FAN’S VIEW: 24/25 – No.19 MIDDLESBROUGH AT HOME

OUR OPPONENTS

Middlesbrough used to be one of those clubs that were very much a Premier League team. If they got relegated they soon went back up. Well that’s the impression I’ve got. Their last season in the top flight was 2016/17 when they finished second bottom. Not the best of times for the North East. Sunderland were bottom and Newcastle weren’t even in the top flight. The Geordies were though Championship champions.

The closest Middlesbrough have come to getting back since then was the year immediately after their relegation and two seasons ago. Losing in the play-off semi-finals both times without scoring a goal and only conceding two. Both 1-0 home defeats, first to Villa and then Coventry. In 2019/20 they were only 17^th and in 2020/21 mid-table. On every other occasion they’ve been 7^th or 8^th. So very much there or thereabouts and were 7^th before coming to the Kassam having scored nine in their last two matches. Their opponents though were QPR and Luton, teams below us not on good form and with defences than are not as good as ours.

Steve Gibson has been owner and chairman of Boro for what seems like forever. He’s a lifelong fan who joined the board when he was only 26 years old. He’ll be 67 in January. In 1986 he formed a consortium to help stop the club going into liquidation and became chairman in 1994. He owns about 90% of the club. His wealth, listed as being £640m in this year’s Sunday Times rich list, makes him the second wealthiest person from the NE apparently.

Their latest set of accounts for the year ended 30 June 2023 record turnover of £28.59m. That was made up of £8.78m gate receipts, £7.76m sponsorship and commercial, £9.5m broadcasting, £2.21m merchandising and a meagre £332k from cup competitions.

They made a loss of £4.46m which was well down on the previous year’s deficit of £15.31m. The difference being largely down to profit on player sales of £22.32m compared to £1.35m.

Staff costs, which included all staff – 77 on the playing side and 151 others – totalled £29.62m.

At the end of the accounting period net liabilities (i.e. shareholders deficit) stood at £136.38m.

The parent company of the football club is Gibson O’Neill of which 75% is owned by Gibson. The amount owed to group undertakings due within 12 months was £148.92m. In November last year the club was released of its obligation to repay this through the issue of shares.

That’s a lot of millions. If owners don’t cover the almost inevitable losses a club is basically screwed. Fans need to accept that when moaning, quite rightly in many cases, about other goings on at a club. Having said that I think Gibson is pretty popular amongst most of their fan base and one of the most liked chairmen in the country. There are richer owners around than him – he’s not a billionaire – but he is a hometown boy, one of their own. 

It’s not cheap, as we know, trying to survive in the Championship let alone trying to get a club promoted. Look at Luton some might say. Well the season they went up they spent 50% more on wages than their revenue.

In recent years Middlesbrough have been very quick in lodging their accounts so there could be a more up to date set of figures to peruse in the next week or so if you’re that way inclined. I’m going to guess they made a loss.

The East Stand ten minutes before kick-off

OXFORD UNITED 2 MIDDLESBROUGH 6

Before writing the bit of the FV that actually covers the match itself I often take quite a considered approach giving myself time to reflect and think about various angles from which I can come at it. That and putting off hitting the keyboard because I can’t be arsed to get round to it.

Here though I just feel like going for it and not even looking at any replays although I’ll probably relent on this and come up with a tweak or two.

No getting away from it this was a sobering watch. Were we humiliated? Debatable. I’m not having any of this “they should have tried harder” stuff which one Radio Oxford caller came up with. I’d argue that those with this view don’t really understand football. I think that’s a lazy interpretation when the opposition is vastly superior and for the most part are outplaying you all over the pitch and in every aspect of the game.

This has put a different perspective on our season. Was it coming? Is it a one–off? I sincerely hope so but we’re at Bramall Lane on Tuesday. If it weren’t for having a couple of points deducted the Blades would now be top.

