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Wilder's window of ...
 

Wilder's window of opportunity to build promotion squad

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Boro are beginning to appear like a team in a permanent state of transition with a huge overhaul every summer that predominantly signs projects and punts or tries to move on signings from the previous manager.

The problem is compounded by many of the core remainers carrying injuries and others looking out of form. With new signings usually short on pitch time from the previous season it is a recipe for a slow start to the season, which requires a good run just to stay in touch.

If Boro reach the September international break in mid table they will have done well. This looks like a season where making the playoffs will be an achievement.

Still no sign of these so-called marquee signings and some of the recent targets smack of desperation - the Man City forward Marlos Moreno has barely scored a goal in five years and is 5’ 7” and is now classed as a right-winger - which apparently Wilder doesn’t play with!

OK, still three weeks of the window left but it could be a fifth of season gone before some arrive. Though, I still expect all of the Tav/Spence money to be reinvested (£22m before addons) by Steve Gibson but that needs to cover 5-6 first-teamers!


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I thought it might be useful to look back at how Wilder has started previous full seasons as a manager, and see if we can draw anything from that:

Season Club Division P W D L Finished
2015/16 Northampton L2 6 2 1 3 1st
2016/17 Sheffield Utd L1 6 2 1 3 1st
2017/18 Sheffield Utd Champ 6 4 0 2 10th
2018/19 Sheffield Utd Champ 6 4 0 2 2nd
2019/20 Sheffield Utd PL 6 2 2 2 9th
               

Anything to take from that?

Well, I would say that Wilder doesn't have a habit of starting seasons exceptionally well. A couple of the above were good with four wins from the opening six but the previous two were quite poor and possibly something like what Boro will have after six league games. The good news is that in both of those seasons, his teams picked up momentum and went on to win the division and therefore promotion.

In the 2021/22 season he also started very poorly (W0 D1 L5) but I didn't include it in the table as he left in March. However, another slow start there.

Conversely, in one of the good starts (17/18), they slipped to 10th.

So I suppose the main takeaway for me is that the start of the season under Wilder doesn't define the outcome.

Also, when we consider that the 10th and 9th placed finishes in 17/18 and 19/20 respectively were both with newly promoted clubs, we can say that his record overall is very strong.

I'm sticking with "don't panic".

This post was modified 2 years ago 4 times by Andy R

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Posted by: @werdermouth

Boro are beginning to appear like a team in a permanent state of transition with a huge overhaul every summer that predominantly signs projects and punts or tries to move on signings from the previous manager.

The problem is compounded by many of the core remainers carrying injuries and others looking out of form. With new signings usually short on pitch time from the previous season it is a recipe for a slow start to the season, which requires a good run just to stay in touch.

If Boro reach the September international break in mid table they will have done well. This looks like a season where making the playoffs will be an achievement.

Still no sign of these so-called marquee signings and some of the recent targets smack of desperation - the Man City forward Marlos Moreno has barely scored a goal in five years and is 5’ 7” and is now classed as a right-winger - which apparently Wilder doesn’t play with!

OK, still three weeks of the window left but it could be a fifth of season gone before some arrive. Though, I still expect all of the Tav/Spence money to be reinvested (£22m before addons) by Steve Gibson but that needs to cover 5-6 first-teamers!

We can probably play some financial games and not count loan players as part of the 22 million although some has possibly already been spent on Forss. I would be happy with the permanent signing of a striker and one other and then loan deals.

The best suggestion out there so far is a loan deal for Alex Mowatt who would be a great capture and probably straight into the team.

Utb


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Thanks Andy R for that research. Backs up my understanding which is that Wilder's teams tend to have slow starts to the season. I find myself flip-flopping about this season.

Wilder has come out and said that he expects 5 more first-11 players. That looks like 2 strikers, LCM, replacement for Crooks or Howson and a LCB. That means we'll end up with virtually an entirely new first 11 and it seems highly unlikely that any team can manage that degree of churn and end up in the top 6. There's nothing wrong with a transitional season but I'm not convinced that it won't just be more change followed by more change.

Then again, if we do get two decent strikers, and (for argument's sake) Mowatt, Greaves and 1 other we then have a decent first 11 and some good options on the bench. The teams with parachute payments have better squads but the gap looks bridgeable. 

Clearly, by selling before we buy and leaving it late we are giving ourselves a handicap but if we do get recruitment right we ought to have a team good enough to challenge for the top 6. On the gripping hand, I do worry that Wilderball is a bit of a busted flush. It's fine going forwards against a team we can dominate but most teams know how to play against now. At the moment it feels like Wilder is at a fork in the path: one way leads to Pep Guardiola and one way leads to Steve Bruce. Not sure which way Wilder is going.


