Our next seven games.

viv_andersons_nana said:
I thought things didn’t even out, that’s why we needed VAR.
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they don't within a 12 month season window, given a long enough stretch 5-10, 30 years, they probably do. But you can have a season ruined through poor ref decisions in a couple of key games against rivals, and nothing will even that out, that season.

VAR for offsides is working well, I always said it should only have been introduced for that....very few VAR controversies so far, maybe 2 and much faster with the offsides now.
 
BoroMart said:
they don't within a 12 month season window, given a long enough stretch 5-10, 30 years, they probably do. But you can have a season ruined through poor ref decisions in a couple of key games against rivals, and nothing will even that out, that season
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I would say we got very lucky with a decision last season, at home to Norwich. We were absolutely appalling in that match right up until Norwich had a man sent off for what most people thought was a ‘soft’ decision. It was certainly an unusual one and one that definitely benefited us. Much like the red card at Sunderland last season.

That Norwich game though, that started a recovery in form for us after we’d lost at Stoke and at home to Plymouth. For me, though we turned it around and won, there were real red flags in that performance but the red card completely altered the game in our favour.
 
viv_andersons_nana said:
I would say we got very lucky with a decision last season, at home to Norwich. We were absolutely appalling in that match right up until Norwich had a man sent off for what most people thought was a ‘soft’ decision. It was certainly an unusual one and one that definitely benefited us. Much like the red card at Sunderland last season.
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No one knows what the mackem said to the ref, but we can't say it wasn't warranted, you can't abuse a ref. Yes we got a bit of luck with the Norwich game, but that just proves my point about how a decision in single game can change a season.
 
BoroMart said:
has ofrss ever played up front for us, other than a couple of league cup games when he first joined?
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Yes, Carrick immediately replaced Muniz up front with Forss and kept it that way until Jones had to be taken out of the team. At that point he moved Forss to the right as we didn't have any right wingers with Crooks up front. Then we signed Archer so Forss stayed out right. He has mostly been injured for the last 12 months. When he was available during our no-strikers era we also had no right wingers either so Carrick seemed to think he was better on the right with Greenwood or Silvera up front. Eventually, he came back just in time to play up front in the middle with ELL and was scoring freely until he broke down again.

So, yes, Forss played a fair amount through the middle and a lot of the time he played on the right it was because he was our best option there. I have no idea what Carrick will do when or if Forss fit enough to play.
 
morrissey said:
What cannot be denied is that all the pre-season optimism founded on our purchases and retaining our 'star' players, has completely evaporated. The club had clearly judged this season as the one to have a proper go at promotion and though early days, there are some legitimate concerns.
We had, on paper at least, a very comfortable looking start to the season - we now face a way more demanding set of fixtures and our injury list continues to grow.
Michael Carrick has now been here 2 years and it's been a series of marked peaks and troughs...let's just hope we're about to embark on another peak.
.
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I'd agree with some of the points above, but the perceived "easyness" of the fixtures counts for nowt with the Boro, it never has.

We're at least if not much more likely to whallop the sides soundly that are meant to be the best in the division rather than the slop at the bottom of the table, who will invariably $hithouse their way to a win whilst we give away a fluke of a goal and our strikers blaze every one of a few dozen shots towards the corner flags. It's why I think our best month this season will be December, we've got Burnley both home and away and Leeds away for good measure. We may come unstuck against Plymouth in the middle, but I'd think it more likely that's when we're going to be dishing the beatings out.👍

Sunderland as our closest rival means this logic doesn't tend to be applied (form and league position goes out the window), so the jury is still out on exactly how well they'll do this year overall.
 
viv_andersons_nana said:
My point about patterns and trends remains. It goes back to last August. The reason some people are expressing frustration is because the things that hampered us last season are hampering us this one. That’s the concern.
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I’d go further
The first trend happened at the end of his first season.
We caved in at exactly the wrong time, were poor in the play offs.

Season 2 - missed the play offs after a poor start.
Clearly a backward step.

This season - a little time on his side at the moment. It could go either way.
 
Bruce said:
Yes, Carrick immediately replaced Muniz up front with Forss and kept it that way until Jones had to be taken out of the team. At that point he moved Forss to the right as we didn't have any right wingers with Crooks up front. Then we signed Archer so Forss stayed out right. He has mostly been injured for the last 12 months. When he was available during our no-strikers era we also had no right wingers either so Carrick seemed to think he was better on the right with Greenwood or Silvera up front. Eventually, he came back just in time to play up front in the middle with ELL and was scoring freely until he broke down again.

So, yes, Forss played a fair amount through the middle and a lot of the time he played on the right it was because he was our best option there. I have no idea what Carrick will do when or if Forss fit enough to play.
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Forss played about half a dozen games up front for us when Carrick first came in but then Carrick chose to play Crooks up front and Forss on the right much to many people's dismay. That was until people realised Forss looked much better on the right and started getting more goals.

Carrick has never Forss back up front in his 4-2-3-1 system since and has chosen to play non strikers up there instead such as Greenwood, Rogers and Silvera. It's clear Carrick sees Forss in that right position and doesn't seem to consider him a 9 at all.

I think he did play up front once in one game when we played 2 up front last season.
 
5 points off top tonight.

9 points better off than we were after 7 matches last season.

Looking at the table after 7 games last season, the top team had 19 points, and 2 had 18. Top this year has 16 points. Could it be we're going to have a more compressed league this season?
 
Just had a quick look at the bookies odds for the league title.

Leeds 6/4
Boro 9/1
Burnley 9/1
West Brom 10/1
Sunderland 11/1

Promotion is

Leeds 2/5
Boro 15/8
Burnley 2/1
West Brom 5/2
Sunderland 5/2
 
I have a feeling we’re going to beat both West Brom and Watford.

A word of caution. My feelings regarding Boro are rarely realised!
 
Frozen Horse said:
5 points off top tonight.

9 points better off than we were after 7 matches last season.

Looking at the table after 7 games last season, the top team had 19 points, and 2 had 18. Top this year has 16 points. Could it be we're going to have a more compressed league this season?
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I'd say that'd correct.
Most theorised that you wouldn't have 4 teams as powerful as last season's top 4 this time out and whilst it's early days with only a couple of points difference it's certainly on that trajectory...🤔

Which of course bodes well for us!😃
 
Needed that win yesterday to get over the Sunderland result.

Looking forward to these next 2 games now. I think 3 points would be a good total from the 2 games anything more would be excellent.
 
Southampton and Leeds only had 10 points after 7 games last season.

Ipswich and Leicester with had 18 though!
 
B_G said:
Southampton and Leeds only had 10 points after 7 games last season.

Ipswich and Leicester with had 18 though!
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Ultimately, they ended up some distance (6 and 9 points respectively) behind the automatic places.
In most seasons their points totals would have given them a shout at automatic. I think Leeds are the first club to get 90 points and not get automatic. I'm so sorry for them.

When we talk about last season, Leicester and Ipswich were outstanding.
Leeds and Southampton were very good, but some teams will perform like they did every year.

When we were all saying "no outstanding teams this year" in the Summer, I don't think anyone believed the eventual champions would get less than 90 points, just that they might not get 97.
 
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