With vehemently loyal Boro supporters now poised to celebrate easily claiming the Championship title this season, the club continued their winning run with another fine victory over Blackburn in midweek. Regrettably, there were some elements in the opposition who had clearly instigated a huge fraud by illegally blocking perfectly valid efforts on goal as they sought to steal the points from Neil Warnock's men. This blantant act of rigging the result will no doubt be overturned in due course once the neutral supreme court of public opinion on Teesside has made their judgement.
Unfortunately, the Blackburn-controlled Ewood Park had also refused to allow official observers from Teesside to witness the counting of expected goals from the terraces as shot after valid shot was submitted by Boro on the Rovers goal - though few have been convinced by arguments that the game had been live streamed. This is an embarrassment to the Championship as we were getting ready to celebrate another three points and now a sad group of people have disenfranchised the good folk of Teesside. It’s a very sad moment, we will win this game, and as far as I’m concerned, we already have.
So while we wait for the goalless draw on a not quite super Tuesday to be overturned in favour of a convincing 4-0 win, Boro must lift themselves and prepare for the trip to West London. Instead of sitting pretty in an automatic promotion spot, Boro must attempt to consolidate their place in the top six by getting a result on Saturday ahead of the international break. As it stands, the state at the top of the table is still very close with only three points between third and eleventh as the play-off positions are looking too tight to call.
Brentford are currently just below Boro on 15 points after picking up five points from their last three games, which included good draws against the in-form teams of Swansea and Norwich - plus a 3-0 victory at Luton. In a way, Thomas Frank's side are not too dissimilar to Blackburn as they score quite a few goals but are also prone to conceding as well - with their games so far having featured 29 goals as they've won 4, drawn 3 and lost 3.
However, Boro's trump card this season is that they have refused to accept defeat and it's now nine games unbeaten since that opening day 1-0 loss to Watford. This is another type of game where keeping out an opposition who normally score goals can be viewed as a good achievement. Nevertheless, not scoring against them when they also are prone to conceding can probably be regarded as a missed opportunity - especially if good opportunities were created.
Boro's inability to get the ball over the line is nothing new but at least we're now seeing the team create more than enough chances to improve on that trend. The main issue is that the striker options are looking limited with Ashley Fletcher sidelined, Chuba Akpom only just returning to fitness and captain Britt Assombalonga looking short on confidence. While Neil Warnock appears to be trying to coax his £15m forward into rediscovering the kind of form he had before joining the club, it's possibly not a whole-hearted backing that will endure indefinitely. At some point Assombalonga will have to earn the right to continue as a starter by more than just showing work-rate and being fortunate enough to have been given armband. Although, it's unlikely he'll be 'rested' this side of the international break but he does need to convince many critics that he'll eventually come good.
The problem for the Boro manager is that he's working with quite a small squad and has done well to get them through this last hectic period of 7 games in 21 days without either losing games or key players to injury. Unfortunately, fixtures are being squeezed by yet another ill-conceived international break, which given the Covid landscape, it's somehow regarded as a good idea for teams like England to visit a country like Belgium, who are one of the worst affected in terms of cases. Once we resume again on the 21 November, Championship clubs will face the prospect of 11 games in a little over 5 weeks and that will put further strain on Boro's squad - plus key players like McNair and Saville will not even get a rest.
Hopefully, Neil Warnock will continue to work miracles and he'll at least find time for a well-earned rest to recharge his batteries after the weekend. Possibly the only thing the Boro manager has in common with the man across the pond making the headlines is that they're both men in their seventies who have just recovered from Covid. Although, given Donald Trump's siege mentality and propensity to only see events through his own biased viewpoint, perhaps he's displaying the kind of attributes that often get aired by top football managers in bizarre post-match comments that reek of injustice and claims of being unfairly robbed of victory. Although, offering careers advice to high-functioning sociopaths doesn't sound like a service with an audience of good listeners.
Anyway, a visibly confident-looking Boro will be attempting to enter this next break on something of a high with another three points at Brentford to continue their unexpectedly good campaign. Whether they are gathering unstoppable momentum to take them all the way to the top is still debatable - perhaps the biggest risk in the short term is if a despondent defeated US president decides to literally go for the nuclear option - in which case it could be a much longer international break than most envisaged...
What a terrible thought Werder, sadly so that we could be forgiven for thinking the orange one might do such a thing. All the same, no doubt that as he would apply his immense knowledge of political geography though, it would be the unfortunate people of Transylvania rather than Pennsylvania that would targeted.
