P.S. I am still a little anxious about the game today which could certainly derail some of my optimism,. Therefore I am still only whispering my prediction very cautiously that we will triumph by the odd goal in three.
Takes deep breath and holds...
CoB
Boro’s record at Swansea is quite appalling; indeed Boro only won twice there in their first 13 league visits. But why should previous encounters have anything to do with current proceedings? Well of course they shouldn’t! But forecasters often fall into the trap that past performances can reflect on current form. Although there is no logical reason why this should be so. Even the BBC fell into this trap in January 1981 by selecting Boro’s FA Cup 3rd round tie at the Vetch as a likely surprise, and quite understandable in the circumstances.
Boro were a First Division club who had won only twice away from home in the league at that time which had included some heavy defeats on their travels - 0-3 defeats at Old Trafford and the Hawthorns and 2-5 at Crystal Palace also, whilst Swansea, perhaps boosted by the award of City status only 12 years beforehand were one of the leading lights in the Second Division at that time. Boro looked to be on a hiding to nothing, yet by quick counterattacking were 3 up by halftime with goals from Billy Ashcroft, Mickey Angus and David Hodgson, and continued to cause havoc in the Swans defence as Hodgson scored again and Terry Cochrane with a wonderful overhead kick scored what turned out to be the ‘Goal of the Season’ twenty minutes from time as Boro (in cricket parlance) declared their innings closed.
The fact is that Boro failed to win again away from home thereafter with 0-3 defeats at Molyneaux and Villa Park, plus a 1-4 reverse at Goodison as Boro concentrated on the FA Cup from there on and should have beaten Wolves in the Quarter final and lost 1-3 during extra time in the replay. That FA Cup replay defeat resulted in the break up of that Boro team as they slipped to relegation in the next season and even into the Third Division for the second time in their history.
Boro despite that 5-0 win at the Vetch entered that cup match at a time of weakness; today Boro enter the match at the Liberty Stadium at a time of strength. The Swans meanwhile have won only 3 of their last 19 league matches, and only 2 of their last 8 home matches. I’m always nervous when David Prutton predicts Boro victories which he has done today 2-0. I’m not often right in predicting Boro’s scores, but Prutton is as bad as me. Nevertheless I think he might be correct today, and a 2-0 Boro win today is my forecast.
I cannot ignore the grip our manager has got on the players mind. He is being obeyed when it comes to the tactics decided on the training ground, and the form of Chuka is outstanding, the best goal scored in English football in my opinion. We are playing to a pattern, and a winning one, and it must be a pleasure to get on the pitch.
Good news! Blackburn lost at Stoke last night!
Less good news: - Stoke have now won two games on the trot against top 8 sides, including a 5-1 win at the Stadium of S****. They’ve scored 8 goals in those two games. What a time to come into form, just as they come to play us on Tuesday!
Oh, the worries, the trials, the tribulations, the panic-stricken anxieties of being a Boro fan!
@plato I can smell the foam all the way up to here. I never expected you, Plato be so positive and optimistic about the current form of Boro!
So well done Carrick, Woody and co. Up the Boro!
OFB,
Thank you for a fine starter article, great work. Good to hear the brain fog is clearing or has cleared. I'm still getting side -effects of radio therapy nearly three months on but it appears to be the new normal, so much so that that a broken nail has become a side-effect, the weight has continued to slowly rise too. the week after next I see the Consultant Surgeon and the 'team' so no doubt more information will be provided.
Meanwhile back with Boro, Swansea, a team who always seem to be a jinx to us so here's hoping the right Boro turn up. No predictions, just keep a clean sheet and do what you do best while hopefully improving the goal difference.
All the best to everyone and particularly Ken.
UTB,
John
@ken - I would be delighted if your prediction of Swansea 0-2 Boro comes true, particularly as you rightly point out the poor history of Boro away in this fixture. I HOPE for 1-3 or 0-3 (let's be honest I hope for an absolute stuffing of Swansea) but, being realistic, any win would be good and would keep the Michael Carrick promotion train on the rails.
I also agree the comments made by others that it is MUCH better to have an interest not only in Boro's results but in the results of the teams around us, than it would be if we were plodding through the season very far removed from any promotion position. It is, as Adrian Chiles has said, the hope that kills you in the end...
I'd just like to throw something in here that like Powmill's post is slightly off piste. Caste you minds back to the furore on here, and other blogs, pubs, clubs you name it, when a certain Marcus Tavernier was transferred to Bournemouth, the general consensus of opinion then was as Corporal Frazer was wont to say, "we're doomed". 20/20 hindsight is a gift that we'd all love to have, but what would we prefer to have today, a player fighting hard to not only get in to our team and having to perform to his limit to stay in it, or £10M in the bank.
I'm currently sat watching The Cherries playing Liverpool, I'm not sure about Tav's injuries but he's not even on the bench, which got me thinking and being interested on other's thoughts.
