Shocking - defence all over the place. Outplayed out muscled. Can’t do the basics. 😎
Just when you think it can get no worse it does. Absolutely terrible defending.
Then back to the other end and Crooks makes his first telling touch.
Well, I think I got that prediction somewhat wrong. Boro have had one shot, off target, and QPR have had seven. Is Whatmore still seen as an impact substitute? I think we need the unit that is Uche out there.
This could easily end up 4 - 0 the way Boro are playing. What a spectacle for 2,000n plus away fans.
Come on Boro sort it out.
UTB,
John
OK, 4 -1 then!
I am sure CW will have some excuse for this inept performance. We have two small lightweight forwards up against two big, tall CB’s and all they are generally getting is long balls over the top.
Mcgree the pick but the midfield has been non existent.
Lots to do with this team and I think signing young inexperienced forwards is not going to help. Forss has not even been nuisance value.
Good question! It is impossible to use any rational test, because we are being controlled by people who are at the mercy of any club which states their wishes in a loud voice and says that they will not budge their position. We loaned out a very Good player to a rival. He would have made a difference of at least ten points. Who said he was not needed? Was it the manager? We had no say in the club or the price for him or our other star, which is not Good. The mystery of Connolly has never been solved, he came, he saw, and he did not try an inch, you will notice that I do not say he was a bad player, because we never saw him play. We did not drop him, the manager played him with great regularity, and we duly lost matches with great regularity. So to your question, I believe that the championship is going to get more competative with better groups of players dropping down to the champ. Are we going to be better managed? Answers in a postcard please. We not only do not play a striker, but we would not know what to do with one.
Forss! 3 - 2 Still asking a lot to even get 1 point
Crikey. Is the cry “Wilder out” already?
Anyone else have any streaming issues today? My feed kept buffering and freezing. I missed our second goal whilst I was re-booting the lap top.
Today was a bit like the early days of iFollow.
Not sure if it was my machine, which was hot, or there were wider problems. 😎
Spence on the bench for Spurs but did not get a game. Alan Armstrong played for Southampton. Greaves played for Hull whilst Muniz was also an unused sub.
As far as the latter three are concerned, it doesn’t look to me as if their clubs would be letting them depart. 😎
That was painful. Could say that on the balance of the game that we deserved a point but the first 40 minutes was so rank that it is hard to say any team that played like that deserves a point.
Wilder's teams do seem to start the season slowly so it's not crisis time. That said, last season the first 17 games under Warnock were mediocre and the last 17 games under Wilder were exactly the same with the exact same haul of points. The season was saved by Wilder's first 12 games where we looked really special and a cup run. All our failings under Warnock:
team can't play well for more than 45 minutes
players go missing, panic on the ball
concede goals in clusters
midfield wide open and not connecting with defence
All of those happened in the last 17 games under Wilder and happened again today. Since the start of the year it feels as though the team has gone sideways at best and I don't currently see what we're doing about it. As with us under Warnock, it feels like other teams now know how to beat us and we don't seem to have an answer.
Akpom made a difference when he came on but when Akpom's the solution to your problem that's one hell of a problem. Forss did what he was bought for and scored. Jones looks like he might be suffering second season syndrome; hopefully he'll come through it.
During our golden spell it looked as though the team believed that we simply couldn't lose. Now it feels like we never truly believe we can win.
Sometimes a performance like that first half clarifies things but right now I don't see what Wilder can do to change it around.
As ever, spot on Deleriad.
Another couple of performances like that and it will be difficult to see how we can make top six. Top two is just a fantasy. 😎
That was painful. Could say that on the balance of the game that we deserved a point but the first 40 minutes was so rank that it is hard to say any team that played like that deserves a point.
Wilder's teams do seem to start the season slowly so it's not crisis time. That said, last season the first 17 games under Warnock were mediocre and the last 17 games under Wilder were exactly the same with the exact same haul of points. The season was saved by Wilder's first 12 games where we looked really special and a cup run. All our failings under Warnock:
team can't play well for more than 45 minutes
players go missing, panic on the ball
concede goals in clusters
midfield wide open and not connecting with defence
All of those happened in the last 17 games under Wilder and happened again today. Since the start of the year it feels as though the team has gone sideways at best and I don't currently see what we're doing about it. As with us under Warnock, it feels like other teams now know how to beat us and we don't seem to have an answer.
Akpom made a difference when he came on but when Akpom's the solution to your problem that's one hell of a problem. Forss did what he was bought for and scored. Jones looks like he might be suffering second season syndrome; hopefully he'll come through it.
During our golden spell it looked as though the team believed that we simply couldn't lose. Now it feels like we never truly believe we can win.
Sometimes a performance like that first half clarifies things but right now I don't see what Wilder can do to change it around.
Not to mention Lenihan picking up a red card in the second minute of injury time! 🙁
We don't need 4 or 5 players, we must at least have 8!!
Went to Venice for the day so didn’t hear about the game until after the fat lady had sung, jumped on a gondola and eaten her Cornetto.
