STOKE V BORO
Saturday 11/12/21 KO 3:00 pm
Boro are next in action on Saturday afternoon, on the 11th of December when they make the trip to the Bet365 Stadium to face fellow play-off chasers Stoke City. Our opponents have moved up to sixth spot in the championship and got back to a 2 0 winning ways on a cold Sunday afternoon against Queens Park Rangers in the capital.
Michael O’Neill’s side secured the win through the man of the moment in Mario Vrancic.
The Bosnian midfielder curled the ball into the corner of Seny Dieng’s goal to seal all three points and he was also involved in the opener for Campbell as well as supplying a beautiful pass to set the forward through on goal.
Our Manager Chris Wilder after the game on Saturday against Swansea was
quoted as saying..........
" We showed different qualities today and found a way to keep the ball out
of the back of the net."
"Was that the way we want to play?"
"No!"
"Was that as the way we've played in the last three? "
"No!"
"I think if the opposition had seen us in those last three games, (which they
most probably had) we were a lot better with the ball".
"We've talked about playing well and if you can't play well then you have to come out and find a way to win the game."
One player who enjoyed another great performance for Middlesbrough was the ever-dependable Paddy McNair. The Northern Ireland international managed to make two blocks, one clearance and four interceptions and he also got back on the line brilliantly to deny the Swans what looked to be a certain equalising goal as well.
It was the sort of performance that sums up what McNair brings to the table for Boro and you can see him being a vital player for us in Wilders team selection.
Fans will of course be hoping to see more of the same. Let’s face it the Boro are a club who've spent enough money in the past few seasons but never really that
well. In fact we’ve wasted a lot of cash on poor signings and poor managerial appointments. Now though, after seeing the likes of Jones starting to show what can be sourced for little money, it should give Wilder and the Middlesbrough scouting and coaching team more reason to believe in the players coming through their academy. It will also be of interest to those players on the outside looking
in. Let’s face it, with success. Boro will become a much more attractive club to come and play for and with Wilder and his contemporary ways at the helm the sky (bet Premiership) can be the limit.
Boro are also going to have to show a varied side to their games if they are to be one of the teams wanting to push for the top six. With our new manager in charge, that will be the absolute minimum that Wilder will want. Boro have to show different tactics and formations in the games we play and set out our stall out accordingly.
Should that step change happen, then you feel the decision the club made in changing the manager from Warnock will be justified. It wasn’t just a few of us Diasborians that wanted change as things had been stale for a while. Yes we appreciate Warnock saved us from relegation but the football since then has been poor. We have endured stale and stunted tactics from Pulis who tried to stymie the opposition. Woodgate who wanted free and flowing football when we didn’t have the players to do that with. As for Gary Monk, he was like a kid in a sweet shop, buying every type and making himself (and the fans) sick trying to have them all in one big mess?
Boro have instantly started playing more slick football after Wilder's arrival. Under Warnock they lumped the ball into the box but now they try to work the
ball into the danger zones, doing so by using every player on the pitch rather than relying on those in the wide areas to constantly feed those in the
middle
In such a short space of time, Middlesbrough's fortunes seem to have changed dramatically. Back-to-back wins sees them in 9th-place of the Championship
table and just four points behind a faltering Coventry City side in 7th still with 25 games of the season to play. Caution must be thrown to the wind in these embryonic stages of Wilder's tenure...but so far, so good.
So hopefully after all the anxt and frustration over the past few year it is possible that we are on the cusp of a new Dawn and heading into the playoff zone.
Or will it be the twilight zone?
Me with the foam hands 🙌?
Im going for a 2 1 win to Boro!
OFB
Thanks for the great opener, Bob.
9th in the league may seem promising but we are at the top of a mini-table of 9 teams separated by just 3 points. So either a draw or defeat last Saturday would have had us looking with some concern at the wrong end of the table.
Just a message to self that a disinterested observer might suggest that based on the facts we should be just as fearful of relegation as we are hopeful of promotion, though thankfully the crimes of Derby and Reading and the poor form of Barnsley and Peterborough make that now seem a remote possibility.
I was away in Dundee so didn't get to see or listen to the Swansea match live but it felt like a piece of the jigsaw; we didn't play well (largely it seems because they didn't let us) but we found a way to win. It's a cliché but it is what successful teams do.
Now to Stoke who under Michael O'Neil will be thinking they should make the playoffs this season. They're currently just above us in the recent form table. They also seem to play a similar shape to us but have had much longer to work at it.
