Championship 2018-19: Week 3
Tue 14 Aug – 19:45: Boro v Notts County (EFL Cup)
Sat 18 Aug – 15:00: Bristol City v Boro
They say good things come to those who wait, well Tony Pulis has waited, stared out the window and waited some more, but all that has come was local lad on loan who unfortunately arrived injured. On the pitch everything looks Hunky Dory, the sheer power of Boro’s will has effortlessly levitated them to the top of the table, leaving most Boro followers in an unexpected state of bliss. However, Tony Pulis seems in a different kind of state altogether following the disappointment of the transfer window. It may well be enlightenment but in the true Buddhist sense of the meaning in that a “full comprehension of a situation” has been reached. The Boro boss had earlier in the week declared his squad is probably missing around five players if it is to be considered good enough for a promotion challenge. However, despite overseeing three unbeaten Championship games with his ‘bare bones’ outfit, Tony has failed to hide his disappointment that the performance of the club off the pitch has not remotely matched the one he’s been instrumental in helping his team produce on it.
After such an intense opening to the season, Tony Pulis will probably be rolling out his freebie 32Red yoga mat as a means to keep calm and focus on his breathing as he contemplates his navel. Online gambling addicts may even be able to get odds on which yoga poses the Boro manager opts to strike as he flicks through his beginners guide. The smart money being placed suggests he’ll possibly be drawn to Tadasana, or the mountain pose – although he may possibly be inspired by Neil Bausor to go with Shavasana, or the Corpse pose, which the novice is informed involves essentially laying down and doing nothing as the practitioner concentrate on relaxing, forgetting about time pressures and placing those deadlines to the back of their mind.
Like an expensive striker who flops on arrival on the burden of expectation, the Boro recruitment team have glaringly missed their targets – with no doubt most of the glaring coming from Tony Pulis. Most disappointed will perhaps be Neil Bausor’s dentist, who will sadly not get the opportunity to showcase his latest work as the Boro chief executive misses out on having his grinning photo taken with his brand new bestie at Hurworth. Whether this has caused any friction behind the scenes is open to conjecture, but Pulis seemed to suggest he kept his side of the bargain by selling some of his best players to raise the cash needed to get those identified replacements in. At least we know Steve Gibson hasn’t been stashing all the unspent cash to make a late bid for House of Fraser and happily that particular accolade of sequestering his manager’s transfer kitty belongs to Newcastle’s Mike Ashley – though the sight of a football chairman throwing his money into Binns could be seen as a somewhat poignant analogy.
It’s certainly tough at the top and the still relatively young head in charge of Boro has also seemingly got a lot of stress to work out of his burdened old shoulders as he tries to keep everyone happy. It may be hard for fellow chairman in the Championship to relate to his problems as they look enviously up at his table-topping club and its rather healthy bank balance. Perhaps Steve Gibson has sussed that spending big in the second tier doesn’t get you the equivalent amount of quality for all the millions spent (or wasted). Maybe the tightening of the purse strings is aimed at building a Fulham-type war chest to be used once promotion has been secured. Maybe he just fancies have some cash left when he finally decides to retire.
The Cottagers were regarded as one of the best sides last season but most of the players were still deemed inadequate to bridge the gap to the top tier by their club. They instead spent over £100m on transfers in the summer to build a squad capable of surviving and one can only imagine the wage bill too. The gulf between the Championship and Premier League is widely accepted now and the recent trend to spend big to gain promotion has probably not meant getting value for money. The fact that Boro lost out on many of their targets was possibly down to not being willing to be drawn into paying over the odds for players that were let’s face it just average. As for reports that the Besic deal fell through because his agent wanted a million quid for the trouble of getting a pen out of his jacket pocket to sign it off – well I suspect Steve Gibson may have suggested a better place where he could place that pen when he declined and returned it. Spending big only makes sense if you end up with the real deal and some of those being touted for many millions were 12 months earlier valued in the hundreds of thousands – which all sounds a trifle excessive.
Though you may recall that we’ve been here before, the beginning of the end of Karanka was probably that January transfer window that failed to sign any of the targets he so desperately wanted – widely believed to be PSG’s playmaker Jese Rodriguez, midfielder Robert Snodgrass of Hull and winger Bojan Krkic of Stoke. Perhaps they weren’t realistic, but instead the club brought in a Patrick Bamford who had hardly played any football in 12 month, a Championship-level Rudy Gestede and the much maligned ‘lad from Watford’ Guedioura. Needless to say Karanka was non-plussed and made his thoughts pretty clear: “We needed to improve the team, and the club knew a month and a half ago the players that I wanted.” In a less than subtle snipe at those who had arrived instead he added: “Teams in our position are signing players for £14m – we are signing players that didn’t play in the Championship.” He then concluded his venting with echoes of Tony Pulis’s sentiments: “I don’t know why we haven’t signed our targets. That is not my job. I am the coach.”
Last summer the club tried to make amends by letting Garry Monk go on a spending splurge and threw money at his targets until he had so many forwards that he didn’t know who to choose from. With Pulis deciding against spending in his first window, then dutifully selling his prize assets this summer, he no doubt expected to be given all the resources to sign his preferred targets. It appear it went wrong somewhere and now he’s feeling short-changed, much in the same way Karanka was. Whilst we shouldn’t condemn the club for refusing to give in to excessive demands from sellers and agents, we shouldn’t also forget that last summer Boro’s strategy was to force the market by making offers that were hard to refuse. In some ways, Boro were actually instrumental in inflating the Championship transfer market by paying £15m for Britt Assombalonga – a price-tag surely not easily justified based on his overall ability. Incidentally, Sean Dyche had an £8m bid a few weeks before he signed for Boro turned down after the then Forest manager, Mark Warburton, claimed he was potentially a £50m player and compared him to Eden Hazard and Ronaldo. All of which convinced Boro’s bargain hunters to quickly steal him away for less than a third of that price before the big boys stepped in. While some still think he could yet be a hazard for Boro, perhaps like Bamford (also suggested by some in the local media he could soon be in the £40-50m bracket) we may not be making a killing when selling him on.
With nearly three weeks left for Boro to make loan signings, Tony Pulis may need to remain patient for a bit longer before he can legitimately start melting down like another former manager. Perhaps Pulis is still getting over the departure of what he claimed the other players had jokingly called ‘his son’ in Adama Traore. Before heading to Wolves, Adama left a parting gift of 50 signed Boro shirts that will be randomly awarded to season card holders. It’s unclear whether Pulis will be seen wearing his own custom Adama T-Shirt that the club shop possibly produced for him after downing the bottles of Champagne that were given to them as a parting present from Ben Gibson. The carefully ironed-on letters apparently read: “Boro sold Adama Traore for £18m and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt”.
One player the Boro manger will be keen to hang on to will doubtless be Martin Braithwaite, who’s showed some of his best form for the club in the opening three games. However, there’s a sense of having that Déjà vu feeling again as the Danish forward is once again linked with a move to France. It would be a big loss if he said au revoir to his team-mates at the Stade Riverain on the Côtes du Nord-Est. He’s not really an out-and-out striker but offers the team a certain je ne sais quoi and is probably the closest we have to a number ten (he even wears it on the back of his shirt) unless the loan market brings someone special. Anyway, it’s hard to say if Pulis expects him to swap the agreeable climate of the Tees for that of the Dordogne and the Garone as he heads back to Bordeaux. The grapes on Teesside may be mainly of the sour variety if he leaves again, but Braithwaite appears to have blended well this season and seems to have the right attitude. Pulis has said any player who doesn’t want to be at the club can leave if they receive the right offer – adding that “Martin’s the same as all of the players, they are welcome to stay”. That didn’t sound like his manager was particularly determined to hang on to him – more like what you tell unexpected late guests when you answer the door in your dressing gown. Whether the sentiment of allowing any player to leave if the right offer arrives is the best way to build a top quality team at a club like Boro is debatable – it would mean in theory that anyone who catches the eye of a Premier League club could be off in January if they fancied it.
All the talk of missed targets and those who may still be leaving the club has thrown recruitment and planning into the spotlight once more. Buying and bringing in players is never an exact science and it’s a process that appears increasingly out of the control of the club. If Boro are now determined to get value for money rather than the traditional method of spending what it takes to get their man, then quiet transfer windows may be the norm. In such circumstance we should ask the pertinent question, what is the academy for? Surely it would be much better to bring youngsters through the ranks as ready replacements for those who will inevitably leave or need an upgrade. One of the things that Tony Pulis did when he arrived was to make sure the players at all levels trained and played in the same way as the senior side. It makes sense and in theory should provide a production line of new talent that can be more easily integrated into the squad. With Lewis Wing showing that he more than fits the shirt and Fry looking just as composed and promising as he did this time last season before that one error that exiled him, then that should be two players less to buy. Also Marcus Tavernier has surely shown enough to prevent him being loaned out and has some of that much needed pace and quick feet we’re sadly lacking.
It seems all too easy to overlook youngsters if your chairman will sign big cheques instead. Maybe this transfer window will be a wake-up call on how the club can best use their resources and what it is that attracts players to come to Boro over other choices. Apparently we missed out on our targets for “all kinds of reasons” – though the main reason was that none of them chose Boro. Of course Jordan Hugill chose to join Boro on loan from West Ham, but he was born in Middlesbrough, which no doubt was the main attraction. If we put to one side the burning ambition to play for Tony Pulis, it appears that looking in from the outside that there are possibly three reasons a player may join Boro – 1. They’re local, 2. It’s a step up in their careers or 3. The money. With regard to our missed targets, if the answer to the first two questions was ‘no’ then I suspect the problem may have been question three.
It seems the youngsters will get a further chance to impress on Tuesday as Boro enter the EFL Cup with a home tie against League Two side Notts County. It’s become a tradition in the early rounds of Mr Caraboa’s energy drink cup to rest your tired players and make as many changes as possible. Last season it gave some players the opportunity to remind Garry Monk that he’d signed them or were still at the club. In fact the performance of the so-called second-string appeared to be better than the team being selected for League games. I expect we’ll see starts from some of those yet to feature in this campaign, like Julien de Sart, Marvin Johnson, Harry Chapman and Nathan Wood – with likely starts for the under-employed Ashley Fletcher and Grant Leadbitter too. Dimi may get a run out in goal but in terms of defence there aren’t many options left other than those who are currently regular starter. Ayala is back in training but probably not ready to play and perhaps Paddy McNair will get some pitch time under his belt. No doubt Tavernier will also get a start but you would expect Lewis Wing to be rested after three games in a week. I suspect Tony Pulis will be minded to not risk anyone that he regards as a key player – though in some cases he may not have a choice. For those who can’t make it to the Riverside (and that may be quite a few regulars), it will be more or less the invisible game that is little more than a pre-season friendly in terms of importance – though there is a Wednesday night highlights show on Quest TV at 11.30pm should anyone be tempted to catch probably 20 seconds worth of Boro sometime after midnight. The show is as expected presented by Colin Murray, who is apparently deemed by law the only person allowed to present Football League highlights after moving from the BBC to Channel 5 and now Quest TV.
Then on Saturday, Boro will aim to continue their early stint at the top of the table as they travel to Ashton Gate to take on Bristol City. The Robins have drawn their opening two games, with a 1-1 at home to Forest on the opening day, and then coming back from 2-0 down to get a point at Bolton. Their new signing from Derby, the Austrian international Andreas Weimann has scored in both games – which may or may not be down to growing up in those favoured mountains. It will be a quick return for Boro’s new towering defender Aden Flint, so let’s hope he can reach the heights by making it a happy return with a goal and a clean sheet. Garry Monk’s team were not so fortunate last season as they ended up having to settle for a 2-1 defeat, with summer target Joe Bryan opening the scoring early in the second half before Aden Flint crossed three minutes later for Jamie Paterson give them a two-goal cushion. That win for Bristol City took them up to third, eight points ahead of Boro in 9th, who were now 15 points behind Wolves after less than half a season.
As the post-match interviewer from Radio Bristol nervously held out the microphone, manager Lee Johnson declared “If you’d told me we’d be eight points clear of Middlesbrough after 20 games I would have bitten your hand off” – thankfully the interviewer hadn’t made such a bold prediction and is still continues to work with a full complement of fingers. Though one person who would shortly be out of work in a few weeks was Garry Monk and he wasn’t at all happy with his players. He said after the poor display “I can only apologise to our travelling fans, they have spent a lot of hard-earned cash to follow the team tonight and that performance wasn’t good enough at all” – in fact one disgruntled fan had spent close to £50m in the hope of following his team all the way to the Premier League and was beginning to run out of patience.
So time for another busy week in the Championship and with three games down Boro have given the pessimists on Teesside some of that dreaded hope as the club sit on top of the mountain in not so quiet contemplation. Whether Tony Pulis will be given some hope from the recruitment team that he’ll be getting his promised new arrivals is anyone’s guess. Whatever happens in the next seven days, being asked to be patient may start to wear a bit thin – especially if Boro pick up any new injuries in the dead buffalo cup.
Werder,
I’m not being self-congratulatory but that was a very good read indeed.
Tomorrow I hope Mr Pulis gives those other players the chance to impress and I hope that really they do impress.
After having organised a massage for Mr N. Bausor at the Rockliffe Spa complete with the application of hot, large pebbles somewhere Mr P. will have a smile on his face and be purring like the white Persian cat that matches his trainers and baseball cap. Mind you if he did that no visiting managers would want to shake hands with him.
Predictions tomorrow I think when I see what intelligence DiasBoro’s 007, OFB with his ‘eyes in the sky’, has unearthed for his gossip column.
UTB,
John
Thanks John, at least Tony has got the Rockliffe Spa to unwind – mind you those hot pebbles sound dangerous, maybe he should use potatoes instead…
Brilliant Werder, just brilliant. Full of humour and laughs once more.
It is certainly going to be interesting to see of the days to August 31 unfold. I have to say I agree with Mr Pulis, he has done his bit both in the January window and this summer window with generating cash from fees and wages.
Whilst I would not advocate paying over the top by a long way, Bolasie and his wages of 80K a week for example however it is divied up, I think we may have to go that extra bit on a couple of players to get the quality we need.
What we do not want as Werder said, is “average” players just to pad out the squad. The Millwall pair for the money had that look about them.
Many thanks Pedro, I think Bolasie is a pricey gamble and OK a loan deal is maybe worth a punt. But if Everton want to sell him, I’d expect it would either be a loan with a view to purchase in January or just a loan until January to put him in the shop window. It’s too much of a risk for Everton to loan an expensive ageing player for a year as obviously he’ll be a year older when he returns and worth a lot less in the market.
Werder
Everything you say indicates that we are being lined up to be the fall guys who collect the worthless, injury prone, non playing, non scoring, Albatros from their payroll.
Thus doing terrible damage to our club, all in a vain effort to get Everton into the top tier of the prem,
That will never happen, that ship has sailed.
I cannot remember us ever buying from Everton, and the way we have abased ourselves during these negotiations shows why.
The young player was at all times the bait to keep us interested and talking.
We should now tell Everton very firmly, that we will never sign their aged crock,
or, we could just drop all contact, or keep them dangling until the last day of the loan window, then walk away, after all, that is what they did to us during the window.
I notice that Notts County are resting most of their first team as they have a league match on Friday night and their manager Nolan wants to play most of his fringe players.
Come on BORO.
I will be in my usual seat hoping to see de Sart, Chapman, Tavernier, Fletcher, Wood, Leadbitter, Johnson, Dimi probably with Fry or Flint, Friend and Shotton. TP May even start with Britt, hoping he can grab a couple of first half goals to improve his confidence, then sub him at halftime.
Come on BORO.
Top class again Werder, if only our Recruitment team could hit the same levels instead of emulating Dong Gook Lee.
I was hoping that Tadasana was a Venezuelan wing wizard that had just jetted into Peel Properties International Housing Estate!
Cheers RR, it seems we are not alone in having an underwhelming window – Mogga has had similar problems at Blackburn and gave a vintage quote on their business “It’s not easy, but it is what it is” – some things never change!
⚽️⚽️⚽️. ⚽️
Werder
Another good read, Did you ever meet Tolkien? He was asked if Lord of the Rings was about Nazi Germany and said ‘the story grew in the telling’. A bit like our recruitment strategy.
The problem we have is do the recruitment live in Middle Earth or a parallel universe?
Three Rings for the Recruitment team under the sky,
Seven for the coaching staff in their halls of stone,
Nine for Gazette Men doomed to die,
One for Keith Lamb on his dark throne,
In the Land of Rockcliffe where the Shadows lie,
One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,
One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Rockcliffe where the Shadows lie.
A bit of culture does no harm, or not!
That’s brill Ian
Ian
Brilliant
And it’s good night from him
OFB
Thanks Ian, no I haven’t met Tolkien despite being brought up in the Shires around Middle Earth. I doubt Tony Pulis will be signing any Dwarves or Elves in the loan market.
