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Boro Badger

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Everything posted by Boro Badger

  1. If Adama starts right and Downing left, it 'looks' balanced on paper but our left side will be limp going forward and our right side will be a defensive liability. Those three in midfield will be painful to watch. It will be like our defensive 1-0 defeats in the Premiership. Oh dear Badger - do try and be positive... UTB
  2. Nice one Teacider, good analysis of Pulisball! Pulis may deliberately want to change things, just to stamp his authority. I think he'll try this out during training this week: ----------------------------- Randolph ----------------------- -- Christie --- Shotton -- Ayala -- Gibson -- Friend -- -------- Leadbitter --- Downing --- Howson ----------- ---------------- Gestede --- Assombalonga --------------- It would be hard to score against and we'd still carry a height/power/pace threat upfront. We don't have reliable/effective #10s/wingers so Pulis might just play to our strengths
  3. In all seriousness, the club could do with a shot of Pulis for 6-18 months. He'll look to improve every aspect of the club and won't take any **** from the players. In my opinion, he's like a better version of Karanka. He'll get he players going from day one. We can all moan about him when we're established in the Premier League... but until then UTB!
  4. Boro Pulisball XI ------------------ Randolph ------------------ -- Shotton --- Fry --- Ayala --- Gibson -- ------------------- Clayton -------------------- --------- Leadbitter ------ Howson --------- --- Downing ------------ Assombalonga --- ------------------- Gestede --------------
  5. Maybe as sport director :-P Maybe at Sports Direct
  6. Certainly an interesting point. Is the group good enough? Almost everyone thought so before the season started, but that feeling has just evaporated. Which team would we rather have? Promotion Winners 2015-2016 --------------------- Dimi --------------------- -- Nsue --- Ayala --- Gibson -- Friend -- --------- Leadbitter ------ Clayton -------- ----- Stuani ---- Ramirez --- Adomah ---- ------------------- Nugent ------------------- Mid-table Obscurity 2017-2018 ------------------ Randolph ------------------ -- Christie --- Ayala --- Gibson -- Fabio -- --------- Leadbitter -
  7. I'm not overly into stats, but aren't they quite straightforward here? In the league, Christie has 4 assists in 21 appearances and Fabio has 1 in 16. That one assist from Fabio was from the centre of the field, with his right foot. He chipped it over a poor Birmingham defence for Assombalonga to score. I think we can all agree Fabio's left foot is quite poor. This does mean he wastes chances in the final third when he's played in behind. His crosses usually don't beat the first man. He also passes backwards/inside much more than Christie, whereas Cyrus the virus drives us forward wheneve
  8. This season Friend reminds me of a cat trying to catch a laser. Plenty of effort but just can't quite ever get there. I don't think Friend or Fabio are good enough going forward with the system we're trying to play. Funny how we all love and watch the Boro and all think different things.
  9. That "effective" right footed full back assists and scores less often per match than the right footed left back. Interesting. That is interesting Humpty - as you're incorrect unfortuantely! Christie has the most assists in the entire team with 3 (0.15 assists per game). Fabio has 1 assist (0.067 assists per game). They both have a goal each. Okay cool, thought no one was going to say anything there for a minute. He can't even claim to be talking historically either because Christie has as many assists this season as Fabio has in his entire career. According to Transfe
  10. When I watch us it's like we're only using two third of the pitch to attack, the right and the centre. If we use the left as effectively as the right, it will create more space in the centre. Just watch when Downing has the ball on the right - because of the threat of Christie overlapping, he has more time and more options on the ball. He can pick an accurate forward pass instead of playing sideways/backwards. You can see how Downing's performances have improved from being on that side being supported by Christie. Everything from the left is coming inside and/or slow play. It's really
  11. When I watch us it's like we're only using two third of the pitch to attack, the right and the centre. If we use the left as effectively as the right, it will create more space in the centre. Just watch when Downing has the ball on the right - because of the threat of Christie overlapping, he has more time and more options on the ball. He can pick an accurate forward pass instead of playing sideways/backwards. You can see how Downing's performances have improved from being on that side being supported by Christie. Everything from the left is coming inside and/or slow play. It's really
