I suspect even St Jude – the patron saint of lost causes – will be planning on giving this game a miss if he’s glanced at the fixtures. Though when the Saints come marching in at the Riverside on Saturday it will be a timely reminder for sections within the broad church of Boro supporters as to whether Steve Gibson can still be regarded as being in their number. Whilst many will regard as heresy the notion that the previously sanctified saviour of Boro is having his credentials openly questioned, many lost souls are looking for signs of salvation after the club appears to have been left wandering aimlessly in the gloom of Premiership purgatory.
The seeds of hope planted on the back of promotion withered and eventually died on the stony silence of those in charge as they watched and waited for a second-coming of Boro’s winning ways that never came. Patience is normally regarded as a virtue but instead the Boro faithful had their’s tested as the defensive zeal of their managerial messiah ultimately revealed him to be a false prophet. This inertia towards desperately needed change has left aspersions from even the most devout of Boro followers now being cast in the direction of our most worthy of football chairmen in the belief he has committed the cardinal sin of taking his eye off the ball.
In the end Steve Gibson made the call but instead chose to put his faith in the novice Steve Agnew to oversee a resurrection of Boro’s season – a decision that unfortunately failed to inspire a change of sufficient magnitude to ascend the table. Though, whilst final decisions are ultimately the responsibility of the Boro owner it should be pointed out that those choices will be no doubt made at board level and Steve Gibson will weigh up the opinions and advice of those around him before acting.
Whatever the advice that has been proffered by those around him, it appears to have been ill-conceived. It now looks like all the careful preparations to build a squad capable of thriving in the Premiership environment left the club with too many projects, with delivery timelines that far exceeded the intended deadline for which they were purchased. By all means take on board a few punts but Boro ended up with more punts than busy August bank holiday along the River Cam.
I lean more towards the view that Steve Gibson has been let down by those in key positions and has found himself having to fire-fight, which has probably led him into making wrong decisions. It’s inconceivable that the Boro chairman has had any significant role in identifying players but it puts into question the structure of the club that no-one took an overview of the squad and decided whether it was fit for purpose.
If Boro have gone down the road of having a head coach who is provided with players by a collective management team then it would be interesting to know how and why players are chosen. I understand the reasoning behind that approach but surely an experienced Director of Football working closely with the Head Coach would provide a better solution. Have either Steve Gibson or Neil Bausor ended up as a de facto director of football? Despite their knowledge, it’s probably a role beyond their ability as it requires someone capable of building a squad fit for the task at hand – I suspect this situation arose following Strachan’s Scottish splurge that ended with a bunch of overpaid failed players draining the owner’s deep pockets as Mogga was left to make do and mend.
So it’s now vitally important as Boro are turned away from the promised land of Premiership riches, they fully understand the mistakes that were made as a squad seemingly not fit for purpose was assembled with haste – otherwise they are destined to repent at their leisure in the Championship. Hopefully the club are now in the process of planning effectively to ensure best use of their two-year parachute payments are made in order to facilitate a speedy return.
I’ve seen no attractive argument that advocates Steve Gibson selling his stake and handing control to outside ownership – though the Football League is littered with numerous examples where this ruse of investment has gone badly wrong and has left supporters of other clubs desperate to oust their mercenary owners – just look at the game of chicken that unfolded at Blackburn as the Venky’s plucked a top-flight club out of the Premier League and have taken them down to League One. We should not forget that Steve Gibson has not only bankrolled the club but he has given the club it’s ethos and it remains an integral part of the local community.
OK, the Boro chairman’s halo may have slipped a little this season – and a few Roger-Moore-like eyebrows may have no doubt been raised over past decisions – but I suspect his intentions were true even if the execution was suspect. I suppose a vague comparison between the characters of the small-screen Saint and Steve Gibson could be made but only one has been described thus – ‘despite having a strict moral code he takes money from the criminally rich and gives to the poor and deserving while keeping a nice percentage for himself’ – and I suspect any reasonably priced lawyer will tell you that sounds more like a fictional character.
