Forest Away

Major disappointment at the city ground last night. A much changed team through injury saw Seb Hines make his first league start of the season alongside Stephen McManus and Tony McMahon as Mogga opted to go with 3-5-2 which has been such a success so far on our travels this season. Our captain Matthew Bates and Rhys Williams stayed back on Teesside with injuries.

Scott McDonald was given a breather and dropped down to the bench with Julio Arca. Faris Haroun came in to the starting line up with Barry Robson supporting Emnes upfront. Boro didn’t start the game well against a side that hadn’t won at home this season and looked shaky at the back. It was disappointing that we let Forest get a hold of the game, they grew in confidence and they took the lead 10 minutes before half time through some sloppy play, losing possession and players switching off from defensive duties.

We weren’t playing passes on the deck and were hoofing the ball forward, trying to force the play too often. Any team would miss the likes of Matthew Bates and Rhys Williams they have been so influential in our early season form. Both players bring the ball forward and pass it out of defence. 2nd half sounded similar with Forest doubling their lead and I couldn’t wait for the final whistle.

It was a bad day all around, only having one shot at goal, losing Barry Robson to suspension after getting his 5th yellow card of the season and Thomson spending the last few minutes in the dugout after tweaking his hamstring. We will be without Barry Robson who has been one of our better players recently as he serves a one match ban against Derby. I would like to see Richard Smallwood feature on the bench on Saturday as he seems to have become a forgotten man for us with this stupid 5 players on bench rule limiting his chances. He did great in first team last season.

From listening to the match on BBC Tees I do like Craig Hignett’s honest assessment of games, he tells it how it is. I was thinking during commentary he would make a good assistant somewhere. The unbeaten run had to come to an end sometime but I’m disappointed it happened against a struggling team like Forest whose new manager won’t have had much time to work with the players.

Hopefully on Saturday we will have some of our key defenders back and Scott McDonald back in the starting line up to get back on the goal trail. The game will probably come too soon for new forward signing Bart Ogbeche. I have started calling our new Nigerian who signed until the end of the season Bart Man! It seems easier to pronounce! A much needed option upfront let’s hope he can have a real impact throughout the season.

The forest game has gone now and it is all about bouncing back from this defeat and what we do on Saturday. At least the unbeaten hype from the media will have gone. It is important we don’t let this great start to the season go to waste and start another run of winning games. I hope the Boro team get their shooting boots on, beat the Rams on our own patch and we are talking about 3 home pts come 5.45pm sat night. UTB!

Millwall and Home Form

I was frustrated at drawing another home game on Saturday but even more disappointed with some of our fans booing at end of game. I couldn’t believe it after the start to season. You would have thought we had got hammered! Anyone who follows me on twitter will noticed a few ranting tweets on the subject after the game. I was that annoyed I actually tried to get on the radio to air my views however I turned out too late for the show. The fans have got to look at the Bigger picture, we are unbeaten, and have just set a new club record of 11 games unbeaten at the start of a season and are 3rd in League. A start better than any Boro fan could have imagined.

Sections of fans looking for any little mistake get on Steele’s back. It was his first game back, he is our No1 and would have been back by the end of the month anyway. Giving him stick is only helping the opposition! Carl Ikeme has done a great job for us covering for Steele. His loan is going to end on 1st of November so it was only ever a matter of time before Steele was back in goal. This change came a few games early with Ikeme failing a fitness test on Saturday with a hand injury. Time to back our No1!

Home form is becoming a real concern with all the draws. On Saturday I felt that if McDonald had been at the top of his game we would now be talking about a comfortable Boro win. He could easily have had a hattrick on Saturday. Two of the chances in each half he had were hit straight at the goalkeeper. He just needs a goal to help his confidence and then I’m sure we will see him go on a goal scoring run.

It would be good if we had another option upfront. If we had a forward who plays differently to Emnes, McDonald and Nimely, someone with a bit more height and strength up there. Like a Lambert or a Jutkiewicz for instance. There is no hiding that we are short in that department and Mowbray tried to get Jutkiewicz in before transfer window shut. I’m sure we will be back in for him in January, I just hope his price tag hasn’t gone up by then!

Wins will come. Mogga has got us hard to beat and it is not as if we are not creating chances. We have hit the woodwork more than any other team in the Championship. We’re not conceding as many goals as last season with one of the best defences in the league. It is just a case of putting our chances away and the wins will come at home. Some of the negativity after the game you would have thought we had got thumped. These draws could play a huge part come May on goal difference and this season we may just have a good Christmas run after all we are due one.

It’s important we are all as one at Riverside and back Mogga and the team if we are going to challenge for promotion. We The Twe12th man can have a big impact on the season and build on this great and unexpected start to the season. UTB!

Boro Unbeaten Run

It has been an exceptional start to the season for Middlesbrough, equalling a club record run of ten games unbeaten at the start of a league campaign. It was only achieved once before in the club’s history back in 1910. It’s the clubs 3rd season in the championship and there seems to be a real determination in the side to not let this season go to waste and come May, to be up there in the mix with something to play for.

Tony Mowbray has deployed a fluid 3-5-2 formation in a majority of games so far this season. Helping three centre-backs are the wing backs Justin Hoyte and Joe Bennett, who have plenty of pace to get up and down the flanks. Nicky Bailey stays deep organising the team, covering for his teammates when they drift out of position. Goalkeeper Carl Ikeme – on loan from Wolves – hasn’t put a foot wrong, doing a great job covering for Jason Steele, who is coming back from a wrist injury he did in pre season.

The formation suits Middlesbrough away from home more. The wing backs get forward and Barry Robson regularly bursts forward from midfield. With the two forwards Scott McDonald and Marvin Emnes, there is a lot of pace in the team to counter attack to good effect. Middlesbrough have played some great attacking football so far this season enabling Nicky Bailey and young Boro and England U21 player Joe Bennett to score their first goals for club away at Burnley.

At home, and using the same formation, the team have struggled at times to break down the opposition and depending on the opposition, Boro may need to tweak it at times. The last two home games against two of the better teams in the championship, Ipswich and Leicester have both finished in 0-0 draws. Both games were entertaining with some attacking football and could have gone either way with both sides having good chances to nick the win. Although a win would have been ideal, it was important that the team didn’t lose these two games and looked solid at the back, thus extending the run of consecutive cleansheets to 5. These are games that Boro would have lost last season, which goes to show the big improvements that Mowbray has brought on his return to Middlesbrough.

Read the rest of my Article on http://www.thehardtackle.com/2011/middlesbroughs-corner-how-architect-tony-mowbray-designed-an-unbeaten-boro/