Well done boro

[cunningplan]

Several people following this thread will have heard David Beckham's stated preference for watching rugby because 'you can sit next to fans of the opposing team and enjoy the game together'..... unlike football.
I love football and I love BHA and while 'lovefests' are not my thing, I really think football can learn from the good natured rivalry in other sports.... andI think Albion and Middlesbrough fans (apart from one complete nonentity) have achieved that here and I applaud the achievement. More in the future please.

 

[perseus]

Well done to the OP.

No point in getting bitter and twisted on the match day thread. We didn't show enough to deserve anything out of that game. It would have been a decent challenge even if we'd been at full strength.

Time to show a bit of class and acknowledge that Boro were tactically superior and out fought us. A few other sides have made us look ordinary at times but Boro looked solid over 90 minutes.

To be fair, part of today's performance was down to us looking tired and out-gunned in most areas of the pitch. Simple defensive errors cost us dearly and Boro had the quality to take their chances.

Tactics sort of forced upon us by injuries. If it seemed like we were playing with ten men, we were effectively for most of the game. That's what 4-2-4 does. That does not explain the defending at corners (last 3 games especially), although it does a bit as wingers cannot come back and defend whereas a tall striker or extra midfielder can.

I hope we got found out early enough to correct it whilst we've got the points on board to make a challenge.

Always conscious that I would like us to be a few points clear at the top before going into the final two fixtures.

But I tend to agree we had not played any team good enough until the last three matches (Derby, QPR, Boro). And Brentford (next) were very difficult last season.

Boro was the best side we've played at the Amex this season, but the others weren't very good really so nought much to compare. Hull were a bit difficult to score against.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Boro fans are the bestest fans ever. Showed real class following a 3-0 away win at the main rivals. Hats off to them

 

[Stato]

When we lost 3-0 to Hull it gave us the kick up the backside that we needed and we haven't conceded a goal since. I hope you can now do the same and go on another long unbeaten run.

I'm sure you don't really. Let's be honest. I am happy to say that I would like you, Derby, Hull, Burnley, Ipswich and anyone else flirting with the top places to lose loads of games and let us win the league at a stroll.

You got us at just the right time yesterday and put us away professionally, but you looked like our team under Poyet, a style that we found was great if you get the first goal, but in no way unbeatable. Don't take the slightly patronising attitude that your easy win means we are no longer a threat to your promotion chances. Consider that there is always the outside chance that we may end up coming to you at the end of the season at full strength at a time when its your turn to be down a third of your first team squad. If this were to happen I am sure that you do not really hope that it comes after we've been on another long unbeaten run.

 

[Infant Hercules]

I'm sure you don't really. Let's be honest. I am happy to say that I would like you, Derby, Hull, Burnley, Ipswich and anyone else flirting with the top places to lose loads of games and let us win the league at a stroll.

You got us at just the right time yesterday and put us away professionally, but you looked like our team under Poyet, a style that we found was great if you get the first goal, but in no way unbeatable. Don't take the slightly patronising attitude that your easy win means we are no longer a threat to your promotion chances. Consider that there is always the outside chance that we may end up coming to you at the end of the season at full strength at a time when its your turn to be down a third of your first team squad. If this were to happen I am sure that you do not really hope that it comes after we've been on another long unbeaten run.

Without sounding arrogant I feel this could be the start of The Boro pulling away and putting some distance between us and 2nd place, especially if the rumours about us signing Bamford in January are true. So I don't really think we need to fear you as such. Also if you're unbeaten then you're taking points off other rivals and all we is top 2.

So aye, I honestly do mean it.

 

[Stato]

Without sounding arrogant I feel this could be the start of The Boro pulling away and putting some distance between us and 2nd place, especially if the rumours about us signing Bamford in January are true. So I don't really think we need to fear you as such. Also if you're unbeaten then you're taking points off other rivals and all we is top 2.

So aye, I honestly do mean it.

You can't write something arrogant and make it not arrogant by writing 'without sounding arrogant' at the beginning.

