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I don't want to come across as negative but if Cardiff or Derby win today we can't mathematically reach the play offs and it looks like another near miss and midtable obscurity for us 😢

Indeed and my seldom used phrase is certainly applicable but I will not mention it because Boro never seem to recognise the importance so to me this is just a stroll in the park between two teams who have nothing to fight for. Reverse phsycology being used here!

Middlesbrough vs QPR (H) The year is 2012, the headlines read: "Queens Park Rangers have sacked manager Neil Warnock after a run of eight Premier League games without a win. The 63-year-old took charge at Loftus Road in March 2010 and led Rangers to promotion last season, but leaves with them lying 17th in the top flight." Neil is left to stew in a fit of rage: after catapulting QPR into the Premier League, he's been sacked halfway through the next season before he could even recover from his new years hangover! He begins plotting his elaborate revenge, after

Hell I'm a compassionate man, deduct Wigan 12 points relegate them, then give them the 12 points back next season on appeal, thus starting League1 12 points clear, that's always been my problem too big hearted.

Very true. However, us doing our part seems to be most difficult part this season

He is Part of the reason the squad isnt good enough, for not speaking out against Gibson under-spending and getting the wrong players in. The other thing is they seemed to get progressively worse under his management apart from a short spike at xmas where he had to play the kids due to injuries which he then dropped when senior players came back.

He's just covering himself in case we do go down. On the other hand if he keeps us up he'll be a Messiah.

Have we benefited from being relegated from the premiership?

Very honest and damming assessment from Warnock from the presser this morning. I appricate him saying it as it is tho and not sugar coating the situation. I bet he thinks we're doomed privately after now seeing how dire our squad and situation is.

I heard Billy Smart, Ronald McDonald, Oleg Popov, Krusty and Blinky are pitching up.

haha I was giving him the benefit of the doubt with the other 2 but defiantly remember he told the press he wanted Diijksteel. Agreed with Monks and Pulis signings were terrible in the main with the help of Gill. I wonder under Mowbray who was scout and the guy making the signings because id argue in the last 10 years they have probably been our best signings on a budget with signings like Leadbitter, Friend (okay hes lost it now but we paid peenuts for 3 good seasons), Jutkiewicz (might get some abuse for this one), Adomah and Dimi. Id love to have them guys back at the club just

Charlton lost last night didnt they

Doesn't matter where you are in the table, unless you win every game you're going to have to rely on another team's results at some point. Hopefully we finish 20th or higher so we don't have the shame of staying up via a technicality.

SKY PUNDITS AND COMMENTATORS ARE INFURIATING FOR THIER ATTEMPTS TO BRAINWASH THE PUBLIC INTO ACCEPTING THIER OWN PERCEPTIONS OF CERTAIN PLAYERS . AND THIER INFLUENCES. TO NAME JUST A FEW... ROONEY, FODEN, MADDISON, MOUNT, RICE, PLUS ITS GETTING ANNOYING ON TALKING POINTS IN GAMES HOW THE STUDIO PUNDITS AND ESPECIALLY STELLING TRY TO INFLUENCE RETROSPECTIVE ACTION LIKE THE MITROVIC ELBOW.

I mean Warnock's playing Johnson at left back because he doesn't trust Coulson who's spent his life being a winger up until Woodgate's epiphany last August, he's having to play Friend centrally because we let Ayala's contract run down instead of selling him last summer which belied the delusion that I believe will cost us millions by simply not accepting we needed to cut the nearly out of contract loose because for whatever reason they genuinely thought Woodgate was the second coming and he'd have us near the top of the league. Also our previous manager ditched our only other LB in Januar

I don't think Woodgate really had much choice in terms of what players he got in. There was absolutely no chance Gibson was going to authorise spending more than we have done when we were trying to cut our cloth. There's no doubt the players brought in have been failures in terms of this season, or perhaps better to say they've not immediately improved our squad, given they've ended up with 20 starts between them. And if Woodgate really was the driving force behind those players coming in then sure, he takes some of the blame there. But I'll also say that I don't think he had a huge freed

I'm not defending woodgate, he was pretty awful and didnt look like he was improving. But I've said since day one of the season that this squad was going to struggle this season - it's probably the worst balanced squad in the league (particularly before January, but not much better now) and the quality isnt much better.

I think we’ll win and then this fickle forum will be buzzing again

Questions Score predictions for this one? God I really don't know. I've given up trying to predict what Boro will do in any given game. QPR are on a bad run of form...but we're hardly on a good one. Like the Hull game I think it'll be a case of whoever is marginally less crap wins. Still have a flicker of hope so: Boro 1 - 0 QPR. Lineups for the game? Will Warnock keep us safe? Will he be here next year if he does? Too close to call. If he does manage to keep us up, I reckon he'll stay...as long as Gibson doesn't try to cut his salary in half, like

I wish People would stop taking this deduction into the equation

And me Plymouth got promoted to Div 1

What basics are you on about? I think it takes a lot longer to adapt from the Austrian league to the championship playing in a *** team and having trained under a manager for 6 months who shouldn’t manage a football team. There is no way he can put much trust in a defence containing Friend and Johnson. Do you honestly think Woodgate and his staff trained defensive shape with the defenders and keeper? It’s not like De Gea was an instant hit. It takes a lot longer than you think to adapt. Writing off a keeper after 4-5 games in a new league is crazy.

