r00fie1
Well-known member
Its that time again>>>>>>
Preston North End v Boro. Wednesday 14th February 2024. KO.19:45 hrs
"Keep supporting us, keep the energy in the players, keep feeling that love and passion for the club and see where we can end up."
Preston North End v Boro. Wednesday 14th February 2024. KO.19:45 hrs
"Keep supporting us, keep the energy in the players, keep feeling that love and passion for the club and see where we can end up."
Carrick has faced some tricky questions this week. Not least, concerning the loss of Matt Crooks, the absence of an out-and-out striker in the squad, the use of “free agents” in the football market and, whether he thinks Boro can realistically hope to achieve a place in the play-offs?
At his Tuesday Media Conference, prior to today's game, Carrick appeared slightly agitated by some inevitable questions following that very poor performance against Bristol City on Saturday. He said after the game, "it isn't the end of the world", but for us fans it certainly felt like a big dent in our attempt to get some consistency in our challenge for the play-offs. He was very measured and pragmatic in his reply, but still believes we had enough opportunities to put the game to bed. The obvious question was why we had gifted two goals in under two minutes to Bristol City, left chasing the game and scoring a consolation goal right at the end:
I was encouraged by a lot of the game, actually. I thought we had probably a ten [or] fifteen minute spell in the first half, where it kind of went a little bit sideways for us….[it] unravelled. After that, in a game which could have gone and been a long tough one for the boys to get through, I thought they actually got to grips and played largely quite well for the rest of the game. I actually feel we should have got more from it than we did [so] I took that as a real positive. You know, we've got things to work on. We didn’t win the game, so there's a bit of disappointment with that, but there's enough there for me to shake off [smile] and look forward to the next one.
Carrick was very stern-faced and gave a short, blunt reply when asked where he thought "shed loads" of goals were going to come from, without the presence of a Chuba-Akpom like player in the squad:
We haven't so far, so who knows? Plenty of games to go and, the boys are capable of scoring goals….[we're] creating a lot of chances and our attacking players, in particular, are capable of scoring goals, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone goes on a [scoring] run. It feels like it's coming.
He also gave short shrift to the question about "free agents" being brought in to act as cover? The answer was an emphatic NO!
Perhaps the return of Silvera, McGree and Forss together, might offer that spark [?], although it's unlikely any of our current squad will attain the same achievements this season as Chuba Akpom.
For Carrick, it is about every player "chipping in" and playing their part. He bluntly refused to give an answer when asked "who's your money on" to score those goals. If Marcus Forss current form is anything to go by, then we can certainly expect a few more from him. Sammy Silvera also has the habit of setting up and scoring goals and, Riley McGree can conjure up some worldies, as we know. But time is pressing, and we definitely need to take our chances up front and seal up the defence at the same time.
Riley McGree "feels like a new signing" said Carrick, acknowledging it was a difficult time for the player with his previous injury and then his absence on International duty. A return to the sort of form he was showing early season will be a welcome addition to the squad:
I think it was a frustrating one with Riley, because of the nature of that injury. I keep telling you, we weren't exactly sure, and it was a bit of take-it-as-it-came and, it ended up being a bit longer than we all hoped. Now, coming into this phase of the season, we can use that as a real positive….that freshness, that energy [and] that enthusiasm that's there from him [will] rub off, and we'll get the benefits of that.
It's been a difficult time for players like Hayden Hackney and other players, having been forced by circumstances, to play out of position. Carrick knows it's been a difficult ask. That also means playing different combinations in mid-field to give some players a rest, like Jonny Howson. Managing players is a crucial part of the game.
Yeah, listen, Hayden's best position is Midfielder, I think we know that. I'm not trying to reinvent him [smile] by doing anything else…it was just circumstances a little bit, and you can do that. [He] can play off the left, as he's done it and, he's done it pretty successfully over time by scoring goals.
We are still missing two key players in Latte Lath and Isaiah Jones, but Sammy Silvera and Riley are back. Carrick's take on the departure of Crooks and Rogers has created opportunities for others to prove they are worthy of a place in the starting line up, including the like of Matthew Hoppie, who is back in the group. Lewis O`Brien is also back fit after a long absence and adds another option for our head coach to consider. He's been in training and getting back up to speed.
