Boro: Post Match

[Bender]

Obviously, as it wouldnt arrive until Easter...

Ok nothing for you you Bad Boy
i'm off to the dentist

[fred_plasticine]

Markovic seems scared to take any risks at the moment - either playing it simple too often or spurning the chance to shoot and hanging on to the ball. Anyway he's 20 in a new country, new league etc. He deserves loads of time.

he cleary doesn't know yet what his role in the team is and what's asked and expected of him. in a way, he's the epitome of what's wrong atm. last season our main strength was the collective running off the ball. every player seemed to know exactly what positions to get into and just as importantly - what positions the others would take up.
this seasons with the changes we've made we need to find that patterns of play again. i've got no doubt it'll come. question is how ground we'll have lost up until then...

[Assassin]

Ok nothing for you you Bad Boy
i'm off to the dentist

I hope its painful....

[Slinky Skills]

Really hope we give Suso more opportunities, he looks silks on the ball and has a great left foot.

He made more of an impact in two touches than Markovic did the entire game, Markovic looks like he's been an enormous waste of money at the moment.

[Alex]

Really hope we give Suso more opportunities, he looks silks on the ball and has a great left foot.

He made more of an impact in two touches than Markovic did the entire game, Markovic looks like he's been an enormous waste of money at the moment.

Hes started 2 games? Only 20 years old, and is in a new country. Give the lad a chance to settle.

Most seemed to think he was the real deal before he arrived. He hasn't performed anywhere near what we know he can either.

[Daniel 7]

Markovic just looks massively nervous. I hope he can overcome it, but there is a distinct lack of ambition in what he's provided so far. The first reaction from him seems to be to lay off the simple pass and not to try anything the crowd might sigh at.

Granted he's new and its a new place etc, but he isn't showing anything to justify the expenditure so far. He just needs a spark moment that the crowd and baying hordes can pick up on and get behind him for.

[frank the tank]

Thought that Markovic was decent myself. He needs to improve but no way he's a waste of 20m like Frank the Plank is alluding.

I thought he was terrible. Not so much some of the flimsy flicks and stupid dribbles that he tried.....but the lack of movement when other players such as Lallana and Sterling had the ball....

If he cost £5m then you'd say it was worth a punt to see if he could be coached. Suso was much better than Markovic (granted, Suso was playing against tired legs).

We had a free run at Markovic in the transfer market - nobody else in Spain, Italy, Germany or England were going to spend £20m on him. It was a waste of money.....

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

Markovic just looks massively nervous. I hope he can overcome it, but there is a distinct lack of ambition in what he's provided so far. The first reaction from him seems to be to lay off the simple pass and not to try anything the crowd might sigh at.

Granted he's new and its a new place etc, but he isn't showing anything to justify the expenditure so far. He just needs a spark moment that the crowd and baying hordes can pick up on and get behind him for.

He needs more time and he showed something against City when he came on, maybe like Sterling it will just click but yeah at the moment its difficult to see what he brings to the table.

Speaking of Sterling, playing him in that last night was just confusing. Yes he needs managing.. Yes rest him at time, but choosing to rest him against Villa and play him in this? STRANGE

[Shaggy]

The entire team's movement was poor/non-existent. It's very frustrating to watch after the beautiful stuff we saw in the second half of last season. People don't seem to know where to run, where to move, when to move. Noticed last night a lot of players are shouting stuff to other players and being ignored.

Kolo Toure though. That outrageous hoof about 40 feet into the air in the first half was totally insane ....he's off his head. And not very good

[Pablo]

I thought he was terrible. Not so much some of the flimsy flicks and stupid dribbles that he tried.....but the lack of movement when other players such as Lallana and Sterling had the ball....

If he cost £5m then you'd say it was worth a punt to see if he could be coached. Suso was much better than Markovic (granted, Suso was playing against tired legs).

We had a free run at Markovic in the transfer market - nobody else in Spain, Italy, Germany or England were going to spend £20m on him. It was a waste of money.....

I think you're terrible.

[Reece]

I'd like to say I'm shocked that people are writing off a 20 year old foreign player after TWO STARTS. But I'm really not. Utterly ridiculous.

[Kenneth]

It's not two starts. I'd written him off by half time in his first.

[Tee]

I'd like to say I'm shocked that people are writing off a 20 year old foreign player after TWO STARTS. But I'm really not. Utterly ridiculous.

He will come good, have seen the odd flash of what he is capable of.

We just seem to have back to BR in year 1, that is what worries me most of all. No fluidity in play, no pressing, no pass and move. It was just **** to watch.

[Bender]

I hope its painful....

[Mike]

The entire team's movement was poor/non-existent. It's very frustrating to watch after the beautiful stuff we saw in the second half of last season. People don't seem to know where to run, where to move, when to move. Noticed last night a lot of players are shouting stuff to other players and being ignored.

Kolo Toure though. That outrageous hoof about 40 feet into the air in the first half was totally insane ....he's off his head. And not very good

There is very little movement up front, aye.

People were constantly slagging the defenders/midfielders when they tried to bring the ball forward; only to stop and slow down before picking a pas - it looked to most as if they were hesitating when that wasn't the case. They simply didn't have a pass on, and there was little movement of players making themselves available to help them.

As for Kolo that hoof was ridiculous! The beautifully orchestrated "What the ****?" that circulated around Anfield after that was terrific an old woman sat near me - easily over 80 - shouted "bloody hell Kolo even I could do that and I'm a fossil!"