Too many players too soon, poorly thought through recruitment, and lack of integration spelt the end for Aitor Karanka after three years of steady progress, writes Simon Fallaha
In the near-immediate aftermath of Aitor Karanka’s departure as Head Coach of Middlesbrough FC (phew – long sentence!), perhaps we should take a breather and briefly review 2016-17 to date. We may well find that we should not permit ourselves too much surprise at the Boro’s failings.
Now, you can point your finger at our beleaguered ex-manager all you want, but it will not change things. For all his considerable limitations, he had a modus operandi to get us into the Premier League and he achieved this, with the added bonus, if you can call it that, of leaving us in a position where we can still escape the drop. Albeit later than many would have liked in both cases.
The reality is, man for man, the Premier League experience of this Boro squad, especially in a relegation scrap, is limited, or worse, virtually nil. Let’s look at the new arrivals from last summer in a “starting XI” kind of way.
Valdes/Guzan, Barragan, Chambers, Espinosa, Fabio, De Roon, Guedioura, Adama, Fischer, Ramirez/Gestede, Negredo/Bamford.
We have signed the effective equivalent of an entirely new side since last summer. But is it a Premier League collective? Compared to our rivals, you’d have to admit… not really.
There are players in that group that have shone at the top level, for top clubs, but their availability was another warning. You couldn’t just expect the likes of, say, Victor Valdes, Antonio Barragan, Alvaro Negredo or even Fabio da Silva to return to Premier League football and hit the ground running with a high performance level, as if they’d never been away. For those who had never played in England before, say, Bernardo Espinosa, Marten De Roon and Viktor Fischer, it was harder still. They needed to be surrounded by the right character if they were to prosper as Boro wished. And it is still open to question if Boro have found, or even can find, this character.
One club where character is not in short supply is Burnley. At least eight of their squad from their ill-fated, low-scoring return to the Premier League in 2014-15 are still on board today – Tom Heaton, Michael Keane, George Boyd, Sam Vokes, Dean Marney, Ashley Barnes, Ben Mee and Scott Arfield. Former crown jewel Danny Ings was sold at a very healthy profit, and Sean Dyche smartly and spontaneously invested the proceeds, parachute payments and later promotion money in the likes of Andre Gray, Joey Barton, Steven Defour, Jeff Hendrick and Robbie Brady. The rewards are currently there for all to see.
In praising the Clarets, I should emphasise “spontaneously”. Unlike Boro, they are not the kind to be outfoxed or destabilized by “that wasn’t in the script” moments – under Dyche they are the kings of party pooping and timely boosts. Once upon a time, they couldn’t win a game in the Championship and their front men, including one Jelle Vossen, weren’t cutting it. Before you knew it, Vossen was back in Belgium, Gray had arrived, and the victories came along. Similarly, the signings of Hendrick and Brady went through right at the end of the transfer window – the right players at the right time.
By contrast, although it was said that Boro did good business early, we concluded both transfer windows by selling Albert Adomah, Adam Reach and Jordan Rhodes. In the greater scheme of things, perhaps, whether their replacements were any better or not was irrelevant – the concern was more down to whether or not their replacements were right for Boro. Reach was a talented academy product, Adomah was a very popular player, and Rhodes was a proven goal scorer at a time when Boro needed goals.
The wrong players to sell at the wrong time, then?
It would matter less if we could say that their replacements are legitimate improvements.
But even if they are, at least on a technical level, do they connect with the area, and Boro, in quite the same way? Do they plug into the ethos of the club and what it is all about?
High-profile recruitment is, and always has been, a gamble. Arrivals like Victor Valdes and Alvaro Negredo can, in a way, be likened to Emerson and Fabrizio Ravanelli. Their ability can delight fans and inspire everyone on the pitch to play above themselves.
But their wage and status can also cause friction within the squad and resentment among the paying public, who may well perceive them as proof of the George Graham maxim that if a player doesn’t see his new club as a step up, he’ll think he’s doing you a favour by being there.
To a lesser extent, you have Scott McDonald and Nicky Bailey. Both made a positive contribution to the Moggalution in its most upwardly mobile times.
Yet you cannot quantify a signing as good or bad solely by on-the-pitch statistics.
McDonald’s tally of forty goals, beaten only in the last twenty years by Mark Viduka and Hamilton Ricard, and Bailey’s very good 2011, are fine achievements on their own terms. But those terms are sadly piddling when you consider their moodiness, a transfer fee of roughly £5 million between them (high for Boro at the time), and large wage packets. They were bought to be part of a promotion team – what they did do may have raised our hopes here and there, but ultimately amounted to nothing. In short, the ends simply didn’t justify the means.
The same certainly couldn’t be said for Rhodes, his purple patch of five in seven giving us both an invaluable lift and crucial points on the way to promotion. Far fewer goals from a more expensive signing, but a much bigger difference made by someone who truly appeared to have connected with the club.
Connection. There’s that word again. By the end of 2012-13 most of Boro’s coaching staff had a “connection” – they were locally born ex-players, along with Craig Hignett and Mark Venus. When Karanka arrived he quickly made his mark by bringing in his own men. It may have been neither parochial nor popular but there was a necessity to it, for the name of progress.
Fast forward to 2016 and Boro’s promotion heroes have overcome countless challenges to triumph as a unit. Now they, like Mogga’s backroom staff, have a feel of a family that doesn’t want to be broken up. But to build a platform for survival in the Premier League, needs have to be placed ahead of wants. Head must, reluctantly, take precedence over heart.
But a team needs heart and personality as well as brain and skill. Otherwise the club will no longer move in the right direction. And by bringing in too many players, too soon, the strength, momentum and belief of the Boro collective was irreparably damaged.
At the centre of this we have the unfortunate case of Adomah and Daniel Ayala. Their all-around development, the curbing of their erraticism and the maturity of their football brains should have been Karanka’s greatest legacy. Alas, one left the club under a cloud and the other now effectively resembles a central defensive Daniel Sturridge.
It didn’t have to be like this. It is understandable for a manager to be exceptionally frustrated at either having his authority challenged in the heat of the moment or not having their best defender available when he needs him most. But there comes a time when you must accept that nothing goes according to plan all the time. One must learn to forgive and trust, to be as patient with his players as he wants them to be with him, if not more. To guide them through the bad times. Taking pride from improving eager, willing newcomers – for example, De Roon and Espinosa – is one thing. Learning to integrate the newly high-profile talent you yourself contributed to improving is another.
This, and more, played its part in the lead up to the transfer window of discontent, the winter of very tough love that spelt the end of Aitor Karanka’s steady progress on Teesside.
Today we find ourselves picking up the pieces and scrambling for positives amidst the debris of wrecked dreams. We can admire the commitment of De Roon. We can enjoy the speed of Adama Traore. We can praise Valdes’ improvement – despite his errors, he has kept us in many games. We can take delight in the beautifully taken goals Negredo actually has scored. But has the cost been worth it?
I’m reminded of 1996-97, when it took drastic in-house divisions, freefalling to the bottom of the table and a points deduction for Bryan Robson to finally wake up and smell the coffee. The playing styles of both seasons, coincidentally twenty years apart, may seem like polar opposites, but both have been mainly dire for similar reasons – poorly thought through recruitment and lack of integration.
I guess, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Typical Boro. Or am I wrong?
Burnley as far as statistics go, their goalkeeper as made the most saves,and their centre backs have made the most clearances in their box, then every other team in the division.
I guess they are this attacking brilliant team we aren’t, NO
They are the luckiest club in the history of the premiership,even Liverpool stood down ,because they agreed to a switch of home games ,when anfield wasn’t ready,
We have had no look at all, something you do need,and that’s a fact.
Stop blaming Aitor, blame the hierarchy, they never leave!
Good post Simon but Karankas obstinate view of not changing games by using substitutes with time to spare and not like for like players contributed to his downfall
He also cut a lone figure at times standing in the coaching area hands in pockets with no urgency or encouragement to his players
At the end of the day you can point the finger at recruitment but the manager has to carry the can
At least Ben Gibson comes back without any injuries after being an unused sub for England. Up the Boro!
Thanks for the article, Simon. And the opportunity to consider the relative successes & failures as you consider them to be.
First & foremost – no man is an island, even if at times Aitor acted as such & thus ostracised those around him. In effect, for all his self-perceived sense of strength of character, he failed to give enough in terms of sharing responsibility. In my opinion, he acted the emperor when what he needed was the humility of the novice.
