Middlesbrough vs Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Brend'Watkins]

Won the tie not playing particularly well. I’m not blaming Boro for their set up as we have the ability and the nois to get through. Ref was rubbish and VAR is essential for our style of play.

[Risso]

Why do we call Ramsey JJ?

It's what he calls himself. Nick name from when he was younger I think.

[Jon Crofts]

Won the tie not playing particularly well. I’m not blaming Boro for their set up as we have the ability and the nois to get through. Ref was rubbish and VAR is essential for our style of play.

Not sure VAR would have made much difference today apart from maybe a review of Moreno's penalty shout which I'm not sure would have been given anyway. 2 of our 6 yellows were for dissent.

[Baldy]

When Kamara and Luiz are on the pitch at the same time my confidence goes through the roof.

McGinn lost without them.

We did what we had to do and did no more. The best team won. Well done lads.

[pablo_picasso]

Special mention for Dions commentary at the end .  ‘ Boro won’t change their game they will keep coming at them ‘. what ?  they have sat back and just occasionally counter attacked 😳

Yes! I almost threw my slipper at the TV due to that idiocy...

(no slippers were harmed in the making of this post.)

[PeterWithesShin]

Why do we call Ramsey JJ?

From memory there's 2 stories. One is it's just a family thing, the other was that he played in a team with another Jacob in it that was older than him, so he was Jacob jr which became JJ. Either way he's had that as his nickname for years.

[maidstonevillain]

Cash’s hit was going top bins anyway.

It was top right. And the goalie was nowhere.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

We won and we're through to the next round. I thought Boro did okay all considered, made more of a match of it than I expected especially as they have a LC semi final on Tuesday against Chelsea. Fortunately they have no decent strikers to take advantage of their counter attacks.

Better second half but we still only seem able to pass the ball around with little impact. So few occasions we looked to take on and beat a player against a team 28 places below us in the league. I guess we should be happy it wasn't Stevenage but I do think for a team that has scored 43 goals in the league this season, we are struggling to make real goalscoring opportunities. Boro defended deep but they didn't park the bus like Sheff Utd.

Kamara showed his class with a mature, disciplined performance, Ramsey is getting there, somebody actually willing to take on a player and run with the ball, plus a great show of speed at the end to make the vital tackle. Bailey again away from Villa Park is not the same player, no real threat. Overall we made hard work of it but fortunately we're at our best in the last 10 minutes of the game.

Ref was a joke, how he's a FIFA official referee is beyond me, it must be down to quotas. Five Villa yellow cards and just the one for Boro. The PL really need to start looking at bringing in foreign refs if clowns like him are the best England have.

MOTM: Our fans. Superb again.

[Risso]

A decent sized Championship team will always try to give a good account of themselves in the Cup against higher opposition, and Carrick is no mug. Just pleased to get through a potentially tricky try and be in uncharted territory aka the 4th round for the first time in 3 decades or whatever it is.

[pablo_picasso]

Special mention for Dions commentary at the end .  ‘ Boro won’t change their game they will keep coming at them ‘. what ?  they have sat back and just occasionally counter attacked 😳

The commentary was cringeworthy all throughout.  Set narrative (plucky boro) and stick to it. 

The ref completely ruined that game for me.  Shows why VAR was needed in the first place as shit as it is.

The annoying thing is, if the game had been played at Villa Park, we would have had a pen via VAR on the 59th minute for a clear foul on Moreno (i think it was him).

I was fully expecting a replay at Villa Park & VAR to give them something for fuck all...

And I agree about the commentary too. The BBC were practically crying at the end & all throughout the game it wasn't about Boro sitting men behind the ball & sludging up the flow of the game & hitting hopeful long balls for pace to chase. It was about hard working unlucky, plucky Boro & the superstars Villa could bring on from the subs bench.

I don't think I have ever heard that kind of commentary when we were getting dicked by stronger clubs (at that time) that had spent billions to cheat their way to the top...

[Louzie0]

We are that stronger club.
Get a grip!

In the nicest possible way, of course.

[pablo_picasso]

We are that stronger club.
Get a grip!

In the nicest possible way, of course.

Of what exactly?

I always wonder when people say this to me...

I just don't like the narratives created by the media.




As for the game, the better team won.

Granted, Boro did what they had to do to try & get a result, but only ine team was interested in winning that game.

The ref was as shit as the commentary. Should have had a pen on 59mins. Jones should have had a second yellow at around 75 mins. And the ref booking people for our players telling him he had made incorrect calls when he has made incorrect calls is all well & good when it is applied across the board. (It isnt).

I don't like Lenglet & his lack of pace playing. He makes it easier for lesser teams to just hoof long balls in behind & get the chances of rewards. Cash, despite his goal concerns me. He offers very little on that right side other than a pass back to Kamara or Konsa. Duran was also missing, although his service wasn't great.

On the flip side Douglas Luiz & Kamara are different class. They raise the game of players around them. Bailey showed good touches. And Ramsey had a decent game. Hopefully he will be back to full strength pretty soon.

Overall though, we kept pushing & got what we deserved out of the game. Whether thats due to wearing them down & tiredness, or that extra bit of quality, is probably a bit of both, but I think everybody behind the ball & ling balls into space to chase is going to be the tactic for quite a few teams going into the second half if the season...

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Another positive by the sounds of it; Dutch commentary. They hardly spoke during the game, let you watch in peace but did call out the Moreno penalty.

[lovejoy]

I agree, they don’t react to what they are seeing on the pitch at all if it moves from the narrative. It’s even more extreme the lower the oppo as the commentators don’t generally know much about them so repeat themselves.

[VillaTim]

Full credit to the boys, You can only beat what's in front of you, we dug in well, quietened the crowd down and got the job done . i think i'd like this management lark