Up until now every game we’d lost was by just one goal other than the two at Sunderland. This though was different. A four goal margin and SIX conceded. This just hasn’t been us thus far. But at no time in this match did we make it hard for them to play and to have to really work their nuts off physically and tactically.

Our back line didn’t look capable of keeping them out. We had no shape in front of them to make it difficult for Boro. They were given no puzzles or challenges that needed to be solved. They had so many players most of the time that were able to receive the ball with ease. Did we actually mark any of them? Did our guys know who they should have been picking up or where they were meant to be stationed when out of possession? Or was it that they were so good that even though we did what we usually do it was ineffective?

It was probably a case of needs must but given the personnel we’ve got and the quality of the opposition most weeks I much prefer a flat back four to the wing back system. I thought we could rely on the now probably never to be seen again combination of Peter Kioso (r/b), Elliott Moore (c/h), Ben Nelson (c/h) and Ciaron Brown (l/b) even if our NI defender prefers to be in the middle. We’re possibly missing Nelson more than I thought. He’d formed a good partnership with our captain but is now out for up to four months. Leicester have the option to recall him in January but do we have the option to send him back? We need a replacement of similar standard/potential.  

We’re now without Moore for our trip on Tuesday and, I’ll be honest, I’m fearing the worst. It mustn’t be forgotten though that we were already 4-1 down when he was replaced here.

For me Kioso is a better defender than wing back Hidde ter Avest and the same can be said with regards to our left side too – Brown a stronger full back than Greg Leigh. And let’s remember we’re without Joe Bennet, a proper experienced left back, as an option and likely quite regular starter there too if he’d been available. These aren’t criticisms of individuals, just observations on the way they play.

I feel sorry for wing backs when they’re up against top quality wide men. Ben Doak was such a man, well boy really. He was a handful on the right hand side. He’s on loan from Liverpool and has had first team minutes. He only turned 19 earlier this month and this year got in the Scotland team and has already featured in six games. For the record it was Brown, not Leigh, he went past before he was taken out by Moore. He was quicker than our man, as simple as that. Couldn’t we have doubled up on him? After all it wasn’t as if either wing-back was giving us much attacking wise.

At the time we were all yelling “never a penalty”; “he’d already had his shot”; “he was off the pitch when contact was made”.  When they got their third it was “yards offside”.

In both instances loads of booing and abuse directed towards the officials. I joined in a bit because that’s what football fans do but in discussion with fellow fans it was pointed out that watching replays can show how wrong we can be when we have just one view, particularly with offside decisions.

During the half time break I was told that Oxford fans living abroad who were watching the game on screen had concluded that it was definitely a penalty and  Emmanuel Latte Lath was onside when getting the second goal of his hat-trick.

I did relent and watch the highlights. Yes, 100% a penalty. And the off-side decision? Very tight but I think the linesman got it right. So apologies and very well done to the officials.

We knew that the Championship was going to provide one hell of a challenge given the huge difference in quality compared to L1. Even though we thought we knew what was coming there have been a few wake up calls already.  Now this. Altogether something else. Like downing four or five double espressos one after the other.

We didn’t look like a Championship team here and I’m hearing comments that some of our players are not quite up to the standard needed for this level. I’m inclined to agree. We need to get a few months into a season to really see what is what and the capabilities of the squad particularly when faced with this new challenge at a different level.  We’re at that stage now.

As ever there needs to be some thought given to putting this all into perspective. Post-match on Radio Oxford someone mentioned this league being split into two. A few clubs were named with automatic promotion ambitions and then “the rest.” Middlesbrough were put, rightly, into the former category. I think that list should have included Watford and Burnley. Probably WBA too.

