The taunts from Preston fans said ‘Boro’s staying down’, but there’s a feeling that Chris Wilder’s side are very much on the up.
The dust has settled on what was a disappointing conclusion to a season filled with promise for Boro, but rather than descending into a disaster, the Preston defeat gave me intangible hope for the future.
In truth I’ve never felt as relaxed after such a heavy loss and from leaving Deepdale it seemed I wasn’t the only one. There were hordes of Boro fans enjoying a kickabout in a park and there was one coach having a party on the M6. I went past enough faces trying to find my way back to my bus but I didn’t see a single hacked off expression.
Even during the game, at 4–1 down, the 5,000 Boro fans sang ‘Oh Wilder Said’. Not just once or twice, but for 7 minutes and 20 seconds. It was unbelievable. Maybe people had checked out from the season at that point, or maybe they knew it probably wasn’t realistic to expect a slip-up AND a Boro victory anyway (typical you know what, and all that). Even so, it turned into a celebration of a team that has given us renewed optimism.
In a way, it felt like this is very much just the start of the journey under Wilder. He’s said that word a lot — ‘journey’.
Immediately after the game he talked up the rebuild in a very honest interview with BBC Tees Sport. He mentioned there will be some ‘shocks’ in regards to departures but the message is clear: he wants to move this club forward. As far as soundbites go, that interview had plenty.
“You’ll see on Monday the level of work that needs to be done. Eye to eye, face to face, not over the phone. Mind you if there’s a couple of people that aren’t here then that’ll be dealt with; if there are a couple of people abroad then that’ll be dealt with.”
As Boro fans we’re no strangers to a post-season rebrand. This is probably our sixth one in as many seasons, which makes it all the more important that we get this one right. The problem positions are obvious, and it doesn’t take a philosopher to decipher where it’s gone wrong for Boro this season.
Straight off the bat, spending the majority of the campaign with Joe Lumley in goal was asking for trouble. The 27-year-old’s -6.2 goals prevented number is the joint fourth worst in the division per FotMob, meaning he conceded more goals than what was expected.
The issues at the other end of the pitch added further difficulty to Boro’s top six hopes. In the top half of the Championship, only West Brom and Millwall scored less than Boro’s 59. It means it’s now four of the last six seasons that Boro have fallen below the top half league average for goals scored.
Looking into InfoGol’s xG calculations, Boro’s xGF (expected goals for) stands at 67–eight goals less than what was actually scored. West Brom are the kings of xG underperformance with a -22.5 difference but Boro are the second most wasteful.
Combining poor goalkeeping with poor finishing isn’t a good mix for a side with play-off hopes. Just look at the viz below.
There is a lot of plus points to be harnessed next season. The midfield being one of them.
In Matt Crooks, Boro have a goalscoring midfielder — the first to reach double figures in seven years. In Marcus Tavernier they also have a midfielder coming off the back of his best season to date. Since Chris Wilder was appointed, only Duncan Watmore (9) has scored more goals and registered more assists in the league than Tavernier (8).
Riley McGree also looks like a decent acquisition with a good touch, good technique and an eye to create, but perhaps he’s in need of some polishing before taking the left central midfield spot for the foreseeable. He struggled against Preston, but we’ve seen flashes of his ability, namely the lofted ball over the top for Aaron Connolly’s chance at Swansea.
Isaiah Jones has showed his talents too, topping the big chances created chart this season with 13 and would find himself in double figures for assists if it wasn’t for own goals. It’s harsh not to count those but we know what he’s done without them. He’s been relied upon heavily this season — and that has to be stressed. If Boro don’t bring in a left wing-back that will help take the heat off the 22-year-old next season then they will have failed in the transfer market.
The defence is good, although it’s not without its vulnerabilities. Boro’s high line and stop-gap sweeper goalkeeper has provided a few challenges from balls in behind and over the top. A lot have been dealt with, but there have also been a few mishaps — Amine Bassi’s goal against us at Barnsley, for example.
Chris Wilder will be looking for a specialised keeper and perhaps more recovery pace in that back line, especially in the central of the three, which is why it wouldn’t surprise me to see Dael Fry be one of the shock departures (FWIW, I’d want to see Fry stay). All in all though, I do like our defence — it just needs better depth. After the departures of Sol Bamba, Neil Taylor and Lee Peltier, Boro only have five central defenders for three positions.
It’s one of many positions with work to do but there is a decent platform there for Boro to kick on next season. With Djed Spence set to attract a bidding war with plenty of suitors ready to throw the big bucks Boro’s way, it means there will surely be a decent sum of money to reinvest into the squad.
Based on what we’ve seen from Chris Wilder’s football so far, you can be fairly sure on what will be looked for in most positions. Striker is the only exception. I’m not confident we will end the hoodoo and pluck a 20-goal hero from thin air or anywhere, and Wilder’s past front man signings probably doesn’t help with that either, but it’ll be an interesting summer window nonetheless.
Style is important when debating who Boro may bring in. The defenders, for example, are, in a way, playmakers. They’ll dribble out with the ball and look to create chances or link-ups on the overlap or from the half spaces. Under Neil Warnock, Grant Hall was the perfect signing because he’s very much a head it and kick it defender. Under Wilder, Hall has found himself surplus to requirements because he just doesn’t fit the right attributes in that back line, even in Dael Fry’s central position.
The wing-back search will be particularly interesting, as will up top. There is a trend in teams playing three at the back this season. Huddersfield, Bristol City, Preston, Millwall, Nottingham Forest, Hull, Luton, Barnsley, West Brom, QPR, Swansea, Stoke, Coventry and Peterborough all play or have played with wing-backs, which might as well be the whole league. There will be plenty of clubs in the market for wide players to fill that role, so Boro will have stiff competition.
What Boro have over most of those clubs is a manager with a Championship promotion on his CV. The pull of Premier League potential will surely play an important part in player recruitment (it did for Riley McGree), and coupled with the style of play, I’m sure Boro are an attractive proposition for targets.
So, yes, in the end it was a missed opportunity for Boro in 2021/21, but the next step is arguably the most exciting.
