BEN Ainslie is a fine sailor. I admire his achievements unreservedly. But do I want to watch him ply his trade? No thanks.
Sailing may be skilful, but it is crushingly dull for spectators, a snail-paced procession deservedly consigned to midweek afternoons on Eurosport.
Same goes for Garry Kasparov. The fella was a strategic genius but you didn't see 70,000 people flocking to watch his showdown with Deep Blue.
Achievement and aesthetics are a rare combination in sport. Try watching Middlesbrough under Aitor Karanka.
Do they win games? Absolutely. Can they defend? Better than anyone in the division. And, when it comes to shape and organisation, they make Kim Jong Un's marching troopers look like a primary school play.
The Teessiders are a coaching manual on legs. But excitement? Inspiration? Go somewhere else.
Boro don't so much play with the handbrake on as barricade the garage door and refuse to leave the house. It's why they recently went 921 minutes without shipping a goal.
Karanka, a former Real Madrid defender, learned from Jose Mourinho and is a disciple to the tips of his toes.
Caution and control. Discipline over daring. Two sitters, one up top, keep it tight and grind, grind, grind. The Spaniard even has the same mirthless demeanour and sour delivery. You're top of the table – crack a smile for God's sake!
For the neutral, it's frustrating. Bournemouth showed last season that attractive, attacking football and promotion to the Premier League are not mutually exclusive. The Cherries scored 96 goals and passed opponents off the park.
Karanka may argue that Eddie Howe had ball-players. He is simply wringing the best from a squad high on technique but low on pace and invention. Maybe, but he has done precious little to rectify those issues. He was the one who signed Stewart Downing, Cristhian Stuani and David Nugent, all either nudging or the wrong side of 30.
He was the one who replaced Lee Tomlin – the cavalier spirit Boro had – with Diego Fabbrini and consigned him to the bench.
He is the one who persists in playing two holding midfielders at home against even the most modest opposition.
It may sound harsh to dig out a guy whose side sits second in the table, especially one in such a perilous profession. But I believe a manager has a duty to entertain. Howe crafted an entertaining side. Karanka has not. That is a straight choice.
So what, you might say. If it wins promotion, who cares? Certainly not the Riverside regulars aching for an end to six years of top-flight exile.
Yet Karanka's conservatism cost Boro promotion last season. And, after seeing a five-point lead in the Championship become a one-point deficit, alarm bells are jangling again.
Forest played their opponents like a fiddle last weekend. Dougie Freedman knew that, if his side sat deep, forced the ball wide and nullified Downing, Boro lacked the pace, invention or personnel to do anything about it.
He knew that Karanka wouldn't deviate from his tried and trusted formula.
What's most infuriating is that Boro can play. The 2-0 destruction of Derby was a perfect display of attacking football. Their players were like greyhounds let off the leash.
I still believe Boro will go up. That back four is simply too good. But they won't win many hearts along the way.
Out of interest, how many Boro games have you watched this season?
We were the division’s second highest scorers (after Fulham) until mid December, averaging 1.5 goals a game. We’ve struggled in attack since then, only scoring 8 in our last 8 league games, which is – after all – why Karanka has added Ramirez, Rhodes, and Kike Sola. Hardly defensive signings.
Ask any Boro fan and they’ll tell you we’re playing better, more entertaining football than we have done at any point since relegation in 2009 (and for a year or two before that). Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Karanka’s getting us to where we want to be.
Out of interest, how many Boro games have you watched this season?
We were the division’s second highest scorers (after Fulham) until mid December, averaging 1.5 goals a game. We’ve struggled in attack since then, only scoring 8 in our last 8 league games, which is – after all – why Karanka has added Ramirez, Rhodes, and Kike Sola. Hardly defensive signings.
Ask any Boro fan and they’ll tell you we’re playing better, more entertaining football than we have done at any point since relegation in 2009 (and for a year or two before that). Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Karanka’s getting us back where we want to be.
Absolute rubbish. Clearly hasn’t watched Boro at all this season
Ask the Brighton fans how boring Boro were when we took them apart at their place.
