Following only a second defeat in ten league games, Boro prepare to face fellow promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion at the Riverside on Tuesday in a 7.45pm kick-off.
The weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Bristol City perhaps won’t require the inquest that was needed after Boro’s previous reverse at Blackburn but Chris Wilder will be hoping for a reaction nonetheless. It was a game that Boro dominated between the boxes but weren’t quite good enough where it really matters.
Wilder’s Boro have coupled entertaining and often high-quality football with efficient effectiveness over the past few months, holding the ball and patiently working it around whilst penning the opposition back. We’ve scored enough goals rather than there being an avalanche, whilst keeping enough out at the other end. Yet many supporters have had concerns about the goalscoring ability of our forwards and the goal-saving ability of our goalkeeper. Those concerns manifested in Bristol as the usual pleasing patterns of play were displayed but this time we didn’t score enough goals, or keep enough out.
Wilder is unlikely to change his goalkeeper such is the quality of the options available to him but he may look again at his front line with the infectious Duncan Watmore waiting patiently for another chance and Andraz Sporar hopefully not infectious and able to play!
Boro will have to deal with the loss of our best goalscorer, Matt Crooks, after he picked up another yellow card and now faces a suspension. The obvious replacement will by young Australian Riley McGree after he made a promising thirty-minute appearance at Ashton Gate, showing flashes of incisive forward passing mixed with a midfield busyness that fits the Wilder blueprint.
Boro’s previous fixture with West Brom was back in November as Neil Warnock’s final game in charge saw Boro snatch a very creditable 1-1 draw. Josh Coburn got Boro’s goal that day and, whilst unlikely, it’s not out of the question that he’ll get an opportunity to repeat the trick on Tuesday evening, especially if Sporar is unavailable.
Since then, both teams have, of course, changed managers with Steve Bruce the latest main man down at The Hawthorns. Bruce has taken charge of three games to date but has failed to win any of them with just one point on the board so far.
Indeed, West Brom’s form has spectacularly imploded since they got Warnocked with only three wins in fifteen Championship games. They are 21st in the form tables (last 6 and last 10) and have lost five of their last six away games without scoring a single goal. Boro, of course, sit top of the home form table with six wins from six and only two goals conceded – what can go wrong?!
West Brom’s extended slump has seen them slip to eleventh in the table but after such a strong start, they still find themselves just four points off the playoffs and three behind Boro. Steve Bruce will be hoping for a slightly delayed “new manager bounce” to reignite their campaign.
The form may very well be with Boro but this will be a tough game. The Baggies carry an aerial threat and Andy Carroll will fancy doubling his tally against us this season after he scored for Reading at the Riverside back in January. Boro’s clean sheet record has taken a hit in 2022 with just one in nine games following four from five in December, though West Brom’s overall attacking threat has been very poor of late.
Everything points to a home win and possibly a clean sheet for Boro but they will have to be more effective in both penalty areas to claim the points.
Thanks Andy for another good opener.
I wish I could be as optimistic about a home win but given that I predicted a difficult day at Bristol albeit expecting us to shade it, we didn’t!
Our two losses under CW have come against teams who have sat back, defended stoutly and exploited opportunities when they have occurred and I expect something similar from the Baggies who will use their height and abilities at dead-ball situations.
We will need to show much more guile, creativity and execution in the final third which we have yet to prove we can do consistently and will need to put the shackles on Andy Carroll.
Given our home record and their away record I would suggest that the law of averages would suggest a draw is the more likely outcome; a second defeat on the trot would be a major dent in our top six hopes and could see us sliding down the table.
For me it has to be Watmore and Sporar up front and if the latter is not fit then we will have to persevere with Connolly.
Given we are on Sky then I can see a 0-0! CoB 😎
A fine opener, Andy, and a good follow-on comment, KP. Thank you.
If we play like we can do - and for most of the second half at Bristol our approach play was very good - then I think we can beat a downbeat and out-of-form Baggies. I’ll settle for any kind of win, however jammy, even a deflection off the ref’s backside. Fingers crossed that we score one more than they do.
Thanks Andy. With a regular 2 matches a week to set up it is a good thing that you are job sharing with OFB!
