Thanks Bob. Much appreciated opener.

Whilst the Brentford game was tough to watch as they passed the ball all around us at will and showed the sort of clinical finishing not seen at The Riverside since.... well, possibly ever, there were some positives. Bolasie showed some quality whilst Kebano showed a bit of promise too and we did create some excellent chances. Whilst we all bemoan our finishing, if we keep creating that frequency and quality of chances we're definitely going to score more goals in the second half of the season than we did in the first. Darnell Fisher also looks a good fit at right back.

Time to ditch the workmanlike midfield three for me and have a bit of a go. Saville works hard but is not a natural holding player iso s the one who would drop out were I picking the team. I would go for a 4-2-3-1 with Kebano as the 10. Tav will play right wing if fit but if not, Watmore comes in, at least until Mendez-Laing is fit enough to start. If Fletcher is fit, he plays up front.

With a more defined role for Howson and Morsy just to sit in front of the back four, and the fullbacks playing a responsible role, we should have the cover at the back. Obviously Fry returning would be the biggest plus of all.

That allows the front four to play with a bit of freedom, with Tav/Watmore and Bolasie all showing they've got the drive and energy t support their fullbacks defensively.

To me, it's a more balanced team with enough in the forward areas to hurt most teams in this league. We won't come up against any more Brentford's for the rest of the season.

Unless they start dropping points and we play Brentford in the play offs !

OFB,

Thank you for the scene setting preview, 'eyes in the sky'? Probably. My forecasting skills are a bit like Britt's in front of goal so I'm going to keep my powder dry for a few hours.

Now, in a box, somewhere in the house or garage amongst all those things that you keep because they may 'come in useful' I'm sure that I've got a couple of Perishers annuals and one has the now legendary crab talking about the annual 'eyes in the sky' visit to the rock pool. If I find them I'll post them to you. They can be used as base and inspiration for philosophical discussions about the Boro.

The game, well, there'll be result of some sort. Unless it is abandoned. A game Boro have to win really.

Stay safe,

UTB,

John

Thanks OFB for taking the time to put together an interesting pre match article.  Trust you are feeling well and the pace maker is not getting too much of a work out following the Boro.

I am not feeling very confident following Saturday's nightmare and can quite see Patrick Roberts having the last laugh. 1-0 to Derby. 

In a further ironic twist, what about Bournemouth being promoted with a certain Mr Woodgate in charge! 😎

Great opener to get us kicked off OFB. It's a game that we simply have to win, they all are now if we are to have any hopes of gate crashing the Play Off's. I doubt we will be relegated so its all or nothing for me, win or bust. 

It's a game that Derby have to win to avoid the drop. The pressure is all on them so we may as well make them nervy and edgy from the off there is no point in being cagey and passing everything back to Bettinelli. Fortune favours the brave, Warnock has the players at his disposal now to do it, a front three of Watmore, Bolasie and Kebano for me please with extra garlic and chilli sauce!

Ken Smith post

This is a must win game for Boro but on recent form are Derby the favourites?
22 points , under Rooney, in the last 14 games isn’t far off a top 6 finish on a season pro rata  basis.    By comparison, Boro are  probably nearer to a bottom 6 on a pro rata  basis based on the last half a dozen games.

For the remaining games  the tactics have to be all about winning. Draws aren’t much use.

There lies the problem, as I expect more attacking play with the new arrivals but we lack a decent goal scorer. I couldn’t help notice that Murray at 36 or so, on loan at Nottingham Forest, scored two goals on his debut .
You don’t lose it . Unfortunately our lot have never had it !!

Philip of Huddersfield 

OFB

You’ve obviously been busy this week producing a long prelude (or should that be overture in musical terms) for Boro’s next match. I’m sure that it’s much appreciated by club members. I do sense that it’s now only a core of a dozen or so contributors on this forum at the moment and your attempt to keep this forum continuing is commendable.

However despite Neil Warnock’s positivity I do sense a realisation that Boro won’t now reach the playoffs. How they’re still in 7th position is amazing, but just shows that the current top 6 are probably in their rightful positions.It’s all well and good creating more chances, but we still appear to have a non-scoring strike force. To think that Boro paid £15m for Britt seems ridiculous now, especially as Brentford spent £10m for Tovey another ex-Peterborough player. I realise that Watford are having the same problems now, and I suppose Boro are pinning their hopes on Ashley Fletcher now. When I’ve watched other Championship matches this season, more often than not goalmouth scrambles seem to result in goals, but not where Boro are concerned.

Before the season started I predicted a top ten place for Boro and I still think it’s unrealistic to expect anything higher. Even if Boro do qualify for the playoffs I can’t seriously imagine their overcoming Brentford, Norwich or Swansea over two legs. I have to agree with KP in Spain on that point.

Thanks Ken 

Thanks for another good read as the opener OFB, although I'm not sure the eyeballs will have it this time.

