Was mentioned by a few of us about taking one step forward (in this case 2 steps forward) and not going back two paces.

This particularly applies now with the Oxford and Blackburn away games after the IB, yes I am aware of the injury concerns at Oxford and the inconsistency of Blackburn's form.

We need to be  as good as our last game because these next two are potential banana skins for Boro and the lads have to show they are not resting on their laurels, two very important games away from home in a matter of days could bring us back down to earth with a real BUMP.

17 hours ago, boro-unger said:

Hope you made it to the church on time @Blanco! 

I did see a fella jumping out of a plane above the ground just before kick off. Looked like you'd forgotten your parachute though?! 

Yes @boro-unger 😂 I got there just after 12 so thankfully got to see the whole game 

1 minute ago, Blanco said:

Yes @boro-unger 😂 I got there just after 12 so thankfully got to see the whole game 

I did have my fingers crossed for you Joe!

19 minutes ago, Downsouth said:

I did have my fingers crossed for you Joe!

Cheers Alan 👍

With regards to Delano, the one big difference that he displayed today in my eyes was that he did not hang on to the ball and try to dribble past three or four people before running out of space. He seemed to be more aware that he had team mates and that made him look a different player altogether. If he can continue like that, he will be a good asset to the squad. Also agree it might be time to consider loaning Hamilton to Scotland just to give him minutes on the pitch. He is reasonably tidy on the ball but rarely has any impact on things at the moment, so somewhere like St. Mirren or Motherwell could do wonders for him. Age is very much on his side, so it is not a sign of anything but another step in his development   

33 minutes ago, Old Codger said:

With regards to Delano, the one big difference that he displayed today in my eyes was that he did not hang on to the ball and try to dribble past three or four people before running out of space. He seemed to be more aware that he had team mates and that made him look a different player altogether. If he can continue like that, he will be a good asset to the squad. Also agree it might be time to consider loaning Hamilton to Scotland just to give him minutes on the pitch. He is reasonably tidy on the ball but rarely has any impact on things at the moment, so somewhere like St. Mirren or Motherwell could do wonders for him. Age is very much on his side, so it is not a sign of anything but another step in his development   

Why does he have to go to Scotland ? He’d get games in the championship for a lot of clubs. 

2 minutes ago, Donnyboro said:

Why does he have to go to Scotland ? He’d get games in the championship for a lot of clubs. 

Purely for the reason that he isn't affecting us in any way (like getting Millwall into playoff contention). If he did well in a less pressurised environment, then there is a possibility of quicker advancement than just getting ten or fifteen minutes at the end of a game as most Championship teams won't risk playing him as a starter currently. 

7 minutes ago, Donnyboro said:

Why does he have to go to Scotland ? He’d get games in the championship for a lot of clubs. 

You could see someone like Oxford utd being interested. They don't seem to have a settled left winger and have a good chance of staying in the league if they recruit well in January. He definitely does need significant pitch time. League One would be another option for him. Bristol Rovers were good for Coburn and I assume we have good connections there with them. Bilongo is doing ok there.

Relatedly, looks like Silvera is failing at Portsmouth. Seems like Hemming has been replaced at Leyton Orient as well. Looks like Coburn is our only loan out who is developing well. Hannah seems to be doing ok in Scotland but Agyemang and Willis don't seem to be making the grade. 

12 hours ago, TheJew said:

What helped was Burgzorg.

His positioning and physical presence was a menace and he often got close to ELL to form a 2.

Djiksteel also continues to show he is the best right back, and on the showing today Ayling is arguably the best option at left back.

I said before, and with my initial lineups we needed more balance, pace and power. The front 3 of Burgzorg, ELL and Doak is our most expansive.

This isn't to say I don't rate McGree, I do. But for me, until Bangura comes back and VDB, that's close to our strongest 11 that started today imo.

You were calling him, and the rest of our recruitment, a "plodder" just last week. He's looked barely competent up to yesterday.

One decent game, against terrible opposition playing the worst tactics possible against us, and suddenly he's "a menace".

I think Hamilton needs minutes on the pitch to improve, he looks neat and tidy so far 

I didn’t watch the game as I thought it was a 3pm kick off lol 

But my word, wow. Some threat goals and nice to see is trying something different from corners too. Doak compliments that right hand side so well. We finally have an outlet that isn’t just lath and it’s creating so much more space for us to operate in. 

Laths goal was sublime and Azaz’s was a pearler. 
 

Now let’s sustain it!!

I think Hamilton is being brought on slowly, allowing him to settle in, get used to the league I expect him to be more involved as the season goes on.

1 hour ago, macapes said:

You were calling him, and the rest of our recruitment, a "plodder" just last week. He's looked barely competent up to yesterday.

One decent game, against terrible opposition playing the worst tactics possible against us, and suddenly he's "a menace".

He looked good in the Leeds game in the Cup that many seem to have forgotten.

Unlike say Azaz as an example he hasn't been persevered with and only getting cameo appearances (usually when we have been chasing a game from memory) which doesn't help any player in terms of consistency and understanding. Granted that may have been on him as much as Carrick but whatever the background story he showed yesterday that he can be a real threat and a "team player", which I think was possibly his main problem rather than his ability.

21 hours ago, Downsouth said:

Just for you and all other Boro ex pats please enjoy some stunning goals to watch

https://www.skysports.com/football/video/30998/13251186/middlesbrough-5-1-luton-championship-highlights

Giving this a bump nice to have some wallowing from time to time

Extended highlights: