john Richardson

Thanks for the Norwich write up to kick us off Bob!

I believe that one of our own Jordan Hugill is out injured for a few weeks so at least we shouldn't be facing the inevitable old boy sucker punch unless Ben pops up at a set piece. The bad news is that one of Jarkko's own, Teemu Pukki is back fit.

Thanks John for your comment 

Dare I go for an eyeballs in the sky ??

Yesssss

⚽️⚽️

Posted by: @redcarred

Thanks for the Norwich write up to kick us off Bob!

I believe that one of our own Jordan Hugill is out injured for a few weeks so at least we shouldn't be facing the inevitable old boy sucker punch unless Ben pops up at a set piece. The bad news is that one of Jarkko's own, Teemu Pukki is back fit.

What odds Ben Gibson from a corner?

I know that everyone says that this feels like a free kick but it won’t be good for morale if we get hammered. It’s important not to go behind early and then we can see what we can make of the match. Watching the Rotherham game made me realise how important Tav has become in making the team tick. I’d like to see him Bolasie and Whatmore playing together. Could be quite a tricky forward line.

UTB

I hope Pukki to be rusty for once. He is good, though and has played really well for the natinal team, too. A hard working centre forward. Defending well and always moving around. Tricky.

I will go for a 1-1 draw. Assombalonga?

Up the Boro! 

I can empathise with Neil Warnock mentioning that he felt a bit low earlier this week when his two targeted loan players didn’t come to fr

Cheers OFB. Hope you’re feeling fit and healthy after the op by the way.

Obviously a very tough game today from which anything a bonus.

I expect that Warnock will be very cautious with his line-up and we’ll see Spence and Johnson on the wings with the new fullback making his debut. Bolasie from the bench perhaps.

I think it’ll be Akpom today with Watmore and Britt benched. The usual midfield three of Howson, Morsy and Saville as we look to frustrate Norwich.

That’s the sensible predictions out of the way. Now I’ll go daft and say Norwich 0-1 Boro with a goal from a set-piece or penalty.

Thanks OFB for your pre match piece.  I will take a ⚽ - ⚽ all day long today but fear the worst and can see us getting our worst result of the season! 

I am torn between watching the match or helping Mrs P do a bit of painting!  No, I will definitely watch the match as I can't do without my 90 mins of nail biting and teeth gnashing from behind the sofa!

I just can't see an untypical Boro performance after Wednesday nights debacle.  Hope I am wrong.  CoB 😎.

Well, I defy anyone to have picked that team in advance. Anyone care to suggest a formation?

utb

Posted by: @andy-r

I expect that Warnock will be very cautious with his line-up and we’ll see Spence and Johnson on the wings with the new fullback making his debut. Bolasie from the bench perhaps.

I think it’ll be Akpom today with Watmore and Britt benched. The usual midfield three of Howson, Morsy and Saville as we look to frustrate Norwich.

That’s the sensible predictions out of the way. Now I’ll go daft and say Norwich 0-1 Boro with a goal from a set-piece or penalty.

10 out of 11 isn’t bad. Surprised to see Bolasie start and especially up front (by the looks of it).

Come on Boro.

Well I would never have guessed Bolasie to start and Akpom and Brit on the bench!

For the record:

What a substitute line-up. Nice to have some options. 

Posted by: @ken

I can empathise with Neil Warnock mentioning that he felt a bit low earlier this week when his two targeted loan players didn’t come to fruition and watching another sport helped him to get his mojo back. I was disappointed with the home defeats to Birmingham and Blackburn but not surprised at the Rotherham defeat as the Millers had a good record at Ayresome Park in the late 50’s with 3 wins and a draw in 4 successive matches. However football was the last thing on my mind as my latest fall 10 days ago resulted in my cracking a rib in my back. I was told that the only cure is rest for 6/8 weeks, but morphine didn’t seem to be easing the pain. I endured two nights of agony trying to sleep in bed so watching Joe Root and then golfers Tyrrell Hatton last week and Lee Westwood this week have been some type of sinecures.

At the moment I’m on a 7 days assessment with carers to see how I’m coping, but although I’ve had adjustments to my bed, chair and toilet to help me get up and down, I’m going to need help with shopping and changing of bed clothes from carers in the future. The carers have readjusted items in my fridge and freezer to a higher level. I was able to do some ironing yesterday after someone emptied the tumble drier for me. I’m fine standing up, but frightened of bending down. I’ve reached the level now of adjustment to my lifestyle. Full time care seems to be the answer as they’ll hopefully do my shopping, change my bedding, iron the bedding which I’ve always struggled with, and at least would be someone to converse with. 

My late wife hated moaners and got on with her life thoughout her years of cancer treatment but always had me to lean on. I’ve coped with living alone, but never lonely throughout the last 11 years. I’m trying to emulate her cheerfulness and Diasboro has been a great help, but it’s becoming more difficult during lockdown. I’ll be watching this afternoon’s match by recording it once I’ve seen to my ablutions, etc so will keep away from the television and Diasboro until the match is over. One of the few television programmes I’ve been watching lately has been Roald Dahl’s series of “Tales of the Unexpected”. In the last 70 years of following Boro there must have been at least two dozen Boro matches he could have based a story on. Perhaps today would have provided with him with some material!

Norwich 0 Boro 1.

