Isn't it marvelous to watch a team that is playing good football and everybody seems to be enjoying themsleves.
Archer and Akpom are absolute dynamite whilst Forss and Mcgree get better and better. It was clearly the right decision to bring Fry back in as, once again, he put his head everywhere and covered brilliantly. It's worth noting that McBurnie was actually being marked by Lenihan for the goal which was probably the wrong way round but these things happen and I wouldn't say anything against Lenihan as he is the cement that holds the defence together. Everyone else was good; very solid performances on each flank by Giles and Smith and the midfield two continue to play as if they've been partners for years. It wouldn't surprise me if Barlaser played on Saturday to give Howson a rest although Carrick may not want to disturb the rhythm. Steffen continues to be very good as a blocking goalkeeper. He really makes hiself big when coming out to smother a shot.
Also, I agree with an earlier comment that ramsey looked very sharp when he came on. Lighning fast and very good at spotting space. He might be a great acquisition particularly to come on for the last half hour of games.
We're still a good bit behind Sheffield United but their next two games are against Millwall and Watford. They may well start to feel some pressure whilst Carrick is doing everything that he can to create an atmosphere of calm, confidence and consistency.
This could be a lot of fun.
UTB
During the first 10 mins I was worried, but I should have more faith, we are playing some of the best football I can remember and say it quietly 2nd top scorerers in league the boro!!!!
Like @paulinboro I too was worried after they scored so early.
I thought we might fold and get another battering but all credit to the boys who remained calm and eased their way back into the game and took control for long spells.
I was disappointed that Paul Heckingbottom did not give us any recognition for the way we played, merely putting down the loss to them not taking their chances. We did not go there looking to park the bus as many away teams do but instead were always looking to play to win and did so convincingly and deservedly.
Whilst automatic promotion is a possibility I think it is an outside chance and whilst the blades have some tough games coming up there is no reason why they shouldn’t beat the teams that we already have.
I am more concerned that we continue to build a gap on those teams chasing us and it’s good to see that those with games in hand cannot overtake us even if they win them; the gap on the likes of West Brom, Norwich, Sunderland, Millwall and Watford is beginning to build nicely.
One thing we can’t afford is a poor run of form at the wrong time; we all know what happened under TP toward the end of the season.
This team and Manager are, however, a different kettle of fish and showed last night the fortitude to stand up to the pressure and to produce when they needed to. 😎
OFB,
I was quite worried about your foam handed, seemingly unrealistic 1-3 prediction, hoping that kitchen knives, car keys and sharp tools had been hidden by your good lady but very well done on that coupon busting forecast!
Now, about the lottery numbers for Saturday...
UTB,
John
I reckon that's the most complete team performance we have put in since we got relegated.
Better than the cup match against Spurs because although we were superb that night, Spurs got their tactics wrong and let us play the way we wanted to. Yesterday we faced a team unbeaten since the World Cup who knew exactly how to play against us and got their tactics spot on but we still rolled them over: scoring 3 goals on their own ground. They haven't conceded that many goals at home since they got relegated.
They did put us under a lot of pressure at times but we endured what we had to and despite conceding early we grew into the game and showed immense character and skill.
Akpom's goal was sublime. 1 touch to make space. 1 touch to make an angle. Boom. Archer's goals were both classic poacher's goals; hanging on the shoulder of the last defender looking for a through ball or for a ball that breaks free from a mistake.
I know it's a cliche but this was a statement win. We've had a lot of false dawns in the last 5 years but this does really start to feel like the real deal.
Like Bournemouth last year, I suspect that Sheffield Utd have just enough fuel in the tank to make it over the line in second but if we keep pushing them hard then, if nothing else, we go into the playoffs as the team to fear.
I see the EG gave n/a scores for Crooks, Ramsey and Mowatt. In the latter’s case, fair enough - I don’t think he touched the ball. But Crooks made a telling contribution, putting Blades defenders under pressure (as he did to Cardiff on Saturday) and ensuring the ball came nowhere near our goal as the clock ticked down. He was an 8 for me! [...]
I think MC agrees with you, Clive - his thoughts on the other MC & Cameron Archer & his ankle problem & on the Fry vs McNair dilemma, as reported by Dom Shaw in the Echo:
The article also explains why Isaiah Jones wasn't in the match-day squad. 🙂
Report on Heckofabottom remarks
I must admit that Sheffield United didn’t disappoint with their attempt to rough house the Boro team last night supported by their mealy mouthed manager who was ungracious in defeat and very unsporting.
One moment in the first half when a Sheff Utd corner was being taken, Smith was flattened by a deliberate forearm smash from a Sheff Utd player which was caught by the cameras but missed by the officials. Did any other Diasborians see it?
