Boro vs Cardiff 1-1 (Latte Lath)

[SimonD 1,097 1.2k]

Boro vs Cardiff

The Riverside Stadium, 3pm on Saturday 4th January 2025

Game 2 already and my second consecutive MDT, well done me. We're back at home for this one, and it's back to 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, which is the right and proper time to kick off a game of footy. And it's against yet another team at the bottom which we should be beating comfortably.

I really like Cardiff (the place) - I run a marketing agency in London and my mate runs one in Cardiff so I regularly nip up (and across) to see him. Lovely place to go out for dinner and a few drinks, very lively, 4/5 would def recommend. No sad stories about sitting drinking a pint on my own... Actually...

...there is a pub in Cardiff called The Borough, and it was there on the 29th February 2004 that I sat drinking a pint with my mate Nigel post beating Bolton 2-1 in the cup final. It was a weird atmosphere - not loud, but with a hum of disbelief in the air, nobody speaking but seeming to be thinking 'i can't believe we've actually gone and won something'. I think it was when Schwarz let that goal in to make it 1-2 and we had to sit through the rest of the game biting our nails and any other body parts we could find to chew. Typical boro. 

I digress...

We won at Hull. Yay! It was a crap game but we did more than enough to win and it could have been 2 or 3 nil. As it was, Gilbert knocking one in the last minute of injury time was super sweet. How many times have we been there, thinking that we'd dropped another 2 points but we stole victory away from the pit of a boring 0-0 draw.

And another clean sheet. Who'd have thunk it? Maybe we need Glover in goal for the rest of the season. He could be the new Dimi. Defensively we looked good again. Nice to see Rav and Fry playing together (I think having Fry back has been great for us btw). Meanwhile Djik continues to look like a man reborn, and we finally have Engel back too. Pleased that Jones started and thought he did well all being said. Moment of the game though was Johnny leading the singalong in the away end. We really need him back. And Morris. Then Hayden can have a bit of a break which he desperately needs. 

And we're now up to 5th. Surely this game is a banker home win and we can continue to progress and cement our place in the POs

Form guide

Boro: WDDDW, Cardiff: DLLWD

We're unbeaten in the last five. We've only lost 3 games out of the last 15 did you know (Cov, Blackburn, Leeds), so we're much more consistent and better than many folk would make us out to be.

Cardiff are unbeaten in the last two games drawing with Cov last time out and beating Watford just before that (which we must thank thank them for immensely). They seem to do well against the better teams. Eeek.

View from the other side

https://www.cardiffcityforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=242650&sid=498db7254b829f2b0826e59d5604a1dc

Their top scorer Callum Robinson (8 goals) is suspended. Looking at FBref doesn't seem to be many goals elsewhere

Played for both sides

Sol Bamba, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Andy Campbell, Andrew Taylor, Aden Flint, Uche, Callum Chambers, Dimi, Cameron Jerome, Ross Turnbull, Gary O'Neil, Chris Riggott, Neil Cox, Andy Dibble, Gary Gill, Paul Sugrue, Jim Platt. Am sure @Erimus74 can think of many more.

Questions

1. Who starts? Give us your lineup

2. Final score?

3. Were you at the 2004 cup final? What were your memories of that day? Did you have a pint in The Borough?

4. Who should we loan out in January? Silvera, Hamilton?

5. Who will we bring in in January? Are we still going after Giles?

6. How did you celebrate New Year?

 

[Rob 5,652 8.7k]

4-0 to the boro

[Erimus74 3,977 4.1k]

1 hour ago, SimonD said:

Boro vs Hull

The Riverside Stadium, 3pm on Saturday 4th January 2025

Game 2 already and my second consecutive MDT, well done me. We're back at home for this one, and it's back to 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, which is the right and proper time to kick off a game of footy. And it's against yet another team at the bottom which we should be beating comfortably.

I really like Cardiff (the place) - I run a marketing agency in London and my mate runs one in Cardiff so I regularly nip up (and across) to see him. Lovely place to go out for dinner and a few drinks, very lively, 4/5 would def recommend. No sad stories about sitting drinking a pint on my own... Actually...

