* The unofficial "Official" End-of-Season. Boro v Preston. Match-day Thread *

[r00fie1]

Its our last chance to get the EFL Championship Bus - for a chance to win through to Premiership Promotion!

Drawing against Fulham at the start of the season, who would dare to predict it would go down to the final game of the season to decide next seasons fate?
A change of Manager, a change of personnel, new faces in, some faces out and a new set up!
Knocking out two of the Premiership`s established top sides.
Playing to packed houses and finishing games in the most dramatic fashion - cue Reading and Blackpool!
Work still be done. Chris Wilder has repeated he has a short, medium and long - term plan, to transform the club.
No one could have foreseen how this season was going to pan out.
We had an inconsistent start - throwing away games from winning positions and regularly collapsing in the second half - cue Preston at home!
All the stats, permutations, superstition and "expert" predictions by self-appointed TV "pundits" - counts for nothing on Saturday!

Its entirely up to us.​

We have to WIN!



Fixtures:





Championship Table:





H2H:




Boro Record v Preston:




Top Scorers:







League Trend 21/22 Season:





Match Stat:

 

[r00fie1]

Flashback:
25th September 2012 - Capital One Cup Third Round.
Preston North End 1 Boro 3

Boro make Preston pay for errors​

Middlesbrough made it through to the fourth round of the Capital One Cup as they made easy work of Preston, winning 3-1 at Deepdale on Tuesday.

Goals from Emmanuel Ledesma, Merouane Zemmama and Richard Smallwood gave Boro the victory.

North End took Championship scalps from Huddersfield and Crystal Palace to reach this stage of the competition, but the challenge of an impressive Middlesbrough proved too much as a trio of defensive errors put them out at the third round for the fourth year running.

Both Ledesma and Andrew Halliday claimed to have scored Boro's 13th-minute opener, with the Argentinian's inswinging corner striking the far post and rolling over the line with Halliday making sure by bundling in.

Five minutes later, Preston allowed Zemmama far too much time to shoot into the bottom corner from 25 yards five minutes later, but the hosts pulled one back through Jack King's smart finish on 40 minutes.

Smallwood capped a comfortable win for Boro on 61 minutes, pouncing on the loose ball after Preston defender Paul Huntington headed Zemmama's cross back to Steve Simonsen, too powerfully for the keeper to hold, as the visitors eased to victory.

Source: https://www.skysports.com/football/preston-north-end-vs-middlesbrough/report/274379

 

[r00fie1]

Eric Paylor Writes:

[For those who wont know Eric Paylor - hes an old fashioned journalist, who not only knows the area, the people and the club - but he genuinely cares about the Boro. He was The Gazette's Middlesbrough FC writer for 26 seasons from the summer of 1985. He was on the roller coaster ride from the locked Ayresome gates - to the heights of Wembley and Europe. Yet he still comes back for more!]

Middlesbrough rediscover themselves at vital time and must look after their own business at Preston​

Boro have rediscovered themselves at a vital time - and need to take this renewed belief into their final game at Preston North End.

They may yet come away from Deepdale full of smiles. After all, Sheffield United have a tough finale against Fulham. And the pressure is also on Luton after their hammering at Fulham.

Naturally the bottom line is that Chris Wilder’s men must do themselves justice on Saturday and then see what happens. There’s a theory that the team which slips into the play-off places at the very last minute is the one with the best chance of coming through this dog-eat-dog competition.

The highest placed play-off teams have to come to terms with just missing out on automatic promotion, while the sixth placed finisher often gets a last ditch boost. The current situation is not one we would have welcomed a few weeks ago when it looked as if Boro were going to be good enough to consolidate themselves in the top six.

You could drive yourselves mad looking at the games where Boro should have done better. The home defeat at the hands of Hull City is the obvious one which stands out because there were absolutely no excuses at all for such an abject performance.

Yet just four days earlier Boro had finished like a train against Fulham at the Riverside with Duncan Watmore and Josh Coburn missing golden opportunities in the closing minutes which could, and should, have earned Boro all three points.

The failure to get something out of the Fulham game appeared to have a negative effect on the dressing room and it has taken a few games to restore the belief. Boro maybe should have won at Swansea, were short of top gear when pipping Cardiff City but began to look a little more like their old selves against Stoke.

Now we need to see a Lord Mayor’s Show at Preston. In this respect it is great to see Matt Crooks back in action and playing a huge part in the defeat of the Potters.

With 11 goals to his credit, Crooks looks set to finish as top scorer for the season, which pays tribute to the way he has adapted to life at the Boro. When Crooks is playing well, Boro play well. As has been stressed in the past he also brings the best out of Isaiah Jones.

