@k-p-in-spain It is a two hours' drive one way for Michael. Most probably staying over night for couple of nights every week.
I think players's days are short but a manager works more per day. Even Mogga wanted to work closer to home than Blackburn. Hence he said yes to Sunderland.
Up the Boro!
I really can’t see Akpom having another season as successful as this one. His form over the past few matches seems very similar to what we’d seen in the past before his renaissance. If he gets a chance to play in the PL he should grab it with both hands.
I personally think if we didn’t have the injuries we did at the crucial stage of the season (especially Howson and Ramsey) we would have kept the momentum going but as all things in life, we will never know. As Carrick has said, we will learn more from the bad knocks than the plain sailing, he and his team will learn more probably than the players, getting the squad he wants as early in the window as possible is the key to a successful start to the season, also a favourable early fixture list would help too.
In reply to criticism of the loss of intensity during the last few fixtures, MC probably knew Howson and Ramsey were finished for the season and he couldn’t afford to lose anymore key players when 4th place was guaranteed, can you imagine the outcry if they “went for it” in dead rubbers and we lost Archer and Akpom to injury as well.
As I have said previously I will look forward to 10 June when the transfer window opens and news of “real deals” start to emerge.
Come on BORO.
Wonder why it suddenly went wrong?in the treatment room !
Yeah 🤣🤣🤣.
But seriously, it was four matches in May and only one goal scored by Boro (Archer at Coventry). We were not good enough in the end. Up the Boro!
Perhaps Ramsay brought even more to our game up front than we appreciated
@powmillnaemore. I believe his creativity was our greatest miss.
What are the odds of getting him back next season on loan?
I think Archer will be kept by Villa. 😎
@exmil - "In reply to criticism of the loss of intensity during the last few fixtures, MC probably knew Howson and Ramsey were finished for the season and he couldn’t afford to lose anymore key players when 4th place was guaranteed, can you imagine the outcry if they “went for it” in dead rubbers and we lost Archer and Akpom to injury as well."
The answer to that is the result without Akpom and Ramsey would have been the same as it turned out to be with them, surely? In other words, losing in the semi-final whether we "went for it" in those last dead-rubber games, or Boro just marked time whilst waiting for the semi-final games. We lost anyway.
If Boro's players had not exactly exerted themselves in order to ensure they were fit and raring to go for the Play-offs, and if Boro had succeeded in the Play-offs and found itself in the Premier League next season, Michael Carrick and maybe everyone else would point to that success and say that the resuts had proved the course of action to have been correct. Well, since Boro didn't get through the Play-off semi-final, surely the opposite must be the case? One can't have the cake AND eat it!
I am not so glass half full about next season as a few people here seem to be.
It is the same every year. Three teams come down from the class above us; always with (lots of) money to spend; always with Premiership-standard players; and always with the expectation they will be challenging for an immediate return to the top flight. That is going to be no different next season than it was for this season just coming to an end and for all of the seasons before that. Just the names of the teams involved is going to be different (accepting that sometimes we do see some of the same clubs in this position every other year !!!). We must never lose sight of the fact that these teams were (will have been) relegated for one very good reason: they were the three worst teams in that league over the course of the season. Every team that comes up against them (especially if they might have a "big club" label attached is going to want to prove themselves against this most recent of Premiership-standard quality[?]. Each of these three teams will also be suffering from low morale and very possibly, managerial confusion. Why should we be any more afeared of whichever these three will be next year than for any other year?
What is also the same every year is that there is one or sometimes two teams that come up from the class below that are on a roll and that have a team spirit and a winning mentality that they bring with them, along with a manager that has already worked out how to get the best out of his players and that will "surprise" everyone with how well they do. Though why anyone should be "surprised" is surprising enough in itself! Such a team is going to be difficult for anyone to play and to get a result against. Situation normal I would say.
Another perennial feature of the Championship is that each season there are of course three teams that missed out in the previous season's playoffs, not to mention the next two or three or sometimes more teams that just missed out on qualifying for the playoffs. Most of these most of the time you expect to be challengers again.
