Middlesborough at home match thread

[bcfc01]

On 24/11/2023 at 17:13, bcfc01 said:

Sensible post.

Boro are in great form, one defeat in ten and 18 scored.

Can't see us getting anything from the game - and would say the same if Pearson was still here.

Oops 

Really good first half performance and great defending second half (apart from the first 10 minutes).

Matched them which, after all the turmoil etc, is testament to the players.

Glad LM got off to a very good first home match.

[W-S-M Seagull]

1 hour ago, Wanderingred said:

A coach that has given us a great reason to feel optimistic. Well done city!!!!

I'm not sure what game you were watching but for the 1st 40 mins pretty much everyone inside Ashron Gate had fallen asleep from Vyner and Dickie just passing between themselves. If that's front foot football then I don't like front foot football. 

Absolutely delighted with the win. I did have a feeling we may do what we did against Stoke so delighted that we did the opposite and went on to win.

1 hour ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Excellent to see a new young coach making the most of his squad and winning at home . Makes a refreshing change.

We won at home against Coventry and people were very critical of our performance. Lets have some balance. We won again today despite not playing well. So I'm not sure where the change is? 

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

27 minutes ago, Bristol Rob said:

The most negative first half since Pulis. 

Delighted to be 2 in front at the break, and all the more delighted with the 3 points, but if this is 'playing football on the front foot' then I have clearly misunderstood the term.

Nige was sacked. I just think you need to get over it and support the new Coach. Perhaps even give him 1 transfer window (as opposed to six) and more than 1 home game (which we won) AND had  8 shots on target which is unusual in most matches over the past 2 1/2 years.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

Just now, W-S-M Seagull said:

I

We won at home against Coventry and people were very critical of our performance. Lets have some balance. We won again today despite not playing well. So I'm not sure where the change is? 

The change is that I no longer have to listen to your bleating on about Nige the Messiah. 

Works for me.

[bcfcredandwhite]

Great 3 points!!

One thing puzzled me though - what was that strange set piece where the ball was placed in front of the goal and everyone apart from the Boro goalie had to wait behind the ball? Great we scored but I can’t recall seeing that set piece before…….. what’s it called?

[Open End Numb Legs]

I didn't see the game but this cat and mouse approach early on, were we just trying to draw them out and create some space? Quite normal if so, though not entertaining, I get that.

[Northern Red]

Up The City!

[W-S-M Seagull]

1 minute ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

The change is that I no longer have to listen to your bleating on about Nige the Messiah. 

Works for me.

So play badly vs Coventry and win = bad.

Play badly Vs Boro and win = good. 

Very bizarre. 

 

[Old School B block]

After my earlier post ? IE new manager same old. I will eat humble pie. That’s a good result today against a team in form. I picked Boro to go up this season. 

[Numero Uno]

1 minute ago, Northern Red said:

Up The City!

A positive post without a dig at Pearson (we all see them) or a dig at Manning (we all see them too). On the wrong forum……..

[BCFC Rich]

1 minute ago, Open End Numb Legs said:

I didn't see the game but this cat and mouse approach early on, were we just trying to draw them out and create some space? Quite normal if so, though not entertaining, I get that.

I think it was basically keeping possession over playing a percentage ball over the top and waiting for a good opportunity. We had more movement than against QPR, but still not enough - if we play with the kind of possession we had 1st half and improve the movement and passing options I think we'll do well. 

2nd half we were sleeping 1st 10/15. OG didn't help and the atmosphere was flat when it could really have helped + lifted the players. But once we were back in front we defended well, went a little more direct (to me a bit more like we were under NP), and looked comfortable. 

[Bazooka Joe]

1 hour ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

See- wasn't so hard for you.....

Give it a rest.

[CityCiderEd]

3 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

So play badly vs Coventry and win = bad.

Play badly Vs Boro and win = good. 

Very bizarre. 

 

If you think that was bad then you must have missed quite a few games this season......

[Lord Northski]

Apologies if covered earlier, but would someone be able to let me know which channel highlights will be screened on.  Thanks in advance. 

[glynriley]

7 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

So play badly vs Coventry and win = bad.

Play badly Vs Boro and win = good. 

Very bizarre. 

