Play-Off Rivals/Contenders

[Redcar Rioja 2,971]

36 minutes ago, HolgateHero said:

Very happy to see what kind of a coherent offering we can become with the recruitment and manager pulling together over the summer and entertain a possible tilt at the champo top two and go up with some momentum and shared ethos.

I admire your optimism but I haven't seen much to date that convinces me beyond the hype that we have recruitment and management pulling together at all. Our Summer recruitment was questionable at best and January actually made us worse.

Historically MFC are very good at spin and hype but poor in execution and delivery. In fact the only time I have seen Scott and Wilder seriously linked as a unit was with Burnley Football Club and coincidentally that aligned with our slump that Wilder got very prickly over when BBC Tees raised the question a few weeks back.

[Redcar Rioja 2,971]

5 minutes ago, TLF10 said:

You haven't saw togetherness and belief from us at times this season?

From the top of my head I saw it v Huddersfield away after we throw the game away v Preston a few says earlier. Bournemouth at home, Forest at home, Blackpool away, Reading at home to come from a goal down to win last minute, And in the cup games v Utd and Spurs. Especially Spurs. And they just from the top of my head.

Ah Cup games, great, so we turned  up against the big sides for Cup glory just like Forest did except they and their Manager maintained it while we put our feet up and lit cigars. As for the other games listed that's the very least I'd expect from a side wanting promotion. You set a very low bar which is precisely why we are were we are or is that all Warnock's fault as well? 

[Erimus 63 302]

11 minutes ago, Redcar Rioja said:

I admire your optimism but I haven't seen much to date that convinces me beyond the hype that we have recruitment and management pulling together at all. Our Summer recruitment was questionable at best and January actually made us worse.

Historically MFC are very good at spin and hype but poor in execution and delivery. In fact the only time I have seen Scott and Wilder seriously linked as a unit was with Burnley Football Club and coincidentally that aligned with our slump that Wilder got very prickly over when BBC Tees raised the question a few weeks back.

Certainly a missed opportunity this season. Next season will be just as difficult, if not more so. There's affectively only be one auto spot to go for, with at least one of the relegated teams bouncing straight back.

[TLF10 2,602]

19 minutes ago, Redcar Rioja said:

Ah Cup games, great, so we turned  up against the big sides for Cup glory just like Forest did except they and their Manager maintained it while we put our feet up and lit cigars. As for the other games listed that's the very least I'd expect from a side wanting promotion. You set a very low bar which is precisely why we are were we are or is that all Warnock's fault as well? 

To be fair, in your initial post said you not seen togetherness and spirit for a long time from Boro. You are now saying you have seen togetherness and spirit it but its the least you expected from us.  Which one is it? You not seen it or you have seen it?

Your initial post has an element of entitlement to it as if we should be winning every game.

Well done to Forest. They had a great season but you seem to be saying because they had a better season to us, that means our season has been sh*t.

[HolgateHero 99]

3 hours ago, Redcar Rioja said:

I admire your optimism but I haven't seen much to date that convinces me beyond the hype that we have recruitment and management pulling together at all. Our Summer recruitment was questionable at best and January actually made us worse.

Historically MFC are very good at spin and hype but poor in execution and delivery. In fact the only time I have seen Scott and Wilder seriously linked as a unit was with Burnley Football Club and coincidentally that aligned with our slump that Wilder got very prickly over when BBC Tees raised the question a few weeks back.

 I do think CW's use of striker at Boro has been completely baffling and agree recruitment has been questionable, most of our best players were here before CW. but McGree looks pretty tidy so it's not a huge leap of the imagination to think we have a few more like him lined up, especially strikers (a decent one would have buried lots of the many chances we've been guilty of squandering) and build on the definite improvement CW has already brought.  

 

 

 

[Denzel Zanzibar 4,246]

8 hours ago, Neverbefore said:

Who cares if we deserve it or not? Jesus you are hard to listen to

Dropped 6pts to Bristol
Dropped 3pts to Reading (when they had no defenders)
Dropped 6pts to Hull 
Dropped 3pts to Barnsley

We don't deserve to be in the playoffs. We're lucky as hell if we get there and I think it'll be a demoralising trouncing if we do get there.

I'm not expecting us to win today anyway, to be honest.

[Skinemrippers 493]

7 hours ago, Redcar Rioja said:

I admire your optimism but I haven't seen much to date that convinces me beyond the hype that we have recruitment and management pulling together at all. Our Summer recruitment was questionable at best and January actually made us worse.

Historically MFC are very good at spin and hype but poor in execution and delivery. In fact the only time I have seen Scott and Wilder seriously linked as a unit was with Burnley Football Club and coincidentally that aligned with our slump that Wilder got very prickly over when BBC Tees raised the question a few weeks back.

