wider will have his team fully focused after the international break - at least the Easter weekend no longer has the FA Cup semi-final to accommodate and cause mayhem with our run-in. This feels like a team who won't blow a chance at promotion if they get themselves into the frame.
Great posts above from Deleriad and Werder and I agree with every word.
We outclassed them off the pitch but ultimately they outclassed us on it without embarrassing us. I felt the game would go that way and I’m satisfied that we came out with credit.
OFB - do you think Sporar has been deliberately sidelined to ensure that we don’t have to sign him in the summer? I think I recall a clause in the terms of his loan that if he scores X goals we were obliged to pay quite a large fee for him? I can imagine that the club don’t want to activate that clause.
Andy, I think it was reported that if he scored 14 goals or more and if we got promoted to the Premiership, we would be obliged to buy him. At the moment he has scored 8 in 30 appearances so the likelihood of him getting another 6 in 9 matches is slim.
Come on BORO.
It is a very Good thing that we can now complete our fixtures, finish in the top six, and finish the job with promotion. That, of course, will depend on ending the experiments which are causing us sleepless nights. We are not going to sign Connolly! that must be obvious to any sane person. We are going to have a certain young front man, personal stats. About six four, plenty of muscle, can mix it, speedy, fearless, good in the air. Need I go on. He will, of course, be a fixture from now on until the end of the season. We will play our best central defender, from the start, if he runs out of steam we might be a couple of goals to the Good by then, so it's win win. He also coaches those around him, and provides a bit of muscle when required. Last seen telling our keeper to get back to his goal line, so us fans do know something about the game. Just a few thoughts!
Chelsea are a class act - well, on the field anyway. They just coped brilliantly with everything we threw at them. We gave it a good go, weren’t disgraced, but ultimately didn’t have enough to hurt them, and I think we were quite naïve first half. Chelsea were far too good to get round our press, which left gaping holes in midfield for them to exploit. You can’t do that against teams of this calibre. I do agree that Connolly and Balogun offered too little first half, and didn’t even press or tackle back as we needed them to.
Three players were excellent for us:- Jones, Bamba and Dijksteel (although Jonathan Woodgate said he failed to cover the run for Lukaku’s goal.) I was also impressed with Peltier and Coburn, who really put himself about.
i thought we played some really good stuff at times - what a difference Wilder has made in that regard. Our crowd was simply magnificent. I do hope those long-lost fans who’ve turned up for the cup games - and those watching on TV - appreciate our good football and start to return in huge numbers for the run-in to the play-offs. Steve Gibson, Wilder and all the players deserve nothing less.
A word about Jonathan Woodgate. He’s a brilliant pundit. He knows the game inside out and is a very impressive ambassador for the club and the area. I wouldn’t ever want him back as manager, even though he’s had other managerial experience since his failure at Boro, but I do hope we can find a football role for him somewhere in our set-up in the future.
Finally, I know we lost. But I’m so proud of the players, the manager, the club as a whole, and the best owner any football club has had anywhere ever.
Andy, I think it was reported that if he scored 14 goals or more and if we got promoted to the Premiership, we would be obliged to buy him. At the moment he has scored 8 in 30 appearances so the likelihood of him getting another 6 in 9 matches is slim.
Come on BORO.
Yes, I think it’s only a remote possibility now. It wasn’t back in January though.
Sporar has only started three times since the beginning of Feb and his minutes have dropped off a cliff despite his replacements failing to really impress.
I do wonder if his future has been decided for him. Was the agreed fee £8m? We certainly wouldn’t want to pay that.
Well said Clive! I agree, especially with Deleriad also. This was a positive display and the Boro fans were magnificent too. I felt so proud of ALL of the players, and we should all remember that we were playing against the Champions of Europe and the World.
I see that Posh beat QPR today, leaving the opportunity to reach the play offs just about in our own hands (I think so anyway but haven’t worked out every permutation).
We don’t normally look forward to International breaks, but this one may have come at the right time for us. How many points can we take from the last 9 regular games?
