Coventry v Boro
Saturday 1st October 2022
Coventry Building Society Arena
Kick Off 15:00 Hours
For information, please note that Coventry City's home game against Middlesbrough has been selected for an overseas television broadcast.
There is no effect on the date/kick-off time, with the Sky Bet Championship clash taking place on Saturday 1st October at the Coventry Building Society Arena, with a kick-off at 3pm.
Due to the live TV broadcast by multiple channels across Europe, Asia, North America and throughout the world, the game will NOT be available on iFollow for international supporters.
Well Diasborians after an interminable wait, we go again before the season is halted for the World Cup shenanigans.
The Championship is a very unpredictable league and it makes it a very open competition with chances for everyone to succeed in the division. In the 10 games that they have participated in, Middlesbrough have only managed to secure two victories and are currently 22nd in the second-tier standings. We would expect to see some of the better teams that are currently at the bottom rising up the league soon, not least because they will probably make managerial changes if their form doesn’t improve.
To reiterate, Boro find themselves 22nd in the league with 10 points from 10 games which means that there is still too much focus on their position and not enough detail on the quality of play. Let’s be honest, whilst we are all nervously looking over our shoulders it is still early days in the grand scheme of things. Already 10 point adrift of the automatic promotion places, Boro will need to step up their performance levels following the international break in order to have a chance of achieving a relative amount of success in the Championship.
Diasborians know that our manager is very experienced having previously guided Sheffield United to promotion from this division. Wilder certainly knows what it takes to succeed in the Championship and we know he is confident in his ability to turn things around over the course of the coming months. By working extensively with the Boro players in training between the last league game against Rotherham and the club’s clash on Saturday with the Sky Blues. I believe that the Boro boss should be able to implement a game-plan which results in victory at the Coventry Building Society Arena
Turning to team selection, our manager does like to play with two strikers and it will be interesting to see if Akpom(If fit) will return to partner Muniz up front as a pairing.
The wingbacks Jones and Giles will hopefully be too much for a Coventry side who are currently languishing bottom of the table with 3 points albeit with two games in hand.
I must confess it’s the midfield that worries me regarding team selection. I don’t like Mowatt full stop. I don’t see what he brings to the side other than being an average footballer with no vision or match turning creative capabilities. Of course just watch him turn around and produce man of the match performances now I’ve put that comment into print.
I have also said for over a year now, that Howson, whilst he has been a terrific servant for the club and can still produce the odd defence splitting pass, I’m afraid his overall contribution is now poor. This is purely down to the age of the player and in my opinion should have been released during the close season. He should now therefore be used only in part of matches played, rather than play him in full games where mistakes are likely to and do occur. I expect Massimo Luongo to play some part in this game after training and integrating with the team for the last two weeks. Massimo comes with a solid reputation and apparently has a good engine to cover all the field of play during a game.
The defence and goalkeeper I think will stay as per our last game against Rotherham and it was good to see Fry getting back on form again.
Turning to Coventry their coveted striker Victor Gyokeres has said to the press that he feels ready for the Premier League whilst discussing links with a possible transfer to Everton or Fulham.
The seven-time Sweden international might have scored just two goals for the Championship strugglers so far this term but, as Sunderland supporters will tell you, give Viktor Gyokeres time and space at your peril.
I do hope that this game is full of goals and I remember many years ago travelling down to Coventry and witnessing a 3-3 draw with the Boro goals scored by one Bernie Slaven and Coventry Gials scored by David Speedie. Do any other Diasborians remember that game? I’m sure Ken will have all the facts and statistics regarding that game?
I’m posting this early as it seems such a long time since we have seen the Boro play and I want to start talking about the game to come not the ones we have played.
So Saturday will eventually come along and I’m going for a 0-2 win for Boro !
OFB
Given that the game is chosen for international coverage on TV I’m hoping it will be on Hesgoal.com
Its very tedious watching on this site as the screen freezes quite often but better than nothing.
Does anyone know of any other free sites to watch the game?
