Boro fan here, it's surprising how similar your forum is to ours (and indeed most others)
It contains plenty of Bedwetters, Ra-ra's (our nicknames for the doom and gloom mongers and the unbelievably optimistic who believe everything the club do is impossible to be a bad idea) as well as all those in between.
Just thought I'd offer a general perspective on what the man in the street from Middlesbrough tends to think.
Boro supporters are generally a more cautious bunch, as we've been bitten for not being so more times than I care to remember. A 128 year wait for our first and to date only major trophy despite being in the top two divisions for almost all our history and getting to plenty of finals in recent years just to lose them being a case in point.
Regarding the "Coventry are $hit" thread; started by one of our posters who is somewhat famed for his knee-jerk reactions and the general consensus on there being that he was spouting ballhooks on this occasion. Often he will take aim at MFC itself and a part of me actually wonders if he was in a roundabout way having a pop at our own club by suggesting that we couldn't beat a team who were "shit" in this regard? Whatever the case, it's nonsense twaddle, a team doesn't finish 5th by extolling "$hit-like" qualities (aside from us under Pulis, but even then we were more "$hit to watch") Whilst the term 'clobhoppers' sounds hilarious, it's not even closely accurate as it infers a bunch of clodders with no real skill, who achieve what they can by just battling as a unit and adding shithousery, "drawing fouls" and kicking lumps out of the opposition to their gameplay to make up for their lack of technical ability. And when it comes to the playoffs there's only one side in them that set up THAT way and that's Luton. You're hardly lucky to be here either, much like ourselves you started the season a completely different side and at one point it was only the fact that you'd played God knows how many less games than us in the early stages keeping us off the bottom. You've had to put together a fine run overall like we have to get to where you are today. In terms of luckiest team to be in the playoffs that award goes to our not so dearest friends, the deckchairs up the A19. A one man team much more than you with Diallo taking over the mantle from Stewart with a canny manager at the helm.
Regarding our previous results against you this season; aside from the one on Sunday they mean absolutely nothing and can be an indicator of sweet nothing either. We played you first when we were in "Wilder Wank mode" and getting turned over regularly. There was an air of negativity, our manager spent more time whinging that our recruitment team weren't good enough than doing anything worthy of note, Archer and Ramsey were yet to arrive, Hackney was enjoying his time in the Under 21s, Akpom had to his credit bagged a few before getting injured and the overlapping centrebacks style that is Wilder's one trick pony didn't particularly play to the rest of the team's strengths at all. This was until our former goalkeeping coach stepped in and actually did a better job, before Carrick transformed us into the unrecognisable from then side you see today. Our entire set up, tactics, style and effort applied at that time have no relevance at all to our current team. The official last game of the season has no relevance either as it was one where we were tossing it off tbh and had been for the last few games once our playoff place had been rubber stamped. This is quite understandable in a way as injuries have certainly hampered us of late with 4 of our first teamers having been out for a while, Carrick not wanting to rush them back and God forbid get any more injuries to add to them before the play offs. You guys were also more than happy with a draw as it cemented your own place in the playoffs too, so it was always going to be the most likely outcome.
Which leaves of course Sunday's game. By contrast highly relevant, the fact that both sides had something riding on it for once for a start. The strength of our overall attack in comparison to the rest of this league is well known. As is your measure of success from your two best players as creator and finisher working through the middle and your perceivably stronger defence. Carrick set out to surprise in the early periods (which we did somewhat with your keeper's outstanding performance being the reason it didn't pay off completely) , with caution exercised as well as nullify your biggest threat (which he did). Robins set up to somehow stop our attacking threat (which as the scoreline will attest he did too) and hopefully get a chance on the counter which didn't happen.
On injuries; it's impossible for fans of either side to say with any measure of accuracy who will play tomorrow. With good reason, Carrick has kept us guessing for weeks now about when our injured first-teamers are returning, understandably keeping his cards close to his chest. Robins has been doing the same of late. Frustrating for us fans? Yep, but we can see the greater good of such a move on both sides.
On tomorrow night's match; I'd need a crystal ball to figure out what will happen! Understandably we're favourites as we're at home and have a greater home record than even your away one, but it really is a game of fine margins in play here with injuries unknown and where the occasion itself can get to a lot of players too. It should however be a cracking atmosphere and somehow I don't think it will end 0-0 this time. I actually fancy both sides to score.
May the best team win!
(And do over whoever else makes Wembley, as after ourselves I'd personally rather you went up than Luton who would add nothing of note to the Prem, or please God NOT our neighbours at the Stad de $hit
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