AV - Talking about 'tied on a year long loan - so, nowhere to go' as we were above about the Pie Pharaoh, where does that leave the stories I keep seeing about Kilgallon going on loan to Donny for the rest of the season (or, indeed, a couple of other possible locations)?

I thought he was on a season long loan to Boro and just back at The Nackems because he wasn't fit and the two clubs couldn't agree on how to get him fit.

**AV writes: He is on a season long loan deal with Boro but is currently back at Sunderland. His fitness is disputed. Boro say he needs an operation to solve his back problem, Sunderland say not. We are not paying his wages. Whether the dispute has led to the loan being cancelled - thus making him available again - I don't know. I will ask.

MIDO - Mad Individual Desperately Overweight.

It could only happen at the Boro!

Is Alves coming back for run about soon? how about Branco?

Apparently there were officials from KFC Mugospor and Klub Daaft at Hurworth yesterday.

Hang on, let me get this right, he was on loan to Ajax and if they decide to terminate the loan, we have to pick his contract up again for the remainder of the season?

**AV writes: They haven't decided to terminate the loan. He opted not to return to training after the Christmas break. He has walked out. He is still technically our player but registered with them. We are probably contracted to pay at least a proportion of his wages, whether Ajax have stopped paying him their slice after his exit I don't know. As I said, it is just messy.

Sorry AV something is not right here. According to your newspaper:

1]We have no intention of signing him

2]He is somebody the club dont want anywhere near the place.

3]Ajax hold his registration so we have no obligation towards him.

One of the above statements MUST be incorrect if you think logically otherwise he would not be here.

**AV writes: He remains a Boro player and was at Ajax on loan. They have his registration. Boro don't want him at all - but if they want Ajax to be able to shift him then it is in their interest to at least keep him fit. Come January 30 what chance is there of foisting him on an unsuspecting third party if he is two clem overweight?

Hold on dudes, coming thru on the teleprinter, TLF has brushed the dust of his boots and is coming back to Boro and score the goals which keep us in the Championship. That's about as wacky as the 'fat lazy boy' coming back to Boro.

What on earth has happened to this club.........

**AV writes: They haven't decided to terminate the loan. He opted not to return to training after the Christmas break. He has walked out. He is still technically our player but registered with them. We are probably contracted to pay at least a proportion of his wages, whether Ajax have stopped paying him their slice after his exit I don't know. As I said, it is just messy. "

Ok, but in that case it is highly likely that they will terminate the loan since he is refusing to play for them. Assuming they can. The fact that we have accepted him back implies that they can and we end up paying for him again, otherwise why would we bother? We must have an obligation towards him.

**AV writes: We have an obligation in that he is still contracted to Boro until the end of the season. We had offset that with the deal to Ajax but what the fine detail of that deal is, the breakdown of wages etc I don't know. Ajax will now doubt be trying now to release themselves of their financial obligations but how easy that will be, I don't know. Every deal is different.

For instance, sometimes loans are automatically ended if the player is injured. They go back to their parent club for treatment and the host club are not required to pay wages (as in Kilgallon with Boro.) My understanding is that the Mido/Ajax deal explicitly prohibited that. It was a "no give backsies" deal.

I think he is here just as an expediency to make sure he is fit enough to sell and that Ajax will shortly hand him his registration so he can join another club. The problem could be him finding one - and then ensuring they are prepared to take up the same share of wages burden that Ajax did. It's a mess.

There was a car at Hurworth with the number plate ME551

Has the mighty Messi signed for the Boro or has Mogga's comments gone to Frank's head?

C'Mon Boro!

AV - Mess is right!

Aside from the damage to morale of the squad, particularly the young 'uns (and to any gym equipment he can actually fit his backside on), let alone to the relationship with The Parmo Army, do the club also not understand the further damage - via specualtion - that they are fostering by offering 'No comment', which - as ever - speaks very loudly?

They can't seriously have been hoping that they could keep something the size of a blimp under wraps, could they?

Even if they thought they could 'manage the news', a quick look at Greggs rocketing share price would have alerted the analysts!

I think your other, wider question about why - especially now - we are becoming a sort of Northern footy version of Battersea Dogs Home is pertinent too and should be asked.

Franks looked so much like Messi in training that clueless Tony opted to play Hoyte at right wing against Burton. A position where he has never played well in his life!

Nice one Mogga.

So having been rejected by every half-decent side in the whole of Europe, Mido was given one last chance by his old pals at Ajax. And then blew it. Completely.