The loss of pace through injury to Jones has been a big loss. We shouldn't underestimate just how much Jones is missed, even if he has a bad day. Although it's a squad game and the team performance which achieves results, Jones symbolises the Middlesbrough trademark. "Isaiah running down the right-hand side" isn't in the song for nowt you know.
It's on to Preston, another tough game and another side we know well by now. It was the ground where Carrick first saw his new charges lose 2-1 in added time that he officially began his career as Head Coach. We've had some highs and lows against Preston, not least the 4-0 hammering we gave them at our place before New Year. Carrick believes that will have no bearing on how we approach tonight's game. Preston began the season like a rocket, but fell back and are now playing well again, so we are well aware of what we will be facing at Deepdale.
Play-offs? Carrick, as usual, is trying to concentrate on what's in front of us tonight and not looking too far ahead. He made a point that, historically, clubs may look certain to get into the play-offs or look so far off, they are unlikely to even get a sniff, but things change quickly. We shouldn't take things for granted, nor "throw in the towel"[to use a well-worn phrase]:
Yeah, but it's loads and loads of football to play yet. If you just take a step back and look at the league how it is and how it's been historically: whoever's at these positions in the league now, never end up in them positions come the end of the season. That's up and down, so let's take each step at a time [smile] and step-by-step and try to win games [and] see where we end up.
He's certainly optimistic about the short term, midterm and long-term future for the Club and the squad. He believes the foundations continue to be built for a solid future for Boro. Furthermore, he acknowledged "we all want instant success", but that sometimes it "takes a bit of time". Bringing on the younger players is something Carrick places a lot of importance on and takes a pride in seeing them develop as they come through the system.
Carrick was asked about the away fans and just what they mean to him and the boys:
The away fans are vital for us, you know, and we must be up there with the most travelling support throughout the league. The numbers are incredible and every single game we go to, however far, the boys notice that, and they feel that. We're obviously going to need that energy and that help and support over the next couple of games.
We're trying to do that in a certain way by playing the way we're playing [smile] and making it successful, you know. So yeah, keep supporting us, keep the energy in the players, keep feeling that love and passion for the club and see where we can end up.
In the Championship, it's always a tough game.
Tonight is no different.
We can do this.
Come On Boro!
r00fie1 14th February 2024
At his Tuesday Media Conference, prior to today's game, Carrick appeared slightly agitated by some inevitable questions following that very poor performance against Bristol City on Saturday. He said after the game, "it isn't the end of the world", but for us fans it certainly felt like a big dent in our attempt to get some consistency in our challenge for the play-offs. He was very measured and pragmatic in his reply, but still believes we had enough opportunities to put the game to bed. The obvious question was why we had gifted two goals in under two minutes to Bristol City, left chasing the game and scoring a consolation goal right at the end:
I was encouraged by a lot of the game, actually. I thought we had probably a ten [or] fifteen minute spell in the first half, where it kind of went a little bit sideways for us….[it] unravelled. After that, in a game which could have gone and been a long tough one for the boys to get through, I thought they actually got to grips and played largely quite well for the rest of the game. I actually feel we should have got more from it than we did [so] I took that as a real positive. You know, we've got things to work on. We didn’t win the game, so there's a bit of disappointment with that, but there's enough there for me to shake off [smile] and look forward to the next one.
Carrick was very stern-faced and gave a short, blunt reply when asked where he thought "shed loads" of goals were going to come from, without the presence of a Chuba-Akpom like player in the squad:
We haven't so far, so who knows? Plenty of games to go and, the boys are capable of scoring goals….[we're] creating a lot of chances and our attacking players, in particular, are capable of scoring goals, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone goes on a [scoring] run. It feels like it's coming.
He also gave short shrift to the question about "free agents" being brought in to act as cover? The answer was an emphatic NO!
Perhaps the return of Silvera, McGree and Forss together, might offer that spark [?], although it's unlikely any of our current squad will attain the same achievements this season as Chuba Akpom.