I still can't see why next season should be any more difficult than this one just gone and so far in this essay I haven't begun to consider all of those teams from the season just gone that have underperformed. It is quite usual that some of these teams are going to re-find their mojos in the next campaign.
So.
Lets see.
Every season there are at least ten clubs that everyone expects to be realistic challengers to go up. It is always the same. It never really varies. It is the one enduring feature of the Championship as it has been for many, many years that makes it [the Championship] one of the hardest, if not actually the hardest league to win promotion from. So, at this stage of pre (or should that be post) season, however you look at it the challenge for Boro next season is going to be the the same as it is every year and for every leading team in the division. How we will do will depend on many things and not least of these is going to be the form of all those ten or twelve clubs that are going to kick off in the coming season with some genuine optimism... not forgetting the form of the genuine surprise package that I haven't flagged up in the previous paragraphs.
All we can do is to look at ourselves and build and prepare as best we can.
I don't believe Michael Carrick signed up to the job expecting to get us promoted this year. I don't believe Steve Gibson gave him the job expecting he would get us promoted this year. That we have come so so close is one enormous bonus to us. It has demonstrated that this management/coaching team has what it takes to transform a collection of underperforming and prima facie poor players and turn them into probably the one team in the league (Burnley apart perhaps) that no one really fancied playing.
Well, if the expectation was not to achieve promotion this year, but to turn us into contenders for next year, you have to say job done.
Job well done.
Job very well done indeed.
There will be churn. There has to be churn. But surely Middlesbrough will be seen by every leading team across Europe as one that could be a very good place to send your best young talent to be developed in a highly competitive league as part of a team that is coached in all that is positive and good about the game.
Middlesbrough will also be seen as a very good place to come to if you are are a player, whether young or experienced. What would put you off considering playing in a team that is coached to go out and enjoy playing football and scoring goals and that looks like it is going to be one of the teams challenging at the top of the league from day one? Do we honestly think that Michael Carrick and his management/coaching team have not identified what needs to be improved on for the next campaign and that the work has not already started to find the talent to bring into the club and to hang on to the talent that we want to stay with the club (as loans again if it can't be as permanent).
Of course I am as disappointed as is everyone else just now: wouldn't it have been fantastic? But realistically we have had an immensely successful season from October 3rd onwards and I am expecting that next season will bring us much more of the same entertainment. Before then, I am also looking forward to the debate in here as we watch the goings and comings at Riverside and Hurworth over the next few months.
For now then, everyone stay safe and keep as well as you can and enjoy the summer (or winter for you antipodeans).
@powmillnaemore - Very good post, Powmill. I was just about to pull my gun from its holster and follow you out of the trench. Then I realised I'm a little too old for that....
@powmillnaemore - Very good post, Powmill. I was just about to pull my gun from its holster and follow you out of the trench. Then I realised I'm a little too old for that....
Thank you FD, but as an old Swami once told me, never forget that age is but an illusion: your age is what you think it to be 😉
@powmillnaemore So true. It is the same every year in the Championship. With the money, one cannot smash the league with. As Gibbo found out, too!
My biggest disappointment is an extra 12 months to wait. But surely we are better off than 12 months ago. I think we can attract good young players again. Carrick and his team's playing style will be a magnet.
Up the Boro!
Great post, Powmill, following on from Dormo's excellent analysis in his earlier post.
Thanks again @exmil
Half time - Coventry 0 - Luton 1
Full time - Coventry 1 - Luton 2
Time of first goal - 45 minutes
Best of luck KP
@powmillnaemore Hats off to you - that’s one of the best posts I’ve ever read on here.
We’re all hurting at the moment but we live to fight another day. I’ve got to say, I’m torn - I’d have loved a Wembley final (and win?) but I doubt I’d have enjoyed a season in the PL as much as I’ve enjoyed our campaign this time around.
I’d now like a long hot summer, followed by some exciting signings and a great start to the new season. Bring it on.
