r00fie1
Well-known member
It's that time again>>>>>>>>>
Even before the game, Carrick spoke about what may be needed in terms of the squad going into the summer, in preparation for next season.
EFL Championship. Saturday 2nd March 2024. Stoke City v Middlesbrough. Bet365 Stadium. KO: 15:00 hrs.
Even before the game, Carrick spoke about what may be needed in terms of the squad going into the summer, in preparation for next season.
EFL Championship. Saturday 2nd March 2024. Stoke City v Middlesbrough. Bet365 Stadium. KO: 15:00 hrs.
Today's game [Saturday] represents different challenges for both clubs Managers and players, for different reasons. At this stage of the season, it's either a battle to ensure that (i) rite-of-passage to the play-offs or promotion. (ii) The best attempt to finish as high as possible for those whose play-off hopes are almost over and, finally, (iii) a battle to keep the club's future in the Championship for the 24/25 season.
[Leicester stuck 5 past Stoke with no reply]
For Stoke Manager, Steven Schumacher, today's game is probably going to be the most important of the season: Sheffield Wednesday have found form, just when it matters and are just behind Stoke, whose form has been dreadful and, find themselves in third-bottom place. In the last eight games, the Potters have won two [1-0 against QPR and Rotherham]. But they have conceded a total of 16 goals in the remaining six defeats. Those include Birmingham [1-2], Sunderland [1-3], Leicester [0-5], Blackburn [1-3], Coventry [0-1] and Cardiff [1-2]. With Rotherham [19 points] almost virtually relegated, thirteen points adrift of second-bottom Sheffield Wednesday [32 points] It's between Stoke and any team from QPR, Millwall, Huddersfield, Birmingham, Swansea, and Blackburn fighting it out from relegation.
[Stoke Manager Paul Lambert left the Potters after their ten-year top flight residence finished with relegation in 2018].
Stoke were relegated from The Premier League in 2018, but their time in the Championship hasn't been a happy one [apart from when playing us!] — finishing no higher than 14th in proceeding seasons! For a team which has spent considerable amounts on players during that period and seen 11 [Eleven!] Managers [including Caretaker Managers] Stoke are fighting for their lives. Morale is at rock bottom, so we can expect a fight from them tomorrow.
Michael Carrick
[From his Media Conference on Thursday 29th February 2024]
Hasn't quite admitted defeat in his aspirations for Boro to reach the Play-offs, even though we are eleven points clear of 6th place and with a game in hand. If we won that game in hand, right now, we would be on the same points as the Mackems [10th] on 47 points.
[Did home defeat to Plymouth virtually extinguish our hopes of reaching the play-offs ?]
However, although still his usual calm pragmatic, optimistic self, he gave off the feeling that the play-offs and promotion were all but extinguished after the defeat to Plymouth:
Obviously [the play-offs] you know it's tougher than it was before the game on Saturday, that's pretty obvious. It doesn't really change how we do things. It doesn't really change how we approach the next game you know, and anything can happen, so we got to still certainly keep believing and keep trying to do the right thing. That's the only way you know, I tell it to you [reporters] all the time. That's the only thing you can do. [It] is the next game you know, the bigger picture doesn't really count when you're going into one game. It's all about what happens on the next game .....regardless of what's happened or where we are. I don't remember, or I don't recall, any team going into the next game not trying to win it........ and certainly we're doing that. If we can do that over enough over the rest of the season, then see what we can achieve.
Carrick will be fortunate in the remaining games to see the majority of the squad back in line for selection. It feels ironic that he will have the best players to choose from at the back end of this season, than we did after that poor start and through till the New Year:
We've got a good few games coming up over the next couple of weeks, so the more bodies and the more we can choose from then obviously the better, said Carrick.
[We proved just what we can do when we give of our best]
Carrick spoke of players and the team needing to take “pride” in themselves to finish as high as possible in the league and not to make excuses. For him, it's not a matter of injuries, not having the right players available at the right time, placing square pegs in round holes, chopping and changing formations and inconsistency. It's down to try your best with what you've got. Unfortunately for Michael Carrick, this season has seen all of those issues, and amplified by the departure of Morgan Rogers and Matt Crooks. As he always says, “that's football” and “it is what it is”!
He knows Stoke will be fired up to win at home. He says the boys are looking forward to the challenge. But Stoke won't be in any frame of mind to roll over at their place. When the chips are down and the pressure is on, you can expect a team to be stronger, tougher, more willing to take their chances and use physical ability to get the points.
Perhaps the most significant comments in his recent media conference indicated his approach to next season, with an eye on existing players and possible incomings and outgoings. It's fair to assume that Carrick already has a good idea of whom he wants to keep, who he is ready to let go, and have targets for the Summer. Based on what he has said previously, plans will be well under way. The big issue will be what's available from the penny jar to bring in fresh blood, but that's another story for another day!
[Carrick observes his troops before the start of the campaign]
It doesn't as I said, it doesn't change, there's no extra scrutiny on the players from me at all. Obviously last year, last summer [talk was about] kind of squad was over players and ......a lot about that, will it be different this season? So is it going to be kind of minor tweaking [?] rather than [complete] overhaul ? And does that give you more chance to kind of build momentum through the back end of this season, taken through the summer? Next of course, in an Ideal World I think consistency and stability is what you need to kind of build on in terms of success and for the players as well to kind of understand where we're going. [Michael Carrick].
For now, Carrick is focused on Stoke City. They've been a bit of a bogey team for us in recent years, but that won't stop us trying to get three valuable points. Even if it seems like we've lost the opportunity to get where we wanted this season, there's still plenty to play for and, that includes our players, some who may be looking over their shoulders, if they don't give 110%.
