Boro 3 United 0 - report

Brief thoughts on the debacle tonight. Not doing a full report as I am tired and frankly I cannot be bothered – most of the players could not be arsed tonight – so not sure I can put effort in writing a long chapter about how ****e we were!

We began with the same team and should have been behind in 45 seconds as we failed to stop a routine ball down the right, failed to stop the cross and then failed to stop the striker get his shot off. He missed as much as Henderson saved it. It should have been 1-0. Fear not for them soon after they had another half chance and it was knocked wide for a corner. We let a ball come right across and nobody challenged and it was put in unopposed. Soon after it was 2-0. Corner again. Flint. You know the lad – always scores against us. However, we have this big towering defender to stop this type of goal – or to let him run in and score exactly the same as he did for Bristol twice last year. Not long after and it’s 3-0. They walk through midfield, get down the left and a cross comes in unopposed. No worries, Baldock will clear or he will just leave it and let Downing in. It’s ok he has miskicked it. Henderson will save it. Or will just let it go into the net. Game over. After this they had more chances and we did well to get out 3-0. We barely had an attack of note. We were out chased, outpaced, out muscled, out thought and out on our feet.

We looked so slow, unfit and clumsy. They chased and won every ball and were hungry. They turned us round, won set plays and then did the rest. However, Wilder may come out and say all the clap trap about 2 set pieces, 2 goals but we should have been 1-0 down after half a minute. They had other openings. We were awful from back to front. No communication, no organisation and nobody getting their foot in; let alone on the ball. Wilder says it is always a given we will run around. Well the first two games; both teams have run around a lot more than us and they are better players before they even do that. So, if that happens; we have had it.

Seen a lot saying the 2nd half was better – well it was as they basically declared. They sat off, let us have it. Sure, we had one good chance – the Clarke header but then the other chances came right in the closing stages. We still only had two shots on goal all game – the Clarke pathetic effort and then the Stevens shot. We did better and Duffy and Woodburn made a difference but the game was done- we had been spanked well and truly in the first half.

Overall, it has been an appalling start – people will say do not panic; its two games and players need time but the first two games we have met teams that have been sold or been without due to injury several key players and both teams beat us fairly easily. 2-1 and 3-0 have flattered us in both games. We look a tired, disjointed mob. Tired. After two games. There will be loads of talk about Stevens, Egan, Evans, Lundstram etc but tell you what so called stars of last year Basham, O’Connell, Fleck, Clarke have been abysmal. Baldock was poor tonight. I did not expect us to be this bad. The one thing you always kind of get is effort and a fair amount of organisation and team spirit. As the players moped bak to half way at 15 minutes; a couple remonstrated with each other; my son said we look like a relegation side. He is only 10 and was exaggerating but you saw the kind of body language that started so badly in League One a few years ago. It reminded me of that Southend game as we went down 3-0 in 15 minutes in that one too.

We have played 2 games and not one player can say they have played well really in either game. I am not exaggerating. You can get away with a few average games or so-so games from some but for nearly all eleven to be off it. Not a chance of winning. It goes much further than tactics, formation and maybe even selection (although he’s got it wrong twice). Players have got to either a) want it and get stuck and win loose balls and individual battles or b) Have the bollox to pass it forward and try and attack and not be safe. For the most part we have been found wanting in both these key areas.