Philip of Huddersfield
OFB
Strange that you should mention that Coventry match as by some fluke I’ve just watched it on YouTube recently. It was played 34 years ago to the day on 1st October 1988. The Boro line up was Stephen Pears, Alan Kernaghan, Gary Parkinson, Gary Pallister, Colin Cooper, Paul Kerr, Gary Hamilton, Mark Burke, Mark Brennan, Stuart Ripley and Bernie Slaven before a crowd of 14,527.
However Boro actually won the match 4-3 with a Bernie Slaven hat trick in the first half to make the score 3-0 at halftime which became 3-1 soon after, then Mark Burke made it 4-1 early in the second half before David Speedie completed the second hat trick of the match so I imagine that Bernie took the match ball home as Boro had won the match, their first away win of the season in this First Division encounter. So it’s possibly a deja-vu moment on Saturday considering it’s the same date, happy anniversary Boro, but surely not a 4-3 win, but any win will suffice.
There had been a 4-4 draw at Ayresome Park between the two clubs in 1974 and a 4-0 win for Boro at home in 1996 when both Ravanelli and Juninho scored a brace, though Boro’s last win at Coventry was only a couple of seasons ago during the Coronavirus pandemic when the unlikeliest of players to score Grant Hall and George Saville obliged in a 2-1 win.
Thanks for another interesting opener Bob.
Come on BORO.
Thanks for the opener OFB, a cracking read as per.
Blimey, there’ll be bedlam if we lose this one eh?
Surely the couple of weeks training will do us some good. I feel we have to score first though or there could be a crisis of confidence.
It would be good to see Akpom back but not sure if he’ll start. Maybe best to go with Watmore and bring Chuba on later. Those two alternating is probably the way Wilder will go, one way or the other.
It would also be good to see Luongo and I agree with you re Howson. Great career, fantastic pro but he should probably have been a bit part player for a season and more by now.
I hope Djiksteel retains his place and that right side of him, Crooks and Jones can regenerate. The trio were so dangerous for us last season and we need to get back to that. Clarke, McGree and Giles ought to be plenty on the left in this division.
I still think we’re close to being a good side in this league and just need some confidence. Only wins will bring that about.
Fingers crossed for a 2-0 Boro win.
Thanks OFB for another comphrensive Headliner.
Whilst not sctrictly true in terms of relegation, this is another must win game if we are to make any kind of progress towards the middle of the table.
our away form is diabolical and has been for a longtime. So what are Wilder and the players going to do to change that into wins?
So England have been relegated and only scored once (a penalty I believe) in 5 group matches, so has Gareth Southgate been overrated all this time? Like Boro with Chris Wilder it would be unthinkable to sack him at this juncture. He got the England coaches job by default after the sacking of Sam Allardyce and grew well into the post, so what has happened since? For a start England have been fortunate in qualifying for several World and European Cup Championships rarely missing out on qualification by being drawn against mainly second-rate opposition but usually found wanting when facing the quality of the better international countries in the knockout stages.
I like Gareth, so articulate a person and a real gentleman but possibly overrated as a coach. Defeat against underrated Iran in the first match and then facing USA might be a blessing in disguise. Nevertheless those of us old enough to remember the debacle of the 1950 World Cup when arguably England’s strongest team (at least on paper) were humiliated by a bunch of USA part-timers will surely not be beaten again, though if men’s football in the States has risen as much as women’s football over the pond, well you get my drift. And there’s no team that Wales love to beat more at any sport than England. I wonder if too much reliance has been put on Harry Kane, but he ain’t a Dixie Dean or Geoff Camsell, never mind a certain Brian Clough for that matter.
To most of us Hungary heading the current A3 European Nation Group table is a surprise , but I remember the Magyars with Ferenc Puskas and Nandor Hidekguti stunning England 6-3 at Wembley on television in 1953 and then 7-1 in Budapest 18 months later just to rub salt into old wounds. I’m not stating that today’s Hungarian side is as good as the 50’s side, but there’s definitely a resurgence in Hungarian football and I’m pleased for that having visited Budapest 3 times on my travels. The Magyars are such delightful people, and I for one hope that their football team have a successful World Cup tournament later this year.
Twitter latest !
Its hardly surprising that in such a dreary long drawn out test from the Championship hurly burly that the mighty pen fest knights of the prose have decided to state that Wilder is unhappy and wants to go!
it’s easy to make up rumours but even harder to discredit or even prove them.
