A Few Thoughts About Boro’s Season So Far

Taken from my Wordpress blog

Firstly this isn't an attack on Tony Mowbray. What it is hopefully is a little dose of realism to where we actually are compared to last season. Now I appreciate that when Mogga took over we were languishing towards the bottom of the league but the recent spell of results we have had is similar to Strachan's poor start, so I feel it fair to compare them currently.

Comparison

Here's a few stats with regards to our recent form and what is was last season with 4 games to go:

Last season at this stage in the season we had 50 points and were in 18th position.

This season we have 63 points and are in 8th position.

Mowbray won the last 4 games of the season against Hull, Coventry, Cardiff and Doncaster (who all finished 11th, 18th, 4th and 21st respectively) which pushed us up to our final position of 12th.

Our last 6 games form at this point last season was P6 W2 D3 L1 F12 A12 Pts 9

And this season our last 6 games for is P6 W0 D4 L2 F7 A6 Pts 4

In the league at this point last season we had scored 56 goals and conceded 65 (-9) and this season we have scored 48 and conceded 48 (0).

Players who have left under Mowbray:

2010/11
David Wheater
Gary O'Neil

2011/12
Willo Flood
Andrew Taylor
Kris Boyd
Didier Digard
Leroy Lita
Maximilian Haas
Tarmo Kink

Players who arrived under Mowbray:

2010/11
Maximilian Haas
Merouane Zemamma

2011/12
Curtis Main
Malaury Martin
Faris Haroun
Lukas Jutkiewicz
Bart Ogbeche
Adam Hammill

What really can we deduce?

It is obvious that we our defence has got better. Even with the loss of David Wheater and the loan of Stephen McManus we have conceded less goals. Credit to the manager.

Recently our lack of goals has cost us. This is also clear from the comparisons above and it also coincides with the departure of Lita and Boyd. Boyd was not prolific but Lita did chip in with goals. Scott McDonald has been injured this season which will be partly to blame but Jutkiewicz who has been the lead striker of late hasn't really produced the goods (2 goals & 2 assists in the league from 13 starts and 2 sub appearances). It has been a longstanding problem at Middlesbrough since the departure of Viduka, Yakubu and Hasselbaink.

Last season we were very gun ho and I remember not worrying if we conceded as we would usually score our way out of trouble. This season we are very lacklustre going forward. I think part of this is a much more defensive mindset from the midfielders and this frustrating 'split striker' tactic that is employed. Also the manager does not seem to like throwing players forward, maybe putting 3 up front or allowing midfielders to bomb on. My memories from home games this season is sitting a little too deep.

In Summery

We have obviously performed better this season compared to last season. In four games time though this may be very different as we had gained another 12 points last season in those final games which will drag this seasons performance down. Goals have been a problem, mainly due to not finding a natural and consistent goal scorer. The managers tactics have contributed to this, particularly at home. We seem to have had midfielders sat on the bench and not included and a lack of strikers who can score for the majority of the season. This will need to be addressed.

I do think that playing to a half empty stadium has a slight effect on the team but not as much as to make a considerable difference to cause the slumps at home that we have seen this season. I think this has more to do with the fact that Mowbray has played more expansive and attacking formations away from home earlier on this season, in particular utilising wingbacks with 3 centrebacks.

Solutions?

This is the hard part! For the rest of the season we need to put emphasis on scoring goals. More attack minded formations, utilisation of players who may be a threat up front such as Emnes, McDonald and Ogbeche. Ogbeche needs to start some games or be brought on earlier. Jutkiewicz has had his chance and not produced. I would involve Martin rather than him been benched.

We need a quicker response to now the game is panning out with regards to substitutions. If we concede and we need to win get another striker on, maybe for a defender. Take some risks, if we are going to get beat let's have a go. Our goal difference is less than our competitors so it doesn't matter if we get beat 2-1 or 4-1... We need to have a go at teams.

For next season if we fail to get promoted we need desperately to find a striker who will score 15+ goals a season. We also need to get some cover at the back, and bring some creativity into midfield. Maybe we only need a tinker, 3-4 players out and the same in, we certainly don't need a massive makeover to challenge for the playoffs again. It can be done on a budget. Robson will be going, that frees up wages for a start. Bates will be out of contract and injured so a replacement will be needed. We need to keep Rhys Williams at all costs.

