Middlesborough away Sat 8th Dec

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I would have taken a 1-1 all day long at 3-00 pm but that feels like a defeat.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, Ewood Ace said:

Armstrong's record at this level prior to signing suggests he's not up to it and his performances this season for us suggest the same. I don't think he is strong enough or intelligent enough to be effective consistently at this level. His main attribute is his pace and down in league one that will frighten defences but in the Championship you need more to your game.

A few of us mentioned that when some of our fans were jumping up and down when we signed him in the summer. No names no pack drill.

[jim mk2]

Poor result in view of how the match went.  Can't see us making a tilt at the playoffs - players not good enough and manager too negative.

Expect the same against Brum next 

[Stuart]

11 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I would have taken a 1-1 all day long at 3-00 pm but that feels like a defeat.

I don’t know how you can make such a bold statement.

[Fraserkirky]

I tell you what, Boro are no great shakes. Should be playing in the highland league with those tactics. Our footballers could have won that game today but when you have the boring passing ability of Evans and Smallwood in midfield you can’t create chances. Rothwell showcased his range of passing when he came on. He should have been the first off the bench. We are horrible going forward.

[AAK]

51 minutes ago, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

They just lost 1-0 at home to Bristol City so we really really need to be winning this one what with our two away fixtures to come.

Bristol city hammered us 4-1.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Thought Mulgrew was immense today. One of his best games in a long time. Downing did well too. Except for the blunder around 70 min 

Agree Boro don't look great. I actually backed them to go up. It's hillarious Pulis is trying to recreate delaps long throws, but the Boro player can't throw it the same as Delap could. Delaps deliveries were head height and straight. Very unique. Bit questionable from Pulis to be trying that. Alps Hugill is not a Pulis forward. I bet he tried to sign grabban. 

Edited December 8, 2018 by Bigdoggsteel

[AAK]

The disappointing thing is, we've now led at half time at Swansea, Bristol, Boro and Ipswich and won none of them, losing 2 convincingly and we so nearly let a 3-0 lead end up 3-3 if it wasn't for a penalty miss from Stoke. At home we've conceded late equalisers at home to Villa and Forest. 14 points (nearly 16) dropped when being in control but then losing that mentality to go and win the game and instead sitting back.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, AAK said:

The disappointing thing is, we've now led at half time at Swansea, Bristol, Boro and Ipswich and won none of them, losing 2 convincingly and we so nearly let a 3-0 lead end up 3-3 if it wasn't for a penalty miss from Stoke. At home we've conceded late equalisers at home to Villa and Forest. 14 points (nearly 16) dropped when being in control but then losing that mentality to go and win the game and instead sitting back.

Pointless stats; happens to every team. We’ve won 30 points from drawing/losing positions.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

25 minutes ago, Stuart said:

I don’t know how you can make such a bold statement.

It's this bloody  old lap top Stuart, it's got a mind of it's own. Hopefully Father Christmas will bring me a new one. 

[Stuart]

Just now, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

It's this bloody  old lap top Stuart, it's got a mind of it's own. Hopefully Father Christmas will bring me a new one. 

Fingers crossed pal  

[AAK]

3 minutes ago, Mellor Rover said:

Pointless stats; happens to every team. We’ve won 30 points from drawing/losing positions.

I think it's quite relevant to highlight the fact we can't defend  very well especially  in the majority of games that we take early leads, we seems to worry and sit back and it's costing us. But with the defenders we have and the lack proper wingers who would maybe make that system work I suppose its to be expected.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Ewood Ace said:

A worrying reoccurrence is that today for the third game in a row we have conceded from 20+ yards out. Some will say that they are brilliant strikes that nothing could be done about and maybe that's fair enough if it happens once but this is 3 games in a row, you have to ask how players are constantly getting enough time and space to shot from that range consider we are playing with two holding midfielders. 

I disagree personally. Would be more concerning condeding free headers etc consistently. Today’s was a good move and ridiculous finish, the Roberts goal was poor and the joao goal was arguably cleanest shot ive seen this season. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, AAK said:

I think it's quite relevant to highlight the fact we can't defend  very well especially  in the majority of games that we take early leads, we seems to worry and sit back and it's costing us. But with the defenders we have and the lack proper wingers who would maybe make that system work I suppose its to be expected.

Wingers would certainly help. Also don’t feel we sat back today at all, just lacked that quality in the final third. Evans has to score before half time and Dack’s unlucky. Happens in football and hopefully we get some luck soon to even it up a bit.

[Trinidad Rover]

1-1 is a decent result. 

We lack quality and that is why we are mid table. This is a work in progress. Mulgrew was immense today and I thought Downing looked like a proper defender. Armstrong was shocking. Rothwell is technically superb, hopefully he can learn the other side of the game and develop his awareness.

Middlesborugh are absolutely dreadful to watch, lucky we don’t sit through that every week.

Onwards and upwards.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 minutes ago, Mellor Rover said:

Wingers would certainly help. Also don’t feel we sat back today at all, just lacked that quality in the final third. Evans has to score before half time and Dack’s unlucky. Happens in football and hopefully we get some luck soon to even it up a bit.

