Often Partisan

Cold, on Sky and at Home. Boro Preview

Blues face Tony Mowbray’s Middlesbrough for their third game in six days and their second in front of the Sky cameras. After a better performance against Blackpool in the second half saw Blues pick up a point the question is whether they can finally start winning at home starting tonight.

Boro

The smoggies come into this game with quite a few injuries and Tony Mowbray will have to make some decisions this morning as to who is fit enough to play. George Friend (hamstring) isn’t far from coming back but his deputy Andy Halliday did a good job at left back in his stead although he too came off in his last match with a fatigue-related injury. Jonathan Woodgate isn’t too far from a return as is Faris Haroun and Grant Ledbitter will have to see if he’s overcome a calf injury having been suspended for Boro’s last game anyway. One player who is fit who could feature is former Blues player Stuart Parnaby who was on the bench for Boro last time out.

Boro come into the game 3rd in the table with a good away record (4 wins and a draw in nine games) and in decent form (10 points from the last eighteen).

Blues

Clark will have to make some checks on various players before deciding what he is going to do. Rob Hall has started to overcome the sickness that saw him puke in the middle of the team meeting prior to the Blackpool game and Hayden Mullins will be assessed having come off with a knock with Papa Bouba Diop standing by to make his full home debut if the former Pompey man doesn’t make it.

In defence Clark has to decide if Paul Caddis is fit enough to play again having come back from a long injury layoff to play against Blackpool and he will also have to look at Paul Robinson who played on with a niggle on Tuesday. With Pablo Ibanez doing fairly well in place of Steven Caldwell it will be interesting to see if the Spaniard keeps his place. It doesn’t look like Nathan Redmond will be in the 18 again and Blues are still missing long term absentees Stephen Carr, David Murphy and Keith Fahey.

It’s going to be rough – a freezing cold night, against a team that likes playing away in front of a sparse crowd. Blues haven’t done that well on TV of late and I don’t expect that to change tonight. All we can hope for is a better performance from the off, tempo and pace from the team and maybe we could get something. I’m not banking on it though.

The match is live on Sky Sports One, 19:45 kick off.

Match previews sponsored by EZE Group - Lifestyle Experts

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36 Responses to “Cold, on Sky and at Home. Boro Preview”

  • Bongo says:

    Has been stated why Redmond isn’t making the squad? I have looked around and it all seems to a bit ambiguous. Have I missed something?

    • maurice walters from thailand says:

      Bongo has it been stated why Redmond isnt making the squad i havent seen anything about him for some time getting to wory about a transfer hope not good luck for tonight KRO

    • almajir says:

      Dropped – manager doesn’t think he’s been good enough in matches or training.

      • Alex T says:

        really worried about Redmond…. Looking at his facebook page, I really dont think the guy is happy under this manager. He may really want to stick it out at Blues in the hope that Clarke will get the boot eventually (after new ownership), but its more likely that he will be forced out……

        And I had a dream the other night that he came back to St. Andrews with his new team and put 4 past us!! :-/

  • swissjonny says:

    I was starting to wonder myself.I suspect that with all that is and that has been going on I am suffering from acute paranoia.Hopefully….

  • bluenose 11 says:

    with any luck they will be full of running tonight even if its just to keep warm
    kro

  • andy says:

    Im on the understanding Redmond refused a new contract, or should i say, the agent did. Paladini has already made the point of offering new deals to both Redmond and Butland if his consortium take control of the club. I dont think this is the reason Redmond isnt playing, he just needs to play better when he does get a game, like others in the team, he seems to have gone off the boil a little bit.

  • dcp says:

    the redmond we’ve seen this season isn’t the redmond we saw last season
    regardless of who’s to blame for this, dropping him is the correct decision so i’m backing LC here

  • Agent mcleish says:

    The with our better players returning from injury I can only see a win for Blues tonight.

  • les says:

    for me this squad is equal if not better than last season..
    so would someone explain WHY we are not in top six in a mediocre division..
    i have a few theories but im probably way off..

  • Masaccio says:

    Let’s hope Diop gets a start ahead of Mullins

  • DoctorD says:

    Boro — third and won eight of the last 11
    Blues — 19th and won two of the 11.

    Can only be one thing — another home defeat, a low crowd and a crap game. Wish I could be more optimistic, but I can’t.

  • Paul Carter - The Peoples Favourite says:

    Love nights like these, Football English style, floodlights on, proper fans

    Love it.

    Hope the boo boys have a night off and LC can build on Tuesdays performance

  • motozulu says:

    We have no real pace in the side – especially at the bac -k and key players from last season have all lost form, it aint rocket science.

