* The Unofficial "Official" Boro v Bristol City Match-Day Thread *

Lottowyn said:
Sorry Bob, but I remember reading Paolo Maldini’s autobiography (greatest defender ever) and he reckoned that he made very few tackles in his illustrious career because he reckoned that defending was all about positional play and intercepting.
Perhaps Paddy has Italian blood in him ?
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He plays like Sophia Loren.
 
Lottowyn said:
Sorry Bob, but I remember reading Paolo Maldini’s autobiography (greatest defender ever) and he reckoned that he made very few tackles in his illustrious career because he reckoned that defending was all about positional play and intercepting.
Perhaps Paddy has Italian blood in him ?
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The only Italian thing Paddy has in him is pizza
 
viv_andersons_nana said:
Interesting thread this. I thought we were the better side throughout. I think we were quite sluggish in the first half but still the better team. The thing about being ‘dodgy’ at the back is - in my opinion - to do with our style of play.

We’re an open front-foot side, we take risks to score goals and if it’s not quite clicking for us we can be got at quite quickly, and/or look quite exposed. I mean, people are quite quick to criticise Smith but he gets no real defensive help from whoever is in front and the defender next to him isn’t really a centre back. He’s much better next to Fry.

Anyway, I enjoyed the game. I think we came back very strongly and that sort of feels like a win really. Now we go into Friday full of confidence and we can really get at them. I am a bit confused as to the level of criticism we’ve seen over the past few days though. Huddersfield did a job on us for 20mins after half time, Burnley have won the league at a canter - their first offside, Chuba missed a sitter at the death - and today we were below our best for an hour but came away with a 2-2 draw and could’ve pinched all 3 points. So is there actually a problem there, really? There’s another playing as well you know, I think it’s easy to forget that or overlook it. We won’t pump everyone 3-0. It just doesn’t work like that.

I think we’re doing absolutely great.
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I've said a few times that Carrick has over achieved really, given he's broken a number of records during a red hot start at Boro.

And it follows that we were always going to have a sticky patch at some point, and when we did we needed to make sure we didn't lose sight of that.

We're still in a very good position, one which was always unthinkable when he came through the door. The fact that it was even possible at one point to catch Sheff Utd was crazy.

I suppose fans are generally never happy, regardless of how well the team are doing and expectations are often unrealistic.
 
viv_andersons_nana said:
Interesting thread this. I thought we were the better side throughout. I think we were quite sluggish in the first half but still the better team. The thing about being ‘dodgy’ at the back is - in my opinion - to do with our style of play.

We’re an open front-foot side, we take risks to score goals and if it’s not quite clicking for us we can be got at quite quickly, and/or look quite exposed. I mean, people are quite quick to criticise Smith but he gets no real defensive help from whoever is in front and the defender next to him isn’t really a centre back. He’s much better next to Fry.

Anyway, I enjoyed the game. I think we came back very strongly and that sort of feels like a win really. Now we go into Friday full of confidence and we can really get at them. I am a bit confused as to the level of criticism we’ve seen over the past few days though. Huddersfield did a job on us for 20mins after half time, Burnley have won the league at a canter - their first offside, Chuba missed a sitter at the death - and today we were below our best for an hour but came away with a 2-2 draw and could’ve pinched all 3 points. So is there actually a problem there, really? There’s another team playing as well you know, I think it’s easy to forget that or overlook it. We won’t pump everyone 3-0. It just doesn’t work like that.

I think we’re doing absolutely great.
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Carrick is a victim of his own success. He’s given us a taste of what we can play like and battering teams. Now everybody expects us steamroller teams all the time.

At Huddersfield there were a couple behind me who “knew we’d win” and constantly kept saying things that would have goaded the football Gods. Soon turned around after 60 minutes!

Maybe us as fans have gotten a little complacent. The problem with football is there is also 11 other players on the pitch wanting to make your life difficult and beat you. It’s never that easy.

This is probably our first real blip under Carrick as we hadn’t lost 2 in a row up until Friday. Just need to shake it off and getting back on the winning trail.

As for the game, I agree with your thoughts. Poor goals to concede. If you score 2 away from home, it should get you 3 points more often than not.

Years gone by I would have been tempted to switch off at 2-0. But under this side you always believe we can get something out of the game. That in itself is probably a sign of how far we’ve come under Carricks short tenure so far!
 
Better than a loss but in typical boro fashion we’ve started stuttering at the end of the season. I think generally when the pressures off we’re a very good side, but as soon as it matters and we stand to gain something we start panicking. I don’t see too many leaders in that team. Just hope we can pick up some momentum going into the playoffs.
 
indeedido said:
I couldn't believe what I was reading re Ramsey.
He played Giles into so many crossing positions, who did not deliver. Let's not talk about Giles' defending...
Ramsey is a class player who scored a great goal and his creation of the equaliser was absolute genius.

Our full backs are defensively inept and are targeted, McNair and Lenihan can't cover them and we ship far too many goals. Fry simply has to play, it is crazy.
Our front 4 options are the best in the league and just keep scoring goals.
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He was gash 🤣
 
viv_andersons_nana said:
Interesting thread this. I thought we were the better side throughout. I think we were quite sluggish in the first half but still the better team. The thing about being ‘dodgy’ at the back is - in my opinion - to do with our style of play.