For Carrick, it is about every player "chipping in" and playing their part. He bluntly refused to give an answer when asked "who's your money on" to score those goals. If Marcus Forss current form is anything to go by, then we can certainly expect a few more from him. Sammy Silvera also has the habit of setting up and scoring goals and, Riley McGree can conjure up some worldies, as we know. But time is pressing, and we definitely need to take our chances up front and seal up the defence at the same time.
Riley McGree "feels like a new signing" said Carrick, acknowledging it was a difficult time for the player with his previous injury and then his absence on International duty. A return to the sort of form he was showing early season will be a welcome addition to the squad:
I think it was a frustrating one with Riley, because of the nature of that injury. I keep telling you, we weren't exactly sure, and it was a bit of take-it-as-it-came and, it ended up being a bit longer than we all hoped. Now, coming into this phase of the season, we can use that as a real positive….that freshness, that energy [and] that enthusiasm that's there from him [will] rub off, and we'll get the benefits of that.
It's been a difficult time for players like Hayden Hackney and other players, having been forced by circumstances, to play out of position. Carrick knows it's been a difficult ask. That also means playing different combinations in mid-field to give some players a rest, like Jonny Howson. Managing players is a crucial part of the game.
Yeah, listen, Hayden's best position is Midfielder, I think we know that. I'm not trying to reinvent him [smile] by doing anything else…it was just circumstances a little bit, and you can do that. [He] can play off the left, as he's done it and, he's done it pretty successfully over time by scoring goals.
We are still missing two key players in Latte Lath and Isaiah Jones, but Sammy Silvera and Riley are back. Carrick's take on the departure of Crooks and Rogers has created opportunities for others to prove they are worthy of a place in the starting line up, including the like of Matthew Hoppie, who is back in the group. Lewis O`Brien is also back fit after a long absence and adds another option for our head coach to consider. He's been in training and getting back up to speed.
The loss of pace through injury to Jones has been a big loss. We shouldn't underestimate just how much Jones is missed, even if he has a bad day. Although it's a squad game and the team performance which achieves results, Jones symbolises the Middlesbrough trademark. "Isaiah running down the right-hand side" isn't in the song for nowt you know.
It's on to Preston, another tough game and another side we know well by now. It was the ground where Carrick first saw his new charges lose 2-1 in added time that he officially began his career as Head Coach. We've had some highs and lows against Preston, not least the 4-0 hammering we gave them at our place before New Year. Carrick believes that will have no bearing on how we approach tonight's game. Preston began the season like a rocket, but fell back and are now playing well again, so we are well aware of what we will be facing at Deepdale.
Play-offs? Carrick, as usual, is trying to concentrate on what's in front of us tonight and not looking too far ahead. He made a point that, historically, clubs may look certain to get into the play-offs or look so far off, they are unlikely to even get a sniff, but things change quickly. We shouldn't take things for granted, nor "throw in the towel"[to use a well-worn phrase]:
Yeah, but it's loads and loads of football to play yet. If you just take a step back and look at the league how it is and how it's been historically: whoever's at these positions in the league now, never end up in them positions come the end of the season. That's up and down, so let's take each step at a time [smile] and step-by-step and try to win games [and] see where we end up.
He's certainly optimistic about the short term, midterm and long-term future for the Club and the squad. He believes the foundations continue to be built for a solid future for Boro. Furthermore, he acknowledged "we all want instant success", but that sometimes it "takes a bit of time". Bringing on the younger players is something Carrick places a lot of importance on and takes a pride in seeing them develop as they come through the system.
Carrick was asked about the away fans and just what they mean to him and the boys:
The away fans are vital for us, you know, and we must be up there with the most travelling support throughout the league. The numbers are incredible and every single game we go to, however far, the boys notice that, and they feel that. We're obviously going to need that energy and that help and support over the next couple of games.
We're trying to do that in a certain way by playing the way we're playing [smile] and making it successful, you know. So yeah, keep supporting us, keep the energy in the players, keep feeling that love and passion for the club and see where we can end up.
In the Championship, it's always a tough game.
Tonight is no different.
We can do this.
Come On Boro!
r00fie1 14th February 2024
Last edited:
