Merry Christmas everyone and I hope Santa brings 3 points in our collective Stockings. After the last few years we should be grateful for the gift of health, still being here and for the first time in a long time instead of Boro making us feel Grinch like at Christmas we have reasons to be cheerful or at least optimistic in a Wilder Wonderland!
Or could Jones move back to the left allowing Spence to come back in on the right?
Happy Christmas all.
Its been another great year on the best blog on the net. Thanks to all of you for your insight and humour throughout the year. Essential reading.
Of all the home meetings against opponents, matches versus Forest has the highest propensity of draws than against any other opponents. In fact the number of draws (15) since the Second World War exceeds the number of Boro wins (7) and Forest wins (6) added together despite Boro winning 5 and losing 2 of the last 9 matches against Forest at the Riverside. Indeed since the two clubs first met in 1903 there have been more draws (19) than either home wins (16) or away wins (6) and that hasn’t occurred against any other of Boro’s opponents. Even including home and away matches there have been 32 draws, 25 Boro wins, 26 Forest wins, and unbelievably 111 goals each. That’s how tight Tees-Trent matches have been over the years. Twice Boro have won the home match 4-0 (in 1908 and 1923), but the biggest home defeat was 1-4 in 1954.
I love statistics but obviously they have no bearing on Saturday’s match, nevertheless I do think that a draw is likely.
Wilder Confirmed at the Presser
Browne and Peltier are recovering from Covid
OFB
Rumours this morning that the game is off due to Forest team and covid. Anyone confirm this?
Rumours this morning that the game is off due to Forest team and covid. Anyone confirm this?
Nothing on any website at the moment including Forest site.
Come on BORO.
If it is untrue, it’s a very bad rumour for someone to start.
Come on BORO.
Nothing on the Forest website about the match being postponed or in doubt, but anything can happen after Covid testing this morning.
I hope that Boro fans don’t go overboard with expectations if Boro win, because with Coventry and Stoke matches already postponed Boro will be into top five for at least 48 hours.
It is now 10 am and nothing mentioned about postponement from either club. Rumour started apparently from a member of staff at MFC then passsed on to a fans site. Said an annoucement would be made at 9.30. If not true them some idiot wants a christmas tree stuck somewhere where he doesn't like!
Interesting problem with young Spence - do we recall him or not ?
The starting point has to be , does C.W. rate him? If not , then leave him at Forest and try to engineer a sale to them or another Club.
But if he thinks he could do a job for the team , then recall him.
BUT, Spence probably won’t want to return when he’s a first choice at Forest having played 17 games, the crowd love him and the move has got his career back on track and he can’t be guaranteed a place in the Boro team.
Plus, if recalled and not immediately chosen to play will he knuckle down to prove himself worthy of a starting place in the team.
Also, is their a related issue about his return. I’m thinking of young Jones who’s been outstanding in his first season. But he can’t be expected to continue his form for the best part of 40 games to the end of the season. There will come a time when he needs a rest and/ his form will dip. So, would having Spence at the Club be useful?
There’s no easy answer and maybe there are other issues to consider which we’re not aware of. However, my view would be to recall him.
Meanwhile, from a very warm Lanzarote, happy Christmas to all Diasboro contributors and all Boro fans and hoping for a good performance tomorrow preferably with 3 points - although a draw wouldn’t be the end of the world against the best team in the division over the last 15 games.
Philip of Huddersfield
Personally I would take Spence back because:
1) he can only play for Boro or Forest this Season
2) If Jones becomes injured we don’t have a similar replacement except for Dijksteel
3) Can’t expect Jones to maintain form as he is a young and still an inexperienced player.
4) Wilder can look at him and decide if he can make the grade with Boro
5) It can force Forest to make a firm bid for his services
6) It reduces the effective player squad of a playoff contender in a tight race for promotion
OFB
@original-fat-bob. I hope you have sent your list of very salient points to CW. 😎
thanks for that Bob- that makes perfect sense
I think that Spence would probably prefer to stay at Forrest. If so then engineer a deal by threatening to bring him back from his lone, their fans are up in arms and Forrest offer a substantial fee for him.
CW brings in a loan signing as cover for Jones. Of course if we can get Peltier fit he could play at RWB. Not as good going forward but possibly better defensively .
I think it is imperative we also get another pacy striker and may be another midfielder that can pass the ball effectively.
Some more statistics for Diasborians to consider about today’s meeting with Forest. The tricky trees seem to suffer a Christmas hangovers as they have only won one of their last 12 away matches on Boxing Day, drawing 4 and losing 7. Boro on the otherhand love Boxing Day matches especially at the Riverside having won 7 of their last 9 matches on this day.
