With a useful point gained on the road in midweek to keep our playoff aspirations alive and kicking, next up are Derby County at The Riverside this Saturday in a 3pm kick-off.
Boro’s tale of 2022 so far had been slightly below-par performances but excellent results. That was turned on its head on Wednesday night as Boro produced their best performance of the calendar year but only came away with a point against QPR.
Enjoying the lion’s share of the ball in both halves and comfortably creating the most opportunities, Chris Wilder’s men produced a superb box-to-box display against a strong QPR side with incessant pressing, tough tackling, clever movement and some sharp passing. All that was missing was the finishing to match, though even that wouldn’t have mattered had we not gifted Rangers a shambolic second with the referee’s whistle barely out of his mouth as he started the second half.
The performance away at Blackburn a couple of weeks ago cast some doubt over Boro’s ability to mix it with the league’s best but Wednesday night quelled such concerns. Coming just a matter of days after a biblical effort at Old Trafford, this was impressive stuff that justified more than the one point gained.
Boro’s next opponents may not be in the playoff picture but Boro must beware. Were it not for a 21pt deduction for a bitter cocktail of breaching accounting rules and falling into administration, Derby would be just 7pts behind Boro and looking for a scalp from which to mount a late charge. And Boro is a scalp their fans would dearly love.
With Derby’s breach of Profit and Sustainability rules arguably costing Boro a place in the 2019/20 playoffs, the two clubs are now locked in a legal dispute regarding compensation with Derby claiming both that the suit is flawed but also that it is stopping them from securing a new owner and therefore threatening their existence. We don’t know exactly what Boro’s claim is but it’s safe to say that a large portion of Derby fans are incensed with Boro’s position and will be desperate for their team to dish out what they believe would be footballing retribution.
So Derby will likely be highly motivated for this one but if Boro match their determination then the form suggests it could be a difficult afternoon for the Rams. Wayne Rooney’s side have been up and down in terms of results with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats from their last 6 games which fits their season as a whole as they’ve won 9, drawn 12 and lost 9, scoring 31 goals and conceding 31. Away from home, it’s just 1 win in 6 for the visitors as they come up against a Boro side which has the best home form in the division (won 5, lost 1). Boro have been short on goals with just 8 in those last 6 games so there is still plenty of room for improvement for us.
One such improvement is surely the continued restoration of Duncan Watmore. The lively forward may misfire in front of goal at times but his hard running and chasing as well as his link-up with Sporar, which looks so much more intuitive than any combination upfront for Boro, is a key piece in Boro’s jigsaw. Wilder will be hoping that Watmore is fully fit and ready to raid the Rams backline.
Elsewhere, the side largely picks itself these days though Riley McGree will be hoping for game time and is perhaps slightly closer to that given what looked like a nasty injury to Martin Payero late on Wednesday night, after Crooks retired hurt.
The other area for consideration is, of course, in goal but Boro look short of solid options in that area. That said, If Daniels doesn’t replace Lumley now, he may then believe that he never will. Academy graduate Sol Brynn is the other option but he’s untested at Championship level and a potentially fierce grudge-match may not be the time to try him. My money is on Lumley keeping his place in an unchanged team.
So Boro go into this game on a high with every reason to be positive but Derby will be fired up to burst our bubble. Matching Derby for effort is the key ingredient as we surely have the quality to beat them if we’re at our best.
Come on Boro.
For some reason I'm concerned about this game Derby are getting results and the atmosphere may be a little heated, evidently its SG's fault they are in administration and haven't found a buyer.
Excellent intro, Andy. Many thanks.
Boro have won more matches 39 at home to Derby County and scored more goals 142 than they have against any of the other 95 clubs they have met, but that should be tempered by the fact that they have played them 70 times which stands as the highest number of encounters than against any other club. In broad details the home record reads 39 wins, 16 draws and 15 defeats with a goal aggregate of 142 for and 77 against. The biggest win of course was the 6-1 win in 1997 when Fabrizio Ravanelli scored his third hat trick of the season. Boro’s biggest home defeat to the Rams occurred in 2000, a dismal 1-4 defeat when Andy Campbell came on as a substitute and scored his first goal for Boro. Since that defeat though Boro have won 10 times against the Rams at the Riverside and lost only once in 14 meetings.