What a sorry individual. Surely no football club with the means to meet his wage demands will go anyway near him. His wholly unfulfilled career could be over purely because of his ego. Incredible.

What I'd give for 20% of his wasted talent.

If Mido doesn't turn up SOMEWHERE, reporting for training/ duty, he presumably would be in breach of whatever contract his deemed to be currently valid.

It may be that Boro hold his contract papers and that he got sub-contracted to others when he was farmed out. That he's walked out at Ajax, possibly makes him in breech of the sub-contract in place with them, but that sub-contract is likely to be between Boro and Ajax - not between Mido and AJax.

The contract Mido has is probably with Boro. That's possibly why he's back here, I think. If he failed to appear here, he'd be in breech of his contract with Boro and we could presumably terminate the contract on that basis.

But he's too worldly for that and is clearly determined to get the last ounce of payment out of whatever his contract is from whomever is ultimately responsible for paying him. And that is probably Boro, if my analysis is something close to correct, even if the legalese isn't quite right.

**AV writes: I think that is broadly right - but also Boro need to ensure he is at least notionally fit if they have any-hope of 'sub-contracting' him out to another club for the last six months.

I agree with BoroPhil that something is not quite right and the logic of Boro's position just does not add up.

If Mido was contracted to Ajax until June with no get out clause then Boro would have nothing [more] to lose if Mido walked away - also Ajax wouldn't be able to cancel his contract and pass him back to Boro.

So why is he back at Boro? It can only be because we're still liable for a proportion of his wages (maybe at least 50%?). So is he back with us because he needs to be in order to receive the Boro part of his wages now that he has left Ajax?

Ajax have only commented that they wanted to get him fit to play - Mido has said he no longer has a future playing for Ajax - Surely one of them must be in breach of contract if he then leaves the dutch club - unless there was a fitness clause in the deal.

Another option is that if Ajax were to no longer hold his registration then he surely would be eligible to play for another club - Have Boro decided that if they are liable to pay a large proportion of his wages then he may as well earn them on the pitch? Sounds desperate but not a completely impossible scenario.

BTW: I posted a question earlier on the previous blog (which your system had acknowledged as submitted) but it never materialised - I'm not sure if the definition of upgrade needs redefining as trying to post here for the last couple of weeks has become more about testing my patience before giving up - beware IT guys often use the phrase 'upgrade problems' to mean they haven't had time to work out how to configured things properly yet.

**AV writes: Yes, I think Boro are paying a portion of Mido's wages and they still own his contract but do not hold his registration which has been retained as yet by Ajax. You can only be registered with two teams in any one year. Ajax are one, Boro are hoping another club can be persuaded to become the second. That will mean another round of messy three way haggling to deliver.

As to the upgrade, it is on-going. You have to remember that this blog is well down the food chain rather than the priority client. Trinity's alpha geeks start from the top with the Mirror and the national network then work their way down with the fine-tuning and de-bugging. We are getting there.

AV - you reckon the site will be wicked when you get all the changes to the software in place. Well let me tell you I think it is wicked at the moment, after twice spending and hour compiling a comment only to have it completely deleted due to some software problem.

Could Mido be any worse in the goal scoring department than the present bunch? Note Scott McDonald played his 22nd game for Australia in the Asian Cup recently and has still failed to score even one goal.

Mido is a born goal scorer, and I am sure he would be a great improvement on the present strikers in the club, even if he is not 100% fit. Maybe play him for 45 minutes and let him blow himself out, you never know he may just hit the jackpot.

And now for something completely different.

Looking at what is happening with Wheater. He may play on saturday and we are told the situation will be resolved by 31st Jan.

There is very little sign of other movement though we had some talk of Boyd back to Rangers - I am going to upset some people and say my brother, son and myself thought he put a decent shift in on Saturday. Only problem is his goal was chalked off and came close a few times.

But on with the story. My instincts tell me that we will see very little activity in this window. Wheater may be a late mover and that would leave us little time to act.

Of course we do not know what is happening in the background but there are normally some hints, there may well be a flurry but the Smithy still seems mothballed.

The reality is that the next four matches will go a long way to deciding if it is all out battle for the rest of the season or if we can give ourselves some breathing space. That means what we have at the moment have to do the business.

**AV writes: The Smithy has been closed down, boarded up and is covered in cobwebs. That rustic artisanship is soooo last year. All the action now is down at the Hurworth church hall bring and buy.

Andy R said -

I agree 100 %. Think if you were half as talented as him. Too much money too soon? What a waste of talent!

