Boro's Big Battle For Hearts And Minds
WHAT kind of team are Boro? Steady now. No swearing.
A lot of angst ridden empty shells will only just now be recovering from Saturday's small screen anaesthetic and insisting - expletives deleted - they are a boring one, a limited one, a shot-shy one, a frustrating one - and one in a self-inflicted state of flux that will never challenge for promotion so long as they are so brittle and blunt.
But long term, what kind of team do Boro aim to be? What now are the strategic objectives of the club in the coming seasons? And will the fans buy that vision?
Is there a cunning five year plan? A well researched commercial and football model? A grand mission statement to be Teesside's premier providers of on-the-pitch excellence?
If there is, shouldn't they now make it clear to a shrinking crowd that is becoming increasingly jittery about Boro's direction? If there isn't we are in big trouble.
With wage bill slashing and tight-pursed transfer activity still on the agenda it appears the club are restructuring for when the game's gravy train hits the buffers. But does that fevered activity in the shadows indicate a shrewd organisation addressing pressing problems? Or is it resigned rearranging of the deckchairs on the Titanic?
The cash-splashed Golden Age is over, that much is clear - yet we should still be big-hitters in the Championship with the parachute payment cheque for ã11.2m on its way and another major chunk to come off the wages when deals for the likes of Pogatetz, Aliadiere and Riggott run out. That's ã75k a week or over ã3m a year to be recycled into fit and productive members of the squad.
But do you have confidence in how they will spend it? If they will spend it? Will it be for new players, the bank or Mido's pay-off? In what direction is the Riverside Revolution now heading? Are we a team that spots future talent early (or still the team that rejected ã300,000 Graham Dorrans and ã250,000 Ross McCormack?) or one that squanders money on 'projects'? Or do we just recruit free transfers from North of the Border now? Give us a clue.
Boro are light years and the gross national product of a medium sized African state away from rejoining the Premier League, let alone resuming the heady days of European ambitions when we briefly viewed the likes of Villa as our rivals.
But are we still potentially a side like Birmingham, Stoke or Bolton who have clawed into the top table to earn patronising plaudits for being plucky, well-organised and well managed but who ultimately are without the financial clout to compete long term?
Or have Boro relinquished 'ambition' and accepted life in the upper reaches of the Championship, braced for a brave stab at promotion but ready to concede there are now far better equipped sides and that we are outsiders?
There appears no consensus among supporters of where we are, what they expect and what should be regarded as acceptable. There is no real consensus even over the manager and the prospects for his Strachanovite revolution (although most accept Southgate was a busted flush) and no real idea of what next year's team will look like. Or how it will play. It is hard for fans to buy into such a vague cloud of shapeless ideas.
That lack of clarity appears to be shared by the club as mixed messages emerge about the need for promotion next term and the need to continue to prune the salary burden while the unfortunate relegation and the reasons for it have been swept under the carpet. Strachan has talked about 'entertaining' football after a shocking season but his buys and style so far suggest conservative solidity is the priority, initially at least.
While no one can doubt the passion and patience of the crowd their unity is threatened by a soul-sapping draining of collective morale and a lack of concrete reasons for optimism. It is hard to fathom and realistic vision for the future or come up with a rallying cry other than "blind faith" - and that fell on increasingly sceptical ears last time.
Some supporters are now just going through the motions in silence. Others don't enjoy the matchday experience and some seem to actively resent even being there and have slipped into a default setting of vocal dissent. Very few casual fans attend and even season ticket holders are going AWOL amid predictions of a matchday meltdown next term. It will be interesting to see exactly how many take advantage of the offer for the dead rubber against Coventry at a time when anacdotal evidence suggests you can't give tickets away and few people believe the official crowd figure anyway.
It is not just that supporters they have been worn down by two seasons - longer maybe - of drab and uninspiring football and a slow motion slide towards a prison of mediocrity. That has happened before without undermining the fans' fierce pride and shared vision.
Nor is it just price. A long season ticket freeze and more games at this level makes the match cheaper now than five years ago. VFM is about more than the cost.
One of the factors is that Boro fans had their hopes and expectations raised then dashed in a cruel deception that they could actually be a big spending member of the elite, winning regular trophies and competing on the top table.
That new era of unprecedented success duped even the most hard-bitten old Holgate Enders to cast off the traditional armour of cynicism - but as the dreams turned to dust the protective clothing and various items of weaponry have been seized again with a vengeance. They won't get fooled again.
As the gloom shrouds Teesside expectation levels feel very low. That is not because fans do not care for the club. On the contrary they feel deeply. So deeply it hurts.
But they feel frustrated, alienated, ignored and powerless to contribute to a project that is no longer clear cut - and increasingly fearful this long drawn out sorry state of affairs appears to have no end in sight.
And unless there is now some significant statement of intent that offers a real sign of hope for dramatic improvement - or at least concrete progress - many could be driven away for good. Experience shows those that wrap in the season card and say they will pick and chose usually choose not to bother. They get out of the habit and resent the walk-up price sting should they decide to come to a match on a whim.
But deep down fans - even the most apparantly cynical - want to be persuaded to stay on board. They want the club to win the argument over renewal. They want Boro to do or say something compelling and exciting that relights the fire, renews the faith and recharges the batteries. Give the broken hearted a reason to believe in the future.
It can't just be a gesture. The club can't magic another Juninho-like figure out a hat.
But they can help sweep away some of the cynicism, pessimism and gloom with a frank and fearless commitment to engage openly with the fans. They can address the fears of supporters - or customers in all seater new speak - directly and honestly and tackle the crisis of confidence head on.
We may be at a watershed. The coming summer could be the most politically and culturally - not to mention economically - important since the arrival of Bryan Robson. If Gordon Strachan doesn't get it right and we don't get up by hook or by crook then the money runs out and we could be locked in this league for a generation.
It is crucial we go into a decisive season totally united behind the gaffer, the team and the club, with the supporters fully committed to the cause and with a crowd armed with the knowledge that the club is heading onwards and upwards. If Boro are to succeed next year it can only be with a passionate crowd right behind them.
And key to that is knowledge. Fans must understand and share - and support - the club's economic and political realities, how the key problems will be tackled and their vision for growth and renewal. Right now that is not the case.
It is time for a restatement of the club's intent. A State of the Nation address.
Not just a spin-driven insincere season ticket sales pitch and platitudes on Radio Brownlee but a compelling manifesto for putting Boro back in the top flight which can command the confidence and loyalty of supporters who yearn for a dynamic, vibrant club pursuing a coherent and successful strategy they can rally around.
And neither will talk of a far reaching post mortem that comes to nothing or a few fall guy's heads rolling cut much ice. We've been there and done that. There needs to be a warts and all assessment of the massive failures of recent years on and off the pitch - the woeful scouting, the wasted transfer millions, the insular defensive and opaque culture, the cack-handed customer relations, marketing mishaps and PR gaffes as well as the dismal football - and action taken to prevent repeats.
It is not about recriminations or scapegoating but about problem solving, bridge-building and forging the bond between team and crowd that will will need to give us the extra edge in what will be a season that could define the next decade.