The fact that Crooks is likely to end up heading the scoring charts again emphasises the most frustrating area of the team. Wilder can start with any two of his forwards, none of which have scored since the rout of Peterborough in early April. It’s not through lack of commitment. There’s not a bad apple up front but none of these lads will probably ever be prolific scorers.

So it would be a bonus all round if one or two of the forwards could finish the season on a high note by getting their name on the scoresheet. Andraz Sporar hasn’t found the back of the net for a long time but might have reached double figures with more pitch time.

I keep changing my mind about whom I prefer up front but Sporar and Watmore would be my choice at Preston. And a special mention for Aaron Connolly. He might not have scored as many goals as he would have liked but his work-rate and commitment to the team has always been excellent.

Behind the forwards we can expect plenty of prompting from Crooks, and also Marcus Tavernier, who arguably has been the most improved player under Wilder. In fact these two players may prove to be the two most important men on duty at Preston because they carry the major responsibility of hurting the Lilywhites.

Then we must hope that results go our way. While there is hope, the team must respond. So come on Boro – and come on Fulham and Reading too!


Source: https://gazettelive.trem.media/spor...ugh-rediscover-themselves-vital-time-23851069

 

[homesickblues]

Thanks for the posts over the season, very interesting. Lets hope for another few though!

Looking forward to more next season.

 

[r00fie1]

Match Preview:
[https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/footba...ough-prediction-team-news-lineups_485013.html]

Preview: Preston North End vs. Middlesbrough - prediction, team news, lineups​

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 4h

Middlesbrough make the trip to Deepdale to face Preston North End knowing that only three points will do if they want to retain a chance of qualifying for the Championship playoffs.
Meanwhile, the home side can still finish as high as 11th position in the standings, and Ryan Lowe will want to end the campaign with back-to-back victories.

© Reuters

Having gone five matches without success earlier in the run-in, it appeared that Middlesbrough had thrown away their chance of ending the season in the top six.

However, convincing home victories over Cardiff City and Stoke City have kept Chris Wilder's side in the hunt, albeit remaining as outsiders with Sheffield United and Luton Town two points ahead.

Wilder will insist that his players must focus on their own performance and rightly so, Boro in a position where a two-goal victory and a Sheffield United draw against Fulham could see them edge out the Blades on goal difference or goals scored.

The latter would have seemed unlikely a few weeks ago, but five strikes have come in the last 180 minutes of action, the same total which had been netted in the previous six games.

Although efforts from the frontline remain in short supply, Riley McGree and Matt Crooks have recently chipped in with two apiece, and their contributions could prove key in the North-West.​

© Reuters

All things considered, Preston have been in the process of thinking about next season for several weeks, but that has not stopped Lowe from wanting to end the campaign on a high.

That appeared to be in some doubt when shipping seven goals in defeats to Fulham and Blackburn Rovers, the latter particularly disheartening as the visitors cruised to three points in the derby.

However, Preston took advantage of playing an already-relegated Barnsley last time out, Daniel Johnson netting two of the goals as North End posted a 3-1 win at Oakwell.

Since his arrival in December, Lowe has collected 36 points from 24 games, suffering just six defeats in the process, and posting another win at the weekend would leave supporters feeling increasingly optimistic about their play-off chances in 2022-23.​

---

Team News​

© Reuters

Despite last week's victory at Barnsley, Lowe could make changes to his defence with Patrick Bauer coming off ill at half time and Andrew Hughes potentially being ready to return from a toe injury.

Bambo Diaby will also be hoping to feature as he bids to win a new contract at Deepdale, but the remainder of the team could stay the same with Johnson again featuring at left wing-back.

Wilder opted to solve the issue regarding trying to include each of Crooks and McGree against Stoke by moving Marcus Tavernier out to left wing-back.

Barring any unforeseen issues, the same trio should keep their respective positions, leaving Marc Bola to accept a place among the replacements.

Folarin Balogun, Josh Coburn and Aaron Connolly are all pushing for a recall to the front two.

Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Van den Berg, Diaby, Lindsay; Potts, Browne, Whiteman, McCann, Johnson; Riis Jakobsen, Archer

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Daniels; Dijksteel, Fry, McNair; Jones, Crooks, Howson, McGree, Tavernier; Watmore, Sporar
​

---

 

[r00fie1]

Some Bad News for Preston Fans....You will have to wait a while longer......

 

[r00fie1]

Boro Stat Fact:

 

[r00fie1]

Request from the Boys in Red:




UTMB!!!!

