A not for Hartlepool United.
Boro's Under-21s demolished Hartlepool United 10-0 in their opening group game of the National League Cup.
Hartlepool-born Frankie Coulson scored four of Boro's goals in the competition that pits National League teams against elite academy sides. Matches in the tournament are officially deemed to be first-team fixtures.
As a result, yesterday's game at Victoria Park is Pools' record-ever first-team defeat, surpassing 1962's 10-1 defeat to Wrexham that was the previous record.
Up the Boro!
Thanks Pedro - Yes it was certainly a missed opportunity last season and it will be tougher this time as the teams relegated to last season's Championship were the same three teams promoted to the PL the season before - which meant they didn't have the strength in depth of a PL squad.
The three relegated teams this time include West Ham (after 14 seasons in PL) and Wolves (after 8 seasons in PL) and Burnley, who have been relegated-promoted-relegated-promoted-relegated in their last 5 seasons - so they know how to bounce back.
We could add Southampton into the mix but much may depend on the misconduct ruling on Tonda Eckert that is expected any day now - punishment could range from a short touchline ban to anything up to 12-month outright ban.
West Ham have already sold Fernandes to Spurs for €99m and Summerville to a Saudi Pro League club for €64m - so they should have a more than a decent budget to strengthen - plus they still have Nuno Espírito Santo in charge. However, they do play both Burnley and Wolves in their first 4 games.
Wolves have picked up Raul Jimenez and Keiran Trippier on free transfers and sold Jaoa Gomez to Villa for €40m. They also have a Portuguese manager in charge as César Peixoto has replaced their former man (somebody called Edwards).
Much depends on how the season starts for the relegated clubs and whether the players are up for it and how the managers adapt to the relentless nature of the Championship - if they get off to winning starts then that usually reignites the confidence of those players who just endured a relegation slog.
Boro should be considered among the favourites of those who missed out last term - probably along with Southampton depending on how that FA charge works out - though the Saints could find that -4 point start is something that keeps them around the bottom of the table for some time and adds pressure.
Apparently no photos of Morris amongst those issued from MFC Rockcliffe training session this morning.
Hopefully it is just MFC being cagey and not releasing any of him, or if still injured, that means we will probably see Malanda in midfield and Ayling and Borges the two CB’s. Not an ideal scenario for the first match of the season, with those players not really covering themselves in glory against Wrexham.
Looks as though it will be a bumper crowd and a potential banana skin start.
@mw-in-darwin lincoln were also our very first opponents in the football league....
Werder - a fantastic opener! As always.
Dormo, there is nothing wrong with taking a sabbatical. I did so myself for a long time. I'm convinced that exhaustion over my very heavy investment in the Aitor Karanka era and the all-in emotional commitment that the period demanded had something to do with it. It wasn't until Chris Wilder took the reins that my connection properly began to build up again.
Anyway, I'm travelling back in time for my insight of the day.
TRANSACTIONS AND TRANSITIONS
A new signing, be he permanent or on loan, isn't merely a tactical transaction - it's a psychological transition.
Our action in the January 2026 window, which I'll come to again later, feels like it's cast a long shadow and it's very easy to see why. Not so much for tactical reasons but almost certainly for psychological ones.
Back in the days of the January 2016 window, you could argue that we didn't need any intervention - at least not tactically. In Kike Garcia, we had a Danny Welbeck equivalent, someone who didn't score a great deal but was still a dependable, synergetic link man for the team. We also already had a Jordan Rhodes type in Cristhian Stuani, and he'd also gone through the John Aldridge & Dirk Kuyt School where exciting strikers are tasked with the additional role of the functional hard-working wide man who can easily adapt into an additional goal source if the man front man is closed off. And in David Nugent, we had a forward who, like Kike Garcia, was rarely a great goal scorer but could be counted on for his work rate and intuition. All while Diego Fabbrini enjoyed a free role in the middle, where he could sometimes change games entirely.
So why Gaston Ramirez and Jordan Rhodes? Or even Stewart Downing? Because signings frequently if not always transcend the systematic.