It is time to spell out exactly what fans are being offered in the next few seasons. There has never been a more urgent need for the club to engage sincerely with supporters, to pro-actively go out and sell them the dream.
Why not enter the spirit of the election and take the message to the people? Instead of remote radio interaction why not a real hustings? Why not suits and players visiting pubs and clubs, factories offices and schools in the Boro team oach to talk to - and listen to - the fans? Sure they may get some stick and face some tough questions. But equally they may find out exactly how passionate people are for the club and realise that far from being a neccessary evil the supporters are actually a key ingredient in the mix.
We need Boro to win this close season's crucial battle for hearts and mind. Or at least get an entertaining draw that persuades us to come back for more.
*********************
MEANWHILE, over in the Twitterverse....
Here's some interesting things I have been pointing the browsers of my "followers" towards in a sinister cult fashion over the past few days.
Not football but still worth a read, the Nether Regions is a brilliant blog riffing on the parochial absurdities of local papers and the phenonoma of "the Gazette face."
The Score Draw: a weekly pencil powered round up of the Premier League's key moments... "like Match of the Day but with stick men."
Got. Got. Got. Need.... retro-cultural gold dust: the complete World Cup 1990 Panini sticker album scanned in and put up on-line for hours of mulletastic former Boro player spotting fun.
The Spoiler's Top 10 Footy Films, including the brilliant Miracle of Bern & the match action sequence from Gregory's Girl ... but not Kes and Damned United misses out too.
Our hero, box-to-box battler Barry Robson oozes steely will to win on Radio Brownlee
Plus, what I think about when I really should be writting up that Colin Cooper interview, the Boro 'indiefootynames' list including Ziege Ziege Sputnick, Sigur Ross Turnbull and Nine Inch Nails. Feel free to add your own.
For all this and more on-line time-wasting you can get down with the kids and follow me on trendy Twitter here.
Older/Newer
« Baggies Blast Brittle Boro's Play-off Pretence | Sorry Season Splutters Out In Dismal Dead Rubber »
60 Comments
Leave a comment
Profile
Anthony Vickers
Latest Football League video
Keep up to date
Follow Untypical Boro on
There isnt a lot right at the Boro but it doesnt help when you hear nothing from the club and some so called news outlets are damn right lying about the club.
Some people actually believe that the club didnt want to go up this season, and Lamb signs the players. How can anyone think thats REAL?
**AV writes: When it comes to public opinion you must always factor in the heady cocktail of agenda setting ignorance, mischief making and downright stupidity.
The top people at the club should be on their knees grovelling for forgiveness after the last three years. Way to blow the best ever position in our history while totally peeing off the fans at every possible opportunity.
I don't have a problem with ballancing the books, being prudent with wages or even being relegated after a few brilliant years but I do have a problem with being treated like something the cat dragged in by power crazed stewards, treated like a gullible fool by the half-baked idiots in the marketing department and called a mackem by a chairman who has lost touch.
For me, the club treat fans with contempt. I don't think they appreciate us, respect us, trust us or like us and they sure as hell won't be going on a charm offensive and treating us as equals partners.
Barry Robson tonight has done a fabulous PR job for the club. Move aside, Pogi and O'Neil! Let the guy with a feeling for the heart of Teesside take charge!
SG and Lambie need to take a good hard look at themselves, read this column over and over, eat some humble pie and lay out everything on the table.
The honest assessment is the starting point. The fans can smell 'bs' from a long way and the sowers of rumour and doubt are rubbing their hands ready for another go at the club.
It's not unfortunate that we have arrived at the position we are in. The gutting of the midfield and forward line by GS and the poor quality replacements of decent premier footballers pushed us in the Championship and the forced sale of Huth & Tuncay and inability of the club to tie down into long term deals young players like Johnson & Turnbull means the best talent has also been lost.
Accident, complacency, incompetence, whatever you want to call it doesn't matter now. What we want to see is something to believe in again and if it's insincere then the club loses.
The customers are voting with their feet and their wallet and they can always find something else to spend their money on. In the PL the fans really didn't count, we know that, the income from season tickets and shirt sales was marginal compared to the PL gravy train TV money. The train wreck we all saw coming in the decline presided over by GS has passed through leaving behind a shambolic mess.
Now the money and players have gone the club had better start listening and then talking to their customers because you're right AV it will be a generation before this can be turned around and the Boro will be back playing in front of crowds of 10,000 or less in a white elephant stadium before long.
What hurts is it could have all been avoided.
Did anyone hear that radio four show around six thirty where someone who thought he was funny dissed our town as (something like) "the dump of the north". So crude, so callous, so downright lazy, but it seems to raise a laugh - either in reality or in cyber-reality.
Let's try these stereotypes, "Fulham, for perfect benders" or Tottenham Hotspur, the last vestige of hope for respect for Jews and Turks" and see how that narrow-minded bile gets by the censors!
Smart assesment:)
The sacking of GS was the blunder of a lifetime, but cannot be undone. Strachan needs faith, but he also need to buy into the youth policy and the entertainment side of our game. If not he will not stay for long. But hes a smart guy and wll understand this after a while.
Best and most incisive blog to-date AV.
To borrow from Charles Dickens âÂÂIt was the best of times, it was the worst of timesâ and this is where we are now.
The best in the sense that I think it has taken the extraordinary range of events and emotions this season to finally rid us of the emotional, and other, relegation baggage that has clouded everything connected with the club for the past 12 months.
Unintended probably but the rage, fury and apathy has been cathartic and I think the fans at least mostly accept where and why we are now. ItâÂÂs done with and time to move on and you could argue Strachan has played a big part in distancing us from the past PL glory years, it needed an outsider to come in and do that.
There is an opportunity, and admittedly necessity, to regroup to start afresh in a new climate with new expectations. The post mortem done, the change has to come from the club, in all areas as AV disseminated.
And this is the crux of the problem â the fans donâÂÂt know where we stand, whatâÂÂs going on, what club is about. There is an abyss of information that the club must address, not through sales pitches but by making public the agenda, objectives and direction of the club. The worst of times.
ItâÂÂs a bit like the twilight zone, we just donâÂÂt know whatâÂÂs going on, thereâÂÂs nothing tangible to grab hold of anymore, good or bad. As a club we canâÂÂt be categorised, the âÂÂsmall town in Europeâ epithet no longer relevant, leaving instead a void or nothingness about us.
IâÂÂve followed this club since 1974 but canâÂÂt equate today to any other period, the early 80s decline and drift perhaps the nearest. We are not yet at the inspirational Bruce Rioch and local youngster years but I do think weâÂÂre at the bottom of the cycle.
I trust Steve Gibson to pick us up again and studying, and acting upon, AVâÂÂs musings would be as good a place to start as anywhere. I also wouldnâÂÂt want anyone else as head of the club but lessons need to be learned.
This is the age of instant communication Steve, donâÂÂt leave us in the dark. I can accept the clubâÂÂs failures if weâÂÂre all onside and together but if the chasm between club and fan is not redressed then bitterness and recrimination kick in big time.
The Coventry ticket prices are a decent start. Onwards and upwards.
Interesting, but I'm not sure I agree.