Now to another former Boro striker. According to Daily Star Stoke striker Tuncay has put a video compilation of his goals on his Facebook page in an effort to try and find a new club.

Is his dispute with Boro solved? Anyway he could come and train with us - we don't worry if there are issues with a player here.

Up the Boro!

This Mido story takes yet more twists and turns. Now the Gazette are reporting an "Olive Branch" from Mogga to Mido. I only hope Mogga stripped said branch of olives first, or who knows what might have happened...

Anyway, if that is true, that we are considering having him back to play, then that would mean he will be unable to play for any other club until the end of the current season. He would only be eligible to play with either ourselves or Ajax.

And if, as AV reports, the loan deal was a no-returnsies deal, then presumably that locks Ajax in to paying whatever proportion of Mido's wages they agreed to. In which case, they are highly unlikely to release his registration to us, to allow him to play, without wanting to tear up the loan deal.

I can't see Ajax continuing to pay a percentage of Mido's wages whilst not being able to have him playing for them. So, it seems a non-starter? If we want his registration we will probably have to cancel the agreement and foot the entire bill of his wages. Which, as we know from above, we will have to do until the end of the season, because he won't be allowed to be registered elsewhere.

I guess what I'm asking is - are the Gazette being mischevious here?

AV - is Mido definitely still under contract to us? I can't see how we can get him back to play for us unless we pay his entire Premierleague wages again, which seems foolish in this time of austerity, and would probably eat up all of any saving on Wheater's wages - and then some.

Yours,

Confused of Smogtown.

**AV writes: Yes of course if Ajax cancel the loan deal - which looks imminent - then they will stop paying their slice of his wages. Then it will get messy if Mido comes looking for the short-fall from his primary employers ie Boro.

That is why Boro's first option would be to shift Mido on to another club quickly, rather than be landed with the full whack. And that's why they need to ensure he is fit, primarily to entice other clubs into taking him on loan. I think Mogga hinting the door may be open to a shopwindow game at Boro may just be good psychology aimed at motivating Mido to train hard.

AV -

The response to Smoggy doesnt seem to match the story in the Gazette. Uncle Eric wouldnt print anything without susbstance (unless he was using it at the time) so it makes the picture even murkier.

We are told Mido is pleased to return to family life as they still live near Darlington and has renewed friendships at the Boro. Must be the sundry catering concessions.

Aliadiere is/isnt still with us may/may not be in discussions. Davies is playing for the reserves.

I notice Jim Platt holding an autographed Boro shirt, is he back in training as well?

I am afraid it is certainly getting messy, it is like one of those spoof adventures where oldies get back together to save the planet. BoroWorld will be in safe hands, at least if they are caught Mido can eat the plans.

I am sorry but it just looks out of control.

**AV writes: The difference is that Eric puts questions to the club - the chief exec, the manager etc - and then reports their response, something that some people get uptight about because the club line doesn't always fit in with their perspective. But that is part of what a newspaper does. I prod it a bit, hold it up to the light and take it all apart to see how it works and how it fits in with other things and filter it through different perspectives. That's part of what a paper does too. That's why news and opinion don't always marry up. It's a good thing.

You have to question how Ajax can rip up a loan agreement and send Mido and his wages back to us, when we weren't in a position to recall him?

**AV writes: Ajax haven't done that. Mido unilaterally decided not to return after the Xmas break because Martin Jol had left. Officially the Ajax boss Frank de Boer is saying he believes he can still be a big player for them. They will be making sure they do it by the book but it is hard to see a way back.

AV -

Fair enough, I think there are many more media streams than when I started supporting. They all need information that it seems that even the club feels the need to fill the air waves when there is nothing to say. If they dont say anything they are accused of hiding, damned if they do, damned if they dont.

But however we dress up the current situation it seems messy.

Roll on Saturday, I hope.

**AV writes: Ajax haven't done that. Mido unilaterally decided not to return after the Xmas break because Martin Jol had left.

Yep, I realise they haven't done that, but as you said:

"Ajax will now doubt be trying now to release themselves of their financial obligations but how easy that will be, I don't know"

"Yes of course if Ajax cancel the loan deal - which looks imminent - then they will stop paying their slice of his wages."

If it is indeed possible that they can unilaterally cancel the arrangement (and we couldn't), that wasn't a particularly good arrangement on our part. Though it was highly possible that we signed anything that got him out of the door.

**AV writes: It was a tortuous process agreeing the deal and you can see Ajax asking for all kind of guarantees. I would. They had Boro over a barrel. Who knows what complexities are tucked away in in there that now need unravelling.

