Nobody back for Blackburn, sounds like they'll be touch and go for Portsmouth.

11 hours ago, Changing Times said:

Woody to get promoted to Manager with Carrick dropping down to Assistant Manager to make us more defensively solid? 🤔

Woody's already proved the only thing he can manage is a convincing PowerPoint presentation.

8 hours ago, HolgateHero said:

The mad thing is how we are 5th without even putting together a single complete performance for 90+ mins this season. 

For me the priority isn't in getting the playoffs / promoted, it's getting our house in order and getting the most from the players, becoming a well oiled machine. 

Until then I fear the playoffs will be hit or miss for us, but the pl will be a bloodbath. If we make errors V Cardiff, how will we cope with the press from even the weakest PL team? It's a different kind of pain to be fighting for your life each game, how many did we win/score when AK got us in the PL where we actually had forged quite a footballing identity? It was tough.

we've sorely missed Morris which is crazy as he didn't even need time to adapt. We need a Barlaser upgrade, I cant remember him ever having a barnstormer for us. We need Hackney to hit form again. We need the whole team to be able to make easy passes 100% of the time and we need to hoof it out from the back 1 in 5 times to keep the oppo guessing, we need a replacement for Doak, and we need to find a way of keeping our players fit more (although it does seem that a lot of teams are suffering injuries and it might just be the higher intensity of the game these days). But yes, we need quite a lot of things.

Does anyone think we have many players that could take the step up to the PL? Like with AK the current squad would need another maasive overhaul if we got promoted. We have begun to recruit much better than ever before now and the task is morphing from buying young players with sell on value to actually keeping enough of them together/fit before the offers start coming in.

We've come light years from where we were 3years ago, but still have a long way to go. At least we are heading in the right direction, and if we keep doing so I'm sure we'll get the balance of the squad right, I'm talking in the longer-term though.

we never really clicked at all during xmas and have not found our rhythm all season only managing a really good 45 here and there, but are currently in 5th. Things could be a lot worse, it wasn't that long ago our own fans were saying we'd be relegated this season, so at least now we are looking up and not down.  

The journey is just beginning, keep the faith.

UTB!

We would do a Southampton...

Would not be fun to watch but with 200 extra millions and parachute money the next years in championship might be fun 😜 

8 hours ago, HolgateHero said:

The mad thing is how we are 5th without even putting together a single complete performance for 90+ mins this season. 

For me the priority isn't in getting the playoffs / promoted, it's getting our house in order and getting the most from the players, becoming a well oiled machine. 

Until then I fear the playoffs will be hit or miss for us, but the pl will be a bloodbath. If we make errors V Cardiff, how will we cope with the press from even the weakest PL team? It's a different kind of pain to be fighting for your life each game, how many did we win/score when AK got us in the PL where we actually had forged quite a footballing identity? It was tough.

we've sorely missed Morris which is crazy as he didn't even need time to adapt. We need a Barlaser upgrade, I cant remember him ever having a barnstormer for us. We need Hackney to hit form again. We need the whole team to be able to make easy passes 100% of the time and we need to hoof it out from the back 1 in 5 times to keep the oppo guessing, we need a replacement for Doak, and we need to find a way of keeping our players fit more (although it does seem that a lot of teams are suffering injuries and it might just be the higher intensity of the game these days). But yes, we need quite a lot of things.

Does anyone think we have many players that could take the step up to the PL? Like with AK the current squad would need another maasive overhaul if we got promoted. We have begun to recruit much better than ever before now and the task is morphing from buying young players with sell on value to actually keeping enough of them together/fit before the offers start coming in.

We've come light years from where we were 3years ago, but still have a long way to go. At least we are heading in the right direction, and if we keep doing so I'm sure we'll get the balance of the squad right, I'm talking in the longer-term though.

we never really clicked at all during xmas and have not found our rhythm all season only managing a really good 45 here and there, but are currently in 5th. Things could be a lot worse, it wasn't that long ago our own fans were saying we'd be relegated this season, so at least now we are looking up and not down.  