The club can communicate with fans until it's blue in the face, but I don't think it will make a significant difference. They might even be sincere, but many will take them as being insincere anyway.
The club could say that the sky was blue and some fans would disagree (and as Halifaxp has pointed out, the media would undoubtably poke fun and tell us that everyone knows the sky is only ever a murky brown over Teesside).
Everything is over-analysed in football these days. Clubs have to have a vision or a project, and they have to communicate this strategy. All this does is serve the media feeding frenzy and allow journalists to write football stories 7 days a week instead of 2 or 3 days a week.
Don't get me wrong AV, I like your work and I enjoy coming along here to have a read (and an occasional comment), but has my enjoyment of football really improved since the days of the Saturday Pink, MOTD, the Sunday Papers and Shoot? Not really.
I preferred it when vision was something that a midfielder had, and communication was something a good defender or keeper did. The word project didn't exist in the football lexicon. I don't need wall to wall, seven day a week coverage. I don't need the club to tell me everything, "warts and all".
You say "It is crucial we go into a decisive season totally united behind the gaffer...". It's pointless to aspire to this - it's never going to happen. There was a sizeable group of fans who wouldn't support our most successful manager ever.
For goodness sake, even Martin O'Neill has some very vocal critics at Aston Villa and he's on the verge of delivering them a second term in Europe and a cup final.
Even the most silver-tongued spin doctor couldn't pull everyone behind Strachan, and the more silver-tongues used the more you alienate those who don't like spin with their commentary. Cleft-stick.
To delve into the unwelcome language for a while...in football as in life, you can only "buy in" to your "project" through actions. The club don't need a fancy vision, strategy or project statement - they just need to start getting the football side right.
What will get the fans on board is playing good football, players who demonstrate commitment on the field, good transfers (in and out), and winning matches.
My fear is that the club tries to fix its communication strategy instead of concentrating on it's football basics. I don't need the club to articulate their vision, tell me about their project. It's just words.
For now I'm happy to just accept that this year we weren't one of the half dozen or so clubs amongst 92 that had a good season and hope for better next year.
Positives: We have an experienced manager now in GS2. We have some very good players: Robson, McManus (on loan, though), Wheater, McDonald, Rhys Williams - perhaps Killen, Jones, Taylor, Bates and McMahon. Great facilities (Rockcliff and Riverside) and a loyal chairman. Great academy. Not bad as such.
In Germany (Werdermouth can tell more?) all the top tier teams must be owned by the fans. I just wonder if Boro could be a leader in taking the fans on board in the UK. Let's say the fans own 45 per cent of the shares and Gibbo 55. Or 33 % to the fans, rest to Gibbo.
Could that bring the club and it's intentions much closer to the fans? And we still would have Gibbo and his investments there? Something new could be tried for sure.
Up the Boro!
If it was Marks and Spencer, British Gas, or any company with a multi-million turnover for that matter, the top man's head would have rolled into the Tees long ago.
No matter what Steve Gibson has done in the past, in my opinion it's time for him to relinquish control and stand down. The club is stale and before even thinking of signing new players, they should employ a bright dynamic new figure head with fresh ideas and a footballing background... Denis Wise springs to mind.
I agree what Bob says above. It's the action that matters not the words. So what GS2 can do with the players we still keep, the academy and who he brings in.
Good football - as good management generally - is actions and results, not nice words and false promises. Simple?
Up the Boro!
**AV writes: I think it is actions that count but they can't be in isolation. There needs to be an real impression given that positive things are happening on and off the field, that there is a coherent plan in place and the club is taking well thought out steps to ensure we get promoted next season. We can't just drift and hope it all works out while maintaining radio silence and letting fans stew.
The best thing that could happen in the week after the Leicester game is that half-a-dozen of the worst offending over-paid, under-performers are ejected by the club because they are not good enough, not left to linger aroudn until July 1st but actually told to go because they are not part of the future.
The next best thing would be that three or four solid early signings announced that put down a marker for next season and make people believe that significant change was underway and that it is being planned and directed ruthlessly, that there is actually a blueprint for the future.
AV
I agree with Richard Evans assessment that this is your finest hour!!
And Bob makes some vital points about 'deeds, not words' too.
But I don't think those arguments are mutually exclusive and I didn't read what you were saying as that MFC and Boro should just talk. Words ARE necessary but not sufficient, they must be backed up by deeds that are consistent with the message.
It's true in giving leadership in all walks of life but - given the image below - even more so in football that, if you're lucky, people hear what you say, if you're luckier still they may even listen. On the rare occasions they may even understand, accept and act accordingly.
But, though, they'll watch your lips they'll trust what your feet are doing and make up their minds whether to follow on that basis.
As you say. the big advantage that MFC & Boro have, with the rest of football, is that the majority want to follow and, given the right encouragement, will.
It would be nice to know that those in positions of power in the club have sat down together to discuss the various options as to where they want to take the club, and have then worked out a plan to achieve their objective. In any other sphere that would be essential business planning.
Attenders of (sometimes less than inspiring!) management seminars will have seen the mnemonic: SMART. It is suggested plans should be Specific so people know what is expected of them, Measurable (so progress can be assessed against target), Achievable and Realistic (a plan to win the Chamapions League in two years would be insane, a plan to achieve promotion on the other hand..) and Timeframed (so as to avoid drift, to help in measurement and keep attention concentrated on the objective).
Do we do that at the Boro? Do we sit down regularly to assess progress and, if necessary, either take new actions if we have deviated from intentions or to re-evaluate the future plan.
And if those in power who sit down to consider progress are unhappy with what has been happening they can tweak the plan, try to find our why the aims are not being achieved (who is at fault? what can we do to put them back on track, or is it so far gone that we have to ask whether the staff is CAPABLE of delivering at all, in which case...?).
What we do know is that Blind Faith hasn't looked like working.
I hope we have a Plan. It would be nice to think it is a cunning one.
I'd like Steve Gibson to have a good look at the way the business side of the club is managed. At every turn we seem to be out manoeuvred by other, smarter, thinkers.
Just one example will suffice. We appear to have paid ã500k (for one game) on O'Neil's outstanding ã1m. With much less fuss Portsmouth paid only ã200k for Dindane's presence when Lens were due ã4m. Check the story here: http://tinyurl.com/25brzv2.
Who's smarter?
Halifaxp at 11.21pm -
I think the "joke" arose during the discussions about Dumfries & Galloway, and the romantic name of the local Scottish football team: Queen of The South. Wouldn't it be a good idea, the presenter suggested, if English football teams had similarly romantic names.
So the fictitious score was read out: Port of the West (Liverpool) 2 Dump of the North (Middlesbrough) 0. At least the score, or non-score in our case, was realistic.
The worst thing can happen is that we drift through the summer, do the usual and fanny around with signings before missing the ones we want and getting our second choice (or worst) and then go into the season still with seven or eight of the team that played at West Brom. If that happens the crowds will be 12,000 tops.
No matter how many times I read and re read this piece I still canâÂÂt find mention of "Former Boro Star's Lesbo Soap Babe Link." It was a good job it was a good read AV.
