Some really good debates on here trying to clarify the FFP situation.
Saw an interesting stat this morning. We have picked up more points from losing positions than all others this season 26. Sunderland have 23 and Ipswich 20.
Birmingham have beaten Hull in the FA Cup replay, so our match at St Andrews is postponed therefore after the Chelsea game 23 January we don’t play again until Sunderland on 4 February.
Come on BORO.
That's welcome news - especially for me as just discovered yesterday my son is playing a handball away game on the afternoon of the 27th so would have missed it - got a bit worried at HT when I saw Hull were leading 😓
@exmil @werdermouth @OFB - I am down to do the Opener for Birmingham City (the club formerly known as WRBC) v BORO on 27th January. I have also seen that the game will now be rearranged with "details to follow" (per the MFC Website). I will do it in time for the new date, whenever the match is rearranged. (By co-incidence I also did the home game against the Blues).
If Boro gets the weekend off, then so will I.
It should give an opportunity to provide the players a day or so off with their families, and for the players still "in training" some further time to train with and assimilate the new joiners, as well as giving any players recovering from injury a little more time to get back into contention for selection. We should have a stronger squad in a few weeks time than now.
In fact, this time next week I plan to be in the North West Highlands of Scotland, near Ullapool to be precise, for a week or so. Weather permitting, of course, as I don't fancy going up the A9 through the Grampians at Minus 14C (as it apparently was last night) or with 8 inches of snow on the ground over ice. Five or six degrees C will do me nicely, thank you very much, though I won't argue if it is even warmer than that. Not taking the van (this time) but maybe later in the Spring... It's lovely up there.
Maybe the players and coaching staff will now go on one of those warm-weather breaks to recharge and get ready for the big push - though you maybe won't convince them to join you on a cold-weather break in the North-West Highlands instead 😉
@werdermouth - It might make men of some of them (though other genders are available upon request).
Middlesbrough are one of a host of clubs keeping tabs on Notts County Striker Macaulay Langstaff. (Sunderland Echo)
BTW he’s also a Boro Lad !
OFB
Interweb saying villa have made a bid for Morgan Rodgers
also
Aston Villa Have Made An Offer For Middlesbrough’s Morgan Rogers (David Ornstein - The Athletic)
And
Aston Villa have made an offer for Middlesbrough’s Morgan Rogers, with the 21-year-old forward Unai Emery’s priority for this window.
The player is keen to test himself Rogers only went to the club from Manchester City in the summer, but his evolution has been that pronounced.at Premier League level, having quickly developed in Michael Carrick’s burgeoning side.
Emery has admired Rogers for a while, having been further impressed with the versatile attacker when Villa played Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.
Villa’s business this window has been constrained due to Profit and Sustainability regulations, but Emery is prepared to use their available budget to go with Rogers. It is now a case of striking the right deal with Middlesbrough.
if the price is right (I.e. our undisclosed fee to Citeh plus some more millions) I would bite their hands off.Interweb saying villa have made a bid for Morgan Rodgers
Boro Have Rejected Aston Villa’s Opening Bid for Morgan Rogers (Dom Shaw - Northern Echo)
@original-fat-bob. He has only played League football this season for Notts County.
Could he be a late developer like Vardy at 26, or is League 1 his level. It is a big jump to the Championship.
Notts are sixth, so would be loath to lose him except for a decent fee. How much is too much of a risk??
@powmillnaemore All players have their price. How much game time would get with Villa. However if they offered more than, say 7/8 million?
If the price is right, sell Rogers. Simples.
@original-fat-bob ...which is implying they are inviting Villa to bid higher and maybe, perhaps, even hope another PL team might come in. Chelski for one could do with a decent forward 😉
I wouldn’t sell Rogers right now unless Villa offer megabucks/ silly money. He’s blossomed into one of our key players of late and has started chipping in with a few goals. I actually think he gives the forward line a degree of flexibility because he is mobile and hard to pin down. With McGree away currently, I don’t think we have anyone else who could play this free-roving role, so he’d be hard to replace like for like, especially with just 13 days left in the window. Perhaps Azaz will grow into the role, but until we know that, and until we get McGree back in form and uninjured, then I think it would be a risk to sell Morgan.
