@redcarred I think I’m right in saying that Spanish clubs don’t have to go through work permit regulations for players from South America. Could be just from former Spanish colonies.
Sevilla have clearly had an excellent network in South America and particularly Brazil. The side that beat us contained a young Dani Alves as well as Luis Fabiano and Adriano who all went on to be Brazilian internationals.
Porto seem to have something similar going on with the amount of young Brazilians they field year on year. Oddly, Shakhtar Donetsk seem to be another.
Boro U18 beat Leeds U18 at Rockliffe this Saturday morning. Neil Maddison very excited about the quality of the players currently playing for the young Boro team and thinks it won’t be long before some of them will be in the first team squad.
Boro U18 beat Leeds U18 at Rockliffe this Saturday morning. Neil Maddison very excited about the quality of the players currently playing for the young Boro team and thinks it won’t be long before some of them will be in the first team squad.
That's more like it, a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel.
UTB Bri
Graeme Lee who is Boro youth development coach has just celebrated being 9 years with the club
This is the sort of long term consistency and devotion to the club which leads to the promotion of young players to the first team. Graeme joined Boro from Darlington after playing for Sheffield Wednesday and Doncaster. A true Boro lad like his dad Tony who was a professional with Leicester and manager of a lot of local Northern League clubs.
It makes me feel old now Graeme is 42 as I refereed his dad Tony many a time in Teesside league and still remember our little constructive chats !
OFB
What are people’s thoughts on the speculation that NW is going to make a move for Sol Bamba from Cardiff for a nominal fee.
Come on BORO.
@exmil. I do hope that it is just speculation. Whilst we certainly need one if not two CBs, I don't believe a 35 year old who has struggled with injury during the last 18 months and played only six games last season is the answer.
It should also be borne in mind that the CB we have already recruited has also had injury problems, so to have two new CBs with that sort of history is too big a risk to be taking in my opinion.
Such a signing also appears to be completely the opposite of what was being sold to supporters last season as the new operating model of buying cheaper and younger plays from the lower leagues who could be developed and on sold at a profit in addition to developing home grown talent.
When taking all into account I believe there must be younger and better options available albeit they may come with a price, hence the speculation regarding the Northampton CB which made more sense to me.
Perhaps Rob Dickie at Oxford might be an option if he can be secured within our budgetary constraints.😎
Exmil......as the Boro locals would say, Yer must be jokin. With regards to Sol Bamba. Way past his sell by date.
How the mighty have fallen. Wasted years, wasted millions and now we are paying for it. Mr Gibson, when did he actually last say anything meaningful??
Its going to be hard getting past the three that came down, although two have changed managers, non have had a fire sale as of now, Norwich have brought players in already .
It looks like a struggle for us, right now, we are not a club on the up, with little to offer.
We may be looking for a new manager by December , if the squad isn't added to ,with better players ,
Not good as of noiw.
I am worried about the lack of signings made by Boro so far. But then I think that the players we are missing are mainly defenders - a centre back and a couple of full backs. These are usually much easier to purhase than proven goal scorers. So they usually cost less and are more easily available.
I think we should be looking on a defender in the age bracket of between 25 to 27 year olds. Not in the 35s, I think. There should be planty of options available.
Also I am so happy we have Assombalonga and Fletcher in there. As someone said, they are as good as any in the division. We need some numbers in our team and we need another striker to fill the gap feft by Gestede and Nmecha. So one extra striker is needed.
So to summarize, we need some numbers especially at the back and some up front. The midfielders we have plenty and I count both Coulson and Spence in there. But there is nearly two months of the window remining even the first match is less than two weeks away.
Up the Boro!
I think most Clubs are in the same predicament (Norwich aside awash with parachute millions) with regards to incomings. Just what are the "real" transfer fee values of Players right now under the current economic climate? Then there are the contracts and what is actually viable versus decades of gluttony balanced against Players and Agents current unrealistic expectations.
Who is going to foot the bill for those fees and wages while turnstiles are locked for the foreseeable. What business right now is looking to expand its workforce while income isn't just reduced or restricted but non existent? British institutions like M&S are laying off thousands or in some cases closing down branches or even closing down entirely, gone forever. The World is potentially facing a massive recession on a level unknown since the great depression.
This season outside of the Premiership will be solely about survivability for many if indeed not most clubs. Already we have seen Derby at it again by conjuring yet another cash injection (as a consequence of having gambled big already and lost with debts to match no doubt mounting up) yet the EFL seem either disinterested or powerless. Such practice will either end in promotion and justification along with huge relief to magical Morris or Fans losing the club they loved and supported for generations like Bury.
