For Steve Gibson the last seven years were all about returning to the Premier League, but now there’s a strong possibility that Boro are going to be heading back to the second tier as the bad run has turned into a slump and the games are starting to run out. OK, it’s not a forgone conclusion but I’m sure the prospect is starting to be planned for. This appears to be the nightmare scenario for all the hard work getting to the promised land, though there’s even been some suggestion from a few that relegation may be part of the chairman’s master plan to bolster the club’s finances and regroup.
Personally, for me that’s a conspiracy theory too far for a man who has spent his life building the club into a top tier outfit – incidentally Steve Gibson will be celebrating his 60th birthday next season and has over 30 seasons behind him steering the club as primarily a Boro fan. Naturally mistakes will have been made but surely no chairman who has been around for so long would consider relegation a viable option. So that argument doesn’t make sense but I’ve decide to look at the financial implication that relegation would entail and how it compares to the last time we went down.
After our last relegation the Chairman no doubt planned to oversee a swift return to the top flight but he probably couldn’t have imagined it would take so long in the end. Although our first campaign saw an indifferent start under Southgate, Boro were still well placed but Steve Gibson decided change was required and gambled on one last last throw of the dice under Strachan’s infamous ‘Jockification’ project. Sadly it failed miserably and it was then left to Tony Mowbray to rebuild slowly when the money ran out. Unfortunately, Mogga couldn’t sustain his early progress on a shoestring and that subsequently heralded the arrival of Aitor Karanka, who organised Boro into promotion contenders with support from a relaxing of the purse strings after Gibson had wrote off the club’s debts.
The financial situation last time was shaped by the fact the club had accumulated over their years in the top flight a massive debt of nearly £100m – this was also in the shadow of the banking crisis of 2008 and no doubt Bulkhaul were expecting tough times ahead too. In 2009, when Boro were last relegated the gap in terms of TV income between the Premier League and Championship was £40m and parachute payments were around £11m with only £2.5m for second tier TV money – which meant the shortfall was around £25m. For those interested in reading more about Boro’s financial situation back then David Conn of the Guardian wrote this piece at the time: Gibson confident relegation need not be life-threatening for Middlesbrough
Premier League Bonanza
This year has seen a huge jump in the rewards for being at the top table. The Premier League domestic prize money pot is split into three parts – 50% is shared equally between all clubs, 25% is divided based on final position with £2m per place up the ladder (e.g. 20th = £2m, 19th = £4m … 1st = £40m) with the remaining 25% based on TV appearances and is dependent on how often a club is on the box (last season most clubs in bottom half received between £10-12m and the top clubs getting around double that at £21-24m). In addition, each club now receives an equal share of £47m from overseas TV rights.
The new formula for Parachute Payments is that relegated clubs get a percentage of the equal share TV money paid to Premier League members (which doesn’t include place money or TV appearance money). This season, from the figures I’ve seen published, that share represents £38m domestic rights plus £47m overseas rights – giving a base total of £85m. This share represents the following Parachute sums:
Year 1: 55% (£85m) = £47m
Year 2: 45% (£85m) = £38m
Year 3: 20% (£85m) = £17m
It should be noted that promoted clubs that only survive a single season will not get a Year 3 payment – which would affect Boro if they went down.
The club finishing in last place this season should expect a payment of £97m in prize money – so in the words of Jim Bowen ‘That’s safe’. You should also take into account that Boro will have enjoyed increased ticket revenues this season as attendances have remained around the 30,000 mark – plus sponsorship deals and merchandising revenues will no doubt be higher for being in the PL.
Taking prize money and potential parachute payments, it probably means promotion has given Boro a guaranteed £183m and we can probably assume that is closer to £200m with subsequent increased PL revenues. Naturally costs in the PL will be higher in terms of wages and transfer fees – though I would think most of these cost will be easily manageable on relegation as, for example, Negredo is probably our biggest earner and he’s on loan – no doubt Ramirez will be off too come summer and probably closely followed by Downing.
