Stay strong it’s good that you have your son for support and that you have shared this news with us as your “band of brothers “
Prayers are with you
OFB
I am sorry to hear your news Exmil and echo everyone's good wishes. Keep positive and keep us all informed. We are all so lucky to be alive in this day and age when so much is possible in the treatment of so many conditions. I hope for your good outcomes.
very sorry to hear your news. Fortunately, medicine has made so many strides in handling this disease and I too know many people who have come through really well. I look forward to many more years of the Exmil challenge.
UTB and you too
So sorry to hear of your terrible news, exmil. Setting your sights on getting back to your seat at the Riverside as soon as possible demonstrates exactly the kind of grit and determination that will help you see this thing through. Best wishes to you. You will always have a receptive audience here for your thoughts both on your progress and, of course, on anything you have to say about the Boro.
Definitely off topic and it seems trivial after Exmil’s sad news, but here’s my Blog about our trip to the Hebrides. Hopefully you’ll indulge me as there’s not much football news of worth atm.
Latest rumour/report:
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/luke-ayling-reportedly-agrees-middlesbrough-contract/ 😎
Boro issue retained list:
A lot of the youngsters appear to have been let go; not sure of the significance/impact as I don’t know most of them.
I can only assume they have reached the end of their contracts and the club have decided that they will not make the grade, sad but life of a footballer. 😎
@exmil - Sorry, but I haven't looked in here since shortly after midnight on 16th May, in other words before that post of yours on 16th May at 1.26pm. Very sorry to hear your news, but I hope it is possible to excise the offending blighter and that you are up and about again soon (with help from the family physiotherapist). Best wishes.
I would like to thank everyone for their good wishes and support, I am sure I will be fine, hopefully after they do a CT scan led biopsy on Wednesday, it won’t be long before they sit down with me and map the road ahead. I will keep everyone updated.
Come on BORO.
All the best for Wednesday.
@exmil Based on my experience the road ahead of you will be thoroughly mapped out with each point carefully explained. There's a whole lot to absorb too so do not be afraid to ask questions at any stage.
Although the tendency is to remember questions an hour after the meeting as you are driving home!
I was told how the scalpels worked, how blood vessels were joined, basically everything within reason I suppose, but the consultant is still very forthcoming about everything after almost two years. As I said two years ago this Wednesday coming I was given the '99.9% certain' diagnosis. I even had the personnel in the Theatre explained and what their responsibilities were, all fifteen of them!
My best wishes for Wednesday, I'll be thinking of you and having positive thoughts for you.
ATB and UTB,
John
De Zerbi to leave Brighton after Sunday’s game against Man Utd 😱.
Come on BORO.
Exmil,
So sorry to read your news and I echo the comments from other posters above.
You seem like a determined and resilient sort of bloke and I look forward to reading your positive comments about the Boro again next season.
Oxford join us in the championship next season.
Come on BORO.
Here is Middlesbrough's squad after the retained list was published:
Goalkeepers
Senior options: Seny Dieng, Tom Glover, Jamie Jones, Sol Brynn, Zach Hemming
Youth prospects: Shea Connor, Nathan Fisher
Released: Liam Roberts
Full-backs
Senior options: Tommy Smith, Anfernee Dijksteel, Lukas Engel, Alex Bangura, Hayden Coulson
Youth prospects: George Gitau, Nathan Simpson, Bryant Bilongo
Released: Luke Ayling (end of loan), Luke Thomas (end of loan)
Possibly to be bought: Young right back
Centre-backs
Senior options: Rav van den Berg, Dael Fry, Darragh Lenihan, Matt Clarke
Youth prospects: Jack Hannah, James Wilson, George McCormick
Released: Paddy McNair (do we need to replace?)
Centre midfielders
Senior options: Hayden Hackney, Jonny Howson, Dan Barlaser
Youth prospects: Law McCabe, AJ Bridge, Fin Cartwright, Luke Woolston, Yacou Traore, Jack Stott, Cain Sykes
Released: Lewis O'Brien (end of loan)
Forwards
Senior options: Marcus Forss, Isaiah Jones, Finn Azaz, Alex Gilbert, Riley McGree, Sammy Silvera
Youth prospects: Pharrell Willis, Charlie Lennon
Released: Sam Greenwood (end of loan)
Strikers
Senior options: Emmanuel Latte Lath, Josh Coburn, Matthew Hoppe
Youth prospects: Sonny Finch, Ajay Matthews, Dan Nkrumah
Released: N/A
Needed to be bought: One new striker
I have marked the first team squad in green (above).