So, everyone will talk about we need this player or this many in; but the reality is we don’t have the funds to improve things that much from where it is at. At the most we may get 1 loan, maybe 1 permanent but we are not signing 7 or 8 players in the next week. The likes of Derby, Boro and Forest will blow us away when it comes to getting the good players sadly so we have to wheel and deal and hope his forays are better than they have been over the last 12 months as sadly his transfer record has been poor – Leonard, Holmes, Evans x 2, Lundstram, Wilson, Egan, Henderson (jury still out) really with only a few being a success since we went up such as Blackman, Stearman, Stevens first half of season but not so much now. Our best players are still the ones that got us into this division (Clarke, O’Connell, Sharp, Fleck, Coutts, Duffy and Basham) not the ones he has brought in. So ultimately, we have to improve from within and somehow get back to the hard to beat, pressing, relentless attacking side we had to start least season. We did not see much of it from Xmas onwards and that is worrying. We have kind of carried on from where we left off. I think he has to introduce some bite and creativity and in should come Duffy, Woodburn, sharp and even Leonard. I am not sure he will change the defence as he has shown he does not see Lafferty as any better than Stevens (not sure I do despite the masses of criticism Stevens gets – some deserved as he has been poor for a while) but changing the left-wing back is not going to change everything. The heart of the side; the midfield is a soft touch and we need to see Fleck getting back to standards he has set (started last season poorly), Duffy back in and Clarke to actual look arsed. We can hope Egan, O’Connell and Basham improve – he won’t drop Egan when he cost so much money I do not believe and not sure Stearman would play wide centre back and he isn’t changing his formation anytime soon. We are rock bottom – happened a few seasons ago; at a lower level and we will see what they are made of Saturday. It is only 2 games but has been an awful start. It is not as if we have been unlucky to lose or had bad decisions; we have been out worked and out skilled. We do not look like scoring and look like conceding every time the other team properly attacks. Not a good combination.

Anyway ratings…

Henderson 5/10 – Not convincing at all. No command of his box. Looks a line keeper to me. Not a lot of chance in some ways with the two goals from corners but he is rooted to his line. Made a decent save early on but then third he was all over the place. Not the best of starts at all but not helped by indecision in front. Blackman gave us a real presence; he has not done that at all so far.

Baldock 5.5/10 – Kept going at least and felt he tried to get forward but his defending was suspect at times and he too was guilty of ball watching. The third goal he was nowhere to be seen and should have intercepted the cross. At times he gets into good areas but he has no idea what to do when he does; either firing a ball at a defender or just running down blind alleys.

Stevens 4/10 – Had a rotten first half I felt and was all at sea down the left side as they attacked at will down here. He was poor in the first chance they had and they had a few other opportunities down this side. He did get better second half, ironically in a back four but his crossing and final ball was pretty hopeless again. He stopped even crossing at the end, so shot was his confidence. Needs a rest but not sure who you bring in – the kid I watched at Hallam is nowhere near ready – Norrington Davies and Lafferty is even worse than Stevens in my opinion.

Egan 4/10 – Brought in to be the big unit that wins key headers, stops us conceding soft goals and set play goals. We concede 2 in 10 minutes to lose the game. He completely lost Flint on the 2nd goal and lost him 3 or 4 other times tonight when he could have scored more. On the ball he looks ungainly and clumsy. Whatever we paid for him, it looks too much at the moment but hoping he will come good but his starts has been wretched.

O’Connell 4.5/10 – Not much better than Egan – the only thing that saves him from similar marks to the rest of the defence, is not that sure any goals were directly his fault. He too was guilty of ball watching at times and looks like he is carrying extra weight; does not have same acceleration he has had in years past and also not winning headers like he used to. Hope the interest is not unsettling him. The sliced cross right at the end summed things up for United.

Basham 4.5/10 – Another clumsy kind of performance where on the ball he dithered and defensively took ages to react to dangers. Felt the two front lads were first to everything in that first half. He looked laboured Saturday and this continued tonight but at least he showed some heart second half and got stuck in – sure he got booked but showed some fight at least.

Fleck 4/10 – He was awful tonight – one of his worst games in a United shirt. Looks overweight and seems to be just drifting out of games. He has played as an almost winger the first two games rather than central and he does not play well with Lundstram and Evans at all. He needs to be given the ball from midfield so he can run with it but those two go back, sideways and safe all the time. However, he has to do much better and get into games. Even when he had it, he gave it away or telegraphed it. Needs to improve.

