April 27 Update

Heading into this weekend, Boro is looking to head into third place in the Championship! After a few weeks of struggling, this is a great opportunity for the team. Saturday is the final game of the season and a VERY important one for Karanka's men. Playoffs, should they make the top of the table, would begin next Friday. Bournesmouth won this past week against Bolton, which makes a tight race for the top. 

Karanka did his press conference today, regarding the upcoming weekend for the team. This weekend is critical for the team, as they hope for promotion. As always, he provided the press with memorable one-liners and sincere inspiration. To put it simply: 

"You have to live for the moment and try and take advantage of where you are." (Karanka Press Conference). Karanka's comments are poignant and sometimes not closely related to football but still resonate with his team. He is definitely my favorite part of the team, as he is encouraging and never puts his team down. He goes on to say how he forgets the problems that occur by the next morning because you need to focus on the upcoming days as soon as you wake up. He went on to say, “They’re doing their best and I’m very proud of all of them because they deserve to play in the Play-Offs and if we didn’t get automatic promotion it’s because Watford and Bournemouth were better than us so we have to congratulate them but we’re playing in the position that we wanted in the beginning.” His main goal is to win this Saturday in front of their home crowd, expected to be over 30,000. 

According to their website, this is Boro's first appearance in the playoffs in the past 24 years, if they make it. That puts a ton of pressure on the team to success and secure promotion. 

Bro ended up losing against Fulham, 4-3. Obviously this was a disappointing loss for Karanka's men. Fulham was winning 1-0 at the half but the second half proved full of action. McCormack scored three times for Fulham, with one in extra time to provide Fulham with the win. Possession was evenly split but, sadly, Boro did not come out on top. Karanka was thoroughly disappointed an was unable to identify what went wrong. However, he was focused on how the team had already made the Play-Offs and he was proud regarding that. 

The team will face Brighton tomorrow. This game could prove important, as it has the potential to determine who will be at the top of the table. Here's to hoping it's Boro!

April 20 Update

On April 14, Boro WON against the Wolverhampton Wanderers. This was a huge win for the team, as they are still hoping for promotion at the end of the season. This win guaranteed them a Play-Off spot! This is great news for a team which did not expect to be in this position, if you had asked them during pre-season, (mfc.co.uk). 

Boro scored within the first 3 minutes of the game, creating a lively atmosphere at home! Patrick Bamford secured the win with a second goal in the 11th minute. The game went into halftime with a score of 2-0. Wolverhampton did score once in the second half but never came up with the equalizer. Here's a video with one of the goals: Goal Cam: Boro v Wolves. 

Bro features Goal Cam videos on their YouTube channel. I think this is great for individuals, like me, who cannot watch the game. This allows for them to see highlights, interviews, goals, and fan videos. I like the idea but they should publicize the existence of this page more. For instance, they should post about the videos on their Twitter page so more fans can engage in all of their available networks.

This win was incredibly important for Karanka, as the last game against the Wolves was one of the worst they had this season. Luckily for him, they did end up winning this time. When discussing the game before it took place, he mentioned how strong the Wolves team was and how much he respected them. As a result, he knew this would be a tough game for his team.

As always, Karanka thanked the fans the next day, acknowledging that the team could not have won without their supporters. He did not say much, other than the team needed to look forward to their next game and play with ambition. He identified lack of ambition as the reason they had lost previously.

In interviews with George Friend, a defender on Boro, after the Wolves match, he had nothing but praise for his team and fans. Over 20,000 fans attended the match and were supportive throughout the entirety. Check out the full match highlights: here.

On April 17, Boro took on Norwich City and won again, 1-0. A little over 800 Boro fans attended but their presence was felt. Karanka was immeasurably proud after the match and determined his team deserved to be in the Premier League. Judging by how much they have improved in the time I have been following them, they absolutely deserve to be promoted!

Patrick Bamford was once again recognized for his contribution to Boro. He was aware the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Year. This was awarded at the Football League Awards 2015. Bro was also nominated for Family Club of the Year but sadly did not win. However, they considered it an honor to be recognized.

