6pm on Wednesday is Millers time for Boro as we attempt to down Rotherham United at their New York Stadium.
The South Yorkshire side may be third from bottom of the Championship but they’re not bitter and with two games in hand on 21st placed Derby County – sorry, Wayne Rooney’s Derby County – there’s plenty to keep them bubbling along. Boro’s season has gone so flat that the barrel needs changing and with nectar nothing to play for, Neil Warnock has a job on his hands to keep spirits up after a punch-drunk run of five games without a win and nowhere near enough shots.
Indeed, after the latest defeat at the weekend, a groggy Warnock threatened to bar a few Boro regulars and help them to move on in the summer. “We talk about the rebuilding job being a difficult job but we’ve got to get a few out as well at the same time”, he said, later adding “…not too dissimilar to when I first came, we’ve got a couple of players who don’t want to be here and we’ve got to try and help them on.”
We were left to come to our own conclusions on which players the manager was talking about but I think we can all guess that Britt was one of them, whilst Djed Spence came in for more specific criticism. “To give two goals away, I still don’t understand. I said to Djed who’s marking the man who scores, he’s stood with him and just let’s him go to head the goal. It’s just irresponsible really, and it’s cost us because it’s been the winning goal”, said a frustrated Warnock. It's beginning to feel like trouble is brewing.
With several players seemingly looking towards their summer holiday, a midweek business trip to New York might be just the tonic. Rotherham sit 23rd in the form table at present with just one win from their last six games in a run that has included desperately disappointing defeats at home to Wycombe, Coventry and now Birmingham. Indeed, it’s their home form that has really cost them with just one win and five defeats from their last six games following the 0-1 defeat to Birmingham on Sunday lunchtime.
Sadly for Boro, our form is also on the rocks down in 22nd place with only Bristol City and Rotherham propping us up. The Millers will be sensing an opportunity to boost their survival hopes.
Surely it’s time for Warnock to bring in a few youngsters who are keen to impress. Sol Brynn, Hayden Coulson, Hayden Hackney, Connor Malley and Josh Coburn are all waiting for a chance to impress and with some of the more experienced regulars failing to do just that of late, what does the manager have to lose by giving one or two a go? It’s a shame at this point that both Nathan Wood and Lewis Wing are out on loan, though at least Wing will be ineligible for this one.
So, will it be happy hour for Boro fans or will the season continue to fizzle out at the bitter end? Maybe don’t answer that….
Cheers!
A cracker, Andy. You're really getting into this.
And I think you are right. Given that the result isn't vital for the Boro, the respect that Warnock has for the Millers and their manager, and the chance to put Derby down, it's the ideal time to put in some of the kids.
Not that I am suggesting for a moment that we might deliberately be giving another club a helping hand.
I don't believe in footballing conspiracy theories, and have never been fined for espousing them.
I don't think Warnock is ever the type to play the kids; he's a "you don't win anything with kids" kind of manager. He believes in seasoned pros.
Prediction for the team, injuries notwithstanding.
Archer
Fisher, Hall, McNair, Bola
Howson, Hackney or Malley, Saville
Kebano, Watmore, Bolasie
I think the intent will be to give Coburn 30 minutes if we're ahead.
The team I would like
Archer
Fisher, Hall, McNair, Bola
Howson, Saville
Folarin, Watmore, Johnson
Coburn
I don't see us keeping Bolasie and Kebano so I see no reason to put them in the first 11. Archer we may keep so he deserves a chance to show what he can do. Britt and Fletcher have checked out. Coburn and Folarin ought to get a chance to start. Johnson deserves a chance to earn a new contract.
Nice one Andy, a humorous header and boy do we need some humour. Just pray that mr Warnock doesn't play the soggy beer mats on Wednesday.
Please make a real statement and leave them out for goodness sake. Especially Britt. You know who they are, we know who they are so just damn well do it. Have them in the office and tell them as well.
UTB,
John
Andy
You’ve pulled a nice brew for us to savour and talk over for the next few days we’ll done.
Hopefully we can tipple our opponents and get some pints on the board. A few shots would be nice especially if we also have a few chasers to down on the night.
Hopefully not a bitter performance on the night !
Bottoms up !
OFB
Excellent opener AndyR, thank you for that.
I couldn't agree more with John R above.