 

[r00fie1]

Boro Beam - Back:


If you are unfortunate enough not to have a ticket for Preston North End on Saturday>>>>>>>>

Supporters can buy a ticket to watch Boro’s final day fixture in the company of fellow fans at the Riverside.​

Chris Wilder’s side head to Deepdale in a 12.30pm kick-off this Saturday looking to seize a play-off place in front of a sell-out away following from Teesside. Supporters must not travel to the match without a ticket.

The match has not been selected for live broadcast by Sky Sports, nor will it be shown on the Red Button service or to UK viewers via Matchday LIVE. This means that for those haven’t got a ticket, the Riverside is the only place to watch all the action unfold live.

We will be showing the game across the hospitality floor at the Riverside Stadium, and tickets are £10 per person including pie and peas which will be served prior to kick-off. Doors open at 11am and the event will close at 3pm.

Tickets for the beamback can only be purchased in person at the MFC Official retail store at the Riverside Stadium, and will be avaliable from 9am on Thursday 5 May. The store is open from 9am until 5pm on Thursday and Friday.

Live link for further details and MFC Contact details on their website here:

Join Us At The Riverside For Preston Beamback | Middlesbrough FC

Supporters can buy a ticket to watch Boro’s final day fixture in the company of fellow fans at the Riverside.

www.mfc.co.uk

Sorry Folks, but:

 

[r00fie1]

Daniel Iversen:

On-loan Preston Goalkeeper has been the subject of speculation regarding a potential future at Boro. Its not a secret that our goal-keeping department needs a shake up. So what does the Leicester City keeper offer?

Inside Daniel Iversen's journey to becoming the next Kasper Schmeichel

Leicestershire Live spoke with some of the people who best know Daniel Iversen to gauge just how close the Dane is to replacing Kasper Schmeichel at Leicester City

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

Inside Daniel Iversen’s journey to becoming Leicester City’s natural Kasper Schmeichel replacement​

Leicestershire Live spoke with some of the people who best know Daniel Iversen to gauge just how close the Dane is to replacing Kasper Schmeichel at Leicester City

Leicester City have a long history of producing and investing in talented goalkeepers.

From the days of Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton to current stoppers Kasper Schmeichel and Danny Ward, the club’s goalkeeping history is a rich one that has long followed the traditional paths.

Yet eyebrows were raised in January 2016 when an 18-year-old fresh-faced Danish goalkeeper, who could speak very little English, arrived to sign his contract in the Belvoir Drive canteen.

Dressed in a smart black shirt, Iversen posed for a photo with his agent Gulli Tomasson and City’s director of football operations Andrew Neville.

At that time, it was rare for City to sign such a young, unproven player from abroad - so people around the club knew this quiet blonde kid must have been a special talent.

Ole Nielsen, a City scout based in Denmark, first spotted Iversen playing for the Esbjerg fB academy in 2013 and continued to monitor his progress. Iversen never stood out to Nielsen as extraordinary, but was routinely solid in every game he played.

It was, in fact, a mistake in an under-17 international match against Romania that prompted Nielsen to step up his interest in the goalkeeper.

The scout was impressed by the way Iversen bounced back from the mistake at such a young age, showing mental resilience to put it behind him, keep his composure and put in an impressive performance for the rest of the match.

Having kept a close eye on him from there, Nielsen would routinely change the games he was scheduled to attend, instead making trips to Esbjerg and building up a better picture of the young goalkeeper.

Nielsen formally recommended Iversen to Leicester in the autumn of 2015 and, by the end of January, the young Dane was putting pen to paper

During his early years at Leicester, Iversen kept himself to himself and didn’t join in much of the dressing room ‘banter’ because of the language barrier. He was, though, well-liked and respected by all of his teammates.

For many years at City, the first team and under-23s goalkeepers have regularly trained together in a group - something which helped Iversen no end during his early years in England.

“He always put the work in,” says former City goalkeeper Max Bramley, who was teammates with Iversen for three years.

“Having Kasper helped him as well. Kasper was good with him. He would speak Danish with him and he was learning off Kasper quite a lot. They spoke to each other all the time, so Dan definitely benefitted from having Kasper.”

Settling into Leicester well helped Iversen gain the confidence to push hard for every loan move, especially when Leicester were not so keen on sending him out.

He earned his first move to Oldham in 2018 and impressed with 42 appearances in League Two.

Then came Rotherham the following season, with 34 appearances in League One.

An injury-stricken spell at OH Leuven followed in 2020-21, but he spent the second half of that season at Preston North End and extended his loan by a further year last summer.

Iversen has comfortably made each step up from under-23s football to League Two, then League One and now the Championship.

