Hull City AFC v Middlesbrough FC - 6 April 2013 Just a cut & paste job, feel free to replace/merge . Hull will be without defender Jack Hobbs (ankle) and midfielder David Meyler who is still suspended. Striker Matty Fryatt (Achilles) is available but forward Sone Aluko (tendon) and defender Paul McShane (ankle) remain sidelined. Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Ledesma remains a doubt after missing the last three games with an ankle injury. Defender Stuart Parnaby (hamstring) may return but midfielder Julio Arca (toe) is out for the rest of the season. MATCH FACTS Head-to-head ⢠A 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture in October, with second-half strikes from Faris Haroun and Ishmael Miller, saw Middlesbrough recapturing their winning home form and took them to within three points of the Championship summit. ⢠Hull's 2-1 triumph in last season's corresponding fixture is their only win in six Premier League and Championship matches against the Teesside club. ⢠Hull have scored two goals in each of their last three home league games with Boro, winning two and losing one, prior to which the previous four were all goalless draws. Hull City ⢠Second-placed Hull have been inconsistent of late, alternating between win and loss in their last eight Championship outings, and are due a victory to maintain that pattern. ⢠The Tigers are only one point above the play-offs and are still to host the top and bottom clubs and visit three of the relegation battlers. ⢠Middlesbrough and Cardiff are the only sides who could complete the league double over a club, one defeat shy of 1,500 in their league history. ⢠Jack Hobbs could start a club game for the 200th time in his career. Middlesbrough ⢠Middlesbrough's dramatic fall from grace since the start of the calendar year has seen them win just two of 15 league games, gain one point from the last 15 available and slip to three places and six points below the play-offs, from one point off an automatic promotion spot. ⢠A fourth consecutive defeat on the road would see Tony Mowbray's club dropping as many points this season as they did in the whole of the last Championship campaign (68). ⢠If selected, Grant Leadbitter will be making his 300th club career appearance. COYH
Seems right to me. EDIT: Just ignore me! I've now worked out why it was a strange thing to write! Must try harder (both the writer and me).
I think boro could do us, or at least get a draw. We haven't played well since brum at home ages ago, they will want to turn their abysmal form round and games against the 'top' sides is when teams usually turn it round. Think well go on a mighty slump and drop to 4th.
I wouldnt go THAT far I dont think we'll win, but I also dont think that Watfud will win either. I think we will draw and wutfud will lose. the top 4 will get bunched closer together
TODAY'S TEAM FOR THE TIGERS Stockdale, Chester, Bruce, Faye, Elmohamady, Brady, Evans, Quinn, Koren, Boyd, Gedo SUBS: Jakupovic, Rosenior, Dawson, Fathi, Cairney, Proschwitz, Simpson
What's with all the negative nellies on here! The game hasn't even kicked off yet, give the lads a chance!
Why am I a doom monger? Most seasons I'm optimistic, but I just haven't seen enough from us on a consistent basis this season to think we're capable of securing a top spot for ourselves without a large element of luck. I've been through this many times on many other threads. I have faith in us to finish 3rd or 4th which we'd all have snapped up with open arms at the beginning of the season, my expectations haven't changed like most the narrow minded plebs we have supporting us, but we do have a very tough run, we've just lost arguably our most influential defender which will considerably weaken the back line, and each game I'm wondering where a goal will come from in the absence of Aluko. I don't brew negativity at the stadium, only on here which is what this site is for, so I don't see the problem.
