It’s not clear how long Steve Gibson and Tony Pulis had to wait before they got to share that famous bottle of red but the Boro chairman has announced this Friday that there will be no more glasses raised next season. The decision won’t have come as a shock to most on Teesside as it seems the local media had been tipped off well in advance of any official club statement. So in the end, the argument that a seventh-place finish was a worthy achievement under the tough financial constraints, which possibly some automatic promotion winners could only dream of, was placed in the context it demanded. Incidentally, given the parody of Steve Gibson as Henry VIII in the ‘Man for all seasons‘ piece of a few weeks ago, today rather ironically coincides with the anniversary of the execution of Anne Boleyn.
It’s probably fair to say that football is ultimately a results-based business and Tony Pulis will know deep down that his team fell short of the expectations of both supporters and chairman alike. Nevertheless, as the year started, an automatic spot was still a distinct possibility, which the recruitment of “leg-beater” Rajiv van La Parra from Huddersfield to add much needed pace and the classy experience of John Obi Mikel was hoped would help achieve it. Indeed, come mid-January, Boro were only four points behind second placed Sheffield United and third-placed Norwich, with the thought that once the new recruits were match fit they would help the team kick on.
The 5-0 thrashing of Peterborough in the FA Cup was possibly optimistically taken by some as a sign that the shackles were maybe about to come off. Sadly, the next round against Tony’s home-town club Newport proved that not to be the case and the meek exit in the replay was perhaps a sign of what was to come in the league campaign. The football had been far from convincing but Boro had ended February by losing just one of their eight games of 2019 against in-form Sheffield United. Although, perhaps it was that 11th-minute injury time equaliser by Leeds that was to put an end to automatic promotion hopes.
Then a disastrous March began with a goalless draw against a struggling Wigan side that was then followed by four losses, which continued into April to make it six defeats on the spin. Boro had dropped down the table to eighth and even the play-offs were beginning to look gone. To their credit, Boro rallied and won five of their not particularly demanding looking last six fixtures. However, it was not enough and the damage had already been done with what was regarded as a too cautious an approach at home by many supporters. OK, Boro had been the victim of a few bad decisions and defensive injuries had left the team in makeshift mode. Still, it was scoring goals that had been the main reason why Tony Pulis and his team found themselves finishing outside the play-offs and whilst the manager was not responsible for the misses, he played a significant part in the overall failure of the team to trouble the opposition defences.
So now that Tony Pulis has gone and we await news of who will be leading the new regime at the club, here is part two of the season review and a summary of how the last 20 league games of the Welshman’s tenure panned out through the words of own Diasboro match reporter, Redcar Red and the post-match comments of Tony himself. What is evident is the sense of frustration of both men as the season and indeed promotion increasingly began to drift away from Boro.
| January… | W1 : D2 : L0 : F4 : A3 : 5/9pts |
26. Pride restored at the Park
| Pos. 6th (43pts) | TUESDAY 1 JANUARY 2019 | Pos. 5th (43pts) | ||
| Derby | 1-1 | Boro | ||
| Wilson (2) | 62% 8(2) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
38% 11(2) |
Hugill (52) |
RR: After an horrendous start, looking punch drunk and out on their feet for the opening twenty minutes or so Boro fought back bravely and arguably were unlucky not to have collected all three points in the end. There were some very strong and committed performances notably from Howson, Friend, Hugill, Ayala, Batth, Fry and Randolph back to his best kept us in it but MOM for me was Lewis Wing who was out on his feet come the final whistle. That sleepy start for which I’m sure TP will not be holding back from when holding accountability forced Boro to put in their best performance for months to maintain their credible away form. I would like to hope that it showed Pulis that the limitations he thinks we have are perhaps not as severe as he believes and with Tav and now VLP could actually be much better.
TP: We were disappointed to lose Aden just before kick-off, that was a massive blow, and I think we started like it. We were very much on the back foot at the back. They got the goal after two minutes but the response of the players was fabulous and I think we took control then for long periods and Danny Batth’s chance was the best of the game and he should score. The players have worked tremendously hard, especially after such an early setback. To give them a leg-up you think ‘blimey, this is going to be a long afternoon’ but they showed great character and the midfielders swarmed all over Derby at times.
FA Cup 3rd Round Five star Posh pushover
| SATURDAY 5 JANUARY 2019 | ||||
| Boro | 5-0 | Peterborough | ||
| Assombalonga (47, 70) Friend (50) Wing (62) Fletcher (87) |
64% 10(7) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
36% 9(1) |
|
RR: MOM was Lewis Wing who came on and changed the entire game but Grant was also worthy of a mention for his reading of the game and spreading the ball around. McNair had a strange game; he had a few wobbly runs that came to nothing but was always full of running and looked far better and coherent when he had Wing to link up with (as did everyone else to be honest). In a strange way I felt that Paddy had shown something there that could maybe be tapped into further, especially with Lewis Wing in front. An underwhelming first half which just didn’t knit together up front at all and then a second half that was light years away from it, yielding a scoreline that nobody was expecting at half time and as a consequence the fourth round now beckons.
TP: The application of the players was very good. In the first half, we played with five forwards really with Tav and Rajiv out wide. They all pushed on, and if anything, I’ve made a mistake doing that because it blocked all the spaces we were really trying to use. Bringing Wingy on, and then pulling him and Grant out to play a bit more, sucked them on to us, and then there more spaces for us to play in. I think the big thing is we’ve scored five goals, and I’m really pleased with the attitude and application of the players. We played really well, especially second half. But we’re playing against a League One side, we’re not playing against a top Championship side.
27. Britt’s Wing Man breaks down Brum
| Pos. 8th (39pts) | SATURDAY 12 JANUARY 2019 | Pos. 5th (46pts) | ||
| Birmingham | 1-2 | Boro | ||
| Adams (79) | 55% 15(4) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
45% 8(5) |
Wing (37) Assombalonga (82) |
RR: Today was always going to be a tough game, away to a side that had only lost once at home this season and who will reasonably feel hard done to. A game which started dull increased in tempo with Boro deservedly going ahead. The arrival of Craig Gardiner changed the make-up of the second half with Boro initially starting the half confidently then literally clinging on just before and after the Evans equaliser. Out of the blue Wingy again produced a piece of magic to set Britt free to bring home the points totally against the run of play. Throughout the game there was great defending from Ayala and Batth. Fry and Friend done their bit at both ends, Wingy was superb as was Hugill’s battling (or battering despite his glaring miss). Britt started quietly once coming on but then started to cause problems and deserved his winner. Saville had a great first half albeit faded a little in the second or perhaps stood firm depending on your view point and what TP was asking of him. MOM had to be Wing, there were some good performances from those in Red but when the extra magic was needed Wingy was there!
TP: To come in just 1-0 up at half-time was a travesty. We should have been out of sight. We were by far the better team. I know we should have had two penalties so instead of being one up, we should have been three up at least. In the second half, they played very direct and we had to defend – and we did that ever so well. They’ve got a great goal and there were one or two other scares. But it was a great goal from Britt, too – he gets his chance and he finishes – and I think we deserved to win. Winning so well away from home shows the character of the team.
28. Lions versus Pulis Pussycats
| Pos. 5th (47pts) | SATURDAY 19 JANUARY 2019 | Pos. 19th (21pts) | ||
| Boro | 1-1 | Millwall | ||
| Hugill (90) | 59% 16(2) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
41% 7(3) |
Wallace (21) |
RR: Millwall were robbed and Pulis got a point when he weakly and negatively threw away all three before even a ball was kicked. MOM was Randolph and then VLP in the second half but who cares because having to sit through that farcical, incoherent steaming mess of a team selection had me considering a season ticket for Roseberry Park (or St. Lukes to most of us on here) rather than returning to the Riverside any time soon. So to summarise Millwall had some balls, put up a decent and credible show and were robbed at the end after thoroughly deserving all three points. In between Boro passed it sideways, backwards and sideways again, nobody made any runs off the ball to drag defenders wide or create anything other than offer a modern alternative to Mogadon. Next season I suggest that Steve Gibson offers a free Nitrazepam tablet instead of a free pint. This wasn’t negative football in the Karanka sense this was worse, much worse this was hard core garbage.
TP: I’m disappointed at the first half. We started slowly and looked nervous. The players have to play with the freedom they do away from home. I think some of them are a little bit affected maybe by the support but supporters pay good money to watch their team and they have a right to say what they want. You have to accept that as a player or a manager. The players kept going second half, kept at it. That’s one defeat in six games now, we just have to be more productive and more positive at home.
FA Cup 4th Round Exiled Dolan delivers bitter Pill
| SATURDAY 26 JANUARY 2019 | ||||
| Boro | 1-1 | Newport | ||
| Ayala (51) | 58% 19(4) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
42% 17(5) |
Dolan (90+3) |
RR: A strong Boro side should have blown their weaker opponents away but once again the familiar home frailties came to the fore by sitting deep and offering no credible attacking threat in open play apart from Wing having pot shots from distance and set pieces, who was MOM for Boro. Unfortunately, a draw was the last result Boro needed as they now face a trip to South Wales sandwiched in between a challenging run of Championship fixtures. A final word of congratulations goes to Michael Flynn and his side as they came to attack play football and were full value for the draw and indeed unlucky not to have put away some of their other gilt edged chances.
TP: I thought Newport played with great spirit and togetherness and they deserve all the credit that hopefully they will be given. The big disappointment for me was that we didn’t stop crosses – it was almost like we were quite happy for them to stick it in the box and there were lots of occasions we could have got our bodies in the way. It’s the first time Mikel’s had his boots on for a couple of months. John is a quality player, wonderful person, and he’ll be good for us but we’ve got to get him fit.
| February… | W3 : D1 : L1 : F7 : A4 : 10/15pts |
29. Britt brace throttles Throstles
| Pos. 4th (50pts) | SATURDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2019 | Pos. 5th (50pts) | ||
| West Brom | 2-3 | Boro | ||
| Rodriguez (42) Gayle (63) |
67% 19(6) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
33% 14(5) |
Saville (17) Assombalonga (75, 83) |
RR: In Typical Britt style he looked languid and slow at times when he came on but then he has that incredible knack of scoring and not just once but twice. Wing was as ever magnificent, Saville had another good game, Shotton was rock solid in his duties and Friend and Ayala battled away but the scene stealer was Assombalonga who has to be the MOM for launching Boro back level on points with West Brom instead of facing a six point gap. More importantly perhaps was maintaining a three point gap between us and the chasing pack of Bristol and Derby. For a neutral the game swayed and changed, twisted and turned but despite the Baggies dominance in the possession stats it was boring Tony Pulis and his sides three goals who had the widest smile. Perhaps Boro hanging on to Britt in the window was a shrewd bit of business after all for all concerned.
TP: Being unable to add to the squad [in the transfer window] was a disappointment for everybody but we’ve got a great, resilient group. The thing we’ve got to do is play with a little more confidence and a little bit more freedom, like we did today, at home. It meant a lot [to the supporters] because there’s been a real negative feeling around the place in respect of us not bringing players in and I just wanted to say thank you for supporting the lads and that’s what we need, irrespective of whether we bring them in or we don’t. They have a great young manager – Darren is a fabulous lad. I wish them all the best, but I don’t want them to finish above Middlesbrough.
FA Cup Replay A Bridge too far
| TUESDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2019 | ||||
| Newport | 2-0 | Boro | ||
| Willmott (47) Amond (67) |
44% 16(4) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
56% 13(1) |
|
RR: As Newport keeper Day collected another lacklustre Boro cross the fourth Official held up three agonising minutes but the reality was that if this Boro side had another three years they wouldn’t have scored, collectively they could have set a Teesside record in the Bongo club. Boro didn’t turn up, didn’t look interested or remotely bothered to the extent that it made me think they genuinely didn’t want any more cup games and certainly not against Man City. Was it a case of more important fish to fry and they or TP at least would rather Newport get some glory and benefit than Boro get demoralised and battered next round? At least the FA can’t take three points off us on this occasion for not turning up. MOM was 28 year old Robbie Willmott for Newport, there wasn’t a single Boro player worthy of any more than a 3/10 and that would be by far the most generous score. Let’s hope it was just a fitness training exercise with an eye on Saturday. The good news of the evening was that Joe Day’s wife was able to hang on until the final whistle as he sprinted off the pitch to be at her side which was more than Boro’s defence could manage.
TP: They were the better team, they ran all over us. It was men against boys. Forget the conditions, you have to match people and that’s the real disappointment. Give them credit, they were fantastic tonight and they deserve their win. The tempo of the game was really poor from us. I am desperately disappointed at the lack of real commitment. We were outfought and outplayed. We’ve been fantastic away from home this year. They have regularly turned up and put in performances but it’s different circumstances tonight and we never coped with it.
30. Sit back setback
| Pos. 5th (51pts) | SATURDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2019 | Pos. 1st (58pts) | ||
| Boro | 1-1 | Leeds | ||
| Wing (47) | 33% 9(3) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
67% 17(4) |
Philips (90+11) |
RR: The inevitable late equaliser finally came as Shotton managed a tired headed clearance to concede a corner, which resulted in an unmarked Phillips heading it in past Randolph and Clayts and Assombalonga who had retreated onto the goal line to send the away fans wild and sink Boro hearts. The game restarted but the whistle went within seconds and those three points suddenly now reduced to one. In balance and in fairness Leeds were worthy of a point but I walked away feeling that if only we had been more positive in our substitutions it could have been a different story. MOM was Howson but had Wing stayed on it may have been a close call and indeed Saville and JOM were also worthy contenders. A frustrating day but at least a decent game of football tinged with sadness and concern over Jack Clarke (who required lengthy treatment after collapsing on the bench) but finished off by the inevitable trouble caused in the town after the game with hordes of Police chasing around after Football Hooligans.
TP: In the first half we were the better team and our midfield players were fabulous. When we were attacking, we were having five or six players in the box and around that area, which was fantastic. We tired a bit in the second half, Leeds came into it as the game went on, and we certainly didn’t need to concede a goal from a set-play – something that’s really disappointed me.
31. Blunt Boro fall to the Blades
| Pos. 3rd (58pts) | WEDNESDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2019 | Pos. 6th (51pts) | ||
| Sheff Utd | 1-0 | Boro | ||
| Stearman (61) | 56% 15(5) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
44% 10(4) |
S/O Ayala (64) |
RR: The determined and bold attempt by Wilder of switching to three up front turned the game on its head from the first half where Boro had ended it looking comfortable. Those three Strikers roughed up and upset the Boro defence. The irony was that the goal came from a Pulis style set piece (remember them from August?). A disappointing evening for Boro that culminated with Flint crocked and Ayala now banned and any hopes of an automatic spot all but gone. MOM for me was JOM for his first half showing, nobody for Boro put in any sort of performance of note at all in the second half. A real test now lies ahead for TP to rally his troops after two successive disappointments. Suspensions and injuries have now ravaged his back line and he will struggle to put out any sort of defence against Blackburn on Sunday. Those on the bench tonight won’t have made his selection dilemma any easier and indeed a few on the pitch didn’t cover themselves in glory either.
TP: I’m really disappointed with the goal. I think the linesman’s decision for it to be a free-kick is shocking. If they’re going to give a free-kick for that then the lad who scored the goal has pushed and jumped on Dael and the referee’s in a great position to give it and doesn’t give it. It’s a free-kick every minute of the day. It was such a big game tonight and we have a referee who’s only refereed eight games in the Championship all season. You look around and you’ve got other referees who are refereeing Premier League games and dropping down – that’s not the referee’s fault, that’s the person in charge and that can’t be right. That’s not good enough.
32. Boro Renaissance at Rovers?
| Pos. 14th (43pts) | SUNDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2019 | Pos. 5th (54pts) | ||
| Blackburn | 0-1 | Boro | ||
| S/O Williams (45) | 49% 5(1) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
51% 26(7) |
Assombalonga (19) |
RR: One nil and all three points was a very good result and after a great first half, then an optimistic opening ten minutes of the second half, it saw us hanging in at times when we really should have put ten men Blackburn to the sword. Twenty-six efforts on the Blackburn goal yet only one goal to show for it were both great and disappointing in equal measure. MOM was a tough one but thankfully for all the right reasons this time. There were some solid defensive performances from the three, Saville was full of tireless running and made things tick as did Wing along with Howson down the right. Fletcher did well despite his eagerness to score saw him make a few poor finishing decisions but there was no doubt his running led to both the goal and the sending off. Britt ran a lot more than usual, did some sterling defensive work and scored, Besic was calm and measured but the one who shaded it for me was Mikel, he was majestic in the middle, routinely broke things up, shielded his defence and set up attacks.
TP: I’m pleased. I don’t want to take the gloss off it because I thought we were very good today, but to get 27 shots on goal and just score one goal is something I’ve kept harping on about since I joined the football club. We’ve got to be more clinical in front of goal. We had really good opportunities to get the second one, and if you get the second one it’s game over and you can relax a little bit. What we’ve got to do is replicate the intensity we showed against Leeds for home games for the rest of the season and that gives us a chance.
33. Stroll in the Sun
| Pos. 5th (57pts) | SATURDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2019 | Pos. 18th (39pts) | ||
| Boro | 2-0 | QPR | ||
| Howson (2) Fletcher (32) |
45% 10(4) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
55% 9(4) |
|
RR: It ended two nil with Boro rarely looking to get out of second gear and almost disappointing after the swashbuckling start, which had graduated into overcomplicating things. But it’s a home win and three points are three points so job done. MOM was difficult since there were no poor performances and indeed some very commendable ones across the pitch. Besic was much improved though not without a few of those special Mo moments, Howson was excellent as was Wing. Saville stuck to his task on the left, Shotton was a colossus in the middle of the back three but Dael Fry looked like a young Franz Beckenbauer. He was winning aerial challenges with ease, dribbling the ball out of defence assuredly on numerous occasions and perhaps should consider having a go himself rather than passing it in the last twenty yards.
TP: It’s a great result. QPR are not as bad a team as some people think. They’ve got some good players and they played some good stuff at times. Besic and Jon Obi really controlled the game. They’re two good players, when they’re playing like that. I thought Dael Fry was the best player on the pitch. Once Ashley Fletcher scores the second goal, it was just a case of managing the game. Again, the end-of-term report, if you like, is that we’ve missed four or five really good opportunities. But we’ve only lost one game this calendar year in the league, and that was away to Sheffield United with ten men. The boys deserve a tap on the back for that.
| March… | W0 : D1 : L4 : F2 : A8 : 1/15pts |
34. Profligate Boro draw a blank
| Pos. 19th (36pts) | SATURDAY 2 MARCH 2019 | Pos. 5th (58pts) | ||
| Wigan | 0-0 | Boro | ||
| 49% 6(2) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
51% 15(1) |
||
RR: Boro had their chances but our finishing was woeful and not for the first time our strikers needed far too many chances to convert. A point was a disappointment as reality sunk in that this result pretty much made any hopes of a top two spot now a forlorn hope. MOM was undoubtedly Howson who was head and shoulders above everyone else in a Red shirt. We had spells of pressure in a scrappy game that we should have won but poor finishing was our Achilles heel as storm Freya was about to make the journey back across the A66 even more dramatic than our shots on target.
TP: I can’t fault the effort and the commitment. The quality of the chances we created was good but we didn’t take them. Four times we could have played people in but overplayed the pass and it’s that quality in the final third that we need to improve on, but it’s difficult to criticise them. There’s a long way to go in the season and we have got to give it our best. We’ve fallen short not on effort or commitment, but on quality.
35. Bees sting substandard Boro
| Pos. 5th (58pts) | SATURDAY 9 MARCH 2019 | Pos. 12th (49pts) | ||
| Boro | 1-2 | Brentford | ||
| Fletcher (6) | 37% 19(6) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
63% 14(3) |
Shotton (70 o.g.) Benrahma (73) |
RR: Brentford had beaten Boro on Teesside for the first time since before the Second World War and deservedly so. With three whole minutes of the ninety remaining Tavernier was introduced to add that pace and urgency that we had been missing all afternoon and who knows what on earth he was supposed to achieve with the game all but over. However, the lad did try valiantly and he did have a few link-ups with both Wing and Friend but his arrival from the bench was so late it was farcical. There wasn’t a MOM for Boro because that would imply that someone played well when in fact so many were well below par. It was a collective nightmare made worse by a ridiculous and negative tactical managerial decision in a crucial part of the game which handed the initiative to the visitors when they clearly already had it.
TP: We’re disappointed obviously but Brentford are a good side. We got off to a great start, then we should have had a penalty – one of three definite penalties. Refs have to get those decisions right and how he’s got that wrong I don’t know. He has a clear view and that’s three definite penalties in a home game and we didn’t get any. I think the results this weekend have given everyone near the top of the table a bit of zip but we’ve just got to get as many points as possible in the remaining games.
36. Ref Justice at the Riverside
| Pos. 5th (58pts) | WEDNESDAY 13 MARCH 2019 | Pos. 9th (54pts) | ||
| Boro | 1-2 | Preston | ||
| Fletcher (32) S/O Ayala (61) |
40% 22(4) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
60% 17(6) |
Gallagher (63) Stockley (81) |
RR: Tav had come on for Mikel with five minutes remaining as we threw caution to the wind but there wasn’t enough time or even energy left to rescue anything. Our futile persistent passing around the Preston box was rubbed in our noses by that deflected “offside” goal. Shooting creates chances and passing simply retains possession in non-dangerous areas. Despite destroying Preston in the first half we just didn’t possess that instinctive killer touch. Disappointing and unfair in equal measure but that’s been the story of a season of wasted opportunity. MOM would have been Howson who ran all night but it was he who put Ayala in trouble leading up to the sending off so I’m giving it to Besic despite the state of my undergarments.
TP: I think it’s a poor decision [Ayala red card]. He’s miles away from it and he’s got people between him an the ball. How he makes that decision, a game-changing decision, from where he is, is just astonishing for me. In my opinion he’s made a shocking decision tonight. Dani is disappointed because he slides in, he definitely sides in, but he takes the ball with one foot, not two feet. People will say it’s aggressive but it’s a game of challenges, football. They scored the goal from a free-kick that shouldn’t have been a free-kick. Even if we get Dani sent off at that time, at the other end of the pitch we have to be scoring goals. I know I sound like a broken record saying the same thing but again we scored one when it should have been four or five.
37. Pulis raises white flag at Villa
| Pos. 6th (57pts) | SATURDAY 16 MARCH 2019 | Pos. 5th (58pts) | ||
| Aston Villa | 3-0 | Boro | ||
| El Ghazi (28) McGinn (44) Adomah (88) |
61% 18(5) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
39% 4(1) |
|
RR: Again there was no Boro MOM, Downing was the best of a dire lot but to even contemplate saying that we had someone who put in the required effort to be remotely acknowledged as a performance of note was impossible. Three defeats in a row now and each of them with a bizarre story to tell and the fact that I expected and confidently predicted such a shambolic and humiliating display here at Villa Park weeks before hand is testimony to just how poor things are. Tony Pulis is very clearly a spent force and at this level has neither the nous nor the ability to get a side promoted. Today was a foretaste of exactly what will happen if we somehow managed to hang onto a play-off place which based on what I am currently witnessing I would rather miss out on than be put through any more of this dire negativity.
