edinboro 1,731 2.5k Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Doak, out for the season? https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/middlesbrough-suffer-huge-ben-doak-31142123 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle_rico 615 730 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 (edited) Erik Pieters is on trial with Boro. Looking to sign him until the end of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denzel Zanzibar 8,867 16.6k Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Sod Pieters, we need a new RM now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob 7,421 11.3k Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 2 minutes ago, Denzel Zanzibar said: Sod Pieters, we need a new RM now what free agent is better than the 2 we got? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denzel Zanzibar 8,867 16.6k Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 15 minutes ago, Rob said: what free agent is better than the 2 we got? I was only kidding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob 7,421 11.3k Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 (edited) just need that azaz whittiker link up to pay off to make up for doak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBP 4,528 7.2k Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Forss is there on form tbh Azaz and Whittaker as the two #10s behind Conway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob 7,421 11.3k Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 yep I've always liked forss on the right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside94 1,568 2.1k Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Yea it is what it is, let our players play and get settled ready for next season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinoJo3 7,394 15.6k Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 1 hour ago, LBP said: Forss is there on form tbh Azaz and Whittaker as the two #10s behind Conway I wonder if this has affected our summer plans (assuming Carrick stayed). Maybe focusing more on a wide forward Forrs style player to spend a lot of the budget rather than £8m on strelec for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brunners 9,523 25.8k Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 6 hours ago, CWC said: Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but shows the level Iheanacho is at. Article says Barlaser and Dijksteel were also targets. We knew about Barlaser but had we heard anything about them being interested in Dijksteel before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce 3,777 2.8k Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 13 hours ago, Bosco's Tuft said: To be fair to Carrick, when Clarke left he probably thought we would need a ridiculous run of injuries to wipe out all of his CB options. Particularly with Lenihan and Howson to come back. Fry, VDB, Edmondson, Ayling, Borges should have been fine as options until then. With already having 5 new signings to integrate I can see why he was reluctant to add a 6th unless it was absolutely necessary. He clearly believes that more options up front are the key to a strong finish to both the season as a whole and to individual games. I agree with this. I think there is a rational and logical case for what they did. That's not the same as it being the right decision but it was a defensible one at the time. Carrick seems to believe that our problem was turning possession into goals and for that reason he focused on attacking upgrades, especially as he knew we would lose ELL at some point. Given that we also had to replace a keeper, it looks like we were left with an empty chest and no more room for loans. Clarke was clearly Carrick's 4th choice centre back and the fact that he was willing to let him go without replacement where as he wouldn't do the same with Dijksteel and Barlaser shows how much Carrick rated him. Clarke is at his best in a backs-to-wall, repel all-comers game where we have to withstand wave after wave of attacks. Given that we had just a 1/3rd of the season left when we sold Clarke and it was probably only going to be the matches against Leeds and Sheff Utd where we would face that kind of match, then you can see letting him go. Howson, Ayling, Borges and Dijksteel can all cover at CB if 2 of Rav, Fry and Edmundson are out and all 4 of them are much better than Clarke at playing the ball out from defence. So far, selling Clarke hasn't actually caused us a problem. The two games where we were down to just one fit regular centre-back have been victories. In the other matches, Clarke would have been on the bench and stayed there. But... *If* Dijksteel turns out to be injured then we have a problem that implies that we have a ludicrous injury crisis at the back. Dijksteel, Ayling, Rav, Fry & Edmundson all out injured and Howson probably not fit enough to start. That's all of our right backs and all of our centre backs and all bar one of our CB covering players either injured or unfit. If Dijksteel is out then we have no one left but the left backs. Our remaining defence is Borges, Giles, and about 1/3 of a Howson. Even the development defenders we have bought—Hunt & Dede—are out injured as well. At this point, the problem is well beyond whether or not we kept Clarke. This kind of thing does happen ("Injury crisis" is a prominent entry in the book of football cliches for a reason) but there's a limit to how many players you can afford to pay to sit on the bench on the off-chance that 6 other players in your position get knacked. Of course, normally at this point, a youngster gets a chance. McCormick is captain of the U21s, listed as a senior squad player and plays at CB and LB. If ever you wanted an academy player to step up and make a case, this is it. Carrick might surprise me but to date he has done everything he can to avoid playing academy youngsters and I suspect that will continue to be the case. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammy legend 1,356 1.4k Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Football league world seem to think Villa are after Hackney. I have no idea how reliable they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeaCider24 20,790 25.1k Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 4 minutes ago, Hammy legend said: Football league world seem to think Villa are after Hackney. I have no idea how reliable they are. Not reliable in the slightest. But it wouldn't surprise me either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammy legend 1,356 1.4k Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Pleased to hear that they aren't reliable, am hoping Hackney is still here next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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