I see that Posh beat QPR today, leaving the opportunity to reach the play offs just about in our own hands (I think so anyway but haven’t worked out every permutation).
We don’t normally look forward to International breaks, but this one may have come at the right time for us. How many points can we take from the last 9 regular games?
I agree about the international break. we need to get everyone fit and firing for the run-in. Unusual result today when we went up a place in the league without actually playing.
Huddersfield, QPR and Blackburn look to be running out of steam a bit and may drop away unless they can get themselves together again. They too will welcome the break. Bournemouth look to have the chance to lock in number two spot which will still leave a dogfight for the playoff spots. I'm tempted to suggest that Luton, Sheffield United, Boro and Notts Forest could be the favourites with Millwall coming through as an outside shot. Coventry, Blackpool and West Brom may be a bit too far behind but will certainly also be giving it a go over the next few weeks.
With so many teams involved it means that every set of fixtures includes big clashes which will guarantee somebody dropping points. Looking at the first weekend back, we have our trip to Peterborough which won't be easy but there is also Blackpool v Notts Forest, Coventry v Blackburn, QPR v Fulham and the mouthwatering Luton v Millwall which should be quite a battle. With the way that they both play, what odds on it ending up 9 men a side. I'm curious as to what the over/under is for yellow cards. Anyone prepared to bet on less than 5?
It's really going to be an up and down, week by week struggle and i sense that we might just find a spot in the play-offs and then .... who knows.
UTB
Martin
Just worked it out if we win all our games and the rest of the top ten win all of theirs then we will be in the playoffs and would play Luton in the playoffs. This cannot happen of course as there are games between other members of the top ten. We can probably afford to drop points against Fulham and Bournemouth, draws would do, as long as we beat Huddersfield the only other member of the top ten we play. Hopefully everyone comes back fully charged from the break ready for 9 cup finals.
I was on holiday last week and was travelling a bit. I and my wife were cross country skiing for a couple of days. We skied on a lake called Päijänne - it is about 120 km long lake in the southern Finland.
The ice was still 40 to 50 cm thick and there was two to four feet of snow, too. We skied for about three hours both days around one big island called Muuratsalo.
If you are interested in architecture, the island also had Alvar Aalto's summer cottage in there. We stayed on another island called Säynätsalo next to the former for three nights - the building where we stayed in was also designed by Alvar Aalto.
I saw the Birmingham match, though. On Saturday we were in Turku and arrived to the hotel 15 min before the Chelsea match kicked off. So we saw the Cup match in all on TV.
Contrary to many posts above, I was quite dissappointed with our performance. We gave away the first goal far too early and too easily. I still do not understand why Fry was just watching the ball pass him to Lukaku. Usually, Fry is our best defender by a mile. Now Bamba and Dijksteel were much better than Fry.
And why we defended so badly on the left hand side in the first half? McNair and especially Taylor were AWOL. The second goal came from the left (from our perspective) and somehow seemed easily beat Lumley. I think our goalkeeper was OK other than that.
So we didn't make Chelsea to work for their goals. We played better in the second half but we should have kept a clean sheet until half time. Now the game was over too soon. We were not at our best like against Spurs or did not rode our luck like at Old Trafford in the first half.
So I am still disappointed a bit with the result and the score. We did not make the Pensioners sweat enough.
But let's regroup during the break. We have much to play for in the league. Up the Boro!
For the first time since the January transfer window I’ve looked at the League tables and they still are meaningless in my opinion. I won’t be looking at them again until every team has only 4 games remaining with equal home and away matches to play although even then Nottm Forest may still have a game in hand. If Boro are still in contention for a playoff place I’ll be delighted though it may still come down to the final match of the season at Deepdale where Boro may need to win. I’ve always maintained that there’s no such thing as dropping points, it’s all about accumulating points match by match in this crazy division, and I’m quite unconcerned about how other teams perform, it’s up to Boro’ to accumulate as many points as they can, so it’s in their hands really. But whatever happens que sera, sera.
Hopefully with the International break CW might have second thoughts about his obsession with Balogun and overweight Connelly. Just saying.