Middlesbrough (H) 1-2 - Post-Match Thread

[Ryy]

5 hours ago, SecretPro said:

Bad day at the office. Smash Leeds away and nobody will care.

Next two are gonna be heavy hitters I fear 

[Rossiter]

I think we'll be fine but....Cov in the playoff final anyone? 

[KingsX]

2 hours ago, Pliskin said:

People calling those concerned bed wetters and nonchalantly saying “we will be fine” need to remember last season. This team still has a soft underbelly, and we’ve lost games that we really shouldn’t have. Today being one of them, comments like “they’re a decent team” they’re ****ing mid table, and we’re supposed to be run away champions…..

 

I do have genuine concerns, this side definitely has a self implosion in it, and I’m concerned that a defeat to Leeds could end up knocking us for six. 
 

Perhaps last season has scarred me, but we’ve pissed away a lot of good situations in recent years, and I think we’re still well capable of doing it again. 

 

A good post like this is not bedwetting. Lots of us have concerns and express constructive criticism.  It’s a matter of maintaining balance, and putting it in context.

 

With 33 (plus cup) games as that context … people who flip out into over-the-top moaning that today proved our team is doomed ... who are on here stating as fact that we’ll lose the next match or the title or automatic promotion … really do have a serious bladder control problem.

 

All that said, very few of us are mentally caressing that trophy just yet. 

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

2 hours ago, Pliskin said:

Exactly my thoughts. Our start set us apart, but it is easily undone. 
 

 

People calling those concerned bed wetters and nonchalantly saying “we will be fine” need to remember last season. This team still has a soft underbelly, and we’ve lost games that we really shouldn’t have. Today being one of them, comments like “they’re a decent team” they’re ****ing mid table, and we’re supposed to be run away champions…..

 

I do have genuine concerns, this side definitely has a self implosion in it, and I’m concerned that a defeat to Leeds could end up knocking us for six. 
 

Perhaps last season has scarred me, but we’ve pissed away a lot of good situations in recent years, and I think we’re still well capable of doing it again. 

I made a similar post to this after one of the other games we lost (can’t remember which). I think today I’d be concerned if we didn’t create as many opportunities as we did. All teams at the top can’t win every one - it even happens to the Man City’s, Bayern Munichs etc of this world. 
 

Personally I think that having seen most teams in this league, we’re far better to implode and too clear to be worried - even if we lose at Leeds.

[Ricey]

I still think there is a weakness that has carried over from the Rodgers era and that’s the panic that ensues once we don’t have the level of control that we are used to.

 

We often have one uneasy spell per match but normally we come out the other side unscathed. Today Boro punished us.

 

Onwards.

[Gamble92]

1 hour ago, Ric Flair said:

At what point in the pressure cooker of a season does the signing of Conor Coady get utilised? I'm looking for characters to step up down the stretch and we've not really been in the muck and bullets much and come out of big game battles as victors.

 

This is a huge week for us.

Feels like a big **** you to him to use Nelson ahead of him. Love Coady's character so it'd be great if he was one who pushed us over the line. 

[LinekersLugs]

Beginning to dred next year already 

 

looking at burnley is a real eye opener 

[HighPeakFox]

Just played poorly and missed chances. 

 

Next.

[South Shire Fox]

27 minutes ago, LinekersLugs said:

Beginning to dred next year already 

 

looking at burnley is a real eye opener 

Talking as if we’re already promoted

[Pliskin]

29 minutes ago, LinekersLugs said:

Beginning to dred next year already 

 

looking at burnley is a real eye opener 

We need to finish this season first…..

[Sunbury Fox]

6 hours ago, ozleicester said:

We played Enzo ball... the same often, boring, predictable football.

For 60 minutes we just faffed about until it got urgent. No, I dont want hoofball, no im not saying we need to play 44fvcking 2... im saying the first half looked like a trainign run even when we were behind, we had no plan other than pass pass... which failed.