Maybe the odd Orc or Troll. Maybe a couple of Ents.
Borobrie
We went to the Tolkien exhibition at the Bodleian Museum in Oxford when we were staying at my daughters in Abingdon
Because of my age I knew a lot about him and read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings many years go. Many will have seen the films and they are great entertainment but not entirely accurate representations of the books.
They are a damn good watch and the books a damn good read. Not to everybody’s liking but that is individual choice. I listened to a Radio 5 interviewer dismissive of them them after the first Lord of The Rings films was released, she then said she had never read the books or seen the film. BBC luvvie or ****, delete as appropriate.
JRR Tolkien was an Oxford academic but came through a poor childhood. He was brilliant at languages and developed the languages used in his books.
I certainly dont believe Hobbiton and The Shire were based on Middlesbrough! No surprise to Ken.
Sorry folks.
Just an aside or should I say inside bit of news
Heard on Saturday that Keith Lamb not too well these days
OFB
Hope the news about Keith improves. He came in for a fair bit of criticism but you don’t know what you’ve got until its gone and despite some not so good decisions he got more right than wrong. Importantly at least the fans knew what he was doing, good and bad and without a team of hangers on.
Hope he feels better soon – maybe he’ll pick up if Boro get some new blood at the club before the end of August…
OFB
That is a shame, never wish ill on anyone.
Not physical
I see Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony is still touting Marcus Maddison in the hope of a lucrative loan to buy deal before the window closes at the end of the month.
I see the lad as a Lewis Wing type product having to come up through the ranks the hard way rather than luxurious academies. He is 25 in a few weeks but Posh do seem to have a knack of identifying talent and bringing it through. He appears to be “only” 5ft 11″ but is a free kick specialist and can play at Left Back, Winger and as an attacking Midfielder. I’m guessing that he won’t cost £millions and that his wages and agents fees would like as not be modest in comparison with many we have been monitoring.
The lad is from Durham, released by Newcastle and played for Blyth Spartans, St. Johnstone and Gateshead before getting his break at London Road. To me that represents a low risk even if only loaned with a fee and a decision to keep or return at the end of the Season. He could add cover in a few areas and he scored 12 goals and made 22 assists last season so to me offers similar to Waghorn but with more hunger I suspect. Now I’m sure he has been watched by a few clubs and there are probably reasons why no one has put an offer on the table but to me its a low cost gamble and at an age where we could probably get most of our investment back if it didn’t all go to plan. Who knows if he got 12 goals and made 22 assists in the Championship we could double our investment!
Sounds like some useful reasonably-priced talent is still out there – though the Northern Echo is reporting Boro are still hopeful that they can sign Bolasie but his £75 grand a week wages are a problem. They also said Besic is less likely as not only did his agent want £1m, he apparently also doubled the players wage demands at the last minute too. Knowing that Boro are cash rich and desperate for signings may not get them dropping their demands just yet.
My stepson has a friend who’s Dad is a football agent and the son is starting out on the same career path. According to him, Besic’s agent asked for 1.8m!
As much as we all want instant gratification and success there has to be a bit of old fashioned common sense. Paying ludicrous amounts of wages isn’t the way to build a sustainable future for the club. Its primarily a gamble which is very costly if it doesn’t come off. Our Recruitment team should be looking at Players who can be developed, improved and sold on later for a profit (should their ability exceed our ability as a club) and those Players who can do a job to meet immediate requirements improving on what we already have.
Spending all the money we have brought in for say Bolasie and Besic isn’t sustainable and isn’t even likely to guarantee much more than could be sourced more sustainably elsewhere. Problem is our recruitment and scouting team couldn’t find their nose in the dark.
I had a word with Neil Maddison and John Hendrie on Saturday after the game and unfortunately I was still mad about the lack of new signings and failure by our recruitment team
To his credit Maddo who now works at Rockliffe for Boro spelled out what the team are doing behind the scenes. He said he had never seen such a hard working team who spent a lot of hours trying to get players in. He also pointed out that after identifying targets the closing of the deal rests with the commercial department and the budget and salaries structure are set from the very top and will not be exceeded……
I said that I had thought Adrian Bevington would have made a difference to our recruiting. Maddo responder that Adrian was making a difference and that he has brought a high level of professionalism to the club.
So there you have it I Thought I would ask the question that we all want the answer for.
On the way home Mrs OFB told me to watch my blood pressure and let some others have a heated discussion next time !!!
OFB
OFB
Reading those comments it sounds like there is a total disconnect between the Scouting department and the Commercial department.
Scouting goes out and finds Player X who presumably ticks all TP’s required boxes and then the Commercial department blocks. Its hard to believe that such organisational incompetence could exist in a business in 2018 there again David Walliams must have got his ideas from somewhere:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n_Ty_72Qds?start=5?rel=0
Maybe this is the solution, we could take out an ad in lonely footballers weekly:
“Attractive mature Football Club seeking nice young clean living footballer with good sense of humour and affordable skill sets in return for companionship at an upper level Championship Club. Children and Wags not objected to but own house and car preferred. Salary expectations must be in line with Industry norms and previous applicants need not apply. Preference will be given to those who can head a ball, trap a bag of cement and possess a bit of speed. Strictly no agencies please!”
I see Birmingham City have “released” three of their Financial people on Monday. As we know Garry Monk is having to work on a shoestring budget because of the EFL transfer embargo and is clearing out some of the playing staff as well. Of note to Boro fans perhaps is that Jonathon Grounds has gone to join up with Wheats, Gary O’Neil and Andrew Taylor at Bolton.
Another ex Boro connection Diego Fabbrini has also been told by Monk he has no future at the club. He recovered from and anterior cruciate ligament injury last season on loan at Real Oviedo where he reportedly started finding his sparkle at the end of the season. If fit and at a knock down price perhaps?
Monk is supposedly interested in 19 year old Josh Dasilva who has been released by Arsenal after he turned down a new contract with them. This below article link on him makes for interesting reading, the only drawback is that GM likes him as a player so that immediately is a worry perhaps (smiley face emoji thing) but so did Arsene and Arsenal who offered him a new contract.
https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/arsenal-josh-dasilva-red-star-12420536
Another one that caught my eye is a Newcastle outcast, 22 year old Rolando Aarons who has bags of potential but had a few injuries and has been a bit silly off the field in his leisure time in Pubs and Clubs. Perhaps a fatherly figure in TP might sort the lad out and with a bit of good advice, direction and guidance from Woody he could get his life and career back on track. When on song he is fast and has pace and gets fans out of their seats and at one point was destined for great things. He hasn’t been given a squad number and there just might be something left in there that can be resurrected if someone can sort his head out.
I dare say Woody can introduce him to a few pubs and clubs😀!
I understand were you are coming from RR, its a sensible approach finacially, just dont know if we have the stomach for more “projects”.
I am underwhelmed with the players we have been linked with (Besic apart) and dont want the club to waste the money that has been raised but there must be lots of players that can hit the ground running in the championship and are within budget.
Fulham must be ready for a mass clear out of last seasons heros after spending 100m. Wolves may have one or two left that cannot get a game now. But I wont be too despondent if we do not get the five players we are reportedly seeking.
Maybe our squad is better than we think and the players just need game time to increase their confidence. The lack of depth could be a good thing. For example Fletcher and De sart are decent players at this level but struggle to make the squad, new arrivals will push them further away. I think they both have talent that could be nurtured if given game time. Are we guilty of making snap judgments on these type of players, sending them out on loan, then bringing in players that are no better (rinse and repeat).
As with Braithwaite, the solution may be under our noses
Maybe, Billy, but I still think we are dreadfully short in defence. One suspension or serious injury at full back, for example, would leave us seriously exposed.
The humour and wit on this forum is the first thing I read in bed knowing that the rest of the day that I’ll be in a stupor of lethargy for the rest of the day. Life for me would be boring without my dose of Diasboro as I don’t have the energy or strength anymore to do much more than read this forum. It’s the lack of sleep where now ten visits to the toilet has become the norm during the night necessitating a couple of hours resting on the bed most afternoons. I’ve just cancelled what was to be my last holiday next month not having the strength or inclination to travel anywhere.
OFB once kindly bequeathed the accolade of this forum’s ‘poet laureate’ on me, but after reading Ian’s masterpiece this morning I willingly hand over the baton to him. My late wife used to say I was a hypochondriac, but that was always because I could make fun of myself before any serious illnesses befell me, and I quote an example I composed many years ago which even my GP found amusing entitled ‘Ken’s not a well man’ when in fact I was in reasonably good health:-
This is a true story about Kenneth Smith
And all of the ailments his wife puts up with.
His EYES are short-sighted, his EARS full of wax,
He suffers CATARRH so needs plenty of hacks.
His TEETH are on edge so must use ‘Sensodyne’,
Though for now his NECK glands are performing just fine.
Draughts hinder his Shoulder, damp weather his BACK,
Although for the moment it’s not needed the rack.
He had pains in his STOMACH whilst in Middlesbrough,
So the surgeon decided his APPENDIX must go.
His FINGER was swollen, t’was trapped in a door;
He’s got tennis ELBOW and a CARTILAGE what’s more!
He once sprained his ANKLE – it ached now and then
Especially on long walks – more trouble for Ken!
ATHLETE’S FOOT is a problem, so he powders it well,
But with a BUNION on one toe new shoes give him hell.
His HAEMORRHOIDS are quite painful and more trouble below,
For he’s always on toilet ‘cos his WATER won’t flow.
So pity poor Enid, though she’s worked out a plan
That with all poor Ken’s ailments she needs a NEW man.
Most of us of course have gone through these minor tribulations and some probably the illnesses I’m going through now. I’ve never been prone to melancholy, but sometimes the lack of sleep and boredom just depresses you. Sporting wise I had three great wishes in my lifetime:-
1. Boro to get promoted and stay in the Premier League.
2. Cas to win a major honours.
3. Lee Westwood to win one of golf’s Majors.
Lee has come close several times, but I’d be surprised if he won another tournament now never mind a Major.
Cas came close last season, but the stupidity of Zac Hardaker ruined that, and a huge injury list might scupper that this season.
Like everyone else I thought Boro had cracked it two seasons ago, but hope speaks eternal that that may still be possible in my lifetime. That’s the one thing I’m holding on to now, so ‘Up the Boro!’
Ken
I can take no credit for butchering the words of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien!!
Ken
As someone far wiser once said to me “life’s a journey, not a destination so make sure you enjoy the ride because not many of us get to where we first headed”
Ken
I admire your determination and continued optimism in what I can only imagine is not a pleasant time for you. I do wish you well.
You have seen Boro win a cup and in a European final which is more than many did and which my father didn’t live to see.
Mind you he did see Yorkshire win the County Championship again for the first time in several year in 2001 and we also saw the Lords victory in 2002. Both things he did not expect.
I hope that you see all three and very good wish for your health.
As someone else once observed in song, “…t’ ain’t what you do; it’s the way that you do it” and that’s what really matters. If you’ve managed to do it all you life with a smile you are a winner. And, well, with a smile and with a rhyme, so what can I add?
How long before fans are replaced completely by CGI?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44850888
Some Leeds fans views of Bamford
https://www.footballfancast.com/championship/leeds/leeds-fans-react-to-bamfords-early-season-issue
For tonight I would expect a side filled with those who didn’t start the last couple of matches with maybe the odd old lag. We have to remember that this will be our fourth game in 11 days. I know it is early season but no point taking any risks.
A bit harsh on Bamford given he only came on toward the end of a game which was done and dusted. If Braithwaite goes then we will really miss him!
Belated “the usual” Werder, although that still doesn’t do you justice. Sheer genius.
Whilst I’d like to see the squad strengthened, I don’t want us to throw stupid money at risky targets like Bolasie.
Surely, there are other options out there that carry less risk, skill wise and financial?
A belated thanks for another excellent and humorous read Werder.
Lots of changes tonight albeit I am not sure how many of the back four will be rested as we do not have enough cover. Perhaps he will use McNair at the back.
Going for a 0-0 over 90 mins as it has worked for the last two games with us to win on penalties.
I hope the audio stream is better than the video! I am beginning to wonder if the recruitment team are also in charge of the Riverside Live project!
CoB 😎
Yet again, this is the blog that keeps on giving! I know I say it on a regular basis, but I have no idea how Weder, RR, Simon and All the other contributors do it. It would take me a month to write a piece and then it would be rubbish to boot.
Good to see that we carry on wining and hopefully tonight will be the same, with a second team playing. I am not sure about the philosophy of playing a weakened side, remember that we did win the trophy and none of us would have said that that wasn’t important!
Anyway, let’s hope that Boro score a hat full of goals to reward those that go. If I lived nearer, than I would certainly be there but the 8 to 9 hour round trip makes it a harder call.
I can certainly understand TP frustrations with the recruitment side and whilst I can see the view that says we are weaker than last season, on paper it is only just and early performances would indicate that there is potential. It is the job of the manager/coach to get the best out of the resources at his disposal and TP has proved what he can do.
That said, I would hope for some loans to come in, the key being, at the right price for the perceived quality. Nothing wrong in a project, providing that the price is right and Thus a low risk. Where we have gone wrong in the past is taking on players for too much money who are still a work in progress or unproven.
Yes, everybody has to learn and develops which is why in my previous working life, jobs such as Business Development Executives/assistants aka bag carriers, existed to give training to people before they became a fully formed BDM and were flying solo. Nobody would have expected or demanded top whack salary with no experience.
These days in football, it seems that every player and agent believes that they are the best thing since sliced bread and should be paid accordingly. Boro and others have been guilty of pandering to these folk and then paying the price.
Take on a player on loan, pay him a fair wage and if you do well, then we will sign you and increase your wages, if it doesn’t work out, so be it. All too often, it is the other way round, have a salary increase to come to Boro and Then where is the incentive?
Anyway, time will tell what happens and as Mr Mowbray would say, it will be what it is!
UTB
I have read that Fabio paid £50k of his own money to ensure his transfer got over the line this time. Shef Utd are reported to be close to signing Johnson on loan by the weekend, it is not known at this time whether it is a season loan or until January with the right to buy. So we may not see him tonight, unless TP wants a final look at him before sanctioning the move.
Come on BORO.
I thought Johnson was mom tonight closely followed by fletcher !
Excellent Werder , Top man
I can’t understand the stand off between Tony and the top brass,
Forget six seven signings, we have squad that got to the play offs, we needed maybe three maybe four strategic upgrades, so spend the money, dear me the waste over the years we’ve done, what’s the issue,
Another thing Gibson told recruitment British only, so now its something else.
DeSart ,and Braithwaite are like new signings and they are capable,
What is going on?
I’m even confused now, just ignore what I’ve just said thank you.
De Sart is an interesting one, he seems to have something but maybe not at this level although initially at Derby he seemed OK during his loan spell.
He is tall so you would think that would tick a TP box but Wing, Tav and Chapman all seem to be ahead of him so where does that leave the lad? I’m guessing he is maybe one of the ones that given the chance would rather go elsewhere probably France/Netherlands/Belgium hence possibly classified like Fabio as not “wanting to be here”.
Thanks for all the generous comments on the article and for the ‘likes’ too – all very much appreciated as usual and now I’ve got nearly a week to recover and continue working on the new drive, which has proved a lot more more work than necessary after the usual failure and mistakes of sales people, deliverers and workers. Mrs Werder is of the opinion that most people just don’t think when they do their jobs – for me it’s the only time I actually have time to think 🙂
Werder
Many years ago we bought a new house with a tandem garage so with the help of the site foreman, cough, had the work done to convert the back half in to a breakfast room.
This was done when the various trades people were on site.
There came a lull when we just needed the final plastering doing but there were no plasterers on site for a while.
Mrs G got a little irate so said go and see the site foreman. Tell him that if it isn’t done soon we will plaster it ourselves. We all know who ourselves means and no doubt you have guessed how much plastering I have ever done!
One thing you learn in life is that children and tradesmen should never be the subject of empty threats as you’ll always pay the price later.
Most wives cut off your nose to spite their faces.
A bit off topic here but I thought it was worth a mention. I was on a visit to the “Churchill War Rooms” in London last week, it’s a fascinating exhibition, really interesting and well worth a visit. What made it even better was noticing, entirely by accident, that the huge steel I-beams holding up the reinforced ceiling are painted “Boro” red and are each stamped proudly with the makers inscription . . . “Dorman Long Middlesbrough”. As I pointed this proud fact out to my young son we were overheard by American tourists who were genuinely interested in our local claim to fame. I was then able to show them exactly where Middlesbrough was on the huge original OS maps on the famous Map Room walls, proud indeed . . small town in Europe.
