@mw-in-darwin - A very British story of everyday travel. Yet I see many Americans on YouTube almost eulogise UK "public transportation" after visiting us. It MUST be grim in the USA!
Elsewhere, premier-League bound Ipswich Town have turned the loan moves of Cedric Kipre and Chuba Akpom, from Stade de Reims and Ajax respectively, into permanent transfers.
Forward Akpom, 30, played 29 times in the league, scoring twice, and completes his switch following appearances-related criteria.
Both players will finalise their deals on 1 July, with Akpom signing a three-year contract.
Up the Boro!
@jarkko An article the other day (gazette possibly) wrote about the big difference in money that Ipswich and MFC had to spend.
They had three bench warmers. One of them Akpom, that would cost them 31 million when they won promotion, due to the contract obligations.
I don’t think the Bristol lad, Mehmeti, signed in January has started many games either. Then there is Jack Clarke who appears to rotate with Philogene.
It is hard to compete with, and although we have generally, it is the depth of squad that has been our failure.
@jarkko I really don’t see Akpom as a premier league striker, although maybe the different pace of the game in the top division may suit him.
Nice one. 😅I’ll just leave this here:
About Akpom, I agree. But it would be interesting to see if he really can play at that level. You never know.
Up the Boro!
Nice one. 😅I’ll just leave this here:
About Akpom, I agree. But it would be interesting to see if he really can play at that level. You never know.
Up the Boro!
I think that it was a part of the loan deal. Ipswich guaranteed to buy him for Pds7 million if they won promotion. Interesting to see if they try to sell him or will they give him a go.
utb
Matt Crooks, Finn Azaz or Josh Coburn?* - which one from this trio of old boys might do a Typical Boro and score against us over the next 3 games? Who do you fear most to give us issues?
*It’s only this week that I’ve realised that Josh’s surname is (or was originally) Cockburn. I totally understand why he opted to change it - I’m sure colleagues and rival fans would have had a field day with the original spelling.
I just want to thank you for your magnificent opener, Martin. I really enjoyed it and loved your writing. You have a fabulous talent. I hope we will see lots more of Jeeves next season!
I’ll miss Saturday’s game, as I’ll be in Edinburgh, but of course I’ll be keeping close tabs on the score. We have a chance, of course we have! Let’s make this the year we make up for all our previous playoff heartbreaks. Come on Boro!
Fantastic song and video. I can’t find it on Spotify. Who sings it?
All I can find as a clue, is this article from the EG which mentions it as a cult hit in 2011.
“And thanks to actor and film-maker Phil Harrison, whose 2011 collaboration with Bill Fellows, “Don’t Call Me A Geordie”, proved a cult YouTube hit, their latest video gives a high definition, bird’s eye view of home.”
https://share.google/QuBfFpEPDXoisomxg
The referee on Saturday is Farai Hallam, ex pro footballer. Has taken charge of two Boro games this season, home to Swansea and the away game at Southampton. He famously, in his first Premier League game, did not reverse his decision when sent for a VAR review. There is no VAR in the semi finals, but it will be there in the final. As to Martin's question about who might score aginst us in the Play Offs, least likely is probably Josh as he apparently is day to day after injury two games ago. I also didn't realise that he was Millwall's record purchase.
I have to admit I'm kind of indifferent about , promotion,yes it would be a magnificent achievement, we've played some great football this season, not seen for many years.
However I worry were this will take the club, considering the financial mess most of the premiership clubs are in, how would we take it on, go crazy with purchases hoping they can handle it, bulk up with loan deals , high wages etc,
Chances are we might struggle either way, Do a. Burnley and they've had recent experience at the level ,
Maybe we just go for the ride , and see what happens, but knowing fans every defeat will have the texts and phone calls screaming for change.
I would be ecstatic if we go up ,but if we don't , this season as been one of the better ones ,
COB
@gt A good post. I agree with what you said.
@Martin I think Azaz will be the most probable. Unfortunately as his is for the next two matches.
Up the Boro!
@gt - I somehow don’t see Mr Gibson splashing the cash should we gain promotion. Despite the comments in the annual accounts for the last few years about “striving for promotion” the other comment along the lines of “balancing the books” offsets that.