 

Get over yourself sunshine. I’ll have been watching City for 50 years next season. I don’t give a shit who the manager is, as long as we win 

Terry Coopers red and white army…

Edited November 25, 2023 by glynriley

[BCFC Rich]

3 minutes ago, Old School B block said:

After my earlier post ? IE new manager same old. I will eat humble pie. That’s a good result today against a team in form. I picked Boro to go up this season. 

Always love a reflective post! I've had to do a few of these in my time ! Would be good if the most vocal poster on - "Everything good is down to NP work and LM can do nothing right." And "Thank god NP is gone we look so much better" - could take a leaf out of your book. 

[reddoc]

I was raging about the Pearson decision, confidently stated I wouldn't be back until the Lansdown's were gone, lasted one game ( so well done to whoever it was that told me that would happen ) but I really enjoyed that today.

[cityexile]

4 minutes ago, Lord Northski said:

Apologies if covered earlier, but would someone be able to let me know which channel highlights will be screened on.  Thanks in advance. 

Some brief ones up here

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/13016098/bristol-city-3-2-middlesbrough-championship-highlights

edit: actually so brief they miss the first goal!

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/13015939/taylor-gardner-hickman-curls-brilliant-strike-into-top-corner

 

Edited November 25, 2023 by cityexile

[W-S-M Seagull]

Just now, CityCiderEd said:

If you think that was bad then you must have missed quite a few games this season......

Sorry mate but that 1st 40 minutes was dire. The deafening silence within Ashton Gate says a lot. 

Not seen us play like that for a very long time. Check back through the thread and see what others were saying about the performance in real time. 

Absolutely over the moon with the win and that its now 3 home wins in 4. 

But let's not try and pretend that it wasn't bad. Let's be balanced.

[W-S-M Seagull]

4 minutes ago, glynriley said:

Get over yourself sunshine. I’ll have been watching City for 50 years next season. I don’t give a shit who the manager is, as long as we win 

Terry Coopers red and white army…

I bet in those 50 years of watching City you've not seen many first 40 mins like that! 

I think you're missing the point. I'm pointing out the hypocrisy of others.

[Jose]

3 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

Sorry mate but that 1st 40 minutes was dire. The deafening silence within Ashton Gate says a lot. 

Not seen us play like that for a very long time. Check back through the thread and see what others were saying about the performance in real time. 

Absolutely over the moon with the win and that its now 3 home wins in 4. 

But let's not try and pretend that it wasn't bad. Let's be balanced.

Not seen us play like that before? Miss the first game of the season then? Because we were boring for the WHOLE 90 minutes.

[Bazooka Joe]

Happy to get three unexpected points.

A win was much needed after that lacklustre display at QPR.

Dickie is proving to be a much better player than I expected. Same goes for TGH.

Keep it going.

 

[italian dave]

4 hours ago, Mendip City said:

I take your point but you’re effectively saying that he’s taken the job not believing he can do better than the previous man and that the job became available for reasons other than the previous manager wasn’t doing well enough….

We all know Nige was sacked for reasons other than results…. But that’s the message given and how Manning and his “top end championship squad” has  to be assessed. He’s the Lansdown’s boy. He believes what they’ve spun him, believes the project…..  or he should have told them to stick it. I’ve never in 40+ years known a manager have such a clear objective “top end”.  Let’s see…. But if we’re not top end, those of us who “got” where Nige was taking things will, rightly, be angry. 

I think he’ll believe that he can bring success to the club, but I suppose that I just don’t think he’ll in any way consider that in the context of the previous manager. My guess would be that he’ll know more than any of us do about the real reasons behind NPs departure - as you say, something other than results.

I don’t see him as being “Lansdown’s boy” any more than, say, NP was when he was appointed. They’ve both been appointed by Lansdown, they’ve both been given objectives - I suspect quite different ones! They both signed up to those objectives. 

I’m not sure I’d agree that no previous manager has had clear top end objectives. I think LJ had a very explicit ‘top 6 or you’re out’ objective that last season. Who knows what objectives Manning has this season. I agree with you that the messaging around NPs departure was clumsy - but we all know that too! I’d be very surprised if he had as explicit an objective as LJ above.

