Don’t forget Boro on Bbc1 Shortly Football Focus
OFB
Fry in for Bamba
Lumley in Goal
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What a miss by Whatmore! Right out of the Britt Assombalonga book of how not to score! 😎
HOW did Watmore miss THAT chance? A lovely and early center by Jones.
But well played so far. A 0-0 draw looming but a goal will deside it. Come on Boro!
Up the Boro!
I agree with Maddo that we have been the better side but just the final pass/decision has cost us.
It will be a one goal decider, just hope we are on the right side of it. CoB 😎
Well it could of been one all. A decent game but some very slack passsing from both side but essentially from Boro.
Midfield not doing enough once more, with Crooks just not in the game and Tav making some poor decisions. Bola getting into the game more than last week, but again we are relying heavily on young Jones.
Sporar also needs to start earning his place
A well deserved point which could have been more.
Very good performance from Jones who was always a threat but let himself down on occasions with his final ball/decision making.
Solid performance from Howson and the defence. Spora and Tav had limited impact but the latter never stopped running and chasing.
In my view further progress as we always looked the greater threat albeit never really tested the keeper; just a pity we could not close the five point gap to the top six.
Another tough test next week! CoB 😎
A frustrating game! Not one for the highlights reel. The second half in particular was one long bore-fest. I agree that this was a well-earned point at a really challenging venue. Stoke have a number of very good and/or very experienced players, but Boro restricted them to very little, apart from one or 2 early chances. I think they had just one shot on target, one fewer than Boro.
We certainly bossed possession, as the EG says, but far too much of it was pedestrian or ‘windscreen wiper’ passing across and between the back four. We needed to step up the pace and lacked a killer ball to get through Stoke’s organised and compact defence.
Still, a clean sheet away from home is always welcome and we certainly deserved the draw.
I’d said to family before the game that I wasn’t relishing my trip. I’d only been once before, in Southgate’s relegation season (we lost!), and their fans were vile. Today, I arrived at the station and started to make my way to the town centre to get something to eat, only to be met by a small phalanx of policemen who barred my way. My coat has the old Boro round badge discreetly displayed. ‘Dont go into the town centre wearing that,’ one said. He advised me to walk on to the ground along the canal. I’m 68 and completely harmless, but I do nonetheless value my personal safety, so I took his advice. Call me naïve, but I didn’t think that kind of thing still went on - I’m obviously aware that there are occasional flashpoints in towns and around games, but I thought it was just a few idiotic hotheads. I never thought they’d attack or threaten an old geezer like me. Thankfully, I didn’t have to find out.
@clive-hurren. A 68 year old bover boy then!
It appears the intelligence of some of our boys in blue have not improved then! Unless of course I am being unkind and he really was thinking about your safety and the potential for you to run into some Stoke miscreants.
So sad that after all this time you still can’t support your team without the possibility of encountering a small minority of opposing supporters who are hell bent on causing trouble.
I still recall my early days of standing on the Holgate End shoulder to shoulder with opposition supporters and having some good natured banter without resorting to violence; this sadly disappeared when the boot boy era arrived and replaced the Ayresome Angels.
Glad to hear Clive that you got there and back safely. 😎
We have come quite a far if a point at good Stoke feels a bit like losing two points, but that is my feeling still this morning.
OK, both clubs had one very good chance, but we also had a couple of half chances. And the Watmore moment was big.
In all a good well earned point away from home. So decent perhaps, then.
Up the Boro!
Watched it, but waste of time really.
In drizzly conditions maybe not wearing the correct studs though.
Mixing with fans of Boro’s opponents probably isn’t wise today, yet I once stood amongst Sunderland fans in my youth and had no trouble at all shouting for the Boro, just friendly banter. Once whilst staying at RAF Innsworth with my mate Johnny from South Shields but wearing civvies and a red and white scarf arrived at Temple Meads station not having a clue where Eastville Stadium was, so asked some Bristol lads asking for directions. At first they thought we were a couple of City fans taking the mickey, but once I had assured them that I was a Boro fan and Johnny was actually a Newcastle fan they asked us to come along with them as they were going to the match. Friendly lads, and Boro won 2-0. That’s how it was in those days in 1956, just lads wanting a chance to follow their own team with no crowd segregation much like in Rugby League today. When I came home I watched a couple of Sunderland v Newcastle derbies too in the old First Division but not partisan, just clapped when either side scored.
