RiseAgainst

Wonder if any neutrals are still watching this. It's hardly riveting fare.

Sounds from the Sky interview there that Tav just missed out with an ankle knock. Should be back soon, hopefully.

I think people are giving Warnock the benefit of the doubt because he's done what no manager has done in the last decade and bring in quality wide options. Even Karanka, our best manager in that period, played Stuani out wide incessantly. Warnock has actually signed several players with genuine attacking promise, suggesting that the current tactic of hoof it to the (not very) big man up front may not be his long-term approach. Let's face it, Cardiff did more than hoof their way to promotion under him. With some time to bed in, a front four of Kebano, Bolassie, Watmore and Fletcher is mouthwatering, with the likes of NML and Johnson in reserve. The fact Britt and Akpom couldn't hit a cow's *** with a banjo is holding us back, but I don't believe Warnock would have signed the wide creative players he has if his sole tactic in the rest of his time at the Boro is going to involve asking a s**t keeper to hoof it. There has to be more in his long-term plan than that, otherwise he might as well do what Pulis did and play four central defenders and five defensive midfielders. Surely NW needs the summer to see what sort of tune he can wring from this promising (if currently under-delivering) squad? That's why I and probably others are cautiously optimistic about his contract extension.

The playoffs are totally realistic, but we HAVE to start playing the ball along the ground instead of hoofing it. Our squad has the best attacking options in many years, and we're completely bypassing them all the time. I honestly believe if we allowed the likes of Kebano, Bolassie, NML and Watmore to unleash their creativity and be spontaneous, we'd be playing attractive football and comfortably inside the top six. Which makes our current hit-and-hope tactics and our lucky-dip results so much more infuriating.

And yet Bettinelli retains his place, game after game. It's illogical that we've gone from Randolph to him so quickly, without any sign of the club recognising the vertiginous drop in quality. How bad must our reserve keepers be, or what does Bettinelli have over Warnock, to justify his ongoing presence with such dire stats and the clear lack of confidence he disseminates to his defence?

Hey, at least we scored. At the wrong end. Not perfect. But if we can find the net at one end, we can find it at the other.

That's what frustrates me the most about our current form. For the first time in many years, we have real attacking options (players many Championship clubs would give their eye teeth for), yet we're not even close to harnessing their potential. This season is going to go down as a huge missed opportunity if we don't improve quickly, considering the players at Warnock's disposal and the fact he's been here long enough to have us playing consistently.

Since we're revisiting old comments, it's worth reviewing the post a PAOK fan put on here when Akpom was about to sign. I'm not defending his recent performances, but there's clearly something about the lad: "You are getting a really hard worker in Akpom. He is a top lad and a good professional. When he first came, he was considered a bench player. It was the 2018-19 season. During the first half of that season he would only come in as sub but during the January transfer window, PAOK sold their best striker, Prijovic in Arabia. Everyone was panicking since we were on route to our first championship in years. Chuba stepped up and was one of the best players, in the second half of the season. He contributed in PAOK's first championship in 34 years (!) where we were also invincibles. Some of his best games were against Olympiakos in Toumpa were he scored an impressive goal and his performance against AEK in the cup final where he scored an impressive overhead kick to win us the double (he was also the MVP of the final). His scoring record might not be the best but he is a really hard working striker, who runs a lot without the ball. His positioning is good and he can press a lot. In Tuesday, we beat and disqualified Benfica (which is considered a big deal considering the teams economical difference) and Akpom was one of the best players. PAOK's pressing started from him and he ran a lot. I mean A LOT. He also kept the ball well against world class defenders like Vertoghen and he had an unofficial assist in Benfica's own goal." From that honest description - which did list some negatives as well - I have to conclude Akpom has plenty of potential. Why it's not being realised is another matter, though I do remember Hamilton Ricard taking a long time to settle when he joined us. Maybe it's a culture shock, maybe Akpom's being mismanaged, maybe he's just not being played in a formation that suits his strengths, but you can't play well against the likes of Jan Vertonghen and be a complete spud at the same time.

It's a nice idea, but in my experience, an initial rush of enthusiasm tends to give way to apathy. Plus, as @YusufBoro has found to his cost, well-meaning social media projects can trigger trolling that can demotivate everyone involved. However, I'm all in favour of any project that elevates OB's public awareness, especially if it stops people visiting platforms like COB, which hardly shows Boro fans in a good light.

Sad news. Always seemed like a decent bloke.

Wonder what JR Ewing is up to these days?

I hope we throw Britt under a bus, because he's clearly doing a Ramirez and not bothering to put in any effort. I cannot stand players who give up mid-season (see also Guzan, B). I'd play 4132, with Morsy holding and Watmore alongside Akpom if Fletcher is still unable to play. I remember a PAOK fan coming on here giving Chuba the big build up when we signed him, so there must be a player in there somewhere. I'd happily play loan players providing they're not Fulham goalkeepers. Might as well use the players at our disposal while we're paying their wages - they might even end up staying longer than their current loan term, so it's hardly a waste giving them a start ahead of a signed Boro player.

After the histrionics and dressing room schisms of Aitor's tenure, I don't think we'll get another foreign manager during Gibson's reign. Which is a shame, because he's ignoring a huge pool of fine managers beyond the usual merry-go-round of Bruce/Pulis/Warnock/Allardyce et al. Like it or not, our managerial future involves either a hoofball veteran or an unqualified rookie, both with an English accent. We just have to hope someone - either Warnock or his replacement - can add some enjoyment to the endless hoofing and hoping.

The benefits of making substitutions - at Birmingham, Aitor has made a triple switch and they've scored twice in two minutes to turn the game around. If only we'd done that sooner today...

Scruffy, scrappy goal, but they all count. McNair from one yard. Howay, Boro. Give them hell for ten minutes and nick a winner.