Great opener sir, thank you.
Maybe it would be a good idea for NW to send Cap'n Britt down this afternoon, but to keep hanging around the Brentford goal till Sunday afternoon on the understanding that anything he scores early will have to be counted....
Still feeling good about the Boro up here in Scotland it must be said. Despite no goals on Tuesday, our performances continue to improve. Someone soon will be on the wrong end of a bug score by Boro. Maybe not at Brentford, but I can see us coming away with all 3 points, 2-1 to Boro.
Excellent opener, Werder. Very topical and had me smiling as I read.
Boro have shown progression on the left and the right in recent weeks whilst retaining a solid base. I'm not sure that we're appealing to the masses but there's definitely a movement that's added to the point-scoring.
In Neil Warnock, we have our own divisive, COVID-defeating septuagenarian, known for building walls to keep the opposition out. Thankfully he has united all around him and is enjoying almost unilateral approval across the diasBoro.
What to expect from the game? Well, Brentford are definitely dangerous, though with Watkins and Benrahma gone, they may not quite be as strong going forward as they were last season. Nevertheless, Boro will need to continue with that watertight defence to give us any chance of points.
No reason to think that we won't though, and I'll therefore go for a gritty, disciplined and hard-fought 1-1 draw. Another point in the bag as we surprisingly seek re-election to the Premier League, hopefully for four more years.
Fantastic piece, Werder. Topical, funny and not only one of your very best, but one of the most apposite things I've read so far on last night's historic, psychopathic, paranoid tantrum by the obese orange baby.
Cheers Powmill, given his penchant for ending rallies with rather camp dancing to the the Village People, he may possibly leave office singing that he's just a sweet transvestite from Pennsylvania...
Thanks Andy and liked your opening too! Very Good.
Thanks Len, I was trying capture the complete absurdity of what Trump and his team have been attempting to convey but it's almost impossible to be more ridiculous!
btw Here's a very funny spoof video of Trump refusing to go - you may have already seen but it's probably the closest yet to the reality of the situation...
Why do fans always have to find a “ Boo Boy”. The latest incumbent is Assombalonga, which of course comes as a relief to George Saville. Last season it was Marc Bola.
The fact that he is an integral part of a team that has defied the fans logic should give him some credit. At times he is the player heading clear from his own box and is then lambasted for not being able to receive it. In the modern game strikers are equally important at both ends of the pitch.
He hasn’t converted his one opportunity of the game and he blasted a free kick over the bar, probably a record that is reflected by a lot of strikers in the game this week, cue calls for him to be dropped ( but no alternate suggestions put forward). The most ridiculous complaint I read this week was that he has the temerity to play with a smile on his face.
Until we create a lot more clear cut goal scoring opportunities, our strikers will continue to struggle in the goals scored column ( whoever they may be). Assombalonga works extremely hard at both ends of the pitch and NW is pleased with him. That’s good enough for me, as without being present in the stadium its not possible to gauge a players performance, I’ll stick with someone’s view who was actually there watching.
This is the first time in several seasons when fans have reason to be optimistic, let’s not spoil it by singling out one individual for criticism, they’re all in it together and it seems to be working so far.
Werder, many thanks, as always, for your leader column.
The Boss and I have become riveted to the 'car crash' that is Donald Trump. Now his once senior advisor, Mr Bannon is out-trumping Mr Trump with some of his outrageous and inflammatory statements.
I've always felt he should have had his Social Media accounts on Twitter and whatever shut down and a donated fountain pen and pad should have been, by order, his favoured method of communication. Give him a bit of thinking time but that's an oxymoron when applied to him and I'm sure there's more to come. The first President to be evicted from The Whitehouse.
On to much more serious things, Brentford v Boro. I'm going for 2 - 2 with Britt to score one and I don't care who scores the other.
Stay safe everyone,
UTB,
John
I think we should simply judge Assombalonga like any other player in the squad, if he's being effective then he would deserve to start and others have lost their places without much fuss. How you decide whether a striker is effective has normally been decided through taking chances and scoring goals. Maybe he hasn't had the best of service in some games but he's definitely missed a few decent ones this season and so far has netted just one. Personally, I think Akpom has looked a bit sharper for me but he's probably not fully recovered from his illness. He was probably given the captain's armband by Warnock to boost his confidence but like many strikers who are having a run where they aren't scoring many it usually affects their confidence.