April 13 Update

On Tuesday April 7, the day after my last update, there were 4 leaders of the Championship, with Boro being one of them... However, sadly at the end of the day, Boro dropped into fourth place. Woodgate assured everyone this was nothing to worry about, though. Yes, they had lost on April 6 to Watford but the game they conceded was because the other team was simply better and there is nothing you can do about that, (Source: mfc.co.uk). Even previous players, including Neil Maddison, understand the possibility of moving up to the Premier League, (Source: mfc.co.uk).

One of the things which is consistently mentioned is the team should be happy with the position they are in. In all of the articles I have read, the captains, including Jonathan Woodgate, and Karanka mention how proud they would have been in pre-season, had they known they would make it this far! 

I love how positive everyone on this team is and their willingness to talk to the media. Yes, I understand it may be in some of their contracts to interact to a certain extent but you can sense the positive vibe from everyone associated with the team. I truly wish they were located closer to London, as I would have attended a match or two. 

George Friend, a defender for Boro, kept the positive theme going this week. He brushed off the loss, by saying how disappointing it was to lose but the team just must do better this upcoming weekend. He mentioned the team must not become disheartened. I think this is an excellent point, as many times we disregard the emotions and mentality of the players when addressing upcoming or previous successes. He even said, "We’re a solid unit and the team ethic and unity here is fantastic."

Patrick Bamford, who has been mentioned on this blog previously, was named Player of the Month for February. The striker is an incredible man and leads the team well. He was presented with his trophy on the April 4 match against Wigan. Well deserved!

The team plays Fulham in the upcoming weeks, on April 25. Extra tickets were added, as Boro fans are always ones to support their team, even away from home. Season ticket holders have first availability but left over tickets are expected. 

The team ended up winning their match against Rotherham on Saturday April 11. With two goals in the second half, the team was able to secure a 2-0 win! This was great news for the team, as it helps their promotion potential increase. Bamford and Tomlin both scored in the win. Boro only had 7 on target shots but Rotherham only had 2. With an attendance of over 19,000, this was a great win for the team and really boosted morale. 

Update for March 30 - April 6

In the midst of this update, Middlesborough is in a match with Watford and losing by 2. The match is in the 75th minute, as we speak.

BBC Images

The team had taken a break for a bit in the past two weeks, as the result of an international break. Games are just starting to pick up and two have occurred over this Easter Weekend. Riverside Stadium was used over the break for a competition between England's U21team and Germany.

Over the weekend, Manager Karanka spoke regarding the clash between the two teams earlier in the season, which ended 1-1. He describes this as the best first half his team has played all year and is looking forward to today's game and hoping it is a replica of that first half. He mentioned how important today's game was, considering both teams are hoping for promotion, (Middlesborough News).

On Friday, the team gained a win against Wigan Athletic at home, with a 1-0 score, (Middlesborough News). After this win, the team was looking forward to today's clash against Watford and hoping for a win. As of now, it look like they will not gain 6 points and will end up losing the match. Had they won today, combined with Friday's win, they would have in good position as they finish off the rest of their season. With just 5 games left, they still have a chance at promotion.

BBC Images

As always, the manager Karanka, is encouraging fans to keep up their support of the team. Friday's game put the team at the top of the table and he encouraged fans to "hold their nerves," (Crunch Sports). He is always attentive to the fans and truly appreciates all of their support. Without the support, he doubts the team would achieve this much success.

The Guardian

As I finish this update, the team has just lost 2-0 to Watford. I really enjoy the "Matchday Live" section of the website, which gives you links to the team's Twitter, other social media, and various other methods by which you can stream or follow the game. This allows for their fans to easily connect with the team and engage! (http://www.mfc.co.uk/news/article/2014/boro-watford-sky-bet-championship-vicarage-road-2374160.aspx). I would recommend other teams view this section and how easy it is to find the scores of the games, as well as methods of viewing the matches.