Indeed. A customer of mine told me of the time when he was having a tour of the Sydney Harbour bridge and the tour guide asks where folk are from. He said England, and when pressed further said Yorkshire, then further, said a village near Middlesbrough, then Marton. At which point the guide then said to all assembled that not only is this guy from the place that made the bridge, he is from the place where Captain Cook was born! Special treatment then ensued.
We are rightly proud of our history although often forget it.
Billog,
As you go around London by underground a huge amount of visible girder work is stamped the same way.
UTB,
John
Similar thing happened to me whilst working in Argentina Buenos Aires 22 hour flight and then straight out being entertained at a dockside converted warehouse into a steak restaurant with bare brick walls and steel beams.
Sat down and my host said to me “ where do you come from in England “
I looked up saw the beams with “Dorman Long Middlesbrough” inscribed on them.
With a gulp and a lump in my throat I pointed upward to the beam
“ Middlesbrough that’s where I’m from”
I very nearly got the next plane home
OFB
Billog72
In 1956 I started my National Service and because of the Suez Crisis we set forth on a 6 week sea journey around the Cape of Good Hope to the Far East on HMT Dunera, and I was proud to point out to my mates that the girders were engraved with the words ‘Made at Dorman, Long and Co., Tees-side’. When I got to Singapore I wrote home to tell my parents that I felt ‘at home’ especially as my father was still working at the Redcar steelworks as a plater and I had been on a site visit with my schoolmates a few years earlier. Of course the Sydney Harbour Bridge was also constructed by steel from Dorman, Long and Co.
Adding my thanks to Werdermouth for another great introduction to the week.
For tonight, I anticipate a sound beating of our guests.
Another great read Werder👍🏻
I see that the Bolasie stories won’t go away. I’m in the no thanks camp, wether his wages are 80k or a mere 75k, do we really need this type of player whose only interest is keeping his vastly over inflated gravy train wages going for as long as he can. Nothing wrong in earning what you can but it’s not what we as a club need right now.
Nail on the head FAA
UTB,
John
FAA
You will notice that, Everton ran the whole “transfer saga” as a special event.
They involved two players, one tasty and the right age, one with a list of problems that would worry an accident and emergency unit.
Over age, check
Injured, check
Out of the question to sell him to anybody who matters.
Wages immense, and he ain’t going nowhere soon
We are now at the point where we are not getting the young guy, deffo
But they will not get off our case about the crock, like the housekeeper in slaggy island, go on, go on, go on.
Chase them for their lives, these players are death to our club.
Think Wing, you know it makes sense.
Thanks FAA, 75-80k a week for Bolasie suddenly sounds a lot more once you realise it’s £4m a year – no wonder Everton want rid. Besides if they claim he’s a £15m player, then why don’t they want to keep him? The reason is he’s not and if he were he’d be an important member of their squad. In truth they paid over the odds and then he had a serious injury and hasn’t performed at the same level since. There were no takers from the PL so now their only option is the Championship. He needs to rediscover his form before he can claim to be a top player – Boro are just taking a punt based on what he used to be, which should be the point at which the deal should be re-assessed.
Catching up. So hugely appreciate
1. Werder’s funny and well-crafted opener,
2. GHW and Ian’s excellent links. Both well worth a read.
3 RR’s sourcing of some possible hidden gems. Given his track record of recommending Harry Maguire about a year before anyone else had even heard of him, the players he mentions should be well worth a look. What astonishes me about the modern game is the extent to which players are sometimes (frequently?) signed on the basis of their stats, or an analysis of their video and TV performances. We have signed players in the past without anyone at the club ever having seen them play. That was the case with Kenneth Omeruo, and probably Blackman, who both seem to have been signed purely on Mourinho’s say-so. De Pena was a pig in a poke. And who went out and personally ran the rule over Braithwaite? To my mind that’s one of the reasons why our recruitment has been so dodgy. There’s no substitute for putting in the hard yards, having an experienced eye run the rule over likely signings, and making them accountable, for good or ill, for the signings that are made. Kids on computers are strictly for the birds, but they seem to rule the roost in the modern game, with precious little accountability, and patently disastrous consequences, even for the biggest clubs.
4 Ken’s contribution. We are all with you, Ken. All that you do and contribute to the blog is enormously appreciated. Keep fighting.
Len, agree most what you say above.
But I am not sure what you say about scouting new players. And about MB.
It is true that they can get professional clips of any player playing in Europe. They can subscribe and see all matches last week or just one player’s all touches from last week or last month.
But this is just basics. You cannot judge a player from just watching a PC screen or TV. This is more like a starting point for extra scouting.
I think Gary Gill is travelling all over Europe basically weekly to watch players. I even met him some five years ago in Helsinki watching players. And this was before Mikael Soisalo made his leagie debut in Finland. So he even watches Finnish ålayers regularly.
So I think a potential player is seen a few times before his is signed. And intervied before he is inveted to Teesside.
So I think scouting at Boro is much more professional now than when Strachan was here and I think there are three other full-time scouts in addition to Mr. Gill, too. The scouting is done all year round and just during tje window
Just saying, like. Up the Boro!
Jarkko, Thanks. Point taken.
I’ve been talking to Boro first team analyst and it’s absolutely amazing what happens these days
Every game played is recorded on screen and a copy given to each player after the game in their chosen format iPad Apple Mac etc.
Every training session is recorded and copy given to each player so that a performance review can be discussed with them and they can see what needs to be improved
All players on loan have a copy of their video sent to the parent club so they can see what they are doing without recourse to watching live games
All opposition teams are filmed and tactics outlined and given to each player before a game. Key opposition players are identified and closely monitored and discussion made on video on how to suppress or nullify
Printouts are handed to all the team before a game and a copy given to the trackside coaches before a substitute goes on to clarify if there are to be any variations
So it’s not done with a chalkboard or magnets these days guys
I’m trying to get permission to publish the interview because the level of detail will blow your socks off!
OFB
Thanks Len and I’d echo those sentiments on Ken too, who’s been and is an invaluable poster with his recollections of Boro’s History – plus has been very supportive of the blog and is part of the Diasboro family.
Well the days are ticking by with only two weeks and three days left to get something done. And there are two weekends to probably slow things down.
Unless MFC recruitement have some under the radar players being chased, it appears that only the same old chestnuts and lazy rumours keep popping up.
Besic and is overly inflated wages and Agents fee, Bolasie and his belief that he is worth all of his 80K a week. Do we really, really want these two??
Surely there has to be potential loan players out there just like the ones Wolves and Fulham found. Barry Douglas ended up a steel. Good recruitement. The lad from Newcastle that Fulham pinched from us. Scored the goals that probably got them up?
Gambles yes, but Bolasie definately no. I also think Kalas would be less of a gamble than some being touted with no EFL experience.
Riverside Live – Video Streaming Service
I have just learnt from MFC that if you purchase a seasonal pass for Live Video feeds then this subscription covers you for audio commentary for the cup games which they are not allowed to show via video.
I had already purchased a £3 audio match pass for tonight and the club have kindly said they will refund me.
To be fair to MFC they do get a lot of things right or certainly address them in the right way when it goes wrong.
CoB
Received my refund for the Millwall game.
Good luck to the lads tonight, a great opportunity for the youngsters to impress, the senior players to get some pitch time and also impress.
I have just heard that Notts County are in a blue kit because of the colour clash of Black and White with red. Totally understandable.
And for those of you watching in black and white, the pink [ball] is next to the green…
Boro reserves at present making hard work of it against a lower league side.
Helps re-inforce TP’s point that the depth and quality of the squad is not good enough to sustain a promotion push.
Harry Chapman’s chance to shine blighted by injury again!
Surprising and pleasing news that Ayala is fit enough to play.
KP
You would expect us to do better, it sounds as if not many are doing themselves any favours.
Elsewhere, a similar kit clash at Yeovil where Villa have had to change from Claret and blue because Yeovil are in green and white hoops.
Ian
It appears that EFL officials are colour challenged!
We had a similar terrible clash on Saturday when Birmingham had to change from tonights Notts County’s all Blue kit to a Swedish style Yellow shirts and Blue shorts to avoid clashing with Red.
It looks like Pulis has made the point of his squad not being that deep with players such as Mahmutovic, McGinley and Walker playing for Boro. When Monk made 10 changes for the EFL Cup the players were not so unknown – Tavernier is almost an experienced player in comparison. BTW sounds like Lonergan in goal made the kind of error that Len had suggested he has in his game and should have saved their second. Looks like Nathan-Wood is about to become Boro’s youngest ever player as he replaces Ayala – Tony has made his point!
Well into the next round after a comfortable victory (on penalties at least 🙂 ) – I suspect Pulis will be straight over to the recruitment team to see how they’re doing after possible injuries to Fry and Chapman with Ayala looking not quite match-fit.
were you doing things as well
Sorry wrong blog
Werder
I am not so sure. What is Pulis to do? Keep playing the first team? They have played three games in 8 days before tonight, apart from tonight’s game there another three league dames in August. Apart from Fry he played senior players without time on the pitch plus kids.
We could flog the first team but that is senseless, other teams including Notts County are doing the same.
I am at a loss as to what people expect. The fact is it sounded a bit poor, they are two leagues below us.
I was really only making the comparison to the second string team Garry Monk was able to put out in the first round last season after making 9 changes for the game against Scunthorpe, which Boro won easily 3-0 – Dimi, Connor Roberts, Ayala, Fry, Fabio, Forshaw, Leadbitter, Baker, Adama, Fletcher, Tavernier. Pulis had to play more or less the youth team plus a few fringe players. It’s a very much weaker squad at the moment and it won’t cope easily with injuries.
Werder
Fair shout but Pulis can only play what he has.
Oops wrong blog…!!!
Well they made hard work of that and should of had enough experience in the team to get through on 90 minutes.
Good to see Ayala surprisingly return. Hope Fry is OK also. It is a shame about Chapman though and unfortuanately I think he is going to be one of those young players that fail to make the grade due to constant injuries. I would certainly hope I am wrong.
Still keeping fingers crossed for somebody in before Friday, but that will mean MFC commercial department getting their finger out.
Good old Lonnie Donnegan, our saviour. (one for the oldies there).
I wonder if Pulis is a gambling man…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GynnhBUOHkg?start=28?rel=0
Middlesbrough are reportedly trying to tie up a January move for Le Havre defender Harold Moukoudi as a replacement for Ben Gibson, according to The Sun 👀👀.
Too young and no Championship experience???
Thanks Steely and Werdermouth,
Talk about feeling old. I looked at the upcoming cinema programme and saw them announcing another of the usual Live concerts – the Cliff Richards 60th anniversary concert! Summer holiday anyone?
It was great to see the youngsters having such a good go although I have a sneaking feeling that TP was trying to make a point about recruitment and was as surprised as anyone when they actually managed to pull off a really gutsy win.
Anyway, hats off to the whole Academy setup for providing so many players and its also worth noting how many of them have played for their countries at different levels. It makes me proud to see them turning out good players who can make proper careers for themselves and, maybe, between Fry, Tavernier, Chapman, Wood, Walker, O’Neill, Mahmutovic, McGinley, Spence and all the guys currently out on loan we might have another golden generation that end up providing the backbone of the team in a few years time.
Also, with the recruitment team coming in for so much stick, its good to see Fletcher having what was reported to be a really good game. If we can hang onto him and Braithwaite that will certainly help squad depth. One thing about tonight that surprised me is that De Sart didn’t get a start. On the way out?
UTB
Good point about De Sart. If not injured. UTB!
He was listed as a substitute
For those who missed all the thrills and spills of last night’s Caraboa Cup encounter with Notts County – and with just under 10,000 present maybe a few did – then here is Redcar Red’s match report on how Boro’s youthful second string eventually overcame Notts County’s reserves…
https://diasboro.club/2018/08/15/efl-cup-boro-3-3-notts-county/
Great report RR thank you. From listening to it I got the impression that TP was not impressed with much of the performance.
Mahmutovic appeared to be the stand out player and it was a useful exercise in getting some game time for Danni, Grant and Paddy.
It helped re-inforce TP’s message on lack of numbers/quality and it will be interesting to see what if anything transpires over the next 16 days.
Back to the day job on Saturday and hopefully TP will have a nearly full squad to chose from. A point at Bristol will be a good result and important in keeping the non losing run going.
CoB 😎
Thanks RR
It’s always really helpful to get a comprehensive report from a reliable source. It sounds as if there is a lot of potential in the younger end of the club and Fletcher seems to have done himself no harm.
I was interested to read your thoughts of the kids – and they really are kids some of them with quite a few still under 20 – and it sounds as if they all did pretty well. I’m particularly interested in Walker because at the end of last season I saw a junior game against Liverpool when he, O’Neill and a left winger called Brahimi (I think) made a very lively front three.
It’s an interesting dilemma for the Academy. TP is saying that they should all be out playing ‘real football’ somewhere but you can’t leave the club without a group of the best players to work together in the Academy and reinforce the U-23 and U-18 sides.
What did you think of Chapman before he went off?
UTB
Chapman played well down the right wing and was a constant threat
He seems a bit light and knocked about a bit andthst is how he was injured
Johnson was like signing a new player and whilst we were playing opposition two leagues below he looked as if he could do a job as a left wing back
Mahumutovic who at 21 is a full Luxembourg international played at RB then moved to CB as part of a three when Fry went off injured. He doesn’t look to far away and a loan should make him into a player
Walker showed that bit of cheek which is the sign of a confident player and at one point raising his arms up to encourage the crowd to cheer
The kids done well!
OFB
Great report as usual RR.
Enjoyed the game. Thought the youngsters did well. Nice to see our friend Stead still alive and kicking.
Firstly thanks for the good wishes of folks on this forum. Yesterday was an awful day. I tried listening to the Radio Tees commentary but had to go back to bed. Much fresher this morning, sometimes it’s like that, so was pleased to read Redcar Red’s report. I must say I don’t know how he sends in his reports so speedily and identifies some of the Boro players, some of whom I must confess I’d never heard of. Well done to him and to the youngsters in what at least sounded an entertaining match. I noticed also this morning that only Leeds, Norwich and West Bromwich had larger attendances.
So well done to all those who attended knowing that TP was likely to put out almost a reserve team.
Ken
Good to hear that today is a better day.
Don’t worry about not recognising some of the Boro players as neither do MFC staff!
I went on the app last night to find out the line up only to find that in the back four two players were shown merely as D (I assume for defender) the rest of the team were named albeit two of the substitutes were designated as A!
Talk about needing to make an impression, it’s an even bigger task if they don’t even know your name!
Ken
Keep at it, hope your health picks up soon.
Just enjoying RR’s match report over lunch as I take a break from the physical toil – many thanks for such a interesting comprehensive read. Tony Pulis is suggesting that the youngsters now go out on loan but I wonder RR (or others) if you reckon from what you saw some could actually do a job in the squad. Mahmutovic sounded good and if he ended up playing in three positions yesterday then would be a very useful squad player to have rather than getting in a squad player on loan, who would probably not feature much and fail to settle.
Also Walker seemed to have a good game too – are some ready to make the step up? I understand Pulis wanting to send them out for more experience but maybe only a few months and not a season. If Boro get promoted then it’s likely some may never be seen again if they disappear for 9 months – which would be a shame. I think Boro used to be braver in the past with blooding their youngsters in the first team – were the likes of Cattemole, Parnaby, Bates, McMahon, Grounds and Bennett that much better? I’d rather they got tested with us and in games where Boro are leading comfortably, they could get 20 minutes on the pitch without too much risk.
We shouldn’t forget even the likes of Deli Alli made their debut’s at 17 and have held down a first team place fairly easily – in fact some of our youngsters made their debuts in the UEFA cup games against good opposition.
As they have said for many years, if you are good enough you are old enough.
I think we need to be a bit cautious as they were playing against a League 2 side.
Championship teams are a different matter and they would need to be used carefully and sparingly in my view to ensure they receive exposure which developes them rather than in some cases having a detrimental effect.
If, as TP has said, he wants some of them in and around the squad then he needs to deliver and not send them out on loan as he did with Tavernier last season.
Werder
I wonder if TP’s was a general point about Academy players because he has said before he likes a few in the main squad alongside the experienced players.
He cant fit them all in to the First Team squad. Going out on loan benefitted the likes of Gibson and Fry, in the past Downing went out on loan.
The problem will be who to keep and who to send out
Great match report RR ….
Sending my kindest regards to Ken.
GHW’s link is indeed well worth a read and makes me shudder. The thought of CGI fans is terrifying. Considering the mania for command and control at the top level, which I, a couple of years ago, was simply trying to accept as part and parcel of making it in the big time, it’s not an entirely unfounded fear.
Re: Len’s post on recruitment, it will always be hit and miss. I liked Ken Omeruo, I liked Tomas Kalas, I liked, to a point, ‘Nando Amorebieta. De Pena was unlucky in a way – all those cancelled flights and the car crash can’t have helped, but his influence on games was so minimal that I was awarding him 2/10 or 1/10 in the games I watched him play. Wolves H and Burnley H (that chipped pass) in the cup were rare bright spots.