TP: They were three goals that were unlike us to concede. We haven’t given goals away like that away from home. There has been a flatness around the club since the defeat against Preston on Wednesday and for the first 20 minutes we still looked like there was a hangover – we didn’t get going at all. I’m really disappointed. Villa have had five shots on goal and scored three goals. That’s something that wasn’t happening when we were doing well.
38. Boro flapping leaves Canaries singing
| Pos. 8th (58pts) | SATURDAY 30 MARCH 2019 | Pos. 1st (81pts) | ||
| Boro | 0-1 | Norwich | ||
| 40% 17(6) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
60% 17(5) |
Hernández (54) | |
RR: The second half had saw Daniel Farke’s half time team talk up the ante and Pulis’s Boro simply couldn’t live with it. Bristol are now coming up on Tuesday night who have leapfrogged Boro this evening on goals scored as we slide ignominiously down to eighth. Without energy and intelligent playmakers on the pitch Boro will like as not struggle again. No VLP or Tavernier apparently required for Pulis’s Boro yet Hernandez and Buendia destroyed us (as predicted) with similar skill sets. The MOM has to be Randolph who made up for his early concentration lapses to save us from another three or four going in. The scribbled note seems to be just causing confusion when that sheet goes onto the pitch and gets passed around. Surely by now it’s clear even to Pulis that it’s the wrong communication method or there again maybe it’s the right communication method but its what’s written on the note that is the problem not unlike the team selection and tactics.
TP: We had very good opportunities to score. We need to finish the chances we are creating and we have been saying that since I came here. Goals change games but when we get opportunities we don’t put them away. We came back into it, we had three, great opportunities to score and, again, we have to score goals. The big thing is we dropped our heads when they scored and we can’t do that. It’s an eight-game season and if we win on Tuesday we go back into the top six and players have to relish the challenge. We have to really really hope and pray things start to drop for us. Let’s bring it on and I hope the players feel the same as me. It is there for us and we have to make sure we graft.
| April… | W4 : D0 : L3 : F7 : A8 : 12/21pts |
39. Robins go bob bob bobbin’ along
| Pos. 5th (61pts) | TUESDAY 2 APRIL 2019 | Pos. 8th (58pts) | ||
| Bristol City | 1-0 | Boro | ||
| Webster (31) | 54% 23(7) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
46% 14(5) |
|
RR: Maybe it was just me being lost in the moment trying to figure out why you would bring on a circular running midfielder and take off the only remaining wide player who can at least put decent crosses into a box now habited by three, yes sits down in amazement, three Boro Strikers? It did seem however that Fletcher was now sitting deeper (or wandering desperate to get a pass) so in part that meant that we did still have two strikers, well one who hadn’t yet missed his prerequisite number of sitters to record a goal and a WWE wrestler masquerading as Footballer. In between behaving like an errant ten pin bowling ball in the skittle like Bristol defence Hugill did manage to get a semi volleyed boot onto a last second chance that went wide to a unified backdrop of both sets of fans agreeing at full voice that Tony Pulis’s football is indeed very reminiscent of faecal matter. I did however hear one of the cleaners on the way out take umbrage to the impromptu singalong complaining that what they cleaned didn’t stink the place out that badly. I did hear someone say on the way out that its the worst run for something like twenty years but that may have been just how long it feels like TP has been here.
TP: We created five or six chances and even the free-kick we worked on this morning nearly came off. There is no way in a million years I can fault them for effort. We had 23 shots at goal tonight, 17 on Saturday. That is 40 in two games, I don’t think I had that at Stoke for a whole season, never mind two games. Darren made a couple of great saves but all in all, there was only us and we needed that bit of luck.
40. Dead Ducks Swansong
| Pos. 13th (53pts) | SATURDAY 6 APRIL 2019 | Pos. 8th (58pts) | ||
| Swansea | 3-1 | Boro | ||
| Grimes (34 pen) Routledge (38) Roberts (71) |
61% 16(7) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
39% 13(1) |
Saville (81) |
RR: With another late Boro attack ending with Fletcher fluffing his lines, it summed up how the afternoon had gone for Boro. Despite being 3-1 down, the game had been toing and froing but it wasn’t worth commenting on as the match was now very much an irrelevance considering the wider state the club now finds itself in [after six sucessive defeats]. Dael Fry slightly raised very late hopes with some positivity and Howson had collected a despondent frustrated yellow. The Boro MOM can only be Randolph without whom the score line would have looked an awful lot worse.
TP: I am really disappointed. In the first half our tempo and decision-making were awful. We should have had a penalty in the second half for a clear handball. Swansea were a Premier League side last season and this was the game I was more worried about than all the others. Five games to go and it is all to play for.
41. Boro blues for troubled Bolton
| Pos. 23rd (32pts) | TUESDAY 9 APRIL 2019 | Pos. 7th (61pts) | ||
| Bolton | 0-2 | Boro | ||
| 57% 13(2) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
43% 18(5) |
Fletcher (16, 28) | |
RR: There were many doubts if this game could actually go ahead and from the perspective of both sets of fans many more who probably wished it wouldn’t. However, a good Boro first half against a very weak and disparate Bolton side wasn’t built upon in the second half which was disappointing. So bad were the Bolton defence that Fletcher, Saville, Howson and Britt were tearing them apart with ease every time we went forward. The traveling army started cheering nervy Bolton passes in defence with a series of disparaging “ole’s”. So finally three points and in fairness the victory was never really in doubt but getting that losing streak off their back was important for Boro. Besic, Saville, Howson and Assombalonga all had good games but with two goals Fletcher earned the MOM award.
TP: I am relieved for the players as I don’t think they have deserved to lose six games on the bounce, irrespective of what people say. The difference tonight is we took two of our chances, whereas four of the six games we should have won and we didn’t. I thought we played really well in the first half – we controlled the game and looked a threat – and we had two or three opportunities in the second half. The most important thing is not worrying about other teams and other games, but making sure we do the business ourselves.
42. Stumbling Britt seals Boro victory
| Pos. 7th (64pts) | SATURDAY 13 APRIL 2019 | Pos. 9th (60pts) | ||
| Boro | 1-0 | Hull | ||
| Assombalonga (25) | 39% 15(4) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
61% 15(4) |
|
RR: Battered and bruised the Boro defence were hanging on, desperate for the whistle made worse knowing Britt could and should have had three or four goals to his name to ease the anxiety. Then a heart in mouth time as a late Grosicki free kick was tipped onto the bar by Randolph before being booted clear by Flint with the Hull players appealing it was over the line. Hull’s season is now all but over whilst Boro’s still stubbornly continues as they find themselves a point behind Bristol in sixth. MOM for Boro could have been Randolph for two great saves, or Howson for being switched around yet competently adapting all afternoon, or Besic for buzzing around up until he went off. However, for me it was Dael Fry who stood defiantly whether at Left Back or Centre Back and stepped up a gear when Ayala went off injured.
TP: I just think again it’s déjà vu. The chances we had first half, we should be scoring more than the one goal. If it’s just the one goal, it’s going to be edgy all the way through and that’s the way it was. I think we had seven chances today where if we beat the goalkeeper, we score. We are obviously pleased with the result. I’m really, really pleased, they had to dig in and they did dig in.
43. Early Bird Britt collects the points
| Pos. 6th (67pts) | FRIDAY 19 APRIL 2019 | Pos. 16th (52pts) | ||
| Boro | 1-0 | Stoke | ||
| Assombalonga (2) | 36% 7(2) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
64% 14(1) |
|
RR: Despite a very uncomfortable second half we had held on and earned the win the hard way. It wasn’t pretty nor was it entertaining for the most part but its points on the board that count now if Boro are to retain any hope of making the play-offs. MOM was McNair, it was his best game for Boro and he actually looked to be worth every penny paid for him last summer. Not his preferred role it has to be said but his composure and timing were impressive and he looked the most accomplished I’ve seen him play in a Boro shirt. Mikel was back to his best, Howson had another good game at right wing back and Besic looked up for the challenged before being subbed. Shotton did well considering he was on the left but McNair just caught the eye and for all the right reasons and maybe knowing he has a real opportunity of a run in the side gave him that extra edge of encouragement.
TP: I’m pleased with the win. We’ve played much better than that and lost games at this place. We’ve not been as fluent today. To have five players missing from the backline that we started with at the beginning of the season, it takes a lot of courage and determination from the players to go out there and play the way they played. They’re having to do jobs they are not used to. Like I say, I think we’ve played better in other games than we have but we just haven’t taken our opportunities and chances. It’s all about results as a manager, if you don’t get results you don’t hang around long.
44. Boro bottlers smashed
| Pos. 11th (60pts) | MONDAY 22 APRIL 2019 | Pos. 7th (67pts) | ||
| Nottm Forest | 3-0 | Boro | ||
| Lolley (39 pen, 85) Milosevic (64) |
54% 20(9) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
46% 3(1) |
|
RR: Getting beat away at Forest isn’t a disaster in itself but the manner of the way this Boro side was set up and then consequently failed in such miserable fashion to even threaten Pantilimon’s goal was a disgrace. Defensively we were down to the bare bones but our midfield was hopeless and a complete liability, our strikers had zero service as we sat far too deep from the off and Saville has never remotely looked capable out left. Boro’s black shirts were very apt on the day as it perfectly matched the mood of the travelling army. Randolph was the Boro MOM, which considering that we conceded three goals illustrates just how dire we were this afternoon. There have been far too many of these types of games under Pulis now, how many more do the fans have to endure?
TP: It was always going to be difficult – we’ve only got two real defenders on the pitch. We’re trying to put square pegs in round holes and it really caught us out today. I’m disappointed. We played with forwards on the pitch today, more forward-thinking players than I’ve ever played, and you want them to do a lot more going forward. We’ve still got a chance. We’ve got to dust ourselves down and we need all the players to be together and try and get a result Saturday.
45. Wing and a prayer
| Pos. 7th (70pts) | SATURDAY 27 APRIL 2019 | Pos. 20th (46pts) | ||
| Boro | 2-1 | Reading | ||
| Wing (31) Assombalonga (39 pen) |
38% 18(6) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
62% 12(4) |
Loader (11) |
RR: Just like the last few home games it was the Alamo revisited again as nerves were shredded, enduring what was hopefully the last of the Pulis era at the Riverside. It ended with a 2-1 victory that was far from convincing and anything but enjoyable (that last emotion had long since been aborted since August). MOM was a joint one between Howson and Wing, Wingy grabbed his goal but Howson was Mr Duracell all game and it’s impossible to split the decision. Incredibly, the tantalising chance of a play-off spot still remains up until the very final game of the season but most of us know that top six should have been the absolute minimum. Now we find ourselves rueing the lack of goals and goal difference that TP had been at great odds to highlight in his programme notes. Unfortunately, those stats don’t highlight taking Britt off for Friend at home to Brentford or the abject negativity against the likes of Villa, Forest and Swansea nor the shameful capitulations to Newport and Burton. No team spirit, no belief, no determination, no confidence, no positivity and negative demoralising leadership has led us to where we now find ourselves.
TP: We played some fantastic football, especially on the right-hand side. I thought Howson, McNair and Wing were absolutely fantastic down that side. I was really pleased for Wingy. We kept it as quiet as we possibly could – we didn’t want anyone to know he was going to be fit. I apologised to him because I kept him on for 90 minutes, and I shouldn’t have done. He’s been the find of the season. He’s got a good character, a good attitude and he wants to improve. That’s what will take him further. If Derby win their two games, they win their two games, but we’ve kept the pressure on them, and that’s what we wanted to do today.
| May… | W1 : D0 : L0 : F2 : A1 : 3/3pts |
46. Boro ground to a halt at the Millers
| Pos. 22nd (40pts) | SUNDAY 5 MAY 2019 | Pos. 7th (73pts) | ||
| Rotherham | 1-2 | Boro | ||
| Smith (86 pen) | 58% 18(4) |
POSSESSION SHOTS (on target) |
42% 12(4) |
Assombalonga (28 pen) Mikel (37) |
RR: With sixty-five minutes gone, Boro were 2-0 up and in a play-off spot as Derby were still being held 1-1 and Bristol were losing. Sadly, the news coming in from Pride Park after that changed for the worse and Boro were left hanging on to what they had. Boro fans were now left reflecting on all those games that we meekly surrendered over a season that had started so well then defended into despair. Indeed, MOM was the Boro Travelling Army. Boro had recklessly missed out on what was once a nailed-on position in the play-off’s, which was sealed after that calamitous run of six defeats in a row. Part of me was disappointed at today’s outcome whilst another part was relieved that this frustrating season was finally over and not spluttering incoherently and aimlessly on. Now put out of our misery but in truth we didn’t miss out today, our lack of goals, terrible home record, negative attitude and out dated tactics had sucked the heart and soul out of players and fans alike some months back.
TP: This has been a bigger achievement that last year really, if you’re selling who we have done, with the players that we’ve got and the players that we’ve worked with. Overall, although I’m desperately disappointed we’re not going to play Leeds over two games, I can’t be too harsh on the players. We’ve played clubs this year that have spent £50m or £60m, and they’re below us in the league, they’re not even in contention for the play-offs.
It seems Tony and Steve did have that bottle of wine after all: “I had a great night out with Steve where we discussed the future – his wine selection is absolutely first class. He has been a friend and I think our friendship has got stronger.”
Jonathan Woodgate is the bookies favourite but apparently no decision has been made yet and it’s being reported that “Boro chiefs are planning to take their time to consider their options.”
Although it sounds like Pulis has already planned pre-season so that the new man will probably be spotted coming down an Austrian mountain sometime in late June holding Tony’s ten commandments no doubt… Thou shall have no other gods but me.
Werder,
Or maybe he’ll be parting the North Sea?
UTB,
John
Thanks, Werdermouth, that’s two of the most comprehensive articles I have read about a Boro season. The likes of you/ RR and the rest of the usual bloggers make this the best football blog out there and long may it reign.
Cheers Borobrie and I think the reviews gives a good picture of why it was probably time to move on from Tony Pulis. Promotion is there to be won and it’s not a case of trying to avoid losing the chance to be promoted – which in the end is what Boro did through lack of adventure at the Riverside.
First of all I’d like to say a big thank you to all those who sent messages of support for me in my hour of need. I really was consoled in what was a bad day for me. This forum as OFB once mentioned is a band of brothers. It’s completely out of character for me to feel sorry for myself, and after several abortive phone calls to relatives and friends who all seemed to be unavailable I felt isolated, just wanting to talk to someone and hear somebody’s voice. Eventually I was able to speak with one of the contributors on Diasboro, Philip from Huddersfield and also to my next door neighbour who spent some time with me. But initially it was the kind thoughts of contributors on this forum who gave me solace and comfort. Today then is the first day of the rest of my life.
I did eventually start to watch some US PGA golf, but only for half an hour as US golf has become the Tiger Woods story despite the fact he wasn’t even in contention to be amongst the leaders. I had almost forgotten that Cas were playing at Headingley at the opening of its impressive new north stand, and thankfully made it a bad couple of days for the city with Cas winning 30-8 following United’s losing to Derby. Despite North East rivalry I’m pleased that Sunderland have reached the playoff final probably against Charlton, but wish them a better result than the last time the two teams met in a playoff final in 1998 when the Mackems lost 7-6 in a penalty shootout following a 4-4 draw. Also another great read from Werder and Redcar Red on Boro’s second half of the season. I’d almost forgotten that Boro we’re still in contention for automatic promotion at one point, it seemed so long ago.
Once again thanks to everybody for their kind thoughts.
Ken
So many names being put forward who should be the next manager but the first thing I want to see is Downing and Woodgate out of the club. Those two have an historic past which does not make nice reading.
The thought of Woodgate as manager is beyond belief.
I still think that Gary Monk was sacked too early. He has done a good job at Birmingham under the circumstances and the best bit for me was when at Boro he put Downing up for sale.
As for a new manager, I would have gone for Steve Clarke but it looks like he is lined up to be the next Scotland manager.
Monk also reinstated Downing a month or two in and subsequently made him a regular starter if memory serves.
I consider Monk to have been a major contributor in where we are today, though I accept that with Clotet by his side he has done well at Birmingham and did pretty well at Leeds as well.
I don’t believe, however, that he was let go because of results. Gibson never jumps ship so quickly on the back of results or performances. I can only speculate that something else went on.
Rumours at the time were that he was courting a return to Swansea. Perhaps that, coupled with the availability of Pulis, sparked Monk’s hasty exit.
You don’t fancy Stewie as player-manager then Braveheart 😉
Werder
Thanks for that it’s much appreciated and thanks again to RR for the time it’s taken for you both to come up with a history of the season
It will be interesting to look back on it after 10 years or more and reflect on it
One thing is Diasboro has had an”Amazing “ season
OFB
Thanks OFB, hopefully the readers won’t wait ten years 🙂 Although, in theory I may also do the same from the previous two seasons too as it’s also a great way to revisit the content and look back.
Hope flooded back for a moment when I heard Pulis is leaving but then the rumour surfaced that Woodgate is the favourite for the job and the intense gloom returned…………
I’m not sure if Woodgate has actually completed his coaching badges yet so you may not have to worry about further gloom.
I’d like to send my best wishes for a continuing good recovery to Ken.
And I’d like to record my thanks to Werder and RR for brilliant service over this season and many others. Thanks, too, to other contributors, such as Ken and OFB for splendid, entertaining articles. Well done to you all.
It’s a mighty relief that the Pulisaurus has gone. But Woodgate? No, no, no! My brother texted me today to say that Woodcote (sic, as quoted) is favourite. I replied that Woodcote sounds like creosote. Can’t help thinking that if Woodcote is appointed, it would be like pouring creosote on our hopes for a brighter future!
Cheers Clive and better not sit on the fence over Woodgate with all that creosote on it…
At last SG gives an interview to the EG:
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steve-gibson-tony-puls-middlesbrough-16294378
Unfortunately it does not outline where he sees us in 1/5/10 years time. He talks about the youth coming through from the academy but isn’t that what the academy is all about!
In my view a missed opportunity to reconnect with the fans.
I understand it is his business and he doesn’t have to justify himself to anyone but come on Steve if you are a true fan the talk to us and give us more of an insight of the good, the bad and the ugly.
You will be respected more for it and are more likely to win back life long supporters who have become disillusioned over recent years/events. 😎
I found the end of Steve Gibson’s statement quite amusing…
“Tony and I had the discussion and between us we’d decided that the contract had run its course, the relationship has run its course, we will remain friends and we enjoyed working with each other, but it’s a new chapter and we move on. None of us are getting any younger and Tony is really a Premier League manager. He’s got loads of energy, but where does he want to be? And we’ve got to run ourselves differently.”
It sounds like a classic ‘left by mutual consent’ and it’s ambiguous enough for both parties to appear like they decided to move on. There are probably not too many Premier League jobs Pulis would be in the running for but I’m sure come mid-October one will be looking for an escape artist.
As for who’s next for Boro? Gibson says they want to make sure they make the right decision but deciding on the criteria may be the difficult part – what kind of club does the chairman want? Perhaps despite the spin of Pulis bringing through youngsters into the squad, we maybe need a manager who will genuinely put his faith in the youngsters.
Gibson himself said “We have some very, very exciting youngsters coming through and it would great for the Academy if these kids are out on the pitch. And it may be that they’ll make mistakes, but they’ll also learn the game.”
That sounds to me like Steve Gibson is looking for a manager who will give the youngsters a decent run in the team and not just the odd cameo off the bench.
SG just needs to find another Bruce Rioch!
Rioch the Return
Son of Rioch
Rioch II
Maybe that thought process may make it easier to establish who is the most suitable candidate out there.
Just how do you spot the next Bruce Rioch is the tricky part as before he became Boro manager he’d only been Torquay manager for 18 months and his team finished in mid-table in Division Four. After leaving them he then tried his luck for a few months coaching in America for Seattle.
He’s more interested in his Spanish cousin Rioja……
Werder,
I sat in front of the computer last night and read the second half of the season. Almost an entire season of ‘if only’, what ifs’, chances not take, bizarre selections and sometimes a team that seemed dazed and confused. Did TP make everything too complicated? We’ll never know until someone on the inside writes a book.
The new manager? I looked at the bookies shortlist. Please not Jonathan Woodgate, let him go out and learn his trade lower down somewhere. Not Stevie Mac or Karanka.
Many thanks to you for the season’s review quite outstanding. A big thank you to RR for his succinct reporting after each and every game.
Boro must try harder next season giving the younger players a chance. Yes please. Mr Gibson please give us a plan and manager who wants to play the game the way it should be played. Someone who can communicate and relate to the fans. And one who the fans can relate to as well.
Shouldn’t be too difficult.
UTB,
John
Glad you enjoyed (?) reading the review and it didn’t hopefully keep you awake with flashbacks. As for who will be next – we can probably ignore the bookies list as they are seldom right as their job is simply to take money off hapless punters.
btw the odds list also includes oddly Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Thierry Henry and Arsene Wenger all at 25-1 and Mourinho at 100-1 – plus Nigel Clough at 10-1 and surprise candidate Michael Reizeger at 8-1, who is currently Ajax’s second team coach. Other interesting candidates are Mikel Arteta at 25-1 and Lee Johnson at 20-1. Of course perennial hat thrower into Boro ring Ravenelli is there at 40-1 at the same odds as Steve McClaren and Big Sam.
I wonder how Tim Walter found himself at 4/1 on that list?
He wasn’t even on the list that I looked at this morning so someone may have placed a large bet on him – whether they are in the know who can say but he’s a left-field choice as manager of Bundesliga 2 side Kiel. He’s only 43 but has previously managed Bayern’s second team. Or being cynical, possibly betting sites suddenly place a random name on the list at short odds to attract punters cash as they think somebody knows something.
I was talking to Dave Roberts last night (remember our In2Views?) definitely not Steve McClaren there’s some history there ….
OFB
Although, I read the club are possibly looking for a Dutch manager but perhaps not Schteve…
Clever spoof on the Fyre Festival.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR2NlcHCPKihqihMZ39y0J9-OPP3hWQBMjHBMDE4JTXWOb8ALiy_BnMqJBA&v=tU1O95ozpU4
As to who will because Boro’s next Manager, I agree not Woodgate. Steven Gerrard would have been a good choice, but why would he want to leave Rangers just as they’re now not far behind Celtic having twice beaten them at home this season? Can Boro afford to pay compensation to a club by poaching their manager? If so I’d go for Tony Mowbray the Cowley brothers or even Nigel Clough. If we’re talking about out-of-work managers, then Chris Hughton sounds like a good choice, but personally I wouldn’t be averse to the return of Aitor Karanka. A case of the devil you know, warts and all? The prospect of his teaming up with Leo Percovich does have some appeal. In any case I hope the new manager will be able to select his own purchases without interference from Steve Gibson.
Ken
I don’t know about the new Manager being able to select his own purchases without interference from Steve Gibson, I’d be more worried about interference from the recruitment department!
I did think Pu was appreciated on his arrival because he didn’t try to be a “hipster” manager. His Stoke gained their reputation for not allowing Arsenal to play, and when he joined WBA, he made it clear that he wouldn’t copy the previous managers who’d played “tippy-tappy football”, and “not winning football”.
I guess he fulfils a need for smaller clubs to show the big clubs that they won’t get their way. A Spurs fan once wrote that the beautiful game earns that title – “The Beautiful Game” – because there are all sorts of styles, and that there’s something not on about the top teams and pundits going on about playing football “the right way” – in other words, if you don’t play tiki-taka, gegenpressing, with zonal marking, with a sweeper keeper, with one up front who puts the team before himself and so on, you don’t “belong”.
