Covid 19 – Football nil

by Diasboro, posted in Uncategorized

Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that – unfortunately, it seems the Corona virus has failed to concur with that famous Bill Shankly quote. The increasing realisation that the global pandemic caused by Covid-19 is going to lead to increasingly more stringent measures, which will make any notion of normal life all but impossible. That in essence almost certainly means football will not be resuming in April given that some models indicate that peak cases of those getting the virus in the UK may not even be reached until June.

No definitive decisions have been made as yet but the word from football executives running the various leagues is that we are likely going to see the football season brought to a premature end. The mechanics of carrying on and playing games behind closed doors it seems has become impractical as the risk to players and staff being infected and then entire clubs being held in quarantine for 14 days makes planning near impossible – especially as clubs could face more than one spell in quarantine if a single player or member of staff tests positive. Another point also made to the footballing authorities by clubs is that players who face 14 days in quarantine would then require a further 14 days to get match fit – meaning players would face an enforced break of 28 days. OK, some teams may be lucky and avoid such scenarios but if the objective is to try and complete the season for all teams, then it wouldn’t take many outbreaks for any league to be unable to reach a conclusion. Indeed, that conclusion would almost certainly need to happen before the end of June as the contracts of many players from each club also end. Incidentally, what about the 72-year old manager of Crystal Palace, Roy Hodgson? Will he now have to self isolate and give up taking control of team affairs!

The question is therefore not about when the decision is made but how? Some clubs favour the season being declared null and void – especially those facing relegation! Still, it’s hard to see how teams could be penalised with relegation as it would essentially be in breach of the rules and regulations of the competition if it was sanctioned with a quarter of the season left unplayed. The threat of legal action would be real from clubs who could easily argue that they hadn’t ‘finished the season’ in a relegation place. Therefore one of the solutions being muted is not to penalise those clubs in a relegation place but to just reward clubs currently occupying the automatic promotion places. That would see Leeds and West Brom being promoted to form a 22-club Premier League and them being replaced in the Championship by the top two in League One (currently Coventry and Rotherham). Although, even that may eventually prove to be difficult to get agreement on.

However, it’s by no means certain that even next season will be safe from Corona virus disruption as many scientists predict even if cases fall away by late summer, it will likely return again in the winter. The hope is that governments will be better prepared to control a second outbreak but the prospects of when a vaccine will be available are not clear – it normally would take 18 months but even if that’s fast-tracked it would be pushing it to be ready before winter. In any case, the resumption of football or indeed any sport is not the pressing priority of any nation just now. The issue is about reducing the risk that health services become unable to cope and avoiding reaching the death toll of the worse case scenarios – not to mention the risk to the livelihoods of large numbers of those employed in businesses and industries.

So football is not a matter of life and death, it’s just a sport that many either enjoy or suffer as part of their weekly fix. As we embark on what will be a somewhat surreal year ahead, nothing is certain. Many are now being told they may need to spend the next four months in self isolation or risk succumbing to the virus with no cure. The best analogy is probably that the world is essentially at war, but with a disease. Governments and nations everywhere are preparing to do whatever it takes to keep casualties to a minimum.

Therefore, at this moment it’s hard to see when arguing over football tactics, team selections or transfers will once more become a meaningful topic of discussion. So like many aspects of life, football has suffered a heavy defeat from Covid 19 but will no doubt resume at some point in the future. In the meantime feel free to discuss any matters of concern with the Diasboro community or simply pop in to let us know you’re staying safe and healthy!

Werdermouth

1,759 thoughts on “Covid 19 – Football nil”

  1. Thanks Werder
    Appreciate your time posting this as always.

    I’m going for the eyeballs in the sky ! 0 0

    Thanks to all for the good wishes to Mrs OFB its very good of you all. She’s just taking things easy and so am I as I plan for the next four months at home with no footie to watch.

    Hopefully we won’t get relegated this season, good job we aren’t in the bottom three at the moment as if we were they would have said “right bottom three down”

    Mind they might deduct us three points for something or other!

    Pleased everyone got home safe

    OFB

  2. 11 new cases reported in Northern Ireland. Lots of worry in the air here, naturally, but will keep you all informed.

    Apologies for the long absence. Am perfectly fine (at present), but have simply been busy. Hope all of you are as well as you can be.

  4. Passed our second virus test today at the hotel. So all go for our flight back tomorrow. But reading the media today, I think we would be better off staying here for another few weeks. There is not a problem in Egypt.
    I am incensed that the Government are asking people over 70 to stay inside for four months whether you have the virus or not. I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. I consider myself at 73 fit and healthy. So they can sod off !

  5. Having returned from holiday to the chaos in the UK about the corona virus,I decided to look at some facts:

    Population of the UK – 66.87 million (2019 figures)

    Corona virus reported cases 1140 (0.00170% of population)

    Deaths from CV 21 (I haven’t even bothered to work out %)

    Compared to Gov figures from deaths from Flu in England only:

    2014/15 – 28,330

    2015/16 – 11,875

    2016/17 – 18,009

    2017/18 – 26,408

    2018/19 – 1,692 (only up to week 15 of 2019)

    I am not saying Corona Virus is not serious but let’s put it into perspective, the figures of Flu deaths relate to England only whereas the CV figures include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The big difference is the general population are unaware that we lose over 21,000 each year due to Flu in England.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Exmil

      Some of the coverage has been crass to say the least but sadly another 14 people died in the last 24 hours. Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones.

      https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

      https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/covid-19-testing/

      A couple website giving the figures. Stats are not everything but nor are they useless.

      I think part of the problem is the fact we tend to look inwards rather than the whole picture. We rightly worry about closer to home but It is a world problem, as John said the horse has bolted. The awful truth is the horse had bolted before many knew about it.

      My daughter works for a pharmaceutical company developing new vaccines for a couple of conditions. You cannot go down to B&Q and ask them for a 50 million vials of vaccine for this new strain of cold virus.

      Are the government right in their approach. We pontificate from positions of ignorance about the science but we want people to act so that something appears to be happening. We will know in due course, I will not try to second guess the deductions from the information they have and I dont.

      GHW is right about social media and the media in general. The BBC thinks a spokesman from Sinn Fein deserves a phone in based on his views. Says it all.

  6. Thanks to Werder for yet another excellent piece which puts many journalists to shame. It is going to be a long period of time before football matters take to the fore.

    I admit to be confused about the whole thing- as Exmil says, the figures for flu are a lot higher and all the deaths thus far have been where the people have had underlying health issues and are over 60. Now I am not saying that that is not a tragedy for their families, every death is, but there does need to be some recognition of this rather than the somewhat sensational reporting that is going on.

    Not sure how we resolve the issue as surely once we all come out of self isolation, then it will only take one person to start the whole thing again. Compared to other viruses, it doesn’t appear that COVID 19 is percentage wise as deadly.

    Finally, I hope that those who are in Spain, KP for one and maybe Pedro as well, are coping with their lockdown. It seems so draconian although maybe we will all end up in the same position.

    Keep safe and well all.

    1. Thanks BBD. I am ensconced in Teesside at the moment, due to return to Espana at the end of the month, which will not happen now I think.
      Where would I rather be in in lock down. Sat on our terrace in the sun would be the preferred option possibly.

      Like Malcolm, it may appear to be selfish, but think I may take my chance in contracting the virus. 3 to 4 months locked up. I would go mad.
      Cuídense todos. Take care everyone. 👍

  7. I think with the Corona virus you have to realise that nobody has any immunity and if it was left unchecked at the current rate of infection it would spread to 80 percent of the population in around 2-3 months and you would see a minimum of half a million deaths – probably a lot more as in theory at least 10 percent need hospital treatment and that would be around five million people if 80 percent were infected. Clearly the NHS couldn’t cope with that number so maybe two million would die.

    So you can’t compare it to the flu as the measures being taken are to slow down the infection rate which doubles the numbers every 3-4 days. I should add that the UK has stopped testing people who don’t arrive at hospital feeling unwell. Germany is testing lots of people (upwards from 12,000 a day) and although they’ve identified nearly 6,000 infected, only 11 have died and only 2 are currently in critical condition as all people are being treated early. The UK’s chief scientist estimated they probably had 10,000 cases last week so the figures don’t mean that much – so far the UK has only tested 25,000 people in total.

    Also the reason they’re asking the over 70s to self isolate as perhaps 25-30 percent of this group may need hospital treatment and the whole of the UK only has 4,000 intensive care beds (Germany has nearly 30,000) so it wouldn’t be long before you reach the situation in Italy where they are now deciding whether to treat patients. Italy has currently had 1,800 deaths and over 350 today. Italy also has twice as many intensive care beds as the UK.

    So the situation is serious and if the UK can slow the spread far far fewer people will die – that’s the issue as there is nothing to prevent the virus from spreading unless people accept these measures are needed.

      1. Sounds like about 2500 a day – though the problem is that the UK don’t have the capacity to do more tests and the policy is now not to test people who are self isolating or concerned they have the virus.

  8. BBD

    Thanks for your concern and pleased to report we are both fine and getting over heavy colds and we have not been outside our property since Friday, since which the lock-down has been implemented.

    As we understand it, we can leave home to undertake shopping for food, visit the pharmacy, GP, hospital or bank for the next two weeks minimum. The police are monitoring and challenging people who are out and about.

    Dog owners are allowed out to exercise their dogs but we are not allowed to go out for a walk for our own exercise purposes. That being said, there is rain predicted over the next few days so we will probably be inside anyway.

    Local supermarkets are looking to ration the number of items an individual can purchase (max of 6 of any individual item) to try and stop people bulk buying. I suggested to Mrs P that we should purchase 6 cases of wine but she was not amused!

    Did the weekly shop on my own on Friday and most items were available with the notable exception of toilet paper. Word is people are stocking up as it is cheaper than purchasing tissues if you catch the virus!

    Apparently Saturday was not as calm with large queues at the supermarket and shelves emptying. Situation not helped by large influx of Spaniards from Madrid.
    Need to pop out tomorrow for a few items so it will be interesting to see how we get on.

    Best wishes to everyone else and let’s hope common sense prevails and that this can be put to bed as quickly as possible so that we can get back to normality.😎

  9. If you google SARS, MERS, Swine Flu etc there is quite a lot of information that mirrors what we are seeing here at the moment. The only difference I can seem to see, is the blanket 24hr coverage we see at the moment, compared to those outbreaks.

    I could be totally wrong, ( I often am), but this is being fuelled by a social media frenzy in my opinion.

    2. SARS didn’t really infect many people with only 8,000 cases and just 4 in the UK – which was lucky as it usually killed 10% of people but what was more lucky was that it mutated and lost a protein to stop itself from replicating. MERS also only had 2,500 cases worldwide though it killed around 800 people. Swine flu again wasn’t that serious as it was a mutation of the H1N1 virus and it was only younger people who didn’t have immunity but it was really only a mild flu.

      So despite the hype there’s been nothing as serious as Covid 19 since probably Spanish flu!

        1. I think by definition viruses that make people sicker or sick more quickly probably spread less easily – with the Corona virus it’s believed around 45% show none or few symptoms so people continue to do their normal stuff but are spreading the disease. For a virus to be successful it needs its host to be able to be fit long enough to pass it on and people generally avoid other people who look and sound quite ill 🙂

  10. Hand Gel dispensers are commonplace in all Hospitals, Medical Centres and Doctors Surgeries.

    If the government want to get people to wash their hands more often they should fund the placement of dispensers in heavily populated areas like Shopping Malls, Public Transport Hubs, Tourist Attractions etc.

    1. A great idea but as it relies on spending money, unlikely that it will happen! Totally agree that it should happen but sadly I suspect that many people would still not bother to use them. Those same people would then moan when they got ill!

      I despair at the level of stupidity that exists in the general population, fuelled by social media and the main stream media.

      This virus and the way we deal with it is going to leave lasting impacts and not in a good way. For example, airlines will go bust, lots of businesses on the high street will fail.

  11. Now that the public’s attention has been garnered, perhaps it’s time for new initiatives.

    There should be Hand Gel in all public places, not just with the current crisis in mind, but also to help protect all the vulnerable who face the threat of influenza viruses every year.

  12. I saw that GHW but Matt Hancock wasnt convincing me that the govt has a handle on it.
    Begging on live TV for firms to switch to manufacturing ventilators because we don’t have nearly enough and that whatever you charge us, well pay it…..

    What happened to the idea that a govt could choose to requisition equipment, people, resources…
    Govt could and should be decisive in these things and making those tough calls, not begging companies to produce something at an inflated cost.

    I’m sorry, but if that is the sovereign control we voted to have back, then heaven help us

    1. As I’ve already mention the UK has got relatively few intensive care beds in comparison to other G7 countries (4,000 vs 30,000 in Germany’s case). As Italy has shown, the UK really need to up that number fast to avoid making choices between who gets a ventilator and who essentially dies. As to how soon these ventilators can be produced (we’re talking maybe 10,000 needed) and put into service is another matter but if the UK is between 2-4 weeks from being in the same situation as Italy, then I suspect these new restrictions will come in sooner rather than later to slow down that possibility.

  13. Incidentally, as I’m posting my various views and opinions on the Corona situation, I should just reiterate an earlier point I made in that these (like anybody else’s) are just my opinions based on what I’ve been reading and listening to on the subject. People should make their judgements based on the advice of qualified professionals.

    I listen to a daily 30 minute podcast of a German doctor of epidemiology who spends 12 hours a day reading the research and studying the data of the Corona virus from various countries. He himself has admitted that it’s not possible to keep on top of everything and he often changes his advice as he becomes aware of new information.

    He initially wasn’t in favour of closing schools but decided last week it would be more effective than keeping them open. His view is that slowing transmission of the virus is the main course of action that has to be followed to avoid leaving health service unable to cope. Plus testing as many people as possible is the only way to be sure that you’re keeping on top of the spread – in Germany every health worker is tested in the morning and these results are discovered in four hours.

  14. I do suspect most of us will get it. I just hope that the consequences won’t be as devastating for the more vulnerable among us all as feared.
    There is a political angle to the healthcare resources available, but that debate is for later. Just now the practicality of mobilising sufficient resources is the paramount concern.

  16. At this moment the risk of contracting the virus where we live seems pretty small given the current number of cases. Bremen (population 554,000) has 53 and the district or borough where we live (population 114,000) has just 13 cases. To put that in context it means just 1 in 10,000 of the population have currently been identified with the virus.

    If you then surmise that none of these people or their identified close contacts are walking the streets and you are taking precautions of hand washing and social distancing – then the current risk is minimal.

    So no need to panic just yet.

  18. Werder has highlighted a major concern, no one has any immunity and the virus may well come back after this outbreak. We had our flu jobs at the back end of last year but that wont be much use against the current virus.

    Judith and I were talking about our childhoods, if someone got chickenpox amongst our friends we were all told to play together. Without social media and blanket media coverage we just didn’t know much about situations.

    I read up about Spanish flu and have to admit I didn’t know much about it. Scary.

  19. There is an interesting article in the on-line Guardian which questions the UK strategy:

    “The UK’s Covid-19 strategy dangerously leaves too many questions unanswered
    Anthony Costello”. 😎

  20. I mentioned last week that a doctor said that seasonal flu vaccine also offered some protection against the risks of catching pneumonia – which is one of the main causes of death from the corona virus. Well Mrs Werder checked our seasonal flu injection and it wasn’t covered in our particular package – apparently it’s something normally offered to the over 60s in Germany.

    Anyway, I’m now booked in for the Pneumococcal vaccine later today and I would advise anyone to check if they’re are also covered and get it if not – the good thing is that this vaccine offers protection for five years so even after Corona virus it is useful to have.

  21. Like everyone else I’m concerned about Covid 19, but I’m just glad to be back home cocooned in my own house. As I anticipated my car battery was completely flat and as most of my neighbours on the estate where I live are nearly as old as me I didn’t want to trouble them. My next door neighbour has a wife my age fighting cancer and a 93 year old mother at the other end of town to contend with, whilst my neighbour on the other side had the same problem as me with a flat car battery with leads through his letter box to his car battery. He has helped me before and if I was more patient he would have helped me yesterday, but I just wanted to get the shopping done with a busy week ahead with two doctors appointments and a visit to James Cook to see my Prostate Cancer consultant and another one with my urologist to insert a new catheter, so I decided to pay a call out fee of £114 to get my car on the road. A lot of money, but I can afford it and don’t consider it my money anyway, just less inheritance for my beneficiaries after my demise.

    As for the shopping I was previously well stocked with toilet rolls, baby wipes and tena pads, so no problem there. It was just a shortage of food that concerned me. I usually stock up after a long stay in the Algarve by just pushing a trolley down every supermarket aisle spending something like £150, but on Saturday my spending was just over £100 as I was unable to find everything that I would normally buy, but nevertheless I’m now reasonably well stocked with food at least for 10 days or so. Would I rather be in the Algarve where the temperatures last week were a maximum of 27 degrees? No, apart from it being a cold 5 degrees at Leeds/Bradford Airport, at least it’s been fairly sunny and a mild 10 degrees in Redcar since.

    I’ve got through my stack of mail, checked over my bank statements, got all the laundry washed and ironed, and once I get over this week happy to be back in what might be a boring life to some folk, but I’m used to that and just happy to still be alive and well. The only drawback is the lack of football, Boro in particular. I decided not to renew my Sky Sports channel through Virgin Media until there’s some sport to watch, even though Cas Tigers have two more matches scheduled to be televised in the next 3 weeks. Instead yesterday I listened to the commentary of Cas v Saints on BBC Radio Merseyside and was overjoyed at the 28-14 win which puts Cas second to Wigan on points average in the League table after 7 matches, but it’s likely that after a meeting today Rugby League will fall into line with other sports and be postponed till who knows when.

    So I’m happy with that outcome and the fact that one way or another Boro will still be a Championship club next season. Talk about Monty Python’s Life of Brian, well this is a summary of The Life of Ken which in the circumstances isn’t too bad. Thanks to all who have shown concern for this old codger, but to quote Mogga, it is what it is.

    1. Ken, when you are leaving your car for any length of time it is a good idea to disconnect the battery. Alternatively, if your car is garages it can also be beneficial to leave it hooked up to a trickle charger.

      I’m sure your local garage can advise you.

  23. Just meant to add that Chris Kamara, one of our own and a guest at yesterday’s televised match apparently went down a storm with Cas fans. If there is to be more Super League after today, perhaps Sky Sports will invite Jeff Stelling as a guest.

      1. OFB
        I can’t believe things have changed so much since Friday in the Algarve. Perhaps he’s in Lisbon in the Alentejo some 250kms north of the Algarve. At the time I left there were no cases in the Algarve.

  24. It seems to me that we all got off on the wrong foot regarding this infestation.
    I listened to stories of ” a heavy cough with Flu like symptoms, which died slowly away in the vast majority of cases, unless you were in poor health, and old. All taking place over two weeks.
    On reading reports by people who knew what they were talking about (generally foreign) I read that the flu like symptoms are (if you are unlucky) followed by the development of viral pneumonia, with added complications around the wall of the heart(very serious complications).
    Just thought I would cheer you up.

  25. Mrs P ventured out today, we were both going until we learnt that only one per household were allowed out unless one of us needed assistance.

    Our local card and gift shop was open so she managed to post a couple of family birthday cards and a Mother’s Day card. Remains to be seen if the courier will arrive to collect and if they will make it back on a flight to UK.

    Visited pharmacy for cough mixture and paracetamol. One meter distance between customers being observed.

    First Spanish supermarket she visited were only allowing a maximum of 40 customers in at a time so large queue in the car park and only one in and one out at a time. Police enforcing the policy and one meter distance between people queuing.

    Mrs P did not wait given the size of the queue and visited a smaller German supermarket which we also use which was well stocked and no queue.

    We also have a local Iceland shop which was very quiet and well stocked so we have enough to keep us going for a week or so.

    Running out of recorded tv programmes to watch so will have to give in and do some jobs around the house!

    Best wishes to all. 😎

    1. Sounds totally surreal KP – I’m not sure why people are not allowed just to go for a walk as they can’t pass the virus on unless there is close contact. Maybe you should get a dog as apparently it’s OK to go for a walk if you have a dog! Maybe you could put a lead on a soft toy and pretend it’s just lazy 😉

      1. Mrs P has decided to buy a dog lead then we can go for a walk and if stopped we can say we were taking the dog for a walk but it slipped the lead and we are looking for it!! 🤣😎

  26. Werder,

    I walked the two Jack Russells this morning and saw nobody until I met the farmer in his yard when I was fifty yards from home, I suppose hat’s one good thing about empty countryside.

    The farmer gave us some apples from his cold store and told us to help ourselves to his broccoli and various varieties of kale. Another farmer who allows me to fish and shoot on his land dropped us a sack of potatoes off. We’ve already been given venison, wild duck, pheasant and partridge so we have a stock of good things. then there’s my favourite, pigeon breast. The countryside may seem empty but there is real community spirit and care evident. We’ve given both farmers some of the Boss’ Crab Apple Gin and a trout each from our freezer. Barter works for us.

    I’ve had to stop watching the news or at least the Boss said it’s bad for my blood pressure I get so cross at the idiocy of bulk buying and fake news.

    On to Football I’ve no doubt they’ll be wrestling with the intellectual problem of sorting the leagues out. then there’s the finance and contracts.

    Stay fit and well out in the DiasBoro particularly OFB’s wife, Ken and all the others.

    UTB,

    John

    1. John, we will all be coming to yours for the food then!

      My wife is also getting a tad fed up with my rants about the situation- says I need to start a group where I can vent off but it didn’t go down too well when I said that we wouldn’t be allowed to meet up!!

      Maybe this forum will have to do for now- there is a wealth of views and experience which makes it so good. Werder in particular is very clued up.

      I must admit to changing my view from it is all going to go wrong, to the Aussie “she’ll be right mate” attitude.

      But as others have said, it will be what it will be I guess.

  28. GWH – checked Middlesbrough postcode and found no reported cases of the virus in population of 140,545 so you see it is not just football players that don’t want to come to Smoggyland lol.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Only 5 in my area although given that tests are now given if you go to hospital (as I understand it) then I suspect there are a lot more out there!

  29. If the lockdowns succeed in slowing down the spread then all well and good but so long as there are still one or two carriers in a community (perhaps innocently not yet come down with symptoms) then it will eventually all flare up again. Granted lockdowns will temporarily ease the pressure on the health systems but at this stage it looks like its not going to go anywhere soon other than follow a Boro pattern of suppressed than flare back up in intermittent cycles.

    Schools and factories around the world can’t be closed for ever and will have to reopen at some point, even as an acceptance of defeat. People need to work to earn money to buy mountains of toilet rolls and pay bills. When Richard Branson is asking for Government handouts from the magic money tree then we know that redundancies and unemployment levels will rocket with businesses going to the wall from small family or self employed individuals through to major national and international corporations. If people are fighting in the aisles over loo rolls then just wait until they can’t pay gas or electricity bills and paper mills, bakeries and food manufacturers etc. start to cease operating due to illnesses or to their confined workforce being unable to travel to work.

    There isn’t a solution, only time will tell what worked best and what didn’t and why. Its a balancing act requiring the Wisdom of Solomon which in itself has always been in doubt due to being part of the Apocrypha. Probably ironic considering the level of fake news and misinformation which abounds today.

    However all this pans out it could very likely put the world back decades in terms of freedom of movement and open borders making Brexit look like a walk in the park. The fall out from this will leave many with serious concerns about China far beyond politics, trade and Huawei. Things also seem very quiet in Russia and I doubt because Western TV news channels are not camped in Red Square gorging themselves, streaming 24 hour updates from Moscow morgues doesn’t mean it isn’t happening there.

    There again it may just bang a few heads together and be a wake up call that causes our world leaders (term used very loosely) to realise that they can draw lines in maps defended by tanks and missiles, build their walls but in reality there is no border that controls the force of nature. As someone with a leaning towards agnosticism maybe it is an act of a supreme entity in banging some very thick heads together at a time when the world needed a harsh wake up call from being destroyed by political egocentrics.

    1. If we’re lucky the restrictions will keep the numbers down and we’ll get a summer with managing with hand washing and social distancing – then if we’re lucky we’ll get a fast-tracked vaccine in late autumn. It looks like we’re heading for a pretty severe world recession and can only imagine it will take a lot of government debt to bail out many sectors who just can’t operate for at least six months. Then of course there’s Brexit for all those who get through it to look forward to in January…

  31. Boro players reported at Rockliffe this morning for training, and the plan, say the club, is to work as normal on the Hurworth pitches.

    I still play football, too- OK on lowest level possible for old grumpy men – but our FA and our club did suspend all training on Friday. I do not thinks the virus are as bad over here than in the UK.

    The training is suspended till the end of the March but it can go on longer. Just surprised that Boro do still train.

    Up the Boro!

    1. You cannot get the consistency of our delivery without constant practice otherwise some of the deliveries would accidently end up between the six yard box and the penalty spot and within the width of the goalposts..

  33. Werder

    I forgot to mention the origin of the term Spanish flu. A very brief view of my understanding from Wiki it is not because it’s origins were in Spain but because during the First World War governments on both sides were bothered about keeping morale so kept a lid on the outbreak being made public.

    Spain was a neutral country so their press were free to report the facts about the outbreak.

    The article makes grisly reading, it is of course a different virus.

    PS, I put the latest test numbers for information, good to hear your area seems relatively untouched. Maybe Mrs KP can get a dog outfit for KP!

  34. I would suggest that the most prudent action to take if you have any Cold/Flu like symptoms would be to assume you have it and self isolate. Of course if you have any concerns or your symptoms worsen then calling 111 would then be the most sensible option to follow.

  35. Latest figures in the UK show 1543 cases and sadly a death in Wales taking the number lost to 36. 44100 people tested.

    As Werder has mentioned. no longer testing those self isolating with mild conditions.

    Even when we wrinklies are asked to self isolate we will be allowed out of the house but be wary of mixing and crowds, a case of being sensible.

  38. It seems many American citizens are now taking the Corona virus very seriously and are preparing in the only way they know how to fight the outbreak…

    Larry Hyatt, owner of one of the country’s largest gun shops said: “We are experiencing a massive rush to buy guns and ammunition as people feel the need to protect themselves and their families.”

    Hyatt said that the type of guns being bought was reflective of the fear prevalent among customers. There was almost no interest in hunting rifles. Instead, people were opting for target guns and there was big demand for AR-15 semi-automatic assault-style rifles.

    As demand grows, Hyatt added: “This is only the second time in my 61 years of business that we’ve seen anything like this!”

    I guess we should be grateful that in most places panic buying is mainly restricted to toilet rolls and pasta shells…

  39. I have listened to the latest press conference and apart from being somewhat concerned about how we are going to cope- does anyone have a clue as to whether the restrictions start now or at the weekend?

    And who is going to stop folk from going? It will make a lot of businesses go bust along with unemployment but I didn’t hear anything about support for them?

    Maybe I missed it………

    1. I suspect they’re still working their way through all the spreadsheets and models – I guess they may be more precise tomorrow once all the announcements have begun to sink in.

      Here in Germany all shops besides food and chemists are set to be closed from 6pm tomorrow – I went to the supermarket late this afternoon and most of the freezers, fridges and shelves for bread were empty. People are preparing for lock down!

      btw As mentioned I went for my Pneumococcal vaccine at my GP, there was a man in front of me at reception who started telling them his wife has a high fever and has been coughing continuously and what should he do – before adding, it’s ok I’m not ill at all. I took a few paces back, as did another woman and we both couldn’t believe he had no idea that nearly half of all infected people have few symptoms but are still infectious. Hopefully we made the right social distance but it brought the situation home. Incidentally, my injection was administered by a health worker wearing a full-face protective visor!

      Indeed, even at the supermarket their was a woman who sneezed four or five times over a freezer without covering her mouth. It seems it’s going to be a risky business going out as many people are just not thinking straight!

  40. I think people have to take responsibility for their own actions. There should be no need for any further government action.

    People who dont take care and implement sensible precautions are a liability to society. If it needs further action imposed that is not the governments fault, it is down to selfish people. Certain people will find away to get round it, they are basically immoral.

    Society has a responsibility, you should not need government imposed regulation if advice is given. I dont want a nanny state.

    1. Agree Ian that society should have a responsibility and a moral compass. However, as witnessed by the panic buying of stuff, then I am not so sure anymore……..

      There are a lot of selfish people out there and my view is that without draconian actions then it will not be effective.

    2. The paradox of freedom. As a society we subscribe to laws, rules and conventions because paradoxically despite restricting our freedom to behave as ever we like, they allow the rest of us to behave without fear of the consequences of someone else’s actions.

      The extreme example, we all accept the restraint that says we are not allowed to murder someone. Anyone who breaks, or attempts to break, that rule is punished and if possible restrained from exercising that freedom he/she might like to have, to kill someone. The rule is there to protect society.

      As it is with so many selfish, inconsiderate and ill-informed people who want to be “free” to behave as they like, spreading a virus that kills vulnerable people. It’s not a nanny state. The state is there to protect society. Sad that we need rules against murder and sneezing in the frozen food section, but so long as there are people who don’t think about the rest of us, it is good to have the rules and to be reminded of the rules.

      Sure, many of us don’t need them, because are good members of society. But we need them, the rules and directives and regulations, to cater for the significant number of people that ate not good members of society.

  41. It’s interesting that panic buying in supermarkets and the ‘I’m alright Jack attitude’ wasn’t addressed at the PM’s press conference.

    Is it a subject just to prickly to handle. Personally I’d make the bog roll hoarders eat them. I don’t understand their attitude at all. Enter their homes and re-distribute their hoard to those who need it.

    Let common sense prevail said a neighbour who works in the hallowed halls of Cambridge. Bollocks said I, it will never happen, not until someone forcibly stops them it will go on and on. If they continue to get away with it their actions are condoned.

    Major rant coming on so it’s time for a medicinal Islay malt.

    UTB,

    John

    1. I am with you on that John – I get so wound up with panic buyers selfish attitudes. It kinda gets to the situation where the non panic buyers start to think that they had better panic buy cos they won’t be able to get anything and so the cycle continues!

      Whilst I like to think that society will self regulate, the reality is that it doesn’t and perhaps the supermarkets should start enforcing rationing cos I am not sure the government will.

      At least we have this forum to vent our frustrations in a sensible and well behaved manner naturally!

  42. I think the problem is that selfish people dont care, they will find a way to get around any restrictions.

    My wife has a couple of friends who are intent of visiting, both are similar ages, one has the initial stage of chest problems the other a grandson. All three are in their late 60’s. Judith has sent a warning text advising lets meet up another time.

    I saw a report on older people who didn’t want to take care because they wanted to do things.

    As my dad said, you cant educate pork.

    1. My wife suggested that perhaps they should be allowed do as they want and do things but be told don’t expect that there will be a NHS bed for them in their hour of need!

  43. As we have little hand wash with alcohol I have decided to use malt whisky. I know they say do not to use medicines internally but in this case I am ignoring medical advice.

    For information, I am using Lagavulin tonight. Being wise I will not use the same medication each day so the virus cannot develop immunity. I have plenty of malt whisky varieties but other alcoholic drinks are available.

    1. Lagavulin ! It even sounds like a hand wash 🧼

      I’m using neat vodka then licking it off my hands. I’ve washed 59 times today (hic)

      OFB

  45. During the Second World War and for several years afterwards we had food rationing and families were issued with ration books but had to register with certain shopkeepers. My father used to help our local grocer with collating his ration coupons each month. Imagine if families had to register with one specific supermarket and could only buy a certain amount of food and essentials each month until their coupons ran out, would it be possible to administer today? The number of coupons per person could take into account the medical requirements for each member of the family as prescribed by one’s GP. After all it would appear that we are at war again, this time against Coronavirus.

  46. The supermarkets here in OZ are now rationing, only one pack of toilet paper per customer and 2 packs of pasta, rice and frozen vegetables. We still have sport at the moment.
    The Rugby League started last weekend with crowds and is looking to play on behind closed doors. Cameron Smith very senior player has said that they should not be playing and has been castigated publicly by the governing body. The Aussie Rules starts this week behind closed doors and they are looking to shorten the season by 6 rounds, and as a consequence the players have been told to expect a 20% pay cut! The A-League is looking to continue but two teams are in lockdown so no one knows what is going to happen there.
    Here in the Northern Territory we only have 1 case – an interstate visitor- so people don’t see it as much as a problem, although the population is less than the population of Middlesbrough and Stockton combined.
    Hope everyone keeps safe.
    UTB

    1. PPP,
      Now that is serious and Australia has had enough problems without disappearing.

      On the subject of panic buying the supermarket environment almost condones panic buying, after all you just help yourself. Across a counter you were given your purchases and it went in a bag not a massive SUV, pick-up or estate car.

      Ian, the internal hand-wash system. Excellent.

      UTB,

      John

      1. John, and I got hell off me mam if I ever went to the Co-op for the Saturday shopping at Penrith Road shops and forgot to put her “Divi” number over for record, those were the days, eh.

  48. Listening to the reasons why the UK government is changing their approach to the Corona virus was quite worrying. I was hearing phrases from NHS England like “we had hoped it wasn’t going to be as bad as other countries” or “we hoped we wouldn’t need to impose stricter measures”. There was never any reason to assume the Corona virus wouldn’t behave exactly as it had in every other country – it almost smacks of incompetence.

    Suddenly the data showed that the UK was heading for 250,000 deaths and the NHS would be swamped many times over. Though what was typical was how the people in charge started saying the usual things managers say when they are proved wrong – “We don’t want to dwell on what has happened in the past” and “What’s important is that we’re now doing the right thing.” Apparently the new strategy they say will restrict deaths to the tens of thousands.

    Meanwhile, the health ministers continue to be vague about the capacity for testing and the number of ventilators in the UK. They are unable to say how many they can put into service and when – because they simply don’t know. They have failed to prepare adequately in the two months notice they had and were also slow to take measures to keep the virus in check.

    OK, they are not alone as we now see with Spain but other countries were clearly more organised. Listening to the South Korean minister yesterday showed how they were quickly able to develop an effective plan and take control of the situation. The UK seems to have this public school bluffers mentality of appearing calm and a presentation that they are basing everything on advice from their top British scientists – what did they think all the other countries have been basing their strategies on?

    Hopefully we won’t hear further nonsense that the NHS is the best health service in the world – it’s not and hasn’t been for a long time and has been getting by for years on underfunding and shortages of doctors, nurses, beds and equipment. Those who work in it do their best under difficult circumstances but they can’t even be tested for the virus to avoid infecting their patients or have all the right protective clothing to minimise infection. They will be asked to save lives with just one sixth of the ventilators that German doctors can call upon.

    Basically, we have to hope the UK gets lucky and the new measures work in stopping the spread of the virus.

    2. Werder

      I very much agree with all that. I think that the government’s approach has been based on the fact that they are fully aware of the shortcomings in the NHS (driven on the back of years of under resourcing) and that it is far behind other countries in being able to tackle the problem.

      It appears the strategy is to delay and shield the NHS from the impact as long as possible. Part of the delay in closing schools is I believe down to the fact they don’t want already depleted front line staff taking time off to childmind.

      The failures in the area of testing is appalling in my view and I felt was very much glossed over in yesterday’s conference and spun on the basis that it was now being ramped up.

      Why on earth was some of the testing discontinued; how on earth are you going to get a handle on how effective measures are if you do know who is infected or being re- infected or are safe to be at large in the general community.

      I am not sure that self isolation measures are going to work if it is not backed up with penalties as they are doing here in Spain. We have already seen PL footballers ignoring the requirement and playing five a side with their mates when they had been asked to quarantine themselves. As someone with many years of audit experience I know how often that self regulation often fails.

      I also feel for those businesses which the public have been told to avoid, pubs, clubs, theatres and restaurants. In my view they should have been compelled to close thereby giving them an opportunity to claim some recompense for loss of profits, often via business insurance and no doubt also seeking support from the government which it looks as if they are trying to avoid having to pay/deal with claims.

      This all smacks to me of a government seeking to pass the buck to others rather than taking firm control and showing leadership. It appears more like a case of them saying it wasn’t me sir it it was them, the scientists the public et al.

      Today’s rant over! 😎

      1. Interestingly, on the subject of testing, I’ve just been speaking this morning to two Spanish friends who have lived in London for the last 30 years. They’ve both been quite ill the last two weeks, he had it the worst with fever and ultimately needed antibiotics for a chest infection. They don’t know if it was the Corona virus but they weren’t tested nor will they be – it’s possible that they now would have some immunity but they still have to continue as if they’ve not had the virus – with the added worry that they are now feeling quite run down and maybe even more susceptible if it wasn’t Covid 19.

      2. There is, of course, the possibility that having assessed the potential extent of infections and the associated mortality rate (of primarily older folk) that governement considers the future savings to the NHS, Social Care, State pensions etc etc etc bought about by having at least 1/4 million fewer wrinklies to worry about makes for just too good an opportunity to pass up …

  49. During the Second World War the BBC news and Cinema news reels were all about the War and as a child I naively assumed that once the War ended so would newsreels. Ignorance is bliss
    so they used to say. However I haven’t bought a newspaper for at least 5 years and rarely watch news programmes, in fact I didn’t own a television set for the first 3 or 4 years of my married life in the early 60s. So if it wasn’t for Werdermouth I’d probably be ignorant of the implications of Coronavirus as I’ve never even had influenza or a heavy cold in my life nor had flu injections.

    When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer 10 years ago
    my reaction was that I didn’t want chemotherapy or radiotherapy, but just to get on with my life as long or as short as it might be. I was concerned about the flight home from Portugal last week, but now safely at home I’m going to treat Coronavirus just as I have cancer and all of my other ailments just as an inconvenience, respect the problem and take sensible precautions, but continue to give news programmes a miss. I don’t need to be told how to take care of myself and at my time of life death is inevitable in the short time. I know my
    limitations and if I unluckily catch the symptoms of this disease will just thank my lucky stars on the wonderful life I’ve had to date despite losing my wife 11 years ago and for one reason or another not being able to have children. I don’t want to think of the future, but just take one day at a time. What else can I do?

    1. That makes sense Ken – if only everyone took the same approach. Just keep safe and posting in here for that social contact. It is not the same but better than nothing.

      Now I am not a techie and don’t use Facebook, let alone Skype but I wonder if there is a way that something can be set up so that those who want to “meet up” in a virtual pub, sup a few jars together and put the world to rights!

    1. I am surprised that It has taken you that long to work that out to be fair!

      It is going to be a long 12 weeks I fear.

      We have been to do our usual weekly shop and Asia was somewhat busier than normal with the tinned food aisle wiped out along with no eggs or flour!

      Oddly skimmed milk was also not there.

      I despair of people I really do.

    2. I know many knobs and I’m sure that the majority of them would take great offence at being compared to Piers Morgan. I can think of many more descriptions of him but I wouldn’t want this site shut down.

  51. Werder and KP – can’t disagree with what you both say. Here in the UK we have been badly served by our leaders for a long time. The sad fact is that until the smelly stuff hits the whirly thing, most people and the media(with exceptions) have chosen to ignore that.

    I am not a fan of Johnson and the previous government but I am not sure that the other lot would have done any better. As a society we have become far too self centered and greedy with a focus on the here and now rather than long term.

    I have seen stats that say a large percentage of people are only one month away from not being able to pay the mortgage – I have always, even when working, ensured that I have had 3 months of basic income tucked away in case of emergencies. And if that meant doing without stuff, then so be it – live within your means.

    The issue for the country and to be fair other countries, is what financial stimulus and assistance is given to both smaller businesses and individuals to see them through. I have reduced sympathy for the big organisations who have paid vast amounts to their CEOs and others and not built up a buffer. For example, why should we bail out Richard Branson and other billionaires?

    As someone said to me even before this situation, in today’s world we should not have the number of billionaires that we do, it is obscene.

    That is my rant over for now, sorry folks.

    1. I’m not sure how they expect people to survive for any length of time on the £94.25 a week sick pay. Some European countries have already declared they will be covering a large part of employees wages – The Danish government will pay 75% of the salary and Sweden 80%.

      Though not as bad as in the US where 39 of the 50 states don’t even have sick pay and maybe around 20% of the population don’t even have health insurance. Can’t see how many people will be staying away from work if they’re ill on that basis.

  54. Practical suggestion #243

    Couldn’t the trolley attendants in supermarket car parks be given spray cleaner and wipes for trolley push bars.

    3. The problem GHW is that getting hold of the sprays and wipes is nigh on impossible. I heard on the news yesterday that Cumbria County Council have unfulfilled orders for the very same and that they have been told probably about another three weeks at least. Meantime they have told staff to buy their own and that they will be reimbursed, problem is that shops don’t have any to sell.

      2. Apparently, from what I heard on a Radio 4 feature, some elderly groups have been explaining how to make your own sanitizer by mixing normal hand cream with vodka – though just how effective that is who can say. Maybe you’d need to use some of that super-strength Balkan vodka…

      3. What stocks? That’s the problem unfortunately. Priority is being given to the NHS one would hope with minimal retail stock being delivered to Supermarkets in line with their normal sales projections. From selling 12 bottles of sanitising gel a week to 500 an hour is not something that supermarket buyers had factored in nor their manufacturing supply chain.

        In France Louis Vuitton are now switching their perfume production to making sanitising liquids as a response to try and do their bit, that is how desperate the supply situation has become. Add in that many of the manufacturers are not actually in the UK but in Central Europe or even further afield and domestic demand is going to take priority with any excess production over exports. We are already seeing the European Union no longer United, closing borders and banning exports on vital equipment.

        Reality is that there are far more needy uses for the stuff than wiping shopping trolley handles. The same customers are pawing over fruit and veg and other articles in the shop as well as coughing and spluttering everywhere whilst they hand over notes to poor cashiers without face masks and gels or holding credit cards between their teeth while they look for their loyalty cards stuffed in the same pocket as their tissues. There was a case this week where some “person” has ripped the hand gel dispenser unit off the wall of a Hospital ward.

  55. In an effort to lighten the mood a little the following video is worth a look if you are not easily offended. Rather than post the link directly I have just posted the text for you to copy and paste (or ignore) in your search engine in case anyone may find the language used as perhaps “too descriptive”. The more commonly used word/term for defecation is used quite liberally throughout:

    Honest Government Ad | Coronavirus: Flatten The Curve

  56. Trying to find a more positive twist on things perhaps Western Governments globally may realise just how ill prepared they collectively were for this.

    As a consequence they may take time to reflect on policies that have emasculated ordinary working people’s opportunities for a self respecting life over the last thirty or so years. Its a long shot but maybe they will look to be more self sufficient (not just in medicine and ventilators etc.) and reintroduce more labour intensive manual industries. I know of one who will probably be of this mindset especially if the timing of it guarantees him election for another four years.

    Too many idle hands have caused the UK many social problems now for decades with zero political solution from any of those elected regardless of their rosette colour. The likelihood is that things could now become a lot more strained as many hundreds of thousands if not millions find themselves unemployed and broke.

  57. To give people a bit of an insight into what this means when you work in hospitality. My wife runs a soup business. She has a cafe, a van and makes soup for about 30 other cafes. She also donates soup for free (150 litres per month) to a local van that feed the homeless. She built it all from nothing over 9 months with her redundancy cheque. Now she employs 12 people.

    The £3000 the government is offering will pay about 1 week’s wages. Our wholesale orders are reducing by about 80% next week and our lunch time trade today is running at about 25% of normal.

    Insurers won’t insure you for business interruption for things like pandemics or terrorism. I know because a few years back I tried to get a closure due to terrorist attack clause in our insurance and we couldn’t. That said, if that was normal, the insurance industry can’t afford to pay out.

    This month we can just about cover wages with our reserves and, unlike Richard Branson, we have some (more) of our own money we will put in but odds are we’re going to have to let most of our staff go next month.

    People often think that cafes and coffee shops are a licence to print money. They aren’t. Pretty much every independent place on your high street has no more than 2 weeks cash reserves.

    We’re lucky. We have no debt but like everyone else we know, we operate on wafer-thin margins. We will have to either close completely or find a way to shrink our business to cope.

    Bottom line. Unless the government takes this seriously, over the next 2-3 weeks we will see about 3,000,000 people made unemployed. What is left of UK high streets will be destroyed. Even the bookies will go under if there’s nothing to bet on.

    My current forecast is that it will be July before trade starts to pick up again. Probably around 16 weeks. Even then, anyone still standing will have a huge back-log of unpaid rent and utilities and those 16 weeks of income are gone forever.

    Not exactly cheerful, I realise.

    1. A depressing but very true state of affairs Deleriad. Over the last few weeks I have had meetings cancelled but this week all of them were cancelled on Monday morning due to all non essential staff being banned from sites and premises.

      There are a lot of hard working people who may suddenly find themselves in very unfamiliar dire circumstances not of their own making. The level of disappointment, frustration, anger and resentment will manifest at some point and the longer it goes on the worse it will become. Unlike the US we don’t have the same level of gun problems thankfully as judging by social media there are a lot of normally very rational people clearly very worried, upset, concerned and all with good cause.

      At some future moment there will inevitably be a tipping point where Scientific evidence meets Social unrest head on. Hopefully a balance between common sense and managing risk will prevent meltdowns but “normality” with associated risks will need to be carefully timed by many European Governments.

    2. I feel for you and many other small businesses- I really do. I will be doing my level best to support them with my custom once this is over. I don’t live locally so can’t come in to yours but would do so.

      The thing is that I have a horrible feeling that many will not survive with the resulting impact on many lives.

      The test of a government is now it deals with a crisis and we will soon know how this lot are wired

    3. This is going to be the long lasting tragedy of this, and to a large extent could be mitigated. But that would take political will to do so and I am afraid we live in very selfish times, reflected in the nature of the politicians we elect.
      I hope I am wrong and woefully misjudging those who law and who would lead our country. Sadly, I am not confident that I will be wrong .

    4. Deleriad, I hope the UK government acts asap as I was hearing that the whole hospitality sector wouldn’t survive the measures and restrictions being taken. They need to cover the losses of what essentially is a national crisis.

  58. Deleriad

    My thoughts best wishes go out to you and your wife and her employees at a very worrying and difficult time for everyone.

    I posted earlier today of my frustration that the government seemed to be doing very little to support businesses and the self employed and in fact appeared to be distancing themselves from the problem.

    I just hope for you and your wife and my step daughter and her partner, all of whom are employed in the retail trade, that the chancellor will have some positive news and support to offer later today. 😎

    1. I also go along with you KP and hope that all those affected will be ok. It is difficult times and I know from dealing with many small businesses over the years, how hard it is in normal circumstances, let alone in situations like this.

      Whether our government do the right thing remains to be seen but if they don’t, then when the virus passes, as it will, then we be in a different world with a lot of difficulties.

  59. Deleriad

    Good luck to your venture and the same for everyone else.

    Following from KP’s point police caught a man in Spain pulling a toy dog.

    Macron has got angry with French people for ignoring advice, lets see what our population does.

  60. I don’t think enough emphasis is being put on Social Isolation. The only way this virus can be passed on is via person to person. Whilst I appreciate it is difficult to minimise contact between individuals, we could be doing a lot more on our own initiatives rather than relying on waiting for the government to impose draconian measures on us.

    Not being a drinker, it’s easy for me to not go to pubs and clubs. Most social activities require contact with others, perhaps it’s time to stop all of them until we can get past “ the peak” which seems to be the target at the moment.

  62. Just heard from some friends in our village that a work colleague of one of them has just tested positive for Corona virus after returning from holiday in Austria. The guy in question decided to have a test as the region in Austria had been having a lot of cases – though he said he’s got absolutely zero symptoms.

    Our same friends are also friends with another couple who have just returned from the same region in Austria – they also have no symptoms but have no intention of being tested, which given that they’re heavy socialisers and have subsequently met up with many people and been to a few parties may explain how the virus is spreading so easily.

  65. It seems rather incongruous to me that all the Television News outlets have roving reporters in popular landmarks around the world showing how deserted they all are ( except for the said reporter and sound and camera crew accompanying them). Surely all of these areas have public live CCTV feeds they could use?

  66. OFB
    Ive just rang my friends in the Algarve and just as I thought it’s business as usual with all shops, bars and restaurants open. Some restaurants up north have closed and also some shops, but one of the main reason for that is because of lack of tourists
    One must remember it’s still Winter in Portugal and primavera doesn’t start until next week, also there is a vast contrast in not only sunshine, but also in temperatures between Lisbon and the Algarve, and even more so between Porto and the Algarve, so my guess is that Jeff Stelling isn’t in the Algarve region.

  67. Following on from GHW’s comment, it is amazing that when a famine or medical emergency hits an area supplies cant get through but reporters and camera crews can.

    I agree with GHW, it is up to individuals to take responsibility, those people Werder knows show that idiocy knows no boundaries.

    For all my feeble attempts at humour we are taking it very seriously, we have stuff in but not much more than normal, we tend to buy when there are offers and dont wait until the last minute. Even so, we realise that there may be problems so are ‘one’ in front in terms of supplies than where we normally would be.

    Especially alcohol.

    1. I think there is a fine line between idiocy and reality. If they declare that they “may have” the virus is their financial status capable of seeing them through the crisis? Will their home be at risk and can they survive the financial penalties of late or even non payments? What other responsibilities or dependants do they have?

      Unfortunately the world we live in is less than perfect and more so now than ever. We all think and hope we would do the right thing but until we are placed in those stark and dark circumstances we don’t know if we would flight or fight. If people are arguing over toilet rolls that gives an insight into the psyche of human nature and what lengths otherwise “normal” people are prepared to go to.

  68. Now as it’s extremely doubtful that there’ll be any League football played again this season my solution would be to let the current League tables stand with no relegations but still retain the playoffs. Therefore we would have 23 clubs in the Premier League (the current 20 clubs plus Leeds, West Brom and whoever wins the playoffs Fulham, Brentford, Forest or Preston)
    The Championship would consist of the remaining 21 clubs since plus Coventry, Rotherham and whoever wins the playoffs (and because of the tightness of the League Oxford, Portsmouth, Fleetwood and Wycombe instead of Peterborough whose points ratio per game is the lowest of the top 7 teams.) Again 23 clubs an odd number, but there were precedents for that in 1987/88 season for both the two top divisions when the Premier League was reduced from over a two year period from 22 clubs to 20.
    Division One would consist of the remaining 20 clubs (remember at present Bury were expelled before the season started) plus Crewe, Swindon and Plymouth plus the winners of the playoffs Exeter, Cheltenham, Colchester or Northampton.
    Division Two would consist of the remaining 20 clubs plus 4 from the National League or 3 if Bury are readmitted.

    That only leaves the question of players contracts expiring on the 30th June to be decided, but that would have to be resolved anyway if football extended into July.

    1. Interesting idea but what will happen is that all those currently close to the playoffs (Bristol City, Cardiff, Milwall) will argue that they may have made the playoffs in a full season so it’s unfair.

      To be honest, every decision will be contested legally by some clubs. There is no good answer. I think the least bad answer is just to abandon the season as is and have the top 2 in each league go up. The parachute money should go to the remaining clubs in the championship and be spread out evenly. The premier clubs should also probably pool the prize money and share it fairly evenly. At this point there needs to be solidarity across the whole of football.

  69. Deleriad
    But what I advocated would be fairer to those clubs fighting for promotion to the Championship as Rotherham currently in 2nd place have only a 2 point damage over the current 3rd, 4th, and 5th clubs and only a 3 point lead of the 6th, 7th and 8th clubs and it could be argued that Rotherham could well be over taken by any one of them. I agree that the top 2 in the Championship and League 1 (top 3 in League 2) should be promoted, though you can’t say that Rotherham should be automatically promoted over any of the 6 clubs below them and then argue that Bristol City, Millwall or Cardiff should have a case of a playoff place at the expense of probably Preston. If we are to take all the current League positions as the basis for automatic promotion, I don’t see any valid reason that the current playoff places shouldn’t be afforded the same opportunity to gain promotion places also. The season started with the concept of 3 promoted clubs from the Championship and League 1 not only 2, and the only way to achieve that is to retain the playoffs with those currently in those positions to fight it out.

    1. There’s too many games left in this season to allow any team to deemed to win something or lose something. So I’ll stick by my suggestion that the season is declared void with no winners, no losers, no promotion and no relegation. The season simply didn’t happen. Then next season, when it starts can wither use the same fixture list, or a new set of fixtures can be compiled.
      If any club goes out of business in the meantime, their position can be taken by the current highest place team in the division below.

      The prize funds/pots for all of the top leagues (EPL, Championship, Leagues 1 and 2) of this season, should be combined and shared equally to each club. That will give the lowest ranked and poorest clubs a financial boost that could (should?) help them survive this unprecedented situation. The higher ranked and richest clubs are better placed to withstand the crisis and so need disproportionately less now to still be viable when it is all over.

  70. Rather amazingly, UEFA said yesterday after postponing Euro 2020 that it would give domestic leagues space to complete their seasons. Just how this is going to happen I’ve no idea (for all the reasons I mentioned in my article). Also it’s now generally accepted every country will be in various levels of the current situation until a vaccine is produced – with 12 months being an optimistic time period. Essentially, we’ll see strict measures for the next 3-4 months followed by relaxation, followed by re-introduction as the cases once again begin to appear. We could see 3-4 cycles of these stop-start measures before a vaccine is available.

    Therefore I think maybe football may have to rethink what they can do in the time they’ll have available to actually play games. Perhaps domestically they should consider some form of group competition and a final knockout tournament, much like the Champions league or World Cup. It needs to be a competition that probably has defined phases that can stop and start. It would be a mistake to assume either the current season could be completed and the next season won’t be disrupted.

    I also think UEFA should cancel all plans for any European club competition next season – they could possibly just have a mini-competition of just the actual Champions from each country (if that isn’t a misnomer given a cancelled season) but in reality anything that requires pan-European travel should be off the agenda for at least 12 months.

    Just to add, if the season is cancelled now then players can have their break now whilst football can’t be played. They could in theory report back in May with a view to start next season in mid-June and use the window of the summer to start whatever form the league should take next season. Perhaps those out of contract should consider 12 month extensions as which clubs would risk spending money until the corona virus pandemic is over.

  71. I’m now seriously doubting whether those making the decisions in the UK government are fully understanding the science. On the back of the nonsense that they were aiming for ‘herd immunity’ – where anybody with a grasp of simple maths (I posted last week why it could never work) soon realised that getting 60% of the population infected meant 40 million cases and meltdown of the health service.

    The latest mantra being repeated is that there is no need to close the schools because children rarely get symptoms and suffer from the disease. This is not the point of closing schools as it is to prevent children getting the disease and subsequently passing it on to their parents and relatives.

    Asymptomatic transmission of the Corona virus is already well known with a study by the University of Texas showing around 10% of all cases are acquired from people who have no sign of the virus. They also show that the time between cases in a chain of transmission is on average four days – i.e. Person A passes it to Person B who passes it to Person C (or more accurately Persons C, D and E). The current advice is only to self isolate if you are showing symptoms or someone in the household is. I suspect the virus would spread very quickly though a school given the interactions of children.

    The person in charge of the study, Professor Meyers, concluded: “Our findings are corroborated by instances of silent transmission and rising case counts in hundreds of cities worldwide This tells us that COVID-19 outbreaks can be elusive and require extreme measures.”

    If you want to read the article here’s the link…

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200316143313.htm

    1. The problem with closing schools is who is then going to provide Childcare, Grandparents most likely or perhaps Parents who work in the NHS?

      I believe Sweden have closed Education establishments for older Children and Students whilst keeping them open for the younger pupils with the assumption that those who who would need Childcare remain at School and those who are old enough to not be dependant on Grandparents or Childcare providers do not become an additional problem.

      This is a fluid situation with things changing rapidly and there will no doubt be many more twists and turns. Everyone has a view of the situation based on their own individual circumstances. From panicking, greedy, selfish individuals buying up toilet rolls and pasta, Pensioners overlooking that those in employment need to actually work to pay bills, those with underlying illnesses wanting everyone isolated to prevent the spread, expectant Mothers terrified of what will happen to their baby. All understandable as we now dangerously slide towards a survival of the fittest mentality not helped by reactive management from all political leaders across the globe.

      The constant doom laden media is fuelling fear levels. I am staggered that there is no counter news from say a Paper Mill owner as an example stating that they have three months stock available and that the UK Paper Industry can double productivity if required and there is absolutely no reason to panic (camera pans away to show a loo roll mountain). We have Nissan shutting down with 7,000 people worried about their job security and we have Morrisons simultaneously announcing that they are going to take on 3,000 additional people to help with things as their sales grow.

      Just taking Morrisons as an example (who I believe have also said they will pay their suppliers more quickly over this crisis) if they are taking on additional workers its not because they are anticipating empty shelves. The world is gripped in a crisis unknown in living memory, conspiracy theories and rumours abound and if we are not careful people will start to point fingers at neighbours or groups of people who behave differently or even cough at the wrong time. Media is whipping up a frenzy and causing mass hysteria when they should be doing the exact opposite. The world Governments need to get to grips with it very quickly.

      Every single Coronavirus death is being sensationally reported locally yet there are around 10,500 deaths per week in England and Wales. There was an increase of 1.5% in deaths In 2018 compared to 2017 (this was the highest annual number of deaths since 1999) but there were no news reports on it.

      1. In Germany they have a system where children of key workers still attend schools but at least the numbers of children mixing is greatly reduced. Every cases that is prevented means the peak will be smaller and then hopefully the next outbreak will be better controlled.

        It’s become the problem of modern society that for economic reasons both parents now need to work and passing on the raising of children to grandparents has become commonplace – many of whom do it out of duty or being expected of them rather than out of choice. It’s a situation made worse by couples now waiting much longer before having children and therefore grandparents are often passed that age where they feel up to looking after small children.

        As a 55-year old father of a nine-year old boy I’m not expecting to be looking after his children – especially if he waits like me until 46 before having kids 🙂

      2. Yet again the voice of reason which I agree with. I dislike(could use stronger words) the way the media report things.

        I have told my wife that should I have to go into hospital or worse, I do not want any press or politician to visit me, nor do I want any reporting of my demise.

        That said about the media, I presume that they find out about the deaths by the family letting them know unless they trawl through “bottom book”. I don’t want my 15 minutes of fame thank you very much!

  72. Football will start again at some point, whenever that is Clubs should complete the outstanding fixtures and finish the season. Its simple and fair and is probably the ideal way of getting things organised again.

    Where Clubs stand with Players whose contracts have expired and indeed with the Players themselves is another issue. That problem is something that would need to be resolved in any case and freedom of contract won’t have considered this type of scenario. I see it as a separate but simultaneous issue.

    Clubs will already be feeling the squeeze and its highly likely that some smaller Clubs like other Businesses will not survive. I can’t see Clubs like Boro paying the seven whose contracts expire after June 30th if things haven’t resumed by then.

    The same goes for Loan Players who will have possibly returned to their Parent Clubs. It may mean Clubs finishing the Season with what they have left to pick from which isn’t ideal for Boro with so many expiring contracts and loans or there is a temporary 12 week contract extension on the same terms of their previous contract/loan conditions.

    Starting a new season will have the same complications of who Clubs wanted to retain and there will need to be discussion time for Clubs, Players and Agents. A 12 week “mini season” plus a four week gap between seasons would assist in getting things back on track. It may impact negatively or positively on some Clubs for the remaining 9 games or so but I would think Liverpool are still likely to win the Premiership and that Leeds and West Brom will still go up but nothing is guaranteed and there may be some surprise relegations or promotions caused in part by the disruption.

    1. Maybe they should postpone this season until next March and then in the meantime organise something like a group competition that requires fewer games and could stop and start. Although the problem for many teams is that this current season has no meaning and what would be the point of resuming a season for their supporters. There are no easy solutions but it does require leadership and a decision sooner rather than later on how to proceed – everything at the moment is based on hope and wishful thinking rather than the reality of the situation.

  73. The Gazette reports that Championship clubs have all agreed to complete the season by 30 June, I would expect that they have also agreed if necessary behind closed doors.

    Come on BORO.

  74. One politician who I’ve been impressed with during this Corona virus outbreak is Jeremy Hunt. It’s a pity he didn’t become Conservative leader because his knowledge of the subject and of how the health service operates is exactly what the UK needs in this crisis. He was one of the few dissenting voices in being critical of the government for not moving quicker and also quickly dismissed the herd immunity strategy. From what I’ve heard from him when he has spoken, he’s shown great knowledge and detail and is already working out what needs to happen and be in place in three months time. The government should perhaps put him in charge of managing the strategy as they’re often looking behind the curve.

  75. I am quite surprised when I caught up with posts this morning that nobody has mentioned the £330 bn the government has pledged to help businesses trough this crisis. !

    Come on BORO.

    1. Unless the UK government guarantees the wages of workers then these measures of cheap loans and deferrals of tax payment won’t solve the problem. A lot of companies will need to decide after the March payroll whether they are going to have to lay people off as they can’t afford to pay their wages if they have no income. One company director in the hospitality sector said they would have no choice but to make 80% of their workforce redundant if the government doesn’t indicate that they can cover the wages in the next week. They then hope they can continue in business and then face the prospect of trying to recruit staff again with all the costs associated. The worry for many is that the red tape in applying and getting the money pledged will mean it won’t reach them fast enough to be able to stay in business.

    2. But only by way of loans which won’t help in the long run as they need to be paid back. The small businesses will have virtually no income now and probably much reduced when things get back to normal. It will be difficult for them to repay the loans from cash flow.

      It is lack of cash that kills a business and giving a loan rather than a grant or free money is like putting a sticking plaster on a gaping wound, the problem will return. Which is why, as someone who has been involved in lending money for 40 years, I would sadly decline loans to people whose business were ultimately going to fail. Harsh, maybe but it saved the people getting into more debt that they couldn’t repay.

      My other observation about the help proposed, is that is doesn’t appear to do much for individuals who will lose their jobs and sadly many business owners are not very principled. They will take the loan to pay themselves and then get rid of staff – believe me – I have seen it happen.

      Sorry to be negative – it is good to see the government doing something but IMHO it is not enough

      1. BBD

        As an ex bank manager for over 25 years I could not agree more.

        You should never encourage or support a customer to take on a loan when they do not have the wherewithal to repay. As you say the best advise is to say no.

        To lend in such circumstances is reckless and in part one of the reasons for the 2008 financial crisis.

        I also agree with Werder in that the government appear to behind the curve on all of this, it is a case of too little and too late. Grants/loans are not going to be available until sometime next week by which time many businesses will have gone to the wall or shut up shop leaving hundreds of thousands unemployed and living on limited income/ benefits which they will have difficulty accessing.😎

  76. Werder
    The most dangerous thing our club could do is to lay back and think that the Virus has saved them, it has not!
    I have just read a newspaper report which lays out the ‘thinking’ of the football power brokers. It is not good news for teams in our position.
    They are determined to somehow scramble the missing fixtures in before the end of June (three games a week?)
    The reason is not at all difficult to find, the multi millions from the European competitions, plus world wide TV income, plus it’s only kicking a ball about for ninety minutes.
    The Championship will be collateral damage, used to camouflage their desperate scramble for their lost millions.
    So, the message is be afraid, be very afraid, and be prepared.

    1. I would put forward the scenario that a team threatened by relegation could suddenly ‘discover’ a case of a squad member with suspected Corona virus and be forced to cancel games and go into quarantine and therefore being unable to complete their fixtures before 30th June – especially if one of their opponents was just below them in the table.

      1. Werder
        What you say is true, I even think it will happen precisely as you say.
        But, and there is always a but, they will be informed (very politely) that they are still in league one next season, please see attached fixture list.

  77. Well, my father spent seven years in the Second World War. So I think this is nothing as bad. We will survive as ever even it will be tough.

    BTW, both the Teesside live and the Echo has fascinating story about smallpox in Teesside a while ago. So Coronavirus crisis isn’t the first time a health scare has affected Boro. It’s 1898 all over again.

    I wonder if Ken has some memories from his parents or grand parents about those years.

    Let’s keep spirits up. The Boro will play one day again – as after 1986. Luckily we are in better shape financially than some of the other clubs. Up the Boro!

    1. FFP has never never been more relevant than it is today. Imagine paying (sorry sponsoring) Rooney’s wages to sit around doing nothing. Wage bills alone will cripple some clubs without any gate money coming through the turnstiles. I wonder if there will be a “relaxation” of the rules to get through this period and the FA can use the veil of virus to wipe out existing transgressions in one fell swoop.

    2. Jarkko
      Sorry Jarkko. However I did know about the smallpox epidemic and reported on the situation when reviewing Boro’s two famous FA Amateur Cup wins in my History of Boro at the time, but really have nothing more significant to add to what I initially reported.

    2. There are some studies that look into the possible transmission to cats and dogs – it is possible but thankfully at the moment the chances of dogs and cats then re-infecting humans is pretty remote. Although if the virus in cats or dogs was to then mutate and be able to pass to humans it is essentially the same as how the Covid-19 outbreak started.

  79. The ultimate game decider is the penalty shootout.

    All outstanding fixtures could be settled with each team taking penalties via a live feed behind closed doors from their own grounds. One day would suffice to complete the remaining fixtures.

    A maximum of 5 penalties and if the score is still level a draw would be declared. The points could then be awarded to complete the league table and determine the final placings.

    1. Haven’t quite thought that out. The problem arises with opposing goalkeepers. However it would be possible with only opposing goalkeepers having to travel over several days.

  80. Martin Lockwood of Waitrose told the worried queue outside the store this morning that he has had less than 20 units of toilet paper delivered today and they would only be sold to people the government has said to be vulnerable.

    Does that mean people who’ve had a dodgy curry?

    2. Never actually seen an episode of Eastenders, and haven’t watched Coronation Street since Martha Woodford, Minnie Caldwell and Ena Sharples were in it. I do still watch Emmerdale, but have been an Archers addict since the Walter Gabriel era. However my favourites as a child were the Paul Temple series and of course Dick Barton, Special Agent with Jock and Snowy which even stopped play at 6.45pm then we all came back outside again to resume playing cricket or football. I wonder why we called it steam radio!

      1. I’ve not watched a soap opera since early Brookside about 30 years ago and when I accidentally flick through the channels and catch a few seconds of Eastenders people are always have a cliched argument and shouting into each other’s faces. I’ve never seen the attraction of watching the mundane lives of characters who on the whole are just caricatures of real people.

  82. Following in from the thoughts of how the season can be concluded, I don’t think, that apart from playing the games, there is any solution that will please everyone. And even then, there is the risk that a club will complain if players are self isolating or worse.

    The FL and FA along with all the clubs need to have a good discussion about it (via video conference of course) and agree a plan that they ALL agree with.

    The fact that football at most levels is now sadly more about money makes it even harder especially as the smaller clubs will not be able to survive. Perhaps that is what the big clubs and Premier League want……….

    I tend to gravitate towards being fair so my vote would go for the season just to end now with all prize money for all competitions being distributed evenly between all clubs. next season to be a completely fresh start with new fixtures so that in effect season 19/20 did not exist. Maybe a bit unfair on Liverpool but they can always say they were champions designate and never let the rest of us ever forget it!

    1. Music isn’t what it used to be. One of the reasons I watch Call the Midwife is the 60s songs. I then look on YouTube to reprise the whole songs. A lot of them were jukebox items at the time about young teenage love. Aaaaah!

  85. Well as for my two opinion, for what it is worth…….the world has now been driven by greed and want, and not need.

    Money will drive the decisions being made and especially in Football. Our current younger generations believe in materialism, now not tomorrow. Hence in many many cases, the two working parents expecting their parents to take responsibility for their children.

    There have been some very good and reasoned posts on here this week. If only the experts would read them.

    1. I am with you there Pedro.

      I am feeling quite depressed about the whole situation right now and without wanting to be political about it – we are being led, if that is the right word, by someone who I do not trust one iota to do the right thing for the country as a whole.

      Now where is that bottle of red to drown my sorrows! Maybe not as I need to be hangover free to do my volunteer driving for the NHS. I don’t do much but it is the least I can do, especially now, to help out.

  86. If you’re wondering why politicians from all parties in the UK appear quite subdued and restrained, then it’s probably because they’ve seen the latest modelling produced by Imperial College on how the various measures proposed will mitigate the effects of the Corona virus.

    It makes grim reading and if no measures had been taken, it would have seen huge death rates (14,000 per day) peaking at around June. The introduction of all the measures may just about spread out the cases and keep the critical ones within the capability of the NHS but only if the Government can up the numbers of critical care beds in the coming months.

    However, if these strict measures are relaxed in the future it will quickly lead to another peak in deaths in mid-November that would equate to over 250,000 people. It basically means that until there is a vaccine the UK will need to continue impose these measures unless they can track all cases and shut down the spread by other means. Scotland has already said that schools could be closed until September.

    The German epidemiologist who I listen to daily says we must ensure there is a vaccine by autumn and if that means taking a few risks and shortening the development process, then so be it. He say there are already some good candidates but governments must agree to a shorter clinical trial process than normal.

    The alternative is literally millions of deaths or 12 months of lock down – this probably explains why even Donald Trump looks serious – the US under these models would see several million deaths alone. All countries must treat beating this virus like getting a man on the moon in six months or face the consequences.

    The good thing is that there are some very clever people in this world and when money is no object and the political will is there – anything is possible!

    Here is the link to the Imperial College modelling…

    https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/196234/covid19-imperial-researchers-model-likely-impact/

  87. Another great source of information- thanks Werder.

    The YouTube videos from Dr John Campbell are also worth a look.

    Situation in Italy looks horrendous- something has gone seriously wrong there.

    Just hope that what we are doing will actually do what we hope it will to flatten the curve and reduce demand on the NHS. I am still incredibly frustrated that the government of the last 10 years have let the NHS get into such a position whereby we are so ill prepared.

    On other things, good to see what Gary Neville and Abrahamovic are doing with their hotels.

    1. Another interesting study from China that I read today was that people with blood group A are more likely to be infected with the Corona virus and suffer worse symptoms, whilst those with blood group O have a significantly lower risk of contracting the virus and suffer less severe symptoms.

      OK, the paper has yet to be peer reviewed but they suggested that the higher susceptibility of those with blood type A could be linked to the presence of natural antibodies in the blood. The authors would like to see more widespread comparisons of patients blood group in different countries and possible treating people based on their blood group.

      I’m thankfully blood group O but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take all the precautions to avoid catching the virus – though I’ve read other studies that are indicating severe symptoms are related to the antibody response to the virus. It may also explain why younger people with immature immune systems seem to also suffer less severe symptoms.

      1. Damn – I am blood group A – will have to be extra careful then!

        Second what Len says about Werder comments. So knowledge and interesting.

        When all this passes and we can travel, hopefully Werder will visit the UK and I will be up for meeting up and buying the man who goes by the nom de plume of Werdermouth a beer or three!

  88. Thanks. Werder, for this, as for all of your interventions which I have found invaluable in keeping up to date on this crisis. It’s a great service you are providing for all of us.

    1. They might actually be a more dynamic midlfield three as they will flock forward! But ewe may think that they will just hoof it and be a a bit woolly in their passing.

      Sorry for the puns – cabin fever on day four in the Diasboro house.

  91. So the EFL met yesterday and came to the following agreement…

    The EFL Board, who have today agreed on the following objectives to support future decision-making:

    • Ensure the health and well-being of our Clubs’ employees, supporters and communities

    • Make a positive contribution to the UK’s efforts to tackle coronavirus

    • Protect the EFL’s financial model and Club finances

    • Enable the EFL to continue to function as a business

    • Deliver a successful conclusion to the 2019/20 season.

    They’ve also agreed in the interim to make £50m available to help clubs continue to meet their financial requirements. Although, whether most of that will get sucked up in paying players wages is another matter. I’d imagine the TV money will still arrive and as yet not much talk of clubs reimbursing season ticket holders since stadiums will remain shut whatever happens.

    The EFL want to conclude the season but will only start games if the government give them the green light – though how that squares with ‘point 1’ in the list of objectives is unclear if much of the country is in lock down and being told to work from home.

    As for ‘point 2’ and making a positive contribution to the UK’s effort to tackle coronavirus – not sure what that means unless footballers are going to volunteer for vaccine trials or maybe players agreeing not playing five-a-side football with their mates when they’re meant to be in quarantine. Maybe they think playing games will raise the spirits of the population but it’s just as likely to depress those who see their team lose again.

    Point 3 and protecting the EFL’s financial model sounds like they’ll tell Sky they either can’t have their money back or agree to provide them with games.

    Point 4 is basically hand out cash to stop clubs going out of business.

    Which brings us to Point 5 and delivering a successful conclusion to the 2019/20 season – that could be literally anything and probably means like everyone else they’re still working out what to do. In truth there’s little they can do but wait.

  92. It’s sad that Coronavirus has brought out the worst in many people, the selfishness that wasn’t as evident during the Second World War when the nation stuck together. Of course
    we knew who the enemy was then as we do today, but the difference is that today the whole World is fighting the same enemy, Coronavirus. But in the main the British people were a nation of people who helped each other in those war years. My parents never dreamed of locking the doors of our home; today that would be foolhardy.

    I’ve always had an admiration for Londoners and Liverpudlians who suffered so much in the Blitz. Anyone who is familiar with Lionel Bart’s musical Blitz can only marvel at the wit of Londoners in some of Bart’s songs such as ‘Who’se this geezer Hitler, who does he think he is?’ which referred to him as a decorator, and despite losing their homes during the Blitz the song continued “he’s a nasty little basket with a black moustache and we don’t want any paper hanging done as he’d demolished most of our homes”. Bart’s musical could have equally been written about the City of Liverpool which suffered destruction from the Luftwaffe second only to London. Maybe that’s why the humour was always there as they produced a plethora of great comedians following adversity. And let us not forget the Hillsborough disaster either.

    Why is it then that some folk would be happy to see this football season voided as if it never existed, stopping Liverpool winning their first Premier League success? My sympathy goes with them if they are deprived of achieving that. Following the Munich Air Disaster most of the country wanted Manchester United to win the European Cup and except for Bolton fans, the FA Cup as well. London has so many football clubs so it’s hard for many of us to show some allegiance to one particular club in the Capital, but Liverpool has only two so it’s easier to place our colours to the mast, you’re either a Red or a Blue. As Everton were the first club I saw play Boro I’ve always been a fan of them, but nevertheless it was fitting that the Red’s should win the League title in the first season after the war coming back from mid-table at Christmas, and surely it is equally fitting that they should not be deprived of winning their first Premier League title this season.

    As an aside I’ve visited Auschwitz, a very harrowing experience which I’m nevertheless I’m glad I’ve had, though wouldn’t want to repeat. One of the facts I learned was that the Nazi’s used the hair of the inmates to make their uniforms. It seemed gruelling to me, but now I’ve learned that in peace time some sportsmen with long flowing hair are having it shorn to make wigs for children with cancer or alopecia. I imagine it might be a good idea for the likes of Ryan Shotton and Tommy Fleetwood as it would not only enhance their looks but be a kind gesture for those less fortunate. Women with long hair particularly might think about that instead of fighting over the purchase of toilet rolls, etc. As I say the nation stuck together during wartime ‘keeping the home fires burning’, so what has changed that today many of us have become so self-centred and selfish? Surely food for thought.

  93. My family are now on the plane heading back to Island in lockdown Bahrain. My boy looks very happy probably due to the fact he will have a couple of months off school playing on his ipad, or is it because he is spared another trip to the riverside this season? We will never know.

    How they finish the season is really up to the owners of the teams in the various leagues to sort. They need to protect the financial models and lets face it there are few clubs outside the PL who are money making machines so its not that they want to protect their investments its probably more how to minimise their losses to fight another day.

    IN our case we are not in bottom 3 thankfully so its a mute point although the thought of having to play out the remaining fixtures frightens me but let them decide its their money at the end of the day.

    If we do end up going down we cut our cloth to suit and start rebuilding again. The past two days of frantic remote planning to extract my little boy from boarding school [that’s another story] has taught me there are more import things to life than worrying about which league we may be in next season.

    ON the Bahrain front it is a 5 thousand pound fine for breaking the self isolation rules, which will be explained to the guys when they get here, both my b0y and his mum will go straight into 2 weeks supervised isolation – at least the internet is now free for 3 months.

    Its strange how this has panned out – we were more worried about Bahrain becoming another Iran and not getting back to UK in emergency and its turned out to be the other way around. Still I have my 2 Boro DVDs to watch with my red wine.

    Take care you guys and stay safe.

    1. I think you are probably safer in Bahrain as they’ve been pretty active on the Corona virus case since the beginning. It was interesting to hear Britain’s former public health director, Professor John Ashton, who was on Question Time last week compare how Bahrain and the UK had tackled the problem. Professor Ashton has been advising the Crown Prince of Bahrain, who he said has been very proactive in taking measures, testing and preparing Bahrain for Coronavirus. In contrast, he said he was totally embarrassed and angry by the UK’s response to the crisis and accused the government of simply making it up as they went along and had wasted a month by inaction. Within a few days he was proved right as the UK government quickly backtracked as their herd immunity strategy was shot to pieces and the realisation the UK’s health service would be swamped in matter of weeks. btw Bahrain currently has just 256 cases and has just one death.

      1. I saw John Ashton on QT and subsequently on several TV appearances on the back of that. He may or may not have his own agenda but I sincerely hope that we don’t end up with punditry type debates.

        1. He’s been quite forceful with his comments but I think it’s out of exasperation at the slowness of the government’s response – he worked in Africa on the Ebola outbreak so knows the consequences.

  94. Day Four Social Distancing.

    Penguins sleep more deeply in the afternoon than in the morning. French scientist Gérard Dewasmes discovered this by poking penguins with a stick at different times of day and recording how long it took them to wake up.

  95. Decided not to listen to government advice or 111, because Sandra on Facebook who lives next door turns out to be a microbiologist, national economical expert, housing advisor, mortgage guru, GP and national pandemic specialist …. who’d have thought eh? Only last week she was a full time mummy selling bath bombs on Facebook! … goes to show, never judge a book by its cover.

  96. Last Friday I was on the train to visit my 82 year old sister (and coincidentally go to the Boro match!) when I heard that the matches were postponed. I phoned her and we decided that it was best that I continued my journey as there was no knowing when we would next be able to meet. As things have turned out that was the right decision.
    I see that Tottenham and Crystal Palace have put off sales of 20/21 season tickets. I intend to renew my 3 year card but was waiting till nearer 9 April in the expectation that by then we would have a better idea of which division we were paying to see.

    Yesterday I would normally have had lunch at a pub just a 5 minutes walk from home. I started going there 5 years ago when my previous pub closed and the weekly treat became twice weekly as the food/drink is so good and the landlord and bar staff really friendly. It is more like a quiet country restaurant during the afternoon. After much thought about the government advice that over 70’s should not go into pubs I decided not to go. If people decide they can adapt the advice to their own circumstances, control of the spread of coronavirus will be impossible. As the pub is privately owned I hope they receive some of the promised government aid to stay in business. I will miss my visits as this was my only social life in Penrith though having lived alone for 44 years I will just have to learn to talk to myself (and regularly read the comments on Diasboro) in order to retain my sanity!

    1. Yes it’s going to be strange for many people to not to be able to socialise for a prolonged period – my father, who’ll be 82 soon, looks forward to his regular Friday nights at his club playing cards and snooker – plus 3 or 4 pints! He’ll go crazy having to stay in for the next six months or so.

      Hope you find a way round David – maybe once the weather gets better sitting in beer gardens at a safe distance in theory should be safe.

  97. I see Donald is in some bother with his “Kung Flu” and Chinese Virus” comments rather than call it Coronavirus or Covid-19. He is also of course claiming some sort of victory about his trade war with China now being vindicated because of the virus, no doubt with an eye on another term in the White House. It would appear that once again Diplomacy isn’t his strong point.

    When the world finally gets through this, I think a lot of things could change dramatically making Brexit look like a tea party. News on how Russia is coping still seems very vague.

  98. So the EFL and Premier League have issued a joint statement that there will be no football until at least 30 April now but are still committed to completing the season – though they’ve now removed any deadline for a date to complete that season by so it can now go beyond the end of June.

  99. Having listened to the UK’s chief medical officer and scientific officer answer questions from the media, it’s fair to say they’re not giving many clues as to how long the country will remain under various restrictions – or what they think the end-game will be. They’re not optimistic that we’ll see a vaccine within the next 12 months and quite logically suggest the virus will not go away on its own.

    The strategy is one of basic maths and involves keeping the number of active cases that require hospital treatment below the NHS capacity – which unfortunately is quite low given there are less than 8 critical care beds per 100,000 of the population.

    It also seems the announcement that the UK is looking to up the testing to 25,000 per day is more an aspiration than something that will happen in the near future. It’s just not possible or even credible given they’ve only just exceeded 50,000 test in total. The UK simply doesn’t have the kit or laboratory capacity or trained staff at present so it’s really about designing and implementing a system to achieve that goal.

    The reason the UK needs that testing capacity is about the need in early autumn before the cases will begin to rise again and this time the UK needs to isolate cases and slow down the spread even more so that it’s not back to square one and back to lock-down.

    OK, the UK is not alone in having this problem and no government has yet mentioned what they think the end-game is. The difference in Germany is that they have six times the capacity of the UK to treat severe cases in hospital so they have a bit more room to manoeuvre – they still have a relatively low death rate compared to cases (1.5% of the deaths of Italy but 40% of identified cases).

    Incidentally, the governor of Lombardy went on TV to tell people that he wasn’t going to ask them nicely anymore to stay at home. He said if they don’t stay at home and they get infected then they won’t be able to treat them as they’ve run out of beds! This is what the UK has to avoid and therefore the measures will stay in place as long as it takes – incidentally, northern Italy has around double the intensive care beds as the UK.

  100. If the season does in fact resume on the 1st of May and end before June all Championship clubs will be playing probably 5 weekend matches and 4 midweek matches. Quite manageable as it used to be the norm at the beginning of each season in the
    50s and 60s, although if Tony Pulis was still our manager he would still refer to it as 3 games a week. Some lower division clubs such as Coventry would however have at one point need to play 4 matches in 7/8 days to adhere to the schedule. It will be interesting to see how the midweek matches are played. Will it be the EFL that decide which fixtures will be played at the weekend and which in midweek, and in which order of sequence although I doubt we’ll be seeing any football at least until mid-July so it might require a rethink.

  101. To all of those virtue signallers who were spouting “ In a world where you can be anything, be kind” just a few weeks ago……

    Stop emptying supermarket shelves of stuff!

  102. So sad to learn of the passing of Peter Whittingham following an accidental fall at only 35 years of age. Thoughts are with his family at this sad time. RIP Peter. 😎

  103. Admittedly I’m not a drinker, but can someone explain to me why people are still going to Pubs? If it’s just a matter of alcohol, surely there’s plenty of cheap booze in supermarkets that can be consumed at home.

  104. Remember when you were underage and you used to hang around outside the “ Offie” asking someone older to buy you some alcohol and fags?

    Now it’s come full circle, when you use the “ Old Person’s Hour” for supermarket shopping, you may well be asked “ Mr, can you get me some toilet rolls please?”

    1. Judging by some of the pictures I have seen, the older generation are the ones who maybe emptying the shops first – just saying like!

  105. Going back to Donald and one for Werder to answer.
    Is it a fact that the corona virus did evolve in China? And if so, it is therefore Covid-19 the Chinese virus. Let’s be honest some of their eating habits are strange, well to us in the West at least.

    1. I think the fact that in Wuhan they opened a Bio-4 Lab is more likely a cause than strange eating habits despite the outbreak supposedly starting at a local Fish Market. It was the first Lab in China to meet bio safety level 4 standards, the highest bio hazard level. That means it is permitted to handle the most dangerous pathogens in the World like SARS and Ebola.

      From 2002 until 2004 SARS infected over 8,000 people killing nearly 800 and had allegedly “escaped” multiple times from a lab in Beijing prior to the latest Lab in Wuhan opening. These “escapes” were one of the of the catalysts for the current Wuhan facility being built and finally opened in 2017. Wuhan itself has had Laboratories in that region since the mid 50’s (please note there is no evidence that the followers of Wuhan Zall FC self deprecatingly call themselves “virals” instead of “smoggies”).

      Chinese Labs apparently still rely on the use of a lot of animals and one theory is that an infected animal passed it on to a Human but as information is either controlled, smothered or buried it will never be known or certainly openly investigated. How it was passed on, if indeed true. is open to imagination, internet rumours abound from a bite to close contact to actually eating a diseased animal.

      Very unusually and in a big break from the “controlled” norm in the news yesterday it was reported that severe condemnation has now been made by the Chinese State Supervision Commission, (China’s top disciplinary body) towards the Police’s handling of Dr. Li Wenliang (the whistle blower) and also of the Communist Party itself. It appears however that this may be reactionary rather than good governance as the Chinese people are now openly venting their distrust towards their politicians. It seems that realisation is both dawning and growing that even mushrooms get fed up of being kept in the dark and fed brown stuff.

      Ominously in 2017 a warning was given by Tim Trevan a bio safety consultant in the US expressing his concern that Chinese culture made the Wuhan Lab intrinsically unsafe because “structures where everyone feels free to speak up and openness of information are important in these Institutions”.

      Considering the reaction and consequential lockdown of Wuhan by the Chinese authorities I doubt that it was a deliberate controlled release to see how far and how quickly such a thing could spread. There again it just may have been caused by someone not washing their hands and eating a dodgy kipper down the market as the Chinese authorities spin would have us believe.

      1. Please note that the Wuhan Gazette have distanced themselves from any association with a PowerPoint presentation that may have had a virus, just saying like!

  106. Oops, we got some snow this morning. But yesterday was the warmest day this year and the snow will melt away as soon as sun shines a bit longer.

    Mind, this winter is the first ever, when half of Finland did not get any snow. In the past we had snow here in the Southern part from Xmas til beginning of April. But this year only had snow for three separate days. Strange!

    Our football season is yet to start. Our FA have informed that the season will start two weeks after the schools open again. So that is considered as normal time. They said they do not expect the schools to re-open before turn of April and May.

    So when people speculate about when the season re-starts in the UK, do not forget that the FA, the clubs and fans need some time to organise the ticketing, policing, travelling etc.

    So Ken is quite right that it will go well into the summer for Boro to start playing.

    Up the Boro!

    1. I think many of us have been thinking for much of the season that it looks like it will take till well into the summer for Boro to start playing. 😉

      1. Very good although you didn’t say which summer!

        That was said with tongue firmly in cheek – I hope that we some normality by this summer.

  107. Rugby League like football have postponed all matches at all levels until 30th April at the earliest. If as seems likely that matches cannot be played with crowds beyond that date, there is the possibility that Superleague matches might have to go ahead behind closed doors as is happening in Australia at the moment because they are contracted with Sky Sports to provide 70 to 80 matches this year. If that contract is broken Sky will probably pull out of subsidising Superleague and the sport might conceivably revert to a partly amateur sport as was the case before Superleague, and the death knell of the sport as we now know it with several clubs going into administration to be replaced by Canadian and American clubs in the future..

    No decision has been made at the moment, but the 6th Round of the Challenge Cup is scheduled to take place on the weekend of the 3rd April. Whether those 8 matches will go ahead behind closed doors or postponed has not yet been decided, but as that is only a fortnight away a decision will have to be made within the next 7 days.
    It is maybe a bit dramatic, but RIP Superleague.

  108. Day Five Social Distancing

    Still not heard back from the EFL after contacting them with my Penalty Shoot Out idea to complete the season.

  109. The idea of playing any remaining matches to complete the season a.s.a.p. In about 10-15 days is a real and serious trap for teams like us.
    Us teams in the bottom group will be fighting for every ball in every match.
    The teams in the middle will be going through the motions, and worse, they will be missing their best players (on a beach far away) together with their Managers probably.
    The above is not good news for us, as we need our fellow bottom strugglers to drop points.

  110. As we all know the current situation is being discussed in football. Harry Redknapp was asked his views and his response was ‘Coron Avirus? Triffic little player’

    In these troubled times it made me smile.

  111. One problem is that some players may get bored with training away from their regular training grounds. As Europe is almost completely shut down for holiday flights at the moment except for Portugal, it is unlikely that clubs will allow players to travel abroad in the next few weeks as if it was a close season Boro are taking the correct approach by having contracted players train at Rockliffe. Whether that will be an advantage when play resumes we shall soon find out, but it’s obvious that players on-loan will have no impact at all except possibly the away fixture at Sheffield Wednesday and that Boro will again have to rely on their younger players to help stave off relegation. Being an optimist I have no fears on that score.

    1. Talking of flights, I read this morning how Vietnam hadn’t had any new cases reported for three weeks which was great news then a new cluster broke all which they traced back from one flight from London to Hanoi. The sheer stupidity and predictability of it I find astonishing.

      Governments are trying their hardest in locking down areas and keeping people a metre apart at least to try control this thing from spreading yet a flight full of people presumably unscreened, unchecked and untested for over eleven hours wasn’t seen as both a risk and a breeding ground. I think in Singapore anyone arriving from an International flight has to be isolated for 14 days. Seems severe but if they are going to make these hardships work for heaven’s sake don’t leave the front door wide open.

  113. Full marks to the MFC website for arranging to show a recording for Boro’s EUFA Cup Quarterfinal on #BoroWatchalong. I look forward to the Semifinal and snippets of ‘This day on etc’. To those interested in reminiscing over the last 3 seasons there is Redcar Red’s excellent detailed reports on this website, or for those wanting to review past seasons Werdermouth has collated some of my input from the Northern League days up to the Camsell years on Ken Smith’s Boro History on the right hand side of this page. But for all Boro’s League results or any other clubs’ results log into http://www.11v11.com.

  114. There has been much speculation of the origins of the Coronavirus or more accurately COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019), which is also commonly referred to as SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – Coronavirus 2).

    Indeed, as RR has discovered, there have been theories on the internet that it was a virus that either escaped from a Chinese lab in Wuhan or was even deliberately released – these ‘theories’ have subsequently been repeated by politicians and media organisations who should know better. Of course there is no evidence for these theories, although it does appear at first glance to be plausible – unfortunately the actual science has already debunked those theories that Covid-19 started in a lab.

    Anyway, I’ve read quite a bit on the subject in recent weeks, particularly from scientific journals with reference to scientific studies that have been carried out on the virus. So here is a wider introduction to how Covid-19 is thought to have originated and how such viruses evolve and spread to humans. Note: Covid-19 is also often referred to as SARS-CoV-2 and the earlier SARS virus as SARS-CoV. Warning: this post contains science!

    For a virus to spread it needs to infect a host cell – whether it be human or animal. To infect a cell, a virus must have a key that allows it to unlock that cell and gain entry. That key for a coronavirus, takes the form of a protein spike on its surface or more technically a RBD (Receptor Binding Domain), which basically determines how it binds with receptors on the surface of a host cell. In the case of a coronavirus, it attaches to specific receptors on cells known as ACE2 receptors, which are found on the membrane of cells in the lungs, heart and intestines. A receptor is something like a lock and key mechanism in that when something binds to it, an action is triggered inside the cell, which essentially opens the door for a virus to enter.

    Six RBD amino acids have been shown to be critical for binding to ACE2 receptors and it’s the arrangement of these amino acids that determine which range of host animals that can be infected by the SARS-CoV-like viruses – i.e. which species the virus can infect based on having the right key to bind to ACE2 receptor and unlock the door to the cells.

    This is what scientists are looking at when they try to determine if viruses can jump species to humans (zoonotic transfer) and while both SARS viruses have been shown to have originated in bats they probably required an intermediate species to jump to humans as they were unable to directly transfer – in the case of the first SARS outbreak it was thought that the species involved was possibly a civet cat. While a virus seen in a species of bat called Rhinolophus affinis, is 96% similar to the SARS-Cov-2 virus that spread to humans, the position of those critical RBD amino acids is not quite efficiently placed for transfer to humans.