I also think we need to keep him at the very least until we’ve beaten Chelsea. He didn’t play in the first game so they won’t be prepared for him. I think he’d be very good running at their defence, which is what we missed at home, owing to the most unfortunate circumstances.
Hats off to the transfer department. it looks as if they could turn a few million profit in 6 months. Is it worth waiting until the summer? I suppose that it depends on how much they are prepared to pay. What is a worthwhile profit?
UTB
Aston Villa have seen an offer rejected by Middlesbrough for winger Morgan Rogers.
It is understood it did not come close to their valuation of the 21-year-old.
Rogers has only been with Boro since the summer but is already affecting interest from the Premier League.
Rogers has scored six goals and registered eight assists in all competitions since joining from Manchester City for £1m.
Come on BORO.
So after rejecting a second offer it has come to light 🚨 | Manchester City inserted a ‘hefty sell-on’ clause in Morgan Rogers’ original move to Middlesbrough.
That means any fee received would have to be shared with Man City.
OFB
@original-fat-bob. I wonder how much effect the transfer news will have on MR and if he will be focused enough to play on Saturday/Tuesday? 😎
@exmil. Surprised at the "quoted" one million fee paid to Man City. I may be wrong, but wasn't he out of contract?
Of course if there is a sell on fee, then I must be wrong. ☹️
@pedro Don’t forget he came to us from Man City U21’s, and by all reports has come leaps and bounds since joining Boro.
Come on BORO.
If the price is right, sell Rogers. Simples.
Agree I thought that was the model we were working too these days, on the flipside things can fall apart quickly look at Djed Spence
Not sure how accurate this is:
https://eplindex.com/102681/report-villa-in-advanced-talks-for-emery-primary-target.html 😎
@k-p-in-spain If you believe what the papers say. The truth, half truth or fibs.
Aston Villa have seen a second bid for Morgan Rogers turned down by Middlesbrough as the Championship club stand firm on their valuation of the forward.
Boro are willing to let Rogers leave the club this month, but only if their asking price is met. The 21-year-old joined the Teesside club in the summer and is only six months into a four-year contract at the Riverside, having joined from Manchester City.
Rogers is said to be Villa's priority this month as Unai Emery looks to strengthen his forward options. The Halesowen-born player is believed to be excited by the opportunity to join Villa and link up with Emery.
If Villa are really keen and Rodgers has had his head turned, then all MFC can do is get the best deal possible.
Villa have missed a trick possibly in not trying to do some type of swop deal for cash and Azaz. Then there is the added complication, if as OFB posted, Man City have a sell on clause.
You search the internet for info on Rodgers and the NE says MR came to Boro on a free, even though he still had 12 moths left on his contract. I did read when we signed him, we paid 500K for him.
Who knows what the truth is. One thing we do know is, we will never know the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
We will know more tomorrow if he has been sold or if he is on the team sheet.
Even the Guardian is reporting on this one. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/jan/18/aston-villa-interested-in-morgan-rogers-as-unai-emery-targets-winger-signing?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Thought we had a new striker from the headline!
So the rumours of Rogers to Villa have substance and that's a shame from a Boro point of view as he had just started to look like a decent signing in recent weeks.
Sounds like Villa have started with a low bid and increased the second bid a little to try and find Boro's minimum valuation - the club don't need to sell in January so they shouldn't even entertain any bids until after the Chelsea game as Rogers needs to focus on that.
Plus if Man City have a sell-on clause then the price also needs to reflect that as what's the point of selling an important player without much gain mid-season - he signed a 4-year contract so whether he'd like to join Villa is immaterial unless Boro agree a price to sell him at.
Of course, he knows that Villa wages will outstrip those at Boro - but will he get much pitch time in the PL under Emery given he normally uses as few players as possible. Nevertheless, it feels like a deal will get done if Villa are as keen as they have reported.
That will be a blow to Boro's season to lose a key player as any replacement will take a while to get to the required level - it took Rogers over three months.