In summer 2015, Boro were visibly reeling off the utterly flat Wembley display - like we are today! - and the ending of Jelle Vossen and Patrick Bamford's loan spells. The return of a local hero, for a big fee, can spell out to everyone that a promotion bid is being taken seriously - the seemingly ideal, we've-got-it-both-ways buy where we can celebrate a return-to-our-roots homecoming *and* a gifted player joining the ranks. The idea that an Alan Shearer-esque impact circa 1996 may also be possible - Shearer's signing coincided with the beginning of the end for the late Kevin Keegan's first managerial spell - was easy to overlook.
By early 2016 Boro were going through a (very brief, to be fair) winless phase and a cash injection for "new blood" to get the job done was more than welcome. The warning signs about Gaston's suspect temperament at Southampton and Hull were also easy to overlook, especially when he gave us what could be considered a great half season and a good half season. Ditto Jordan Rhodes - forget the system for a moment, because who's going to question a proven specialist goalscorer?
A big consequence was just how much was shelled out in terms of not only fees but wages to bring Jordan Rhodes to the club. Nugent would have been a more logical backup to Alvaro Negredo, but it is likely that the club had invested too much in Rhodes, monetarily and emotionally (he is Steve Agnew's nephew), to move him on in August 2016.
This brings us to the January 2026 transfer window, the link with Adam Armstrong and the possible third spell for Patrick Bamford that never happened. Instead our "great inspiration" was Jeremy Sarmiento - who I must confess, I'm a fan of, because he always tries to make things happen - but he sadly came across as a luxury who needed too much time for integration and recovering fitness, time a promotion challenger is likely not to have. In short, the potential was there - but the inspiration that can come with proven talent that you either sense or know will make a difference wasn't.
Armstrong - same initials, same position and same surname as our vital 1997-98 mid-season buy - was going through a good streak for our future play-off nemeses Southampton. It's not stretching things to argue he'd have been exactly what Alun Armstrong was - an extra goal resource just in case injury, loss of form or time needed for another new signing to integrate (see: Hamilton Ricard) intervened. Ditto Bamford, as we still had his two very good half seasons from 2015 and 2018 in mind.
The simple problem? It's not 1998 anymore, or even 2016. We aren't, or at least weren't, in a position to splash out in cash and wages like we used to, particularly on assets where a high resale value can't be guaranteed. Lest we forget Paul Merson was apparently on £1,000,000 a year with us, and that was much more in the nineties.
The further risk of implying a lack of trust in those already present to get the job done was also there, and Tommy Conway, David Strelec and Morgan Whittaker were and are all very capable forwards.
I'm not saying the gamble in a new forward or two wouldn't have paid off, and I'm not saying I didn't feel a bit flat too. But I do understand the club's reasoning for not taking that gamble, and at the time the goals were flowing in a very fluid team structure. Furthermore, when you're successful, when you're winning and when you're trying to enjoy it, who wants a buzz kill? I know I don't.
And consider me optimistic, if cautiously so, after the Wrexham game. It was a 1-0 win, a rarity last season. A run out for some of our new lads. A debut goal for Will Lankshear. And signs that Kim Hellberg has learned a thing or two about game management and when to transition (there's that word again) between pace and control.
Naturally I use the word "cautiously" because this is Boro. But we'll see.
Insights on Radek Vitek will follow if time permits.
I am late to the party having had summer off for a variety of reasons but since I am back in football mode thought I would restart posting. Mind you with the temperature as it here, maybe having hydration breaks might not be a bad idea!
A great intro Weder and how you do it never ceases to amaze me - quality is brilliant and here’s hoping that you break your duck.
I am pleasantly surprised at our transfer activity this far and based on the Wrexham game quietly confident that as my Dad used to say. “This will be season!” But having had 60 years of that, my expectations are naturally lowered.
I will be making the trip up on Saturday as for the last 20 years (what I call part 2 of life post divorce) I have tried to get to the first home league game although don’t always make it.
So ahead of that I thought I would review our first home league performances since 2006 and that wonderful victory against Chelsea.
20 games played, won 10, drawn 4 and lost 6. Goals for 27, against 20.
7 games we have not conceded and in only 4 games have we failed to score.
