Coventry v Boro 2-0

[OldManGravz 2,206 6.2k]

Coventry City v Middlesbrough 

Saturday 3rd May - Coventry Building Society Arena - 12.30pm

Sky Sports' Main Event of the day!

The Intro

To paraphrase from @Downsouth, Welcome to the most important match day thread of season (so far)!! This is the first of hopefully four matches I'm writing up, as we reach the crescendo of Boro's increasingly less likely playoff challenge. The May bank holidays mark the end of the season in the Championship, but which one?

The Form

Boro won five, drew one and lost one in a run that lasted from 25 Feb to the beginning of this month, but have lost three of the last four games as our playoff push has almost died on its ***. The poor form of the team around them is all that is keeping them in the race, but it has allowed Millwall and Blackburn to gain some momentum also. As we wrap up the 46 game regular season, it's no longer in our own hands in what can only be described as a disappointing campaign. Even if results 

Coventry started the season in horrific form but, after making the decision to sack Robins and replace him with Frank Lampard, they catapulted themselves into the playoff places and remain in sixth despite stuttering themselves of late. 

Coventry have also only one one of the last four, losing to relegation threatened Luton and Plymouth in their last two fixtures. Coventry have only took 10 points from the last 30 available, and it's safe to say the new manager bounce has definitely worn off. Jay Dasilva was sent off in their previous game, and I couldn't find anything about them appealing the red card as of yet, so as of this moment he is unavailable for our game

The Lineup

*Insert shrug gif here*

The back five may remain unchanged for once in a blue moon. We know Lenihan isn't back despite appearing on the bench, but I'm not 100% sure how long Rav is meant to be out for, so I imagine Howson and Fry start between SiJ and Dijksteel. Morris and Hackney to continue in midfield I imagine.

The big questions remain up front - Since ELL left, Carrick has struggled to settle on a front four. Nacho doesn't seem a good fit for our tactics when played in the 10, and it forces Azaz and Whittaker into positions where they aren't great. Burgzorg, who was showing a bit of desire and seemed to have hit a bit of form, has been dropped completely or played on the right where he is ineffective.  We also have Forss appearing regularly again but due to the upheaval there's no cohesion and it's not gonna magically appear.

 

Travers

Dijksteel Howson Fry SiJ

Hackney Morris

Forss Whittaker Azaz 

Conway

 

The View From The Otherside

https://www.skybluestalk.co.uk/threads/coventry-city-middlesbrough-match-thread-saturday-3rd-may.168378/

The Playoff Picture

As it stands, Boro are 9th, but with the best goal difference of the 5 teams fighting for the last two playoff spots.

The other matches are:

Bristol City v Preston

Burnley v Millwall

Sheffield United v Blackburn.

Boro need to beat Coventry and hope two of the other teams drop points. Draws would be enough to overtake Millwall and Blackburn on Goal Difference, but we'd need Bristol City to lose if we were going to overtake them too.

Fifth place gets Sunderland, sixth gets Sheffield United. 

 

Come on Boro!!!

[Somerset Boro 141 5.1k]

I’d love to see Whittaker drop but it’s not going to happen dijksteel too! Burgzorg should be starting and iheanacho sent back to Spain

[Erimus74 5,105 5.3k]

Typical Boro in this typical Championship season will see us leading at HT with Bristol City, Millwall & Blackburn all trailing as the mighty Boro jump up to 5th place

Carrick rubs his hands as the teams walks off the pitch in good spirits, telling himself he'll keep the other scores to himself but just deliver one of his usual 'Churchill speeches' to his team to just carry on boys

The bell goes for the teams to return to the pitch for the 2nd half & with that what looks like a dejected Boro team, after listening to Carrick, take to the field

During the game the Boro are pushed back, more & more & the scores keep coming in with more good news as all teams fall further behind, then as we drift in to the final 15 minutes Boro somehow, again, something the Boro have an art for this season, grab defeat from the jaws of victory

Once again Carrick's team talk 😔

Edited April 29 by Erimus74

[DevKWat 2,927 2.9k]

To be clear, I expect nothing whatsoever here…

At least put players in the correct position for your last hurrah Michael.

                     
                     Travers 

Dijksteel  Fry  Borges  Iling-Junior

              Hackney  Morris 

    Whittaker  Azaz  Burgzorg  

                    Conway 

No doubt he’ll play Iheanacho and make his first sub on 75 after Lampard has used all 5 and won the game. 

[Marvanelli 984 678]

I'm predicting....

