Not looking forward to this one tbh. Could be a battering!

Edited September 22, 20232 yr by martonboro

7 minutes ago, martonboro said:

Not looking forward to this one tbh. Could be a battering!

And you won't even have your Dad there to give you a cuddle and tell you that it'll all be ok 🙂 🙂 🙂 

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

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

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.

Score first and we win clearly, they score first and goodness knows!

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.

I cannot remember being this glum about a Boro side since the end of our premier league season under Agnew. 
I have no idea who I would play, I don't rate many of our players at all. Southampton won't have a better game than this to get back on track. 1-2 for me

3 hours ago, Blanco said:

And you won't even have your Dad there to give you a cuddle and tell you that it'll all be ok 🙂 🙂 🙂 

I normally have to do that for him to be fair.

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

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

Reading through some of Carricks comments and it's slightly concerning that he was happy with the second half right hand side link ups of Jones, Crooks, Hackney and....Sammy.

If Jones doesn't start this game at RW I will be shocked. Be good if we can get Bangura LB and Dijksteel or Smith back at RB.

Anyone can beat anyone else in this league.

Except Boro, we can't beat anyone.

I still can't get over how terrible Sheff Wed were. Teams we spanked by 4 or 5 last year were nowhere near that bad.

Really concerning we were pretty much at their level for most of that game. Hard to see how much can have changed in three days.  

I suspect Carrick will stick with his selections, formation and tactics that are failing so badly. I think we will see a repeat of a dysfunctional side with no joined up thinking. I believe we will see unmarked opposition attackers in and around our 18 yard box as we have done all season. I believe that Silvera and Crooks will start and Jones will be on the bench along with a few other bizarre thought processes evidenced.

Why would he change anything now? He clearly believes that if he keeps repeating things along with his 4231 that he doesn't have the personnel for it will eventually work, despite all the evidence to the contrary. I hope he proves me wrong and springs a few surprises and shocks but sadly I'm expecting outrage at his team announcement, all hell letting loose on here after 20 minutes of nothingness, scarring our eyes and then exploding when we concede from an unmarked Saints Player firing home with nobody anywhere near him.

I'm expecting no changes at half time much to our collective disbelief and annoyance and then a flurry of late Subs removing Players who are having an influence and leaving on failures who continue to struggle. Depressing state of affairs really but it can only continue for so long and unless Carrick, Woodgate and Danks get their collective heads out of their rear passageways tomorrow will not be pleasant for anyone apart from the Away camp.

18 hours ago, Georgewhitt said:

They were very poor against us mind.

Put them under a bit of pressure and they will fold.

They are feeling the expectation that everyone has of them.

Could be your kickstart lads.👍

Though with how we're playing at the moment we're more likely to kickstart their season. 🫣😱🙄