Hutch11
Well-Known Member
This
ThisWelcome to going top, it had been happening to us for months, every team sees you as a scalp they want rather than just another game. It's obvious going in to 2nd for a week was a great kick up the arse for us. Long may that continue. You need to find a plan B which is what Frank has been working on. Mixing up the passing again like at the start of the season seems to be doing the job for us all of a sudden teams pressing lose a bit of confidence as we are happy to go long or short.
An absolutely bizarre appointment really, as each of the last three they've made have been. I bet Dennis Lawrence is a bit pissed off.
It was a tactical masterstroke on FL's part to allow Boro to catch, and then overtake us, just long enough for them to freak out and void their bowels. If we beat the Bladesmen tonight, I don't think anyone will catch us, even the much-feared Tractor Cunts.There was a good comment from FL a few days ago in one of his post-game interviews, I can't find in now, but words to the effect that we were feeling the pressure of being top, and it was affecting us, and it had happened to him as a player earlier in his career. He said that in the end you get used to the pressure and it stops having a negative efwelfect, and we should look at our dip in form not in terms of throwing away a massive lead but the lead we had enabled us to (hopefully) come through it still in contention.
My personal view was that our slump was overplayed away from home.
What actually worried me was the 2 losses from winning positions v Norwich and QPR in the same week followed by drawing to Oxford at home. That was the real slump.
Our December away fixtures couldn’t get much harder from Stoke (15/11/25) throughout to Birmingham (04/01/26) - 5 of those 7 away games were against top half home form teams. Stoke and PNE were top 6 in home form and league position when we played them.
A West Brom fan on Reddit, before the sacking, was saying the rumour doing the rounds last night was that Will Still is coming in.Actually feel sorry for the guy;
Surely the wave of illness that we suffered had to contribute. So many players were well below the previous levels and playing through with the bug.Before West Brom we failed to win a home game since Middlesbrough at the back end of November.
Sure there's layers of context to why we lost or drew games over the past 3 months - it wasn't all performance based it's probably fairer to say it was more of a hybrid of poor game management and questionable tactics along with the aforementioned.
But a spade is a spade, it was a very poor run that's caused us to slump to 17th in the away form table over the past eight games.
Not sure why we're trying to label it as anything but really.
Surely the wave of illness that we suffered had to contribute. So many players were well below the previous levels and playing through with the bug.
Surely the wave of illness that we suffered had to contribute. So many players were well below the previous levels and playing through with the bug.
The Boro commentators were laughing at how Matt Targett escaped a card for hacking down Fatawu last night. Funny he isn’t mentioning that.
Seams like a little bit of a headloss interview
Give it a fortnight... and there will be reports from the training ground that Hellberg came off second best in a brawl with Viveash!
Seams like a little bit of a headloss interview
i expect an essay from the tame smoggies on why hellball is such a brand new way of playing that the normal rules of handball shouldn't apply to boro
Seams like a little bit of a headloss interview
PressureThe Boro commentators were laughing at how Matt Targett escaped a card for hacking down Fatawu last night. Funny he isn’t mentioning that.
Welcome to our world, lots of shite decisions going against us. What a whinging git, the pressure looks to be getting to them and they were only top for a week! Hahaha. We’ve handled the expectation far better in the last few months despite the intensity slipping over New Year, but we look to be back on it. Tonight’s game will be a pointer on how well we’ve recovered our desire
I predicted in November time we would be promoted on the day of the sheff weds game. More in hope than expectation thoughwe will be mathematically promoted on 11th April - save the date
I said after our win against Middlesbrough that if opposition teams use the blueprint that we created to unravel Hellball then they will drop a lot of points between then and the end of the season.
Low block, high-intensity press, and restricting their ability to pass freely and progress the ball quickly leaves them completely devoid of ideas.
He can use all the excuses he wants but fundamentally his lack of a plan B is what's causing them to slip.
"...If you've got heartburn, nausea, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea..herrr!"
Ipswich have only gained a point on you though, and they will drop points themselves. I expect we will lose tonight, we may well drop points on Saturday when nobody’s expecting us to.I dont disagree
What was more concerning last night was the actual performance. We didn't play bad against you or Oxford for that matter, last night we looked tired and i mean the majority of players. Passing was slow and players looked backwards rather than forwards which has been one of our key strengths.
End of the day we had two home games against bottom 3 opposition, bottom 3 for a reason and we had no answers. Ipswich had two tricky away games. The hope was to gain more points than them and build a gap. The reality is they have gained two points. ITs a shame
We need a better performance but Birmingham will fancy it on Monday. Playing away may be a blessing at this stage though.
We will go again
They don't have a proper centre forward - they created enough good openings in the second half last night to score but had nobody in the middle to finish the chances.I said after our win against Middlesbrough that if opposition teams use the blueprint that we created to unravel Hellball then they will drop a lot of points between then and the end of the season.
Low block, high-intensity press, and restricting their ability to pass freely and progress the ball quickly leaves them completely devoid of ideas.
He can use all the excuses he wants but fundamentally his lack of a plan B is what's causing them to slip.
A draw v PNE and Southampton in isolation are by no means ‘poor results’. If we revisit the match threads, I’m sure the prevailing narrative was ‘take a draw’.Sorry, but the 2 draws from winning positions in that run, one against 10 men, were also very poor results and contributed to people, rightly, calling it a slump away.
I wasn't overly concerned by Oxford. When you're a team who has a strong home record you'll always get the odd result like that, opposition comes, parts the bus and you can't find a way through, it happens.
I’m looking at Ipswich’s remaining away games and can’t see where they’ll lose. Draws v Southampton and Norwich seem realistic, perhaps one of those will be a loss.Ipswich have only gained a point on you though, and they will drop points themselves. I expect we will lose tonight, we may well drop points on Saturday when nobody’s expecting us to.
Lots more twists and turns before it’s all over.
They don't have a proper centre forward - they created enough good openings in the second half last night to score but had nobody in the middle to finish the chances.
Bookmark the post, they’ll lose at Pompey, Norwich and Southampton.I’m looking at Ipswich’s remaining away games and can’t see where they’ll lose. Draws v Southampton and Norwich seem realistic, perhaps one of those will be a loss.
Stoke, Wednesday, Charlton and WBA seem like shoe-in wins. Compare that to Boro’s run in away of Birmingham, QPR, Blackburn, Swansea, Ipswich and Wrexham. 4/6 of those are top 8 at home.
I’m looking at Ipswich’s remaining away games and can’t see where they’ll lose. Draws v Southampton and Norwich seem realistic, perhaps one of those will be a loss.
Stoke, Wednesday, Charlton and WBA seem like shoe-in wins. Compare that to Boro’s run in away of Birmingham, QPR, Blackburn, Swansea, Ipswich and Wrexham. 4/6 of those are top 8 at home.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?