The substitutions were shambolic but at least it created some urgency, our attacks prior to 60 minutes were the same, the same, the same. We were completely out thought and out played..

The Enzo happy clappers are no better than the Rodgers happy clappers. Yes he is a million times better than BR, but there are massive flaws an we and he should acknowldge them.

On the good side, the last half an hour was rivetting and exciting even though it was ultimately disapointing, imagine if we played with that tempo and excitment from the start.

We go again on Friday.... and hopefully get three points closer to promotion.

 

So boring that we're top scorers in the league and have created 13 more big chances than any other team in the league? In fact, we've already created more big chances than last season's champions, Burnley managed in 46 games last season. 

[ozleicester]

Apologies, I overeacted.

[justfoxes]

3 hours ago, iancognito said:

No reason to panic, one of those days.

 

If Vestergaard puts that header away after 5 minutes it's a different game.

 

Changes going forward - Cannon must start ahead of Daka, Doyle must start ahead of Justin who barely got a game til his injury.

 

Beat Leeds and start again.

Agree cannon showed his strengths when he came on played well really gave us a bit more edge JJ was off par today but has shown his quality at times Doyle maybe the better option, definitely if the Big man buried it in the first half might have been a different game same could be said about the other 5-6 chances we missed ?

 

Definitely shows Michael Carrick is a young manager to keep an eye on in the future he set up his team today to stifle us which they managed well with two pretty decent taken goals, but thought the first one should not have been given due to the foul on I think it was winks in the build up of their goal;  You can see why Kavanagh got demoted from the EPL not only for his VAR cock ups but poor handling of his performances I honestly thought he stopped at one point to converse with VAR then realised there was none🤣😂 then it was too late to pull it back !!

 

[Ian Nacho]

One just to move on from. 

 

Not quite at it today but even so, on another day we win quite comfortably.

[Dan]

There's never a good time to lose but this feels a particularly bad one given our next fixture. I think over the 90 minutes and based on the chances we were quite unlucky to lose it but I don't think Maresca helped himself today. Some bad subs.

[Coalman]

11 hours ago, SecretPro said:

Tactically the subs were naff. 

 

Enzo should have chosen one route or another, instead it was just a mess. 

 

He could have stuck with our wing play, kept Mavidid and Fatawu on (who even when not at their best are still our biggest attacking threat) and bought Cannon on as CF (as the only player capable of scoring with his head)

 

Or

 

Noticing putting everything down the wings was proving fruitless, taken off Praet or KDH for Akgun centrally (both Praet and KDH were woeful today) and tried to play through the lines instead. 

 

Instead we ended up with Praet on the pitch for far too long, Cannon out of position as a winger, both Fatawu and Mavidid off and Kasey 'creates nothing' Mac playing on the wing (for a bit) before deciding perhaps we should have stuck with proper wingers and bought Albrighton on. 

 

Absolute mess and pretty poor - displayed a bit of desperation that we don't usually see in Enzo. Think he was just pretty stuck for ideas today and Carrick got the better of him, Tactically.

I think that the manager is a very poor tactician.  Some of his substitutions this year have been 'questionable' and even today, 3/4 of the way through the season we have Cannon on the wing (where??!) and Albrighton comes on after 88 mins....88mins!  I dont have a lot of faith in Pep Mark II if I'm honest.

[Bptiger]

I think the manager is a very good one but I also think he would be better suited to better team in the EPL . To me he is a one trick coach refuses to change his ways even when his way is not working , players are always looking to go backwards as there 1st option, and the players have problems finding passes to players in the last third maybe he needs to put more effort into attacking and a little less going backwards . 

[trabuch]

Everyone saying the Cannon sub was poor is bang wrong. I sometimes wonder if I'm watching the same game as some of you lot.

[Oldblueyes]

6 hours ago, Sunbury Fox said:

So boring that we're top scorers in the league and have created 13 more big chances than any other team in the league? In fact, we've already created more big chances than last season's champions, Burnley managed in 46 games last season. 