Same said fan was actually sad when Stoke went down as he remembered how hard PuStoke made it for Wenger in “fascinating style clashes”. His claim that it all went wrong for Stoke when they changed managers and tried to “play more football” is too simplistic – every manager’s time runs its course – but you see his frustrations.
The style you play in depends on the quality of players at your disposal. Thomas Chippendale would be hard pressed to make a bespoke piece of furniture with a screwdriver and an MFI Allen Key.
Allen Key who’s he the manager of ?
OFB
MHI
Chris Wilder seemed to have been able to bodge something together from the bargain bucket bin as indeed did Bruce Rioch all those years back with kids. Daniel Farke didn’t do too badly either considering the small fortune that he didn’t spend. The squads of Boro, West Brom, Villa and a few others were all better on paper. A bad workman always blames his tools.
The problem with bodging something together means that it usually falls apart sooner rather than later.
The £5M Blades will no doubt fall apart in the Premiership with a £100M cheque just for passing go. Whereas allegedly we done better finishing 7th than finishing 5th the previous year despite splashing £20M. I know which SG and his accountants would have preferred.
Didn’t do AK’s team much good.
Yep AK’s Team fell apart but with SG/MFC £100M to the good (at least before he frittered most of it away).
GHW
Shows how behind the times your thinking is, the modern trend is to look overseas so it would be an IKEA Allen Key.
Manchester City have eased to an FA Cup Final win. I believe they’re the first club to win all 3 domestic competitions in the same season, but am certain it’s the biggest FA Cup Final win at Wembley and equals the previous biggest win since 1903 when Bury beat Derby County 6-0 at the Crystal Palace Stadium. A bit of an anticlimax in some ways.
MFI
There is quality, in terms of money, but there is also type. One player may be more geared to pass sideways than others (eg Leon Britton for Swansea), others may have naturally fast pace. Depends when you pick them up. Giovanni Dos Santos was actually playing for second tier Ipswich in 2009, Gheorghe Hagi for lowly Brescia before USA 94 made him a star again.
If you’re in the limelight, your value shoots up.
Re: Limelight.
Solksjaer was, as a player, arguably more versatile and adaptable than Beckham. Yet Beckham got the bigger money moves – because he was more than a footballer. Cult, image etc.
Speaking of the limelight, here’s a little tidbit for you.
“It destroyed me as a person. I’d managed clubs and done well but after that documentary the knives came out for me. I was never trusted with any clubs after that and so I disappeared.”
That was Phil Neal, on a certain documentary. There were, according to Graham Taylor, meetings about players’ abilities and team selection where Neal had plenty to say.
Unfortunately all we saw in “An Impossible Job” was “To Barnesy”, “yeah”, “yeah”…
Perceptions.
Werder, thanks sooooo much for putting together part 2 of the miserable season past.
Reliving all the comments from yourself, Redcar Reds match reports and a certain Enid Blighton telling tall stories finally brings to a close amore than forgettable season that promised more than we ultimately achieved.
Let’s hope that Mr Gibson hires the correct Manager this time, as surely even his luck must change eventually. Let’s hope for a positive transfer market and the football gods smile on our dealings.
The Boro website has relived the most 12 FA Cup matches that it considered significant at the time, and I go along with its selection. However there was another one maybe too far back for most people. It occurred on the 1st of March 1947, a Quarterfinal home tie with 2nd Division Burnley. The ground record was broken for that Cup tie with 53,025 folk inside Ayresome Park. Geoff Walker had put Boro ahead just before halftime and seemingly on the way to their first Semifinal when with only minutes to play in a muddy goalmouth scramble Burnley’s Johnny Morris lying prostrate on the ground a foot from goal blatantly pushed the ball over the goal line with his hand to equalise. The Boro players were incandescent over the decision. Morris scored the only goal in the replay, Burnley reached the Final after beating Liverpool in the Semifinal, but lost to Charlton Athletic in the Final after extra time. Boro had been joint favourites with Liverpool to win the Cup at that stage, but thwarted by a referee who missed that handball. Such is life for being a Boro supporter!
Ken,
It seems that not a lot changes for Boro supporters or Boro for that matter.
UTB,
John
Can’t see anyone moving Man City from top spot for many years to come. Unlike every other Premiership they can hold on to their players and only sell those they wish to.
The likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Man U, Chelsea and Tottenham etc have no option but to let their stars go when the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona come calling.
Just watched Celtic beat Hearts and at halftime they brought on a 16 yr old called Dembele, what an exciting prospect this youngster is and apparently Celtic have had since he was 13.
Come on BORO.
Why is Jonathan Woodgate the bookies favourite for the managers job. Who the hell is betting on him or is there something we don’t know !
His Mam, Dad, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Nieces, Nephews, his “mates” and Stewy!
Hopefully a new manager will come in with his own back room staff and clear the lot of them out!
GHW, would love for you to be correct. However I have that feeling of same old.
Saying that I did think that Mr Pukis would be the easy option. We live in hope.
So after 68 years Berwick Rangers the only club in England to play in the Scottish League has ended. I’m wondering what the club’s options are now as the club who will replace them Cove Rangers have just become Champions of the Highland League and I can’t imagine Berwick could afford all the travelling to participate in that league. Whether there can be some shuffling to allow them to play in the Lowland League I’m not sure. If not they may well have to apply to be admitted to the Northern League.
There is of course a precedent in a slightly different situation where the Scottish club Gretna did play in the Northern League before being accepted into the third tier of the Scottish League where through the finance of their benefactor Brooks Mileson they even reached the Scottish Premier League and also the Scottish FA Cup Final in 2006 where they lost to Hearts after a penalty shootout.
As it stands those though I imagine none of the Highland League clubs would wish to play in the Lowland League, and I wonder if any of the other minor Scottish Leagues would welcome Berwick into their leagues, so a worrying time indeed ahead for the Tweedside club.
This is how Sky Sports have calculated where all the clubs are traditionally in the league and how they were doing this season against the last 50 years: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11713743/sky-sports-ultimate-league-201819-every-clubs-true-standing-over-past-50-years-revealed
So our average is the 16th position in the league and we are currently underachieving that by 11 positions in the league.
Interestingly those teams that are underachieving currently – like Sunderland – have ofte had financial problems. But Boro have had other problems leading to the position they are now.
So with a right manger and the core of the current team, we should be challeging again at the top end the division next season.
Up the Boro!
Interesting. I notice that there is a real clump between 13th to 19th Ipswich to West Brom. Also, of the top 20, 15 are underachieving. This makes us pretty average in top 20 terms. Most of the big over-achievers are small clubs having a few years in the sun with premier league money.
Historically we’re usually somewhere in the top 10 of the second tier or the bottom 10 of the top tier.
Since I wrote about Berwick Rangers, I’ve just become aware that Selkirk have withdrawn from Scotland’s Lowland League so perhaps Berwick will take their place.
Ken
I missed the fate of Berwick because I was away, Berwick is a place close to my heart, I spent may days visiting relatives in the last town to declare peace with Russia.
I remember telling the story of how ManU programme signed by Charlton, Best etc following their win against Benfica disappeared. I also ‘lost’ a programme from the when Berwick defeated the other Rangers in the cup.
Ian, I’d forgotten to mention that. It was in 1967 that they beat Rangers 1-0, but have to admit I had to check it out on Wikipedia. It’s almost hard to believe it was over 50 years ago.
Exmil
What happened in the ‘play offs’, I noticed the results whilst abroad but haven’t found how the four of us did.
Cheers
Ian, here is a link to Exmil’s post of the play-off result…
https://diasboro.club/2019/05/13/2018-19-season-review-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-41567
Nice work if you can get it…..
Zidane: “If I had a fourth substitute today i wouldn’t have brought him on.”
Gareth Bale: “I’ve got three years left on my contract, if they want me to go they’ll need to pay me €17m per season. If not, I’ll stay here and play golf.”
Sounds like he’s developed a bunker mentality… I guess clubs sometimes forget what the word contract means and what they have agreed to pay a player for four or five years – plus they don’t even have to play football to receive their money!
€17m is a nice wedge, if they can’t iron out their differences in a fair way and he refuses to be driven out then to putt it bluntly he can just hang around in the clubhouse. If they try to mark his card with other clubs he’ll just stay and keep raking the green stuff in.
A contract is a contract. I had a flotilla of Container ships all lined up just anchored off Tees Bay ready for Chris Graylings call but he never rang me unfortunately. Diasboro International Shipping and Haulage Limited. I may have omitted to tell him just how very “limited” we really were but who cares as he allegedly never asks anyway. I now wonder if he will be our new Director of Football, ticks a lot of boxes for us.
I wouldn’t waste three years of my life in Madrid just playing golf. But I must admit that 50 million could compensate half of the years ….
Ridiculous salaries in football. Real Madrid should buy players who really want to play for them – they need Pulis there as manager.
Up the Boro!
Jarkko, I suppose it depends whether his golf is up to professional standard.
EXMIL CHALLENGE – Playoff Final – Rules
Now that Ian Gill has returned from one of his many holidays and before he departs on his next one, here are the simples rules for the playoff final. Both entries are to be posted before kickoff of the final on May 27 at 1500 hrs.
A. Predict the halftime score
B. Predict the final score (including extra time but not penalty shoot out)
C. Predict the minute of the first goal (only required if it is a draw after A and B, nearest to the actual minute wins)
D. Scores for A and B will be 5 points for each teams correct score, +/- a point for each goal out.
Example:
Predicted halftime score 2 – 0 actual score 1 – 1 = (4 + 4) 8
Any queries please post early, good luck to both Ian Gill and lenmasterman.
Come on BORO.
exmil
OK, here we go. I’ll show mine first.
Half time Villa 1 FLD 0
Full time Villa 3 FLD 1
First goal 27 minutes
Best of luck to Ian.
This news report just me laugh – not the actual incident but the choice of words…
Chaotic scenes in Newcastle city centre as Nigel Farage hit by a milkshake before being quickly whisked away by his security.
Seems like he may have got his just desserts, though oddly no mention of any anti-EU hysteria being whipped up by his visit…
Hmmm….,. Two days ago McDonalds were asked by the police not to sell Milkshakes during a visit to Edinburgh by Farage.
Any regulars here remember getting a “ bowl of Ice Cream” from Charlie McMann?
GHW,
I remember him in his horse drawn ice-cream cart, no chimes for him he simply blew his Acme Thunderer. What would Health & Safety make of the horse.
A generous cornet full of ice-cream followed by being asked ‘would you like bat’s blood or monkey muck on that son’. Good ice-cream though.
UTB,
John
Well it looks like it won’t be Tim Walter as he is off elsewhere but never mind because Gabriel Batistuta is now being linked with the Boro job. Exciting as that may be it doesn’t strike me as an appointment that would be solid. It would likely go one of two ways, either be a crazy run to the title with goals galore or an implosion seeing us fighting for survival with no middle ground.
Sounds like we may have missed out now that he’s joining Stuttgart as their sporting director, Thomas Hitzlsperger, said: “Tim Walter’s idea of brave, attacking football fits Stuttgart brilliantly. Together, we want to place more focus on our own youth players.”
Especially as I like the sound of brave attacking football and placing the focus on youth!
Just got back in so here are the scores of the Derby jury
Half time Villa 1 Rams 0
Full time Villa 3 Rams 2
First goal 15 minutes.
Good Luck Len
No trust in Frankie Lampard, then? Even less by Len. I hope you got the result right. UTB!
I see Reiziger is now being touted as Boro manager with Woodie as number 2.
Just following on from the Exmil challenge.
Just when you think you have had a crap day. This guy goes to Curry’s to buy a new super duper all singing and dancing TV to watch the play offs.
He gets it home, opens the box to remove the contents and finds thenfinds there are no ####ing LEEDS.
Pedro.
Whilst we’re on the subject of play on words, is the reason that they can only eat boiled potatoes in Wiltshire because they have no Devizes for Chippenham?
Strange how Populism seems to have become a by word for far right radicals. I find it just to be the voice of the silent majority.
Populist in most cases is a misnomer as those on the right like the billionaire Trump and the former City trader and privately educated Farage are themselves elitists claiming to be against the elites and instead in favour of ‘ordinary people’. They promise to give the people what they want without offering any thought out ideas on how they will deliver them and seek to place the blame on others such as immigrants or bureaucrats.
Farage’s teacher at his school claimed he once openly espoused the views of the far right when he was younger and was a supporter of Oswald Mosely. Farage himself side-stepped those claims and just said that those days were politically charged because of the Brixton riots down the road and besides Mosely was in favour of a united states of Europe so he wouldn’t have agreed with his views.
Farage is in some ways a bit like Boris in that they have popular appeal because they appear to be honest and say whatever comes into their heads. However, they are both very calculating as they put on their men of the people image but neither like to talk about their inconvenient pasts.
We shouldn’t confuse those who seek to be popular with those who are offering any hope to the populus. They will say and promise anything if they think it will further their aims. Also why do so many populists believe climate change is some kind of conspiracy – perhaps it’s just another classic way to appeal to the masses who just prefer not to think life’s problems are more complex than just ignoring what is difficult and blaming others for their own misfortune.
Wanting to believe in something is not an excuse to not think about what is being said and avoid studying the issues that arise. Populism is just the new religion in search of a new messiah.
Excellent short essay Werder.
Be that as it may, but the regular bloke on the street agrees with them. Just look at the support the Brexit party are receiving..
People are getting tired of those with minority views holding sway in most things these days. They see something they can agree with and where in the past they just sighed and shook their heads, they now have a name they can put their X next to.
Perhaps it’s political opportunism, but nothing less than the 650 in the HOP are guilty of for the last 20 years. Where will it lead? Well, that’s the big question.
While I’m not exactly sure what constitutes the regular bloke on the street – perhaps it’s the displaced indigenous working classes or blue-collar workers. Anyway, while they may be drawn to the simple message of the Brexit party it is not a message that in anyway will solve their problems.
The reality is that their problems are caused by essentially irreversible changes to the economy as a whole – from the cultural technological changes of communications and online retail in a service economy – to the rise of Asia as the world’s manufacturer – plus the power of large multinational companies and banks who can move to where it is most favourable and can avoid state governance – not to mention the opaqueness of global capital that allows those with money to make paying tax to be voluntary.
The reason the House of Commons appear to ignore their needs is there is very little they can do to change any of the above – only co-operation with other countries can help to regulate the power that is now wielded in the global economy – including that climate change conspiracy. Losing a voice in the EU will only reduce the UK’s influence on those issues beyond individual state control. While many don’t like how things have changed, pretending to turn the clock back to the 1950s is not an option – the world is now far more complex and operates at a much faster pace.
It’s also the nonsense argument in claiming the UK is the 5th largest economy – the average person never sees any of that wealth as it is so unevenly distributed – it’s not collective wealth and the real problem is collecting taxes from those who pocket the money. Incidentally, if it were collective wealth then the average income would be just under £100,000. Although, income inequality won’t be resolved by the anticipated post-Brexit reduction in GDP – it will probably become worse if jobs are lost.
The only policy the Brexit party have is to leave the EU without a deal and then see what happens – it’s the kind of plan that even Baldrick would dismiss as lacking cunning. It’s a case of politicians are useless so let’s just trust the guy who says the politicians are useless and hope it shakes everything up for the better. In all probability what they offer will be worse and the UK will still remain a divided country for many years to come as they squabble over the EU issue that is essentially the wrong argument.
GHW, nationalism (Trump) and right wing populism can lead to many things. I am worried it could lead to something we all want to avoid. Remember Germany in 1933–1945.
That is a risk but more likely is the damage tthat the global warming is causing.
The former is a risk, the latter is a fact. Unfortunately.
Up the Boro!
Where would Man City be today if we hadn’t beaten them 8 – 1 ?
If I had the money, I would appoint Mogga as Director of Football and then someone a bit like Karanka as a head coach. Possibly continuing with Woodgate and Curtis Fleming as first team coaches.
Of course the head coach could be Reiziger, for example. Or someone trusting the academy kids also.
Up the Borp!
Or Arteta as a head coach. Up the BorO!
As a Scotland fan, I am very pleased that Steve Clarke has been appointed as manager.
As for Boro and the manager situation I haven’t seen any name mentioned that I would be happy with. SG, must be right now taking headache tablets !
Unfortunately Steve Clarke is on a hiding to nothing. Scotland simply don’t have the players available, and that’s reflected in their FIFA standing.
Back in August most people would have said that Norwich and Sheffield United just don’t have the players, just look at their standing, and similarly with Killie. But see what these collections of players have achieved in their leagues by the end of the season. Their managers have had the influence to be able to get the best out of the sum of the parts available.
I see no reason at all that Scotland won’t do much better under the right manager.
Very sad news this morning about Niki Lauder. An example to everyone that you don’t give up no matter what befalls you. RIP
What a fighter he was. Niki Lauda.
He came through the flames, had two new kidneys, a new lung was installed recently, etc.
He even run three airlines since his retirement from sports.
Utmost respect. RIP, Niki.
Up the Boro!
The Hartlepool Mail is forever quoting statistics about the Championship clubs for the season, but the latest about the most loyal away supporters is quite staggering. Admittedly I would have expected to see Leeds and Villa with average away support of 2,215 and 2,142 being the pacesetters, but Boro’s away support at 1,953 doesn’t look too shabby except for the fact that only Millwall had fewer away support. Surely not! A case of lies, damn lies and statistics?
Ken
Those figures seem somewhat skewed and I’m surprised that the Hartlepool Mail published them and in doing so missed the big local story as to why Boro have gone from being in the top 4 or 5 Championship Clubs for Away support to nearly bottom?
Leeds, Wednesday, Villa, Boro and the Blades are usually at or near the top and rarely fluctuate. Was it TP that killed off the Travelling Army (I don’t think so). Strange if true as our away form was overall pretty good with the obvious exceptions to Newport, Villa, Swansea and Forest etc.
Just saw the shadow minister for steel speaking on the news about the current crisis – although I suspect she may have got the job because her name sounded right… Gill Furniss.
Interesting piece elsewhere, as I have been away I may have missed it on here.
It appears that TP left the Boro at 10am and two hours later Juventus sacked their manager. It may be pure coincidence or……..
Could be a case of an old school man for the old lady…
Well I’m going to put a tenner on Michael O Neill the N Ireland Manager for next Boro Manager
But hey what do I know ?
OFB
It’s shrouded in mystery….
At 49 he is not too old. Might ask Jim P …
Up the Boro!
Michael o Neil is on WBA shortlist
I’ve already asked the question ….
I see the Gazette did a pros and cons of the leading contenders for the Boro manager job – I think they may have struggled to find pros with Woodgate…
Pros : Woodgate knows the club and the area and would be hungry to succeed and follow in the footsteps of his former England teammates Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, who have enjoyed impressive debut seasons in management. Having been on the coaching team under Tony Pulis, Woodgate also understands the style of football the fans are craving – and what they want to avoid.
Basically, he’s from Middlesbrough and around the same age as Gerrard and Lampard and knows the fans weren’t impressed with Pulis’s football – don’t know if he needs to meet any other requirements to get the job…
I have just heard that all the backroom staff have gone, although I can’t confirm my source says it’s 100% correct, take it as you will.
Come on BORO.
Europa League qualifying…… no problem. We’re just in the wrong league.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/cardiff-met-uni-just-qualified-16299782
Incase you are wondering it does include Woodgate.
Come on BORO.
Sounds like a new manager with his own back room staff.
Exmil
When the source says all does that mean all or just the TP men?
Ian, to be honest I am not sure, the only one I was specifically asking about was Woodgate.
Come on BORO.
Interesting news Exmil. Will be interesting to see the extent of the cull if it is all true.
Recruitment is the area that really needs some attention methinks…
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/club-statement-first-team-staff-depart
No mention of Woodgate departing in that statement
He hasn’t yet but he’s on holiday abroad ….
Here’s hoping he’ll go as well
OFB
But at least this blog was the first to know about the changes in coaching personel.
Well done, Exmil. UTB!
Just been talking to Jim Platt and he said it’s doubtful about Michael O Neill coming to Boro but thought it would be a good choice
Sad to see Curtis go this morning
OFB
It’s the time of ‘hollow whispers in marble halls’, if it’s true here’s hoping for an improvement, in fact an improvement all round.
UTB,
John
Just having my coffee break and heard a pretty remarkable stat on the news – China has produced more steel in the last two years than the UK has produced in its entire history since the industrial revolution.
Then check who built their steel plants ?
Davy International of Stockton !
OFB
Is it Aitor returns, remember he knows Woody ?
And his brother-in-law…
Downing out of contract
OFB
I suspect Woodie will be staying in some capacity, I cat see Steve Gibson clearing out the first team coaching staff and leaving someone on holiday expecting the bullet on their return. Were any of the others still around the club? Were they told face to face?
I am not sticking up for Woodie because I dont know how he is doing but you would think that as he started working under AK and is still here after three changes he will be some part of the future.
Dont shout at me, it is my reading of the situation from afar, the likes of Exmil and OFB will correct me if I am wide of the mark, as opposed to just being wide.
You are nearer than you think.
At the risk of getting shot down, why wouldn’t Woodgate be any good as manager?
Not qualified
No managerial experience
Is that enough?
OFB
OFB – not qualified? That didn’t stop the current England manager getting the job. I’m not sure a certificate is going to change much.
No experience? How long is the list of inexperienced managers getting to mange Boro? Lack of experience hasn’t stopped SG appointing in the past.
Whoever is appointed will be a risk, Klopp ain’t coming our way, so whoever it is will be a punt.
SG I suspect knows Woodgate’s qualities far better than any of us do and I guess he fits the bill if a young hungry energetic manager is part of the job description.
Inexperience is always a worry, essentially its a step into the unknown, but if we appoint the bloke from Lincoln or the Head of the Ajax academy, both are inexperienced where managing at Championship level is concerned.
Chris Hughton is an obvious choice, he was successful at Newcastle and Brighton, but managerial success in football is usually short lived, could he do it three times?
Woodie would also continue a long tradition, Maddren, Southgate, Mowbray….
Nobody knows.
But what I know is if he gets the job he’ll get my support.
He failed his coaching badges so isn’t qualified
He had been part of the coaching staff for 3 unassuming years and I for one wouldn’t like him to be manager
But hey that’s my point of view you have your own
OFB
Have to agree Bob, if its Woodgate then my Season Card money stays in my pocket. With his history and the baggage of urban tales to contend with, it wouldn’t be a very clever choice. The next appointment has to unite the players, the staff the supporters and the area. I’d stab a guess that there are as many Riverside supporters who don’t want Woody as the next Manager as there were that wanted Pulis out. Starting out with that level of negativity is impossible even for an experienced Manager.
Out of them all for me Fleming would have made far more sense but lets hope that Woody is maybe being shuffled off back to the youth team (I even shudder at that) or will pick up his letter when he returns from his hols. If we were looking to follow the Maddren, Southgate and Mowbray models then I would suggest George Friend but absolutely not Woodgate. Even George would be a catastrophic error at this crucial evolutionary stage of the Club’s development.
That’s a first OFB. Never heard of anybody failing their coaching badges.
They are not that hard to pass, are they??
We’ll i passed the junior grade entitling me to coach up to -16yo
Dave Richardson took me as my tutor at LonglandsCollege he went to Villa a s Director of the Academy and now FA youth Coaching Director
If I can pass that anyone can!
