4 hours ago, MarkT73 said:

Big changes afoot. Interesting to see who we have on the pitch and in the dugout when we play at home next v WBA

Ooh exciting 👍

3 hours ago, locoman1958 said:

You wouldn't want Azaz in the trenches with you because he has no fight in him at all 

He told me he could kick the crap out of you.  He even said FACT after it to prove it.

4 hours ago, MarkT73 said:

Nobody getting sacked... 

Woody to get promoted to Manager with Carrick dropping down to Assistant Manager to make us more defensively solid? 🤔

In isolation, you could shrug your shoulders after a match like that and say "oh well, it happens occasionally." But for us, it's becoming our default. Playing well every fifth game won't get us promoted, and in an unusually weak league with no standout teams (did you see Meslier's howlers for Leeds which let Hull escape with a point?) we are literally missing an open goal, time after time. Lessons are not being learned.

I've seen far worse Boro sides than this one, but I don't think I've ever seen a more frustrating one in terms of being less than the sum of its parts, possibly barring the 96-97 relegation side.

 

1 hour ago, RiseAgainst said:

In isolation, you could shrug your shoulders after a match like that and say "oh well, it happens occasionally." But for us, it's becoming our default. Playing well every fifth game won't get us promoted, and in an unusually weak league with no standout teams (did you see Meslier's howlers for Leeds which let Hull escape with a point?) we are literally missing an open goal, time after time. Lessons are not being learned.

I've seen far worse Boro sides than this one, but I don't think I've ever seen a more frustrating one in terms of being less than the sum of its parts, possibly barring the 96-97 relegation side.

 

The squad pulis had when he failed to get us promoted was far far stronger than this one.

6 hours ago, MarkT73 said:

Big changes afoot. Interesting to see who we have on the pitch and in the dugout when we play at home next v WBA

Fancy expanding on that? Or just random speculation?

I've reported time and time again that we could have got the best set piece taker in the Championship. Absolutely mind boggling we weren't in for Sorba Thomas guys. 

42 minutes ago, Nobby Barnes said:

I've reported time and time again that we could have got the best set piece taker in the Championship. Absolutely mind boggling we weren't in for Sorba Thomas guys. 

I like when you report things.

1 hour ago, Neverbefore said:

The squad pulis had when he failed to get us promoted was far far stronger than this one.

I think the frustration, for those who have it, is less about the relative ability of the squad, and more about the nearly but not quite nature of our performances.

Edited January 5, 20251 yr by Changing Times

The mad thing is how we are 5th without even putting together a single complete performance for 90+ mins this season. 

For me the priority isn't in getting the playoffs / promoted, it's getting our house in order and getting the most from the players, becoming a well oiled machine. 

Until then I fear the playoffs will be hit or miss for us, but the pl will be a bloodbath. If we make errors V Cardiff, how will we cope with the press from even the weakest PL team? It's a different kind of pain to be fighting for your life each game, how many did we win/score when AK got us in the PL where we actually had forged quite a footballing identity? It was tough.

we've sorely missed Morris which is crazy as he didn't even need time to adapt. We need a Barlaser upgrade, I cant remember him ever having a barnstormer for us. We need Hackney to hit form again. We need the whole team to be able to make easy passes 100% of the time and we need to hoof it out from the back 1 in 5 times to keep the oppo guessing, we need a replacement for Doak, and we need to find a way of keeping our players fit more (although it does seem that a lot of teams are suffering injuries and it might just be the higher intensity of the game these days). But yes, we need quite a lot of things.

Does anyone think we have many players that could take the step up to the PL? Like with AK the current squad would need another maasive overhaul if we got promoted. We have begun to recruit much better than ever before now and the task is morphing from buying young players with sell on value to actually keeping enough of them together/fit before the offers start coming in.

We've come light years from where we were 3years ago, but still have a long way to go. At least we are heading in the right direction, and if we keep doing so I'm sure we'll get the balance of the squad right, I'm talking in the longer-term though.

we never really clicked at all during xmas and have not found our rhythm all season only managing a really good 45 here and there, but are currently in 5th. Things could be a lot worse, it wasn't that long ago our own fans were saying we'd be relegated this season, so at least now we are looking up and not down.  

The journey is just beginning, keep the faith.

UTB!

Edited January 5, 20251 yr by HolgateHero

3 hours ago, RiseAgainst said:

In isolation, you could shrug your shoulders after a match like that and say "oh well, it happens occasionally." But for us, it's becoming our default. Playing well every fifth game won't get us promoted, and in an unusually weak league with no standout teams (did you see Meslier's howlers for Leeds which let Hull escape with a point?) we are literally missing an open goal, time after time. Lessons are not being learned.

I've seen far worse Boro sides than this one, but I don't think I've ever seen a more frustrating one in terms of being less than the sum of its parts, possibly barring the 96-97 relegation side.

 

I agree. Definition of occasionally, at infrequent or irregular intervals; now and then. 
I was so wound up last night and I still am going to work this morning. 
Rushed back to watch the game to be left frustrated having wasted more time and belief in the club. Forget the officials the game was horrific not suitable for Sunday league.  
 