I rather got the impression from Heckofabottom at the post match interview when he was moaning about the advantage that was lost by Utd and resulting in Boro scoring that he was accusing Boro of falling down at every challenge for a free kick. Calling his Sheffield team too honest he is now trying to get referee’s on his side by awarding them free kicks and gaining advantages in games.
Its mind games and I’ll repeat it “he’s mealy mouthed and not a nice guy at all and to quote Kevin Keegan” I really really hope we beat them!”
OFB
James McAtee was the player who did the forearm smash !
OFB
“he’s mealy mouthed and not a nice guy at all and to quote Kevin Keegan” I really really hope we beat them!”
Couldn't agree more. As I posted earlier, I was extremely disappointed with his after match comments during which he gave no credit whatsoever to the opposition; I just wonder if he feels that the wheels might be starting to come off. 😎
“he’s mealy mouthed and not a nice guy at all and to quote Kevin Keegan” I really really hope we beat them!”
Couldn't agree more. As I posted earlier, I was extremely disappointed with his after match comments during which he gave no credit whatsoever to the opposition; I just wonder if he feels that the wheels might be starting to come off. 😎
Yes. I did see that forearm smash OFB and I couldn't agree more. On the night his big bully boys simply couldn't live with the quality that Boro had.
The Sheffield lad did well to brush off what was an innocuous challenge and keep on his feet to have a clear advantage. That he failed to make good use of the advantage (and he did have options) was his doing, not Boro's doing and not the referee's doing.
Imagine, had he very quickly played a through ball to present a goal scoring opportunity, but the referee blew up and gave them the free kick instead of the advantage, I suspect their manager would have had very much more than a lot to say about that and he would probably have completely smashed the 4th officials substitute board as well.
One thing is clear to me after last night. Should Sheffield Utd get promoted, they will not be able to live with the PL standard opposition they will face week in and week out. Boro has shown that quality football is the answer to in the your face, high pressing and very physical game they employ and there are a lot more teams in the PL playing the way Boro does now and many (most) do it even better than we do at the moment.
Report on Heckofabottom remarks
OFB
Heckofabottom! Genius, OFB!
Liked your post, but did you really mean to say that most teams in the division play quality football "even better than we do at the moment" ?
Oops!
Mea culpa.
Entirely misread the final para of your post, every last letter of which I entirely agree with.
Apologies
Reminder: get yourself a new pair of specs, Len. At this rate you'd qualify as a fully-fledged Championship referee.
Liked your post, but did you really mean to say that most teams in the division play quality football "even better than we do at the moment" ?
Thank you Len. Yes, but perhaps I omitted to put a "?" after the "most" I had put in parenthesis. (When you say in the division, you do mean the Premier League, which is what I think I was saying?)
We play a great and fast flowing game, with the ball being moved quickly into space for team mates to run onto and stretching the defensive lines of the opposition. It really is brilliant to watch it happen.
However, we do need to keep ourselves honest and recognise that more than just being a little bit suspect at the back we do also at times give the ball away far too easily. Better teams than most we face this season are likely to hurt us more often than happens now when we do do that (i.e. gift the ball away) as well as them being less likely to do the same thing (gift the ball) so often. It is fair to say we are improving each week and we will (hopefully) continue to do so. Should we reach the PL next season, we may also get some new faces in to help us improve again, but we know it will be a big step up and we know that it will be much much harder to have an impact in that league to start with. I probably do think there ten or more of the current PL that play like we do week in week out, but maybe that wee bit better than we do just now and with a wee bit more consistency than we have at the moment... which is not to say that on the day we will not be a match any one of them.
Oops!
Mea culpa.
Entirely misread the final para of your post, every last letter of which I entirely agree with.
Apologies
Reminder: get yourself a new pair of specs, Len. At this rate you'd qualify as a fully-fledged Championship referee.
Doh! And there was me busily crafting a carefully worded response which I posted before seeing that you had re-read my previous post !
Picked this up from the EG:
“Is it true that Lenihan picked the ball up at the final whistle and gave it to McBurnie saying there you can have it back now? ole, ole, ole.”
I hope it is true because I think it’s brilliant, a bit like OFB’s Heckofabottom. 😎
Fantastic performance. Had me jumping off the chair!
I will miss watching the games for the next 3 weeks, as I am on my travels again. But as usual I will looking at my friends posts on here.
