From Bernie Slaven today....
'Without Bruce Rioch Middlesbrough could have gone off the radar. Great motivator-disciplinarian-plus manager. Third-2nd-1st in consecutive seasons with the majority of local lads and very little money'
Totally agree with that statement. Sir Bruce, boros best ever manager.
Also he, Colin Todd and Brian Little made a good team.
Good to chat tonight, Ken. Many thanks for your really interesting articles on the lower and European leagues - that was a great deal of hard work for you, but as ever was wonderfully researched. Well done!
I’ve just been catching up on a week’s worth of blog posts. Some valid posts about the Mackems there; I must admit that having them back is good for the game, good for North-East football and will be good for our attendances and for the Championship’s as a whole. They’re a phenomenally well-supported club and I expect Boro to lose our title as the league’s best travellers next season. (We’ll still come second.) Above all, though, I look forward to taking 6 points off them.
Having said all of that, I personally would have preferred them to stay down. I’m sure there are lots of nice folk in Sunland, who no doubt would have suffered terribly (again!) if promotion hadn’t been achieved. But they’re our biggest rivals. It’s been fun having them suffer in the Hades of league one! Why wouldn’t we want to them to stay in a league below us?
And by the same token, I was really hoping Leeds would come down, too!
Always grateful to Clive Hurren for our chats. As I mentioned to him I’m now completely housebound since Covid which for the first time since 1956 that I’ve been unable to purchase my pocket hand book of all the football fixtures for the 2021/2022 season thus having to rely on the internet to see when matches are taking place. Indeed with so much football being played almost every day of the week I’ve had to record all the fixtures by hand as I’ve also been unable to get out to buy a calendar or diary for 2022, so I hope I haven’t made too many errors in my statistical data. It’s remarkable that I can remember names of players, matches I’ve seen, etc going back to 1947 but struggle to remember recent happenings.
I’ve just compiled my report of Yorkshire’s win last night whilst it’s fresh in my mind, because in a couple of weeks time I’ll have forgotten all about it. That goes for football and Boro also, so I hope you’ll all bear with me as sometimes I can’t even remember the day of the week, even forgetting my own birthday last January. I hasten to add that I’m not suffering from dementia just old age and living on my own for the past 13 years, as I occasionally miss vital medical appointments, so if I sometimes sound vacant when Clive rings I apologise as I so look forward to our chats. Thanks Clive!
Ken Smith
It amazes me, when we get a Good player, we suddenly have no control over his future, pitiful prices are floated with no comment from us. We seem to be the great worthless club who will pay large fees for trash, and agree any cash offered for possible greats. What is needed is a ruthless, greedy, nasty, git! With connections to die for. One fears for us dealing in a market full of dead beats, and having a hefty wallet makes us a target for every chancer in the game. We shall see.
You never sound vacant, Ken! Not with your phenomenal memory!
It amazes me, when we get a Good player, we suddenly have no control over his future, pitiful prices are floated with no comment from us. We seem to be the great worthless club who will pay large fees for trash, and agree any cash offered for possible greats. What is needed is a ruthless, greedy, nasty, git! With connections to die for. One fears for us dealing in a market full of dead beats, and having a hefty wallet makes us a target for every chancer in the game. We shall see.
That’s if you choose to believe everything that you read in the papers 🤔.
Come on BORO.
Phil
What a fantastic sporting time for your adopted town this weekend! Tonight the Roses T20 cricket match at Old Trafford on Sky, tomorrow the Giants against Wigan at Tottenham in the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final on BBC, and then on Sunday the Terriers in a Championship playoff final at Wembley against Nottm Forest on Sky Sports. You may not be as big a Rugby League fan as I, but I remember the times when you kindly invited me to your home to watch the BBC 2 RL Trophy matches when I supported Cas because at the time I didn’t have BBC 2 and we later went to Headingley together to watch Cas beat Leigh in 1968 and I ran onto the pitch to congratulate Enid’s cousin Ian Stenton. I know a moment of eccentric madness on my behalf.
Well my friend I’ll be supporting the Vikings, Giants and Terriers in what must be an historic and unique weekend for Huddersfield. Maybe Boro will be in that position regarding the football playoffs next season. So at the moment good luck for a trio of successes for your adopted town.
Ken
I’d take the bookmakers Championship promotion odds for next season with a pinch of salt, especially as according to Dominic Shaw Brighton are quoted at 25 to 1 when in fact they are already established as a top ten Premier League side.
My St Johnstone supporting neighbour tells me Boro are apparently interested in Zander Clark, who is out of contract with them now.
You might recall me suggesting him for Boro last season when we were in need of a decent keeper. Clark has impressed me the few times I've seen him, so I would be happy to see that move happen.