So relegation for Boro in the short term should not be a major financial hardship and given that it is a new system they will be one of the clubs with the biggest budget next season if they go down. In some ways it’s helpful that Boro haven’t been in the PL long enough to have accumulated players on unsustainable contracts, so it’s less likely that the club will have to sell players on the cheap to get their wages off the books.
Championship Budget
In the Championship every pound counts when it comes to financing a promotion campaign – Boro managed to increase their turnover in the season before they got promoted by £8m to £20m. This was thanks to the £3m Play-off bonus (where there is a convention that losing finalist takes all the gate money) and £1.5m from two big cup away-days at Man City and Arsenal – on top of that Riverside attendance rose by around 25% from 16k to 20k.
So in the context of Boro’s budget for our last promotion year, you could probably estimate it was around £33m, as that £20m turnover will have been bolstered by a further £13m from the combination of Steve Gibson’s own pocket as the maximum permitted cash injection by an owner under FFP (Financial Fair Play) was £8m and the maximum loss under FFP rules was £5m – which gives an extra £13m beyond turnover to play with.
So in financial terms Boro would be in a far greater position to fund a promotion push should they go down this season. They will pickup between £97-101m in PL prize money at the end of this season as a relegated club – on top of that they will be entitled to Year 1 parachute payments of £47m plus you could perhaps expect £15m on turnover.
Incidentally, Championship prize money is now calculated as 30% of a Year 3 Parachute payment – which works out as about £5m.
So in comparison to our last year in the Championship where Boro had a budget around £33m, the club’s coffers should be swelled to £160m – that’s more or less five times more. Naturally the club will be carrying extra running costs as player’s contracts will have been upgraded and the club will have incurred costs when the Riverside was refurbished to meet PL requirements. It’s quite possible that some of those contracts will have relegation clauses in them, it was something I recall Steve Gibson and Neil Bausor indicated was a sensible approach in the Untypical Boro boardroom meeting that I attended when Mogga was still in charge.
In addition, FFP rules are no longer based on yearly accounts but are now averaged over three years – though rather than allowing Boro to spend more next year I would suggest it may be more beneficial as insurance for spending more in years 3 and 4 when the parachute payments run out. Surely the £160m windfall is considerably more than enough to finance a Championship team capable of promotion.
Relegation as a plan?
Some might be reading these figures and thinking that maybe relegation is a better financial option after all if you’ve just picked up over £150m and you can avoid more heavy spending in the Premier League as you attempt to upgrade the players. On the face of it that may look an attractive option but there is a slight problem.
Statistically, around two-thirds of relegated clubs don’t come back up and as it will become increasingly harder as parachute payments run out. Boro would essentially have only two seasons to make their financial clout count – then it would be back to belt-tightening and competing probably against at least half-dozen clubs with much bigger budgets.
The difference in TV prize money for clubs without Parachute Payments is growing – when Boro were last relegated it was about £40m, it’s now more than double that at £100m. Anyone thinking getting relegated is a risk worth taking in order to bank a quick profit needs to consider that after two years the club will be essentially back to running on gate-receipts and other generated income – and that adds up to around £15m
So in conclusion – being relegated probably won’t be a major financial problem for two years – but by being out of the PL you are probably losing out on around £50m per year depending on your operating costs. Therefore it’s highly unlikely Steve Gibson would see going down as a chance to cash in as he’s probably got an evens chance that he’ll be bankrolling the club out of his own pocket again within three years.
Of course the key question will be if Boro do go down can they regroup and bounce back? I can’t see finances as being any kind of obstacle but it will be on the field where this is determined. Some have suggested perhaps the tried and tested methods of Aitor Karanka are best suited to the grind of the Championship, where playing twice a week against on the whole average sides needs steady rather than spectacular football. They may be right but I’ll leave that argument for another day…
Great amplification of your earlier piece Werdermouth, thought provoking and stimulating in turn.