Leave the wasters out, totally. I'd ban them from the club and just crack on as if they never existed.
Thanks Andy for your thirst quenching starter article.
I agree with Deleriad that NW is unlikely to start with any of the kids as he has already said they are likely to get only half an hour.
I think one of the local journalist should have been asking some searching questions as to why BA was introduced on Saturday when he is leaving and presumably one of those not wanting to be at the club, instead of someone who will.
As each match goes by we are looking as we did under GM and JW, a team without an identity and recognisable playing method other than kick and run. NW tried three up front against Millwall without a focal point and it did not work, did the same against QPR and did not work and worse still we lost against 10 men and not for the first time!
I think some of the talk about disaffected players is in part another deflection tactic on NW's behalf, to stop people focusing on the fact that we are slipping down the league and are exhibiting more relegation traits than promotion ones.
Millers 2-0 Flat Boro. 😎
My worry and suspicion on the dressing room “clique” is that it contains more than just those who are due to leave us. Warnock’s comments suggest as much when he talks about helping to move players on.
With my amateur detective hat on, Warnock has named checked Morsy, Howson, Hall, McNair, Watmore, Fry and Tavernier as players he wants around the place and has also awarded Djiksteel with a new contract (Bola too? I can’t recall), as well as praising Kebano and Bolasie.
Of those involved at the weekend, aside from the kids, it leaves Bettinelli, Spence, Saville, Fletcher, Assombalonga, Johnson and Akpom.
I think it’s likely that the problem area is within that group and there does appear to be a London/South-East connection to much of it that could be the basis of a clique.
Pure speculation of course and I may be doing some players a disservice, but that’s my reading of it.
I would say that all of those players are relatively easy to leave out but we’d be short on the bench.
@andy-r I think your list could be split into three:
1) Not good enough - Bettinelii, Spence, Assombalonga, Akpom
2) Possibly worth keeping - Fletcher, Johnson, Saville
3) Not trying atm - Spence, Assombalonga, Akpom, Bettinelli
I looked at the league table now. I haven't done so since our Easter flop but realised an interesting thing.
We are not mathematically safe yet. We need one point from the remaining matches. If you are afraid to find the missing point, we will be safe if Rotherham lose a point from one of their remaining matches.
So not losing on Wednesday will be enough for us. Easier said than done, though.
Of course we can take a positive from this. It is a big improvement on last season. We can sleep better for the remaining few weeks. Up the Boro!
Top work Andy!
After the footballing events of this week I think I would rather Rotherham won, there I've said it. The result now means nothing to Boro but if the Millers can string some results together they could overhaul Derby and with Wednesday almost certainly going down there would be at least some justice in regards to clubs playing by the rules.
Warnock's comments now to me are becoming tiresome and indeed irritable. Playing surface, changing rooms, Referee's, fixture congestion, Internationals just seem to go on and on and on and on. Now we have cliques and Players that don't want to be here. I'm sorry but if that is really true then why bring Assombalonga on let alone include him in the squad.
From utmost respect for NW my view is hurtling towards abject cringing embarrassment which is now bordering on "meh", take it or leave it. His post match utterances are now becoming more and more like a Trump press conference.
Thanks for the intro Andy.
also happy for the Millers to grind us up tomorrow and hope Wane Rooney's Derby go down.
Not sure how NW ,or any other manager , would cope with how transfers are done here in Oz. Players sign for clubs for the following season and still play for their original club. For example a top Melbourne storm player who won the NRL last year has signed a 4 year contract with Canterbury, worst team this season, starting in 2022. apparently it is so that they have stability and know where they are playing. Another thing UK managers couldn't get used to is having to name their team on Tuesday at 5pm for the fixtures at the weekend.
@mw-in-darwin I may be wrong, but I think Fletcher, Assombalonga etc. players with their contract coming to an end can sign a pre-contract in January window for the following season. If there would be a club willing sign them, mind.
I think this is part of the freedom of contract.
It is the norm in ice hockey in Finland, too that is a professional sports over here.
Up the Boro!
Club website now reporting that NML is injured and might not be available until the last two games!
Signing out of contract players or loan players who have not played for some time was always a high risk strategy and so it has proved with with both NML and YB having picked up injuries since signing in January.
A pay as you play contract would probably have been more beneficial to the club but not one that the players concerned would have been willing to sign up to.