I would have thought getting to play against 10 men for 70 minutes is a fair amount of luck irrespective of the sending off being justified or not.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I would have thought getting to play against 10 men for 70 minutes is a fair amount of luck irrespective of the sending off being justified or not.

A justified sending off is not good luck. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

26 minutes ago, AAK said:

The disappointing thing is, we've now led at half time at Swansea, Bristol, Boro and Ipswich and won none of them, losing 2 convincingly and we so nearly let a 3-0 lead end up 3-3 if it wasn't for a penalty miss from Stoke. At home we've conceded late equalisers at home to Villa and Forest. 14 points (nearly 16) dropped when being in control but then losing that mentality to go and win the game and instead sitting back.

Very disappointing. We could very well be having an incredible season if we just came out on the right side of the stuff you mention 

[MarkBRFC]

Good result on paper, two points dropped on the balance of the game. 

Thing is, i always expect to concede a goal under Mowbray, so i feared when we went in at half time only one up that we wouldnt win.

Still, we move on. Two huge home games coming up lets see how we do.

[Bigdoggsteel]

In fairness Boro defended so narrow, we needed real guile around the box to get through and credit to our players, we nearly feckin did a few times.If Evans "shot" in the first half goes in its game over. Dacks one off the post was a really nice move. That's twice he has hit the post in two games. I do think he is looking good now though. Some of the touches and passes today were sublime. I'm starting to think he wouldn't look out of place in the premier league. I had my doubts. Evans second one was even easier. He can look at good at times, but he is pedestrian. You're not going to get a while lot of defence splitting passes. I actually think Smallwood is the more creative of the two. He had a good solid game again today. 

Would like to have seen Brereton around 65. Armstrong needs to go home and have a look at himself in the mirror. He was shocking. He ran two defenders just after coming on, did well, but that is his only 'trick", he got clattered late. We were still on the attack, he moped around, strolled back onside. It took at least 60 seconds and all that time Williams and someone else were looking for the ball to him. It really pissed me off to be brutally honest. He should have been up, making himself available. He looked like a spoilt little brat of a footballler. Things went downhill for him from there. 

Edited December 8, 2018 by Bigdoggsteel

[arbitro]

A good point in isolation but the way the game panned out I felt slightly disappointed not to win. For long periods I thought we kept the ball as well as we have done for a while albeit against ten men and a manager content to let us have plenty of the ball. I thought there were some good individual performances and tactically Mowbray did well. I was disappointed with Armstrong though and I thought his body language was poor. He needs leaving out of the squad altogether for a while to change what looks to me like a questionable attitude.

I just heard the Middlesbrough managers opinion on the Besic sending off where he felt that Randolph would have got to the ball first therefore it couldn't have been an obvious goalscoring opportunity. It's as clear a sending off as you are likely to see. The only debate amongst us was if it would be given as the myopic referee didn't appear to see it (God knows how) and he was bailed out by his assistant.

[RevidgeBlue]

3 hours ago, Ewood Ace said:

A decent point even though it feels like two dropped. The thing that this teams lacks the most is a tough winning mentality. Today not for the first time we have not put a game to bed when we have been in the ascendency and paid for it. Also you look at games we have lost to the likes of Swansea, Preston and Bristol City they scored one goal then put us to the sword and in within a 5-10 minute spell the game is over. We seem to lack the mentality to do that and I say mentality as I don't think it is ability. 

Spot on. I've just got back from Boro and I was absolutely fuming immediately after the game, at one up we had so many dangerous situations and potential opportunities to kill the game off but we didn't seem to want to do anything worthwhile with the ball and just passed it about sideways and backwards until the danger fizzled out. Sure enough we were punished for this lacksadaisical sort of attitude by a moment of individual brilliance and we only showed any real sort of urgency after we were pegged back. The side has well and truly lost its winning mentality from last season and we must be top of the league or thereabouts for points conceded from winning positions.

A really poor result for me after playing ten men for seventy minutes with a goal start. On the plus side Rothwell showed in his cameo rolewhat we've been missing, a midfielder who can drive forward and spray the ball about accurately.

No doubt he'll be dropped again for the next game.

[philipl]

Sorry to pick on Armstrong but every decision he made today was a wrong one. Evans was slowing the game down when it needed a bit more zip from Rovers.

Dack looked very frustrated by the players around him which is ominous.

[DE.]

That miss from Evans was criminal. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, arbitro said:

A good point in isolation but the way the game panned out I felt slightly disappointed not to win. For long periods I thought we kept the ball as well as we have done for a while albeit against ten men and a manager content to let us have plenty of the ball. I thought there were some good individual performances and tactically Mowbray did well. I was disappointed with Armstrong though and I thought his body language was poor. He needs leaving out of the squad altogether for a while to change what looks to me like a questionable attitude.

I just heard the Middlesbrough managers opinion on the Besic sending off where he felt that Randolph would have got to the ball first therefore it couldn't have been an obvious goalscoring opportunity. It's as clear a sending off as you are likely to see. The only debate amongst us was if it would be given as the myopic referee didn't appear to see it (God knows how) and he was bailed out by his assistant.

My initial thought was the goalkeeper may have got there first. I've played it back several times and I'm not convinced he would have got to the ball first now.