I'm also quite comfortable about judging the performance of players from what you see when watching, otherwise can we ever make an observation of anyone unless it is to praise. Saville and Bola have been criticised in the past for underperforming but both have improved massively under Warnock - indeed, Warnock said last week that when he first arrived he asked if they could loan out Bola next week as looked so bad in training. The point is that we can watch to see if Britt improves his forward play under Warnock but ultimately he's surely picked to score goals and not make defensive headers - if that was the case then maybe Nathan Wood should play instead. That's why clubs pay £15m for strikers surely not.
They are certainly playing with confidence, one could say they blitzed Blackburn without quite thrashing them. I think that the Manager will at some point have to establish a few rules for matchplay, for example, no team should ever go onto the pitch without clearly defined dead ball takers, to do so is a failing in the Manager. Players are not To be trusted to take these decisions as they arise. On the subject of dead ball incidents, since scoring with a curving rocket into the near post (at long last). We have not tried it again, the same ball into the near post, yes, but not a soul to receive it, all on the back post. Otherwise it is a very slow hanging ball to no one, very Good heading practice for the defence. We are of course in a very happy position, depending on the result tomorrow we could be in seventh heaven, but still lacking goals, so here's hoping.
@grovehillwallah You were spot on on Assombalonga. I think he has scored in every third match he has played for Boro and that probably includes also substitute appearances. And he took over from Viduka as the all time goal scorer of this centenary.
He is the one on top of my list to start a game, if I am honest.
As said our problem is to give the strikers more chances. Britt is not tall so we cannot expect him to score many from corners. Actually Fry has missed more chances than Britt from set pieces.
But I hope we will improve in the final third. But it is a team effort and hope Roberts will be the key player there.
Up the Boro!
Great topical piece Werder, I particularly liked the bit about the result being overturned by the Supreme Court of public opinion on Teesside.
I think tomorrow could be our biggest challenge yet and we will need to be on our A game to keep their forward line quiet, particularly Ivan Toney who is on fire and has surprised me this season.
I would take a ⚽️ - ⚽️ now . I am just a little concerned as to what might happen if we concede early, so will have everything crossed that we don't.
If we play as we did in the last two games then we should at least come away with a point and more if Lady Luck shines on us. CoB 😎
I thought I'd leave you today with this definition to see if it possible may describe anyone currently in the news...
A High functioning sociopath does everything for personal gain, have a greatly exaggerated sense of self-worth, and show no remorse for their wrongdoings. In addition to lying, manipulation, and lack of empathy, high-functioning sociopaths are often calculated, narcissistic, secretive, and quick to anger. They’re often impulsive and irresponsible.
No I can't think of anyone like that either 😉
As far as the discussion about Assombalonga is concerned, I am more than happy to leave it to NW’s opinion and judgement, after reading and listening to his words on Assombalonga’s contribution to the team he obviously sees more to Assombalonga’s game than others seem to.
As from goals direct from free kicks is concerned, there are so many games on TV and highlight programmes that it may give a distorted view of how many are actually scored, without even considering it is the same player.
As a final point, Mr Warnock, you have probably forgotten more about football than I will ever know, so I am more than happy to leave team selection to you and trust you will bench players based on training and form as you see fit.
Come on BORO.
Well that's what Warnock is good at - he knows how to get the best out of players and clearly he's also trying to do that with Assombalonga - he made him captain to send the message that he regarded him as one of the senior players in the team and maybe give him that extra confidence boost. I'm sure he's also well aware that 1 goal in 10 games is not ideal for a striker so again he's publicly emphasising his work-rate and overall contribution to the team.
Plus with Fletcher out and Akpom just back from illness, Warnock needs Britt to do most of the work up top - he has no other real options. OK, he wanted to bring in Bolasie but it fell through and now there's talk of Watmore joining after this break. I think Akpom looks a bit sharper than Britt but he's not really worked in the lone striker role.
My main worry about Assombalonga is that he's a confidence player that needs to build form rather than someone who will pounce on limited chances and put them away. He had a run last season of not scoring in 12 consecutive games but then scored in 5 of the last 7 matches. Hopefully if Boro start creating more chances he'll get back in scoring form but if he doesn't or misses a few decent opportunities it's now harder with him being captain to drop him without denting his confidence.
That's the problem with the positive gesture of making him captain - if you then drop him or even remove the captaincy it would be a big negative. Therfore, I think Warnock will stick with him as his main starting striker whatever happens until January but perhaps maybe resting him for occasional games still an option given the 11 games in just over 5 weeks once we resume again.