  12. When I watch us it's like we're only using two third of the pitch to attack, the right and the centre. If we use the left as effectively as the right, it will create more space in the centre. Just watch when Downing has the ball on the right - because of the threat of Christie overlapping, he has more time and more options on the ball. He can pick an accurate forward pass instead of playing sideways/backwards. You can see how Downing's performances have improved from being on that side being supported by Christie. Everything from the left is coming inside and/or slow play. It's really
  13. I couldn't disagree more with you more! But then it's a game of opinions... We're set up to play attacking full backs. Christie overlaps effectively on the right, which helps Downing massively. Fabio doesn't give us that natural width on the left. With a naturally left footed attacking left back, a narrow revolving Braithwaite/Bamford/Downing behind Assombalonga would be so much more effective. For me that's playing to the strengths of our squad, so we don't need to pin our hopes on a new elusive #10 or new wingers arriving in January. I realise not everyone agrees that a left back
  14. Just a couple of thoughts, that seem to run against the grain. I'm not convinced we need a 'true #10'. If Braithwaite, Bamford and Downing are all interchanging behind Assombalonga we have more than enough threat and link up play to score 2-3 goals against any opposition in the league. #10s are like gold dust. Even Man Utd are struggling to find one. Even if we do get lucky, once the #10 gets injured or suspended we're back to square one. I'd rather strengthen elsewhere and build a team based on a system, not one player who needs a second chance or who we're loaning. For the left full ba
  15. Dear Santa, I'd like to talk to you about the Boro and what I'd like for Christmas (or at least in the January sales). I think we'll be alright like, if we go with this team everytime: ------------------ Randolph ------------------ -- Christie --- Fry --- Gibson -- NEW -- --------- Leadbitter ------ Howson --------- --- Downing --- Bamford -- Braithwaite --- -------------- Assombalonga -------------- But with no great natural wide left player we're absolutely desperate for a quality left back. (Santa, please tell other Boro fans sitting on your knee in the Cleveland Santa t
  16. Christie has been one of our best signings, the best right back we've had in years. How many of these have you had! Hiccup! Christie is great going forward but he's all over the shop defensively. It's not the first position I'd strengthen but if we found someone who could do both I wouldn't be gutted. As Humpty and RedRocket have said, I think it's more the central midfielders not covering when Cyrus the Virus does get forward. Under Karanka, Clayton or Leadbitter would always slot in to protect which would help Christie massively. For me, the Christie/Downing combinati
  17. Christie has been one of our best signings, the best right back we've had in years. How many of these have you had!
  18. There's no way Burnley would sign players over Dyche's head (Downing/Rhodes). So you could say Gibson never backed Karanka 100%, even before any dressing room trouble started. Having said that, I think it was easier for Burnley to back Dyche. They both know how to organise and motivate a team, but Dyche is a far better communicator than Karanka. I'd love to see Karanka in La Liga, to see if his failings was more due to the language barrier/culture clash rather than his management style. Again, I think the important of a good assistant was overlooked by the club. Karanka could have been g
  19. As bleak as it sounds, the only thing that will could help to save Monk long term will be if he stumbles on some kind of line-up/formation that works and we win 3-0/4-0. If we scramble through another narrow win, it's not going to change our prospects for the season. If we lose, I don't think Monk will get the sack just yet, but you'd think Gibson will start making plans for a short term/long term replacement. Looking forward to Christie/Downing supplying Britt and hopefully Gestede too. If both the big men start we could cause them a few problems. Randolph could be busy with their d
  20. We’ve just had a period where we won 4 games in 5. And before that 3 wins and 2 draws in 5 games. Aren’t these counted as runs You're right, a 'run' is subjective, but for me for a run to result in anything positive promotion-wise it's going to have to be like: Reading 2011–12 (won 17 of 23 games in the second half of the season) Burnley 2015-16 (unbeaten in the league after 28th December) Boro 2015-16 (conceded 31 goals, unbeaten in last 10, lost 9 all season - we've already lost 7 this season) And I don't think any of us can see a run like that happening under Monk. So far our
  21. I am one of the most optimistic and positive Boro fans, but even for me, there's no point hoping that 'we're going to go on a run'. It's not going to happen under Monk. Even in his 'good times' at Leeds, they had the same consistency problems, as Monk made random changes leading to random results. We went on a run in previous seasons under Karanka because we had excellent shape and discipline. We got found out once teams figured how to stop us scoring, but how much better we would have been under Karanka if we'd had the power and pace of Britt (instead of Kike). Forgive the wording, but you
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