@selwynoz When you think that HH had a good season at Scunthorpe, apart from suspension issue, then obviously there was something there.
Leo must also have seen that, and so had Woodgate in his previous spell, giving him praise. May be JW and Leo was tha catalyst for him getting his chance.
Going back to your previous post, I do not think Coulson is a Championship level player. He started season well, but did not finish as a first team starter. He has also suffered too many injuries. Saying that, I think JW likes him, so he may get a chance if we do not buy / loan Giles.
Thanks Bob, appreciated re- RR. Hope he is well.
Also a good shout on Galbraith.
I have more faith in the influence, contacts and professional judgement of Carrick (and Danks) than I have in those of the number crunchers and their boss who will be making the final call.
A situation in which there is such an obvious structural hierarchical imbalance in experience, knowledge and skills is not one which can continue happily for any length of time.
We have already seen this twice over the last couple of years in the breakdown of the relationships with both Warnock and Wilder.
The crunch point each time was over transfers and recruitment.
It may turn out differently this Summer, but I see no compelling reason to believe that it will.
I believe that Kieran Scott is a bit up himself.
Regarding the transfers required for this season it may not be as difficult as we think to try and emulate the signings we made last season.
The best loan signings we made were when Wilder had gone and in January the Aston Villa lads came in as our coaching staff had the right contacts.
Carrick will know the best young players at Man U who he can turn to for loan and also be aware which players can be bought for minimal fees.
Whilst Kieran Scott may or may not lead a good recruitment team the fact that he was at loggerheads with Wilder lead to objections on whom Boro bought or sold.
Carrick has the respect of all the management and his easy going style and ability to spot players should make it easier for both recruitment and coaching staff to provide a more balanced view on what Boro need.
Finally, don’t be surprised if we don’t sign at least one of our last season’s loan players on a permanent basis.
OFB
Regarding the transfers required for this season it may not be as difficult as we think to try and emulate the signings we made last season.
The best loan signings we made were when Wilder had gone and in January the Aston Villa lads came in as our coaching staff had the right contacts.
Agreed. I reckon our recruitment has improved each window for the last three windows and now we don't have Wilder or Warnock throwing a tantrum each time. Looking at the players bought for the first team squad
Winter 2022: McGree, Balogun, Connolly. 1/3
Summer 2022: Forss, Hoppe, Clarke, Smith, Roberts, Lenihan, Giles, Muniz, Mowatt, Steffen, Luongo 5.5/11
Winter 2023: Archer, Ramsey, Barlaser. 2.5/3
There is always a failure rate no matter how good your recruitment is but we do look to be improving and, importantly, we look to be using our U21s more effectively too. If we get 1-2 from the U21s, 2-3 permanent signings and 3-4 top quality loans, I think we'll be in a good place.
I have been critical in the past of both the recruitment team and also the hierarchy in general, given NB/SG did not cover themselves in glory in the way in which they disposed of NW.
I agree with Deleriad that the recruitment team and the way in which they have operated latterly has certainly improved and with them and MC singing the same tune then we should hopefully do well on the recruitment front over the next few months.
There must still be an inflow of cash from our previous sales of DS and MT and as OFB has said, this can be used to try and recruit at least one of our loan players eg RG.
We may be able to get AR back on loan but I think we will struggle with regard to CA who Villa may well keep or look to sell, in which case he will be beyond our budget. 😎
Latest speculation on CA. Perhaps there is a deal to be done involving RG?
Latest speculation on CA. Perhaps there is a deal to be done involving RG?
I'm starting to think that Giles might be, in cricketing terms, a "flat-track bully." Since Christmas he only managed assists in two games: home against Reading and Preston. If you look at his record, especially under Carrick, he generally only managed assists against poor opposition. If you compare it to Ryan Manning, Manning's scored plenty of goals and assists against top level opposition.