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I am not putting much store on us getting Mowatt as he is clearly still part of SB’s plans given he has been included in the first two league match squads; additionally, what is the benefit in letting him go to a competitor. 😎


   
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I agree with much of what previous contributors have said about our current modus operandi and only time will tell if it will be a success or not.  

It is concerning that we are both short of players and also trying to change a large number.  We did this under Karanka when promoted to the PL and that was a disaster and to a degree some of the changes under Monk.

As much as we need goal scoring forwards upfront I am still unhappy that we are making do at the back.  Right footers on the left are just asking for trouble and as much as we don’t score many we still let in far more than we should.  I am not sure if the reason is personnel or the fact that we have moved away from a flat back four.  

I hope that we can still get Greaves from Hull given he has declined a new contract and also that the Strand Larsen deal can be resurrected now that he is making noise about being unhappy with his club’s stance. 😎

 

 

This post was modified 2 years ago by K P in Spain

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Posted by: @werdermouth

Boro are beginning to appear like a team in a permanent state of transition with a huge overhaul every summer that predominantly signs projects and punts or tries to move on signings from the previous manager.

Exactly what I have cried about for a long time. How could we be in need of 10 to 12 players every summer.

I hope the new system and a Director of Football means we need to buy just four to five quality players per season. Quantity over quality. Every transfer is a risk of some sort.

Last summer were were looking for wingers (Hernández) and big center forward (Ikpeazu). Now we need wing-backs and guick and flexible strikers like Forss, Akpom and Hoppe.

Looks like we do not know what we want.

Hopefully things settle down and Wilder stays here for a few years. And there is a thread of something with Scot

 


   
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Posted by: @werdermouth

Boro are beginning to appear like a team in a permanent state of transition with a huge overhaul every summer that predominantly signs projects and punts or tries to move on signings from the previous manager.

Exactly what I have cried about for a long time. How could we be in need of 10 to 12 new players every summer?

I hope the new system and Head of Football Scott means we need to buy just four to five quality players per a tranfer window. Quality over quantity. Every transfer is a risk of some sort.

Last summer we were looking for wingers (Hernández) and big center forward (Ikpeazu). Now we need wing-backs and guick and flexible strikers like Forss, Akpom and Hoppe in control.

Looks like we do not always know what we want.

Hopefully things settle down now and Wilder stays here for a few years. And that there is a thread of something with him and Kieran Scott. 

Like Deriad said, this season is lost yet. We could well reach the play-offs. Or higher.

But things could be done in a more planned and professional way as a club. Up the Boro! 

This post was modified 2 years ago 2 times by jarkko

   
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KP,

As much as I bang on about how much I like Wilder's style of play, I think we will concede more goals than we're used to. I just think that's the trade off with the way he plays - a style he has himself described as "risk and reward".

As far as I can tell (as someone who has never even seen a coaching badge), his method is predominantly around trying to create overloads in the wide areas. Between the wide centre-back, wide centre midfielder and wingback - and in conjunction with the deep midfielder - we are always looking to create a 2 v 1 or 3 v 2 so that we can play a 1-2 (too many numbers?) and get one of them - usually the wingback - behind the opposition defence. Then it's usually a low cross into around the six yard box for a tap-in for the arriving centre-mid or the striker.

Having more reliable finishers in the team than we had last year, and having the creative threat from the left that we lacked, plus the system becoming more ingrained, will all add up to us being better at it I hope and expect.

It does come with a major downside, though. In trying to create those overloads, the centre-backs and wide centre-mids do vacate their normal areas of the pitch, most often going wider than you would expect such players to be. We're then very vulnerable if we misplace a pass or fail to execute that 1-2, sometimes with large gaps in central areas for the opposition to break into. A number of times we've been turned over and then you look around and think "where the hell is our midfield?". I think that's because they take up these positions wider than usual and vacate the middle.

I'm certain that this isn't tactical naivety, rather that it's by design with Wilder basically prioritising creating chances over keeping it tight - the absolute opposite of what we've been used to under Karanka, Pulis and Warnock to name three.

How do we ensure that we're less vulnerable whilst still playing this way? Well, it isn't easy but the first priority is to make fewer mistakes in possession. If we not turned over in our own half, we can't be easily countered.

Secondly, we need to improve our execution of the final ball and finishing. If we regularly score two or three, it matters less about the ones and twos we concede. As I've said, I do expect this to improve.

Thirdly, inevitably, we will lose the ball at times. On those occasions we have to be more committed in our defending than we were against QPR for instance, but also we've got to be savvy. Karanka's Boro never shied away from "taking one for the team" when necessary. Wilder's Boro will need to do the same.

Finally, we may want to look at that deep-lying midfielder role and whether Howson is the right option for much longer. Nothing against Jonny, who has been a brilliant servant, great pro and arguably played his best football for Boro in that role last season, but at no point in his career has been a natural "destroyer". A bit of nastiness in that role might not do us any harm, whilst Howson could become Crooks alternate / late replacement for that more attacking role.