In the end it may be a case of ‘better the devil you know’ as we need look no further than our Local rivals to see the mess club owners make on a regular basis – Do we really want a Mike Ashley, Ellis Short or god forbid Massimo Cellino in charge of our club? Saints they are not and I’ve seen no indication that any of their supporters are planning a trip to Rome in order to persuade the Pope to canonise them.
Although, those educated in the Holgate will no doubt be familiar with the folklore associated with one particular pilgrimage to the Vatican by our north-east rivals, but I suspect few will be aware of the full story behind that famous terrace chant.
All the Geordies went to Rome just to see the Pope,
All the Geordies went to Rome just to see the Pope,
All the Geordies went to Rome just to see the Pope,
and this is what he said…
Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.
This rather unexpected response left them somewhat dumbfounded, as unfortunately all the Geordies in the party had opting against studying O-level Latin in their formative years – indeed anecdotal evidence suggests even English was a struggle for most of them. Though thankfully as they convened later in a local bar, they were ably assisted by a pidgeon fancier from South Bank who was on a scouting mission in St Peter’s Square and he kindly helped them piece together a translation. It’s fair to say, the Geordies were genuinely shocked to discover that not only was the Pope a Boro admirer but he’d also dropped the F-bomb in conjunction with the word dynamite – explosive stuff!
Whilst this translation was widely accepted on the terraces of Ayresome Park the story did have a few obvious anomalies – firstly it most-likely wasn’t ‘all’ the Geordies, this was pre-Ryan Air and the logistics of simultaneously transporting so many people to Rome would seem to suggest artistic licence had been deployed to simply exaggerate the numbers. Secondly, the precise question posed to the Pope by let’s say half-a-dozen or so Geordies concerning the immaculately conceived nature of their trophy cabinet was: “As long-suffering Newcastle supporters, will we ever get the chance to enjoy actually winning something?“ Incidentally, scholars have since deduced that the Pontif’s Latin reply was in fact a quote from Cicero, which actually translates as:
No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful.
Wise words indeed, and now that our friends up the road have captured the Championship title this season, they are now in some generous eyes technically no longer trophy virgins – OK they’ve waited a long time for this moment, so let’s take a leaf out of Antonio Conte and applaud them on finally ending their years of pain and let’s hope the HMRC investigation doesn’t put rain cheque on their parade.
Anyway, I’ve almost forgot, Boro play their final Premier League home game of the season on Saturday – though to be honest it’s not a match I’m in anyway eagerly anticipating. It’s the deadest of dead-rubbers in a dead-end season that can’t redeem anything that has gone before – if Boro put in a performance and win convincingly it would surely only provoke the sentiment of exasperation as supporters wonder why they waited until it was too late. A safe bet would be 0-0 as the players from both sides try to avoid a beach-preventing injury – we’ll probably see the most urgency on the lap of ‘honour’ at the end as Adama finally faces stiff competition in the sprinting stakes. Perhaps Boro watchers will be keenly observing Ben Gibson’s goodbye to see if it appears to indicate a permanent farewell.
So will the Saints steal a march on Boro and leave us miserable as sin? Or will we witness the guilty pleasure of victory as Boro belatedly bedevil their opponents? I know many of you will remain professional to the end and will be keen on giving your predictions on the line-up, score and scorers – plus who will win the eagerly awaited lap of honour sprint and be first down the tunnel?
I also think SG has been let down by his trusted staff, so, as I’ve said on many occasions, I don’t envy him. He has tried many options, backed them with big bucks (in some cases) and has yet to reap the reward of his endeavours.
As a St Mary’s College Slaggy Islander, I’m ashamed to say I struggled with the Latin extract. Will have to see if I’ve got my old text books in the loft!
As you say, tomorrow is the deadest of dead rubbers, so I’m not expecting a classic. I’ve gone for 1-1.
Forgot to state that I’m not a pigeon fancier despite my South Bank roots.
It’s possibly still in your DNA but you’re probably just a carrier…
Coo fancy that
I never even tried with the Latin.