56 minutes ago, HolgateHero said:

The mad thing is how we are 5th without even putting together a single complete performance for 90+ mins this season. 

For me the priority isn't in getting the playoffs / promoted, it's getting our house in order and getting the most from the players, becoming a well oiled machine. 

Until then I fear the playoffs will be hit or miss for us, but the pl will be a bloodbath. If we make errors V Cardiff, how will we cope with the press from even the weakest PL team? It's a different kind of pain to be fighting for your life each game, how many did we win/score when AK got us in the PL where we actually had forged quite a footballing identity? It was gruesome and these pages would be like the last transcript from the Samaritans hotline before Armageddon, each week.

we've sorely missed Morris which is crazy as he didn't even need time to adapt. We need a Barlaser upgrade, I cant remember him ever having a barnstormer for us. We need Hackney to hit form again. We need the whole team to be able to make easy passes 100% of the time and we need to hoof it out from the back 1 in 5 times to keep the oppo guessing, we need a replacement for Doak, and we need to find a way of keeping our players fit more (although it does seem that a lot of teams are suffering injuries and it might just be the higher intensity of the game these days). But yes, we need quite a lot of things.

Does anyone think we have many players that could take the step up to the PL? Like with AK the current squad would need another maasive overhaul if we got promoted. We have begun to recruit much better than ever before now and the task is morphing from buying young players with sell on value to actually keeping enough of them together/fit before the offers start coming in.

We've come light years from where we were 3years ago, but still have a long way to go. At least we are heading in the right direction, and if we keep doing so I'm sure we'll get the balance of the squad right, I'm talking in the longer-term though.

we never really clicked at all during xmas and have not found our rhythm all season only managing a really good 45 here and there, but are currently in 5th. Things could be a lot worse, it wasn't that long ago our own fans were saying we'd be relegated this season, so at least now we are looking up and not down.  

The journey is just beginning, keep the faith.

UTB!

Sorry to burst your bubble but there isn’t a father Christmas or tooth fairy  and we will not be getting promotion. We have not improved over the three years as claimed and none of the players we have are premier quality. We have a defence that leaks and can’t make up there mind who is the pantomime villain for the week. The forward line tippy tap the ball around the box but don’t want ownership. 

12 minutes ago, sanddancer said:

Sorry to burst your bubble but there isn’t a father Christmas or tooth fairy  and we will not be getting promotion. We have not improved over the three years as claimed and none of the players we have are premier quality. We have a defence that leaks and can’t make up there mind who is the pantomime villain for the week. The forward line tippy tap the ball around the box but don’t want ownership. 

No need to apologise, my bubble is fine. 

Other than that I believe we have improved in the recruitment and certain aspects in pitch in the last three years I'm not arguing about the rest, although I'm gutted to hear about Father Christmas not being real. 

 

1 hour ago, HolgateHero said:

The mad thing is how we are 5th without even putting together a single complete performance for 90+ mins this season. 

For me the priority isn't in getting the playoffs / promoted, it's getting our house in order and getting the most from the players, becoming a well oiled machine. 

Until then I fear the playoffs will be hit or miss for us, but the pl will be a bloodbath. If we make errors V Cardiff, how will we cope with the press from even the weakest PL team? It's a different kind of pain to be fighting for your life each game, how many did we win/score when AK got us in the PL where we actually had forged quite a footballing identity? It was gruesome and these pages would be like the last transcript from the Samaritans hotline before Armageddon, each week.

we've sorely missed Morris which is crazy as he didn't even need time to adapt. We need a Barlaser upgrade, I cant remember him ever having a barnstormer for us. We need Hackney to hit form again. We need the whole team to be able to make easy passes 100% of the time and we need to hoof it out from the back 1 in 5 times to keep the oppo guessing, we need a replacement for Doak, and we need to find a way of keeping our players fit more (although it does seem that a lot of teams are suffering injuries and it might just be the higher intensity of the game these days). But yes, we need quite a lot of things.

Does anyone think we have many players that could take the step up to the PL? Like with AK the current squad would need another maasive overhaul if we got promoted. We have begun to recruit much better than ever before now and the task is morphing from buying young players with sell on value to actually keeping enough of them together/fit before the offers start coming in.

We've come light years from where we were 3years ago, but still have a long way to go. At least we are heading in the right direction, and if we keep doing so I'm sure we'll get the balance of the squad right, I'm talking in the longer-term though.

we never really clicked at all during xmas and have not found our rhythm all season only managing a really good 45 here and there, but are currently in 5th. Things could be a lot worse, it wasn't that long ago our own fans were saying we'd be relegated this season, so at least now we are looking up and not down.  

The journey is just beginning, keep the faith.

UTB!

Great post 

Along the lines of what I was pointing out to a friend earlier .. can you imagine this lot in the PL?? It would be a horror show 

Lots more to be done I'm afraid 

31 minutes ago, HolgateHero said:

No need to apologise, my bubble is fine. 

Other than that I believe we have improved in the recruitment and certain aspects in pitch in the last three years I'm not arguing about the rest, although I'm gutted to hear about Father Christmas not being real. 

 

There is a Sanity Claus though😉