The problems that you outline however do not separate us from the majority of teams in the Chimpship. There are plenty of teams in this division that have been in the big time recently and not got back. Some, mentioning no names have been very successful even in my lifetime.
Do supporters of these teams demand a clear the air âÂÂstate of the nationâ address? They may well have done, but what did it achieve? Look at Sheffield Wednesday. A good, big traditional English club. A young dynamic local chairman. A club that does a lot in the community but are struggling to get it right on the pitch. If they go down again will their fans revolt and stop attending dreaming of the days they went to places like the Keepmoat, Glanford Park, The Riverside and Ashton Gate?
Or do we just suck it up? Nobody is going to be happy at being in this division after we got used to the big time, but we are not there now. This is today and this is the reality we face.
The one thing I have noticed this year is that the role the supporters play is lot more important than that in the EPL. If we could get crowds in the region of 20-22 thousand that would make us one the wealthiest teams in the division and also give us a great home advantage.
Football at the Boro is now cheaper than it has been for a while, Saturday afternoon kick offs and the possibility if we all come together of a good season to come. LetâÂÂs stop feeling sorry for ourselves and wanting heads to roll, explanations to be given and wanting more out of the club.
When we are losing on the pitch, what do we want? A never say die attitude, a resilience and a will to win. We canâÂÂt be hypocrites, lets try and get a little bit of Barry Robson into us all and go out there an be good supporters. Because unfortunately thatâÂÂs all we can do.
The writing was on the wall last year when we started the season with only Coyne and Yeats as new signings.
It is imperative that new faces are brought in, and brought in sooner rather than later. Not the usual faffing about, which is repeated every transfer window.
Smog, you might want to consider rephrasing..
"..lets try and get a little bit of Barry Robson into us all.."
AV. Did I say something wrong ? I didn't mean to.
**AV writes: Que? Have you sent in a post that hasn't been published? I haven't seen anything. And I don't think I edited the last one you sent in. I'm blaming the volcanic ash hell lockdown of cyber space
I am very easily pleased but the Italia 90 sticker album is one of the funniest things I have seen in a while.
If you are a fan of the Mullet and big forehead combo then the USA have your every need covered.
And if Ian Gill is trying to put together an ugly XI then Romania is the place to go.
If you are a fan of the funny name (ones that give you great pleasure in saying) then Austria have them by the barrel load. Heimo Pfeifenberger, I mean come on that is one of the best names ever.
Russia look like mug shots of social deviants
Funny name and ugly then Yugoslavia will take some beating.
And looking a little closer to home, why do members of the Scottish team look like they have the necks of Giraffe, especially the centre back pairing.
And I remember EnglandâÂÂs team very well but I canâÂÂt recall Donkey from Shrek being in the heart of the back four.
Top tip do not view when the boss is within ear shot.
I've just re-read the post before sending. It's comes across a bit grumpy but I do feel better for writing it so ........
....I keep reading on this blog and other forums that 'new faces need to be brought in'. Of course we need new faces do but we've tried bringing in fresh players and it's still the same old Boro. We still lack passion, commitment, spine. We still freeze, we still fail to defend the red zone.
What's needed now is a close examination of the back room. Let's have a look at the contribution of coaches, medical staff all the way up to general management.
I suspect we'll find that the atmosphere at the Riverside is far too cosy for a performance culture to take root. SG really needs to shake things up this time after failing to act last year. Otherwise we can look forward to more expectations which will be dashed by mid-season.
Championship mid-table seems about right for our current set-up.
Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the hapless ex Iraqi Minister of Information would be a perfect employee of the new Riverside Revolution. The problem the club have is that he would have been perfectly at home at MFC as our situation deteriorated.
The one difference is that he was the only mouthpiece of a failing campaign whereas the club have trotted out almost anyone in their endeavours to convince us of the progress we were making.
The most damaging part has been the fact we identified the drift several seasons ago but the club were in denial and continued peddling the nonesense. I think it is fair to say that this has been discussed on this blog for some time and generally in tones of resignation with the occasional outbursts of anger.
The clubs actions and inactions have a direct link to the current apathy and/or distrust amongst fans.
The revelations about Hull and Pompey hint at the background at many clubs. It is possible that Gibbo and Lamb (not forgetting Gates complicity) has set us on a firmer footing. But what they have also managed to do is create an atmosphere of hostility and even worse, disinterest.
Gary O'Neil's reported comments are interesting - so is the interpretation of them in the Gazette headline. The two things don't exactly match.
But he does set out some good common sense - both in his appreciation of this season and where we go for next. At least it seems to put the ball in the Boro and MFC court about where he is playing next season.
Like Pogi, though, that may have just been about a graceful exit rather than any alleged - but not stated - 'pledge' to stay.
Give some credit where credit is due, Lambie has just saved ã1/2mill on a player we own and bought on a deal two years ago. A bit of grandstanding for a couple of weeks just saved ã1/2ml we'd have had to pay 1st week of next season.
That's excellent negotiating in anyone's book and we've just reduced our liabilities. Basically it pays for O'Neils wages for the season or pretty close to it and could have been the difference between us keeping or having to selling him. If we sell him I'm sure an extra ã500K will be added.
AV,
We need some inside info on the Gary O'Neil ã500K story. If we have really given Portsmouth that amount of money, it must mean O'Neil wants to stay, and that Strachan wants him to stay and can afford him on the wage bill. Your thoughts?
Good move by the club on tickets this Saturday. One thing we need next season is ticket pricing that gets 25,000-30,000 inside the Riverside, and a bit of atmospehere - that would be better than signing a couple of players.
I dont think wee strachan will ever take us up, especially the players who he brought In from the S.P.L. And If he keeps bringing In the deadwood from up there I can see us doing a Leeds.
If Sheff Utd,Reading,and the rest of the teams who have been relegated from the Prem who collected there parachute payments Ive not seen them return and there have higher gates than us why would you think Boro can go up next season?
And dont forget the three teams coming up from League 1, these teams dont want to be taking mid-table In the Championship, take a look at Leicester City and have a look at their anager, an ex- Boro captain of the 90's,who has done wonders with the players down there and not spent much money.
He Is not an experienced manager he knows the ethics of coaching and management: hard work and graft. I would of had Pearson at the helm any day!
HereâÂÂs what I thought I posted earlier , but that disappeared in the confusion of the newly opened airwaysâÂÅ And I was in there before Smogonthetyne about the missing exclusive âÂÅ . No honest I was !
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AV, that's a lot of reading to go through to still not find the "Former Boro Star's Lesbo Soap Babe Link" promised yesterday. Very disappointing!
Quite thought provoking though.
I'm one who tends to post from the "let them get on with running the club" point of view. There is, there has to be, a lot that goes on in the club that they should never be open about.
Transfer policy is one example, but really anything to do with the business side of it has to be confidential. If not, we will be seen as a soft touch for every agent going, and for any other club we deal with.
Equally, the club can't come out and tell us all, âÂÂYou know we know we are only a second rate club, with no prospects of anything more than the occasional promotion campaign to get excited about, but most of the time we will be mediocre in whichever league are in. Our ambition is not to get relegated.âÂÂ
That is not really going to excite the public.