I am going for a dull 1-1 in front of 27,000 fans. I don’t think Southampton will take up their full allocation!!!
Steely
I think SG has been let down by staff in whom he naively placed his trust in as oppose to “trusted staff”. Petty semantics I know but a subtle one in terms of culpability.
Having said that SG himself has been far below what we have come to expect from him this season for whatever reason be it blind loyalty, trust, faith, boredom or simply a refusal to learn from past mistakes. There have been woeful shortcomings in far too many areas of MFC to get away with it at Premiership level.
From “didn’t see it coming” to “giving it a go” no doubt when he sells or passes it on there will be a media frenzy on all his mistakes and errors in minute detail desperately feeding column inches.
As regards to the game tomorrow I think most of us are in the Pffhhhhh camp. Win 4-0 and so what too little too late, get beat 4-0 and just reinforces what the overwhelming feeling on Aggers as Manager is, draw 0-0 and “Typical Boro”. Its over and it doesn’t really matter. Finishing on a winning streak will not make a difference to how we start next season unless of course we start with the same old same old in which case there will have been no lessons learnt and we can predict right here and now what will happen.
One thing that has struck me is that if I was Dimi and selected what would I do? I suspect it wouldn’t be the same as Dimi as he is probably too much of a Gentleman!
It cant end quick enough now.
2-1 Boro
In order for us to return to this premiership,we need leadership on the field,as in the past one or two iconic figures,we did it with Robson,Pearson,Merson Townsend, others.players to galvanize the dressing room,make them feel special
So I suggest we must try the following, it won’t be easy,it’s about persuesion, persueding other clubs to let their player leave and for us to sell them our ambition.
I would try and sign Vincent Kompany, he might be surplace and they might not want to sell to a rival .
I would go after Flanagan RB Liverpool solid and good defender,
Jack Colbeck , box to box,and has a mean streak in a good way about him.
Josep illicic Fiorentina scored lots of goals from midfield in Italy and a good player.
I would look at Niles – Mailand Arsenal ,quick skillfull ,I see him playing off a striker.
Odds of Boro getting them probably slim, but we do have the finances and if seven eight leave ,then four good signings will compensate at I think value cost.
Like many I was thinking nothing to play for.
I just looked at the table and Sunderland are now four points behind with two games left. As far as I am concerned it is a petty stance but I can do petty as well as the next man.
Bottom of the table would make it worse so come on Swansea and us to win tomorrow would be something. Not a huge amount, we would still be on MOTD in the graveyard spot.
Breaking news, Defoe has a relegation escape clause in his Sunderland contract. I must admit I never thought he would stay in any case.
Ian each place up the table is worth 2.5mil, not to be sniffed even with parachute payments.
Agree, its not saving anyone’s season but at least finishing above Sunlun would be something.
The difference between 19th and 20th is said to be about £2M. Where we’re going that is a not inconsiderable sum so for that reason alone it should matter.
Unless you look at it as 1/3rd of a Gestede, in which case it all seems rather pointless.
We need an experienced manager not another glory hunter
Steve Gibson will be as aware as anyone, he can’t go on forever.
Perhaps the installation of AK and his Spanish imposition plus the alliance with Kenyon had a greater purpose.
Perhaps it was an attempt to put in place systems which would allow Gibson to gradually cede control of the Club, preparing the way for his eventual withdrawal from anything but a token, rubber stamping involvement.
I suspect Aggers will be kept on board in much the same way Gate was. And equally quickly jettisoned.
I wouldn’t object to Bruce as much I would object to some of the other names suggested.
Dropping below the Mackems would be the final ignominy in a totally forgettable season.
Steely
Agree completely but wouldn’t that be typical Boro!
Will be listening and supporting tomorrow as always but not expecting a happy ending. Not sure but think I went for a 0-0 in the Exmil challenge and will stick with that.
Just hope that Dimi is rewarded by being picked for the last two games. Ignoting sentiment, Guzan deserves to be benched given his display at Chelsea.
