FT: MIDDLESBROUGH 2 - 0 CARDIFF CITY. Match thread

[AfricanBluebird]

While the Jury is still out on Morison for me... the Jacks game was a huge eye opener, I think the situation he, and we, find ourselves in with regards to the playing squad is almost unprecedented... a tiny squad where half are out of contract, seen better days, know they are leaving and not good enough anyway, and the other half made up of inexperienced youngsters and three loan players whom we have flogged to death. Add to that the complete unbalanced nature of the squad.. almost zero pace and flair, no wide players and no proven natural goal scorer. Additionally, any success we have had over the last few years was due to our 'robust' and direct playing style... reliant on characters, long balls, set pieces and the occasional bit of flair (Junior, NML, Wilson, Ojo) - which is now redundant as we don't have the personnel or appetite for anymore.

It's bonkers and the board (and Warnock, Harris and especially Mick) should hang their heads in shame for the way the playing squad has been neglected over the last few years.

Is Morison the right person, given our budget constraints, to take us forward? I don't know. But I do think he deserves a bit of leniency for these remaining games.

[A Quiet Monkfish]

When the season is taken an a [almost] whole, we've shown relegation form for most of it with a burst of energy and improvement for 5 or 6 games when the squad was improved with loan signings/Wintle, and the likes of Pack ,Bacuna dropped, followed by a return to relegation form. Fortunately Peterborough and Barnsley just kept losing, because this squad is barely league 1 standard, let alone Championship. It's almost devoid of championship-quality talent. Let's all be thankful that whatever happens next season, most will be gone.

[Bobby Dandruff]

On a positive note…….it was good to see the team revert to a passing game and passing out from the back which, after Reading, I thought would be a blueprint for the future. We can only hope.

Also I thought that Denham did Ok and looks comfortable on the ball (better than the nonsensical US-corp mumbo jumbo term ‘showed up’ 🤦*♂️)

[Pedro de la Rosa]

When the season is taken an a [almost] whole, we've shown relegation form for most of it with a burst of energy and improvement for 5 or 6 games when the squad was improved with loan signings/Wintle, and the likes of Pack ,Bacuna dropped, followed by a return to relegation form. Fortunately Peterborough and Barnsley just kept losing, because this squad is barely league 1 standard, let alone Championship. It's almost devoid of championship-quality talent. Let's all be thankful that whatever happens next season, most will be gone.

We've stayed up with 6/7 games to spare. I think that's quite the exaggeration. The gap between the Champ and League One is huge.

[LeningradCowboy]

On a positive note…….it was good to see the team revert to a passing game and passing out from the back which, after Reading, I thought would be a blueprint for the future. We can only hope.

Also I thought that Denham did Ok and looks comfortable on the ball (better than the nonsensical US-corp mumbo jumbo term ‘showed up’ 🤦*♂️)

What is the point of passing the ball out from the back if we aren't creating any chances? We haven't scored a goal in our last three games.

[BLUETIT]

On a positive note…….it was good to see the team revert to a passing game and passing out from the back which, after Reading, I thought would be a blueprint for the future. We can only hope.

Also I thought that Denham did Ok and looks comfortable on the ball (better than the nonsensical US-corp mumbo jumbo term ‘showed up’ ��*♂️)

Passing, f***ing passing, all we did was piss about in our own half, no forward movement, no quality passes forward, being there, seeing the ball played sideways and backwards all the time, was more boring and frustrating than “hoof ball”

It’s pointless having possession if you do f*** all with it

[Bobby Dandruff]

What is the point of passing the ball out from the back if we aren't creating any chances? We haven't scored a goal in our last three games.

Are you saying that you’d rather go back to the Warnock/McCarthy days of hitting the front man ASAP?

[Hilts]

Are you saying that you’d rather go back to the Warnock/McCarthy days of hitting the front man ASAP?

Id rather play as we did under Warnock at the start of our promotion season than this current shit show of meaningless passing getting absolutely nowhere.

We played some good football under Warnock and were successful.

McCarthy a different story.

[LeningradCowboy]

Are you saying that you’d rather go back to the Warnock/McCarthy days of hitting the front man ASAP?

I'm saying that we're no more successful playing out from the back at the end of the season than we were hoofing the ball forward at the beginning of the season.

[Bobby Dandruff]

I'm saying that we're no more successful playing out from the back at the end of the season than we were hoofing the ball forward at the beginning of the season.

I have to disagree.

We played some good passing football (in the second half anyway) to beat an admittedly rubbish Reading side.

I also think that the definition of aimless soul destroying passing is the utter garbage that Harris inflicted on us. I think that what Morison is trying here is much more effective.

I’m indifferent to Morison but this is worth persevering with and has much more purpose than in my eyes than people are saying here.

Just my opinion obvs.

[Bobby Dandruff]

I have to disagree.

We played some good passing football (in the second half anyway) to beat an admittedly rubbish Reading side.

I also think that the definition of aimless soul destroying passing is the utter garbage that Harris inflicted on us. I think that what Morison is trying here is much more effective.

I’m indifferent to Morison but this is worth persevering with and has much more purpose than in my eyes than people are saying here.

Just my opinion obvs.

Sorry, one last thing: whereas the early era-Warnock football was exciting and got a load of journeymen promoted, it has been shown to be unsustainable. Just look how many other teams currently play that way (I can’t think of any, anymore)

So there really is no choice but to change - isn’t that what most fans have been asking for? We must be one of the very last clubs to be moving to this modern style of football 😳

[BLUETIT]

I have to disagree.

We played some good passing football (in the second half anyway) to beat an admittedly rubbish Reading side.

I also think that the definition of aimless soul destroying passing is the utter garbage that Harris inflicted on us. I think that what Morison is trying here is much more effective.

I’m indifferent to Morison but this is worth persevering with and has much more purpose than in my eyes than people are saying here.

Just my opinion obvs.

Those of us who were at Middlesbrough, were bored shitless by the never ending back an fro in our own half.

No penetration at all

Middlesbrough players, could have stood still and still beaten us

[Rjk]

Those of us who were at Middlesbrough, were bored shitless by the never ending back an fro in our own half.

No penetration at all

Middlesbrough players, could have stood still and still beaten us

Some of our fans have a pitifully low tolerance of us retaining possession though.

I can remember in the Huddersfield at home game, we were behind but playing most of the football, and not looking too bad.
I think flint and the defence were passing it around and some of the opposition players were trying to press, so the ball went back to the keeper - some guy to my right immediately started booing.

[LeningradCowboy]

I have to disagree.

We played some good passing football (in the second half anyway) to beat an admittedly rubbish Reading side.

I also think that the definition of aimless soul destroying passing is the utter garbage that Harris inflicted on us. I think that what Morison is trying here is much more effective.

I’m indifferent to Morison but this is worth persevering with and has much more purpose than in my eyes than people are saying here.

Just my opinion obvs.

Have you watched us play recently? We've lost five of our last six games and haven't scored in the last three. Harris got the sack for a similar run of form.

[Bobby Dandruff]

Have you watched us play recently? We've lost five of our last six games and haven't scored in the last three. Harris got the sack for a similar run of form.

I have actually. As I said, I went to Reading and watched most of the other games on TV.

We have to evolve (there is no future in playing the old way - NO other teams do!) so why not use these dead games to try things out?

I have been bored at times as well, but that is because there is little on these games and the players are obviously not killing themselves as they did when we were fighting to get out of a relegation scrap.

I don’t understand why people are getting SO worked up especially seeing as we have had to suffer McCarthy and even worse, Harris in the very recent past.