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A new direction and a change of style?


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17 minutes ago, Redcar Rioja said:

We have eight players, Bettinelli, Archer, Bolasie, Kebano, NML, Johnson, Assombalonga, Fletcher who will be either out of contract or returning to their Parent Clubs in the Summer.

Seven of them are as a minimum in the matchday squads but five or six would likely be starters. That is half the current first team!

There is a major rebuilding job to be done in the summer whoever the Manager is and hopefully the planning for it is going on now rather than leaving it late because we know how that can turn out. The biggest issue however is who will be managing and what style of player will they want. 

It's the best chance we've ever had to turn the ship around and go in a completely different direction. We had something similar last summer but the pandemic really limited us with so we took the decision to steady the ship. I disagreed with that but could understand it. If we keep Warnock, along with him making all the transfer decisions in the summer, were going to end up in the same position in 3 years time of losing all the players we don't want on free transfers and having to start again. 

 

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It’s called ‘Boro Lads Messageboard’  Don’t think they thought about the abbreviation for too long tho 🤦‍♂️

I don’t want Gibson to sell the club. However, I do want him to delegate his powers to a Director of Football. Much in the same way that whilst Delia Smith is a great cook, she knows her limitations r

If I wrote a post that said, 'I don't like foreigners, they are all smelly', I assume that at least some people would see that as a bit offensive, even if it's almost certainly the case with SmogDane.

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29 minutes ago, Neverbefore said:

 

It's the best chance we've ever had to turn the ship around and go in a completely different direction. We had something similar last summer but the pandemic really limited us with so we took the decision to steady the ship. I disagreed with that but could understand it. If we keep Warnock, along with him making all the transfer decisions in the summer, were going to end up in the same position in 3 years time of losing all the players we don't want on free transfers and having to start again. 

 

I'm not so sure that SG will be feeling very altruistic considering the economic landscape we are in. Bulkhaul's outlook understandably will be cautious while the Hotel which was losing money anyway will have become an even bigger money pit considering the last twelve months of closure.

I think it more likely he will sail a steady course rather than bring in a young modern Coach with a whole new backroom staff along with a clear out of existing players while he brings in those in his own image who may find themselves in fifteenth place come this time next year, sliding down towards the trapdoor. They may of course excel and tear the Championship a new one but it's more likely that they will need to time to bed in and adjust.

The alternative and I think the more palatable one for him will be to play it safe and continue with a Manager who he knows will not get relegated and may even go one better in the short term and win promotion. I also think that there is a trust with Warnock that he perhaps hasn't been as comfortable with his managers previously. That perhaps isn't how the fans see it at the moment but it's how I think SG will view it. 

 

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How many players do we have do you think are capable of changing to a more ‘footballing’ play style?

Going through the team, I can’t think of too many tbh. 
 

Bola, McNair, Fry (for a Cb), Howson, Tav, Watmore(?), can’t think of many more that are naturally comfortable with the ball and can play the ball quickly. Saville is good on the ball but is a bit slow, like Clayton. 

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8 minutes ago, BoroSmoggie said:

How many players do we have do you think are capable of changing to a more ‘footballing’ play style?

Going through the team, I can’t think of too many tbh. 
 

Bola, McNair, Fry (for a Cb), Howson, Tav, Watmore(?), can’t think of many more that are naturally comfortable with the ball and can play the ball quickly. Saville is good on the ball but is a bit slow, like Clayton. 

Dijksteel isn't bad on the ball, fisher is okay too. Brown looks decent when fit. Hall isn't great. Akpom, it's hard to tell because of the way we play but having learned his trade at arsenal I'd be very surprised if he's not more comfortable playing a possessions game than what we currently do. 

Outside of those you mentioned and I just mentioned... We don't have any other senior players who are contracted beyond the end of the season. So we could easily change tact. If we don't this summer, it will make it much more difficult in the coming years. 

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1 hour ago, BillyWoofs_shinpad said:

That makes perfect sense, AK was an under 21 coach before he took over as well as an assistant at a huge club, we needed to find another Aitor but instead we’ve found another Pulis. 

Yeah someone of a similar ilk to Aitor. Before Woodgate and also before this season, I mentioned Michael Reiziger, he managed the Ajax reserves (Basically the Under-21's) and won the Dutch 2nd divsion with them, but last I recall he was assistant at Ajax, so again not 100% if we could tempted him. I also have a feeling he's being kept at Ajax with one eye on the top job.

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5 hours ago, boro_fan_in_brum said:

Brilliant. I'd not bother with the Boro.  Let's argue about threads, hell that's much more fun 🤪

You have to make a whole other thread for that discussion buddy. 
 

(then I’d promptly close it down 😉

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52 minutes ago, BoroSmoggie said:

How many players do we have do you think are capable of changing to a more ‘footballing’ play style?

Going through the team, I can’t think of too many tbh. 
 

Bola, McNair, Fry (for a Cb), Howson, Tav, Watmore(?), can’t think of many more that are naturally comfortable with the ball and can play the ball quickly. Saville is good on the ball but is a bit slow, like Clayton. 

I look at what Ian Evatt did at Barrow and how he got some very limited players playing some incredible technical football, and wonder if it is more a mental attitude of the players being asked to play that way alongside the tactical setup and coaching. Or whether you have to be down right talented to play that way, personally I think it is a mix of both. I think looking at our contracted players, I'd say the vast majority of them can play that way, then you get into the realms of looking at the loanees that will need replacing this summer.
 

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3 hours ago, Neverbefore said:

Dijksteel isn't bad on the ball, fisher is okay too. Brown looks decent when fit. Hall isn't great. Akpom, it's hard to tell because of the way we play but having learned his trade at arsenal I'd be very surprised if he's not more comfortable playing a possessions game than what we currently do. 

Outside of those you mentioned and I just mentioned... We don't have any other senior players who are contracted beyond the end of the season. So we could easily change tact. If we don't this summer, it will make it much more difficult in the coming years. 

Ah yes, forgot about Browne, he’s looked very technically sound when I’ve seen him and has a lovely touch. Still think there is a good player in there somewhere, just been so unfortunate with his injuries. 

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Why didn't Gibson not see if the new Sunderland owner wanted to buy us before he took over Sunderland as we must be a better alternative and closer to Premiership with investment. As I do think we need a new young more ambitious owner to go back to the top again as I want us to be doing what Leeds are doing not sat in this league for years. 

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2 hours ago, DurhamRed said:

Why didn't Gibson not see if the new Sunderland owner wanted to buy us before he took over Sunderland as we must be a better alternative and closer to Premiership with investment. As I do think we need a new young more ambitious owner to go back to the top again as I want us to be doing what Leeds are doing not sat in this league for years. 

Gibson will never relinquish control of the club. He's had offers before and refused them. So we're stuck with him.

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I just feel Gibson has done all he can he has had his moment won us our only ever cup took us to European final. Just feel time has to come for someone else to have a chance to shape us with new ideas and methods. 

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50 minutes ago, DurhamRed said:

I just feel Gibson has done all he can he has had his moment won us our only ever cup took us to European final. Just feel time has to come for someone else to have a chance to shape us with new ideas and methods. 

It's a power trip with Gibson. He's a very big fish in a circle of people that control all goings on in Middlesbrough itself.

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