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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/22/2024 in all areas

  1. Well at least that rumour has been put to bed now 👍
    5 points
  2. If Barry comes here and lights up our left wing to a similar or even better extent than Doak does on the right we will see a big improvement with Borges/Engel, two "problems" with one stone and all that. Our Left Hand side gets ignored by Carrick deliberately in many games especially with McGree being presumably instructed to drift centrally, helping overpower the right hand side. Having a serious threat on our left will balance the side and create problems for our opponents instead of handing them a free hit against an exposed LB.
    3 points
  3. Young Aussie prospect Nestory Irankunda currently at Bayern Munich was interviewed at the A league match in Adelaide on Friday night and stated that he hoped to get a loan away from Bayern soon. This lad is a great talent, I believe Boro has a link with Bayern through former staff, correct me if I'm wrong. He would give Boro something different again from Ben Doak who is a great prospect as well, but has been criticized for not taking a shot often enough, something Nestory has absolutely no qualms about. He is more of a player who uses his pace and swerve to beat players and also possesses the most powerful shot I can recall seeing on a player. He's also very strong, I've seen him literally get poleaxed numerous times in the A league and get up as if nothing has happened. Highlights of some of the goals he scored while in the Aussie League. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqLVs1BmIEc Also another player to watch Dylan Scicluna 20 years old, spent 10 years in England, returned to Oz season before last, very talented central midfielder, plays as one of two pivots for Western Sydney Wanderers, fairly sure will start to get on the radar of overseas clubs soon.
    3 points
  4. I said ages ago that we could do with someone to play Venables to Carrick's Robson. We need some new ideas, without needing root and branch reform - we have seen plenty of glimpses this season of the brilliant football the team, players, coaching staff and 4-2-3-1 formation are capable of. Yet in other games, the players look like they were pulled out of the stands in a pre-match tombola. And it keeps happening. A different time, I know, but it took Karanka just a handful of games to make us a pretty tidy defensive unit. We had one harebrained 3-4 against (IIRC) QPR when we played as incoherently as we did yesterday, and it never happened again. Carrick isn't learning from past mistakes, which is borderline insane given the stakes and the talent at his disposal. Woodgate doesn't appear to have any ideas, and I have seen nothing to suggest Carrick (G) has added anything since his arrival.
    2 points
  5. Have a merry Christmas All you reprobates from the Smoggie land I wish you all a prosperous new year...Sprouts are still bubbling away should be ready for Christmas day
    2 points
  6. I think top 4 is sorted, Blackburn, Boro, Watford, West Brom for the 2 remaining spots, with Norwich outsiders, IMO mind
    2 points
  7. It is a holiday special offer of "Score one, get one free". There is no other possible explanation for some of the goals we have conceded this season. Having said that, it seems as though there is some sort of competition going on to see who can get the most deflections on their shots amongst our lads. 🙂 Need to be careful against Sheff Wed, they are creeping towards payoffs and should not be taken lightly so definitely going to cause trouble if they decide to have a go.
    2 points
  8. We're 2nd highest scorers in the league. Our problem is that we're conceding soft as *** goals all the time.
    2 points
  9. Was mentioned earlier the thrust of the matter is that we do not defend as a team at times and this was evident yesterday. Our midfield was very porous and hardly combative, sadly Hackney (yes he scored) McGree and Doak were not at their best and you have to be to keep up with those above us. Howson does what he does think we all accept that but boy I wish he was a few years younger at times
    2 points
  10. Thats a completely different set up, system and probably manager though, it’s never going to happen because it’s just not how Carrick plays. We only ever get people suggesting wing backs after a bad defensive display, nobody has been begging for 3 at the back in the match day threads in the last few weeks while we were doing well. We aren’t a team set up to be ‘hard to beat’ in that ultra defensive way, we would play exactly the same kind of football just with an extra defender and there’d just be no point.
    2 points
  11. Far from our best performance but I still thought we strung together some decent passages of play. The sitter missed by Hackney springs to mind. Some of our attacking play reminded me of under Wilder - creating those overloads in the wide areas to allow someone to burst through to the byline and pull it back across goal. Conditions certainly didn’t help and we were much poorer than anyone of us wanted but I seem to have a more positive outlook on the game than most on here. Fingers crossed we can get a result versus Sheffield Wednesday but I don’t feel particularly confident - I rarely do these days given how inconsistent we are.
