Yakubu Ayegbeni for 7 million pounds, good idea! On Massimo Maccarone,he's been playing very well in Serie A, i still think he could do a job for Middlesbrough. Yakubu, Viduka, Hasselbaink and Maccarone would be the best striking line after Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham! Thats not bad for a team that has got a very good defensive unit and a few really good middies!
No way, Szilard Nemeth has actually tried lately and shown his worth. Malcolm Christie has broken bones 3 times in consecutive fashion, theres something not right with him and he's no way above the likes of Hasselbaink, Yakubu, Viduka.
But Rick. I hate Middlesboro. When we play Boro at St James' Park, we have some excellent crack on pre-match. We seriously take the stupid piss out of each other. I only go onto a coupla forums, Boro being one of them. They are only up the A19. So i think this forum is mine, like the Sunderland and Newcastle United forum's. I think i am totally restricted on this site. pffffffft. Have it. Ps. Marie. No i will not take you to the stupid Pictures.
Cause Rick B edited my stupid post, i was answering him, the stupid Cockney. Ps. Amarillo. Road. On. Am. I. The. To.
Ali with his take on the penalty, (stole from fmttm.com) http://homepage.ntlworld.com/neil.trodden/savewithali.mp4 if you don't know who he is, he is the local radio commentator for century radio on all the boro games. He is daft as a brush but a committed and pationate fan, and his reaction pretty much somes up my reaction on sunday!
It took more than 10 seconds to load so thats just ********ing it for me. Havent seen the stupid thing. Ps. Haway the toon.
Well, Mel, that's because we actually want to talk about Boro, unlike whatever it is that you do. You come here saying absolutely pffffffffft. Go where somebody cares.
Look now son. I played for Middlesboro youth team, so, i think that makes me able to slag the stupid Smog Monsters off imo. Has any Yank played for Middlesboro? No. Therefore i win. Haway the toon. Ps. Excuse me Officer but could you please tell me how to get to Amarillo? Well its this way and that way and then...............I put my foot on the stupid accelerater, wind my stupid window down and say ' you ********ing stupid cocknose ' Pps. Have it.
‘Boro in for Appiah http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/angloangle.html Middlesbrough are reportedly preparing a bid for Stephen Appiah. The Ghanaian international has struggled to hold down a first-team place at Juventus and Coach Fabio Capello is prepared to let him leave. There are reports that the former Parma midfielder could be arriving on Teesside today to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical. The Bianconeri are looking for around £5m for the 24-year-old, but Middlesbrough are thought to be keen to sign him on loan for the season, though they face competition from Birmingham and Everton for his services. One player who will not be coming to the Riverside Stadium is Inter winger Andy van der Meyde. ‘Boro are believed to have held talks with Inter but lost interest after speaking to the Dutch international.
Any update on Downing? Actually, this may be a blessing in disguise for him, give him a good rest. I'm of the opinion that the footy offseason is way too short, and you add the internationals and it's no wonder that guys cannot shrug off injury. So, glad to have him home.
Craig Moore??? We are not amused. He's crap. Was talk about Ljubo Milicevic coming to the Boro. I shall see some more of him in the Confed Cup before, I make a statement.
Okay here’s how I think the squad should shape up for next year: Goalkeepers Mark Schwarzer - Is our no1 keeper and shall remain so. Still one of the best keepers in the league. Brad Jones - Showed he was more than capable when he was called upon last season. He will be more than an adequate replacement for Mark. Impressions? I think Brad proved his worth last year. Mark is still one of the best keepers in the league. If either one gets injured we are up s***t creek. But here’s hoping one of the other youngsters (presumably, Turnbull or Knight) are good enough to be called up to the first team. Defenders Stuart Parnaby - Has great versatility, can play on the right, or as right wing back or in the centre. He shall remain and hopefully try and claim the right back spot as his own - as he did a few seasons back. His injuries last season didn’t help. Tony McMahon - Again, proved he was up to the task of playing in the Right back position after being propelled into the first team. He shall continue to grow and grow, and will fight with Stuart for the right-back spot. Michael Reiziger - I like ol’ Dwayne Dibley. But he’s not the long term replacement for the team. He has proven he is quality and his versatility came in usefully during last season. He shall remain for another season. His experience and quality is a valuable asset. And gives us more options. Chris Riggott - After a error against the skunks on the opening day of the season - learnt from his mistakes and has proven to be a solid centre-back. He shall take over from Ugo and probably start alongside Gareth in the heart of the defence. A starter for sure now. Gareth Southgate - Still our captain and still has a lot to offer. Age may be against him and he may hang up his boots next year. Until then, we shall continue to play him and get someone in to partner Riggott at the back. Ideally someone with a lot of experience but not massively old and someone who can really shake up the back-four when needed. Steven Pressley of Hearts would be an ideal replacement. Ugo Eghiou - His injuries have finally caught up with him and he has lost a lot of that pace and has become slightly lethargic. What I hope is temporary, may not be. I think he shall stay on, maybe not as a regular first-team player, but as a squad one. We shall sell him either this season or the next, with Zat Knight or someone of the ilk coming in. Colin Cooper - Coops has been offered a 1 year player/coach deal, and really won’t be called on much unless we suffer another mammoth injury toll. But he still gives 100% commitment and will never