Geoff Sudron 11 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 They will score but so will we..im going for 3-2 home win. Link to post Share on other sites
Maccarone 264 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 GAME DAY C'MON BORO 1 Link to post Share on other sites
sanddancer 1,964 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 For many a year it’s been a case of which team turns up and it’s inherent today. I can’t think back to a time when I confidently believed in a win. I don’t know, I simply have no idea what the score might be. Link to post Share on other sites
DanFromDownSouth 1,706 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 2-0 to us today I think (Hope). UTB! Link to post Share on other sites
Downsouth 6,175 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 16 minutes ago, sanddancer said: For many a year it’s been a case of which team turns up and it’s inherent today. I can’t think back to a time when I confidently believed in a win. I don’t know, I simply have no idea what the score might be. You are correct SD and the worst part of it is we really have no idea which team will turn up today. Makes following Boro so much harder to do because we have seen far too often the team not turning up so how often do you have to go and endure games until they do turn up? It is the rarity of turning up that bothers me because we could be going in the wrong direction. Still it could be different today but so looking forward to Coulson being back in the team Link to post Share on other sites
sanddancer 1,964 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 We are now 8 games in on 9 points with only 2 wins and 7 points behind 6th place and we are erratic and still don’t have an identity. Woody did state his intent was mobility but that seems to have gradually disappeared and I honestly don’t believe we have a road map and I do expect we will witness a lot more lethargic games. Take the last game when an opponent is intent on loosing yet we managed all our ability to ensure we tripped and stumbled on our shoes laces gifting the game. Over the last few weeks I have thrown some serious cash at the lottery and managed not to pick a winning number never mind a line, so will we win today, don’t ask me I have no idea. Link to post Share on other sites
boro-unger 3,815 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Tricky game against Shef Wed. Hopefully we see a performance more like the reading game than the Cardiff game and at least some attacking play. I predict a score draw 2-2 with Sheffield equalising late on. Link to post Share on other sites
ChipBarrington 313 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 One of the manager where I work supports Wednesday so I need this win! Its nice that we have selection headaches, I would just prefer if they were because everyone was playing so well that we couldnt choose. I think Fry has to play whenever he is fit. He is the future and thats effectively what this season was meant to be; instilling a new system and mentallity into the core that will be here beyong next summer. McNair should be hard figured into the team sheet before its printed off. Clayton is probably the only player we have that naturally covers that area across the pitch just in front of the defence. Its just who to play as that 3rd man. I hope we revert to the high press and stick Howson in there. The front line is picking itself at the moment and im not sure if we even have any alternatives...? I hope Browne can get a decent cameo at some point as we need another option and I think he would benefit mentslly from a productive half hour as much as we would. Some have likely written him off already. Link to post Share on other sites
Jamie-H 1,322 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) 17 hours ago, wilsoncgp said: Again, really? Monk got everyone he wanted for huge prices, he had a blank cheque handed to him. Pulis had the ability to turn down players for not wanting to play at Middlesbrough for the rest of their career whilst taking a cut of our sales, our chairman seemingly worshipped the ground he walked on so I highly doubt Woody has had it better than him. Woody got 3 (cheap) players out of those he brought up in his interview as being part of how he'd look to build his team and you think that's evidence enough of autonomy? If any of those players had cost a couple of extra million, do you think they'd still be here? I'd argue the money they cost is the more important factor than Woodgate's opinion. Of course he wants to keep those 2 players. He'd be mad for wanting to get rid of them. That doesn't mean he was ultimately the most significant factor in us keeping them. Who was willing to offer what we valued for them? I've never once heard this summer from anyone supposedly in the know that Woodgate was able to put his foot down on any player so I've no idea how you've come to that conclusion based on us keeping two of our best players who pretty much everyone wanted to keep. I don't think many people think nothing is his fault. But to start picking away at any manager's tenure what is effectively 5 minutes into his career is also not the right thing to do. To start that process by pinning things on him which he ultimately doesn't have a great deal of control of (as far as I can see) seems a poor way to approach that. What are the things we can absolutely judge him on? Performances and results. And yes, you take into account the