BoroMart
Well-known member
It’s not like our gk had anything to save or Swansea striker missed sitters. They had the ball we had a good shape and couldn’t create
* The One and Only Unofficial "Official" Boro v Swansea [10/08/24] Programme and Match - Day Thread *
- Thread starter r00fie1
- Start date
BoroPhil
Well-known member
yeah, they didn't even create a chance until the 63rd minute
r00fie1
Well-known member
Ex Footy Legs
Well-known member
I just watched a second half of the boro, in front of our home fans being happy to concede possession and defend a 1-0.
That won’t fill those two to three thousand empty seats and it doesn’t make for a great atmosphere, therefore in my view, it’s detrimental to the team in the broader sense.
People come on here and say, oh, it’s the first game ffs.
But last season this was how it was at home whereby we tried to hang on and didn’t.
Our home form was a big part of why we weren’t good enough for the playoffs.
My concern is the approach to games isn’t the kind of front foot football that gets you into the premier league; Ipswich and Leicester did it last season, Burnley & Luton the year before….
I’m not yet convinced that Carrick wants front foot football or knows how important it is to extracting yourselves from this league.
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Frozen Horse
Well-known member
I said before the match: it's Swansea, so it won't be entertaining. Matches against Swansea never are.
In our last 10 home matches last season, we bossed possession in 9 of them. Guess who the only team to have more possession than us were? Swansea of course, and they didn't come close to scoring then either, it wasn't a good watch, but we won comfortably then too.
However, thinking our style on Saturday is an indicator of how we'll play this season is patently wrong.
Their approach is pretty impotent unless you give them a chance by chasing them, trying to get the ball back, and dragging yourselves our if position.
We've won our last 5 home matches Vs Swansea, and they've all been like Saturday.
We know that's not how.we usually play, it's just tactically smart against them.
As for filling the ground, its not needed for a good atmosphere and it's not needed to help the team win. However, no matter how entertaining we are, we won't come close to filling the ground if we're not winning.
BoroMart
Well-known member
They’re best opportunity was the free kick, according to xG, and was still only a low scoring opportunity. the other,4 shots were negligible opportunities.
We had 5 big chance to score
BoroMart
Well-known member
The goalpost has been moved, to a different post code
Karanka?!
Correct, it was horses for courses, it was a team that will dominate the ball, but we got the better of them and comfortably. That’ll build a bit of confidence and it took us 10 matches to register a cleansheet last season,
done in one.
Ex Footy Legs
Well-known member
I hope i'm wrong - I'm just sharing my concern - i'm not wanting to stir someone's insides in knots.The goalpost has been moved, to a different post code
Karanka?!
Correct, it was horses for courses, it was a team that will dominate the ball, but we got the better of them and comfortably. That’ll build a bit of confidence and it took us 10 matches to register a cleansheet last season,
Karanka's style of play was 10 years ago....it's gone - football has moved on - even spain (Karankas home country) have changed their style to front foot football.
Lineker in his podcasts during the world cup felt like Southgate's style of football - possession based and therefore sometimes slow....doesn't work anymore as it did years ago - teams have sussed out the possession based - apply pressure and win the ball high up the field instead of defending. Man City are an exception - but they also have a high press and because they move the ball fast as well as keeping possession - that's the utopia. pacey players moving it fast and good finishers.
Front foot football is the only way to get promoted out of the champo - sitting back and defending is not going to work. Maybe we do need to bring ourselves upto speed physically/fitness wise and also played Swansea at their own game. Teams that went at us last season - we struggled against that. (and I know we had injuries but we are gonna get injuries again - so need to cope with that)
BoroMart
Well-known member
Not sure it is, there will always be different philosophies and someone will be in the mix purely on their defensive attributes.
Anyway, what is clear is that we conceded far too many goals last year and had far too few cleansheets. We only had 6 cleansheets through until march last season, and it showed in our form. 5 cleansheets in the last 11 games gave us our run of form that almost dragged us back int the play offs.
r00fie1
Well-known member
Swansea Manager Luke Williams plays defensive, possession-based football and attempts to frustrate the opposition.
It's his trademark and it never changes.
It was never going to be pretty, but it's only the first game, so let's not take anything about the rest of the season from that.
Three points is what counts.
1 game down, 45 to go
It's his trademark and it never changes.
It was never going to be pretty, but it's only the first game, so let's not take anything about the rest of the season from that.
Three points is what counts.
1 game down, 45 to go