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What I understood him to say about Castledine is that he saw him as a potential second striker. It does seem like Conway is basically a second striker who prefers to play off-centre so I saw the implication that he could replace Conway as a sub when required but presuming we have someone else playing in the main striker position. I had a look at his heat map in league one and it's very much the classic left-sided forward in a 4-2-3-1. If you compare his heat map with Conway's, they're similar in mostly being on the left but Conway spends more time in the box while Castledine spends more time in his own half. As you say, they can play with Conway central and Castledine just off him on the left but Conway has struggled as a central striker. I think Hellberg's betting on Strelec hitting a groove and starting the remaining games as our main striker.

Hellberg actually said he sees Castledine as a #9 when asked a few weeks ago. When Castledine did start it was noticeable how much more central Conway was in that game so I’d guess Castledine played the ‘Conway role’ and Conway played more as a central striker than he has been which could also benefit us in the final run of the season.

There's usually a PL game on Sunday in that slot, but as it's FA Cup weekend, they'll want to show something else there instead. Messes with us really, as it means we end up having 3 games in 6 days

Cloud static?

Practice for Super Sunday next season

Would imagine because it's FA Cup weekend which TNT have the right's to, so Sky probably wants a game when the other's are on TNT. Total stab in the dark like haha

Can anyone explain why we are playing on a Sunday with a kick off being 1630hrs?

And Conway hits the bar with it

We're getting a penalty in this one, I can feel it in my giblets.

last 10 we are top of the league, most wins, least losses, most goals, 3rd least conceded

Thanks for the feedback man, at the time I thought Hanging On was the best song I've done so far but I kind of like this one as a continuation of that. The songs aren't going to age well given the specificity of the lyrics but that's not the point, I create them for the here and now...this one leans slightly into country music which definitely is not something I listen to lol!

Song's not bad DZ, but not as good as Hanging On. That was definitely your best one so far...I'm responsible for 4 of those 14 plays! 😁Reminded me a lot of Silver Side Up-era Nickelback...before they decided to try and be Motley Crue, with all the sleazy party-rock stuff. Really tugs on the heart-strings, that one. Talking Points Will Kim Hellberg go back to his usual tactics for this one, or will the fact we scored 3 goals playing with wingbacks have given him food for thought? I think it will depend on what he thinks will work against QPR. I'm sure he'll have done his homework on them and will hopefully have a game plan ready. Against Birmingham we seemed to play a mix of standard Hellball, plus some more direct stuff. I think being less predictable will help us a lot for the rest of the season. We just need to be a bit smarter, recognise when certain tactics aren't working and adapt if need be. QPR are almost mathematically safe (1 win away?) but unlikely to get into the play-offs...unless they go on a pretty amazing run. Pretty much just pride to play for now. Boro know Ipswich are still snapping at our heels for 2nd place, so hopefully will be highly motivated to get a result. Will David Strelec now go on a Morgan Whittaker-esque scoring run? Unlikely...unless Hellberg decides to stick with formations that have players out wide, putting in crosses for him. Obviously I'd like to see him grab a few more between now and the end of the season. The guy clearly has ability - he just needs to play in a system that plays to his strengths. I'll go out on a limb and say he'll grab a few more, but I don't see him becoming a real goal machine. Will Morgan Whittaker ever go on another Morgan Whittaker-esque scoring run? Hard to say. He seems to be very much a confidence player and his confidence seems to have taken a knock. Will be even harder of Hellberg decides to give Strelec a run in the side. Think we're at the stage of the season where we are just looking for players to chip in with a few more to see us over the line. If we do get promoted, I'd expect Whittaker to be one of the ones we let go...so possibly not. Be honest - will we go up automatically? We certainly have a good chance. Would be even better if Ipswich have at least one more slip up in them and Boro can go on another unbeaten run. Honestly...too close to call right now.