Scott wasn’t here in the summer and it was clear that Warnock wanted a particular type of player that we knew wouldn’t fit in with our long term plans. January was a worry though because the loans were clearly Wilders choices and just haven’t worked out. Need to stick with the plan, Scott leading the recruitment, young players with possible resale value. That means that some won’t work out and things might take a bit more time

[SouthernSmoggie 2,190]

2 hours ago, Denzel Zanzibar said:

Dropped 6pts to Bristol
Dropped 3pts to Reading (when they had no defenders)
Dropped 6pts to Hull 
Dropped 3pts to Barnsley

We don't deserve to be in the playoffs. We're lucky as hell if we get there and I think it'll be a demoralising trouncing if we do get there.

I'm not expecting us to win today anyway, to be honest.

I was thinking exactly this last night. These are the specific games that cost us. 

To pick up 0 points from those six fixtures is criminal from both Warnock and Wilder tbh. If we even drew three of them, we'd be in the play offs.

And I'm not sure we would get trounced you know... Apart from Sheff Utd and the recent Huddersfield game, we've been pretty good against top 6 sides. 

[AnglianRed 4,115]

3 hours ago, Denzel Zanzibar said:

Dropped 6pts to Bristol
Dropped 3pts to Reading (when they had no defenders)
Dropped 6pts to Hull 
Dropped 3pts to Barnsley

We don't deserve to be in the playoffs. We're lucky as hell if we get there and I think it'll be a demoralising trouncing if we do get there.

I'm not expecting us to win today anyway, to be honest.

Well said. The damage was done weeks ago. I think its a bit much to be expecting Boro to storm the last few games and sneak in by the skin of their teeth, as some seem to think.

If we did reach the play-offs I think we'd hold our own in the home leg, but get comfortably beaten away.

Haven't done my research yet, but I'd see Stoke managing to hold us to a draw today. Would have said the same about the Preston game until recently - they seem to have hit a bump.

Think a lot depends on whether the Cardiff game fired the lads up mentally for one last push. I'd say these are both winnable games...but as we have seen Boro have wasted many opportunities this season.

 

[GrimsbyBoro 1,438]

I fully expect us to win both games and Sheff Utd to draw with Fulham and we miss out on goal difference.

We can then paper over the cracks all summer.

[TeaCider24 6,036]

6 minutes ago, GrimsbyBoro said:

I fully expect us to win both games and Sheff Utd to draw with Fulham and we miss out on goal difference.

We can then paper over the cracks all summer.

Doesn't really make much sense.

Whatever the next two results, we've got 4 players out of contract and 4 loanees going back.

The squad is going to be noticeably different next season regardless of where we are.

The problems have also already been acknowledged by the management, what exactly would they try papering over?

[GrimsbyBoro 1,438]

3 minutes ago, TeaCider24 said:

Doesn't really make much sense.

Whatever the next two results, we've got 4 players out of contract and 4 loanees going back.

The squad is going to be noticeably different next season regardless of where we are.

The problems have also already been acknowledged by the management too, what exactly would they be papering over?

The lack of motivation at the start games

playing round pegs in square

random team selections

inability to change 

conceding soft goals

not making chances 

mental weakness

*** poor signings

we’ll also have fans saying how we were nearly promoted when in fact we have never been close.

[Blanco 3,389]

4 minutes ago, GrimsbyBoro said:

The lack of motivation at the start games

playing round pegs in square

random team selections

inability to change 

conceding soft goals

not making chances 

mental weakness

*** poor signings

we’ll also have fans saying how we were nearly promoted when in fact we have never been close.

“Random team selections” followed by “inability to change” ?

Which is it? It can’t be both 🤷‍♂️

[TeaCider24 6,036]

7 minutes ago, GrimsbyBoro said:

The lack of motivation at the start games

playing round pegs in square

random team selections

inability to change 

conceding soft goals

not making chances 

mental weakness

*** poor signings

we’ll also have fans saying how we were nearly promoted when in fact we have never been close.

Almost every one of those valid points has been directly acknowledged by the manager?

Some of them aren't even correct criticisms.

Papering over the cracks means ignoring problems, they're not going to be ignored if the manager is aware of them and already working to address them.

Also, if we miss out on the play-offs on goal difference as you're predicting, we very much would have been close.

[GrimsbyBoro 1,438]

1 minute ago, Blanco said:

“Random team selections” followed by “inability to change” ?

Which is it? It can’t be both 🤷‍♂️

Formation sticking to a 5 3 2 even when we don’t have the players to play it.