Finally RR’s report: “definitely not one for the purist but it was entertaining and one that you couldn’t take your eyes off.” Couldn’t agree more. The defending may have left a top-level coach, or a coach with top tier pretensions, apoplectic, but the sight of Boro unknowns and youngsters grabbing the opportunity to show what they can do, and at times doing it really well, genuinely fills one with pride.
Simon
ah, de pena.
in the middle of some god forsaken country in South America, an unimportant club were granted every assistance ( political, official, police, airlines,) to get the deal across the line and collect a couple of million for a player who was a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
Was he the man we thought we were buying? Who knows?
Was he any good? Don’t think so.
When dealing with the devil you need a long spoon.
Simon
As I said in my previous post, I enjoyed the game. The poor defending increased the excitement. I might not have felt the same if points were at stake but it was a pleasant change from my usual mode of sitting there getting wound up.
The kids were great and, yes, it does fill me with pride. I hope TP does hold back from sending them all out on loan. Success or otherwise in the loan market might make the choice of who stays with the first team easier.
KP
The key is that when they come back from the loan that they get a chance to integrate if they are ready.
Tavernier has been out on loan and may well be ready.
TP also mentioned getting experience at lower league and even in the Conference. Lewis Wing is a prime example, playing at Shildon then signed by us, sent out on loan to Yeovil and now looks to be making the break through.
Tavernier is quite a bit younger and went on loan in the second half of last season, will he benefit from another loan or better to stay here?
It will depend on how the window pans out and what we players come in and who goes.
If Fletcher and Braithwaite stay and perform that would make life easier but it all rests on what holes there are within the squad towards the end of the month.
I’m exaggerating, but maybe last night is sort of a throwback to the “good old days”. When football wasn’t so highly evolved. Nowadays I sense coaches are too wise for RobboBoro 1995-97 to exist, or for teams like EvansPool and KeeganToon to challenge for the title.
United, back then, were possibly alone in “playing like a team who understood tactics”. If the 1996 FA Cup Final was a grim bore for neutrals it was because when United had taken on EvansPool at their own game they’d come away with a 0-2 defeat and a fortunate 2-2 draw… so at the old Wembley, they focused on nullifying ‘Pool’s rhythm, and it paid off.
Great report, RR. Many thanks.
Thanks for the report RR I was tucked up in bed for an early start. Pity about Chapman picking up another injury and hopefully Fry was taken off as a precaution. And a big well done to the young lads who appear to have grasped their chance with both hands.
Looking back a few posts re Teesside steel, at work this morning and I was in the hangar mooching about waiting for an aircraft to be moved in. Leaning against the main hangar doors I looked down and there embossed on the supporting girders was Middlesbrough!
Cue a middle aged man shouting Tee Tee Teessiders at the top of his voice. The expats there shook their heads a bit while the Saudis looked totally bemused. After explaining why I was carrying on like I did they smiled politely and wandered off, probably thinking I’d been out in the sun too long.
I’m going to do a bit more investigation to see if I can find anymore evidence of the town that built the world!
Not just steel but the people – many Boro supporters in Middle East construction.
I think the concept of ‘youngsters’ is quite a complicated one and indeed perhaps they don’t actual exist as an entity – it is after all just a label given to footballers who are yet to establish themselves.
There is probably quite a cross-section of the so-called youngsters at the club and some may indeed benefit from going out on loan to some Division Two or even non-league outfit as they are educated in the stark realities of must-win games and jobs on the line. For others it may be the destruction of them as they suddenly find their new team-mates lack their own ability and maybe fail to form relationships on the pitch with those around them.
It’s been said that playing with good players improves a player far quicker as they are given a fast-track to picking up subtle tricks of movement, position and decisions. Some of these youngsters may actually be very bright and capable of absorbing from those around them. Others could be those journeymen types who will be steady, reliable and do the job asked of them without surprising you too much.
Tony Pulis appears to have pidgeon-holed these so-called youngsters as being a group of the same type of players in terms of development – energetic and enthusiastic but lacking in experience of the hard graft of being a footballer. I don’t know how often he watches them play or evaluates them as individuals but he seems more focused on bringing in those recommended by other clubs as the answer to his problems – albeit at a price.
We’ve been told how great our academy is for years but few recent managers have shown that much interest in the product it produces. Ben Gibson is often quoted and of course Downing is constantly labelled as a product of our academy – he was in fact nearly sold to Sunderland if you remember, so highly was he rated at the club and got his chance almost by accident after an injury to Zenden I think.
My view is that the club need to become more proactive in integrating those from our academy into the squad in decent numbers. They are perhaps more likely to thrive at Boro in familiar surroundings and playing with others they developed with and those who they’ve watch train. It’s not enough to have a Category One academy, costing several millions each year and then occasionally slotting the odd defender into a depleted defence every so often and then justifying it as another success.
The club seems to have a lot of talented young players, surely the Championship is as good a place as any to see what they can do and try to develop them as first-teamers. After all, Boro used to send their academy players on loan to the Championship when they were in the Premier League. How many average players have the club spent millions on recently who haven’t really lived up to the hype or performed consistently to the desired level. I would have no problem with many of those who played yesterday becoming squad players and starting their careers on the bench.
So in conclusion, Boro need to review their strategy of how they create a squad that moves the club forward – it’s clear from recent transfer windows that the club are lurching from splurges to belt-tightening and then seemingly get stuck with over-paid average players who either don’t deliver or are not overly keen on fighting for a place in the team. The ‘youngsters’ may not be top-class players yet but the question is how can we make them into that and tap into their desire, energy, skill and enthusiasm to succeed on Teesside.
Very very good post Werder
Werder
I’m currently in contact with a lot of the staff at the Acadamy including Craig Liddle
I’ve copied your post and will run it past him for discussion
OFB
Obviously, those who work in the academy will be keen to see their graduates joining the first team after putting in all the good work with young players but I wonder if the club actually have a strategy to actively get them into the first team.
It appears from the outside that new signings are favoured over academy graduates and whilst going out on loan may help some get experience under their belts – most return from loans having not convinced they’re ready yet and are subsequently released.
Personally, I think the club, particularly the manager should be reserving slots in the squad for academy graduates and they should be considered first before bringing in squad players from other clubs. Often the club have signed players like Connor Roberts, Husband or even Baker and Fletcher, who weren’t deemed ready to start but took up a squad shirt that an academy player could have had instead.
I’d be interested if Craig Liddle knows how many players have made it into the Boro squad since the club have spent 8 years in the Championship – and how many appearances they’ve actual made. I expect Ben Gibson will probably account for most of them.
I’ve got a suspicion that if Boro had signed Besic then Lewis Wing would probably have not started in two of the first three games – indeed he may even return to the bench if such a player is signed on loan. Also Tavernier and Chapman may also disappear if further ‘big’ loan names arrive. Does this strategy serve the club in the long term or are we putting perceived short-term fixes ahead of developing the squad into a more coherent unit and creating assets from graduates.
Interesting Article on Founding of football in the Daily Express Today
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1004106/ebenezer-cobb-morley-who-was-google-doodle-father-of-football-FA
OFB
I was just about to suggest to Werder to send his post to the club when I saw Your’s and I think that is great.
Just hope it is received in the manner which it is intended i.e. constructive suggestions.
Werder
I agree with that with one caveat. Lets see what happens.
TP has said he wants a group of the first team players plus Academy players. We need to se who goes out and who stays. Bear in mind Fry is still very young but it looks like we can add Lewis Wing as a regular.
If another two stay such as Tav and Mahmutovic, maybe Chapman as well, then that is probably enough to give them playing time.
We have to see who comes and goes. As I posted earlier, TP’s comments may be general.
Just remember, in Mogga’s full season, academy kids made half a dozen appearances all year. Anlov, a poster who was a huge Southgate fan, complained about Stricken ignoring the kids in his matchday squads . The truth is Stricken included as many as Scapegoat.
Perception is all. Dont confuse me with the facts.
Werder
Can you get that printed and delivered to the higher management, I would not change a word of it.
Can we discuss Wing, a revelation, and we can bracket Tavernier with him.
together they change the way we play,
to expand that, both of them seem to believe in getting the ball forward instantly ( note the word) this seems to unhinge the defence, and our strikers seem to perk up and actually get shots in on goal.
in addition they both seem to be more alert and attack minded in midfield, which makes the entire match more interesting to watch.
yet we still seek to bring someone, anyone, in, and dispatch both of them to the subs bench.
Quite frightening.
Great Pre Match Post Werder and great Match Report RR we never take you guys for granted
Regarding wing and Tavernier both have come good and chapman becaise they have played real football.
Wing via Northern League first then loans for others it does work
OFB
Thanks, it sounds like OFB is planning to make some of the points to Craig Liddle from the academy so will be interesting to hear what is said.
Great post ,Werder.
I read TP’s comments as being about the young players improving mentally, not so much technically. The inference I took was that the Academy system is great for producing lads who can play but perhaps not as good at producing desire, mental toughness and the necessary drive to win at all costs – values I suspect Pulis rates as highly, if not more highly, than technical ability.
I think you’re right though that it would be foolish to force the same development path onto all individuals. I stand to be corrected but of Man Utd’s “Class of ‘92” I believe only Beckham had a loan spell before breaking into the first XI. Ian may also be right though that Pulis was generalising.
I suspect that we won’t be able to bring in the number of players that the manager wanted on loan (Five? Six?). It’s therefore quite likely that a number of these younger players won’t be loaned out this year. Certainly not Fry and Wing. A bit like when Bamford started up front because there was no alternative, I hope it works out even though it wasn’t in the plan.
Thanks Andy, I sometimes think being young is seen as barrier and a handicap, experience of a high level of football comes with playing. Man Utd’s Class of 92 being a prime example. OK, perhaps not all young players are in their bracket but it used to be different at Boro. James Morrison made his debut at 17 and then made 14 appearances as an 18-year old in the Premier League before becoming a regular first-teamer by 19. Also Lee Cattermole made his debut as a 17-year old and made 14 appearances that season before becoming a regular at 18 and making 31 appearances the following season. Andrew Taylor also was established as a fixture in the team by 19, Wheater at 20 and many others from that period seemed to get a chance at a much earlier age, which was as mentioned in the PL.
My problem in recent years, especially since Boro have been in the Championship is that the step up to the first team seems to be much harder – I don’t know if it’s down to the type of managers or whether the focus is so on promotion that young players are seen as too risky. Well we’ve failed to win promotion in 7 of the 8 years we’ve been in it and not many players have graduated from the academy either.
Good point OFB,
The best of the youngsters, Fry, Tav and Chapman have all had their time out on loan and Wing survived in non-League. At some stage, we should also give these other kids their chance to learn out on loan unless they can genuinely be part of the first team squad. However, there are some of the younger ones who are only 16, 17 or 18 and these will surely benefit from time spent at the Academy and training with the first team. That way they pick up the skills and then go out and pick up the mental toughness.
Another point to remember is that Boro already have some very good players out on loan. Ripley is playing a full season with Accrington and could well come back as number two keeper. Jo Fryer and Aynsley Pears are two other keepers who are out on loan. Hayden Coulson is put on loan in the Scottish Premiership, Alex Pattison is following Lewis Wing at Yeovil and we have two young strikers in George Miller and
Luke Armstrong who are out on loan.
It would be interesting to understand from your Academy pals how the process works because, presumably, the ones who are out on loan are thought to be stronger than the ones who actually played the other night – excluding Fry, Tav and Chapman who are further down the path.
UTB
I refer my honourable friends to the words of TP before the disappointing end to the window. A tight squad of senior players with a smattering of academy players in there.
Lets see what happens, I still suspect a few of the seniors may be going out on loan never mind the kids.
How many of the youngsters go out may well depend on the shape of the squad but there isn’t long left of the loan window for anything to happen.
In general you wouldn’t want too many youngsters in at the same time unless you have a golden generation. You want them to fit in to a smoothly operating team.
Unfortunately golden generations only became so by being given the opportunity to play – let’s see how many Tony Pulis opts for in his squad either by choice or default. At least Pulis has had good form by bringing Adama on through putting his faith in him – hopefully he’s noted the rewards of encouraging potential as it hasn’t been a golden generation of signings either of late.
Werder
One of the best posts we’ve ever had on the blog: analytical, thoughtful, intelligent, concise, and with enormous implications for the future of the club, if the club will only listen and act. It provides a clear policy outline of the kind that all true supporters can and will get behind if it’s explained in the kind of terms used here. A key problem that has to be overcome is that managers, understandably, have short time horizons. Three or four defeats, and they are under pressure, and a whole succession of managers have said that if they played the youngsters they could wave goodbye to promotion/ survival in the Premier League. It also doesn’t help that precious few of our kids have made their way in the game after they have left us. So the pressures against the best way forward are enormous. But so are the rewards, including the obvious possibility that the Boro would become the go-to club for all promising kids and their parents in the north-east, still to my mind one of the hot-beds of the game.
Thanks Len, I think you’ve pointed to the key problem of how the short-termism that drives decisions puts long-term advantages as a low priority. It’s perhaps not just football that suffers from this but anything from business, politics and our own personal choices. Organisations should be aware of these drawbacks and set up structures to compensate and given the right communication to the supporters, perhaps even they too would accept the strategy and show a little patience – though maybe that’s a big ask 🙂
One thing we have in the North East is a commitment to junior football.
At the game the other evening there were 10 scouts from other clubs all taking notes and watching the Boro youngsters. The largest number I’ve ever seen at the club.
Every Sunday the TJFA the largest junior football league plays its games from u6 to u17 Supported you parents coaches officials all unpaid and the majority of the young lads will still play football in adulthood for pleasure
The rare few who make it into academies can go like Harry Chapman did from 6 years old.
I’ve known Andy Campbell since he joined Boro at 10 years old and one thing the Boro do as well as developing footballers is to make them into fine young men who as an area we should be proud of.
Lots of players who didn’t make it at Boro have gone on to play football professionally all over the world.
I think the Boro are doing things right with the academy players and If they’re good enough I’m sure Tony Pulis will play them
One more point the schools in our area are really involved with football and are split into Districts
Stockton Mbro darlington Northumberland Cumberland Durham amd. The teachers work most Saturdays unpaid to take their district teams all over the North East to develop these young players from u13 to u16 and our region is very successful
Again all these games are watched by scouts from professional clubs as the standard is a really high level
I’m enjoying watching it all again as my second grandson has followed his brother into captaining a district u13 team and these lads do things with a ball that absolitely amazes me
So don’t worry the future of football in this country is not dying it is very much alive at grass roots
OFB
Werder
I think we may have another crop coming through together, lets hope they get their chances.
The likes of Downing, Morrison, Cattermole et al got their chances at various times amongst some very good players. Southgate, Ugo, Riggott,,Zenden, Viduka, Mendi, TLF, Boat JFH etc. We certainly dont have that sort of players but there are some good pro’s at the club to help our current batch.
On the loan front, another blow to Boro. Kevin de Bruyne is out for 12 weeks. Just have to look elsewhere.
Before we get carried away with the performances of he kids we should remember that they showed promise but we were at home against a second string side for a side sitting in 18th position two leagues below us. We were behind three times and won on penalties.
Dont over burden them at this stage but dont ditch them either. They need game time but cant all go in to the first team at the same time.
Indeed, though you could also say that we conceded three against Notts County reserves despite having Ayala and Fry in central defence with Leadbitter and McNair in midfield and veteran keeper Lonergan in goal. Although, I wasn’t suggesting the younger players suddenly go into the first team al at once, only that the path to being part of first-team squad is not blocked by giving preference to average signings instead.
Werder
That is a common failing in many clubs and certainly one that could be levelled at ourselves. When Adam Reach was trying to break in to the team he was always the first player that got the hook so Dyer or Ameobi could play.
If we do end up with a smallish squad plus some of our youngsters I would be pleased with that.
You could argue that if we had two or three of the starters as youngsters on Tuesday night we may well have not had to come from behind. The problem is we had run out of senior players.
Wholesale changes cause uncertainty so it is not something to encourage week to week but the a couple of players here and there does no harm. You do have to be careful of the various units within the team structure especially in defence and midfield to keep the blend.
One of the worst selections was when we went to Arsenal when Schteve was in charge. He played 442 with a very young Andrew Taylor at left back. To give him support he played that disciplined, work horse Rochembach left side midfield.
Luckily we had another couple of work horses up front in Viduka and Yakubu, both famed for their tracking back.
Arsenal declared.
I am sure Lewis Wing is prospering in part because he is in a three with Clayts and Howson plus wing backs. With that line up you could play Tavernier around Britt for example.
Good post at 11.54, Bob.
