Great game, with almost everyone playing a full part in what was a brilliant offensive performance from Boro, even if we did miss a few chances. We kept a talented Rangers side on the back foot for most of the game. I really enjoyed the way we played. Tav was magnificent, and great credit, too, to Howson, Jones, Fry, McNair, Taylor and Watmore.
If only we had a decent keeper who doesn’t make a terrible error every couple of games. Time’s up now, Joe, I’m afraid. Time for Daniels or Bryn to get a chance to play.
i agree with Philip about Derby. This will not be an easy game. They may have a limited squad, but they’re fighting for their lives with every fibre. Rooney’s got them fired up and tonight’s defeats for Reading and Peterborough will have given them further hope. Add to that their obvious desire to turn Boro over in the light of our compensation claim, which is a clear motivation for both players and what is certain to be a massive travelling contingent, and it all amounts to a serious threat.
Swap the keepers and we win 1-4.
Yes, Marshall was QPR's best player by far. Up the Boro!
Another great team performance and fight back after the howler from Lumley. Do we have an alternative, I don’t think Daniels is any better and young Brynn has no experience at this level.
However as good as our performance was in parts, in other areas QPR outplayed us. Their passing was generally better overall, and we have said that a number of times this season. Also we are are generally short on physical players for the Championship.
As good as players were according to the majority of posts, some are not just good enough to get us to that next level and into the play off spots permanently?
Certainly considering the summer influx and the January additions, I just don’t think they match up to what the other contenders have. Sporar works hard enough, but we will not buy him that’s for certain. Connolly and Balogun really did not add much when they came on, although I appreciate it was late.
We are not clinical enough scoring from the chances we make and ultimately that will probably cost us a spot in the play off places.
It’s interesting that we haven’t mentioned the penalty ?
What penalty ?
The one that should have been given for an arm pull on Jones which brought him down in the box !
OFB
... in other areas QPR outplayed us. Their passing was generally better overall, and we have said that a number of times this season. Also we are are generally short on physical players for the Championship.
As good as players were according to the majority of posts, some are not just good enough to get us to that next level and into the play off spots permanently?
Did we watch the same game? Didn't see much of QPR's passing in the second half as we passed them off the park 🤣🤣🤣. We even passed them their goal in the second half.
Boro were really good in the first 20 min of the match as well as in the second half bar Lumley's howler.
Let's enjoy the ride. Up the Boro!
Anyone remember Breakfastgate? It seems like a lifetime ago that Warnock was complaining about our players not eating their breakfast and not having the energy to play at the right level. Well Tav certainly had his Weetabix yesterday; it was like something out of a Proclaimers song. He ran 500 miles in Manchester then 500 more in London.
Seriously, to play 2 hours and penalties in Manchester then 5 days later the same 13 players play with that much energy in London is remarkable. For the first time since AK Boro were at their peak I'm starting to feel confident of the team.
On the downside, Lumley. As a kid who grew up wanting to be a keeper (my idols were Pat Jennings and Jim Platt) I'm less inclined to throw the book at a keep for effing up. Make no mistake about it, this is a big moment for Lumley. If Wilder keeps faith he has to show that he is strong enough to put up a performance. It's not clear to me that Daniels is an improvement while Brynn is untested. How Lumley plays is important because he is acting like a sweeper keeper when the centre backs go bombing up field. That takes balls and is risky.
Dijksteel is having a dip. He seems to periodically. I was wondering if he needed subbing at around the hour mark; thought maybe Wilder might bring Peltier in to tighten up. I sometimes wonder if Dijksteel is carrying an injury or the after-effects of covid that is taking the edge off his game. Certainly his decision-making and positioning has been dodgy defensively though his forward play has got a lot better.
Connolly looks to be battling demons. For a split second there with his overhead kick he might have sensed redemption but it was not to be. Maybe if he gets a lucky break it will click for him but right now he's a bit of a passenger.
I hope Payero's injury isn't season-ending but he seems to have inherited the curse that struck down Marcus Browne. Every time he starts to get some game time, something happens.
Balogun has definitely got something about him. You can see him try to make things happen. If he gets a goal or two and gets the measure of the Championship he will make a real difference.
Jones must be our best winger since Downing and most exciting player to watch since Traore. More than once he had three defenders blocking his way and was smart enough to retain and recycle.
Taylor is something of an unsung hero. He's come in out of contract and covered a country mile while being asked to attack more than he's ever done before. Twice he got into the box on the end of an assist and once it led to a goal. He may be limited creatively but he is always making space to get the ball and pass it on.
It's a bloody marvellous team. They certainly aren't flawless and they're definitely not the best team in the Championship but they fight to the end and never stop running.