I feel and fear that we will end up back in the Championship but the same problems remain. The need for some creative talent, the need for goal scorers and the fact that the championship teams know how we play under Karanka, it will be a remorseless grind and how many of the present team will still be here looking forward to some of those Tuesday night matches scattered around the English road atlas?
Will the Academy come good or should I say will AK allow any of them the chance to come good? Surely there must be some projects in the Academy that deserve a chance?
As always there aren’t any answers only more questions.
UTB,
John
I really think AK could be the man, if only we can get someone in to assist him big time on the attacking side of things. It can’t be that difficult can it ?
I’ve called for AK’s head plenty of times, but I really believe with a bit of tweeking here & there we’re very close to to being a top half team in the EPL.
Food for thought, relegation is best avoided, time for the manager and players to step up to the mark.
Man Utd is a good starting point, three points would do nicely.
Having money to spend is no guarantee of getting the blend right and getting promotion.
Staying up seems a better option if tricky.
I really think AK could be the man, if only we can get someone in to assist him big time on the attacking side of things. It can’t be that difficult can it ?
I’ve called for AK’s head plenty of times, but I really believe with a bit of tweeking here & there we’re very close to to being a top half team in the EPL.
Thanks for that interestin piece, Werder. Indeed, the Boro world will not cease to be come a relegation and refit.
Meanwhile, AV’s added his voice in Premium style to share his thoughts on succession plannin of all things – for when the time comes of course!
What’s that we hear? Surely not the sound of Madame Gilloteen’s silver blade being gently sharpened, whilst AV wears wicked knowin smile?
Gulp!!!!
I’ve just had a crack at the ?Gazette predictor and I can confirm Boro will be in the Prem next season, apparently we’re even going to beat Utd on Sunday…..
A total of 19 points from the last 11 games, wouldn’t that be nice?
Must be the sunny weather making feel all optimistic like, or delusion, one or the other.
I had crack at it and had us in the Conference come the end of April.
It wouldn’t be so bad if I believed that I was going to see some fight (to use AK’s vocab) but my heart and belief that any form of resurgence is just around the corner is about as low as a snakes belly.
For something to rekindle this squad is going to take something of seismic proportions.
Nigel
It could be the sunny weather making you delusional.
Redcar Red
Reminds me of the story after the Ayresome Angels promotion campaign. On the night of the momentous match against Oxford the players went for a night out.
It went so well several never got home, one of the them woke up on a pub floor and woosily asked ‘Where am I?
The cleaner said ‘In the Northern luv’
‘Bugger, we weren’t in the second division long!’
I will get my coat…..
No business owner plans for a reduction in revenue or a shortfall in profit.
It is standard business practice to try and move into sectors that promulgate growth and attract employees that are star performers and so facilitates self perpetuating sustainability.
Second choice is not a planned option to actually plan to move into a downward sector of business
What is the norm is to plan for every eventuality and therefore the club will have had plans for remaining in the Premiership and also potential Relegation
Let’s hope we stay up…
I’ve been massively impressed by Ben Gibson this season. He has got better and better with each new challenge and taking into account the amount of defending we do, he has barely put a foot wrong. Players come and go but the real loss for me if relegation happens will be losing a player who loves the club and speaks from the heart and losing him far sooner than we ever should have done.
Wedermouth a great piece of research and a well reasoned and written article.
I too do not agree that relegation is a good financial option but have become resigned to the fact over recent weeks, like RR, that I just cannot see how the team will suddenly produce the requisite number of wins let alone goals to keep us up.
I do not believe I am a doomster or wishing this on our team but being realistic about our chances given our past performances.
If the management at MFC have anything about them then they should have plans in place to cover all scenarios including relegation, survival and management change.
The parachute payments should see us well positioned for a promotion push next season but as others have pointed out, money does not guarantee success.
Much will depend upon the incomings and outgoings over the summer months and the ability to recruit a manager with Championship/PL experience who has the ability to motivate and man manage effectively the players.