He already has 152 senior appearances to his name, which speaks volumes of his ability as EFL managers rarely place unwarranted trust in a young loanee goalkeeper.

In terms of Iversen’s playing style, his shot-stopping and command of his box are his key strengths, though he is working hard to improve his distribution.

Over the past year, he has become a fan favourite at Deepdale and is already regarded as one of the best goalkeepers to ever play for Preston.

George Hodgson, LancsLive’s Preston North End reporter, says: “Having a goalkeeper who can win you points on his own, regularly, is priceless. Jamal Lowe, Adam Armstrong, Tom Eaves and Nat Phillips have all been left speechless at not beating the goalkeeper in the last year or so.

“Iversen's reflexes and shot-stopping are sensational and he is viewed by some as being better than Jordan Pickford, who spent time on loan at North End in 2015-16 and was absolutely brilliant too.”

Stu Bennett, who portrays wrestler-turned-commentator Wade Barrett in WWE, is a lifelong Preston fan and echoes Hodgson’s judgement.

"Iversen is quite simply the best goalkeeper I've seen in a North End shirt,” Bennett says.

“He routinely pulls off world-class reaction saves and, in my estimation, he has the equivalent value of a goal-per-game striker.

“I'd love for him to stay at PNE and help us to finally climb up to the Premier League, but in truth he should already be there.”

Iversen has not just stepped up and shown his strengths on the pitch, but off it, too.

From the mental resilience that impressed Nielsen, to the work ethic Bramley saw first hand, to the determination that saw him push through his loan moves, Iversen has always been impressive on a personal level.

Those strong personal traits, shown throughout his career, continue to shine through at Preston.

"He really bought into the culture of the club, became a very popular member of the dressing room and gained a love for North End,” says Hodgson.

"The Dane wanted to play in front of PNE fans and he has got that chance this year.

“Iversen is an extremely humble character, who does not like to talk himself up too much or boast. On the pitch though, he is commanding and a winner.”

His commanding and winning presence is one of several obvious parallels made to Kasper Schmeichel.

Two blonde Danish goalkeepers, both at Leicester City, both benefitted from a lot of games in the Football League. Both list shot-stopping and mentality as their biggest strengths.

But can Iversen continue to follow Schmeichel on their similar paths?

Having played for Denmark at every level from under-16 to under-21, Iversen is now fifth or sixth choice for his national team and has not yet earned a senior cap.

That said, he is viewed in Denmark as a bigger talent than Schmeichel was at the same age (24), so Iversen still has plenty of time on his side.

But can Iversen make the most of that and go on to replace Schmeichel at City?

The next test in that process will come this summer. Eldin Jakupovic is out of contract and Danny Ward may feel he could get regular football elsewhere. That could thrust Iversen into the first team picture ahead of next season.

Hodgson says: “It's understood that he is not someone who'd be overly interested in being a number-two or not playing, so if the chance to play at Leicester isn't there next season then it'd be interesting to see what happens.”

Whether or not that chance to play will present itself remains to be seen, but as for whether he could replace Schmeichel at Leicester, Bramley believes his former teammate has what it takes.​

 

[r00fie1]

View From Preston North End:

https://www.pnefc.net/news/2022/may...ston-north-end-vs-middlesbrough-on-07-may-22/ [Edit]


PNE Team News

There's been a welcome return to training for Ryan Ledson this week at Euxton, and the midfielder could play for the first time since February after recovering from his knee operation.

Andrew Hughes and Mikey O'Neill are doubts for the weekend, with both struggling with foot injuries, while Ched Evans has returned to training.

Paul Huntington could get his first minutes of the season on Saturday as he says farewell to Preston North End after ten years at the club.

The Opposition

Middlesbrough arrive at Deepdale on Saturday still in with a chance of making the Play-Offs, sitting just two points behind fifth and sixth place.

That means they are reliant on results elsewhere going in their favour – and they need a victory themselves – but Chris Wilder, with experience of achieving promotion from the Championship with Sheffield United, will be hoping his side can do enough.

Wilder took over in November 2021 and helped turn Boro’s fortunes around, with the North Yorkshire side looking to reach the Premier League for the first time since 2017.

Key Stats:
Sepp van den Berg, PNE’s most used player this season, will make his 50th appearance of the campaign in all competitions if selected.

Boro are unbeaten in their last five games away from home, taking nine points from a possible 15 in that period.

Based on results since Chris Wilder took over as Boro manager, Middlesbrough would be sat fifth in the Championship table, having accumulated 48 points from 28 matches.

 

[r00fie1]

Beyond Our Wilderest Dreams


Its 19 hours to the big kick-off.
Already, the nerves are jangling and no Boro fan will have a voice or any finger-nails left by the end of the game.