I thought Giles improved defensively in the latter part of the season, but his attacking ability took a real nose dive. He was never *poor* but you got the impression that he struggled to adapt his game when opponents became wise to him.
For me, he was one of the players who didn't improve under Carrick.
@deleriad. An interesting post. You say he didn’t improve under MC yet you say he improved defensively in the latter part of the season.
I just wonder if his downturn in assists were as a result of being asked to focus more on his defensive responsibilities or just a general downturn in the performance of both the player and the team toward the latter part of the season.
Do you think we would be better investing funds in RM rather than RG as the former is available on a free, I believe, albeit would no doubt seek a signing on fee? 😎
We might get some money from selling Chuba Akpom now. But after looking through his goals this season one starts to wonder. If we can keep him ...
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2023/may/24/chuba-akpom--29-goals-for-boro-s-29/
Up the Boro!
@jarkko. He may not have another season like it and revert to his previous low levels of scoring. That being said, unless we receive a significant offer, say £15M+, then keeping him and HH would be as good as, if not better than, two new signings.
If we are going to be a top six side again then we need to keep the core of the team and build on it by a few loans, a few new purchases and, hopefully, a couple of youngsters making an impact. 😎
@k-p-in-spain I’m trying not to be negative but, over the past few games, CA seemed to have gone backwards a bit. It may be that the support hasn’t been good enough or simply that he’s tired after a long season, so whether he’ll ever hit the goal scoring feats of last season, only time will tell.
I don't buy any sort of theory that Chuba Akpom has been a one season wonder. Sure, he has never before reached the heights he did this season but how many Championship level strikers do attain that level on a consistent basis? Very, very few.
Rather than his success being about scaling new heights, I think we have to consider what has changed from this past season to previous years. I would say there have been a number of factors:
1. Playing in a creative, attacking team that creates multiple chances per game
We cannot say that about his time under Warnock and it doesn't seem that his previous clubs have been at the same level of creativity as we were under Carrick
2. Playing in a pass-and-move style
Again, Warnock's Boro were setup very differently and played much more direct and in the air. Carrick's style has suited Akpom's Arsenal-honed upbringing. Whilst he wasn't initially fancied and had early season injuries, it was already clear under Wilder's pass-and-move style that Akpom looked much more comfortable.
3. Playing with a strike partner
Playing up front on his own did not suit Akpom - we heard this from the reports at PAOK when we first signed him and so it proved. He clearly thrives off having a partner around him for sharp one-twos and to create space for himself
4. A change of position
This was brand new, and it worked a treat. Akpom demonstrated new abilities with his back to goal so long as the ball into him was to his feet, which more often than not it was. The deeper, roaming role with the advantage of arriving into the box a little later accounted for many of his goal contributions
5. Feeling at home and having the confidence of his manager and teammates
Not to be underestimated. Akpom has been a little nomadic, rarely staying in one place. He has thrived off the confidence of Carrick in particular, perhaps an environment he has never previously enjoyed
With all that said, I see no reason why Akpom won't continue to score goals for Boro should he stay. Point 1 is perhaps the most pertinent as his chief assister was of course Ryan Giles, or may or may not be with us again next season.
Good post Andy and I’ve a sneaking suspicion that Giles will be back on a permanent basis !
OFB
@andy-r. Can’t argue with any of that Andy.
As Martin has said there may also be a number of reasons for him not scoring in his last few matches and only time will tell if he can reach anywhere near his heights of last season. 😎
@andy-r Thank you for your responce. Let's hope we keep Akpom and fnd some support to him from right, too. Our main force was McGree/Ramsey and Giles on the left.
I hope we keep as many players as possible. Not 10 new players in one transferwindow, please. We must buy quality over quantity.
Up the Boro!
An interesting post. You say he didn’t improve under MC yet you say he improved defensively in the latter part of the season.
Yeah, that does look like I'm contradicting myself. What I was trying to say is that in the first games under Wilder he looked like a top-class attacking wing-back but, latterly under Carrick, he seemed like a middling attacking full-back. Although his defensive ability did seem to improve, it seemed to be outweighed by his loss of attacking output.