There are however few managers around with the required experience/skill sets. Alan Pardew is one that comes to my mind who is currently available. OFB has alluded to an italian connection but one wonders if he would be prepared to manage a Championship side.
It is clear that AK is not prepared to walk, so sooner or later SG is going to have a decision to make. I suspect that time will come once our fate has been determined in the next month to six weeks. Despite SGs loyalty toward AK, I cannot believe that he will allow the status quo to continue into next season.
We can only hope that when the time comes for SG to make his decision that a suitable candidate is recruited who can take full advantage of the players ability and funds at his disposal and that he produces a team who can not only secure promotion but also play attractive and effective football which we can all enjoy whether watching live or remotely.
I did the gazette predictor too and unfortunately had us relegated!
I believe we have to avoid relegation at all costs,there’s no guarantee when we would get back up again no matter how much money you throw at it.
Then we don’t know how many decent players we would lose and how much of a rebuild we would need.
If AK was still the manager then I presume it will be more of the same,safety first and even though I’ve renewed my ST the thought of watching 46 games of tippy tappy stiffling football fills me with dread!
I wonder how many of this seasons returnees will renew if we are relegated and Karanka remains? Having managed to almost double the attendance from the beginning of last season it would be a shame to lose them all again!!
I still haven’t renewed. The thought of more of the same fills me with abject apathy I’m afraid. Desperately need something to cling to, even 46 turgid binary games next season resulting in promotion wont cut it!
RR
I can understand why you haven’t renewed your season ticket yet.
But you are one of the few supporters who have followed your team through thick and thin.
The dark days of liquidation and the highs of Europe
We also need your match reports !!!
Folks
He is amongst us, a bit like elves, if you look for them you wont find them but you catch a glimpse in the corner of your eye.
Look and they have gone. They say the same about fairies and trolls but that wouldn’t suit this site.
GHW sneaked out of his shed and liked a post. Like Santa and the Easter Bunny he does exist, it wasn’t just folklore.
🙂
I miss GHW, me. Give us a wave, mate! UTB!
GHW is out there. The light shining behind him, GHW where are you? He’s behind you…
Come on back, you know you want to. Anyway we miss the shed.
UTB,
John
Well, I did the gazette predictometer again and even I have us going down now, so we might really be in trouble.
36pts after wins v Burnley, Southampton and Sunderland. Pretty close though, Sunderland 31, Hull 32, us and Leicester 36 (wouldn’t it be ironic if we were relegated on GD…), Palace 37 and Swansea 37.
Somehow I had us staying up, by the skin of our teeth in 17th. I think I had an aberration, though ….. I think I put us down to beat Arsenal at home.
It was interesting to watch the Monaco-Man U City game and see them beaten by a simple free kick and a good header. Am I completely mad in thinking that a player who could have a disproportionately large impact over the next 11 games could be Gestede. No matter where his skill levels stand – and we can argue about that – he is a monster in the air. Who knows what would have happened if his header against City had gone in instead of being cleared off the line. How brilliant was that header against Everton.
it would be foolish to imagine that, over the next eleven games, Boro’s quality will suddenly gel and we will carve open the premiership and win the five or six games that we need by brilliant football. If it happens, it will be done by fight, pressure and goals coming out of odd situations. Deadball plays will be key and, in Gestede, we have someone who wins more than half of the balls played to him in the air. That is Plan B all by itself.
I remain an incurable optimist and believe that we can escape. The Man U game will be a great kickstarter. Lets hope that they see off Rostov as winning the Europa Cup is probably their best way into the Champions League and they might relax against us. Am I the only one who sees it ironic that the start of this dreadful run came at the hands of his ‘great friend Jose’ when ManU equalised and then went ahead on New Years eve. That turned out to be much more significant that we all realised.
UTB
Pep Guardiola said after the Champions League exit: “I failed to convince players to attack Monaco”.