...there is a pub in Cardiff called The Borough, and it was there on the 29th February 2004 that I sat drinking a pint with my mate Nigel post beating Bolton 2-1 in the cup final. It was a weird atmosphere - not loud, but with a hum of disbelief in the air, nobody speaking but seeming to be thinking 'i can't believe we've actually gone and won something'. I think it was when Schwarz let that goal in to make it 1-2 and we had to sit through the rest of the game biting our nails and any other body parts we could find to chew. Typical boro. 

I digress...

We won at Hull. Yay! It was a crap game but we did more than enough to win and it could have been 2 or 3 nil. As it was, Gilbert knocking one in the last minute of injury time was super sweet. How many times have we been there, thinking that we'd dropped another 2 points but we stole victory away from the pit of a boring 0-0 draw.

And another clean sheet. Who'd have thunk it? Maybe we need Glover in goal for the rest of the season. He could be the new Dimi. Defensively we looked good again. Nice to see Rav and Fry playing together (I think having Fry back has been great for us btw). Meanwhile Djik continues to look like a man reborn, and we finally have Engel back too. Pleased that Jones started and thought he did well all being said. Moment of the game though was Johnny leading the singalong in the away end. We really need him back. And Morris. Then Hayden can have a bit of a break which he desperately needs. 

And we're now up to 5th. Surely this game is a banker home win and we can continue to progress and cement our place in the POs

Form guide

Boro: WDDDW, Cardiff: DLLWD

We're unbeaten in the last five. We've only lost 3 games out of the last 15 did you know (Cov, Blackburn, Leeds), so we're much more consistent and better than many folk would make us out to be.

Cardiff are unbeaten in the last two games drawing with Cov last time out and beating Watford just before that (which we must thank thank them for immensely). They seem to do well against the better teams. Eeek.

View from the other side

https://www.cardiffcityforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=242650&sid=498db7254b829f2b0826e59d5604a1dc

Their top scorer Callum Robinson (8 goals) is suspended. Looking at FBref doesn't seem to be many goals elsewhere

Played for both sides

Sol Bamba, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Andy Campbell, Andrew Taylor, Aden Flint, Uche, Callum Chambers, Dimi, Cameron Jerome, Ross Turnbull, Gary O'Neil, Chris Riggott, Neil Cox, Andy Dibble, Gary Gill, Paul Sugrue, Jim Platt. Am sure @Erimus74 can think of many more.

Questions

1. Who starts? Give us your lineup

2. Final score?

3. Were you at the 2004 cup final? What were your memories of that day? Did you have a pint in The Borough?

4. Who should we loan out in January? Silvera, Hamilton?

5. Who will we bring in in January? Are we still going after Giles?

6. How did you celebrate New Year?

 

Jim Platt was almost on his way to Cardiff following his loan spell, fortunately the club seen sense & he stayed at the Boro

Alan Foggon, Micky Burns, Johnny Vincent, George Smith & Graham Kavangh are 5 to spring to mind former Boro/Cardiff players

[Hammy legend 1,101 1.2k]

Hasselbaink played for us and Cardiff , I think.

[Robin Johnson 1,054 1.5k]

Andy Campbell, sol Bamba and Joe Bennett dpring to my mind!

 

Boro to win

[TeaCider24 15,022 20.2k]

Ryan Giles played for us both.

[Downsouth 7,333 37.5k]

Again good op @SimonD will add my two pence worth (and without swearing) later on

[Erimus74 3,977 4.1k]

Stephen Pears, our first ever loanee, played his first ever Boro game at home to Cardiff in a 2-0 win, Andy Crawford, who also played for both clubs, scored his only Boro goal, he played 10 games for us

[DocMartin 1,154 930]

1. Who starts? Give us your lineup

Glover, Dijksteel, Fry, Rav, Engel, Hackney, Barlaser, Doak, Azaz, Burgzorg, ELL

2. Final score?

3-1 to Boro

3. Were you at the 2004 cup final? What were your memories of that day? Did you have a pint in The Borough?

Yes, I remember the super quick fairytale start, Schwarzer’s gaff and me trying not to be soiling my trousers for the rest of the game, loving the celebrations afterwards including with Gibbo, seeing Juninho’s smile having him holding the cup was a joy. Also, taking an age to get out of the multi story car park, driving home and watching it over and over while downing a few tinnies. No sleep for 48 hrs

4. Who should we loan out in January? Silvera, Hamilton?

Yes to both, plus Hemming, Agyemang and Finch

5. Who will we bring in in January? Are we still going after Giles?

No but I’d like a Left Winger, and Strong tackling tall midfielder 

6. How did you celebrate New Year?

In style 😲

[Duffman 25 21]

