r00fie1
Well-known member
It's that time again [for the last game away for the 23/24 season]>>>>>
Saturday 27th April 2024. EFL Championship. Cardiff City v Middlesbrough. Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd. KO: 15:00 hrs
Saturday 27th April 2024. EFL Championship. Cardiff City v Middlesbrough. Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd. KO: 15:00 hrs
Michael Carrick looked the most animated on the touchline against Leeds, than he's been since he arrived at The Riverside as Head Coach. That off-side decision and the complete waster of a linesman added to what was a "bonkers" game. From the opening Boro goal to the final five minutes, where the ref somehow decided there was hardly any time added-on. Leeds were under pressure to get the points, but we gave them as good as they got. Every time they thought they`de done enough, we just decided we weren't having it and scored!
[Carrick was a little "animated" by some of the "decisions" during the Leeds game!]
At four-two, Leeds thought it was game over, but Alex Gilbert's superb pinpoint pass to our 16 goalscorer Emmanuel Latte Lath and his brilliant header over the Leeds keeper was........magic.
[From foot to head: Alex Gilbert fires towards Latte Lath to convert for the third Boro goal]
The sheer pandemonium in Leeds defence which followed was just daring the ball to cross the dirty-white's goal line. If Jonny Howson`s drilled shot had got over the line......insane. But for sheer entertainment, seven goals, an offside-blind linesman, Daniel Farke bouncing up and down from the bench, Carrick looking annoyed [!] and appearing to be deep in conversation with Woody at one stage, it proves that you should NEVER leave a match early. It may have ended our nine game unbeaten run, but what a way to do it!
Said Carrick in his most recent media conference about the game:
I thought it was a fantastic game, I thought the way [we] went about it, especially Leeds in the position they're in the league. You understand it you know, but I've seen teams in our position in the league and not produced that type of performance at this stage and I thought the effort and the attitude, the motivation, and pride really the boys showed was fantastic. I think the supporters appreciated that they could say that could feed off it and there was a real fantastic atmosphere in the stadium.
[...and he`s called Latte Lath!]
At this time of the season, it's not about points so much as pride. In terms of our ambition for this season, it took a while to get going, having set such a high bench-mark last season, but we had the high's of beating Chelsea, stuffing Sunderland in their own backyard, taking six big points off Leicester as well as beating Southampton and, gave Ipswich a scare at Portman Road. Leeds summed everything up about our season, although it's only the third time Leeds have conceded three league goals in a single match!
It's looking forward to what happens after the season is over in just two games time. Louis O`Brien has already made his feeling known that he wants to stay here, but it depends if Forest stay up: if they do, his contract lasts for another two years on Premiership wages and Trees may be asking more than we can afford. If they get relegated, they will need a "fire sale", so O`Brien might be a financially viable acquisition. Carrick wouldn't be drawn on the state of talks or progress on keeping certain players or ongoing communication with other clubs about their players:
There are.....decisions to be made for sure it's never just a straightforward one, there's a lot goes into them and [it would be] be wrong for me now to kind of get involved either way. I think it's the discussions which take place, and obviously have been taking place.....we'll assess it at the end of the season and see what's best for everyone moving forward. I remember I think we had a similar conversation around January about planning for the future....... you know this isn't something that the season comes to an end and, all of a sudden we go "right what [are] we're going to do" [!] this summer ? It's very much a case of it rolls as it goes on. So work [is] very clearly already going on.
Alex Gilbert. What's his future?
Trying to carve out the career in a game is not easy you know....sometimes you can get thrust in an opportunity ....and the door opens and you kind of stay in the team, or you have a real trajectory... you create goals in one direction [whilst] other times it can be a bit more challenging. It's not meant to be easy to play at this level and Alex you know he's wanted to play more football he's been desperate to play more football, more minutes on the pitch, he's had to be patient he's had to train well he's had to learn a lot as well. Credit to him for that the way he's gone about it, and he's had a good impact for us recently so....he's looking to finish the season on a high, and you know he's definitely moving in the right direction in terms of improving all the time.
Carrick was also keen to reiterate how much our younger players are key to the future. It's not just about having minutes on the pitch, but training with experienced players who bring that experience to the way they behave and think on and off the pitch. Knowledge isn't just playing to a referee's whistle and our younger players have been learning from those in our squad who have played in Internationals, the World Cup, in the Premier League, across Europe and beyond.
[Jonesy converts one of the two goals in our 2-0 victory over Cardiff at The Riverside]
Cardiff, represents no less a challenge to Carrick and his staff, than any of the other of the forty-four league games we have played this season. He pointed to us fans, who have followed the Boro, well over seven thousand miles this season [correct me if I’m wrong] and just about sold out every away allocation. It would be disrespectful for the team to be on the beach for those venturing to Cardiff or for the last game at home to Watford.
We want to do well, we want to be the best as we can, and we want to finish as high up the league as ...to give us a sense of some achievement [Michael Carrick]
Carrick mentioned that some of the younger players may get an opportunity over the next two games, but that's not all. For him, what happens off and on the pitch will influence his thinking on which youngsters deserve a chance not just now, but over the summer and into next season. We have players out on loan who have done well at their respective clubs. We have experienced players returning from loan spells and others who are still recovering from injury.
[Boro`s Max Howells on loan at Whitby Town].
Looking back over the season, carrick reflected:
So next season's a whole new thing, but of course there is the element of finishing strong and taking it into the summer. You know what I'll be saying at the start of next season; we start from scratch, and it counts for nothing, so can't have it both ways, but certainly these next two games are important for us........ for sure there's a big part of wanting to win the games as well so it's by no means two kind of friendly games at all and just seeing the season out it's we still want to do a lot of the right things.
[This season isn't over yet for Michael Carrick and next season has already begun]!
