If the teams we might face in the play offs give team talks I'm worried they could sound something like this: ' Okay boys you've seen the footage of the Middlesbrough game you now know what to do. They can be slow starters and occasionally not even wake up properly for ten minutes - even in big games. This is our chance we will get two or if we are lucky three cast iron chances during this period and we must take at least one of them. A set piece is likely since they have a few weaknesses defending them. Alternatively their back four has looked sluggish of late so a carefully played ball in behind will catch them. However once we have scored they will wake up and be on us in no time. This is time not so much to park the bus but to completely dismantle it and leave large chunks strewn around our last third of the field. Doubling up on marking and putting in blocks will blunt them. Their midfield can be a bit huff and puff and their own player in this area with real guile can be blocked from running through or hassled off the ball. As their full backs overlap and put in less than prefect crosses with more urgency we will have opportunity for the odd counter which may even allow us to put the tie to bed
True, though that has been obvious since the first match of the season tbh. Every single team we've gone behind to, with the exception of perhaps Cardiff, have attempted that. Too often it has worked. Our trick is to find a way of consistently breaking teams down. Neil has, to a certain extent, done that - he's said a number of times that you have to give them a bit of room, get them to attack, break formation and create space. Unfortunately, it's a relatively high risk strategy as it means if, when you give them a chance, they actually take it you're then not even back to square one again, you're further behind and they no longer have a need to even attack if you give them chance. With the play-offs, I'm actually a bit more confident than in league matches - away goals count. Teams will want to score. They won't want to rely on just a 1-0 win because that can easily be overturned in the next leg, so it's nowhere near a valuable as a 1-0 league win. The risk in the play-offs is nerves and big decisions going against you. All things being equal, we're slightly better placed there than in any single given league match IMO. But unfortunately you can't hedge against individual errors/skill or refereeing decisions.
Spot on on both counts. Like the defence sswitching ff on a number of occasions - especially Reading and Wigan at home, or the foul on JR for the Derby goal and the decision not to award a penalty against Boro on Friday!!!!
At least the defeat has come now, against quality opposition, rather than on the last day of the season. The players and fans can get the disappointment out of the way now, and refocus. We've got time to build some momentum again now, and hit the playoffs hard.
Yes, we can all enjoy thrashing Fulham on the last day of the season now and there will be no pressure on the team to get a win by say 3 goals - let's party on May 2nd!!!!
Why not? Our rivals could each lose one of their final two games as the pressure ramps up on them, and if that happens it all looks very different. If we win both of our games then we will finish above any of our rivals who lose either of theirs - still very much all to play for!!
Just seen the Squawka report and it has made me a lot more comfortable: http://championship.squawka.com/nor...-04-2015/football-league-championship/matches I appreciate stats are not everyone's cup of tea, but I've rarely seen a Squawka report that has not given you a very good idea of how the match went. To give you an idea, take a look at the Wigan report, which based on scoreline you would say was a very similar match: http://championship.squawka.com/football-league-championship/04-03-2015/norwich-vs-wigan/matches. I have never seen a report so one-sided in favour of the team that went on to lose (in fact I don't think I've seen a draw this distorted!) What this shows is that 'Boro created virtually nothing, missed nearly as many passes as they completed and were dominated in virtually every other aspect except the key one of putting the ball in the back of the net. I honestly think that this was a freak result and if we had played this game again we would have won comfortably and we would all be looking at it very differently. If we don't manage autos and play like this in the play-offs, we're going up.
Boro reminded me of Atletico Madrid with their defending - plenty of men behind the ball, allowing no space for our forwards to manouevre and then throwing their bodies in the way when we did get anything like a sight on goal. It wasn't pretty to watch, but it was effective and was clearly all they had come to do (obviously they needed the early goal, which we duly obliged them with) so rather than a freak result I'd say it went exactly as Karanka would have planned it, virtually to the letter. It was a masterclass in defending and holding on to a lead, we absolutely bossed possession for the final 75 minutes but were only allowed a couple of chances to show for it - though admittedly Howson's was a sitter that he would have buried 9/10 other days - and that's despite us trying pretty much every attacking option we had available. I don't buy this stuff about us "bottling it" or anything like that, Boro have proven themselves to be a very organised tough nut to crack this season given they have conceded a dozen goals fewer than any other team and they had set themselves up perfectly for the game on Friday. We certainly didn't play at our best, and didn't quite get the rub of the green as we have so much this season, but I don't see any need for any kind of post-mortem after the game, we just have to put our hands up and say that they did a job on us. I still think they'll struggle if they go up though.
There's truth there Munky, but an own goal like that is a huge slice of luck. Just because it went as Karanka planned, I don't buy that it couldn't be a freak result - it really was given how much we dominated and the luck they got (as opposed to the Wigan match, which also went as Mackay planned and they ended up deserving it). However, I definitely agree with "I don't see any need for any kind of post-mortem after the game, we just have to put our hands up and say that they did a job on us" though. They're a decent outfit and have been most of the season, you win some and you lose some. No need to dissect the game because we clearly played very well - just need to keep going like that and we'll be fine.
I hope we see a little bit of squad rotation over the next 2 games. Vadis could do with a proper run out, Tettey could do with a rest if we're going to need him for the Playoffs. I'd give Hooper a starting role, just so Jerome can get that hunger that he's shown coming off the bench again. Maybe give Ryben a game at CB and shift Russ back out to RB, or drop him to the bench. I just think this now gives us the chance to see a bit more of our squad as the pressure is off and we need to get ready for the play offs, even if the season isn't over yet. I actually have a sneaking suspicion that we will still get into the top 2, but better safe than sorry.
Thank goodness COTB - I've been hoping for weeks that we'd see a bit of squad rotation, but others have been advocating keep a winning team together. It will be interesting to see what will happen.
I agree that Vadis should get some game time - all we need is an injury and a red card for the guys in midfield and we'll be relying on O Neil (who I like and rate but again hasn't had much time on the pitch) and Vadis. Gve Tettey a rest on Saturday and let's see what VOO can do.
Hopefully AN will have our full backs undertaking a vast amount of crossing practice and explain to Dorrans that the trick with corners is NOT to hit the head of the first defender. Given the amount of possession we had and how many good positions we had out wide after the debacle of the first 15 minutes we created so little it is shocking. I understand and can appreciate how well Boro defended but we really should have created more. The squad rotation is a tough call for AN as if he is confident that this is his best XI then if he reckons there is a chance of a couple of the teams above us may slip up then he will probably keep as is however if he assesses that the odds are we are heading for the play-offs then we'll not be seeing Tettey again as I think he has become our most crucial player in recent months. Not flashy but just does such a good job breaking down attacks. I'd love to see what a fresh and fit Gladys can do and Hooper is definitely in need of a run, preferably in at Dorrans expense.
There is no way AN is going to be resting players for the purpose of the play offs, not while our chances still remain fairly good. There are six games the other 3 have to play I doubt they will all be victories. If we win our final 2 handsomely I still think have a good chance of being in the top 2 Hell, we may even be back in the top 2 Saturday. Its not impossible.
I believe AN said in an interview a couple of weeks ago that Ofoes lack of match fitness was likely to rule him out of a starting place for the rest of this season. And Andreu has completely disappeared off the radar.