‘He gained us promotion & he had a steady 3 year reign!’ Utter nonsense! Where to start? The Play-off Final was a disaster. The Norwich players carried the baggage from 3 points ‘stolen’ due to unsporting behaviour by the Boro, managed and condoned by Aitor, thus they came out at Wembley all guns blazing and blew us away, while we were late even to arrive.
The promo was gained coz we played for a point and were fortunate in that Brighton had a player sent off. It reminds me of a scene in the Odessey, where Odessyus is proclaiming to the gods how great he was because he had designed the sacking of Troy, only to be told by Possidon that without his sea monster killing the Troy High Priest, his men would have been discovered in the wooden horse, slain & Troy would never have fallen. Hubris- the failing of many of us.
Finally, Aitor’s last ‘steady season’. 4 wins in 24/5 matches – abject failure, no more no less & amongst other factors it was this reason he got the sack (mutual partin of the ways).
Conclusion
The novice failed to learn and no mentor was provided for Aitor to help him succeed.
That’s my take like!
Sparta
Lovely reply to the article, the main points are correct, just a few points which are missed by you, so here goes.
One. Yes the play off final was a disaster, but it illustrated a complete lack of support and interest by those in the club who’s duty it is to watch over any one who has no background knowledge of a trip to Wembley(to name just one situation)
The moment that he planned to do a dramatic late arrival, the warning lights should have been flashing. This was one of the biggest no no’s in football, l’m prepared to make a statement right now that the coach driver will undoubtedly have flagged it up to anyone who would listen, and been ignored
Two do not understand the remark about Norwich being angry about us robbing them of three points, that’s tosh. If it were true we would be in a permanent state of anger, because we are any bodies victim when it comes to sharp practice.
Three so we played for a point to achieve promotion did we? That’s a strange one, because I understood when I entered the ground that we needed a draw and they were sunk, so we can assume that the plan worked. Plus the player got sent off because the victim of a vile foul insisted the ref take action, good on him say I.
Oh, and by the way, Brighton are our rabbits, study the stats. We would play them for our lives.
Four, it was not only his over use of defensive tactics, it was his habit of making serious changes of formation and personal in critical matches without warning, like away to Palace.
Good piece Simon
I said at the beginning of the season our recruitment lacked Premier League experience and not only that experience in the English game too
When a team gets promoted usually the first team is tweaked with the addition of two or three players and usually ones with PL experience,basically we had a first team demolition!
Would the old players have done any worse than the new ones? Would we have been in a worse league position with the old players? In my opinion no!
Valdes had a shaky start and improved but for me he lacks the height and stature that Dimi had and doesn’t command his box as well as him either with him preferring to come out and punch rather than catch.
Barragan started off ok but now is a liability Fabio is now preferred in his position and has been a success and shades Nsue who they both replaced.
We waited a while before we saw Espinosa,we were told he was an “amazing” player who would make a huge impact on the league! Initially yes but now it’s hearts in the mouth defending from him too. Unfair to write Ayala off he hasn’t had time to adjust to the PL hasn’t even had two consecutive games. Last season his name was first on the team sheet we miss is aerial threat in both boxes him and Ben Gibson in defence together were the reason we had such a good defence last season.
Fischer and Adama are projects and a long way from PL standard and no better than Downing and Adomha. Traore looks good on the eye with his speed and running past man after man with the ball but what has he done? Put a decent ball in? No. Scored a goal? No. created a goal? No. he’s abit of an Enigma
De Roon has potential but for most of the season he’s been deployed as a third holding midfielder playing the same way as Leadbitter and Clayton. We have only seen glimpses of what he can do when the shackles are off and he has licence to go forward.
Gaston can be brilliant on his day but we seem to have seen his Southampton PL performances and attitude this season and the reason they got rid of him and made a huge loss on him
We haven’t seen the best of Negrado or have we? There must be a good reason why a struggling Valencia let him go on loan to us
I’ve been impressed with Gestede so far he puts himself about good in the air and quicker and more mobile than Negrado but maybe both of them would benefit by playing up front together instead of lone strikers which brings nothing to the team.
Ultimately Karankas downfall was his stubbornness to stick to his system and only substitute like for like with no plan B. Maybe with Agnew as we saw in the last twenty minutes against Man Utd there is a glimmer of hope we can threaten the oppositions defence. We got a league goal the first since the end of January, now can he go a step further and get us a win at Swansea ironically the first win since our win against them at home way back in December?
Never give up
I notice that you say ‘Traore running past man after man’ yes you have hit the nail on the head, we are supposed to be giving him the ball in the clear, where his speed will cause real problems. You never know, we might even get up field and take a pass off him and even score(steady on there, did I just mention scoring)
you obviously were not at the home game against West ham, or should that be against their very large, and injury prone striker. because in that match he three times put the ball along the goal line(we scored from one of them).
We could have made a huge profit on Gaston(sixteen mill. for a free transfer) but hey what’s money?
Each to their own Spartak. Though, if you look at it on the whole, laying the foundations, reaching the play-offs, getting promoted and leaving the club in a position where they can survive in the Premier League has to constitute progress.
Of course I acknowledge that we’ve won only four, but this is the top tier, where we haven’t been for seven years, and as I implied in the post you cannot reasonably expect a team to jump in and perform as if they’d never been away. Use the Cloughie comparisons all you like, but as I have repeatedly said these are very different times. You saw yourself how things ended for him at Forest. The game was changing as the PL era began and he couldn’t keep up.
Although… AK acted the emperor when what he needed was the humility of the novice? I’ll buy that. To a point. But I think when he arrived he filled a need we had at the time. As Ronnie Whelan says, players initially buy into the figure who walks into the dressing room feeling like he owns it, someone who has the charisma and dedication to draw everyone in. It works at the beginning, if not for a while, but, as I implied, there comes a time when personalities in the team will burgeon and you have to adapt to handle them. AK did not.
Simon
I think SG gave Aitor more than enough time to prove himself capable of managing in the EPL. In fact, IMHO he was given far too much time.
I recognised the signs of a personality issue at the beginning of his second season in charge. His intransigence, his disciplinary approach, his need to control. These attributes do not imspire, they repress, stifle & suffocate natural flow and ability.
Still the stalwarts cried ‘Patience, patience! In Aitor we Trust.’ Well, Aggers is the main man now and he has an opportunity to prove his worth. I hope he succeeds where Aitor failed miserably.
Plato
As always I love the cut of your jib.
1 retort
The Norwich away game.
The fans were furious at the delaying tactics that the Boro players used. The Norwich players were, I am sure, reminded of this before the Playoff Final. As stated they came out all guns blazing and blew us away.
Yes, we too have been victim to such tactics but then it was the use of the sense of blatent robbery that fired the Norwich players up. Our victim status at various times does not carry the same weight because 9/10 we wont face the same miscreants in a final the very next time in the same season.
Finally, I agree with you totally about lack of interest from those in the club who should have been more supportive. I have serious misgivings as to their motivation and ability. If I was inclinded toward conspiracy, I’d say many in the club undermined Aitor for reasons of personal preference, which suggests not all were working toward the same goals (pun unintended) 🙂
Sparta
What you say is a frightening thought, but not all together outrageous.
I happen to believe that a chairman’s duty is to give a free hand, and then to watch everything that concerns the progress of the club. When his chosen one is planning something either silly, dangerous, off the wall, or worse, then his duty is clear. There is no need for a row, all he has to say is something along the lines of, ‘ I think it would not be wise to arrive at Wembley later than noon, we have been there three times and know the routine well, the players like taking in the atmosphere, having a light meal strolling around the pitch and so forth.’
I cannot believe that Spurs for instance permit any manager to have the final say on who is signed,(they believe in the market as a way to make some money, and quite right too) at the end of the day it’s used car dealing in a big way. We have no idea in the world about dealing in the market.
By the way, have we really set twenty five million as a price for Gibson? Stone, for god’s sake went for fifty?
Perhaps the fact that the entire prem. are in for him might just give them a clue.
They really are off the wall. It is a stab in the back to all their fans.
if there are ten points which go to make a young English CB he ticks eleven of them.
Now for some advice to Ben, in absence of Real or Barca, there are two clubs you should choose between.
One. Man City very wealthy and a happy club, every chance that they will sign the manager, stroke, players to carry off the prizes in the next year(remember win the prizes, you will be getting the money, so count the medals)
Two. Chelsea, the team they have will win plenty of prizes in the next couple of years, happiness is another thing.
Three. avoid like the plague, United, their problems are by no means over, papered over by their very large striker, but by gosh what a job the manager has to rebuild that team. You do not want to spend your time plugging leaks in that defence.