Playing three at the back gives us the luxury of an extra body further up the pitch which in turn means its easier to give Wing or Tav a game.
Its becomes easier still of course when Wing has held his own and not looking out of his depth. Having the “luxury” of that “extra” position permits giving time to the Academy Players. Its crucial though that the Wing Backs are, experienced and trustworthy which with Shotton and Downing those boxes are ticked. I’m not so sure that a young player would be handed those roles quite so readily unless of course we are four up with ten minutes to play.
Having the three at the back also covers for the lack of recruitment at RB and LB and the tactic may be more down to diminishing resources than deliberate intent on the part of TP, not unlike Gestede getting injured and Bamford getting a run of games some critics might say.
It’s a bit ironic that the first thing Pulis did when he joined was to ditch Christie and Fabio who were essentially wing-backs playing as full-backs – now we’ve got a winger and a right-back/centre-back playing as wing-backs. To their credit they’ve both performed pretty good in those roles – though not sure how long it takes to train someone to understand the role. In Boro’s case I think the wing-backs are being asked drop between the two of the three centre-backs on their side, with Clayton also sometimes dropping back to make a three if one of the centre-backs moves forward. Quite a fluid system and I guess needs plenty of work on the training pitch, so not an easy role for anyone to suddenly slip into – even any new loan signings!
I was thinking the same last week about Christie and Fabio and how they would be ideal in this squad at the moment although as you say its a bit more than just about being a Wing Back the way it is operating.
Enes Mahmutovic looked useful the other evening in maybe being a “Pulis Style” player. Not a great attacking Full back particularly but the lad got up and got crosses in and also met a cross to score. He was then was able to relocate later in the game to a CB role. I liked the look of him.
What are the odds we get Everton in tonight’s draw….
GHW
I did the draw whilst waiting for someone to answer a telephone call which was important to them. I pulled us out away to Villa!
On balance, I’d have to agree with Ian’s post this morning that we shouldn’t expect too much of the youngsters based on one game against lower league opposition but part of a manager’s remit must surely involve nurturing the talent. As RR says Mahmutovic grew into the game and looked self assured. I’d like to see him retained as defensive backup. None of the lads disgraced themselves so TP has difficult decisions to make but I do hope a few are allowed cameo roles with our first team squad rather than being sent out on loan.
GHW
I have got very technical, I found a random number generator, put the 26 numbers in for the teams in the Northern half and re did the draw. I just drew lots before.
Away at Donnie. Other highlights Sunderland or Sheff Wednesday versus Toon, Stoke versus Everton.
I will slink off and do some work.
Some great posts and discussion about academy players on here today.
The potential of youngsters coming through the clubs academy, or in Lewis Wings case non league, is just that. Potential.
I personally would prefer to see the club go down the younger player route though not all at once. I’d much rather that option than splurge money on near 30 year olds for large fees and even larger wages who have no connection or affinity with the club.
An older player who does have a connection may be worth a gamble as at least they would be playing for the shirt. Well that’s what you would like to think.
Agree with AV regarding the draw for the next round of the league cup. Lower league opposition at home will do for me.
I agree with FAA and others. A good discussion in here about realising the potential of many of the young players we have.
It does look like it that we have overlooked giving our youngsters the opportunity whenever there has been a gap in the first team through injury or suspension. Always a preference to put in an old head, no matter their decaying form. Worse still is the dropping of young players who are on a good run in the first team, but who are made the scapegoat for one of the seasoned professionals mistakes (thinking of Dael Fry for one, whose development was surely hindered by that).
As the chat had moved on to the league cup draw tonight. Best would be a lower ranked team that we can use to give the youngsters another run out against.
Burton Albion away would suit me. 🙂
Did AV mention Wembley already? Some bloggers could also meet the day before in London.
Or is this too optimistic for the Teessiders…..
Up the Boro!
I’ll go Wolves at home in the Caraboa Cup and an early return for Adama…
I’ll settle for a home tie against Rochdale reserves though…
It is Rochdale at home in the second round.
Come on BORO.
Another good opportunity to use the squad Players and like on Tuesday night allow a few of them to stake their claim.
As the tie is played w/c 27th August I wonder how many will be out on loan?
Lot of talk about young players at the moment. I’d like to recommend this excellent documentary, well worth watching.
http://sport.bt.com/video/bt-sport-films-no-hunger-in-paradise-91364241852638
Until today I’d never heard of Michael Calvin. It would appear his books could be worth reading.
https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/michael-calvin/1071274/
From his book…..
But there is a looming sense that the nicer guys are fighting an unequal battle: the system is so ruthless and fixated on short-term financial gain that Calvin’s headline figure – only 0.012 per cent out of 1.5 million boys playing organised football make it into the pro ranks – seems, perversely, almost too high. Calvin notes: “There are positive, forward-thinking people… but English football is defined by its predilection for trench warfare.” One battle-scarred veteran, Dave Parnaby, Middlesbrough’s outgoing academy director, sums up the conflict: “Great game, shit industry.”
GHW,
You’re right, they’re well worth reading. Living on the Volcano is a study of football managers, and a pre -Boro Gary Monk is heavily featured. But my favourite is The Nowhere Men, a much needed tribute to old-fashioned football scouts. Much- maligned as being all rain-soaked dirty macs, and stubby pencils, and widely derided in comparison with the computer boys and their so-called advances in analytics, they seem to me to embody much that is best about the game in terms of their experience, loyalty and dedication.
I gave a plug to both books a couple of years back on the blog.
Thanks Len. The documentary is from his book, No Hunger in Paradise. Gareth Southgate comes across well, but Arsene Wenger sums up the problem everyone faces, how do you integrate the young players in to the first team.
Yorkshire have moved in to a play off place in the T20 Blast. Their net run rate is 0.023 compared to Notts Outlaws at 0.018. That matters not because in the final game tomorrow because Yorks play Notts and the winner goes through. If it is no result then Birmingham may sneak in, I think.
Only fifteen days left, the clock is ticking slightly louder. At this rate we will have to utilize the “youngsters” or will we see MFC panic after another Mr Pulis cryptic comment.
There was an article on the BBC sport internet page about FFP and the clubs sailing close to the wind last season. Wolves, Derby, Villa, Birmingham and MFC. They now call it Sustainability. Mr Gibson has commented, we always conform to the requirements.
Now we know why the purse strings have been drawn somewhat tighter.
I think the article you are referring to (https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44981103) hasn’t really looked into the details that much – it claims Boro have had to sell players this year to balance the books after spending £50m last year. They fail to mention the net spend was only around £5-8m and the sales this season were probably for reasons other than needing to balance the books. I’d be surprised if Boro were remotely under any financial pressure given their income and profit over the last few seasons. The statement published from MFC was just general one saying that they work with FFP.
FFP? It doesn’t seem to have affected Bournemouth very much.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44721788
Nor Leicester City either.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43146018
The latest gazette article has labelled Jordan Hugill as “Teesside goal machine”
Am I missing something in his stats?
I cannot remember him pulling on a Boro shirt yet.
Dont think he played for Hartlepool in his journey from non league.
Hope he does become a goal machine but I think the gazette are a little premature with their statement.
Its a shame but the gazette is sinking rapidly as a serious read for all things Boro. Its probably still OK to eat fish and chips out of as it retains the vinegar well, not too soggy.
No wonder we all head to diasboro for realistic views and comments. Well done to Werder RR and OFB and all our other participants as I cannot imagine what we would read without our blog.
Ken I hope you are feeling better and Boro can put a smile on your face on Saturday.
Billy,
The Gazette is probably OK to eat fish and chips out of, but I’d still take them with a large pinch of salt.
See Ben Gibson played in Europe for Burnley last night in front of a huge crowd of 16,500
That’s a bit scathing Billy. It was only a qualifying game, not the Europa league proper. Boro hardly set any record attendances when we played in the league section of the same competition. I am pleased for him to get the chance to play in European fixtures.
Didn’t mean to be scathing. I am proud and pleased for Ben, just wish he had gone to a bigger club thats all.
OK if you want the truth I dont like Sean Dyche!
Fair enough 😉
Lego of it Billy, he’s not worth getting upset over…
Rumours this morning of latest Boro speculation, is that Everton full back Cuco Martina is close to joining Stoke.
Mind you looks like Everton fans are happy to see him go? He did play 23 times though last season.
Saw a bit of the debate on skysports last night with Kelly Cates, Joelyon Lescott and Ian Wright.
It is not available as a podcast yet but it had a section on Academies and loans . It highlighted that half the England team had been out on loan. Joelyn looks after the players out on loan from Man City and he stressed the importance.
The Academy players had been playing each other for several years in the Academy systemso it was important they go out and play amongst men, play in front of a bigger crowd, they need the experience of going to a ground where there will be supporters not on their side.
Many have technical ability but they need mental toughness.
That is just a few bits, I ill look out for the podcast.
Just read an article in the national press which brought a smile to my face.
The clubs which occupy the lower levels of the game are complaining that they are being ripped off by the giants, when using loan players.
The inglorious giants are charging extortionate amounts, and making outrageous playing demands ( that would be regarding appearances per season)
if they bothered thinking about the loans system at all, they would realise that it a complete scam from top to bottom.
The big clubs know which players are game changers, and loan them only to clubs which are in the magic circle.
No loans from big London clubs, no Fulham promotion, ( they all returned home, job done) but another London club in the Prem.
Wolves, top agent, massive loans from Europe ( eight) another promotion, the loanees returned home.
What should happen is that the loan system should be scrapped.
All the players would then be sold to anyone who would have them, until stability was restored.
Actually scrapping the loan system is not a bad idea Plato, I wonder how many up-and-coming players would choose to sign a contract with one of the big clubs and put on their new shirt, with the number on the back in the 50s, 60s or even higher in some cases, if they thought they weren’t going to be loaned out for the next few years. It’s a bit of a racket really all this stockpiling of talent and then loaning them out to who they decide is worthy. Though I don’t think Tony Pulis would agree with the idea just yet…
Scrap it on 1st September
For a slice of the premier pie I’d wear 3.14 on my back.
No more irrational than having number 98 on your back and hoping to get a chance to play for Arsenal!
The famous Greek international Archimedes Constantopolous had 3.14 on the back of his shirt…..
Watched TP’S interview today. He said the club has been trying all week to bring players in but with no success. Apart from centre half, all other areas need strengthening. Once again, some frustration in his comments.
Braveheart
It didn’t sound like frustration, maybe resigned is a better term, as more like a statement of facts. AK was frustrated when he had a hissy fit.
He knows we need some new players, so do the club, so do the current players.
We know he needs some new players, everybody knows we need new players.
Correct Ian,
The selling clubs know we need players, that’s the problem.
Or as Tony Pulis put it: “We all know we need more. We know what we want, we know it is out there, it is just getting it. You can’t always get everything but we need something. We need strength in every area…”
Sounded a like he’s getting a little desperate – but it also sounds like he prefers not to rely on the youngsters for longer than necessary as he wants players for every area in on loan.
As Ian states above, SG, TP, NB, players, fans and all Boro websites agree we need to freshen up the team but it has to be the right player for the right fee/wages. The trouble is there are so many outside factors involved besides the individual player, ie. the selling club, the agent, the family, the area, the timing let alone the fee and wages.
How many of us would have been up in arms if MFC had paid the agent the reported £1 – £1.8m fee to broker the deal or the reported doubling of the players wages, to get Besic across the line.
Looking at past deals, take Britt Assombalonga was he worth £15m at the time. According to his stats (Wikipedia) at Peterborough (2013 – 2014) 23 goals in 43, Nott Forest (2014 – 2017) 30 goals in 65 practically a 1 in 2 player therefore was the fee justified. At Boro he has 16 in 47 but according to the MFC website only 34 of the 47 he has started, so again it could be argued, practically 1 in 2.
I no real knowledge of what goes on during transfer negotiations but as a layman, I would expect a selling club would quote a price above what they would reasonably expect to get and the buying club to offer below what they would reasonably to pay, a bit like us selling our car. Once the middle ground is reached then all the other influences come into play until the transfer is completed or one side walks away. The recruitment team find an available player matching all or most of the skill set required by the manager, the commercial side then enter the fray, but they have been given a set of fee parameters to work within and a wage structure, if the selling club/player/agent won’t agree to deal within the parameters, the transfer doesn’t happen. As I say, I have no real idea what is involved in todays transfer dealings but the point I am making, it is unfair to blame any one party (recruitment, commercial, manager or club) if deals don’t happen as you need all the jigsaw pieces to fit together before the picture is complete.
Come on BORO.
Lest we get too critical of Dyche and Burnley, both have kind of put us to shame by sticking by each other after a relegation, successfully balancing the books, learning and improving from experience, and efficiently building and rebuilding over time. Their ultimate reward? 7th and Europe, the best thing we have ever achieved in the Premier League.
They’re in a different league and at a higher level to us now and should be respected as such. That is how it is.
Michael Calvin’s a terrific writer.
Loans and young players are a popular topic to discuss. Many clubs make good use of the loan system for the purpose of progress. As we did from 2014-16. But as Plato’s disquieting post highlighted, it’s who you are or who you’re dealing with that counts.
When Barca and Spain were still at the relative height of their powers, Barca trounced Levante 4-0 in an away match. Every Barca starter but Dani Alves was a graduate of their La Masia academy.
Do we tend to see that in England? We don’t. Mancheskiarsepool United won’t field a team of academy graduates because the loss aversion is too great. It’s easier, because they have the money, to buy a lot of expensive internationals, get into Europe, sell them, and recoup the cash. And they’ll keep doing it because it works.
We fans like homegrown heroes. At least, that is, until they leave at the very moment we don’t want them to and they become Judases (Beagrie). But clubs? They like to have a conveyor belt of talent that they can sell on. The smaller top level clubs with sustainable models are sustainable because they scout well, and will listen to any call from buyers who are rich enough.
The fat cats will provide limited opportunities for “their own” but will still splash around £10 million a year on their academies. So you’ll have a string of players not quite good enough to be first teamers – because the manager can afford to buy the finished article when he feels like it – who get sent on for a relative thimbleful of minutes.
This has been going on for years. If I recall correctly Andy Cole’s one and only league appearance for the Arsenal first team, after coming through their academy, was a five-minute cameo after Arsenal were already 4-1 ahead against Sheffield United. He was loaned to lower league clubs before Kevin Keegan spotted him and gave him his big break. Kind of like Jordan Rhodes slipping through the net at Ipswich.
What does all this contribute to the health of football in the long term? Nothing. Lots of good players have been lost through either ignorance or confirmation bias. Sheffield Wednesday let Jamie Vardy go at 16 because he was “too small”. Roy Keane was ignored for years for the same reason.
(Sources include: The Secret Footballer.)
Si
I don’t know many of our ex academy players whom we have released and gone on to be full internationals and world class stars. Our track record is really pretty good in that respect. It is well known throughout the league that we develop players “in the right way” who go on to have successful careers in the lower leagues.
Boro and the maligned scouting department are always well represented at junior and senior non league football and we have two players in our squad. Armstrong and Wing whom we plucked from the Northern League and both are showing great promise .
With regard to Beagrie I think to understand the feeling of him being a Judas promulgated by a section of the Boro fans you had to live through it at that time. Boro were about to be lost to football forever and the fans and players and Steve Gibson developed a backs to the wall siege mentality. It was is against the world and for some to see Beagrie leaving that close knit team was considered treason. I understand why he did it he had a family to support but it still and always will rankle with the Fans
OFB
Beagrie done what any right minded, sane and sensible individual would have done he left a basket case of a Club unknowing for how long or if they would or indeed could survive to pay his bills and put food on the table. It was a no brainer at the time, loyalty and having a Braveheart mentality only lasts for so long and goes so far.
On the loans situation, I think all Clubs should be limited to a maximum of 40 players from 14 to 40. Any under 14 or over 40 can be ignored. that way it means the big clubs have to decide who they want to keep and who they want to buy. In reality it would mean that the Manchelskiarsepools would probably not bother much with Academies and instead buy proven talent instead of having a Puppy farm mentality.
Just taking Chelsea into consideration they have/had players like Bamford, Lewis Baker, Loftus Cheek, Abraham, Kenedy, Kalas, Kiwomya, and Omeruo etc. all out on loan for years with some becoming established elsewhere (even Internationals) before being eventually sold in the case of a few of them but never making the Chelsea side. Thirty years ago all those players would have been plying their trade at a lower level and getting playing time with other clubs who cannot afford Chelsea fees or wages prior to this Premiership greed is good mentality.
Some of them may never have come to the UK and local talent may have had more opportunity which in turn reflects on the International performances of England. The fact that Barca use their Academy proves that paying huge fees is not necessary to be successful although it does help when the finest youth talent want to be at La Masia. Football managers are lucky if they last two years in their posts which in itself is testimony to why Academies are not seen as a valuable source of talent where instant demand is the order of the day.