    I’m not very optimistic about tonight either.

  • Paul Carter - The Peoples Favourite says:

    Keep Right On lads – That’s the mantra, it aint just a song you know.

    Put the moaning on hold for a bit, stop the booing.

    Get down there tonight, back the team and rejoice cos you are Blue.

    Means the world to me and I just can’t wait.

  • Blueboy88 says:

    Don’t understand how a bright young talent like Redmond has been allowed to disappear from First Team Action by the management team.

    Sterling of Liverpool & Zaha of Crystal Palace are players of a similar ilk & age , yet both have gone up a level this season , while Redmond’s has gone down two levels..

    Whats changed for Redmond since last season…?

    • Paul Carter - The Peoples Favourite says:

      Good manangement by LC

      The boy has to earn his place.

      Whatever the reasons he clearly needs dropping, similar to Caldwell

      Maybe he’s believing his own hype, he’s no world beater that’s for sure.

    • prewarblue says:

      Why has Redmond changed from last season ?,,,,,,,,two words only Lee Clarke !

      • Alex T says:

        im not fan of LC… and he is not blameless. but I put it down to 2 different words….

        No fullback!

        without decent fullbacks on both flanks, our wide players dont get the overlaps and hence the freedom to take players on and get to the byline….. This has affected Burke aswell.

        And its no good having 1 good fullback either, because then the opposition doubles up on the attacking threat. We need both Caddis and Murphy in the team. As Murphy is out for the rest of the season, i think the only player who could give us an attacking option on the left is Mitch Hancox.

    • prewarblue says:

      Why has Redmond changed from last season ?,,,,,,,,two words only Lee Clarke !

  • Euston 9.18 says:

    Baby Redmond has been playing like under 11 kid,has the ball,try’s to beat the players in front of him & fails,then when he does try to pass or cross,terrible.

    Off to west spam in January or is Buckland ??

    Just wondering why there helping us out with the 2 loan players Morrison & Hall.

    Them cockney lot with the welsh dwarf never do anything for nothing.

  • Alex says:

    Anyone noticed its St Andrews day today? We usually do well on St Andrews day.

  • Ali Duncan says:

    I don’t like to pedantic and I’m not normally a know-it-all pain in the rear but there isn’t an e on the end of Clark and it’s Butland, not Buckland.

  • Paul Carter - The Voice Of Reason says:

    I don’t like to BE pedantic either Ali but you missed out the word ‘be’ in between ‘like’ and ‘pedantic’.

  • Can't be worse then Mullins says:

    Unbelievable ! Give the kid a break, Mr Clark has given him an Burke to much responsible outwide obviously it not there kind of game, it’s not working change the system to make them defend less and try to get up the pitch! Kids 19 yers of age !!! Team of west ham rejects!

  • nigel peat says:

    Received a call midweek telling me and other Season Ticket Holders who sit in the Gil Merrick Upper Tier that part of the ground will be closed tonight and we will be moved elsewhere.

    I wondered how other ST holders felt who sit in the GMU?

    I got the impression from the Ticket Office, once informed of the change some ST holders are staying at home.

    The seat I have is excellent plus the banter with the regulars is what I look forward to in these grim times.

    I was expecting some form of compensation to say the least, voucher for a drink and a pie but alas no.

    Oh well looking forward to the usual 150 mile round trip, sitting in the Tilton tonight

  • nigel peat says:

    Almajir,
    Understand the reasons but if you pay for a ST and a specific seat you should be trated better as a customer only football gets away with this type of service.

    I suggest the above may happen yet again this season?

    Oh well heading for Big Johns followed hopefully by a good result then back to the GP Upper for Palace hopefully.

  • Can't be worse then Mullins says:

    Specter and Mullins west ham rejects, I like specter don’t get me wrong his honest and hard working but a poor footballer, and pupa buba who lets be honest at the end of his career but in desperate times has a decent CV and fingers crossed his can do the job. Morrison is a brilliant young footballer, but at the end of the day his not a blues player, so next year who fills that hole? Lee Clark raves about hall who played 10 games for Oxford, an made the bench a few times ! 5 players from west ham, sorry for Redmond not scoring every game, hard to do if his boxed into his own half .

  • Paulo says:

    Most important part of this one is …..’freezing’. Can’t wait.

  • BobBobandTrev says:

    Hi Al
    It seems literacy is overrated today lol
    3-1 either way
    KRO

  • Paul Carter - The Voice Of Reason says:

    Vermin infest our club.

    Filthy scumbag vermin.

    Well done Lee Clarke your decisions changed the game.


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