I hope that the club have learnt from the experience and are more circumspect when signing players in the future who have not played for a while as to mind they are more suspect to picking up an injury.
I am also not convinced about the decision to not play DF or MT until next season, as they too will have not played for three months or more and will not be match fit when the next season starts. Far better in my view to give them some pitch time before the end of this season.
There again, what do I know, I am only a supporter and as this week's announcement of a European Super League has proved, our views do not count! 😎
Warney,
As arranged I've put the kids in.
Couldn't get any more in if i tried.
Even I haven't seen or heard of most of them.
Treat them gently. No more than a 2 goal margin
Respect
Neil
Apparently Fletcher and Assombalonga have now left with their "services" no longer required!
@redcarred Radio Tees tweeting
https://twitter.com/BBCTeesSport/status/1384905322771406853?s=19
Good their attitude was disgraceful and hope they end up in Australia like the other Boro players who wouldn’t play for us at the ending last season.
OFB
Courtesy of Vic:
Another sloppy goal conceded from a routine corner, McDonald easily away from Bola and gets a head on Mattock corner (1-0, 3 mins)
Two or three minutes a later:
In the net. Disallowed. Watmore heavy first touch, defender shields ball, Watmore slides in and pokes it home but ruled out for a foul. Did the keeper have both hands on the ball? Was it there to be won?
Another dodgy ref?
The Millers have Matt Crooks sent off for a foul on Hall in the 18th minute. Can Boro make the extra man count this time?
Connor Malley on for Grant Hall (injury) in the 24th minute. Saville equalises in the 33rd, assisted by Kebano.
Saville equalises in the 33rd, assisted by Kebano.
Vic's comment:
'Top scorer' George Saville.. no one saw that coming. Kebano wriggles to byline and cuts back for Saville to hammer home (1-1, 33 mins)
🙂
Very impressed with young Connor O Malley shows no fear and even had a shot or two on goal. Promising 👌
Interesting sending off although Rotherham were saying he was leading with his arm I think the referee considered it dangerous play and a similar foul was made on McNair by a different player earlier in the game
Need to make the extra player count
Did anyone else notice that the Boro players are playing the game with a smile on their faces
OFB
Lets be fair the keeper did have both hands on the ball before Watmore kicked it out of his hands.
I would have given the free kick and I’m Boro biased !
OFB
Akpom, assisted by Paddy, makes it 1-2 in the 55th minute.
Boro pressing and passing. Nice to see.
@andy-r. I would hope so against 10 men! Still making hard work of it and are not sure of the win yet. 😎
Conor O Malley Sky MOM
Great night for the young lad
OFB
Vic's assessment of the match:
FT: 2-1. Wobbly start but decent display against 10 men with some good individual displays in a rot-stopping game, two good goals, three against the bar and kept the tempo up. Plus two league debuts for kids. Malley was very good.
My bold.
Well that lifted the gloom a bit. About time! I think we were lucky and unlucky in equal measure. I’m not convinced it was a red card ( though my brother, who was a ref, thought it was dangerous play). And for our equaliser, I thought the ball was moving when Kebano took the quick corner. On the other hand, we were unlucky to lose Hall and also hit the woodwork 3 times. In the end, I thought it was a job well done against what was admittedly poor and then weakened opposition. 25 shots, 13 corners! More of this, please, Neil.
I agree with Bob that Boro played with smiles on their faces tonight. Has the fact that NW has shown Assombalonga and Fletcher the door improved the atmosphere and team ethos? Something definitely made a difference tonight. Akpom had one of his best games in a Boro shirt and took his goal well - is he a new man after his two ‘rivals’ were dismissed? Perhaps this will give him a new lease of life? Johnny Howson, too, was back to his best.
No Djed Spence in the squad, and no Haydn Coulson. In the former’s case, I’m not surprised. He’s been awful lately and has had enough chances. On yer bike, Djed. Coulson hasn’t been given too many opportunities, so perhaps needs another chance.
I was very pleased to see Marvin given a full game. I think we should keep him. And I was equally pleased to see the under-23s on the bench. Connor Malley was great. He looks a fine prospect. I’d like to see him play in the last 3 games, and on this evidence I think he could form a very useful partnership next season with Tav.
By the way, I am very happy that both Fletcher and Britt will be departing. They’ve cost us an absolute fortune for a very poor return.