    Incidentally, the position of those RBD amino acids is the most variable part of a coronavirus genome (DNA) and they can change position randomly when a virus mutates. It’s these random mutations that may ultimately create a virus that is then optimally designed to be able to jump species if given the opportunity to do so. Indeed, it was a mutation in the SARS 2003 viruses that stopped it in its tracks as it was no longer able to spread among humans.

    A more likely intermediate species involved with Covid-19 has been shown to be the Malayan pangolin (scaly anteater) that are known to be illegally imported into the Guangdong province of China. These pangolins have been shown to be infected with a virus very similar to SARS-CoV-2 with some viruses having all those six critical RBD amino acids in the same place as Covid-19.

    There are still some differences in the pangolin virus that mean it’s not optimal for transmission in humans but there has so far only been limited sampling of pangolin viruses and there may yet be an exact match. It’s therefore likely that Covid-19 was either optimised in a host pangolin or even in a human through mutation and natural selection. So either it could have transferred to humans from a pangolin but it then wouldn’t have been easily transmitted between humans until it further mutated or it mutated in a pangolin to a version that was readily transmitted to humans.

    Geneticists who have studied and compared Covid-19 with other coronaviruses have discovered it’s probably most similar to SARS-CoV, which was the virus responsible for the outbreak in 2003. However, it’s also quite different as five of those critical RBD amino acids are found at a different place in the genome. Therefore, Covid-19 it is a new virus rather than one that evolved from the earlier SARS virus.

    Scientists studying the molecular structure of the virus concluded that Covid-19 was the result of natural selection and not the product of genetic engineering. This evidence for natural evolution was supported by data on SARS-CoV-2’s backbone (i.e. overall molecular structure). The Andersen lab argued: “If someone were seeking to engineer a new coronavirus as a pathogen, they would have constructed it from the backbone of a virus known to cause illness.” But the scientists found that the SARS-CoV-2 backbone differed substantially from all known coronaviruses and mostly resembled related viruses found in bats and pangolins.

    Dr Kristian Andersen at a lab specialising in infectious diseases concluded: “These two features of the virus, the mutations in the RBD portion of the spike protein and its distinct backbone, rules out laboratory manipulation as a potential origin for SARS-CoV-2”

    Epidemiologist, Dr Josie Golding, at UK-based Wellcome Trust said the findings by Andersen and his colleagues are “crucially important to bring an evidence-based view to the rumours that have been circulating about the origins of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) causing COVID-19. They conclude that the virus is the product of natural evolution, and it ends any speculation about deliberate genetic engineering.”

    Anyway, I hope some of you stuck with this until the end – these conspiracy theories often get a lot of traction because people want to believe them and it feeds some people’s perceptions that the evil Chinese are plotting to release a dangerous virus. Rather amusingly, in China many people believe it was a virus created by the US and then released into China. We’ve even seen people claim it came from fish – which I presume is because of the Chinese Whispers that ‘wet markets’ ended up being translated as ‘wet fish markets”…

    2. The Portuguese newspapers seemed to think that Coronavirus started by eating contaminated snake meat. I’ve tried it once about 30 years ago and it felt like eating wood from tree branches. Whatever, it was tough to digest, soon gave up.

      1. Thanks Jarkko, I have the same problem trying to understand technical German articles and programmes!

        btw congrats to Finland on being voted the happiest country in the world for the third year running – though we always suspected here on Diasboro based your positivity 🙂

  116. Werder,

    Interesting and informative, thank you.

    We’ve stopped watching Sky and the BBC because of the ceaseless bombardment of stuff. However, seeing the problems in Italy and particularly Bergamo I worry about the inactivity here in the UK. telling the public not to pillage the shelves doesn’t work, surely ‘they’ can see that? Supermarkets cannot expect the ladies on the tills to maintain law and order along with all of the other problems they face. At some point ‘they’ will put the fiddle down and face up to human nature in the many.

    Time for a lonely and breezy walk across the fields and through the orchards with the terriers.

    Stay fit and well everyone.

    UTB,

    John

  117. I can see this getting worse.
    When the supply chain slows and food is of short supply. Petrol may be scarce, power may dwindle as workers are sick.
    Logistics will slow. Who will empty bins, people losing jobs, desparate for money, desperate for food. Social unrest.
    NHS staff get sick and beds are full, its only just begun
    Lockdown needs to happen now if its not already too late.
    Forget football, I have

  118. Thanks again, Werder.

    Agreed, John, the footage from Lombardy is truly horrific.

    The laxity of the government in preparing for the tide about to engulf us is disturbing. No testing equipment, not even the most basic protective gear for many of the heroic front line workers, no urgency over lockdowns.

    South Korea showed us the way but we have ignored it. The World Health Organisation says the key to containment is Test, Test, Test. We are even struggling to test our doctors and nurses. A few weeks ago when containment was manageable flights from Northern Italy and other infected areas were allowed to land without any checks. The lunacy of freely allowing the virus to spread to 40, 50, 60 or even 80% of the population in order to build up “herd immunity” (note the patronising comparison of people to animals) beggars belief. You can bet your bottom dollar that there was no one over the age of 70 on the committee recommending that particular policy.

    Even the most efficient health service in the world would struggle with what is to come. But we will really be reaping the whirlwind of the extended ideological project of cutting public services to the bone, presided over by a cabinet which has been specifically selected not on ability but through their decades-long commitment to market economics, de-regulation, low taxes, and shrinking the state services which we will all be relying on in very short order.

    What a shower, what a shambles, what a country.

    I have good reason to be grateful to the state and to the public services that it seeks to provide for the majority of its citizens. I grew up in the 1940s, courtesy of a socialist government which gave me and my family good housing, a free national health service, a free education (right up to university level), public libraries in every local area and good cheap public transport, as well as access to reliable information from the best public service organisation in the world. Since the 1980s I have seen most of these things dismantled, traduced, mocked and privatised by big business, billionaire newspaper owners, and their political cronies. And still they remain in power, in spite of the 2008 financial meltdown brought about by financial de-regulation, and now this latest health tsunami, exacerbated as is will be by the deliberate political policy of providing only a bare-bones service. As bad as this year will be, I fear that it is a mere prelude to the biggest coming catastrophe of all: climate change, which big business and conservative politicians continue to prevaricate over in spite of the overwhelming scientific evidence staring us all in the face.

    I take my leave of this great blog. I may not be returning for some time.

    1. Thanks Len and hopefully you won’t go all Captain Oates on us 😉

      I’ve been a bit staggered at the government’s inertia on the situation given they’ve known for two months that they were going to start from a much lower point in terms of capacity for tests and intensive care beds.

      What has also been staggering is how only one week ago they were reluctant to introduce any measures as they said they were four weeks behind Italy and now was not the time to act. If you thought a week later you would be taking measures to close all schools, bar, restaurants etc and told everyone to basically avoid contact with people, then I suspect you would have acted sooner.

      The herd immunity thing was almost a joke if you would have given the idea even two minutes thought. It’s not leadership but it’s a government being dragged by events into taking the measures that needed to set the agenda a lot sooner. At least they’ve now realised that their previous financial measures wouldn’t stop people either going to work when they shouldn’t or being made redundant and businesses going to the wall.

      Most countries will now be in a state of emergency until at least the end of the year – time is against the UK in getting to a position that starts to look like Northern Italy – I hope they can really galvanise the country to get everything in place but it needs great urgency.

    2. Len – there is no need to take your leave of this blog – we are all friends on here and I suspect all of a similar viewpoint to yourself.

      I have been more than frustrated with our excuse of a government and their inaction in what was clear to anybody with half a brain, was going to be a disaster and human tragedy in the making.

      That said, the contributions from others have kept me sane and Werder in particular has been a mine of information, as have others.

      The steps taken today are a vast improvement on the past inaction although it was taken too late. The help to people is also something that is needed although I never thought I would see a Tory chancellor do what Sunak has done.

      Please don’t be a stranger and keep on posting, we need to keep ourselves occupied and I find this forum a great place to do that.

      1. Thanks BBD but I’m not sure if remaining sane at the moment is the best option 😉

        The only problem with Rishi Sunak is that he seems to end all his announcements with ‘this is unprecedented’ – sadly he’ll probably need to be wheeled out again pretty soon to make another unprecedented offer to the self-employed and workers in the gig economy as they look set to struggle under the current offer.

        Having said that, he’s hardly been in the job so he’s been thrown into the fire with barely time to adjust to the heat. It’s not an easy job for any government but it may expose Boris Johnson as a leader who thought he could just wing it with a bit of bluster. This is a time for serious politicians with the grasp for detail and a lot of hard work and able to make tough decisions and offer leadership.

        Max Hastings said of Johnson “He thinks he’s Churchill but he’s actually more like Steve Coogan.” He better rise to the challenge!

    1. I recall hearing a pundit on Radio 4 this week saying that the Corona virus was going to be like the black death – to which the presenter quickly interjected “I sincerely hope not!”

      btw A plague is defined as a disease that is caused by bacteria rather than virus and many heath scientists are already getting worried that antibiotic resistance may ultimately see the return of such plagues that could kill millions. Something to look forward to if we get through this pandemic…

      1. We will get through it I am sure, it will take a long time though. At least a vaccine is being worked on and maybe available in 12 months at best.

        My prediction is that the social distancing, at varying levels, will continue until a vaccine is available. It will be a case of slow the spread down until the Health services can cope or has capacity, release a degree of normality for a while in the knowledge that it will have to be reined back in again.

        Politicians will need to be honest with people as to why this is happening and there must be a buy in to the plans. We are in it for the long haul and even in the end, the world is going to be a vastly different place. Hopefully a more caring, less selfish society that actually does the right thing for ALL.

        UTB

        1. I actually worked out a strategy that could work without a vaccine when I was laying in bed this morning – it involves another magnitude of testing capacity altogether and self isolation and dividing every country into small geographic areas (or cells) that can be increased in size to include adjacent areas once each area has been deemed to be free of cases.

          It’s based on what happened in an Italian village of 3,300 people where the mayor locked the village down and tested everyone and isolated everyone for 14 days and handled those who tested positive (including asymptomatic cases) and then 14 days later re-tested to find out who were still positive and continue them in isolation. It worked and that’s why we need testing!

          In theory, in areas where you are free of cases, lockdown within that place is no longer required and that area will join with others to become larger and the people will start to have a more normal life. Indeed, if done on a country-by-country basis you could even fly between virus-free areas. People could be given virus-free ID cards.

          You would also need protocols for people who enter your area for deliveries or other essential things but if they wore protective clothing and kept safe distances then contamination could be avoided.

          The time to introduce that would be at the end of this lockdown phase when cases fall and the object is to keep them falling rather than rising again when restrictions are lifted.

    1. I am also struggling Ken. Used to play golf on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. With no golf and no football on a Saturday I am lost as to which day of the week it is! 😎

  122. Werder – that kinda make sense. Now if you can come up with that then what the hell are our so called experts doing?

    Can I nominate you to talk to Johnson et al to put it together?

    You are an absolute star

  123. I sincerely hope we have not heard the last from you Len.

    As for today. Disgraceful news of Btitannia Hotels at their Colylumbridge hotel firing their staff and throwing them out on the streets with nowhere to go and no hope of them getting to their own home countries any time soon.

    Now it is being described as an administrative error.

    Appalling behaviour thay will surely rebound on their business. They have no right to make a profit now.

    Praise to all the businesses in Aviemore that lived up to true Scottish hospitality and gave these poor people free food and shelter.

    1. Well the letter that I saw posted on the inter web could not be described as an admin error!

      Having had the misfortune to stay in one of their hotels (by mistake as it was a secret deal!) their attitude does not surprise me.

      Awful hotel and whilst I don’t wish misfortune on anybody, I wouldn’t shed a tear for their demise.

  125. I’d like to add my commiserations to AV.

    Werder,

    Thank you for that most illuminating article about the origins of Covid-19. I too have been thinking about the logic that needs to be applied going forward and have a couple of thoughts.

    Firstly, whilst the herd immunity strategy was clearly insane, there is an argument that the return to normal life may be eased by people getting and recovering from the disease rather than spending the next years in fear and semi-isolation. Quite how this could be achieved in practice is a moot point although it could be suggested that ‘government inaction’ could have been a deliberate way to move this forward, especially in relation to keeping schools open.

    Secondly, the most encouraging news seems to me to be the fast track vaccines that seem to be coming through. There are already some human tests taking place and early results from monkeys and mice seem quite promising. Whilst new drugs quite rightly need extended observation before being allowed into general circulation, most of the vaccines being developed come from well-known classes of molecules and we may see some quicker take-up if the early human trials go well.

    I did also see an interesting article from a nurse that pointed out the lack of information that was being circulated about managing and recovering from Covid-19 in comparison to the efforts made to avoid getting it in the first place. Whilst the majority of people on this blog seem to be at the older end of the age spectrum and therefore more concerned about avoiding the disease in the first place, here is the information that was given

    START
    ‘What I have seen a lot of are recommendations for how to try to avoid getting coronavirus in the first place — good hand washing, personal hygiene and social distancing — but what I have NOT seen a lot of is advice for what happens if you actually get it, which many of us will. So as your friendly neighborhood Nurse let me make some suggestions:

    You basically just want to prepare as though you know you’re going to get a nasty respiratory bug, like bronchitis or pneumonia. You just have the foresight to know it might come your way!

    Things you should actually buy ahead of time (not sure what the obsession with toilet paper is?):
    Kleenex,
    Paracetamol,
    whatever your generic, mucus thinning cough medicine of choice is (check the label and make sure you’re not doubling up on Paracetamol)
    Honey and lemon can work just as well!
    Vick vaporub for your chest is also a great suggestion.

    If you don’t have a humidifier, that would be a good thing to buy and use in your room when you go to bed overnight. (You can also just turn the shower on hot and sit in the bathroom breathing in the steam).

    If you have a history of asthma and you have a prescription inhaler, make sure the one you have isn’t expired and refill it/get a new one if necessary.

    This is also a good time to meal prep: make a big batch of your favorite soup to freeze and have on hand.

    Stock up on whatever your favorite clear fluids are to drink – though tap water is fine you may appreciate some variety!

    For symptom management and a fever over 38°c, take Paracetamol rather than Ibuprofen.

    Hydrate (drink!) hydrate, hydrate!
    Rest lots. You should not be leaving your house! Even if you are feeling better you may will still be infectious for fourteen days and older people and those with existing health conditions should be avoided!
    Ask friends and family to leave supplies outside to avoid contact.

    You DO NOT NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL unless you are having trouble breathing or your fever is very high (over 39°C) and unmanaged with meds. 90% of healthy adult cases thus far have been managed at home with basic rest/hydration/over-the-counter meds.

    If you are worried or in distress or feel your symptoms are getting worse, ring 111 and they will advise if you need to go to hospital. The hospital beds will be used for people who actively need oxygen/breathing treatments/IV fluids.

    If you have a pre-existing lung condition (COPD, emphysema, lung cancer) or are on immunosuppressants, now is a great time to talk to your Doctor or specialist about what they would like you to do if you get sick.

    One major relief to you parents is that kids do VERY well with coronavirus— they usually bounce back in a few days (but they will still be infectious), Just use pediatric dosing .

    Be calm and prepare rationally and everything will be fine. Share this as it’s great advice!”
    END

    All the best to everyone
    UTB

    1. Thank you for posting this Selwyn.

      It’s been said many times what a great, caring and intelligent place (Diasboro) is. You, ladies and gentlemen, really are the cream of the internet and it continues to be a pleasure as well as an education to read what you all have to say.

    2. Thanks for providing all that good advice SelwynOz and it’s sometimes hard for many people to weigh up the actual risk that they will either get the virus and not suffer the worse effects – especially as the media coverage tends to focus on the people suffering the worst. And it should be said given the unprecedented measures governments are taking. It’s almost counterintuitive to think it’s not going to be bad if you catch it – it feels a bit like a lottery at the moment in that many are thinking – will I catch it, will I need hospital treatment and if I do will there be a bed available in my area.

      As for the UK government strategy – well it appears to be about turning on and off the measures to regulate the flow of cases who need hospital treatment to keep within the capability. Though I’m not sure how they hope to do that without much more testing as it’s probably akin to turning the heat on and off on a pan of milk just by listening to the sound and hoping it doesn’t boil over – there’s always a lag in the effect of turning the heat off.

  127. First off – my condolences to AV and his family, the death of a parent and indeed any family member is always hard. You just have to remember the good times of which there are always many.

    Thanks Selwyn for the article, very good advice and hopefully none Of us will have cause to utilize it.

    It really is surreal times and can you imagine waking up after a long coma and finding out the situation that we are now in?! All you might want is to go for a nice meal and a pint and you can’t.

    As Werder says, the U.K. approach iOS fraught with difficulties but given what they have done (or should that be not done) thus far, I don’t think they have a lot of other options.

    Stay safe everybody

  128. You have probably all seen this but it gave me a chuckle

    The English are feeling the pinch in relation to the recent virus threat and have therefore raised their threat level from “Miffed” to “Peeved.” Soon, though, the level may be raised yet again to “Irritated” or even “A Bit Cross.”
    The English have not been “A Bit Cross” since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out.
    The virus has been re-categorized from “Tiresome” to “A Bloody Nuisance.” The last time the British issued a “Bloody Nuisance” warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.
    The Scots have raised their threat level from “Pissed Off” to “Let’s Get the Bastard.” They don’t have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.
    The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its alert level from “Run” to “Hide.” The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate” and “Surrender.” The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France’s white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country’s military capability.
    Italy has increased the alert level from “Shout Loudly and Excitedly” to “Elaborate Military Posturing.” Two more levels remain: “Ineffective Combat Operations” and “Change Sides.”
    The Germans have increased their alert state from “Disdainful Arrogance” to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs.” They also have two higher levels: “Invade a Neighbour” and “Lose.”
    Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.
    The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
    Australia, meanwhile, has raised its alert level from “No worries” to “She’ll be alright, Mate.” Two more escalation levels remain: “Crikey! I think we’ll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!” and “The barbie is cancelled.” So far, no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.

  129. Just wanted to add my condolences to AV and his family and my thanks to Selwynoz for his sensible and practical advice. Let’s hope none of us have to put it into practice! 😎

  130. Sorry Werder, I have had problems with PC and passwords so all my posts are being held in confinement. Are you applying social distancing to the blog! 😎

    1. I approved them for you but no obvious reason why they were being held as all your details such as email address and IP address were the same as normal – I’ll keep an eye out for your posts but I’m not always close to the laptop at weekends.

  131. Thank you Selwynoz for a very helpful article.
    Just one thing I am confused with is the cough and medicine line. It mentions “mucus type”, but is it not a dry cough and so there should not probably be any mucus.

    Apologies, I am not being picky, just did not quite understand the cough medicine type.

    1. Yes, there was the point raised yesterday whether people who die from the Corona virus would have normally died of something else given over 600,000 people die each year in the UK. My German epidemiologist made the same point last week in that many who die with underlying health problems from Coronavirus would have probably died in the next 12 months from another illness or even the summer heat.

      So there will be an overlap – though some people suggest with all these measures to prevent the Corona virus (such as washing hands and social distancing) it may actually ultimately reduce the overall death rate for 2020 as there should be fewer flu cases and things like food poisoning. I guess we won’t know until it’s over. The real issue is that regardless of whether people die from the Coronavirus or not, many people who catch it will need 2-3 weeks in hospital for treatment and this the major problem. If the health service is unable to cope then people will die needlessly and others will also die as a consequence of not being treated for other conditions.

      1. Roughly 1% of the population of the UK die each year. At any given time around 2.5% of the population are at risk of dying from a long-term illness (including the side-effects of being elderly and frail). In numbers terms this is about 1.5 million people.

        Some people out of that 1.5 million who catch covid-19 will die from it. Generally speaking about 1/3rd of them might have died sometime during the next 12 months. Here’s the thing though:

        1 – instead of dying over 12 months, those people will die in a short period of days and weeks instead, overwhelming the ability of the health system to cope.
        2 – many of those who would have died of other things would normally have died at home or in an circumstance not needing critical care. If they die of Covid-19 they are dying in critical care, overwhelming the health service and potentially infecting health service workers. Unlike dying of a non-infectious disease, dying from Covid-19 puts everyone around you while you’re dying at risk.
        3 – many people who face a life-threatening health emergency from something other than covid-19 but would normally recover due to good acute care in a hospital will find there are no critical care beds left due to covid-19 and are significantly more likely to die.
        4 – there’s a belief that young people and children will be ok. Latest research shows that this is not a free pass. If a child or young person becomes symptomatic their chance of getting pneumonia and other complications is still significant. (http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/03/childrens-covid-19-risks-unique-chinese-studies-find) Normally someone under 40 with no other health conditions will survive this provided they receive good critical care. But see points 1-3 about the lack of such care during the pandemic. Some people who went out for a last pint last night signed their death sentence not to mention the death sentences of NHS staff who will die trying to treat them.

  133. During the Second World War several stars of broadcasting made visits to our troops abroad to give them some form of entertainment. The situation today is different with the whole country in self-isolation which although no great hardship to me,
    is untold territory for most people. The reintroduction of TV licences for the over 75s is no hardship to me either, but it certainly is for most of the older generation especially for those who live alone where television is like having a friend in one’s home. So perhaps abandoning the restoration of the over 75s having to pay for a TV licence might be a consideration, in fact for the over 70s, as what else can old people living alone do if they are isolated from the outside world than listen to the radio, watch television, play records, read a book, or do puzzles, crosswords or jigsaws? Of course some of us are more fortunate as we always have friends on Diasboro, even though in my case not knowingly having met any of them except Philip in Huddersfield. I’m one of the lucky ones living alone, but never lonely.

    1. I think there are a number of issues that may prove to be an obstacle – OK they’re suggesting the cruise ship would be for non-Corona related illnesses, which is because it would be very difficult to install oxygen for critical care beds. However, without testing to ensure nobody coming on board is infected then it’s essentially no different to the risks associated with any normal journey on a cruise ship. The other issue of course is where do the extra trained medical professionals come from to treat people in these makeshift hospitals?

    2. A floating Leper Colony for the modern age albeit a very luxurious one. When Covid-19 subsides (its well and truly with us now and I doubt it will ever fully go away) Cruise Ships will likely be viewed with a certain degree of caution especially considering their target age group. Whats the betting on seeing 18-30 cruise’s on next summer’s Cruise Ship itineraries?

      2. Recar Red,

        If there are 18 – 30 cruises they’ll all jump in the sea.

        Just a quick word about strategies for avoiding the virus. One of our near neighbours has, in her words, ‘finally decided to self-hibernate’. I bet the Chief Medical Officer and top Scientists haven’t thought of that angle. I did point out that it is self-isolation but was told she knew exactly what she was doing.

        Stay fit and well.

        UTB,

        John

  136. I think we are seeing an increasing realisation from the general public that this is not just a “ nasty bug that’s going around”.

    Social Distancing should be paramount in people’s minds.

    1. Whilst watching today’s briefing by a minister and two advisors, a journalist asked if during the upcoming Easter holidays families could travel to holiday cottages they had already booked!

      What do these people not understand about social distancing and isolation. Clearly not paramount in some people’s thinking. 😎

  137. Do I miss football on a Saturday? Of course I do, so I decided this morning instead of self isolation in my home, and as it was a beautiful morning to self isolate in my car. With the prospect of not being allowed to travel except in necessary situations, I decided that I deserved a run out and so did my car. So off I drove to Glaisdale and up via Glaisdale End via the loop that leads up to Rosedale where I knew there was a grassy parking place high up overlooking the dale which along with Newgate Bank overlooking Bilsdale Moor are my favourite North York Moors panoramic views and arguably the best two in God’s own country.
    There were plenty of family ramblers on my way there, but not a soul to be seen where I was. I thought if this is to be my last year on Earth due to Coronavirus or any other illness, at least it would be enjoyable. The country lanes with daffodils which William Wordsworth might well have glorified instead of the Lake District if he had been born a Yorkshireman, the hedgerows, the frolicking of the little lambs at this time of year, etc. I stayed there for an hour just enjoying the silence and glorified at the majesty of it all.
    I then thought of the events such as the Tour de Yorkshire cycle race with one stage to finish in Redcar and scheduled to be shown on ITV4, now cruelly to be cancelled more than likely, and the cricket season also possibly to be curtailed. I didn’t get out of the car, unable to walk far in my condition, so no contact with another human being, but thankful how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful part of the World and still be able to drive. Who knows if I’ll be able to repeat my little journey again in my lifetime, but it brought back happy memories when my wife and I were able to walk the Glaisdale loop and have a picnic on that grassy car park. I really enjoyed the trip, and so did my car having been garaged with a flat battery for 10 weeks. Do I still miss football on a Saturday?
    Well I’ve discovered alternatives so probably not as much as I thought I would.

    1. What a fantastic idea Ken – glad you enjoyed the run out. The scenery of the NYM is lovely and it is often forgotten that it is so close to Middlesbrough.

      We all have to think outside the box in these times. I am just off to our local pub to buy some of their hand pulled beer which they are selling as an offie – if we don’t try to support business as best we can, then they won’t be around at the end.

      Stay safe all

    1. Jarkko,

      When I used to get the United Bus, can’t remember the number, at Kirby Schools to go to spend my holidays at my Uncle and Aunt’s farm at Chop Gate there was always a sign mounted on stone on Clay Bank that said ‘North Yorkshire Moors National Park’. When did it change to ‘North York Moors’? I think they should be South Middlesbrough Moors, but then I would. The name is up there with durham Tees Valley Airport, somebody’s marketing speak.

      UTB,

      John

  139. Jarkko
    It’s actually called the North York Moors, not Yorkshire Moors, and a National Park extending from Guisborough, along the coast to Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay, Scarborough, then westwards including Pickering, Kirkbymoorside, Helmsley and Thirsk but not Northallerton. Centrewise it thus includes the small villages of Lealholm, Glaisdale, Egton, Egton Bridge, Grosmont, and Sleights. It doesn’t extend to Middlesbrough, Redcar or York, nor even as far west as the Yorkshire Dales which start at Ripon and includes Knaresborough and Harrogate. Hope that helps.

    1. Ken, sorry for my mistake. I have always though their were Yorkshire Moors, not near York. Visitem them in 1980 for the first time and not noticed the chamge.

      I have visted 90 % of the places you mentioned. Wonderful place.

      Up the Boro!

  140. Sorry to monopolise this forum, but as a child I wanted to be a sports journalist or statistician. Well the former of those was obviously out of my scope when considering our own Cliff Mitchell, Redcar Red and Werdermouth. Most little boys in my youth aspired to be footballers, cricketers, fire fighters or train drivers. However I never envisaged anyone wanting to be a refuse collection driver until I came across this story about 4year old George Ayton from Normanby.

    His mother wrote to Santa on his behalf, well actually to the local Environmental Department, and last month little George was granted his wish for a day. Donning his own special high visibility vest with his name on it, George was hoisted up into the cabin of the truck and shown all the controls. He smiled as he beeped the horn, strapped into his booster seat and driven towards the street where he lived, and disembarked to line up two bins to the rear of the truck and showed which button to press to empty them. He was then driven to a waste disposal centre to discard the rubbish. He was then told what happens to waste disposal before returning home to tell all his friends about his experience and a day he’ll never forget.

    His father when interviewed said for George collecting the bins is the stuff of dreams. For me it was a lovely story which made me smile though with tears of joy. It’s these hormone injections which make me so emotional.

    1. I don’t know Ken, you do a damn good job on your prose Nd s for the history and the stats you re up there with the best!

      Keep on doing what you do and for me, don’t apologize, we lall have to do whatever it takes to get through this.

      Bugger, just used the phrase that I dislike so much when our politicians use it!

  141. I bought a new book and went for a walk with my parents. To try and keep me occupied. To keep my mind off things.

    It’s impossible.

    Thank you all for continuing to share your thoughts. I have sent mine to AV too.

  142. Cruises. How many have actually been on one?

    Just for accuracy purposes this is what happens. You can of course listen to your mate who had a friend whose cousin’s wife was unwell on a cruise – in most cases it is too much Corona rather than a virus.

    When you get to the cruise ship you have to fill in a questionnaire, people are watching. Your passport is checked and on out latest cruise double checked by cruise staff.

    You cannot get on until you have used hand sanitiser and that goes for every time you go for food.

    The ratio of staff to passengers is roughly 1 crew member to 2.5 passengers. They have doctors and nurses in the medical centre on board.

    If someone is unwell they are checked and depending what it is the passenger(s) are treated or taken off the ship.

    The main disease that makes the press is norovirus, the stomach disease for want of less pleasant words. This is common all over the world but on cruise ships it makes headline news.

    It is prevalent in all countries, the NHS loses many thousand of bed days because of it but it might make the local paper. Hit a cruise ship and it becomes national news.

    A hospital will deep clean a ward, locally you will hear people comment ‘had that bug going around’. Please dont pretend you have never heard it. The outbreak peters out.

    On a cruise ship they will go in to lock down because the disease is isolated.

    The same goes for Coronavirus. You will get the virus because you bump in to someone who transmits it. It doesn’t matter if it is the bookies, the Navi, on holiday, Tesco or at work. The difference on cruise ships is that your know where it has come from and you are isolated.

    Diamond Princess had 712 cases out of 4000 people on board, 8 people died.

    The sad fact is that because it was contained it saved a lot of people but a worrying thought is that if it wasn’t on a cruise ship and isolated how many would have been affected and died?

    Sorry about the boring nature of the post.

    1. I suspect which ever way you look at it, without a vaccine for coronavirus cruises won’t be operating. While you could test people before they got onboard, you would also have to continually test them as most cruise ships will be visiting 7 or 8 ports for the passengers to get off the ship and visit.

      While you could argue they did a good job at containing the virus on the Diamond Princess – 712 cases from 3711 people is still 19% or nearly a fifth getting infected, which if applied to the UK as a whole would equate to around 15 million people having the virus.

      So stopping the spread in the confines of a ship are clearly much harder – incidentally, 410 of the cases found on the Diamond Princess were asymptomatic so it goes to show how the coronavirus can be silently spread if only people exhibiting symptoms are told to self isolate – I wonder if this is also the case in the general population that more than half infected don’t show symptoms.

      Still it’s going to be a massive problem for cruise operators to recover from this situation and for some years to come testing and proof of vaccination will be a requirement.

      1. It will set the cruise ships back some time.

        The outbreak on the cruise ship shows how difficult it is to stop the spread even when you know it is there and contained. On a cruise ship you have total lockdown, isolate passengers and there is a finite end to the matter.

        On land the virus can go anywhere as people move about as we are now seeing it is like emptying a sinking boat with a sieve.

        The likelihood is the genie was out of the bottle before we even knew there was a bottle.

        Lovely day here, sadly no kids to see Judith as Alex lives in London and Emma in Abingdon. At least I got the grass cut yesterday.

        Another weekend with Boro unbeaten

  143. This morning we walked Ito the village to by a paper and try and see if there were a few things left on the shelves of the local CO-OP for my 96 year old mother.

    Well the pubs and cafe’s were closed, but the “deli’s” and cafe take- always had a throng of punters outside of them enjoying the sunshine with their coffees. The Tesco Express had a queue a mile long, cheek I jowl. So where was the social distancing???

    I have to say we kept our distance.

  144. Decisions about how sport is to continue in this country will have to be made soon. No one really wants sporting events to be played behind closed doors but depending how long restrictions are enforced it may be the only alternative for some sports. Football is probably in a better position than most as the majority of clubs have only 9 or 10 matches to play, and with government help may well be able to resume playing in June if restrictions are lifted by then, but even that date is optimistic.

    County cricket may have to prioritise the competitions which bring in the most income such as the the T20 competition and the new 100 ball competition. In that case the 50 over competition may have to be sacrificed and sadly the County Championship where crowds per day rarely attract more than a couple of thousand spectators excepting Scarborough.

    As for Rugby League the season has barely begun for some clubs especially in Championship League One and there is the added complication of two French clubs and one Canadian club to consider. The Australian NFL continues to be played, but with all matches behind closed doors but with canned crowd reaction played to enhance the atmosphere of matches as most of the matches are televised. Rugby League in this country is in a much poorer position financially, and as yet has not received financial backing from the Government. It has two alternatives, either extend the season throughout November and December which could be the death knell for most clubs even some in Superleague, or do as the NFL are doing by playing behind behind closed doors with canned crowd reaction and Sky TV broadcasting, but that schedule only covers 3 matches per weekend, so it’s vital that the sport receives some Government backing.

    The RL Challenge Cup is due to continue in less than a fortnight’s time and that will probably be played behind closed doors although no decision has been made yet. There is the possibility of rescheduling Superleague fixtures by cancelling the loop fixtures where clubs play some opponents 3 times and cancelling the Magic Weekend at St James Park thereby reducing the season from 27 matches to 22 but that is not going to help the other 25 clubs in the Championship. So where does the sport go from there? Back to a part time professional sport? I wish I had the answer.

    1. Think I should do the same – I am getting really really angry with the stupidity and selfish nature of people.

      We have not panic bought at all and are now running out of milk. Went to the large Tesco this morning before 10 and couldn’t even get in the car park! Even the small shops have been wiped out. Crazy times.

      The only small consolation is that the supermarkets are starting to have special times for vulnerable people(not me) and NHS/emergency workers. I have upped my hours that I volunteer as a driver for the NHS so I am hoping that I can pop in tomorrow to get some!

      Yesterday, they said that there is an extra £1bn of food in peoples homes- all I can say is that hope they eat it all and that none goes to waste.

      Anyway rant over as I just needed to get it off my chest.

      Hopefully the online Pilates class that we are doing for the first time will help!

  146. BBD

    Couldn’t agree more. We are continuing with our normal practice of a weekly shop at the supermarket, purchasing just enough to last us the week. Also went to the English butcher we have locally and did our normal bulk buy (no problem with meat supplies) most of which will be frozen and last us a month.

    If everyone maintained their normal purchasing habits then there would not be any shortages.

    I was appalled and heartbroken to see the news item of one of the NHS nurses not being able to buy fresh fruit and vegetables having just completed a 48 hour shift caring for victims.

    It is at least pleasing to learn that the supermarkets are setting times aside for NHS staff to be able to shop and also the elderly but at different times.

    Some good interviews on the Andrew Marr show this morning with two hospital doctors and an executive of the WHO.

    They all highlighted some serious and concerning shortcomings in the government approach including the lack of proper protection equipment.

    Social distancing and self isolation are part of the equation but without adequate testing and being able to take the fight to the virus we risk being at its mercy for many many months.

    Just learnt that our 15 day lockdown in Spain is to be extended for another 15 days and will be approved by the Spanish parliament next week. 😎

    1. K P – Not entirely surprised about your continued lockdown tbh.

      Judging by the idiotic behaviour that we are seeing in the U.K., it won’t be long before it happens here – and about time too as well.

      I mean what stupid people think it is ok to go to a club and pubs on Friday night after they have said they are closing? And then go out to the country side en masse go potentially out the NHS under more strain.

      I have really begun to think that as a human race we are doomed and there level of stupid people exceeds the sensible ones!

      1. BBD…… unfortunately it only needs a small minority to start the ball rolling, then it turns to survival. I am with you and many on here. Successive Governments have been far to liberal and this over many years now has lead to where we are today.

        It is the same as we have seen in the past, when Company bodies or Newspaper groups have said we can self regulate. Rubbish!!!!

        Again unfortunately, to pull the irresponsible and selfish morons into line requires possibly draconian powers. The government knowing all this, should of insisted that from day one almost, that food buying restrictions be imposed. Security Guards with sticks at the tills, and those that abuse the limits, which should be lower than they are now, have their trolley taken off them and thrown out of the store.

        The world really does appear to be on a road to self destruction.

      2. KP in Spain and BBD,

        Absolutely bang-on. While they can get away with it they will. Sadly you can’t separate the idiots because the melt into the background because the are like terrorists in a way. Entitlement and all the other plaittudes that are trotted out, whether it is abusing food stocks or stopping them doing what they wish to do because they can ‘and there’s no law against it’. Horrible behaviour and inexcusable.

        As George Orwell said, and I paraphrase ‘society needs big rough men to enforce law so that we can sleep well in our beds at night’. No doubt some one could supply the correct quote but these chancers and thieves need to be brought into line.

      3. The computer took over, it must be Guardian reader. Anyway I feel quite tense about attitudes whether it be people filling Snowdonia, going to the Highlands of Scotland or rushing up to their holiday homes in North Norfolk. It will turn ugly at some point.

        Stay well everyone,

        UTB,

        John

      4. And we have a much bigger issue with the global warming hitting us, too. We had the first winter ever without practically any snow in Finland.

        We used to have snow on the ground from Christmas till beginning of April (minimum, often longer) just 30 years ago.

        Personally I am more worried about global warming that this COVID-19. The virus will be gone one day and in a year’s time we will have vaccination for it.

        But global warming is here to stay. And some people like Trump pretends it is not happening which is worrying. And as dangerous as the virus now.

        I hope everybody keeps safe. Up the Boro!

  147. if you want idiotic behaviour look at what happened on Bondi Beach, full of people so the police had to close it off. Bonkers, especially taking the point Werder made about the Diamond Princess, 57% of the people who tested positive had no symptoms of the virus.

    How on earth can you test for that level of infection in the general public?

  148. I have seen that Nicola Sturgeon has told those publicans still open in Scotland to close. You cannot believe peoples behaviour at such a time.

  149. Actual interview on BBC.

    Florist. “ In my 34 yrs as a florist, this is the worst Mother’s Day I’ve experienced “

    BBC Interviewer. “ Why is that?”

    You couldn’t make it up.

  150. I have been delving into football preceding the First World War with little success. All I can come up with as far as Boro are concerned is what I previously reported. Boro had gained promotion to the First Division in their third season and had succeeded in avoiding relegation until 1924. On only two occasions prior to the First World War was it close though, in 1904/05 when they accumulated 26 points from 34 matches and finishing 15th only 2 points from safety, and in 1909/10 when they accumulated 31 points from 38 matches and finishing 17th again only 2 points from safety. Their most successful season was in 1913/14 when they accumulated 43 points from 38 matches finishing 3rd only 1 point behind Aston Villa but still 8 points behind the Champions Blackburn Rovers. When war broke out in 1914 amazingly football continued for a whole season with Boro finishing 13th. Even more amazing was
    that football continued throughout the war in Scotland. Some football also continued on a regional basis in England but I’ve been unable to ascertain whether Boro participated.

    As for matches played prior to the Second World War, Boro had
    finished 7th in the 1936/37 season in the First Division with 46 points from 42 matches 10 points behind Champions Manchester City, repeated the same number of points in the following season but in 5th position and 7 points behind Champions Arsenal, and then in the 1938/39 season 3rd accumulating 49 points but still 10 points behind Champions Everton. The following season started badly for Boro with 0-2 and 1-4 defeats at Villa and Liverpool respectively and a 2-2 home draw with Stoke and Boro second from bottom when the season was abandoned. When the League restarted in August 1946 the same schedule was played as in 1939 and Boro won all three matches beating both Villa and Liverpool 1-0 and Stoke 5-4. Not surprisingly only goalkeeper Dave Cumming, Mickey Fenton and Wilf Mannion were the only players to play in the last pre-war match and the first postwar matches.

    The only information I can gather about the Wartime League matches are that League tables were decided purely on Goal Average instead of points as clubs played a differing number of matches and were split into 2 Regional Leagues North and South, but I haven’t been able to obtain any results involving Boro but here are the statistics for each season :-

    1940/41 (Champions Preston)
    P27 W16 D1 L10 F84 A71 Goal Av 1.18 Pos 12th/36 clubs
    (including 11 home wins, 1 draw and only 1 defeat)

    1941/42 (1st Period Champions Blackpool)
    P18 W6 D3 L9 F44 A56 Goal Av 0.79 Pos 25th/38 clubs

    1941/42 (2nd Period Champions Blackpool)
    P18 W7 D4 L7 F37 A36 Goal Av 1.03 Pos 21st/51 clubs

    1942/43 (1st Period Champions Blackpool)
    P18 W4 D4 L10 F30 50 Goal Av 0.60 Pos 40th/48 clubs

    1942/43 (2nd Period Champions Liverpool)
    P18 W5 D0 L13 F31 A69 Goal Av.0.45 Pos 49th/54 clubs

    1943/44 (1st Period Champions Blackpool)
    P18 W4 D6 L8 F35 52 Goal Av 0.67 Pos 43rd/44 clubs

    1943/44 (2nd Period Champions Bath City)
    P21 W6 D4 L11 F41 A51 Goal Av 0.80 Pos 40th/56 clubs

    1944/45 (1st Period Champions Huddersfield)
    P18 W5 D3 L10 F34 A57 Goal Av 0.60 Pos 51st/60 clubs

    1944/45 (2nd Period Champions Derby County)
    P24 W6 D2 L16 F40 A70 Goal Av 0.57 Pos 43rd/54 clubs

    1945/46 (Champions Sheffield Utd)
    P42 W17 D9 L16 F75 A87 Goal Av 0.86 Pos 12th/22 clubs

    How on Earth Bath City a non-League club participated in the Northern Region in the 1943/44 season I don’t know, but they won 16, drew 3 and lost only 2 of their 21 matches and scored
    78 goals against 26, and the runners up were Wrexham. There were playoffs between the Northern group and the Southern group. Clearly the First Division had stronger fixtures than clubs from the lower leagues, but as there were matches also between clubs from different pre-war divisions that was the reason for producing only one consolidated League each for the Northern and Southern clubs. It must be remembered that players guested for a club near where they were posted. I do know that George Hardwick guested several times for Chelsea, and that Matt Busby played at least once for the Boro.

    I’m disappointed though that nowhere have I been able to find the match results, although for all clubs those results don’t count in clubs statistics. This raises an interesting point as to who for example was Newcastle’s top scorer. Jackie Milburn scored 38 goals in 95 Wartime appearances for Newcastle which don’t count as they were considered friendly matches. Alan Shearer finished his career with 206 goals for Newcastle in all competitive matches whereas Jackie Milburn scored exactly 200, but if the 38 goals he scored during the war had counted it is Wor Jackie who would be classed as the magpies top scorer. Nevertheless even that pales into insignificance when compared with George Camsell’s 345 in all competitions.

  151. We went shopping this afternoon and was disgusted by my wife stockpiling.

    Not beans, not toilet rolls or flour. Paint! I ask my friends on here should I self isolate or lockdown the garage.

    1. Mrs BBD has had us buying compost, soil and seeds so some work in garden planned. I am just the Labourer so have some digging to do as we need to build a new step as well!

      Keep me fit I suppose and in the fresh air!

    2. Ian

      Definitely self isolate. Lock Mrs G in the room to be decorated with paint brushes and roller. Keep isolated until decorating completed. 😂😎

  152. Just a heads up.
    The Ministry of Defence have been told to be on standby for complete UK lockdown as of Sunday evening at Midnight… No one is to leave their homes unless you work in Front Line Retail or the NHS…

    I heard this directly from my neighbour Trigger who is best friends with a guy called Boycey. Boycey knows a guy named Del who drinks down the pub with Rodney and their Uncle Albert. Albert was in the Navy during the war so knows his stuff.

    Please pass it on.

  153. I’m almost beginning to feel I’m now living in some badly scripted B-movie as it almost getting hard to grasp the enormity of what is happening. Germany announced today that all public gatherings of more than two people are now banned – since when has two people being together been classed as a gathering. It even includes children so they are now limited to one friend. Hopefully that measure is not escalated any further to gatherings of one person, otherwise we really will be literally all self isolating.

    I’ve no idea where this is all heading but it appears it’s not exactly going to end any time soon – governments everywhere have really screwed up and didn’t act quickly enough when they had the chance. People were still coming back from skiing holidays a few days ago and many are now returning with the Coronavirus. Can’t believe travel wasn’t banned a month ago but I guess now it’s too late and we’ll all pay the price with lock-down until it’s safe to come out again. What’s that word again that starts with cluster…

      1. Perhaps Boro were gathering momentum before the season was halted. btw Absolutely no chance of the season resuming in a month if governments are telling everyone to keep 2m apart – it would mean tackling will have to be banned…

    2. Yup – totally agree. I said way back at the end of January when it became clear there was a problem in China that we should have tightened our border entry procedures.

      And then in February, who the hell thought it was a good idea to let folk come back from Italy without even minimal testing and telling people to only self isolate if they developed the symptoms. Too (very rude word) late by then.

      Then compounded by our government not taking the actions they are taking probably 2 weeks ago when again the situation in Italy was clear to see.

      Words fail me and this human disaster is going take a long long time to recover from with the implications, including economic, are very severe.

      As yesterday demonstrated, people are stupid and do not appear to grasp the seriousness of the situation.

      2. Our sales out has increased as our customers want to have stock if transport is affected next. You never know – there have been some problems on the Polish border for transport companies as just truck with Polish number plates were OK to pass the border.

        In general transport should be running through the borders OK. Luckily the Brexit is not in affect yet for you guys in the UK :).

        Up the Boro!

  154. Well I’ve woken up into the world we all now live where physically avoiding people will be what will be required for probably at least three months. Although for the world to continue to function many will still be asked to go to work so that food still arrives in the shops and of course the sick are treated. Just how that can happen safely is another matter and somebody needs to put in place protocols of best practice to minimise spread of the virus – if that is even possible. We can only hope that it’s not too late and many countries are not heading to the same place as Northern Italy. I suspect stronger measures will be arriving in the coming weeks.

    In terms of perspective, currently our district of 114,000 people has 24 cases – maybe it’s a lot more, perhaps a 100 but unlikely to be as many as 1,000 – hopefully the measures will control the spread but governments have to stop travel within their countries to have any chance of containing the spread. It’s now a numbers game and a waiting game.

  155. We were very concerned to learn that a friend of Karon’s brother, who works in the care industry, was returning this weekend to the UK having been on holiday in Spain and going straight back to work today without any health checks or testing.

    There really are gaping holes in the government’s strategy which is clearly putting people at risk. 😎

    1. That is unbelievable KP. It just demonstrates the stupid idea of not testing and any checks.

      My MIL is in a specialist care home, now in lockdown, but no checks on the staff at all and a disaster potentially waiting to happen.

    1. Hear hear and also some of the supermarkets for what they are doing. Mind you it says a lot about the mentality of people when they have put in dedicated time slots in for key workers as all the other selfish so and sos take everything off the shelves.

      Now I know that that there are special times for the old folk now as well but looking at the queue of people this morning from 730 for a 800 start, then it would scary to see what was left come 9. I was able to get the few essentials that we needed (that we have thus far been struggling to get) by virtue of my NHS work that I do. Without that, then I suspect we would struggle again. Even then, I do feel slightly guilty about doing that and would not have bought anything that we don’t need right now, such as milk! No idea why people are drinking so much milk at the moment but I couldn’t get any at all yesterday.

      Mad mad times

      1. Sorry Werder. Given all the spare time i now have I decided to tidy up my lap top, including clearing the cache which appears to have mucked everything up – esspecially my WordPress link which keeps asking me to sign in via various options.

        This post has come up with “you are commenting using your WordPress.com account (LogOut/Change) I have clicked on change and input my email address and K P in Spain so hope that works – I suppose I will find out in a minute when I post.

        Sorry for all the extra work – good intentions and all that have bit me and you in the bum! 😎

        1. That still went into the approve folder unfortunately – in theory it shouldn’t as once an email address and IP address have been approved, WordPress shouldn’t ask again. Although it’s happened in the past with other posters and maybe it will right itself but in the meantime bear with me as I’ll just have to catch your posts.

      2. I had this problem once. When I scrolled down after having changed/signed in there was a box to tick asking to “ remember me” that I had missed. I remember sending an email to Werder at the time describing this.

  157. Well the last sport in Australia has now closed down with the NRL putting its season on hold indefinitely. They were thinking of taking all of the players to a mine camp in North Queensland and playing the games at one venue up there but then Queensland has closed its borders along with Western Australia, South Australia and here in the NT.
    In the AFL, Aussie rules all players have agreed to a 50% pay cut as they have a Collective Bargaining Agreement much like all other workers do so if they don’t pay their wages are cut accordingly. Most clubs are shedding staff has anyone heard if that is happening in the UK.
    We still only have 5 cases here in the NT so it all seems a bit surreal and they are talking about the closures of pubs etc going on for 6 months.

    1. Yes it does all seem a bit surreal but it was demonstrated on Channel 4 yesterday the difference between the spread of Coronavirus and Flu – on average a person with flu infects 1.3 people, whereas a person with Coronavirus infects 3 people. If you look at how the numbers differ after ten rounds of infection then you can easily see why strict measures need to be in place.

            Coronavirus     Flu
 0           1        1
 1           3        1.3
 2           9        1.7
 3          27        2.2
 4          81        2.9
 5         243        3.7
 6         729        4.8
 7       2,187        6.3
 8       6,561        8.2
 9      19,683       10.6
10      59,049       13.8

      1. Werder
        That example was simply frightening, and I might say, blows out of the water any idea we might have of a relationship between this virus and flu.
        As a side issue, flu must be a serious attack on the human system, to rack up the victims whilst having such a poor transmission record.

        1. One of the main reason flu spreads to fewer people is because many have the seasonal flu injection so the virus is restricted to passing to people without immunity – that’s the problem with Coronavirus almost everyone can be infected as essentially nobody has immunity.

  158. I’m fully aware that the Coronavirus pandemic is very serious, but I’m sick and tired of reading about it especially on this forum. I’ve practically lived in isolation for the past 11 years at home since my wife died except for foreign travel. I’d already decided that my recent trip to Portugal would be my last and that has nothing to do with Coronavirus but the whole episode of airline travel which I now find so tiresome. I’ve seen enough of the world that I wanted to see and accept I’ve been very lucky to have done so, but enough is enough. I’ve got some 12,000 photographs to remind me of that, and now I intend to self-isolate by driving around our beautiful region without contact with the human race. I’ve had enough drama in my lifetime with enduring the Second World War, the death of my father in a road accident a week before Christmas in 1969 when he was only 57, losing my mother and especially my wife with cervical cancer at the age of 67. I’ve had a good life which I wouldn’t change even if I could. I’ve made mistakes along the way, but hasn’t everybody? I’m totally philosophical about things despite all my ailments, but am doing all I can to avoid any more including Coronavirus. I don’t think about the future but live for the present. My wife was never a moaner and neither am I, the only regret being we were not able to have children.

    I spent about 7 hours yesterday doing some research on Boro’s
    war record, but I doubt anyone is interested any more, and that’s sad as this is supposed to be a football forum about Middlesbrough FC and at the moment seems to have lost its way, with people angry and moaning about something that they have no control over. Accept the situation we’re in as we old enough to have lived through the Second World War had to, it is what it is and no amount of anger is going to change that. So like Len that’s me finished with reading or contributing to this forum until football returns as I’ve got better things to do with what remains of my time on earth. This isn’t a moan and I’m not angry, but just accepting how I want to get on with the limited time I have at my disposal.

    1. Sorry you’re getting frustrated with the Coronavirus taking over Ken but unfortunately it’s not likely to die down as a major news story of our time. Personally, it’s hard to even contemplate thinking about football at the moment as normal life is changing on a daily basis. I’m too young to have any sense of the war so it’s probably the most major threat to my way of life in my lifetime. Though I’d disagree that there’s nothing we can do about it as what we all do individually about trying to prevent the spread is what will ultimately make the difference.

      1. The one thing individuals do have control of is not spreading the virus. If you stay at home the chance of spreading the virus is virtually zero. Those in essential jobs don’t have that option, but if you’re in a position to stay at home then do so. It’s not just your own life that’s in jeopardy, but many others too.

        I’m currently self isolating as I have Asthma, so I’m following direct scientific/medical advice.

  159. Werder

    Apologies again. The comment box this time has come up with email address and name already pre-filled so I am hoping everything is back to normal – fingers and everything crossed! 😎

      1. I had this problem once. When I scrolled down after having changed/signed in there was a box to tick asking to “ remember me” that I had missed. I remember sending an email to Werder at the time describing this.

  160. Last month when we saw Coach Drivers without any protection driving a bus of potentially infected Tourists off to isolation with the front passenger fully kitted up in full head to toe PPE it illustrated perfectly just how incompetent the early handling of this virus was. Had the Chinese authorities reacted to the initial warning instead of publicly shaming the now (conveniently perhaps) deceased Doctor it could have had a different outcome.

    The act of repatriating instead of isolating those returning from areas of the globe and even ships of infected cases seemed dangerous at the time and ill thought through, with hindsight it was crass stupidity. I can’t wait to see the outpouring of grief when like as not Trump decides to introduce a “Virus tax” against all Chinese imported goods into the US, its a nailed on certainty. The impact to the Chinese economy will be punitive to say the least and just as we emerge from one crisis the world will sink into another perhaps more unstable and dangerous one.

    Fully understand Len and Ken’s feelings. I’ve all but stopped watching the BBC as they seem to be even outdoing Sky in their despondency reporting. What makes it worse (for me at least) is that I detect a bitter taste of it almost being enjoyable as the latest casualty figures come in for them to report on. I shudder to think what will happen will cases start dropping, people stop dying and having to report on upbeat news. Meanwhile the social media world abounds with more experts and theories than ever, some even sadly thinly veiled with their political bias and point scoring.

      1. I guess we should be thankful that we’re not living in the US as following the news of a surge in citizens buying semi-automatic guns, The Independent reported today that white supremacists were planning to weaponise the Coronavirus…

        Federal law enforcement warned that white supremacist terrorists had considered weaponising coronavirus through saliva-filled spray bottles and contaminating non-white neighbourhoods with the virus, according to intelligence briefings.

        A brief from the Federal Protective Service written last month reported that white supremacists on the encrypted messaging app Telegram discussing spending “as much time as possible in public places with their ‘enemies'” to transmit the virus.

        They also plotted targeting law enforcement by leaving “saliva on door handles” and elevator buttons at government offices.

        In a brief obtained by Yahoo News reports that “violent extremists continue to make bioterrorism a popular topic among themselves” and that “white racially motivated violent extremists” had expressed that it was their “obligation” to spread the virus should any of them be infected.

        If that wasn’t enough, Trump tweeted yesterday that as the economic impact of the virus became clear he may decide to lift the social distancing measures as he said: “we can’t let the cure be worse than the problem itself”

  161. Sorry to interrupt the Covid 19 discussion 😉 but this partly related.

    I wonder if MFC have given any thought to the deadline for early bird season tickets when it is not known, if or when this season will be concluded.

    Come on BORO.

    1. I think all the clubs are in such a state of unpreparedness (understandably) that nobody anywhere has a clue what is likely to happen or not. Its impossible to make any announcement with any conviction of confidence at the moment so probably best to say and do nothing.

      I would think that once everything is clear and there is a plan going forward then announcements will be made. Its entirely possible that next season may not take place or if it does it will be in a curtailed manner and environment.

      If the intention is to finish this season as a priority (which to me is as it should be) then the commencement of the following season will have to sit tight. It may well be January 2021 before the new season kicks off with possibly only 23 games in the Championship taking place. That would mean of course that some clubs would have 11 home games and others 12. Would the clubs charge 50% of the normal Season Card prices or would they charge based on the amount of Home games?

      After the starvation of football there is a likelihood that tickets could sell out fast to craving fans, desperate to see football action once again. Conversely it could take some time for Coronavirus fears to subside and that tickets are almost impossible to shift with people who have got used to social distancing as the new norm.

      I would guess that once things are decided Clubs like Boro will then revisit it. The simplest thing would be to just open up Season Card sales to everyone with existing card holders getting a 5% discount.

      1. I think one of the options being touted was starting next season in January or February and running the season over a calendar year. That might not be a bad idea and would work for the season after that too given the Qatar World Cup in 2022 is due to take place between the end of November until just before Christmas.

  162. A supermarket in Denmark got tired of people hoarding hand sanitizer, so came up with their own way of stopping it.

    1 bottle kr40 (€5.50)
    2 bottles kr1000 (€134.00) each bottle.

  163. RR, you are so correct about the BBC reports and the Journalist questions when Boris has his daily press conference.

    We all have our own views on Boris and this government and whether Jerermy would have handled it a lot better?

    But the stupidity and points scoring from certain journos is beyond belief. If it was me stood up there and had to take some of the crass questions being asked, I think I would have blown my top. Even the journos are “experts” now when you hear them talk.

    This morning I got up early to visit our local supermarket during the elderly allocated hour, but preceded by 30 minutes for NHS workers, who all came out with a bunch of flowers. Good on Sainsburys.
    Lots of basics missing and only just filling shelves. So very few T/Rolls, no sanitizing products, no bacterial cleaning products as well as many other items panic bought previously.

    I have a mother of 96, so requires carer visits, help from the family, as in shopping and meals, cleaning. How can she self isolate when she may get four different carers each week. How can the carers take care of themselves?? And then there is me!!!!

    It is all very difficult and an almost impossible scenario to deal with, and that is without the irresponsible morons that abound.
    Sorry about the rant.

    1. Pedro
      Next time you watch the daily show, listen to the journo’s question about testing. It is asked every day, and ignored.
      The journo’s do not press the point, and people are dying as a result of the free pass given to the three stooges.
      In Germany all health workers are tested as they come on shift and the result is known in four hours.
      Here we have no idea just how important testing is, and care less.
      There are reports starting to emerge of health workers starting to realise just what risks they are taking, and questioning the actions of the government.
      We, of course, have not the organisation or the will to alter this state of affairs.
      When one reads of a leading specialist critically ill, it makes you think, because they have already made one of the greatest errors one could make by announcing very early on that they wanted to create a big pool of people with immunity. Hhhm!
      Nice one.

      1. Which Three Stooges would they be? Are you referring to the two Chief Medical Advisors also?

        Slag off Boris all you want, but the other two gentlemen are doing their best under extremely difficult circumstances.

        1. And yet the Chief Scientific Officer seemed fully on board with the herd immunity strategy that the Sunday Times reported yesterday as being the brainchild of Dominic Cummins in order to protect the economy at the price of some necessary deaths of ‘pensioners’. Patrick Vallance defended this herd immunity strategy on March 13 and it was reported in the Financial Times – the logic of which I rejected after two minutes thought. The government has since dismissed that herd immunity was their strategy but I distinctly recall Boris Johnson speaking in one of his press conferences and saying he wanted healthy people to be infected as it was a mild disease for the majority.

          UK’s chief scientific adviser defends ‘herd immunity’ strategy for coronavirus

        1. I don’t know who devised it but no other country had opted for that strategy but everyone was on-message until they were hit with data in the Imperial College study and couldn’t ignore the fact of half-a-million deaths to reach herd immunity.

  164. GHW

    Boris is an easy target.

    He follows guidance from the ‘stooges’ next to him as well as all the other professionals feeding in to them such as Imperial College in London. Everyone can have a pop at him safe in the knowledge they dont have to deal with the issues.

    As Redcar Red said, the national and social media are revelling in it. The way things are delivered can make the situation much worse.

    1. I’ve said before that Johnson is being led by events rather than showing the attributes of leadership – granted it’s not an easy job but Boris is not really a details man. I read a biography of Boris Johnson a few years ago and he’s not someone who’s driven by any notion of public service – it’s purely ambition and the need for public recognition as he’s quite an insecure person who wants to be loved and admired. He also finds it very easy to lie to people he knows never mind the public.

        1. I’d actually be more worried if the herd immunity strategy had been proposed by an experienced leading scientist rather it being something plucked by a spin doctor out of a meeting when looking for something scientific sounding to justify government inaction

  166. It’s about time this political sniping and personal attacks stopped.

    It’s no secret the media have it in for Dominic Cummings. Instead of journalists badgering the Chief Scientific Officers and Matt Hancock they should just leave them to get on with their jobs. There’ll be time enough in the future for forensic analysis of what was done right and what wasn’t.

    No Health Service in the world were prepared for an emergency on this scale. Everyone should be concentrating on what they can do to support the NHS.

    1. I agree that no country was prepared for this virus on the scale that it has evolved and that any government of whatever persuasion would be struggling with the crisis that we are seeing.

      I also think that many members of the population have been totally irresponsible in their behaviours from clearing the shelves to not following advice on social distancing.

      Where I have a problem is that the government have known, or had a strong idea, that this situation was coming down the track since late January. That is getting on for 2 months to prepare and sort things out a tad better.

      My view, for what it is worth, is that the government have probably been at least 2 weeks behind where they should have been and that the utterances from our PM have been less than convincing and have been lacking in clarity. But that is, in some respects down to his fondness for 3 words phrases and using big words.

      The chancellor has done a very good job at dealing with a very bad hand and deserves credit for what has been proposed- in truth, whatever he does will never be enough. You can’t please all of the people all the time.

      In reality, it is an extremely difficult decision to make to keep the economy going to avoid longer term impacts on the whole country versus large amounts of people dying before their time. Not one I would want to make, that’s for sure.

      I fear that we will going into a stronger lock down tonight – and about time too- and only time will tell if it is enough to flatten the curve enough to keep the NHS functional and to save as many lives as possible.

      Finally onto other matters, I am looking forward to seeing Boro have an amazing game against Steau Bucarest and remembering happier times!

      UTB

      PS and also to reading more from Ken with his facts and figures and recollections to take some of my mind away from where we are.

  167. I’d have to admit that from everything I’ve read about Boris Johnson or even the pieces about Dominic Cummins – the feeling of ‘trust them’ is not what I’ve been left with. Still, I’d rather people in power making decisions were held to account at the time when it matters rather than 5, 10 or even 20 years or so down the line when these Public Inquiries finally take place – Chilcot was 13 years after the WMD issue and we know Hillsborough Inquiry was 28 years after the event.

    While every health service is going to struggle in the coming months, some are considerably better prepared than others and as some governments have seemingly been caught by surprise by the scale of the Coronavirus, others have planned much better and much earlier to mitigate the impact on their health services. We will soon see whether our leaders around the globe rise to the occasion or not.

    OK, I guess there’s not much to be gained by further political discussion as everyone can make their own mind up and no doubt will. At least Angela Merkel has tested negative – so that’s finally one thing she has in common with Donald Trump.

    Anyway, with nothing pressing on the football front to talk about (or likely to be anytime in the foreseeable future) and clearly politics is problematic subject for many people, plus others are getting quite tired of the subject of Coronavirus – maybe it’s time for Diasboro to go into lock-down for a while as I can’t think of anything else to talk about.

    OK, Stay healthy everyone!

  169. Well the expected has happened and Stay at Home is the order of the day – had to happen and hopefully we can stem the virus and keep the NHS going.

    In is going to be long hard road but

    We shall Overcome – ERIMUS

  170. I’m aoeryvid we lock down in here too. I’m sure it is a source of support for many. Maybe leave the light on and people can contribute whatever and whenever.

    Whatever. Keep safe everyone and than you to everyone for being part of this.

  172. Camera zooms in or Boris with his two stooges.

    ‘I am addressing you in difficult times, my scientific advisers have told me not to lockdown but to do things gradually.

    I have decided to totally ignore them and the scientific evidence and do what I want to do.

    We will close everything form 3rd March.’

    BBC turns to it’s guests who all voted to remain who decry this move as an abuse of civil liberties and against scientific advice. Laura ‘any chance of a good opportunity’ Kuenssberg’ sees an opportunity……

    Damned if you do, damned if you dont.

    1. Correct! Whilst I feel we have been a bit slow, we are not in possession of the full facts and it is a horrible decision to have to make.

      The reality is that we will never know which was the right way to have gone and when. We will never know if different actions would have seen different results.

      I would not want to be the one making the decisions

    1. Thanks KP, there’s more out there and all as good as this, thankfully someone’s had the nads to throw PC out of the window to give us all a laugh, in the current times we need one.

  175. Boris has apparently created History as the man who has finally ended the DFS Sale!

    See its not all bad news out there, you just have to look for it and take comfort where you can find it.

  179. Werder

    Please keep reporting. Your insights and analyses are second to none, and I have found them very helpful, as i did Selwyn’s advice.

    The government’s original policy would have left us with over 200,000 fatalities, and their continued delay in testing and providing the most basic protective equipment even to front line workers still seem guaranteed to produce similarly horrific numbers. To suggest that the elderly should all proceed like lambs to the slaughter, and that we should stop criticising the government when the rest of the world is looking on aghast at the incompetence of the Johnson and Trump administrations seems incredible to me.

    The government’s claim that in allowing planes from pandemic hotspots to land untested across the country it was “following the science” is completely phoney. In this context there is no such thing as “the science”. There are contending scientific views. Those of the British, and those of the scientific consensus across the rest of the world, including those with successful experience of handling pandemics such as WHO, and S Korea. Their emphasis upon the importance of rigorous testing and containment of the virus is such obvious good sense that the scientific evidence for ignoring it would have to be conclusive. But what and where is that evidence? And if it were so compelling why has the original theory of building up “herd immunity” by aiming for a 40-80 % infection rate with pensioners written off as collateral damage been now quietly shelved?

    “Following the Science” is a mantra that suggests that the government has little agency in these matters. It’s doing what its chief scientists recommend. This provides a lightning conductor for any criticism and a convenient cover for the government when (rather than if) the policy finally and horrifically implodes.

    Far from being stooges, Whitty and Vallance are credible figures. Indeed, their credibility is what is keeping Johnson afloat. They come across as knowledgable, experienced, intelligent, well-informed and articulate. Yet there is a dissonance between the competence and sense of control which they exude and the impending sense of chaos and lack of control that we sense all around us, particularly amongst the elderly and in our hospitals. This needs some explaining.

    It’s a mistake to think that science is a practice that floats free of politics. Having worked in a university for over 20 years I was able to see at first hand the extent to which academic success came to be increasingly equated with the ability to attract research grants. Original thinkers who work to their own agendas are now an almost extinct species in universities, as money, promotions and institutional prestige flow to those most willing to work to the priorities and agendas of big business and central government. Those “experts” who rise most quickly to the top are not those asking the most difficult and awkward questions but those who are prepared to bend what they do to the requirements of their commercial and political paymasters.

    Both Whitty and Vallance owe their positions to political patronage. And the patronage in this case of a government which has shown itself to have no time for any form of dissent. It is their job to work to and support the government’s agenda. They are not the originators of the science they present. Rather they are co-ordinating the science presented to them by virologists, epidemiologists and behavioural scientists, all of them government approved, and some of them comfortably ensconced within No10 itself.

    “Behavioural scientists” is an oxymoron. Behaviourists are not scientists at all. The nomenclature of “science” is one they have given to themselves. They have no more right to the title than a tipster working for the Racing Post. He also looks at the available evidence and tries to make educated guesses about likely behavioural outcomes. In fact the tipster is more scientific. At least he applies what he knows about specific horses to the future behaviour of those horses. He doesn’t extrapolate from the behaviour of specific horses to the entire species. And he doesn’t, as the early behaviourists did, make generalisations about people on the basis of experiments with animals. The discipline has an inglorious history, flogging its snake oil solutions to advertisers, governments, and anyone else interested in trying to manipulate the public for its own purposes. The “behavioural scientists” informing Whitty and Vallance include No 10’s “Nudge Unit”. Presumably they are behind the theory of “fatigue”, the idea that lockdown should be delayed because the science says that we will soon get tired of making the effort of saving our own lives. There is, of course no reliable science to support this theory since there has been no precedent for our current situation within British society. But it is a “science” which gives support to the government’s strategy.

    It is simply not credible for the most ideologically driven right wing government in living memory, and one that was so contemptuous of expert opinion over Brexit to now claim that it is in thrall to the scientists. The public service cuts of the last decade and the commitment to shrink the state has led to a situation both here and in America of almost criminal neglect and unpreparedness for the epidemic. The scientists and health experts have been drafted in to rationalise the situation as best they can and they are doing this with great skill. But if they had any propensity or inclination to overtly criticise their political masters, they would not be where they are today. And if they did so now they would be marched from centre stage quicker than you can say Dominic Cummings.

    1. Glad you have continued to post Len. That is, as always from you, a thorough and (I believe) accurate assessment.

      To pinch the idea from K.P.’s post above:

      Q. When is a leader not a leader?

      A. When he is a reactionary.

    2. Brilliantly well argued post Len that highlight the subtleties of scientific advice and that ultimately it is political decisions which shape what actually happens. Indeed there will always be conflicting scientific advice in the same way intelligence from the secret services is based on probabilities – the UK opted against the precautionary principle and chose to ignore the wider scientific consensus that strong contagion measures were the only way forward until they had data that couldn’t be ignored.

      It seems the UK government originally went with the least intrusive scientific advice and the theory of herd immunity became their strategy. It’s always the danger that people will put more weight on the advice they most want to agree with – particularly if it means they don’t have to do anything drastic or expensive. This is what we’ve seen with climate change for decades as governments either ignore the science or wait for the effects to become too serious to ignore.

      I was listening to Italian physicist Paolo Giordano yesterday talking about the very subject of conflicting scientific opinion and that there will always be problems for governments making decision – though as you rightly pointed out Len, where was the compelling evidence of the herd immunity strategy versus stronger measures against contagion.

      Paolo Giordana wrote a short book in February when he started analysing this latest epidemic – it’s called ‘How Contagion Works: Science, Awareness and Community in Times of Global Crises’ and I’m going to download it as an ebook for just £2 from Amazon later. Interestingly, Giordano was asked yesterday why he thought Northern Italy has suffered so many deaths of old people – the answer he gave was almost counter-intuitive in that as Lombardy is a wealthy region with an older demographic, it subsequently has a very good healthcare system, which has been very good at keep many people with various health conditions alive and living longer lives. The Coronavirus has simply struck this group of people first and has meant they were more vulnerable to the effects – Giordano expects over time the average age of those killed by the virus in Italy will reduce to one that reflects other countries.

      So it’s hard to say whether the UK or other countries are heading for an Italian-style meltdown of the heathcare system – but the UK seems particularly at risk as it’s starting from a much lower base in terms of capacity than many other countries.

      America is potentially another disaster in the making if Trump carries out his threat to put the economy first. Trump perhaps epitomises the problem of only listening to the scientific ‘opinion’ that he agrees with or wants to hear. He claimed that if the economy tanks then many people will die from suicide – while there is data to suggest suicides do indeed rise in recessions and slumps, it won’t come close to offsetting the deaths from the virus if it is allowed to spread unchecked.

      Trump is also pinning his hopes on anti-malaria drugs stopping the spread after some preliminary studies showed that both Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine do inhibit the ability of coronaviruses to infect cells in laboratory tests. Incidentally, they do this by interfering with the virus’s ability to attach to those ACE2 receptors on cells that I mention in my earlier post about the origins of SARS-CoV-2. However, it’s still early days in terms of how these drugs function in people and as yet the data from clinical trials is not clear. It may have some effect but these drugs can be quite toxic and are not recommended to be taken by people with many of those underlying health conditions that makes them at higher risk of dying from Coronavirus.

      OK, that’s probably enough thoughts on the matter for now but once again thanks for the post Len!

  180. Len

    I think that is a bit disrespectful to the two people involved.

    From my understanding the scientists including those at Imperial College using their modelling have been driving the actions involved. The Government original policy was to take actions when it was appropriate and they clearly stated they would impose those actions in stages when advised to do so. That is what they are doing.

    The success of any country is reliant on people doing their part.

    Whether any governments actions were correct will only be known when the pandemic dies down.

    1. But the “science” changed from herd immunity to the social distancing and lockdowns. I may have misheard but I am sure that I heard one of the top two men make a comment outside of the official presser which contradicted what had been said earlier.

      And it doesn’t give one much confidence when the health secretary denies on live TV that the expert had said about herd immunity being policy.

      The government have been in a difficult position but have not covered themselves in glory – far from it – and it will cost lives.

      The problem is how far down the rocky road do you go between making the choice between lives lost and economic survival.

      There is an argument that says that if you stop everything in the economy and give help to everybody but save lives, then in the long run, even more lives will be lost with the resulting austerity or the fact that the country has slipped into bankruptcy.

      I am not in a position to say which way is right and do not envy those that have to make the decisions. The only observation is that the government would appear to have been several weeks behind taking action and have then only taken action when the general public and others have nudged them. It should be the other way round.

      I read that, I think Michael Hessletine, said about Johnson that he is the man who sees which way the crowd is running, elbows his way to the front and this shouts out “follow me”

      Seems like he was right in my view

      2. BBD

        To be fair, they did say that measures would be taken as the situation changed and at the most suitable time to implement them

        Whether they have got it right, only time will tell.

  181. Message from a consultant in ICU. Good info:

    ===============
    Why do we need to shut places where people group?

    Remember this: VIRAL LOAD

    There will be a lot about this. Why is it important?

    With this virus, the amount of virus in your blood at first infection directly relates to the severity of the illness you will suffer. This isn’t unusual – HIV management is all about reducing viral load to keep people alive longer. BUT it’s very important in COVID-19.

    So if you are in, say, a pub or religious building or entertainment venue with 200 people and a large number don’t have symptoms but are shedding, you are breathing in lots of droplets per minute and absorbing a high load of the virus. In a crowded space. They become ill over the next 48 hours. You then three days later wonder why you can’t breathe and end up in hospital. You’d decided because you were young and healthy it wasn’t going to be a problem. Wrong.

    Fortunately but unfortunately because the elderly are isolating quite well, the initial UK data suggests that all age groups above 20 are almost equally represented in ITUs in England. Most of the cases are in London but the wave is moving outwards.

    This means that being under 60 and fit and well doesn’t seem to be as protective as we thought. Why? Viral load.

    This may be skewed simply by the fact that too many Londoners didn’t do as asked and congregated in large groups in confined spaces and got a large initial viral load. They then went home and infected their wider families. Which is why, as London is overwhelmed, we need to shut everything down to save the rest of the UK. We are a week at most behind London.

    Our sympathies go out to the families affected in London and the critical care teams battling right now to save as many as they can.

    If I sit with one person and catch this virus, I get a small viral load. My immune system will start to fight it and by the time the virus starts replicating, I’m ready to kill it.

    No medicines will help this process meaningfully hence there is no “cure” for this virus. All we can do is support you with a ventilator and hope your immune system can catch up fast enough.

    If I sit in the same room with six people, all shedding I get six times the initial dose. The rise in viral load is faster than my immune system can cope with and it is overrun. I then become critically ill and need me (or someone of my specialty) to fix it instead of just being at home and being ok in the end.

    THIS BIT IS IMPORTANT:

    If you are a large family group, remember that by being ill and in the same room, you will make each other ill or “more ill”. If you get sick, isolate just yourself to one room and stay there. Don’t all sit in one room coughing. You will increase the viral load for all of you, reducing your survival rate.

    A family of six people may produce double the droplets of a family of three in the same space. Maths is important.

    If one of you is symptomatic, assume you are all shedding and make sure you keep some space.

    Parents are getting it from their kids because no one is going to stop comforting their child (nor should they) so the parent gets a big hit as well as the child. I don’t think that can be helped.

    REMEMBER: THINK ABOUT VIRAL LOAD

    It could save your life or your child’s.

    1. Your posts with those links both went into the spam folder for some reason – I checked the website (science media centre) as sometimes they are blacklisted for whatever reason.

      Nothing obvious, although rather interestingly the Science Media Centre is run by Fiona Fox OBE, who used to be a leading member of the Revolutionary Communist Party. Even more interesting is that she is the younger sister of the Brexit Party’s Claire Fox, who was also apparently a leading member of the Revolutionary Communist Party and is now the director of the think tank ‘The Institute of Ideas’. Not that I’m suggesting Brexit was a plot by communist sleepers 😉

      btw I’ve got an interesting but somewhat amusing anecdote about my own brief experience of inadvertently ending up on the front cover of the Trotskyite Workers Revolutionary Party’s magazine when in my early twenties, which I should probably write up one day.

      1. Apparently we are going to be hearing a lot more about Viral Load.

        ( both links are the same so you can remove one, or both if you prefer)

  184. Following on from GNW’s post I see pubs in several place have had lock inns. Exactly the things we dont want.

    I know of one pub in North Yorkshire that opened over the weekend for ‘takeaways’ and had crowds stood outside drinking. Authorities had a word.

    We are self isolating but it is easy for us, my wife is rushing through an emergency to do list which should be published shortly. It is not advice but an instruction.

    Keep safe everyone, many of us are beyond the first flush of youth.

  186. The German epidemiologist I listen to spoke about the issues around viral loads last week and explained that it’s one of the main reasons some of the younger people and in some cases doctors have suffered serious complications and in some cases died. That’s why health workers need proper PPE to avoid receiving large viral loads when treating infected patients.

    The other issue related to the viral load is that it’s far more serious if you contract the virus initially directly into your lungs through inhaling rather than perhaps simply by touching your mouth, nose or eyes before it spreads to them. The reasoning being similar to viral load in that your body mounts a defence which usually manifests with symptoms like a sore throat, which by the time it has eventually spread to your lungs your immune system has already got up to speed and therefore the effect on the lungs is usually minimal.

    So better to avoid those deep breaths when getting exasperated at the behaviour of those around you!

      1. Sadly just another hoax based on hot water killing the virus as you’ll be unable to wash out the virus from your nose and eyes as well unless you’ve got a particular unusual drinking habit 😉

  187. Despite 24 hour constant news stories and updates, followed by and repeated by daily despairing breakfast news from the BBC and Piers Morgan’s daily monologue (he asks a guest a question and then proceeds to talk over him for twenty minutes giving himself his own answer) on ITV’s morning “news” the message just isn’t getting through to some people.

    The Politicians are doing their best and whilst I don’t rate any of them from either side of the House (bar literally a handful) these are the idiots we elected as the best of a very bad and poor lot. Whether we like it or not they are now charged with trying to steer the country through this mess but they are not responsible for the incredible ignorant stupidity of the masses.

    There are of course mitigating factors many of which are borne out of necessity and the desperate need to provide the basic essentials for families. Modern life is stressful at the best of times and the thought of impending poverty with no electricity, gas or food on the table is scaring some people far more than the invisible enemy. The fear of being homeless through an inability to pay rent or mortgages let alone rates are driving many peoples stress levels through the roof. Expecting rational behaviour in these circumstances is naive. The minute someone approaches you with that immortal phrase “now I don’t want you to panic or worry but…….” sends the heart rate of 99% of us through the roof. Do it to a nation and the panic buying that we witnessed was mild considering the circumstances.

    Unfortunately things are getting worse and will continue to worsen with death rates now approaching triple figures daily in the UK. Crowds of youths gathering in Middlesbrough, spitting at people for fun (I’m sure it is replicated nationwide if not indeed Europe wide) illustrates the incredible level of crass ignorance and a lack of social awareness. Its hardly surprising. We have had several generations now living in peace (and also poverty) for decades. A sense of unjust entitlement allied to being shaped by Kardashian culture has left the UK with a lot of individuals whose contribution or at least their value of contribution to this world questionable. A good World War or even two would have culled many, the lack of one has created social issues today that older generations never had to deal with. Keeping the sun from setting on the British Empire meant the ongoing need for cannon fodder for centuries and limiting the breeding potential of those who would always be first out and over the trenches.

    Trying to get a “me, me, me” generation to realise that their fake tans and botox supplies are going to dry up any time soon is proving to be a huge culture shock. Being told “No” when their Teachers have been forbidden to teach them and their “Parents” beforehand discipline and respect (thanks Esther Rantzen, a good idea gone way too far) now means they are incapable of taking instruction. Mentally they are no longer wired for it, selective breeding has seen to that.

    Northern Ireland was and still is governed by Westminster yet it was deemed acceptable to put armed Soldiers on the streets of a part of Britain to maintain law and order. The “Troubles” claimed the lives of around 3,700 people. Corona virus is going to eclipse that by the end of next week more than likely and will keep gathering pace. We have the Troops, we shhould be utilising them. One Police Officer to two armed Soldiers should become the norm immediately. We can crack down on idiots gathering and loitering when they see a no nonsense approach from the Government. All those years of ill discipline can be quickly brought into focus for even the most lobotomy challenged.

    Inaction is the friend of this virus, delay by Governments has been tantamount to collaboration. Places that have clamped down quickly and maintained it have had the best results so far, its neither a surprise nor a coincidence. I would have liked to think that common sense would have prevailed but for the above factors it isn’t going to happen unless enforced. If that means shooting a few “exuberant lads” with rubber bullets to bring them to their senses and commandeering a few redundant Cruise liners as Prison ships offshore to make a point then so be it. Nobody has ever won a battle let alone a war by being half hearted. Shut down the Tubes for everyone bar Key Workers and the rest of the Public Transport network and then enforce it with a rod of Iron. That unfortunately requires strong leadership and direction, something which not just the British electorate struggled to find when voting.

    1. Rather spookily I just wrote about Me Me Me generation before seeing your post – people are going to be in for shock of just how long this episode is going to take and how life will change for many months if not years.

    2. RR – as usual a very well put together piece. Thanks also to all others who post on here with their views and comments. It helps to keep me sane in this mad mad world that we are in.

      As my Grandma used to say, “stop the world- I want to get off” but there again I want never gets!

      We all have to do what we can to help everybody else get through this – and we will albeit in a different place I strongly suspect.

    3. The “me too” movement has had a lot of media attention lately. During the election campaign with all parties promising truck loads of free cash, I refered to Britain as the “wheres mine” movement.

  188. I think we’re seeing the inevitable fallout of how politicians lost what trust they had (and it started from a low base) with the whole Brexit fiasco since 2016. People seem to only trust those politicians who took their view on Brexit regardless of whether those involved were found to be telling the truth or not.

    If you throw in the whole social media cultural change of truth moving towards agreeing with opinions rather than checking what is being expressed is actually based on facts, then there’s a large degree of cynicism that anything been said needs to be believed. It’s a bit ironic that we now only want to here from experts after spending three years being told experts didn’t know better.

    I even doubt that a large percentage of the population have the concept of the greater good or something beyond self as this is the time of instant gratification and look at me, look where I am, look what I’ve seen, look at how many followers I’ve got – not so much #MeToo but #MeMeMe.

    This crisis will most likely bring some harsh lessons and it’s not certain many are willing to accept the novel concept of taking responsibility – at all levels of society.

    1. I received a phone call yesterday from someone desperate to source masks and disposable aprons and coveralls for the NHS. Their Sister works as a Senior Nurse in a North London Hospital and they have literally just about ran out of PPE gear with promises of “its coming tomorrow” being repeated but tomorrow never comes.

      Some have proposed alternative masks and aprons from non standard sources which may or may not be as good as their existing preferred choice (equally they may even be better). Their Purchasing people have “allegedly” refused to buy as they need to conduct trials and approve them prior to use. Under normal circumstances that is the correct procedure to follow. In a time of crisis and with people literally dying around you, when you are out of ammo and the bullets are pinging around your head when someone offers you a machine gun you just grab it.

      These product carry EN certification (which of course may or may not be bogus at this time) but they should fulfil the criteria and in any case better than literally nothing. Most masks etc all come from China and the Far East which is now back manufacturing and crucially exporting again. A lot of these products come from the same factories but with different brands (including the famous ones) stamped on them. I am far from convinced that those who are currently sourcing and purchasing are the best individuals to firstly know where to go and secondly make the decision. Meanwhile not for the first time we have the countries finest being let down by idiots.

      When all this is done and dusted I hope that the NHS is removed from political control by having a Governor put in charge like the Bank of England has to run it properly. They can then send a non-negotiable annual bill for whatever it costs to run the NHS at maximum effectiveness for the benefit of the people to the existing Prime Minister.

      1. It must be a real worry for NHS frontline workers when they turn up to work then wonder whether they’ve got the right kit – you wouldn’t expect firemen to tackle blazes without all the right gear as it would risk their lives so why should NHS workers be any different.

        I’ve heard quite a few politicians, past and present, tell us that there are pandemic plans in place but it seems these plans didn’t include all the small details of having all the kit ready to go.

        The German health system is a bit different in that firstly it’s run on a state level rather than national so each region plans their budget and organises their capability – it’s probably why Germany had seven times the number of critical care beds. In addition, the healthcare is funded through a health insurance system, where treatment is still free at the point of delivery. It means it’s not at the whim of government spending plans. People pay their health insurance through a deduction from their monthly salary, which the employer also contributes to – if you’re unemployed then the government pays you health insurance instead.

        I think there will be may lessons to learn once this is over as the short-comings will be exposed. The bad news is this pandemic is unlikely to be the last and it’s no use running a health-care system that can’t upscale quickly when its needed.

      2. Werder there is a shortage of PPE in Germany also. The main difference is that I suspect Germans are more Swan like in their approach, very graceful on the surface but paddling like crazy underneath.

        1. From what I’ve heard Germany was well stocked but some hospitals didn’t order enough so there’s been some redistribution – though I guess much will depend on how long the pandemic lasts and how stable supply chains are.

  189. Other than the Virus itself the other large problem the government face is the distribution of funds. Now that they have gone down the line of releasing billions of pounds of aid (and rightly so) everyone will be lining up to get a share. From Airlines to Shipping, Construction to the Self Employed, Leisure Businesses to Retail Stores and many more.

    Unfortunately this pot of money is not unlimited and there are going to be many hardships. The Chancellor and the Treasury are under extreme pressure and I don’t envy them.

    1. There’s almost a case for some form of guaranteed national income in times of national emergency as it’s not as if people can go looking for work. I saw an item where people were being forced to go to food banks as they suddenly had no income and it was still unclear when government money would arrive. The food banks themselves were struggling to get food because of all the panic buying and many poor people complained only the expensive items were now left in supermarkets.

    2. Agree – and whatever we borrow to cover it all, will accrue interest which will have to be paid before we even try to chip away at reducing the level of debt.

      The only saving grace maybe that the whole world is affected so we are all in the same boat, thus avoiding any one country taking advantage.

      That said, China and Russia may be in a good position which is a worry.

      2. I seem to recall one of the Scandinavian countries introducing a basic income for every citizen whether they were in employment or not. Perhaps Jarrko knows?

  191. I play a war game online and my region is mainly Russian players, when I asked about Covid 19 in Russia the majority response was that it was all propaganda by the west media and scaremongering. They really don’t think it is anything to worry about and make fun of me if I raise the subject.

    Looking at the reported cases in Russia, who have a large border with China, it is suspected by WHO that Russia is not being totally honest with it’s figures.

    Come on BORO.

    1. There is a generation under Putin believing themselves to be super Russians and that they are almost bulletproof. Due to past hardships people dying won’t raise the same level of questioning that it perhaps would in the West. Raising the subject and questioning it is also perhaps not a great career move for any aspiring journalist who values their after shave.

  192. I have long suspected that Russia are not giving out their true figures – they just seem so low.

    When I said that Russia and China would be in a good position, I meant that as they are yhe ones who appear to have money, then financially they are the countries who will be able to clean up and lend to the rest of us.

    1. A huge concern is that the rest of the World is battling this virus to limit its spread. As we initially seen with China. Ignorant, backward, arrogant, denial was perilous in preventing and controlling the spread.

      Russia’s seeming detachment and unwillingness to share credible information leads to the conclusion that they are either blissfully unaware and doing very little or perhaps just relying on macho herd immunity and all that entails.

      My worry is that as Europe and the Far East clamp down and belatedly get control of this the entire process is then punctured by Russians playing snakes and ladders, continuing to spread the Virus and in doing so putting the World back to the starting point.

  193. I’m someone who always thinks there’s probably always a better way of doing things and that’s just as much towards my own work and projects as with those in more lofty positions – I’m merely only just about second in command of my own household (perhaps third at worst).

    Anyway, it’s clear that many countries are in their own way understandably struggling to deal with the Coronavirus and when to act. I guess few in the west are particularly prepared to essentially become authoritarian by consent – though it may have been a fantasy for a few who shall remain nameless. It’s probably even harder for the majority of population to suddenly find the rules have changed – we’ve all become used to doing what we want when we want in what has become almost a 24-hour culture that runs 7-days a week.

    Indeed, for many their lives now exist in the unbounded world of the internet through smart phones and smart devices. Our lives have almost lost touch with physical reality and many live in a no-questions-asked bubble of convenience or even morality – swipe left (although it could be right) for a good time and just click here to get whatever you feel you need the next day (or even in a few hours if you’re particularly impatient consumer).

    It seems this world would last forever and it’s been powered by a global economy that most won’t ponder too often at what cost that brings to people’s lives, whether in Asia or the delivery driver on a zero-hour contract. We also don’t really care that it may even be driving the planet to destruction – just as long as we feel we’re doing out bit by recycling our endless Amazon cardboard boxes and empty bottles of wine from Chile.

    So will the invisible threat of a virus stop everyone in their tracks and make them think maybe we’ll just about get away with it this time and we should change? Or will the moment it all finally ends see a massive party and a return to business as usual?

    Being a bit of a cynic (sorry to shock those who have so far missed that), I suspect the latter – though as someone who thinks things can be done better, I’m hoping for the former.

    Anyway, I’m going to sleep on that idea as I need to get up early as I’ve had a tip-off from a woman at the local supermarket that there’s going to be a delivery of toilet rolls at 8:00 tomorrow morning – so it will no doubt be social distancing using elbows and fake coughing as the first test of this new dawn of awareness arrives!

    The battle to reconcile human nature and mother nature continues…

    2. Werder

      I was dismayed to see your lack of planning in quest for the holy grail.

      From a later post I noted you cycled to the supermarket. Just using elbows and fake coughing is fine but a long ride, going in to the store hot and sweaty and mopping the brow and sighing with discomfort, shaking your head would make the task that much easier.

      It would complete the picture and gain precious space. Of course that would rely on your ability to act, acting a bit boorish and talking loudly in English would produce the complete performance.

      Let us know how you get on.

      1. Despite the 2km cycle no sweating was involved as it was distinctly parky this morning – though I should remind you that I’m also now a German citizen and subsequently blend in seamlessly with the locals – nevertheless, whistling the Colonel Bogey March as I left the store with my toilet roll may have given the game away…

  194. It’s not getting any easier over in Northern Ireland. But we are hanging in there and hoping.

    In the midst of all this, a poem by young Nieve Conlin, shared by Headstart Boro over on Twitter, has both moved my heart and brought a tear to the eye. So much so I felt inclined to type the whole thing out.

    It goes something like this…

    “A lot of things went wrong lately,
    “And a lot of things still will.
    “Yet we decide to worry
    “And think everything is going downhill.

    “But that’s not the way to do it.
    “No. Worrying is not okay.
    “We need to think it will all get better,
    “As we know it will some day.

    “It might be in September,
    “Or maybe in July.
    “And when you remember how much you worried,
    “You should just think why.

    “Why have I been worried,
    “All night and all day.
    “When we know in the end
    “It will all be ok.

    “So why rush to the shop.
    “And get things in a hurry.
    “When you could just use what you’ve got.
    “And just don’t worry.

    “So don’t start crying and
    “Don’t get upset.
    “I just want to tell you
    “What everyone forgets.

    “One day it will be better.
    “In every which way.
    “No one will be crying.
    “As it will be OK!”

    What was it Andy Dufresne said? Hope is a good thing, and no good thing ever dies.

      1. Britannia Hotels hadn’t exactly endeared themselves to the British public before all this Virus outbreak, after how they callously dismissed employees they will struggle to get fresh bookings. Mike Ashley has made a career out of being Public Enemy number one and it will be like water off a ducks back to him.

        Richard Branson hasn’t exactly boosted his credibility with worries he might be down to his last Island or even Yacht by the time all this is over if the Government doesn’t pay his bills. Certain Chemists will also likely see customers remember how they hiked up paracetamol prices and the list is growing daily.