@powmillnaemore - Very good post, Powmill. I was just about to pull my gun from its holster and follow you out of the trench. Then I realised I'm a little too old for that....
Pull your gun for who 🤔 one wonders.
Come on BORO.
Maybe we should have brought Warnock in to give them a pep talk, id try anything ,they didn't look desperate enough to win ,
One thing at times this season, we were a little soft in trying to win the ball, that could be an area to look at.
We need a right back ,and id look at Bradley at Bolton ,on loan from Liverpool, mobile
After suffering the bitter disappointment of Wednesday, and a little thought, I believe that we fell into the trap of accepting our role of better team against inferior team. The correct way to handle these matches I think, is to set up and practice the block, for however long it takes, even extra time, it takes less out of your players, they have less players running into them, and anyone in your team with a lick of speed will get at least one chance of a breakaway. Most of these afairs are one dicey goal is enough, and we gave them several chances. In view of the above I think it would have been perhaps worth shoving Jones up front, just for the chance of a bit of magic in a crowded box.
Not sure if been posted but our recent play off scores
Boro v norwich 0-2
Boro v Aston villa 0-1
Aston villa v boro 0-0
Cov v boro 0-0
Boro v cov 0-1
Five matches and 0 goals
@martin-bellamy I think it would be a big ask of Akpom to get anywhere near this seasons goals tally and overall standard of performance.
So saying that, if and a May be a big if, we do get an offer, north of 10mil clear, not with add ons, I would take it.
Hopefully we will possibly have some, even small amount, of the Tav and Spence sales, probably less of the latter?
However, I still believe the Recruitment Team, headed by Scott needs to perform better. Muniz, for whatever reason, has not been included. Hoppe appears to be possibly not good enough, having struggled at Hibs for game time. Forss, you can say has been a relative success.
But, although we have scored goals aplenty this season, there are far too many players that have not contributed. The midfield for a start. The defenders from set pieces. And then the attacking players like McGree and Jones/Forss possibly. It is far better for the goals to be shared around.
As for the defence, well that certainly needs improving along with the midfield providing better cover. We lack pace against the counter attack when we lose the ball high up. That is for me the starting point next season.
Pedro, I agree and more practice needs to be on corner and free kicks. They have been woeful.
Pedro, I agree and more practice needs to be on corner and free kicks. They have been woeful.
I agree. I’ve never thought that we’d score from a corner in games this season but I’ve not seen any stats to back up my thoughts.
Championship Set piece goals:
1 Millwall 24
2 Sheff Utd 22
3 WBA 18
=4 Birmingham 16
=4 Luton 16
.....
=15 Boro 11
Surprislingly Coventry were the worst performers with just 7 set piece goals.
Here are the goals scorers for the Championship. (as per BBC)
Unfortunately they in the Cup matches.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/middlesbrough/top-scorers
Whilst Andy’s stats show the Boro in =15, I do wonder how many were directly from the dead ball kick? I remember reading that Archer’s goal against Coventry was from a corner. Yes that may be correct, however it was not direct from the corner ball. I think it bounced twice before Archer turned and hit it.
When you look at our scorers above, only McNair of all the defenders has scored. Howson NIL. HH only three. We need to improve on sharing the goals around. In reality one could argue we need better all round midfielders and defenders. Diallo at Sunderland scored 14 goals and 4 assists basically playing like McGree.
When one thinks of the sudden death games, the rules are there to be used and Coventry used them very well. First, do not concede a goal, and if that means filling your box with players, Great. Regard a goal against you as curtains, and it will be. Your keeper must stick on his line, and if that means he must have help at hand, then so be it. You must have a plan to slow down quick breaks by the opposition, for example hoof the ball High in the air, which means you will never be caught short as it is difficult to trap the ball at thirty foot, and equally difficult to intercept it. Regarding the keeper on his line, the winning goal entered our net via a shot which was poorly hit, at shoulder height, just right of centre, medium speed (very)
Looks like Everton sale to take place next week. Hope they don't go down, bad for us as they will have millions to spend 😒