Boro v Huddersfield 0-2

[boro-unger 3,870]

Wilders post match comments just sounded like he was annoyed about the game and didn't care about anything else. I'm not worried about him going after hearing them

[TheJew 2,938]

Think McNair in the Howson role next season.

Payero must be absolute poop if he can't get a run out if fit for the last 4 games of the season.

[JonnyMFC 1,535]

11 minutes ago, Changing Times said:

You must be mental mate, even I don't value my opinions 🙂

I see things largely as I've seen them for a while.  We're playing better football now than we were under the previous manager, and despite the last few games we are getting better results as well.  I think Wilder is just over 1.6 points per game, Warnock was just under 1.3 for the season, and just over 1.3 for his entire spell here.  So that's good for about a 14 point improvement, which is solid progress in my opinion.  We are guilty of overplaying to a certain extent, that's possibly just a by product of a group of players trying to completely shift from one style to another.  It's also possibly down to a lack of quality though.

I don't think Wilder knows what to do with the strikers.  He obviously knows what he wants them to do, I've got to be honest and say that I don't know quite what that is yet.  I assumed he wanted strikers making quick darting movements short or wide to get the ball from midfielders/defenders but I don't think we do it that much.  I am a bit concerned that his focus with them is more on what they do when the other team have the ball than when we have it.  Today there wasn't much incisive passing for them though, and what was incisive was unfortunately inaccurate.  There were times when we were trying to do the right thing but just executed it poorly.  That's not a good thing but I suppose I'd rather that than not trying it at all.  

We lack pace throughout the team, which I think is a big problem for us.  Jones is obviously quick, Tavernier has a good engine on him, Dijksteel is fairly athletic but other than that we're slow.  Crooks and Howson are very slow, McGree doesn't look much different to either of them in that respect.  I don't think Bola is that quick, McNair is deceptively slow at times I think.  Watmore has some pace but clearly shouldn't be starting if we're trying to achieve promotion.  The others don't, and nobody outside of that core group of players has either - Peltier, Taylor, Bamba, Payero - all quite slow.  So I suppose you then have to move the ball faster because you can't outpace teams.  Sometimes we can do that, and when we do it is when we look pretty good.  But if we can't move the ball quickly then we're stuffed because there isn't anything else.

As much as I understand the difficulty in doing it, we need to replace Lumley, Bamba, Peltier, Taylor, Howson, probably one of Crooks or Bola, and the strikers.  We need pace and athleticism in this side, or we need fantastic technical ability if we intend to patiently knock the ball about.  Those players have neither.  Being honest we could probably make changes to the back three if we wanted to as well.  Maybe that would then give Wilder the option to change things around a bit more as well.  We must be quite predictable cos I see the same things every week so other teams analysts must be seeing them as well - our marking from set pieces is weird for example.  Just watch it and there is something not right there.  If somebody bigger than you beats to a header then fair enough, if you keep having people unmarked against you then something is going wrong, I've got a few ideas about it but I'm not a coach, just some fella watching a game.  We're obviously predictable as an attacking unit - today Huddersfield seem to have 3 or 4 players on their left hand side whenever we had the ball, which was obviously to stop Jones.  Frankly there is too much being put on the lad, he's still inexperienced and shouldn't be having to carry the entire attack.  His confidence is also low at the moment, which is clear to see.

Today we played against a team whose manager has been there for 2 seasons now.  Wilder has had about 25 league games here I think?  Their manager has 89.  That's quite a difference in terms of being able to set things up as you want them.  Even then, despite the fact that we had quite a bad day, I don't think they looked better than us.  Well organised certainly, and as the game wore on and we were chasing we looked very open, but if we'd scored first we'd have gone on and won that game in my opinion.  Our Achilles heel is well known, and it will probably be the reason we miss out on the play offs this season.  If you want a more overall point, I think where we are now is mostly as a result of what we've done over the last few years in terms of managerial appointments and signings.  We've put together a fairly unathletic/slow group of players who aren't technically great either.  Hard work can take you so far but you need more, and I don't know if we have enough of the more right now.

 

 

You forgot to mention our complete lack of creativity and aerial prescence!

[Redcar Rioja 5,975]

An unequivocal commitment to the Riverside and dismissal of rumours as tabloid internet click baiting isn't unreasonable. I'm pretty sure that Klopp or Guardiola would be clear even if they had other options. Something hasn't been right for a while, lately we aren't clicking and from the outside looking in I can only speculate with hunches and gut instincts. I was adamant that Peterborough was papering over cracks but seemingly I was in the minority at the time. Judging by Scott Wilson's take on things tonight I'm guessing that the Players are maybe picking up mixed vibes. 

