Notes for the New Season — Part One: Middlesbrough, Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday Monday, 21st Jul 2014 09:59 by HarryFromBath In the first of a series of pre-season reports, HarryFromBath assesses the mood around the Championship clubs by delving into their forums. Middlesbrough, Leeds, and Sheffield Wednesday are under the spotlight in today’s notes. Middlesbrough — Upwardly Mobile “In Karanka, I think we have a very clever, focussed and even driven manager. The thing I like about him is his requirement from all players and staff to give 100% at all times, and to take responsibility for everything you do on and off the pitch.” Boro supporters regularly compare boss Aitor Karanka (pictured above) to former manager Bryan Robson. “He seems very trustworthy and I believe he is the man to take our club to the next level”, “Karanka reminds me of Laudrup. He has a similar sort of set-up and encourages pass-and-move play.” “He has an air of confidence in his ability, but is humble and doesn’t project arrogance or cockiness”, “I agree exciting times have returned to the Riverside. Let’s hope the first few games are an indication of success to follow this season.” Keeping a Lid on Things “Too many high expectations always lead to heartbreak for Boro”. Despite the quiet confidence being widely expressed, most supporters are modest in their expectations for this campaign. “I think they are very low for the season. I can see us pushing for the play-offs and hopefully grabbing a spot.” “The best we can hope for is an all-round improvement and that (owner) Steve Gibson extends Karanka’s contract (currently two years) because I believe that this fella may have what it takes one he finds his balanced team.” Transfer Dealings “We badly need new strikers and a decent right back”. Boro have been working patiently this summer to strengthen their squad. Strikers Marvin Emnes (to Swansea) and Lukas Jutkiewicz (to Burnley) have left for an undisclosed fee and £1.5 million respectively. Enrique ‘Kike’ Garcia, a 24-year-old striker from Real Murcia has joined for “nearly three million pounds” on a three-year deal, and 25-year-old keeper Tomas Mejias, who joined from Real Madrid on loan in February, has signed a two-year contract.
“We’ve got some cash to spend. We’ve got some money coming in through sales, and with a good start we could find ourselves with money to spend in January to build on it”, “Hopefully Karanka will venture into the market and find us a Michu-type striker to fit our style of play.” Boro’s confidence in their transfer dealing is best exemplified in their protracted bid for Belgium international striker Jelle Vossen. A £3.5 million bid has been turned down by Genk, prompting an “angry reaction” from the 25-year-old. A #FreeJelleVossen Twitter campaign started by Boro fans has gone viral. Boro have also been “fighting Nottingham Forest” in a bid for 25-year-old Huddersfield box-to-box midfielder Adam Clayton, and are also looking at Jonathan Castro Otto, a 20-year-old right-back who currently plays for Celta Vigo, with a fee of c£500,000 being mentioned on message boards. Kenneth Omerou, the highly rated 20-year-old Chelsea defender, is widely expected to return this summer and would be welcomed, although one forum expressed concern that QPR might scupper any loan deal. Despite their modest expectations, Boro are moving purposefully in their dealings this summer, and have not been afraid to stand up the cash to back their judgement. Leeds United — Chaos Theory “Being a laughing stock makes a change from being hated”. While events are progressing smoothly at the Riverside, this is anything but the case down at Elland Road, where former Cagliari owner Massimo Cellino has taken ownership. “He’s superstitious about the colour purple, and the number 17 shirt is now retired”. Not just his beliefs, but Cellino’s comments, for example comparing coaches to watermelons — “You only know how good it is once you open it” — have given supporters plenty to think about. Massimo Cellino “We all know Cellino is as mad as a box of frogs, but we all genuinely believe that he wants to succeed and make Leeds great again”, “I get the feeling that he’s desperate to succeed at Leeds and will do all in his power to achieve that”, “He has inherited a mess which he seems intent on sorting out.” Cellino divides opinion sharply. He has his supporters: “We have an owner who understands football, having left behind an owner who didn’t have a clue. We have been a soft touch for too long and should make progress if Cellino gets the finances under control.” “Cellino talks about humility. Underneath the bravado, guitar playing and sound bites, he is humble enough to acknowledge that LUFC is a challenge. He needs to prove to himself and the fans that he is a good owner, and a bloke with something to prove is just dandy.”