Nevertheless this won’t be an easy fixture for Boro as Derby will have the advantage of a day’s extra recuperation having played their previous match on Tuesday, and will be well up for this encounter to put one over on Steve Gibson whom they consider to be the villain in their fight for survival. Their away record of only 2 away wins isn’t good, but one of those was against Stoke City which shows that they’re a better team than their league position would suggest. I still think that they will avoid relegation despite the 21 points deduction and wouldn’t be surprised if they earn at least a point on Saturday. I hope not, but this has all the hallmarks of a banana skin moment for Boro after 5 successive home wins.
Yes. Excellent intro Andy, thank you.
This fixture has "NASTY" written large all over it. I expect we will need to be the team that shows the coolest head to win out in this one. I would be concerned that WRDC will be too fired up for this that they may come out of the stocks looking to take the blood that their fans will surely be baying for, so fingers crossed the ref will take a firm grip from the outset and hopefully no one will get injured.
Derby will also be no pushover, As Andy rightly points out, but for the 21 point deduction, they would still be close enough to Boro and for me would be in with an outside chance of making the playoffs.
I expect CW will have the team well prepared. Hopefully Crooks will be fit. I might be tempted to swap out Watmore for the start and go with Connolly (not intending to be controversial here). I would not want Watmore to be on the receiving end of any early excess force that Derby might bring onto the pitch. Let them get that out of their system before swapping him in during the second half. I also suspect Connolly might be a little bit more of a hard nut for Derby to crack and physically better able to absorb whatever might prevail.
Otherwise, it has to be no change if possible, even keeping the enigma that is Lumley in goal.
I am sure we will be too strong both mentally and ability wise for the rams and I fancy we will hit that goal scoring jamboree we are all waiting for. 4 goals to 0 in our favour then.
Great Starter for the game Andy it’s appreciated by all of the Diasborians
A hard game on Saturday but a Premiership referee to control the game
Hope crooks makes an appearance
OFB
Thanks for the preview Andy. I am expecting a hard fight from a wound up Derby. Hopefully our recent home form will continue and we will get another vital 3 points to keep up our fight for a playoff place. Looking back at clips of Derby's games, they have the ability to attack fast and have strikers who are good in the air as well as capable of some powerful shot but their home form is much better than away. I hope their sense of grievance against Boro does not result in any wild tackles which they are also capable of. Thanks to rail engineering works/Covid cuts, my usual Saturday 09:50 train would mean getting to Middlesbrough station at 14:59! Fortunately my sister has no plans for the weekend so I am travelling over to New Marske on Friday and will stay until Sunday when I will have a 5 hour 17 mins journey back home.
I had been looking out for the FA Cup 5th Round dates and when I saw these posted I was on to the Premier Inn at 17:30 site to book my room. I assume a lot of Spurs supporters had beaten me to it as room only was £97!
Elsewhere, the side largely picks itself these days though Riley McGree will be hoping for game time and is perhaps slightly closer to that given what looked like a nasty injury to Martin Payero late on Wednesday night, after Crooks retired hurt.
The Echo are reporting, that Middlesbrough's medical team are assessing Argentine midfielder Martin Payero after the 22-year-old was stretchered off in the later stages of Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw with Queens Park Rangers.
Payero slid into a challenge in stoppage time but came off worse after twisting his ankle awkwardly. He’d only been on the field for three minutes replacing Matt Crooks who sustained a facial injury.
Payero looked to be in a lot of pain but there are hopes that the injury is not as bad as it looks and he will be available for this weekend's game.
Up the Boro!
Thanks Andy for the excellent Headliner. This match is certainly a banana skin game. Derby appear to be up for all their games but will certainly be up for this one.
Would not even try for any type of prediction, just hoping for a win.
I read that the Spurs match is on the Tuesday night and chosen by BBC as their game.
Thanks Andy for an excellent starter covering both on and off field challenges.
