It isn't. There's clearly some psychology going on there, but in recent years, it's mostly been that they play a brand of physical football that our teams have generally struggled against.CCFC away at Deepdale however….that really is a curse.
Agree with that, unless your forward (s) have got the defenders number in terms of pace and physicality (which is where Ayling came unstuck). The other centre back is a big lad, who can play a bit, so I think Boro thought they were safe in that respect, but it backfired last night. We pressed brilliantly in the first half, but I said after about 20 mins that we'd struggle to do that for 90 mins. Well played, and not what I was expecting last night (but hoping for!)I don’t actually think the sit deep and hit on the break approach is the way to go against sides like this. They’ll move the ball too quickly for you to get players in position and sit tight. You have to fight fire with fire.
okSome balanced views.
The difference between Hellberg and Carrick is the defensive side. Granted last night was great defensively, on the whole its worlds apart. Ayling has stepped into the middle when both Fry and Jones (Our best defender) got injured. Most teams sit back against us so Ayling's ability on the ball has been very important and Malanda looks a real player. Last night, Fry would have been better than Ayling but i can understand why Hellberg stuck with him, why change anything from a team on a six game winning streak but he will learn from last night.
Our midfield is our strength but i thought you did a great job at shutting down, especially first half. We still had some great chances but poor finishing. I think most Boro fans had hoped for a striker in January. Conway, is excellent in overall play. Last night i dont think he was the same after he took a knock but he is not a clinical finisher and last night was a game where that was needed but goals have not been an issue of late.
Im confident we will bounce back.
He's a good player though and could achieve promotion to prem with 2 different teamsAyling is a prick. To see him try to start shithousing roughing up the penalty spot, tells you all you need to know about his footballing ability. Pound shop Robbie Savage.
I think i have an irrational dislike of all footballers with long hair unless they play for Cov.He's a good player though and could achieve promotion to prem with 2 different teams
was a good playerHe's a good player though and could achieve promotion to prem with 2 different teams
Being dim, but how / why unless you mean a promoted team buys him in the summer?He's a good player though and could achieve promotion to prem with 2 different teams
Thought they played good football , its only because we are so well drilled that we won that , you can see why they do wellExcellent midfield but not much elsewhere. Their forward line isn't great.
Also been reading how this Hellberg and his coaches are far superior to our lot. No they aren't. They are just blessed with that excellent midfield.
I mean he's previously been promoted with leedsBeing dim, but how / why unless you mean a promoted team buys him in the summer?
Thought they played good football , its only because we are so well drilled that we won that , you can see why they do well
Leicester if they actually try can quite easily beat themBoro's next two;
H Oxford
H Leicester
Malanda was meant to be the new VVD or so they said. As you sad once we could physical and pressed them higher they were very meh.Love how we played Malanda and Ayling; Haji, Simms and EMC being physical with the pair all night really dragged them in deep last night and they drowned.
He won't get a full season with pre-season etc until next one obviously, whatever league we're in. I take your point about judging him over a full season mind as Carrick was brilliant for us for half a season (though in his defence he did have the mother of injury lists for a few years) and he was the ultimate example of a manager who is too inflexible.Come on mate. Hoodoos arent an actual thing. It's a mentality and ultimately an excuse.
As stated you have an excellent midfield. If Hellberg was that brilliant, how come he couldn't prepare your team for anything remotely aggressive or physically? How come he couldn't change your game plan early?
Everyone knows (apparently) that to get success against us, you sit back and allow us to dictate and then hit us on the break over our full backs. But Hellberg didn't do that, or even change it when the game was getting away from you.
I get it, you were on the crest of a wave and everything was roses etc. But saying you expect to win most games is dangerous talk, we did exactly the same and look how that turned out for the last month or two. But like Lampard has just shown, it didn't seem to me that you had a plan B. The league will have seen that and I suspect most teams will now try to replicate that aggression and physicality against you. Let's see how Hellberg actually does over the course of a full season.
i thought it was clear why you've won so many games. in some respects i think the confidence played into our hands. You opened the game up and that sort of benefits us. Your passing was quicker and slick, but to Lampard's credit i thought he went more direct and more physical.Some balanced views.
The difference between Hellberg and Carrick is the defensive side. Granted last night wasn/t great defensively, on the whole its worlds apart. Ayling has stepped into the middle when both Fry and Jones (Our best defender) got injured. Most teams sit back against us so Ayling's ability on the ball has been very important and Malanda looks a real player. Last night, Fry would have been better than Ayling but i can understand why Hellberg stuck with him, why change anything from a team on a six game winning streak but he will learn from last night.
Our midfield is our strength but i thought you did a great job at shutting down, especially first half. We still had some great chances but poor finishing. I think most Boro fans had hoped for a striker in January. Conway, is excellent in overall play. Last night i dont think he was the same after he took a knock but he is not a clinical finisher and last night was a game where that was needed but goals have not been an issue of late.
Im confident we will bounce back.