What happens next depends on the nature of the arrangement Mido had with Ajax, any penalty clauses there may be and whether Ajax want to be vindictive or not. They could with-hold his registration until after the deadline for instance. There's a lot of mileage in this crazy soap opera yet. Boro are insisting today they are not paying him... I remain sceptical about this. Or maybe they aren't right now... until Ajax make their move maybe. It is a mess.

InGabon -

I think the only reasons the club's finances have not been clarified publicly are more to do with ego than anything else. Gibson's ego would never allow him to admit that the club has returned to the brink of whence it came.

What's doubly frustrating is that the brass also seem unable to settle on a strategy going forward.

When Southgate was appointed there was a downsizing project to be undertaken, but then they threw panic money at Mido and Alves. More downsizing under Strachan, but then they reinvested the £10m raised in player sales.

That spending, mixed with the various PR statements that come from the club (best financed club in the Championship etc - apologies if I've misquoted) send out the message that all is well with club finances and add to the anger and disillusionment of supporters when the club continues to fail on the field and no marquee signings are made.

The club would do better to clear the air and give would-be supporters something to rally behind in my opinion. Perhaps the opportunity to do that was when Mowbray was appointed and it's too late now, but I predict another avoidable backlash against the club when this transfer window closes, apathy notwithstanding.

There are times when I'm merely pleased that Mowbray is manager. At other times I'm delighted. At the moment it's delight after reading this comment from today's press conference:

"I have formed my own opinion over my conversation with him and the couple of days training I have had with him, and as we go on, I don't see a problem, really.

"If there is a problem, it's an easy one for me to solve. It's not as if there is any large amount of money changing hands or any contracts or anything like that.

"If in any way, shape or form Mido disrespects the environment, then he won't be coming in. But at the moment, he is working very hard and enjoying his time."

Well said Tony.

AV -

I understand Mogga is interested in Greening. My reasoning on having him in,is based on some players leaving, even on loan. I for one have more confident in that team I speculated on ,than the one we have now in this division.

**AV writes: He will be on well over £30k. He's going to have to take one hell of a pay-cut to come into the new financial orbit we are working within.

As the weeks roll by it gets more & more depressing being a boro fan. The way gibson keeps quiet while we slide into oblivion is frustrating as well. Its all looking hopeless to me.

I've put a £5 on Mido to score the winner on the last day of the season to keep us up, repaying both the club and my mortgage.

AV: You said - "It would also have left Boro in a position to control the down-sizing with public support instead of appearing to lurch from crisis to crisis."

That is precisely the point, neatly summed up.

And to add a little bit to it, If John Powls's oft vaunted suggestion of fan inclusion had been taken on board also, it would have reinforced the relationship and given many retractors less ammunition.

But as JP and others have more than hinted on several occasions over the years, it's not a management style that comes easy to the Boro Executive. In fact it seems to be entirely alien! And this is in no small part a disappointment to those who had hitherto considered the Boro Executive as smart cookies. It seems Gibson's millions were covering up some holes in the carpet.

I wonder if the Mowbray years - however long they may prove to be - might be remembered in part for a detante and the introduction of closer communications ties with supporters. The man comes across as having the style and credentials. He just needs the headroom and support from Gibson and I think he could be the guy to do it. Because the present PR and marketing bunch, whoever they are, either haven't been accorded the freedom and responsibility to get on with it, or they're just not professional enough! Just a hunch!

But Mowbray's got other priorities at the present time. And having little faith in Gibson's executive style or ability to effect beneficial change - even by big money throws - any more, I won't hold my breath.

Richard and AV -

MFC managed a unique double in that their marketing and communication of the financial reconstruction was matched only by the actual reconstruction of the playing side.

Both sides of the club show a consistency in management style, a united front rarely seen in football. The downisizing of the club has matched the downsizing of support and income.

Maybe Walliams and Lucas can do a spoof on MFC on the lines of Come Fly with Me.

I'm in the GHW camp here regarding Steve Gibson. Everyone knows the power of hindsight. He appointed a manager and backed him with the largest pot in the Championship. How can anyone complain at that?

OK, it didn't work (spectacularly as it turned out) but many a manager in every division would covet that backing both monetarily and professionally. It could have gone so right, but unfortunately it was shown that Steve's trust in the rebuilding was misplaced, the last big throw of the dice failed. But at least he was willing to try.

Now he's appointed the peoples choice, what more can we ask? In Mogga We Trust.

Anlov

Mido is a strange character and I believe is inedependently wealthy. A couple of Egyptian fans I have spoken to over the years have just shrugged their shoulders.