      2. Maybe, or maybe not RR.

        Once it is all over I agree with Werder’s second proposition that (in general) we will all revert to type and nothing really will have changed. If Sports Direct sell the cheapest gear, that’s where most will shop for it; if Britannia still own the hotels in the places we want to go to, we will still book with them; who is going to stop going to their local Wetherspoons I ask?

        No. Nothing will have changed. Some self centred entrepreneurs will win out of it all at the expense of the majority of ordinary folk who will have suffered long term economic as well as emotional damage.

  196. Managed to procure my package of toilet rolls this morning, though I arrived at 8:10am to see people already walking out of the shop with two packages each (20 toilet rolls) and wondered why they needed to buy two. Anyway, when I got to the shelf in the supermarket it was already empty with just a sign saying “One package per customer” – I was a bit annoyed and questioned a member of staff as to why people were walking out with two packages – she seemed puzzled and said “OK I better remind the checkout operators to stop people buying more than one”.

    So I continued shopping and then noticed another shop assistant handing out toilet roll packages to some customers they knew from a secret stash. So I asked (nicely) for a package too and have returned home with the trophy strapped to my bicycle – something we’ve not seen in the shops for over a week and who knows when the next batch of bounty will next arrive. Even strangers were pointing and remarking as I cycled home that I had the much coveted prize – who needs sport when there’s competitive toilet roll purchasing!

    1. Strangely Werder, toilet rolls now appear to be less of a problem, so I have stockpiled some as we are also shopping for our two mothers.
      The one mystery is, where has all the pasta gone. We like pasta, but probably once a fortnight. Have not seen any on the shelves for two weeks or more. Is this all some people eat now that McDonalds have closed?

  197. Secret Life of cells

    I just remembered a brilliant CGI documentary about how cells work that I watched a couple of years ago – it’s well worth watching as it is compelling viewing as good as any movie. It covers how viruses invade cells and how the immune system attempts to fight it off. It lasts about an hour so grab your popcorn and make sure you sitting comfortably (albeit 2 metres apart)…

    Our Secret Universe: The Secret Life of Cells

    btw Once at the site just click on the image to get access to controls such as volume and full screen

  198. On BBC this lunchtime

    Some coronavirus news from the land that gave you lager.
    An appeal has been launched in the Czech Republic to “save” the equivalent of 1,305,552 pints of craft beer that will go off “within weeks” if it is not drunk.
    The beer is languishing undrunk in barrels in 32 craft breweries across the country. All pubs and restaurants are closed to the public (they can serve through hatches) but customers can buy direct from breweries.
    Pale lager as we know it was invented in the Czech city of Pilsen in 1842. The Czech Republic has the highest per capita beer consumption in the world.
    If you’re in the Czech Republic and think you can help, see: https://zachranpivo.cz/

    Can Diasboro help in anyway?

  199. Is the FA heading towards cancelling the professional season? Perhaps the first step has happened today after it declared the season has been cancelled and all results expunged below National League level (where the National League is the league below League Two). Much will depend on how viable it is to still play football this year.

  200. I wouldn’t be surprised. Possibly with the caveat that Liverpool are crowned Champions but with an asterisk next to their name in the record books.

    1. That would probably be as fair a way of doing it. Whatever games were to be played over the rest of the season, there is no way that Liverpool would not have been crowned champions.

      Wells it would have to be a complete an utter disaster- what’s the betting that if Boro had been in that position, we would have contrived to blow it!!

  202. I think it’s outrageous that the Leagues below the National Leagues have been made null and void. The fairest system would have been what the Rugby Football League did during the Second World War – League positions decided by points accrued divided by matches played. Two of our local teams, Stockton Town (who incidentally have a 13 point lead over Shildon and have only lost once this season) and Redcar Athletic have both been denied promotion from their respective Leagues where a % ratio would have promoted both. It’s one thing to make a season null and void after only 3 matches as happened to the season prior to the Second World War, but quite another when teams have completed over 76% of their fixtures. Of course the % ratio wouldn’t matter in the Championship as all clubs have played the same number of games, and hardly significant in the Premier League except for Wolves who are on equal points with Sheffield United but having played a game more.

    As it stands if the Leagues below the National Leagues have had their seasons voided, there is no reason why all the Leagues should not be treated accordingly, but of course they won’t for fear of litigation which clubs in the lower leagues and the grassroots of football in this country couldn’t afford. By the FA’s reasoning Liverpool shouldn’t be declared Champions either if as now seems likely no football will be played this side of July. That would be ridiculous. However the % ratio would rectify that for the likes of Coventry.

    Apart from qualification for European Football another problem to solve will be what happens to clubs who have had points dedicated this season such as Birmingham, Bolton and Macclesfield. Will they start next season on minus points, or start on zero?

    1. I do find it a little odd that games played in this season are to be expunged from the record like they never existed – OK it’s one thing to decide the season has to be ended but it’s declaring that games that have occurred have no meaning outside the context of having played all the other games.

      Perhaps it would have been been better to make fair judgements where possible and where it was too close to call then either share the title or give it to nobody. I think some teams had already secured promotion. As for qualification for European – I don’t think there can be any European competition next season unless there is a vaccine – if indeed next season even gets underway.

      Perhaps it was the only way to avoid legal disputes.

        1. I couldn’t believe all the fireworks and applause and noise that was made in Middlesbrough at 8:00 tonight in support of our NHS workers. We all salute you and respect your dedication and professionalism “we love you all”

          OFB

  203. Another point if this season’s matches were declared null and void, all matches would be expunged from the records and thus treated as friendly matches with all appearances of players and goals scored also expunged as happened in the 1939 /40 season.

  204. I think to totally expunge the results is completely unreasonable for any league. The average calculation would be one solution although not sure where that would leave Boro.

    My solution which will no doubt have its flaws, would be to finish the season as the tables stand now, have no promotion and relegations and the total prize monies that would have been paid out to be distributed evenly between all the clubs.

    Liverpool could be crowned champions with the asterisk next to their name.

    I am not sure how the division of the cash would go down with the bigger clubs but it may give the smaller and lower league clubs a chance of survival.

    I can see that many clubs, like many small businesses, will not survive this crisis and that when football resumes, there will be less teams in the lower tiers.

  205. Never mind about thus football and virus rubbish, how can we liberate lots of Czech beer?

    We could send Laura Kuenssberg, she has an answer for everything. Or is that a question? Apart from good news.

    Prime Minister, why isn’t it hot and sunny?

    Thank you Laura, we are in January and in the middle of low pressure with a North Easterly wind.

    Yes, Prime Minister but when will the pressure increase and wind change and July be here, what is the government doing about it?

    All that beer going to waste. Maybe Laura can ask!

  206. If only our politicians were as competent, on top of their briefs, intelligent, articulate, dedicated, hard working and professionally competent as Laura, few could complain. She’s a fantastic role model for girls and young women everywhere,

    Johnson could scarcely complain even if Laura dealt in complete fabrications, since these were the stock-in-trade of his own journalistic career. His made-up and grotesquely exaggerated stories about Europe were legendary and he was eventually sacked for lying.

    So Laura has far more competence and integrity as a journalist than Johnson ever aspired to. He was only ever a propagandist. But there again he was a man, and an old Etonian. So, in spite of getting the sack twice for lying, and numerous other scandals, he got to be Prime Minister. For me, the young woman asking the questions, in spite of her lower status, is the more admirable professional.

    1. I agree Len. Let’s face it she is in a position where everything she asks about, the politicians: evade; skirt around; ignore; answer a different question they would have preferred; lie; bluster; accuse; ridicule; and evade some more.
      We have the journalists we do have because the top politicians as a class by and large lack any integrity and live in fear of their real position on many things being exposed. How else can the journalists press the politicians?

    2. I think we should admire any journalist who is prepared to ask difficult questions of those in power as it comes with a price. Laura Kuenssberg receives a lot of online abuse and death threats from both sides of the political spectrum – Indeed she was seen as a Tory by many supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and had to have a personal bodyguard when covering the Labour Party conference. Indeed, she also went to the Conservative Party conference with a bodyguard after threats from some of their supporters too.

      A former BBC Editor commented “The graphic level of threats to women is quite extraordinary and it’s one of the worst things to have happened in recent British public life.” There has also been a tendency for women in senior positions to often get referred to as ‘girls’, whereas men are seldom referred to as ‘boys’. Kuenssberg will be 44 in August and is nearly 5 years older than the current Chancellor Rishi Sunak – or the same age as both Tony Blair and David Cameron were when they became Prime Minister.

      Perhaps Labour’s Yvette Cooper put it best when she defended the BBC’s political editor: “It’s her job to ask difficult questions. It’s her job to be sceptical about everything we say.”

    3. Len
      Good on you.
      Tonight I listened as a journo asked. Why is it, we cannot test our health workers every day as they come on shift, with the result known in four hours?
      The stooge who answered, ignored testing, and answered a non existent question.
      He made a mess of that as well.
      The press have given them a free pass, and several health workers have died as a result.
      Germany have tested all their health workers every day as described above.
      We have been run by the three stooges, with the result as you see.
      The grotesque incident of the couple quietly walking all alone in the country being accosted by police is beyond belief, I can understand them being bored with nothing to do, but why draw attention to themselves, it was bound to lead to big problems, and now they will be found work to do.

  207. I think while NHS workers will have no doubt have had their spirits raised by the round of applause (btw I’m not overly keen on the ‘clap for carers’ phrase), they would perhaps swap that for being provided with the right personal protection equipment (PPE). Despite what the UK government keeps saying, many workers on the frontline still don’t have even adequate protective equipment. Especially if you consider that over 6,000 hospital staff in Italy have already been infected and over 6,000 also in Spain too – with some indeed dying from the virus. Many NHS workers are already off sick and that will only get worse as more and more people start turning up for treatment. So the clap is just a small gesture for many people who head to work every day with the fear of becoming seriously ill when it could and should be avoidable.

  208. Talking of showing solidarity, despite cases in Germany now heading closer towards the 50,000 mark, Germany has offered to start offering critical care beds to Italian patients in hospitals that have spare capacity as they struggle to cope.

  210. The whole scenario for Northern non-League clubs is very confusing. At the moment after a reshuffling of the number of clubs in the National Leagues North and South (Step 2 in the pyramid system) at the end of last season the number of Leagues in Step 3 were increased from 3 Leagues to 4 (3 in the South and 1 in the North) to reduce the number of fixtures from 46 matches to 42 (22 clubs). This season there were 3 Northern Premier League regions (Step4 in the pyramid system), Marske United being one of them and currently 5th in the North West Division and would have been in a playoff position to join Champions Workington for promotion to Step 4 in the pyramid system. It would appear that the intention was to have all Leagues to be reduced to 20 clubs, that being a reduction of 4 clubs over 2 seasons for those clubs in National League North (where Darlington are and currently headed by York City) and National League South (currently headed by Wealdstone).

    The Northern Premier League (Step 3 in the pyramid system) is currently headed by South Shields who have a 12 point lead and would have thus been assured of automatic promotion. Scarborough Athletic are 8th with little chance of reaching the playoffs, but both Whitby Town in 7th and Morpeth on 9th are so far behind in matches played could conceivably have a chance of reaching the playoffs.

    The Northern League Division 1 (Step 5 in the pyramid system) is headed by Stockton Town who have a 13 point lead over Shildon and a 15 point lead over Hebburn Town and with no playoffs envisaged, all three clubs would have filled the automatic places to Step 4, although North Shields being 8 points behind Hebburn Town have played 3 fewer matches. Only one club would be relegated though, probably Northallerton Town who are 10 points behind Penrith. Former famous clubs such as West Auckland and Bishop Auckland are in 9th and 11th place so out of contention for promotion but safe from relegation, as are local clubs Guisborough Town and Billingham Town, but Thornaby were in a precarious position and as in the case of Penrith could conceivably be caught by Northallerton Town who have games in hand over both of them.

    Now if one should find this scenario confusing, it becomes even more so in Northern League Division 2, for despite only one club relegated from Division 1, with no playoffs to contend with 4 clubs were scheduled to be promoted West Allotment Celtic currently 68 points from 28 matches, Redcar Athletic 65 from 30, Crook Town 60 from 29, and Billingham Synthonia 56 from 30. Heaton Stannington (the pre-season favourites) have 53 points from 28 matches and along with Ryton and Crawcrook Albion and Carlisle City could possibly have caught Billingham Synthonia. With only one club relegated from Division 1, and 2 to be relegated Durham City with only 8 points from 26 matches together with either Brandon United 15 points from 27, or Washington 19 from 30, it paves the way for 5 clubs to be promoted from Step 7 from the pyramid system instead of the usual 3 (one from the Wearside League two from the Northern Alliance). Where the other 2 promoted clubs were to come from I’ve no idea, so unless Northern League 2 is to be reduced to 18 clubs I don’t see the logic of the scheduled scenario.

    Apparently the Northern League Division 1 is one of 14 Step 5 Divisions and 12 of those would be relegated to Step 6, yet 2 of those would be from Northern League Division 2, so that is where I’m completely confused. Anyway as things stand with all Leagues below Step 2 being declared null and void that is now not going to happen, so the likelihood is that the National League and its 2 regional Leagues will both be declared null and void. However there is a problem to be resolved for the EFL Leagues as following Bury’s expulsion there are at present only 71 clubs instead of 72, so surely if they are to be declared null and void there will still be only 71 clubs. The original idea was to only relegate one club from League 2 but with only 23 clubs in League 1, I’m not currently aware whether the intention was to promote 5 clubs from League 2 instead of 4 clubs. In any event League 1 will have to resort to 24 clubs instead of the current 23 and whether the EFL is declared null and void or not, it will have repercussions for all non-League clubs throughout Step 1 to at least Step 7.

    Of course the situation concerning what happens to Bury and which League they might be relegated to, has also to be resolved if in fact they are to be allowed to continue as a club. Like many others I’m of the opinion that all Leagues be they the Premier League, all the EFL Leagues or non-Leagues must be concluded, and if that isn’t possible then League positions must be decided by the % ratio of points accrued divided by matches played. You either have to void all Leagues or none at all. That is the only fair option, and % ratio is in my opinion the only acceptable method of doing that with any playoffs taking place before the publication of next years fixtures even if it delays the start of the 2020/2021 season. In the meantime it will be interesting to see how the other European Leagues tackle the problem of finalising League positions.

    2. Ken – thanks for this and all your other articles and research. If only those in power had your attention to detail and common sense.

      Keep on doing what you do and please keep safe

      UTB

  212. I had a bit of a ‘Road to Damascus’ experience this morning while I was walking the two Jack Russells. Nothing religious but simply a realising of how lucky the Boss and I are to live where we do.

    Put simply, where I walk the terriers I’ve got hundreds of acres where there is simply nobody apart from the farmers in their tractors and they just wave from their cabs on their blue, red, green or light green tractors and get on with their work looking after their potatoes, cereal crops, salad crops, rape and soon to be drilled peas.

    It’s strange how something you take for granted can be thrown into sharp relief as a real benefit and bonus. One neighbour about a mile away has said walk over and fish my small lake if you get cabin fever but with all the space that we can enjoy it would be hard to get cabin fever. He also has a large organic area where he grows vegetables and the pigeons are starting to ravage the plots, he doesn’t shoot so there’s a game food bonus to be had there for both families.

    There you have it, blessed in many ways, sometimes it takes a crisis to wake you up it.

    Stay well everyone and your families too.

    UTB,

    John

    PS I still can’t work out how to get all that Czech beer over to drink and distribute.

    1. We are fortunate to have a garden- even though I don’t normally enjoy gardening – and also the ability to get out and walk in the countryside.

      I really do feel for those who have neither or who are unable to get out so easily. I have read somewhere that getting out and about is good for your mental health and I fear for some people.

      Whilst I get the message about not going out unless necessary, I do hope that the police will be lenient with people like Ken who are it very mobile but want to “excerise” and get fresh air in whatever way they can.

      I also would wish to liberate some beer – a local small brewery was trying to find a way to get rid of their excess beer. I volunteered to help them but I have heard nothing more yet, mores the pity.

      1. A new pub opened in Mickleover (it calls itself a village but is a suburb of Derby) on the 12th March in the old NatWest branch. It is called The Hole in the Wall and is another venture by a local craft brewery.

        Sadly it closed after the shutdown but offered a proper take away service that seemed to shut almost immediately. I thought they had been warned off but it is open again. It is a genuine take away and you cannot stay in nor does it do lock ins. It has the normal spacing rules in force.

        You can buy bottled beer or re usable containers which hold four pints of craft ale.

        I will try some, probably tomorrow – I have had my walk. As fate would have it I walked by on Monday at 2.30 but it was due to open at 3pm, then it was shut but on my walk around it was opening again from 4-7pm. Of course I walked past at 3.30pm!

        What odds I go at 4.15pm tomorrow to find it is open 5-7pm?

  215. The football pyramid system is so complicated I may have tied myself in knots, but basically as it concerns clubs from Northern
    England it works like this:-

    1. There are 5 LEVELS from 1 to 5 which are obviously the Premier League, Championship, League 1, League 2, and the National League (formerly the Conference League).

    2. After that each LEVEL is divided into STEPS, so the National League North and National League South each containing 22 clubs are of equal status in LEVEL 6, STEP 1. York City head League North with Spennymoor 6th, Gateshead 8th, Darlington 11th and Blyth Spartans 21st

    3. It then tends to become more complicated as just referring to Northern Clubs, LEVEL 7,STEP 1 includes 4 separate Leagues of 22 clubs each or qual status including the Northern Premier League headed by South Shields with Scarborough Athletic 7th, Whitby Town 8th and Morpeth.

    4. LEVEL 8, STEP 4 includes 7 separate Leagues of 20 clubs each two of which are in the North of England. Northern Premier League East are headed by Leek Town, but Northern Premier League West are headed by Workington AFC, but does include Marske United 5th and Pickering Town 20th.

    5. LEVEL 9, STEP 5 includes 14 separate Leagues of 20 clubs of which only one the Northern League Division 1 concerns our region and is headed by Stockton Town and includes famous clubs like West Auckland Town 9th and Bishop Auckland 11th, but also Cleveland and Teesside clubs Guisborough Town 7th, Billingham Town 10th, Thornaby 18th and Northallerton Town 20th.

    6. I don’t know how many separate Leagues make up LEVEL10 STEP 6 but it does include Northern League Division 2 which is headed by West Allotment Celtic and includes Redcar Athletic 2nd, Crook Town 3rd and Billingham Synthonia 4th.

    7. I don’t know either how many separate Leagues make up LEVEL 11, STEP 7 but it does include the Wearside League which is headed by Horden Community Welfare, and the Football Alliance headed by Newcastle Blue Star.

    8. The North Riding League comprising 15 clubs is headed by Boro Rangers, but also includes Yarm and Eaglesliffe 2nd, Stockton West End 3rd, Grangetown Boys Club 4th, Thornaby Dubliners 6th, Redcar Town 8th, Redcar Newmarket 9th, Fishburn Park 11th and Stockton Sports Club 14th, but I don’t know how far that League is placed in the pyramid system.

    I may have confused even myself in my earlier blog as well as everyone else, but the above should help to clarify matters.

    1. That is a good educational post Ken.
      Do you know how promotion and relegation is managed between the levels when there are multiple different leagues feeding into fewer higher level leagues?

      1. Powmill- Naemore
        1. National League Champions are automatically promoted, then 2nd v 3rd to playoff Final. Winner of 4th v 7th plays Winner of 5th v 6th and Winner of that match plays Loser of 2nd v 3rd with the Winner reaching the playoff Final the Winner of which is also promoted. For example last season Leyton Orient were automatically promoted as Champions and as far as I can recall 2nd placed Solihull lost at home to 3rd placed Salford City. 4th placed Wrexham beat 7th placed Eastleigh at home, and 5th placed AFC Fylde beat 6th placed Harrogate at home. Then 4th placed Wrexham lost at home to 5th placed AFC Fylde who then went on to beat 2nd placed Solihull away, which left the Final between 3rd placed Salford and 5th placed AFC Fylde which Salford won 3-0.

        2. The National Leagues North and South followed a similar pattern with Stockport automatically promoted as Champions from the North and 2nd placed Chorley gaining promotion by beating 4th placed Spennymoor 4-3 on penalties in the Final after extra time following a goalless draw. In the South Torquay were automatically promoted as Champions whilst 2nd placed Woking beat 3rd placed Welling United 1-0 in the Final to also be promoted.So basically 4 clubs were promoted to the National League and the bottom 4 relegated whilst the bottom 3 from both National League North and South were relegated.

        3. Things are simpler in the 4 Leagues making up LEVEL 8, STEP 4 as though 2 clubs are promoted and 2 relegated the playoffs only involve the 2nd to 5th placed clubs with 2nd v 5th and 3rd v 4th and the winners meeting each other for a promotion place along with the 1st placed club.

        4. LEVEL 9, STEP 5 follows the same format as LEVEL 8, STEP 4 but after that there seem to be different formats for the other Leagues from LEVEL 10, STEP 6 downwards depending on how many clubs there are in each League.

        5..All Leagues involving playoffs consist of single matches with the higher placed club playing at home.

    1. I was interested to read that the PL and Championship have been discussing matters in the last couple of days and it’s been reported that the majority wish to complete the season, whenever that may be. They also prefer to finish this season playing behind closed doors and then look to have a shortened season next season. Apparently one of the issues of not completing this season is that clubs may have to return money to the TV companies, which would be financially disastrous for many who are on the edge. So it looks like the driving force of money may mean the professional leagues won’t be voided this season.

  217. While some of the oldies on here may not know too much about the popular beat combo Oasis, many may be interested to hear how one of UK’s biggest names of the Britpop era are planning to raise funds for the NHS.

    Liam Gallagher has announced that the band will reform “with or without Noel Gallagher” – who if you haven’t guessed is his brother. The pair fell out after a back stage brawl back in 2009 and have not spoken for many years and rumours of the band reforming have been the celebrity gossip for many a year – especially for their fans. You may be aware that both are also big Man City supporters but now watch their team from opposite ends of the ground.

    Anyway, so what’s the plan – well Liam has declared (add your own Madchester accent for full effect): “Wanna clear a few things up. Oasis gig for NHS charity as in all money raised goes to NHS not to me will happen with or without Noel Gallagher.”

    Now a few may have already spotted an ever so slight problem with this plan… A Gig? Liam Gallagher is planning a big Oasis reunion concert to raise money for the NHS – shakes head – At least we can be sure Liam and Noel will observe the two metre social distance between themselves…

  218. I posted about Liam and Noel but oddly replied to Powmill not Werder, it happens with age.

    🔴 Luckily I can move it here to make you feel younger – Werder

    A great quote repeated by Giles Brandreth by Liam about Noel ‘he was born with a fork in a world full of soup’. or words to that effect.

  220. Nice to hear many of you are OK. Especially Ken, who I believe is one of the oldest in here. But also others as I know many bloggers are very seasoned Boro followers.

    Keep spirits up. Up the Boro!

  221. Like John, we’re quite lucky in that we live in a small village of about 6,000 people and we’re practically on the doorstep of the surrounding countryside so it’s easy to go for quiet walks and avoid people without any effort. Plus we’re not living in a Coronavirus hotspot with still only 36 cases out 114,000 people in our district.

    Anyway, we went for a walk yesterday and we tend to bump in to the odd family also doing a walk – this time we spoke to a guy who works in the medical supply industry. He’s currently working on supplying similar projects to the Excel Centre in Bremen, which is not for critical care beds but normal beds. He says what people forget is that once (or if) people recover from their time in a serious condition with pneumonia, most are going to require several months in hospital before they’ve recovered enough to go home – indeed many, particularly the older patients, will never fully recover.

    It certainly makes you realise that this pandemic will have long-lasting effects for a long time to come. Health experts are still predicting 12-18 months before a vaccine is ready for the general population, so we will be in and out of isolation measures possibly until autumn 2021.

    1. We went out for a walk yesterday and I was surprised how many people clearly do not know what 2 m is. Either that or they don’t care.

      I ended up, as walkers approached, saying to my wife in an overly loud voice, “it’s amazing how many people don’t know what 2 metres is”. In fact on one part of the narrow lane, someone had painted a line on the road with 2 metres on it! And still people couldn’t work it out. Maybe they don’t think it applies to them?

      PS will read Kens pieces later on after I get back from driving people to hospital appointments for the NHS.

  222. Apparently the voiding of STEPS 3-7 of the National League pyramid system has yet to be ratified by the FA Council and already 30 clubs have objected to the voiding notably South Shields who looked almost certain to replace Bradford Park Avenue in National League North. However there are two cases where Jersey Bulls and Vauxhall Motors cannot be caught and would have actually been promoted already if the season hadn’t been voided. Also South Liverpool unbeaten all season and leading the West Cheshire League 1 and only needing to finish 5th in a League to be restructured and already holding a 16 point advantage over Ashville in 6th place.

    How is it fair to void a League where two clubs cannot be caught and were already celebrating promotion? If the FA Council decide to overturn the decision to void one League they must do so for every League, so that would certainly benefit Stockton Town and Redcar Athletic in their respective Leagues though not Billingham Synthonia who have played more matches than clubs behind them and would be overtaken if the points per game ratio were to be implemented.

    I have always taken an interest in non-League football and update League tables weekly on paper despite the fact that they can be found via the internet after some research. It’s something I do to fill the time in as I live alone, and as statistics have always been a hobby of mine. I do the same with Rugby League, keep updating Yorkshire’s batting and bowling averages throughout the season, even used to do it for Boro Bears Speedway Club till they moved to Cargo Fleet and changed their name to Redcar Bears, and have still compiled the final scores of the Open Golf Championship each year since Nick Faldo’s first win in 1987. I also save records of the Belgian Juliper, Dutch Eredevise, French Championet, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, Portuguese Superliga and Spanish Superliga League tables, that’s what budding statisticians do. Boring for most folk, but a time-filling hobby for an eccentric like me.

    So as you can see I’m usually well up to date on statistical data especially where non-League football is concerned and could envisage the problems that might occur if football was voided by the Coronavirus pandemic. The trouble is that nowadays the press seem to centre mainly on the Premier League and the Champions League forgetting that football existed before either competitions and have suddenly woken up to the fact that there
    is still amateur football played at grass roots level in this country. No other country in the World has such a huge pyramid system as England, and perhaps it has taken the Coronavirus epidemic to make the tabloids including the Gazette to realise that. My opinion has always been to update League tables via points per match if the whole season is to be voided. I would have preferred that all football were to be resumed when circumstances allow, but I can’t see that happening and there must surely be a risk by playing matches behind closed doors for the players, and there will still be some fools ignoring the government guidelines by congregating outside grounds, so the playing matches behind closed doors for me is a non-starter.

    Finally I’d like to thank all those who have shown concern for me. Apart from another kidney infection I’m in reasonable good health, the cancer seems to have stabilised and if I can get through this year, I might be here for a few more years yet. Keep safe everybody, and up the Boro and Cas as well if you don’t mind my saying so.

    1. Thanks Ken, for adding the extra details about movement between the leagues. I’m still not clear how they balance out teams going up and down levels when the leagues are regional and not always with the same number of regional equivalents at the level above or below.

      I assume the winners of the National League South and National League North (level 6) must get promoted to the National League (level 5). But then two teams are relegated from the truly national level 5, down into the regional level 6. But if it is 2 northern clubs going down they would have to go into the National League North.
      So do teams near the border between m
      North and south get switched between the Noth and the South league from one season to the next to keep the numbers of teams the same?

      1. Powmill- Naemore
        Correct, that is how it works. I remember the seasons when we had Third Division North and Third Division South. Notts County
        particularly moved regularly between the two Divisions depending which clubs were relegated from the Second Division. It’s also noticeable that when Marske United were promoted last season there was no space available for them to play in the Northern Premier League East, so they were admitted to Northern Premier League West, although that seemed a bit extreme as there was surely some way of moving another club just this side of the Pennines from East to West to accommodate Marske.

  223. Ken

    It is a tricky decision for football to make, there is sure to be disappointment for some and relief for others.

    For supporters whose clubs would have trophies/promotions taken away it would be a bitter blow at all levels of the game. As you have highlighted It isn’t just about the premiership, people invest emotional energy in the clubs they support, it is hard for a player down the pyramid to have their hopes dashed as it is for the millionaires at the top, probably worse because many may well have their living taken away as well.

  224. BBD

    Went for a walk with Mrs G yesterday and popped in to a Sainsbury local to get some paracetamol. The shop was empty and I kept my distance from the lady behind the till. The store had one door

    Paid contactless for the paracetamol and as the automatic door opened a lady saw me and stood back. As I left the shop and said thank you a young lady pushed past me with not a word. In the words of Kammy ‘unbelievable Jeff’

  226. I did the weekly shopping at Tesco in Redcar two days ago. They were only allowing 50 people in the store at a time, as one exited the store one person entered it. There were taped markers 2 metres apart outside in the queues and also inside the aisles. I wasn’t able to get a shopping trolley near where I stood in the queue so as I approached the entrance I asked one of the guides if there were any trolleys near the entrance. There weren’t but the lady in front of me seeing that I was partly disabled leaning on my walking stick asked if I needed a trolley. I replied that I really could do with one depending how much shopping I would be allowed to do. She instantly got the person in front of her to hold the her trolley whilst she went to look for one and brought it back for me in the queue. I thanked her for her kindness and didn’t hear anyone grumbling about having to stand outside for half an hour to enter the supermarket. It took me back to the war years when most people looked after one another.

    Inside I was greeted by an assistant to show me where to sanitise my hands and the arm of the trolley if I wished. She informed me that I was allowed to purchase no more than 2 articles of a product except chickens and bags of 9 toilet rolls for which I was restricted to only purchase one. All the aisles were also marked on the floor with adhesive and it became obvious to me that if someone was taking their time to select an item, you were expected to wait until they had vacated their space before entering it. I spent just over an hour in total shopping almost twice as long as I would normally do, but it was a small price to pay and of course there were no children running around.

    It was an experience to see a supermarket with only 50 people in it with of course many empty shelves, but I was chastened to see how people observed the normal courtesies. I love children but as I’ve grown older am also terrified of their running around indoors and especially outdoors in case they should knock me down, for once on the floor I have great difficulty in getting up again even with a walking stick. So well done Tesco for banning them at the moment whilst acknowledging the fact that with no schools open it must be difficult to leave them at home often unsupervised.

  227. Ken

    Apart from the rude young lady I mentioned earlier it is heartening to see the response where I live. Everybody is courteous and respecting peoples space.

  228. Hope everyone is coping OK with their isolation.
    For all fans of Harry Pearson that he has a new book out on May 28 called the Farther Corner, similar to the Far Corner focusing on 2018-9 season in the North East.

  229. I’ve just read the 2 Philip Tallentire interviews with Tony Mowbray, don’t know how I missed them when they were originally recorded. I have to say how articulate Mogga was, never once said ‘yer know’ but came over as a real football man
    who always wanted his teams to play attractive football. Not an arrogant man, but didn’t suffer fools gladly. Such a pity he came back to Boro at the wrong time, but is doing exceptionally well at Blackburn Rovers. If this season does manage to continue I hope Rovers reach the playoffs. I know that Jarkko sings his praises, but for me he would be wasted as a Director of Football as he has so much more to give as a manager/coach. Would have loved to have seen him manage Boro when we had money.

  230. I miss Mondays especially in the Algarve where after having lunch at 3 pm at ‘Restaurante Dois Irmaos’ Georgio the proprietor and I used to chat for an hour about the weekend’s football results in Europe. Georgio in his thirties is a Benfica fan, but running a busy restaurant has never seen them play even when Benfica have played in the Algarve. I tease him sometimes by stating that I support Sporting Lisbon, but after having only lost once in their first 19 matches and with a 5 point lead over FC Porto, five matches later they find themselves 2 points behind the Dragoes with 10 matches remaining and in a League where surprise results are few and far between they might find it difficult to regain lost ground especially as they have lost twice to the Dragoes this season. As happens also in Spain where clubs have equal points, goal difference doesn’t count in establishing League positions, but match results between the two clubs does.

    We also ponder over the decline of the only Algarvean club in the Superliga SC Portimonense who have only won twice this season but a succession of draws have placed them second from bottom and now 6 points adrift of Pacos Ferreira but probably will be replaced by another Algarvean club SC Farnese was who are lying second 2 points behind Nacional Madeira but 6 points ahead of Feirense with 10 matches remaining. Of course all this happened before Coronavirus took hold of the Country so will the Portuguese Leagues be declared null and void thus saving the club from Portimao at the expense of the club from Faro?

    We then talked about the Spanish La Liga where the last results had Real Madrid losing 1-2 in Seville against Real Betis whilst FC Barcelona beat the Galician club Real Sociadad 1-0 a club twice managed by John Toshack. Those two results had the Catalonian club overtaking the club from Spain’s capital. There won’t be another El Classico this season but like the rest of Europe will this season be voided or played behind closed doors?

    Georgio always asks about the Boro and now knows where Middlesbrough is on the map, though he’s never been abroad except to Dublin and we reminisce together about Temple Bar. I also learned that Portugal is the only country to span 3 continents:- the mainland obviously in Europe, Madeira is part of Africa, and the Azores is part of North America.

    I miss my Mondays, but hang on today is only Sunday but with no football to watch or listen to, I have difficulty in remembering which day of the week it is. I suspect I’m not alone in that.

      1. Been to Azores once. Had a tour there and went to a small village. Heard someone talking Finnish, joined the same table in the cafe. Of course I asked where they were from. They were farmers next to my uncle’s farm. So I kind of knew him – at least by name and where they lived. Small world.

        But this is more strange. In 1989 I was visiting Ireland (and Boro 😉) by car. I was travelling with my wife and one-year-old daughter.

        We went to see the tallest water fall (sorry do not remember the name any more). We were returning from there via a very narrow road. A car was driving towards us, so we needed to stop and let the car pass. As said, it was very narrow road.

        When we stopped, there was a couple walking. The guy was my best friend from the school time and we had not met for the past five years. Note that that was before the mobile phone time.

        You can imagine how surprised we were. And laughed about the meeting point with a class of beer. Nowadays we keep in touch regularly and it is quite a story to share.

        Up the Boro!

  231. Ken

    An anecdote I have posted before but you talk of football conversations in the Algarve brought this one back.

    It is from the season when Giggs scored the super goal to give ManU a victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup. We were staying in Olhos D’Agua – I think I have spelt it correctly.

    There were more people on the postcards than the beach and the weather was warm after Easter. We had settled on a restaurant on the beach. We got quite chatty and a few days in went for another lunch. Alex was wearing the blue and white striped away shirt.

    One of the staff came over and his first question was whether TLF would be coming back to Boro. That took us aback, we are not ManU or Liverpool after all. We talked about the Boro so I asked how he knew so much living in a then pretty, quiet resort on the Algarve. (it may still be pretty and quiet but I know building work has continued around the resort.

    Mr Gibson comes in here was his proud reply. A small world

    1. We went to Olhos last year to meet neighbours during our tour of Portugal. They’ve been going for 20 years and we’re keen that we joined them.

      I’m not a beach holiday person and I’ve got to say I hated every minute of it, especially the karaoke bar and the need to dash to a bar because the lager was on offer at €1 a pint.

      I was very glad when it was time to move on.

      1. That is a shame, we were there at the start of the season and as I mentioned there was building work going on. there was a largish hotel on the cliff to one side of the village/small town.

        There was one English style pub on the top of the cliff – it was easy getting down to the village and a lot harder going back up the hill!

  232. It sounds like the football world is getting ready to accept that there will be no football anytime in the foreseeable future and are now poised to send their players on an early summer break as it’s just not feasible to maintain them at the fitness levels needed indefinitely.

  233. I think there is a lot of head burying in sand by the football authorities, who despite governments talking in terms of around 12 weeks social distancing measures and basically lock-down for all but essential work, appear to be hoping that game will resume before almost anyone else gets back to work. In addition, they haven’t really come up with a plan that covers all the different scenarios.

    for example…

    – if no football before end of June what needs to be done
    – what will happen with next season and can the possibilities be defined based on the number of games possible under different cases of disruption
    – Will (or even should) there be European competition
    – Should domestic cup competitions go ahead
    – Can players be transferred or what happens to players out of contract in June

    OK, it’s probably not of great importance but you’d expect executives in all industries to be currently working out detailed plans to protect their operations and businesses.

      3. Maybe we need an unbiased pools panel algorithm that runs the games many times and then picks out a random subsection of the virtual scores and averages them to give some degree of unexpected results.

  236. Jarkko
    Talking about a small World my wife and I were on holiday in a village just outside Benitses in Corfu. It was May 1992 and Albania had just opened its borders so I was itching to go to see the.country so enquired how to get there. Anyway the visas almost cost as much the trip as we set sail to Hyras Sarande and a trip to the historic ruins in Butrinti. My wife at the time was manageress of a patisserie shop in Redcar and saw a lady who she thought might have been a customer in her shop, so she ventured over to speak with her and sure enough she did live in Redcar. I never expected to see an English person on a boat to Albania never mind a person from Redcar.

  238. It seems those working for the UK government have been told to answer any question whether it’s on testing or supplies of ventilators or PPE with “We’re ramping up…”

    It’s a complete joke, I’m just listening to the Chief Nursing Officer, Ruth May bluster her way through an interview when asked if the antibody test is now in operation (which it isn’t because the kits are still being validated to see if they work) answered “We’re ramping up our testing programme” – the same answer to whether hospital staff are being tested. Also when asked about the number of ventilators… “We’re ramping up the supplies of ventilators” and on whether the NHS staff now have the right PPE… “We’re ramping up the deliveries of PPE to our frontline workers.”

    It seems you can sidestep any question by using the word ‘ramping’ – I’ve just told Mrs Werder that I’m ramping up preparations to paint the hall when she asked when I plan to start…

      1. The truth would be more meaningful as ‘ramping up’ could literally mean anything from none or little increase now to possibly getting to what is required at some unspecified point in the future. It’s a meaningless answer to avoid the question.

    2. Werder,

      There’s nothing like a well-turned cliche. Whether it’s a “level playing field” or “cherry picking” or “selecting the lowest fruit” or “drilling down”, it’s all making a noise but saying nothing.

      In departmental meetings in the Faculty of Design where I worked a few of us more anarchic members of the Faculty used to play, apologies here, ‘wank-word bingo’, you had to find eight of these cliches, jot them down and say ‘bingo’ in the meeting. If you were first the others that were playing bought you a beer afterwards. Well, it relieved the boredom of an academic meeting that always went on and on and on. A bit like self isolation really.

      On a more cynical note I see that some of the food hoarders are having to throw away consumables because they couldn’t eat them all and the food is going off.

      Anyway, stay fit and well everyone.

      UTB,

      John

  240. Werder
    After about the hundredth time of hearing it last week (even the media are using it) I said to my wife it has overtaken Brexit and beginning a response with the word “so” as most irritating …. er ….. like …….you know.

    1. Steely,
      Along with the preface “I think”at the beginning of a lot of sentences, my response on the irritation scale is “that’s a breakthrough”. It also means that it’s an opinion not a real fact.

      We’re all turning into the grammar police.

      UTB,

      John

  241. The book I referred earlier is, of course, The Far Corner by Sir Harry Pearson. He is the Great Ayton born writer.

    I got the book from Forever Dormo. I miss him on the block.

    Up the Boro!

  242. I think it’s time for journalists and the media to start being a bit more responsible with their questioning of scientific and medical professionals that have been put forward to answer questions.

    They have become so used to trying to provoke and trap politicians into giving them a useable quote or sound bite that they have become incapable of being constructive.

    The country is in an unprecedented health crisis, and like every health service in the world, is totally under-resourced to meet the demands put on it. Whether it be Tests, PPE, Ventilators, Staff etc. No health service in the world is coping.

    There will be time enough for a forensic review and recriminations in the future, but trying to badger individuals to score cheap political points is reprehensible in this time of crisis.

    I’m not in doubt that the utmost is being done to procure everything the NHS requires it certainly isn’t down to lack of finance, it’s just that demand is outstripping the ability to supply.

    It’s about time political lobbyists and their biased opinions ( whichever their political agenda is)were taken off the airwaves and replaced by medical and scientific professionals who can give us the information we need to combat the current epidemic.

    Hopefully this current exposure of the shortcomings of the NHS will lead to better funding in the future.

    1. Fully agree GHW!

      I was particularly defensive of the BBC and the fate that lay before them when this all kicked off and I have to admit now that I couldn’t give a stuff and whatever happens good luck to them, they will have deserved it.

      Its not just the BBC, Piers Morgan has even managed to up his ante and top himself with lavish dollops of self smarmy condescending smugness as he overpowers the ITV morning news programme. He writes the questions, answers the questions, talks over everyone and has an opinion on absolutely everything in his one man talkathon. I don’t bother watching Sky news anymore after Eamonn Holmes left (not that I was a great fan of him) due to the format and presentation style becoming irritable to watch and focus on.

      The daily evening updates are fine within reason but they are becoming a defence of something that isn’t helpful in the current situation due to the type of questions being asked. Thankfully the media as it is today wasn’t around in the Second World War. Can you imagine the questions after Dunkirk or Air Raids which killed thousands of ordinary citizens. I remember my Father telling me he was trained with a wooden rifle just before the D Day landings as the MOD didn’t have enough real ones to go round. I seem to recall a lack of Equipment with Boots and Vests in more recent conflicts. That’s the problem with Wars they never seem to break out when you have everything all planned and ready.

      None of that excuses or forgives the way the NHS has been decimated over the last decade but thats an argument for another day and one that I think will now take a complete U-turn to the original thinking in the Conservative ranks. Meanwhile giving responses that this lockdown may carry on for six months yesterday wasn’t a great answer in terms of peoples mental health but there again the person answering it isn’t a polished, media savvy individual which goes back to the value of the questions being asked. Hate to say it but maybe the questions should be pre screened if the Press can’t realise their own accountability in all this.

      1. R R
        The questions are pre screened, and they are not allowed to follow up, even if the question is ignored and something totally different is talked about.
        What we are getting is the result of one month of unfettered control of the press.
        Every one of the health workers who has died is a victim of the complete ignoring of the power of testing.
        And they are still openly lying about their ability to test.
        I would hate to have my son working on the front line after qualifying as a doctor. The dangers are very serious

    2. Somebody is always trying to make an angle GHW, just as I said last week, the questions from some journos deserved a more than blunt “reply” of industrial level.

      Jeremy Hunt was Health Minister in 2016 when the Government organised along with the help of the present government “modelers” a pandemic scenario which showed the NHS overwhelmed. Quietly shelved I believe,

  243. Sunny but too cold outside to do my weekly shopping though I’m not desperate and the weather forecast looks better for Friday particularly with sunny periods and a moderate breeze. Plenty of offers from neighbours but I Ike to see myself what is available for my needs.
    Anyway I don’t know whether this has been mentioned before, but there does seem to be a shortage of soap. I’m OK at the moment with 7 tablets as I usually buy non-scented soap like Simple which comes in packets of 4 which seems to be unavailable at the moment, but as like everyone else washing their hands more often I may have come across a couple of alternatives which I reckon should alleviate the problem, hair shampoo and washing-up liquid which seem plentiful at the moment if that’s a help to friends on this forum.

    I also discovered yesterday that The Archers which is the most up-to-date soap opera will have run out of recorded programmes after Thursday so unless the BBC can find a way to continue recording dialogue away from the studios, that may close down until the coronavirus pandemic has finished. Television soap operas I assume are recorded several weeks before being televised so may carry on for a few weeks yet, but in the long run it may mean only 2 episodes a week being televised instead of 5.

  244. I find it strange how this virus has spread across Europe, North and South America with impunity, leaving no city, town or village untouched by its deathly grip yet comparatively Beijing seemed to have escaped relatively unscathed?

    Now of course it could have simply been down to controls and lockdowns but as they were the first country and had the least warning and knowledge of this virus it does seem an incredible achievement to me.

  245. I’m no fan of populist journalism, who live to point their self-righteous fingers into everyone’s failings but it was the UK government who announced it was going to ‘ramp up the testing’ to 250,000 a day several weeks ago but is currently only up to 9,000 per day. It claims it has ‘ramped up the ventilator capacity’ to 16,000 but it’s still only at 8,000. It also insists they’ve ‘ramped up the supply of PPE’ to frontline NHS workers but those same workers still say they don’t have it. It’s the job of journalists to not simply accept everything the government is saying when the evidence is to the contrary.

    What is being exposed by evasive answers is that the UK government dithered and delayed acting and now can’t deliver on the flippant promises – it’s bit like Trump in the US who is now ranting and blaming everyone else for the problems because he didn’t believe the Corona virus was a serious threat until recently and they’re now trying to scramble for solutions. Trump’s now said yesterday that keeping the dead to between 100-200 thousand would be a “good job” by his government after saying only a few weeks ago that it wasn’t going to be a problem in America and he didn’t plan to act.

    Say what you like about Germany but it’s always a cliche to say that they’re organised – but they are and have been on the case since January and have got their heath service organised, testing is already up to 500,000 a week and the isolation measures were introduced much earlier. Also as an example, I was hearing how checkout operators in the UK supermarkets are worried for their health too and feel exposed, whereas all supermarkets in Germany installed perspex booths for their staff weeks ago.

    So I’d agree that it’s not the lack of financing or wanting to try and do the best that has hampered the UK government, it’s the basic lack of forward planning, coherent analysis and acceptance that they needed to act. The UK are ironically finding they’re now running around looking for something to buy after most other countries have done their shopping – though it’s they who are now buying in a panic.

    Unfortunately, that’s what happens when you elect leaders based on them having a big egotistical personality, who grin and throw quips at the camera and bend the truth for their own self-publicity. Countries need leaders in a crisis who are organised and focused rather than those who would probably only excel giving a best man’s speech at a wedding. Pity for the UK that Jeremy Hunt lost out to Johnson in the leadership contest as I suspect he would have been on the case with his sensible organised head on since it was needed.

    What we saw in the UK was that populism is no substitute for actually doing the right thing. Sadly the politics of populism need someone to blame and we’ll no doubt start to see more of that as the crisis peaks – China will I’m sure be targeted. Incidentally, Trump has unbelievably started blaming health workers for stealing PPE as the fault for shortages. The UK has already blamed the EU for not reminding them to join a pan-European procurement scheme after claiming the email got lost – even though it has emerged three UK ministers were in the meeting.

    Anyway, why does this all matter? Well mistakes and poor planning cost lives as do exaggerated promises of being able to deliver treatment capacity and equipment. The evidence for the benefits of better planning is clearly visible in the death rates among those countries who decided to act early – Italy were perhaps unfortunate to be first but Spain and America waited too long. Maybe the UK is at risk too but I hope instead they only face a longer time in isolation to ameliorate the bad planning.

    Finally, when it comes to analogies that journalists should back the government because we are essentially at war, we shouldn’t forget that the enemy is a virus that doesn’t listen to loose lips to gain an advantage – the advantage is gained by not scrutinising the response against fighting the threat of the virus by those who tell us they’re doing a great job!

    1. Do you not see the irony of putting forward Jeremy Hunt.

      Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
      In office
      4 September 2012 – 9 July 2018

        1. I think most of the friction in the NHS derives from the budgetary restrictions imposed by governments and that’s particularly true of Conservative chancellors who generally favour a downward pressure on government spending. Therefore pay settlements and recruitment have seen overworked staff morale fall. Interestingly, Hunt had written a paper proposing an health insurance financing system along the lines of the German healthcare model – having lived under both, the German model is in my opinion much better and offers better access to healthcare – with both being free at the point of delivery. The US system, which most people think of when they hear health insurance has given the concept a bad name. The tax-based system has probably outlived is usefulness as people never seem to vote for increased taxes even if they normally agree with raising tax to pay for the NHS. Everybody seems to love a tax cut when it’s given to them and politicians know that when making their pre-election giveaways!

      2. I know he’s not without faults or critics but there are probably few politicians around that would have been on top of the brief to deal with what is essentially a health crisis and he certainly knows where the problems in the healthcare system are. He’s admitted he failed to resolve the issue of social care but government policy has been one of austerity for the last ten years. I’ve been impressed with his knowledge on the Covid issue and was almost alone in being critical of the governments lack of response and policy of herd immunity – he knew it wasn’t going to work and was an advocate for more testing.

    2. The huge problem the UK had was that the alternative to Boris was Jeremy and Diane. Our politics had/has been reduced to that level and in no small part due to the behaviour of the very same Press and Journalists. Like our politicians its just a shame they decided to get a backbone when its far too late.

      Worryingly, looking around the world only Merkel really stands out as a respectable leader (Jacinda Ardern?) even if the German public do not always appreciate her. Leo Varadkar from the outside looking in seemed sensible but the recent Irish elections didn’t support that. There again sane, sensible, boring leaders are perhaps not sexy enough for many voters in this day and age.

      Johnson, Putin, Macron, Trump etc. all self serving egotists with questionable ability but unfortunately with the power to ignore accountability when it suits. Considering how badly Corbyn and the Labour party misjudged the electorate, myopically delusioned and detached by their own archaic ideology I would have serious doubts if they would or could have handled the Corona crisis any better.

      As Keith Lamb might have said, the UK got the politicians we deserved.

      1. Merkel lost popularity in Germany after deciding to allow one million Syrian refugees to enter the country as she realised there was no other decision that wouldn’t have led to a humanitarian disaster. She showed leadership when it was needed but it came at a cost as it saw the populist AfD rise in the polls and gain seats in the German parliament. In a way she’s an old-school politician who doesn’t make decisions to make herself popular – sadly in the social media age it seems what makes someone electable is the very reason you shouldn’t elect them!

      2. Fully agree on that about Merkel. By and large over her tenure she made the correct decisions at the time but unfortunately that doesn’t always make you popular and she has paid the price by breathing life into the AfD. Its the classic John Adair model of Task, Team and Individual, but the reality is that in Leadership is that you can’t keep everyone happy all the time.

  246. Trying to lighten things a little what’s everyone’s favourite Boro Moment?

    The Carling Cup final whistle was numbing as the reality set in that we had actually won a Cup. Amorebieta’s goal against Brentford was up there as was Stuani’s against Brighton but for a sheer Hollywood type blockbusting euphoric finish it has to be Massimo versus Steaua for me.

    I’m sure others and especially Ken can recall many more special stand out moments.

  247. Werder to put a fair slant on things, as much as I agree the UK could and should of been quicker off the mark. First off the UK said they wanted to do 25,000 tests a day not 250,000 as your post.
    Germany apart, who I am jealous of in many ways as a country and their achievements, who can compete with them? The UK’s testing against other European countries at a similar point in time is not as poor as suggested. We must certainly improve and be more radical in our approach and hopefully will get there..

    As for Jeremy Hunt, well I have not seen any replies yet to the shelved pandemic scenario he oversaw in 2016 and the consequences of it overwhelming the NHS at that time.

    2. I think Jeremy Hunt was the best of a bad lot but his biggest problem was implementing party policy over what was needed that was damaging at the very core of the NHS from which it has never recovered. Perhaps its a case of don’t shoot the messenger with Hunt. Damned if he did and damned if he didn’t, his Pandemnic scenario was the wrong answer to his Party’s question at the time.

      There will rightly be a lot of questions asked when this is all over but the NHS has gone from something that many of the public just expected it to be there with little to no thought about, to something that the same public have now been mobilised into vigorously supporting and shortly will be defending with an Iron Fist. How ironic that when it was at its weakest, (deliberately weakened at that) it is now at its strongest.

  248. There are many reasons why PPE is not available and not stockpiled. Unfortunately one of the reasons, is like a lot of PPE it has a limited shelf life. I would imagine that around the country there are lots of piles that have gone past their expiry date.

    Now some may say an expired date mask is better than no mask at all but who will take the responsibility for using them. That brings us back to why the NHS doesn’t have sufficient PPE on hand. If you kept enough supplies for a pandemic at huge cost with a new unknown virus on hand, but it didn’t materialise, you would then be faced with having to dispose of it all.

    A lot of HSE rules for PPE and Safety Equipment are, to put it mildly, quite ridiculous. In the past I have had to dispose of brand new ( still in the packaging) lifting equipment because it was more than One Year old.

    1. I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to link sources of PPE manufacturing with users (FOC on my part) and the bureaucratic obstacles are becoming a serious worry. There is a dire shortage as we all know and as more cases occur Globally it is not going to suddenly improve and those shortages will simply widen despite “ramping up”. Its like giving Usain Bolt a hundred yard start and honestly believing that the longer the race goes on you will eventually catch him.

      Normally I’m an evangelist for ensuring everything ticks all the boxes and meets all the current PPE standards but we will get to a point where there is nothing available as the world voraciously consumes an already stretched source of supply. Some European and UK factories are making fabric masks believing that they are helping, not having a clue what goes into making the different types of masks and how they all actually work and the damage their well intentioned simple fabric masks could have in increasing cases of the virus. Put into Layman’s terms its like putting three layers of Denim into a vest instead of Kevlar and expecting it to stop bullets!

      I made a comment last week to someone in procurement along the lines of I respect what you are saying and your reasoning but these are far from normal times and if something is perhaps (arguably) only 70% as good as your preferred product its 100% better than nothing (I will admit to using a dual Anglo Saxon description of “nothing”). I fully understand the possible risks involved but the risks that the front line staff are taking are far greater than waiting for the perfect product that never arrives (or arrives in time at least).

      My next rant is those that are wearing the wrong product the wrong way rendering it useless whilst also depriving those in urgent need of using the same product the correct way in the right scenario.

      1. Strange you should mention that, Mrs Werder just heard today that some experts are recommending just wearing homemade fabric masks (essentially scarves) when out and about. I’m considering borrowing my son’s Darth Vader mask to do the shopping when I move to the dark side of Lidl…

      2. Ordinary fabric masks will only help slightly in avoiding personal direct contact with nose and mouth. Its thought that the virus is mainly a surface risk (touching) rather than spread in the atmosphere, unless someone coughs or sneezes nearby showering people with microscopic droplets. In that scenario even the now famed N95 Masks cant totally prevent it getting through. The problem is how often should the fabric masks be changed and if washed at what temperature etc?

        The worry is that some individuals may think they are “protected” and thats before we talk about the warm moist atmosphere around their mouth and nose becoming a breeding ground for who knows what apart from Covid-19.

        The simple surgical type masks are worn to prevent spread from the wearer to those around them not for the wearers protection. For example our Dentists wear them to prevent spread from themselves to us, not in reverse. The more encapsulating N95 type masks are intended to be worn to prevent inhalation of germs, dust etc, in other words they protect the wearer and not those around them. The fabric masks don’t actually protect the wearer or those around them.

    2. Werder,

      He was a research fellow? As my grandfather would have said, “he knows (no pun intended) a lot about not much”. Noses, like ears, should have nothing smaller than an elbow inserted. Still he made me laugh.

      Stay safe and well,

      UTB,

      John

  250. Interesting take from my German professor of epidemiology today that ties in with the purpose of government action and how the media is behaving.

    He believes ultimately the governments probably couldn’t have prevented the Corona virus from spreading within a country and the measures they take can really only delay the spread and buy time so that the healthcare systems can be better prepared to cope and hopefully reduce the number of cases.

    As for the media, he says the media in Germany like controversy and arguments so are getting upset that everyone is trying to work together to solve the problems and as a result they can’t play off any one group as they’re more or less of the same view. He says many experts are getting upset at being picked up on what they say if it doesn’t exactly match what happens – he said that he may even stop giving public daily briefings and just stick to private briefings of officials.

    1. I may be being cynical but I think had the NHS had enough ventilators and ICU beds in-situ there wouldn’t have been a lockdown. When we emerge from this so long as the additional NHS resources are coping then the virus will be allowed to spread and suffer the consequences. A further application of the brakes will only be based upon the NHS not coping as the Financial ramifications hit home.

      The next generation will be saddled with Countries debts for decades to come, taxation will go through the roof almost as quick as offshore bank accounts spring up.

  251. As most of MFC’s contracted employees ( players) are unable to fulfil the terms of said contracts, could the club furlough them under the government’s scheme and only pay them 80% up to a maximum of £2,500 per month?
    I wonder if more knowledgeable folk on here could comment.

  252. In my lifetime the following stand out moments in chronological order but not particularly matches I’ve seen only those marked with an asterisk or on TV* :-

    29 Nov 1947 Blackburn 1 Boro 7
    30 Sep 1950 Boro 8 Huddersfield 0 *
    2 Dec 1950 Spurs 3 Boro 3 (reputably match of the season)
    8 Oct 1955 Boro 4 Leicester 3 (from 0-3 down) *
    10 Nov 1956 Forest 0 Boro 4 (Clough hat trick) *
    23 Aug 1958 Boro 9 Brighton 0
    29 Aug 1959 Derby 1 Boro 7 Peacock 4, Clough 0)
    22 Oct 1960 Charlton 6 Boro 6 (Clough hat trick)
    16 May 1966 Boro 4 Oxford 1 (Promotion to Div 2)
    26 Sep 1970 Boro 6 QPR 2 (from 0-2 down – missed this one as I was watching Tony Jacklin win at Fulford, York)
    20 Apr 1974 Boro 8 Sheffield Wed 0
    11 Sep 1974 Spurs 0 Boro 4 (FA Cup)
    19 May 1980 Boro 5 Arsenal 0 * (Last game of the season)
    28 May 1988 Chelsea 1 Boro 0 (won 2-1 on aggregate and back in the First Division)
    17 Aug 1996 Boro 3 Liverpool 3 (Ravanelli hat trick) *
    18 Feb 1998 Boro 2 Liverpool 0 (won 2-1 on aggregate in FA Cup *on TV
    10 Mar 2001 Boro 3 Everton 0 (FA Cup) * on TV
    28 Sep 2002 Spurs 0 Boro 3 * on TV
    29 Feb 2004 Boro 2 Bolton 1 (Carling Cup Final) *on TV
    6 Apr 2006 Boro 4 FC Basel 1 (won 4-3 on aggregate) * on TV
    27 Apr 2006 Boro 4 Steau 1 (won 4-3 on aggregate) *on TV
    11 May 2008 Boro 8 Man City 1
    23 Sep 2014 Liverpool 2 Boro 2 (lost 13-14 on pens in League Cup * on TV
    24 Jan 2015 Man City 0 Boro 2 (FA Cup)
    15 May 2015 Boro 3 Brentford 0 (won 5-1 on aggregate in playoff) * on TV
    7 May 2016 Boro 1 Brighton 1 (promotion at last) * on TV

    Of course although I’ve been watching Boro since October 1947 I haven’t seen as many live matches as a lot of folk for various reasons such as having a paper round in my youth, two year’s National Service most of that in Singapore, and as I spent many holidays abroad in the winter and as much as 5 months in the Algarve since I took early retirement aged 52. Although the EUFA Cup wins against FC Basel and Steau Bucharest were outstandingly exciting I think the Carling Cup win takes the biscuit for me on televised matches which my wife and I watched in Portugal in 2004.

    As far as live matches go I have to pick the 8-0 win against Huddersfield in 1950 because we really looked like winning the First Division Title at Christmas with a 3 point lead in the days of a win being worth only 2 points. Also unless Boro were the commentary match on what was called the Light Programme on radio nobody else knew the football results until 5pm on a Saturday. Often people who lived close to Ayresome Park would be standing on their doorsteps asking for the result. One lady asked me the score and of course I was delighted to say 8-0 to the Boro, but she obviously didn’t believe me as I later heard her ask someone else.

  253. Apparently the Daily Mirror have a campaign to strike a medal for NHS frontline workers. At the latest press conference the Mirror’s designated questioning journalist asked Dominic Raab if he would support that campaign.

    Now I’m full of admiration for everyone who works within the NHS but to waste a question like this to promote your own newspaper ( which is what he was doing) quite frankly diminishes the raison d’etre of these bulletins.

    1. GHW

      I have voiced my views before, there is bringing officials to account and asking questions that seem to be for your own purposes or for headlines which does happen at times

      There was an excellent piece on BBC breakfast news where they interviewed the chief medical officer for Scotland. His responses were about what the four governments were doing. they asked a lot of relevant questions, he gave the same answers as on the headline bulletins but it was less febrile and by nature joined up.

      The interviewers actually listened and drew out more questions and answers. Maybe the daily briefing has the wrong format.

    2. The NHS are doing an outstanding job but so are the Shop workers sat at checkouts with all and sundry abusing them, coughing and sneezing around them without any PPE. The same goes for the Police (excluding the speed camera brigade trying to catch Key Workers on deserted roads) who have to deal with the detritus of society.

      Also the Lorry Drivers, Factory Workers and Utility Workers keeping the Country alive but who rarely get any recognition despite the risks they are taking. Those caring for the vulnerable, frail and elderly in Care Homes on wages that are of little more value than the bed pans they empty. Then there are those who are seeing their businesses and livelihoods going down the drain helpless to do anything to prevent it as debts mount.

      Medals are a petty tub thumping marketing gimmick which just highlights how bereft of responsibility these people are. In fairness it may just be a complete lack of intellect.

  254. With ref to Bernie Slaven’s article in the Gazette on which Boro players should stay or go. He says astonishingly he likes Ayala but that he should go because he has been here too long. Sometimes Bernie you come out with weird statements and that is being polite!

  255. I now realise it is Monday, but when I looked at the calendar it said 1st of April. I had to check my iPad to realise that before I went to Portugal I turned over the calendar from December to March and again yesterday to April forgetting it was last year’s calendar. Senility is definitely settling in!

  257. With Scottish League officials reportedly stating that the League season now looks unlikely to be finished perhaps if that is the case all matches could be staged by the computerised Quaran System. At least it would give football fans something to follow on their screens. I wonder though if live football does return the longer the delay might encourage more fans to matches which happened after the Second World War when fans starved of any sport attended in their droves especially at football venues.

    On a personal note I have two urology nurses visiting me this afternoon to change my catheter tube which has given me another kidney infection which if not eradicated could lead to Sepsi. Inserting a catheter tube has become more difficult because of my enlarged prostate and I’m actually more concerned about contacting Sepsi than Coronavirus at the moment as I’m so tired and sometimes disoriented.

    I’ll certainly be glad when today’s over and hope that another dose of Trimeproprim antibiotic tablets will be effective and that the urology nurses are able to insert a new tube without too much bleeding.

    1. Best wishes Ken, I have my legs and fingers crossed for you. My mum used to say the creaking cage hangs longets so keep creaking and giving us nuggets as normal

    3. Hope it goes as well as these things can go Ken (though doesn’t sound like a pleasant experience) and hopefully the antibiotics sort out your kidney infection.

      I must admit I’ve never heard of the Quaran System but a quick google showed some odds for the FIFA Esoccer Ultimate Quaran-Team Cup – rather interesting to find that the favourites for the cup were none other than Middlesbrough at 5-1…

      https://www.online-betting.me.uk/news/fifa-esoccer-ultimate-quaran-team-cup-betting-preview

  259. All the best, Ken.

    Werder, yes I saw that “Boro” we’re doing quite well in the Quaran Team Esports tournament. They (he) is into the Quarters I believe.

    My source tells me we have a professional Esports player representing us who the actual Boro May have just signed up, whereas some other teams were using footballers or amateur gamers.

  261. Reference the Quaran tournament, yes Middlesbrough are through to the quarter finals and you can watch the matches already played on MFC website. I believe you can watch the match “live” on the site also with the quarter final being played on Wednesday.

    Danny Taylor represents Boro and has just signed a contract to become MFC first eSports player.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Just watched the game on the MFC website. Won’t give the score in case you want to watch later, but the game included a typical Boro piece of defending.

  264. BTW, is this the longest unbeaten run Boro are on now? Tomorrow we will have been unbeaten for a full month!

    Also the win at Charlton was massive. Think if we would have been in the bottom three all month now…

    Just saying, like. Up the Boro!

  265. Yes Jarkko. do we have a cancelled fixture tonight, if so another non game unbeaten to stretch the run.

    Weird this morning, got up around 6.30 am. It was quite dark with no birds tweeting which is unusual. I went back to bed for a doze and woke up at 7.45am which is late for me.

    We live in the old part of the village with no through traffic but the main road is a 50 yards away, the primary school at the bottom of road is shut.. The air was still and there wasn’t a murmur of distant traffic.

    Tesco is a few minutes walk away out the back but no sound from there. No sound of aircraft from East Midlands Airport (about 15 miles away) .

    Spooky to say the least, it really seemed as if the world had stopped overnight.

  266. Have you noticed that all the professional political activists are slowly disappearing from the media?

    People like, Camilla Tominay, Ash Sarkar, Grace Blakeney, George Monbiot, Femi Omuwole, Owen Jones etc, and many more.

    Their opinions have become totally insignificant as we face this current crisis. If only this could be carried on once some kind of normality is resumed.

    1. GHW,

      Well spotted indeed. Sadly they’ll come crawling out ‘if and when’ this is all over gifted with the power of hindsight so that they can start grinding their particular political axes.

      Meanwhile stay fit and well.

      UTB,

      John

    2. Couldn’t disagree more with that sentiment as there’s been a long tradition of political activism that has led to many people having rights that used to be denied to many people that we now take for granted. There’s nothing wrong with political activists if they’ve got something to say on issues that they think are being ignored or not properly addressed – what’s wrong for example with George Monbiot raising the lack of action on climate change?

      I don’t think the Corona crisis should be used as a good reason to keep people whose opinions you don’t agree with out of media. Probably the only reason you don’t see them in the media is that there is at the moment only one story in the news – nobody is talking about climate change, LGBT rights, the EU, poverty etc. Hopefully they will be once the Corona virus is no longer a major threat but it probably won’t be this year!

      1. Nothing wrong with political activism, I said professional activists who make a living out of it. The kind who think their’s is the only acceptable opinion and if you disagree with them you’re ignorant.

        1. Isn’t political activism, professional or otherwise, just what people who strongly believe in an issue do to try and bring about change. Of course they think they’re right, it’s just a case of whether they can argue their case and persuade others. Although in today’s age I’m not sure anybody listens to anybody else anymore – we saw it with Brexit that people mainly thought they were right because that is what they had decided. Most people who I saw could hardly give a coherent explanation of why they had decided one way or the other.

          Politics is no longer about ideas and arguments or being persuaded by the counter-argument – it’s almost deteriorated to nothing more than the cult of personality as we saw with Corbyn and Johnson. After three years of non-stop Brexit, UK opinion was still split more or less the same. So in some respects I’d agree that nobody wants to listen to political activists.

  267. Like MW in Darwin I too watched the Quaram-team Cup on the MFC website this morning. I too won’t reveal the score except to say that the match although simulating 90+ minutes was over
    in just over 18 minutes with play speeded up. If only real live football was speeded up like this it would be more enjoyable. If this season is to be voided it certainly is a good way to get clear results in the 438 matches still to be played in the 4 Divisions including Premier League 91, Championship 108, League One118, League Two 112 and all 3 Division’s play offs 9.

    P.S. My change of catheter postponed yesterday until tomorrow as Urology staff like all NHS staff are very busy with home visits.

  271. The first patient to be treated with the new Dyson ventilator is responding well, medical staff say that he’s picking up nicely.

    Don’t worry, I’ve already got me coat.

  272. Always a problem with a vacuum, news grows to fill it.

    My wife came in to the room waving the paper saying she had the virus, on what basis, lack of taste?

    Lack of taste I asked, the response was cutting – I married you!

    Peasepudding, can I borrow your coat?

  273. The think the FA have been too hasty in voiding all non-League football and especially the National League (Level 5 Step 1) and NL North and South (Level 6 Step 2). Why should non-League football be treated any different from the Premier League and the EFL? If football is to return by the 1st of June and concluded by the end of June then why can’t non-League football also? Of course if it’s decided to play professional football behind closed doors, that throws out a different scenario as most of non-League grounds in the lower Levels are open-ended and not stadia.

    If the Coronavirus pandemic extends beyond July as I fear it might well do and the whole season is voided, the Final League tables must be decided by points per match in which case so should all the Levels of the pyramid system. That would see a few changes to the present League tables:-

    1. PREMIER LEAGUE
    The only change in the final league table won be that Sheffield United would exchange places with Wolves in 6th place.

    2. CHAMPIONSHIP
    Final League table unaffected as all clubs have played the same number of matches.

    3. LEAGUE ONE
    Only change in the final League table would be that Wycombe Wanderers would move up from 8th to 3rd and subsequently that Oxford, Portsmouth, Fleetwood and Peterborough would each drop a place, the latter out of the playoffs. No change in the relegation places.

    4. LEAGUE TWO
    Only changes at the top would be that Swindon would become Champions with Crewe dropping to 2nd, and Exeter would drop from 4th to 5th with Cheltenham going up from 5th to 4th. No change at the bottom.

    5. NATIONAL LEAGUE (LEVEL 5, STEP 1)
    Only change at the top would be Barnet currently 11th replacing Stockport in 7th which is a playoff position. No change in the relegation places.

    6. NATIONAL LEAGUE NORTH (LEVEL 6, STEP 2)
    King’s Lynn replacing York City as Champions, Boston moving up to 3rd from 4th, Bracknell dropping from 4th to 3rd, and Chester and Gateshead moving into the playoffs at the expense of Spennymoor. No change in the relegation places.

    7. NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE DIV 1 (LEVEL 7, STEP 3)
    FC United of Manchester, Warrington and Basford all dropping a place from 2nd, 3rd and 4th to 3rd, 4th and 5th whilst Morpeth with 5 games in hand and still 15 matches to play would move up from 9th to 2nd. Stafford already relegated, but both 21st club Atherton and 20th club Matlock would be safe over 19th club Grantham on points per match average.

    8. SOUTHERN LEAGUE CENTRAL (LEVEL 7, STEP 3)
    League leaders Peterborough Sports would drop to 3rd behind Tamworth and Royston, Bromsgrove staying 4th but Coalville now 8th would jump into the playoffs in 5th place. No change in the relegation places.

    9. SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTH (LEVEL 7, STEP 3)
    Only change in the playoffs would be Tiverton 5th at the moment moving ahead of 3rd placed Hayes and Yeading United and Swindon Supermarine. No change in the relegation places.

    10. ISTHMIAN LEAGUE (LEVEL 7, STEP 3)
    Only change would be 3rd placed Folkestone going above 4th placed Hornchurch. No change in the relegation places.

    11.NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE DIVISION 2 SOUTH EAST (LEVEL 8, STEP 4)
    No changes in either the top 5 nor relegation places.

    12. NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE DIVISION 2 NORTH WEST (LEVEL 8, STEP 4)
    Only change would be 4th placed Pontefract moving above 3rd placed Marine Crosby thereby earning home advantage in the one game Semifinal whilst 5th placed Marske would travel to Ramsbottom. No change in the one relegation position where Pickering would probably play in the Northern League Division 1.

    13. NORTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION 1 (LEVEL 9, STEP 5)
    No change at the top with Stockton Town promoted as Champions to the Northern Premier League Division 2 either SE or NW. At the bottom 20th placed Northallerton would avoid relegation by moving above 19th placed Penrith.

    14. NORTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION 2 (10, STEP 6)
    Only change would be Heaton Stannington moving from 5th to 4th denying Billingham Synthonia promotion. Redcar Athletic would still stay 2nd and Crook Town 3rd so both would be promoted. No change in the relegation places though.

    15. Now if my simple mind can work out which teams would be promoted, reach the playoffs, or be relegated under the points per match ratio, then surely the boffins at the FA should be able to, although I acknowledge the fact that there are many more STEPS in the pyramid system than I have covered. In fact these are the current number of Leagues in each STEP at the moment:-

    STEPS
    1 = I League of 24 clubs
    2 = 2 Leagues of 22 clubs each
    3 = 4 Leagues of 22 clubs each
    4 = 7 Leagues of 20 clubs each
    5 = 14 Leagues of 19 or 20 clubs each
    6 = 20 Leagues varying between 16 and 20 clubs
    7 = 46 Leagues varying between 14 and 18 clubs
    8 = 59 Leagues varying between 9 and 16 clubs
    9 = 65 Leagues varying between 6 and 16 clubs
    10 = 74 Leagues varying between 6 and 18 clubs
    11 = 67 Leagues varying between 6 and 14 clubs
    12 = 55 Leagues varying between 7 and 16 clubs
    13 = 37 Leagues varying between 8 and 14 clubs
    14 = 20 Leagues varying between 10 and 14 clubs
    15 = 8 Leagues varying between 9 and 14 clubs
    16 = 5 Leagues varying between 10 and 18 clubs

    The FA are obviously trying to equalise all STEPS from STEP 2 to STEP 11 to 22 clubs in each Division, a massive restructuring exercise. STEP 12 to STEP 16 are not envisaged to be in that restructuring as they are completely non-professional. This restructuring started two years ago, but it’s doubtful that the National League will be reduced to 22 clubs. If this season is completely voided I can’t see how Leeds and West Brom can be promoted without a points per match being considered, because Coventry and Rotherham would also have to be promoted to the Championship. Hopefully it won’t come to that and the Premier League and EFL can be played to a finish in which case all the Leagues down to STEP 11 should also be allowed to continue to a finish. I accept that if the season is voided then there would be a total of 94 Leagues to be adjusted down to STEP 7 as the number of clubs in STEPS below that have some Leagues of only 6 clubs whilst others have 14 to 18 clubs which causes an imbalance in a points per match ratio. But as the decision to void STEPS 1 to 7 have not yet been ratified by the FA Council I hope that calculations of points per match have already been made as a contingency plan. As some clubs have played more home matches than away matches, points per home match could even be added to points per away match and the average of the two ratios used in determining league positions.

    The points per home ratio averaged out with the points per away ratio wouldn’t affect Boro anyway as they have played the same number of home games 19 as Charlton. As I said the idea of promoting Leeds and West Brom to the Premier League if the Championship is voided should be a non-starter anyway as Coventry and Rotherham have just as much entitlement to promotion to the Championship as much as Leeds and especially West Brom have to the Premier League and we can’t cope with a Championship of 26 clubs. So all in all I believe if football is to resume at some time, it should do so right down to the grass roots level which would be a boost to 3 of our Teesside clubs, Marske United, Stockton Town and Redcar Athletic.

    1. Ken
      As said on this blog.
      We are the slaves of the Prem.
      The Prem are going to fulfil their fixtures, come what may (there are big bucks at stake, very big bucks)
      We are collateral damage (so, come what may we will play the matches).
      Therefore, Boro had better be wound up and raring to go, because it will be like nothing you have ever seen, every match will be a whirlwind of running and kicking and tripping, with plenty of sending off’s.

      1. I’ve just seen a news report about the stresses and strains of self-isolation.

        It reported that people are going crazy from being in lock down!

        It was strange, actually, because I had just been talking about this with the microwave and toaster and all of us agreed that things are getting bad.

        I didn’t mention anything to the washing machine as she always has to put a different spin on everything, and certainly not to the fridge as he is acting cold and distant.

        In the end the iron calmed me down. She said everything will be fine, which surprised me because she’s usually the first one to apply unnecessary pressure and get steamed up over nothing !!! I think she might have been sneaking off to the medicine cabinet.

        OFB

  274. I suppose that we people who live alone must now adhere to John Donne’s theory that ‘no man is an island’ and find something to fill the time during this self isolation. That probably accounts for my researching and writing so many blogs on this forum. I’ve had some good news and then some very sad news today. The good news is that a male and female nurse despite being very busy were able to visit me today duly masked and change my catheter tube easily with no discomfort or bleeding.

    Then later I received the sad news that my late wife’s only remaining aunt has died in hospital aged 94 and that Wakefield’s Health Authority quite understandably have placed restrictions of no more than 10 people attending her funeral and of course a lot of our family being unable to say goodbye to a much loved lady. In the circumstances it is probable that there will be fewer than that number who would be allowed to travel anyway. Doubly sad times indeed.
    RIP Joyce.

  275. Ken

    My heart goes out to yourself and people in a similar position. My best wishes go out to you and many other people, it truly is sad.

    Kind regards,

    ian

  276. Ken

    My sympathies to you are all your family.

    These are difficult times and we are all doing our best to cope.

    Glad the nurses got to you and that you keep safe.

    Keep on posting – keeps us sane..

    OFB has lost the plot though!,

    Take care all

    BBD

    Ps – just seen an amazing football match where a team in red called Boro won 4 2 on the night to get to a European final! There were several bits that I didn’t recall!

    UTB

  277. Just finished watching Sunderland Til I Die on Netflix. It’s certainly compulsive viewing. The first series covers their relegation from the Championship and is a stark view of what happens when a club is mis-managed.

    The second series illuminates exactly how difficult it is for a club to try and bounce back up. Whilst football is often referred to as “The Beautiful Game” it’s easy to forget that it can also be the cruellest game. Even the most hard hearted fan couldn’t feel anything but sympathy for their fans. It also stands as an abject lesson to other clubs fans the dangers and pitfalls of relegation.

    Highly recommended.

  278. MFC to furlough all non playing staff. However MFC will cover the 20% not paid by the Government. Also includes zero hour employees.

    Well done Mr Gibson.

  279. I’m pleased you were not too discomforted having your tubes replaced Ken. Also, very sorry to hear of your family loss.

    It is perhaps the saddest thing of all to hear of the so many people passing away in this time without loved ones at their side and with so many unable to pay their respects and provide tangible support to grieving families at a funeral.

    We have to hope this will all pass us by sooner rather than later.

  280. Condolences, Ken.. I’m sure all of us on the blog stand (digitally) shoulder to shoulder with you.

    Hope everyone else and their families are well.

  281. Keep posting and my condolences, Ken.

    If you have an opportunity to go to the funeral, I am sure some one on here can take you there. Depending on circumtances, of course.

    Up the Boro!

  284. Whilst nobody knows at this stage how, when and if this football season will end, all suggested remedies won’t please everybody. However Jeff Stelling is correct in stating that whatever happens it should apply to every League in the pyramid. I do think it’s too soon yet to void the season as he suggests, but do agree with him that points per match is the fairest method to establish league positions if the season has to be voided at some time in the future which I’ve been strongly advocating on this forum.

    Of course it’s preferable for all outstanding matches to be played and as a follower of non-League football going back to the days when I used to cycle to Ramshaw’s Farm (where goal nets were non-existent and now the site of Roseberry Square) to watch the now defunct Redcar Crusaders play their home matches in the South Bank and District League, it’s essential that all Leagues in the pyramid are treated equally. Although a follower of the Boro in the late 40s and early 50s the results of Crusaders meant just as much to me as did Boro’s matches. There were usually only about a dozen of us watching those matches, but I remember the Evening Gazette reporting on local football midweek and occasionally producing League tables of the Teesside League and the district Leagues of South
    Bank, Middlesbrough and Stockton in those days.I can still remember the names of some of our local clubs such as Clairville Athletic, Fishburn Park and Stillington St Johns,etc. but the Gazette seems to have forgotten about local football especially since it became a tabloid newspaper instead of a broadsheet, but I certainly have not. No longer do we seem to have roving reporters, only when the Boro are playing.

    I know OFB was a referee in his younger days. I wonder if he started refereeing in the minor leagues before moving up to the Northern League. Over to you Bob.

    1. Hi Ken

      First of all condolences for your loss hopefully your messages of support from all your virtual friends on Diasboro will have shown how much you are appreciated on this blog. Take care during these times and hopefully things will start to get better in a few weeks.

      Re my refereeing career

      All refs no matter who they are always have to start at the bottom.

      I began by taking the TJFA matches and lived near to both the Marton and the Nunthorpe teams. It wasn’t far to go further down to Ormesby Road so I didn’t have to travel far

      After a few months of this Harry Baige our referee appointment secretary thought I was ready for a senior game. It was in the Teeesborough League 4th Division and I sent two players off from the same team for fighting each other. This was despite many protests from that team who thought you couldn’t send players off from the same team for violent conduct to each other.

      I resisted other senior games for a while and carried on with junior football until Jim Ramage a lovely guy who I was working with asked if I could help him one Saturday and he couldn’t get a referee. Now Jim was a family man and quite big in local football. He managed North Skelton, sat on the North Riding FA Council and his son Alan Ramage had just signed as a junior for the Boro.

      I drove to Skelton for the game a bit nervous but Jim had primed all the players that this ref wouldn’t take any dissent. So the game was played very sportingly and I had a good game and this was the turning point of my career in the game.

      Let’s face it if you’re not enjoying it then why do it ?

      I still carried on with TJFA and did the Saturday games for Jim and started to do the Teesborough League on a Sunday to get toughened up.

      The Teesborough League chairman was Dave Bodley who was also a Northern League Referee and a Football League Linesman. Dave appointed me as one of the Linesmen in the Teesborough Cup Final that year so I had a medal in my first season.

      The RA referee association was very helpful and the next year I do Teesside League Line which was often refereed by Northern League and Football League refs so I got to know them very well and they helped with my career.

      I lost a lot of weight and got very fit after doing three matches a weekend and also started doing Boro trial matches on a Sunday Afternoon for Harold Shepherdson.

      I was awarded the cup final that year for the TJFA at Hutton Road and had a great game.

      So a very long winded answer ken but – yes every ref starts out from the bottom !

      OFB

      1. Thanks OFB, very interesting. But let’s not forget either that many of today’s star footballers also started in the lower echelons not least Jamie Vardy and our own Lewis Wing, and also that some like Julio Arca finish their careers playing for clubs well down the pyramid system. Football is still in their blood and those now playing professional football still hold fond memories of the clubs where their careers started. Former players such as Wilf Mannion, George Hardwick and Mickey Fenton all played for either South Bank St Peters or South Bank East End. Tim Williamson who still holds the record of 564 Boro appearances started his career at Redcar Crusaders, and let’s not forget Bobby Smith the Lingdale lad who went on to play for Chelsea, Spurs and England started his career playing for Redcar Boys Club all still remembering their roots, and that the clubs they played for at the time were just as important to them as the clubs who they later played for in their professional careers.

        I sometimes despair at the arrogance especially of some football fans of Premier League clubs who don’t consider that amateur football or indeed football outside of the Premier League is worthy of their consideration. To give the BBC it’s due, it still focuses on clubs from the lower reaches by showing early FA Cup rounds on the internet, but rarely do the national newspapers mention them at all except for occasionally publishing their results.

        1. Ken

          I still watch junior football and have done for years.

          Both my sons played football to a good level and my eldest grandson was offered an academy place by Sunderland but turned it down.

          He’s now three years into an electrical engineering apprenticeship will shortly get his HNC and going on to do his degree sponsored by the company. He doesn’t regret making the decision not to go to the academy as during the years he played for Sunderland juniors he saw quite a few lads who were turned away and released year by year. So now he works and plays football for Billingham Town and just enjoys the game.
          My other grandson plays for a good team in the TJFA U14 league and we’re in a good position to win the championship until It all stopped!
          He also captains the schools district team and we travel north to South Shields and other parts of Tyneside as well as Teesside band North York’s.
          A lot of the lads we see are signed up to professional academies but the district schools still have preference.

          A lot of good players but still a lot that slip through the net and play Local League Football. Lewis Wing was the last signing by our former chief scout Ron Bone and I mentioned it in my Interview with Ron.

          We were lucky with Lewis as he was approached by Sunderland but all his family were Boro daft and he only had one option!

          Back to Refereeing a cup final I did once for local league at the South Bank ground I had a young linesman working with me who went on to the premiership……Jeff Winter.

          Jeff is still a friend today and we keep in touch especially last year when he had a quadruple bypass operation but is fine now. Just bored as he does after dinner speaking and his engagements have dried up.

          Stay Safe Everyone

          OFB

        1. Elaine formerly Ramage I know very well as she is married to a friend of mine and we’ve often been out for dinner with Mrs OFB and myself.

          It took a few years socialising before she realised that I knew Jim and Alan very well and it’s indeed a small world

          OFB

  285. I agree with Anthony Vickers that we should have a decent squad available when the play resumes.

    We will have Dael Fry, George Friend and even Dani Ayala back – while much missed Patrick Roberts should also be available and he makes a massive difference in the final third.

    I would add that also Britt Assombalonga should be OK after his ancle problem. And Rudy Gestede (😊).

    I am dreaming perhaps but could we play the foĺlowing starting eleven in 4-3-3 formation:
    Stojanović
    Howson, Ayala, Fry, Coulson
    McNair
    Wing, Roberts
    Spence, Assombalonga, Fletcher

    Subs: Pears, Friend, Moukoudi, Tavanier, Saville, Nmecha, Johnson

    I had difficulties who to leave out of the first eleven. A god omen 😉.

    Up the Boro!

    1. As we don’t know when the season will resume we (and all other sides) won’t know who we will actually have available to select from for a multitude of reasons. The results for these last few games are likely to turn up some big surprises as momentum is interrupted and possibly lost for some and negativity eased off for strugglers after much needed breathing space. Don’t be surprised if Leeds or the Baggies blow it or Barnsley/Luton/Charlton etc. go on a coupon busting run.

    2. I’ve just heard that following the success of the nationwide clapping for NHS workers,
      there will tomorrow be a round of applause for all the courier and delivery drivers
      who are getting everything to our doors.
      It will take place anytime between 9 am and 6 pm.

    3. OFB
      I know you’ve always been a supporter of junior and all local football, and there are many like you who still support their local clubs some of which have increased their attendances dramatically this season. For example Stockton Town’s attendances have increased by 67.69% to an average of 493 with a high of 940 that many Scottish Division 1 and 2 clubs would envy, Guisborough Town have increased theirs by 72.52% with a high of 550 for League matches alone. There must be many more examples up and down the Country. All I’m trying to do is champion the cause of the little clubs which the media and press seemed to have chosen to ignore. There was football well before the Premier League was born but some of the media seem to have forgotten that as well. No other country has such a pyramid system anywhere as large as England, and I think that all clubs in that pyramid should all receive the same treatment when decisions are made about voiding seasons or determining League positions on points per game. There are a total of 1,693 clubs competing down to STEP 7 in the pyramid system, 4,822 if one goes down to STEP 11. Take away 4 STEPS away from a pyramid never mind 7 or 11 and a pyramid will collapse, and that’s why I believe that decisions taken about the top level or apex of a pyramid should be the same as for all the STEPS below it.

  286. GHW

    Thanks for the heads up on Sunderland ’til I Die. Watched the series straight through last night and greatly enjoyed it. Very well made and very relevant to our current situation in a multitude of ways.

    I was particularly struck by the parallels between the roles taken up by Sunderland’s No 2 Charlie Methven, and our own Adrian Bevington. Both ex-journos who went from PR and Marketing into football, they saw their “leadership roles” primarily as strategic re-branding exercises, replete with aspirational hot air, flow charts and hyperbolic language utterly disconnected from the reality on the ground and, in Methven’s case, delivered to a sceptical (and predominantly female) staff in an expletive-laden, top- down, my-way-or-the-highway style that buttered few parsnips with the poor bloody infantry charged with carrying these fantasies out.

    The whole series an object lesson for the Boro in the catastrophic consequences of flirting with relegation from the Championship with players on Premier League wages.

    1. The first Series showed how easily a mismanaged club can sleepwalk its way to relegation and once that decline starts it’s almost impossible to halt it.

  287. There is an accurate appraisal by Leon Wobschall in yesterday’s Yorkshire Post of Jonathan Woodgate’s first season of management and of how two disastrous periods of poor performances from mid September to late November, and then again from early January to March would have culminated in his dismissal under any other chairman than Steve Gibson. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, one bad run of form might be classed as unfortunate but two would be classed as carelessness. Yet Woodgate has lived to tell the tale, and whilst opinion is divided on his appointment and subsequent future as Boro manager, if Boro survive this season it may well be the making of him as a manager whereas relegation would find him with few friends on his native Teesside.
    For the full story log in to http://www.yorkshirepostfootball.com

  288. Voiding of a football season is one thing, but voiding of people’s lives as if they never existed is quite another. During the two World Wars there were no individual funerals for those that lost their lives fighting for their country. How could there be when many bodies were not recovered? We had mass remembrance services and anyone who like me has visited the war graves in Belgium cannot fail to be impressed how immaculately the graves are maintained but equally saddened especially at those graves with no name on them. When my wife visited the grave of her father, a father she never remembered as she was only 6 months old at the time of his death, there was next to his grave one of an unknown soldier so we planted flowers on both graves.

    Now we have a situation where both Leeds and Bradford Metropolitan Borough Councils have suspended all funerals, whist my late wife’s family are ‘lucky’ in that Wakefield Borough Council are allowing no more than 10 people to attend her aunt’s funeral, but in fact because of self-isolation there will be no more than 5 attending. I mean no criticism of those decisions, it is what it is. But in reality it’s just like wartime when families weren’t able to say goodbye to their loved ones. No service, no hymns, just in my late wife’s case 5 people each distanced apart by two metres watching a coffin disappear behind a closed curtain; it’s as if a deceased life similar to this football season had never existed. How sad is that?

    When my wife died I decided that it should be in two parts, a church service in celebration of her life where I had smiles from the congregation as I recounted her attributes intertwined with humorous moments of her life in my eulogy (quite frankly it was the only way I could have got through the day). The second part was a recognition that she had died when only the family and I watched tearfully as her coffin disappeared behind the closed curtain to a recording of the opening lines of a David Whitfield number “When you lose the one you love…..”. Joyce’s family won’t be able to say goodbye to a much loved lady, and unfortunately that is the scenario for anyone who loses a dear one in the current situation.

    I was fortunate that I decided to talk with my wife every day since her demise almost 11 years ago, although of course it’s a one way conversation, but at least Enid had a good send-off whereas poor Joyce and many more will not have that ‘luxury’.

  290. Ken

    It is very sad especially when you hear stories of groups meeting up for social reasons in various places yesterday.

    If it continues today you fear further restrictions and it will be the ‘governments’ fault. I wish there was more pressure on these selfish, careless people from the media.

    1. All the CMO has to say would have been……..

      “ I realise I was wrong, but I have a very important job to do, once this crisis is over I will be tendering my resignation “

      That would have stopped all the subsequent questions overshadowing the briefing.

  293. Seen elsewhere………

    As someone with a Masters in disease control, you can only imagine the sheer hell on earth that Facebook is for me at the moment.

    From Chantelle who has impressively made the leap from bath bomb retailer to consultant virologist in a matter of weeks and can tell you exactly why the government and their experts are wrong, to Bob who claims to have secret intel from a secret government group on the secret programme of secret treatment measures that the government are definitely bringing in at 3pm next Thursday, only it’s a secret, but he’s posting it on Facebook so he feels like 007, to Steve who thinks it’s all a load of bollocks and if he wants to wander round town he bloody well can cos he doesn’t feel sick and why the heck is ‘spoons shut cos his granddad didn’t fight the nazis for him to be told to stay inside even if pornhub premium is now free for a week.

    I tried as hard as I could in my studies and in my work in disease control to avoid viruses like the plague (see what I did there?) because they are absolute nightmares. Bacteria are so much easier to control and parasites are positively dreamy. Viruses are utter nightmares (did I mention that?) because you can do almost nothing to them. To deal with viruses you have to deal with the viral vector instead. That’s the weak point for a virus. Its vector. Only in this case the vector is humans, bloody stupid, humans like Chantelle, Bob and Steve. Viral control is about psychology more than it’s about medicine and that’s what’s scary about it. Giving everyone a pill is easy, getting everyone to listen and change their behaviour is a complete nightmare.

    The virus is just chugging along being a virus, it’s living it’s best life #livelaughcough. You can’t ignore it out of existence, scaremonger it away or become magically immune by gargling with vinegar, donning a decorating mask or sticking a live frog up your backside and swanning round town like an immortal idiot. You have to actually do what you’re being told to do. YOU.

    YOU. You can stop it. Do what you’re told. Stay the **** inside. Stop thinking you’re an expert, stop thinking you know best, stop thinking you’re a rebel, stop trying to be a special little cupcake. Be a sheeple. Do what you’ve been asked to do. This is NOT your time to shine sweet cheeks, this isn’t your opportunity to over throw the system and save mankind. It’s your opportunity to sit tight, watch Netflix and save mankind.