As my (now extremely) old man used to tell me, the higher up the ladder you aim for, then the higher you will finish. So having ambition is good and preaching ambition is good.
Ah, but as I read your article you got me thinking, maybe IâÂÂm wrong and you are right and that the club needs to be more open and honest in its relationship with the fans.
So, still looking for this lesbo link I carried on and read all the contributions so far as well. Some very well thought out postings there. And then I get to BobâÂÂs 4.32am posting.
As Bob says, at the end of the day it is all about what happens on the pitch. We can be as transparent and open with the fan-base as we like, but that wonâÂÂt change a thing if we donâÂÂt achieve anything on the pitch.
Like you have said yourself AV, we are dealing with a very varied public with greater and lesser levels of intellect and many who will just want to believe any rubbish they are fed. However, the common denominator for all fans is that we just want to see our team win.
The summer is going to be really exciting. A World Cup to follow (with some Boro interest there as well) and what I expect to be one of the busiest close seasons that Boro have had this many a year.
The various comings and goings, but especially the comings, are what will ignite the interest for the next season, not any revamped, new-improved communications policy from the club. Then, after that, it will be down to the newly assembled team or squad to deliver positive results on the pitch.
The crowds will be back if we continue to win more than not and we are setting the pace at the top of this division as the season progresses.
**AV writes: I don't expect the club to open the books or reveal confidential business information. I don't even think that many people really want that.
But I do think people want honesty. Rather than silence and vague pleas to 'trust us' I think fans want the club to admit that right 'we got this, this and this wrong but we have learnt the lessons and to put it right we will do that, that and that.
I think it is obvious the old club - the one that squandered money in a bid to buy their way to the big time - has gone. I think a lot of people out there want to know what the new club will be like before they give unconditional support and they want to see the club actively reshaping itself to a model that can deliver.
Inspirational stuff, if only for the reminder that we do need to be united, and open.
You need to make sure the higher-ups hear this...I can picture it now; the whole staff on the pitch at the Riverside after dark, then suddenly -- floodlights on, megaphone in hand -- "We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!"
Sorry, I got a bit carried away there.
AV's finest article to date, just hope the powers that be actually read it, accept it and not take up their usual Ostrich stance of the past three seasons.
This summer we need four things from Steve Gibson and Keith Lamb, Honesty, Integrity, Determination and Unity. If they can deliver that then they may get the fifth element required for the success of MFC.......Trust!
Very nice Wallah,
but do we beat the Unmentionables in this dream of yours?
And GHw's next pieces will be culled from the political speeches of (in turn) Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy, Eva Peron and Pol Pot.
After all, you should think not what your club can do for you, but what you could do for your club!
Or: My name is Forever Dormo and I have a Boro problem.
And on that BombshellâŠâŠâŠâÂÅ ..
Barry Robson admits he had the chance to sign for Nottingham Forest but turned them down so one day he could play for the boro.
Swoon
If you don't ask, you don't get.
The BBC is inviting Boro Fans via the Boro page of their website to pose questions to Keith Lamb who as you all know will be appearing on Alastair Brownlee's radio show on BBC Tees Sport. And so I though I'd give it a try.
Imagine my surprise when I got an email back from the BBC's James Mountford today to ask if I would mind being available by telephone to pose my question to him!
Listen out for Neil the wily ol' raccoon on the radio waves and for what may prove to be one of the most controversial questions ever posed to the Boro hierarchy.
**I'm getting the jitters already! **
Obviously in the summer there are going to be lots of comings and goings regarding players especially getting rid of the high earners who no longer command a place in the team and the players that are just going through the motions on the pitch with no real effort,they dont need naming we all know who they are!!
Gary o'Neil stated in the gazette tonight he wants to stay next season to try help the club get promoted as has David Wheater recently. If the club decides to sell them despite this then it shows a lack of ambition by the club and proves Gibson Lamb and co are not serious in wanting promotion to the premiership!!
I'm not expecting Gibson,Lamb and Strachan to suddenly unveil a new vision for the future. It will probably only be a promise that things will be better next year - which is what we seem to get at the end of every season but has for some time failed to materialise.
At this point in time we don't even know which players will be here next year - and i'm not even sure Boro have an actual nucleus of a promotion squad that can be built upon - other than Robson and a fit McDonald and the possibilities of Wheater signing a new deal and the seemingly unlikely permanent deal of McManus.
Everything depends on what the budget is and whether the new recruits are of sufficient quality and robustness to produce a consistent winning team that can score 100 goals to amass the 85+ points needed to gain automatic promotion.
Most of our current first team are probably only squad players for the level we need to be at to finish above the pack next year - in fact next year is likely to be a harder league than this year's was - with 14 teams from Forest, Cardiff, Leicester, Swansea, Blackpool, Pompey, Burnley, Hull, West Ham, Norwich, Leeds, Millwall, Charlton, Reading, QPR, Sheff Utd and Bristol City all likely to be aiming for promotion.
Though I do agree that next year may be the last chance to get it right if a prolonged period in the wilderness is to be avoided. In comparison to Newcastle and WBA, Boro got it badly wrong this year - another repeat of this will leave the supporters in no doubt that Gibson can no longer deliver.
Smogonthetyne is right to say we should try and be good supporters of the Boro, because in reality that's all we can do.
But it used to be a lot easier to support a second (or third) division team, when it had familiar faces with some sort of local connection - or at least some common ground with the local supporters.
It used to be if you had a team of highly paid imports, the lack of affinity you felt for them as individuals was at least compensated with a measure of success. Now we have the worst of all worlds - overpaid journeymen from exotic locations with whom we have nothing in common - but about as effective as the Archie Stephens backflick, God bless him.
It's the biggest watershed summer since the last one. At least there is now a sense that heels won't drag and the club will be proactive in our dealings. I don't believe Gordon will settle for anything less, though his World Cup punditry assignment is a bit of a concern in terms of preparation time. A man has to eat though, eh?
Robbo was great on the radio - the bit at the end about the beef was brilliant. A classic rock man too...the Stones most notably. Glad he's here to help solve this jigsaw puzzle...
Spot on article... I stopped going as a fan due to being disenfranchised from a club that repeatedly proclaimed to be an integral part of its community.
Although I can accept some fans gladly accept the 'mushroom' treatment and splash out every summer irrespective of the club's mutterings, I personally cannot - especially when there are glaringly obvious on and off-field unexplained flaws.
My view is that it is absolutely critical for any parochial unfashionable club like MFC to be dovetailed into its fan base.
The annual mismatch between the club's pre-season ST hyperbole and that delivered by the August KO is becoming embarrassing and pathetically political - it needs to be addressed if any credibility, from a boardroom perspective at least, is to be regained.
Evidence suggests that incompetence is tolerated within a boardroom clique. The odd scapegoat to explain any on-field disaster is randomly selected from the sycophantic structure orbiting the boardroom. As a result, the facts never emerge until KO on a Saturday arrives.
This unhealthy, heavy control-freak strategy employed by the board also prevents any meaningful communication to reach its fans via local radio. Go against the grain and the club will do a Bernie on you. Although Bernie cannot be 100% correct he did at least represent the views of many fans that needed to be addressed honestly.