We're ninth in the table right now. There are a further six points available to add to the 63 we've already earned. It's not all over yet. We may be waiting for next season, but for Carrick, the Recruitment Team and the rest of the staff, next season has started already.
Cardiff have scored fourteen fewer goals this season than us, so let's hope we can increase that gap and beat the Welshmen.
Come on Boro!
r00fie1 26/04/2024.
[Carrick was a little "animated" by some of the "decisions" during the Leeds game!]
At four-two, Leeds thought it was game over, but Alex Gilbert's superb pinpoint pass to our 16 goalscorer Emmanuel Latte Lath and his brilliant header over the Leeds keeper was........magic.
[From foot to head: Alex Gilbert fires towards Latte Lath to convert for the third Boro goal]
The sheer pandemonium in Leeds defence which followed was just daring the ball to cross the dirty-white's goal line. If Jonny Howson`s drilled shot had got over the line......insane. But for sheer entertainment, seven goals, an offside-blind linesman, Daniel Farke bouncing up and down from the bench, Carrick looking annoyed [!] and appearing to be deep in conversation with Woody at one stage, it proves that you should NEVER leave a match early. It may have ended our nine game unbeaten run, but what a way to do it!
Said Carrick in his most recent media conference about the game:
I thought it was a fantastic game, I thought the way [we] went about it, especially Leeds in the position they're in the league. You understand it you know, but I've seen teams in our position in the league and not produced that type of performance at this stage and I thought the effort and the attitude, the motivation, and pride really the boys showed was fantastic. I think the supporters appreciated that they could say that could feed off it and there was a real fantastic atmosphere in the stadium.
[...and he`s called Latte Lath!]
At this time of the season, it's not about points so much as pride. In terms of our ambition for this season, it took a while to get going, having set such a high bench-mark last season, but we had the high's of beating Chelsea, stuffing Sunderland in their own backyard, taking six big points off Leicester as well as beating Southampton and, gave Ipswich a scare at Portman Road. Leeds summed everything up about our season, although it's only the third time Leeds have conceded three league goals in a single match!
It's looking forward to what happens after the season is over in just two games time. Louis O`Brien has already made his feeling known that he wants to stay here, but it depends if Forest stay up: if they do, his contract lasts for another two years on Premiership wages and Trees may be asking more than we can afford. If they get relegated, they will need a "fire sale", so O`Brien might be a financially viable acquisition. Carrick wouldn't be drawn on the state of talks or progress on keeping certain players or ongoing communication with other clubs about their players:
There are.....decisions to be made for sure it's never just a straightforward one, there's a lot goes into them and [it would be] be wrong for me now to kind of get involved either way. I think it's the discussions which take place, and obviously have been taking place.....we'll assess it at the end of the season and see what's best for everyone moving forward. I remember I think we had a similar conversation around January about planning for the future....... you know this isn't something that the season comes to an end and, all of a sudden we go "right what [are] we're going to do" [!] this summer ? It's very much a case of it rolls as it goes on. So work [is] very clearly already going on.
Alex Gilbert. What's his future?
Trying to carve out the career in a game is not easy you know....sometimes you can get thrust in an opportunity ....and the door opens and you kind of stay in the team, or you have a real trajectory... you create goals in one direction [whilst] other times it can be a bit more challenging. It's not meant to be easy to play at this level and Alex you know he's wanted to play more football he's been desperate to play more football, more minutes on the pitch, he's had to be patient he's had to train well he's had to learn a lot as well. Credit to him for that the way he's gone about it, and he's had a good impact for us recently so....he's looking to finish the season on a high, and you know he's definitely moving in the right direction in terms of improving all the time.
Carrick was also keen to reiterate how much our younger players are key to the future. It's not just about having minutes on the pitch, but training with experienced players who bring that experience to the way they behave and think on and off the pitch. Knowledge isn't just playing to a referee's whistle and our younger players have been learning from those in our squad who have played in Internationals, the World Cup, in the Premier League, across Europe and beyond.
[Jonesy converts one of the two goals in our 2-0 victory over Cardiff at The Riverside]
Cardiff, represents no less a challenge to Carrick and his staff, than any of the other of the forty-four league games we have played this season. He pointed to us fans, who have followed the Boro, well over seven thousand miles this season [correct me if I’m wrong] and just about sold out every away allocation. It would be disrespectful for the team to be on the beach for those venturing to Cardiff or for the last game at home to Watford.
We want to do well, we want to be the best as we can, and we want to finish as high up the league as ...to give us a sense of some achievement [Michael Carrick]
Carrick mentioned that some of the younger players may get an opportunity over the next two games, but that's not all. For him, what happens off and on the pitch will influence his thinking on which youngsters deserve a chance not just now, but over the summer and into next season. We have players out on loan who have done well at their respective clubs. We have experienced players returning from loan spells and others who are still recovering from injury.
[Boro`s Max Howells on loan at Whitby Town].
Looking back over the season, carrick reflected:
So next season's a whole new thing, but of course there is the element of finishing strong and taking it into the summer. You know what I'll be saying at the start of next season; we start from scratch, and it counts for nothing, so can't have it both ways, but certainly these next two games are important for us........ for sure there's a big part of wanting to win the games as well so it's by no means two kind of friendly games at all and just seeing the season out it's we still want to do a lot of the right things.
[This season isn't over yet for Michael Carrick and next season has already begun]!
We're ninth in the table right now. There are a further six points available to add to the 63 we've already earned. It's not all over yet. We may be waiting for next season, but for Carrick, the Recruitment Team and the rest of the staff, next season has started already.
Cardiff have scored fourteen fewer goals this season than us, so let's hope we can increase that gap and beat the Welshmen.
Come on Boro!
r00fie1 26/04/2024.
Hero!
