Sad to hear the demise of Bernard Gent, the voice of Ayresome but also the instigator of using the signature tune of the 60’s ITV series ‘The Power Game’ which succeeded ‘The Plane Makers’ starring Patrick Wymark, Jack Watling, Rosemary Leach and the delightful Barbara Murray. Was it really 60 years ago?
Anyway this is a tribute to Bernard Gent, gentleman by name and gentleman by nature. His name will be remembered as a part of Boro history.
Rest in Peace, Bernard.
Such sad news on the loss of an Ayresome Park legend.
I started to go regularly to watch matches from the start of the 66/67 season at the same time as Bernard started Radio Ayresome.
The sound of the Power Game remains highly evocative and always made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as the team ran out to it. It still does to this day when I hear it played.
As you say Ken, a gentleman in every true sense of the meaning. RIP Bernard and thank you for the memories. 😎
While the transfer windows appears to be something of a slow burner for Boro, even the quest to report rumours are now becoming so vague as to be practically meaningless. I just read that Boro have been given assurances that two unnamed Premier League players want to come to Teesside but are waiting for their current clubs to sanction their exit. Not so much an imminent arrival as almost an imminent rumour!
Sky Sports Transfer Centre @ 12:21
“Spence not part of Boro's Portugal training camp
Djed Spence is not part of Middlesbrough's training camp in Portugal, as talks continue between Tottenham and Boro over his potential transfer.
The England U21 has remained working on this fitness at their Rockliffe training ground.
Spence wants the Spurs move and discussions have been at an advanced stage for some time, but there has yet to be a final agreement on the fee.” 😎
KP in Spain,
So, Tottenham are still trying to get the price down. Well done to Boro for digging their collective heels in. Personally I can't see what there is to discuss after all this time, they must know what fee Boro are after and you pay or you don't.
UTB,
John
KP in Spain,
So, Tottenham are still trying to get the price down. Well done to Boro for digging their collective heels in. Personally I can't see what there is to discuss after all this time, they must know what fee Boro are after and you pay or you don't.
UTB,
John
John in any negotiation you need to establish from the outset what your minimum expectations are but to seek to try and maximise the sale of your asset.
I was taught the MIL principles of negotiation. Must get, (bottom line) Intend to get and Like to get.
That may mean digging your heels in as long as you do not lose sight of the overall objective, the sale of DS to provide funds for team rebuilding. In this regard Spurs have the upper hand as they can wait longer than we can with our season only three weeks away. We don’t want to end up being a distressed seller.
This has gone on for far too long and one has to hope that we will eventually secure a sale at the price we are holding out for and that in the meantime we don’t miss out on other options. 😎
Quite so KP. As the old saying goes......"a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"
Let's hope Levy blinks first, but I would not put my last pound on it.
Well if the Gazette is to believed then we are about to start writing off the majority of Payero’s fee we paid.
Loan back to Boca Juniors and an option to buy. Well if true that says evertything about the ongoing recruitement saga and are they fit for purpose.
Also besides sellers hiking their prices for our Marquee signing we will now have to probably write of some of the DS fee that we may or may not get.
Would you really trust them or indeed CW to spend what we have wisely?
There’s a lot of negativity creeping in about signings and recruitment (again). I wonder if SG, CW, et al are deliberately trying to wind up posters on the Forum. 😉
The Payero situation is a shame for the club and the player but I wouldn’t go overboard in discrediting his signing.
The fee was 4m euros - around £3.25m - and I could certainly see enough talent there to justify that gamble. It didn’t work out but I think he had the potential to have been a bargain at that price and I wouldn’t be surprised if he did very well at Boca Juniors back in his native Argentina. Indeed, that fact that one of the biggest clubs in South America is taking him shows his potential.
No loan fee for us a little disappointingly but it’s money off the wage bill for a season and perhaps a fee next summer.
Maybe this means Paddy McNair is now competing with Crooks for the right-sided central midfield role, in which case I expect we’re looking for another centre-back as well as the left-sided one.
I also think Andy that we are still well short of that all important creativity in the midfield.