The senior badges are pretty hard and usually the guys or gals on the course buddy up to help each other
OFB
Don’t know the % required to pass the UEFA coaching badge is, but if it’s anywhere near the % needed to acquire a pass for a degree in the UK, then you’d have to be a borderline simpleton to fail it.
Nigel, totally agree. We as fans do not know how Woody would do as a manager.
I am not saying that he would be my first choice but some people think he is useless as he married Downing’s sister. Which in my opinion does not mean he is a bad manager.
I do not have a clue if Woody is good or bad, but I have no opinion just because he is local, married to a Downing lass, or has worked under Pulis.
So I have an open mind. Up the Boro!
Jarkko
Nobody is bothered that he married Downing’s sister who I’m sure is a very nice girl. There are other off field transgressions that would question his suitability for the role of a Manager not least of which that he supposedly hasn’t yet passed his Coaching badges after a few attempts. I’m not sure which is worse the ones that we know about or the ones (which have probably grown arms and legs over the years) that are the stuff of a Channel 4 comedy drama.
My concern is that I haven’t heard similar tales about other Players who I would regard as being more suitable for the demands, pressures, judgement, leadership and responsibilities which comes with the role.
“Whoso pulleth out the sword from the stone …” will have my full support without any pre-judegement, whoever it will be. If it all works well for them, we will all be happy, if it doesn’t work out, then we will one by one give up hope and pray they will fall on their sword, or otherwise be evicted before it is too late.
Mr Gibson has to try and get his next appointment right.
He can not afford another mistake and probably a safe bet is best. (If there is such a thing)
I don’t think Woodgate is a safe bet, or even an each way one.
I didn’t realise Woodie had failed his badges, that makes it likely he will be in the background learning to, er, do something. Cone monitor, bib collector?
Maybe Stewie will be after his badges next.
Just an entry in the horrible news section of the blog( please blow it out of the water if you can)
This week he was summoned to London by SG, promptly took his children out of school for the day and departed forthwith.
The above does not sound like someone going to get his P45. In fact it sounds like the knell of doom for us fans.
A date for the diary, June 20th for the EFL fixtures being released.
Juninho as a Director of Football and Doriva as a head coach. It worked in Brazil.
Or more likely Moagga as DoF and Reiziger as a head coach. Just saying like.
Up the Boro!
Why are we talking about ‘ taking our time and having a good think before picking our new manager ‘
Are we permanently in the slow lane when it comes to running a club?
As we the fans knew he was going (should have gone a lot sooner) then the boss must have known, and should have sorted the problem before the axe fell,
The bleedin obvious choice are the two rising stars from the non league World currently doing the job with Lincoln.
No locals and no battered hasbeens staggering from job to job (with, of course the same results)
We have some fine young players who could and should be doing the job in the first team. So let’s get too it and stop this drifting in the stream.
It seems my source only got 90% right !
Come on BORO.
90% is definitely a good solid ‘A’ grade in my book Exmil !
Exmil
So who else is leaving or not?
Would rather he had only been 10% right!
I’m a hoarder of sports books, but gave most of them away to appeals from Forces charities during the Gulf War. It seemed a good time to throw out newspaper cuttings of Castleford’s 1969 and 1970 Rugby League Challenge Cup triumphs and Boro’s Carling Cup triumph at the same time, as having read all the newspaper cuttings a couple of times I felt disenclined to continue reading them over and over again. The same goes for autobiographies of sportsmen, and I thought that discarding them was going to a worthy cause.
However in some ways I do regret discarding two particularly large football books, encyclopaedias really, one was the A to Z of every single player who had played professional football from 1888 to 1972, and the other was a reference book covering all the FA Cup results and the League Tables of all 4 Divisions from 1888 until somewhere in the late 1980’s when it was published. I did retain my handbook Football Annuals from 1955 and have still added to them each season since. But the retention of those two large reference books would have been invaluable today instead of having to rely on Wikipedia today. Thankfully I did retain another large book entitled “Who’s that team they call the Boro?” where most of my historical information is gleaned from, although that only takes me up to the end of the 2002/03 season. I therefore have kept up to date records of Boro’s results since then to the present time.
The last review I wrote on this forum concerning the Boro took us up to Lennie Lawrence’s last season as manager, and he was instrumental in recommending that his successor should be Bryan Robson, a legend of the game, but with no managerial experience. Lawrence was a close friend of Alex Ferguson and a meeting was arranged and with his blessing met Robson in Wetherby, from where the two men met Keith Lamb at the ‘Little Chef’ on the A19. From there Robson was escorted to Wilton Castle where an artist’s impression and model of Boro’s proposed new stadium at Middlehaven was on display. Bryan Robson had other options, Wolverhampton Wanderers being one, but after assurances from Steve Gibson that he would be allowed to bring in his own staff and that money would be made available for incoming transfers the deal was struck. Steve Gibson later recalled how he and George Cooke were so enthusiastic about the proposed new stadium and after Robson shook hands on the deal, and whilst Cooke organised champagne, Steve excused himself where he screamed the place down with joy!
Now to events on the playing field. Robson was to be a player/manager with Viv Anderson as his assistant, and his first two signings were Nigel Pearson from Sheffield Wednesday for £750,000 and Neil Cox from Aston Villa for £1M. Goalkeeper Alan Miller joined from Arsenal for £425,000 and Welsh International Clayton Blackmore on a free transfer from Manchester United. All five including Robson made their Boro debut in the first match of the season at home to Burnley where John Hendrie scored twice in a 2-0 win before a crowd of 23,343, almost a capacity crowd for Ayresome Park in those days. Boro won their first four matches against Southend and Derby away and Bolton at home without conceding a goal. They looked like extending that to five matches when leading at Watford at halftime, but conceded their first goal in the second half and had to settle for a 1-1 draw. The big test was to come in the next match at home to Sunderland where Boro found themselves 0-2 down going into the last 10 minutes, but goals from Alan Moore and Nigel Pearson within two minutes ensured a share of the spoils. A last minute penalty converted by Craig Hignett in the home match against West Brom preserved Boro’s unbeaten record.
However after leading at halftime at Port Vale, Boro conceded twice in the second half to lose 1-2 and dropped to second place. Remember that only the Champions would be promoted automatically at the end of the season as the First Division was to be reduced from 22 clubs to 20, so second place at the end of the season would mean merely a playoff position. Boro got back to winning ways with two 4-1 wins home and away to Scarborough in the League Cup where the little Bolivian Jaime Moreno made his debut, and League wins away to Bristol City and home to Millwall where Boro scored 3 goals for the first time seemed to have stopped the rot, but then came a surprise 0-1 home defeat to Tranmere followed by a 1-5 walloping at Luton which saw Boro drop to 4th. A goalless draw at Portsmouth and two draws against Cesana and Udinese in the Anglo-Italian Cup and elimination from the League Cup at Aston Villa meant that Boro’s winless run had stretched to 6 matches in total.
Boro did then win successive home wins over Swindon and Oldham, but lost at Grimsby before the top of the table clash at home to Wolves awaited them in late November. A John Hendrie goal was enough for Boro to win and more importantly take them back to the top of the League. That win was the start of a stretch to the end of the year of just one defeat in nine matches, and may well have been stretched further when Boro led Barnsley before the game had to be abandoned.
After gaining a 1-1 draw at Second Division Swansea in the FA Cup, typically Boro lost the replay so could concentrate on their main objective which was to win the League. However the new year didn’t start too well with defeat at lowly Swindon where Boro without striker Paul Wilkinson and Bryan Robson, lost 1-2 after having led to an early John Hendrie goal, and Jan-Aage Fjortoft scoring the equaliser on a pudding of a pitch. Boro could only draw their next home match with Grimsby and with a lack of goals tried to sign Fjortoft who despite playing for a team near the bottom of the League was a proven goal scorer. However they did manage to sign Uwe Fuchs on loan from Fortuna Cologne to make his debut in the home game against Reading, but Boro lost again and found themselves down to 3rd. Fuchs did score his first goal as Boro got back to winning ways at home to Charlton a week later, and again in the televised top of the table clash at Molineux the following Tuesday when Boro showed their promotion credentials with a 2-0 win. A goalless draw at Millwall was followed by two home wins against Bristol City, where Fuchs scored all 3 goals in a 3-0 win, and Watford when he scored another.
Just as things were starting to look promising, Boro suddenly could only gain one more point from their next 3 matches which included a home defeat to Derby in windy conditions. Marco Gabbiadini terrorised Boro’s defence with a couple of goals as the Rams led 3-0 at halftime with the wind in their favour. Fuchs and Jamie Pollock scored in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but to no avail as Derby scored a fourth to take the spoils 4-2. Another Jamie Pollock goal in the midweek derby at Sunderland on the first day of Spring not only saw Boro record their first win at Roker Park since 1982 but regain first position in the League since the end of January.
At last Boro managed to sign Jan-Aage Fjortoft on transfer deadline day for a record fee of £1.3M and he quickly made his debut the following day as Boro came back from a 0-1 halftime deficit at home to West Brom to win 3-1, and although they lost at Oldham in midweek they beat Stoke 2-1 at home in their next match. From then on to say that Boro limped over the line to promotion might be a slight exaggeration, but three successive 1-1 draws where Fuchs scored his 9th goal in 13 matches plus two substitute appearances, and Fjortoft scored his first two goals did create a scene of nervousness as Boro prepared to play their last League game at Ayresome Park against a Luton team that had inflicted Boro’s biggest defeat of the season in October 1-5.
Old Boro greats including Wilf Mannion and George Hardwick were paraded around the perimeter of the pitch as the biggest crowd of the season 23,903 gathered not only to take a last nostalgic look at Ayresome Park and some of their favourites who had graced the hallowed turf since the Second World War. After several near misses John Hendrie scored the all important goal on the stroke of half time, and most of us thought that would be it. Although Boro hadn’t been renowned for scoring too many goals that season, apart from that 1-5 defeat at Luton, they had been defensively sound with the concession of only 18 goals at home and only 38 in total from their 44 matches so far. So it came as quite a surprise when Luton equalised. However when Hendrie scored 20 minutes from time, I was confident that that would be the winner. Of course Boro weren’t technically sure of promotion, but when Bolton failed to beat Stoke days later, Boro’s promotion was guaranteed. Tranmere were the opposition for Boro’s final match and a draw would guarantee the Merseysiders a playoff position, and that’s how the game ended, a 1-1 draw. Reading finished second, but Bolton beat them 4-3 in the playoff final to join Boro in the top tier.
John Hendrie finished top scorer with 15 league goals from his 39 matches, but Uwe Fuchs’s contribution should not be underestimated with his 9 goals, one more than Craig Hignett. However generally speaking Boro’s lack of goal power didn’t bode well for the Premier League, so no doubt Bryan Robson would have to enhance that and the midfield as he was unlikely to play much himself at a higher level. Many of us hoped that Uwe Fuchs would become a permanent acquisition, but Robson thought differently.
The summer saw Boro smash to smithereens their transfer record. True to his word Steve Gibson provided the finance to sign not only a striker, but an international striker at that. Nick Barmby was not a prolific goal scorer, but it was the first time for almost 90 years that Boro had signed a current English international player. The fee was reputed to be £5.25M and although the Spurs managing director Alan Sugar played hardball wanting the full agreed fee to be paid instantly rather than in instalments, the deal was agreed. I had paid a couple of visits during the summer to see how the Middlehaven stadium was progressing, and like many others was in awe of the design if not the location.
Boro started their campaign at Highbury against Arsenal, and the Sky cameras were there to see how Boro would perform against one of their former manager’s team, Bruce Rioch. Boro started rather well when Barmby scored after half an hour. Ian Wright equalised before half time, but Boro deserved the draw. Now onto the first match for Boro in their sparkling new stadium. After a few last minute adjustments, Boro got the safety certificate for the match against Chelsea to go ahead and Craig Hignett had the honour of scoring the first goal after 39 minutes. Jan-Aage Fjortoft scored in the second half, and Boro were up and running. Although Boro lost at Newcastle and struggled to get a point at newly promoted Bolton, I joined the long queue at Ayresome Park with my pal determined to get tickets for Boro’s next match, a midweek encounter with Southampton. Although the match finished goalless Boro then proceeded to win their next five matches including two 1-0 away wins against Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday either side of a 2-0 win against the Champions Blackburn Rovers when the ground record was beaten for the second time with a near capacity crowd of 29,462.
After QPR had been dispatched Boro were now in 4th position with 21 points from their first 10 matches. Although they had scored only 11 goals, 5 from Hignett including 2 penalties, 3 from Barmby and 2 from Fjortoft, they had only conceded 4. The next match was the big test, away to Manchester United where Bryan Robson received a tremendous ovation from the Old Trafford crowd, albeit a small crowd of only 36,580. Boro lost that encounter 0-2, but the perception was that Boro would not have much trouble in staying in this league. The two little midgets Hignett and Barmby playing just behind Fjortoft, although not scoring too many goals, had the pace to cause problems against most of the teams in the Premier League and defensively Boro looked solid.
Then came the signing of Brazil’s player of the year, a certain Osvaldo Giroldo Junior, better known as Juninho Paulista, or plain Juninho to Boro fans. Arsenal had had their eye on the little fella, but only Bryan Robson and Keith Lamb had followed Boro’s interest by actually flying to São Paulo to interview him. The Brazilian club were reluctant to sell their prized asset, but needed the cash. A transfer fee of £4.75M was agreed and because of Bryan Robson’s world status the little fella agreed to sign for Boro. Arsenal tried to highjack the deal, but they were too late. When Juninho arrived at Tees-side Airport with Keith Lamb there were a few people to welcome him, but when he arrived at the Riverside Stadium a Brazilian Band, the whole of the English press, and thousands of Boro fans were there to greet him and his interpreter. At the time I was somewhere in Victoria-Gasteiz in the Basque region of Spain on my way to my five month winter migration to the Algarve. I stopped the car to listen to Sports Roundup on my short wave radio, and the whole programme was devoted to the arrival and interviews of Juninho. Boro were now big news, really big news.
Juninho made his debut in the home game with Leeds and provided the stellar pass which resulted in Fjortoft opening the score for Boro. Naturally he tired and was eventually substituted by Alan Moore as Leeds eventually equalised. Of course the ground record had been broken again albeit by an extra 5 people. A midweek defeat at home to Spurs saw the ground record broken once more by a further 20 people, but Boro then beat Liverpool 2-1 four days later at the Riverside. Two away draws at Wimbledon and QPR, then a 4-1 home thrashing of Manchester City in which Juninho scored his first goal had Boro back in 4th position.
Boro had progressed to the 4th Round of the League Cup with a 3-1 aggregate win over Rotherham and the disposal of Crystal Palace after a replay, but disappointingly only drew with Birmingham and then lost the replay at St. Andrews. That defeat followed a 0-1 reverse in Boro’s next League match at Blackburn, but Boro seemed back on track as Christmas approached with a 4-2 home win over West Ham.
Boro were then heavily beaten at Goodison Park on Boxing Day, and that started a real slump in form when Boro only managed one more win in their next 16 matches and that was an FA Cup tie at Notts County. Wimbledon knocked Boro out of the FA Cup after a replay, but more alarmingly Boro lost 10 League matches including a 0-5 thrashing at Chelsea leaving them down to 13th. By now Boro had accumulated only 34 points from their 30 matches and there was general concern that they might be involved in a relegation battle if their poor form continued. However after two successive draws at home to Nottingham Forest and away to Aston Villa, that still left Boro 4 points short of the 40 point mark. Thankfully a Graham Kavanagh penalty in the 4th minute at Leeds saw Boro win 1-0 and a 3-1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday where Chris Freestone scored his first and only league goal saw Boro safe with four matches remaining.
Boro then drew at Tottenham, but lost at home to Wimbledon and away to Liverpool before the last day visit of Manchester United. Newcastle had looked like taking the title with at one stage holding a substantial lead over Manchester United, but had slumped somewhat whilst the Red Devils won game after game. The Magpies manager lost his cool after Ferguson had wound him up, and in front of the Sky cameras stated ‘I’d just love it, really love it if Boro beat Manchester United’. Some hope really, as Boro were dispatched rather easily 0-3 before another record crowd of 29,922, the sixth time the ground record had been broken. Some United supporters had bought tickets from Boro fans at twice the original cost, and had thus infiltrated the Boro sections of the crowd much to the chagrin of the stewards.
However Boro had finished with 43 points, but Nick Barmby was top scorer with a mere 7 goals after his early season flourish. It was now obvious that Boro needed a proven goal scorer, and the arrival of Fabrizio Ravanelli provided that in the next season. However it all ended in tears with a 3 point deduction for failing to fulfill a fixture at Blackburn in a season dubbed ‘two cup finals and a relegation’. More on that in my next instalment of the history of Middlesbrough Football Club.
I don’t know any multi-million pound organisations outside of football who would contemplate putting an unqualified inexperienced candidate with no track record in the position of an important key managerial post. Why should someone get such a highly paid role on the premise of essentially “let them have a go and see what they can do.” In such circumstances, I wouldn’t blame the person who was given the job but rather the person who gave it to them.
We more or less know the job description: highly motivated organised individual with a very good knowledge of all aspects of the game, who is able to adjust the tactical side in real time and give clear instructions. Must be able to motivate and develop a large multinational team of highly paid employees. Can handle pressure and communicate well and achieve the short and medium term goals of the club. Ideally the successful candidate will also be able to identify new recruits within the budget constraints and get them quickly up to speed in the team.
The description is not: Hungry local lad required to help success-starved club improve on recent performances – no experience or qualifications required.
“I don’t know any multi-million pound organisations outside of football who would contemplate putting an unqualified inexperienced candidate with no track record in the position of an important key managerial post”
The USA electorate did it with Donald Trump. Mind you Woody with his finger on the “ transfer button” might be a stretch too far.
Werder
Great blog, couldn’t have put it better.
The sad thing is, we are still being bombarded with links to totally unsuitable candidates, both Managerial and player wise.
There is a reason for that, and it is not difficult to work out.
We have, over the past seasons shown our incompetence in the hiring and firing of staff at all levels, we are fearless and unerring in our ability to score zero.
In players, we think that hiring a player who has been a tower of strength for 5-6 seasons in a half decent club is good solid thinking. It is a disaster, he has run his race and has no more to give, otherwise they would have kept him, we of course also pay him a lot more than they were, just to add insult to injury.
There seems to be no person in absolute control who’s word is final, and, more important, has a good working knowledge of the does and don’ts of dealing in the market.
This person is the owner and chairman, see the chairman of spurs as a typical example, he is hands very definitely on, and will swiftly tell his Manager that his latest fancy as a player will not be joining and why.
I think it was grotesque that Pulis was told to reshape the entire organisation, this is a person who would have trouble coming in out of the rain, and so it proved.
What’s your favourite Boro shirt?
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48099640
The Woodgate rumour, we have to hope, is just that.
Even with Steve Gibson’s ever decreasing ability to appoint the right man, it is surely inconceivable he would plump for Woody. Surely?
The brother-in-law bit with Stewy has the potential to complicate and sculpt divisions and we must assume Downing would not be cast adrift with Woody at the helm. Equally we must assume that is a direction Gibson approves of/chooses.
We would all lose should this come to pass. Arguably worse still would be Mowbray as director of football and Woody as the new boss, nostalgia gone mad.
For all his great captaincy with us, Mowbray failed here as a manager. It is also a ridiculous argument – as put forward by his worshippers at the Gazette – that he did a lot of work cutting costs etc behind the scenes. Bausor, Bevington, Lamb or whoever, these are the people that deal with this and Mowbray is judged on his onfield work alone. He does not have the background or qualifications to be entrusted with financial or strategic remodelling. And this is no slight on him at all, even Pep and Klopp are not left to do this.
He was a broken man remember in his final days here last time out and could not bring himself to fall on his own sword when his team was flailing all around him. His departure should have come long before it did and his poor judgement reflects a man so dedicated to the club that he was defeated by it.
A good, good man and Boro through and through but he is not the person to whom we should offer any great overseeing responsibility. That said, I can see it happening.
Maybe Danny Cowley might need someone like Mogga. Along with Slavisa Jokanovic, he is the man we should consider most.
There are downsides – he is Essex born and bred and we do not know whether he is inclined to move to the north-east, nor what he or his family will make of it. Then again, Tel made a great show of things here.
More pertinently, Danny was managing Braintree (in Essex) recently and has no playing record to speak of. It is not a great encouragement.
But, and this is a big plus, we do not know how the bigger players (who will be on far more money than Dan) will take to him, or take orders from him. It won’t be easy and will require the cooperation of decent people like George Friend from the off.
Logically, it would mean he he will favour youth and players he can mould and experienced players of the Grant Leadbitter mindset. It’s a big, big hallelujah if so.
We don’t know if he wants to come but our mistake would be not to consider him fully. If he doesn’t fancy it then fine but we need to act now. Gibson is good at persuading people and I’m sure can do the business with Dan if he so wants.
We need a new Bruce Rioch clearly. Jokanovic would be a fine bet also but beyond these two, the field is thin indeed.
So Gibbo, go for it.
Well reasoned post Richard. Pitfalls and all.
We can only hope that RR was correct in that Woodgate has been drawn in by the Bookies to fleece the punters cash.
If not and he gets the job, well it will turn very toxic, very quickly if we are not doing well.
Can’t agree on all of the Mowbray stuff but I do see Jokanovic and Cowley as the prime candidates at this stage.
On Cowley being Essex born and bred: well, he’s managing Lincoln now so I doubt the area is a concern for him. I would expect to jump at chance to move up the ladder to a club like ours. The question mark is whether the methods that have served him so well in the lower leagues transfer to players nearer the top of the food chain, or if he can adapt. Going with youth could help there as you say.
For Jokanovic, he has always managed down south in this country and I wonder whether he’d really be interested.
Richard
Good post but :
Wenger didn’t play football at a high standard neither did Mourinho so if the lads could Imp prove us I’d go for it !
OFB
To be fair to Woodgate, we don’t know whether he’s a good coach and if he has the ability to be a manager of a club. We just don’t know and I’ve no recollection of hearing him talk about his coaching philosophy or methods. What we know about him as a player was that he read the game well as a defender, which allowed him to play at the highest level and prolong his playing career beyond his physical ability.
While he’s been compared to Lampard and Gerrard as an up-and-coming young manager, we should remember that both of these players have worked under some of the top managers of the game and captained and led teams on the pitch that have contained some of the biggest egos mixed with rising young talent.
As Woodgate’s recent experience has been under Pulis and Monk and it’s unlikely he’ll be modelling himself on them. Also, while he may be able to draw on his experience to coach the defence, where is his attacking acumen going to come from as he plans how the team will transit from defence to attack.
He may now have a good rapport with the players but it will be different if he is the manager and is responsible for not picking players or dropping them. Will he adjust to that mental toughness a manager needs – we saw how hard it was for Karanka to cope when he stepped up from a number two and everything was now on his shoulders.
Perhaps we at least need to see how Woodgate performs in a higher profile role before he should be considered for the top job – plus he’s not even 40 yet. It would be an unnecessary gamble to opt for him as Boro manager given there are plenty of more suitable candidates who are available. Does the club need a local lad as manager to give it an identity as it’s possibly just a cliche to say ‘he knows the club’ as what exactly is Boro’s identity – the model seems to change on a yearly basis depending on what didn’t work last time round.
GHW
You have given me a nasty shock. I went on the web site to look at the shirts and one name haunted me – Dong Gook.