I do, however, have sympathy with the view that if I were Dimi I would tell them were to stick it but as someone has already said, Dimi is probably to much of a gentleman and would be the consummate professional until the end.
Crowd 26,768.
CoB
Steely
The season wont be totally forgettable, for the likes of myself it will be added to a long list of seasons that stick in the memory. Some are more painful than others.
This isn’t the worst.
Some rumours
https://m.facebook.com/Theborobanter/posts/861191194047858
The worrying thing OFB is that all of that seems entirely plausible!
I get the distinct impression that the loan to Gibson O’Neill that is sitting on boro’s books is to be repaid fairly sharpish and SG will be off. That is not to say that he planned on relegation or wanted it but he wasnt willing to commit to big players and big contracts when the need was obvious. He hoped all would come good and it didnt pay off and at worst it leaves us with a stronger squad for the championshiop. But smoggy, you weren’t aware of what players we were after and didnt i can hear in his defence. True but we signed Guedioura – why else would you do that if not for a good champo squad player? I see a chunk of Gibsons trsnsfer fee and the parachute payment going towards making boro debt free and primed for being sold.
Its true that outside (usually foreign) investment doesnt always pay off but it also works very well. Hull are a basket case and they still spent less net and offered more this season than we ever did. See also Bournemouth, Watford, Southampton to name just a few who have budgeted well and prospered. Its not that i want SG out but he is not the be all and end all.
I dont subscribe to the view that Ashley and others are that bad either. Ellis Short has made the right call season after season in keeping them up. Ashley has bounced them back immediately twice and showed more intent in transfers than we did. The board at Southampton accept they know nowt about football but they highlight those that do whatever their background and they recruit well and they hire well and maybe SG and AK are not dissimilar in that they like to have overall control a bit too much.
This season echoes the last time we went down. Doing things on the cheap. For Barragan see Hoyte. For De Roon see Digard. For the unsettling ungranted transfer request – Downing and Ramirez. For the nice guy we didnt want to leave the club – Agnew and Southgate. Have lessons been learnt? I’m not convinced.
Nor am I, smoggy, but if Sir Steve opted out and sold up, for me that would be an unmitigated disaster. Venky’s, Glazers, Ellis Short, Randy Lerner, Taksin Shinawatra, Massimo Cellini, Leyton Orient, Oystons at Blackpool, Hull Tigers, Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City. Football is littered with dreadful owners. Be careful what you wish for.
Clive
I think the case with SG is that he wants to be a decent owner, whilst the best owner has some considerable knowledge of the game, which he uses to prevent his manager going off the rails, SG has always kept above the fray, with serious results for us, the supporters.
It was obvious that AK was a breath of fresh air( spelt organisation) it was lovely to see the club getting into a better position in football, both in reputation and finances. At that point a forceful chairman could have and should have quietly pointed him in the right direction in regard to balancing the team( re. Attacking more) and addressing the language problem.
I might say that we had reached the point where we really needed to buy a serious player rather than four moderate ones.
I remember going to bed as a young pre teen feeling like the world had ended, Dickie Rooks had scored a hatrick in a 5-3 defeat at Cardiff, we had been relegated to the then third division for the first time,
The next season of course was probably even better than Jack’s 74 champions because with about ten games to go we had no chance of any glorious return,and with the world cup coming up ,it seemed ironic, however we went on that fantastic run the Ayresome Angels were in full voice, fantastic memories.
So let’s hope the club can make the right changes ,brush the disappointments off,and go into next season with confidence and ready to fight every minute of every game,
Promotion together.
COB
My memory may be playing tricks on me, gt, now that I am ancient and decrepit, but I think that season was 1966/67, i.e. just after the World Cup.
You. Correct me Clive , foggy memories ,I know that season had to do with Ayresome holding World Cup games and we were in the third division ,and bigger clubs didn’t get them.
Steve Gibson’s contribution to MFC has been immense and without it we may not have a club to support. He is also a gentleman and, as I have said before on this forum, I have the utmost respect for him.
