@paulinboro I read somewhere that we’re due another £2.5m now - haven’t seen a source to co turn that though.
Interesting that DS becomes the first Muslim player to play for England. I was very surprised that there were none before him.
@martin-bellamy. Yes a good point and perhaps something Boro can learn from. 😎
There's a selection of photos from training this week. Interesting to see that Dieng and Bangura were back in. But McGree was missing - from the pictures at least. https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2025/september/10/prepping-for-preston-trip/
So no long term injuries and McGree should be back soon. I think they give him extra time to heel and when back, he can stay fit. For two yeras we have not had so few injuries. Let's hope this continues as well, too.
Up the Boro!
Malcolm and Pres J
Anyone who has served on a committee will recognise that when someone opens his remarks with the words "with respect", what is likely to follow is a criticism that is anything but respectful.
In Kieron Scott’s recent interview being “respectful" is a quality that he attributes to himself. Others might interpret his remarks differently. For example, as a self-justifying slagging- off of two former employees before the ink has scarcely had time to dry on their new contracts.
I'm afraid that this is a regrettable decades-long feature of the club I have supported all of my life. When a player or staff member departs, all too often it is open season for the spreading of half-truths and scurrilous rumours about the recently departed designed to justify the club's actions. All dutifully disseminated by the local media.
There will be no attempt to apply the principles of decent journalism by seeking any kind of balance. In this case Van den Berg and Azaz's own views on the way they have been represented will not be solicited. And anyway I suspect that the club will have imposed morally dubious one-way NDAs on their staff given the silence of those who have departed, of whom Michael Carrick is only the most obvious recent example.
The situation is completely reversed with fresh faces, of course. All clubs represent their new signings as just what they need. Models of skill, professionalism and, if not always probity, then poorly treated or misunderstood. Any criticisms from their former clubs, even when well substantiated as in the case of Whittaker and to a lesser degree Hansen can be shrugged off as misrepresentations or sour grapes.
Any Boro fan who has been paying even minimal attention will have a shrewd idea of why both VDB and Azaz have sought pastures new, though there is no hint of this necessary context in either Scotts’ account or the Gazette’s rendering of it.
VDB was attracted to the Boro because he wished to develop under the coaching of Carrick and Woodgate in particular, given the latter’s career as one of Europe’s top performers in VDB’s own centre-back role. When they departed, the young Dutchman had no compelling reason to stay
Azaz, for his part, must have viewed close season developments with particular apprehension. After his endorsement of the club, its playing style and coaching staff that was positive enough to persuade Whittaker to join us rather than Premier League bound Burnley, he was faced with the appointment of Edwards and the prospect (not so far borne out) of Luton-style, long ball, robust, high energy football for which he might justifiably have deemed himself particularly unsuited.
So it is the very opposite of respectful to locate the cause of VDB and Finn’s departures to their own character defects rather than the wider context of an orchestrated campaign against their former coaches who, for better or worse, seem to have been almost universally appreciated by the players.
But after the best recruitment period for many years and Boro’s brilliant start to the season Scott deserves his share of the accolades. He seems to have learned a great deal aver the period of his tenure. Recruitment improved markedly after his appointment of Chris Jones, and the lessons on how to get out of the division preached by Warnock ( You need an experienced core of pros whom you can rely on to give you 7/10 every week), Wilder ( as above ,but with at least a couple of reliable strikers) and Carrick (We need quality rather than quantity) have at long last been applied And to great effect.
Boro’s previous three managers might ruefully reflect that their DoF has completed a very successful apprenticeship, but in their own time.
And, with the greatest respect, I would personally prefer a Director who did not work in the shadows of unofficial briefings when times are grim but is the first to seek the limelight when things begin to go well.
But hey, we are top of the league, playing well and I cannot wait for this season to unfold.
PNE 0 Boro 2
@martin-bellamy what is more interesting is that is even something the media feels the need to highlight. For me he is simply a talented footballer representing his country.
