Chuba Akpom was seen at Stadium of Light this afternoon. And giving an interview to Sky Sport!
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2023/august/02/chuba-akpom-and-hayden-hackney-attend-efl-season-launch/
Up the Boro!
As follow up to jarkko:
Come on BORO.
@exmil. Good to hear from Chuba that he is back on the grass and training, so we can but hope he will be back in the team/on the bench in the next two/three weeks. 😎
Spoke to Ken about a week ago after he’d returned home from 3 days in hospital. Not getting out of bed for 3 days is no good to anyone as it’s amazing how much muscle you can lose in a short time.
Anyway , he was in better spirits probably helped by a relative of his wife visiting him and staying with him for a couple of days.
He was planning to watch the golf which he always enjoys.
l am glad to hear that he’s got his hearing back.
Hopefully with 3 visits each day by carers will help his difficult position.
Philip of Huddersfield
I'm sure that he would be happy to stay but, if that's the case, what is stopping him from signing. Maybe he wants a three year deal and MFC will only offer two.
I think that the club would sell for the right price but I would hope that would be at least Pds15 million. Am I being too bullish?
UTB
Question for all bloggers. Now that we are starting the season and will have a current section for each game, should we still be posting transfer speculation on the 'transfer' thread or should that one be put to bed?
UTB
@selwynoz Akpom says he would "love to stay at Middlesbrough" amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding the striker's future.
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/23697447.chuba-akpom-middlesbrough-future-injury-update/
I hope an agreement is reached. He will be 28 later this year( b. Oct 9, 1995), so a three or four year agreement should not be a problem.
His current market value is € 12.00m according to https://www.transfermarkt.com/chuba-akpom/profil/spieler/197642
Up the Boro!
Good news about Ken, I'm really pleased for him. For me after six days in the ICU and another five in the HDU I was amazed at how much muscle just disappeared. In the HDU the Physios and Nurses get you up and about but when you are bagged, have four drains and lots of tubes coming and going it's not easy, I have a load of sympathy for Ken.
I now walk four miles or so everyday with my Jack Russell and do more physical work but it's hard to get muscle and weight on. Never mind, we're here and that's the important thing for Ken to remember, damned hard when you are on your own though. I still get regular phone calls from specialist Nurses and even calls from a Psychologist checking my mental 'state', I also have 'hotlines' I can ring. Does Ken have any of those facilities to hand?
I'm pleased he can hear again, the loss of that sense must have been hellish, it would redefine loneliness that's for sure. As always I'm looking forward to his next post, whatever it's about.
Best wishes to everyone,
UTB,
John
I'm sure that he would be happy to stay but, if that's the case, what is stopping him from signing. Maybe he wants a three year deal and MFC will only offer two.
I think that the club would sell for the right price but I would hope that would be at least Pds15 million. Am I being too bullish?
UTB
That has been my thoughts as well - he and his agent presumably gave their request, Boro made theirs and one would have thought that it would have been an uplift in what he gets now (based on last years performance).
Now if really wants to stay and the club wants him to stay, then both parties should be able to agree, providing they are not miles apart.
Something is niggling away in the back of my mind that come the end of the window he will have gone or that if no contract agreed, he will take his ball home……..
Personally I like transfer speculation to be in one “box” as it groups it all together. Other posts regarding games are isolated for each individual game but I’m happy to go with the flow
OFB
@original-fat-bob. Yes I agree. We can dispense with the transfer speculation thread once the window closes, until it opens again in January. 😎
The football season has quietly crept up on us. I’ve enjoyed watching the Ashes cricket - it’s been the most exciting series I’ve ever watched. I’ve then planned to watch a bit of the 100 ball cricket and suddenly we’re up and running with the first football game in a couple of days.
i don’t really know what to expect . I hope Boro win but I won’t be surprised if they lose or draw.
I don’t know what quality of football to expect apart from I assume MC will want to play the same possession type of play. The significant unknown is the future of Akpom. If he stays then we’re all delighted. If he goes then make it soon - perhaps teams are holding off bidding for him cos he’s not fit plus they’ve another month to make their move for him.
Opposition teams will know Boro’s weaknesses eg at left back , centre forward and wingers who can cross the ball like Giles. And then there’s the long standing problem of conceding too many goals. I’m feeling less optimistic already !!
But it’s only a game and the Championship is a marathon with lots of twists and turns. Many clubs, including Boro, have still to do their most important transfer business which will impinge on future performances. Why, oh why does the transfer window not close before the season starts?
So, tomorrow I’ll record the opening game on TV and watch most of it later which will reintroduce me to my weekly football routine. Doesn’t take much to get back into football mode !!
Philip of Huddersfield 👍👋
@philip-of-huddersfield are you sufficiently in football mode to consider joining the COTS challenge to stick your finger in the wind to predict the outcome of the season? No skill required really, just an opinion on which teams will do well and which will not do well !