We’re an open front-foot side, we take risks to score goals and if it’s not quite clicking for us we can be got at quite quickly, and/or look quite exposed. I mean, people are quite quick to criticise Smith but he gets no real defensive help from whoever is in front and the defender next to him isn’t really a centre back. He’s much better next to Fry.

Anyway, I enjoyed the game. I think we came back very strongly and that sort of feels like a win really. Now we go into Friday full of confidence and we can really get at them. I am a bit confused as to the level of criticism we’ve seen over the past few days though. Huddersfield did a job on us for 20mins after half time, Burnley have won the league at a canter - their first offside, Chuba missed a sitter at the death - and today we were below our best for an hour but came away with a 2-2 draw and could’ve pinched all 3 points. So is there actually a problem there, really? There’s another team playing as well you know, I think it’s easy to forget that or overlook it. We won’t pump everyone 3-0. It just doesn’t work like that.

I think we’re doing absolutely great.
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IMO the problem seems to be McNair making glaring mistakes every game. The was our fans see it being fixed is bringing Fry back in, but he isn’t even in contention at the moment, but no-one has a concrete understand as of why.

We’ve had a great run so far under Carrick, and that’s raised expectations sky high, but at the end of the day, we are still Boro, and suspect able to daft mistakes.
 
Carrick on Fry: "He jusy took a knock in training the other day, Dael, so we're assessing it as it is, we'll have to make a call on it when we get back tomorrow."
 
viv_andersons_nana said:
Interesting thread this. I thought we were the better side throughout. I think we were quite sluggish in the first half but still the better team. The thing about being ‘dodgy’ at the back is - in my opinion - to do with our style of play.

We’re an open front-foot side, we take risks to score goals and if it’s not quite clicking for us we can be got at quite quickly, and/or look quite exposed. I mean, people are quite quick to criticise Smith but he gets no real defensive help from whoever is in front and the defender next to him isn’t really a centre back. He’s much better next to Fry.

Anyway, I enjoyed the game. I think we came back very strongly and that sort of feels like a win really. Now we go into Friday full of confidence and we can really get at them. I am a bit confused as to the level of criticism we’ve seen over the past few days though. Huddersfield did a job on us for 20mins after half time, Burnley have won the league at a canter - their first offside, Chuba missed a sitter at the death - and today we were below our best for an hour but came away with a 2-2 draw and could’ve pinched all 3 points. So is there actually a problem there, really? There’s another team playing as well you know, I think it’s easy to forget that or overlook it. We won’t pump everyone 3-0. It just doesn’t work like that.

I think we’re doing absolutely great.
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Nice post - I must feel things more passionately than you because I feel like I’ve been 15 rounds with Tyson after that and truth is there was positive things and negatives. I said to my missus, I feel it in my soul (!) the ‘to and fro’s’ of it…
Good comeback and should be good for confidence and belief come Friday
 
Cardiffdaffs said:
Flicking through this thread whilst in the service station on the M4 driving back from Bristol. No offence but there are some serious bedwetting comments in here. " The playoffs have gone". Seriously? I appreciate that frustrations spill over during the game but rational thought just disappears for some.
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Definitely feels like there are a lot of people both here and beyond that, despite our form since October, can't help but fall over themselves to relentlessly berate our own players. Steffen sh*te, Smith sh*te, McNair sh*te, Hackney sh*te, Ramsey sh*te, Crooks sh*te. As a fanbase people seem ridiculously quick to turn on our players. Seem to be even more at risk of it if you happen to have come through the academy, see: Adam Reach, Stewart Downing, Marcus Tavernier
 
Cardiffdaffs said:
Flicking through this thread whilst in the service station on the M4 driving back from Bristol. No offence but there are some serious bedwetting comments in here. " The playoffs have gone". Seriously? I appreciate that frustrations spill over during the game but rational thought just disappears for some.
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There always are, as a large enough fan base will contain a broad spectrum. Perform poorly for a period of a game and some will $hit their pants, it's unavoidable.
 
Scrug said:
Better than a loss but in typical boro fashion we’ve started stuttering at the end of the season. I think generally when the pressures off we’re a very good side, but as soon as it matters and we stand to gain something we start panicking. I don’t see too many leaders in that team. Just hope we can pick up some momentum going into the playoffs.
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Just to pick up on the lack of a leader.
When fry was in the team we were purring about smith and lenihan as they were touted as excellent leaders.
Since McNair has been consistently in the team (and this is subtle) I think players like smith and lenihan use up more mental energy playing with a McNair rather than a fry who they can fully trust and relax and concentrate fully on their own game when fry is there and allow their leadership qualities to come out so much more whereas alongside McNair they are unconsciously more nervous (if that’s the correct word)
Does anyone get what I’m saying ??
 
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edinboro said:
I'm worried by Carrick's answer to Drury on how Fry is. I think this might be him for the season.
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I think that's more the way Drury asked it than anything.

I'm not expecting him against Norwich either way.

But any potential play-off matches are over a month away.
 
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