Todays Games

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

1 minute ago, boltonboris said:

They work on team specific programmes. Shape, transitions, presses and scour loads of data and watch loads of tape in order to prepare as much as possible for the opponent they’re playing. 
 

Hours upon hours upon hours of work on and off the training pitch will have already been done by Boro and Saints specifically for the task of facing Hull. 
 

Hull haven’t been able to specifically prepare for anyone. Of course they’ll still be training and keeping themselves sharp, but they are at a real disadvantage. 

Aye, exactly

I'd much rather be in the position of knowing who I'll be playing against

[RoadRunnerFan]

45 minutes ago, Marc505 said:

Justice done. No team should ever be allowed to win a competition with a kit like that one of City's.

 

44 minutes ago, waffer cup 07 said:

Thank god City haven't won the league again.

Might get a few more 'Stockport' rocking up Sun with nothing now riding on the City game. 

[Tombwfc]

1 hour ago, boltonboris said:

They work on team specific programmes. Shape, transitions, presses and scour loads of data and watch loads of tape in order to prepare as much as possible for the opponent they’re playing. 
 

Hours upon hours upon hours of work on and off the training pitch will have already been done by Boro and Saints specifically for the task of facing Hull. 
 

Hull haven’t been able to specifically prepare for anyone. Of course they’ll still be training and keeping themselves sharp, but they are at a real disadvantage. 

 

I think you're massively overestimating how much teams are specifically working on playing Hull. Middlesbrough won't have done hours and hours and hours of anything to this point.

Hull and Middlesbrough have played each other twice already this season. Both teams are used to playing different opponents Sat-Tues so this isn't an unusually short turnaround.

Maybe Hull will argue otherwise if they lose, but the disadvantages balance themselves out. Only the most optimistic Boro player or coach will have been going at full tilt this week truly expecting to be playing on Saturday. And it's still not certain to be the case even now.

[frank_spencer]

Horns a honking round Finsbury Park tonight hopefully they've all calmed down when I want to go to sleep

[Zico]

4 hours ago, Leyther_Matt said:

The right decision, I’m sure, but the timing is an utter farce. Southampton fans must be going nuts on last travel costs etc. Similarly a nightmare for Boro fans trying to sort travel and tickets at this stage.

Hope none of their players went on holiday 😅

Does also mean we might get rid of the dreariness of Boro away if we go up 🤣

the logistical side of it all makes me think upon appeal it'll be a fine and points deduction 

none of it makes sense though, why the fuck would you spy on your opponents

and in such a way it seems they've been rumbled quite easily because they were so obvious about it 

the risk surely far far outweighs the advantage 

so I do hope they get booted out 

I just don't think they will because it's easier not to

[Zico]

3 hours ago, waffer cup 07 said:

Thank god City haven't won the league again.

aye

I seem to be in a minority being delighted arsenal won it

they've done it the old fashioned arsenal way 

lots of clean sheets, goals from set pieces, with goals coming from all over the squad 

Raya equalled Seaman's record of 19 clean sheets 

defences win titles and all that

hope they stick it up PSG as well

[Traf]

The EFL should never have let the Boro v Southampton game go ahead in the first place.
This should have dealt with before it got to the point we're now at.

[Stig]

6 hours ago, Zico said:

aye

I seem to be in a minority being delighted arsenal won it

they've done it the old fashioned arsenal way 

lots of clean sheets, goals from set pieces, with goals coming from all over the squad 

Raya equalled Seaman's record of 19 clean sheets 

defences win titles and all that

hope they stick it up PSG as well

I wanted it to go to the final day just to avoid a load of City fans in Stockport sacking off watching City on TV and heading to Wembley instead for their second club. Can see Stockport having a surge today

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/26122483.eckert-reportedly-fearing-job-accepting-spy-responsibility/

[tomski]

21 minutes ago, Stig said:

I wanted it to go to the final day just to avoid a load of City fans in Stockport sacking off watching City on TV and heading to Wembley instead for their second club. Can see Stockport having a surge today

Really? 

[gonzo]

If only Boro had a mole putting all their info on BoroWays 3 day before the games.

