Smokedsalmon

Surely Bolasie on an expensive 1 year deal whilst Warnock is here is better than trying to sign cheap European guys on half the wages? Our transfer window started exactly how I expected. Freebies and cheap relegated players. Ikpeazu, Crooks, Lumley, Peltier. I thought it'd carry on in the same vein. Then it was Payero, now we're being linked with random guys all over Europe. It's like we've just totally changed track halfway through the window. I'd just love to know what's gone on, really. Did we decide to pull next year's plans forward? When was Scott decided? Was he originally

It's very clear not everybody at the club is singing from the same song-sheet. It's such a weird, weird position to be in, as well. What's the point in signing players like Payero now, and going for people like van Bergen, when Warnock is so clearly stuck in his 1980s attitude towards football? Why not just go ahead and sign Bolasie and Hoilett whilst we could?

Is he Croatian?

It is weird that last week we had deals agreed for a LB, Sporar, and Van Bergen, and we're sat here instead with a kid from non-league. Think we suffer a lot from our reputation for playing boring football, Middlesbrough's location, and our disjointed CEO/chairman/manager/analyst royal rumble mess at deciding who to bring in.

Alright mate, you're right. We've played much better so far. Keeping the ball well, attacking through well drilled rotational patterns, movement, and a nice injection of creativity. We've defended very well, too, keeping some good clean sheets and not giving away silly goals.

Snap your hand off for 10th? Not me, I'm afraid. I accept we are going through a transition, but I'm not going to sit here and celebrate finishing 10th in this league. In the first 4 games, we have played no different - no different - to the end of last season. You can blindly shout FOUR GAMES as much as you want mate, but you can't just will success into existence. We'll see where we are at the end of the season, and that will settle this debate. If we finish in the play-offs under Warnock I'll eat my hat.

The only way he could have not improved on the Woodgate season was if he literally got us relegated. At the end of the day, neither of us have a crystal ball. We will either finish in the play offs, or we won't. If we do, I'll admit he did well. If we don't, I'll be very glad to see the back of him.

We'll finish 12th this year and he'll still bring up Branthwaite kicking Fry in the head. He's never been the same since! Would've gone up there and then, are you with me? Vomit.

Didn't we bring in 3 brand new wingers in the new year who could have taken Tav's place? Maybe he should've signed a back up CB in that time, instead of leaving us with only 2 in the squad? Weird how the manager is in charge of building his team and then bemoans the... lack of depth in his team.

Dael Fry got kicked in the head and so our season collapsed, aye?

We finished 10th, 13 points off the play offs. Again; if you're happy with that mate, all power to you. But that is not a play-off push. By that logic Tony Mowbray was class as well, because we were second in December once.

How is it that everyone has managed to airbrush last season from their brains? Was he not our manager then? Am I tripping? It's like I said in a few threads before the season started; if you're genuinely happy paying your money to watch what Warnock serves up, all power to you. I'm happy for you, I wish I was. Even if I was seeing signs of improvement I'd be satisfied. But I don't. We are no better than we were at the start of last season. If your manager isn't improving you, what is the point?

We have not had a striker score goals for us since Bamford. Have they ALL been bad players? Or have we just had 3 managers in a row who didn't have a scooby doo how to set up a team to attack teams and score goals?

There's a significant portion of Boro fans who will 100% back Warnock no matter what because he does entertaining press conferences and he's "old school". If ever there was a manager to chime with our fanbase, it's unfortunately Warnock. The idea of wanting better than *** hoofball, shouting at the ref for 90 minutes, endless excuses for poor performances (remember the Stoke changies?), not throwing players under the bus, or being open minded enough to look for players who aren't journeymen Championship plodders - that's just kneejerk! How dare you question Mr Warnock?

I'm not sure why you're burying your head in the sand and acting as if Warnock was not in charge for the entirety of last season. Are we a better team now than we we were this exact time last season? Has the football improved? Do the players seem to have developed a better understanding? Are we exploiting set pieces? This is not a "it's only been 4 games!" kneejerk. This is what happens when a fanbase is subjected to *** football for 5+ seasons, and is fed up with it. Warnock has had time and money to get us firing, and he isn't doing it.

Warnock is very, very lucky that fans are just coming back in. It's basically the honeymoon period for him, everybody's excited to be able to go again, not as many people were keeping up with the games last season (or watching them, at least). He's gotten away with a horrible year last year with a bit of a fresh start this season. But he's made absolutely no changes to the way we play or set-up, and I honestly think if he keeps it up much longer, he will be hounded out before the season is done.

If you've been paying attention for the last 5 years then you know the answer to that one.

Probably just watched us play.

On the bright side, the worse we are, the sooner Warnock goes and we can move on with being a football team.

What? They've played far, far more football. Dragged us down? This is our level.

Performances like this make you think that it really doesn't matter who we bring in, if they're deployed like this, it's an absolute waste of time. We are set up to do nothing but contain and frustrate Derby, going down for everything, giving away stupid fouls all over, praying for a lucky bounce off Uche. Bilge.

Just hoofing it every time. They haven't got a clue how to go through midfield. We have 0 presence there, offensively or defensively.

I don't think any game before Christmas is a must win, tbh.

Got my fingers crossed and crossed again that we knick that Everton song for Sporar. He's quick! He's game! We can't pronounce his name! Slavic lad, Slavic lad!

I honestly don't think Fulham will finish top 2. Marco Silva teams have a trademark mental fragility that we've already seen twice this year. They pumped Huddersfield, sure, but nearly threw it away against Millwall last time out, and the same against us. Teams that put them under pressure, especially late on, will get joy.