Match Thread Middlesbrough v The Mighty Blades

[Not_a_Cheat]

So after Saturday's disappointing result and performance, we now face a very difficult trip to one of the promotion 'favourites' Middlesbrough. We haven't even managed a goal at the Riverside in the last 4 visits, though perhaps last season we were denied by an incorrect refereeing decision. Anyway, unless CW decides to be stubborn, there should be a few changes, though arguably the team starting v Swansea would be the preferred line up (bar one or two) for such a difficult away game....

So...

Any team news?

Starting places for Woodburn AND Duffy????

Sharp in for the undroppable?

Lundstram and Evans together more suited to tonights fixture? (Than Saturdays?)

JOC with Beattie flu?

Well hopefully we can get the show on the road, and make up for negativity of Saturday. We know the lads will give their all, but against a Boro side who scored very late on at Millwall on Saturday to grab a draw and giving them a lift, it remains to be seen how each team will react. Lots of talent in their team, and I'm not sure what has happened with Waghorn (has he signed for them?) but if he plays he's sure to score. 1-1 for me and that is somewhat optimistic.

Safe journey folks.

UTB

 

[Ricky]

We won't get a better chance to beat Boro at the Riverside. They're not in a good state right now.

I fancy us to win.

 

[Harry's Game]

If we select the right team, Duffy and or Woodburn selcted, we can get something tonight, not perhaps a win but I would fancy us to get a point.

But there is the “If we select the right team” caveat.

I have a horrible feeling CW will start with the same side as Saturday just to prove a point to the critics of the team selection.

 

[Liaminho9]

Boro 1-2 Blades

O'Connell header from a set piece, Sharp to get the winner.

 

[Jehovah]

We will start the same team, which I'm not as angry about away at a good side. But at home it was ridiculous.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

There's not a cat in hell's chance that we'll keep a clean sheet so we effectively start the match on -1.

I predict a soul destroying defeat with Wilder getting the starting lineup wrong (again), Evans and Lundstram fannying about in the middle of the pitch and Sharp and Duffy sat on the bench twiddling their thumbs.

 

[I should coco]

I predict a soul destroying defeat with Wilder getting the starting lineup wrong (again), Evans and Lundstram fannying about in the middle of the pitch and Sharp a Duffy sat on the bench twiddling their thumbs.

Don't do it!

Ah, bollocks to it, go on and JUMP.

 

[Eric Cartman]

If we start with Evans and Lundstram in midfield together they'll make a mockery of us.

 

[LJBlade]

If we start with Evans and Lundstram in midfield together they'll make a mockery of us.

Are they significantly better than last season? When we beat them 2-1 with both Evans and Lundstram......

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

The stats make for terrible reading.

 

[Eric Cartman]

Are they significantly better than last season? When we beat them 2-1 with both Evans and Lundstram......

If we play the same pedestrian style we did saturday they'll certainly beat us.

Plus we don't have Brooks.
Plus we will need Evans to recreate that goal of the season he scored.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Are they significantly better than last season? When we beat them 2-1 with both Evans and Lundstram......

Yes because they're at home.

Our defence is absolutely abysmal away from home. We'll have to score at least two goals to win.

 

[raul]

I agree with sending the same team out to give them the opportunity to show how much better they are than they showed on Saturday.

 

[zablade]

I was thinking that keeping it tight and grinding out a point may be the way to go but our pedestrian defence probably rules that option out.

Throw Duffy, Woodburn and Sharp in and try to score some goals.

I’d rather go down 4-2 having a go than plod to a 2 nil defeat Nigel Clough style.

 

[LJBlade]

Yes because they're at home.

Our defence is absolutely abysmal away from home. We'll have to score at least two goals to win.

As a team they are significantly better? There wasn't much difference when we played them at their ground last season.

 

[LJBlade]

If we play the same pedestrian style we did saturday they'll certainly beat us.

Plus we don't have Brooks.
Plus we will need Evans to recreate that goal of the season he scored.

That wasn't what you said. You said if we played Lundstram and Evans together they'd make a mockery of us. We played those two together last season when we got a fairly comfortable win.

If you were talking about our style of play then it doesn't matter which players we select if we play that way.

 

[Eric Cartman]

That wasn't what you said. You said if we played Lundstram and Evans together they'd make a mockery of us. We played those two together last season when we got a fairly comfortable win.

If you were talking about our style of play then it doesn't matter which players we select if we play that way.

At their place I'm pretty sure they would. We can't start them two together.

'Fairly' comfortable but only by one wonder goal.

 

[LJBlade]

At their place I'm pretty sure they would. We can't start them two together.

'Fairly' comfortable but only by one wonder goal.

So you think they are better than they were last season?

It doesn't matter how good the winning goal was, that's irrelevant. We scored 2 and they didn't look like getting a 2nd goal even if we played all day

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

As a team they are significantly better?

Yes because the match is being played at the Riverside stadium.

Have you not noticed how monumentally shit we are away from home against half decent teams?

Look at last season.

Wolves - L
Cardiff - L
Fulham - L
Aston Villa - D
Middlesbrough - L
Derby - D
Preston - L
Millwall - L
Brentford - D

And in all those matches we didn't keep one single clean sheet.

 

[Lil red rooster]

A draw would a great result as far as I'm concerned.

An unlikely win and a few on here will be keeping their heads down for a while .

 

[Eric Cartman]

So you think they are better than they were last season?