Many years ago, when we had been docked points for failing to field a team at Blackburn I wrote to him to ask how and why the debacle had happened and to explain what the management was thinking of to even contemplate not completing the fixture. Within a couple of weeks he sent me a three page personal letter in reply explaining in great detail the rationale for requesting the fixture to be postponed and for subsequently deciding not to field a team. He also set out his plans for the future of the club and reiterated his determination to make MFC a force in the upper echelons of the leagues. The fact that he took the time to reply to my letter in detail demonstrated his commitment to the club and his interest in what I had to say as a lifelong fan. I was very impressed.
So what went so badly wrong this season? In my view, which I have expressed several times before on this forum, the big mistake was made when Karanka threw his wobbly on the weekend of the Charlton game. In my business life in very senior management jobs I saw incidents similar to Chartlongate many times and they always had a negative and poisonous effect on team dynamics unless action was taken immediately to remove the offending manager. Such action was essential because once an incident like that happens, the environment within the company/club and the relationship between the manager and his staff/players, and among the staff/players themselves, changes fundamentally and the dynamics can never be restored to how they were before the incident took place.
Steve Gibson probably knew that he had to act at the time and also recognised that the action he had to take was to remove Karanka. Why he didn’t take that action is anyone’s guess but he decided to try to patch things up and allow Karanka to continue in his job.
The results of this decision have been seen over the course of the season. Players have been naughty stepped, team morale has declined month on month, performances have been lacking passion and commitment, things have been said by Karanka about the fans that were shameful, team selections appear to have favoured some players whose performances have been poor, relationships between the manager and the players seemed to become increasingly tense, Karanka himself became increasingly stressed, the January transfers smacked of desperation and results got steadily worse as the season progressed.
I am convinced that all this was down to one bad decision by Steve Gibson at the time of Charltongate and was compounded by his subsequent failure to remove Karanka early enough this season to allow time for a new manager to improve performances and the chances of Premier League football next season.
Only Steve Gibson knows why he did what he did and I doubt that he intends to share all the details with the public. What he does need to do is to give the fans, and soon, a summary of his view of what went wrong and an explanation of what he is going to do now to get the club back on a sound footing and back to the Premier League as quickly as possible.
Should he consider whether he is still the right owner and Chairman of MFC? He may well consider that question but, as many others have said on this forum, the alternatives are not particularly attractive and the majority of fans would like him to stay. Whether he will is for him to decide but I suspect that if he decided that it was in the best interests of the club to have a change of owner he would sell it and step down. No doubt he will make his own decision in due course and it will be interesting to see what happens next.
The decision to continue with AK after Charltongate was surely the right one. Our performance that day without his guidance was disastrous, and the decision was fully vindicated by our promotion. That remains an outstanding achievement and catapulted Boro from being a congenitally debt-ridden outfit into one of the world’s top 30 wealthiest clubs this season. In business terms it has been a huge success, and for both AK and SG that has to be the main criterion for success. No use playing delightful football if the club is not economically sustainable.
And to have sacked AK immediately after achieving our main objective would have been perverse and in defiance of all logic.
Len, you are right that the performance at Charlton was disastrous but that was hardly surprising when the manager had just thrown a massive wobbly and was told to stay at home that weekend.
After the Charlton game Steve Gibson decided to keep Karanka in his job and no doubt had words with the players too. Results were fine until the end of the season when we limped over the line on goal difference after a series of draws.
This season has been a car crash the seeds of which were sown when the manager threw his toys out of the pram on the weekend of the Charlton game. You have seen the resulting shambles this season and we are back in the Championship where we started when Karanka took over. How big a success is that?
Len Shackleton in his autobiography “Clown Prince of Soccer” famously left a blank chapter headed “The Average Director’s Knowledge of Football”. I would imagine that the late Brian Clough would have endorsed that view.
Now I am not saying that Steve Gibson, Neil Bausor, et all fall into that category, but surely the Manager should have complete authority on choosing which players he wishes to buy, and it is then up to the Board of Directors to rubber stamp the Manager’s choice within the confines of the Incoming Transfer Fund.