There are a reason why Players like Marcus Maddison and Dani Ayala are training with non league sides while Championship clubs are looking to add to their squads. West Ham are "offended" that Norwich offered them a paltry £2M for Hugill. There is a new reality dawning in football which isn't quite here yet and as the start of the season gets nearer Players and Agents alike will start to twitch, becoming nervous and likely lower their demands or risk being among the ranks of the forgotten "didn't he used to play for......." men.
The Sol Bamba thing doesn't excite me but if we can land him for free and agree a sensible 12 month contract he could be a decent insurance policy in case Woods or Stubbs struggle to step up this season and make the grade. In any case he would be a great mentor for those young lads as well as Fry (if he remains). The Warnock plan for him may not be for purely playing purposes and more to set the tone and theme around the training ground and dressing rooms. That doesn't mean I'm all for it, just trying to see some logic behind it and lets face it unlike Robbie Keane he could at least pull his boots on.
It may of course be a conniving plot to twist Burnley's arm if Gibson is refusing to go anywhere in the window but Boro. If Boro no longer want or need him then do they let him sit for another six months?
I wonder if the Sol Bamba thing is an agent looking for a pay day. After all, Bamba has one year on his Cardiff contract and is hardly like to move for 1 year to earn no more than he is already. As far as I can tell, Friend left in part because he was offered more than 1 year.
@redcarred. I am not convinced that we can justify taking Bamba on a mentoring basis as there is enough experience with the likes of Howson, Hall, McNair and Saville to do that with the youngsters.
I also can't believe he will be happy to move without a significant uplift on what he is already getting and I don't believe Cardiff will have been paying him on the cheap.
In my view I can't see any justification for taking a 35 year old injury prone central defender and we need to leave well alone .....but what do I know! 😎
Just to confirm that Dael Fry has not reported back to training this week with the Boro first team and strong rumour that he is going to sign for a top six premiership club
OFB
@original-fat-bob Thanks for info, Bob. Priceless inside info as always.
That said, I’d be very surprised if he made that level of step up. A Premier League club, yes, but a top six one?
If he does go, I’ll wish him well and hope it works for him and he reaches his considerable potential. Of course, I hope we see a healthy fee with add-ons.
Tottenham need CB’s maybe Mourinho’s mate Aitor has tipped him the wink.....
@redcarred Hope are wrong RR. We need CB's but we do not need Ben Gibson as such.
First, as much as Middlesbrough is his home town and previous club, if he has any ambition left at all, he should choose another club, one that has a decent chance of promotion from the Championship. MFC have no chance.
Also, if Mr Gibson could somehow finance a deal, and that must be a BIG IF, the money would be better spent by spreading it around.
However, maybe OFB's rumour make come to fruition, and we then have a few millions to squander.
@grovehillwallah Looking at the various rumours, all of Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs are looking for centre-halves but the names are are established players.
Mu guess for Fry would be more like Sheff Utd, Burnley, Palace, Brighton or Villa than those at the top end.
Who needs detractors when we have AV?
Teesside Airport is up and running again, nothing to stop the club bringing prospective signings up here for a whistle stop tour of the surrounding area.
Didn’t they do something similar when they successfully lured Bryan Robson to Middlesbrough?
Or has AV been tasked with getting the clubs excuses in place first.....
2020/21 promotion odds
Brentford - 11/5
Watford - 11/5
Norwich City - 5/2
Bournemouth - 5/2
Stoke City - 15/4
Nottingham Forest - 9/2
Cardiff City - 9/2
Swansea City - 5/1
Middlesbrough - 11/2
Millwall - 11/2
Derby County - 6/1
Preston - 13/2
Huddersfield Town - 7/1
Bristol City - 8/1
Blackburn Rovers - 8/1
Birmingham City - 9/1
Reading - 10/1
Barnsley - 10/1
QPR - 10/1
Luton Town - 11/1
Coventry City - 14/1
Sheffield Wednesday - 16/1
Rotherham United - 20/1
Wycombe Wanderers - 28/1
@malcolm. He may be right in that is what people perceive the area to be like but MFC need to do all they can to change perceptions; they have to do a selling job on potential recruits and their partners.
So do as GHW suggests, fly them to Teesside, show them the club and facilities including Rockcliffe and the hotel. Take them to Yarm and the other areas where they can find nice properties and schools etc.
It is clear that more than just a signing on fee and salary package is required. It all forms part of the recruitment process including how the manager sells his vision of why he wants the player to come and what his plans and intentions for the team are. Without this sort of effort then we are on a hiding to nothing on the recruitment front. 😎
Is AV right. Your thoughts.
Best place to holiday. So AV is talking nonsence. I would love North Riding.
But of course the dintance from London is long, but then again, do the Birmingham clubs have an advantage over Boro? The second city?