Reflecting back on the 20th anniversary of our 2004 Carling Cup win back in Cardiff, Carrick says he remembers The Riverside being a tough place to come to and recalls not getting too many positive results [!]. That may be a cause célèbre this week, but for now it's back to the grimy Potteries and that cold stadia in Staffordshire. If we turn up at our best, like we did at Leicester, we can expect a good result and a pleasant trip away. It would be nice to have that in our back pocket for the home game against Norwich next Wednesday.
We can do this.
Come on Boro!
r00fie1 01/03/2024
[Leicester stuck 5 past Stoke with no reply]
For Stoke Manager, Steven Schumacher, today's game is probably going to be the most important of the season: Sheffield Wednesday have found form, just when it matters and are just behind Stoke, whose form has been dreadful and, find themselves in third-bottom place. In the last eight games, the Potters have won two [1-0 against QPR and Rotherham]. But they have conceded a total of 16 goals in the remaining six defeats. Those include Birmingham [1-2], Sunderland [1-3], Leicester [0-5], Blackburn [1-3], Coventry [0-1] and Cardiff [1-2]. With Rotherham [19 points] almost virtually relegated, thirteen points adrift of second-bottom Sheffield Wednesday [32 points] It's between Stoke and any team from QPR, Millwall, Huddersfield, Birmingham, Swansea, and Blackburn fighting it out from relegation.
[Stoke Manager Paul Lambert left the Potters after their ten-year top flight residence finished with relegation in 2018].
Stoke were relegated from The Premier League in 2018, but their time in the Championship hasn't been a happy one [apart from when playing us!] — finishing no higher than 14th in proceeding seasons! For a team which has spent considerable amounts on players during that period and seen 11 [Eleven!] Managers [including Caretaker Managers] Stoke are fighting for their lives. Morale is at rock bottom, so we can expect a fight from them tomorrow.
Michael Carrick
[From his Media Conference on Thursday 29th February 2024]
Hasn't quite admitted defeat in his aspirations for Boro to reach the Play-offs, even though we are eleven points clear of 6th place and with a game in hand. If we won that game in hand, right now, we would be on the same points as the Mackems [10th] on 47 points.
[Did home defeat to Plymouth virtually extinguish our hopes of reaching the play-offs ?]
However, although still his usual calm pragmatic, optimistic self, he gave off the feeling that the play-offs and promotion were all but extinguished after the defeat to Plymouth:
Obviously [the play-offs] you know it's tougher than it was before the game on Saturday, that's pretty obvious. It doesn't really change how we do things. It doesn't really change how we approach the next game you know, and anything can happen, so we got to still certainly keep believing and keep trying to do the right thing. That's the only way you know, I tell it to you [reporters] all the time. That's the only thing you can do. [It] is the next game you know, the bigger picture doesn't really count when you're going into one game. It's all about what happens on the next game .....regardless of what's happened or where we are. I don't remember, or I don't recall, any team going into the next game not trying to win it........ and certainly we're doing that. If we can do that over enough over the rest of the season, then see what we can achieve.
Carrick will be fortunate in the remaining games to see the majority of the squad back in line for selection. It feels ironic that he will have the best players to choose from at the back end of this season, than we did after that poor start and through till the New Year:
We've got a good few games coming up over the next couple of weeks, so the more bodies and the more we can choose from then obviously the better, said Carrick.
[We proved just what we can do when we give of our best]
Carrick spoke of players and the team needing to take “pride” in themselves to finish as high as possible in the league and not to make excuses. For him, it's not a matter of injuries, not having the right players available at the right time, placing square pegs in round holes, chopping and changing formations and inconsistency. It's down to try your best with what you've got. Unfortunately for Michael Carrick, this season has seen all of those issues, and amplified by the departure of Morgan Rogers and Matt Crooks. As he always says, “that's football” and “it is what it is”!
He knows Stoke will be fired up to win at home. He says the boys are looking forward to the challenge. But Stoke won't be in any frame of mind to roll over at their place. When the chips are down and the pressure is on, you can expect a team to be stronger, tougher, more willing to take their chances and use physical ability to get the points.
Perhaps the most significant comments in his recent media conference indicated his approach to next season, with an eye on existing players and possible incomings and outgoings. It's fair to assume that Carrick already has a good idea of whom he wants to keep, who he is ready to let go, and have targets for the Summer. Based on what he has said previously, plans will be well under way. The big issue will be what's available from the penny jar to bring in fresh blood, but that's another story for another day!
[Carrick observes his troops before the start of the campaign]
It doesn't as I said, it doesn't change, there's no extra scrutiny on the players from me at all. Obviously last year, last summer [talk was about] kind of squad was over players and ......a lot about that, will it be different this season? So is it going to be kind of minor tweaking [?] rather than [complete] overhaul ? And does that give you more chance to kind of build momentum through the back end of this season, taken through the summer? Next of course, in an Ideal World I think consistency and stability is what you need to kind of build on in terms of success and for the players as well to kind of understand where we're going. [Michael Carrick].
For now, Carrick is focused on Stoke City. They've been a bit of a bogey team for us in recent years, but that won't stop us trying to get three valuable points. Even if it seems like we've lost the opportunity to get where we wanted this season, there's still plenty to play for and, that includes our players, some who may be looking over their shoulders, if they don't give 110%.
Reflecting back on the 20th anniversary of our 2004 Carling Cup win back in Cardiff, Carrick says he remembers The Riverside being a tough place to come to and recalls not getting too many positive results [!]. That may be a cause célèbre this week, but for now it's back to the grimy Potteries and that cold stadia in Staffordshire. If we turn up at our best, like we did at Leicester, we can expect a good result and a pleasant trip away. It would be nice to have that in our back pocket for the home game against Norwich next Wednesday.
We can do this.
Come on Boro!
r00fie1 01/03/2024
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