Travers

Dijksteel

Iling Jr

Fry

Howson

Morris

Hackney

Whittaker

Azaz

Burgorg

Conway

 

It's either Whittaker or Forss at RW....and Iheancho should've already kicked his last ball for us.

[TeaCider24 17,446 22.7k]

I reckon it'll end as a 1-1 draw, with a second half Boro equaliser, and Millwall and Blackburn will lose, with Middlesbrough finishing the season in 8th.

Not good enough and a damp squib of an ending for the reign of Michael Carrick.

I'll be dancing all night if we win and sneak in at the very end of the season.

[Redcar Rioja 8,610 8.5k]

We shouldn't be in this position and the fact we are is all down to Carrick and his stupid in-game management (or total lack of). There are far too many games where we should have won comfortably and threw it away thanks to an ineffective half time team talk.

How many games have we come out pumped up and pulled a game back versus how many games has ******* about at the back, stupid and abject defensive decision making (collisions, Isiah's brain fart at Derby), players being "accommodated", **** starts to a season, crocks on the bench, rigid predictable one dimensional formation cost us.

Just typing it is making me ******* furious at the inevitability and preventability of it all. He is down to one game to disprove everything above and loads more and if he can't do it over two full seasons plus, he ain't going to pull any rabbits out of hats on Saturday, especially against a top half side let alone a top six one. 

He needs to do something so radically different that ten hail Mary's and self flagellation wouldn't be enough to change his faith in a lost cause.

[Blanco 5,515 7.1k]

I know it’s probably a clever plan to help people miss the game @OldManGravzbut the kick off is 12.30 not 3pm

[OldManGravz 2,206 6.2k]

13 minutes ago, Blanco said:

I know it’s probably a clever plan to help people miss the game @OldManGravzbut the kick off is 12.30 not 3pm

Ah balls for some reason I never even checked despite it being on sky haha! Thanks for the heads up

[Downsouth 8,112 39k]

Torture Chamber time!

Hopes dashed at the final whistle and for the sadists amongst the forum eagerly looking forward to next season with rose tinted glasses!

[Robin Johnson 1,539 2.2k]

2-0 to the Sky  Blues on Sky......

[RiseAgainst 4,875 4k]

5 minutes ago, Downsouth said:

Torture Chamber time!

Hopes dashed at the final whistle and for the sadists amongst the forum eagerly looking forward to next season with rose tinted glasses!

I think hopes will be dashed well before the final whistle. I'm not even bothering to watch or listen. The snooker's on and we're getting two trees planted in our back garden on Saturday afternoon, so there's plenty of less aggravating things for me to keep an eye on instead.

The real tragedy - and the reason I am so angry with Carrick - is that even if by some miracle of mathematics we fluke 6th, I have absolutely no confidence we'd win two of the three ensuing play-off games. We play like we're on Mogadon until the last ten minutes, when we play like headless chickens. Neither of those will earn you a win under the arch.

I firmly believe any half-decent manager would have at least made the top six with our squad in this abnormally weak Championship season. It's pretty clear what that says about Carrick.

[BoroAbroad 502 1.9k]

I just can't see a win. Last 5 games. Scored 4 goals. Conceded 5.  One clean sheet, thanks to Travers.
The only thing that has improved recently is my anger management as I've resigned myself to the fact that we are dross.

2-0 Coventry.

 

[Boro 86 761 2.6k]

I’ll go Boro win and 5th place ……,, I am nothing if not consistent!! 

really don’t want Djiksteel on the pitch as he is a liability so would put Johnny there. Fry plus a proper CB in the middle as well. If Borges fit I would be tempted to put him LB and move Illing Junior up.

Azaz in No 10 role with Whittaker on the right and Tommy up front.

 

[Erimus74 5,105 5.3k]

8 hours ago, Redcar Rioja said:

We shouldn't be in this position and the fact we are is all down to Carrick and his stupid in-game management (or total lack of). There are far too many games where we should have won comfortably and threw it away thanks to an ineffective half time team talk.

How many games have we come out pumped up and pulled a game back versus how many games has ******* about at the back, stupid and abject defensive decision making (collisions, Isiah's brain fart at Derby), players being "accommodated", **** starts to a season, crocks on the bench, rigid predictable one dimensional formation cost us.

Just typing it is making me ******* furious at the inevitability and preventability of it all. He is down to one game to disprove everything above and loads more and if he can't do it over two full seasons plus, he ain't going to pull any rabbits out of hats on Saturday, especially against a top half side let alone a top six one. 

He needs to do something so radically different that ten hail Mary's and self flagellation wouldn't be enough to change his faith in a lost cause.

6 goodish month in an overall awful term under Carrick's term in office.