RiseAgainst 3,793 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Boro vs West Bromwich Albion Riverside Stadium, 5.30pm, Saturday the 30th of July, in the year of our Lord 2022 And so dear reader, here we are once again. The dawn of a new season – that glorious late-summer period when all animals are equal (apart from Sunderland), the table is arranged alphabetically, and every fan dares to dream that this season could be the one when we don’t finish in what seems to be our customary Championship position of seventh. (We've been one place outside the play-offs three times in our last ten Championship seasons). The coming season is set to be unique in at least one respect. It’ll be bifurcated by the first ever winter World Cup – a deplorable bribe-fuelled travesty twelve years and a thousand heavy suitcases in the making. Unlike the migrant workers who’ve toiled to build each white-elephant stadium, attending fans will be able to luxuriate in air-conditioned surroundings, though everyone is at equal risk of being imprisoned for three years simply for being gay. Cheers, Sepp. Shoehorned around this global gala of corporate hypocrisy and wokescreening is the inconvenient truth of a football league season. We find ourselves once again in the inappropriately-named Championship, after last season’s escape attempt ran out of power just as we approached the summit in May. Hopefully a quiet close season and the absence of Neil Warnock’s stamina-sapping tactics will give our players enough in reserve to outperform their 2021-22 selves. Though judging by Friday’s pre-season curtain-raiser against Marseille, our paper-thin squad can’t afford any injuries if we’re to start the season strongly, let alone sustain a promotion push over 46 gruelling games. Our Quest for promotion (our ‘ITV4 of promotion’ doesn’t really have the same ring to it) will be aided once again by raids on the loan market. Last season’s gap-year students included park-bothering skank torpedo Aaron Connolly, whose woeful performances actually made me nostalgic for Rudy Gestede’s cubic skull. This season’s head intern is Man City stopper Zack Steffen, stepping out of Ederson’s tattooed shadow and (if Friday’s performance was anything to go by) giving us our first decent keeper since Darren Randolph…well, let’s not go there. It’s a good job Steffen excels at sweeping the ball out to his defenders, because at the time of writing, there won’t be many players further up the pitch for him to find with a long kick. As is customary, our season commences with a televised game on everyone’s favourite pan-European satellite broadcasting platform, this time against West Bromwich Albion. If you’re unlucky, you’ll recall we played the Baggies live on Sky in our solitary PL season of the last decade – an interminably dull game against a team managed by Tony Pulis (oh how we mocked), when the most interesting thing that happened was Saido Berahino didn’t come on as a substitute. Let’s hope for more excitement this time round, though it’d be hard to have less. Pulis opens the front door, and excitement immediately jumps off the roof. Form guide: We go into this game in mid-table – 11th to be precise – while West Brom must be concerned about their position in the relegation spaces. Still, they’ll be buoyed by having recently signed Jed Wallace from Millwall. Did you know etc. View from the other side: No MDT on the Baggies forum as yet, but I will keep checking… Questions for the audience: 1. Who makes your starting XI? (shouldn’t take long) 2. Which fixture are you most looking forward to this season? 3. Where are we going to finish come next May? 4. If we could sign one current Championship player on loan for a season, who would you pick? 12 Link to post Share on other sites
AllBoro10 2,235 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 1. Who makes your starting XI? (shouldn’t take long) I think it picks itself currently , hopefully soon that changes. Steffen Dijksteel Lenihan Fry Jones Crooks Howson Tavernier Giles McGree Watmore 2. Which fixture are you most looking forward to this season? Sunderland Away 3. Where are we going to finish come next May? I think we will finish 4th. 4. If we could sign one current Championship player on loan for a season, who would you pick? Well it would have to be someone like Piroe or Gyokores given our striker situation, I will go with Gyokores as I think he’s probably more suited. Link to post Share on other sites
TeaCider24 12,646 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 (edited) Finally back! 1. Steffen Jones Dijksteel Fry Lenihan Giles Crooks Howson Tavernier Watmore Coburn 2. The Boxing Day fixture is always my favourite, so it's got to be Wigan at home. 3. I'll assume we actually do sign strikers and I'll go for 4th, which I'd be happy with. If we fail with bringing in decent options, I think we'd be lucky to finish anywhere that high. 4. He wouldn't be available on loan, but it's still got to be Gyokeres. Link to post Share on other sites
Denzel Zanzibar 6,972 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 1. Who makes your starting XI? (shouldn’t take long) 2. Which fixture are you most looking forward to this season? 3. Where are we going to finish come next May? 4. If we could sign one current Championship player on loan for a season, who would you pick? 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Changing Times 12,347 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Ooh something new to 1 Link to post Share on other sites