Not the performance I was expecting and Boro’s defence sounded leakier than the Venice sea defences.
It appears the Boro midfield still isn’t functioning and surely Chris Wilder must focus on signing a box-to-box midfielder who is going shore it up.
btw Just read that Tav had a “superb debut” for Bournemouth and perhaps as I feared may be hard to replace - especially his overall influence on the team.
Next game looking like it could be one that is approaching the must win category to avoid the season getting off on the wrong foot and drifting.
Still early days but sounds like Chis Wilder needs to get a grip on matters and so do recruitment - nothing lost yet but another defeat would make the natives restless…
Yes, Deleriad hit the nail on the head. Maybe today was just an aberration but it felt very much like same old, same old with zero evidence of any significant progress compared with the second half of last season. The performances in the next couple of games need to demonstrate a noticeable and significant improvement if there is going to be any prospect of competing at the right end of the table this season.
I watched it don’t want to talk about it !
Heard a rumour that Sunderland want Watmore and have had a bid accepted and will action when new personnel on board.
Bit then of course that could be me just making things up again !
OFB
All very disappointing although not unexpected as our away form since CW arrived is pretty poor only 4 wins ans 17 out of a possible 45.
Nit sure about us letting Watmore go as Josh Coburn is apparently out for 6 to 8 weeks with a knee injury so not likely to go out on loan.
Anyone else have any streaming issues today? My feed kept buffering and freezing. I missed our second goal whilst I was re-booting the lap top.
Today was a bit like the early days of iFollow.
Not sure if it was my machine, which was hot, or there were wider problems. 😎
Absolutely no issues in purchasing the service today nor any streaming issues. Sorry, but I had no issues today.
Up the Boro!
Good post deleriad.
We are short of quality all over the pitch, especially in the midfield which is porous like a sieve. Up front we need more in height and physical presence to be able to match the CB’s other teams generally have in this division.
Will Forss and Hoppe have this presence, I am not sure and as deleriad said, we have issues if Akpom is the best we have as it showed yesterday.
However the midfield continues where it left off last season, generally ineffective and more so with the loss of Tav’s energy. I thought McGree looks as though he can come good and can definitely play a ball, but needs more help around him.
Howson and Crooks have not been cutting it for some time and unless the latter dramatically improves, then both need replacing if we are to improve and bolster the defensive position.
Mr Wilder is already using the defeat to put pressure on the club to get the reinforcements in but also needs to up his tactics and system to be more flexible against the teams that know how to nullify us.
Sorry KP, forgot to add, that I generally had no issues apart from from a couple of minor stoppages, otherwise a good stream.
And another rumour I’ve apparently made up.
I’ve heard fry is going to Everton that’s why he wasn’t playing yesterday !
OFB
And another rumour I’ve apparently made up.
I’ve heard fry is going to Everton that’s why he wasn’t playing yesterday !
OFB
There seems to be an undercurrent on here at the moment. I’m in a fragile state of mind just now and I’m trying to avoid conflict and negativity, so I’m going to take a short break, but I’ll be back when I’m feeling a bit better.
UTB.
And another rumour I’ve apparently made up.
I’ve heard fry is going to Everton that’s why he wasn’t playing yesterday !
OFB
There seems to be an undercurrent on here at the moment. I’m in a fragile state of mind just now and I’m trying to avoid conflict and negativity, so I’m going to take a short break, but I’ll be back when I’m feeling a bit better.
UTB.
Sorry to hear about your fragility at the moment Martin. Hope things improve quickly and your break from the blog will be short lived. Best wishes. 😎
My interpretation of Martin's state of mind is confusion and frustration heading towards that old standby for us Boro supporters of desperation.
Earlier in the week we are told Whatmore is playing with 'one leg' and is an impact substitute to looked after and maximised in his use for short periods so he starts. Then we hear about the Forss medical management decision and taking him off before he gathered a self-inflicted injury: a hamstring or whatever. Fry is slightly injured and can't be risked but now super sleuth OFB hears on his grapevine that he's off to Everton, does anybody at the club know what is going on?
Boro are back to playing half a game again, waking up around half-time and starting an heroic fightback that gives us supporters hope(!) that they'll string it all together in the next game. strangely that never seems to happen does it. My optimism has now dissipated and I don't think it will return until there are some indications that there is a level of coherency and consistency in the entire MFC operation.
The hope is that our newly signed strikers aren't going to add to the reputation of the Riverside as a strikers graveyard.
UTB,
John
I can understand that Wilder might be desperate to get in more new recruits to improve the side and the lack of progress on that front could explain why he appeared to be a very frustrated and irate manager in his immediate post match imterview yesterday.
He spent the first part of the interview berating the referee for all sorts of things thereby implying that the officials bore some responsibility for the defeat. Only later in the interview did he agree that Boro were poor in the first half. He certainly seemed to be a man under pressure and I wonder whether he has realised that a difficult season might be looming………..
