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Boro v Sheffield Wednesday (A) 2-1 (Besic, Assombalonga)


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Sheffield Wednesday v Middlesbrough 

Friday, October 19th - 1945 hours

Hillsborough

 

*Sorry if this isn't up to my usual standard but I am writing it at work to get the conversation going, and will edit it later.  Some of you may recognise the opening graphic and to answer your question - yes. I did the reverse fixture last year so I just reused it!

 

**Also, due to me being at work I can't reveal all yet, but I have arranged for a CELEBRITY GUEST to give us his views on the game later tonight, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

 

The Form

 

Who'd be a Boro fan?! 

 

Lacklustre displays recently have dampened the mood and enthusiasm around oneBoro, and Teesside as a whole, lately, with the international break definitely not helping following a defeat. That 2-0 loss last time out to Forest - who finished the game with 10 men - ended our unbeaten tenure at the Riverside this season. 

 

Farewell, sweet fortress. We barely knew thee.

 

Alas, things are not all doom and gloom for the Boro. We're currently sitting 3 points off top as nobody has really pulled away in the league, we're almost averaging the magical 2 points per game (ALMOST!), and we have the best defence in the league. After beating Preston in the cup we have a home tie against Palace to look forward to too. We just need to find a bit of consistency now.

 

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Sheffield Wednesday come into this match on the back of two wins and two draws in their last 4, a run which was preceded by a beating by Forest, so hopefully we have similar luck. Sitting 3 points and 2 places below us in 6th, they've conceded thrice the goals we have, although they have scored a couple more. 

 

Lucas Joao is their top scorer so far this season with 5, although Adam Reach - who's running his own personal Goal of the Season competition lately - is only one goal behind him. Oh, to have him back in Downing's place!

 

The Line Up

 

While I am hoping to see a few changes from the side that started against Forest, I have the sneaking suspicion Pulis may want to keep with a settled eleven. I haven't taken into account when people are getting back from international duty so this may be totally wrong, but I would like us to start like this:

 

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*I am aware the squad numbers aren't right, they just automatically generate and I couldn't be bothered to change them

 

The World According To Pulis

 

This will be updated after Pulis's press conference. However judging by comments he made before the break, he is not in the best of moods due to the game's rescheduling:

 

“I don’t like international breaks, I don’t like losing the players,”

[align=left]

 

“We’ve got nine or 10 players away. We’ll have two days to prepare for the Sheffield Wednesday game, which I don’t think is good."

 

“I’m really disappointed they’ve picked our game for the television on the Friday, we have more players away than most clubs in Championship. You just hope someone with a bit of common sense had looked at that.”[/align]

 

What The Stars Think

 

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Doc Brown - "I have come from the end of the season to bring you good news, Boro are promoted top with 88 points!"

 

"I don't want to give away too much, but I will give you this one result. Boro beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-1, with Braithwaite scoring a brace and Ayala scoring from a corner!"

 

"I have managed to bring some highlight footage back with me. Back, from the Future!" 

 

[video=youtube]

 

How The Other Half Live

 

The Sheffield Wednesday fans are discussing the team 

here.

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I just feel so flat. Pulis has really sucked the joy out of me since the last international break. Granted I wasn't expecting much regarding entertainment value since last seasons poor showing in the playoffs, so I was a bit pleasantly surprised with how the first stint went up to the first international break. The way we have performed since has been dire to say the least though. Happy that we are so close to the top but I'm just not that fussed about watching the game atm. I'll be at some friends house for dinner with the family so probably won't be able to see anything regardless. Will keep an eye out for the result and probably check in here during the game. I'm kind of expecting a 1-0 loss if Pulis doesn't manage to change our approach.

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I just feel so flat. Pulis has really sucked the joy out of me since the last international break. Granted I wasn't expecting much regarding entertainment value since last seasons poor showing in the playoffs, so I was a bit pleasantly surprised with how the first stint went up to the first international break. The way we have performed since has been dire to say the least though. Happy that we are so close to the top but I'm just not that fussed about watching the game atm. I'll be at some friends house for dinner with the family so probably won't be able to see anything regardless. Will keep an eye out for the result and probably check in here during the game. I'm kind of expecting a 1-0 loss if Pulis doesn't manage to change our approach.

 

A lot of the exciting and upbeat feeling at the start of the season (I think) wasn't just down to results, but also the fact we had some young, local and academy lads in the team. They have been dropped recently from the subs for loan signings - I mean, will Batth really be any more use coming off the bench than Fry? If Wing has been taking a while to get over some sort of illness it is understandable him being out of the team but I would like to see him return to the fold eventually, if even off the subs bench. Hopefully this new contract means he is going to push himself back in to Pulis's thoughts.

 

The results since the last IB have also been pretty hit and miss aswell, but they have felt a lot worse since the team we were fighting at the top - Leeds - have also dropped off a bit, so it feels a lot more of a missed chance to make a move and put a bit of distance between ourselves and the pack.

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I have to say I am alarmed at some of the points TP is stating, is he suggesting that we will not be good enough to win? Of all those away on international duty will they all be in the starting 11? Seems to me we have good enough players not involved to give SW a good game.

 

This simply is a "must not lose" game and is Reach going to unleash?