DocMartin 682 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) 1. Who makes your starting XI? (shouldn’t take long) Steffen, 👀⬆️, Dijksteel, Fry, Lenihan, Giles, Crooks, Howson, Tav, McGree, Watmore 2. Which fixture are you most looking forward to this season? WBA, because I think they will be real contenders this year and I think playing them first up might catch them off guard and be a good time to play them (or not, we shall see) after them then probs Norwich. 3. Where are we going to finish come next May? As things stand with strikers 11th with Muniz, Forss and Parrott 7th with Muniz, Armstrong and Gyokeres … Championes, Championes, Ole, Ole, Ole 4. If we could sign one current Championship player on loan ….. I mean it’ll never happen as a loan, but but Viktor Gyokeres. Boro 1 v 1 Baggies is my prediction for a steady as you go nail biting start as Akpomb equalises in the 87th minute, sending the Riverside wilder and wilder. Link to post Share on other sites
AllBoro10 2,235 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, DocMartin said: 1. Who makes your starting XI? (shouldn’t take long) Steffen, 👀⬆️, Dijksteel, Fry, Lenihan, Giles, Crooks, Howson, Tav, McGree, Watmore 2. Which fixture are you most looking forward to this season? WBA, because I think they will be real contenders this year and I think playing them first up might catch them off guard and be a good time to play them (or not, we shall see) after them then probs Norwich. 3. Where are we going to finish come next May? As things stand with strikers 11th with Muniz, Forss and Parrott 7th with Muniz, Armstrong and Gyokeres … Championes, Championes, Ole, Ole, Ole 4. If we could sign one current Championship player on loan ….. I mean it’ll never happen as a loan, but but Viktor Gyokeres. Boro 1 v 1 Baggies is my prediction for a steady as you go nail biting start as Akpomb equalises in the 87th minute, sending the Riverside wilder and wilder. We’re you impressed with Steffen against Marseille as you were very much against his signing? Thought he was superb myself. Hopefully he will win you round, he will be the best in the league i reckon 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Brunners 7,982 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 32 minutes ago, DocMartin said: 1. Who makes your starting XI? (shouldn’t take long) Steffen, 👀⬆️, Dijksteel, Fry, Lenihan, Giles, Crooks, Howson, Tav, McGree, Watmore 2. Which fixture are you most looking forward to this season? WBA, because I think they will be real contenders this year and I think playing them first up might catch them off guard and be a good time to play them (or not, we shall see) after them then probs Norwich. 3. Where are we going to finish come next May? As things stand with strikers 11th with Muniz, Forss and Parrott 7th with Muniz, Armstrong and Gyokeres … Championes, Championes, Ole, Ole, Ole 4. If we could sign one current Championship player on loan ….. I mean it’ll never happen as a loan, but but Viktor Gyokeres. Boro 1 v 1 Baggies is my prediction for a steady as you go nail biting start as Akpomb equalises in the 87th minute, sending the Riverside wilder and wilder. Why do you not have Jones in your lineup? Link to post Share on other sites
DocMartin 682 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 4 minutes ago, AllBoro10 said: We’re you impressed with Steffen against Marseille as you were very much against his signing? Thought he was superb myself. Hopefully he will win you round, he will be the best in the league i reckon As a sweeper keeper he generally did well, although my heart was in my mouth at one point, his saves were fairly routine to be fair, although one in the second half when their player was through showed a good reaction, but it was a nice height for Steffen nontheless. I think their player chose the wrong option, mind that is said with the benefit of hindsight i suppose. I am just happy we haven’t got Lumley, but I would still have preferred Iversen if that was ever a possibility, but with all the talk of Schmeichel possibly leaving he might end up as No1 there at Leicester at some point this season. I would have taken Darlow over Steffen too and I am not that keen on him. My biggest bugbear on Steffen is on crosses, he does not inspire me with much confidence, it will be interesting how his goalkeeping style fits with our defenders on crosses/set pieces, but who knows, he might grow on me. Now he is here I very much hope he proves my fears to be unfounded. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
DocMartin 682 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 10 minutes ago, Brunners said: Why do you not have Jones in your lineup? I do 🤣 His first name is 👀⬆️ Link to post Share on other sites
Brunners 7,982 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Just now, DocMartin said: I do 🤣 His first name is 👀⬆️ Eyesuparrow? Link to post Share on other sites
DocMartin 682 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 4 minutes ago, Brunners said: Eyesuparrow? Yes, yes thats right 👍 he gets upset when people call him Isiah or Izzy, a bit like when the queen had hers changed to Lilibet, Betty Lizzo etc. Link to post Share on other sites
wilsoncgp 9,283 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 11 minutes ago, Brunners said: Eyesuparrow? Eyes-Higher Link to post Share on other sites
Brunners 7,982 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Just now, wilsoncgp said: Eyes-Higher ooohhhhhhhh Link to post Share on other sites
DevKWat 2,371 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 Like others have said the starting 11 picks itself unless we get anyone in early this week (unlikely of course) Hopefully we can get a striker in to at least come off the bench 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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