I think there’s a few people who may disagree about cricket being less tedious than football. I like a game of cricket but watching it can be a massive time commitment with many times no result at the end.
I don’t believe there ever been a “golden age” of any sport, music, tv or films. Things change, sometimes for the better and other times for the worse.
As a Rugby League fan I’m sure you enjoy a try saving tackle or a concerted, organised defensive line as much as many tries. I know I do.
Talking to Gary Gill today about Neil Warnock.
He said “he is one of the nicest, most charming people you could ever wish to meet.”
He went on “The ogre you see jumping up and down on the touch line snarling at people isn’t him at all. It’s all an act.”
We both agreed that Boro fans have to be grateful for saving the club from relegation and that not many managers could have achieved what he and his coaches achieved in that eventful season.
OFB
Talking to Gary Gill today about Neil Warnock.
He said “he is one of the nicest, most charming people you could ever wish to meet.”
He went on “The ogre you see jumping up and down on the touch line snarling at people isn’t him at all. It’s all an act.”
We both agreed that Boro fans have to be grateful for saving the club from relegation and that not many managers could have achieved what he and his coaches achieved in that eventful season.
OFB
Indeed we are.
Jarkko
Gary Gill sends his regards and thanks you for the Xmas Card
OFB
That was a good and much needed win for the Boro. I find it more tense when I just have to follow matches on Radio Tees than when being at home games. From the brief highlights I had seen of Coventry I was expecting them to play a fast attacking game and that they would cause us problems. I would have liked to have been able to enjoy the atmosphere at the final whistle as I had when we beat Reading.
The absence of Watmore in the starting line ups must mean that the niggles that he feels in his knees even when training make it too risky to play him especially the way he was pressing when the opposition defences and goalkeepers were in possession. He is definitely missed. Sporar also seemed to be joining in the high pressing more. It was good to see Sporar got into position to score from Balogun's cross.
I still think Tav is an important part of our midfield even if he is not showing the flair and shooting ability from the past. He puts in a lot of work backing up attack/defence on the left where, without Bola, we don't have an attacking wingback.
I am disappointed that Wilder does not think Uche could have a part to play in his teams. From the short displays we have seen of Uche I think he is more than just a big target man for long balls. He does seem able to hold the ball and run with it and can put in good shots as well as winning aerial battles from set pieces.
Martin Bellamy
But you don’t need to give cricket your undivided attention unless it’s one day cricket; you can always take a programme or book to read or even stretch your legs. And soothing classical music never changes especially waltzes. It certainly helps when doing the ironing or doing the homework, not that I’m able to do the latter nowadays.
Jarkko
Gary Gill sends his regards and thanks you for the Xmas Card
OFB
Thanks, OFB. I owe so much to him. He got us tickets for an away match on a Boxing day when I and my wife flew in.
And on another time he was showing me and my team mates the Rockcliffe Park after we played a team lead by Jim Platt. We all later had a dinner with Jim at Chadwicks Inn in Maltby, too.
After the trip, most of my mates of my team have Boro as a second favourite team. It was a fabulous trip.
OFB, please pass my regards to Gary. i am sure I and my wife will pop in to the restaurant when in England for the next time. Up the Boro!
So two tough matches coming soon. First Manchester Utd away. A possible banana skin for the Mancurian team in red, perhaps?
And then back to the Championship again. We will play QPR at home on Wednesday, 9th February. Again we will play the team on top of the form table. We are the second, though - so it will be a thriller like at Blackburn. Perhaps not the best match to watch but a thriller anyway.
How I love this season. It has not been as good as now for a while. Up the Boro!
So much has happened in football over the last century and beyond with former big names now facing hard times. Imagine being a Bury supporter in 1900 and 1903 when they won the FA Cup recording two of the biggest victories in the competition’s final 4-0 against Southampton in the former year and Derby County 6-0 in the latter, or a Notts County fan in 1894 when the oldest football league club beat Bolton Wanderers 4-1 in the final. Or most recently in 1959 when the semi-professional league club Worcester City (at the time only renowned as the birthplace of England’s greatest composer Edward Elgar) beat the mighty Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup 4th round.
Well the nearest feat to that happened in the 2nd round of the Rugby League Challenge Cup last night. Oldham now known as the Roughyeds had a fine history in the sport winning 3 Challenge Cup finals, 4 Championship finals, 9 Lancashire Cups and 7 Lancashire League titles albeit the last of those successes in 1957, and having since been relegated to the third tier of Rugby League last season were drawn at home to the amateur club of Lock Lane from Castleford. The result though was a stunning win for the amateurs 22-12. Amateur clubs are never expected to beat League clubs in any sport in football or Rugby League so congratulations to Lock Lane as their feat will go down as another of sports improbable results.