Nobody knows what the future holds and, whilst your good run could continue, there is just as good a chance that you will suffer loss of form or injuries and falter. We have just equalled the longest unbeaten run from the start of the season, Derby, like you, have had their best start in decades and Hull and Burnley have faltered, but are just as capable as any of us of putting together a long run of wins. Try to remember the one truth of the Championship: Every team in this division is capable of beating everyone else. Nobody is excepted.

 

[Thimble Keegan]

So who would you suggest was the 'best' away team at the Amex this season? (Genuine question) I can't think of one. An early goal helped them but from then on they didn't need to get out of 3rd gear. I (and those around me) thought that if an equaliser came Boro would just up the tempo again. Albion were obviously short of players but Boro could only beat what was in front of them and they did it convincingly enough for me. I cannot think of another side in this division that would have done that. Derby couldn't even do it at their place and QPR's spell when we were down to 10-men has skewed the view some have of the game on Tuesday when they were hanging on for dear life.

Bristol City and to some extent Charlton (in the first half) came and had a go...Once Middlesbrough scored they sat back and held us off at arms length with absolute ease.

As I said they thoroughly deserved their win and and far far superior to us to suggest on that performance that was the best team seen this season is pushing it...A lot...

Albion & England forever.

Thimble Keegan
Rustington BHA

 

[Milano]

What the **** is this thread??
What next? "Three cheers for the Mexicans"
What with this thread and the one moaning about swearing in the north I flipping give up, football is finished.

 

[cunningplan]

What the **** is this thread??
What next? "Three cheers for the Mexicans"
What with this thread and the one moaning about swearing in the north I flipping give up, football is finished.

or maybe football is catching up with other sports........

 

[BN9 BHA]

What the **** is this thread??
What next? "Three cheers for the Mexicans"
What with this thread and the one moaning about swearing in the north I flipping give up, football is finished.

I take it you're not interested in the mugs and t-shirts I'm trying to flog on the other Boro love in thread.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Without sounding arrogant I feel this could be the start of The Boro pulling away and putting some distance between us and 2nd place, especially if the rumours about us signing Bamford in January are true. So I don't really think we need to fear you as such. Also if you're unbeaten then you're taking points off other rivals and all we is top 2.

So aye, I honestly do mean it.

Yes, that is arrogant. Please keep going, it might move us on from this bizarre Boro love in

 

[Hampster Gull]

What the **** is this thread??
What next? "Three cheers for the Mexicans".

This, with a few bells

PS what have the Mexicans ever done to us thoguh?

 

[London Irish]

Worth recalling Boro were tonked 3-0 at Hull not so long ago. So they've bounced back well and that's our job now. They might be the best team in the league but our very poor performance means it cant be judged on Saturday alone. They look defensively sound, have talent in midfield and Adomah is a class act - but I wonder if they have good enough strikers to finish 1st.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Bristol City and to some extent Charlton (in the first half) came and had a go...Once Middlesbrough scored they sat back and held us off at arms length with absolute ease.

As I said they thoroughly deserved their win and and far far superior to us to suggest on that performance that was the best team seen this season is pushing it...A lot...

Albion & England forever.

Thimble Keegan
Rustington BHA

It's pushing it 'a lot' to suggest that Boro were the best away team seen at The Amex this season? Really?

You offer Bristol City (who did they well) and Charlton (who benefitted from us being awful) as 'better' away teams than Boro?

You may not feel that Boro were as good as others are suggesting, but surely they are the best visiting team we have seen yet?

We have lost many of our best players, so couldn't make it as tough for them as we'd have liked, but I don't think any of the other teams we've seen this season is capable of controlling the game, throughout, in the way that they did.

 

[Thimble Keegan]

It's pushing it 'a lot' to suggest that Boro were the best away team seen at The Amex this season? Really?

You offer Bristol City (who did they well) and Charlton (who benefitted from us being awful) as 'better' away teams than Boro?