The Chief Executive and Board of Directors must surely therefore have absolute trust in the Manager, so it is imperative that the right person is appointed. After all he is the professional. We supporters and the Board all have opinions as to who we would like to buy, but we all are merely laymen.
Yes, most of us are knowledgeable and have our own opinions (that’s the function of this wonderful forum), but I don’t think that the Chairman (I hate the expression Chair or Chairperson – I hope that doesn’t make me sexist) should interfere in the selection of players if in fact that has happened re Downing, Rhodes,etc.
As an aside if I had any authority one of the first persons I would dismiss would be Mark Page, but I’m from an age when we used to have marching bands: I remember on one occasion enjoying the Coldstream Guards before a match against Blackpool.
Ken
Spot on
The only thing I would say,is the manager can’t see every player,some he has to rely on info from scouts etc,however if the scouts keep getting it wrong, heads should roll.
Well rumours until substantiated are just that – though I’ve heard from a reliable source that Leo was unlikely to be wearing the shirt of his former buddy anytime soon as they were no longer on speaking terms. But what was also funny about the rumours that there was one that as very similar to my Higgygate parody.
I think what has become increasingly clear is that there were major problems behind the scenes with regard to Karanka long before it came to a head. It also seems these problems were known about in the local media but were kept out of the public eye and it’s only now that both the Gazette and Northern Echo are publishing articles to that effect.
I read an article in the Echo this morning from their Chief Football Writer, Paul Fraser who makes it clear that the situation had lasted longer than it really should have.
“The defeat at Stoke City effectively brought an end to Aitor Karanka’s reign; the big question was how he survived in the post for so long having lost the majority of his dressing room long ago.”
“He had struggled to retain the respect of the players he had with him in the Championship from the moment he walked out of a team meeting in March last year ahead of the trip to Charlton.”
Also with regard to transfers, despite his Facebook protestations, he had sanctioned moves for the players who arrived in January – his problem seemed to be that the club hadn’t been able to secure targets that were long-shots at best. Again Paul Fraser writes:
“Karanka had identified three players who were always unlikely to come to Middlesbrough as soon as the transfer window opened on January 1. By the time the window had closed, Jese Rodriguez had moved to Las Palmas, Bojan Krkic had gone to Mainz and Robert Snodgrass had joined West Ham.”
“Club sources claim that deals for those players always seemed destined to fail, and that it was still on Karanka’s say-so that they ended up with Patrick Bamford, Adlene Guedioura and Rudy Gestede instead.”
Which I guess is why questions of why Steve Gibson persisted with Karanka for so long have been asked – perhaps he still had the backing of key influential players and the chairman hoped things would improve after the January window – but the steady drip of stories coming out in the local media seem to suggest the decision was made far too late.
If Karanka had identified Ronaldo, Messi and Bale as his January targets are we really supposed to be believe that MFC then just went out in blind pursuit of those three?
There apparently wasn’t one single individual within MFC that remotely considered that they may just struggle to pull it off so lets have a few alternative similar type more affordable Players lined up? Just for the sake of clarity, Guedioura, Gestede and Bamford are not remotely “similar” types.
The same Journalists have repeatedly fed us the line about MFC’s vast databank and scouting experts all over Europe led by Gary Gill’s department and Victor Orta’s “impressive” network of contacts. Sounds like bull and spin doctoring to me, feeding us a story that deflects responsibility, accountability and blame. Disappointing that the Journalists are sucking it all up and regurgitating it to the masses.
To put it in simple parlance (because clearly the Journalists think that is the level of our collective intelligence) if my Missus sent me to the shops for Eggs, Beans and Bread and I came back with 6 cans of Belgians best, a bottle of Single Malt and a Pork Pie I’m pretty darn sure I would have a heck of a job on my hands to convince her that was what she really wanted!
Worst of all is if the story actually is the truth then things at the Club are far worse than I imagined, shambolic comes to mind. I get the distinct impression we are now being fed more propaganda bullshine via Journalists too frightened to ask the real questions and just feeding us the Clubs rhetoric.