    2 points
  12. https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2024/december/21/michael-carrick--post-match-reaction---plymouth-argyle/ Good to see he is clearly pi**ed off with our defending. I get those saying its repeated errors which we not learned from but first time I seen him “angry” for sometime which is hopefully a good thing in terms of taking action. I expect changes v Sheff Wed but obviously not wholesale ones
    2 points
  13. Last season, Carrick and his team had less experience, we had horrific injuries, and yet we weren't really any worse off at this stage of last season than we are now. We might be scoring more goals, but we're falling apart defensively. What improvement? We had an identical score when we played Plymouth last season! As for top clubs sending players our way, two seasons ago we had the likes of Archer, Giles and Ramsey. Since then, the loans have been diminishing returns, and as good as Doak has been, he's still raw and inexperienced (as demonstrated by his backheel today). You call that a "massive improvement" - maybe compared to dinosaurs like Wilder, which is a low bar, but I see us going backwards (literally, in terms of in-game tactics a lot of the time). I don't see Carrick and his hand-picked team learning, growing, improving or even getting luckier as the seasons pass. If we can predict who will be substituted (and when), you can bet your last Rolo the opposition have it mapped out on the dressing room wall four days in advance. We are so predictable in the way we play, it's painful. We're burning out the clutch with the handbrake on, making a lot of noise but going nowhere.
    2 points
  14. Working 12 hour shifts Christmas Eve, Christmas day, Boxing Day and the 27th, so thought I'd get in early with the good wishes lads. Really great to see us both still in the mix, and I genuinely hope we are both still there come the end of the season. Hope you all have a happy and safe Christmas marras. 🥳
    1 point
  15. A word of advice for those who set their Christmas puddings alight. Do it before the sprouts kick in 🙂
    1 point
  16. Aye, we're struggling to score goals so he's exactly what we need 🙌
    1 point
  17. Ends 2-0, so Middlesbrough are in the top 6 for Christmas.
    1 point
  18. It's kind of irrelevant... It's all about the points presently. Probably a wake up call the players need to be put outside the play offs. We need 3 good results on the bounce now after yesterday's fall back in top 4
    1 point
  19. I think we now all have to accept that Boro have a real defensive problem.They always have had under Carrick I suspect even MC knows it too. Ditto Steve Gibson. It needs to be sorted asap otherwise we will struggle to even reach the playoffs. This issue has plagued Carrick's tenure as manager. There are other teams breathing down our necks such as W.Brom.Watford,Norwich,and dare I say it Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls are really putting a good run together. They will really be a handful on Boxing Day. If we produce a defensive performance like yesterday then the Riverside will not be overflowing with festive cheer.
    1 point
  20. Decent shout that mind.
    1 point
  21. Poor start to the season, inexperienced manager. Inconsistent performances, leaky rear end and the only thing I am pretty sure off is we are not going up. The team is beating itself
    1 point
  22. Thank you marra. It's so tight up there at the minute, and freaky results are happening, like you lot yesterday. Had you down as nailed on for a win there. We seem to have matured a lot, and these kids have developed a streetfighting, never give up attitude. We are getting points and winning games we would have lost last season. Still not winning well, but winning nonetheless. It would be a brave man to predict the to top six by the end of the season. Hope we are both still in the mix come April. Merry Christmas mate, have a good one. 🥳🥳🥳
    1 point
  23. Agree and hate to say it but at this time Sunderland are showing that they are a lot more clinical than Boro and we need to be a lot more clinical
    1 point
  24. I agree.We never found a replacement for Leadbitter.
    1 point
  25. I'd hope we are looking beyond Tom Cannon. He's a Leicester Player on loan to Stoke and as yet isn't setting the Championship alight. He has scored 8 goals but 4 of them were in one game against Portsmouth. He will cost us money that can be better spent elsewhere (and that's assuming his Stoke loan can be cut short). Our model is to identify fresh talent before it reaches it's peak (or caught the eye in terms of having to spend big). Conway is probably at the edge of that formula but he wasn't on the wages that Cannon will be on or cost the sort of money Leicester would want to recoup on Cannon. Indeed Leicester may want to retain Cannon with an eye on next season just in case they drop down
    1 point
  26. I've never been overly impressed by Howson, I expected a lot more when we signed him and his leadership skills are poor in my opinion. I'd go further back and say we have never replaced Leadbitter who although limited in a skill context could galvanise, organise and motivate.
