... Well he is the manager of course. Neil Warnock told me yesterday he has to be mindful of the crowded fixture list ahead and take care to not over play his main weapons, too much too soon. Especially as Boro's need is great to turn around this dip in form and pick up a win. Starting today at Derby County. Kick off 3pm. Go to mfc.co.uk to watch.
Boro take on a Derby County side fighting hard to pull away from the relegation zone. Boro know all about the pressures and fears that brings from the summer. This can cause a side to dig deep and produce special performances as with Boro away from the Riverside under Warnock's initial games in charge.
Yet for Boro the need is just as great. After a terrible run we need to remember how to win again. Only that first step taken and bridge crossed can lead to a return to some momentum again.
Boro will also have to come against Wayne Rooney, now permanently appointed, he was very much interim at the time we last met at the Riverside. Like his former England team mate Frank Lampard, Wayne will be desperate to prove himself off the pitch and make his first statement of intent as Rams manager.
It will be a fascinating tactical battle off the pitch between the great player and great promotion winning manager.
Will the match come too quickly to allow a return for Dael Fry. Neil Warnock was giving away few clues as to the fitness of the defensive lynchpin at press conference, yesterday. And how we missed his presence against Brentford last weekend where we shipped four goals.
We need to tighten up again but if there was one positive in that defeat it was the promising form shown by new loan signing Yannick Bolasie. At the press conference I asked Neil Warnock if Yannick Bolasie had surprised him at just how he had hit the ground running, especially as he hadn't played before this season.
“Yes, but you have just got to be so careful, Rob. You get carried away at times and I just know that the next three months the games come thick and fast, don't they.”
The gaffer then talked about how he had to ensure he kept his players fit for the season as a whole.
“We have got to look after these lads at times. You get tempted, you want to play them all the time and train them all the time. But sometimes you have got to take a step back. But he is great to have around the place. As they all are. They have all been really good.”
Then he had some words of praise for Fly Me To The Moon's sponsored player, right back signing, Darnell Fisher.
“And Darnell he has been a superb player and in the dressing room. They have been good signings, I have enjoyed having them around. It has given everyone a lift, really.”
So the atmosphere and spirit has been really good, I asked him.
“Oh yes, you can't fault that. You know, we might lack a little bit of ability here and there but they know that we are not far away. When you look at the Brentford game, all right Paddy slipped up. Typical, the fourth goal for example where the kid miss hits it, it goes straight to their lad to head it in. We need a bit of that and a little bit of the other thing to go away. We need referees to see sending offs and a little bit to go our way. Because otherwise I think they are a good group really. We can only get better. I think they will get better in the next few years.”
If the power of positive thinking and glass half full philosophy can get your points then Boro will have plenty of that filling their fuel tanks today. Along with careful planning and management of resources, Neil Warnock will be building plenty of belief into players now bolstered by a cluster of signings, potential match winners.
Let's hope they can open up Derby today and keep Wayne Rooney and indeed Patrick Roberts in the shade.
Boro take on a Derby County side fighting hard to pull away from the relegation zone. Boro know all about the pressures and fears that brings from the summer. This can cause a side to dig deep and produce special performances as with Boro away from the Riverside under Warnock's initial games in charge.
Yet for Boro the need is just as great. After a terrible run we need to remember how to win again. Only that first step taken and bridge crossed can lead to a return to some momentum again.
Boro will also have to come against Wayne Rooney, now permanently appointed, he was very much interim at the time we last met at the Riverside. Like his former England team mate Frank Lampard, Wayne will be desperate to prove himself off the pitch and make his first statement of intent as Rams manager.
It will be a fascinating tactical battle off the pitch between the great player and great promotion winning manager.
Will the match come too quickly to allow a return for Dael Fry. Neil Warnock was giving away few clues as to the fitness of the defensive lynchpin at press conference, yesterday. And how we missed his presence against Brentford last weekend where we shipped four goals.
We need to tighten up again but if there was one positive in that defeat it was the promising form shown by new loan signing Yannick Bolasie. At the press conference I asked Neil Warnock if Yannick Bolasie had surprised him at just how he had hit the ground running, especially as he hadn't played before this season.
“Yes, but you have just got to be so careful, Rob. You get carried away at times and I just know that the next three months the games come thick and fast, don't they.”
The gaffer then talked about how he had to ensure he kept his players fit for the season as a whole.
“We have got to look after these lads at times. You get tempted, you want to play them all the time and train them all the time. But sometimes you have got to take a step back. But he is great to have around the place. As they all are. They have all been really good.”
Then he had some words of praise for Fly Me To The Moon's sponsored player, right back signing, Darnell Fisher.
“And Darnell he has been a superb player and in the dressing room. They have been good signings, I have enjoyed having them around. It has given everyone a lift, really.”
So the atmosphere and spirit has been really good, I asked him.
“Oh yes, you can't fault that. You know, we might lack a little bit of ability here and there but they know that we are not far away. When you look at the Brentford game, all right Paddy slipped up. Typical, the fourth goal for example where the kid miss hits it, it goes straight to their lad to head it in. We need a bit of that and a little bit of the other thing to go away. We need referees to see sending offs and a little bit to go our way. Because otherwise I think they are a good group really. We can only get better. I think they will get better in the next few years.”
If the power of positive thinking and glass half full philosophy can get your points then Boro will have plenty of that filling their fuel tanks today. Along with careful planning and management of resources, Neil Warnock will be building plenty of belief into players now bolstered by a cluster of signings, potential match winners.
Let's hope they can open up Derby today and keep Wayne Rooney and indeed Patrick Roberts in the shade.