It doesn't matter how good the winning goal was, that's irrelevant. We scored 2 and they didn't look like getting a 2nd goal even if we played all day

They're a lot bigger and more of a threat at set pieces than they were then. They're more of a Pulis side than they were last season.

They had an off day, they were better than us over the course of the season hence why they finished 5th and we finished 10th.
If we line up with Evans and Lunny in midfield it'll be a walkover. Similarly if we get in a hoof battle we will also lose.

 

[LJBlade]

Yes because the match is being played at the Riverside stadium.

Have you not noticed how monumentally shit we are away from home against half decent teams?

Look at last season.

Wolves - L
Cardiff - L
Fulham - L
Aston Villa - D
Middlesbrough - L
Derby - D
Preston - L
Millwall - L
Brentford - D

And in all those matches we didn't keep one single clean sheet.

So despite selling a few of their better players from last season they're a much better side this season because they're playing at home?

They weren't that much better then us at their ground last season, winning 1-0 with us having a very dubious goal disallowed for offside. Now with Gibson, Bamford and Traore all missing they're going to so much better?

 

[LJBlade]

They're a lot bigger and more of a threat at set pieces than they were then. They're more of a Pulis side than they were last season.

They had an off day, they were better than us over the course of the season hence why they finished 5th and we finished 10th.
If we line up with Evans and Lunny in midfield it'll be a walkover. Similarly if we get in a hoof battle we will also lose.

Who have they brought in that makes them better and/or more of a threat at set pieces?

Are we particularly bad at defending set pieces?

Again, why does playing those two automatically mean it will be a walkover? It wasn't last season.

It's almost as if you're typing stuff out with an agenda, without thinking things through properly.

 

[JackSUFC]

I'd consider putting Stearman in for Basham and playing Egan on the right of the back three. Duffy has to start, but probably won't.

 

[Booker4]

We won't get a better chance to beat Boro at the Riverside. They're not in a good state right now.

I fancy us to win.

Agreed, especially when you consider Traore is going and Bamford has already gone - they were both crucial last season. They won't have time to introduce anyone for tonight so its a depleted Boro team who were woeful on Saturday. I know we were too but the pressure is huge on Boro and if we go 1 up I fancy the fans to turn on them. Plus, we generally get a reaction after a defeat.

I'm going for 2 - 1 Blades tonight.

 

[Eric Cartman]

Who have they brought in that makes them better and/or more of a threat at set pieces?

Are we particularly bad at defending set pieces?

Again, why does playing those two automatically mean it will be a walkover? It wasn't last season.

It's almost as if you're typing stuff out with an agenda, without thinking things through properly.

Please listen to yourself.
We're not great at defending set pieces, no, since we conceded 17 last season.
Evans and Lundstram may have 'inspired' us to a win against Boro last year, but Evans scored a once in a lifetime goal. You can't just dismiss it like it never happened cos 'we won comfortably'.

They've brought in Aden Flint, do you want to know how many goals he scored last year?
Paddy McNair too who scored 5 for relegated Sunderland.

Look at our record as posted by PeterNdlovu081 above away from home against good teams.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

So despite selling a few of their better players from last season they're a much better side this season because they're playing at home?

They weren't that much better then us at their ground last season, winning 1-0 with us having a very dubious goal disallowed for offside. Now with Gibson, Bamford and Traore all missing they're going to so much better?

They were better than us last season and so far they've been better than us this season.

I don't care who they've bought or sold, Boro are a top ten team.

We'll struggle simply by virtue of the fact that Boro aren't shit and Boro are at home.

Wilder has never beaten a good Championship team away from home. That's a fact. More often than not we look out of our depth and bend over and part our cheeks.

I await to be proved wrong.

 

[LJBlade]

They were better than us last season and so far they've been better than us this season.

I don't care who they've bought or sold, Boro are a top ten team.

We'll struggle simply by virtue of the fact that Boro aren't shit and Boro are at home.

Wilder has never beaten a good Championship team away from home. That's a fact. More often than not we look out of our depth and bend over and part our cheeks.

I await to be proved wrong.

I've just listed 3 of their better players that they've sold. You don't know who they've brought in to replace them but despite that you know for a fact that they're a top 10 team?

 

[LJBlade]

Please listen to yourself.
We're not great at defending set pieces, no, since we conceded 17 last season.
Evans and Lundstram may have 'inspired' us to a win against Boro last year, but Evans scored a once in a lifetime goal. You can't just dismiss it like it never happened cos 'we won comfortably'.

They've brought in Aden Flint, do you want to know how many goals he scored last year?
Paddy McNair too who scored 5 for relegated Sunderland.

Look at our record as posted by PeterNdlovu081 above away from home against good teams.

I think it's you who needs to have a re-think.

Your logic is this. Play Evans and Lundstram and we will get battered.

We won with those two last season so playing them together doesn't automatically equal a battering. I'm not saying we won't get beat, I'm saying that your logic is flawed to the point in that it's non-existent. Now, if you'd made the argument that they are significantly better than last season you might have a point, but you haven't. You've made an illogical argument based on your negative agenda against Lundstram and Evans.

Moving on, and for arguments sake lets say I agree with you. What would be your solution? Who would you play instead?

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

I've just listed 3 of their better players that they've sold. You don't know who they've brought in to replace them but despite that you know for a fact that they're a top 10 team?

I'd be very surprised if they didn't finish in the top ten.

Wouldn't you be?

People need to start waking up and realising that we're shit, and we have been since last November. It's not just suddenly going to get better all of a sudden.

Best we can hope for this season is to finish above Wednesday because we'll be a million miles away from the play offs.