Thanks Werder for a great preview by the people for the people I’ll vote for that. As our elected representative you surely speak for all of us in making Diasboro great
One of your best
and I’ll go to eyeballs 👀 in the sky again I was right on Tuesday !
⚽️⚽️
OFB
I’ll add my thanks for a great opener, Werder. Let’s hope the orange one is a great finisher - in other words, he’s absolutely finished.
We had a good record against Brentford until quite recently, but if memory serves correctly they beat us home and away last season. It was a surprise that they didn’t make it through the play-offs. I think tomorrow’s game is one of the hardest of the season. Andy said the Bees give a few goals away, but they also score a lot, and their attacking play is usually fluent and dangerous. Defensively, we’ll need to be as solid as ever. I think if we score first, we should be able to hold out for at least a draw. But if Brentford score first, I fear we may be in for a defeat.
Just a thought, Marcus Forss (born 18 June 1999) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays for Brentford as a forward.
He was called to the Finnish national team for the first time this week. Before, he has been an under-21 regular.
Why I am telling you this? He has not been starting regularly for Brentford but someone noted resently, that Marcus is the most profilic striker in the Champioship with the best goals versus minutes played ratio.
So a lot of people in Finland think he is the next Teemu Pukki.
So Boro have to remember that Brentford is much more than just Ivan Toney up front. Marcus Forss has scored four goals this season with most of his appearances from the bench.
Still, I hope we will win. I go for a surprice 1-2 win with a Britt brace. Up the Boro!
Well played to Southampton for not only beating Newcastle but going top of the Premier League, which the club celebrated with this amusing topical Tweet...
Just a thought, Marcus Forss (born 18 June 1999) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays for Brentford as a forward.
He was called to the Finnish national team for the first time this week. Before, he has been an under-21 regular.
Why I am telling you this? He has not been starting regularly for Brentford but someone noted resently, that Marcus is the most profilic striker in the Champioship with the best goals versus minutes played ratio.
So a lot of people in Finland think he is the next Teemu Pukki.
I was going to suggest that maybe Boro should try to sign him in January but then I just realised we're probably already at peak-Marcus with Tavernier, Bettenelli and Browne...
btw Just checked his stats this season and he's scored 4 goals in 7 appearances but all of those have been late off the bench with some only in the 85th minute (only 169 minutes in total) - sounds a dangerous player and Boro need to be wary when he comes on.
@grovehillwallah You were spot on on Assombalonga. I think he has scored in every third match he has played for Boro and that probably includes also substitute appearances. And he took over from Viduka as the all time goal scorer of this centenary.
He is the one on top of my list to start a game, if I am honest.
As said our problem is to give the strikers more chances. Britt is not tall so we cannot expect him to score many from corners. Actually Fry has missed more chances than Britt from set pieces.
But I hope we will improve in the final third. But it is a team effort and hope Roberts will be the key player there.
Up the Boro!
Quite agree with Jarkko. The hardest thing in football is to score goals and Britt’s average overall is acceptable considering the service he usually receives. Yes he should have done better at Blackburn but today all players are expected to defend and score goals like John Charles. I don’t recall Fenton, Clough, Hickton or Slaven having to do as much defending as Britt. Today we defend as a team as well as attack as a team and although it might not always be pretty, that’s why we have the best defensive record throughout the EFL and are 6th in the Championship with limited resources.
The Championship’s early pacesetters all seem to be faltering now, looks like being one of the most open seasons for years.
With our excellent defensive capabilities and our new found physical presence all over the pitch, its up to the opposition to try and break us down. Now we finally have some youthful pace on the pitch we continue to be dangerous when counter attacking.
In a game that could see Brentford have the giants share of possession I still feel chances will come our way.
A hard fought draw or a narrow win.
Well it looks like Saville may be ill or injured as he's not even in the squad but up front it seems Neil Warnock's opinion and judgement is to drop Assombalonga to the bench and start with Chuba Akpom. Big day for Lewis Wing to try and impress after missing out for most of the season but we'll hopefully see our wing-back wide-player combinations continue to improve.
Prediction: If Boro score in the first half it will make matters easier but there are a lot more forward-thinking players on the pitch but maybe we are a bit less solid looking - hopefully Boro edge this one 2-1 but wouldn't be surprised to see 2-2 either.
No Saville and no Morsy on the bench. We look light defensively in midfield. Need Akpom to hang onto the ball when its played up to him. I agree that Wing needs a big performance today. CoB 😎
And only 6 substitutes named.