Although there are so far no storm warnings for Tuesday/Wednesday there are strong winds forecast for both days so I will be setting off 2 hours earlier than usual. I would rather get to the hotel early than risk missing the match because of delayed trains (assuming that I am able to get all the way to Middlesbrough).
It looks like the Boro strikers' curse which turns prolific strikers to non-scoring has hit Connolly and Balogun. Considering how many shots we put in it is disappointing how often they hit defenders or are stopped by good saves. Even though Bristol City managed to reduce Jones' effectiveness there were enough good chances to have won the game. Crooks will be a big loss for the next 2 games but I hope Jones will return to tormenting the WBA defence and someone will take their chances (please). We can do without Andy Carroll causing us more problems.
I have decided to return to being a complete pessimist as it is less painful than having the slight flicker of hopefulness I mentioned before the Bristol match extinguished.
Great Topic Starter Andy Thanks for that.
After being so rah rah and upbeat Since the start of Wilderball I found Saturdays defeat hard to take I did wonder how many championship clubs are managed by ex Boro Captains who seem to have the tactical nouse to beat us!
Me I’m going for a 2-1 victory !
OFB
Thanks for another good opener AndyR.
I can't see WBA sitting back too much behind the ball when they need to get 3 points to reignite their recently faded promotion hopes. So on that basis I expect the game will be more to Wilderboro's taste and we will run out victorious.
Up front? Watmore, yes, with Sporar, if fit and Balogan as first option from the bench.
Looking forward for my first sight of McGree, who will surely be starting in Crook's absence.
Otherwise, all the same...
Victory by two clear goals.
CoB
A fine opener and discussion starter AndyR, thank you for your work..
OFB I've watched that first goal at Bristol and I still think that the problem concentration and spatial awareness. A step left and it would have simply hit the keeper. The second wasn't that great either, neither anticipated or even seen quickly enough, I know it's easy for us to criticise buth defence is going to get jumpier and more nervous as the season gets motor and frenetic and crowded.
Anyway on to WBA, a narrow win for me but forwards please start hitting the net not the woodwork or the keeper.
UTB,
John
I did wonder if Wilder might push McNair into midfield to replace crooks and brinf Bamba in to mark Carroll?
Both Fry and McNair didn’t play well against Carroll when he scored against us whilst playing for Reading
OFB
I did wonder if Wilder might push McNair into midfield to replace crooks and brinf Bamba in to mark Carroll?
Both Fry and McNair didn’t play well against Carroll when he scored against us whilst playing for Reading
OFB
I thought Fry was brilliant against him in the Reading game and didn’t give him a kick. He pulled away onto McNair for the goal.
Thank you for the Headliner Andy.
Who knows which Boro will turn up tomorrow night. I am not overly confident we are going to create the necessary chances required and if CW continues with the same two upfront then I can see another defeat coming along.
I expect that WBA will be physical and probably out muscle us in midfield, keep it very tight and use Carroll’s height to cause problems at the back.
We need to be out of the blocks from the off and an early goal to make them change their game plan.
There again I may be wrong once more.
As I’ve mentioned before Boro have only won more than 6 home wins in a row 3 times since the Second World War and I don’t think this will be the 4th. That 0-5 home defeat to Mogga’s Baggies in 2009 was a big surprise at the time but I don’t think a Baggies win tomorrow would be much of a surprise. I’d settle for a point, but have this nagging feeling that Boro will lose again this time 0-2 or even 1-3. Hope I’m wrong though!
As an afterthought I’d be happier to recall Sol Bamba in defence instead of Dael Fry.
I think Dael Fry has been superb since Wilder took over. He is by far our best defender. But as Ken said above, we could do with Sol Bamba against Carroll.
I wouldn't be surprised to see McNair in midfield as Crooks is suspended. How about Tavarnier at left wing-back, McGree on left midfield with Paddy on the right? And Howson behind them in the center?
That would allow Bamba to join in on the left hand side of Fry. I love the Bamba/Fry combo, me.
We need to get the three points after the defeat on Saturday. So I will go for a tight 1-0 home win with Šporar scoring the only goal.
Up the Boro!
I think Dael Fry has been superb since Wilder took over. He is by far our best defender. But as Ken said above, we could do with Sol Bamba against Carroll.
I wouldn't be surprised to see McNair in midfield as Crooks is suspended. How about Tavarnier at left wing-back, McGree on left midfield with Paddy on the right? And Howson behind them in the center?