To be honest, I think Paylor is wrong. Castledine and Sarmiento are both wide(ish) forwards/#10 types. They can play wide but they both want to cut in. The nearest to an orthodox winger we have is Silvera and he spent most of his career playing as an inverted winger on the left. Hellberg has done well to retrain him to play on the right because he tended to look lost on the right without his comfort-blanket move of cutting in from the left to shoot somewhere in the vicinity of the goal. I wouldn't say Strelec is great in the air. He's more like a Bamford in that he can make smart runs to get some space but he isn't going to outjump a centre-back. I do think that the one player we have who can read his movement and deliver a pinpoint pass is Ayling. There's certainly hope that we can reskin the Ayling/ELL bromance with him and Strelec. Firing crosses in from Targett and Brittain isn't going to work though.

the ex players starting to get their digs in while they can, as they probs don't want carrick getting the job Sky SportsMan Utd boss Michael Carrick questioned by Paul Scholes a...Paul Scholes questioned his former team-mate Michael Carricks credentials for the Man Utd job after 10-man Newcastle inflicted his first defeat in charge - but does he have a point? Carrick has eightfew things mentioned seem familiar of his time here, maybe he's getting sussed again, but even still they are 3rd lol. Imagine we had all our legend ex players constantly on our clubs back every time things go wrong, just hammering the club more and more. worst it gets for us is slaven (who will say somethings cr@p when its bad and good when its good), i suppose he even gets paid to do it at the stadium as well lol, but its next level how much all the ex man utd players - who lets face it are mosty failed managers (that couldn't even come close to being on the level of Steve Bruce as a manager lol) or ones that couldn't even get a manager/coaching gig, they are just hammering the club constantly (sometimes deserved tbf) to keep a name for themselves. you wouldn't think they were 3rd in the champions league spots, after dossing about for a few years being mediocre. seems like everyone in that job is setup to fail, by the owners, by the board, the players & by the ex players, even the fans with their hair are piling on them lol. love watching man utd fail tbh, as get to hammer my brother over it, but they can't even help themselves or work togegther for the good of the club they all love.

not pinning everything on sammy, but feel our he was a decent part of some of the runs of good form before he was injured.

the sheff wed admin proposal is live on companies house on the 15th. We will be able to see who they owe money too and how bad it acutally is for the first time. noticed the stadium one has been up a while and haven't seen anyone mention it in the press 1st dibs: they owe 7.5m on the loan that was for the club but secured against the stadium company 2nd bids: owe hmrc 0.8m Unsecured (get the prescribed part and anything else after the secured has been paid 1st) : 53m to chansi 0.8m to hmrc for interest and other taxes The prescribed is 50% of the first 10k worth of sales, 20% of property for anything afterwards, upto a max of 800k, I believe HMRC also comes first for the prescribed part, so Chansi has no dibs on the prescribed part, which he is owed 53m on 🤣 it also says in the administration that they are not separate sales, it will be sold as a package and the revenue from the sale will be split between both sides fairly. Chansi probs never seeing a penny of that 53m back again 🤣given the latest figures being pushed around since the preferred buyer failed are around 20m.

Casteldine isn't a natural wide attacker. He plays best through the middle.

Paylor has done an interesting article this morning. Basically suggesting that with Castledine coming back Hellberg has the answer to his stated problem of not having natural wide attackers. And that this gives us an additional option we have been lacking. If we get Sammy back fit, I think Hellberg has all the options he needs going forward to deal with different problems. For this game, weirdly for such a small pitch, QPR games always seem to suit crosses into the box from wide. I hope we stick with Strelec. I think he will get a lot of chances. Targett and Brittain firing balls in from the wing could be the answer.

Bristol have a load of injuries at the moment

Agree we need plenty of goals scored against QPR and Charlton on Wednesday

So close and yet so far! Press are putting the blame on Harry Brook's shoulders for a major contribution in this defeat. Had Jack's attempted 6 not been taken then we were in with a real shout and yes correct about Archer he was no way near the ability of the Indian bowlers far too wayward. Live and learn then go again in two years time

True. All else being equal it comes down to our match at Ipswich. Beat them and we end up second. Lose against them and they end up second. Draw and they probably end up second on goal difference. Since match day 18 when Hellberg took over Boro Pld 18, w11, D3, L4 GD +15, Pts 36. Ipswich Pld 18*, w11 D3 L4 GD+14, Pts 36. Their rearranged matchday 6 game against Blackburn was played during this period. Basically, it's a dead heat but they have the advantage of playing us at home. They do have to play one more match than us but I would say it looks like 52/48 in Ipswich's favour right now.

I think that one of the bits of improvement we could add is with a few of the players is consistency. The likes of Whittaker who seems to have dropped off in form a bit lately and even Ayling, who has been fantastic most of the season, had a bit of a stinker the other night but then was back to his best against Birmingham. This of course could be down to tiredness because of the amount of games.