shun the chance of playing in the first team or disappoint. A Boro legend. He will be very handy to have… Andrew Davies - The season before last he looked a little of out his depth. Since going to QPR on loan he has really excelled and looked a little more assured of himself. He shall be loaned out for another season to get more first-team experience. Hopefully he can come in, when Ugo leaves and replace his position in the squad. Franck Queudrue - The fans favourite. Unlike so many Frenchmen, this guy actually likes to get stuck in and last season proved he is probably one of the best left backs in the league. Can score a few and when going forward offers so much more options. Indispensable to the club. Still have doubts over his disciplinary record, but to be honest we need his sort, even it does cost us a few reds down the line. Emmanuel Pogatetz? - Would be a great signing for the club. He’s a big guy and can play at centre back if needed. Ideally, he will merely slot into Franck’s position if needed. In that case Francky may be pushed forward into the left wing spot if we need to do so. Impressions? Good enough. Doubts remain over Ugo’s competence in the squad any more. With reports of a new centre-back coming in - he could leave. Other than that, if Pogatetz can come to the Boro - then we will have healthy competition all round. Barring injury of course. *crosses fingers* Midfielders Stewart Downing: no1. Our best player. Hands off. The best. Nuff said. Owns the left wing spot. James Morrison - Was another one of those players that really excelled. From what I have seen of this guy. I really think he can blossom into something really special. I would happily see him stay on, fighting and contesting that right wing spot. Gaizika Mendieta - Has class, skill and experience. All of which will be vital to us. Suffered a nasty cruciate ligament injury last August and hopefully will back in the squad this year. George Boateng - I simply cannot under-estimate how much we miss this guy when he is out of the team. When he got injured last season, our form nose-dived. When he came back, we started winning. Its no surprise. Indispensable for us. Ray Parlour - Ray, like George is the combative midfielder in the centre. Still got lots to offer. Miles better in the centre than out wide. Him and George really do excel in that area. His experience is extremely vital. Doriva - He is an option for us. Offers competition for the midfield. Impressions? We still need some left wing cover for Stewie. Someone who can play both on the right and on the left wing, a la Andy Van Der Meyde would be good. Getting VDM on loan for next season would be a good move imo. I would prefer to see Parlour and Mendieta in the same role next to George in the centre. I think, playing them on the right is not a good move imo. Another attacking midfield option is a must, especially if Zenden leaves. If he does, we definitely need a new attacking midfielder, who can get us a around 10 goals next season. No names spring out, but I would look at the youth-team or maybe the lower leagues in England for answers. Adam Johnson is a possible option for left wing cover, we will have to wait to see how he progresses... Attackers Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - Our top scorer last year. Still has so much to offer. Another season out of him and then he'll leave. Here’s hoping he can build on the goals he scored for us this year. Mark Viduka - Injuries played their toll, but during which he showed his class and finishing prowess. In time, he will start alongside Yakubu. Joseph Job - Will be sold, thanks to the Yaks arrival. Bye-bye. Will go back to France imo. Szilard Nemeth - Has one more year on his contract I believe. He may find first team chances hard to come by. But I think he will leave either in the middle of this season or the summer of the next one. Malcolm Christie - Still the only ‘real’ striker we have at the club. Every time he gets a run in the side, he looks more and more like the 20 goal a season man we expect. But cursed with freakishly bad injuries. We can only hope that he recovers and starts to score. I really want him as one of our top centre-forwards, but he just keeps getting damn injured. A real shame. He will stay though. Yak - Oh yeah. The new 8m boy. Expect him to start alongside Jimmy and then Viduka (when fit) Massimo Maccarone??? - Well, I think they shall look of how he has progressed in the summer months. I think he could well be loaned back out, if the manager doesn't think it will work out... Danny Graham - I think he could be loaned out, to get some first team experience. Lacks that great first-touch but he is still young and hopefully will learn. One for the future I think. Will be called upon during an injury crisis. Impressions? Good enough. But all depends on how many can stay fit. Both Jimmy and the Yak can score goals easily at this level. And together with Viduka, it means explosive fire-power. Job and Nemeth are looking incredibly more marginalized. And unless Job or Nemeth can revert to the right wing spot, then they will leave in due course. Christie, if fit - should remain as the 4th choice. Hopefully, if my Manager prediction is right (see below) then Derek Riordan should be joining us for the 2006/07 season. Manager: Jury is still out. One more season. He will leave to take the England job after Eriksson blows England’s best chance of a World Cup and Mogga will leave Edinburgh after his Hibernian graduation to join his beloved home team. And hopefully he will bring Derek Riordan with him. Youngsters? Well, we have seen a lot of the good youngsters come through last season, and obviously we can only hope that the others can come through too. Signings? Pogatetz, Van Der Meyde (loan), a new attacking midfielder (if Zenden goes) and possibly Zat Knight or Steven Pressley this year or Jonathan Woodgate next year. Overall? Generally speaking our squad is what a squad should be. A mix of exciting young players and experience. I think with this in place, if we stay injury free. I don’t see why we can’t get into Europe again, and or have a nice little cup final run.