That would allow Bamba to join in on the left hand side of Fry. I love the Bamba/Fry combo, me.
We need to get the three points after the defeat on Saturday. So I will go for a tight 1-0 home win with Šporar scoring the only goal.
Up the Boro!
Sorry Jarkko but that is too many changes for me and McNair has not always covered himself in glory in midfield and I say that having initially believed that that was his best position!
Tav can play on the right of midfield so for me we just move him across and bring McGreel in on the left. Taylor for me is doing a solid, if unspectacular, job at left wing back and we just have to accept that our attacking options from that position will be limited until Bola is fit.
I agree that it will be tight tonight and that we do really need three points; a defeat will leave us adrift of the top six and it will then become a struggle to catch up.
At this stage of the season we need to start ideally obtaining better results than those around us or at least matching them. 😎
I agree with Jarkko that Dael Fry has had a good season so far, but Sol Bamba is 2 inches taller than Dael and has more experience, and only an inch shorter than Andy Carroll and for this particular match I think would have more nous against a tough opponent. However I expect Wilder to stick with his current defensive selection. Comparing the two teams, West Brom have a much more experienced side than Boro but as yet are in a poor run of form especially away from home. If Boro concede first I think that they will find it difficult to get back into the game especially with their appalling strike rate. Without Matt Crooks, a midfielder by the way, I don’t know where the goals are coming from. If Duncan Watmore starts from the beginning they might have a better chance, but can he last for 90 minutes? Also Andraz Sporar seems to have lost a bit of confidence in front of goal lately. It also seems that too much reliance is made on Isiah Jones and without Crooks he might not be as effective.
All in all Boro’s striking force doesn’t fill me with much confidence, for despite the more attractive football and more attempts at goal they still lack the accuracy in front of goal. Even against Derby they had to rely on deflections to score two of their goals. They didn’t have the same luck at Ashton Gate and despite one or two lucky saves from Daniel Bentley most of his other saves were no more than one would expect from a competent goalkeeper.
West Brom are a better side than their current form suggests and in my opinion are bound to click sooner rather than later, and that’s why I feel that this is the wrong time for Boro to be playing them. As I wrote earlier I hope that I’m wrong with my forecast, and although a draw would be acceptable I fear that this match will end in tears.
Football’s a funny old game isn’t it? And so, it seems, are our supporters. 😉
After weeks of positivity on this Forum, we’re suddenly seeing the signs of doom and gloom after one defeat (that on another day would have been a comfortable win). Typical Boro.
I’m confident of a win tonight - it’ll probably be tight and tense and maybe a bit ugly but a win’s a win and we’ll all be smiling again.
Good post Ken and one with which I concur.
I am feeling decidedly uneasy about this one and fear that it could be the beginnings of an inconsistent run, which eventually sees us miss out on a top six spot; I truly hope I am wrong. 😎
Good post Ken and one with which I concur.
I am feeling decidedly uneasy about this one and fear that it could be the beginnings of an inconsistent run, which eventually sees us miss out on a top six spot; I truly hope I am wrong. 😎
My thinking is more in line with @Martin Bellamy .
We have been enjoying a good run. Most people in here have acknowledged the run would come to an end and that we would lose again before the end of the season.
We lost a game on Saturday against Bristol, when on another day the gods might have smiled more favourably and seen us convert our dominance into more goals. One swallow doth not a summer make, so I am remaining confident that on balance our good form is reflective of where we are at and the isolated bad result is just that, "isolated". How did Fulham get on on Saturday?
I am confident in a 7th straight home victory tonight.
CoB
Good post Ken and one with which I concur.
I am feeling decidedly uneasy about this one and fear that it could be the beginnings of an inconsistent run, which eventually sees us miss out on a top six spot; I truly hope I am wrong. 😎
My thinking is more in line with @Martin Bellamy .
We have been enjoying a good run. Most people in here have acknowledged the run would come to an end and that we would lose again before the end of the season.
We lost a game on Saturday against Bristol, when on another day the gods might have smiled more favourably and seen us convert our dominance into more goals. One swallow doth not a summer make, so I am remaining confident that on balance our good form is reflective of where we are at and the isolated bad result is just that, "isolated". How did Fulham get on on Saturday?
I am confident in a 7th straight home victory tonight.