One might think then that today favours a Boro win, but as I have always maintained although I love statistics, the past is the past and really shouldn’t have any bearing on today’s result and at sometime in the future such statistics have a habit of being broken. Let’s hope that it’s not today!
Twas the day after Christmas
Now, what to expect
Will Boro go lumbering
Trees to dissect.......
I hope that everyone had a good day yesterday.
I also hope that the Boro players were sufficiently professional not to have over indulged in any way.
Great debate above about Spence. For me he has to come back, allowing Forest to keep him only if they make a ridiculously premium offer to take him off our hands permanently early enough in the transfer window to give us some funds to support Wilder with the time as well as the funds in the January sales.
If they don't want him that much, that should be part of his incentive to make himself key to the Boro, or at least to show his worth in the shop window.
As for today. Let us hope it is not a day for Boro to buck those historical trends that Ken has posted about. I won't be there, but I sense that this has the potential to be an absolutely cracking game today. For everyone going, I hope that is the case. I am positive and having got a new set of foam hands from Santa, I am going to put them to immediate use and predict a highly entertaining four goals to one victory for us today. Spora to hit a brace, with one each for Crooks and Howson ...🥳
COB.
I'd be very happy to settle for that 4-1 win which you predict, Powmill! (Or is that still the effect of the Christmas spirit which you imbibed yesterday?).
It seems strange to me that we loan out a player, he is rubbish and we get him back. He is brilliant, And we are told that it would be unfair of us to bring him back and actually play him in our team. Am I missing something?
So it's business as usual for Boro as their game against Forest is only one of three remaining Championship Boxing Day fixtures that have survived the Omicron surge, which has seen close to two million cases in the last 7 days.
The club are advising fans to turn up early with their Covid credentials of either a vaccine passport or lateral flow test result - though unless you have had your booster the level of protection against catching Omicron for double-vaccinated has been reported as being between 0-20%. Still, at least you are unlikely to suffer serious effects but nevertheless it does mean that you could pass on the virus.
So while tens of thousands will forgo the precautionary principle and pack into grounds in England, Scottish games are limited to 500 supporters and games in Wales will be played behind closed doors - even if they turn up to the ground with their cheese and wine for an impromptu business meeting in row Z. Perhaps the English fans are just following Bill Shankly's famous words:
"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that"
Anyway, the show goes on and I'll be thankfully watching from the safety of my sofa. In theory it should be a close game with both Boro and Forest being close to the top of the form table.
I didn't see much of the last two games but it still appears putting the ball in the net is the main problem that faces Boro. That may be addressed in the January window but until then we will hopefully see our strikers find the net. I think Tav is due a goal and maybe Sporar could net from open play too.
I see the Spence conundrum is still being pondered over but unless Jones is moved to the left then I can't see him being dropped in favour of Spence as he's arguably been Boro's best player this season. On that basis I can't imagine Spence being keen to return as backup on the bench as that was the reason he left in the first place. Having said that, it also doesn't make sense to allow a playoff rival to continue to have a key player loaned to them. I suspect someone is going to be disappointed.
So with few teams playing it would be a good time to add another three points to the board as those with postponed fixtures will face a tougher time in the coming weeks playing extra games with probably a fair few mid-season injuries.
Prediction: Despite dreaming last night it finished 1-1 after Boro dominating, I'm going to pretend I woke up before Forest scored 🙂
I dreamt we won 3-1 with Forest seriously missing Spence. I wonder if it will now be on the Sky Red Button now that there are only three remaining Championship games and one of the original Red Button Games at Luton falling to Covid?
Just seen it on the ticker tape news feed that it's on the Red Button now. It wasn't planned to be but with only three Championship games remaining I guess they didn't have much choice.
Can you watch red button games on SkyGo? I’m at our van with the only access on my phone.
Just read that Sky are now showing the Boro game live after Hull v Blackburn was called off at 1pm after Hull had more players test positive and can no longer field a team. Don't know if that helps as Boro is now just one of two games going ahead.
Hull v Blackburn off now so only Huddersfield v Blackpool and our game on. I think Boro are now the main game for Sky.
edit: Just been confirmed on Sky that we are on the box this afternoon!
We shall soon see who is the best dreamer - though the night before I dreamt I was playing in midfield and was MOM with a superb playmaker role. It was a busy night after winning the darts championship a little earlier with relentless 180s!
We shall soon see who is the best dreamer - though the night before I dreamt I was playing in midfield had was MOM with a superb playmaker role. It was a busy night after winning the darts championship a little earlier with relentless 180s!
🤣 🤣 🤣
Just to add that Boro will definitely be in the play-off places if they win today - possibly 5th if Huddersfield don't win by a greater margin than Boro!
Team News...
So Hernandez gets the nod over Watmore with Taylor as left-wingback with Bola injured