I give due warning to anyone else who visits the site, be prepared, there are several Gong Gook shirts.
If you brace yourself at least it will put current recruitment in to perspective.
The appointment will either be made with a long term strategy in terms of a new style and creating a fresh vibrant identity etc. or short term, just get us promoted from a purely commercial perspective.
Fast flowing Man City/Liverpool/Barca/Ajax style football won’t happen overnight and Managers rarely last longer than two or three season in reality. Where that to be the case then its rip it up and start all over again time. We have the basis of a team that is capable of achieving promotion or as a minimum the Play Offs. TP underperformed last year on several occasions, culminating in that 6 game implosion.
A few tweaks and a few outgoings to raise cash for lower cost but perfectly adequate replacements wouldn’t destabilise the core of the squad. A full blown radical philosophical rewire would likely set us back before we can move forward and fans are not renowned for patience. If it was communicated properly and there was collective buy in then it could have legs. Problem in that is the word “communication” which is something that MFC are notoriously poor at and on that basis its more than likely doomed to fail.
What we realistically head ruling heart should be looking for is a measured, experienced Manager who can work with what we have got and whose style isn’t gung ho or swashbuckling cavalier stuff. Danny Cowley ticks some of those boxes as he isn’t adverse to the odd route one style and isn’t renowned for playing the beautiful game that some may perhaps be hoping for. His football is functional and so far has succeeded for him so his recipe could work here. Chris Hughton to me is the most likely to achieve success in the shortest time scale with what we have at the new Manager’s disposal although admittedly I’d much prefer to watch a Jokanovic side.
For some reason, Hughton just doesn’t excite me. It’s harsh given that he’s been promoted from the Championship with 3 (?) different sides. Being labelled as a defensive coach is a bit unfair as his Championship sides have scored goals. Obviously with Brighton the remit is to stay up first and foremost and he did that twice. Naturally the style in those circumstances would be more conservative. So his CV is very good.
I think the issue for me Is that he doesn’t seem to come with any clear ideals. There doesn’t seem to be a bigger picture or something to buy into. With a transitional period on the horizon, I think we need something to get on board with and, beyond consistently above average past achievements, Hughton doesn’t seem to offer that.
Of course, if he’s the man then it’s easy to understand and he’ll have my support but I’m hoping for someone who can really engage the fanbase.
It’s obviously a difficult decision, and as ever results determine the tenure of a manager. Look at Solskjaar at United . The sudden upsurge in form ( albeit against the weakest teams in the division) culminating in the away win at PSG got him the job on a full term basis. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he was gone by Christmas.
The negativity and judgemental view of Woodgate on here is fascinating, I’m not sure its based on anything factual though.
My view is appointing an inexperienced manager is a big risk, but SG would disagree as would I assume most Derby fans.
If I was Woody, if management was what I wanted, I’d go and get a job at a lower league club and build my experience.
My preference is for a young manager with some experience and success on his cv.
Although whoever gets it will be taking on a tough job, transforming a squad programmed to play ultra cautious, defensive football into one which plays more entertaining, attacking football will be no easy task.
My guess is the next manager wont be the one that gets us promoted.
The negatives Nigel against Woody are many.
Let’s start with the obvious, guilty of affray in the Crown Court of a despicable and drunken assault on an innocent Asian student. That alone should halt the argument here. It was almost 20 years ago now and while we must assume Woody is a wholly reformed person since then, but do we want that association? Not really? Not at all.
He was associated heavily with the failed Pulis regime. Surely we all want an uplift, or change, from that?
He has, allegedly it must be said, failed his coaching badges. OMG.
He comes across as unbelievably thick. Not a crime of course, and so did Robbo at times, but we always felt he was an ok person. Woody doesn’t have that advantage.
He was appalling in his public contempt of Gareth Southgate when he left to go to Spurs. It became personal. Southgate is arguably the club’s greatest ever captain, dissing him does Woody no favours at all. Only an utter pratt devoid of any public regard would do that.
He will be divisive, the Downing association means you’re with them or not from the start. That’s not healthy and is no way to start a new regime.
Woody would be better trying his coaching badges again and his luck elsewhere. To feel sympathy for someone who has made millions from a minimal contribution to the game is wholly misplaced and reeks of sentiment gone wrong.
What matters is the club alone. Thank Woody and pay him off. A Teeside postcode and outlook is welcome but is a very small part of a perfect fit only.
All points to be considered Richard but in my opinion few of them tell us anything concrete about how good a manager Woodgate would be.
Based on the evidence we do have, I think appointing Woodgate as manager would be a mistake but I also think that that evidence is not significant enough to be as absolutely certain as many seem to be..
I just consider the implications of giving someone the job who is allegedly incapable of passing a coaching course. If he can’t master coaching in a relaxed environment, how could he possibly cope in real time competition.
GHW
There are a long list of successful business people who achieved very little at school.
Like the other accusations, it’s a pointer to be considered for Woodgate but not conclusive.
Totally agree, but a game of football can change tactically depending on events multiple times. There is no time to calmly consider your options and snap decisions have to be taken.
JW may well turn out to be a competent manager, but in today’s game getting off to a bad start can end up with a season being written off before it’s hardly begun. ( although Norwich this season refute that argument)
Can MFC afford to take the chance with a young inexperienced manager again? Probably not.
Nigel
Like yourself, I dont know enough to make a judgement on Woodie.
What does concern me is the comment that he has not got his badges yet and without trawling back I think Redcar Red made the point he has had a few attempts. Whilst badges are not the be all and end all for coaching a football squad there must be some basics attributes within the training that give an indication of possessing the necessary skills.
Of the other candidates being mentioned I thought Chris Hughton had distanced himself from the job and was waiting for a top flight club. Slavisa Jokanavic would excite me but never stays long at a club, that may not be his fault as the clubs have a history of turnover of managers.
It will need new backroom staff, the new broom hasn’t appeared yet but there has been a pre-emptive sweep clean!
It is now being reported that John Terry is interested in the managers job, I suppose the list will get bigger the longer we wait for the appointment.
Come on BORO.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And for the absense of any doubt whatsover
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
SO come on out with it !
What do you really mean ?
OFB
John Terry! I’d rather give the job to a Chocolate Orange
Slavisa Jokanovic is to be interviewed in the next 24 hours according to Sky
GHW,
Let’s compromise. We’ll eat the chocolate orange and not give him the job.
UTB,
John
But it says on the box, the chocolate orange is Terry’s
Quick, hide the box. Although it would be Terrys of York!
UTB,
John
Slavisa Jokanovic is the last name to be touted, going to be interviewed in the next 24 hours according to Sky.
Got asked by a delivery driver today what time it was. I said, it’s somewhere between 8 in the morning and 6 at night.
Good un GHW. I’ll use that.
Slavisa Jokanovic to be interviewed in the next 23 hours according to sky
Good five minute read.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48296119
Thanks for posting that link GHW. What a great story to read and I hope their dream of playing at the Bernabeu in La Liga comes to pass.
Richard Evans – you should be ashamed of your post.
Woodgate was found guilty of affray not assault on anyone, you are linking the two in a vain attempt at creating a narrative that suits you.
How many young men get drunk and end up in a brawl? Too many to count, should they wear it as a badge of shame forever, no.
‘he comes across as unbelievably thick’ – you’re an ignorant man for writing that.
As for his association with Pulis, so what? His job was to implement his bosses
instructions & directions, doesn’t mean if he had the job he’d do it the same way.
Allegedly failed his coaching badges, really? Or someone spinning another agenda.
Quite frankly, I won’t be expecting a desision made much before mid June by Steve Gibson. It takes time to have all the applicantions in, sort them and then arrange the interviews.
I don’t think he will rush. And he cannot spend all his time at Rockcliffe while he has his own business to run, too.
Up the Boro!
What will come first a new Prime Minister or a new Boro Manager?
Dear me Nigel,
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/dec/16/football.race
If you’re happy with someone convicted of affray in a Crown Court (pertaining to a very nasty incident) as the next Boro boss, that’s your right of course. I am not, and that is my right also.
However I can’t work out if you condone that argument or not. To think anyone might do so is worrying I’m sure you would agree.
There is a swell of opinion against Woodgate and not just on this site – check out the Gazette for example and actually speak to people – that is not of my making at all. I suggest that it is you that is out of touch but you are entitled to be. Unlike Woody’s actions a long time ago, it is not a crime.
I also said that ‘he comes across as unbelievably thick’, not that he is, and which is not a good trait for any aspiring manager. Communication is key especially given the locked doors approach at the club over the last couple of years and Woody leading a press conference has a tragi-comic touch about it already. That said, you have every right to think he does come across well.
Feel free to reply but I won’t comment, to you, on this topic again.
How come nobody in recruitment was canned, apparently they watch hundreds of games, and came up with De Penna and the like recently?
I don’t want a Ra Ra manager, a gee-up guy that soon wears off. We need someone who gets what he has, is tactically aware, can change things during a game when needed and definitely has a plan. He must also sign players that make the game easy, not chasing around to get the ball then are useless with it.
Can we find that person? he needs to be of strong character, who tells Gibson the Truth even if he doesn’t like it.
I read that Martin Braithwaite believes he belongs with ‘the best’, lets hope at least one of ‘the best’ agree with him so we can get our money back.
Naively going back a little to Derby, FL was a proven winner and player, albeit at a high profile club against Mr Woodgate and his lower real success.
Derby also spent a fair bit of money this season gone, and FL had access to those young loanees that were as AK would say…amazing.
I do not think JW would have that pull or many others though.
That was for Niget not the predictive text I missed.
Another excuse to post the this….
http://priceoffootball.com/derby-county-2017-18-say-youll-be-there/
Beggars belief. Just hope Villa give them a pasting. But then FL appears to have luck on his side.
Although weren’t Villa one of the other teams that Steve Gibson claimed were flouting FFP rules and should have been given a 9 point penalty with Derby?
Pedro
Your comment about the brilliant young players who are influencing who gets promoted to the Prem is very true.
It is an annual event, only the names change. It should of course be stamped on, heavily.
Fulham got promoted, with no chance of keeping their golden loaner, they of course crashed and burnt without a prayer.
It is pretty obvious that the wrong teams are getting into the Prem aided and abetted by some giant bloated club with too many players on their books.
If loaning was stamped out, all these young players would be playing in the various leagues as members of teams, which is what they should be, and football would be stronger and more equal and competitive.
Only losing one game in a season (and finishing second) your having a laugh!
Out if interest who was the “Golden Loaner”?
Hi, Jamie Oliver.
Sorry to hear your restaurants are going through a tough patch, have you considered contacting Gordon Ramsay? He does this show where he goes into failing restaurants and helps turn them around.
Just a thought.
I hope John Terry is not a serious option for all kinds of reasons and he’s unlikely to be a popular choice with the supporters, which surely has to be a consideration for any candidate if the club wants a fresh start. Plus if Terry was overlooked as a possible choice for Villa manager just six months ago then why is he suitable as Boro manager?
Jokanovic is more the stature we should be looking at rather than wannabe newly retired players. He has got both Watford and Fulham promoted from the Championship in his last two jobs in England so he seems to know what is required. I also seem to remember his Fulham team played some decent football too!
Werder
I agree with your comments on both candidates.
Surely John Terry can’t be fit as he parks his car in blue badge disabled bays!
Therefore He wouldn’t be able to take training !
OFB
At least he has a badge of some description ( even if it’s not his)
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11680/11726161/slavisa-jokanovic-to-be-interviewed-by-middlesbrough-for-managerial-vacancy
Interviewed yesterday apparently.
Speaking of having no qualifications……
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-tees-48337605/mackenzie-thorpe-s-art-inspired-by-middlesbrough-home
Paul Heckingbottom is an interesting shout.
Yes we’re going to chant
“By heck we’re not bottom”
OFB
There’s nothing remotely admirable about ignorance and we shouldn’t follow Donald Trump in putting it on a pedestal ( “I love the poorly educated”).
In Woodgate’s case the enormous chip his single GCSE produced in him had disastrous personal consequences. Before his affray conviction in 2000, carried out with his boozed up Boro mates against a group of Asian students, he had been barred from Teesside University’s student Union because of his threatening behaviour, and in a separate incident had head-butted a student a year earlier. I seem to recall the press at the time reporting that he had a notoriously short fuse as far as students were concerned.
Lack of qualifications is one thing. Aggression towards those who have managed to get themselves educated and qualified is quite another, and a dubious characteristic, I would have thought, for someone seeking a managerial role.
Len
A good post and I couldn’t agree more. Perhaps those who are supporters of him may wish to reflect upon his actions and if they really wish such an individual to be managing our team. 😎
Is anyone actually a supporter of him for this role?
PS.
I am of the same opinion of JT but for differing reasons. Characteristic flaws remain and are/should be taken into account whenever appointing a managerial position.
It is still early days but I picked some interesting names from the betting list at Gazette:
Paul Heckingbottom
Slavisa Jokanovic
Danny Cowley
Michael Reiziger
Daniel Stendel
Mikel Arteta
These are up-coming youngish mangers. I have a feeling Gibbo will choose someone who is fresh. Like many times in the past.
Up the Boro!
There is no doubt in my mind that Jonathan Woodgate is a different man to the young man who was prosecuted for affray and the allegations Len makes. People mature and change, to condemn anyone for mistakes in their youth is wrong. So many young people make bad decisions including I would guess many of us who post on here.
I know for example several people who dabbled with drugs in their youth but wouldn’t go anywhere near now and have since led successful and rewarding lives.
It is clear to me that their is an irrational bias against Woodgate on Teesside, which is sad.
I don’t think he should be the next Middlesbrough manager because he’s inexperienced not because he got himself into trouble and made bad decisions in his youth. The world of sport is full of such people as is wider society.
Rather him than Terry. UTB!
Nigel
I appreciate both yours and Len’s comments.
As yet I have not seen any evidence that Woodie is ready to be the manager of MFC.
Southgate looked as if he was managerial material but was given the job too soon even though he had the experience of Gibbo and The Count to fall back on. Sadly Gate became Scapegate when things unravelled.
I like Jarkko’s list,
Nigel,
I made no allegations. I simply stated the facts. And I’ll defend the right of you or anyone else to interpret them however you wish.
I think it’s probably wise, however, to have people in managerial positions in football, who can advise youngsters and their parents, right up to and including Academy players, on the importance of education, and on keeping p with their studies. Indeed the very title of Academy suggests that studying outside of football is integral to their role.
In respect of his attitude towards education, if nothing else, Woodgate’s past mifght well be relevant to his suitability for a managerial role. At rthe very least it’s a question worth asking.
My own view is the prevalent one on here; He should apply for the next vacancy at Hartlepool or an equivalent and see how he gets on. If it was good enough for Clough and Taylor, it should be quite good enough for him, and (who knows?) Downing as well.
Ian, I agree re your Southgate comment, too young and too inexperienced and we’re still suffering the consequences of that decision.
I to like the look of jarrko’s list, there are some decent contenders on there.
I saw a picture of Paul Heckingbottom and thought he looks the part! Which is something to worry about as I thought that about Digard and was very very wrong. Shouldn’t judge a book by the cover etc.
I know next to nothing about Heckingbottom but he seems to have the type of experience and previous success that would suit what hopefully Gibbo is looking for as do some of the other apparent contenders.
I wonder if the interviews include psychometric testing, we don’t want another Karanka who goes awol when the going gets tough!!
If the interviews are this week then we may know our new manager before we know the outcome of the Euro elections and just after the Prime minister resigns!
Higginbottom doing a great job at Hibs.
Woodgate shouldn’t be given the job because there is no evidence that he will be a good appointment. There are plenty of candidates available who have a better CV and that alone is enough to rule JW out in my opinion.
Nothing else is required to come that conclusion.
If Woodgate got the job, I would hang up my Boro Boots !
Len, advising someone on the benefits of education is great, however understanding that a lot of people because of their backgrounds/genes struggle to take that advice on board is fundamentally important to appreciating some people will come up short academically and shouldn’t be condemned.
You seem to be suggesting that Woodgate has some sort of anti-academic view point based on an incident in Teesside university and a fight with Asian students in Leeds, to make that link seems a bit of a stretch to me. None of us have any idea of the details behind the fight in Leeds and the incident at Teesside university. Maybe he was provoked by an arrogant student who recognised a less able academic and decided to take a verbal pop? I’ve come across plenty of such people in my life. We don’t know the background to either incident.
We also don’t know if any of the other candidates have skeletons in the closet and I doubt if any bloggers are bothering to do the research.
I agree with going to manage Hartlepool or similar, but if he gets offered the Boro job and the Hartlepool job which will he take? I know which one I’d take, that’s just human nature.
Nigel
Do a Google search and there are other incidents that haven’t been mentioned on here so far that pop up. I can immediately think of four other “alleged stories” just off the top off my head that can be openly read about on the Internet.
He seems (or seemed) to have a very unlucky streak in terms of alleged involvement in several things that are unsavoury and wholly unsuitable for the role in question. Maybe he was just always in the wrong place at the wrong time but at Leeds he was requested to cut his Middlesbrough connections and reside in Leeds but the temptations of the bright flares of Teesside proved too much for him. On his academic achievements his nickname with his team mates whilst he was at Leeds was “Village” and it certainly wasn’t for his housing portfolio. He did however have an interesting portfolio of cars that I recall.
If he truly wants to make it as a Manager in the game than as he was told when he was at Leeds he needs to move away from the area otherwise the Seagulls will always follow his Trawler.
Well, we will wait for the manager to be appointed in two or three weeks’s time.
Meanwhile a player who I like to watch. And we are missing a right back.
James Tavanier has 17 goals and 20 assists this season for Rangers. I know it is Scotland and I remember what happened under Strachan.
He is the elder brother od our Marcus and the Rangers captain.
Just saying, like. Up the Boro!
We also lost out on John Mcginn who went from Hibs to Aston Villa for 3 million. Bargain !
According to reports WBA discounted Jokanovic because of his wage demands, allegedly £2m per year, do we think it is worth Boro taking the gamble, saying that I have no idea what a manager earns these days.
Come on BORO.
Most of them considerably less than some of the players they have to deal with on even longer contracts. Of course it is not just the new Manager, it is also his squad of assistants he brings in.
Getting shot of Braithwaite will easily cover that. In fact, letting Downing go probably more or less covers that.
Nigel,
Talking about skeletons, John Terry’s are not even in the closet.
Having an affair with Wayne Bridge’s girlfriend, allegedly getting her pregnant and her having an abortion then being stripped of the England captaincy. Wonder if thats on his CV?
Old billy, its an interesting discussion though. How far do you go into someone’s past, how do you weigh up past misdemeanours?
If having an affair ruled someone out of a senior management position then the world would have a serious recruitment problem.
What we dont know is what TP and his motley crew were on nor what is know what is in the budget.
If your view is that the previous management is that the squad greatly underperformed then would a suitable manager be worth the money?
If your view is that the squad was limited that is another matter altogether.
Talksport state Terry in talks with Boro.
Hope not Ian !
If both Woodgate and Terry are being interviewed then the interviewing panel must be in physical danger from all of the elephants charging around the room.
Excuse their past conduct, if you wish. But you can scarcely ignore it, or shrug it off in either case as a minor laddish indiscretion.
There are not many footballers that I would choose to say I actually dislike intensely but John Terry is probably one of them – I really hope any idea that he’s being considered as Boro manager are just the usual rumours. Please don’t even go there Mr Gibson, I’d sooner have Gazza in charge with the keys to the matchday free pint barrels in his office. It would be a grave mistake if John Terry is ever associated with Boro in my mind and would not in anyway be an enthusiastic supporter of his Boro team.
Absolutely spot on Werder !
Being a bit of a Rogue or Jack the Lad is one thing if you are a Player but very few are counted as being among the games top Managers. Undoubtedly a few have had a go and bullied and intimidated in between their routine boasting but how many of them can be counted up there with the Busby’s, Shankley’s, Stein’s, Robson’s, Wenger’s etc.?
Mourinho and Clough are probably about as edgy as they get but compared to some who are being currently linked to the Boro position they are Choir Boys! I’m sure that there are a few that have made it like the great Lee Bowyer and that indefatigable lout at Fleetwood. Can you imagine Pochettino, Guardiola and Klopp’s past being raked up?
The one thing paramount in being a manager is that you have the respect of those under you. Unfortunately for some of the candidates being interviewed by MFC, that would be difficult to muster considering some of the unsavoury things on their life CV’s.
Steve and Tony , must have had an interesting dinner together,
Stephenson gone now from U23 team, .
I think Tony realised his time was up,but must of marked Gibbos card ,on what is going on ,and should change.
The U23 team are very basic ,though,
Is Stephenson’s departure intended to create an internal opening for Woodgate?
Same thought crossed my mind.
Having read the coverage of the Manchester City manager after his heroics this season. I am left with a very clear vision of what’s required to be a serious manager.
In short hand, the following. Always studying games on your lap top or mobile, always amongst your players ( all your players), always looking for an edge, any edge however slight. Playing the substitute game as a game of chess. Always, but always, being on the most friendly terms with all your players. And above all being utterly ruthless when needed, no matter who is the victim of your actions no matter the star, no matter the occasion, cup final, European Cup tie, whatever.
And all the while presenting an image of great Bon Amie to the world and the press.
I need hardly say that his greatest effort right now is nailing down the two or three players that he is going to sign in the next month. Yes, the time to do it is when things could not be better.
So far my club is scoring non out of ten in the above list.
Just a point in the great manager chase.
Jakanoveck (probably got that wrong) the last thing we need is a manager who wins promotion, then crashes and burns. As clear a definition of failure as one would find an any dictionary.
With Fulham he surely had as good a chance of making it stick as he will ever get.
Finally no locals.
No old timers.
The two brothers at Lincoln seem like a possible duo who’s star is rising, and at least they will have their eyes on bigger things after us, which I prefer in my managers.
Plato
Yea I’ll go along with that but apparently Lincoln plays Long ball and not attacking attractive football
OFB
John Terry?
He may have won things as a footballer but he has a shortage of dignity and class. If Boro hire him it would be the end for me and if he was successful it would make no difference, there’s just something about him. Past indiscretions? Forgive them? He’s paid his dues? Respect from the fans? Not from me.
Just to trivialise it I’d call it the biggest mistake ever made by Boro if it happens and that’s going some.
The two hungry men at Lincoln who want to succeed or Jokanovic who has to for me not a wrecking ball.
It’s only my opinion.
UTB,
John
I see we are now being linked with Markus Anfang who has Coached Holstein Kiel and FC Koln. His tenure at Koln was very short-lived yet surprisingly successful which leads me to believe that there is a back story of some sort. Perhaps Werder can shed some light?
Meanwhile if present negotiations with Terry and Jokanovic don’t work out listening to Arsene Wenger on this mornings news he was clearly giving less than subtle hints to SG to come and get me as the new DOF. I hope SG tells him to send his CV in and he will consider it if he gets some time over the Bank Holiday.
On the news? I didn’t see it…..
Repeated on BBC breakfast all morning how he is looking for his next challenge in Football but not necessarily as a Manager.
Here is a link which summarises the TV article.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48386784
I was attempting a little humour, as in not seeing the penalty incident.
Redcar Red,
Yes please, I like the idea of Arsene Wenger as Director of Football, that would be some brains in an important post. A breakthrough in itself.