    The virus does not give a sh*t about you. You’re just a stepping stone, a host, a nameless, faceless breeding ground and launchpad. All it gives a sh*t about is reproducing and finding new hosts. Don’t let it. Break the chain. Shut the hell up. Stop spreading fake news, fear and gossip. Let the experts be the experts and do what they tell you because all the googling, all the conspiracy theories, all the spoilt princess routines and all the voodoo bullshit in the world is not going to help you one little bit. This is not about YOUR ego, it’s about OUR survival. So act for the good of us all and do what you’re being asked to do.

    Stay inside, protect the NHS, save lives.

    Addendum:
    Hello everyone, thank you for taking the time to read my ramble and to share it and help me convince my parents that all that money spent on the Masters degree was of some benefit to mankind but I’m just a girl who has a little experience I wanted to share.

    I’ve not even told you about the time I got the lab induced yeast infection up my nose, the time I sedated myself with chloroform during an exam, or had an entire, fully operational water treatment plant stolen over night, but, suffice to say I have a little window into this mad world we’re all stuck in together now.
    I am not your government. I am not your health department. I am not the girl who decides on your country’s global treatment programme. I’m not Scully, or indeed, Mulder.

    So please don’t come at me bro, I’m not interested in arguing with you because you’ve read how eating 4 oranges a day will give you a shield of protection like you’ve just had a bowl of 1970s readybrek, or how you have a file of secret evidence as to why this has been made up by the Chinese/Trump/ phone companies or your dad. I’m just here to say STAY THE **** INSIDE.

    1. Nice one GHW,

      I watched the news tonight, the barbecues, the sunbathers et al and thought, to paraphrase Roger Waters, “this species has amused itself to death”. Twatdom and entitlement is alive and well, for the time-being it is anyway.

      UTB,

      John

  294. Just read the above from someone with a masters in vireology?.
    Then I thought about the free pass given to the architects of our attempts to make it go away.
    To dare to use such skill and talent and courage without personal protection, and without a strong testing regime, is, in my opinion frightening. It is certainly not forgivable.
    It was in my opinion not a deliberate act, watching them from the First evening transmission, and seeing the stage management and control of the whole affair, I am forced to the conclusion that they had no idea, non whatsoever.
    It was all a mystery to them, all the key words and subjects being thrown around, testing?, well at least I can drive a car, p.p.i.? How I wish people would stop using initials, ventilators? I think this room is a bit chilly as a matter of fact.
    The dangers of giving any politician a free ride is shown every evening in glorious colour.

  295. Oh to be in England
    Now that April’s here,
    Although this coronavirus bug
    To some remains a fear—

    That this could be a sorry year
    At the end of Boro’s season,
    And with summer sports all put on hold
    It probably defies all reason.

    But today has been a glorious day
    With primaverial sun above,
    Whilst I’ve sat outside admiring
    The garden that I love.

    I’ve had my lunch outside today
    And with a glass of wine
    Enjoyed to be outside again
    As the weather’s been so fine.

    This self-isolations maybe a drag,
    But that’s not my personal view.
    If we get more sunny days like this
    I’m determined to see it through.

    I’ll continue with self-isolation
    Of that I have no fear.
    Cos I’m glad to be in England
    Now that April’s here.

    With apologies to the poet Robert Browning.

  296. Powmill Naemore
    You obviously know your Browning though some of his works I found difficult to read. I first came to know about him after he married Elizabeth Barrett despite resistance from her father. I remember the play ‘The Barretts of Wimpole Street’ which was later made into a musical ‘Robert and Elizabeth’ in the mid 1960s. But my favourite memory of him was ‘The Browning Version’ referring to one of his works ‘The Agamemnon’ all Greek to me but the basis of a Terence Rattigan play in the late 50s about a public schoolmaster called Crocker-Harris who wasn’t liked by his pupils nor his headmaster nor his wife who being much younger than him had an affair. The only person who liked Crocker-Harris was a pupil called Taplow who discovered a tattered old book of ‘The Agamemnon’ and presented it to Crocker-Harris which brought the strict disciplinarian to tears. Often described as one of Rattigan’s best works, although I preferred his adaptation of a true story entitled ‘The Winslow Boy’. But that’s another story altogether, though both plays were later made into successful films. Rattigan was second only to Oscar Wilde in my opinion.

    Crikey, I’ve become all literary on a football forum, but forgive me as it’s another nostalgic period of my life.

  297. Werder
    I wrote a short blog about 10am this morning which was posted subject to moderation report but it has since disappeared. Can you find it please.

    1. Ken, it was waiting for approval as I see you accidentally typed jcloud instead of icloud in you email address so the system thought you were a new poster – I just spotted it as I’m literally on gardening leave and am busy ignoring the outside world and am currently preparing the lawns for what will be the place for both our Easter and summer holidays – not to mention weekend breaks. Sadly the DIY stores reopened at the weekend so I’ve ran out of excuses for postponing my jobs 🙁

  298. We do tend to look inward at ourselves, most nations do so it, sometimes is sobering looking elsewhere, in our case the part of Europe near us.

    In this pandemic, Germany has been a beacon with such low death rates with only 19 deaths per million of population, as the saying goes I would like some of that.

    We in the UK are sat with 73 dpm which is a sadder situation than Germany. The reasons will no doubt become clear in time, as Werder has shown and we know they have been testing like the clappers.

    I can already hear the bashing of keyboards by the warriors so beloved by Woodie.

    So where are we going?

    Well, we are following Holland with 103 dpm. Still some way behind France and Belgium with 124 and 125 respectively.

    Italy and Spain have 263 and 270.

    It is frightening to look at those figures and you wonder where we will end up

    The Scandinavian countries seem to not be as badly affected but do have more spread out populations.

    Then we have the selfish people who wont follow the advice of the medical profession and scientific advisers.

    1. As we seen in Scotland yesterday Ian even the Medical professionals don’t follow their own advice. There is something in the human psyche that defies logic or reasoning, indeed perhaps it is being over reasonable that is the problem and I can perhaps understand the debate that some believe a benevolent dictatorship is the best form of Government.

      Two armed soldiers with plastic bullets and CS gas working with one Police Officer to add to Police numbers and presence would do the job for me before it gets out of hand and should have been done weeks ago. I’m not advocating baton charges and gas randomly being fired at people in the park but the sight of Military Land Rovers and armed personnel telling not asking to go home might get through to those that seemingly have a problem.

      There will of course be those who scream about Human rights and “my little boy is a lovely lad” and now has three huge bruises where the Rubber bullets hit him as he and his fifteen mates were told to disperse three times. Maybe when this is all over society and especially our politicians and legal system will look to protect the vulnerable and the victims of crime and not be more concerned about the needs of the perpetrators of misery. I can hope but won’t hold my breath.

      1. I with you on the hard approach RR. Asking certain sections of the population “politely” to self isolate and refrain from going out unnecessarily just does not work with them. It then rubs salt in the wound when Mr Hancock says he may have to consider tougher restrictions. Why should the law abiding suffer?

        NO, as RR suggests, bring out the Army to add numbers and weight, Water Cannon if appropriate. Also holding centres for those that do not want to comply..
        Maybe then they will get the message.

        However when you see Grealish and Walker and sadly think about the no go areas in certain city areas, the Police have one hell of a job to do.

    2. You can’t seem to avoid articles in the UK press at the moment telling everyone that we [the UK] should be more like the Germans, especially with regard to their health system and how it is funded. It will be interesting to see after this is all over how keen people in the UK will still be prepared to pay more of their income on health provision and whether they would contemplate a different funding model. Lessons will need to be learned but sometimes normality makes people quickly forget and brush complicated issues under the carpet. That’s the good thing about the German funding model is that it’s outside of the Government budget and is managed by non-profit insurance organisations – unlike those in the US where most of the healthcare money goes into making profits.

      1. Werder

        As a person who knows a tiny bit – past training I must admit, as I said earlier why are we behind the curve of many countries as many had their first cases at roughly the same time.

        How on earth have Germany got so few deaths from so many cases, their aged populations cant be any more robust than those in all those other countries affected, the health services around Europe dont have a magic wand.

        Very much an inquiring mind and not ideologically based.

        I did read that Sweden had a different definition of death from the Virus, sadly the article has been recycled in to the blue bin. Sadly the definition makes chuff all difference.

        The news that Boris has gone in to intensive care should focus minds.

        1. Because most countries are only really testing patients who arrive at hospital because they are already quite ill, meaning the ratio of deaths to cases is quite high. Germany on the other hand is testing many more people and as a result are finding people with only mild symptoms, who don’t require hospital treatment. In addition, because Germany has essentially a lot more hospital beds and intensive care capacity, many of the sicker people are being treated at an earlier stage of their illness and perhaps that helps too.

          It’s also thought many of the initial German cases were in younger people, who were returning from skiing holidays in northern Italy and Austria – plus Germany introduced measures to stop the spread to the wider population, particularly the elderly, much earlier. So it’s a case of lots of small things adding up to keep the death rate as low as possible – though in the end who knows over time if most countries will end up with roughly the same numbers – the measures just slow the spread to allow healthcare systems to avoid being over-run.

  299. During our many discussions about appointing a Manager for Boro and who we should go far and who we could actually afford I have mentioned Paul Warne of Rotherham a few times as he has impressed me in his approach to the game and his players. Here is an interesting article in today’s Yorkshire Post about the man as well as the Manager.

    https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/man-all-seasons-rotherham-united-boss-paul-warne-comes-fore-amid-crisis-2529253?itm_source=parsely-api

    He may underwhelm and achieve nothing in the game but I feel that with the right backing in the right club he could build something truly remarkable both on and off the pitch at a much higher level. To me he is already proving it at Rotherham making the most of the limited resources he has available to him which is why I would take a punt on him at Boro.

    1. Redcar Red, I do not understand the point of your post, as far as I am aware we still have a manager, who is likely to be in situ for the next (possibly 2 or more) seasons. Until the situation becomes vacant there is no point in speculating who may be available in possibly 3 years time.

      Come on BORO.

      1. Exmil the point of my post was that as a Football board I thought I would add some Football to the current depressing theme. Many years ago I championed Harry Maguire but Boro wouldn’t go the extra million (so I’m led to believe), his rise continued and we missed an opportunity. When we were “looking” for a Manager after the departure of Pulis, Warne was one that I thought was realistic, affordable and with the personality and reputation to be a huge success.

        I was merely highlighting something that I read in the Yorkshire Post this morning that I found interesting and adds to his CV. Whether he ends up at Boro or elsewhere is pure conjecture but if he does manage a Champions League winning side in the future then at least like Magure it won’t be with hindsight on my part. You are of course correct in that we currently have someone in post who I have made no secret of my objection to for a multitude of reasons. He is still in post and may well be for for several years to come, I personally hope not because it will likely coincide with a continuing decline in Boro’s fate.

        Having a go at the current incumbent wasn’t the point of my original post at all, in fact it hadn’t even entered my head. It was just merely a Football story that I thought was a positive one in an Industry which right now seems to be dominated by many who shall we say are not my cup of tea and that applies to all clubs not just Boro. The fact that I had previously sung Paul Warne’s praises made it a tenuous link to Boro in general and this Board in particular, no more, no less. No more sinister than recommending a Right Back or a young up and coming Striker who we also have incumbents in post.

  300. Is it just me , but since this virus started all the patients on trolleys in corridors and kids laying on the floor seem to have disappeared? I imagine people are still requiring medical attention other than treatment for Covid-19. Or were these just isolated stories on the front pages of newspapers and on the BBC, and SKY headlines, just to sell papers, improve viewing figures, and more sticks to beat the government with?

      1. I suspect cancelling all non-urgent admissions to hospitals and deterring people from turning up at A&E has prevented people needing to wait on trolleys for a bed – though we saw in Italy that this will happen as Corona cases start to peak.

  301. GHW

    I read your post then had a chuckle as I remembered the former leader of the labour party with his friendly media walking past empty seats so he could sit on the floor of a train to bemoan the lack of seats.

    Sadly, he used the train company with the most media savvy boss in the world, that’s right, Richard Branson, who duly published pictures of Corbyn walking past empty seats.

    Once full details broke a cartoon appeared in my morning paper with Jeremy sat on the floor round the corner from a patient in bed sat drinking a cup of tea with smiling nurses.

    I do think there is huge pressure on the NHS but it isn’t just in the UK. Everywhere, it seems. the vast majority of people are doing their best, health professionals and essential workers across Europe are doing beyond normal duties.

    I posted those figures earlier to show the scale of the problem, it is worldwide. The interesting thing is that when someone interviews one of the scientific advisers on TV, they reiterate the science and advice that drives decisions. Professor Neil Ferguson from Imperial was called Mr Lockdown and stated he and his colleagues were only one of the groups feeding information to the government but things were based on the best modelling they could do with the evidence they have. They are all speaking to each other.

    You hear calls for a vaccine, gosh, no one had thought of that! We need an antibody test. The authorities around the world should have developed those before the virus appeared!!

    1. Double edged sword. It allows for temporary continuity but for clubs like Boro looking to offload some high (very high in some cases) earners to help with FFP and ease the cash flow whilst having to furlough non playing staff it will further compound things.

  303. There does seem an element to beat the government with any stick they can find.

    When scientific experts say something the media all nod sagely, when anyone involved in government says the same, it is assumed it is nonsense driven by some bizarre diabolical cover up.

    There have been some great interviews and slots on ‘normal’ TV – the one show, breakfast news etc, where measured discussions take place with people with medical knowledge and it seems totally logical.

    Then the people needing a banner headline appear, I wont name names. They ask all the same questions, when will the lockdown end, what minute, second, date will we be able to mix.

    What is the exit strategy for something we know little about? What date will we have a vaccine? When will we have a test for antibodies?

    1. Ian,

      My wife and I fume at some of the asinine questions from the reporters on thelate afternoon briefing. the only one they miss is when can I have a brain fitted.

      I just despair. Now for a sane conversation with my two terriers walking through the orchards in the sunshine.

      Stay fit and well everyone.

      UTB,

      John

    1. Sadly GHW those who are guilty of roaming streets unopposed and previously Albert Park have handed it gift wrapped to the media on a plate. Middlesbrough Town Centre is somewhere I avoid now if at all possible, even driving along Borough Road or up Linthorpe Road can be an eye opening experience in broad daylight.

      If it wasn’t for banking needs and my accountants I would probably visit once every four or five years. Social deprivation is bad enough but there are people who are now literally sub classification living very sad “existences”, I can’t even use the word “lives” to describe their fate. The behavioural norms are something that most of us on here fortunately will have no idea of. These people have been failed by successive politicians along with a total lack of deterrent hindered by zero opportunity. They exist in areas that look almost like bombed out war zones, pawns in failed local political gamesmanship.

      Travelling around I see the same in many parts of the UK including much more affluent areas. The difference is that those who can’t even reach the bottom rung let alone cling to it seem to be in a minority in those areas rather than some sort of Social Gerrymandered dumping ground. The above is not meant in any way as a thinly veiled racially motivated comment, abject poverty like the Corona Virus does not discriminate on grounds of creed or colour.

      1. RR, I love Britain and the Britons As you know. But as a Scandinavian (or the Nordics that is geographically correct as Finland is not on Scandinavian Peninsula but part of Nordic Counties with common working market and free travelling occurring already before I was born) I found it very difficult to understand the political system in the UK.

        In here all people are treated equal – if you are clever enough you can go to any school or any university you like and for free. My mother was a cleaner, three of my siblings went to university and have a master’s degree and I have a bachelors degree in science (engineering). And my other brother who did not study so much, ended up as Deputy President of a global firm employing over 3 000 people.

        What I try to say that even we have some richer families in here, too – not many – their children go to same schools as all the other children do. My best friend from school time was a child of seven, their small house had no toilet inside their house (so no water toilet yet in the 1980). And still he ended up in the top management of Nokia Corporation working world wide. His family was even poorer than mine.

        He was the chap I met in Ireland accidentally as I told you last week. He was travelling in Ireland with his girlfriend in 1987 by foot and by Inter Rail staying often overnight in a train. We still meet at least a few times a year and lough about the things we did together at school and in pubs after school time. And he is still the same chap, never telling stories about his work. Only exception was when the mobile phone business was sold to Microsoft and he was employed by the US company next. And only when we asked him to tell!

        So I try to say why you keep hold of this “two level” of people. I have been in a queue to buy Cinema tickets with our then Prime Minister. He was queuing behind us with his new lady friend and his son from his previous marriage. Mind, my wife said at home, that the lady was yet not known to the press!

        We have some people living on the streets – not many, again – but if we see them, we complain to the local council and government. They will try to arrange homes for these people. Nobody leaves them alone or we do not expect the charity organisations to act. Our charity organisations work mainly abroad in Africa and Asia – but domestically it is the authorities who must react. Here we expect the government and local councils to take care of all people in here – young or old, poor or rich.

        Now when we have the corona virus around us, we are also worried about the people who are refugees in Turkey and Greece. How they will be able to handle COVID -19? But with poor (in both sentences) governments there, they need our help, too.

        Of course we have political parties who have different agendas, too. Some of them want to save more money and have less taxes, etc. But nobody wants to treat poor people differently to rich. We do have one party – the one who do not want to take any refugees, want to resign from the EU etc. – what we call populist party. They have the second most of seats in the parliament now but none of the other parties wants to be in a government with them.

        So we have five parties in our government now and three right-wing parties in opposite. Our PM is a lady and aged 34 and mother of a three -year-old daughter. She was brought up in a poor family with two mothers and she do not know his father. We have an older gentleman as the Foreign Minister from the Green Party and he is married to a South American man. He is the second most popular politician we have!

        All the leaders of the five parties are ladies – we call them The Famous Five as per Enid Blyton, well known too us, older people! The minister of Finance is an even younger lady! Here I just wanted to open up your eyes that the world is changing and for the better. I am very proud of the ladies we have running the country now.

        A year ago we had only three parties in the government and the left wing in opposition – and all the main ministers were men. That was as OK as the five laddies now. It happens and world changes.

        Usually four or five parties are needed in Finland to have a majority in our parliament. We have never had a one party government in our history – unlike in the UK, USA, Russia or the dictatorships like Soviet Union, North Korea etc.

        But every country has their different history and political systems. I can wonder the British system – a bit like Werder is doing also from out side – but it is your system and you must repair it. And keep the NHS in operation, like.

        I wish you all the best with the tough times and hope your PM will be fine soon. We will get through this together. Helping our neighbours and especially the old people. And staying inside if net helping others!

        Sorry for the long rant. Love the Boro and the UK, me. Up the Boro!

      2. Jarkko we can and should learn a lot from other Countries but unfortunately we have a prehistoric two party system which means we bounce from one extreme to the other. Its rare that we get a Prime Minister whom we all like or support, indeed the last election was a choice between two very poor candidates, neither of whom posses statesmanlike qualities. Damned if we did and damned if we didn’t!

        The US is similar and so we both have eccentric leaders who many people irrationally vote for because voting for the other side is unthinkable. We have a first past the post voting system which suits the two major parties as proportional representation would mean they would become far more accountable as individuals and would actually have to work and earn their positions.

        If an election system was being introduced from scratch in the UK I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t choose the method that we currently have but as its those in power that get to make those decisions changing it would be like Turkey’s voting for Christmas.

  305. I take the point you are making GHW,. What is not highlighted in the headlines of that piece is that the numbers quoted for not staying indoors are self reported. In other words, one valid explanation for Middlesbrough being top of the table of lockdown offenders is that the good citizens of this redoubtable northern outpost are more honest answering surveys on their behaviour than those in other parts of the country.

  306. The Health Minister in New Zealand broke the rules twice.

    What is baffling, the second time he drove his van to a bike trail, the van had his photograph on its side!

    1. Aloof arrogance seemingly manifests all around the Globe from Scotland to New Zealand. As both David Clark and Catherine Calderwood are both Doctors they can hardly blame ignorance.

  307. Firstly, thanks to Werder for spotting my mistake in my Email address and finding my post on Robert Browning yesterday.
    I became all nostalgic yesterday and scanned YouTube trying to find any film versions of ‘The Browning Version’ going back to
    the 1951 film when Michael Redgrave played Cocker-Harris (my favourite version) but could only find excepts of the 1994 remake when Albert Finney played that role.

    However undaunted I found a BBC Radio version and as the weather was perfect listened to it whilst sitting on my patio. After having lunch outside I then listened to my favourite Rattigan play ‘The Winslow Boy’ and listened to a BBC Radio version of that also outside. It was a perfect day to self-isolate, sitting in my garden watching the butterflies flutter around whilst listening to two of my favourite Rattigan plays. It also brought ack memories of seeing ‘The Winslow Boy’ on stage at the Billingham Forum when Richard Todd played the main role of Arthur Winslow and Patrick Barr the role of Sir Robert Morton the barrister who took up the case of the young Winslow Boy accused of stealing a 5 shilling postal order all the way to the High Court and against all the odds won the case with the telling words “Let right be done”.

    I’ve discovered another Rattigan favourite ‘Separate Tables’, so today will be another day sitting in the warm sunshine with my iPad listening to other Radio favourites. It makes a change from television and turns what could be a boring self-isolation into an enjoyable experience. Keep safe everyone, and see if you can find any literary works to enjoy in this lovely primaveral weather which is forecast to continue for the next two days.

  308. Please bear with me. I see my rant above was much longer than in intended. I went to the politics again.

    But it is good to realize that Bernie Sanders or Jeremy Corbyn would be considered middle liberals or mild social democrats in most European countries – and not extreme left. It is usually the right-wing parties who are most pro-EU – except in the UK and USA.

    So only the populist parties or extreme left are usually anti-EU. Some mostly nationalist parties but unfortunately some are already close to Nazi parties.

    The system cannot be just black and white but there are a lot shades of grey in between.

    Take care. No more politics from me I promise. Up the Boro!

    1. Jarkko, I enjoyed your “political” post in fact I was envious!

      Extremism never ends well politically and never looks after the needs of everyone in society. Consequently respect, appreciation, responsibility and common decency are often replaced by greed, selfishness and even pretentious, thuggish brutality in all its forms and at all levels.

      For me things took a turn for the worse in the UK when we had the “loads of money” generation, culture and mentality of the 80’s. The “grown up” versions of that era have now been running (or ruining) the UK for some time.

    2. Jarkko

      Thanks. It was a very good post. It is always salutary to be reminded that what we regard as common sense can vary widely from country to country. Political philosophers used to define a dominant ideology as a kind of false consciousness imposed from above by the apparatuses of the state. It was a way of explaining what has always puzzled political thinkers: how is it that ideas and policies which defend the power, wealth and influence of ruling elites come to be accepted by majorities of people as being in their own interest rather than guaranteeing their continued subordination?

      Ideology has now come to be understood less as a set of coherent beliefs imposed from above but rather as existing most potently in our taken for granted everyday beliefs and social practices, and in our language. In the realm, that is, of common sense. It is precisely common sense’s “naturalness” and transparency, its resistance to change and its refusal to examine the premises on which it is founded that make it so powerful. Like a fish’s conception of water it is both unconscious and yet open, obvious and existing in plain sight.

      What your post does, most valuably, in outlining a version of common sense very different from our own is to give us an all-too-rare insight into the political assumptions on which our most taken for granted social ideas and practices are based.

    3. I really enjoyed your post (so much do that I read it out to my wife).

      I’d much rather live in a society with your Nordic values than the one that prevails in the UK right now. I still feel that the pursuit of money at any cost in the 80s still pervades here.

      The 2 party adversarial system doesn’t work any more but I can’t see how things are going to chance any time soon.

  309. Some more Football reading albeit only a small part of it is Boro related:

    https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/sport/football/middlesbrough-fc/revealed-middlesbroughs-staggering-wage-bill-increase-1992-compared-british-rivals-leeds-celtic-and-rangers-2531553

    The word “unsustainable” comes to mind and screams out very loudly to me. The figures for the likes of Boro, Villa, Palace, Celtic and Rangers are bad enough but when compared to the likes of City, Chelsea, Liverpool etc. they are simply staggering.

  311. There’s a lot of comment and discussion regarding the top football players making a financial contribution in these difficult times.

    There is talk about them having a deferral of wages. On the face of it, this seems okay but obviously they will not lose out financially as it only is a deferral. I have read that if they had a reduction in their wages then their contract could be void and they could end up having a free transfer which would be to their financial advantage.
    It has also been pointed out that a reduction in their wages would result in a loss of tax to the government.

    If the players want to really help, isn’t the solution straightforward? , that is, get paid the full amount, pay the right tax and make a contribution from their net wage to whoever they chose.

    After all, this is what many of us do when making contributions to charitable causes.
    Obviously ,the downside to this , is that it doesn’t help the Club, but many, if not , all are hardly on the breadline.

    Philip of Huddersfield

    1. Some in the game are making significant contributions even if its simply by allowing NHS staff to use otherwise closed facilities. Helping to pay the furloughed Club minions would be a nice touch or even supporting local Foodbanks when those who normally would support them may be in need of the facility themselves shortly.

      I suspect that many are doing the decent thing but quietly and without fuss not seeking attention. There will however be many who will be simply looking after number one with the argument of having mortgage payments to match their huge salaries.

    2. I was very surprised when Raab raised PL footballers salaries in his briefing the other day.

      I can’t understand why they’re being singled out when the heads of business, CEOs and tax avoiders are being given a free ride.

  313. Another beautiful day here in Redcar. Moved on from Rattigan to JB Priestley in the garden today with ‘An Inspector Calls’ to his funniest play ever ‘When we are married’. Seems so much more enjoyable than watching television, sport or no sport.

  314. Best memory of the day? Walking around Belfast City Hall and smelling the flowers in the garden – something I have never been able to do during my time in the city.

    The news may be grim, but everyone’s in it together here.

  315. Talking of football for a change. Spurs have taken some flak about being seen training.

    It did make me think what on earth can they do in training to prepare themselves. We know our lone strikers are used to social distancing and our defenders dont get within two metres of the people they are marking but joking apart it must be difficult.

  316. Werder
    The government declared a panic, and a panic we have.
    There is not the space or time to detail their abject failure, and no one would believe it if we did
    Any idiot would have covered his stupidity by simply copying the German Governments actions.
    These people decided that they knew best.
    Testing, we do not believe in it.
    Social distancing, no thanks.
    Ventilators, it’s o.k. We have at our last count 901, for the whole of Britain.
    intensive care beds, every hospital has at least 17.
    We will not be able to treat any other illnesses during this panic, that’s only fair.
    If your cancer op is due to save your life, that’s tough (for your wife)
    This is not Good.

    1. Agree totally. There is a Reuter’s article which gives good background as to how our government has messed up big style and cost lives.

      I get very angry with it all so won’t go on a rant – suffice to say that a lot of us could see what was likely to happen back in February and the incompetent government missed many opportunities to slow things down.

      My condolences to all those families whose loved ones have died before their time and especially the young and NHS workers. I am holding the Government responsible and hope that justice is done in due course.

      I will calm down now and go and watch some old Boro clips!

      I did enjoy the rerun of the Steau game – I don’t fancy our chances in the final mind😁

  317. As we all wonder when or if the current football season will be resumed there is also the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Final of the FA Cup to be fitted in all involving Premier League clubs. It is very rare for a club from outside the top two Leagues to reach the Semifinals, but it occurred in successive seasons in the early 50s. Port Vale did it in the 1952/53 season going out to the eventual winners West Brom, but York City almost went one better in the following season. But let’s start from the First Round because it was a great season for North Eastern clubs entering at that stage.

    There was a postwar record of 8 ties involving clubs from what Arthur Appleton described as the hot bed of soccer. Starting with our amateur clubs only two Horden Colliery Welfare and Stanley United failed to reach the Second Round, the former lost at home to Scunthorpe United 0-1 and the latter in a local derby lost away to Crook Town 5-3. Blyth Spartans beat Boston United 5-4 at home after a 1-1 draw and Bishop Auckland thumped Kettering Town 5-1 at home. Our three League clubs all won as well, Gateshead beat Chester 6-0 at home, Hartlepool United beat Chesterfield 1-0 at home, and Darlington needed a replay to dispose of Barrow 2-1. York City, considered to be a North Eastern club certainly by the Southern press, won their local derby at home to Scarborough 3-2.

    So into the Second Round and the North East still had 7 representatives. We lost two of our non-league clubs, Blyth Spartans at home to Torquay United 1-3 and Crook Town to Brentford in London 1-4. But the rest of our region all won. The shock result was Bishop Auckland’s win 4-2 at Crystal Palace, whilst Darlington won 3-0 at Walthamstow, Hartlepool beat Aldershot 4-0, York City won 5-2 at Dorchester, and although Gateshead were held at home to Barnsley 3-3 they won the replay 1-0.

    As the big guns entered the Third Round the North East was now represented by no fewer than 8 clubs. Sadly Boro lost at their first hurdle losing 1-4 at home to Notts County, a team they had already beaten 2-0 at Ayresome Park earlier in the season. Sunderland made their entrance by beating Burnley at home 1-0 in an all First Division affair, whilst Newcastle were 1-0 winners at 2nd Division Plymouth Argyle. Bishop Auckland continued their giant killing act by holding Second Division Ipswich Town to a 2-2 draw at Portman Road, then sensationally winning the replay 3-0. York City also caused a sensation by winning 2-0 away at First Division Blackpool 2-0. Gateshead were also drawn against a First Division team, Tottenham, however Spurs won 2-0. The remaining match was a local derby between Hartlepool and Darlington which took two replays to decide the outcome. Pools drew the home match 1-1 and then the away match 2-2, Pools winning the third match 2-0 at Ayresome Park on my 17th birthday.

    So into the 4th Round and Bishop Auckland’s run came to an end at home to the other giant killers York City 1-3. Sunderland drew their all First Division clash at Deepdale against Preston North End 3-3 but won the replay 2-0, whilst Newcastle beat Brentford at home 3-2. Meanwhile Hartlepool held 2nd Division Nottingham Forest at home 1-1. There was great excitement when the draw for the next round was made at the prospect of a meeting with Newcastle at St James Park if Pools could win the replay at the City ground. It was by no means an impossible task as Forest were fighting against relegation to the Third Division at the time, whilst with games in hand Pools still had a chance of promotion to the Second Division. However Forest beat Pools 2-1 in the replay.

    The sensational result in the 5th Round was York City beating Spurs 3-1, whilst Sunderland needed a replay to beat Swansea Town 1-0 following a 2-2 draw at the Vetch, whilst Newcastle needed two replays to overcome Forest 2-1.
    In the Quarterfinals York City won away to Boro’s conquerors Notts County 1-0, whilst Sunderland won the all First Division clash against Wolves at Roker Park 2-0 and Newcastle won another all First Division clash with Huddersfield Town 2-0 at St James Park but only after a replay

    So 3 North East clubs had reached the last 4, but unfortunately one of them wasn’t the Boro. Sunderland lost 1-0 to Manchester City at Villa Park, but York City gallantly almost reached the Final holding Newcastle to a 1-1 draw at Hillsborough in atrocious conditions but lost the replay at Roker Park 0-2. To complete the record the Magpies beat Manchester City 3-1 in the Wembley Final, their 3rd FA Cup win in 5 years, yet they haven’t won it since.

  319. Phew, I was still worried if I should press the “Post Comment” when I made my last posts. I was worried you might be offended as Britons.

    Glad you enjoyed (at least some). Just felt I needed to let the steam out of me self, isolated at home. I have my wife to share many things but not the UK politics.

    BTW, the Finnish TV is re-running the Heart Beat every working day at 10:00. As I still work, we watch the series during our dinner again (on-line). We started when the corona restrictions started and I absolutely love the dialect and the scenery in the series. Pity they never go to Boro but often enough to Whitby.

    Heart Beat really shows the area I recall my Boro. Not the town itself but all the villages around it. And it is nice to see places where we have been on holiday several times.

    Up the Boro!

  320. I’ve always maintained that nostalgia is wasted on the young. One doesn’t have to have lived through a period to be nostalgic about it, that’s why I so much enjoyed the Camsell years as I spent so much time alone with my grandfather whilst my mother and grandmother would be out shopping on a Saturday afternoon whilst my father would be watching the Boro. In those days in the mid 40s I was too small, and it was considered a potential risk to take a small nine year old to a football match with swaying 40,000 plus crowds whenever Boro were attacking at the Holgate End, and if Boro scored as they often did more frequently in those days. It was pure bedlam with a real danger of being crushed even with the protection of an adult. That’s why my first early season match in 1947 was the one and only match I saw in that year, the second season after the War. I couldn’t wait to be 10 and grown a bit during the next year and saw many more games. Nevertheless that first year gave me a thirst of what football had been like before the war and that’s where I struck a bond with my grandfather and his reminisceses. Of course it was a different era with no toys to play with, so talking and listening about football was my only outlet from what might have otherwise been a boring Saturday afternoon.

    So I’ve decided to compare what life was like in those days of rationing compared to the present time. There were no replica shirts in those days, nor football boots either. If you were lucky to have two pair of shoes one was used for playing cricket or football. I never had a football shirt, but an old red and white striped pyjama top and of course normal old short trousers. Even in the winter months short trousers were the norm until one became a teenager and as all the toilets were outside in those days, they were frequently frozen up but schools remained open unless during the war years when they didn’t open until 10am if there had been an overnight air raid. I lived about a mile from my school and had to walk there crossing two main roads, although apart from busses there were very few cars about. All my teachers were female and apart from one were spinsters who supervised PT in the school playground, and football on a couple of pitches shared with West Dyke pupils on land where a college now stands on Corporation Road. The girls played hockey, but we never played cricket in the summer and received no coaching of football.

    As for the Boro matches at Ayresome Park were rarely postponed because of heavy rain, were frequently played on snow-covered pitches unless it was too deep to remove or turned to ice. The only match I can recall being abandoned was an FA Cup match against Birmingham City at half time when it almost became a skating rink, and even then the referee was reluctant to do so until Boro scored to make the score 1-1. Mind the pitch was always in pristine condition at the beginning of a season and hardly looked the worse for wear at the end of the season either. It was claimed along with Portman Road to be second only to Wembley for it’s fine playing surface.

    There was no advertising on players’ shirts in those days and goalkeepers nearly always wore green shirts except for Plymouth Argyle who were the only English club where the outfield players wore green. Nearly all teams whose normal shirts weren’t white chose white as their away strip where there was a clash of colour. Only Manchester United seemed to bend that trend by playing in blue at Ayresome Park. Of course there were no substitutes in those days, so unless a player suffered an injury which meant his having to leave the pitch, a team would have to carry on with 10 men. Occasionally if an injured player could hobble about he would finish on the wing as what was termed ‘nuisance value’ in those days. The game was more stereotyped in those days with all teams’ shirts marked 2 to 11. The full backs were marked 2 and 3, and expected to mark the opponents’ wingers marked 11 and 7. Similarly the wing halves were numbered 4 and 6, and expected to mark the inside forwards marked 10 and 8, whilst the centre half numbered 5 marked the centre forward number 9. There weren’t squad numbers either, so if a reserve player displaced a first team player he would often have the same number as the player he displaced.

    Of course all first team players received the same wage £14 per week in the playing season and £7 per week in the off-season although some clubs allowed players to supplement their income by finding them second jobs. The clubs had full control of their players and decided when to retain them or when to put them on the transfer list. Of course some players demanded a transfer, but the clubs could refuse their requests. There were no football agents and the signing of a player meant he only received a signing-on fee of £10. In Boro’s case Wilf Mannion once demanded a transfer, but Boro wouldn’t sell him so Wilf went on strike for about 6 months and in the end had to concede defeat and stayed with Boro for a couple of seasons longer. Some international players had jobs as newspaper journalists to supplement their income, and one or two signed for Bogotá a club in Colombia a country not recognised by FIFA, and were subsequently banned from playing in England again. Clubs could refuse to release players for international duties, and the FA expected players chosen to play for England to make their own way to the training ground by third class rail fare.

    The first black player I ever saw was Lindy Delapenha who played for Portsmouth at the time, and of course subsequently played for the Boro. Black footballers playing for English clubs were very rare in those days. Admission prices were very cheap in those days, where the cheapest entrance fee was 1 shilling and the maximum entrance fee permitted was something like 1 shilling and 3 pence (6 pence today). There were no red and yellow cards, and dismissals for foul play much fewer than today despite some fouls being more malicious than those committed today. Many sendings-off occurred on Boxing Day because clubs played the reverse fixtures on Christmas Day and tempers seemed more likely to fester over to the next day. All 88 League clubs at that time often played 3 matches in 4 days over the festive season and did so again over Easter. Each division included 22 clubs with 2 up and 2 down (no playoffs). There were no floodlights so no midweek fixtures after late September until early April with kickoffs as early as 5.30pm although most at 7pm. Saturday fixtures kicked off at 3.00pm but 2.15pm in the winter months.
    No televised matches except some international matches played usually on Wednesday afternoons and the FA Cup Final although few households owned a television set. A football was so heavy in those days especially in muddy conditions and once burst in the 1947 FA Cup Final between Charlton and Burnley. It was almost impossible to make it swerve although Len Shackleton did manage to on a couple of occasions.

    These are just a few of my recollections of life particularly football in the late 40s and early 50s. There may well be others that I can’t remember at the moment, but still it was a period of my life which I enjoyed. Yes, nostalgia is definitely wasted on the young!

      1. Yes, and in the East End lads would climb over the wall to try to get down to pitch level but as all the gangways were congested they were handed over from shoulder to shoulder until they reached pitch-side. It was a regular occurrence.

  322. Ken,

    I love your potted histories of the game and especially the Boro, but can you clarify something for me in your piece about the FA Cup please. You started with the 52/53 seasons competition then went on to mention the following season, in which the Skunks went on to beat Man City in the final, which I’m assuming was the 53/54 season. Having been born on the 21st of May in 1955, I’m well aware of the fact that the Skunks beat Man City 3-1 on the 7th of May that season upon reading about my birth year. I’m also well chuffed in the knowledge that they’ve won stuff all in my lifetime having been born two weeks after their victory, when playing against ten men for virtually the full 90 minutes, and please, don’t anyone include their Inter Two Bob Cup trophy. If I’ve read your piece wrong please don’t hesitate to give me a slap and order me to pay more attention, I promise I will.

    1. peaspudinperth
      Sorry my mistake. I’m a year out in my calculations.The FA Cup Finals should have read as follows:-
      28th Apr 1951 Newcastle 2 Blackpool 0
      3rd May 1952 Newcastle 1 Arsenal 0
      2nd May 1953 Blackpool 4 Bolton 3
      1st May 1954 West Brom 3 Preston 2
      7th May 1955 Newcastle 3 Man. City 1

      It was on the 27th March 1954 that Port Vale lost 1-2 to West Brom in the Semifinal, and 30th March 1955 that York City lost 0-2 in the Semifinal Replay to Newcastle, so it was the 1954/55 season when all those clubs North Eastern (sadly apart from Boro) did so well in the FA Cup. I’m pleased that you spotted my error.

  324. The recent voting of the BoroKitCup naturally only covers the last 50 years, but Boro’s first ever shirt colours were white shirts with blue shorts which eventually became the away strip for many years even after the Second World War. It wasn’t until 1899 that red became the prominent colour for Boro’s shirts. The away strip when there was a clash of colour was black shirts with white shorts. Whether the change in 1899 was because referees wore black is open to conjecture, but many clubs wore white shirts in those days, so Boro had often to play in their black shirts when playing away from home.

    On another subject the playing of matches behind closed doors was usually regarded as a punishment for crowd disturbances certainly in recent seasons, but as far as I can ascertain it has only affected Boro once and that was during a smallpox epidemic on Teesside in 1898. Boro had reached the Semifinal of the FA Amateur Cup and were scheduled to play local rivals Thornaby at the neutral venue of Darlington. There were massed protests in Darlington over concerns about spreading the disease to the Quaker town with an expected convergence of hundreds of fans from Middlesbrough likely to spread the disease. Boro received a telegram from the FA suggesting that the club should forfeit the match to Thornaby, but Boro refused and against Boro’s wishes it was played three weeks later in Brotton not only behind closed doors but in secret also.

    Boro won the match 2-0 and then went on a tour against Southern League clubs in preparation for the Final against Uxbridge at Crystal Palace. Boro won 2-0 and were regaled at Middlesbrough railway station along with the cup this time and then paraded through the town to the Masham Hotel where celebrations continued over Boro’s second FA Amateur Cup triumph in 3 years, the first being a 2-1 win at Headingley against Old Carthusians where the holders of the cup so arrogantly confident of beating Boro, didn’t even bring the cup up to Yorkshire for the presentation.

  325. I notice that the sympathy for the nightly performance by the three stooges is ebbing away as their abject failure (ongoing) is being revealed in all it’s awfulness.
    Yesterday evening they got the dreaded question again! (the one about daily testing for health service staff, plus p.p.e. ). It would by cruelty to dumb animals to mention the staff in care homes, and do not even speak about the helpless victims who live in such places, murder is not too serious a charge.
    The poor klunk on the stand (and he should be) quietly rambled on for five minutes about a totally different subject, completely ignoring the Elephant in the room.
    The press, of course are muzzled by not being allowed to come back at the buffoon being questioned.
    As there is now a running total of health care staff being compiled, ( an awful lot of very senior medical men) who have died in harness, I would think the daily charade is coming to an end soon.

    1. Plato – i too get so angry at the incompetence that the government has shown from the start of this crisis. And that is before the fact that they were very late to take any action, given what was happening elsewhere.

      I agree that criminal charges should be levied against them – if an employee of a private company died through negligence then a charge of corporate manslaughter would be brought. However, sadly, I believe that criminal charges cannot be brought against a Government or indeed a minister of state.

      There may be an official enquiries although this will be too late and will be another cover up as we saw with the Iraq war.

      Words are not strong enough to express how I feel and I hope that nobody ever forgets who was responsible for the needless deaths, I know that I won’t. However, I suspect that in time the intellectually challenged public will vote these buffoons in again.

  326. I’m fairly used to self-isolation having experienced it now for almost 11 years since my wife died except for foreign holiday breaks, driving around our beautiful countryside, going out for the occasional meals, or visiting friends and neighbours, but the lack of these pleasures is now getting me down. I’m tired of watching television, literally as often it sends me to sleep. I never watch the news, and now deprived of any sport on television hardly watch any television at all. I also find that reading a book or doing crosswords sends me to sleep. I live only a mile from Locke Park in Redcar but it’s probably too far for me to walk with a walking stick and sometimes a full catheter bag; what’s more there are no seats on the way to rest. Furthermore by the time I reached the park I’d have exceeded my one hours excercise anyway. So what are the alternatives?

    Well the main one is scanning my iPad for any sports news or sending blogs to Diasboro which keeps me occupied to a certain degree, but the number of contributors seems to have dropped lately, so perhaps everyone has become as bored as me. But I’ve recently discovered other outlets like sitting in the garden listening to literary works on YouTube even if I can’t actually watch them because of the bright sunshine, not that I don’t welcome that. Having started with Robert Browning and the plays of Terence Rattigan, JB Priestley and Oscar Wilde I’ve now turned to my youth (I can’t help being nostalgic at my time of life) and Lewis Carrol. I AM old but now FEEL old, but the following poem I remember from my schooldays I find amusing:-

    ‘You are old, Father William’, the young man said,
    And your hair has become very white,
    And yet you incessantly stand on your head.
    Do you think at your age that is right?’

    ‘In my youth’ Father William replied to his son,
    ‘I feared it might injure the brain,
    But now that I’m perfectly sure I have none,
    ‘Why I do it again and again’.

    ‘You are old’ said the youth’ as I mentioned before,
    And have grown most uncommonly fat.
    Yet you turned a back somersault in at the door,
    What pray was the reason for that?’

    ‘In my youth’ said the sage as he shook his grey locks,
    ‘I kept all my limbs very supple
    By the use of this ointment (one shilling a box);
    Allow me to sell you a couple’.

    ‘You are old’ said the youth, ‘and your jaws are too weak
    For anything tougher than suet.
    Yet you finished the goose with the bones and the beak,
    Pray how did you manage to do it?’

    ‘In my youth’ said the father’ I took to the law
    And argued each case with my wife,
    And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw
    Has lasted me all of my life’.

    ‘You are old’ said the youth, ‘one would hardly suppose
    That your eyes were as steady as ever,
    Yet you balanced a pen on the side of your nose;
    What made you so awfully clever?’

    ‘I have answered three questions and that is enough’
    Said his father, ‘Don’t give yourself airs!
    Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
    Be off, or I’ll kick you downstairs!’

    Now I might add that my hair isn’t white, but bleached by the sun, and now apart from losing some around my crown, is becoming very lengthy. I can cut my fringe, but with hairdressers now closed I fear if this Coronavirus pandemic goes on much longer I’ll be growing a ponytail. I’ve never been able to stand on my head nor do somersaults, so there must be some other reason why my brain sometimes malfunctions. I’m certainly not fat either, being about 5ft 6 in height and weighing in at just over 11 stone (don’t ask me to go metric as that’s where my brain seizes up). My limbs certainly aren’t supple, for once on the floor I have great difficulty in getting up again. My jaws are pretty weak so can’t eat apples, but ripened pears are OK. The sight with my left eye has been fairly useless since I had measles as a child, so now need glasses for reading as well as another pair for long sight, and I’ve never been able to balance a pen on my nose, as my balance is so bad that I have to sit down to put on my underpants, trousers and socks. So Father William is much fitter than me.

    However the verse about arguing with my wife is true. Of course I had to concede that she was usually right. She once told me that I’d argue black is white, but that’s one argument where I proved I was right. If one looks for another word for black one will find the word ‘dark’, then looking at ‘dark’ one will find ‘dim’ then for ‘dim’ one will find ‘pale’ and from ‘pale’ one finds ‘white’.

    Anyway it’s a fairly amusing little poem about how a young lad is always asking his father questions and one of the first I learnt at school although I’d forgotten some of the verses. So for now I’ve turned my attention to poetry, or more accurately comic verse. So the monologues of Stanley Holloway are my next step, for although living alone I’m rarely lonely, but I do miss my sport.

      1. Powmill- Naemore
        Thanks for that video. I have an old LP record of Stanley Holloway’s monologues and also a small booklet entitled simply
        ‘The Stanley Holloway Monologues’ and both the LP record and the booklet contain ‘Brahn Boots’ and ‘Sam, pick up tha’ musket’ and I still remember every word of them. A lot of the monologues, 11 in fact, are all about Sam Small a stubborn Lancashire lad who refused to pick up his musket, some written by Holloway himself and some by Marriott Edgar. But my favourites were those about Albert Ramsbottom. As you rightfully pointed out 6 of them were also written by Marriott Edgar:-
        The Lion and Albert
        The Return of Albert
        The Jubilee Sov’rin
        Albert and the ‘Eadsman
        The Recumbent Posture
        Runcorn Ferry
        and two by Holloway himself ‘Albert Evacuated’ and ‘Albert’s Reunion’

        There were several others in a Lancashire accent including ‘Yorkshire Pudden!’ ‘Uppards’ and another of my favourites ‘Three Ha’pence a Foot’ which involved Noah building an Ark on the ‘Banks of the Irwell in a place you’ll have eard of called Bury; you know, where black puddings is made’. I guess that will fill some time sat in my garden during the next sunny day. If it’s a cloudy day there are plenty of Boro and Cas matches to watch indoors to last me for a couple of weeks, but after that………..? Probably back to the shopping, ironing and the goggle box!
        Yes, oh to be in England now that April’s here! Keep safe, keep well, and stay not necessarily indoors, but in the confines of your home.

    3. I mooted to Mrs Red about the potential for me growing a “Man Bun” during this lockdown. She smiled, not in a kindly way and replied with “don’t you mean a Man Doughnut?”

  327. A keen Wigan rugby league supporter who was a colleague of mine in the 80s introduced me to the sad tale of the Lion and Albert. Classic writing. I always thought this was one if Stanley Holloway’s, but just googling it now to read it afresh, I see it was actually written by Marriott Edgar, along with many others that Mr. Holloway recorded. Holloway did indeed write many if his own monologues though, including another of my favourites, “Alt! Who Goes There”

  331. What about “A Tall Girl dressed in Blue”?

    My uncle and Aunt, who lived on Harrogate Crescent had a lot of 78rpm records of Stanley Holloway, Ronnie Ronald and many others. I wonder what happened to them all.

    Stay safe and well,

    UTB,

    John

  332. ” If Margaret Thatcher wins on Thursday

    — I warn you not to be ordinary

    — I warn you not to be young

    — I warn you not to fall ill

    — I warn you not to get old” (Neil Kinnock, 1983)

    ” The British are among the worst idlers in the world. We work the lowest hours, we retire early, our productivity is poor…”
    ( Britain Unchained, 2012, a right wing manifesto advocating swingeing cuts to public services and reducing the NHS to a basic safety-net, opposition to a minimum wage and tax cuts for the wealthy. Its co-authors, Dominic Raab, Priti Patel, Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwateng, now all cabinet members).

    1. Nothing I can say to add anything to that post Len.
      I wonder if our PM will have had a Damascene experience over the last week. Only time will tell if any of these people have learned there is such a thing as society from all this and that homo sapiens is at base, a social animal.

    1. My thoughts on Priti Patel are unprintable on this or any other blog and for balance I couldn’t bring myself to vote for Jezza and Diane either. Therein lies the problem with British Politics today. As well as Dominic Raab I would put Matt Hancock before him in my “list”.

      Maybe when all this is over there will be more compassion with our politicians after realising that all their money and (allegedly) faked expense accounts are of no value against a pandemic and they are after just like the rest of us. I seem to recall politicians clapping and enthusing with glee about a vote for Nurses pay rises in parliament being blocked not so long ago.

      The US seem to be paying a heavy price for not having a National Health system with the poor unable to afford to visit or ask for Hospital help. Now the rich along with the poor are suffering the same consequences.

      1. I was angered at her dismissive apology for the “perception” that people in healthcare have of the short supply of protective equipment.
        I find the lack of straight talking and instinctive honesty in many of our political class (like RR, of any persuasion) repugnant. Not my/our fault/responsibility was all I could hear in Patel’s words.

    2. Very good Len – like them both- your posts that is – not Ms Patel who I am sorry to say, I feel is worse thaN useless.

      PS to Weder – ignore the one I tried to put on – my mind was elsewhere – drink needed to dull the pain!

  335. Just read the latest missive from these unbelievable deadbeats.
    ” anyone 75 or over will be awarded points as to whether they will be treated (if they are foolish enough to enter a hospital) ” .
    If you are one of those. please do not read the rest of this note.
    On reading the detail (always wise when dealing with these people) it turns out that the guillotine rapidly drops to 65(it’s true that you have to be taking things like blood pressure tablets, and, maybe been treated for Cancer 20 years ago (fully recovered means nothing).
    Also included in the cull are anyone with a record of certain ailments, including mental problems(including children).
    The critical number of points is 8 .
    Being over 75 is 4 having High blood pressure is 3, being ‘frail’ puts you over the top.
    Hitler is reported to be enjoying himself in his Brazilian hideout.

      1. Alan
        7 points for being a boro fan is not nearly enough.
        Watching the news I caught a shot of people ‘ not observing the two metre distance’
        I had to laugh, it was in London near one of the big parks.
        The pavement was narrow, the road was full of traffic, and so was the pavement, there was no chance of two metres gap, ever.
        What price those cops who were hassling people alone in the wide open spaces of Yorkshire. They would have been in a straight jacket.

    2. Technically the BBC report about Chesterfield stating that no club from below the second tier of the Football League has ever reached the FA Cup Final is correct. However in 1900 Southern League club Southampton reached the Final but lost 4-0 to Bury. The following season another Southern League club Tottenham actually won the FA Cup beating Sheffield United 3-1 after a replay. Then in 1902 Southampton were in the Final again this time losing to the previous year’s runners up Sheffield United 2-1 after a replay.

      In fact Tottenham were not elected to the Football League until 1908 and Southampton in 1921.

      1. Jarkko
        Yes, it was the current Burnley Manager. Also Kevin Davies who was fouled by Vladimir Kinder resulting in his dismissal for a second yellow card, is the same Kevin Davies who scored for Bolton against Boro in the Carling Cup Final. Davies nowadays is involved in horse racing, as an owner, part owner or a trainer I’m not sure which though.

  337. Reverting to the FA Cup, it’s also worth recording that some of the top Scottish clubs also entered in the 1885/86 season notably Glasgow Rangers, Hearts, Partick Thistle, the now defunct Third Lanark, and of course Queen’s Park who reached the Final in both 1884 and 1885 losing to Blackburn Rovers on each occasion. As far as I can ascertain only one Irish club have ever entered, that being Kildare in 1883 but they forfeited their match to Clapham Rangers.

    Wales however have had several entrants such as Druids, Davenham and Wrexham Olympic before the 4 current clubs of Wrexham, Newport County, Swansea City and Cardiff City existed, but Cardiff are the only ‘foreign’ club to have won the FA Cup. That was in 1927 when they beat Arsenal 1-0.

  339. I’ve spent today sitting in the warmish sunshine in my garden reading ‘The Stanley Holloway Monologues’ from cover to cover, another pleasant experience away from the TV. It is easily readable within 3 hours and can be purchased from Amazon for £9.13 including postage in pristine condition or for £3.79 including postage second hand if anyone’s interested. It includes 34 monologues plus a foreword from Stanley Holloway plus a 10 page introduction. Happy reading folks!

  340. And we have snow falling down as yesterday. Not the nicest day for a holiday. I had some gardening to do in my mind.

    Often the weater over here is like on the North York(shire) Moors. At least that is my thoughts when beeing in the UK at spring time. There have been some batches of snow on the moors sometimes in April.

    I miss Boro. Up the Boro!

  341. It’s certainly looks like being primavera again today and another day sat on the patio after doing a bit of weeding in the garden. Must make the most of it though as the next 3 or 4 days look like being overcast with a drop in temperature. Stay safe everyone and enjoy today.

  343. Injecting a bit of football parlance into proceedings I see Lyndon Dykes whom Boro where linked with earlier is allegedly now interesting Stoke City as they readjust their expenditures in line with a lengthy stay in the Championship (again like Boro assuming that they can stay up).

    The Livingston Striker seems to be a bit more realistically valued than Aberdeen’s Sam Cosgrove who I suspect will remain at Pittodrie unless someone pays the ransom demand, sorry fee. I suspect the Dons may regret not cashing in on him before the market crashed and like as not his only successful professional season with it.

    Meanwhile Enes Mahmutovic is considering his options as again allegedly he has suitors from Turkey and the Netherlands interested in him. To me he looks like he could make it yet he never seemed to have the confidence of the Boror Coaches to throw him into the first team at a serious level other than Carabao Cup ties. I wonder how his current loan spell is working out as we may be in need of a few CB’s come the Summer or should that be Autumn (or Winter even). Stubbs seems to have done well in Scotland and there is obviously a lot of hope for Wood-Gordon but I would like to see the big Luxembourger given an opportunity at some point.

    1. An incredible story and unbelievable effort from Tom. One that many of the younger generation (and ours) could learn a few lessons from about what is really important and of true value in life. Very humbling and inspiring at the same time, a true Gentleman in every sense of the word.

  345. Bolton were walking to promotion in 1996-97 – 100 league goals but a late Tranmere equaliser denied them a century of points. I believe former Boro lad Jamie Pollock scored in that game. Add then manager Colin Todd, former manager Brucie and then future Bolton men Neil Cox and Michael Ricketts to the Boro-Bolton roll of honour.

    Where do Bolton come into it here? They were the team Chesterfield beat, at the old Burnden Park, on their way to the semi-final, future Bolton man Kevin Davies getting a hat-trick if I’m right. Davies earned himself a PL move and had a decent season with the Saints before going for Rhodes-esque money to Blackburn (£7.25 million, I think – far too much in those days for someone who was still, relatively, a PL novice). It was a disaster – he got hit by injury, scored one goal, the club went down and back he went to the Saints to up his confidence and fitness.

  347. The third day in succession that it is snowing. We got a couple of inches again. It will melt away by the evening as it did yesterday, too. But not very nice for a holiday. No good to do anything in the garden, unfortunately.

    I miss my Boro. Could some one run a challege, please? Like rating the best buys, most promising young player, best match, etc. per a decade. We could discuss a centenay every week.

    Up the Boro!

  348. I notice that in Scotland it’s almost certain that the football season will be declared over after a vote from all the clubs but not voided. Celtic, Dundee United, Raith Rovers and Cove Rangers will likely be declared champions of their respective Leagues with the latter three promoted, and Hearts, Partick Thistle and Stranraer relegated. There have obviously been a few dissensions notably from Dundee but it’s likely they will now go along with the voting. Apparently this is the only way to preserve the smaller clubs from going out of existence, but it does show some common sense as the word ‘League’ means that most clubs accept the meaning of the word, not voting for pure self interest.

    My own personal opinion is that football like all sports will not take place until at least September, so why not decide promotions and relegations now on a points per match percentage. Let the clubs vote on that proposal and it’s certain that there will be a majority in favour.

    Rugby League is in a far more precarious position than football with many clubs, even some from Super League likely to struggle with some from the lower leagues falling altogether. As the season has hardly started for many clubs, one suggestion is that the Challenge Cup should continue as soon as restrictions are lifted be it behind closed doors or not and finished within 3 or 4 weeks with the Final being played next year. The Leagues would continue on Boxing Day or New Years Day with local derbies where possible, and then continue throughout January until all clubs have played an equal number of games, and that the current points accrued so far this season be added so that in effect this season will continue over to next year and as far as Super League is concerned each club will have played 36 matches instead of the usual 29 thereby fulfilling its obligation to Sky with many more games televised.

    Back to football and it seems likely that all three divisions will vote for salary capping. If so, why shouldn’t Premier League clubs follow their example?

  350. Believe it or not I had breakfast in my garden this morning. I can’t recall ever doing that before and certainly not in April, but I should explain that I’m not an early riser these days. Rarely in bed before midnight I usually wake up with a cup of coffee in bed at 7am, scour the sports web site for a couple of hours though there’s little news nowadays. After ablutions and a shower I’m rarely downstairs for breakfast before 10.30am but today was actually later because as I hadn’t visited a hairdresser this year (I won’t go into the details why), I decided to cut my fringe this morning and then the hair overlapping my ears but being careful not to do a Van Gough. The result looks a bit shabby but it’ll grow again, though I’d have to be a contortionist to tackle the back, and I might yet finish with a pony tail if this coronavirus continues much longer.

    Anyway back to breakfast on the patio. Very pleasant indeed, though I admit that at the moment I haven’t discarded my jacket nor pullover and that I have a car rug covering my knees, but the warmth of the primaverial sunshine on my face compensates for that. As it may get warmer this afternoon I’m determined to make the most of it and have a couple of films pencilled in on YouTube for this afternoon. Who says I’m eccentric?

  351. Just come indoors after listening to the 2005 film ‘These Foolish Things’. A romantic film dedicated to the few and leads up to the radio broadcast of Neville Chamberlain’s declaration that we are at war with Germany. But appropriately finishes with the announcement that ‘all theatres, cinemas, music halls and places of entertainment will cease from now on for the foreseeable future’. It certainly strikes a chord with today’s situation!

    1. I read about the chap at the BBC website a few days ago. He was on our main news on TV in Finland yesterday, too. Great.

      BTW, we got more snow yesterday than anyday during the non-winter. It all nearly melted away and none more today. Mayby I can do some gardening tomorrow 😊.

      I am afraid that the global warming problem will need more action one day than we ever experinced during COVID-19, unfortunately.

      Up the Boro!

    2. Almost £18.5M and rising. What an incredible amount of money and what a legacy to leave when like all of us his time finally comes in terms of morals, principles, kindness, thoughtfulness and human decency. His family and friends can be immensely proud of him.

      Humbling in the extreme, I hope a knighthood comes his way as he deserves recognition at the highest level for not just raising the staggering amount but equally for raising the nations spirits when it was most desperately needed. Timely I think the Queens Birthday comes in June so hopefully he will be on her Honours list.

  353. For those wondering if we’ll ever see football again, I’ve just seen a report that the EFL have just announced that they plan to resume the football season with games played behind closed doors but televised to the domestic audience through iFollow.

    OK, they have no date when this will happen and they’ll wait to see what the government says in three weeks time on whether the current lock-down restrictions will be eased.

    Therefore you could say it is at the moment more of an aspiration rather than a plan but they’ve sent a letter to all clubs that players could provisionally return to training on 16 May if the restrictions are lifted on 7 May.

    It could mean football resuming in June but much will depend on the transmission of the Corona virus being under control in three weeks time – whatever that actually will be defined as.

    Incidentally, German footballers have already returned to training this week but not sure when they will be playing games – also my son is set to return to school in two weeks time but my life is more or less back to normal since the DIY shops reopened over a week ago 🙁

  354. It will be interesting to see how the UK “unlocks”. Hopefully there will be a degree of intelligence with regional considerations rather than a one rule fits all London centric diktat!

    1. There is a flaw there RR – degree of intelligence required!

      I have heard from a reliable source that at the moment the government have no plan for how we unlock but they have been surprised at how well folk have been sticking to the guidelines.

      Onto football matters, hopefully we will see some action before long – our unbeaten run can’t continue forever!

  355. Notice that the Gazette says that Celtic want to sign Patrick Roberts on a permanent contract. I have trawled the Scottish Press and found nothing relating to the story ?

    1. Its just idle speculation, nobody knows where anybody stands at the moment about contracts and the resumption of football. The “story” appeared on the internet and then been repeated on a few websites and gained some momentum but there has been no official “source” mentioned.

      I think the £12M or so rumoured to have been his original cost to City was far too rich for Celtic’s blood during his original loan spell with them. Having languished in Italy then Norwich and now Boro (because they haven’t checked that he only came to Boro in January and has been injured) some hopeful Glasgow fans are of the view that he is now only worth £3M so “affordable”.

      Leicester fans are also jumping on the bandwagon suggesting that as his former Celtic Manager is now at Leicester Brendan Rodgers should offer Man City £4M. If the lad wasn’t deemed good enough for Norwich who are about as desperate as desperate could possibly ever be in the Premiership then why Leicester would want him is a mystery. That said he was hugely popular at Parkhead and certainly impressed up there and there is no doubt fans would want him back.

  356. I can’t believe that Trump has defended the gun toting protesters defying the federal social distancing guidelines in the US. There is ignorance, arrogance and stupidity but he seemingly has no bounds to his incredulity, the King Canute of Politicians.

    If he gets his way the death toll in the US could exceed a million very quickly. I wouldn’t wish Corona virus on my worst enemy but I have to admit to having some very dark thoughts for the sake of humanity. I may have misunderstood (my brain is telling me surely I must have) but he also wants the Presidential Rallies to have big turn outs, maybe Mother Nature has a plan after all!

    1. We must have started hitting the keyboard at more or less the same time after nearly choking on breakfast when seeing the latest ridiculous utterances from an almost far-fetched fictional character that is the current US President – he almost makes George W Bush appear as an intellectual statesman in comparison. I guess those “germs” he was talking about the other day are not as smart as he claims if they haven’t gone for Trump – though then again maybe they think he can best help their spread…

  357. While the Corona virus presents us with unprecedented measures and uncertainty – at least in Europe (btw the UK is still a European country) both the people and the governments appear to be more or less on the same page.

    Anyway, I’m just glad I don’t live in the US where the insane rantings of wannabe King Trump just beggar belief – both in terms of what actually comes out of his mouth and Twitter account and the fact that he may still actually be re-elected by a seemingly even dumber brainwashed electorate.

    The latest episode is very chilling as he’s now encouraging right-wing heavily armed mobs to take to the streets to demand that the lock-down measures are ended in three Democratic-controlled states. These states are following federal guidelines on introducing social distancing measures but Trump is keen to get the economy back on track before the presidential elections and has encouraged people on twitter to ‘liberate” these states. With demonstrating groups openly wandering around in close proximity with AK47’s and other automatic rifles carry Confederate flags (a symbol of white America) it ironically is likely to make the spread of infection more likely.

    Though Trump played down fears that by crowding together, the protesters themselves could spread the Covid-19 illness. “These are people expressing their views,” he told reporters. “I see where they are and I see the way they’re working. They seem to be very responsible people to me, but they’ve been treated a little bit rough.”

    It’s almost reminiscent of Hitler’s Storm Troopers in the 1930s and we all know where that ended up – Trump appears to be following the fascist playbook with his ever-desperate ridiculous propaganda to get a second term and is from where I’m standing is a dangerous psychopath. The fact that he may even get re-elected is absolutely incredible and it almost makes the concept of democracy appear to be meaningless.

    1. Werder,

      He genuinely frightens me, a playground bully but with serious, serious power.

      I think he is incapable of apologising or even rationalising his actions he just does it and if you work for him and put your point of view you are fired. How many staff has he fired?

      He should banned from twitter and social media. I’d give him a fountain pen, ink and some paper and make him post letters but it would be a waste off time really. He truly is more terrifying than the virus but at least Governor Cuomo has his measure but he’ll try to destroy him just the same.

      Stay safe and well everyone.

      UTB,

      John

      2. Thanks for remembering me, Bob. I am 59 now. I did not know I share the date with Andy. I am proud to say I have played agsist him but my team lost.

        Cheers, mate. Up the Boro!

    2. Weder, agree, a very very dangerous man indeed. The fact that he gets away with it, says rather a lot about America and it’s population.

      Before the last election, Mrs BBD had decreed that we would not go to America if he got in – and she loves America!

      I just hope that in November the swing voters who voted for him last time, see what he is doing is, and don’t vote him in again. Mind you, it wouldn’t surprise me if he finds a way of delaying the elections or not leaving. His view of democracy is somewhat warped!

      He has already sent out emails saying that the Democrats are trying to STEAL the election and calling “sleepy” Joe Biden a pathetic excuse of a candidate and that the ballot boxes will be stuffed with FAKE and FRAUDULENT votes (his capitals)

  358. The world has descended into a realm of binary choices. There is no longer a middle ground. You’re either with us or against us.

    If you’re against us you’re a brainwashed racist idiot.

    If you’re against us you’re a brainwashed liberal socialist

    The biggest setback of a binary choice is that sometimes it’s just a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. There are no lucid arguments, just a contest of personality.

    Johnson, Gove etc. Or, Corbyn Abbott etc.

    Trump will get elected for a second term as the opposition has failed to come up with a credible personality to stand against him.

    The media have a lot to answer for, they ( with very few exceptions) have decided which side they are on politically and we have seen in recent times that the electorate ( here and abroad) have decided they won’t be influenced and will make their own binary choice based on their gut feelings.

    I see on several occasions here lately Godwins Law could be invoked. Have to say I’m sorry to see that on this blog.

    1. I think you’ve misunderstood Godwin’s Law – which is about frivolous comparisons of Hitler or Nazis in order to win an argument. If you know anything about Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s, it’s hard not to see valid comparisons of how he was first elected and then used populist arguments to shut down the media and eventually the opposition. Tell me any leader of a democracy that would take the side of a heavily-armed group of right-wing protesters, who were carrying an ‘alternative’ national flag and parading confidently around the town hall. What happened in German is that many people underestimated the threat of Hitler and he ended up in power by persuading a minority he was going to make Germany great again. People ignore Trump at their peril, he’s a dangerous threat to democracy.

      Anyway, here’s the man who invented the law, Mike Godwin, Tweeting about the gathering of hundreds of white supremacists, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members in Charlottesville in 2017. One man, described as a Nazi sympathizer, is accused of driving into a crowd of counter-demonstrators with his car, killing civil rights activist Heather Heyer and wounding several other people. Incidentally, Trump at the time defended those far-right protesters at the Charlottesville rally, saying they were not all neo-Nazis and white supremacists and laying the blame for the violence equally on what he called the “alt-left”.

      This is the Tweet…

      https://twitter.com/sfmnemonic/status/896884949634232320

      1. It’s one thing for the media to be up in arms and wringing their hands over Donald Trump, yet regimes like those of Assad in Syria are allowed to to flourish, where people are oppressed and murdered on a daily basis.

        Saudi Arabia, to whom the western world kowtows to get their share of the Petroleum Dollar are killing innocent civilians in Yemen every day.

        What gets the headlines? Murdered civilians or Trump’s Tweets? When it comes to trolling on social media Trump is a master, he baits the press and stokes up arguments and sits back laughing his cap off. Why do you think Jim Acosta gets a prime seat at all the President’s press briefings? It’s like having a planted straight man. The more CNN bluster, the more the smirk spreads across DT’s face.

        The press and media are their own worst enemies, instead of trying to trap Ministers into a “ gotcha” moment ( and sadly medical/scientific experts too now) they should concentrate on being constructive in their questioning. Journalists and TV News presenters are rapidly gaining on politicians in the contempt that the majority of the public hold them in.

  359. Anyone who has any form of cancer or has lost a loved one to cancer knows how delibitating it can be. Some days one can even be cheerful as most of the time I am, but other days one feels so lethargic even after 7 or 8 hours sleep during the night just the normal daily tasks like shopping, ironing or even preparing a meal become a chore. Falling asleep in an armchair with the television on is often the easiest way to relax. Strangely in my case I’m at my brightest when I’ve only had 5 or 6 hours sleep, but I’m lucky in that I haven’t reached the stage where I’m in any pain.

    But what about people with dementia, severe arthritis or motor neurone disease; their suffering is maybe more hard to bear than some cancers. However none of these are contagious, so just imagine what it must be like to have any of these illnesses or ailments and then to catch coronavirus as well. People of my age or even younger cannot afford to catch this virus as their chance of recovery is fairly remote. So please all of you stay safe and well and isolated; it can be mentally hard especially if you live alone. But try to fill your time as usefully as you can with no live sport to watch. There are plenty of past sports events and old films on YouTube but limit yourself to just one per day.

    Nostalgia plays a great part of my life at my age, pouring over the 12,000 or so photographs I have taken on holidays. Some of you must have photographs or videos of your children and grandchildren often stored away and forgotten. Give them an airing and enjoy. It’s something I do regularly, and I’ve even read through some of my historical blogs on this forum some of which Werdermouth kindly collated, visited http://www.11v11.com to ascertain how some of Boro’s seasons evolved week by week. But then I’ve been used to long periods of self isolation since my wife died, so I’ve had much more experience of ‘finding something to do’ than most folk. So keep sane as well as safe, as depression can befall you if you don’t.

    1. Ken, as as always, I am amazed at your positive approach to life in what are, situations that would test anyone. Hats of to you and you have my admiration – maybe when this is all over and all the vulnerable folk are safe, we will have to have a big Diasboro party, I would certainly wish to shake your hand along with others on here.

      Speaking of that, I wonder how KP and his wife are doing in Spain? Well I hope along with OFB and his wife and any others.

      These times are difficult and we must all do what we can to keep sane, whether that is posting historical articles, which I find interesting, posting odd bits or rants on the bloody virus or the way it has affected our lives or not posting at all!

      As always on this blog, all views are welcome and the ability to discuss without rancour(in the main) is great and I tend to agree with GHW in the binary approach that appears to be the norm.

      I always stick to the view that there are 3 sides to an argument or a stance and try to see the balanced view- right now, I am not sure what that is!

      Anyway, let us all keep safe and we’ll, look after our family and friends and the rest of society so that we come out on the other side.

      UTB and I really want our unbeaten run to come to an end as that will mean that football is being played and life is getting back to normal!

      PS – Happy birthday to Jarkko – enjoy it or hope you enjoyed as best you can. I have a big birthday coming up in June although looking likely that my plans for a few days camping in the dales near two lovely pubs and walks will fall victim. Already a big trip down under has been postponed!

  360. For those of you that may not have seen it, BBC1 are showing, “The Damned United” at 00:15 tonight.

    A view of the 44 days Brian Clough spent as manager of Leeds United.

  365. Many happy returns to you Jarkko, is it the big 60 yet? Hope you soon get some of the springtime weather we are getting at the moment in Yorkshire although today is cooler so I’m staying indoors having just prepared a schedule of the 396 League matches still to be played this season with the reverse scores recorded ready for when the fixtures are confirmed, though I’m not as confident as Ray Parry that these matches might ever be played behind closed doors or even at all. I know that it would seem a boring pastime for most people but it gives me something to do and away from the television set thus keeping me awake. Have a good day!

  366. As well as Jarkko and Andy Campbell’s birthday it’s also the 65th Birthday of former Premiership Referee Jeff Winter who’s 65 today !

    Happy Birthday to my old refereeing pal !
    Another OAP ref !

    OFB

  370. Have a go at this question without googling for the answer.

    Who was England’s manager when Kevin Keegan made his international debut for England?

  371. GHW
    Don’t reallly know, but as you’ve mentioned The Damned United earlier I wonder if it was Don Revie, but wouldn’t be surprised if it was Alf Ramsey or even Joe Mercer.

  372. While it’s a good news story that 99-year old Tom Moore has now raised nearly £25m for the NHS – I noted this morning that figure is five times the amount that global giant Amazon paid in UK corporation tax last year after UK sales close to £11 billion.

    It comes on reports that Amazon have just announced that thanks to lockdown-fuelled online shopping their global sales are set to rise by 22% in the first quarter to $73 billion with their share price also rising by 42% in the last month to make the company now worth $1.2 trillion. This has made the personal wealth of the owner Jeff Bezos rise by $13 billion in just one week to $145 billion and makes him now comfortably the richest man in America.

    Although Bezos has at least generously donated $100 million (or 0.8 percent of what he made last week) to an American foodbank charity – incidentally, that would be equivalent to someone on the average UK weekly wage donating £3.40 to a foodbank.

    So while both men have donated large sums to charity, government revenues are hampered because huge companies avoid paying their fair share of tax – surely Amazon’s UK corporate tax should be considerably more than just the one-sixteenth its billionaire owner gave to a foodbank. OK, it’s apparently all legally done but there’s a massive difference between legal and right – maybe if someone could work that one out then the UK wouldn’t need centenarians to raise money for an underfunded NHS struggling under the Corona crisis. Even in bad times, somehow the rich get richer as the poor get poorer.

  373. To play football matches behind closed doors seems unrealistic to me. If it were only a few matches it might be possible, but there are 396 matches to be played in the 4 divisions and why should priority be given to footballers to be tested for coronavirus ahead of NHS workers and patients? Until this pandemic is completely overcome, people should understand that all sporting events must be cancelled. There is no fair way of doing this. You either void the season, or decide it on a points per game average. The suggestion that Leeds and West Brom should be promoted but no clubs should be relegated only has merit in my opinion if Coventry and Rotherham are promoted to the Championship as well, also that Crewe, Swindon and Plymouth are also promoted to League 1 and replaced by Barrow, Harrogate and Notts County.
    It would then need a reshuffle right throughout the whole pyramid system, but as such a reshuffle has been ongoing anyway over the past few seasons that shouldn’t be as big a problem as one might think. It would however impact on next season when possibly 5 clubs might need to be relegated from the Premier League, or a reduction in the number to be promoted next season as was done in 1995 when Boro were promoted as Champions.

    As is usual it’s all about money. But why should football be treated any differently from other businesses going bust? It’s sad, but in the greater scheme of things it’s only a flipping game!

    1. At some point in time Football will resume. To me things should be left just as they are and when the green light is given, we blow the dust and cobwebs away and resume where we left off. That may be in May, June or July or even October whenever it is we should conclude existing business and then the big decision should be on whether to abandon the 2020/21 season or organise an alternative mini tournament/s of sorts to keep Players fit and revenue coming in.

      It may be possible to fit a compressed entire season in or maybe not but we should finish what we have started.

      1. As others have said, it is all about the money and that includes Uefa and there threats. Surely even they must realize that to try and get the seasons ended in June is madness.

        Given what we know now about this virus and where the world is, I am not sure that sporting events will be played this year! I saw that for every match about 250 people would need to be tested and that is before one of the players due to play shows positive! Can you imagine the chaos and arguments that would ensue then.

        Agree that the current season needs to be finished at some point and if that means going into 2021 then so be it. Yes that would mean the following season maybe being shortened in some way to fit into the Euros but I am not sure that without a vaccine, they can take place either.

        We are going to have to get used to a new normal until a vaccine is available I suspect. Preservation of human life is far far more important than any sporting event – hard as it is to accept right now

        Still Boro haven’t lost for a while and I want that to end as soon as possible in a safe way.

  374. Ron Greenwood was my guess also – well I struggled with his name – my thought was “:the guy who managed West Ham United before, now what his his name!

    Also looked it up and ……….

  376. Celtic legend Bobby Murdoch, one of the club’s famous Lisbon Lions, joined Middlesbrough in 1973 after eleven years with the Glasgow club.

    Murdoch would make 125 appearances for Boro between ’73 and ’76 after joining on a free transfer under Jack Charlton, and advised one of their future stars Graeme Souness as the club were promoted to Division One in his first season.

    When he retired in ’76 he went straight into youth coaching with Middlesbrough, and had a brief spell as manager between 1981 and 1982 which ended in relegation and Bobby leaving the club to become a publican.

    1. Bobby Murdoch came on a free transfer and some thought as his career was coming to an end, his best days were behind him.

      But how old was he when Jack Charlton signed him? ( again, no googling allowed)

      1. Good question GHW. I don’t know, except looking back I think he will have been far younger than we imagined at the time…. I’ll stick my neck out and say 29….

    2. Met Booby Murdochs Wife and son last year when they were guests of MFC at the riverside. Mrs OFB Brother used to go to school with Bobbys lad and was at the game so I went and found him and reunited them for a time to recollect their teenage years together. A lovely family and testament to how Bobby loved his family. He will always be remembered as the making piece of Charlton’s Champions who made Boro tick and turned Graeme Souness into a world class player.

      OFB

  377. I haven’t been on the site for a while. Have I missed anything? At least our two game unbeaten run continues ……

    I’ve just watched today’s BBC 1 re-run of old FA Cup classics. What a treat! Two brilliant semi-finals: Everton v Liverpool from 1977 and the first Boro v Chesterfield game from 1997. Catch it if you can!

    The Merseyside derby was football from a different planet. It was played on a pudding of a mud bath at Maine Road, with pools of water lying in each goalmouth. It was an incredibly heavy pitch, of the type we used to play on in the park, – and a very far cry from the billiard+table surfaces of today – so it was amazing to see just how well players of the calibre of Kevin Keegan and Duncan McKenzie were able to play on it. As far as I could see, there were no black players on either side, and unless I’m much mistaken, no players who weren’t British. Defenders frequently passed the ball back to their keeper, who was allowed to pick it up. Fans from both clubs seemed to be mixing happily in the stands, which I suppose for Merseyside derbies in those days wasn’t that uncommon. The ref, Clive Thomas – remember him – wore all black. He had no microphone link to his linesmen ( as I still call them), of course. It finished 2-2, Bruce Rioch played number 6 for Everton and scored their equaliser. Liverpool, at that time the greatest team in England, won the replay 3-0, but then lost to Man Utd in the final. So that scuppered their treble, as they did win both the league and the European Cup that year.

    Then came our own Old Trafford semi-final. It was a real pleasure to see this again. I didn’t see the game live, as I couldn’t get a ticket, but was lucky enough to go to Hillsborough for the replay. 3-3 of course in this first game, with Chesterfield taking a 2 goal lead (the second a penalty from Sean Dyche) before Ravanelli and Hignett (penalty) equalised. Vlad Kinder had been sent off for a second yellow on 35 minutes, so Robbo replaced Mikkel Beck with Clayton Blackmore, who it turns out was the only player in either squad who had ever previously played in an FA Cup semi-final.

    At 2-1 up, Chesterfield had a shot bounce off the bar. Replays showed it might have crossed the line. No goal-line technology in those days (and thankfully, no VAR!) In extra time, we finally took the lead through Gianluca Festa, only to give an equaliser away in the last minute.

    Dyche was Chesterfield’s captain. I still think his somewhat negative attitude towards Boro down the years stems from that day! Come to think of it, he’s probably still eking out his revenge by not playing Ben Gibson! The other famous name in their side was Kevin Davies, later of Bolton fame.

    Our team that day reminds us just how lucky we were back then to enjoy such riches and such talent. Robbo had been given the resources to go on an unprecedented spending spree: Roberts (replacing the cup-tied Schwarzer), Fleming, Vickers, Festa, Kinder, Mustoe, Emerson, Hignett, Juninho, Ravanelli, Beck (sub Blackmore).

    So after winning the replay 3-0 (not on TV today), Boro went to Wembley for the second time that season, but as we all know, it was further heartache, I’ve never forgiven Chelsea for kicking off before we were ready, and I still don’t know why Festa’s first half ‘equaliser’ was disallowed. And to make matters worse, after losing two cup finals that year, the bloody FA relegated us due to the 3 points fiasco.

    Still, they were great days, lads and lasses, weren’t they? Bettered only by the Carling Cup win and the run to the UEFA final, in my view. Will we ever again see a Boro side of that quality? Will the great days of frequent cup final appearances ever come round again?

  378. Watching ‘The Damned United’ last night brought out how much Brian Clough relied so much on Peter Taylor who was the one who spotted the talent. It’s a great shame Clough fell out with ‘Uncle Pete’ and didn’t go to his funeral. However headstrong Clough was, there was also the Daily Mirror investigation in 1979 that Don Revie tried to bribe other clubs to lose matches against Leeds. Goalkeeper Gary Sprake was one of the Leeds family who had uncomplimentary things to say about his boss though not specifically mentioning bribes. He once tried to throw a ball out to one of his colleagues in a match against Liverpool and inadvertently threw it into his own goal, and the Liverpool Kop were quick to start singing ‘Careless Hands’ a Des O’Connor hit at the time, and a nickname that followed him thereafter. Whether that was the reason for Sprake to break ranks from Revie’s ‘family’ and give evidence to the Daily Mirror for which he received £7,000 one can only speculate, but the fact is that Sprake was ostracised for the remaining 30 years of his life and never made welcome at Elland Road again.

    Clough and Revie, two Boro lads who were brilliant footballers and managers but hated each other and who in my opinion really needed their heads knocking together. Sad ain’t it!

    1. I read the book; The Damned United, long before the film came out and found it to be an engrossing read, ( arguably the best novel on football I’ve ever read).

      One caveat however is that Johnny Giles successfully sued the books publishers for libel. Like all works about real people, there are large dollops of “ artistic licence”. The book portrays a much darker side of Clough.

      Speaking of books, this gives me another opportunity to plug the excellent,

      https://www.footballparadise.com/life-short-book-review-robert-enke/

      Highly recommended.

  380. Interesting fact about the fee Liverpool paid for Graeme Souness. £350,000 at the time was a record, but looking at an online inflation converter, that equates to only .£1.75M.

    I say only ( it’s still a lot of money) but considering he was one of the country’s most sought after players, it just goes to show how football finances have spiralled over the subsequent years. An equivalent player coming onto the market in today’s game would command a fee well in excess of £150M.

    Probably the only thing that hasn’t changed is the relatively small number of clubs who could afford such a high fee. When Harry Kane is inevitably sold, it will I imagine be for in excess of £200M. The two Manchester clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, plus possibly PSG will be the only ones who could afford such a fee, and that’s without taking into consideration his wages and bonuses.

    1. There’s inflation and then there’s football inflation – maybe you could view the £350,000 as a proportion of what Liverpool’s turnover was back in 1978 (i.e. around £2.4m) – which makes the transfer fee around 15% of their income. That percentage of Liverpool’s turnover today would be 15% of £533m, which is about £80m. That figure could be further inflated if you then take into account that clubs today normally spend beyond their turnover – so perhaps that could add another quarter to make Souness worth £100m.

  381. One of the things that inflates transfer fees today is the fact that the weaker clubs are prepared to be tougher in negotiating than they were in those days.
    Long ago the big clubs often said that the owners of the great player had no right to stand in his way and should just take what they were offered and shut up.
    Now, if they want to play hard ball, they could, if they were really nasty, offer him to other big clubs for more money.
    We could have used that weapon with Traore, maybe City or united would have been glad to help out with a better offer and some sell on value. We will never know.
    If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

      1. Ghw
        Because they are in an auction.
        The highest bidder wins, and that does include offering the player more money, not too difficult against Wolves I would have thought.

      2. No they were not. The transfer fee was fixed. The only thing for Traore’s agent to do was negotiate the best wages/bonus deal for his client.

  382. Just read a report of a statement by one of the three stooges regarding exiting the lockdown.
    Amongst All the verbiage was the following.
    “‘we would expect London to be the first to leave lockdown, it is after all the engine of the economy, and it would make sense.

  383. G H W
    The fixed fee is the least that must be paid, anyone who intervene with a bigger package is very welcome indeed, particularly by the player, and if it is a giant of the game, playing in the champions league, and with a fat wallet. Hhhm!
    I remember us agreeing a full deal with a very Good player from South America, flying him over at our expense, only for United to put him in a taxi at the airport, and offer him a better deal. What do you think his answer was?

    1. Once the release clause has been triggered, that is all any club will pay. The player will choose the best financial deal and that is where the auction/bidding comes in to play.

      If Wolves offered him £80,000 per week and another bigger club wanted to persuade him to come to them, they would just offer him £90,000.

      Once again, as soon as the clause was triggered, it was out of MFC’s hands. Why would any club pay more than £18M? Are you saying they should offer £25M to MFC, plus the £90,000 per week?

      That’s the way I see it, but I may well be wrong, and it wouldn’t be the first time. Perhaps you can offer me a scenario where the Boro would receive more than the release clause of £18M?

      1. Once the £18M was triggered any interested parties could take him but they had no need to pay more than £18M. The only negotiating was between the Player’s agent and any interested club in getting his client the best terms.

        Whoever struck the best deal with Traore and his agent would win his signature, the price would however remain at the trigger point of £18M as Boro were powerless once that figure had been reached which was more than double what they paid for him so at the time of signing him. Understandably it would have sounded a good deal back then as it would be for most Players. Just imagine if someone offered more than double the fee for Gestede, Fletcher or Assombalonga etc.

      2. Diego Forlan was a case in point. Manchester United offered the player more money, plus United were willing to match Independiente’s valuation.

        Hardly a glowing example as he was soon to earn the sobriquet “Forlorn”

  384. As it seems to be puzzle time, can anyone name the top six Boro players with the most appearances including substitute appearances since the Second World War. Wilf Mannion doesn’t qualify as he made several appearances before the war. As a clue the 6th placed made between 300 and 350.

  385. Jarkko
    Happy birthday and all the best for a happy and healthy year.
    What does everyone think about the Mikel Beck charity match. I always thought that Boro were one of the most ‘locally supported’ of clubs with very few converts – which makes Jarkko so very welcome – but this kind of initiative and some other recent kind comments makes me wonder just how MFC is viewed by ex-players and the football world in general.
    UTB

  386. I used to think I was a bit old to become a father at 46 but I’ve just read this morning that Formula One’s Bernie Ecclestone, who is 90 later this year, announced recently that he and his 44-year old Brazilian wife, Fabiana Flosi, are expecting their third child in July.

    for some reason I’m reminded of that famous Mrs Merton (aka Caroline Aherne) question to Debbie McGee about her relationship with Paul Daniels, which in this case would read: “What first attracted you to the billionaire Bernie Ecclestone”…

    Although, according to Bernie, he declared his latest wife: “She is not only gorgeous but is also loving and caring and also doesn’t just spend money like my previous wives used to.”

    Though I’m not sure where he’ll get the energy from to run after three kids – I found one is more than enough work!

    1. Knowing Paul Daniels fairly well, although he was sexually active till his dying day having already fathered 3 sons with his first wife Jackie he didn’t want any more children and as Debbie never wanted children anyway It turned out well for them. Strange how things worked out as he was distraught when Jackie left him for an older man at the time.

    2. I have three children, Werder. Born in 1988, 90 and 92. I must add that the 1990’s I was not following as much as I did before or after.

      But definately was at Boro when my oldest was about ten months. And with the second we went from London to Ipswich to see Boro play.

      So I only saw Juninho live once – when he scored a penna vs. Spurs. Then I was at Riverside with my youngest. He is a Boro fan, too. So not so many memories of the Robson era as before that and especially after.

      Up the Boro!

  387. The train trip to Ipswich around 1991 was interesting. We took a train there with two small kids. The train stopped somewhere for one and half hours – they announced that there was a fire in the train in front of us.

    So we arrived a little late to Ipswich. We were in hurry and travelling with kids, so we decided to take a taxi from the station to Portman Road. The driver didn’t want to take us there, though. The ground was more or less opposite the street 😂.

    We still needed to find the away end and it was on the ther side of the ground. Missed a few minutes from the start. But I and my wife (a keen Boro fan, too) were happy.

    Up the Boro!

  388. I have spent more weeks than I care to think about banging my head against brick walls with red tape and short sighted box tickers while our Care Home staff and NHS are resorting to using bin bags as makeshift PPE and worse still, reusing products that were designed for single use only. Heaven knows how these single use disposable items are being “cleaned” (let alone who controls how waste water or chemicals/wipes are then processed and controlled for waste disposal from such cleanings). Cross transference of contaminated infectious articles must now be extremely rife for both patient and wearer as recommendation goalposts are seemingly in a state of flux, commonly called “making it up as you go along”.

    A lot of Governments have been caught out by this pandemic but its how you handle the situation when you get into this type of mess that counts. I am astounded at how naive, incompetent and inept the UK Government seems to be, getting further and further out of their depth each day. The PPE shipment from Myanmar announced at yesterdays briefing is from a factory owned by a well known existing PPE manufacturer in the Irish and UK Marketplace. Nothing special other then the desperate state the nation finds itself in therefore goods being flown in rather than shipped. The PPE from Turkey hasn’t arrived because of incompetence and I now suspect incoherent bungling from the UK Government. The farcical “temporary Ventilators” that were intended for “short term use only” that had prestigious UK brands racing to invent and produce them only to be told by Medical experts that “temporary or short term” is of zero use in this crisis and who on earth even thought of such a stupid idea?

    There are PPE products readily available from factories in China (over 50% of the world’s PPE comes from there) but are certified to US rather than European standards so “we can’t use them” yet our front line workers have empty cupboards. An analogy would be we can’t drive around in Passat’s or Mondeo’s because of a shortage, we could use Buick’s or Cadillac’s however but instead we prefer to walk. That then begs the question of why the US themselves are so short of the same stuff when the products are out there? Great Leadership does come at a price I suppose, especially when you are on the cusp of fascism by default while looking for your fiddle as New York burned (I avoided the obvious temptation to insert Mississippi).

    Skipping back over here at least the UK Government now belatedly realise that they forgot to drain the swamp as they struggle to keep their excuses (sorry heads) above water. During the monotonous daily five o’clock Coronavirus announcements they now look embarrassingly uncomfortable, squirming more and more each day, seemingly taking it in turns to be ritually humiliated in the spotlight. Their only relief being inane and repetitive questions from journalists adept at letting them divert answers to irrelevant off piste topics with total impunity.

    You can imagine my relief when they announced that they have solved the PPE solution by putting some leaping Lord in charge who apparently organised the 2012 Olympics. After crashing, rather than dropping, my jaw has still not resumed full upward movement at that announcement. It made Woodgate’s appointment process and decision look like the work of a genius!

    2. I think many of us have the same issues RR – well said. My big frustration is that no one is calling out the Government for their fairly obvious incompetentence. Hoping that Starmer manages to do it tomorrow at PMQs.

      We are being led by donkeys who would find it hard to organize a drinking session in a brewery and think that a chocolate tea pot would be a good idea for a nice hot drink!