Four. Avoid any appeals from Everton, there is no chance whatsoever that they will ever reach the summit of football, you will spend your time getting rave reviews, and not much else(and of course being an English player, you will be too decent to tell them good by, so you will end up being paid less than your inferiors, whilst winning nothing)
oh and one final point, insist on going for fifty million, remember, the more you cost the more respect you get from the buyer, and the more pay you get, and the less chance of them dropping you(notice Stone, he would now be in the reserves if he had cost twelve million)
Yes, Spartak. I was one of those who repeatedly cried for patience. Because eight times between 2013-16 Aitor had faced serious setbacks in the form of bad runs, fall outs or hissy fits yet bounced back every time. This season was the one where his luck finally ran out. There is, or at least should be, no one individual to point the finger at, but what I discussed in the above piece certainly played its part.
The attributes that you think of as weaknesses actually do inspire when the momentum and belief is right. Because when the right results are coming, the players will bond in a collective and are likely to believe in the manager’s ways even if it’s not the way some of them want to play. You might not have enjoyed the 3-0 win over Leeds and the 1-0 win over QPR, but the results were the right ones and better performances (Ipswich A, Brighton A) would come.
Over time, however, these “weaknesses” become hindrances when individual talent needs to blossom more for the sake of progress. Once Ramirez and Rhodes arrived, the individuals began taking the limelight over the collective and Aitor Power (is that a good term? Lol!) receded.
In a way, I think Leicester A and Man U A were turning points too. The feeling of being robbed of a merited win because of a penalty that shouldn’t have been and a late, late concession dug deeply into the psyche. At Old Trafford, we were smiling with five minutes to go and I was ready to file Bernardo Espinosa in the “very promising debuts” category. Then came the horrible, horrible one-two punch of the climax. Neither Espinosa nor Boro have been the same since.
Should we be surprised, though? Three or four years is the natural lifespan for any manager at any club. In 2014 Brendan Rodgers was the best thing since sliced bread, now he’s rebuilding his reputation at Celtic. Klopp’s honeymoon is long over. And there are (bizarrely?) grumbles about Pochettino not having an alternative plan at Spurs.
Am I right in saying it’s more The Cult Of The Manager that bothers you?
“The media’s job should have been to say, ‘This king has no clothes’. Instead, they fell in line and perpetuated the myth of Big Jack.”
That was – you guessed it – Eamon Dunphy.
Plato
The thing about Ayala is, I don’t want to write him off. I know what he can do.
My “central defensive Daniel Sturridge” tag may seem rather sensationalist, but it kind of sums up how I feel about Dani – very good, brilliant even, when fit, firing and on song, but his injury history is such that there is, alas, a feeling of not being able to rely on him.
Good stuff Simon, and it’s always worth pointing out how far behind Boro were when they got promoted – everyone else either established in the Premiership or, like Hull and Burnley, have yo-yo’d a bit in recent seasons and already have the basis of a top flight side, with top flight experience; the latter can never be taken for granted. We are in every way the newbies at this level, having been away for so long, and at times that has been apparent.
Without laying any blame for recruitment, it does seem as though the whole recruitment thing’s a gamble. At the time they were sold I wasn’t bothered that Reach and Albert had gone but now I think we could have done with them just to provide some sort of alternative. At least they both had affection for the club, which you can’t say for some of those who don the shirt currently. For me the writing on the wall came in January, an uninspiring transfer window where the gaps within the side and areas that needed padding were laid bare and known by everyone, and weren’t addressed. It means we get to a time like now, when we are looking at the squad for inspiration and struggling to find any, which could have been avoided with more signings. They didn’t have to be Bojan, that lad from PSG, etc, but they needed to be reasonable alternatives.
Great response Mike.
The key was, I think, that in every other transfer window we had the momentum and belief of an upwardly mobile collective. By the winter of tough love and discontent that had all evaporated. Transfer targets who would have seen us as an exciting step up in the summer now looked upon us as desperate, troubled and crying out for help.
Gestede seems to be paying off. Perhaps because he’s been through one drop with Villa and doesn’t want it to happen again.
As an interlude to Simon’s thought provoking piece just seen this which wasn’t my interpretation of our run in at all.
http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/hull-city-have-the-third-easiest-run-in-in-the-premier-league-relegation-battle/story-30231063-detail/story.html
Certainly adds perspective.
RR
I am with you on this one. The term ” small margins” comes to mind!
To get 38pts Boro have to win 4 and draw 4 whilst only losing 2 games – what are the odds?
Stayin up on 36/37 pts – possible but HIGHLY UNLIKELY!!!
Just sayin like!!!
But still possible. What’ve we got to lose? None of the neutrals, I think, either expect us to stay up or want us to stay up. More thrust now may be too late but if worse comes to worse we’ll get hefty parachute payments and something to build on for next season. In other words, not another Wimpgate.
What will count is the fixtures against the teams around us. Palace doing the double over us hits hard but we have wins over Sunderland, Hull, Swansea and Bournemouth to build on. I’d argue it was the fixtures against the other strugglers that did for us near the end of 1996-97 – we failed to beat Forest or West Ham, with Schwarzer breaking his leg in the latter, we failed to beat Blackburn (who ensured their safety on the same night), and we lost at home to Sunderland. More sickeningly Southampton beat four other strugglers around the same time – and they’d already taken six points off us.
Back then, admittedly, the restrictive transfer window didn’t exist – both West Ham and Southampton invested in new strikers when they felt they were lacking goals. Needless to say both stayed up.
With AK in charge I would have said we were definitely down as he wasn’t for changing his tactics which had been rumbled and were failing. Add the failed recruitment and it was pretty much a foregone conclusion for me. Under Agnew there was a visible difference against Man Utd where we at least attempted to get something from the game which contrasted sharply against the meek offering we put up against palace and Stoke.
If Aggers can deliver something next week with 9 points to play for in 7 days then it could turn our season around. Swansea and Hull away with Burnley at home should on paper yield some returns but those 7 days will ultimately decide our fate or provide a lifeline as a minimum. Swansea and Hull are 6 pointers draws just maintains the gap and leaves us hoping someone else will do the damage on our behalf whilst we hope to pick up points elsewhere.
Arguably Sunday against Swansea is the biggest game of the season, win and hopes will soar along with belief, draw and it still keeps the hope alive, a defeat however will put a serious dent in things and massive additional pressure on the next two games. All those “winnable” but drawn or narrowly defeated games stretching way back now have come back to bite us on the derrière. The reason I “drag” that up yet again is because it should galvanise the management and players now in going out with a mentality to win and not lose narrowly or draw.
RR
Who on god’s little planet (if that’s what they were on) signed off that strategy? A simple calculation scribbled on the back of a napkin could tell you it was doomed to failure.
Further, the blatent signings in January coming from Championship sources or so far down a team sheet you couldn’t see the name, really should have had the alarm bells ringing, so that even the delusional could hear them in their alternative reality.
What really annoys is the ‘We’ll give it a go!’ message from the top. This was of course not meant as it reads but something else entirely different. And in SG & Aitor we trust. Pleeeaaasssee!
The more I look at it, the more I think we’ve been taken for idiots or we have idiots in charge. Either way I don’t like the look of those bananas.
The “Strategy” may have just scraped over the line had we invested in the right players. Wide men who were skilful, who could chip in with a few goals and feed the Striker and get up and support from the opposite flank/s. A No.10 just behind the lone striker pulling the strings and feeding pin point balls through with precision and timing.
Arguably we had such a No.10 in Downing (according to Tomlin that’s what Stewy thought he came here as) but Ramirez was the more theatrical and entertaining and with only one up front instead of Stewy’s preferred two the one more likely to create. Of course Gaston’s transfer strop screwed a lot of AK’s planning and thinking not to mention his secondary “go to” No.10 who was rumoured (I stress “rumoured”) to be his arch nemesis. That kind of left things a bit “bug eared” in that department through January and February.
Out wide, the incredible talent of the injury recovering Fischer was to be the bargain find and this years most talked about “Hazardesque” player outside of the top four. Nuff said on that one, file under de Pena (with the caveat that he may come good in the Championship should that be our ultimate fate)! The Adomah story has now grown legs but safe to say I would guess only the most die hard of AK supporters would deny that we should have held onto him, contract or not. Traore of course was the AA alternate gamble, on laptop and on paper his stats were no doubt incredible, another gem in the making except nowhere near ready for this level of the game unless he was accommodated in a slightly different role but one that AK didn’t play nor intended to any time this century.