I watched the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final yesterday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and must say that on television it looked too vast for my liking. Whether it was an optical illusion I don’t know but anyone sitting up in the ‘God’s’ would find it hard to follow the play in my opinion within a pair of binoculars. Give me the Riverside Stadium any day of the week!
I watched the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final yesterday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and must say that on television it looked too vast for my liking. Whether it was an optical illusion I don’t know but anyone sitting up in the ‘God’s’ would find it hard to follow the play in my opinion within a pair of binoculars. Give me the Riverside Stadium any day of the week!
The singer stood on the roof to sing the NA frightened me to death. I enjoyed the result though. 😉
Martin
I enjoyed the match, and the atmosphere was terrific but will be glad to see it back at Wembley. I’m pleased for you regarding the result but thought the Giants were the better team as did some of the Warriors players. So full marks to their fans for acknowledging that.
At least I was able to sing lustily ‘Abide with Me’ which will be one of my funeral hymns without a cacophony of boos.
Obviously I didn’t see the European Cup Final, but it will be remembered for the heavy-handiness of the Paris police with their use of tear gas. I wasn’t aware of the story until this morning. I experienced this as part of my basic training in the RAF where we entered a tear gas chamber wearing a gas mask but at the sound of a whistle had to remove the mask. It was not an experience I’d wish to inflict on anyone even crawling at ground level.
Martin
I enjoyed the match, and the atmosphere was terrific but will be glad to see it back at Wembley. I’m pleased for you regarding the result but thought the Giants were the better team as did some of the Warriors players. So full marks to their fans for acknowledging that.
At least I was able to sing lustily ‘Abide with Me’ which will be one of my funeral hymns without a cacophony of boos.
I’d agree that we were lucky to win - if their kicking had been up to standard we would definitely have lost. At the end of the day though, we scored more points which is what counts.
We watched live until 5 minutes before the end, when we paused the recording because we had someone coming to view our house, which we’ve put up for sale. It was a very pleasant surprise to watch us come back to win.
I have read nothing about our (very Good) player from his owners, I've read plenty about his future from all and sundry, including throwaway remarks on the lines of ' he will not be any big price!'
Just a game of hoofball at Wembley this afternoon which neither side deserved to win. Surely Boro or Sheffield United would have beaten either side on this performance.
If that was a £10M+ performance this afternoon from JS, then I am coming out of retirement and auditioning as a right footed wing back! 😎😉
I have read nothing about our (very Good) player from his owners, I've read plenty about his future from all and sundry, including throwaway remarks on the lines of ' he will not be any big price!'
I assume that the player you are referring to is Spence and I am surprised that you are expecting, at this stage, to hear anything from MFC.
The way these things normally work is there will be a lot of press speculation but the club will only make a statement when they have either agreed he can talk to another club or when a deal has been agreed.
In either case the fee will be the usual “ undisclosed”. 😎
Massive away win for Redcar Bears Speedway team at Newcastle this afternoon 62-28. It’s always good to win local derbies especially away from home. Now in 4th place, maybe a second playoff season for the mighty Bears, although a long way to go yet.
EXMIL CHALLENGE 2022 - Playoff Final Result
jarkko 5,5,4,4 = 18 v Norfolk and Boro 4,4,4,4 = 16
So congratulations to jarkko on winning the playoff final and securing the third promotion place.
Come on BORO.
EXMIL CHALLENGE 2022 - Playoff Final Result
jarkko 5,5,4,4 = 18 v Norfolk and Boro 4,4,4,4 = 16
So congratulations to jarkko on winning the playoff final and securing the third promotion place.
Come on BORO.
Thank you, exmil for arranging the competition. My tactic was simply guessing and luck. So don't really feel I have won £170 million or more. Like Forest did.
And I do not want to get promoted to another blog now. I love playing in this current blog. But thank you all for the honour. Up the Boro!
Well done Jarkko. I wish I could guess like you and win the lottery! 😎😉
So Stewart Downing says he would like to manage Boro at some point. Oh dear me! Must have been drinking. No chance son.
No doubt with Mr Woodgate as his assistant . . .
UTB,
John
A bad few days for Yorkshire sport.
First, Yorkshire we’re on the brink of beating Lancashire requiring only one run from the last ball and failed and therefore tied the game - it felt like a defeat.
Then the Huddersfield giants were on the verge of winning only to lose the game in the closing minutes.
This was followed by Huddersfield Town losing 0-1 to Forest in a game where Forest edged the first half scoring just before half time and Huddersfield dominated the second half but couldn’t create any chances.
And I suppose if you admire the way Liverpool play, then they capped off a bad few days by losing to Real Madrid.
Philip of Huddersfield
Congratulations to Jarkko on his playoff victory in the Exmil challenge. And thanks to Exmil for the competition.