With equal weight, he has his critics: “This tit is a perfect replica of the idiot who destroyed Hearts in the not too distant past. Fifty bleeding years I have given this club support, but will never attend a game again while that moron owns the club. To say we are a laughing stock is being nice.” “I think he has shown himself to be divisive, reckless, nepotistic and egotistical. He has done very little since coming to make me think that his way of doing things will be a marked improvement from previous regimes.” “Cellino is running a vanity project and attempting to be a manager at a Championship club. We don’t have a European model with an experienced sporting director. What we have is a millionaire owner taking a hands-on role managing our first team with no direct experience in the game.” “There are two main opinions regarding Cellino amongst fans. There are those who think things can’t get any worse and are prepared to back him whatever path he takes, and there are those who see a dictator with a very high opinion of himself, at the centre of everything and taking the club down the wrong path.” Dave Hockaday “Words fail me”, “Please say this is a joke”. Many fans were happy to give the Italian owner the benefit of the doubt, but he alienated many neutrals and left them stunned by the appointment of the 56-year-old ex-Forest Green Rovers manager as first team coach last month. “And so it is that the worst management team in the history of the club is confirmed. Now let’s sit back and watch the train wreck begin”, “He seems to have gone for the cheapest option, and it will be us fans that suffer the most“, “We might need someone with non-league experience after all.”
“I just can’t understand this appointment at all. He isn’t young, so we can’t say that he is promising, and yet he has no other credentials”, ”Hockaday, accept you’re out of your depth. To even apply was disrespectful to Leeds United — the arrogance of the man.” “Hockaday will be running the training sessions, and he has a long track record of working with youth players”, “Forest Green were difficult to play against and hard to break down”, “I think he’s here for his no-nonsense approach. He’ll whip the squad into the fittest team in the league.” A small number of supporters have looked for positives, but the consensus is that he is cheap - a £150,000 salary has been mentioned several times — and dispensable. “I still can’t believe the guy’s our manager/head coach. I still find it hilarious.” No Expectations “I’d say that 15th (last season’s finishing position) is achievable this season no problem”, “Who the hell wants 15th place? Surely to God we deserve better than this”, “I think the players we have now will achieve at least 15th place if they try their hardest, unlike last year.” “This squad does not fill me with a lot of positivity for next season. I think we’ll finish below 14th, which isn’t good enough.” There has been no talk even of play-offs given how events have panned out since the end of the season. “If the season started now, we would be relegated.” Ross McCormack “Eleven million? Bloody hell. We would have been mad to turn it down really. Nice bit of business, Mr Cellino”, “We got great money for him”, “I hope Ross scored 29 goals for Fulham this year and they finish 15th in the league.” The loss of last season’s top scorer to Fulham has been softened by what is widely seen as a very good transfer fee for a player who many felt had emotionally disconnected from the club when former boss Brian McDermott was sacked and immediately reinstated in January.
McCormack’s comments following the transfer have provoked a caustic reaction with Leeds fans. “It’s no longer the Leeds United I fell in love with,” was greeted with raised eyebrows, but his remark that “Fulham was where I wanted to be” was “worthy of Tommy Trinder”. Wider Transfer Dealings “With McCormack missing, we need another forward who is a proven goalscorer. Apart from that, the stand-out issue is that we are missing any attacking width either from out-and-out wingers, or inside forwards who start wide.” With loan signings Jimmy Kebe having returned to Crystal Palace and Cameron Stewart now on our books, many Whites are concerned by the team’s lack of a wide threat. They also want to see the defence strengthened with a good centre-back. Apart from McCormack, the squad has been thinned by departing veterans not being retained, including strikers Luke Varney and El Hadji Diouf, and midfielders Michael Brown and ex-ITFC loan signing Paul Green. The Whites are using their knowledge of the Italian market and moving to strengthen their squad with great confidence. Marco Silvestri, a 23-year-old keeper from Chievo, and 25-year-old Tomasso Bianchi a midfielder from Sassuolo, have arrived on four-year deals. Souleymane Doukara, a 22-year-old Franco-Senegalese striker, has joined on a season’s loan from Catania, and on Saturday, the news that Gaetano Berardi, a 25-year-old Swiss