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Assaombalonga to Middlesbrough - £15m



Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Aug 25, 2011
63,409
Withdean area
I reported Steve Gibson's interview back in May, where he admitted their failings and said they were going to bring in pace and flair to smash the league.

This was ridiculed, opinions being that were going back to becoming Championship nobodies.

Looks like Gibson is planning otherwise.
 


Boro5707

New member
Dec 21, 2015
116
I reported Steve Gibson's interview back in May, where he admitted their failings and said they were going to bring in pace and flair to smash the league.

This was ridiculed, opinions being that were going back to becoming Championship nobodies.

Looks like Gibson is planning otherwise.

Yeah he admitted he got it wrong. This is someone who has seen around 6 or 7 promotions to the top flight with the club. After 7 years out the top flight it was really surprising how much of a leap up it is. Top championship players like Ayala, friend, Clayton ect. All struggled at times. Gibson excelled but that was it. Defensively we were sound, just couldn't score or create chances. The gulf is vast, and a real eye opener. Burnley had an outstanding year and unbelievable home form. They are direct and worked well for them. Terrible away.
Our best 5 players in no order were, Gibson, negredo, chambers, valdes and de roon. Bar Gibson, all had top flight experience.

Good luck
 


Bigtomfu

New member
Jul 25, 2003
4,416
Harrow
Football has completely jumped the shark.

The trouble is it's like a drug. Football is like crack and our lips are welded to the pipe otherwise most of us being rationale grown adults would have walked away years ago before it got into this mess
 


Gritt23

New member
Jul 7, 2003
14,902
Meopham, Kent.
While everyone with their heads in the sand think this is just enormous amounts of money circling around the game, the reality is this is massive amounts of money leaving the game and into agents pockets with every ludicrous deal.

This year, the excitement of us having made it back into the top division masks the rest, but once that veil draws back, the game really is an ugly cesspool of greed and extortionate earnings for players and agents.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patreon
Oct 8, 2003
49,347
Faversham
Nothing to do with them being "Big clubs" but everything to do with the ridiculous money in the Premier league. Are Bournemouth now a big club because they spent 20 million on one player?

I have a feeling this is what [MENTION=28934]AmexRuislip[/MENTION] meant, with tongue firmly in cheek.
 




Marshy

Well-known member
Jul 6, 2003
19,698
FRUIT OF THE BLOOM
Boro will in my opinion go straight back up.

15 million though !.... thats a lot of money for striker let alone someone with his injury record

you could get a proven La Liga striker for half the price.
 
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Not Andy Naylor

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2007
8,787
Seven Dials
This is what you have to pay to buy a player from another English club, much cheaper to be had abroad, however.

Although as soon as a Premier League club is interested the price goes up, because sellers know how much dosh they have.
 




Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Aug 25, 2011
63,409
Withdean area
Yeah he admitted he got it wrong. This is someone who has seen around 6 or 7 promotions to the top flight with the club. After 7 years out the top flight it was really surprising how much of a leap up it is. Top championship players like Ayala, friend, Clayton ect. All struggled at times. Gibson excelled but that was it. Defensively we were sound, just couldn't score or create chances. The gulf is vast, and a real eye opener. Burnley had an outstanding year and unbelievable home form. They are direct and worked well for them. Terrible away.
Our best 5 players in no order were, Gibson, negredo, chambers, valdes and de roon. Bar Gibson, all had top flight experience.

Good luck

Burnley had the advantages of experience from their 2014/15 PL season, plus three summer windows of spending (2014, 15 & 16) to get the right squad.

Boro lacked pace and flair as Gibson said in his review, giving a lack of threat and so few goals. Which is a vital lesson to the newly promoted clubs in this particular window.
 


Papa Lazarou

Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
Jul 7, 2003
18,840
Worthing
Burnley had the advantages of experience from their 2014/15 PL season, plus three summer windows of spending (2014, 15 & 16) to get the right squad.

Boro lacked pace and flair as Gibson said in his review, giving a lack of threat and so few goals. Which is a vital lesson to the newly promoted clubs in this particular window.

Is it a lesson we've learnt, or should I say, is there any evidence we're acting upon it?
 


Surf's Up

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2011
10,147
Here
Although as soon as a Premier League club is interested the price goes up, because sellers know how much dosh they have.

..... inevitably and predictably and unavoidably, and this is the bit we seem to be having a problem adjusting to. Its like you've lived and worked all your life in the middle of Wales (example only!) and you suddenly get a job in London and have to re-locate. Sure your salary increases massively but the cost of everything else goes through the roof too and everyone is always trying to rip you off so the two cancel each other out. You don't survive if you refuse to pay the increased costs.
 




mejonaNO12 aka riskit

Well-known member
Dec 4, 2003
21,481
England
I really hope Forest invest that wisely. They have quite an exciting young team being built at the moment. They are my "surprise" for the Championship next season.
 


Papa Lazarou

Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
Jul 7, 2003
18,840
Worthing
..... inevitably and predictably and unavoidably, and this is the bit we seem to be having a problem adjusting to. Its like you've lived and worked all your life in the middle of Wales (example only!) and you suddenly get a job in London and have to re-locate. Sure your salary increases massively but the cost of everything else goes through the roof too and everyone is always trying to rip you off so the two cancel each other out. You don't survive if you refuse to pay the increased costs.

To use your analogy - can we commute from the Championship to the Premier League?
 


Apr 15, 2016
114
N1D
15 million is crazy for a player who was part of a team in a relegation battle last season. Don't get me wrong I think he's a good striker but 15 million, really?
 






MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,689
If he can stay fit then he's a goal machine in the Champ. They don't half love chucking money at strikers don't they though Boro.

Good deal fro Forest as well. Can't wait to see a full season of Brereton tearing it up, and I agree that they're a decent dark horse for top 6.
 


Foolg

.
Apr 23, 2007
5,024
That is way above anything we will pay.
.

I believe we will pay close to that. We were offering north of £10m for Delaney who is a defensive midfielder and strikers are well known to be more expensive.

But when we do spend that amount of cash, i'd imagine it'll be someone with top flight experience and with knees which don't seem to already be shot to pieces.
 






Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,521
This is the problem with parachute payments - they're not being used as a soft landing for the financial realities of Championship football, but as "free money" to punt £10-£15 mill on whoever has managed to score 15+ goals in the Championship.

£100mill spent on Rhodes, McCormack, Assombalonga, Andre Gray, Dwight Gayle, Matt Ritchie, Pritchard and Vydra over the years and none of them have ever really cut it in the Prem.
 


AmexRuislip

Trainee Spy 🕵️‍♂️
Feb 2, 2014
33,727
Ruislip
Nothing to do with them being "Big clubs" but everything to do with the ridiculous money in the Premier league. Are Bournemouth now a big club because they spent 20 million on one player?

I've looked into this big club policy and spent all of my night shift combing through the evidence, compiled by the think tank of Google.
Given all this information, I have concluded that all facts point to Leeds being a massive club :cool:
 



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