Bitter Taste For Boro

Middlesbrough    1        Blackburn    1

Bamford  82                                                          Gestede  90+5 

 

 

 

It’s no secret that refereeing decisions can change games, make seasons or ruin promotion campaigns, the fact of the matter is if you’re good enough the odd bad call here or there shouldn’t make a difference. Aitor Karanka will hope that is the case.



Gestede converts a Blackburn equaliser

The two points his Boro side dropped on Saturday afternoon at home to Blackburn were far from fatal to their promotion aspirations, nevertheless too many and a position in the top two could slowly drift away.

Denied a late penalty last week at Wigan, undone seven days later by a Blackburn equaliser which looked more like a karate move than a Championship football match, all that was missing was the black belt to go with it. No wonder Karanka’s calm demeanour was briefly unrecognisable.  


The Boro manager was sent to the stands by referee Mark Clattenburg following Rude Gestede’s stoppage time goal, which left Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos in a heap and Boro without a win in three league games.

The hosts looked to be heading for three hard earned points when Patrick Bamford’s strike eight minutes from time finally broke the band of Blackburn resistance; it wasn’t until the dying seconds of the game when the wheels fell off.

With a last gasp corner the visitors packed the Boro box where Konstantopulos appeared to be clobbered by Blackburn substitute Chris Brown. No foul given, Gestede fired home and with emotions running high things boiled out of hand, in the dugout and in the crowd.

“I want to apologise for my behaviour,” said Karanka. “I was very frustrated, and I will fight for this club until the last seconds, but I want to apologise.

“You can imagine my frustration because no one saw the foul. I was asked immediately afterwards if I had seen it and I said I didn’t need to. My keeper was on the treatment table to so I didn’t need to see it. He took a kick on the hip.

“My players had been fighting for 94 minutes and we had the three points in our hands – then they were taken from our hands by other people”.

Anyone who has followed Karanka over his past year will know he’s not one for excuses or hammering referees, he will only comment if he feels there is a strong case.

Like at Wigan last week there probably was.  However you can’t help feeling these referring decisions have allowed people to paper over the cracks. Boro were poor at the DW stadium last weekend, and didn’t exactly burst out of the blocks against Blackburn or take their chance to box the ball in the corner and run the clock down.

For a team currently in the top six and two points off the top, they still appear to lack the confidence to really get at teams from the off. Nevertheless in Boro’s defence they were the better team in this one and could easily have had four or five if it wasn’t for Blackburn keeper  Simon Eastwood whose second half heroics kept the visitors afloat.

Karanka made five changes from the side which started at Wigan a week ago, Adam Clayton was suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card so Dean Whitehead came into midfield.

Elsewhere Ryan Fredericks and Kenneth Omeruo returned in defence replacing Emilo Nsue and Ben Gibson. Bamford’s goal at the DW stadium earned him a start on the left, while Jelle Vossen replaced Kike upfront, the Spanish striker dropped to the bench alongside Adam Reach.

Blackburn boss Gary Bower made two changes from the team which started Rovers victory at Leeds. Jason Steele on loan from Boro was ineligible to play so Eastwood received his chance. Tom Cairney was sent off in that game so Ryan Tunnicliffe replaced him.

Before the game the crowd of over 18,000 welcomed back Boro legend Juninho, his intervention would have been more than welcome in a bog-standard first half.

Rovers’ strike force contained the potent duo of Gestede and Jordan Rhodes and the pair looked a potential handful in the early exchanges. Nevertheless it was the hosts who came closest to breaking the deadlock, Grant Leadbitter had long range efforts saved by Eastwood, minutes later Bamford tied his luck and Vossen was inches away from turning the rebound home.

Vossen, who is yet to resister for Boro, must currently feel like a man who can’t even buy a goal. He had two more efforts saved by Eastwood before the break as Boro began to assert themselves. Before the interval Daniel Ayala glanced over a Leadbittrer corner before Bamford tested the Blackburn keeper once again.    

The only negative for the hosts came in the shape of an injury to Fredericks who was forced off minutes before the interval, as predicted Nsue took his place. Despite a bright start Rovers had created very little in front of goal, Rhodes’ attempted overhead kick was comfortably saved by Konstantopulos, that aside they rarely threatened.

After the restart Boro quickly flicked through the gears. Five minutes after half time Tomlin found Bamford inside the area whose low effort forced Eastwood back into action, that however had nothing on the save moments later when Friend hit an inviting first time cross from the left.  In the middle Vossen looked poised to score and hit the target with a close range header, somehow Eastwood kept it out.