Good point you have made there, however they didn't have the likes of Leeds, Southampton and Ipswich constantly applying pressure on them.

[foxinsocks]

We have mistakes in us.  (Two puniished today. It will be worse in the prem)

 

This would not be such a problem if we created more chances.  Enzo ( ...i like him) went in radio leicester and said we created "loads of chances".  A soft shot from distance by cannon mid way thru the second half was our first shot on goal!   

 

Mistakes and low shots on goal... that was the script against cov and Ipswich.... and now Middlesbrough.   Sort ot out.

[LCFCJohn]

10 hours ago, Pliskin said:

Exactly my thoughts. Our start set us apart, but it is easily undone. 
 

 

People calling those concerned bed wetters and nonchalantly saying “we will be fine” need to remember last season. This team still has a soft underbelly, and we’ve lost games that we really shouldn’t have. Today being one of them, comments like “they’re a decent team” they’re ****ing mid table, and we’re supposed to be run away champions…..

 

I do have genuine concerns, this side definitely has a self implosion in it, and I’m concerned that a defeat to Leeds could end up knocking us for six. 
 

Perhaps last season has scarred me, but we’ve pissed away a lot of good situations in recent years, and I think we’re still well capable of doing it again. 

This sums up where I’m at and I agree that the recently years have probably left a toll!

 

Clearly our position and standing relative to expectations etc is a different story to when we were punching above our weight in the top 4 and got reeled in by teams spending obscene amounts to do so whereas we do genuinely have the one of or the best teams in this league so hopefully that is the difference when all said and done.

 

But all these stats about ‘they have made one point up in 10 games’ doesn’t take into account a drop in form ourselves (not even necessarily an implosion as you put it). I just look at it as teams behind us are winning every week and if we don’t ourselves, there’s a risk there even though yeah, you’d think there’ll be plenty of dropped points for all of us during the run in.

 

Somehow it’s the ‘we’ll be fine’ crew that make me feel more nervous. These are likely the same people who never entertained the idea we would get relegated even going into the West Ham game or that we wouldn’t make the top 4 even when the signs were there. Their record of predicting we’ll be fine it very poor let’s say.

 

Clearly outright negativity can be boring to read (but is just those individuals venting on a forum) but I also find those shouting everything down with ‘we’ll be fine’ boring as well. I think you can still be positive and be getting behind the team whilst being a little bit nervous which is a balanced feeling.

 

Anyway, our losses have always been followed up by a good run of form so let hope we can do the same again this time!

[SafewayFox]

I know there are people on here who will straight away know the answer but what’s our points gained from a losing position?

 

It feels relatively low but that might be harsh just an observation as if we do hopefully get promoted we’d find ourselves chasing games a lot more and doesn’t feel like we’re great at this.

[LCFCJohn]

3 minutes ago, SafewayFox said:

I know there are people on here who will straight away know the answer but what’s our points gained from a losing position?

 

It feels relatively low but that might be harsh just an observation as if we do hopefully get promoted we’d find ourselves chasing games a lot more and doesn’t feel like we’re great at this.

Off the top of my head I can only think of Coventry on the opening day. Probably quite a small sample size of game we have thought but I was thinking this yesterday that when we have conceded first, I couldn’t think of any examples aside from Coventry where we have managed to turn it round.

[The Doctor]

31 minutes ago, foxinsocks said:

We have mistakes in us.  (Two puniished today. It will be worse in the prem)

 

This would not be such a problem if we created more chances.  Enzo ( ...i like him) went in radio leicester and said we created "loads of chances".  A soft shot from distance by cannon mid way thru the second half was our first shot on goal!   

 

Mistakes and low shots on goal... that was the script against cov and Ipswich.... and now Middlesbrough.   Sort ot out.

We did create loads of chances? It's not only a chance if you get it on target...

[sishades]

Just watched the game on ITV and their second came from OUR FECKING throwin where we passed it straight to their forward. So so poor.