@powmillnaemore I agree with that up to a point, but there’s an expression, “if you can’t see it, you can’t be it”. If Muslim faith boys don’t see their peers in the upper echelons of sport, they’ll likely not even try to play the game. Listen to women footballers, rugby players and cricketers - it took years for them to see that women could be high profile athletes and, at last, progress has been made. One of my granddaughters wanted a Lionesses shirt for Xmas last year - I couldn’t have been happier to get it for her.
@lenmasterman that's a great post Len and, I suspect, if not bang on the money, then very close to it indeed.
I don't think fans or the local media should every shy away from positive criticism. I think the introduction of RE to the club - an excellent media performer to-date - and Kieran Scott who speaks well (albeit the video questions were on a plate seemingly) has bumped up the PR dept in a way we haven't seen for a while. They're very good and while we're winning, this will not be an issue. I would like to know more about the two main departures but, historically, this rarely happens. Rav does seem to have behaved badly according to Scott but, as you say, it's one side only.
The local media are tied in with the club and are hopeless really as an independent outlet. I don't expect them to be scurrilous in their reporting but a more questioning and combative outlook is generally welcome.
Re the NDAs, it is strange that Carrick has said nothing and you'd think there is one in place. He can't have been happy at getting the chop and I imagine feels responsible for Woodgate and his brother.
Carrick had many qualities but I'm not unhappy he went and there has been sense of drift for a while. What I didn't expect was RE to come in and change things so very positively and (like us all?) am very much on board with him. His post match celebrations are a tad OTT for August but are brilliant at the same time. Promotion is about team spirit and belief as much as anything and Rob is ahead here already.
While we're winning, the club spin won't be questioned. The paradox of course is that winning is what we all want and I'm very, very pleased that we are.
@martin-bellamy point taken and in the world we live in who can argue? I suppose that is my point really, that it is a sad reflection of the real world such otherwise irrelevant details become important to report on.
@rich-llewelyn-evans I have to agree, i dont think it is all one sided, players need to take responsibility too.
I commented about this piece from Scott singing his praises, he has dealt with two players who, in my opinion, clearly demonstrated the behaviours of wanting to be away.
In my opinion VDB looked disengaged on match days, on the pitch and also in training from what I hear from friends closer to the club than me.
Re, Azaz, again just from a friend who went to the open training session with his young boy, all players except Azaz integrating with the fans, I hear Neto Borges was excellent on the day with the younger fans whereas Azaz gave no time to anybody including the kids, shame as he came with a reputation as being excellent with his community work.
NDAs or not that kind of behaviour needs to be dealt wity quickly to stop it manifesting across the wider squad, Scott took the opportunity to deal with it whilst getting the best deals for the football club, I applaud him for that.
The slightly odd thing for me is that most people thought we could cope without Rav, and, as Scott says, Azaz wasn't universally appreciated in the stands as hard work and determination - two of Azaz's less obvious qualities let's say - are always valued very highly on Teesside. Therefore, I don't think there's been any real backlash or even grumbling about their sales. I think both cases were generally seen as good business.
That being the case, there didn't seem much need to have a little pop at them.
Anyway, football is back soon and many thanks to Martin and Dave for the excellent opener.
@presidentjump Yes, I think that if a squad behaves well and gets involved seriously in community issues and help, then there is a bonding benefit for the team as well as the community. Togetherness and openness means so much and for that alone, I wish Borges was still with us.
Rioch's team had that spirit better than any other Boro side I've side and if we can come close to matching that - far from easy as it's a very high bar - then we'll be in the mix properly come May.
On edge already, but excited.
@lenmasterman In response to your request for info on Alan Browne, Dave’s just sent through his thoughts:
Hi Martin,
Not sure if this is a good omen or not; RE has been nominated for Manager of the Month for August. 😎🤔
Surely it will be a shoe-in 😱
Many thanks for the opener Martin and hopefully our smashing start will continue against the Spud Brothers...