rub of the green this early on in his career because if you look at his points per game percentages, each point makes a huge difference at this stage of his career. So yeah, I'm annoyed for him that we had 2 goals ruled out against Brentford, we had a penalty miss against Luton, we've had numerous terrible handball decisions at the Riverside already this season that may have led to penalties or decent chances. And if we talk about performances... who's being dishonest about those for his benefit? He's had the most autonomy on transfer decisions since Mowbray so far, Monk worked within a proven Championship player remit on transfers set by people above him as far as I can tell from his words and actions Woodgate's set his own policy of younger less proven players so he's not just working within a policy he's setting it. The of course he wants to keep Britt and Randolph thing, keep them for what I'd rather cash out the 20 million in assets they are because long term the future of the club means more than keeping them for a free pass season or two everyone seems happy with if fans want to keep those players to finish 12th with them and see their value decrease over time the manager shouldn't take that view into account especially if he knows how big a rebuild he's planning unless the conceit here is the club or fans believe we'd go up this year which if that were true we're in bigger trouble than I thought. The points per game stuff I mean I didn't bother bringing up our points or goal tally because no one seems to care anymore so I kind of don't either? The ifs and buts stuff on refs and goals is kinda whatever to me personally there's always that kind of stuff under any manager. My point is right now Woodgate's not only being given a free pass by everyone for the season but also being treated like a child I don't just mean 'criticising' him I mean the way people transmit their 'feeling' that he'll grow into a great coach who'll invent some revolutionary style I just take the view we don't know if he's the messiah but until I see him walking the Tees I'll treat him like any other Middlesbrough FC manager and hold him to decisions he makes because devoiding him of responsibility is not going to help him become a manager we're already as a fan base giving him a free pass giving him scrutiny on decisions he made in the summer or scrutinizing the lack of 'playing style' isn't some novel concept I don't understand why it's controversial if he is coddled all season how on earth will he get better next season the kid gloves treatment really isn't good for him or the club no one made excuses for Mowbray when he had low expectations his defensive leaks were scrutinized and the calls for wingers and new strikers relentless he was given time but also judged by his decisions like any other manager we should judge Woodgate's decisions because from all reporting and his own words they were his decisions and continue to be his decisions. Edited September 28, 2019 by Jamie-H Link to post Share on other sites
oldman 155 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 22 hours ago, Jamie-H said: The whole woe be Woodgate narrative is a little lame to be honest it was his decision not to bring in targets further down his list 'for the sake of numbers' also his decision to keep hold of our 15 million striker and Randolph so maybe we could start judging Woodgate as a Middlesbrough FC manager and not grade him on the curve of a child. I love the optimism in other posts about us resigning Ayala/Howson like they'll accept our terms when they'll both easily have pay rise offers from Championship rivals on frees next summer regardless of whatever we think about them 'deserving' a contract with us or not. Our financial hole's only getting dug deeper by the decisions of this manager how to square that with him being the long term solution with this mysterious unseen 'style' I have no clue I struggle to see what we're actually trying to accomplish off and on the field never mind seeing us accomplish anything. I'm going for a 2 1 defeat I think their direct running will cause us problems and Britt's probably due a goal so we'll pull one back. It is far easier to sell good players than to buy them. If they are what we need, and they are, then keep them. Link to post Share on other sites
TeaCider24 12,398 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 (edited) Disagree with most of that, I don't think people are giving Woodgate much leeway at all and I don't think not selling a keeper, when there was only concrete interest from one team and he wasn't their first choice, counts as backing him. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
northern boro 446 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Link to post Share on other sites
Brunners 7,952 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Back to the 4-3-3 Randolph Dijksteel Shotton Fry Bola Clayton McNair Wing Johnson Fletcher Assombalonga bench: Pears, Ayala, Howson, Saville, Tavernier, Browne, Walker Link to post Share on other sites
Dan1234 1,048 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Solid enough team. The club have really shafted Woodgate with those attacking options though. Link to post Share on other sites
ladyspite 381 Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 I would had prefered Ayala over Shotton.... but thats me 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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