[Archived] Season 2015/16 Discussion

[tomphil]

For me Boro last season were just a more polished version of us and what we should be. Very hard working all over the pitch, pressing without the ball and defending like Trojans across the park. They played with a bit of tempo with the ball every game and yes they could knock it about well but it seemed more about hard work and organisation with them. A tigerish midfield is the key. Look at their squad last season and was it really so much better than ours ?

[G Somerset Rover]

Cannot understand why Downing is leaving to drop to the Championship. Yes it's his home town club, but he was on the fringes of the England squad last season. He will absolutely destroy this league if he stays fit.

[Butty]

Cannot understand why Downing is leaving to drop to the Championship. Yes it's his home town club, but he was on the fringes of the England squad last season. He will absolutely destroy this league if he stays fit.

Exactly, don't know how anyone can argue that he's not a good signing. Have boro signed Bamford on a permanent? If they get a goalscorer up top they will be right up there this season.

[chaddyrovers]

Exactly, don't know how anyone can argue that he's not a good signing. Have boro signed Bamford on a permanent? If they get a goalscorer up top they will be right up there this season.

Downing is a very good signing but they need a proven goalscorer.

And no Bamford hasnt sign permanent there

[Stuart]

Cannot understand why Downing is leaving to drop to the Championship. Yes it's his home town club, but he was on the fringes of the England squad last season. He will absolutely destroy this league if he stays fit.

We all said the same about Danny Murphy.

There will be a reason he's dropped down from the PL.

[G Somerset Rover]

We all said the same about Danny Murphy.

There will be a reason he's dropped down from the PL.

He's a few years younger than Murphy was and had a very decent season last year. Seen enough of him to know he'll be head and shoulders above anything in this league.

As for the reason - he's a home bird.

[Stuart]

You may be right. Perhaps a bit like Scott Parker.

[Gav]

This is what we're up against, our owners can't even give the green light for free transfers'

It's going to be a long season and probably the worst season in 30yrs+

[JBiz]

This is what we're up against, our owners can't even give the green light for free transfers'

We don't know this. It's speculation, for all we know - the reluctance to sign anyone may be more down to waiting for FFP situ with QPR to change.

[Stuart]

We don't know this. It's speculation, for all we know - the reluctance to sign anyone may be more down to waiting for FFP situ with QPR to change.

Aye. That's probably what it is.

C'mon Joe, what's that reasoning based on? Do they have a war chest that they really want to dip into and so don't want to upset fans by settling for those players identified by Bowyer?

[blueboy3333]

A tigerish midfield is the key. Look at their squad last season and was it really so much better than ours ?

you've answered your own question there, in Leadbitter and Clayton they had a CM far superior to ours. We gave em a good game at Ewood though and could have nicked it. If we had played like that all season we'd have been a lot closer to the top 6.

[JBiz]

Aye. That's probably what it is.

C'mon Joe, what's that reasoning based on? Do they have a war chest that they really want to dip into and so don't want to upset fans by settling for those players identified by Bowyer?

No- but have you considered the lack of incoming transfers may be a reluctance to sign from a bracket that limits certain qualities?

Or maybe it's forcing a more stringent process of recruitment that involves less risk?

It doesn't have to alway be so positive/negative, it can be somewhere in the middle.

[Gav]

We don't know this. It's speculation, for all we know - the reluctance to sign anyone may be more down to waiting for FFP situ with QPR to change.

It's come from Kamy, so it's probably 95% accurate Jbizzle.

As for waiting for FFP, do me a favour, we're shopping for bargain 10k a week, if FFP is scrapped we'd still be shopping for bargain 10k a week.

[Athlete]

We don't know this. It's speculation, for all we know - the reluctance to sign anyone may be more down to waiting for FFP situ with QPR to change.

that outcome will take months with a lot of legal wranglings

[tomphil]

you've answered your own question there, in Leadbitter and Clayton they had a CM far superior to ours. We gave em a good game at Ewood though and could have nicked it. If we had played like that all season we'd have been a lot closer to the top 6.

It shouldn't have been that difficult to make our midfield more competitive though. Bowyers seemed oblivious to it for two seasons now apart from Tunni who only got used properly when his loan was nearly up. We are trialing midfielders now of a seemingly more physical type which is good news but we should have been doing it ages ago. Could surely have picked one or two up before the FFP. I fear now it's just a case of a body or two to back up the favs rather than try and revamp the middle.