A win for Stoke is undoubtedly the most likely result but it's definitely not a foregone conclusion. If we can eek out a draw or even a win then I think we can keep up some pressure on the clubs above us.
One thing I did notice from the highlights is that Paddy McNair seems to have been inspired. I've rarely seen him work so hard for the team. Tav is still off the boil but right now he is probably a more dependable option than Payero or Lea Siliki. I hope that Wilder can start to find some game time for Payero but bearing in mind that he is very right-footed he would need to either play on his wrong side if he replaces Tav or we would have to rejig the midfield to fit him in. Given that Wilder prefers to sub his forwards, it's hard to see Payero getting game time for a while.
I also wonder if Spence comes back (which I don't think is as likely as people tend to) whether he could displace Jones at present. Obviously it would be good competition and Spence has experience on his side but Jones is terrifying opponents right now and seems to be learning the wing back role at great speed.
All in all I'll go for hard-fought draw.
Thanks for the starter, OFB.
And, Len, I don't want to be too much of a foam-hander but I think in this league Boro would have to meet some catastrophioc luck to be in danger of relegation. We SHOULD be looking to get into the play-off positions. That's not to say we should expect to win every game, and ones away to Stoke are losable even by "good" teams. But we should expect steady progress and improvement under new management, and that means gradual movement upwards in the table from month to month - which still allows the odd reverse. Even teams like Chelsea lose games.
the manager said it all,' not Good enough, but we won'. I like him.
the manager said it all,' not Good enough, but we won'. I like him.
Steady on plato, otherwise you will be joining jarkko and myself in the glass half full brigade 😂😂😂.
Come on BORO.
FA cup Boro away to Mansfield Town.
Come on BORO.
It will be interesting to see what team Wilder picks against the staggerers.
Good chance for him to look at some of the U23s.
I see Neil Warnock has called the Boro classless the way that he left the club.
Me personally?
I’d rather be classless than clueless!
And that’s priceless !
OFB
@original-fat-bob of course we can go back to calling him the anagram of his name colin wa****
To be honest the way they handled his sacking was in fact Classless.
the manager said it all,' not Good enough, but we won'. I like him.
Steady on plato, otherwise you will be joining jarkko and myself in the glass half full brigade 😂😂😂.
Come on BORO.
Plato cheerful. We can’t have that. It goes against the natural order of things.
utb
Thanks OFB. You were quick off the mark with the Stoke preview. Is that the excitement of Wilder's attacking football?
On paper the Stoke match looks the "easiest" of the next 3 games as their record of 3 wins 1 draw and 2 defeats in the last 6 home games is the same as ours. Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest are 3rd and 1st respectively in the form table for the last 6 away games. Will we be able to play a successful high pressing game against all three or will the players risk the wrath of Wilder and revert to scrapping for points?
Unfortunately again having a home match on 26 December means I can't be there as I would have to stay in a hotel from Christmas Eve until the Monday.
@david-in-cumbria Mind, I and my wife stayed a night in Preston as we had planned to see Boro at Blackburn on a Boxing Day. That was a few years back.
We flew over to Manchester and rented a car to drive up to Blackburn. But it was an extra rainy Xmas period in Lancashire. The match was postponed because of rain.
We did stay a week in the UK though. So we did see two other Boro matches.
It is difficult to support Boro occationally (not only mentally).
Up the Boro!
How can Neil Warnock call Boro classless? His press interviews may have been humorous, but his ranting and raving on the pitch was classless in my opinion.
Graeme Lee almost got his wish as the FA Cup draw had Boro and Pools in consecutive ties drawn yesterday. I’m assuming that whoever picked the away side out of the bowl picked out Mansfield one ahead of Blackpool. If he/she had picked Blackpool one ahead of Mansfield, then the Stags would be entertaining Blackpool, whilst Pools would have been home to Boro.
Hi David yes I’m excited about the astonishing turn around in the way Boro play in such a short space of time under the direction and coaching of the new management team
However, I posted the preview early as Mrs OFB had planned to do a lot of travelling this week for Xmas shopping. Looks like the weather has put paid to that with another storm heading into Teesside.
Hope we all enjoy the game on Saturday and that the weather doesn’t prevent a good football match
OFB
Lucky devil, OFB. In any event proper Christmas shopping is best done on Christmas Eve, and even better in the afternoon of Christmas Eve.
"Have you got this in purple?"
SORRY, SOLD OUT - ONLY IN MUSTARD OR BLUE.
