Middlesbrough splashing the cash

SecondFig

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Having already signed Kris Boyd, Boro are apparently on the verge of signing Stephen McManus for £1.5m from Celtic and Kevin Thomson for £2m from Rangers.

McManus should be confirmed tomorrow but Thomson still being thrashed out.
 
They'll be good enough to get out of the Championship this season, I would have thought. He's bringing in a lot of battle-hardened players who will be far better than what he's got. Boyd could score 30 in the Championship with the defences down there.
 
Looks like they're really gambling on going up this season, but not sure either Thomson or McManus are Premier League quality so seems rather short-term

edit: of course promotion is worth so much that short-term'ism would pay off if they're successful
 
Mcmanus is a good signing for them. He brings out the best in Wheater and they desperately need him now that Pogatetz has left. McDonald and Boyd should get them plenty of goals, and they have a pretty good midfield by Championship standards, Barry Robson was probably their player of the season in the 6 months he was there last season and that will probably continue. They could just do with a creative midfielder or winger now and they'll be set.
 
what is with this love of SPL players...

they will be in the championship for years with that transfer mentality
 
Nothing wrong in sticking with what he knows I think. I can see them coming up next year. Thought he done well to get Boyd was surprised Mcleish never took him.
 
Thomson is a Premier League player. Boyd is rubbish at everything except from having the natural finisher instinct. McManus is decent but Championship is probably his level.
 
You can see the logic with the players in recent seasons who have went to the championship from scotland. Adam, Dorrans, Burke, McCormack to name a few and with the success of McManus and Robson already at Boro it's not a surprise Strachan is going to scotland. He's taking advantage of the cheapness of SPL players.

Thomson is a very good player, a bit dirty but he's actually a very tidy footballer. For example he was far better than Barry Ferguson at Rangers in the last couple of season and Ferguson has went on to be a key player in a premier league side.

Saying that Ferguson was having a hard time with all the stuff going on around him and a fresh start did him the world of good.
 
Well it's not like he's spending a lot, he's getting players in the last year or in Boyds case for free.

He knows the scottish league from his time at celtic and i'm sure he knows which players will do a job, hence him getting Robson and McManus in who both were top performers. Miller is an exception as at his age he was merely signed as an extra forward for a team who cant score goals after they couldnt seccure boyd in Jan.

Wait and see how they get going, i wouldnt put it past strachan to get them premoted, he's a good manager.
 
Does this mean that the top of the SPL = Championship?
 
Blair said:
They don't even look great in the SPL.

I find it hilarious. Strachan is a fecking clown.
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I'm not in a position to say anything about his managerial qualities, but saying he's a clown sounds quite bitter. His work at Celtic was certainly not all bad.
 
gormless said:
Mcmanus is a good signing for them. He brings out the best in Wheater and they desperately need him now that Pogatetz has left. McDonald and Boyd should get them plenty of goals, and they have a pretty good midfield by Championship standards, Barry Robson was probably their player of the season in the 6 months he was there last season and that will probably continue. They could just do with a creative midfielder or winger now and they'll be set.
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So ... DaMarcus Beasley and Paddy McCourt next?
 
MickeyOwenIsRED said:
Shades of roy keane, only signing players he knows.

Have these lads ever heard of scouts? I mean seriously?
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Middlesbrough went too far down the signing obscure players through their scouting network under Southgate and it got them relegated. Off the top of my head there was Digard, Dong Gook and probably loads more but i'm tired and can't think. Can't blame them for sticking with tried and tested players.
 
gormless said:
Middlesbrough went too far down the signing obscure players through their scouting network under Southgate and it got them relegated. Off the top of my head there was Digard, Dong Gook and probably loads more but i'm tired and can't think. Can't blame them for sticking with tried and tested players.
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tried and tested and also great value in todays market.

When players like Charlie Adam are signed for next to nothing after being a Rangers bit part player, have one good season at a club like Blackpool and then are touted as £5mil or so it shows you that their is value in SPL players.

For a player proven as top level championship the value is huge in comparison. Also the finances of the SPL cannot compaire. You can earn more in the championship than at Rangers or Celtic.
 
Think the difference between him and Keano is that he took ex Man Utd players knowing they will have a good pedigree or that they have the right attitude. But it was essentialy the players who were not good enough anymore.

Strachan seems to be taking some of the bigger names from the SPL. I do think they stand a good chance of coming up but if they do come up some of the positions the likes of McManus would need looked at.
 
Many of the players Strachan signed weren't even much kop in the SPL. He'd have been better off bringing in emerging talents like Cardiff and Blackpool successfully did with the likes of McCormack, Adam and Burke rather than fading presences like McManus and Robson and never-was's like Flood. And some of his signings had a strange mix to them. Why for example did he bring in Boyd and McDonald? Neither are much use in a 4-5-1, they can't play with each other effectively, why bring in both of them?
 
Since when did we start caring about what Boro did? They are doing everything they can to get back to the PL but unfortunately for them, it does not look like it is going to happen anytime soon.
 
RDCR07 said:
Since when did we start caring about what Boro did? They are doing everything they can to get back to the PL but unfortunately for them, it does not look like it is going to happen anytime soon.
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They were the ultimate game raisers (though happily not just against us, they beat all of the top 4 teams), so I would quite like them back in the Premier League. They're usually good for taking points off one of Arsenal or Chelsea. And I find them vaguely interesting as I'm a Teessider and often blag free tickets off mates, as well as a rather amazing fall from grace, from UEFA cup finalists to possible relegation from the Championship in 4 years. That takes a special kind of mismanagement.
 
gormless said:
They were the ultimate game raisers (though happily not just against us, they beat all of the top 4 teams), so I would quite like them back in the Premier League. They're usually good for taking points off one of Arsenal or Chelsea. And I find them vaguely interesting as I'm a Teessider and often blag free tickets off mates, as well as a rather amazing fall from grace, from UEFA cup finalists to possible relegation from the Championship in 4 years. That takes a special kind of mismanagement.
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Their game raising antics are the main reason I hope they stay down! One of the few away games in the Premiership opposition that I was rarely confident of a win.
 
They beat Chelsea the seasn we got our title back, think it was the second game of the season too which gave us an opportunity to open up a gap between us and Mourinho.
 
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