Another disappointing home performance.
It would be easy and repetitive to go through all the players and point out their individual and collective failings. We all know what they are.
The alarming point is that after Blackburn scored there was no fight or response from the team and Blackburn had chances to make the score 3-0.
Perhaps we should all acknowledge that the top 6 might be a step too far - but we will always hope. It’s what keeps us going.
Philip of Huddersfield
Probably only a points deduction for a head being in the wrong place... What about a retrospective punishment for the officials as well as the the Blackburn player? Very close to a career finishing eye injury.
Stay safe everyone.
UTB,
John
after today Jarkko that will never happen !
I must admit after the comments by Tony Mowbray after today’s game and also the game we played at their ground he has gone down in my estimation of him as a man. I have known Tony since he was a lad of 19 and he used to coach my sons Sunday league team.
I then have met him at quite a few football events and am disappointed in his response to the incident this afternoon.
He was even seen smirking on the touch line and I really hope it was not because of the incident because I think he is better than that.
Appalling decision by the referee and assistant ref not to see it and take any action which in the end affected the result.
OFB
@redcarredd
Great report and summary RR totally agree with everything you said thank you
OFB
OFB or Ken will probably know more than me but doesn't that Ref have previous history with us (and not in a good way)?
I'm maybe being paranoid and maybe he is just consistently garbage but he does seem to be very anti Boro, more than just unfortunate coincidences. I'm pretty sure he has sent off Boro Players in the past. Is there a website where you can check profiles on cards, sending's off by Match Officials and by Clubs etc as a percentage or ratio?
If there is I'd stake my house on his stats looking very skewed towards us in costing us points.
Well, Mogga wasn't very happy with the referee either. So perhaps it was just poor refereeing generally, me thinks. Up the Boro!
Thought so Part Two:
Thought so Part Three:
https://www.skysports.com/football/burnley-vs-mboro/teams/288161
We have always been too nice, any club with an ounce of self respect will get it's kicking boots on over the vile and dangerous play in the incident of the 'none red card and the none penalty' no referee has the right to break the rules just because he thinks he can. We should certainly request tht he never referees a game for us in the future, this would force the authorities to look at the film of the incident, and maybe ask the linesman just what he was doing keeping out of the incident, After all there are three pair of eyes being paid to see that justice is done.
I think Mogga was very disingenuous in his Sky interview. He didn't see the incident but excused it on the basis he's only 18 years old. How long after the match is the press conference?
As for the referee and lines man there's not a lot you can say. If the ref did referee strippagrams he'd cock that up too. What a pity we don't have a Nigel Pearson character in the team, if we had there'd have been a little karma flying around.
The referee should get another job after 'missimg' that incident.
The result looks really grim on the photograph in the Gazette.
Stay safe everyone.
UTB,
John
@plato Much as I would love it, Clubs can't dictate who Officiates in games. That said what a switched on Club would do is create a Mourinho/Fergie type media enlightened atmosphere in the build up to the game where NW is quoted as "I'm sure Boro have just been unfortunate in the past and the decisions against us have just been coincidence rather than deliberate".
A certain Boro CB "I hope to have better protection this time and hopefully avoid stitches along with a career threatening injury". A Club Captain "lets hope cards are kept in the Ref's pocket as we have been on the receiving end of a few controversial decisions in the past but I'm sure that everything will be fine on the day".
Of course the Ref won't be swayed by any of that and it's important to keep it on the finest of the right side of the line but it will be playing in his mind that Newspaper Journalists, TV Pundits, Fans Forums and the EFL will have an unhealthy interest in what goes on.
Hopefully there isn't any bias and he is just a very poor Referee but I have my doubts.
@john-richardson The Ref does have another job, I bet you can guess what it is with your first attempt!
I agree with RR that whilst the appalling lack of action taken around the high boot probably cost us a point or three, we weren't good enough overall.
With hindsight, I think we got the balance of the team wrong. A midfield three of Howson, Saville and Morsy is a good group for those games where we're looking to come away with a draw or do a "smash-and-grab" but for games like yesterday - and Rotherham on Wednesday - it's too one-paced and plodding in possession.
