Hey Masky is going to the match tonight, first game of the season pals. If you want to meet me as a treat, I will shake the hand of all comers. Hoping to see a repeat of the 5-3 win a few years back, when Greg Farell exploded into action with a five star, never to be forgotten performance...hmmmm never to be seen again either! Hoping Alex Revell will do it tonight eh? Striker Kenwyne Jones remains sidelined after developing a shin problem on international duty. Defender Fernando Amorebieta, ineligible to play against parent club Fulham on Saturday, returns for Boro. However, Alex Baptiste (broken leg), Damia Abella (knee), and Rhys Williams (Achilles tendon) continue to recover from long-term injuries. MATCH FACTS After a run of six straight home wins against Middlesbrough, Cardiff have won just one of the last four against them, losing the other three. Middlesbrough have won six of their last eight league meetings with Cardiff, including each of the last three. They've never won four in a row against the Bluebirds. Cardiff have won three of their last four at home, scoring exactly twice in each win. Middlesbrough have failed to score in their last two league games. They have not gone three without a goal since a run of seven in March 2014.
Really didn't want to see your pecker. I would be delighted to meet and shake your hand Masky but I probably won't get there until about 8.15 due to work commitments. Happy to say hello at half time. If that is your picture then there will be no problem recognising you.
I will be wearing my mask Blue, should help you pal! Incidently how are you doing in the prediction league chum, me I'm struggling a bit?
A much better picture with a truer likeness!!!! Where are you parking Silver and have you got a ticket for Tonto?
Parking near Romilly Inn in Canton, they have an acoustic night on a Tuesday, will head back for the final hour or sooner if Revell is off form though!
How did we win that? Has to be the scrappiest goal I've ever seen City score. Lots of endeavour but not much quality. Onwards then
The moment that summed our main problem up was in the first half when Whits delivered that stunning free kick delivery. He flashed the ball across the six yard box and neither of our 'strikers' were anywhere to be seen. He was visibly frustrated such a good delivery didn't get the touch it deserved or even an attempt to give it the touch it deserved! I thought they defended for their lives and we do create chances. The goal was very lucky but how the **** did Mason not take the first chance? We'd been written off a bit on here and whilst it was hardly vintage we battled away and ultimately were on the right end of a bit of luck for a change. We'll need a goal scorer to actually make top 6 but if we keep defending as well as we do we'll have a chance to get something from most matches. I believe that's 4 wins from 5 at home. We've only lost once away from home this season. If a striker could turn a few of the draws into something more we'd have a chance. I'll brace my self for the glass half empty assessment of our weakened squad's win against probably the best starting 11 in the division.
...hmmmm, entertainment factor 3 out of 10. My last game was our 3-1 win against Leeds last year and I thought that poor! Vincent Tan has a lot to answer for, Russell Slade does not understand the concept of entertainment in my opinion. The bluebird mascot needs to go back to class too, where was his act eh?
OK Stevo - here comes the half emptiers report....... I enjoyed the result but not the game. It was a game dominated by defences and a performance of the season from Peltier personally and a couple of super saves from Marshie deserved a point at least. As it was, 3 points in the bin is 3 points more than I expected and you can't wish for more than that - or can you? The truth is that a solid defensive performance at home earned us a point and Boro gave us the other two. If that was the best "starting eleven in the division" from Boro then we should go up automatically and not bother about the playoffs. From what I've seen "live" so far this season they were nowhere near as good as Hull and we played far better against Wolves than last night. Boro may be having a "bad patch" at the moment but they didn't live up to their early season form. Our obvious problem up front took the spotlight off the real issue in midfield. The absence of Ralls showed, and both Dikgacoi and Gunnar were pretty hopeless on the night. Whitts has played a lot worse and looked good compared with those two. A quick busy midfielder and a true striker leading the line and we wouldn't have needed that own goal for the points. That is something that has to be resolved if we are to compete at the sharp end come the last dozen games of the season. At the moment it's the wurzels up next and they've been struggling to get to grips with this division since storming league 1 last year. They were (still are?) a very good league 1 side and if we play league 1 stuff again like we have several times this season, they'll go away with at least a point from our ground and that wont be good enough.