Then we had the “star” signing for what was by Boro standards silly money on de Roon. My opinion is that for £2.5m from a Championship side decent business, £5m to £7m from a lower Premiership side a bit steep but the Premiership has gone silly on values so maybe OK. £12m or whatever the actual figure was from an Italian side with zero Premiership experience was just plain stupid, no disrespect to the lad because I think he has the heart and engine of a Lion but no way was he remotely worth anything close to £12m. I doubt very much indeed that his signing was a Karanka inspired one.
Then we have the Spanish/Latin contingent most of which I guess AK knew and Orta certainly should have. I’ll start with Stuani who predated Orta (I think without checking), seems to have a great eye for goal and I believe the one who should have led the line this season though having said that I think Kike was probably better suited than any of them. Played out wide Stuani was neither fast enough or skilful enough for that role at this level, I do think however he always gives 100%. Negredo once had half a great Premiership season alongside some of the most expensively assembled players in the world, subtle difference to his new surroundings, tactics and calibre of support that he hasn’t remotely had this season.
Valdes was another long term injury victim who has settled in but at a cost during the early stages of the season. Cheap in initial signing but no doubt like Negredo that king of “saving” is recompensed elsewhere in their contracts. Personally I still have reservations about his height, crosses and overall ability at this level although a great shot stopper throughout his career he and his back line have never been regularly under pressure for 90 minutes. I question whether when “profiling” how it was perceived he would be a great fit for a struggling Premiership side (and lets face it we all knew the first season would be a struggle).
Espinosa and Barragan I will shelve under distinctly average at best and nothing to show that they were an upgrade on Kalas or Nsue or indeed Amorebeita come to that (Kalas literally would have walked here). Only Chambers and Fabio have made any sort of impact from the 14 new arrivals this season (and that’s excluding Ramirez). 2 from 14 is not a disappointing return, it is appalling. How much some of them or all of them fall at the feet of AK I’m not sure but I would “guess” that 50% of them were not his choices remotely perhaps more despite their heritage from warmer climes. I have always believed that Barragan was a Bogof take it or leave it offer from Valencia as part of the Negredo deal and thus meant forcing an existing squad member out the door.
In January it was obvious to a blind man on a galloping horse what we desperately needed and what the side was calling out for to improve and push on. AK with his now infamous list pretty much concluded the same in the type of Players he made absolutely abundantly and crystal clear he wanted. Bojan, Jese, Snodgrass or Deulofeu I’m pretty certain could have made a significant difference to our fate albeit Jese hasn’t been electric and even Snodgrass has left a few Hammers fans scratching their heads of late.
As it happens none of them arrived and we were told via our local Press in a somewhat very contrived and overcooked PR media spun hype that indeed Gestede was our top January target all along and Karanka was thrilled to have captured him. This of course was just as the Gazette lads had to start singing and dancing for their Trinity Mirror supper prior to their incredible “U” turn just weeks later and before AK finally broke with the bullspin and told the world what he really thought of our “recruitment”.
This bit is probably where I may shock and surprise! I respected AK for his steadfast determination to stick to his plan albeit I am convinced it probably cost us half a dozen points at least, maybe more this season and nearly cost us promotion last season with a series of draws. Personally I couldn’t stand his football as it sucked the very heart and soul out of me and destroyed any enjoyment or pride I could have derived out of supporting Boro in the Premiership this season. Despite that I believe had the January (or even Summer) recruitment landed the Players (or equivalent types) that AK made clear, his system may have worked by keeping clean or low scoring against sheets but with far more speed, creativity and goal potential from his No.10 and wide players.
He was unhelpfully given relative no marks in January by Premiership standards with completely different skill sets to what he required and AK couldn’t make the best out of what he had. His style and manner was not for changing so as we couldn’t recruit more players and something had to change his mutual departure was inevitable. Had we “gave it a go” then I think AK could and would have kept us up. Ironically the Gestede signing may be the one that lives long in Boro folklore as the guy who saved our season if SA plays him in a front two, time alone will tell.
The issue for me is that after meticulously building an infrastructure that we were told (even brainwashed) on numerous occasions was designed to take the club forward on all sorts of levels from development, fitness, coaching and indeed recruitment it now seems that due to the lack of three or four decent signings mixed in with stubbornness (or Hubris) and poor man management (allegedly) we haven’t so much “given it a go” as dismantled the lot in a manner not dissimilar to a three year old with acute Lego angst (other brick building toys are available).
Going back to my main summer gripe which was the amateurish gastric band shirt and the ridiculous nonsense that was populated from the club in its defence. It appears that despite some very overt PR spin to convince us of how well run things are at MFC there does appear from the outside looking in that some parts are run more like a corner shop instead of a multi million pound business.
It appears that the club is operating in what Consultants like to term as “Silo’s”, little business units blinkered within their own domains with very little or nothing joined up at all and certainly none of them operating or functioning at the level required and with no interaction betwixt or between. Sad thing is I doubt any lesson will have been learned and nothing will change and as a consequence our fate lies more in luck than in careful deliberate planning. A bit like Gestede saving us from relegation running around in a Sunday pub league shirt, no doubt that some will contrive that as planned should it come to pass.
Sparta
We talk about strategy but really, we crept into the Prem. (no I do not refer to our promotion)
I mean our opening game, plus the four or five that followed. They were delightful gifts, but we were still having laughing fits and punching the air as in , yippee, we are in the Prem, who cares about the result, there’s always next Saturday, by the way, who do we play?
All our first matches were against road kill, Stoke, in front,, conceded a weak effort from a free kick, lost their next six.
Palace. A pitiful display, conceded weak goals, one a training ground header(unchallenged of course). Promptly crashed to the bottom of the league and stayed there(until they played us again)
Everton away, perfectly pleasant match no threat from them, allowed a bog standard cross to an out of form striker, for the regulation header which you would expect, nothing special, but it did for us. The manager then went through hell until he had got them organised(about six matches)
there were others, believe me, so I believe that our promotion was thrown away right there. At the time I worked out that about fifteen points went down the Swanee, and the fact that all those road kill teams pulled themselves round just shows that a flying start is very near essential in this league.
Sparta
A far more significant statement was the following. ” if we go down the sun will still rise each day , the world will still turn in the sky, and life will go on”
As a rallying cry it scarcely ranks with, ” once more into the breach dear friends, and let us fill up the breach with our English dead”
The author of the first was a certain Steve Gibson.
The author of the second was some actor laddie who knocked off a few plays in his spare time.
I prefer the words of Winston S Churchill
“We will fight them on the beaches etc ”
Or
” Blood sweat etc”
Our next 6 games are very favourable – Swansea, Hull, Burnley, Bournemouth, Sunderland. + Arsenal at home, probably the game you’d pick at the moment if you were going to play one of the big teams.
All winnable – there is a small chance that Burnley could still get dragged into it, I didn’t realise they hadn’t won since January. They play Spurs and Stoke at home in the next two before us – if they didn’t win either of them and we picked up a win in our two, we could close the gap on them to 3-4 pts by beating them next week.
On the subject of Burnley, and as alluded to above, I keep hearing how much better we are than them man for man, yet they were relegated from the Prem the year before last, finished above us last year and yet we still should expect to finish above them according to some.
God’s teeth, Borophil, you really do like pickin your stats dont you!
In January, Burnley had 3 wins baggin 9 points. If you include the win on the 31st of December when they banged in 4 goals, that’s 4 wins, 12 points and as many wins as we’ve had all season. That’s why, regardless of current form, they are 13th on 32pts, 10 pts above us and only require one win and two or three draws from their final 10 games to stay up. They can afford to lose six games we can’t.
Next up is the great giant sized excuse that they are better than us coz of their previous experience. I beg to differ. We are where we are because of either stupid decision making or because there was an executive conclusion to invest for another seasin outside the EPL. I think the former reason is more likely.
Any person or organisation with any strength of character admits to their mistakes & doesn’t attempt to pass them off as someone else’s responsibility.
Says a lot about our present organisation and those who would stand as their apologists.
Just to inform everyone that I’ve just completed producing the interactive entry form for the Exmil Challenge Part 2 – so if you are keen to start predicting then visit the following link and follow the instructions (though they are the same as Part 1).
Exmil Challenge Part 2 – Interactive Form
For those who had a problem in getting the interactive form to function on their devices I’ve also produced a manual entry form to allow you to post your predictions using a comment.
Exmil Challenge Part 2 – Manual Entry Form
I’m a little short on free time at the moment but should be back in the groove in time for the build up to Boro’s week of destiny!
HA!!!!!!!
I’ve just done Ex Mil 2 Challenge & got the Boro o 30ptz & 16th place 🙂
The other contenders for R hav some serious games to come. Palace’s games look insurmountable & Sunderland I’ve given 1 point in the next 5 games.