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This could be a make or break for Wing imo. With Saville and Besic both being distinctly average and both being away on international duty you'd expect Wing to start this with Howson/Clayton. 

 

But yea this season has been so draining which is even more surprising with where we are in the table. I'm sort of ashamed to say this but I'm getting to the stage where I'd take a couple of defeats if it meant Pulis ***ed off.

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Understand your sentiments Dan but nope not for me at anytime, anyplace and anywhere.

 

Boro is my team and I hate to see us lose but it is the manner in which we are playing which is of most concern.

 

I take comfort that SG is at least a fan and it must be far worse for him

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Hopefully people are starting to see why WBA wanted a change from Pulis, imagine having to endure this year after year?

 

I bet if you asked their fans, they prefer being in the championship and actually going after teams like QPR etc than going through this.

 

I personally subscribe to the Klopp philosophy

 

“Entertainment is the most important part of football. There are too many serious problems in the world to make football boring too."

 

“I want to see happiness with my players, passion in their eyes and a desire to fight. I want to see them bursting, to surprise me, to look what's on their right, to try and make a pass to their left, that sort of thing.”

 

Regarding this game, I just want to see 3-5-2 and the XI including Fry, Wing, Braithwaite and Britt. But it wont, it will be Hugill falling over every time he is near the play.

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Yeah, Klopp's philosophy is fantastic for a club like Dortmund or Liverpool. And whilst I didn't see a lot of Dortmund, I've seen plenty of Liverpool under Klopp and they are really worth watching. But lets not forget the players and the money at his disposal to make that happen effectively. The investment has been pretty constant since he came to Liverpool. And hell, they can sustain that because of who they are. They can keep trying and keep trying at that and because of who they have, they're pretty much never going to have to worry about anything but missing out on European football.

 

If you ask me if I think entertainment is important in football in general, of course I agree. I love watching great teams of great players play great football. And yes, I love it on the off occasion we've played great football in my time as a Boro fan. But I'd also counter that and say if I was a player or a manager, and certainly as a fan, I'll take the win first and foremost. I look back on the Carling Cup we won and I don't sit and analyse the football we played to get the cup. I celebrate the fact we won the games via any and all means. The fact Gareth Southgate lifted the cup, Steve Gibson was lifted aloft and bounced around, getting covered in Champagne whilst 'Rocking All Over the World' belted out around the Millennium Stadium.

 

If I was a Liverpool fan spoiled with success (or at least grew up in a family that was), I'd maybe feel different. Maybe then I'd accept Klopp's philosophy as the one true way to go. But I support the mighty Boro and I'd love to see another Boro captain lifting a trophy, whether we're playing some of the best football to grace the Riverside turf or not.

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Yeah, Klopp's philosophy is fantastic for a club like Dortmund or Liverpool. And whilst I didn't see a lot of Dortmund, I've seen plenty of Liverpool under Klopp and they are really worth watching. But lets not forget the players and the money at his disposal to make that happen effectively. The investment has been pretty constant since he came to Liverpool. And hell, they can sustain that because of who they are. They can keep trying and keep trying at that and because of who they have, they're pretty much never going to have to worry about anything but missing out on European football.

 

If you ask me if I think entertainment is important in football in general, of course I agree. I love watching great teams of great players play great football. And yes, I love it on the off occasion we've played great football in my time as a Boro fan. But I'd also counter that and say if I was a player or a manager, and certainly as a fan, I'll take the win first and foremost. I look back on the Carling Cup we won and I don't sit and analyse the football we played to get the cup. I celebrate the fact we won the games via any and all means. The fact Gareth Southgate lifted the cup, Steve Gibson was lifted aloft and bounced around, getting covered in Champagne whilst 'Rocking All Over the World' belted out around the Millennium Stadium.

 

If I was a Liverpool fan spoiled with success (or at least grew up in a family that was), I'd maybe feel different. Maybe then I'd accept Klopp's philosophy as the one true way to go. But I support the mighty Boro and I'd love to see another Boro captain lifting a trophy, whether we're playing some of the best football to grace the Riverside turf or not.

 

Very well put Wilson. Absolutely agree with this

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The issue is that we have proven we can play exciting football when we want to. I wouldn't even mind playing scrappy for a game or two if warranted to get a win, if I thought the exciting football would come back, but the problem is people can't see when the exciting times will return.

 

For all the stick he got for playing defensively during his tenure, at least with Karanka we actually went out and played some beautiful football at times. That team still scored one of my favourite goals ever:

 

[video=youtube]

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I think that Pulis plays far more exciting football than Karanka ever did. We have been a hell of a lot better than people on here would try and have you believe this season

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I think that Pulis plays far more exciting football than Karanka ever did. We have been a hell of a lot better than people on here would try and have you believe this season

 

Not in the most recent few games we haven't.

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I think that Pulis plays far more exciting football than Karanka ever did. We have been a hell of a lot better than people on here would try and have you believe this season

 

Oh I'm not saying he hasn't, Blanco. Quite the opposite.

 

The problem is that it has disappeared, and it doesn't look like returning any time soon.

 

My enthusiasm just hasn't been there in recent weeks. Doing the match report has sort of got a bit of excitement back into the pre match build up for me, so I'm hoping a good win will revitalise other people's spirits too

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