Totally agree, we simply stopped after the equaliser and somehow the players did not see what we were in that Hull were there for the taking.

Is it? He's failed to keep them in the play-offs repeatedly for 4 seasons in a row, after spending most of the season in it. He's done what he can, there's no point persisting.

The second paragraph of my post above essentially. The EFL will stick to their guns if they are able to and impose the penalty because those are their rules. I would be amazed if they accepted any culpability for what's happened. If it turns out that this is all gambling related and there is proof of it, then that would be incredibly serious for the EFL, as it would call into question the integrity of the competition. I'm surprised that Rick Parry was openly discussing rumours like that to be honest. I suspect a lot of people recognise that this is dodgy but I reckon that the EFL are goin

That owner doesn't own them any more. The administrators run the club and are looking for a buyer for the business. If it's determined that it's in the best interests of the business to contest the points deduction (if/when it happens) then that's exactly what they'll do. If the club has already been purchased by that point then the new owners will be able to appeal it as well. If it turns out that the EFL's own processes have failed then I dare say that they might have a decent case, albeit it's not something I know much about. I'd be amazed if this didn't lead to a criminal investigatio

Nothing less than a win will do tomorrow. I have faith in Warnock to prepare them properly ..sticking my neck on the line I’m going to go for a two nil win..

Until the points deduction actually happens, we shouldn't factor it in. They will be challenging the deduction, so we will need to wait and see what happens with their appeal. That said the results today are certainly going in our favour, however they are meaningless unless we win/draw tomorrow.

Where does that leave everyone, does that mean every other club that's struggling can go into administration and appeal on grounds of Covid its wrong we're all going through it.

Think it would be karma if we stayed up via a technicality...... we did go down by one 97....

But havent people been saying all season that it's been woodgates fault and our squad is good enough? 🤔

Qpr will rock up with nothing to play for and no pressure so will casually stroll to a 2-1 victory with boro showing no real intention. Sad state of affairs.

True the wage bill will be reduced...but don't forget the club's income will be similarly curbed (less TV money, sponsorship, ticket sales etc.) Also, I'm sure you haven't forgotten that during those previous periods of "asset stripping", we've been relegated under Southgate and are currently teetering on the brink under Woodgate / Warnock. If you think it was bad in the PL & Championship, it would be even more severe in order to remain financially viable in League 1. This is why some clubs do spiral into oblivion and even with someone like Gibson in charge, there's no guarantee

Honestly - I can't think of any. You're working on the assumption that we'd have anybody at the club capable of recruiting a new "harmonised" team for League 1. I'd like to think so, but its by no means a given. Could end up being more of the same hodgepodge signings...getting whoever's cheap & available and trying to cram them into a formation that doesn't suit them. Cheaper season tickets would be a given I think...but can you honestly say the Riverside would be full(ish)? Far as I can remember, we only ever saw around 30k attendances when we were in the Premier League, or

We'll murder the bums.

Comfortable Middlesbrough win. Fletcher, Roberts and Tavernier to score.

It's certainly full of weirdos, that's for sure 😬

For a lot of people they will be as they'll be paying absolutely nothing 👇

The fixtures are abit unfair on Boro how QPR have had 2 extra days to prepare for this. Then after this we play Millwall who are playing tonight Friday so they have extra recovery before us. But regarding the game we simply have to turn up and win I don't care how just get the win any means possible!

There are no positives, if we do get relegated we would get rid of the high earners but we would be offered a lot less for the players than their market value, beggars can't be choosers. Season ticket prices would have to fall, but fans may start to think the chairman has pulled their pants down once to often so I see a fan backlash. I think it would be a complete financial disaster, and who honestly would want to invest financially into a club where the owner has shown how incompetent he is time and time again. We would struggle to come back up we should be a lot better than this, its crim

If you get it right in League One by creating a winning mentality and smashing the league it creates a certain environment and positive feeling around the club. Look at modern day Leicester, Norwich, Bournemouth and how the foundations built in League One propelled them up the leagues. Personally based on the current structure of the club and the decisions of the last 5 years relegation for us would be an absolute disaster as the gap between Championship and Premier League grows. You get it wrong and you end up like Sunderland, Blackpool, Ipswich or a Portsmouth destined to remain a lower leag

Silver lining for me is the Cobblers got promoted to League 1, so if we do go down, at least I have an away day on my doorstep!

None. There is never anything remotely positive about relegation. There are excuses like "time to clean up" "give the kids a chance" "kickstart the club" but it's all excuses and nothing positive.

Increases the chance of Gibson recognising his own limitations

Where is this lack of effort stuff coming from? Can anyone give me some examples from last night? Lack of quality.... fair enough but I didn't see any player not putting a shift in.

Jimmy Floyd is in

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stunning-middlesbrough-retro-dream-kits-18339084 Not sure where to put this but these kit designs would be awesome. The green one especially I would buy immediately.

Viduka confirmed and another 12 players to be announced in the Facebook live event at 7pm today apparently

Zenden is confirmed now as well

Class Aitor is playing