I gather Derby are bringing a large contingent of supporters and do hope that they will not mar the occasion and that feelings on the pitch remain under control.
I agree with others that this is a banana skin in waiting and a third very tough game in a week; predicting a result is difficult but if we are anywhere near Wednesday’s performance then we should have enough to win.
Same team for me to start including Lumley as CW has already indicated that he alone was not at fault for the second goal. CoB 😎
Yes, a very good intro Andy, again. Thank you for that.
I do not think the players see the match as a special one. Both teams will fight for the three points available as ever.
But their fans can be noisy and agressive. This a pity as we haven't done anything illegal and are not the reason for them entering administration. It was their own fault in all. Their owner didn't follow the rules and gambled all for promotion. Now the club does not even own their ground.
We all know who to blaim, really.
It will be noisy as said and an electrified atmosphere. So we need to concentrate on their team and not the occation as the Gazette wrote. There will be the Gibbo - fit and proper banner on the stands again, I think.
But both teams must concentrate on the opposition, not the owners. If we do it properly, I hope to see as good attitude as at QPR. Hopefully we learnt from the trip to Ewood Park recently.
So inspite of Derby playing well - what a wondeful job Rooney is doing there a la Bruce Rioch - I think we should win two nil. Fry keeping a clean sheet and Šporar and Watmore scoring the goals.
Up the Boro!
PS. Happy birthday, Robin. Or as we all know OFB. Is it fifty now 😊 or a bit over? Hope you'll enjoy a late birthday present tomorrow and the three points!
Jarkko and Redcar Red
Many Thanks for the birthday wishes I wish I was 50 again ! But unfortunately I have to add another 24 years to that figure!
OFB
OFB
Best wishes for a happy and healthy year
When people used to ask me how old I was I used to say 21 and a bit. Well I quadrupled that age last month and had actually forgotten my birthday until the first card arrived. Mind I think that almost everyone else had forgotten it also as I only received 3 cards. I had a terrific 80th birthday in the Algarve 4 years ago, but since then have not really celebrated it. Advised not to drink alcohol or even coffee nowadays due to bowel incontinence but have found a substitute in cranberry juice though not the same as my favourite tipple of port and brandy.
...
It will be noisy as said and an electrified atmosphere. So we need to concentrate on their team and not the occation as the Gazette wrote. There will be the Gibbo - fit and proper banner on the stands again...
You know I think that whoever owns/manages the "Gibbo - fit and proper" banner should adopt the moral high ground and not display the banner at this game. It will be inflamatory to do so and totally unecessary and arguably could provoke (or at least contribute to a provocation of) the masses from Derby to violent behaviour.
I would like to think that Boro fans are above such things (rubbing the Derby noses in it) but sadly I expect there will be enough eejits among the Boro fans that think differently.
Many Happy Returns OFB ! 🍵 🍾
Great opener, Andy, thanks.
I’ll be glad when this game is out of the way. It won’t be easy. The EFL have apparently highlighted it as potentially volatile. Apparently there have been threats and abuse made against Steve Gibson. I sincerely hope I’m wrong, but I do feel there are enough idiots in both sets of supporters to warrant caution. I’m sure we’ll hear the Steve Gibson chant and probably something about cheating. Heaven knows what DC fans have planned. I’m hoping Boro have increased both the stewarding and the police presence. Fingers crossed all goes well.
If Boro keep their heads, regardless of any off-field issues, then we should win by two clear goals.
OFB is, really, Old Prehistoric Bob (OPB) now. I'm not saying he is old, but he had a pet pterodactyl as a child.
Happy Many Returns, you old curmudgeon!
I, too, am concerned about trouble on Saturday, inside and outside the ground. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly. 🤞🏻
From the MFC site, it looks like SG has reached an agreement with Morris - hopefully that will quieten things down a bit on Saturday.
From the MFC site, it looks like SG has reached an agreement with Morris - hopefully that will quieten things down a bit on Saturday.
Yes, I agree, Martin. This is a very timely and welcome announcement which will hopefully take the sting out of things. Now let’s get on with the football!
