MATCHWATCH : Middlesbrough (a) sponsored by a Paul Holsgrove winner

[genome]

Sassy: "Hi Brian, I'm afraid I've got some bad news, I'm going to have to let you go"
Brian: "What? But I've not had a chance to remove the deadwood and build my own team!"
Sassy: "I don't care. Some blokes on HNA are absolutely livid that we lost to the champions elect last night"
Brian: "But I've only lost 4 league games in 12, and we're 12th in the form table"
Sassy: "Don't care m8, laters"

[No Fixed Abode]

Sassy: "Hi Brian, I'm afraid I've got some bad news, I'm going to have to let you go"
Brian: "What? But I've not had a chance to remove the deadwood and build my own team!"
Sassy: "I don't care. Some blokes on HNA are absolutely livid that we lost to the champions elect last night"
Brian: "But I've only lost 4 league games in 12, and we're 12th in the form table"
Sassy: "Don't care m8, laters"

Brian "When I took over we were 13th in the table with a positive goal difference and now we're 14th with a negative goal difference, that's progress".

[Maneki Neko]

im not sure you really understand how point accumulation works kes.

[No Fixed Abode]

im not sure you really understand how point accumulation works kes.

We know that Clarke has a better PPG than BM this season so far.

[Maneki Neko]

he had two strikers that could score

[No Fixed Abode]

he had two strikers that could score

Sa was replaced with Kerm and Blackman played out wide didn't he? So suffice to say BM hasn't got the best of those he brought in to replace them.

[Maneki Neko]

he had two strikers that could score

Sa was replaced with Kerm and Blackman played out wide didn't he? So suffice to say BM hasn't got the best of those he brought in to replace them.

pretty much took what he could getwith kermo.
and rakels wasnt his choice.

[genome]

Blackman played out wide as an inside forward in a front three, not as a winger

[Longhorn1970]

Most reasonable people would say he's done about what you'd expect really given what state we were in when he arrived and subsequently losing his two top scorers.

Face it, we took a short term punt at promotion at the start of the season, like Watford did last season which is completely against everything the club has stood for during successful periods. It all collapsed, as that type of approach usually does, at the first sign of trouble and we've been guaranteed mediocre midtable fodder ever since.

Again most reasonable people would know that he can't really be judged on this season unless we were somehow relegated.

Let's see where we are next season before we get the knives out eh?

State we were in?? A few points off play offs. If thats a state how do you describe our present predicament?

Read the paragraph below the one you've "selectively" quoted from and you'll find the answer.

Better still read Stranded's response below. Unless you've a particular bent for hounding McDermott it was pretty obvious it had all fallen apart completely by the time McD arrived.

Cods wallop ! We had a dip in form as have most clubs at some stage (take Brighton as an example) difference being our owners/board panicked and got rid of SC. The Fulham thing was a storm in a tea cup and staff are approached all the time, the fact the club went public looked like they wanted an excuse to get rid and grab £m in the process (which backfired). I wouldn't mind but his replacement shows exactly where we are on the football map, going nowhere ...

[Maneki Neko]

Cods wallop ! We had a dip in form as have most clubs at some stage (take Brighton as an example) difference being our owners/board panicked and got rid of SC. The Fulham thing was a storm in a tea cup and staff are approached all the time, the fact the club went public looked like they wanted an excuse to get rid.

clearly something went on, he wasn't happy- probably knowing that blackman and Sa were about to be sold, and that he wouldn't be getting more money for new players.

wasn't a torm in a tea cup though, not by any stretch

[Longhorn1970]

Sassy: "Hi Brian, I'm afraid I've got some bad news, I'm going to have to let you go"
Brian: "What? But I've not had a chance to remove the deadwood and build my own team!"
Sassy: "I don't care. Some blokes on HNA are absolutely livid that we lost to the champions elect last night"
Brian: "But I've only lost 4 league games in 12, and we're 12th in the form table"
Sassy: "Don't care m8, laters"

but when you agreed to take the job on Brisey you said you were pleased with the squad, a squad that trounced boro earlier this season ? On your way pal ...

[Vision]

State we were in?? A few points off play offs. If thats a state how do you describe our present predicament?

Read the paragraph below the one you've "selectively" quoted from and you'll find the answer.

Better still read Stranded's response below. Unless you've a particular bent for hounding McDermott it was pretty obvious it had all fallen apart completely by the time McD arrived.

Cods wallop ! We had a dip in form as have most clubs at some stage (take Brighton as an example) difference being our owners/board panicked and got rid of SC. The Fulham thing was a storm in a tea cup and staff are approached all the time, the fact the club went public looked like they wanted an excuse to get rid and grab £m in the process (which backfired). I wouldn't mind but his replacement shows exactly where we are on the football map, going nowhere ...

If things hadn't deteriorated to such a degree then why would the club want to lose Clarke? If he was capable of taking us up as you assert why would they simply want to cash in on a minimal compensation package rather than the cash cow that is the Premiership?