In a more open second half Blackburn also threatened to open the scoring, Ben Marshall forced a full stretch fingertip save from Konstantoplos to his left before Gestede’s header required a more comfortable save.  

Eastwood continued to have the match of his life, his next act a low save with his feet to deny Nsue who connected well with a right foot volley. Tomlin was next to try his luck from range but again the keeper matched the effort.

With seventeen minutes to go Karanka introduced Kike in place of Vossen, on the other side of the dugout Bower brought on Craig Conway for Rhodes.

With eight minutes left Eastwood was finally beaten, Rovers failed to fully clear a cross into the box and on the edge of the area the ball fell to Bamford who lashed the ball goal bound, a deflection off a Blackburn defender made sure the ball found its way in.

Cue euphoria, three points and Boro would be joint top. As it finished they ended up fifth. With the last kick of the game a Blackburn corner caused havoc, appeals for a foul were turned down and an equaliser followed. Referee Clattenburg was booed off the pitch but the decision wasn’t going to change.

Player Ratings  

Dimi Konstantopulos   6.5- Had little to do before the goal, unfortunate not to get foul

George Friend   6.5- Provided width on the left  

Daniel Ayala   7.5- Prepared to put his head where it hurts and came off with some bruises for it

Kenneth Omeruo   7.5- Returned to the team with little fuss

Ryan Fredericks   6- Replaced before half time due to injury

Dean Whitehead   7- Kept it simple rarely gave the ball away

Grant Leadbitter   7-Thretened a few times from corners

Albert Adomah   5.5- Looked lost and out of position for most of the afternoon

Patrick Bamford   8- Cut inside well from the right and was Boro’s main threat

Lee Tomlin   7- Dropped deep and played some creative passes  

Jelle Vossen   6.5- Can’t buy a goal at the minute, his potential and hunger showed though. Unlucky

Subs

Emilo Nsue   6.5- Got forward from right back well, crossing was dangerous

Kike   5.5- Came on for the last 17 minutes and work rate appeared to be lacking

Ben Gibson- Came on for the last 4 minutes can’t give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match: Patrick Bamford

ATP World Tour Finals Day 3 - Murray Keeps Hopes Alive

On Sunday it looked like Andy Murray’s busy schedule to reach the ATP World Tour finals had finally caught up with him, two days and a victory later he appears a man reformed.

After a disappointing defeat to Kei Nishikori in his opening group B match, Murray simply had to beat Canadian Milos Raonic to stand a chance of reaching Saturday's semi final, thankfully for the home fans the Brit delivered and still has a chance of qualifying from the group when he faces Roger Federer on Thursday.   

Relief for Murray after his crucial victory

With the permutations still up in the air Murray’s potential route to the last four remains unclear There is a scenario where Murray could beat the Swiss maestro and not qualify, likewise there is one where he could lose his final match and still progress depending on the result between Raonic and Nishikori. That however is a job for a mathematician, Murray can only let his tennis do the talking and that’s exactly what he did.

He cut out the unforced errors, dominated from the baseline and ultimately wrapped up the match in straight sets with a 6-3 7-5 victory which lasted 1 hour 31 minutes.

At times Raonic was his own worst ememy as a number of errors contributed to the Canadian’s downfall, nevertheless that shouldn’t be counted against Murray who was timing the ball much better than he had done against Nishikori and produced an all-round neater display.


Lets not forget Murray arrives in London in good form with titles from Shenzhen, Vienna and Valencia. His attacks were measured and precise as he soaked up the Raonic pressure, his serve rarely faltered, perhaps the most important aspect of this performance is that his hunger for success is still be burning strong.

     

In his pre-match press conference Raonic gave the impression of a nervous character and just like in his match against Federer the Canadian was vulnerable in the early stages. His monstrous first serve may be a real asset when it’s on song however when its only dwindling around the 30% mark it can quickly backfire.

Two break points came and went for Murray in the fourth game; nevertheless he regrouped two games later, reapplied the pressure and Raonic quickly buckled.

Murray broke to lead 4-2 and unlike in his previous match cemented with a comfortable hold. He closed out a tidy and efficient set by 6 games to 3, receiving a roaring ovation from the 02 crowd in the process.

The Brit then appeared to have struck the killer blow when he broke Raonic again to lead 2-1 in the second however in the next game his serve let up for the first time and the Canadian punished him to draw level.