It's still possible this season to reach the playoffs. Fingers crossed!! Come on Boro!!

What's Wrong With Boro?

Its been about six weeks since I had the fire in my belly to write about Middlesbrough again after a series of drab performances over the past couple of months but it came to a head today - a royal spanking by Reading and the departure of Kris Boyd caused me to pick up my pen, so to speak.

Saturday's game, if anything, highlighted just what's wrong with Boro. No squad depth, no creativity, no idea how to defend, no experience. I despaired hearing how time and time again our defence was carved open and how Grounds and Hines could not cope. When the fifth goal went in I thought back to our 8-1 mauling of Manchester City and how their fans felt - as I was feeling very similar.

Asset Stripping

At every opportunity Boro seem to be selling. This season we have already seen David Wheater and Gary O'Neil disappear off to the Premiership, and now another player sneaks out of the back door... Kris Boyd. Kris has hardly set the world alight at Boro but 5th place Nottingham Forest obviously see something in the SPL all time leading goalscorer.

There are two things that really worry me about the departure of Boyd:

1. How is it that Middlesbrough are unable to afford to bring in a loan keeper without having to trade out a striker?
2. What if Boyd goes and scores a bag load of goals at Forest? What does that say about the coaches at our club?

Only time will tell with regards point 2, but I do worry how we are so skint that we need to loan out before we can loan in. What I would like is Steve Gibson to come out and tell us, the fans, what is actually going on at the club. We need a rallying call from the boss, but all that is coming out of the Boro boardroom is silence.

The big 'r'

Middlesbrough have been consistent over the past two seasons if anything - and that has been selling players. As we have sold more players our position has dropped down and down the league. An obvious trend, but not one that the Chairman has spotted which is a worry because if we get any worse we are going down.

Boro need to stop this constant fire sale, pull together, give the fans a reason to go to the games but with the departure of Boyd it really would indicate to me that our ambition is fading, and ambition is something that Boro always had in seasons gone by.

Paul Smith

Not the designer or lead singer of Maximo Park, but the Nottingham Forest keeper has signed for Middlesbrough on loan. Smith has played for Forest since 2006 and was part of the team the gained promotion from League 1 in 2008 winning the Puma Golden Glove in the process. He is also the scorer of the quickest League Cup goal, scoring in 23 seconds against Leicester City in 2008. Having fallen out of favour at Forest Smith was placed on the transfer list and told to find first team football elsewhere.

It may be too early for Smith to start tonight's game against Derby as he has not played a first team game since May, but hopefully over the coming matches he can help sort out a defence devoid of experience and quality and get us back to keeping clean sheets.

Mowbray Confirms Wheater Exit

Skysports tonight have confirmed what we have been thinking for some time - David Wheater will be sold in the January transfer window.

It is the sensible thing to do financially, we can't afford to let him walk away for nothing after all the money invested in him on his journey through the academy, but I do wonder if this is the right thing to do for the football club as a whole.

In the past Boro have had to decide on the best time to sell players when we have been on the decline. The first was Stewart Downing - we opted to stick with him, not buy any players and were promptly relegated. The next Adam Johnson - we sold and then the team stopped performing ensuring no chance of promotion. I would argue in both situations Steve Gibson made the wrong call. With the money from the Downing sale we could have got a couple of players in that might have made the difference and kept us up and Johnson was the star man in the team when he was sold. What sort of message does it give to the fans when we insist on selling the local talent to our old Premier League rivals?

We walk a fine line with January coming up - Boro are in danger of relegation on current form - so what do we do? Twist or Stick? Gibson has opted to twist. Cash in now, get rid of Premier League quality and replace with Championship quality.

My major concern with all of this is will any of the money be reinvested back into the squad. How much will Wheater fetch? £2m? Well that in itself certainly isn't going to get us the players that we need to climb up the league. Another concern is where will the selling end? Surely Gary O'Neil is a prime candidate to leave in January and Kris Boyd has been another name mentioned. With our past record I doubt very much that these players will be replaced with better ones for the same money.

The only saving grace is that Tony Mowbray can spot a player with potential - we have to trust that he can bring in the sort of players that can help build a team ready to challenge for promotion in the next two seasons before the parachute payments run dry.

So I ask you Boro fans - would you sell David Wheater?