[roverandout]

We all said the same about Danny Murphy.

There will be a reason he's dropped down from the PL.

Big difference to Murphy, downing is a boro lad, has an affinity with the club, Murphy was on a last payday, personally never rated downing anyway.

you've answered your own question there, in Leadbitter and Clayton they had a CM far superior to ours. We gave em a good game at Ewood though and could have nicked it. If we had played like that all season we'd have been a lot closer to the top 6.

If my aunt was a man, she would be my uncle

[Stuart]

No- but have you considered the lack of incoming transfers may be a reluctance to sign from a bracket that limits certain qualities?

Or maybe it's forcing a more stringent process of recruitment that involves less risk?

It doesn't have to alway be so positive/negative, it can be somewhere in the middle.

I just don't think they are interested enough. We are part of an international portfolio and a massive loss maker. If they can afford it, they seem happy to leave it to rot. If they can't then they must surely be looking at an exit strategy.

The lack of meeting with Bowyer suggests that something has changed. I admire your quest to be positive but it makes no sense that they are looking at the quality of incoming players (from the floor next to the bargain bin) and thinking 'hmmm, can't see any resale value there' when at the same time they are not challenging FFP. What would you put that down to, bad advice from a board who want to keep their jobs? Entirely possible. But in that scenario of opposing factions (a benevolent owner and a conniving board?) then it's hardly grounds for optimism.

I'm hardly sensing owners, board and manager all working in harmony at the moment. I'm seeing average players on trial - even invited to training camps and lack of clarity as to whether the manager will even be able to sign any of them.

[K-Hod]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/former-cardiff-manager-malky-mackay-6077959

[JHRover]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/former-cardiff-manager-malky-mackay-6077959

I know its a different case entirely and this was dealt with by the FA rather than the Football League, but I expect a very similar outcome from the QPR/FFP case as this.

E.g. we wait for the best part of a year to see what happens before a quick statement on their website saying 'no punishment'.

[thenodrog]

Bizarre logic.

Just out of interest, how do Middlesbrough spend £5 million on a 30 year old under FFP?

They sell some one for more? They put ST's up double? I doubt either of those will happen though.

I've never been critical of us signing Rhodes for what we did as without him the first season we came back into the championship we'd have been relegated. I based what I said more on Downings ability as a player as I think he would still do a job in the premier league as he showed last season, he got an England recall in November of last year. 5 million might be seen to be a bit steep for a 30 year old I understand that, but who's to say Downing hasn't taken a bit of a pay cut to join his hometown club? Plus I don't know how long he's signed for but if it's a 3 year deal at the very most I think it's a pretty good signing!

5m written off as it surely must be over a 3 year contract is 33k pw BEFORE his wages. Thats EVERY week of the year and whether he gets injured or not!

BUT

has he cost £5m in transfer fee or is the whole deal £5m? Rem Scott Dann was widely reported to be signing for 6m from Brum but in effect it was the total of 1.5 to Brum plus his wages. It was reported that way to satisfy both sets of supporters.

[Lancs Rover]

Average away attendances 2014/15. Cardiff are interesting.

http://the72.co.uk/31493/away-attendance-championship-averages-201415/

[tomphil]

Not always 100% accurate those charts but not to far off. By the end of this season I expect ours will resemble the Wigan/Blackpool type

When Derby were brassed off a few seasons ago under Clough a lot of their away followings were very small, strangely enough they never got hammered for it !

[Guest]

I have a feeling we've helped boost a few of those numbers for other teams who visited Ewood ('Boro in particular)!

[tomphil]

I have a feeling we've helped boost a few of those numbers for other teams who visited Ewood ('Boro in particular)!

Wigan as well will have helped with their generous and cheap allocations. We've lost them and Blackpool which is 5k plus off straight away. Preston and Burnley of course should automatically replace that but when the police and sky have finished, plus the price then it'll probably end up less.

[thenodrog]

interesting table that one can read a lot into. For example Brighton and Cardiff. For all their ST's at home they are very poorly followed. Obviously geography come into it and makes the away support for most Midland clubs seem relatively poor.

Credit to Norwich and Ipswich though. We moan about that drive but those poor buggers face it every other week!

Be interesting if another two columns were added... one as a %age of home attendance and one as a %age of ST's.