Smokedsalmon
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Posts posted by Smokedsalmon
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1 minute ago, JTG said:
But do you really want to be spending in excess of £7.5m on a player on the off chance you can add a different skill to his game when you could pay a bit more and get a player who can already play in the way you need them to. After the Spence and Tav sales we’re not exactly destitute.
Being honest mate I'm just trying to be positive and convince myself it will work out alright, I think it's a pretty *** transfer overall but I mean stranger things have happened than Boro signing a striker and improving him right- hahahaha sorry, I'll let myself out.
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Jakobsen is 6'3 and only 24. No reason he couldn't be trained and taught to play more of a hold up role.
If Gyokeres/Larsen are too high for us to go to, I don't think we would suddenly go for someone of a completely different profile for the sake of it.
Players are capable of improving and changing their game.
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18 minutes ago, diggerlad07 said:
Don't know much about him but apparently looking at Cameron brannagan from oxford
Signed a new 3 year deal in July, turned down move to Blackpool.
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32 minutes ago, Neverbefore said:
I don't think any successful manager in world football plays 442 anymore, it's just not a formation that works in modern football, so no, definitely not happening here.
Simeone plays it at Atletico Madrid. They play pure ***-house low-block 442 murderball, though, which is why it works for them.
It has its place from time to time, but I think that 3rd central midfielder is a total necessity in modern football.
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Just now, DurhamRed said:
To be honest we just need a player who will receive the ball get his head down drive forward make something happen. As we have too many players who just pass the ball don't try to take responsibility
I don't know why Jones has stopped doing this. He used to be so direct and confident running at people but he seems so hesitant now. Being coached, or lack of confidence?
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Chelsea looked shocking there, especially going forward. Even elite teams like them and Spurs are struggling to create with 5 at the back.
They've got Thiago Silva and Koulibaly at the back and still look leaky, we're trying to do it with Marc *** Bola!
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8 minutes ago, LinoJo3 said:
Maybe we get chalobah and ampadu and play with 2 sitting midfielders similar to karanka? Ampadu could even play as a kind of sweeper dropping back into defence and making a back 4 when we lose possession.
That little box of Gibson-Ayala Clayton-Leadbitter gives me wet dreams even now. Never lost control of the midfield.
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1 minute ago, Tudders80 said:
I agree, but who plays if we sign these and both are starters? The CDM must start. If we but another cm what type is he? Box to box? ACM? If he plays and is a box to box, and presumably mowatt plays, then we are leaving out mcgree and crooks and howson? And will we be more creative through the middle?
Taking out Crooks and Howson would 100% make us more creative through the middle. Crooks is great on set pieces and attacking the box, but his passing is properly shocking. Was one yesterday where he had a 5 yard pass on to Jones on the right hand side and bobbled it straight out of play, and that was the point where I "turned" and started shouting at things.
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1 minute ago, CrazyL said:
He also said he wants another physical type up top. I still think we’ll go again for Larsen and look to play him and Muniz as a regular starting front 2. Which would be pretty juicy IMO with Giles and Jones providing the ammo.
I don't know how much ammo people think they are going to be providing with 2 banks of 4 sat in front of them whilst our centre backs ponderously roll the ball side to side to each other.
We're still in "Lewandowski could play up top and not score" territory with how we're playing at the moment.
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Reflecting on Wilder's comments about changing the system last night. Think it really needs to happen. Big issues in terms of squad building though; contrary to "the plan" (sign players for the club, not the manager) we have in fact gone out and bought a set of players that requires we play 2 up top. I would prefer to have Giles/Jones as natural attacking wide men, but we are basically forced into a system with 2 up top unless we want to shoe-horn a striker out wide, and none of ours are mobile enough for that.
That basically leaves us; 3-5-2, 4-4-2, and a 4-4-2 diamond. I don't think we have any 2 midfielders good enough to control possession on their own, so for me, the choice seems obvious; a 4-4-2 diamond.
For me, this puts our best players in their best positions. I questioned Dijksteel/McNair a little bit. I think Dijksteel would be an excellent CDM, but I think McNair is a pretty average CB, so I think we are stronger putting them this way around. If we got a new CB, I'd move Dijksteel to CDM and put McNair in CM.
This gives Giles/Jones the license to get forwards as long as the CDM is instructed to just hold his *** position and not move beyond the centre circle under any circumstances.
It gives McGree license to play behind the front 2, which he desperately needs. This means we can play through the lines. It staggers our midfielders so they aren't just sat in line with each other being marked out the game which happens too often at the moment.
It gives us a back 4 to defend in because, *** me, this lot need it. Defensively this system can drop into a tight 4, with the CDM screening, and the 2 CMs shifting side to side to provide help to the width.
I don't think the 3 at the back is working. It stopped working for him at Sheffield United and he didn't change it; the result is they went down and he left on a disappointing note. Thankfully, the penny finally seems to have dropped. I think we'll play 3-5-2 again vs Swansea and if we don't get a result we might start to see a change after the Watford game, which I think we will lose either way.