I hoped for a win at Stoke (though that would have been a great result) but I am satisfied with an away draw. It shows we are continuing our improvement. But that Whatmore miss...? Eeeek!
I hoped for a win at Stoke (though that would have been a great result) but I am satisfied with an away draw. It shows we are continuing our improvement. But that Whatmore miss...? Eeeek!
Like forever-dormo I'm happy with a point and a clean sheet, whatmores miss was a bit of a shocker, I think saturday will be a real test given that they are on a bad run and will want to break it. Also given the clubs record on organising drinking sessions in distillery I'm not sure how smoothly the vaccine passport checking is going to go.
I remain convinced that not too long ago Boro would have lost that game. Like others I'm happy with a point on a cold Saturday afternoon at Stoke. Whatmore's miss? Well it happens and it's no comfort but he was there to miss it with what looked to me like a slip and the ball hitting the underside of his upper arm. A clean sheet and a point will do me nicely, Boro have no reason to fear any team if they stay confident, positive and on their feet.
Stay safe everyone.
UTB,
John
I’ve just watched the highlights and, as others have said, DW’s miss was harder than scoring I think. Overall a good result and, ironically, I was at a family meal in a pub about 20 miles from the ground. Zero chance of escaping unfortunately. 😉
Martin
You were better off in the warm and the dry in the pub! You missed nowt!
Not really much to say about that. During the first half Dijksteel and Fry were being overrun but they got a grip in the second. On the whole we didn't play well but we stuck to the shape and system and worked hard. Pretty much any result would have been a fair one.
Watmore's miss was spectacular; if you look closely his foot mostly goes under the ball which meant it went straight up with plenty of back spin and hit him on the back of the arm. Sporar may not be scoring but he does put a shift in; I noticed him at left back in the second half making a nuisance of himself.
Wilder is clearly all about drilling players in a shape and system. That means he tends to make the same substitutions and doesn't dramatically change the shape during a game. This has its pros and cons but after the chaos of Woodgate and Warnock's mad schemes it feels refreshing and it is working more often than not.
Overall I remain cautiously optimistic. We could make the play-offs with a bit of luck or a stonking run.
In his five matches in charge, the Wilder Boro have collected eight points. It makes an average of 1.6.
And that includes the unlucky Preston match where we played well. But also the Swanseas win, so 1.6 is our current form.
Could we play better? I think we could. Wins at home and a draw would do nicely, thank you.
Mind, we are not that far from that form now. And if we could get a couple of inforcements, then fine. Spence back from Forest and a striker.
Up the Boro!
Teesside Live are reporting that we have longer term injuries for Darnell Fisher, Grant Hall, Sammy Ameobi and Marcus Browne.
I think the latter should be ready to play now - or train normally at least.
Nobody knows about Ameobi and dare not to ask the manager. And Fisher is long term, too.
But what is the status of Grant Hall? He played a match or two recently but is he out long term, again?
Just asking, like. Up the Boro!
As far as I’m aware Marcus Browne was training last week with the first team squad and is expected to go out on loan in January.
All the others appear to be long term injuries I’m afraid.
OFB
@original-fat-bob Yeah, but I did not know that Hall is a long termer with his injury. Is that confirmed or did I miss that when travelling for work recently?
Is it the same injury as before or a new problem? Up the Boro!
One player in the current line up needs to be dropped and sold...Tavernier
One player in the current line up needs to be dropped and sold...Tavernier
Agreed, but at the right price.
Family duties meant I missed the first half and was dragged away at 5.00pm!
The second half was a bit of a dirge but we stood cheek to jowl and matched Stoke and I felt edged it slightly. That is progress in itself by not conceding after the Warnock era of endless second half capitulation. As Deleriad above alluded to there are players who may not be looking their best like Sporar but are grafting for the team and putting a shift in. In time this will yield results, it's still very early days yet in Wilders transformation but all the signs are positive. When it is good it is very good and enjoyable and when it isn't we dig in and stand our ground.