3 games where we scored 3, 2012 Burnley 3 2, 2015 Bolton 3 0 and 2017 Sheffield Utd. 3 0
5 games where we scored twice.
Worst defeat in 2010 when we lost 3 1 to Ipswich
We have never won 3 first home game of the season in that period which doesn’t bode well since we have won the last 2 1 0.
Make of that what you will although I am going to say that typical Boro will break the trend and win 2 1 in a game where Lincoln surprise us by scoring first.
As for team selection, I will take a punt on
Vitek
Brittain Ayling Malander Arfsten
Whittaker Berhalter Morris (or Sarmiento) Castledine
Joseph Lankshear
UTB
Northern Echo reporting MFC to benefit from sale of Djed Spence as there is a 15% profit sell on clause in the contract.
😎
@k-p-in-spain - Did that article say how much Boro would get? When I open these things I tend to get a "paywall". Looks like a decent haul from Hayden Hackney plus the "residuals" from Rogers and Spence. Should have no problems paying the laundry staff...
@forever-dormo. No figure mentioned other than 15% of the profit, which is difficult to calculate as it is not clear what is regarded as the initial sale price to Spurs; does it include the add ons or is the baseline transfer figure?
I suspect we will hear more in the next few days when the EG catch up on the story. 😎
Just had a look at the stats for Lincoln's league cup win at Derby. Derby had 71% possession. So did they park the bus, some other stats would show otherwise. The Imps had more touches in the opposition box, 24 to 13, more shots 14 against 8, both had 4 on target. 5 of Derby's 8 shots were from outside the box so they were keeping them very much at arms length. As the saying goes damned lies and statistics.
Boro maxed out on the Spence add-ons, the £12m original fee inflating to £20m given Spence's first team and European Championship appearances and England selections including the recent World Cup.
No fee has been settled yet for Spence's current Inter Milan move, £25m having ben mentioned, though this has been raised to close to £30m according to today's reports.
So Boro have made at least £8m recently on the deal and I guess another £1-1.5m is in the pipeline.
Add the Spence profit to the Hackney money and the recent Rogers windfall and it might begin to explain our going for different quality signings, plus some bargain American acquisitions this time around.
It has been the most productive window for many a long day, and may be the result of that sliding doors moment (thanks Selwyn) when Steve Gibson had to look on politely clapping and smiling at the very moment when £175m was slipping through his fingers as Hull did their celebratory circuit of Wembley.
I think Neil Warnock was quite right about Djed Spence, but that said, the young lad didn't give up despite the fact that he had a trying time following his transfer to Spurs.
I was quite impressed with some of the performances he put in for the England team during the World Cup. Quite an unlikely hero.
If this deal comes off for him to transfer to Inter Milan, I hope he will be happy and settle there.
Very good post Simon and I agree that the Sarmiento deal was an 'optimistic' choice for a January deal as he arrived with hardly any football played that season (just 7 appearances for Cremonese in Serie B that totaled 135 minutes). So unlikely to hit the ground running.
He featured in all of Boro's games since his arrival but only averaged 28 minutes over 20 games - his contribution was no assists and no goals as the team's recorded just 7 wins during that period.
I feel January transfers are mostly punts and the season before we saw Iling-Junior, Iheanacho and Ryan Giles arrive on loan - all of whom never really got going if we were to be generous. Not to mention Boro paid £6m for Whittaker who in the end only contributed 2 assists in his almost 1000 minutes on the pitch.
Perhaps most players available in January are available for a reason and even those you can prise away with decent money will take time to settle but the season quickly runs out after January.
Thanks and glad you're getting back into the footballing groove for the new season - I think those stats slightly favour a win on Saturday so hope you get to witness it!
Just as an aside, we've talked a few times about AI and how it is being used to produce some dubious articles and I've also used it a few times to help me fix some technical issues.
However, I noticed my online banking app has now replaced the message service to request an action by an AI Chatbot - and this AI basically blocks you from sending a message to customer support and insists it can help you.