OFB
Interesting that the majority of first team squad are all out of contract in the next 20 months, never mind at the end of this season. Despite CW stating the club didn’t want to do another complete overall, it looks as though they will have to by the end of next season 😱.
Come on BORO.
Don’t see any passion amongst the Boro players or any real leaders in the mould of Nigel Pearson or Mogga. Someone who can take the game (or a teammate !) by the scruff of the neck and demand a result
OFB
Twitter latest !
Its hardly surprising that in such a dreary long drawn out test from the Championship hurly burly that the mighty pen fest knights of the prose have decided to state that Wilder is unhappy and wants to go!
it’s easy to make up rumours but even harder to discredit or even prove them.
OFB
OFB, it’s easy for “keyboard warriors” whether Boro supporters or from other parts of the northeast, to start unfounded rumours, I personally prefer to repeat articles from a decent source, a newspaper, Sky Sports even NewsNow Middlesbrough FC (who then give you a link to the published article). Even the pundits on ITV’s EFL show agree that CW will be there for the foreseeable future and will turn it around, CW himself on MFC website, said peoples expectations are probably more than reality and it could take 2/3 seasons to rebuild this club. I myself, would rather keep CW for 3/4 s seasons (or longer) and let him build something sustainable, than change managers (and the rest) every couple of seasons. One week it’s everyone (including the tea lady) hates him and wants him out, this week it’s CW is unhappy and wants away, if either were slightly true, this international break would have been the opportunity for CW and MFC to part company. If I remember correctly, Man Utd fans (in the first couple of seasons) wanted a certain manager named Alex Ferguson out, look how that turned out.
Come on BORO.
@ken _ Typo alert: George Camsell, not Geoff.
And thanks for the opener, OFB. It seems as if Boro is becoming the Manchester City or the Liverpool of The Championship - not in performances or results, but in the number of matches being televised somewhere.
I have absolutely NO IDEA which Boro team will turn up for the Coventry game or how they will perform. Hopefully a lot better than recently but you wouldn't put a tenner on it, would you? And Twitter regularly has messages saying how "unhappy" Chris Wilder is said to be at the moment. I don't suppose ANY Boro fans could currently be described as being ecstatic.
Incidentally I went to the Festival of Thrift on Saturday (yesterday) at Kirkleatham, just outside Redcar. Listened to Mike McGrother and his Infant Hercules choir just before leaving there, and he was singing songs by and in memory of the late Vin Garbutt who loved the North generally and Teesside and its environs and people particularly. I also spent some time looking around St Cuthbert's Church, Kirkleatham with its links to Sir William Turner (who was Lord Mayor of London in the reign of King Charles II, and who is remembered for his acts of charity including the monies bequeathed after his death in 1692 to establish what became Sir William Turner's School in Coatham and the Sir William Turner's Almshouses in Kirkleatham) and I was able to see the attached mausoleum built in memory of Sir Willaim's descendant Marwood Turner who died at the age of 21 years in Lyons France, when he was on his "Grand Tour" in 1739. I haven't been into that Church for decades and it was well worth the visit.
I was typing my post, above, whilst exmil and OFB were exchanging short posts. I have no idea how those who Tweet the "Chris Wilder is unhappy" posts get their information. It may be true, it may not, or it may even be someone wanting to throw a lighted firework into the room. But whether Chris Wilder is unhappy or not, I am certainly not overjoyed. However I'd rather that he remained at Boro and created the structure that will see the club succeed, and I appreciate that this may take some time. We can't keep changing managers as frequently as Chelsea...
Forever Dormo
Well spotted about George Camsell. I’m usually so meticulous about my posts as you’ll notice about the number of revisions I make at the end before posting, but this one passed me by. It’s the damn predictive text, but even so, no excuse, I should have spotted it.
I agree about Chris Wilder’s position. When he was appointed I commented on how long it would take before some so called fans would turn against him. It always appears to be the manager’s fault when things go wrong but never the players. Having been almost forced to get rid of a succession of managers in the past, l think that Steve Gibson will ‘stand by your man’ to quote from the Tammy Wynette song.