CoB
I truly hope you are correct and I am wrong; my views are influenced by years of could have, should have, didn’t! Come on Powmill Naemore! 😎🤞
I hope you’re right Martin, but Boro’s bogey team Barnsley are next where we’ve only won twice in the last 13 encounters. Win tonight and I think there is a possibility of winning on Saturday. But lose tonight and it could well be three in a row especially with Matt Crooks missing for both matches. It’s almost following the QPR pattern who recently lost at Oakwell. Either way nothing will be decided until May and Boro need still to be in the mix in those 5 or 6 remaining matches which will really test Boro’s mettle. Are we really better than Blackburn, Forest, Sheffield United, QPR, Coventry, Luton and West Brom? Time will tell! I suspect that even Chris Wilder may be having doubts as he states that the summer transfer window will determine the squad he needs for a push towards promotion. The windfall from Mel Morris will undoubtedly help.
Football’s a funny old game isn’t it? And so, it seems, are our supporters. 😉
After weeks of positivity on this Forum, we’re suddenly seeing the signs of doom and gloom after one defeat (that on another day would have been a comfortable win). Typical Boro.
I’m confident of a win tonight - it’ll probably be tight and tense and maybe a bit ugly but a win’s a win and we’ll all be smiling again.
Martin I totally agree with you as this forum returns to type, it wasn’t as though it was a bad performance, 63% possession, 21 shots, 10 on target with only 4 off target ( 7 blocked ). In my opinion it was just “one of those days” we could have been there for a “month of Sundays” and still not have got a second. We did play some good football, especially in the second half and I think it is highly critical of Lumley to say he was at fault for the two goals, the first was a brilliant fierce strike (I saw a similar one in a Premiership match this weekend beating the keeper at his near post with the speed of the ball and all the pundits agreed the keeper had no chance). The second goal came through a crowd of players ( none got a block in) Lumley is an easy target, yes he makes mistakes but let’s be fair, none of his errors resulted in a goal at Brighton, you only have to watch Premiership matches or MOTD to see all keepers make errors, saying that I do agree we need a better keeper in the summer. Let’s just say we have become “Typicaldiasboro”
Come on BORO.
exMil
My experience tells me that expect the worse and you’ll never be disappointed. But that doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom. Boro are just as likely to lose against both West Brom and Barnsley, as they are to go on another unbeaten run of 6 or 7 matches. That’s typical Boro, not typical Diasborians.
I think we will see Tavanier on the right side and McGree on the left hand side of the midfield. But I would like to see more threat from the left - I think Tavanier played as wing-back at Bristol when McGree came on. So I would continue how we finished the match on Saturday.
My response was also to Ken as he suggested changing Fry for Sol Bamba. I would prefer to see Sol alongside Fry rather than dropping Fry for the big man.
I think McNair has not been on his normal level in resent matches. We do not have real competition for his place at the moment. I hope we will sign a left-footed centre back in the summer. Perhaps a certain Ben Gibson from Norwich when the Canaries will get relagated.
Up the Boro!
I hope you’re right Martin, but Boro’s bogey team Barnsley are next where we’ve only won twice in the last 13 encounters. Win tonight and I think there is a possibility of winning on Saturday. But lose tonight and it could well be three in a row especially with Matt Crooks missing for both matches. It’s almost following the QPR pattern who recently lost at Oakwell. Either way nothing will be decided until May and Boro need still to be in the mix in those 5 or 6 remaining matches which will really test Boro’s mettle. Are we really better than Blackburn, Forest, Sheffield United, QPR, Coventry, Luton and West Brom? Time will tell! I suspect that even Chris Wilder may be having doubts as he states that the summer transfer window will determine the squad he needs for a push towards promotion. The windfall from Mel Morris will undoubtedly help.
I’m always confused by the term “bogey team”. What is it about results against Barnsley that could have any influence in our upcoming game? We have different players, a different manager and probably different weather conditions and numbers of supporters at the game from our past ones. How on Earth could the fact that we’ve only won twice in our last 13 games against them, lead to us losing again? I just don’t get it.
Will keep this brief as my laptop has crashed a couple of times today - during attempts to post here.