[Longhorn1970]

Cods wallop ! We had a dip in form as have most clubs at some stage (take Brighton as an example) difference being our owners/board panicked and got rid of SC. The Fulham thing was a storm in a tea cup and staff are approached all the time, the fact the club went public looked like they wanted an excuse to get rid.

clearly something went on, he wasn't happy- probably knowing that blackman and Sa were about to be sold, and that he wouldn't be getting more money for new players.

wasn't a torm in a tea cup though, not by any stretch

You can make it into what you want, it happens in football, same as we approached BM at the gooners academy ....

[genome]

Sassy: "Hi Brian, I'm afraid I've got some bad news, I'm going to have to let you go"
Brian: "What? But I've not had a chance to remove the deadwood and build my own team!"
Sassy: "I don't care. Some blokes on HNA are absolutely livid that we lost to the champions elect last night"
Brian: "But I've only lost 4 league games in 12, and we're 12th in the form table"
Sassy: "Don't care m8, laters"

but when you agreed to take the job on Brisey you said you were pleased with the squad, a squad that trounced boro earlier this season ? On your way pal ...

Do you think Brian would come out and undermine a struggling squad by criticising them? What kind of manager would that make him?

[Maneki Neko]

Sassy: "Hi Brian, I'm afraid I've got some bad news, I'm going to have to let you go"
Brian: "What? But I've not had a chance to remove the deadwood and build my own team!"
Sassy: "I don't care. Some blokes on HNA are absolutely livid that we lost to the champions elect last night"
Brian: "But I've only lost 4 league games in 12, and we're 12th in the form table"
Sassy: "Don't care m8, laters"

but when you agreed to take the job on Brisey you said you were pleased with the squad, quote]

lol at the HNA moron school of man management

just lol.

[Longhorn1970]

Read the paragraph below the one you've "selectively" quoted from and you'll find the answer.

Better still read Stranded's response below. Unless you've a particular bent for hounding McDermott it was pretty obvious it had all fallen apart completely by the time McD arrived.

Cods wallop ! We had a dip in form as have most clubs at some stage (take Brighton as an example) difference being our owners/board panicked and got rid of SC. The Fulham thing was a storm in a tea cup and staff are approached all the time, the fact the club went public looked like they wanted an excuse to get rid and grab £m in the process (which backfired). I wouldn't mind but his replacement shows exactly where we are on the football map, going nowhere ...

If things hadn't deteriorated to such a degree then why would the club want to lose Clarke? If he was capable of taking us up as you assert why would they simply want to cash in on a minimal compensation package rather than the cash cow that is the Premiership?

Because they got cold feet ?

[Longhorn1970]

Sassy: "Hi Brian, I'm afraid I've got some bad news, I'm going to have to let you go"
Brian: "What? But I've not had a chance to remove the deadwood and build my own team!"
Sassy: "I don't care. Some blokes on HNA are absolutely livid that we lost to the champions elect last night"
Brian: "But I've only lost 4 league games in 12, and we're 12th in the form table"
Sassy: "Don't care m8, laters"

but when you agreed to take the job on Brisey you said you were pleased with the squad, a squad that trounced boro earlier this season ? On your way pal ...

Do you think Brian would come out and undermine a struggling squad by criticising them? What kind of manager would that make him?

Why would he criticise a squad that's perfectly adequate ? As we saw in the first part of the season or have you erased that from your memory ..

[Vision]

Cods wallop ! We had a dip in form as have most clubs at some stage (take Brighton as an example) difference being our owners/board panicked and got rid of SC. The Fulham thing was a storm in a tea cup and staff are approached all the time, the fact the club went public looked like they wanted an excuse to get rid and grab £m in the process (which backfired). I wouldn't mind but his replacement shows exactly where we are on the football map, going nowhere ...

If things hadn't deteriorated to such a degree then why would the club want to lose Clarke? If he was capable of taking us up as you assert why would they simply want to cash in on a minimal compensation package rather than the cash cow that is the Premiership?

Because they got cold feet ?

I suggest the fact you've answered a question with a question demonstrates you're not entirely convinced of your own theory mate.

Clarke's team was shot, it was obvious in my opinion but hey if you want to believe it was all a calculated plan by the Thai's to save money then fair enough.

[Longhorn1970]

he had two strikers that could score

So you blame the board for selling SA and Blackman to absolve BM of any responsibility ?

[genome]

but when you agreed to take the job on Brisey you said you were pleased with the squad, a squad that trounced boro earlier this season ? On your way pal ...

Do you think Brian would come out and undermine a struggling squad by criticising them? What kind of manager would that make him?

Why would he criticise a squad that's perfectly adequate ? As we saw in the first part of the season or have you erased that from your memory ..

We were performing well because our defence was confident (prior to Fulham away) and Blackman hit a rich vein of form. No surprise it went tits up when he stopped scoring and our defence got shaky.

I've always maintained that you learn more about a team when the chips are down than you do when they are doing well. Clearly, this team does not respond well to adversity. Brian is right that it is a good squad but it is not a good team and he's not going to come out and say that.