Summer transfer window 2021.

[tomphil]

31 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

He looks trim. Wouldn't hedge your bets on it happening though.

Can Mowbray shape him or will he wilt in the heat of Ewood.

[CambridgeRover]

Why is every transfer rumour and or signing we make nowadays associated in some way to Middlesbrough ? Oh wait, because Tony's knowledge is purely fixed in the North East

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

25 minutes ago, CambridgeRover said:

Why is every transfer rumour and or signing we make nowadays associated in some way to Middlesbrough ? Oh wait, because Tony's knowledge is purely fixed in the North East

It would be really interesting to review how many signings he has made with a Boro connection - out of all the signings he has made.

Obvious ones are Pears, Ayala, Chapman and Downing - help me out as there must be more in his 4 years to justify the fixation claims.

[RoverDom]

27 minutes ago, CambridgeRover said:

Why is every transfer rumour and or signing we make nowadays associated in some way to Middlesbrough ? Oh wait, because Tony's knowledge is purely fixed in the North East

It's one of those automated pre screening questions. Like when you apply online for a job and it asks if you have a C on GCSE maths and if you answer no its an automatic rejection. Instead it's "Are you connected in any way to middlesbrough" no "sorry try another club" 

[Mattyblue]

1 hour ago, LeftWinger said:

What is for certain, is that squad is way too thing, certainly in defence.

One thing that does stand out is that 15 out of the 20 players in the squad are English - that must be fairly unusual these days.

And two of the 5 (4? BB is pushing it) non-English players came through our academy. 

Can’t be another squad in the top two (maybe top three even?) divisions that contains only two players that are either non English or not home grown?

[alex l]

I would say spending sums of 5m and 6m on single signings is a sign of ambition, how they panned out is another matter. So is keeping the vast majority of your best players - Dack in particular when he was wanted - again how that turns out next summer could be another matter. 

This isn't a case of being an apologist for TM, but I don't believe he has purposely sought to build a squad to sit in mid table or to get relegated again. He changed our style in the hope of winning more games, yes it didn't work. But he didn't do it on the wanting to finish 15th. 

Failure to do better in the league, particularly last season, is rightly damned. But where did the expectation for that come from? - the early results running riot, the signings which people were excited about. TM was part of that.

[tomphil]

28 minutes ago, DavidMailsTightPerm said:

It would be really interesting to review how many signings he has made with a Boro connection - out of all the signings he has made.

Obvious ones are Pears, Ayala, Chapman and Downing - help me out as there must be more in his 4 years to justify the fixation claims.

I think that stems from the way it seems to be gathering pace in recent years.

In terms of being linked it could just be the usual lazy journalism knowing it gets a bit of attention because it 'might' be plausible.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, alex l said:

I would say spending sums of 5m and 6m on single signings is a sign of ambition, how they panned out is another matter. So is keeping the vast majority of your best players - Dack in particular when he was wanted - again how that turns out next summer could be another matter. 

This isn't a case of being an apologist for TM, but I don't believe he has purposely sought to build a squad to sit in mid table or to get relegated again. He changed our style in the hope of winning more games, yes it didn't work. But he didn't do it on the wanting to finish 15th. 

Failure to do better in the league, particularly last season, is rightly damned. But where did the expectation for that come from? - the early results running riot, the signings which people were excited about. TM was part of that.

This is true. I think it was the inability and stubbornness to adapt last season that turned the last remaining few. Along with the failure to accept his share of the responsibility and the ratty attitude to being questioned about it. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

2 hours ago, LeftWinger said:

What is for certain, is that squad is way too thing, certainly in defence.

One thing that does stand out is that 15 out of the 20 players in the squad are English - that must be fairly unusual these days.

Indeed and Brereton pretty much is. Nyambe and Lenihan have been in England since 15 or 16. It's really only Kaminski that's a proper foreigner. 

It is rare. I'm not judging it as a positive or a negative, although the teams that went up last season had 4-5 foreigners in their starting 11s, many of whom excelled. 

[LDRover]

44 minutes ago, DavidMailsTightPerm said:

It would be really interesting to review how many signings he has made with a Boro connection - out of all the signings he has made.

Obvious ones are Pears, Ayala, Chapman and Downing - help me out as there must be more in his 4 years to justify the fixation claims.

Leutwiler and Smallwood

[tomphil]

17 minutes ago, alex l said:

I would say spending sums of 5m and 6m on single signings is a sign of ambition, how they panned out is another matter. So is keeping the vast majority of your best players - Dack in particular when he was wanted - again how that turns out next summer could be another matter. 

This isn't a case of being an apologist for TM, but I don't believe he has purposely sought to build a squad to sit in mid table or to get relegated again. He changed our style in the hope of winning more games, yes it didn't work. But he didn't do it on the wanting to finish 15th. 

Failure to do better in the league, particularly last season, is rightly damned. But where did the expectation for that come from? - the early results running riot, the signings which people were excited about. TM was part of that.

Both of those signings were talked up as young investment signings which is what he was advising the owners.  According to him anyway, all his top 6 talk and don't want to sit in the middle of the division talk tended to come in summer when STs were on sale.

By October the goal posts were being moved, not just last season but season before that. By end of season they've been moved to the other end of the pitch and he's a development coach. All about stability and individuals etc.

A manager set single mindedly on the top 6 doesn't make those kind of signings when his team is screaming out for something else. It very much more fits the slow build 'investment' mould hoping they come good in time and are worth a few more quid.

Aside from introducing our own youth most of the other stuff along the way has just been gap filling. Not building just keeping a squad big and strong enough to keep our heads above water.