I agree with others here that actually it is Derby that will be favourites to win this and, to be honest, it is difficult to see past that. Notwithstanding that Fry should be back, Bettinelli can always find a way to keep us under pressure and with at least with one goal to chase.

Unless we have someone starting in place of BA, more capable of converting goal scoring opportunities, then I can see us losing out 2-1.

I am hoping Fletcher will get a start.  With him and Watmore together I would fancy our chances. However, pending the team sheet coming out, I don't hold hope for that  so 2-1 to WRDC it is.

Posted by: @powmillnaemore

Unless we have someone starting in place of BA, more capable of converting goal scoring opportunities, then I can see us losing out 2-1.

I think this is where not having fans in the ground is costing us. As much as we shouldn't consent to mob rule, having several thousand voice their opinions vocally does in the end have an effect either to motivate players to shove it down our throats or to motivate the Manager who can't see past his selection misjudgements. 

With Bettanelli's howlers, had fans been at the Riverside maybe Stojanovic would be still here and playing (or conversely long gone) and I doubt Britt would be around the first team after this last window.

I recall Viduka suddenly becoming unplayable as his contract ran out earning himself a new one elsewhere. I would have hoped that we would have seen a similar response from Britt but I fear his loss of form has now become a psychological barrier that he won't overcome until he has a fresh start elsewhere. I hope sense prevails and that we don't offer him much reduced terms that he accepts as that would just compound things for both parties. Fresh starts all round for me.

Although Boro lost their last 4 home games last season they did win 5 of their last 6 away matches. That had only been achieved twice in their long history, in 1950 from 13th September to 18th October (won 5 drew1) and in 1974 from 16th February to 30th March (won 5 in succession ending with the 1-0 win at Luton which guaranteed Boro promotion). Surprisingly in the record breaking season of 1926/27 when they scored 122 goals, the most successive away wins they achieved was only 3.

Boro have never played Derby County on 13th February in my lifetime, but in League matches on that date since the Second World War they have played 8 times, winning 3, losing 3 and drawing once. The one away win was in 1971 against Bolton 3-0 with goals from Joe Laidlaw and 2 from Derrick Downing. But perhaps the outstanding win was in 1960 when Boro beat Bristol City 6-3 with a Brian Clough hat-trick, a brace from Derek McLean, and a Bill Harris penalty.

Saturday will be the 140th League match against Derby, the most that Boro have played against any club. Of the 69 away matches Boro have won 20, lost 33 and drawn 16 scoring 101 goals and conceding 125. Overall Boro have won 59 of the 139 matches and lost 48, scoring 243 goals against 202 conceded. Boro’s biggest away win against the Rams was 7-1 on 29th August 1959 when Alan Peacock scored 4, Billy Day, Eddie Holliday and Bill Harris the other scorers, remarkably Brian Clough didn’t score. The biggest away defeat to the Rams was 0-6 in March 1950 (0-5 at half-time) and Boro also lost 0-5 there in November 1965.

That would appear enough statistics to mull over. I’m not going to make a prediction for this Saturday as I don’t recall getting one correct this season.  But I do love statistics!

.

@ken.  Without making a prediction, the statistics would suggest that Derby are more likely to win than Boro albeit past performance is no guarantee of future returns. 😎

@ken You must have statistics about your predictions 😇. UTB!

@redcarred

There is a small problem with Derby's position and it is the following. I have read the Sunday Times column by Mr. Rooney on the football pages and any idea that he is first cousin to Gazza would  be extremely foolish. His column was full of insights into the world of football and it's characters, their strengths and weaknesses, playing styles and their pluses and minuses. It was no surprise to me that he ejected the challengers and took charge at Derby. He is on record as saying that he had to order the team to play tight until he could get them playing adventurous stuff. His view on relegation is ' not the slightest chance!'

@redcarred

The Britt problem is going to rumble on, it has the awful inevitability of a Laurel and Hardy comedy. He is sticking to his huge wage and our 'businessmen' have not the bottle to say 'you are gone' because, make no mistake, that is the only thing that will end this comedy of errors. He cannot stay, to keep a (very) bad buy, and we will not speak about the contract, Would be suicidal. We could and should have loaned him out, that would have kept him fit (ish) and who knows? He might have hit it off. It would have given us at least ten more points than we have.    

Played two, won two - is Woodgate unsackable, whoever Bournemouth bring in as manager ?!!

philip of Huddersfield 

Many thanks OFB for your very interesting opener. 

I'm useless at predictions, but I do think we might find the Derby game difficult. They’re clearly in better form than us - so are 21 other teams! - and are desperate for points. 

We’re also desperate for them, of course, and really can’t afford to let the gap to 6th place widen any further. We’ve seen before how NW can motivate the team to bounce back after poor defeats, but I wonder how many more times he can pull off that conjuring trick. It’s beginning to look like smoke and mirrors.