UTB,
John
It’s not only Middlesbrough FC that needs a shake up behind the scenes, but also James Cook University Hospital from my recent experiences. I mentioned a few weeks ago that my prostate had probably now become probably so enlarged that the district nurses were not able to reinsert a fresh catheter tube and sent me to A&E where the nurses there had the same problem. No reflection on the nurses because they were probably being as gentle as possible by trying to circumnavigate the prostate whereupon I was sent to Urology where a doctor was more aggressive but more successful although causing some temporary bleeding. Not very pleasant, but needs must.
Now some catheter tubes have a shorter life than others so I was expecting to have a fresh one inserted this week so was concerned when I was given a date in late August for my next change. I therefore rang my cancer sister and she agreed that I should go in for tests to see if I could now manage to live without a catheter and I was given an appointment time of 11am for yesterday, advised to drink 2 litres of water in the 24 hours preceding my appointment. Fair enough, although sceptical how all of a sudden I might be able to manage without a catheter after having been told that I needed permanent catheterisation with fresh ones inserted every 12 weeks.
On Wednesday this week I received a letter from the hospital confirming my appointment, but at the strange time of 8pm. I therefore anticipated that the new time would almost certainly require an overnight stay through to today so I packed an overnight bag. I then received a phone call at 5pm yesterday enquiring why I had missed my 11am appointment. I explained that the letter I had received gave a different time at 8pm but the Urology Department would have closed down by then. Apologies for some administrative error, so what now? Well, I’m quite happy to have a permanent catheter rather than struggling to climb the stairs in time to avoid repeated urinary accidents.
So now I have a fresh appointment for Sunday 2nd June for the insertion of a fresh catheter, rather than an all-day monitoring to see if I can manage without one. The strange thing is that the appointment is not now in the Urology Department, but in the Rheumathollogy Department, and on a Sunday at that. But be sure that I will check a couple of days before my appointment as it seems there is no coordination between the different departments at the hospital.
Ken
Sorry to hear of your problems with the Urology Dept. Whilst it is no comfort to you it appears to be similar the world over or certainly hear in Spain. Having been assured by friends that the Spanish NHS is one of the best health services in the world,sadly for us it has not been so far.
My wife had numerous scans in March culminating in an MRI on the 17th of March but the consultation with the Urologist was not until the 17th of May. Hospital should have three Urologists but only have one! Sound familiar! On 15th May received text confirming appointment. On 16th May received text cancelling appointment!
Appointment made at a local private hospital for today (24/05/19) only to be advised on 20/05/19 that we would need copies of scan images to take to the appointment. Contacted NHS hospital for copies and told we would need to request in person in writing at hospital. Duly visited hospital and completed request form and were then told it would take 15 days to produce copies! We visited the private hospital who re-arranged appointment for 7th of June.
Then received phone call from Spanish NHS hospital for appointment with consultant today (24/05/19) originally at 12.30 and then changed to 8.30.
Good news, Alfred (tumour) has confined himself to the kidney and has not spread. Removal of kidney and Alfred should resolve the issue assuming nothing else found during operation. Blood tests, ECG and meeting with Anaesthetist booked for next two weeks. Hopefully we then do not have to wait too long for the op.
Hope your catheter issue is resolved quickly and to your satisfaction. 😎
So pleased to hear Alfref did not go walkabout KP. Continued best wishes to you both.
“here not hear”!
Good news about Alfred!
KP & Ken
Our thoughts best wishes and prayers are with you
OFB
KP
Best wishes to your wife on 7th June.
Good news indeed KP – good luck with the op!
KP,
Stay positive and support one another. I feel sure all will be well even though you are battling Alfred and the system(s). Best wishes.
UTB,
John
Ken,
No joined-up thinking there.
Mum-in-law lives with us, we’re her carers and she’s 101. Diagnosed with a basal carcinoma on her nose and we were given an appointment in 18months time subject to confirmation. The other half, known as the ‘Boss’, had a succinct exchange on the telephone plus a couple of emails and the operation is now at the beginning of July.
Departments and computers that don’t talk to one another.
Good luck when you get there.
UTB,
John
Fingers crossed Ken
Aside from my experience yesterday I’ve just read an article on self-catheterisation especially for those who are particularly sexually active. Think l’ll pass on that information.
I find it best to work on the principle that nobody in large organisations really know what they are doing and checking everything twice just to make sure. Anyway good luck with you new appointment and hope it’s a little less painful than last time. btw I had a bone density scan this morning and it went quite smoothly. At least I know I still have the bones of a young man – though hopefully nobody will find where I’ve buried them 🙂
Good luck with your appointment, Ken. Keep well.
Ken
Good luck with your appointment, our thoughts are with you.
Good luck Ken but I fear the malaise is spread across all areas and not just the NHS. I had to bring my Car in for a recall yesterday after complaints that the model can spontaneously combust and apparently has done on several occasions around the Globe. I couldn’t get a quick appointment as BMW are out of parts due to the recall. After going around the three “local” main dealers I ended up booking it into the Tyneside dealership two months in advance which finally came around yesterday.
After over 5 hours they informed me they had inspected it and it did indeed need the part replacing. Then they told me that they didn’t have the part and had no idea how soon it would be back in stock, it could be days, weeks or even months! I asked them why they just didn’t examine the Car over two months ago to provide the same outcome and the whole point of having to wait two months was because they had to wait for parts and they would now be able to repair the Car on the day? No answers I’m afraid.
In fairness they gave me a replacement Car in the meantime but I found it incredulous at just how mismanaged and cack handed the organisation of it is. I suspect that they did originally intend to have the part but the scale of the problem has overwhelmed them and developed into a bit of a farce. I did point out that they knew the VIN number of the vehicle and that should have been more than enough to order the part without any need for inspection. A complete waste of a day hanging around up there and still no further forward.
Nowhere near as serious of course as your dilemma but hope it makes you feel better that incompetence like our Politicians now seems to be endemic in our society everywhere and not just with yourself and the NHS. Even the Germans can’t organise the proverbial in a brewery as Werder has often pointed out on here.
Redcar Red
Spare parts for cars are a nightmare. Some years ago I hit a pothole filled with water whilst driving in the Algarve in wet conditions. I didn’t see the pothole as it blended in with the rest of the road, but the spring was fractured adjoining one of the front wheels. I managed to crawl to a local garage where the technician inspected it and said that parts for Daewoo cars weren’t stocked anywhere on the Algarve but he could order a pair from Lisbon 250 kms away but delivery might take up to a month. He had the specifications and said it would be better to order the parts from the Daewoo factory in Amsterdam, but even that would take time.
As luck would have it a Dutch couple who I was friendly with were expecting a visit from his daughter and family a few days later, and said he’d ask his daughter if she could bring the parts with her. Now my Dutch friend was rather eccentric, and I doubted how his daughter would be able to bring the spare parts with her, but she did and I paid her the cost. The mechanic at my local garage was able to repair the car within days, and on asking how much I owed him he said “Drive the car around for a week and pay me later”. So a happy ending, but so trusting are the Portuguese people, I could have been returning to the UK before the week was out for all he knew. Suffice to say how much I miss Portugal and the Portuguese people, Britain’s longest allies.
Whilst past performance cannot be a guarantee for the future, it occurs to me that of those managers that have achieved promotion from the Championship in recent years they have all managed at or above Championship level or equivalent. The only exception is Aitor Karanka, albeit he did manage Spain’s under 16s.
Previous management experience at or above Championship level therefore to my mind becomes a big influencer if the club have serious ambitions of returning to the top flight in a short time frame.
The likes of JW, JT or the guys from Lincoln to my mind appear to be a much greater risk and should only be considered if the club is planning longer term with promotion seen on a 3/5 year horizon. 😎
Redcar Red
BMW’s cant have faults, they are German. I hope you are not a typical BMW driver who deigns to allow the rest of use to use their roads. Nothing like a good old stereotype to keep the day going.
Many years ago I was commission a manufacturing plant in the East Midlands. We had recurrent problems with a crane that kept coming off its rails. The German manufacturers just shrugged their shoulders. In the end we convened a meeting with the production director and staff, also present was our production and technical directors.
They sat their totally immune until in frustration I told them we had called the machine Jurgen. Jurgen they asked, yes, Jurgen Klinsmann because it keeps falling over. Even the Germans smiled.
They did find a fault and eventually owned the problem.
On to football, the process of selecting a new manager is taking time but I was surprised the U23 coach left.
My experiences (of which I have plenty from the land of beautiful Bier) is that “there cannot possibly be a problem” is the normal default. The problem solving process then tends to develop around why there cannot possibly be a problem rather than accepting the possibility and then identifying said problem and tracing it to source. They get there in the end but usually only after a lengthy ego flattening acceptance that something has actually failed and gone wrong and it is in fact broken. I joke with them that the cultural German lack of having a Plan “B” is what lost them two World Wars.
Anyway at least they don’t bother fitting those common unnecessary wand things in their cars. Indicators I believe they are called, whatever they are used for!
Redcar Red
Of course, other car drivers should just get out of your way.
To be fair, it isn’t just the Germans. Boeing seems to have the view it is the foreign pilots and airlines who are at fault.
Redcar Red
A lack of a ‘plan B’? Now where have I heard that before…
UTB,
John
Good luck Ken. Hope you get eventually sorted. Best wishes.
Well good news for those like me who don’t fancy the chances of Brexit ending well under the selfless leadership of Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson – I’ve just received confirmation that my application for German citizenship has been approved and it will be presented to me in a ceremony by the Bürgermeister on the 3 June.
All that’s left to do now is practice singing the German national anthem and wiping a well-organised tear from my former rose-tinted English eyes – Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit, Für das deutsche Vaterland…
Although, not sure if I’ll continue to use my English name on my new passport or will permanently switch to using Werdermouth 😉
Well done 👍
Well done Werdermouth
Congratulations Werdermouth on being accepted into the ‘meister’ race. The tune of course for the German National Anthem was written by Franz Joseph Haydn born in Austria and used in Britain as the tune simply known as ‘Austria’ in the hymn ‘Glorious things of thee are spoken’ though along with ‘La Marseillaise’ and ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ arguably the three most stirring National Anthems in the World.
Boris Johnson next PM? Not for me, the man’s a buffoon, albeit an eccentric one when being a guest on ‘Have I got news for you’. Probably can’t blame him though, it’s in his genes as anyone who watched his father appear on ‘The Real Marigold Hotel’ series set in India will confirm. In some ways though I like him, but not as a politician never mind a PM.
Congratulations Herr Werder
Best wishes Ken and glad to hear your news too, KP.
Finally, congratulations Werdermouth on your citizenship. Ein prosit.
Ditto Werder
Gut gemacht Werder bei der Erlangung Ihrer Staatsbürgerschaft. 😎
KP
I hope Alfred behaves and fingers crossed.
Congrats to Werder, did you have a practical test such as getting up early to put towels on sunbeds?
Or how to push in first at queues for breakfast lunch dinner etc
I will use this post to say best wishes to Ken and KP’s wife and congratulations to Werder.
One thing I can also say is that the grass is (quite often) never greener. As with KP’s experience, I used to get sick of hearing how great the Spanish Health Service was compared to the poor British relation.
We have private health in Spain and pay the additional premiums as a safety net.
Likewise with all things German, great economic power, but!!
The UK may not be utopia, but there are millions and millions who would swop places of residence. And despite the rubbish Politicians.
Pedro
By the looks of it the British economy is doing better than most in Europe – as BBC would say, despite Brexit,
My favourite BBC comment was one following a big drop in unemployment earlier this year. It said this may be due to employers stockpiling employees ready for Brexit.
Made me chuckle to think of the foremen going to the stores and asking for two fitters, a sparkie and three production operators.
I recall as an apprentice being sent to the stores for a Long Stand……..
Or some tartan paint 🎨
Or Skyhooks in the building trade.
Or a bucket of steam.
UTB
I see Micheal Reiziger’s odds have been slashed and is now second favourite, here is a little snippet about him that may or may not interest people:
On 20 June 2017, it was confirmed that Reiziger would return to Ajax, after being appointed as manager of their reserve squad of the Eerste Divisie, replacing Marcel Keizer. In his first season in charge, Reiziger led the side to their first ever Eerste Divisie title, the highest level title the side have ever won. This position would have resulted in promotion to the Eredivise, though being a reserve team meant that they were illegible for promotion, with rules stating that the side had to be at least one division below the first team.[10] During this season, Reiziger acted as caretaker manager of the first team for one match, following the dismissal of Marcel Keizer, winning this game against Willem II 3–1. In spite of this, the job went to Erik ten Hag.
Come on BORO.
Boro make first signing
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/boro-sign-grimsby-youngster-rumarn-burrell
Come on BORO.
Exmil
Is this another in a long line of and then never to be seen again! 😎
Is it, who knows ?
Come on BORO.
One concern about the new signing is who made the new signing? It must be our much lauded recruitment team with a string of successful signings and of course he will be presented to any new manager, eventually, as the next new thing.
If the model works then the manager/coach will be presented with a stream of assets, If it doesn’t work you get a dose of Caleb Folan’s and Dong Gook’s.
What is your #daftquid placed?
Exclusive: Middlesbrough to sue Derby over alleged breaches of financial rules.
Extract from the Telegraph. Not sure how to react to this but smacks slightly of sour grapes and timing is not good – just before play off final.
My knowledge of sale and lease backs are that they are a legitimate transaction provided they are at market value and that the lease is on commercial terms.
It is disappointing that SG and his advisors did not inspect Derby’s accounts when invited to do so if, as reported, that is the case.
Could all get very messy.
Its definitely silly season again,
Gibbo suing Derby for what?
The media making up stuff again ,
He may have a point if they have skewed the books , but I’m sure its happening all over the football world ,its monopoly money now.and Gibbos issue is with those who make the rules, and that’s a dead end.
I wonder if it’s more of a spat between SG and Mel Morris?
Like the three points, doomed to failure.
May not be in “the spirit” of the FFP, but that’s what accountants do. Bend them to suit and from the many articles Mel Morris knows what he is doing.
Pedro
How can a very successful business man with a shrewd grasp of how many beans make five even contemplate entering into a long drawn out court case over something as opaque as bending the rules.
Sheer madness, and a waste of valuable time and money.
Sheff United had west ham dead to rights over a player who’s ownership was strange, but certainly not West Ham. It cost them their place in the Prem.
They got to court, the judge found for them.
Result, West ham kept their place in the Prem. Sheff ut’d got bunged a couple of mill, and told to clear off.
so beware Judges, they are not good news.
In fact if they do not hopefully beat Villa, there is sufficient profit left for next seasons signings.
Well done to the acquisition team. They have identified a promising young kid, moved in and done the deal. It’s exactly what everyone has been saying about the financial future of the company. Create a pool of quality youngsters, train then well and they will either make the first team (just a few would be worth the cost of the whole Academy) or go on to do the best that they can in football or elsewhere in life.
I see no reason to be cynical. The list of good kids coming through the system looks very impressive. Maybe this is the start of something special.
UTB
I read the report about Derby County. Will it go anywhere? I dont know. Didn’t Steve Gibson and Bulkhaul do some smart footwork over our debts?
As for the play off final itself I dont know who to support. I am torn between wishing the best for friends and the fact they will be intolerable if Derby win .
It is great having Derby, Forest and ourselves in the same division if we cant go up.
On balance, come on you Rams
I think SG’s fancy footwork was pre-Financial Fair Play.
Might be a tricky one this. If the case fails then it opens a legitimate pathway to circumventing the rules and ultimately renders them officially pointless.
Quick thanks to everyone for their good wishes on the German citizenship, maybe we’ll even end up with a German manager at Boro 🙂
Have you applied? When will you meat Steve?
Up the Boro!
I thought I could improve my chances by becoming a foreign coach – though still trying to remember where I’d put my badges 🙂
Interesting reports that Boro are planning to sue Derby – not sure if it is even advisable as from what I understood from that link on their finances and the complicated structure of companies (which GHW posted a few days ago) is nothing that they did was actually illegally but the article seemed to suggest that the Football League should tighten up their rules to prevent it happening in the future. So I’d agree with KP’s post and perhaps Steve Gibson’s intention is mainly to force the governing bodies to implement their rules more thoroughly by drawing attention to loopholes.
An interesting part of the article is that Derby offered to let MFC come and look at their accounts on two occasions but the opportunity was declined.
If that is the case I agree with Werder and KP that it may be sabre rattling to prompt a response.
I would rather Steve spent his time and the clubs money in sorting out MFC.
Maybe there is a master plan afoot. Ruin Derby’s Play Off preparations by taking them to court and then interview John Terry to scupper Villa’s plans and hey presto they both implode before the big game and then……….? Oh beggar, I knew there was something we hadn’t thought through Baldrick.
Creative Accountancy exists in all businesses not just Football. Indeed it seems to be very fashionable now in footballing parlance to carry that stigma of doubt and envy cast in your direction, just ask fans off Chelsea, Man City, PSG, AC Milan and now perhaps Derby County! The whole Financial fairness thing is about as fit for purpose as the Fit and Proper Person requirements for owners. Well intentioned but poorly policed. About as much respect is paid to either as the 70 miles per hour national speed limit. Anyone who travels on motorways will realise that at 75 mph you are getting overtaken with regularity and with drivers displaying great displeasure at someone holding up traffic by tootling along at “only” 75 mph.
The odds are certainly closing in on speeding drivers with camera technology It still doesn’t prevent or deter most from travelling in excess of 70 just so long as you know where the Cameras are to slam the brakes on in time whilst watching for the unmarked Skoda’s. That mentality is part of the human make up, getting somewhere faster, quicker or preferably first.
That same mindset will be rife in every Football Club regardless of what “controls” or recommendations are made. The punishments have been so paltry that it makes the footballing gamble a measured risk worth taking. One Premiership season equals just shy of £200M with Parachute payments even if you do drop straight back down. Football is now wholly consumed by TV financed greed. More Clubs will go to the wall. Just in the NE in recent times Scarborough and Darlington went, Pools teetered on the abyss, Bolton are rocking and now Bury. The list will continue to grow and Clubs with great histories will cease to exist.
Only SG knows if he is acting for the greater good of the game or just sour grapes. Many Clubs seem to manage to “convert” their debts and come out smelling of Roses and as long as they get away with it the art will continue. 1986 seems a long time ago now but it could have ended very differently. I think the problem is that if a Club overextends itself and goes to the wall who cares but if they achieve success off the back of it its not fair and then “I’ll scweam and scweam and scweam and make mythelf thick” as Violet Elizabeth Bott used to proclaim (allegedly).
…..and I can!!
Good to see that the Club still functions normally at the Youth level with the signing of Grimsby youngster Rumarn Burrell for what appears to be circa £100K or so and possibly with a few add-ons later on.
I’m much more comfortable to read about that than the goings on over Waghorn and us supposedly being willing to double his salary from £8K a week to £16K. I accept that footballers earn obscene amounts of money but if someone at the Club honestly thinks that Waghorn is worth anything like £16K a week than if I was SG I’d be more worried about my own internal operations than what Mel Morris is doing at Derby County or that Villa stumped up £72K a week for Bolasie.
On those figures Jokanovic at £2M would seem fair value if he delivers promotion.
As an alternative, I would offer him a salary of £1.5M and a bonus of £1.5M if promotion is achieved. It all depends how much is in the kitty.
I would much prefer to be payng those sort of figures to a proven manager than some of the loan fees and add on wages we have incurred previously on the likes of JH and MB who have failed to deliver. 😎
I see Jokanovic has gone favourite in the betting on all sites at 9/4.
Come on BORO.
Watching James Arthur live on bbc red button live from Stewart park Boro Dickens Logo on Shirt and Badge has drums with Boro Logo shots pan to Stewart Park Eston Hills and Ormesby Hall watch it all you Boro exiles and cry
OFB
For anyone perhaps inclined to get down with the Boro youth!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e4q9hn
I think there should be more flexible pricing in the season cards. The club should rise the price for the seat used by Steve Gibson.
If the club would ask for say two million a month for that seat, we would have more money coming in through the turntables.
All under Fair Play Finance rules, me thinks. And we could let Deby to copy (again) the idea.
Up the Boro!
If Gibbo wants to give me £1m a month, I’ll happily donate £990k of it to Middlesbrough Football Club. Maybe even £995k/month.
He could employ the first team squad as drivers for Bulkhaul, and they can play for Boro in their leisure time.
Isn’t that the sort of way clubs used to get around the wage cap?
It was interesting that when SG raised the FFP issue with the EFL and in particular the conduct of Wednesday, Derby and Villa and hoping for an independent financial inquiry that the other Championship clubs turned the motion down. Sounds like there were a few twitching buttocks and fudging accounts is now the new norm in Football
Amortisation….
GHW, made me lough loud.
Just before 1986 I think some local companies paid the wages of some players – especially a “signing”. Was it Slaven?
But for a totally another reason.
Up the Boro!
All this juggling of bookmakers odds on the next Boro manager leaves me cold. Will there be a play off? In the end Steve Gibson will decide, and as the late Hylda Baker used to profoundly say to Jimmy Jewell in the ITV comedy ‘Nearest and Dearest’ of the late 60s/early 70s “Only those that knows their own, knows”.
I guess the swing and adjustments of odds only reflects punters who place bets – I suspect it must be a small market if it’s changing on a daily basis as one or two bets are made.
BORO SHIRT 2019-20?
Here’s a photo that OFB sent me late yesterday evening of George Friend and former X-Factor winner James Arthur seemingly unveiling Boro’s new shirt at Stewart Park.
https://diasboro.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/boro-shirt-2019-20.jpg
Goodness me, the hours that must have been spent coming up with that revolutionary design.
It’s got that early (late?) eighties feel to it but it was always going to be hard to follow last season’s design, which I thought was one of the best we’ve had. But since the nature of shirts is that it needs to look different from the last one, then the white band was always likely to be removed this year.
Maybe the new shirt should have the same design as last season’s except that 32 Red being replaced by Diasboro.com. though I doubt it would go down well with our current sponsors.
Well the new Boro shirt is now official and here is the promo shot – not sure what ‘Zero H2O’ means though – maybe it’s related to the parachute payments drying up…
https://diasboro.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/new-boro-shirt.jpg
Design wise it appears well thought out with the narrow chest stripe nicely fitting with the badge and the Hummel logo. All in all I quite like the look of it.
Werder, normally 25 litres of water is used to dye a shirt. But now Hummel needs zero litres. Hence the zero H2O.
Not the worst shirt design but let’s hear the comment from our shirt summerizer, RR.
Up the Boro!
Thanks for clarifying that Jarkko – I had a quick look into the technology to see how it worked and it says it uses reclaimed pressurised carbon dioxide in a closed loop system instead. Apparently the CO2 then becomes a strong solvent that allows the dye to dissolve easily and permeate the fibres of the material.
I think the shirt is a wonderful throw up, sorry throw back to our fantastic association with Heritage Hampers and that memorable period of Boro success. The black on the sleeves makes no sense and the collar doesn’t look right from a design perspective. The black trim didn’t make any logic on previous incarnations either. My first impression was that its inspired by one of those cheap Supermarket T shirts worn by embarrassing Dads in the 80’s and still available on clearance racks in certain retailers alongside those beige slacks and sandals with a free pair of white socks.
Its not the worst by any means but it just doesn’t scream Boro to me. A desperate attempt to try and give some faux credibility to a design change, significantly enough to persuade fans to part with cash for the latest Shirt design. Strange how Liverpool and Chelsea etc. all seem to manage with their limited design criteria to come up with a new Shirt each season and yet for some reason our kit launch is like watching a squash ball ricochet around the white band court of previous aberrations.