And Boro is just a short train distance from Manchester. The club is the attraction for a player - why would Mancester or Liverpool be better than Birmingham?
Up the Boro!
@malcolm. He may be right in that is what people perceive the area to be like but MFC need to do all they can to change perceptions; they have to do a selling job on potential recruits and their partners.
So do as GHW suggests, fly them to Teesside, show them the club and facilities including Rockcliffe and the hotel. Take them to Yarm and the other areas where they can find nice properties and schools etc.
It is clear that more than just a signing on fee and salary package is required. It all forms part of the recruitment process including how the manager sells his vision of why he wants the player to come and what his plans and intentions for the team are. Without this sort of effort then we are on a hiding to nothing on the recruitment front. 😎
I would hazard a guess that many Players that have turned out for us over the years haven't a clue where Linthorpe Road is let alone ICI Wilton. They will live in secluded upmarket areas with lifestyles a million miles from us mere plebs, more Harrogate than Haverton Hill.
There are parts of London where I wouldn't dream of walking about without an armed escort and Moss Side has its own rather unique form of an evening's entertainment. That's before focusing on interesting parts of Leeds, Liverpool or Birmingham. In the South West, Swansea, Bristol and Cardiff have their areas of ill repute and social deprivation with problems as bad if indeed not worse than Teesside.
There are plenty of Towns and Cities in the UK with Chemical and Power Plants on their landscape with Football Clubs in the hinterland. Players are attracted to where they feel they can further their career prospects as well as financial rewards although not always in that order. Without the enticement and lucre of wads of cash the likelihood of success is all thats left. After the Golden Thread experiment its not exactly a convincing argument.
@malcolm. He may be right in that is what people perceive the area to be like but MFC need to do all they can to change perceptions; they have to do a selling job on potential recruits and their partners.
People perceive places they don't know as stereotypes. Say Milton Keynes or Scunthorpe to anyone and you know what they'll think. Same is true for Middlesbrough for those people who have never been here and no amount of marketing spin will change that. Some battles you don't even try to fight.
For about 20 years Gibson dealt with it through money and moderate success. 95% of it was money and 5% of it was perceived success. We now have neither. No matter how nice the lifestyle, how good the infrastructure, players will follow the money. We now need to find players for whom a mid-level Championship wage is an improvement or those for whom one last mid-Championship pay cheque is sufficient. All the rest is window dressing.
the article does seem to have accumulated a lot of upset people for stating something rather obvious. location has always been a factor in attracting players. from some of the comments you would think it was AV slagging off the area or trying to suggest it is the only factor.
Reports now coming out that Fry showed symptoms of Covid after returning from holiday and is on self imposed quarantine!
So we have two stories neither appeared in the press and no comment from club !
OFB
Thanks for the info, mate. I chatted with AV yesterday and he said Fry is ill.
But of course this does not mean he could be sold but now there is hope he might stay. We need defenders - a few.
Up the Boro!
the article does seem to have accumulated a lot of upset people for stating something rather obvious. location has always been a factor in attracting players. from some of the comments you would think it was AV slagging off the area or trying to suggest it is the only factor.
I think there is a lot of frustration in the breakdown of what appears now to have been a few potential signings and with that comes the big question, Why?
The NE has never been the dream destination of decent Players, that for the last fifty or so years has always been the NW or London. I remember a Birmingham fan many years ago frustratingly telling me how they struggled to bring Players in because Birmingham was perceived as a sprawling hell hole (I can't print his actual description).
If someone offered me a Job in say the wilds of the North of Scotland I wouldn't be remotely interested nor would my family but add a few zero's on the end of the package and I may be willing to reconsider my perceptions along with the few short years likely to be involved. Under the present Covid climate I'm guessing that current offers from MFC are frugal and for good reasons. None of us want to see the types of fees and salaries that have anchored us to mediocrity and worse for the last 16 years bar the Karanka years.
Other Clubs (we can guess some immediately) are perhaps offering better deals or pushing the train ride distance to Central London or Manchester to the Wags better than we perhaps are. For me there are two key things here, the actual Marketing of the Region (certainly not just the responsibility of MFC and the Gazette needs to reflect its daily content) with its Rail and Air links but more importantly the vision set out as to why a Player should come to Boro and what the future could hold for him. Its that second part that I think we are falling down on and after the monumental disaster of last season its going to take a while to shake off that image.
If you played for a struggling or relegated side last season and are negotiating your next move the last thing you would want is to join another long monotonous soul destroying battle. Even with Warnock at the helm its a tough sell. The fact that fans have witnessed a succession of poor or senseless signings that have underwhelmed means that goodwill towards our negotiators is at rock bottom so a little defection from the seemingly Gibson sanctioned press maybe helps a little under the above circumstances.