🙂
Sparta
Is it kosher for you to be predicting some serious points collecting for Boro?
Its the Aggers ‘effect’, Plato!
I’ve got the same! Must be dreaming
Once Ra-Ra, always Ra-Ra! I feel much better now when all is not gloom.
Up the Boro!
Excellent stuff.
I have us on 29 points in 17th along with Swansea, just ahead of Hull on 28 and Sunderland back on 21. (Leicester 36, Palace 31)
Over the same period, I’d predict Burnley to get 1 point, so they’d be on 33 and right in the mix.
Watford must be a little bit edgy as well, but with home games to come in the next four versus Sunderland and Swansea I think we’d be happy for them to pull clear.
If what you say & that which I predict comes to the fore, this erstwhile blog may hear from me no further until the end of the season, where my nails will be bitten to the quick and my eyes constantly rollin around in the sockets due to delirium.
Oh, & if Sunderland score in the last minute of their last game, thus ensuring Boro are relegated, I shall consider there to be NO justice to be had in this here universe.
Just sayin like.
🙂
Woodgate returns to BORO as first team coach, to me that is a disaster, I said last season the man behind Downing pulling the strings was Woodgate the only thing I missed was that Agnew was involved, we are starting to look like a pub team set up and in my opinion we will plummet. I just can’t believe that Gibson has fallen for this, I said last season that Woodgate was behind everything because he saw himself as a “Southgate” project and the next BORO manager, how long will it take to get rid of Agnew I wonder. In my opinion this will turn out to be worse than the Strachen era, I am so disillusioned at the moment.
Come on BORO.
Woody has the catchet, like Downing, of being One Of Our Own (TM).
Whether or not you view that as a positive is open to question.
His talking up of Leeds as a great club, and his home for years, “even though I live in Middlesbrough” and Downing’s handing in of a transfer request when we and Southgate needed him most ought not to be ignored.
Exmil
You have beaten me to it!
I am also dismayed to hear the news of his appointment as I believe, like you, that he was part of the problems going on in the background prior to the AK walk out last season.
One minute AK was extolling that Woodgate could have a role to play at Boro for life and then next thing is he is off to Liverpool without a word from AK. – clearly the silence was deafening.
I have been reluctant to blame the men at the top previously but am now, like others, seriously beginning to question if there is really any joined up strategy at the club or is it just managment on the hoof.
Thanks to you and Werder for the second leg of the challenge – I regret to say that i remain very pessimistic about our chances and if the week of destiny goes badly then I can even see us finishing below that lot up the road!
CoB
The same AK who praised Higgy then the next week sent him packing!
Thanks, the Exmill challenge took about 55 seconds and was easy to comlete.
I just wish we got a win at Swansea! Up the Boro!
AV seemed very positive on Jonathan ‘Red’ Woodgate and his appointment of first team coach on the video at the Gazette.
We do not know how good a coach he is but he looks like beeing a highly respected guy by the rest of the team.
So please give the lad a chance before saying a disaster. Be fair.
Up the Boro!
I refer my fellow brethren of the blog to the final comment I made in my post of yesterday at 09.18.
Keywords
AK undermined many presonal preferences other goals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvs4bOMv5Xw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I wonder what the Spanish is for ‘Infamy’?
Infamia just sayin like!
Or unfamilia as there may be some family links with the ones behind the scenes ?
I suppose what we are seeing is the idea of March ?
I came I saw i conked him !
For me the Woodgate appointment is perhaps indicative of what was really going on behind the scenes for months whilst we were being fed spin. It appears that “Charltongate” was perhaps more pivotal than we gave credit to at the time. AK did afterwards go on a decent run but it petered out near the end of the season and we crept over the promotion line. Since then our form hasn’t picked up even allowing for the fact that it was the Premiership.
Downing’s announcement that he was going to stay and fight for his place in January despite seemingly being ostracised by AK now seems to have had deeper meaning and perhaps understanding. If all this holds water then it begs more questions and surely strengthens “Conspiracy” theories despite headlines to the contrary from our erstwhile blogmeister today. Unfortunately I have no idea what the content of his story was through not being a Premium customer despite having the paper delivered at a cost of £4.90 a week.
It appeared clear to many of us a while back that Aggers was on the bench but not apparently the “chosen one” in terms of his relationship to AK. It seems to be the case that a new team is now being constructed around those that were not part of AK’s inner sanctum. I see and can understand the anxiety and concerns of many on Woody’s appointment but lets face it if he was part of the doubters and was willing to speak up and speak out then why shouldn’t he along with the “others” be given their opportunity to put things right, after all it was what many of us on here also identified/complained about (depending on perspective) at the time and since.
Well, long time no posting from me, and now I convene to relay the news that the Woodgate “first team coach” role is a rank amateur disaster!
We are, as someone alluded to above, turning into a pub team. It’s like the worst days of Mogga’s tenure, bring in a bunch of mediocre Teessiders to the bench (One Of Our Own though ey?) and what do you get? Mediocrity!
I presume our new First Team Coach will be extolling the virtues of his blud, Mr Downing, who in my opinion should have been bounced right out of the club on 1st January, by contract cancellation if necessary. I sincerely hope that Gibson is merely letting Aggers run his own show until seasons end before sweeping the whole bloody lot of them out – because right now the only Premier League we deserve to be in is the Premier League of Jobs for the Lads!
Trebles all round!
jarkko, I will support the team no matter who is playing or who is in the management team but what concerns me is that “they” may have put the club in jeopardy just to achieve their own ambitions, who is next in through the back door Higgy ?
Come on BORO.
Have it on good authority that Higgy was offered a job with Boro 2 weeks ago before Karanka left…….
I also worry about the players who supported AK, how many will be pushed out or leave on their own accord because they are dismayed at what has gone on behind the scene.
Come on BORO.
Exmill, I was thinking the same about Higgy, too. And yes, we were very, very Spanish with our coaching team. And now I we are heading to the opposite – except for Leo, are they all locals now?
I agree that we must keep the quality as the most important criteria for requirement. But let’s see what happens. I kind of like most of the Teessiders, like!
Up the Boro!
Will someone tell me who is running this club ?, And what their actual goal is!
When we go down, I seriously think we could drop even further, Name a successfully English manager , consistently at the top end .If they were that good why aren’t the clubs in Europe chasing them down, even mediocre clubs.dont want them.
Nice article Simon. Different approach and well thought out. Certainly pulls out diverse opinions.
Thought(s) for the day.
When GS2 walked away with his tail between his legs looking like a chastised Scots puppy, I did support the appointment of Mogga to the role. However, I also said that I wondered if it was wise to pick up what I saw as a poisoned chalice ie the club organisation known as MFC.
Well we all know how that turned out. Now we have Karankagate. A coup d’ètat if ever there was one. But what of the consequences? Would I be wrong to suggest that any manager worth his salt will now have to think carefully about taking on the job at Boro. The sword of Damocles hangs precariously above that throne. The Ides of March have recently passed and their historical lesson is a warning to all – approach MFC with care for the backstabbers have sharp knives and there is a duplicitous Chairman in situ, who will dine with you one week, then feed you to the wolves the next.
Look at things this way:
http://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/middlesbrough/form/ten
It couldn’t get any worse!
He’s round the goalie & calmly slots the ⚽ into the net.
I like Jarkko’s unfailing trust and support for the Boro and all those who play or are on the coaching staff.
I suppose I’m getting rather cynical in my old age and the veneer of innocence has been gently stripped and eroded away leaving the plain unvarnished Boro
Still I have renewed my season card and will wait and see what develops ovt
He next few weeks
I did the exmil challenge thanks to Werders little programme and interestingly have Boro md two others finishing on the same points……
So goal difference may count after all hope that last minute slip by Valdez doesn’t prove to be costly
My head told me no but my heart eventually won the day with the balance tipped by seeing us at least have a go against United. So three Season cards for next season all purchased, foolishly optimistic of something to cheer about come this time next year!
I struggled a bit and didn’t take the decision to purchase lightly and from the club I would expect to see some higher standards in many aspects of their business operations be it on ticket pricing, shirts, recruitment etc.There have been some very shoddy examples with amateurish efforts in key areas of the business which ultimately affects what happens out on the pitch even down to how the players look with their gastric bands and Hogwarts badge.
It appears that the infrastructure that was so carefully and supposedly professionally built up is now being dumped faster than ballast from a hot air balloon going down quicker than Boro in the form table. I don’t know if Aggers, Jordan, Woody and co. are the answer but if there is no clear indication of an upward trajectory then SG has to act quickly and not let things drag on too long which has been a major failing in the past.
