Middlesbrough vs Derby 4-1 (Buchanan og, Connolly, Crooks, Watmore)

[RiseAgainst 3,793]

Fixture

Middlesbrough versus Derby County, Riverside Stadium, 3pm on Saturday the 12th of February

Introduction

Normally when I produce an MDT, I write a mini-play, but the game against Derby is so significant I thought it needed a serious overview. If we win, normal surreal service will be resumed for Bristol City.

This is a match which matters more than it should, and for all the wrong reasons. Boro have been cast as public enemy #1 in the latest chapter of Derby’s Icarus-like fall from grace, thanks to the long-standing legal dispute between Steve Gibson and former Rams owner Mel “Down with FFP? Yeah, you know me” Morris. As a result, there’s a huge amount of tension surrounding a game which would otherwise be an unremarkable mid-season scrap between a team aiming for the play-offs and a team battling relegation.

Recent form

After a hugely entertaining away draw at QPR, which sadly saw Martin Payero stretchered off mere moments after coming on, this is our third high-profile game in eight days. The euphoria of beating Man United at Old Trafford wasn’t enough to overcome the R’s, though we did play some of our best football under Chris Wilder, snapping into tackles (literally in Payero’s case) and giving the away fans sore throats and big smiles. If Joe Lumley hadn’t had a flashback to the days when he’d casually roll the ball out to a QPR teammate, we’d have left with all three points, and deservedly so on balance of play.

The opposition

Whatever you think of the man, it’s hard not to admire the job Wayne Rooney has done in incredibly testing circumstances. It’s easier not to admire the more bovine sections of Derby supporters, who seem to think their problems begin and end with Steve Gibson, rather than with their club’s outrageous profligacy and Uri Geller-esque rule-bending. If any Derby fans are reading this, Gibson began his legal action years before DCFC appointed the world’s most incompetent administrators, and he did so mainly because the EFL are too spineless to enforce their own FFP rules.

In the here and now, Derby are only four points away from safety and have won two of their last five league games. If they stay up, it’ll be a remarkable achievement. The question of if they deserve to be a Championship team depends whether you support them or us (or Wycombe, who are the real victims in all this, not Boro. Let’s face it, even if we had finished sixth in 2019, we’d have stunk out the play-offs under the ‘management’ of the baseball cap-wearing Voldemort known as Anthony Richard Pulis.)

Predictions

With Payero out, picking our team becomes a bit easier. I doubt many Boro fans would want to see Joe Lumley retain his place in goal, and judging by Chris Wilder’s reaction to his injury-time and final-whistle antics at the KPF Stadium, the manager might not want him in the starting line-up either. With players dropping all over the pitch with cramp and head wounds, changes may be needed less than 72 hours later.

Finally, I know social media is awash with predictions of trouble at this game. If Derby fans want to throw stones at our team bus/smash up the toilets/spray paint rude messages on the concourses, let them show themselves up without us retaliating or aggravating matters. The world will be watching on Saturday – let’s give them a damn good thrashing on the pitch and then let them trudge home safely off it.

The opposing point of view

We appear to have sunk so low in Derby fans’ estimations that they now refer to us in this MDT as B***. Apparently Steve Gibson has “tried to mess with the entire county of Derbyshire” (hard to imagine anyone wanting to mess with the Peak District National Park, but there you go), and they’d rather see Forest get into the play-offs than us.

https://dcfcfans.uk/topic/39229-boro-a-match-thread/

Questions for the audience

1.       What’s your score prediction for this one?

2.       How many changes would you make from the team that started on Wednesday?

3.       Who are the three worst goalkeepers you’ve ever seen play for us?

4.       Assuming Mike Ashley is playing chicken with Quantuma and ends up buying Derby, will they stay up?

5.       If a genie granted you one Boro-related wish, would you rather see us get promoted to the PL this season, or win the FA Cup?

[Borodane 6,300]

1. 3-1 to the Boro, although I'm fearing a 1-1 draw. This really is a must win game. The table is so ultra tight around the playoffs.

2. None. Lumley has made som howlers but he's probably still the best. Hopefully he's done with messing around with the ball. If Crooks' eye is too bad the McGree probably starts though.

3. Brad Guzan, Ross Turnbull and Brad Jones.

4. I think they will stay up regardless. 

5. Promotion. We want to be up there playing against the best. Altough my wish would be "win the Champions League in 23/24"

[Bosco's Tuft 941]

49 minutes ago, RiseAgainst said:

I doubt many Boro fans would want to see Joe Lumley retain his place in goal, and judging by Chris Wilder’s reaction to his injury-time and final-whistle antics at the KPF Stadium, the manager might not want him in the starting line-up either.

What's this about?

[RiseAgainst 3,793]

14 minutes ago, Bosco's Tuft said:

What's this about?

The Sky commentator said Wilder was raging about Lumley taking so long over goal kicks in injury time, and I read something on the MDT about him *** off Wilder at the end. I missed that incident myself, but Wilder's post-match comments in support of Lumley had about as much weight as the dreaded boardroom vote of confidence.