This post was modified 2 years ago 3 times by Andy R

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Excellent piece thanks Andy and I concur with your analysis.  

I also agree that we miss the job that Grant Leadbitter/Adam Clayton did for us in midfield and if we can recruit someone similar then we might not look so open when our attacks break down; easier said than done but that’s the sort of thing Scott was brought in to do and hopefully he can find the remaining links we need before the window closes. 😎


   
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KP

In theory Howson should be breaking  up attacks under Wilder’s system but it sounds like he’s not quite at his best yet and maybe his ageing legs are still not over pre-season conditioning.

Either way Boro are a bit light in defensive midfield - I don’t know if Dijksteel could play that role if McNair ends up taking his right CB role as he started out as a defensive midfielder and has shown he can also carry the ball.

Maybe one of the youngsters can graduate to that role but Boro may need some more experience on the pitch like Mowatt.

This post was modified 2 years ago by werdermouth

   
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I see that Mowatt played last night against Sheffield United so to me he is an integral part of their squad and all this talk of a loan to Boro is perhaps just newspaper generated and there is no real substance to it. 😎


   
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Sky transfer Centre reporting:

Konyaspor agree deal for Boro's Ikpeazu

Turkish club Konyaspor have agreed a deal to sign Middlesbrough forward Uche Ikpeazu.

Ikpeazu is expected in Turkey today to finalise the transfer.

The club proposed a free transfer with a 20% sell-on.

Ikpeazu has two years left on his Middlesbrough contract and was not in the squad for either of their opening two Championship games.😎


   
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From MFC website:

“Boro LIVE will be the streaming home for our Under-21 matches in the coming weeks and months.

We're hoping to bring you all the action from our home fixtures via Boro LIVE on www.mfc.co.uk

The PL2 home campaign gets underway on Friday (7pm) when Derby County are the visitors to Bishop Auckland.

Mark Tinkler's charges came from 3-0 down to draw at Aston Villa last week and are looking for a first victory of the new season.

The game will be available in one-camera coverage format with commentary from Gordon Cox.

Simply head over to Boro LIVE and ensure you are logged in or register yourself an account to watch for free.” 😎


   
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MFC reporting Mowatt joined on loan this morning.


   
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Posted by: @mw-in-darwin

MFC reporting Mowatt joined on loan this morning.

Well that’s surprised me as I suggested that this was all paper talk and that he was an integral part of the baggies squad!  Eats humble pie.

A good replacement for Tav even if it is only for one season. 😎


   
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Now that Mowatt has officially joined us, I think we have signed quite well so far this summer. Not old journey men but young exciting players with value to sell if needed.

Mowatt is not a young a player but not too old at 27. He has plenty of experience in this division and will be handy with the young talent around him.

I still think we've made too many changes in one transfer window, late for the season's beginning and it will take time to click for the new players. So I blame the manager's appointment system, not Wilder himself.

Hopefully he is still around here in three or four years' time. And when he will be replaced,  a similar playing system will be continued at Boro. 

So too many changes at once but initially good signings so far. At least long term. We have Hoppe and Forss to go the season after the window will be shut.

Up the Boro!


   
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MFC have confirmed that Uche has joined Konyaspor on a permanent deal. 😎


   
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We need two good players per one position like in the Karanka days. And perhaps three goalkeepers. That makes 25 players in total, I think.

Goalkeepers: Steffen, Roberts, Daniels

Left wing-back: Giles, Bola

Centre-backs (3 needed): Fry, Dijksteel, McNair, Lenihan, the left-footed centre-back missing (Bola on reserve)

Right wing-back: Jones, Smith

Midfield (3 needed): Howson, Mowatt, McGree, Crooks, (Boyd-Munce & Hackney)

Forwards (2 needed): Akpom,  Watmore,  Forss,  Hoppe, (Coburn - injured & to be loaned out).

It is easy to see we need more bodies in as we will have three games in eight days (!) in most weeks. 

One defender is a must and hopefully there is another good enough in the academy. Any suggestions?

In midfield we have not replaced Martin Payero yet. So a right-footed midfielder would do nicely. He could play at number ten, too - like McGree can.

Hackney plays in the same position as Howson, but is still very in-experienced. Perhaps cover needed?

If we keep Watmore, we need just the marquee striker, the real number nine. But I think Watmore will be released if two strikers will be signed as mentioned by Wilder recently. Watmore is more a winger than a goal poacher - and cannot play 90 min.

So the team is building up. Pity that we needed so many players replaced as the above  should have been the team when the pre-season started. No wonder the start of the season has been a bit patchy. 

