That new white kit should help avoid the awkward clash of red shirts and light blue ones that often makes the game hard to follow 😉
Jones and Giles on the bench ? Why ???
OFB
Bite-sized #Boro team news. Both wing-backs and Riley McGree benched. Smith, Bola & Mowatt in for Jones, Giles & McGree. Change of shape?
Team News...
A rather defensive looking line-up with McGree, Jones and Giles all on the bench as Mowatt returns and Smith gets a rare start - change of shape? unlikely with three centre-backs.
Werdermouth. Just logged on to MFC website using my Spanish IP address and my season pass details and I am now receiving the pre match stream. Totally baffled as I believed this should not be allowed; it could be that the stream will stop nearer to kick of so it’s a case of watch this space.
As far and the line up is concerned it looks to be a don’t lose set up. 😎
My thoughts regarding todays team, firstly it’s a suspect pitch and Akpom just back from injury so I didn’t see him starting, back 3 Dijksteel, Fry, Clarke, with Smith and Bola wingbacks, midfield Crooks, Howson, Mowatt, with Muniz and Watmore up front, seems to be the more experienced players to start with speed coming on later (depending on score and state of pitch) with thoughts on Birmingham on Wednesday.
Come on BORO.
Belated thanks for the opener OFB. You are right to be surprised at today's team. I have not felt like reading Diasboro after watching the Rotherham match. When I got back to the hotel I went to the bar for a much needed large Rioja as the effect of the wine I had had before the match had worn off and I felt very annoyed and miserable after such a poor display.
(Re the team/subs, is Luongo another signing for the future?)
I did enjoy last Friday when I travelled over for the NYMR steam gala. Much better value than the Boro trips even though I had to pay for 2 nights, though as I was able to book in July, rather than waiting for Sky to decide the times/dates, the rooms were much cheaper.
No away wins in last 7 games.Perhaps this and Boro’s league position has prompted a more defensive team with 2 attacking wide players replaced by 2 defenders.
Let us hope no early sloppy goals conceded and Boro produce a solid performance.
To get back on track a victory is essential.
Forecast ? - any one from three !!
Philip of Huddersfield
Coventry 1 - 0. Defence needs improvement (and midfield/attack)
@david-in-cumbria - Sounded on BBCTees as though one pass took Coventry from defence into the Boro penalty area, and a goal. Gyokeres (obvs, as the youngsters would say). Grim start to proceedings.
Boro and many other Championship games are on
Hesgoal.com
Watched the last 15 minutes of the first half on Hesgoal.com
Wished I hadn’t. An awful game played by two poor teams. No spark by anyone .
Muniz had an unexpected chance about 10 yards from goal ,all on his own, and made an accurate side footed back pass to the goalkeeper.
Need I say more?
Philip of Huddersfield
Poor team selection poor performance poor goalkeeping for the goal.
Poor midfield Mowatt Howson not in it
Am I being too critical ?
Losing to bottom of the league ?
Are we bottom of the league ?
Are we going to see the subs on now !
OFB
Well not sure what Wilder has being working on in the last two weeks but there were few signs if any in that first half that Boro have got a plan on how to play. Boro were second best all over the pitch against what is the bottom team - a few quality glimpses from Muniz but overall the team was poor. Not sure if playing three journeymen in Smith, Clark and Mowatt is going to lead to better results while the energy of Giles, Jones and McGree sit on the bench. The mediocre performance is matched by the C&A style white T-shirt, which apparently is now available for £50!
Having found an unofficial stream and watched the first half on it, I've just logged into my Boro Live stream and it's also available to me to watch - so not sure what's going on there!
@werdermouth. Me too. It’s been the normal stream so far but according to everything I have read and previous experience we should not have been able to access it.
My take is that MFC were unaware of it being available for International broadcast until I emailed them on Thursday by which time they had already been selling match passes and rather than try and unwind everything they have chosen to leave it as a normal stream.
I am probably completely wrong but something is clearly awry both on and off the field! 😎
Vic's summary of the first half:
HT: 0-1. Lack-lustre. Flat-footed at the back for Cov goal, which came from sloppy Boro throw. Cov have dominated, Steffen forced into two saves. Boro no intensity or threat but Muniz put 2 efforts straight at keeper. Need changes & more tempo to salvage this.
Boro need the wing-backs on to find width & angles & pace down the flanks & put the ball into the box. Need tempo, aggression & bravery in final third. Still in it though. They are no great shakes.