Jarrko, I started my post with, “another great team performance”
And I agree we did play some good football, in parts, but generally our passing is not as slick as a lot of teams we have played, Last night we once again resorted to, too many high balls to the front runners, which are of no use to them.
Also my other point which has been noted by other posters, is the general lack of goals, which ultimately I believe will cost us a place in the play offs.
Yes it’s only been three or four matches, but the new additions have a lot to do.
May be McGree will improve the left hand side.
Enjoyed the match, as people have said the goalkeeper has to shoulder blame for an absolute shocker, but the "strikers" must also come under scrutiny because if they could score then maybe the goalkeeper deficiency would not stand out as much, the team wins together and the team loses together. I do wonder if it is the goalkeeper or the strikers that may mean we just miss out this season.
PaulinBoro,
The strikers could help but that was a grim mistake by the keeper, it looks like a case of lack of concentration, poor spatial awareness and ball playing skills. I've heard of trying to play out from the back but that was totally avoidable. No wonder Mr Clough used to say a good keeper was worth ten goals to his team. Ours could be the opposite.
What was wrong with Row Z or the Shepherds Bush Road? On the Sky highlights just after the goal a QPR player shows how to deal with a loose ball with a degree of firmness.
Having said that I thought it would be a draw but goalless!
UTB,
John
Covid Rules change from Tomorrow and so am in the UK on Saturday and got my tickets for the Derby game - 1no. OAP for me and 1no. child for my boy.
Looking forward to a cracking performance again with fewer mistakes. Can't wait.
What are the COVID rules for getting in the ground?
UTB
You just need to turn up with tickets, the requirement to prove vacination status has ended
@pedro Passing was good enough yeterday. But we need more goals as you said.
Perhaps we were a bit unlucky not to score four yesterday, too. Up the Boro!
Since I was in the pub I didn't see the game last night. They were showing some little dust-up between Villa and Leeds with a couple of genuine Villa fans in, one Leeds fan and the rest of the pub following the "any team playing against Leeds is my team, tonight" line.
It SOUNDED like a good game at Loftus Road. However I missed both 2nd half goals! I will look for them after this post. I won't go into a long explanation but I switched off the radio at half time and watched 15 minutes of the Villa game, then failed to appreaciate that game was 15 minutes behind the Boro game. When they came back out onto the field at Villa I realised the 2nd half must have started quite a while earlier at Loftus Road. It had been 1-1 but was 2-2 when I put the radio back on. But the converstation in the pub about Kurt Zouma's cat and other things had been rivetting.
I predicted 2-1 to Boro before the game, so I suppose I was 1 goal out (it sounds like the goal gifted by Lumley). We seem to be meeting a series of Championship teams all on the crest of a wave in terms of their recent performances/form at the time of our games, so to expect to win every week against those teams would imply that Boro is as good or better than Fulham. That would be a very high bar to set. In the circumstances a draw at QPR is a decent result and one which is still consistent with promotion or at least a play-off place. Of course that has to be backed up with a win at the weekend against a Derby team whose form is much better than their league position (in light of their 21 deducted points leaving them in a relegation place).
Let's be honest a win away at Manchester United followed by a good draw away at high-flying QPR just HAS to be a good return for any team. Let's not lose sight of the fact that we are Middlesbrough, and that we only changed our manager a few months ago. I agree that if we had Chris Wilder in position last summer, we would be there with Fulham at the top of the league. Happy times....
Well my concerns of an adverse reaction after our mega win at Old Trafford were unfounded.
I agree with Deleriad that we have not seen a Boro team since AK’s show so much energy, determination and at times real quality.
Having said pre match that I would be happy with a point, in the end I was disappointed that we did not take all three points; we deserved to and but for a diabolical mistake by Lumley would probably have done so.
Many on here, myself included, said that he was a liability after just a few performances and he has done nothing since to change my view; problem is I don’t believe we have any better alternatives and CW will have to persevere with him.
It was good to see at long last a side who were on the front foot for most of the game and dominated the majority of the game against a quality side. It was good to hear Mark Warburton say that they had got away with it and were, in the end, grateful for their point.
I also agree with Deleriad that we are not the best side in this league but if we continue to play like that then we will win more than we lose or draw and I for one will enjoy watching them, even if it’s in the Championship. 😎
The pass completion stats show 72%QPR 71% Boro. Hopefully one game we will score more than 2 goals. It is probably a big ask for Balogun and Connolly to step up and deliver. Would have preferred a more experienced Striker. Dael Fry became our 14th different scorer this season, League and cup is this a record for a team scoring so few goals.
@pedro Passing was good enough yesterday. But we need more goals as you said.
