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Middlesbrough V Southampton 2-1 (McGree, Howson (pen) )


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Sunderland beat these 5-0 with 31% possession. Will we learn from how others have found success against them? I'd wager not.

We're their dream opposition. Wide open, soft, stand-offish, and disinterested unless we have the ball. Happy to go toe to toe with worse players in every position. 

Will probably mean we score ourselves but I could see us losing 4-1, 5-2, something daft like that. 

We'll be more than three points adrift and Gibson will be in a nightmare scenario with fans baying for blood at full time.

Apart from that, looking forward to this one 😎

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1 minute ago, SmogDane said:

The players we have ... SCREAM for this formation! 

                     Dieng
           Fry, Lenihan, VDB
  Jones, O'brien, Hackney, Engel
                     Lath
          Forss           Coburn
 

Against these guys I think that 3 at the back might work very well if we nip a first goal. Pipe dream I know.

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I suppose the law of averages say we must win sometime and for all this looks like a nailed-on defeat it feels like the kind of match that could turn things around. The team and selections don't offer any evidence that says we have a decent chance of beating them but victory is inevitable (at some point).

Carrick has come straight out with it and said he doesn't think it's time to rip it up and start again. I can respect his stance and determination to stick to his principles. I think it's the wrong thing to do because there is no future to work towards in football if you aren't winning matches in the present. 

My suspicion is that Carrick will stick with roughly the same 11 that started against Wednesday and the 4-2-3-1 in an attempt to get a result by, well I don't know what his plan is. Managers tend to rely on their senior pros when they are under stress so I expect to see Crooks. It's unfair on Crooks to dread seeing him because he's an excellent Championship footballer who can win you games when you use him properly.

If it were me and I was told I had to set up in a 4-2-3-1 no matter what then I would try to revert back to the lop-sided formation of last season but reverse it so the right side is more attacking with Jones as the pseudo-wingback. Assuming Forss is still injured then I would go with

Dieng

Jones - Fry - Lenihan - LOL

Hackney - O'Brien

McGree - Lath - Rogers

Coburn

Take the pressure to score off Lath by playing him deeper. Have McGree swap sides and play alongside Jones in a similar way he did with Giles. If McNair is available, have him playing as a pseudo LCB. I worry about being exposed down the right because Hackney's not great defensively so there is an argument for swapping him O'Brien around even through they will be on the wrong side. 

Personally I would set up with 3 at the back or in a 4-3-3 but I don't see Carrick doing that.

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52 minutes ago, SmogDane said:

The players we have ... SCREAM for this formation! 

                     Dieng
           Fry, Lenihan, VDB
  Jones, O'brien, Hackney, Engel
                     Lath
          Forss           Coburn
 

its funny because i was coming to post something similar today , only difference was i was going to put mcgree in at cam and have lath and forss upfront . having 3 cbs helps when ur rotten at the back lol

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56 minutes ago, SmogDane said:

The players we have ... SCREAM for this formation! 

                     Dieng
           Fry, Lenihan, VDB
  Jones, O'brien, Hackney, Engel
                     Lath
          Forss           Coburn
 

announce relegation

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