AV, I agree that good management needs to produce a vision and be honest. Honest to supporters, players and media. That's what I meant by saying it is action not (empty) words that matter.
Please look what Robbo says about the gaffer at www.mfc.co.uk/articles/20100422/barry-my-faith-in-boss-and-boro_70638_2031944. I have a feeling we might be OK next season after a proper close season run by GS2. At least I hope so!
Up the Boro!
A well written and provoking article AV. No holds barred and to the point.
The one biggest factor you didn't take into account however is "The Middlesbrough Syndrome". We all live under it's roof. Time after time a ray of optimism starts to shine then gets clouded over. We all sigh and say "Well thats Middlesbrough isn't it?" and then start bemoaning about it.
The only time we rise up is when outsiders take a swipe. We can do it to ourselves but no one else has the right. Now and again the team will hit a consecutive run of good results but at the back of everyones mind is "How long will it last?" and when it breaks its "I knew it would"
But the fealing of that good run is eupohoric at the time and you begin to believe again. But too many times hopes are dashed. The worse feeling is to watch a team that didn't try or just had no idea.
I read a book earlier this year about the power of positive thinking and the basics are if you believe you can win and succeed you can. If you believe you can't win you wont. If something didn't happen the way you wanted it to then look upon it as a setback not a loss. If you strive for something and believe you can have it then you will.
If the team that went out onto the pitch had this belief and tried but lost at least the fans would have seen them try and not give up one minute after going on the pitch.
The positive thinking is not just for the team but also for the fans. If everyone fostered in themselves a belief in winning then this is picked up by the players and urges them on. Booing and catcalls do not help. This is when "Come on Boro" will have more benefit.
But hopefully maybe someone can also tell them they have to go the other side of the half way line and actually go forward instead of passing back to keeper. Sorry but a little bit of the old pessemism crept back in there.
Seriously though, as the last home game of the season the Riverside should be a sea of red and white and "Come on Boro"
Interesting talk about identifying with a team with local lads in it.
Quickly looked back at some matches. It is difficult to be fair but Sevilla in the final, Gates last home match in the prem against Villa before Downing was injured and the Sheff Wed match before Wheater was injured are reasonable picks - they represent the likely starting line ups of the time.
Against Sevilla we had Parnaby, Morrison and Downing in the team. All now gone with ã15m in the coffers.
Villa we had Bates, Wheater, Downing and Johnson.
Sheff Wed we had Wheater, Williams and Franks.
Contrary to popular belief none of the managers had a downer on the kids though Mac did have some highly paid superstars in his teams.
We did well to have talents like Downing, Morrison and Jinky come through. Of the current crop Franks and Bennett look the most likely to kick on.
As Chris says, the problem is who we have to bring the kids on. We had Boat and Gate as role models, even Jimmy Floyd who was a pain but set high standards.
ManU's golden generation had the likes of Cantona, Ince and Mark Hughes to bring them on. Neville, Giggs and Scholes continue that tradition.
We had Aliadiere, Lita and Digard. To be fair O'Neill and Arca are good pros but the level is not where it was. Mido and Shawky wont have done a lot for team morale and King was hardly a role model!
Robson and McManus are good influences alongside O'Neill and Arca (dont confuse my views about Arca as a footballer and his personal qualities of which I have no doubt).
The difficulty we have at the moment is the overall quality and depth of the squad. The stars, both home grown and brought in, have moved on and there is an air of utility about the team. That was inevitable in the situation we found ourselves.
I am not going to dwell on the reasons for that but the club will have to find a way to re engage the fans. Many of us are aware of the position we are in and will always support the team but we cannot revamp the squad or play football to set the heart beating.
Gate had the poison chalice but Strachan's cup is no easier to drink from. It wont be easy to turn things round but we will have more chance in the summer.
No Anlov, bringing Gate back wont work nor would it have done so if he had stayed. He would have been more likely to get Dame Flora than Barry in midfield.
Middlesbrough are now the footballing equivalent Of (Fr)Audley Harrison, nothing but big talk and underachievement.
Yet again we have Gibson conveniently pledging to get the Boro "back where we belong!" Strange how he always talks the talk at season ticket renewal time isn't it.
No doubt Larry the Lamb will be making similar promises that he cant keep when he appears on Brownlee's radio show as well.
All season long we have had the we can/we will qualify for the play offs garbage spouted by overpaid, under performing so called footballers even though it was painfully obvious that they were talking nonsense.
Its about time those at the club shut their traps and delivered rather than talking about it.
That is all..........................
At first I was where most of Teesside was/is - Gibson's infallible.
ButâÂÅ ..the suspicions grew. Luke Young's sale did it for me completely. It finally convinced me there was a major, but hidden agenda running - the dominant one. Never mind what the fans were allowed to see, like Southgate's appointment as manager, instead of the World Class manager that was "promised" after Eindhoven and McClaren's ill-fated departure to England's national squad. All of that was the side show, albeit it was part of the retrospectively identifiable evidence.
Yet there were never any explanatory communications from club sources, other than Southgate, who it turns out, as some of us suspected, was a pawn in all of what's unfolded.
Then, upon relegation, the "out of the blue" statement" as though we should all be surprised about what happens when you sell off all your best players and the ones with productive gonads!
Then, the "blind faith" and "Stockton's full of Mackems", followed by the sacrificial disposal of Southgate, the manner of which got people's backs up, including an incredulous national media. (OK, big deal! - what do THEY know? Well, maybe more than many locals do? Because look where we currently are!)
Then, when the right hand pleads for patience and support, the left hand tells supporters to sit down and shut up.
Then the appointment of Strachan - not in itself a bad thing - but without any communication of it being anything other than a knee-jerk to performance, if not results concerns.
When Neil Bauser, Mr Invisible, was appointed, some of us thought and more of us hoped that the club's marketing and PR would see a step-change in improvement. More interactive communication with the fans. More imaginative ticketing arrangements. More imaginative half-time entertainment. Better communications of meaningful content instead of the insipid jingoistic regurgitated programmed pre-formatted self-advertisement that is too often accepted as the only worthy staple diet of football fans.
Miscommunication. Poor communication. No communication, Mixed messages.
THEN, when things finally start to look a LITTLE bit rosier, THEN the head peaks over the parapet. Like at election time! All ready and waiting to be the leader again! When the flak's starting to die down and only the occasional cross-eyed sniper seems prepared to take a random pop with an ineffectual hot-air rifle from outside the five mile radius (like THIS post).
My main complaint about the club executive management has been about how the supporters have been treated, while being told how important we are - well at least those within the five mile radius, that is!
It's high time the club got its act together with the supporters in a much more constructive, imaginative and trusting way, so that we might all feel that we're part of it, instead of simply the customers who may or may not choose to turn up.
Make "the product" special and make the people feel like they're part of the whole experience and even in bad times - provided those bad times are openly shared, more of the people will stay with it.
Gibson needs to understand a bit more about the demography of his (potential) support (marketplace) and how to get them on board. There are many outside the five mile radius who constitute a very significant proportion of the attendant crowds. And there are even MORE who, if the club got it right, would attend from outside that catchment.
But you've got to appeal to them. Make it worth their while. Don't treat them just like numbers to be processed, like so many sheep headed for the abattoir.