So, two teams both requiring the points urgently. They may cancel each other out. I’m going for the draw. I’d settle for that if offered it now. However, although that might seem a reasonable result for Boro after recent setbacks, in reality it probably wouldn’t do us much good in the promotion stakes. 

@philip-of-huddersfield I wish all the best for Woody at Bournemouth. I think he got more stick than he deserved at Boro. The strange thing was that some fans were against him from the off. Even thought he was one of our own. I am happy for him.

Up the Boro (though)!

I know this might be a bit unrealistic, but could we arrange a Zoom or Teams meeting with Warnock, too?

https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/neil-warnock-hosts-latest-qa

But I think only Werder has the nessesary email addresses needed. And of course to get the club and Warnock on board will be tricky.

Up the Boro! 

@plato.  Your frustration with BA comes through loud and clear from your posts and I like many others share some of those frustrations with you.

Dealing with the situation by sending him out on loan is not as simple as you suggest.  There are three parties to any loan deal, MFC, player and club seeking to take the player on loan.  If they are not all in agreement then it does not happen.

It would appear that there had not been any offers to buy him or to take him on loan, I suspect that this is because the majority of clubs could not afford his salary.  

MFC have not indicated they would have countenanced such a situation (loan deal), NW made him Captain, continued to pick him and praised him at times when a number of us have felt that he has made little or no positive contribution. 

The transfer window has now closed, he has a contract so we are stuck with him until the end of the season and can only hope that he will then move on. 😎

Posted by: @k-p-in-spain

@plato.  Your frustration with BA comes through loud and clear from your posts and I like many others share some of those frustrations with you.

Dealing with the situation by sending him out on loan is not as simple as you suggest.  There are three parties to any loan deal, MFC, player and club seeking to take the player on loan.  If they are not all in agreement then it does not happen.

It would appear that there had not been any offers to buy him or to take him on loan, I suspect that this is because the majority of clubs could not afford his salary.  

MFC have not indicated they would have countenanced such a situation (loan deal), NW made him Captain, continued to pick him and praised him at times when a number of us have felt that he has made little or no positive contribution. 

The transfer window has now closed, he has a contract so we are stuck with him until the end of the season and can only hope that he will then move on. 😎

The bottom line is that if someone was looking for a Striker the starting point for searching is who is in form, could make a difference and who you could maybe wrangle away from another Club maybe due to expiring contracts, fall outs on the training pitch etc. I would very much doubt if Clubs seeking a Striker would consider Britt as a desirable target any longer, the same thing happened to Rhodes after his spell here. That's before the small matter of cost is involved.

His best hope now lies in the Summer and a hefty signing on fee in lieu of a salary akin to his Boro package. In the right set up with the right manager he may rediscover old highs with Boro we have had a revolving managerial door since he arrived and as a consequence literally looks dizzy.

Posted by: @jarkko

some fans were against him from the off. Even thought he was one of our own.

That's a very surreal situation for the Club to have got themselves into in the first place, especially when it was both predictable and avoidable. That the Club were immersed in spin doctoring at the time and never thought to address the obvious Elephant in the room is where it all fell apart. That so many fans were against it should have had alarm bells ringing.

I absolutely cringe at the words 'he is one of our own' Does it mean they escape criticism/does it mean no matter what they do wrong they don't have to worry etc etc. There have been far too many jobs for the boys at Middlesbrough over a long long period of time. Misguided loyalty that has led to miserable seasons and loads of wasted money. Not forgetting of course the supporters who have had to put up with the shenanigans over many years because of the failure of what has gone on behind the scenes at the club.

It's interesting that Bournemouth done what Boro should have done and brought in Harry instead of equally inexperienced "mates".

Personally I would rather Boro had bypassed him altogether for reasons which I won't go into all over again on here but if they were going to do it at least they should have done it in a structured and planned way. The timing of it I suspect was more to do with other financial constraints making a cheap option too tempting. As the old saying goes, "you buy cheap, you pay twice".

@jarkko.  I think many of us who were opposed to his appointment were not against JW personally, our concerns were around his lack of experience as a manager at any level and the fear that that would work against him and the team and would lead to failure; unfortunately it did so in less than a season.

He seems, in part, to be learning from his mistakes of the past having decided this time to take advice from a seasoned manager and hopefully he will learn for him and eventually become a successful manager in his own right. 😎

Sometimes the brainiest footballers on the field of play who can ‘read’ a situation on the field of play don’t make good coaches. Jonathan Woodgate was excellent on the field of play, as were the Charlton brothers. However as Jack was a brilliant coach, brother Bobby never made it as a manager or a coach. Going back in time George Hardwick was quite innovative as a coach with PSV Eindhoven, whereas Wilf Mannion, intelligent as anyone of his era on the field of play was sadly of low intelligence off it.

@ken

I might have said that Wor Jackie and Gentleman George had an aptitude that Bobby and Wilf didn't have, rather than an intelligence, but I do understand what you mean.

Simply being a great player doesn't mean you will always be a great manager. Brian Robson was another Boro related example.