I'm just trying to get back into footballing groove after having spent most of the international break working on my latest project of renovating the bathroom - it's hard dusty job that needs a soak in the tub at the end of the day - which is why it's the only thing I've left in but you need to close your eyes to relax among the missing walls and pipework 😉
Anyway, my aching arms managed to spill a half-full (half-empty?) glass of beer over my laptop - which then involved a frantic opening of it to disconnect the battery before it was killed as couldn't power it down. Thankfully, just a new keyboard (which arrived 2 hours ago) was the only repair needed - since QWER, UIOP, 5, 6 and 0 plus the Ctrl, Alt and Windows key had all stopped working.
So this week PNE was just N and Boro was simply B
Which meant my score prediction was reduced to ... N - 3 B
Martin, thanks for arranging this and do thank Dave once again for his very interesting piece on Alan Browne. There is nothing more reliable than the view of a fan like Dave who has seen a player perform week in, week out, over many years. From what Dave has said it looks as though we have acquired an experienced, uncompromising, energetic player who is capable of weighing in with 6 or 7 goals per season. Just the kind of midfield back-up that we need.
I found this interesting piece of information on my local team’s website, Elche FC (La Liga). Perhaps UK based teams could learn something.
Seat transfer available until match day
The Club reminds its season ticket holders that, if they are unable to attend the match, they can vacate their seat through the Season Ticket Holders' Area up to two hours before kick-off. This way, the seat will be made available for another fan, and if the ticket is sold, the season ticket holder will receive 30% of the price in their digital wallet . Tickets for visiting fans will be managed by Real Oviedo , and Oviedo fans are reminded that access to their reserved area can only be obtained with a ticket in their name, by proving it at the entrance with their NIF (Tax Identification Number). 😎
Good news everyone! I’m away with work until Saturday evening and so will almost certainly miss the match. again.
That certainly cancels out the Manager of the Month nomination.
If we win again I might have to seriously consider not watching Boro again this season.
Preston North End striker Milutin Osmajic is a ‘doubt’ for this weekend’s match against Middlesbrough.
Osmajic, who scored in each of the first three games this season, missed the trip to Portsmouth with a rib issue. He was then withdrawn from Montenegro squad to have treatment on the problem, but Heckingbottom thinks Boro will come to soon for the front man.
One boost for Preston will be the return of Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alfie Devine, who was a surprise absentee at Fratton Park two weeks ago. The midfielder - who scored on debut at home to Leicester City - is back in the fold after a knock.
Brad Potts, Jordan Thompson, Robbie Brady and Will Keane remain sidelined.
I expect a tough battle at Preston eventhough they have a bit more injury problems than Boro. We have only McGree out at the moment with all the other players joining in for training this week. So we have a stronger squad compared to PNE. Let's hope we will play well.
Up the Boro!
The club and personnel awarded with Manager of Month Award for August.
https://www.mfc.co.uk/news/2025/september/12/rob-edwards-named-manager-of-the-month/
So nothing can go wrong for as at Preston on Saturday now, could it? Three points, here we come.😂
Read also the article by the BBC at https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c5yvd8n0g47o
Up the Boro!
Thanks @Martin for that starter, and thanks also to PNE Dave for his contribution. It's always good to get a glimpse of how things look from an opposition point of view.
I can remember Carlin Sunday from long ago in my childhood though it wasn't something "celebrated" in my family. Perhaps not a massive surprise as my parents both came from South Wales and stories about Scottish seiges of Newcastle being relieved by rescuing the food cargo of a foundered ship 400 years earlier would not have been a folk memory for them.
If Boro could fashion a win on Saturday lunchtime in Lancashire, we would not be in entirely uncharted waters but certainly in a sporting region where our maps are well out of date. Four wins has been an excellent start and five would have been unthinkable before the season's first ball had been kicked. But as the team climbs each mountain and then sees the mountain range behind it, and the one behind that, the view from the top certainly seems very good!