Better results will undoubtedly help, but that's not the whole answer. Show some openness and some humility. Listen to the supporters when they're asking for more information. If you feel that giving that information publicly will jeopardise the possible success, then for goodness sake simply communicate THAT to the supporters, instead of staying incommunicado. Give the supporters something to believe, rather than "trust me because I'm Steve Gibson!"
Strachan MAY be turning it around. And let's be fair and give some credit to Gibson for enabling that while getting his finances sorted out. But where was he when we needed reassurance?
Gibsonites will undoubtedly say he was busy putting it right behind the scenes. And so he may well have been. But, frankly, that's a minimum requirement and not really good enough in tough times.
Gibson and the rest of the club's hierarchy have missed a trick. By failing to engage more fully with the fans through a structured, regular and frequent communications forum that deals with and shares the reasons why Boro is where Boro is and what's being done to make things better, then the club has effectively lost the trust and the support of many thousands of fans who take the (correct) view that the club has treated them with disrespect and dismissal.
And when you don't give respect, you can hardly expect to encourage loyalty.
It's a fundamental of leadership that Gibson seems not to have, nor have learned.
Personal wealth doesn't earn respect and loyalty. Respect and loyalty earn respect and loyalty.
Good article AV. Reading SG's article today reminded me of the end of the last two seasons. Its same old but with a different manager in charge. Has the article been copy and pasted from last years?
I do think we will be better next season, it would be difficult not to be. Personally though I am still deflated and will continue feel this way for the foreseable future.
Richard
Those tending to the 'Gibbo's infallible' position may wish to avoid the piece - culled from tomorrow's matchday magazine which is definitely in 'feet of clay' territory.
It is absolutely 'blind faith - minus'.
I don't know if I can be bothered to listen to The Count on Radio Brownlee this evening - much less try to contribute. Both a non-event AND a wind up.
Barry Robson, I'm told by Ian Gill, was much better value so I'll try to find a 'listen again' of that.
Oh that we could acquire his ilk right through the spine of the side. Then we'd actually have a team with backbone and not jelly!
**AV writes: I think that is the plan.
So Gibson has spoken out to his public and just as I thought there was no vision but just a promise to do better next year.
A few quotes stuck out for me, including: - "The manager knows what he wants and has made it clear that he is aiming to produce a team of committed, high energy footballers who can play a passing game that will not only be entertaining to watch but, more importantly, can win games."
Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't that also what Southgate was aiming for - sadly the trick isn't in wanting but in delivering - I'm sure 90% of managers would aim for that but very few are able to deliver. Just sounds like the usual Season Ticket spin to me.
Other extracts about the budget were: "[We] will support Gordon in those efforts and give him as much resource as we are possibly able to give him, ... we are confident that financially we can compete well in the Championship and have in place the resources to allow us to strive for a Premier League return this time next year."
I would be worried if Boro couldn't compete financially in the Championship - This promise could mean anything from nothing to ã20m and we just saw that Boro had already failed to make one of the highest budgets in the Championship count this year.
Sorry I've no time for spin, we need better players and better coaches - anything else is just talk.
Lots of talk of players being shipped out or leaving but we don't yet know how much he has to spend and the quality that is coming. the speculations seems it will be more players from scotland. Wil that be good enough to get promoted next season?
John -
Barry Robson came across very well. Obviously he is Strachan's man but he was able to talk lucidly for an hour with sundry callers and Ali, answering questions and showing an awareness of what we wanted.
What was pleasing was the fact he had moved his family down quickly and settled his children into schools etc.
The other thing that struck me was that his career had drifted at Rangers because of the quality of players in front of him. He had gone down to lower levels and the penny dropped. He had to work hard to get back up to the top of the game in Scotland.
I know it is only superficial but he does sound the business. He also seems to like some decent music, throw in a goal against Toon, shows a willingness to work hard and get stuck in and that will do for me.
You can see why Strachan rates him. The tricky bit is getting another half dozen on board but he is apparently working on McManus at the moment.
In earlier Untypical Boro blogs, something akin to consensus was being reached that to form a squad capable of gaining promotion from the Championship, at least seven of Boro's "first choice" team members' positions would have to be upgraded.
I suspect that maybe another five would be required to take account of season attrition and provide enough cover for Boro to be as consistent points gatherers as is required to gain an automatic promotion and sustain it.
So, from the starting-point assessment of the quality of our present squad and how it needs strengthening, let's assume (modestly, in my opinion) that on average, upgrades to Premier League quality or "near" Premier League quality (i.e. the differential transfer cost between the value of one out for one in) may cost ã2M per position (How many Premier League players can you get for a transfer fee of ã2-3M these days?). And that's before paying any inflated premium for the hen's teeth of footballers - effective, proven goal-scorers.
That would mean finding ã25M of NEW money - before paying their salaries.
Even if we could find 12 new PL or near-PL quality players that would be willing to come and play in the Championship, probably for less money than they're getting now, what can we offer today's mercenaries to relocate to Teesside?
Gibson's bubble as an ambitious chairman able to back up his talk with results has long since burst. If he thinks that strategies and opportunities of the past are going to work as readily in today's leagues, I fear he's going to find out the hard way.
Is there another Bryan Robson moment waiting to be exploited upon which the foundations of ambitious growth can be realised? Not on your Nelly!
The football world has changed because TV and the Premier League has changed it. Just as the world has changed because Korea, China and India have changed it and the balance of industrial power has shifted away from small places like Britain, like industrial Middlesbrough.
The PL entry fee is greater than it was all those years ago. So, if Gibson doesn't have the funding available to make a considerable step-change in the playing ability of a mid-table Championship squad, then he can forget any return to the Premier League in the near future, irrespective of his current declarations - a naive regurgitation of the same kind of rhetoric that erupts like an icelandic volcano at this time every year - spin without substantial supporting evidence.
Great article AV. It sums up everything the fans have had to put up with for the last four seasons.
Now Gibbo is in the press making big promises again. It's hard not to be cyncial about this. Are the season ticket sales a disaster?. When we were last relegated Gibbo brought in Paul Merson and it was down to him in the main that we went straight back up.
This time all we saw was quality leaving and 'mundane' coming in. To be fair the club did try to bring in a playmaker in Charlie Adam and it is that sort of commitment the fans want to see this close season. Forget season ticket deadlines, I suspect the majority will not be fooled again and will wait to see if Gibbo delivers this close season before financially committing to the club.
AV a young kid from man u that will do us some good on loan for a year... TOM CLEVELEY, was at Watford. Pass on this info to GS2
Bob talks a lot of sense.
The politics of the club are interesting but ultimately meaningless. If the team is successful, most of the rest will fall into place and in any event none of it will really matter. In the end we only go for the adrenalin rush of our team playing well and winning. The rest is a side show.
Something has changed and essentially there are two possible explanations;
The conspiracy theory is in fact the truth. Rockcliffe has sucked the blood out of the club and downsizing has resulted in a dismantling of the team and an inevitable relegation presided over by a hapless manager.