    1 point
  27. Surely that's why we have Coaches and a series of training sessions each week at Rockliffe, We/he done it effectively against Leicester last season so it can be done but the Manager just won't change despite when things aren't working. It's a luxury a Manager can indulge in when they are flying high, winning all before them but it's a very frustrating sword to fall on when it's failing to deliver. We are in the Play spots so it's great I guess some will say but we really should be comfortably in those 4 places as a minimum this season rather than by the skin of our teeth. It is also likely to be the reason why if we make the Play Offs like we did against Coventry we won't progress.
    1 point
  28. Hi George, done my fair share of festive days/nights at work on shifts over the past 38 years now in my first xmas since retired, all the very best George to you & your family Think presently, your team have a far better chance making the playoffs than we do, but you can never tell with the Boro, or football
    1 point
  29. I like Conway, but he really doesn't offer what ELL does to the team. We just look more pedestrian without ELLs pace... I always fancied him to stay through this year IF we were in with a chance of going up. But even my optimistic view was shattered yest re autos. Play offs at best. So if a West Ham type come in I'd wish him well. Then we need a CF with pace urgently
    1 point
  30. Its very hard to change things middle of a game if you havent have prepared for it though. I guess we dont realy train to be flexible like that. Potter when in Sweden was a master at being able to switch formations during games, but its not very common as its very hard to give instructions during a game of football.
    1 point
  31. I mean, I’m certainly not one wanting us to go ultra defensive, but that first half was terrifying. We just weren’t able to cope with their width. One simple long ball and they had a man in acres of space, be it on the left or the right. We were lucky to go in having only conceded one! To Carrick’s credit, it did improve at half-time, but even during the first half a quick tweak could have been made. Sometimes you get it wrong and have to make adjustments.
    1 point
  32. That is a signing that makes more sense to me. Trafford is a far better keeper than Dieng and Spurs first choice is out for months and Forster had a nightmare midweek.
    1 point
  33. We'd obviously prefer to keep Lath until the end of the season but if offers for him get high enough then it's understandable if we have to cash in. If we were in contention for the top two positions then we might've had a decent chance of convincing him to stay until at least the end of the season, but as we're well away from there we're likely going to have to sell him. Since we turned down £20 million in the summer I'd expect something around that level. We're really effective in the transfer market now anyway, but after the drama of the final day of the summer transfer window, we're surely very well prepared to replace him and potentially using the money to strengthen other areas of the team. (t wouldn't surprise me if we've already made good progress on his likely replacement already. As we've seen with the sales of Akpom and Rogers, large fees can be used to sign several good quality players so it could be a case of taking one step back to take two steps forward if we spend it wisely. Under Scott we haven't spent over £5 million on a player so I think Lath is most likely to be replaced with someone around that price range and then a decent chunk of the remaining money used on other positions. We've shown that we're comfortable signing players from a foreign league so that's got to be an option on the table for Lath's replacement. However, now that we have a bit more money to work with there's a chance we change our tact somewhat and go for someone who is a bit more proven - top of that list could be Tom Cannon. We already have Conway who has performed very well so we're not in a desperate position to pay an inflated fee and wages, so I'm sure we'll be as relaxed as we can be behind the scenes in the circumstances. Looking at our strongest starting 11 there's GK, CB (x2), CM (x2), #10, RW and strike that I'm happy with, but there's room for improvement in the positions of RB, LB and LW. So if we have some money to spend after signing Lath's replacement then them areas could be strengthened. It looks like Louie Barry is a serious option for LW and highly likely to come in on loan. If the likes of Jones and Forss leave then we might even bring in a higher quality RW who's closer to the level of Doak. We have loads of fringe players who are likely available to leave so that might help create the space in the squad to bring in improvements. We have a pretty bloated squad, which was needed to cover for the injuries we had earlier in the season, but with that improving I wouldn't be surprised to see us trim the squad down. Those who there are question marks over their future here are Dieng, Glover, Smith, Dijksteel, Lenihan, Barlaser, Jones, Forss & Gilbert, so it could be an incredibly busy transfer window with us moving some players out before signing players who we consider improvements. I'd even say another proper #6 who can do the defensive side that Morris does would be a huge addition as we really miss him when he isn't available as Howson and Barlaser are huge downgrades. If we get a buyer for Barlaser then that could help us strengthen that area. Micah Hamilton needs time. It's pretty clear why we signed him as he has a god mix of unique attributes that are vital in our forward 3 positions. He's very mobile, dynamic in tight spaces, good technical ability and a real smoothness as he carries the ball. That's the sort of base attributes that are great to develop a high quality player from. He's clearly still learning what it takes to step up to senior football with the mental side of knowing when to pass or turn into space, knowing where to position himself in possession, off the ball positioning, decision-making and general confidence. Them sort of things can be improved over time. He's not at a level where he can put in good performances so it's a bit painful when he plays at the moment - but that's pretty common with youngsters with potential. If we're wanting to be a club that develops young talent then these sort of issues are to be expected. Fortunately he's only our 3rd choice in LW so we don't have to depend on him for points. It probably means nothing but our head of recruitment, Chris Jones, was in New York in late November. Around that time New York City played New York Redbulls and he put a picture on his Instagram of what appears to be outside their stadium. Given our success of signing Morris from the MLS, and comments made by Scott about the benefits of signing players from there, it wouldn't surprise me if he was watching some targets.