Typically this has been a ‘banana skin’ type of game for us. The sort of game we should  ordinarily win at home against a team in the lower reaches of the table but all too often we manage to lose. Going to be really optimistic though and say the new tougher more resilient Boro will see this off with a  2-0 win. 
With none of  the walking wounded expected to be available can see Doak for Jones being the only change. Liked the look of Engel back on the left at Hull. 
I still think Barry, if his hamstring injury isn’t too serious, will come in as a direct replacement for Jones. Think Clarke and Dieng are off so a new keeper and centre back will be essential signings. Biggest and best piece of transfer business would be keeping ELL - really hope we can persuade him to stay and lead us to the Premier League with a promise of a transfer if we don’t make it. UTB 

[RiseAgainst 4,412 3.8k]

1. Who starts? Give us your lineup

Glover (not just him, there is more to follow)

Engel vdB Fry Dijk

Hackney Barlaser

Doak Azaz McGree (though I'd love to see Gilbert given a start)

LL (if he doesn't leave tomorrow)

2. Final score?

2-1 to us, though you've got a better chance of guessing the EuroMillions numbers than predicting how Boro will get on these days.

3. Were you at the 2004 cup final? What were your memories of that day? Did you have a pint in The Borough?

I wasn't there, but I was watching while texting a woman I really shouldn't have been involved with (long story for another forum) from my then-home in East Kilbride, while crying a little bit. It's one of only two times Boro have reduced me to tears - the other being the Brighton game, which I did attend. In general, the emotion they tend to elicit from me is ennui. Occasionally psychotic rage as well. 

4. Who should we loan out in January? Silvera, Hamilton?

Silvera and Hamilton are the only ones I'd send out on loan, since our crippling injuries might require blooding one or two youngsters as the season drags on.

5. Who will we bring in in January? Are we still going after Giles?

I think Giles has to be filed away under 'gone but not forgotten'. While I wouldn't be confident enough to suggest specific names, I think we need a combative and talkative CDM as a matter of some urgency. We also need at least one striker (two if Lath leaves). I still harbour hopes that the likes of Forss, Smith, Bangura and Lenihan will be able to play for us in future, so I don't want to clog up those positions. 

6. How did you celebrate New Year?

I was asleep. It's absolute ***, especially in Scotland, where people get so ratted that the second of January is a public holiday cos people were traditionally too hungover to return to work. Across the border in Carlisle, things are better, but I believe this is the only place in the world where the Government once had to nationalise every pub in the city because the Scots were crossing the border en masse and drinking themselves into oblivion every Friday night.

[JCWamma 467 280]

4 hours ago, Downsouth said:

Again good op @SimonD will add my two pence worth (and without swearing) later on

You noticed the wrong team being at home last time, but not the wrong opposition entirely this time!

(I agree though, good opening post!)

[SimonD 1,097 1.2k]

9 hours ago, JCWamma said:

You noticed the wrong team being at home last time, but not the wrong opposition entirely this time!

(I agree though, good opening post!)

Edited now, oops! I read that post so many times before I put it live but missed that little mistake at the start. Arrrghhh

[Downsouth 7,333 37.5k]

13 hours ago, Duffman said:

Typically this has been a ‘banana skin’ type of game for us. The sort of game we should  ordinarily win at home against a team in the lower reaches of the table but all too often we manage to lose. Going to be really optimistic though and say the new tougher more resilient Boro will see this off with a  2-0 win. 
With none of  the walking wounded expected to be available can see Doak for Jones being the only change. Liked the look of Engel back on the left at Hull. 
I still think Barry, if his hamstring injury isn’t too serious, will come in as a direct replacement for Jones. Think Clarke and Dieng are off so a new keeper and centre back will be essential signings. Biggest and best piece of transfer business would be keeping ELL - really hope we can persuade him to stay and lead us to the Premier League with a promise of a transfer if we don’t make it. UTB 

Agree with you however if we have the right attitude we can certainly win our first home game of 2025 and tbh we need to

[Downsouth 7,333 37.5k]

11 hours ago, JCWamma said:

You noticed the wrong team being at home last time, but not the wrong opposition entirely this time!

(I agree though, good opening post!)

Good spot buddy and here is me thinking that I read all the posts properly