If last season was supposed to be the big push in the final year of FFP - and a few believe it was.  Then he's blown it in the usual mundane fashion.  Covid didn't help but it was probably the difference between 15th and 11th in the end.

All most fans wanted to see was us having a real go and see where we landed. That has never ever happened in the last 3 seasons despite his talk.

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by tomphil

[Waggy76]

6 minutes ago, LDRover said:

Leutwiler and Smallwood

Didn't the other Downing start at Boro , or was it his dad , who had a Boro connection ..The one who played in Division one .

[1864roverite]

Its just 72 hours or so until the season kicks off in earnest and yet the forward planning is absolutely non existent, the lack of urgency isn't there, the fervent build up to the new season is nowhere to be seen which really is a sorry state of affairs as we come out of the covid induced absence from our team stadium, the lack of communication with the clubs support is astoundingly poor and the serious lack of commercialism is a shocking indictment on the leadership of the club.

Mowbray is trying his best to fool us and continues to treat us all like buffoons.

Waggot is an utter incompetent in the manner he disdainfully treats the fans of our club.

 

There is a very clear and apparent lack of respect on the fans, the clubs history and what it means and stands for, the legacy of Jack Walker has been trampled on and yet these idiots thinks its okay and that everything is ship shape and Bristol fashion.

The urgency now requires the fan base to come together as one and get the message across from the stands. Keyboard warriors are no good we need loud and verbal views to intensify the removal of these incompetent idiots and to ram this message across to India because we all know they will be watching. yes, they may choose to ignore us but at least they will be able to gauge the rancid atmosphere and it might just decide to take action.

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by 1864roverite

[Fraserkirky]

Asked my Aberdeen season ticket holder brother about Hedges and he basically just described Harry Chapman…….yay.

[JacknOry]

2 minutes ago, Fraserkirky said:

Asked my Aberdeen season ticket holder brother about Hedges and he basically just described Harry Chapman…….yay.

Chapman needs his bush clipped though. 

[neophox]

Heard Dack is already running!

[RevidgeBlue]

2 hours ago, Tugayisgod said:

https://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/1090374965?-11198:839

Link to Ryan Hedges at Aberdeen

At least when this happened in Mike Bassett it was a joke.

Ron Benson and Tony Hedges.

[Mattyblue]

36 minutes ago, 1864roverite said:

Its just 72 hours or so until the season kicks off in earnest and yet the forward planning is absolutely non existent, the lack of urgency isn't there, the fervent build up to the new season is nowhere to be seen which really is a sorry state of affairs as we come out of the covid induced absence from our team stadium, the lack of communication with the clubs support is astoundingly poor and the serious lack of commercialism is a shocking indictment on the leadership of the club.

Mowbray is trying his best to fool us and continues to treat us all like buffoons.

Waggot is an utter incompetent in the manner he disdainfully treats the fans of our club.

 

There is a very clear and apparent lack of respect on the fans, the clubs history and what it means and stands for, the legacy of Jack Walker has been trampled on and yet these idiots thinks its okay and that everything is ship shape and Bristol fashion.

The urgency now requires the fan base to come together as one and get the message across from the stands. Keyboard warriors are no good we need loud and verbal views to intensify the removal of these incompetent idiots and to ram this message across to India because we all know they will be watching. yes, they may choose to ignore us but at least they will be able to gauge the rancid atmosphere and it might just decide to take action.

 

Totally agree with the sentiment, however we’ve got to a stage where the owners and manager are the most popular they have ever been this past decade - so considering we could never get mass protests in 2011 or 2016 (when Venky’s and Kean/Coyle were actually unpopular) going, then we’ve no chance now.

Going to be death by a thousand cuts.

[windymiller7]

6 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

At least when this happened in Mike Bassett it was a joke.

Ron Benson and Tony Hedges.

We've already got Ben Benson, so we only need Ryan 😅

[RevidgeBlue]

2 hours ago, CambridgeRover said:

Why is every transfer rumour and or signing we make nowadays associated in some way to Middlesbrough ? Oh wait, because Tony's knowledge is purely fixed in the North East

Plus our go to agency for players HSH (run by Craig Honeyman a former SEM guy) is based near Middlesbrough.

[RevidgeBlue]

1 hour ago, DavidMailsTightPerm said:

It would be really interesting to review how many signings he has made with a Boro connection - out of all the signings he has made.

Obvious ones are Pears, Ayala, Chapman and Downing - help me out as there must be more in his 4 years to justify the fixation claims.

Pears, Ayala and Downing is three in one season, how many more do you want?

[1864roverite]

14 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Totally agree with the sentiment, however we’ve got to a stage where the owners and manager are the most popular they have ever been this past decade - so considering we could never get mass protests in 2011 or 2016 (when Venky’s and Kean/Coyle were actually unpopular) going, then we’ve no chance now.

Going to be death by a thousand cuts.

I have a different view. By creating that kind of atmosphere it goes against the supposed joy of returning to grounds and a toxic atmosphere albeit targeting Mowbray and waggot might just help. One things for sure Mowbrays pitiful excuse box will have its lid wide open when we lose on Saturday so he may as well just blame it on the hostile crowd😅

[Mattyblue]

But who’s going to be creating it?
Most fans now left won’t have much truck with a ‘toxic’ atmosphere. ‘It’s the first day FFS, just get behind ‘em’.

[Ghost7]

Perhaps we can point 800,000 Chileans in the direction of Venky's 

[Rover8T4]

3 hours ago, Tugayisgod said:

https://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/1090374965?-11198:839

Link to Ryan Hedges at Aberdeen

Likely a pre contract agreement for next season