Though I seem to recall some of the same journalists said that with Bamford the club have potentially signed a £40m player on the cheap!
Yes the whole January windows was a bit bizarre and the final signings didn’t match the expectations of the quality to what most people thought was needed – I suspect forwards with options would have probably considered that their career stats would take a hammering at Boro given how few chances the team were creating.
Though on your substantive point, I suspect after six bottles of Belgian beer your wife probably wouldn’t really fancy beans on toast so you’d probably convince her to sign off on the shopping list 🙂
I spoke tonBamford after the game he was so pleased to have scored but disappointed he didn’t make it two when he was so close
Looks happy to. Be playing again
Werdermouth
Thanks for the heads up on the NE article which makes interesting reading.
It does not come as any great surprise as I believe many of us have expressed the view that, despite AK’s protestations to the contrary, things inside the club/dressing room were far from hunky dory.
The million dollar question is what lessons have been learnt and what is SG going to do to address them.
The next few weeks/month are I believe crucial in putting the season behind us and moving on with a fresh team, backroom and playing, if we are going to “give it a go” at bouncing straight back to the PL.
Presumably local journalists get a lot of off-the-record briefings when the club is wanting to manage the media flow of information – the fact that they are able to publish these stories now must indicate the club is happy for them to do so.
Though a football club needs some degree of confidentiality in order to operate as it relationships would soon break down otherwise – what was interesting is that Karanka had started openly briefing against quite a few of his players, plus many of management team at the club and not to mention the supporters.
Though what the lesson actually is that needs to be learnt may not necessarily be about the failings of the personalities – better systems of management are probably needed to avoid situations arising that can’t be easily controlled.
BTW Hyper inflation in the football world means it’s no longer a million dollar question – it’s at least a 100 times that now!
Just read an article on todays game headed “Even if we win my opinion won’t change”. Clicking on it I expected to see a piece in judgement on Agnew but instead it was a Saints fan on Puel. Seems that the Saints fans are almost as depressed as Boro fans despite being in the top half. That’s what happens when you raise expectations!
Also from an alleged source within the club, Guzman and Valdes came to blows about a fortnight ago because VV wouldn’t be coached by whoever replaced the Spanish GK coach who got the sack
RR/Werder
Many previous seasons here ended with lessons needing to be learned but, as you say, what lesson(s) is it we’re going to learn from, who is going to do the learning and what is going to change?
My brain hurts!
Off to have my final fix of the season.
I may be some time.
It will be interesting to hear what SG has to say on BBC Tees tonight as he is giving them an exclusive interview at 17.30 BST.
Almost makes the game an irrelevance or at best the warm up act. Will he announce a new Manager (or an old Manager come to that) or tell us what really went on in MFC Offices this Season or announce his retirement from the Club and handing the reins over or perhaps simply sold up?
Steve Gibson to talk live on BBC Tees after today’s game.
Please don’t announce Agnew as full time Manager or I’ll cry.
OFB
Put yer hankie away as it will be Aggers ‘Head Coach’ & Mogga as Director of Footie 🙂
Happy Days
Score 0 2.
Headline : Boro snookered by Puel, cue the endless inquest.
Same old, same old.
As previously said , if Gibson names SA as the manager , I also will be annoyed. It will spoil my night tonight and my summer holidays. No doubt he will have his cronies Woodgate and Downing to help him Grrrrr
Well the SG interview didn’t give us a lot to go on and he nearly used the “give it a real go” phrase but just stopped himself.
My take was that he does intend to appoint another manager but clearly needs to get everything lined up first and to speak with those directly affected.
We will have to be patient a bit longer.
Boro Meet Their Waterloo.
Nil Points, no Eurovision, Little Bucks Fizz and not a lot of Boom Bang A Bang in a show fit for the Lulu.
Time for Making Your Mind Up, Gibbo.
And the fans are like a puppet on a string!
Well I’ll think about the season as I walk down Redcar Red beach on the Sandy Shore
Well, no acknowlegement or apologies required from those who stated there was no problem with the club, the manager(s), the players or the playing and operating structures. SG has said himself it was a failure collective. May I add, a shambles from top to bottom.