Sound like AK after our recent no-show against Palace and Stoke. It is sometimes up to the players to do their stuff. It is “easy” to blame the manager. it is team work.
Just saying, like. Up the Boro!
Sounds like both Guardiola & AK are admitting failure in a central managerial competency.
If in the case of AK we have a history of such failures, then he should resign.
Simples!!!!*
*fat chance
I thought given the crowded naughty-step of forwards at Boro the problem was the other way round – it’s the players who have failed to convince the manager to attack…
After many years of reading have decided that I should join in and make a contribution.
Thanks for the great financial breakdown werder. After reading I was wondering whether SG has looked at what happened to Burnley in 2014-15 when they were relegated. They made a net profit of 40 million euros, the fifth highest in Europe, and that would be with lesser payments from the premier League funds.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/38605455
As we know they came straight back up with the same manager, Is SG thinking in the same way. Also if you look at the players they bought since relegation, only 6 had PL experience and had been relegated whilst doing so, from Norwich Hull and Villa.
From out here in the tropical north of Oz I do feel that we are going down , and may not win again and having seen only a few games in full not even score.
Despite this will be in UK in two weeks and have just booked ticket for Burnley at home which will involve 15 hour round trip from Ipswich. sadly no longer hove relatives up north, but as someone said its in the DNA. Last game I saw at a ground was the away win at Burnley in 2014 so hopefully an omen.
UTB
Thanks MW – Glad you’ve finally taken the plunge.
It’s highly likely that Steve Gibson has learned about the risks of over-stretching financially and whilst it must be tempting to push the boat out to get the right player, I think he’s now more inclined to set limits to keep the club finances sustainable.
If the target this season was 17th place then there must be a contingency plan if that was narrowly missed – I think there is a good chance that the increased PL money will create a burst of yo-yo clubs, who get promoted, don’t go crazy with the spending, get relegated and regroup and go up again.
In some ways FFP is going to favour any club banking £100m in prize money and then having another £50m in parachute payments – it essentially gives them a budget ten times that of the majority of Championship clubs. Though as we see it’s not how much you have – it’s how well you spend it.
What will be key is recruitment and whether you get enough quality players in – or perhaps given there are 46 games – a squad full with quality. Of course the manager will need to get them playing to their potential – but basically promotion is about two points per game.
It’s possible having a mean defence will win you more games in the Championship as the second tier lacks those kind of players who have that extra quality to score half-chances. So it’s conceivable Steve Gibson sees Karanka as his best bet of an immediate return even if a large chunk of fans may not be looking forward to the prospect of more austerity football.
Even if attendances drop at that prospect, it won’t even dent the £100m+ budget that Boro will have banked.
Welcome aboard MW!
Can you as a matter of great urgency remember to bring your lucky undies and rabbit’s foot you had when at Turf Moor because we sure as heck are going to need them.
RR
Could all be a bit late if we have lost the three previous games to Man U, Swansea and Hull but there again we may have won them all!
MW
The Burnley money has been discussed on here in general terms along with the fact the rest of the prem has had at least a couple of years of money compared to ourselves.
Phil T commented that our spending was not excessive and we started from a lower base.
It is what you do with the resources available to you.
My view all season has been I am not overwhelmed with the squad, good hardworking players but not a lot of sparkle. Have we used them to the best advantage is another matter.
By the end of last season there was little to choose between Burnley or Boro over a 46 game season. Burnley with pretty much the same squad are way ahead of Boro now despite us bringing in around half a squad of new arrivals.
Recruitment, trust, faith and ability all found wanting on so many levels yet here we are looking for fight. I know something that rhymes with fight, lets hope we dont hear it sung from the terraces before the seasons end.