At 5-5 Murray pounced again, digging two spectacular backhands out of his immense armoury which allowed him to serve for the match. Raonic threatened to spoil an almost perfect victory however Murray was able to close out proceeding and get his tournament back on track.

 

 

ATP World Tour Finals Days 1 and 2 - Wawrikna And Djokovic Set The Standard

Only the top eight players in the world are accepted in the season ending ATP world tour finals, however yesterday’s action felt more like the opening week of a Grand Slam rather than a showdown between the very best.

Djokovic made light work of Cilic in the second match of the day

It took less than an hour for both Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic to claim their opening victories in a ruthless fashion, the two opening matches from Group B didn’t exactly support the argument that strength in depth in the men’s game is stronger than ever, not that the two victors will care their tennis alone should be enough of an attraction. 

Wawrinka, this year’s Australian Open champion, spent less than an hour on court as he brushed aside Czech Tomas Berdych 6-1 6-1. That was followed by an equally impressive performance from the world number one Djokovic who dismissed US Open champion Marin Cilic by the same score line.

Some will no doubt point to the slow indoor courts which are supposed to favour the better movers and hinder the big servers. Of course that will be no consolation to either Berdych or Cilic; both were well and truly outplayed and can have few excuses.

Nevertheless, the beauty of this particular tennis event is the unique format which splits the eight top players into two groups of four, before the top two from each progress.

That means despite their early defeats Berdych and Cilic can still qualify, as can home favourite Andy Murray who lost his opening Group A match in straight sets falling 6-4 6-4 to Kei Nishikori in Sunday’s opener. 

Even so the British number one must surely have to beat Canada’s Milos Raonic in tonight’s second match to stand any sort of realistic chance. Like Murray, Raonic failed to take a set in his opening match, losing 6-1 7-6(0) to a potent looking Roger Federer.

Murray can take some positives from the 6ft5 Canadian’s nervy start against Federer, which clearly cost him on his first appearance at this event. However in previous meetings its Raonic who leads by three matches to one and will no doubt be a dangerous opponent.

In today’s other match Federer will go up against Nishikori, where the winner will take a huge step towards booking their place in one of Sunday’s semi-finals, with Federer looking for an unprecedented 7th title at the end of season championships.

 

Goalless Draw Keeps Boro In Touch At The Top

Middlesbrough    0        Bournemouth    0

 

 

It is often the case when two in form sides at the top of the table meet and end up cancelling each other out, begging the question what was all the hype was about?

Boro’s 0-0 draw with Bournemouth was built up as the Championship’s game of the day, as 2^nd hosted 1^st at the Riverside. However in the final assessment of a match with few goal scoring opportunities it was a game both sides saw as a must not lose rather than a must win.

Lee Tomlin Couldn't work his magic to open the scoring 

It means that managers Aitor Karanka and Eddie Howe can now go into next week’s international break knowing their sides have lost little ground in the race at the top of the table. Derby’s 5-0 over Wolves may have moved them to the summit; nevertheless both Boro and Bournemouth remain well placed only one point back.

Boro came into this game off the back of an impressive 4-0 victory over Norwich on Tuesday night; Karanka opted to make two changes from that game with Yanic Wildschut and Adam Reach replacing Kike and Albert Adomah who both dropped to the bench. That meant Patrick Bamford moved in from the right into the lone striker position in Karanka’s preferred 4-2-3-1.     

Bournemouth were also full of confidence after winning their last six league games, with Howe picking up the October manager of the month award along the way. Their team showed one change from the side which beat Sheffield Wednesday in mid-week with Yann Kermogant coming in for Brett Pitman.

Even before kick-off the magnitude of this match was clear to see with 22,930 fans present at the Riverside to watch the league’s top two teams. A traditional minutes silence was held prior to the match to remember those who lost their lives at war; its ending prompted a roaring applause and so it began.

Boro were spurred on to a fast start by the home fans in a lively atmosphere, however it took until the ninth minute for them to test Bournemouth keeper Artur Boruc when Lee Tomlin’s promising run lacked a prolific finish.

The visitors responded when Kermogant turned a cross from the left hand side towards the Boro goal but his effort was right at keeper Dimi Konstantopulos. Things may have been different if Reach’s well struck effort had found the back of the Bournemouth net, however the Boro winger could only watch as his shot from range rebounded off the cross-bar.

The midfield stalemate continued as Boro’s central duo of Grant Leadbitter and Adam Clayton found themselves in an ongoing battle with Bournemouth’s Harry Arter and Andrew Surman.

