£10m seems an awful lot for one that is not exactly a prolific goal scorer.
@k-p-in-spain I now think I had more time to do things when I was working. 🤣. Probably my current time management needs seriously sorting.
Although I worked in the Construction Industry all my life, I only worked for two companies. Both local, but both ultimately taken over by bigger conglomerates, and then came their demise. I was lucky enough to get out at 58.
Sorry to hear your visit to the UK (Middlesbrough?) is to attend a funeral.
Enjoy your OWN time now Jarkko and make all the minutes count
Southampton Echo linking Armstrong with Wrexham.Tonda Eckert says it is all noise around the 11 goal striker, although he has not scored since December 9.
He is valued at 15 million by Southampton, 29 next month and I assume will be on high wages, certainly for the Championship. It does not make financial sense or affordable for MFC.
Joel Piroe not interested in leaving Leeds for either Ipswich or Middlesbrough. Paddy McNair joins Hull and Micah Hamilton will be allowed to leave (will anybody take him)
@pedro. 🤣
Thrapston in Northants and fly back Friday, so will not get to Norwich game but will be in front of the box hoping for another win. 😎
Many thanks for your comprehensive preview Jarkko - I was particularly interested to read your analysis of the recent Norwich v Coventry game and it sound like Hellberg may well fancy pressing the Norwich defence into a mistake when playing out. Though they are much improved under Clement and prove to be far trickier opponents than they appeared a few weeks ago. Having said that, Boro are also looking a much tougher proposition for any team visiting the Riverside and two successive 4-0 wins won't have gone unnoticed. Should be a good game so looking forward to it!
btw Good luck with the retirement - though echoing KP's thoughts since I'm technically retired I've never been busier and often consider life was easier working as for me as my line of work of computing and design was also my hobby and interest but I seem to be on a permanent cycle of hard physical graft now 😉
Just catching up on everyone’s posts as we’re away for a few days in Ripon to celebrate Alison’s birthday. We spent yesterday at Brimham Ricks with friends - the sun was shining and the sky was blue, but afterwards in Pateley Bridge it was grey and misty. We had a fantastic Tapas meal in Ripon last night, but missed the Hornblower which was a bit disappointing for our friends who’ve never seen the ceremony.
Many thanks for you starter, Jarkko - full of useful info and very well written and researched. Enjoy retirement - as others have said, you’ll soon wonder how you managed to find time to go to work.
Thought a bit more about Armstrong. Whilst he is a goal scorer at Championship level he is not Premiership standard and so his value to Boro would be “ to help get them over the line “ ie into the Premiership. I agree the fee sounds a bit high.
We still need to see if Strelec is Championship material and so hope he can soon get in the team even as a sub.
Philip of Huddersfield 👍
According to Gazette (live) Boro have not submitted any bid for Armstrong, so it is all speculation, if we are to spend millions on a striker, I would prefer Zan Vipotnic from Swansea.
Come on BORO.
Armstrong is a good Championship level striker and an upgrade for us but not the profile of forward we’re missing in my opinion - I would prefer a hold the ball up type.
I wouldn’t be against it but, from Southampton, I’d be more interested in a return for Cameron Archer if we’re going for a smaller, fast type.
That said, it’s likely just gossip in any case.
Thank you for all the nice comments. It was pleasure to make the Norwich preview.
Also thanks for all the good wishes for my retirement tomorrow. I am sure I will enjoy the time available for me, my wife and my children. And Boro and doing more excercises.
And you all know one word of Finnish, too. Sauna - nothing is more typical Finnish than sauna. I have never seen a house in Finland WITHOUT a sauna. So everybody has one, all my three brothers have two saunas. One at home and another in the cottage they have beside a lake or sea.
I am looking forward to the match on Saturday. It might include some goals- even Len said he sees a six to seven goal thriller. I said a 2-0 win, but that is perhaps a bit conservative.
Up the Boro!