Is Chris Wilder now yesterday’s man? His win ratio at this moment is down to 45.7%, 1% lower than his percentage in his 227 matches with Sheffield United which included almost 2 years in the Premier League and initially earned him an extended 4 year contract until 2024 although summarily dismissed “by mutual consent” in March 2021 with the Blades bottom of the Premier League with only 14 points from 28 matches. Sheffield United were already doomed to relegation so presumably the board of directors didn’t have the confidence in his turning things round in the Championship and elevated Paul Heckingbottom in his stead.
One wonders then why Steve Gibson should think that if the Sheffield United board had lost confidence in one of their own, why Boro would think that Wilder’s tactics would improve Boro. Admittedly the style of play is better than under Neil Warnock or Tony Pulis, but at least the latter got Boro into the playoffs.
League tables mean nothing after only 2 matches, but by the end of the month when the transfer window closes Boro might well be in the lower reaches of the league and needing something like a Forest revival to reach the playoffs. Wilder was noted for bringing players into his squad for next to nothing, but now we don’t even know whether our proposed acquisitions are first choices or even 4th or 5th choices. That is not necessarily Wilder’s fault, but something is not quite right about the recruitment process and loanees are not the answer in the long term.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Dael Fry was next to leave, but like Ben Gibson his form has deteriorated. Gibson has now been appointed captain at Norwich but is prone to error as his woeful miss-pass resulted in a goal for Wigan yesterday. Worried about Boro? No in the great scheme of things it’s only a game, but I am concerned of how we continue to be a selling club and the worse for it.
Perhaps Dael Fry may be at peak value while observers remember how he nullified the threat of both Kane and Ronaldo in the cup. An indifferent season this time round and only 12 months left on his contract after this campaign ends could see him leave cheaply.
As I mentioned previously, the new regime at Boro appears to be about getting maximum return from the playing assets. Though whether Boro can easily replace Fry given their struggles to sign a left-sided center-back is another matter. Money in the bank is only an advantage if it is spent well - or indeed spent!
To be fair the majority of Managers complain about the lack of movement within their squad and use any current issue to press their claim for more players.
Unfortunately CW presently has plenty of them with which to use as a stick to beat the recruitement team. I am not sure he is totally happy or comfortable with the situation at MFC. The Burnley saga may still rankle in the background and as he has stated, he thinks of things all the time.
If we do not improve the squad very soon and get some results and points on board then any hope of a competitive season will evaporate quickly and playing catch up will not ensure the confidence required as deleriad alluded to previously.
We have a clutch of young relatively inexperienced players, in Championship terms, and they could suffer if we do not start winning matches. Sheffield next Saturday will be one gig test.
All told it’s been a bad weekend for Teesside clubs especially in the FA Cup. Obviously none of yesterday’s winners are not going to get anywhere near to reaching the First Round Proper but the prize money although small in the early rounds can accumulate the further they are involved. I am slightly surprised that only 142 fans should watch Thornaby lose 1-3 at home to Kendal Town, or even more so that only 364 should turn up at Guisborough who usually attract average gates of 400/450 for league matches. Both they and visitors Bishop Auckland who incidentally beat the Priorymen 1-0 have won their opening two league matches to share the lead at the top of the table. At least Redcar Athletic had a crowd of 485 which is way above last season’s average where the Steelmen only won 5 times at home last season and for the second year running lost to Seaham Red Star this time 1-2.
Incidentally in League One Charlton somewhat avenged their 1-4 defeat in the 1946 FA Cup Final when the ball burst by beating Derby County 1-0, Oxford United beat Cambridge United 1-0 in what might be considered as the Varsity match, and in the Championship Stoke City beat Blackpool 2-0 in what might be construed as the Stanley Matthews derby as “the Wizard of the Dribble” born in Hanley made 289 appearances for his home town of Stoke before his transfer to Blackpool in 1947 where he made 418 appearances and won an FA Cup winners medal at the third attempt in 1953. Then subsequently he returned to Stoke City in 1961 for 66 more matches playing his last match against Fulham five days after his 50th birthday.
Our only local winners over the weekend were Darlington who started their season with a 3-1 league victory over Gloucester City.
Unfortunately (or possibly fortunately) I missed the game yesterday due to other commitments. I was surprised and pretty disappointed when I saw the result.
Having now seen the highlights, those three goals conceded were alarmingly poor. The first was a terrific strike but we’d given the ball away so lazily and followed it up with a couple of really half-hearted challenges. We deserved to concede for the lack of conviction in our play.
The next two goals were truly dreadful to concede with such poor marking/tracking and dealing with the set plays. Really soft stuff.
Its good that we scored a couple and got ourselves back into the game but for all the talk of needing new strikers - and we do - it’s the other end of the pitch and through midfield that we look most frail. The squad may be thin but that doesn’t excuse the quality of defending on show on those highlights. I think we’re entitled to expect better than that.
All in all a very underwhelming start to the season but thankfully it’s a marathon, as Forest demonstrated last season.
Time to get up and running Boro.