[Bruce 1,559]

1. 2-0 to us I think. Forest recently beat them 2-1 and I think we need to go one better.

2. Probably none. Maybe Peltier for Dijksteel who has been struggling but perhaps best to keep faith in Dijksteel. Depending on how Brynn has been doing in training it may be possible to bring him in but Wilder has made it clear that Brynn is 3rd choice.

3. Bettinelli, Guzan, Officer Dibble

4. I think once survival becomes possible that they may freeze and end up being narrowly relegated irrespective of who buys them.

5. Good question. I was going to say promotion but we've been promoted many times and never won the FA Cup so I'll go for the cup.

[wilsoncgp 9,283]

1.       What’s your score prediction for this one?

They're getting some good results and will be right up for this one, I reckon. Having said that, the performance last night against a very good side made them look average for so much of the game. We can and perhaps should turn this lot over, regardless of what they've done. 3-0 to Boro.

2.       How many changes would you make from the team that started on Wednesday?

None. Same team.

3.       Who are the three worst goalkeepers you’ve ever seen play for us?

Ross Turnbull, Marcus Bettinelli, Jordan Archer

4.       Assuming Mike Ashley is playing chicken with Quantuma and ends up buying Derby, will they stay up?

I still have a feeling they'll lose out. They're doing well no doubt but one bad run could really kill them off depending on results around them.

5.       If a genie granted you one Boro-related wish, would you rather see us get promoted to the PL this season, or win the FA Cup?

FA Cup. Can you imagine lifting a trophy at Wembley? The team we'd have to beat on the day to win it? That memory would be insane, you'd never forget it. Promotion would be amazing too this season for sure but I honestly think we'll have a better chance of going up next year anyway. This season is a free hit for Wilder.

[Foogle 2,104]

1.       What’s your score prediction for this one?

2-2 frantic draw, think there will be a lot of energy from the stands

2.       How many changes would you make from the team that started on Wednesday?

Injury enforced ones and McGree in for a midfielder for rotation purposes

3.       Who are the three worst goalkeepers you’ve ever seen play for us?

Bettinelli, Steele, Chicken Goujon 

4.       Assuming Mike Ashley is playing chicken with Quantuma and ends up buying Derby, will they stay up?

I don't think Ashley would have any problem buying them as a league one team at a big discount so it's not a game of chicken they'd win

5.       If a genie granted you one Boro-related wish, would you rather see us get promoted to the PL this season, or win the FA Cup?

Probably the FA Cup, this season is too early for promotion in my opinion and I think we'd come straight back down... imagine us competing in the Europa league from the Championship as well 🤠

[Naisby 736]

1. I think a draw most likely probably a 2-2. I don’t think we will keep a clean sheet and Derby will go for goals. The result will be affected by which team wants it more.

2. Will need to see about injuries but I’d be tempted to start McGree.

3. Too many in the last 10-15 years.

4. Whoever buys Derby will have to rely on the current squad. A bounce over new owners will happen, but the squad is thin. But I feel they will stay up regardless.

5. Win FA Cup, promotions come and go, winning a cup is glory.

[TheJew 2,938]

3 nil defeat as Tom Lawrence scores a hattrick and Mel Morris appears like the Bond villain he is.

[TeaCider24 12,639]

Understandable, though I'm not sure publishing articles about it will help the situation.

[AnglianRed 6,320]

The omens are good for this one.

Overall >>> P 151 --- W 65 --- D 35 --- L 51

Home >>> P 76 --- W 42 --- D 18 --- L 16

Away >>> P 75 --- W 23 --- D 17 --- L 35

Our last 10 home games against Derby, going back to 8th March 2011 read W6 D3 L1.

Boro's home form (since September): W8 D1 L3

Derby's away form (since September): W1 D5 L7

 

Provided our recent exertions haven't taken too much out of us, I'm reasonably confident in predicting a Boro win. Will probably be close though - by the odd goal. You can guarantee Derby will be fired up for this one.

 

[AnglianRed 6,320]

11 minutes ago, TeaCider24 said:

Understandable, though I'm not sure publishing articles about it will help the situation.

Wow - its almost like they're hoping there will be trouble...just so they can then gleefully report it to their "shocked" readership.

 

 

[Borodane 6,300]

Love this quote from the Rams matchday thread:

Quote

 

I wonder if any of the players feel any animosity towards Boro. Short term contracts low wages ( footballing wise) will any feel Boro are partly to blame for there own situation.

It feels a bit like a local Derby in many ways 

 

Surely no player is that dumb.

[Naisby 736]

1 minute ago, Borodane said:

Love this quote from the Rams matchday thread:

Surely no player is that dumb.

Ask Rooney his studs revelation shows what some players will do. He is the example and the font of discipline and leadership his players take their lead from.

If in doubt ask John Terry if players are dumb enough 😀

[Naisby 736]

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