Delano Burgzorg has joined Bristol City on loan until the end of the season.
The 27-year-old has completed the formalities of a move that gives City the option to sign him permanently at the end of the campaign.
Delano heads to the south west after spending 18 months on Teesside.
Up the Boro!
Excellent preview as usual
I hope the club don't upset the positive energy around the club the next few days,
I don't understand the signing of Semiento, when he was at Burnley and Ipswich he had a big lad upfront to aim for, we don't have one , we prefer intricate passing when we get to the opposition box , unless he's a bench guy,
Armstrong, not for me, although it does seem the options out there are very limited,I would stand pat, rather than reach for someone, The Strelec thing is fishy , in then out, but if he comes back , with young Ibeh, I think we have goals from other areas , we should be fine, another kid Carbon is a goal scorer and brave,
Keep on truckin Boro
He is a bench player. He will be an upgrade on Burgzog. He only made 5 starts for Ipswich in their promotion season 15 sub appearances, likewise at Burnley 11 starts and 24 subs.He was only at Ipswich for half a season and was well liked by the fans. As shown by this comment.
"A player with flair that makes him popular with the fans but not consistent enough for me agree with what others have said on here very good bench player."
I am surprised that we have agreed to buy him after loan is finished as not sure he will do a good enough job in the Premier if we get there.
SEMIENTO
Your info tells a story of a player who only made 16 starts and 39 substitute appearances in a season and a half - in say around 70 games. Add his fewer still appearances this season and we have a player who has consistently NOT been selected to start games. His lack of any game time in the last couple of months lead me to conclude that it’s most unlikely he’s suddenly going to become a 90 minute player- he’s also got to get match fit first.
So I can’t be filled with optimism that he is the player we’ve been yearning for.
Sorry to sound so pessimistic - just hope I’m wrong and he turns out to be like the young winger we had on loan from Liverpool.
Philip of Huddersfield
🤔🤔🤔
@mw-in-darwin I am not sure Sarmiento will be an upgrade on Burgzorg. DB has his faults, but his strong point is that he is arguably the only player we have that can hold/shield the ball and has pace.
I hope that Bristol do not get the better deal out of this. DB is match fit, Sarmiento isn’t. Oh and our new player could cost us 3+ million.
And I hope all the noise on the internet is only that, and not really serious in signing Armstrong. Even 5 million plus wages would be too much the 29 year old.
It's a question of language. I'd prefer to say that Sarmiento has been a very successful impact player rather than the somewhat derogatory "bench player". He will need to get up to speed and match fit, but he should give us something that we have severely lacked, and that is the pace and dribbling ability to get us behind defences from wide areas. He's a class player who wouldn't be out of place in the Premier League if we make it.
The problem we have is that the Sarmiento signing is part of the wider trend of signing promising prospects who may come good over the next few seasons, when we surely should have a laser-like focus on signing experienced pros who can get us over the line via the short-term perspective of the next 17 matches. In that sense, Armstrong, because of rather than in spite of his age, would be a much more welcome signing as he is currently one of the division's best strikers who would need no time to bed in. He is already match fit and ready to go. At this crucial stage of the season if you are going to spend £12-15m it will surely be because you will hope to recoup it by hitting the Premier League jackpot, rather than missing that boat to ensure that you will continue to have a competitive Championship side in two or three year's time.
We really will be kicking ourselves if we miss out this season because we turn out not to possess a striker who is capable of getting double-figure goals over an entire campaign
If you consider Boro spent reportedly a combined sum of £11.5m on Strelec, Sene and Hansen in the summer, then there was the money to get a top striker. Though since neither of that trio have barely featured this season then they are at this moment looking like gambles that have failed to pay off and are looking increasingly unlikely to have a major part to play in the last third of the season.
Though not sure if Adam Armstrong is right type of player from a physical perspective as he's listed as being only 5' 8" and I'd prefer to have an option to get a big man on the pitch when Boro need to chase a game and offer a target.