Overall my disillusionment with the Club at the moment has probably left me more relieved that the Shirt is just a predictable shunt rather than a total write off. That “write off” I fear may be waiting just around the next bend for us this week.
Good to see Randolph in the promo. That would indicate he is staying.
Mind you GHW, Gestede featured in foto shots prominently last season and never played and would not leave. Will probably still be here when the window closes.
I wonder if he has a good golf handicap like Bale.
When asked what his handicap was he said, “two left feet and a head like a threepenny bit!”
Wasn’t Ben Gibson alongside Rudy Gestede in the last Kit Launch pics?
This manager business is doing my head in ! Mentioned today Woodgates henchman friend Lee Bowyer. Dearie me, it gets worse.
On another note, hope Sunderland make it through today.
GHW
That is a bit unfair, Rudi has one right foot and one left foot but I admit they are on the wrong legs.
In response to Richard.
A good post on Mogga, although I can’t agree that Mogga failed. I enjoyed too much of his tenure (all of 2011, a great deal of 2012) for it to be considered a failure. And what happened under his reign laid the foundations for promotion.
When it comes to Mogga, I keep thinking back to this piece from Andrew Glover. I don’t agree with all of it but I do understand where he’s coming from, which is important.
https://ayresomegates.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/football-without-sentiment-is-nothing-why-im-devastated-moggas-failed-reign-is-over/
Here are Glover’s final words.
“For those who associate football with identity, belonging and pride, Mogga was a dream. What comes next could be a lot worse.
“Still, ‘it’s a results business’ apparently, and many supporters can now celebrate the end game they have long wanted.
“In the end, the rest of us probably allowed our hearts to rule our heads. But in a game now heartbreakingly devoid of soul, where owners change team names, the colour of shirts and fans cheer players to the rafters who have previously refused to play (I think he meant Carlos Tevez – Si), surely we can be excused that?
“There’s no place for sentiment in football, so goes the argument. For me, the game is nothing without it.”
Sad as it is to read them, I now think they’re more a reflection of clinging on to a hope of what one wants the club to be rather than seriously acknowledging what it should be.
Yes, please bring Mogga back. Preferably as a Director of Football and a younger and hungrier head coach. He knew a good palyer when he saw one. Up the Boro!
Hi Simon,
I like Mogga and used to idolise him as our captain. He is a good, good man as I mentioned but I feel he is not someone, in any capacity, that we should bring back in a position of serious influence.
I feel he failed badly when he returned initially – it’s results and onfield development that count most and he just didn’t cut it – and there is almost no precedent anywhere that a second return in these sort of circumstances works out.
He was a broken man at the end of his managerial reign here and there was a dislike growing among the fans towards him when he ploughed on, same as, same as. Think of the vitriol at Barnsley at the end. That was unfair on him as a person and who is to say it would not eventually resurface again if he was deemed responsible for more failure? He’s a big family man, surely he can do without all that nonsense?
The “it is what it is,” mantra didn’t help either and was dreadful PR for him and club. How that is supposed to help the players or fans is beyond me and I’m not sure a dour and pragmatic mindset – albeit allied to attacking play – is what we need right now.
Genuine sentiment in the game is fundamental I agree but to bring Mogga back would be a sentimental option only.
Make him chief club ambassador, club president or whatever, lionise him. In fact, why not develop a cohort of Boro greats and use them proactively to promote the club and area, five or six figureheads to remind people we’re still around and give an ongoing and upbeat narrative. Our identity is on the wane right now and – Mogga, Robbo, Rav, Juninho, Souness, Southgate – would impress and remind people that we have been a great club very recently and can be again.
It’s not just on the field that we need great contributions from our favourites.
One thing Mogga did was introduce the spy ware computer player tracking system and scouting for players worldwide
OFB
Maybe we should get Huawei to run our recruitment department?
Addendum.
Been absent for a while as I’ve been exceptionally busy. Still looking to find time to contribute a couple of full pieces this summer.
They will be reflective, so what I thought then may not be what I think now. Times change, people change, and all that.
As many of you will know, I’ve learned a lot from following the progress of Ben Gibson’s club, Burnley, and what they did right to establish themselves in the Premier League that we didn’t.
Back in 2016, when there was a sort of rivalry going on, such admiration for the club hadn’t remotely crossed my mind. But the heat of a promotion battle will do that to you. Heightened emotions, immense joy, excessive hurt… you know the score.
Nowadays, following a period of rationalisation and reflection, it’s more than a little different. Here’s what I learned.
(1) Open-mindedness towards the needs of others
When Sean Dyche was told by one member of the Burnley board that he’d be expected to move his family into the area if he got the job, Dyche, married with two children, refused.
His intended assistant, Ian Woan, immediately thought: “That’s it, we’re not getting this job”. Dyche sensed disappointment in the room too.
But, instead of worrying, he told the board why he couldn’t move – he’d done a very good job at Watford, but was sacked at the end of the season (after new owners came in). What would happen if Burnley made the same decision a year after Dyche got his family to move? Family comes first, and Dyche made sure the board knew it.
Woan said not moving would probably cost them the job. But Dyche stuck to his guns, telling him: “If you lie on the way in, you have to continue lying when you get there. I’m not prepared to do that.” The rest, as they say, is history.
(2) Just because you don’t spend money doesn’t mean you lack ambition
It’s always wise to budget worst case scenario, because you never know when the bad years, at least financially, are coming.
Perhaps the most important thing is to *have* a club at all. Full stop. Many of us will, of course, remember 1986 and the reputed debt of around £90 million circa 2009 that even parachute payments wouldn’t cover.
I have learned that Burnley have almost gone out of business once and almost into administration once. How many others have gone bust in chasing the dream? Leeds, Portsmouth… Even Leicester, when they got promoted under Micky Adams in 2002-03, went into administration that same season.
If a club simply lives within its means and maintains a strong connection with the fans, then they’re on the right track. If only to a point. It’s not exactly what you’d call a recipe for success, but just because a club doesn’t spend huge amounts of money doesn’t mean they’re not ambitious – it means that, at least financially, they have a back-up plan. They know not to gamble unduly. They know what’s possible.
(3) The difference between an respectable or good manager, and a lesser manager
A respectable or good manager adapts to the situation and makes the most of what he has. A lesser manager always needs more time, more money, more players, or more money to buy players.
When someone said Rafa Benitez, of all people, was doing a really average job at Newcastle in 2018, he immediately got two rather pointed responses. The first defended Rafa’s “dignity”, saying the manager actually spoke to the fans and gave the club a sense of purpose and pride they hadn’t had in years. The second argued that Rafa took over a club in the relegation zone and had taken them up to 15th while investing nothing in the team and making £7 million in transfers.
The second was, however, countered by a finely written response which reminded said fan that there was this manager in the Premier League who took a group of Championship players into the PL, kept them up, sold two of the best ones for a £37 million profit and got the others (ultimately) into Europe.
The message being, even if the manager feels that the hierarchy (or, alternatively, the fans and the players who aren’t as accepting or patient with him as he’d like them to be) are letting him down, he’ll not win friends if he comes across like he’s using them as an excuse.
Simon
In the1986/87 season Burnley went into their final league game bottom of the 4th Division and needed to win at home to Leyton Orient to avoid dropping into the Conference. They won 2-1 in front of a crowd of 15,696, almost 10,000 more than their second highest crowd of the season against Preston and 14,000 more than their lowest crowd against Colchester. All this after winning their second First Division title in 1960 when their average home attendance had been 26,978 with a high of 47,696 for the visit of Manchester United at Christmas time.
The cycle of football, Ken, or the difference in hierarchical management over the years? I say hierarchical because the buck ought to stop at the very top.
Gibbo’s still a hero, but he’s not lionised like he once was.
Heartbreak for Sunderland losing to a goal in the 94th minute.
You have to feel sorry for all supporters of the losing teams whether they are old foes or not. The joy goes to the victors.
Middlesbrough should take a look at Charltons player Taylor.
Listening to Lee Boywer after the game on Talk sport ,he came across as a very intelligent and astute football manager
,.before the game his take on man management seemed very positive.
I know some people will bring up his younger days, but its about today.
What was interesting was he mentioned , how calm he was regarding his decision making.
It is very worrying that we seem to be connected with a lot of “unfortunate” geezers who had a few misdemeanours in their past. Perhaps we will be interviewing Joey Barton next.
Its not a message that I am comfortable with and indeed not something that the area let alone the Football Club should want to associate themselves with. Hopefully Charlton’s promotion today ends the link but that just leaves two others with a dubious past to be concerned about. A bit ironic when the Club is acting all virtuous over FFP if they appoint someone with a very unsavoury past to manage them.
Redcar Red,
To horrible to think about, I hope it’s just the media. On a lighter note they’re talking about John Terry being the next Chelsea manager. That works for me.
UTB,
John
Sad for Sunderland but well done Charlton. Bouncing back from the zombie team they were on the Lost Weekend.
Simon
Re. Your thoughts on ‘the approach to managing your club’
Good shout on Burnley and Sean Dyche I agree with all of your points.
An even more remarkable case is the example of Spurs, just read an article on their method and approach. Mind Blowing!
All down to one man of course, it usually is.
An iron grip, and understanding of the transfer market, is the answer.
Sorry if that seems simplistic, but it really is that simple.
One stat tells the story. The last two seasons has seen a net spend of 15 Mill in the market. Combined with a ruthless pursuit of young players on the rise (and sale of same with great frequency) they are a club who never hesitate to sell when events dictate it, see under Gareth bale! You do not need many deals like that to keep the dibs in tune.
Summing up, I would say that they have built the finest stadium in the world out of the British transfer market, and the cash was extracted from their victims without them even being aware it was happening.
You can’t build a new stadium and buy players ( see Arsenal under Wenger).
The simple fact is that Pochettino didn’t have any money to buy players. Gareth Bale was sold because they couldn’t afford to keep him. Man City are the only club in the Premiership who can keep their stars. Daniel Levy has been very canny with Tottenhams money.
I would say it took a lot more money than the £90m they got for Bale to build the new stadium.
Looks like Ashley has sold Newcastle to a cousin of Man Ciy owner
OFB
That might be a reason for Arsenal’s drop from top two to top four regular in the post-Vieira era, where they also won nothing for eight years. Another reason could be that what was once revolutionary under Wenger had run its course and a combination of imitators and newer methods had rendered him less powerful.
Football.
Maybe the entire Premiership will be relocated to the Middle East shortly leaving the Championship as the main English League.
And the family will decide whose turn it will be to win the League ….
Let’s keep Steve Gibson in helm. Up the Boro!
GHW
That was the entire point of my post. With a slight twist.
The head of Spurs will never buy a superstar, period.
He never stops looking for the youngster ready to move up in the game, and signing them. So, moderate wages, Big returns.
When the offer gets silly he will sell them.
This has continued over many seasons,
The new ground has cost half a billion, and is designed to pump out cash like an out of order fruit machine, it will host any event whatever the size, or difficulty.
If you do a deal with him you will leave without your shirt.
Compare and contrast.
Tottenham have bought their fair share of lemons under Levy/Pochettino.
Tottenham have still spent more than they took in.
GWH
The great loss leader is buying players, and at the top of the game you are talking in the hundred millions. So I would say that 15 mill over two seasons is petty cash.
In addition Spurs with the new ground will now be worth about a billion as a going concern, plus the attraction to new players, plus the increase in income, plus the value of several of their stars all adds up to a big advance stature as a club.
They will not be able to hang on to Harry Kane. But for the outlay on the new stadium they would have spent a lot in the market.
Admittedly Pochettino has done remarkably well with the players at his disposal, but once results start to falter the fans will soon demand new signings. Because of the new stadium that money won’t be available.
Being in the top four is a double edged sword as the players required demand a high premium, there aren’t too many Dele Ali’s out there.
Before too many people feel sorry for Sunderland supporters, just ask yourself how many Sunderland supporters felt sorry for Boro supporters when we lost to Norwich, if I remember correctly on the 3 Legends radio show there was a lot of laughter and “mick” taking from the north of the Tees.
Regarding the new home shirt, I really like it (black and all) so my pre order will be going in tomorrow.
Come on BORO.
exmil2017
I would hope people on this forum are above Schadenfreude. After all they are neighbours of ours.
https://youtu.be/WOEqY7zYfLk
Lee Bowyer now
Just reading in the Northern Echo that Steve Gibson is set to decide on Boro’s manager in the next 7 days but so far only Woodgate and Jokanovic have been formally interviewed with John Terry also having met with club officials. The article seems to suggest that the financial requirements of Jokanovic may be a problem so on that basis that would at the moment only leave a choice between Woodgate and Terry.
Hopefully the chairman will decide to look at some other candidates this week and not opt for either of the untested pair!
I think there is an even bigger issue for SG with this appointment and that is one of identity. In 86 “we nearly died” so our identity and the fans association or buy in was clear and obvious. The nineties with Robbo was certainly a statement for the time. Then we had McClaren arrive and things were on the up, a gradual progression with the next Manager adding, refining and improving on what had went before. It wasn’t all rosy however with McClaren never endearing himself to the Teesside public even having a season ticket book flung at him.
While our first trophy was great and a European Final the stuff of dreams it was an unsustainable model, more emotively perhaps than poorly managed but the exit from those high spending times was very naively managed. Severe cost slashing enforced under a Rookie Manager wasn’t exactly best business practice. Since then we have struggled to recognise where we are going or what we stand for as a club. A few false dawns with Mogga and Strachan and then with AK despite his promotion success it all never seemed joined up or structured. Monk followed then Pulis and now who? or more importantly now what?
Another gamble would be ill advised, there has to be a long term plan with a clear path otherwise we will likely be knee jerking in another 18 months. We need a clearly thought out strategy founded on a plan and with the buy in of all parties. The Club, the Fans, the Players and the Manager all have to be on the same page and pulling in the same direction.
There is the option of course of appoint and be damned and if the new Manager achieves promotion then momentum will hopefully suck in the fringes as we go. Great if it works but dangerous if it doesn’t. Without “buy in” fans become disenchanted and fractured discontent grows. Having a united Club with a clear identity is far more likely to succeed than one which is split before the off.
I think in reality it’s difficult to appoint any manager in the context of a long-term strategy as their longevity will always depend on them being successful in meeting the club’s goals. The reason Boro are looking for their fifth manager since Diasboro started is primarily down to their failure to get results.
OK, you could argue whether it was their failure alone but they were certainly culpable with regard to performances on the pitch. Whether the new identity of the club can be based on something like a switch to bringing younger players through the academy that are prepared for first team football will depend on identifying the best youngsters.
The obvious problem with that will be what happens if Boro do win promotion and then need to splash the PL cash – the short-termism in football for clubs wanting to establish themselves in the top tier means it’s hard to resist a high turnover of players and managers.
Or indeed what happens if any new model or identity fails to deliver results quickly enough to satisfy the demands of supporters? I fear the only identity that will be accepted would be one of a successful club that wins promotion – preferably playing football that’s watchable!
That’s why clubs like Watford supply the music sheet and the Manager conducts the Orchestra. Right now we seem to have lost who and what we are meanwhile desperately seeking instant gratification by either smashing the league or by trying to buy our way out of it.
Identity needs infrastructure and lately ours has been found wanting. The clear out of the Coaching team is only a part of the required refurbishment, Gill, Bausor and Bevington and Co. seem to the ordinary everyday fan to be utterly superfluous based on the evidence (as much as we can see) that they just aren’t very good at whatever it is they do. Poor targeting, recruitment and contract negotiations allied to fans complaining from beer queues to ticketing policies being the main measurements.
If we just recruit another Manager to simply slot into what appears to be a poorly performing infrastructure on the basis of he will know his place then it will be almost irrelevant who SG appoints. We need clear identity of where we are going and how we propose to do it, sticking plasters on their own don’t heal the wound.
Werder
What you say is horrific news for any fan.
One has not got his certificate as coach, a requirement as of now.
We had to get a free pass off the authorities for Southgate, and it did not end well.
and as for the second candidate, words fail me, my god.
How can anyone come up with two such beauties after thinking about it for several months, I think we are cursed, all we had to do was pick the most successful German applicant, but no, we get ourselves involved in making allowances for people who have ‘problems’
Does no one think, why has he been ignored by several London teams who are in desperate need of a manager? And he wants a London job I would think.
With rumours that Mike Ashley is poised to sell Newcastle to the cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour for £350m, reports have also emerged that PSG owners – i.e. the state of Qatar – are looking to buy a controlling interest in Leeds. I’m sure that will certainly excite Steve Gibson at the potential of another club to flout FFP rules.
Werder, read an article sometime back in which the owner of Leeds, stated he would have to seriously consider selling if Leeds did not get promotion?
He did not have the money to keep it all going.
Although in theory an owner is only allowed to invest in £5m a year – however, in they can also sustain a debt of up to £39m over three years.
Just the £39m? Hang on, let me look down the back of the sofa…..
There is a fact to recognise about Arsenal and their ‘demise’. The start of Wenger’s reign saw him bolting on attacking players to their renowned defence.
As that defence was dismantled so Arsenal gradually slipped – I know it is only relative. They didn’t need to spend fortunes just spend wisely on defenders, they had no problem attracting young attacking talent
Jovanovic is known for wanting control of which players come in, so there may be a stumbling block there.
With regard to coaches he is prepared to work with the coaching staff already in place, as he is insistent on having complete autonomy in how the team play. Basically an old school manager with modern ideas.
His family live in Spain, and he treats his jobs as “ working away” so no culture shock involved for family members having to be pictured eating a Parmo or meandering down Yarm High Street.
But no direct flights to and from Spain. Does not look promising to me.
Up the Boro!
In this morning’s paper Mel Morris has had a pop at Boro for hypocrisy. Boro ‘sold” their loss to the parent company so what is different with Derby selling the ground to it’s parent company?
It seems Mel Morris neglected to mention the tiny detail of that was when there weren’t any spending rules to which clubs had to adhere to. Steve Gibson absorbed the MFC debt that was accrued over many years during the time the financial crisis had meant banks were reducing their liabilities and calling in loans.
It would appear that football agents have improved their place on the bottom of the reprehensible ladder having leapfrogged mainstream MP’s.
It seems thinking long and hard is instead viewed as procrastination for a population now adjusted to accepting simple soundbite solutions. I suspect when party manifestos are soon limited to the size of a Tweet, the population will once again swing towards the view that politicians are being too vague and are not offering them detailed expert analysis.
Incidently, I wonder if the Brexit Party would cease to exist as any force if Nigel had the misfortune to fall under a bus (with or without any £350m a week slogan on its side). You could argue it’s either a personality cult or indeed a sign that Farage is actually offering leadership even if you don’t actually agree with his views.
The mainstream parties have ceased to offer leadership as to have a view would alienate half of their members. Which essentially means they can no longer be a party in the post-referendum political landscape. Maybe we will see political reform as a consequence but much will depend on whether this new engagement is just a phase or fatigue will see political scrutiny being ignored and power falling into the hands of those who ride the wave of democracy out of convenience.
For me Werder, there are very few, certainly with any party following, that will rock the boat. Everything is just short term, when in reality most of the major issues, require in truth long term (15/20 years) of all party consensus to try and solve them.
Then you have the PC brigade, nothing too controversial. Like the Tory lady?? who would cut foreign aid to fund issues at home. After all, there is you could argue billions in aid that is misspent and does not reach where it should, lining pockets on the way to where it should be.
It’s a bit ironic that many of the populist arguments that are ultimately pushing for a more nationalistic approach, like the effects of globalism and the power of multinationals, require international cooperation to solve them. Maybe we are seeing a shifting in the equilibrium of power but often revolutionary tactics lead to a more unstable and chaotic outcome rather than a transition to a better way of doing things. Just look at how Brexit has divided the UK with still no end in sight of a time when people will agree to disagree and move onto real tangible issues.
“those who ride the wave of democracy out of convenience.”
You mean the vast majority of politicians. I see the media are now referring to the populist parties as the “ Hard Brexit Parties”. Not only have MP’s been rumbled, so has the media.
Yesterday was a free vote for most people as EU elections are considered immaterial. But I reckon there are more than a few incumbent MP’s running scared at losing their cushy existence. With Labour being most vulnerable.
I don’t doubt that there are many ‘career’ politicians who see it as a job for life but there are also genuine people who go into politics to change things for the better. I’d prefer it if people and the media could make the distinction and not simply tar everyone with the same brush.
As for the tag of ‘No deal Brexit’, it’s another one of those meaningless phrases that is just shorthand for ‘No solution Brexit’ – anybody can say let’s just walk away and see what happens but I suspect those who do won’t be the ones hanging around to try and sort out the consequence – a bit like David Cameron really!
This is the problem Werder. Being an MP used to be almost akin to a vocation. Sadly those days are long gone and it has now become just another career, and a stepping stone to even more lucrative opportunities once they move on.
It’s not just the basic salary plus %100 expenses, there’s also the many committees they sit on and non-executive Director roles.
I think if you’re being paid by the pubic purse to do what is claimed by many to be a demanding job of long hours then being a non-executive Director should be banned – or indeed any other occupation that requires a significant time input.
Here’s part of an interview of philosopher Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks talking on Newsnight last week about how the UK should move forward over Brexit – and he was clear that to do so you should always honour democracy even if you don’t agree with the decision.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G_5-sCxQiM&t=2m56s
It was Harold Wilson who said “ a week is a long time in politics “ with the advent of revolving news programmes it is 24 Hrs, but with social media it is now down to minutes.
Farage is very astute at keeping up, but politicians dither wondering about the implications of what they say. Particularly as “tweets” never die.
The interesting question is,and nobody seems to be asking ,is what are next seasons expectation.
A solid unit ,in the top six, or a more expansive team ,but inconsistent.
If we score eighty goals , but let in seventy and finish, mid table
Will that be OK?
Exactly, what would satisfy the fans?
It’s probably too early to say just yet – let’s see who the manager is and whether we can offload Braithwaite for a decent wedge, move on Gestede and possibly get our money back on Britt. If Boro have around £25m to spend and a decent manager and some good loans then obviously top six will be a minimum.
But………I’m sure there will be at least a dozen other Championship clubs with the very same aims.
Probably at least that many – the three relegated clubs from last year and this year plus the three that missed out on the play-offs and Boro is already ten – then maybe Bristol, Forest and possibly Wednesday, Brentford and a few others.
Though if promotion is the aim then it has to be top six or better!
Three very difficult transfers there Werder.
The season may depend on how they develop and funds made available from them after right offs.
Regarding Boro’s shirts, are my eyes deceiving me or during the last 60 years or so has the colour of the shirt altered from scarlet systematically to what I would call ruby red today? Or have all red shirts of clubs become duller?
On another subject having watched Super League’s Magic Weekend where fans of 12 clubs can safely mingle without any violence, one couldn’t imagine that happening in football which now appears to have become the one sport, particularly in Britain, where in some quarters tribalistic hatred seems to have superseded pride in one’s roots. I can remember the days when there was no segregation of fans, just banter. I could just stand amongst the home fans when following Boro away without any concern whatsoever. The only time I got some hassle was at Kings Cross Railway Station with some Spurs taunting me when some older Geordies also in London for a match at Fulham took care of me, but of course bullying was rare in those days maybe because it was so soon after the Second World War when we generally were one for all, and all for one.
