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MFC current situation appraisal?


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On 10/9/2019 at 10:50 AM, Downsouth said:

Just read Anthony Vickers latest piece on the current situation proposing the MFC hierarchy view of things.

Strange that there are no direct quotes from the club but will AV be getting approval from the MFC board before printing this article?

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/middlesbrough-chiefs-expected-patchy-season-17051912

 

What do you think about this and are the top brass just kidding themselves if this article is reflective on their current observations and opinions?

 

 

 

 

Read the article.  Our signings in the summer were crap so if that's a sign of things to come we are in more trouble than we probably realise.  There has been no change of style really and the early attempts to do so have quickly been pushed to the side, in favour of 'grinding' results, which at the moment tend to be defeats, so it seems to be a flawed approach.  That Woodgate was appointed because he was cheap isn't going to come as a surprise to anyone but we shouldn't be struggling as much as we are with this squad.  It's absolutely lacking balance but it's not a League One squad and sitting fourth from bottom is pathetic regardless of what type of season the hierarchy expected.

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4 hours ago, Changing Times said:

Read the article.  Our signings in the summer were crap so if that's a sign of things to come we are in more trouble than we probably realise.  There has been no change of style really and the early attempts to do so have quickly been pushed to the side, in favour of 'grinding' results, which at the moment tend to be defeats, so it seems to be a flawed approach.  That Woodgate was appointed because he was cheap isn't going to come as a surprise to anyone but we shouldn't be struggling as much as we are with this squad.  It's absolutely lacking balance but it's not a League One squad and sitting fourth from bottom is pathetic regardless of what type of season the hierarchy expected.

This is what really pisses me off the most. I'd still care, but probably not as much, if we were 4th bottom but were at least playing exciting football. The fact that he did a complete 180 on his style of play inside a month winds me up no end.

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1 hour ago, Brunners said:

This is what really pisses me off the most. I'd still care, but probably not as much, if we were 4th bottom but were at least playing exciting football. The fact that he did a complete 180 on his style of play inside a month winds me up no end.

I think we played exciting v WBA .. 17 shots and 7 on target .. 6 corners 

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1 hour ago, SmogDane said:

I think we played exciting v WBA .. 17 shots and 7 on target .. 6 corners 

yeah okay, agreed, that game was better, but that doesn't excuse the growing amount of garbage games before it.

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24 minutes ago, Brunners said:

yeah okay, agreed, that game was better, but that doesn't excuse the growing amount of garbage games before it.

We have had spells of better play in other games too... Bristol City, Luton and Brentford springs to mind. 

And last WBA was the most recent game and hopefully an indicator of more like it to come, which will se us harvest enough points to survive this "transitional" season 😉

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The big worry for me is not only is woodgate not getting the best from any player, but a handful have actually regressed. Wing, Clayton, Fry, Britt are looking pretty poor this season.

Thats why I think it’s harsh to judge Dijksteel and Bola when even our established players are not playing well.

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If we're playing bad and players are regressing, then surely Woodgate has to change his system to get the best out of them?

He's lurching from formation to formation and we havent seen any of the players consistently perform. It's so annoying because 90% of the fan base thought this when he was appointed. 

He hasnt got the experience to know what to do and how to get us out of this mess. 

Our high press is gone, we lump it long which he said he didnt want to do and we dont keep possession very well.

What is our team philosophy? It's just not in place anywhere apart from trying to play out the back which our players struggle to do. 

The only saving grace he has is that Coulson looked quality earlier on and he got injured. If he come back he could be like a new signing. 

But Browne, Dijksteele and Bola have all been benched. Why have we spent money on them not to play? Are they not good enough or does the system not suit them? Again it's a waste of limited resources. 

 

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is it just me, or is Woodgate's managerial reign increasingly reminiscent of Monk's? Lots of encouraging sentiments in the pre-season press conferences, started the season with plans for an aggressive high press style of football, abandoned it by September, and now chopping and changing the team hoping to stumble upon a successful lineup/formation.

The only difference is I suspect Woody will be here beyond Christmas - not because he's got more of a plan than Monk (or is achieving anything markedly better), but simply because he's cheap and has a Teesside accent.

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TBF, not only have people called for him to do just that but unlike Monk, he does have the team near the bottom of the table. Monk's targets may have been higher but he wasn't under pressure from people thinking we'll get relegated. He was still in a comfortable position, with a group of players he wanted, to build a system he wanted to play and he abandoned it in spite of that.

Woodgate on the other hand clearly doesn't have exactly what he needs nor the budget to achieve it, but he does have a squad that could succeed to pick up enough points to pull us away from the supposed impending doom of relegation if he alters his methods. I'd argue there's enough there to do it his way and pick up enough points but some, including himself, seem to have indicated a requirement to at least meet in the middle between what he wants and what we can do already. I would rather he stuck to his guns and came much closer to dying on that hill but not everyone agrees on that. Still, we could have won on Saturday in doing so.

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