Hopefully McGree will come to the fore and provide some of it, but for me we still need another midfielder that can win and then pass the ball with purpose.
Andy.
Whilst I agree with what you say, if the club are gambling then they need to start winning; we do not have a bottomless pit of money and the new recruitment process/personnel need to start paying dividends. 😎
Sadly another death to report, that of Mike Cowan who during his time was Yorkshire’s opening bowler. I realise that few Diasborians will have heard of Mike but I remember him well as a left arm fast-medium paced bowler who along with the late Mel Ryan shared the new ball for much of his career from 1953 to 1962 with the great Fred Trueman. Mike took 276 wickets in his career and was awarded his County cap in 1960 after taking 9 for 43 against Warwickshire and was twice a member of the winning County Championship side during that time. I was fortunate to see Mike bowl a couple of times at the Scarborough Cricket Festival, and it was appropriate that the Yorkshire and Surrey players should stand with heads bowed for a minute’s silence yesterday before the start of play at the lovingly named Scarbados in memory of his life.
Condolences to his family and many friends, and may Mike now rest in peace.
Latest rumour to appear is that Boro are now braced to lose Marcus Tavernier and will demand at least £10m as several PL clubs show an interest - including Everton, Leicester and Bournemouth.
It true and it comes to fruition, it will be interesting to see who goes for the biggest fee. Tav or DS.
I always hoped for bigger and better from Tav and always thought if we sold him it would be for more than Spence. Strange this transfer market and of course the disclosed fees that abound.
Andy
The amount Boro paid for Martin Payero has never really been clear - at the time of the deal the figure widely reported (including by the Gazette) was £5.8m but has gradually come down as his stint on Teesside hasn't really been a success. The Northern Echo have quoted £4m and the as he leaves for Boca the Gazette now have him as low as €4m.
OK, the higher headline figure may have been dependent on appearances or promotion etc and maybe Boro only paid €4m up front - perhaps that's why the club are prepared to cut their losses now before they become higher should he pass various milestones. Though, he was probably on decent wages so not having a loan fee is probably not a big issue - especially if Boca ultimately sign him for a fee.
I'm not that convinced that there's much behind the Marcus Tavernier rumour at the moment other than speculation he could possibly be a fit for a number of clubs who need midfielders. It didn't sound like Leicester fans were overly excited about the prospect of Tav joining them as to many he sounded like a drop in quality to what they were expecting - the same would probably apply to Everton fans too.
At the moment, it seems Tav is happy at Boro and the only utterances by the club is that it would take a ridiculous offer for them to contemplate selling him - £10m doesn't sound like a ridiculous offer in today's market and I'd agree with Pedro that he should probably be valued higher than Spence in terms of importance to Boro.
Where I suspect the danger of him leaving would apply is if he had an explosive start to the season, maybe score one of his specials and then as some PL clubs see their main targets slip their grasp, they will obviously start to notice one or two options in the Championship.
Losing Tav late in the window is the nightmare scenario with cash in the pocket but little time to replace him - maybe it may tempt Boro to dip into the market earlier as insurance now that Payero has left.
For Tav himself, he may be better advised to avoid joining a club like Forest who are destined for a relegation battle and an ultimate return to the Championship. Even joining a club like Leicester or Everton would likely see him as a squad player with limited pitch time. However, a good season with Boro would perhaps raise his profile and give him more options - plus maybe even promotion and a chance to shine in an environment he's happy playing in!
Whist there are reputably 365 praias (beaches) in the Algarve one for every day of the year I much preferred to visit the small villages and the beauty of the Monchique mountains which unfortunately every 3 or 4 years suffer the devastation of forest fires as eucalyptus trees are almost burned to the ground as Atlantic breezes whip up their destruction. It’s sad to see in the winter months as the temperatures vary from 14 degrees to 18 at sea level. As for the number of golf courses there are now too many in my opinion having risen from 6 in the mid 1980s to well over 30 now.