I'd rather Boro should play WBA on the back of Boro's 6 home wins in a row, and on the back of a very good successful run of results (apart last Saturday's game away to Bristol City) than after a string of bad results. I'd rather Boro should play WBA in the midst of WBA having entered a period of bad performances and results in comparison to how that club started this season - sufficiently bad to have resulted in the departure of WBA's manager without the expected subsequent "New Manager Bounce" being in evidence.
Crikey, this is THE time to play WBA. I'm sure that's what our players will feel and it will surely be the message they get from Chris Wilder.
I can remember a history of "Typical Boro" games. Hopefully this will not be one of them. I am confident. (Mind you, I was against Bristol City but, to be fair, one blip shouldn't colour the outlook). Home win.
I hope you’re right Martin, but Boro’s bogey team Barnsley are next where we’ve only won twice in the last 13 encounters. Win tonight and I think there is a possibility of winning on Saturday. But lose tonight and it could well be three in a row especially with Matt Crooks missing for both matches. It’s almost following the QPR pattern who recently lost at Oakwell. Either way nothing will be decided until May and Boro need still to be in the mix in those 5 or 6 remaining matches which will really test Boro’s mettle. Are we really better than Blackburn, Forest, Sheffield United, QPR, Coventry, Luton and West Brom? Time will tell! I suspect that even Chris Wilder may be having doubts as he states that the summer transfer window will determine the squad he needs for a push towards promotion. The windfall from Mel Morris will undoubtedly help.
I’m always confused by the term “bogey team”. What is it about results against Barnsley that could have any influence in our upcoming game? We have different players, a different manager and probably different weather conditions and numbers of supporters at the game from our past ones. How on Earth could the fact that we’ve only won twice in our last 13 games against them, lead to us losing again? I just don’t get it.
Neither do I, Martin. Past results against clubs shouldn’t have any bearing on the current situation, but tell that to forecasters and indeed supporters of clubs. Nevertheless defeat against any side can have a bearing on the performance and indeed the result of the next match. How is it for instance that Boro won only twice in their first 37 years at Roker Park? Maybe it’s an unlucky ground that plays on the mind of players, horses for courses as it were.
But here’s a gem of a tale about Royal Union Saint-Gilloise, the most successful football club in the history of Belgian football before the Second World War. They won 11 Juliper League titles between 1904 and 1935, and in fact went undefeated for 60 consecutive matches between 1933 and 1935. However they were relegated to the second tier of Belgian football in 1963 and even sank as low as the third tier in 1980. They were promoted last season to what some of their fans considered to be their rightful place back in the Juliper League. But what has followed is quite astonishing as this season they head the League 9 points ahead of Club Brugge with only 6 matches remaining. Talking about doing a Lazarus, It’s almost akin to Sunderland winning the Premier League in the next few seasons.
Meanwhile in Holland Ajax top the Eredivese by scoring 70 goals and only conceding 5 in their 23 matches to date, whilst in Portugal FC Porto have won 20 and drawn 3 of their 23 matches. Now the Belgian, Dutch and Portuguese Leagues cannot be compared with the Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga or Italy’s Serie A but they all have one thing in common, dominated by a few clubs. Last weekend 6 of the 9 Serie A matches resulted in draws as clubs seem content to avoid defeat at all costs, yet some folk think cricket is boring.
We have gone off the boil a little. Our last 5 league games are Won 2, Drawn 1, Lost 2. The Baggies are in awful form but on paper have possibly the 2nd or 3rd strongest squad in the division. Luckily the game is not played on paper.
Right now we don't know which way our season is going to go. Have we simply had a long new-manager bounce which is now petering out or is Wilder able to sustain what looks like an over-performance from the players available? Whichever is the case, there's no doubt that the football on the pitch and the atmosphere around the club is the best for years. Wilder has put in the hard yards when it comes to management so I do feel confident that even if we don't reach the play-offs this year that we're moving in the right direction. I also feel that there is potential to stamp an identity on the club which could last beyond his tenure.
Bruce is one of those managers like Mowbray. Unfashionable and his level is probably the Championship but you wouldn't bet against him turning around WBA. Let's just hope it's not at our expense tonight.
All the posts are very similar in tone, and for a very Good reason. We have no goal scorer with the injury to Crooks, our loanee wanders about the pitch, does not look willing, or interested. In the last second of the game at Bristol with the Ref lifting the whistle to blow he was entering the box, the only thing to do as shoot, he passed!