    4. GMW
      It would be a little unfair for me to answer that question as I remember the match, the last home match of the season against Sheffield United.
      However the players with the most appearances since the war are as follows:-
      Gordon Jones 532
      John Hickton 499
      John Craggs 488
      Jim Platt 481
      David Armstrong 428
      Stephen Pears 424
      I only asked for the top 6, but there are several more players who have exceeded 350 appearances notably the following:-
      Tony Mowbray 423
      Dickie Robinson 416
      David Miller 398
      Stuart Boam 393
      Bernie Slaven 380
      Terry Cooper 379
      Bill Harris 378
      Robbie Mustoe 367
      Tony McAndrew 358 and
      Willie Maddren 354
      All these figures include substitute appearances. However if one goes back to 1899 goalkeeper Tim Williamson holds the record with 602 appearances.

      1. A surprise that David Amstrong is so close to Jim Platt in the above list. Must be because Amstrong started so early for his home town club before heading to Southampton.

        Great players both. I had a cuppa with David’s mother and sister back in 1980. Before or after a match at Ayresome. What a family club Boro have always been. Also met Terry Cochrane, my all time hero.

        And nowdays I keep in touch with Jim Platt. As OFB knows. Thanks, mate, for introducing us to each other. I hope to see Terry after 40 years. That will happens.

        Up the Boro!

      2. Like others, I thought Favid Armstrong, but discounted him because of his Southampron movecwhen he was still in his prime. John Craggs was a surprise, but not as much as Pears.

  391. Clearly the pandemic issue is taking more time on this site. The politicians handling of the issue is not good. They are not helped by civil servants , who in my experience, have no experience of the real world.
    In other countries the public are requested to wear face masks. We are dithering I suspect because the powers that be, dare not advise we wear them cos it will result in the health service being more deprived of them.
    What is being allowed to happen in care homes is a disgrace. Surely anyone with half a brain would realise that it would inevitably be rampant in the homes.
    The 100,000 target of weekly testing was a grabbed headline which will not be achieved – in fact , no where near.

    I see the lockdown continuing to at least the end of May, social distancing for much much longer and us oldies to continue self isolating for months. The world we once knew is long gone. The only solution is to find a reliable antidote.

    Meanwhile football powers that be, are going on and on about finishing the Leagues. I’d go with accepting the leagues position as they are, and promoting the top 2 in the Championship with no relegations from the Premiership. Or Ken’s idea of applying average points gained etc

    It’s a sign of the times that the highlight of my day tomorrow will be shopping. The good news is my garden is immaculate – and will get better!
    Philip from Huddersfield

      1. Does anyone seriously believe that any more than a handful of fans will have sufficiently strong principles to contemplate making a stand, let alone acting on it. And I am not having a go at our neighbours because, sadly, I think the same will be true throughout our green and pleasant land.

  393. Thanks Ken for putting us out of misery!

    I managed to get one right although I am surprised at John Craggs,. I thought he had come to us late in his career, shows you how the memory is not what you think. Likewise with Terry Cooper – mind you it was different times then with no rotation of players, smaller squads and it was the norm for the same team to play week in week out.

    Maybe you could look up how players Jack Charlton used in his promotion season compared to what Karanka used? I would guess that it would be something like 15 v 25.

    I knew Spike made a lot of appearances, often when he shouldn’t have done, was a youngster when he made his debut but thought going to Southampton would have curtailed his number.

    1. BBD
      Surprisingly Jack Charlton used 20 players, although 9 of them Brian Taylor, Alex McMordie, Malcolm Smith, Tony McAndrew, Bill Gates, Peter Brine, Peter Creamer, Pat Cuff and Jimmy Cochrane made a total of only 32 between them.
      Aitor Karanka’s team used 27 players of which 8 players played 10 matches or less including substitute appearances. So by and large your estimates were not far out.

      1. Thanks Ken – I knew there would be a biggish difference and that JC kept to the same team most of the season. It is remarkable that those 9 played an average of just over 3 games each.

        Probably why players of that era have dodgy knees etc

        1. I still keep in touch with Peter Brine who owns an award winning restaurant in Australia called a touch of salt.

          Salt -Brine think about it

          He regularly posts on Facebook and I’ve told him about Diasboro and what we do.

          Perhaps our Bloggers in Australia would like to get in touch with him as he’s fairly active on the web

          OFB

  394. Sometimes I think that the FA idea of football returning behind closed doors sometimes soon is akin to those people that thought the world was flat. Are all the players to have to wear face masks, will goalkeepers only be allowed to make saves without the use of their hands, who is going to retrieve the ball when it goes over the wall surrounding the pitch, will throw ins be replaced by free kicks, who is to attend to an injured player to help him off the field of play, etc,etc,etc.?

    Some local authorities have already banned people attending funerals, and those that haven’t yet won’t allow families to be pall bearers. Yet all we hear about is clubs like Liverpool determined to have the season finished by July because they are contracted with another firm for next season for the manufacture of club shirts, and the question of how players’ contracts can be extended beyond June the 1st. Of course everyone insists that football will only be played when it is safe to do so, but no one has convinced me that playing behind closed doors is worth the risk. People are still dying, and footballers are not immune from the 2 metre self distancing. I love my sport, but these are unprecedented times so why not void football here and now, because until a vaccine is available in my opinion it would be foolhardy in the extreme to contemplate finishing this season even behind closed doors.

    Ah, but what about the financial aspects I hear people say? Well all clubs survived the two World Wars playing non-competitive football, and like now survival of life was uppermost in people’s minds. Of course it all comes down to money nowadays. What price do we really place on people’s lives today?

    1. Sadly Ken, money is far more important these days. Both in football and other areas as well. You only have to look at people making money out of the current crisis to see that.

      It is truly appalling that the football clubs can even consider finishing the season before the restrictions on daily life are lifted. Although to be fair, we are going to have to get used to a new normal until a viable vaccine, better treatment or”herd immunity” is in place.

      I cannot see any large gathering being in place before October at the earliest and that should mean no sport. Part of sport is the crowd and without it, then it a bit different.

      It is not beyond the wit of man to just extend everything, contracts, shirt deals etc.until the end of the season when all games are played. Next season starts after that, in either a curtailed form or maybe 2 games a week. After all the players are professionals and should be able to cope with that.

      I was a professional in my job and I only had weekends off!

  395. More hand wringing over a proposed Saudi backed bid to buy a Premier League club, yet billions of pounds of arms are sold to Saudi Arabia every month.

    No need to speculate what those arms are used for, just take a look at what’s currently happening in Yemen.

  396. SKY BREAKING NEWS!!!!!

    The British Association of Meteorology have today issued a dire warning to the UK government. Long range forecasts suggest that in December ( and let’s not forget it’s only 9 months away) the UK can expect a light dusting of snow in the country. Our investigative journalist can reveal that….

    “There are 450 only snowploughs registered in the whole of Britain, according to the DVLA, although there are another 3,060 gritters, some of which can be fitted with snowploughs”.

    This is a damning indictment of the government’s lack of preparedness for the chaos this will bring to the country. Opposition politicians have called for an immediate ramping up of the production of snow ploughs and that if they were in power, “there would be one parked on every street corner across the land.”

    A government spokesman said that “ whilst we note with consideration the scientific warnings given by the experts, I can assure the British public we are well prepared, not only for a slight dusting of snow, but we can adequately deal with snowfalls as heavy as half an inch”

    Speaking on GMB Piers Morgan said “ This is a national disgrace, as a self identifying Penguin, I know only too well the hazards of living in a cold climate, if it wasn’t for Brexit, we could have joined the EU’s Snow Plough procurement scheme”

    Former PM Tony Blair ( the floater that won’t flush) said, “Nu Labour would have been on top of this and despite being involved in the deaths of countless Iraqi’s we would have found time to set up a Nationalised Snow Plough industry”

    At today’s briefing the government’s Chief Meteorological Officer said “People should just wrap up warm and stay indoors until Global Warming came into effect, and the heroic efforts of the frontline motorway gritters brought this crisis to an end.” asked if the public should wear gloves and scarves he replied, “ that may be good advice for the southern half of the country, but it would be almost impossible for the northern half to comply, as it would be an infringement on their civil liberties not to go down the pub in shorts and T Shirts”

    2. I’m quite intrigued, don’t all of the NHS Trusts have procurement departments with managers who, well, procure and manage stocks? Why don’t we have area based warehouses that hold an emergency stock of consumables? At the very least would by some time.

      After all disasters come in all shapes and sizes, as they now know. So, if we have all these executives and managers in procurement how much do they cost in salaries, IT, premises and their support staff or is everything handled by Whitehall and the Civil Service and one man with an order book and carbon paper?

      Ten or fifteen years ago I had both my knees go bionic and bizarrely I met the man who wielded the knife and saw or whatever in a pub in Wales where he had a holiday home. We had a lengthy chat about the NHS, Trusts and the subject of procurement came up. He said his Trust’s procurers had found they could save money by buying surgical instruments from part of the sub-continent. His answer was “would you rather I operate on you with Swiss, German or British instruments or your very cheap procurement”. End of meeting.

      Seriously the people on the front line of the NHS are fantastic, I have nothing but praise for them, for me the levels below senior management need to be looked at, as the politicians would say, ‘root and branch’. My view is bound to be simplistic but it is what it is.

      Meanwhile stay, safe fit and well everyone.

      UTB,

      John

    3. GWH
      And do not pay any attention to some country 20 miles away from you under twenty foot of snow, it will not come your way, we do not get more than six inches, ever. If the ignorant herd start bleating, just tell them you have ordered a thousand snow ploughs and they are flying in from Turkey tomorrow. Maybe!

  397. John
    I’ve sat for a while now watching Politicians squirming in front of the Cameras, not without justification I might add but you’ve highlighted something which has intrigued me as the story unfolds, i.e. how does the NHS procurement process work?
    Having been in procurement all my working life, we were never the most popular function in the organisation for a variety of reasons but we usually managed to respond to “unrealistic” demands made of us, end users who weren’t able to specify what they wanted, where and when it was required, etc.
    So what has happened in the current crisis? OK, the whole world is chasing the same goods, so sourcing extraordinary quantities of routine equipment is a big challenge, If you are hamstrung by a rigid and exacting approval process for any new source of supply, that makes life doubly difficult.
    I lean towards the view that NHS Management are culpable in the scandal of lack of PPE where it’s needed with government having to answer for them. I’m not sure that Jeremy and co. would have fared any better but we’ll never know.
    The politicians have not covered themselves in glory but they are inexperienced and firefighting on all fronts.
    I don’t think point scoring helps anybody. This is the thing that’s turned me Apolitical. Whoever’s in power is useless. The opposition can always do better.

    The frontline NHS staff are heroes and I’ll be on my doorstep again tomorrow showing my appreciation.

    1. Steely,

      Quite right, as I’ve said before no general ever loses a battle in retrospect, well in his own mind anyway. The opposition are in a perfect position to never, ever be wrong because they don’t have to do it. Political point scoring is pathetic, the front should be united. I think there is a fear of their own impotence in play.

      Nothing will be sorted until there’s a vaccine that works. Until then the virus will keep picking people off like a sniper, I think that it is delusional to think otherwise. Without doubt normal is a new normal.

      I chair the local Patient Participation Group at the Health Centre and the practice manager said that the NHS is the biggest business in Europe and it earns no money. That’s why covetous eyes are cast over it but despite the valour and dedication of the thin blue line at the front it is a cumbersome machine, a bit like an oil tanker, and anyone thinking of changing its course is accused of the ‘P’ word, ‘privatisation’. Politicians throw funds at it and shout about it but we never have demonstrable evidence of the good that money throwing apparently does.

      Hopefully when this all settles a view will be taken on the proposed billions to be spent on getting a businessman to Manchester eight minutes quicker. Maybe modernise what we have in the railways and build some more hospitals because you never know when you’ll need one or even some.

      Sorry mini-rant over.

      Stay safe and well everyone.

      UTB,

      John

      1. Meanwhile the media are rubbing their collective hands in glee hoping the government don’t reach their 100,000 test target before the end of the month so they can stick the boot into Matt Hancock. Pathetic!

      2. GHW,

        Spot on. Tell us your exit plan, even though it won’t be what you tell us when it happens, then we can put the collective boot in again. I’m growing to detest the media, all of them, they are a loathsome crew.

        I’m no statistician but how come nobody reports deaths at the weekend, well some get reported then there’s the proverbial blip early in the next week? Smoke and mirrors? An East London Trust reported deaths from last week yesterday so London’s figures were higher than they should have been, by 70 I think.

        Ah well, stay safe and well everyone.

        UTB,

        John

  398. OFB

    Thanks for the tip about Peter Brine’s restaurant. However, from where I live in Sydney to Townsville in North Queensland is just under 1,300 miles. That’s further than Middlesbrough to Saint Petersburg so I’m not sure that I’ll be popping in anytime soon, Covid19 notwithstanding.

    Shame because he has an excellent takeaway menu at the moment.

    It reminds me that Australia is a bloody big place. Sydney to Perth is over 2000 miles.

    Keep well everyone
    UTB

  399. Selwyn,

    I was just about to chip in about “popping” in to Peter Brine’s restaurant, and as much as I’d like to sample the experience we have an even bigger obstacle than you have over east in getting there, it’s called the red centre. It’s amazing how people that haven’t been here to Oz just don’t appreciate the size of the place, it’s immense.

    OFB,

    As the crow flies, and the crow would need bloody big ones to achieve its goal, it’s just over 2,000 miles from Perth to Townsville, which is a bit like Middlesbrough to Istanbul. If I drove there it then maxes out to well over 3,000 miles to get around the dry bit in the middle, I’ll let you add the extra 1,000 miles and see where it gets you geographically. We could order a take-away I suppose, but I’d imagine by the time it got here it would be well passed its ‘use by date’.

    Geographical isolation can be a bind most of the time, in that to get anywhere from Perth you have to fly at least two hours just to get out of the state of West Australia, but when a pandemic strikes, then boy is it a handy thing to have. Australia as a whole is coming out of this thing with a five star report, some states better than others but collectively we’re ahead of the curve, and I think that I can proudly say that we are an shining example of how it should be done.

  400. Making promises in the form of ambitious eye-catching targets has become the stock trade for many politicians and Matt Hancock has previous form on mathematical gymnastics. Remember those semantic arguments over 50,000 “new” nurses for the NHS that included persuading 18,500 current nurses not to leave. He could have just said 30,000 new nurses but he wanted that big round figure – likewise he could have said something like 45,000 tests and didn’t need to say 100,000.

    Putting big targets in to the public domain and banging home the numbers is a technique that is designed to make people think this is what the reality will be – they want that figure etched into the collective consciousness. The Conservative government have previously used this to persuade the electorate that they are tough on immigration by declaring they ‘aim’ to get immigration down to the tens of thousands and the less said about that Brexit bonus of £350m extra per week for the NHS the better.

    Unfortunately, working out how to achieve these targets or even whether they are even possible to achieve is not always the important bit when making the promise. Indeed, before Boris Johnson fell foul of his own social distancing messages, he himself plucked the figure of 250,000 test per day out of thin air in order to prove that his government were on top of the crisis.

    Sadly in these times delivering on promises on tests or PPE is one that will be measured in the near future and not at some distant point where the public can be fobbed off with ‘it was just an aspiration’. Politicians would do well to heed the warning of never making a promise you can’t keep as it ultimately leads to losing credibility and nobody will believe the next promise made – which could undermine the governments messages to the public that could have serious consequences.

    I’ve no problem with the media holding politicians to account on what they say or promise. It’s not the same as attacking politicians for things they may or could do, which ironically is what the Conservative party have often benefited from with attacks on the opposition from their friends in the press.

    The reality is that the government is no position to promise anything with regards to Covid-19 as they are merely fire-fighting for a crisis the UK was not even remotely prepared for, which was made worse by having a PM in charge who is not a details man and initially thought by putting on his usual positive bluster it wouldn’t be as bad as some feared – indeed, he apparently didn’t think it was serious enough to attend the first five Cobra meetings on the Corona virus.

    Although, not all the problems are the result of what happened in the first three months of this year and to borrow a phrase from a previous prime minister, the healthcare system in the UK should have been fixed while the sun was shining and attempting to patch it up during a storm is never the best time.

    Perhaps the UK has been for too long trying to operate Western European public services while shifting towards the more small state US-style of running the economy. The Banking crisis exposed the fragility of the UK economy, the inequalities of society and the Corona crisis is exposing the under-investment in public services and the low state benefits. Unemployment benefit in the UK is nothing short of a joke: 16 to 24 year-old get just £57 and over-25’s get £72 a week and if they’re lucky enough not to have a spare room, most of their rent – in many comparable EU countries, such as Germany, you receive around two-thirds your previous wage for 12 months.

    So in conclusion, whatever the circumstances, the elected government are responsible for both their actions and their statements – many in power have been part of previous governments, which took decisions that have left many exposed in the current crisis. Holding ministers to account for their performance is about all you can do every five years and if there are genuine problems that have led to a failure to deliver, then that will no doubt be accepted by most reasonable people. However, it is important that those in charge are held under scrutiny to ensure they’re up to the job and are not potentially out-of-their-depth Chris ‘Failing’ Graylings in the making.

    Finally, if people are now seeing Piers Morgan as the voice of reason, then I’d suggest that you’re probably doing something wrong as a government…

    1. Or indeed you have done something seriously wrong in electing the said government in the first place! Best not go there I guess.

      I get what you say about holding any government to account but sadly our media do not appear to want to do that. The questions at the presser are almost pointless and should really be followed up by the next journo rather than making a point to their own readership.

      This setting of targets is a strange one, I always worked on the basis of under promise and over deliver and funnily enough it got me lots of brownie points with clients and to a degree management.

      Nothing worse than saying that you will do something and then not deliver but the government will keep on doing it until they get serious grief.

      I won’t hold my breath!

    2. Brilliant piece, Werder.

      Is there any member of this government who was not an abysmal failure in their previous posts? Or who do not owe their positions to the purity of their ideological commitment to the small state, the unfettered free market, and the cutting of public services rather than to their competence? Our responses to this tragedy have been forty years in the making and have directly contributed the ill-prepared shambles which is now slaughtering large sections of the population, and in particular my own generation of the over-80s.

      I noticed in the early 1980s that one of the most immediate consequences of free- market economics was that those sections of the population who were deemed to be of little value in terms of the market were treated as though they were of no consequence as people. They were simply considered irrelevant to what was happening in the wider world, and therefore irrelevant as people. Bankers, fund managers, and captains of industry were the masters of the universe and rewarded themselves as such; those who worked in the public sector such as teachers and nurses and other NHS workers were ‘losers’, whose jobs were deemed to be dependant on a thriving economy. As for pensioners, the unemployed, the disabled, and others who existed outside of the market economy they were consistently treated as parasites and frequently, scapegoated and demonised first by the Tory press and then by the wider culture.

      People of my generation have been told so often and for so long that the problems of the health service are not down to forty years of government underfunding but to the fact that we are living too long; that the housing crisis has nothing to do with the mass selling-off of public housing, and a catastrophic failure to invest in public and private building programmes but to a phoney inter-generational conflict with the elderly sitting in expensive houses and therefore depriving the young of getting on the property ladder.

      Ageism is endemic to our culture in a way that it never was in the past. This has required a great deal of assiduous ideological work, because it is a particularly stupid form of self-.prejudice. Given reasonably good health we all hope to live to an old age free of discrimination. And we surely wish the same for the people we have the highest regard for, our parents.

      Yet in the past few weeks I have watched TV programmes, made before the current crisis, in which a comedian, Live at the Apollo, joked that anyone over 50 shouldn’t be allowed to vote, a quip that not only got a laugh but a spontaneous round of applause. Another comedian wondering why old people didn’t just die quicker. And a sitcom where the death of a pensioner was greeted with tears by her son, which quickly turned to hysterical laughter at the realisation that the old bat had finally gone.

      Meanwhile Dominic Cummings was reported as saying “Let old people die” last year, a report that has never been denied. (No 10 said, less than fulsomely, that they did not recognise the quote). In the meantime Cummings was forced to sack his first “weirdo” advisory appointment when it was discovered that the weird views he held were on eugenics, a field in which Cummings himself has expressed an interest.

      I do not think it is far-fetched to suggest that the government’s lack of preparedness for the current crisis is connected to the fact that it believed it to be primarily a crisis for the elderly. Indeed at that notorious first press conference with its talk (later played down and ultimately denied) of herd immunity, Chris Whitty was at pains to stress that for the vast majority of people this would be a manageable virus, little more than a virulent form of flu. This framing of covid 19 as a problem for the elderly goes some way to explaining the lack of political priority given to it (as opposed to attacking the BBC and the civil service), in January and February, and the apparent insouciance of the Prime Minister in attending a rugby international and shaking hands with those who had had the virus. It wasn’t seemingly a problem that applied to him.

      His near-death experience rightly attracted national sympathy and attention. But how much more ink has been spilled over the illness of a single high status individual than over the deaths of thousands of vulnerable old people, and those wonderful lowly-paid working class women and often very young girls who care for them. It is a national scandal, it is happening now. And our government is continuing to fail to give it the kind of priority, attention, planning and money that was immediately accorded to the problems of British business.

      I for one do not need a public enquiry reporting long after I am deceased to tell me that mistakes have been made and lessons have been learned. Those mistakes are self-evident now. They exist in plain sight. They are the consequence of forty years of neglect. And they continue to be met by little more than crocodile tears and a casual shrug by politicians whose careers have been built on personal ambition rather than public service, and a philosophy of devil-take -the- hindmost, and a monstrous lack of simple human empathy.

      2. Sadly Len, it’s inevitable that the economical pressures put on as a result of the corona virus will soon outweigh the tragic loss of life. It’s only a matter of time before the constant pressure exerted on the government by interested parties, backed up by the press and media will see the old and medically vulnerable sacrificed as collateral damage. The economy cannot be allowed to fail.

        After the successful demonising of the most vulnerable benefit claimants via the medium of television programmes and front page stories, the elderly were next on the list. The triple lock on the pension and occupancy of their own homes threatened by the bedroom tax. were in the crosshairs.

        Once the NHS can be seen to be coping with cases from the general populous it will be the care homes that will be abandoned to take the brunt of the virus and big business and investors will be tasked to rejuvenate the economy. After all., what is a care home other than out of sight and out of mind.

      3. I believe that the “Nightingale Hospitals” are there for when the Economy determines we need to get back to business in the near future and there is now somewhere for collateral casualties to be carted off to rather than cluttering up streets with disease riddled corpses.

      4. Len. Most eloquent. I empathise entirely with your sentiment and agree absolutely with you that the evidence is plain sight now.
        My concern is that although it might appear that some birds are coming home to roost now, once the worst is past us, the cult of self entitlement that was unleashed in the 80s will reestablish itself. Worse, I fear the closing of borders and restrictions on travel will reinforce the ignorance of nationalistic tendencies.

      5. Thanks Len and great post – I’d written a long reply but for some reason the browser self-refreshed as I was finishing off and lost it all – sadly I don’t have time to rewrite it as I need to start work 🙁

  401. If I’d held off my post for a while longer, one of our questions would have been answered as the BBC News website now carries an article explaining the NHS and others procurement process and the associated problems in acquiring and distributing PPE.
    I do agree that the politicians should refrain from making promises they may not be able to keep as it destroys their credibility and gives the opposition and the media a chance to stick the boot in.

  402. Interesting article today about what the PL and the end of the season. Just a shame they don’t meet until 1 May!

    I can see why they want to finish the season, it is all about the money but as the article says, the health implications re testing could be onerous.

    Given what UEFA appear to be saying about next season, then I can’t for the life of me see why the season cannot end now. Yes, there will be winners and losers and some clubs won’t be happy but you can never please all the people all of the time.

    As Ian always says, the table doesn’t lie and the argument about if’s and buts doesn’t hold water for me. If you had won more games, then you wouldn’t be in that position, simples!

    Maybe there is a case for averaging out the points to equalize the number of games played and then the same principle applies.

    Will it happen- doubt it somehow.

  403. Half way through the Ph.D. thesis detailed in AV’s retweet on the right of this page. Fascinating stuff on the history of Middlesbrough and the town’s linguistic development. Skip all of the academic stuff necessary for a Ph D and much of the content will be of interest to many of the blog’s regulars.

    1. Great link Lwn thanks for pointing it out. However, that’s a lot of reading, so I’ve downloaded it to educate myself another time.

  404. I’m getting to the stage now that I couldn’t care one way or the other whether this season is voided or not, at least football fans have had some football to watch this season. But to think that there might be little cricket, golf or any more rugby league when the weather has been so sunny fills me with desperation. It’s almost inevitable that when cricket gets the go ahead it will rain. I leave you with the words of Stanley Holloway in his monologue ‘Three ha’pence a foot’ about Noah wanting to build an ark on the Irwell:- ‘Twas the rottenest summer that Bury had had for some time’.

  405. The Nightingale Hospitals are a little of “we told you so”, we put all this infrastructure in place as a caring thoughtful Government (slot in any party that you like here) and it just shows how well we managed the crisis that they were barely needed. Thus proving we were right and managed everything brilliantly.

    The old need to go because they are cynics and can see right through clever old us.

    I am a cynic and I don’t trust any of them, whatever colour the rosette.

    Stay safe and well everyone.

    UTB,

    John

    PS Whatever happened to Mr Osborne? He helped in this catastrophe.

    1. John – I too am a cynic. It was clear that the Nightingale hospitals were nothing more than a statement. After all, what is the point of 4000 beds when there is not enough nurses to resource it.

  406. Not cynics, gentlemen. We do have beliefs and values. We’re sceptics. Sceptical of cynical politicians who have no principles more important than their own careers.

    1. Well said – speaking of politicians and careers – anyone seen or heard from our PM recently? Or has he imbibed too much of the “good spirits” that we are told he is in?

  407. Although the Nightingales are called hospitals, they are just basically large Covid wards. In order to be a fully functional hospital they would need to be converted. Something that is being considered at the moment, but remains to be seen.

    1. I think many, including Angela Merkel, are a little nervous of the individual German states moving too quickly to come out of lock-down – many experts are advocating caution and a return to playing football is hardly essential.

  409. Looking back at the history of Middlesbrough FC and their formation in 1876 from Middlesbrough CC players wishing to find a way of keeping fit in the winter, Cricket had been played in the town since 1830, but the Cricket Club was not formed until 1855 so 21 years before the Football Club. They used to play on an area called Swatters Carr at the junction of Linthorpe
    Road and Southfield Road from 1857. It eventually became the site of the Cleveland Show until the latter moved to Stewart’s Park. However a very fine public house called the Empire Hotel was built on the corner of the site of the cricket field on the junction of Linthorpe Road and Victoria Road. Significantly this is now called The Swatters Carr. I would have mentioned all this when writing about the evolution of how cricket determined the formation of the Football Club in the 19th century, but it has only recently come to my attention.

      1. When it comes to Trump maybe he should take the advice given in that famous Shelley quote: “It’s better to remain quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt”

  411. The MFC website has published an article of outstanding hat tricks by Boro players over the years but surprisingly missed out 3 other outstanding occasions in my opinion:-

    1. Alan Peacock scored 4 away to Derby County on the 29th August 1959 in a 7-1 win made even more remarkable by the fact that Brian Clough didn’t score at all.
    2. Both Wilf Mannion and Alex McCrae scored hat tricks in the same match against Huddersfield Town on the 30th September 1950 in an 8-0 win, also remarkable that two players should do so in the same match. In fact Mannion’s goals were all scored in the first half, whilst McCrae’s were all scored in the second half.
    3. It may have been an FA Cup match against non-league opposition, but on the 9th January 1915 Jackie Carr, George Elliott and Walter Tinsley all scored hat tricks in a 9-3 victory over Goole Town.
    One has to go back as far as 18th October 1887 when Preston North End beat Hyde United 26-0 in the First Round of the FA Cup for 4 hat tricks in a match. The main scorers were Jimmy Ross 7, John Gordon 5, George Drummond 3, Sam Thomson 3.

  412. After Trump’s latest Faux Pas (in a seemingly ever burgeoning list) it was interesting to read something Football related and with a bit of thought, logic and intellect behind it:

    https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/alex-neil-calls-transfer-ban-18142587

    I did wonder if perhaps the President of the United States was joining in with the spirit of BBC’s “Big Night in” where many celebrities filled in a few hours with not particularly funny comedy routines and painful sing songs albeit in fairness for good causes?

  414. Just seen a news Flash (local) York, glorious evening, slack handful of people scattered around, all doing different activities.
    And a lot of Police giving them hassle, and fines. Lunacy!, with London ignoring the whole lockdown idea, with the parks open and full with cyclists, runners, walkers. Kids, you get the picture. It couldn’t be the fines they are after, could it? They must be missing all the traffic fines with empty roads. And it gets them out of the station away from the boss.

  415. Last post from me, a friend of my daughter we know well works in an intensive care unit. I think political posts are uncalled for.

    Please show some decency in a dire situation. No more posts from me, I am disgusted by some that are out of order.

    You should be ashamed of yourselves.

    1. Please spare us your self-righteous disgust Ian and implying that other posters lack decency and should be ashamed of themselves because they are not ‘on-message’ with the current Conservative government. It would be a sad state indeed if people who didn’t agree with how those in power handled matters were not regarded as decent people – that’s not what democracy is about.

      There is no football of any note to discuss or likely to be anytime soon so don’t be surprised if the only news item that exists is what is mainly being dissected by the few who still post – even with all things Boro the nature of the forum was never to be for those who only were supportive of decisions made, so no surprise that many have an alternative take on the borderline propaganda that they are getting fed.

      1. Weder – can’t disagree with that statement and you put it better than I could. Putting an opposing view has always been a feature of this blog and perhaps Ian should come back with his views and point out why we should be ashamed.

        Happy to apologize if he feels been out of order.

  416. It is sad to see one of the original members (3rd or 4th poster) on AV’s blog leave but I know where he is coming from as it has become a more political blog than football.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Have to agree. What’s the point of getting het up about things we can’t change. Politics like Religion are personal views. I got my fingers burnt about my religious views on this forum a couple of years back which I admit was a mistake, but the sooner we get back to football matters the better. It’s quite noticeable that a lot of past bloggers on this forum have stopped contributing any more. I never watch the news on TV, and in fact hardly watch any television at all at the moment. We’ve had some glorious sunny days in this past month, so I’ve found plenty of things on YouTube to listen to whilst relaxing in the garden without annoying the neighbours.

    2. It may just be me but I seem to recall that we were not left in much doubt as to AV’s personal political allegiances (to which he is fully entitled) and like his blogs we all agreed, disagreed, passively concurred with or vehemently opposed but we all contributed and all contributions were of equal value and to this day on here still are.

      It is extremely difficult to keep a blog alive when the intended topic is frozen in time. If nobody posts anything the blog shrivels on the vine and dies. Writing wordy articles or lengthy posts creates and stimulates debate and discussion of some sort. It keeps people logging in to read or gloss over things and contribute or not as they please. Football being suspended meant that contributions were always going to wander off piste.

      2. Agree RR

        Once you lose the ability to discuss in a sensible way, with views that you may disagree with, then you might as well not bother.

        It is fair to say, that there is probably less activity on the blog now but the fact that we all keep,on popping back in means that it will continue.

        So, it is not all football related but there is no sport so what else do we discuss? Goes on what is happening in the world which right now is sadly dominated by a virus.

        But it will pass and we will be back at the Riverside again! No doubt complaining about team selection and formations but that is what it is all about.

    1. Not sure that the PL and FL will have the balls to do that somehow!

      Even though, I recall that Ken had worked out that it would actually not change anything. Fairest way for me which I would accept even if we were relegated.

  418. WARNING! The following post contains non Boro Football related matters. ( insert your own oxymoron joke here). Feel free to scroll on past it.

    At a time like this with no football it is inevitable that posters will drift off topic. I’m of the impression that it lifts the blog out of the mundane and gives people the opportunity to voice their opinion on things that matter to them. It also gives an insight to the mindset of fellow posters on a range of subjects not related to MFC.

    It is absolutely right that the government’s handling of the Covid 19 crisis should come under scrutiny and also their past record. With a relatively useless opposition at the moment perhaps it’s even more important than ever. Of course there will be opposing views and they will provoke some mutterings as you read depending on your own stance, but to flounce off with self righteous indignation achieves nothing.

    This blog prides itself on not attacking posters for their views, but putting an opposing argument. Surely that is what debate is for. Naturally some have a fixed view and no amount of debate will ever change that, but at least you can read their words and perhaps see where they are coming from.

    It would be a sad world where you didn’t promote your view in fear of being labelled insensitive or just plain ignorant.

    2. Thanks GHW

      One of the things that I like the most about this blog is the diversity of views combined with the broad life experience and geographical spread of the contributors.. We are linked by our love for MFC but very separate. That’s what makes it worth reading and I have no issue whatsoever with discussion bouncing around a bit.

      If people want a football topic then I’d return to the plans to complete the season and the decision to play behind closed doors. Does it make sense to use massive stadia or would the whole thing be better and easier to control if done on smaller training grounds. I can’t think of the pros and cons but maybe the brains trust will have some ideas.

      Keep well and UTB

  419. In one of my posts over the last couple of months I called out that homo sapiens is a social animal. It needs to have society in order to thrive. The word politics derives from the Ancient Greek “politikos”, meaning pertaining to the “polis”, which for the Greeks was the city-state, or their society if you like. You cannot have a society that does not have, actually that does not need, politics. Without politics, nothing can be decided in a society. In fact, I would argue that without politics you cannot have a society. It is the very fact that more heads are better than one that has allowed our species to gain ascendency. Politics enables the discourse; the airing of ideas and opinions; the debate and the evolution of those opinions and ideas; the arrival of a consensus that collectively we can subscribe to core common principles and beliefs; the elevation of tolerance for the almost infinite subtleties and differences in ideas and precepts. It is at the heart of absolutely everything we do in life.

    Covid-19 has arrived and poses a threat. Not just to our UK, or Western, based society, but to every different society and culture across the globe. For our society and all of the individuals in that society, the initial and, in truth, ongoing focus has been how to protect our society from that threat. That is what the politicians, the civil servants, the academics, the economists … well everyone … have been striving to do. Has everyone done everything right and made the right decisions, either collectively or individually? Well, we are human, and being human we are fallible, so the answer to the question is simply, “No”. But another human attribute, the ability to adapt, has meant that as we learn from our decisions and their consequences, our response to the threat has evolved and sometimes even changed.

    Being focussed on something does not mean that you stop doing other things. In fact, it is essential for many other things to carry on in order to maintain society. The crisis will pass and when it does pass, as a society we need to have learned from what this crisis is teaching us, now. Hopefully that will allow us to be better prepared for when the next significant threat to our society will come. One of the things that must carry on, is the political discourse. Now is the time to record opinions and thoughts and reactions and ideas and suggestions and not least because some one somewhere may have a hitherto unthought of idea that could make a difference immediately.

    It is valid to question the motivation of the people making the decisions on behalf of society. Irrespective of my disdain for many on the current political class, regardless of where they sit on the political spectrum, they are making decisions that they believe to be the right ones. But, as I said, we are all fallible. Just because a decision is taken in the belief it is the right decision doe not mean it will turn out to have been the best decision. This is why it is important to maintain the forums (Parliament, committees, councils, newspapers, online blogs, conversations across the fence, and whatever…) where each one of us has the right to be heard and for our opinion and our idea and our belief to aired. Otherwise, regardless of the motivation for those in power and taking decisions, there can never be accountability and there can never be the opportunity for the best of all human thinking to influence the decision takers and ultimately for the best options to be taken.

    We are all motivated by different things and each of us is informed by what we each have been exposed to. I am adamant we all have the right to be heard. I am also sufficiently wise to understand that some of us have better perspectives on things, better understanding, better knowledge, different backgrounds. I don’t have to like or agree with what I hear and read. I do have to have the confidence that my voice, along with everyone else’s, can be heard.

    Over my years I have had many friends and colleagues and family with whom I disagree. My father when he was still with us was adamant that what he read in the Daily Mail had to be right. As a Guardian reader, you can imagine that we disagreed a lot on many things. But we still loved each other. We had so much more in common than we had differences and we knew when not to provoke or be provoked by the other (unless for essential leg-pulling and wind-up purposes!). I have shared friendship with individuals having very right-wing beliefs, others very left-wing, with nationalists in Scotland, with Unionists in Scotland and on and on. I have had the same attitude with all of them that I had to my dad. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and while I have the right to engage in discussion about an opinion with them, there is no compulsion for them to accept my arguments. That is not necessarily reason for me to break a friendship.

    There are people who post in here on Boro-related themes and who go on and on like a broken record about some things and who fail to heed reasoned responses to explain things or to give a different understanding from the same information. Some people like to respond. Actually, when I read what I take to be abject nonsense, or using unnecessarily pejorative narrative, I tend to pass over it. It doesn’t stop me coming here.
    Similarly there are people who post in here that I can detect have opinions and beliefs that I find difficult to agree with. I like to think that I apply the same measure of common sense that me and my dad used to.

    Almost certainly we all know someone working in the NHS; someone who might have had the virus; someone who may have died as a result; someone directly impacted by it. None of us is sheltered from that. I’m not comfortable at the thought of using that kind of direct relationship as a reason not to embrace the continued airing of different thoughts and opinion and ideas and beliefs. For me it has to be one of the very good reasons that we do continue to engage in political debate.

    For what it is worth. My wife is life long asthmatic. She provides personal healthcare to children having severe and complex needs. She is coughed over, sneezed over and worse on a daily basis. She took ill. Her peak flow (that is the measure of her breathing capacity) reduced by over 50%. I was extremely worried. Because she works in the NHS, she was sent for a Covid-19 test. It was positive. She really was very ill, but fortunately we managed her condition at home and she recovered without being hospitalised. But it was a very, very scary period for us I can tell you. Of course, being in close proximity, I too developed all the same symptoms, only a few days behind my wife. Although I was not tested, it is likely I was also infected by it. Even though I am over 60, I’m in good health without any underlying condition and so was not as ill as my wife. Nonetheless, it was very debilitating for us for a couple of weeks.

    My wife is now back to work, currently redeployed to Community Nursing, but expecting at any time to be asked to be redeployed wherever the NHS needs her. We have other close family and dear friends working in the local Coronavirus Assessment Hub. Regardless of all of that, I want to see the discussion now, not in 12- or 18-months’ time. If that means I come across some ludicrous or outrageous thinking, so be it. It is a small price to pay for the thing that is going to be the thing that ultimately will protect our society the most today and in the future: the freedom to be heard.

    2. Powmill – Thank you for posting that. And pleased to hear that your wife and yourself have recovered. I can only imagine what it must have been like.

      I wish I was on my way up the A1 today to celebrate staying up But that time will come when this situation passes.

    3. Thanks for a very interesting read Powmill and glad both you and your wife came through Corona virus in one piece – it must have been a very stressful time not knowing if it would end well. I agree that it’s almost impossible to separate life from politics as it affects nearly all aspects of our life from work, health, schools and our future existence.

      Although in general, it’s a bit more of a surreal time where we live as we literally haven’t heard of anyone who knows someone who has had the Corona virus. As I have previously mentioned, there have only been 64 reported cases in our district of 120,000 people, around 50 of whom have since recovered and the others are still in isolation with no deaths. My nine-year-old will return to school in just over a week – though they’ve split the classes and they will attend on alternative days. Mrs Werder is still working full-time in a government job as an environmental engineer and I’m as usual overworked at home on an endless list of projects but at the moment suffering from a altogether different breathing problem as my usual tree pollen allergy occurs at this time of year.

      Next week Lower Saxony has ordered that everyone must wear a face mask in shops and on transport and we’ll see how a return to normality pans out – which is all thanks to the political decisions made in Germany both recently and in the longer term. Germany currently has just one fifth (per million population) the deaths that the UK currently has and if many of those 10-20 thousand unexplained extra deaths in care homes and in the general population turn out to be Covid related then Germany may end up with just one-tenth what the UK suffers. So there’s a good reason to question politicians on their actions as they have real consequences for many families, who are not just an unfortunate statistic.

  420. I’m slowly coming around to the idea that football should stay on the back burner until some kind of normality can be achieved. Once it becomes possible to resume games I think it may be an idea to play the remainder of the fixtures prior to the commencement of the new season.

    This would mean an extra 9 fixtures for the majority of clubs. This could be accommodated by suspending the FA Cup, League Cup and lower league trophies for one season, plus the elimination of international breaks.

  421. Ian,

    Genuinely sorry to see you leave and I don’t think that you should. And surprised too.

    After all you have yourself frequently posted derogatory political comments on the blog about Jeremy Corbyn, Ken Livingstone, “Islington socialists”, left-wing ”Luvvies”, etc on the basis of little other evidence than something you have seen in the Telegraph. It was incredible to me that even in the midst of the current crisis you managed to refer to the “nanny state” at the very time when public services and those who work in them have never been so widely applauded, and when the consequences of public sector cuts have cost the lives of thousands of people, particularly of my generation.

    The blog seemed to treat your interventions with its usual tolerance. There were no cries of disgust or of your being out of order. That you should be ashamed of yourself and show a modicum of decency.

    I am sorry to say that using the experience of someone working for that nanny state as a shield for your own position is not worthy of you. NHS workers themselves are some of the biggest critics of successive Tory governments, and of the PM’s use of the NHS for photo opportunities in particular. So much so that they came out on strike against the government only a couple of years ago, as you know. You would be hard pushed to find workers in any industry anywhere who are as resolutely anti-Tory as NHS workers. After all they are now paying for years of political neglect with intolerable working conditions, a scandalous lack of resources and equipment, and ultimately with their lives.

    And that’s the point. My own objections I do not consider to be political at all. I am not remotely concerned with party politics or political colourings. What I am resolutely opposed to are people who are trying to kill me, as they are currently in the process of slaughtering thousands of my generation. I have no doubt that at this very moment there is someone at the Treasury who is currently calculating how much money is being saved in pensions and benefits by the current carnage. Is there anyone who disputes that greater political priority is being given to pumping money into vast tax-avoiding industries than into the care of the elderly.?

    I had a stroke earlier this year. What that means is that if I contract this virus I won’t be bothering to trouble the NHS. So I am sorry you are disgusted, Ian, but no I won’t show some decency, I do not consider myself to be out of order, and I am not ashamed of myself for refusing to go gently, as so many of my contemporaries are, into that good night.

    And if we all survive this I will continue to support the Boro, to contribute to this fine blog- which incidentally has been an excellent source of information on the current crisis- and to tolerate the expression of views of all kinds that I disagree with.

    1. As Richard Branson is currently asking for a government bail out perhaps he could be given a rebate on all the income tax he has paid….OH!

    2. Well said Len – along with all the other well written pieces that others have written. The quality of this blog is outstanding and it always been a credit to us all that we play the ball and not the man.

      We all have our opinions which may be different to others and it is the ability to argue our case in a sensible and non confrontational manner that separates this blog from others which resort to name calling.

      Long may that continue and hopefully we can return to reading Redcar Reds excellent match reports soon. Maybe there is a case for reliving some of them right now.

      UTB

      1. Only the ones where we won of course! Am I allowed to only read those though, perhaps for balance, we should have the poor games too. That said, the quality of the reports was always first class! It was just the quality of the football that was dubious.

    4. Len

      Like you over the past few years I have suffered a stroke recovered and unfortunately had 2 more. I am now fully recovered except the memory goes a bit AWOL and there are quite large chunks of my life I cant remember! I suppose we all get like that.

      I’m sorry Ian got upset as we have all formed a bond over the past few years and whatever our political or social leanings we all share a common love of Middlesbrough and the towns football club.

      We have some very good writers on this blog who can very succinctly put a point of view across which makes one stop and think.

      I’m sure that we all have stepped on a fellow bloggers toes at some point, but most of us are still here and long may it be so.

      I can understand that for Ken and others, Diasboro is a lifeline to the outside world and at the moment whilst there is no football, long may it continue to discuss and stimulate and promulgate interest in the life changing events that we are living through at the moment.

      I must confess that after my own strokes I could not watch anything violent on TV and to a certain point still can’t. My own Doctor also a Boro fan suggested that I go and watch the lads as he said I had not to get too excited!

      I did get involved in work again this past year and was responsible for a project to rejuvenate Middlesbrough Dock and have a museum with Bars Restaurants etc. We even obtained a little ship that was involved in the Dunkirk evacuation to be restored by local apprentices.

      Sadly subsequent events have meant that this is now all gone and the area as well as the people are fighting for life. It will take a long time for our country to get back on its feet but hopefully the spirit of our people will overcome adversity.

      For my own lifestyle at the moment I’ve been told I’m at serious risk due to age and health issues, so I’m gardening, power washing paths and doing all the other physical jobs to keep my life focused on my own family and not listening to any news etc. This might seem myopic but sufferers of strokes tend to have issues which cause stress and that is one thing I and Len can do without.

      So stay healthy and fit everyone, stay safe and get well soon those that have been ill.

      Up the Boro and Up Diasboro

      OFB

  423. Powmill glad to hear you are both on the mend and yourself Len. These are very scary times for all of us.

    I had a bit of a rant a while back about a shortage of PPE while there was plenty of US (but not EU) approved equivalents available. I think I’m glad to say that sense has prevailed and they have now been temporarily approved for use in the “NHS only” but not for general Industry. Just for clarity these aren’t inferior products just slightly different with minor pluses and minuses (Mondeo or an Insignia).

    I said “I think” because its still not totally clear as obfuscation seemingly still reigns supreme but they are now being issued and thereby saving the lives of both patients and NHS employees. It shows the value of ranting (not just here obviously and not just myself) when solutions or alternatives are out there.

  424. I see Luton Town have sacked their Manager all his back room Coaching staff. Seems like a desperate cost cutting exercise on the surface but not great for the game regardless. Graeme Jone’s missus comes from around these parts I seem to recall reading when we last played them hence a very tenuous Boro link. Boro related football news is very thin on the ground theses days.

  425. Thanks RR, and may I record my thanks to you, Werder, GHW and Steely amongst many others for providing so much information, links, expertise, comment and experience about the current crisis. It all validates this blog as being a repository of collective wisdom and about so much more than football. And, who knows, it may even have saved lives. In my own case I suspect it has.. Thanks to all.

  426. I hope everyone saw Werder’s post about the efficacy of the pneumonia jab. It’s available to all over 65 and as far as I know free.

    1. I should add another useful tip I listened to recently was that for those who do fall ill with Corona virus or suspect they have it and are not hospitalised but riding it out at home. One of the main problems of the virus is that oxygen levels in the blood can start to fall but often people are not fully aware that this is happening as they compensate by breathing a little more rapidly. However, it can be dangerous once oxygen levels start falling below 90 percent and in some case once it has fallen to 60-70 percent, their chances of recovering even after being admitted to hospital are significantly reduced.

      Anyway, one doctor recommended that if possible people can monitor their own blood oxygen levels using a oximeter, which are readily available from even from those online retailers that don’t pay their taxes (see oximeter link). Apparently, they could save your life if you see the warning signs and get a Boris-like early intervention of oxygen in hospital.

      1. I have a major grudge about online retailers that don’t pay their taxes (and in so doing not supporting the NHS). As a consequence I steadfastly and religiously refuse to buy anything from one particular site (Rivers run deep).

        I do my online search for things and they often come up top of my Google or Bing search (can’t think why) and I do look on their site to see if it is what I want but then I look elsewhere and I have yet to find any product that isn’t significantly cheaper elsewhere (and I’m not talking coppers either). I saw something on Monday this week that was reduced to “only” £26.95 and when I searched on the Eh by gum site it was £12.95! I just had it delivered this morning and it was exactly as I wanted and hoped for. What made it worse was that it was exactly the same brand.

        Bad enough gouging eyes out but to then pay peanuts in taxes (successive red and blue governments have all left tax loopholes whilst shafting the ordinary working and middle classes) leaves me unable to conduct business with them. When we need to rely on a 100 year old veteran to raise money for a desperately needed resource something stinks to high hell and back.

        I read somewhere that a multi billionaire (who may or may not be connected with the source of my anger) contributed significant millions to research into a vaccine last week that seemed eye wateringly impressive until someone pointed out just how much tax his company avoided (put it into shameful perspective) and how his personal earnings meant that it was the equivalent of you or I chipping in with something like £3.24 putting things into even more focus.

        I would urge others to do the same as myself and avoid lining the pockets of such individuals whilst we stay at home, save lives and protect the NHS. Apologies if anyone is offended by the political overtones (genuinely) of my post.

        1. That was probably my post from the other day about Amazon and his $100,000 donation to a foodbank. I’m a guilty Amazon user who is trying to cut them out but we signed up to Prime, Kindle and another listen book service – we’ve managed to cancel two subscriptions but it’s become a quick habit when buying online. Unfortunately there are not too many alternatives in Germany that cover the overall breadth of stock but I’m looking into it.

          In theory, I’m not sure why the UK and other countries don’t develop their own online retail store fronts that do the same job – then the governments could pick up the missing taxes. btw I was interested to hear the other day that Amazon have been drafted by the UK government to provide home testing kits. Though it’s quite amazing how much of the world is reliant on American tech companies for everyday life – Europe seems to be happy to use these social media and retail giants and then moan about the lack of tax revenue – perhaps it’s time they were proactive in helping to provide competition.

      2. It more than likely will have been your post Werder. Perhaps what is more interesting is that clearly it was believed by myself without question because of the source which is credit to yourself.

  427. If I or indeed someone else has not done so already, I can recommend the You Tube videos from Dr John Campbell. Very informative and better than the main stream media in my opinion.

    He also recommended vitamin D supplements as there does seem to be more deaths where people don’t produce as much vitamin D

    1. I am reminded of an old TV commercial, for The Guardian I think. As I recall the story board starts by showing footage of a skinhead running threatening, followed by an angle of a lady with a pram looking as if it was her he was running at, then an image of scaffolding collapsing. The final angle shows ot wax the skinhead rushing to get someone safe from being hit by the collapsing scaffold…..

      How easy for us all to choose to see only what we want to see and what a lesson that we all need to open our eyes and look beyond our own prejudice,because all have them. Each and every one of us.

  429. Re. The comments on ‘what to do if you catch a slight attack of the dreaded virus’,
    There are some very optimistic stories about laying in bed face down as being a help when struggling with your breathing, I might add that there were good illustrations showing just why this was so.
    As for the blog from Ian. Words fail me.
    As the three stooges were in full flow night after night about PPE, there were plenty on this blog stating that, above all, the front line health workers should be provided with it at once before all others, so dangerous is their job. As a rider, these fools were called out for their cheery abandonment of care home workers.
    I thought at the time that my personal nightmare would be a newly qualified grandchild working in the middle of that lot.

    1. Hopefully Ian was having a bad day (or week even) as we all do from time to time. Who knows what is happening in any of our lives at any given point in time and our stress levels are probably higher than normal right now and understandably so. I think most of us, if indeed not all of us in fact, regard Ian as a much appreciated and respected friend on here. Sometimes lashing out helps to release pressure and lances the boil, I hope he comes back soon, recharged and full of vigour.

      2. Nice post, RR.

        Ian, if all else fails you can always do a Donald Trump and say that you’ve been taken out of context or were being sarcastic.

    1. I have to admit GHW that what is going on over the border has me lost and confused. If anyone could simplify it I for one would love to understand it. Its like a script from Little Britain, yeah but no but.

  432. Thanks to everyone for their kind comments. I hummed and arr’d about writing about my wife contracting Covid-19 because I wasn’t looking for sympathy. I really only was so wound up in making the point that all of us are affected and it is absolutely legitimate to challenge the government over this all, especially when people like my wife and Ianis daughter’s friend are out there risking themselves without adequate protection. Of course it has been particular political motivations that has led to the appalling lack of adequate resources for all people working in the caring professions and to pretend it is not important to challenge that many of the people party to those earlier choices are the ones now struggling to be able to deal with consequences of those choices is no more than putting your head in the sand.

    We are well. Thank you all. I only hope that this all passes quickly and as few people as possible have to suffer far worse than we did.

    1. Pleased you are on the mend

      Latest news this morning Sunday is that Middlesbrough are now 6th in the table !

      No not Football the Covid19 cases in the UK quite alarming !

      OFB

      1. Strangely enough, I was just reading an article on the BBC website where an organisation called the Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP) have created an index that shows the places in the UK where people are most at risk of dying from the Corona virus and rather more alarmingly Middlesbrough came top.

        Here’s the link to the article

  433. Some very moving posts.

    Thanks Powmill, and also to Bob, whose most recent post appears earlier in the blog, and is easily missed.

    Best wishes to you Bob. I hope that you stay well in spite of your high risk profile. I’ve gained enormous respect for you through this blog, not only for your important work in curating it, and your splendid interviews, but also for what you have revealed about your other activities: your refereeing, your contributions to the local football scene, your varied career, and your inside information, all carried out with great good humour and motivated by concern for the greater good. I wish you the best of health, and look forward to the time when we can all get back to the football

    1. Hear hear Len

      Not forgetting Ken who manages so stoically and whose attitude I admire.

      We will get through this together and this blog is part of us all remaining sane in difficult times. Yes as RR said, we will have bad days but they pass.

      Roll on the time when we are all together (in spirit) watching our beloved Boro in good times and bad!

      UTB

    2. Len

      Thanks for those kind words this blog means a lot to me like a lot of people who post on here and the face that we’ve kept it going. So long speaks volumes to the the quality of its contributors notably Werder and Redcar Red.

      Thanks to all

      OFB

  434. I doubt that I have never met anyone on this blog but I do feel that I know you all – when this is over, I really do think that we should arrange a proper get together for as many as is possible albeit we are so far apart. Appreciate that for some contributors that may be hard but maybe we can do a zoom thing!

    Not that I am a IT whizz in any shape or form.

  435. I miss my Boro. And would definately miss Ian if he is opting out. I see his point as I said, I miss Boro, too.

    So I hope you will come back, Ian. I really do. We all need your promt comments.

    Up the Boro!

  436. Pleased to hear that Mrs. Powmill has now recovered from this dreadful Coronavirus, and hopefully that OFB is taking things easy following his two strokes. I hope that I don’t appear insensitive to what is happening in the outside world, but politicis and politicians of any party bore me to tears. I took early retirement 30 years ago on ill health due to depression caused mainly by politics in Local Government. When I was summoned to be interviewed by the Medical Officer of Health after taking sick leave for 6 months I went with trepidation. In fact the MoH said that I had been treated appallingly and recommended that I should take early retirement with an added 6 years and 9 months service paid out of the Council’s Superannuation Fund which would increase my pension to 39 years service.

    As anyone who has had depression knows, stress is the last thing anyone needs. That’s why from being outspoken to councillors when I could see that they were exceeding financial regulations I have lived a much calmer existence since retirement. The only thing that has phased me since was looking after my wife when she contacted cervical cancer. When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer I was quite calm about it, as I was when I lost my wallet including my passport at Capetown Airport late at night on my first holiday abroad on my own.

    My wife could be excitable and highly strung at times, but although I have never heard her voice since she died, I felt her presence saying ‘don’t worry everything will turn out fine’, and sure enough it did as a black taxi driver turned up with my wallet and passport 30 minutes later having found them in his taxi. We hugged each other and I apologised that I had no more rands left to reward him. His response was ‘no matter, I’m so pleased for you’. Now if I had lost my passport and my wife had been travelling with me, we both would have panicked. It’s so weird, but I do believe that Enid is my guardian angel and that nothing can phase me anymore.

    If Boro or Cas lose I take it in my stride, just as I have done with all my illnesses and ailments since Enid’s demise. I often re-read Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If’ which just reminds me to calm down and take adversity in my stride. What’s the point of worrying about politics or Coronavirus especially at my time of life? Without wishing to criticise friends on this forum, maybe it’s a good mantra to follow. Of course I’ve now had 11 years of living alone, so maybe it’s easier for me to be philosophical about life. But I don’t want to read or listen to people’s opinions about politicians on a football forum. I apologise if this offends some folk, but I’m non-political but with still strong religious beliefs supporting all NHS staff and key workers as best I can, but I intend not to participate in political or religious debate on a football forum, so count me out until football returns.
    Que Sera, Sera!

    1. GHW – just been onto the reading site that should not be named – sorry- and spent a small fortune buying the suggested along with another one he has written and a Harry Pearson book.

      That will keep me busy for a while and away from the bloody virus!

  438. 🔴

    Spent the morning knocking up a few bookshelves to strategically place behind me in the event one of the TV outlets decide to interview me via Skype.

    Currently scouring online booksellers to procure some pretentious titles to arrange in a faux hap hazard way to give the impression that I’ve actually read them. Any budding entrepreneur out there could start a cottage industry designing backdrops for online interviews to give the impression that my opinion is worth more than any other political commentator.

    ( the more astute of you will have noticed this post has a Red Dot; preceding it. This is to indicate it is a non football post and can be scrolled past)

    1. That used to be my red dot once 🙁

      I’m not sure what my bookshelf backdrop would look like should I get interviewed but the few books I now get time to read have all been ebooks – though I’d probably advise politicians against having a bookshelf full of self-help books as it might worry the electorate. I could imagine spin doctors these days vetting the books on shelves and checking with focus groups to see if they were met with approval. Also not too many ‘Dummies Guide to..’ books would be a good idea – though the usual pristine copy of ‘A Brief History of Time’ should be included, perhaps alongside the Bible for balance – though better not include Richard Dawkins ‘The God Delusion’.

    2. GHW,

      One that is often on the shelf behind said influential person nobody has thought who is being interviewed is ‘Hitler’. After that the shelves are your playground. Maybe I should dummy up some titles for you to slip in amongst the unread books. Schoolboy joke variety, I won’t put any down this is a family blog after all. At least Matt Hancock had what looked like a footballer rugby shirt in his study.

      I thought the red dot was from a telescopic laser sight.

      Stay safe everyone.

      UTB,

      John

    3. GHW
      Great idea about the bookshelf as a back drop.
      Just a hint about advanced upmanship. A carefully placed ‘special’ can floor the opposition.
      You know the sort of thing, ” A History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides ” in the original Greek!

  439. I know there are some people seem upset that the discussion on Diasboro is not talking about football but to be fair I did make it quite clear in the last paragraph of this current blog (see below) that due to the exceptional circumstance the normal operation of the site was to be put on hold for the foreseeable future and that I’d just keep the blog open for general discussion…

    Therefore, at this moment it’s hard to see when arguing over football tactics, team selections or transfers will once more become a meaningful topic of discussion. So like many aspects of life, football has suffered a heavy defeat from Covid 19 but will no doubt resume at some point in the future. In the meantime feel free to discuss any matters of concern with the Diasboro community or simply pop in to let us know you’re staying safe and healthy!

    That is clearly fine for some but not for others with perhaps the vast majority somewhat ambivalent and may pop in occasionally to see what’s happening. As is the norm when it comes to pleasing everyone it’s seldom possible and everyone will take their own view on what is right or wrong – it certainly would be a strange world if everyone thought the same and indeed if that were so then there would be no need for a discussion with anyone – not even over football!

    1. Werder,

      The blog is still my first port of call in the morning, I’ve stopped reading the media news sites and on here, agree or not, there’s a lot more sensible discussion going on from normal people with normal problems and experience. Keep it up I say.

      Stay well everyone, especially those who have suffered with the virus and other conditions. the DiasBoro thinks of you.

      UTB,

      John

      1. That should read ‘The DiasBoro thinks of you”. I think my Apple is taking me over.

        UTB,

        John

        ⚽️ I’ve edited it for you and have now given up my red dot for something nobody else will think about using – Werder

      2. John – totally agree and I wouldn’t want to see contributions to the blog stopping whatever the content. I have always seen this blog as a virtual pub, the Navi perhaps, where football is the main discussion but strays onto other issues of the day.

        We are not in normal times and won’t be for some time yet, so naturally thoughts turn to other things.

        We need to keep it going so that when the day comes when we can see Boro play again, then we can welcome everybody back! Including those who choose not to partake at the moment – all are welcome.

        UTB

  440. ⚽️

    I still think that penalty shootouts can be used to bring a swift end to the outstanding football fixtures. After all it’s an acceptable way to determine the winners of the World Cup.

    1. As long as the keeper does stay on his line and the penalty taker does not continue his run past half way between the penalty spot and the goal line…

    2. GHW – being devil’s advocate- but that was only after 120 minutes of football.

      The logistics of arranging the penalty shoot out would be as bad as games behind closed doors. Maybe they should hold a hit the crossbar competition that each club could do at their own grounds!

      Or perhaps something like a nearest the flag competition in golf – board up the goal, put targets in it and get players to aim at the targets from a set distance- from half way would be interesting!

      Failing that then just finish the season as the tables stand and allow relegation and promotion based on that.

    3. I’ve just remembered, does the Pools Panel still exist? We could have them adjudicate the results all the cancelled games.

      They could even do it in real time as a live broadcast for each match day.

      Probably makes as much sense as anything else. There isn’t a good answer or even a least bad answer.

      At the moment it’s not clear that we would be able to hold live football with a crowd anytime for the rest of this year.

      It’s probably a matter of moral philosophy right now. Is the over-riding principle that you finish the season no matter what? Even if it causes problems for the next season. Or is it the case that we need so many changes to make that work that it is not, anyway, a true reflection of what would have happened if the season had finished normally. Should the principle be to maximise the chance of starting a new season in the most normal way possible.

      My personal opinion is that matches played behind closed doors this summer are as likely to reflect what would normally have happened as the pools panel. A penalty shoot out is probably as good a predictor as actually playing the game. I think at this point you need to focus on next season rather than this one.

      1. I’m inclined to think the football authorities would be misplaced in thinking next season is going to be in anyway possible to run in a normal manner – it may just be better to try and finish the current season and then do something different instead of a normal season in 2020-21. Although, the PL may find their plans to complete the season will garner little interest as perhaps Liverpool are only one game away from the title but will there actually be any European football next season to make many other games meaningful beyond that? It could end up up being a drudge of endless dead rubbers where the results are little more than academic.

  444. I just spotted an interesting interview with the German epidemiologist, Christian Drosten in the Guardian – he’s the one that I (and particularly Mrs Werder) have been listening to during the Corona crisis. He spends most of his time reading and reviewing all the scientific literature and advises the German government. Well worth a read and you may be surprised to hear that he now thinks the UK are in a position where they are coordinating testing better than Germany – though he still thinks the UK government were too late in the early stages even though they had the capability.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/26/virologist-christian-drosten-germany-coronavirus-expert-interview

  446. Whilst reading and researching something entirely unrelated this morning I came across this:

    “In its natural form, hydrogen peroxide is found in breast milk, rain and, crucially, the body’s own immune cells. According to Dr Joseph Georghy from North Shore Cosmetic in Sydney, “It’s the body’s first line of defence against every type of infection.”

    I have no idea how credible the source is but perish the thought that maybe Donald Trump was playing all the right notes after all, just not necessarily in the right order?

    1. It was the Swiss physicist, Paracelsus, who famously said in the 16th century: “What is there that is not poison? All things are poison and nothing is without poison. Solely the dose determines that a thing is not a poison.”

      Cells in the body use all kinds of chemicals and molecules in their everyday functioning and hydrogen peroxide is indeed something the body’s immune system utilises in its armoury against bacterial infections. However, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide produced is carefully regulated by another molecule called peroxiredoxin (Prx) because if levels of hydrogen peroxide become too high, the cell’s DNA and other proteins can be damaged – which studies have suggested are behind some cancers and even diabetes. Therefore it would be a foolish act indeed to risk injecting hydrogen peroxide into the body in the hope it would somehow target a particular virus.

      Unfortunately, there are quite a few Charlatans out there who advocate such treatments and it seems one such person, Mark Grenon, who apparently lobbied Trump shortly before his disinfectant injection idea that not hydrogen peroxide but chlorine dioxide is “a wonderful detox that can kill 99% of the pathogens in the body and can rid the body of Covid-19”.

      Grenon is reported to styles himself as “archbishop” of Genesis II – a Florida-based outfit that claims to be a church but which in fact is the largest producer and distributor of chlorine dioxide bleach as a “miracle cure” in the US.

      As the saying goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, which is especially true when that ‘knowledge’ is being spouted by the most powerful political leader in the world who is only focused on his own re-election!

      1. No doubt if a “cure” or “treatment” involves a minor no matter how minuscule amount of Hydrogen Peroxide being tweaked then Donald will be flapping about it almost as much as his “alleged” hairpiece.

    1. Loved that one GHW – takes me right back. We lived away but we made it to the Sheff Wed 8 some reelers game!

      I also recall going to the ground that season to buy the tickets to another game when the players were leaving so managed to get Big Jacks autograph along with some of the players. For the life of me I can’t remember whose – my autograph book will be somewhere in the loft along with the programmes of the games we went to

      1. I’m not advocating that particular site, it’s just the one that came up when I was looking for a transcript. It’s widely reported that he was recommending drinking bleach or disinfectant. I did say it wasn’t an obviously sarcastic remark.

        1. Yes I know, though I’m sure many have jumped on the comments and fallen into the trap of embellishing his remarks to try and make him sound even more stupid – which is a mistake because it lets him off the hook as he’ll no doubt focus on those false claims as vindication he has been misrepresented. I think his minders are trying to reign him in but while they may keep him off TV, there no way he can resist Tweeting – I was amused to hear that yesterday he was Tweeting that all these fake news journalists should have their “Noble Prizes” (instead of Nobel) removed – though he actually probably meant Pulitzer Prizes.

      2. Here’s the relevant “ tweet”

        “ Does anybody get the meaning of what a so-called Noble (not Nobel) Prize is, especially as it pertains to Reporters and Journalists? Noble is defined as, “having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals.” Does sarcasm ever work?”

        1. Unfortunately, that Tweet was Trump’s attempt to airbrush history after his mistake was pointed out – he subsequently deleted the three Tweets about “Noble Prizes” and replaced it with the one that you quoted – with the now mandatory sarcasm excuse.

          The deleted Tweets were…

          When will all of the “reporters” who have received Noble Prizes for their work on Russia, Russia, Russia, only to have been proven totally wrong (and, in fact, it was the other side who committed the crimes), be turning back their cherished “Nobles” so that they can be given…

          …to the REAL REPORTERS & JOURNALISTS who got it right. I can give the Committee a very comprehensive list. When will the Noble Committee DEMAND the Prizes back. especially since they were gotten under fraud? The reporters and Lamestream Media knew the truth all along…

          …Lawsuits should be brought against all, including the injustice. For all of the great lawyers out there, do we have any takers? When will the Noble Committee Act? Better be fast!

  450. Reading the original Trump tweets is disturbing, he is, After all, the President.
    They are bizarre, and frightening, because people will believe him, and that is serious.
    On to Football, I had come round to the idea that the football was over for the season, After believing the opposite for a long time. I was wrong.
    It is going to be serious for us, we are, and have been for some time, the most disorganised team in the Champ. And in the wild scramble which it will be, the one thing required will be organisation, repeat as required.
    I fear the worst.

    1. Jarkko – that is impressive to say that you have never lived in Middlesbrough. I too only got 3 – mind you I left in 1964 when I was a mere 4 years old

    2. Plato – I have read the article now and it will interesting to see what the EFL decide. We know the PL is driven by money and I find the plans slightly odd really.

      I can’t understand the benefit if approved grounds and the logistics are still going to be immense to keep the social distancing in place – presume every person would need to be tested with same day results before the game starts?

      As for Boro, agree that if games are played, then relegation looms large as we will not have the nous to do what is required

      Hey ho – it will be what it will be and it is only football after all which is why I feel that it is wrong to try and finish the season right now. But money talks louder.

  452. The MFC website has embellished on my reporting of the day 125 years ago when Boro won their first FA Amateur Cup Final win and quite rightly so. Forget the seasons when George Camsell scored his 59 goals, the Jack Charlton promotion season, the Carling Cup win and the EUFA Cup run to Eindhoven. Just because none of us were alive at the time, that first FA Amateur Cup win should surely be regarded as the finest success ever in the history of Middlesbrough Football Club and I salute captain Tom Bach and his 10 team mates for that magnificent Cup run that put Middlesbrough on the map.

  456. 🔴

    More political posturing from Nicola Sturgeon today to promote her independence agenda. Whilst trying to undermine the UK government’s advice everything she says is full of “ would, could, maybe, perhaps” caveats.

  457. 🔴

    Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP
    @grantshapps
    Despite this journalist being carefully briefed that an official RAF fly-past is organised for amazing Capt Tom Moore’s birthday – hence this separate fly-past not happening – this misleading story STILL appeared. A pity as meant to be a surprise for Tom.

    In reply to a story that permission for a fly past by a private enterprise had not been granted permission.

    Unfortunately they just can’t help themselves when they see a chance to score cheap political points.

    2. GHW,

      Sky took a poll on the performance of people involved in providing information during the pandemic in the UK and at the bottom of the list were, yes you guessed, newspaper journalists by a long way. And yes, you are right they can’t resist its much so that I never buy or read newspapers now.

      Stay safe,

      UTB,

      John

      1. Here in Finland we cannot blame the newspapers. They have all respectably reported the crisis.

        And I remember the days some 30 to 40 years ago when I was envy of the news papers you had in the UK.

        I think now when we have the social media, we need the independent but trustworthy media more than ever. Our local papers see now growth on their web pages as well as in subscriptions.

        Up the Boro!

      1. Yes it would interesting to know which clubs did not respond. I would not be surprised if MFC were one of them?
        As for the highest paid player……I assume as it said southern based club, then it has to be Mitrovic at Fulham?? Highest paid Manager —Bielsa?? Highest paid Kitman???

        We could have a quiz here.

    2. Staggering reading Pedro. Most of us on here can remember Footballers living in the same Street or same part of town as us. The only distinguishing feature may have been their Cortina (Taunus for Werder) Ghia or GXL instead of the more basic metallic bronze L or the five year old rusting Escorts outside neighbouring houses (in the days when an Escort was from Dageham and not an occupation in TS1). Indeed like myself many can go back further to A40’s and Austn Cambridge’s and beyond.

      How any individual can be worth nearly £70K a week is ridiculous especially at Championship level. I fully realise that in the Premiership a £70K weekly wage is commonplace and probably at the lower end at that especially with the top 6 clubs, just simply obscene. That the fiancee’ of murdered Journalist Jamal Khasshoggi is now pleading with the Premier League Chief Exec to block the Newcastle takeover bid tells us exactly how far removed from fans and how far the “Sport” has sunk and sinking fast.

      Its no longer a sport its a feeding frenzy for billionaire egotists with more money than sense. Maybe some good will come out of this Covid lock down as Clubs have to reassess their very survival and realign their outgoings at least in the short term. Unfortunately it won’t be the big 6 that go under it will be the smaller (and in some cases not so small) Clubs that will likely pay the ultimate price. I wonder where Bolton for example sit in all this having to scrape wages together not so long ago. I’m sure their new owners hadn’t costed a Pandemic into their cash-flow forecast for 2020.

      SG will be having a tough time as Rockliffe has now become “Lockliffe” along with the Golf Course off bounds, all swallowing up cash by the bucketful. MFC will also be an additional money pit with perhaps the only saving grace that Bulkhaul can survive to some degree by being in the Key Work Transport sector but hauling just what exactly and for who to where?

      The FFP argument is almost redundant now in that just about every Club will have exceeded its predicted borrowings, overdrafts and losses this season because of the Virus. If the season is cancelled will all supporters then be reimbursed their gate money and Season Card payments across the FA and EFL world? Will sponsors demand a refund for sponsoring a non-event along with the “rights” TV companies sold their souls for?

  459. Just a thought.
    Watching the box yesterday evening, up came the dreaded score chart, which, as always showed London heading for Mars at some speed, whilst down at the bottom the usual cluster of also rans were jammed together with their paltry scores.
    But, what’s this I see, the London line once so energetically heading for the stars is now in a kamikaze dive heading for the floor, and about to join the rest.
    This is a miracle and should be taking a trip to lourds . Well counted that man. Perhaps we should try him on care homes, they could do with some encouragement.

  460. A warning, I am talking about football 😉.

    Souness, a former Newcastle boss knows what it takes to manage at St James’ Park and he told The FootballShow on Sky Sports: “As always, it will come down to what players they’ll be able to attract there, and if they get a big budget to work with.

    “I still think attracting the best players up to Newcastle will be difficult unless you pay them way beyond the going rate.”

    As we know, the last sentance is true for our beloved Boro, too. Sad as we know how wonderful area this is. As proven by Juninho etc. Who loved it when they came.

    Up the Boro!

  461. The MFC website is asking fans to submit their Ayresome Park memories by choosing a preferred formation and then filling in the gaps for one’s favourite 11 players. It’s just a bit of fun, but I have sent in my selection using the 4-4-2 formation as follows:-
    Rolando Ugolini; John Craggs, Tony Mowbray, Gary Pallister, George Hardwick; Stuart Ripley, Graeme Souness, Wilf Mannion, Eddie Holliday; Brian Clough, Mickey Fenton. Only players since the Second World War are obviously eligible, as are players who played their whole career at Ayresome Park. I’d be very surprised if we had 2 fans agreeing with the same 11players.

    1. Indeed – I will have a think on mine and post later – if it is only players that played at Ayresome Park for us (relative) youngsters, it is a smaller choice and will be biased toward the 1974 team I suspect!

  462. I’m well aware that Gary Pallister played for Boro at the Riverside Stadium, but I’ve included him on the basis of his uninterrupted first career with Boro before he was transferred to Manchester United, as it was like signing a new player afterwards. But if he were disqualified I’d chose Wille Maddren to replace him.

  463. “The Chickenrun: The infamous section of supporters at Ayresome Park that struck fear into the hearts of players. Boro players.” AV on the Gazette today.

    As a foreigner, why it was called The Chickenrun? Is there a meaning to the word that I do no know?

    Up the Boro!

    1. I always believed or thought it was because it was a small semi enclosed area along the touchline where vocal fans who were not dissimilar to many of us on here (not all admittedly) congregated to express their views long before the days of social media and the internet. The “advice” was often given with voracity and succinctness mixed in with plenty of self deprecating humour. Most definitely not an area for those with a thin skin or lack of a sense of humour.

      Perhaps the chicken run can lay claim for Middlesbrough hatching the idea of using “tweets” to ruffle feathers?

      1. The South Terrace to give it its correct title. A standing area that cost more than the areas behind the goals as it ran along the length of the pitch, but cheaper than the seated areas. The added advantage being that at halftime you could change your position to the end where Boro were attacking.

        My enclosure of choice for many years. You would invariably see the same faces every game, quite similar to seated areas now, as individuals would tend to occupy the same area of terrace every game.

  464. ⚽️ Righto – onto Kens team of Ayresome Park era

    Quite hard for me but here goes

    Platt
    Craggs Pallister(Maddren) Mowbray Cooper(either T or C!)
    Ripley Souness Murdoch Armstrong
    Hickton Slaven

    Playing all their Boro time at Ayresome Park does make it harder

    1. GHW – I never saw Dickie Rooks or Gibson play but heard they were useful players, Cyril Knowles I saw when he played for Spurs and my Dad always said why on earth did we let him go.

      I toyed with Alan Foggon but in the end Slaven got the nod for his goal scoring.

      1. BBD,

        Dickie Rooks, the man who mastered the sliding tackle from great range by understanding lead. He might well be frowned on now. Ian Gibson, on his day, just like Merson, utterly unplayable. Two contrasting players who could get the crown on their feet or jumping in the air.

        Didn’t Gibson go to Coventry? What a loss.

        Stay safe.

        UTB,

        John

        1. I worked in Holland in 1979 to 1980 at Zwijndrecht on the Shell Fulmar Module Support Frame Project.

          It was a large steel structure for the offshore North Sea and De Groot were the constructors

          Ian Gibson worked for them as a scaffolder and used to fly from Teesside every two weeks for a shift using their chartered plane

          I saw Ian a few times usually in the Klein De Meulen a pub in Dordrecht we all used to frequent.

          I worked for the client Shell and Ian had a hard man reputation but he always came across as a friendly person with his broad Scots accent.

          I was always star struck when it came to footballers and couldn’t believe that an ex pro footballer had to still work manually for a living after retiring from football.

          It just goes to show how the pampered players today have got it made doesn’t it?

          OFB

      3. BBD
        Cyril Knowles?
        Think Traore.
        The playlet goes like this.
        “my god, we’ve got a good’ un here, he could play for England’. That was the Boro supporters.
        Spurs supporter, ‘ get up there and offer them a few bob, right now a.s.a.p.’
        Boro supporters, ‘ I see that they’ve sold him to spurs, I wonder why they did that?
        Stupidity never sleeps.

    1. Ah, Ian Gibson the new Mannion. I often saw him in Redcar where he was courting (now there’s a word you don’t often hear nowadays, often used by Wilfred Pickles in his Radio quiz show
      ‘Have a go’) a blonde lady who owned a hairdressing salon in Redcar, although I can’t remember if he ever married her. He was wee like Mannion, the only difference being that Wilf seemed to hover in mid-air against 6 feet defenders to win the ball, although sometimes with a hand on the opponent’s shoulder.
      On another subject (County Cricket in Middlesbrough), there’s an interesting article on the Yorkshire CCC website about the town being the northernmost ground used for first class County Cricket before Durham became the 18th first class cricket county. http//yorkshireccc-news-middlesbrough.

  467. You know, it’s not as easy as you might think, to pick out a team from your favourites. I feel guilty for picking some over others, when there are several I could pick. Then there ate the ones that made it to the Riverside, but not really for very long….yes I am thinking of John Hendrie in particular.

    Anyway, here’s my selection from my memories…

    Goal: Stephen Pears

    Back four: John Craggs, Stuart Boam, Willie Maddren, Terry Cooper

    In the middle: Graeme Souness and Craig Johnston

    Out wide: Stuart Ripley and Terry Cochrane

    Up front: John Hickton and Bernie Slaven

    On the bench: Jim Platt, Gordon Jones, David Armstrong, Alan Foggon, David Mills and Bobby Murdoch

  468. I was never aware of the Chicken Run but do remember Astor a black man who used to give Delapenha a torrid time. But often when Lindy scored he used to refer to him as ‘our kid, told you he was a good‘un’ . Astor had a booming voice and could even be heard in the east stand where I usually stood, and most of his ribald comments gave people a good laugh.

    1. I was a member of the chicken run which was the old east stand at Ayresome Park.

      It got its name from a section of the crowd who used to barrack and jeer at the Boro lads who the crowd felt were not performing and were having a poor game.

      This usually torrent of abuse obviously feel to those players either playing at full back or in a wingers role.

      It became better and more good natured when Big Jack took over as manager and the formation of the team became tighter and no players were isolated on the touch line nearest the crowd.

      All the players used to joke about the Chicken run and I believe it was first coined by Cliff Mitchell and whilst I would never shout or condone abuse at a Boro player it certainly had the desired effect in galvanising some players who were taking it easy in particular games

      OFB

      1. The Chicken Run was not the old East Stand at Ayresome Park. It was the South Terrace.

        The East Stand was behind the goal opposite the Holgate End and was colloquialy known as “The Bob End” . It was here where seats were installed for the ‘66 World Cup matches.

      2. I visited Auresome Park a few times but cannot remember the sides any more. The main stand (with the clock “tower” – a half round pat) was in the North?

        And Holgate in the West? Up the Boro!

      3. OFB,

        You’re beginning to sound like The Who in that song, appropriately named ‘Substitute’. I probably paraphrase it but they sang “the north side of my house faced east and the east was facing south’.

        Jarkko, the West End was the Holgate End, Holgate House was part of the old General Hospital and an ‘Old People’s Home’, the entrance to the home was, I think, on St Barnabas Road.

        As my Grandmother used to say, bless her, ‘You hack ’em down, bring them round and we’ll bury them’. A reference to the old cemetery that lay across the road from the General Hospital.

        Stay safe everyone, now it’s time to take my terrier midfield for their walk in the sunshine.

        UTB,

        John

    2. Ken,

      I remember Astor too. In one game against Charlton Boro were particularly poor and a hush fell. From the North Stand came the booming voice. “Walking sticks will be issued after the match. But only to Middlesbrough players”. Laughter filled the ground I’m pleased to say.

      Stay safe everyone.

      UTB,

      John

  470. My FAVOURITE team of Ayresome Park:

    Goal: Sir Jim Platt (World Cup 2nd Round)

    Back four: John Craggs, Gary Pallister, Tony Mowbray, Colin Cooper

    In the middle: Graeme Souness and Craig Johnston

    Out wide: David Amstrong and Terry Cochrane

    Up front: David Hodgson and Bernie Slaven

    On the bench: Stephen Pears, Brian Clough (never saw playing), Willie Maddren, Start Boam, David Mills, Alan Foggon and Bobby Murdoch

    This just favourites of mine. Up the Boro!

  472. An excellent article from Anthony Vickers in the Gazette about the current situation and the greed of some of the top Premier clubs. There has been much talk about finishing this season at selected stadia behind closed doors for the integrity of the Leagues. Personally I can’t see how integrity can be maintained when very few clubs will have home fixtures. I very much doubt that any football right throughout the whole pyramid system will be played this year and well into next year either. That leaves only two alternatives, forget about completing this season until it is 100% safe to do so which could mean next year and postpone the whole of next season enabling this season’s fixtures to be completed. Or restruct the existing season’s League tables on a points per game ratio in the hope that next season can start in January or February with clubs playing opponents only once with a draw like the Cup draws deciding which clubs will have an extra home game next season. The whole idea of playing any sport behind closed doors seems ridiculous to me, but then what do I know?

    1. I read an article yesterday and today and agree Ken. The thought of playing football in the way that the PL suggest just smacks of money over everything else.

      Seems totally wrong to me to tie up resources and tests when people are still dying of the virus. Greed at its worst.

      And in cricket at least they have made the decision to postpone the Hundred (a daft game in itself in my view – not cricket but just the Hundred)

      I can’t see there being any sport this summer at least until there is a vaccine maybe – can you imagine 40,000 people all together?

  473. I see the Premier League are looking for neutral venues to stage their remaining fixtures. They want grounds that are not in urban areas surrounded by housing.

    Basically a Stadium plonked right in the middle of an industrial wasteland that can have suitable Armageddon views for TV cameras, a desolate landscape to reflect the current situation.

    Ahem!!!!

  474. I’ve just received a 4 page letter from the NHS stating I’m vulnerable to coronavirus because of my age and my ailments. How they come to that conclusion I don’t know; perhaps they’re trying to scare me to death. After all I don’t contribute to the economy of the Country, and the taxes I pay probably don’t cover my medication and care so I’m probably a drain on society. They’re even suggesting I stay indoors for at least the next 12 weeks, drink plenty of water, no alcohol, try to excercise, no shopping. It’s like self isolation in a prison lnstead of one’s home. At least prisoners are allowed to exercise in the open air, it’s difficult with a catheter and a walking stick in one’s home.

    I’ve been keeping my mind occupied by reviewing each season of the History of Rugby League in Castleford, much like I did about the Boro. Of course Cas have only been in existence since 1926 so in some respects that is easier as I’ve already got as far as 1985. So I’m hoping that by keeping my mind active I’ll at least be able to fight boredom. Now if I could find a website to contribute my thoughts on the history of classical music from Albinoni, Vivaldi and Bach in the mid 1700s to Sibelius, Prokofiev and Khachaturian who all died in my lifetime, that might keep me occupied for the rest of the year before Sport is again in business.

    Watching television sends me to sleep and doing cryptic crosswords taxes my brain so much that I get a headache. When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer ten years ago I decided which route I wanted to take, no chemotherapy or radiotherapy against the advice of my consultants. I’m still here to tell the tale, and I alone will decide how I’m going to make it through this pandemic obviously within the sensible guidelines laid down that won’t affect anybody else. I still do my own shopping and keep within 2 metres of anybody else, so why should footballers or rugby players be allowed to play behind closed doors when it probably takes up to 300 ancillary workers to allow one televised game to take place?

    This is not a rant, I’m quite calm writing this blog, but just concerned about how some people, although stating that life comes first, can then in the next breath say that Sport is necessary for the morale of the Country. I wonder how the same people would have coped during the Second World War for 7 years with no organised sport, the threat of invasion and the rationing of food and clothing.

    1. They wouldn’t have coped Ken, that is the reality. Our society today has become far too selfish and standards have been allowed to drop.

      Stay safe and continue to look after yourself

  475. Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds have named their baby boy Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson.

    No doubt they wanted a name to reflect the flowing blonde locks….

  476. Ken, pleased to hear you like Sibelius, too. He is burried at his home just a few miles up from where I live. His home is a museum now and is very close yo my wife’s working place.

    Up the Boro!

  477. Jarkko
    Indeed I do. Finlandia is a wonderful anthem especially favoured by brass bands in Yorkshire. The Alla Marcia from his Karelia Suite, another popular march with brass bands, was also used as an introduction to the political television programme This Week in the 60s and 70s. Also there are not many more stirring pieces than the Allegro moderato finale, the 4th movement of his 2nd Symphony. I did visit his statue in a park if I remember correctly close to the National Stadium in Helsinki where the 1952 Olympic Games were held.

    1. I remember playing the Alla Marcia in the school orchestra when I was a very bad trombone player!

      Can’t beat a good brass band either!

  480. Good link GHW.

    Whatever the league decide to do, there is always the very real chance the actual out come could have been different. For example, I’m sure if you modelled the premier league like that a couple of years ago, you would never see Leicester City winning the league. The point of the sporting contest is that yhwtd is always the possibility of a result, or outcome, that bucks the trend.

    So, once s decision is made, watch out for the legal challenges.

  481. Whilst the experts at Reading University have Boro safe from relegation and last season’s promoted clubs all relegated, Sky Sports experts come up with a different scenario with Boro getting a goalless draw at Hillsborough in the last match to escape relegation on goal difference over Wigan and only because the latter let a 2-0 lead against Fulham slip to a 2-2 draw and thus be relegated.

    The Reading boffins have the top 6 as Leeds, West Brom, Fulham, Brentford, Forest and Millwall whilst Sky Sports experts see the final table as West Brom 85, Leeds 84, Forest 83, Brentford 77, Fulham 77 and Bristol 72 even predicting that Leeds will lose their final game 1-3 at ‘home’ to Charlton by having 2 players sent off thus saving the Addicks and pushing them above Boro on goals scored.

    I can’t wait for some other experts coming up with Man City pipping Liverpool to the Premier League title on goal average and Boro winning all their remaining matches to squeeze into the playoffs in 6th place with 67 points. As Jimmy Greaves used to say ‘It’s a funny old game’ ,but that would be stretching ‘funny’ even beyond the realms of satire.

  482. Interestingly the prediction made with the help of the economic dept of Reading University was based on using and applying the data not necessarily in a football environment.

    “What we’re saying is ‘imagine there were these 10,000 different realities, here’s how often in these 10,000 different realities this thing would have happened’.”

  483. I think the answer is as I have said all along a fairly simple one. Leave Football until it is safe to resume whenever that may be. If its May/June/July or even Dec/Jan/Feb leave things as they are and resume what is left to Finish off this season then.

    There seems to be a desperation to finish off this season to determine Champions League spots etc. but in all honesty I can’t see a responsible outcome that would justify European travel for such trivial reasons over the next twelve and probably eighteen months at least.

    Once this seasons fixtures are completed consideration can be given to resurrecting, restructuring or rearranging next season. It is far easier to move goalposts before a competition has begun and everyone knows the rules and the structure under which they will compete than to artificially complete something which is 80% through its life span. Any artificial tinkering will result in legal claims and court cases bogging the game down for years possibly and maybe in itself preventing the commencement of a new season.

    Liverpool champions and Norwich being relegated would probably not raise too many eyebrows but what about Watford, Villa, Brighton, West Ham etc. joining the Canaries? I can’t imagine it being taken lying down by Directors or supporters of Clubs who felt they were cheated of a fair fight.

    Boro of course are also in a precarious position. Imagine if we went down because of some abstract formula or even by playing Sheffield Wednesday in a neutral empty Stadium on the “last day” and then there’s the points deduction arguments hanging over the EFL. Why rush finishing this season when we have no idea when or even if next season will commence?

    That brings other complications such as Player contracts etc. and what squads Clubs will have available when play eventually restarts which further complicates issues but loans like healed up injuries should mean that all clubs restart with a full complement. Who pays who and how until then surely is the only debate that should be going on.

  484. Redcar Red
    In principle that sounds OK, but unless there is some massive funding from somewhere be it the government, from reduced wages of Premier League players by salary capping, or whatever, etc, I can see the 71 EFL clubs being reduced by 50% or more as more and more clubs go into liquidation and it even coming down to only 2 Divisions of 18 clubs in each remaining probably of equal strength in a North/South divide. That would set us back over 100 years and that surely can’t be allowed to happen.

    There must be a more equal sharing of wealth and I would suggest that no League should have more than 20 participating clubs. My preference would be fewer fixtures for all not more with 5 Leagues of 20 clubs each, Premier League 1, Premier League 2, Championship Division 1, and Championship Divisions 2 North and South. A radical approach is required by the hierarchy at the present time as the 2020/2021 season may not even start until November or December if at all.

    To have a 22 or 23 club Premier League next season would take us 2 or 3 seasons to get back to 20 clubs and an odd number of clubs in a 23 club Premier League would require the same number of weekly fixtures as a 24 club League ie 46 weeks. In normal circumstances the football season is too long anyway in my opinion especially every second year with World Cup or European Championship football encroaching into the Summer. It is time for firm action by the powers that be.

    2. Smaller Leagues (which I would agree with in theory) would mean less games and therefore less gate money and more than likely higher prices for the fans. That could cripple the game even more and we end up playing in soulless near empty stadiums. The game is no longer the working mans game as it is and unaffordable for many especially in Middlesbrough. Having a North/South split for Leagues One and Two makes sense if it keeps clubs solvent.

      1. I think this pandemic has highlighted that the game is a financial basket-case with many Clubs living far beyond their means (like many businesses generally).

        The Financial Fair Play thing needs to be stepped up and controls put in place and rigorously policed and enforced after all this. Players wages are ludicrous as are many fees. The FA and EFL need to impose strict criteria with a sliding scale of points deductions that are clear and visible in terms of incomings and outgoings. Close off loopholes with severe double punishment for those looking to exploit vague paragraphs or complex ownerships/partnerships/sponsorships etc.

        There again maybe the game is long overdue a cull with many clubs going to the wall and let the strong or preferably well run clubs survive.

      2. As long as there are S&P rules you will always see the richer clubs Finding ways around them.

        Until point deductions are enforced and retrospective relegation is imposed for cases that take months and months and sometimes years to reconcile, clubs will continue to exploit any loopholes.

      3. Could making League Cup and FA Cup seeded so that lower ranked teams more often than not are drawn against Premier League 1 and 2 clubs with the option of playing at home or away? That might generate more income for the lower League clubs.

  485. Breaking News.

    Due to the financial problems surrounding a lot of football clubs at the moment, Liverpool FC have had to release 35 members of staff from their payroll.

    The 15 referees and 10 linesman, along with the staff at VAR HQ, Stockley Park, are said to be devastated.

  487. Picking up on the recent posts on the future, I agree that unless points are deducted for financial misdemeanors, the clubs will keep on pushing the boundaries. There is no point in finding a club that already has money as they will be able to pay it.

    Now if there was a fear of relegation for a breach that may focus the mind a bit more.

    The game is far too dependent on vast amounts of money these days and sadly, I can’t see that changing anytime soon. This nasty virus won’t change anything apart from bring down the smaller clubs who will not be able to survive.

    The fact that the PL and the EFL are trying desperately to find a way to finish the season, says it all to me. The sensible thing would be to wait and see what happens later in the year and if that means a reduced season thereafter, that is preferable.