The lack of tempo when in possession was painfully obvious yesterday and highlights why we lack creativity all too often. Every player seemed to take three/four/five touches before releasing the ball. Too slow, too predictable, too easy to defend against and the front three starved of the ball in dangerous areas.
It was equally noticeable that the few chances we created in open-play came when Tav played one-touch: turning the ball quickly around the corner and moving after it. No-one else was prepared to play a quick, one-touch ball and try to make something happen.
Had the ref made the right call yesterday, we might well have won 1-0. Had Howson not completely switched off, it might well have been 0-0. Neither of those things happened and we lost, but we can't control the ref and we know that mistakes will happen even from such generally reliable players like Howson, so we have to focus on what we can do to improve and for me it's all about the tempo of our passing and attacking with intent.
To me, that means one of Saville or Morsy dropping to the bench for these types of games, with Tav moving into central midfield. The options for right-wing to replace Tav out there aren't great but Watmore could move over with Johnson coming back in or we could give Roberts a go. Spence is another option once Djiksteel is back and of course the transfer market is open.
Alternatively, we could go back to wingbacks and two strikers but the most important thing for me is ensuring we have at least one forward-thinking player in central midfield for winnable games. I've no problem with Howson, Morsy and Saville for Norwich at the weekend.
@andy-r. Good post Andy and I agree, particularly at home, there is a need to increase the intensity and move the ball quicker and with purpose, all of which Blackburn did.
Your suggestion of moving Tav into midfield and playing Watmore on the right and Johnson on the left is a good idea. Watmore looked out of place on the left and I think teams are working out how to play us with Tav on the right.
It will be interesting to see who is available for Wednesday and how we line up; hopefully in the meantime they have been practicing quick one touch football! 😎
We may have to go with a back three again due to too many walking wounded. Howson, McNair and Bola with Johnson and Spence on the flanks although I have to say that I'd drop Spence and give him some Homework about the responsibilities of a RB out of possession.
Problem then becomes who to play on the right if Warnock doesn't trust Roberts although after Spence imitating Traore at his worst could Roberts be any more of a risk?
tony-mowbray-677808779JPG.jpg.webp
TONY Mowbray has criticised the performance of the match officials following Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Coventry.
The result at the Ricoh Arena means that Boro have taken just one point from a possible 12 since recording back- to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Scunthorpe.
It’s a worrying statistic, especially as five of the next six games are against promotion hopefuls Cardiff, Doncaster, Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Norwich.
Mowbray rarely criticises officials but he was moved to make a comment about Northamptonshire-based referee Dean Whitestone, who booked four players on Saturday
- @john-richardson
John it got my pacemaker working overtime with the poor decisions by the officials on Sunday !
I daren't even try to guess what the other job is. Werder would probably ban me!
UTB,
John
Okay, he's a male model. Centre of attention and likes striking a pose. Come on put us out of our misery. Please don't say vicar or policeman.
UTB,
John
I'm happy with that, if we are not going to order him to stop dribbling, then he has no chance of advancing his career. He came on and promptly beat about three men in a crazy dribble, easy for any professional team to handle. This was when we needed some action (quickly) it was not difficult to see that they were going to lump it up field as far as it would go (including out for a goal kick) this was conservation of energy, late on they tried to get a goal then hang on for dear life. Common sense said we should have adopted the same tactic late on, instead we started dribbling, and various other silly things, but not of course shooting. Then gave them a goal.
Okay, he's a male model. Centre of attention and likes striking a pose. Come on put us out of our misery. Please don't say vicar or policeman.
UTB,
John
OFB "Met" the answer with aplomb, put it this way he isn't a Vicar!
Redcar Red,
It's OFB doing all those crosswords, let's hope he's not called as a witness! I saw nothing.
PC49.
UTB,
John
Yes, but the leading clubs handle the ref's very easily, and would never get treated as we were, the lines man should have been involved and the fourth official, that would certainly have happened had say, Man Utd been the victim of a decision that poor.
Good point about standing up for ourselves
we don’t make a point of challenging decisions and let ourselves be bullied out of games far too easily
That is one thing that Karanka brought to the party
OFB