Fergie was probably the last of the old fashioned Managers that brought talent through the ranks but that was at a club that was yet to dominate domestic and European football at the time. Nowadays even Mourinho looks vulnerable in the sacking stakes and Chelsea Managers are on a Carousel. Now that Wenger is no more Klopp and Pochetino are probably two of the most secure in the Premiership Platinum Plus lounge for managers. Just look at those clubs whose fans think they have a “right” to be in the top four, Everton for example. You would have to be an eccentric or criminally insane to be giving a young lad from the Reserves/Youth/Academy a chance, the Alexander-Arnolds are extremely rare and becoming almost extinct.
Going back to Chelsea, at the rate they change their Managers the current incumbent has probably never heard of or even aware of 80% of their players currently out on loan at any one time.
Good Post RR
By the way I sympathise with Beagries decision
Just pointing out to Si why there is such divided opinion amongst fans
OFB
Werder
What we do know is that we lost Traore, Gibson and Bamford, through in Besic as well. One or two of the squad may be off, many wouldn’t have expected Fletcher or Braithwaite to still be here, they may not be here in two weeks time.
For all we know there may be other outgoings in the pipeline.
The championship is a 46 fence National Hunt race not a four furlong sprint on the flat. There will be room for youngsters and for additional experienced players.
I am not going to write off the youngsters, Wing looks to be on the way to being established at the expense of a senior player. By TP’s own words he wanted Chapman involved, Tavernier is involved, but they are inexperienced, they need to be blended in amongst established players so they can make their mark.
Hansen said ManU would never win anything with kids at the start of the 95/96 season. Fergies class of 92 following good Youth Cup performances.
The fact is that the players started playing the odd game in 92/93 and 93/94 building to 20’sh games a season in 94/95. In 95/96 they played a lot more games. Giggs was the exception but he was two years older and was the flier in an experienced side.
In essence it took four years for them to become an overnight success.
Ian
Don’t forget we lost Fabio as well who would have been good wing back cover
OFB
OFB
Of course, keep forgetting him, can play left or right full back or wing back.
OFB don’t forget that Fabio paid £50k of his own money to get the move over the line, so not so much that we lost him, more he got the move he wanted to be near his brother.
Come on BORO.
Interesting article on loans and puts some perspective into why perhaps some clubs are reluctant to commit to bringing other Clubs bench warmers in, apart from the fact that most are not good enough to have even warranted a place on the bench at their parent clubs.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-1764782
If you take say Jack Harrison and Lewis Baker last season did they add value to the squad and how much did they cost us? One of the problems apart from Clubs inserting “you must play them clauses” is that even though they have a shirt with number 43 on the back of it their weekly wages could be close to that in thousands. Then when you throw in “additional fees” just to borrow them its all dead money.
We are selling our best players at the prices Premiership clubs are asking for their detritus. I don’t think it makes sense to sell say Ben or Adama to bring in a 29 year old crocked Bolasie for similar money but on double or treble their wages, that would be sheer stupidity. If as suggested in that article Liverpool are fining Clubs for not playing their cherubs then they can shove them up the Mersey Tunnel from my perspective.
The reason clubs don’t play players is either because they don’t contribute enough (also known as fitting into the system) or they are just over hyped Prima Donnas that when faced with actually getting game time are found out to be distinctly average at a lower level. With all that in mind there may be good reason for clubs not bringing in loanee’s. The only ones I would countenance are those like Kalas who are proven tried and tested at this level. There is absolutely nothing to benefit by bringing in five or six players who affect the dressing room dynamic and know they will be off in nine months or less unless they are desperately keen to prove a point.
Ho Ho……….
Gus Poyet has been suspended for a week by Bordeaux after his criticism of the club about the sale of a key striker.
The former Brighton boss said the club were a “disgrace” for selling striker Gaetan Laborde to Ligue 1 rivals Montpellier without his permission.
The 50-year-old had threatened to resign after Thursday’s Europa League win over Mariupol.
“There was behaviour where he thought he was the boss of the club. That’s not the case, I’m the boss at the club with the owners and the shareholders”
Bordeaux president Stephane Martin
Simon,
Totally agree with your Burnley summary.
They have done well, Boro should have copied their example, they are punching above, they should be relegation favourites, they are in Europe.
It all makes me so angry when I see Dyches smug face and frog like voice on TV knowing that he moans about not having a pot to piss in and slags Boro for spending sooo much money and taking transfers to the next level.
I don’t like him and I think he still has a Boro grudge from the Chesterfield semi final.
Having said all that, I hope Ben is successful there and moves to a bigger club in January.
It’s painful to think he has gone to BURNLEY to advance his career.
Do our recruitment team have mono vision?
Is there not another team to target than Everton?
Why not buy their reserve team as a job lot.
We are spending too much time on Merseyside and time is running out.
It’s seems obvious the players we seek are too expensive so please Boro move on before it’s too late
RR,
Kalas is a great shout. I would have him back tomorrow. He can cover a few positions and always gave 100%
No Tavernier ,Walker, Mahatnovic unused , today’s u23 game?
Is Gestefe fit? Tony said everyone OK except Hugill.
Although I think he came across as having an anti Boro bias when he was involved with a televised Boro game I can fully understand why Beagrie had that perceived attitude. Yes 86 was an absolute horror story unfolding before our eyes but as a recently married man with a young family(?) he did the only thing he could given the circumstances. I never got the judas thing although I can understand why some did.
Having watched the Notts County highlights on the MFC website, apart from the amount of youngsters finishing the game a couple of other things stood out for me.
Fletchers goals was one, a Johnny on the spot for the first and a quality finish for the second. And despite what the commentator was saying their keeper wasn’t getting anywhere near to keeping any of the 4 Boro penalties out of the net. All 4 hit with power and placed where no keeper would stop them. Good to see.
The loaning out of players from the “big” clubs is for me a really contentious issue that I’m afraid isn’t really doing the younger players involved much for their careers.
The hoovering up of young talent who are then given a huge salary only serves to stop their professional learning curve, as teams in lower leagues can’t or more importantly won’t meet their over inflated wages or rediculous loan fees demanded from manurearsechelskispudspoolciteh etc.
Yes it’s all well and good being paid a small fortune but surely job satisfaction and wanting to play first team football week in week out rather than reserve/under 23 level has got to play a part in these players make up. Or does it?
Nah – it’s all about the money and bling! I remember reading about Stuart Pearce asking a young player whether he would rather play for England or have the big flash car……… flash car was the response and Mr Pearce was not impressed!
FAA,
The phrase ‘hoovering up of young talent’ reminds of a Brian Clough answer when he was questioned about buying Trevor Francis and I paraphrase, ‘so nobody else could buy him’.
Those Premiership clubs sign-up, buy, young talent and loan them out for goodness knows how much. In the majority of cases they never really play for the parent club. It seems like the very definition of a very highly paid dead-end job.
All quite mystifying really. Almost a form of legal corruption and false pretences.
I apologise for not remembering who posted the comment but why should Boro be the last chance pension fund saloon just because of a name. If Mr Pulis is talking about team spirit why bring in another teams ludicrously overpaid, was once a good player, prone to injury has-been who has barely played for two seasons and will de-stabilise the team? In the not so recent past Boro have signed a few too.
Baffles and beats me. On to Saturday.
UTB,
John
AND what about bringing 72 year old coaches out of retirement for one big last payday!
How does that help our club ?
OFB
I thought that was a strange one too…….. jobs for the boys perhaps?
OFB,
Don’t wind me up.
UTB,
John
Read this gazette article why we didn’t sign the Everton Fullback on loan
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/boro-everton-martina-besic-bolasie-15042745
OFB
I see Bobby Madley who ref our play off semi last season has quit !
OFB
I think the 72 year old Coach shows the immediacy and short term thinking (positively in theory) in the MFC Project.
The art of management, have people you trust with you.
Company Zimmer frames provided-instead of company cars
I am of an age where “grumpy old man” is starting to apply so I am also baffled!
Football in this country is not what it used to be and calling it the English Premier League is a complete misnomer as the level of even British invovement is now minimal.
Money and TV. Money at that is all that appears to drive the whole thing and it is getting to a point where I am losing interest. And maybe SG has realised that he cannot afford what it takes to compete, I know I would be thinking that with a business head on.
Burnley have appeared to get it right and used the parachute money well and managed to stay up and progress to Europe.
I will stop moaning now!
Burnley have created the business model for all the ‘small’ teams.
Some will cope, develop and build and some will fail. At present Burnley are succeeding but for how long? I must say I do love Burnley’s bollocks to you attitude, I’ve gone from disliking the club to grudging admiration so much so that I check the results to see which smug b****** they nicked point from or beaten.
They are in a way the antithesis of the comfy, we’re the best, we’re the Premiership top dogs. I wish that was Boro.
Basically you cannot compete, long term, with the usual suspects. You can compete for a while, as in the short term, if players are prepared to die in the metaphorical sense for the club and the colours.
The washed-out, worn-out has-beens are not capable of understanding that, it’s not what they did it’s what can they do. If they feel like it. It’s just a pay day.
And so to bed, perchance to dream.
Tomorrow is Saturday.
UTB,
\
John
OFB
I saw the link but must admit the Gazette is an awful website, there are more pop ups than a teenager with Acne.
The truth is we will sign who will want to play at Boro at the wages we can offer.
My view is a bit like Mogga, it is what it is. I cannot change it, I wont try and read between the lines of TP comments.
I wont pace nuances on what is said, I will leave managerial actions, or not, to inform my views,
Only then will I judge despite my instinctive dislike of Pulisaurus football
Ian
” we will sign who will want to play at Boro at the wages we want to pay”
That is the very antithesis of what we should be doing.
We got Wing from the non league background, we got our centre back from Bristol city, there for anyone to sign for a moderate fee, include Fry and Tavernier, and Braithwait and Ayala.
none came here as stars, just decent players at certain level.
All the power is with the players now, so a player who is desperate to move up in the football world is the only one we should be considering.
The so called giants are playing the market frantically, why? Because played with skill there is a mountain of money there for anyone with the skill and cunning to tap into it.
As an example Everton used us as diversion to get the best money they could from Besic ( never ever going to sign for us) but still in play with one hour to go in the window.
Their objective was a buyer for their over age crock ( still there on 80 grand a week)
the funniest sound all window was them pleading with us to at least agree to pay his wages on loan. ( he has never played since his injury, and never will until he is sold)
what I want to know was what on earth were we doing sitting there talking to a club we never do business with( for good reason)
Any club more than fifty miles from London offered a loan player by a London club should refuse the offer, because any good ones are offered to London teams.
you know it makes sense.
People have to stop harping on about age of potential loan signings, two of the best signings we made were Bobby Murdoch and Marco Branca, both in the twilight of their careers but did the job required of them in getting us promoted. Let’s be honest, the kids drew 3-3 with Notts County reserves and whilst there are some potential gems there, I personally don’t think we have an equivalent of Man Utd’s class of 92.
You could maybe add Merson to that list, though he was still only 28 I think. Though he probably came for the money as Wenger reportedly told him Boro were paying him more than Arsenal were giving Bergkamp. The obvious bad example of a has-been arriving was Gazza and how we even signed him I’ll never know as he was so unfit. But age is not the issue, whether old or young – as long as they’re fit and have the desire and ability then they will hopefully have an impact – though preferably not too much on the wage bill as we don’t really want players just looking for a big pay cheque who are living off the past.
I’m interested in all the talk (congratulatory or not) of how Burnley seem to have got all their collective ducks in a row, and how they are the role model to follow in turning a small club in to a successfully, well financed and managed club, good enough to take on the big boys at their own game. If my memory serves me well, I seem to remember the same plaudits being laid at Swansea’s door on here not so long back, and how we should follow their lead in getting the Boro back on an even keel and back in to the top tier. Their role model is so great and ours so bad, that we can compare just how good each others is on the 22nd of September when we play them at the Riverside in a league game. Oh, and in the second tier by the way.
Be very careful what you wish for.
I think even they’ve ditched the Swansea model in recent times after the departure of Monk – they just appointed their 5th manager in a little over 2 years as they pressed the panic button in the quest to survive. Fransesco Guidolin, Bob Bradley, Paul Clement, Carlos Carvalhal and now Graham Potter – although Boro appear to have emulated their recent model with 4 managers in the same period.
At least Swansea failed to win last night against our mutual former manager at Birmingham, so Boro remain top going into today’s trip to Bristol.
I think that what I’m trying to say, Werder, is that one size doesn’t fit all, if it did we’d all be fighting for titles and cups. We are what we are and not somebody else, to paraphrase one of our former leaders.
Yes it’s important to find your own identity as a club and try to take the energy from that identity and make it into a positive. At least Tony Pulis has brought an experienced eye to the set-up and given an overview of where we could do better and improve. Whether that only lasts until the next guy arrives who knows but the club, its geography, history and ownership makes it harder to just copy someone else.
PPP
There is a difference at Burnley, they are now in fast forward in that they are buying with a purpose, some cracking players, and selling on with a will. Look no further that Ben.
Geoff
Bobby Murdoch and Marco Branca were in the twilight of their careers but the difference with most, if not all, of the near or over 30s we seem to be linked with are, imo, nowhere near the level of skill and ability of the above mentioned. And I’m just not referring to this season.
No fees involved either I believe or minimual for the time.
Three tough league games coming up before the Interbational break (with Rochdale sandwiches amongst them).
The easiest of the three may be today given that Bristol City, a bit like ourselves, have lost key players over the summer.
I would take three draws if offered but a win today would really set things up nicely. On the other hand, the break could be a very gloomy one indeed if we lose today with West Brom and Leeds to come.
I’m going for a draw. Bristol City 1-1 Boro (Howson).
It will be interesting to see when we (and Leeds) play the next round of the cup as we play each other on the Friday of the cup week, or do we play the kids again.
Come on BORO.
I think Tony Pulis has already said after the draw was made that Rochdale will be another one for the youngsters to play in.
Interesting day today, not least because Bristol City are something of an unknown quantity. The team that outplayed us in last season’s corresponding fixture has been decimated, so it is difficult to say whether today’s result will provide a significant pointer to our fortunes for the rest of the season. I think we can take it for granted,however, that any team put out by Lee Johnson will play on the front foot, and all credit to the young manager for that. City produced some of the most attractive football of any Championship team last season,particularly in cup-ties, which gave them some outstanding Premier League scalps.
But today’s game is the start of what, before a ball was kicked, seemed like one of the most testing run of games all season. Next week it’s West Brom (H), then Leeds(A), followed by Norwich (A). A home game against Bolton should offer some relief, but then follows Swansea(H), Hull (A), Ipswich(A), Forest (H) and Sheff W (A).
Now some of those teams may turn out to be paper tigers. I’m not particularly referencing Hull here, but rather Swansea, who were unbelievably awful at Birmingham last night and should have been 4 or 5 goals down by half- time. But what we are all curious about is the extent to which we may turn out to be toothless tigers ourselves. By mid-October we should have a pretty firm answer to that question. Personally I don’t see too many gimmes over that period, and a string of WWW’s looks a very remote possibility. I see us being at around mid- table by then. This is not to discount us being up or around the play-off places by the end of the season. But serious pressure could be heaped upon Pulis within a very few weeks, with perhaps some serious calls for his head, simply because of the way in which the fixtures are panning out. Logic can have little influence after a run of disappointing results, and I don’t discount a serious wall of negativity building up in and around the club over the next couple of months.
Having said all of that, this is typical Boro territory, and I don’t discount some surprising wins,and a home defeat against Bolton either.
For me, however, today’s game is the opening chapter of a fascinating narrative to be played out over the next few weeks. A tough period by the end of which we will have some, but perhaps a misleadingly pessimistic, idea of how the rest of the season may play out. It’s going to be an interesting but potentially painful couple of months. If we are there or there abouts at the end of it, I think we can look forward to a good season.
Andy R,
Apologies. Hadn’t seen your earlier contribution before I posted. As ever it conveys my own thoughts far more concisely than I was able to do myself
Maybe but yours was far better written, with much more in depth analysis of the implications. And no erroneous mention of Rochdale sandwiches! Naturally , I completely agree with your view.
It will also be interesting to see how the younger players perform if they’re still heavily involved by that stage and what the perception of them is amongst the Diasboro after a potentially very difficult period.
I noticed an article link on NewsNow for a Bristol view of the match. Sadly it is on Bristol Live. It is the same platform as our very own beloved Gazette site.
I got fed up of playing space invaders with the pop ups and adverts so never actually saw the article or video or both.
I know they need the revenue but do they drive people away?
If Wing or Tav or both play, then the heart says 3.1 to us.
Without them, a draw.
Shirt Stealers 0 – 2 Pulis Pups
Ahem!
Breeshtol Sheety 2 Burrra 3
A quick forecast before heading out to a BBQ ( so will rain!)