 

[Zico]

28 minutes ago, Stig said:

I wanted it to go to the final day just to avoid a load of City fans in Stockport sacking off watching City on TV and heading to Wembley instead for their second club. Can see Stockport having a surge today

nah, doubt it, maybe one or two, but not a surge of any sort

[Zico]

17 minutes ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/26122483.eckert-reportedly-fearing-job-accepting-spy-responsibility/

can't believe that spying is common practice anywhere

The German is said to have argued he was unaware the EFL had introduced regulations in recent years prohibiting the spying on opposition teams.

His defence reportedly centred on his belief that the practice was widely used on the continent, leaving him unaware he was breaching English regulations.

 

[deeane Koontz]

 

[boltonboris]

11 minutes ago, deeane Koontz said:

 

Makes you think…

[ZiggyStardust]

6 hours ago, Traf said:

The EFL should never have let the Boro v Southampton game go ahead in the first place.
This should have dealt with before it got to the point we're now at.

Missed a trick. Could have put Wrexham in the playoffs in the place of Soton.

£££££££££££££££

[deeane Koontz]

8 minutes ago, ZiggyStardust said:

Missed a trick. Could have put Wrexham in the playoffs in the place of Soton.

£££££££££££££££

It would have been a fairytale 🧚‍♀️ 

[Tombwfc]

22 minutes ago, Zico said:

can't believe that spying is common practice anywhere

The German is said to have argued he was unaware the EFL had introduced regulations in recent years prohibiting the spying on opposition teams.

His defence reportedly centred on his belief that the practice was widely used on the continent, leaving him unaware he was breaching English regulations.

 

 

He was assistant at Barnsley for 18 months before Southampton - sadly not the period they were beating us in the playoffs or I'd say get a claim in. But either they were cheating there too or he must have had some idea. And there's no way that no member of staff there had heard of the Leeds case under Bielsa.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

8 hours ago, Tombwfc said:

 

I think you're massively overestimating how much teams are specifically working on playing Hull. Middlesbrough won't have done hours and hours and hours of anything to this point.

Hull and Middlesbrough have played each other twice already this season. Both teams are used to playing different opponents Sat-Tues so this isn't an unusually short turnaround.

Maybe Hull will argue otherwise if they lose, but the disadvantages balance themselves out. Only the most optimistic Boro player or coach will have been going at full tilt this week truly expecting to be playing on Saturday. And it's still not certain to be the case even now.

This with bells on.

Must have been difficult for those Middlesbrough players to have had to switch from post season mode with all its concerns/relaxation, to being back in for training etc.

A sudden boost of excitement now, but even then, tempered by any appeal. 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

1 hour ago, Stig said:

I wanted it to go to the final day just to avoid a load of City fans in Stockport sacking off watching City on TV and heading to Wembley instead for their second club. Can see Stockport having a surge today

Nah.

In reality, how many cheesed of City fans are now going to suddenly cough up another shit load of cash to go to Wembley, to watch a team they don't really support?

Many City fans are bored of going to Wembley too- they've been many times in recent years, and some of their numbers have dropped on occasions.

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

45 minutes ago, Zico said:

can't believe that spying is common practice anywhere

The German is said to have argued he was unaware the EFL had introduced regulations in recent years prohibiting the spying on opposition teams.

His defence reportedly centred on his belief that the practice was widely used on the continent, leaving him unaware he was breaching English regulations.

 

I don't know if it is or isn't but it was the same excuse Bielsa came out with when he did

[Sweep]

2 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

This with bells on.

Must have been difficult for those Middlesbrough players to have had to switch from post season mode with all its concerns/relaxation, to being back in for training etc.

A sudden boost of excitement now, but even then, tempered by any appeal. 

You never know, the few days of relaxation and zero stress, and now the adrenalin rush of being in the final may be the perfect mix. Although probably not if some of them went on the piss as soon as they lost.

It is though, just one great big mess

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

5 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

This with bells on.

Must have been difficult for those Middlesbrough players to have had to switch from post season mode with all its concerns/relaxation, to being back in for training etc.

A sudden boost of excitement now, but even then, tempered by any appeal. 

They've been in training since the second-leg ended

[Tonge moor green jacket]

1 minute ago, Sweep said:

You never know, the few days of relaxation and zero stress, and now the adrenalin rush of being in the final may be the perfect mix. Although probably not if some of them went on the piss as soon as they lost.

It is though, just one great big mess

Indeed.

They would have had some relaxation either way, but the approach to preparation will have been vastly different. 

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

15 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Indeed.

They would have had some relaxation either way, but the approach to preparation will have been vastly different. 

It won't have been different at all