Also thanks to John, Spartak, Nigel and KP for your comments, I find it an interesting issue to look at and hopefully some of you have found the article stimulating – though I accept football finances are not everyone’s favourite subject 🙂
What it does highlight though is the importance of Boro getting promoted last season – if we’d failed then Boro would be one of the clubs trying to compete with teams who’s spending power would blow them out of the water. At least now we know whatever happens this season we will be in a much better position than if we hadn’t gone up at all.
I notice many are trying to predict whether Boro can survive in the final eleven games – all I will add on that matter is one statistic…
Before Boro started their non-winning run at Burnley, their previous 11 games yielded 13 points, which is the best run of points over that number of games. It started with a draw at West Ham and ended with that poor performance when we beat Swansea 3-0.
The points sequence was: 1-0-1-3-1-0-1-3-0-0-3
That would give us 35 points if it were repeated – which might leave us just short so Boro will probably need to go on their best run of the season to stay up.
Werdermouth
Your stats re our winless run are revealing and at the same time worrying. Hence my concerns expressed earlier that I just cannot see us digging ourselves out of the hole we have got into.
I accept that miracles do happen but not very often over the lifetime I have been supporting our beloved Boro.
I think I am right in saying that in the 50+ years I have been supporting them we have spent more time out of the top flight than in it.
I did fear after our last relegation that I might not see them back in the PL before my demise but have been happily proved wrong. I just hope I am wrong again and that we either stay up or have a quick return if we do get relegated this season.
Well it’s certainly going to need an immediate turnaround in our form – though we’d probably only actually need to convert one of those draws into a win from that sequence to get enough points.
Also in that sequence we played four rather than five of the top six and two of our wins were at home to much poorer Swansea and Hull sides – though it didn’t include Sunderland – and Burnley on their travels are a different team.
We just need to see Boro score first before we can think about winning a few – at the moment there little indication of an escape but maybe we’ll get a typical Boro moment against Man Utd – I guess we’ll know more after the week of destiny!
Maybe a team bonding session in a certain renowned club over the border this week might help with improving fighting and scoring skills?
Can’t wait to see Karankas pre-match press conference this week to see who he is going to blame/have a dig at and big up “I don’t care” Ramirez who is bound to go missing again this week even more annoyed he didn’t get to play for Leicester now they have progressed once more in the Champions League!
So KAranka gone do we go for Plan A???
OFB :
Yes, let’s go for a pint, sorry, a point. No, I meant 3 points & Plan ‘A’ where ‘A’ is for ATTACK !
The daily star report makes interesting reading but how true is it?
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/597010/Aitor-Karanka-Middlesbrough-manager-sacked-this-weekend-Man-United
Breakin Newts!!!
Daily Star Steals Diasboro Posters Earlier Karanka Chop Conclusion Shocker!!!!
Could simply be a meeting of minds.
Who’s on for daft quid? What are the odds?
Karanka gone. Right decision I think.
He’s gone!
Sorry Spartak – All bets are off…
He took the Club as far as he could, in part due to his own learning curve and limitations but also because of poor recruitment which let him the club and its supporters down.
Good luck to him in his next venture.
Thank goodness.
We may, or may not, stay up but the mood can only be a togetherness and positive until May and surely that’s all that matters. He was a dreadful manager and who knows what he is like as a man. But he matters no more.
It was needed to pull everyone back together so, belatedly, well done SG.
Can we stay up now? Maybe.
Hope Agnew is only for one game
The guys on the EG are implying that it is for rest of the season. Very hard to believe that.
Not dreadful, Richard, not dreadful. No manager who achieves promotion is dreadful. In my view, you are understandably upset by the quality of the football (or lack of it) and the downward trajectory.
When the momentum and belief was right – c. mid 2014 to the very beginning of 2016 – atmosphere was generally positive. Since then, though…
It happened to Jack Charlton. It happened to Jose Mourinho. It happened to Claudio Ranieri. It happens to many a manager. It is the way of the game. Sir Alexs and Wengers are rare.
I do think that it had to end – but the manner of this parting of the ways leaves me unhappy. It didn’t have to be this way.