    The trouble with that plan is that it would probably mean the loss of an entire season and the money men can’t allow that to happen – we are far too much down the rabbit hole of money money money to change that.

    There is little point in speculation and as with most things right now. It is out of anybody’s control. Mind you, north and south divisions for lower leagues would make sense along with a reduced number if teams in each league.

    It is what it is as Mogga once said(several times)

    Stay safe and well everybody and UTB

  488. A more cheery memory for you all.

    I’ve been talking with a Boro fan. He shared with me a photo of the time his daughter had a kick about in the Riverside car park with Emerson and Branco. It was a chance meeting after he’d taken his kids to see the Riverside.

    The fan said to Emerson, “I hope you have a good season”. He politely came over, shook his hand and gave the whole family a massive smile.

    It’s the little things. It really is. Like the people who have smiled at me from the other side of the cobblestoned streets in Belfast’s normally very vibrant Cathedral Quarter. Our arts festival this year? It isn’t happening. Of course it isn’t. Nor is the Jazz Festival in Derry. But we are adapting. We are finding other ways to keep the spirits up as we make the most of what resources we can use.

  489. I’m going to play a little memory game.

    In the mid-1990s, the internet wasn’t commonplace. I didn’t surf the World Wide Web for the first time until 1995, meaning that when a website popped up during an ad break, it felt new and exciting.

    So, if you wanted to find out about football, you had to listen to BBC Five Live, watch Final Score or Match Of The Day, and read Shoot, Match or the now defunct 90 Minutes. That’s what me and my younger brother did anyway.

    I was lucky enough to pick up my first, and still only, copy of Riverside Roar in November 1996. It had Robbo on the front, with the byline, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us”. Oh, the optimism.

    Needless to say, I’d no idea what “Typical Boro” was back then.

    The magazine continued selling in both Ireland and Northern Ireland until the Wembley edition in April. In hindsight I wish I’d had bought every edition, but being a Boro fan, the only one in school, wasn’t easy in those days. It really didn’t help when it felt like we were getting beaten weak after week. Which is why that one week in March, the 15th to the 22nd, was probably the best week of the season. Three wins, six goals, Juninho on fire, a previously suspect defence turned rock solid… Typical Boro was just around the corner, alas.

    We also collected Premier League stickers. In 1996 Merlin had stickers for up to 18 players, but for the 1997 edition that was whittled down to 16. Curtis Fleming didn’t even get a sticker in ’96, but he was luckier in ’97 – along with Alan (or was it Allan?) Miller, Gary Walsh, Neil Cox, Steve Vickers, Nigel Pearson, Derek Whyte and Phil Whelan, he was one of the defence’s stickers. The midfield and attack stickers were Emerson, Robbie Mustoe, Higgy, Barmby, Juninho, Ravanelli, Alan Moore and John Hendrie. I can only assume Beck hadn’t been registered by the time it went to print.

    Either way, the team that started against Liverpool and pretty much played their way through the first six games – Miller, Whyte, Pearson/Whelan, Vickers, Cox, Fleming, Mustoe, Emerson, Juninho, Barmby, Ravanelli – all had a sticker. As did Robbo himself, being the manager. Thinking of those who didn’t make the cut… Beck, Chris Morris, Graham Kavanagh (sold to Stoke in October, I think), Phil Stamp, Craig Liddle, Jan Aage Fjortoft, Chris Freestone, Ben Roberts, Branco, Andy Campbell. The underrated Clayton Blackmore. And those still to arrive… Festa, Kinder and Schwarzer.

    I can’t remember if Kavanagh played, but that’s still around thirty players we used that season. I’m pretty sure Hendrie didn’t play… like Wilko not long before him, he was sold to Barnsley. The irony being Barnsley went up when we went down.

    Youngster Ben Cole nearly played when we had a ‘keeper crisis prior to the 3-2 win over Villa, but he had a broken bone in his hand if I remember rightly. In the event, Roberts played, despite a damaged elbow.

  490. Havent been in touch for awhile ,so don’t know if the debate of how the season should end as come up.
    Why don’t they suspend this season , then everyone stands pat.
    Keeping the close season as usual ,ins and out etc.
    Start again in the same divisision ,but you start with the points you currently have ,so Leeds etc start on 71 pts , going down to the bottom team with what they currently have.
    So basically you have an eighty game season , if you go down you deserve to , same going up.

    1. I would imagine that Fans and Directors of Norwich would welcome that GT with open arms but Leeds and the Baggies wouldn’t. If those two stumbled over the 80 game season and didn’t go up while Norwich meanwhile enjoyed another bumper Premiership pay out it would upset many apple carts.

      Whatever the outcome the authorities will be damned if they do and damned if they don’t. I firmly believe that next season should be the one under consideration of being cancelled and when football recommences it finishes what it started.

  491. I’ve just read that the PGA hope to start next month behind closed doors but it’s estimated that it will need over a million tests to keep it going for the rest of the season. Both Tommy Fleetwood and Colin Montgomerie have both stated that they don’t wish to be tested if it deprives those in need from being tested.

    Mind I can see the logic of golf courses opening for the club golfer if they are prepared to change their shoes in their own cars and carry their own bags with a limited number of golf clubs as it seems a good way to get fresh air and exercise as long as self distancing is observed. It must surely be easier to observe that on a golf course than anywhere else especially as some youngsters have been reported to have been having a football kickabout in confined places. Also there appears to be a lot of cyclists on our roads at the moment, but car drivers are restricted to only essential usages such as shopping.

  492. I have been playing five rounds of golf during the past two weeks as the weather is nice. It is one of few sports one can play here in Finland at the moment.

    The football season in Finland – we play in the summer because of snow – will be possible to start at the beginning of June. At least on the lower level. In the top tier it is still a question mark as the maximum number of people gathering will be 50. And television, refs and etc. means that further discussions are needed before the top tier can open in here.

    But the virus situation was not as bad in Finland as in the UK. But I wanted to let you know that there is light at the end of the tunnel elsewhere.

    Up the Boro!

  493. RR, when COVID-19 is over, we could meet at Rockcliffe and have a round of golf. I play football more than golf so I am good at distancing myself from my missus, too!

    Up the Boro!

    1. My Golfing exploits were very short lived. Its on my “get round to it” list for retirement. I played football for schools and colleges so had some sporting ability but could never really find the time it takes to take up Golf seriously. The last round I played was about five years ago and gave up after about eight holes in frustration plus the light was fading (my excuse at the time).

  494. I am tired of reading about football wanting to finish the season with all kinds of plans and proposals like playing behind closed doors on neutral grounds etc. etc. Why do they think they should be different to the rest of society in these difficult times for the whole world.
    They are utterly selfish.
    Do they not realise thousands of people are dying !!
    To me, the decision about the season is straight forward, either void the season or finish it now based on the points gained with no relegation from the Premiership or other leagues but teams promoted. There would need to be an adjustment for teams who have played a game less.( I’d guess that out of the 4 divisions that as few as a couple of teams would end up in a different league position which would not affect promotion)
    “ I’d really love it “ if Boris announced that the current proposals of playing behind closed doors etc would not be allowed and then we can all concentrate more on what is really important in life.

    Philip of Huddersfield

    1. I fully agree about more important things and I don’t get the desperate clamour to finish it from everywhere. It’s paused thats all and will be resumed at some future point so I think it should be left there. When its safe and not before then the situation can be reassessed and the “play” button can be pressed.

      Whatever happens there will be teams who upon the restart get a second wind and maybe nick a play off spot or escape going down. There will be others who implode spectacularly with anger and euphoria in equal measure directed at the lockdown for their teams fate. It will no doubt play a major part psychologically in the run in but what a way to restart the game with major silverware, promotions, qualifications and relegation’s all to play for immediately. The caveat is however not until it is safe to do so!

  495. Seen elsewhere……..

    ‘Don’t like halves of less than 45 minutes? Fine, I’ve got loads more ideas.

    ‘Each club nominates one WWE wrestler who takes part in a Royal Rumble on their behalf. First 3 eliminated are relegated. Last man standing is the PL Champion.’

    1. Like that idea – would be entertaining to watch!

      Think the same as RR – season paused until normal service can be resumed whenever that may be. It needs to be when fans can attend the grounds surely?

      Read today that cinemas think they can open soon, I won’t be going anytime soon that’s for sure.

    2. Nice idea, GHW, though politicians have long mastered the technique.

      Each side in a political conflict nominates x million working- class men to do the fighting for them. Country with last men standing wins.

  496. Could be the ideal opportunity to turn football into a summer game, similar to what Rugby League did.

    When circumstances permit this year, finish the current season, and then next year have the season over a calendar year. This could also help to eliminate the loss of games due to weather over the winter months.

    No reason why subsequent World Cups and Euro Finals couldn’t become festive events.

  497. I’m waiting for the suggestion that the Season be decided over a massive Subbuteo tournament on a neutral table top somewhere. Players to be wearing masks, snorkels and flippers all sponsored by Sky and of course Jeff in the studio with Merse, Tommo and Co. providing live updates!

  498. This is my first post for a while, as I have been trying to sort out issues which have previously caused my posts to the blog being held for approval by Werder; the problems which have arisen have been entirely of my making but hopefully now resolved!

    Whilst I have not been posting I have, as always, visited the blog daily, often two/three times a day.

    Given the lack of football to talk about it is only natural that a lot of the posts and discussions have centred on current health and political issues. This was something that Werder predicted could happen and in my view it is only natural that our “virtual pub” discussions should focus on such things. Often in the past discussions have strayed from our main topic, even during a normal football season, and I do not feel that there is anything wrong in doing so as long as the debate is conducted in a proper manner, allowing freedom of speech, the right of reply and remembering not to play the man.

    I am grateful to all of you who have continued to post, often producing some informative and thought provoking items. I was sorry to learn of some contributors being ill and to hear of the passing of some family, friends and former players. It is a shame that Ian has been offended and decided not to continue to contribute as I valued his views and sense of humour. Hopefully he will return at a later date, perhaps when we are back on our main theme.

    Our plans to return to the UK this year have been scuppered. We were due back at the end of March to meet our second grandson who entered the world on the 22nd of March and has been named Theobald (Theo). At least we were able to meet him via video call and also wish our first grandson, Freddie, happy first birthday on the 1st of May via the same media. We were also scheduled to visit London in July for a mini break and as an early twentieth wedding anniversary which is now off the agenda; so far the venues we had booked with have been very good with refunds.

    My thanks to BBD, who when posting on the 18th April made enquiries as to the health of myself and Mrs P; I am pleased to report that we are both doing well and were released from house arrest last Saturday when the Spanish government allowed all adults to leave their homes to exercise once a day between the hours of 6:00am to 10:00am and 8:00pm to 10:00pm. We are therefore taking the opportunity to take some long walks around our urbanisation, something we did last year to assist with Mrs P’s recovery following her operation. Our release was timely as we had just about run out of jobs to do around the house and had reached the point where if I did not keep moving then I was probably next in line to be dusted, covered in furniture spray and polished!

    In common with most governments around the world the Spanish have had mixed success in dealing with the pandemic. In my view they were slow to react but when they did so they put in place a very strict lockdown which has been enforced by the local police and Guardia Civil and I believe that in the long run this has been beneficial. I think that their more black and white approach to lockdown and enforcement of it has been better than the UK. The Spanish government have also made a number of mistakes/u turns in dealing with the crisis. A week ago they decided to allow children up to the age of 14 out of the house, accompanied by an adult, to visit the supermarket or pharmacy as a form of exercise! Following a backlash from parents and others who said that a supermarket was the last place they wished to see children, the government relented and agreed that children could be allowed out for a walk with a parent, maximum of three children accompanied by only one parent. Not everyone observed the regulation with often whole families taking the opportunity to venture out together and to playgrounds which were still out of bounds. Those who were caught flouting the rules were fined severely as have others who have flouted various restrictions.

    As part of the plans to ease the lockdown the government proposed that bars and restaurants would be allowed to open their terraces (not the interior at this stage) but with a maximum occupancy of only 30% of capacity. My knowledge of the profitability levels in the hospitality sector told me that this was a non-starter as must pubs, cafes and restaurants would not be able to cover existing overheads let alone the additional costs they would incur as a result of the extra precautions they would be obliged to implement. Again, following an outcry, the government relented and agreed on a 50% occupancy rate which is more acceptable to the sector. We have since learnt that local councils have the authority to authorise an increase in the terrace size, so occupancy levels could be increased further which I am not certain is such a good idea at this early stage. I was concerned that the crisis response was slow at the outset and am now concerned that it may be too fast in easing restrictions but only time will tell. Mrs P and I are certainly not in any great hurry to get back to socialising or spending time at our favourite restaurants in the near future; we shall try and demonstrate our support by purchasing food to take away which a number have started to offer in order to get their businesses back up and running. Playing golf three times a week as we used to seems very far away at this time albeit we have had that there are plans for courses to re-open with restrictions shortly.

    I noted from a number of the posts that I am not alone in feeling decidedly uncomfortable at all the pressure to get football restarted. It does not sit easily with me when people are still becoming infected and dying and the health system remains under extreme pressure. I fail to see how a contact sport can be justified at a time when the remainder of society are being asked to exercise social distancing.

    I have read and heard a lot about the need to preserve the integrity of the game/season which I believe is important, yet there is then talk of finishing the season by playing behind closed doors and at neutral grounds. Additionally, some clubs in the PL are suggesting that the season should be finished without any relegation, a very self-serving attitude! I fail to see how any of this preserves the integrity of the game. Added to all this are the health and safety issues, the concerns of the players and staff, plus contractual difficulties in the event that the season is not concluded before the end of June and it just seems to me to be a non-starter. I understand that ten German players who have returned to training have tested positive for Covid 19 so I am not sure how that impacts their plans for re-starting the league. Perhaps Werder could shed some light on the current state of play?

    Some will hold the view that football is an industry and as such the leaders and government should be looking into ways of it being restored to some form of normality; whilst I accept that it has its part to play in society, I am not convinced of its importance and how high a priority it should be on the agenda. It is a game played to an audience, if the audience can’t be present then should the show gone on? I doubt theatres will be opening any time soon or playing to empty theatres so why should footballers be preferred.

    I think the current season should be null and voided and that efforts should be concentrated on how and when next season can commence in a “new normal” setting. This may lead to contractual issues with the broadcasters and that bridge will have to be crossed as and when the situation arises. I am not certain in this scenario that they necessarily hold all the cards. I appreciate that whatever decision is made it will be impossible to please everyone.

    I have recently read a couple of interesting articles by Mark Warburton (QPR Manager) and Paul Scally (Chairman Gillingham) who have both said the current crisis presents an opportunity to address the inherent financial and structural failures within the EFL. They talk about the introduction of salary caps and the need to restructure Leagues 1 and 2 onto a regional basis with a view to reducing the cost base for clubs at the lower end of the leagues, all of which are highly sensible. Unfortunately to date, there has not been any mention of this from the hierarchy who seem entirely focused on getting back to playing.

    Whatever happens with regard to the season there will be one sad aspect, which is that supporters and players will not have the opportunity to say farewell to one another at the end of the season; this will be particularly poignant in respect of those players out of contract and assuming their contracts are not renewed. The likes of George Friend, Daniel Ayala, Ryan Shotton, Adam Clayton and Marvin Johnson deserve a fond farewell in my view given that they have all contributed over the years and it is a shame that the opportunity to say goodbye will be denied them and supporters this year.

    Finally, best wishes to all and stay safe.

    CoB.

    3. KP,

      Good to hear from young that you are both fit and well, particularly your other half after the trials and tribulations last year. Enjoy your walks, I’m lucky to have a large slab of West Norfolk to walk the two terriers around and we both think ourselves lucky for that privilege.

      Football, well I live in hope of a sensible decision like you and a re-organisation but I fear, that like a lot of people, they’ll be looking for the status quo solution even though it’s evidently broke and needs fixing. The organisers will spend all their time trying to achieve that rather than taking the opportunity and making a bold decision. I am a cynic.

      Anyway stay safe and well everyone.

      UTB,

      John

  499. I decided to go out for a drive in the countryside this morning after disinfecting the steering wheel and gear stick of my car. Less cars than usual on the roads as I drove up Birk Brow, through Castleton, Hutton-le-Hole, Helmsley, Chop Gate, down Clay Bank towards Strikes Nursery near Stokesley which of course was closed. Then I noticed that a much smaller garden centre Rainbow Nursery was open, so for the first time I got out of my car to see if it was busy. In fact in the greenhouse there were only four customers and a cashier, so it actually looked much safer than a supermarket. I therefore bought 6 geraniums and 6 small pots of colourful miniature petunias, kept a safe distance from the cashier and returned home to plant my purchases into tubs on my patio. I then washed my hands thoroughly using a small nail brush into my fingernails even though I had been wearing gardening gloves. I then disinfected the car again before driving it into my garage, and then disinfected all the door handles in my home even though the only visitors I’ve received since this pandemic started were two nurses to change my catheter tube and my chiropodist all masked of course.

    What I did notice was that there must have been about 30 dead rabbits, rodents and pheasants on the roads and one poor wee lamb on the moor road. I think I’ve taken every precaution today to avoid catching coronavirus. I’ve driven at a respectable speed, yet some of the motorists have driven as if there was no tomorrow and that’s the rub. What would happen if I was involved in a car accident? There were scores of cyclists on the roads all riding sensibly in single file so I’ve no problem with them. I realise in view of my age and ailments I’m vulnerable, probably fatal if catch coronavirus but when I hear about young lads kicking a ball about in the fields, and then talk of the possibility of resuming football and rugby behind closed doors I feel that I’m justified in having a treat now and again as long as I’m not hurting anyone else. After all at my time of life every day is a bonus.

  500. Nice to see you back KP, and both you and Mrs KP in good health.

    I am please that you have posted a detailed report from España pointing out how difficult it has been for (almost) all countries to deal with this virus. Left leaning Governments as well.

    I agree that mistakes have been made in the UK that should not have. I also agree with Spain’s draconian measures and fines for the idiots that do not obey the rules.
    The UK in reality has allowed a far more liberal lockdown and if the public here had a taste of the Spanish version they would consider themselves very lucky.
    As you well know KP, you do not argue with the Guardia Civil when he has a pistol on his hip. Trips into the countryside are certainly not allowed and even shopping trips are monitored when the Police ask to see your shopping list or till receipt.

    Yes the Government in the UK could have done better. Certainly should have been stricter and issued more fines.
    However would the people have adhered to those draconian rules. I doubt it.

  501. Can I also, belatedly, welcome back KP and say how much I appreciated the view of life under Spanish lockdown.
    I agree with your final paragraph Pedro. We’ve all seen enough evidence of our lockdown rules being flouted, so I’m not sure how you get through to these numpties.
    As for football, I concur with RR and others who take the view that it should be parked until we’re all certain that it’s safe to resume, no matter how long it takes.

  502. May I pass on details of some sporting films I’ve thoroughly enjoyed over the past few days:

    The World Cup: A Captains Tale.

    A fictionalised account of the incredible-but-true story of how West Auckland won the first World Cup. It’s wonderfully well-written by Neville Smith, of Gumshoe fame, and directed in documentary style with great authenticity. It’s really a love letter to the North-east and its footballing traditions, and will warm the cockles of the hearts of all of the regulars of this blog. The recreation of the football sequences from over 100 years ago are a minor miracle.

    Available on You Tube, which can be accessed directly from most TVs.

    Icarus

    I’m not interested in professional cycling, but this had me gripped like few other documentaries. It begins as a brave piece of investigative journalism by an insider on drug-use in sport and develops into a Le Carre- style international thriller more terrifying than anything in fiction. One of the most important and courageous pieces of film-making you will ever see.

    A Netflix film

    Bostock’s Cup

    Not of the same quality as either of the above, but I caught this on the loop following the West Auckland film. I’d never heard of it, but it’s well worth a watch with some very funny moments. It’s about the cup run of a third-rate lower division team, with an excellent ensemble cast and a great performance by Tim Healy as an old-style manager. It’s amazing to watch. A film made in the 1990s about football in the 70s, which we can see now from the perspective of the 2020s. Most of the important issues within the game have scarcely changed in the intervening 50 years.

    You Tube

    Some very worthwhile distractions at a bleak time.

    1. Len, I have seen “The World Cup: A Captains Tale” a couple of times. Isn’t the old chap in the beginning a Boro supporter and the male nurse (?) a Gunners fan, where the whole story beginnings. Well worth watching!.

      BTW. In the Baltic countries, travelling from one Baltic country to the next is allowed after 15th May – so next week! From Estonia to Finland one can already travel for work but one must stay 14 days in self quarantine after every trip. So I won’t be travelling on business just yet .

      The Finnish top tier in football will start on 1st of July it was announced today. And the teams can start to train with full squads after the 1st of June.

      But I still miss my Bonnie Boro. Up the Boro!

    2. Thanks Len. I watched Icarus some time ago and found it to be everything you described.

      I’m currently watching The Last Dance, which tells the story or Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. I had no interest in Basketball but can recommend this highly if you need something to fill the void of the lack of live sport.

    3. Thanks Len

      Just watched keeper a film about Bert Trautmann and for the third time watched That Damned United a film about Brian Clough

      Both highly recommended

      OFB

  503. Bob and Andy
    Thanks for the heads up, gentlemen. The Keeper and The Last Dance are now both at the top of my “To Watch” list.

    BTW, there are a couple of jaw-dropping sequences in Bostock’s Cup which reveal that the sexual abuse of young players at professional clubs must have been an open secret for decades. In the film it is seen as a fit subject, not for outright condemnation but for rather gentle satire.

    How times have changed.

    1. Not that many of you like Rugby League but This Sporting Life starring Richard Harris and Rachel Roberts can be found on YouTube. It was filmed in black and white in 1963 around Wakefield and was one of the so-called kitchen sink dramas popular at the time.

  504. Bundesliga cleared to restart in the second half of May, I think the rest of the football world (well at least Europe) will be watching with interest what happens and I don’t mean the match results.

    Come on BORO.

  506. The Spanish government yesterday approved a further extension to the state of emergency until the 25th of May.

    A phased de escalation is now in operation with phase 1 commencing next week when bars, cafes and restaurants will begin to serve customers on their terraces based upon 50% occupancy.

    More than one person will be allowed in vehicles from next week and if non family members are travelling together then face masks are to be worn as they must be when using public transport of any kind.

    At present we are still restricted to home apart from essential shopping trips and our daily one hour exercise. Still waiting to learn when and how this will be lifted. 😷😎

    1. At least it is a move forward KP. The 50% should be reasonably easy to facilite now that the weather has improved for outside sitting.
      I occasionally wonder when flights will be introduced, especially with the difficulties of distancing and economics?
      However it appears there are thoughts that the EU may exclude the UK. I would think Spain probably will not be too happy with that.

      1. Pedro

        I don’t think it is just the EU. Spain and a host of other countries are expressing disbelief at the UK’s handling of the crisis and are unlikely to allow Brits to cross their borders for some time yet.

        It beggars belief that as an Island nation we have allowed the situation to reach these levels. We have become the scourge of Europe. 😷😎

  507. Is it just me or is anybody else reeling with all the media speculation surrounding lockdown being lifted? Every newspaper claims “inside information” on what’s going to happen. Sporting bodies are all chomping at the bit to get cracking again.
    Have those of us who have obeyed all the rules been wasting our time?
    Given all the criticism the same media have carried about the poor Government response to the virus (with some justification perhaps), it beggars belief that they appear to be pressurising that same Government to relax the rules without being sure of the consequences of doing so too early.
    They were pressurised into acquiring PPE from unproven sources and, apparently, it is unsuitable for use, so a waste of money and resources.
    Are they going to be pressurised into a premature relaxing of rules whilst problems with PPE, testing, track and trace still persist?
    Patience is a virtue. Rant over.

    1. Unfortunately it’s all come down to the economy now, which was inevitable. They’re probably studying what the collateral damage will be in number of lives lost.

      The next debate will be the enforced lockdown of the 1.5m. This will allow the majority of the “healthy “ to resume a normal life, with the emphasis on masks and hygiene. I’m commenting with a vested interest as I’m one of the vulnerable group on the NHS list.

      It was always going to come down to this. With the virus circulating amongst the best prepared to endure/combat it, the initial goal of “ herd immunity” might be achieved.

      1. It was always going to have to be a balance between what the NHS originally could cope with (which in fairness was managed and mitigated despite other questionable decisions and their timing) and the Commercial requirements to keep the Country afloat and able to pay its bills. The Nightingale Hospitals are there to enable the NHS to cope with the very worse should it occur in the likely second wave this Winter despite how it is sugar coated and wrapped up in ribbons.

        I am one of those who don’t qualify for a bean having set up a business recently and outside of the parameters set by Rishi Sunak. Consequently I am living off savings and watching my bank balance tumble faster than Dele Alli. I can carry on for a few more months which I realise is better than many in the same circumstances and possibly better than many in the UK full stop so I should count my blessings but after that its selling the house, car etc.

        It doesn’t make me happy to see everything I’ve worked for drip away slowly with the very serious doubt of not knowing how long or indeed if I can get my business afloat again after lock down. Many of my clients themselves are facing an uncertain future and may not come through this. I’m hoping meanwhile that invoices which are out there actually get paid. I can of course immerse myself in more debt by taking a Government loan whilst others sit back taking the £2,500 per month covering their mortgages, food, utility bills and essential outgoings.

        I had a conversation only last week with someone in a similar predicament but who is struggling really badly to keep things together. He opined that he would rather take his chances with Covid-19 than to see his world collapse and die around him and lose everything he worked so hard to build up all his life. He is also having personal and family issues which makes things 100 times worse by the predicament he now finds himself in. His final comment was that he would rather die with the virus over a week or two than be killed mentally, emotionally and physically but be left alive as a rotting piece of humanity with no purpose in life. Mental health is just as important as our physical fight against the virus whilst staying home, saving lives and protecting the NHS.

        Granted he was having a bad day when I spoke to him and I call him regularly to check in, try and cheer him up and offer some positivity. Today however he phoned me for a change, excited to hear that there may be a lifting of some of the restrictions, it was only a glimmer, a slight flicker but enough to give him a minuscule degree of much needed optimism in a world which is very dark for him right now. I am certain he is not an isolated case and one of many who are struggling to cope for one reason or another. Single Mum’s on the 17th floor of a block of flats with three kids are probably in a far more fragile state of mind.

        Gatwick Airport as an example looks to be almost mothballed going forwards such is the impact along with the associated thousands of jobs, livelihoods, families torn apart along with the long term social fall out from all this. That will be repeated in many sectors in towns the length and breadth of the Country. Until there is a vaccine it will never be the right time to get back to the “new normal” but somebody has to foot the bill and like myself and many others money its starting to become an extremely precious and increasingly rarer commodity.

        The fall out from this will go on for a decade at least. There will undoubtedly be PTSD cases in Hospitals and Care Homes that will likely be swept under the carpet almost as quickly as the NHS clapping dies down. The global Political fall out with China will explode shortly with individuals boycotting Chinese made goods to make a stance over their personal sufferings to collective Governments taking brutal fiscal revenge. New regions will emerge as preferred trading partners and along with it new opportunities but it will all be at great cost and expense.

    2. Steely
      Quite how the public and press plus uncle tom Cobley and all, can be responsible for the current shambles beats me.
      If you are going to order (six weeks too late). PPE for medical staff throughout the country (several million ) from abroad, then I would suggest that you fly out someone on the front line using this stuff on a daily basis, that would be to check it out, and of course reject it as useless before it was paid for and dumped on us.
      You will have seen the great triumph of one hundred thousand tests in one day, After being on fifty thousand two days before. Hhhm!
      Since then the poor fool has not within twenty thousand tests per day, a bit of a miracle that.
      You will also have noticed that, from the great news of 230 deaths in a day, we went to 695 the following day, And no, it was not a fluke, because it was followed by 645 yesterday. You may have an answer, the people in charge do not.
      The graphs are for the guidance of fools, and to be ignored by wise men.
      Three days ago London graph was heading for Mars, yesterday it passed all the other areas of England (ground hoggers to a man) on its journey to the bottom of the graph, a world record, I am sure.
      The press have not, by word or deed uttered a word of criticism during this colossal shambles.
      One word of advice, do not, repeat, not, enter a care home.

      1. Come on Plato you are being unfair, we all know that the bloke with the abacus doesn’t work weekends so Monday’s deaths are always far less for over the weekend than on a normal weekday when the bloke (or lady) is back into work to count the bodies.

        If it hadn’t been for a decade of under funding someone may have thought to buy a Calculator but the sourcing department for counting was clearly deemed unnecessary or so it would appear when you hear Priti Patel’s arithmetic skills on display (giving Diane Abbot a run for her money) or when Dominic Raab and Matt Hancock are counting units of PPE supplied versus what is used and what is actually needed.

      3. The Boss and I have a good friend who is a consultant in an NHS tRust and she said, at the beginning of the outbreak and before lockdown that she had a weeks supply PPE and my question is: Where does procurement sit in the mess, forget government the ordering level is many layers below Matt Hancock. (and they probably earn more too) so surely they must have had a disaster management plan in place? Plus reserves somewhere? The trouble with politics is that they get in the way of truth.

        The UK has the highest death rate but it is never expressed as a percentage of total population, just how many have died, (would percentage against total make the lockdown unenforceable?) or make it look better or worse depending on how you want to govern? Or haven’t the powers that be hit on that means of expression yet? I’m sure that London’s population isn’t that far behind Sweden’s total population for example.

        Then there’s the statesman like Nicola presenting figures and decisions just before they do in London and pre-empting unmade decisions and back-tracking. United Kingdom?

        Until there’s a vaccine everything is different in the new normal and nothing will change.

        As for the media and their representation…

        UTB,

        John

  508. What a lovely day it has been today, although the clouds have rolled in here in Redcar at 4.15. I was looking forward to the summer sports but am surprised how I now haven’t missed them at all. Today I’ve spent hours in my garden which is a mass of blue from forget-me-nots, muscari and bluebells. The red ribes currant bush has now shed its blossom, as has the yellow forsythia and the orange berberis, the pieris foresti red leaves are now turning from pink to light green, and the only downside is that the apple blossom has failed to open up its buds which sometimes happens every other year. However nature has compensated this springtime with the 3 lilac bushes producing three shades of colour, the best I’ve ever seen.

    I’ve just finished having my dinner with a glass of red wine on my pebbled patio which glistens in the sunshine, and because of the lilac bushes listened to Ivor Novello’s ‘We’ll gather lilacs in the spring again’ from his musical ‘Perchance to Dream’ followed by Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto, for the uninitiated was part of the theme music used in the film ‘Brief Encounter’ filmed mainly in Carnforth railway station in Lancashire, directed by David Lean and starring Trevor Howard, Celia Johnson and Stanley Holloway. What an idyllic way to spend a few hours in the garden! Do I miss football and the summer sports? Well I’ve found a way to compensate for them, and as I wrote before at my time of life every day is a bonus. Keep well, but ignore NHS suggestions to stay indoors. You should be safe from coronavirus if you live alone like me and are well fenced in from your neighbours. Life is too short, one doesn’t get a second chance!

    1. GHW, I’ve got to say there’s a lot of of us in Scotland who see her response to all this as consistent, clear, informed, effective and responsible and lament the lack of an equivalent political leadership in Westminster.

      Even over Thursday’s announcements, her position is much more aligned to what the subject matter experts are saying than Westminster’s, where I see there is already back tracking and bluster to try to get the genie they have let out back into the bottle.
      So long as we have the standard of government in Westminster as we have been blessed with over the last 10 years, she does not have to do anything to further her independence agenda, Westminster does that all for her.

  510. John, sadly mistakes have been made and some by the Government.
    However when you speak to people at the front end of things in the hospitals the Management is thought of as generally poor. As you said the hospitals have responsibilities. They should have Emergency Plans in place.
    The executives get paid big bucks, whether they are worth it or even earn it is debatable.

    The UK has had far too many deaths and probably they could have been reduced if a different route had been taken. That may come out in the future.

    At the moment CareHomes are the focus and have been let down. Sadly however a large number of those would have died of other causes over time.

    As for populations, Sweden just over 10, (3 000 deaths) Greater London just under 9. (5500 hospital deaths)

    1. Pedro,

      Mum-in-law is in a care home about eight miles away, she was 102 last week and so far the home has escaped the virus. They locked down two weeks before the Government so well done to them although how much longer they’ll manage we do not know.

      Until there’s a vaccine this will just grind on and on. There are people around us who have just carried on as normal, because there’s nobody to enforce the rules. As I always say, if you see a policeman in West Norfolk his SatNav is broken and he’s lost.

      Stay safe and well,

      UTB,

      John

      1. John, if you see a Policeman anywhere now, especially on foot, it is a rarity.

        In Spain, well where we live at times now, you cannot go fat without seeing one. One reason they were able to impose the draconian measures. Also their fines were in the hundreds, not the paltry 60 pounds and halved if paid early.

      4. John
        Be gratefull that you see no police during this affair.
        To be accosted whilst alone with your partner on a mountain side is no joke, and is not forgotten easily. So rest easy.

    2. Pedro

      Comparisons between London and Sweden probably don’t add up as London’s population is concentrated over a much smaller area and more likely to pass and spread a contagion.

      I’m looking at other cities with a similar density of population but most seem to be in the Far East and were better prepared due to previous experience with SARS and similar viruses (and possibly some more authoritarian leadership able to enforce the rules with a more obedient population).

      New York is one similarly sized city with the same level of pandemic experience (none in recent decades) and has had around four times the number of deaths as London. However, we all know that the US, and New York in particular, are among the worst hit/managed and probably not that useful as a comparison either.

      With different countries testing at different rates and reporting in different ways, true comparisons will have to wait but I suspect that the final outcome will be as you allude to: Britain has not done well.

    3. Pedro
      The management of a major hospital is a very large perk of the elite, so I would think that it is in their gift, whereas all medical positions are not, being based on ability alone (I hope).
      This means that the financial structure of the hospital is out of the control of all medics however brilliant they may be.
      Care homes?
      The government must be praying that no lawsuit is launched.

  512. I must resist in future reporting on how I occupy my time during this coronavirus pandemic. When I read Redcar Red’s account of how this pandemic affects the self employed I felt sorry for him and his other acquaintances. When one reaches my age and living alone one tends to become self indulgent and insular forgetting how this lockdown affects those in particular who are self employed. When I wrote yesterday what a lovely day I had had it might be misconstrued as if I was gloating and that was not my attention; it could have been any day before this coronavirus pandemic. Football, rugby league, cricket and golf have always meant so much to me, but so has music and to be able to find almost anything on YouTube in the musical world from classical music, brass and military bands, music from the 60s in the pop world as we used to call it, is a fine alternative from having to stay indoors listening to it on vinyl, audio cassettes or CDs, and especially to sport at the present time. Classical music particularly seems so appropriate and soothing for those like me lucky to have a garden; it doesn’t matter if one falls asleep whilst listening to it, after all it seems to have a calmness for unborn babies in the womb. In contrast falling asleep watching television can be so infuriating.

    I have now been retired for 30 years and life has become one long holiday despite losing my dear wife 11 years ago this month. I have several ailments, but who hasn’t at my age, and lucky enough to still enjoy my own home. But when I hear about the self-employed in lockdown and worrying if their businesses can survive, it saddens me. I’ve had my life and am grateful for that, but am able to treat every day on earth as a bonus. I hope that people like Redcar Red, those with young families to support, and the unemployed who rely on food banks can survive the present times healthily and financially. God bless you all.

    1. You have nothing to apologise for Ken. Celebration of life and appreciation of what a life has given you is a wonderful thing to do and is as important ag times like these than at any others. It is far from gloating and actually gives a purpose and and an optimism that the trials and tribulations we all fave, to greater and lesser extents, can be survived.

    2. Ken

      Your posts are like a ray of sunshine. We are all having to fight and cope with this virus in different ways and it gladdens the heart to read your stories of how you are getting through this by focusing on the positive and most importantly free things all around us. Keep them coming!

    3. Agree with Powmill – no need to apologize- I enjoy reading your posts, always thoughtful and considerate. We all have to cope in whatever way we can and help and support each other.

      Lens post in response to RRs was typical of the people on here who are looking out for each other.

      Take care all

  513. I was both moved and saddened by Redcar Red’s post at 5.30pm yesterday.

    As someone who has benefited from and thoroughly enjoyed his generosity in providing free yet peerless match reports, over the years as well as all of his other thoughtful contributions to this blog, I would be more than happy to make a donation, not as an act of charity, but in the belief that good journalism should be paid for, and in the selfish hope that I will be able to continue to read his reports when football finally resumes.

    Being digitally illiterate I’m not sure how this could be set up. Some kind of voluntary paywall, or fund page perhaps?

    1. Great post Len and if someone can put something in place I too would be very pleased to make a contribution.

      We are all rooting for RR, his mate and all those who are still working or hoping to get back to work and hope that they can get through this unscathed. Unfortunately there are and will be more casualties, both from a health and financial aspect. 😷😎

      1. Count me in too – on the basis of journalism should always be paid for and there is no such thing as a free lunch. RR reports are consistently better than any of the newspapers and should be rewarded accordingly in what are exceptional circumstances.

        We are all in it together.

        PS – good to see you back KP and that and your wife are coping. The insight into life in Spain was appreciated. Think some of the people in the U.K. should be aware of it as they do not understand the meaning of our weak lockdown here.

      2. Honestly KP I’m fine just peeved more than anything that the Government thought they had eased worrying by paying 80% of wages and then ignore the Black Hole in the economy and metaphorically shrugged their shoulders. I wasn’t always able to in my younger days but always believed in never being more than 3 pay checks from imploding. Unfortunately there are many who are three Credit Card payments from imploding and it is those I fear for. At least I don’t own a bar or restaurant because how those sectors are supposed to survive is beyond me.

        The Government offering me a “loan” (in other words more debt), not a grant or 80% of my earnings up to the £2,500 limit was salt in the wound. Their mess up with the Turkish PPE shipment would have brought me some Schadenfreude were it not for the suffering of the people that are in desperate need of it. It’s a classic example of what happens when you put someone in charge of something who haven’t got the skill’s knowledge or experience to do the job, something which really irritates me generally.

        The above isn’t intended as a jibe at the current Political Party in power as the alternative at the time filled me with equal dread. I’m convinced that many Politicians are so career orientated nowadays that they have lost focus and have’t a clue about the real world and real peoples lives.

        Having said all that I may not be so resilient come Christmas if we are still in this mess and a bowl of gruel may be welcomed 🙂

    2. Len

      Many thanks for your touching post. I’m still holding my own and I’m in a comfortable place compared to many. At least I have the resources thus far and a little longer to ride this out but there are many that don’t. I shudder to think of myself with a mortgage up to the hilt in my mid twenties and being hit by this. It’s hard enough for young people to get a start let alone get on in life without being hit by all the current financial woes and mounting debts.

      1. Which is why the balance between health, the NHS capacity and the economic issues is so hard.

        I don’t have enough information to make any comment either way apart from saying that i don’t think there is a right answer right now.

        I just hope that we all get through this horrible situation as unscathed as possible

        I do feel for all those people, like RR, who had taken decisions before all this started and have nothing the fall back on.

        Stay safe

      2. BBD

        Sadly there isn’t a right answer just varying degrees of least bad. So many factors complicate the issue further especially ethnicity, age, population density, poverty, just to name a few let alone financials.

    3. Len, please do not think I am trying to steal your thunder, however that suggestion has crossed my mind on occasions.

      Going to matches, travel, pork pie, none are inexpensive. Maybe Werder could advise those willI guess to “make a contribution” towards Redcar Red’s match day costs and of course any costs that Werder undoubtably takes.

      Is there some kind of blog-funding mechanism available as Len suggests?

  516. It doesn’t work for me. Also according to some websites my eMail address doesn’t exist. I don’t possess a printer, yet frequently receive messages on my iPad on the Mail logo.

  517. At the moment I’m watching Churchill. I hadn’t really appreciated what a hard taskmaster he really was, and how inconsiderate also. Not a nice person at all really, but a great orator and almost certainly the only person who could have got us through the Second World War. Even Clement Attlee and Barbara Castle could see his statesmanlike qualities despite being poles apart politically. I suppose the Second World War was the making of him, just like the Falklands War was the making of Margaret Thatcher, both tireless workers but not particularly liked by their colleagues in peacetime.

    1. I imagine this wouldn’t affect the EFL too much as they negotiated a really rubbish deal. But the implications of the PL having to give some of the TV revenue back could be huge for the clubs that have fairly limited attendances and have to rely on it.

  519. Kyle Walker feels harassed after breaking the lockdown regulations twice more by driving to Sheffield to give his sister a birthday present and then visited his mother to pick up home cooked meals. Poor lamb, why should he be treated any differently to many other people who are separated from their loved ones in this pandemic situation? There are some folk who
    can’t even say goodbye to family members where funeral services have been banned. Manchester City say that they aren’t going to take any action. I know what I’d do, make him self isolate in prison for the duration of this pandemic. It just goes to show how immature some (not all) of the younger generation are, complete lack of discipline.

    1. Ken, you are right – He claims to have mental health issues so it was important to go and see them. After the previous month he had had a party with friends and ladies of dubious reputation.

      On what he is laid, he could have arranged a n online session with psychologists.

      As you say, other people are in a far worse situation and stick to the rules but as I read somewhere the other day, the rules were put together based on the fact that the British public are stupid and that there would only be a 75% adherence.

      In other news, the PL still thinks that it can start again soon!

  520. Have you noticed that in all the clamouring and lobbying to get football up and running, at all costs and under any circumstances, there is one section that are quiet about this?

    The Fans.

    Personally I’m not bothered if this season is chalked off or, if/when a new season can commence, and I’d hazard a guess that there are many who share that view.. Like everything else now, it’s all coming down to money.

    If the fans remain quiet it could help lead to some much needed changes to the way the game is run.

  521. GHW

    I agree entirely. There are far more important concerns at the present time and certainly football is well down my agenda.

    I feel sorry for the players who cannot continue with their profession but there are far more employees/self employed in a similar or much worse position; in most cases they will have limited resources to fall back on in comparison to many in the football world, particularly at PL and Championship level.

    If I have any concern then is is for those players in Leagues 1 & 2 who may find in due course that they don’t have a job/club to go back to and will then be faced with situations that much of the general public have to deal with as part of their lives. 😎😷

  522. In fact, I would go so far as to say fans should put pressure on the clubs to lower ticket prices in return for their future attendance and patronage.

    We all know without the fans the game will suffer badly. If that means clubs will have to reduce wages paid to players and fees to agents, then so be it. This could be an opportunity to return the game to the real fans and make it affordable once more to the original fans who have been priced out of attending.

    1. The thing is that given how people find it hard to see what 2 metres is, and all the queuing outside shops, I am not sure how getting into a football ground would work!

      I wouldn’t be over keen in going right now and standing in a cramped concourse such as the one at Burnley

  524. Just been watching the BBC news and the report of the latest and brightest idea to contain the virus in the UK, the idea is to quarantine any international travellers to the UK for two weeks, but not to start until the end of the month, talk about being lost for words. I mean, for crying out loud we’ve had that restriction in place for well over two months now, but not only on International travellers, we’ve locked the states down as well. Anyone coming in to WA regardless of where you’ve come from or how you got here, has to go in to isolation for a two week period, we’ve even kicked the residents off our local offshore island (Rottnest) and we’re using that as a sanctuary for those in quarantine. Then here in WA we took it even further, we can’t even travel outside of the Perth area, the whole of WA has been sectioned off and isolated, and if you transgress you definitely will get the back of your legs slapped.

    The benefits for Australia are there in the figures for everyone to see, in that we’ve only had (and may I say, sadly) 97 deaths nationally, here in WA we can boast even better than most of the other states. We currently have 15 active cases of Covid-19 in the state, of which five are hospitalised and only one in intensive care, our death toll is six. These are very impressive figures, but would have been even more so if we’d stuck to our guns and told the German cruise ship Artania to bugger off and keep on sailing by, but the Federal Government overruled us and said we had to take it in on humanitarian grounds. Had it not docked, our death toll would have been two and we would currently have two active cases of the virus and no one in intensive care, those cases we have are all related to cruises or international travellers returning home, we’ve had zero cases from social contact.

    We are very fortunate geographically to be able to carry out the restrictions effectively and keep the virus at bay, but I would have thought that being an island that the UK could have also introduced stricter rules of movement, in the hope to reproduce maybe not the same effect, but hopefully drastically reduce the current situation.

    Sorry to rant on and I’m definitely not tub thumping on how great we are in what we did and the results we have. We locked down hard and we locked down at the earliest possible time, who knows if we got it right or not, but what I do know is that by doing what we have done, I’ll be able to go for a pint in the Tap Room on the golf course I live on in 11 days time to celebrate my 65th birthday. What’s not to like.

  525. Could not agree more Peasepudinperth. Same here in the Northern Territory we have had only 30 cases total and no community transfer. Also here all travellers are put into hotels for 14 days and have to pay $2500 (1300 quid). I wrongly assumed that the UK had a similar system in place as it is an obvious thing for an island to set in place. From what I have read the UK will be self isolation as we had at the start in the NT. when this was in place all isolators were visited regular by a health department employee, a copper and a soldier to check if they were at home. If not a fine over $1066.
    As in WA the pubs open here next Friday but you have to buy food and can only stay for two hours and on June 5 there will be no restrictions with local sport starting up and all business that have been closed being allowed to open.
    Interestingly the PM has said that he does expect that there will be an increase of cases when the restrictions are lifting.
    Hope that all of you are keeping safe and looking at a very small light at the end of a very long tunnel.
    UTB

    1. I said something similar to Mrs P just a few days ago, along the lines of how could an Island nation thousands of miles away from China get itself into the mess the UK has when the likes of Australia and New Zealand have survived relatively unscathed.

      When the pandemic spread like wildfire in the north of Italy we should have started locking down then and put in place quarantine regulations but we were told by the scientists that as it was already here (albeit in low numbers) it would not make any difference, an argument I found difficult in swallowing at the time.

      If you are trying to contain and eradicate something then surely you do not want to be importing it from those who have been travelling to places where the endemic is rife!

      The charge sheet against the government grows by the day. 😎😷

      1. Agree although our media lets them get away with it and half the population apparently think they are doing a good job!

        I am starting to get to the point of utter despair with the incompetence and keep telling myself to stop looking at any news.

  526. MW,

    Like you, I was absolutely stunned to realise that there was no quarantine regulations in place in the UK for international travellers, I just thought that it would be a blindingly obvious decision to make. Not only that, but they’re deferring the decision until the end of the month, just do it, now. Also, people from the Irish Republic can come and go as they please, are the government trying to enforce a lockdown or operate a revolving door?

    Our medical staff, police and army staff aren’t needed to knock on doors to see if they were obeying isolation, all of our suspects were sent over to Rottnest Island. It’s a bit like Alcatraz in the Indian Ocean, stunning location but you ain’t going anywhere without a boat, because if the rips don’t get you the Great Whites will.

    Let’s just say that I’ll be ordering a bucket of chips to go with my pints, but if I can’t get enough down my neck in two hours to celebrate my birthday, then I’m not being true to my Park End roots.

    1. I was hoping to go to a lovely campsite in the dales with a fantastic pub with Timmy Taylor’s landlord nearby for my 60th In mid June but that is looking doubtful right now.

      I will have to make do with buying a barrel and enjoying it on the garden I guess!

    2. I think its the Irish Republic who should be alarmed rather than the reverse. The death rate is far greater in the UK than in the Irish Republic. Even the R rate between the Republic (0.5) and Northern Ireland (0.8) is significantly different.

      The Irish locked down quicker and even cancelled St. Patrick’s day whilst Boris and Co. were still mulling things over. UK citizens have endured great hardship in fighting this virus while incredibly our Politicians left the front door unlocked and the back door wide open. How many people have lost their fight because of this?

      1. Yup – absolutely crazy that we were so lax. And with this Stay Alert message many more will probably lose the fight.

        What the hell does it mean……….

      2. RR
        The strange thing about the flights from abroad landing on a daily basis, I have heard the numbers many times, and the fact that they were allowed to stroll through the airport and out to the rest of the country, unchecked, of course.
        But, here’s the thing.
        Innocent reporters have raised the subject many times in those interminable ‘statements’ at tea time, and have always been greeted with a smile and dismissed with contempt.
        Contempt which is still being dished out by the very idea of delaying any ban for any period of time.

  527. Tomorrow my football team will have the first training session for a few months. We are allowed to train with the ball, maximum of 10 players in half of the field.

    This week we are not allowed to train as a group, the following week that is allowed. But then we can use the same ball, but heading and hands (throws) are not allowed.

    Also we must arrive separately to the ground, keep a 3 meter distance and the locker toom is not used. So every one puts the training gear on at home.

    Our league matches will start on the 18th June. Then the contacts are allowed but splitting is forbidden as well as the changing rooms.

    So the problem is not out on the field. But sitting close to one for minutes inside a changing room would be. Or even worse, a 15 min in a cafe at with friends would be!

    So this is the situation in Finland. And in Germany they will start the Bundesliga next Saturday.

    Up the Boro

      2. Training is done like that with a distance. Later when the games start, we need to see we are not close to each other indoors. Ourdoors we can tackle 😊.

        Up the Boro!

  528. I agree the 14 day isolation for people arriving here should have been implemented long ago and where is the logic in excluding Ireland ?
    Also I notice that refugees are still arriving – a couple of hundred in one day alone – from France who are not making much effort to stop them. No mention of both minimising them coming and insisting on 14 days isolation. It makes a mockery of those of us following the rules.
    Fortunately the vibes we are getting is that there will be little relaxation of the rules by the P.M. tonight.
    Allowing people to exercise more, garden centre reopening, encouraging people to walk or cycle to work but not fundamentally lifting the lockdown is ok by me.
    Philip of Huddersfield

  529. With the Bundesliga set to resume next week Dynamo Dresden have reported that two of their Players have tested positive for Covid-19 meaning that their Bundesliga 2 clash with Hannover is cancelled.

    Dresden are propping up the division with Hannover still chasing promotion. Is it me that has just the tiniest thought that if the season was cancelled it would suit one club in particular? There again it could be entirely legitimate which highlights the futility and stupidity of trying to get things finished sooner rather than later.

    I constantly struggle to figure out what is the rush? It doesn’t matter when the Football seasons are actually finished. Nor does it matter when the new seasons commence, if ever, in the grand scheme of things.

  530. I’ve been focused on several projects on several fronts in last couple of weeks – which have kept me more than busy but at least things over here in northern Germany are now returning a bit more to normality – my 9-year old is back at school and is now even allowed to meet with friends providing it’s just one at a time.

    Anyway, the situation in the district where we live has now just 6 active cases of Corona from 120,000 people with just 2 in hospital. Overall there have been 83 cases in our district with 77 now recovered and no deaths. So we’ve actually seen or heard little of the virus while undertaking social distancing measures to ensure cases are minimised.

    Interestingly, I was looking at the stats for Germany, who have now reached almost 7,500 deaths and how they broke down by age. There were just 26 deaths in people under 40 and indeed only 75 people under 50 died from the virus. Even the deaths for people in their 50s was just 238 and it was in fact the over 70s who accounted for 90% of total deaths in Germany – even though they accounted for just one-fifth of all corona cases.

    Those 7,500 deaths came from 170,000 confirmed cases, which (after checking my spreadsheet) gives a overall death rate of 4.4% – although that will most likely move closer to the expected 1% once asymptomatic and untested cases are taken into account. Especially, given that 170,000 is just around 0.2% of the total population of Germany and it’s suspected that the overall infection rate is much higher. However, the death rate of the over 70s who have been infected has been nearly 20%. Which subsequently means the death rate for confirmed cases in the under 70s is about 0.5% and probably in reality it could even be as low as 0.1% if likely untested cases are also taken into account.

    So the question now is how the gradual easing of the lockdown will affect the number of new cases but we’re hopeful that as long as the numbers remain small they can be managed and other potential cases traced and quarantined. It’s still early days but it looks like the German government have handled the epidemic quite well and it’s been done in a matter of fact way without all the spin and rhetoric that some other countries have resorted to, where obviously some decisions are seemingly being made to serve a different agenda other than seeking the most successful outcome with regard to the Corona virus.

    Let’s hope it’s now the beginning of the end of the severe impact on lives and livelihoods but maybe it’s too early to conclude the old normal will replace the cliched new normal for some months yet.

    1. Great link Pedro. Some good memories there as well as some quite brilliant goals. John Hendie’s solo effort against Millwall is one of my all time favourites, but have to say seeing the goals from the Charlton era reinforces to me just how good that team was.

  532. I see now how the government is intending to handle a potential surge in unemployment by recruiting as many hale and hearty English men (and women) into Her Britannic Majesty’s Royal Air Force, as I am reminded of the mock marketing of the service popular during my brief sojourn in a blue-gray uniform in the 80s: “Be alert. The AirForce needs lerts”

    4. Brilliant Powmill, I suspect its far closer to the truth with her personal thinking than her “official” updates to the people of Scotland!

      Sadly its closer to the truth for most of us as well. Last night wasn’t Boris’s greatest five minutes of fame. I can’t stand Piers Morgan for a long list of reasons, in fact I find the bloke nauseating, his smarmy arrogance along with his past as a Newspaper editor makes my blood boil. His me, me, me, me, interviewing style of I’ll ask the question then talk all over your response, loving the sound of my own voice infuriates beyond belief.

      That I now find myself agreeing with him in his stance and challenges to Government Ministers is staggering. That they are now “banned” (a euphemism for hiding from him) from appearing on ITV’s morning news programme tells a troubling story. I would “just love it me” (in my best Kevin Keegan impersonation) if he popped up unexpectedly on the 5.00pm Coronavirus updates with a Journalist question or three aimed at Dominic Raab or Matt Hancock, (I’d excuse Priti Patel as that would be an unfair mental joust). It conjures images of another Toilet Roll shortage in Downing Street.

      It brings me back to the UK General Election and how poor the choices really were for the British Public. Had Corbyn won its likely that the Media and the Establishment combined would have blatantly destabilised everything he tried to put in place even if he had managed to reach the right conclusions crucially at the right time (which I doubt). The thought that his sidekick would have been subject to standing on that Podium a few times a week having to think on her oddly shoe’d feet answering quick fire questions is scary. Throw in the other idiot across the pond with his off the cuff disinfectant remarks and the look on his medical advisers face and its a scary time for the world.

      The recent 75th VE day anniversary contrasts starkly with the likes of Churchill and Roosevelt/Truman and the respective leaders we see today. I would like to hope that the World is learning many lessons today that will see better days ahead but right now its difficult to see reasons for positivity and optimism.

    2. I remember that game very well but for the wrong reasons.

      I had started a DIY bathroom project that was taking longer than planned (as they always do). I was half way through tiling (floor to ceiling) and figured as it was the end of the season and this project wasn’t going to finish itself I’d get stuck in and listen to it on the Radio. Imagine my incredulity at being up to my eyes and ears in tiles, cement and dust as the goals just kept on coming.

      On the positive the bathroom now has very many happy memories but I just hope Mrs Red doesn’t realise its 12 years ago otherwise I fear another project coming on.

  535. Newcastle Utd made to my local newspaper here in Finland this morning. Shows how popular the PL is over here or that there is not much sports news at the moment.

    The story was about the possible Saudi take over. Len might know a few words of Finnish, but for others I give a link to a similar story on the BBC website: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52601464

    I am very happy that Boro have Steve Gibson as the owner. Up the Boro!

  536. Uefa’s request to European Leagues to finalise plans for restarting the season by May 25 is looking increasingly unrealistic.

    I hope common sense prevails and that the official line will be that no League/s will restart until it is deemed safe to do so especially for the Players and their families. Their official statement on the 25th should be “Once it is established that all European Leagues can recommence and complete their 2019-20 fixtures we will reconvene and decide on formats, start dates and viability for the forthcoming seasons”.

    Is that conclusion really too difficult to arrive at?

  537. We can forget about any football, probably until the autumn. The average fans aren’t bothered, it’s only the likes of UEFA and the PL who are really concerned.

    Clubs in one form or another will always be around, and watched from the stands or touch lines by regular spectators. Perhaps we can get back to football being an outlet for fans and not a money making business.

    1. I recall the horror I ft seeing the images at the time. I used to live fairly close to Bradford and had adopted them rather than any of their more glamorous neighbours to watch and cheer on and always from that stand.
      Always retain a soft spot for the club and will spare a moment of silence to remember them today.

  539. “…right now it’s difficult to see reasons for positivity and optimism.”

    Too right, RR. As the radio wakes me up every morning, it’s Covid, Covid, Covid. Like a never ending vortex of negativity that you have to fight your way out of to continue, because you’ve no other choice. And we keep on fighting and surviving.

    “There are a million things in this universe you can have and there are a million things you can’t have. It’s no fun facing that, but that’s the way things are.”
    “Then what am I going to do?”
    “Hang on tight and survive. Everybody does.”
    “You don’t.”
    “Everybody, Charlie. Me, too.”

    To think that dialogue is from Star Trek. Against the odds and with the tightest of budgets, they produced enduring camaraderie and a phenomenon, with equally enduring life lessons.

    Hence, if not necessarily “we’re all in this together”, “we’ve got to at least try and be all in it together”.

  541. I hate to be pedantic, but I’ve just seen Andy MacDonald being interviewed “ Live From Middlesborough “ on Sky News.

    This is the second time I’ve seen him interviewed on Sky with the same graphic displayed. Could one of his constituents ask him to point out to the graphic department at SKY the correct spelling of Middlesbrough!

    1. Given the state of the place I don’t think Andy lives anywhere near Middlesbrough. Could it perhaps be from the comfort of his North Yorkshire retreat he doesn’t know how to spell Middlesbrough himself? At least its easier to lock it up than fix it.

  542. ⚽️⚽️
    Back to football, I see the Premier League are going to ask the Government if the outstanding games can be played at the normal venues, home and away, as it looks like they may not get the 14 votes required.

    Clever move. If it all goes to rat-s***, then the can they blame the Government for not acquiescing to their request and having to abandon the season.

    Of course the Government may cave in and agree.

  544. To even contemplate finishing the Premier League programme before it is safe to do so is pure madness. Clubs now objecting to fulfilling their fixtures in neutral grounds, stating that they are confident that they would be able to stop fans congregating outside their own stadia if matches were being played behind closed doors is pure bilge. How many times in the past have we
    heard announcements for fans to keep off the grass after a match when League titles have been won, promotion obtained, or relegation avoided, only to find that those instructions are ignored as all and sundry invade the pitch after the final whistle has been blown? It is called euphoria, and you can hardly blame fans for ignoring those instructions, so how is it possible to stop fans from converging outside grounds when so much is at stake?

    Either void the season now with no promotion or relegation, or determine the final League positions on the points per game ratio with promotion and relegation, or wait until it is completely safe to play matches whether it be August or even December and start the new season after a reasonable break with no international breaks and more midweek fixtures when if clubs need to play matches without some of their international stars, then so be it. I remember the days when the Home internationals were played on Saturdays during the season and clubs weren’t allowed to postpone matches despite losing some of their star players. In fact that’s how I saw the debut of a young Bobby Charlton as Manchester United’s regular centre forward Jack Rowley was playing for England that day. That of course was in my National Service days at Padgate with watching United one week and Everton on alternative Saturdays when allowed to leave camp. Also why those two clubs still have a place in my heart.

  545. I would cancell the whole season now. So no religations nor promotions. The only exception I would make is to reward Liverpool the Champioship as they are so many points off now. They would deserve it.

    I would also skip the Champions’ and European Leagues for next season. That would make space for postponements if they occur next season.

    So let’s have a break now, concentrate on the virus of COVID-19 this summer. And let’s start the new season with the same teams in August 2020 as we did last August.

    And let the TV companies suffer if there is no matches. It is not the fault of the clubs that the matches cannot be played. Let the TV companies ask financial help from the EU or local governments if they need it. But the football clubs shouldn’t pay back any money. Or not much, anyway.

    I would prefer to concentrate on next season now. Enjoying the Spring and Summer now. And keep ourselves safe and healthy.

    Up the Boro a,

  546. If we finish the season now by alphabetical means or by longest existence in the history of the league or by the average height of first team squads or by the toss of coins for every fixture not completed it becomes a joke, a farce and an absolute mess that is completely, totally and utterly unnecessary and avoidable.

    It doesn’t matter when it finishes because we are going nowhere and nor is Sport in general not just Football. It could very well be that as Germany has seen a slight spike in Covid-19 in recent days since easing the lockdown that we are still hoping for the new normal in January of February even.

    The dates for a football season are not that important. They are traditionally between August and May but there is no reason that they cannot be pushed back or heaven forbid condensed. If it means Premiership teams having to play two league games a week then welcome to the real world of a Tranmere, Colchester, Carlisle an Accrington or seventy other league teams. Lets face it all those Premiership players being farmed and then loaned out could be used to actually play for the Club that owns them, squad rotation, imagine that!

    Lets say we finish it by the average points for home and away games multiplied by the average cost of the first team squads then divided by the middle numerical digits of the Clubs postcodes and we reach a final table. Than what? What would it mean, absolutely nothing with bitterness and arguments and disagreements lasting for several decades to come. There is no rush whatsoever, the shouts for finishing the season or concluding the season are totally meaningless. If its to allow the new season to start on time then that is just as ridiculously deluded and out of touch with reality. Five weeks can finish the old season at two games a week. Will five whole weeks make such a huge difference to Football if the start of the 2020/21 is delayed by that time?

    Other tournaments can be delayed, put back or heaven forbid the Champions League reverts to a knock out formula for one season. Its pretty clear that little thought has been given as to when the new season can start if ever in the scramble to finish off the last few remaining matches. Had we not beaten Charlton at the Valley in a match which with hindsight should probably not have been played we quite likely would be going down with whatever farcical formula is concocted. I’m sure Liverpool fans would be genuinely and justifiably triumphant but I’m pretty sure most of us on here would be furious and add it to the “3 Points” list of grievances.

    Scrapping it when Leeds and West Brom are so close would be unfair as it would on say Brentford who are in sniffing distance of maybe opening their new Stadium in the Premiership via the Play Offs. Denying Brentford the chance of possibly altering the entire future of their club or indeed Barnsley pulling off the great escape is wrong. The Championship is constantly referred to the anyone can beat anyone league. Leeds could fall apart again and implode in the Play Offs providing mirth for many I’m sure but it is a Sport firstly and foremost not a predictable formulaic inanimate object. It should be left, preserved in time until it can be safely resurrected in whatever state we then find ourselves in.

    That may mean that Boro will have lost Moukoudi, Morrison, Ayala, Clayton, Gestede, Friend and Roberts etc. but so will our competitors. That could entirely change how the results turn out versus how they would have done had the season continued “as was” with the same squads but at least it will be a contest and settled by sporting means, contesting the points out on a pitch where it was always meant to be. No doubt many will lament what could have been had we not lost Player “x” or Player “y” and decry how unfair it was but football should be played on a pitch in front of thousands of fans otherwise what is the point of it?

  547. To put it into perspective, there would be many who would have liked to complete their lives to normal expectancy, but sadly it was brought up short by Covid-19.

    Football will take care of itself and will survive, tragically not the same for many.

  548. Local football clubs, make sure you don’t miss out!

    The Premier League, The FA, the Government and Sport England have come together through their Football Foundation to launch the new ‘Pitch Preparation Fund’.

    The £9.5m fund has been setup to help eligible football clubs and organisations ensure their pitches are match-fit for when Government advice allows football to start being played.

    You could get up to £5000 to renovate your pitch to make sure you are ready to go when the government issues that it is again safe to do so.

    It’s open to grassroots football clubs and organisations across England, FA National League System Clubs from Step 1-6, Welsh Premier League clubs, and clubs in The FA Women’s Pyramid (Tiers 1-5).

    The application window is now open and closes on Monday 25 May 2020.

    Funding to get your football pitches match fit is available through @FootballFoundtn’s Pitch Preparation Fund, with grants of up to £5,000. Head to footballfoundation.org.uk @premierleague @FA @DCMS @Sport_England

  549. Jacinda Ardern has done a great job in New Zealand, getting the country out of lockdown……

    But could she do it on a cold rainy night in Stoke?

  550. The pyramid system in English Football must be the envy of the World, and I don’t want to see Premier League B clubs being admitted to League 1 and 2 which is recently on the agenda for consideration. I know it happens in Spain and Portugal, maybe other European countries also. Even though they can’t be promoted to a division in which their First team plays, it could deprive some lower grade clubs of promotion.

    Also I still think it was outrageous to deprive clubs down to Level 11 Step 7 from promotion. There were actually 2 clubs who were celebrating promotion because they couldn’t be caught even if they lost all their remaining matches. Liverpool are not yet in that position, though presumably whether the current season is voided or not, they will be still crowned Champions. Another case of one rule for the Premier League and the little clubs can go to hell.

    1. GHW,

      Now that smacks of desperation coupled with the smell of money? The Boss and I have just started watching ‘Sunderland ’til I Die’, we’re hooked. So far we’re up to the arrival of Mr Coleman and new found optimism.

      UTB,

      John

  552. Just read an Australian on-line article talking up the first major football game post Covid-19: the K League Jeonbuk Motors against Suwon Bluewings, with a player Boro supporters will recognise scoring what is described as ‘an opportunistic near post header’: Lee Dong-gook. He’s now 41, and a bit of a star in South Korea apparently, netting more goals than any other player in the history of the K league.
    Lots of what if’s coming!

    Onto non-football matters Middlesbrough, I watched Would I Lie to you? with Bob Mortimer on the first week, with the second week another panellist Steph McGovern, also from the Boro! Is this a record? We punch above our weight:)

    1. Lee Dong-gook looked hopelessly out of his depth during his time at the Riverside. I don’t know whether he was star struck or just as I suspect several leagues out of his depth. The K League must be a lower standard than our Sunday Pub Leagues for him to achieve such standing.

  553. This is the reality of trying to restart football:

    https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/18445136.adam-clayton-salutes-nhs-father-recovers-coronavirus/

    How on earth can players supposedly mentally shut themselves off and play matches like nothing is going on in the world around them?

    I wonder what would happen if a Player or Players refused to play due to concerns about their health and their families well-being? Indeed I wonder if there are any Clubs big enough and bold enough?

    1. Looking at the above it is interesting to see the massive contrast between Brentford and the rest of the Championship. Their policy of buying cheap, developing and selling on Players within their contracts for maximum return would appear to be a very stable operating base.

  555. I wrote yesterday, that the season should be ended now. Cancelled and void.

    Anything else is unfair like ‘Points-per-game’ plan mentioned. That was not the original rules. One cannot change the rules mid-term.

    So no relegations nor promotions this season.

    Then all the efforts can be put on season 2020/21. Before the start, it can be decided to be two rounds (46 matches in Championship) or if there is not enough time, just one round (23 matches). But then the clubs and players would know the rules before the season starts.

    Up the Boro!

    1. If we cancelled the season with 80% of it completed that would be a travesty of Justice. For Clubs like Villa, Norwich, Watford, West Ham or Boro, Charlton, Barnsley, Luton etc. yeah lets cancel the season, phewww thats great, avoiding the drop but for Liverpool, Leeds and the Baggies it is grossly unfair. There are only 9 games or so left to play, why the rush to terminate? Its not as if next Season is desperately lined up and waiting to start, chomping at the bit with everything back to normal. If you are going to move goalposts then you move them at the start of a competition not part way through it. There will be plenty of time to meddle with next season if necessary so everyone starts on a fair and level playing field.

      If this season was cancelled would that mean that Stoke, Fulham and Huddersfield get another years Parachute payments as this season never existed? Would it be fair that Norwich get another season of massive Premiership gold and diamonds by default putting them at an even greater advantage when they no doubt come back to the Championship? Just the thought of Villa getting it frustrates me to hell and back.

      Then there are the little people, do all the fans get their ticket money back as the competition they paid to watch was cancelled? Do Sky and BT get all their millions back from each Club because the contest was declared null and void and as a consequence the live games were meaningless and certainly not what they paid for? Do all the sponsors get their Money back from the advertising hoardings and shirts they paid for all season that never existed and of course do UEFA refund all the wages, hotels, flights and sundry expenses for European matches to participating Clubs for games that would be rendered worthless?

      As GHW has pointed out the stage we are at now is all about money. UEFA, the FA, EFL and the Clubs themselves like many of us ordinary people simply haven’t got the funds in place or even remotely thought about preparing for something like this. Insurance companies will shrug their shoulders and blame the big bloke (or all seeing entity) in the sky.

      If you had three strips of wallpaper to put up to finish off the Living Room decorating job but just left it, walked away and started on one of the Bedrooms I think our other halves would have something to say about it. Why start something new when you haven’t finished this one yet? Why even worry about starting something new when you have absolutely no idea when you may be in a position to start it or indeed if?

  557. If the Leagues were declared null and void as in the 1939/40 season all appearances and goal scoring records would also be expunged from the records too.

    1. Yes, let void the season like in France and the Netherlands. Or as in 1939/40. Simple.

      I think points per game is unfair on the to-be-relegated teams. Think about Charlton, they have been just a week in bottom three! Crime as they did not know that before hand. How can the rules be changed mid season?

      When will the following season start if the this season drags on until, say, August?

      RR, when would you feel safe to restart the current season? June or July or later.

      Up the Boro!

      1. Jarkko

        I think we are looking at probably January or February at the earliest to safely restart Sporting events as there will undoubtedly be a new Flu season coming in the Autumn with no doubt a second wave of Covid-19 hitting hard and maybe killing as many if not more than the first wave. Hopefully not and if the Scientists have a solution before then fantastic but so far it looks like keeping sensible distances and minimal contact will be the way forward in the short term.

        Should a vaccine arrive in the meantime then great it may fast forward things. The other alternative is to look at Belarus and see how they cope and if there are credible scientific signs that their outcome is no worse than Countries having a lockdown then maybe thats an option but not one I’d wager many are willing to take but time will tell.

        What would be the point in playing Football matches in empty stadiums, it defeats the object of how the sport came to be popular. There are far more important concerns for nations to be dealing with than forcing 22 people into close physical contact with blood, breath, saliva particles and sweat being exchanged whilst warning the population to socially distance themselves.

        If January or February is a safe time and if Clubs still exist then they can complete the 19/20 season then at the rate of one game a week and allow plenty of time for a new 21/22 season in August 2021. If they can resume it sooner in safety then great but I see zero reason for trying to urgently finish off this season, what is it going to achieve? We are going nowhere and nor is football any time soon or at least it shouldn’t be.

        Lets say football is deemed safe to resume this September, we can finish this season off then and start the new season in Nov/Dec after a two week break. Players will be fit and games can be scheduled to fit into whatever timescale, perhaps dropping the Carabao and FA Cups. I would also question at this point the sanity of trying to play the European Championships next summer despite being pushed back from this summer.

      2. RR, I think the 22 players are not the problem playing outdoors. For the players the changing room is the problem and travelling by bus or plane. Most dangerous is 15 min or more close to each other in a cafe-like situation. A canteen, changing room and travelling.

        And I agree with you, the fans are needed. And there lies the big problem. It takes time for them to be able to travel (even in a local bus or train) and then in the stands for over 90 min plus half time.

        Vaccine won’t arrive any time soon. We tried a new vaccine too soon with the swine flu. Our government pays money to those who had bad side effect – still after about ten years!

        So vaccine will be here next summer (2021) or later I am afraid. Usually it takes two years.

        Germany will start playing to the empty stands on Saturday. Finland will do the same in mid-June. We will allow 500 customers first but it is not the same as normal crowd, of course.

        Up the Boro!

    2. If we had just played three games of this season like the 1939/40 season then I agree that this season should just be wiped from the record books. Things hadn’t really got under way and we were literally only two weeks into that season back then when War broke out. It would be 1946 before Football recommenced, six “seasons” later!

  558. A lot has been written about football finances with regard to individual clubs, but I’m now interested in the Premier League.

    They receive billions from TV rights, and obviously a lot of that is paid directly to the clubs but I would imagine not all of it. Has anyone ever done a forensic examination of their accounts? I’d be interested to see where the remainder goes, and whether or not they have money on hand in bank accounts or invested elsewhere.

    Does it exist to just finance football or is it a money making endeavour too?

  559. The present situation with the PL can be summed up by looking at an image of Mike Tyson scrabbling around on the floor of the ring looking for his gumshield, whilst Buster Douglas stands triumphantly above him.

    A sad sight, but one that many felt was strangely gratifying.

  560. It was good to learn that Adam Clayton’s father has won his long battle with the virus (51 days in critical care) and has now been moved onto a ward. A piece of good news for Clayton Snr, Adam’s family and friends including the Boro faithfull. 😎😊

    2. That is good news indeed although just shows how bad this ruddy virus can be. From what I read, other medical issues don’t help nor a higher than normal BMI combined with. Sing an older male.

      One thing that does appear to make a difference is the level of vitamin D in your body so either get taking the tablets or get in the sun everybody so that we can all keep fit and well to cheer on Boro when ever football is played again.

      Stay safe and well

      UTB

  561. EFL Board has informed its Clubs that a return to training should not take place until 25 May at the earliest.

    I would imagine the matches could start two weeks after that at the earliest.

    Then nine games, two in a week, would take about five weeks. So the season would be over on 11th of July at earliest. Possibly.

    Up the Boro!

  562. For the many cricket followers on this forum, particularly Yorkshire CCC fans I’ve just been delving into the history of the game, with particular significance to the city of Sheffield.

    1. The oldest County Cricket Club is Sussex formed in 1839, followed by Nottinghamshire in 1841, Surrey in 1845, Kent in 1859 and Yorkshire in 1863.
    2. The headquarters of Yorkshire CCC wasn’t Headingley opened in 1891, but at the time Bramall Lane, now the ground of Sheffield United FC.
    3. Bramall Lane had only 3 football stands until 1973 as the other side was the cricket pavilion.
    4. The final County Cricket match played at Bramall Lane was against Lancashire in 1973 and included Geoff Boycott, John Hampshire and Middlesbrough born Chris Old.
    5. Rugby Union had been the established winter sport in Yorkshire but football had quickly become popular and Sheffield FC was the oldest football club established not only in Yorkshire or England, but in the whole World. It was founded in 1857 and is still in existence playing at Dronfield in the Northern Premier League.
    6. Sheffield Wednesday FC was founded in 1867 some 10 years years later, and Sheffield United FC in 1889.

    I well remember when Yorkshire played most of their home County Championship matches at Bramall Lane, Headingley and Bradford Park Avenue, another football ground, with one match each season being played at Harrogate, Huddersfield, Hull and of course Scarborough, although there was also the end of season Cricket Festival of 2 additional matches usually Yorkshire v MCC and TN Pease’s XI v The Tourists. Eventually Green Lane, Middlesbrough replaced Huddersfield. Ah, more nostalgic moments!

    1. Ken

      I remember as a schoolboy going to Green Lane to watch Yorkshire play cricket.

      Our assistant Headmaster was sports daft and was also responsible for all school sports. He persuaded the headmaster that it would be good for the senior boys to witness first class cricket first hand.

      Our school was Mill Hill also situated on Green Lane which is now a block of flats. .
      Our football and cricket was played on the Mill Hill playing fields Located at St Mary’s Walk with cold changing rooms and freezing showers!

      OFB

      1. OFB,

        Was that opposite St Mary’s Church Hall and Green Lane School? In fact I think the road was St Mary’s Walk but don’t hold my memory to that and didn’t the changing rooms back on to Acklam Woods, played football on those pitches and that sloping field many times, can’t remember what the league was though!

        Stay safe,

        UTB,

        John

        1. John

          Yes your memory is perfect !

          That’s right and the league was Saturday Teesside League and Sunday The Teesborough League run by Dave Bodley who was also a Football League Linesman and Northern League Ref

          OFB

  565. I thought i’d drop in as I have a message for len,

    Sadly my Uncle Ken died a few weeks ago, nothing to do with coronavirus as it happens.
    His daughter, my cousin has being sharing some of his old photos.
    One of which is of the Griove Hill Methodist Church cricket team, taken in 1956. The team having won the Thirkell cup. Captained by one Ken Reeve and a Len Masterman stood in the back row. Great picture.

    One of my other cousins did ask, tongue in cheek, if winning had anything to do with the Captains brother, Peter, being the umpire!

    Uncle Ken’s claim to fame was having played footie with Brian Clough as a teenager, a story my son and I never tired of listening to. Lovely man.

  567. Delving into my Yorkshire CCC records I note that Yorkshire played a 3 day friendly match against Lancashire at Green Lane in June 1959. This might well have been a precursor to establish whether the ground was suitable for First Class Cricket, as in August 1960 they beat Essex there in the County
    Championship. My records after that are incomplete until 1979 and these are the the further results of County Championship (CC) matches all 3 days in those days played Saturday, Monday and Tuesday with the John Player League (JPL) played on the intervening Sunday:-

    Apr 29 1979 JPL v Leics abandoned, May 3 CC v Northants drawn
    Jun 1 1980 JPL v Sussex lost, Jun 4 CC v Kent won
    Jun 20 1982 JPL v Norhants lost, Jun 22 CC v Northants drawn
    Jun 5 1983 JPL v Hants won, Jun 7 CC v Glam drawn
    Jun 3 1984 JPL v Somerset won, Jun 5 CC v Somerset drawn
    Jun 2 1985 JPL v Hants won, Jun 4 CC v Hants drawn *
    Jul 6 1986 JPL v Leics won, Jul 8 CC v Leics abandoned draw
    May 31 1987 JPL v Kent won, Jun 2 CC Yorks 218+ 42 for 4, Notts 347 match drawn.
    Jun 5 1988 JPL v Surrey won, Jun 7 CC v Surrey drawn
    Jul 9 1989 JPL v Sussex lost, Jun 11 CC Yorks 260 for 8 dec+0 for 0 dec, Sussex 0 for 0 dec + 252. Yorks won by 8 runs.
    Jun 7 1992 JPL v Somerset won, Jun 9 CC v Somerset drawn
    Jun 6 1993 JPL v Glamorgan lost, Jun 8 CC v Glamorgan lost
    Jun 4 1994 CCC Yorks 181+121 lost v Notts 159+145 for 5.
    Jul 2 1995 JPL Yorks 235 for 4 beat Gloucs 142 by 93 runs, Jul 1 1995 CCC Yorks 340 + 145, lost to Gloucs 276 + 210 for 1

    As I say my records are incomplete, and I only seemed to record scores in some of those years. Yorkshire’s record in one -day cricket at Green Lane seemed quite reasonable, but the weather often seemed to intervene in the County Championship judging by the number of draws when usually the opposition were on top. *The match in 1985 was a case in point, when Yorkshire were all out before lunch on the first day for 26, but held out for a draw.

  568. I may be a little confused here, as I always thought that Acklam Park was in Green Lane. Perhaps Nigel Reeve or OFB can put me right. In any case the last matches played by Yorkshire in Middlesbrough were definitely in July 1995.

    1. I can recall being at Acklam Park on Green Lane as a schoolboy and being told to, P*** Off by one, FS Trueman for having the temerity to ask for an autograph.

  571. I remember going to Acklam Park in the early sixties to watch a cricket match.

    Mr Saunders from Holy Trinity (CoE) school was my form teacher at the time and was very keen on cricket and got me interested.

    He took the class to Acklam Park to watch Yorkshire play the West Indies. I remember watching Fred Trueman batting and hitting Charlie Griffith or Wes Hall back over their head for six with the ball landing on the roof of the Marquee situated at one end of the ground.

    Through Mr Saunders encouragement I played for Holy Trinity, Newham Grange (did the league and cup double) and went onto play for Stockton Cricket Club where I often saw him watching some of those he had previously taught and inspired to get involved with a great game.

    Happy days and memories. 😎

      1. OFB

        Wow that is a name from the past. We played together in the U17s for Stockton and as I said previously we did the double one year and won the league again the second year.

        Albert was our opening bowler and was quick and very competitive. I often came on as first change but was nowhere near as quick. I also opened the batting, not because I was a good opening bat but because no one else fancied it!

        My best score of 29 was against Norton, who also had a feared quick opening bowler by the name of Bren Smith. It was a showery evening at their ground which we managed to win against our main rivals for the title.

        The year we won the cup we beat Normanby Hall at our ground and I managed to dismiss Geoff Cook who eventually went on to play county cricket and for England.

        After the under 17s I played for the third team for a while and then took a season off as I was struggling with hay fever and new medication. By this time I was working and after a year at Lloyds in Billingham moved down to London.

        Please give Albert my regards, hopefully he still remembers me and those wonderful seasons. 😎

        1. KP

          Albert went on to play professionally as a fast bowler for Worcester. You can look him up on wisden.

          He retired early when he was about 27 due to a back injury but still played NYSD for many years for Stockton. Norton and a coupe of other clubs.

          He was fortunate that in those days of professional cricket you also needed a sponsor for the winter months and whilst at Worcester trained as a Quantity Surveyor for one of the board members who owned a construction company.

          Albert and I worked together in 83 to 86 for Brown and Root building modules for Morecambe Bay Gas platform.

          We played football cricket and badminton and he would win everything!

          Sadly lost touch now but I thought one of you guys would know him

          OFB

  572. GHW
    Thanks for that additional information. I’ve obviously also got confused over Yorkshire’s lowest score at Middlesbrough. I knew it was against Hampshire but not having records between 1960 and 1979 I assumed incorrectly that it must have been in 1985. I’m quite surprised that it was 20 years before that and in fact Yorkshire were all out for 23 not 26, but as I say I was writing from memory. No excuse for that information, but the other results are accurate as I recorded them in my cricket annuals at the time. It also seems that Yorkshire’s County Championship results were far better in the period between 1960 and 1979, as after that many of their matches always seemed to be shortened by inclement weather.

  575. Having just read that League Two had agreed to end the season, I was going to make the same point that I doubt the EFL would agree to no relegation if final standings are calculated on a points per game basis (as Ken had indeed suggested all along). It seems the EFL will consider what to decide and the preference for no relegation is in fact just a wish.

    What I’m not sure about is why there is such a rush to conclude matters given that all the scientific evidence suggests next season will also be disrupted due to the Corona virus cases once again increasing and relaxing of measures are probably only temporary. It almost seems like the world of football believes next season will be business as usual – it won’t and as yet I’ve not seen any proposal that address what will happen while Corona virus is still with us.

    It’s estimated that perhaps less than one percent of the population have had the virus and that essentially means it becomes a seasonal (not in the football sense) illness with potentially greater consequences than seasonal flu. While everyone is hoping for a vaccine, we should heed the warnings of virologists who argue that it normally takes five years to ensure a vaccine is safe from long-term side effects.

    While I could imagine the over 70s willing to opt for a corners-cut delivered vaccine, perhaps many under 50 or 60 with no underlying health condition may not want to risk an untested vaccine. Unless there is a 60-70 percent uptake of a future Covid vaccine then the chances are that any country will not see the infamous herd immunity and the virus will not be eradicated. Indeed, many countries probably won’t be able to afford vaccines or some people will be suspicious depending which country ultimately develops it.

    It will be interesting to see what develops in the coming months and whether we get some definitive statements from governments on the likely shape of life dealing with Covid in the coming months and years.

    1. I was about to say something similar Werder. Sweeping this season under the carpet with a “nothing to see here, move along” whistling mentality is only papering over huge cracks in my mind.

      If we don’t finish this season properly then what value or credibility is next season?
      My mindset would be lets see how far this one goes until they throw the towel in and it all means nothing once again. Do we “declare” to use Cricketing parlance in January, December or maybe October or heaven forbid even earlier when the “R” rate goes through the roof come the Flu season? If we start the new season and it has to be indefinitely postponed after a dozen or so games what then? Are teams relegated or promoted on just ten games or less or do we have a winter recess and try and go again in 2021 in which case surely it makes sense to try and finish this one first even as a feasibility experiment?

      There seems to be a desire to just tie up loose ends such as award payments or Players contracts etc. which I understand but with little to no real interest in the integrity of the game itself. Surely “kicking off” by finishing unfinished business is the best test of the new normal?

      1. Yes I agree and while some who follow football may be prepared to accept the current season is a write off, would they bother investing both financially and emotionally if the following two seasons also ended up with some kind of Duckworth-Lewis finale.

        I’ve mentioned this before but given that the Qatar World Cup is due to take place at the end of November 2022, there may be an opportunity for the footballing authorities to reconfigure the football calendar to start the next two seasons at the end of February. It would then buy some time to allow the current season to conclude and maybe run another short tournament if conditions permitted. I think it’s time football realised they have to readjust to the Covid landscape.

  576. Thanks to Ken for the info on Cricket in Middlesbrough- brings back a few memories. Usually of sitting in the freezing cold! I remember one match in June or late May when I am pretty sure it snowed! That would be sometime in the 70s or early 80s when my Dad and I were Living in Hull and we’re Yorkshire members and spent the weekends going to all the grounds.

    Never got to Bramall Lane but saw many a game at Abbeydale in Sheffield including one memorable game where we needed 12 off the last ball to win. Arnie Sidebottom hit a six of what was a no ball and then repeated the shot to win the game!

    Going back to Middlesbrough- I am sure I once saw a rarity there, a Geoff Boycott 6!

    Acklam Park was where the rugby club was also and my Dad used to say that he played the odd game with a young Alan Old.

    Onto football matters, I see that one positive test of a player will see the entire squad going into quarantine- now that will cause chaos if it happens just before a match!

    The PL and EFL should just accept that for the foreseeable future, playing football Is not going to happen.

  578. I’ve already suggested that football takes this opportunity to transition to a summer game, much like Rugby League did. The festive season could hold World Cups and The Euros.

    Meanwhile the various leagues are scrabbling to complete their seasons and secure their finances in order to pay…. ermm, the players.

    1. Of course I may have been dreaming! Seems hard to believe that he did win the MOTM back in 1965!

      There is the joke about the curry restaurant where all the dishes are named after cricketers, so after asking about the Gower and Botham curries and being told that they both are quite hot, the guest asked about the Boycott curry the waiter replies “ o yes, you still get the runs, only slower!“

      Or something like that!

  580. I’m going back to September 1965 at Lord’s and the Gillette Cup Final which in those days were 60 overs a side. I was staying at my wife’s aunty’s in Castleford and started watching the final on TV and becoming increasingly bored as Yorkshire struggled along to 22 from the first 12 overs with Boycott and Ken Taylor playing themselves in as if it was an Ashes Test Match. Suddenly Taylor was out and skipper Brian Close promoted himself in the batting order and after having a word with Boycott obviously to get a move on Close showed him what he expected Boycott to do. In those days Boycott wore spectacles and whether that was hindering him I couldn’t say buy I’d seen enough as it approached 2 o’clock.

    I considered driving to Elland Road to watch Leeds v Forest as I’d been starved of First Division football since my National Service days, but my wife’s family said I’d have a job getting in as Leeds were riding high in the League in those days and actually finished runners-up to Liverpool at the end of the season. It was suggested I should take a ten minute walk down Wheldon Road to watch Castleford play Featherstone in a Yorkshire Rugby League Cup match where the crowd would be about 6,500 and I’d easily get in. So thanks to Geoff Boycott that’s how I got hooked on Rugby League, and Castleford in particular.

    But that’s only part of the story, as when I returned to my wife’s family’s home I was staggered to learn that Boycott had played the innings of a lifetime. He had gone on a blitzkrieg and scored
    146 with 15 fours and 3 towering sixes as Yorkshire finished on 316 for 4. Although Ray Illingworth took 5 for 29 and Freddie Trueman 3-31 as Surrey were bowled out for 142 Boycott was rightfully adjudicated as Man of the Match. I enjoyed watching the highlights later that evening, but I’d also found another sport to watch and club to support. To this day the rear window of my car has always had 4 stickers, Boro’, Cas, Hartlepools and Yorkshire CCC.

  581. Looking through Flash Scores not only has the Bundesliga started today, but also the Faroe Islands Premier League plus pre-season friendly matches in Armenia, Czech Republic and Hungary. The Belarus Vysshaya started on 19th March and most teams have played 9 matches already with of course BATE Barisov leading the table in this 16 club league. Further afield there are still matches taking place in South Korea and Taiwan, but in Australia the 3 matches in the NRL scheduled for today behind closed doors have all been postponed.

    1. Ken
      Someone has jumped the gun with the NRL fixtures. The competition starts on May 28th, the players started training this week.
      Mentioning Wheldon Road brought back childhood memories. When we moved to Yorkshire from Teesside in the early 60’s our next door neighbours were big Featherstone fans and I was a regular at Post Office Road for about 3 years, saw more Rugby league than football. Visited Wheldon Road on a number of occasions.

      1. Yes, I can see that now, but as no mention was made of what should have been a week of Rugby League fixtures in England and France not being postponed I wrongly assumed that the NRL fixtures quoted were the revised fixtures not the original fixtures. For example looking at what should have been today’s fixtures in Super League there is no mention of postponements just a curt announcement that there are no Super League matches being played today.

    1. Classic case of inexperienced Management learning on the Job. Having cash to splash was great and bringing in big names was exciting but the crucial synergy was lacking for them to fully gel into a team. The success was undeniable in terms of the Clubs history but it could and should have been so much more.

  583. Interesting read on Big Sam’s take on Ravel Morrison. Sad to see such talent being wasted, clearly if someone can get inside his head and guide him he just may have a few successful years left on a disappointing career. Many have tried including Fergie who eventually didn’t have the time or patience to deal with him. It sounds like the lad needs a Personal Manager or some sort of Life Coach 24 hours around him.

    https://www.claretandhugh.info/big-sam-admits-we-couldnt-control-ravel/

    1. Redcar Red,

      He seems to need constant watching with some form of help available almost at each shoulder. Is his loan period finished? If Fergie gave up Boro had no chance really.

      Stay safe,

      UTB,

      John

  585. I don’t suppose that he will have cost very much. Maybe they reckoned that risk/reward ratio was probably in our favour on this one. A couple of winning games would be worth it.

    Incidentally, talking about League 2, the ‘no relegation’ may be less of an issue because they have to spare slot to replace Bury.

    Has anyone been watching the Bundesliga return to play. I find myself quite uncertain whether it’s good or bad. I’d be curious to know how it’s being treated in Germany. I also note their pragmatism in saying that the country is now open. If somebody tests positive we’ll just carry on. It feels as if it could work in a Germany but would be a catastrophe in the UK where nothing looks to be under control.

    Here in Australia it’s really calm. Single figure new cases in each state and a gradual opening up. It’s a strange balance for us older people between between wanting to get back to normal and wanting to stay safe. With so few recorded cases out of so many tested, how should we approach the next year.

    Keep safe everyone.

  586. Nigel

    Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness in letting me know of the sad passing of your Uncle Ken.

    Kenny Reeve was one of my greatest friends when I was growing up. Between the ages of 9 – 16 I must have played literally thousands of games of football and cricket with Kenny and his younger brother Teddy – in the street, in the Reeves’ back yard, in the local parks, and eventually in organised games on Clairville Common, Hustlers,Stewarts Park and anywhere else where games were organised.

    I remember your saying that Kenny used to talk about his sporting prowess, and I can assure you that he wasn’t exaggerating. He was some player at both football and cricket. He was an outstanding two-footed midfielder with a deadly shot, whilst at cricket he not only opened both the batting and bowling, but was also one of the best fielders I ever encountered.

    When I left the Boro to go to university, we rather lost track of each other, mainly because he was not really one of my contemporaries, but a couple of years older, and it must be over 60 years ago since I last saw him. But the whole Reeve family made a great impression on me in my most formative years with their friendship, hospitality, humour, kindness and obsession with sport. It was a great moment for me on this blog when I discovered that you were a younger scion of that wonderful clan.