Although apparently Armstrong is known for his pace and movement, which may well be a fit to get behind opposition defences but maybe not the spearhead for a low block defence that Boro currently lack. Exmil's suggestion of Zan Vipotnik fits the description of the latter.
Middlesbrough are working on a deal to sign Hamburg forward Ranford Konigsdorffer before the window closes
OFB
It is reported today (Teesside Live) Hamburg are not interested in selling Konigsdorffer this window and 1 goal in 18 appearances does not fill me with enthusiasm.Middlesbrough are working on a deal to sign Hamburg forward Ranford Konigsdorffer before the window closes
OFB
Come on BORO.
@jarkko - Do you have a mokki, Jarkko? If so, how far away is it from your home? Some distance from the sea but on the banks of a lake further north...? And do you REALLY run out from the sauna into the snow or dive into the lake to cool down every so often? In which case, do you have a defibrillator on hand?
On the goal scoring front I suspect there might already be enough goals in the Boro squad to get the team up into the Premier League. I don't rule Strelec out. He is ony 24 years old. Anyone who can score one and assist one goal in a World Cup qualifier game for Slovakia against Germany as recently as 4 months ago (6th September 2025) MUST surely be more than good enough for The Championship and, probably, the Premier League. The goal was a lovely left footed curler inside the far post from about 15 yards, having brought the ball into the penalty area and, crucially against a team in a different universe from "the likes of" Wolves, West Ham, Burnley and Leeds much less the like of Swansea, Derby, Watford etc. Let's see what he can do, given a decent run in the team when he is fully fit because, of course, he is already a Boro player and therefore wouldn't cost even an additional penny.
In terms of the financial sustainability rules I wonder how Boro is placed at the moment. We all know that IF Boro should be promoted, there would be the need to spend in the hope of STAYING in the Premier League. It would not be helpful for the club to have its hands tied in financial terms when the money is needed. Boro is in the category of teams against which effective sanctions are taken by the FA/PL. I'm not entirely sure those rules and sanctions are deployed in the same way against the Manchester Uniteds, Arsenals, Chelseas of this world. Against Manchester City, and in the event that findings are eventually made, if the saying "justice delayed is justice denied" has any real meaning, is there any point having rules at all?
You're not alone in hoping Strelec will come good - here's what Kim Hellberg said today after Strelec resumed training this week...
“He’s coming back from a long injury, so it’s not fair for me to put any pressure on him. It wouldn’t be fair to put him straight back in and expect him to be starting straight away. But his week has been brilliant in terms of where he came from, not training at all.
“He’s such a good guy, such a talented guy. He’s going to be a top striker, it’s just a matter of time. Now, we need to give him a little bit of time to come back, but he’s ready to go in and I see everything that you want from a number nine in him. I see that type of profile in him – he’s an unbelievable player.”
Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry) has been given a 3 match suspension after admitting violent conduct against Norwich on Monday which was missed by the officials but was caught on video. He now misses QPR (A) Oxford (H) Boro (H) UTB
Come on BORO.
@forever-dormo No, I don't have a mökki (not mokki 😉). So a cottage. My younger brother has one just 45 min drive from my home and 25 min from his bungalow in the city centre. The cottage is located by the Baltic sea and is equipped more modern than many British houses. Sauna, central heating and dish washer, for example. And tripe glacing in the windows, internet and TV. And a motor boat.
We tend to use the cottages mostly in the summer time. Then my brother is living more time at the cottage than in his home. I haven't visited my brother for years at his home - but often at his cottage. His sons and their young families often stay overnight at the cottage.
Swimming is weekly habbit in the lake or sea after sauna in the summer time.
I have gone from sauna to the snow the last time when I was a kid - so some 50 years ago. It was more common then - but it was still quite rare. I haven't heard anyone to do it nowadays. Perhaps we tell legends about that to the tourists! It was more a think in 1950's and 1960's and older men back then.