The team in red 0 – the other team who play in red (but not today) 2!
Now to employ my useless predicting skills Bristol City 1 – 2 Boro. Right that’s put the hex on Boro’s unbeaten run.
UTB,
John
As others have said, the start of a tough run leading up to the international break.
We need, if possible, to keep the unbeaten run going and a draw today would be a good result.
If we have to lose one of the next three games then I would prefer it to be today as I don’t think come the end of the season that BC will be challenging whilst West Brom and Leeds will be.
Hopefully, we can go into the break unbeaten and the squad is bolstered with some quality players.
Going for an OFB of 0-0 as it has worked the last few weeks!
CoB 😎
https://youtu.be/PqCZlBgGE0s
⚽️——-⚽️⚽️
Once again no prediction from me. However if the defence can be a little less hesitant than in the second half’s of the last two matches I think we can get a result.
If Braithwaite is up for it again and Britt can find his better striking boots, well who knows. Keep it tight and hit on the break.
Has everybody logged on OK? I am subscibing on a match by match basis, best option for me, and I am just going to try.
Radio for me and hopefully a decent result. Bristol have defensive worries so we stand a chance of getting a goal,
I wouldn’t be surprised at a score draw.
Well so far a disciplined and well organised first half performance from the Boro.
Chances at a premium but when they have come along we have taken them. The second one in particular was well worked with the ball being stood up at the far post from a SD cross with his right foot for Britt to nod in.
CoB keep it going! 😎😀
No problem on the video stream……..or the half-time score.
UTB
Good stream apart from no commentary. And having to refresh 3or4 times.
BBC website summary at 16:17 notice anything missing….
Summary
Nine Championship games at 15:00 BST
Leeds & Aston Villa looking to maintain 100% winning starts
Ayling puts Leeds ahead against Rotherham
Chalobah levels for Ipswich after Kodjia scores for Villa
West Brom 3-1 up against QPR
Preston v Stoke at 17:30
22 matches in League One & Two
Watch Final Score from 14:30
Get involved #bbcefl
Typical BBC really. Pathetic, no doubt Boro will get fifteen seconds on some programme.
UTB,
John
To be fair, Radio Five Live gave Boro fair coverage today in their Chpionship updates.
That’s a cracking result that sets us up nicely for West Brom on Friday. Good to see that WBA scored all their goals this afternoon so won’t have much left for us.
Looking forward to RR’s report.
Great result ! Well-done everyone.
Looks like SM could be for the chop again after a slaughtering by West Brom. He must be the most sacked manager off all time.
Sometimes I feel sorry for McClaren. We was great at Boro and in the Netherlands but in most places he just seem to fail. Germany, Nottingham, England National team, Newcastle, Derby etc.
But we should be grateful for the win in Cardiff. Our only trophy. So good luck to Steve. Up the Boro!
A great result today and other results in our favour too. With the dirty whites having to visit Swansea in mid-week we could still be top when we entertain the baggies on TV.
Watched on my phone again as I just can’t get the live stream to run on my iPad😠, but I could get the audio stream to run after logging in with my digital account details that the live stream keeps saying are incorrect. #confused#noidea. The Tees commentary was about 30 seconds behind but it was better than nothing.
A small screen and the one camera view doesn’t give a good overview of the game but apart from a couple of lucky breaks/poor finishing after the 85 minute mark, I thought we controlled the game even though Brizzle had by far and away the lions share of possession. No good having all that possession if you don’t do anything constructive with it although to be fair to Boro we weren’t letting them.
Braithwaite is now a player we can ill afford to lose in the remaining days of the transfer window and Stewie rolled back the years for a great run in the box and a peach of a cross for Brits goal. My motm however goes to Clayton who once again was all over the place, but in a good way, closely followed by Downing who’s taken to the defensive side of his wing back duties like the proverbial duck etc.
I stated before the season started that this could be a season too far for Downing as far being a nailed starter. Now I’m a big Downing fan, but on the evidence I’ve seen so far maybe I was a little premature in writing him off.
All set up nicely for Friday night and at least I’ll be able to watch it on a nice big telly. Depending on how far behind Mark and Maddo are I may even have some Boro biased commentary
Hacked in to the NASA super computer again. luckily it had save the algorithms I used last time. The calculations now say we will get 115 points and a goal difference of plus 65.
That means we would avoid the play offs.
What will be intriguing is that many of us have been thinking Braithwaite will leave, I am now hoping he stays. I do believe we need a couple of players in. If Fletcher and Johnson come good that will be a huge boost, Those three will be like new signings in my mind because I thought they would be leaving.
Great tipping, GHW, and an excellent tip-off on the documentary. I spent a very happy hour watching it today.
Watched the highlights on Quest and I must admit I didn’t time it but it made BBC coverage of us wall to wall. It showed our goals and Bristol hitting the woodwprk twice, a very brief interview Bristol manager. That was it, no discussion in the studio of the fact we were top or even the match.
Keep ignoring us because it seems to be working.
Comfirmation bias alert: Tony Pulis is doing a great job.
Andy R
As someone who casually rubbished TP two weeks ago on this blog, may I say that I was wrong.
The great difference in the overall character of the team, is, in my opinion, the fact that this manager has fashioned a defence which is talented, very large and imposing, and above all cannot be bullied.
I have already spoken of our great good luck in turning up two or three very good young players in Wing, Tavernier, Braithwaite, Fry, and there are more, Chapman, who must surely hit the gym to enjoy a great career.
Two things we must do, talk to Braithwaite seriously about staying this season, if it means money, then so be it.
The second thing is to keep searching the lower leagues, the gems are there to be found, (oh, and avoid the big clubs cast off’s, if they are any good they sell them to their mates) which obviously do not include us, we can be insulted by our friends, it’s more convenient.
After the Play-Off semis and summer sales, I’d lost faith myself but it’s edging back. Not so much in promotion but in the manager, who’s currently overachieving albeit only on a handful of games.
I was talking to Braithwaite after the game last Saturday and he was laughing smiling and was with his son in a relaxed atmosphere and seemed pleased to be at the Boro.
I hope he stays and from his demeanour I think he’s quite happy for now
OFB
Here here Andy R. He’s a pleasure to listen to. No bullshit, just good sense and lots of experience.
Being on the other side of the world, it’s hard to gauge the real atmosphere at the club but it seems to be very good and that is so often the key to success. Is that what our spies closer to the action are hearing?
Anyway, it would be hard to imagine a team working harder for each other. It was great to watch. Maybe we rode our luck a bit in the last quarter but that’s the way it goes. Somehow, the harder you work, the luckier you get.
UTB
Football is a simple game. 22 men kick a ball around a field for 90 minutes and at the end of it all the team with the most possession loses.
Redcar Red’s long journey back from Bristol meant his match report arrived after I was already tucked up in bed after another rather long day of manual labour that was only interrupted by a break watching the mighty Boro’s less than laboured victory over the Robins. So here’s is RR’s view on a third win in a row…
https://diasboro.club/2018/08/19/bristol-city-0-2-boro/
I see the match via Riverside Live. We were excellent in the first half again. What a change it has been that we start the game actively and are off quickly. The first goal is priceless.
Nice to notice we can now pick-up points from the better teams, too. We have now beaten three top ten teams from last season. Well done.
As ever, RR has made an excellent report. I need to correct the name of the Bristol keeper thought. He is Finnish and the last name is spelled Mäenpää. But you need a proper key boad to get it right!
Let’s enjoy the season now. Average points per game is 2,5 which is good. Let’s it will be at least 2,0 in May.
Up the Boro, the Boro is going Up!
Jarkko: letters with accents such as ä, ö & ü can be reproduced on ANY keyboard provided you know the correct ALT + three- or four-digit codes. 😉
Stircrazy, I know, I tried to be polite to RR 😇.
BTW, they are not accents in our language, just different letters. Mika Häkkinen was a two time World Champion in Formula 1 and was ofter misspelt Hakkinen. We have also people who has that as a last name in Finland: Häkkinen and Hakkinen are two different names! So one cannot really leave the dots away 😅.
Anyway, Up the Boro!
Super match report RR. Thank you for fleshing out the detail for those of us relying on 45 seconds of in depth coverage from Quest. It’s encouraging to hear that even if we are not dominating possession we look confident and in control. Regardless of any further incomings, this may well be an exciting season for us after all.
RR,
A quality report, thank you. I followed the game on BBC’s football page for Boro and the possession stats looked as if Bristol City wouldn’t give Boro the ball. Mind you the score works for me. Teesside against the world, the Championship and the media seems to be working and Mr Pulis appears to be managing to get extra effort from his ‘mini’ squad.
Against West Bromwich let’s hope they wish that they had saved a few goals and have run out supplies.
The highlights on the Sky website confused me too, for a Second I thought the first goal was the other way round with that BristolBoro strip.
A happy Sunday.
UTB,
John
I am afraid the views on TP are largely ingrained amongst all of us. I prefer to judge what he does for us.
I am happy as long as he does what he says he will do and have a squad including youngsters as well as trying to play some decent football. I find him refreshing in the press conferences.
If we switch to hoof ball I will be less enamoured.
Apart from the Swansea v Leeds game in midweek there are a few other Championship games of interest, albeit morbidly admittedly.
Rotherham are at home to 1 point Hull, no points QPR are at home to Bristol, Mogga’s high flying Rovers are at home to no points Reading, one point Wednesday are at home to handy Millwall and even two point Stoke at home to mid table (4 point) Wigan looks interesting should it end with an away win.
I wonder what the Championship record is for a Managerial sacking or even collective sackings? I can imagine some supporters and Chairmen becoming very anxious and worried already with perhaps a tipping point arriving midweek.
Looks like Stoke are doing the same mistake as we did in 2017 and Aston Villa in 2016. Spent a lot of money on new players and have a poor start to the season. I rather have four correct additions than ten new players just to add numbers. It takes half a year to gel – ask Karanka about summer 2016!
Up the Boro!
An observation on the forthcoming West Brom game this Friday.
Despite their resounding second half walloping of Schteeve’s boys yesterday their GD is exactly the same as Boro because they seemingly have a porous back line. Their GD reads, Goals for 13 but goals against 7 contrasted with Boro’s 8 for and 2 against.
Should make for an interesting evening as I doubt we will be as disorganised or as generous at the back as QPR and we now seemingly are obligated to always score goals in games.
Great read RR, is like to pick up on what you say about Randolph.
Our first goal came from
‘a ball delivered in from Randolph from wide right in his own half’.
The next paragraph begins:
‘The feat was nearly repeated a few minutes later when another hopeful punt up field from Randolph’ and followed soon with ‘anxiety in the Bristol box, {..} made even worse by Randolph’s long punts.’
Our keeper may not have the greatest delivery, something which has been flagged up on here before.
However I don’t believe his punts, especially when delivered from outside his area and nearly on the wing, are anything but ‘hopeful’. I’d suggest they are strategic.
Having seen him do this at Millwall in the late stages of the game, it is clearly something which has been established on the training ground.
Playing balls from a wide position in to a central one in their area is a percentage ball which mitigates his less than Beckham deliveries, while still, as you say, causes problems for the opposition.
TP has essentially weaponised Randolph, which isn’t something I ever thought I’d find myself writing.
Yes it’s more carpet bombing than sniping, but as Randolph can arguably claim an assist, I’m not going to be snipe at the method, and certainly not the result.
A clean sheet, two away goals and top of the league. More of the same, please.
Is Randolph the new Souness? 🙂
So the good start continues, better than any of us expected I guess, certainly better than I’d expected and I was pretty optimistic coming into the season. Well done to TP and the team, and to any Boro fan that made the long trip to Bristol.
Meanwhile, I guess someone’s got to present the counter-argument, so a short run through our team in praise of our recruitment & commercial department.
Randolph has been a good acquisition. Dimi was also a great buy, one of those plucked from the lower leagues. He was fantastic in our promotion season.
The full backs. Well views vary on Shotton but he certainly helped to shore-up a leaky defense when he arrived and he’s started this season well. I don’t think anyone could argue Friend hasn’t been a good buy, another plucked from the lower leagues for peanuts. Perhaps to be picky we should have sold him a couple of years ago when his stock was high, but you’d have to consider this good business overall.
The centre backs. According to some we always leave our transfer business too late …except the facts sometimes get in the way of that familiar complaint. This year we got in early with Aden Flint. Too early to tell of course, but he has the feel of a very good buy who will become a very popular player. Despite his injury record you’d have to say Ayala has also been a good buy, with long periods of excellence interrupted by his injury woes.
In midfield. Well I’d have Clayton down as terrific business. Leadbitter too although we’ve perhaps seen the best of him now. Lewis Wing looks a good signing from non-league Shildon. We might have expected a bit more from Howson but he certainly hasn’t been a disaster and appears to be playing well so far this season. I’m not sure there’s any player that divides opinion on Teesside more than Stewart Downing but certainly his earlier sale represented excellent business (brought through the academy then sold for big money). Whether we’ve had enough value from his return seems to spark lots of debate, but I would argue that we’re probably on the plus side of the ledger.
Forwards…always the trickiest buy. Well Adama would have to go down as good business, sold for close to 3 times what we paid for him within a 2 year period…not to mention the excitement and enjoyment he brought whilst he was here. Braithwaite’s a trickier one to judge. He started well last year as well and then faded. Could be the Manager’s didn’t fancy him, could be he’s just an August player, only time will tell. And of course Britt who has scored 31 in 57 starts according to AV, and yet still people complain.
So whilst I acknowledge there’s been many unsuccessful signings, I think it’s difficult to make the case that we are completely hopeless at buying and selling players. The evidence of the current team seems to paint a slightly different picture.
I struggle a little more to come up with a list of successful loans (which we are now pinning our hopes on). But apparently Besic was OK last saeson (I never saw him play). Two more that spring to mind from our promotion season were Bamford and Gaston Ramires (who was the difference between promotion and another near miss for my money…obviously before it all turned sour!).
Interested in others thoughts.
Interesting views on our signings over the past few years and none really that I would disagree with.
I’ve just finished another In2Views with Neil Maddison and he rated Johnny Howson as our best player. There are a few other ex Boro players who rate him highly as well
OFB
Well put Kookabora and a well timed balance to the debate. Very hard to disagree with any of that. As always the reality is always somewhere between the ideal we imagine and the and the mistakes we find easier to recall.
I think success like failure is relevant to whatever the benchmark is. If we are comparing our signing successes to say Derby, Villa, Preston, Norwich or say a Hull or Sheffield club then we look good.
If the benchmark is Watford, Leicester, Bournemouth, Brighton, Burnley, Wolves, Fulham or even say Huddersfield then I think its been poor, in fact very poor. Of course the selection and recruitment of Management is also critical in all of this, in fact probably more so than the selection and recruitment of the Players to which I would use the same benchmark and would definitely have the same conclusion.
TP may be the exception to the above for Boro and a turning point. That was certainly the intention when appointed and like him or loathe him he is getting more from less. The problem is of course will he be backed or backed into a corner and then we start the whole process again.
There is 40% of the Premiership in that list above that we have been in the same League and rubbed shoulders with in the Championship and with whom we have been there or thereabouts with them over recent years apart from our ill fated Premiership year which was probably a perfect example of what not to do and how to not go about doing it.
I heartily agree with all Kookaboro’s list of players but the deeper problem for me is that the majority of them are great signings for a club happy to be around the top end or thereabouts of the Championship. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that many would say but if those 8 clubs could do it then why haven’t we?
And so say all of us!! Mr Gibson has not and will not let us know why we have failed.
Nobody really likes to put their hand up and say “I go it wrong”
Just a quick observation, 32 Red must hold the record for most teams sponsored in a league. Every time I watch a game in the championship their name seems to be on on of the teams shirts.
Thank you RR for filling in the gaps with your match report.
I was out shopping with Mrs OFB when I received a text with a live link to the game. Retired to the car to see the second goal then the link was pulled
Listened to second half on Radio Tees and the 10 second highlights on Quest were laughable !
So thank you for that it’s appreciated
OFB
Agreed, a great report, RR, and far better than any of the national coverage of the game by either print or visual media. Much appreciate all of your commitment and hard work.
Excellent report thank RR. I watched via Riverside Live and felt that the first half was a solid and disciplined performance with two well taken goals. BC had a lot of the ball but did very little with it and reminded me a little of our windscreen wiper games. The second half was less comfortable and we rode our luck – twice.
MoM is a difficult one as there was hard work and endeavour throughout. SD just shades it for me as it was perhaps one of his best contributions for a long while.
A word of caution, we have, as yet, not met what I consider to be a top six side and our real season begins this weekend and next.
At present we have a weaker squad and remember our record last season when playing the top sides!
2.55 in this clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mccvFYIQKs
Randolph has come on to replace Boro ex Shay Given. And it’s Boro’s current No. 1 who sets up the winner for Shane Long against the then World Champions.