Plus of course looking at the latest scores on the Web. UTB
I would hope that the comment made by the boro player is true, I like classy jokes. It is true that teams get away with kick and rush, but when you are coached by someone who has lived all his football life by skill at the top of the game. Then you will find that it is fairly easy to overcome such methods. When things started slipping they quickly lost their heads, and in fact put themselves in danger of losing a couple of their players. But all this is beside the point, the sheer joy of watching proper football, played at speed, against a team who really thought that kick it High and run into as many opposition players as possible is the only way to go, was so good it should be bottled. It is not us boro fans, for we know nothing, it is the press who watched the inevitable win for kick and rush turn into a night of classy football and called like is is.
Either I have now fallen out of love for football, or football has fallen out with me. Not Boro’s fault of course but I hated last night as I spent most of the match sitting on the toilet with bowel incontinence and wondering what I could do to stem the flow of excrement and eventually settled on wearing two Tena pads adjacent to each other cheek by cheek and hoping that a couple of Imodium tablets would prevent my soiling the bed clothes for the second time in the week. I don’t know of anyone with bowel cancer, but incontinence is as near to it at this moment. My consultant informs me that there is no easy fix for it, one comes into this world with incontinence and a few of us leave this world with the same problem, though there’s more of it in later life.
It would have to occur whilst Boro are playing some of its best football in my lifetime, but in reality I’ve much preferred cricket as my chosen sport. Enjoy the current football played by the Boro, I’m pleased for you all, but it’s unlikely that I’ll ever see the Boro in the Premier League again. I’m surprised to note that I’ve written over 2,000 blogs on Diasboro to date, but now feel that it’s time to cut back on my postings. I’ve got Werder to thank for allowing me to write especially about music and cricket in its current format, and of course about the Boro going back to their Northern League days. Nostalgia is not what most of us wish to read about, but I’ve actually felt as if I’ve seen some of yesterday’s stars even playing in those far back days.
I’ll still make Diasboro my first port of call, but won’t contribute as much as I used to, as I’m coccooned in my own home and I intend to stay here until my dying day which can’t come quickly enough at this moment.
Apologies to OFB for very belated thanks for the Headliner and the insight to predict the final score. Did you also think they would score first.
As always, great posts on the follow up. I am still up to my eyes, hence the lack of posts. It is great to read about your team when they are the up.
@ken Hello, Ken.
Yes, just take care of yourself. If tired , take it easy. But let us know your well being with short messages every now and then. Once a week, for example.
As you must have better and worse days, I still hope you are able to read and follow Boro and your other sport preferances. And lintening to music, of course.
I hope that Boro will get somehow promoted this spring. Just to give you something to shout about. Up the Boro!
@ken - I'd like to join in with the best wishes being sent to you already by OFB and Jarkko. Hang on in there, old chap! I think there is every chance you WILL live to see Boro in the Premier League as we approach March in very good order and looking nailed on for a Play-Off place and with an outside chance of catching Sheffield United for an automatic promotion place. And if we do it, there will be Premier League football at the Riverside in August.
I was up yesterday watching the first few hours of the cricket in New Zealand and was able to watch the last hour or so today. England 98 ahead with 8 wickets in hand at the end of the first 2 days played. This doesn't look like lasting the full 5 days, but an England win looks likely at this stage.
So sorry to hear about your situation, Ken. I wish I could do more than send you my very best wishes, but you are constantly in my thoughts.
Sorry to hear that you’re not enjoying life at the moment, @ken Hopefully you can get some cheer from the cricket and Boro’s form - I hope your love of music can bring you some solace and lift your mood. We’ll miss your contributions but fully understand how difficult it must be to keep producing such well researched posts.
Ken,
Look after yourself in your tiring and debilitating situation as best you can. When you can put up a post to let us know how you are and so that we can at least respond with good wishes and support. Not a great deal of help I know but any support is positive reaction.
Best wishes,
UTB,
John
@ Deleriad on 16th inst
Actually Sheffield United have conceded 3 goals at home on another occasion this season. That was at home to 9 man Blackpool on the 15th October 2022 in a 3-3 draw which was arguably the craziest Championship match of this season. The Blades had established a 2-0 lead after 25 minutes but suddenly conceded 3 times to be 2-3 down with 40 minutes remaining. Blackpool then had Marvin Ekpiteta and Dominic Thompson sent off within two minutes of each other with only 8 minutes remaining, but that wasn’t the end of the mayhem as a Rhian Brewster penalty kick came back off the post. An additional 8 minutes of further mayhem ensued during which both the Blades goalkeeper Wes Fotheringham and the Tangerines Shayne Lowery were both red-carded after a goal mouth melee, though this time Oliver Norwood saved United’s blushes by scoring from the penalty spot with the final score 3-3.
Good spot. My father started watching Boro in the 1940s. He passed many years ago but your stories and articles bridge the gap for me and I thank you for all of them and look forward to you getting more pleasure from your Boro, your music and your memories.
all the best