international full-back from Sampdoria, had signed a two-year deal (subject to clearance) was welcomed. “If we get Jonathan Rossini, that’s a big void filled”. Many Leeds fans are feverishly scouring Italian football databases to broaden their knowledge, and the 25-year-old Swiss born Sassuolo centre-back — linked with the club - would be a welcome addition if a deal can be struck. Sheffield Wednesday — Waiting for Hafiz “Thank you Milan and welcome Hafiz. The light at the end of the tunnel has just been switched back on”. There was a euphoric mood on Owls message boards on June 10th when the sale of the club by Milan Mandaric to Azerbaijan multi-millionaire Hafiz Mammedov (for £40 million) was announced. “I take my hat off to Milan and the team. His achievements in less than four years have been incredible, considering the state he found us in”, “This isn’t just about money, it’s about ambition, but for now I’d settle for being able to compete financially and see what happens when the feel good factor grows.” The Owls have been working on a limited budget and with limited expectations in recent seasons. They are hoping that their patience is rewarded with some decent signings once the sale of the club has been ratified by the FA, something that has yet to happen a month after the announcement. Mammedov has made his money in the oil, gas, transportation and construction. He also owns FC Baku and French club RC Lens. There have been anxious murmurs with the news that Lens’ promotion to Ligue 1 was blocked last week because of a shortfall of 10 million Euros to meet financial criteria. Stuart Gray “After seeing the improvement in our players since Gray took charge, I’m pretty confident that the players we bring in will be right for the dressing room”, “Gray has averaged 1.63 points per game since taking over.”
There are two schools of thought on the Owls boss. His supporters point to player improvements and a season rescued after Dave Jones “catastrophic start”. More nervous Owls point to “two wins in our last 10 games”, and “the fact was that the performances towards the end were as poor as the results.” Respectability “A top-12 finish would be progress for me and I’d be happy with that”, “Another boring season of nothingness”, “I’m looking forward to next season with cautious optimism”. A final table prediction poll sees the majority of Owls putting their team between ninth and 15th place. “With our current squad, 15nth, but we could make sixth with the five players needed to improve us”, “Anything is possible if the take-over gets ratified and HM throws money at it. We might sneak into the top half and be competitive at this level for once, and for the first time since Brian Laws was in charge.” Transfer Dealings “We need a leader on the pitch and have done for years”, “The spine of the side needs to be our priority. We need a centre-back partner for Glenn Loovens and the two best strikers we can find. If we need to upgrade, we can use the loan system.” The Owls have said not renewed the contracts of veterans such as Jermaine Johnson, Miguel Llera, Anthony Gardner and David Prutton. They have been unable to agree terms with USA international Oguchi Onweyu, but have retained midfielder Jose Semedo and new captain Loovens.
Sam Hutchinson (on loan last season from Chelsea) has signed a two-year deal, as has 29-year-old keeper Keiren Westwood, arriving from Sunderland. Promising defenders Matt Young (from Southampton), Ed Sanders (from Stoke) and winger Paul McElroy (from Hull) are the other new arrivals. “It’s going to be a long summer. There is an age to go until the last minute bargain bin of left-overs that no-one else wants opens”, “It’s like déjà vu every season, every summer and every transfer window”, “Are we actually linked with anyone at the moment?” “I’m starting to think we actually won’t spend any money”, “Wake up and smell the coffee, people. The takeover will have no effect until the January window at the earliest.” “The less you expect from Wednesday, the less disappointed you will be”. There has been growing weariness as a procession of promising players have been snapped up by rivals. Missing out on Matty Fryatt (to Forest) after a successful loan spell has especially rankled. “I don’t think anyone expected the ratification of the takeover to take this long. We have made a few astute signings which we can afford without breaking the bank. This is preferable to signing loads of players only for the takeover to go belly up, leaving us in the sewer.” Message Boards The busiest Middlesbrough forum is One Boro. There are a good number of Leeds message boards. LUFC Talk offers an informed and accurate flavour of current opinion, and the busiest Owls forum is Owlstalk. On Wednesday, the spotlight will fall on the remaining Yorkshire teams of Huddersfield Town and newly promoted Rotherham, and I will cross the Pennines to assess the mood at Blackburn Rovers.
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