And I will not let the bad overcloud the good.
Thank you and good luck, Aitor Karanka de la Hoz.
Now let’s try and move on.
Thanks but I disagree Simon, four league wins in almost a year is nothing other than dreadful.
The fact of promotion was wonderful but the way we achieved it – only Brighton (ironically) were battered – set the scene for the past 12 months.
AK’s recruitment will leave the hamstrung by him for some time yet and i have long felt it was a case of the Emperor’s clothes.
That said I wish him well, genuinely. I don’t think he set out to destabilise the club at all, merely that (like Mogga to a fair degree) he lost the plot and had no idea what to do next.
Murdoch (a no win situation) and Strachan were worse managers but what grates me with AK is that he didn’t change or quit earlier.
There will be a huge uplift now I’m sure, whether it is enough, who knows? Irrespective of feelings for the man, I and I don’t like him admittedly, all that counts is the club.
Good luck AK, but onwards and, hopefully, upwards.
I think Ian said it best.
I don’t think he’s a bad manager, more a misguided one. In that he tried to get these players to play in a manner that didn’t suit them. It works for Pochettino because of the quality of players he has available to him. It didn’t work for Boro.
What was worse is that AK repeatedly persisted in the hope it would click. And I stood by him too! Because he had bounced back from serious setbacks at least eight times in three years. Unfortunately this really was a step too far.
Well I’ll be blowed!
Poor timing – but as Nigel said there can only be o e winner!
Ta tar, AK & Leo, the cheques in the post.
Quickly movin on, who’s SG got in mind for the next chapter of ‘Boro – Clowns in a Football Circus’.
spartakboro :
Re : Who’s SG got in mind for the next chapter of ‘Boro – Clowns in a Football Circus
Well if SG wakes up & smells the coffee, could it be Coco ?
The charge sheet did for him in the end, it always did.
He played the Karanka way, same as Poch et al but didn’t have the attackers to make it work. He didn’t get the best out of the cards he was dealt.
Thanks AK and now we move on, it is our Boro.
I think we have helped Jose’s selection dilemma. Strongest possible, no risks of dropping points.
Can’t argue with that Ian.
This can work two ways.
With the manager gone, the will-he-or-won’t-he-stay conundrum is lifted off the club’s shoulders and the players begin to express themselves. See: Leicester.
On the other hand, the lack of a figurehead on the touchline can lead to a lack of control and belief on the pitch. See: Charlton.
It’s not that I don’t agree with the decision. I do. But I can’t help that one too many envious eyes have been glanced over at our relegation rivals.
Change was necessary. But with so little time remaining, will it be the right kind of change? And neither Mogga nor Karanka had an immediately positive impact on results. AK actually won only one of his first five.
Over to my fellow countrymen Bell X1…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9i87xNdisU
I’ve just put a blog to discuss Karanka’s departure as I figure nobody will be discussing finances anymore…
https://diasboro.club/2017/03/16/karanka-departs-boro/
Well, I haven’t been able to bear too much engagement in this site for weeks now. I believe we’re down (expect the worst) though not definitely (hope for the best) and the games are there for us to play (take what comes)!!
AK had to go, I’m just surprised it happened now but my last post was some weeks ago when he turned on the fans, that was the point that it was obvious he was on his way out – only the timing had to be delivered
There is now a MASSIVE makeover in the back-office and playing strategy to put in place, the whole Spanish-orientated recruitment needs to be turned over and replaced, along with the man at the top. I don’t see any early appointment therefore, the new man (or woman?) will need a platform to mould in their own way. So I see Agnew being in place to the end of the season now while ducks and rows get sorted, but with a clear change in tactics on the field – led by Downing I suspect. So lets get behind him now and will the team on in their new (and probably unfamiliar!) formations.
Farewell AK – I thought you were a decent man and will have learned a lot from this – you need to as their is positive and negative feedback to learn from. Take your time, reflect and then get a new job, which you will, easily.
UTB