Another run from Tomlin got bums off seats in anticipation but this time his shot was blocked. A spell of Bournemouth pressure followed, first Matt Ritchie forced Konstantopulos to make an impressive save, tipping the ball over his own cross bar. From the resulting corner Surman’s shot deflected off Bamford and looked for a second as if it was going in for an own goal instead it drifted over the bar.

At half time Karanka withdrew the peripheral figure of Wildschut to introduce Kike, who moved into the centre forward role with Bamford switching to the right.

However the move appeared to have little impact, eight minutes after the re-start Leadbitter could only clear the ball as far as Bournemouth’s top scorer Callum Wilson but the player who was recently awarded the Championship’s player of the month could only scoop the opportunity over into the jeering Boro fans.

Goal scoring chances were now a rarity, as the battle to gain the upper hand went on.  Clayton, who had received a booking in the first half, escaped a second yellow card following a foul near the centre circle, the Boro midfielder had put in a worthy performance but Karanka did have Dean Whitehead on the bench and it must have crossed his mind.

Instead the Boro manager brought on Adomah in place of Bamford, who was beginning to struggle out on the right hand side. Moments later Bournemouth winger Marc Pugh was allowed to turn and shoot on the half volley, the effort bounced awkwardly but Konstantopulos smothered it with ease.

With ten minutes to go Karanka used his final substitution as Jelle Vossen replaced Tomlin. Likewise Howe threw on Pitman and Ryan Fraser to try and steal the game, nevertheless it remained goalless and despite not offering much as a spectacle it’s a result which keeps the points total rolling.

Player Rating   

Dimi Konstantopulos   7- Reliable when called upon but wasn’t tested much

 

Ryan Fredericks   7.5- Always gives Boro an outlet going forward and defends well

Ben Gibson   7.5- Won the majority of headers and came out on top of battle with Wilson

Daniel Ayala   7.5- Came out to win the ball on numerous occasions

George Friend   6.5- Wasn’t his best game, struggled to make his usual impact

Grant Leadbitter (C)   7- Gave his usual 100%

Adam Clayton   8- Rarely gave away possession, all-round strong performance in midfield

Yanic Wildschut   5- Didn’t take his chance looked lost on the wing before being subbed at half time

Adam Reach   6- A few good efforts but wasn’t a regular threat

Lee Tomlin   7- Looked like he could be the difference with moments of class but his final shot sometimes let him down

Patrick Bamford   6- Worked hard upfront in the first half, struggled when he moved to the left

Subs

Kike   5.5- Didn’t have a major impact after coming on at half time

Albert Adomah   6- Came on with 20 minutes to go, a few promising runs

Jelle Vossen – Came on with 10 minutes to go, not enough time to give a fair rating

 

My Boro Man Of The Match: Adam Clayton

Boro Crush Canaries To Go Second

Middlesbrough    4        Norwich    0

                     Bamford  5    Leadbitter  33 (Pen), 69

                                    Wildschut  85 

Middlesbrough laid down the gauntlet to the rest of the Championship with an eye-opening 4-0 victory over promotion rivals Norwich, a result which moves Aitor Karanka’s side up to second in the league and sets up a top of the table clash with 1^st place Bournemouth on Saturday.

Patrick Bamford celebrates the opening goal

After Patrick Bamford got the ball rolling with a close range header, Boro captain Grant Leadbitter notched his league goal tally up to eight with two contrasting goals, his first a calm finish from the penalty spot his second a swooping header over Norwich keeper John Ruddy. Substitute Yanic Wildschut added a fourth to round off an emphatic win

With only 16 games gone it’s still far too early to start thinking about any promotion celebrations; however this was clear evidence that Karanka’s side can do more than just go toe to toe with one of the early season favourites, it was evidence they have the ability to take them apart.

Norwich are no pushovers and this time last year were holding their own in the Premier league, nevertheless Boro had drained the energy from their opponents by half time and in the second half, hung them out to dry for all of the Championship to see.

The Canaries could point to the awarding of harsh looking penalty when Russell Martin collided with George Friend inside the visitors box before Leadbitter made it 2-0. Manager Neil Adams gave no excuses though saying “We got what we deserved. It was not good enough at all” He was right and after a bright start the Norwich heads soon dropped after half time.