Things that were questioned and highlighted on Untypical Boro and subsequently here going back to last season and at the start of this Season have sadly come to pass and very little of it required a Masters in Physics.
We may not be footballing professionals but most of us are reasonably well educated and perhaps more importantly have been around the block a few times. Most importantly its free and it comes from the heart as well as the head, as negative as it may have appeared the intention and desire is the complete polar opposite.
RR
Well done on purchasing the SCards I’m sure you’ll enjoy them
Let’s face it what else would you do on a sat afternoon Sunday lunchtime Friday night Tuesday night or whatever time we have to turn up.
At the end of the day we’ve all been supporting the Boro for a long time so Managers come and go but we are here forever
All the talk of the run in ignores the Elephant in the room, all the usual suspects know the golden rule of ‘dodging the bullet’ (we do not)
‘ The golden rule?’ that’s easy, most teams who go the journey are in a position to save themselves if they win their last three matches, fact, so try to get in to that position, because all the usual suspects will.
Once it gets to that time, two home matches, (both on the beach in their flip flops) plus the middle game, a team who are champions and training furiously for the final of the champions league, at least three ‘ injuries?’ plus their great star who is being worked on furiously to get him to the final, plus they go out with strict instructions to stay healthy no matter what, result, a real shock.
There are always desperate stories on the last day, West Ham (plus Teves) beating Man Utd ) and there are plenty more I remember one desperate London club away to a really good London club, two down without a prayer, three training ground goals in the last quarter hour and some hapless team from nowhere found themselves honorary members of the Championship.
Great, or what.
Any study of the actions and comments from the club point to the fact that this guy is the manager, period. You do not allow any serious hiring and firing by a temporary manager.
Plato
I still believe that this is Plan A and that the hiring of Woody is only on a temporary basis
Depending upon the success or not of plan A will decide if Boro move to plan B
Not very exciting times is it ?
EXMIL CHALLENGE Part 2
As at 1100 today I have received 17 of the original 39 entries, listed below are the ones received, if you have submitted an entry but your name is not listed please let me know. The deadline for entry into Part 2 is 1500 hrs Saturday 1 April 2017.
exmil2017
lenmasterman
Spartakboro
Redcar Red
Jarsue159
BoroPhil
Rich
K P in Spain
Jarkko
Ladyboro
Andy R
Suffolk’n’Boro
Allan in Bahrain
Originalfatbob
Selwynoz
Smoggy in Exile
Paulista Park
Come on BORO.
Just submitted Exmil, so hopefully I’ll get rounded up on the next roll call. Thanks for your time and effort, both yourself and Werder. Simon, good piece and a great talking point, where would we be without you all.
Bring on the weekend please, it’s been so long away from the action.
Even as-optimistic-as-I-can-be myself got 18th place after the ExMil challenge.
Ah well, there’s always the final five.
I’ve just produced a new page by modifying my Excel output program to show the standings of the Exmil Challenge after Part 1. The top of the table certainly seems to have a Latin flavour about it (perhaps in tribute to Aitor Karanka) with Paulista Park sitting pretty at the top, closely followed by Paul, KP in Spain and Pedro de Espana. I was certainly impressed by the number of correct match predictions some managed, particularly as I got the second lowest with seven 🙁
So here’s a link to the page:
https://diasboro.club/exmil-challenge-standings-part1/
Exmil Challange completed – doesn’t look good, I’m afraid.
On Werders Exmil chart seeing the LLL on Boro’s sequence was a sobering wake up!
Congratulations on your new purchase RR – I just spotted your earlier comment waiting for approval as it was posted under a different email address. Here’s the link in case anyone misses it.
https://diasboro.club/2017/03/25/talking-point-player-recruitment/comment-page-1/#comment-4965
Exmil and Werdermouth, thanks again for the hard work in the boot room . I’ve put my predictions in. I have us in equal 18th, so goal difference looks like to be important.
I’ve been distracted from posting lately with sad events in our family. Lots to carry on distracting us here for a while to come as well. All the same, i have got up to date with a most of the threads. So thanks to all. It really is quite the first class service you (collectively) provide.
Just done Exmil part 2 and it worked on the interactive thread this time and so much easier to do.
As for Woody returning I prefer to keep an open mind. If he was disruptive and a bad influence why would SG bring him back?
Same goes for Downing,discarded from the squad by AK but as soon as AK leaves SA puts him straight back in the team.
I’d rather think it was AK holding grudges when his tactics and methods were challenged. He didn’t like anyone who who spoke out of turn we’ve even seen Leo his friend do a 180 degree turn after one of his death stares when approaching him during a game.
AKs treatment of Higgy after the refereeing incident. One minute he was his best friend next minute he was out the door. I don’t think it could have just been down to that incident.
I don’t think Higgy an attack minded player as a number 2 would have agreed and embraced AKs defensive set up and would have voiced his opinion and no doubt AK would have seen it as a betrayal. Same goes for Woodgate and Downing,local lads who cared and didn’t like the way the club was heading.
Karanka didn’t care for anyone who disagreed with him,there were rumours of a fallout with Negrado,he can’t have been happy with his role it looks like he voiced an opinion and was benched for the last couple of AKs games
Time will tell but if SA can get the players enjoying their football again because they so obviously wernt,Joe Jordan’s there to help the forwards,Woody whatever you think was a fantastic defender and has done his coaching badges helping the defence and surprisingly Leo who brought Dimi from a number 4 to a number 1 is back to work with the keepers. Better to have a group of coaches who know the club inside out in these crucial last ten games than a group of strangers who haven’t a clue who half the squad are!
NGUOB, here’s some words from Ronnie Whelan you may find relevant.
“To this day I still have my doubts that Jack ever really trusted me as a player to do the job he wanted.
“And I’ve often wondered if it was a coincidence that the lads he fell out with were all Irish-born: Dave O’Leary, Frank Stapleton, Liam Brady, myself.
“Or maybe it was that we played with big clubs and in our day had big reputations.
“As a manager he was very touchy about being questioned or challenged. And maybe he sometimes saw us as a threat. But I don’t know, I can’t say for sure.”
However…
“As a man I found him OK. He was an ex-footballer, he knew how to relate to players, you could sit down with him and have a chat and a laugh. I wouldn’t say he was an ignorant man – but he could be ignorant at times… But that was his style.
“And he was always big enough to back up his decisions and lead from the front. And in the end, those of us who played for Ireland in those years got to experience some of the best days of our lives. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for that.”
Some cons and pros of The Cult Of The Manager. (Big Jack really could do no wrong in Ireland, for the most part, and if you disparaged him, or challenged him, then you’d really be in trouble. Tony Cascarino, Whelan, O’Leary, Brady and even a young Roy Keane all found that out.)
On a slightly lighter note :
I was Downing some tasty BrewDog beers in the Rovers Return on Sunday, lugging intermittently into England v Lithuania on the radio.
I could have been forgiven for thinking it was a Boro game, because I distictly heard the commentator remark on more than one occasion : ‘It’s Dier’.
Later on Beatles tune came into my head :
AK was a man who always was a loner,
And I knew he couldn’t last,
All defence & no attacking real ideas,
Better off to ask our lass !
So get back, get back,
Get back to where you once belonged,
Get back, get back,
Get back to where you once belonged.
Hey dude don’t be afraid
You sing a sad song but it gets better erer
Remember the Boro is into your blood
We’re not yet out of the wood
So let’s support them in times bad amd good
Na na na nanana na etc
Exmill challenge completed and not too good.
I really hope that the new improved management team can motivate the players to produce the results required and to be honest, not overly bothered about debating the various conspiracy theories.
Its time for them to Just do It as a well known sports footwear company once said! Other over priced trainers are available!
UTB
Well , I am absolutely gobsmacked what is happening to the club right now. Has Steve Gibson lost his mind. With the appointment of SA ,Woodgate , the club is going backwards. What next ? Downing as assistant to Woody etc. I do sincerely hope I’m wrong but this stinks ‘ old pals act and all that ‘ If the club goes down then I think our saviour Steve Gibson has made a massive mistake. If we stay up then i will ask Steve for the lottery numbers.. As some stated on this forum , the club is now being run like a pub team. Embarrassing isn’t it.
Oh wow I’m leading. Let me put everyone on notice that if I’m still leading after round 2 then I’m afraid we’re dead in the water folks.
Some entertaining games ,watching the South American World Cup Qualifiers, better than European!
Hope we have a scout there,I doubt it though,especially the one who recommended De Penna,
How bad can our recruitment get? Unbelievable!