This brings me back to identifying three likely worse teams than us over 46 games. That’s been my standard position from the start of the campaign. Call me pessimistic if you like but I call it being realistic. Anything else is a bonus. They’re the ones more than those at the top end that we’ve got to be beating or if not that then at least not losing to them. Those games will be massive. Much more so than this coming Tuesday and when we go to places like Elland Road. Of course we should give it our all in games like these. Anything we get out of them would be unexpected but what a bonus and if we were to sneak the odd point or even a win away at the very best teams just think of the confidence boost it would give us. A pragmatic approach is still the best way to go though as some games are “six pointers” whilst others clearly aren’t.

We’re now 18^th just two points better off than Hull in 22^nd position. We beat them in our last home game but it was hard work. We go to Humberside in mid-March. Without doubt they were nowhere near the standard of Middlesbrough.

The same can be said of bottom club QPR. We’ve not played them yet. They’ve not won at home yet. We go there on 11 December for a mid-week fixture. How tense is that going to be? Losing would be unthinkable.

We’ve drawn at second bottom Pompey, who now have a game in hand. We’re still to play both Cardiff, who are in 21^st position and Plymouth who are 19^th. We go to Devon on 7 December. We’ve beaten Preston who are 20^th at the Kassam and visit them on 4 January.

Our only other two wins were against Norwich and Stoke, two sides currently in mid-table. They’re two and three points above us respectively. Just a reminder again how close it all is to make me feel better.

The only other points we’ve picked up that I’ve not covered above are all draws, against Luton, another mid-table team, and at home to Derby and WBA. Derby, yes mid-table and if it wasn’t for not losing to Albion I would have said that we’ve not laid a glove on the best sides. The Baggies are 6^th, nine points better off than us.

The start of the game was telling. Middlesbrough kicked off but we soon got the ball and then kept it for over a minute without them touching it. At least I think that’s what happened. The visitors were happy to stand off us a bit, marking the space and giving us nowhere to go. The game was mostly being played in our half whether we had the ball or not. We didn’t have the invention or guile to get more forward. Perhaps we weren’t trying to at such an early stage but even if we had been I don’t think we had the capability. We didn’t have anyone on the flanks in space or with the required pace to cause our opponents any concern.

And as I’ve said a few times already we can’t play long to a centre-forward who is capable of hold up play then bringing in colleagues who have come to support. To be able to have this option would be helpful when, as is often the case, we can’t ping the ball around with the same speed as those we’re facing and cut through the lines. We mostly move it slower than they do.

Could Will Goodwin be that player? Truth here is that we have no idea if he is up to Championship standard. We never saw enough of him to conclude what sort of a L1 player he was.

Mark Harris as ever does his shift but loses the ball much too often when defenders are on him in a flash. A better first touch would help.

More evidence here that Dane Scarlett is some player in the box with his finishing but not particularly effective in other areas of the pitch.

Give him chances and he’ll put a good proportion of them away.  That’s a genuine positive. He’s now caught Sparky up with league goals scored this season and has played way fewer minutes. There’s a school of thought that once Harris “gets one he’ll get more” because he registered in the first four games of the season. I’d love to think so but am in no way confident this will happen. He hasn’t scored since August. That’s quite a barren spell.

Our first goal actually gave us the lead in the 24^th minute. Writing that makes me wonder if I’ve possibly been too negative so far. It came from a corner. Banged to the far post by Tyler Goodrham, put back into the mixer by our captain and swept home by Leigh.

Currently I think our two most likely ways of finding the net are through Scarlett in the box and from dead balls. We’re really dangerous from them. Many of these very accomplished outfits can look much more vulnerable when a high ball comes in be it from a corner, free-kick or throw in. Goodrham’s delivery here was very good. He put more height on his corners than many do and they had some bend too. I don’t understand why we don’t put bodies in the box and play most free-kicks, provided they’re over or around the half way line, particularly when at an angle, directly into the penalty area. We usually go short, backwards and sideways and end up getting nowhere. There’s probably a good reason which is backed up by stats that I’m unaware of though.

There’s no doubt Middlesbrough’s finishing was clinical but I heard much muttering that each came from a mistake.