Contrastingly Karakna was understandingly upbeat but wary of any premature celebrations "We have very good players and a very good squad. We are in a very good way but these kind of games cannot confuse us into thinking everything is done” Said the Boro manager after the match “I am very happy and very pleased but we want to keep our feet on the ground. We would like to be in this position in May."

The Boro team showed three changes from the side that started in the 3-0 victory over Rotherham on Saturday. Ryan Fredericks returned at right back in place of Emilo Nsue who dropped to the bench, he was joined by Wildschut and Adam Reach with Albert Adomah returning on the right and Lee Tomlin in behind the striker. That meant Bamford moved out to the left with Kike upfront.

Norwich were unchanged from the side which won 2-1 at home to Bolton last time out, Cameron Jerome scored twice in that game and remained the lone frontman. Ex-Boro midfielder Gary O’Neil also started in the centre of midfield.

Nevertheless the hosts were in front inside five minutes, following an energetic start. Kike released Adomah down the left channel, from there the Ghanaian international picked out Bamford in the Norwich box, who managed to steer his low header beyond Ruddy.    

The goal came just after Boro right back Ryan Fredericks had fired over the bar from the edge of the area, however in the following exchanges it was Norwich who created the better openings

Nathan Redmond was particularly lively on the visitors left, with 9 minutes gone he cut inside to shoot but Daniel Ayala was on hand to block to effort. The pressure didn’t stop there, and Norwich continued to press high up the pitch, pinning Boro back.

O’Neil came closest to levelling the scoring on 12 minutes when he played a neat give and go on the edge of the Boro box, the resulting shot forced Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopulos to make a low save. Jerome and Kyle Lafferty also had chances but were wasteful and off target.

Boro battled on, and when the chance to launch a counter attack arose they took it. Kike was again involved, this time finding Friend on the overlap in the visitor’s box; he appeared to be going nowhere when he tangled with Martin but referee Nigel Miller pointed to the spot and Leadbitter coolly converted.  

Two could have become three before half time with Boro now on top. The best of the chances fell to Kike whose close range shot was blocked; nevertheless the home fans were more than grateful for a 2-0 advantage at half time.

A tactical chance at the break saw Adams bring on Gary Hooper for Alex Tettey switching to a 4-4-2. It wasn’t long before Karanka responded three minutes after the restart with the introduction of Reach who replaced Adomah.

The next goal was significant, but after the interval it appeared the canaries’ energy had deserted them. Jerome fired wide again for the visitors, at the other end Ayala headed Reach’s cross over the bar.

It was at that point Boro stepped up proceedings, Leadbitter’s long range effort brushed the side netting before a cleared Boro corner fell to Fredericks on the edge of the box, the full back’s low effort required Ruddy to turn the shot wide.

On 69 minutes Boro made the decisive move. Karanka had just brought on Wildschut in place of Kike and Norwich were still readjusting. Then came the moment of real quality for Boro’s third, a delicate ball from Tomlin over the Norwich defence picked out Leadbitter ,who had broken from midfield, the Boro skipper’s looping header caught Ruddy in no-man’s land and put a seal on the result.

The icing on the cake would have been a first Boro goal for Jelle Vossen who replaced Bamford with 15 minutes to go. Boro’s fourth came ten minutes later when Ruddy dropped Leadbitter’s corner and Wildschut poked the ball home.

Player Ratings

Dimi Konstantopulos   8- Not overly tested but made key saves when he had to and was comfortable when coming for crosses     

George Friend   8- Stayed disciplined defensively and added option going forward

Ben Gibson   7- Overall solid, gave a few long balls away in the first half

Daniel Ayala   7.5- Boro’s first choice centre half barely put a foot wrong

Ryan Fredericks   7.5- His consistent performances are becoming expected another strong display

Adam Clayton   7.5- Looked to be struggling in the first half but became Boro’s unsung hero working hard in midfield

Grant Leadbitter   9- Fought for control in midfield and never let it go, two goals were a fitting reward 

Albert Adomah   6.5- Played major role in the first goal, subbed after half time

Patrick Bamford   8- Added third league goal of the season, movement was a problem for Norwich

Lee Tomlin   7.5- possessed moments of magic in the final third which helped unlock the Norwich backline

Kike   7- Battled well against the Norwich centre backs but missed a few opportunities

Subs

Adam Reach   7- disciplined performance after coming on after half time

Yanic Wildchut   7- Scored second goal in as many games and added pace on the wing

Jelle Vossen - Came on with 15 minutes to go, not enough time to give a fair rating 

 

My Boro Man Of The Match: Grant Leadbitter