Given the latest article in the EG I am beginning to wonder if Watmore is considering offers elsewhere and may not sign for us on a longer deal after all.
It also sounds like Bolasie may be having second thoughts about offers to go on short term loan deals and may not be as keen to come to us after all.
Given we have failed twice previously to sign him I can't say I would be overly disappointed if he did not sign. He has played very little football in the last four years so not sure exactly what he would add to the team other than another potential injury candidate. 😎
Heard we have enquired about Christian Atsu from Newcastle on loan from next week
Anyone heard anything on this?
OFB
@k-p-in-spain Watmore agent playing the field although I did hear that Norwich were interested.....
OFB
Comments on Atsu from Newcatle fans could scarcely be worse. They describe him as the worst player ever to play for the club, not fit for the Northern League, a complete disaster who should never be allowed to play for the club again etc etc. Not a single supportive comment on him on any of the fans' forums that I have seen.
I don't think I have ever seen such universally negative comment on any player in the past.
Sounds like we should steer well clear.
It also sounds like Bolasie may be having second thoughts about offers to go on short term loan deals and may not be as keen to come to us after all.
Given we have failed twice previously to sign him I can't say I would be overly disappointed if he did not sign. He has played very little football in the last four years so not sure exactly what he would add to the team other than another potential injury candidate. 😎
Interest apparently confirmed by NW:
@stircrazy. I agree that NW may be interested but not convinced that YB is as interested in us. 😎
@k-p-in-spain Watmore agent playing the field although I did hear that Norwich were interested.....
OFB
And not just the Canaries:
🙁 Can't believe he'd want to join the Baggies or Burnley...
Neil Etheridge blunders again:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/55203440
(scroll down to comments on the Rams' first goal)
Thank God he turned out to be too expensive for us to buy. It looks as though we may have dodged a bullet!
I see we have let Stojanovic go out on loan and brought Jordan Archer in, yes that same Millwall Archer who gifted us goals for fun!
Be afraid, be very afraid if we see him in goal. Boro's live stream coverage will need to be X rated so terrified fans are warned to watch through their fingers.
A mindboggling signing for me and one that sends out all the wrong messages. Still at least Marcus Bettinelli will sleep better knowing there is no competition.
I can see Archer and Fletcher to be a deadly duo in some battles in the Championship. A bit old-fashioned but then what can we expect from NW?
Up the Boro!
Middlesbrough are supposedly interested in signing Bristol City striker Famara Diedhiou. The Senegalese player is in the final six months of his contract at Ashton Gate.
As the Robins were previously interested in Britt (supposedly) and with both players in their final six months it's possible that there could perhaps be some negotiating going on.
Watmore signs new Boro deal until 2023, end of conspiracy theory.
Come on BORO.
Watmore signs new Boro deal until 2023, end of conspiracy theory.
Brilliant news on Watmore but have I missed a juicy conspiracy theory somewhere?
Agreed. The best possible news we could have had. Really increases our chances of making the play-offs.
I'd like to see Watmore and Tav playing regularly behind Fletcher, even as a false No 9, when he is fit, giving us the kind of fluidity in attack that Liverpool have with quick interchanging forwards that Championship central defenders wouldn't be able to handle.
I don't see it happening under Warnock, but it's what I would do to maximise the talent that we have.
Excellent. There were a lot of fans fearing Watmore would go elsewhere as it took a couple of weeks to sign him. But these contracts must be very tricky to agree on even when everyone wants to sign. Blame the agents, if you like.
@len, I would like to test a 4-3-3 system with Fletcher and Watmore beside Britt. But I know that many posters here like to be more concervative and play just one on the top. But I feel it could work.
Up the Boro!
I think playing Johnson, Watmore, Tav and Fletcher would be more than enough to trouble most defences in this division.
Rumours gathering on Britt departing this month, sooner rather than later. Hopefully it will be good business for the club and the player. He hasn't enjoyed the best of times here, sometimes in employment it just doesn't work out for a multitude of reasons and a fresh start is best for all.
@redcarred A swap with the Bristol City player for Britt would be good business by both clubs.
OFB
@redcarred A swap with the Bristol City player for Britt would be good business by both clubs.
OFB
I think Diedhiou from Bristol would be a good fit in this Warnock team but I would guess that its either Celtic or Bournemouth who are sniffing around and some money involved for his services.