It wasn't until I looked at his record that I noticed his good performances seemed to come against the poorest teams. Made me wonder if maybe he doesn't quite have what it takes against the toughest Championship opponents. Or it could be that he is working on his game and he is in a bit of a transitional period until he feels confident about how to combine his defensive and attacking play better.
With all that said, I see no reason why Akpom won't continue to score goals for Boro should he stay.
I agree with this. I think this was Akpom's breakthrough season. It took him longer than most but he has had, as you say, a very unsettled career. I doubt he'll score 28 goals in the Championship next season but, if he stays with us, I would be pretty confident of him hitting 15-20.
I do think that towards the end of the season he was playing a little too deep. Seems to me that there are two types of #10 out there. Some are like Gaston Ramirez; an attacking midfielder who creates and scores in equal measure. Others are more like Teddy Sheringham or Eric Cantona, a second-striker who plays deeper. I think Akpom is 2/3 a second-striker and 1/3 a "false 9" like Harry Kane. If he gets drawn too far back he struggles to get into the box. I get the impression that the various tweaks we made at the end of the season back-fired; Akpom drifted too far back, Giles lost his attacking mojo, Archer got isolated and Ramsey, McGree and Forss all got injured.
Obviously this is just my opinion but if I'm right and we address those issues and get Akpom further forward again, his goals will return. Even then, against Coventry he hit the woodwork, had a narrow miss and played a ball to Jones that he would have scored from if he had waited 1 second before starting his run. Narrow margins.
@deleriad. ‘Or it could be that he is working on his game and he is in a bit of a transitional period until he feels confident about how to combine his defensive and attacking play better.”
I think you have hit the nail on the head there. Under Wilder he tended to play in a more advanced role whilst under MC he has played more as a traditional fullback and as a consequence he has been less creative.
It will be interesting to see if he can develop his game so that he becomes fully effective both in the defensive and offensive roles; unless he comes back we may never truly find out.
Do you feel that RM is a more developed and better option? I haven’t seen him play so not sure how good he is other than his stats which were good last season. 😎
@deleriad. I think there also needs to be the ability to switch things tactically.
When teams press high and pack the midfield like Coventry and West Brom did we need to be able to adapt our approach to try and counter this.
Not all teams will be as talented or as strong defensively as these two were but NW showed what a well organised and disciplined approach can produce.
We still need to show that we can adapt and overcome teams that adopt these sort of approaches. 😎
Middlesbrough Are Keen On Securing A Deal For Departing Manchester United Midfielder
Ethan Galbraith This Summer, The N.Ireland International Spent Last Season On Loan At Salford City.
Galbraith, 22, is set to leave
Manchester United as a free agent this summer. A report from Manchester World earlier this month revealed that the midfielder is beginning to attract transfer interest ahead of his contract expiry this summer, with Newcastle United, Sunderland, Stoke City, and Derby County among the teams keen.
OFB
@k-p-in-spain I also know very little about RM, other than his stats this season. However he has been with the same club, Swansea, for three seasons. He will be 27 in June. So you could say he should be more developed?.
Do you feel that RM is a more developed and better option? I haven’t seen him play so not sure how good he is other than his stats which were good last season. 😎
I don't really know. He's been around for a while and definitely has a good track record. To be honest, I suspect that he will join Southampton on a free as that's where his former manager has just shown up.
I wouldn't be against buying Giles, he's still young and with plenty of time to develop. As he's never had more than a year anywhere, a bit like Chuba, he could do with an extended run under a manager who understands him. My concern is that his headline stats for assists may hide a weaker performance than is obvious at first. Given that we won't have unlimited money, spending £5m on him might not be the best use of our money.
On the gripping hand, like Jarkko, I am wary about yet more churn so someone like Giles who is good enough and already in place (effectively) may be just what we need.