We still need at least four players to arrive. Not ideal as the season started already last month. But I think we have bought well, so far.

Up the Boro!

This post was modified 2 years ago 5 times by jarkko

   
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PS. Did we sign somebody from Watford (or another London club) earlier in the summer? Most probably for under-23 team, anyway.

Did I miss any player except Finch (aged 17)? He was on the bench at QPR.

Up the Boro!

This post was modified 2 years ago 3 times by jarkko

   
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We signed Kamil Conteh for the U21s from Watford.

Pretty much agree with your analysis.

It looks like Wilder thinks that none of the U21s (including Hackney, Boyd Munce and Gibson) are capable of playing for the 1st team at this point. He also seems to want to send Coburn out on loan as well. If he sticks with that decision we are horribly short in midfield. I think McNair may end up being part of the midfield unit once we sign a LCB.

Personally I think Lenihan's best position is RCB but we have Dijksteel, McNair and Smith who can also play. Wilder appears sceptical about Fry. McNair is probably a better LCB than Bola.

I think we may see McGree playing as #10 against Stoke. Akpom has a twisted knee so I can see McGree and Forss starting with Crooks/McNair, Howson, Mowatt in midfield. If he does, then I think Wilder may settle for just one more striker and look for a midfielder who can play #10. Crooks is also an option for #10. 

I think we may also see Wilder trying out two #6's and a #10 in his favoured 3-5-2. For example

Steffen

Dijksteel - Lenihan - Bola/McNair

Jones - Howson/McNair - Mowatt - Giles

McGree/Crooks

Forss - Akpom

We have been overrun in the middle of the pitch too often in recent games and also struggled when Howson has been pressed but has no one close to him to offload to.

It feels to me that the main priority is a LCB so that McNair can move into midfield giving us a midfield unit of McNair, Howson, Crooks, Mowatt, McGree. It's not the best unit in the league but it feels solid. Adding one wild-card of some type into it would be great.

Then if we can get one more experienced striker in who isn't a "project" I feel like we have a decent team. I would like to see Wilder make more of an effort with the U21s but it really doesn't seem to be his bag.

 


   
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Good post Deleriad.  

I am wondering if part of the plan this season was to raise funds from sales of DS and also DF with the club expecting to receive bids for the latter which to date have not materialised.

The recruitment of a right footed centre back, DL, when the priority was for a LCB leads me to believe that this was all part of the planning and may still occur.

I agree entirely with you on the midfield situation and it really has to be tightened along with the defence if we are to make top six.

We have all been making the case for a 15/20 goal striker but you only need to score one to win a game if you don’t concede and we have been conceding too easily and too often and that has to improve quickly.  

Tightening the defence/midfield and sharing the goals around the squad, as we once did, may make up for the lack of a high scoring attacker. 😎


   
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Thank you, Deriad. I was missing the name. Hopefully a future replacement for Howson, but Conteh will be only 20 in December. 

With a little over two weeks to go in the transfer window, Wilder would still like to add a left-sided centre-back, a central midfielder and two centre forwards.

Today Wilder said for Teesside live: "This is quite a big overhaul here as well; we’ve already done eight players and we’re still ready to do another four. So this is a pretty unique situation for us as a football club and us in the division/football pyramid. To look to do around 10-12 and get players out the building as well."

I just hope it won't take three to four months to bed the new players in. Up the Boro!


   
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West London Sport reporting on Muniz to MFC:

https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/football-wls-muniz-set-for-middlesbrough-move-as-silva-chases-striker

😎


   
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Yes,  looks like done if their manager says so and confirm the Brazilian lad rto be on Teesside.

Up the Boro! 


   
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Muniz signing on loan from Fulham is now confirmed on the club website. 😎


   
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The loan deal of Muniz means Boro will likely splash the cash on their next striker signing.

That could be Riis from Preston, but Boro will surely have to push towards £10million if they want to tempt Preston into selling.

The other possibility could be Gyökeres from Coventry. But that rumour has gone quiet lately as they asked for too much.

But I really hope we sign someone who has done it in the Championship. 

French club Nice have made a bid in the region of £8.4m for Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz. The bid is likely to be rejected by Rovers as it does not meet the Championship club's valuation of the Chile international.

Those three would be the kind of examples I hope to see at Boro. We have three new young strikers and Coburn already. Next we need a bit more experinced frontman.

It would be interesting see a new midfielder and left-footed centre-back arriving, too. Up the Boro!

 

This post was modified 2 years ago by jarkko

   
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I think we need a defender, LCB, before we need a forward, based on results to date! 😎


   
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Posted by: @k-p-in-spain

Latest rumour:

https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-middlesbrough-line-up-move-to-sign-brighton-star-matt-clarke/  😎

I would be happy with this signing, either as a loan or a permanent deal.

Come on BORO.


   
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