By the way, it's 21:30 in the evening and 24C here in the upside down Perth, it's forecast to get warmer, sorry.
@john-richardson ...and all the best to you too JR and keep putting on that weight!
@peasepudinperth, Tavernier has a hamstring injury.
It is not the first injury to sideline him this season and by all accounts he is badly missed in their first team.
I am sorry for him that he looks like he might be heading straight back into the Championship.
The starting XI - no sign of Fry:
I think Tavernier coming straight back to the Championship was entirely predictable (and in fact, predicted by yours truly with us going the other way!) but I’m sure he’s had a major bump in his pay packet and no-one can blame him for taking it along with a crack at the Premier League.
It’s a real shame for him and Bournemouth that he’s had a couple of lengthy injury lay-offs. Many Bournemouth fans have commented that he’s been their best player and he has 3 goals and 4 assists to his name in 17 appearances - only Solanke has more goal involvements for The Cherries.
Leading 1-0 and Liverpool having missed a penalty there might be a reprieve coming for Bournemouth, but I did say a reprieve and not an amnesty. Sorry to hear that Tav's carrying an injury, but again where would he be a fit in our set up today and would he be better here or giving us £10M+ in the bank? My money's on the money.
I hope for a win today as we need to keep top of the play-off places. I think it is a six point gap over the seventh placed team now.
Just a normal Carrick Boro performance, please. We have won 43 points in his 19 games in charge. That is a whopping 2,3 points per a match. In Carrick we trust.
Up the Boro!
Has the BBC become a pawn of the government in the row over Gary Lineker’s dismissal over his views on immigration? In a show of solidarity from his colleagues resulting in the cancellation of Football Focus, Final Scores and no commentary on Match of the Day, the BBC has once again shot itself in both feet. It was bad enough that the free licence fees were withdrawn for the over 75s a couple of years back, but the BBC has no right in my opinion of laying down the law as to what sports commentators should be allowed to say about immigration policies or any other subject for that matter. I haven’t watched Question Time for several years now, but panel members now include not only politicians but actors, entertainers and sports personalities to give their views on a wide range of subjects.
Now having written that, perhaps we will see more football on MOTD rather than the incessant analysis of what we have just witnessed. More football and less analysis might actually be a welcome bonus.
Finally one thing I have noticed about Diasboro is that OFB and Andy R have both done a marvellous job in adequately replacing Werdermouth on their review of Boro’s matches, but nobody has replaced Redcar Red in giving an in-depth written analysis of the actual commentary of each match. I presume that both these gentlemen are self employed and need to re-establish contacts lost through Covid 19. None of the Gazette reporters can come anywhere near the reports of Redcar Red or indeed the late lamented Cliff Mitchell. Which one was the professional journalist was sometimes difficult to assess.
I myself have had to cut back on reviews of the 7 major European Leagues and updates of the English pyramid system to steps 5 and 6 because of ongoing health problems. I realise that few Diasborians have as much passion as me about the foundation of Middlesbrough FC in 1876 to their admission into the Football League in 1899. I learned much of that from my grandfather and have enjoyed sharing those memories with anyone who was willing to listen, but I just can’t cope anymore.
There are currently 58 members on Diasboro, though 20 of those have written less than single figure blogs. I can only imagine the frustration of exMil when the number of participants in his Challenge has dropped to a mere 11 participants when over 40 participated last season. That is rather surprising in view of the fact that Boro have every chance of being promoted to the Premier League at the end of this season probably via the playoffs.
Swansea 1 - 0! Smith og ? Boro 84% possession
Hope this is not West Brom all over again! ☹️😎
The Swans go a goal up in the 15th minute. 🙁
The Swans go a goal up in the 15th minute. 🙁
Big deflection off Smith, according to Vic; Piroe credited with it.
Big deflection or not, we continually give the opposition the opportunity to have one, we seriously need to cut out these extremely frustrating early goals.
Generally we have dominated and controlled the game but failed to take the opportunities that have been created; over elaborating and at times a lack of precision have been our downfall.
Swansea are not a great side and it is disappointing that we are trailing at the break. Hope this is not another bad day at the office. 😎
KP, this has a bad day at the office written all over it, same bad start, same early goal, same domination in possession, do I need to go on. MC has had the benefit of being able to pay possession football and to grind out results, but that was with 11+ players with the pedigree and know how in getting that result, here he doesn't have that luxury. Some times a short, sharp shock is equally as effective, route 1 as it used to be called.
Get in 1-1 Ramsey. Looked as if chance had gone but bit of a ricochet to him enabled him to get a shot off. Still look suspect at the back. CoB let’s go on and win it. 😎
The Swans had a second goal disallowed for offside in the 53rd minute, just before Boro equalised through Ramsey. 😉
Archer makes it two four minutes later, assisted by HH. Middlesbrough3 here we come...
Well what the hell do I know!
Blades one down as well.
Even better news: the Blades a goal down at home to Luton!