@original-fat-bob. RR called it yesterday when he suggested it would be better to start with him and try and nick something rather than bring him on when chasing the game.  

Don't think any of us thought he would be playing as a centre forward.

Chance for Spence to show us what he can do when he is in what I consider to be his best position - less step overs, more sprinting past the fullback and producing quality crosses - simples! 😎

NW has just been interviewed on Sky and asked what he needed from his players to get a result today at which Mrs P piped up and said "a miracle"! 🤣😎

Sorry I've been absent a while. I have a lot of catching up to do, especially on Ken's musician thread.

Well. Same as e everyone in here I have been gutted thay we have blown the chance to consolidate ourselves in the play off spots..

You have to fear the worst in a few minutes time, but isn't this just when we deliver an unexpected performance and result to stun everyone.

I am not going to tempt fate, and even seeing Bolasie on from the start doesn't make me feel like OFB's eyeballs won't be a good result.

I fear we will be humiliated today. 4 goals to 1.

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so far so good I’m enjoying it !

OFB

Solid first half performance where we have got stronger as the half went on.  

Not comfortable with Gibson and Hanley being allowed to bring the ball into our half as that is how Norwich got back into the game at the Riverside.

Another similar half will be pleasing but the problem will come if we concede.  CoB keep it going. Beats painting!  😎

Yeasss!

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The eyeballs have it !

OFB

@original-fat-bob

OFB, Only because I said we'd get beaten. If I go into the villageI'm going to paint a smile on my mask.

Stay safe everyone,

UTB,

John

Good draw for Boro especially after the disappointment of our last two performances and with Norwich's home record. 

A result we would have been happy with before a ball was kicked. Not very entertaining for the neutral perhaps but it stops the rot for us and no better place to build confidence than to do it at the home of the best team in the division.

Fry was pure class and Pukki couldn't get a look in. Fisher done very well on his debut and hopefully he is just tired from his exertions rather than injured. Bolasie looked a little stiff but done OK and looked to be someone that could link up well with the likes of Watmore and a more agile striker than Britt or Akpom if hopefully one arrives (or Fletcher when he is also fully match fit).

From containment in the opening phase to looking controlled to the side more likely to win it in the end has to be chalked down as a successful trip. The table perhaps not looking great but our current placing wasn't down to today's efforts. Let's hope when the window closes Warnock can rally them and put a burst on in the run in and scrape the play offs.

@original-fat-bob

I managed to catch the last ten minutes commentary, pleased with the performance, especially the commentators opinion of the team performance. Now to a few, not necessarily fair comments/opinions. Nothing can take away the fact that we managed to drop six points against  teams that are the dregs of this division, in all three matches we lack any idea what to do when around their box, no striker, no one who has a mean shot on him, as witness the damage done to the corner flag. I really believe that with a striker operating in and around the box, we could and should have collected the full nine points, we entered the First match on a high, should have had no problem what so ever against the dross served up by our opponents, but instead played like headless chickens, plus being shot less wonders. Faced harsh criticism, and repeated the dose against a really bad team, with bells on. Then played really well away! Against the league leaders, perhaps someone could just, you know, explain the thought processes of the players. I will admit that today we had eleven players on the pitch, and it is a game of numbers. I am assuming that there will be no suggestion of retaining players who take a pay cut, that is the way to the knackers yard, the world is full of players longing for a move up in class, so let's get looking.  

Posted by: @redcarred

A result we would have been happy with before a ball was kicked. Not very entertaining for the neutral perhaps but it stops the rot for us and no better place to build confidence than to do it at the home of the best team in the division.

Fry was pure class and Pukki couldn't get a look in. Fisher done very well on his debut and hopefully he is just tired from his exertions rather than injured. Bolasie looked a little stiff but done OK and looked to be someone that could link up well with the likes of Watmore and a more agile striker than Britt or Akpom if hopefully one arrives (or Fletcher when he is also fully match fit).

Vic's assessment

A battling performance and a well earned point which I said I would have been happy with from the start but didn't expect to get.

We controlled most of the second half and if only we had some quality up top it could have been three points but it is what it is and hopefully something to build on. 

NW has said his teams often go on a run after a draw so CoB now is the time. 😎

Great result and full credit to NW for his team selection and tactics. 

Will the real Boro please stand up? Inconsistency is becoming our standard. After bitterly disappointing home defeats to Blackburn and Rotherham, I confidently expected us to lose by 2 or 3 nil today. I’m delighted to be proven wrong. We were clearly the better team today. Restricting the league leaders to no shots on target and very few chances was superb. I thought it was a very strong performance from midfield and defence, with only our play and decision-making in the final third requiring improvement, but how often do we say that? I was pleased that we played on the front foot for most of the second half, though. I thought Bolasie did ok, but I was less happy with Akpom, who looked rusty and generally lacked nous. 

I could have given MoM to any of Fisher, Fry, McNair or Bola, but as so often, I plumped for Johnny (Mr Incredible Engine) Howson. Well played, Boro. Gave us all a boost after a difficult week. 

Really good point for us. Once again we’ve shown that difficult games suit us best.

if we can scramble to sixth place you’d think we’d have a decent chance given our record against the best.

To get there though, we have to find a way to put the average sides away.

Today was a free hit and we took a boundary. Now we have to start putting the bad balls away.