Spot on about lack of entertainment but can't fault team spirit and work ethic. As I've said before the lack of quality in midfield and upfront are the main issues. We have no one capable of carrying the ball through the middle of the park. A Jordan Mutch type is needed.
I think man for man Boro have as good a starting 11 as anything in the division. They have an excellent mix of quality and championship experience imo. Adomah beat us last season, this time he showed why he's not in the PL, he can be very hot/cold with his final ball and finishing. I think Reading have a very good coach and a striker on fire, Hull have plenty of PL quality but that doesn't always translate to Championship performances. Brighton are flying but I'm not sure if they'll stay in the top 2. We played very well against Hull and got nothing, you correctly pointed out at the time the performance meant zero points and nothing more. Last night was sort of the opposite situation. I agree about Peltier, he had a superb game. 2 clean sheets in a row. Bottom end side to play at home next, I'm sure you'll be stunned to hear I still see progress. I fully expect to be watching Championship football next year. I just think if we can threaten the 4-6 positions for this season and maybe sneak into the bottom of the playoffs that is success for Slade all things considered. He's on target to be there or there about right now. I know we don't play like Brazil but you're looking back a ****ing long time since we were an exciting side to watch on a regular basis. Most of the talk back then was that we should defend better as we kept letting leads slip. It'll be a lot easier to add a bit of magic via the transfer window to a very solid well organised side than to start again chasing some sort of change of footballing ideology like we did with Ole.
Thought the players did not play badly, probably played to their standard, something was missing...hmmm, yes spirit, spunk! Not sure how you could sit through that mind numbing experience week in and out. Used to do it mind!
Well i thought it was a decent game, i also thought we were the better team for most of the match, not many chances are created across the board in the championship and fine margins will get you to where you want to be. Under Mackay the brand of football was pretty similar to what is on offer at the moment. I enjoyed last nights game, Fabio was worth the entrance money on his own. Well done to the team and the management, we look a very difficult team to breakdown and we will be there at the business end. Pity 10,000 of our so called loyal supporters can no longer be arsed to attend though, it seems to be one excuse after another for not attending, Tan out, Back to Blue, Slade Out etc etc....enough to make you puke really.
isaw - have you considered that those not attending could be ever so slightly influenced by the dull football on offer as much as the other issues you mention?
It's a big world out there, a lot of competition for your buck. If you do not feel you are being entertained or getting value, you will vote with your feet, many are voting. My neighbour is one of a number of acquaintances, who have stopped going, and they have been lifelong fans...blamed it on the debacle of our Premier season, and the antics of Tan. I am amazed they are still not back mind. Also, as mentioned earlier, we won the Championship playing poor football but winning, and we have not recovered. Winning per say is not acceptable, we must be entertained! The mascot must be prepared to do a bit of this:
Anybody expecting a thrilling game with high tempo attacking football should have stayed at home and watched the champions league. I did think Boro were poor, especially up front but fair play to our defence, especially Peltier who was my MOM. Hard work, persistence and luck got the extra 2 points. Oh plus David Marshall getting Connelly out of jail. We are all getting fed up of saying it but a decent attacking midfielder and a decent striker would turn this team into a half decent outfit. Last night Gunnarrsson, Dikajcoi, Revell and Mason were poor. Swings & roundabouts. City got the luck they failed to get against Hull and Rotherham etc. It evens itself out throughout the season.
Me and the Mrs enjoyed it too Isaw. I expected the it to be slated on here and facebook but I thought it was a fairly entertaining game. Chances, saves, some brilliant defending. It had a fair tempo and whilst as it went on it felt like a single goal would probably win it, at the same time you never felt a goal for either side was out of the question. I agree with Nin and everyone else that we obviously need a bit more drive from midfield and a goal scorer but like I mentioned in another post it will only take a bit of faith from Tan in January to sort that.
It'll need more than Tan's vision and cash Stevo - it'll need some vision from Slade as well. In the areas we need to strengthen he'll need to find better than the likes of Doyle, Revell and O'Keefe that he's come up with in the past. The jury has been out on Peltier and Malone at the back, and the quality (if any) of the recent so far unseen arrivals in Tamas and Saadi remains to be seen. What has happened to Kennedy another of Slade's "finds"?