Essentially, I think that top half will see him OK, bottom half and he’ll be under pressure. For this season and maybe next. But - and it’s a big if - that’s if it’s still Steve making the big calls and not Jon. I think Steve has generally had realistic expectations - Jon, who knows. And Steve does seem to be backing off a bit now, doesn’t he? 

[KendrickDNB]

Good win - big fan of the resolve to come back and win that after throwing it away.

 

Section 82 embarrassing Pearson chants at 2-2 - but not surprised! 
 

COYR

[glynriley]

11 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

I bet in those 50 years of watching City you've not seen many first 40 mins like that! 

I think you're missing the point. I'm pointing out the hypocrisy of others.

In what respect? Playing poor but being in front? Seen it many a time. 
 

Look , I’m as gutted at Nige getting sacked as anyone (not as vociferous as you mind), but we move on. If I leave Ashton Gate with a win in the pocket, it’s happy days. 

[italian dave]

Is “the first 40 minutes” this week’s “sacked by MK”??

[Mendip City]

6 minutes ago, italian dave said:

I think he’ll believe that he can bring success to the club, but I suppose that I just don’t think he’ll in any way consider that in the context of the previous manager. My guess would be that he’ll know more than any of us do about the real reasons behind NPs departure - as you say, something other than results.

I don’t see him as being “Lansdown’s boy” any more than, say, NP was when he was appointed. They’ve both been appointed by Lansdown, they’ve both been given objectives - I suspect quite different ones! They both signed up to those objectives. 

I’m not sure I’d agree that no previous manager has had clear top end objectives. I think LJ had a very explicit ‘top 6 or you’re out’ objective that last season. Who knows what objectives Manning has this season. I agree with you that the messaging around NPs departure was clumsy - but we all know that too! I’d be very surprised if he had as explicit an objective as LJ above.

Essentially, I think that top half will see him OK, bottom half and he’ll be under pressure. For this season and maybe next. But - and it’s a big if - that’s if it’s still Steve making the big calls and not Jon. I think Steve has generally had realistic expectations - Jon, who knows. And Steve does seem to be backing off a bit now, doesn’t he? 

I think we’re agreed on most things. Certainly the clumsy departure of NP which, in turn, has heaped pressure on LM. All the stuff JL said about top end, top six, the budget etc and the assertion we’re underperforming with what we’ve got…. It can’t be unsaid. It’s nonsense of course, mid to upper-mid table would be respectable for this squad. 
Your point about power shifting from Steve to Jon is interesting - Steve always loyal and sometimes too loyal. Jon…. Trigger happy? 
Lucky old Pat Lam that Steve is still close to the rugby team!!!

[One Team]

26 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

Sorry mate but that 1st 40 minutes was dire. The deafening silence within Ashton Gate says a lot. 

Not seen us play like that for a very long time. Check back through the thread and see what others were saying about the performance in real time. 

Absolutely over the moon with the win and that its now 3 home wins in 4. 

But let's not try and pretend that it wasn't bad. Let's be balanced.

Agreed, it was such a weird game, the first 40 minutes were horrendous, and then TGH’s thunderbastard changed the picture for half time.

First 7 minutes of the second half was a shit show and prompted plenty of “Jon Lansdown, what a manual manipulator” chanting, but credit to the lads they got stuck in and saw out an unexpected win. 

Overall it was oddly enjoyable!

[Offside]

An excellent win in the end, especially after they equalised and it looked like the game was there for the taking for them. Overall a typical City performance this season, but it was very pleasing to see the players respond positively to win the game after that horrendous start to the second half. After a dull opening 40 mins, the it was an eventful game.

Positives:

Great finishes from TGH and Sykes. 
Dickie looked very assured again. 
Cornick and Mehmeti played well after coming on. Great to see Mehmeti running at them. 
Excellent resilience from City recover from conceding those two goals. 
 

Negatives:

We looked very ponderous and lacking  invention up until our first goal. 
Giving away a two goal lead so cheaply, reminiscent of Stoke at home earlier this season.
We still give the ball away too easily and play ourselves into trouble - some of our passing continues to be really poor.  

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

52 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

So play badly vs Coventry and win = bad.

Play badly Vs Boro and win = good. 

Very bizarre. 

 

Who cares about Coventry? A win's a win and that's not my point.

What is bizarre is your overall reaction to NP being sacked and your armageddon reaction which is less bizarre than infantile.