Laughs in prestonCome on mate. Hoodoos arent an actual thing. It's a mentality and ultimately an excuse.
As stated you have an excellent midfield. If Hellberg was that brilliant, how come he couldn't prepare your team for anything remotely aggressive or physically? How come he couldn't change your game plan early?
Everyone knows (apparently) that to get success against us, you sit back and allow us to dictate and then hit us on the break over our full backs. But Hellberg didn't do that, or even change it when the game was getting away from you.
I get it, you were on the crest of a wave and everything was roses etc. But saying you expect to win most games is dangerous talk, we did exactly the same and look how that turned out for the last month or two. But like Lampard has just shown, it didn't seem to me that you had a plan B. The league will have seen that and I suspect most teams will now try to replicate that aggression and physicality against you. Let's see how Hellberg actually does over the course of a full season.
I've appreciated and respected your posts on here mate.He won't get a full season with pre-season etc until next one obviously, whatever league we're in. I take your point about judging him over a full season mind as Carrick was brilliant for us for half a season (though in his defence he did have the mother of injury lists for a few years) and he was the ultimate example of a manager who is too inflexible.
You're right about the physicality element, unfortunately whilst we're very skillful, we don't have many big lads, so I imagine given a pre-season, he'd recruit a few "Tony Pulis" type players to bring on should we need them against the sides who like to mix it up a bit. I do fear it's a side of our game that's lacking and it's a learning curve after all. In a way with our current players unfortunately we don't have sufficient personel to be able to muscle and ram our way through games so there was less Hellberg could do, other than change shape and make subs with different skillsets which tbf to him did show, up until the penalty. It's not that Hellberg doesn't have a Plan B, he's highly reactive, but the players we need in a blood and thunder barging off the ball game are limited and it's blatent we're lacking height for the long balls game. You could logically level some blame at recruitment there, but less at Kim himself.
As for expecting to win most games, that's simply where the bar has been set. We're creatures of habit, expect to win where results thus far dictate we're likely to, expect to lose the Hoodoos as obviously those results dictate the opposite.
As for Hoodoos not being an actual thing...How else would you explain 7 losses on the bounce home and away with different mangers, different form, different players and different league standings at the time? Coincidence only goes so far until it's improbable. How else would you explain your never having won at Deepdale or 20 years of hurt against Norwich? It's why I've been saying for ages on here that we were likely to lose this game, though it was seen as ridiculous by a lot.
I get that they might be part mental blocks etc, as they do weigh on the mind somewhat. But they exist mate, and the proof is right in front of you. Denying their existence only risks more pain in the long run. And if the miracle happens and they eventually get broken it's like winning a cup.
I think Ipswich will overtake them, genuinely do. They are far too open at the back and if teams as we did press them high they'll cough up chances.I've appreciated and respected your posts on here mate.
Very balanced and fair. Thanks for adding value.
From what I saw last night, you have every right to believe you'll win most games.
The confidence you lots have on the ball is excellent, and you have the ability to move up the pitch quickly with a few quick/clever passes.
We just didn't give you the opportunity to get quality shots off.
After seeing you lot live I really think you will be in the top two.
Just hope between us, we keep Ipswich out of it.
If we do, I think (and this is the first time I have put it out there!) we'll both go up. (Provided we start to turn up away from home!)
If i was Ipswich i'd be starting to get concerned again if we win at WBA. Think they were relying on us dropping off and there seems to be an expectation they will win their games in hand but i'll bet good money they don't win them both. Points on the board will always be king.I think Ipswich will overtake them, genuinely do. They are far too open at the back and if teams as we did press them high they'll cough up chances.
A win for us Saturday lunchtime could be massive. It puts pressure on Ipswich and Hull, both with 2 games before we play again on Wednesday evening.If i was Ipswich i'd be starting to get concerned again if we win at WBA. Think they were relying on us dropping off and there seems to be an expectation they will win their games in hand but i'll bet good money they don't win them both. Points on the board will always be king.
Hackney is a step above anyone in the league and McGree is a good player. Malanda looks excellent in defence.
But Conway is bang average and the keeper is shite.
Shit back handed compliment and sly digs about our style. Funny that came out after we beat you.As you say midfield is our strongest area, it dominates the league so Lampard did well to employ a succession of long punts from your half to a big lad, bypassing it.
We're actually very decent in defence too, but I feel it was was the wrong game to play Ayling in. He's 34 and has played every game this season so could do with a rest and Fry should have came in as he's bigger and better at dealing with long balls, barging and physicality which is a key part of your game so we'd have done well to include him.
Strikers...yeah, we could have done with getting an out and out poacher tbh. We don't tend to set up with strikers as our main goal threat so will feel it less than most, but it would have been ideal to bring one on in a game like tonight.
In terms of keepers, Bryn is ok, but he's not on Rushworth's level.