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8 minutes ago, DurhamRed said:
Frankly I don't trust what Wilder says as the truth to be honest. As Wilder is defiently creating a rift in our squad and players are beginning to fall out with him.
I'd fall out with this group of players, too. Gutless bunch of fannies have had a LOSER mentality for too many years. As soon as the going gets tough, our lot get hiding.
That spineless 4-1 loss at PNE on the last day when we had a shout at play-offs was the biggest red flag possible. That isn't a team with an attitude of standing up, being counted, making a statement for the next year.
Today they played like a side terrified of responsibility. Safe passes, always to feet, always sideways and backwards. There's no zip, confidence, arrogance, "give me the ball and I will make something happen" and you can see that Wilder knows it, too, thank God.
Hopefully he rings the changes and moves to a back 4 soon.
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Just now, TeaCider24 said:
I did wonder who he meant when it came to the players in that shake up?
Surely not Howson, no manager ever has an issue with him.
I can't believe I've had to sit through 216 games of Jonny Howson. Totally baffles me every time. He offers so little and yet he's a massive favourite with the media and fans and I really can't work out why.
Been at the heart of midfield in some of our worst teams of the last 20 years and yet somehow is still here. If he signs on again next year I might start to think he's got some dirty pics of Gibbo.
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Just now, AnglianRed said:
I know I'm the first person to say stats don't give the whole picture, but there can't be many times teams have this much possession and lose...
From the looks of it Reading weren't any great shakes...just managed to take one of their chances and hold on, while Boro failed to make any of their chances count.
At no point would any of those shots we had even elicit a gentle "oof!" nevermind anything else. We were *** and the stat that reflects it is the goals scored one.
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Just now, TeaCider24 said:
Really bad start to the season in terms of results.
Should have got something here, should have known what was coming when I saw Wilder had never dropped points to Reading before.
I told you the football gods were listening.
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Just now, TheJew said:
Mowatt has been shocking today as well. 4 times he has misplaced a simple pass.
They all do it. Technically this team is so incredibly limited. They aren't good enough - to a man - to play this possession-based bullshit that Wilder is so obsessed with, and it's so obvious.
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1 minute ago, thomas said:
Wonder if bbc tees will be telling everyone what a great game this is and we were better side 😉
Howson MOTM! He's immense is Jonny!
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Just now, Borodane said:
It’s a shame we’re in a position where we have to play McGree as on of two strikers. I can imagine we’re looking very light weight up top again today?
It has nothing to do with what's going on up top, and everything to do with the defence and midfield.
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Just now, TheJew said:
Think the Reading commentary has a point.
This is rubbish. Passing backwards and sideways without any impetus.
Reading get the ball and at least they try and attack.
We are in trouble here at Reading and for the whole season.
It fundamentally does not work at the moment.
He will die on the 3-5-2 hill unfortunately. It's not going to change with a new striker, either.
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3 minutes ago, Smogzilla said:
wow these commentators are DREADFUL
I don't really disagree with them so far. This is dross.
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15 minutes ago, TeaCider24 said:
Doesn't seem that mad, they finished far beneath us lasy season, lost their best player, they've lost more games than us, they've scored fewer goals, they have a worse manager, a worse squad, they're under severe financial restrictions and we have a good record against them.
Football gods are listening mate...
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1 minute ago, BoroSmoggie said:
Meh not that bothered about Greaves. Think he would have suited the LCB role well, but as a player I don’t really think he’s as good as everyone is making out.
Definitely an element of pack mentality coming into play with the Greaves thing. He became a target and a couple of people said he was decent and its since snowballed into him being the next 40m Harry Maguire.
Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but decent Championship CBs are a dime a dozen. If you're good in the air and slightly mobile, you're good enough for this league.
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1 minute ago, J.T. said:
I’m not saying it’s not true but why on earth would Everton be looking for another centre back? They already have:
Conor Coady
James Tarkowski
Yerry Mina
Michael Keane
Mason Holgate
Ben Godfrey - Currently injured but due back for the start of November
Mina is perma-crocked, they play 3 at the back, only have 4 fit centre halves at the moment.
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1 minute ago, Borodane said:
This is tedious to watch. Stoke can't play football and we are the bluntest team in the league. It's just moving the ball around, Stoke intercepting and hoofing the ball up for us to start all over again.
Passing is abysmal. Across the back 3 with no pace, into midfield, take ten seconds telegraphing where you want to go, turn, back into the back 3, back across with no pace... rinse repeat.
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By the way - exact same goal we conceded at QPR. Lose the ball half way up, nobody is covering the central runner. This system is dogshite.
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TeaCider's Summer Transfer Thread 2022 - AKA: Still Going For Just a Little Luongo
in Boro Forum
Posted
Physical monster who's really good at breaking up play but pretty bad at the technical stuff. Ideal for us really. He's also raaaaaaapido.