Perhaps we were a bit unlucky not to score four yesterday, too. Up the Boro!
4,400 Barnsley away tickets sold in 24 hours, amazing.
Come on BORO.
@pedro Passing was good enough yesterday. But we need more goals as you said.
Perhaps we were a bit unlucky not to score four yesterday, too. Up the Boro!
On the Lumley issue and whether he is our best keeper - given the other options available he probably is. From what I've seen of Daniels I would say his kicking and his distribution were pretty poor and if we feel nervous when Lumley receives a backpass then I would be even more so with Daniels. As for Sol Brynn, he's only 21 and I think has only 8 senior appearances under his belt when on loan at Queen of the South. So would be a big ask to make him our number one as the pressure of promotion campaign comes to the boil.
At 26 (27 next Tuesday), Lumley hasn't made a lot of appearances by keeper standards - despite 8 years at QPR, he didn't have his break-through season until 2018-19 when he became their number one and made 46 appearances. The following season he made just 26 as he shared that role with Liam Kelly, who ended up being sent to Motherwell on loan before making the move permanent. Before 2018, Lumley had amassed 54 appearances in 8 different loan spells in the lower leagues.
What has been evident with Lumley is that he appears a bit slower than what is comfortable when he has to take a touch with the ball and then clear it or pass to another Boro player - perhaps it's his decision making on what to do with the ball that makes him look slightly ponderous. Having said that, when he cleared the ball without first taking a touch, he has normally hit the ball very cleanly. Also his distribution has generally been pretty good and perhaps it's when he's under pressure from pressing players that he appears to overthink.
Long term (or even short term), this is probably going to be a problem with the style in which Chis wilder plays - if his tactic is to play out from defence then a keeper is going to need to be comfortable in the role as what we now call a 'sweeper-keeper'. The trend is for keepers to now also be footballers, who almost play as an extra defender with the ball at their feet. The question for Wilder and Lumley is whether he can adapt to this role - plus he probably needs to improve on his general keeping too.
Anyway, whatever we think of his merits on a longer term basis, he's going to be the main man for the rest of this season. He looks likely to make an error most games but can also pull off some good saves and catches - I guess if he was the finished article then he wouldn't have arrived on a free. Let's hope he can iron out those howlers from his game in the coming weeks and it doesn't prove too costly. Maybe the strikers can also help by converting more of their chances too!
Not unlucky, but as ever wasteful. Were Man Utd unlucky not to score more goals on Friday? Same verdict from me - no, wasteful!
I neither saw last night’s match nor listened to it, so my judgement is based on the recorded highlights I saw this morning. So why are goalkeepers castigated for one error of judgment in a match, when strikers continue to make more mistakes per match? Joe Lumley isn’t the only goalkeeper to make mistakes, but for Craig Johns to mark him with a 4 is disrespectful, especially as he had given him a 6 for his first half performance. So does that mean Joe’s second half performance only merited a 2 then to average it out? Who’d be a goalkeeper? Give the lad a break!
Talking of Away allocations and as Exmil pointed out Boro’s sold out Barnsley visit and have asked for more I believe.
Derby have sold out their allocation for this Saturday.
I agree that a keeper making a howler to concede a goal costs the team just as much (one goal) as a striker missing an open goal. However I guess that a keeper who missed as many shots rained in on his goal as a typical striker misses opportunities to score, he'd be drummed out of the club.
Only the stats would tell us but I don't know what the stats would say as to the proportions of shots on goal saved by a good keeper (say Leicester's Schmeikle or De Gea) on the one hand as compared with shots to goals scored by a good striker (say by a Kane or a Mane). Of course you'd then have to translate that to a comparison between a Lumley and a Sporar or a Connolly.
Mfc have told that there were 66 touches and 26 passes before we scored the equaliser to level it 2-2 at QPR. Nearly all of them around their penalty box or inside. So much passing from this Boro team for one goal.
Wilderball as they called it. I would call it Borocelona, too.
How I enjoy the season now. Up the Boro!
Reference our keepers at Boro
My Grandson played with sol brynn growing up
He was a fantastic keeper at that age, same quality as fry etc
no surprise he got recalled from loan
it’s a big decision for wilder but he backs young keepers.
OFB
You can see the full move on the MFC Facebook page. The highlights don't do it justice, as for Jones' nutmeg before the cross its a long time since we have had a player with the ability, and confidence to do that, and it could have been scorer number 15 as unbelievably Taylor was inside the six yard box to put off Adomah and would have had a tap in.
MW in Darwin,
That nutmeg is so quick and slick I think many will have missed it. Wonderful to see.
UTB,
John