I maintain that if he had really wanted promotion, then our transfer spend in the last few seasons would have been somewhat different - we all know that, sadly, you have to spend a lot to gain a proven goal scorer on either a transfer or loan and that hasn’t happened. If anything we have let one player go to produce income to purchase several cheaper players.
Dont get me wrong, SG has done a magnificent job for the club and it is his money that he puts in. I think he realizes that he doesn’t want to, or hasn’t got, the required funds to have a real go in the PL so should we be promoted, it will be a hard slog.
I am very much on the fence about promotion, yes, I will be there on Saturday cheering on Boro as I have been doing for the last 60 years and hoping for a win but will not be disappointed if we don’t get up.
UTB
@martin-bellamy - There is a WONDERFUL butcher's in Bedale which styles itself "Cockburn - Craft Butchers". Not just good cuts of meat but also meats in marinade and/or prepared for the BBQ, pies, sausage rolls etc. One of my go-to butchers when out and about camping. There is, in fact, quite a decent butcher's literally over the road from Cockburn's. Later today it will be camping at Ripon but I will make my way back for Saturday's game.
@forever-dormo That’s Josh’s parents’ butchers isn’t it? Apparently he used to regularly bring Warnock some of their sausages.
EXMIL CHALLENGE 2026 - Playoffs
Hi everyone from Memphis where I am “All shook up” at missing the match at home against Southampton, it will be 0630 here when the match kicks off and I will be searching the hotel channels in the hope I will find the game.
As the first semifinal is tomorrow evening and as of yet I haven’t received any entries from our 4 semi finalists, I thought a gentle reminder might be in order. I will be back home around Sunday evening and I will endeavour to provide a “halftime “ update on our semifinals, good luck to everyone especially the Boro.
Come on BORO.
On Cockburn to Coburn, I recall a comment from 1966 when Mike Trebilcock scored two goals for Everton in the Cup Final. The comment going around was that Billy Wright, the Arsenal manager was interested in signing him. For the Beverly Sisters.
I cite this out of purely historic interest rather than because I find it funny.
Who else has watched this from January? https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2026/january/05/highlights--boro-4-southampton-0/
Apparently Soton played well in the first half, but Boro did even better in the second half. As Kim Hellberg said today, there were six or seven same players on the field for Southampton as will be on Saturday. More of the same by Boro, please!
BTW, is Sammy Silvera still injured or back to the squad? He was brilliant in the game against Southampton in January. Up the Boro!
Hot off the press from MFC, the match on Saturday is available to live stream, to those in Unsold Markets, from the Riverside. 😊😎
@martin-bellamy - That is what I had always thought (and now believe to be correct). But I was "thrown off the scent" by the different spelling of Coburn/Cockburn. Jarkko will know that they are both pronounced "Coburn". An example is Cockburn's Port because, of course there has been a British role for centuries in the production of that fortified wine in Portugal which is England's oldest ally. England and Portugal sealed a peace treaty in 1373 - the longest still-existing peace treaty in the world.
But I read earlier (in this thread?) that Josh had changed the spelling of his name. I wouldn't have bothered. But then I don't know if he suffered abuse, for example at school, over it. Bearing in mind how tall he is now, and how much he appears to have filled out in recent years, and the fact he is an excellent and VERY well paid footballer with a chance next year of gracing the Premier League, I would have thought any criticism related to the spelling of his surname would run off his back like rain from a duck.
@lenmasterman - I think Billy Wright, former England captain-stalwart, was married to one of the Beverly Sisters (Babs?).
@forever-dormo Imagine the effort involved in trying to get his team mates to pronounce his name correctly. Just as well his parents didn’t name him Richard!
@jarkko I think we’d all take that result on Saturday.
Apparently a member of Southampton’s staff has been caught watching us training.
If it’s true I reckon they’d be checking on HH
@martin-bellamy
Saints turned into sinners! Maybe he was trying to figure out our best attacking formation like the rest of us. Fingers crossed for Saturday and hopefully a win. Even a draw would not be a disaster. UTB
Wow! This is a big deal with potentially enormous implications that could have a direct effect on Southampton's promotion hopes