Anyway, I've basically had to use my Google AI assistant to find how to be able to bypass my bank AI in order to send a message that the telephone banking helpline said I needed to send them. It offered me specific German phrases that will trigger the banking AI into providing a message box to send a message - which has to be repeated 3 times before it gives in
So I've seen the future - My AI people negotiating with your AI people!!
@werdermouth Artificial intelligence and REAL intelligence are two different things, me thinks.
You cannot trust it. It needs real thinking before it can be trusted. Often a nuisance so far, as ypu wrote.
Up the Boro!
Yes, it's being hyped up by those AI producers but it's still basically an agent that searches though huge databases and responds to queries and still calculates meaning though lots of comparison tests. It cannot think in the sense humans do and can't give an actually opinion based on thinking about something.
Although, I did test Google AI with a joke last week when I was setting up the fingerprint scanner on my son's new laptop for school - it asked me if I needed a hand setting it up - I replied "It's probably better if I use my own hand" - It seemed to get it was a joke as it replied "Ha Ha" with a laughing emjoji - so not sure what to make of that other than it probably wasn't an original joke 😉
@johnny-canuck - I agree, JC. I am at one with Neil Warnock that Djed Spence's initial attitude wasn't right. Whether it was thinking about Warnock's comments, or whether it was the coaches at Spurs and/or England persuading Spence that he had it within him to become not just an OK Premier League footballer but a VERY good one capable of holding down a key position in England's team, or whether it was simply a case of a lad maturing later than most, doesn't really matter. He might have looked at truly world class players like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham whilst in the England set-up and realised that, for all their undoubted talent, they are also internally-driven and train like a coach's dream.
Whatever it was, it appears to have worked. Spence was one of the obvious "improvers" in the England squad and if he can hold down a place in the fourth (?) ranked team in the world he must now be doing a lot that is right.
@tupaia-heligo
There is a amall inconsistency or omission in each of your COTS entries. I have replied in that thread to each of you to let you know what it is that is awry. Please take a look and reply to that with how you want me to amend your entries.
Eveybody else. 14 COTS entries received so far, with just over 24 hours left till the 8pm deadline on Friday. Thank you to everyone that has entered so far and come on everyone else, let's see if we can get a record number of entries this year.
Entries in the following format...
TOP 6: team1, team2, team3, team4, team5, team6, optional1,optional2,optional3
BOTTOM 3: team1, team2, team3, optional1, optional2, optional3
AUTOMATIC PROMOTION: team1, team2, optional1, optional2
CHAMPIONS: team1, optional1
OVER ACHIEVER: team1, optional1
UNDER ACHIEVER: team1, optional1
BORO TO FINISH: 1st (or whatever you think)
(Reminder, over acheiver is a team finishing 10 or more places higher than last season, or in the top 9 if it is a promoted team. Under acheiver is a team finishing 10 or more places lower than last season, or outside the top 9 if it is a relegated team)
Full details here: https://diasboro.club/forum/members-lounge/the-diasboro-cots-challenge-2026-27/
Thanks Werder!
Yes, January is notoriously difficult. In the days where we could depend on an Italian or Inter Milan connection - see Gianluca Festa and Marco Branca - to give both the fans and the team a huge lift, there wasn't only no January window, there was more money. I understand why fans who were disappointed in January draw comparisons to those days and wish for similar inspiration, but as I've implied, it's not the 1990s anymore.
And now for my insight of the day. As promised.
'KEEPER CAPERS
While I admit to knowing little about Radek Vitek, logic suggests that he is the Schwarzerian Upgrade we've been looking for - tall, capable of great saves and a dominant, secure presence. In 2010, two years after he left 'Boro, it was actually said that Mark Schwarzer was probably the best in the Premier League, one who gave his team "great security".
That, whatever his blunders and whatever his kicking, is pretty much how I felt about Schwarzer right from the start. His debut at Stockport's Edgeley Park, at only twenty-four - and note Vitek is just twenty-two - is a lifelong memory for me because of the part he played in making a previously wobbly defence as solid as a rock. The absence of Juninho that night could be forgotten as Gianluca Festa and Nigel Pearson, with Schwarzer behind them, repeatedly repelled what came at them.