    I went on to play both football and cricket well into my 60s, and any skills that I may have had were the product, not of any coaching, but of the hundreds of hours of playing Test Matches and football internationals as a kid in the Reeve’s back yard. I’d like to think that I played both games to a reasonable level, but Kenny was better than I was at both.

    I know nothing of Kenny’s adult life. His girlfriend, Carol, was a nurse and one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. I always assumed, on the basis of no evidence, that they got married.

    It’s a source of great regret that I was never able to get together with Kenny in our later years., since we shared so many common memories. I even have my own copy of that old cup-winning photograph that you mentioned.

    So I was immeasurably saddened by your news, and grateful to you for your kindness in keeping me informed.

    Please pass on my sincere condolences to Kenny’s family. He was a great person and an outstanding sportsman.

    1. Len, lovely to hear your reply. Uncle Ken didn’t marry Carol, he married Jean who sadly died some years ago. He has a daughter Julie who i’m in touch with. He was a great character and a lovely man who we all miss.
      I hope you and your family are all well in these somewhat strange times.

  588. Just a few thoughts from me regarding sport especially football and rugby league. I’ve just read German football expert Constantin Eckner’s report of the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach played behind closed doors. It is a phenomenon we’re not used to in Britain. It is usually a form of punishment meted out to the home club for racist behaviour, etcetera by supporters in a previous match. From historical reports I’m aware that it happened to Middlesbrough FC not as a punishment, but because of a smallpox epidemic in the town in 1898 which accounted for the death of close on100 peopler resulted in the Semifinal of the FA Amateur Cup tie against Thorny FC being moved from Darlington to Brotton not only behind closed doors but the venue not being being publicised. Of course that couldn’t happen today with social media rampant, but there are probably other instances of matches being moved due to similar circumstances that I’m not aware of.

    My point though is that playing behind closed doors doesn’t seem to me to be a fair way of deciding a sporting event, especially football or rugby league, as the odds weigh heavily in favour of the away team. For a start there is no vocal support for the home team, especially if they go behind as happened to Frankfurt over the weekend. One might conclude it’s the same for both sides, but I disagree. Sporting events need the interaction between opposing fans or it becomes sterile, and I would much prefer that we don’t play any matches behind closed doors, but wait until it is 100% safe to allow spectators entry no matter how long that may take.

    I’ve also been reading Antony Vickers take on matches that define Boro’s heritage and agree wholeheartedly with his opinion that Boro’s first FA Amateur Cup win was a defining moment in Boro’s history. Personally though I’m not so sure that the FA Cup Final was. I realise that if Boro had won it couldn’t be erased from the records, but the whole day felt anticlimactic to me as Boro had been relegated. I’m probably one of a few that had those thoughts, but Boro were on the verge of becoming a real force in English football had they survived relegation, and all mainly due to to refusing to play that match at Blackburn without a text message confirming they had permission to do so. I know in hindsight that a defeat at Blackburn instead of the draw that Boro earned in the final week of the season would still have saved Boro.

    Anthony Vickers has highlighted 5 defining moments in Boro’s past with another 20 to follow which I look forward to in anticipation, but I would suggest one of my own. That would be Boro renegating on the amalgamation with Ironopolis leaving the latter to go it alone and financially ruining the Nops. Boro were given the name of the scabs at that time, but it is clear as daylight that a town the size of Middlesbrough couldn’t support 2 professional clubs. After all Newcastle saw the light as East End merged with West End to form United, and if Boro had gone down that route Middlesbrough United could have been more formidable.

    On the subject of United that to me is what the EFL should be. The Premier League formed a separate identity when it left the Football League, but the other 72 clubs are a League and I can’t understand how the 3 Divisions can make separate decisions as to whether to void the present season or play on when it’s safe to do so. It seems that different clubs have different opinions of what should happen. Surely as a collective title as a League means that it should be a collective decision of the existing 71 clubs to make such decisions, not individual Leagues to make them. Of course it all comes down to finance but it is paramount in my opinion that decisions should be made unilaterally, or am I confusing the word ‘League’ with that of ‘Union’?

    In the meantime keep safe everyone, and ‘Up the Boro’ or could that have been ‘Up United’?

  589. Does anyone remember Arthur Fawcett who played cricket for Redcar in the 1950s? He later became the professional at Blackhall. He was a fast bowler, one of the fastest I’d ever seen until I saw Frank Tyson. I used to work inside the scorebox at Redcar CC moving the rotating tumblers when runs were scored or wickets taken for a shilling and a free salad tea. One particular time a full Yorkshire team including Len Hutton and a young Fred Trueman were playing a Redcar and District XI including Arthur Fawcett and Frank Tyson who at the time was playing for a club in County Durham as he was a student at Durham University. Anyone who knows the layout of Coatham Road where Redcar CC play will be aware that the Lobster Inn overlooks the smallish ground. Upstairs there used to be a snooker table and as Yorkshire were battling Trueman was playing snooker and obviously keeping an eye on the cricket field in case he was required to pad up, when he noticed Tyson starting his run up from the sightsceen. I don’t know what his reaction was at the time, but he was soon to find out how fast Tyson was when both were selected for the Ashes tour to Australia a year or so later as by then ‘Typhoon’ Tyson was playing for Northamptonshire. He not only made Arthur Fawcett look like a medium paced bowler, but Trueman no faster than fast-medium.

    Incidentally when Redcar FC beat both Sunderland and Boro in the FA Cup in 1886, Coatham Road was the venue.

  590. Things are warming up in Scotland today as the Scottish Premiership is now ended with Celtic having just been declared Champions and Hearts relegated with the Edinburgh Club already (quite rightly in my opinion) threatening legal action.

    At least the decks are cleared with no backlog and free to start the 20/21 season in erm, well, maybe, quite possibly, but perhaps not, in Augtember?

  591. Aren’t we still unbeaten since 2nd March 2020. And our run could carry on until the start of the season, mind.

    I miss football, watced the Bundesliga on TV on Saturday. Not the same without spectators nor Boro.

    Up the Boro!

    2. An ‘h’ was dropped. Naturally I watched the Bundesliga 😉.

      It would be nice to be able to correct typos on WordPress. Or what do you think, Powmill?

      Up the Boro!

  592. I’m assuming ( reading between the lines) that Nigel Clough is leaving because the club can’t afford him. I expect this will be the same for a lot of players whose contracts are expiring this summer, particularly at MFC.

    Should be quite a few free transfers available and wage demands will have to be realistic. Perhaps the EFL can use the current crisis to try and get some financial stability back for clubs.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52706900

    1. I think its the Clubs themselves rather than the EFL who need to use this crisis as a wake up call. That said the EFL and other authorities watched Football sleepwalk into the financially perilous state with scant regard.

  593. I’ve just been watching Eggheads and one question was “Which modern day country made its one and only appearance at the 1938 World Cup Finals under a different name when it was an independent colony? “ I must admit that I didn’t know the answer, but I will accept the modern day name of the country.

    1. Good question Ken. I have absolutely no idea of what country that might be and wont even hazard a guess. So I’m off to google it….

      1. I suppose the words ‘former colony’ might have been a subtle clue, but like many others I first thought of British former colonies such as India (Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of India in 1938), Eire or Irish Free State could have been logical although we all know that Jack Charlton’s Republic of Ireland qualified in 1994, how about Zimbabwe or Zambia, no don’t think so, maybe Hong Kong, Cyprus, Malta or Gibraltar (no they’ve never changed their name and the latter have only been accepted into EUFA recently) so quickly discarded British former colonies. What able French colonies such as Algeria and Morocco, but can’t recall them being called anything else and I’m sure both have qualified since the Second World War. Portuguese former colonies such as Angola and Mozambique sounded likely candidates, but they too have always been called thus. In the end I decided it must be the Belgian Congo, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Wrong again! I was determined not to consult Wikipedia as my knowledge of geographical locations is fairly good, but in the end had to check it out from my collection of football annuals. It surprised me as I’m fairly sure it will surprise most folk, but I’ll reveal the answer later today.

      2. Have to admit it had me stumped and I had to resort to a google search and even then would never have guessed it had I sat here for twenty years!

  594. I feel silly making this suggestion, but as everything that can go wrong with organised football at the professional level has gone wrong. The list is so long that I will not attempt to set it out, but you all know it includes safety, health, life and death, time, money, and many more.
    So I would say, in a very loud voice. For God’s sake, let us call it a day. Two thirds of the season have been played in good faith. The places occupied at this moment are what they are. The season is over. Let it be.
    This will free all in football to resume position normal, i.e. Close season, relax, wind down, get ready for a new season, and the same for the fans.

    1. Nit silly at all – totally agree with the sentiment.

      There are more important things than football right now but as in many things these days the money talks louder sadly.

    2. We are in a close season already its just with Football paused. Until its safe there should be no more matches played. It really doesn’t matter when it restarts. There is no need to conclude the season as we are not going anywhere anytime soon or at least we shouldn’t be.

      In Scotland Hearts are already starting legal action over their “relegation”. The likelihood is that the “new” season will have to be played under “new normal” conditions which to me is pretty pointless, empty stadiums, no passion, no atmosphere and no income from supporters. Empty stadiums might be great for Premiership clubs with their colossal TV money but for the rest of Football its a financial disaster.

      As unpleasant a thought as it is we may just have to accept that this virus will be around for a very long time and with death rates that will eclipse even that of Cancer in the UK at around 450 a day in the UK I believe (which is less than Dementia and up there with Heart attacks and Diabetes). Large social gatherings such as matches and concerts will have to remain banned until a vaccine is found and we might just have to accept 600 or so deaths a day as we continue living in a socially distanced cocooned world. Financial pressures on Governments are now forcing them to ease lockdowns and try and get Countries back to work for growing commercial reasons rather than humanitarian ones.

      When safe, whenever that may be, I would rather re-start Football with an exciting all to play for ten or nine game mini season to conclude business whilst also ironing out likely unthought of problems than simply start afresh and like as not be unable to complete forty odd games yet again.

      This puts the reality (or the futility) into perspective:

      https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52726278

      The danger is that by concluding the season early with false positions it could become open season in the future for Clubs starting to manipulate fixtures or even the entire season end by claiming widespread outbreaks of whatever is doing the rounds. Imagine just a few games left to play, battling for safety and with key players out “injured”, a “bug or virus” could be very useful indeed and in a more sympathetic environment might just work this time.

      The season should remain paused until we know when Football can recommence safely. For me it doesn’t matter when this season is concluded even if its in 18 or 24 months time, its not as if we are going somewhere important any time soon. With the second spike waiting just around the corner any new season will more than likely run into the same problem very quickly. Patience results in fewer patients.

  595. To avoid too much contact and to maintain social distancing they should play out the remaining matches the way we used to on Saturday nights – with Subbuteo – [cardboard players not the new fangled plastic ones.]

  596. I think the return of football is primarily been driven by the need of clubs to secure their TV money so that they can pay the ever-more ridiculous wages that they’ve ended up giving to their players. A couple of weeks ago I was looking into the wages of Premier League footballers after reading an article that the average squad member’s wage now exceeded £3m and how at the time they were asking players to take a pay cut during the Corona virus. Anyway, here’s what I started writing…

    The world of football is attempting to do its bit to exhibit self-discipline, with the Premier League leading the way in trying to flatten the curve of ever-increasing earnings during a period of uncertain income by advocating that payers take a 30 percent pay cut. However, this proposal has been met with anger by many players, who believe they’re being made scapegoats and shouldn’t need to ‘suffer’ such a loss. Indeed, the PFA Chief Executive, Gordon Taylor, was quick to jump on the ‘doing their bit’ bandwagon by issuing a statement that such a gesture could damage the NHS as the subsequent £500m reduction in wages being proposed would over 12 months mean the Government would receive £200m less in tax from his members. This perverse logic was, as someone pointed out, an argument for doubling players wages in order to provide more cash for the NHS.

    A 2019 study by the Global Sports Salary Survey showed that the average annual earnings for Premier League first team squad members now exceeded £3m and for the top clubs was more than double that with Manchester City players earning just under £7m a year on average.

    Interestingly, if you place these figures in the context of UK Government statistics on earnings, it shows the top one percent are usually classed as earning over £175,000 per annum, which is actually less than three-weeks wages for the average Premier League footballer.

    Indeed, according to 2015 data, only the top 0.1 percent earn above £350,000, which equates to around 40,000 individuals – so given the average PL footballer is earning more than eight times that amount, even after a 30 percent pay cut they would remain some of the wealthiest individuals in the country. A fact that perhaps they should consider in comparison to half the population who earn less than £23,500 a year with many of those having seen their incomes completely disappear during the Corona crisis. That means the average PL footballer will earn in less than three days what half of the UK population need a year to achieve – which probably includes a fair share of essential workers.

    So a very rich footballer earning 30 percent less, is still a very rich footballer – they maybe should reflect that this is purely an anomaly fuelled by the huge sums paid by subscription TV companies, who no longer have a product to sell in order to generate the cash. They as footballers generate no tangible wealth as the product is simply the screening of a service and to a lesser extent the paying public who can no longer turn up at their state of the art stadiums and the advertisers and sponsors, who have lost their exposure.

    Perhaps we’ve become so used to this inflationary wage market that we now readily accept that footballers need to be rewarded with these mega-contracts. The reality is that ultimately it’s everyone who pays these wages through their satellite subscriptions, high ticket prices and the passed-on price of all the advertising associated with the sponsorship deals and the many ad-breaks during a football game.

    So this is why the PL want to return asap and it’s because of the need to service these massive contracts and retain their assets values. Top-level Football is now a business driven by money and the sporting contest is more the side-show. Ironically, it’s many of these highly paid footballers who are both reluctant to return to playing and equally reluctant to accept a pay cut to prevent the need to return to playing sooner than is possibly safe to do so. It’s almost a cake and eat it scenario – albeit a very big slice of a gigantic gateau with huge cherry on top!

  597. Deep into the lockdown I was struggling to find stuff to watch. Recently ( I think it was Sir Len) I saw a recommendation for “ The Last Dance” on Netflix.

    Not being a fan of basketball I didn’t really find it very appealing, but thought I’d give it a go. I have to say I’ve become hooked. It should be mandatory viewing for all sportsmen involved in team games. JW should sit his players down every afternoon and watch an episode of this show.

    Great stuff!

    1. Netflix have produced some very entertaining Tragicomedy programmes over the last year or so so it would be interesting to see their take on it and who would get the lead roles!

  599. Nigel
    Thanks for your good wishes. Please pass on my condolences to Julie.

    Werder
    Great post, as ever

    GHW
    Last Dance was Andy’s excellent suggestion. Agree it was addictive, though the constantly changing timeline made the narrative harder to follow than it should have been. Player power ruled far more than it does even with our highest paid premier league stars. The idea that a player could ignore his coach’s instructions, go off on a 3-day partying and drinking binge in Vegas, come back home the day before a vital game and walk straight back into the team without any sanctions or even a slapped wrist was simply mind- boggling.

    1. I thought the coach sanctioned the break, but if it results in a win then who could say it wasn’t worth it.

      I think one of the best aspects of these retrospective shows, is you get the real stories today, from long ago, straight from the horses mouth.

      1. Perhaps the dealing of Rodman was very good management. There was no suggestion in the documentary that his teammates resented him for it, and every suggestion that the player himself needed it. It certainly worked out well. Perhaps the bravest managerial decision in that scenario was to allow it pass.

        Treating everybody fairly is an essential tool of management. Treating everybody the same often doesn’t work.

        Fascinating stuff through the series.

  600. Still think the best anti-covid tonic is The Captain’s Tale, the true story of how West Auckland FC won the World Cup.

    Available on your TV via Youtube

  601. Well what a beautiful day today has been. I must say I can’t get too excited about watching any sport past or present at the moment, maybe in 6 months time I’ll think differently if I survive. I’ve had several phone calls from the NHS and they say as I’m most vulnerable someone will phone me twice a week to see how I’m coping. Very kind of them, but as far as coronavirus is concerned I’m coping okay.
    However my prostate speclfic antigen (PSA) level is on the rise again so if this is to be my last year on Earth I’ve decided to spend as much time in my garden as possible, having dinner outside when it’s warm enough whilst listening to some of my favourite classical music pieces on YouTube. In the past month I’ve covered some of Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Chopin,JohannStrauss. even Wagner, music I mainly listen to when I’m tackling the ironing as I don’t seem to have the time when there’s sport on television.
    This morning I even spent an hour or so pruning in the garden but found it difficult as I couldn’t cope very well without the use of my walking stick. I can manage light housework such as dusting, but not vacuuming though thankfully my cleaner came yesterday for 2 hours to do some spring cleaning. We both wore face masks and I sat in the garden whilst she cleaned downstairs. If only I could get a haircut; I can cut my fringe, but had to give up cutting the hair over my ears in case I did a Van Gogh.
    I did start writing on Casforum above the history of Castleford Tigers last year, and have so far reviewed the seasons from 1926 to 2006, so that keeps me away from the television as I tend to fall asleep when doing that, but that what’s cancer does to you sometimes, makes you tired and lethargic. However I’m doing okay though my consultant states he’ll need to find an alternative treatment to prolong my life. We’ll wait and see, it is what it is. I’m fairly philosophical, can’t look too far ahead, but as I say I’m fine at the moment so must make every day count. Like everyone else, stay safe from this coronavirus because it doesn’t only affect the weak and the aged but all of us.

    Now as promised the answer to the World Cup puzzle. It’s the Dutch East Indies, now of course Indonesia.

  602. I’m pleased Anthony Vickers has included the prewar positions of seasons 1936/37 and 1937/38 as 2 of his 25 defining years in Boro’s history. To recapitulate this is how the Boro were situated at that time:-

    26th March 1937 League Table
    1. Arsenal Played 35, Points 45, Finished 3rd 52 Points
    2. Charlton Played 35, Points 43, Finished 2nd 54 Points
    3. BORO Played 35, Points 42, Finished 7th 46 Points
    4. Man.City Played 33, Points 41, Finished 1st 61 Points
    5. Brentford Played 34, Points 41, Finished 6th 46 Points
    6. Portsmouth Played 35, Points 41, Finished 9th 44 Points
    As can be seen Man.City finished with a flourish, whilst Boro gained only 4 more points from their last 7 matches, Portsmouth even fewer.

    2nd April 1938 League Table
    1. Arsenal Played 35, Points 43, Finished 1st 52 Points
    2. Wolves Played 34, Points 42, Finished 2nd 51 Points
    3. BORO Played 35, Points 42, Finished 5th 46 Points
    4. Preston Played 35, Points 40, Finished 3rd 49 Points
    5. Brentford Played 36, Points 40, Finished 6th 45 Points
    6. Charlton Played 33, Points 39, Finished 4th 46 Points
    Once again Boro capitulated gaining only 4 more points from their last 7 matches, and the only win being a 4-1 at home to West Brom in their final match.

    No wonder Boro fans blamed Herr Hitler for not winning the League in the following season, although to be honest they only gained 1 point from their 3 matches and were 2nd from bottom in the League when the season was declared null and void.

  605. I’ve always wished to have some idea of the number of people with the virus but not yet showing symptoms or having minor symptoms so that I could have a feel of the risk of catching it when I’m shopping etc.
    I noticed that the coronavirus tests, as part of the Premiership resuming, produced 6 positive tests out of almost 800. Just under 1%.
    These footballers etc are young and fit and so presumably would not be a big risk of getting the virus compared to older people particularly with underlying health issues.

    Can we use theses results to estimate the number of people wandering about with the virus and not being aware of it and so being a risk to us ?
    If the same percentage applied to the rest of the Country , then with a population of around 68 million, less 3 million already tested/ recovered etc then there could be almost 500,000 people currently with the virus and, as yet, not being aware of it. If these people were spread evenly over the country ( yes , I know it’s not, but for this purpose I’ll go with it) then in a town the size of Huddersfield, not too dissimilar to Middlesbrough, the number with the virus would be around 1000. This can be a scary number but if our exposure to others is at the supermarkets and when we are out and about, say a maximum of 100,
    then the number would be as few as 1. This sounds not too bad.
    But perhaps it will be more as this group of people I’ve used to do a forecast are possibly less likely to catch the virus.

    Is this too simplistic?
    Am I missing the obvious?

  606. GHW

    I saw the decision that, should the season not be able to be played out, they will calculate the final places on unweighted points per game. There is also an article on Teesside Live where this is seen as an advantage for MFC given their current standing. However, nobody seems to have considered what to do with the results of additional games that are completed before the season is stopped again. Will they count. For example, if Boro lose their next game and Charlton win and the other two clubs levels with us don’t lose this first game, we will then be in a relegation position. What happens then if the re is a coronavirus he season is stopped. Are we then in a relegation position. This could make each game sudden death.

    Anyone know the answer?

    UTB

  607. selwynoz
    That’s a good point, but if the season restarts and a second wave of coronavirus returns before Leagues are completed I would imagine the points per match ratio would have to be considered on the basis of the League tables at that time. However the alternative system would be to declare all the Leagues null and void with no promotions or relegations. In the meantime I’ve not read anywhere which League Bury will be allowed to enter for next season. As I recall Darlington FC had to change its name to Darlington 1883 and were relegated 4 Leagues in the pyramid system. I assume Bury would have to do that also, or reform as both Accrington Stanley and Aldershot did.

    1. I agree that they would use the points per game whenever they are forced to stop the league. Thus, If something goes wrong, the whole league could be changed by a couple of games and the first few games will be very significant.

      Don’t know about Bury but have seen a suggestion that it will affect relegation as they need one less club to go down.

    1. Of course its just paper talk KP. Boro signing a washed up Player with talent to spare once who wasted it believing in his own hype and on ridiculous wages? No chance of that happening at the Riverside is there?

      Seriously though I doubt Championship Clubs in general will be taking any “gambles” in the near future. The last thing we need is another micro talent taking up 25% or more of the first team wage bill on a four year contract. Never stood out often enough or impressed me to even give him a second thought. He would just be a very expensive and lavish Marvin Johnson.

      1. RR
        The true horror is that it is entirely likely.
        As at all very badly managed clubs, it comes down to trading in players, good or bad?
        Our gradual slide down the football snake (carefully avoiding all ladders) is due entirely to a complete and absolute talent desert, which in turn is due to a naïve fear of any member of staff who shows any sign that he might know what he is doing.
        We get a manager who rocked the boat (an absolute necessity at this club) he had to go (the players were upset)
        He had made a lot of money for the club, but to be fair it did make for a pleasant couple of seasons as the wasters who got rid of him idled their way to another relegation. (which will surely happen if the matches are played)
        This threat is real, because he bears all the hallmarks of disaster, and let me enumerate them.
        He was a great prospect at a big club.
        He left the spotlight and the big time.
        The smalltime club and city could do nothing with him.
        He was picked, and played badly.
        He was not picked and accepted it, and still showed nothing.
        For a long time.!
        We have a manager who is performing as above.
        Time to show him that we believe he has what is required(no, me neither!)
        so that means making a statement, which can be, fire him, or waste good money on boosting his ego.
        Be afraid, very afraid.

  609. I posted a blog at 9 pm last night but all I see is ‘ awaiting moderation’.Have things changed cos it didn’t ask me to enter my email address etc. It seems to have switched to WordPress.com.account. Don’t understand.

    1. Sorry Philip I missed your post being held for approval as I’m busy making a push to finish off a project. Not sure why your posts were held for approval as your email address was the same as normal – though I noticed your IP address was different so it may be the reason.

  610. When or indeed if the fixtures restart Club form is likely to go out of the window due to the long break and inactivity. There will also be the matter of appetite with some players realising that their contracts are expiring and facing a very uncertain future. Then there will be some not wanting or even refusing to play. Fitness issues and general rustiness plus full squads to select from will all muddy the previous form-book waters.

    I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of the top teams implode or indeed one of the strugglers go off on a winning streak pulling clear. With the likelihood that the games could be cancelled again even after only one or two being played makes every game as Selwyn points out above a do or die (literally maybe as Len has highlighted) affair if it goes down to average points per game.

    Coming back under par and losing one or two on the trot could place incredible pressure on squads and Managers knowing that their fate could be pulled from under them at a Covid induced whim. Conversely, get off to a good start and see their Average points boosted and who knows!

  611. Selwyn oz is correct
    I cannot beleive that MFC want the season to be played out when points average is the obvious answer to an unfinished season.
    Finish now an maintain our champ status.
    We could play one game and loose, some players from CHARLTON test positive, season over and Boro relegated.
    Is SG thinking straight???

  612. I see everyone is still thinking positive about MFC and as far as the Ibe report is concerned, the headline is misleading (deliberately) as no where in the article does it say Middlesbrough are offering 15m and 40k per week, it is what Bournemouth paid for him and his wages there, a bit like Ben Gibson story.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Apart from being skint I don’t think anyone on here remotely believes that Boro are prepared to fork out serious cash for Ibe. The concern is that he has under performed and under achieved in his career to date and is a luxury we can ill afford or want.

      No Championship club or Premiership club come to that would offer anything remotely near the amount the article talks about. The Lads level is around £3.5M and £10K a week maximum and at that I still wouldn’t touch him with a barge pole.

  613. Thanks Werdermouth. I’ll have another go.
    I noticed that the Government say that approximately 0.25 % of the population have the virus. This equates to around 170,000.
    However I’ve also read that the screening of almost 800 Premiership players and other associated people identified 6 of them with the virus. I would have thought 800 to be a sufficient sample from which to draw conclusions
    This screening is 0.75% and so three times more than the Government figure . This would mean that around 500,000 would have the virus – a significant difference.
    The Premiership players and others tested are young and fit and so perhaps less likely to be carrying the virus than say older people particularly those with underlying medical problems.
    So which estimate is more likely to be more reliable?
    For what it’s worth the above figures would indicate that , in a town the size of Huddersfield, (or Middlesbrough) there are between say 400 and 1200 people with the virus – a scary number which reinforces the need to reduce our exposure to others and keep to social distancing.
    Philip of Huddersfield

    1. Around four to five hundred people in the UK die every day from Cancer. Even more die from Alzheimer/Dementia related illness or Heart disease or Diabetes. If those figures were announced daily at a 5.00 pm mortality rate sensationalised news bulletin every night we would be seeing figures as bad or as it stands now even worse than the Coronavirus from those ailments. Deaths are an inevitable part of life, its the one solitary thing we can be sure of. As a species we are susceptible to germs, infections and diseases, we always have been and we always will.

      If we can avoid deaths then of course we should do what we can but we can’t cure Cancer or Dementia etc. yet we still have to live our lives as best we can with it lurking. Covid-19 will just be added to the above list of those dreadful diseases that sadly claims victims every hour of every day. On a positive note unlike Cancer we probably will as a species in time develop an immunity to it. Meanwhile far more people have survived Covid -19 than have been taken by it. Aids was going to be the scourge of the planet in the eighties and yet now it can be treated with medication and is no longer the death sentence it once was.

      At some point we need to get on with our lives. Politicians and the media need to stop thinking they can deliver doom and gloom for months into our living rooms and then suddenly on a whim tell us with little to no real understanding that the Kids are going back to school and we shouldn’t be worried that much after all. That said at some point society does need to resume because as things stand it is unsustainable both financially and psychologically. There will never be a perfect time just a “manageable” time.

      What I would like to hear from the Scientists in all this is how many deaths are being recorded for those other main diseases daily and have they increased or decreased or remained constant during this pandemic and how does Covid-19 compare just to get some perspective?

      2. Yet again the voice of reason from RR – we are coming to the conclusion that yes, we need to manage the risks and that large gatherings might not be a good idea but we need to get back to the new normal.

        Whilst every death is in its way a tragedy, they do happen all the time and often too soon. Both my parents died in their 60s of cancer, far too soon.

      4. RR
        I would think that cancer is running riot.
        The one problem that requires instant action.
        It was stopped instantly at one moments notice, all appointments zapped.
        At this moment they are frantically starting appointments.
        Too late if you are unlucky.
        You may have died if you caught the virus.
        You will have died if you caught cancer.
        Figure it out.

  614. Philip, the other way to look at it is out of the 800 tested 99.25% did not have the virus. Until the whole population is tested anyone can guess at figures to suit their argument because you could test another 800 people and get a completely different set of percentages.

    It is thought that a number (whether large or small to suit a person’s argument) of people have had the virus but had little or no symptoms at all and now have antibodies to have little or no risk of a second infection.

    When do people think we should take the first tentative steps out of lockdown, when no one in the UK has the infection, a couple of years when and if a vaccine is developed, SARS of 2004 no human vaccine produced although some have been tested on animals and 16 years later they are close to testing humans.

    Covid 19 is not the most lethal virus, Spanish Flu killed between 40-70 million worldwide, every year influenza claims an average of 20,000 deaths in England alone (over 28,000 in 2014/15). I am not playing down Covid 19 but at the same time I think we have to start taking those first steps and I am willing to trust the Government and scientists to lead the way, as they themselves are learning new information about the disease every day.

    Come on BORO.

  615. Thanks Exmil , I agree you can always look at figures from different angles and saying 99.25% haven’t got the virus sounds quite reassuring. The question is, how many tests do you need to do to have confidence in the results ? I seem to remember , from my studies 40 plus years ago, something about standard deviation , it’s not as many as one would think.
    Going on your feelings of risk, if we limit ourselves to exposure to say 100 people when out shopping etc ( quite a lot?) then we will only come into contact with as little as 1 person with the virus. Sounds a lot less scary!!
    Like you, I’m happy to be led by the scientists who are more likely to err on the side of caution, more so, than by the Government but I have to accept that it is the Government that has to make the decisions. The bottom line is we need to follow the advice and use common sense relative to our personal circumstances particularly relating to age and existing health problems.
    Back to sport, I’ve been watching quite a lot on u tube, including last night, of Boro’s 2004/5 season and was pleasantly reminded of the talented players- Viduka, Hasselbaink,Downing,Southgate,Ehioge,
    Quedrue,etc. Even Nemeth, Job,Doriva,
    Parlour and one or two others looked superior to any of the current players.

    Philip of Huddersfield

  617. It’s been suggested that Premier League players risk a 25% increase in injuries if the current season resumes involving players having to play midweek matches every week to complete the season. For God’s sake it used to be a regular occurrence in the good old days at the beginning of each season, then 3 games at Christmas in 4 days and another 3 games in 4 days at Easter when proper tackling was allowed and the game was a man’s game. Also Premier League clubs have much larger squads today to lighten the load and 7 substitutes on the bench. Football is no longer a contract sport, neither is it the working man’s sport.

    On another tack, is it experts or doctors who come up with these weird notions? For example in my condition I shouldn’t be drinking any alcohol including red wine, which a few years was good for you in moderate quantities. Citrus fruits are harmful to your teeth because of their sugar content, but are essential for your health because of their vitamin C content. l’m advised not to eat or drink dairy products, yet ‘drink a pinta milk a day’ was a popular slogan in the 60s and indeed in the 40s and 50s every schoolchild was given a small bottle free at break time. Bananas give you energy, but no don’t eat them now they’re too starchy. Now when I was first diagnosed with prostate cancer, tomatoes especially fried were a fruit to help cancer not spreading quickly, but now some other quack states avoid them at all costs if you suffer from arthritis. Well I have both cancer and arthritis, should I just flip a coin? I was also advised to have radiotherapy, it ain’t necessary in my opinion. I’m on hormone injections and hormone drugs, and I’m still here to tell the tale 10 years later. Maybe I’ve been lucky as I was able to make that decision as it didn’t affect anybody else, but even if I die this year I reckon my decision has been vindicated as I’ve travelled far and wide visiting over 25 new countries I’d never seen before. Yes at first I felt guilty, but family and friends encouraged me saying that Enid wouldn’t want me not to enjoy life any more, and they were right, I miss her, but life goes on.

    Coronavirus restrictions state that at my age I should stay at home for the next 12 weeks, well 10 more to go, but in my phone call from someone from the NHS he admits that I’m as safe from catching the virus in my car as in my home. The trouble of course is I could be involved in a road accident, but that could happen to anyone anywhere .When I turned 65 I was advised to have flu injections every winter. My late father-in-law used to have them, and they made him ill. Enid and I have always refused them, and neither of us had ever had even a heavy cold never mind flu in our lives. We‘ve become a nanny state, but also given conflicting doe’s and don‘ts.

    Maybe I should stay in bed all day and eat nothing till rigor-mortis sets in. No way! I’m used to a degree of self isolation as I’ve practiced it for the last 11 years. It’s good to talk and I don’t consider myself mentally ill as I talk to Enid every day. I admit it’s a one way conversation, but one has to adapt. It is what it is, I’m maybe alone, but I’m never lonely. Yes I do like company, and used to have plenty of that before this pandemic, but must admit at my time of life I don’t like being told what to do, what to eat, or what drink. I’ll be doing my fortnightly shopping today fully masked, but adhering to the two metre distancing guidelines. Does that make me foolish or intrepid? I don’t really care what people think, so there.

    2. Ken – agree – my late FIL Apparently used to say That a little bit of what you fancy does you good and everything in moderation!

      Don’t always believe what the experts say – they can’t always see Barnard Castke from the river!

  619. Ken
    I wholeheartedly agree with your approach. I guess I am lucky, so far, in enjoying good health into my seventies but I hold a view, probably ridiculous, that once you get into the clutches of the NHS, they will rule your life with their does and don’ts. I will steer clear of them for as long as possible and enjoy life on my terms.
    I subscribe to the view that you only leave this life when your time’s up.

  620. Any statisticians out there in DiasBoro Land?

    I’m struggling to understand how a a poll of 1,160 people ( not all of them replying to it) can come up with a percentage of the population (65M people) that accurately reflects what everyone’s view is on any particular subject.

    1. GHW,

      It mystifies me too. The media treat these polls as if they’ve been carried down the mount and the ‘facts’ are carved in stone. The good lay and I have stopped watching the news, if there’s a danger of it happening I open a bottle of white wine, perfectly chilled of course, and we retire outside with a glass. And then we chill too.

      Stay safe and UTB,

      John

      4. OFB & GHW,

        I couldn’t possibly comment, but that spelling mistake must have made you smile! On all that other news I always thought Stan Cummins was quite a good player, never saw him in the midfield of politics though.

        Stay safe and UTB,

        John

        1. Stan was the finest young football player I ever refereed from the age of 14 to when he signed professional terms for the Boro

          Very good technically and Big Jack said he would be the first 1m footballer

          Unfortunately he just never grew !

          OFB

  621. About football next. Just for a change!

    My team trained in small groups here in Finland yesterday. And eventhough the COVID-19 came to Finland a couple of weeks later than in the UK, we are allowed to start training in full contact next week.

    So it feels nice to play with friends normally again on Monday.

    The lock-down was effective over here and evrybody is happy with the action our five party goverment did here. And people followed the instructions very well.

    Mind, Finland is larger than England and Scotland combined but only as many people as in Scotland. So we are naturally good at social distancing. So one cannot compare different countries to others.

    So we already see light at the end of the tunnel. In July we start the new football season. First just 500 spectators in a match, but I am sure we can have more in August.

    Been watching a few Bundesliga matches. The atmosphere is strange without the fans so it does feel like a practise match. The tempo is not the same as the atmosphere is missing and players react differently.

    But what can they do? I wish they would generate some noise artificially – now you can hear all the noises a hit makes to the ball or the coach screeming at the players.

    Keep fit, all. And I enjoy reading what Ken is doing daily. Keep them coming.

    Up the Boro!

  622. Apparently the Hertha Berlin players flouted the German Government’s regulations by cuddling each other when scoring against Hoffenheim. In today’s world celebrations have become accepted in all sports with some outrageous novel and quite unique celebrations. I’m not against that, but question if those sort of celebrations are necessary if matches are played behind closed doors. Back in the 50s (sorry to be harping back to the good old days), celebrations were more muted. However I remember Boro playing a friendly match against a club from the USSR, possibly during the Festival of Britain celebrations in the summer of 1951, when the Soviet team scored against Boro and showed no emotion whatsoever, just walking back to the centre circle, and I found that weird and surreal. But if matches in England are have to be played behind closed doors, would today’s generation of footballers have that sort of controlled discipline to emulate that shown by the Soviets 70 years ago, or was it something inbred in Soviet culture in those days?

    1. Ken, it was the same with the Soviet ice hockey teams, too. They (and Canada) were the leading countries in ice hockey for decades.

      Soviet Union were the best in the World Championships as the NHL league then as well as now were still on when the Championship games started.

      Soviets were great sportsmen but never smiled. And used the drugs supplied by the Government, too. It was the system not the mentality in Russia.

      Up the Boro!

  623. The UK is now entering a phase of contact, track and trace. How exactly will this work in the football world when even those without symptoms have to self isolate for 14 days?

    To my mind if one player in the squad, or opposition team they have just played, tests positive then surely the entire squads have to self isolate.

    It could mean trying to finish this season proves impossible or could take forever.

    Not sure this has all been considered as part of project restart but there again what do I know, I thought we were all supposed to stay at home! 😎

    1. KP

      A GP was on the news this morning being asked questions about track and trace and they had to confess that their briefing didn’t cover a lot of eventualities. There was one about what happens if someone has already had it? After a considered pause the reply was that I guess they should still distance for 14 days just in case because we don’t know enough. That’s not in any way meant to be decrying the GP who was being as open, honest and helpful as they possibly could under the information they have to date.

      On a positive at least they didn’t recommend driving to Barnard Castle for an eyesight test, bathing in the sacred waters of the Tees and come out completely cured apart from selective memory issues. Problem for me now is that people have made great personal, emotional and financial sacrifices, many at huge cost on all those levels and if they do download this app they may be told to to stay off work for 14 days and indeed their entire employers business could be forced to close for 14 days. Imagine if someone for example felt unwell, travelled into London on a train, caught the Kings Cross to Darlington train then from Darlo to Redcar Central. Went to Tesco in Redcar in the afternoon but couldn’t find what they were looking for so went to Morrisons and popped into Wilkinson’s on the High Street as well for twenty minutes or so looking for some paint and DIY bits and bobs?

      Who and how many get contacted? Is Kings Cross fumigated and shut for 14 days as well as those supermarkets and shops in Redcar. Is Darlington Station closed with all staff self isolating just in case? How many people on that Train would be contacted? “Did you walk through Carriage D”? and so on and so on. Now imagine twenty, thirty or 100 people a day have similar stories? Heaven help us if its thousands.

      Turning it back to Football, imagine one player becomes positive, all 22 players plus the 14 subs, coaches and managers all have to isolate as well as officials and anyone else like ball boys. In fact like as not it will be the full squads of both clubs and ancillary personnel. Then there are their families and the friends and associates of all those people who they have been in contact with and so on as the domino effect continues. Imagine if Steve Gibson was sat in the West Stand, would he have to isolate? Would Bulkhaul have to close for 14 days if he had been anywhere near someone there? Badly thought through doesn’t even begin to explain it. I’m not sure what (if any) the solution is but it doesn’t seem to me to be this one.

      Of course for it all to work people have to actively participate and download the app which I believe needs to be 50 to 60% of the population to be effective. Considering the personal consequences for many even if they are contacted and the shameful farce in the Rose Garden this week, the timing of it couldn’t be worse unless of course its a deliberate deflection which explains the hasty cack handed launch.

    2. The problem is not the matches itself but the players should NOT be together indoors.

      Hence we still have the changing rooms locked and change at home when training football in here. And after training no discussions but a sauna at home (note we have 1,3 saunas per family in Finland – so this is OK in here).

      So 15 min indoors close to each other is really bad. Not walking outdoors or playing if the players are tested or situation is getting better like in here.

      Up the Boro!

  624. RR
    You raise some very pertinent points both in relation to football and to the working public in general.

    My two sons live in Hampshire, the eldest is a MOD police officer whose job has not been made any easier by last weekends shenanigans. The risk to him and potentially our one year old grandson may well be increased if individual’s decide that they can now use their own judgement and do a “Cummings” and ignore the rules.

    The youngest is currently furloughed from TfL. When he returns to work he will travel to London by train and then walk to the office from Waterloo. The number of potential contacts he will have doesn’t bear thinking about and could potentially see him on permanent sick leave if any of them test positive. Something that will be exercising his mind given he and his partner had their first child and our second grandson in March.

    Both Karon and I are not political animals but we were both so incensed by the actions not only of Cummings but by the way in which the PM defended him; the PM’s failure to answer legitimate questions from the media and the way in which he deliberately shut journalists down was appalling. This was not the actions of a man supposedly bringing the country together to fight a dreadful disease but one of arrogance and lack of consideration for those he is supposed to serve.

    Karon and I were booked to come back to the UK in March before the lock down in either Spain or the UK had been introduced. Our visit was timed for us to meet our new grandson and to visit Karon’s 80 year old mum who lives on her own.

    Given the way the virus was spreading throughout Europe, and following discussions with the rest of the family we agreed in the interest of safety of all concerned, both family and other travellers, that we should delay our trip which we did and consequently have not yet met Theo in person. Like many others in the country we have listened to the advice, tried to act sensibly and with consideration for others, whilst those in position of high office decide to do their own thing and ignore everyone else’s sacrifice.

    Having mulled things over for a few days I decided to vent my views via email to Mat Hancock who is our MP. I didn’t expect this to have any impact on the outcome of events but felt better having let him know that whilst the government could hunker down and let this blow over in the short term we would not forget and neither would a lot of other members of the public and there will come a day of reckoning.

    Rant over – stay safe and alert! 😎

    1. Well said KP – I wrote to my Tory MP who replied and is quite vocal In his condemnation of Cummings. I do suspect that it will all blow over although many many people will not forget.

      Onto football – I am still not convinced about the return of the PL or the EFL. See Liverpool are not happy about having to give money back so the rest of the clubs will struggle!

    2. In theory we could effectively see London virtually shut down within days if Track and Trace is accurately carried out to the letter. How many people will be packed onto Tubes and who will then be constantly getting the “Tracked and Traced” phone call?

      For that reason I suspect that rules may become “flexible” very quickly when the reality and the enormity along with the likely consequences hit home. That said I suspect the take up will now be a lot less than the Government (sorry the NHS) initially hoped and planned for and realistically require after the shocking example and consequential defence of the indefensible.

      Why would someone volunteer to download an app that could put themselves back out of work? If you are unemployed or retired then I guess there are no real consequences or major inconvenience. For working people with families to provide for it appears that they can now go to any lengths and with seeming impunity.The timing of the launch when the trust ratings for the PM have nose dived and people are referring to a Cabinet Minister as Doormatt and citing Doms Law doesn’t bode well.

      Meanwhile lets hope that common sense prevail amongst the public and people take their own individual caution seriously because right now the UK has one of the highest mortality rates globally per million and leaders that quite frankly look distinctly brow beaten, resorting to desperation rather than exerting confidence, belief and credibility. I wonder what Sir Nicholas Soames thinks his Grandfather would have made of all this?

    3. Splendid rant KP and fully justified and I couldn’t agree more with your sentiments.

      See thay red wall across the north that was blown away in the last general election. It will be rebuilt and all the stronger come the next one.

    4. Can somebody tell me, in the interest of fair play, why nobody has waded into Mr & Mrs Kinnock’s son who is an MP and drove to London under lockdown for his dad’s birthday and than back to South Wales in a day? I have sent an email to Sir Kier Starmer asking what he is doing about that episode. His silence is deafening. Obviously that oversight was OK and didn’t apply to the M4.

      Then there’s the high ranking Scottish Policeman who drove from Glasgow to Holmfirth in West Yorkshire to stay at his family home. Auntie Nicola said that was OK apparently. Probably easier to police Scotland from West Yorkshire.

      Then there’s the MP who drove to the Scottish Borders to photograph a road sign. That was OK too apparently, well no outbreak of indignation by the media elite as yet.

      Then there’s the member of the House of Lords who furloughed himself and continued to claim money from said House of Lords but he got caught and is giving it back. I give up with all of it. If I’d done an expenses fiddle I’d have been fired or even faced court. Based on this one episode I suppose I can rob a Post Office and no worries but, if I get caught, I’ll just give it back and no consequences. Or am I missing something?

      I just wish the media would re-focus and not constantly be trying to apply for or even get the role of a populist Witchfinder General.

      The next thing I’ll read is that the Football League have made realistic plan and a decision on the structure of the EFL. No don’t be ridiculous.

      Another rant over.

      Stay safe and UTB,

      John

      1. Point taken John and all out of order. There is the small difference in the current case in question of this being one of the people that set the rule.

      3. John each and every last one of them are all totally and completely out of order but they didn’t make the rules which we as a nation to our huge personal costs respected, adhered to and obeyed for the sake of everyone else’s families.

        Politicians have lied and cheated since the beginning of history, nothing new there whether it be affairs, expenses or just plain bare faced lying. Right now however this is a World War against an invisible enemy and one of our Generals it appears has been conspiring with the enemy and then lied about it to his troops. That in my book is the definition of a traitor. Furthermore his alleged falsification of posts from a year ago to massage his ego it would appear illustrates the overall morals, credibility and trustworthiness of the individual.

        For my part, I voted for those who now lie to us with straight faces at every news bulletin and worse still their “Leader” (I use that term very lightly as it appears he needs a hand up his jacksie to function) now censors debate with his mute button. A sign of weakness if ever one was needed. When your Leader doesn’t have the backbone to stand up for his beliefs then desertion will follow as sure as night follows day.

        As SG was once reported as saying “if that man told me the grass was green I’d have to look out of the window to check it”.

      4. Powmill,, Redcar Red,

        I agree with you both it’s just the double standards that they kind of apply as and when they wish and if we get an honest politician I think we’d all faint. Can you imagine if we had some kind of VAR in Westminster!

        Finally perhaps the biggest re-think is needed by the media, they are way too predictable. Then look at the owners.

        Meanwhile let’s have a tea or a coffee and keep calm whilst ignoring the news.

        Stay safe and UTB,

        John

      5. John
        The reason that some people are attacked for breaking lockdown rules is not difficult to understand.
        If you invented the rules, (which are very unpopular)
        Then you get it in the neck, and how!
        Anyone who goes about his life in a quiet way, disturbing no one. Then the unanimous opinion is, so what!
        On a lovely day, you can stroll about the town, observing the two metre rule very loosely, (on both sides).
        You can greet your friends.
        You can buy something from a shop which is stretching the rules to breaking point by being open.
        you can settle down on the beach for the day, and Good luck to you.
        The only people who worried themselves sick about two people alone on an empty beach, were, of course, the police.
        One must wonder? Were they worried about the moral side of things? Who knows?
        But it was skin crawlingly embarrassing, and soon brought to an inglorious end by the government (phew!!!)
        meanwhile the London parks were full of people happily enjoying life, tradesmen selling drinks to them made a killing. What’s not to like.
        Lockdown? I do not think so.

  625. Regardless of which side of the political divide you are on, this air of negativity from the media to a system that hasn’t gone live yet ( perhaps it has now),is quite frankly strange. It’s almost as if they hope it will fail.

    2. I think the timing of it was deliberate and its clear even from those in charge of its development that it being nowhere near ready didn’t help its cause. To expect anything other than cynicism and negativity was a huge leap of ill judged faith.

  626. This is an unusual request, but it’s ME that’s asking for information about four Boro friendly matches in the 50s and 70s all played at Ayresome Park the first two of which I saw but can’t remember the score:-

    1. 6th Oct 1958 v Bela Vista (Brazil) I think Boro won 4-0 but not sure of the score.
    2. 12th Nov 1959 v Hibernian
    3. 11th Aug 1978 v Ajax (Holland)
    4. 16th Oct 1979 v Tulsa Roughnecks (USA)

    I know the dates are correct because I’ve seen photographs of the match programmes for sale on eBay.
    Incidentally I was incorrect about Boro playing a Soviet club as part of the Festival of Britain. The match I recall when the Soviets showed little emotion after scoring, was in fact the World Cup group match in 1966 Russia v North Korea 2-0.

    1. I seem to recall attending a Boro v Hibs pre season friendly around 1972 (at a guess, could be a year or so either side) at Ayresome Park.

      1. Redcar Red
        I’d forgotten about that match, it would be about the time that Joe Baker an England international played for Hibs and you’d be quite correct, it was either 1971 or 1972. But the match I remember was in 1959, probably before you were born, when Hibs had a forward line of Scottish internationals, viz Bobby Johnstone, Gordon Smith, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormond. I realise that hardly anyone will remember them except possibly Len and Borobrie. I think Boro won, but can’t remember the score although Boro did beat them 3-2 at Easter Road about the same time and that Hibs won the Scottish League twice around that time.

    2. Ken
      Correct it was 4-0 against Bella Vista, Peacock 2 Scott 2 Att: 15944
      Boro 3 Hibs 4 Clough 2 Fernie
      Boro 1 Ajax 0 Woof Att: 9527 I saw that one.
      Boro 4 Tulsa Roughnecks 0 Burns 3 Proctor Att: 4114
      I got this from the book Middlesbrough A complete record, only goes up to 1993, published by Breedon books written by Harry Glasper. Saw when looking up Boro played in Finland in 1976. Did Jarkko go to any games?

      1. MW in Darwin
        Thanks for that information. None of my sources include Boro’s friendly matches, I suppose there have been far too many and not deemed important enough. But Hibs have always been my favourite Scottish club and it was a period when the Scottish National team were really competitive. In fact in the first 70 internationals between England and Scotland up to 1953 Scotland had won 31 times, England 22 times with 17 draws and it wasn’t until 1983 that England overtook Scotland 40-39 and the current figures stand at England 48, Scotland 41 with 25 drawn matches.

        As for Hibs they won the Scottish League title 3 times in 5 seasons just after the Second World War and were runners up 3 times in 8 seasons also. They and Rangers dominated Scottish football from 1946 to 1953 so much so that Celtic were never in the top 3 during that period. Although Celtic won the title in 1954, their record was dismal in the first 19 years after the War with only one title, one season as runners up, 3 seasons in 3rd place, and 14 seasons outside the top three. Thereafter the two old firm clubs have more or less dominated Scottish Football since 1986 with Rangers having won 54 titles, Celtic 51, with Hibernian, Hearts and Aberdeen way behind with 4 titles each.

      2. MW, I was a Boro supporter back then but didn’t know about the match at the time.

        I read about the match in Lahti versus Reipas the following day (Jari Limanen played for them as a junior) and was sad as it was just 100 km (60 miles) from where I lived.

        I wrote to the Reipas FC and they replied and sent me a programme of the match. I might be the only holder of the match programme. It is somewhere in my attick.

        Jim Platt remembers the visit to Finland well. He brought some nice jewelry to his just-maried wife in Finland. I have seen Mrs. Platt wearing it a couple of years ago!

        Up the Boro!

  627. All a bit strange that these self-entitled elitist serial liars haven’t changed since they won the election – I don’t know how many expected that they would be driven by a desire to serve the public interest but the more observant cynics out there haven’t been disappointed by their behaviour.

    They are simply behaving exactly as their flawed characters have made them behave most of their lives. I always wonder why so many people give these types the benefit of the doubt and fall for their frankly ridiculous narratives and fake blokish bumbling charades.

    How many times have we heard that the likes of Dominic Cummins and Boris Johnson don’t consider the rules apply to them and they believe their apparent brilliance and destiny means they shouldn’t be judged as others. These are the men whose actions (or the lack of them) saw not only them both catch Covid-19 after failing to heed their own messaging but subject the rest of the UK to the highest death rate in any comparable country.

    They find not telling the truth so easy that they have no qualms in lying to the camera without even blinking – then brushing it off with feeble excuses when they are found out and rallying their friends and colleagues to dismiss it all as media nonsense.

    All in all, I’m pretty glad that UK politics is now just nothing more than eye-rolling sideshow and I’m also eternally grateful that I don’t live in America – especially if I was a black man.

    Anyway, it’s looking like we might see some football soon – I wasn’t that bothered initially but given the alternative of dreadful politics or finding something positive about the current Corona virus situation – I think I’m just about ready to watch some football – bring it on!! and please just spare us from official fake news and incompetence.

  628. I think what defines many of those who are referred to as the elite is the concept that they wield some form of power, whether it be political, wealth or information by controlling the narrative in the media. You could argue ‘the media’ is actually the medium in which the narrative is fought and politics is essentially the act of delivering a message (true or otherwise) to the general population.

    Journalism comes in all shapes and sizes and I believe there are some who still think facts and truth matter and holding those who wield the power to account is their raison d’être. However, much of the noise from those who work in the media comes from people whose purpose is to help in delivering the message of one particular political side or leaning. Everything has become battle of spinning events with created narratives using plausible scenarios that fit some of the facts to deflect from those facts that are perhaps more damaging.

    In essence ‘the game’ has become the main event and many of those involved have become increasingly dismissive of whether they operate with real facts or alternative facts – indeed in the social media age, the intended audience has also become less inclined to worry whether what they consume is actually based on facts – they simply want information that they agree with. All of which is nothing new as tabloids have always been bought depending on political persuasion.

    Perhaps the difference is that many of the more apparently serious newspapers have become somewhat tabloid in their messaging as they compete in in an ever dwindling market that has now shifted online – editorials and scoops now attempt to lure the clicks and set the overall news agenda rather than entice readers to part with their cash.

    So perhaps what we actually mean is that many who operate in public life see themselves as an intellectual elite, who feel unlike the simple general public are able to interpret the rules how they best see fit. When they get exposed for seemingly behaving arrogantly and appearing above the law it then just becomes a matter of once again spinning the facts to create another alternative truth. The game continues and in the end they attempt to blame those few in the media who still think the truth has some meaning – though they always get lost in the noise as both side of the game ramp up the rhetoric until the population gets sick of hearing the story. Job done!

  630. https://diasboro.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/boris-glasses.jpg

    Just in case anyone wants an example of how seemingly off-the-cuff statements are used to try and reinforce a narrative, here’s a little photo montage of Boris Johnson sporting a range of glasses from 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 (before Corona) from images that I found on Google.

    You may recall he supported Dominic Cummins in his reason for his eye-test trip to Barnard Castle by an ‘impromptu’ pulling out of a pair of spectacles from his pocket and claiming in the daily briefing that since he had Corona virus he’s had to start wearing glasses for the first time in years.

    Incidentally, Cummins partner, Mary Wakefield, had reportedly previously written an article in the Spectator (where she is Commissioning Editor and also worked under Johnson when he was editor) about their Corona virus episode, which mention all the odd symptoms and effects they had both suffered – though strangely no mention of her husband ever having a problem with his eyesight. She also mentioned that she first came down with the Corona virus on the evening, which was the day before Dominic Cummins went into work in Downing Street – and not quite the same story that he returned home when his wife called to say she was ill. So clearly he broke the self-isolation guidance if a member of your family has symptoms.

    Anyway, as the PM says repeatedly, let’s move on as the truth is too inconvenient…

  631. Ken
    I have two copies of the book I mentioned one goes up to 1993 and I have another copy that goes up to 1989. This was a limited edition and there is a list of subscribers in the back and number 25 was Allen and Jonathon Woodgate, is this the current manager ?
    These books have all friendly results from 1899 and the later edition has most of the lineups from after WW2.
    Just looked it is available on Amazon and a number of online retailers.

    1. MW, I have the book of 1989, too. My good friend W A Marsay and his pal Peter are numbers 187 and 188. Austin sent me and my wife the book as a present for Xmas 1989.

      I also have always thought that the nr 25 is our manager.

      Up the Boro!

  632. We’ve come a long way since a terse letter to the Gazette from BJ McQuade was the norm for voicing disquiet. Or “ Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells” castigated the BBC.
    Now it’s all about the “ Outrage” and the “ Fury”.

    The circulation of Newspapers is falling, the NOTW, phone hacking scandal exposed a sinister side to journalism. So called intellectuals writing in the broadsheets to a very limited readership are basically preaching to the converted.

    The Red Top tabloids think they know what the public want, but falling sales show otherwise. The BBC are not impartial depending on which side of the political divide you are, but the recent Newsnight episode simply gives ammunition to one side to throw in the face of the other.

    Its got to the stage now where whatever the political or news programme, it’s possible to predict exactly what will be said by whichever person in reply to any particular question. This makes them predictably boring.

    The Coronavirus has inadvertently created a news void. Its the only story in town and there’s only so much to be said about it. This leads to trying to spin political agendas to suit the narrative of all things Covid-19.

    Are the NHS suddenly fully stocked with PPE, are the elderly no longer being sacrificed in care homes? The media jump to the next theme to further whatever particular axe they have to grind.

    Like most of the 66M people in the UK I’m heartily sick of it all.

    1. As I have oft repeated on here the best piece of Management advice I ever heard was “you don’t get yourself into those situations”. Unfortunately that does take a degree of intellect, acumen and foresight or at least the ability to carry out a “what if” analysis.

      At a time when unity should have been the overriding aim battle lines have now been drawn and trenches dug (none deeper then mine I hasten to add). To glue those pieces back together again will take time and a huge amount of painstaking effort that should and could have been used in a more productive and effective manner. The feeble attempt to try and deflect by launching an unready system overseen by someone who was a major player in the decision for the Cheltenham festival to go ahead just adds more fuel to the fire and another massive own goal.

      Its the gift that keeps on giving and fans flames rather than douses them. At one point I did think it was down to sheer aloof detached stupidity sadly I now believe it to be an aloof arrogant sense of entitlement in the belief that they are untouchable. The rest of this Governments tenure will now be a series of bunker mentality tit for tat jousts and exposures to discredit and to rebuke whilst the UK pays the price.

      Journalists have been declared the enemy of the state (they didn’t exactly help themselves with the public with their depressing doom laden coverage of the virus) which may be a short term sticking plaster but the truth will out. That there is now a voracious appetite to expose and discredit will like as not be the downfall for many politicians who otherwise would have come through unscathed.

    2. This Tweet made me smile…

      https://twitter.com/LKTranslator/status/1265973919388971009

      btw This is not actually a Tweet by Emily Maitlis but a parody account – no wonder some people on social media make fools of themselves by retweeting fake news thinking it’s real.

      Incidentally, was the actual intro on Newsnight saying that Dominic Cummins broke lock-down restrictions actually in breach of the BBC’s impartiality rules because interpretation of the rules is now only a matter of opinion? I suspect someone from the government was on the phone to the Director General after seeing the piece and read the riot act. After all, the conservative chairman of the health select committee, Jeremy Hunt, said Cummins had clearly broke the rules on three occasions – surely he has studied the rules and must have a better idea than most what is acceptable.

      It’s led to the need for giving blurred messaging where junior health minister, Helen Whately, was on Question Time yesterday talking about the track and trace rules in which those who have been in contact with someone with Covid-19 must self-isolate for 14 days but added they can decide not to do so if they believe it’s not possible for childcare reasons. It’s basically the caveat of being allowed to do what Dominic Cummins did to keep what he did within the rules.

      1. Looking at what is going on in the US right now is scary. An Officer of the Law clearly felt he was above the law and the consequential fall out and the lack of response from those who should know better has led to mass riots, more injury, destruction and violence across US Cities. CNN had a reporter arrested live on air without any reason being given and the President meanwhile is threatening Twitter all in the “land of the free”.

        Thankfully we are nowhere near that state of affairs in the UK but that same privileged entitlement is starting to rear its very ugly head. Journalists questions are now being blocked, Chief Scientists looking noticeably uncomfortable, Durham Police being dragged into a sorry mess and Politicians claiming they often drive to test their eyesight. It was only a few short weeks back we were laughing at the US Medical Scientist looking aghast at Mr Trump’s suggestion about cleaning products.

        In the Football world we have owners with questionable ethics (some openly despised by Clubs own fans) and despot takeovers being approved as fit and proper individuals by the footballing authorities. There was (and still is) the awarding of football tournaments in a questionable manner and disgraced former officials who had allegedly been “spoilt” in return.

        Jim fixed it for me now has an entirely different connotation. We laughed off the loadsamoney Harry Enfield sketches back in the 80’s but its not looking so amusing right now as it seems to have reached new heights. I won’t even mention the privileged individual who is probably extremely grateful to see the spotlight shifted from him for the time being. You wouldn’t think there was a Global Pandemic going on or there again maybe its the Virus that is flushing things out into the open.

      2. Its certainly ironic that the Twitterer in Chief is threatening to regulate Twitter. Personally I loathe it, but if it is to be regulated, then the anonymity needs to be removed. Plus, the ability to delete should also be removed. Let people be accountable for the stuff they post.

  634. Beth Rigby, Isabelle Oakeshott, Ash Sarkar, Paul Staines, Pippa Crear, Grace Blakeney, Owen Jones, George Monbiot, Danny Finkelstein, CamilIa Tominay, I could go on with many more.

    I would suggest that those names are familiar with posters like RR and Werder and a few more, but how many others know who they are?

    This is the problem with the media. They are so far up them selves they think the public are hanging on their every word. The truth is, the vast majority neither know who they are and couldn’t give a stuff what they think.

  635. It helps politicians who are serial liars if we say that all politicians are liars.

    It helps those media who are merely organs of propaganda if we castigate all media as propagandist.

    This is precisely what political liars and propagandists want: to obscure the crucial distinction between propaganda and truth.

    This is not to say there is necessarily a single “truth”, any more than there is a single “science”. Truth can be multi-faceted. Your truth may not be the same as my truth. But we can share a belief in the importance of trying to establish the truth through a number of well-established scientific ,empirical and logical principles, and through an education which encourages critical thinking.

    What is not allowable in any attempt to establish the truth is to equate the truth with whatever happens to be in your own self-interest. To label anything with which you disagree as “fake news”. To equate the truth with your own views irrespective of the facts of the case.

    Yet this is precisely the position reflexively taken by President Trump, which allows him to tell multiple lies on a daily basis with apparent impunity. This is profoundly undemocratic. Truth as a function of power. Here there is indeed a single unitary truth: the truth of the dictator. Everything else is fake news, and there is no further discussion to be had.

    When this view of truth achieves widespread support ,filtering down to a political party’s followers or other governments like our own then it becomes profoundly dangerous and reverses centuries of scientific, democratic and educational progress.

    It is a trend exacerbated by social media, which are the sites of the industrial production of false information, conspiracy theories and other forms of noise and distractions produced with the explicit intent of drowning out or ‘moving on’ from inconvenient truths.

    This is not an entirely new phenomenon. The media have never been the principal producers of news. They are secondary definers. The raw material for news is produced principally by government departments, large corporations, lobbyists, PR companies, local councils, public services, trade unions and the like. The function of journalists is largely to select from and package this material for their readers in a way that is consonant with the political predilections of their (frequently billionaire) proprietors.

    In reproducing this material, however, the media all too often uncritically reproduce the agendas, assumptions and biases within it. The biases, that is, of our society’s major institutions, which have such privileged media access.

    This is what makes the Cumming’s story so unusual. Individual members of the public rarely get a look in as news sources on important political stories. Yet the heart-breaking stories of literally thousands of personal tragedies, often filtered through the mail boxes of MPs, have carried real authority and weight, particularly when set against the “dog-ate-my-homework” excuses of the narrative readily accepted by the government, and readily accessible to mainstream media via a Downing St press conference.

    In this context defending the concept of public service broadcasting against the criticism of a government with scant regard for the truth or accuracy, or the attacks of a propagandist popular press – one of the worst in the world, and with almost zero credibility following the crimes and misdemeanours laid bare by the Levinson Enquiry – seems to me to be a top priority for this country’s future political, educational and cultural health.

    This is not to argue that the BBC is beyond criticism. Far from it. I have myself been highly critical of many aspects of the Corporation in the past. And if the Beeb fails to live up to its obligations as a reliable source of information necessary to the workings of a functioning democracy then we should be critical of it.

    But we should do so in the spirit of defending the idea of public service broadcasting with the aim of improving it, rather than at the promptings of a propagandist press or political parties who daily assault the very idea of truth itself.

    And as democratic citizens we have an obligation to support those media workers and politicians who do attempt to speak truth to power, often at considerable expense to their careers, and even their safety. We are giving succour to some profoundly anti – democratic forces whenever we – as we are all prone to do -condemn the media or politicians as a whole rather than discriminating within and between them.

    2. Brilliantly argued Len! Probably the best post I’ve read on this blog and dare I say the voice of many years wisdom. I just don’t know if we’ll ever be able to close the lid on the Pandora’s box that has been opened by the explosion in unverified information becoming just as readily accepted as fact or ‘true’ now that social media has become the driving force of society. Perhaps information checking should be the most important thing taught in schools as learning and regurgitating facts ahead of actual understanding becomes increasingly meaningless in the internet age. Education should be about learning how to think critically and objectively and not about constantly cramming information to pass tests.

      1. With the advent of the Internet and 24/7 access to it cramming information is no longer the requirement that it once was. Utilising it responsibly as you say is of far greater importance.

        In our youth we would have to find a library and access Encyclopedias and other reference books to find out about something. Nowadays that information in far greater and more varied widespread detail can be accessed from a phone instantly. Passing tests has almost become an outdated method of measurement and judging from some conversations with those a few decades younger than myself I wonder what exactly they are taught in Schools and Universities today. Basic Geographical and Historical knowledge seems to have been bypassed along with common sense.

  636. One aspect of the Cummings affair that I am saddened about is the fact that Piers Morgan was absent during the furore.

    It would have been entertaining to see his head explode in mock indignation. If only someone could interview him in his own inimitable style over The Daily Mirror Iraq photographs.

    1. Its strange how in all this fervour Piers Morgan seems to be the proverbial Poacher turned Gamekeeper, takes one to know one I suppose.

      1. He is still to apologise for the infamous photographs, and his testimony regarding phone hacking was questioned. Perhaps he should interview himself and then disappear up his own backside.

  638. One advantage of being an ignoramus like me who doesn’t watch news channels and has no idea what the Cummins affair is all about and couldn’t name one Cabinet Minister, and quite frankly doesn’t wish to know, is that I’m impervious to stress. I may live in my own little world, but stress at my time of life is something to avoid, and that’s how it’s going to be for my remaining time on Earth. My firebrand days are over, and I’ve no intention of reverting to them. If I was a worrier I’d have plenty to worry about healthwise and my future in that regard. Death is inevitable for everyone and my own demise is completely out of my control and in the back of my mind at the moment. But one concern in this heatwave is coping with the length of my hair which hasn’t seen a hairdresser since late December. I’ve chopped of bits here and there but now resembles Worzel Gummidge. But que sera, que sera.

    1. Keep being an ignoramus Ken, believe me you are not missing anything of real merit. My Grandmother always went by the principle of “Remember the past, plan for the future, live for today, yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come” which I believe comes from the good book.

      1. Here’s a quote from the American Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier :-
        Drop thy still dews of quietness till all our strivings cease
        Take from our souls the strain and stress
        And let our ordered lives confess
        The beauty of thy peace.

        Or a particular Karma quote:-
        Whatever you give to life, it gives you back
        Do not hate anybody, forgive the person for their actions,
        Never give in to hate, let it go, set it free
        And Karma will take care of what is meant to be.

        From Rudyard Kipling’s “If” :-
        If you can keep your head when all about you
        Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
        If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
        But make allowance for their doubting too.
        If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
        Or walk with kings, nor lose the common touch,
        If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
        If all men count with you, but none too much.
        If you can fill the unforgiving minute
        With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
        Yours is the World and everything that’s in it,
        And what is more, you’ll be a Man, my Son.

        And finally another by John Donne:-
        Oh Death, where is thy sting? Oh Grave, where is thy victory?

        As I grow older I often reflect on quotations like these. One doesn’t have to be religious to do so, and some of these ideals have been difficult to emulate as we’re all human, but I find it easier in my dotage. If I was fit enough, I’d probably take up Yoga but have to make do with physiotherapy exercises. I don’t need stress, and that’s where light classical music helps whether I fall asleep listening to it or not. I’m not criticising anybody, but I myself find it beneficial sometimes to detach myself from the real world, certainly politics. Keep calm everybody, and stay safe.

  641. In a perverse way I think the media are quite glad DC didn’t resign/quit/ get the sack. Now they can keep the moral high ground and not let it go.

  642. Finally today we got a good question. If there are 8,000 new cases a day, who is actually catching it?

    Surely they must know the demographics ( age, gender, occupation, ethnicity etc etc.)

    1. I personally thought it was a brilliant question. With everyone distancing, masked up to the nines and hand gelled to extremes who on earth is catching it? Interesting that the Scientist gave the same old obvious reply of the usual suspects and I appreciate he wouldn’t have had that specific detailed analysis to hand but it is a critical and potentially hugely valuable question. I hope they see it the same way and go away and do some digging.

      If it is health workers its perhaps understandable given their exposure but again why? is it lack of PPE still or just overwhelmed? Is it a particular age or ethnicity or is it all TS1 and TS3 postcodes (just as an example)? If we can understand how 8,000 people are still getting it then we are that much closer to preventing it and certainly far closer than trying to track and trace.

      I hope by tomorrow the Scientists and whichever Politician is on the podiums come back with the answer but it was a ridiculously simple question but probably the most vital one asked to date.

      1. Exactly my thoughts RR. It seems to me if they could identify who/what/why/ where, are most likely to, and are in effect catching it, then they could try and pin point effective counter measures. As you say, with all the stringent guidelines in place why are there still 8,000 new cases per day?

        There are plenty of platforms to ask about the DC affair. The Daily Briefing is about combatting and defeating Covid-19. It’s high time journalists set there questioning to this.

      2. The question of testing has not gone away, will not go away, and therefore they will not know anything of value, which might have helped them with these stats you mention.
        You will notice that they screamed with delight about their access to lots of serious tasting.
        They were of course, in cloud cuckoo land (as usual)
        The only people who get tested are those who have it.
        The result comes about 7 days later, from London.
        I know, but what can you do.

  643. It looks like Championship Football is due to start on the 20th June. Its important that Boro get off to winning ways to ensure that should lockdown restart that we are not in the bottom three.

    Leeds fans seem nonplussed about links with Ayala whilst his wife has revealed they have sold up and moved South. Tav is allegedly attracting Premiership interest as is Dael Fry whilst we are linked with Charlton’s 30 year old but out of contract talismanic Striker Lyle Taylor.

    The sale of Fry, Tavernier and Britt would raise some rebuilding funds for next season and maybe some wriggle room for the club to bring Gibson back?

  644. I see we will soon be back watching the Boro on line or on tv for our summer entertainment.

    Just what the doctor ordered, … relegation blues to chase the Covid blues away.

    Dust off the relegation charts, and put the virus charts in the cupboard.

    On a lighter note, my 10 year old is here doing home schooling over the internet and I have really enjoyed the experience. We have done quite a lot together which I would not otherwise have done – graphs charts lego monopoly cluedo Risk [which means more charts dice tables and probability – why is it his mum always wins..?]. Our latest project is caterpillars which we have collected and growing into Deaths head moths which we name and then mount in frames on the wall.

    It will be a shame to ruin all this by watching football together, ..…………

  645. You couldn’t make it up. Errm……actually you can.

    “A key witness who claimed he saw Dominic Cummings on a second lockdown trip to Durham has now said that he made up the story as a joke.

    Tim Matthews, a keen runner, admitted that he doctored the details on the Strava app, used by joggers and athletes to record routes and times, to make it look as if he had seen Mr Cummings on the afternoon of April 19 – five days after the Prime Minister’s aide returned to London.”

    This is the problem with the media. They were so eager to nail DC they failed to verify all of the stories. Once there is a cloud of doubt, it can be used to obscure the facts, when those seeds of doubt are planted everything else comes under the microscope. It’s patently obvious Cummings broke the rules and now Rosie Duffield has put Keir Starmer on the spot. Does he say, “ if it’s good enough for DC, then it’s good enough for Rosie?”

    What’s the old saying? “ Never let the facts get in the way of a good story”

    1. As we now enter “oneupmanship” territory between various Political factions, Parties and the Media it is the General Public who will be paying the price for aspirations to reach the greatest urinal height. Subsequent covering up and deflection tactics will be to the detriment of the many.

    2. Interesting that Duffield who wasn’t suffering Covid-19 symptoms stepped down. Ironic in that just as there was a stick to beat the opposition with its twisted back round again and so the games continue!

  646. I see that one of the Boro players has tested positive for Covid 19 (as reported in the EG and Sunday Mirror).

    He is now self isolating for seven days. It appears that providing he was not within 2 meters of another player for more than 15 mins then the other players do not need to self isolate.

    This rule will suit our style of play down to a tee as we often going missing and don’t get near to one another let alone the opposition! 😂😎

    1. It shows the likelihood of the season being completed when before we even start fresh outbreaks are cropping up. What are the odds that a club claims umpteen players self isolating with coincidental injuries etc. of course not remotely being a factor. Of more concern of course is the genuine fear that close contact training let alone playing could create fresh spikes and put things back a few weeks if not months. Surely these cases are indeed the evidence if any was needed that it is not safe to restart Football.

      Surely common sense decrees that it is safer to wait? I don’t get the urgency in trying to finish the Season right now. Is there a miracle cure just around the corner for late August that the Worlds leading Scientists and Epidemiologists are not aware of that Football is keeping quiet about?

      1. RR
        I apologise for this post, but we were never going escape these matches.
        They represent a couple of billion quid for the Prem. And come what may, they will happen.

  647. Sir Bruce Riochhttps://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/manager-who-saved-middlesbrough-riochs-18335462#ICID=Android_GazetteLiveNewApp_AppShare

  649. Just having a short break from my ongoing project and read this rather odd scientific proposition from a member of SAGE to attempt explain the lower death rate in Germany compared to the UK. Rather than it being down to an earlier lockdown, more testing and better equipped social and health workers the conclusion is a strange one. I must admit having read a few times, I’m inclined to file it under a category that is somewhere between ‘utter’ and ‘complete’ and I’ll let you guess what the second word is…

    As part of our attempts to understand the latent causes of the data. We’ve been comparing the UK and Germany to try to explain the comparatively low fatality rates in Germany. The answers are sometimes counterintuitive. For example, it looks as if the low German fatality rate is not due to their superior testing capacity, but rather to the fact that the average German is less likely to get infected and die than the average Brit. Why? There are various possible explanations, but one that looks increasingly likely is that Germany has more immunological “dark matter” – people who are impervious to infection, perhaps because they are geographically isolated or have some kind of natural resistance. This is like dark matter in the universe: we can’t see it, but we know it must be there to account for what we can see. Knowing it exists is useful for our preparations for any second wave, because it suggests that targeted testing of those at high risk of exposure to Covid-19 might be a better approach than non-selective testing of the whole population.

    1. Would that be the Individual advising, Independent SAGE, the committee set up as an alternative to the UK government’s official pandemic advice body, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage)?

      1. I’ve just checked on that as I only dipped into the article and didn’t notice when reading it – though I’ll let him answer in his own words when asked a similar question…

        “What is your role with Independent Sage? I’m a member with special responsibility for modelling. When they first approached me I didn’t see the “Independent”… I’m joking, but only partly.”

        As to what evidence he has for immunological dark matter is not mentioned but it’s not a theory I’ve heard from anyone in Germany – perhaps it’s down to the same gene that makes people organised and good at penalties…

      2. An easy error to make, just ask Angela Rayner after she quoted them in reference to the Schools Opening issue .

        Another occasion when the Twitter, “ delete” button came in handy….

  650. Having lots of time on my hands at the moment, I was piqued as to who this “ Independent SAGE” group were and who were the members that make it up.

    I won’t bore you with the details but suffice to say, the political allegiances and Brexit stance didn’t come as much of a surprise. If only everything in life were so predictable.

    1. I suppose for balance you’d have to check if the scientists on the government SAGE are mainly pro Brexit – I suspect that most academics in general were in favour of remaining in the EU as they received a lot of funding through it.

      1. The official SAGE committee are Civil Servants and are in permanent ( as they can be) posts. Why we need an independent alternative, ( I wonder who is funding it) escapes me.

        Of course alternate views are always welcomed, but there is only room for one official body, much the same as we often voice our opinions to Steve Gibson, but he only has one advisory team. Perhaps not an ideal example, but you get my drift.

        That they are diametrically apposite of the government comes as no surprise. When this pandemic was in its infancy I predicted that it would become the Brexit Debate by default and the media have proven me correct.

      2. Which quite frankly is ridiculous, as of January 31st the UK were no longer a member of the European Union. This interminable wrangling and refusal to let it go is as tiresome to the public now as it was prior to December’s general election.

        No doubt it will continue to rumble on, particularly when it comes to the transition period expiring, but the public have rumbled the press and media and they’re flogging a dead horse.

        1. Or probably more of a donkey in need of a sanctuary 😉 I hope you haven’t forgotten about the joys of a deal or no deal Brexit and the possibility of the inevitable extension – though to be honest I don’t think the other EU members are that bothered about Brexit anymore after Covid – they’re not going to waste much more time over it.

  651. In a bombshell move today the hugely influential blog DiasBoro have decided they wanted to set up an advisory group to Steve Gibson The Gazette can report.

    Independent SAGE ( Supporters Advising Gibson on EFL championship)
    have decided that there wasn’t enough transparency in the way he was running the club in the current pandemic, and that they were totally unprepared for the resumption of the season.

    “ We have no faith in the current management or executive team” a spokesperson said. They bemoaned the fact that the team employed Social Distancing tactics long before the pandemic started, resulting in a disastrous start to the season, and the PPE scandal, ( Poor Penalty Expertise) has led to a squandering of vital points.

    They have called for the immediate reappointment of Keith Lamb, “ How on earth can we be credible without a suitable hate figure to blame for everything that happens behind the scenes?” “ It’s all well and good putting up JW as canon fodder at the Daily Presser, but we all know he’s just a puppet!”

    Local hack AV asked how they might Hope to influence Mr Gibson? “No problem came the reply, we have a sleeper agent at the Guardian. One of our own Louise Taylor, some carefully planted articles and some tweets from her mates should do the trick”

    When it was pointed out to them that Mr Gibson already had a highly experienced committee in place, the reply was “ yes but they’re not doing what we want them to, it’s obvious that we know much better than they do”……

  652. Just picked up the following article in today’s Daily Mirror on line.

    “AT least three rebel clubs were forced to bow to the will of the majority last night as the Championship confirmed it would be restarting on June 20.

    The Championship’s clubs decided by an ‘overwhelming majority’ to return on the same weekend as the Premier League.

    But as many as three teams found themselves outvoted in talks held over the weekend.

    Hovering just two points above the drop zone, Hull City had publicly called for the season to be curtailed and Jonathan Woodgate and his Middlesbrough club also wanted it ended.

    One Championship chief executive, who asked not to be named, said: “There were certainly two and possibly three clubs who wanted the season ended. There was not unanimity among clubs about starting again.”

    Doesn’t fill me full of confidence that the manager and his team are up for a relegation battle when you hear these sort of reports.

    It also seems to contradict what has been reported from the the club previously so what has changed? 😎

  653. Just seen a report that QPR executives and management are unhappy with the start date of 20th June.

    They point out that the players are not yet involved in full contact training and yet are expected to be fully up to speed within three weeks. Perhaps this is also JW’s/MFC’s concern.

    It is reported that the other dissenting voice was Hull City who had already made their objection to a restart public, no doubt influenced by the team’s freefall toward the relegation zone.

    It appears from the QPR article that this announcement has been pushed through at very short notice by the EFL management.😎

  654. I actually am now aware of the Cummin saga as I learned it from ‘Have I got news for you’. It may be a satirical programme, but is usually as near the truth as one can get. I thought the latest edition was the funniest I’ve seen, and full marks to Martin Clunes, Ian Hislop and Paul Merton for keeping me entertained for half an hour.

    Having read Werdermouth’s account of the amusing ‘fact’ that Germans are more immune to catching coronavirus or many respiratory diseases, I felt quite mollified that my ancestors were from Frankfurt. That must account for the fact that I’ve never had a heavy cold or influenza in my life, but it doesn’t account for the fact that my mother nee Eva Kraus often took to her bed for 10 days or so really ill with influenza, so I’ll knock that rumour on it’s head.

    Anyway yesterday I drove to 2 garden centres near Stokesley and bought 90 begonias semperflorum and 48 lobelia. It must have been at least 5 degrees warmer in Stokesley than Redcar. Anyway on return home I first had to pull out the decaying blue forget-me-nots and dig out umpteen weeds in the border around my patio before raking up the debris and disposing of it, levelling the soil which is so dry with hardly any rain to speak of for the last month, before tackling the problem of planting my purchases. I must have spent well over 3 hours working in the garden and was struggling to finish the job that I could hardly stand to sweep up and water my art work.

    I had to crawl up the stairs to wash myself down then slumped in a chair unable to move for 30 minutes as I watched a recording of the aforesaid ‘Have I got news for you’ It was then that I needed my walking stick to even stand up before preparing my dinner. I had aches mainly in my thighs as I finally ate my dinner with plenty of water, and then slumped again in my chair, took a couple of paracetamol tablets and eventually went upstairs with the aid of my walking stick muttering to myself ‘never again’ and concerned that I would feel so stiff this morning.

    Anyhow I’ve had the best night’s sleep for months, must be all that exercise and fresh air. However my cleaner and gardener are visiting me today. Hopefully I can sit outside whilst my cleaner can do her chores, and later let my gardener continue with the rest of the weeding. I’m too self sufficient by half and at my age should know better. However those pesky magpies are about and I need to keep an eye on them from scavenging around my newly laid plants. Thankfully it’s going to rain for much of Wednesday which will avoid one chore of having to water my plants, but with cooler weather forecast might deter me from sitting out on the patio, but there’s the changing of the bedclothes and duvet cover to look forward to this weekend and the ironing as well.

    Has summer come too early? If cricket is to return soon, one can bet that ‘rain stopped play’ will become a regular occurrence, but I’m certain to avoid coronavirus, are’nt I?

    1. I’m exhausted just reading that Ken, think I might need to go for a lie down myself!
      At least you will have the satisfaction of admiring your endeavours over the rest of the Summer.

      1. I forgot to mention that my urologist came to reinsert a new catheter last week. I’m used to that now, but I asked him how long a face mask lasted. He said 20 minutes. Now whether he meant for himself as he was in and out of my house in 15 minutes with several more calls to make including one in Darlington and another in Bedale so didn’t expect to finish until 7pm, I’m not sure. As if I didn’t already know though, it brought into perspective on a personal level how hard our NHS workers work. It’s some administrators who sometimes have little idea at what’s going on, or is that being a tad unfair?

  655. DiasBoro’s Independent SAGE Committee were left reeling with incandescent outrage and fury this morning. When they checked their inbox the absence of any missives from Steve Gibson was akin to a slap in the face with a wet kipper.

    “ Who the Heck does this bloke think he is? How very dare he ignore us?”

    “After extensive negotiations we have managed to secure a friendly with Barnard Castle FC to prepare the first team squad for the resumption of the Championship season. “ Cas” are a highly respected outfit in the Wear Valley Sunday League and would be ideal opposition “

    “It would appear Mr Gibson thinks he knows better than us and has failed to acquiesce to our suggestion.”

    The committee’s Twitter feed almost crashed when their follower expressed FURY OUTRAGE and various other hysterical reactionary adjectives that were then re-tweeted by Piers Morgan.

    A bemused Mr Gibson when asked for a statement said “ Who?”

  656. Middlesbrough’s relegation rivals Charlton have been rocked by the news that three of their key players won’t finish the season with the club.

    Lee Bowyer has told TalkSport that Lyle Taylor, Chris Solly and David Davis have declined to play on beyond the terms of their current contracts.

    See the Evening Gazette (or what ever is their new name) for more info. Up the Boro!

  657. Forgot to say that Taylor has scored 11 goals in 22 games for Charlton this season.

    Terrified to even think if Ayala would decline to play for Boro after July 1st!

    Up the Boro!

  658. Lockdown restrictions are slowly being lifted in the USA. You can now go out looting with members of your household plus one member of another. As long as you maintain social distancing and carry the large screen telly you have nicked by holding it at each end that is within the guidelines.

  659. KP in Spain, if I can just raise questions on two of your recent posts:

    31 May 11:04

    MFC (and the Gazette) have confirmed 1 positive test for Covid 19 but neither say it is a player and have not released information that would identify the individual as being a player or member of staff.

    1 Jun 08:18

    On the MFC website JW welcomes the return of the Championship and as a club we have made no secret of the fact we wanted to restart the season when safe to do so.

    So do you honestly believe that it was a player who tested positive and JW has said he is against the league resuming purely based on reports by the Mirror.

    Come on BORO.

  660. Exmil2017

    No I don’t believe everything I read in the papers. Having read the reports from both the mirror and EG and also the EFL report on positive tests, then I think it is fairly safe to deduce that it’s a player (albeit not 100% certain) as it indicates that they will not be allowed to return to training until the have provided a negative test. I accept it could be a member of the support staff but if so I would have thought the club would have indicated as such whilst still retaining confidentiality of the individual involved.

    In my post at 8:18 I should have perhaps prefaced my comments with “If the report can be believed” then it does not fill me with confidence…. I went on to pose the question what had changed as I had read previously that JW wanted the season to be played out.

    In my post at 8:55 I commented that there was a report that QPR were unhappy and it appeared to be around the start date of 20/06/20. I wondered if it was the proposed start date as opposed to restarting the season at all that was of concern to JW/MFC if the previous report could be believed. 😎

  661. I heard Lee Bowyer on the radio today. He was discussing the situation with Lyle Taylor.

    The players main concern is that he will not be at Charlton when his contract runs out shortly, therefore he doesn’t feel that he could give his best, as the risk of injury would be too high. Bowyer was quite understanding and appreciated his point of view. It goes without saying that a manager wants all of his players giving 100%.

    How many of Woodgate’s current first team squad are in a similar situation? Whether players could use the current situation as leverage to push a new contract through is a distinct possibility.

    One for Independent SAGE to consider……

    1. I think the Charlton player is right to point out to the club the possibility of him being crocked and of a job and out of football.
      As it stands he has a very good contract and a further four seasons in the game starting in two months. Having never had serious money before it really is a no brainer.
      He obviously thinks that the Champ will be one big kicking fest, and so do I.

  662. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few players test positive for Covid-19 – clearly there are still several thousand cases each day and those who are in contact with more people would perhaps have more chance of catching the virus. btw I’ve heard from my nephews that many of their friends often go round to other friends houses for drinking parties. I suspect many fit and healthy young men in their twenties are prone to ‘socialising’ and don’t regard catching the corona virus as a serious danger. We’ve already heard several stories of Premier League footballers flouting the lockdown rules and even getting within 2 metres of young ladies too!

    The question remains is what happens if a player test positive after games resume given that I presume football will remain a contact sport – I also wonder if spitting or even snotting will be banned by the FA – surely it’s still a risk. I also wonder if any player will possibly decide to wear a mask. It’s probably going to be a bit of an experiment to see how it pans out but there’s definitely a possibility of it descending into chaos if we see a few positive tests – especially if you consider the UK is not quite down to the number of case that other countries who have relaxed restrictions are at.

  663. It seems that the maximum danger of passing on the virus is through liquids, i.e. Sweat and spit, two prominent products of a well fought game.
    One positive side to this great adventure will be our abandonment of our persistent giant wrestling match (off the pitch) After every goal.
    It is not professional, gives the opponent time to get their heads back in gear, and of course should have been stamped on long ago. We shall see!
    We are not in a good situation, no change there then.
    As I see it, we start with a win and repeat same, or it could and probably will get sticky.

    1. I’m not aware of any evidence that sweat is a means of passing on the virus as it is a respiratory illness. Nevertheless, as we can see during most set plays, you will normally see three players from each team bunched closely together holding each other and in each other’s face – no doubt also breathing heavily from the previous passage of play. On that basis what happens if a single player from either side tests positive? The government’s track and trace system deems anyone who has been in close contact must then self-isolate for 14 days. OK, perhaps testing every player before every game will limit the damage – though there is often a lag before a test can pick up a sign of the virus and games will likely be played every three days. So I’m not sure how many games could potentially get cancelled if their was a case.

      1. I read that singing in a choir is the most dangerous hobby concerning COVID-19. It is usually done indoors and close to each other for a rather long time. Spitting – or micro such – is all the time in the air while singing loud.

        If one member of the choir has the virus, usually four out of five gets the virus, too.

        This is of course true in a football match, too. Supporters are sitting close to each other and shouting and singing happen often.

        Up the Boro!

      3. Jarkko

        Fortunately shouting and singing isn’t something that the average Boro supporter has had to worry about too much this season 🙂

  665. I tend to be the “glass half full” type of person (I know it’s unusual on here) and most on here are looking “what if this happens or that” type of “we are doomed Mr Wainwarring”.

    How many German players have tested positive after a match ? and if they did what action was taken. No matter when the restrictions are lifted, be it now or 6/12 months time, there will always be an element of risk as this virus (according to many reports) will be around for a long time to come and we will still be losing 20k+ a year in England to the flu.

    Come on BORO.

    1. It’s not really about how full you think your glass is but the main difference was that Germany lifted the restrictions once the spread of the virus was under control and it already had a proven test track and trace system in place. Lifting restrictions in the UK is more of a political decision and not something that is being fully driven by the evidence of how many people are currently infected. If you get it wrong then it will be back to lockdown in the autumn and definitely no football – even behind closed doors!

  666. Just watching MP’s voting in HOC using the new system.

    Basically, left or right, state your name and, aye or no. You would think nothing could be simpler. The amount of members who couldn’t quite get it right was alarming.

  667. Hi folks

    Just popped back in to wish you all the best. I hope you are all well, hopefully you are all still with us;

    I will go off again but I genuinely hope you are all fit and healthy. Never in a month of Sundays did I think I would be living in a month of Sundays.

    Best wishes to you all and please keep safe.

    Ian

  668. Nice to hear that Ian is still with us safe and well. It looks now though that for us living in Britain that breakfasts, lunches and dinners al fresco are now likely to be on hold as summer approaches with cooler and wetter weather. It was Richard Rogers who wrote the lyrics ‘June is busting out all over’ in the musical Carousel; he obviously never spent time in Britain. With Summer set to start on the 21st of June and midsummers day on the 24th, does that mean only 6 days of summer? We British tend to complain about the capriciousness of our weather. It’s often said we don’t have a climate, only weather, its either too wet or it’s too hot, but springtime or primavera this year has been the best I can recall, but typically we’ve been restricted to lockdown due to coronavirus. If cricket ever resumes are we to hear the dreaded words ‘rain stopped play’. In any case this old rhyme comes to mind:-
    Whether the weather be wet or whether the weather be hot, we’ll weather the weather whatever the weather, whether we like it or not.

  669. Ex-Middlesbrough samba star Emerson to be reunited with Juninho & Ravanelli in charity game. The Brazilian midfielder is the latest star name to sign up for Mikkel Beck’s Covid-19 fundraiser.

    I have to admit I do not have an opinion on the Brazilian. I have read about his disappearances at the time. But also know AV rates him more than Juninho.

    Actually I have never seen Emerson play. Only some clips on the You Tube.

    When he signed for Boro in 1996, I had three kids at home. All between four and eight years. So they kept me so busy that I followed only the results of the Boro.

    So please share your memories about Emerson.

    The only Emerson I know was our fan relationship manager at Bero before he moved to Stoke.

    Up the Boro!

    2. My memories of him was that when he was in the right frame of mind he was truly awesome to watch and got fans off their seats. When he couldn’t be bothered he just didn’t turn up, literally in some instances.

      I wish I knew how these gifted individuals are wired because they have fantastic skills that are way beyond the ability of average and even very good footballer but they just seem to implode, be it Gazza, George Best or even a Gaston Ramirez or Ravel Morrison. I’m guessing that whatever it is that makes them ridiculously audacious out on the pitch is what makes them ridiculously unhinged and unstable off it.

      1. There was a run of games at the start of that first season, which I think included consecutive home drubbings of Coventry and West Ham in which we scored four goals both times, where Emerson was truly outstanding. The best on the pitch by far and probably the best I had seen in a Boro shirt.