As for Kirkleatham it’s less than a mile from my doorstep and as a former pupil of Sir William Turner’s Grammar School have visited the village, alms houses, church and hall now a museum of course many times. However did you know that Peter McWilliam the former Spurs manager is buried in Kirkleatham cemetery? He was the manager of Boro during the Camsell years from 1927 to 1934 and said to have invented the ‘push and run’ style of play which Bill Nicholson used later at Spurs in the 60’s and further improvised later into the term ‘Total Football’ used by Ajax and Barcelona under Vic Buckingham in their successful years in the 70’s.
Why McWilliam was buried in Kirkleatham I don’t know, but perhaps he died on holiday revisiting former sites, although he was born in Inverness in 1879 and died in Redcar in 1951. Perhaps a search of past Evening Gazette’s at the time can fill in the details if anyone is interested.
Jarkko
Apparently Pools played some good football yesterday and should have won comfortably, but like Boro need that one win to set them on their way. But Keith Curle is a successful manager at this level having won promotions with Carlisle and Northampton, and Pools are only 4 points from 15th position albeit with a vastly poor goals disadvantage over teams above them.
@ken - Thanks for that. I understand Peter McWilliam (obviously a player at the top level of football at that time and the Scottish national football captain when his career was ended due to injury, and a good manager later) married a Redcar girl, Florence Woof, in 1905 when he was a player for Newcastle United and she died as recently as 1970. They made their home locally so being laid to rest at Kirkleatham is understandable.
Thanks OFB for your starter and also your heads up about the game being televised internationally so won’t be available via Riverside Live; my annual streaming pass is becoming more expensive by the day with all these televised games!
As for Saturday, I am not overly confident based on what has gone before. We should be capable of getting at least a point but there again I would not be surprised if we lost.
On the subject of CW, I agree with others that we cannot keep changing managers and need to persevere for at least another season or two but just wish we could see some light and hope at the end of the tunnel. 😎
@ken - Thanks for that. I understand Peter McWilliam (obviously a player at the top level of football at that time and the Scottish national football captain when his career was ended due to injury, and a good manager later) married a Redcar girl, Florence Woof, in 1905 when he was a player for Newcastle United and she died as recently as 1970. They made their home locally so being laid to rest at Kirkleatham is understandable.
Well done and thanks for that information.
@bob, thank you again for a nice starter of the next match.
By the time the international break finishes next weekend, Boro will take on winless Coventry City who currently sit rock bottom of the division with both sides looking for an upturn in form.
So it must be a goalless draw then 😄.
Meanwhile, Paddy McNair, Marcus Forss, Riley McGree and Caolan Boyd-Munce will link back up with the squad next week having represented their respective nations during the recent break.
Let's hope they all return fit from around the world. Up the Boro!
This isn’t Twitter but the odds have changed for the next manager of Bournemouth and Wilder has gone from 10/1 to 1/3 for the job.
I still don’t think he would leave an unfinished job at Boro
OFB
@original-fat-bob - 1/3 on suggests someone THINKS they have good information and are prepared to put their money where their mouth is! Let's hope they are wrong.
I may be totally wrong but I think reading what's been going on behind the scenes and Wilder s sad demeanor over the last few weeks before the break,if he's offered the Bournemouth vacancy. He will be off.
So another rumour !
WILDER ALREADY GONE !
No I didn’t make this up at all !
Keeps everyone guessing though doesn’t it !
OFB
For one rumour there is always the reverse 🤔
Come on BORO.
Different reports say that Wilder not on the list of candidates for Bournemouth Job. Also Woodgate being touted for Huddersfield vacancy. I'll get my coat 😋
It’s weird isn’t it? Half of our supporters seem to think we should ditch CW because he’s useless, whilst the other half think he’s top of the list for the Bournemouth job!
@ken - Thanks for that. I understand Peter McWilliam (obviously a player at the top level of football at that time and the Scottish national football captain when his career was ended due to injury, and a good manager later) married a Redcar girl, Florence Woof, in 1905 when he was a player for Newcastle United and she died as recently as 1970. They made their home locally so being laid to rest at Kirkleatham is understandable.
“As recently as 1970” - the 70s seem like yesterday to me too - it’s hard to believe 1970 was 52 years ago, so as close to the end of WW1 as it is to today.