Get organised...

[Keen Blade]

Who else has passed around and played through us since wilder properly got going again?

Don't we bother looking at the opposition before we play them ?

 

[dc_blade]

Get organised, play the quick passing game and we're an easy team to take points off. There were a few commenting in Shoutbox that Boro were a Premier League team, they weren't. They held their shape, had midfielders who could pass and move, and did a job on what was a pretty woeful Sheffield United for long spells.

If “the quick passing game” and “pass and move” was easy, every team would do it. It’s not easy and very few Championship teams do it as well as Boro did tonight. They also have the best player in the division pulling the strings for them.

Not that there weren’t some things worthy of criticism in our performance. But by and large we have not been easy to take points off for the last 15+ games. If Reidewald had been fit tonight I’d fancy us to take something from the game.

 

[Blades Glory Owls Down]

Think there has been some overly harsh criticism from some after last nights game.
IMHO Boro are probably the best team we have faced. They had balance, were extremely well organised and had a central midfield of Browne, Hackney and Morris that were dominant and controlled large portions of the game against Blaster (who does still look way off the pace and lacking confidence at times) and Peck who was torn between getting forward and trying to plug the gaps left by Blaster's apparent lack of mobility and our fullbacks getting a little too far forward and not being able to get back in. Maybe using any of Soumare, Phillips, Rothwell would have given us more bite.
They got the ball forward quickly and had their wider players (Whittaker and McGree) stay wide to utilise the space in behind (Particularly behind Burrows) and created some decent chances.
We started off well and got forward in numbers and in the first 20-25 minutes it could have been a couple of goals each.
They scored and then we went a little out of shape but still had a few chances. They took a little bit of control and scored a second with a lot of fortune as the ball could have gone anywhere after hitting the post, but it bounced towards McGree, taking the defender (Bindon?) out of the game, and he had a free header.
Second half we had an early chance but took a while to get going. They settled and looked to slow/stop any momentum and protect the 2-goal lead.
Eventually we got a goal and then looked in the ascendency with Boro starting to look wobbly.
The sending off halted our progression. Was it a red? again, IMHO no it wasnt. Did he go to intentionally take him out? I dont think so, he was just half a second too slow, otherwise everyone would have been off their feet, celebrating a great challenge. The ref, who was poor all game, took his time but came to the decision that he was going to continue with his bad decisions and show the red card.
Still, we tried to get the equaliser, but it wasn't to be.
Overall, Boro deserved the victory, but we made a good fist of it and pushed them close.

It is telling that their manager was delighted with the result and made a point (and seemed pleasantly surprised) of saying how well they had played.
For me it was a day when they played extremely well, rather than us playing badly.
Hopefully we learn from it and go into next weekend with all guns blazing.

 

[Champagneblade]

Playing Blaster when he's clearly not ready is doing him no good at all.

Feel for the lad tonight

There really is no need. Write him off for this year unless it’s 15 minute cameos.

Saturday start Peck and Phillips in the next one. Bring Riedewald in when fit. Also Rothwell when his unexpected absence is over. No need for Arblaster in the squad them. Let him do a pre-season properly and don’t risk his long term career.

 

[Barnette]

We will never be able to compete with these teams under Wilder.

Middlesbrough have moved forward massively and we are stagnating. We have been outplayed many times in the last 2 years by fitter, better organised and more disciplined teams in this division.

Our recruitment screams of stagnation too....too many journeyman pros who arrive unfit and unprepared.

This is where we're at.

 

[Tezza1889]

We will never be able to compete with these teams under Wilder.

Middlesbrough have moved forward massively and we are stagnating. We have been outplayed many times in the last 2 years by fitter, better organised and more disciplined teams in this division.

Our recruitment screams of stagnation too....too many journeyman pros who arrive unfit and unprepared.

This is where we're at.

Iv'e said this about Bamford, i was clearly wrong, looks like if I thought this about Phillips I might also be wrong, possibly we'd be wrong about Jairo as well, these jourmeymen.

Shacklton and Davies, you'd be right theyre both picking a wage up, and we were warned well up front.

 

[Kenilworth]

Soumare or our recent, former PL/ England player or both, one to start and one to sub on.
Risking Blaster's recovery and long term fitness is too big a risk

He is clearly not ready to go 100% against a top championship side

Agreed about Blaster not ready - nor was Philips from a fitness perspective but I also see that Soumare would have been a liability in the type of game.

 

[Kenilworth]

Soumare , Philips , Rothwell

Two who couldn’t last the 90 so your already making fitness substitutions and one who would be a liability against Morris and Hackney.
The logical choice was to start with Blaster and have O’Hare and Hamer and Brooks add to the midfield out of possession, then bring Rothwell and or Phillips on later in the game. That’s the choice that was made.