    1 point
  34. I think because of our defensive frailties we’d be better served playing with wing backs allowing us to have an extra man at the back when we don’t have possession. I know it won’t happen because Carrick is stuck in his ways but i think it would make us much harder to beat and we still have enough attacking threat to win games with that system.
    1 point
  35. A reminder that at home our opposition today beat the two teams directly above us. It's a poor result today but the other teams around us have done worse.
    1 point
  36. Interesting scores from the Gazette. For me Dijksteel was our MOM. https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/middlesbrough-player-ratings-vs-plymouth-30637827
    1 point
  37. A good game for the neutral, boro's tag of being the entertainers is assured for another week. Yes we are not ready for a promotion yet. hackney's form has tanked, the dury is out on Borges, Edmondson appears to have got the shakes, Doak for all his promise has as little more end result than Jones, and we continue to ship goals. Morris is proving to be a huge miss. Just look at the lower tier sides in the PL, most of them would annihilate us. We've set out on the course and I'd say are tracking well, there is definite improvement year on year, we just need a few more cycles of buying low, selling high and reinvesting. Yes Carrick is far from perfect, I think he's making a good go and one massive improvement has been the emergence of youth, and the desire for top clubs to send players our way. Defensively we really need to get a grip though. All managers have strengths and weaknesses, defence is definitely our Achilles heel right now. I look at what Brighton/Brentford/bournemouth have done and think we've got a chance given time. But we have to work even harder as we don't have the allure of the teams near London. UTB
    1 point
  38. Our defensive frailties aren't as simple as let's blame the defenders in isolation. Our Midfield is porous and non combative in too many games, Morris isn't just a miss his absence is a catastrophe. Howson despite his goal has been well short of what he once was. I have no idea what's happened to Hackney but his game has dropped right off over the last few months. Barlaser has skills and ability but seems a forced fit that makes him look uncomfortable. Our Left Backs are being exposed and tortured due to being exposed, I highlighted the same with Engel and we are witnessing the exact same frailties with Borges, lightening rarely strikes twice. Carrick has to own this and make it work, it's his squad and his tactics. I want to see a steady improvement, not the odd good result interspersed with frustrating ones or a good run that just doesn't quite go the distance. Managers come and go, their results decide their fate, Santo wasn't good enough for Spurs (who is) or Al-Ittihad Wolves but is excelling at Forest, Pep walked on water but since his new contract makes Carrick look like prime Mourinho. We can carry on with the same old, same old as it is safe after all or we can show ambition and go for it, preferably with Carrick improving but at some point he needs to deliver consistently and stop the predictability of his tenure. We are flat lining in plain view and something has to change, not necessarily Carrick but whether it's his support network or his mentality something has to give.