@deleriad I’ve got a friend who used to work in Hong Kong and was slightly involved with the football scene over there. He spent some time with RG when he was playing there as a youngster and said he was a great lad, who was keen to learn. Maybe he’s one to hang on to - he deffo shows promise.
I wouldn't be against buying Giles, he's still young and with plenty of time to develop... My concern is that his headline stats for assists may hide a weaker performance than is obvious at first.
I think we have to be a bit careful with assist stats as, to state the obvious, an assist is only an assist if your teammate finishes it off.
Giles' attacking numbers may have dipped a little towards the end of the season but I don't think that his output necessarily did. He still put a number of quality balls into the box that either weren't attacked or were poorly finished. Perhaps Akpom playing even deeper, as you said, meant that we had one less body attacking the ball for Giles' crosses.
I can't recall a more consistent quality of delivery into the box since Downing's breakthrough years. Whatever it is that makes a player a top crosser, Giles has got it in spades.
On a wider recruitment note, I think if we were going into next season with the same squad that finished last except swapping out Muniz for say, Coburn, we'd largely be buoyant about our prospects. The drive is therefore about holding what we have and replacing what we've lost like-for-like. In a sense that's a nice spot to be in because your targets are well defined.
The best possible outcome is that we re-sign the loanees. If it were possible I'd happily take every one of them bar Muniz, with Coburn being the ideal development striker to come on in games much like Crooks often did.
That would give us the quality and the numbers we need less maybe one or two, with every player already settled into the squad and life away from the football, knowing exactly what their roles are and how the manager operates. Continuity brings stability and having Archer and Ramsey for a full season may be all the additional ummph we need.
I think that re-signing Giles, Ramsey and Mowatt might be achievable one way or another. Archer is more difficult because his skillset is a little more advanced and another year in the Championship may not be viewed as progress by his parent club. You can imagine the promoted clubs being interested and that might suit Villa and Archer better but it's not out of the question. Steffen is also difficult because the fees mooted are too much of a stretch for a club in our tier to get to for a goalkeeper, even if he has proved key to Carrick's playing methods.
Holding Akpom, Hackney, Lenihan and McGree is just as important.
@andy-r. Good post Andy and I agree that as much continuity as possible is key to moving forward.
I too want to hold onto those players already signed to the club and would take all the loanees back; Archer and Steffen I suspect will be difficult/unlikely. 😎
Good Post Andy but I also think we will have some changes to the coaching staff as well.
I think we will recruit an additional first team coach to work with the team to work on set pieces and corners.
OFB
If Bellingham is worth £120m ,then this idea of Hackney going for less than £10m is ludicrous, Hackney is Souness without the nastiness, his all-round game is excellent, and can improve even more, had a couple of quiet games late on ,but that's expected,
Don't think Archer will be back, Ramsey maybe , Coburn and Finch will be knocking on the door, but definitely RB,LB, another CB , fifteen goal Striker , midfielder upgrade , like Johnny but he can't go on forever, needed
Not sure I agree with that level of overhaul, gt (though I say this every season!).
This is how I see it:
GK - need a ball playing GK. May already be in-house with the youngsters, more likely need to bring in
RB - satisfied with Smith and Dijksteel
CB - satisfied with Lenihan, McNair, Fry and Clarke if the latter two can prove fitness
LB - required. Bola and Coulson (if retained) both look like back-up options rather than first choice
CM - satisfied with Hackney, Howson, Barlaser and Crooks. Unsure of what happens with Payero at this point
AM - satisfied with Akpom, McGree, Forss and Jones. Another required for depth
ST - One required with Coburn (maybe Hoppe, Kavanagh, Finch) as back-up. Alternatively, Forss may be next season's no. 9 in which case another AM is needed.
If Giles and Ramsey return then only a couple more are absolutely needed for me (GK & AM/ST), assuming we retain the rest.
One or two more would give more depth and options but not a season-breaker.