The journey is just beginning, keep the faith.

UTB!

Great comment.

Agree it is both mad and a bit scary that we are in the play-offs, despite being such a Jekyll & Hyde team. Though it should be noted there is an 11-point gap between Sheffield Utd in 3rd and ourselves in 5th. Looks like a yawning chasm compared to the 1 point separating the top 3 and the 4 points between 5th and 10th places.

100% agree that the club's priority should be on strengthening the squad and getting us into the sort of shape Sheffield Utd, Leeds & Burnley are. At least their level of consistency, while hopefully not sacrificing our attacking flair.

If we did somehow win the play-offs and achieve promotion, we would need to push our permitted spending to the max, in order to give ourselves a fighting chance and not do a Southampton.

 

Also agree we have seen much worse times in recent memory and Carrick has done a lot to move the club forward. However I'm starting to have doubts about how much further he can take us...unless we see significant improvements next season. I've already accepted that the best we can hope for this season is to finish 5th-6th and likely lose  to whoever we face in the play-offs.

This team is far too ponderous when in possession. We allow opponents to ensure they have ten men behind the ball.  I'm afraid this won't change with this current crop of players. Yes we might scrape into the playoffs but we won't win them. I'm beginning to think that maybe this is the plan after all. Quite honestly I don't think any of our players could hack it in the PL.

We are a slightly above average Championship team. Therefore you could argue we are doing ok to be challenging for a playoff place. It's beginning to look almost impossible for clubs like Boro to have an extended run in the PL. I think Leeds, Sheffield United and Burnley if promoted will come straight back down. At the moment Forest are bucking the trend but it's a flash in the pan.

I think Boro fans need to resign themselves that  second tier football may be the future.

 

 

 

13 hours ago, HolgateHero said:

The mad thing is how we are 5th without even putting together a single complete performance for 90+ mins this season. 

For me the priority isn't in getting the playoffs / promoted, it's getting our house in order and getting the most from the players, becoming a well oiled machine. 

Until then I fear the playoffs will be hit or miss for us, but the pl will be a bloodbath. If we make errors V Cardiff, how will we cope with the press from even the weakest PL team? It's a different kind of pain to be fighting for your life each game, how many did we win/score when AK got us in the PL where we actually had forged quite a footballing identity? It was tough.

we've sorely missed Morris which is crazy as he didn't even need time to adapt. We need a Barlaser upgrade, I cant remember him ever having a barnstormer for us. We need Hackney to hit form again. We need the whole team to be able to make easy passes 100% of the time and we need to hoof it out from the back 1 in 5 times to keep the oppo guessing, we need a replacement for Doak, and we need to find a way of keeping our players fit more (although it does seem that a lot of teams are suffering injuries and it might just be the higher intensity of the game these days). But yes, we need quite a lot of things.

Does anyone think we have many players that could take the step up to the PL? Like with AK the current squad would need another maasive overhaul if we got promoted. We have begun to recruit much better than ever before now and the task is morphing from buying young players with sell on value to actually keeping enough of them together/fit before the offers start coming in.

We've come light years from where we were 3years ago, but still have a long way to go. At least we are heading in the right direction, and if we keep doing so I'm sure we'll get the balance of the squad right, I'm talking in the longer-term though.

we never really clicked at all during xmas and have not found our rhythm all season only managing a really good 45 here and there, but are currently in 5th. Things could be a lot worse, it wasn't that long ago our own fans were saying we'd be relegated this season, so at least now we are looking up and not down.  

The journey is just beginning, keep the faith.

UTB!

I don’t understand this perspective at all. Money is the only real way to progress these days. Winning promotion is the quickest way to access large sums of money. It’s the easiest way to build/re-build a squad or a club. If we were to be promoted our entire squad would be overhauled. There’d be more revenue streams open to us and we’d give ourselves parachute payment should we go down to help us build the club further.

Promotion is the only realistic means of proper growth.

