PULIS SEARCHING FOR KILLER FINISH
Boro let rivals off the hook
TONY Pulis has challenged his injury-hit Middlesbrough side to stop missing sitters ahead of this afternoon’s visit to Ewood Park.
The Teessiders crafted a welter of chances in recent games against Leeds and Sheffield United but returned just a solitary point.
“It’s been our achilles heel all season,” said Pulis, whose men would have lost their place in the top six had Derby beaten Ipswich in midweek.
The stats back him up. Boro’s tally of 393 shots on goal is the tenth-highest in the Championship this term.
However, just 28.5 per cent of those efforts hit the target worse than every team except Wigan, Ipswich and Bolton. A chance conversion rate of 8.91 per cent also ranks in the division’s bottom five.
“The whole ethos this season is that we have been strong, resilient and looked a team,” added Pulis. “What we’ve needed is people to take their chances and that hasn’t happened.
“Go back to the Leeds game at home. The game should have been over at half-time. Aden Flint’s missed a header from under the crossbar. You’d have put your life on him to score that.
“Even George Friend at Sheffield United in midweek. OK, he’s headed it on target. But he had time, he was at a great height. With a little bit more composure, he could have picked a corner and scored.
“We have created chances, and in all sorts of areas. We’ve created lots of opportunities from set-plays. The lads are getting in, but they’re not scoring. We’ve spoken to one or two about that and they know it is something that needs to improve.”
So far, Boro’s lack of teeth has been mitigated by a stellar defensive unit that has conceded just 24 goals in 31 matches. In the top four divisions, only Manchester City and Liverpool boast a better record, and both have played significantly fewer games.
But an injury to Flint and the suspension of Daniel Ayala - coupled with Wolves’ decision to recall Danny Batth from his loan in January and sell him to Stoke - has left Dael Fry as the club’s only fit centre-back.
That could see either Ryan Shotton or John Obi Mikel shoehorned into the back four against Blackburn - making the need to score all the more pressing.
“It’s going to be difficult on Sunday,” admitted Pulis. “We can’t hide the fact that we’re missing a lot of influential players. We’ve also got a couple of other injuries that we’ll not know until the last minute.
“We’ve run out of defenders, basically. We became weaker after the window, losing Danny Batth. He was a good player, a good lad.
“If he was here, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But we lost him late in the window and there was nothing we could do but get on with it.
“At the end of the day, we’ve lost three centre-halves in the last few weeks. Not many teams could get away with that.
“We’ll have to look at it and decide which is the best way to go. It won’t be easy but we’ve got what we’ve got and we’ll have to get on with it.”
Pulis, though, refused to rule out an automatic promotion bid despite, pre-weekend, falling nine points adrift.
“We’re in a good position,” he said. “We’re close to the action. Why not? As I’ve said all along, a couple of players with pace and ability to beat people in the final third and we’d have a very, very good team.
“They’re a good group and they’ve showed complete commitment to the cause. We’re just missing the icing on the cake - which is always the important part.”