He has had so many clubs if he was a golfer he would be penalised a couple of shots and he is still only 27.

There is no doubting the talent when fit and focussed but many a manager has been unable to get any form of consistency out of him. I should rephrase that because he is consistent in the wrong sort of way.

Mogga is right to adopt a clean sheet approach but it reflects on how far we have slipped that we are looking at players who to a large extent failed at the Boro.

If Boro give Mido a liferaft and help him get fit enough to mug another club that would be it for me. I won't give them another penny.

People like Mido are exactly the reason the club are in the dire finincial mess it is in. Him and his ilk have brought the team I love to the brink of collapse. We have had to get shot of good, honest decent players that could have been the future of the club to pay for the likes of this waste of space.

Five years ago we were in Europe. Now we can't even get journeymen in on loan and we could be back down where Gibbo started in the third division very soon - and it is because star struck suits have let blood suckers like Mido syphon untold millions out of the club without even coming anywhere near breaking sweat.

Mido has been a Boro player for four years. He has played about 25 games and scored five goals. We have spent, what, £12m? £13m? £14m? in fees and wages for him and how has he repaid us?

By going AWOL, reporting back overweight, by swanning back to Cairo every time he gets a niggle (and taking our staff who should be training players who want to be in the team with him), by slagging us off, holding us to ransom last summer and by treating the club, his team-mates and the supporters with utter disrespect.

Now after messing up at Ajax he comes back to a team he hasn't contributed to for well over two years and is quite open about the fact that he plans to use us to get fit so he can get to sign for another club? And we let him? Are we stupid? Has no-one in this club got a spine. He should never have been let through the door. No wonder players walk all over this club. We are a pushover.

When you think how Peter Beagrie, Nicky Barmby, Paul Merson, Christian Ziege get booed. They all did far, far more for this club than Mido and not one of them committed a "crime" that comes anywhere near the contempt this man has showed for Middlesbrough Football Club.

Seriously, if he pulls on a Boro shirt again, I am out. It breaks my heart to see people like this involved with my club and to see the people charged with running the club smarming around the man and being so bloody reasonable and accomodating. No wonder we are in trouble. We have no anger, no fire, no sense of injustice, no pride, no dignity, no self respect.

Not in a confident mood about tomorrow. If we can’t win when playing well, is it not time for some untypical Boro, play badly and squeak a last minute equalizer? Probably not.

Over the last three years we have lost over 60% of our matches. People go on about our poor crowds etc etc. I think those that are still going deserve a ruddy big medal. Factoring in historical data, conditions and form the Smogonthetyne Match predictor © ™ shows a 2-1 home win. Winning goal scored unsurprisingly late.

Have a good weekend.

I agree with Clive Road. Letting Mido within five miles of the club just DESPERATION and also that we have no pride or integrity left.

I don't buy the idea that we "have nothing to lose." I think we have team spirit to lose. What can Mido bring to the party? Discipline? Professionalism? Loyalty? Dedication? He represents everything that is bad about the game and I wouldn't want him anywhere near the young lads who are our future.

If the figures quoted by Clive Road in his most excellent rant are correct then Mido has already been paid about half-a-million pounds per game by Boro.

So if Mogga is contemplating giving him a new contract then perhaps the most Mido should ask for (if he has any shred of honour left in him) is just £1 per week - after all he agreed (apparently) to play for £1,000 per week for West Ham.

It still sounds like the most desperate of deals between a desperate club and a desperate player - it will only serve as a massive distraction and create a hostile mood on the terraces that may ultimately have a negative effect on the team's performance - unless Mido scores with his first touch then I can't see it working on any level.

**AV writes: Mido cost £6m (plus signing on fee, usually around the 10% mark, so say £500k). He was on £40k (ish) or £2m a year but only got that from us for the first two years. So that is £10.5m.

Then when he was on loan at Wigan, Zamalek, West Ham and Ajax Boro will have paid a portion [let's call it X] . The value of X is an unknown and will have been different at each club (Boro say they were paying nothing while he was at Ajax but he may have had a pay-off to go there and that won't have come cheap). Even if X is "just" £10k a week that is still £500k a year so it is not out of the question he will have cost the club in the region of £12m.

The talk and blogging is certainly interesting at the moment.

Sadly it is like my late dad's views about works commitee meetings, all about the shape oe the pies in the canteen. In this case Mido ate them all.

The alternative is to talk out the league position and the chance of points against Bristol.

Shall we just leave it there otherwise we will be thinking about another typical Boro performance but points from unexpected sources......