First time in a long time...

[ShockingBadBuy]

Mid-table players having a good game. I'm not taking anything away from today's performance but if these guys were good enough then we wouldn't be so far short on the table. And they're players who have been here long enough for us to know their deficiencies.

Point taken, but when they are at it, properly at it, I think JMac (who has had a pretty decent second half of the season) and Flynny are plenty good enough to be in and around a top 2 third division squad. Also, hats off to Adkins for giving Flynn a go in the middle. It may be out of desperation, but I think sticking him in there has actually worked really well.

 

[super_pig]

Buts lets hope the management are not fooled by a few better performances and that the large axe is still being sharpened for use.

Adkins 'finally' hit on a formula 6 games before the end of the season.. great.

 

[PokerBlade]

But they aren't usually properly at it. They're usually anonymous or dropping clangers. Even today, Flynn should've scored and McEveley's passing was poor. They've proven they can't be relied upon to put in consistently good performances. Not at promotion standard.

 

[Finnieston]

Baptiste signing would be a great step forward. I suspect he'll get other offers.

Played well today, deserved more.

Isnt Baptiste the player all the experts on here were slagging his first appearance after signing for us. Another Adkins failure. You couldnt make it up,
The man is a good profesional who i doubt we would be lucky enough to sign.
Good player and a good leader. What do people see?

 

[Harry's Game]

Isnt Baptiste the player all the experts on here were slagging his first appearance after signing for us. Another Adkins failure. You couldnt make it up,
The man is a good profesional who i doubt we would be lucky enough to sign.
Good player and a good leader. What do people see?

Well I didn't go to the Burton game so I didn't see his debut, but every time I have seen him he has been a class act.

It would take a serious amount of money and ambition to get him here for next season.

Come on then Mr. McCabe you have asked us season ticket holders to put up.. Now you do the same.

 

[PeteBlade]

Isnt Baptiste the player all the experts on here were slagging his first appearance after signing for us. Another Adkins failure. You couldnt make it up,
The man is a good profesional who i doubt we would be lucky enough to sign.
Good player and a good leader. What do people see?

People slagged him off after his first game, quite rightly, because he was really poor and kept hitting the ball straight up in the air.

People are now praising him, quite rightly, because he's since played really well.

Hindsight is great.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Baptiste really impressed me today, was always in the right place at the right time to put a challenge in.
He has this deceptive lazy swagger about him, he reminded me of Paul McGrath.

I think Baptiste has become the barometer of the quality of player we should be signing next season , if we intend to have a serious challenge on promotion.

I suppose it is down to whether or not he is surplus to requirements at Boro , and how much the board are willing to spend on incoming players .

It's getting the spine of the team right and building from there . A top goalkeeper who is going to give you a minimum of 12 points should also be on the shopping list. Nothing against Long , but he does need serious competition

Class act this Baptiste bloke. . . Bit like McGrath , but still some miles left in him.

UTB

 

[PeteBlade]

I think Baptiste has become the barometer of the quality of player we should be signing next season , if we intend to have a serious challenge on promotion.

I suppose it is down to whether or not he is surplus to requirements at Boro , and how much the board are willing to spend on incoming players .

It's getting the spine of the team right and building from there . A top goalkeeper who is going to give you a minimum of 12 points should also be on the shopping list. Nothing against Long , but he does need serious competition

Class act this Baptiste bloke. . . Bit like McGrath , but still some miles left in him.

UTB

I certainly agree on the keeper.
As well as we played yesterday, Long was still dodgy and had several moments yesterday where his mistakes could have cost us goals.

Whenever he comes out for a ball, he invariably misses.

 

[mattbianco1]

I doubt it. I thought 'Boro had paid big money for him in the closed season. Maybe if they go up he'll be surplus to requirements but still likely out of our realistic range.

Hopefully he does a 'a Brayford', falls in love with the club and the Middlesbrough's go up. That should make him available for loan at the very least

 

[mattbianco1]

I think Baptiste has become the barometer of the quality of player we should be signing next season

Is this the Baptiste that half the people on here wrote off before he'd even arrived?

I agree though, he's been fantastic and has helped Edgar recapture his form too

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Is this the Baptiste that half the people on here wrote off before he'd even arrived?

I agree though, he's been fantastic and has helped Edgar recapture his form too

To be fair to the fans who expressed a opinion on Baptiste performance when he first arrived , although maybe a little hasty , they were right .

Problem is we are so starved of success and desperately want it , players get it in the neck if they don't hit the ground running or have a poor game . Majority of players over the years have made us like this , as it's been hard to differentiate between players not giving a shit , to being just very poor and not up to it .

UTB

 

[BushBlade]

People slagged him off after his first game, quite rightly, because he was really poor and kept hitting the ball straight up in the air.