I can’t believe this, but on Exmil Part 2 I have Boro clear of relegation. I need a sit down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew7Zkkucos8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
‘Sit Down’
Lyrics very approprite given our club’s current predictament. It’s even got not one but two of Mr Parker’s Dog’s cousins & wonder who can spot the Boro supporter – now don’t be sheepish, give it a go!
There are som right gadgets in there Spartak.
UTB,
John
That should read ‘Gadgies’ . Damn you spellcheck.
UTB,
John
“If I hadn’t seen such riches I could live with being poor.”
As Richard Antill (where is he?) once said, that lyric alone sums up why it took time for the crowds to come back even during the best times of AK’s reign. The bar has been raised so high by Eindhoven, Cardiff and a consistent PL diet that was actually, in the greater scheme of things, the exception and not the rule for Boro.
I hope you ate right, mate. In Woody we trust!
I hope he does not get injured again – like Leo 😉
Up the Boro!
The AK survey on the gazette website is interesting, albeit not entirely unexpected – 89% thought he was a glowing success or generally successful which seems fair enough (I think even I went for the latter).
And then only 20% thought he should have had more time and it was the right time to go (or earlier), which again is probably fair enough although recent recruitment events have left me with some nagging doubts. I don’t think anyone really expected us to sign up Agnew and Woodgate until the end of the season.
Clayton was his best signing with 55% – I think I went for Ramirez, despite what has happened this season, I don’t think we would have went up without him last year.
Just heard from an unconfirmed source that Boro still in talks with Harry Redknapp to do a firefighting job till end of season
OFB
Seems a bit strange given SG has made much of his wish to see SA continue in the role for years to come. In one breath it seems to suggest you can do the job and then in the next that you don’t have the experience.
HR has, as far as I am aware, not managed north of north London and I just can’t see him being up for a relegation fight. I think he is very happy down in sunny sandbanks walking his dogs and playing golf but who knows.
KP
I agree with you about Arry but it came from a good source so made me wonder
I do know Higgy was offered the job of first team coach before woody but turned it down and that was from an excellent source
Hope not. And I can see him only as an advisor. But the Joe Jordan connection is there….
UTB!
A carry over from the time capsule thread, I promised my views and I have copied them over.
Time capsule
My item – the Ayresome Angels. A miserable season post relegation gathered pace after we had been 2-0 down against Workington, in no large part down to Big John at both ends. He was culpable in part for us being behind then led the charge and scored twice in a 3-2 win.
Room 101
So many, the dreadful kits and badge, dodgy players a plenty, dodgy refs, mis management, poor recruitment but for me it is the Cardiff Cup debacle.
Mrs G wanted to got to London for a weekend with the grown up kids and see a show – Wicked. The Terracotta army were on display in the British Museum. King Tut at the O2. All the tickets left us with free time on days of the semi’s.
That took some miraculous planning and discussion without giving the game away, sadly Boro did that in the limp display on National TV against Cardiff.
We were down in London and kept bumping in to fans from teams going to Wembley, all teams had fans at our hotel.
A bitter experience. Cost a small fortune but would happily have spent another to go to the semis.
Sorry to be a wet blanket, but to believe that this disorganised and heartless bunch will actually give Swansea a game(note the word , game, not necessarily winning the thing, just giving them a game) just consider, for the chairman to say that if we go down it will not be the end of the world, then follow up by giving jobs to the unemployable, is bizarre. He appears to be completely unaware that we hired a manager who was somewhere near competent.
That means that he at least knows the route to go in search of a good manager.
Why would we return to the practise of hiring locals(on the grounds that they know us) all that means is that they know it’s alright to crash and burn, you know what I mean, bad buys, bad discipline, bad selling, twenty five mill for the foremost young CB in England, yea, right like, the queue forms on the left. Most of the clubs in for him will be looking to sell him on for a mark up of about double his price. Idiot’s or what?
What has been missed, even on this blog, is the fact that this entire squad have no idea, no routines, no talent for dead ball play’s.
When one considers that a free kick around the box moves everybody up field, and should result in an attacking move(even a dangerous shot)
Not with this group of players, nothing, nada, gutless and heartless, and clueless.
Plato :
Fair comments & observations. IMHO it would’ve taken minimal tweeking if AK had an attack minded No 2 he actually listening to & implimented their ideas to turn this team around.
Only woofing like 🐕
Plato
I have harped on until blue in the face about our dead ball set plays (or more precisely the total lack off) for what seems like an eternity. Our Corners are pathetic and abysmal, free kicks predictable with no routines or tricks practised and as for throw ins, well it would be good if Barragan actually knew the rules of the game thats before we start on making dummy runs and dragging defenders to create openings.
BBD
Have to question ” new improved management team”.
On what basis? They are all still untried in their roles apart from JJ.
The jury is still very much out and this coming week will define our season in my view.
Indeed, KP! Shakey Shakespeare at the Foxes doesn’t have a long list of successes to his name but I believe he’s presided over 3 wins upto date.
I can understand folk being sceptical about our new shiny management team. However, for the time being, however long it may last, they are in the driving seat and the heat is on. They are goin to have to put up or head for the highway.
I’ve got a sneaky suspiction that Happy Harry ‘yer fans favorite hustler’ Rednapp may appear from the wings soon if things dont go well.
I mean, we do need a scapegoat if things go badly wrong, dont we?
Sparta
It’s entirely possible that happy harry could alter things, but, and it is a big but, harry has always had a game plan for his life and it comprises living at Sandbanks? With a bit of rescue work (if offered) with a select bunch of London clubs, Palace, QPR, Fulham, West Ham. That way he can catch up with his mates in the media and London football. Each rescue equals a couple of million, a change in his routine, and a bit of fun. Nice work, if you can get it.
Are Boro a reworking of the Hans Christian Andersen story ‘The Emperors New Clothes’?
Should we cast Kenyon and Mendes as the two weavers who promise an emperor a new suit of clothes that they say is invisible to those who are unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent?
The problem is who to cast as the Emperor, Steve Gibson or Aitor Karanka?
Discuss.
What is clear is the views on here are questioning the squad, coaching, the very management of the club.
The truth is we are a club who have been away from the gravy train for seven years, we built a squad to battle in the bottom third and at the moment are coming up short.
That is because we brought in who would come, if we go down we lick our wounds and come again just like Burnley and Hull did.
If we stay up we lick our wounds and come again.
Ian
There are some on this here blog (who I shall not name) who have suggested for sometime that the club MFC is a shambles. The decision making has been dubious at its best from the top running right down through the club like a bad smell on a hot summer’s day outside the local sewerage plant.
Still, its no different to the sector we are in, filled as it is with money grabbers & incompetents. So, we ease back, put up our feet, get out the popcorn & avoid a collonary.
Happy Days
UTB
Chokes away!!!!!
Or is that chockes??
And that shpuld be huge as Hugh as taken to drink given the shenanigans goin on at the Boro.
🙂
Aargghh.
Up The Boro, can I say that?
John
Spartak,
I like the colon(ary). If a coronary is a heart attack what does a collonary do to you… Answers on a postcard please, I also refer you to your first paragraph.
UTB,
John
You may end up with a colostomy bag, John.
Hugh lol.
🙂
Jocks away !
Jarkko
No room for Pally or Souness?
🙁
Mine Gott we’re upto a 99 with two cadbury’s flakes!!!!
That woz quick!
Where’s Ian when u need him????
I’m back
Why has the Chairman hired untried managers time and time again, even the one he brought in with some experience ,had no history of any success ,and failed .
Is it a power Trip? ,
I think now that we probably will go down, fans will start to question ,the big picture ,and many will walk away and not come back, you can’t continue to pretend your ambitions are serious ,when you don’t act like it in reality,
In other words you can’t take the Mick forever and get away with it,
At least for ten seasons ,forget the money spent, most of the signings have been absolutely abysmal, and really unwanted elsewhere or cheap copies .
Harsh words ,yes, but as fans we have to start demanding excellence in all areas of the club.
Burnley, Bournemouth, Watford and the like , obviously are better run clubs than Boro.
Time for big changes, needed !
Some folk on this ere blog & the one before (I’ll mention no names), ave been harpin on for years about the parlace state of managerial affairs. Still, the Boro is largely an autocracy not a democracy & we the unwashed have little or no wasta, even when numbers drop off in the stadium.
Blackpool & Charleton both have had major fan revolts and got nowhere. Liverpool fans have a serious amount of wasta but Man U fans have zero.
SG still holds major credibility due to saving the club in 1886 (it seems that long ago). Basically, its his baby to do with as he so wishes. If he put Mr Parker’s dog in charge and all it did was woof, we as mere fans would hav to suck it up.