2 hours ago, Humpty said:

I don’t understand this perspective at all. Money is the only real way to progress these days. Winning promotion is the quickest way to access large sums of money. It’s the easiest way to build/re-build a squad or a club. If we were to be promoted our entire squad would be overhauled. There’d be more revenue streams open to us and we’d give ourselves parachute payment should we go down to help us build the club further.

Promotion is the only realistic means of proper growth.

I get the argument but could Boro have an extended run in the top flight? The alternative is being a yo yo club like Burnley.

58 minutes ago, Plastic Goat said:

I get the argument but could Boro have an extended run in the top flight? The alternative is being a yo yo club like Burnley.

Only way to do that is to win promotion.

6 hours ago, Plastic Goat said:

This team is far too ponderous when in possession. We allow opponents to ensure they have ten men behind the ball.  I'm afraid this won't change with this current crop of players. Yes we might scrape into the playoffs but we won't win them. I'm beginning to think that maybe this is the plan after all. Quite honestly I don't think any of our players could hack it in the PL.

We are a slightly above average Championship team. Therefore you could argue we are doing ok to be challenging for a playoff place. It's beginning to look almost impossible for clubs like Boro to have an extended run in the PL. I think Leeds, Sheffield United and Burnley if promoted will come straight back down. At the moment Forest are bucking the trend but it's a flash in the pan.

I think Boro fans need to resign themselves that  second tier football may be the future.

 

 

 

I believe this is the plan which has been highlighted in several quotes “ a club the town can afford” & “ cutting the cloth” just two of the many. 
Our days are long past and we are not going anywhere other then the championship. 

5 minutes ago, sanddancer said:

I believe this is the plan which has been highlighted in several quotes “ a club the town can afford” & “ cutting the cloth” just two of the many. 
Our days are long past and we are not going anywhere other then the championship. 

As H says above. We would likely be up and down and up again. But if you want to build a Premier League squad, that's the only way now.

Admittedly the first season up won't be a great watch....

First season add 5 or 6 on longish contracts, hold on to as many as you can, go back up and add 5 or 6 more.

If you look at Ipswich. IF they fail to finish outside the bottom 3 they'll lose a couple of their players that have shone, eg Delap. But they'll be stronger than the Championship team of last season.

Drop this hand grenade...... To fulfill getting and maintaining a Premier League position do we need new ownership?

Serious question. Is Gibbo's wealth sufficient to finance the club to the investment level needed?

 

2 hours ago, Plastic Goat said:

I get the argument but could Boro have an extended run in the top flight? The alternative is being a yo yo club like Burnley.

if you invest wisley and make the grade in your first season then anything's possible with good management from the board to the coaching staff.

not an easy task, but at least we know we wont be a club with FFP problems, and with the rules seemingly being enforced more in the last 18 months, there is always the chance a points deduction could help to bail at least 3rd bottom out, and every year if you spend and sell well should make things a little bit easier. but even if you do come straight back down, you should be in a better place and chance of getting promoted again with additional funds.

 

11 minutes ago, Robin Johnson said:

Drop this hand grenade...... To fulfill getting and maintaining a Premier League position do we need new ownership?

Serious question. Is Gibbo's wealth sufficient to finance the club to the investment level needed?

being in that league for couple of seasons and he may well have offers to consider, is a lot easier to turn people down when your younger, older he gets the more open he may be to hand it over to someone he believed in, epically if he was going to get a decent pay out

6 hours ago, Humpty said:

I 

 

6 hours ago, Humpty said:

I don’t understand this perspective at all. Money is the only real way to progress these days. Winning promotion is the quickest way to access large sums of money. It’s the easiest way to build/re-build a squad or a club. If we were to be promoted our entire squad would be overhauled. There’d be more revenue streams open to us and we’d give ourselves parachute payment should we go down to help us build the club further.

Promotion is the only realistic means of proper growth.

We did that with AK and without the correct structures and ethos in place to support the growth it lead to a loooong spell in the champo we are arguably still recovering from.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 5, 20251 yr by HolgateHero

We didn't have any structure in place whilst Karanka was manager. Not to mention that building with Karanka would have been like building a house on sand.