I really was proud of Boro that night. A terrible pitch and an absence of fluid football was irrelevant as the team at last proved they had real grit - which came, alas, too late to save the season.
This illustrates why an expensive goalkeeping signing can be a real statement of both intent and new managerial philosophy. Or maybe just one of the two. When we signed Schwarzer it was most welcome as three goalkeepers had already been between the sticks for Boro that season, and even if they were all capable and gifted shot-stoppers, none of them were arguably what you could call dependable presences. The sad yet realistic truth of progress demanding a distasteful ruthlessness came to fruition that year in more than one position, as we found out with John Hendrie and Jan Fjortoft.
You can find many examples of the "new boss or new way of things, new 'keeper" approach, and it's not known to be a happy transition. It's documented that Jerzy Dudek took most of the 2004-05 season to adapt to Rafa Benitez's new "compact ways" at Liverpool - and Benitez was already lining up Pepe Reina to come in. You also have Claudio Bravo suddenly replacing Joe Hart at Manchester City in 2016, Petr Cech replacing the unfortunately injured Carlo Cudicini at Chelsea in 2004... the list of examples could go on.
Back at Boro? Aitor Karanka and Garry Monk made their immediate statements of intent with the Irish duo of Shay Given and Darren Randolph, perhaps two of the finest goalkeepers to wear the Boro shirt this century. It was a statement nearly made twice - what price Dimi Konstantopoulos enjoying a record breaking season in 2015-16 if that permanent deal for Given hadn't been hijacked?
Then there was that FKC - Four 'Keepers Caper - in 2016. Not something one looks back on fondly. With Victor Valdes you did get pedigree and someone intended to be more of a sweeper-keeper akin to Bravo and Reina, but according to my research it appears Dimi's contract had an appearance based clause which contracted him to Boro until 2017, and a move away for Tomas Mejias fell through. And the signing of Brad Guzan, even if it was on a free transfer, isn't the kind of thing that sends a positive message to the 'keepers already present - even with Valdes' injury history. Whatever the gifts of the "new men", Dimi had something they didn't - synergy.
This is something we have to hope Vitek builds with the current team. What works in his favour for sure is that he looks and feels like an upgrade on Sol Brynn and his signing has definitely given most, if not all, a real lift. Like Schwarzer rather than Valdes. Furthermore, we don't see "keeper clutter" like 2016 and while it does seem harsh on Brynn I do have to be frank - he kind of echoes Jason Steele during his time here in that he's made important saves, shown real quality and you do want him to succeed, but there has been something lacking, and it's not just in the high profile errors like those at home to Millwall and at Wembley. (Even Schwarzer made a huge error in Cardiff, and we all know it, even if he recovered superbly.)
He nonetheless has synergy. And that's a challenge for Vitek.
@simonfallaha I’ve been relatively happy with SB although his mistake at Wembley was a bit of a howler at exactly the wrong time. He made many fine saves last season but also let a few passed him that looked saveable.
What I have also admired is his distribution. On more than one occasion he’s hit long balls to Whitaker (amongst others) that have given us a goal scoring opportunities.
Whether the new guy is an improvement, only time will tell, I guess.
@martin-bellamy I am inclined to agree with you. I think Sol Brynn is only going to get better, season on season and I have not been sure we needed an upgrade, just a better deputy. He spared the defence's blushes more than he had to blush himself. Put a better defence in front of him and I think we would ship fewer goals..... which wasn't really a problem last season anyway, it was the other end of the pitch where the problem lay!
As you say, we will see.
Another good post Simon and agree with you on Schwarzer as being one of best keepers - also thought Shay Given added that dependability when he was here too.
We don't yet know if Vitek is going to prove to be a similar acquisition and the fact that he's coming to the Championship suggests he's still got something to prove. However, he appears to have a presence at six-foot-six and as I mentioned in the preview was known as 'the wall' by Robins fans. Sometimes having an imposing presence like Schmeichel (both father and son) in goal is enough to make strikers overthink when through on goal. I look forward to seeing Vitek in action this season.
@forever-dormo
Sometimes a home truth delivered to an underperforming person is the needle that is needed to provide a giddy up.
I know.
I was that person.