Boro vs Cardiff 2-0 (Tavernier, McGree)

[Neverbefore 10,942]

5 minutes ago, AnglianRed said:

Ah - you're one of the believers. 😄

I gave up on the play-offs some time ago. Frankly I'm just happy we won. Don't think either Wilder or the players have that mentality to go for goals.

Season he got sheff utd promoted they scored 78 goals, more than anyone bar Fulham (who are a freak team) this season, so that's not true.

[Humpty 3,261]

Not so much a believer but I've watched Boro long enough to know there are more twists to come...

[Changing Times 12,347]

5 hours ago, GrimsbyBoro said:

Did anyone else see Tav as playing behind the strikers last night. And that we went to a diamond 

 

 

No because it never happened.  Tav was on the left, McGree on the right, Howson in the middle, but deeper than the other two.  Same as every other game we've played under Wilder in fact.

[Downsouth 6,327]

3 hours ago, Erimus 63 said:

You can't overlook that the match was live on Sky. There'll be a decent crowd v Stoke if QPR do the buisness

Totally this is what is compelling me to do the 500 mile round trip on Saturday

[RiseAgainst 3,793]

14 minutes ago, Humpty said:

Not so much a believer but I've watched Boro long enough to know there are more twists to come...

A twist of the knife, perhaps!

For me, the result last night was less relevant than the performance, which was indifferent barring the odd moment of quality (Howson's triple-juggle, or Jones' killer cross that nobody gambled on). I know confidence is a curious beast, but we looked very listless all night, and that's not a word I've often used to describe a football team.

If that's the best we're capable of in a win-or-bust scenario, the play-offs would be another Villa-style non-event. Maybe the players are just absolutely dead on their feet with such a thin squad, but I can't see us rousing ourselves to the kinds of heroics required to overcome the challenge of finishing top six.

...unless Sheffield United impode, or Fulham absolutely pump them in a promotion party.

[Leesider 1,076]

49 minutes ago, Neverbefore said:

Just a wee side note - uche Ikpeazu can't get into that Cardiff side. That's all you need to know for his prospects of playing for us next season, as much as some people think he should.

And yet he has scored more than Connolly who has started nearly every game until recently until Wilder. How embarrassing is that for him & the recruitment staff?

[Changing Times 12,347]

I'm just gonna put this up on here again.  Cardiff's previous two games were 1-0 defeats against Sheff Utd and Luton.  Sheff Utd managed 7 shots total in the game, Luton managed 10.  We got 14 and won 2-0.  I know it wasn't pretty but it was arguably prettier than what two teams above us in the league managed.  We've been out of form and we managed to get a win for the first time in a few games.  That's a reason to have some optimism.

[Brunners 7,982]

4 minutes ago, Changing Times said:

I'm just gonna put this up on here again.  Cardiff's previous two games were 1-0 defeats against Sheff Utd and Luton.  Sheff Utd managed 7 shots total in the game, Luton managed 10.  We got 14 and won 2-0.  I know it wasn't pretty but it was arguably prettier than what two teams above us in the league managed.  We've been out of form and we managed to get a win for the first time in a few games.  That's a reason to have some optimism.

Wait, are you allowed to make optimistic posts?

[GrimsbyBoro 1,968]

 

14 minutes ago, Changing Times said:

No because it never happened.  Tav was on the left, McGree on the right, Howson in the middle, but deeper than the other two.  Same as every other game we've played under Wilder in fact.

Someone should tell Wilder he is wrong

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/middlesbrough-manager-chris-wilder-reveals-23806866

[Changing Times 12,347]

1 minute ago, Brunners said:

Wait, are you allowed to make optimistic posts?

It's what I'm known for.

[Foogle 2,104]

Just now, Brunners said:

Wait, are you allowed to make optimistic posts?

It's not about optimism or pessimism, it's about being contrarian! But I do agree with him that people seem overly negative about performances and the team as a whole, we just beat another professional football team by two goals, a team that finished above us last year...

[Rob 4,505]

10 minutes ago, Leesider said:

And yet he has scored more than Connolly who has started nearly every game until recently until Wilder. How embarrassing is that for him & the recruitment staff?

I don't think they are embarrassed, I hardly think he would of whacked loads in for us if we kept him and we needed to move him off the books to at least try and get some strikers who could have been good enough. 

[Changing Times 12,347]

1 minute ago, GrimsbyBoro said:

 

Someone should tell Wilder he is wrong

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/middlesbrough-manager-chris-wilder-reveals-23806866

Yeah bizarre reading that.  I thought perhaps I'd not watched the game properly and hadn't seen what was happening so I checked the heat maps and...

Tav

 

McGree

[Changing Times 12,347]

If I remember rightly there was a bit in the second half where Tavernier and McGree swapped sides but otherwise they were playing in exactly the same positions we always set up in under Wilder.  Got to admit, I do have a few concerns about the fella now.  Starting to wonder if Simon Jordan might be a bit right about him.

[Leesider 1,076]

1 minute ago, Rob said:

I don't think they are embarrassed, I hardly think he would of whacked loads in for us if we kept him and we needed to move him off the books to at least try and get some strikers who could have been good enough. 

I don't remember anybody suggesting he would have scored a shedful of goals but he certainly would have been an alternative option. A Plan B. A better option than what we ended up with.