But what is much more common nowadays is to go swimming from sauna in the winter. I was in a smoke sauna (the most traditional type - it is without a chimney, so when heating it up, the room is full of smoke. When the 100 kg to 200 kg stones are heated up, the smoke is cleared out through a "window" and you can start bathing) in Christmas with my doughter and son-in-law. He went to the lake two times - the owner of the sauna had sawn a 2 to 2 m hole to the ice for the people to bath. Mind, the thickness of ice was about 30 cm (so a feet).
Last week I went to three smoke saunas with my son locally. He went from sauna to dip in to the lake two times. He did not swim, but dipped himself in leaving only the head above the water. Because they was public saunas (there were three smoke saunas and one bigger but normal available for public), the hole in the lake e.g. the ice covering the lake) is kept open with air publes pumped from the lake. So a hose going at the bottom of the lake near the shore. And pumping air constatntly to keep it open.
My son dipped himself in to lake (frosen) twice. But in this lake in the Greater Helsinki area, there are at least five people dipping in the lake all the time - when ever the saunas are open. I have never seen the dipping area in the lake empty in the winter time.
This lake is a walking distance from my home. The facilities (e.g. the four saunas) are owned by the council and the smoke saunas are heated with wood. The cost of the wood is 400 000 € for five years. That was told by the local paper as we are part of the EU, the council must run a open tender for the supplier. The council have imployed two guys just to heat up the the three smoke saunas. It takes about 4 hours to heat up each. So part of my tax money goes for heating these three smoke saunas. The fourth sauna is the biggest and is heated up by electricity.
Link to the above saunas: https://www.cafekuusijarvi.fi/saunat
All saunas were smoke saunas 150 years ago. Now all private saunas are heated in homes by electricity (or wood). At the cottages by wood only. And on average we have 1,3 saunas per a family. One of my customers owns an Aston Martin and a Ferrari (very rare, but he owns 36 spare part shops in Finland and 10 in Sweden and is one of the richest persons in his county). He owns seven saunas!
And as said all my three borthers and their families have two saunas.
Usually we go to sauna every Saturday and usually a second time in mid week. I have a modern heater in my own sauna at home - it needs just 10 min to heat and you can go in. Handy in winter - now we have -20 degrees outside.
Up the Boro!
@jarkko That’s really interesting information. It’s great to have a window into lives in other countries - even better when it’s the life of such an ardent Boro supporter. Alison and I are off to Norway and Denmark on a mainly train travel holiday in September, but I’d love to visit Finland at some point.
Manchester City are Considering Recalling Sverre Nypan From His Loan At Middlesbrough (Simon Bajkowski - Manchester Evening News)
Glad to hear you are keeping the tradition going - saunas are also popular in Germany ( afew of our neighbours have them in the garden) but not sure about the dip in the frozen lake! It's quite a long time since I went to the sauna but Germany also have mökki - though they are called Laube and is essentially a summer house and often by natural lakes where you swim in the summer with sand beaches for sunbathing - plus also in the city on plots of land a bit like allotments called Parzellen for people without gardens. We have a lake about 5km away and some friends have a Laube there where they stay most weekends in the summer. Almost feels like being on holiday when you are there and you're back home in no time.
@martin-bellamy Hope to see any Boro fans in Finland. The coutry has as many people as Scotland, but the size of the country is nearly as large as France. So plenty of Forests, lakes, the sea, and the sea is full of small islands.
I think we have over 100 000 lakes that are bigger than a pond. And nearly as many islands in them and especially in the sea.
Let me know if you plan a holiday here. Beware about Norway. It is very expensive country - a pint (or only 0,5 liter) can cost well over 15 euros! I had a beer nearly the same amount is a hotel in Helsinki on Wednesday - I think it was 13 eur - but that is said to be the most expensive pint in Finland. It was part of my farewell party at work.
Up the Boro!.