"Its not a day out at Preston.....or a lap of honour for players who might not be here next season"


"What a load of rubbish"!........Chris Wilder responded strongly to a journalists suggestion that Preston have "nothing to play for" on Saturday. "They are professional footballers" quipped Wilder, "and Il leave it at that."! There is a thousand ways of looking at it...."have they been on the lash for three days(?).....nothing is a given and its all to play for".

"We`re in good nick on the road. The last two games have picked up - it was a tough period when we didnt win. But we`ve managed to get both boxes right".

"Theres no good me working them up emotionally and mentally now.....they`ve seen what Ive seen over the weekend. What the players have done "..is turn the season round".

When they come out [at Preston] "they will see 5000 Middlesbrough supporters...and that will inspire them...as its done since we`ve been here".


Been here before...

Its fabulous that Wilder and his Management Team have worked hard since they arrived: "its exciting. Its not an end-of-season testamonial.
"I`ve been in this situation before. Game management is important. We have to make sure we do the job on Saturday lunchtime". Theres nothing like winning away - "we`d like to reward the travelling support". "It will be good to finish on a high".

"In a 46 game season its a credit to the players - I have a full compliment of players [from which] to pick a side to win a game of football".


Injuries and consistency?

Asked about the injury situation when he joined Boro Wilder was extremely complimentary about the work of his backroom staff and about the attitude of the players.

"There was a stat about first-half, second-half when I came to the club" - but now we match the intensity from the first half into the second half. "The physical attributes of the players, we`ve got to maximise them, and going forward we have to be a robust, healthy, physical group - we want to challenge to get out of the division".

"This is a tough game. Lets get that straight". Wilder explained that if tactical changes are necessary to win at Preston then that is what will happen. Preston have "some really established Championship players". [Preston] "are not a really investive team, they are smart with their recruitment" and there is a really good quality and depth to their squad.

Asked about "goal difference" and how he deals with that potential scenario, he explained how he took over at Northampton, bottom of the league and rescued by a victory on the last day of the season.


"I`ve been really impressed..."
On Stoke: "One thing I have been really impressed with on Saturday is .....we played our natural normal game.". "We have to get the balance right" and not "get emotionally involved". "If your head gets scrambled, then you are not going to get good performances as a player".


Are you proud of the progress of the players and the club under your Management?

"Of course I am. I dont see how you cant be"! He continued that hes not arrogant or going to make sweeping statements - "thats up to you guys to make those conclusions". He made a salient point that "if you look where we were in November...and where we are now" - we can see the difference, including the cup runs and the way the team have performed. The connection with the fans is crucial and Wilder commented there "has to be that bonding" where players and fans "pull each other through" games.


A point at Preston?
If we are drawing at Preston, Im not gonna think "this is a good result. Lets get back on the bus and have a few beers"!!!


Team and approach....

Has he picked the team? "Yes"!! No elaboration then. "I`l take a tight group. Its not a day out at Preston.....or a lap of honour for players who might not be here next season". All eventualities will be covered and made ready.

"We have to be calm in our approach.....players do take their lead off the Manager.........I may have to raise my voice at times, but we stay calm". Some of the younger players havent experienced this kind of pressure before "but I trust my senior players to get the message over....to go and win a game of football".
​

 

[r00fie1]

Lets do this for Neil Campbell - brother of Andy, who passed away recently at the age of 45....

 

[NormanbyRed77]

Good read as always. The nerves will be starting to kick in for the fans.

 

[Maccarone]

Thanks rOOfie for all your hard work over this season with the match day threads, outstanding effort and much appreciated by me and I'm sure by all of us.
Let's hope you have three more to do in May...

 

[r00fie1]

Thanks rOOfie for all your hard work over this season with the match day threads, outstanding effort and much appreciated by me and I'm sure by all of us.
Let's hope you have three more to do in May...

Cheers Macca, its been a pleasure.

 

[r00fie1]

Noticeboard:

Praise indeed from Grant Leadbitter....

 

[Laughing]

Great round up and articles there roofie as always. However where was the report and thread for last week? I did hear you were away at the weekend, I don't recall signing off on your little jaunt young man.

You can take time off after our wembley appearance.

 

[r00fie1]

Great round up and articles there roofie as always. However where was the report and thread for last week? I did hear you were away at the weekend, I don't recall signing off on your little jaunt young man.

You can take time off after our wembley appearance.

Evening Laughing.
Wasnt around last week end - busy time.
Urgent appointment with the West Coast Main Line tomorrow.
Nothing special lyke

 

[r00fie1]

Later...