    1 point
  39. I think this part is misleading. Whilst I would agree that Morris is a better defensive player for us than any of the other central midfielders, it's not like we haven't shipped goals when he's played. He played against Norwich and Coventry, he played against Bristol City, Portsmouth and Watford. Maybe he'd have made a difference today but then again maybe he'd have gotten lost in the chaos. I'm not sure we're dependent on him just yet though because the issues seem to be wider than just that. Same goes for McGree v Burgzorg. From reading this forum I'd be forgiven for thinking that Burgzorg is some kind of super player. He's a hit and miss attacking player. At his best he'll look really good in a game but then he'll do nothing next time out. He's the type of player that isn't really good enough to play up front consistently so they get shoved out wide cos they've got a goal in them, and in his case he can be quite direct. When he came on today he was playing even more tucked inside than McGree was. He was basically playing as a striker. Yet people think, and have said on this thread, that he offers more protection to the left back. He doesn't, and makes the same number of tackles per game as McGree does, about 0.6. Doak actually makes double that amount, and Jones last season made triple. Comparing them purely as attacking players and McGree is well ahead of Burgzorg no matter what people think. They've played almost the same number of minutes this season, Burgzorg has 2 goals and 0 assists, McGree has 1 goal and 5 assists. McGree has more shots per game than Burgzorg and more key passes per game than him. That McGree hasn't looked so good for the last two games is a fair opinion but it is only two games. Before that the last two games the previous game he started and played a large chunk of was QPR when he played well. He went off injured against Blackburn and didn't start against Burnley. If people have an issue with him playing too centrally then that's on the coaching team not the player.
    1 point
  40. Yes. Absolutely terrible. Left opponents unmarked in the box and allowed their wide player acres of space to run & put a cross in for their 3rd goal. The way we switch off at the back and neglect our defensive duties is just baffling and infuriating.
    1 point
  41. You know Doak he does get alot.of hype as he goes on these mad dribbles but he really does need to develop his end product and decision making as there was the one chance he was throufh tried a backheel when was better him shooting
    1 point
  42. To operate and execute a "Plan A" every single game surely must ask questions just in itself. We saw Coventry nullify us in Play Off games, we see poor teams routinely able to stifle us with a low block or a high press. Opposition Managers and their Coaching staff know exactly what they are going to face, how, who, when and where. That our substitutions are predictable and methodical is crazy. I don't know of any situation in life where one plan and one mindset is the best outcome in all eventualities. It's like a Bloke who goes out with a raincoat and welly boots on in the middle of summer because he knows it might rain and it will definitely rain six months of the year at least. so let's wear one outfit even if it's 30 degrees outside in the middle of a drought. It's a borderline spectrum disorder. As much as it has worked it has also held us back and it's getting to the point where it works well enough a lot of the time but just not quite good enough all of the time, yet we religiously stick to the exact same routine regardless of the opposition, the climate, the circumstances, the levels of ability or strength or weaknesses of opponents. I said a few weeks ago that Carrick is 70% r 75% of the manager we need, so close yet just falls short. If we made the Play Offs the opposition will have us sussed and stymied before a ball is even kicked. Nice bloke but bejayasus he frustrates the ***** out of me.
    1 point
  43. For my ex pat friends especially @BoroAbroad here are the highlights for you. Enjoy as much as you are able https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/13278037/plymouth-argyle-3-3-middlesbrough-championship-highlights
    1 point
  44. Top two forget it but we are more than capable of a top 6 position
    1 point
  45. All teams in the Championship are somewhat inconsistent. The best of them are able to minimize it. We're inconsistent from game to game in a way that means even ending up 6th this season is going to down to luck as much as judgement. I was going to say there's been no obvious sign of improvement since the start of last season but that's not actually true. Last game before Christmas last season we were 11th on 33 points from 23 games. This season we're 6th on 35 points from 22 games. It is a slight improvement but given all the issues Carrick faced in the first half of last season compared to this one, it's debatable whether there has been any progress despite having a stronger 1st 11 and a stronger 2nd 11. If I were Gibson I would be sitting down with Scott and Carrick and asking them to tell me how they plan to improve because I have to look very, very hard to see signs of it. Not by any means saying Carrick out but I definitely want to see actual, tangible improvement in consistency of performance if nothing else, for the rest of this season. Right now, if nothing changes, it looks like the best we can hope for is 6th place and a minor miracle in the playoffs.
    1 point
  46. We really miss Aidan Morris. We shouldn't be so reliant on one player, but we clearly are.
    1 point
  47. Sadly he mini run is over for Unger so @OldManGravz the SW game is yours to do @RiseAgainst you follow OMG Thanks guys
    1 point
  48. In fairness to Borges there is a pattern emerging here when Burgzorg isn't in front of him. Our left backs are totally exposed when we have no LW in front of them. Engel suffered in exactly the same way. It is way more than coincidence.
    1 point



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