Going back nearly thirty years…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTbmm0MCAt8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zux93NfUoy0
Nothing like a good old Packie Bonner punt to create havoc.
Ugly the football may have been, but Ireland felt like they were going somewhere and the fans were happy. That’s what mattered.
Did you know that you can choose where a YouTube video starts by adding to the URL ?start=x – where ‘x’ is the time in seconds. So I could start your clip at 2:50 by adding
?start=170to the end of the YouTube URL – see belowhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mccvFYIQKs?start=170?rel=0
Note: I also usually add
?rel=0on the end of the URL too as this also stops the related videos appear at the end.Been back on the manual labour since 8am this morning so just sat down with a beer to catch up on the blog. Many thanks to RR for managing another great report after what must have been some road trip to Bristol and back – sadly the Diasboro helicopter was being serviced after waiting too long over Hurworth in seach of loan signings
I literally sat down yesterday as the game kicked off and was beginning to drift off after the first ten minutes in which very little happened – then was all of a sudden caught by surprise by Braithwaite’s well taken goal. The rest of the Boro players seemed to have a good relationship with the Dane judging by the goal celebration.
Britt’s goal also came from a great move and good ball in from Downing, who I thought was MOM for me (again) – he certainly seems to be rolling back the years, maybe all he needed was some mountain air.
What was refreshing to see was as Downing drove forward out wide and then passed it inside, there was Wing also driving forward from central midfield. This is a major change from what we have seen in recent years and this is what Lewis Wing has added. It’s far better than the usual bump up the pass-completion stats by basically doing nothing with the ball that worries the opposition.
I also agree that I never really felt worried by Bristol City’s possession – they carried very little threat except for the time they hit the post.
So onwards and upwards as they say – and a great and unexpected start to the season!
Werder, for what it’s worth, Tim Nash (a new name to me) in his report on the match in the Sunday Times agrees with you. The headline to his report is “Downing pulls the strings to keep Middlesbrough on top”; he was the star man on 8. Other ratings for the players who played most of the match (most of which support RR’s assessment): Dael, Clayts, Martin & Britt also 8; Randoph, Shotton, Flint, Howson, Friend all 7; Wing 6.
Just a note for your diaries. When Middlesbrough FC play their last league game of the season away to Rotherham United on the 5th May it will be Boro’s 4,500th league game. Just for the record before this season started Boro had played 4,454, Won 1,678 Drawn 1,103 Lost 1,673 Goals 6,545-6,356.
Wouldn’t it be fitting to gain promotion on that day, although a pity it won’t be at home!
Thanks for the alternative match report RR, especially after the long haul that you and many other supporters made. The win will of softened the journey back I hope….what is it 5/6 hours??
I watched through the MFC online stream service and linked it to my TV. Good picture but no commentary and only had to refresh about four times. I did also have Radio Tees but unfortuanately it was about 30 seconds ahead so I turned that off.
My MOtM was Fry, best game to date for me and if he continues his progression under TP could be better than Ben. Also TP kept him on the left after stopping him over last week. I would also like to add that as much as I have berated SD in the past, he has played very well this season, as have all those that have played in the 3 1/2 games so far.
I also have to agree with KP in that we have as yet played any of the teams we all probably expect to be in the top 6/8 places. WBA could be a stern test and denfinately Leeds away. Can we get anything from those games, can we get a win at home next Friday?
The ticking clock is getting louder as the end of the month draws closer and still no strong rumours apart from TP still wanting Bolasie and possibly Besic. As it is now down to a season loan probably or a loan to buy for Besic may be the right deal can be done. However I just cannot see how we can afford the former with his wages never mind loan fee. We could buy a younger cheaper and probably more reliable wide man for his cost. Also he thinks he is PFL class so would be doing us a favour not the other way round.
The one area that I still think is obviously missing even though we have played really well in parts, is in the middle. Besic May answer that, but we still need a little more creativity even with Braithwaite. Now he were to leave, we could really be stuck.
Finally credit to TP, I thought the players chased, hassled and ran their hearts out yesterday. Not sure they could have done that a year ago.
Pedro,
Not so much a clock, it’s more like ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’!
UTB,
John
Great Film with Vincent Price ….Jarsue
I watched it at the Elite Cinema in the Boro. Brilliant stuff. The Tell-tale heart next…
UTB,
John
SmoggyInExile has touched directly upon the topic of my next Talking Point. I did some more writing for it today… I should be able to polish it off tomorrow evening. (Eoin Hand and TSF are among my references.)
Been in Derry this weekend – it was something of a Derry Girls weekend as writer Lisa McGee and three of the stars (Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Jamie Lee O’Donnell and Terry Keeley) returned home to appear at the Brian Friel Festival, Lisa in a talk, the actors in a recital.
Said recital was a strong presentation of Friel’s adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters. The theme of creative idealism submerged by routine conformity is something I think we can all relate to. But what I also liked about it was its stripped down nature – aesthetics didn’t matter as the actors and actors alone virtually pulled it off themselves with the bare minimum of props. A effective *and* simple production once made complicated by people who should have known better, as Mr. Shankly might have said.
Problems for Friday.
We are staying at my sons flat in Angel, London. He is at Helmsley for the weekend.
We are going to see a show, Young Frankenstein. It was a Mel Brooks film in the early seventies, without doubt the funniest film I have ever seen. It may because I watched it in student flee pit in Leeds but 20 years later it had my son crying with laughter.
We planned for Saturday but we can save money going Friday. £30 is not to be sniffed at.
Ian,
I can’t help but replace the lyric, ‘Gary’, with, ‘Colin’, when singing along..
Enjoy the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmvuRJzads4
I saw the stage show the weekend we beat QPR. I’m a fan of the movie and the production closely follows the original film script.
The scene shown here where
Frankensteen dances with his Monster is actually better on the stage.
Talking of cinemas in Middlesbrough can anyone add to this list that I remember from my youth?
Odeon, Elite, Gaumont, Palladium, Regent, Electric, Majestic, Pavilion, ABC. I’ve a feeling there might have been a couple more, any ideas?
The Lyric
Forum at Normanby
Scala near the old baths
UTB,
John
Hi, Ken I remember the Gem in the high st/king st North Ormesby
Ken,
Saturday nights Evening Gazette, in the 1950’s, used to preview the films showing at every cinema on Teesside. Check the archive and you’ll have definitive listing.
UTB,
John
That should read ‘Saturday night’s’ and ‘1950s’. I don’t want the apostrophe police knocking on the door in the dead of night.
Usherettes will now visit all parts of the cinema.
UTB,
John
Choc Ice or Sky Ray?
The Little Theatre used to show some films occasionally.
There was also drama and excitement at Ayresome Park. If not films but live teatre, me thinks.
BTW, we are still top of the division. Where is everyone when we are winning and comfortably. Let’s enjoy. Fridays is soon here.
Up the Boro!
Empire / the Majestic and the Hippodrome , South Bank where Paul Daniels father worked at all three over a period.
Also in Middlesbrough / The Marlborough ( which had the largest balcony seating of any cinema in the town ) The Hippodrome / The Essoldo / Pavilion Newport Road also Pavillion North Ormesby. The Elite renamed ABC was reopened in 1965 and was redesigned like some of the West End cinemas in London. Without a doubt it was the best cinema experience in Middlesbrough. Sad to see the state that it is in now.
My cousin was the projectionist at The ABC, and his Mam was an Usherette.
Jarkko
Given our pre-season worries, I think some of us are in shock (in a good way).
A win on Friday and avoiding defeat at Leeds would, perhaps, convince us that we are real contenders in the promotion stakes.
I’d still like to see a couple of new faces in before the loan window closes.
I know and totally agree with you about the need for some extra players. A right back, attacking midfielder, a decent winger are absolute minimum – and hoping no-one leaves.
If Fletcher or Johnson leaves, we need more coming in. And I still wouldn’t mention our Danish striker ….
But we look a bit like Cardiff last season. Wenare able to grind results and are not bullied apart. We have a better team on paper than Cardiff had last season and we should make a few loan signings still. Hopefully loans are with an intention to sign permanately in January. The loan system does not always work as the player needs to move family temporarely and is not as committed to the loan club.
Anyway, there should be credit given to TP and his team now we have started the matches and the league well. We are off the blocks quicker than ever since Moggga took over.
Up the Boro!
Was there also the Hippodrome? I seem to remember that the Odeon was perhaps the largest, queued with my wife to see the first James Bond film Dr. No there. The Elite and Gaumont were almost opposite each other on Linthorpe Road. The Electric somewhere near the Baths? The Regent was on Parliament Road and the Pavilion on Newport Road towards Newport where the the old lamplighter used to ride his bike carrying a long pole to light the gas street lights.
The Electric in Grangetown I believe is where Paul Daniel’s father Hughie was the projectionist. In Redcar the Central apparently was the Railway Terminus pre-War and under the same management as the Regent until it was ravaged by fire. When rebuilt it opened with The Robe starring Richard Burton and Victor Mature and later with South Pacific. The Regent introduced Saturday morning children’s matinees, and we all took our toy pistols to shoot at the screen – pandemonium at times with the manager appearing on the stage threatening to empty the cinema. The Palace with entrances from the Esplanade and a courtyard just off the High Street became a Bingo Hall and the Majestic on South Avenue Dormanstown was known as the ‘flea pit’.
The New Regent on the Esplanade was formerly a theatre known as the New Pavilion formerly known as the ‘glass house’ because that’s what it was until a brick building was erected around it. It was very popular in the winter with stage productions of Agatha Christie thrillers, but even more so in the summer with Barry Wood’s theatre productions of Radio Thymes which changed its programmes midweek so that weekly holidaymakers could see two shows. It was the start of the career for the Dallas Boys and introduced an Al Jolson lookalike called Tommy Packham. However its biggest star was Billy Breen who eventually changed his name to Larry Grayson and many of his catchphrases emanated from his time at Redcar. “Shut that Door” because of the former glass structure. ‘Slack Alice’ was a tough lady coal merchant from nearby Warrenby. He put down his rise to stardom from his years in Radio Thymes at Redcar and when he died left a £2,000 bequest to Redcar RNLI.
On to football matters now although in a frivolous manner, many a time my mates and I used to name a team from local department stores. Obviously the goalkeeper had to be Woolworth, the fullbacks Marks and Spencer, the centre backs Dickson and Benson, and the three midfielders Freeman, Hardy and Willis. That left Binns and Debenham as wingers but the centre forward was always a problem. Boots seemed an appropriate name, but then I thought of Jack Hatfield.
You can tell I’m already bored with no midweek football or Rugby League, but I guess I must be feeling a bit better. Just catching up with Diasboro so belated thanks to Redcar Red for ‘proper’ reports of Boro’s last two matches.
I worked at the Regent from 1967 to 77
The Hippodrome became the Showboat nightclub.
South American superstar DOLCIS at centre forward.
And in the midfield Freeman, Hardy and Willis
UTB,
John
Sorry ken, Your post has just appeared on my screen. cancel my midfield. I’d Hintons and Pybus on the wings. Anyone remember Pybus’?
UTB,
John
I suspect that the loans and incomings are under reassessment considering the start we have had. TP has always been a fan of a tight knitted unit rather than a huge squad trying hard to involve everyone and keeping them all happy. Thats probably because the type of Clubs he has managed have rarely been involved in lots of Domestic and European competitions so a big squad and rotation not required, injuries permitting.
The five or six players may now be only three or four based on the assumption that Wing looks to be holding his own while Clayts, Downing and Howson seem to have stepped up a level. If Braithwaite stays (quite possible considering he is in the starting eleven and his place is now his to lose) then I’m guessing his place in the squad is one of the positions that was originally earmarked to be filled.
Johnson and Fletcher were probably deemed surplus and possibly still are but if the right upgrade incomings are not available then they will be retained. Britt is doing the business and with Gestede and Hugill to come back thats the Strikers covered. As young as he is Wood may be deemed enough to get through a two or three game suspension of injury ravaged spell at CB.
My thoughts are that RB and LB are seen as the crucial positions that need cover and Mahmutovic may now even be seen as a possibility to cover at RB and CB. The squad is thin but I can’t see too many signings arriving that will go straight in as first choice unless West Brom and Leeds destroy us. The next two games will be telling in what reinforcements arrive but either way I wouldn’t be surprised if we only see one or two.
Have just read Braveheart’s blog and I bow to his recollections.
The Grand Electric as it was known Ken was on the block just west of Binns (House of Fraser) and the Scala just opposite the Electric.
AV is reporting that Boro are closing in on Yannick Bolasie with the Everton winger understood to be at Rockliffe for talks.
Up the Boro!
I tried posting a photo of him and TP but couldn’t get it to show
Yes it’s true
IMG_1287.JPG
Bolassie at Rockliffe with TP
Can confirm Yannick Bolasie is holding face-to-face talks with Tony Pulis at the Middlesbrough training ground today. The Everton winger travelled to Teesside and stayed at Rockliffe last night. Season-long loan (perhaps with option to buy) being discussed.
Redcar, I have to agree to your overall take on the loanees position. I just cannot see 5 or 6 being brought in now, that amount of quality does not seem to be available.
I did think we would need another CB, especially if we continue to utilise the three at the back system which has worked effectively when used to date and thought Kalas would be a good addition as he can also play RB. ( no disrespect but I do not think George is a CB) However if TP sticks to only two CB’s in a flat back 4, then another will not be needed as he has already stated to.
Another in midfield is a must and one who can pass the ball forward and through the middle to the number 9 or 10. Someone wide on the right and cover at LB is more essential than at RB probably. Forwards, if we keep Braithwaite and Hugill comes good and TP and Britt do not fall out, then I think we have enough. I would even keep Fletcher over Gestede.
Injuries are a problem to cover for. Too many players and few injuries can cause unrest, too few players and a number of injuries and suspensions later in the season could give TP a big headache.
Most of us thought Fletcher, Braithwaite and Johnson were leaving so Redcar Red’s summing up looks to be spot on.
Oddly the biggest loss would be Braithwaite if he went. As long as he stays committed to the cause he is welcome to stay in my view.
What is interesting is that TP seems to be able to get people to play for him.
In January he reduced the squad size so several went out on loan. He brought Adama, Paddy and Clayts back in from the cold. This season Britt, Braithwaite, Downing, Fletcher look to be playing better.
Let’s hope it continues.
Man-management does seem to be one of TP’s major strengths. Adama was a revelation when Pulis took over and this season Howson, Downing and Braithwaite all look better than previous recent history, indeed even Clayton is looking far more assured. Most of that I think is having a clearly defined game plan and a system that the players all know exactly what it is and what their roles are in it.
It appears that Bolasie and Besic may be arriving after all and if we could add Kalas to them it gives cover across the back and with a player who knows the Championship, the club and who the fans trust and warmed to previously. With Downing, Tavernier, Chapman and Johnson that gives wide options and I’d now also include Walker after his County Cameo but the likelihood is that one or more of the youngsters will go out on loan for game time.
I’m a little uncomfortable about the “quoted” costs for some of the incomings and how it could perhaps be unsettling and destabilising but TP is an experienced Manager and if you can’t trust a sixty year old bloke to know what he’s doing then who can you trust?
On the plus side like Besic from last season TP knows Bolasie from working together previously. On a similar vein although not having worked with TP its why I think Kalas would be a shrewd acquisition as I think his previous Boro involvement and personality would dovetail nicely with the current set up.
Can also confirm a deal in principle is in place to take Everton midfielder Mo Besic to Middlesbrough on loan. The Bosnian was at Rockliffe for talks last night and has returned to the North West to sort out an issue with Everton – but a loan deal looking likely.
Jason Puncheon Crystal Palace a target for Boro
Redcar Red
I keep telling my family the same about me because I am in my sixties.
The view is I dont know what I am doing unless it is putting my hand in my pocket, fixing things, sorting problems out, helping with moving, arranging trips, cooking, giving advice, directions, picking up and dropping off, general taxi duties, etc.
The rest of the time I am fairly useless.
Ian
The bits about fixing things, sorting problems out, helping with moving, arranging trips, giving advice, directions almost sound like TP’s Boro Job Description.
With age comes wisdom but unfortunately as my dear old Gran used to say “Youth is wasted on the young” !
Its bad enough signing injured players so if we are in for Puncheon I hope he has completed his Community Service before he joins us!
Let us get the win on Friday , before the great upheaval comes.
As the rumours of imminent arrivals start to gather pace, will Tony Pulis be hopeful that a deal can indeed be done. Much may depend on the quality of the tattoos on offer and whether any of the Boro manager’s Instagram videos become viral. Anyway, here is my take on events for the Week 4 discussion blog before they get superseded by real news…
https://diasboro.club/2018/08/20/2018-19-week-04-the-art-of-signing-players/