1. It was a rash challenge from Moore after we’d been done for pace.
2. Sam Long having come charging into the Boro half failed to win the ball and got himself out of position. We had enough men back anyway and when the shot went in there were seven yellow shirts in our penalty area including the one with the number 2 on the back. Boro players didn’t need much space in which to shoot.
3. Brown and Moore getting into a tangle at the back. Not comfortable with the ball and Boro knew just when to pounce. Possession lost. Punished.
4. Cumming rolled the ball to an un-marked Long. Nothing wrong with that. Sam’s forward pass looking for ter Avest out wide looked as if Delano Burgzorg was going to cut it out. He failed but this was enough to put ter Avest off who managed to stretch and stab the ball to Ruben Rodrigues. We weren’t comfortable in what we were doing but there should have been no danger. RR tried to shield the ball but stepped across it and slipped a little thus losing possession. One pass later and we’d conceded again.
5. Long cut out a pass but couldn’t control the ball and then easily lost the challenge for possession. Unlike him. Josh McEachran’s “tackle” if it was that just succeeded in playing the pass the Boro player would have made anyway. We had plenty of players around but all unable to do anything.
6. Leigh’s clearance/block just set up the scorer.

I’d also have to ask should our keeper have done better for some of these?

Perhaps not quite as bad as it seems on the face of it. We could have got a couple more goals ourselves. Middlesbrough have similar claims too of course.

Harris made an intelligent run and was found with a pinpoint RR pass. One on one with the keeper he could (should?) have put us 2-1 up. It was only a minute later that we fell behind. He didn’t shoot first time. He didn’t get himself brought down by keeper Sol Brynn. He tried to round Brynn but didn’t angle the ball enough to get it past the stopper who stopped it. It looked a very good save on the day but Harris made it easier for that to happen than he should have done. Could that have been a pivotal moment? Unlikely, I think they were always going to find a way of winning over 90 minutes.

Other positives were the returns of Cameron Brannagan and Matt Phillips. They could be vital. Bran got straight back into it and was looking to get things moving and with a bit more urgency than many around him. It wasn’t long before he got a good shot off and in the second half hit the bar via the hands of Brynn, again from a corner. Another likely goal supply, his shots from longer range?

Phillips is possibly the classiest player we’ve got. It briefly showed. With him and Bran back to match fitness we can play some proper Championship football and others will join in too.

But for now it is one enormous struggle. The team need the fans behind them more than ever. Plenty had left before we pulled it back to 4-2. There were still 18 minutes left then. I’d bloody have loved it if they’d missed one of those comebacks that are talked about for decades. Oxford 5 Pompey 5, anyone?

Whenever I raise this some people turn on me saying it’s up to everyone when they leave a game. Reasons are given. One or two fair enough I’d say but not thousands and that’s how many had gone well before the end. A mate had told me he’d got to leave early for a family do. He lives in Tonbridge and was probably pushing it to have turned up anyway. Some wives understand football more than others.

Then there was the case put forward on Radio Oxford that a lot of it was due to the car park being shut for half an hour starting from the 80^th minute for health and safety reasons. Cars and pedestrians don’t mix well. My understanding was that this only applied to the VIP car parking and the disabled parking. So no excuse then?

I can understand that in certain circumstances “fans” can’t take any more but where does that leave them in the claims to be a “loyal supporter”?

We parked in the car park behind the East stand. When we do so we always wait until it has almost cleared before attempting to leave as it’s a case of ending up in queues going nowhere fast. This time it was about two thirds empty when we got back to the car after nipping into the toilets. Straight out, no queues and much less traffic down the Grenoble Road than normal. We were back down the M40 and home in Bicester a good 10 minutes quicker than usual.

The East Stand at 16:34. I think this was just after our second was scored. Much emptier as was the rest of the ground, other than the away section, after Middlesbrough’s fifth and sixth goals.