My hunch is that Diedhiou is maybe being lined up as Britt's replacement but a swap would be fine with me if it came off. Apart from money I can't see Britt wanting to go to Bristol. Bournemouth have a good chance of going back up, a really nice place to live and they could afford him (for now at least). Celtic can offer him massive crowds when they return, European football and a God like status potentially and probably a reasonable salary.
I would keep Britt. I think his record for Boro is nearly as good as that of Bernie Slaven. Of course Ken has more exact info of the two striker. But we need a proven goalscorer like Britt. Just my opinion as always.
Up the Boro!
@jarkko I think Britt's goals per game ratio is probably better than Bernie's but if you look at costs per £Sterling then there is no comparison and for many fans (and I suspect Managers) that is a problem.
Prior to signing for Boro Britt had scored 33 goals in 58 appearances for Peterborough (1.75 games per goal) and for Forest he managed 30 goals in 69 appearances (2.30 games per goal) . For Boro he has managed 46 goals in 149 appearances (3.23 games per goal). Scoring a goal every three games isn't disastrous by any means but it is a much lower ratio than prior to him joining Boro for the Club's record transfer fee.
There are of course arguments that Boro don't play exciting football and that he doesn't get the service etc. but if I recall correctly Britt's goals on the final day of the season kept Forest up just before we signed him so if they were fighting relegation I doubt he was getting great service there either. The biggest criticism from Boro fans are the simple misses, Forest away in his first game back there springs to mind then there are those penalties and free kicks blasted well over the crossbar. The subconscious grinning doesn't help his cause any either.
Finally Britt's stats for the current season are not great especially with his shot accuracy and Goal conversion ratio. NW will be looking at those more than anything before his time here and asking is he really worth £38K a week and could I make better use of that money elsewhere with two or maybe even three other players?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/middlesbrough/top-scorers
Total career goals are Bernie 162 from 444 excluding 22 from 21 matches for Billingham Synthonia, Britt’s career goals are 112 from 299. For Boro though Bernie’s record of 118 goals in 307 appearances is better than Britt’s 44 from 139 prior to this season although goals for minutes played might show a different story. Considering that Bernie scored some of his goals in the top tier and that he was almost a free transfer, whilst Britt cost something like £15m and taking into account wages and inflation Bernie Slaven has been greater value by far than Britt Assombalonga.
@redcarred. I think it would also be interesting, if it were possible, to analyse how many goals Britt has scored against top sides. I have always gained the impression, perhaps mistakenly, that he struggles with the top of the league teams who usually have better defences than those lower down the league.
Having watched him play now for a number of seasons I feel that his game and abilities as a striker are limited, he is not a good header of the ball, is not particularly fleet of foot and his first touch is often poor; as such I have always maintained he is a top League 1/lower to middle Championship striker.
For the life of me I cannot see what he would add to either the Celtic or Bournemouth squads other than as a back up player. 😎
Agree with your thoughtful assessment of Britt's stats, but in a sensitive market I would wish you had omitted your last comment. These blogs are read in some strange places.
Re. Your comments about our new Keeper. I do wish you would not beat about the bush, I was laughing out loud by the time I'd finished. Unfair I know, but Keepers are the easiest to rate in any team, they cannot hide behind a few penalties, if the ball is in the net it's down to them.
@plato. I really don't believe that the professionals in the game would take any notice whatsoever of my assessment of a player but your comment did make me chuckle! 😎
Ps I do hope I have not spiked a deal for Britt 🤣🤣!
When one considers that Britt scored 23 goals in 43 matches for Southend and 30 in 65 for Forest, Boro would have expected more from him. But it seems that Boro’s record in buying strikers has been extremely poor. For example Afonso Alves scored 74 goals in 94 matches for Malmö and Heerenveen and only 10 in 42 for Boro saying it all. Of course we’ve had some great strikers like Alen Boksic, Yakubu, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, Mark Viduka and Fabrizio Ravanelli but only 5 strikers in my lifetime have scored 100 or more goals for Boro - Brian Clough 197, John Hickton 159, Micky Fenton 147, Alan Peacock 125 and Bernie Slaven 118 plus Wilf Mannion who wasn’t a striker but scored 100 goals.
Incidentally the answer to my puzzle yesterday is Michael Appleton who in season 2012/13 suffered three FA Cup defeats - as manager of Portsmouth against Notts County in the first round, as manager of Blackpool against Fulham in the third round, and finally as manager of Blackburn against Millwall in the sixth round.
Anyway I think it’s futile to guess the final score of today’s FA Cup match except to state that if the match goes to a penalty shoot-out, it will likely be the shock of the day.