Middlesbrough are far from boring to watch, they are polished and professional and perfectly prepared for promotion.
Boring is Sean Dyche moaning about how much Boro have to spend when he’s still benefiting from Premier League parachute payments.
Boring is Joey Barton attempting to hide his innate nastiness by writing garbage about how much pressure Boro are under to get promotion.
Boring is third rate journalists accusing Karanka of being boring because he is thorough.
I smell the bitterness of a Burnley or Leeds fan sits behind this utter tosh and it’s…..errr, what’s the word? Boring.
“But I believe a manager has a duty to entertain”
Actually a manager has a duty to win games of football, that’s what he gets paid to do. In the words of Alan Durban “If you want entertainment go and watch a bunch of clowns”.
However even ignoring the above, you’ll find that in many games Boro are entertaining and a joy to watch and up amongst the top scorers in the league.
I also fail to see what players ages have to do with the perceived lack of entertainment, do players lose the ability to entertain once they hit 30 ?
I find your style of writing boring. Surely your job as a journalist/reporter is to write in an entertaining way, yet I read your words and they make me yawn. Your lazy, ill informed article in run of the mill and boring. I argue that AK’s job is not to entertain, it is to achieve results. He is achieving this, however you clearly are not achieving yours.
I am a season ticket holder and have been for many years. The standard of football under AK has been of a consistently high standard and I am sure you will not find many Boro fan’s that do not feel they are getting value for money watching us play at The Riverside.
Indeed, I have spoken to many away fan’s who have commented on how great players are and how they are entertaining to watch.
I find the balance between tactics and entertainment optimally tuned and have been thoroughly entertained this season. As you mention the Derby game springs to mind.
You seem to forget that there are usually two teams involved in a game of football. The vast majority of visitors at The Riverside this season know we are a strong team and have come into the game (quite rightly) with a defensive mentality – this is not entertaining to the Boro fans yet we appreciate that their main objective is to get a point or nick a win. It has been our job to them down and we have done this (for the most part) as well as entertain.
Silly, silly article.
As usual. Tripe written by a southerner who doesn’t venture past Watford gap. Why don’t you come to a Boro game. And see for yourself that we can play fast paced football. And a joy to watch.
Well they have my heart.UTB
They have my heart.UTB.
Spot on. As a boro fan i am happy with the results but the games are a chore
I’m a season ticket holder and understand what he’s getting at. I actually think we are a better side than they are being allowed to be at the moment.
As was pointed out, when we really have a go (like the derby game) there isn’t a team in the league that can live with it, the formation we play works away from home and will probably serve us well against teams who will go at us in the Premier League, but against lower half teams at home in this division we still need a plan B.
Dont get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I just think we have the players and opportunity to be even better.
Nonsense: Players like Lee Tomlin, who you mention for some reason, cost us promotion by simply not being good enough (hence why he is now in a Championship relegation battle) and not turning up in games like Watford and Bournemouth away – and of course the play off final (he is not exclusively to blame for that). Don’t forget he was a mainstay in a far less entertaining Boro side than the current one
Nonsense: Your point about Fabrini. He was consigned to the bench because he quite simply isn’t good enough and didn’t do enough. Has it not crossed your mind why this guy was never even close to the Watford team and now plays for Birmingham? Perhaps you should watch him some time. Technically fine, but oh so predictable and lightweight.
Truth: We are absolutely well drilled and defensively excellent. However, so were the Milan team of 94, so was the United team of 99 and the Arsenal invincibles. My point being that being well drilled and having a good defensive record doesn’t automatically mean a team is boring. I can’t think of a team that has come out against us at home this season. Despite this and having played fewer games than everybody else we are hardly being embarrassed on the goalscoring front overall. We’re second in the league without a striker that could be considered good enough for the Premier League. Hull and Burnley on the other hand? Let’s hope Rhodes sees to that.
Presumably the games you’ve seen are the televised games?
Recently that will include a 3-0 away win at Brighton, a 2-0 away win at Ipswich? Hardly boring performances. Even speaking as a neutral they were both highly impressive.