You could argue that if Boro continue in the same form as they did for the last six matches of the season, then should be in with a good shout. With a couple of decent additions, an even better shout.
End of season form can sometimes be a good indicator for the forthcoming season.
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/championship/formtabelle/wettbewerb/GB2
Good shout, GHW. But we desided to change the manager after the end of the season.
I hope we do not make too many changes to the players. I expect players like Saville to be better in their second season. And please do not sell Britt.
Why everybody thinks that a good team can be buily in less than twelve months. Good teams need time to gel.
Up the Boro!
They talk about the difference in football between the Championship and Premier League, but after watching Charlton/Sunderland and now Villa/Derby, the gap here is enormous
Villa all over Derby as the latter self destruct..
interesting that the Gazette mention that bringing in Slavisa Jokanavic may hit a stumbling block because he would want to bring in his own back room staff.
Strikes me as a bit odd in the light of the fact the incumbents have already left. Maybe the plan is for the new manager to be his own assistant, first team coach, stats man, U23 coach, tea lady, kit man and bus driver in an effort to stay within FFP limits.
Now Derby are remaining in the championship it may give the EFL a bit of a dilemma on FFP, it will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens.
Come on BORO.
Exmil,
Some bigwig from the EFL was on TV and said they’d be investigating but the EFL was just one big family. Or words to that effect. He was fat-cat shaped.
And we all know what families can be like…
UTB,
John
Why did MFC not identify John McGinn before Villa did. At 3mil he is a steal compared to our MF buys.
If I recall, we were in for him. No doubt Villa offered a fair bit more in wages.
Hi Pedro , i have mentioned this a few times on here, most definitley
the recruitment team missed out on this player.
There is a few more scottish players too they need to look at .
As far as the managers job is concerned the experienced choice would be Jokanovic but any appointment is a gamble, just look at our last half dozen or more. If they are considering a fairly new manager then my choice would be Micheal Reiziger .
Come on BORO.
I think a distinct advantage of going for an overseas coach such as Reiziger could be his knowledge and access to up and coming, lesser known talent. You’d imagine Reiziger to be well aware of Ajax’s next generation, for example, and no doubt several other Dutch prospects at other clubs.
That is a bonus, though. First priority must be a talented coach.
Jokanovic is the man for me but I’m biased as I wanted him when we went for Monk.
What impact will the play off result have on the managerial merry go round.
Will Chelsea now move for Frank Lampard? Will John Terry want to get more experience as a number 2 in the top flight before moving on?
Tomorrow I will have the job of cheering up Derby fans.
What odds Woodgate with Steve Round as Director of Football.
We can but dream…
That is the sort of dream that results in cold sweats in the wee small hours.
I think that is called a nightmare
I need a drink. Several drinks intact.
We’ll smash Division 1.
Won’t we?
UTB,
John
PS Some buggers ‘avin a laff. I hope.
So now we hear a billionaire member of a Royal family as offered to buy Newcastle United .
I think is name is Count Cilla Bin man.
EXMIL CHALLENGE 2019
Playoff Final Result
lenmasterman HT (5) + (5) = 10
FT (4) + (5) = 9
Total. = 19
Ian Gill HT (5) + (5) = 10
FT (4) + (4) = 8
Total = 18
Congratulations to lenmasterman and commiserations to Ian Gill he can now empathise with his Derby colleagues.
Come on BORO.
Congratulations Len!
I also take a little gratification knowing I was knocked out of the competition by its eventual winner 🙂
Thanks again to Exmil for having thought the challenge up those seasons ago and for having administered it since to give us all a bit of fun.
Well done Len, A play off final loss here is better than being at Wembley.
The only problem is we are still in the Championship but like yourself I have supported Boro through thin and thinner..
Thanks Ian. And thanks to exmil on behalf of all on the blog for organising such an engaging event..
And exmil, feel free to take 20% of the £180 million that will no doubt be in the post. I
Thanks Len.
Come on BORO.
Well apart from this afternoon’s playoff match the football season is all but over, only speculation as to who Steve Gibson will appoint as Boro’s new manager. As that appointment is unlikely imminent perhaps I might continue the review of the Bryan Robson years.
Boro’s first season at the Riverside had seen an excellent start which disappointingly tapered off, but at least exciting players such as Nick Barmby and Juninho had been purchased and Boro finished mid table. At the time I used to watch ‘Football Italia’ presented by James Richardson on Channel 4 every Saturday morning, so was well aware of Fabrizio Ravanelli nicknamed ‘the white feather’ but never imagined in my wildest dreams that Robson would sign him or Emerson. The first match of the 1996/97 season was a home match against Liverpool when for the first time the attendance exceeded the 30,000 mark. Every time that Liverpool scored, Ravanelli equalised with his shirt pulled over his head, the first one being a penalty as the match finished 3-3. What a start!
Emerson had cost £4M with his former manager Bobby Robson describing him as the complete midfielder. I was thinking could he be another Graeme Souness, but the signing of Ravanelli for £7M had absolutely smashed the record, and on the evidence of his first match worth the money. However Boro lost 0-1 at Chelsea four days later before Juninho’s goal three days later at Nottingham Forest earned a point. However we still believed that this team had goals in them, and sure enough Boro scored 4 in each of their next two home matches, the first of which against West Ham broke the ground record again. Ravanelli added 3 more goals to his tally in those two matches against the Hammers and Coventry, so 6 goals in five matches for the Italian was a great start.
Boro recorded their first away win at Everton, and then put Hereford to the sword in the League Cup as they won 7-0 with Ravanelli scoring 4 and 3-0 in the second leg. However that was followed by two disappointing defeats 0-2 at home to Arsenal and 0-4 at Southampton. Ravanelli scored his first away goal in the 2-2 draw at Sunderland where Emerson also scored with a real blockbuster in a match where Mikkel Beck was named substitute after a long protracted set of negotiations from Fortuna Cologne on a Bosnian free transfer, although he didn’t make his debut until a fortnight later. The ground record was broken again against Spurs, but Boro were suddenly in a slump at least in League matches as they lost 0-3 starting a sequence of ten winless matches culminating in a 1-5 thrashing at Liverpool.
The League Cup was different though with progress having been made to the Quarterfinals after home wins against Huddersfield 5-1and a memorable 3-1 success against Newcastle. But Boro were in trouble in the League following the Liverpool defeat as they chose to cancel their next away fixture against Blackburn because they claimed to have 23 players injured or ill. Boro club officials insisted that they had received assurances from senior Premier League representatives that they were entitled to have the match postponed, but couldn’t produce concrete evidence. Within a month they were fined £50,000 but more significantly deducted 3 points. Middlesbrough FC went to law to have the 3 point penalty rescinded, but unsuccessfully as it happened.
Back to matters on the field, Boro ended that winless League run on Boxing Day as they beat Everton 4-2 with a brace from Juninho, but three more successive defeats at Coventry and Arsenal at home, and away to Southampton had Boro bottom of the League. A 4-2 home win against Sheffield Wednesday might have been 3 points gained, but that was quickly eroded by the confirmation of the 3 point deduction. During the transfer window Boro strengthened their squad with the signings of Vladimir Kinder and Gianluca Festa.
Meanwhile the Cup runs had started with Boro disposing of Chester 6-0 in the FA Cup, then 4 days later beating Liverpool 2-1 in the League Cup. Boro were then drawn away to non-league Hednesford Town in the FA Cup though the Staffordshire club were willing to forfeit home advantage for the tie to be played at the Riverside. An own goal seemed to have given Boro the advantage, but with less than 5 minutes remaining Boro were 1-2 behind and a big upset was on the cards despite fielding a team with 6 regular first-team players. However Fjortoft and Ravanelli scored and Boro scraped through, and although losing Hednesford, though disappointed to lose were happy to swell their coffers by playing in front of a 27,000 plus crowd. They might have been happier still with a draw as the replay would also have taken place at the Riverside.
Boro’ League form was still a matter of concern as defeat at Sheffield Wednesday had now meant an accumulation of only eleven points (minus three for the points deduction) in the last 20 matches, yet their Cup form despite the scare against Hednesford was very good admittedly though 4 of their matches had been against lower division teams. Nevertheless home wins against Newcastle and Liverpool in the League Cup and away wins against Manchester City and Derby in the FA Cup were impressive. Suddenly Boro were in the Semifinals of both competitions. At last with on paper what seemed like easy opponents in the Cups, Boro could now concentrate on improving their League position. They did that by winning 4 successive League matches, a midweek 6-1 thrashing of Derby only 3 days before the two teams were to meet in the FA Cup, a 3-1 win at Leicester where Juninho mesmerised the Midlanders, and further home wins over Blackburn and high-flying Chelsea where Juninho scored a wonder goal, and suddenly Boro were out of a relegation position. However if Boro thought it was a foregone conclusion that they would overcome 2nd Division opposition easily in the Cup competitions they were in for a shock.
Firstly in the League Cup on a pudding of a pitch at Stockport the home team held out for over 70 minutes before goals from Beck and Ravanelli seemed to have assured Boro of one Final. However Boro lost the second leg at home 0-1 having conceding a first half goal. They may have looked in control after that, but a 2-1 aggregate score was less than what the home crowd expected. The Final on the 6th April was Boro’s first major appearance at Wembley if one discounts the Zenith Data Cup Final, and Leicester were the opponents, a team that Boro had easily beaten three weeks before. But this time Juninho was well shackled. Nevertheless as the match went into extra time Ravanelli broke the deadlock in the 95th minute, although we couldn’t relax as the match approached the 2 hour mark. Unfortunately Emil Heskey broke Boro’s hearts with an equaliser 2 minutes from time, and a replay at Hillsborough to be played ten days later and only 3 days after Boro’s FA Cup Semifinal against Chesterfield at Old Trafford.
This proved to be the most iconic and controversial in Boro’s FA Cup history, excepting maybe the game against Burnley in 1947 when a blatant ‘hand of God’ incident deprived Boro of their first FA Cup Semifinal.
Boro missed several chances to take the lead in the first half but when Vladimir Kinder was sent off for a second bookable offence in the first half, the game remained goalless at half time with Boro down to ten men. Suddenly in the second half Boro found themselves 0-2 down, the second a penalty converted by the current Burnley manager Sean Dyche. Ravanelli pulled a goal back, but then Chesterfield hit the bar with some observers claiming the ball had crossed the line. However Dyche turned from hero to villain when conceding a penalty which Craig Hignett converted to level the score soon after. The match went into extra time and Gianluca Festa seemed to have scored the winner after the ball had hit the bar, but once again Boro were thwarted by a late goal as the match finished 3-3.
So two replays both after extra time that Boro could well do without as a fixture pile-up ensued. The League Cup replay at Hillsborough came 3 days later and this time Steve Claridge scored the only goal as Boro faced Sunderland at home in a relegation match 3 days later. Boro lost 0-1 and were now still in the bottom three. Another 3 days and Boro were back at Hillsborough to face Chesterfield again, but this time had no trouble in winning 3-0. However 2 days later saw a weary Boro lose 0-1 at Tottenham with Boro remaining in the bottom three. Boro now had played 15 matches in 47 days, two of which had gone to extra time as May beckoned.
Boro played their last home match on the 3rd May, and after letting a 2-0 halftime lead slip, needed a last minute penalty from Ravanelli to secure a 3-2 win against Aston Villa. Two days later Boro were back at Old Trafford, but this time to face Manchester United. Goals from Juninho, Emerson and Hignett raised hopes that relegation might be avoided as Boro led 3-2 at halftime, but United equalised and the match finished 3-3. Three days later Boro had to fulfill the postponed match at Blackburn which finished goalless meaning Boro went into their last match on the Sunday needing to win at Elland Road against Leeds. Leeds scored first, but when Juninho equalised with just over 10 minutes remaining Boro still had hope, but it all ended in tears especially from Juninho as he sat with head bowed at the final whistle. Just one more win from those last three draws would have saved Boro and sent Coventry down with Sunderland and Forest. In fact if Boro had sent out a youth team to fulfill the postponed fixture at Ewood Park and lost heavily, they would have avoided relegation. The League season had ended with Ravanelli scoring 16 goals from 33 matches, although only 2 of them were scored away from home. He did score another 15 in Cup matches but only 3 of those were against Premier League opposition. Juninho scored 12 League goals from 34 matches and another 3 in Cup ties as Boro finished 19th with 39 points.
Some newspapers ran stories of international players that Boro had earmarked as transfer targets if Boro had escaped relegation. A case of ‘look what you could have won’ as the late Jim Bowen often remarked. In some ways the FA Cup Final against Chelsea seemed like an anticlimax. There were stories of fisticuffs between Neil Cox and Ravanelli, and also suggestions that Ravanelli shouldn’t have been picked because he wasn’t fit, as indeed he wasn’t and had to be substituted after 24 minutes by Mikkel Beck. Boro conceded a goal after 40 seconds when reserve goalkeeper Ben Roberts having possibly advanced too far, was beaten by a piledriver from Roberto Di Matteo, Eddie Newton scoring a second with seven minutes remaining.
Juninho didn’t participate in the open bus tour through the town afterwards, which was a pity really as Boro had negotiated a move to Athletico Madrid for £12M with a buy-back clause should he become available. Juninho was thinking of his career and dreaming of pursuing his dream of appearing in the World Cup for Brazil, but that also ended in tears for the little fella.
Back in Division 1 for the next season Bryan Robson wasted no time in finding a replacement for Juninho. His name was Paul Merson, a surprise reject from Arsenal for £5M. It proved to be a masterstroke. Boro knew they wouldn’t be able to hang on to Ravanelli, although he did score a last minute winner as Boro came from behind to win their first match of the season at home to Charlton. He even played in the second match at home to Stoke which Boro lost 0-1, but then he was gone. Meanwhile Emerson affirmed that he was staying although that proved to be a false dawn as he suddenly became homesick in December, was granted a short leave of absence but never returned, and Boro went for experience in buying Andy Townsend for £500,000.
Boro won at Tranmere and earned two draws in consecutive away matches at Stockport and Bradford, but it wasn’t quite the start of a season that Boro fans had hoped for with the team only in mid table. However Boro made progress in the League Cup by overcoming Barnet over two legs before returning to winning ways in the League with a 3-1 home win over Birmingham and a 2-1 win at Sunderland with Emerson scoring in both matches. A disappointing 1-2 home defeat to Sheffield United followed, but that was the last time that Boro would lose at home in the League. They beat Sunderland 2-0 in the next round of the League Cup, drew at Crewe and won at Oxford, beat Port Vale 2-1 and Huddersfield 3-0 at home, and suddenly found themselves in 3rd position. A slight blip at Wolves and a home draw with Portsmouth saw Boro drop to 6th, but a 2-1 home win after extra time against Premier League club Bolton saw Boro reach the Quarterfinal stage of the League Cup.
Boro marched on in the League with wins at Norwich and Swindon in a sequence of 9 unbeaten matches ending with a 4-0 home win over Reading, a brace of goals apiece from Craig Hignett and Mikkel Beck putting Boro top of the League. A defeat at Manchester City didn’t alter Boro’s League position as Boro won at Huddersfield on Boxing Day, and the year ended with a 3-1 home win over Stockport. A late Hignett goal saw Boro reach the Semifinal of the League Cup, and Boro disposed of QPR after a replay in the FA Cup. Boro lost the leadership in the League by losing 0-3 at Charlton, but the rest of January was to provide Boro with two tricky matches against Premier League opposition.
In the transfer window Boro signed two strikers, Marco Branca from Inter Milan for £1M and Alun Armstrong from Stockport for £1.6M. Neither player was available before the home FA Cup match against Arsenal which Boro lost 1-2 with Paul Merson scoring against his old club, nor for the trip to Anfield in the Semifinal of the League Cup which Boro also lost 1-2 but with the importance of an away goal. Before the second leg though Boro had 4 important League matches. They extracted revenge against Stoke for that early season home defeat by winning 2-1 with goals from Nigel Pearson and Jaime Moreno, drew at Birmingham, but beat Tranmere and Bradford at home thus regaining 1st position.
Marco Branca signed before the second leg of the League Cup match, and what an impact he made. Boro were awarded a penalty after 2 minutes which Merson put away, and 2 minutes later Branca scored a second goal. Craig Harrison then kept Liverpool’s dangerman Steve McManaman quiet for the rest of the match and Boro had reached their 3rd Wembley Cup Final in two seasons. Three days later Boro’s ground record was again broken when 30,227 witnessed a 3-1 win against Sunderland with Branca scoring twice and Alun Armstrong scoring on his debut. AfterLll beating Crewe with a Neil Maddison goal Boro then went into one of their strangest typical modes. In successive matches they lost 0-4 at Forest, 0-5 at QPR and then beat Swindon 6-0 yet still remained top of the League.
Boro then drew at Portsmouth and won 3-0 at home to Norwich before their Wembley date against Chelsea once more. In the meantime Robson signed Paul Gascoigne who was giving some stirring performances for Glasgow Rangers. He went straight into Boro’s team for the showdown with Chelsea, but for the 3rd time the Pensioners were to beat Boro in a Wembley Final. Gazza magnanimously gave his losers medal to Craig Hignett, the player he’d replaced in the Boro lineup. Boro suffered some reaction following their Cup defeat as they lost at West Brom and Sheffield United to drop to 4th in the League. Having now not won any of their last 6 away matches in the League Boro seemed to be floundering.
By then Boro had signed Hamilton Ricard and he scored his first goal in a Boro shirt as they beat Bury 4-0 with Branca scoring the other 3 goals. Away wins at Reading and Port Vale, plus a home win over Manchester City all by a 1-0 scoreline saw Boro in second place going into the final two matches. Ricard scored again in the 1-1 draw at Wolves, and not for the first time Boro needed to beat Oxford at home in their final match to gain promotion. A touch of deja-vu here as Boro repeated the 4-1 scoreline of 31 years previously, but this time to regain their Premier League status. They finished 3 points behind Forest and one point ahead of Sunderland who missed out on promotion in the playoffs after a 4-4 draw with Charlton and a 6-7 loss in a penalty shootout.
Boro had won 15 and drawn 4 of their final 19 home matches and finished with 91 points. Mikkel Beck was top goalscorer with 14 League goals from his 39 appearances whilst Paul Merson scored 12 from 45 matches. Marco Branca chipped in with 9 goals in 11 matches and Alun Armstrong 7 from 11 matches. Paul Merson admitted he was down on his last legs having only missed the one fixture at Charlton midway through the season, and doubted his ability to perform at his best should Boro be engaged in the playoffs. Strangely he left Boro for Aston Villa after only playing in the first 3 matches of the following season.
By today’s standards maybe the League threw up some strange minnows in the Division maybe accounting for the fact that Sunderland failed to claim promotion with 90 points. But Stockport finished 8th, Crewe 11th, Oxford 12th, Tranmere 14th and Bury 17th, yet Manchester City, Stoke and Reading were relegated. Such is the way that power has changed in the last 20 years. Boro were to remain in the Premier League for 11 years. More about the Robson years in the future.
Excellent stuff Ken! In fact I’m going to combine it with your first instalment of the Bryan Robson era and post it as an article this morning.
Excellent Ken. For me the most significant match of that final week of 1997-98 didn’t even feature Boro – it was Ipswich vs. Sunderland. Can’t remember if Mogga was playing that night but if so I’m still very proud of him, working hard to minimise and ultimately shut out the Mackem threat in the 2-0 win that handed promotion to Boro.
Well done Len and commiserations to Ian. Fine margins!
Thanks also to Exmil for his hard work and keeping us engaged with something which at times was more interesting than watching the Boro last season! 😎
I would also endorse KP’s post. Thanks again to Exmil.
I see the NE is discounting any further interest in John Terry or Danny Cowley.
Looking more like Woodgate.? Mind you I said I expected Mr Pulis to stay.
Why is SG still faffing about with the managerial vacancy? Either he pays the going rate and gets the manager of his choice, or he takes the cheap option and gives it to Woodgate.
Its not rocket science.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he did an about turn with Tony Pulis.
If it is Woodgate I resign forwith !
just to clarify, my suggestion of Woody/Round was only based on SG’s prediliction for new managers and Steve Round’s sudden arrival in the betting which suggests some bets were placed that may well have come from some inside knowledge. I’m very nervous about Woody but wouldn’t mind seeing Steve Round come back. He seems like a good operator.
OK, as Boro are look to begin a new era under a new manager, here is the story of the start of the original revolution that began with the arrival of Bryan Robson. Ken has just posted the second part of the Robson era and I’ve just spliced it together with the first part and added some photos to make it into a new discussion blog article. So hope you all enjoy Ken’s look back at the exciting times of what now began 25 years ago…
https://diasboro.club/2019/05/28/the-start-of-the-robson-era/
Frightening, where did all those years go?
Ken
Thanks for the article plus additional thanks for Werder’s skills in putting things together
My Derby supporting colleague was fine today, as he said, 20 years ago he would have been gutted but he has mellowed with age. Like most of us he is down after the match but recovers.
Belated thanks to Exmil for all the work for the challenge, it adds a bit of fun to what can be irritating campaigns.
The Northern Echo seems to be hardening up on Woodie for the job with news that players within the squad would like him to be appointed. Makes you wonder whether that would be too comfortable a situation.
Other situation it would point to is that maybe the club is settling in for the long haul.
Ian
Well of course I know nothing!
But Woody won’t get the managers job but will get the u23s
OFB
At his age I would have thought if he is serious about becoming a Manager in his own right he should be looking to find a lower league Club and start there rather than going back to the U23’s but then again maybe he can’t until he has the required badges?
OFB
I am sure you are more accurate than the Northern Echo and Gazette but it gives us something to discuss. With the U23 coach leaving Woodie would make a sensible choice in that role and gain experience.
That would leave a clean slate for any new manager for his backroom team. Personally I would like to see Jokanovic as manager – I can never remember the spelling!
Ian
Thanks for that
It also allows Woody to coach and get his badges as RR pointed out.
As per the new manager I think it’s Anthony Vickers under the pseudonym
Yerjokinarnyerav !
OFB
When Woody stepped up from the U23’s it may have been under the condition that he can step back into the former role when or if the Management structure should change having seen what happens to previous assistants when Managers depart.
RR
That’s a logical thought and you’re probably right
OFB
When Daniel Stendel was appointed Barnsley manager this is what the chief executive had to say about him.
Barnsley chief executive Gauthier Ganaye says the attacking style of play that Stendel says he will bring to the League One side was the main reason they appointed him.
His Hannover 96 team scored 50 goals in his 28 games in charge before he was sacked in March 2017.
“We’ve identified that the counter-press has been used by the most successful teams in the world and Daniel is one of the best coaches at doing that,” Ganaye said.
“We identified him as a candidate as he’s a coach that has a style of play that matches the mentality of club and town, it’s attacking with flair and high intensity designed to press the opposition.
“As well as the style, Daniel has the philosophy of using and developing younger players which fits perfectly in our model too.”
Sounds very much like the type of manager we are looking for. Just thought it was interesting when I read it, particularly given that his odds have shortened so much in the last few days.
The Gazette stated that Gibson doesn’t want to appoint a manager that is currently employed due to the ethics of poaching a manager. Now whilst I like the sentiment it means you are looking to appoint a manager who has deemed to have failed somewhere and also are massively reducing your options as you can’t employ a manager who is currently in employment..
Seems crazy to me if this is actually the case.