As Middlesbrough continued their awful Premier League record against Everton we examine how Middlesbrough supporters reacted on Twitter:
Middlesbrough’s Adam Clayton and Antonio Barragan at the end of their disappointing match against Everton
Middlesbrough’s supporters who made the long trip to Liverpool for the Premier League defeat to in form Everton were understandably disappointed with their team’s application and inability to register a shot on target.
However, despite their rants on Twitter it seemed that those present at Goodison Park did not let the team down.
It would appear that a pessimistic approach was taken towards their team’s chances against Everton.
Fans were not particularly happy with the officiating, and Middlesbrough had doubts over the legitimacy of Ashley William’s high foot on Victor Valdes in the lead up to Gareth Barry’s equalising goal (although they presumably would not have picked too many holes in the decision to award their team the opening goal when Alvaro Negredo knocked Everton’s Maarten Stekelenburg off balance).
Regarding the performances of Middlesbrough’s players, their fans were even less forgiving. Emilio Nsue took the brunt of some harsh criticism
But the main focus was unanimously pushed towards former Champions League winner and marquee signing, goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
Valdes was hesitant and indecisive for Everton’s goals – in particular Gareth Barry’s and Romelu Lukaku’s strikes. Indeed, Lukaku himself could be forgiven for looking for Middlesbrough’s missing defence.
Lukaku’s goal made the game 3-1 before the end of the first half. Middlesbrough fans were not best pleased at the interval, so much so that some fans were calling for a goalkeeping substitution at half-time:
The criticism of Valdes did not ease there – the significance of the goalkeeper’s career to date not lost on the Middlesbrough loyalists.
Finally away from Valdes, but the reactions on Twitter did not improve much when it came to the outfield players either. The frustration and exasperations summed up in these unenthusiastic tweets.
Ultimately is was only going to be a matter of time before the attention switched to the manager, which inevitably happened when it became clear that the game was irretrievable in the second half. Aitor Karanka singled out for team selection, tactical deployment and attacking ambition throughout the game.
The stats did not make for great reading for Middlesbrough either, with Twitter highlighting the low percentage of tackles won against Everton.
Surely there must be a positive? Twitter provides us with two – firstly slight praise for the resilience and determination of captain Ben Gibson, followed by the subject that received the most praise on Twitter, Middlesbrough’s shirts!
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