        As RR says though, it didn’t last and wasn’t consistently produced thereafter.

        Great talent though and a pleasure to watch alongside Juninho and Rav.

      2. RR& Jarkko

        Emerson was the greatest player I ever saw in that era of TLF Rav etc

        I remember going to Everton and we were very close to Everton fans who were next to us and there was little segregation at that time.

        Everton played the ball forward and it was intercepted by Emerson who for some reason had drifted into the left back position. He was harried and chased down to the Boro left hand corner flag and instead of playing it out he hooked it over his shoulder weighting a perfect pass diagonally to Hignett who was standing on the half way line on the right wing and set up a perfect attacking move.

        The Everton fans were amazed and shouted over to us “who is this guy Emerson?” We just laughed and shouted back “ just another of our Brazilian stars!”

        Definitely the most skilful player I have ever seen in a Boro shirt

        OFB

      3. RR
        My favourite player of that era.
        I had better state why.
        We all love very good players, but, and it is a big but. When a very Good player is also a very powerful player, and I do not mean a dirty player, then you are in for a treat every time he plays.
        Every time he was on the field, you were pretty sure the opposition would not cut up rough (shades of Leeds United, number of sending off’s? god knows, many many against us, and it must have cost us lots of points)
        However, back to Emerson. No matter how big the match, you just knew that the opposition knew that they had no player in their side who could play one side of him. like a heavyweight champion he oozed class and power.
        We will not talk about the minor problem of defenders who were unhappy with all the stars being imported. It happens.
        Just remember the semi final replay in Sheffield, I was there, and thinking about it keeps me smiling.

  670. I think MFC’s response to the missing 4 home games from 2019/20 season is excellent, giving 4 match credit towards next season ticket and consulting with the EFL how they can give free streaming of the 4 home games to 2019/20 season ticket holders. Those that do not wish to renew next season can contact the club and get a pro rata refund for the 4 games.

    It was announced on MFC website and the gazette at lunchtime yesterday therefore I was surprised that nobody has mentioned it as at 15:25 today, I wonder why.

    Come on BORO.

    1. I agree that it is an excellent offer by Boro but can’t summon up much enthusiasm at the moment as there is still uncertainty that the resumption won’t be stopped either by a spike in general Covid 19 infections or among the players resulting from contacts during training/games. Also I was hoping that the season would either be declared void or settled on points per game leaving us safe. The win against Charlton may turn out just to be the blip in our non-winning run. The EG’s comment that 3 wins from 9 games would make us safe seems overly optimistic. If we start slowly, as we have frequently done so far, we could find it impossible to get back into our “home” games without the groans from fans waking the players up!
      I am still wondering if the 20/21 season will start in empty grounds before renewing my season card though, no matter how this season ends, I expect I will renew it. (I have already budgeted for my rail fares/hotels!)

    2. As you know living in Germany I’m not season ticket holder so it’s not something that affects me but while you may think it’s a great gesture by the club, do you think legally they had a choice? I think every company who can’t fulfil what customers have paid for because of Covid-19 have had to either offer a credit or a refund. Therefore you’d expect if you are unable to receive what you’d paid for then you will not have to pay for it.

      1. Werdermouth I am not surprised that you do not see anything positive in what MFC are doing and yes you are quite correct that legally they would have to pay back for the matches played behind closed doors but the point I was mainly referring to was the part that they are trying to get the EFL to agree to allow free viewing of the 4 streamed home games for 2019/20 season ticket holders, which they do not have to do.

        How many of this seasons ST holders would be willing to pay to watch those home games thereby, if EFL agree, it would be a further loss of income to the club and obviously those that want a cash refund would not get the free streamed games.

        Come on BORO.

        1. Unsurprisingly, I’m also not surprised you have chosen to view that simple clarification of fact as another opportunity to imply someone’s unsurprising lack of positivity towards the club, which is presume why you ended your initial post with “I wonder why” because nobody had as yet mentioned the story of the credit/refund.

          So while you may enjoy finding ways of reinforcing your narrative, I’m actually not impressed by these thinly veiled “another negative moaner” digs so save it for those who are. Personally, I’m not someone who subscribes to blind faith in any area of life but if that’s what makes you feel good about yourself then great, good for you. I simply regard myself as a Boro follower nothing more nothing less and will continue to comment, clarify and try to make sense of issues as I see them. And of course thanks for taking the time to reply.

      2. Would the usual ifollow rules governing EFL games being broadcast live still apply? Perhaps in the current unusual circumstances it would be possible to air them ( not necessarily for free). After all, as their will not be any spectators attendances will not be affected.

        1. I think It was always the plan to allow a domestic audience to watch games behind closed doors on iFollow – the EFL have more or less intimated that in a statement earlier this week…

          Whilst matches will unfortunately have to take place without supporters, we are working with our broadcast partners, EFL Championship Clubs and all relevant stakeholders to broadcast the remaining 108 games plus Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs either live on Sky Sports, iFollow or a Club’s equivalent streaming service

          I’m not sure if streaming all games for free would make financial sense and I’m also not sure what the implication would be for all those subscribers who have already paid for season passes – would they then be entitled for a refund. It could potentially be a good source of income for clubs if you consider 20,000 supporters at a fiver a game is £100 grand. The issue may be for the likes of Sky who pay clubs a lot of money to screen live games would no longer have much of an exclusive product and may find subscribers to their service are less likely to pay also.

        1. I suspect invoking Force majeure is a possibility (i.e. circumstance beyond reasonable control) but from what I’ve read it’s complicated and requires a company to firstly have it in the contract and also serve notice to the customer that they intend to use it. It also requires them to prove they couldn’t provide an alternative and perhaps may fall down if a club for example has agreed to resume playing games before restrictions on having supporters have been lifted – meaning they don’t have to start playing on June 20 but are choosing to do so. Either way, it’s not legally clear if can apply and would have to be tested in court.

          Interestingly, my ferry ticket to England at Easter was only offered a credit as P&O claimed the government hadn’t stopped them sailing but only stopped passengers from sailing unless they had a valid reason to do so – so no refund was possible as they were still fulfilling their obligation to sail – albeit without passengers. I exchanged a series of emails with them regarding their interpretation of certain EU Directives – which I think I won but their last reply was that “to save you further stress” (i.e. don’t bother to reply anymore) we’re not giving refunds and won’t change that position.

          Anyway, I don’t know if anyone has a season ticket and a Force majeure clause is in the terms and conditions. Sounds like something to make the lawyers rich again 🙂

      4. I think I recall the Office of Fair Trading stepping into a dispute with Spurs not refunding fans Ticket Money for a rearranged televised game many years ago (around 2010 maybe?).

        From fading memory the outcome I think was that the Footballing Authorities were politely warned about this behaviour at the time from the OFT and a memo was sent to all FA and EFL Clubs to the effect that if they were unable to supply the agreed article on the said time and date as originally purchased they were in breach of contract to those who had bought tickets and therefore had to refund them.

        I don’t know whether it applies today or if Season Card and Match Tickets as a consequence now have a disclaimer in small print somewhere on them but I would think that Clubs are as a minimum honour bound to refund fans for those game to be played behind closed doors. I believe some clubs are allowing a discount offset against next season’s cards or donations in lieu of to the NHS. Like many businesses at the moment a lot of football clubs probably can’t afford to reimburse and will be looking for ways to ease their cash flow problems rather than to worsen them.

  671. David, I will renew on the day before the new early bird deadline day (whenever it is announced). I would rather the integrity of the league is maintained by completing the season even if it means we are relegated (which I don’t think we will be), if we had drew or lost to Charlton would you have still wanted the season to be stopped on a points per game basis, as I am sure Lee Bowyer would have a different opinion now.

    Come on BORO.

    1. I admit to only being interested in Boro surviving so the integrity of the league would not be important to me whether games are called off before the restart or after some games have been played as long as Boro are not in the bottom three! If the fixtures had to be called when Boro had dropped into a relegation spot I would join Bowyer in complaining if Charlton are also there.
      I had already written off the amount I had paid for the last 4 home games so the free streaming and credit are better than I was expecting.

    2. Exmill
      I am surprised at you being very keen on the integrity of the league.
      One remembers the treatment dished out to Sheff. United by ‘the league’ when West ham fielded an unqualified player for half the season and survived (away to man United, said player had a blinder, scored the all important goal, natch.).
      They regained their rightful place last season.
      This is not opinion. A cartload of judges found for them, they got a very good smack around the ear, and a million quid.
      So plenty of principle on show there, bit like Blackburn really.

    1. The current start date of June 20 is still only provisional and before it can be confirmed the EFL say that they need to meet all the health and safety requirements for all players and staff. News yesterday stated that nine people at six clubs tested positive for Covid-19 in the latest round of testing, which is on top of the ten at eight clubs from last week. I presume they’d want to see fewer positive tests and only one or two clubs before they could decide to proceed. The EFL are also in discussion of increasing the number of subs to five in order to keep players fresher during the more intense schedule.

      So perhaps we’ll see a provisional fixture list but I’m sure they wouldn’t want to have to rip it up and start again so possibly the first round of games could in theory be stuck on the end if they can’t start on June 20 and then the same for each delayed round.

  673. All this talk of maintaining the integrity of the League is nonsense in my opinion. I don’t care that the Bundesliga is playing behind closed doors, integrity can’t be maintained in any sport without spectators. Home advantage goes out the window, just look at some of the strange results in Germany, and not only in Bundesliga 1. Just void the season as if it never happened or don’t continue until it is 100% safe to do so whether it’s this year, next year or even 2022 even though I might not be around to see it. Personally I’ve just lost interest and am not interested in watching any football, rugby, cricket or golf without spectators and atmosphere. Reading about the history of sports is a different matter, but at the moment I don’t care if I never see any of my favourite sports ever again. Could be that I’m too tired to watch, but that’s how I feel at the moment. Of course this is only my personal opinion, but we managed to do without sport during the War, what’s so different now? Oh, I know it’s money!

      1. I agree with RR about finishing the season whatever happens, even if that means it finishing in 2022 and having no 2020/21 season.

        To void the season would result in so many court cases and subsequent appeals that it would be more disruptive than further postponement.

        Finish the season, but don’t worry if it’s not any time soon.

        I appreciate that clubs may need a source of income in the meantime, or to radically cut costs. This is the same for many other businesses and sectors out there.

      2. If Boro were ten points clear at the top of the Championship would you think that the Season should just be cancelled? If you answer is yes then fair enough but I doubt that any Boro fan would be happy to see the chance of promotion lost if we were fortunate enough to be in that position.

        Many Leeds fans are not old enough to remember the last time their Club graced the top level and whilst I despise the club football is a sport and it should be played with honesty, integrity and decency (sadly these days it usually isn’t). With that sporting mindset for me it would be wrong on so many levels to deny clubs who have genuinely earned their opportunity to progress just as much as it would be to deny say Barnsley, Charlton or Luton the opportunity to fight until the bitter end.

        The last day of the season always sees many twists and turns as goals go in around the country in terms of clubs being relegated or promoted or just escaping the drop in the dying seconds to the heartbreak of another club. To deny that or simply dismiss it to me is wrong even though it drastically increases the chance of Boro being relegated. Finishing the season before starting another one is the correct and sporting thing to do. Whether that can be done safely in 2020 or later is academic to me.

        My memory recalls around twenty years ago Jimmy Glass coming up from his goal line for a last minute corner for Carlisle to score and keep them in the Football League (at the expense of Scarborough sadly) on the final day. That footballing memory stays with me due to the incredible and dramatic nature of it but for Cumbrians it is etched in the clubs history forever. That is what football is all about and what it should always be about.

      3. Most countries have cancelled the season and I doubt there has been any law cases.

        If we would top the league, I could accept the cancelation.

        What is point in playing this season without spectators? I would rather concentrate on the next season WITH fans in there.

        We will have some fans in the stands at the beginning of July when the new season starts in Finland. And most probably more in August. But of course the lock-up was very affected here as well as the country is not as densely populates as the UK.

        Up the Boro!

      4. I don’t see the point in playing any football without fans be it this season or next season but I really struggle to see the point or logic in terminating this season if we are no further to safely starting the next season? Its looking like this season is now being forcibly shoehorned in to try and get closure which I suppose is fair enough but if we cancel one season then cancelling the next one and maybe even the one after that could become second nature. Some Clubs may even manipulate situations if they feel it would be to there advantage which is where I fear a lot of support for abandoning this season originates.

        In life we need to finish what we started before we move onto anything new. When we finish 19/20 it isn’t important. What happens if we terminate this season so we can start afresh in August for Season 20/21 and then we get a second Covid spike and everything is locked down again? How many times do we cancel seasons and competitions? Why would fans want to buy season tickets or even match day tickets for something that may never be finished or just gets abandoned again?

        Once a precedent is set it can come back to haunt us.

  674. A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget’s Thesaurus
    crashed as it left a publishing house last Thursday,
    according to the Associated Press.
    Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, stupefied,
    confused, punchy, shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered,
    mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, flabbergasted,
    astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, boggled,
    overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, and perplexed.

  677. I understand and respect people’s opinions on whether this season becomes null and void, also no season at all 2020/21 with a brand new beginning for the season 2021/22.

    I would ask though how do clubs survive as they would still be liable for contracted players wages, staff wages ( even if slimmed down to skeleton staff) for the next 18 months with no income. Then there is the out of contract players, as I would assume no club would be willing to sign new players until the summer of 2021, do they join the unemployed. Even the contracted players with no games for 18 months, there is no point in training. There is talk of clubs going out of business if they play behind closed doors for the last few games of this season but how many will be gone after 18 months. A lot to ponder.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Sounds a lot like “ordinary” businesses. I guess if football clubs want to be run like businesses, they’d have to take the rough with the smooth.

      I guess there are a lot of players, coaches and managers in the top two divisions that can afford to go without pay for a while, or much reduced pay, and that would free up a lot of cash for other club employees who aren’t as well paid and genuinely need the support. I wonder what is happening now for players on a pay-as-you-play deal. Not a lot I guess and the same goes for those with a lot of bonuses in their contracts.

      I think it’s Seriously messy whatever you do but the least messy option is to complete the season when it is safe to do so.

  678. I’ve always been confident that Boro would not be relegated this season, but after doing AV’s predictor I am really surprised to find that my predictions have Boro relegated by one point along with Hull City and Barnsley all because of their having to play matches behind closed doors. I’m fairly confident that if spectators we’re allowed Boro would be in no danger.

    1. Ken, after being to nearly every home game for the last 19 years and seeing how some sections of the Riverside crowd can turn on individual players and/or the team early in a match because of a mistake or misplaced pass, especially since JW was appointed, I think playing behind closed doors could be beneficial to the Boro. Just maybe, they could play with a bit more freedom knowing that they can play the more adventurous pass without it being met with howls and jeers when it doesn’t come off, thus having to resort to the safe sideways/back pass.

      I understand that you have adjusted your predictions based on playing behind closed doors but do you not think it will also affect the opposition.

      Come on BORO.

      2. Maybe, but I based my predictions on the fact that most of Boro’s remaining matches are against superior opposition in my opinion in what amounts to almost a neutral ground. As I say, I was surprised by the outcome, but it’s going to be tight one way or another when I expected Boro to be well safe.

      3. Exmill
        I agree with you about the crowds anger on occasions.
        However, recently, when we get into a real trot, like 6 on the bounce perhaps,
        Even when the crowd is on our side and pleased with our performance.
        For instance, away from home, mid week, 2 down after ten minutes, the crowd loving it, no hostility whatsoever, we still play like a drain. So clearly kindness doesn’t do it for them.

  679. RR, I haven’t followed that closely but at least in Scotland the season is over. Also in the Netherlands, France, etc.

    Here, the new season will start so that the plan is play ka ind of play-offs. But already now a desision is made that if something happens COVID wise, the play-off round will be cancelled and the final table then will be valid. So planning is more flexible.

    As Woodgate said, there could be several players missing during the current season, as there will be COVID-19 among most squads.

    Tricky, all solutions have advantages and disadvantages. Up the Boro!

  680. I’m pleased for Boro fans especially those on this forum that all Boro’s matches will be available for viewing, but count me out. I’m so tired now because of health problems and bored about the whole scenario of sport and quite honestly am losing interest in watching any sport especially behind closed doors. I’ve fulfilled my aspirations of reviewing Boro’s history from the Northern League days up to date as far as I can, and have just finished doing the same for Castleford fans from 1926 to 2017, and enjoyed both projects along the way but it has taken its toll on me. So for now I’ll just keep updating my records on football, rugby league and golf but won’t be watching any sport that involves no spectators. Thanks to everyone on this forum for putting up with me these past few years. I’ll still read about football related items on this forum and try to answer any questions that folk may have, but from now on I’ll stick to music. It doesn’t matter if I fall asleep during listening to it as I feel it more cathartic.

    1. Ken

      I know how you feel and sometimes you have to get your priorities right.

      I too am not enamoured about watching football behind closed doors it just won’t be the same for me as the “real thing”

      Your contributions to this blog have been enormous and you have left a legacy for others which in years to come will be used by researchers about how it was for spectators years ago.

      So you amd the blog are part of history and hopefully you will take some comfort for what you have achieved over the past few years.

      You have made a lot of friends on here as we all have and thanks to Werder for setting it up and Redcar Red for the reports and the contributions of every post it is a historical document of an era

      Enjoy the music 🎵

      OFB

    3. What everyone else has said, Ken.
      I ha e to agree with you, there is little interest in games behind closed doors. A lot of the attraction of football, and other sports, is the bringing together of people with a common passion. This insistence on finishing fixtures before the people can share in the experience just confirms that the professional sport is wholly divorced from its origins. Very sad.

      RR is right, save the fixtures till it is safe. It is irrelevant if that is tomorrow or not till next year. But that will be the only way to retain any integrity.

      So. I hope you can relax and enjoy unwinding in your music and your garden and that hopefully you will find a little time to share some more of your poetic prose.

    4. I’m with you Ken on playing in empty grounds but as we know short term its all about the TV money, contractual obligations and even a little political with a small “p” in trying to keep the populous on board with locking down for just for a little longer. Ultimately clubs need income and also players need contracts resolving one way or another so it is what it is.

      Regardless of the reasons it will be a soulless experience and one that I am convinced will see some bizarre results as a consequence of the surreality of it all. I have to accept that its better than averaging points or just terminating things as at least there is still an element of competitiveness in it and ultimately the fairest method of finishing things off. Personally I’d prefer to wait until fans can attend in safety again but that could be some time yet and I’m probably in the minority.

      More importantly Ken your contributions on here are invaluable and provide a comprehensive record which will last as long as the Internet itself (which I suspect will outlive all of us on this blog) leaving a legacy for future generations to peruse. Without your dedication and detailed research the craft of previous generations would be less appreciated and understood and even forgotten about with the passing of time. Your work has brought the past to life and in doing so ensuring it has a future.

      Meanwhile, recharge the batteries, relax, unwind, enjoy the music and the Summer sunshine (when it returns) because there are chapters yet to be written.

  682. Ken

    You have a rest and recharge the batteries. We all very much appreciate your contributions both on present and matters passed. 😎

  683. Ken,

    I don’t post much on here these days, but I do regularly read other people’s comments and yours, in particular, always fascinate me.

    You’ve added so much knowledge to this Blog and we’d all be less well educated in Boro history without you. Take a rest but come back soon. Your beloved Boro and Cas will be waiting for you.

  684. Tomorrow afternoon CH 4 are showing a full re-run of the 1966 World Cup Final. Should be a good nostalgic experience for many and an opportunity for those who have never seen it in its entirety.

    1. GHW,

      I watched that game through a shop window in France in a small town in the Jura when I was hitching round France to go Switzerland, commentary free but still exciting. Needless to say the locals were all supporting Germany.

      Stay safe everyone.

      UTB,

      John

    1. Interesting that they’re planning to charge a UK-based supporter double what they charge an overseas supporter for what seems is essentially the same streaming service – the words “cashing” and “in” spring to mind to what is almost literally a captive audience.

      I’ve also heard that they’ve been experimenting with using ‘canned crowd noise’ to give the feeling of atmosphere, where someone basically raises the volume on a generic football crowd soundtrack as the action approaches the goal.

      I wonder if they’ve got a special ‘Booing’ soundtrack in reserve? Still, as long as they resist using the canned laughter soundtrack when players fluff their lines it may help avoid that eerie echoey atmosphere of players shouting at each other stock phrases of ‘time’ or ‘man-on’.

      1. werdermouth, I watched the Dortmund match last night and the Germans are already using “canned crowd” noises, yes they do “Booing” for when the ref gives a decision against the home side or the opposition commits a foul, also “cheering and clapping” for a good pass (home team only).

        I agree that it is a bit unfair charging £10 for UK supporters and it should be £10 for all but I think that for overseas viewers the price had already been set for this season so for contractual reasons they may not be able to increase it until next season.

        Come on BORO.

      2. How does ifollow work? Who gets the money, is it shared with the EFL?

        Obviously to begin with it was meant to be an increased revenue stream from overseas subscribers. It makes sense to try and get money in somehow without paying customers in the stadia.

    2. I’ve been having a twitter discussion this morning with a few Boro fans and we We’re talking about the impact Graeme Souness made to the Boro when he joined.

      I mentioned that Souness was in fact scouted and signed by Harold Shepherdson.

      Jim Platt who is a friend and we know each other well said I was wrong as he was signed by Stan Anderson.

      So we engage in a twitter fest as I gently proved him wrong.

      In this days I used to referee all the trial and junior games for Harold Shepherdson at Hutton Road and sometimes even Ayresome Park. I was part of the team with Stuart Loudon who was a Football League linesman and Tommy Radigan who eventually became the North Riding FA full time secretary.

      Shep liked to talk to us and often asked if we had seen any promising players on our travels. He also told us about new Boro players and Souness was one of those that we talked about.

      Stan Anderson was in dispute with the club and was leaving and Shep was going to take over as caretaker manager. He was on the look out for players and when on England duty As the assistant manager and trainer he asked the players if they knew of any young players he should look at. Peters and Chivers immediately mentioned Souness who was at their club Spurs and wanted to return home to Scotland. Shep talked to Alan Mullerry and Bill Nicholson amd was given permission to talk to Graeme Souness.

      Graeme wanted to return to Scotland but Shep pointed out that Boro was only an hour away by car !

      So he signed and the rest is history.

      So to conclude I’ve pointed this out to Platty who has acknowledged his mistake!

      Sometimes the fans know more than the players !!

      Up the Boro hope everyone is well and safe

      OFB

  688. GHW

    My understanding of iFollow is that it is owned by the EFL and clubs wishing to use it
    have to pay a substantial annual fee to the EFL. In return the EFL provide the club with and maintain a standardised website for each club and also broadcast the games on behalf of the clubs who chose to use the iFollow service. The clubs obtain revenue from the sale of their games either from season tickets or on an individual game by game basis.

    MFC you may remember decided not to go down the iFollow route as they wished to retain control of their website and media broadcasts.

    Riverside Live initially had more cameras than iFollow and also were able to show replays of goals or major incidents. They then introduced live commentary and eventually linked the commentary to the radio. iFollow has since the early days improved the format of the matches they broadcast. 😎

  689. Pedro

    I could be wrong but has not the individual match day pass for this season always been £10.

    I think the 6 euros was a couple of season’s ago when we initially had to watch via other club’s iFollow as MFC did not get their act together during the first season back in the Championship.

    1. Apparently Jo Brand the “comic”watched the 66 World Cup final and is so much of an expert she was one of the celebrities to talk about it on channel 4

      OFB

      1. So as I understand it there is not any change to the pricing structure and season ticket holders are being compensated for not being able to attend via a free streaming service which seems fair to me.

        I am not sure of the reason for the price differential between UK and overseas supporters and can only presume it is to make up for the loss of potential gate income from UK based supporters.😎

        1. I seem to recall that there was a Boro game available to be streamed by UK-based supporters earlier in the season and it was priced at a tenner – I just did a quick search of the comments and discovered it was Forest away on 10 December. I suspect the pricing structure is determined by the EFL even for clubs who are not part of iFollow.

          Though from purely selfish point of view, I’m wondering if the streaming servers will cope with potentially 10-20 thousand additional UK-based Boro supporters and perhaps the same number of away supporters logging in – hopefully they’ve increased their bandwidth for the extra demand.

  690. Following up about Emerson…

    Here’s an extract from Tom Flight’s really good read, ‘Yer Joking Aren’t Ya?’, a chronicle of 1996-97. A full review will follow in time.

    “On the pitch (Emerson) was difficult to take your eyes off. His long soul-glo perm shimmered no matter the weather or time of day. He had a powerful physique and controlled the ball with such ease. There didn’t seem to be anything he couldn’t do with a football… In (his) excellent book The Mixer (another one on my shelf – Si)… Michael Cox describes him as one of the ‘game’s first genuine deep-lying playmakers… hugely talented, boasting great authority in possession, and was capable of spreading play to the flanks with long diagonal balls… his passing range was unlike anything else in English football at the time.’ Emerson also had a penchant for outrageous long-range screamers, which he demonstrated emphatically against West Ham. (And Hereford, and Huddersfield, and Chesterfield, and Manchester United, and Sunderland – twice. – Si)”

    By the time October came around, Emo, as many called him then, was stealing the show against Huddersfield in the cup. His goal was great, of course, but Tom drew my attention to a pass… skip to 9:01 for the full move.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wevfVgAQJ1Q

    Juninho traps it, spots Emo running, and without interrupting his stride the not-so-little Brazilian clips the ball into the path of Ravanelli. 4-0.

    1. Thanks, Simon and all.

      I have learnt a lot about the Brazilian. As said, I had three kids all under the age of eight at the time and didn’t follow Boro intensively as before or after.

      Up the Boro!

  691. Truthfully, it’s what happened later in October, or early November, that interests me more. Many may recall that Nigel Pearson was sidelined for four months following a serious neck injury in a challenge with Marcus Gayle. That was after a 0-0 draw with a then very high flying Wimbledon. Not long after that, Robbo was to receive some very bizarre news. Over to you, Tom…

    “Emerson had gone missing.”

    “The true story behind Emerson’s disappearance remains a mystery. It was certainly unexpected after he had played those first half a dozen games with such flair. Boro fans were in awe and he appeared to bask joyously in their adoration. He gained immediate respect from his team mates, and didn’t appear to have any issue integrating himself into an English dressing room… All seemed rosy, but then at the start of November (after the 3-1 loss in Toon Town) he didn’t turn up for training the next day. Or the next day. Or the day after that… The first excuse the club received was that he was visiting a sick aunt. Then they started hearing about how his wife Andrea was also homesick and was struggling to settle in Teesside. Apparently Redcar beach wasn’t quite the same as the Copacabana… The squad felt let down by his behaviour, coming at a time when the club’s form was starting to slip.*

    “…The third Brazilian in the squad, Branco, had been let go by the club in October** which apparently Emerson did not take well… Unlike Juninho, whose whole family had made the move to Middlesbrough to help him settle, Emerson’s family stayed in Rio, his parents both scared of flying. All Emerson and Andrea had were each other. Emerson had left Brazil for Portugal at 19 so was used to living away from home. But culturally Portugal is similar to Brazil and there is no language barrier.”

    *Higgy is more forgiving in hindsight. ‘People forget that he was only a kid really. He was only about 24. That’s young to be moving to a brand-new country, a brand new way of life.’ Andrea was only 21.

    **He didn’t justify the pay packet. I suppose similar could be said of Alves and Rochemback – that Brazilian duo seemed to be forming some kind of understanding which Alves couldn’t really do with the likes of Didier Digard.

    (Source: Tom Flight.)

  692. When will the matches start? Wanted to double check the dates but they are not anywhere. I checked the BBC and mfc.co.uk sites.

    Was the Swanseas game on Saturday 20th?

    Up the Boro!

    1. Restarting the Championship on 20 June is still provisional and the EFL won’t confirm it will actually happen until they are convinced it’s safe to do so – I suspect they may be waiting on the next round of Covid tests to see whether there’s been anymore clubs with positive results.

      1. I’m wondering about the logistics of it all and how it will work? Putting Players in a Coach for several hours isn’t a great idea and how many Coaches will Clubs now have to use to try and distance, two three or more?

        Boro will presumably host Swansea at home on the 20th but when will the Swans travel up and how? Will they come up by Coach on the Friday evening and stay overnight at a local Hotel (if they can find one open) or more likely will they charter a plane (should be plenty available) with the playing staff again all sat in close proximity?

        If players are going to have to take some risks then I think its only reasonable to allow some fans to enter the grounds to spectate but just Home fans only. If the Riverside as an example was reduced to say 8,000 or 10,000 capacity they could be spread out around the ground with one seat occupied every third seat and then staggered seating at the next row down etc. Masks would be compulsory and anyone defying the controls gets turfed out with a lifetime ban from all sporting arenas along with a pre agreed £5,000 fine as part of the ticketing contract.

        As match and season tickets are being refunded Clubs could charge what they like to both maximise income and reduce demand. Unfortunately pricing out many fans in the process but under the circumstances needs must and tickets will be very limited. I could only imagine what Manchelskiarsepool City would likely charge but it would provide some atmosphere even if its just of the pre season friendly type. Anything would be better than nothing.

        1. I’ve not heard any logistics framework mentioned – though I’m presuming since all the staff from each club are being tested weekly then social distancing on coaches shouldn’t be an issue – unless somebody contracts the virus between tests. In which case you could easily end up with nearly everyone on a long coach journey getting infected.

      2. RR,

        Given that the players are about to play a full-contact match, I don’t think social distancing on the way to the game is of particular consequence.

        A spread out- reduced crowd in the stadium makes sense so long as fans can come into, and get away from, the stadium in a safe way. That would probably require time slots for each fan and is a logistical non-starter I think.

        1. That’s a very good observation Andy that is easily overlooked – the players are indeed about to participate in a full-contact sport that in any other circumstance of everyday life under current restrictions is still not permissible. It does make you wonder whether it will make people watching forget that social distancing is still very much required – indeed maybe resuming football is sending out the wrong signals.

          The crowd question is probably as you say a non-starter but given people are getting on the London Underground and participating in demos, it’s likely some form of large gatherings will now start happening by default. People start ignoring the perception of risk once they see enough people behaving in apparent normality.

  693. RR
    I could go along with your suggestion if I believed that the government has got a full grip on this pandemic and everything in place to deal with a second spike in infections.

    Regrettably, in my view, that is not the case and in the interests of safety of spectators, players, officials and staff, spectators will have to be excluded until such time as the risk to one another is a lot lower and any infection spikes can quickly be eradicated.

    To my mind there are more important industries to get back up and running before football. Sadly that may result in a number of clubs failing (no one wants that to happen with staff, players, supporters and community all suffering) but football is not immune to the challenges and consequences that all other businesses have to face.

    The view has been expressed for many a year that a full restructure of the game was required and it may well be that the pandemic proves to be the trigger. 😎

  695. I guess the EFL have been convinced it’s OK to resume after the the latest round of Covid testing of Championship players and staff only produced two positive tests from two clubs.

    I also imagine there will be some issues around fitness and particularly match-fitness since players have only just returned to full training on Friday. So wouldn’t be surprised to see some freak results and you’d wonder just how much defensive drilling has been possible whilst social distancing has been in place.

    1. Just when I asked about the dates, they went public a few hours later ..

      They are all now on the BBC website, too that I prefer to use for checking the fixtures before hand.

      Up the Boro!

  696. Overall, it’s going to be a tough schedule for the players as after the first game against Swansea there’s a week until the next game but then it’s 8 games in 25 days for players who are probably short of fitness. Also, I haven’t heard confirmation of whether the EFL will be allowing 5 subs yet.

  697. Personally I think the various leagues have overestimated the demand for televised football. I’d be very surprised if MFC were to attract 10-20,000 fans to watch their games.

    In the “ New Normal” I don’t think football will command the same following it had previously. Many fans go to games, become fans and therefore consume all things club related, including watching on TV very much out of habit.

    This hiatus in football may well see many fans not returning to their clubs. This “ Cold Turkey” of no football may well work like giving up any other activity that has been acquired simply by habit.

    This enforced break may well see lots of supporters simply cutting back on the amount of time and money they devote to their clubs. Of course they will still follow news of their clubs and check results, but I fear we could well be seeing the beginning of the end for quite a few lower league clubs.

    Will it be, absence makes the heart go fonder or, out of sight, out of mind?

    1. I think there are potentially a lot of dead-rubber games and particularly in the PL where Liverpool could in theory confirm the title after one game and we still don’t know if European football next season is even feasible.

      While I’ve not really thought about football much at all in the last few months, once a few games and a few talking points have arisen, it may start to draw people back into the soap opera that is football.

      Although a few dull games without a crowd could just make the whole experience of only passing interest – but a game every 3 days will add momentum as long as there’s something to play for.

  698. I would imagine that the “Form” as was will go right out of the window once play restarts. I wouldn’t be surprised if the likes of Boro or Barnsley won five n the trot while Leeds or the Baggies couldn’t buy a goal never mind a win.

    The enforced break will have disrupted momentum, bad for those at the top but good for Boro and the other bottom dwellers. Of course the best Player, Managers and Squads should in theory still perform the best but as we know football isn’t like that. Those Clubs with recently new Management appointments (Huddersfield and Stoke for example) may benefit from losing the old mentality and learning the new.

    What will be crucial is that Clubs hit the ground running and get a few early victories under their belt just in case things are terminated quickly again as well as for their state of mind. The “R” rate will be at the forefront of owners and managers minds in fear of Relegation rather than Reinfection.

    For Boro the pause may have given Woodgate and his managerial team time to take a breather and assess where they went wrong in the season to date. Unexpectedly presented with the opportunity to reorganise and restrategise could be a stroke of good fortune. It may even be the saving of his tenure as Boro boss. For the sake of the club the alternative just isn’t worth contemplating. As we enter an unknown new normal and as mentioned above by KP many clubs perhaps going to the wall, dropping down to League One could be unsustainable it its present form and as GHW points out attendances and support will likely have dwindled for many clubs already as the habit is broken.

  699. Then on the other hand, after being starved of meaningful British football for 3 months it could rekindle the interest for some.

    Come on BORO.

    1. With the habit being interrupted, earnings and incomes seriously depleted and employment prospects at an all time low coupled with with redundancies and closures soaring I wouldn’t think the price of Football would be high up on the list of many families priorities just now or even in the short to mid term future.

  700. Werder
    Re your post at 1:41. You make a very pertinent point re the increased numbers tuning in and the possibility of enough capacity/bandwidth.

    I for one, having purchased an annual match pass, will not be enamoured if the system does not cope and my stream is impacted.

    I feel an enquiry to MFC on this point is appropriate and will contact them in the next day or so. 😎

    1. Although in a similar position KP and with similar concerns, I feel there is nothing we can do but just accept what they dish out.

      Although it will be nice to watch them if the system copes I fear the performance will disappoint. Having already spent the money I have mentally written it off together with my hopes for survival.

      I trust I will be pleasantly surprised……

      1. Lets hope the only “Bandwidth” debates are about next seasons shirt and not the video quality to avoid a new “Typical Boro”.

  701. We have seen a lot of people going back to basics. I mean nobody thinks about a fancy trip to Thailand for a holiday, for example. More down to earth attitude is emerging now in the new normal.

    Basic values, me thinks.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if football is one of the new normals, when the stadia open for people. I think the same can happen as after the war when football was more popular than ever before.

    Just thinking in loud. Up the Boro!

    1. Football outside of the Premiership will need fans more than ever to survive. Question is will the fans be able to afford the luxury?

  702. AV has picked up and expanded on the logistical challenge we talked about on here yesterday in an article today.

    https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/middlesbrough-championship-fixtures-headache-restart-18382918

    Why are long journey games scheduled for 7.45 or 8.00 pm kick off times in midweek fixtures? I doubt it is so everyone can finish work in time to go and watch the match?

    Surely with travel still complicated and many of us still stuck at home anyway these games could kick off at 3.00 pm? The objective is merely to finish the season off and not to accommodate fans so why impose kick off times that make no sense in a world devoid of hotels, air travel and restricted train timetables?

    1. There’s probably a case for playing games that involve potentially long journeys at a neutral venue somewhere close to half distance between the grounds – OK the home team will lose out but they’ll gain with another away fixture.

        1. It does sound pretty vague and I’m not exactly sure what is meant by ‘if a season ends early and cannot be completed’ – e.g. does playing behind closed doors mean the season is continuing for now but could be ended if for example there are either an increase in Covid-19 cases or players start testing positive and clubs can’t play.

          Of course, if any team is either in a promotion place or not in a relegation spot they would be mad not to vote to end the season on a points-per-game basis – in fact the teams who would benefit by continuing must be in a small minority. The caveat however is that these rules would then apply for a certain number of subsequent seasons and some may regret voting that way. However, football at the best of times is focused on the short term so it would seem to me that a vote to end the season on a points-per-game basis looks like it would gain a 51% majority as it should favour more than half of all clubs.

  703. Are we finally coming to a time where we need to start thinking about formations and team selections again? It feels very strange – somehow stranger than before the first game of a season following the usual summer break. Perhaps it’s the lack of an equivalent to pre-season.

    With so many of our squad either with us on loan on out of contract before long, you wonder how many of the players are well motivated. That might be the main call when it comes to picking the team: who’s up for this?

    Putting that to one side and assuming everyone is fit and well, it’s still wingbacks for me:

    Pears
    Makoudi Ayala Fry
    Spence Howson Clayton Coulson
    Roberts Wing
    Fletcher

    1. Could go with that Andy, but will Ayala be up for it. He is more likely to be thinking about his next contract and where about in England he will be living?
      I believe Woodgate has already said he will not be able to play every match?

      1. I’d be OK with Andy’s selection but think I’d go with Shotton instead of Moukoudi. The worry about contracts and motivation is a very real one for all clubs. I doubt any Player whose contract officially end in three weeks will fancy clattering into opponents and risking a lengthy unpaid lay off.

        Pears
        Howson Shotton Ayala Fry
        Clayton

    1. Of those on loan or out of contract, I have few doubts about the attitude of Friend, Howson or Shotton. Makoudi is playing for a decent move I think so I would trust him as well.

  706. It does seem to be an issue if loan players and other players have their contracts ending at the end of June – it means most of these can essentially only play two games unless they’re are given an extension.

    However, the other big issue is that the transfer window was originally scheduled to open tomorrow – I’ve not heard whether the ‘summer’ window has been changed but it does raise the prospect of players being bought and even sold before the current season has finished.

    Will Championship teams be raided by PL clubs fighting for survival? It sounds like there could be quite a few distractions for clubs.

    1. Having just checked, the PL have announced the transfer window will remain closed until the season finishes in July – though the EFL have not yet made any announcements.

      Although I should add that clubs can as usual sign free agents and with many players contracts due to end in a few weeks it could still mean clubs can bolster their squads with new signings – especially if you consider many clubs may be reluctant to offer extension if they are struggling financially after Covid – or indeed facing relegation.

      For example, if Ayala decides not to sign a new contract with Boro he could in theory sign for Leeds on 1st July as a free agent.

      1. werdermouth, I believe I read an article earlier about the proposed changes to the transfer window and one of the points was a out of contract player can sign for a new club but he cannot play in the new clubs fixtures of 2019/20, in other words he cannot play for them until next season.

        Come on BORO.

        1. In theory that would make sense but existing rules currently allow free agents to sign at any point during the season so I guess in practice it could be tested on whether it could be legally enforced to prevent a free agent from joining another club. Clubs could offer short-term contract extensions but if players refuse it could end up as one of those loopholes that is difficult to plug.

      2. Yes, I agree prior to Covid19 out of contract players could sign and play for their new club but at the same time there was no such thing as short term contract extension and I believe it was when they brought that in, that the out of contract rule was brought in as in the case of Lyle Taylor at Charlton. I may be wrong though.

        Come on BORO.

        1. I’ve just checked on that and yes the EFL have indeed ruled last week that any player becoming a free agent at the end of June 2020 will not be allowed to play for their new clubs until the 2020-21 season. Although clubs can still approach players from other clubs who will be out of contract on 30 June from the 24th June – so a potential to lose players but no new signings to replace them.

  707. With regards to the article that EFL clubs will vote on today, the main point is to include the outcome in the football rules and regulations. Prior to Covid 19 there is nothing to deal with a situation like this but after the vote, whether there is another “spike” or in years to come another interruption to the season it will be set in stone how the season will be ended.

    As for the late kick offs, it doesn’t really matter about trains, hotels etc as the only people who should be travelling will be the matchday squad and staff, presumably returning straight after the match.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Clubs often stay overnight in local Hotels before the Saturday 3.00 pm kick offs unless its within and hour or two travelling time (Sunderland/Leeds for example). I doubt Boro would be travelling by Coach to Millwall arriving at 6.45 pm to kick off an hour later.

      Normally clubs would travel (by whatever means) up or down to stay locally and train for a while before travelling to the ground. I would reckon that Swansea won’t be setting off from South Wales at 7.00 am to drive up to Teesside on Saturday.

  708. As an afterthought to late kickoffs, with an evening match there is more people likely to purchase the TV match as opposed to Wednesday afternoon or teatime kick off.

    Come on BORO.

    1. That’s what it is Exmil, almost certainly.

      However, with so many of us forced to work from home, or on furlough, or worse having lost their employment, there could be little difference in the potential audience for a televised game at 12 noon or at 8pm.

      2. True Redcar Red but we don’t know what changes were made at halftime and maybe our first team won 2-0 and 2nd team lost 3-0, either way a 3-2 defeat away from home against a Premiership squad who started the comeback at least a week earlier is not a bad warm up match.

        Come on BORO.

  711. Talking of contracts and Players coming and going we are again being linked in the press with Lyndon Dykes from Livingston. I mentioned him last year but with all the fervour now around him apparently Rangers and Celtic are keeping tabs along with Boro, Stoke, Barnsley, Blackburn and every man and his dog so his value is now reportedly £2M.

    If our model is a new sustainable one for me we have missed the boat with him. His value has gone to a level where I wouldn’t be willing to risk that sort of serious cash on him. As we know not all Players make the step up from Scottish football to the Championship. So putting my head on the block here are two others that I reckon would be worth a gamble ad both at probably sub £500K.

    The first one is a Polish lad, Gracjan Jaroch from Poznan, a 22 year old, he is only 5ft 6″ but a lively player with an eye for finding the back of the net. The other is a North Macedonian called Milan Ristovski currently plying his trade at FC Nitra, again 22 years old but 6ft and knows where the goal is.

    I would reckon the wages for either (or both) would be equivalent to twenty minutes of a Rudy Gestede or a Britt Assombalonga. Both come from Nations that are not exactly known as playing shrinking violet football so I doubt they would be remotely phased by a cold wet Tuesday in Barnsley.

    I would guess they would jump at the chance of playing in the Championship and if they don’t make the grade its a relatively small gamble. If one or even both made it then they would be absolute bargains. Challenge is to jump in and gamble before they attract attention the way that Dykes is now. By doing so of course means that they are much more of a gamble but at the price I reckon they can be had for one thats worth the relatively small outlay.

    Poznan also have a decent defensive midfielder called Kupczak but he is knocking on a bit at 28 years old but I would see him as a budget replacement for Clayts (if he goes) plus Kupczak also has a few goals in him.

    One of the problems we have reportedly had in the NE is attracting Players to the area, by looking for Players in regions where Middlesbrough would be seen as a decent place to live reduces that argument.

    2. RR
      We should be looking at players who are on the rise and hungry to move up in the game, think Wing.
      There is no such thing as ‘I will not go ‘there’ when you know this is your big chance of catching the eye of the giants.
      This is what all young talented and hungry players do to hit the top. It is a hard row to hoe but the rewards are off the dial.
      As ever it comes down to recruitment, shortly some big club is going to sound off about how they spotted the class of Wing and had to get him.
      And our heroes will tell us they had no idea and 6-7 Mill was too Good to knock back, and no they have no sell on clause, because the buying club said they don’t do sell on’s.
      Now where have we heard this before?

  713. Sunderland ’til I die season 3 is going to be one hell of a gut punch for my wife. She doesn’t like football but she has watched the last two seasons with appalled fascination. She keeps expecting a happy ending.

  714. Just a quick word to thank everyone for their kind remarks. I haven’t been too well lately, nothing to do with coronavirus, but a kidney infection had raised my PSA level and I needed a blood test yesterday to check things out. My cancer consultant normally sees me or phones me every 8 weeks, but he wanted to talk with me this morning after a period of only 4 weeks. However the good news is that the PSA level has started to fall again and he’s quite happy to revert to the 8 week consultations.

    I’ve had many tired days lately, but music has been a comfort and in my better days I’ve kept busy by continuing my review of the history of my second love Castleford Tigers which I completed a couple of days ago. Of course their history only went back to 1926, but I managed to find a book which gave details of every match played up to 2016 and the last 4 years I reviewed from memory. Older Cas fans seemed to enjoy my memories of the seasons in the mid sixties when I first began to take an interest in Rugby League.

    Maybe when we get back to ‘proper’ football I’ll review Boro’s recent seasons if my health continues to improve, and also start watching some television again without falling asleep. Also I’m hoping to resume time spent relaxing in my garden when we get some warm weather again. In the meantime I’m not going to watch any sport played behind closed doors, but will still pop in to Diasboro now and again if only to reassure folks I’m still alive. As ever, I hope everyone is fit and well, and for those self employed or on furlough that reduced income is not a major concern at the moment. God bless you all, and of course ‘Up the Boro’.

    1. Sorry to hear you have not been too well Ken but pleased that you appear to be on the mend. Keep well and safe and look forward to hearing from you when you feel up to it. 😎

  715. Studying poachers. Sort of refreshing myself in football.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBndCI-8Jvo

    I think, out of all Britt’s goals, that only one of them in this clip was about taking a man on and beating him. A poacher isn’t bought to do anything fancy in the penalty area – he’s bought to do what’s right. Be in the right place at the right time to get the ball over the line no matter what. And know exactly where to put the ball once he’s in the danger zone.

  716. Sunderland ‘Til I Die, by the way? Great TV. Even as a Boro fan one is totally engrossed in it. It’s also like a tale of Boro past, present and even (at the time) future. Cattermole, Leads, McNair, Stockdale, Ashley Fletcher, Jason Steele…

  717. I’m guessing that the Swans game on Saturday has been moved to a 12.30 kick off to facilitate them travelling back down to Swansea. I’m wondering will they fly up in the morning and then back down on the afternoon or arrive by Coach Friday evening and then stay overnight in a local hotel? Understandably crammed and rushed, not ideal preparation for them under the circumstances.

    Our next opponents Stoke currently have their Manager self isolating after a positive Covid-19 test. Again not great preparation for them so both games present an opportunity for Boro to pull clear if they perform to the level of this squads theoretical capabilities.

    After the enforced break and the opportunity for a period of reflection I would expect to see tangible evidence of tactical progress. This squad of players may not be Champions League but they are comfortably top half Championship and now is the time for the coaching staff to prove they have what it takes. In the history of the game struggling managers and coaches have never had an opportunity to press the pause button to clear their heads, even the war years lasted seasons not months out of one season. Its now or never.

      1. Yes, it was on The Echo page:

        “MIDDLESBROUGH’S return to Championship action will see them compete in a lunch-time kick-off against Swansea City.

        ” The match at the Riverside on Saturday, June 20 will kick-off at 12.30pm.”

        Up the Boro!

    1. Indeed not. Good heavens, we can’t be seen to be ridiculing a bigotted two-faced psychophant and his wholly inadequate performance now, can we ?

  719. Andy R raised the question about the Boro line up for the Swansea match recently

    I do not know if we would go back to the original 4-3-3 formation or not. But there are a few players I want to see in the line up.

    First, I want to see some attacking intend. So for me the line up must include Flecher and Assombalonga, both We need to have two proper strikers there.

    Seconly, I hope to see Ayala and Fry in the defence. I know we need to rest the Spanian in every second match now after his injury. But he is the best defender we have and one of the best in the league.

    And I hope to see both Howson and Spece in the team. The more experienced player to support the young speedster on the right side.

    And finally, I hope we can play Roberts there behind Fletcher and Assombalonga. I do not know if we can also fit Lewis Wing in the same team, but I hope so.that would be exiting 😊.

    And we still have McNair, Tavernier, Coulson etc. to choose from.

    We have some good players and I believe we will finish outside of the bottom three. Then JW can bring a few new players in. I think Boro will be solid financially compered to most Champioship teams in the next window – especially so as a few high earners can be shifted out or re-signed for a ‘new-normal’ salary.

    Up the Boro!

    1. Fair points Jarkko. I did consider the Fletcher-Assombalonga partnership but in the end I think I’ve grown fed up of Britt and would rather see Wing AND Roberts play.

      Just goes to show how pretty much no-one would pick the same XI so the manager will always come in for widespread criticism unless he’s winning.

    2. I think what your post shows Jarkko is that Woodgate has a strong squad to select from when a few of us on here are struggling to fit certain players in and very reluctant to drop others. A healthy problem to have for any club!

      The negative to that of course is not knowing what is the best starting eleven never mind the best formation to play them. Hopefully the break will have sharpened minds and the coaches come back with some renewed determination, organisation and confidence in their strategy.

      I think most managers at this level would be delighted with that squad especially as they are all now just about fit with the exception of Dijksteel who will be out for a while longer while he recuperates. If Woodgate is ever going to succeed as a manager now is the time for him to prove it. His best run of results came when he was short on players and was forced to play who was available. Now is the time for him to deliver with a near enough full squad to select from.

      Charlton have lost a key player so I suspect will likely struggle and splutter. I think Barnsley and Wigan will put up a fight, Luton will probably peter out while Hull seem to have internal issues which before the break manifested out on the pitch and could continue to nosedive. It’s possible Boro could survive in spite of rather than because of but survival needs to be achieved with a belief and an indication that a corner has been turned. Merely scraping survival will not bode well for the end of this season’s recess and the start of the next (whenever it comes) of the new season. Now is a fantastic opportunity for a statement of intent from the Coaches.

      1. RR
        Let us hope history does not repeat itself and that JW does not struggle with who to play and in what formation. We have to believe that he has learned something from the early part of this season.

        Our early kick off gives us the opportunity to put down a marker and put the teams beneath us under pressure.

        CoB 😎

  721. We got the pandemia in order better than in most countries here in Finland.

    Our football season will start in the beginning of July – original date was end of April. So COVID-19 had a two month delay in here. Because of snow, we play football in the summer.

    Today our governement decided that some spectators can get into matches, too.

    Every second row of seats must be totally empty. Also every second seat on a row used must be empty – so nobody needs to sit close to the next one.

    So in practice it means that the stadia are used only one sixth of maximum capasity. So not all season ticket holders cannot get in. But at least there are some spectators.

    I do not know if shouting or singing is allowed.

    Up the Boro!

  722. Andy R
    Just read your comment about our First team selection for the restart, and what would be my selection.
    I am a fan who rather annoyingly, would always select players who he had seen play really well. That means no wild cards, no players who have disappointed, no players carrying an injury, no players in the shop window.
    I follows that I would not take the field without the following.
    Pears, better than his father, and taller, very important.
    Friend, if fit, and that is a must, the fitness I mean.
    Ayala, again, fitness is an absolute must.
    Tav. Never been less than very Good at this level.
    Wing, must be just behind the striker, he is a playmaker and goalscorer, so, no taking corners, that is a waste of talent.
    Fletcher, the striker, no need for any other striker, Wing and Tav. Will do the business.
    Been impressed by Coulson
    Fry must be left in the middle of the defence permanently
    Spence impressed me hugely
    Which leaves us wondering about Roberts?
    Can we really afford to leave out Howson?
    Answers on a postcard.

  723. The problem with ourselves trying to pick a starting eleven for the Swansea game is that it is 3 months since the last match, basically the same length of time between seasons and we all know players form changes from season to season.

    Even JW and his staff have only a small window to assess which players are up for it, if for example as reported Ayala has had talks with Leeds, would he really risk injury in a 50/50 tackle.

    Come on BORO.

    1. Chris Assombalonga, Britt’s brother, played at Dagenham & Redbridge and Waltham Abbey a few years ago. Possibly an in-joke related to that?

  727. Re: team selection, the central core of our team ie centre backs (2or 3 depending on formation) and centre midfield (1 or 2) should be chosen for their solidity. The criteria for choosing all other positions – bar gk – is speed.
    Which leaves Britt on the bench.
    And if Wing is playing he needs to play number 10, as any deeper he risks being a liability due to his unorthodox approach to tackling.

  729. Anybody who has had cancer or has looked after a loved one who has had cancer for a long period of time will know how debilitating that can be especially when there hasn’t been a period of remission. Some days are almost lost completely in a state of lethargy, and the longer it goes on the longer the period that lethargy can last for days on end. Then suddenly there is a further period of normality and today is one of those days, so having been through the mill when even my love of music has now become a bore, as I recently mentioned I completed my review of the history of Castleford Tigers right up to the current season. I wondered if the more recent years would have the same appeal as the seasons prior to Super League would have, but surprisingly Cas fans loved to be reminded of recent years good or bad.

    Now this is academic to Boro fans, but got me thinking that maybe I should have continued reviewing Boro’s history. I think I may have got as far as the 2005/06 season, thinking that any subsequent seasons were well remembered by most people and it was perhaps as far as most people wished to be reminded about. After all it’s hardly history in the broadest sense of the word, but it is still nostalgia. Since the lockdown with no football to watch, the Boro website has frequently reminded us of ‘on this day in, etc.’ and shown reports or video recordings of certain Boro matches, so as I’m feeling alert today I thought I might pick out a season when Boro broke all records for the most competition matches in a season, no less than 64 in the 2005/06 season so in chronological order, here goes:-

    1st. 13 Aug Home League Liverpool 0-0 //31,908

    2nd. 20 Aug Away League Tottenham 0-2

    3rd. 23 Aug Away League Birmingham 3-0 (Viduka 2, Quedrue) //9th

    4th. 28 Aug Home League Charlton 0-3 //12th – 26,206

    5th. 10 Sep Home League Arsenal 2-1 (Yakubu, Maccarone) //7th – 28,075

    6th. 15 Sep Home EUFA Prel FC Xanthi 2-0 (Boateng, Viduka) – 14,191

    7th. 18 Sep Away League Wigan 1-1 (Yakubu) //8th

    8th. 25 Sep Home League Sunderland 0-2 //11th – 29,583

    9th. 29 Sep Away EUFA Prel FC Xanthi 0-0, 2-0 aggregate

    10th. 2 Oct Away League Aston Villa 3-2 (Yakubu 2 1pen Boateng) //10th

    11th. 15 Oct Home League Portsmouth 1-1 (Yakubu) //10th – 26,551

    12th. 20 Oct Away EUFA Group Grasshoppers Zurich 1-0 (Hasselbaink)

    13th. 23 Oct Away League West Ham 1-2 (Quedrue) //12th

    14th. 26 Oct Away Carling Cup 3rd Round Everton 1-0 (Hasselbaink)

    15th. 29 Oct Home League Manchester Utd 4-1 (Mendieta 2, Hasselbaink, Yakubu pen) //10th – 30,579

    16th. 3 Nov Home EUFA Group Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 3-0 (Yakubu Viduka 2) – 12,953

    17th. 6 Nov Away League Everton 0-1//13th

    18th. 20 Nov Home League Fulham 3-2 (Morrison, Yakubu, Hasselbaink) //11th – 27,599

    19th. 24 Nov Away EUFA Group AZ Alkmaar 0-0

    20th. 27 Nov Home League West Brom 2-2 (Viduka, Yakubu pen) //10th – 27,041

    21st. 30 Nov Away Carling Cup 4th Round 2-1 Crystal Palace (Viduka, Nemeth) – 10,791

    22nd. 3 Dec Away League Chelsea 0-1 //10th

    23rd. 10 Dec Away League Liverpool 0-2 //13th

    24th. 14 Dec Home EUFA Group Liteks Lovetch 2-0 (Maccarone2) – 9,436

    25th. 18 Dec Home League Tottenham 3-3 (Yakubu 2, Quedrue) //13th – 27,614

    26th. 21 Dec Home Carling Cup Blackburn 0-1 – 14,710

    27th. 26 Dec Home League Blackburn 0-2 //13th – 29,881

    28th. 31 Dec Home League Manchester City 0-0 //14th – 28,022

    29th. 2 Jan Away League Newcastle 2-2 (Yakubu, Hasselbaink) //16th

    30th. 7 Jan Away FA Cup 3rd Round Nuneaton 1-1 (Mendieta)

    31st. 14 Jan Away League Arsenal 0-7 //16th

    32nd. 17 Jan Home FA Cup Replay 5-2 Nuneaton (Riggott, Yakubu 2 1 pen, Parnaby, Viduka) – 26,255

    33rd. 21 Jan Home League Wigan 2-3 (Hasselbaink, Yakubu) //17th – 27,208

    34th. 28 Jan Away FA Cup 4th Round Coventry 1-1 (Hasselbaink)

    35th. 31 Jan Away League Sunderland 3-0 (Pogatetz, Parnaby, Hasselbaink) //16th

    36th. 4 Feb Home League Aston Villa 0-4 //17th – 27,299

    37th. 8 Feb Home FA Cup 4th Round Reply Coventry 1-0 (Hasselbaink) – 14,131

    38th. 11 Feb Home League Chelsea 3-0 (Rochemback, Downing, Yakubu) //16th – 31,037

    39th. 16 Feb Away EUFA 3rd Round Stuttgart 2-1 (Hasselbaink, Parnaby)

    40th. 19 Feb Away FA Cup 5th Round Preston 2-0 (Yakubu 2)

    41st. 23 Feb Home EUFA 3rd Round Stuttgart 0-1, won on away goals – 24.018

    42nd. 26 Feb Away League West Brom 2-0 (Hasslebaink, Own Goal) //16th

    43rd. 4 Mar Home League Birmingham 1-0 (Viduka) //15th – 28,141

    44th. 9 Mar Home EUFA 4th Round AS Roma 1-0 (Yakubu pen)
    – 25,354
    45th. 12 Mar Away League Charlton 1-2 (VIduka) //15th

    46th. 15 Mar Away EUFA 4th Round AS Roma 1-2 (Hasselbaink), won on away goals

    47th. 18 Mar Away League Blackburn 2-3 (Viduka, Rochemback) //15th

    48th. 23 Mar Away FA Cup Quarterfinal Charlton 0-0

    49th. 26 Mar Home League Bolton 4-3 (Hasselbaink 2 1 pen, Viduka, Parnaby // 14th – 25,971

    50th. 30 Mar Away EUFA Quarterfinal FC Basel 0-2

    51st. 2 Apr Away League Manchester City 1-0 (Cattermole) //14th

    52nd. 6 Apr Home EUFA Quarterfinal FC Basel 4-1 (Viduka 2, Hasselbaink, Maccarone), won on away goals – 24,521

    53rd. 9 Apr Home League Newcastle 1-2 (Boateng) //14th – 31,202

    54th. 12 Apr Home FA Cup Quarterfinal Replay Charlton 4-2 (Rochemback, Morrison, Hasselbaink, Viduka) – 30,248

    55th. 15 Apr Away League Portsmouth 0-1 //14th

    56th. 17 Apr Home League West Ham 2-0 (Hasselbaink, Maccarone pen) //13th – 27,658

    57th. 20 Apr Away EUFA Semifinal Steau Bucharest 0-1

    58th. 23 Apr Neutral FA Cup Semifinal West Ham 0-1

    59th. 27 Apr Home EUFA Semifinal Steau Bucharest 4-2 (Maccarone 2, Viduka, Riggott), won on away goals – 34,622

    60th. 29 Apr Home League Everton 0-1 //15th – 29,224

    61st. 1 May Away League Manchester Utd 0-0 //14th

    62nd. 3 May Away League Bolton 1-1 (Johnson) //13th

    63rd. 7 May Away League Fulham 0-1 //14th

    64th. 10 May Neutral EUFA Final Sevilla 0-4

    I’ve shown the League placing after each League match, and attendances for only home matches. As you can see Boro finished 14th with 45 points winning 12 matches, drawing 9 and losing 17, and scoring 48 goals and conceding 58, an average sort of season as far as previous Top Tier seasons go. The top scorers were Yakubu with19 (13 in the League), Hasselbaink with 17 (only 9 in the League), Viduka with 16 (only 7 in the League), and Maccarone 7 (but only 2 in the League). The highest attendance was 34,622 for the visit of Steau Bucharest and the lowest 9,436 for the visit of Liteks Lovetch. The average League attendance was 28,463 (a drop of 3,549 on the previous season). The highest League attendance was 31,908 for the visit of Liverpool in the first match of the season, and the lowest was 25,971 for the televised match against Bolton. Nevertheless the season was one of the most exciting in Boro’s history mainly due to the fact that Boro reached the EUFA Cup final and in the knockout stages won every match of the 4 leading up to the Final all by the away goals rule.

    Despite the poor League form of 7 wins and 7 defeats, there were two memorable League matches, the 4-1 win against Manchester United and the 3-0 win against Chelsea. And I guess most fans would love to have a Premier League finish of 14th some time in the near future.

    2. The key question though is how much. And of course if we get relegated would they want to stay.
      Out of those three, probably only George will not get a better offer.

      1. I think you make the pertinent point Pedro – it’s unlikely any player would commit to signing probably their last major deal for a club that either offers significantly reduced terms in comparison to what may be available or for a club that could be playing in League One next season.

        Personally, I can’t see Ayala signing for Boro on reduced terms if Leeds show a firm interest – whatever the sentiment, he’d be mad not to take a much better financial offer and possibly play in the PL. Likewise, Boro would be mad to offer a contract they can’t easily afford to a player that could likely spend a significant amount of time in the treatment room.

        On that basis, it’s probably time to move on for both parties. Again Howson will look at his options if he has any sense and again will the numbers add up to be able to compete with clubs with bigger budgets looking for a consistent experienced Championship player? I suspect not.

        Friend maybe has a path for a semi-coaching/playing role available at Boro and maybe he’ll see the bigger picture if his deal is reduced – though he’s also been looking at media career after football so it’s also possible he’ll look at the opportunities for one last decent pay cheque too.

        Either way, the club shouldn’t offer deals it can’t afford in order to keep players, which while are decent I would argue that they are not irreplaceable. Particularly by other options that would be financially safer bets given the general uncertainty around both which League Boro will start in next term and the risks of the Covid-19 fallout if there are subsequent lockdowns.

      2. I think it goes without saying that Boro’s offers for these players, or any others, need to be appropriate for the club’s finances and future prospects.

        If all three were to go, the squad for next season, regardless of which division we’re in, would look extremely short on experience.

      3. Whilst I admire him Friend hasn’t been available for a while now and has been all but replaced. Admittedly by square pegging but he is no longer first on the team sheet. That he will ever be fit enough again to offer consistent displays has to be questionable.

        Howson is a great pro and likely to be weighing up a few offers on the table from elsewhere. Truth is he has never really nailed down a position at Boro which in part is down to his adaptability but also in part that he never really hit the levels that we were originally hoping for.

        Ayala again has been great for the money but he is injury prone and usually at the same point each season. AK was certainly frustrated and exasperated by him. I’d personally like to retain Howson and Ayala and even Friend if he is fully fit but financially things have got a lot worse over the last three months in all sectors with football no different.

        Clubs need to look at their cashflow forecasts in a more detailed, critical and analytical manner than ever before. Players wages are by far the greatest outgoing and I would imagine the contracts that Boro perhaps had in mind pre pandemic would have resulted in at least a 50% pay cut for these three. Post pandemic who knows if even 50% can be comfortably accommodated?

        Ultimately no player is bigger than the club and all clubs will need to take a similar viewpoint. No doubt some clubs will continue to find ways to sell assets only to lease or rent back at peanuts in an effort to circumnavigate FFP and the authorities will as ever talk the talk but avoid any walking. Never has value for money been more crucial in the game.

    1. It would take a very strong finish this season for it to be classified as anything other than a failure. There are no remaining (realistic) circumstances in which it could be a success.

      I do not, however, extend that to saying Woodgate will never make it as a manager. There are a few things as highlighted in the article that give me hope that JW has got some talent to build on.

      We all knew – and all said – that a reasonably large Championship club, with an imbalanced squad, going through severe cost-cutting was no place for a rookie manager to cut his teeth. This was also exacerbated by trying to play in a wholly new way after several years of largely defensive football. Why SG and his advisors thought differently, I’m not sure.

      I hope that JW can steer us clear, of the bottom three, take as many learnings as possible from his first season, and start to turn the ship around. The other option doesn’t bear thinking about.

  733. A fair article by PT. However unfortunately it is an untimely reminder at just where we are and the possible disaster of sinking like the Titanic.

    I just cannot believe that in all reality, MFC have seriously offered new contracts to any of the out of contract players.
    There may possibly have been tentative talks through their Agents of the scenario of being in the Championship. If we get relegated I believe we will lose far better players than those out of contract. I cannot imagine any of the seven not being offered better terms possibly even by a few League 1 clubs.

    Although relegation is a distinct possibility, it’s consequences maybe beyond belief.

    1. I suspect that they will have been offered contracts but on new terms reflecting the current economic situation the club now finds itself in.

      Some players may be happily settled in the area along with their spouse and children. Already multi millionaires, it is remotely possible that they may decide that they are happy to remain on a paltry £8K a week and slum it in relative poverty. That said Ayala has already sold up so I’m guessing that its likely he will get a better offer elsewhere and possibly has already decided his future.

      1. I suppose the flipside to those players already being millionaires is that they can afford to risk going into whatever end-of-season break there is without their futures being sorted.

        I don’t actually see those players being offered far better terms elsewhere. They are 30-somethings with no sell-on value in a market that has just taken a serious hit.

        1. Of course, their main selling point is that they are free agents and won’t require a transfer fee plus Ayala is not 30 until November – it essentially means Boro have to basically decide how much can they afford to pay a week and for what length of time. Therefore any club with more resources or even parachute payments will easily be able to offer more.

          Plus the big problem is whether these players are prepared to wait until nearly the end of July to know what league Boro will be in to decide their future. Clubs can start to officially offer deals in ten days time to those who will be free agents and I’m sure those players already know the numbers the club are offering.

      2. Ayala may not be 30 quite yet but he may as well be. He’s not a player who is going to make it to 35.

        I agree that other clubs CAN pay more than us. My point is that I don’t think many will, at least not by a large amount.

  734. Not sure about Howson, the only real reason he was playing was as a stop gap RB. He was bought as a midfielder and unfortunately didn’t perform well enough to command a regular place there.

    Ayala will probably price himself out of staying, and if it’s true he’s already sold up, then it’s best to forget about him.

    The money that’s saved should be used to ensure the promising youngsters stay, unfortunately I can’t see Fry sticking around, there’s too many clubs waiting to snap him up ( a left sided young English defender) the best we can hope is a sale/loan back deal.

    I doubt the club is prepared to offer any of the older first team players a new contract, its not as if we are on the brink of promotion and a new push would get us over the line now, or even next season.

    It’s an ideal time to let contracts run out naturally and concentrate on rebuilding.

  735. I’m not sure what we can make of the statistics in Germany of matches played behind closed doors. In the Bundesliga there have been 11 home wins, 16 draws and 31 away wins, but in Bundesliga 2 there have been 22 home wins, 19 draws and only 12 away wins. What is significant though is that the cream will always come to the top at least in the Bundesliga. Bayern Munich have won all of their last 6 matches behind closed doors, whilst Borussia Dortmund have won 5 of theirs including a 4-0 win at home to Schalke and a 6-1 away win against the bottom club Paderborn, their only defeat being at home to Bayern Munich. However in Bundesliga 2 runaway leaders Armenia Bielefeld have won only one and drawn 4 of their last 5 matches; they play Dinamo Dresden tonight.

    Meanwhile in Portugal where surprise results are extremely rare, there have been 6 home wins, 6 draws and 6 away wins, but FC Porto have already lost away to relegation threatened Tondela, Benfica have only drawn their 2 matches, and third placed Sporting Braga have lost both of their 2 matches. At the bottom of the league Portimonense who hadn’t won for 12 matches held Benfica to a 2-2 draw after being 0-2 down at halftime and won their other match against Gil Vicente.

    In the Australian National Rugby League their have been 14 home wins and 7 away wins, but what is more significant is that the team that takes the lead nearly always wins. The famous Brisbane Broncos who had won their first 2 matches before the shutdown have since lost their first 3 behind closed doors, the 2 home matches by huge scores 6-34 and 0-59.

    All I can deduce from all these results is that scoring first is usually paramount (Benfica excepted), and that there are likely to be some strange results except in the case of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Also that recent form is not necessarily a guide to how teams will perform behind closed doors, so trying to assess the Championship promotion and relegation places is anybody’s guess. So how can playing without spectators be considered maintaining the integrity of the league? Search me!

      1. Unfortunately the other clubs squads have now been rested also and injuries healed up. I do agree that on paper our squad should play better than they did previously in the season, lets face it they couldn’t possibly play any worse or could they?

      2. RR, exactly. Let’s hope we cannot play any worse and will really improve.

        But of course the five substitutions from the nine man bench is a new thing. Even for the experienced managers. So let’s hope Woodgate is no worse than them in there as it mostly a new experience to all.

        Up the Boro!

  736. I know no one is going to travle, but Boro’s away match at Reading has been moved to a 6pm kick-off.

    The match at the Madejski Stadium remains on Tuesday July 14, but has been brought forward from the orginally scheduled 8pm kick-off.

    I wonder if the logistics for Boro were a reason …

    Up the Boro!

  737. I was reading an article by Blackpool owner Simon Sadler warning that lower league clubs could fall like Dominoes.

    “I think clubs will go like dominoes. Once one goes many will start to go. The money in League One and League Two isn’t there to support football without fans. Match-day income is around 60% of our revenues. Owners generally don’t have the deep pockets of those in the Premier League and Championship, and many now are very likely to be having problems in their own businesses.”

    Just an hour earlier I was reading a similar warning from Clyde who have launched a fundraising club looking for fans to help raise cash. There was talk that suspending next season in its entirety may be cheaper for clubs rather than to try and pay wages and overheads with no income from spectators.

  738. I see that there was a friendly against Huddersfield at the Riverside on Saturday which consisted of three 45 mins.

    No results given but interview with Danny Cowley in the EG indicates he was very encouraged and pleased with the performance of his side.

    No comments from JW. Is this ominous or am I just reading too much into the situation? 😎

    3. Malcolm, that is interesting but just where did you get the score from because even Cowley will not reveal the score and of course he is going to report everything is great to build up the confidence of his players and fans.

      Come on BORO.

  740. From Daniel Ayala’s wife Hannah : “It’s no secret Daniel’s contract ends this summer, but that wasn’t the reason we left our house up north.

    “We had outgrown the house so we decided we would come back down south and look for a new house maybe closer to Yarm if Daniel gets a new contract.”

    So I hope he gets a new contract. He has at least another 5 good years in him.

    1. A shame that he didn’t leave fighting to help save the club from relegation. He spent the best years of his career here and whilst I understand that the worry of another long lay off injury could scupper his last big contract it is a poor way to depart. I wonder if there is more to the story than meets the eye.

  744. The mention of the Huddersfield manager is really sticking the knife in, we were talking on here about grabbing him from non league before some other club grabbed him. And we had no manager then.
    I think the problem is we are cheap jacks, but without the imagination to really take a gamble on the completely unknown, which of course means that we always go for the one who is proven second class, because that way we know what we are getting, and boy have we had some spuds recently.
    I really think we have got one right now, which unfortunately means the dreaded crash down into the lower reaches of the football world.
    Oh for some serious thinking when we were struggling in the prem under AK.
    What on earth possessed us to throw our toys out of the pram?

  745. I’m not surprised by the Ayala statement as I did wonder last week whether a player who was out of contract would either sign a mini-extension if he could actually sign a new lucrative long-term contract with another club. There is no logic in any player risking an injury playing 3 games a week until the end of July and then finding himself ruled out of a potential big money deal that may not again materialise. I’m sure Ayala’s agent knows the numbers and the difference between Boro’s reduced terms deal and what is on offer from a likely promoted club such as Leeds.

    Therefore, I don’t see anything more to the story than that unless Boro opted against offering a short-term extension on Ayala’s current terms, which I suspect would be a few hundred grand and perhaps not deemed a price worth paying under current financial difficulties.

    1. I think the Club in general and the Manager in particular need every help they can get to avoid relegation.

      Maybe Boro offered to extend his contract but on the “new” terms rather than his existing terms for the remaining few weeks? I get the feeling that sadly it has ended a little bit messy. That the Daily Mail broke the story and the Gazette then followed with it 30 minutes later lends some credence that someone (Club or Player or both) maybe didn’t want their washing (dirty or otherwise) out in public.

      Meanwhile Mrs A is denying he has refused to play on Twitter, “the truth will come out soon” so it seems that there is some “discomfort” over how things have panned out. Lets hope that it doesn’t distract from the important business of staying up.

      1. Footballers wives on Twitter seems to have become the modern means to air grudges 🙂 Though I suspect it may be possibly being over the terms of the extension – especially if you consider if the club offered a month extension to all the out of contract players (Ayala, Clayton, Friend, Gestede, Howson, Shotton, Johnson) on existing terms then you’re probably looking at something around a million quid. In the current circumstances, I’m not sure if the club could easily deal with that extra expense for what is essentially paying extra wages to players for games that they have already been paid for while on Covid gardening leave. Maybe the club thought that players would accept a reduced term extension out of goodwill but the issue of avoiding injury before signing a potential new three-year deal probably out-weighs a month’s salary in the cold light of day.

      2. I expect the gazette journo’s are spitting twitter feathers. They were probably sitting on the story ( under MFC orders) and then loose Twitter lips gazumped them.

  746. Sorry to be pain, but if Ayala has refused tp play, despite a contract that should still be fulfilled do Boro have to pay him even for those few weeks? When did he last play? Anyway what is a contract worth? When I ran my own business I’m afraid I would have said that if you don’t wish to work I don’t wish to pay you.

    The world has gone mad but at least he’ll be on a new treatment table.

    Football disenchantment is setting in for me.

    UTB,

    John

  747. I don’t blame Ayala in any way. He’s doing what any other person would do, regardless of his profession. Just because he’s a footballer doesn’t mean he should be castigated.

    In a sport that has become embroiled in money, he’s just making a good business decision. There’s no room for sentiment in football these days. That is, if there ever really was.

  748. Speaking of Twitter, as much as I abhor it I find it amusing when the likes of Piers Morgan fall victim to it and have their hypocrisy exposed.

  749. Internet Chinese whispers seem to have determined that he was on £30K a week and has been offered nearer £10K. That seems reasonable from the Clubs perspective, indeed even generous by Championship standards and especially given the uncertain future of the game. On the other hand if someone were to offer me a third of my usual salary I doubt I would be overly enthused and would look elsewhere even if only from a self respect perspective,

    Perhaps he has agreed to play the remaining two games fully honouring his existing contract but the Club has decided that it wouldn’t help with stability and decided it would be best if they carried on without him. The “whispers” continue with the dirties allegedly offering him £40K a week. If true then as a family man its off the scale of being a no brainer and surely nobody could blame him.

    Throw in the lingering Ben Gibson scenario and I think anyone could be forgiven for thinking what would the Club offer (offered?) him to entice him back? It could very well be that there is zero chance of Ben returning and even less so if we are in League One but there will be will sorts of things in play going on behind the decision (from both the Club and Player) and very unlikely to be black and white. Regardless its a shame and I’m guessing that the Gazette didn’t break it indicates that somebody for whatever reason felt there was a story in it.

    There does seem to have been a few injury spells in his career, the Karanka frustration seemed to imply it was a “mystery” to the Clubs Physio’s at the time. This year he was seemingly “two to three weeks away” at press conferences but up until the lockdown he never recovered. That does seem to be “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. That which is so dense and secretive as to be totally indecipherable or impossible to foretell”.

  750. Anyway, after earning a fortune at Boro in seven years, I would have hoped more loyalty feom Ayala.

    At least I would have felt something for a club after seven years. Call me old fasioned, I would have loved to play in the reminding nine games.

    Perhaps there is something we do not know?

    Up the Boro!

    1. I think the story has leaked out rather than through official channels. Interesting that the Daily Mail has sensationally said that Ayala “refuses” to play while the Gazette has said he “won’t” play again this season. There is only a very subtle difference but one that I suspect gives an insight into the detail.

      An Employer quite rightly doesn’t come out and discuss their Employee’s terms and conditions of Employment along with salary or contract details but I don’t think its too much of a guess to reckon that its purely financial. Likely for insurance purposes and the risk of another debilitating injury the Player has put his family first. Most of us try and provide the best we can and hopefully leave something to give our kids a leg up as they start their adult life and ultimately leave them something that will help them to help our grand kids when they come along. Footballers are no different to any other parent.

      If the monthly difference is Say £25K a week thats £100K a month and £1.2M a year for three years. Add in a signing on fee because of no transfer fee of say £500K so over the three years it adds up to the thick end of £4M plus the likelihood of being in a Premiership squad versus a League One squad or at very best a Championship one that won’t be going anywhere for a number or years and very likely beyond his remaining playing career based upon the current Boro set up. Harsh reality is he has one last chance of playing Manchelsearsepool or Shrewsbury, Lincoln and Accrington Stanley for the foreseeable? Fulfilment of ambition and a massive pay rise would test the loyalty of any warm blooded individual.

      There may have been a gentleman’s agreement that he won’t play beyond his contract expiry date of 30th June to avoid jeopardising his new deal but that he was willing to be available up to and until then. The Club may have decided thanks but no thanks as they only want players focused on surviving and not distracted elsewhere. It wouldn’t have been difficult therefore for all parties to spin an aggravated injury or fully fit yarn out but news leaked out via an unplanned seemingly Geordie centric source on a quiet sports news day.

      Why are the other out of contract Boro players not doing the same? Maybe some are but it just hasn’t come out yet but I would guess that as yet maybe they haven’t agreed deals or been made a firm offer elsewhere plus one or two may be happy to stay on reduced terms (Friend, Johnson perhaps).

      With no firm offers much better to play well and attract suitors which means that its a win/win for club and player alike. In Ayala’s case it looks like something perhaps materialised months ago and indeed that may have been the reason for the ongoing protracted “two to three weeks away” injury. I remember Viduka playing out of his skin as his contract faded desperate for his next pay day. A highly motivated player is much better than one who has mentally resigned. How many of us bust a gut when working out our notice period after having already handed over to colleagues sitting through meetings about “the future” wondering why am I sat here?

      The sad thing in all this is how it came out and how it was presented. That it was neither the Club or Player himself directly maybe means that the parting wasn’t as acrimonious as portrayed and lets face it the Daily Mail has got form. As a Player he is one that will be remembered and hopefully when things become clear it will be for the right reasons. If not then it will be a real shame for one or either party.

  751. Ayala is easily Boro’s best defender and so it is a blow for him not to play the remaining games. I suppose it wasn’t practical etc if he only played to the end of his contract and to ‘ call it a day’ is the best option. Reading between the lines would suggest the offer of a contract seems to have brought things to a head.
    It seemed to me that he was always going to leave as I understand that his house is on the market.
    However I would hope he is not allowed to train at the Club as he would only be a distraction.
    On a wider issue any Boro player who is out of contract would be foolish if he agreed another contract when he doesn’t know what division he would be playing in next season and also until other offers had been considered.
    Philip of Huddersfield
    Ps The word around here is that Huddersfield beat Boro 5-1 in the recent friendly.

    1. I think the Huddersfield “friendly” was a series of two back to back games utilising all the squads with the aggregate score being 5-1. The Terriers scoring three in one game and two in the other.

      Added to the three conceded against Newcastle last week would give rise to some concern that our defence is looking somewhat susceptible. With Woodgate’s defensive prowess and Robbie Keane’s striking instincts surely they will be able to remedy the leaks and lack of goals come Saturday?

      They are are only friendlies however and we know that pre season friendlies are not always indicative to what happens when the real business begins. Having said that if Swansea wallop us by three or four goals then I’d imagine SG will be placing an order for WD40 butt relief spray to ease the squeaking. Seriously though where that to happen does SG stick or twist?

  752. The Millwall game has been moved to a 3.00pm Kick Off on Wednesday 8th July. I guess it is down to logistics as discussed on here previously but it also just underlines the desire to simply complete fixtures as most fans albeit remotely will be at work (hopefully).

  753. “Dani Ayala’s burned bridges and Rockliffe exile as Middlesbrough relations unravel”

    Sir Anthony Vickers has wrote the club view on Ayala @ Dani Ayala’s burned bridges and Rockliffe exile as Middlesbrough relations unravel

    Good riddance. Up the Boro!

      1. Hmmm something doesn’t sit quite right with me with all that. It seems very vitriolic especially for a Player who has been here since 2013. I don’t recall previous Managers or indeed a succession of Boro Managers having a major problem with him apart from Karanka during the ankle injury disagreement. As a player he has always been susceptible to injuries which is why we picked him up for peanuts in the first place otherwise he wouldn’t have been here.

        I have no doubt that he puts his family interests before the club and so he should but all this fall out seems to have escalated very quickly after over six years at Boro. We have seen mercenary players come and go at the club before, they arrive with baggage like a Ramirez or a Merson only for us to be euphoric then let down like a long list of clubs and coaches beforehand. Its only a matter of time with them but this time a fairly quiet unassuming family man has now been demonised. He possibly does have a bit of an illness anxiety disorder problem with regards to his glass legs but that isn’t something new it goes all the way back to his Liverpool days.

        Mogga wanted him, Karanka put up with him, Monk and Pulis both played him as has Woodgate so what has suddenly changed? That article reads to me like it is a deliberate hatchet job, not very classy and propaganda like in its ferocity. Clearly for some reason Ayala has become disenfranchised with the club but lets face thousands of fans are in the same state of mind particularly since last summer so he’s not alone. Being offered a “very generous” pay cut wouldn’t endear many individuals to stay with their employers. To put in print that he was advised by “his previous representative and another prominent national agent” to accept the offer read like a very immature statement to make.

        Imagine the Directors of a business ran it very badly, making a series of schoolboy errors and as a consequence they then have to ask their workforce to take a pay cut. Simultaneously the best and most skilled workers have been leaving, indeed even encouraged to go to save on costs. How is that the fault of the worker? Even more laughable is that other employers in the same industry are likely to offer you the same or even improved terms if you join them. Your contract is up and what do you do?

        The state MFC now find themselves in isn’t down to one player, the vice captain at that. Its down to consistent mismanagement at a very senior level and last summer’s embarrassing and insulting spin has only been outdone for me by the bloke who took a day trip to Barnard Castle. I had hoped that MFC had moved on from this type of thing, sadly not it appears. It does nobody any favours and as I have said on here many times, you don’t get yourself into those situations.

  754. Perhaps the disclaimer that Ayala refused to sign possibly is related to catching Covid-19 while playing or training. It was reported that some clubs had insisted their players sign disclaimers or waivers to excuse them from liability if a player caught the virus.

    As for all the allegations from ‘insiders in the club’ that Ayala has been trying to engineer a move since January, it may be worth pointing out that FA rules state that players over 23 with six months or less remaining on an existing contract are free to negotiate with other clubs and sign a pre-contract agreement, indicating their ability to move to their intended club on a Bosman transfer when the next transfer window opens.

    If any club wants to avoid such a situation then they should look to sell players who decline to sign a new contract when they have 12 months left on their contract. However, it’s possible a player could try and run down their contract but I’m sure if you place him on the transfer list you make your intentions clear.

    We know football is a market and players hire agents to get them the best deals – if Boro offered a deal below what they assess as the market rate then I suspect it will be declined – as happens in other professions but it’s just that the numbers are much bigger in football and as we know too well some clubs will pay over the odds out of desperation.

  756. There have been a number of “higher standing” players refusing to sign a new contract and then leave on a “free”. A number have even continued to play until the end of the season. It is not a unique situation.

    However as much as it leaves a sour taste in ones mouth, it does not surprise me. Ayala as pointed out by a number on here is looking for a last pay day. I cannot see a EPL club signing him in all reality given his injury record and history with them. More likely a Championship club, but not a League 1 club, which is where the Boro are possibly headed.

  758. To be fair Ayala is just the latest in a long line of individuals who have left Teesside to seek better financial security for themselves and their family.

    A fact well represented on this blog.

    1. That’s only because that long line of Teesside individuals obviously weren’t advised by their “previous representative and another prominent national agent” to stay put and sacrifice better financial security for their families!

      Mind you maybe that’s why he is now a former representative?

  759. In related news down at Hull, Eric Lichaj, Jackson Irvine, Stephen Kingsley and Marcus Maddison have all failed to reach contract agreements and will play no further part in their season. Considering that they sold their crown jewels in January and have subsequently gone into free fall this could be advantageous for Boro in saving our Championship status.

      1. There are still three days to go KP and if there is some bubbling unrest or further falling out (and lets face it Ayala will have been friends with many of the squad) then wheels could start to fall off before we even get going.

        One other is already rumoured to be ready to down tools, whether it is related or just coincidence who knows but that Gazette article will not have done a lot of good for morale within the squad. I’d guess that as in life generally the squad is probably split three ways, those that are close to Ayala, those who aren’t and those who are indifferent to him. Its the ones that feel it could have been them who will have empathy that are most likely to react.

  761. As you know I like Ayala. He is a family man, likes the area and the football club. He has been a great and loyal player for Boro. Something just doesn’t seem right about this sorry state of affairs within the club. If he doesn’t want to play for the club then I will accept his decision.
    The situation is not good in the current state that Boro are in regarding getting out of the relegation zone. As RR has indicated could be more players coming out of the woodpile.
    Without a doubt the Gazette and the club have stirred a hornets nest over Ayala and lets hope we don’t get a sting in the tail from the ructions that may follow.

    1. Its good to see the young man recognise his good fortune and wealth yet not forgetting where he came from and how tough some people still have it. A huge credit to the game and a fantastic role model. I hope he goes on to have a world class career. There are many others in the game who should learn from him.

  763. Hi guys. Have you missed me? No? Thought not……..

    I’ve been reading your Ayala comments with interest. It does seem odd that this situation has suddenly blown up out of nowhere, and that the club appears to have authorised a very negative take. It’s hardly ideal preparation for the season restart. Apart from all the obvious financial considerations you’ve discussed, what struck me was the ‘mystery injury’, which as RR pointed out, also occurred under Karanka. The EG article gives me the definite impression that Ayala has not wanted to play for some time. How true that is, we’ll probably never know.

    My first reaction was to think, ‘OMG. How will we cope without him for these 9 games?’ Then I remembered that we’d been without him anyway for many matches, so nothing lost there, then. I just hope there are no knock-on ill effects, such as a loss of morale amongst the squad.

    I’m getting excited by the restart now. But I’m very anxious. To pass the time during lockdown, I’ve been re-watching the highlights reel of Boro’s matches this season. Probably not a good idea as restart approaches. It has been very uncomfortable watching some of the early horror shows – Wednesday at home, Birmingham away, for instance. I’ve been reminded just how poor we were for much of the season – very vulnerable at the back, awful on conceding set pieces and often awful at converting our own, and generally poor finishing when we did actually create any chances. We will need to be so much better from Saturday onwards. But with virtually a full squad available, plus Patrick Roberts, I’m hopeful we will start to pull away from trouble. UTB.

  765. Interesting posts on here that I have read today, I wish I had the inside knowledge that some appear to have, as Ian Gill used to say (before he left the blog) “why let the truth spoil a good story”.

    Ayala believe what you want to believe, I remember him getting injured in January and it was reported a few days later the injury was not bad and he will only be out for about 3 weeks, by the shutdown in March he still had not appeared. Is it just me or do other people remember Ayala getting “injured” for 2/3 months nearly every winter.

    As far as the Huddersfield 3 half friendly is concerned I have no idea what the scores were and to be honest they are irrelevant the same as any pre season match but the fact they were playing 3 halves tells me that main priorities were fitness without injuries and I wonder how many “kids” got to have a run out in each half.

    Come on BORO.

  766. I don’t know what I have paid for but today I renewed my season ticket!
    As I am now receiving 0.01% interest on my savings I decided that the Boro might as well have the money now. Hopefully Covid 19 cases will have decreased so that the new season can start in a few weeks time and it will be safe enough to allow supporters back into grounds. I will also need to safely travel on the 4 trains to Middlesbrough, stay in a hotel and go to a restaurant.
    As I don’t think my liver would appreciate 9 bottles of wine in 33 days (plus more alcohol if my pub reopens) I have bought some Barnard Castle Eye Test beer to help me to watch the 9 remaining games this season.

  767. Just to flag up that I will need to temporarily close the comments facility from this afternoon (probably until tomorrow) as I need to do some technical stuff on the site in preparation for the restart of the season.

    I shall post another message once I have disabled the ability to comment.

  768. I decided to do some weeding in my garden this week on Sunday and Monday. Why is it that weeds seem to grow more profusely than bedding plants? As a gardener I welcomed the rain, it was sorely needed to establish newly laid bedding plants, but now need the sunshine for them to develop. It’s very difficult nowadays for me to tender my garden as it’s impossible to use my walking stick so rely on a hoe to give me stability.
    Anyway I’d just finished on Monday and was about to put my tools away when I slipped and fell not injuring myself, but once down how was I to get up again in an open space with nothing to hang on to. I regularly fall indoors but there’s always something to grab hold of, but not outdoors. So as I attempted to get up from my path I struggled and slipped again and hit my head on the gravelled path with blood pouring everywhere. Luckily I’d decided not to wear my spectacles as the previous day the perspiration from even the slightest activity had impaired my vision. If I’d been wearing them on Monday they would surely have broken with the possibility of glass breaking into my eye. By rolling over I eventually managed to get on my feet again and crawl upstairs to wash my face and found an old towel to hold on my face until the bleeding stopped. I rang 111 and an ambulance arrived within an hour and the two paramedics cleaned me up, did several tests including concussion, and thankfully I passed them all, no breakages or pain just shock. They stayed for about 75 minutes, no need to go to A&E but face is now a bloody mess with a 2 inch cut above my left eye, a smaller one below it, and abrasions on my nose. The bandages have now been discarded to give time for the wounds to heal, but mustn’t wash my hair or face in the meantime. I’m just wondering how long it took Emil Pogatetz to regain his looks. Apart from the odd slight headache I feel alright, but in one way I’m glad that my wife can’t see me as I am right now. It’s a good job I’m still in self isolation, as I wouldn’t want to frighten the horses. Have I learned my lesson? Probably not, as there’s no fool like an old fool.

    1. Ken Pogatetz, indeed.

      Keep safe. I think you need to go out and enjoy the garden and sun.

      Perhaps you could give a ring to one of your neighbours to inform your plans?

      Up the Boro!

    4. Hope you are feeling a bit better although battered and bruised Ken. Your good lady will no doubt be looking down and tutting at your antics at your age. Still you can’t keep a good man down especially a Teessider!

  769. Sorry to hear about your fall, Ken. Hope you ‘re back to your normal handsome self soon.

    And yes, Clive, I certainly did miss your comments. Watching old Boro games seems like an extreme form of self-flagellating atonement to me, but I hope that you now feel suitably purged of all of your guilt

  771. I have been onto the MFC website this morning to check that I can access the “test stream” which I am pleased to say I could. Fingers crossed that it works on Saturday when 10k + are all trying to log in. ‘😎

  772. OK, I’m now going to disable the comments temporarily while I work on some technical stuff – all being well it should be up and running tomorrow after lunch.

    It was a little later than planned as after I got back from an appointment I had to undertake important home-schooling duties, which mainly consisted of inflating and filling the pool since its 28 degrees – plus of course test it out for a good 30 minutes (it could have been longer as I may have drifted off)

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