Nevertheless I do miss my winter months in the Algarve and the Alentejo region which includes 20 or so pousadas (similar to Spain’s paradors) and when my wife was alive I’ve stayed in every one of them. There’s more to Portugal than the Algarve which isn’t typical of the country really. Lisbon and the Alfama region has so much to offer for the traveller especially the charm of the cobbled streets of Obidos, the University city of Coimbra, and the scenic Douro Valley starting at Porto through to the Spanish city of Salamanca especially by river boat.
I know that I sound like a tourist guide, but I’ve spent almost 30 years of my life in Portugal; it’s almost my second home, but I couldn’t live there in the Summer where 40 plus temperatures are the norm. I much prefer Germany and the Scharzwald in the summer, but then I was a traveller not a tourist.
Wth reference the other day in my post about the resurgence of Scottish players, here is an article today in the Daily Record.
Wth reference the other day in my post about the resurgence of Scottish players, here is an article today in the Daily Record.
Malcolm, I hope you are not suggesting another Strachan jockification for MFC! 😉😎
Agree Ken about what you say about Portugal.
Although I have not travelled in that country as much as you, I have seen quite a bit of the non tourist places, or they were when we went.
Very much like Spain, away from the Costas and especially the north. Lots of history and culture. Well for those who like that side of travelling.
Wth reference the other day in my post about the resurgence of Scottish players, here is an article today in the Daily Record.
The was a young Scottish left-back/wingback I touted on here about 6 months ago or something - Aaron Hickey - who has just been signed by Brentford for a reported £14m plus add-ons.
Lots of Scottish talent out there, particularly at left back at seems! Why would nationality be a barrier in any case. It's just finding the right players who want to come at the right price.
I guess with the spread of video analysis and data profiling in the game, everyone has access to those insights now so it's much, much harder a gem to be hidden and to land one.
Wth reference the other day in my post about the resurgence of Scottish players, here is an article today in the Daily Record.
Malcolm, I hope you are not suggesting another Strachan jockification for MFC! 😉😎
Definitely not KP lol....this is a different generation now. Take care.
Latest from Sky Sports Centre:
“Spurs closing on Spence signing
Tottenham are very close to agreeing a deal with Middlesbrough for defender Djed Spence.
Final negotiations are ongoing over an initial fee of £12.5million rising to a potential total in the region of £20m if add-ons are met.” 😎
Latest from Northern Echo:
“Middlesbrough: Zack Steffen set to have medical in next 24 hours” 😎
Zack Steffen looked a commanding physical presence as Man City number two and hopefully will improve overall with games at Boro - I did mention in my article that perhaps Liam Roberts wouldn't be the main choice given he's stepping up from League Two. Anyway, I'm happy to see Steffen between the sticks and presumably he's also in sweeper-keeper mould too.
So maybe both Steve Gibson and Daniel Levy both blinked in one eye with regards to the Spence deal. Boro will get £20m if Djed lives up to his billing and Spurs will only stump up £12.5m in the beginning. Hopefully, at least £2.5m of those add-ons will be realtively a formality to cash in or presumably SG wouldn't have dropped to £12.5m - I doubt we'll ever hear what they are but good luck to Spence in his rise to stardom!
“Brighton's Connolly loaned to Venezia
Brighton forward Aaron Connolly has joined Serie B side Venezia on a season-long loan, subject to international clearance.
The 22-year-old made six appearances in all competitions for Albion last season, before spending the second half of the campaign on loan with Middlesbrough.
The Republic of Ireland international joined Albion’s academy in 2016, going onto make his first team debut a year later in the Carabao Cup.
He scored twice on his full Premier League debut in a 3-0 win over Tottenham and has gone onto make 52 appearances in all competitions for us, scoring eight goals.”
This is the club Thomas Henry plays for and allegedly MFC have expressed an interest in. 😎
Zack Steffen looked a commanding physical presence as Man City number two and hopefully will improve overall with games at Boro - I did mention in my article that perhaps Liam Roberts wouldn't be the main choice given he's stepping up from League Two. Anyway, I'm happy to see Steffen between the sticks and presumably he's also in sweeper-keeper mould too.
Yes, you’d certainly imagine that Steffen was picked up by City because he fit their mould of playing out from the back, whilst he will have been coached in that capacity for the last couple of years.