Now, AGAIN, we are reliant on the same decision makers who created the shambles to give us success. Will heads roll amongst the executive? Will the new manager be capable? Will he have resources and the authority to spend it wisely? These questions and more.
Yet, still there will be those amongst us who will say how much they’ve enjoyed it all and god bless them.
On a final note I’m glad Bamford scored and I hope he gets a big bag full next season. You know defenders like the Redcar Rock will be waiting for him.
Happy Days
UTB
You know I was driving to the game today and surprisingly it’s Mrs OFB who has taken relegation more to heart than me.
Whether or not it’s because I’ve become inured to disappointment over the years or it’s old age making me more pragmatic
She did have a point to make though
For the past three years we have sat and taken all that has been said to us and all the political spin about our coaching recruitment and scouting facilities
Perhaps now it’s time to change
Our Chairman for whom we shall forever be grateful for saving our club has taken his eye off the ball. Remember it is our club and always will be for it is endemic to the people of Teesside and as the saying goes it’s on our blood.
Perhaps our Chief Executive who’s previous work experience was apparently in the haulage transportation business in Switzerland should be replaced by an experienced Football Chief Executive. Step forward Peter Kenyon
An experienced Director of Football should be appointed who’s role is to ensure that the scouting and recruitment departments are world class an that players who are signed suit the playing capabilities of the club
A good clear out of the sycophants and we know who they are to make a clean sweep for a new head coach
The existing coaching staff should be replaced totall including the badge kissing heart shape gestures to the fans this evening by Leo.
I’ll say it again and this was endorsed by quite a few today
Don’t want Agnew Pearson or Pardew
Patience ?…. With respct that is a load of bollocks. We waited 7 years to get back into the EPL.
If SG doesn’t know the score from his trusted aids + knowledgable people on this blog (other blogs are available) then he’s in cloud cuckoo land / got his head in the sand, or better fish to fry.
Talking of frying, I’ve just asked for fish & chips twice & the guy said : ‘Yes, I heard you the first time.’ Clever barsteward !
So what did we learn today
Ben made a couple of bad errors today one of which led to the first goal when he should have cut the cross out
George still not playing well
Leadbitter appeared to wave goodby to the crowd at the end and we had a thunderbastard shot at goal from him
I thought Fischers corners were good better than we have been seeing for a while
He made some good runs as well
Negredo didn’t win much in the air today
Never seen a crowd demanding your own goalkeeper to be sent off for conceding a penalty before –words fail me
Downing got a few. Boos today I think he will be away this season
Need a manager but rumours still around about change of ownership!
Rumours… Now there’s a good album 🎶🎸
Boro still ‘ Lookin out for love!’
SG said very little. That won’t stop paragraph after paragraph being written of course. The truth is that he said nothing. He INTIMATED that there would be change across the Club. But nothing more as it affected people still at Boro, and people NOT at Boro. And of course “leave it with me, I’ll sort it out”.
Nothing definitive said. BUT I reckon that 2years worth of issues may just be about to get sorted. Front of house and behind the scenes. George today referenced dressing room issues. We’ve been talking about that since Charlton, and it began before that.
I wasn’t totally convinced though, he actually said so little, and after the ‘we’ll give it a real go’ comment last year, no one is going to take much at face value. Actions are what people are judged by, not words. Let’s see what the next few months bring. Could be interesting. And then there’s cricket!
So , after listening to SG , are most people on here of the opinion that he is looking for a new manager ?
Probably!!!
🙂
Yes
I hope he’s looking for a new manager
OFB
There are many who would answer the call but it requires intelligence to pick the right applicant.
Dear me. The results are worse than under Karanka in the PL.
I like Aggers but cannot say his record are impressive.
Perhsps Rava is coming back? I don’t know. I hope SG has a surprise in store.
Up the Boro!
Well Redcar Red has completed his lap of honour and written his last Riverside match report of the season…
https://diasboro.club/2017/05/13/boro-v-southampton-match-report/