Admiral Nelsen

Suppose any Assombalonga interest has died with Pulis' sacking. Hard to see how the next Boro manager, whoever it turns out to be, would not try and play to his strengths more than the last one.

A gamble with poor odds, but a potentially massive pay out. I'd avoid, but I can definitely see the temptation. Another tempting one would be Adrien (no idea if that's realistic or not). Dropped the odd howler in the top flight, but could be top class at this level.

Because I don't agree that our mid-table finish was due to our player of the year not doing his job! I think 15 goals and bringing Dack, Armstrong, Rothwell and others into play as well as he does is good enough for a top 6 finish if we stop the goals at the other end. He needs help though to be sure.

Have to take issue with that, almost all of our attacking play last season went through Graham. Dack & Armstrong relied heavily on him for any sort of platform. Rothwell managed to create for himself towards the end, but Graham's holdup play is up there with the best in the division. He might not be a 20 goal a season striker anymore (even though 15 at his age isn't at all to be sniffed at!) but his contribution is certainly well above average. Next season is about taking some of the burden away from him having to do it consistently three times a week, not massively upgrading on his quality imo.

Not really, other than the one Nixon story saying we'd probably need to sell before we could afford Gally for 5 million. Obviously that could mean: i) our overall budget is less than £5 million ii) our remaining budget for a striker, after setting aside funds for all the other positions is less than £5 million iii) Nixon is guessing because he said 'probably need a sale' iv) Nixon is guessing because, well, obviously he is I don't really know what I'm expecting. I don't see any Brereton-scale outlays if we're going for players in their prime. If I had to guess I'd say a couple of frees (of which it seems like Fielding could be the first, but lets see), one maybe two transfer fee signings from Europe and maybe one player in the Freeman mould who would cost a few million quid.

I know that's a disgrace, everything wrong with modern football etc. but am I alone in thinking that's hilarious? Villa supporting mate thought he was rather hard done to under the previous management. Can see him going to a championship club for a heavily subsidised loan next season, think we could do worse personally.

According to a Sunderland fan I know, it sounds like they're in a position not too dissimilar to where we were last season. 2 or 3 players that are far, far too good for the third tier, other players that are probably top end of L1 but with question marks about how well they could adapt. They've got used to winning again, so maybe exercised a few demons there. Having said that I get the impression though that they're relying on McGeady and others even more than we relied on Dack & Mulgrew, and the wages are equally if not even more eye watering. Also don't think there's anything that you'd really call a feel-good-factor there either given how they've coughed and spluttered and missed out on the top 2. I don't think they would be in as good a position as we were to compete if they win today, but I think a loss could be disasterous. I know less about where Charlton are at, but I'd be dissapointed if we'll be concerned about either of them as competition next season.

Be interesting to see if Stoke take the same moral stance if a player who is actually doing the business gets convicted! Clearly a very good player in there, but not good odds that he'll turn his career round at this point in my view. He'll go to a championship cub who get desperate in all likelihood. I hope that it's not us.

They've changed the piece now, just say that we've posted record losses.

He almost dragged us into the CL that season and only played 2/3 of it! Remember a friend saying that, having been too young to remember Shearer going, Bellamy to Liverpool for only £6million was the day he 'lost his innocence'!

Never get bored of talking about how good Bellamy was. Such a catalyst for our success over that 4 year period, never seen a desire to win like it. Stead's another obvious one, but more for his hot patch rather than the mercurial ability of the other two.

Not great, it sounds like the record of the sort of goalkeeper who make careers out being reserves. I was looking at Alex Manninger's wiki a few days ago, who was inexplicably still playing (sort of) until 2017. Over his career, he's had 5 clubs who he didn't even play for!

This is completely fair enough & I know I'm guilty of it. Thing is though, the branch of social psychology which the halo effect comes from also finds the opposite mechanism to be true - the 'forked tail' effect, whereby people who have a negative opinion of someone or something allow that view to spill over into viewing other aspects of them negatively. Trying to be reflexive about it, I know I've been overly defensive of TM when it comes to some of the individual decisions that he has made because I think overall he's been great. I also think TM critics have at times been guilty of the reverse though; don't like some aspect of his management, and that has spilled over into over-reactions about things which are either unrelated or not that important. This is a really good case in point. I personally think it's a good thing that TM is the sort of manager which looks after players in Gladwin's position, but I know full well that if TM had decided to let him go as we all expected, I'd be backing him (in fact I'd probably not even give it a seconds thought). Equally, fans may think rightly or wrongly that TM has been too loyal in his selection of his favourites, and the fact that he's is keeping on Gladwin is demonstrative of why we always be hamstrung with Mowbray in charge because of his blind-spots (even though keeping on in injured player for a few months before letting them go has little bearing on how loyal he has been to players who actually get on the pitch, and doesn't point at all to how the rest of the summer is going to go recruitment-wise). Would TM have got the credit for being ruthless for letting Gladwin go (or Conway & the Canadian for that matter)? I doubt it. This obviously gets 10 times worse on a message board where people get even more entrenched in their positions, but I think the irrationality can be found across the piece, not just those of us who get starry eyed about the manager.

So was Vogel in fairness. Probably just came to England a bit too late.

Think the 'Mokoena's going to break your legs' song had references to how he can't shoot or pass. In fairness, it didn't really catch on.

Suppose the confidence may come from knowing they can generate plenty of cash from selling Grealish. That being said if they lose Abraham, Grealish & Mings and can't spend much of the Grealish money on strengthening the squad, then hard to see them as competitive as they were this year. Apparently Woodgate is nailed on for the Boro job. Another untested manager in charge of a team hoping to go up, even for the Championship next year is looking ridiculously unpredictable.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48255942 Pulis gone

Hopefully those sorts of sums will mean that there'll be some cost-cutting this season, FFP or not. Have to admit, I was going for Derby almost entirely because I thought Villa were the ones more likely to have their squad dismantled. I had no idea that the reverse was more likely. In any case, it's not Leeds, so happy days.

Is this correct? Villa have another two years to basically throw as much money as they like before they face consequences? Pretty galling if so, considering the dire straits they were on last summer. I had assumed that it was a temporary stay of execution, but I could be wrong.

Not good enough to start every week for a team that goes up. Can still contribute as a squaddie and good influence on a young squad imo.

Hilarious. Worse than the scousers! Really don't get that mentality. We could be 3 up going into injury time & I'd still half expect us to throw it away, let alone tempting fate with something like that.

Can't say I'd be at all happy if Gladwin is kept on, the others I'd be fine with so long as the contracts are low and we'd still be bringing in sufficient quality.

It would be funnier if Leeds don't go up, but then again it's more likely that Villa will have to face the music if their gamble doesn't pay off this year. Either way, come on Derby!

Massive summer for WBA coming up. Well paid, ageing squad who have relied heavily on some very successful loans this year (Gayle, Barnes, Holgate & Johansen). New manager coming in, likely cost cutting & unlikely to get as much form the loan market next term, they'll do well to be competing right at the top imo. Never easy to predict these things, but I can see at least Fulham & Hudds not competing at the top out of the relegated teams. Also a good chance that WBA, Boro & Sheff Weds could go backwards for various reasons. I can see next season being even more open than this one.