On the face of it, it’s an ideal signing for us. Let’s hope he’s as good on grass as he would appear to be on paper.
With Payero out the door and the Spence saga drawing to a close, we presumably have all our major out goings gone. Hall, Akpom and Ikpeazu remain in the Phantom Zone with no signs of release. Coulson is being allowed to fetch balls while training and is presumably tying Bola's laces together at every opportunity. Daniels seems likely to end up 3rd choice and winding down his contract.
Steffen appears to be on his way here once his work permit is resolved. No information about the loan but sportrac have him on around £2.4m per year and I strongly suspect that we're forking out for most of his wages (around £45K/week). Hall, Akpom, Ikpeazu and Coulson seem likely to be on around £30-40K between them. I have no idea how good Steffen actually is but it seems reasonable to expect him to be a major upgrade on everyone since Randolph.
Rumours floating around about Tav to Bournemouth but I think we can safely discount him or any of the remaining spine of our team being sold.
We're seemingly no nearer signing a left-footed centre-back. We also lack cover in the centre of midfield and, of course, our only strikers are Coburn, Watmore and a small, yappy dog that keeps chasing the ball. It seems likely that Armstrong will sign on loan at some point. If Fulham give the green light, we might also see Muniz. I think the likes of Gyokeres and Joao have been slapped with no-exit signs. Although it seems odd, Rhodes did play the role of a Wilder forward perfectly against us last season and we have form for signing forwards on that principle. I can well imagine that Wilder might take a punt on him.
One quirk of the Spence money is that he was on low wages but has generated a large transfer fee. If you call it 15m for convenience sake then that covers something like 5m/year in some combination of wages and transfer fees over the next 3 years. In modern money, that's not a lot. A one-year loan of Armstrong alone is likely to come in at around £3m for the duration. I don't expect us therefore to be splashing out large transfer fees because I suspect that a fair amount of the Spence money will be ear-marked for wages. That'll be music to Tommy Smith's ears.
How are things looking?
GK: Steffen, Roberts, Daniels. Looking good
CBs: McNair, Lenihan, Fry, Dijksteel. Half-way there, lacking a left-footer.
WBs: Jones, (Smith), Giles, (Bola). A work in progress
MF: Crooks, Howson, Tav, McGree. Really short of depth
STs: Watmore, Coburn, small-yappy-dog.
Bubbling under? Wilder seems to feel that none of the U23s are ready for the first team squad. He is also not a manager who is renowned for working with youth players. Gibson and Bilongo may end up on the bench for the first match of the season but I don't think Wilder will be happy about it.
In summary, about 5 players short at the moment. Pretty unlikely that they'll all be in place for the first game of the season. Additions so far seem solid and, for once, the incomings have been pretty coherent.
Deleriad
Yes business has been slow since the window officially opened and with only two weeks before the first game Boro are looking light in certain areas - plus especially up front.
I'd tend to agree that Muniz looks the most likely deal - though the Gayle rumours are still persisting. It may well be that Adam Armstrong will join eventually on loan as it's now 5 weeks since Boro were linked with a move.
You get the feeling that everything has been awaiting the Spence to Spurs saga to conclude and that as you say will finance most of deals for this season.
As to what will constitute a 'marquee' signing will probably depend on your expectations - but someone proven but not yet in the ageing category would fit that profile - which Armstrong could possibly be spun as.
Boro have been linked with a move for former Preston left-sided defender, Ben Davies, now at Liverpool but never kicked a ball for them in anger - he was on loan at Sheff Utd last season so some kind of symmetry with Wilder.
I would expect the unwanted like Akpom, Ikpeazu, Hall and Coulson to be shifted by whatever means can be found - but that leaves only around 9-10 players from last season's squad who are likely to feature significantly this term. There's also Boyd-Munce who could maybe get more pitch time in midfield.
Either way, new signings or not, the opening few games will be mainly last-season's core with perhaps Giles and Steffen plus likely one new striker from the rumoured targets. So not much depth as yet and Boro prone to head scratching if any key player picks up a pre-season injury.