Well, that’s a £million pounds off his transfer fee !!
I watched Cardiff v Forest yesterday and, in particular, Spence, who had a very average game and didn’t resemble the swash buckling player he’s been made out to be.
In fact, I don’t know where I’d play him. He’s not an out and out winger like young Jones and certainly not a traditional full back like say, Peltier.
He’s neither one nor the other. His main talent is his pace allowing him to make 50 yard runs with the ball brushing past 2 or 3 opponents but when faced one on one hasn’t the natural skill, like young Jones, to take players on from a standing start. He’s become much overrated and I only wish a Club would today offer £5million - £6 million and I’d snap their hand off.
More importantly is Fridays game against Man. Utd. I’d like to think that they will play a few fringe players and expect CW to make a few changes. He can experiment a bit as we’re not going to win the Cup. I’ll settle for a good performance even if it’s a backs to the wall job.
Couldn’t miss CW’s spikey response when it was suggested Connelly doesn’t look the part. I think most good managers would know after 3 games plus training if a player is going to be good enough. So, whilst most of us are underwhelmed so far with Connelly perhaps we should take heed of CW.
Philip of Huddersfield
Good post, Philip. I was about to make exactly the same point about Spence. You could almost physically see the money falling on his valuation as the game progressed. He played pretty much to the same standard, with accompanying body language, that we saw at Boro. We need to get a deal over the door quickly or he'll be losing money faster than the government on PPE contracts.
You could scarcely Adam and Eve it at Cardiff. Spence rubbish; Hugill, on his debut, M-O-M with an outstanding display of running, leadership and hold-up play, rounded off with a great goal; Cardiff, having lost 9 out of 10 of their previous home games, beating Forest comprehensively. A great watch a wonderful result, and a massive week-end bonus for all Boro fans.
AndyR at 7.56am - I thought Tav had one of his better games on Saturday. Lumley, about whom I have had doubts, also played well. He came across as a well-grounded, sesnsible chap during his Press Conference a few days ago.
Crooks is important to the team and I agree the comment made earlier that he will be aware he is due a ban if he gets 2 more yellow cards. But he does move around the field quickly, gets into positions where he is available for a pass, and he either has VERY long legs or he "just by chance" frequently happens to be in a position to put in a vital tackle. Add to that his headed goals (when on target!) and you have a very useful midfielder. Payero can probably put more deadly balls though to the attckers than anyone else in the squad, given the opportunity to gain game-time and come to terms with the way Championship teams play.
Balaogun's first involvement, within a minute or so of his coming onto the pitch, put the winning goal on a plate for Sporar. Balogun didn't do too much after that in his short cameo apperance, but he seems to offer more than Connolly and I'd like to see Balogun up front with Whatmore or Coburn (maybe start with Whatmore buzzing around up there until he runs himself into the ground THEN bring on Coburn?).
Fry was fine, yet again.
Bascially it was a decent performance against a good team. Coventry will no doubt feel that they deserved more than a defeat. But a good team wins when its back has been against the wall and that is what happened against Coventry. Long may it continue but, hopefully, we will sometime soon really play to 100% and take a team apart. In a dreamworld that would be on Friday aginst Man U at Old Trafford in the FA Cup but I'd be delighted if it were against another good play-off challenging team: QPR.
Martin - your post yesterday at 5.29pm - the women's Ashes Test Match which ended yesterday was an absolute cracker where all results were possible 30 minutes from the end of the 4th day before it ended in a draw (England with the last pair at the wicket and a handful of runs from what would have been an outstanding win). But there are NO women's Tests in the calendar for ANY country at the present, so when the next will take place is anybody's guess.
As regards the men's game, I am a glass half full kind of guy (rather as with the Boro): I hope for an improvement in the Test side and hope that the "authorities" place some priority on the red ball game rather than consigning it to the cold, green, damp wickets of April, early May and September, denuded of its better players (who will be playing a similar but rather shorter game wearing pyjamas).
FD, I couldn’t agree more about the potential excitement of the last day of a Test Match, although such a scenario happens only infrequently, unfortunately.
Phillip and Len, with regards to Spence, it has been reported (on 90 minutes) that Spurs offered £12m plus add ons but it was rejected by Boro as they are holding out for their valuation of £15m, now we will see in the summer if it was a good or bad decision.
Come on BORO.
I think I would have taken the money. Bird in the hand and all that!!
Of course it may nor of been 12 mil plus. How the payments were structured etc etc. We just have to hope his form keeps up. as Phillip said, he did very little on Sunday, although that was playing in a back four.