Alternatively, SG has recognised his and the club's limitations in terms of finance and has taken the neccessary steps to prevent the club from spiralling into debt and by doing so has secured its long term future, albeit at the expense of its premiership status.
Either way, it strikes me that Gordon Strachan is as expereinced and talented a manager as we could hope to attract at this stage in our development. He is the only experienced manager SG has ever appointed and he does have a good track record to point to.
I also believe that whatever you think about our playing style under Strachan there is at least evidence of a plan, a sense of direction, a demonstrable rationale by which he recruits players and sets up his teams.
And who can argue that the character and attitude of his recruits (McManus, Robson, even Flood) resonate with the attitude and work ethic that we like to imagine charcterises the approach of the fans.
Things are definitely up in the air at the moment but if the Chairman's motives are true then I for one believe that we have the right man to take us forward again and look forward to a successful season next time out.
Looking forward to the world cup too. New telly me thinks.
AV, I just want that matchday feeling back, abit of pride and passion that makes me want to go to the riverside, I want to see a team of commited players giving 100% for every loose ball on that pitch,
I want to see my (our club) give evrything they have to get us back up into the Premier League, I want that Ayresome/Riverside atmosphere back that send shivers down your spine on the walk to the ground.
Basiclly AV we are and have been a soft touch for far to long now, away teams, players who have not won or scored a goal ever seem to come here and achieve it, away fans thinking they own the place when they come here.
We have got to change the attitude towards our football, we are a hard working town, with hard working people, lets get these people back and start getting the pride and passion back.
Heworth Smoggy -
Is it Rockcliffe or downsizing? We may never know.
What we do know is that the ã6m for Mido, ã13m for Alves, ã11m for Hoyte, Digard and Emnes were not the best investments we have ever made. We have got money back in but by selling our better players and lost our premiership status.
My belief is that Gibson and Lamb have had the best interests of the club at heart. I dont know the details of the clubs finances so cannot comment.
Long before the Sevilla match it looked as if the club needed to restructure, that many of the older, high wage earning pros needed to be moved on.
It is easy to be hypercritcal but my suspicion is that they got the managing of the restructuring wrong, took out too much experience and did not bring anything to replace it. The club had been hovering above the relegation zone for several seasons and when the final slide started it had its own momentum.
December 08 we were well placed in the premiership but long before the transfer window loomed Gate looked and sounded like Eeyore. All the talk was of the best players leaving and on the pitch it looked like the heart had been sucked out of the team.
We were overun at Fulham before Xmas and the game was up after the capitulation at West Brom (a feat repeated twice this season).
But the club has probably bottomed out after the sale of Johnson. It is clear there will be more upheavals this summer but I dont think we should worry about the futures of the kids.
Every youngster that gets into the first team squad is a transfer saved but they need to come into a settled squad, playing style and formation. Normally they need to be blended in to the squad.
You will not get a batch of youngsters such as the Youth Cup squad very often and even then they tended to play a couple at a time apart from the Eindhoven year when we had a cup squad and a league squad.
If Robson is truly Strachan's man then I believe the intention is to get the right structure in place on the pitch for next season. But isnt there a saying about good intentions?
There is an awful lot to be done over the summer.
Before then on to todays match and the fateful announcement on Sky that Coventry havent won for nine matches. It would be an opportune time to change the habits of a lifetime and lay down some markers for next season.
A well known radio commentator and ex boro legend suggests that GS2 should play the kids and reserves today at the Riverside. The 'first team' should be packed off to sid james' this afternoon to see what they are missing. What do you think? The only problem I can see is that there are no tickets left. The ground will be full, to the very high rafters, with 52,000 smug, plastic Jawdees.... smug?, plastic?... and oh so patronising...
Did you hear Mr Lamb the other eve on BBC Tees?.... Boro's answer to Ash, but not quite so rich (or lucky?)
Davey79 said...
"lets get these people back and start getting the pride and passion back..."
A great post and one I totally agree with. But how do this is the key. Any ideas Mr Gibson and Lamb?
My renewal is on, and I am waiting for next season already. I think we will be alright. Come back to what you know Boro fans...
Neil the wily ol Racoon,
Great to her you on the radio last night. IâÂÂm still not sure you are based in Canada, I couldnâÂÂt quite place the accent, somewhere between Saltburn and Grove Hill.
The question about fans having a presence on the board was a good one and one which I all think we should have, especially after AVs footy political blog of last week. However I think the boro is different to most clubs as it is a one man show and Gibbo has the clubs best interest at heart.
One criticism that could be made is that perhaps communication should be better, but do we have a right/need to know all the financial dealings at the club?
I think Lamb made a good point that when we finished 7th, won the cup, in Europe etc etc, the club were making decisions at that time but were not being praised or were people asking for the ins and outs of these decisions.
IâÂÂll get slated for this but I thought KL came across well last night. I thought he answered the questions as honestly and fully as he could. What annoys me is fans saying âÂÂWhy have we sold XY &Zâ âÂÂNewcastle and WBA didnâÂÂt. This really is head in the sand stupidity.
Newcastle did off load a lot of players and were desperate to do more sales. So much so Ashley has had to pump in ã500,000.00 a week to keep them afloat. ã24m their budget was short this year.
Gibbo didnâÂÂt have ã24m in his back pocket, that doesnâÂÂt make him a bad chairman. But as Keith said we will be one of the best resourced teams in the league next year. Why is that? Because we have masses of fans turning up pouring money into the club? No because we are well run and have a generous benefactor.
Lets all pull together. IâÂÂm off to the riverside now for the last time this year, a bit sad really. What else can I use to sneak out of the house on a Saturday and have a few beers now? Mrs Smog is rejoicing, boooooooo.
All Steve Gibson has to do is spend the
ã30 million of Sky TV and tranfer outgoings that he has tucked away in his back pocket on 6 classy Premier League players and promotion next season will be assured.
Smogonthetyne Now in Nunthorpe said:
"IâÂÂll get slated for this but I thought KL came across well last night."
Yes you will cos yer jokin arnt ya!!
Only if you think smug and arrogant is is coming across well you would have enjoyed the interview. I listened to the show on iplayer when I got back from work late and he managed to put me in a bad mood before bed.
He was more than happy to take credit for the signing of Juninho and Ravenalli but didn't want anything to do with the Alves fiasco - for me keep your trap shut don't take the praise when things are going well, keep your head down and get on with it, let the manager take the plaudits or the criticism.
At one point he said with the benefit of hindsight he wouldn't change anything?? Surely you would - that"s the benefit of hindsight.
Why didn't they get a proven manager to replace McClaren, did he back out of the Martin O'neil deal? Employing Southgate was the cheap option and that's why we are where we are.
He also suggested that if we didn't sell Huth and Tuncay we wouldn't have seen the season out, he then back tracked on that statement stating how much they both desired a move away, but he tried his hardest to keep them...... Hang on you just implied that we would have gone into administration if we kept them?
Mr Lamb also said that they will put as much into achieving promotion next season as they have this season. Sorry that just isn't good enough, clearly.
There are many more points which I can't remember - I should have made notes!!
If anyone missed Mr Lamb on BBC Tees - link below
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p007d8q5/p007d8qg/Ali_Brownlee_23_04_2010/