"I'll take the mustard one - I'm sure she'll like that".
Multiple choices - the enemy of good Christmas shopping. Make it simple!
Another of our players attracting (reported) interest:
https://readwestham.com/2021/12/06/virals-west-ham-keeping-track-of-middlesbrough-ace-dael-fry/
Come on BORO.
Over 700 have played the Wilder card so far !
Come on BORO.
Harrogate shopping cancelled today ! Oh dear never mind 😉
I don’t think West Ham will be shopping for Dael Fry if all they are going to offer is around £4-£5 million?
Are they actually serious ?
Do they think we are desperate for the money?
No thanks we’ll wait for a better offer to come in from Burnley thanks 😊 (Tongue firmly in cheek..!)
OFB
@exmil and kurt Zouma is crocked at least 12 weeks out
@original-fat-bob, I think the report said Fry is valued at £5.4m on transfermarkt, not what West Ham are going to offer.
Come on BORO.
I think that all well run clubs will try to take you to the cleaners when dealing in the market. We are a soft touch, and I hope our new manager kicks a few backsides and makes a few demands in this field.
If you want us to be classy in the transfer market then be prepared for some awful buys, and selling! As for failing Managers! Why would you delay one hour? When they are gone they should be removed from the scene, and quick! Copy the greats. They waste no time at all. See the top four, no sooner the thought than the deed. Saint Ollie anyone?
@plato I just thought that it was a classless the media and everyone else knew before Warnock.Just imagine if that happened to any of us at work.
Martin Payero scored twice as Boro bagged five against Huddersfield Town B.
A strong line-up featuring the Argentinian, Dael Fry, James Lea Siliki and Onel Hernandez amongst others, produced a dominant display in miserable conditions in West Yorkshire.
The game started brightly as Josh Coburn found himself through on goal within four minutes but could only fire straight at Ryan Schofield in the Town goal.
Huddersfield responded by hitting a post a minute later with a snapshot from former Boro striker Jordan Rhodes.
On the quarter-hour Onel Hernandez was felled on the edge of the box and Siliki stepped up to strike the Huddersfield crossbar with a curling effort.
Boro did take the lead moments later as Coburn broke down the left after good work from Uche Ikpeazu, the young forward found Hernandez on the far side of the box with the Cuban teeing up Payero to slot home from 12 yards.
The lead lasted ten minutes, Town won the ball in the Boro half and a deflected shot from Rhodes hit the back of the net.
Boro had a succession of chances through Hernandez and Ikpeazu before Payero grabbed his second on the cusp of half time, drilling in low from 25 yards.
Town hit the bar after the break before three late goals sealed the victory for the Teessiders.
Substitute Calum Kavanagh played in Coburn to dink the ball over Schofield before a marauding run from William Kokolo resulted in his cross being deflected into the goal by a Terriers defender.
Boro made it five on full-time as an electric run from Hernandez was duly followed by a delightful cross which Kavanagh volleyed home.
@plato I just thought that it was a classless the media and everyone else knew before Warnock.Just imagine if that happened to any of us at work.
Funnily enough, away back in the late 80s we were instructed to head directly to the local town hall theatre in Welwyn Garden City for 8 am in the morning, rather than to go into the office. On my drive over to Welwyn that morning I was listening to Radio 4 as usual and the business news came on just before 7h30 where they announced (oops) that Prudential were withdrawing from the particular insurance sector that we supported out of Welwyn and that all Welwyn staff were being made redundant.
It does happen, even to the biggest and classiest(?) employers !
There’s a bit of he said/she said going on with Neil Warnock and the club.
On the one hand, didn’t Warnock mention a few weeks before his departure that he knew the identity of who the club were talking to? On the other, he knew nothing and found out via the press. Maybe he got wind of the developments weeks before but not through club channels, though he had time to ask questions in that case and can’t entirely claim ignorance.
Its clear that Warnock didn’t enjoy a good relationship with Neil Bausor and Kieran Scott. That’s understandable given that those two were tasked with strategising for the future whilst Warnock was only ever short-term.
Warnock generally doesn’t blame Steve Gibson but the truth is that it all stems from the chairman unfortunately, in following two incongruent strategies at once.
If Warnock truly did know nothing of his impending departure from the club then that is a minor stain on the club. However, the club comes first and may well feel that they couldn’t trust NW to keep the news to himself given his fairly loose-tongued press conferences. Clearly Wilder was our top choice and the club would not have wanted to risk missing out on him by giving the game away.
Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.