r00fie1
Well-known member
Its that time again>>>>>>>
EFL Championship. Friday 29th March 2024. Southampton v Middlesbrough. St. Mary's Stadium. SO14 5FP. KO: 15:00 hrs.
Southampton had the Premier League players, with quality and experience, and were always a pain in our side. Southampton had an uncomfortable start to adapting to life in the Championship, but we know what's happened since. They are currently fourth in the table: seven points above West Brom and eight points behind Ipswich in third! We all know how quickly things can change, so Saints won't be resting on their laurels. It's between Leeds [82 points], Leicester [82] and Ipswich [81] to decide who goes up automatically - at the moment. With ten out of our last twelve points, we are in the best run of form we have had since last year, so that seven point gap between us and that last play-off spot is not a bridge too far. It's not all over until it's all over and, as yet, the "fat lady" hasn't started singing.
After we beat Southampton in September, we went unbeaten for a further three very tough games:
[We cracked the Hornets at their place with a Josh winner in a thrilling 3-2 victory.]
[We were just too much for Cardiff City, who were flying high at the time. An emphatic 2-0, with goals from Jones and Latte Lath sent them home packing.]
[We stuffed the deckchairs, who had no answer to our fantastic football that day. 4-0 in their own backyard. Wonderful !]
Michael Carrick, at his recent media conference, acknowledged that Southampton are a good side, with quality and skill, but is more concerned
with Boro`s ambitions than theirs:
We've got our own things going on, you know, and we're looking forward to the game for our own reasons.
So what about the play-offs?
Said Carrick:
We've just got to try and win games and then see where that [takes us] from week to week and game to game. As I've said it to you many times, it can look so different in a 4 game period where we picked up quite a few points..... Yeah, there's still a bit of work to do to get into the play-offs and [we] hope to get into the play-offs, but all we can do is try and win games.
We've got some tough games. We [will] try and put a run together again and build on what we've got and then see. Who knows ? It might be too much to ask but, we might pull it off. At this stage no one knows, so we just we can control what we can ........and then and then see what happens after that.
Clearly, he still has an eye on that last play-off spot, but he won't give in until it's impossible. He's got no intention of throwing the towel in, and made it quite clear. Compared to this time last year, it was suggested that Carrick has "nothing to lose" against Southampton, almost as if our destiny was sealed for this season. He was also clear about finishing the season strongly and using that momentum going into the summer:
There's always something to lose whether it's Pride whether it's points, places a game, or whatever it is. there's always someone says there's nothing to lose. [Well] there's always something to lose. Listen, I'd much rather be up the league, be in towards the top........ higher up the league than we are. but we are where we are [and] I think we just got to make the most [of it].
We got to finish the season strong! We want to finish the season strong! We managed to build up a little bit of momentum before [the] International break, and we want to build on that.
If that takes us into towards the play-offs then, then fantastic and as the games go, then we'll try and make the most of that and, if it doesn't quite happen for whatever reason.........we want to finish the season strong going into the summer and building on that for next season.
Today could signal the start of another "mini-run". The saints appear to have more to play for than us [?], but the Gaffa is having none of it. No matter who is injured, in or out of the team, on the bench or anywhere else, we can beat Southampton. They have lost two games at home in twelve games - having won ten! But we had the same predicament before we beat [then] league leaders Leicester home and away.
Yes, considering our remaining fixtures, we can have a big say in what happens for other clubs before the final day of the season. But that's not our focus right now. We want three points and, like Carrick says, aim to win every game. No one goes out to draw or lose. It's a long way to Southampton from Boro, but that shouldn't stop us giving them a dose of Teesside grit and determination and close that gap to 6th spot!
Come On Boro!
r00fie1 29/03/2024
EFL Championship. Friday 29th March 2024. Southampton v Middlesbrough. St. Mary's Stadium. SO14 5FP. KO: 15:00 hrs.
It was way back in September when we had our first encounter in the league against Southampton for six years. In a 2-1 victory at The Riverside, Saints dropped to 15th after eight games, whilst Boro were lifted one place in the relegation zone, from 23rd to 22nd place - above Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday. With five points from a possible 24 we were definitely struggling to find our feet after a big turn-over of personnel during the previous summer. But, what appeared to be a forgone conclusion on paper turned out to be a pleasantly surprising result on grass.