In The Pickled Parrot we have a tame Geordie regular, whose rough edges have been gradually worn down by a few decades of living in North Yorkshire (very definitely Boro territory where, I think, there is only one self-confessed Leeds supporter - there used to be more when Leeds was considered a "big club"). He refers to those Boro supporters who felt the team was destined for greatness that season as "Boro blockheads". You know the type: those who insist that, despite Boro languishing in 10th position after a string of defeats, "if we can win 10 out of the last 12 games we can still get into the Play-Offs as the "in-form team". Now, previously "realistic" predictions are being taken down, polished and revised upwards, and from an undefeated position at the top of the table anything can seem possible. Dreams CAN come true. There is a risk we will all turn into Blockheads, but at least with some encouragement from early results.
Obviously we are only four games into the season. But it's MUCH better to be sitting with maximum points with others looking to chase Boro rather than the other way around. A fifth win would cement confidence in the team and it's supporters. Could Boro unexpectedly turn out to be the Liverpool/Bayern/PSG (insert your preferred team of Galacticos here) of the Championship in 2025-26?
Obviously there have been recent arrivals at the training ground who need to be incorporated into the squad/team. I don't expect all those new players to feature immediately but my interest has been grabbed by the performance of David Strelec against the Mighty Germany. I mean, scoring one and assisting another goal would be a very decent performance against Oxford United but against Germany it suggests a couple of levels of class above that (no disrespect to the Dreaming Spires but I doubt Oxford's defence and midfield have never before been compared to Germany's). Clearly great things are possible.
Listening to K. Scott being interviewed by Mark Drury on BBC Tees at the start of this week, I was heartened by what I heard. I have similarly been impressed so far by what I heard from Rob Edwards. I am not (yet) comparing him to Mogga nor to Jack Charlton but he seems to have watched the same game that I have seen. That's not because he says everything I would have said, but it's not as if I feel like someone is trying to pull the wool over my eyes. He hasn't been saying how good things were despite results and he does seem to answer some of the questions put to him rather than giving the usual politician's non-answers. Obviously that might change if results change but I am heartened by what I have seen, and heard, so far.
I am NOT going to predict a triumphant match through The Championship into glory at the end of this season. But Boro has at least made that possible. I am sure Edwards will keep the players grounded and aware of the possible slip-ups ahead. There will be some. There always are. But it would be nice to dream that there will be no slip-up THIS week. A win at Preston at an ungodly hour on Saturday would give an uninterrupted view of the vistas ahead and, at some stage (soon?) thereafter, dreams of a triumphant season would be realistic rather than seeming to be "substance-induced".
I wonder how rarefied the air would seem up there with FIVE consecutive wins to start the season? I hesitate to suggest PNE 1-2 BORO (actually I "mis-typed" BORO 3 there at first) for fear of jinxing it. But I have hopes.
I had not expected this...
(From a caravan at Sedgefield, currently with blue skies and the sun beating down. But there are showers and less clement weather is predicted for the rest of the weekend. I shall be following via the BBC Tees live commentary with bated breath.
Boro have sold all 5600 tickets for PNE. That’s magnificent support. We’ll no doubt be sucking the ball into the net when Boro are attacking our end! Let’s hope the lads do us all proud tomorrow and send us home with 3 points.
@forever-dormo Some wise words there, FD, elevated by a vein of optimism running through your post.
We’ve got heavy rain and sunny spells here in Devon, but that’s not dampened our holiday spirits. With Wigan Warriors on TV tonight and a lunchtime appointment with the Boro tomorrow, there’s plenty to look forward to. We’re off to Lynmouth and Lynton shortly - I must remember the proper criterion for jam/cream scone application.
Interesting article from the BBC and while not every club who lead early in the season go on to get promoted, quite a lot do so the longer the opening run the better the chances!
Just reading that there's a plan - proposed by PNE's chief executive Peter Risdale (remember him!) - to expand the play-offs in the Championship to 6 teams where 5th will play 8th and 6th will play 7th in a preliminary one-off tie at the higher clubs ground - with the winners then playing the 3rd and 4th teams over 2 legs before a final at Wembley.
Apparently the proposal has been received favourably by Championship clubs...