The folk in Gazette Towers are the club’s symbiotic sychophantic secondary PR arm, workin for the mutual benefit, so on the whole unless there’s a form of the Boro Spring, chances are we’re stuck with the status quo.
Could be worse – we could have Yank or Chineses owners. British ones are goin out of fashion. Mind you it makes no odds to me coz whatever the nationality I’m never going to own any part of any football team, not even Subbuttio (other little pastic football games are available).
Mr Parkers Dog wouldn’t just woof, it would get everyone in line & be responsible / accountable for their actions.
On a lighter note :
For an Aggers No 2 :
If this Liecester guy is really so good, maybe we could try Shakespears Sister & her pals ? Or maybe not, because that maybe Madness.
There again, if with SG their Faces fit…
Had too many Brewdogs now in the Fox & Hounds, so it’s all becoming a Blur. If we don’t get our act together soon we’re going down like a Led Zeppelin.
Only woofing like 🐕
KP
Sarcasm doesn’t come across well in print! My comment should have been ” new improved” management team a la certain advertising slogans.
I remain to be convinced that SA and gang will be able to turn it around, would love to be proved wrong but………..
The comments that Simon make in the article are interesting and like others have said, the new signings have not been necessarily better than we had before, just more money spent.
It was the 1966 World Cup team that was better than the sum of its parts due to SIr Alf Ramsey picking a squad and team that worked for what he wanted to achieve. Yes, undoubtedly some great players but even Jack Charlton questioned why he was picked and to a degree Nobby Stiles. But together they did the job.
How we could do with someone to motivate like that now and get the players to perform. It shouldn’t be difficult, should it? They are professionals paid a lot of money for doing a job and to get it right.
The latter part of the Manu game (seems ages ago) saw some potential with the hint of 2 up front and I really hope that George and Callum are fully recovered to give us a better balance at the back and also going forward.
Next week is a massive week and due to Mrs BBD’s retirement celebration we are away in Spain. I will be trying to find places to watch/listen and keep up to speed with fingers and toes crossed that we get 9 points!! Oops, the drink is taking effect already, make that 5 points with a win v Hull.
Come on Boro
Never got round to my room 101 pick either. Too many to deliberate on!
So without further ado the nominations are
Cardiff in the QF – all the hope went down the pan
The Strachan era in general
The 3 R season
Controversially the Euro Final, whilst I didn’t go, watching it on TV was a disappointment. We didn’t turn up and I would have preferred to have lost on penalties after a tight game.
And the winner is (suitable long pause to build the tension)…………
Cardiff game. I have never come away from a match feeling as dispondant as I did that day. the final was there for the taking and we blew it. It.s the hope that gets you in the end!
Money is motivation. I suggest SG dangle the necessary carrot to motivate the team to produce the goods. Dropping into the Premiership is to be avoided at all costs.
Or maybe give the dog a bone!
To my mind they are paid handsomely for what they do but would the offer of another blingy car might help focus their minds? Or would the stick work better, no pay if we go down?
Well thankfully the international break is almost concluded and apologies for being somewhat distracted by pressing projects closer to home but there has been a general hiatus amongst the Diasboro during the last couple of weeks.
So thanks to Ian for providing a distraction from the break with his poser – even though he chose to rub shoulders with Sunderland fans at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem (I guess they were having wailing withdrawal symptoms during the international break)
Also thanks to Simon for his thought provoking article and the sentiment about a team needing personality and heart, which could easily be superimposed on the club as a whole. The fingers may be pointing at Steve Gibson and the merits of his decisions but he brings that personality and heart, along with a sense of ethos and determination to our club.
OK, you could say he’s a benign dictator but when I look at what democracy has brought us recently in the shape of Trump and hard Brexit then I’m inclined to see the flaws in the latter – though would the world be a better place if we were all governed by dictators who were benign I wonder? well that’s a debate for another blog I think but democracy doesn’t necessarily give an answer based on wisdom though perhaps a lack of joined up thinking makes people believe they’ll get an unobtainable wishlist.
But having met Steve Gibson, I liked him and I particularly like that he tries to do the right thing – both by his managers that he employs and also with the Teesside community. His heart is definitely in the right place and his main failing at this conjuncture seems to be he’s not a billionaire in a game run by billionaires.
In his early days under Robbo, his millions made a huge impact and brought to the club household names from around the word. But football now is a different prospect and he’s been trying to work within the financial constraints that the rules decree.
Perhaps he does prefer up-and-coming managers as a way of galvanising his enthusiasm for the job by acting as a kind of mentor and bringing them though – arguably he hasn’t had a bad record in picking them – Steve McClaren won our first major trophy and got to the UEFA Cup final before he left for England, Gareth Southgate is now England manager and Aitor Karanka did steer us back to the PL and will no doubt go on to learn from his experience at Boro and become a long time manager. Who knows what Steve Agnew will achieve under his wing.
Plus Steve Gibson has vision and doesn’t just look to fire-fight and get by like many other chairmen not a million miles from us – He gave us a new stadium, a top notch training complex, built up our academy to a high level and has promoted all manner of community projects – I read recently that MFC have become only one of a handful of clubs to offer a facility in their ground for autistic children to experience a game football that is sensitive to their requirements – you wouldn’t get that from your American money men if they ran the club.
So whilst he may appear sometimes to make the wrong call, he’s always trying to make the right decision – We can often be cynical (I’m certainly no exception) but I believe in Steve Gibson we have someone at the heart of the club who genuinely wants to do the right thing. I think he wants to give the club a local identity and sees himself as its guardian rather than the owner.
It’s like a lot of decisions lately – be careful what you wish for as you may just get it and discover it’s not really a better solution to a problem that wasn’t as big as it was hyped up to be.
Werder
I didn’t rub shoulders with Sunderland fans, like the tourists and locals I just stood and watched a heaving mass in front of us.
I agree with your comments about Steve Gibson, what is intriguing is the steady realisation that even if AK has left we still don’t really know how survival will happen.
As I cant affect anything I tend to adopt the view, let them get on with it.
Emil, did you receive my submission, as I had a little promlem with it. I was told it had been received?
Thanks P
Yes I received it 4 times lol.
Come on BORO.
I have no problems with Woody being given a role in our great survival, conspiracy theories abound ,but I have no doubts that his ” Oi Gaffer your tactics are not working ” stance doomed him to the Karanka Gulag along with numerous others.
He had a long career at numerous big clubs and his knowledge would be second to none, just remember how well he played at Boro. The Spanish toledo rapier was not effective, so time for some English steel, more two handed broadsword.
⚽️⚽️ -⚽️ to Boro our Agincourt has arrived.⚔
EXMIL CHALLENGE Part 2
As at 22:40 tonight I have received the another 9 entries, which totals 26 out of 39, with the deadline being 1500 on Saturday 1 April 2017.
theYouthfulUpstart
Forever Dormo
Pedro de Espana
Boro Beckys Dad
Never Give Up On Boro
Powmill-Naemore
Martin Bellamy
Simon Fallaha
peasepuddinperth
If I get time before I go away for the weekend, I will post tomorrow the names of the missing entries, or late tomorrow night when I get to the hotel.
Come on BORO.
Werdermouth, is it just me or has the clock for the time of the posts not been put forward yet ?
Come on BORO.
Exmil
I can put the results in the challenge form but it wont accept any version of my blog name so I have posted the results below
Leicester City DWLD
Palace LLDDL
Swansea DDLDW
Hull DDLLW
Middlesbrough DDWDL
Sunderland LLLD
Cheers
Ian, I filled in your form for you and it has come through to my mailbox with no problem, the total points from your predictions are:
Leicester 35
Palace 30
Swansea 33
Hull 29
Boro 28
Sunderland 21
Come on BORO.
I’ve completed part 2 of The Exmil challenge and have us relegated.
As I finished absolute bottom of part 1, this gives me hope.
Thanks again for sorting the challenge out chaps. Please you could flag it up at the top of a thread tho’? I’ve been busy during the international break and I would have missed it were it not for the latter comments.
Chris
I was away until late Wednesday so would have missed the challenge but for the posts.
On another matter I listened to the last couple of Tripe Suppers, they confirmed much of what we knew all along with the fact AK didn’t give the local journalists love and cuddles. Bless!
They will be much happier with Agnew and Woodgate, much more approachable from their point of view.
I’ve just posted a match preview for the Swansea game as Boro’s new crew embark on a journey in the next six days that hopefully keep our season afloat. Here’s a link to the post:
https://diasboro.club/2017/03/31/swansea-v-boro-match-preview/
Simon :
Suggest that along with brains, skill, personality & heart, more importantly you need belief.