Hellball has been a revelation for us mind you. It's just you're never going to see it in any real full effect against yourselves for the same reason that you could play mediocre to good 5 times previously and have 1 absolutely awesome game against us..because Hoodoo. It therefore follows that our performance levels will drop, again because Hoodoo.
Against other decent sides such as the Blades obviously no Hoodoo exists so we were able to dominate to do the double over them no matter how well they played, which they did at theirs to give them credit. Against Ipswich whikst not guaranteed, we're also 3 or 4 times more likely to do the double over them than we were to get a single point off you. The reverse being true obviously for yourselves.
It remains that we've accumulated more points in the league than any other side since Hellberg rocked up, so it's doing him an injustice to claim that his methods aren't decent. A side with merely a good midfield and nothing else going for it including poor tactics racking up those kind of returns would be impossible and would render the entire league crap by comparison if that were the case. including yourselves. Which as both you and a clutch of other sides clearly aren't crap kind of refuses that theory.
Our PPG since he arrived and including tonight's result AND our christmas slump, expanded to a whole season would see us rack up 95 points plus. We may not get that high, but considering that, our manager's methods are certainly not slacking. And we only have 1 of our 4 Hoodoo games left to play. Other than that of course we expect to win most games.
Thanks mate.I've appreciated and respected your posts on here mate.
Very balanced and fair. Thanks for adding value.
From what I saw last night, you have every right to believe you'll win most games.
The confidence you lots have on the ball is excellent, and you have the ability to move up the pitch quickly with a few quick/clever passes.
We just didn't give you the opportunity to get quality shots off.
After seeing you lot live I really think you will be in the top two.
Just hope between us, we keep Ipswich out of it.
If we do, I think (and this is the first time I have put it out there!) we'll both go up. (Provided we start to turn up away from home!)
As you say midfield is our strongest area, it dominates the league so Lampard did well to employ a succession of long punts from your half to a big lad, bypassing it.
We're actually very decent in defence too, but I feel it was was the wrong game to play Ayling in. He's 34 and has played every game this season so could do with a rest and Fry should have came in as he's bigger and better at dealing with long balls, barging and physicality which is a key part of your game so we'd have done well to include him.
Strikers...yeah, we could have done with getting an out and out poacher tbh. We don't tend to set up with strikers as our main goal threat so will feel it less than most, but it would have been ideal to bring one on in a game like tonight.
In terms of keepers, Bryn is ok, but he's not on Rushworth's level.
Hellball has been a revelation for us mind you. It's just you're never going to see it in any real full effect against yourselves for the same reason that you could play mediocre to good 5 times previously and have 1 absolutely awesome game against us..because Hoodoo. It therefore follows that our performance levels will drop, again because Hoodoo.
Against other decent sides such as the Blades obviously no Hoodoo exists so we were able to dominate to do the double over them no matter how well they played, which they did at theirs to give them credit. Against Ipswich whikst not guaranteed, we're also 3 or 4 times more likely to do the double over them than we were to get a single point off you. The reverse being true obviously for yourselves.
It remains that we've accumulated more points in the league than any other side since Hellberg rocked up, so it's doing him an injustice to claim that his methods aren't decent. A side with merely a good midfield and nothing else going for it including poor tactics racking up those kind of returns would be impossible and would render the entire league crap by comparison if that were the case. including yourselves. Which as both you and a clutch of other sides clearly aren't crap kind of refuses that theory.
Our PPG since he arrived and including tonight's result AND our christmas slump, expanded to a whole season would see us rack up 95 points plus. We may not get that high, but considering that, our manager's methods are certainly not slacking. And we only have 1 of our 4 Hoodoo games left to play. Other than that of course we expect to win most games.
Because we've been tactically more astute, more clinical, showed more desire, and just generally been better than you in those games.As for Hoodoos not being an actual thing...How else would you explain 7 losses on the bounce home and away with different mangers.
It's not a back-handed compliment at all "about your style" as your style for the first half of the season was very different.Shit back handed compliment and sly digs about our style. Funny that came out after we beat you.
Right! The notion that the hoodoo played a factor in us winning is not giving us our dues.Hoodoo!? What a fucking load of nonsense.
Your players didn’t fancy it last night, that’s all.
It's not a back-handed compliment at all "about your style" as your style for the first half of the season was very different.Shit back handed compliment and sly digs about our style. Funny that came out after we beat you.
Thanks mate.
Know what you mean, I don't want to rule Hull & Millwall out of it either, for right there is a potential path to pain!
But I do feel that Ipswich will finish above them, so therefore if Hull or Millwall somehow managed the not easy task of overhauling either of us, I think Ipswich will have done so first. Anyone who finishes above the Tractors would very likely be promoted IMHO.
It's not a back-handed compliment at all "about your style" as your style for the first half of the season was very different.
It's just finding different ways to play, which you needed to do and did so.
Hackney is a bit overratedHackney is a step above anyone in the league and McGree is a good player. Malanda looks excellent in defence.
But Conway is bang average and the keeper is shite.
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