I would say we need a minimum of four new players, possibly six but two can be young players to grow into 1st team players. And the positions where we need a replacement is marked in red.
Personally I would promote one goalie from the academy (Sol Brynn or Zach Hemming) and so no need to buy. I am not sure if we need to replace McNair, but perhaps a young centre back would be nice. And definately we need a youngish right back if Dijksteel would leave.
And I think everybody agrees with me that a central midfielder, forward and striker are needed. Here I hope we will go for quality rather than quantity. But in all four to six new players are needed if Ayling stays, too.
Up the Boro!
Personally I would like to see Law McCabe to be given a chance next season in central midfield. Up the Boro!
Exmil
I’m just catching up on the blog. I’m terribly sorry to hear the news of your illness. I do hope you get positive news this week and that nothing will prevent you from getting back to the Riverside next season and far beyond. Stay strong.
Very best wishes
@jarkko - As regards giving the youngsters a chance, nobody on here (and few at the Club, I guess) could have had much of an idea how good Hayden Hackney was until Leo P stuck HH in the First Team whilst he temporarily took over the reins before Michael Carrick's appointment 18 months ago. You sort of have the feeling that HH would have probably left the club without our ever seeing him play, had it not been for Leo. I wonder if there are other BORO youth players who might similarly surprise us, if they were given a chance. Unless they are tried (not just given 10 minutes of a game at the end of a season just so we can say they have been given a debut) we will never know whether or not there are some real (untested) diamonds already at the club. That would be an expensive mistake that a club like BORO cannot afford to make.
Talking of HH, he missed so much of the last season that it would be like signing a new player if he could return to the squad fully fit next season. The same would apply to Riley McGree. I have no idea whether they will (ever) be fully fit again, or whether they will be sold. I guess both of them would probably have been worth more 6 months ago as their value can scarcely have increased with their spending so much time in the treatment room or on the bench.
@forever-dormo Yes, let's hope more chances are given to the home grown talent. Remember when we had Proctor, Hodgson and Johnston playing in the first team? Or some of the players in Big Jack's squad?
Elsewhere, Boro favourite Ben Gibson is a free agent this summer after it was announced that he is leaving Norwich City at the end of his contract. The left-footed central defender is leaving Norwich after four years.
It will be interesting to see where he ends up. As OFB said, he has a big house on Teesside and he knows the owner of the club, who is his uncle. We do not necessary need a centre back now, but I wouldn't be surpriced if he finishes his career one day at the Boro.
I think he will be too expensive player to sit on the bench at Boro. But he is 31 now (b. Jan 15, 1993), and has a couple of years left of his career. His market value is about £ 1.5 million currently.
Up the Boro!
You sort of have the feeling that HH would have probably left the club without our ever seeing him play, had it not been for Leo.
I reckon this is absolutely the case. I don't think that Carrick would have given him a debut. He'd had a dodgy loan at Scunthorpe then played in a cup game where Wilder threw all the rejects and academy players together to prove they weren't good enough.
I think the biggest problem with our current youngsters is that except for the keepers, none of them have played even half a season on loan. It's really hard these days to go straight from the kids to adult football in the Championship. I was impressed with McCabe but I don't get the impression that he can hold down a place yet as part of the central midfield unit. Then again, I would have said the same about Hackney.
@jarkko - If Ben Gibson is said to be worth £1.5M today then, because he is a free agent in a few weeks, I guess that value is something that he or his agent will factor in to any wage/signing-on fee that can be be negotiated with any club interested in signing him. I have seen some X (formerly Twitter) messages from some people urging his return to BORO and others shouting down the possibility. He is clearly too good for Hartlepool. Wrecsam, anybody...?
I see Mogga has announced his resignation from Birmingham City as he wants to recuperate from his recent operation and spend some time with his family.
OFB
Pochettino leaves Chelsea by mutual consent 😱.
Come on BORO.
x
🚨Understand Middlesbrough have made an approach for NEC Nijmegen midfielder Dirk Proper. Player is believed to be valued around €4.5 Million. #Boro #Nijmegen
OFB
Sounds a bit like Dirk Diggler's respectable brother, but looks good to me. Classic Dutch midfielder, comfortable on the ball with a bit of bite in the tackle. Get him signed up.
@lenmasterman Yes, sounds good as he is a defensive midfielder. The word is that that is what the club is looking for. And 24 years old.
Hopefully a Georg Boetang type. Up the Boro!
Carrick currently has the best win-per-games record of any previous Boro manager. His win percentage is 54.0, which is the highest achieved by the club’s managers since Boro were admitted to the Football League.
OFB