OFB,
Another birthday, my goodness. You look to be around years my junior, all I can say is keep them coming and have a good time with your family. Is it a glass of white or red waiting to be opened?
All the best and UTB,
John
Happy Birthday, OFB.
Thanks Johm but the answer is no 🍷wine tonight. I have had tonsillitis since Monday and I am on antibiotics so can’t drink! Hopefully the course will finish on Monday so I can celebrate then.
Had some birthday wishes from Mark Proctor and Gary Gill which was nice. We were going to go to Gary’s restaurant tonight but of course cancelled now.
Looking forward to the Derby game now that resolution has been agreed between the interested parties. I must admit after seeing some obnoxious tweets I was getting worried that there may have been some trouble at the game tomorrow. Hopefully everyone will settle down and just enjoy the game, let’s be honest it’s a sport isn’t it?
listened to Chris wilders presser today and the lore I hear from him and his views the more confident I feel about our future at the Boro.
When you think the performances in the last two games from basically was the same team NW had is impressive. I can’t remember a Boro side passing the ball so well as they did on Wednesday.
I’m excited for tomorrow and going for a 2-0 win.
That’s not too much to ask is it??
OFB
Happy Birthday OFB and hope you get well soon.
Ref to the game and I'm no fan of Mickey Rooney who along with his wife have been dominating the tabloids this week with their stories and not very nice ones at that! So I hope Middlesbrough give them a good thrashing.
As for Jarko mentioning Rooney alongside Sir Bruce Rioch, well my friend that is an insult to Bruce. Sorry!
OFB,
That should have been 'a few years my junior'! Distracted by two terriers wanting their walk.
Enjoy your glass, or two, on Monday.
UTB,
John
Happy Birthday, OFB. Have a great birthday and an even better Saturday. 😉
Thanks to Andy for another comprehensive well-written match preview and hopefully the breaking news of a settlement between Mel and Steve will allow the football to take centre stage. btw that's Morris and Gibson and not the other way round - though a dispute between Mel Gibson and Steve Morris would perhaps be an even more tasty encounter - with the latter being a Welsh Rugby player, who is described as: "A hard man that was sometimes over physical and was unafraid to turn to violence if it was warranted."
Anyway, tomorrow's game should also be a tasty encounter between two team both looking for three points for the cause. The fact that Derby are in contention to recover from a 21 point deduction to remain in the Championship is a credit to Wayne Rooney's ability as a young manager - plus his decision to turn down Everton to try and finish the job is also to his credit.
Rooney has been currently doing the media rounds discussing his past problems with alcohol, where he admitted he would often binge drink alone for two days in between games as he struggled to cope with the pressure. It all came to a head in 2018 when he admitting being nearly three times the legal drink drive limit while at the wheel of another woman’s car following a night out. He was subsequently ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid community work - probably because the judge deemed a long sentence was beyond him.
It was an episode that he said also put a strain on his marriage with Coleen but they have worked it out. Indeed, Coleen Rooney has also been in the news this week as her libel case with Rebecca Vardy (previously known as the Wagatha Christie case) is close to court proceedings - though it's claimed the pair have already spent over a million pounds on their respective high-profile legal teams with any damages for the winner likely to be only a few hundred thousand at best. Always worth proving a point despite the cost!
Whether the drama at the Riverside will live up to the off-field antics is something we'll find out tomorrow - though the jury is no longer out on Chris Wilder as the Boro faithful look to be more than happy to back his judgement. So let's hope Boro prove their case as worthy promotion contenders and are not guilty of missing their chances in front of goal again. OK, all stand as we await the verdict...
Feliz cumpleaños OFB. Mejorate pronto.
Hope you have a belated birthday present tomorrow and your prediction of 2-0 is correct.
I agree with you that the more you hear from CW, the more you become convinced that, at long last, we have a proper manager who not only talks the talk but also can walk the walk.
It is refreshing to hear a manager who is down to earth and tells it as it is.
Based on what has occurred so far, if anyone can get us back into the PL then CW can; if not this season then in the next couple and hopefully we will all still be around to see it happen. Best wishes OFB. 🎂🍾😎