You may not feel that Boro were as good as others are suggesting, but surely they are the best visiting team we have seen yet?

We have lost many of our best players, so couldn't make it as tough for them as we'd have liked, but I don't think any of the other teams we've seen this season is capable of controlling the game, throughout, in the way that they did.

I thought Boro were very, very effective and were also very good at what they did...But for the vast majority of the first-half they just sat there and invited us on knowing full well they could keep us out comfortably.

Bristol City defended well and attacked at pace with some skillful players. As for Charlton, I think it is unfair to suggest the only reason they did well was because we were toilet in the first-half...They could have been 5-0 up at the break.

Middlesbrough executed their game-plan to absolute perfection much in the same way we did in the Play-Off Final under Mark McGhee. So they should be admired for that. But then maybe I should concede because the stats show that they are greatest side to ever visit The Amex...

But anyway, it is time to move on and a win at Brentford is vitally imnportant.

Albion & England forever

Thimble Keegan
Westminster BHA

 

[Simster]

Without sounding arrogant I feel this could be the start of The Boro pulling away and putting some distance between us and 2nd place, especially if the rumours about us signing Bamford in January are true. So I don't really think we need to fear you as such. Also if you're unbeaten then you're taking points off other rivals and all we is top 2.

So aye, I honestly do mean it.

If you think you'll pull away based on one solid performance over Albion, who are decimated by injury, then you are very much mistaken. As has been said elsewhere, this league is as competitive as any. Let's see where we are after the January window slams shut. As far as I'm concerned, it remains a five horse race for 2 automatic promotion places. And the three that fail had better hope that they're not joined by wealthy underachieving clubs like QPR or Reading, who are perfectly capable of matching the top five on any given day.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Without sounding arrogant I feel this could be the start of The Boro pulling away and putting some distance between us and 2nd place, especially if the rumours about us signing Bamford in January are true. So I don't really think we need to fear you as such. Also if you're unbeaten then you're taking points off other rivals and all we is top 2.

So aye, I honestly do mean it.

Without sounding arrogant you have managed to write a post containing breathtaking degrees of arrogance - almost Crystal Palace levels of arrogance in fact !!

I haven't looked at the Middlesbrough fixture list, but I doubt you have played as many of the tricky aways that we have - Ipswich, Derby, Burnley, QPR, Reading, Massive Wednesday, Leeds, Wolves - all signed off as played by the albion.

We have only 3 very tricky fixtures left - Hull away, Derby home, and Middlesbrough away. All the rest are very winnable, although no garantees in this league.

Foolish to write us off with your arrogance.

 

[Infant Hercules]

Fair enough and I may be getting a little over excited but it's 9 hours since we conceded a goal, we are top of the league and we've just beaten one of our main rivals 3-0 at their place - so perhaps I am being over confident but I certainly didn't mean to sound arrogant like I'm writing you off.

We've played Hull, Derby, Ipswich, Forest, Wolves, Shef Wed, Cardiff and Brighton away - and also Leeds at home (whom we usually lose to) and we're still top by two points. So we've got Burnley and QPR away that I'd consider to be really tough games; although in this league anything can happen, you'd expect us to do well in the other games - Blackburn next will be tricky but it's definitely winnable.

This year we have a squad that can be rotated and feel just as strong with at least two good players in every position. I also expect that we'll strengthen in January.

So call that arrogance if you like but I'm not sat here beating my chest like a Geordie and looking down on the little people, I just think that the toughest fixtures have come in the first half of the season and we're just beginning to hit our stride now. Of course the wheels could come off but with Karanka and the belief the team has added to the ability to come back from a defeat and go on an uneaten run again - it just feels like that won't happen.

I'm just being honest and mean no disrespect.

 

[smogmonsta]

"MDMA in the tap water" capital of the UK, definetely

 

[Sheebo]

Just remember you spent 5.5 mil on one player (3.5 on another etc etc). You spent about as much on Downing as we spent all Summer. You and Derby SHOULD be up there and in theory well clear of us...