Boro hadn't won a game since the previous April, and it turned out to be the first win of the season for us. McGree got the equaliser before half-time and Jonny Howson converted a penalty in the second half, after Josh was up-ended in the area. We never gave up, even after they scored, and could have easily won by three or four. It wasn't quite the start of a revolution, but it marked an end to the terrible start to the season. A "mini-run" was to follow, which saw an element of confidence come back into the side and certainly less anxiety and angst from the terraces.
Southampton had the Premier League players, with quality and experience, and were always a pain in our side. Southampton had an uncomfortable start to adapting to life in the Championship, but we know what's happened since. They are currently fourth in the table: seven points above West Brom and eight points behind Ipswich in third! We all know how quickly things can change, so Saints won't be resting on their laurels. It's between Leeds [82 points], Leicester [82] and Ipswich [81] to decide who goes up automatically - at the moment. With ten out of our last twelve points, we are in the best run of form we have had since last year, so that seven point gap between us and that last play-off spot is not a bridge too far. It's not all over until it's all over and, as yet, the "fat lady" hasn't started singing.
After we beat Southampton in September, we went unbeaten for a further three very tough games:
[We cracked the Hornets at their place with a Josh winner in a thrilling 3-2 victory.]
[We were just too much for Cardiff City, who were flying high at the time. An emphatic 2-0, with goals from Jones and Latte Lath sent them home packing.]
[We stuffed the deckchairs, who had no answer to our fantastic football that day. 4-0 in their own backyard. Wonderful !]
Michael Carrick, at his recent media conference, acknowledged that Southampton are a good side, with quality and skill, but is more concerned
with Boro`s ambitions than theirs:
They're a good team, you know. They make you work for it, they look after the ball a lot [and] rotate the work space as well, and [we've] got to be really smart with how [we] play against them....... but they've scored a lot of goals and now right near the top of the league with a lot to play for. It's that time of year isn't it when you start getting to here, to these stages where things can be won and lost quite quickly.
We've got our own things going on, you know, and we're looking forward to the game for our own reasons.
Carrick is concerned with how the lads have been training and the feeling in the group. As usual, it's about the positives. There was certainly no issue playing today and then on Monday against Sheffield Wednesday. He pointed out that we're used to playing two games a week over the season, so the only difference, really, was for the supporters over the holiday period!
So what about the play-offs?
Said Carrick:
We've just got to try and win games and then see where that [takes us] from week to week and game to game. As I've said it to you many times, it can look so different in a 4 game period where we picked up quite a few points..... Yeah, there's still a bit of work to do to get into the play-offs and [we] hope to get into the play-offs, but all we can do is try and win games.
We've got some tough games. We [will] try and put a run together again and build on what we've got and then see. Who knows ? It might be too much to ask but, we might pull it off. At this stage no one knows, so we just we can control what we can ........and then and then see what happens after that.
Clearly, he still has an eye on that last play-off spot, but he won't give in until it's impossible. He's got no intention of throwing the towel in, and made it quite clear. Compared to this time last year, it was suggested that Carrick has "nothing to lose" against Southampton, almost as if our destiny was sealed for this season. He was also clear about finishing the season strongly and using that momentum going into the summer:
There's always something to lose whether it's Pride whether it's points, places a game, or whatever it is. there's always someone says there's nothing to lose. [Well] there's always something to lose. Listen, I'd much rather be up the league, be in towards the top........ higher up the league than we are. but we are where we are [and] I think we just got to make the most [of it].
We got to finish the season strong! We want to finish the season strong! We managed to build up a little bit of momentum before [the] International break, and we want to build on that.
If that takes us into towards the play-offs then, then fantastic and as the games go, then we'll try and make the most of that and, if it doesn't quite happen for whatever reason.........we want to finish the season strong going into the summer and building on that for next season.
Today could signal the start of another "mini-run". The saints appear to have more to play for than us [?], but the Gaffa is having none of it. No matter who is injured, in or out of the team, on the bench or anywhere else, we can beat Southampton. They have lost two games at home in twelve games - having won ten! But we had the same predicament before we beat [then] league leaders Leicester home and away.
Yes, considering our remaining fixtures, we can have a big say in what happens for other clubs before the final day of the season. But that's not our focus right now. We want three points and, like Carrick says, aim to win every game. No one goes out to draw or lose. It's a long way to Southampton from Boro, but that shouldn't stop us giving them a dose of Teesside grit and determination and close that gap to 6th spot!
Come On Boro!
r00fie1 29/03/2024
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