And from our old, much-missed, friend, John Powls:
That sort of performance was nailed on from the moment the team sheet went in. Need to change it significantly at half time with substitutions to have any chance.
Vic's summary of the first half:
HT: 0-1. Lack-lustre. Flat-footed at the back for Cov goal, which came from sloppy Boro throw. Cov have dominated, Steffen forced into two saves. Boro no intensity or threat but Muniz put 2 efforts straight at keeper. Need changes & more tempo to salvage this.
Boro need the wing-backs on to find width & angles & pace down the flanks & put the ball into the box. Need tempo, aggression & bravery in final third. Still in it though. They are no great shakes.
Subsequently added by one fan replying to Vic:
They don’t have to be any great shakes! That’s the major worry
Made me smile at the wit & grimace at the truth of it at one & the same time!
Akpom on for Watmore at the start of the second half.
A comment on the team selection:
Why drop Giles? Jones fair enough. McGree fair enough. Giles though. Makes no sense at all.
A comment on the team selection:
Why drop Giles? Jones fair enough. McGree fair enough. Giles though. Makes no sense at all.
Giles on for Clarke & Jones for Smith in the 55th minute...
Paddy replaces Dijksteel in the 76th minute.
Mrs Dormo's view following the 0-1 loss away to Coventry. "That's poor. Not looking good for the Manager".
Let's be honest, we are not really surprised, are we?
1-0 to Coventry at full time. So much for a "must-not-lose" set-up! *shakes head*
If we win the next 10 games before the World Cup we might be near the play off places. I will be at the Huddersfield match (rail strike permitting) on 22 October.. £64 hotel room, £25 rail fare and £25 evening meal + breakfast + £19 paid for season ticket = £133. Well worth it?
The men in white coats are knocking at the door.
Still no sign that Boro are in a false position and despite Chris Wilder restoring his more dangerous players in the second half it proved only to add the missing energy but not the missing quality. Changing half the team in the second half perhaps admits the starting selection was not good enough but the truth is Boro have not been good enough all season and now with every passing game the question will be is Chris Wilder still good enough to change matters. The next few games will probably decide if this season will indeed become merely about survival and yet another rebuild required. Not looking good.
Make no mistake about it - after 11 games with a quarter of the season gone with only 2 wins and losing to a team without a win, Boro are in a relegation battle.
The players seem incapable of the basics of controlling the ball, passing the ball, showing some movement off the ball and playing as a team. The team are playing with no confidence and are rudderless on the pitch.
CW will say the team played better in the second half after he brought on the 2 attacking players. Yes , but it only happened because Coventry put 10 players behind the ball and played in the hope of a breakaway.
I have no idea where the team go from here - does CW??
Philip of Huddersfield
Any chance someone could have a word with the authorities and ban the Boro games from being available for international viewing, firstly I've got to sit through 90 minutes of absolute dross, and secondly we are on display to the rest of the world to advertise just exactly how bad we are. At age 67 I've seen some bloody awful Boro displays, and whilst this might not be down there with them (I couldn't exactly say up there, now could I), it wasn't a kick in the backside away from it.
I haven't got a clue what was going through CW's head to put out the team he did, but for me Mowatt and Smith add absolutely zero and never will, can we get a refund please on goods that don't meet their advertised worth? I could cut a swathe through most of the team with the odd exception, but I'm struggling to find one right now. Dael Fry seems to have beefed up, which is sometimes not a bad thing in a CH, but when it affects your mobility then it is. Clarke's a mystery to me and not of the grade we need to step up, and I despair at times with Bola and ................... Oh, just stop it, this could go on all night and I have painting to do tomorrow!
I'm at the stage where I expect the worst, and bless the Boro they so far this season have never failed to let me down, even if we'd have scored tonight I would simply have accepted that we had, no cheering, no disturbing the neighbours with raucous chants as I usually do, it would have been just a simple hrumph of acceptance. This is about as bad as it gets when you couldn't even score on a speed dating session, when you're the only bloke available, and your defence is a sound as the pound at the moment. I'd like to have a go at the middle of the team, but like every good sandwich there has to be a tasty filling, we simply don't have one.
I'm going to bed, this is now becoming a serious concern and I'm at an age where I don't need this anxiety on top of what normal life throws at you, there again, when did being a Boro supporter mean that you lead a normal life?