- TOP 6 = Team, Team, Team, Team, Team, Team, Optional1, Optional2, Optional3
- BOTTOM 3 = Team, Team, Team, Optional1, Optional2, Optional3
- AUTOMATIC PROMOTION = Team, Team, Optional1, Optional2
- CHAMPIONS = Team, Optional1
- OVER ACHIEVER = Team, Optional1
- UNDER ACHIEVER = Team, Optional1
- BORO TO FINISH = 1st
At least we know Hoppe will not be starting up front on Saturday 😂.
Come on BORO.
I'm not too alarmed yet, but it seems the local punditry are being a little over optimistic with picking us first or second right now, what I see is those clubs we would consider our direct nemesis have made some significant signings , even the likes of Norwich, Stoke apart from what the relegated teams will or have done, what I see from us is potential, we have signed no more experienced than Coburn, Hackney, Bollongo, Finch etc , so without sounding negative , I think caution is the word,
What we do have in our favor is a lot of players who have been together for quit awhile,and I believe a forward thinking coach,with a positive feel for the system he's brought in with the help of the rest of the staff.
I'd be happy with sixth right now , but maybe a month from now ,the picture will be a lot brighter ,COB
@powmillnaemore Thanks
here goes
1 top 6 - Leeds, Leicester,Coventry,WBA, Bristol city and Millwall
3 optional -Sheffield wed. Southampton and Sunderland
bottom 3 - Rotherham. Hull and Huddersfield
automatic promotion- Leeds, Leicester and WBA
Champions - Leicester
over achiever Plymouth optional - Ipswich
under achiever- Southampton
Boro position 9th
Hope I’ve done this ok👍👋
I think the shocker ,or surprise will be Blackburn bottom four, not sure where but I think it's a struggle for them, Stoke surprise at the top end.
But no easy games this season , as you know it's goals for that usually make the difference, so the Chuba thing as got to be sorted, quickly
@powmillnaemore Thanks
here goes
1 top 6 - Leeds, Leicester,Coventry,WBA, Bristol city and Millwall
3 optional -Sheffield wed. Southampton and Sunderland
bottom 3 - Rotherham. Hull and Huddersfield
automatic promotion- Leeds, Leicester and WBA
Champions - Leicester
over achiever Plymouth optional - Ipswich
under achiever- Southampton
Boro position 9th
Hope I’ve done this ok👍👋
Thanks for that Philip, you are entrant number 16! Good luck.
Hi Philip. As I copied your entry into my spreadsheet I notice that you have marked Southampton down to be your "UNDER ACHIEVER", but you had also picked them as one of you optional Top 6 finishers.
As a relegated team Southampton would have to finish outside the top 9 to "UNDER" achieve. Let me know if you wanted to change one or the other.
Sorry about that. Will you please delete Southampton as a top 6 and replace with Norwich.
many thanks👍👋
@powmillnaemore - Very kind of you to have included a randomly selected set of predictions on my behalf. I look forward to seeing how it all pans out but, as usual, it will be months into the season before we can have any idea how things will go. No doubt there will be teams at the bottom who burst through later a la Coventry and Boro last season. Maybe the "chuck a dart at a list of names" method will be as likely to succeed as any other?
I sneaked home today from camping at Beadnell (for those who don't know where that is, it's on the north Northumberland coast, not far south of Berwick) so as to be able to go to the Millwall game - though I'll be nipping back up the A1 after the game in search of sun and warm temperatures (*cough, cough*). It gave me the chance to have a quick look through the recent posts. Thank you fellow Diaborians for those and especially to Andy for his blast-from-the-past by way of opener. Let's hope the game, and Boro's performance match up to the opener.
I won't make any predictions for tomorrow. I'd almost certainly get it wrong if I did! Good Luck to Boro and those who follow the Boro...
And I forgot to mention it, but I hope @KenSmith enjoyed the later Ashes Tests and particularly the end of the last Test where ENGLAND snatched a 2-2 series draw at The Oval even though that means The Ashes (metaphorically) remain with Australia. A pity that the drenching rain at Manchester in the 4th Test prevented a very strongly-placed England from pressing home their advantage - which would have resulted in a 3-2 win from 0-2 down.
An excellent post, Peter. And welcome aboard!
@peter-surtees great post Peter. I am inclined to agree with you.
By the way, you still have an hour to get ypur predictio s in for the COTS challengev 😉
@powmillnaemore - Very kind of you to have included a randomly selected set of predictions on my behalf...
You are most welcome FD.
It is interesting that based on the table being alphabetic at the moment every one of us that has made predictions have big negative scores. Your random set of predictions is the only one that is positive and approximately half way between the top score possible and the worst score possible.
Enjoy the game tomorrow.
Coulson could help he's a natural left side LB OR LWB ,but he needs coaching , and I mean when and when not to raid down the wing, he has to learn to be patient and at times retain possession ,rather than just bombing ,
GT it’s not just the local punditry tipping Boro for a top two position at the end of the season. The Daily Telegraph yesterday had a piece containing predictions from all their football writers of the outcome of the Championship this season. Quite a few of them predicted that Boro would be Champions with a similar number tipping Leicester for the no.1 spot. Some of those tipping Leicester as Champions had Boro as runners-up and almost all the reporters had Boro in the top six at the end of the season.
What could possibly go wrong………..?