People are now praising him, quite rightly, because he's since played really well.

Hindsight is great.

Hindsight taught me not to judge a player on his first appearance, particularly if a player has been out of first team action for a while.

 

[BushBlade]

To be fair to the fans who expressed a opinion on Baptiste performance when he first arrived , although maybe a little hasty , they were right .

Problem is we are so starved of success and desperately want it , players get it in the neck if they don't hit the ground running or have a poor game . Majority of players over the years have made us like this , as it's been hard to differentiate between players not giving a shit , to being just very poor and not up to it .

UTB

Bugger, didn't see this post.

 

[Bartleby]

I bet if asked before the game most of us in the crowd would have said we had no chance of the playoffs, but you could tell from the noise that we all were wanting it really.

Shame that it's over now, just hope we can keep the momentum up next season as I recall the high we ended on two years ago and the low that we started on after the break.

 

[BushBlade]

I bet if asked before the game most of us in the crowd would have said we had no chance of the playoffs, but you could tell from the noise that we all were wanting it really.

Shame that it's over now, just hope we can keep the momentum up next season as I recall the high we ended on two years ago and the low that we started on after the break.

We've got two minor derbies coming up so we've still got local bragging rights to play for. As you say, let's go out on a bit of a high and try to generate a bit of optimism for the future. It's been a pretty dismal season and it would be good to have some hope that next season will be different.

 

[PeteBlade]

Hindsight taught me not to judge a player on his first appearance, particularly if a player has been out of first team action for a while.

I don't disagree. Although I would suggest a difference between judging a player and commenting on one poor performance.

Writing a player off having never seen him player is stupid, I would agree.

 

[BushBlade]

I don't disagree. Although I would suggest a difference between judging a player and commenting on one poor performance.

Writing a player off having never seen him player is stupid, I would agree.

As I'm sure you're aware, I wasn't criticising anyone who simply said he didn't play well, I was referring to those who immediately jumped on his bad performance as further 'evidence' of 'Adkins' incompetence'.

 

[Elsecar_Blade]

We look a far more organised unit with Baptiste in there.

Edgar has also surprised me in the central roll of the three centre backs looks far more commanding than he did in the orthodox two CB roll.

Any chance we could sign Baptise on a cheap deal?

Edgar with quality partner(s) is good enough. Paolo Maldini would have struggled with Collins and Bomb Scare as partners.

 

[Willie Carlin]

Agree!! We need to get as many points as we can. 15 will do me

 

[HillmortonBlade]

We've got two minor derbies coming up so we've still got local bragging rights to play for. As you say, let's go out on a bit of a high and try to generate a bit of optimism for the future. It's been a pretty dismal season and it would be good to have some hope that next season will be different.

And for a number of genuine and other, petty, reasons... The Hillmortons want to see Coventry smashed all over their egg-chasing field.

Just saying PosNig, three points please.

 

[Finnieston]

Agreed, I think it was one of the performances of the season for me and the crowd responded in kind.

Gillingham very very lucky to get away with any points.

You could say, they were toothless...

Liked the man on first on P or G. Said it was really boring match. Think he had just woken up. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Untd with a bit of Gumption again. Bought season ticket ready for next seasons promotion drive.Jobs a good un.

 

[grafikhaus]

The final 5no games in the overall scheme of things mean nothing . It is perhaps the time to experiment . Even if we won the last 5 games it will have no relevance or bearing on next season.

Can't agree, LBoE (Elbow, geddit?) As others have said, a good finish to this season will give us hope (probably misplaced) that we've turned the corner and better times lay ahead. A finish reflecting the rest of the season - one step forward, two steps back - would hit confidence, ST sales and make NA's position tenuous to say the least. Let's put this omnishambles of a season behind us and go into summer with some hope.

I bet if asked before the game most of us in the crowd would have said we had no chance of the playoffs, but you could tell from the noise that we all were wanting it really.

If there was a bright spot about our failure to win on Saturday, it was that we can finally put to bed this ludicrous notion of 'making the play-offs'. This is what play-offs were designed for, to make fans of just about every team think there's something still to play for. We haven't been good enough to get in the POs, certainly not good enough to win them and limping over the line would have guaranteed a season-long embarassment in the Championship.

The noise on Saturday was more about the team at last giving us our moneys worth. We really don't ask for much.

 

[Grappler]

Decent team performance on Saturday, Baptiste man-of-the-match for me, very assured on the ball. Jay Mc did a few barnstorming runs forward, Coutts actually showing some pace and whipping crosses in, Billy giving his usual 110%, etc.

The only down side being that after all that effort we didn't score! Once again, we saw a ball whipped fast and low, along the goal line, and our players watched it roll past, it just needed someone to stick a toe out and it would have been 1-0.