Wilder improved things without doubt in terms of performances, results and entertainment but all that has declined of late and we are effectively in reverse with a lower mid table finish now a distinct possibility. Maybe he likes Connolly and wants him or maybe he can't stand him, never wanted him but is contractually stuck with him? Maybe he isn't getting on with Scott after a few months of working together? Maybe there was a Gentleman's agreement that nothing would be announced during the Early Bird ticket sales? Whatever is or isn't going on someone needs to show some unequivocal leadership right now.

[BoroSmoggie 2,710]

6 minutes ago, TheJew said:

Think McNair in the Howson role next season.

Payero must be absolute poop if he can't get a run out if fit for the last 4 games of the season.

Would rather sign a proper CDM to challenge Howson then put McNair in midfield. He was crap today (McNair) but for the majority he’s been fine as one of the CB’s.

[Changing Times 12,343]

58 minutes ago, Downsouth said:

Please quantify your remark, Jones has done naff all of late and will be a bit of a bargain to finance a major up heavel imo

You want me to quantify my remark?  We aren't going to sell Jones this summer for £5m, and suggesting otherwise is what I'd call bloody daft.

[Changing Times 12,343]

58 minutes ago, BoroSmoggie said:

The feel good factor from couple months ago has been completely decimated. It’s even looked to become a toxic and separated club again in the last week or so. Unbelievable really, I’d have never imagined this to be the case from where we were. 

Has it?  Maybe for crazy people but for the normal people I'd say we're a million miles from things being toxic.

[Robin Johnson 616]

It really appears things have altered within the club within the past 3-4 weeks. Team not performing, tactics questionable and the promotion chances all but gone.

I did honesty think we had become. A well run club under Wilder. And at the moment it appears everything has turned to rat shyte. 
 

Truly disappointing the way we’ve imploded

[Duvel 2,446]

2 minutes ago, Changing Times said:

Has it?  Maybe for crazy people but for the normal people I'd say we're a million miles from things being toxic.

Toxic seems to be the word used every time the fans are not 100% happy nowadays. I've seen the Riverside toxic and today wasn't one of those days. People were frustrated that's about it.  

[RealSlimSladeyy 769]

20 minutes ago, boro-unger said:

Wilders post match comments just sounded like he was annoyed about the game and didn't care about anything else. I'm not worried about him going after hearing them

Certainly a valid interpretation and I hope you’re right. As I said in an earlier post, why would he bother talking about the medium and long term for his time at the club/recruitment in summer/current players not being up for a promotion charge next season if he was off to Burnley? 

[Changing Times 12,343]

1 minute ago, Duvel said:

Toxic seems to be the word used every time the fans are not 100% happy nowadays. I've seen the Riverside toxic and today wasn't one of those days. People were frustrated that's about it.  

Indeed. 

Miles away from anything like that.  I mean we were poor today but not abject.  We just couldn't attack with any kind of penetration.  We should have got a point against Fulham, we should have beaten Hull really.  24,000 for a televised dinner time kick off on a bank holiday weekend isn't bad really, and I dare say it would have been more if we hadn't buggered it up against Hull and Fulham.

[TLF10 4,496]

Paddy will become the right sided CB. Fry if he stays will be the CB and a proper left footed CB needs to be signed to allow us that balance.

On a separate point am not sure Bola is up to the task of being this clubs first choice LWB. 

[Leesider 1,076]

9 minutes ago, Changing Times said:

You want me to quantify my remark?  We aren't going to sell Jones this summer for £5m, and suggesting otherwise is what I'd call bloody daft.

Completely agree.He's carried us all season & has simply run out of steam.Our best player by a mile & worth a helluva lot more than £5m.

Treble that at least

[BoroSmoggie 2,710]

5 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Toxic seems to be the word used every time the fans are not 100% happy nowadays. I've seen the Riverside toxic and today wasn't one of those days. People were frustrated that's about it.  

I’m happy with how we are and where we are at the moment. Maybe toxic isn’t the right word, but go on social media and there’s not a positive word amongst boro fans. People are asking for Wilder to pack in and leave, and majority are questioning his loyalty. Far from being all rosy at the club.

[Redcar Rioja 5,975]

Things are nowhere remotely near toxic but this is the first PR challenge to this Manager and MFC with this Manager. It's important that they deal with it it and don't brush it under the carpet with a disdainful air.