I thought the booing at half time was for the referee doing sweet fa about the time wasting and only adding on 2 minutes.
A home win or draw does the job for Boro, we need an away win; we have ceded any advantage to them. then there are the remainder of the games, which brings us back to form, goals and a sudden rash of injuries. Friday is a huge game, that is certain; let us hope it is not against our nemesis, Pearson! Do you think Boro will struggle, away against Charlton, as we did at home against MK Dons? To be fair, Burnley vs Boro (19/04), Brum vs Boro (30/04) and Boro vs Brighton (07/05) could be very significant games. too. Once we have got through the Boro game we really ought to be stamping our quality on the remaining fixtures, but we need to find that quality, as it has gone AWOL! UTT
Just watched Burnleys goals. I didnt realise Gray hadnt scored. So 3 goals. Two straight from a corner. The other excellent hold up play from Gray, summat we are incapable of, and slides into Boyds path then a good cross. I'm critical of Hernandez but he's scored enough to be allowed a barren run. Where are the rest of them? Where are the headed goals from Davies, Dawson. Why arent the midfield stepping up? Clucas aside. Saying that it looks like Clucas let his man go for their header.
Just for the record, when did we last score from a corner at the KC? I genuinely can't remember. It's strange the the one bright spot yesterday came from a set piece, because we've been lacking in that dept for a long time now. As Chazz said, or problem isn't that Hernández isn't scoring, is that when he doesn't, there's no one picking up the slack. One man teams don't go up.
Seen the highlights, Akpom had to or three chances he should have taken, Abel didn't really have much of a sniff, they marked him well. Clucas was back to his best. It strikes me we don't have a really good header of a ball when it comes to crosses into the box, Michael Turner would come up with 5 goals a season on this or a Jon Parkin/Kevin Francis character to bully the defence
I agree, particularly about the players being up for a game, I found SB comments quite baffling when he said afterwards that the occasion may have got to some players! This was not a cup final, just an ordinary game against bottom table battlers. Also, it may help if we try battering a team for 90 mins and not just the second half? Another thing that may help the strikers, instead of parading Dean Windass as the club clown at half time on the pitch, why not get him in the dressing room and give the strikers some advice as to what they should do differently/more of to help hit the back of the net? Some proactive advice from someone who has been there and done it.
I think he protects them too much. Which is why he says what he says. I'd rather him than a Di Canio though.
I know we are always critical of officials, but am I the only one who thought Hernandez blatantly handled the ball in the build up to the free kick we won? I agree they time wasted and managed the game well but we should be good enough to counter that and not let it wind us up. It was a game we needed someone in the middle to take control of the game, leave your foot in early on and say your not going to bully us today. We lack creativity but we also lack leadership in the middle of the park and we really didn't take control of the game. Today highlighted how valuable Ian Ashbee used to be.
Exactly, lets not forget Deano's world class strike at Wembley that got us to The Prem. Text book execution that no one in the current team would be able to pull off. How can Bruce (defender) & Phelan (defender) effectively coach our strikers ? We need a striking coach & have done for a long time. My choice would be Teddy Sheringham but if he's not up for it then get Deano out there every day with the strikers practicing long range shooting, heading, running into space. 23 shots with 4 on target is bloody pathetic for players of this quality. MK Dons only had 6 shots & they had 4 of those on target. Something is wrong & someone needs to do something about it ASAP!!!!
talking of long range strikes, Aluko's was good but well saved, Clucas had one well saved too. Huddlestone hasn't replaced what Koren used to do from outside the box, many of us thought he would but alas not so
I've had a look back through this thread and the Team for Mk Dons thread and it was a pretty common agreement that Akpom should play. Would anyone play him against Forest? I wouldnt.
No idea what I'd do. Hernandez is well out of form. Akpom is so wasteful. Maybe Diomande should start. Powell would deserve a start if fit.
If we are so insistent on playing a 4-4-1-1, then would Snodgrass (once fit), be a better fit to play in the hole, with Elmo on the right?
Yes Clucas should probable be in double figures by now but at least he is getting in some great positions which is more than can be said for most of our other midfielders. No he isn't in the same bracket as Roko (I didn't say he was) he's 22 and this is his first season in the championship whereas Roko was an international player and captain of his country. I merely answered your claim that Koren's goals hadn't been replaced by pointing out that Clucas could equal his tally of 9 from midfield this season.