Lundstram 4/10 – Shocking. Not sure where he was playing or what his role was. He gave it away so many times early on and then when he did keep it, played this soft tip, tappy balls that put people under pressure. Ended up on the right wing and that was an adventure. Given the hook at half time. One of the slowest, most unathletic players I have seen play for United at this level of football. He has not improved much at all since we signed him. Just not sure he is good enough for this level sadly. You need to have some pace or athleticism or if you don’t have those, got to be good on the ball, be able to find passes, run at players. He does none of those things. A lower league player for me.

Evans 4/10 – As above. He easily could have been hooked. Did not quite hide as much as Lundstram and had a few chances second half which were embarrassing when he actually got there – a shot miles over and one where he tackled himself. However, I want to look at where we lost the game – the first 20 minutes and if he got stuck in, pressed, closed down or worked hard? He did none of these things and as Swansea did, they just walked through our midfield. When he finally got on the ball (it was 3-0 at this stage and he had barely kicked it – neither had the rest of our midfield) he just played it safe. He does not like to pass forward or run with it. If he does not even want to carry it more than 5 yards, teams will just sit off him. This slows our play right down. Another one that was blowing after 15 minutes. How unfit are some of our players? Been criticised for my thoughts on Evans, but like with Lundstram struggle to see what he offers to us to improve us. Our record in games that him and Lundstram have started has been awful.

Clarke 3/10 – Lucky to get 2. Did not work hard, barely held it up, looked disinterested and then missed 2 or was it 3 open goals. A performance that makes you worry if last seasons mid-season (as it was pretty much a third of the season where he got all the goals) was just a freak purple patch and we should have taken the money off Villa. He has looked like the Leon Clarke most of us remember from the rest of his career; the opening 2 games. Needs to be taken out of the side for me as we have nothing up front – the defence is rightly getting panned and so is the midfield but we have to defend from the front and he is not chasing, closing down, holding it up. Nothing.

McGoldrick 5/10 – Thought he tried hard even though nothing came off. His control and touch were not great and he did not link with Clarke but he did put a lot of effort in. He is a player that should be used as a bit part; not a starter; but hope we do not end up playing him a lot like we did with Donaldson.

Subs:

Woodburn 7/10 – Our joint best player with Duffy. Came on, showed some skill, ran at them a bit and put the ball of the match in for Clarke. He was good and showed some promise. The only bright spot really of an awful night and has to start Saturday. Sod midfield solidity or getting overran Wilder, we are bottom of the league and look awful. We can’t look any worse if him and Duff play. The midfield we currently have is offering the defence zero protection anyway.

Duffy 7/10 – As with Woodburn, played well and got on the ball and wanted to make things happen. He did more in a minute than Evans, Lundstram and Fleck did in 90 minutes between them. Has to play Saturday. Sod formations or defensive shape. Play him and Woodburn just off Clarke or Sharp.

Leonard – Won a few tackles and at least passed forward. He has not done great in the games he has played but barely played so far. I have seen enough of Evans and Lundstram to suggest they are not the answer. Let’s give this lad a go. He may be crap but we need to see why we chased him for so long.

Boro – Better than us.

I’m at QPR. My away record is appalling recent seasons so you can blame me. Report will be up Sunday morning.

United, United, bottom of the league. Night, night.

Good report DB but Harsh on Henderson. He got absolutely no cover, the defenders were Shiite mate.

How have we not got the funds? Wilder said himself a couple of days ago, we haven’t touched the Brooks money. 12 mil for Brooks is a good sell if you reinvest but sadly we won’t. Will be another case of “where ever did that Brooks money go?”

Just not convincing at all though is he. He was at fault for the 3rd and did not come for one cross alll night. His distribution was crap too. He made one save all night and 3 went past him. Say 5/10 is quite fair. What did he do well?

Wilder has just said it tonight himself - we dont have the funds for permanent. None coming in. The Brooks money may not have been touched as he says but he wont be seeing it! Same old United.